A/N: Be warned, there's a cliffhanger in this chapter, guys.
Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize here belongs to me.
Chapter Nine
- Shattered
"Weasley! Wake up!" Someone was shaking her. Slowly she opened her eyes, squinting as she adjusted to the sudden light. "Malfoy?"
Malfoy let her go. "Weasley, thank God," he muttered. "I couldn't wake you up." He stood back and looked at the ground. "Not that I was worried or anything," he added quickly.
"I had a dream," Ginny whispered groggily, as it all came back to her.
Malfoy stiffened. "A dream? You mean…" he tapered off and looked at her inquisitively. Ginny nodded. She couldn't understand it. Perhaps she had been wrong. Perhaps she had imagined it all. It had been a normal dream starring a girl called Alistryna. It was just a coincidence. But in her heart, Ginny knew that wasn't true.
"Well?" he demanded. "How long do we have left?"
"I'm not sure," Ginny answered, "Virginia was being fitted for her wedding gown and trousseau, I think. The wedding should be quite soon though, as the dress is almost finished."
Malfoy looked relieved and he perched himself on the edge of a desk. "Based on the other dreams we've had, we have a few days at least, then."
"Dr-Malfoy," Ginny said after a long silence.
"I think, Weasley," Malfoy interrupted, "that because of the circumstances you may call me by my first name."
Ginny looked surprised. "You can call me Ginny, then," she said after a moment's pause. "Anyway, Draco…" she took a deep breath. "There was something else."
Draco looked worried. "Something else? What do you mean?" He asked, his voice getting luder. Ginny quickly reached up and put a hand over his mouth. "Shut up!" She hissed. "Filch might be around."
Malfoy grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. "Will you be quiet?" Ginny asked, looking at him gravely.
"Of course I will. Just tell me what was in the dream," Draco said urgently, squeezing her wrist slightly before releasing it. Ginny gently massaged her wrist and gave Draco a glare. He stared back unashamedly. "You have to believe me," she said at last.
"Tell me," Draco demanded. "I'll believe you Ginny," he said more gently.
Ginny nodded and slowly and took a deep breath. "You know Alistryna, my buddy," Ginny began.
"The girl who ran away," Draco said promptly.
Ginny continued, "Well, in my dream, an old woman called Tabbita came up to Virginia and introduced her grand-daughter, as she would be helping that day." Ginny paused for breath and again she wondered if she hadn't imagined it all. She had probably been thinking about Alistryna's odd behaviour before she went to sleep-
"And?" Draco asked impatiently.
"And as the grand-daughter finished her curtsy I saw her face and- and it was Alistryna," Ginny finished hurriedly.
"What!" Draco said loudly, and Ginny made shushing motions with her hand. "What?" he repeated more quietly. "Are you positive?"
"Ginny hesitated. Was she? "I-I…" she took a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure it was her but I can't seem to believe it…"
"The little bitch!" Draco hissed, his face a mask of fury.
"What?" Ginny said in surprise, hopping out of the chair.
"It's obvious!" Draco said, stepping closer to Ginny. "She came here to activate the spell!" He was looming over her, anger radiating from his body.
Ginny stepped back from the older boy, her highs banging into the table. "Dr-Draco…" she ventured nervously. She would never say it to his face, but he was scary when he was angry. He stopped his tirade and looked at her irritably. "I-I don't think she activated the spell," Ginny said. Draco didn't look like he believed her, so she continued, "I don't know about you, but I started getting the dreams in the holidays, before I even met her."
Draco shrugged. "That doesn't mean a thing," he said dismissively and stalked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, panicked. She grabbed her book bag and ran to where he was standing.
"To find her and find out what the hell she's doing!" he said exasperatedly, reaching past Ginny to the doorknob.
"Ginny slapped his hand away. "How do you know she activated it?" She demanded. If he thought that he was going to threaten her buddy, he had another thing coming. "And how are you going to find her?" Ginny glanced at her watch. "It's a quarter to three in the morning. Do you think you're just going to storm into the Ravenclaw girls' dorms and ask her then and there? And do you even know where Ravenclaw is?" She finished, putting her hands on her hips.
Draco looked unimpressed by her display of bravado. "Of course I know where Ravenclaw is, Weasley, I'm the Head Boy, remember?" he said coolly.
