Things Change
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or anything, but I definitely own this piece of writing! J.K Rowling owns all the characters and stuff. I do, however, own her 'friends' and some more new characters that'll appear later on, and the plot is ALL MINE!
A/N Okay, some people have said that they wanted a little fluffiness in this chapter, and I, thinking that perhaps my characters deserved it, may provide some. Aww, I'm so nice ^_^. Anyways, as they finally got together last chapter, expect D/G-ness in this chappy!
A/N2 Okay, I do not own The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul or the late, great Douglas Adams, so don't sue – I mean it.
A/N3 Seriously though, everyone should read that book. Although you have to read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency beforehand, because that comes first. (And no, I don't own that one either)
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Opening her eyes, the sudden change of scenery and the brightness of it all almost blinded Ginny. She peered closely at the strange…whiteness surrounding her, her brows furrowed. It was all encompassing, like a room, except that as far as she could tell there were no discernable walls or ceilings or floors. It was just one great, big…whiteness which she seemed to be floating in. Well, it didn't feel like she was floating, but she must be if there was no ground. She reached out a hand to see if there was anything solid, but all there was were small tendrils of the white, fog-like substance trailing through her fingers.
"Strange…" she murmured, noting that her voice didn't echo; meaning there were no solid surfaces around for quite a distance. She was about to try the other hand when suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice filled the 'space' she was in. It sounded far away, but perfectly clear at the same time – near and far, young and old, kind and cold.
"A month has passed…" it murmured into the air, fading away in the silent seconds that passed. Then,
"And the last success belonged to me…"
It was different, this voice. It was much like the other one, yet no trace of kindness could be found in the tone, and it spoke as if gloating over some victory as yet unknown to any living thing.
"But it was countered…remember that…"
There was a pause, longer then the last, as if the other voice was thinking.
"The score is even – but it will not stay that way for long…the girl is fading, the others along with her. I will soon have their minds within my hold, and then…"
"The world will fall…," It was the first voice now, it's tone sad and regretful as it replied. But when it continued, it was stronger, more hopeful. "And yet, she is still strong…her will is not yet corrupted"
"Keep your dreams then…but I will triumph in the end, and I will have my way. Your one hope is fading fast; drifting from the ones she loves…It will not end well…for you, of course…"
The last comment resounded with malicious gloating. A pause followed once again, until at last the kind voice spoke.
"She will grow to love him, and he will love her in the end; then where will you stand? The others are not yet lost, and neither are they. Take care their power does not destroy you…Remember my last warning?"
"Your words do not tend to haunt me…," The cruel voice replied. "But yes…I remember"
"Then it is done…"
All at once a humming noise began to fill Ginny's ears; it was quiet at first and then it got gradually louder and louder and louder until Ginny had put to her hands over her ears to block it out. She closed her eyes, screwing up her face in agony as the pain got worse; it felt as though her head was going to explode…perhaps she was going to die.
Ginny sat bolt upright in bed, a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath. It was dark in the dorm, not much light coming in through the window because of the dark clouds rolling ominously across the sky and obscuring the moon. Feeling her breathing slow down, Ginny leant over and retrieved her watch from the edge of the bedside table. 1:11.
'Hmm. Strange' she thought sleepily, yawning and putting the watch back down. Nestling back down into her covers, she closed her eyes, and within moments was asleep again.
///*///*///*///*///*///
Quickly checking the corridor was clear, Ginny hurried towards the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, her school bag flying behind her.
'Ooo, good, he's already here,' she thought, glancing hastily behind the man-sized vase and seeing the usual copy of 'Unfogging the Future' behind it. Swiftly retrieving the book, she felt along the wall for the hidden door handle and turned it as soon as her fingers touched the cool metal. It opened out into the usual nicely furnished sitting room; the two sofas sat facing each other by the fireplace and the cupboards and sideboard dotted around the walls gave a homely feel to the place, and the gently burning fire took away the cool March-time chill in the air. It was all rather beautiful really – she had decided that months ago – but most beautiful of all was the boy sitting on one of the sofas with a book in his hand. Smiling, Ginny padded over to him on the thick carpet and sat next to him on the sofa, kicking off her shoes and dropping her school bag on the floor next to her.
