A/N: Some SR-GAP action and some TMR-GAP action. A very nice chapter, with an ending that I think you'll like. Sorry that this has taken so long to update – my laptop was confiscated for three days. Should be back to daily updates, though.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Though I wish it was.

The Letter P

Chapter Thirteen: P is for Place Of Sanctuary

"No," Ginny choked out, and she walked away, holding her head between her hands and squeezing it hard. She grabbed another glass of Firewhiskey, downed it, and collapsed onto a chair, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Grace eyed Ginny for a moment, taking in her slurred speech, over-emotional state, and hooded eyes. Then she commented, "You're drunk."

Suddenly there was a sensation of the ceiling and floor being mixed into each other, and jolting pain, and Grace shrieking, "Ginny!" and then all went dark.

…

"Mmmpffgh."

Ginny opened her eyes blearily. She was in her own bed, and she had been having a blissfully nightmare-free sleep – her room-mates were also enjoying the bliss of no screams, and sleeping soundly. She did, however, have a massive headache.

What happened?

She suspected that she had been drunk at the disco, but couldn't really remember much. She could remember the smashing of glass, and dancing with Scott, and Riddle being gay… but that was all. Holding her head, Ginny sank back into her pillow.

Nostalgia and loss suddenly hit her, and she was crying before she even realized it. Turning over to muffle her sobs into her pillow, so as not to wake the other girls, she clenched her hands into fists and cried.

Little, thin fingers found the golden amulet that she never removed, and she was astonished to realize that, being so busy, she had not looked inside it for weeks. With trembling, fumbling fingertips, she clicked it open, and swung open the heart-shaped doors.

And there they were. Smiling back at her, and waving, and laughing together. There, in the middle, was her, aged fourteen, grinning; surrounded by her family, which had just come to include Fleur, taken at the wedding. Also squashed into the picture were Hermione, Harry, Luna, Neville, Colin Creevey, and Padma Patil, who was dating Ron at the time.

"I miss you all so much," she whispered to them, eyes brimming with another round of fresh tears. "I wish you were here… I wish I could bring you all back."

She touched her lips to her fingers, and then touched her fingers to the tiny, perfect photograph. Then she closed it, slipped it back under her night-shirt, and tried to go back to sleep.

…

The afternoon sunshine on Ginny's skin was like poison as she walked down the Head dormitories. It gleamed through each window she passed, blinding her with its false cheer. She wanted darkness – darkness and nothing but darkness.

"Condolesam," said Ginny quietly to Robin the Rich.

The painting swung open, arguing at her to speak up and be brave, but she ignored it, and stepped through.

"Fionn, the meeting isn't for ten minutes," called a cold male voice. "You can return to your silly friends."

Ginny didn't respond.

At the silence that met him, the speaker turned around. The person he least expected to see was standing there, looking as though the world had ended.

"Peregrine," said Riddle, frowning. "You're… early." He looked at the clock on the wall, as if to check that his eyes weren't lying.

Oh. I was hoping someone else would be here. No, I have to leave. Now. I don't want to be alone with him – not now or ever. He's a murderer, and I don't want to have another nightmare in front of him.

"I'll go," said Ginny immediately, and turned.

"Why did you have a seizure?" asked Riddle suddenly.

"Why weren't you at your own ball?" Ginny replied.

"Looking for me, were you? I'm touched."

"Looking for something to throw at you," snapped Ginny, actual venom dripping from her words. "I'm leaving."

"You're dodging the question – and you have to stay here for the Prefect meeting, unfortunately."

"Oh yes, how unfortunate, to be stuck with a stupid little sixth-year who occasionally has screaming convulsions on the floor," spat Ginny. "I apologize for any inconvenience it causes you."

"Why don't you just go to the Hospital Wing, if you're that unwell?" snapped Riddle.

"Because it's not something that Madam Royce can fix," said Ginny icily.

Riddle opened his mouth to return with a comeback, but at that moment, the rest of the meeting members entered. He suited himself by fixing Ginny with his strongest death glare.

