I was walking down a cold and empty corridor, listening to my footsteps echo eerily off the stone walls. I was casually swinging something from one hand, and I seemed to be heading with a purposeful air to a small door at the end of the corridor.
"Ginny, come to me" whispered a voice across the air, which whipped around my face and blew my hair in front of my eyes.
"I'm coming to you..." I called back, smiling slightly as I eagerly waited to see the person behind the door.
I reached out with my free hand and swung open the door, walking past the lines of broken stalls, striding across the damp floor. I paused next to a cracked mirror and waited next to the chipped stone basin, which suddenly sunk became an open tunnel.
A moment later I was in another room, which was also dark and eerie, but I smiled confidently as I walked past the accusing stares of the carved, writhing walls. I saw a figure loom out of the darkness, arms open wide as he waited for me. He coal hair was nearly lost in the gloom, but I could see his eyes glittering in the dark.
"I've been waiting for you, I've missed you Ginny" he whispered, his cold breath tickling my ear as he hugged me.
"I've missed you too" I murmured.
"You're my most special, most favorite friend. We'll always be together...I'll follow you into heaven" he said softly.
"I know you will"
"You're my most special, most loyal friend" he repeated, "I love you"
"I love you too Tom" I whispered, smiling giddily as I handed him a rooster that hung limply from my hand, molting feathers across the floor.
"We'll be together, forever Ginny. Just you and me" he whispered and his voice began echoing off the walls until I was surrounded by his sweet, loving voice.
"Together forever...just you and me...most loyal...just you and me" I gasped, sitting bolt upright in my bed, shaking as I reached for my wand and cast a warm soothing light around my bed.
Just a dream, I thought myself, it was just a dream. But I couldn't help swallowing against the nausea that threatened to overwhelm me. My nightmares had taken a frightening new turn. Instead of the horror of the Chamber, or the disappearance of Harry or the death of family members, now I was in the Chamber, but perfectly contented with what was happening, even happy about it. How could that be?
I tried to calm my racing heart, and force myself to try and fall asleep, but all I could think about was what would happen if I did fall asleep, would he be there waiting for me? Ready to hug me, and whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I shuddered violently and staggered out of bed, vowing to myself not to go back to sleep again tonight. I paced the room anxiously, and finally decided to head down to the common room, seeking the warmth of the fire and the familiar surroundings.
I crept out of the dorm and headed down the stairs, settling myself in front of the dying embers. I felt a pang of sadness when I realized Harry wasn't down tonight. He wouldn't be able to hug me, or joke and laugh with me and make everything all right. For a few seconds contemplated going and waking him up, but sensibly I decided I would just have to deal with it myself. I forced my drooping eyes open and engaged in short bursts of exercise to try and keep me awake. I sat in the comfy sofa by the fire again and watched as the first rays of bleak sunlight poked through the clouds over the mountains in the distance. My eyelids were drooping again and I closed them gratefully, just for a quick rest. I'll just close them for a rest then I'll get up I told myself, as my head dropped onto arm couch. I'll move my head in a second I told myself, I'll just leave it there for a rest. Just a quick rest I promised...
"Ginny!" came a voice in my ear, accompanied by a gentle shake.
I muttered something incoherent and buried my face deeper into my blankets. Not blankets I told myself as I peeked through slitted eyes at the red material of the couch arm. Couch? I asked myself opening my eyes further to take in my surroundings. In my limited range of vision I could see the shapes of a table, a set of chairs and a fire swim into view, suddenly followed by a pair of brown eyes.
"Ginny, come on get up" said the voice belonging to the eyes trying to pull me up.
"'ermione?" I muttered as I was bought to an unsteady sitting position.
My back ached something terrible and my shoulder was numb from where I had been lying on it. I looked around the common room again, which was bathed in morning sun. Morning? I asked myself frantically as I checked the clock above the fire.
"Its 8:30!" I said, jumping to my feet unsteadily.
"Yeah, I'm just about to go down to breakfast" explained Hermione, "Ginny, what were you doing sleeping down here?"
I busied myself straightening my old school robe I was wearing, deciding whether or not to tell her about the dream. The dream, that was the reason I was down here in the first place, the one where Tom said all those things to me and I...
"Ginny are you ok? You look a little pale" Hermione said, derailing my train of thought. I put on a bright smile and looked over to Hermione, who was staring at me thoughtfully.
