My Eternal Curse

Chapter Seven

A Day at Hogsmeade to Remember: Part 1 - Business As Usual

Tom felt Ginny's mind finally drift off into a peaceful sleep... perfect. He stretched his influence throughout their body, taking complete control of her again. Thankfully, his princess still couldn't sense when he used her body like this, or she might prematurely terminate their relationship, by jumping out of the nearest window. Tom knew that, deep down, she was still in great danger of that, which was why he was treading carefully around her... If he moved too fast she would kill herself, and he didn't want that. He opened her eyes, and looked around. They were lying in their bed, the curtains closed tightly around them. He sat up and opened the curtains, studying the other people in the room. They were sound asleep. He got out of bed, changed Ginny into muggle clothes, pocketed her wand, and left.

Unfortunately, Ginny's wand hadn't been working properly of late. It had the nasty habit of refusing to work at the most inconvenient times. Ginny thought that she had damaged it somehow, but Tom had checked it out. There was no mistake. The wand was working perfectly; their control of it was not, for some reason. It was almost as if the wand had begun to reject Ginny, like it had rejected Tom from the start. Tom knew that the wand chose the wizard, not the other way around. Like Tom, Ginny had to fight with her wand at times, to keep control. They would have to get a new wand at this rate. Most wizards rarely outgrew their wands before maturity, much less had it reject them like this. The wand's rejection had to have some something to do with their joined state, but what, and more importantly why, plagued Tom.

"Maybe our powers are merging on some fundamental level," Tom mused. Anything was possible at this point. Tom had the nagging suspicion that her wand's rejection of them was only the beginning. Of what? Tom didn't know. He had to find out whether the changes in them should be resisted, or embraced. Unfortunately, because of their unique state, there was no way to be certain without further study.

Tom slowly crept down the old staircase, wary of any other people who could be camped out in the common room. He heard a familiar voice, and froze mid-step. He pulled out Ginny's wand, and it gave him a threatening shudder. He gripped it more firmly, and whispered a concealment charm. The wand reluctantly complied, and they all but vanished. The camouflage worked remarkably well, as long as no one looked directly at you. Tom carefully took another step, and strained to hear what was being said.

"... Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Harry said.

"Something's been bothering you for the last week," said Hermione. "What is it?"

"A few days ago, Dumbledore called me to his office," Harry said slowly. "He gave me a box... from my mum. She had given Dumbledore strict instructions not to give it to me till after my sixteenth birthday."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Dumbledore said she had her reasons."

"What was inside it?" Hermione asked.

"A letter from her," Harry said. "This... and this."

"It's beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed. "May I see it?"

"I guess..." Harry said, hesitantly handing her something Tom couldn't see. There were a few moments of silence.

"Here," she said. "Can I take a look at the ring?"

"Sure," Harry said, without trepidation. There were a few more moments of silence.

"A signet ring," Hermione said. "I've read about these. Old wizarding families use them. The head of the family keeps the ring in trust for the rest of the clan. Wearing one is a powerful symbol of prestige, power, and influence. When the head of the family dies, the ring is passed down to the next in line. See the design on the ring? That's the personal symbol of the founder of the family... I wonder why the founder chose this symbol?"

"I guess, we'll never know," Harry said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Your family must be really old to have one of these," Hermione said.

"I guess..." he said. Their voices dropped too low for Tom to hear. Tom couldn't risk getting closer to hear more. A few minutes later, Tom heard a yawn break the near silence.

"I think I'll turn in," Harry said. "Goodnight, Hermione... and thanks."

"Any time," Hermione replied. "Goodnight, Harry."

Tom heard footsteps, and crept back upstairs before he could be seen. He went back into Ginny's dormitory. After a few moments of deliberation, Tom decided that now was not the time to go sneaking about. He changed Ginny back into her pajamas, and stubbed her toe on the way back to her bed. The pain in her foot caused Ginny to stir. Tom quickly got back into their bed, closed the curtains, and laid down. He felt Ginny drift slowly into a semi-conscious state as he released his influence on her.

