1000 Words
Chapter Nine:
Can You Handle It?
"The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body." – Syrus
I believe my afternoon is officially ruined. Ruined…ah what a nice way to put it…my afternoon just could not have been any worse than it is now. Really…my eyes idly scan over the face that was clearly to close to me for comfort. My wand of course was farther from me that I would have liked. Wandless magic would be quite a mistake in this situation. I am in trouble. There were no doubts about it now. Everything changing now is not a good thing on me. I could not deal with anything in this situation. Ronald and Harry together is a problem. My hand clenches, but all I could really think about was the last dream that Princess had shown me.
Blood and Ink entwine together,
Forever and ever the taste of fire.
But know the passion weather,
Will ignite the storms present ire.
"Ginny." My eyes look blankly, staring back into focus of the intense green. So close to the intensity of Tom, but Tom would never have allowed anything so intense to overcome him in such a unique fold. Tom and Harry are nothing alike, no matter how much I want to mesh them together. I cared for Tom. So why is it, looking at these eyes makes me want to cringe? Why is it looking at him makes me not fear, but scream. "Ginny!"
I felt the sting of the first hit over my cheek… I knew it wasn't open hand because my jaw had closed on force of impact, biting straight into my cheek. The taste of sweet copper and bitter metals filled my taste buds with nothing but the sour reminder of my situation. My hair pulling neatly from laying behind my back to my front, I strangely realize how deep red it is, a slight quickening of breath, grasps me.
"Why are you doing this to me Ginny?" Potter coos softly grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up. My eyes linger over the intense green, the green I so used to remember my stomach tossing until I hurled. Had I been reduced to such a creature? A creature that had to lay in wait for my prey to let down its guard, or had I become the creature, which is now the prey? Have I wondered so deeply into the den of wolves, that I could not find my way out again? Was this what I had reduced myself to?
"Ginny, Mum wants you to stop your foolishness before she has to pull you from school." Ronald coyly responded, shoving me to the side. My body follows the motion effortlessly. I hold no resistant. I cannot hold any resistance. Not now. Just for now… I will not let myself fall…even if I am landed into the den of wolves, or snakes, even if I landed into the river and schools of piranha…
My heart rate continues to pile up, as I feel Potter's arms around me… so tight that I would be sure if I was squeezed anymore I could feel my bone start to fracture. I would know the pain it would inflict simply because Molly had done it to me a thousand times over. Holding me so tightly that something would snap... something would hurt… something, anything. How pathetic am I? How could I have allowed myself any cause of this situation at all? Letting two average wizards do this to me…I was allowing such a behavior to climax into something that could tangle with my life. Did I hold my life in such low regards to allow such things to happen? Why can I not fight back? Why would I not fight back? What is really stopping me from fighting back? My eyes close tighter, I refuse to watch myself become like this. No matter the cost of something so strong…
I can feel something pull at my soul; twist my soul, something so strong that my eyes open. MY wrist is grabbed painfully and I glance up to the figure before me. Ronald glares at me, and I look to what he has been looking at… oh the bracelet. "Is this from one of your lovers, Ginny?"
"Could be." I finally answer, and hiss as a hand grabs the hand in my hair and yanks me back. The twist of my wrist is enough to put me in an awkward situation. My arm half bent one direction, my body pulled backwards into the wall another. I could feel my head hit the stoned wall and hiss. This was not my favorite thing to do. Not to play weak…and I am so tired of playing week. I am far too tired to play in such a weak role now.
"Bloody smart of you." Ronald snapped, as he bends my wrist further. I do not scream. I do not cry. I do not hiss. I do not show signs of pain. I only stare above me. Above me in the dim lights of the labyrinth of the snakes, where Slytherin reign is clear, here they have attacked me. Here, in Tom's lair, in Severus's lair, in Draco's and Blaise's lair… here in this place where I have found myself at home.
