My Eternal Curse

Chapter Twenty Four

Strategic Transitions

Ginny ran through the dark and empty corridors of Hogwarts, desperately trying to escape a menacing cloaked figure. She knew it was Voldemort. His cold laughter echoed through the halls, sounding familiar to her. Ginny never felt more alone in her life, as she scrambled into the entrance hall and opened the heavy oak doors that led outside. She ran through the doorway and ended up in the center of the dimly lit, ruined Gryffindor common room. Twelve Gryffindors, including Lavender and Parvati, encircled her wearing Death Eater robes. She recognized most of them as people who had been injured in the storm.

"You did this to us!" a Gryffindor boy cried. "You made us this way!"

"No..." Ginny denied, wildly shaking her head, refusing to believe it.

She tried to escape, but Lavender and Parvati restrained her.

"You didn't think you could get away that easily, did you?" Lavender hissed venomously in her ear.

"Our Lord will let never you go..." Parvati whispered, mirroring Lavender's tone. "Not when he has you right where he wants you."

"Master Snape..." Ginny whispered in a small voice, praying that he would save her.

"Oh, we took care of him," Parvati said coldly. "He never even saw it coming. Snape thought he could fool the Dark Lord... Too bad for you, he was wrong." Parvati and Lavender looked up. "Voldemort comes."

Ginny struggled slightly, whimpering in terror as Voldemort, slowly and deliberately, stalked through the room. The sounds of his echoing footsteps were all but deafening to her ears. Voldemort's face was concealed by the hood of his cloak, except his eyes. They glowed blood red, and, for just a moment, she could swear that she knew them from someplace. Lavender and Parvati let her go and took their places in the circle again. Voldemort slowly paced around her for a few moments, inspecting her.

"Perfect..." Voldemort hissed in her ear. Ginny cringed in horror and disgust.

The Dark Lord finally stopped right in front of her, and she could just barely make out a cold smile of approval on his face. She trembled in terror, unable to move or speak. She wanted to run, to get away from him at all costs, but she was rooted to the spot by his terrible, unblinking gaze. The room became unnaturally still for what seemed like forever. Then, without warning, Voldemort grabbed her left arm, and rolled up her sleeve, exposing the pale skin of her forearm. Ginny tried to fight, knowing that it was already too late. Voldemort pulled out his wand, hissing an incantation she didn't catch, burning the Dark Mark into her arm. She let out an ear-splitting scream, grabbed his hood with her free hand, and pulled it off. But it wasn't Voldemort under the hood.

It was Ron.

Severus awoke to the sounds of his apprentice's blood-curdling screams. He quickly sat up on the cot, which he had been sleeping on, and saw Miss Weasley tossing and turning in her sleep. He went and sat next to her on the bed, trying to wake her from the nightmare. She opened her eyes, staring at him with an unseeing gaze, and struggled to get away from him.

"It's alright," he said, trying to calm the girl. "It was just a nightmare, Virginia! You're in your room at Hogwarts. It's me, master Snape. Don't worry, you're safe here."

At his words, sense returned to Miss Weasley's eyes. The girl rolled up her left sleeve, checking her arm for something, then burst into tears when she couldn't find it. Abruptly she hugged him and refused to let go, catching him completely off guard, as she babbled incoherently about Ron, Gryffindor, and Voldemort. He awkwardly held the girl, unsure how to react, for what seemed like an eternity.

"You're safe now..." he whispered, trying to sound reassuring. "It was just a nightmare, your mind's way of working out your problems, that's all."

After a little while, she fell silent. He sat holding her, unable to fill the odd stillness that had settled over the room.

"You sound like Hermione," she murmured sleepily, reluctantly releasing him. "I'm sorry, I acted... badly. It was just, I was so afraid... Ron was-"

"It's alright," he said, cutting off her explanation. "I understand. I've had my share of nightmares, in my time. Go back to sleep."

