Disclaimer: I didn't do one last chapter, so now I fear that I shall be
sued, and this story will be pulled of the website! *sob, sob* so, this
doesn't belong to me, don't be mislead by my last chapter.
Dedicated, as always, to Dom, my beta.
AN: Thank you's at the end of the chapter this time, so you don't feel obligated to read them.
***
The Cure
***
It was late in the evening when Professor Noginski had time to speak to them. A student called them from the room they had been instructed to wait in and led them into an office that was filled with strange objects that looked like they had originated from all over the world.
"Thank you." Noginski said to the student, who bowed his head and left. Ginny was still wearing the Transo-phones, and it had occurred to her that the professor had understood every word that she had said previously, and therefore obviously understood English, "Well now, it seems that we have a lot to discus. I assume that you are not really my long lost niece and nephew, and that your names are not really Nathaniel and Emily Bowcott."
"No, I'm Draco Malfoy, and this is Virginia Weasley." Draco explained, casually taking a seat. Ginny nervously sat next to him, wishing that the Unicorn Milk effects weren't wearing off so soon.
"I assumed as much." Noginski nodded, "Although, this is most peculiar, a Malfoy and a Weasley travelling together. And from what I have seen you are not exactly at each others throats either."
"It's amazing what saving someone's life can do for your relationship." Draco smirked, "But, in all seriousness, we really need your help."
"Yes, I imagine you do. You do know that I don't get on with your father very well, don't you?" The man asked. Draco nodded, and he continued, "Yes, I thought you might. It has a lot to do with why you're here, doesn't it? Miss Weasley, will you please come here?"
Ginny stood up nervously and walked over, and sat down in the seat her offered her.
"First of all, I think you should both take off those disguises." Noginski told them, and Draco grinned as he pulled out one of the flasks that contained their antidote. Ginny reached into her own robes and took out her own flask. Draco drank his first, and Ginny followed suite.
The transformation back was not half as painful as the transformation into her disguise, but it was still uncomfortable. She also found herself wearing robes that were several times too big for her. Draco was laughing at his reflection, and hoisted up his robes so that he wouldn't trip over them.
"I don't think I've ever seen two people who are so like their parents." Noginski told them, "Master Malfoy, you are just like your father, before he grew into his looks."
"What, my father was ugly?" Draco exclaimed, looking delighted.
"Oh no, never ugly, and you must not think that you are either. No, you simply have not grown into your looks, but you will, and when you do, you'll have to beat them off with a stick." Noginski told him.
"I already have to beat them off with a stick." The teenage boy said smugly.
"Yeah, but 'they' are rabid dogs." Ginny explained, and Noginski laughed.
"And you, my dear, look almost exactly what I imagine Molly Weasley looked like when she was fifteen!" he said, still laughing, "I knew your parents briefly years ago, when your older brother, William, was just born. They were filled with a new parents pride, and where obviously eager to have more."
"You saw Bill when he was a baby? How cute!" Ginny exclaimed, feeling far more comfortable. If her parents trusted this man enough to show off about their first child, then he was obviously trustworthy.
"Ok, can we move on from the family catch up?" Draco asked, "We have a really big problem."
"Yes, you have." Noginski agreed, looking sombre, "Miss Weasley, I do believe that you have an unwanted guest."
"How did you know?" Ginny asked.
"Because it is partly my fault that you have him." He said sadly, "I fear that I owe you a great explanation. Draco, did your father ever tell you the nature of our disagreement?"
"Not really, he raved a lot about how you were a deluded fool, and that you were too weak to seize power when it was offered to you." Draco told him.
"A fool was I? Too weak? No, I was too moral. I would not take advantage of another's misfortune, and somehow that makes me deluded? I think not!" Noginski's normally kind face was cloudy with anger, "I'm sorry, I'm ranting. There is much I have to explain to you, much I have to confess."
"What did you mean, that it was your fault?" Ginny asked.
"I will have to explain from the beginning." He told them and begun.
***
"How dare you?" Snarled Lucius, looking furious.
"All we're asking is what school, exactly, is Draco attending?" Remus Lupin asked. Since the revelation that Voldemort was back, the ministry had been very compliant with Dumbledore's wishes, and had happily hired Remus as an Auror when the Headmaster had suggested it. Remus was particularly enjoying this case.
"And all I'm saying is that it is none of your damn business!" Snapped the older man, practically baring his teeth.
"Actually it is, as you apparently transferred Draco without following the proper procedures and alerting the Ministry." Remus suppressed a smile when he saw Lucius's expression change from anger to worry, "The boy could be dead for all we know, and we can't have that, can we?"
"He's attending.Durmstrang, yes, Durmstrang." He said hurriedly.
"Well, that's funny, because that was one of the first places we looked, and he's not there." Remus growled (and he's a good growler), "Now tell me where your son is."
"The idiot ran away." Lucius said after a moment. He had had the feeling that several parts of his anatomy had been under threat of being removed, "I had wanted to sort it out without involving the Ministry, as I knew you lot would over react."
"You're telling me that you have no idea where Draco is, and you don't see that as a reason to panic?" Remus asked, looking generally astounded.
"He's probably just hiding out on the grounds somewhere, trying to annoy me."
"Or he could be out in the Muggle world being killed by a group of Muggle thugs!" The werewolf exclaimed.
"I would know if my son were dead." Lucius told him.
"Well I'm sorry, but that isn't good enough for the Ministry." Remus replied, "We're going to have to ask you to come with us and help with our enquiries. And we're going to have to declare Draco officially missing."
