Unofficial Portkey Archive

"To be or not to be a Weasley"

Chapter 13: Safer in Silence

By: Adrial

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Who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows?
Only time...

And who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose?
Only time...

Who can say why your heart sighs
As your love flies?
Only time...

Who can say when the roads meet,
That love might be,
In your heart?

And who can say when the day sleeps
The moon still keeps on moving
If the night keeps all your heart?

"Only Time" By: Enya

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Ginny struggled for a moment in the darkness, feeling an intense trail of fire piercing her skin as dragon-like finger nails sliced red streaks on her wrists.

"Let go, you!" She shouted and tried twisting her aggressor's hands back like pretzels.

"Shut up, Weasley, or I'll snap you like a twig!"

Ginny gasped at the sound of a female's voice. It struck a familiar chord in Ginny's mind, and she immediately felt a surge of hate.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Parkinson?" Ginny hoarsely demanded and rubbed her reddened wrists when the latter finally released her vise-like grip.

"Just shut up, OK?" Pansy lit the end of her wand, illuminating the small storage room they were in and her scowling face. Ginny kept silent, but not because of Pansy's command. She nearly gasped in horror at the dark, shadowed curtain that had befallen Pansy's usually rosy cheeked face. She had never been drastically beautiful, no, but something about her now seemed to scream out to Ginny, as if she'd been through a war and came back with a wounded soul. Her sallow cheeks were no longer full and dimply, and the dull hue of brown that colored her eyes had been tinged by a bland, grey ring that spoke of many sleepless nights.

"Is there a reason you've decided to disgrace me by your presence, Parkinson, or were you going for someone else and simply misjudged your aim?"

Pansy chose not to speak for a moment and checked her temper carefully. It was better to get this through with quickly.

"Listen, Weasley. I'm about to do you a big favor, and it would be nice if you'd shut that great fat mouth of yours and pay attention." She glared daggers at Ginny, and Ginny glared back in challenge.

"How could you possibly do me a favor? You hate me." Ginny reasoned icily.

Pansy's gaze faltered for a moment as she seemed to be struggling internally with whatever it was she'd come here to do. Finally, as if something had struck her, Pansy nodded.

"Listen…I-" She suddenly sucked in deep breath and gritted her teeth as if someone had just burned her. Ginny's brow furrowed and she had to her catch herself before she asked if she was OK. Pansy hissed in evident pain for a second before shaking her head and facing Ginny once again.

"Draco's in trouble." Pansy let her sentence hang in the air and run in and out of Ginny's mind. Ginny swallowed and tried to mask her look of shock.

"Why should I care?" She tore her gaze away from Pansy's and fiddled disinterestedly with the frayed end of her robe.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Weasley. I know about you two. I know…" She gritted her teeth again, "I know that he cares about you. I know a hell of a lot more than I'd like to, actually."

Ginny's heart clenched. Had Draco told her? How could she be sure that Pansy wasn't playing some sick game with her?

"The fact is, little girl, that if Draco goes on caring about you, no matter how damn hard he tries to conceal it from the rest of the world, it's going to get him killed."

Ginny's eyes snapped back up to face her. "You're lying."

Pansy shook her head silently. "I'm no liar, Weasley. In less than two months, Draco's going to get on a train to Merlin knows where and if he leaves with your face still plastered over his heart, he's…he's not going to be coming back."

"And what makes you think that I'll believe you?" Ginny's tone wasn't as sure of itself as it had been, and she twisted her fingers nervously. This had to be a lie…

Pansy growled and slammed her fist into the wall. "Because, God damn it, Weasley! I'm telling you the fucking truth!" She tore herself from the wall and grabbed Ginny's shoulders, ramming her into the spot where her fist had connected.

With one hand she released Ginny's shoulder and lifted the sleeve of her cloak. Horrified, Ginny clamped a sweaty hand over her mouth and stared at the glaring dark tattoo on Pansy's forearm-the same skull she'd seen 2 years before as she stumbled blindly through the forest during the Quidditch World Cup. The familiar serpent glared back at her, threatening to tear away from Pansy's skin and strike out at her. Pansy's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Believe you me, Ginny Weasley, I am not lying about this. This isn't some sugar-coated bullshit that your mummy and daddy are feeding you. This is life. Now, you need to make sure," She covered up her arm gingerly again, "that when Draco leaves, he leaves without you on his mind. And I can assure you, They will be able to read him like a book. The minute They see any sign of you in his face, he'll be Dark Lord History."

Ginny's lips quivered, and the sting of tears threatened to pour from her eyes. "So what are you telling me? That in a month Draco's going to-"

But Pansy was covering Ginny's mouth and shoving her aside. The door opened slowly and a tiny house elf walked in whistling. He grabbed a discarded feather duster and left, bouncing on the balls of his feet merrily.

Pansy released her grip on Ginny's arm and quickly whispered into her ear.

"I don't care how you do it, Weasley, but if you love him as much as I think you do, then you will make damn sure that he gets on that train hating your bloody guts."

