This was the dumbest idea Ginny had ever acted upon, followed only by that time she had pranked the twins with their own merchandise. That had been hilariously funny, until their shocked expressions had turned into vengeful ones. Ginny's hair had been bright yellow for a week.
But this – this was so much worse.
The door creaked as Ginny pushed it open and she flinched, but she continued to slowly swing it open. If someone was in the office, it was far too late now to back down, to abort the plan, her plan. She was here, she was close, she could not leave empty-handed. Neville and Luna were down there, in the halls, hiding and waiting for her. They could be caught at any moment. Ernie – who had told them of the supposed meeting between Snape and the Carrows and how the office would be empty tonight – could also get in trouble if she did not hurry. They had all trusted her implicitly when Ginny had told them her plan earlier that evening. She had not expected it to be put into action so fast, but when else would she have this opportunity? If, that is, Ernie's information was correct.
If Ernie had been correct, then Snape's office should be completely empty, with the Headmaster himself floors below in the dungeons with both of the Carrows. All Ginny could think was if, if, if, as she pushed slightly harder against the door.
It swung completely open as Ginny pushed again and she stood in the doorway gazing into the Headmaster's office – frozen. It struck her like a physical blow, this office; it was exactly the same as Dumbledore had left it. Every single thing was in the same place from the bowl of candy to the table of miniature instruments. Snape had not changed a single thing.
Slowly, like a zombie, Ginny moved into the circular room, her hand trailing over the nearest items in her daze, feeling the all-too-familiar items. How many times had she been in this office over the years? Too many to count, second only to Harry probably though he had no idea how often she had visited this place. Nobody knew, but Dumbledore had continued to meet with Ginny after her first year, to check up on her. How she had hated the feeling of his eyes upon her, not only like he could see into her soul, but like he could still see Tom Riddle there, a permanent stain on her very essence. With every visit during her second year Ginny could feel her fears creeping in. What if Tom Riddle had left a part of himself behind? What if he was still there, inside her head? What if she was permanently marred by his touch? She had felt dirty, tainted, and afraid.
But then the visits changed in her third year; Ginny relaxed. She had begun to trust Dumbledore, to even like him. Though his eyes always tracked her every movement, waiting for some sign that something was not right, he would smile and ask after her life, her friends, her family. He cared, at least, and she no longer felt like he believed Tom Riddle remained behind in her. Ginny had never liked Dumbledore as Harry did, had never trusted him as Harry did, but she had had a relationship with him.
It made staring at his portrait now all the harder.
Ginny's heart skipped a beat as her eyes landed on it, but the blossom of hope had barely bloomed in her chest before it popped. Dumbledore was asleep in his frame. She was considering waking him – for who would know better about the sword – when a voice suddenly squawked over her shoulder.
"Do you have permission to be in here, girl?"
Ginny turned sharply to see Phineas Black, the old Slytherin Headmaster that she particularly disliked. She watched recognition grow in his eyes as he stared at her, and his lips turned down, mirroring her dislike.
"Oh no you don't," he snapped, shaking a finger at her. "Dumbledore's gone! You have no reason to be in here, not when the new Headmaster is from my own House! He won't tolerate this, you know."
Ginny wanted to stick her tongue out at him desperately, as she had wanted to ever since her first visit to this office. Black had always been one of the most vocal portraits and he had always disliked her. It had prompted Dumbledore to tell Ginny about him, specifically how he was ancestor to both Sirius and Draco.
Draco.
Just like that, Ginny was distracted by thoughts of Draco. No matter how hard she had tried, memories of her kiss earlier kept intruding. All through planning this mission out hurriedly, she had had to push away thoughts of him. The hours she had laid in her bed, waiting for Neville to come get her, had been particularly torturous, as nothing had been around to distract her from the snatches of memory that crept into her thoughts.
The memory itself was so vivid, so real, so intense, and no matter how Ginny denied it, she had liked that kiss. In fact, she had been on the verge of kissing him back when Draco had broken away. Half of her horror afterward had been directed at him, but the other half had been directed at herself, for how she could even entertain the idea of kissing Malfoy?
But that idea was becoming more and more pleasant, more and more persuasive. Ginny hated it, hated herself for continually becoming distracted by these thoughts.
Slamming shut the door on thoughts of Malfoy, Ginny glared at Phineas Black. "Where's the sword?" she demanded without preamble.
The old Slytherin headmaster looked taken aback. "Excuse me?"