***
"It was just over a year ago," Noginski told them, "rumours of the Dark Lord's return were flying around, but I gave them no heed, as we were being constantly assured that The Boy Who Lived, the great Harry Potter, was no more than an attention seeking child. Two men that I had worked with previously came to me, asking me to help them with a research project that they had picked up. The two men where Damien Zabini, and, of course, Lucius Malfoy. We were looking into a theory that people who had been temporarily possessed in the past held an imprint of their possessor, and the possessor's soul could be channelled through that imprint."
Draco, who had gone into a sulk when Harry had been referred to as 'the great' now sat up, looking interested.
"You thought you were just looking into a theory." Ginny stated, trying not to be angry, trying not to hate him.
"That it exactly what I thought, for a while at least. I confess that I was fascinated with the idea. I had done a lot of work on possession previously, and I thought that if I could publish a paper on this I would finally be regarded as the leading expert on the subject, something that I felt I deserved for some time now." He sighed, "Such is the price for vanity. I did not notice that Lucius and Damien gave me little help on the subject, and took copies of all my work, constantly analysing them. I did not wonder where my funding was coming from. All I cared about was theorising a way to channel the soul of the possessor through the imprint inside the victim. I found it in the end, and I was overjoyed."
"How?" Ginny asked, clenching her fists together angrily.
"First a spell must be done, quite a simple one. It anchors the two souls together. If the possessor is alive, it can be quite painful, and disconcerting, but if he or she is not, then the person who has had the spell cast on them may not even know, until the last stage of the process is carried out." Noginski explained, "The last stage is the most brutal. The victim must be placed in complete isolation, until they go nearly insane. When they retreat inside their minds, they activate the soul, and then there is a battle of wills. The victim will at first have the upper hand, the body recognises the soul, and will also fight against the intruder. But eventually the victims mind will become weaker from the isolation, and the intruder will be able to take over."
"But he wasn't able to take over!" Ginny said, feeling triumphant, "He wasn't able to, and he said he can't unless I let him."
"Am I correct in assuming that Draco here took you out of your isolation?" Noginski asked, and Ginny nodded, "He interrupted the process, and left your guest in a sticky situation. The only way he can take over your body is with your permission, which you are not likely to give. But I digress. When I found this out I went straight to Malfoy and Zabini, foolishly proud of my accomplishments. But something caused me to stop outside their office, a feeling that I could not quite describe. So instead of entering I waited, and stood outside, listening in on their conversation. I heard them discuss the Dark Lord, and you, Miss Weasley. They said that with Tom Riddle's help, the Dark Lord would be invincible, and all they had to do was wait while I did their dirty work. Straight away I barged in and confronted them. They tried to bribe me, telling me that they would give me unlimited power if I helped, but I refused, and threw my work on the fire, right in front of them. They would have killed me if not for the fact that we were in Poltrick, and Poltrick would never allow one of her inhabitants to be harmed. I had hoped that that would be the end of it. But it looks as though they were able to complete the work from the notes I had given them previously, and for that I am most grievously sorry."
"How can I get him out?" Ginny asked. Her anger for this man was ebbing. She knew that it was not really his fault, and that he had tried to save her from this fate, sacrificing his greatest accomplishment in the process.
"I do not know for sure, but I may have an idea." He told her, "It will not be pleasant, but it would be worth it if it worked, wouldn't it?"
"Anything to get him out." She said.
"Then please come with me."
***
By the time McGonagall arrived Dumbledore, Snape and Hagrid were already in the Headmaster's office, looking apprehensive. Dumbledore's normally serene face was creased with worry, Snape was pacing the office, looking angry, and Hagrid was fidgeting with his hat.
"Albus, I've just received a letter from Lupin." She told him, "They've taken Lucius Malfoy in for questioning, and they've declared Draco officially missing."
"Finally!" Snape spat, looking maliciously pleased.
"What did Lucius say happened?" Dumbledore asked.
"He said that he had had a fight with the Draco, and he ran away." McGonagall explained, "According to Lupin, Fudge has taken the case to heart. He seems determined to prove to the public that he doesn't care about how pure anyone's blood is. He's treating this as a possible murder enquiry."
"Draco is not dead." Dumbledore told them, "As frustrating as it may be, the fact that we cannot track him is a good sign. It means that he is still alive. Hagrid, I will need your help."
"I'm not sure why I'm 'ere, sir." The giant man mumbled, "You lot 'ave all got magic on yer side, how could I help?"
"Come now Hagrid, you know that you are possibly better connected than anyone of us here." Dumbledore said, and Hagrid swelled with pride, "It doesn't matter how many people we know, it means nothing if they won't talk to us. That is a problem you never seem to have. Talk to people, find out if anyone had heard of two strange travelling youths."
"Two, Albus?" McGonagall asked, looking puzzled.
"Yes, two Minerva." The headmaster assured her, "From what little I have found out, I know that he is not travelling alone."
"Who would 'e be travelling with?" Hagrid asked.
"No one else has been declared missing." Snape reminded him.
"I have a suspicion, but it would be foolish to voice it now." Dumbledore told them, "But if it is who I think it is. Well, Lucius will have a lot to explain."
***
Ron and Hermione sat in the common room, his arm over her shoulder. She laid her head on his chest and sighed.
"Where is he?" She asked.
"Dunno love, he said he'd be back soon, that he wanted to have a quick chat with Blaise Zabini." Ron explained, "Hey, why are you thinking about Harry when we're finally alone together?"
"I'm just worried about him, that's all." Hermione said, "He is my friend you know. He seems a bit over keen on Blaise. I think you should remind him that she is a Slytherin. I'm not saying that she isn't nice, but he should remember that she's only using us to get Malfoy back."