"Hello, Ginny!" Eleanor smiled. "You're early." She, too, glanced at the clock, before sitting down. "I convene this Prefect meeting, the fourth of November, 1958," she said once everyone was seated.

Everyone nodded.

"Right. We're here to discuss the ball and disco then. I thought it was brilliant, and I reckon we should have another one at Christmas!" said Eleanor happily.

"No!" snapped Jack, Riddle, and Robert.

"Yes!" cried Scott, Gareth and the girls.

"Seven-three! We win, you lose!" yelled Mia, punching her fist into the air – just the reaction that Lavender Brown would probably have had in that situation.

"We have to run it by Professor Dippet first, so don't get your hopes set too high, Brown," said Riddle coldly.

"Just destroy every happy feeling," said Ginny abruptly, her voice arctic and quiet. "Riddle, you're like a Dementor, for God's sake. You feed off everyone else's misery, don't you?"

"What is your problem, Peregrine?" snapped Riddle. "One moment you're an annoying brat and the next you're like a bloody cobra, spitting poison!"

"Do you really think that you're in any position to talk to me about poison, Riddle?" Ginny spat.

"Poison, yes, but also comes the antidote," said Riddle darkly. "And what good that got me."

The others looked bewildered, but Ginny knew exactly what Riddle was getting at – he had come down to the Hallowe'en disco to check that she was okay. He was saying: I may be unpleasant, but yesterday I came down to the Hallowe'en disco solely to see if you were alright, and I got shouted at.

Ginny's eyes narrowed to hazel slits. If he wanted to talk Dark poetry, then he had it coming. "Then fool you for playing with snakes," she hissed at him.

"I'm scared," Scott whispered to Eleanor.

"We all are," the Head Girl whispered in reply.

"Stay very still, and maybe they won't eat us."

"Good idea."

For a moment, Ginny and Riddle merely glared at each other – flashing dark against glowing hazel.

"Like the view?" Antonia Durrell chirped, giggling.

Overcome with disgust and absolute loathing for the seventeen-year-old across the room from, Ginny stood, seemed to battle for something to say, before storming out of the Head dormitory.

"Obviously not!" Eleanor shrieked with laughter, and then the portrait door swung closed, and Ginny's hearing of the Head meeting was cut off.

Sighing, Ginny sat down heavily on the Astronomy staircase. All that she wanted to do was curl up somewhere and be alone.

I think I will. I'll save Grace, Flora, Claude, Ramira and Avani my screaming for another night. I'm going to sleep in the Astronomy Tower. My haven, so close to the stars. My place of sanctuary.

Raking a hand through her long, red tangles, Ginny leant sideways into the wall. "I hate it here," she whispered to the cold stone against which her cheek was pressed. "It's terrible. I miss my old life. I miss you all so much…" Feeling tears threaten, she closed her eyes.

Her eyes had barely been closed five seconds when she became immediately aware of someone nearby. Watching her. It wasn't the harsh stare of Riddle, nor the quiet gaze of Alden. It was not Grace – she wouldn't have the subtlety nor the patience. It was also familiar, so it was someone that Ginny knew. It was not the soft gaze of Eleanor; it was:

"Scott," said Ginny quietly, not opening her eyes.

An awkward shifting of feet told her that she was correct. "How did you know I was here?" he asked.

Then did Ginny open her eyes and look at him. "I felt it," she murmured, with a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" asked Scott softly. He moved to the stairs and sat beside her, looping his arms loosely around his bent knees. "You don't seem happy here… I heard you-" he paused, as if worried for the reaction his words might gauge, before continuing gently, "I heard you say 'I miss you all so much'."

Ginny sighed, looking at her hands. She could not be involved with Scott, because he would only hurt her. Yet his soft-spoken words and comforting aura were willing her to speak…

"Who are they?" inquired Scott. "What… what happened to make you so… upset all the time?"

I don't want to go into this… However, she needed to talk to someone, and to cry on someone's shoulder, and if it happened to be a very handsome Italian shoulder, then she was all for it. Closing her eyes so that she didn't have to look at him, Ginny said quietly, "I moved here because those who taught me previously were killed. I stood and watched, helplessly, as everyone I cared about and… and loved… was murdered."

