Chapter 8: Voices, a Kiss, Another Ally
Ginny awoke with a jerk and a curse. Voldemort had come in that room again and she endured his conversations with Wormtail. Fortunately, he was in a good mood but that was a double edged sword. When he was happy, he tended to 'play' more and when he was angry... well that was when he was down right vicious. Shaking her head, she crawled out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she emerged, clean and fresh and ready to tackle the new day. By this point, the whole tower began waking and getting ready so she made her way into the common room to await her friends' arrival.
The common room was always a really nice place to be in the early morning. While empty, it provided its sole occupant with a chance for peace and quiet and the peace it gave Ginny that morning was needed. Upstairs, sounds of feet pounding around, doors slamming, and voices arguing over the bathroom echoed down the stairs, ending the peace and quiet she found. She smiled anyway as she listened to all the noise. It sounded just like home when all her brothers were still under the same roof. Sometimes, she found herself wishing she could go back to those days. Things were so much easier and simpler then. Then again, she didn't know Harry then. Yes, she had a crush on him when they were younger, well, okay, still does, but she wouldn't trade their friendship for anything.
"That's an awfully large smile for this early in the morning."
'Speak of the devil,' thought Ginny. "Yup. I was reminiscing about days of old. It was fun!" She beamed at him a little more.
Harry laughed and held out his hand to help her up out of her recliner. She took his hand and he hauled her up.
"So, did you sleep well last night?" he asked, a hint of concern mingled in his voice betrayed the real question he sought to have answered.
"All things considered, yes. I've decided I can't let it control my life because he has enough power as it is," Ginny replied with the conviction that can only come in the morning.
"Sounds good. Are you hungry for breakfast or was last night's banquet too much for you?"
"Oh, I don't know. It will certainly be hard to beat the elegance and grandeur of last night. I don't know if I can deal with that kind of disappointment."
"Come on. Food is good for us and it's way too early to be that chipper," grumbled a half asleep Ron as he walked by them with Hermione trailing him. All three shook their heads at him, and followed him down to breakfast.
The second day of school and the months following offered the students very little room for anything but classes. Before they knew it, it was November and the professors were relentless, piling homework upon the students, especially the fifth and seventh years. Dumbledore pushed Ginny to continue finding her limits and, once found, pushing her beyond them, effectively wearing her out. The plus to this was that she was sleeping a little heavier and Voldemort had to work a little harder to get to her. By the time the students reconvened in the common room after a particularly hard day, they were all exhausted and barely surviving their homework load.
"Man. That's it, I'm done."
"Ron. You know you can't fall behind. The NEWTS are coming up soon. Good grief, we only have six months left. We can't afford to get behind in class work," Hermione scolded vehemently.
"Oi! I know, but Hermione. We finally have everything done that's due tomorrow. Can't we stop yet?" Ron asked her. At her withering glare, he turned back to his work.
Harry watched the two run through their age-old argument and he simply shook his head. He leaned over to mention something to Ginny but found her fast asleep with her head lying in her open book. He smiled lightly while he watched her sleep but the small smile soon turned to a frown. As he watched, he saw her face contort with fear and lose some of its color. Reaching over to wake her up before she started screaming, he noticed another small series of cuts appear on her. As his hand passed over them, he tried to stem the flow of blood and limit how much the others saw. He threw a quick glance at them and found them deep in another argument. Gently, Harry shook Ginny awake and called her by name. Slowly she broke out of the spell and awoke with a cry. Luckily, Harry anticipated this and clamped one hand gently over her mouth to stifle it.
When Ginny awoke, she found a hand over her mouth which threw her into a panic until her desperate gaze clashed with calm, yet slightly worried emerald eyes. Slowly, she relaxed and Harry pulled his hand back, all before the other two noticed anything.
"Thank you, Harry."
"Don't worry about it. Are you okay?"
"Of course. A little catnap never hurt anyone. This potions essay, on the other hand, is another story entirely," she said, effectively cutting off the other discussion before Ron and Hermione regained consciousness of their surroundings. Taking a minute to glance at the couple, Ginny's eyes popped and her jaw dropped. There sat Ron and Hermione, two people usually afraid of public displays of affection, obviously making up from their fight. "I think I'm going to be sick," she stated.
Harry raised his head in concern and looked at her. "Huh? What's wrong?"
In response, Ginny simply pointed at the couple and began packing up her books.
"Right. Um, how about we relocate?" Harry asked. She vigorously nodded her agreement and finished putting her books away.
To pass the time, Harry and Ginny decided to walk the halls. Miraculously, they wandered into a part of the school they never knew about. In their wanderings, a portrait had swung open to reveal a passageway that remained unmarked on the Marauder's Map. Of course, they had to take it. It seemed like no one had been there in a long time. Cobwebs and dust filled the hallways and cast an eerie look about the place. Pictures hung at odd angles and their occupants moved lethargically when they moved at all.
"Wow. This place is really creepy. Do you have the map with you? I didn't think there were places like this left unexplored to us," Ginny said.
Harry laughed. "You must be nervous; you're rambling. And no, I don't have the map. It wouldn't be much fun if we did look at it," he said.