"Yeah, but she's still really nice." He said sarcastically, "Don't worry, I'll remind the idiot. He's a sucker for a pretty face."
"You're not of course." The brown haired girl pointed out.
"Of course I'm not a sucker for a pretty face! I prefer girls with a bit of substance, clever girls. Like you." He told her, trying to kiss her, but she pulled back, glaring at him.
"Think very carefully about what you just said, and then try rephrasing it." She said coldly.
"What?" He said. He scrunched up his face and mouthed what he had just said, before opening them in surprise, looking embarrassed, "Not that you're not pretty! You're really pretty, but have substance too. You're a pretty girl with substance, honest!"
"That's what I thought." She said sharply.
"Yeah, that's what I meant." He mumbled before looking around, "I wonder where Harry is?"
"Why are you thinking about Harry, when we're finally alone together?" Hermione said, a sly smile on her face.
"This isn't a fair relationship." He told her before kissing her.
***
"This isn't a fair relationship." Harry said, kissing the dark haired girl.
"This isn't a relationship." Blaise reminded him.
"I don't see why we should hide this from our friends." He complained, pulling away. They were in the room of requirements, which currently looked like something from an Arabian Nights movie.
"That's because you're a Gryffindor, and can't understand that I would be killed in my house for fraternising with the enemy." She told him, trying to pull him into another kiss, but he resisted.
"We're on the same side here!" He exclaimed, "Houses won't mean anything in the war, and you can't expect me to believe that everyone in Slytherin is going to be a Death Eater. Besides, wouldn't everyone be happy that I'm helping you find Malfoy?"
"Most of our parents are Death Eaters, I know my father is." She said bitterly, "Yes, I know that I'm not going to be one, but lots of us are. They wouldn't mind the idea of me using you for my own purposes, but using you and dating you are two different things."
"So you're just going to pretend that you're using me then?" Harry asked.
"Harry, I'm not pretending." She said, kissing him gently before he could respond.
"Hey, that's not fair!" He said, looking hurt, "I'm helping you find Malfoy, and you're just."
"Having fun." Blaise said, "Look, I like you Harry, you're sweet, but you're not exactly the sort of person I'm going to end up with. I'll probably end up being Mrs Blaise Nott, or Mrs Blaise Malfoy."
"Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed, looking shocked, "Is this what it's all about, saving him so that you can marry him?"
"Well, yeah, kinda." She said, "We're sixteen, we'll be leaving Hogwarts in just over a year, I need to know that I'll have a suitable life waiting for me. If I started going out with you, no one else in Slytherin would want to go out with me, so then what will I do? Marry you? The boy I end up going out with now is the boy I'm going to marry."
"Blaise, listen to me, we're sixteen! We can get married anytime in our life, we don't need to settle down now." Harry ran his hands through his hair, "Besides, you're really clever, why would you have to marry someone rich, why not just get a job of your own?"
"My mother doesn't work, she gets her money from my father." Blaise told him, looking confused.
"Yes, your father, the Death Eater who might have killed the boy you want to marry." Harry scowled, "Are you going to marry someone like him if you can't get Malfoy. Wait, Malfoy is like him!"
"Look, can we just go back to kissing, I enjoy that much more than the talking." She said, looking annoyed.
"Ok, this is bizarre, I must be the only boy in Hogwarts who want to talk when all their girlfriend wants to do is make out." He said, sliding his arm around her waist.
"I'm not your girlfriend." She muttered.
"Yet."
***
Aidan arrived back at the hotel and found it full of men in dark robes. They were all talking to the Hotel assistant, who was looking around furiously.
She said, looking angry.
The man who she was talking to scowled.
She shouted, pointing towards Aidan
At once Wizards, who were jabbering questions at him, surrounded him. He was fairly adept at Russian, but was unable to understand a word that was being said to him. Finally, the Wizard who seemed to be in charge managed to silence them, and turned to Aidan.
He asked. Aidan was suddenly reminded of Nathaniel's strange request, and that Emily had said that she couldn't be tracked. They were obviously running away from these people.
He said vaguely. The Wizard in charge turned to the Hotel Assistant who pulled out a register and showed him two names.
The Wizard told him.
He said, feeling nervous, He hoped that sounded convincing.
He asked.
Aidan explained,
The Wizard told him, waving his hand as if the question was unimportant. That was a mistake though, because as he waved his hand, his sleeve rose up his arm, showing the bottom of what looked like a black scull. Fear instantly rose in his stomach, and he knew he had done the right thing, lying to these men. They were Death Eaters, and if helping Emily and Nathaniel get away hindered them at all then it was the right thing to do.
I He said, trying not to stutter,
And with that he excused himself and hurried to his room. He considered writing to Emily right away, but decided not to, as he was probably being watched. Instead he tried to act normal, packing his bag, checking his reflection, mucking around with his toy snitch. He even pretended to have lost something, as that is what people normally did in hotels. Finally, when he was finished, he picked up his bag, walked to the front desk and checked out.
I The Hotel assistant said, smiling at him. Aidan had to stop himself from looking at her forearm. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and he could easily see she did not have the Dark Mark, but still his eyes were drawn to the spot where it would have been.
I He assured her, before leaving through the fireplace. Once home he marched into his kitchen and grabbed his quill and parchment, already writing before he had even sat down.
Dear Emily, It's a good thing Nathaniel asked me for that favour, for as soon as I had returned to the Hotel, I found it full of Death Eaters, all looking for you.
***
Noginski led Ginny and Draco to a tower that looked over a large forest, and made Ginny sit on the ledge.
"That looks really dangerous." Draco said, looking worried.
