"I'll show you Weasley. I'll be your first... That was delicious."
With a scream Ginny jumped out of bed and searched the room for Malfoy. No one was there. She did not even know where there was. Ginny glanced down and realised she was still wearing her dress from the ball last night.
Last night.
Ginny promptly changed her train of thought. She didn't want to believe last night had even happened. A change of clothes, that is what she needs. And then, there on the bedside table appeared a comfortable looking pair of jeans and a plain green t-shirt.
This room is weird, she thought to herself but reached for her new clothes and continued to change none the less.
*
Hermione sat in her favourite cushioned chair in the common room, closest to the fire. This was a benefit of being an early riser on a Saturday, pick of all the chairs in the common room.
She sat waiting for Ginny, who had asked for help on her transfiguration paper and Hermione insisted getting an early start on it. However Hermione had been sat, flicking through her papers from the previous year waiting for the redhead for 30 minutes already.
What is taking her so long? She wondered to herself.
With a sigh Hermione pulled herself out of the most comfortable chair and started regrettably towards the girl's third year dormitory. She hated having to do this. Ginny was not a morning person, but that had been Hermione's only condition to help with this twelve foot paper due on Wednesday. After all, she would be busy in the afternoon helping Harry with the tournament.
Harry.
She was so scared for him, no matter how hard he had already worked, he was going to have to work even harder to keep up with the seventh years.
She reached the third year dormitory and knocked before peering around the door. Ginny's bed had the curtains open and the covers undisturbed. That was strange, she never made her bed in the morning. Hermione looked around the room and saw Ginny's room mate Helen already up.
"Morning Helen, sorry, you wouldn't happen to know where Ginny is, would you?" she asked politely to the girl reading a Quibbler curled up in a ball on the rug next to her bed.
"Nope," she popped her lips on the p. "She never came in last night, think she went off with Malfoy, you know. Dancing with her at the end of the night. I never really picked her for the sort-a girl who'd stay out all night. Especially with Malfoy," Helen rattled off.
Hermione stood rooted to the spot. With Malfoy. Ginny had spent the night... with Malfoy.
Ron. She needed to get Ron. Ron and Harry. Now.
"T-thanks." She mumbled and quickly rushed down the girls stairs, breaking into a run when she reached the boy's stairs, pausing only to hit the door a few times before bursting in and heading straight to Ron's bunk. No matter what argument they had gotten into last night, this was more important. She pushed aside his curtain and hold of his shoulders.
"Ron! Ron, wake up please!" She shook his fervently. "Ron!"
"'Mione?" he mumbled. "It's Saturday, Hermione, I don't wanna get up yet."
"Ron!" she whispered into his ear. "Ginny's been out all night! With Malfoy!"
It was lucky Hermione lifted her head away from his when she did, otherwise she would have no teeth left with the speed Ron sat up.
"Get Harry up and meet me downstairs," she pushed herself away from Ron's bed and moved towards the door, without looking back. "Two minutes, Ron!"
*
Ginny left the strange room in her borrowed clothes, her dress tucked under her arm and hurried through the castle as fast as possible, not wanting to see anybody, avoiding eye contact and keeping her head down. It was working for the most part too.
Until she reached the fifth floor and saw Malfoy at the other end of the corridor, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. They paused as they made eye contact. Ginny was again the first to break the stare, the first to hesitantly take a step backwards. But one lazy flick of his wand and she could no longer move.
He strolled slowly towards her and Malfoy's face split into that smirk. The one burned into her memory. He stopped once there was no longer any space between the two of them. His eyes burned into her and she wished she could look away.
"Morning Weaslette," he said brightly. "I had fun last night, did you?"
Ginny shivered, feeling sick to her stomach. Those cold grey eyes not leaving hers for a second. Malfoy leaned forward, pausing when his nose touched hers. His tongue left his lips and traced the outline of hers. Ginny felt herself dry heave.
Oh please, not again. Please. Ginny could feel the sting of tears forming.
However, the Slytherin straightened up. His eyes still had not left Ginny's.
"Now let's get one thing straight, Weaslette," his voice cold, but that evil smile remained on his face. "You tell one single person about this," he paused. "Actually maybe you should talk to the mudblood, she'll love that conversation."
He winked perversely at her.
"But if you tell anyone else, you family...they die." The smile finally left his face. "Your brothers, your father, you filthy mother. All of them die."
A flick of his wand and Ginny crumpled to the floor.
"See you soon," he whispered sinisterly.
Ginny kept herself together, walked a few stepped towards the fake tapestry she knew to be by her Charms classroom. Pulled it closed behind her. All before breaking down completely. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her face buried in her knees.
Ginny could no longer move. She could not do anything but cry.
And eventually pass out.
Hermione paced the common room, waiting for the boys.
She couldn't think properly, which for Hermione was an oddity. But she was too worried,worried for Ginny. "Think she went off with Malfoy, you know." Helen's words repeated over in her mind. Not Ginny. Please, not Ginny.
Ron and Harry chose that moment to race down the stairs. Ron's face although blank and impassive to any others, Hermione however not only recognised the anxiety on his face but noticed the back of his jaw twitch. Ron was furious.
Harry's face was always easier to read, his expression outwardly read fear and concern. If Harry was worried Hermione knew she had every reason to be scared. Both looked straight past her and hurried towards the portrait hole.
