Author's Note: So sorry about the big gap! I've had back-to-back exams and projects and have been super busy. What can I say? It's the "end of the semester" crunch at my college. Anyway, there has been a change of plans. THIS is going to be the last chapter for WDr. I'm extending the Tainted Tastes rewrite because there's a lot of omitting and rewriting I have to do. Thanks so much to everyone for reading and continuing to support this story. It's really great of you all. Also, special thanks to Amber, without whom, I'd still be semi-colon challenged .

Disclaimer: Same as in Chapter 1.

Chapter 15: She runs away

Ginny didn't come straight to consciousness that morning; it was a very slow process. She stirred slightly, trying part the haze clouding her eyes and mind. Then came the voices. Someone was yelling. Was someone angry?

"Draco, you bastard! How could you..."

Was that Harry? Yes, it was him. But why was he so upset? Questions began to arise within Ginny as her eyes slowly opened. The haze had finally parted from her awakened body, and when it did she wished with all of her might that it had not.

First, she saw Draco, dressed in a soft black robe, standing in the middle of the room. He was looking defiantly at Harry, who had his wand pointed at Draco's head. Hermione was desperately trying to calm him down. Against her better judgment, Ginny decided to speak up.

"What's going on?"

All eyes were on her in an instant. She stared back at them, afraid and confused. "What's going on?" repeated Ron in disbelief, "You didn't come back to the dorm last night. You weren't in your classes, and then, we overheard some giddy little Slytherin boys talking about the naked red head sleeping on the couch. What the hell do you think is going on?!"

Naked? Ginny risked a peek at herself and she found she was indeed quite naked, with nothing but a very green satin blanket covering her young body. If the couch could have opened up at any time in history to swallow up some poor undeserving soul, none would have wanted it more than Ginerva Weasley did at that moment. "Oh my God!" she moaned as she pulled the blanket over her head. She did not want to see anyone and she didn't want to be seen; she wanted to die.

"Come now, Ronny-boy," said Draco with a slight laugh, "You're being too hard on the poor girl. At least she wasn't naked on the floor." Angry but surprisingly level headed, Ron made a dash at Draco. It wasn't to attack Draco, but rather so that he would no longer have a head. A chunk of the Slytherin common room's right wall would be gone forever. "Harry! You bloody idiot!" shouted Hermione as she smacked him along the back of his head, "You could have killed him. Are you trying to be sent to Azkaban?"

The fury of the others meant nothing to Ginny. She didn't know where she was, what was happening and she had absolutely no idea why she was naked. It was the stuff of nightmares. Something laughed. Something dark and cruel laughed in the darkest corners of her mind. It echoed, drowning out the madness in front of her. She didn't care about Draco. She didn't care about Harry. She just wanted to get out of that place as fast as possible.

Creeping off of the couch with the Slytherin blanket wrapped firmly around her, Ginny walked swiftly past the angry trio, completely unnoticed, except by Draco. "Shouldn't you be looking after your sister?" he asked knowingly. Ron flashed him a death glare. "You just stay away from Ginny. I'll look after my sister." "Pretty hard to do," Draco said smugly as he stood, "when she isn't even here."

He was right, and seeing that Ginny was no longer there, Harry, Ron and Hermione ran out of the Slytherin dorm. Draco surveyed the damage caused by Ron's unexpected attack. His mind, however, was on other matters. "I wonder if she'll remember her promise," he mused running a hand through tussled hair. He hoped she did, but if she didn't, he'd have no problem with reminding her.

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'Wake up, Ginny wake up' she ordered herself as she ran through the halls of the school. Luckily, classes were over and the majority of the students were elsewhere. Even so, that didn't mean the halls were completely empty. Ginny tried not to look as embarrassed as she felt as she fled down the halls of Hogwarts wearing nothing but a blanket. Shocked students gaped at her as she passed them.

"Ginerva Weasley!"

Ginny froze at the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice.

She waited as the professor crossed the hall and examined her with sheer disbelief.

"Young lady," she said after a moment, "can you explain to me why on Earth you are running down the middle of the hall wearing nothing but a blanket that's obviously not from your dorm?"

Ginny's downcast eyes fell on the large, intricate slithering pattern that had been sewn into the blanket. She was incapable of saying anything; it seemed the words would get no further than her throat.

"Miss Weasley, I'm waiting for an answer."

The hallway didn't seem to be empty anymore, as students from various houses were quickly gathering to witness some fascinating spectacle. Ginny hated them all.

"I..." She croaked out the syllable with some effort. Her cheeks burned painfully. 'Don't cry, Ginny. Don't be a baby.' She couldn't help it. It started with a few sobs and before Ginny knew it, she was crying her eyes out. She really didn't want to cry, which made her cry even harder. In the end, it was the best thing she could have done. Ginny's helpless and honest tears struck a maternal cord in Minerva McGonagall.

"Come with me, Ginny dear," she said gently, putting an arm around the distressed girl's shoulder. "Let's get you some clothing."

Ginny nodded numbly, allowing herself to be led away. The whispering crowd parted for the pair, and among them she could see Ron, Hermione, and Harry. She looked away. They were just another part of this evil dream that she wanted to go away.

It all felt like a dream anyway. Parts she remembered, but most she did not. There had been chocolates. Sweet, seductive candies....and then what? There had been a promise to someone...Draco. What did he say to her? What did she promise to him? No, that had to have been a dream. There was no way she would ever promise such a thing. 'But what if I did?' Everything was unclear, and she only hoped that the day would be over soon, and that the days following it would pass swiftly. She had a feelingthatlife from that point forward was going to bepure hell.

Author's Note: Well, there you have it. And for explanation sake, how Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into the Slytherin common room will be mentioned in the next part. I expect to have it up tomorrow. Thanks for reading. BP