Chapter Four

Into the Tower Again

Ginny and Harry rode on Harry's broom up to where the statues of the snake, the badger, the lion, and the raven stood there waiting for them. The eyes on the statues seemed to glint with expectation, as though they knew that Ginny and Harry had been planning to come. Harry had Sally bite his finger just enough that a little bit of blood came out and put his finger onto the lion's tongue. As he did so, he looked at Ginny and began to wonder if he should have tried to have her open the lion instead.

'And what if it didn't work? What if she got upset, and we stopped dating because of it? I wouldn't be able to bear that.' Harry thought to himself, and then he climbed into the mouth and slid down. Ginny following closely behind.

They both settled down onto the couch. "What's so urgent Harry?" Ginny asked, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he said, jumping right into it. "I have so many classes, I'm taking a few of my NEWTs this year, I have to try and train up a whole new Quidditch team, and what if another incident like last year happens again?"

Ginny looked at him thoughtfully. "Harry, do you think you're brave?"

Harry nodded slightly, wondering where in the world that had come from. "I think I am pretty brave, why Rose?"

"Harry, you are a smart, funny, and sweet guy that has handled everything that has been thrown his way. I think you can handle your classes and the NEWTs. Plus, you have me and the other Gryffindor players to help you with the team."

Ginny looked at the picture of Sirius and Heather. "Do you think that they knew James painted that?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Harry replied. He was beginning to feel a little drowsy.

"Harry, what do you think Pawn will say when he finds out about us?" she said in a very sleepy tone.

Harry was already asleep.

"Oh dear," said Lily, looking at Ginny and Harry dead asleep. "James, if they stay in here much longer, they might not be able to get out."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Harry spent half his time down here last year, and nothing happened."

"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about the two of them. Something's going to happen, and it's not going to be pretty."

"They're meant to be together, I can see that."

"Yes, but this year is going to be the hardest year that they've ever had to face, and they should've figured out their feelings a long time ago. Now everything is going to come to them to fast."

"You mean-"

"No, they're not going to do that, but they will have a hard time getting everything together, and with their feelings on top of that, well, there might be some problems."

"Do you think we should wake them up?"

"Yes. I'll whisper into his ear to wake him up and then we'll leave."

"Shouldn't they know?"

"That half the time our spirits are here? No, they're not ready for that yet. Wake up Harry." she whispered softly. "Wake up."

"Where am I?" asked Ginny to no one. There was a slight mist in the air, and she could see the turrets of a huge castle in the distance. Hogwarts? No, this place was slightly smaller.

"What am I wearing?" she wondered aloud as she looked at the sleeveless blood red dress that she wore. She touched her hair, that had been put up in a tight bun with little trendels of it hanging down, not unlike the way she had done Books' hair for the Christmas dance last year, except the beads were blood red like the dress.

She looked around. Not much to be seen with all the mist that filled the air. Someone was walking towards her. A cloaked figure that would not leave her alone.

"Who's there? Why did you bring me here?" she asked.

The man laughed. A cold, mirthless laugh that made her hair stand on end. "The little rose has been caught, by the man that she so stupidly faught."

"No," she whispered.

"Your dreams will be your demise, I can assure you that. You might not want to sleep anymore if you want to stay alive."

"You can't kill someone in their dreams Tom." she said, with more confidence in that statement than she felt.

"How can you be so sure, when I have done a good many 'impossible' things?" he retorted, and she could see through the dark hood that there was a smirk playing on his lips.

She didn't know how to answer that. A lot of things seemed to be a reality when before they had seemed like they would never be true.

"See?" he said, acknowledging her hesitation and walking slowly around her so he was standing behind her and he started playing with a bit of her hair. "Things are not always what they seem. Like you for instance. You have more power in that body of yours than even you can imagine."

She backed away from him, looking horrified. Why was he touching her in this way? Was he just taunting her, getting ready to attack?

He grabbed her, and didn't let go. He pulled her close and said, with an almost thirst in his voice, "You will die Rose. You're ready for it. I can sense it in you, building up. Once that power of yours shows itself, you will die. And that will be sooner than you think." And with that, he let her go. She started to fall through a blackness that came out of nowhere. What was she going to do?

"Rose? Rose, wake up."

Ginny raised her head. "What?"

"I think we should go, there's something wrong here, I don't know what it is, but we have to leave." said Harry in a worried voice.

"Harry, I have to tell you about the dream I had first." she told him patiently everything that she had just seen and heard. With every new thing his face grew darker and more serious.

"Do you think he's going to try and have you killed in your dreams?"

"I don't know, from what he was saying, it sure seemed that way. And apparently I have a lot of power, and don't know it yet and when it shows up that's when I'm going to die."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to supress your power then, won't we? I think we better talk to Dumbledore about this tomorrow morning. Right now, we better get back to our dorms and get some sleep. I'll send Sal to stay with you."

"Thanks Harry."

And with that, they left the tower, the mouth closing slowly behind them, and leaving Harry even more confused and stressed out than when he had first entered.