Not Forgotten
Chapter 4
Ginny sulked her way around the hospital. You couldn't describe her action as 'walking' or 'working' because those words have a certain hint of effort required. No, she was doing what a snail would do in terms of motion. Her lime-green nurse outfit hung loosely around her shoulders and her cheekbones held a certain unhealthy look about them. She was getting worried about her state of health, or rather the lack of health. Needless to say, Ginny avoided her mother, Hermione, and Luna at all costs. She didn't want them to fuss over her or to worry.
But Ginny had stopped thinking that her situation was caused by a 'common cold' or 'the heat'. She didn't say a word to Tom about it, lest she looked weak and unable to take care of herself. As she did her rounds, Tom followed silently behind her. He wasn't looking any less transparent than he did at first, so he couldn't be sapping her life energy. If he was, it wasn't going anywhere, because he was making no progress toward developing a tangible body.
In fact, only she could touch him.
"Do you have to follow me? Can't you disappear?" She hissed under her breath when no nurses were in the hallway. The last thing Ginny wanted was to be labeled crazy. It took her enough effort as it was to cast glamour spells upon herself so that her friends didn't notice.
Tom stopped, a few feet behind the young witch. He glared at her with venom in his gaze. Apparently, he was annoyed as well. "It takes a load of concentration for me to disappear, believe it or not." He hissed back. It didn't make sense to him either. Ever since he got out of her head, so to speak, it got harder and harder to dematerialize.
Ginny glared and continued walking. She opened one of the doors and walked in, closing it behind her. Tom didn't care about closed doors. It might as well have been the Great Wall; not that it would have made any difference. He walked easily through.
"How are you feeling?" She said in a soft voice. The curtains were opened slightly, letting some light in as a young girl with blonde hair was propped up.
"Fine, miss." The girl said meekly. Poor thing. Her voice was still a bit hoarse from being hit with a nasty cutting curse to her back that had left her in a coma for a month. The healers had made haste when she arrived at the hospital, so she wouldn't have any lasting effects. After hearing that the girl was from an orphanage, Ginny didn't want to send her back until she was fully healed.
Ginny leaned down and grabbed one of the Pepperup Potions and handed it to her patient. She winced as she gulped it down, steam coming out of her ears, and handed it back, lips curled in distaste.
Ginny laughed, taking the vial and putting it away.
"Don't worry, it's for your own good." Ginny smiled. She felt sorry for the girl. All this time, and still no one visited the young child. The person who had Apparated her here was a stranger and had promptly left after laying the child on the hospital floor, blood getting everywhere and all.
"Will you read to me sometime?" The child, Melissa, asked softly. Her eyes looked down at her hands, not daring too look up. Despite her reserved demeanor, Melissa was still every bit a child of four.
Ginny smiled. "Of course. Not today though, you need your rest."
Tom watched from the corner, not saying a word.
Ginny left the room and was about to get ready to leave when a voice stopped her.
"Wait!" Julia cried out, walking briskly from the end of the hallway to catch up with the redhead. "What're you doing this weekend?" The brunette smiled.
"Uh—I'm going to dinner with a friend." Ginny felt her face heat up. Please don't let me look too flustered. Sometimes she really hated being a redhead.
"Oh?" Julia paused, raising an eyebrow. Then she broke into a sly smile. "With who?"
Ginny swallowed. "Haden."
Julia's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. She gasped. "Oh my!" With a laugh, she patted Ginny on the shoulder. "Good catch!"
Ginny swore she was a tomato. She glanced at Tom, who was a few meters away, just behind Julia.
He smirked, though annoyance was written all over his face. Girls could be so idiotic, making a fuss about such trivial things.
Ginny looked back at Julia, hoping her friend didn't notice. "I said friend, not a date."
Julia just winked and said goodbye, before heading off the other direction.
xxx
"Will you please turn around?" Ginny nearly screamed with exasperation. She had dress upon dress sprawled out on her bed, and honestly, she was tired of hearing Tom critique (or rather, criticize) every aspect of her clothing, hair, and anything else he could lay his eyes on!
He snarled and turned his back to her, his arms crossed over his chest indignantly. "You know, I don't see why you think wasting three hours deciding what to wear is going to make a date go any better."
She wanted to throw something at him. She changed into a silky navy dress, looked in the mirror, and smiled. This was the one. It complemented her maroon hair nicely; as the dress was so dark it could be called black instead of blue. It was strapless and knee length, perfect with a touch of silver heels.
"It looks nice."
Ginny spun around and fidgeted a bit since the words caught her by surprise. Sure? Thanks? You too? What was she supposed to say in reply?
"Erm—thanks."
Tom didn't say anything. He was still in the school robes from the days at Hogwart's, his head boy badge gleaming proudly. Ginny sighed, her eyes softening.
"Can't you change your clothing?" She asked gently.
There was silence.
"No. I've tried."
She felt a bit bad—but then promptly reminded herself that he wasn't real, he tried to kill her, and that this was all his fault. She gave a huff and ignored him, feeling a bit angry after reminding herself of the situation.
