Slytherin Forever! Book Two: Shadow

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Chapter Five: Wrecked.

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Together sleeping, keeping it all

No sympathy, no eternity

One light for each undeserved tear

Beneath the candle bed two souls with everything yet to be said

- Two For Tragedy, Nightwish

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"Where are my children, Damien?"

Salazar Slytherin's voice was low and dangerous as he looked at the man in front of him. Salazar was chained to the wall, but that could not stop him from nearly killing the one who smirked at his rage.

"How am I supposed to know that?" the man asked with a sadistic grin on his face. "You should have paid more attention to your daughter and both of your sons. None of this would have been necessary if Taigan had given us her will and power..."

"I was a fool to trust you," Salazar spat. "My daughter did right and I did wrong."

"Is that so? Your kin has defied me and you shall pay for that with your life!"

The man drew the dagger he had been keeping in his belt and held it in front of Salazar. Then, he ran one finger along it, drawing blood, and said:

"I will grant you one last wish, Slytherin. After that you will face death."

"So be it."

Salazar inclined his head ever so slightly, making his blond hair fall into his eyes. He looked up at his former friend after a moment and said:

"Damien, enemy of mine, let me face my death while my feet touch the ground and I stand upright. I do not ask for you to find my daughter or my sons. They know I love them."

Damien motioned for two robed figures to take Salazar's chains off. The occupants of the room, the Vayaen, looked on with interest as Salazar got to his feet and faced their leader with nothing but fury visible in his silver eyes.

It was a swift strike.

Somebody in the room screamed as Salazar staggered backwards with blood pouring out of his heart. There was another one, hidden in Damien's mind, and she screamed, too...

"Ginny!"

The redheaded girl was shaken awake brutally by Alisha and Dev, who were towering over her bed with frowns upon their faces. Ginny sat upright, gasping and panting, as the memories of the dream came flooding back to her.

"Oh no," she muttered. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

She got up and ran towards the bathroom. Dev and Alisha traded looks for a moment before they entered the bathroom as well. They found Ginny bending over the toilet, being violently sick. Dev looked at her friend with concern as Alisha moved over to Ginny and held her long red hair out of her face. The sickness seemed to be a reaction to the dream, however, for Ginny straightened herself up pretty soon and seated herself on the floor.

"That must have been some dream, huh?" Dev asked Ginny with a grin on her face. "I mean, I have nightmares too but I never respond in that way. Of course, when I dreamed of something I am not going to tell you about I screamed for one hour straight..."

"I saw Salazar Slytherin," Ginny whispered and closed her eyes. "Damien killed him in my dream. I killed the Founder of my House."

"Who is Damien? And what do you mean with: I killed?"

Alisha looked nonplussed, as did Dev, but Ginny's mouth curled into a bit of a smile as she continued:

"I was Damien in my dream. I was the killer. To tell you the truth, Salazar's death was revolting. I saw him stagger backwards with all that blood and -" she swallowed "I felt good."

"Ginny, are you sure about the fact that you were Damien?" Dev asked in a whisper. "Didn't you see Salazar die from another point of view?"

"I was Damien, the leader of the Vayaen," Ginny whispered. "I was in his mind, saw Salazar through his eyes... I felt what he felt. He felt nothing but satisfaction at Salazar's death and I know that this feeling, more than anything else, woke me up."

"You screamed," Alisha said softly. "You woke us up with it. Lya and Rita are fast asleep and won't have noticed a thing but your scream pierced right through our dreams."

"You don't get it, do you?" Dev asked and looked at the two other girls. "The fact that Ginny was Damien in her dream is very rare. Seers usually have dreams like that too, but I've never heard about other people having dreams in that way."

"I'm not a Seer," Ginny said and opened her eyes. "I would have known if I was."

"Most Seers don't develop their powers until the day they turn thirteen," Dev replied. "For all we know, you could be one..."

***

The Academy For The Dark Arts, Moscow, Russia.

"Are you nearly finished?"

Gudrun sat on the edge of Loki's bed and looked at the darkhaired man who was rummaging through the pile of clothes on the floor. Loki looked at the blonde for a minute before he replied:

"I still have to find that shirt because I am not leaving without it. Then, when I have found it and put it in my trunk, I am ready to go."

"Want me to help?" Gudrun asked.

"Nah, I can do this on my own," Loki replied with a wave of his hand. "I'll find it within no time and... What's this?"

He held a pink shirt up, which was at least three sizes too small for him. Gudrun hopped off the bed and started to examine it as Loki continued his search. He jumped a foot up in the air as Gudrun let an enthusiastic exclamation out.

"The shirt's mine! I thought that I had lost it on the airport last summer but, apparently, I didn't."

She planted a kiss on Loki's cheek and smiled broadly as he glared at her. Then he extracted a wrinkled and smudged shirt from the pile, held it up in triumph, and put it in his trunk. Gudrun looked at the shirt in disbelief and then looked back at her friend who shrugged and flopped down onto the bed.

