My Eternal Curse

Chapter Eight

A Day at Hogsmeade to Remember: Part 2 - Crossroads

Ginny and Mark entered the Three Broomsticks. It was packed with people of all types, including many students. Ginny noticed two people talking at a table in a corner of the room. It was her father and Cornelius Fudge, the Minster of Magic. They didn't seem to notice as she and Mark took the only free table in the room, which was right next to theirs. Ginny put down the carrying case and other stuff on an empty chair, while Mark went to get their Butterbeers. Ginny hoped they wouldn't notice them, but that seemed highly unlikely at this point. She was right. Not two minutes had passed when her father saw her.

"Hello, Ginny," Arthur said.

"Hi, dad," Ginny replied. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing much," Arthur said. "You remember Mr. Fudge, the Minster of Magic?"

"It is nice to see you again, V-Virginia," Fudge said, in what Ginny guessed was supposed to be a calm, fatherly voice but sounded horribly forced. It was almost like he was afraid, or something. "How has school been?"

"It's been okay," Ginny said, politely.

"I hear you have your OWL's this year," Fudge said.

"Yes," Ginny said. "I've been studying pretty hard, but I'm holding my own."

"I heard about the Quidditch incident," Fudge said, the nervous edge in his voice becoming painfully obvious. "Is that the first time you've had a vision?"

"This pathetic excuse for a man is as about as subtle as a brick wall," Tom said.

"I can't argue with you there," Ginny thought.

"Yes," Ginny said.

"How d-did you k-know young Mr. Potter was about to fall?" Fudge asked.

"I don't know," Ginny shrugged. "It just fit, I guess..."

"H-Had any other interesting visions lately?" Fudge asked, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably.

"So that's what he really wants to know," Ginny thought.

"Whatever you do, don't tell him anything else," Tom said, with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Why?"

"Don't tell him... He cannot be trusted," Tom insisted. Before Ginny could answer, she felt the other sounds around her begin to fade into the background. The whole world began to slip away from her grasp. Not again, not here...

Suddenly she was standing in the street she had seen in her last vision, only it wasn't unfamiliar this time. It was a street she had been to once or twice in Hogsmeade. This time she felt an elusive presence... watching her. Ginny 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.

"Harry, look out!" Ginny cried, pointing to the Death Eaters overhead. She broke into a run... She had to get to him. He couldn't face them by himself. He turned toward the Death Eaters.

"Petrificus Totalus!" one of the Death Eaters cried, his wand trained on Harry. Harry couldn't block it in time and fell as the body bind hit him.

"Serpensortia!" Ginny yelled...

"...alright, Miss Weasley?"

"Ginny!"

"What's with her?"

"Please... Wake up, daughter!"

"What in Merlin was that?"

Ginny heard voices slowly pulling her back to the land of the living. She realized she was lying on the floor. She must have fainted, but why? Then it all came back to her. She had had another vision. Ginny had felt a terrible sense of urgency during the vision. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen now. Harry was in danger! She had to stop it! She couldn't let the Death Eaters capture Harry! Ginny opened her eyes, and saw Fudge, Mark, and her father by her side. The rest of the pub had stopped to see what the commotion was about, and were watching her with worried, confused expressions on their faces. She sat up, and immediately regretted it. Her head pounded furiously, as a wave of dizziness hit her. Ginny felt a big bump on the back of her head. She must have hit it when she fell...

"What happened?" asked Mark. "Was it another vision?"

"What did you see, girl?" Fudge asked.

"What happened to us, my little princess?" Tom asked. "One moment Fudge was harassing us, and the next-"

"Will you all just shut up for a moment," Ginny snapped loudly. She couldn't think with all of them talking at once. "Let me think..."

"What did you see?" Fudge said.

"There is going to be an attack on Hogsmeade," Ginny said, slowly.

"When?" an old, silvery-haired witch asked.

"Any minute now," Ginny said, trying to sort out everything she had seen in her mind, which was still fuzzy. "Death Eaters... They're after Harry. We've got to stop them!" She could feel it now; time was running out. Any moment now, they were coming for him, and Merlin help anyone who got in their way.

"You must have hit your head harder than I thought, dear," Fudge said, trying to sound sincere, and failing. "There are no more Death Eaters. You-Know-Who is gone-"

"That's not true!" Ginny cried, her head clearing at his words. She knew he was lying. When she had that vision she could feel the Dark Lord's presence. He was alive. "Voldemort is back, and he's coming after Harry as we speak! Now, get out of my way! I've got to help him..."

Ginny got to her feet and attempted to leave, but Fudge grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go.

"Let go of me," Ginny hissed.

"Are you sure, Ginny?" her father said.

"Yes," Ginny said. "Now let go! I've got get to him, before its too late!"

"No," Fudge said. "I think not. You need help, my dear. You're not well..."

Ginny knew where he was going with that statement, and she wasn't going to let Harry die or be taken, because Fudge was too narrow-minded to see the truth. Suddenly an idea hit her, and she mentally smiled.

"Do it now, Ginny," Tom urged. "Now, while he least expects it."