"Yes, well, let me tell you about the last dark, deserted place I've been in."
"Alright, alright. Do you want –"
"Harry, look," Ginny interrupted. He turned and looked down the hall. In the lamp light, they could make out footprints in the dust. With only one pair, they knew it wasn't them walking in circles.
"C'mon. Let's see where they go. I don't think anyone's supposed to be in this area."
"Harry, I really don't think that's a good idea. If people aren't supposed to be here, then why are we?"
"Aren't you at least a little curious at why this is?"
"Yes but I've also learned what kind of trouble we could get into because of it. I don't want to get hurt and I – "she broke off as the sound of people talking floated down the hall. She threw a scared glance at Harry and he steered her down to the door, his hand firmly on her shoulder.
The door stood partially open and Harry gently leaned in to try to see what and who was in the room. The door was strong enough to support his full weight without moving so he leaned closer. Before focusing on the room, he glanced back at Ginny and found her leaning against a wall.
"How could you be so careless?!" the voice pulled Harry's attention back to the room.
"It's not my fault she's so bloody stubborn," another voice snapped.
"Harry, we need to get out of here," Ginny whispered. Harry merely shrugged her off.
"Fine. If the little imp won't help and you're so worthless, I'll just do it myself. The time is quickly approaching and he will fall!" the voice ended in a high pitched cackle.
"Harry, please! Let's go." Harry looked back and saw Ginny's ashen face and remorse slapped him in the face.
"Okay, we're gone," he said as he took her arm and steered her away. They hadn't gotten very far before the door opened and footsteps began to follow them through the darkness. The steps gained on them quickly. So quickly that it became obvious they couldn't outrun their follower. Harry's hand shot out and grabbed Ginny's arm. He swung her around and slammed her into the wall. Just as the follower came around the corner, Harry's lips crashed down on Ginny's robbing her of what little breath she had. His hands held her hips as he kissed her. Ginny clung to his arms, her mind in a whirl. She didn't know if she should push him away or pull him closer. Her mind simply refused to work.
As the footsteps went by and faded, Harry slowly backed up and looked at Ginny. Her eyes were closed and her breath came out in gasps. Come to think of it, his breath wasn't very steady either.
"Come on, Gin. I think we're safe but we need to get out of here. I don't want to push our luck again," Harry said as he dragged her down the hall and out into the fully lit hallways of the school. Traveling through the halls, Ginny kept very silent, her mind still reeling from the kiss. Just as they rounded the corner before the common room, the events finally sank in and Ginny was none too happy.
"You only kissed me because we were going to get caught, didn't you?" she cried, grinding to a halt. Harry turned to look at her again.
"Of course. It was the only reason I could think of to explain why we were there, if asked, without getting into danger or arousing suspicion." 'And you thoroughly enjoyed it,' a small voice said in his head.
"We could have hidden in the shadows or something."
"Sorry, didn't think of that one but I didn't think you would really mind," he replied flippantly.
"Didn't think...Harry! You figured you could do it because you knew I wouldn't slap you is that it? Because we are good friends? Or was it because I used to have that stupid crush on you? Or maybe it was simply a chance to snog someone and I happened to be 'convenient' for you."
"No. Honestly? I didn't see any shadows and yes, I figured you wouldn't slap me, hoping our friendship ran deeper than that. I don't even entirely understand why you are so upset with me. It was just a kiss to avoid suspicion."
"Just a – Good night, Potter!" Ginny seethed and stormed off. The fat lady swung open just before Ginny walked into her and remained open long enough for Harry to go through. Ginny continued to storm through the common room and up to her bed. Ron and Hermione turned to watch her go, then swung their inquisitive gazes to Harry who flopped down next to them.
"What happened? What did you do to my sister?" Ron demanded.
"I don't know what she's so upset about," Harry replied truthfully. Hermione heaved a huge sigh and rose to her feet, collecting her things.
"No offense, Harry, but Ginny doesn't get upset over nothing. I'm tired so I'm going to call it a night," she said. She walked over to her boyfriend, kissed him quickly and bid both guys a goodnight. Harry and Ron watched her go up the stairs and then turned to each other.
"You really don't know what go Ginny upset? Okay. So, what were you guys up to, anyway? Believe it or not, I did notice you left," Ron remarked.
"We just walked around the halls and chatted. It really wasn't all that exciting but it beat watching you two snog the rest of the night."
"Ha, ha. I'm going to bed, too. Are you coming or staying?"
"I'll stay for awhile; still have a little homework to do," Harry replied.
Ron shrugged and gathered up his books and parchment and went up the stairs and into the boys' dormitory. Harry watched his friend go, then turned back to the fire. 'Who were the voices?' he thought. One sounded so familiar but he just couldn't place it. 'Who was the "she" who couldn't or wouldn't help the voices?' The questions swam around his head with no answers or order and he fervently wished Ginny would come back and sit with him so they could try to put some sense to what they heard. She probably would, too, if she wasn't so mad at him. His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from upstairs in the girls' dorm.
