AN - sorry about the delay I am getting more and more stressed as term goes by but I do promise I will update sooner if you haven't already abandoned me!

AmyxXxRose - here's a new chapter for you, please don't be sad!

druccillamalfoyrox - ah my biggest fan I do believe! hope you still want to hug my story after this...

squirrel-wrath - thanks for contiuing to read it, yes well its not a very normal story i must admit have no idea where it came from just popped into my mind!

keeperofthepineneedles - oh yes i'm afraid I do have a flair for the dramatic being an actor etc! carry on reading and reviewing!

witch-wanna-be709 - i'm glad you enjoyed it please do come back and read more!

superspunky7 - here's your update! i am defs going to finish this story by the way just needed some encouragement! and i reveiwed your poems for you, very good!

Angelique Collins - here's another chapter for you...

Gryffindor's Newsie - i seem to evoke periodic outbursts from you! hope your towering rage has calmed down and yes i knwo she was 11 but then voldy was a hormonal teenage boy so...!

jjp91 - rule britannia! well i'm not that patriotic anyways good to have a londoner so you don't criticise me on my apparent misspellings! thanks for still reviewing and reading, do continue!

Chapter 17 - Memories

The aftermath of the incident in the common room was an ongoing event. The corridors surrounding Slytherin were silent. Hushed voices could vaguely be heard and there were no sounds of soft laughter at all. Once again it showed the unity of the slyest house in Hogwarts, its leaders had fallen into a depressed state, ignoring each other and slowly plodding through their lives. The binding threads of the house were slowly unravelling.

At the high table sat Severus Snape staring glumly into his pumpkin juice, he still couldn't find out what had happened that night. Ginevra Weasley had returned to her own private rooms and was watched daily by Madame Pomfrey, she still hadn't returned to lessons. Draco, Blaise and Theodore were still in a world of their own.

Severus was gently nudged out of his stupor as he felt Dumbledore prod him slightly. "My dear boy, don't worry about that house of yours, all shall come about, it always does you know." With a twinkle in his eye he started picking at the breakfast laid out in front of him. Severus' eyes narrowed, it was all very well for Dumbledore to say that but he didn't have the patience to wait till the situation sorted itself out, his house was breaking apart, the problem had to be resolved. Sweeping out of the hall, Severus walked straight into a student. Snarling to himself, he shook his robes and started to continue in the direction he was heading.

"Excuse me, Professor; I do believe you owe me an apology." Stopping dead in his shoes, Severus swivelled around to see Ginevra Weasley getting to her feet and straightening her own robes. Looking closer at her Snape saw that her eyes no longer glowed, her hair lacked lustre and hung lifelessly down her back yet there was still a glimpse of her old defiant expression in her face.

"I don't owe you anything Miss Weasley, you in fact owe my entire house an apology. I'm sure you have heard what Slytherin has been like after you ran off." Cautiously treading around his words, Snape realised he couldn't treat her any differently; there could be no pity or sympathy.

Ginevra shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other wondering why she had to answer Snape back. A part of her desperately wanted to return to Slytherin yet she knew she would not be able to face them. Searching Snape's eyes for any hint to how he felt, Ginevra swallowed her nerves and opened her mouth. "I didn't do anything to the house Severus, I just didn't realise that my leaving would have such an effect. Please believe me, apologies are the only thing I don't need to give, I'm actually waiting for them…" Faltering at the end she whispered her last words. Severus tugged her chin up gently, "what did they do to you Ginevra?" he softly asked; he could feel her shaking.

Ginevra looked for the nearest escape route; she had to get back to her rooms before she panicked. Severus' hands slipped from her chin down to her shoulders, and he applied just enough pressure to force her to remain still. "You will not go until I have had an answer Ginevra, this cannot go on." Ginevra felt a power struggle between the two as her magic started to rise, Severus cursed himself from within; she was going to be difficult.

Realising that Severus was pushing down on her magic she started to grope in her robes for her wand. She had to get away from him. As her fingers wrapped around her wand and she tensed slightly before bringing it up, her wand arm was snatched and twisted firmly behind her.

