5. The attack
She woke up long before she heard the voice coming from down the hall. She sat up straighter, straining her ears for any sound that would confirm her suspicion that someone was prowling around her newly decorated hall.
Then she heard it.
It was not loud enough to awaken someone from their sleep, but was enough to cause an already awake Ginny to climb out of the trance she had been in. Her very first thought was that this was one of Fred and George's usual pranks- but then she realized that her dearest brothers were away on vacation. Suddenly alert, Ginny picked up the receiver of the telephone -a muggle device which was more convenient than the fire network and dialed 911 - the muggle police.
Someone picked up the telephone on the other end .The voice on the other end sounded drowsy and Ginny doubted her decision for a second before hastily telling the operator that she needed immediate help, and that someone had gotten into her house. The foolish operator asked her if it was her kids- and Ginny controlled the weird urge of laughing- before confirming that it wasn't her kids.
The operator reassured her in a calm voice, apparently suddenly realizing that Ginny was in real danger, and she relaxed a little bit. The operator launched into a question answer mode and Ginny calmly answered all the questions and gave directions to her muggle house.
She replaced the receiver with a perplexed expression on her beautiful face, the momentary contact with another human had relaxed her ,but now she was again straining her ears for any kind of sound that would indicate as to where the attacker was within the house.
She tried to think of what he might be stealing at the very moment .Imagining him picking up her gold photo frame with Ron and Harry's oldest photograph. And then a horrible thought struck her, as horrible thoughts do at time of crisis, what if he hadn't come here to steal something? What if the real threat was not to her precious antiques but Ginny herself?
That thought intensified the sick feeling at the pit of Ginny's stomach and she silently reached for the glass of water that usually stood on her bed-side table. In her current state it was no surprise when the glass fell to the ground with a humungous CRASH- alerting the man- who Ginny had until then imagined to be relishing the ice-cream in her refrigerator.
She quietly curled up into a small ball and tried to make least noise, thinking that if she couldn't see him- he couldn't either. She sat that way for what she felt were hours, but they were infact mere minutes. After what seemed like an eternity someone knocked on her bedroom door. She screamt and the person knocking relishing her fear, began pounding at her door.
He had come to kill her hadn't he after all thought Ginny- like a daft prick, and that thought brought a small whimper to her mouth.
Her attacker-major power house that he was- had managed to break the door down .She saw his profile in the dark and felt him approach her bedside. She realized with apparent stupidity that in her hurry to call the police, she had forgotten to do the most obvious thing- switch the light on, due to which she could only make out the profile of her intruder.
He was tall- almost six feet, was well built and looked foreboding. She tried to make out what he was wearing but the darkness did not allow that. He advanced toward her and she screamt again-more out of the embarrassment of him finding her in her night gown than fear, but it was the police siren that stopped him in his tracks. He pointed a finger at her and then left.
Long after he was gone the police came up to her door, and found her in a brightly lit room -which was very weird considering that Ginny had no recollection of getting up to illuminate the room, lying face up on her bed in apparent shock and fear. They helped her sit up, which was a hard task- because in her fear- Ginny had absolutely forgotten how to move her limbs- asked a few questions and ordered her to be at the station the next day.
Thereafter they asked her to call inn a member of her family-which made Ginny think instinctively of Molly, only to be slightly disappointed as she remembered the last few days- to come stay with her the night if she felt frightened. She thought of Ron, next. She dialed his number, and smiled as she remembered how he had always scolded Hermoine and insisted that they did not need a muggle instrument such as the telephone, but Hermoine had been stubborn and had finally installed one herself.
She silently thanked her sister-in-law and waited for Ron to pick up the phone somehow -reassured by the policemen still by her side. He picked up the phone at the eight ring. She told him everything in a hurry and asked him to come over .Although still sleepwalking-he understood her predicament and told her he would be there in a minute. Thanks to her active mind though- Ginny was able to warn him of the presence of the muggles and asked him to arrive at her place in the muggle car instead of apparating.
Done with the call- She turned to the policemen and with a catch in her throat realized that one of them was of the same height as the person who had tried to attack her some moments ago. She thanked them and they reassured her that they would be patrolling her street. They also reminded her to come to the station the next morning, as if she would forget.
Ron reached her place soon, with what looked like a bag full of diapers- but Ginny was too frightened to notice- and the policemen left soon after. Ron fixed her a hot chocolate without much difficulty as he had a habit of cooking while sleepwalking, and asked her to go back to her room.
"You might as well try to sleep, you have to start work tommorow," he said, once he had finished yawning the fifth time.
"Oh shit, I completely forgot that" said a weary Ginny.
She retired to her room...but sleep still evaded her. She could still picture the tall man in her doorway and still worried as to what would have happened if the police had not gotten there at the right time.
She tried closing her eyes....but the sandman was apparently very angry with her. She tried the childish game of counting sleep but slumber didn't come easily. After a long time, she finally fell asleep only to be awoken at what felt like minutes after she had slept by a drowsy and still sleepwalking Ron telling her that there was a call from Draco Malfoy.
She went to attend it.......
"Miss Weasley, why aren't you here already" asked the angry voice of Malfoy.
"Malfoy-"
"Sir, that's what you will call me” he said in such icy tones that Ginny wished she had a glass to collect the cubes falling from his mouth that instant.
"Sir I had quite a scare last night and there was this intruder in my house, and he tried to attack me.........."her voice trailed off, not sure whether Draco Malfoy would believer her.
"Don't give me crack and bull stories Miss Weasley. I want you here in half an hour and if you're not here by the end of I, then you might as well consider yourself fired" he said in an angry voice ,now blowing fire.
"But -"she tried reasoning with him and tell him that she had to go to the police station.
"No buts madam, if you want to keep the job you so desperately wanted then you'll be here"
"I did not-," she tried to say not liking the desperate part of his sentence.
"Suit yourself Virginia" and he banged down the phone.
She stared at it helplessly. The nightmare had begun.
"Absolutely” she said in almost a whisper.
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