"What sword?" another old headmaster asked. Ginny turned to look and saw, to her joy, that the one who had spoken was the friendly old man who often smiled at her. She could not recall his name, however, but she smiled back.
"The sword of Gryffindor," Ginny explained, conscious suddenly of how much time she was wasting. She had to leave quickly. "I have it on good authority that it's here."
"On whose authority?" Phineas Black demanded.
"Your descendant's actually," Ginny retorted, her eyes scanning the room. She could not spot the sword, which worried her. Malfoy had said it was just behind the desk in a glass case, but she did not see it. Had Snape moved it because Draco had noticed it?
Phineas Black spluttered, but the other portrait who had spoken looked intrigued. "Why are you seeking the sword?" he asked.
Ginny flinched at his voice, casting her eyes about the office again. Most of the portraits had been asleep at her entrance, but the noise was making a few of them stir. She did not trust these portraits to keep her presence here a secret. In fact, she already had to find a way to silence Phineas Black, which was not going to be easy. Perhaps, she could tell him Draco was involved. Surely he would protect his own descendant. She could hardly charm the painting.
Ginny approached the portrait of the kindly old man and whispered, "I know a friend who desperately needs it. Please, where is it?"
The old man's eyes twinkled at her whispering, as though she were playing some secret game with him. His eyes shot to Dumbledore, who was still asleep, and then his eyes cut over to a narrow space between two shelves just to the right of the desk. "There," he whispered back.
Ginny nearly cried with relief and wasted no time in hurrying over to the crevice. Reaching her hand blindly in, she was surprised to touch cold metal rather than glass. Regardless, she closed her hand around the object and withdrew it. The sword shimmered in her hand, out of its case and glimmering like it had just been polished. Ginny's mouth flopped open in surprise. Why in the name of Merlin had Snape taken the sword out of its case and stashed it in a dusty crevice? What in the bloody hell was he thinking?
A sudden yell surprised Ginny and she nearly dropped the sword.
"No!" Phineas Black yelled. "Absolutely not! You put that sword back right this moment, bloodtraitor! Right this instant! Headmaster Snape has instructions and you cannot-"
"Snape can shove his wand up his arse!" Ginny snapped back, inflamed at the mention of the traitorous new Headmaster, as though he even deserved that title.
Phineas Black gaped at her, and a few of the other portraits began to wake up, no doubt startled by their yelling. Ginny gazed at them with mounting horror.
No, no, no. Her mind chanted as she gripped the sword tighter. All of these witnesses and she had no way to silence them. They were guarded against charms and spells. Phineas Black was glaring at her, beginning his speech again, calling her a bloodtraitor, but she ignored him. Merlin, I'm dead. Ginny realized with startling clarity. This truly had been the dumbest thing she had ever done. One of these portraits would tell Snape it was her who had taken the sword, and Snape would torture her. She needed to leave, now, to hide the sword before Snape could catch up with her.
With that thought, Ginny turned and fled the office, leaving the door open behind her so the voices of the portraits hollered after her, some in anger but most in surprise. How many had seen her? Would they even know her name? Phineas Black was sure to call her a redheaded bloodtraitor, and Snape was no idiot. She had very little time to hide the sword, but she had to. She had no way of getting it to Harry tonight. She would just have to hide it, tell either Neville or Luna where it was, and then hope like hell she could hold up under Snape's inquisition.
Merlin, she was an idiot, a reckless, blind idiot.
Ginny's footsteps sounded like booms to her ears as she dashed down the stairs, but even their loud noise could not drown out the noise Ginny most feared. The door below her opened.
She stopped instantly, chest heaving and air rasping in and out of her lungs.
No, no, no. It seemed to be the only thought Ginny could chant. Someone was coming up the stairs, she could hear them as they marched forward with assured footsteps. It had to be Snape, but then where were Luna and Neville? They surely would have done something, created some distraction if they had seen Snape on his way here.
The thought of her friends made Ginny's heart nearly stop. If they were in trouble, if they had been caught, if they were being harmed, it was all her fault. Her and her stupid, reckless plan. Merlin, when had she become so stupid? The plan had been faulty from the beginning, full of holes. Why had she ever thought she could do this? Why had she ever thought she could do anything?
The answer was glaringly obvious, of course, in hindsight. She had been an emotional wreck after the kiss with Malfoy, and she had leapt after this chance like a dying man. As though getting the sword for Harry could erase her earlier thoughts and feelings about Draco. Ginny had blindly thrown herself into the first task she could find, desperate not only to distract herself but to do something about the stupid war that seemed to change every aspect of her life. She was so stupid, so ridiculous, every inch the stereotypical Gryffindor the Slytherins believed her to be.