"Thought you would like some help Severus, I would hate to have a new housemaster." Gasping Ginevra swivelled her neck around to find herself staring into a pair of cold silver eyes. Severus didn't know whether this was a blessing in a disguise or a warning of an oncoming disaster. Reluctantly he let go of her shoulders but planted himself firmly in front of her so she couldn't escape. Ginevra frantically tried to leave but she was sandwiched between the two slytherins. Breathing deeply she turned to face Draco.

Draco saw her turn and was shocked to see her so changed. She, on the other hand, couldn't believe that their argument had no effect on him whatsoever. He still managed to look perfect, perhaps even icier than usual. "I think you've had enough time to think about it Ginevra, maybe this time we can solve the problem without the hysterics." Ginevra's fist flew towards Draco; his Quidditch reflexes saved him in time as he caught it firmly. Anger ignited his eyes, he was furious. Painfully gripping her hand he dragged her outside to the pitch. Severus watched Ginevra stumble after him and stormed into the Great Hall to find Theodore, he would be the only one able to stop this. Unknown to him Harry and Ron had witnessed Draco dragging Ginevra outside and had raced after him.

Shoving her against the wall of one of the spectators stand, he trapped her with his body. "You have to get a grip on your life Ginevra otherwise you can never be a part of ours." Ginevra's face contorted with fury. Pushing as hard as she could against him she screamed at him. "You have no control over my life Draco, you took away my family, you made me love you, and now you're making up these disgusting lies, you are a bloody death-eater!" Spitting at him, Draco forced her down. Both of them were burning with rage. "If you were a man you would have been dead by now. I have never been a bloody death-eater and I wouldn't even want to lie about Tom Riddle. As you said I do not control your life, you separated yourself from your family, you agreed to come to Slytherin, and you went and fucking opened that diary. If you can even try and remember then we could help you, but if you carry on like this you can go back to Gryffindor." Ginevra's eyes had widened with terror and disbelief. She was speechless, she had couldn't hear what Draco had said, all she saw was his lips moving. Her vision became hazy and she saw suddenly saw Tom.

Tom was advancing and she was running into his arms. They were in the chamber of secrets. He was holding her, her eyes glazed over with tears and she smiled.

Draco saw the change in her expression and saw her slowly slump forward. Falling onto his body, he turned around for help. He didn't see a fist fly towards him this time. It connected with his face and he staggered back, dropping Ginevra. "What have you bloody done to my sister Malfoy?" Harry held Ron back from doing anything else to Malfoy. He was staring in shock at Ginevra, who was rolling on the grass with an expression of fear on her face. Ron glanced down and fell to his knees. Slowly gathering Ginevra into his arms, he cradled her. Draco stood their out of place until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"What happened?" Theodore quietly asked him in his ear. Draco just stood there shaking. "I have no idea. We were arguing then I confronted her again and she just left me."

Theodore looked puzzled. "Left you?" Draco stared at Ginevra who was trembling and her hands were clutching at the grass. "She wasn't there in her mind I don't know where she went, she just left." Theodore left Draco to despair; he now knew what was happening.

He moved towards Ron and was swiftly blocked by Harry. "Get away from her; it was only a matter of time before you would ruin her." Theodore growled at Harry's insinuations. "I have nothing against you Potter, I just need to get to Ginevra if you want me to save her; otherwise it will be too late." Harry stubbornly refused to move, he knew that it was his duty to stop the slytherins from getting to Ginevra. He had to help her, what she had said to him that day about the chamber of secrets still hurt him. Theodore saw the determination on his face and was about to physically remove him from his way when he heard Ron scream. Harry ran to him and saw that Ginevra had stopped moving and she looked like she was peacefully asleep.

Draco grabbed her out of Ron's arms and started to shake her. Harry's face had paled and he was stuttering something under his breath. Theodore leant in slightly to hear, he could hear him mumbling about how she looked like she was in the chamber of secrets. Fear gripped Theodore as he remembered that Ginevra has almost died in the chamber if Harry had not wrecked the diary.

