Chapter Three: The Green and Silver Lady
(Once again, I don't own any of these characters. This third disclaimer says J.K. Rowling does.)
It's so dark, was Ginny Weasley's first thought as a scalding flash of light seemed to burn her away from herself. She saw, for a few moments, the battle continue, but then, she fell away.
Oi! Hermione! I can't move! Hermione! Do something! Ginny kept trying to shout to Hermione, who was very close to her. If only I could just tell her to stop lying there, Ginny thought, her frustration building in her gut. Her head still felt like she'd fallen from her broom. Ginny just wanted to wake Hermione and massage her own throbbing temples.
Hermione! Something is wrong! HERMIONE! Ginny felt irritated that Hermione wasn't responding. She was in incredible pain, and all Hermione could do was lie there?
Tonks! Tonks! NYMPHADORA TONKS WAKE UP! Ginny tried hollering at the other witch. However, neither of them seemed able to move or wake. Maybe they think I'm asleep, too, Ginny mused. Yes, that's it, none of us can do anything, and oh! My head hurts! Ginny thought as the pain increased, stabbing harder at her thoughts.
Will this just end? PLEASE! Ginny screamed as a particularly fierce wave of pain made her nauseous. Then, with a start, Ginny sat bolt upright.
The world swam in front of her eyes, and her stomach rolled inside of her. She swooned, collapsing back in her bed until the world stopped spinning. I over exerted myself, Ginny reassured herself as she lay still and tried to make the floor and ceiling stop moving in circles that were opposite each other.
What a horrible experience, Ginny thought as she let her body calm down. I wonder what happened. We woke up to an attack; Ginny began recalling everything she could remember. Then, Tonks started yelling, and Death Eaters came in the house, and I ducked, and things exploded, and then, darkness, Ginny completed the events in her mind. They seemed fuzzy, as if lived by someone else, almost, not Ginny Weasley.
Ginny propped herself up on her arms after she assured herself she wasn't going to chuck up her food. She gazed around the room, her heart leaping up in her throat. I don't know where I am, Ginny realized and gazed frantically around at the four other beds in her room. Sunlight streamed in through a skylight, which was covered with snow. Ginny blinked, pulling the plush, thick black and green blankets closer to her.
"Bloody hell, I was kidnapped," Ginny whispered. She slowly took in all the beautifully carved trunks and ornate clothes that lay strewn around the room. Who would've taken me here? Ginny tried to reason out a situation as she stood up, deciding she wanted out. Then, she looked back at her own bed, noticing the beautifully embroidered green blanket. She gingerly fingered the silver snake, and once again, her stomach knotted and twisted inside of her.
"I'm . . . I'm in Slytherin?" Ginny asked the empty room, expecting an answer. Yes, that's exactly where I am, Ginny realized. The girls' dorms, in the dungeons, in Slytherin, Ginny concluded.
"What a joke," Ginny laughed hysterically, collapsing on the floor, still clutching the blanket. Fred and George will get a kick out of this, Ginny thought as her side began to hurt because of her giggling fit.
Then, Ginny thought of being kidnapped, which made her laughter redouble itself. Who would kidnap her and bring her to Hogwarts? No Death Eater would do that, Ginny reassured herself, but then, her raucous laughing died out.
"I am at Hogwarts," Ginny said quietly, wiping a tear out of her eye. Ginny sat on the chilly stones, trying to figure out why she'd be at Hogwarts, but in the Slytherin dorms. Nothing came to her mind, and soon, the damp stones began to give her a chill, so she stood up.
"I should get dressed," Ginny reassured herself as she looked down at her pajamas. She looked around for her things, but didn't see anything she recognized. She decided, then, to try the gorgeous trunk at the foot of the bed she'd woke up in. She opened the heavy, cherry lid, overlaid in black leather, which had beautiful filigree and an ornate looking crest embroidered on it.
"This thing looks worth more than my entire wardrobe," Ginny whispered as she pulled out a black, silk evening gown with diamonds sown all over it. She touched the straps, which were composed completely of emeralds. The dress shimmered in the faint light, but Ginny laid it back in the trunk, deciding she wanted something more casual. However, this trunk seemed full of more gorgeous outfits that didn't fit Ginny's taste.
"I guess this'll have to do," Ginny said as she resigned herself to wearing a very finally knit, but comfortable, emerald green sweater. She pulled it on, slightly unnerved with how low the cut was. Then, Ginny grabbed an expensive, finely knit black skirt. She pulled it on, and then, put on a pair of skin colored pantyhose. Then, she put on a pair of black, knee high socks, which appeared unworn, before slipping on real dragon skin boats that went up to her knees.
