To Sleep No More

'To Sleep No More' Part 6

by Ginny :)

"... echoes will answer the names as they call,

and ashes will smother the tears as they fall," -- Robert Swindells.

All the pairings got equal votes, which means I get to decide! That's G/ H, but not nessisarily R/ Hr... you'll find out why. Hey, stop groaning!

Sorry this took so long- I had exams all this week, so, I've been busy. As from now, I will have rehearsals for 'Fiddler On The Roof' 3 times a week, plus dance/ drama school twice a week... that means I haven't much time for writing. If it's any consolation, I'm writing a series called 'Fluke' which, although my writing it will delay this story a little, I will be able to post more quickly, cuz I'm writing it ahead of time, if you see what I mean...? I'm going to try and get Jacquline more in the next parts, but I need these parts to make the story make sense!

Jacqueline belongs to me, everyone else belongs to JKRowling, and the 'waiting' song belongs to whoever wrote 'The Match Girls'.

Read & review.

Ginny :)

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The longer Ron stayed with his regained friends, the closer they grew again. It was almost like old times; before Hogwarts was destroyed by Death Eaters; before London became little more then a nuclear fallout area; before magic was outlawed; before the Muggles swore to kill this strange new spices they'd suddenly discovered, the Spacers.

Killing Spacers, eh?

Better then killing people.

Before Ron rejoined his friends at MRAMF [Magical Resistance Against Muggle Forces, remember?], everything had seemed... so ugly. Now he looked at his friends. He had seen happiness in their eyes now that they believed him; he had heard Ginny singing loudly and discordantly; he had seen Harry laughing like he had not done in years; he had seen Ginny dancing around, twirling, her face alight, her hair standing out around her dirty face like a halo, even in the midst of the filth, the cold, and the rain;

Was that really so ugly?

He had seen Hermione crying.

She did not believe him.

Was that really so beautiful?

And then he remembered. Remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Ron knew that if he did not play his friends right into the hands of Jacqueline Raoul, he was as good as dead.

Betray them, and wish you had died, or go against Raoul and get killed. Was there a choice?

Not to even consider what the best prospects for yourself were, was practically inhuman. Survival of the fittest. Human instinct at it's deepest. 'Gentlemen Vs Cavemen'. No contest.

And, Ron thought, that is the one thing every human can hate in themselves. No human can say that they have never thought that way, even on a different scale. Frightening.

He sighed, and went to get the bucket that they used to collect water from a nearby water barrel, which wasn't too badly damaged. One thing that magic could not do, was make clean water.

If Raoul didn't kill his friends, is they escaped another cold winter, then drinking radioactive water and eating contaminated food, would.

He was going to meet her later that day. He would decide his own fate, and the fates of his friends.

The worst sentence on earth. Perhaps even worse then a life stretch in Azkaban, and with a similar effect on the mind.

*

Jacqueline's POV

I have to say, all things considered, I do not know if I trusted Weasley. I know he said that he would make my life a whole lot easier, and somehow deliver the other Spacers right to me, but maybe, when he meets them, he'll rethink?

He thinks I'm insane, and I maybe I am, but it'd be even more insane to stay what would normally be called sane, in a place like this. I don't know if that makes sense, but I don't suppose it matters. Nothing makes sense where Spacers are concerned.

You have to envy them. They can do so much with their magic. They can heal wounds, cure sickness, put things to rights again, whilst us Muggles have to continue as we always did, trying to get by.

*

"Hi, Harry," Ginny stuck her head around the door to the room where Harry was trying to sleep, "you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Hermione told me to come and take your sheets for cleaning, so I've come, although I don't know why she bothers."

"You know Hermione," Harry explained it away "She's always been like that. Dead organised."

"I suppose so. Can I take the blanket, then? It won't be long, and it's not that cold just now. I think spring might be coming soon."

"OK."

He watched her cross the room. As she made to take the worn out blanket that he had wrapped around himself, he made a snap decision, and caught a hold of her arm.

"What? Harry, let go!"

"Ginny, I want you to help me walk again."

"I don't think-"

"I know that I can. I'm fed up with sitting around here. Help me walk."

"I don't think... see what Hermione says, she's knows about this stuff. You mightn't be fit enough-"

"Just help me, Ginny. If anything happens, tell Hermione it was my idea, right?"

"Well... OK," She shrugged, still not completely happy with the idea.

"Cheers," he said, swinging his legs round over the side of the bed.

She helped prop him up, as his feet touched the floor. He stumbled over the edge of his robes, almost toppling to the floor, but Ginny caught him just in time, "Careful!"

"I'm OK, stop worrying."

