Part Eight- How Soon is Now
The conversation that unnerved Draco wasn't repeated. He had to know for himself. But the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had returned to normal. He still wore the same pompous smile in the corridors and in the Great Hall. In his classroom his demeanor was stern and he cracked down on the class even harder.
Ginny showed some improvement for a few days, but the week after receiving the potions, the sickness and insomnia returned. She didn't tell Harry and Draco though. Both of whom had brought her up to their Room of Secrets and spent a night there.
At Sunday breakfast she merely poked at a halved grapefruit. Just as Harry was about to say anything an owl swooped down and landed in front of him. It carried an envelope, the wax seal carrying the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's seal on it. He broke the seal and opened the letter. He read it aloud for Ginny.
Dear Mr. Potter,
It is again met with appreciation that you have applied for Auror training. Since the written test and first interview with Kez Byron, was met above and beyond our standards, we wish to arrange for another interview on the third Saturday in November. Mr. Andrew Wakefield, the Head of the Auror's Organization, will be your interviewer.
Again, congratulations and we wish you good luck.
Sincerely,
T. N. Gobbsholt
Head Secretary of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
"Wow, there's pressure I wouldn't want to have. Still, being interviewed by a top Healer next year isn't going to be fun either." Ginny bit into a piece of grapefruit and pushed the rest away.
"Yeah, I g…Ginny…" Harry looked at the sorry mess that had once been a grapefruit.
"I'm not sleeping again, either," Ginny admitted.
Harry reached over and grabbed Ginny's hand; she sighed and scooted closer to him so they could talk lower.
"Me neither." Harry admitted. He slowly massaged her hand as she glanced over the letter again. She also stole a glance over at the Slytherin table for a moment, but returned to the parchment quickly.
"He's been quiet lately," Ginny whispered.
"Yeah, I know. He won't tell me what's wrong. Maybe we're all under a lot of stress. All we need is a good day's rest." Harry grabbed for his last bite of toast, but didn't eat it.
"Mmm, rest. Is there no better word out there?" Ginny laid her head on his arm and closed her eyes.
"Yeah there is," then he lowered his voice even more, "sex."
"Harry…" Ginny smiled but tried to sound stern.
It made her question their "relationship" again. Are we a threesome? Or is this just fun? She had questioned herself this in the last several days. Oh, well, better to have fun while it lasts.
The Slytherin common room wasn't as full as is could have been, since it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Ginny walked a pace behind Draco, hidden underneath the Invisibility Cloak. Their Room of Secrets was out of the question. Mrs. Norris had been spending an awful lot of time near the secret entrance of the twin room in the floor below. So Draco had suggested his Head Boy room. There was plenty of magical ways to lock the room and the most likely disturbance would be a Message Owl, that the Headmaster and the Head Boy and Girl shared.
Draco had confronted Harry and Ginny about their insomnia and decided that he would supervise at least a few hours of nap time, when all three could be alone.
He turned quicker than Ginny would have liked and nearly bumped over a vase. Draco walked casually up the stairs nodding to other Slytherins as they passed by. A door appeared to the opposite side of the seventh year dormitory, when Draco approached it. He then pulled out of his robes a brass key, slid it into the lock. A sharp "click" and he opened the door to a dimly lit, very large room.
The black and green chamber was perhaps half the size of the Slytherin common room. A large, canopy bed took up the far-left corner, and an ebony wood desk took up the closest left corner. There was a wardrobe adjacent from the bed, the same ebony as the desk. The black, green and silver accented room was just like Draco in every way.
Draco shut the door behind them and waved his wand so the candles of the room grew brighter. Ginny pulled the cloak off and handed it to him. He shoved it in one of his robe pockets, gave her a quick kiss to the cheek, and left to go get Harry, who was waiting in the library.
Ginny noticed another door in the room and went over to it. It was Draco's own bathroom.
Damn, I hope I make Head Girl. Ginny thought as she looked over the green walls, black floor and gray marble. The room also had a smell of freshly squeezed lemons.
Back in the main room she looked over the contents strewn across the desk. There were sketches of the lake and castle. Some of Harry, some even of her, there was a few of her self and the Boy-Who-Lived in the same drawing. There was one in particular she really liked. He hadn't enchanted them yet, or used a spelled piece of charcoal; the figures were stationary. But it was herself in a belly dancer costume, with Harry watching her, rested back on a mountain of pillows.
The rest of the papers was homework and letters, there was even an unfinished letter to his mother. Full of bullshit, to make her think that Draco wasn't involved in clandestine activities or playing a double role.
The redhead then turned to the bed. It was a bit bigger than her own in the Gryffindor tower, but it was more elegant. The coverlet was a soft, almost velvet black with silver trim. Ginny then shed her robes, shoes, and oxford shirt, leaving on her skirt and camisole. She hoped on the bed, scooted towards the middle and laid down.
Just as sleep began to grip her, a body slid next to hers and wrapped gentle, strong arms around her petite form.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Harry whispered.
"Hey." She smiled back as Harry lifted the cloak off his face.
Draco finished locking the room. Only Snape and Dumbledore knew how to reverse the charms. It left him thinking that at least neither would tell Narcissa Malfoy that he Draco Malfoy was sleeping with Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.
He quickly joined the redhead and black haired boy, after pulling his own robes off and un-tucking his shirt. He then gathered all three wands and placed them on the headboard, a quick reach.
