Torn

Draco sat in the Astronomy Tower, vainly hoping that Ginny would show up. He turned and looked down at the floor, where he had arranged one of the small feasts she'd grown fond of. He sighed. Where had things gone astray? And why did he feel as though when he'd said goodbye to her, he'd said goodbye to a part of himself as well?

He waved his wand over the food and muttered a simple cleaning spell, and the food disappeared. He turned and looked back out the window, staring at the brilliant night sky. His eyes searched for constellations, although it was more out of habit than interest. The black of the night sky always made him feel as though he was being smothered beneath it. He gave a hollow laugh and clenched his fist. Leave it to me to feel smothered out in the open.

The utter darkness of the sky reminded him of his nightmares, which were getting progressively worse. Every night they ravaged him more and more, until he awoke feeling almost as though he'd been raped. He bit down hard on his lip at the thought, and tried to focus on something else- anything- else. He was losing his grip on his sanity; he knew he must be. What other explanation was there for allowing himself to become so involved with a girl he'd loathed for so long?

He turned and made his way down the stairs and plodded sullenly to his dormitory, where he jumped into bed without changing his clothes. He tried to stave off sleep as long as he could, but he was already too weak from trying to fight it for the last week, and it overtook him.

**

"Hello?" he called into the darkness. No answer came to him, and he was frightened. He began stumbling in a random direction, his feet slapping painfully against the cold stones on the floor, until he was so numb from the cold that he couldn't feel anything at all.

He heard a rustling behind him, and broke into a run. He finally skidded to a stop, clutching a stitch in his side. He bristled- he was not alone. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he knew that whatever was in the room with him was something to be frightened of.

Should he call out? He bit his lip to contain his scream of terror as something slithered across his bare foot. He squeezed his eyes shut, afraid that if he opened them, he'd still somehow be able to see this thing in the darkness.

He waited for several moments, afraid to even breathe. When he thought that he was finally alone, he opened his eyes. He immediately wished he hadn't, and the room echoed with the sounds of his own voice, screaming...

**

"What was that?" Ginny asked, clutching the covers to her chest. Hermione jumped out of bed and grabbed her wand.

"Lumos!" A soft light filled the room, and Ginny stood and grabbed her wand. "It sounded like screaming."

"Couldn't have been," Ginny whispered, the knot of fear growing in her stomach. "If it was, it couldn't have been human." Hermione shot her an odd look, and they tiptoed downstairs. The other two girls in the room continued to sleep as though nothing had happened.

"How can they sleep through that horrible noise?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose. Ginny shrugged, and they made their way to the common room. Not surprisingly, Harry and Ron had beaten them there.

"Did you hear that?" Ron asked, his eyes wide. Ginny nodded, and looked at Harry. He was frowning.

"Do either of you know what it was?" Hermione whispered. Ron shook his head.

"Screaming," Harry said softly. Ron and Hermione turned apprehensive eyes to him, but Ginny nodded.

"That's what Hermione said. I didn't think it sounded human, though."

"It's human," he said, not meeting her eyes. "And it's coming from the dungeons."

"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked, putting her hand on her hip. Harry turned his eyes to her, and she gasped.

"Because I heard her before she attacked."

"Heard who, Harry?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nagini."

"That can't be," Hermione whispered, her eyes widening. "That would mean..."

"That Voldemort is here, and he's found a way into the castle," Ginny finished dully, staring at Harry.

"We have to tell Dumbledore, immediately!" Hermione said, moving towards the portrait hole. Harry shot out a hand and grabbed her arm, stopping her. Ginny looked closer, and noticed that he was sweating profusely, even though she was so cold that her teeth were almost chattering.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she whispered, moving closer to him. His eyes were bright and he looked feverish; his face was flushed. He turned his eyes slowly to her and she shivered - it felt as though he was looking through her, not at her.

"He's got someone," he mumbled, blinking rapidly. "He's got someone, and he's going to use them."

"Who does he have?" she asked gently. "Who, Harry?"

"The chosen one," his voice sounded strange; as though he were standing far away. She shuddered uncontrollably. "The chosen one has been taken and will be sacrificed before dawn."

