Holes in the Floor

She stood staring off into the distance, her gaze fixed on something that only she could see. Although there was no wind, long tendrils of her faded hair whipped across her paled face and snaked around her neck.

The colour was slowly beginning to fade from her body. Her normally tanned skin turned a shade paler for every day that she spent in Darkness. In life, her hair had been a vivid flaming red, but the fire was beginning to extinguish.

Ginny knew that she could not remain in Darkness forever. Her time was limited. The knowledge she possessed prevented her from moving beyond the veil to a peaceful death while the nature of this cold, gray land prevented her from dwelling in its midst. She was trapped, as a mere shadow of her former self. Her days were numbered. The grains had begun to fall through the hourglass of time.

She could not die and she could not live. Instead, she would simply fade away. Pieces of herself would dissolve into her surroundings and the Darkness would swallow them up hungrily. She would continue to fade, into nonexistence.

It was a terrible end, worse than the torturous death that he had forced upon her. She shuddered at the memory of his cold, menacing smile. His calm yet so sinister voice echoed in her ear.

"Avada Kedavra."

The words were spoken aloud, by whom she didn't know. Instantly, cold gray fog swirled around her, forcing the icy air from her lungs and choking her. All of her thoughts and emotions were driven from her mind as she fell.

Down, down, down, as if she was being sucked down a whirlpool. Confusion and chaos washed over her. She could distinguish one clear and familiar voice, strong words penetrating through the disorder. Unfortunately, they offered her no comfort as snippets of a conversation she had never witnessed haunted her.

"...the foulest creatures that walk..."

Ginny covered her ears as if the words stung. She knew, just knew what message was being sent to her.

"...infest the darkest, filthiest places..."

Salty tears poured from her eyes. Why wouldn't it stop? Had she not suffered enough without having to be constantly reminded?

"...glory in decay and despair..."

The metallic taste of blood filled her dry mouth. She had bitten through her lip. The blood hydrated her parched throat in a gruesome way.

"... drain peace, hope and happiness..."

She was powerless. The words were depleting her willpower. There was nothing she could do to stop the evil truth from being heard. The words began to fade, becoming softer and softer. They left her with one final thought.

"...soul-less and evil."

Ginny hit a cold, hard surface. She could not move. Her cheek was pressed firmly against a cold, hard slab of gray granite. The last trace of the voice lingered in her mind as she sobbed uncontrollably. Deep, gasping breaths tore from her chest as she contemplated the horrible fate that awaited her.

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The blotched roll of parchment was barely illuminated by the dying light of the fire. It was well passed midnight and all the students of Gryffindor house had long since headed off to bed. The silence covered the common room like a blanket. A warm, welcoming blanket...

Ginny Weasley fought to keep her eyes open. She unwillingly forced her cramped hand to continue writing a poorly constructed paper about projection charms. Her arm felt as heavy as lead as she turned the pages of her Transfiguration book, searching for any information that could be of use. If only she had paid attention in class instead of daydreaming!

"Ginny?" The voice cut through the silence swiftly and caused the redhead to jump, spilling black ink over the pages of the tattered text. She looked up startled, to see a shadowed figure standing in the staircase that lead to the boys dormitories.

He stepped forward and she could barely make out his features in the dim room. Nonetheless, she knew who it was. She watched as he crossed the room and sank into a cozy armchair situated across from her.

"Harry," she stated tiredly. "What are you doing down here?" Ginny rolled up her half-filled parchment and stuck it into her bookbag.

"Never mind what I'm doing, what are you doing down here? Ginny, it's half past two." Harry folded his arms across his chest and glared at the redhead before him.

"I'm finishing my work, is that a crime?" snapped Ginny. She was tired and in no mood to talk to anyone, least of all Harry. A sneaking suspicion was also rising in her mind regarding Harry's visit.

She hoped that nobody had seen the afternoon exchange that had taken place between a certain blonde Slytherin and herself. It was probably too much to wish for. She had been foolish to think that they hadn't been seen.