Ginny's confusion turned to anger as this girl threatened her so freely. "How can you possibly accuse me of loving him? You don't even know me!"

Pansy laughed hollowly, "I don't have to know you, Weasley." She paused and drew Ginny's chin closer to her face, staring intensely into her eyes.

"All I have to do is take one look in those pretty little brown eyes of yours to see it."

Ginny's lips trembled, but she tried to mask her discomfort by brushing her hair aside and looking down at the floor awkwardly. Pansy was emitting such a cold aura that she felt her very insides tingle and shiver; it was as if the black stain on her pale arm was reaching out and gripping Ginny about her neck.

"Y-You don't know-"

"Save it, Weasley." Pansy shook her head with a lethal glint in her eyes, "Just do as I said."

She made to leave, but Ginny suddenly scrambled forward, grabbing her shoulder gently. Pansy recoiled as if she'd been burned, and Ginny let go immediately, though keeping her eyes locked on hers.

"I just…I just need to know why you've decided to tell me this."

Pansy turned towards the door and gripped the handle until her knuckles turned white. For a moment, Ginny thought she might leave without responding, but suddenly Pansy's shoulders straightened and she twisted the knob.

"Because…I loved him, too." With that, she slipped through the door and left Ginny submerged in the dark, fighting to erase the dark mark from her memory.

Ginny walked numbly out of the dusty room. The last of the afternoon lingerers were slowly making their way back to their common rooms or to class, but Ginny hardly noticed them. Scenes were flooding her memory like sand through a sieve, clogging her insides with castles of confusion.

She was back in the rain, feeling her skin soaked through and her bewilderment at the boy who stood before her. She was furrowing her brow, watching as he gingerly massaged his forearm. She felt the smooth fabric of his robes between her fingers as her own hand closed around them.

"Are you hurt? Dean didn't get to you, did he?"

"Keep your hands off me, Weasley!"

"What is the matter with you, Draco? Tell me!"

"Nothing. I mean…just leave, alright! Just…LEAVE!!"

Ginny's hand flew to her mouth. It couldn't be…

"Go back to your bloody house and forget you ever knew me! GO!!"

Cold stone connected with her back as she leaned heavily against the wall. Voices were droning around her, but she could still practically hear the rain as it beat against the stone floor of the courtyard what felt like ages ago. Draco's eyes, shadowed by a veil she had not been able to discern as such, were staring at her. She tried to open her eyes to flee from the image of his face boring so intensely into her own, but after blinking several times, she realized that she wasn't dreaming.

Her lip quivered, and she quickly tried to stop it. Draco stared at her from the other end of the hallway as if watching a doe in the forest, daring not to disturb it in case it fled.

Draco…

Suddenly, the world came crashing in around her, and she pushed away from the wall, racing as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She could feel Draco's clouded eyes watching her; she knew he must be wondering what had gotten into her, why she'd run, what was the matter with her, but she also knew that as long as there were people around her, he wouldn't dare come near enough to ask.

Squinting her eyes, Ginny urged her oncoming headache to bugger off and bother someone else. It persisted, however, and as she stumbled quickly through the portrait hole, she felt as if the world was still caving in around her.

"Gin, I've been looking bloody everywhere for you!" Ron lumbered over to her, annoyance written across his features.

Ginny groaned and tried to bypass him quickly with a nod of recognition. He, however, was unwilling to let her go so easily. Grabbing her forearm, he pulled her to a halt.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Gin?" Ron's piercing eyes bore into her own, and Ginny could barely stand it.

Please…not now, she silently pleaded.

"Answer me!" Ron bellowed and shook her slightly. It was all Ginny could do to bite back her tears of frustration.

Pansy's warnings were echoing off of her brain, bouncing ridiculously around like some over-zealous pixie whose sole mission in life was to engrave the words onto her skull.

"Draco's in trouble…"

"Let me go, Ronald!" Ginny fought against his much stronger arms, scratching them with her nails like a cat being doused with water.

"Tell me what's got you so bloody upset, Gin!"

"…he's not going to be coming back."

"Urgh-It's none of your damn business!" Ginny roared and tried to stomp his feet while beating his chest with her fists. Her arms began to feel limp and she was ashamed to feel hot moisture leaving wet trails on her cheeks.

"Would you just calm down and talk to me, Gin? I'm just trying to help!"

"If you care so much about me, Ron, then why don't you leave me the fuck ALONE?!"

With her words, Ron immediately unclenched his hands from around her arms, and Ginny stumbled away from him. She lashed the back of her hand across her face, trying to see through her tears the startled faces of everyone in the common room. Someone was placing a warm hand on the small of her back, whispering comfortingly into her ear, and Ginny sobbed loudly before pushing them away.

"Leave me be! I-I just-" Her vision began to swirl and she swayed on her feet. Hermione's voice was now close to her again, arms were wrapped around her waist, but Ginny could barely feel any of it.

"The minute They see any sign of you in his face, he'll be Dark Lord History."