"Don't fret, as I said before Poltrick never lets its inhabitants come to harm. If she were to fall she'd probably find that there was a ledge below her, which she could use to simply climb back to here." Noginski assured him, "Which is why I have no worries asking you stand up Miss Weasley."
"Stand up! I'm almost having a heart attack just sitting here!" She exclaimed, looking panicked.
"Please believe me that you'll come to no harm here." He assured her, "And Master Malfoy can hold you still, so you will not fall."
"You think I'd feel safer with my life in Malfoy's hands?" Ginny asked, but allowed Draco to take her hand as she scrabbled to her feet, looking terrified.
"Now, I'm going to cast a spell on you, it will send you into a light coma of sorts, but I can remove it any time I need to. Is that ok?" He asked.
"Will it help me get rid of Tom?" She asked in return.
"I think it will." He replied.
"Then do it, and if I fall to my untimely death then I trust Malfoy to kill you." She said, flashing a smile towards the boy who was holding her upright.
"Might be fun." He agreed, smiling back.
"If you two are done? Good, I'll continue. Once you're in the coma, you should be able to communicate with Riddle." Noginski pulled out his wand, "Once you find yourself with him, try to visualize a weapon of some sort, or your wand, and then you have to kill him."
"Kill." Suddenly Ginny looked doubtful.
"Don't worry about it Weasley, it's not like he's really alive." Draco reminded her.
"I suppose." But she still looked worried.
"I cannot think of any other way." Noginski told her, "I really think this will work, and then you'll be free of him."
"Do it." Ginny decided.
"Vivant faible!" The professor shouted, and Ginny's body went limp.
At once the walls of the castle shot up, encasing her in what looked like a stone cocoon.
"Why does she have to be up there?" Draco asked.
"As I said before, Poltrick will never allow harm to come to those who dwell inside it." Noginski explained, looking at the girl in front of him, "But there are a lot of people within this castle, and it doesn't always see all the danger's unless it is concentrating. I had to put Miss Weasley in danger, so Poltrick would turn its watchful gaze to her."
"How long will this take?" But the professor just shook his head, and so he turned, and watched as Ginny gently swayed in the wind. Neither of them said a word, not even when tears started streaming down her face.
***
"What are you doing here?" Came a cold voice.
"Um, I think I've come to vanquish you, or something." Ginny explained, "You havn't called me back for a while."
"I was contemplating existence inside your mind." Tom told her, "I could look at your memories, but that's about it, and they're not very interesting. Now what's this about vanquishing me?"
"I visited a man, and he said the best way to get rid of you would be to kill you." She looked down at her hand, and concentrated. The air around it shimmered, and a heavy axe appeared, "Ok, not really what I meant by weapon."
"An axe. Would you even know how to use it?" The dark haired boy's smile was infuriating; "I suppose your strategy would just be to hit me with it as many times as possible."
"I didn't intend for an axe." Ginny told him, "I was shooting for something a little more subtle."
"An assassins blade perhaps?"
"No." She concentrated on her hand once more, and this time, when the air around it shimmered, the axe had been replaced by her wand, "How's this?"
"And can you perform any of the unforgivable curses?" Tom asked her.
"I can try." Ginny raised her wand, and pointed it at Tom. The words formed in her mouth, but the way he just stood there, not moving, it scared her, "I can't kill you."
"I could have told you that Virginia. You're not a killer, you're a little girl." He told her, "And even if you could say the words, you don't have enough power or determination."
"This is my mind Tom, isn't everything influenced by my thought?" Ginny asked, "Shouldn't I just be able to will you dead?"
"But you won't." He told her, "We might as well accept our fates. I am doomed to spend the rest of your life trapped in your mind, never aging, never changing. And you'll have me in your mind forever, calling you into your mind at the most inappropriate of times, until they finally lock you up in St Mungo's."
"The way you talk, you think I'd be doing you a favour by killing you." She said, still holding the wand to his chest.
"No, there is nothing worst then death. But this is certainly close." He regarded her with his dark eyes, "Put down the wand Virginia, it is silly of you to even contemplate killing me."
Ginny felt a sigh leave her lips, and knew that she was defeated. Closing her eyes, she dropped the wand to the floor, and felt tears leave her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. She was doomed, this was the only way to be rid of him, and she was too weak to see it through.
"And it was even sillier of you to close your eyes." Came his whisper, much closer than she had expected. Her eyes snapped open, and found that he was standing right in front of her, her own wand clutched in his fist. Unable to move, she held his stare, fear filling her mind.
"Avada-" He began, but suddenly the earth lurched, and Ginny felt a cold wind rushing around her. It seemed to be blowing her surrounding's away, blowing Tom away. She felt something cold and smooth around her legs and stomach.
***
"What?" It was rock, encasing her, stopping her from falling. Wind was rushing through her hair, and her cheeks were wet with tears. Draco and Noginski stood below her, looking up, hope and fear showing on their faces. The rock was receding, and she stumbled off the ledge.
"Did it work?" Draco asked, after several tense moments.
"No." She replied, not looking at him.
"Why not?" He demanded, looking and Noginski angrily.
"It should have, there was no reason why it wouldn't." The professor said quickly, looking confused.
"I have no doubt that it would have worked perfectly if I had attempted to kill him." Ginny told them, walking inside the castle, her head bowed low. She was looking at her hair, which now looked strange, as she had gotten used to the black, "But I didn't."
"Why not?" Draco shouted angrily at her retreating back, but she did not reply, or turn around, or even acknowledge that she had heard him.
***
Icanreadandcount- More hot Aidan, for your viewing pleasure.
J wish- I can't speak Russian, and dictionaries scare me
ShesBLAZING- Thank you, I am most flattered
TarynMalfoy88- Again, I'm really not sure where it is going!
