Title: Helping Her
Genre: Humor/Romance
Category: Harry Potter
Summary: Draco Malfoy is always the center of attention, not the attention giver. When he and Ron Weasley accidentally turn Hermione into a five-year-old, Draco will have to give all the attention he has to the small girl.
Crys: Yes, I'm quite aware that Blaise was supposed to be expelled last chapter, but you're supposed to be trusting me. Ha. If you trusted me, cheers to you. You'll find out why you should have. And I updated today because Dom-Basher CHAMPION gave me my tenth review. Thanks!
If This Isn't Good: I can't believe that! Man I really feel for Blaise. That sucks. I am on the edge of my seat though; this story just keeps getting more interesting. Great job! (LBuccalo for Chapter 17)
( for )Chapter 18: Doloroso
Blaise aimlessly wandered the halls, his thoughts in a blur. Looking back on what he did, he wanted to kick himself in the face. Ginny was right. He was hurting everyone and he deserved being expelled from Hogwarts because of his violent outbursts. But it just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that they had to expel him now.
It wasn't fair that he had been hurtful for so long and they choose to remove him at a time like this; at a time where someone actually needed him. Stopping by the dungeons, Blaise felt an unfamiliar placement. He was never in the dungeons. He was always in the Heads Common Room. Slowly, he packed the things he had set around his bed into his trunk.
He held the last thing on his dresser, pushed all the way to the back to make room for his pain potion and broom, was a picture of himself and Ginny on a weekend. They were outside in the snow, Blaise standing and smiling, while Ginny wrapped both of her arms around his neck, looking adorable in hats and gloves, especially as the wind whipped the green and silver scarf around her neck. He sighed to himself, wondering how such an important picture was all the way in the back.
'You always push the important things back and it comes back to slap you in the face!' Ginny's statement echoed in his mind. She was completely and utterly right. Everything that he had, he was slowly losing, until the last thing--the most important, was the hardest. Finally cleaning up the area, he shrunk his trunk to the size of an owl cage and made it light so he could carry it.
Leaving the dungeons, he made his way slowly up the flights of stairs, perhaps his last time journeying up the enormous staircases of the wizarding school. As reached the fourth floor, to his own surprise, his girlfriend was walking out of the lavatory, wiping her eyes.
"Ginny!" The girl whirled around and spotted Blaise. Before she could run off, he walked over. She frowned and crossed her arms.
"I'm leaving." He said morosely. She instantaneously laughed. Blaise couldn't believe her. After as long as she had known him, she had known him never to kid around, and she was laughing at him!
"You're joking." She smiled joyously, actually believing what she had said. He shook his head and rattled his trunk.
"I've been expelled for hurting Nott." He said quietly. She stopped laughing and looked up at him with shaking breaths.
"You're being expelled---" She said to herself, unable to grasp it. "You deserve it." She said rudely, turning away from him.
"You'll never see me again." Blaise added.
"I don't care."
"I'll break up with you right now."
"Go right ahead."
"I'll sleep with fifty girls and mail you details."
"I won't answer my owls." She turned to face him defiantly. "I don't care about you anymore. I'm tired of you hurting me and I hope you hurt as much as I did." She said vehemently, turning on her heels.
"I'll be sorry for the rest of my life." Ginny crumbled. The girl had been so intent on walking away, leaving Blaise standing there with his trunk composing ways to make her come back, yet she had dissolved at the mention of an apology.
Blaise walked slowly over to where she had stopped and wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his trunk drop to the floor with a loud thud, and lay his head on her shoulder. "Will you ever forgive me, Ginny?"
"I--I can't, Blaise." She said softly, melting into him. He pressed his lips gently to her neck, murmuring against the soft skin.
"Yes you can. Just say you forgive me..." He spoke quietly, feeling her come undone in his arms. She dropped her head, letting her sleek hair fall over her face.
"I can't forgive you, Blaise." She shuddered softly. He bit her earlobe softly, pulling away from her.
"Fine." He said calmly, picking up his trunk. "I'll be in the Hospital Wing." He left Ginny standing in the hallway, looking distraught.
