Made For Each Other

Chapter Five

It was getting dark. Ginny, Colin and Christina were sitting in the grounds and studying for the coming exams, like most of the other students.

"I am going dizzy with this history chapter. I have to stop now. Besides, I'm starving," Christina smothered a yawn, stretched lazily, and protested.

"Yeah we can hear it too," Colin chuckled when Christina's tummy growled loudly. Ginny smiled at Christina. Colin and Christina started gathering their books, "Aren't you coming, Ginny?"

"You go ahead. I'll catch up with you in the hall. I want to finish this essay and then I have promised Hagrid to make a potion for his wounds."

Colin wanted to protest, but Christina dragged him away, "Bye Gin, don't take too much time. I am starving."

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll catch up with you later, but don't wait me." She waved her hand distractedly.

About ten minutes latter she closed her bag and turned to leave, when someone called her name. She turned and watched Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff prefect, walk towards her. Ginny wondered what he wanted.

"Hi, Ginny."

"Hi Ernie, what's up?" Ginny asked casually.

"Umm...the thing is I need a favour. Some of the students wanted to study in-groups, but because of the new decree, we cannot do it without permission and I'm afraid if we ask permission only for our house students she might not let us. Therefore, we decided to invite other houses students and from different years. We're hoping that with so many students, Umbridge will give us permission."

"That's a good idea, but if the group is big, she won't permit you for that too. I think if you do it only for fifth year students, it will work much better. Besides, since it's your O.W.L.s it's more important for you than us." Ginny started walking slowly, but he stopped her.

"Come on Ginny, help me out here."

Ginny sighed, "Ok, what do I have to do in that?"

He cheered up, brought a rolled parchment from his robe pocket, and patted his pocket for quill.

"Oh, I forgot to bring the quill. You have to sing here."

Ginny pulled out her quill and ink, but stopped when she saw the blank parchment in front of her.

"There aren't any names on it, no one agreed with you?" she asked puzzled. It's not a good idea to sign on a blank parchment, she thought vaguely.

"Didn't you ask Hermione, Harry and Ron?"

"Oh, yes... I will...of course. It's just that I saw you first. I was looking for the students and I saw you, so you are the first."

Ginny couldn't help but wonder at what she was getting herself into.

"Hey, I am a prefect. Don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone," Ginny said.

"I am a prefect, if anything goes wrong, you know where to find me. Besides, your brother is a prefect too."

"Ok, then." She was about to sign, when he stopped her again.

"Maybe, it's not such a good idea for you to sign at the top of the list, you know...your brothers..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, you're right. Tell me where to sign."

"Umm... right here, not in the beginning and not in the end, just here. When the other students sign up and down, your name will not be on top," he told her and waited her for sign.

"Thank you Ginny, now that I am done with you, I'll go and find others. I'll tell how it goes. Just one more thing, don't tell anyone about it yet, you know. It would make it suspicious."

Ginny nodded and watched him go. She couldn't help feeling his excitement a little eerie, but shrugged it off and turned towards Hagrid's hut.

When Ginny left Hagrid's hut, it was almost dinnertime. She quickly entered the castle before anyone noticed her outside. She turned to the library, deciding to spend her time there until dinner.

"Where were you Ginny? I didn't see you after lunch," Ron asked while stuffing his plate. Ginny told them about her day and joined them at the dinner table beside Colin and Christina.

Harry hid his smile when Hermione frowned and glared at Ron.

"Ron you can fill your plate later. It's not like all the food is going to finish."

Ginny caught Harry's eyes and hid her smile when she saw the food on Hermione's plate, which was about one-tenth of what Ron had on his.

"Now I've lost my appetite," Hermione pushed her plate aside, but Harry grabbed her wrist. Ron had the decency to look ashamed.

"Oh, come on Hermione, just eat something. You need your energy for the exams," Harry argued with her.

"Ok," she sighed. Ginny smiled when Ron put some roast back in the dish and Harry put some more food on Hermione's plate, who was protesting that she wouldn't be able to finish it and the house-elfs had gone to so much trouble to make it. She couldn't help thinking how cute Harry and Hermione looked when they argued. But her smiled was wiped off when she caught a glimpse of grey eyes watching her from the Slytherin table.

After the night of detention, despite herself, Ginny was afraid of Draco Malfoy. Whenever they crossed each other or during meal times, the way he looked at her made her nervous. Now, again, she had the same uncomfortable feeling. She played with her food for a while and stood up for leaving.

"Ginny you didn't eat anything," Hermione said.

"I don't feel like it, but this will work," she grabbed an apple. "I am going to send an owl to mum and dad, and one to the troublesome twins. I wish I could write to Snuffles," she said, looking at Harry wistfully.

"It's okay Ginny. You know Snuffles told us not to," Harry sat patting her hand. Ginny nodded and hurried out of the hall feeling a pair of grey eyes boring holes in her back.