"NO!" Voices rumbled outside her mind like a raging sea lapping at her eardrums. Her insides cramped and felt as if they were on fire. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but the approaching darkness was all too alluring to her tired nerves.

"Please…just leave…" She muttered those last words before finally passing out, and her raging sea roared to a halt.

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Soft murmurs filled the air around her, and she considered faking sleep for another hour or so before having to face the world again. It was so much safer in silence.

Her body, however, had other plans in mind, and Ginny snapped up in the springy bed that was foreign to her, looking wildly around for a bowl, a bucket, ANYTHING that she could use at the moment.

As if to answer her prayers, a shiny aluminum trash bin was placed directly on the side of her bed, and she wasted no time in pulling back her hair and emptying the contents of her stomach from the last week or so into it.

"Oh, dear…she's awake." Madame Pomfrey's voice came from somewhere near, but Ginny was too occupied to look up.

A soft hand fell onto her back, rubbing in soft circles as Ginny finally finished.

"Ugghh…" Groaning, she lifted her body back into a sitting position, hating the rancid flavor on her tongue and the burning trail of fire her vomit had run up her throat. Her entire midsection was screaming as if her ribs had been broken in half.

"Please tell me I'm going to die and never have to feel this again." She tried to focus her vision on the bodies in front of her and finally could make out Hermione's warm brown eyes and the round rims of Harry's glasses.

"We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but Madame Pomfrey expects a full recovery out of you, Gin."

Ginny groaned again and Harry chuckled bemusedly.

"What's so bloody funny, Pot-pot-pott-uuuggghh…"

Hermione cringed and Harry patted her shoulder softly until Ginny retracted her head from the bin again.

"Here, Gin," Hermione handed the younger girl a damp rag, which Ginny gratefully accepted. She wiped the clamminess from her forehead and scrubbed her mouth until it was raw.

"What the hell happened to me?" She finally asked and drew a hand over her eyes to shield them from the piercing light of the room. "Am I in the infirmary?"

The bed squeaked as Hermione rose and picked up her wand from Ginny's bedside table. She muttered a cleaning spell beneath her breath and the bin sparkled clean again.

"There…now I might be able to think clearly."

Ginny bit her lip, "Sorry."

Hermione laughed and sat again beside her, "Don't worry, Gin. Madame Pomfrey's sure you've only come down with this flu that's been going around. See?" She gestured towards a plastic tube that resembled a wand filled with sparkling blue liquid. Picking it up, she inserted it into Ginny's mouth before she was able to protest. After a few seconds, the tiny tube began to vibrate, and Hermione extracted it.

Ginny peered at the familiar device and nodded when she saw that the blue liquid had lowered to the bottom section labeled "FLU-BUG."

"That would explain the barf bucket, then…" Ginny sighed and leaned her head back onto her pillow. After a moment or two, she darted back into a sitting position as if something had struck her.

"Oh, no! Harry, we've got a match tomorrow!"

Harry looked as if he was struggling to remain optimistic, but when Hermione glanced at him warningly, he sobered up and offered Ginny a bright smile.

"Don't worry, Gin. Only you, Jordan, Kellins, Andrea, and Steven are out with the bug. We've still got Ron and Christopher…and then there's that new beater, Irvin…"

Ginny rolled her eyes incredulously, "Harry, just who do you think you're kidding? Christopher weighs about as much as the quaffle itself and Irvin couldn't beat a beach ball with a tennis racket."

"Ginny!" Hermione reprimanded her, but Ginny was already diving head-first into the bucket, realizing that any dreams she had of a quick recovery would be slim to none.

"Ahem," Madame Pomfrey appeared near the foot of Ginny's bed, two slim hands placed on her hips. "I believe somebody needs a bit of rest, don't you two?" Her rhetoric had the desired effect and Hermione and Harry began to bow out quietly.

"Feel better, Gin." Harry waved as he exited, and Hermione smiled brightly beside him.

"Yes, and don't worry about a thing! I'll make sure to get all of your assignments from your professors for the rest of the week. That way you'll be all caught up by Monday!"

Ginny tried to look appreciative but thankfully the dull olive tone of her skin was excuse enough not to be giddy about doing Potions on her sick bed. She was silently relieved that Hermione had obviously forgiven her for her outburst earlier in the day. However, the meaningful look she cast towards her as she followed Harry out spoke of a long conversation to come about that particular incident.

"That's lovely, now shoo! Off with the both of you!" Madame Pomfrey waved them off but before Hermione left, Ginny spoke.

"Erm…What about Ron?" She bit her lip, dreading the answer. She'd been horrible to him after all.

Hermione frowned deeply and shrugged, "He helped bring you here after you fainted, but I haven't seen him since. I'm sorry, Gin."

Ginny nodded silently and then was left alone in silence. She lay back with a sigh, feeling too weak to think and too eager to forget the troubling things she had yet to mull over. Drowsy waves of slumber lapped at her eyelids enticingly and she swayed with the mellow current, dosing in and out of consciousness until Madame Pomfrey's mutterings over her head pulled her out.

