Chosen 6: New Friends and New Ideas

Wow. These next chapters took forever to write. *glares at her professors* But I got them done and out to you! Sorry for the delays!

"Ginny!" Buffy called as she ran down the hallway. "Ginny wait! I want to talk to you!"

            But the younger girl continued her flight and it took all of Buffy's restraint not to put on a burst of speed and catch her by force. So, she slowed to a walk and called out again. "Fine! Run away! But you'll never get your answers." Satisfied when she saw Ginny screech to a halt, Buffy continued. "I know it's hard to accept. I know what it's like to have power and not know the first thing to do." By now she had caught up with Ginny, who was staring at the ground with a frightening intensity. Buffy placed a hand gently on the girl's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

            Ginny whipped around and glared at Buffy. "I know what you're trying to do." she said angrily. "It's been happening all my life. 'Are you okay Ginny, dear?', 'Would you like an extra blanket, dear?', 'You should get out more, see other people, Ginny dear.'" she spat out an angry impression of her mother. "I don't want to be coddled! I just need to know how to stop -" Ginny froze. She had almost let it slip. "I need to stop tripping over myself because I don't know my own strength." she finished shakily, praying that Buffy would buy her excuse. 

            The other girl was unconvinced. "So, what's the real reason you're so amped about learning to fight?" she asked gently

Ginny was confused. "'Amped'?"

            Buffy shook her head. "You're pretty enthusiastic for someone who, just this afternoon, was calling me 'a crazy git who should be thrown in St. Mungo's with Gilderoy Lockheart'." she clarified. She sat down on the top of a nearby staircase and patted the space beside her. "Wanna talk?"

            Ginny sighed. Her story was crazy, even by wizarding standards. 'And maybe if I get thrown in the loony bin, I can drown my sorrows in answering Lockheart's fan mail.' she thought sarcastically.

She sat down and took a deep breath. "There was a boy." she began slowly.

                                                                        *

An hour later, Ginny had ended up telling Buffy the entire twisted tale of her relationship with Tom. "And his last words to me were 'my love'." she finished sadly.

            Buffy stared concernedly from her resting point, leaning against the banister.

            "And you know what the worst part is?" Ginny asked rhetorically.

            "That you still love him." Buffy finished.

            "Since when are you a Legilimens?" Ginny asked suspiciously. "A mind-reader." she clarified, off Buffy's quizzical look.

            Buffy took a deep breath. "Well, there was a boy." she began, mimicking Ginny's start. "And I loved him so much it nearly killed me, even while he was doing all these awful things to people I cared about. He was evil and I still refused to give up on the memory of the person I knew, the person I loved. I tried everything to get rid of it; I even killed him and that didn't help. So, I did the only thing I could: I kept on loving him, even after he left me." She flicked her gaze up to a gaping Ginny. "So, yeah. I can relate.  "I thought I was the only one." Ginny said softly. "I mean, it looks so pathetic when you try and see it from the outside. Girl meets boy. Boy nearly kills girl, but girl can't let go of his lies." Ginny scoffed. "Absolutely pathetic."

            Buffy frowned. "It's not stupid, Ginny." she said. "There has to be some reason why you still love him." She cocked her head slightly to the side. "Come on, Ginny. Why are you hanging on?"

            Ginny scowled and traced a patch of dirt on the floor. "It's stupid." she muttered. She sighed as she absent-mindedly wiped her finger on the hem of her robes. "I want to save him." she mumbled.

            Buffy smiled slightly. "Now we're getting somewhere. So you think that learning to use you powers, magical as well as Slayer, will somehow enable you to rescue him from the person he's become."

Ginny nodded, still fascinated by the hem of her robe. "I told you it was stupid." she muttered. "I'm just a Weasley. How in the name of all things magical am I going to anything to the Dark Lord?" She poked a finger into the dust.

Buffy rose and straightened, as did Ginny. "I honestly don't know what to tell you, Ginny." she said simply. "Other than I know what you're going through, and I'll be here all year!" The girls chuckled low.

Ginny smiled. For the first time in years, someone was taking her problems seriously and not trying to solve them with a hug and a glass of pumpkin juice. She beamed at the Slayer, but the American seemed lost in her own world. "Miss Summers?" Ginny asked tentatively. "Are you - "

            "Shh!" Buffy commanded, placing a finger against the other girl's lips. "Listen. Can you hear them?"

            Ginny strained but with her new abilities, she found she could hear the far-off voices quite easily; two boys were arguing somewhere down the hall. Ginny turned to see Buffy quietly inching her way down the rest of the staircase, so she followed. The argument was getting louder now, and it sounded like Harry was involved.

            Buffy motioned over her shoulder for Ginny to come in close to her behind a pillar. Poking her head out from behind, Ginny could see Harry, with his back turned to her, and a shock of platinum blonde hair in front of him.