It always worried me when she did that, you always got the feeling she managed to work out what was happening from the slightest little signs. It was like she was working you out logically, processing your movements and analyzing everything you said, and coming to some sort of conclusion. All very scientific, all very logical, all very Hermione.
"Ginny?" she prompted me, breaking me from my reverie again, with a worried frown on her face this time.
"What?" I asked, not sure of how much of what she had been saying I was taking in.
"I said are you all right? You seem a little preoccupied, is something wrong?"
"No, nothings wrong" I said hastily, which earned me a dubious look, "Seriously, I'm just aching from sleeping on the couch"
"And why were you sleeping on the couch?" I heard Hermione say distantly, but then two people who had just walked down into the common room had captured my full attention. I felt a small smile tug at my lips as Harry shot me a grin, closely followed by Ron who was looking grumpy.
"Good morning" said Harry cheerfully, before shooting Ron an annoyed glance.
"G'morning" grunted Ron.
"Is it? You wouldn't believe it looking at your face" Hermione said under her breath.
Ron looked around darkly from under his eyebrows and Hermione held her nose high n the air in a way that said, I'm not going to apologize till he apologizes.
"Right" I interrupted quickly, seeing another argument brewing on the horizon, "Well, now we've established it is, contrary to popular belief, a good morning, can we now proceed to the Great Hall in an orderly fashion?"
Hermione turned and looked at me, torn between amusement and concern over my annoyed comment. She lifted her eyebrows at me and opened her mouth as if she was going to speak. I could almost hear what she was going to say, and was glad when Harry spoke first.
"Great Hall it is then" said Harry, giving Ron a shove towards the portrait before hoisting his bag onto his shoulder and following.
Hermione trotted up to Ron and I could see from my position at the back that they were both hurrying along the corridor in complete silence, in a kind of race to see who could beat the other to some secret finishing place. Harry was following a few paces behind, occasionally sighing in a resigned manner and rolling his eyes over what the other two seemed to be arguing about this time.
"Oh, I haven't got my school bag, I've got to go get it" I said suddenly after we had just walked down the corridor from the portrait.
"Yeah, that's probably because you-" started Hermione before I cut in quickly.
"...Would forget your own head if it wasn't screwed on Ginny Weasley, yes I know. I've got to go back" I ignored another one Hermione's analyzing stares and made to go back.
"I'll wait for you" said Harry casually, leaning against the stone wall and I tried desperately to ignore Hermione's arching eyebrows.
Ron didn't seem to be in to much hurry to be stopping Harry, and merely trudged off down the corridor, shortly followed by a flustered looking Hermione. Harry gave Ron's retreating back one last grimace before he followed me down the corridor.
"So, what was all that about?" I asked Harry as we went through the portrait hole.
"All what?" he said innocently.
"All that stuff with Ron" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Oh that, he's just being his usual, charming self" he said lightly.
I gave a snigger before we walked up the stairs to my dorm. Harry sat on my bed and watched with a bemused smile as I rooted round for textbooks and hastily shoved them in my bag, which had been hiding under my bed. I hoped he wouldn't comment on my organization as I searched the entire contents of the girl's dorm for my quills I was sure I'd had up here last night.
"Looking for this?" asked Harry eventually, twirling the feather between his fingers.
"How long have you had that?" I asked as I snatched it out of his hand.
"Not very long" he said laughing at me.
I shoved everything in my bag, and walked over to the sink next to my bed. I looked at my pale reflection and noticed that I had two faint areas of black under my eyes. I'm 14 years old and I have bags under my eyes, I thought moodily as I scraped my hair back and shoved it into a scruffy ponytail.
"Come on, we'd better go, or we'll miss breakfast" I said glancing at the watch on Harry's hand.
We hurried down the stairs but I was soon lagging behind Harry's fast pace, which had picked up at the mere mention of maybe missing eating. I was tired. I must have only got in two hours of sleep before Hermione woke me up, seeing as I watched dawn break over the mountains and I just wanted to fall asleep there and then. Harry slowed his pace slightly looking at me every now and again to check I was still there until we reached the Great Hall.
It was nearly full, and a few last minute stragglers followed us into the hall. I fell into my seat and took a long swig of my drink as Harry began hastily eating his bacon. Ron was still scowling and viciously stabbing his breakfast with his fork. Hermione, as I thought, was not speaking to Ron and now joined Harry in casting him annoyed glances. They must have had another argument I realized as I slowly chewed my banana.