Chapter Two
I dont mind
Falling in the water
No one ever notices me
I lay under the waves
-Maroon 5
(Draco Malfoy)
I believe I passed out not shortly after that, which was not shocking after the distress my body had taken. When I woke up, it was raining. Hard. I could hear it slamming against the high roofs of the castle and running down the windows so quickly that it was difficult to make anything of the outside world except a running blur. Not that I was near the window. I awoke in a bed in the hospital wing, which was almost annoyingly cold, as most medical places had the tendency to be. All the other beds were empty, with the exception of a young Hufflepuff that had apparently had quite an accident in Potions.
My eyes trailed over to the right where the only other figure in the room caught my attention.
"How are you feeling?"
That was asked to anybody in a hospital bed. Who was asking, however, caught me off guard.
"Weasley," I stated gruffly, confused. Of course, I meant the youngest Weasley.
She gave me a dazzling smile that made the tendons in my neck tighten. The last time I'd seen that smile, it'd been far more wicked and for far more evil purposes. Her Bat-Bogey Hex was one to be bargained with.
"Well?"
"Other than the massive headache, these freezing quarters, and… well, you, I suppose I'm alright."
Ginny crossed her arms and her legs, her skirt showing just a little bit of thigh, and stuck out her lower lip slightly. "You're lucky you woke up to me. Harry and I have been taking turns."
"Pardon my rudeness, but what the fuck for?" As you have probably noticed, I wasn't really in the mood to talk to Gryffindors.
"We needed to talk to you," Ginny replied sternly, her playfulness dying into the echoes of the room.
I sat up a bit, yanking my pillow up behind me to be more comfortable. "Alright then. Fine. I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I suppose I can spare a few minutes to hear what you have to say."
She looked around the room as if it were some big secret, which made my situation feel even more grave. Potions-accident-kid was unconscious, and Madam Pomphrey was nowhere to be found, probably off speaking to one of the professors about me. Probably talking to Snape.
"Malfoy…" Ginny said, apprehensive, "We think… that earlier, you were possessed by… You-Know-Who."
I stared at her, waiting for a Just Kidding. It never came.
"You see, um… well, both Harry and I know what it feels and looks like. And that's definitely what appeared to be happening to you. Have you… had any dreams? Anything like that?"
I felt defensive. Why the hell did she deserve to know what I was dreaming about. It wasn't her business. Of course, my silence pretty much answered her question and she jumped to conclusions.
"You have, haven't you?" Her chocolate eyes dimmed a little as she focused on me.
"Maybe," I returned, narrowing my eyes.
I was, of course, already frustrating the poor girl, who really didn't deserve my git-ish behavior. Not that that was stopping me of course. It never had before.
"Malfoy, Harry and I want to help you."
"Oh, please!" I exclaimed, suddenly abrasive. "Who's to say I was possessed?"
"I am," Ginny growled, eyes flashing.
"And I'm to trust your judgment?"
Silence followed as her glower made the hairs on my neck prickle.
"Shouldn't you trust me because I'm actually trying to help you?"
I don't know why it pissed me off so much. Perhaps my mind twirled itself around the underlying meaning that she was saying I was too stupid to realize that my mind had been invaded. I wasn't stupid. I was stubborn. Some would say it's the same. I say it's different. But I knew that I hadn't been possessed. Or… not by Voldemort at least. So I felt the need to tell her so.
"I wasn't possessed. Not by… Voldemort at least."
She jumped a bit at the use of the Dark Lord's name. I'm not sure if it scared her, or if she was just surprised that I used it so casually. I expect the latter.
"You don't think Voldemort possessed you?"
I laughed then. I'm not sure why. Nothing that she asked was at all funny.
"No, I don't."
"Why?"
"Because I've been--" I cut myself off and stared at her, shocked at my own insolence. I had almost revealed far too much of my life. "I just know."
(Severus Snape)
Malfoy Manor had always intimidated me inside, though I never showed it when I went there. So when I threw the Floo powder into the fireplace and appeared amongst their valuables, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. After a moment or so, my nerves calmed and I stepped out, dusting myself off. The large, arched door across the room opened slightly and in slid the figure I'd been awaiting. She closed the door softly behind her, platinum blonde locks framing her face gracefully.
"Severus," she greeted with dead blue eyes.
I felt a bit awkward, stepping forward into their study. I never could seem to look Narcissa Malfoy in the eye. They were always much too sad. The woman had the tendency to break my heart every time I saw her. She flowed across the room in a long midnight blue dress and halted before me with those sad eyes.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "About your son…"
Another reason I hated seeing Narcissa was that every time I came to speak to her, it was usually about Draco, and when it was about Draco, it was usually bad. And every time I mentioned him, I never thought her eyes could get sadder, and yet every time they always did. And every time they broke my heart.
"What happened?"
"Well… I'm being led to believe that he's… being possessed." I had to form my words carefully but bluntly, for any flourishing would only make the situation seem only much more grave. Not that it wasn't already.