"Yes, master," she yawned, lying back down. Severus returned to his cot and lay down. "Master?"

"Yes, Miss Weasley," he muttered, hoping she would just go back to sleep.

"Can nightmares be prophetic?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?" he inquired, wondering what she was going on about.

"In my dream tonight, I was surrounded by Gryffindors wearing Death Eater robes, in the Gryffindor common room," she explained, sounding deeply disturbed. "They told me you were dead, then Voldemort burned the Dark Mark into my arm. Only, he wasn't Voldemort... He was Ron."

Severus felt thoroughly appalled, as he rolled over and saw the girl staring at him fearfully, anxiously awaiting his answer. Was it merely coincidence, or did she see some sort of twisted premonition? He didn't know. Time passed as the horrible silence stretched out between them. Then Miss Weasley rolled over, refusing to look at him.

"I thought so..." she whispered in a small, vulnerable voice.

He wanted to help her, but he didn't know how, anymore than he could tell the girl the truth about her brother, right now. Feeling powerless to allay or confirm her fears, he laid in tense silence, pointlessly trying to will away his sudden feelings of guilt, until he fell into a restless slumber.

*~*~*

Alexis awoke earlier then her housemates and quickly got ready for her day, hoping to avoid Draco until breakfast. She walked into the Slytherin common room, only to see him sitting on the sofa, by the fire, reading. He looked up from his book, watching her with a calculating expression. She stopped and sat down next to him, knowing she couldn't avoid this much longer anyway.

"Good morning, Draco," Alexis said.

"I see, you wanted to return to Weasley before the others awoke," Draco drawled. "You've been sequestered in her cell for the last three days. Teachers and students from the other houses have been all over the Dungeons, seeking her and Snape... You know what is really going on. I think it's time you explained yourself."

"So do I," Alexis agreed, taking a quick look around. "But not here... Come with me, and I'll explain."

"Very well, Levine," he replied.

She led him to one of the secret passageways in the Dungeons, where she knew they wouldn't be followed, and into an old, disused study, which even the house-elves seemed to have forgotten. She put up heavy silencing, locking, and alarm charms before allowing him to speak.

"How do you know about this place?" Draco asked.

"My wandering..." Alexis explained. "I'm sure you have a place or two you keep... for yourself. You want to know what's really going on here, and why our beloved head of house is acting strangely. I will tell you, but at a price... You agree to go with me to see Ginny after classes. You've already been cleared, so you won't have worry about Professor Snape's... precautions."

"Like shooting the Headmaster?" he asked. "Why didn't McGonagall punish you for it? When she caught you, I was certain you were going to be expelled. She loves to punish Slytherins who so much as sneeze when she's around. The bloody, hateful bitch..."

"She did more than that," Alexis answered; surprised he was being so direct about this. He must either really be sure of himself to show his hand, or something else is going on... "McGonagall made me her apprentice. I'll be telling the others at breakfast."

"Why?" Draco asked, the cool tone of his voice fraying slightly, betraying his true feelings.

"She discovered the truth," Alexis answered.

"I see," said Draco. "She had no choice but to take you, then, not once she discovered what you can really do. The last thing she would want is for a power like you, to fall into the hands of the Dark."

Alexis explained everything she had observed over the last few days, including what Dumbledore had done to Ginny. Draco listened sagaciously, burning every detail into his memory, for further examination afterward.

"I always figured Dumbledore wasn't as grandfatherly as he seemed," he remarked, shaking his head. "And those Gryffindor morons were dumb enough to pull this shit with such a powerful witch. Bloody animals, turning on one of their own without real cause. It looks like they got what they deserved..."

"The others will hear most of this, soon enough," Alexis said. "This incident with Ginny is about to be released at breakfast. However, you are the only other person who knows about Professor Dumbledore's magical assault on her. What you do with the knowledge is up to you, but I suggest you wait until you speak with her, before you decide to pass that on to your father. She may have an alternative to your current path."