"Oh, good. I've just been spraying your linen. Sit up a bit, dear, I've got to change your pillowcase. Nasty little beasts, these bugs." She was wearing a weird mesh mask over her face and held in her hand a glass canister labeled "BUG B'GONE". Ginny was suddenly attacked by an onslaught of coughs as she sprayed the orange mist all over her bed.

"Bugs, did you *cough* say?" With a grimace, Ginny sat up gingerly and made sure the bucket was still beside her bed-just in case.

Madame Pomfrey nodded absently, "Of course, bugs! Haven't you just come down with the flu, dear?"

Ginny wanted to ask, Aren't you the nurse here?, but chose to swallow the remark.

"Oh, great goblins!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed and kneeled onto the bed to spray enthusiastically at a spot on her mattress. Ginny covered her mouth to escape the fumes of the putrid smelling spray and peered over Poppy's shoulder at the now orange blob on her bed. In the center lay a struggling blue bug with bright green spots, about the size of a galleon, laying on its back and struggling against the sticky blanket it was now covered in.

"What is that thing?" Ginny felt bile run to her throat and jumped off of the bed quite ungracefully.

Poppy whipped out her wand and in a puff of pink smoke, the strange bug was gone along with the orange goop.

"Standard Flu Bug. Originated in South Africa in the thirteenth century. Nasty little trick the natives decided to play on a few of their rivals. They slipped a few them in their meals one night, and it only took a century for it to spread across the map."

Ginny furrowed her brow, "I didn't know the flu…was actually a bug."

"Yes, well, now you do. Muggles still believe it started with some pig off in the countryside, but I'll have you know that there existed pranksters even more foul than your brothers all that time ago-and we're still reaping the consequences." She shook a finger at Ginny to impress her point.

"So, how…I mean…have I been bitten by that thing?" She swallowed. Surely she would have noticed a bug as big as that crawling into her bed before.

"Oh, no, not at all. They leave along a trail wherever they go. Whoever steps in its path immediately contracts the disease. They're totally untraceable unless they feel threatened by extinction, and that little nuisance was one of the last in the castle. Thankfully we've traced them back to Hagrid. He seemed to have brought in a few of them with some Bowtruckles one day. The poor soul was a mess for a day or so, but I gave him a job to help along that cheered him right up."

Ginny frowned and felt as if she should have responded, but all she wanted to do was dive beneath her warm sheets again and be doused in ice cold water at the same time. This was some bug.

"Oh, heavens, child! You're shivering like a grindylow in the Arctic! You get back beneath those blankets right this instant and I'll fetch you something to warm you up."

Ginny took her newly de-bugged sheets back gratefully and crawled between them.

Poppy tutted over to a glass cabinet of vials and retracted a small tube of funny looking red liquid.

"This ought to do the trick," She poured the contents into a tin cup for Ginny and had her tip her head back, "You're lucky I've got a drop left. I was nearly tapped out by the lot of your mates coming in here over the past week." As she muttered, Ginny felt as if she were single-handedly pouring gasoline down her throat and had dropped a lit match in right after.

"Oh, dear, it's only a bit of Dragon's Breath potion! It works wonders!" She sniffed at the air as if offended by Ginny's gasping and choking sounds. "I formulated the potion myself along with Professor Sprout years ago. You'd be best to drink up and quit your moaning."

Ginny spluttered a bit and felt more like dying. And then, when her insides felt as if they were licking flames against her skin, the most incredible feeling of comfort flowed through her, from her cheeks right down to her toes. Her shivers ceased and the aches of her abdomen dulled to an occasional throb.

"Oh, thank Merlin." Ginny sighed and plopped back on her bed.

Poppy huffed and capped the bottle before walking briskly away. "I'll have your supper in a moment. Try to get a bit of rest."

Ginny mumbled something incoherent and instantly fell into a heavy sleep. The window beside her bed rattled gently as round yellow eyes looked at the peaceful dreamer inquisitively. Seconds later, with a satisfied glint, they turned to the sky and were gone.

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Hermione cradled her books in her arms and stifled a yawn. It was well past eleven and she still hadn't quite tweaked her Ancient Runes exposé as rigorously as she'd intended. She'd been horribly distracted, primarily by Harry, who, despite the hour (and he was usually one to pass out by ten), had decided that standing behind and her massaging her shoulders while she read would help her think better. It had exactly the opposite effect.

After a few minutes of begging him to leave her alone until she finished, he'd finally given up and taken a seat on one of their arm chairs to wait. She hadn't even dotted her next 'i' when she heard his soft snoring from behind her back.

She glanced at his sleeping form, noticing how his eyelids would twitch every once in a while, closing her out from his world of dreams.

"Goodnight, Harry…" She leaned over and kissed him on his forehead, almost feeling his scar sizzle beneath her lips. Harry merely sighed contentedly and murmured her name though he refused to open his eyes.