And now she was going to be caught.
The footsteps came closer and Ginny had nowhere to go. The shouting in the office behind her grew louder, and Ginny heard as the person below her stopped, and then hurried on, their footsteps increasing as they too heard the commotion in the office.
Ginny only had time to draw her wand as the person rounded the corner.
It did not take very long to identify Snape, with his signature long, black robes.
He halted upon seeing her, his wand drawn as well. The two stared at each for a moment before Snape's eyes slid from her wand to her other hand, which still tightly gripped the sword. Ginny had not even tried to hide it. Snape's expression remained stoic, but he stared at the sword for quite a few moments.
Ginny was just deciding she should curse him now, while he was distracted, when he sighed. The noise was instantly familiar, so close to Malfoy's own sigh of exasperation, that Ginny nearly jumped in surprise.
"Miss Weasley, you do have terrible timing," Snape said drolly, his black eyes shifting to her face to study her. "Bad timing and that damnable Gryffindor courage."
Ginny said nothing, unsure of what to say. Should she curse him? For some reason, she hated the idea. Perhaps because Snape was making no threatening moves towards her. Could she truly strike an unthreatening man? It did not seem right.
Snape lowered his wand, slowly, making sure she saw him do it. Then, he spoke again. "You remind me a lot of someone I used to know, though she would have never gone through with so foolish a plan. Who told you of the sword?"
"Harry," Ginny replied instantly, unsure of why she should lie about it, but the lie came anyway. She wanted to keep Draco out of it suddenly, remembering how he had said Snape had talked to him about her. Her unease grew at the remembrance.
Snape merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Right, of course. Potter's as dense as you, apparently. Give me the sword, Miss Weasley. You have no way of getting it to him tonight."
Ginny swung the sword behind her back, eyes widening with alarm. "How do you know I want to give the sword to Harry? Why would you think that?"
Snape sighed again, his dark eyes darting to the stairs below them. He seemed nervous, the longer they spoke. "There are plenty of things I know that you don't, and plenty of things you think you know that you are sadly misinformed about. But I do not have the time to explain them to you," Snape ground out between clenched teeth. "Give me the sword, Miss Weasley, now, and go back to your dorm."
Ginny's eyes widened yet again and her heart stilled in surprise. Snape was offering to let her off the hook. He could not possibly truly mean to forget about this, though, could he? But his eyes, so dark, looked honest as he stared at her with his nervous expression. His hand was outstretched, waiting for her to hand over the sword. Doubt filled Ginny suddenly, and she looked at the sword with confusion.
But then another set of footsteps suddenly echoed up the stairs behind them, and Snape's expression instantly snapped into a blank slate, his eyes hardening into the unfriendly black Ginny was used to.
She stepped back unconsciously.
Alecto Carrow rounded the stairs, halting immediately upon seeing her and Snape in their stand-off. Both of their wands were still raised, though Ginny once again held the sword behind her back. Carrow swiveled her eyes between the two of them before her gaze settled on Ginny and a nauseating grin lit up her frog-like features.
"Well, well, well," she spoke slowly, "another little Gryffindor out of bed. I suppose we know why the other ones threw themselves into our path now, don't we Severus?"
He said nothing, but Ginny's heart plummeted to the floor. Luna and Neville, their names were an anguished thought, tormenting her mind. They had been caught. Oh Merlin, they had been caught.
Alecto's grin widened at seeing Ginny's obvious distress. "Oh, yes. My brother has them even now, getting answers from them. Maybe if I bring you in, they'll begin speaking. That is, if they have any voice left. Screaming does such terrible things to the voice..."
Ginny did not even think. "Confringo!" Her voice filled the narrow stairway and she waited for the satisfying noise of the wall above Alecto crumbling down onto her head.
It never came though.
Snape threw up a shield spell so quickly, Ginny hardly saw her own spell rebound off it, hitting instead the wall behind her. The boom caused her to duck, shielding her head from the dust and small flecks of debris that just barely reached her. Before she could get her wand up again, Snape had yelled another spell and in the blink of an eye, her wand was in his hand.
Alecto cackled as Ginny glared at Snape, holding her wand now in his other hand as his wand remained levelled at her face. His expression did not look particularly happy.