            "Oh my God." Buffy whispered to herself.

            "Oh for Merlin's sake, they're at it again." Ginny groaned.

            The Slayer shook her head. "Who's at what again?" she asked.

            "My friend Harry, you know, The Boy Who Lived?" Ginny asked and Buffy nodded. "Well, he's got this arch-nemesis relationship with another student, a Slytherin named Draco Malfoy. And it looks like their having another one of their infamous Hallway Brawls." Ginny poked her head out and listened to the terse exchange. "Yep. Any minute now, their going to bring out the wands and hex each other into unconsciousness."

            Buffy smiled wryly. "I guess I've got to go out there and stop them?" she asked, poking her head out as well.

            Ginny chuckled. "It's harmless. But I see no one's explained the Pool to you." she laughed again at Buffy's confusion. "It goes like this: no one fights as long and as hard as they do without some other reason. The popular theory here is that they've wanted to shag each other senseless since they laid eyes on each other but couldn't deal with it. So, they fight while we watch and place bets on when they'll finally act on the tension. I believe the last tally on the Galleons was just under 25. I myself have bets on the Christmas holidays coming up. Hermoine has hers on tonight." Ginny sighed. "Boys. Is there anything more pathetic?"

            Buffy giggled. "Remind me to get in on this once I get my money changed." she said.

            However, the girls' merriment was cut short when suddenly, Draco collapsed into Harry's arms. The Slayers bolted out from their hiding places and were on either of Harry's sides before he could blink.

            "Harry!" Ginny asked frantically. "What did you do to him?!"

            Harry looked almost as frightened as Ginny. "I don't know!" he answered, grunting under the weight of his enemy. Buffy took him and laid him gently down on the castle floor. "Who are you?" he asked the blonde, who was eying Draco with something akin to pained confusion.

            Buffy took a breath and then straightened. "Your new Muggle Defense teacher." she replied. "Now, you want to tell me what happened and what curse you were using?"

            Harry bristled. "I wasn't using any curse." he snapped. "Malfoy and I were just arguing because he caught me wondering the halls after hours. We started trading insults and things were getting pretty intense when he suddenly stopped. He looked like he was going to be sick, but he just managed to wimper 'Help me' or something before he hit the ground." Harry scoffed. "He must have some fever if he thinks I'm going to do anything but leave him on the floor until Peeves finds him and pelts him with Dung Bombs."

            Buffy rubbed the side of her head gently as she went back to Draco's side. "Well, if he's sick then we should get him to your nurse." She easily lifted the boy's unconscious body over her shoulders, much to Harry's amazement.

            "How do you do that?" he asked incredulously as Buffy began walking effortlessly down the hall.

            Ginny cut in. "She's a Slayer, Harry." she said. "And apparently I am too. Buffy, you're going the wrong way."

            Buffy turned around and blushed. "I knew that." she said, distractedly. "So that other way, huh?"

            Ginny smiled. "Then take a left and then a right until you get - "

            Buffy held shook her head. "You'd better lead. I can't carry him all night if I get lost."

            "So, you're like her?" Harry asked, staring at Buffy as the three set off for the Infirmary.

            Ginny grinned. "Apparently so." she said. "Remember this morning, when Moine and I sent him flying? That's Slayer power."

            Harry was shocked. "You can do that?" he asked, jerking his head towards Buffy and Draco. Ginny nodded.  "You should come live with me at Privet Drive." Harry mused. "Between a wizard and a Slayer, I'll have the house to myself for the whole summer!"

*

            "What on earth did you do to him this time, Mr. Potter?" Madame Promfrey shrieked. She blustered over to Buffy and ordered her to set the unconscious Slytherin down on the nearest bed. Quickly waving her wand over him, she concluded that he wasn't feverish. "Or dead, so you can count yourself lucky this time." the nurse huffed. "Now, tell me exactly what happened."

            Harry sighed. "Hallways. At night. Started arguing. He collapsed. Now we're here." he explained tersely. "Can I go now?"

            But Madame Pomfrey seemed quite worried. "Tell me exactly how he looked before he went down." she ordered over her shoulder as she grabbed a quill and parchment.

            Harry began slowly. "He just stopped mid-insult and it looked like his eyes glazed over. He asked me to help him and then his eyes rolled back and he fainted." He shot a glare at Draco's unconscious form before turning back to the Mediwitch. "So, is it serious?"

            Before she could respond, Draco groaned and tried to sit up. "What the hell was I drinking this time?" he moaned, rubbing his eyes, which promptly shot open when he saw Harry. "You did this, Potter!" he snapped. "You did this to me and I...I...." Draco's mouth opened and closed several times before he looked up pleadingly at Harry. "Damn." he whispered as he fell back against the headboard.

