Draco Malfoy Promises To Be A Good Boy This Year

Part Twelve

Horror

*********************************************************************

But Ginny did not come back the next day. Instead Hermione paid me an unexpected visit later that day for tea. I had spent the morning in my room with Nathaniel, recovering from the day-after-Christmas-blahs, so I was really quite pleased to see her.

Hermione and I sat at the table and had a spot of tea, while Nathaniel had a bottle of juice in his highchair, which had mysteriously appeared along with the rest of his things. And to think I had underestimated the Weasleys as a magical family.

Hermione and I talked about useless things until I decided to mention Ginny. "Herm, why didn't she come with you?" My voice was filled with pain.

"You mean Ginny? She's just feeling embarrassed." She sipped her tea. "But don't fret over it…I told her you wanted to see her. She's thinking it over right now."

"How did you know to tell her that?"

She laughed. "I just did."

"And where are the boys?"

"Oh, they're a bit mad at you right now. Seems as though you've been a bit of a prat, they said."

"Then why are you here?" I sulked.

She let Nathaniel play with her fingers. "Well, that's simple. I know you wouldn't hurt that girl for anything in the world. So I trust you." She shrugged and tried to reclaim her hand from the baby. "But Draco, those guys will come around. They always do. They steam around for awhile and then cool off again. And I'm dragging Ginny along here later tonight whether she likes it or not, so don't worry about that part. Believe me, she misses you like mad already. She stayed overnight in my dorm and I heard her say your name in her sleep."

I smiled. "I'm relieved."

She looked around the flat and whispered to me. "I'm not, I'm afraid. Ginny also called out another name in her sleep…Tom."

"Tom?"

"Yes. I don't know what it means exactly, a nightmare from her past? But she and Harry had a long talk this morning and they won't tell me what's going on. I'm getting scared, Draco. See if you can't figure out what's troubling them, will you?"

"Oh, it's probably just Harry coming onto my girlfriend again. I wouldn't worry too much." My voice was pure ice.

"Shut up for a minute, Draco. This is serious. Talk to Ginny. Promise me you'll talk to Ginny."

"All right, I promise! But I don't know if she'll tell me either if it has to do with Potter." I folded my arms and leaned back in my chair. "Thank you for coming over, Hermione. It's good to know that Ginny is okay." I looked at her with honest eyes. "I really do care about her."

She smiled. "I know you do, Draco. We'll see you later tonight, all right?"

"Right." She left and I settled down to feed Nathaniel his lunch. In-between dodging food bombs I tickled his tummy and told him old nursery rhymes that I heard Mrs. Weasley and Ginny tell him last summer. I wished with all my might that I could remember someone reading me rhymes. Well, my boy would know all of them and more.

That evening while it was still light out I was lying on the couch taking a nap, Nathaniel on my chest. I heard the whoosh from the portkey. "Mmm…Ginny?" I murmured. I was still stuck between sleeping and waking.

"Not…quite…Dracie."

My eyes flew open and focused blearily on the evil force that was glaring down at me. Well, evil so to speak…it was Pansy Parkinson. "What are you doing here?" I demanded. I struggled to sit up, clutching Nathaniel to my chest.

She looked around the room. "You never told me you had such a nice place here, Dracie. A regular little love-nest."

"Shhh…you'll wake Nattie! It happens to belong to Snape. And he won't be happy you snuck in here."

She gave me a little grin. "Snape, huh? Kinky."

I rolled my eyes. "Would you just please leave?"

She walked over to me and in one smooth motion ripped the baby away from me. She cradled him against her chest and glared at me. "This should be my baby. I'm the one who really loves you!"

I was in a panic. Nathaniel's warmth was gone. I wanted him back. "You don't love anyone, Parkinson. Now, give him back this instant! He's not a toy!"

Nathaniel awoke at being handled roughly and he cried out. "Mumma!"

Pansy smiled. "Now isn't that sweet?"

"He wants Ginny! His mother."

"Well, I guess it's just too bad that she's not here and I am, isn't it?"

I stood up and approached her. "How did you get here anyway?" I heard a noise from Thomas's room and my eyes darted in that direction for an instant.

"Oh, that stupid little Mudblood arrived by portkey while I was lurking around in Snape's room."

I smirked. "Losing your virginity in Snape's room were you? Now that's kinky."

She smacked me and I reeled. I fell over onto the sofa with both my hands extended in case she dropped Nathaniel who was dangling like a ragdoll in her uncaring arms. "How dare you!"

I glared at her. "Set…him…down!"