"Little bitch!" Alecto crowed. "You thought detention before was bad! Just you wait now that you've tried to kill me! I'll make you forget your own name-"
"Enough," Snape cut her off, his voice commanding. Alecto fell silent, shooting Snape a dark look he did not see. He took a step forward, toward Ginny who backed up in response. "Give me the sword, Miss Weasley. Now."
She swung the sword around to point it at him, the weight unfamiliar and heavy in her hands. "No."
Snape's eyes widened at her very obvious threat and Alecto went a furious shade of red. Ginny, herself, could not believe she was actually threatening her old Potions master with a sword, but she refused to back down. She refused to stand here defenseless as Alecto threw threats at her.
"Threatening the Headmaster!" Alecto squawked, her voice unbelieving as it climbed through an octave and cracked. "How dare you, bloodtraitor!"
Ginny was really growing tired of hearing that insult lobbed at her, but before she could reply, Snape's wand had snapped up to aim directly at her face. She looked at him with surprise and hurt, the insult falling off of her tongue.
Snape's eyes seemed to fill with pain and regret, but regardless he cast the spell Ginny had hoped to never endure again.
She only heard, "Crucio!" and then the entire world went dark.
Draco had his head buried in his bed, an increasingly common pose for him these days, when Blaise finally barged into his room. "Took you long enough," he muttered. Zabini had been standing outside of his door ever since Ginny had left, hours ago now.
"Oh, in a joking mood are we?" Blaise snapped back.
Draco sighed, clearly picturing Blaise standing in the center of his room, arms folded and face a display of judgment that could put Draco's father to shame. He refused to raise his head, muttering into his bedding again, "Go away Zabini. I do not want to face your criticisms today."
"You kissed her."
Now that made Draco raise his head, staring at Zabini with alarm. "How in the bloody hell would you know that?"
Blaise cocked an eyebrow. "When the yelling abruptly cut off like that, I assumed you had either killed her or kissed her. Considering I escorted her out of our house, I am sure you kissed her."
Draco sighed again and flopped over onto his back, glaring moodily at his ceiling like a child. There was no use in denying it, of course; Blaise looked certain of himself. Draco had kissed Ginny.
Even thinking it made him shudder, and he was not entirely sure he was shuddering in revulsion, as he should be. A Malfoy should never kiss a Weasley; it seemed a law to him. Like the knowledge that a mudblood would never become a Slytherin, a Malfoy should never kiss a Weasley. But he had.
And he had enjoyed it.
Draco slammed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the knowledge that he had enjoyed it, but the thought was always there, taunting him. He had enjoyed kissing Ginny, more than he had enjoyed kissing anyone in years. He could remember every second his lips had been pressed against hers with perfect clarity, as though they were etched into his brain. He doubted he would ever forget the feeling of her small gasp of surprise against his mouth, the way she had frozen, the way their lips had fit together.
Merlin, he thought, even just remembering the incident. He wanted to kiss her again. In fact, he suddenly wanted to do many things to the Weasley girl. It was nauseating. Or it should have been. Except it was not. Not a single bone in Draco's body felt disgusted at the thought of Ginny, not one. He was doomed.
"Not going to say anything?" Blaise snapped.
Draco opened his eyes and rolled his head to glare at his friend who stood in the exact position Draco had pictured him in, complete with judgmental expression. "Is there any point?" he snapped back, aware he sounded like a petulant child. "You know I kissed her. She knows I kissed her. I know I kissed her. The end."
"Not the end!" Blaise stepped forward, looking as though he wished to shake Draco by the shoulders. "Are you bloody mad, Malfoy? You've never been stupid!"
"I'd like to argue," he muttered darkly, thinking of every mistake he had ever made. Slytherins were meant to be cunning, but for the past year Draco had felt like a farce in his own house. Every decision he made seemed idiotic.
"Damn it, Draco! Stop your little pity party and listen to me!" Blaise's dark eyes were on fire, and Draco blinked in surprised. He could not remember the last time he had ever seen Blaise this angry.
"What is your problem?" he demanded, swinging his feet over so he was sitting on the edge of his bed, facing his best friend. "Why are you so angry? It was one kiss, Zabini! And I think I've learned my lesson now! I'll stay away from her."
Blaise laughed, actually laughed in his face at that. "Stay away from her? You are mad! Do you honestly think she'll leave you alone after this? She's bloody Ginny Weasley! Can't leave anything alone, can she?"
"What's your point?" Draco could feel his anger rising in response to Blaise's tone. He had never taken criticism well.
