Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other character in the books.

Chapter Four: Tic Tac

One Week Later

Ginny was sitting in a corner of the dungeon with her chin over her knees. She was throwing a little rock to the air and catching it again. She did not know who much time she had spent in there, to her it felt like forever. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, she looked up and like she had done in the previous days she remembered the sweet moments of the past. The pranks with Fred and George, the stupid argues with Ron, the speeches from Percy that she tried so hard to stay focused but it did no good, she always fell asleep, the secrets between her and Bill and the jokes with Charlie, then it came the memories of Harry, Hermione, all her other friends, the teachers and Hogwarts. And that was how she spent her days, remembering and listening to the ocean.

Two Weeks

The memories were not sweet anymore. It was Professor Snape that always found a way of giving her a P even if her potion was perfect, it was the Slytherins always mocking her because she was poor, it was Ron that would not let her have her own life, it was Harry that did not seem to see her, and the most painful memory: Tom. Tom, the one she had trusted her innocence, the one she had told all her secrets, Tom who she thought was so pretty, caring and sweet. Tom had those warm blue eyes. He was her best friend. But then the warmth become coldness, he did not listen anymore, he would suck the words out of her, sucking her life with each word, he would control her. She could not get away anymore, he became a part of her, a voice inside her mind, he was the eyes that followed her everywhere, no one saw him mas she knew he was there waiting for the best moment to come out of the shadows.

A water drop fell on the floor of the dungeon, it seemed the tic tac of a clock. Ginny wanted to scream, she had so many things inside her mind, so many evil voices that made her almost go insane. She got up from the corner she used to seat and started wandering around the dungeon. The sound of the sea seemed to have died, only that ping ping of the water falling onto the floor occupied her ears like this strident torture.

One Month

Ginny walked from one side to the other without stopping. She would talk alone, nonsense things, then she screamed and kicked the wall, she sat on the floor and started balancing her body to the front and to the back until she got up and started walking again, talking to herself, then stopping and screaming, kicking hard the wall and sitting, to the front and to the back, getting up, walking, talking, stopping, screaming, kicking, sitting balancing... in a vicious and agonizing cycle.

Two Months

Ginny dove her nails into her skin and screamed not because of physical pain but trying desperately to find a way out of that pain inside her, that emptiness and that silence that was suffocating her.

The dungeon was smelling like crap, there were blood stains, food and pieces of Ginny's clothes everywhere.

Ginny stopped screaming. Her body was mutilated, full of scratches so deep that they were bleeding, but who cared? The memories made it all much worse. Tom had once again taken over her, that shadow that had remained inside her, hidden deep down her, in the viscera of her soul, was back. Those cruel blue eyes, the dark hair, the pale and strong hands holding her, sucking life out of her. It was all in her mind but it was as if it was really happening. She had reached a state where reality and imagination became one.

"You're alone Ginny, I am your only company!" he whispered in her ear. Then he looked her in the eyes almost freezing her. He was holding her in a way she thought her bones were going to break. And the eyes changed, became a gray equally cold, the hair became silver blond and the face hardened, it was no longer a boy's face but a man's. It was still pale and it was still strong. She tried to get away but the evil look made her weak.

"You're alone Weasley, I am your only company!" this time the voice were not Tom's, it was a stronger voice and not the snakelike voice from the dark haired boy. Ginny screamed and cried. He caressed her face, cleaning one of her tears with his cold finger. Ginny stopped screaming and opened the eyes she had not even noticed she had closed.

"Loneliness, Weasley, can kill you!" Draco Malfoy murmured staring at her. Ginny did not speak and got away from him. She leaned against a wall, in the usual corner, below the window. She tried to cover herself, she did not want to see him or let him see her.

"You cannot run away from me Weasley!"

Ginny remained quiet. She stood there sitting on the floor, with her arms around her legs waiting for him to go away. But he did not leave, he sat by her side and looked at her coldly and she could swear he had that usual evil smirk in his lips.

In the other side of the dungeon, in the darkest corner, the same cold gray eyes gazed at her, examining and an evil smile appeared in the lips of the man that was leaned against the wall.

'You are three steps from the edge and there is still no one to get you...' Draco thought smirking.