Ohepelss Oramtnci- Thanks
Dedicated, as always, to Dom, my beta.
AN: Thank you's at the end of the chapter this time, so you don't feel obligated to read them.
***
The Cure
***
It was late in the evening when Professor Noginski had time to speak to them. A student called them from the room they had been instructed to wait in and led them into an office that was filled with strange objects that looked like they had originated from all over the world.
"Thank you." Noginski said to the student, who bowed his head and left. Ginny was still wearing the Transo-phones, and it had occurred to her that the professor had understood every word that she had said previously, and therefore obviously understood English, "Well now, it seems that we have a lot to discus. I assume that you are not really my long lost niece and nephew, and that your names are not really Nathaniel and Emily Bowcott."
"No, I'm Draco Malfoy, and this is Virginia Weasley." Draco explained, casually taking a seat. Ginny nervously sat next to him, wishing that the Unicorn Milk effects weren't wearing off so soon.
"I assumed as much." Noginski nodded, "Although, this is most peculiar, a Malfoy and a Weasley travelling together. And from what I have seen you are not exactly at each others throats either."
"It's amazing what saving someone's life can do for your relationship." Draco smirked, "But, in all seriousness, we really need your help."
"Yes, I imagine you do. You do know that I don't get on with your father very well, don't you?" The man asked. Draco nodded, and he continued, "Yes, I thought you might. It has a lot to do with why you're here, doesn't it? Miss Weasley, will you please come here?"
Ginny stood up nervously and walked over, and sat down in the seat her offered her.
"First of all, I think you should both take off those disguises." Noginski told them, and Draco grinned as he pulled out one of the flasks that contained their antidote. Ginny reached into her own robes and took out her own flask. Draco drank his first, and Ginny followed suite.
The transformation back was not half as painful as the transformation into her disguise, but it was still uncomfortable. She also found herself wearing robes that were several times too big for her. Draco was laughing at his reflection, and hoisted up his robes so that he wouldn't trip over them.
"I don't think I've ever seen two people who are so like their parents." Noginski told them, "Master Malfoy, you are just like your father, before he grew into his looks."
"What, my father was ugly?" Draco exclaimed, looking delighted.
"Oh no, never ugly, and you must not think that you are either. No, you simply have not grown into your looks, but you will, and when you do, you'll have to beat them off with a stick." Noginski told him.
"I already have to beat them off with a stick." The teenage boy said smugly.
"Yeah, but 'they' are rabid dogs." Ginny explained, and Noginski laughed.
"And you, my dear, look almost exactly what I imagine Molly Weasley looked like when she was fifteen!" he said, still laughing, "I knew your parents briefly years ago, when your older brother, William, was just born. They were filled with a new parents pride, and where obviously eager to have more."
"You saw Bill when he was a baby? How cute!" Ginny exclaimed, feeling far more comfortable. If her parents trusted this man enough to show off about their first child, then he was obviously trustworthy.
"Ok, can we move on from the family catch up?" Draco asked, "We have a really big problem."
"Yes, you have." Noginski agreed, looking sombre, "Miss Weasley, I do believe that you have an unwanted guest."
"How did you know?" Ginny asked.
"Because it is partly my fault that you have him." He said sadly, "I fear that I owe you a great explanation. Draco, did your father ever tell you the nature of our disagreement?"
"Not really, he raved a lot about how you were a deluded fool, and that you were too weak to seize power when it was offered to you." Draco told him.
"A fool was I? Too weak? No, I was too moral. I would not take advantage of another's misfortune, and somehow that makes me deluded? I think not!" Noginski's normally kind face was cloudy with anger, "I'm sorry, I'm ranting. There is much I have to explain to you, much I have to confess."
"What did you mean, that it was your fault?" Ginny asked.
"I will have to explain from the beginning." He told them and begun.
***
"How dare you?" Snarled Lucius, looking furious.
"All we're asking is what school, exactly, is Draco attending?" Remus Lupin asked. Since the revelation that Voldemort was back, the ministry had been very compliant with Dumbledore's wishes, and had happily hired Remus as an Auror when the Headmaster had suggested it. Remus was particularly enjoying this case.
"And all I'm saying is that it is none of your damn business!" Snapped the older man, practically baring his teeth.
"Actually it is, as you apparently transferred Draco without following the proper procedures and alerting the Ministry." Remus suppressed a smile when he saw Lucius's expression change from anger to worry, "The boy could be dead for all we know, and we can't have that, can we?"
"He's attending.Durmstrang, yes, Durmstrang." He said hurriedly.
"Well, that's funny, because that was one of the first places we looked, and he's not there." Remus growled (and he's a good growler), "Now tell me where your son is."
"The idiot ran away." Lucius said after a moment. He had had the feeling that several parts of his anatomy had been under threat of being removed, "I had wanted to sort it out without involving the Ministry, as I knew you lot would over react."
"You're telling me that you have no idea where Draco is, and you don't see that as a reason to panic?" Remus asked, looking generally astounded.
"He's probably just hiding out on the grounds somewhere, trying to annoy me."
"Or he could be out in the Muggle world being killed by a group of Muggle thugs!" The werewolf exclaimed.
"I would know if my son were dead." Lucius told him.
"Well I'm sorry, but that isn't good enough for the Ministry." Remus replied, "We're going to have to ask you to come with us and help with our enquiries. And we're going to have to declare Draco officially missing."
