Face down in the dirt,

she says, "This doesn't hurt."

"Face Down" The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

All at once the words were out of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying. "CRUCIO!"

But she knew what she was saying.

She knew what she was doing.

Her wand was pointed at him. It was sick how she didn't feel anything. Or maybe she just couldn't bring herself to feel anything...

It was one of those surreal moments. She couldn't hear his screams, but she knew he was doing it. She knew he was shrieking in pain- she could see it. Suddenly, she took off the spell as if on command. Which it was, when it all came down to it. She tried to reassure herself. If he were in her position, he'd do the same to her. The thought killed her, though. Would he? Would he really? Suddenly she wasn't so sure...

His words, "Do whatever you have to," rang in her ears. The forceful tone and cool gray eyes. Just in that moment he looked up at her with that mocking defiance from where he had collapsed on the ground. He stood, up, brushing off his robes. He was wandless, but still he showed no trace of fear. How could she do this? More questionably, why didn't he do anything back? He was by far more powerful than her. For now, at least. True. He didn't have a wand. He could still attempt some form of wandless magic, though. Her heart nearly stopped. She had told herself she wouldn't. What was she turning into? She heard the sickly high-pitched hissing voice, and wanted all at that moment to destroy it. Turn her wand at that throat. "Finish it." Was this his punishment, or hers?

She couldn't, but knew very well she could. She wouldn't, didn't want to.

Carrie's eyes snapped open, not recognizing her surroundings at first. It took her a few moments to realize she was in the Gryffindor Dorm room. She had the sudden irrational expectation that she was going to open up her eyes to the Slytherin Dungeons. God this place was bad for her. She shouldn't be here, but being out there would be possibly worse. She got up quietly and moved in a phantom-like way out the door. No sound came as her feet hit the ground.

I have to meet with Dumbledore tomorrow, she thought to herself, her subconscious giving her reminders to bribe her thoughts away from that. She found her way to a back staircase that was very often used, and halted very briefly at the top before making her way down. She rested her thin-fingered hand on the banister and noticed in a rather detached way that it was shaking uncontrollably. She looked down at herself and realized she was shaking as well. Not just her hand.

Disconcerting as it was- or would have been- she found she didn't quite care much. The most she gave to herself was mild interest. She would have continued to travel down the stairs, but her legs threatened to collapse beneath her. She sat down on one of the steps to save herself the embarrassment. She rested her crossed arms over her knees as she stared out the dank window opposite the staircase.

She suddenly realized, after traveling this unused route many times, something she never had before. She could make out the stained glass figures in the decrepit thing underneath the many layers of dust. It pictured a badger, a snake, a lion, and a raven, but not in the usual Hogwarts coat of arms. It wasn't just that, though. Something else was different that she couldn't place her finger on at first. They all looked so serene. Not angry or competitive towards each-other, but perfectly content with one another. Carrie laughed derisively. How ironic.

She nearly jumped when she saw a shadow below her, but quickly calmed herself. The movement she heard wasn't like how the teachers moved, and it seemed almost sneaky. So apparently they didn't want to get caught any more than she did. Which meant neither had anything over the other, so she stayed put. When she saw the light catch blond hair and glint up to her, it gave her incentive to move, but it would be much too late. She stayed where she was instead, but didn't bother to turn her gaze.

She heard the footsteps falter and pause, then the predictable drawling voice. She nearly rolled her eyes at it.

"Oh look, it's little Carrie...come back to school, have we?" he began, his gray eyes bright with a sort of mocking amusement.

Carrie pulled out her wand in a swift but lazy movement. Her dark eyes flashed. "Sure. Something like that," she answered, standing up so she was at eye level with him.

He watched her movement and smirked darkly. "You don't actually think that I'd be afraid of a little Gryffindor, do you?"

"You'd be afraid of a lot of things," she said, her voice doused in venom, and her smile fake. "Don't think that I don't know you better."

Draco's face became serious and his eyes menacing. He moved closer, but not so they were touching. Just enough so she'd back away from him and into the banister. "And the same for you. But while you're here, don't do anything that might give anyone reason to, let's say, cut your stay here short?"