--
Arriving in the Hospital Wing, Blaise pulled a chair over to Theodore Nott's bed. He had fifteen minutes to spare and decided what to do with it.
"Nott, I know you can't hear me, but I'm sorry. Hell, I have a horrific temper, you've known that for all of my life. Remember when my mother threw that tea party when I was little so I could make friends? I was five, shit, I didn't want friends. I punched Crabbe in the face because he took one of the tea cakes off of my table..." He laughed to himself. "Theo, we used to be such good friends! What happened? I mean, yeah, I went--am going--ah, hell, I don't know. She hates me, Theo. But I love her so much--I just have to reign my temper."
Blaise sighed and let a few seconds pass before continuing. "If you ever wake up--ever, just know that I meant what I did. I hope you take it as a warning. But I'm sorry I had to do it--I'm sorry I was obligated to. I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for those comments, Nott. I'm truly sorry and hope one day you can forgive me."
At that moment, the Hospital Wing doors burst open to reveal Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall all arguing as Ginny followed them in and walked over.
"What's going on?" He asked her.
"Oh, Madam Pomfrey left the monitor on for Nott incase he wakes up and heard you apologizing, so they're taking a board vote on whether you should be expelled or not." She still held a look of disdain on her face, yet she was in front of him.
"Ginny, please, can't you--"
"Mister Zabini! Miss Weasley, my office, now!" The Headmaster exclaimed loudly over his colleagues' argument.
--
Arriving at the Headmaster's office, he saw that other teachers were there, such as Flitwick, Vector, Hagrid, Binns, and Sprout. Sitting in a chair, Blaise was quietly listening.
"We have heard your private apology to Mister Nott, Mister Zabini, and some of us take it seriously. So know, we will go around and cast votes whether or not you deserve to stay here." Blaise nodded and listened.
Flitwick was first. "I could never vote Blaise away. He's a wonderful charms student--perhaps the best male student we've had in a while. I do believe he was quite sincere, there would have been no one to lie to but himself." Blaise smiled at his professor and Vector spoke.
"You're a wonderful student, Blaise, but I do believe you are unjust with what you have done. School is a learning environment and if you cannot keep it safe, you have to be removed. I'm sorry." Blaise nodded understandingly.
"Well, er, don't really know 'im, but to me i' seemed rat'er irate to 'urt some'un because of wha' they said." Hagrid said. Blaise nodded, he had never taken Care of Magical Creatures, so he wouldn't know whether he would get along with Hagrid.
It was Professor Binns turn to speak. "Blaise, you've always been a prized student of mine. If you leave this school, I will never have anything to look forward to, other than little Hermione." He grinned. "You're in on my vote."
Sprout stood. It was completely up to Blaise's Herbology teacher. He suddenly wished that he was Neville Longbottom, who had a knack for plants. Sure, he had blown up a few things in Herbology class, but could Professor Sprout forgive that?
"Blaise, you've been quite the troublemaker. You know from some class lectures that I don't like fighting and I'm sorry for this..." Blaise froze. "Severus, I can't let the boy leave."
Ginny jumped up from her seat and hugged Blaise tightly, who was beaming happily.
"I thought you--" He started, but she quieted him.
"I forgive you." She was quietly, before kissing him chastely on the lips. "I'll help you unpack, come on." As Ginny attempted to followed Blaise, she stumbled out into the hallway, slamming harshly into the opposite wall, looking dazed and doubled over in pain.
"Ginny!" Blaise called out, bracing her slightly. "What's wrong?" She shook her head stupidly, tears in her eyes.
"I don't know what I was thinking..." She said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek. Blaise tilted her chin up.
"Ginny, what did you do?" He asked concernedly to her. "What's wrong? Please tell me what happened!" He exclaimed. She looked up at him.
"I--I took Hermione's pills." Blaise let go of her.
"Holy hell, Ginny! What were you thinking?" He asked, closing his eyes. He remembered those pills she had to take. There were about ten left. The Professors had rushed out into the hallway, muttering amongst themselves. Ginny slid down slowly against the wall.