My eyes snap over as Ronald moves to tear the bracelet from my wrist, the bracelet that is mine and I feel something inside of me snap. Something I know should be so much better than anything in this life time of a witch. "Bloody hell!" I feel the grip on my hair slacken, everyone backs away as I drop to my knees, Ronald screams out in pain as he moves away from me. I can feel the course of warmth fill my body, a body that should no longer feel the lingering cold of any place when I am home.
I take a breath softly, I can hear them backing away from me, but I know my wand is too far from me to even reach for. My hair scatters around me, and I can see vaguely where my wand has landed. I think my plan has just broken. Screw the fact I do not want Dumbledore to realize who I am, this is enough running around the game as it is. If I am this weak then I am shedding this skin! "What the bloody hell is this? Harry do something!" I feel a slow smile pull as I drag myself up with a grip on the wall behind me. The wall feels cold, but pulsing, the stone is brittle and tough, but cold warmth soothes my skin. My hair in my face could give me a look of a corpse coming from the grave. I move my hand through my hair pulling it back, the dark fire locks now move back as I look at them. "Gin-"
Shoving my hand forward I do not wait as a disk of fire gathers, forming in spinning, alluring lights of orange, yellow, and red. IT is so bright that it is lighting up the darkened halls. My eyes flicker only momentarily to the side, the familiar colors of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor together, the eyes of blue and hazel brown stare. "Ginevra Weasley!" I smirk as I launch the disk, which aims, I don't even listen to the spell they send, it just blocks the disk before twisting and breaking in half and now going after both.
"I don't care what Molly wants, Ronald. I don't care what you want, Harry. I am far too tired of playing stupid games with you children." I snap and feel my hand clenching, my nails piercing into my palm. "Come to me again and I can assure you, next time this won't be so easy." Harry and Ronald stare, surprised, but Neville steps out, wand up.
Without even blinking, Neville unleashes the Bat-Bogey Hex on them. I couldn't help but start to laugh at the force behind it. Harry and Ronald were thrown with sounds of 'thud' into the wall, and even Luna started to mix water into it, almost drowning them. I could not help but laugh. "So are you done with your trivial hiding now?" Luna asks, her hand on her hip, she regards me with a look of seriousness. "I really am tired of trying to track you down during my relaxing time."
Neville only smiles, "You really are worse for wear…you come down to the dungeon's of course."
"I'm sorry about that." I rub the back of my head, and Luna is already upon me, "Episkey!" I can feel the pain go, but my wrist is bruised and that's fine. I just have to now be aware of what will happen once they tell Dumbledore.
Luna moves silently and retrieves my wand lying idly on the floor. "You should be more careful Virginia… had this been anyone else you might have been in quite some serious trouble. Just be glad it was only Weasley and Potter."
I ignore the comment, in reality that is true. I do need to be careful to my situation. I need to be more aware of my surroundings and this is just one of those moments where you learn and went on, or you disappeared with the shadows and were eaten. I am not found of getting eaten…or killed because Molly is just simply crazy.
"Neville, I think we have to have a discussion…"
The couple looks at me slightly concerned, of course I do doubt it is from the bruise that is probably forming on my face, or the fact I was a bit man handled by the two.
"What is it about, Virginia?" Luna asks gently, she was always the one to be concerned, mother type really.
Neville seems to have already guessed something inside of my mind. "Is it…my parents?"
"Something like that." I say, "Come on, we need to get out of the dungeons and out of hearing range."
I close my eyes taking a breath. Neville had gone off to think alone, but I'm sure he is leaving for the Wizengamot or to the Hospital to arrange a few things. His aunt was really no longer in control of him, he had demonstrated that fact quite easily when he had become the Gryffindor line... rather even before that. With Luna by his side, he knew that he had to be assertive; the cowardliness many people saw is gone. Neville has the courage of the lion, is a gentlemen, though his alliances are to himself. It did take a few key thoughts to keep in mind what was going on this year…and last year really. Things were by far to twisted to even consider by themselves…but to just clear things up I believe-
"So this Princess thing… Hogwarts created her?" Luna asked gently, her hand running through my hair as if reminding me just how much I missed her company.
