Draco Malfoy, Seeker Of Souls
Chapter Sixteen
Nighttime Visits
**~~~~~**
I was having a very restless night. I tossed and turned, but Harry kept elbowing me in his sleep and Ron would snore on occasion. I felt like sticking something in his mouth, but I guess that wouldn't have been very nice. After all, it's not like he could help it.
I finally managed to curl into a ball in the middle of the bed and drift off to sleep. It seemed like moments later when I heard a voice. "Draco."
"Go away," I muttered. "It can't be morning yet."
"It's not morning. But I need to talk to you."
I sat up in a hurry. "Tom! What are you doing here?"
Tom was there in the room with me, but yet he wasn't. It looked like Tom, yet he wasn't solid. He shimmered a bit at the edges. I imagine this was quite what he looked like to Harry when the two first met in the Chamber Of Secrets.
"I'm not really here," said Tom, strengthening my theory. "And you're not really awake. I'm in your mind, although this isn't a dream. I'm channeling with you."
I nodded, but then glared at him. "What do you think you're doing? What were you playing at, jumping off the grass elevator like that and threatening Harry? You're starting to give the others bad ideas. You're loosing all your credibility and I'm starting to doubt you too!"
Tom held his head in his hands. "I know…I'm sorry. That was the wrong thing to do. It's just that, sometimes I do things and I don't really know why. Old habits die hard." He leaned towards me a bit. "And I'm sorry about Harry too. I just continue to harbor some ill feelings towards him, is all." The image of Tom brushed a hand over sleeping Harry's forehead. "I still have to get used to the idea of being his friend, and I was mad that you brought him along. I wanted to be the one to help you." He looked at me, his eyes filled with urgency. "But please don't be upset with me? You're my only real friend, Draco."
I studied him carefully. He seemed so honest, and I could tell he wasn't lying. This was one of those times when he let the coldness falter from his eyes and his true nature shone through. "I don't know what I would do with out you," he added, focusing on the bedspread in a distracted way.
"I believe you," I said. "But why are you here?"
He looked at me, the mask of calm back in place. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the Hall of Lost Souls. Draco, I feel so horrible, I can't even sleep at night. I've been staying in the Hall because I didn't want to sleep in the dungeon anymore. I've also been trying to get Slytherin to tell me which Soul is really Ginny's and why he directed you to the wrong one. But he won't talk to me! I think he wanted Ginny to have that Soul for some reason."
I eyed him. "I think someone wanted her to."
He looked taken aback. "Draco, it wasn't me!" His voice was choked up with emotion. "I've always cared about Ginny, and I care for you too…and even the others. Why would I want Ginny to have a Soul that wasn't hers?"
"Well, I don't know." My head was starting to hurt slightly, as if something was probing in my brain. Something that I couldn't put my finger on. It was like a message that said 'trust him, trust him,' over and over again. "I don't think you would," I finally said. The pain let up.
Tom wiped his eyes with his hands to grind away the unshed tears. "I'm so glad you believe me. And trust me, I'll keep working down here to get to Slytherin and find out what's going on. But please come down soon…I'm afraid he might try to do something bad to me when he realizes that I'm not on his side."
I nodded, my eyes suddenly very heavy, and my head starting to hurt. "I'm not feeling too well. I need to go to sleep."
Tom leaned forward so that he was bracing his weight on his arms on either side of me. "I understand. Channeling can be very mentally trying." He smiled sweetly at me. "Sleep well, Draco. I can't thank you enough for believing me." Then to my utmost surprise, he leaned forward and just barely touched my lips with his, before melting away into nothing. Shocked, I touched my lips with my fingers. And as I sat there, wide eyed, I realized something…as nice as Tom had been, I hadn't been able to read his eyes for most of our exchange.
*~~~~~*
I jolted awake, one hand flying to my mouth. My lips were cold, almost frosty. Tom was gone. Had he really been there at all? I sat up and gasped in shock to find Harry looking at me. "Are you all right?" he asked me. "Bad dream?"
"Sort of." The whole thing seemed so real and so surreal all at the same time. "Harry? This is going to sound like a very stupid question, but…you didn't just kiss me, did you?"
Harry wrinkled his nose and then looked amused. "Draco, we know you're pretty, but that doesn't mean that we all want to kiss you. Honestly, get over yourself!"
*~~~~~*
I didn't tell anyone about Tom's channeling session. The little voice in the back of my head told me to keep quiet about it. To move on getting back to the Hall of Lost Souls, but to shut up about Tom Riddle. I had little control over this voice, and whenever I started to think, 'Wait. Shouldn't they know?' I got a horrible headache and was forced to think of something else.
A couple of days later, we had all sat down to breakfast when The Mystic awoke and joined us. Her presence in the doorway was enough to make us stop eating and turn to her. "Be prepared for the fulfillment of the prophecy."
There didn't seem to be anything to say to this. She obviously meant that we would soon be going to the Hall of Lost Souls. It was about time, too! But I was surprised that The Mystic wanted us to find Ginny's Soul without first locating the Child of Light. This boy seemed very important to the rescue effort. But I was glad we hadn't found him. I couldn't let anyone hurt Tom. I could get Ginny's Soul back myself.
The Mystic sat on in one of the comfortable chairs and pressed her hands to the sides of her head, as if in pain. "The evil grows stronger within me, and within the Hall of Lost Souls. We must end it forever."
"The evil is Salazar Slytherin. I think he's doing something bad to Tom," I said.
"How do you know?" asked Ron.
"I think the channeling with Slytherin is starting to hurt him. He seems upset."
"How do you know this?" asked Harry.
"He-" I was cut off by a sharp pain in my head. "I don't know. I just have this feeling. I know him better than all of you do." They looked at each other as if this was a bad thing. I glowered. "Tom is fine. He's just misunderstood. I used to be just like him, and I turned out fine!"
The Mystic gave us no other chance to bicker. "We must first wait for the sign, but we must be ready at a moment's notice."
"What's the sign?" asked Harry.
"You will know it when it comes."
*~~~~~*
That night, I was somewhere between awake and asleep when I heard the scream in my head. "Draco! Help me! He's going to kill me if you don't come!"
I sat up immediately. Tom! Salazar Slytherin must have finally made his move. He was going to kill Tom if I didn't do something in a hurry. 'Get up!' said the little voice in my head. 'Get to Hogwarts!'
Without thinking, I threw off the covers, yanked on my clothes, and raced to the stationary Portkey in the storage closet that was connected to the one in Snape's classroom. I grabbed the old shoe, and was whisked away to Hogwarts to help my friend.
**~~~~~**
Hey, we all knew that Tom was going to try to snog with *someone*!