She put up a hell of a fight but couldn't prevent them from pulling her into a closet. She didn't stop struggling, until the person spoke.
" Chill weasel, it's me Draco. Draco Malfoy" She didn't relax but she did stop trying to squirm out of his grasp.
" If I take my hand off your mouth are you going to behave?" he asked teasingly. Ginny rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless. He removed his hand from her mouth, and her waist, so now that she was free of his grasp, she turned around and slapped the side of his arm. Hard.
" What the hell was that for?" he asked, not really mad, unlike Ginny.
" You couldn't just tap me on the shoulder like a normal person could you? Noooo!" she answered for him. " That would just be to civil for Draco Malfoy." He didn't say anything, he just stood there shoulders shaking with silent laughter. " What, pray, tell is so funny?" she asked. He managed to stop laughing and just stood there smiling at her. It was a great smile. It made him look almost human. Almost that is.
" You just single handedly proved the theory about red heads." he said trying to be charming and debouneir. She paused a moment, and then hit him again, in the same place. His smile only widened. " And what was that one for?" he asked sitting on top of a large box.
" Stop smiling." she said grumpily. " It's not funny."
" Yes it is," he stated simply. They just stayed there in the small closet, with Draco sitting on a box. and Ginny standing about a foot away from him, looking at each other. Actually he was doing most of the looking. Ginny would look at him for a moment and then shift her gaze to something else, anything else. Then she would look at him again. They repeated this pattern several times before Ginny couldn't stand his intense stare anymore.
" What happend? The last thing I remember was being in Diagon Alley with you, and your father. Then I woke up here? Why am I here? Why didn't your father take me or something? Why did he just leave me there for the mediwizards to get" she asked. Not asking why she was alive because she knew why she was. His forhead knotted in concentration. He seemed to be considering if he should tell her or not. Silence once again consumed them, and it seemed like they stood there for an eternity before he opened his mouth to speak. Ginny waited with baited breath. Everything was going in slow motion. In just a second she'd be getting the answer to all her questions. Thoughts buzzed through Ginny's head as to what it could be. All between the moment he opened his mouth and the moment he emitted sound.
" If you have to ask, you'll never know." he said in a distant voice.
" OH FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN! Why are you being all mystical? Couldn't you wait until after you told me why im still alive to go crazy?" she practically yelled. His face emotionless, he shook his head.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh! she screamed to herself. Why is it that Malfoy can piss me off more then anyone else, and all he has to do to do it is shake his head! You are an emotional nutcase, Ginny Weasley. Did you know that? A nutcase, yup that's what you are. Ginny was so absorbed in her own rambling that she didn't notice Malfoy stand up, but she did notice him move between her and the door.
" Hey what are you doing?" she asked. He spun around and pulled her close to him.
" Shhh." he said placing a long finger against her lips. " They're here."
"Who is?" she asked quitely. Malfoy bent his face so close to hers that their noses were almost touching.
" I thought they were just a myth." she said trying and failing miserabley to remain calm.
" They're real." he whispered. Ginny shivered and Malfoy absentmindedly pulled her closer. Ginny remembered Fred and George teasing her when she was little, and telling her stories about soul collectors, manlike beings with hooded, black, billowing robes, who lurked in the shadows, and stole vulnerable people's souls. When she had come to St. Mungo's for a mental health evaluation after first year George had warned her to beware the soul collectors. He said they had a floor to there own at St. Mungos. That's were they kept them.
" It's true." she whispered. " I can't believe it's true."
" Believe it, because they are coming closer." he said as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug posistion. " Close your eyes."
" Why?"
" Just do it. Trust me." Yeah right! thought Ginny. She looked up at him and then closed her eyes, anyway. It wasn't like it could hurt, if she stayed it was certain death! " This might feel a little strange, but don't worry im not going to hurt you." he said softly. It was remarkable how cruel and menacing he could sound while insulting people, while being able to be gentle and soothing.
" What are you going to do?" she asked nervously.
" Shhh." he said. Ginny felt her feet leave the floor. She felt like she was flying. There was a soft breezed on her face, and what felt like warm fluffy cotton balls kept touching her all over. It was the most comforting and soothing feeling she had ever felt. Like she had been lifted into the heavens, and left all of her problems behind. She never wanted this moment to end, but then it did. She came crashing back to earth with a painful jolt, and landed even more painfully on top of somthing hard. When she opened her eyes she saw with horror, that she had landed on the nurses station ten feet away from the closet in which she should be right now. Draco was just a few inches away, on the same huge desk as Ginny.
" What the hell-" she started but Draco cut her off.
" You orbed white!" he said sounding astonished.