She finished adjusting her hair so that it curled to one side. She quickly applied her makeup. She still had half an hour before she even had to leave her house, so there was no hurry. She slipped a bit on the way out of the bathroom but caught herself in the doorway. Ugh. Stupid lightheaded-attacks every now and then really got on her nerves.
Tom panicked a bit. If she died, would that mean he would die as well? Not that he was alive, but… maybe he could be alive, one day. He knew if she continued like this, she would be dead soon. He had let it continue at first because he thought that her getting weaker would mean he would get stronger, but it wasn't so. He didn't feel any bit stronger than at first, yet she was spiraling down rapidly.
"Are you—all right?" He asked, his tone cultivated, like the gentleman he could be.
Ginny remembered that tone, all right. She nodded at him weakly and walked to the living room. Sighing, she sat on her couch.
"Say, if I killed you, would you die?" She asked out of nowhere.
Tom turned around to look at her, stricken.
"I mean, I can touch you right? So that means, if I chopped you up or something, you would go away?"
Surely she wouldn't? Tom hesitated. "I'll have you know, I could very much do the same to you! And I doubt magic would work on something that doesn't exist!" He hissed, striding forward so that he stood in front of her sitting figure, his fists clenched tightly by his side.
"Yes, but," She remained calm even though she was a bit frightened, "If I were to die, you would most likely stop existing as well." She furrowed her brow. After a bit of tense silence between the two of them, in which he glared her down, she groaned. "Bloody hell, this is so confusing."
Boy, was she right about that one.
xxx
Ginny fidgeted with the hem of her dress a little bit as she waited outside of Giovani's Italian Pasta. Okay, so what if she was early? Did that mean she was too eager? Was that bad? Should she leave and come back in… 5 minutes?
"Stop fidgeting, it's so annoying to watch you be so pathetic." Tom snarled.
She glared at him, but stopped fidgeting.
And then, suddenly, she felt her heart do a flipflop as Haden appeared. He was handsome and ,honestly, he looked so much better dressed up instead of lying on the hospital bed in the ugly hospital gown. His blonde hair was slightly tussled and cut short, and his green eyes held a mirth about them that shined when he looked at her and smiled. His skin was slightly tan now, unlike the paleness it once held when it was cooped up in the hospital, and gave him a healthy glow.
Ginny caught herself before she started drooling.
"You look—wow." He finished lamely, grinning from ear to ear. He held out his arm for her to take it. She blushed, muttered a quick thanks, and held his arm shyly as they made their way in. It was a really fancy place, and the first thing Ginny wondered was how he was able to afford such a place when he was supposed to be…
"Shame he's the worst curse breaker around. I wonder how he affords this." Tom's voice butted into, breaking her thought process.
She stiffened a bit, and then relaxed when she remembered that she was the only one who could hear—or see—Tom. Damn him for voicing her thoughts exactly.
Tom trailed behind them, looking very out of place with his robes in this place filled with nice suits and silk dresses. He followed the pair, and felt a little pang of…something, as he thought about how he would never have been able to afford outfits like those in his past life. He couldn't stay at the apartment or go out, sadly. Once, he had tried that after an argument with the redhead, and found out that he tended to 'thin' around the 'edges' as he got further away from her. Go even further and it would be like he didn't exist—and when he concentrated, he was next to her again. It made no sense.
"What prompted this special occasion?" Ginny smiled playfully as the waiter lead the two to their booth. Ginny sat down, and sharply took a breath as she felt Tom wedge into the seat beside her.
He snarled. "I'm tired of playing butler and standing around."
She ignored him, smiling at Haden while she pinched Tom under the table. That elicited a hiss from Tom, who glared hatred at her.
"Well," Haden grinned, "I just had to see my favorite nurse." He laughed, hands fiddling with the menu. He looked spectacular in a black suit and it made his broad shoulders stand out even more.
"And I had to talk to you about something." He added after a short pause, though some of the mirth had left his smile.
Ginny frowned, perplexed. "Oh? What?"
But before he could answer, the waiter appeared again with questions on what they would like. Haden ordered for the both of them after Ginny told him what she wanted. The waiter nodded, and left.
There was a bit of silence while Haden ran his hand through his hair absently, ruffling the blonde locks even more and sighed. Tom made a disgusted face at the man. The dark haired male was more than displeased to be in this situation. Ginny just decided to ignore him.
"Gin—have you been feeling erm, weird lately?" Haden kept his eyes locked on the table cloth in front of him.
"What do you mean?" Ginny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Haden was the picture of nervousness.
"Well—I'm a curse breaker and you look a bit…cursed." He grinned goofily, one hand scratching the back of his neck as a nervous habit.
Oh my god. Does he know? He couldn't know. How does he know? How much does he know? What should I say?
"No, no, no! I mean, don't freak out, I might be wrong." Haden urgently added, panicking as a stricken look took over Ginny's face. Her eyes widened, and then blinked.
"Uhm. What?" She chose her words carefully, and her brain decided to stick with the simple tactic of feigning innocence.
