A/N: 200 pageviews. Pretty neat. So I was having a cup of tea a few hours ago and the stupid cheap American tea bag leaked "tea leaves" (or "tea powder" I guess is a more appropriate term) all into my mug. And on top of that, it tasted gross. I still stand firmly by my opinion that Lipton tea tastes exactly like dishwater. Blech. So anyway, when all of the tea was gone, I looked at the leaves at the bottom and and...I saw...a pile of moist tea leaves. And this, my friends, is why I failed Divination. Twice.
Note about the actual chapter: I've found a way to write this so it's more interesting than I originally intended. I'm also going to be switching POV's, but it should be pretty clear as to what I'm doing. Just go with it, ok?
This chapter is dedicated to Questioning Destiny Mostly because she wrote a kick-ass review, also because her stories are equally awesome. Thanks a bunch.
(Time elapsed between chapters: fifteen minutes)
Hermione gently wrapped the cotton bandages around Ginny's torso, carefully avoiding direct contact with her wounds. They had been sitting in silence for some time now, and she was beginning to find it unbearable. She struggled to keep her eyes from focusing on Ginny's mangled form in order to avoid the daunting questions that plagued her mind, what happened to her, why won't she talk to me, what if this is all my fault? But she kept her thoughts to herself, keeping herself busy with the menial task of fixing her friend's wounds. I only wish there was more that I could do...
Ginny's breaths were sharp and rapid, eyes shut so tight and her teeth clenched together equally hard. Hermione could tell that she was fighting to keep back cries of pain. She almost laughed at the thought, she was always strong... She snipped off the end of the last bandage and Ginny's stiffened form relaxed only slightly. She slowly helped Ginny into one of her own shirts, leaving the forgotten, bloody and torn mess of fabric on the floor by the side of her bed. "Are you ready to talk?" Hermione said very quietly as she sat back down on her stool beside the bed.
Ginny shook her head slowly, prompting a look of concern from Hermione who opened her mouth as if to say something. Ginny cut her off before she had the chance to speak, "But I can show you." She ran a shaky hand through her hair in an effort to compose herself before adding, "Hermione, take my hand."
Baffled, Hermione looked back at her, questioningly, "Ginny, what--?"
"Just..." she trailed off and extended a bloody palm draped in bandages towards the other girl. "Trust me."
Hermione met her eyes just for a second before slowly drifting her hand up and into Ginny's. Their fingers intertwined for a moment sending a comforting warmth into her fingertips that quickly spread up into her arm and throughout her body. Ginny mumbled a word under her breath that Hermione couldn't catch and a feeling of power flowed over her, overtaking every aspect of her form.
It was a feeling like falling face-first into a bottomless pit. Suddenly, the walls of the room began to bend inward, melting into a different scene entirely. Hermione shot forward and felt her surroundings begin to slip away as she plummeted farther from her bedroom and into a place that was unfamiliar to her.
She landed a little less than gracefully on the ground, hitting the floor hard with only her outstretched hands to break the fall. She stood up slowly and looked around the darkened corridor, gradually becomming aware of her surroundings. Definitely the dungeons, she concluded, glancing at the elaborate tapestries and iron torches that lined the walls that surrounded her. Ginny Weasley, what the bloody hell have you done to me? Her mind screamed with frustration.
The sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor ripped her away from her thoughts. Someone's coming, should I hide or should I ask them where I am? Wait, what Torn between the two choices and unable to make a decision, she stood stupidly in the middle of the corridor and waited for the footsteps to pass. A familiar redheaded girl appeared just off to her left.
"Ginny!" Hermione shouted at her, glad to see her friend. Hermione walked towards her, but Ginny, unaware of her presence, continued walking at a brisk pace through the corridor. "Ginny? What's going on?"
The other girl continued to walk without so much as a care for Hermione's words. Hang on. She pondered her situation for a moment while she continued to walk briskly after Ginny, taking long quick strides in order to match her pace. With a sudden burst of realization, Hermione picked up her pace to a jog and jumped out in front of Ginny.
The red head walked right through her as if she wasn't there at all. Because I'm not really here, she thought just as the clock chimed ten consecutive times. I'm in the past. She sent me back...to relive it.
The blast of red light seemed to come out of nowhere, as did the group of five boys that followed it. The crests that they bore on their chests were clearly ones of the House of Slytherin. Ginny was thrown back against the dungeon wall as the bolt of light hit her square in the chest. She gasped and clasped her chest as she sunk to the floor, out of breath and confused by the sudden attack.
"Malfoy sends his regards. He wished that he could've been here in person, but he had more..." one of the older boys said, shooting a glance in Ginny's direction in search of the right word to say, "shall I say, personal matters to attend to." He snickered and motioned for another boy to come forward from the shadows that graced every inch of the corridor.
"Of course, he was very clear as to what to do with you," he said, voice dripping with loathing and an aire of superiority that was common of those in his House. The second boy came forward and grabbed Ginny by the collar of her shirt, forcing her to stand. She struggled, trying to pry free from his gasp. Two more boys came forward and grabbed her arms, restraining her and preventing her from moving at all. The leader of the group moved towards her, wand at his side. "You're going to send a message to Harry Potter for us," he said, unable to wipe the smirk off of his face. "You'll make sure he gets it, won't you?"