" Yeah okay, what the hell does that mean, and why aren't we still in the closet? How did we get all the way over here? That's my qu......estion." She turned her head, and there they were. Five of them. In dark black robes, just like Fred and George said, but they didn't know the other frightening details. They each carried long sticks with what looked like crystal balls on the top. They also each had a long beard that fell all the way to the floor, but that part didn't register in Ginny's mind as long as the long sticks. She could see swirling white mist in the crystal balls, and then what looked like a face pressed up against the glass. Ginny forgot to breathe. So apparently did Malfoy. Neither of them, it seemed, could move because they both stood like statues. The shortest one of the soul collectors slowly walked forward to Draco. He had a grey beard with clumps of white in it. When he finally reached Draco he spoke.
" Stand before me young man." he said, and for some reason unbeknownst to Ginny, Draco did as he was told. The old manlike creature raised his stick, and put the crystal ball over Draco's heart. Ginny expected to see Draco's soul sucked out any minute now......but it wasn't. The soul collector lowered the stick and spoke again.
" His soul is protected by the most powerful dark magic." he said, as if that was nothing unusual. The creature then moved to Ginny. Oh shit! Ginny thought. My soul isn't protected. That means ferret boy is going to live because he's evil and I am going to die because im not. Isn't life grand. When the soul collector reached Ginny he looked at her and said, " Stand before me fair Maiden.", but more importantly she did stand. She didn't know why she did, it was as if his words commanded her. The creature lifted up his stick, and placed the crystal over her heart, just as he had done with Malfoy. The white mist inside the crystal ball suddenly changed to a dark red, but it continued to swirl. It was obvious that this wasn't a normal reaction because all of the other soul collectors began whispering to each other. Then, the crystal ball exploded in a puff of white light. The whispering stopped and one of the other Collectors stepped forward.
" This has never happened before, my lordship, what does it mean?" he asked, he had a brouge sound to his voice that Ginny usually found captivating, but it didn't seem to suite him..
" It has never happened before," said the first collector, " because the light and dark side have never worked to protect the same soul." He turned to Ginny, " And what that means is, standing before us is a very extraordinary young lady." Ginny turned to look at Draco, and saw that he was staring at her, eyes cold and emotionless. He smirked at her, an evil looking smirk, that made Ginny think of Lucious.
" Extraordinary huh? We'll see about that." Draco said spitefully, then he dissapeared. This was alot to think about. Okay, I think I've had enough adventures for, I dunno, A LIFETIME. Going away now. Without even looking back at the soul collectors, Ginny left. She went back down the two flights of stairs, and back into the main hallway, which was, to her annoyance, filled with reporters, and photographers. Luckily they were all too busy listening to one of the hospital officials, to notice her slip quietly into her room.
" Chill weasel, it's me Draco. Draco Malfoy" She didn't relax but she did stop trying to squirm out of his grasp.
" If I take my hand off your mouth are you going to behave?" he asked teasingly. Ginny rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless. He removed his hand from her mouth, and her waist, so now that she was free of his grasp, she turned around and slapped the side of his arm. Hard.
" What the hell was that for?" he asked, not really mad, unlike Ginny.
" You couldn't just tap me on the shoulder like a normal person could you? Noooo!" she answered for him. " That would just be to civil for Draco Malfoy." He didn't say anything, he just stood there shoulders shaking with silent laughter. " What, pray, tell is so funny?" she asked. He managed to stop laughing and just stood there smiling at her. It was a great smile. It made him look almost human. Almost that is.
" You just single handedly proved the theory about red heads." he said trying to be charming and debouneir. She paused a moment, and then hit him again, in the same place. His smile only widened. " And what was that one for?" he asked sitting on top of a large box.
" Stop smiling." she said grumpily. " It's not funny."
" Yes it is," he stated simply. They just stayed there in the small closet, with Draco sitting on a box. and Ginny standing about a foot away from him, looking at each other. Actually he was doing most of the looking. Ginny would look at him for a moment and then shift her gaze to something else, anything else. Then she would look at him again. They repeated this pattern several times before Ginny couldn't stand his intense stare anymore.
" What happend? The last thing I remember was being in Diagon Alley with you, and your father. Then I woke up here? Why am I here? Why didn't your father take me or something? Why did he just leave me there for the mediwizards to get" she asked. Not asking why she was alive because she knew why she was. His forhead knotted in concentration. He seemed to be considering if he should tell her or not. Silence once again consumed them, and it seemed like they stood there for an eternity before he opened his mouth to speak. Ginny waited with baited breath. Everything was going in slow motion. In just a second she'd be getting the answer to all her questions. Thoughts buzzed through Ginny's head as to what it could be. All between the moment he opened his mouth and the moment he emitted sound.
" If you have to ask, you'll never know." he said in a distant voice.
" OH FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN! Why are you being all mystical? Couldn't you wait until after you told me why im still alive to go crazy?" she practically yelled. His face emotionless, he shook his head.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh! she screamed to herself. Why is it that Malfoy can piss me off more then anyone else, and all he has to do to do it is shake his head! You are an emotional nutcase, Ginny Weasley. Did you know that? A nutcase, yup that's what you are. Ginny was so absorbed in her own rambling that she didn't notice Malfoy stand up, but she did notice him move between her and the door.