"I'm worried about you Ginny, so are Ron and Hermione. You haven't been yourself lately." Ginny absently toyed with her quill and avoided meeting Harry's emerald eyes. Inside, she heaved a deep sigh of relief that he was still unaware of her walk to dinner last night.

"Thanks Harry, but it's really no big deal. I just haven't been sleeping well." Ginny attempted to brush off Harry's concern. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish this paper." She reached for her bag but Harry caught her slim hand in his.

"I don't know why you don't trust us Ginny," said Harry sadly. He brushed a tendril of Ginny's long red hair out of her face. "I just wish that you would."

Without another word he had gone. Ginny watched as he glided silently up the stone stairs and out of sight, with only a small twinge of regret. Very insignificant compared to the regret that she felt when Draco Malfoy had parted from her at the entrance to the Great Hall, mere hours before.

Ginny shook the thought from her mind. She felt nothing for Malfoy; he was an evil git. With a sigh that said she knew too well that she was lying to herself, Ginny reached for her unfinished essay.

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Ginny hit a cold, hard surface. She could not move. Her cheek was pressed firmly against a cold, hard slab of gray granite. The last trace of the voice lingered in her mind as she sobbed uncontrollably. Deep, gasping breaths tore from her chest.

The view of the Gryffindor common room swam before Ginny's eyes that were still glazed with the remnants of sleep. She winced at the pain throbbing through her neck. Lifting her head, Ginny discovered that she had fallen asleep in front of the fire, in a plush armchair that was obviously not meant for sleeping in.

She groaned and stood up shakily. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a crumpled bit of parchment lying on top of her stack of books. Ginny reached for it while stifling a yawn. She gently smoothed it out and began to read.

It was from her brother, reminding her about Quidditch practice at noon. Ginny smiled to herself. After Harry had been reclaimed as Gryffindor's legendary Seeker at the start of the previous year, Ginny had tried out for the position of Chaser. She had beaten the competition by a long shot and been named 'Lead Chaser.'

Ginny still remembered the feel of the Quidditch Cup in her grasp. She could recall the deafening roar of the crowd and the sun's beating rays on her face. Furthermore, she could clearly see the scowl on Draco Malfoy's face as he slowly lead his team off of the pitch.

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The grounds were quiet. At the moment, nearly the entire student body was eating lunch in the Great Hall. Partially because she wasn't hungry and partially to avoid a certain dark haired Gryffindor, Ginny had opted to skip the meal and spend some quality time outdoors.

She savored the silence. The sun's glow warmed her face and a gentle breeze whistled in her ear. It was a relief to escape from the constant stress of life. Out in the fresh air, Ginny's worries seemed to melt away in the sun. A small sigh escaped from her lips.

Deciding to go for a quick ride before the rest of the team showed up, Ginny picked up her broom and headed towards the pitch. It didn't take her long to get there and within no time she had kicked off from the ground and was happily speeding through the air.

Flying was her form of stress relief, a way to escape from the world. For the first time in days, Ginny felt free. She did some loops and twists before grabbing an abandoned Quaffle and starting to shoot.

Shot after shot flew through the three golden hoops. Ginny smiled smugly to herself as she sped towards the middle hoop, intending to catch the red ball before it had a chance to fall to the ground. As she outstretched her hand, the tail end of her broom just grazed the metal pole. It knocked her off course slightly, but she was caught unaware. Ginny slipped sideways off of the broom.

The ground was coming towards her at an alarming rate. The red and gold robes that she wore billowed out behind her. Ginny fumbled in her pocket for her wand but it was no use. So would never reach it in time.

Then, as if in slow motion, she saw a dark figure run onto the field. An incantation was yelled, but the wind drowned out the words. Mere feet before the ground, Ginny felt herself slow down and she fell into someone's arms.

The impact drove the person to their knees. Ginny's head hit the ground and her vision swam. She looked into the eyes of her rescuer mere seconds before her sight blurred and everything went black.

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