"Yes." It was the only thing left to say in reality. That was the feeling of Hogwarts, it had tried to get rid of the built up of power. The power that had been so trapped up for quite a number of years. Probably the start of the Twins, adding the war, Hogwarts had absorbed a number of magical spell and energy to continue what it was doing before over loading. The building is pure magic… as is several other buildings in the world, Malfoy Manor is another.
"You believe…Dumbledore?" Luna asked, unsure how to phrase it, we had disappeared into the Room of Requirements.
"I think Dumbledore is not as he appears, Luna…" I glance at her, "You know how easy it is to play the game and be something entirely different."
Luna pressed her lips together; her blue eyes were glazed over in thought. It was something I know plenty of. We do it all the time. "Molly?"
"Its October now, Ronald probably won't tell Molly anything just yet…I'll talk to Severus… I'm sure we can speed up the ceremony. It is going to have to be sped up or else I really might end up murdering someone."
Luna giggles as she traces a hand over my cheek. "The boys?"
"Hm?"
Blue eyes meet mine; they shine with mischief, something I really don't want to get involved with when it comes to Luna. "The infamous Malfoy and Zabini pair of course. From what Pansy tells me-"
"You talk to Pansy?"
Luna shrugs her shoulder, "Not quite, the girl herself is a typhoon of her own when she needs something done. She and Nott came to me, seemingly wondering where you were…something about missing Potion class…" Her tone trails off, even though I know what she is asking for. "I know you, Little Virginia, you are attracted to those darken eyes, and their new power filled aura. A month to a fire… do you think you will get burned?"
I sigh; this was one thing I truly did not want to deal with… I hadn't really wanted to think about any of this. "It's more than them just being dark Luna… something about both of them sends me into a different world, I'm shocked into it…or frozen. It is as if my flame can shine brighter in millions of ways when I stand next to them." I reach my hand up twirling fire around. "As if I have no limit in anything I touch or can do…my power is absolute… even with you two, I don't feel this strong. Bloody hell Luna, I just wanted things to be normal! I want to be safe!" I sit up, bringing a hand to my face.
"I want everything to stop and let me breathe for a moment. I don't know what in the world to do. It is as if sleeping will no longer have its rest and in the day I'm so tired of pretending and trying-"
"So stop." Luna glances at me, her eyes not wavering, blonde hair drawn in one long braid, she reminds me of a mermaid…or maybe a horse… Luna really cannot hold onto the idea she is crazy, it has shown quite threw… her eyes does not weaver, her body cannot stop walking with the grace she has. The mobility she has offered herself, the knowledge, the words she could no longer speak…
"Stop hiding, Virginia. Slytherin don't hide."
I snort, "I'm not a Slytherin." Luna merely just smiles at me, as if this is all a joke.
"Is that what you want to say…or have you not yet figured out what your dreams are about?" I feel a bit annoyed…honestly does it LOOK as if I have had time to figure out what my dreams would mean? Does it really show that I have had the patients to try and go hm; I think the dream could mean I am truly going insane! I've figured out my dream.
"Would you like to…oh I don't know, tell me?"
"Virginia… you aren't like the other Weasley…you do know that. What sets you so apart from them?" Luna asks, as she leans back against a large amount of pillows apparently she has summoned. No doubt because this is going to be a very long interesting conversation and I really don't know if I have the patients for it. Luna is amazing because her mind is as sharp as any blade I have ever seen in Tom's mind or mine. It isn't something that you naturally forget either when you've exposed yourself to the dark.
"My attitude…the fact darkness has touched me-"
"How?"
Where really was this going? "Tom's diary, you know this."
