"Oh, let's go to Honeyduke's!"
"The Three Broomsticks is full right now, but we can always head to Zonko's for a bit…"
"Is the Shrieking Shack really haunted, Miriam?"
Students from ages thirteen to seventeen buzz around Ginny as the carriages arrive at Hogsmede to drop the children off. She stands in the middle of this chaos, alone…At least, that's the way it seems to everyone else.
"This place has changed," Tom mumbles, staring off at the clusters of shops and pubs.
"You came here a lot during school?" Ginny asks.
"No, of course not, I was… busy. I only came twice in all of the five years we were aloud to go: Once when I had business to discuss with a sort of salesman and once in my sixth year, because…"
"Because it would look strange to be the only person staying in school with the Heir of Slytherin on the loose," Ginny finishes his sentence.
"Yes…yes, precisely," Tom stares coldly at the ground, and they stand silently as the crowd thins out.
"Let's go to Honeyduke's," Ginny suggests brightly. "I need something sweet."
Tom nods simply, and they two trudge off in the snow towards the brightly decorated shops, leaving a single pair of footprints in the snow.
Ginny heads towards the Shrieking Shack, she practically skips while she swings a brightly colored Honeyduke's bag, filled with sugary treats.
"Why are we going if you know it's not really haunted?" Tom asks with a sigh.
"Dunno," replies Ginny, "the novelty, maybe?"
"The carriages are scheduled to leave within a half hour's time, Ginevra. If we don't get back by then-"
"Then the clock will strike midnight and I'll turn into a mouse again?" Ginny finishes.
"What?"
"I'm not sure. It's a Muggle story Hermione and I saw in one of those moo-vees. I think it's Cindy-rella or something like that. She's given a magic gown by her kind fairy stepmother, then she goes to a ball where she meets the prince and they fall in love. But the magic wears off at midnight, and Cindy-rella has to leave. She trips and leaves her glass shoe, which for some reason didn't disappear at midnight like it was supposed to. Anyway, the prince finds her because her feet are the only ones who fit the slipper and they live-"
"How precious," Tom smirks, "Muggle fairy tales. I was never fond of them myself, even as a child. Happy endings never work out."
Ginny becomes a bit defensive, as though he were making a personal remark. "Yes they do."
"Of course they don't. Not in actual life- all that "ever lasting love" shite is worthless nonsense they stuff into children's' heads."
"You're wrong," Ginny raises her voice. "Just look at Fleur and Bill, look at-"
"Look at whom? That Mudblood and her puppy you call a brother- or would you rather we use you and Potter as an example?" Tom spits. "Where's the 'happy ever after' there? You know how he sees you now. He thinks you're coming undone. He and that blood traitor even sent their Mudblood friend to see how bad it really is."
The Shrieking Shack comes into view as Tom says this, and Ginny stops in her tracks.
"Because of you," Ginny screeches. "If you hadn't come along, then Harry and I… Harry and I would be-"
"Would be what, Ginevra- madly in love with an engagement ring on your finger? Don't make me laugh. Did you ever really think this childish, hero-worship fantasy of yours would ever become reality?"
"Why does it always end this way? Why do you have to be so-?"
Crack. A twig in the distance snaps.
Tom freezes his eyes and ears intent on finding the source of the intruding sound. "Hush."
Ginny, too angry to notice his change in attitude, laughs at Tom. "Oh, so you can tell me how silly I am?"
Tom uncharacteristically rolls his eyes. "No, you stupid thing, so I can listen to whatever is behind that thicket of wood!"
"What…?" Ginny turns around to see a tall, hooded figure step out from the trees.
"'Ello, Poppet," he says in a deep voice, his large, malicious grin showing two rows of rotten yellow teeth. "How're we today?"
"Who're you?" Ginny says, trying her best to mask her shaking voice with bravery.
"Tha's not what's important. What's important is who you are, Poppet. You see, a lot of people right now have some very sour feelin's to tha' pretty lit'le beaux ah yours. A lot of people would like to see him hurt; and you're just the thing that we fink will cut deepest. "
Ginny is freezing up as the words fall from the large man's mouth, sounding almost gleeful. Ginny wants to reach for her wand, she knows she must, but cannot. Why? When she went with the DA to save Sirius she was fine, eager, even, to fight. During the Final Battle she fought, coerced, and protested against her mother and the Order so that she could fight. Why isn't she able to now? Has she really changed so much that she couldn't even hold a wand to a former Death Eater?
"Ginevra, your wand!" yells Tom in her ear. The Death Eater had come closer now, slowly, as if she were a lost child who needed help. Suddenly, with a burst of energy, Tom pulls the wand out of her pocket, and it flies into the snow at her feet.
"What the 'ell?" The death Eater looks confused by Ginny's wand flying out of her pocket of its own accord.
Tom, slightly more transparent now, urges her to take it. "If he hurts you, he hurts me, too. Remember that and take your damn wand!"
As if a hex come undone, Ginny is frozen no more. Without even thinking, grasping for her wand. The Death Eater sees her grab for it, and brings his arm back, roaring, "CRUCI-"
"Expeliarmus," Ginny shouts, a jet of bright light shooting from her wand, but missing the man by an inch.
"You lit'le bint, I'll show you!" The man readies for yet another Unforgivable curse.
"Ginevra, listen to me. Move your wand like this," Tom makes a few gestures in the air with his hand, "and say 'adstringo adustrum.'"
Knowing that it takes days, sometimes weeks, to learn a spell and knowing that it is even harder to learn something that was probably Dark, Ginny still tries. Waving her wand as Tom did- left, right, up, swish, down- Ginny yells out, almost desperately, "adstringo adustrum!"
At once, a long string of fire flies from her wand and wraps itself around the man, and it binds him from his shoulder to knees in thin chords flames. He screams loudly and drops his wand.
"Now run," says Tom. "Go."
As Ginny flees the scene, she hears the distinct snapping of wood, of Tom destroying the Death Eater's wand, entwined with his screams of pain.
A/N: Ahhh! Hello everyone, if you're still here and haven't abandoned me because of my foul, foul procrastinatory ways. You know, it's not even the writing I freeze on- it's the STARTING, you know? I'm just all "Oh, I'll start tomorrow, I'm tired today." Because, mostly I AM tired… sorry. Inter-cry face. Anyways, whaddya think? I tried to make the arguing come naturally, I didn't want it to seem like I just flipped a switch for convenience, if that makes sense. I worried over it for a bit. And for those of you who connected the article last chapter with the Death Eater in this one, congrats, they are one in the same! Inter-cookie for you!
Last but NEVER least, thanks to all the reviewers of last Chapter: The lovely ms Masen, Kaarmea Zia, MissScarlet202, readingandwriting, AKA the wonderful Kaye, the ever-faithful CupCake.Chan.95, Jenny Joker, and Kitten Little. My heart goes out to all of you, especially those who are still around. Inter-smiles all around…okay the inter-thing is getting annoying, isn't it? Haha.
P.S. Sorry, Cupcake, it always cuts your name down to .95. I wonder why? Anyway, I'll see if I can't fix that, but you know it's you now...not some random person called .95...