"Potter, and the mudblood Granger are helping her?" Draco drawled, doubtfully.

"Yes," she replied. "They have been acting surprisingly... uncharacteristically non-Gryffindor."

"I take it, then, that Snape or you came up with this plan to protect her?" he inquired, believing he already knew the answer.

"No, Ginny came up with it, on her own," said Alexis, finally seeing Draco surprised, for the first time this morning.

"How did this girl end up in Gryffindor?" he blurted out. "Merlin, does she have any clue to what havoc her revenge will wreak on those prats!"

"She knows what she is doing," Alexis revealed. "I must go... I have to check in with Snape before my first class. Remember to meet me at the entrance to the Dungeons after classes."

Draco nodded thoughtfully. She took down the various charms she had put up, and they left.

*~*~*

Harry had been looking for Hermione since yesterday, when he had spoken for her on Ginny's plan. He needed to tell her what they were planning, but he hadn't been able to find her anywhere. His search finally ended in the library, almost two hours before breakfast. Hermione sat slumped over ancient tomes, strewn over the library table, in heavy slumber. Had she been researching all night? Harry awoke her as gently as possible, knowing how jumpy she had been acting since Ginny was attacked.

"What is it?" she asked sleepily, opening her eyes and sitting up.

"It's morning, Hermione," he said. "Don't worry, it's not even time for breakfast yet. What have you been doing?"

"Trying to help Ginny," she responded. "I thought there might be some answers in the library, but every tome I've consulted says that what happened to her is impossible. Which means the phenomenon is probably unprecedented... Also, I've been trying to keep a closer eye on Ron. I think, somehow, he was the original trigger to the incident in Gryffindor Tower. If we can't talk some sense into him, then we need to find a way to stop him, before more people are harmed by this."

"I don't want you to go anywhere near Ron," Harry objected. "It's not safe."

"Something needs to be done, and if you won't take care of Ron, then I will," declared Hermione. "I refuse to sit around and watch Ron destroy his sister's life. I am going to keep an eye on him, whether you like it or not."

"Fine, keep an eye on him, if you think it will help," Harry said. "But whatever you do, don't act on your own. I don't want you to end up-"

He stopped himself. Snape was right, he can't tell her the truth, no matter how much he wants to.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked.

He told her Ginny's plans. When he had finished she looked horrified.

"Ginny came up with this plan on her own?" Hermione asked, shocked. "How could she do this?"

"Ginny said that she was out of better options," he explained. "She told us that she refused to let them destroy her. This seems to be her way of fighting back. I've told Mark everything, and he's agreed to go through with his part... I told Ginny that you would participate in this. Was I wrong to vouch for you?"

"I don't like this plan," Hermione said, after giving it some thought. "But I don't see any other way around this, and we're running out of time. I'll... do it. I'll follow Ginny's plan. We're going to destroy Gryffindor... How far is this going to go before it's over? How long is it going to be till we are no better than they are, until we destroy everything we hold dear, in trying to save it?"

"I don't know, Hermione," Harry sighed. "I just don't know... but Gryffindor started this by hurting her, and you know she didn't do anything to provoke them. Ginny told you what the Gryffindors did to her, what Dumbledore did to her. What would you rather do, let them get away with this? Let them go on hurting Ginny? Let them destroy anything that's different, simply because they can? The choice isn't pretty, but it's better than allowing Gryffindor House to go Dark because we were too frightened of own shadows to stop it. Gryffindor is falling, whether we like it or not... Think about it, values like honor, honesty, and bravery are being destroyed by our silence. Look at the people who did this, and tell me that they are what Gryffindor had in mind when he created our house. Look into my eyes, and tell me that Lavender and Parvati have every right to kill someone in cold blood because they're Gryffindor. Tell me that's true, and we'll go to Ginny right now. We'll back out of this, and let our friend face it alone."