Nothing but a silence met her, and Ginny felt a lump growing in her throat, harder and harder.

"Oh, Ginny, I'm so sorry," whispered Scott, and then he took her in her arms.

The sixteen-year-old, who suddenly felt that she was five again, and that all she wanted was to be held and coddled by her mother, turned to Scott, leant into him, closed her eyes and allowed her tears to flow unchecked as she silently cried into his chest.

"I miss them so much and I didn't think I could live without them but I have and I don't want to anymore and I want to go home," she sobbed breathlessly, vaguely aware that she was rambling and that she wasn't making much sense.

"Don't worry, Ginny," soothed Scott gently, stroking Ginny's wild red hair and patting her back to stop her from getting any loud and, knowing Ginny's past experience with them, embarrassingly frog-like hiccups, for which the redhead was extremely grateful.

Her tears were a well that took a long time to dry up, but she didn't mind, because she was safe in Scott's warm, strong arms, being rocked gently back and forth, having reassuring comfort murmured into her ear.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered, lifting her face from Scott's now tear-stained, smudged eyeliner-coloured shirt.

Scott looked down in surprise, thinking that Ginny was asleep. His astonishment turned into a smile. "It's okay," he replied softly, looking down into her hazel eyes.

Unsure what was coming over her, and probably influenced by her emotional, tearful state, Ginny tilted her face up to Scott's, fluttered her eyes closed, and before she could kiss him, he kissed her.

Tentative, sweet, and shy. It held no passion, but was merely lips pressed softly against each other, supporting Ginny physically, emotionally and mentally.

A moment passed, and then another; and then Ginny drew back, feeling embarrassed, but extremely pleased, as if a pink balloon with a smiley face drawn on it had just inflated somewhere near her appendix. "Sorry," she mumbled, and made to stand up."

"Ginny," said Scott quickly, standing up. He was a few inches taller than her, now that they were both standing, and Ginny needed to tilt her head up to look straight into his face. He curved his left hand around her chin. "You don't have to be sorry for anything."

The redhead tried to speak, but Scott had already lowered his lips to hers again; already began to kiss her. She responded for a moment, moving her lips softly under his, before drawing away and saying quietly, "I have to go… thank you for everything, Scott."

Smiling, Scott nodded. "Come on, I'll take you…" he frowned, "wherever it is that you're going." He kissed Ginny's nose gently, before lacing his fingers gently through hers, and together they walked away down the corridor.

A small sigh came from the shadows, and then the watcher returned to his dormitory.

…

A/N: Aww… someone is sad. Thanks to my beta SilvanXan. Enjoy the rest of the fic! REVIEW! DO IT! NOW!

o00Bubbles00o: Thanks, I researched for ages to get everything all fifty-ish. I know, I found that chapter a bit boring too, but this one was hopefully more interesting for you.

KayRose: Oooh, I love your pen-name! Thanks for the review!

midnightblue17: Yes, I will unleash said plot-bunnies, and they will sink their little teeth into Riddle's brain… metaphorically, of course. Yes, he will be coming to save the day soon. Mwahaha.

SilvanXan: I'm still working on your fic, be done soon. Sorry it's taking so long.

vlucia: Thanks! I'm sorry, I hoped you liked the T/G in this chapter. I just have to build up Scott and Ginny's relationship. 'Tis very important, ya. I'm really trying to put in something that she knows about him, but I don't know how I can, because I have a really complicated plot set out, and for it to work she needs to know close to zilch about him. Meeeh. I'm trying, though, I'm trying.

crazedreader: I love your pen-name! Thank you for the review!

XxRandomHeartxX: Thanks so much! Yeah, I know, I was obsessed with it for years. Had about a million dollars or whatever it was called there. I'm trying to force as much sympathise with her on you as possible – it's working! –squee- Thank you thank you thank you, I hope you liked this chapter. What a weird coincedence.