Holes in the Floor

Episode IV

She had made up her mind. The plan was weak and undeveloped but she could not afford to spend any more time perfecting the details. Time was something that she did not have a lot of to spare. Time was not concrete; it slowly slipped away while there was nothing that she could do to stop it. Time would be the end of Ginny Weasley.

Ginny painfully recalled the message that had been sent to her mere minutes before. Whether it was intended to weaken her or strengthen her, she did not know. As a taunt or an encouragement, it made no difference. The point was that it spoke the truth.

Fighting the desire to wallow in a sea of her own despair, Ginny forced herself to remember the message that she had to deliver. It was her turn to crush somebody with a reality that was almost too harsh to bear. It was her turn to hit somebody full force with the tragic truth. It was her turn to be the bearer of bad news.

Not that she was glad to be any of the aforementioned.

What had to be done, had to be done. She had no other options other than to wait. But Ginny Weasley was never one to succumb to her fate.

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"You're making a mistake," he said quietly and the sadness was evident in his voice. Ginny inwardly cringed, knowing that she had been the cause of that emotion.

"I... I just..." Ginny glanced away from him, unable to look into his intense eyes. She drew a ragged breath before continuing. "Everybody expects this to happen."

It sounded false even to her, but they both knew it was true. She lowered her eyes to the floor so that he would not see them fill with tears. She tried to reassure herself that she was doing the right thing, stopping an unreachable vision from going to far. Yet the sound of his voice nearly caused her to change her mind as he responded.

"I never thought you were one to surrender to your fate," he said slowly. "I thought I knew you better than that."

"It's what has to be," she whispered.

"Does that make it right?" he asked harshly. "Is the easiest decision always the correct one?"

"I'm sorry," Ginny's voice broke. Why did her decision feel so wrong?

She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed him on the cheek. As she pulled away, he turned his face towards her and with a start she noticed that he too had tears brimming in his eyes. Full of sorrow and regret, Ginny turned and walked out of the room, never looking back.

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It was a cruel twist of fate that the one time Ginny had given in, turned out to be the most crucial. One single decision, made when she was just sixteen years old had changed her life forever. She had taken the easy road once and because of it she had lived in pain and fear until the day she was heartlessly murdered and sent to this accursed land.

The irony of it all.

Yet there was a faint glimmer of hope amongst the Darkness. It shone in the distance like a lighthouse, beckoning her forwards. Ginny gladly grasped it and hung on tightly, a small comfort in a land where none should be found.

If only her plan would succeed. Perhaps she could save herself but more importantly perhaps she could save the wizarding world. The fate of one individual was too insignificant to trouble anybody. The fate of one world was also unimportant when viewed from a bigger picture.

Yet it was her world. She had walked there for twenty years. She had breathed its fresh air and smelled its sweet scents. In this world she had loved and lost. In this world lived her family, lived her friends. Despite the triviality of its fate, she could not turn her back.

And deep down, hidden in the very core of her body, there was also a selfish reason for going off on a doomed hero's quest. Ginny was frightened about what would happen to her as the Darkness closed in around her body, her mind, her soul. Little did she know about the nature of this land, but she knew that there were no happy endings where it was concerned.

She had to be strong though and set out to do what she had to do.

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Chapter Four

There was a faint glimmer of hope amongst the Darkness. It shone in the distance like a lighthouse, beckoning her forwards. Ginny gladly grasped it and hung on tightly, a small comfort in a land where none should be found.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and only a faint feeling of impending doom was left as a remnant of the dream. It irritated Ginny to no end, but her attention immediately shifted to her surroundings as she noted that the flood of crimson that decorated her bedroom had transformed into a bright white. The cot on which she slept was a little too soft and her sheets a little too scratchy.

She had awoken in this place several times before, being friends with The Boy Who Lived to Attract Trouble. This time however, she had no recollection of being brought to Hogwarts' hospital wing. Obviously it had something to do with the painful pounding in her head. Reaching back, Ginny could feel a large lump amidst her tangles of fiery hair. She vaguely wondered how on earth it had got there.

