Disclaimer: I own nothing, and no copyright infringement was intended.

The cold, dark chamber was eerily loud, filled with shadowed water and echoes from times long gone. There was a pale, grey light all around, drawing attention to the elaborate stonework and the enormous statue of its founder. In the corner lay a small body, the long, bright red hair spilling out around her pale face mixing with the crimson blood. Her eyes were half closed, struggling to keep open from exhaustion and the piercing cold.

"Tom," Ginny whispered hoarsely. "Tom, what -" her voice cracked. "What are you doing? Where are we?"

"Don't worry, Ginevra," he said, unnervingly calm. "Go to sleep. And when you wake, I'll be right here. Sleep now."

'I wonder if I'll ever be awake again,' Ginny thought with a jolt. She was unsure how to feel about this new revelation. The dark, wet walls around her were growing paler, fainter. Ginny had to fight hard to keep her eyes open. Slowly, the diary in her hand fell to the ground. It had easily been her best friend this past year. Slipping into her life so seamlessly, it had helped her when she had been struggling with homework, comforted her after she was teased by her brothers, given her solace during her heartbreak over Harry.

It was strange finally seeing Tom, the trusted friend she had had for so long as an actual person. In her overtired brain he almost seemed ghostly, other-worldly somehow. As if he wasn't quite real.

Tom was speaking again. Ginny closed her eyes and concentrated hard on what he was saying so he wouldn't have to repeat himself. Tom hated repeating himself, she suddenly remembered.

"Don't forget," he was saying, his beautiful voice echoing around the enormous chamber. "Every breath you take, every word you speak, gives me strength. Power. Life. You want to help me live, don't you, my darling Ginevra?"

"Yes," she breathed, not daring to let him out of her sight. Tom had been so kind, so helpful, so understanding in the past, that it was strange to see him so different in here. Somewhere in her exhausted mind, she registered the fact that she adored him all the more for it. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, a thrilling mixture of fear and excitement.

Her heart, so desperately close to stopping forever, beat even faster. "I'll do anything," Ginny whispered. She did not know what scared her more: the words she was saying, or the fervour with which she meant them.

At last, Tom smiled, one of the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Good," he said quietly. "That is very good." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving her all alone.

Ginny could not summon the energy to lift her head anymore. With a loud, heaving sigh, she sank back onto the wet, freezing tiles and let her eyes flutter closed, listening to the fading footsteps.

Hours later, or maybe it was a few seconds, an image of Bill flashed before her mind, a sad, heartbroken expression on her eldest brother's face. 'What would he think if he saw me here, this close to giving up?' Ginny thought desperately.

One by one, her entire family flashed before her eyes. Mum, worry etched onto her features. Dad, looking so horribly disappointed. Ron. Fred, George, Charlie. Percy. She had tried to tell him that morning what was happening to her, but -

She closed her eyes tightly again, trying to stop the tears in her eyes from falling.

'Some Gryffindor I am,' she thought bitterly. 'The failure of the Weasley family, too weak, petrified, it's pathetic!'

But even as she berated herself, she realised that… that… oh, if she wasn't so tired…

'No!' she told herself forcefully. 'No, you won't go to sleep, not yet!' She blinked hard, twice; she tried to lift her arm to pinch herself, but her body wouldn't respond.

'Harry,' was her last thought as the chamber swam before her eyes,. 'Must hold on… for Harry...'

Then the world turned black.

A/N: I randomly found this on my computer a few days ago, half finished, so I thought, why not publish it? I'm sorry I haven't posted anything for so long. I hope you enjoy reading this very short story… Please leave a review with your thoughts?