A/N: Woo hoo! I've gotten through nine chapters of this, and I haven't quit yet, *lol*! Go me! This is so fun to write, even if it takes me forever ^_^ I LURVE IT! *Snort* Anyway, this is IT. The long awaited chapter. We finally get to see our beloved super-sexy Tom! YAY! Dedicated to Dazma, because she has yet to kill me. Now shoo, go and read!
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all related characters and situations are the property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros Studios, and various other third parties unmentioned here. I only own the plot. The quote is from So You Want To Be A Wizard, by Diane Duane.
"(The Snuffer was always glorious to look at before it scorned the light,) Fred said. (And it kept the beauty afterward—that's what the stars always used to say. That's one reason it's dangerous to deal with that one. The beauty . . . seduces.)" -- Fred, So You Want To Be a Wizard
It was the most magnificent place Ginny had ever seen, much better than Hogwarts, and ten times as great as the Burrow. She was following Draco down the long corridors, making her way towards their rooms. She wasn't concentrating on what direction they were heading, because her attention was captured by the walls.
Long rows of portraits lined the hallways, mainly of Malfoy ancestors. There were tall, fair-haired beauties with sparkling gray eyes and long dresses of silk, and striking dark-haired men with top hats and coats with tails. None of the wizards appeared to have robes on, donning expensive muggle clothes instead. This was understandable, seeing as anti-muggle security was at a minimum in those days, and anyone suspected of practicing magic would either be hanged or burned in the streets. All in all, it wasn't a pleasant time to be a wizard.
There were others, too. At the head of the entryway had been an acrylic painting, two meters in height, of a tall man with dark hair. He was very handsome, with a slightly upturned nose, and a small beard, jet-black like the closely cropped curls on his head. He was wearing well-fitted robes of emerald green, and had large, bright blue eyes. The painting seemed to smirk at you as you walked past it, and sat with a disdainful smile on its face. A small silver plaque under it had the inscription: Salazar Slytherin, c. 1141.
He was a very yummy-looking evil wizard indeed. Ginny had noticed that, though. There were portraits in her History of Magic textbook of some of the most-infamous dark wizards, and they all had been extremely good-looking. She knew that was part of the reason they got so many followers. People could be persuaded to love a cause, if it had a pretty face to front it. But a pretty face wasn't all you had to have. Tom was handsome, yes, but he had more.
Tom was an essence in his self. He wasn't a face for the cause, but he was the cause. He not only started the movement, but also continued to have it grow even after he was almost defeated.
Defeated repeatedly, admitted Ginny to herself, grudgingly. Damn Harry! Every time Tom gets something accomplished, Harry has to go and ruin it. The bloody git gets in the way too much, not longer Tom wants him dead.
After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes, Draco announced that they had arrived at their quarters. They were located in another long hallway, this one with large swords and daggers adorning the walls.
Draco gestured to a door on Ginny's right. "That's where you'll be staying. If there is anything you'll need, just tell one of the house elves, and they'll be sure to provide it for you."
Ginny nodded, and opened the door, carrying her trunk after her.
She gasped; the room was surely fit for a princess! It had lush emerald carpeting, thick and warm under her feet, and the walls were covered in emerald velvet wallpaper. There was a large armoire for her clothes, and a cedar dressing table next to it. But the main focus of the room was centered on the bed, standing in the middle of the farthest wall, on a small raised platform. It was a four-posted, like the one at Hogwarts, but with silver and emerald silk hangings. Soft silver blankets covered, as Ginny was to discover later that night, sheets of the highest thread count imaginable.
Ginny felt small and shabby next to the fine furnishings. She didn't deserve to be standing in it, much less be spending her vacation there.
She dragged her trunk over by the armoire, and opened its large doors. She opened the lid to her trunk, and drew her wand. She flipped her wrist lazily, and muttered a handy little charm that propelled her clothing onto the hangers. She grinned; unpacking was finished.
She strode back to the hallway, and looked around. A door next to hers and on the right was open, and this was what she assumed was Draco's room. She stepped up to it, and leaned on the doorjamb.
She watched, eyes half closed, as Draco unpacked his things. He did it manually, carefully lifting each of his designer robes, and hanging it carefully up. She smirked to herself, noticing that he was categorizing them by color.
After a few minutes, he seemed to notice he was being watched, and he lifted his head. He smiled as he saw Ginny. "Anything wrong Ginger?"
"No," she said, walking into the room. "I just noticed the obvious . . . closeness of our rooms. Had it all planned out, did you?"
He laughed. "Yes, of course," he said, lightly sarcastic. "I had planned to creep into your room in the dead of night, and rape you."
She snorted inelegantly, and casually strolled over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, drawing him closer to her.
"I'm sorry," she said, her lips mere centimeters away from his. "But that won't work."
He lidded his eyes. "And why, pray tell, not?"
She licked her lips seductively. "You can't rape the willing,"
She laughed at the shocked look on his face, and leaned in to kiss him.