            Madam Pomfrey was at his side in an flash. Taking his arm and waving her wand over it, she frowned. "Looks like I'll have to keep him here overnight." she said, after her procedures failed to get any response.

            Suddenly, Draco was sitting bolt upright in the bed. "What's going on? Why am I here? I feel fine." he protested. He started to get up but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Oh, you aren't going anywhere, Mr. Malfoy." said the nurse. She turned to Buffy. "I need you to go get Headmaster Dumbledore, Miss Summers." she instructed. "This doesn't look entirely medical."

Buffy nodded quickly and almost ran through the large infirmary doors, leaving Ginny, Harry and Madame Pomphrey with a very annoyed and very confused Draco. "I'm not going to stay in here all night." he said firmly. "I've got places to be. Now, get out of my way before I - "

"Lay down this instant, Mr. Malfoy." Pomfrey insisted. "You're having bouts of amnesia and fainting. Whatever you have to do can just wait until you've recovered to my satisfaction. Is that clear?" Satisfied as Draco appeared to calm down, she hurried away to concoct a sleeping draught.

The second Pomphrey was out of sight, Draco sprang from his bed and towards the door but Harry stood in front of it, blocked his way.

"You're not going anywhere, Malfoy." he stated firmly. "You're not well."

Draco sneered. "Or what? Merlin, you'll try any excuse to put your hands on me, eh Potter?" His eyes flashed with malevolent delight as Harry turned red. "Always figured you for a pouf anyway." He took a step closer to the Gryffindor, forcing him to back up against the door. "Now, step aside before I have to get rough." he purred into the other boy's ear, causing him to close his eyes and swallow hard. "But you'll enjoy it, won't you, Scarhead? Golden Boy likes it hard..." By now, both of Draco's hands were snaked around Harry's back, inching their way along the door handle.

Ginny cleared her throat and stepped towards the pair. "And how much did you like it rough, Malfoy?"

Draco's eyes narrowed as he turned his head towards her. "I bet you're not so tough without the Mudblood, Weasel." he growled.

Ginny took another step forward. "Oh really?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The Slytherin didn't move "I see...I se - oh, bloody hell." Draco moaned and collapsed against Harry's chest. The two Gryffindors regarded each other before moving Draco back to his hospital bed.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Ginny asked, poking the comatose Slytherin occasionally with the tip of her index finger.

Harry scratched the back of his head. "I have no clue, Gin but whatever it is, it's certainly doing some damage." He sighed and pulled up a chair. "I guess we better get comfortable until Dumbledore gets here."

Ginny pulled up a chair beside him and the two sat in silence, contemplating the day's events. Suddenly, Ginny let out a wry chuckle. "I'm sorry. It's just that today has been the strangest day in my life." She sighed and smiled. "It's been all over the map. I'm a Slayer, I'm Voldemort's true love, I'm helping to rescue Ferret Boy, I'm a bodyguard at the infirmary."

Harry wasn't laughing. "What did you say about Voldemort?!" he asked, knuckles gripping the arms of his chair.

Ginny exhaled slowly and stared down at the floor. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Voldemort was here this afternoon. He appeared in my dorm, right at the foot of my bed and threatened to kill everyone I know unless I join him." Looking up, Ginny found Harry looking positively sickened.

"You...him....you're his....oh God." he stammered. "How the hell did that happen??"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Ginny snapped. "You think I want this? You think I like the idea that the evilest wizard in history fancies me? It's disgusting! It's horrible!"

"It's an advantage." Draco croaked as he sat up. "What? It's not listening in if you're talking about it right above my head." He pulled himself up to a sitting position and leaned back against the headboard. "I say you embrace your inner Slytherin and use it to destroy him. Love is a weakness." Draco stared intensely at the empty bed across from his. "Love gets you killed."

Ginny and Harry exchanged perplexed glances. "What are you prattling on about, Malfoy?" Harry asked harshly.

Draco scowled. "That's not very Gryffindor of you, Potter. Here I am, helping you plan the downfall of your mortal enemy and you can't get past your bullheaded pride to listen to my ideas." He folded his arms and pouted.

Ginny, however, was on the edge of her seat. "What do you think we should do, Malfoy?" she asked expectantly.

Draco rolled his eyes and regarded coolly. "I'm not saying a word until you apologize for this." he said, pointing to his chest.

Ginny ground her teeth into a smile. "Sorry." she said saccharinely. "As funny as it may have been watching you land on your pampered behind, I shouldn't have lost my temper." She batted her eyelashes for effect. "Forgive me?"

Draco sighed. "I guess. Just don't do that again; you sounded like Parkinson."

Harry shook his head. "What about this brilliant scheme of yours, Malfoy?" he asked.

Draco furrowed his brow and seemed deep in thought. Then he turned to Ginny. "Just how much of that insufferable Gryffindor courage have you got in you?"

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