"Ginny, let me help you..." Blaise attempted, to scoop her up, but she kicked out at him.
"No! Leave me alone!" She sobbed softly. "It's your fault! You and your fighting!" Blaise shook his head and knelt down.
"Ginny, if you don't let me help you, you're going to die."
"Like you care!" Blaise shrink back. What happened to forgiving him? Ignoring her, he took her into his arms, allowing her to kick and scream and slap and yell at him as he carried her to the Hospital Wing.
"Minerva," Professor Dumbledore called to the woman, "call the Weasleys here, now. Their daughter may be dying."
--
As Blaise made it to the Hospital Wing, Ginny's head lolled.
"Ginny!" He said softly to her, prodding her. Her eyes opened and she looked at him.
"I want to go to sleep--please, let me just go to sleep...I wanna die..." She said softly, pushing her eyes closed. Blaise shook her awake.
"Almost there, Ginny, it'll be okay. Hang on..." Pushing the door open, Blaise looked around. Draco was still supposed to be here---ugh, too much to worry about at the moment. Placing Ginny on a bed, Blaise briefed Madam Pomfrey on the situation.
"You all are such pains...just creating problems for me to fix, aren't you? The blonde boy already disappeared--"
"What?" Blaise exclaimed in surprised. Draco disappeared? But he could have--unless he found a way to brew the Dolattivone Potion. Nott lay a few beds away from Ginny, thank goodness.
"Not now, Mister Zabini, she can't stay here. We have to spell her and then take her to St. Mungos. Are her family members coming?" Blaise nodded as Ginny lay there. Just then, the question was self answered, as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with the twin walked in, Mrs. Weasley rushing over to the Slytherin.
"Dearie, what's wrong?" Blaise sighed softly.
"She overdosed on Hermione's pain pills." The Weasley twins shook their heads.
"Nonsense." They announced together, giving Blaise a distrustful look.
"There's no way--"Fred started.
George continued, "--that Ginny takes pills--"
"--that aren't hers."
"She's a neat freak!" George finished.
"Why would I lie? She took the pills from Hermione's room. She took them all--all ten...it was my fault--I should have never--" Mrs. Weasley put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"The only way it could be your fault is that you gave them to her or watched her do it. Did you?" She asked to prove him. He shook his head. "Exactly, so don't blame yourself."
Blaise shook his head to himself and sat beside Ginny's bed, holding her hand. "But I made her hate me, which made her not want to live--Mrs. Weasley, that's all she was saying on the way up here, 'let me go to sleep, I wanna die...' She's breaking my heart!" He exclaimed, clenching her hand softly, and raising it to his lips, kissing her hand softly.
There was silence as spells were cast over Ginny's still body by the nurse, the twins watching interestedly, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley watching worriedly. Finally, when she finished, she turned.
"We need to get her to St. Mungo's. She should be conscious in a few minutes, prod her every now and then. And you, Mister Zabini, please try to stay out of here." He smiled, picking Ginny up carefully.
--
They had to walk off of the grounds. Blaise was ahead, because the Weasleys hung back allowing him to talk with their half-conscious daughter. The path was slightly worn, the cobblestones becoming uneven as they walked down the hill.
"Ginny.." Blaise said softly, prodding the girl. Her brown eyes half opened.
"Leave me alone...I'm dying--so close, leave me alone." She said quietly, her eyes looking far away.
"Ginny, you're talking nonsense!" Blaise insisted, shaking her softly. She turned her head to face him and glare.
"It's your fault, Blaise. You made me hate you and all I lived for was you...You broke my heart." She said softly, but cruelly.
"I apologized, Ginny, I apologized over and over again! You said you forgave me...what is there? How many times am I going to have to apologize to you for that?" Her eyes met his in a cool clash as she spoke calmly.
"Until it's the last word you've ever spoken." After saying that, Ginny wouldn't answer him, but she turned away from his gaze and watched the ground pass under his feet. Blaise watched her sadly, as he continued. The Weasleys looked on in sadness.
"I hope the pills haven't made her delusional as well..." Molly Weasley said to herself. Arthur clasped her hands.