"Hey! Guys, wait!" she yelled after them. "We don't even know where she is!"
"Yes we do Hermione," Ron turned to her and thrust the Marauder's Map in her face. She did not take it personally, but she did catch his fist before it returned to his side.
"You're going to tear it," she whispered gently. Carefully she unravelled his fist and removed the map before finally giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Hermione kept her face blank whilst Ron stared at her softly.
"Sorry," he mumbled quietly.
"Ahem." Harry had tactfully turned away. "So Ginny's on the fourth floor, in the passage way that leads to Charms."
He carried on walking expecting the two to follow. Hermione dropped Ron's hand and continued to walk avoiding Ron's face. Ron stood still for a few paces then jogged to catch up to his friends, his impassive and worried expression placed back onto his features.
They rushed silently together towards Ginny. The castle was always relatively empty at this time of the morning, but even more so considering the Yule Ball was last night. It was eerily quiet. Hermione's ramblings stopped right then, because the two boys in front of her stopped also.
Ginny looked so small and fragile, curled into a ball. Hermione's heart broke for her. They all watched her for a moment silently. Before Hermione could suggest if they should wake her Harry had taken the decision out of her hands. He leant down and scooped Ginny into his arms, staring down at her.
"Where shall we take her?" Two blank looks replied. "Well, if she – if something happened... Then we can't exactly talk about it in the common room."
"Room of requirement?" suggested Ron.
And they walked again. Harry was panting by the time they reached the room, trying not to jostle the redhead in his arms. Ron walked back and forth the wall three times before a wall appeared. The door opened to a room similar to the common room they had previously left, only in this one, a bed was in the centre of the room.
Harry walked forward and gently placed Ginny on the bed, led her down and wrapped her in the blanket.
"What if its... What – what if he..." Hermione trailed off before breaking into sobs, which finally made Harry draw his eyes away from Ginny's still form. He glanced over to Ron to see his reaction, however Ron was staring into the fire, his back to room. Harry got up from the edge of the bed and approached Hermione before placing his hand on her shoulder. She flinched away from him. Harry's heart dropped.
"Sorry," he raised his two hands in clear sight before spreading his arms wide.
"Harry." she threw her arms around his waist and nestled her face into his neck, tears dampening his shoulder.
"Shush, it's okay," he mumbled softly to her. "We're here, me and Ron are here, nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe." Harry very rarely pitied Hermione, she was in Gryffindor for a reason, and one of the bravest people Harry knew. Seeing her so depleted made his stomach sink. "You're safe," he repeated. Slowly her crying stopped and her body stilled. She pulled herself away from him but one arm tight around his waist. Harry's arm also stayed around her shoulders, offering as much comfort as possible. They both turned and watched Ron slowly brush hair back from Ginny's face.
*
"I'll show you Weasley."
Ginny's nightmare was terribly confusing. The face in front of her morphed from Malfoy's to a dark figure she could barely see. A strange whispering accompanied this dark shape, before;
"That was delicious."
A scream tore from Ginny's already sore throat.
"Ginny?"
Another scream, this time cut short by a hand clamping over her mouth. The fear froze her for one short second and then she hit out. This wasn't happening again.
"Ouch! G- ouch! Ginny, ow! Stop!" she recognised that voice.
"Harry?" it was dark and she couldn't see anything. "Harry? Is that you?"
"Yeah, gods Gin, where'd you learn to hit like that that?!" he chuckled. "Hold on," he leant behind him and switched on a lamp next to the bed. Bed?
"Where are we?" Ginny asked, the room looked similar to Gryffindor's common room, only smaller less arm chairs. In front of her at the end of the bed opposite a small fireplace sat a sofa on which Hermione and Ron had curled up together on.
"They're sleeping," Harry said fondly, staring at them with a small smile on his face. Ginny could definitely see why. Ron had his arms wrapped protectively around Hermione, whilst she rested her head on his chest. They looked extremely comfortable with each other thought Ginny. She glanced around the room once more and caught Harry watching her.
"What?" she asked defensively.
"Are you okay?" the concern in his voice caught Ginny off guard and she relaxed slightly.
"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Harry carefully studied her for a few moments before slowly leaning towards her.
"Ginny, what happened? And before you say nothing, we know you stayed out all night with Malfoy. Did – what happened, Gin?" He watched her intently, she flinched when he mentioned Malfoy's name. Something must have happened and he hoped to God he was just thinking the worst.
Ginny felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. She could tell Harry... Right now... She could tell him and he would help her.
No. At the back of her mind, a voice spoke that sounded suspiciously familiar. You do that and you kill your family. Steel entered Ginny's spine and she straightened herself up. She needed to stop being that little girl who needed protecting. She could protect herself. Ginny could do that for once. Besides, Malfoy said I could talk to Hermione. Why? She was not sure. But Hermione was allowed.
"I'm fine Harry, nothing happened. Why d'you care anyway? You've never paid much attention before." That stung. Harry knew he deserved it,he hadn't really thought much about Ginny, apart from her being Ron's little sister.
But, when he saw her curled up into a ball... She looked so small, so fragile. She looked broken. And something inside Harry snapped. He wanted to pick her up and run away from everything. Was that so bad? He only wanted to help, and she wouldn't let him. So Harry did the only thing he could think of.
"He raped you, didn't he?"