Narcissa's hands flew to her mouth in shock and sorrow and those blue eyes got even sadder, panging the strings of my heart to where I almost visibly flinched. She didn't say anything right away. We just stood there in that depressing silence in that depressing room dwelling on that depressing subject. It's strange, I never seem to remember why I hate seeing Malfoy Manor so much until I actually brought the bad news.
"We're… not sure yet," I said, trying to be consoling as I could, but, well, let's face it, I'm not the most comforting individual. "We're hoping to investigate it further…"
She didn't look up, just stared sadly at the floor.
"…Narcissa, if there's anything you can… you can tell us…" I said after a pause, worried she'd never speak again.
Finally, she lifted her head and met my eyes with a cold, glazed expression - the mask she had the tendency to wear. "No. I wish I did, but I don't know. I fancy Lucius is behind it, but I cannot be sure."
I looked around as if checking to see if anyone was around then closed a bit more distance between us, leaning closely to her ear, close enough to feel her breath on my neck. "Narcissa, why are you still doing this? You can get out of this."
A small, pale, delicate hand lifted, pressed against my chest, and pushed me away slowly. "It's not your job to protect me, Severus."
"I know it's not," I said, turning to return to Hogwarts. "It's yours."
(Ginny Weasley)
I couldn't help but feel like I was babysitting.
Then again, I had the tendency to baby-sit almost anyone. Perhaps I was more mature than most people my age. Or… perhaps most people my age had just regressed to stupid. Arguing with Draco Malfoy seemed to prove both theories in my eyes. Of course, I was fighting with my mature side at the moment as well. I wanted to yell at him, slap him, call him an idiot, anything, and yet I attempted to remain patient.
"Please, Malfoy. I only want to help."
It seemed every time I said that phrase, he had a mixture of amusement and anger. He was never sure to laugh or yell. I was pretty sure I wanted to yell.
"Weasley, why don't you just go mind your own damn business. I'll protect my own arse." Draco growled cynically.
"Because, obviously, you can't."
"Oh, and I'm sure you have so much more control!" Draco rolled over, signaling the end of conversation.
"Fine," I hissed.
I left the room far more unaccomplished than I had hoped.
(Harry Potter)
"He doesn't think Voldemort possessed him?" I could hide the surprise in my voice. "What the bloody hell does he think happened?"
"I don't know," Ginny said, sighing, looking lethargic. "There's no point in trying now."
"The was no point in trying before," Ron added, tearing into a chocolate frog, hanging over the plush arm chair that Harry was leaning against, his spot being on the floor. "It's Malfoy. What'd you expect? He'd just come running to you for help? Want one, Hermione?" He offered one in her direction.
"No, thanks," she replied, then went back to the main subject, curling her legs up under her in the other armchair. "Harry, if Malfoy's going to fight Voldemort, you'll have to let him know the options are open and he can come to you. And if things get scary enough, more than likely, he will."
Ginny, who was stretched out on the sofa shook her head. "What if he's doing it on purpose? Trying to be the inside man for the Death Eaters?"
"He reacted awful strange, don't you think?"
"Who's to say the boy can't act?" Ron shoved the chocolate frog in his mouth and felt free to talk with his mouth full. "Could be playing us all for fools."
"Or, he could actually be scared," Neville's voice finally piped up, still soft, but deep enough to stand out among almost anyone. He sat near the fireplace, playing with Crookshanks.
"You taking his side, Neville? After all he's done to you?" Ron piped bitterly.
"Well, no," Neville stammered, blinking. "I'm just… everyone gets scared, right?"
Ginny took the moment to make a spider shadow puppet. "Yeah, Ron." She chuckled as he paled, the freckles on his face becoming more vivid.
"Quit it, Ginny!" Ron whined, attempting to look brave. "Bollocks…"
We all giggled amongst ourselves for a moment before finally letting it go for poor Ronald's sake. Ginny finished it with a sarcastic grin that made him pout.
"Anyway, Neville has a point," Hermione said, "But Ron, you have one also." She nodded in his direction. "We're going to have to be cautious."
"So what you're saying is… we have to do something about this… even if it's a trap." Ron sighed. "Don't we ever get a break?"
"Toss me one of those frogs, Ron," I said and he complied. I caught it easily and began unwrapping it. "And no, Ron. Never. We never have." I popped it in my mouth and relished in the sweet chocolaty taste. I smiled at him none the less. "At least it makes life exciting."
"Or dangerous," Ron replied, that worried look he always got playing on his features. "Well, I'll let you deal with Malfoy. I have a feeling I won't be much help."
"You'd be trying to hex him before he had a chance to speak," Hermione said, Crookshanks jumping into her lap, tired of playtime.
"No, he'd say something stupid that would piss him off," Ginny argued, leaning on a hand.
"She's right on the money," Ron said, defensive.
"I suppose you're right there, Ginny," Hermione replied, stroking Crookshanks' back affectionately. "But we can't just leave him be. That'd be more dangerous."
I sighed. My head was beginning to hurt. "Let's just sleep on it tonight. We can talk more about it in the morning."
We said our goodnights and stumbled tiredly off to bed.
End Chapter Two
(7.14.2007)