**************
When Hermione left the boys, she checked on Ginny before climbing into bed. The other girl had been asleep and hadn't so much as twitched when she walked in so Hermione turned to go to her own room. However, before she could take more than three steps, Ginny's voice floated through the air to her. It was a pained voice, pleading with someone or something. Hermione turned around in time to see Ginny release a final scream and bolt out of bed.
"Ginny! Are you alright? Ginny?" Hermione called out to her.
Ginny didn't answer; just hobbled by her friend and collapsed heavily against the railing. Instantly Hermione was at her side to help her but Ginny refused to comply with the aid but Hermione persisted.
"No. Please, leave me alone right now. It was just a bad dream."
"There's no way I'm leaving you here like this," Hermione returned.
"No. I'll be fine," Ginny told her firmly as she slowly got up and began making her way to the common room. Hermione reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm but immediately recoiled when Ginny cried out and collapsed again. Hermione looked down at her hands and couldn't help but notice the blood on her hands. Stunned, Hermione looked at her friend as she began speaking.
"Hermione, please, get Harry," she managed to rasp out. Hermione simply nodded and flew down the stairs to find Harry standing at the bottom, looking inquiringly at her.
"Harry! Something's wrong with Ginny," she called out. Before another word was spoken, Harry's face turned into a look of all business and his hand waved to disengage the alarm before bounding up the stairs, two at a time. Hermione followed on his heels. At the top of the stairs, they rounded the corner and Harry's heart leapt into his throat. Ginny lay in a crumpled heap at the base of the wall, a trace of blood lying in front of her. Stealing himself, Harry walked over to her and knelt before her trembling form.
"Ginny? We need to get you down to the common room. It's deserted and we will be able to talk there without anyone overhearing us. We can take it from there, just one step at a time. Do you feel like you can walk or would you prefer to be carried?" he asked gently.
In response, Ginny turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears and pain.
"Oh, Gin. What did he do to you?" he whispered as he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms. He felt her tense up and he knew he was hurting her but it had to be done. Carefully, he lifted her up and carried her past Hermione and down to the common room.
For her part, Hermione remained silent throughout the little interaction but she didn't know how much longer she would be able to do so. When Harry passed by, he shot a glance back behind him and she followed his eyes to a small puddle of blood. Before following him, she pulled out her wand and quickly cleaned up the mess. Together, all three descended the stairs into the common room.
Harry walked over to one of the couches and tried to lay Ginny down but she held on to him and he could still feel her trembling in his arms. Instead, he simply sat down with her in his lap and she curled into him, seeking his shelter and comfort. Hermione pulled a chair up beside the couch and laid a comforting hand on Ginny's back. Neither spoke as they simply waited for Ginny to calm down.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Ginny's voice floated up.
"What on earth for?" Harry asked
"For yelling at you, saying those awful things and then turning around and asking for help and bothering you," she whispered.
"Hey," Harry said, taking her chin in his hand and tilting it so she had to look at him. "We've talked about this before, you're not bothering me and I want you to come to me. As for yelling at me, don't worry about it. If that still bothers you, we can discuss it later. Right now, we need to get you to stop bleeding and I'd like to know what happened but you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." As he finished, his hands were waving over her body, attempting to stem her bleeding and only being marginally successful.
"No, it's alright. I'll tell you. Hermione, what I am going to say must not be passed on to anyone; especially Ron. If you don't want to keep things from him, I understand but I need to keep this from him for now." At Hermione's nod, she continued. "Well, this summer, Voldemort began attacking me in my dreams and I would wake up with the cuts but I couldn't heal them. All I could do was stop the bleeding. However, tonight... tonight, I was mad when I fell asleep so that carried over into the dream. When I went into the room, I fought back." Ginny released a shuddering sigh that shook her whole body. "It did me no good. In fact, it got Voldemort more excited and... and ... The knife flashed so fast, all around me. Finally, I awoke."
By this point, Ginny was crying silently into Harry's chest and Hermione's face was white as a ghost. Harry gently rubbed Ginny's back and continued his task of managing her wounds. Eventually, Ginny's tears subsided and her breathing slowed as she fell asleep.
"H – Harry? What did she mean when she said the knife flashed all around her? He wasn't cutting and stabbing her, was he?" Hermione asked quietly, her voice and whole body trembling.
"Yes. In the past, it's always been one cut each night. This is the first time he's cut her up so badly. I'm even considering taking her to the infirmary if I can't get this bleeding to stop soon. Dumbledore knows about the attacks and I believe they are working together to find a solution to this. There. I finally got it, I think. Hopefully, she won't reopen these wounds and she sleeps the rest of the night."
"Is that a problem? I mean, is it likely that she won't sleep through 'til morning?"
"It hasn't been a problem in the past but he's also never injured her this badly. I'm going to sit here a little longer to make sure she is asleep before I bring her up to her room. Why don't you go try and get some sleep. After all, it wouldn't be good if the Head Girl fell asleep in her classes tomorrow because she stayed up too late, now would it?"
Hermione shot him a glare then, shaking her head to dispel the remaining traces of shock, rose to her feet. "Fine then. Good night, Harry. Don't stay up too late yourself, and if I find out that you hurt her, again..."