"Hello stranger," Draco greeted her dryly, his eyes still fixed on his book. Ginny grinned and fished her own book out of her bag, tucking her legs under her and opening it to the marked page. "You're not still reading that "tea-time" book are you?" he asked, still scanning the page of his own book.
"Yup," she replied, holding it up. "'The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul'. It's a good book – you should try it sometime"
"Perhaps" he said, both of them knowing full well he never would.
"Oh well, it's your loss; it's a funny book"
"I know, I could hear you laughing"
"Oh ha ha" Ginny replied, grinning and nestling down into the sofa, her head resting on Draco's arm.
This was the usual routine – whoever got to the Room of Requirement first would open it and then perform a Disillusionment Charm, before hiding a copy of Unfogging the Future behind the vase to let the other know the room was open. Ginny remembered the day they had decided to use the room as meeting place fondly.
"We need somewhere…warmer to meet, you know," Ginny said, casting a glance around at the clearing of the forest. "This is all well and good, but it's against the rules and it's bloody freezing as well"
"Hmm…," Draco replied, resting his chin in her hair as she cuddled closer to his chest. "Well, if we did meet somewhere else we'd need to have the same amount of privacy as we've got now. It wouldn't do to have someone walk in on us when we were…busy"
"So is that all we're going to do in our spare time?" Ginny asked mischievously, smiling.
"Well…" Draco answered, leaning back so he could see Ginny's face. "Perhaps not all the time"
"Good," she replied, smiling again and nestling close to him once more. "If we just had a room – a room that was nice and warm, and private too, with comfy furniture and bookcases and rugs and…"
She trailed off, her eyes wide. "That's it…," she said, leaning back and breaking free of Draco's embrace. "That's it!"
"What?" Draco asked, mildly confused, his brows furrowing in that cute little frown that Ginny loved so much. "What is it?"
"The Room of Requirement! It's perfect!"
Draco paused for a second, and then a grin spread slowly on his face, his eyes sparkling.
"You, my dearest Ginny," he said, stepping closer and capturing her in another embrace. "Are a genius"
"Don't I know it," she murmured in reply just before he kissed her.
So from then on they had used the Room of Requirement as a meeting place. Opening the door for the first time, they had seen the same view they saw now, bar the few extra rugs that had slowly disappeared as the weather warmed. It had become their refuge from the world outside, and the people in it. Especially three particular people.
///*///*///*///*///*///
"Hello Ginny" Hermione greeted her as she sat down in the common room. She was sitting on a sofa with a large, thick book in her lap, reading.
"Hi Hermione" Ginny replied, curling up on the sofa and exhaling noisily. Her last hour with Draco had been…exhausting, to say the least, and she felt a little lethargic.
"Did you see that article in The Witching Times?" Hermione asked, naming the famous wizarding newspaper. She had put her book next to her on the sofa, meaning she actually wanted a conversation with Ginny.
'Nggggh' Ginny thought to herself, sitting up properly. 'I'm to worn out for a conversation'. "Which one?" she replied instead.
"The one about occlumency. I was reading it through and it was pretty interesting"
Ginny frowned a little, confused. What was occlumency again? She was sure she'd heard of it before.
"Isn't that…?"
"…The magical defence of the mind against external penetration. You know, that thing that Harry had to study last year. You were there when Snape asked to speak to him, remember?"
"Oh yeah," Ginny replied, remembering the rather strange Christmas she had spent in No.12 Grimmauld Place. "Why did you read the article? I would think you knew about it anyway"
Hermione suddenly began to look uncomfortable at this question, and she quickly tried to hide it by picking up her book and opening it again. "Oh…you know me…I was just looking for something to read" She said very fast, practically hidden behind the thick volume. "Still," she continued, her voice swiftly returning to normal speed and pitch, "I think you should read it. Here"
Ginny took the folded scrap of newspaper Hermione had fished out of her pocket, unfolding it and looking it over quickly. It seemed interesting enough.
"Thanks, I will read it" Ginny answered, smiling at her and putting the article in her bag. Hermione smiled back, looking relieved, and was just about to settle back down with her book when she was joined by the other two members of the Dream Team, both of them greeting Ginny briefly before turning their full attention on Hermione.