"Charmed," Carrie responded, going to slip out from between Malfoy and the staircase railing. His hand reached out and stopped her. Once again he was careful not to touch her, he merely brought out his hand and placed it in front of her.

"We both know what you're capable of. I haven't seen much of you since you came back, but this 'I actually have morals and wouldn't kill anyone in cold blood' act that I've seen so far is beginning to grind on my nerves. To each is their own, I suppose. So if you get a kick out of it, keep it up. It might be worth a laugh when the Gryffindors finally figure you out...if they're even that smart, though they should eventually," His eyes met hers, and she wouldn't look away. She was much too- not proud, but stubborn, maybe. He was right. No word he said was a lie. However much she wished it was...

She took a deep breath, preparing for a comeback, but changed her mind. "...bite me, Malfoy," she responded. It was a rather weak response, but it was good to say to make the conversation end that much quicker.

Draco laughed derisively. "I'd rather pass on that." He moved his hand out of the way and opened his arm to let her pass.

Carrie shoved past him, waving sarcastically at him. "Don't forget you know what I'm capable of," she said added with a smirk, ensuring herself to have the last word. No way would she let him get it in.

Carrie made her way into the Gryffindor Common Room, trying to ignore the burning in her arm. She gathered her class supplies and her bag and went to breakfast, taking her sweet time as she walked down the still-empty corridor. No other student was up at this hour, and she wouldn't have been surprised if she ran into a house-elf.

She stumbled over herself as she had quickened her pace, she heard a snicker coming from her right. She turned and sighed, "Yeah, Evlyn. My lack of coordination is really damn funny, isn't it?" Her voice was lightly sarcastic, but at the same time, also amused at herself.

"Well, it made my day," she answered smugly, falling into step beside Carrie.

"And you're up at this hour stalking in the shadows, because...?" Carrie asked, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest, with a mock look of suspicion.

Evlyn shrugged. "Couldn't sleep...thinking about messing with some first years, but there weren't any," she sighed in a bored way that told Carrie she really was disappointed that she hadn't had any chance to mess with the younger students. ...Same old Evlyn. "So, what about you?"

"Same...couldn't sleep...," she responded, not looking at her and quickening her pace.

"Couldn't, or didn't want to?" Evlyn asked, eyeing her suspiciously, and quickening her pace to keep up. "What's all the rush about?"

"Nothing," she said, slowing down again, "I-uh- I just don't know..."

"I've known you your entire life," she said softly, "And never once have a heard you at a loss for words...There is something very very wrong." Evlyn stood still, grabbing hold of Carrie's shoulder and looking her firmly in the eye. "Is there anyone you want me to kill for you?" she said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. But there was something else there, a sinister edge to her eye and voice.

"Voldemort," she responded softly and acidly, "can you kill him for me?"

"I can't answer that question," Evlyn said, "Because to do so would be to ask for death...especially as a Slytherin."

"You're right. I'm as good as dead anyway, though."

"Don't say that," Evlyn said harshly, "Don't ever say that. Much less to me. God. Do you know how fucking insane I've been going stuck with all these other students? Most ignorant people, ever. They don't care about anything except for themselves," she cut herself short as she realized what she was doing. How she was about to go off on a rant about a touchy subject with the only person that she had ever called a friend. There were differences between herself and Carrie, she knew. Carrie could kill without a second thought, or she could at one time. Or was that even true? Maybe she did have second thoughts. Maybe every time she held her wand and said that lethal incantation, maybe she was killing a part of herself. Herself...she didn't know where to start. She'd mask some parts, the more sentimental parts. The part that wrote poetry and hated herself, and was disappointed with the world. The part that cried at night, not out of self pity but out of frustration with everything and everyone- the Death Eaters especially. Though even her friend had been a part of that at one point. With other things, she didn't mind saying what was what or telling people what she believed in. They were different in a sense...her mask was her guard, and the other piece of herself didn't need a guard. It was strong, not weak.