"Ron, go get someone," Hermione whispered, gripping her wand tightly.

"Who?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"Anyone!" she hissed, pushing him towards the portrait hole. He nodded and clambered out, and Harry shook his head, trying to clear it.

"No!" he yelled, lunging for Ron. He was too late; Ron had disappeared through the portrait hole. He turned angry eyes to Hermione. "What'd you do that for? He's out there, and now he could take Ron, too!" Before either of the girls could say anything, Harry darted through the portrait hole, leaving the girls no choice but to follow him.

"Harry, wait!" Hermione called. Harry didn't seem to hear her, and just kept running. Ginny rubbed her arms, trying to get warm. When it didn't work, she turned and looked at Hermione, who was wringing her hands.

"We can't just stand here!" she said, her eyes glittering.

"What should we do, then?"

"Harry said he got someone from the dungeons, so that must mean he's attacked someone in Slytherin. Why don't we go down there?" Hermione gaped at her.

"You've gone round the twist," she muttered. "Starting to sound just like your boyfriend!"

"We've got to do something," she protested. "We can't just stand here and wait for them to come back!"

"Alright, but I'm warning you, Harry and Ron are always loads better at this kind of stuff than I am."

"Come on, Hermione," Ginny said, as they began moving. "You know I don't believe that you've been around them for so long and haven't picked anything up from them."

"I suppose I have developed their affinity for rule breaking," she said, frowning. "I mean, look at me. Here I am, out after curfew. And I'm Head Girl, too! I could get into loads of trouble for this!" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Wait, did you hear that?" Ginny whispered fiercely. She held out a hand to still Hermione, and held her breath. She heard the rustling noise again, and held her wand up, readying herself for whatever was around the corner. She peeked around and saw Harry, hugging his knees to his chest, and rocking back and forth.

"Harry!" she called, running towards him. She dropped down on her knees and looked at him, but he didn't look back. His eyes looked empty, and she felt her heart plummet. "Harry, can you hear me? Say something, please!"

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked, chewing on her bottom lip. Ginny shook her head.

"I don't know - he won't-" she froze when he mumbled something. "What? Say it again." He mumbled again and she dropped her wand in surprise. Hermione gave her a questioning look.

"What did he say?"

"He asked if we believed in hell." She stared at him for a moment, then grabbed her wand and stood. "Stay with him, Hermione. Don't leave him, not for a second."

"Where are you going?" Hermione called, frightened. Ginny turned and gave her a shaky smile.

"Into the snake pit."

**

Ginny ran towards the dungeons as fast as her legs would carry her. Even when she got a stitch in her side from running, she refused to stop. She knew who Nagini had taken; who Voldemort wanted - and she was not going to let him die. She reached the hallway where she'd seen Slytherin students milling about, and began to feel at the walls frantically. Why hadn't she thought about this before she'd come storming down here?

"Where the hell is it?" she swore softly, her despair growing. "Draco, where are you?" Suddenly she heard a creaking noise to her right, and she flattened herself against the wall, praying that it was dark enough that she wouldn't be seen. She blinked in disbelief as she saw a pudgy man with a silver arm emerge from behind a tapestry, and had to fight the urge to hex him.

When he had rounded the corner, she moved silently to the tapestry and lifted it. Her heart began pounding wildly; there was a door! But how was she going to get inside? She racked her brain, trying to come up with a possible password.

"Evil." Nothing. "Quidditch." Nothing. "Salazar." Nothing. "Heir of Slytherin." Nothing. "Pureblood." Nothing. She stomped in frustration, when something popped into her brain of its own accord. She took a deep breath and whispered "Nundu." She stepped back as the door swung open, and crept inside. She found herself standing inside the Slytherin common room. Silver and green were everywhere, and she had to fight not to just stand there and gape at all of the ornate decorations.

"Holy shit," she muttered, surprising herself. She rarely cursed. Something was wrong here - there were no signs of life whatsoever. No red embers in the fireplace that would have suggested a fire. No books or cups or plates or anything lying around that indicated that students had been here recently. It was completely silent, and Ginny felt the hairs rising on the back of her neck, as a sudden realization hit her.