"You can't take that shirt with you!" Gudrun exclaimed in horror. "Look at it, Loki, just look at it! It is covered with that red powder you always draw circles with and it is wrinkled because it has been in the closet for too long! What will people think when you wear it?"

"Hogwarts has got House Elves," Loki said patiently. "They'll be able to make something out of it, okay?"

"All right then," Gudrun muttered and seated herself next to Loki. "I was just worried, that's all."

"You worry too much," Loki sighed and put his arm around her slender waist. He put his head on her head as he continued: "I'll be fine. I am just going to stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the school year to watch and guide the Heiress, nothing more than that."

"It is not that which I'm worried about," Gudrun whispered. "Severus is still teaching there. If he finds out about this..."

"He does not have a say in our relationship, now does he?" Loki replied. "You said it yourself last year. He has damaged you too much to carry on together with him, and you know it."

"I would still advise you to keep quiet around him," Gudrun said. "He can be a real nuisance when he wants to be."

"So can I."

Loki grinned as Gudrun snuggled into his chest, sighing contentedly. He put his other arm around her slender frame, too, and closed his eyes.

Nothing could tear them apart.

***

Hogwarts School For Witchcraft And Wizardry, Britain.

The weeks flew by and before anyone had fully realized it, it was Halloween. Ginny did not have any bad dreams anymore, though the fear of possibly being a Seer was replaced with a numb feeling in her heart. Last year she had celebrated Helloween in a very special way... attacking Mrs Norris while being under Tom Riddle's command.

Still, Ginny thought rationally as she walked up to the Great Hall, that was not going to happen this year. Riddle was finished, the Dementors protected Hogwarts from Sirius Black, and nothing was going to ruin her good mood today.

Ginny walked towards the Slytherin Table, noticing the great amount of whispers among the other students. She seated herself next to Natalya, who nodded and pointed at the Staff Table. Ginny followed Natalya's finger to the Table and her eyes fell on somebody she did not know yet.

"New arrival," was all Natalya said.

Ginny looked at the man seated next to Snape and McGonagall with interest. His dark hair fell down to his shoulders, not greasy like Snape's but healthy, and his dark clothes, instead of making him look like a ghost, made his light skin glow faintly. Runes applied to his forehead and cheeks distorted his facial features; if they had not been there he would have been very beautiful, almost like an angel. Yet those runes seemed to belong to the man as much as freckles belonged to the Weasleys, Ginny noticed with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, and they made him seem special.

He must have noticed that her eyes on him, though, for he turned his head into her direction entirely and looked directly into her eyes. His eyes were black, not cold like Snape's or friendly like Hagrid's, but understanding and filled with knowledge and wisdom. Ginny's attention was torn away from the man's eyes as Natalya tugged at her sleeve.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, slightly irritated. "What's wrong?"

"Look at the other girls," her friend whispered. "They are staring at him with a predator look."

That much was true, Ginny realized as she looked around the Hall. Girls from Slytherin as well as girls from other Houses were looking at the man with great interest and she vaguely caught the words 'cute' and 'wow' in the whispers that carried around the Hall. She grinned, turned back to Natalya, and said:

"Looks like some people are stupid enough to fall for somebody they don't know. He's special, I am not going to deny that, but there are other guys on the planet."

"Like Draco Malfoy?" Natalya murmured as Draco entered the Hall. "You two seem to get along pretty well."

"Guys like Draco, yes," Ginny sighed. "We don't even know this new guy. For all we know he could be Sirius Black in disguise."

"I don't think so," Marita said to her. "The Dementors would have noticed that."

"I guess you're right," Ginny whispered as Dumbledore rose to his feet. "They would have noticed."

"Happy Halloween, everyone!" Dumbledore called out to the students. "I am pleased to announce that a loyal friend and a powerful wizard has returned to Hogwarts at long last, and has agreed to teach you everything he knows if one of our own teachers should fall ill. I'd like to introduce to you: Loki Romanov!"

Enthusiastic applause filled the Hall as the man smiled and waved at the students. Ginny frowned. Surely she had heard that name before... and suddenly she knew where.

"I'll keep in touch with you. If I cannot come myself I will send a friend of mine along who goes by the name of Loki Romanov. You can talk to him as well as you can talk to me whenever you need it, don't forget that!"

Gudrun Halonen had said this to her when she came to visit Ginny in the Hospital Wing at the end of last year. Ginny hadn't thought about it at all anymore but at the very moment the man's name had fallen she remembered everything. But why was he here now?

"What are you thinking about?" Marita asked Ginny suddenly. "You seemed pretty far away with your thoughts."

"She was dreaming about that Romanov guy," Zeynep snorted. "Want to bet?"

"I was not dreaming about him!" Ginny exclaimed. "I was thinking!"

"Thinking about him then," Natalya said with a grin. "I know that every other girl in the Hall is doing that..."

Zeynep turned to his friend with an alarmed expression visible on his face, but Natalya herself did not seem to notice as she continued:

"I wonder what he is doing here. Usually Madame Pomfrey can cure anything, you know that as well as I do, so he won't be needed at all."