"I-I can't..." Hermione put head in her hands. "You're right, what we're fighting isn't Gryffindor... it's what desires to destroy it. Maybe we can save Gryffindor, but not by lying about this... What does Ginny want me to do?"

*~*~*

Severus headed back to Miss Weasley's chamber, guiltily trying to push what she had told him last night out of his mind. He entered the room and saw her lying with her back turned to Levine, refusing to answer her. After a few moments, he realized that she was aware, but not listening. Levine noticed Severus and walked over to speak with him.

"Something's wrong, but Ginny won't tell me what it is," Levine said softly. "I'm worried, Professor. She won't eat. What could've upset her so much?"

He realized why she was so upset. He had thought that he was sparing Miss Weasley by keeping the truth about her brother from her, but now... He knew anything would have been better than what he did last night, remaining silent and allowing the girl's imagination to run wild. He had no choice... he had to tell her.

"Leave us, Miss Levine," Severus ordered. "She will be fine. I'll take care of this."

"Yes, sir," Levine said, picking up her bag and leaving.

He sat on the bed next to Miss Weasley.

"I thought I was helping you, by not telling you last night," Severus struggled to apologize. "I know now that my silence couldn't have cut you more deeply... I'm sorry."

"How much of what I saw was real?" she asked quietly.

"Potter found this the night following the storm," he told her, pulling out Ron's letter. Miss Weasley instantly sat up and gazed at the paper, as if entranced by it. He opened his senses and listened to Ron's desperation and pain echoing from the message, knowing that his apprentice could hear far more from it than he could. "Potter came to me the next day for help, knowing what Dumbledore would do if he got his hands this information."

He handed her the paper, and watched Miss Weasley closely as she read her brother's message. Horror, sadness, and some unrecognizable emotion twisted her expression, crying as she desperately held onto the letter.

"Ron..." she cried. "He's dying, isn't he? Voldemort is destroying him, taking away what makes him human, piece by piece. Why didn't you tell me, master?"

"I knew what this would do to you," he answered. "I wanted to wait until I was sure you could handle it."

"So you allowed me to believe that my brother hated me?" asked Miss Weasley. "You allowed me to believe he wanted me dead, when it wasn't him... Now I know why I couldn't see Ron in those eyes anymore. What I was facing that night wasn't Ron. It was Voldemort."

"What tried to harm young one was the Dark Lord?" Ix Chel hissed. "When I get my fangs on that bastard, I'm going to make him wish he was never born!"

"Potter and I are doing everything in our power to help him," Severus continued. "Let us take care of this. We know better than anyone else what Voldemort is capable of. If there is any chance of saving him, anything we can do to help him, we will. I promise you."

"My brother still loves me, he loves me and he's dying," she lamented. "Ron's dying! He's losing himself to the Dark Lord, and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it! What good are all my powers, my gifts, if I can't even protect my own brother?"

"Just because you are not invincible, doesn't diminish your accomplishments," Ix Chel slithered onto the girl's lap, consoling her. "As long as there is life, there is hope. As long as your brother is still in there, you have every chance of rescuing him."

"You can't protect everyone, no matter how much you might want to," Severus replied. "If you're going to stand any chance of helping yourself, of helping anyone, you are going to need to put your personal feelings for your brother aside, for now, and concentrate on the task at hand."

"Protecting us from Voldemort," Miss Weasley answered, with a steely edge in her voice, which he had never heard before. A dangerous, almost alien, glint entered the girl's eyes and she grimaced at her own thoughts. Then the pained look returned to her features. What had he seen in her eyes? What looked so out of place? Severus mentally shook his head, discounting the thought. She was upset but determined, nothing more. "You're right. At least now I know who we're really fighting. What do you want me to do?"

"Continue with your plans as if none of this had happened," Severus ordered. "Voldemort must never know the truth-"

"Or he will kill Ron in a heartbeat," she finished for him, looking down. "I won't show him my hand."

