n i n e t e e n

---

“Damn, this is wicked.” Blaise let out a hearty laugh as he saw the statue reveal a passageway. “I cannot believe I didn’t know about this one.” He said in complete awe. “Potter, I must say, you’re quite a bloke.” He complimented and nodded in approval.

“Thank you?” Harry responded with uncertainty but brushed it off. “Okay, hurry up. We don’t have much time.” He told them as he looked around the empty corridors. “There’s a slide down there so go one at a time.” He said and stared at his girlfriend.

“I’m not going in there first.” She said, shaking her head. Instead, she turned to Blaise and smirked. “Ladies’ first.” She told him as she did a bow, stepping to the side, leading the path clear and open for Blaise.

“Ha-ha.” He sneered and sighed. “I guess I’ll go, then.” He grumbled and finally stepped inside the hole and unexpectedly found himself sliding down a small slide. “Woah!” He yelled and fell face first on the ground with a groan. “Ouch—“ He suddenly heard a scream and felt someone fall on top of him. “I swear, if it’s you Potter . . . I will bloody murder you.” He managed to choke out as he groaned. He looked to the side and saw red hair flashing wildly, even in the dim tunnel. “You damn woman.” He muttered.

“Thanks for the landing.” She chuckled and got up easily, dusting herself off. “I needed a soft landing.” She told him and fixed her scarf.

“Oh, you welcome.” Blaise told her with a glare as he started to lift himself up but . . .

“Incoming!” Harry’s voice rang out and Blaise suddenly felt himself being pushed back down to the ground with an even heavier weight on his back. The boys groaned in pain while Ginny busted out laughing her head off. She put an arm over her stomach and fell over, laughing.

“My bad, Zabini.” Harry said apologetically, getting up.

Blaise pressed his lips into a thin line and simply nodded. He got up slowly and stretched a bit. “Quit your damn laughing.” He muttered, glaring at Ginny and walking off.

Ginny’s laugh died down after a minute or two and finally, she got up, wiping away her tears. “Oh, I love you, Harry Potter.” She said and put an arm around his shoulder.

“I love you, too, Ginny Weasley.” Harry said as he planted a kiss on her cheek in return.

“Hurry up!” Blaise’s irritated voice yelled.

“We’re coming!” Ginny yelled back and started to walk hand in hand with Harry.

“When will this tunnel end?!” Blaise shouted at them in agony.

“It takes about an hour to get there!” Harry shouted back and got rewarded an agitated groan from Blaise and a stare from Ginny.

“Really?” She asked, her eyes widening.

“Really.”

“Hmm, an hour alone with you and Zabini.” She said and smirked. “I think it’s time for a little prank.” She said and looked at Harry with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Oh no, Ginny, we talked about this—“

“It’s Zabini! We can do whatever the hell we want, you know why? He’s Blaise Zabini. Ron is my brother, so he’s a different story. But Zabini, he’s different. We can pull pranks on him . . . and you know you want to.” She said and smiled smugly. “If only we could visit George . . . I mean, technically we actually could.” She added with a smirk.

“Oh boy . . .” Harry muttered under his breath. “He’s going to kill me.” He stated as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“He loves you . . . and me. Besides, it’s George we’re talking about. He doesn’t care if we come or not, he’s a goofball.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, though. He hasn’t been himself since . . .”

“He’s recovering.” She said slowly and sighed. “He’ll understand.” She told him with a positive grin and slightly frowned when she looked at her boyfriend. “I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you have Hermione’s beaded handbag?”

“I, uh, you’ll see. She borrowed my map once; I’m borrowing her handbag for a few hours. It’s a win-win.” He shrugged and walked on with Ginny walking beside him.

“Okay.” She answered and smiled. “Do you want me to hold it?” She asked after a while. “I mean, you look pretty ridiculous. A boy carrying around a handbag. I’m surprised Zabini didn’t comment on it.”

“Yeah, it’s probably better for you to hold on to it for now.” He said with a nod as he handed it to her.

“What’s in here, anywhere?” She asked as she held it, looking at it curiously.

“You’ll see.” Harry said with a smile.

“Whatever you say, Mr. Potter.”

---

“No.”

“No?” Hermione asked and sighed. “Hmm, so you don’t know any fairytales or myths . . . what about Shakespeare?”

“Correction, I don’t know any muggle fairytales and myths.” He said and looked down at a random book. “Shakespeare?” He asked as the corners of his lips curled up. “’Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.’” He recited off the top of his head as he nodded in triumph. He didn’t dare turn around to look at her face.

Hermione stared at him in shock; her jaw dropped wide open as she blinked a few times. She slightly smirked and continued to look at the book she grabbed off the shelf. “Very impressive, Draco. Who would’ve thought you’d be a fan of Romeo and Juliet?” She asked with a small laugh.