Ginny stood limply against the wall and turned her head downwards, averting her gaze from the boy's steely grey eyes. The boy chuckled lightly to himself. His laugh echoed through the halls and rang shrilly through Ginny's ears, making her shudder slightly. "You're going to tell him for us," the boy continued moving his face very close to Ginny's so that he was whispering in her ear, "that if he ever decides to bad-mouth a Slytherin ever again, this is what will be waiting for him." His breath was hot against her cheek, but the feeling made her shiver. He grinned and backed off for a moment, pocketed his wand and rolled the sleeves of his robes up to his elbows.
Hermione stood with her back leaned against the cold stone wall. Both of her hands gripped tightly at the door frame that she was standing beside, feeling more completely and hopelessly helpless than she had ever felt before. Here it is, she's going to be beaten half to death by a bunch of Slytherins and there's nothing I can do but watch...I can't just stand by and let this happen, I have to do something
But she stood by, knowing that Ginny was beyond her reach just this once. The boy's fist rose into the air and hovered a few feet in front of Ginny before it finally came down, making a sickening -thud- sound as it collided with the side of her face. Hermione cried out, but Ginny did not make a sound. "What's the matter," the boy questioned, "can't you feel the pain?" He snickered, "Or maybe, you like it."
He took a step backwards and drew his wand from the front of his robes, pointing it precisely at one of Ginny's restrained arms. He mumbled a series of words and another jet of red shot from his wand, making contact with her right hand with a sickening crunch. Ginny whimpered softly and shrank back against the wall in pain while trying desperately not to move her now-broken fingers. A small trickle of blood dripped from her palm and through her curled fingers. Still smiling, he stepped in closer to admire his handiwork. "Hmm, not bad," he murmered just as plainly as if he were complimenting a student for writing a good essay. "Still," he said, frowning slightly, "I don't think you've quiet got the message." The two boys holding her up by the arms let go at the same time, allowing her to drop to the floor, clutching her arm in pain.
"Stand up," the boy growled, pointing his wand directly at her, almost challenging her to defy him.
Hermione was petrified. Ginny, please, oh God, don't do anything stupid...
Ginny, however, obliged and stood on shaky legs while cradling her arm. She managed to look him directly in the eyes and utter the crystal-clear words, "Go fuck yourself."
The boy's eyes burned with fury and contempt for having been defied by such a pathetic excuse for a Gryffindor. "Now, now, you must learn to mind that temper of yours, Weasley," he said, his voice shaking with rage. He lifted his wand again and screamed a phrase that Hermione was not familiar with. Ginny flew back into the air and crashed through a glass display case that was positioned outside a classroom. The sound of the glass shattering was enough to wake every single person in the school. Ginny's limp body slipped down from the display case and landed in a heap on the floor only to be showered with the remnants of glass that had refused to fall only seconds before. Hermione cried out again as she fought to hold back tears, reminding herself that this event had already transpired...there was nothing she could do...
"Shit!"
"Come on!"
"Now!"
"We have to get out of here!" some of the boys yelled as the group scrambled to get out of the dungeons as soon as possible. "Remember what I said, Weasley," growled the leader before he exited majestically with a swing of his flowing robes.
Before she had the chance to move towards Ginny, the falling sensation returned and she was swept away from the past to return to her dormitory room once again. She was sitting in the same stool next to Ginny who was sitting on the bed, arms crossed with her fingernails pressed forcefully into her arms.
Ginny swallowed hard, "I'm sorry you had to see that." She shook her head and looked down at a spot on the floor, "I didn't think...words couldn't describe..."
Hermione stood up and sat next to Ginny on the bed, wrapping her arm around the younger girl as she did so, "I know." She sighed, "Ginny, I'm so sorry." She inhaled quickly in an attempt to stop crying before Ginny realized that her eyes were full of tears.
"It's not your fault," Ginny said very quietly, leaning her head on Hermione's shoulder. "Please, don't cr--" she was cut off by the harsh reality of her own tears that were beginning to flow freely down her face. Tears that had been wanting to fall for so long now. She leaned out of Hermione's grasp and layed down on her side, careful not to disturb the wounds that lined her back. Hermione sat at the edge of the bed for a few moments, unsure of what to do, before the sound of Ginny's stifled crying drew her to lay down next to her. She gently wrapped her arms around Ginny's waist and drew her body close to her own, trying to calm the other girl with her presence.
Ginny was crying now; full, gut-wrenching sobs that made both of their bodies shake with the overpowering emotional force behind them. Hermione moved one of her hands slowly through Ginny's hair, pulling it out of the girl's face and playing with it gently between her fingers as she breathed soothing words into her ear. Slowly, the sobs began to die down and sleep took hold of the younger girl and refused to let go.
Hermione, however, remained awake listening to the other girl's strained breaths as they became more relaxed and drawn-out, taking comfort in the steady, methodical rise and fall of Ginny's chest.
A/N: Damn, I think that was the best thing I've written yet. Pardon the typos! I sincerely hope that you enjoyed that. If you did (hell, even if you didn't) please feel free to tell me through a review. They make my day! Especially since I kinda blew off Math, German, Chem and AP World homework to write this. Hey, I'm allowed. It's not like I blew off English or anything important like that. No, wait, that was yesterday...
It's not over YET!