"You've put her in danger!"
Draco sat back, having not expected that. "What?" His thoughts spun. "Why do you care if she's in danger? And news flash, Blaise, she's been in danger this entire term!"
Blaise sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "This is different Malfoy. Before, she was a bloodtraitor and an irritation to the Carrows. Before, she was on their radar. But if they find out about how you feel about her, she'll be dead. You'll both be dead! Do you honestly think the Carrows wouldn't run immediately to the Dark Lord with that news? They wouldn't be able to contain their excitement! And the Dark Lord, oh he'd love this story, wouldn't he? How long do you think he would wait before making an example out of you for his followers? How long do you think he'd wait to kill her? You'd both be dead within the day!"
Draco blinked, and then blinked again, his mind frozen in a blank terror he had not felt in a long time, not since he had thought he would fail the task the Dark Lord had given him. But he felt that terror now, at the thought of Voldemort killing Ginny, and then killing him, probably slowly and painfully. He forced himself to say, "The Carrows don't know."
"Don't be dense," Blaise retorted. "If you fall for Ginny Weasley, do you honestly believe you could keep it a secret? What do you imagine exactly Draco – that the two of you can hold hands in the corridors when no one is looking and meet up at night? Secret rendezvous? Don't be a bloody idiot! You and Ginny Weasley have no future!"
Draco rose to his feet, face red. "I'm not some teenage girl, Zabini! And I'm not an idiot! I never expected this! I never wanted this! You know why I started helping her, you know! This was unexpected."
"And you'll just stop seeing her now?" Blaise barked. "You'll just let her go now, is that it? You didn't expect to develop feelings for her, but now that you have you'll just back off? Because that's what you should do, Draco. That is absolutely what you need to do."
"Yes," Draco said, but even as he said it, he knew he couldn't. He could not just stop seeing Ginny Weasley now, not after having kissed her. He had to at least explain himself. He had to do something. He had to warn her, now that Blaise had put these dark thoughts into his head. He had to protect her. The need to protect her was nearly overwhelming.
Blaise's eyes missed nothing. "That's what I thought. You don't have the strength to stay away from her Draco. You don't have the willpower, even knowing you can't have a relationship with her."
Draco shot him a hateful look. "Oh and you would?" he snapped.
All of the anger left Blaise like Draco had physically struck him. He blew out his breath in a noise that fell between a sigh and a grown, and suddenly Draco could see pain in his eyes. Blaise's mask had cracked.
"Blaise?" his voice came out much smaller than he intended.
Blaise glanced at him, attempting to glare but failing. "Yes, Draco, I would have the willpower. Hell, I did have the willpower. I made that tough decision, and now you need to do the same!"
Draco stared at him, trying to figure it out. Who-? But he remembered suddenly, the day before when Ginny had sought him out. He had forgotten in the events that had followed, but he remembered now that she had been alarmed because Blaise and her friend had been speaking in the hallway. "Luna Lovegood," Draco whispered, as the girl's name came to him. "You mean Luna Lovegood." He could picture her, the looney girl with her blonde hair and wide eyes.
Blaise flinched, but did not look away. "Yes, and I stopped seeing her."
"What?" Draco found himself sitting down again, in surprise. "When did you even start seeing her? Why did you start seeing her?" He could not picture it, his best friend with her of all people. It was not like she was not pretty; she was attractive enough, but she was also crazy. Her nickname was Looney Lovegood for Merlin's sake!
Blaise snorted. "Like I'm going to sit here and detail my relationship with her to you. Forget it Draco. All you need to know is that I started seeing her, and then I realized that this war was going to happen and I stopped seeing her. Seeing me would have put her in danger, a lot of danger, and I am not even a Death Eater. Imagine how much danger Ginny would be in if she was seeing you."
At the mention of Death Eaters, Draco glanced down at his bare forearm where the Dark Mark grinned up at him. Ginny had not noticed it earlier, far too carried away with her thoughts and fears and plans. He wondered suddenly, what she would have done if she had noticed. Draco could hardly look at the mark without wanting to cut it from his skin. He had even considered it actually, once he left this place behind him. Ginny would hate him, as soon as she saw it, he realized. She would absolutely hate him, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
With that realization, he felt himself give in. "How did you do it?" he asked, gazing at his forearm with distaste but also with realization. He was a Death Eater, how could he have forgotten? He looked back up at Blaise. "How did you leave her behind? What did you do? What did you say?"