Harry shook his head as he watched her go, mimicking his actions from earlier that evening. Releasing a sigh, he moved Ginny into a more comfortable position and leaned back against the chair, intending to rest his eyes for only a moment.
**************
Sunlight streamed in through the windows and coaxed Harry's eyes open with its warm caress. Well, that and Hermione's insistent shaking. When Harry's eyes focused on her, his sleepy gaze turned into a slight glare. "Good grief. Is there any particular reason you see fit to shake the daylights out of me this early in the morning?" he asked groggily. Hermione just stared at him, expectantly and then it clicked. Morning. So much for resting his eyes for a little moment. Looking around, he checked to see if anyone else was up this early or if they were the only ones.
"Relax. I got up early figuring you guys probably fell asleep and would need a wake up call before Ron or anyone else came down here," Hermione explained.
"Thanks," he said before he turned his attention to the young woman in his arms. "Ginny. Ginny, you need to wake up." When his words fell upon deaf ears, he sighed. The good news was that she slept well the rest of the night. The bad news was that now they had a real chore to do in waking her up.
"Ginny Weasley, if you don't wake up or even flinch right this minute, you are going to get dropped into the lake and I don't care if it is a cold November morning," Hermione whispered into her ear. Her efforts were rewarded by a hand knocking her upside her head.
"Geeze. That's just mean. You could have picked something a little more creative," Ginny mumbled.
"Why? It did the trick, didn't it?" At Ginny's glare, she smiled innocently and continued on. "Come on. We need to get you upstairs and changed so no one else knows you two were down here all night. You too, Harry."
Both students nodded and began getting up. Ginny, unprepared for the waves of pain that crashed down on her as she stood, let out a squeak and crumpled against Harry and Hermione.
"Okay. I should have expected that."
"Are you going to be alright this morning or do we need to get you to Madam Pomfrey's so you can at least recover your sleep and strength?" Harry asked.
"I'll be fine. I just need a little bit of help getting up there while I get acclimated to the pain. I still don't want anyone else to know about it, yet," Ginny replied stubbornly. The other two simply shook their heads as Hermione took Ginny's arm and slowly guided her up to their rooms.
Each step sent shockwaves of pain through her body, but Ginny refused to yield. Doing so would mean Voldemort won this round and she was way too stubborn to allow that to happen. By the time the two girls reached the top of the stairs, Ginny was taking most of her own weight. Shortly thereafter, she found herself in the bathroom cleaning up the blood and discovering some of the cuts had reopened. Ignoring them for the moment, she climbed into the shower to let the warm water wash away the remaining traces of sleep. As she woke up completely, her mind drifted back to last night's activities and more precisely, the kiss and her reaction. Her brain told her that she had over reacted again but a small part was extremely disappointed that he had only kissed her to keep them from being discovered. Ok, so it was a large part of her. Plunging her head back under the stream of water, she decided, again, that she needed to keep her cool. Getting emotional only led to trouble, especially when it was over 'trivial' things.
Turning off the water, she quickly climbed out of the shower and dressed, barely remembering to stop the bleeding on the cuts that reopened. Finally, she rejoined Hermione on the landing and they both descended the stairs, the older girl helping her since stairs still stung. Once back in the common room, Ginny plastered on a big smile and made her way over to a group of chairs to await the boys. Hermione followed but had to admit Ginny Weasley was a good actress. There wasn't a single hitch to her step and, although she wasn't bouncing around the room, she walked with the strength of any one who got a great night's sleep the day before.
The common room quickly filled up with students preparing for the day. Some frantically tried to finish their homework and some simply bounced around the room, not quite ready to head down to breakfast, yet. Finally, Ron and Harry joined the girls and the four began leaving for breakfast when a pecking sound at the window, stopped most of the common room. A third year, who was closest to the window, opened it and a large crow flew in, dropped a letter in the middle of the room, then flew out. Just about every single Gryffindor tried to converge on the note but Ron's booming voice stopped most of them from touching it. However, one second year disobeyed and touched the note. As soon as his fingers brushed the paper, it smoked and exploded in a wailing cloud of grey.
"HARRY POTTER! YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED AND YOUR DOWNFALL WILL COME! HOLD TIGHT TO YOUR TREASURES AND THEY WILL SLIP AWAY! ON THE WINGS OF NIGHT AND THE TAIL OF PAIN, YOUR FINAL WARNING IS SPOKEN!"
The grey, wailing cloud dissolved into the air and the second year boy, petrified in stone, was all that remained of the message.
A/N: I'm back. I hope the wait was worth it. I tried to make it so, since it was taking me awhile but you are more than welcome to tell me otherwise in the reviews, or nice reviews or whatever you deem worthy (this also includes any help with that last warning if you think of a better word to end it with, I couldn't but I am accepting help). (Ha! Can't smack me now, Lindz) : ) Anyway, I've also been toying with the idea of holding back further updates until I can get the chapters out a little quicker to you guys; i.e., when it's just about finished. Let me know what you think of that idea and what route you would prefer. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!!!