"Sleep you two."
"You need to keep watch, not spoon Harry to sleep, and end up falling asleep yourself." Ginny narrowed bronze eyes at him.
"Moi? Fall asleep? I get plenty of sleep at night. Just not on the weekend nights." Draco grinned with the last part, Harry mimicked his smile.
"Mmm, keep talking about the nummy stuff Draco and we're bound not to sleep." She grinned as well.
"Well, we'd sleep afterwards. Sex with one person is pretty exhausting. Just imagine the sleep after fucking two people." Draco laughed and settled down onto the pillows. "Don't worry, the spells on the door will sound a ring of they are lifted. Just sleep Gin." Ginny gave a pleasing moan and stilled too. Harry was last to join their repose.
Sleep, rest, sex, cuddling the best words man ever created…Ginny was the first to drift off. Harry felt her relax more as he ebbed out of consciousness. After the first to fell asleep Draco checked to make sure the room was secure, grabbed his wand without disturbing the pair, and dimmed the candles to mere sparks. He then replaced it, and fell next to Harry and drifted off himself.
The darkness surrounding his face accentuated the sounds around him. Harry felt bruised and battered. Like after playing Quidditch for ten hours straight, though the satisfaction and thrill of Quidditch was absent. It was replaced by fear and anxiety.
There was a sickening groan after a thud next to him and the darkness was lifted. The room he was in was immense. Draperies of crimson and black hung magically. There was the sound of a tranquil brook, but it made the room feel colder. Harry turned to see who had been dropped next to him.
Draco was covered in blood. His breath came with wheezes and difficulty. There was a large gash above his eye that was clotting as well as a cut in his lip. But most sickening, his arm was twisted in such a way, it had to be broken. He opened swelled eyes, Harry looked and started to reach out to touch is lover, but he was bound with hands tied behind his back.
A Death Eater kicked Draco in the stomach. He coughed up fresh blood and kept coughing, a hint of misery in every breath.
"Tsk, tsk. Be nice to our guests." A voice sounded from behind on of the draperies.
A person, a woman, stepped out from behind a hanging. The hood of her scarlet cloak covered her face, but while she walked the sides moved to show what she wore. A white corset, a long black skirt and sharp stilettos. Graceful, black-tipped, fingers played with a wand.
"Who the hell are you?" Harry growled. He wasn't in as bad condition as Draco was physically. Either that or an adrenaline rush was blocking pain.
The cloaked girl merely scoffed. "Where is the brave and strong Harry Potter now? Look at you. All your allies are dead or broken. Dumbledore was finally defeated; we killed him together. Ron and Hermione were especially fun. I can still hear her musical Muggle screams. Everyone else, dead." The word hit Harry with a sickening realization. He was alone, well almost. But Draco was hanging on by a thread of gossamer strength. Hope was gone.
"I swear, whatever you've done to the ones I cared about, you'll pay. I fucking make you pay! I'll tear what's left of your fucking heart out!"
"Such language. Someone should teach you a lesson."
The musical voice lingered in Harry's ears, leaving torment and sorrow. Then something struck him as he stole another glance at Draco. "Where's Ginny?"
She chuckled a bit, a sickening laugh that a black widow spider would have. The woman's voice fell to a hiss, "that waif is gone. Dead like the rest of your little gang."
"No…" Harry lowered his head in defeat.
It happened seconds later, it felt like something searing onto the scar in his forehead. No…he can't be here… Black swished by; the hem of robes brushing his arm, drawing a straight wound and blood.
"Tom, love…" Voldemort pushed the hood of the woman's cloak back. Blood red curls cascaded on her pale shoulders. Green eyes that should have been as brown as polished bronze looked down at him, the heat in his forehead increasing.
"Scarlet, my Lady Scarlet…"
A weak "no" emitted from the form beside Harry. "Gin…" Draco wheezed.
"That innocent girl is dead, Draco." She gripped her wand, looking like she was going to cast a spell.
"No, don't you fucking hurt him again, Ginny!" Harry screamed. If Draco took one more blow, it could very well be his end.
"I said, I'm not that girl! I am Lady Scarlet, Lord Voldemort's eternal companion. Never yours, never his!"
It felt like he had just held her. Like the three of them had just arisen from their nap on that innocent Sunday so long ago…or…
"This can't be real. This isn't real." Harry growled.
"This is real Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Once-Lived another day and died the next. For that is all a decade or two really is to Father Time." Voldemort spoke, his lips curling in to a sadistic smile.
The Dark Lord leaned over and kissed Ginny, Lady Scarlet. He probed his tongue into her willing mouth. She reached up to caress his face; his hands rested on her hips. Staying clearly away from her buttocks and breasts.
Harry buckled over in pain. It started at his scar and made way to his heart and into his soul. The pain hit Draco too. Harry had felt something like this before; something was trying to steal his soul…
All awoke with a start. Draco buckled over as Harry's hands grabbed for empty space. Both saw Ginny coughing violently, moving away from the bed. She then held her hands to her mouth and raced out of the room.
Draco ran down the stairs fast enough to see Ginny vomiting. She wouldn't stop, not until bright red blood came up in a mass. The she passed out, missing the puddle of blood and vomit, and the questions from Draco's fellow Slytherins.