Part One
by Borgin
A/N: Rachel is an OC of mine who should probably be given her own story, because I have reasons why she's not in the books. This is the first part of a submission to Flourish's challenge, but first I want con. crit. Please give some!
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Harry and Hermione sat uncomfortably on the couch in the common room, waiting for the dreadful day to come to an end. Members of various parties had forced the whole occasion upon them. Rachel and Ron were most likely making out in the hallway, and Harry suspected that Ginny had snuck off to be with his nemesis, Draco. But whatever chemistry existed between those couples had escaped the relationship in discussion. And after an hour of meaningless chatter, Hermione stood up and left the common room, heading for the worn book that had been placed on her bed that morning.
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Ron and Rachel making out? Never. The two Gryffindors despised each other. The whole relationship was an act, a play. Rachel was resting her head on Ron's lap, mentally reviewing her notes of the next day's History of Magic test. And Ron let her, thinking about how he'd rather be the one in the common room with Hermione.
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Ginny followed Draco stealthily through the dark grounds. The Forbidden Forest was approaching. She saw dull lights in the distance.
Suddenly, Ginny learned why every member of her house distrusted Draco Malfoy. This wasn't a secluded spot he was leading her to. It was a gathering of masked men.
A Death Eater convention.
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Ron sat up straight. Something was wrong with his sister. It was an instinct that much worry and fret over many years had created, but most of the time it only happened around Draco - who Ron considered Slytherin filth, but trusted his sister's judgment enough to let her be.
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Ginny was scared, the most frightened she had ever been in her life. She was even more scared than she had been during the diary fiasco.
"Ginny Weasley. You are just the one we were waiting for," was all she heard before falling into a deep oblivion.
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Draco was standing with the other Death Eaters, laughing as the girl fell.
Ginny Weasley was dead.
And Draco went back to the castle, as his companions walked away, slowly.
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It was Parvati Patil who raised the alarm. "There's a girl, dead, in the Forbidden Forest!" she began to yell. But she was bewildered as she heard herself scream. I don't know of this for sure, she thought, so why am I announcing this to the world?
Seamus, who had been outside with Parvati for a heartfelt chat, wondered why Parvati was screaming. She couldn't have possibly seen what had been going on, could she?
But Parvati's cries certainly helped. It wasn't long before McGonagall and Hagrid set off to find the dead girl, and they were able to identify her. "Go to you houses. NOW!" the professor hollered with an amplified voice. And everyone was frightened enough to obey.
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Rachel had fallen asleep with her head still on Ron's lap, and despite his efforts, she wouldn't budge. "C'mon, Rachel," he moaned, "we need to get inside the common room." As he watched McGonagall approach, he told her, "Professor, Rachel's just not moving!"
But the stern professor shrugged it off. "Ron, I need you - and Harry," she said with a worried tone. Ron was a sixth year - his twin brothers had left the school the year before. Ron went to get Harry, and they emerged together, worried expressions on their faces.
And they followed her down the corridor.
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Hermione was sitting on her bed, the curtains drawn to permit her privacy. The book she was holding was called Why Relationships Are Undesirable. And this Valentine's Day, she bent over and kissed the worn and soiled cover…
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…He picked up the knife blade, and kissed it. His first murder with the Avada Kedrava curse. Sweet Revenge, he thought. Draco Malfoy has finally done it. Next stop - overthrowing Voldemort. But his grin had not completely formed when Severus Snape caught him. "Draco, come with me," he ordered, and the boy reluctantly followed.
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Where am I? Ginny asked herself as she rose from her position on the bed in the dark room. Feeling sleepy, she paid no attention as she walked through the door.
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Rachel found herself lying in a heap on the floor. Ron wouldn't have just abandoned her - she knew that much. She settled herself in one of her old hiding places, and climbed through the walls.
Before long, she had reached the old headmaster's office. She slowly put her ear to the wall, where she could hear…
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"…Boys, I'm terribly sorry to tell you of Ginny's death. It appears that she was murdered. I'm sorry Ron," Dumbledore added sympathetically, "but she is really gone this time - we found her body.
"Harry, there was a message engraved in a tree. Hagrid made me a rubbing of it, so that we could confirm the message. It reads, 'Potter, her brother will go next,'" he showed them the paper as he recited his message.
A gasp of shock escaped from the terrorized Ron. But Harry was able to cut in first. "Professor," he said firmly, "this is all a plot to get me, right?"
"It certainly seems so, Harry," was all Rachel heard before hurrying back through the walls towards her tower.
But before she had traveled too far, Rachel had tripped and fallen. And due to the blood falling from her face, it seemed as if she had fallen on a piece of glass.
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"Rachel Lucas!" the headmaster said sternly after they had taken her to the hospital wing. "Don't you remember out agreement? No more spying?"
"Yes," she replied sheepishly. "I remember. But Ron had left me in the middle of the hallway. Besides, before I fell asleep, I felt Ron go tense. I just wanted to know what was going on!"
And then Madam Pomfrey showed them out, because she wanted to get her patient's face to heal, meaning the girl would have to go to sleep.
And after they had been assured that getting sleep would be the best option for them as well, Harry and Ron headed to their dormitory, where they found a frenzied Hermione waiting, frantic.
In all, it could be considered an abnormal Valentine's Day.
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To be continued...