Draco's Desires
Part Eight
Tragedy
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Warning: If you haven't read the Goblet of Fire, you probably won't want to read this part. It covers the end of that book, including who died, so read at your own risk. :)
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Ginny and I didn't get to see much of each other since Potter barged in on us in the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny had managed to convince the trio that I hadn't hurt her, that we simply went swimming, and that she could do as she bloody-well pleased, but they sure gave me some dirty looks. It was plainly clear that if I ever touched his sister again, Ron Weasley would pound me into a million pieces, and I wouldn't put it past Hermione Granger to unfurl her claws as well. Harry, meanwhile, looked at me as if I had reached a new low, and I was something that was stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Forgiven and forgotten? Hardly.
*~~~~~*
The next time I was able to see Ginny alone was the night of the final Triwizard Tournament. I was glad this ruddy thing was finally ending. I was tired of the constant jabbering about it, and the talk always focused on Potter. I was so sick of Potter.
When the whole school headed out to the stands to watch the Tournament, I was actually in a very good mood. It would all be over soon, which was good, and Potter might die, which was even better. Well, that is to say he might be maimed or be so scared that he'd call for his mum. Either way, it was bound to be a good show.
I climbed up into the bleachers with Crabbe and Goyle by my side as usual. I spotted Ginny near Weasley and Granger, and I decided to be spontaneous. I headed up her way. Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other and shrugged. They thought I had been acting odd for a long while now, but they knew better than to question me.
I gracefully make my way down Ginny's row in true Malfoy style. Much bravado. Crabbe and Goyle stumbled along behind me, but with a lot more pushing and shoving of each other and of innocents. I glared at them and slid in next to Ginny. I wisely didn't wrap my arm around her, since Weasley and Granger were now eyeing me like a hawk. "Hi Draco!" said Ginny and leaned against my shoulder a little bit.
"Watch it there, Malfoy," said Weasley, and the two of them went back to watching for Potter down below. They were too occupied to worry about Ginny at the moment, but I still had to be careful. As soon as the evening was over, I would be their enemy again.
Potter and the champions went into the maze as planned and we listened to Ludo Bagman's commentary. I have to admit that it was enjoyable, and Ginny's squeezing my hand in excitement from time to time just made it even better.
But suddenly something was wrong. Ludo Bagman was speechless. Both Potter and Cedric Diggory had disappeared as soon as they had touched the trophy. Granger and Weasley jumped up. "Harry!" Hermione yelled.
I stood up on the bleachers and tried to see into the maze. I couldn't see a thing and I wanted to know what was going on. I grabbed Ginny around the waist and hauled her up in my arms to add a little bit of height. "Can you see anything inside the maze?"
She shook her head, trembling. "I don't see a thing."
I lowered her and grabbed her hand. "Come on." I pulled her past Crabbe and Goyle and down from the stands. Weasley and Granger weren't far behind, but they were so worried about Potter that they didn't even notice that I had Ginny. I myself was driven by curiosity to find out what had happened to Potter.
We stood around for what felt like a dreadfully long time. The teachers were frantic trying to figure out what happened to Potter and Diggory. They were loosing order, but no one seemed to care. I ended up sitting in the grass with Ginny next to me, clinging to my hand. "Harry…Harry…" she was murmuring.
I sighed and waited.
Suddenly, a scream went up. "Cedric Diggory is dead!"
I nearly retched in horror and surprise. Those were four words no one had expected to hear. Ginny looked stunned, as if she didn't quite understand what it meant. How could someone really die? I wouldn't have even wished death upon Potter. Not really.
I stood up and clung to Ginny's hand, pulling her forwards through the crowd. All around us girls were screaming and everyone was falling into hysterics. Since I was so small, I ducked down and actually crawled through the grass, nearly between people's legs. Ginny crawled after me in the same manner, following me blindly. We emerged at the front of the pack and I recoiled. Potter was lying on the ground, Dumbledore hovering over him. Potter was clutching Diggory's body and wouldn't let go. He wasn't even moving.
"Harry!" shrieked Ginny. She was gawking at Diggory's body, her eyes wide.
"Come on, Ginny. He'll be all right." I grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her away from the chaos. I didn't think it was right for her to be exposed to a dead body. Oh, poor Cedric.