She wasn't alone.

**

"Harry," Hermione begged, shaking him gently. "Please, Harry! You've got to wake up and do something! Ginny's gone, she went down there by herself!"

"What?" She heard a voice and looked up, relief flooding over her. She nearly knocked Ron over as she jumped on him, and he grinned before pushing her away slightly. "What did you just say?"

"Ginny's gone!"

"What!" he shrieked. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know," Hermione said, tears running down her cheeks. "She just said she was going into the snake pit!"

"She - what?" Ron and Hermione both turned in surprise at the sound of Harry's voice. He was standing, but just barely. He was shaking, and sweat was running down the sides of his face.

"She said she was going into the snake pit," Hermione repeated, clutching Ron tightly. "You said something to her, and she took off."

"What did I say?" he asked, staring intently at her.

"You asked if we believed in hell." Ron stared from Harry to Hermione, looking utterly perplexed. Hermione turned to face him. "Did you find anyone?"

"No," he breathed, his face blanching. "Dumbledore's changed his password again, and McGonagall could sleep through an earthquake."

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked, the panic rising in her voice.

"We are not going to do anything," Harry said. They turned incredulous eyes to him. "I am going down there alone."

"Like hell you are, mate," Ron said, shaking his head. "That's my sister, and you're my best friend. If you go, I go."

"If Ron goes, I go," Hermione squeaked, sounding braver than she felt. Harry winced and gripped his side. "Harry, what's happening to you?"

"I-I don't know," he said, his breathing heavy and labored. "It feels like someone just stabbed me in the side."

"Put your arm around my shoulders," Ron said, lifting Harry's arm. Hermione stood on Harry's other side and lifted his left arm around her shoulders, and together they began walking.

"Where are we going?" she asked timidly.

"The dungeon. We're going to break into the Slytherin dorms."

"What?" Hermione shrieked. "I'm Head Girl, I can't break and enter!"

"Hermione, do you want to save Ginny or not?" Harry asked, his green eyes almost glowing in the darkness of the corridor.

"Of course," she squeaked.

"Then forget about being Head Girl for right now!"

"Harry's right, Mione," Ron whispered, his heart racing as they neared the dungeons. "We've got to think about her. She better be okay, or there's gonna be hell to pay..." his voice faded.

"Do either of you know where the entrance to the Slytherin dorms is?" Harry asked, his voice strained.

"It's behind that tapestry," Hermione offered weakly, pointing to a silver and green woven tapestry. Ron flinched; the tapestry depicted a Unicorn goring a man with its horn.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'm not Head Girl for nothing," she said, puffing her chest out proudly.

"Alright, then," Harry said, taking a deep breath. "Let's go."

**

Draco's eyes fluttered open and he immediately winced in pain. His left side was aching terribly. When he tried to touch it, he realized that he couldn't move his arms. He struggled for a moment, and fought the urge to scream. He could feel the ropes that were binding his wrists and ankles; they burned his skin when he struggled to free himself.

He raised his head and looked around in disbelief. He recognized his own room, even though the beds were all gone. He felt the cold stone of the dungeon wall behind him, and squirmed. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep, and... his eyes widened.

"Well, sleeping beauty is finally awake." Draco squeezed his eyes shut, and then opened them again. He was still there.

"You-"

"No, dear boy, I'm not in prison, and I'm not dead, as the rumors say. As you can see, I'm very much alive." Draco stared into identical silver eyes, before his eyes rolled back into his head and the darkness embraced him.

**

Ginny turned around quickly, expecting to find someone standing behind her, but there was no one. She exhaled softly and turned back around, only to find herself staring into a pair of red eyes. Before she could do anything, someone muttered the word "Crucio!"

A blinding pain coursed through her body, and she heard a horrible sound. It felt as though a thousand needles were being driven through her body all at once. She fell to her knees and the pain stopped. She realized that the sound she had heard was the sound of her own screams.