Ginny awoke with a jerk and a curse. Voldemort had come in that room again and she endured his conversations with Wormtail. Fortunately, he was in a good mood but that was a double edged sword. When he was happy, he tended to 'play' more and when he was angry... well that was when he was down right vicious. Shaking her head, she crawled out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she emerged, clean and fresh and ready to tackle the new day. By this point, the whole tower began waking and getting ready so she made her way into the common room to await her friends' arrival.
The common room was always a really nice place to be in the early morning. While empty, it provided its sole occupant with a chance for peace and quiet and the peace it gave Ginny that morning was needed. Upstairs, sounds of feet pounding around, doors slamming, and voices arguing over the bathroom echoed down the stairs, ending the peace and quiet she found. She smiled anyway as she listened to all the noise. It sounded just like home when all her brothers were still under the same roof. Sometimes, she found herself wishing she could go back to those days. Things were so much easier and simpler then. Then again, she didn't know Harry then. Yes, she had a crush on him when they were younger, well, okay, still does, but she wouldn't trade their friendship for anything.
"That's an awfully large smile for this early in the morning."
'Speak of the devil,' thought Ginny. "Yup. I was reminiscing about days of old. It was fun!" She beamed at him a little more.
Harry laughed and held out his hand to help her up out of her recliner. She took his hand and he hauled her up.
"So, did you sleep well last night?" he asked, a hint of concern mingled in his voice betrayed the real question he sought to have answered.
"All things considered, yes. I've decided I can't let it control my life because he has enough power as it is," Ginny replied with the conviction that can only come in the morning.
"Sounds good. Are you hungry for breakfast or was last night's banquet too much for you?"
"Oh, I don't know. It will certainly be hard to beat the elegance and grandeur of last night. I don't know if I can deal with that kind of disappointment."
"Come on. Food is good for us and it's way too early to be that chipper," grumbled a half asleep Ron as he walked by them with Hermione trailing him. All three shook their heads at him, and followed him down to breakfast.
The second day of school and the months following offered the students very little room for anything but classes. Before they knew it, it was November and the professors were relentless, piling homework upon the students, especially the fifth and seventh years. Dumbledore pushed Ginny to continue finding her limits and, once found, pushing her beyond them, effectively wearing her out. The plus to this was that she was sleeping a little heavier and Voldemort had to work a little harder to get to her. By the time the students reconvened in the common room after a particularly hard day, they were all exhausted and barely surviving their homework load.
"Man. That's it, I'm done."
"Ron. You know you can't fall behind. The NEWTS are coming up soon. Good grief, we only have six months left. We can't afford to get behind in class work," Hermione scolded vehemently.
"Oi! I know, but Hermione. We finally have everything done that's due tomorrow. Can't we stop yet?" Ron asked her. At her withering glare, he turned back to his work.
Harry watched the two run through their age-old argument and he simply shook his head. He leaned over to mention something to Ginny but found her fast asleep with her head lying in her open book. He smiled lightly while he watched her sleep but the small smile soon turned to a frown. As he watched, he saw her face contort with fear and lose some of its color. Reaching over to wake her up before she started screaming, he noticed another small series of cuts appear on her. As his hand passed over them, he tried to stem the flow of blood and limit how much the others saw. He threw a quick glance at them and found them deep in another argument. Gently, Harry shook Ginny awake and called her by name. Slowly she broke out of the spell and awoke with a cry. Luckily, Harry anticipated this and clamped one hand gently over her mouth to stifle it.
When Ginny awoke, she found a hand over her mouth which threw her into a panic until her desperate gaze clashed with calm, yet slightly worried emerald eyes. Slowly, she relaxed and Harry pulled his hand back, all before the other two noticed anything.
"Thank you, Harry."
"Don't worry about it. Are you okay?"
"Of course. A little catnap never hurt anyone. This potions essay, on the other hand, is another story entirely," she said, effectively cutting off the other discussion before Ron and Hermione regained consciousness of their surroundings. Taking a minute to glance at the couple, Ginny's eyes popped and her jaw dropped. There sat Ron and Hermione, two people usually afraid of public displays of affection, obviously making up from their fight. "I think I'm going to be sick," she stated.
Harry raised his head in concern and looked at her. "Huh? What's wrong?"
In response, Ginny simply pointed at the couple and began packing up her books.
"Right. Um, how about we relocate?" Harry asked. She vigorously nodded her agreement and finished putting her books away.
To pass the time, Harry and Ginny decided to walk the halls. Miraculously, they wandered into a part of the school they never knew about. In their wanderings, a portrait had swung open to reveal a passageway that remained unmarked on the Marauder's Map. Of course, they had to take it. It seemed like no one had been there in a long time. Cobwebs and dust filled the hallways and cast an eerie look about the place. Pictures hung at odd angles and their occupants moved lethargically when they moved at all.
"Wow. This place is really creepy. Do you have the map with you? I didn't think there were places like this left unexplored to us," Ginny said.
Harry laughed. "You must be nervous; you're rambling. And no, I don't have the map. It wouldn't be much fun if we did look at it," he said.
