Silver and Cold

Silver & Cold

Chapter Three

In the Shadows

Luna had to leave Ginny earlier than expected. Supposedly, Luna had something very important to do.

"Oh, really, what about?" Ginny asked with a touch of resentment in her voice.

"Fwooper's Day, remember?" Luna looked at Ginny as if she had three heads.

"Oh, yes, well... I'll see you at dinnertime."

"Bye, Ginny."

"What in Merlin's beard is Luna doing for this famous 'Fwooper's Day'?" Ginny started ranting, "I had never heard of such a thing. What, did she pull it out of thin air? At least S. P. E. W. had a strong purpose. Anyways!"

She was conscious that she was acting selfishly and obnoxiously. Lately, though, Ginny's mood was on a roller coaster. If the wrong buttons were pushed, Ginny would surely live up to her house symbol. However, there were times when she felt down in the dumps and reclusive.

She suddenly felt like being alone. She headed back to the castle. "The Gryffindor common room is a definite no!" Ginny thought as she made a mental checklist of the possible places to find the solitude she was seeking. She knew the library would be packed and Hermione was probably still there--Ginny would surely be tempted to go up to her.

The dungeon!

When Ginny reached the Hogwarts dungeon, many Slytherin students were returning from their classes and heading to the Great Hall for dinner. Various students goggled at the sight of a Gryffindor in their domain at this hour. Ginny paid no heed at their reactions. She searched her way through the corridors determined to find a desolate place. Ginny soon reached a section of the dungeon where the already opaque glow of the torches was swallowed by the darkness.

"Lumos," Ginny commanded.

Ginny fought her way through the gloom. Suddenly, Ginny heard a distant whimper.

I wonder who is crying.

Against her better judgment, Ginny followed the human-made noise. She reached an ebony wood door. Ginny stopped to listen.

The crying was definitely coming from within the room.

Ginny carefully turned the knob, and proceeded inside the room. The room was lit by the soft glow of a lonely torch on a wall. Ginny noticed the room was grubby, but most importantly, she stared at the back of the person who was crying.

Ginny felt her heart drop. She wanted to approach him, console him, but she dare not go near him. Ginny quietly turned on her heels to leave, but as soon as she reached the door, she noticed the crying had ceased.

When Ginny turned her back, it was too late, Draco had caught up with her. She was now face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. Ginny yelped.

Malfoy had his wand clutched in one hand, while the other formed a perfect fist.

"You're dead Weasley!" Malfoy fumed.

Ginny was frozen. She wanted to run and escape Malfoy's growing fury, but she could not help but stare at his incredible transformation: one minute ago, Malfoy seemed helpless and fragile, now he seemed ready to take on a pack of Death Eaters.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy." Ginny finally managed to say.

"Oh, you will be!" Malfoy grabbed Ginny by the neck with one hand, while his other hand steadily held a threatening wand. Ginny's eyes shot open. She was taken off guard. Malfoy's agility astonished her, and so did the fact that she would die at the hands of Draco.

Ginny jerked, and everything went dark.

"I can't," Draco breathed, while slowly releasing Ginny from his tight grip. Ginny dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

Draco looked at Ginny's body with disbelief.

"She can't be dead," Malfoy assumed, his voice quaking--guilt mixed with fear.

Draco stooped over Ginny's body and placed his hand on Ginny's chest.

Her heart is still beating. She's alive; I'm not a murderer!

"Mobilicorpus!" Ginny's body floated in the air as Malfoy directed the body towards the corner where he had been crying. He carefully placed Ginny on an old mattress that was lying on the dusty floor.

Draco's pale and glassy eyes looked down at Ginny's limp body.

I'm not like my father!