A/N: Hey all! I would just like to announce that I have finished the story
and I will be updateing on a regular schedual!! WOOHOO!! Now I can start
work on another!! Yay!! Can I get yay!! YAY!! Ok, enough of that. This
chapter starts out with Ginny's POV and then switches to Draco's POV.
Alright on we go!! Don't forget to review!! GodessAthena
Ginny ran through the empty halls, her bare feet slapped against the hard floors and echoed around her. When she reached the gargoyle she quickly yelled the password and continued to hall ass up the appearing staircase.
When she reached the top she was panting and had a hard stitch in her side. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw Draco sitting in front of Albus. She cocked her eyebrows somewhat perplexed at his presence.
They both turned to her with the same look she probably had on her face. She figured he must have done something to someone and decided there was no time for questions. She headed forward. "Albus," she spoke his first name before she could stop herself, "There's a problem." She smiled at Draco and said, "Hi." Draco sat back in his chair and waited for her to continue.
"Have you found it?", Albus inquired.
Ginny shook her head as she continued, not even taking the time to sit. "No, but I had another dream. I talked to Danu, for a long time, and she told me several things, the most important being that the creature is here at Hogwarts! It's been here the entire time! I don't know how, all she said was that it had its foot in the door and that it had the power to control people." Ginny rambled on, trying to remember everything her former self had said.
"Extirpar? Was that what she called the evil?" Albus asked Ginny, grave and concerned.
"Yes, I'm sure of it, and we only have a fortnight, two weeks until people start dying." Ginny was shaking. She was having a hard time controlling her anxiety and her calming spells weren't working worth a damn.
Draco had been listening to her and he noticed the more she talked the more she shook. This dream had really shaken her up, and who wouldn't be? This was bad news. Very bad news.
They knew what they were up against, but it seemed like too much for a young girl. He began to find himself getting angry with this Danu person. How could she expect Ginny to deal with all this? How could anyone expect her deal with this? He wanted to hold her, hug her, let her know he was there for her, but he didn't want to in front of Dumbledore.
As her story proceeded, her shaking got worse. He couldn't help it anymore; as she came to the end of her story Draco got up and wrapped her in his arms. It must have broken her because she began to cry. He had only seen her like this once before and he hated it. It made his heart ache like nothing else.
Dumbledore stood up and went to a shelf and picked a book up. He looked through it for a second and came to sit back down. "Yes, then, here we go."
Ginny's tears became a trickle as she looked back up at Dumbledore and regained her composer. However, much to Draco's delight, she did not back away from him. She just felt so damn good in his arms; he never wanted to let her go.
"Ah, I thought I had heard of it before." He showed Draco and Ginny a picture in a very old and very tattered book. "Nicknamed the darkness, or the great evil by the ancients. It devours the earth and everything in its path. It is said to have been defeated by the great light, we can suppose they are referring to Danu. It was sent to a cave in the ice lands of Siberia and was said to one day return from its prison to wreak vengeance on the one who locked it away."
Draco's face dropped. Ginny moved towards the desk and took the outstretched book from Dumbledore. Her face looked like a pale stone, her eyes filled with anxiety. Draco looked down at the picture as Ginny showed it to him. There was no sign of the creature, only the picture of a very dark and frightening looking cave. ] Ginny gave the book back to the headmaster and took Draco's hand. He gave it a hearty squeeze. "So, this thing is after me, isn't it?" Ginny's voice sounded squeaky and filled with fear.
Draco just wanted to kiss her and make it go away. "Well," he started, "this thing is said to control people, and the Danu woman told Ginny it was already here, in fact has been here, so could it be someone here? A teacher or student maybe?"
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid that is the most likely scenario."
"Then who could it be?" Ginny asked sounding more posed and calm than before.
"I'm afraid I do not have an answer. I preformed the locating spell last night, but did not find a thing."
It seemed to Draco that Ginny had somehow foreseen this because this seemingly bad news didn't phase her one bit. "Ok, so I need to get to work. We can't tell anyone anything."
She looked up at Draco and he nodded, "Of course, mums the word." She smiled up at him and he filled with warmth. 'Gods she's gorgeous!'
"I'm not to sure what to do about 'finding my inner self'." She was looking back at Dumbledore awaiting an answer. The old man paused for a moment thinking about what to do.
"Meditation would most likely be the best course of action here. I will alert Mr. Firenz about the situation. I think it is safe to say he will not be under the control of the Extirpar since centaurs are immune to mind control."
Ginny nodded in agreement. They discussed further arrangements for Ginny to miss her classes for the next two weeks. They decided to tell everyone she was having 'personal problems' and needed time off.
Draco wondered if Snape would take that explanation lightly and he decided probably not, but either way it didn't matter. Ginny had more important things to worry about.
After much more talk Ginny and Draco were excused from classes for the afternoon. Both decided to take some time and sit by their favorite tree together. It was out of the way and they were almost guaranteed not to be disturbed.
Draco walked with Ginny hand in hand through the filling halls. Classes had just let out and people stared and murmured as the couple walked by. They had both seemed to make a silent agreement that whatever anyone else might think or do, it didn't matter now. They only had so much time left until Ginny's battle, which, although they hopped would go there way, could end terribly.