"Maybe he will be," Marita said thoughtfully. "Dumbledore wouldn't have hired him otherwise..."

Breakfast passed by rather quickly, and after that most of the students left for their first Hogsmeade visit of the year. Ginny walked around the castle for the remainder of the afternoon, deep in thoughts.

"You seem troubled, Miss Weasley," a voice said suddenly. "Care to tell me what is on your mind?"

She whirled around, only to meet the dark eyes of Loki Romanov once more. He gazed down at her with a kind expression on his face, and it was exactly that which made Ginny tell.

"I was thinking about last year. This seems like it again, with me being alone, and nobody seems to care about me anymore."

Loki nodded swiftly and motioned for her to follow him. She did so, only slightly reluctant, and they went into the dungeons. He opened one of the doors of the unused classrooms and led her inside. He closed the door behind him softly and seated himself in one of the wooden chairs.

"Sit down," he said gently. "Start at the beginning, love, and take all the time you need for it."

Ginny seated herself, sighed, and began:

"It all started last year, in the summer, when I found a small black book inside my copy of the Transfiguration book. I thought that somebody had left it in there and had forgotten all about it so I began to write in it. I shouldn't have done that.

The book contained the spirit of a sixteen-year-old boy called Tom Marvolo Riddle. We talked almost daily in the beginning, but when I arrived at Hogwarts that lessened because I had other things to take care of. Yet, I talked to him whenever I could. I felt alone even though I had friends and I started to distance myself from others.

Then, around Halloween, I started to have weird dreams. The problem was that I was fully awake while I had them, making them seem more like visions, but I did not know that back then. I now know that those dreams were a part of the possession. Tom started to possess my body at times, and I attacked students and a cat because of it. I strangled roosters - though I can hardly remember that - and wrote threatening messages on one of the castle walls. You see, Tom was the Heir of Slytherin. He is now known as You-Know-Who.

At the end of last year he took me down into the Chamber of Secrets. I didn't trust him anymore and I tried to fight him... but in the end I was too weak. If Harry Potter had not come to save me I would have been dead.

And sometimes I think that I should have been."

"Why?"

"I miss him, that's why. I miss the most evil person on this planet as I would miss Natalya, for example, or Dev. Is that normal? I don't think so.

Sometimes I just want to be dead. I would not feel alone anymore, nor would I feel the emptiness inside of me. I wanted, more than anything in the world, a normal life but now I know that I can never have that. My scars will never fully heal and everyone starts to treat me like I am made of porcelain and I am sick and tired of it!"

Ginny's last words ended in a scream, and Loki looked at her in understanding. He stood up and walked over to the petite redhead, who was now holding herself and rocking back and forth, and kneeled down next to her.

"You know, I don't think that this is such an out-of-the-ordinary reaction," he said softly. "You are angry with Tom for ruining your life, you miss him because he offered you support, and you hate yourself for trusting him. That's normal."

"It doesn't seem that way."

Ginny laughed hollowly and Loki's grip on her arm tightened. He raised her chin gently with his hand, looked into her eyes, and said:

"To me you are one of the bravest people in this world for having the strength to tell me this. I know that it must be hard for you to understand why people treat you like this, but I assure you that they might have a good reason for it."

"What reason could be good enough?"

"I will tell you when the time is right for it. Now, we have to get up to the Feast. And, Miss Weasley, Gudrun sends her love and best wishes."

His last words put a smile on Ginny's face, and she nodded. He got up, as did she, and they walked out together. Loki locked the door behind him and led the way up to the Great Hall where students were standing together. Ginny spotted Draco and Alisha soon and walked over to them as Loki made his way past the students with great difficulty.

"Where have you been?" Draco asked Ginny quietly. "I asked everyone but nobody knew where you were!"

"I needed to talk to somebody," Ginny replied. "How was the visit to Hogsmeade?"

"It was fun," Draco replied. "It's a pity that you guys can't come with us yet."

"We can, next year," Ginny said to him as they started to eat. "I would love to go with you to Hogsmeade."

The Feast was magnificent, with lots of food and a great show given by the Hogwarts ghosts. Nearly Headless Nick, in particular, had success with the re-enactment of his own death. When the Feast was finally over the Slytherins made their way down to their common room, chatting quietly, and had just arrived there when Snape appeared behind them, panting.

"Everyone, follow me back to the Great Hall. No questions please."

The Slytherins followed the Head of their House, throwing each other looks of confusement. The other Houses were already present there, and Snape left them there with the other students who looked just as confused as the Slytherins did.

"What happened?" Zeynep asked the Head Girl, Penelope Clearwater. "What is going on?"

"Didn't you hear it yet?" she replied. "Sirius Black tried to get into the Gryffindor common room."

Natalya whirled around to look at Ginny, who looked back at her friend in disbelief. Ominous mutters broke out in the Hall and finally Blaise asked what everyone was thinking:

"How?"

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