"That applies to you as well, Ix Chel," he added. "Voldemort is Parseltongue. He also has great experience with snakes. You mustn't let on that we know anything. Can you continue to hide the truth from him?"

"I will do whatever is necessary to protect my charges," Ix Chel said. "Young one's war is my war; just as young one's protected are my protected."

"Good," said Severus, feeling complete in honesty in their words. They would leave this situation in his hands, for now at least. He only hoped that something would present itself along the way that would help them.

*~*~*

Zach sat across from Professor Flitwick, having breakfast in the deserted Ravenclaw common room. Although Filius was always an emotional person, he knew how to quiet such tendencies when Zach was around. From what he could tell, not much had changed in Ravenclaw since he had graduated. When the conversation turned to the Weasley girl, Filius eagerly told him about the child's studies, how she got along with the other houses, and her tutoring work with one of his students. The girl sounded gifted in much more than just The Sight. He would need to speak with the child's other Professors, to get a better picture of her life at Hogwarts till now.

"Severus has been turning to the other teachers for support in the Weasley girl's case," said Zach. "Have you considered approaching him on the subject yet?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure he will be receptive to my offers of assistance," Filius replied.

"You should talk to him," Zach counseled. "The immediate dangers have passed, but Severus will have a hell of a fight on his hands integrating the girl back into the world around her, much less the demands of school-life. There will be people who'll think she's better off locked up. Whether he knows it or not, he'll still need all the support he can get to keep her here."

"I'll visit Severus tomorrow," Filius agreed.

"Also, I can't see the Weasley girl just yet, and there is a great deal she needs to know before she tries to go back into the world. You can teach her some of the repellent and concealment charms which will protect her around the others." Zach suggested. "I'm sure Severus will be more than receptive to you, once he sees how you can help his apprentice."

"That's a great idea," Filius said. "I'll visit them both tomorrow and see what I can do to help."

"Good," replied Zach. "What do you know about Minerva, and her new apprentice I keep hearing about?"

*~*~*

The partial, dark essence of the great Lord Voldemort, watched through the eyes of the pitiful wizard-in-training known as 'Ron.' So far, the boy had been resisting his attempts to turn him Dark with surprising ferocity for one so... insignificant. Voldemort was certain it would be only a matter of time before the child gave in to the inevitable, and finally let go of the pathetic individual he once was. He entered the Great Hall and immediately caught wind of the rumors Weasley's friends had been spreading all morning.

He was surprised that Potter and the others would follow with such a bold and dangerous move, no doubt due to his loyal servant Severus' urging. Which means, Severus is effectively controlling both The-Boy-Who-Lived and the young Seer, at least to a degree. Good, he could use this to his advantage later... Voldemort's partial essence noticed Potter receive a large package over at the Ravenclaw table, where he had seen him exiled to, on the rare occasions when Potter came to the Great Hall. The stupid bird Voldemort had come to know as 'Errol' flew into the Great Hall, heading his way. He realized too late that the bird wasn't going to stop, and Errol collided with him, knocking him out of his seat and onto the floor. He took the red letter from the bird, trying to remember where he had seen letters like this before, and took his seat again.

"Bloody menace..." Voldemort-Ron mumbled under his breath. "You'd think they'd get a new bird, and put this one out of his misery."

Without warning the Howler exploded, making the Dark Lord nearly jump out of Ron's skin. It looks like the parents must have heard... The voice of the boy's mother echoed throughout the Great Hall. Now he knew why kids hated Howlers so much.

"How dare you try to turn the whole school against your own sister, simply because of a disagreement over her new pet!" the boy's mother shouted at the top of her lungs. "Just because you don't like snakes, doesn't mean you can run around inciting riots! Haven't we taught you anything? Ronald Weasley, when I get my hands on you, I'm going to ground you for life! I will come up with punishments so severe, it'll make Detention with Filch seem like a vacation! Do you hear me..."