"That reminds me, Malfoy, how much did your family pay the school for that?" Ginny asked cattily.
Draco opened the door and turned back to her. "Got to hell, Weasley," he snapped irritably before striding down the hall.
"I'll be meeting you there!" Ginny called after him.
~~~~~
Ginny slept in the next morning, and she cursed the fact that she had no roommates to wake her up. In five minutes, she was ready to go down to the Great Hall, and after a quick check in the mirror she raced down six flights of stairs and numerable passageways. She finally reached the entrance to the Great Hall and put her hands on her knees as she panted for breath.
A tap on her shoulder caused her to utter a squeak of surprise and jump in the air. "Calm down, it's only me," Draco said, steadying her with a hand. Ginny shrugged away from him and eyed Draco suspiciously. "What do you want Malfoy?"
"Listen, Ginny," Malfoy said, crossing his arms and looking at her steadily. "I'm sorry about last night. I was tired and worried and I completely overreacted." Ginny stared at him. "Will-you-forgive-me?" He asked quickly.
Ginny was too surprised to answer for a moment. Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin, apologising to a Weasley? But she recovered soon enough and smiled slightly at him. "Of course I forgive you, Draco. Apology accepted," she said politely, holding out a hand. Draco shook it firmly and grinned at her. "Right," he said, suddenly business-like, and released her hand. "I'm going to wait here for Rhydderch."
"So will I, then," said Ginny promptly. She and Draco may have 'made up', but that didn't mean she trusted him with her buddy. Draco sauntered leisurely over to the staircase and sat down. Ginny followed and sat rather gingerly next to him. There was an awkward silence as they waited for the first year. Ginny nervously pleated her skirt, and then smoothed it out again. The marble staircase was freezing and Ginny's bottom felt completely frozen. A few times she attempted to make polite conversation with the boy next to her but always trailed off miserably when all she received in reply was a grunt. Finally, the wooden doors opened and the first few students began to trickle out. Ginny stood up, relieved, and straightened her uniform anxiously. A few people gave Ginny and Draco some curious looks as they went past. When this happened Ginny always looked at the floor and hoped to God that Ron didn't walk past and see her with his worst enemy. After what seemed like an age, Alistryna walked out of the big wooden doors. Ginny hurried over to her, dodging Sabine and some taunts from a few Slytherin boys. "Hey Weasley, come over here and pucker up," one said, leering at her, but was silenced by a glare from Draco. Ginny ignored the boy and put a hand on Alistryna's arm. "Alistryna, can-can I have a private word?" she asked quickly. "It won't be long-"
"Rhydderch, in here," Draco put a hand on the first years' shoulder and discreetly steered her into an empty classroom.
"Draco!" Ginny hissed. "Stop manhandling her," she instructed. She lowered her voice, "and it might be best if you stay out of this. She's scared of you, remember?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I remember," he said, closing the door with a locking charm. He lent against it unhurriedly and gestured towards Alistryna, who was standing nervously in the middle of the room. "Are you ready to give the girl the third degree?"
Ginny ignored him and looked at Alistryna with trepidation. "Um, Alistryna, this may sound a little weird," she sat on the edge of one of the desks.
"Yes?" Alistryna asked, sitting next to her. "I have to get to class, you know," she informed Ginny. "Can this wait?"
"Actually, it can't," Ginny nervously began pleating her skirt again. "You see, " she began, "I have this strange idea (and feel free to correct me at any time) that um…" she looked at Draco for help. He raised an eyebrow at her and mouthed, I'm staying out of this, remember? "This idea that…you're from he seventeenth century," she blurted out. Alistryna looked at her impassively.
Ginny continued, "and, you know, I kinda really need to know if you are…" Ginny felt like a fool. She looked down at the ground and knew she must be as red as a tomato. It had probably all been a mistake and now Alistryna would think she was crazy-
"And what would you do if I said I was?" Alistryna interrupted her thoughts, and looked at her with a funny half-smile on her face.
"If you- you were?" Ginny stuttered. "Well, I'd ask for your help," she said, gaining confidence. "Because you see, I'm under the effects of this curse fired by-"
"Do you have the antidote or not?" Draco interrupted. He had gotten bored of Ginny's jittery questions. Alistryna looked at him and unconsciously moved closer to Ginny. "What Draco means is, how did you get here?" Ginny asked, putting an arm around the girl and shooting Draco a glare.