***
"It was just over a year ago," Noginski told them, "rumours of the Dark Lord's return were flying around, but I gave them no heed, as we were being constantly assured that The Boy Who Lived, the great Harry Potter, was no more than an attention seeking child. Two men that I had worked with previously came to me, asking me to help them with a research project that they had picked up. The two men where Damien Zabini, and, of course, Lucius Malfoy. We were looking into a theory that people who had been temporarily possessed in the past held an imprint of their possessor, and the possessor's soul could be channelled through that imprint."
Draco, who had gone into a sulk when Harry had been referred to as 'the great' now sat up, looking interested.
"You thought you were just looking into a theory." Ginny stated, trying not to be angry, trying not to hate him.
"That it exactly what I thought, for a while at least. I confess that I was fascinated with the idea. I had done a lot of work on possession previously, and I thought that if I could publish a paper on this I would finally be regarded as the leading expert on the subject, something that I felt I deserved for some time now." He sighed, "Such is the price for vanity. I did not notice that Lucius and Damien gave me little help on the subject, and took copies of all my work, constantly analysing them. I did not wonder where my funding was coming from. All I cared about was theorising a way to channel the soul of the possessor through the imprint inside the victim. I found it in the end, and I was overjoyed."
"How?" Ginny asked, clenching her fists together angrily.
"First a spell must be done, quite a simple one. It anchors the two souls together. If the possessor is alive, it can be quite painful, and disconcerting, but if he or she is not, then the person who has had the spell cast on them may not even know, until the last stage of the process is carried out." Noginski explained, "The last stage is the most brutal. The victim must be placed in complete isolation, until they go nearly insane. When they retreat inside their minds, they activate the soul, and then there is a battle of wills. The victim will at first have the upper hand, the body recognises the soul, and will also fight against the intruder. But eventually the victims mind will become weaker from the isolation, and the intruder will be able to take over."
"But he wasn't able to take over!" Ginny said, feeling triumphant, "He wasn't able to, and he said he can't unless I let him."
"Am I correct in assuming that Draco here took you out of your isolation?" Noginski asked, and Ginny nodded, "He interrupted the process, and left your guest in a sticky situation. The only way he can take over your body is with your permission, which you are not likely to give. But I digress. When I found this out I went straight to Malfoy and Zabini, foolishly proud of my accomplishments. But something caused me to stop outside their office, a feeling that I could not quite describe. So instead of entering I waited, and stood outside, listening in on their conversation. I heard them discuss the Dark Lord, and you, Miss Weasley. They said that with Tom Riddle's help, the Dark Lord would be invincible, and all they had to do was wait while I did their dirty work. Straight away I barged in and confronted them. They tried to bribe me, telling me that they would give me unlimited power if I helped, but I refused, and threw my work on the fire, right in front of them. They would have killed me if not for the fact that we were in Poltrick, and Poltrick would never allow one of her inhabitants to be harmed. I had hoped that that would be the end of it. But it looks as though they were able to complete the work from the notes I had given them previously, and for that I am most grievously sorry."
"How can I get him out?" Ginny asked. Her anger for this man was ebbing. She knew that it was not really his fault, and that he had tried to save her from this fate, sacrificing his greatest accomplishment in the process.
"I do not know for sure, but I may have an idea." He told her, "It will not be pleasant, but it would be worth it if it worked, wouldn't it?"
"Anything to get him out." She said.
"Then please come with me."
***
By the time McGonagall arrived Dumbledore, Snape and Hagrid were already in the Headmaster's office, looking apprehensive. Dumbledore's normally serene face was creased with worry, Snape was pacing the office, looking angry, and Hagrid was fidgeting with his hat.
"Albus, I've just received a letter from Lupin." She told him, "They've taken Lucius Malfoy in for questioning, and they've declared Draco officially missing."
"Finally!" Snape spat, looking maliciously pleased.
"What did Lucius say happened?" Dumbledore asked.
"He said that he had had a fight with the Draco, and he ran away." McGonagall explained, "According to Lupin, Fudge has taken the case to heart. He seems determined to prove to the public that he doesn't care about how pure anyone's blood is. He's treating this as a possible murder enquiry."
"Draco is not dead." Dumbledore told them, "As frustrating as it may be, the fact that we cannot track him is a good sign. It means that he is still alive. Hagrid, I will need your help."
"I'm not sure why I'm 'ere, sir." The giant man mumbled, "You lot 'ave all got magic on yer side, how could I help?"
"Come now Hagrid, you know that you are possibly better connected than anyone of us here." Dumbledore said, and Hagrid swelled with pride, "It doesn't matter how many people we know, it means nothing if they won't talk to us. That is a problem you never seem to have. Talk to people, find out if anyone had heard of two strange travelling youths."
"Two, Albus?" McGonagall asked, looking puzzled.
"Yes, two Minerva." The headmaster assured her, "From what little I have found out, I know that he is not travelling alone."
"Who would 'e be travelling with?" Hagrid asked.
"No one else has been declared missing." Snape reminded him.
"I have a suspicion, but it would be foolish to voice it now." Dumbledore told them, "But if it is who I think it is. Well, Lucius will have a lot to explain."
***
Ron and Hermione sat in the common room, his arm over her shoulder. She laid her head on his chest and sighed.
"Where is he?" She asked.
"Dunno love, he said he'd be back soon, that he wanted to have a quick chat with Blaise Zabini." Ron explained, "Hey, why are you thinking about Harry when we're finally alone together?"
"I'm just worried about him, that's all." Hermione said, "He is my friend you know. He seems a bit over keen on Blaise. I think you should remind him that she is a Slytherin. I'm not saying that she isn't nice, but he should remember that she's only using us to get Malfoy back."
"Yeah, but she's still really nice." He said sarcastically, "Don't worry, I'll remind the idiot. He's a sucker for a pretty face."