"How did Potter kill the diary?" Luna pushes on, and I can't seem but feel as if I've missed something. Missing something that is this big is not something that I normally do…but it could be because I am sleep deprived. Sleep deprived Witch is not a good or fun thing.
"Potter stabbed the diary."
"It bled…"
"Ink-"… I paused, blood and ink entwined…and the dream had shown that I had absorbed that ink blood… if that was what had happened…then it- "I'm Slytherin's real Heir?"
"Yes, Virginia, good job, Neville is Gryffindor, I am Ravenclaw…Tom ended up ending the line of Hufflepuff long before we could obtain who the identity was." Luna said, nodding her head, apparently I'm not the only one that has been up researching one thing or another now was I? This was just great….perfect…peachy…
"Luna I hate you."
"I love you too, Virginia, now go to class."
I twitch, there wasn't any possible way I could handle this.
I am sitting in class, playing with my quill. My mind has blanked on the topic of choice…which just so happens to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Nightshade. Consequently this seems to be one of my more interesting classes…I just have no heart for it right now. Draco of course is sitting not too far from me. I hadn't even realized he was taking this class, as he mostly just skips in. Most 7th years do that. As long as they could turn in the notes, they attendance was not required, though it was likely the teacher was not going to offer any help to missing students.
"Now for a quick review, Miss. Weasley, since you walked in late, would you like to explain one way to defend against the Dementors?" Ms. Nightshade asked. Her eyes were locked on my person, not so nicely in fact. Almost as if she really was trying to peer into someone's soul…not a pleasant thought. I've had enough of people trying to stare at me and trying to get into my soul, or anything else for that matter. I place the quill down before I even have the feeling to wanting to break it…which I did. I really did. Trust me when I say I wanted to snap this quill in two with how much stress I was feeling.
"Patronus Charm."
"Excellent remembrance, Miss Weasley, 5 points to Gryffindor. Mr. Malfoy, in a duel what is the main thing you want to focus on?"
I glance over, and I see opal eyes staring at me, it was not looking away, though his whole body was relax, that stare… "In most duels, it is to disarm and make sure your opponent can no longer harm you, which makes you push them into unconsciousness in the least." He idly added, before taking his eyes off of me and towards his nails, and then to Ms. Nightshade, who seemed more than enough amused by the attitude of Draco. Honestly, if I was a teacher it would have to be amused or annoyed. I really couldn't tell which. Neville said she was an amazing teacher, much better than prior…of course there was a few times that some of these things were interesting.
She had just gone over werewolves, as a review, and vampires. Also the difference between Animagi and Metamorphamgus. She covers quite a bit of detail in both categories and all of her lectures to make sure everyone understands, and then reviews all content of the year. Something everyone would have to pay attention for. Luckily this is the end of class and I wouldn't have to deal with anyone…
The questions were flying before a bell rang, signifying the end of class. Luckily. "Study the next chapter, we are going right in." Ms. Nightshade called, her eyes staring at me before turning and heading back to her board.
"Hello Kitten," I sigh and rub my temples, before turning, as I grab my books.
"Draco, don't you normally leave as quickly as possible?" I ask this wasn't something that was natural…then again I was just too tired to care really. My resolve was way too shaken down by my exhaustion, and in the same fate, I am too aware to both trying to nap. With everything bustling around, it was interesting, besides, the Halloween dance was starting soon. Everyone is too excited to go. I could already hear it with my roommates. Dresses, make up, time, who they were going with, all the useless information that no one really wants to hear. Of course you always have to have the after party with someone or another, drinks, and god knows what else they would do.
"I'm not so predictable, Kitten."
"Well then, Dragon, shall we go?" I turn, angling myself slightly, and Draco just smirked as he walks next to me. This was just odd…
Odd in a way that you do not have someone such as Draco Malfoy walk with you to class. As much as what has gone on between us… it was mostly Blaise, who was pulling strings to get people closer. This is just something… far different. A social and equal Draco, who did not want to fight with me, that just seems rather calm, collected, and fine. Absolutely not something you do not notice…
"What is your next class, Kitten?"
