The Seductress

Part XIII

The Boy Who Healed

Harry looked around the common room disdainfully. Ginny was nowhere in sight. Which could mean two different things. Either she was in trouble, or she was already at the ball. Instinct made Harry reach farther, as he walked up the steep steps to the fourth year girl's dorms. A bit reluctant at first, he found himself

knocking on the door.

"Ginny?" he called softly. "Ginny, where are you?"

There was no answer. He invited himself in hesitantly, walking into the room and examining the various beds. He looked around, but saw no flash of auburn hair, nor any other person. Everybody else seemed to be at the ball already. He couldn't exactly blame them, as it was 8 o'clock already. He called her name, but no avail or reply. He started to leave when he heard a soft groan from the room.

He turned around swiftly, his heartbeat thudding against his chest. Was it Ginny? He called her name again, but there was no response. Convincing himself furiously that it was his vivid imagination again, he left the room, ready to head for the Valentine's Ball.

~

It was a refreshing tune to hum. Mandy Murphy's mother always used to sing her the song, a lively song with rather morbid words. It was a lovely melody that always rang through her ears whenever she thought of her mother. Her mother, who had been dead for the last six years. She had killed herself. Of course, Mandy knew this was no surprise, as she used to enjoy watching her mother getting beaten and abused by her father whenever she did something wrong. Her mother deserved it. Everybody deserved pain, except her. Except her, because she had already received it. Many times.

I'm going to get married, she told herself while singing. Draco Malfoy's going to marry me. We're going to have one little girl, and her name will be Marie. Yes, Marie Malfoy. It's all going to work out. Father said so. Father gives me whatever I want.

"Bleed, bleed, till you see how much hurt you've caused me," she sang softly under breath. Such a strange and unusual song still imprinted in her mind for many years, as it was the only song she remembered that her mother used to sing to her when bedtime arrived. She had no idea still if her mother had heard it, or made it herself. And she didn't care.

She wasn't going to live her mother's life. She was going to live a simple, and content life with Draco and have one little girl that she would adore. It will all be over, she told herself.

"It'll be over. After she's out of my way, it'll all be over," she whispered aloud, the knife in her hand. Doing it with the curse was much too risky. She could land herself in Azkaban. But doing it in the muggle way, where she was restrained from oxygen for more than five minutes, even medi-wizards or witches couldn't save her. She shined the knife with her small, linen towel, looking at it ambitiously.

Then, Mandy began singing again.

~

The lights were dim, banners hung carelessly among the huge walls of The Great Hall. Third years, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh years swam about the crowds, dancing, sitting, talking and laughing. Moving pictures were taken by Colin Creevy, a fourth year, of each couple that had attended the Valentine's Ball.

"Dean, get your hands off my dress," said Pavarti, and then smiled at the camera, her arm around Dean Thomas, her date. Colin took a picture and walked on, looking at who else had come in pairs. He saw Harry, and was eager to show him how many pictures he was taking.


"Hey! Harry!" Colin moved toward him, jumping excitedly.

"Not now, Colin. Have you seen Ginny anywhere, perhaps?" he said, looking past him with a troubled look upon his face.

"Yeah. She was with...Malfoy. Unusual couple they are," Colin said, hopefully blocking out the jealousy in his voice.

"You took a picture?" Harry was suddenly paying attention now.

"Yeah. I mean, innocent Gryffindor and evil Slytherin as dates are hard to come by these days. Had to make sure that everyone believed me when I told them."

"Can I see it?"

Colin shrugged, looking through his batch of pictures until he found one of Ginny and Draco holding hands, looking grimly at the camera.

He handed it to Harry, who took it on impulse and quickly snatched it away and looked at it, and then gaped, the picture falling onto the floor.

"What is it? Is it smudged, or something?" asked Colin with worry, but Harry was already heading in the other direction.

Colin picked up the picture curiously, suspicion drawing over his face.

There was Draco Malfoy, with Ginny. It looked the same. What had made Harry run out so fast?