On most occasions this would have troubled the young Gryffindor but on this particular morning, Ginny really didn't care. A massive headache coupled with the frustration of the recurring dreams drove any concerns she may have had from her mind. All she wanted was to lie back down and sleep.

Unfortunately that was not an option as it could bring back the dreams. So Ginny swung her legs over the side of the cot and made to stand up. She gasped as for the first time she noticed that she was not alone in the wing.

"Malfoy what on earth are you doing here?" Ginny exploded out of shock at seeing the blonde Slytherin leaning back casually in an armchair beside her. There was a casual elegance about him and he almost looked like part of the scenery. As always, his face was kept carefully blank except for a small smirk that barely touched his lips.

"It's rude to watch people while they're sleeping," she continued, provoked by his lack of an answer.

"It's also rude not to thank a person who saves your skin Weaselette," he replied tauntingly, letting the statement sink in.

Ginny's face contorted in confusion. What was he on about? For the first time since waking up she became desperately curious about her aching head and mysterious appearance in the hospital ward. What mess had she gotten herself into? More importantly, what role did Draco Malfoy play in it?

"You fell off your broom," the man in question explained quietly as if reading her mind. "Didn't at least one of your Weasel brothers teach you not to fly alone? If I hadn't been outside you would have had more than a bump to worry about."

"And what were you doing Malfoy, stalking me?" Ginny retorted angrily.

"No," he replied and left it at that. Despite her anger Ginny believed him although she didn't quite know why. Becoming curious as to what he had been doing she decided to probe further but was stopped as he shifted position. The right sleeve of his robe lifted a fraction of an inch, revealing a plastered cast beneath.

"What happened to your arm?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Nothing major Weaselette," he said, waving off her statement. "The bone will be completely re-grown within a couple days. In any case it's only fractured at the wrist and I'm left handed anyway." He smoothly pulled his black sleeve back down forcefully dismissing the subject.

Ginny groaned inwardly. Not only did she fall off her broom but she was caught by none other than Draco Malfoy, breaking his wrist while she merely received a couple of bruises. Not only that, but she had been foolish. He was right, she had been told countless times not to fly alone because something of this nature could happen. However she had never listened to the cautionary and look what happened. Malfoy was sure to hold this over her head for the remainder of her school days. It was time for a change of topic.

"Why do you call me Weaselette?" Ginny asked genuinely for she was truly interested in the answer.

"It's more feminine than Weasel," he shrugged. "And if you're interested," he cut off her next remark, "I'd call you Weasel because your surname is Weasley and the nickname annoys your brothers."

"So why would you call me by my last name," she questioned, ignoring the fact that he deliberately tried to infuriate her short tempered family. "Most people call me Ginny."

She could tell that she was pushing it, taking this oddly casual conversation as far as she could to find out as much as she could. It was perfectly clear why he would never call her by her first name.

"Ginny-"

Then again, some people never ceased to surprise you.

-he said thoughtfully. "That would be short for..."

"Ginevra," she supplied, still stunned.

"Damn," said Malfoy quietly. He explained further when Ginny gave him an incredulous look. "I owe Blaise ten galleons." Seeing that she was still very confused he sighed and elaborated again. "I was betting on Virginia and Zabini thought that it would be something else, hence finding out for certain results in me losing ten galleons. All I need now is for your dolt of a brother to break it off with Granger before Christmas and I'll be broke. Although, I suppose what Blaise doesn't know can't hurt him."

"That's disgusting," stated Ginny flatly. She glared at him. "You bet on the personal lives of Gryffindors?"

"Why not?" asked Malfoy lazily. "It makes for good entertainment, little Weaselette." He smirked as she gaped at him in astonishment.

"Well then Malfoy, now that you know my first name, why don't you use it?" pointed out Ginny, hoping to make the Slytherin as uncomfortable as she had been feeling in the last few minutes.

"You call me Malfoy don't you?" he responded while examining his perfectly kept nails.

"That I do Malfoy, that I do. That is the way that it's always been and furthermore that is the way that it's going to stay even if you start acting like a civil human being towards me. Speaking of which, what the bloody hell do you think you are doing? For the last five years you've been a total prick towards me. You've insulted me and my family. You hated me. You despised time. Now you're suddenly changing all that?"