Hermione felt her heart floating in her chest as her face broke into a dreamy smile. She sighed, fighting her exhaustion's pleas to leave him for the night when all her emotions wanted her to do was sit there and watch him sleep until he awoke.

The grandfather clock broke the moment with the arrival of midnight, and she stood reluctantly, feeling her eyes droop sleepily, and ran her fingers through his ebony hair gently.

"Sleep well, Harry…I love you."

Ron's footsteps froze in place. He felt his chest threaten to explode from the thumping of his heart, but all he could do was watch this girl, his best friend, give her heart to someone else-someone other than himself. All this time he'd thought-he'd hoped-that he might still have a chance. But now…?

Now, he wanted to run over to her and tear her away from Harry. He wanted to scream and shout until his lungs imploded from the effort and she felt how much this was hurting him. He wanted her to reach back out and frantically steal those words from reality and hold them in her heart, safe and protected, until he brought them out again.

"Ron? I-I didn't see you standing there." Hermione stood nervously and squeezed her arms tighter around her books like a lone knight with a shield. She felt the urge to check Harry, to make sure he was still sleeping soundly, but she kept her eyes locked on Ron's, and she felt every emotion that was tearing through them as if they were reaching out and grabbing her around the throat.

"I haven't been here long." Ron heard himself speak but didn't feel the words leaving his mouth.

"I was just going to bed…"

"Oh, right…me, too. I-erm…long day and everything."

"Right, of course…" Hermione nodded awkwardly and gathered the rest of her belongings before walking quickly towards Ron and the exit.

As she made to brush past him, Hermione felt Ron's hand on her forearm and stopped abruptly.

"Ron…not now, please." She stared at the floor, imploring him with her silence to let well enough alone for the moment.

"Wait, Herm…Hermione," He cleared his throat, covering his falter. "Did you…did you mean what you just said?"

At that, Hermione brought her gaze up until her brown eyes locked with his blue. He looked like a child then, and her heart softened. She nodded slowly, feeling as if every crack of his heart were echoing in her own, and she knew that it would be an even longer while until things were back to "normal" for the three of them.

"I meant it, Ron. I've meant it for some time now…I-" She stopped when Ron raised a hand for her silence.

"No, Hermione. You don't have to say anything else. That's all I needed to know." Ron pursed his lips and glanced briefly at Harry's sleeping form, then back to Hermione's wide eyes.

"Goodnight, Hermione…I'll…I guess I'll see you at breakfast then."

Hermione could barely find words to speak, she was so startled. Did this mean that it was over? Had they been forgiven? Was Ron…finally Ron again?

She bit her lip and gave a soft nod, keeping her eyes focused on his, trying to analyze and read him to figure out what was going through is mind. His soft laughter shook her from her intense thought process.

She furrowed her brow and stared at him, watching him chuckle freely.

"What? What is it?"

Ron shook his head and sighed, "I'm not a math equation, Herm. You can't solve me that easily."

Hermione shrugged, "Well considering the person I've got to deal with, I've got no other choice but to figure you out this way. You won't even look at me anymore, Ron."

Ron locked his eyes on hers. "Fine then, I'm looking at you now, Hermione. What do you see?"

She hadn't expected that at all. She stared at him and tried to recognize her old friend, the one who would incessantly badger her and harass her study habits, the one she could always count on to balance things out when they were off-center in the world, the only other person she had ever shared her most treasured secret with, even if he didn't realize it himself. That secret was Harry. She had never realized how not telling him would hurt him even more.

"I-I don't know what I see, Ron. All I want is for things to be better than this. For all our sakes. Harry…," She took a moment to look at his silent body on the couch. "He needs you, Ron."

Ron scoffed and looked away, but Hermione grabbed his arm and turned him back to her.
"And I know that you need him just as much." She continued carefully, "And…I need you, too, Ron."

Ron's eyes sparked at her words, but his resolve remained steadfast. He sighed and looked away from her eyes.

"I find that very hard to believe. Even my own sister doesn't need me. Why should you, when you've got him?"

Hermione shook her head exasperatedly, "You're missing my point, Ron! Listen to me. I don't need you like I need Harry, Ron. I need my best friend back. That's something that only you can give me. Harry needs the same from you. We want you back in our lives because we aren't the same without you. And as for Ginny…" She trailed off, swallowing the well of worries she had for the girl until a more appropriate time. "She's just growing up, Ron. She doesn't need a father from you. She needs a brother to care for her, not treat her like an eleven year old on her first day of school."

"And what if I said that I can't give any of you what you want? What if I'm not any of those bloody people any more?!"
Harry stirred as Ron's voice escalated, but thankfully his dreams were too demanding of his time for him to wake up.

Hermione walked closer towards the stairs, pulling Ron with her. When Ron looked into her eyes sparking with familiar honey hued lightening, he was hit with a pang of nostalgia.

"I don't care who you think you are, Ronald Weasley, but until you figure it out, you're hurting me, you're hurting Harry, and you're hurting your sister. If that's worth the sacrifice, then by all means, go ahead and "find yourself." But don't bring everyone else down with you in the process."