And then, suddenly, he felt his eyes bore into Ginny's. It was not the similar shade of brown he was used to seeing. They were red, gleaming red. But - it could've been the camera's flash, couldn't it?

He looked at Draco's face, and he knew right then that it wasn't the camera's flash. Draco's eyes were gleaming green, not unlike Harry's.

And then, suddenly, he knew something was very unusual about this picture. Instead of looking like teenagers, they looked oddly like adults. That's when he noticed something he hadn't before when Ginny had come to the ball. In the ball, she was merely wearing a heart-shaped necklace, and no other jewelry. In the picture, on her hand was a gleaming, gold band.

~

Harry hurried across the halls, looking into random classrooms for the lost couple. Where were they? he thought frantically, and decided to check the Great Hall again. He looked around, but no signs of Ginny and Draco. People were starting to leave, to either go outside or to their dorms where they could be alone with their dates. It made Harry's stomach rumble in nervousness.

His mind set on stupidity and determination, he opened the exit to Hogwarts and went out to the fresh, cool air. There was something at mist of this night, something dreadful and something important was going to happen. And he knew what it was. His scar began to burn harshly, and he clutched his forehead impatiently, rubbing it vigorously. It only hurt more when Voldemort was around. But now, it was a sign that danger was coming.

The wedding was outside, he told himself silently, not knowing what his own thoughts meant exactly.

He searched around, and spotted it. Two figures, in front of the clearing lake, where water swished upon the icy climate. They were taller than the regular Ginny and Draco, but even from the darkness, through his glasses if he squinted hard enough, he could see a flash of dark, auburn hair that used to belong to Ginny. He raced toward them, and then stopped, his eyes penetrating the sight before him. He felt absolutely tantalized at the sight before him. They were standing across from each other, fingers gripping each other tightly, and from the dim light shadowed by the moonlight he could see Ginny's shimmering ring on her finger.

They were speaking in a different language, a beautiful, language that Harry had never heard before. It seemed vaguely familiar to Harry, and he was sure he had learned it in his muggle school. Was it Portuguese? No, it didn't sound anything like that, nor was it German.

Think, Harry, think, he thought to himself, trying immensely to work his mind rapidly throughout the confusion.

French! Of course. He stared at them for moments, hearing their soft words. Would he be able to translate them?

"Virginia," the silver-haired boy that used to be Draco drawled, and then, after her name was said, he began to speak in more hurried French, as if it was a ritual to go through.

It was a ritual, Harry realized, with a dreadful drop to his stomach.

It was the ceremony for the wedding. Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley were going to be unintentionally married at the age of fourteen and fifteen. But the worse part was, they wouldn't even live to know.

~

Ginny could feel herself get more drowsy, with a sensation to close her eyes. But I can't, she told herself, trying to sound confident.

I can't. Weakness began to surround her, and she could feel blood dripping from her head. She had no idea if she was unconscious or not, but she felt aware of any noises or movements her body made. She let out a groan. It was a mere miracle she had not passed out. Usually, pain this suffering would probably make her die. But she knew she couldn't die now. She couldn't die under her own bed, without saying goodbye to her friends and family. And Draco...

Virginia! she realized, her head slowly beginning to remember. Virginia Riddle. The thought of Virginia Riddle kissing Draco was a disgusting, horrid thought. She forced herself to crawl through the drapes of the bed and get up weakly, her head spinning. She blinked her eyes into vision, and ran to the door, afraid that she would faint if she didn't do this soon.

Draco, please, please, be alright. Please, please, be you, she silently added to herself, walking clumsily down the stairs.

~

Mandy waited, hidden by her raven colored robes, her hood tucked gently above her brown, tidy hair. She was growing impatient by each second. Where was she? The knife was held to her chest, the sharp point ripping the fabric slightly. But she cared not to notice. Mandy waited, until she heard footsteps in the hall. Apparently, the girl had finally gotten out of the Great Hall. Mandy didn't think why Ginny would be alone, out of the Great Hall without Draco. She took the knife out of her robes, and peeked in the corner, seeing red hair traipsing across the halls, followed by the innocent, apple-shaped face. She grinned, and raised her knife to aim.