"I was sent," the girl answered after a moment's hesitation.
"Sent?" Ginny pounced. "By whom? And why?"
Alistryna looked at Malfoy again and then at Ginny. Ginny looked blank for a moment and then her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, Draco!" She said with a quick grin. "You don't have to worry about him," Draco frowned. "He won't hurt you, I swear. He only wants an antidote because he's under the curse too," she said eagerly. Alistryna relaxed slightly, but she still looked at Draco with suspicion.
"Please, Alistryna," Ginny begged, looking into her eyes. Alistryna was their last and only hope. If she refused to speak, then they were doomed. She was only sixteen, and there was so much that she hadn't done, so much that she wanted to do. Over the past few weeks, Ginny had thought of all her hopes and dreams and cried when they had all been suddenly crushed. And now, here was Alistryna with the possible knowledge of an antidote, and with it the reawakening of her ambitions. Something must have shown in her eyes, for Alistryna began to fidget and bit her lip nervously. "I am not sure if I should tell you," she said softly, her eyes flicking to Draco again.
"Please, Alistryna, please," Ginny said desperately, the beginnings of a sob rising in her throat. They were so close…
Alistryna looked at Draco again and then back at Ginny. "Mister Weasley bade I come to thee, and give aid if 'twas in my power," she said in a barely-there whisper, reverting to her normal mode of speaking.
"But how did you know what year to go to?" Ginny asked thoughtfully. "And why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"'Twas only the will of the Lord that I found upon thou," Alistryna said after a short pause. "Luck," she explained in answer to Ginny's blank look. "And I did not know that thou was gripped by the curse until thou was already under the grip of another," she said shortly, shooting Draco a dark look.
"Alistryna," Ginny said, fast losing patience with the girl. "I know that in your own time, you distrusted the Malfoys, and with good reason too. But you have to understand, Draco isn't Wilfred Malfoy. He doesn't want to kill you or whatever." Suddenly Ginny frowned as she remembered Alistryna's words. "And I'm not in his grip, whatever that means. We're just helping each other find the antidote, that's all." Ginny was watching Alistryna, so she missed the look of disappointment that flashed across Draco's face. Alistryna didn't though, and so it was with a doubtful voice that she replied, "If it meant that the Malfoy line would end, then I would let thou die, Lady."
There was a shocked silence as both Ginny and Draco stared at the defiant Alistryna. "But I'm innocent," Draco protested once he'd recovered.
"Art thou?" Alistryna replied shortly. "Most of this school is deathly afeared of thee. The first-years flee when they catch sight of thou. Thou sneers at and insults even thy housemates. And thou says th'art not Wilfred." She spat in disgust. She tilted her chin rebelliously and looked at Draco as if daring him to say something. He opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked at Ginny for a second before turning and storming to the door. He wrenched it open and the slammed it loudly as he went out. He didn't look back.
Ginny looked at the closed door for a moment before shakily looking back at Alistryna. The girl gazed at the door and then shrugged. "Good riddance," she murmured, and then looked reflectively at Ginny, who smiled nervously.
Alistryna nodded, as if she had made her decision. "I need some time to think about this," she announced in her modern voice. "I need to get to class now." She hopped off her perch on the desk and walked sedately to the door. "I'll meet you at ten o'clock," she hesitated slightly before continuing, "in the Forbidden Forest."
Ginny frowned. "The Forbidden Forest? I don't think so, Alistryna. It's forbidden for a reason," she said, sounding very much like the Prefect she was. Alistryna looked decided. "Yes. At Hogwarts, the walls talk," she said, her eyes wide. Ginny looked unbelieving, and so she continued, "No-one will know that we're there, and he will never guess either," she said eagerly, referring to Draco. Ginny wasn't so sure about meeting in the Forest. She hadn't been joking when she'd told Alistryna it was forbidden for a reason. It was dangerous, and there were things in there that would kill them without a second glance. She had overheard conversations between Ron and his friends. What if Aragog or his children came upon them? They wouldn't stand a chance. She opened her mouth to say something but a glance at Alistryna's set face made her swallow her misgivings. She obviously wasn't going to change her mind in a hurry. "Fine," Ginny said, resigned, and followed Alistryna to the door. As the two girls stepped out into the hallway to go their next classes, neither of them noticed the shadowy figure disappearing around the corner.