"Well, well," a voice muttered coldly. "It looks like Draco has made a very unlikely ally, does it not?" Ginny couldn't speak; the memory of the pain was too fresh, and she was afraid of doing anything that would provoke the use of the curse again.

"Is she a Weasley?" a timid voice asked. Ginny looked up; she recognized the voice. The man with the silver arm stood next to Lucius Malfoy, and she gasped. A cruel smile spread over his pale face.

"Indeed, I believe she is," he said, taking a step towards her. She glared at him angrily. "And look at this, Peter," he said, sounding somewhat amused. "She's angry with me."

"Shouldn't you be begging for your life right about now?" Peter asked, grinning.

"Shouldn't you be dead right about now?" she spat. Lucius chuckled and Peter's face turned red.

"This one has spirit," he drawled, still looking highly amused. "It will be that much more fun to break her." Ginny's mouth dropped open as the words triggered something in her memory.

"You-" she started. Before she could vocalize her thought, Lucius frowned and raised his wand.

"Crucio!"

Ginny screamed and fell onto her side, convulsing as the pain racked her body. She couldn't put a cohesive thought together; all she could do was wait and pray that the pain would stop soon. When he finally lifted his wand, her vision was blurred.

"You son of a bitch," she snarled, unable to discern the outline of his body against the other formless shapes in front of her. He made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"Such nasty words from such a pure little girl," he said menacingly. "Could it be that you like the pain?"

"How could you do that to your own son?" she hissed, tears blurring her already impaired vision even more.

"Do what?" he asked, his tone mocking.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," she said.

"Do I?" he asked, amusement weighing down his voice.

"Yes, you do," she said, feeling her anger rise, despite the pain that she knew he was capable of inflicting. "I'm not stupid! I recognize your words."

"Yes, well," he said, squatting in front of her. "Draco always was too weak for my tastes, you know. He did break away from me a few times, but never for very long. It seems he developed a weakness for a certain redhead- but I don't think that will be a problem for very much longer, seeing as how I intend to relieve him of his affliction."

"What are you going to do to him?"

"My dear girl, you should be worried about what I'm going to do to you."

**

"Oh, my God," Hermione's voice was barely audible. A scream pierced the silence of the night, and Harry clenched his teeth.

"That's Ginny! Someone get this damned door open!" Hermione and Ron let go of him as he began flailing at the door with his fists, to no avail. He beat them against the wood of the door until they were oozing blood.

"Why don't we try and guess the password?" Ron suggested. Hermione nodded, not knowing what else to do.

"Slytherin."

"Quidditch?"

"Nasty buggers." Hermione shot him a scathing look.

"This is not the time for jokes, Ron!"

"Snake."

"Voldemort." Hermione flinched at Harry's suggestion. His face suddenly paled, and his eyes turned glassy. "Nunduuuuuu." His whisper made Hermione shiver uncontrollably. She and Ron both turned in surprise when the door opened, and Harry entered without looking back. They exchanged wary glances, and then followed him inside.

**

Draco opened his eyes and felt the bile rising in his throat. Ginny Weasley was slumped on the floor, her ankles and wrists bound with a glowing blue thread. How had she gotten here?

"Your girlfriend was trying to save you, apparently," his father answered his unspoken question. "Pity, really. Nagini will be grateful, though. She hasn't had a decent meal in weeks." Draco turned narrowed eyes to his father, not trusting himself to speak.

"Now, now, Draco," he drawled smoothly, bending down to finger a strand of copper hair. "You can't tell me that a few stolen kisses with this filthy creature has created an affection for her, can you?"

"Don't touch her," he spat, his eyes burning silver. Lucius looked up and smiled.

"Or what?" he asked, sounding amused. Draco struggled against his bonds, but only succeeded in burning himself even more than he had been burnt already.

"She's not my girlfriend, she's Potter's girlfriend!"

"Even better," Lucius said, his voice deadly. "Perhaps Potter will come looking for her, and then we'll have killed two birds with one stone."

"And exactly what is it that you have planned for everyone?"