"Tom..." Ginny whispered sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, my sweet," Tom whispered in a soothing voice.

"Tom..." Ginny said.

"Shh..." Tom whispered. "Don't worry... Go back to sleep. Everything is fine."

Ginny whispered something incoherent, and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Tom breathed a sigh of relief, and soon joined her.

*~*~*

Ginny and Mark walked past the Shrieking Shack, heading towards Hogsmeade. Ginny kept thinking about the vision she'd had in the Great Hall, a few days ago. She knew that she should have told someone about the vision, but she was afraid to, considering the way everyone reacted the last time.

Mark's voice faded into the background, as the world around her seemed to drop away. Suddenly she was standing in an unfamiliar street. She heard a scream, and saw several Death Eaters. All hell had broken loose, as the Death Eaters destroyed everything in their path. She pulled out her wand, ready to defend herself. Then in the confusion, she spotted Harry running in the opposite direction. That's when she saw two Death Eaters on brooms swoop down, heading for Harry...

That was all she could remember of the vision. She felt like there was much more to the vision than met the eye, but for some reason, she couldn't see it at the moment. It almost felt like it was a partially developed wizard photo. You could see the people in it, but they weren't moving. She had a terrible feeling that by the time the vision finally becomes clear, it will be too late.

"What am I going to do?" Ginny thought.

"Perhaps you should tell that fool Dumbledore about it when you get back," Tom said.

"But the rest of the school-" Ginny started.

"Will never have to know, if you are careful," Tom said. "Just because secrets aren't easily kept at Hogwarts, doesn't mean it's impossible... Just look in the mirror if you want an example, my little princess."

"Good point," Ginny thought. "Why are you trying to help me?"

"Because it is in my best interest," Tom said, after a few moments.

"What if it were in your best interest to hurt me?" Ginny thought.

Tom didn't answer, and just when she thought he wouldn't.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Ginny sighed. She knew the answer to that.

*~*~*

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at a table in the back of the Three Broomsticks, drinking Butterbeer. Professor Lupin entered the pub and ordered something at the bar. Lupin spoke to tall man with long black hair and pale skin, for a few minutes. Then Remus and the stranger walked over to their table, and sat down.

"Hello, Harry," the stranger said. "How's school been treating you?"

"Sirius?" Harry whispered. The stranger nodded.

"But how-" Ron started.

"You can thank Severus for making the Polyjuice potion," Lupin said.

"I heard about the accident you had at Quidditch practice," Sirius said. "What happened to make you fall off your broom like that?"

Harry told Sirius what happened.

"And the girl that saved you saw it in a vision?" Sirius said.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Interesting," Sirius said. "Are you sure that she didn't have anything to do with causing it?"

"Of course not," Ron said, defensively. "My sister has nothing to do with You-Know-Who."

"That's not what I was saying," Sirius explained. "It's just that in Trelawney's old school days, she used to set stuff up just so she could predict it."

"I doubt it," Hermione said. "She seems to think they are real enough."

"I agree with her, Sirius," Remus said. "I think that the girl's visions are real."

"They might be," Sirius said, reluctantly. "I want you to keep an eye on her, Harry. She may still be up to something."

"Don't worry, Sirius," Harry said. "We were going to do that anyway."

Sirius still looked worried, but dropped it. They spent the rest of their time talking without incident. Harry got the feeling that there was more to Sirius' fears than he was telling him.

*~*~*

Ginny and Mark walked into the little pet shop to take a look around and split up. Ginny wandered further into the store, and completely lost sight of Mark. After a few minutes, something caught her eye. It was a poisonous-looking snake that was at least three feet long, with vivid red and dark green markings, and deep red eyes which seemed to glow faintly. It was stunning. She walked up to the glass cage and met the snake's intense gaze.

"Hello," Ginny said, in a low hiss. "My name is Ginny. What's yours?"

"You speak our tongue?" the snake hissed, in surprise. Its voice sounded feminine, and very gentle.