"I said that I no longer cared for her," Blaise nearly whispered. "I told her it had been a nice distraction, but I was never going to fight on her side, the good side, not when I could save my neck. And Merlin, she remembered that," a nasty smile twisted Blaise's lips. "She threw my own words back at me yesterday."
Draco flinched. He did not want that. He did not want Ginny to hate him. But he would have to make her hate him, he knew. Blaise was right; Ginny would never leave him, or this, alone until she hated him. "What do I do?" he muttered.
Blaise came a step forward, not quite putting his hand on Draco's shoulder, but the effect was the same. He was there for Draco, the gesture said. "You tell her you were just messing with her, a bit of fun during this boring year. You tell her it was a waste of time, that you realized when you kissed her you could never continue the act. You tell her kissing a bloodtraitor curdled your blood and made you gag. You deny everything you've ever confessed to her. And then you refuse to see her again. You do not meet with her. You turn around when you see her. You ignore her existence."
Draco snorted. "You say that like it will be easy."
Blaise did not share his humor. "It will be the hardest thing you ever do," he stated seriously. "At least, if you care for her how I cared for Luna."
"Did you love Luna?" Draco had no idea why he asked, but he could not help it. He wanted to know.
Blaise's eyes moved from his face to stare off into the distance, contemplative. "I have no idea. It's not like I know much about love, or how it happens, right? But I do know that when I realized I was putting her in danger, I could not do it. I had never particularly cared about people before her, you know. I always put myself first. With her that changed, and I have no idea when or why or how, but one day I realized I had to put her first. So I did. If that makes it love then that's what it was."
A deep aching filled Draco's chest at his friend's heartfelt words. Merlin, he had never expected to hear Blaise Zabini say such things, cold Blaise Zabini. But Draco knew exactly what his friend was talking about, from not knowing what love was exactly to wanting to protect someone over protecting himself. "Listen to us," he mocked to alleviate the suddenly heavy air. "We sound like two girls."
Blaise's lips quirked into a slight smile, but the expression quickly dropped. "Will you do it then? Will you stop seeing her?"
Draco opened his mouth to say yes, to say absolutely, but the word did not come as quickly as he thought it would. The aching inside of his chest hindered it.
An image of Ginny Weasley, a memory from years ago, rose into his mind. She had been standing in the hallway, staring at one of her books with her hair falling out of a bun and one sock rolled down. Draco remembered thinking she had looked sloppy, but he had been unable to look away. While Ginny had looked sloppy and frustrated as she glared at the text, she had also looked innocent, completely innocent. Draco had never seen someone who looked so convincingly normal, so untouched by their own life. He had stared at her for a few minutes, only leaving when she did, and that day had reaffirmed his belief that he owed her. It had made him think he should protect that, the innocence she somehow still had.
Draco did not want to give her up. She was everything he had ever wanted for himself. She had every chance for the life he would never be able to have. Somehow Ginny Weasley was able to forget her own dark past, the way Draco could never do, and he wanted more than anything to ensure she continued to live so innocently, so completely free. Maybe he thought it was his chance at redemption. Maybe he only wanted to see someone get a happy ending. Maybe he was just being selfish. But Draco needed her to get everything, to come out of this completely fine.
Could he just walk away, knowing he would be giving up all control?
Before Draco could answer, and before Blaise said anything, his door burst open.
Draco's wand was in his hand and he was on his feet in an instant, but his mind could not process what he saw. He thought he was seeing Snape standing in his doorway, looking flustered for the first time in his life, but that made no sense. It was not until Draco glanced at Zabini, who was also looking shocked, that he allowed himself to believe he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing.
"Draco, I need you to come with me now," Snape ordered without any greeting.
Draco's wand fell limply to his side. "What?" He was so surprised he did not even feel the usual anger he felt in Snape's presence.
"I said-" Snape cut himself off abruptly as his eyes found Zabini, standing stupidly where he had turned around in alarm. "You have a guest," Snape finished flatly.
Draco exchanged a concerned look with Blaise. "Yes."
"Leave," Snape commanded, glaring at Blaise, who immediately moved to obey, his features smoothing out into his normal blank expression.
"Wait," Draco broke in, stretching out one hand to halt his friend. "Why should he leave? What are you even doing here?" His usual anger was coming to him now, the longer he stared at his ex-favorite professor. That betrayal still stung, as much as it had when Snape had first confessed it. He loathed the idea of bending to Snape's will, doing whatever Snape clearly wanted him to do.