She huffed and whirled around and up the stairs, nearly at her wits end with the boy. Ron glared at her back, grinding her words through his mind with his jaw locked. What did she know anyway? She was the one hurting him, after all.

"Oy…what's going on…? Ron?" Harry gazed blearily around him without his glasses on and tried to focus on Ron's red head in the distance.

Ron's blood boiled and he scoffed loudly, "Nothing, Potter. Go back to dream land and forget about it. You've won."

Harry murmured something in response to Ron's bitter words, but before he could grasp the confines of consciousness firmly, Ron was gone and he was left alone with the dying embers of a fire to cast lonely shadows across his face.

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Not one hour after Madame Pomfrey had extinguished her office lamp and left for a good night's sleep, the door to the infirmary slid open and a dark shadow spilled across the floor. Rows of empty beds glowing with moonlight went unnoticed before the intruder's steady gaze, except for one.

Ginny mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over, facing the stranger who walked slowly towards her, black clad and stealthy so as not to wake her.

"Mrow!"

The swish of a tail and slight spring of a nearby mattress caused the figure to whirl around in annoyance. Mrs. Norris stopped at the door to eye the stranger with fixed yellow eyes before pouncing off in search of Filch, no doubt.

When three achingly long minutes had passed, the door to the infirmary cracked open and Filch came lumbering through, sniffing the air like a hound dog, thirsting for fresh student meat to feed on (or at least give detention).

All that met him, however, was Ginny's soundly sleeping form, racked by occasional shivers that shook her body as well as her bed frame, and the whir of wind behind the thick windows.

Filch eyed the room for a moment longer and went up and down the rows of beds twice before grumbling beneath his breath ("Ruddy brats.") and stalking out of the room for more promising ventures.

The door clicked shut, and the room was engaged in silence once more. The bed Ginny lay sleeping in jerked slightly as the inky intruder emerged from beneath it. Brushing off dark black robes that were highlighted by streaks of moonlight, the silent form sat on an opposing bed, watching Ginny's pale face as she slept on.

"Sleep well…" Was the whisper that left lips stained by cold as the wind drowned out the sound of squeaking bed springs and clinks as he reached deep into his robes and retrieved a carefully wrapped blue bottle that was sloshing inside with liquid. Tipping back Ginny's head carefully, he watched with precision as the contents of the bottle flowed accurately down her throat, mindful of its duty and having never failed him before.

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Silently entranced by the languid dance of dreams as they sifted in and out of her vision, Ginny curled deeper into sleep and willed away the ache of sickness and intense cold of fever. So overpowering was the frostiness of her insides that she was sure that in the black curtain that had fallen over her body, she could see her breaths leaving in short, white puffs.

It was then that she knew she could no longer be sleeping. Everything was dark, but she felt awake, alert, and all too aware that she was not alone. The springy mattress from the infirmary was gone, and her feet were planted on the frigid stone floor, empty beds surrounding her.

"W-What…?" Ginny wrapped her arms around her waist, hoping for the hazy cloud in her mind to dissipate so she could think clearly.

"Welcome, dreamer..."

Ginny's thoughts halted abruptly. Shadows were stirring around her, whispering amongst one another, snickering at the innocent who had been lured into their possession.

"Wh-who's-"

"Ask nothing, dreamer. Only see the truth…"

Ginny barely had time to scream as a horrific face with black holes for eyes and a vicious set of gnarling teeth closed in on her, and she felt the ground shake with laughter as the inky spectators feasted on her fear. The malicious silhouette smirked and reached out with scaly limps to wrap its deathly cold grip around Ginny's neck. She instantly felt herself paralyzed by fear, drowning in despair and around her, she saw it-the murky green shadow that had haunted the wizarding world for years. It was floating all around her, and suddenly the black eyes swirled into shades of familiar silver/blue, entrancing Ginny in her horror.

She closed her eyes tight against his and turned away to see that the scaly fingers had turned into a pale, fleshy hue. Disbelieving, Ginny slowly turned her gaze up to see Draco's staring back at her, silver eyes mimicking the ones that surrounded her.

"Come to save the day?" He leaned close to her ear, reveling in the shivers that riddled her body.

Ginny felt tears spring to her eyes, knowing she'd heard this before, remembering the day, the time, and the dream that had been no where near as real as this.

She wanted to say his name so badly, but she knew that that was impossible. This wasn't Draco-it couldn't be. This was the Draco she'd been warned about, the one that could not love her, the one that would die if he did.

Ginny cried out and struggled as Draco's hands tightened about her neck.

This can't be real. This can't be real.

He chuckled bemusedly in her ear, and she felt her heart turn over in her chest.

"It's too late, Ginevra."

Ginny's eyes snapped open. Her lungs were burning unbearably, but she willed her heart to keep beating.

"N-no…I…Dra-"

"There is no Draco, Ginny. He's only a Malfoy. Always a Malfoy."

Tears spilled from Ginny's eyes, as his cold lips brushed against her ear once more.

"Never your Draco, again."