"Yes, well, let me tell you about the last dark, deserted place I've been in."
"Alright, alright. Do you want –"
"Harry, look," Ginny interrupted. He turned and looked down the hall. In the lamp light, they could make out footprints in the dust. With only one pair, they knew it wasn't them walking in circles.
"C'mon. Let's see where they go. I don't think anyone's supposed to be in this area."
"Harry, I really don't think that's a good idea. If people aren't supposed to be here, then why are we?"
"Aren't you at least a little curious at why this is?"
"Yes but I've also learned what kind of trouble we could get into because of it. I don't want to get hurt and I – "she broke off as the sound of people talking floated down the hall. She threw a scared glance at Harry and he steered her down to the door, his hand firmly on her shoulder.
The door stood partially open and Harry gently leaned in to try to see what and who was in the room. The door was strong enough to support his full weight without moving so he leaned closer. Before focusing on the room, he glanced back at Ginny and found her leaning against a wall.
"How could you be so careless?!" the voice pulled Harry's attention back to the room.
"It's not my fault she's so bloody stubborn," another voice snapped.
"Harry, we need to get out of here," Ginny whispered. Harry merely shrugged her off.
"Fine. If the little imp won't help and you're so worthless, I'll just do it myself. The time is quickly approaching and he will fall!" the voice ended in a high pitched cackle.
"Harry, please! Let's go." Harry looked back and saw Ginny's ashen face and remorse slapped him in the face.
"Okay, we're gone," he said as he took her arm and steered her away. They hadn't gotten very far before the door opened and footsteps began to follow them through the darkness. The steps gained on them quickly. So quickly that it became obvious they couldn't outrun their follower. Harry's hand shot out and grabbed Ginny's arm. He swung her around and slammed her into the wall. Just as the follower came around the corner, Harry's lips crashed down on Ginny's robbing her of what little breath she had. His hands held her hips as he kissed her. Ginny clung to his arms, her mind in a whirl. She didn't know if she should push him away or pull him closer. Her mind simply refused to work.
As the footsteps went by and faded, Harry slowly backed up and looked at Ginny. Her eyes were closed and her breath came out in gasps. Come to think of it, his breath wasn't very steady either.
"Come on, Gin. I think we're safe but we need to get out of here. I don't want to push our luck again," Harry said as he dragged her down the hall and out into the fully lit hallways of the school. Traveling through the halls, Ginny kept very silent, her mind still reeling from the kiss. Just as they rounded the corner before the common room, the events finally sank in and Ginny was none too happy.
"You only kissed me because we were going to get caught, didn't you?" she cried, grinding to a halt. Harry turned to look at her again.
"Of course. It was the only reason I could think of to explain why we were there, if asked, without getting into danger or arousing suspicion." 'And you thoroughly enjoyed it,' a small voice said in his head.
"We could have hidden in the shadows or something."
"Sorry, didn't think of that one but I didn't think you would really mind," he replied flippantly.
"Didn't think...Harry! You figured you could do it because you knew I wouldn't slap you is that it? Because we are good friends? Or was it because I used to have that stupid crush on you? Or maybe it was simply a chance to snog someone and I happened to be 'convenient' for you."
"No. Honestly? I didn't see any shadows and yes, I figured you wouldn't slap me, hoping our friendship ran deeper than that. I don't even entirely understand why you are so upset with me. It was just a kiss to avoid suspicion."
"Just a – Good night, Potter!" Ginny seethed and stormed off. The fat lady swung open just before Ginny walked into her and remained open long enough for Harry to go through. Ginny continued to storm through the common room and up to her bed. Ron and Hermione turned to watch her go, then swung their inquisitive gazes to Harry who flopped down next to them.
"What happened? What did you do to my sister?" Ron demanded.
"I don't know what she's so upset about," Harry replied truthfully. Hermione heaved a huge sigh and rose to her feet, collecting her things.
"No offense, Harry, but Ginny doesn't get upset over nothing. I'm tired so I'm going to call it a night," she said. She walked over to her boyfriend, kissed him quickly and bid both guys a goodnight. Harry and Ron watched her go up the stairs and then turned to each other.
"You really don't know what go Ginny upset? Okay. So, what were you guys up to, anyway? Believe it or not, I did notice you left," Ron remarked.
"We just walked around the halls and chatted. It really wasn't all that exciting but it beat watching you two snog the rest of the night."
"Ha, ha. I'm going to bed, too. Are you coming or staying?"
"I'll stay for awhile; still have a little homework to do," Harry replied.
Ron shrugged and gathered up his books and parchment and went up the stairs and into the boys' dormitory. Harry watched his friend go, then turned back to the fire. 'Who were the voices?' he thought. One sounded so familiar but he just couldn't place it. 'Who was the "she" who couldn't or wouldn't help the voices?' The questions swam around his head with no answers or order and he fervently wished Ginny would come back and sit with him so they could try to put some sense to what they heard. She probably would, too, if she wasn't so mad at him. His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from upstairs in the girls' dorm.