"She'll be okay." He said comfortingly, walking slowly. The twins were quiet, most likely unable to find humor in the situation. Reaching the gates of Hogwarts, Blaise pushed them open and walked out, waiting for the Weasleys. When they stopped beside him, they clutched his hands and apparated alongside him.
--
After putting Ginny in a room, the Weasleys and Blaise sat outside while the medi-wizards and medi-witch sucked the chemicals out of her stomach, a gruesome procedure. Molly looked to Blaise, who was watching the door for any sign of movement. Doctors were slowly filing out, with happy looks, hinting she was alive. So, now less worried, the Weasleys waited.
"Are you all right?" Molly asked the dark haired boy. He shook his head, standing up.
"I shouldn't be here." He said to himself. He began to walk down the hallway, hearing the Weasleys' gasp as someone wrapped their arms around him from behind. He looked down at the small, pale hands that he had held in his own only a few moments ago.
"Ginny?" He questioned. The girl let go of him but only to hug him the right way. "Ginny, I--"
"No, it's my fault. The doctors said those pills made me suicidal because, well, that's how she got half of the Dolattivone Potion. I'm so sorry, Blaise. Please don't leave." She said softly. He smiled knowingly, leaning down and kissing her softly.
"It's all right." He said quietly with a smile on his face. Molly's face split into a wide grin at seeing her daughter awake and happy. She half turned.
"Mum, we're going back! See you!" Ginny called to her mother. Blaise let go of her hands.
"Go talk to your mother, I'll see you at school." The boy nodded, pushing Ginny toward her mother.
--
Ginny embraced her parents as she walked over and allowed the twins to hug her as well.
"Ginny, we were so worried about you! What in the world were you thinking, girl?" Molly scolded, but holding Ginny close to her all the same. Ginny smiled.
"I don't even know anymore, mum. " The redheaded girl said softly. Her mother smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek affectionately.
"One thing is certain, that charming boy was very worried about you. Blaise? Your boyfriend, you said?" Ginny blushed and nodded. "Dearie, you never told me what House he was in!"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, mum. He's in Slytherin." Molly's face fell pale. Ginny looked up at her mother, her expression changing from a smile to a frown.
"Mum--"
"Ginny, do you know how dangerous it is?" The girl nodded slowly. "And you'd still love him, even if I told you the worst about him?" Ginny nodded again, her head bowed shamefully. Her mother tilted her head up and kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Then he's perfect." She said, Ginny hugging her mother tightly. Arthur took her hands as well.
"Just don't get hurt, dear. There's a tip about student Death Eaters and an attack soon...We've got heavy guards and everyone's afraid that they'll break it..." Ginny nodded.
"We'll apparate you, Ginny!" The twins chorused. Grabbing their sister's hand, the three Weasleys apparated.
--
After the twins left Ginny, she spotted Blaise up ahead of her and ran over to him.
"Blaise!" She said excitedly, swinging her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. He grinned and walked a bit slower so she could keep up with his long strides. It was silent again, like the way down to the Hospital Wing, Blaise and Ginny's hands laced together cutely.
Pushing the doors open, the hallways were barren. Ginny and Blaise ignored this, assuming classes were on and walked up to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey was talking in hushed tones.
"What's going on?" Blaise asked, allowing Ginny to sit on a bed. The nurse looked hollow eyed.
"Oh, Miss Weasley, the second green potion on the left with your name on it is yours." Ginny obediently grabbed it as the medi-witch turned to Blaise.
"Mister Zabini, since the blonde boy disappeared, strange things have been going on. A corridor in the Gryffindor Wing has a drawing of the Dark Mark and the Hufflepuff Table had You-Know-Who's name burned into it. Professor Dumbledore put everyone on house arrest and I'm afraid you can't leave the wing as of now."
"But Madam Pomfrey, where did he go?"
"Supposedly, he was transported along with Hermione to the second phase of the Dolattivone Potion. We had barely enough time before to rack her brain for the memory of it." The nurse said tiredly. Blaise nodded and returned worriedly to Ginny.