"It's a long story," Ginny hissed.

"That much seems certain," the snake said. "I have no name till I am bonded."

"Bonded?" Ginny hissed.

"Yes," the snake said. "So many of us go our whole lives without our wizarding half... One who is receptive, and willingly shares themselves with us. Only then can we be truly named, young one. Thankfully, I am still a child among my kind, only a hundred years old. Hopefully, I will find the right one before I am too old."

"I do not understand," Ginny hissed.

"Most don't, young one," the snake said. "Most wizards lost the great knowledge of our true place, when snakes were unjustly vilified for our powers between life and death. It is because of this, that only the oldest of the old know our true ways... I sense great power and the presence of another coming from you. What are you, young one? You are not like the others here..."

"I'm a wizard," Ginny hissed. "I'm not special."

"Don't be so sure, young one," the snake said. "You could be the one... Come closer..."

Ginny felt compelled to touch the glass; she reached out her hand.

"Have you found anything you like?" Mark asked. Ginny practically jumped two feet in the air, startled by his voice.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Ginny snapped.

"Sorry," Mark said. He turned to look at the snake. "What is it's name?"

"She doesn't ha- it didn't say," Ginny said. "There's no nametag."

"So, you are keeping the truth from the others?" the snake hissed. "Are you afraid of what they will do when they find out?"

Ginny nodded her head twice, trying not to be obvious. Mark didn't seem to notice, and called the shopkeeper over. An old man with short silver hair walked over, and greeted them with a lighthearted smile.

"What can I do for you?" the shopkeeper asked.

"What can you tell us about this snake?" asked Ginny.

"Well, its species is called Divinus Animus," the shopkeeper said. "Which I think means Divine Will. They live to be several thousand years old. This one here, is a hundred years old, quite a good specimen. They can eat human food, as long as it is meat or fruits cut up into small slices. They are highly intelligent, and very easy to care for. Divinus can grow to be more than twenty feet in length by their 130^th birthday. The original reason why they were bred has long since been forgotten. There is an old legend that they were once aids and confidants to Seers, but of course, that is rubbish. I've had a great deal of trouble selling her. People just don't want snakes these days. What do you think of her?"

"She is beautiful," Ginny said, staring into the snake's strange red eyes.

"How much is she?" asked Mark.

"I can give her to you at a discount," the shopkeeper said. "Say about thirty-five Galleons."

"Thirty-five Galleons?" asked Ginny. "I don't have that kind of money..."

"I'll pay for it," Mark offered.

"But-" Ginny started to protest.

"Don't worry about the price," Mark said, smiling. "I've got more than enough. Let me buy this for you. Think of it as a thanks for all of the Charms tutoring you've been giving me."

"Alright," Ginny said, reluctantly. She knew Mark well enough to know that he was amazingly stubborn once he got an idea in his head, and she really couldn't think of any good reason to turn him down. They also bought some stuff the shopkeeper suggested to help care for the snake, and a small guide on the species and proper care of her new pet. They left the store with the snake in a small carrying case. It was charmed to be bigger on the inside than the outside, so the snake had more than enough room. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt like she could let her guard down, and pretend to be a regular girl.

*~*~*

Tom observed Ginny's sprits lift, and smiled. Everything was going well, so far... unfortunately, thanks to Mark. Tom still felt that there was something wrong with that boy, but Mark had proven himself to be a good companion for Ginny, for the moment. Mark seemed to give Ginny a little of the stability, and normalcy she so desperately desired. He was good for her, and as long as that remained true, he wouldn't dissuade his Ginny from spending time with him. He had to tread carefully where they were concerned, lest he lose her valuable trust in him.

Then there was this strange, new pet he had bought for her. Tom was sure that it was not the average snake. He remembered reading something about that, long ago, but the memory eluded him... He would have to figure that out. It had sensed his presence. That could become a problem, if it befriended Potter. He would have to figure something out about that too... In the meantime, he was content to quietly enjoy Ginny and Mark's company.

__________

TBC