Harry had never thought that it was possible to forget how to walk. However, his legs seemed to have new ideas of their own, which didn't have anything to do with what his brain wanted.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. Really. I just need a bit of practice."

"But doesn't it hurt?"

"No. I think my leg's better again, actually."

She continued to support him, propping him up by the arms. It was like teaching a toddler to walk. They reached the opposite wall, and Harry collapsed against it, taking his weight off of Ginny.

"Now," he said, "I want you to let me walk on my own."

"Don't be daft, you-"

"Please. I know I can do it. And you'll catch me if I fall, right?"

"Well, I, er, don't know..."

"Fine then, I'll walk back without your help. You can't stop me, after all. I know I can do it."

"All right," she agreed after a moment's silence, "I believe you."

"Everyone's always thought I'm weak, and I'm fed up with it!"

"We don't think you're weak, Harry, I just want you to-"

"All right, I believe you then. OK, here goes," Harry let go of the wall. He took his steps slowly. One after another. Each time, Ginny was sure that he was going to fall, but each time, he righted himself again.

"You can do it!" She reassured him when he almost fell to the floor a second time "I know you can!"

This seemed to strengthen his resolve. He stood still for a moment to regain his balance, before continuing. Slowly... slowly... Ginny continued to hover behind him 'just in case'. Two more steps...

"You did it!" She beamed at him "You really did! I didn't think you could, but you made it!"

"Yeah," he smiled, ridiculously pleased with himself, "Yeah, I did."

Ginny seemed almost stupidly excited, twice as much so as Harry. She danced around maniacally, absurdly pleased for him.

"Hey, calm down, it's not that exciting," he said, laughing despite himself, "You're acting like Pigwidgeon used to."

"Who cares?" she beamed up at him, "It's great. I'm just impressed. And nothing good ever happens round here, so why not celebrate?"

"Why not indeed? You always were two biscuits short of a picnic."

"Oh, cheers, Harry," she rolled her eyes, giggling "anyway, I probably ate them."

"Eh?"

"The biscuits!" she explained, "I et them!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. It felt so good to laugh. He'd barely even smiled for what felt like years. He was never completely sure why, or even how, but the next thing Harry knew was that Ginny's lips were on his.

Gosh...

They kissed sweetly. And neither of them had planned it. It just... happened. Life can be like that, forever springing something new on your head.

This kiss was something good, something right, even in the midst of all the world's evil.

*

Jacqueline's POV

I waited for Weasley to show up.

Where the hell was he?
It's hard to tell the time, since everyone's watches stopped long ago, and there's no other way of telling left. People say 'it's teatime', or 'It's 6 PM', in the same kind of way that they now say 'It's Cuckoo Spit day' or 'It's Easter', but no one really knows.

We can count years by seasons, but that's about it. At a guess, I'd say now was early spring, but I can't be sure. I could be a mild winter.

No one even knows what day it is any more.

Where was that idiot Spacer? He could turn up any time today, and believe me, waiting's no fun at all, especially if you don't know whose watching you.

Like that song... 'waitin', waitin', always bleedin' waitin'... still be bleedin' waitin' on the day you die... day you die... day you die...' that musical had always depressed me. Oh well.

'Waitin', waitin', ain't it aggravatin'! Still be bleedin' waitin' on the day you die... day you die... day you die...'

"I'm here."

"Wha'?" I spun round quickly, the voice taking me off my guard.

"Hi," Weasley greeted me, raising an eyebrow. I lowered my gun.

"Oh, hi," I nodded "Are you back with..?"

"Yeah, I am actually."

"Excellent. Have to admit, I didn't think you'd turn up."

"Well, I did."

"Yes, I can see that. Anyway, I've got a plan, Weasley."

"Good for you."

"Stop trying to be a smart alec," I frowned at him "and listen."

"Yeah, yeah, OK, OK," he shrugged, "so tell me what you've come up with."

"Right. It's become your job to collect the water, right?"

"Yes, so what?"

"So, tomorrow, insist on one of them coming with you, or else on anyone but you going. Ideally, without their wands, but I suppose sometimes that can't be helped. Alone, each one should be easy pickings."

Ron nodded, a sickly sour feeling in his stomach. He had 24 hours to decide who would be the first to die...

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Yay! :) One more part down! Incidentally, I now have a webpage, http://www.geocities.com/foolish_faye/Authorshomepage.html?985632009170 [copy and paste the URL into the li'l address boxy thing], I've drawn some characters from this series, and I've posted them on the site. I've got Ron to draw yet, but the others are there [Harry, Hermione, Malfoy, Ginny and Jacqueline].

Please read, review, and check out my 'art'!!!

Ginny :)