Voldemort whispered a personal silencing charm, and only managed to muffle the bloody woman's voice. The boy's mother was a force to be reckoned with... If his servants had such an indomitable will in battle as this little woman had when it came to her son, he would have won the war long ago. At last the damn Howler ended, exploding in his face. Voldemort-Ron wiped the soot off his face with a napkin, ignoring the looks from the other students. He heard snickers, then looked up seeing Malfoy and the other Slytherins laughing at him, and felt sickened. They can laugh now, but soon, very soon, their whole world is going to crumble beneath their feet...

*~*~*

Ginny and Tom sat reading the Transfiguration tome Professor McGonagall had given her from the Restricted Section, oblivious to the world around them. For some odd reason, focusing on a single, predictable task made holding their perceptions in check much easier. Harry stuck a hand in front of her face to get their attention, startling them. Ginny gave a small cry of surprise, looked up and saw Harry standing in front of her. Observing the rest of the room she saw Hermione, Alexis, and Mark sitting on the sofa eating lunch. Professor Hagrid was sitting across from them in a large, comfortable chair feeding Ix Chel, and master Snape sat next to her eating a bowl of bland soup, which was on small cart in front of him. She noticed that she could only feel a flicker of the darkness they had sensed from Mark before. So, what they had sensed was only a possibility... She turned back to Harry, who looked concerned.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay, Harry," Ginny said. "I guess I'm still a little jumpy."

Harry gave her a simple lunch, still filled with bland foods. As Ginny started eating, she wondered absent-mindedly when she would be up to normal foods again. They spent most of lunch talking. Harry and the others gave Ginny and Tom a status report on their progress so far, and told her about the Howler that Ron had gotten in the Great Hall during breakfast. Tom quietly snickered at the mental image of his other self being yelled at by Molly Weasley.

"You guys have been the ones spreading the new rumors?" Professor Hagrid asked, surprised.

"Yes," Ginny replied. "It's the only way to counter the damage Ron and the others have done. I know that this will cause some problems, but I don't have any other way out other than lying, and that's the last thing I want to do right now."

"What have we come to when Gryffindor House hurts their own...?" Professor Hagrid shook his head.

"I've spoken with Malfoy," Alexis said. "I think he'll be receptive to what you have to say... He seems to believe that the rumors are your way of taking vengeance. I have not discouraged this view. He's meeting me at the entrance to the Dungeons after classes."

"Why?" Professor Hagrid asked.

"Malfoy wants an alliance with her," master Snape explained tersely. "She merely wants to hear him out, to see if he's genuine."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Harry protested. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Tom said aloud. "Trust me, I can handle Draco."

"Fine, but I'm not leaving you alone with him," Harry said.

Ginny started to protest, but Tom stopped her.

"Allow him to be here, it'll help Potter feel more secure with the idea if he believes that he has some control over the situation," Tom answered her unspoken question. "With the added bonus of reminding Malfoy who else he'll be facing if he chooses to go Dark."

"If it'll reassure you, than you can be here when he arrives..." Ginny said aloud. She turned back to Alexis. "I want you to set the record straight with Draco. He should know why I'm really doing this. It will keep him from doing anything... extra, if he decides to help us."

"Alright, Gin," Alexis said.

They spent the rest of lunch in comfortable silence; each quietly preparing themselves for the mess that they knew awaited them. Everyone except Alexis and master Snape left.

Alexis paused for a moment, as if looking for the words before speaking.

"Master McGonagall asked me how I came to know you..." Alexis said hesitantly. "I didn't know what to say to her... Should I explain what happened? I'm afraid that if I do, she won't understand."

"Yes," said Ginny. "You shouldn't keep secrets like that from her. There are two sides to every Galleon, just as there are to every story. I think Professor McGonagall would understand if you came out and told her, instead of hiding it until something goes wrong, and you have to explain it to her anyway."

"Are you sure?" Alexis asked.

"As sure as I am about anything these days," Ginny replied. "You better head to class before you're late."

Alexis thanked her and left.

____________

TBC