**************
When Hermione left the boys, she checked on Ginny before climbing into bed. The other girl had been asleep and hadn't so much as twitched when she walked in so Hermione turned to go to her own room. However, before she could take more than three steps, Ginny's voice floated through the air to her. It was a pained voice, pleading with someone or something. Hermione turned around in time to see Ginny release a final scream and bolt out of bed.
"Ginny! Are you alright? Ginny?" Hermione called out to her.
Ginny didn't answer; just hobbled by her friend and collapsed heavily against the railing. Instantly Hermione was at her side to help her but Ginny refused to comply with the aid but Hermione persisted.
"No. Please, leave me alone right now. It was just a bad dream."
"There's no way I'm leaving you here like this," Hermione returned.
"No. I'll be fine," Ginny told her firmly as she slowly got up and began making her way to the common room. Hermione reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm but immediately recoiled when Ginny cried out and collapsed again. Hermione looked down at her hands and couldn't help but notice the blood on her hands. Stunned, Hermione looked at her friend as she began speaking.
"Hermione, please, get Harry," she managed to rasp out. Hermione simply nodded and flew down the stairs to find Harry standing at the bottom, looking inquiringly at her.
"Harry! Something's wrong with Ginny," she called out. Before another word was spoken, Harry's face turned into a look of all business and his hand waved to disengage the alarm before bounding up the stairs, two at a time. Hermione followed on his heels. At the top of the stairs, they rounded the corner and Harry's heart leapt into his throat. Ginny lay in a crumpled heap at the base of the wall, a trace of blood lying in front of her. Stealing himself, Harry walked over to her and knelt before her trembling form.
"Ginny? We need to get you down to the common room. It's deserted and we will be able to talk there without anyone overhearing us. We can take it from there, just one step at a time. Do you feel like you can walk or would you prefer to be carried?" he asked gently.
In response, Ginny turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears and pain.
"Oh, Gin. What did he do to you?" he whispered as he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms. He felt her tense up and he knew he was hurting her but it had to be done. Carefully, he lifted her up and carried her past Hermione and down to the common room.
For her part, Hermione remained silent throughout the little interaction but she didn't know how much longer she would be able to do so. When Harry passed by, he shot a glance back behind him and she followed his eyes to a small puddle of blood. Before following him, she pulled out her wand and quickly cleaned up the mess. Together, all three descended the stairs into the common room.
Harry walked over to one of the couches and tried to lay Ginny down but she held on to him and he could still feel her trembling in his arms. Instead, he simply sat down with her in his lap and she curled into him, seeking his shelter and comfort. Hermione pulled a chair up beside the couch and laid a comforting hand on Ginny's back. Neither spoke as they simply waited for Ginny to calm down.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Ginny's voice floated up.
"What on earth for?" Harry asked
"For yelling at you, saying those awful things and then turning around and asking for help and bothering you," she whispered.
"Hey," Harry said, taking her chin in his hand and tilting it so she had to look at him. "We've talked about this before, you're not bothering me and I want you to come to me. As for yelling at me, don't worry about it. If that still bothers you, we can discuss it later. Right now, we need to get you to stop bleeding and I'd like to know what happened but you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." As he finished, his hands were waving over her body, attempting to stem her bleeding and only being marginally successful.
"No, it's alright. I'll tell you. Hermione, what I am going to say must not be passed on to anyone; especially Ron. If you don't want to keep things from him, I understand but I need to keep this from him for now." At Hermione's nod, she continued. "Well, this summer, Voldemort began attacking me in my dreams and I would wake up with the cuts but I couldn't heal them. All I could do was stop the bleeding. However, tonight... tonight, I was mad when I fell asleep so that carried over into the dream. When I went into the room, I fought back." Ginny released a shuddering sigh that shook her whole body. "It did me no good. In fact, it got Voldemort more excited and... and ... The knife flashed so fast, all around me. Finally, I awoke."
By this point, Ginny was crying silently into Harry's chest and Hermione's face was white as a ghost. Harry gently rubbed Ginny's back and continued his task of managing her wounds. Eventually, Ginny's tears subsided and her breathing slowed as she fell asleep.
"H – Harry? What did she mean when she said the knife flashed all around her? He wasn't cutting and stabbing her, was he?" Hermione asked quietly, her voice and whole body trembling.
"Yes. In the past, it's always been one cut each night. This is the first time he's cut her up so badly. I'm even considering taking her to the infirmary if I can't get this bleeding to stop soon. Dumbledore knows about the attacks and I believe they are working together to find a solution to this. There. I finally got it, I think. Hopefully, she won't reopen these wounds and she sleeps the rest of the night."
"Is that a problem? I mean, is it likely that she won't sleep through 'til morning?"
"It hasn't been a problem in the past but he's also never injured her this badly. I'm going to sit here a little longer to make sure she is asleep before I bring her up to her room. Why don't you go try and get some sleep. After all, it wouldn't be good if the Head Girl fell asleep in her classes tomorrow because she stayed up too late, now would it?"
Hermione shot him a glare then, shaking her head to dispel the remaining traces of shock, rose to her feet. "Fine then. Good night, Harry. Don't stay up too late yourself, and if I find out that you hurt her, again..."