~~~~~
At a quarter to ten Ginny slipped out of Gryffindor, ignoring the Fat Lady's comments concerning midnight dalliances, and keeping to the shadows made her way to the Forbidden Forest. It was dark outside, and Ginny wished that she could conjure a light but she couldn't risk being caught. Besides the fact that she would be in detention for the rest of her life (not as bad as she sounded, considering the curse she was under), it could also cost her the privilege of being a prefect. Ginny shivered as she approached the outskirts of the forest. Huge trees towered into the sky. The wind was blowing a gale outside the forest, but once she stepped inside, it was deathly still. Nothing grew on the ground except a few straggly plants. It was completely dark, the great boughs of the trees stopping any moonlight from hitting the ground. Ginny heard a twig snap behind her. She reacted with a speed she didn't know she possessed, and turned on her heel to point her wand right between a startled Alistryna's eyes. "Sorry!" Ginny said in a whisper, quickly bringing her arm down. "This place freaks me out."
Alistryna sat down on a protruding root and looked up at Ginny. "I'm not sure about this," she explained, wringing her hands nervously. "But…if you're sure this Malfoy is different…"
"I am," Ginny replied eagerly. "I don't think he's as bad as he seems, honest." Alistryna wavered for a few moments before giving a reluctant grin. "Very well. The curse is-"
Suddenly Ginny heard the sound of running footsteps. She drew her wand and moved into the 'guard' position Lockhart had taught them in her first year. The footsteps became closer and as Alistryna stood up, someone crashed through the branches from the direction of the school. Ginny stared in surprise at the blonde head now covered in twigs and leaves and rushed forward. "Draco?" she said incredulously. Draco was gasping for breath and he quickly scanned the area of forest they were in. "Run!" he commanded, pushing Ginny towards the school. "I had to warn you, you have to go."
Ginny gave him a puzzled look as she stopped running. "What are you doing?" She demanded. Draco didn't answer. Instead he grabbed her arm and began pulling her. "You've got to get out of here," he pleaded.
"I should say that it's rather too late for that," a voice said out of nowhere, and all around Ginny came the 'pop' of people Apparating. Ginny knew that voice. She felt Draco let go of her arm, and she turned to face Lucius Malfoy. He was wearing black robes with a mask over his head. A death Eater's costume, she realized with dread. He grinned at her, a shark's grin that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "What a prize this is," he purred, sweeping forward like a ghost. "My lord will be pleased to meet the daughter of such a," he paused, "important family." He reached forward and gripped her neck with white hand. His fingers were cold, like ice against Ginny's clammy skin. A movement out of the corner of her hand made Ginny turn her head slightly to see a petrified Alistryna staring motionless with horror at her, oblivious to her own danger. Behind her crept a Death Eater. "Run!" Ginny screamed, her own voice sounding strange. Alistryna darted like a rabbit to her left. The Death Eater made a wild grab at her but missed, falling flat on his face. She ducked and weaved through the Death Eaters, avoiding their grasping fingers and curses. One that Ginny thought might be Goyle made a flying tackle at her. He missed, but only just, his fingers scraping the edge of her robes. She looked wildly back at Ginny, who was still screaming at her to run.
That was her mistake.
Alistryna wasn't looking where she was going. She tripped over a large root and came tumbling to the ground. Ginny stared in horror, unable to anything as Alistryna picked herself slowly up off the ground. It looked as if she had sprained her ankle. Lucius coolly flicked his wand and dispassionately said, "Avada Kedavra!" Alistryna was as still as a statue for a split second before collapsing like a rag doll to the ground.
~~~~~
Don't hate me, okay? This was planned from the beginning.
Thankyou to last chapter's reviewers; gilt trip, I can definitely say that I updated a lot quicker than last time; LovesBitch2; Happigolucki616, another evil cliffie! Goddess, I think I might have just gotten more eviller…is 'eviller' even a word:)? JeanB, next chapter there'll be another dream; someone; yet another cliffhanger, eh? Purple Aurora Lights, I'm never going to leave this story for as long as I did before; blue*heather, Thankyou! I don't think anyone's ever said that many nice things in one review before…Neo-Queen Serenity; QuIbBleR1, another cliffhanger! Arafel2, I hope you're not too mad at me for killing off Alistryna; sun-and-wind, of course she's not evil; fcuking cathy, I hope that explained even more.