==*Racing Time*==

(A/N)Well at first I was about to give up on getting any reviews at all except for cristen's. I'm so thankful now for the three reviews I've gotten though. Thank you all SO much. I shouldn't have taken your reviews for granite and now that I know what it feels like to go with a week and a half and only one review I will NEVER ask for a specific amount of reviews again. Promise. Okay enough gibbering, on to the story.

(Disclaimer) None of the characters in this fic nor the setting of Grimmauld Place are mine. But guess what? I do own some things. Take a guess at what they are.

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(IMPORTANT REMINDER!!) The premier of HP&SS on cable television will be followed by an interview with Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, and a short preview of PoA! You cannot miss it!!!! It will take place on May 9th on ABC! I repeat YOU CANNOT MISS IT!!!!!!!!

Chapter 11: A Midnight Stroll

Ginny woke up late on the night of July 30, but tried her best to keep her eyes tightly shut. Her throat was burning with thirst yet her eyes kept fighting to keep themselves closed for as long as possible. Eventually her throbbing throat won over her eyes and she slowly opened them reluctantly from their yearning sleep.

What she found when her eyes came back into focus made her heart drop into her stomach? The surprise of herself sitting alone on the couch in the den in the middle of the night at first gave her quite a shock. Then the realization of her sleep walking habits brought her bullet fast heart pacing back down to normal. She breathed deeply trying to regulate her breaths once more.

The fireplace before her was crackling merrily and deep within the embers was an oddly shaped log. After staring at it a few seconds, she realized in fact it wasn't a log at all, but a thick leather journal in the midst of it; the journal she had threw inside of the flames a few hours earlier, the very same journal that had caused her so much pain and terror. The flames licked at its sides and whipped around it dancing merrily inside the grate devouring every page of the evil book.

A loud hard chime erupted from the old grandfather clock on the other side of the room. She whipped her head around and looked at its face. Eleven o'clock, she hadn't been asleep for very long then, maybe two hours at the most. But as the eleventh strike subsided and the dust that had bellowed from the frame with ever strike gently fell onto the hard wooden planks of wood at it's base, the floor shook violently one last time. Then without any conscience effort, a smile crept across Ginny's lips. Without even trying, she stood from the couch and began to walk herself out of the door into the long hall just outside it.

What was going on? How was she moving without controlling herself? Was she still perhaps dreaming and was sleepwalking again? Or maybe she had gotten so stressed over running away that she was now able to sleep walk ever while she was awake? Was that even possible? She let her legs carry herself into the hallway just outside the door and down the rickety old steps that led down into the basement kitchen. Try as she may to pull herself backwards up those steps, back up to where she knew what she was doing, she couldn't; her legs would fight back so powerfully she had no choice but to follow what they said. She had no more control, at all, whatsoever, over her body.

Standing before the pale blue cupboard that held all of the pots and pan that Mrs. Weasley owned, her thumb in her right and ran itself over a rough cold surface of the object in her clutches. Without even glancing down (not that she was actually able to), she knew what that object was that sent chills down her spine and a small tingle in her skin. Curled up as if ready to strike, its fanged mouth opened threateningly, sat the silver serpent emblem in her very grasp.

Without even realizing it, with the only hand unoccupied, she pushed with ease the large, heavy wooden cupboard out of her way with the gentle shove from her hand, something she'd have never been able to accomplish had she been in her right mind.

After the cupboard was carefully placed beside the stove, she stood back to look at what she had accomplished. There before her where there should have been stone clod wall like what surrounded the entire room, was in fact none. Instead stood a large heavily planked door that reached from ceiling to floor. It reminded her much of a barn door or the cellar door back at the Burrow, except of course, for a specific difference; there was no doorknob. In it's place was instead an indention; an indention shaped exactly like a curled up snake.

Her hand reached forward, no matter how hard she tried to pull it back, and in the indention, it placed the emblem. As soon at her hand released it she had almost expected the door to maybe explode or some sort of blinding white light to emancipate itself through the cracks around the doorframe. But it didn't. It remained totally stationary and as dark as before. Her hand reached out again and she turned it just as she would a normal doorknob and pushed the door open so that it banged hard against the wall inside. As she was wondering what the chamber would infact contain, her foot stepped inside the cold pitch-black room. Her footfalls echoed loudly against the stone walls, much like the one's in the kitchen, that were only visible from the light she had forgotten to turn off when she left the other room. Her body twirled in a circle her nightdress twisting around her as if hugging itself to her as she tried her best to stare through the darkness. The she stood smiling greatly at the doorframe she had left behind and a large streak of green light flew through the darkness and hit the door hard making it slam shut in a quick instance.

All at once all control returned to Ginny's body and she immediately started to tremble with fear, her legs made of jelly. She took off in a panicking, impetuous sprint in the direction she had just seen the light disappear knowing it was her only way out. Something was waiting for her in the darkness and if she wanted to stay away from them, she'd have to get out NOW.