Snape shot him a nasty look. "I do not have time for your ridiculous games today, Malfoy. You will come with me, now."
Draco folded his arms. "Not a chance. I'm not doing anything you say. I don't trust you."
Snape sighed, but turned to glare at Zabini again. "Leave, now."
Blaise glanced at Draco, and then echoed his pose, folding his arms. "No, sir."
An unintelligible yell flew from Snape's mouth, and Draco truly thought the new Headmaster would draw his wand and curse them both. Snape looked furious as he glared between the two of them, but then his eyes seemed to harden with resolution. "Neville Longbottom is in the infirmary as we speak," he began in a cool voice as both Draco and Blaise exchanged another look, wondering why they should care. "And Luna Lovegood is with him," Snape finished just as coolly.
All of the color drained from Blaise's face in an instant. "What?" he nearly croaked out.
"She's suffered the Cruciatus Curse, and she needed treatment."
Snape had hardly finished speaking before Blaise was shoving past him, frantic to get to the door. Draco could not see the fear on his face, but he thought he would know what it looked like. Pure terror. Blaise was feeling pure terror.
"Blaise-" he started, beginning to follow Blaise out the door, fully intending to go with him.
Snape stepped into his path. "You'll want to follow me."
Draco drew up immediately, lips curling at Snape. "And why would I want to do that?" He watched, helplessly, as Blaise disappeared out the door, running in his desperation to reach Luna Lovegood. Blaise must love her, he realized, and a fresh wave of anger at Snape overwhelmed him, anger that Snape had inflicted this torment on Blaise. "Why would I want to do anything you said?" he demanded, nearly yelling.
"Because Miss Weasley suffered the same curse, and I need you to look after her."
Everything stopped. Draco's anger snuffed out, along with every single thought in his head. Blankness covered everything, and a buzzing filled his ears. He could not have heard Snape correctly. There was no way. Ginny had to be in her dormitory. It was way past curfew, and she had no way of sneaking out. Snape was lying; Snape had to be lying. Ginny could not be hurt, he had just seen her. Hell, he had just touched her. She was fine.
Snape moved to grab Draco's shoulder, but Draco's wand whipped up, pointing at Snape's chest with deadly intent.
"What did you do to her?" Draco bit out each and every word, a new, black anger enveloping his chest until he could no longer feel his heart beating. He could no longer feel anything. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"
Snape took a step back, his face betraying his fear at the rage in Draco's voice. He held up both hands, wandless. Draco was not appeased. "She broke into my office," he stated, in the same cold voice he had used previously, trying not to betray his fear. "One of the Carrows was with me when I caught her. I did what I had to do."
"What you had to do?" Draco bellowed, incensed. "You tortured her! You cursed her!" He could see it now, Snape torturing Ginny. The very idea made him wish to cast his own curse, to make Snape feel that pain.
"Draco!" Snape snapped, irritation coloring his features. "Yes, I did, and I had a very good reason that you are clearly too biased to see. But that does not matter now. You need to come with me. Someone needs to watch her!"
Draco deflated like a popped balloon. "Why? What's wrong with her?" The image of Ginny, unconscious on the floor with her hair spread out like blood, haunted his mind as it had been doing for weeks now, ever since he had put her there with his curse. If he had done that, what had Snape's curse done to her?
"She's unconscious," Snape answered, turning to the door and walking away, forcing Draco to follow. Snape was nearly jogging through the halls, out into the common room and then beyond into the dungeon with Draco trailing unwillingly behind him. "And I suspect she will remain that way for some time."
"Why did you have to curse her?" Draco muttered, fear shredding at his mind. Snape's curse had to be strong; he had had years of practice after all. What did a curse like that do to a young girl like Ginny?
"Because if I hadn't the Carrows would have, and they would not have stopped," Snape's voice was as dark as Draco's and for the first time, Draco saw how unhappy his old Potions Master was. Snape looked pissed. His unwillingness faded away.
Draco followed him up the stairs without another word, turning mechanically where Snape turned. He hardly paid attention, his mind now consumed with thoughts of Ginny. Would she be okay? How much damage had been done? Was it permanent? The very thought of Ginny Weasley, lying lifelessly on a hospital bed for the rest of her life, caused a pang of pain so sharp Draco lost his breath. That was not a life meant for anyone, let alone someone as alive as Ginny. It took another few minutes for him to realize Snape was not leading him to the infirmary.
"Where are we going?" he demanded as they took another staircase. The place seemed vaguely familiar to him, but it was like his mind refused to place it.