"I'm sorry," Carrie responded, dark eyes meeting gray ones. Gray eyes that reflected like a soft metal; aluminum rather than steel.

"Damn. That's the first time I ever heard you say sorry. You're all full of surprises today, aren't you?" Then they both laughed. It was irrational but at the same time the most rational thing that could be done. Half hysterical laughter that they had actually seen each other again. More surprising that they had actually seen each other again alive.

Ginny's eyes snapped open and she sat up. She was the first one awake in the 5th year Girls' Dorms by far, but it wasn't really early, either. Her skin was damp from sweat, and her fiery red hair was clinging to her forehead and the back of her neck in an uncomfortable way. She grabbed a hair-tie off of the dresser and brushed her hair into a messy pony tail. She walked down to the common rooms to find a disgruntled Harry and Ron and a decently perky Hermione.

She raised an eyebrow, noticing that they all seemed to be wearing the same clothes from the other day.

"We basically had to pull an all-nighter," Hermione said, her voice on-edge like that of a person who had drunk one too many caffeinated beverages. "They had been goofing off and putting off their homework, as usual, and I just remembered about this long essay Professor Binns assigned."

"We just got back to school, how does Binns get off on assigning essays this early?" Ginny asked incredulously, and then seemed to notice Hermione for the first time. "Did you all sleep down here?!"

"Oh god, no," Hermione said, "We've all had a few hours of sleep in our dorms, but I made them wake up early so I could proofread their work." Ginny nodded, trying to follow Hermione's very un-Hermione-like hyper tense voice.

"So," she continued, eyes still wide, voice still quick and perky, "Want to come down to Breakfast with us?"

"I have to go take a shower," Ginny responded slowly, motioning towards the door, "But I'll catch up with you later..." She smiled, after you're not acting like you've had one to many pepper-up potions.

After she had left the dorms, Ginny made her way through the almost deserted corridors. She seemed to glide effortlessly through the hall, in a way that Pansy failed to ever accomplish. She never thought about the way she walked, or the way she looked. She was just able to. Not that it would have mattered if it all was gone the next day. She had dated around in Gryffindor, but the guys always had seemed to be a disappointment, so she just stopped. She didn't really care much for that anymore. She didn't need anyone. None with the exception of her family, and she would kill for them. Kill to protect them, and destroy anyone who tried to harm them.

She was nearly at the bathroom door, prepared to breathe out a sigh of relief that no one had bothered her. No one had talked 'just to chat' or even greet her. That the corridors were seemingly empty.

"Hello Weasley," Ginny cringed before even recognizing the drawl, and once she did, she cringed more. She turned around.

"Hello Malfoy. I'd love to stay and chat, but, as you can see, I need to take a shower," as soon as the words were out of her mouth she cringed again. Nice going, she thought derisively.

He raised his eyebrows, his arms crossed over his chest in an arrogant manner. Ginny hated herself for having to admit that the stance was highly attractive. ...She still hated him. "Oh? Sorry to have interrupted you, then," he said, smirking, but moving a little bit closer. She hated that she did that to her. She wanted to back up to get away from him, but didn't want him to have the satisfaction of knowing that he made her do it. She didn't want to stay standing here, either, so she was left looking completely lost and irritated.

She ended up making a aggravated noise and turned on her heel, grabbing the bathroom door handle and swinging it violently open. She stopped in her tracks, wanting to throw some sort of comeback at him, but he hadn't said anything to comeback to. He rested his hand on her shoulder as he walked past, and leaned in towards her ear. "Can't wait to see you in class," he said, and she pulled her shoulder violently out from under his hand. As he walked off, he turned his head one last time over his shoulder and smirked. She lifted her hand with one choice finger out, which made him laugh darkly as he walked.

Damn Malfoy, she thought sinisterly. More than anything she wanted to hex him...

A/N: So...what'd you think? I need reviews...or something...more readers might be nice. haha..

Yeah...I don't have much to say about my last chapter...except that I need to learn how to update regularly. :/