Ginny ran around blindly with her hands outstretched and yet as far and as fast as she ran she felt nothing. She tried to grasp at something for her to hold onto but found nothing but air. She realized that she was running as fast as she could into total and complete darkness and no way to escape from it.

She began to trip and stumble on the loose dislodged stones that littered the floor, but no matter what she kept running. She didn't care how big a chance she had of actually escaping the darkness but she knew her chances wouldn't be any better if she just stopped and let whoever it was hiding in the dark find her sitting there. She wouldn't back down without a fight. No. She was a Weasley. And no Weasley ever went down without a fight. No, the only way out was to keep running. Maybe by some chance she'd hit a wall or even better a door. She ran around in circles not knowing where she might be headed. The only thing to guide her was hope.

Then all of a sudden, by mere chance, she saw it. A small white light flashed quite dimly in a far distance corner. Ginny ran with all the strength left within her from her terrible lack of sleep towards the small speck of light. She knew that somehow the hope that was in her had somehow brought this light to her; it was only her hopes that had brought this saving light to her. She felt her heart jump with joy at the thought of going home. She felt in her heart that only when she reached that light she'd finally be safe. She knew that that light was the only way for her to finally get home, otherwise she'd be running eternally into the never-ending darkness that filled her eyes, her heart, and her mind.

She ran fast and faster with each following stride towards her hope gaining more and more speed with each step she took. Yet, it made it harder and harder to breathe from such force. She felt her lungs were about to throw themselves out of her chest when she stopped.

There it was in front of her, a small ball of light suspended in air no bigger than that of a golf ball. Had she grabbed it up it would have fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. She gazed at it for a few seconds that to her felt like eternity and then gently touched the ball of light with her fingers. It was cold. Then in a huge blow to her stomach realization ht her hard in her heart. It was just a ball. A tiny ball of light is what she had used all her time and energy to reach and now that she had, she had no use for it. Tears burned in her eyes and fell into her cheeks in a wave of pain. She slid down onto her knees and sat in a small slump on the floor bawling her eyes out. Never had she ever felt so disappointed. Her last stand of hope had failed her and turned into a useless ball of light. She pulled her knees up to her chest as her tears continued to fall and she never once thought of getting up again. What was the point?

Just behind her back, what she didn't realize was that the figure that had been following her had finally caught up and stood behind her now smiling a deathly cold grin that froze your very soul or much like a frozen ice cube sliding down one's back.

"Is poor Ms. Weasley disappointed?" the cold voice rang out into the air. Ginny threw her head up and for a split second her sobs ceased. What she saw was that the room was suddenly getting lighter and the ball of light had mysteriously disappeared.

"Lumos!" the voiced shouted into the dark. Ginny squeaked like a mouse at what she found before herself and her heart immediately sunk to the floor. She jumped to her feet but stood quite still once more, too terrified to even speak or move. She stood there as solitary as a statue her eyes transfixed to the sight before her and her mouth opened in a fatally silent scream horror. There before her stood Voldemort himself and about 50 other cloaked figures about him in the semidarkness. More mutters of the spells started to spread like wildfire around her and panic began to swell in her chest. She was breathing so hard and fast that she was sure if it would increase and more her chest would surely explode. She couldn't think anymore and not knowing what to do with herself any longer, she darted away from Voldemort's fierce stare but instead ran into some of the cloaked figures around her in every direction. The cam closer together trapping her in their midst. She fell into one figure's chest feeling the weight of exhaustion falling into her. The man just laughed and pushed her off of him back into the center of their circle back towards Voldemort. Ginny looked into each and every one of their evil laughing faces feeling the laughing growing louder in her ears like one giant hissing snake. Soon the only sound she could hear was the pulsating beats of her heart and her loud rasping breaths. She began to spin around in place hoping, praying for a way out but the figures were closing in on her blocking all the possible ways of escape, so that there was hardly any space between them at all. She was trapped.

"There's no way out now, Virginia," Voldemort's cold hoarse voice laughed out shrilly. "You've gotten to deep in to try to back out now."

Ginny stared at him hard and stern yet inside she was full of tears just begging to spring out, her very heart was trembling with fear, and her legs felt like they were wet noodles. As terrified as she actually was though she wouldn't let him see her cry and scream. She was going to go down brave, just like Lily and James Potter; she was going to go with pride and for the safety of Harry.

"You don't' scare me, Voldemort!" Ginny called out loud and strongly. Hearing that come from her lips, her very own lips, the Gryffindor spirit of bravery, courage, and loyalty swelled deep inside her chest like a hot air balloon. With the Weasley in her, the red hair on her head, and the pride in her heart, she knew she'd be fighting till the end.

A familiar hoarse cackle pervaded her ears until it was the only sound in the air. Ginny balled her fists and closed her eyes letting the horrifying sound flow through her head and squeeze the thoughts from her mind. She had to get it over with now. She couldn't bare the sound of his horrid voice corrupting her mind any longer. She had heard it long enough.