Draco, for his part felt proud to have this young woman at his side. Deep down he felt she would win, would conquer the evil. She was the one he had been waiting for. The strong woman who could stand on her own, who MUST stand on her own. However, until that time Draco would be with her. He wanted nothing more and something that before seemed more important than anything, his reputation, would just have to take a back seat.
Ginny ran through the empty halls, her bare feet slapped against the hard floors and echoed around her. When she reached the gargoyle she quickly yelled the password and continued to hall ass up the appearing staircase.
When she reached the top she was panting and had a hard stitch in her side. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw Draco sitting in front of Albus. She cocked her eyebrows somewhat perplexed at his presence.
They both turned to her with the same look she probably had on her face. She figured he must have done something to someone and decided there was no time for questions. She headed forward. "Albus," she spoke his first name before she could stop herself, "There's a problem." She smiled at Draco and said, "Hi." Draco sat back in his chair and waited for her to continue.
"Have you found it?", Albus inquired.
Ginny shook her head as she continued, not even taking the time to sit. "No, but I had another dream. I talked to Danu, for a long time, and she told me several things, the most important being that the creature is here at Hogwarts! It's been here the entire time! I don't know how, all she said was that it had its foot in the door and that it had the power to control people." Ginny rambled on, trying to remember everything her former self had said.
"Extirpar? Was that what she called the evil?" Albus asked Ginny, grave and concerned.
"Yes, I'm sure of it, and we only have a fortnight, two weeks until people start dying." Ginny was shaking. She was having a hard time controlling her anxiety and her calming spells weren't working worth a damn.
Draco had been listening to her and he noticed the more she talked the more she shook. This dream had really shaken her up, and who wouldn't be? This was bad news. Very bad news.
They knew what they were up against, but it seemed like too much for a young girl. He began to find himself getting angry with this Danu person. How could she expect Ginny to deal with all this? How could anyone expect her deal with this? He wanted to hold her, hug her, let her know he was there for her, but he didn't want to in front of Dumbledore.
As her story proceeded, her shaking got worse. He couldn't help it anymore; as she came to the end of her story Draco got up and wrapped her in his arms. It must have broken her because she began to cry. He had only seen her like this once before and he hated it. It made his heart ache like nothing else.
Dumbledore stood up and went to a shelf and picked a book up. He looked through it for a second and came to sit back down. "Yes, then, here we go."
Ginny's tears became a trickle as she looked back up at Dumbledore and regained her composer. However, much to Draco's delight, she did not back away from him. She just felt so damn good in his arms; he never wanted to let her go.
"Ah, I thought I had heard of it before." He showed Draco and Ginny a picture in a very old and very tattered book. "Nicknamed the darkness, or the great evil by the ancients. It devours the earth and everything in its path. It is said to have been defeated by the great light, we can suppose they are referring to Danu. It was sent to a cave in the ice lands of Siberia and was said to one day return from its prison to wreak vengeance on the one who locked it away."
Draco's face dropped. Ginny moved towards the desk and took the outstretched book from Dumbledore. Her face looked like a pale stone, her eyes filled with anxiety. Draco looked down at the picture as Ginny showed it to him. There was no sign of the creature, only the picture of a very dark and frightening looking cave. ] Ginny gave the book back to the headmaster and took Draco's hand. He gave it a hearty squeeze. "So, this thing is after me, isn't it?" Ginny's voice sounded squeaky and filled with fear.
Draco just wanted to kiss her and make it go away. "Well," he started, "this thing is said to control people, and the Danu woman told Ginny it was already here, in fact has been here, so could it be someone here? A teacher or student maybe?"
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid that is the most likely scenario."
"Then who could it be?" Ginny asked sounding more posed and calm than before.
"I'm afraid I do not have an answer. I preformed the locating spell last night, but did not find a thing."
It seemed to Draco that Ginny had somehow foreseen this because this seemingly bad news didn't phase her one bit. "Ok, so I need to get to work. We can't tell anyone anything."
She looked up at Draco and he nodded, "Of course, mums the word." She smiled up at him and he filled with warmth. 'Gods she's gorgeous!'
"I'm not to sure what to do about 'finding my inner self'." She was looking back at Dumbledore awaiting an answer. The old man paused for a moment thinking about what to do.
"Meditation would most likely be the best course of action here. I will alert Mr. Firenz about the situation. I think it is safe to say he will not be under the control of the Extirpar since centaurs are immune to mind control."
Ginny nodded in agreement. They discussed further arrangements for Ginny to miss her classes for the next two weeks. They decided to tell everyone she was having 'personal problems' and needed time off.
Draco wondered if Snape would take that explanation lightly and he decided probably not, but either way it didn't matter. Ginny had more important things to worry about.
After much more talk Ginny and Draco were excused from classes for the afternoon. Both decided to take some time and sit by their favorite tree together. It was out of the way and they were almost guaranteed not to be disturbed.
Draco walked with Ginny hand in hand through the filling halls. Classes had just let out and people stared and murmured as the couple walked by. They had both seemed to make a silent agreement that whatever anyone else might think or do, it didn't matter now. They only had so much time left until Ginny's battle, which, although they hopped would go there way, could end terribly.
Draco, for his part felt proud to have this young woman at his side. Deep down he felt she would win, would conquer the evil. She was the one he had been waiting for. The strong woman who could stand on her own, who MUST stand on her own. However, until that time Draco would be with her. He wanted nothing more and something that before seemed more important than anything, his reputation, would just have to take a back seat.