"Draco's gone along with Hermione somehow to the second form of the potion and now the school's in danger. You know what, we've got to find the Pensieve of her first form, they got it from her." The Slytherin told her softly, as so Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear him. Ginny nodded and opened her mouth to talk but didn't.
"Do you hear that?" She said quietly, as a low rumbling was heard. A Ravenclaw shrieked loudly and ran away from the window she was standing in front of as that whole wall blew up. Blaise stepped in front of Ginny, before falling over from the debris rocketing forward from the explosion.
Slowly, the dust cleared. People stood up confusedly, minor scrapes and cuts. Madam Pomfrey was terrifed, looking out of a hole in the wall at a swarm of black hooded Death Eaters storming in. The door was thrown open by Dumbledore.
"We're in war, Poppy!" He exclaimed. A groan was heard and Dumbledore stepped over a fallen piece of rubble and moved it with his wand, revealing the bruised face of Ginny Weasley. "Professor..." She got out slowly, pulling herself to her feet. "What's happened?"
"Miss Weasley, Death Eaters have stormed the school. Keep up your guard." She nodded slowly, before turning back to the rubble. A large pile lay besides where she had been.
Carefully pulling rocks away from it, she uncovered a head of dark hair with blood oozing from it. She screamed loudly. Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore rushed over, with Pomfrey taking Ginny away from the gruesome sight. The head was speared on one of the legs of a hospital bed.
Ginny turned into Madam Pomfrey's shoulder and sobbed loudly. "Blaise!" She exclaimed loudly. She shrieked loudly again and again until her voice collapsed as she slid to the floor in pain.
"There's another body here, Poppy. And they both look exactly like Blaise Zabini." The nurse walked over.
"Terry Boot was here not a long while ago, they both have a striking resemblance to each other." Ginny couldn't believe it. How do you confuse two students?
--
In the Entrance Hall, all hell was loose. The hallway was swarmed with Death Eaters and students battling, curses, hexes, and spells shot from every direction possible. Loud crashes and other deafening sounds were occurring around them, but no one could really stop to pay attention. A little further away, on the first floor, Ron and Pansy dueled three Death Eaters.
"Impedimenta!" Pansy cried to one of them, affectively slowing the use of their wand, before making an 'x' with her wand and exclaiming, "Flagrate!" A shot of fire shaped as an 'x' sailed across the fabric, the Death Eater slowly trying to put it out, but failing and collapsing, a burn mark sizzling flesh.
"Locomotor Mortis!" Ron snapped twice in succession, effectively stopped two Death Eaters. In thought with Ron, Pansy shot the spell at him. "Aguamenti!" At the same time, the redhead's spell faced the two leg-locked Death Eaters. "Relashio!" The water combining with the spark of his wand caused a jet of hot water to spew out. They fell backwards, Pansy turning away into Ron's arms as their legs snapped straight through from the intense pressure from the water jets.
"It's okay. Come on, even if we hate him at the moment, we have to make sure Harry's all right." Clasping her hand, they ran from the first floor and made their way up. The Death Eaters had only gotten as far as the fifth floor and skipped the ones below, so the only safe places were Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers, as well as the Hufflepuff Commons. No one really dared finding or hiding in the Slytherin Commons at a time as such.
Finally making it to the Tower, the door was flung open to reveal Harry at Theodore Nott's wand level. The boy's Death Eater mask lay beside his feet, his robe long and flowing.
"An audience, Potter? You've helped me well, and now to cover tracks." Ron drew his wand and pointed it at Nott's back.
"Avada Kedavra!" He cried out, Nott falling forward onto Harry. "Are you all right?" Harry stared shockingly at Ron.
"You saved me and killed him--" Ron shook his head.
"Not now, I guess we'll have to patch up for now, but we're definitely talking about it when it's the right time." He said, helping Harry up and walking out.
--
That was it. Professor Dumbledore had distinguished the features. Standing to an upright position, he held the other badly bruised boy carefully and knelt with his body slowly beside Ginny, surprising strength for an old man.