%%%

It had become his routine to make her nervous. She was tough, but what was the use of the name of Malfoy, if he couldn't make a girl nervous. Today he had gotten the Pendant and was anticipating the excitement of putting it around her slender white throat and binding her to him. He had planned it all. He watched her from his table, smiled when she caught his eyes and hurriedly looked away unable to meet his gaze. But he could feel her uneasiness even across the distance of the hall with all the other students separating them.

He watched her turn to the owlery as he made his way to his dormitory.

Ginny checked the time and stretched leisurely. After sending letters to her brothers and parents, she had come to take a long bath; she was feeling much better. Her long wet hair cascaded down her back. She gathered her stuff and put on Harry's invisibility cloak. It was already passed curfew time and it wouldn't do to bump into Draco Malfoy in the corridors.

She stepped out of the girl's bathroom. The long dark corridor was deserted. She stood still to make sure that Filch or Mrs Norris weren't around. She started walking towards her dormitory when her hairbrush slipped and landed on the floor of the empty corridor with a loud thud and rolled out of the cloak. She cursed silently and hurriedly looked around before she bent and picked up the brush with a sigh of relief. But not for long.

Her face went pale and her heart jumped and stayed in her throat, her eyes winded with horror as they settled on a pair of shiny black leather boots in front of her.

%%%

Draco was waiting for Ginny near the Girls bathroom. Everything was perfect. The corridor was deserted. It was curfew time and he knew there was no one around except for the two of them. Finally the bathroom door opened but no one came out of the bathroom. Draco smiled; he knew she was under Harry's invisibility cloak. In their third year, he had learned the fact that Harry owned an invisibility cloak. He followed the sound of the tiny bells of her anklet hoping to catch her off guard. But today was his lucky day. As he watched the empty space, her hairbrush dropped and rolled out of the cloak. He saw an arm sneak out of thin air and reach down to retrieve the hairbrush.

Ginny watched in horror as Draco raised his wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he said, pointing it at her. Ginny's arms snapped to her sides and her whole body went rigid and fell flat on the floor. Her jaws were jammed together so she couldn't speak. Only her eyes were moving, widening in fear as Draco contemplated her with a smug look on his face. He levitated her and took her to the nearest classroom with all her stuff. Ginny watched helplessly, while he closed the door, put a silencing charm around the class and removed her wand from her pocket. The only light was coming from the window, which was enough for her to see his expressionless face.

She wanted to scream and yell and fight, but couldn't move a muscle when he knelt down beside her and pulled a box from his robes. A beautiful pendant lay in the soft velvet lining of the box. He watched it for a while and then looked at Ginny, who was not able to do any thing.

"Remember Weasley, I told you that when I want something... I get it...always. I want you. I have you and you will be mine," he said and put the pendant around her neck. The pendant shone with all its strength, lighting up the dark room, bathing Ginny's face with a translucent light. Draco put a hand across his unable to look at Ginny. When the light was gone from the pendant, it became in its normal form. Ginny had her eyes shut tightly and when she opened them slowly, he knew she was scared. It was in her eyes.

"Before I remove the spell I have to tell you some important things, which you should know. You can ask whatever you want to know after I have finished." He stepped away from her, raised his wand and removed the spell.

Ginny sat up quickly and kneeled forward, put her hands on the floor, breathing heavily. The pendant dangled in front of her.

Draco watched her with a frown. He knew it would hurt in the beginning. He had spent a whole day in the library researching the effects of the pendent and its powers. But how much it would hurt totally depended on the girl's strength.

Draco was now worried about his decision. Ginny seemed very shaken right now. So vulnerable, so fragile, so ordinary, so... Weasley. "Are you ok now, because I don't have the whole night for you?" he said irritably.

"What do you care if I am ok or not?" she snapped at him in her usual tone warily regarding the wand he was pointing at her.

Draco smiled as he saw the colour slowly return to her cheeks. She is fine and I was right about her, she will do well and I will have all my fun with her, he smiled lightly without realising he was watching her.

"Now, don't be a drama queen and get up and listen to me carefully. Don't interrupt me because I will say everything only once.

Despising herself for her display of weakness and fear, Ginny muttered something under her breath and finding no reason to protest she sat on the chair as far as she can. She needed to know about this horrible situation. Besides which Draco still had her wand. Her mind a whirlpool of anger, fear and annoyance, she watched as Draco pulled a roll of parchment from is robe.

"Here is the contract you signed about Weasley and Potter and taking care of the pendant. You can come and take a look and I can prove to you that it's not a trick. It's your original with your own quill." He waved the parchment in front of a stunned Ginny, while sitting in the chair and putting his long legs crossed on the other chair in front of him.

"Contract...what contract? You've got to be kidding me. I never entered any agreement with you," Ginny said in disbelief.