Ginny reached into her nightdress pocket where her wand was usually kept, but found it to be empty. Fear flooded her soul once more and the worst of her fears had finally become reality; she was standing in front of one of the most terrible wizards alive and she didn't even have her wand at hand. She was defenseless.

"Oh, poor little Virginia, all alone and helpless in front of the big scary wizard without a wand. How typical of a foolish little girl," Voldemort said in a mockery whining voice. "Well don't you worry. We have a special surprise for you, Miss Virginia Weasley. That's right, I mean without you why else do you think Mr. Potter would want to come here? But with you around, why all that changes then doesn't it? So why waist a good thing? We aren't going to kill you. At least not yet, anyway."

His loud laugh pierced the air once again and Ginny trembled with fear. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground in a pitiful heap of woe and grief.

Her mind was spinning around like mad and everything was starting to finally click into place. The journal, the emblem, the voices in her head, her anger and dislike to the very people she loved with all her heart. It all made since now. It had all been for a reason and now she understood. She was being possessed; Hermione was right. She had been tricked into reading the journal thereby awakening the Heroine. But it still wasn't over there. The only way for Voldemort to get Harry where he need was with her. He needed to posses her and build up his power to lead me hear tonight so that Harry could follow.

Harry had been right all along. He was right about everything. It was Voldemort's plan and he had succeeded in it too, and it was all her fault. If she just had listened to Harry, none of this would be happening. She was the one to lead him to his fate. She, Ginny Weasley, would be the one to lead him to his doom. She was the one he loved. If she had given his thoughts a chance, she would have known to be more careful. She never would have opened the cabinet, she never would have read that journal, and she never would have hurt Hermione, or Seamus, or even Harry. If she just had listened, she wouldn't be here now either…

…But she was. And now she'd never have a future. This was her end. All her plans for life had been torn to shreds in her face and she couldn't stop it. She'd never get married, she'd never have children, and she'd never live in her dream house in Italy. And perhaps worst of them all, never again would she be able to stare into those gorgeous emerald green eyes again. They were gone. Harry was gone. It was all gone. This was her fate.

Voldemort stared down into sad guilty face and yet the red sunken eyes remained just as cold, just as heartless as they ever were before. Never blinking, never moving, but remaining as still and hard as no normal man ever could have done at the innocent face of the red-haired girl.

He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ginny whose heart took on a cessation unlike any other. She was going to die. She knew it.

"Locomotor!" he shouted at once and Ginny felt her heart drop before the sensation of herself being weightlessly lifted off the ground made confusion instead sink into her brain.

Floating about five feet above the ground, she tried with all her might to do something that would make her fall back down. She tried to move her hand but the wouldn't move. She tried to kick her legs but they wouldn't budge. She was left to be suspended in the air, controlled by the very flick of Voldemort's wand.

He led her over to a heavy looking black curtain blocking what appeared to be a door or passageway ahead of her. He placed her standing before it but kept his bind to her as strong as before, refusing to break her from his power. Ginny stared intently at the black veil wondering what ever could be hiding behind that curtain just beyond her view. All sorts of images flashed before her mind before Voldemort finally spoke again.

"Ms. Weasley," he hissed with the first smile she had ever seen cross his lips, one that she very likely wasn't wishing to see again. "I give you the great pleasure of meeting the greatest Hero of our time and the sharer of the thrown of evil, the Heroine of Darkness.

The black veil fell to the floor in a heavy slump and Ginny Weasley's deafening cry of horror filled the air.

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(A/N) So what you think? I can't hear you if you're talking to the screen. No still can't hear you. No still can't hear you. What? No still can't hear you. Sorry if I sound like deaf or something but you can't expect me to hear you through the screen sorry. But what you can do it push the little gray button down there. Do you see it? It's a little gray button next to a drop down screen that says submit review. Just go ahead and click it and tell me what you think. I should be able to see everything you type in after that. Thanx bunches. Until next time…

~Love from Lizzie

(Thanx)

~cristen- Oh I was so relieved when you reviewed. I didn't think anyone would. You were the only reviewer for like an entire week. Thankfully two other people reviewed and I was so relieved. But it was your review that made me feel relieved that at least one person liked my fic. Thanx bunches for that.

~xzaire- Yeah I have seen Rupert Grint's long hair! He looks SO HOT!!! I saw it on a preview for well a preview of the PoA, an interview with Rupert, Daniel Radcliff, and Emma Watson, and the premier of SS on cable television! Ah I'm SO excited! Just incase you want to know it's May 9th on ABC!! I hope you watch it!!

~lindybindy- Oh I'm so happy you like it! J But really to waist all that paper on me? Do you realize how many trees were killed in the making of that paper?! Just joshing you. Lol! Keep reading and reviewing!