Paper Should Be Good Enough

Paper should be good enough--Chapter 4

Harry doesn't look at her the next morning, rather pointedly. Ginny decides not to protest, but Tom is appalled. Look at him, Ginny, he says. How passionate he was last night, and how very cold he is today!

Ron may notice, he's just acting, she thinks back at him. He still cares.

Are you sure?

She isn't. She smiles at Harry, who nervously smiles back. Ron is chattering about something. She hasn't paid attention to Ron since Tom's been with her; she's realized what a huge prat her brother is thanks to Tom.

"..And so I said to Hermione, 'You might want to look away from a book once in your life.. Malfoy just got totally humiliated and you missed it.' And she smacked me rather hard in the arm."

Idiot,

Tom says. He's an idiot. You don't need Ron, he's a loser, he's not talented like your Harry.. what use is Ron, really? All he is is Harry's sidekick, spineless, the cowardly jester fool.

Yes,

she agrees. Yes.

Ron has poked her at least five times in the shoulder. "Ginny."

She jerks up. "What?"

"I said, what is with you two? You're all quiet and I don't know why. Honestly, am I the only one talking here?"

Probably,

Tom says. It's not as if he knows when to shut up.

Ginny snorts a laugh. "I'm wonderful, Ron," she says. "Wonderful." Smile at Harry, Tom commands, and she obeys. Harry freezes, staring into her green Weasley eyes. "In fact, I feel better than ever."

"Well, that's good." Ron frowns at her. "I was worried about you. You've been so... different. I'm glad to see I was just being overprotective."

As usual,

Tom says.

"I don't see what you mean," Ginny says. She glances up at Harry, who is rather busy picking at some eggs. "It was just that bloody headache. I came down with something not too major, I reckon."

The students start to leave the hall. Ginny makes sure to grab Harry before he runs off to meet Ron. "You were quiet," she says. "Even to me. What's going on?"

"I.." He blinks, looks away. "It's wrong. I know it. We shouldn't have.. forget it ever happened, Ginny.."

"You think I can?" Idiot, tossing me away like I'm nothing.. "You know I love you, Harry, and I will never forget last night.."

"It can't happen again." He pushes his glasses farther up on his nose. "You know it can't."

Destiny is homemade, not tailored to fit,

Tom says. "Destiny is homemade, not tailored to fit, Harry," she repeats.

He sighs. "Ginny, I'm sorry, but that was just.. hormones. I can't.. I don't.. I don't really feel that way about you, Ginny, I don't."

Are you convincing me, or yourself?

Tom says. "Are you convincing me, or yourself?" she repeats.

"Possibly both," he says. "Transfiguration. I have to go, you do too."

"Remember that you wanted me willingly, Harry, that you accepted me so eagerly, when they ask you why," Ginny says, and is surprised by it. So familiar.. what could it be? More of Tom's words?

Harry blanches. "Goodbye," he says, and fairly flees from the hall.

-----

Tom.. Tom, what did I do? He's afraid.. what did I do?

You must trust me and I'll give you everything you desire, Ginny.. you must know that I have a plan for this, too. Just trust me, Ginny..

Tom?

He doesn't respond to her call. Tom...

With Tom's sudden absence she awakes. She now stands alone, useless as any useless mortal soul, in what feels like the cosmic vastness of the Great Hall.

She flees to Charms, glad to know where she is headed for once, where she is meant to be.

------

"What has gone wrong?" Everyone working for the Dark Lord knows that when he is quiet and charming, he is obviously infuriated, as he is at this very moment. "Why can't I contact her?"

The wizards huddled around the pentacle decide not to look up at this moment. "We do not know, Lord.. perhaps she resists of her own free will."

"Then increase the power."

One glances up. "My Lord, we could break her mind and drive her mad.. wouldn't that ruin the opportunity?"

This wizard is at this moment caught in the throes of pain of the Cruciatus Curse before he even realizes it. He writhes, screaming violently. "Never question my command again," the Dark Lord says. He raises his wand, and the wizard, shaking still, manages to rise to his feet. "Increase the power."

"Yes, Lord," they say in unison, and the pentacle blasts with light.