"The Dark Lord makes the plans, not I. I simply do what I'm told." Lucius gave an indifferent shrug, and Draco began grinding his teeth. His eyes flew open in horror as he watched Nagini slither into the room, moving stealthily towards Ginny's unconscious form.

Nagini stopped in front of Ginny and opened her mouth. Draco struggled one last time against the ropes, to no avail, and squeezed his eyes shut. He would not watch the snake devour her!

"Impedimenta!" Draco's eyes flew open in surprise as Hermione Granger's voice broke the silence in the room. Nagini froze where she sat, and Lucius turned around. Before he could say anything, Harry had pointed his wand.

"Crucio!" Hermione, Ron, and Draco all gaped at him as Lucius fell to the floor and twitched under the curse.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione shrieked, her face painted with horror.

"Do you know the counter spell to Incarcerous?" he asked her, ignoring her question.

"Well, of course I do, but-"

"Then for Merlin's sake, Hermione, free Ginny and Malfoy so we can get the hell out of here!" She nodded and muttered something as she pointed her wand at Malfoy. He fell to the floor and immediately crawled to Ginny. Hermione pointed her wand at Ginny's motionless form and repeated the spell.

"He said Voldemort was coming," Draco said urgently, looking up at Harry. Harry nodded and motioned towards the door that led out into the common room. "What about Pettigrew?" Draco asked.

"Stunned," Harry said, helping Malfoy lift Ginny to her feet. Each of them slung one of her arms around their shoulders and began walking out into the common room.

"Where are you going, children?" an inhuman voice hissed. "The party's just begun." Harry and Draco dropped Ginny to the floor gently and stood side by side in front of her, their wands drawn. Hermione held her wand up with a shaking hand, and Ron stood next to her.

"The party's over," Harry hissed, narrowing his eyes. Draco gripped his wand tighter, and prepared to fight. They didn't wait for Voldemort to make the first move; Draco pointed his wand and yelled, "Immobulus!" The spell bounced off of Voldemort's tattered robes, and he laughed shrilly.

"Foolish boy! Do you really think that your elementary level spells are going to have any effect on me?"

"I know one that might," Harry growled. "Crucio!" Voldemort gave a look of surprise as the curse hit him square in the chest, and he let out an angry scream.

"It's not working!" Hermione screamed. Ron's eyes darted frantically around the room, looking for anything to use as a weapon. Voldemort pulled out a wand and pointed it at Draco.

"Crucio!" Draco dropped to the floor, clutching his head and letting go of a high-pitched scream. Harry looked around as Ron darted off to the side, unnoticed. Hermione pointed her wand at Harry and yelled, "Protego!" She did the same for herself, Ron, and Ginny, then pointed her wand at Voldemort and gritted her teeth.

"Rictusempra!" Harry gaped at Hermione as Voldemort began laughing. She ignored his bewildered look, and continued shooting the same spell at him over and over. "Harry, it's buying some time! Do something, quick!"

"Relashio!" Ron screamed, attacking Voldemort from behind. Harry was struck with an idea as Draco finally climbed to his feet, still shaking from the aftereffects of the curse.

"Everyone point your wand at him and Crucio him!"

"What?!" Hermione shrieked. "No, Harry! We can't!"

"It's the only chance we've got!" Harry screamed. Ron nodded.

"Do it, Mione! For Ginny!"

"For Ginny," Draco murmured, raising his wand. Harry had no time to ask what he meant, because Voldemort had recoiled.

"Crucio!" Harry's head exploded in pain, and he dropped to his knees.

"Crucio!" A chorus of voices raised, and suddenly Harry's pain was gone. Three wands were pointed at Voldemort, emitting sparks that caused him to scream. Harry made a dive towards the great fireplace that graced the Slytherin common room and reached for the sword that hung above it as decoration. He turned in time to see Voldemort raising his wand. He pointed it at Draco.

"Avada Ked-" Harry rushed him blindly with the sword, wincing as he felt the blade slice through bone. Voldemort fell to his knees with a strangled cry, and black liquid oozed out the side of his mouth. Just to be sure, Harry twisted the blade, and Voldemort's body convulsed once before sinking to the ground.