"Miss Weasley..." He said softly, laying the body over her lap as she sobbed quietly. "It's Mister Zabini." Let out a loud cry, Ginny bent herself over the unconscious body, grateful that he wasn't dead, but still upset that he wasn't awake. "The other was Terry Boot. We're sorry for that. Quick, now. We have got to move you to safety."
Ginny and Professor Dumbledore, who carried Blaise, placed a disillusionment charm on themselves as they made it up to the seventh floor. Entering the Gryffindor Common Room, he suspected many students were in dormitories.
"Miss Weasley, I have to go. I wish I could stay with you and Mister Zabini, but I've got things to take care of." He left the Common Room and Blaise stirred slightly. Ginny waited. Finally, ruggedly, the dark haired Slytherin sat up and looked around.
"Ginny--" He was cut off painfully as Ginny practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around the dark haired Slytherin and sobbing softly. He had various scrapes and gashes, which he plainly ignored.
"Oh Blaise...don't ever do that again..." She said tearfully. Blaise kissed her quickly, before standing.
"Look, Ginny, we've got to get that memory." She nodded and stood with him. "Let's go."
After leaving the Gryffindor Common Room, it was easier to reach Professor Dumbledore's office because it was on the seventh floor as well. Reaching the giant door, Blaise spoke clearly, "Butterscotch." The gargoyle sprung aside, revealing the elevator-like staircase that Ginny and Blaise stood on.
No one was in the office but them, so they took different sides to search for the pensive. Finally, Ginny uncovered it from a secret drawer underneath the desk and set it on the table with a thump. Both of them touched it, before being pulled inside.
--
Blaise and Ginny stood behind Hermione, who looked around worriedly. The surrounding was a barren dirt field, windy and cold. It was dark out, but the moon was giving ample light.
"Pansy? Pansy! Blaise, Ginny, Draco! Harry--Ron..." She dropped to her knees, unable to find anyone she was familiar with. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard, when Blaise saw a mirror of himself. The boy watched Hermione rushed towards him excitedly, but pensive Blaise caught Hermione by her neck. She struggled and kicked her feet.
"Blaise--stop--I can't breathe--" She choked out, but the boy didn't seem to be listening. Another loud noise brought Pansy forward, who stood beside pensive Blaise and grinned. Hermione reached one of the hands that was pulling at Blaise's reached out at her, but the woman smiled viciously. Pensive Blaise finally tossed her to the ground and Pensive Pansy raised her wand to the little girl.
"Crucio!" Tears slid from the five-year-old eyes, as she convulsed on the ground.
"Stop!" A voice cried. "Leave her alone!" Pensive Ginny rushed towards Pensive Pansy and set the curse off its path. Pensive Ginny stood straight. "Leave it to me." Pointing her wand at Hermione, she pressed it to her throat. "Sectumsempra!"
Hermione's neck gruesomely split open and she screamed loudly, blood bubbling sickeningly at the wound. Ginny turned to Blaise and wrapped her arms around him, unable to watch. Pensive Ginny repeated the curse to Hermione's stomach, her neck sealing up but blood smearing as Pansy kicked her boredly.
"Stop it! Please stop it, this isn't real!" She exclaimed. "You'd never do this to me! It's not real, it's not possible!" And then, slowly, Hermione disappeared.
--
Back in the Headmaster's office, Ginny sobbed in Blaise's arms. "How could she go through that?" The girl cried softly.
"Blaise, that was horrible. Who knows what's going on right now as we sit here? She and Draco won't be able to fight this off--you know Hermione didn't even get to heal, all they did was take her memory...they have no recollection of exactly how it works because all of the victims--they die."
Blaise held her until she ceased crying and stood up. "We've got to go wait out the Hospital Wing for Draco to come back. Hell, Dumbledore brought us away from there because it isn't safe, but we have to let them know what happens before they walk out into it." Ginny took Blaise's hand and together, they exited the Headmaster's office, but it wasn't safe anymore.
Chapter 18: Doloroso
Quick Note: All of the spells used are real spells, gathered from the HP Encyclopedia. Doloroso means pain in Italian, the (dol) of the Dolattivone Potion.