"You're not of course." The brown haired girl pointed out.
"Of course I'm not a sucker for a pretty face! I prefer girls with a bit of substance, clever girls. Like you." He told her, trying to kiss her, but she pulled back, glaring at him.
"Think very carefully about what you just said, and then try rephrasing it." She said coldly.
"What?" He said. He scrunched up his face and mouthed what he had just said, before opening them in surprise, looking embarrassed, "Not that you're not pretty! You're really pretty, but have substance too. You're a pretty girl with substance, honest!"
"That's what I thought." She said sharply.
"Yeah, that's what I meant." He mumbled before looking around, "I wonder where Harry is?"
"Why are you thinking about Harry, when we're finally alone together?" Hermione said, a sly smile on her face.
"This isn't a fair relationship." He told her before kissing her.
***
"This isn't a fair relationship." Harry said, kissing the dark haired girl.
"This isn't a relationship." Blaise reminded him.
"I don't see why we should hide this from our friends." He complained, pulling away. They were in the room of requirements, which currently looked like something from an Arabian Nights movie.
"That's because you're a Gryffindor, and can't understand that I would be killed in my house for fraternising with the enemy." She told him, trying to pull him into another kiss, but he resisted.
"We're on the same side here!" He exclaimed, "Houses won't mean anything in the war, and you can't expect me to believe that everyone in Slytherin is going to be a Death Eater. Besides, wouldn't everyone be happy that I'm helping you find Malfoy?"
"Most of our parents are Death Eaters, I know my father is." She said bitterly, "Yes, I know that I'm not going to be one, but lots of us are. They wouldn't mind the idea of me using you for my own purposes, but using you and dating you are two different things."
"So you're just going to pretend that you're using me then?" Harry asked.
"Harry, I'm not pretending." She said, kissing him gently before he could respond.
"Hey, that's not fair!" He said, looking hurt, "I'm helping you find Malfoy, and you're just."
"Having fun." Blaise said, "Look, I like you Harry, you're sweet, but you're not exactly the sort of person I'm going to end up with. I'll probably end up being Mrs Blaise Nott, or Mrs Blaise Malfoy."
"Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed, looking shocked, "Is this what it's all about, saving him so that you can marry him?"
"Well, yeah, kinda." She said, "We're sixteen, we'll be leaving Hogwarts in just over a year, I need to know that I'll have a suitable life waiting for me. If I started going out with you, no one else in Slytherin would want to go out with me, so then what will I do? Marry you? The boy I end up going out with now is the boy I'm going to marry."
"Blaise, listen to me, we're sixteen! We can get married anytime in our life, we don't need to settle down now." Harry ran his hands through his hair, "Besides, you're really clever, why would you have to marry someone rich, why not just get a job of your own?"
"My mother doesn't work, she gets her money from my father." Blaise told him, looking confused.
"Yes, your father, the Death Eater who might have killed the boy you want to marry." Harry scowled, "Are you going to marry someone like him if you can't get Malfoy. Wait, Malfoy is like him!"
"Look, can we just go back to kissing, I enjoy that much more than the talking." She said, looking annoyed.
"Ok, this is bizarre, I must be the only boy in Hogwarts who want to talk when all their girlfriend wants to do is make out." He said, sliding his arm around her waist.
"I'm not your girlfriend." She muttered.
"Yet."
***
Aidan arrived back at the hotel and found it full of men in dark robes. They were all talking to the Hotel assistant, who was looking around furiously.
She said, looking angry.
The man who she was talking to scowled.
She shouted, pointing towards Aidan
At once Wizards, who were jabbering questions at him, surrounded him. He was fairly adept at Russian, but was unable to understand a word that was being said to him. Finally, the Wizard who seemed to be in charge managed to silence them, and turned to Aidan.
He asked. Aidan was suddenly reminded of Nathaniel's strange request, and that Emily had said that she couldn't be tracked. They were obviously running away from these people.
He said vaguely. The Wizard in charge turned to the Hotel Assistant who pulled out a register and showed him two names.
The Wizard told him.
He said, feeling nervous, He hoped that sounded convincing.
He asked.
Aidan explained,
The Wizard told him, waving his hand as if the question was unimportant. That was a mistake though, because as he waved his hand, his sleeve rose up his arm, showing the bottom of what looked like a black scull. Fear instantly rose in his stomach, and he knew he had done the right thing, lying to these men. They were Death Eaters, and if helping Emily and Nathaniel get away hindered them at all then it was the right thing to do.
I He said, trying not to stutter,
And with that he excused himself and hurried to his room. He considered writing to Emily right away, but decided not to, as he was probably being watched. Instead he tried to act normal, packing his bag, checking his reflection, mucking around with his toy snitch. He even pretended to have lost something, as that is what people normally did in hotels. Finally, when he was finished, he picked up his bag, walked to the front desk and checked out.
I The Hotel assistant said, smiling at him. Aidan had to stop himself from looking at her forearm. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and he could easily see she did not have the Dark Mark, but still his eyes were drawn to the spot where it would have been.
I He assured her, before leaving through the fireplace. Once home he marched into his kitchen and grabbed his quill and parchment, already writing before he had even sat down.
Dear Emily, It's a good thing Nathaniel asked me for that favour, for as soon as I had returned to the Hotel, I found it full of Death Eaters, all looking for you.
***
Noginski led Ginny and Draco to a tower that looked over a large forest, and made Ginny sit on the ledge.
"That looks really dangerous." Draco said, looking worried.
"Don't fret, as I said before Poltrick never lets its inhabitants come to harm. If she were to fall she'd probably find that there was a ledge below her, which she could use to simply climb back to here." Noginski assured him, "Which is why I have no worries asking you stand up Miss Weasley."