"Who ever spent this much on these clothes has way too much money," Ginny muttered to herself as she walked to the dressing mirror and combed out her long, shimmering ginger hair. She looked at herself, deciding who ever brought her here had a sense of humor to leave her all these gaudy, expensive clothes.
Time to see the dungeons, Ginny thought brightly, trying to perk up her mood. She realized she'd never been in the Slytherin common room, and Ginny became curious, deciding she really did want to see it. She looked at the door to the girls' dorm room that she'd just closed, jumping slightly as she read Sixth Year Slytherin.
"It's winter in my sixth year," Ginny told herself, trying to make the churning in her stomach stop. "You're going to be fine, Ginny, you're at Hogwarts, just not in Gryffindor."
With that last thought, Ginny bounded down the stairs and stepped on the plush, ornate, green, black, and silver rung that spanned the entire length of the floor. She was shocked at how warm it was in the dungeon common room, but then she noticed the black marble fireplace where a roaring fire burned.
She walked farther into the common room, which was illuminated by tall, green candles that smelled of fresh pine and by skylights, which let in white shafts of light. The tapestries, when caught by the white sunlight, shimmered a brilliant emerald and silver, but by the fire, the silver in the tapestries seemed to turn to blood red.
"Ginny!" Ginny's mind reeled as she realized Lavender Brown had called her over to a group of plush, black, leather arm chairs. "Where have you been? You know, you missed breakfast."
"Yes," Ginny replied as she made her feet shuffle over to the group of girls sitting around a table. She found it slightly difficult to shuffle in the black boots, though. "I'm a little hungry."
"I'll get some food from our room," Pansy Parkinson offered, hastily rushing up to the dorms. What are Lavender and Parvati doing in Slytherin, too? Ginny wondered, looking at the two remaining girls that sat with her.
"Is that new?" Parvati asked Ginny as she reached out and fingered the fine, black skirt. "It's fabulous!"
"You mean, this? Have you seen me wear it before?" Ginny asked the girls. Lavender shot Parvati a quick, disdainful look, however. Parvati gave a sheepish, halfhearted smile.
"Of course it's new, everything you have is," Parvati apologized to a dumb struck Ginny. They worship me, Ginny realized but found the idea dumbfounding. Wow, they really think I'm something, don't they? Ginny tried to figure it out while trying to keep her aura calm and collected.
"Chocolate? Toffee?" Pansy said enthusiastically and stuffed the boxes under Ginny's face. Lavender sniffed disdainfully.
"You know she hates peanut butter truffles and toffee makes me sick!" Lavender exclaimed, shoving the boxes at Pansy. "Go get some of my mint truffles. They're the best made, not some cheep junk food."
"Thank you," Ginny felt slightly grateful to this very pushy Lavender Brown for getting her food that wouldn't be shoved in her face. This is the craziest joke yet, Ginny decided, letting a smile slip over her face. I think I must be in a comma, this has to be made up, Ginny thought wryly, but then remembered her bouts of sickness up in the dorm room. No, this was no ordinary dream.
"Are you feeling well, dear?" Lavender asked Ginny, who shifted uncomfortably in her chair at the thought of this scenario being genuine.
"I'm a little light headed, I think," Ginny said breathlessly. Lavender frowned, and a quick, disdainful scowl crossed her face.
"Probably a stupid side affect from that jinx Malfoy shot at you yesterday," Lavender said bitterly. Ginny leaned forward, suddenly interested to hear about where Malfoy was in Hogwarts. "I really wish those filthy little Gryffindor children would stop pretending they're so special."
"I don't understand why they think they're so great, anyway," Ginny said, trying to feign a snobbish air. Parvati nodded vigorously, but then, Pansy showed up with a huge box of unopened mint truffles.
"Here, Ginny," she said politely and handed them to her. Ginny opened the box, feeling like she might be eating food that cost as much as a week's worth of groceries for the Weasleys. She popped a couple in, letting them melt in her mouth.
"Feel better?" Lavender asked. Ginny nodded. Lavender, however, picked up the gossiping about all the people that Ginny apparently was supposed to hate. "I can't stand that obnoxious little twit, Pettigrew, either. She thinks she's all so special just because she can sit on a broom."
Ginny sat still, frozen in shock for several moments. Pettigrew? Did she hear that one right? She? She, Pettigrew is a she? Ginny tried to swallow that confusing lump of information.
"I can't believe Malfoy had enough nerve to jinx you!" Parvati said as she shook her head remorsefully. Ginny nodded dumbly, trying to comprehend what exactly Lavender said. Pettigrew? She asked herself again. She?