"Can we talk to you a second?" Harry asked, looking meaningfully at Hermione before adding, "In private?"
"Sure," Hermione replied, putting the book in her bag and standing up, immediately sliding her hand into Ron's. "Bye Ginny" she said, momentarily looking over her shoulder.
"Bye" Ginny replied, giving a half-hearted wave. "See you around"
'Oh well,' she thought, watching the three of them leave the common room, 'Life goes on'.
///*///*///*///*///*///
"This interference is becoming too much," the figure said, pacing around the room. His hands were behind his back and his head down, the long, black cloak covering his skin. "We will have trouble succeeding if things carry on this way"
The figure's shadow, thrown across the room by the firelight, wrung it's hand and scurried towards it's master.
"The plan will be completed, Master, have no fear. The intrusion by the boy is but a small glitch"
"I would hope so," the figure replied, his tone angry and malevolent. "I will not kill more than is absolutely necessary. As much as I enjoy my…leisurely pursuits" (here he threw a glance at the knives and various other torture devices displayed along the wall) "his death would draw too much attention. We must remain inconspicuous"
"Of course, Master, of course" the shadow agreed in it's snivelling voice, kneeling before it's master and grovelling on the floor. He threw a contemptuous look at the dark outline before sweeping past it towards a large, round crystal on the table. The figure picked it up, bringing the jewel to eye level where it began to glow red.
"I wish to speak with you" he said in a cool, commanding voice, his gaze set in the middle of the gemstone. The red light flared brilliantly for a moment before fading and turning bright, crystalline blue. The jewel seemed to come alive, vibrating and humming slightly, and then a voice, icy like the crystal itself, echoed around the room.
"I am here. What do you desire to say?"
"I wish to ask you about the boy" the figure replied, turning towards the firelight and letting go off the crystal. It hovered in the air above his hand, pulsating faintly.
"You know all you can about him," the voice replied. "You cannot know more than that"
"But he is interfering with my work," the figure answered, his tone slightly testy as he frowned. "This goes against what we agreed to"
"We never agreed to anything, my 'jeumeau' – you just assumed it would be so"
"But…but…"
The figure's voice was angry now, and the crystal's light was now edged with red. "But you –"
"– Watch over all things; yes. But I do not make deals with those who would seek to hurt them – especially those of great significance. It is as I told you. Do no harm to any of them – they are too important"
At last it seemed that the figure's anger had become too much. His face was red and a muscle twitched in his neck, but a gruesome yet calm smile stretched over his features. "You do not hold counsel over me" he said, his voice quiet with controlled rage. "And you have no physical body to haunt me in; therefore I have power you cannot contain"
"Do not defy my, jeumeau!" the voice cried in response, and for a moment the light in the crystal flared even brighter blue, immediately crushing the red light that had slowly been seeping into it. The figure seemed taken aback by the sudden outburst; indeed, the anger disappeared from his countenance to be replaced by a resigned cooperation.
"It is not the way of things," the voice continued again, the tone softer and less sharp.
"Then we shall go on as before?" the figure asked, his tone once again harsh and abrupt.
"Indeed," the voice replied as the blue light began to fade from the crystal. "It shall be so…"
Then the blue light diminished completed, and the crystal was once again dark.
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A/N Okay, so what did you guys think? I admit that there wasn't that much D/G in this chapter, and I apologise for the shortness, but I've been pretty busy this week and I haven't had much time to write. Also, I had to change my name because of that new naming rule – I ended up being S.e.a5 instead of S.e.a, which majorly sucked, so I decided to change it. I'm now the one and only Shakespeare's Muse. Cool, huh?
Now, hopefully I got all of the reviews I was meant to have, but ff.net had been messing up loads recently, so I might not.
Liz92 (Wow, he's Mister DreamBoat, huh? Glad you think he's cute, lol! And you do just say "Thom" as "Tom", but I always prefer weird spellings on names, so I put the 'h' in), cashew (Yeah, it was really weird, I got your message when I was still on the internet after posting. And thanks for the compliments on the new plotline, I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and your welcome – I'm glad you're no longer being tortured, lol!), Tara-Yo (Thanks for your compliments on the story, they're much appreciated!), Okeanos (^_^ Yep, you have made the world record. Your reviews are about the size of a snitch on a diet)