"No, Draco, what if Harry dies! What if he's already dead!" She was reaching her arm back towards the scene of death and madness. I pulled her firmly towards the school. I couldn't stand to be out there anymore.
I didn't stop until we were in Snape's classroom. I didn't want to risk going anywhere else. I trusted Snape more than anyone, even if no one else did. I sat down on a desk and Ginny sat next to me. She swung her legs idly, trembling. "Draco, it's so horrible."
I closed my eyes. "Yes. It is horrible. Ginny, I'm sure Harry will be fine." I couldn't believe my own words. I had called him Harry. And I had said something good about him, besides. But it made the dark expression on Ginny's face lighter, so it was worth it. Besides, I wasn't beyond human feelings, was I? I didn't want anyone to die. Harry might be a great git of a boy, so perfect and loved, but he was a friend of Ginny's.
Ginny suddenly looked at me. "I'm going to the Chamber. Right now."
Who was I to say no to her? "If you'd like, we will go."
*~~~~~*
We wasted no time getting down there. As soon as we were into the main Chamber, she leapt into the pool, not even bothering to take off her robe. I stood on the edge and watched her swim. I was amazed at her drive to go swimming, but she seemed much calmer as she floated in the water. At least she was calm…my stomach felt like it had lead in it. Someone was dead. Dead. I closed my eyes, my insides burning. I had to make the pain stop somehow. I gave a mighty leap and went plunging into the pool. I immediately felt better as the warm water ran through my clothes and my soul. The sadness drifted away and was replaced with feelings of freedom and power.
We floated in the pool silently until we were starving. Only then did we crawl out and head into the main part of the Chamber again, our shoes squishing from the water inside them. We stood in front of the statue of Slytherin, dripping wet, and looked up at the face. "Long live Slytherin," I muttered without thinking.
Ginny, beside me, looked up at the statue. "Long live Slytherin," she repeated. I saw her eyes flash green, but didn't think a thing of it. I looked back up at the statue and the eyes glowered down at us with a green sheen. Ginny and I had identical grins on our face. We turned in unison and headed back towards the pipe, our wet robes dragging after us.
Once we were back up in the castle, everything was over and it was quite late at night. We met Snape who was prowling in the hallway. He looked over us, soaking wet, muddy, and disheveled. "Draco," he said softly, "a lot has happened tonight. Get down to the dorm and get into bed. I'll take care of her and then send some food to you." He took Ginny's hand and nodded at me.
"You won't hurt her?" I didn't trust anyone with my Ginny, not even Snape.
"No, I will just see her to Gryffindor Tower and make sure she is given something to eat."
Ginny waved sleepily. "'Bye Draco." She walked off with Snape, clutching his hand, as if he were her uncle, not someone everyone feared. She was so sweet.
*~~~~~*
The next few days were a blur. I vaguely remember sitting at the Sytherin table and toasting Cedric. We were supposed to toast Potter next, but I couldn't do it. Cedric was dead, Potter wasn't, it just didn't seem right. Maybe part of me wanted Potter to die. I was supposed to be jumping for joy at the fact that Voldemort was back, but I couldn't see the loss of Diggory. It would have made sense for Potter to die, at least. But Diggory? Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The shapes swirl and shift as I complete the last day of my fourth year. Packing up my trunk in my dungeon dorm. Embracing Ginny before she gets onto the Hogwarts Express. Finding a compartment with Crabbe and Goyle. Bothering Potter and his friends in his compartment. Feeling rage and sneering something about how now that Voldemort was back, Harry would be the first to go. I hated him at this moment, hated him for being alive! I then found myself saying that Potter would actually be the second…after all, Cedric had been the first. My words sounded so cold and I don't know why I said them. I don't remember anything else after that, since I was struck by a multitude of curses and was knocked out for hours. I deserved it too, for what I said about Cedric. I didn't mean that. I don't know what part of it I meant. I just felt so drained and confused and almost scared of Voldemort. At that point, I was glad it was Cedric and Potter, but not I. I deserved it.
I woke up later in the corridor of the train coach, hex marks all over me, and as I stumbled towards my father I could think of nothing but getting back to the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny. Of taking away the pain…
*~~~~~*