"Stand up! I'm almost having a heart attack just sitting here!" She exclaimed, looking panicked.
"Please believe me that you'll come to no harm here." He assured her, "And Master Malfoy can hold you still, so you will not fall."
"You think I'd feel safer with my life in Malfoy's hands?" Ginny asked, but allowed Draco to take her hand as she scrabbled to her feet, looking terrified.
"Now, I'm going to cast a spell on you, it will send you into a light coma of sorts, but I can remove it any time I need to. Is that ok?" He asked.
"Will it help me get rid of Tom?" She asked in return.
"I think it will." He replied.
"Then do it, and if I fall to my untimely death then I trust Malfoy to kill you." She said, flashing a smile towards the boy who was holding her upright.
"Might be fun." He agreed, smiling back.
"If you two are done? Good, I'll continue. Once you're in the coma, you should be able to communicate with Riddle." Noginski pulled out his wand, "Once you find yourself with him, try to visualize a weapon of some sort, or your wand, and then you have to kill him."
"Kill." Suddenly Ginny looked doubtful.
"Don't worry about it Weasley, it's not like he's really alive." Draco reminded her.
"I suppose." But she still looked worried.
"I cannot think of any other way." Noginski told her, "I really think this will work, and then you'll be free of him."
"Do it." Ginny decided.
"Vivant faible!" The professor shouted, and Ginny's body went limp.
At once the walls of the castle shot up, encasing her in what looked like a stone cocoon.
"Why does she have to be up there?" Draco asked.
"As I said before, Poltrick will never allow harm to come to those who dwell inside it." Noginski explained, looking at the girl in front of him, "But there are a lot of people within this castle, and it doesn't always see all the danger's unless it is concentrating. I had to put Miss Weasley in danger, so Poltrick would turn its watchful gaze to her."
"How long will this take?" But the professor just shook his head, and so he turned, and watched as Ginny gently swayed in the wind. Neither of them said a word, not even when tears started streaming down her face.
***
"What are you doing here?" Came a cold voice.
"Um, I think I've come to vanquish you, or something." Ginny explained, "You havn't called me back for a while."
"I was contemplating existence inside your mind." Tom told her, "I could look at your memories, but that's about it, and they're not very interesting. Now what's this about vanquishing me?"
"I visited a man, and he said the best way to get rid of you would be to kill you." She looked down at her hand, and concentrated. The air around it shimmered, and a heavy axe appeared, "Ok, not really what I meant by weapon."
"An axe. Would you even know how to use it?" The dark haired boy's smile was infuriating; "I suppose your strategy would just be to hit me with it as many times as possible."
"I didn't intend for an axe." Ginny told him, "I was shooting for something a little more subtle."
"An assassins blade perhaps?"
"No." She concentrated on her hand once more, and this time, when the air around it shimmered, the axe had been replaced by her wand, "How's this?"
"And can you perform any of the unforgivable curses?" Tom asked her.
"I can try." Ginny raised her wand, and pointed it at Tom. The words formed in her mouth, but the way he just stood there, not moving, it scared her, "I can't kill you."
"I could have told you that Virginia. You're not a killer, you're a little girl." He told her, "And even if you could say the words, you don't have enough power or determination."
"This is my mind Tom, isn't everything influenced by my thought?" Ginny asked, "Shouldn't I just be able to will you dead?"
"But you won't." He told her, "We might as well accept our fates. I am doomed to spend the rest of your life trapped in your mind, never aging, never changing. And you'll have me in your mind forever, calling you into your mind at the most inappropriate of times, until they finally lock you up in St Mungo's."
"The way you talk, you think I'd be doing you a favour by killing you." She said, still holding the wand to his chest.
"No, there is nothing worst then death. But this is certainly close." He regarded her with his dark eyes, "Put down the wand Virginia, it is silly of you to even contemplate killing me."
Ginny felt a sigh leave her lips, and knew that she was defeated. Closing her eyes, she dropped the wand to the floor, and felt tears leave her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. She was doomed, this was the only way to be rid of him, and she was too weak to see it through.
"And it was even sillier of you to close your eyes." Came his whisper, much closer than she had expected. Her eyes snapped open, and found that he was standing right in front of her, her own wand clutched in his fist. Unable to move, she held his stare, fear filling her mind.
"Avada-" He began, but suddenly the earth lurched, and Ginny felt a cold wind rushing around her. It seemed to be blowing her surrounding's away, blowing Tom away. She felt something cold and smooth around her legs and stomach.
***
"What?" It was rock, encasing her, stopping her from falling. Wind was rushing through her hair, and her cheeks were wet with tears. Draco and Noginski stood below her, looking up, hope and fear showing on their faces. The rock was receding, and she stumbled off the ledge.
"Did it work?" Draco asked, after several tense moments.
"No." She replied, not looking at him.
"Why not?" He demanded, looking and Noginski angrily.
"It should have, there was no reason why it wouldn't." The professor said quickly, looking confused.
"I have no doubt that it would have worked perfectly if I had attempted to kill him." Ginny told them, walking inside the castle, her head bowed low. She was looking at her hair, which now looked strange, as she had gotten used to the black, "But I didn't."
"Why not?" Draco shouted angrily at her retreating back, but she did not reply, or turn around, or even acknowledge that she had heard him.
***
Icanreadandcount- More hot Aidan, for your viewing pleasure.
J wish- I can't speak Russian, and dictionaries scare me
ShesBLAZING- Thank you, I am most flattered
TarynMalfoy88- Again, I'm really not sure where it is going!
Ohepelss Oramtnci- Thanks