"Well . . . Malfoy and his friends, they'll get it," Ginny replied halfheartedly as she realized the other girls were waiting for her response. Parvati and Pansy nodded enthusiastically, but Lavender just groaned.
"Oh, don't start with his friends! Malfoy, Pettigrew, Trelawney, and Zabini! That's all I ever hear about! If one of them isn't winning something or saving something, nothing else matters!" Lavender spat. Ginny cleared her mind with the thoughts of how confused she was, deciding to absorb as much information as possible. "Yesterday, in Transfigurations, Zabini was his usual show-off self. Doesn't help that over-bearing, I'm-too-good-for-my-training-pants Longbottom was there, either."
"Lavender, you're brilliant!" Pansy flattered Lavender immediately, who calmed down slightly. Ginny nodded her approval, trying to grip what Lavender had just said. Neville is here, too, she told herself reassuringly. Somehow, thinking of Neville made her feel better.
"Where's Ron?" Ginny blurted out. However, the three girls didn't seem fazed by the question.
"Coming down from breakfast, I suppose," Parvati said off-handedly. Ginny nodded slowly, but then, it dawned on her that Ron was in Slytherin, too. The joke crashed around Ginny. This isn't funny any more, Ginny thought. This isn't even interesting; I just want out, Ginny thought desperately as she looked around the room, as if expecting to see a person waving her back to the Burrow.
"I think he got her good," Parvati squeaked. Ginny realized all the girls looked at her as if she had a horn growing out of her forehead. "Ginny, dear, maybe you should sleep some more."
"No, no, I don't know," Ginny whispered, unsure of what to do. Pettigrew? Malfoy? Ron? The names flashed through her confused mind, whirling in a strange, sickening circle.
"Ginny, you look like you swallowed a couple Flobberworms," Ginny turned around and gazed up at Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe had spoken to her, and Ginny gave him a faint smile.
"It's Malfoy," Lavender rallied to Ginny's apparent cause. The four boys exchanged angry looks. Goyle scowled, gazing around as if Malfoy must just Apparate out of thin air so he could jinx him.
"Don't worry, Ginny," Dean patted her shoulder. "It's about time that half-blood got lucky."
"What's so interesting?" Ron asked, walking down the stairs into the room. The entire group stopped chatting to look up at him. Ginny stared at her older brother, recognizing the bright ginger hair and lanky body. However, the cold, sneering look on Ron's face was unfamiliar to her. She also realized, like her, his clothes appeared expensive and well made.
"You might try and hex Malfoy," Dean suggested off-handedly. "He messed your sister up a bit."
"That's funny," Ron chuckled, not believing Dean. However, he walked over to Ginny and got a better look at her anyway. She stared back into Ron's calculating emerald eyes that were so much like her own.
"Blimey," Ron muttered, his voice seething. "I think he really did do something to you. You haven't hexed him back yet?"
"No," Ginny replied in a whisper. Ron scowled, looking up at the stairs leading back towards the castle. Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling slightly afraid for herself. She'd never seen Ron, her goofy, comical brother look threatening before.
"Well, I have homework, so maybe some fun later, eh?" Ron said as he strode up towards the dorms. Ginny sat there, staring off into space. Her brain felt like a zit ready to explode. It ached, incredibly painful beneath her skull, pounding through the strange information again, repeating it several times as if trying to process the incredible mound of jumbled information.
"Anything we can do for you?" Pansy asked hopefully. Ginny realized the rest of them were still gathered around her. She stared around, nodding slightly.
"I'll do your homework," Lavender volunteered. She enthusiastically walked up to the dorms, followed by Crabbe, Dean, and Seamus who also wanted to help.
"Um, maybe something hot to drink," Ginny asked quietly. Pansy nodded, rushing off to find something again. Parvati got up, following her in a swirl of robes.
"I know what I can do," Goyle said as he hoisted Ginny out of her chair. Ginny didn't have the energy left to struggle. The terrible waking coupled with the confused moments in the common room robbed her of any kind of strength to fight.
She stood there helplessly as Goyle gave her a full-frontal snog.
A/N: Thanks for all the possitive reviews on the previous chapters. Please send a review. I'd really like to know if I mess up anything like names, spells, ect., or if i get a reference wrong some how.
Shining Star: Thanks for the compliment to my writing style. :) Boat away . . .
MG: Thanks for your encouraging reviews. I'd appriciate it if you'd leave an e-mail and/or penname. I just like to know who is reading, so I get a better idea who the person is (profile page) and what else they've read, ect.
Next chapter: Nymphadora (This would be where the normal world is in for a nasty little shock, as well as Tonks, who finds out that her wardrobe is the least of her worries.)
Thanks bunches, MorganRay.