The sound of someone clearing their throat startled them. The two turned around guiltily, a high flush spread across their cheeks. Leaning casually against the doorway, as Ginny had done just moments before, was Lucius Malfoy.
"As much as I hate to interrupt," he said, eyes glinting with malicious mirth. "I've come to inform you of a slight change of plans. Our gracious Lord Voldemort will be able to see you now, instead of in a few days."
Ginny blinked, scarcely believing her ears. Tom? NOW? She broke out into a wide grin, which seemed to illuminate the entire room. Draco stood beside her, wondering at her expression.
"You really want to be a Death Eater, don't you?" he asked.
She smiled at him, eyes lidded. "I've been waiting for this for years."
* * * * * *
They retraced their steps through the hallway, and entered a wing of the house that branched off the entryway where they first appeared. The walls were bare here, save for black velvet wallpaper, similar to the kind in Ginny's room, except for the color. She stretched her hand out to touch it, marveling at the softness.
They stopped in front of a pair of large oak doors, fashioned with iron doorknobs, and a large iron knocker twisted in the shape of the Malfoy dragon, the same one that graced the family crest.
"Father's study," whispered Draco, leaning close to say it in her ear. "Lord Voldemort uses it as his office when he stays with us. He has his own separate quarters that branch off of it."
Ginny nodded, and bit her lip nervously, as Lucius raised his hand to knock. Five years is a long time, she thought. What if he doesn't like me anymore? Or worse . . . she shuddered. What if he doesn't even remember? What will I do then?
"Come in," said a voice from within. It sent shivers down her spine. It was his voice, all right. The very same one she had been hearing in her dreams ever since the chamber. It had been haunting her, seeming to exist only in her mind. Sometimes she even wondered if it really happened.
Now, however, she had heard it again. And she smiled, because she knew it had happened.
Lucius opened the door, revealing a large room with spacious ceilings. Lofty bookcases were stuffed to the brim, and Ginny could read titles such as The Grim Grimoire and Veritaserum: Easy Tampering for Crafty Minds. A large wooden desk stood in front of her, and it was currently scattered with numerous pieces of parchment, many with the seals of the prominent wizarding families involved in the Dark Arts.
However, all of Ginny's attentions were on a large backed chair that was set in front of a roaring fireplace. The fire made shadows dance across the room, and added an eerie, but strangely exotic feeling to it. She couldn't see, but rather feel his presence.
Her breath caught in her throat; here she was, in the same room with her beloved Tom, after so many years of dreaming and hoping and wishing in vain.
"Lucius, Draco," he said, not turning around. "Thank you for bringing me Miss Weasley. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with her for a while." He paused, and Draco flashed Ginny a curious look. "Don't be alarmed, Draco," said Tom, not turning around. "She won't be harmed. Now leave us. And lock the door behind you. I don't want any interruptions."
"Yes Master," replied Lucius, and gesturing to Draco, father and son left the room together. The telltale click of the lock sounded as they left, leaving Ginny alone with her dreams.
"Come here, Ginny," he said, still not rising from the chair. His voice was softer now, with an element she couldn't recognize, that was absent when he was talking with the Malfoys in the room.
She took a deep breath, and stepped up to the chair, trembling. Doubts were flashing by, each more disconcerting than the last. What if he doesn't remember? What if I meant nothing to him?
She turned to face him, but she still couldn't see him. His face was hidden in the shadow of the chair's side. He stretched out his hand, and Ginny took it in her own. She was amazed at its texture, as smooth as the wallpaper she had touched earlier.
"Tom?" she asked, eyes wide.
He rose from the chair, and turned to face her.
He looked exactly the same, not a day over seventeen. The same brownish-black hair, and deep chocolate eyes that made Ginny's knees quiver when she gazed into them. He had the smallest constellation of freckles across the bridge of his nose, going nicely with the pale skin he had since he was a little boy. He was about five inches taller than her, his chin reaching to the top of her head. He had the same broad shoulders, with a nicely sculpted chest, but not too built, made that way from playing Quidditch. Ginny couldn't believe her eyes. It really was Tom.
He was so beautiful; it hurt her to look at him. Ginny's eyes began to water. He looked like an angel. He was her fallen angel. Hers.
He brought up his other hand, and lightly wiped away a tear that had begun to slide down her cheek. He then put the hand under her chin, and tilted her face up to meet his.
"Ginny," he said roughly, his eyes shining. He scooped her up in his arms, and kissed her deeply.
Ginny closed her eyes and sighed, content in finally being in his arms. She began to cry silently. God, Tom, it was so long. I didn't think you'd ever come back.
Ssssshhh, she heard in her mind, and knew instantly it was him. It's all right. I'm back. I won't leave you again.
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Yeah! Super sexy Tom has returned! SO didja like it? Didja? Review and let me know! One more and I'll have 100! ^_^ Sorry, no thank yous today. My internet time has been reduced to only an hour a day (because of school, grrrr), so it would take too long right now. But THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH to everyone who has reviewed, and I promise I'll put individual thanks in the next chapter I get out (whenever that may be).