"I could not take her to the infirmary," Snape muttered. "Not when she was muttering those things."
"Muttering?" Draco asked, confusion stealing into his voice. "Muttering what?"
Snape cut him a look. "Muttering things she doubtlessly does not want other people to hear. The Curse drudges up the very worst of our memories."
"Then why am I watching her?"
"You already know most of what she's muttering," Snape replied, evading Draco's questioning gaze. He halted suddenly and Draco nearly slammed into him, having been nearly jogging to keep up with Snape's pace.
He turned his head to see a swatch of blank wall, and his heart plummeted. He did not even need to look at the other wall, to see that damned tapestry, to know where he was. "No," he deadpanned, backing away as though the wall were going to reach out and grab him. "No way in hell." This place had haunted his nightmares for months now, always there and always watching him. The things he had done...
Snape shot him an irritated look. "I know you do not like this place, Draco, but I had nowhere else to put her."
Draco shot him a disgusted look back. "So you decided on the Room of Requirement?" The name alone made him want to gag, bringing such a bitter taste to his mouth that he felt like clawing out his tongue. Draco could not think of this place without wanting to Obliviate himself. All of his very worst memories, his very worst torments, came rushing up to him at once until he felt like he would drown on all of his mistakes. He had sworn he would never come back. He could not go back in.
Snape was ignoring him though, pacing in front of the door with his brow screwed up until finally a small wooden door appeared.
The fact that this entrance bared no resemblance to the one that haunted Draco's dreams did nothing to alleviate his fears. He could not go in. He could not go in there. Anywhere in the world but there.
"You must watch over her," Snape said smoothly, looking at the door. "I trust no one else, and I cannot put her in the infirmary. The Carrows are out for blood. If they should find out where she is..."
He trailed off but Draco easily finished his sentence. The Carrows would kill Ginny if they could find her. Their hatred of her easily overpassed their hatred of anyone else. "How long?" Draco finally said, staring at the door with wide eyes. "How long do I have to stay?"
"The night," Snape finally did look at him, his dark eyes not nearly as cold as before. He almost looked like he pitied Draco. "I'll come get you in the morning."
Draco released his breath slowly and steadily, trying to release his fears with it. He had never wanted to return to this place, but Ginny was in there. Ginny was in there, unconscious and hurt and he had no idea if she would be alright. Someone had to stay with her, and he rather thought she would hate to wake up to Snape's face.
"Fine."
His decision was made just like that.
Snape nodded and moved aside. Draco brushed past him and grasped the handle, yanking the door open without hesitation. The room inside was only dimly lit by a few candles, and it was much smaller than he had anticipated. It most closely resembled a dorm room, with a single bed against the far wall. Ginny lay on that bed, on top of the covers.
Clearly, she had been laid on her back, but she had twisted, curling the sheets underneath her until they were a mess. But it was her body language that frightened Draco. She was curled in on herself, as though trying to protect herself. Her back was hunched in a way that looked painful, her legs pressed against her chest. Her hair spread out like a wave around her, the strands in disarray. But it was her face that struck him the hardest. Her eyes were screwed shut, as though she was trying not to see something, and her lips were pressed so tightly together they had lost all color. Sweat shone on her forehead in the candlelight and her fingers convulsed as Draco watched.
He was in the room and kneeling beside her bed before he had thought about it. His hand blindly grasped one of hers, pulling apart the fist and jamming itself in the way so he was clenching her hand. She convulsed again, her fingernails digging into his flesh. Draco winced but held on that much tighter.
"Will she be alright?"
Snape stood in the doorway. "The convulsions are a normal side effect. I believe she will be alright, but it may take some time for her to recover. She has... particularly bad memories associated with the invasion of her mind."
Draco wanted to ask what exactly Snape meant but another convulsion distracted him.
"Ginny," he whispered, pressing a hand to her clammy forehead. "Merlin, Ginny." He had never pictured this, had certainly never pictured her this way. She looked terrible. She looked miserable. She looked like she might die. Fear coated Draco's lungs, making it hard to breathe as he stared at her, unable to look away.
"I'll be back in the morning," Snape said in farewell, but Draco hardly heard him. His eyes stayed focused on Ginny's face as the door closed, sealing them in.
Settling on the floor, Draco kept hold of Ginny's hands. He would stay here all night, just like this if she did not wake up. Any thoughts of his previous memories here evaporated. All that mattered was Ginny. All that he could see was Ginny.