Hero

They say once you've been touched by darkness, it will never truly leave you. I wish this wasn't true, but it is. I was possessed once by the greatest evil our world has ever known. It happened five years ago, but I still feel it inside me and I know that it will never be gone. It tears at me from the inside out, clawing at my skin. It causes my tears to burn like acid each night. Every night I re-visit the Chamber of Secrets in my dreams. I see Tom, towering over me, telling me horrible things: about how Harry will never love me. It can't be true! Somehow I know it is, though. It makes me lose hope. Seems like the only eligible bachelors in this school are Harry, Ron, and Draco Malfoy.

~

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where's the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds

Isn't there a white night upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

~

_-_-_

Ginny Weasley slowly made her way the Herbology. She kicked at the rocks below her feet and fiddled with the fraying edges of her book. Her dreams were getting worse lately and it had begun to affect her schoolwork. She could no longer concentrate: it seemed that every time she closed her eyes Tom was there, towering over her, tormenting her again.

"Watch where you're going, Weasley!" came a scornful voice as she stumbled into someone. She looked up, startled. It was Malfoy. To her surprise she mumbled an apology and was on her way again, sidestepping the enraged blond.

"What, no sarcastic comment? No death threat? No witty repartee?" he asked, changing direction to follow her, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Why are you disappointed?" she asked hotly. He stopped and grinned.

"There we are, back to your wonderful self now are we? What were you doing in such a daze, daydreaming about Potter were you? He'll never like you, you know that don't you?"

"Drop dead, Malfoy."

"Oh, very clever, never heard that one before!"

"Really I'm surprised!"

"It's called sarcasm, Weasley."
"I recognized this and reciprocated, Malfoy," Ginny said before disappearing into Greenhouse 6, leaving Draco standing outside the door looking dumbstruck at hearing such big words.

-_-

Her dream that night started out unusually. She dreamt that she was waltzing in the great hall with a mandrake, but then a carrot jumped over and took over. She was having a good time until she saw Harry kissing Hermione. She was so shocked that she ran out of the doors in tears and found herself in her regular dream. She was back in the chamber.

Sometimes the real-ness of her dreams was the scariest part. She was outside her body now, standing at the end of the serpent-lined chamber. She could see three figures at the end of the hall. Since she had been unconscious during much of the ordeal, Ginny's mind had filled in the blanks.

She began to run toward the figures and they became more and more defined. She could see the tall figure of a man in a black cloak, Riddle, and Harry standing over herself: who was lying on the floor. Harry was wounded. Ginny tried to cry out, but found she could not speak, so she ran faster. She reached them, Riddle's back to her (which was strange) and Harry staring at Riddle. She tried to call out for Harry but he couldn't hear her. She was interrupted by laughter. Riddle slowly turned. Ginny gasped and fell backward. It was Malfoy. He was holding up a sword and advancing upon her.

"He'll never hear you, he'll never see you. If it weren't for Ron he wouldn't know you exist. I'll end it for you now if you wish, it'll be over quick."

She shook her head, crying hard now. To her horror, Malfoy turned and stabbed Harry through the chest.

"NOOOO!!!" she cried, but the words caught in her throat. Harry collapsed to the floor, dead. Malfoy was laughing again.

"See, it was quick wasn't it?" And he just kept laughing.

Ginny awoke in a cold sweat, tears flowing down her face, gasping for air. She collapsed on her bed, unable to speak for she was crying too hard. She buried her face in her pillow, but all she could see was Malfoy laughing as he killed Harry.

-_-_-

Two figures were standing by a fireside in the woods. One was tall and thin and snakelike, the other small with a bald spot.

"You have failed again, Wormtail..." hissed the snake-like man. The other man winced.

"I-I'm so-sorry, my Lord. I di-" the man blubbered.

"Silence!" said the first man coldly. "You have failed to free my followers in Azkaban..."

"-But, my Lord, I did free one!" squeaked the other hopefully.

"Yes..." said the first man as another man stepped into the circle of firelight. "And he has proved very useful, very well, I shall spare your life."

The new man bowed very low to the ground, getting down on one knee.

"Stand up, Lucius, I need a word with you."

The other man stood up.

"I have been planning the kidnapping of a girl called Hermione Granger, who was written to be Harry Potter's girlfriend a couple years ago, but Wormtail here," he shot a cold glance at the whimpering man, "says that you would advise otherwise?"

Lucius nodded and bowed again, not as deeply.

"Yes my Lord. There is a girl at the school, the sister of Harry Potter's best friend, whom has been put under your control before when she was 11. She should be nearing 16 now. My son had informed me that she was Potter's 'little girlfriend'. She has already proven to be weak and if we re-awaken the darkness already in her, it would be almost too easy to control her."

Voldemort took a moment to contemplate this. Then he smiled a sinister smile.

"Very well, make the arrangements."

Lucius nodded and then apparated out of the ring of fire.