She shrugged. "Fine enough. You're the one I want anyway." She plopped Nathaniel on the floor. The little fellow yelped and crawled towards my bedroom. I stood to go after him but Pansy shoved me down again. "Think you're getting away that easily? No one betrays me and the Slytherins without suffering the consequences. You're no Slytherin anyway. You're only in that house because Daddy is in with You-Know-Who! You're useless and everyone laughs at you."

"They don't laugh at me!" I yelled. Laughing. What if they were laughing?

"Oh, they do too! But I'm not laughing Dracie…I always loved you." She perched herself on my lap and tried to reach a hand down my shirt. Who taught girls this stuff?!

"What do you think you're doing?" I looked at her in disgust. "Get off me!"

"Ha! Never! I know you love me! Show me how much you love me."

I shoved her off and made a run for my bedroom to get Nathaniel. I had to get him and get out of there! She was purely insane!

"Stop! Don't leave me!" she screamed and leapt at me. She grabbed me around the feet and we both went sprawling.

I heard a voice above me. "What is going on out here?" Thomas was leaning against the doorframe, an amused look on his face.

Pansy looked up at him too, an angry expression on her face. "And who are you, pretty boy?"

"Hmm…no one you really want to know." Thomas calmly lifted my wand from off a little table by the wall and pointed it at Pansy. "Avada Kedavra," he said blankly and the green light shot from my wand. It struck Pansy right in the chest and she fell backwards, stone dead.

"Oh God!" I screamed and knelt by her body. "You KILLED her!" I blinked at him. "HOW did you kill her?"

"Draco, you're really such a funny little chap! How do you think I killed her?" He yawned. "She had a most annoying voice, don't you think?"

My mouth was open in horror and shock. "Thomas…"

"Oh yes, I must have forgotten to tell you. My friends often call me Tom. Tom Riddle, really, but it's such a filthy name."

I pulled at Pansy's dead body fruitlessly. "But…but…Harry and Ginny have both seen you! You can't be Tom Riddle! They would have known!"

"Well, the obvious way to get around that is to disguise myself, don't you think? Besides, I'm modernized. I look very little like what the Tom Riddle of fifty years ago did. A change of clothes, hair color and style, and way of speaking can work wonders, you know."

I tried again to hoist Pansy again, but she was just dead weight. Dead. "So, you're Voldemort."

"Of course I'm Voldemort! But I would much rather look like this, wouldn't you? I'm hardly detectable. Besides, I feel more alive than ever in this body, especially since I have so many lovely friends." He smiled almost happily. Maybe he liked being a teenager.

"Snape said you couldn't get in! No one can get in here! It's magically protected!" My voice was nearly a shriek. Dead Dead Dead.

"Unless you let someone in. And you let me right in, didn't you. Clever boy." He grinned at me.

I edged towards my bedroom. "But you didn't kill us! You didn't do anything to us at all!"

He smiled at me. "If I wanted you all dead you would have been dead already. But honestly, I like you and I think I can use you. I can use the lot of you. Especially Ginny. Yes, she is the special one, is she not?"

"Bastard!" I sneered through my teeth. I looked down at Pansy. "I am taking Nathaniel and Pansy's body and I'm telling everyone about you! The Ministry of Magic will be swarming you in no time!" I looked up from Pansy at him and my breath caught in my throat.

Tom was holding Nathaniel in his arms, cradling him. "You don't want to leave without him, do you? And I'm afraid he's staying with me. He is mine after all. But thank you for looking after him. You may continue to look after him, in fact. And you will be good company for his mother. You won't resist me for long, don't you even worry about that."

I bristled.

"Ah, but I think Miss Virginia Weasley is on her way right now." He turned expectantly towards the closet with the portkey.

In a burst of light, Ginny flashed into the closet. "Draco, we have to get out of here now! Harry and I, we know who Thomas is! He's Tom Rid…" she almost ran right into Pansy's body and she screamed. She looked at Tom, saw he had Nathaniel and she screamed again, only this time in anger. "Tom! Put him down!"

He smiled at her. "Quiet, Ginny." He threw out a hand and she fell to the floor in a heap. I let Pansy go and ran to Ginny instead, but Tom was faster. He set Nathaniel on the floor and scooped up my little sprite in his arms.

Nathaniel clung onto Tom's leg and started to cry. He was reaching for Ginny, but couldn't get to her. My heart felt like it was going to explode.

Tom gave me a feisty look. "Catch me if you can!" Still holding Ginny, he flipped a Muggle coin at me and it landed at my feet. As soon as the coin hit the floor he was gone, with my baby and my Ginny. I let out a cry and hauled Pansy's body up into my arms. I was yelling for Harry before the portkey had even taken me back to Hogwarts.

*********************************************************************