Chapter Eleven: The Sacrifice.
The pair avoided everyone one their way back and amazingly no one stopped to bother them on their way the Gryffindor common room. Penny was able to walk freely by now and had taken a brief rest to tidy herself up. Her robes were shabby and all of the scratches were well hidden from view under her robes. She had a scarf around her throat to hid the red scratches and they only drew a few cursory looks as they slipped through and into their bed chamber.
Ginny wordlessly stripped Penny and put her to bed. The scratches were not so bad, but Penny was shaken up. Pulling the curtains closed around them, Ginny lay next to Penny as she dozed off to a well deserved sleep. Ginny remained there, staring at the cuts on her best friend. Angry at the way a simple prank had gotten out of hand. Furious that Penny would deny that Malfoy had done anything wrong. And terrified to look at the rat, perched at the foot of the bed.
Tearfully, Ginny turned to the rat. The rat strode up to her across Penny's bed and smiled warmly. "Friend." it smiled.
Ginny was unsure what to do. Did the rat mean that it was her friend? Was it after her friend? "So, what do you want from me?" grimaced Ginny.
The rat raised itself level with Ginny's nose. It's beady eyes bore into her terrified eyes. "You. Dream a last dream. If happy, you free. If not, you come with me."
Ginny looked at the rat. "You're a Snaggle aren't you. You think I have given up do you? Well, you can just clear off!" Ginny snarled.
"Who are you talking to?" asked a sleepy Penny.
Ginny instinctively turned to Penny, cursing herself as she did. For as she turned her head back, Ginny already knew the Snaggle had fled.
The pair avoided everyone one their way back and amazingly no one stopped to bother them on their way the Gryffindor common room. Penny was able to walk freely by now and had taken a brief rest to tidy herself up. Her robes were shabby and all of the scratches were well hidden from view under her robes. She had a scarf around her throat to hid the red scratches and they only drew a few cursory looks as they slipped through and into their bed chamber.
Ginny wordlessly stripped Penny and put her to bed. The scratches were not so bad, but Penny was shaken up. Pulling the curtains closed around them, Ginny lay next to Penny as she dozed off to a well deserved sleep. Ginny remained there, staring at the cuts on her best friend. Angry at the way a simple prank had gotten out of hand. Furious that Penny would deny that Malfoy had done anything wrong. And terrified to look at the rat, perched at the foot of the bed.
Tearfully, Ginny turned to the rat. The rat strode up to her across Penny's bed and smiled warmly. "Friend." it smiled.
Ginny was unsure what to do. Did the rat mean that it was her friend? Was it after her friend? "So, what do you want from me?" grimaced Ginny.
The rat raised itself level with Ginny's nose. It's beady eyes bore into her terrified eyes. "You. Dream a last dream. If happy, you free. If not, you come with me."
Ginny looked at the rat. "You're a Snaggle aren't you. You think I have given up do you? Well, you can just clear off!" Ginny snarled.
"Who are you talking to?" asked a sleepy Penny.
Ginny instinctively turned to Penny, cursing herself as she did. For as she turned her head back, Ginny already knew the Snaggle had fled.