Moonlit Grounds

Chapter 9

A flash of bushy, brown hair was all Draco saw before he rounded the corner and promptly fell on his ass. He stood up, rubbing his behind.

"Malfoy? What are you doing up here?"

He knew that voice and it certainly didn't relieve his tension. Yet he wondered whether she would know how Ginny was doing. He decided to take a gamble.

"Granger, I need to know that Ginny's alright. I'm worried." He realized how strange the concern in his voice sounded to her, when she took a step back. They stood still in an awkward silence. Until finally Hermione's face relaxed.

"I'm worried about her too. I'll take you to the tower, but you can't go into the girls' dormitory. I'm putting myself on the line here, so please don't prove me wrong." She quickly turned and walked up the next flight of stairs. They soon found themselves in front of the Fat Lady, where Draco pretended to cover his ears, so as not to hear the password. This week's password for the Gryffindors was 'Firenze'. He figured that was the female prefects' doing. Hermione checked to make sure the coast was clear, then hustled him up to the entrance of the girls' dorm, where he would wait in the shadows for her return.

*

Hermione still wasn't sure that she should trust him. After all, he was Malfoy. But there had been something in his eyes that pleaded the truth. A tone of voice could easily be manufactured, but the look in his eyes? Well, she believed that the eyes were the very windows into the soul. She had never seen any sort of light in Malfoy's eyes, before tonight. She actually had wanted to help him. Her intuition had won over the logistics of her mind, and she allowed herself to aide him. She instructed him to wait by the bottom of the stairs while she checked on Ginny. Knocking on the door, no one answered.

"Ginny? You in there?" Nothing.

"Is it okay if I come in?" She slowly pushed open the door. The curtains were drawn around Ginny's bed, which meant she was in there. Hermione walked over and drew the blinds. What she saw shocked her.

Ginny's face was all read and puffy, and she had a big, ugly bruise on her left cheek. Her wrists were also bruised, and upon closer inspection there were scars. She was sleeping in just her robe, with the covers pulled up to her waist.

She had never seen Ginny like that. She looked so...so...worn. Ginny had always been very conscious of her appearance because of her family's financial situation. She had believed that if they couldn't afford new clothes, she could look her best anyway.

Hermione stood standing before her, when Ginny startled her by swatting an arm in front of her, as if there was an invisible bug bothering her. Then she slowly moved her mouth and made a faint 'oh' sound. Then she started to whimper, and tears soon followed.

Hermione quickly grabbed Ginny by the shoulders and shook her awake. Ginny barely had opened her eyes before she was sobbing and holding onto the other girl for dear life.

*

"Your skin is more like porcelain than I remember it, Virginia. It seems as though you've been expecting me."

He dragged his cold, long, spidery fingers across her stomach. She wanted to scream and pull away, but she knew it wouldn't accomplish anything. He would catch up to her in the end. And possibly make her pay for her disobedience. She didn't want that.

"You needn't worry anymore. I'm here. You know I've always been here. In the back of your mind. I know that you missed me after your second year, when you believed I was gone forever. I wanted to wait. I could've come back any time I wanted, but I had to be patient. I had to wait for the right time. You had to be ready. You're ready now, Virginia." With that he grabbed her harshly and pulled her into his arms. They were most like chilly steel, if anything.

Ginny couldn't help it- she shuddered. Visibly.

He pushed her down to the ground. "How dare you? I'm all you have, Virginia! They all know you're tainted! By me, no less! They all know you're unclean! This is your fate!" He then slapped her hard across her left cheek.

By that point she had no more resistance to offer. He had won.

*

Something was pulling Ginny back. It wasn't him though. This touch was warm. She opened her eyes with difficulty and buried herself in arms. She didn't care whom it was- they had taken her away from that dream. But had it been a dream? She could never tell. Everything felt so real.

She didn't want to think anymore. She gave in to this person, and dissolved into tears.