"Well, you just have all the telltale signs. I mean, if you were sick, you'd just nurse yourself back to health. The only thing that can't be cured by the normal ways are curses, and I kind of just… have a feeling in my gut." He sighed, knowing that his argument wasn't supported by factual evidence.
"Great one for words, isn't he?" Tom scoffed through gritted teeth.
"Well…" Ginny sighed. It was better than asking Harry or Ron, that's for sure. "You might be right, I guess." She whispered quietly. Then she leaned back as a chicken alfredo was put in front of her and a Tour De Italy special was put in front of Haden. But honestly, she didn't have much of an appetite anymore.
Tom was in deep thought as the two ate their food with the occasional idle chatter. The subject of a curse was avoided for the moment since the mood had gotten very somber. A curse? He had figured that much on his own, after the potion didn't work. The only reason potions like that wouldn't work would be if powerful magic repelled them, out of the body. Somehow, he was forced out of her mind as well, which was a clear sign of strength returning to him. Could the two be correlated? Maybe the more she tried to find ways to resist the curse, the stronger he would get? Some magic worked like that…
He'd have to look it up. And there was only one way for him to get himself to Diagon Alley without letting Ginny know. At least, he hoped she wouldn't notice. It seemed that the only thing he could touch was…her. He couldn't even touch anything that she was holding. This perplexed him; he would have to find out more about it.
For now, maybe he would gain her trust again. That would be very useful, especially if he wanted to turn the tides to his favor.
He grinned a very cunning grin, one that Ginny did not see.
As Haden ate with a healthy appetite, Ginny was just picking at her food. Another wave of lightheadedness came over her, and she felt her body sway as her vision blurred a bit. It'd go away in a second, but for now—oh Merlin it felt like she was sea sick or something.
She leaned against Tom and he stiffened, looking at her curiously. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her so that she was sitting upright, then let go. She really was being drained of energy.
"Are you all right?" Haden asked, his eyes holding confusion and worry. "We can get you home you know, they can just put it on my tab."
Ginny shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She smiled weakly trying to reassure him. Damn Tom for all this! She quickly spared a glance at his direction, and found that he was looking at her with worry on his face as well. Stupid git, not like he worries about anyone other than himself.
"Are ooouuu shuuurrrr?" She heard Haden's voice echo from miles away, it seemed. Her vision really blurred and she was…
Falling, falling…
And then she remembered nothing.
xxx
Since Haden didn't know where she lived, he had Apparated a very fainted Ginny into his house. It was a small place, perfect for a bachelor. He had to go away for some business, but he had stayed with Ginny for a few hours as she rested in one of the guest bedrooms. Before he left, he had written a small note telling her what happened and where she was along with where he was.
Tom sat in silence on the bed where Ginny was sleeping. He looked at his hands. They held no sign of improvement. He was not getting stronger, that was for sure. But Ginny—he frowned. Honestly he could care less if she died, but if her death was linked to his 'death', then he had to find a way to help her or to sever the bond between them.
He frowned, then reached through the sheets and picked Ginny up. She was light, and disturbingly so. Somehow, he could still feel her weight, and Tom wasn't known for his amazing strength. He faltered a bit but then stood straight, carrying her on his back. The house elves had, thankfully, changed her into a night gown so he didn't have to worry about ripping silk.
Still, her skin was strangely soft and warm against his. He blushed a bit, and focused on his destination instead of the warm body that he was holding.
A person like Haden, who had such fervor for curse breaking, had to have a library. Tom was sure of it. Since he couldn't move much further than a room's distance away from Ginny, he might as well take the stupid girl with him. She had fainted, so he doubted she was going to awake any time soon.
And with that in mind, he made his treacherous journey around the house. After much wandering, he had found the library. It was a very small room but it was lined with books from corner to corner and shelf to shelf.
He smirked. Gently, he held her hand and grabbed a few books of a shelf of his choosing. He had to wrap his fingers around hers in concentration, lest she drop them on her foot or something. He put her on the chair in front of the desk, and used her fingers to open the covers and flip the pages.
It wasn't until hours later that Tom found something useful to him.
He carefully helped Ginny put the books back, and carried her back to the guest room and into the confines of the sheets.
He would have to ponder the information a bit. What he had found out was unnerving.
A/N: Tom is a bit evil isn't he? I guess he'll start caring for Ginny only because he needs her trust to help him. Anyway, only one review for the last chapter?! Gasp. Oh well, I really want to know what everyone thinks of this fic so far. Is it too fast? Too slow? Well, what are YOU guys looking for? REVIEW and tell me! YES you can influence the plot *-*
SlytherinPrinzessin—Yehhhh more Tom in this chapter!
ALifeOfShadows-- Thank you! I'm glad you like it.
Intricacy--Cucumber o-o Ouch. Very..blunt.
NovemberDreamer--Yaay. Sorry about the late update, was waiting for reviews.
kerofish1-- Yeah. Fred and George, together, are my favorite people. Seperating them is just unthinkable in my mind.
And I like to give a bit shout out of thanks to my beta, Jonn Wood. He makes it all better *-*!!