"Divination with Luna, yours?" I glance at him; his hair is still lose, long and lose and definitely untangled… every bit of perfection as it was any other day of the week. It stuck out against his black and silver cloak. He gave no sounds to his walk, it was by far as if I was walking with someone that is a ghost… you do not do that by nature because it is creepy. Ever said you were walking next to snow? Wind? You don't do that because people would believe you were crazy.
"I have a free class. I don't need the extra O.W.L.S to get out of here, took them last year." He glanced at me, "Have dinner with me."
"Blaise be there?" I am curious, they weren't normally apart.
Draco smirks as he turns, without even thinking, I'm backed into a wall, one arm on either side of my head as my arms are around my books. "Missing my lover, Kitten?"
"Maybe, or I'm just showing off some curiosity." I purr, leaning just that much closer to his face, I was not going to be that terrified little child anymore. I loved the field of knowledge, and I loved satisfying it… with them, it was almost as if I had no reason to fear what was going on, and even more so… I was acting upon it. "Why? Don't want to share?"
Draco chuckles; I could feel his icy breath against my lips as he looks at me, deeply, intensely, wholly. "I only share with Blaise." He reaches his hand up, tracing it over my lower lip, and then over to the bruise I had covered with make up before I left Luna. "Who hit you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." I lean back; honestly, I always get myself into these horrible situations!
Draco says nothing, but drags my chin up, I look at him, those stone opal eyes reveal absolutely nothing. Something a kin to maybe worry… "I am watching out for you, Virginia, no one is going to hit you again."
I blink; confusion seems to be my thing this year… "I don't want protection."
"You need it; Kittens tend to over cross curiosity and get hurt."
I snort, but watch him. "I take it you won't leave me alone anyway," I watch him; he doesn't move nor seem to respond. "Dinner then, Draco, we can talk more then."
Draco leans down, barely giving me any space to breathe let alone think I can only see his eyes. If I ever described Tom's eyes- the intensity behind his were hate… hate and anger, Draco's… Draco's eyes were a different intensity. The intensity behind these Opal dragon eyes were almost as if the passion behind them thrives… thrives in the grasses, the air, the only feeling of pure muscle under his cloak and shirt. The passion of being able to be dominate, to corner, the passion of worrying, of knowing, of caring… his passion is so close to my fire, the love, pain, trap…
"One more thing." His tone drops just a little, I tense up, my breath being let out slowly. My heart is speeding up. I hate being around him…them, they always make my heart feel like this. "Go to the Halloween Ball with me."
~*~*~*~End~*~*~Of~*~*~Chapter~*~*~*~
PoisonSeductress: I am terribly sorry for the long delay! I actually decided that I would forgo any of my other subjects-my finals are this week, tomorrow actually- and finish up this chapter that has been long overdue. Again, thank you everyone for your patients, I am just getting things on a roll here. I have been out of writing for quite some time! I am once again, Beta-less. So forgive any grammatical errors you find…and spelling. There are times when just finishing, going over, and finishing just does not catch everything. This page ranges up to 7 pages written. I hope you all enjoy, and look out!
Chapter 10 is in the water. So because I have been a horrible authoress, next time! We will see Halloween Ball…and something about Lucius, Severus, Virginia and Tom! Let's hope Virginia can keep her head above water!
REVIEW and ask me any questions you have. Thank you for your support!
Review Notification:
Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan: Hello, thank you for your fabulous review! I'm glad the last chapter cleared things up, and I am hoping this cleared up a bit more… decided to keep this a bit short and sweet and to the point and less confusing. I do hope you enjoy it.
1world-traveler: Thank you, I am glad to see I have new reviewers all the time. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you.
Springawakening1894: I believe Virginia is not so confused anymore…unless we are talking about Draco now. New situations coming up!