Slowly lifting Ginevra out of Draco's arms he started to walk to the castle. Ron yelled and grabbed Ginevra, "what the hell are you doing!"

"Listen Weasley, something has happened to your sister and we need to find a member of staff now!" Ron blushed bright red, "no, you slytherins did this to her, so you can fix her right now, if a professor hears about this, they'll take Ginny out of school."

Incensed beyond belief at being ordered about by a Gryffindor, Theodore glared at him. "Fine, but inside." Reaching forward for Ginevra who was completely inert, Ron laid her on the ground. "You will do it here and right now." They were starting to draw a crowd as people started to vacate the Great Hall for their lessons. At a loss as to what to do Theodore looked at Draco.

Please Theodore, just do it, look at her.

His eyes said it all, Draco was pleading with him, there was no sign of the normal Malfoy demeanour in him. Shaking slightly at the attention they were attracting, Theodore started to glow white. Harry and Ron stepped back in trepidation at Theodore. His whole aura was radiating a bright white light which started to flow into Ginevra.

As Theodore reached out into Ginevra's mind, he urged her magic to respond. He was now in a dark stone room and could see pools of water everywhere. And there was Tom Riddle. Looking around he tried to find Ginevra when he realised that Riddle was standing over him talking.

"It's a shame my little darling that you didn't have enough power to withstand me, perhaps I should have allowed you to mature. Such a waste." Theodore felt Riddle's finger stroke his cheek and jerked with disgust. He was seeing everything through Ginevra's mind. He was Ginevra. Backing into the depths of Ginevra's mind he felt nothing. Then he realised that there was a difference; Ginevra wasn't remembering Harry's interference which had saved her. Panicking slightly Theodore started to feed his magic into Ginevra, he could feel it pumping through her and he prayed that it would help.

Nothing happened. Withdrawing altogether from Ginevra, Theodore felt hopeless when he spotted Draco standing by himself.

Draco felt alarmed when tendrils of white light grabbed him. He was propelled towards Theodore and was engulfed in white light. "Draco, I need your power, mine is not enough, and she will recognise yours better." Without having to ask twice, Draco's black threads poured forth and he whipped out his wand. It was like Ginevra's, both contained nundu blood and both reacted with core magic violently. Streams of black and white magic shot from his wand and into Ginevra's body.

Ginevra's body started to levitate in mid-air and shimmered. Her magic started to glow and her entire body was surrounded by her dark green magic until it rejected Draco's and Theodore's.

The crowd of pupils had become denser and Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore were pushing their way through to see what the spectacle was. All three stopped in shock at the sight before them. Ginevra's body suspended in the air glowing green with streaks of back and white magic shooting back into Draco and Theodore who were both glowing their own respective colours. Dumbledore shook his head in awe. It was at times like this when he felt proud of his pupils. He glanced at Snape whose expression mirrored his and smiled.

Both Draco and Theodore could feel Ginevra start to wake and tired to draw back as fast as possible. Too weak from the amount of magic they used they both collapsed under pressure. Blaise observing this from the front line of the spectators shot forward and sent out webs of his blue core magic to catch Ginevra. He sighed in relief as she was gently caught by it. Turning as he felt someone pat him on the shoulder Blaise smiled at Snape who just grinned back. Hopefully their house would be back to normal.

As the witches and wizards of the future generation were shooed back into their classes, Ginevra started to stir. Pushing herself off the ground Draco and Ron simultaneously leapt forward for support. Glancing between the two she slowly leant on Ron as he wrapped his arm around her waist and walked slowly back into Hogwarts. At the threshold of the castle, she turned to see a confused and forlorn Draco staring at her and said "I'm sorry Draco; I need to be with my family." And with that she stepped into the dark hallway of the castle.

You know what comes next...REVIEW PLEASE! I have an enormous ego so as soon as I get ten there will be an update! I promise!