"Sorry, father," Ginny said. Without warning she bit down with all of her might into Fudge's restraining hand, tasting blood. Tom's cold laughter echoed through her head. Fudge howled in pain, and let her go. She bolted out of the pub as fast as her body would move, spitting out Fudge's blood as she went. She had to find Harry and protect him... and Merlin help anyone who stood in her way. Ginny didn't notice Professor Lupin and a dark-haired stranger follow her out of the pub.

*~*~*

Ginny ran almost blindly through the streets, desperate to find any sign she could of Harry.

"Tom... I need you," Ginny thought.

"Why is Potter so important to you?" Tom asked.

"Haven't you had friends before?" Ginny thought, taken aback by the question.

"Not ones that would get themselves killed, out of a misplaced sense of nobility," Tom said. "My friends had the common sense to let others die for them, not the other way around."

"I feel sorry for you."

"Don't you dare pity me, Weasley..."

"Trust me. I don't."

"If you wish to jump blindly into the abyss, then I guess I have no choice but to assist you," Tom said.

"Thank you," Ginny thought.

"Don't thank me yet, princess," Tom said. "We have less then a snowball's chance in hell of getting out of this in one piece."

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. Two Death Eaters on brooms swooped down, heading for Harry.

"Harry, look out!" Ginny cried, pointing to the Death Eaters overhead. She broke into a run... She had to get to him. He couldn't face them by himself. He turned toward the Death Eaters.

"Petrificus Totalus!" one of the Death Eaters cried, his wand trained on Harry. Harry couldn't block it in time, and fell as the body bind hit him.

"Serpensortia!" Ginny yelled, drawing on her and Tom's combined strength. Her wand became white-hot and burned her hands. She cried out in shock and surprise then let it go. It flew almost twenty feet away from her, and hit the pavement with a clatter. Ginny trembled in terror. She was defenseless. Every fiber of her being cried out for her to make a run for it, but... she couldn't. She had to protect Harry at all costs. Without thinking, she closed the distance between them, picked up his wand, and stood between him and the Death Eaters. She felt the wand's power tickle her fingers as it accepted her.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Ginny cried. Her spell hit one of the Death Eaters, and he plummeted down to earth.

"Avada Kedavra!" the remaining Death Eater roared. She couldn't get out of the way, or it would hit Harry. She threw up her arms to cover her face. The whole world exploded in blinding flash of light and sound.

___________

TBC

Chapter Nine

A Day at Hogsmeade to Remember: Part 3 - Twilight of Innocence

Tom and Ginny waited for the end... it never came. Tom could feel powerful magic surrounding them. Ginny opened her eyes, and saw that Harry and she were completely encased in magical flames, forming a shield. Tom tried to sense where it was coming from, and surprisingly enough, it was coming from their neck.

"The necklace..." Tom said. Ginny looked down at the necklace and saw it glowing brightly, pulsating in perfect rhythm with their heartbeat. Ginny was thunderstruck.

"How?" Ginny asked.

"Good question..." Tom said. "Unfortunately, now is neither the time, nor the place, to answer that question."

Ginny gripped Potter's wand more tightly, ready to fight, but he could tell that she was afraid of what would happen if she fired with the shield up. Tom saw the Death Eaters hit the shield with spell after spell, but they couldn't make a dent in it. The werewolf Lupin, and a tall, dark-haired stranger came up from behind, and fought to keep the four Death Eaters at bay. He could feel her finally coming to a decision; Ginny sprung into action.

"Serpensortia!" Ginny cried. A huge black serpent sprung out of Harry's wand, and automatically looked to them for orders.

"Get the Death Eaters..." Ginny said, in a whispered hiss, so no one but the snake could hear them.

The snake went straight through the shield, as if it weren't even there. It attacked a Death Eater that was hidden behind the side of a building, and proceeded to crush the life out of him. Tom watched as Ginny called forth a second snake, and told it to do the same. The second snake caught a Death Eater who was sneaking up from behind them. The Death Eater tried to fend off the snake, but tripped and fell into the shield. His arm caught fire as he bounced off the shield harmlessly. Neither Tom nor Ginny could take their eyes off the gruesome sight before them. The Death Eater tried a freezing charm to stop the flame's advance, but all he succeeded in doing was making it spread faster. The Death Eater let loose an almost unearthly shriek while the flames spread to the rest of him. His wand caught fire and exploded in a shower of bright, blue flames, feeding the fire even more. The Death Eater staggered, and fell to his knees, his body no longer clearly visible under the relentless flames. He fell face first, onto the ground, and stopped screaming. The flames quickly died out, leaving a twisted, blackened heap in its wake.

Ginny felt like she was going to be sick, and Tom couldn't blame her. That was a horrible way for anyone to die... even a Death Eater. Tom and Ginny were jarred back into the present by the unnatural silence that hung in the air. They looked around, and saw that there were no other Death Eaters in sight, none among the living anyway. The stranger and the werewolf were standing a few feet away from the shield, as if afraid to come closer. Ginny felt certain that the danger had passed. At that thought the shield vanished, and silence prevailed.

"This can't be good..." Tom thought.

_________

TBC