Chapter Nine: The Long Still Night.
Ginny and Penny looked at each other in the faint moonlight in the cold dark copse of trees. Penny was shaking and crying so much now. Ginny remained composed and wished she could comfort Penny more.
"Hey Penny. Relax girl. We'll be ok. That Draco is as good as dead!" Ginny sneered.
"Draccy's Okay. He'll be back in a minute." sniffed Penny.
"Oh please. Was I this bad with Harry?" Penny silence was a definite answer. "Okay, so I was this bad. But look where that got me? Ridiculed by the whole of Hogwarts. Penny, forget him."
"Yeah you're right" grinned Penny. "So how do we get out of here then?"
The pair struggled to free their hands, but it was useless. Their wands were just out of reach in their pockets as well. Neither of them had really paid enough attention during McGonagall's lessons to be able to move and levitate objects, so the wands stayed put.
"Well, this is great! I'm freezing my bits off out here!" moaned Penny.
But Ginny was not listening. Something was moving in the bushes behind her.
"Penny." she whispered.
"When I get hold of Draccy, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
"Penny!" hissed Ginny. The movements were getting louder and closer.
"He thinks he's so clever and strong. When I get back, I'll make sure Dumbledore get's him expelled!" Penny was ranting now, and was shaking in both panic and rage.
"Penny! Be quiet! There's something moving behind me!" squealed Ginny.
Penny yelped a stifled scream. "I want to go home! Help me Ginny! I can't handle this!"
Ginny felt that familiar cold numbness of sheer panic and desolation sweep over her again. Nothing seemed real and all she could here was the rustling behind them. Penny had stopped too and the pair listened in silence and the creeping, crawling sounds spread out behind them both. The night seemed drained of all other animal sounds and her heart was pounding blood into her ears.
Ginny stared up into the starry night sky through a break in the light canopy above and prayed. She hoped that it was only Draco returning to taunt them. She prayed it was Annabelle and Kat come to rescue them. Even Snape or perhaps Harry himself turning up would have been great.
And then Penny screamed.
A short sharp yelp of pain snapped Ginny out of her reverie. "Penny?" asked Ginny, craning around to see her friend.
"Ginny. Something has gotten hold of me. Ow! It hurts Ginny! Get it off me!" screamed Penny.
Ginny could see a carpet of thick brambles slithering through the trees behind her, entwining themselves around Penny's tree. Tentative barbed tendrils had begun to snake around the trunk and around Penny's ankle. Penny tried to kick the bramble away, but this caused the thorns to dig in deeper. Her new robes were already speckled with blood from her cuts. Penny began to wail and thrash about in blind panic and agony.
Ginny had remained calm and had noticed that the brambles were going more for Penny than herself. "Penny! Stop moving! It must be being attracted to your sound!" cried Ginny. But Penny was not listening, and now anguish filled her voice as the brambles began to wrap around her legs and thighs, tearing her new robe as it slowly slid around her vunerable body.
"Penny?" whispered Ginny, but not the brambles were around Penny's arms and across her chest. Blood was dripping into the dark earth below her and Penny passed out as the brambles closed around her throat.
"Penny!" screamed Ginny. Ginny remained quiet and quite still. She sobbed under her breath as the brambles began to feed on the unconscious Penny, rustling occasionally and seeming to glow a dull purple in the darkness.
Ginny looked around for some help. She looked around for anything that might free them. Penny's silent body oozed blood into the ravenous parasitic mass of brambles. Minutes went by and Ginny began to lose all sense of time.
"Please... anybody please help me." prayed Ginny, her face wet with tears, her mind delirious with fear. "I will do anything. Please help us." she begged, collapsing in her bonds as she begged, weeping with grief.
Ginny froze as a single twig snapped right behind her tree.
Ginny and Penny looked at each other in the faint moonlight in the cold dark copse of trees. Penny was shaking and crying so much now. Ginny remained composed and wished she could comfort Penny more.
"Hey Penny. Relax girl. We'll be ok. That Draco is as good as dead!" Ginny sneered.
"Draccy's Okay. He'll be back in a minute." sniffed Penny.
"Oh please. Was I this bad with Harry?" Penny silence was a definite answer. "Okay, so I was this bad. But look where that got me? Ridiculed by the whole of Hogwarts. Penny, forget him."
"Yeah you're right" grinned Penny. "So how do we get out of here then?"
The pair struggled to free their hands, but it was useless. Their wands were just out of reach in their pockets as well. Neither of them had really paid enough attention during McGonagall's lessons to be able to move and levitate objects, so the wands stayed put.
"Well, this is great! I'm freezing my bits off out here!" moaned Penny.
But Ginny was not listening. Something was moving in the bushes behind her.
"Penny." she whispered.
"When I get hold of Draccy, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
"Penny!" hissed Ginny. The movements were getting louder and closer.
"He thinks he's so clever and strong. When I get back, I'll make sure Dumbledore get's him expelled!" Penny was ranting now, and was shaking in both panic and rage.
"Penny! Be quiet! There's something moving behind me!" squealed Ginny.
Penny yelped a stifled scream. "I want to go home! Help me Ginny! I can't handle this!"
Ginny felt that familiar cold numbness of sheer panic and desolation sweep over her again. Nothing seemed real and all she could here was the rustling behind them. Penny had stopped too and the pair listened in silence and the creeping, crawling sounds spread out behind them both. The night seemed drained of all other animal sounds and her heart was pounding blood into her ears.
Ginny stared up into the starry night sky through a break in the light canopy above and prayed. She hoped that it was only Draco returning to taunt them. She prayed it was Annabelle and Kat come to rescue them. Even Snape or perhaps Harry himself turning up would have been great.
And then Penny screamed.
A short sharp yelp of pain snapped Ginny out of her reverie. "Penny?" asked Ginny, craning around to see her friend.
"Ginny. Something has gotten hold of me. Ow! It hurts Ginny! Get it off me!" screamed Penny.
Ginny could see a carpet of thick brambles slithering through the trees behind her, entwining themselves around Penny's tree. Tentative barbed tendrils had begun to snake around the trunk and around Penny's ankle. Penny tried to kick the bramble away, but this caused the thorns to dig in deeper. Her new robes were already speckled with blood from her cuts. Penny began to wail and thrash about in blind panic and agony.
Ginny had remained calm and had noticed that the brambles were going more for Penny than herself. "Penny! Stop moving! It must be being attracted to your sound!" cried Ginny. But Penny was not listening, and now anguish filled her voice as the brambles began to wrap around her legs and thighs, tearing her new robe as it slowly slid around her vunerable body.
"Penny?" whispered Ginny, but not the brambles were around Penny's arms and across her chest. Blood was dripping into the dark earth below her and Penny passed out as the brambles closed around her throat.
"Penny!" screamed Ginny. Ginny remained quiet and quite still. She sobbed under her breath as the brambles began to feed on the unconscious Penny, rustling occasionally and seeming to glow a dull purple in the darkness.
Ginny looked around for some help. She looked around for anything that might free them. Penny's silent body oozed blood into the ravenous parasitic mass of brambles. Minutes went by and Ginny began to lose all sense of time.
"Please... anybody please help me." prayed Ginny, her face wet with tears, her mind delirious with fear. "I will do anything. Please help us." she begged, collapsing in her bonds as she begged, weeping with grief.
Ginny froze as a single twig snapped right behind her tree.