"NO!!"

But she was being swallowed by darkness again, unable to scream or call out for help that would never come. The green skull closed in on her, and she began to fall through a black hole, reaching out blindly for something to hold on to. In it's mouth, the serpent she'd seen sneering at her from the pale canvas of Pansy's arm was charging straight for her, fangs glittering with thirst for death, and all she could hear was Draco's laughter in her head as she felt hard ground reaching higher towards her to swallow her whole.

In that instant, the serpent disappeared, the cold vanished, and Draco was no where to be heard. Ginny never hit the ground. She was impacted by such unbelievable warmth that she was sure she was in heaven. Drenched in a feather-light blanket of security that felt more comforting than ten wands in the palm of her hand, she stirred gently and sighed, murmuring thanks to whatever God had contributed to the blissful peace that now enshrouded her and chased away the darkness.

She felt sunlight on her eyes and fell into a sitting position on the bed. She was still in the infirmary. Arms were wrapped around her, and she heard someone's voice whispering into her ear. Frantically trying to run away from that voice, she slapped away their arms and cried out, fighting to free herself.

"No! Get off! Let me GO!"

"Ginny! Ginny, calm down! It's me-It's Draco!"

Ginny continued to beat away his arms. She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or not, but the need to get way to was too great. Draco grabbed her shoulders roughly and shook her to try to snap her out of it.

"Ginny! Look at me! Look-"

"No! Leave me alone! Go away! I-I can't…I can't…" She dissolved into sobs in his arms, her energy well spent and her body unwilling to fight any longer.

"Calm down, Gin…It's alright." Draco stared at the top her head curiously. He'd never actually comforted someone before, but in the current situation, he felt as if he was the only way to calm her down, to bring her back from whatever place she'd been trapped in.

"Dr-Draco…?" Ginny whimpered and wished she could have crawled deep inside herself to get away from the possibility that it wasn't him, that she would look up and see those hollow silver eyes or a vicious serpent ready to lunge.

"It's me, Gin. I'm here…stop crying. It was only a hallucination."

"But it was so real…it was so real…I could feel them…" Ginny rocked back and forth in his arms.

"Sssh…They weren't real, Ginny, whatever they were. I promise."

It was only a dream…a hallucination…She repeated the words in her mind, unknowingly synchronizing them with the steady strokes of Draco's hand on her back.

She sniffed softly, nestling her head deeper into the warmth of Draco's chest, urging the tears of frustration to stop pouring, but they relented. Draco continued to murmur into her hair awkwardly, wondering what he could possibly say to undo what she'd seen. After a few minutes, he asked her.

"Ginny…what did you see?" He tried to pull her away from him to face her, but she choked on a sob and wrapped her arms tighter around his torso.

"No…I-I don't want to talk about it right now…please."

Sighing, he tried to fight the surge of annoyance that she was being so hushed about it, but he let his heart tell him what to do to comfort her. Ginny shut tight her eyes against the memories of the horrible shadows, the mark, the scorn of Draco's face, his words, and longed to stay right where she was forever.

"Don't leave…" She whispered as the tears began to run dry.

Draco nodded, and he didn't leave until he could hear her breaths even out with sleep and her body stilled in his arms. He set her back in bed and made sure to cover her completely with the blankets. She'd begun to shiver uncontrollably again, and he felt a slight panic at the fire he felt beneath his hand as he brushed it against her forehead.

Leaning over to the bedside table, he picked up the glass vial he'd brought earlier and tipped her head back so she could receive the rest of the liquid. After a minute or two he could visibly see her body relax and the shivers dull into an occasional tremor.

There was no way he could have left her there alone. He almost hated Madame Pomfrey for leaving her like she was by herself. So he settled onto the bed he'd been dosing in before he'd awakened to her fighting off invisible hands at the foot of her bed. Ginny seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough, for he'd given her a larger dose than last time to ensure it, and he fought sleep for an hour before it finally overtook his body.

A few hours later, the sun began to peak over the sill of the window by Ginny's bed, and she was gently roused from sleep. She remembered everything about her hallucinations, but only a blur of what happened after they'd ended. There had been warmth-intense warmth, and she felt as if someone had been there with her, but she could not remember anything further than that for the life of her.

Silently, she damned the pranksters who were to blame for her predicament. But even though she knew she'd been hallucinating, she could not fathom how it had seemed so real.

Rolling on to her side with the intentions of conjuring herself a glass of water for her parched throat, she nearly squealed in horror at the lump of black robes discarded on the bed opposite hers.

"What in bloody-" But she stopped then, noticing a pile of blonde hair one end of the mass of black. She lifted a hand to cover her mouth and wondered what she was supposed to do. There was no way she could face him now. It was just too soon.

Careful not to disturb him, Ginny leaned towards her bedside table to grab her wand. As she did, she noticed an open vial resting beside it, empty and juxtaposed to a damp cloth she didn't remember being there before.

She lifted up the strange bottle, eyeing the remainder of clear blue liquid inside before checking the label.