"Oh my God," Hermione whispered, cradling her face in her hands. "What have we done?"

"We've killed Voldemort," Harry said, kicking the lifeless body on the floor. Draco arched an eyebrow.

"No, we didn't kill Voldemort, Potter. You did." Harry met his eyes, wondering why he had fought for Ginny. Malfoy offered no explanations, though, and Harry wasn't going to push it just then.

"Someone had better have a damned good explanation for this mess." Every head in the room turned towards the entrance to the Slytherin dorms, where Snape stood with his arms crossed. "And please explain to me why there are four Gryffindors in the Slytherin common room."

"Severus, I hardly think that this is necessary," Professor Dumbledore said, stepping through the door. Hermione's eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. Ron caught her before she hit the ground, and turned to Harry with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"My father is in the other room," Draco said quickly, pointing. Snape nodded and disappeared through the door, then reemerged with an unconscious Lucius floating stiffly through the air. "Potter saved the damned day again."

"I didn't do it alone," Harry said defiantly, frowning. Dumbledore watched with twinkling eyes as the two bitter rivals stared each other down, then coughed.

"We can talk about that in my office. Right now, you should all head to the infirmary." He moved towards Harry and gazed down at the lifeless form with the sword sticking out of it. "An ironic ending for young Tom - death by the sword of Salazar Slytherin."

"What about Wormtail?" Ron asked, struggling to hold onto Hermione. Dumbledore turned to look where Ron was pointing, and saw Wormtail slumped over a chair. Harry wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that he saw Dumbledore smile.

Dumbledore pointed his wand at Wormtail and muttered "Incarcerous." Thin blue threads emerged from his wand and wrapped themselves around Peter's ankles and wrists. Dumbledore whispered something else and Peter's body floated into the air. He turned to Snape.

"I trust that you will keep Pettigrew and Lucius under close watch, Severus," he said.

"Of course, Headmaster." Snape narrowed his eyes and gave Harry an odd look, then left the room with the two motionless bodies in front of him. Dumbledore turned back to Harry.

"Now, let's see about getting you all cleaned up. Madam Pomfrey would have my head if she thought that I'd allowed you to come to my office before seeing her." Harry heard the amusement in his voice and wondered at it. He moved towards Ginny, but Malfoy was already beside her, cradling her head in his lap. Harry froze, not knowing what to do. He watched numbly as Malfoy smoothed her hair back away from her face and stood, then pointed his wand at her.

"Mobilicorpus." Ginny's body rose into the air, and Draco avoided Harry's gaze as he began to leave the room with her. He scrambled out into the hallway, following behind the group. Ron was guiding Hermione while Draco was guiding Ginny, and Harry let his arms hang limply at his sides. He felt totally useless.

"Harry, perhaps you'd like to begin telling me what happened," Dumbledore said quietly, falling into step beside him. Harry nodded.

"Ron and I woke up when we heard screaming. We went down to the common room, and Ginny and Hermione came down. I think they'd heard it as well. I heard someone talking, and I knew who had been attacked." Dumbledore nodded.

"Were you hearing Voldemort?"

"No, sir," he shook his head hesitantly. "I think it was the snake."

"Nagini?"

"Yes, sir. Anyway," he said, tugging his eyes away from Draco and Ginny. "Ron took off to get help, and I followed him. I got halfway down the corridor and my scar started to hurt so bad that I couldn't move anymore. The next thing I knew, Hermione was standing in front of me, telling Ron that Ginny had gone to the dungeons."

"How did Miss Weasley know where to go?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. We came down to the dungeons and found the door to the Slytherin common room, and while we were trying to get it open, we heard her screaming."

"And how were you able to get inside?"

"Someone whispered the password to me."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure," he said uncertainly. "But then we got inside, and I stunned Wormtail, and we went into one of the dorm rooms, where we found the Malfoys and Ginny."

"Thank you, Harry," Dumbledore said, opening the door to the infirmary. "We'll speak again after you've had some time to rest. I'm sure young Malfoy will want to be present as well." Harry nodded mutely and went inside.