A/N: I hate Ginny's real name, so I have decided to keep it Virginia. This story is AU and doesn't follow HBP. Enjoy. Let me know what you're thinking.
Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Prologue
The fresh air washed over the face of Virginia Weasley. She stumbled across the lush lawn of the place she had come to call home: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She smiled slightly, though her mouth was parched, and her body was tired and sore. Judging by the height of the sun, it was midday, and the students should still be in their morning classes. Ginny smiled again. The sun. How long had it been since she had been able to gaze at the azure sky, to bask in the sunlight?
It had been too long.
She clambered up the front steps, and slammed her body into the large oaken doors. Her breath came from her throat in sharp gasps. The door was all that kept her standing. Her only support. Suddenly that support was removed and Ginny fell, unconscious, to the floor.
Luna Lovegood let out an ear-piercing shriek as she saw the body fall to the floor. It was late Monday morning, and as was her custom, she was making her rounds about campus, searching for any tidbits of information that might help her father's newspaper. When the girl fell to the floor, she was not immediately recognized by her former schoolmate. The body of the fallen girl was pale, and the deep crimson of her hair contrasted greatly with the pallor of her skin. A bracelet, constructed of clear plastic was wound about her tiny wrist, and she wore a gown not unlike those seen in Muggle hospitals. Luna's shock receded when she realized just who the intruder was.
"Why it's Ginny Weasley come back!" Luna exclaimed as she pulled out her camera. She snapped a few quick pictures of her unconscious friend before scurrying away to the Owlry. This film was going to sell her father a lot of papers.
The body on the ground groaned. Morning classes had let out, and the lunchroom chatter assaulted her ears, making them ache. She climbed to her knees and crawled toward the ear-splitting sound. She reached the entrance to the Great Hall and pulled herself to her feet, using the wall as a support. She threw her body at the heavy doors, and collided with the floor. The sound was heavier than before, weighing her down and suffocating her senses. Once again her breath came in sharp bursts. She struggled to breathe, to think. She climbed to her knees and covered her ears with her hands.
"Make it go away. Make it stop. Please. I'll listen, I won't try to fight anymore, just take the noise away, take the sound away and make it better." She muttered under her breath. Tears choked her words, and streamed down her cheeks. The sound began to fade, but her voice continued on, "make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop take it away and make it better I wont fight I wont struggle just take it away." By now the entire Great Hall had ceased movement.
"Gin?" A cautious voice spoke, interrupting her thoughts and her rambling, "Is that you?" She stopped. She opened her eyes and looked into those of her big brother.
Her scream echoed throughout the entire Great Hall.
Draco Malfoy stopped his eating. What was all the fuss? He looked around himself to see what the commotion was about when he saw Weasel climb out of his chair as if he'd seen a ghost. Draco wasn't one to miss an opportunity to make the Weasel suffer, so he did what any other self-respecting Slytherin would have done. He stood up on his chair, smirked his Malfoy smirk, and watched the show. He stood in time to see the red-headed girl fall.
Ginny Weasley woke to white. Everything was white. Madam Pomfrey came running at the sound of the girl's scream.
"Let me go! Please stop!" Ginny cried over and over again. Her cries began to subside and she mumbled incoherently, rocking on her haunches. Madame Pomfrey slowly approached the girl. She sat on the bed and gently stroked the child's back.
"Easy now, Virginia. Everything is going to be okay. You're safe now." She whispered. The young girl stopped her rocking and sat up. She kept her eyes fixed on the walls, but raised a shaky hand to the nurse's sleeve.
"Where am I?"
"You're home, dear."
"In England?"
"No." the healer said, "You're safely at Hogwarts. Here, eat some chocolate while I call the Headmaster."
"Dumbledore?"
"Yes, dear."
"They took my glasses."
"Lie down. Rest. Eat some more chocolate. He'll only be a moment."
And so Ginny waited, the sickening smell of the infirmary infiltrating her senses, and hoped. Hoped that she was home for good and hoped that the Headmaster would bring her a pair of glasses.
The evils of the world were too much for her to bear.
Draco flopped onto his four-poster bed. Lying on his back, with his hands behind his head, he thought of this new, and last, school year, and how he was eager to graduate. Being seventeen, he was already permitted to perform magic outside of school and it didn't surprise him that most of his classmates had opted to drop out between sixth and seventh year. It also didn't surprise him that most of those students that had dropped out had dedicated themselves to the service of the Dark Lord. Draco rolled his eyes. If it were up to him, he would have skipped school to lounge about Malfoy Manor, doing nothing in particular to waste away his sorry existence. If it hadn't been for Lucius Malfoy's commanding him to finish school at Hogwarts, he might have still been asleep on his large, fluffy bed, with the silk sheets and—
"What are you doing lying about at this time of the day?" An angry voice yelled to him. Draco lifted his head up to see who had been yelling at him. He snorted with disgust.
"Krum, how many times to I have to tell you, I don't want to go to class and I don't care if I fail." It had become apparent to Draco over the last few months that the Victor Krum action figure he bought at the World Cup before his fourth year had begun to talk to him. It was constantly telling Draco what to do and he didn't appreciate this behavior at all, especially from a magically animated object.
"You know, Draco, you'll never succeed in life if you don't go to class! That's why your father was so adamant about sending you to school…" Krum talked on and on about Draco needing and education, and to get at least half a brain, and Draco knew that if he didn't leave the room soon, he as going to throw the figure out the window.
He didn't think that would solve his problem in the long run, though. He had a feeling that inanimate object, even when tossed from towers (for he intended to climb to a higher location in order to increase the damage and thus increase the chances of success), could still come and haunt him.
Draco grabbed his books and decided to head to Potions.
Walking through the halls, he passed Filch, and unconsciously clenched his fist and his mind filling with murderous thoughts.
Thanks for reading! Lots of love!
---frcpirate