Harry shook his head as he watched her go, mimicking his actions from earlier that evening. Releasing a sigh, he moved Ginny into a more comfortable position and leaned back against the chair, intending to rest his eyes for only a moment.
**************
Sunlight streamed in through the windows and coaxed Harry's eyes open with its warm caress. Well, that and Hermione's insistent shaking. When Harry's eyes focused on her, his sleepy gaze turned into a slight glare. "Good grief. Is there any particular reason you see fit to shake the daylights out of me this early in the morning?" he asked groggily. Hermione just stared at him, expectantly and then it clicked. Morning. So much for resting his eyes for a little moment. Looking around, he checked to see if anyone else was up this early or if they were the only ones.
"Relax. I got up early figuring you guys probably fell asleep and would need a wake up call before Ron or anyone else came down here," Hermione explained.
"Thanks," he said before he turned his attention to the young woman in his arms. "Ginny. Ginny, you need to wake up." When his words fell upon deaf ears, he sighed. The good news was that she slept well the rest of the night. The bad news was that now they had a real chore to do in waking her up.
"Ginny Weasley, if you don't wake up or even flinch right this minute, you are going to get dropped into the lake and I don't care if it is a cold November morning," Hermione whispered into her ear. Her efforts were rewarded by a hand knocking her upside her head.
"Geeze. That's just mean. You could have picked something a little more creative," Ginny mumbled.
"Why? It did the trick, didn't it?" At Ginny's glare, she smiled innocently and continued on. "Come on. We need to get you upstairs and changed so no one else knows you two were down here all night. You too, Harry."
Both students nodded and began getting up. Ginny, unprepared for the waves of pain that crashed down on her as she stood, let out a squeak and crumpled against Harry and Hermione.
"Okay. I should have expected that."
"Are you going to be alright this morning or do we need to get you to Madam Pomfrey's so you can at least recover your sleep and strength?" Harry asked.
"I'll be fine. I just need a little bit of help getting up there while I get acclimated to the pain. I still don't want anyone else to know about it, yet," Ginny replied stubbornly. The other two simply shook their heads as Hermione took Ginny's arm and slowly guided her up to their rooms.
Each step sent shockwaves of pain through her body, but Ginny refused to yield. Doing so would mean Voldemort won this round and she was way too stubborn to allow that to happen. By the time the two girls reached the top of the stairs, Ginny was taking most of her own weight. Shortly thereafter, she found herself in the bathroom cleaning up the blood and discovering some of the cuts had reopened. Ignoring them for the moment, she climbed into the shower to let the warm water wash away the remaining traces of sleep. As she woke up completely, her mind drifted back to last night's activities and more precisely, the kiss and her reaction. Her brain told her that she had over reacted again but a small part was extremely disappointed that he had only kissed her to keep them from being discovered. Ok, so it was a large part of her. Plunging her head back under the stream of water, she decided, again, that she needed to keep her cool. Getting emotional only led to trouble, especially when it was over 'trivial' things.
Turning off the water, she quickly climbed out of the shower and dressed, barely remembering to stop the bleeding on the cuts that reopened. Finally, she rejoined Hermione on the landing and they both descended the stairs, the older girl helping her since stairs still stung. Once back in the common room, Ginny plastered on a big smile and made her way over to a group of chairs to await the boys. Hermione followed but had to admit Ginny Weasley was a good actress. There wasn't a single hitch to her step and, although she wasn't bouncing around the room, she walked with the strength of any one who got a great night's sleep the day before.
The common room quickly filled up with students preparing for the day. Some frantically tried to finish their homework and some simply bounced around the room, not quite ready to head down to breakfast, yet. Finally, Ron and Harry joined the girls and the four began leaving for breakfast when a pecking sound at the window, stopped most of the common room. A third year, who was closest to the window, opened it and a large crow flew in, dropped a letter in the middle of the room, then flew out. Just about every single Gryffindor tried to converge on the note but Ron's booming voice stopped most of them from touching it. However, one second year disobeyed and touched the note. As soon as his fingers brushed the paper, it smoked and exploded in a wailing cloud of grey.
"HARRY POTTER! YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED AND YOUR DOWNFALL WILL COME! HOLD TIGHT TO YOUR TREASURES AND THEY WILL SLIP AWAY! ON THE WINGS OF NIGHT AND THE TAIL OF PAIN, YOUR FINAL WARNING IS SPOKEN!"
The grey, wailing cloud dissolved into the air and the second year boy, petrified in stone, was all that remained of the message.
A/N: I'm back. I hope the wait was worth it. I tried to make it so, since it was taking me awhile but you are more than welcome to tell me otherwise in the reviews, or nice reviews or whatever you deem worthy (this also includes any help with that last warning if you think of a better word to end it with, I couldn't but I am accepting help). (Ha! Can't smack me now, Lindz) : ) Anyway, I've also been toying with the idea of holding back further updates until I can get the chapters out a little quicker to you guys; i.e., when it's just about finished. Let me know what you think of that idea and what route you would prefer. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!!!