-----

Ginny screams in pain while rushing down the hallway and collapses right in front of the Transfiguration room. She writhes as though the Cruciatus Curse is upon her, and the sixth year Gryffindors are there, she is in Harry's arms, Harry and Ron trying to control her, trying to calm her down.

Eventually the pain stops and she grips Harry's hand so hard that her knuckles turn white. He says nothing.

McGonagall looks more than a little thrown. "I just don't see.. well.. Weasley!" she snaps. Ron looks up at her. "Take your sister to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey must see her immediately."

Ron nods, and Harry helps her to her feet. She looks up at her brother, up at Harry, still silent. Tom's voice is gone, and there is only concern in Ron's eyes. Perhaps he's not as much of a prat as I thought he was. "Ron," she says, and pain throbs throughout her head. She sinks to her knees again, and Harry is there, pulling her up again.

Ron gives Harry an odd look, one Ginny can't decipher. "Go ahead, Harry," he says shortly. "I've got her."

Harry quickly nods to Ron without giving Ginny a second look, and goes into the classroom. Ron puts his arm around her and they start for the hospital wing. They are completely silent until Ron speaks tersely to her.

"Do you fancy Harry?"

Her mind freezes, and many things flicker through her mind. The truth. No, a lie. Tell him no. No. He'll find out. "Did you hear me, Ginny?"

"What?"

"I asked if you fancy Harry." He doesn't look her in the face. "Do you?"

The famous Weasley blush covers her face. "Oh, Ron, you know I do. I have since.. well, you know I do."

"Please stay away from Harry," Ron says, and she stares up at him, surprised.

"What?"

"I.." He seems to be debating in his head, then settles. "He's Public Enemy #1 for You-Know-Who, and we have to be really careful. You must stay away from Harry because if someone bad finds out you fancy Harry, they could... take you over, like back in your first year. And they could kill him."

"Ron, you're not making any sense."

"It doesn't matter. Stay away from him. He's probably going to hide off with Sirius soon anyway, wherever he is now. Hogwarts is safe, but You-Know-Who won't hesitate to try attacking here, that's what Dumbledore says." Ron gives her a sharp look. "Besides... oh, never mind."

"What?" He says nothing. "You know I hate that, Ron. What is it now?"

"My best friend and my sister can't date," Ron says. "It's just wrong. All I could see would be you two snogging in a corner when I looked at my baby sister, and that I could not take."

Ginny says nothing, mainly because this was what Harry and her were doing the night before. "Ron," she says. "Don't worry about me."

He gives her a crazy look. "You just were twitching like you were under the Cruciatus Curse, and you don't want me to be worried?"

She laughs, and then Tom is suddenly back in her head. Ginny, he says. Are you all right?

Where did you go, Tom? she thinks back at him. I was thinking, Ron isn't so bad after all, you know?

Ginny, Ron was the one who did it to you.

She looks at Ron quickly, then away again quickly. What, Tom? What are you talking about?

Don't look at him like that! He's jealous because he knows about you and Harry. He thinks that you're stealing his best friend from him. That's why he attacked you. Why do you think it hit you when you were going past that classroom?

That's ridiculous, Tom! Ron wouldn't hurt me!

Ginny, don't be naive. Your brother has you fooled. Do you understand? He's one of the bad guys!

A Death Eater?

Yes, yes... a Death Eater, Ginny. He's trying to get you to leave Harry alone so he can have him all to himself to kill him.

In her now-warped mind, she believes this. Yes, you're right, Tom. I'm sorry for not realizing it.

It's okay, Gin. Just act normal. If he realizes you know what he's doing, he'll hurt you for sure.

"Thanks, Ron," she says to him. "But I think I can make it the rest of the way there."

"Ginny," he says warningly. "I'm not going to fall for that again."

"I'm fine," she insists.

"Fine, go alone," he says. "I'll just follow."

She shakes her head. "You're impossible, Ron." She continues on and Ron follows. They reach the hospital wing in a few minutes. Ron leaves, saying, "Remember what I said, Ginny."

There is nothing wrong with her, Madame Pomfrey says, but Ginny knows that if Harry doesn't take back what he said earlier, she'll be back in here for a broken heart.

Don't worry about Harry,

Tom says. I've got that covered. He won't be able to resist you, Ginny love.

I love you, Tom,

Ginny says to him.

I love you too, Ginny. Now go get 'im.