" Hey what are you doing?" she asked. He spun around and pulled her close to him.
" Shhh." he said placing a long finger against her lips. " They're here."
"Who is?" she asked quitely. Malfoy bent his face so close to hers that their noses were almost touching.
" I thought they were just a myth." she said trying and failing miserabley to remain calm.
" They're real." he whispered. Ginny shivered and Malfoy absentmindedly pulled her closer. Ginny remembered Fred and George teasing her when she was little, and telling her stories about soul collectors, manlike beings with hooded, black, billowing robes, who lurked in the shadows, and stole vulnerable people's souls. When she had come to St. Mungo's for a mental health evaluation after first year George had warned her to beware the soul collectors. He said they had a floor to there own at St. Mungos. That's were they kept them.
" It's true." she whispered. " I can't believe it's true."
" Believe it, because they are coming closer." he said as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug posistion. " Close your eyes."
" Why?"
" Just do it. Trust me." Yeah right! thought Ginny. She looked up at him and then closed her eyes, anyway. It wasn't like it could hurt, if she stayed it was certain death! " This might feel a little strange, but don't worry im not going to hurt you." he said softly. It was remarkable how cruel and menacing he could sound while insulting people, while being able to be gentle and soothing.
" What are you going to do?" she asked nervously.
" Shhh." he said. Ginny felt her feet leave the floor. She felt like she was flying. There was a soft breezed on her face, and what felt like warm fluffy cotton balls kept touching her all over. It was the most comforting and soothing feeling she had ever felt. Like she had been lifted into the heavens, and left all of her problems behind. She never wanted this moment to end, but then it did. She came crashing back to earth with a painful jolt, and landed even more painfully on top of somthing hard. When she opened her eyes she saw with horror, that she had landed on the nurses station ten feet away from the closet in which she should be right now. Draco was just a few inches away, on the same huge desk as Ginny.
" What the hell-" she started but Draco cut her off.
" You orbed white!" he said sounding astonished.
" Yeah okay, what the hell does that mean, and why aren't we still in the closet? How did we get all the way over here? That's my qu......estion." She turned her head, and there they were. Five of them. In dark black robes, just like Fred and George said, but they didn't know the other frightening details. They each carried long sticks with what looked like crystal balls on the top. They also each had a long beard that fell all the way to the floor, but that part didn't register in Ginny's mind as long as the long sticks. She could see swirling white mist in the crystal balls, and then what looked like a face pressed up against the glass. Ginny forgot to breathe. So apparently did Malfoy. Neither of them, it seemed, could move because they both stood like statues. The shortest one of the soul collectors slowly walked forward to Draco. He had a grey beard with clumps of white in it. When he finally reached Draco he spoke.
" Stand before me young man." he said, and for some reason unbeknownst to Ginny, Draco did as he was told. The old manlike creature raised his stick, and put the crystal ball over Draco's heart. Ginny expected to see Draco's soul sucked out any minute now......but it wasn't. The soul collector lowered the stick and spoke again.
" His soul is protected by the most powerful dark magic." he said, as if that was nothing unusual. The creature then moved to Ginny. Oh shit! Ginny thought. My soul isn't protected. That means ferret boy is going to live because he's evil and I am going to die because im not. Isn't life grand. When the soul collector reached Ginny he looked at her and said, " Stand before me fair Maiden.", but more importantly she did stand. She didn't know why she did, it was as if his words commanded her. The creature lifted up his stick, and placed the crystal over her heart, just as he had done with Malfoy. The white mist inside the crystal ball suddenly changed to a dark red, but it continued to swirl. It was obvious that this wasn't a normal reaction because all of the other soul collectors began whispering to each other. Then, the crystal ball exploded in a puff of white light. The whispering stopped and one of the other Collectors stepped forward.
" This has never happened before, my lordship, what does it mean?" he asked, he had a brouge sound to his voice that Ginny usually found captivating, but it didn't seem to suite him..
" It has never happened before," said the first collector, " because the light and dark side have never worked to protect the same soul." He turned to Ginny, " And what that means is, standing before us is a very extraordinary young lady." Ginny turned to look at Draco, and saw that he was staring at her, eyes cold and emotionless. He smirked at her, an evil looking smirk, that made Ginny think of Lucious.
" Extraordinary huh? We'll see about that." Draco said spitefully, then he dissapeared. This was alot to think about. Okay, I think I've had enough adventures for, I dunno, A LIFETIME. Going away now. Without even looking back at the soul collectors, Ginny left. She went back down the two flights of stairs, and back into the main hallway, which was, to her annoyance, filled with reporters, and photographers. Luckily they were all too busy listening to one of the hospital officials, to notice her slip quietly into her room.