Ginny took a deep breath. She'd been wanting to say that for several days now. She shot a quick glance over at the blonde who, frustratingly enough, looked completely calm and unfazed by her rant. Ginny was so annoyed that she wouldn't have been surprised if steam came shooting out of her ears.

"I don't know where you got half of those ideas from," Malfoy drawled. "I've never acted badly towards you specifically. I've never insulted you or stated that I hated you or despised you. In fact, I don't think that I've even spoken to you before."

"Once," said Ginny blushing a deep shade of red, "five years ago at Flourish and Blotts." She unconsciously twisted her hands and continued to babble. "Although it wasn't really directed at me, it was more-"

"Ah yes," interrupted Draco. "What was it again?" He watched as the Gryffindor before him fidgeted uneasily. "I believe it was 'Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend,' although I see now that perhaps I was mistaken. However, things change don't they?"

Ginny blanched at the implication and Draco smirked at the look on her face. "Shut up Malfoy" she said quickly, almost as a reflex.

"You Gryffindors wear your emotions on your sleeves," he yawned.

"Well at least we have emotions," retorted Ginny.

He raised a carefully arched eyebrow inquisitively. "Trust me, I have emotions," he confirmed in a low voice. "I just don't fancy flaunting them for the entire world to see."

Ginny was taken aback. She supposed that Malfoy must have feelings but she had never considered the matter before. It was much easier to think of him as an emotionless machine full of insults and snide remarks, which up until now was all that he had given evidence of being. Ginny wondered why he had admitted to her what he had taken such precautions to hide: the fact that he was a person.

Of course the face of stone and blank empty eyes did nothing to help his claim and Ginny told him so.

He considered her for a moment before speaking. "Close your eyes."

"Er," said Ginny, her eyes darting around the room. Despite this strange lack of open hostility, she did not feel like sitting defenseless before Draco Malfoy, a person who's name she had been brought up loathing.

He seemed to sense the inward battle that was taking place in her mind. "Is there a problem?" he asked and a faint glimmer of amusement was evident in his gray eyes.

He was laughing at her! Ginny quickly shut her eyes.

"Now," he began and his voice filled Ginny's ears. "Think of you emotions as being written across a blackboard." He spoke slowly and deliberately. "Pour out all of your feelings and then wipe it clean. Scream on the inside, but never let it show."

Ginny opened her eyes to see him leaning back in his chair, arms folded contentedly. He was surveying her with a carefully blank face, devoid of the look of disgust that he normally reserved for members of her family. It made absolutely no sense to her and needless to say, she was very very confused.

She opened her mouth to ask the question that was burning in her throat. The very question that he had neatly avoided just minutes before. With a start she realized that this whole business of hiding your emotions was just a distraction, a way to divert her attention from the previous topic of conversation! Furthermore, it had nearly worked! Ginny felt a bubble of hot anger inside of her.

Damn his evil black soul. He was not going to play her like this. She would not allow him to suddenly begin to act civil towards her, to even act as if he bloody liked her without a word of explanation. She wanted answers and she was damn well going to get them!

"So that's it?" she asked incredulously. "That's the secret behind the emotionless prick appearance? Just a bit of mental imagery?"

Er... that was not what she had meant to say.

He leaned forward slightly in his chair. "Whatever works," he said, his eyes fixed on her own.

"Somehow I doubt that works," Ginny snorted.

He leaned forwards again, and this time didn't stop. Ginny's eyes widened as he came closer and closer.

"Is that so?" he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin and sending shivers down her spine.

Empty blackboard, empty blackboard thought Ginny frantically. She desperately tried to clear the board on which were written all of her very twisted emotions. Yet the mental board was growing fainter, replaced by the knowledge that Draco Malfoy was very very close to her.

"Getting better," smirked Draco as he pulled away, "but it will take some more practice."

On that final note he stood up and swept out of the room. Ginny was left sitting alone on her hospital bed, deciding that Draco Malfoy was probably the most infuriating person she had ever met.

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