"La Sérénité Bleue-Rosette Malfoy…1709-1812." Ginny's eyebrows raised high on her head as she read the centuries-old scrawled French.

"Blue serenity…" She whispered. Draco began to stir beside her and she quickly set the bottle back. That definitely explained the heavenly warmth she'd felt that had saved her from the nightmare.

He came here last night to take care of me… She felt a surge of something light and fuzzy fill her chest at the thought of Draco sneaking into the infirmary just for her. It did explain the nonexistent ache in her ribs and her ability to go ten seconds without shivering incessantly. She eyed the silver trash bin haughtily.

"Won't be needing you for a bit, will I?" Sighing drowsily, she drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Draco's breaths were soft and even, and as she watched him sleep, she felt torn by so many different emotions that she could barely sort them all out.

Between the horrible hallucinations brought on by fever and Pansy's forewarnings, Ginny knew that something had to be done.

"…if you love him as much as I think you do, then you will make damn sure that he gets on that train hating your bloody guts."

The thought nearly broke her heart. How could she make him hate her? He needed her now. But she couldn't let him die because of her, and she didn't want him to know what she knew either. Maybe she could convince him not to leave; he could stay at Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore everything. The generous headmaster would keep Draco safe, she was sure of it.

A spark of hope ignited in her chest as she thought of the possibility of it, but then she was hit by another revelation. How was she to know if Draco wanted the dark mark or not?

"Of course not…" She whispered to herself. He couldn't want to be a death eater-it was everything he hated his father for.

But hadn't he ripped their relationship to shreds because of it? Maybe he was trying to protect her. Could he have been planning on escaping before it was time for him to leave? There was obviously a reason he hadn't wanted her to know or be a part of it. But then why had he come back to her?

"Oh, Gin, you're going to drive yourself to Mungo's if you keep on like this…" She shook her head at herself and sighed dejectedly.

"What on earth am I going to do?" She stopped musing as Draco began to stir. Carefully, she laid back down and turned in the opposite direction-she couldn't face him now.

Bed springs squeaked as she listened to him rise and, from the sound of it, straighten out his robes.

"Ginny?" He leaned over her and lightly prodded her with his hand. Ginny kept her eyes closed and mumbled sleepily.

Draco sighed and brushed aside the auburn hair that was obscuring her face from his view. He watched her carefully, noting the absence of her intense shivers from the night before and happy that she was sleeping peacefully and not fitfully as she had been.

Ginny forced her eyes to shut out her tears as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and left her to sleep. When the door finally clicked shut, she felt the dam behind her eyes crumble to ruins, giving way to painful sobs that rippled through her entire body.

She wouldn't give up on him. She couldn't give up on him. In her heart, Ginny felt as if hope was out there somewhere, but she had only a month to figure it out. If this was what Draco wanted, then he could have it, but that meant she would have to listen to Pansy-for his sake. She would have to make Draco hate her at least until she could find another way, even if it killed her inside.

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The same morning, Hermione yawned as she walked drowsily towards the Great Hall for an early breakfast. To her surprise, a dense group of people were already crowding the Gryffindor table that was usually barren until noon on a Sunday.

Curious as to what the commotion was about, she nudged her way through with an authoritative frown, jutting her chest out a bit so her prefect badge could be seen to any who wished to deny her access to the middle of the clutter.

"What's all this about?" She asked aloud and the group suddenly parted like the Red Sea. In the middle, she was startled to see Harry, white-faced and gritting his teeth over a large piece of paper.

"Harry? What's wrong?" She glared at the crowd and they scurried out of her way as she took a seat next to him.

When he met her eyes, she could practically read his fear through them. He silently shoved the newspaper towards her, and she had only to read the first sentence below a picture of a man she knew all too well before her skin went white, just like Harry had expected it to.

BREAKING NEWS:

After nearly 6 months in Azkaban's captivity,

Lucius Malfoy, allegedly one of the Dark

Lord's most faithful followers, has escaped…

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AN: Oh…I know I'm going to get some major hate mail about this chapter. :-/ I spoiled you all with ch. 12 and look what I've done now. I'm an awful, horrible, DREADFUL writer. haha…just kidding! You're just going to have to trust when I say that everything in this crazy little dysfunctional fic of mine happens for a reason. :)

I have also had an epiphany about the rest of this story. As much as I'd love love LOVE to have new chapters out each week, it's becoming more and more clear as I progress the amount of time and thought that I need to devote to each detail of each chapter. This means a longer wait in between. I'm really sorry, but I promise it will all be worth it in the end! I will try to keep it only at 2-3 weeks. I'll never leave you guys hanging for months!

That being said, thanks so much to the tremendous reviews for last chapter! (we're past the 200 mark now!) I had a lot of new readers getting into it, and I felt really good about that. Drop a review to let me know if you're still out there! :-D

*Special thanks to Diggingupophelia and Shelekene for being so wonderful to review each chapter. I'm thrilled to have you guys reading my stuff!*

Thanks for everything!

~Adrial~