"Oh no! Then how come there is your signature on this parchment?" Draco drawled lazily. "You can look for yourself."

Ginny walked to his chair with trembling legs and dry mouth and watched in horror when Draco cast a spell on the parchment and it glowed in silver light and when light died, it left her name in the air 'Ginny Weasley' and vanished within seconds.

"No... It can't be... It's not possible."

I, Ginny Weasley, hereby enter a binding contract with Draco Malfoy, to protect his life with any measures required. In the event of any harm coming upon Draco, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley are to be held responsible. I also promise to be the bearer of this pendent, which once worn by me can only be removed by Draco Malfoy, and to treasure it above all else, even my life.

Ginny Weasley

She backed off while shaking her head unbelievably and fell on her chair with a thud, the blood draining from her face as the enormity of what was written slowly sank in. The feeling of being captured again by a Malfoy made her blood turn to ice. She was eleven years old again, trapped in a dairy given by his father, cornered by a Slytherin.

"Why?" Ginny finally breathed, slowly harnessing her emotions. "You evil bastard," she hissed. "What have I ever done to you? Is this another of your dark plans to trap Harry and Ron? Why can't you leave us alone?" she finished savagely.

Draco made a bored face as he contemplated his neatly filed nails before he looked at the distraught girl in front of him. It gave him a sense of power to see the helpless rage in her eyes as they searched his own, looking for answers.

"You see, Weasley, my life is far more important than Potter's or your brother's. I told you I play by my own rules. And you've just read them. If there is so much as a hair out of place on my head then that is it for Potty and the Weasel. It's in the contract."

"BUT I NEVER SIGNED ANY CONTRACT WITH YOU...HOW COULD I EVER DO SUCH A THING?" she screamed miserably, covering her face with her hands.

Draco's lips twisted in a smirk. "Don't be so dramatic about it. Well, let me jog your memory, since you're having such difficulty remembering. Do you remember this evening, when Ernie Macmillan, the Hufflepuff prefect came to you with a list of the students for a study group?"

Ginny nodded in a daze. Was Ernie a part of it all or he was also the victim?

"Well, polyjuice potion is magnificent, don't you think?" Draco asked, his grey eyes gleaming with malice.

Suddenly all the pieces fell in place. He had polyjuiced himself as Ernie, and made her sign the blank parchment. He made her use her own quill so that the agreement would be legal.

Ginny's head was spinning, but she gathered herself and watched him put the parchment back in his pocket.

"What makes you think I will fall for this dirty trap? I swear I'll kill myself before I hurt Harry and Ron," Ginny said in determined voice.

"I knew you would say that," Draco smiled cruelly. "But, you see Weasley, you cannot hurt yourself either, because the result will be the same. Since you're the keeper, I'll die too and I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to Potty and the Weasel. Under other circumstances, I'd probably push you off the tower top myself, but for now this will do just as well. It will be quite an experience to watch you day after day with the lives of three people in the palm of your hands...or rather hanging around your neck." Draco twirled her wand as he watched her. "And by the way, if you do not accept the responsibility of the pendant and the agreement from your heart, it will take its toll on your body till you become too weak to sustain yourself and cause the death of..." he trailed off.

"Why?" Ginny asked, her eyes expressionless. "Why me...?"

"Why you?" Draco's eyes sparked again. "I presume this is your first question. I need a pure blood, virgin girl to wear this." He just ignored Ginny's reaction to his statement, pointed at pendant, and kept talking. "I could pay some girl for this job but I thought it would be fun to use you. Lately, you have become a pain in my life, ruining my days and someone need to control you and besides, it has become my hobby to destroy every thing dear to Potter and you fit in so well in the entire plan. I'm going to take immense pleasure in tugging at the strings that you've put in my hands. Just imagine...I get to play with the Golden Trio for as long as I want. Then there is you - wild and fiery, just waiting to be tamed," Draco's voice became husky, his eyes the colour of a storm darkened sky as he started walking towards Ginny.

"Bu...but I am not a virgin," Ginny stammered as she backed away from him.

She was, briefly, taken aback. When he laughed surely she didn't see anything funny in their current situation, but obviously Draco did, "You got to be kidding me," he said, and there was something in his tone that made her face red, although his mouth still smiled. "Isn't that cute. In a stupid sort of way. "You think I wouldn't have made sure before doing this?" he asked, withdrawing a small silver coin from his robes. Ginny watched mesmerised as the light bounced off the coin. She felt sure that she had seen it before. Draco suddenly tossed the coin to her and as she reflexively caught it, she remembered the night she had done detention with him. Even before she opened her palm to see what it held, she instinctively knew what the coin did. Colour rushed to her cheeks as she recalled reading about coins made of dried unicorn blood, which could detect a person's virginity. Furious and embarrassed she threw the coin back to Draco.

"Why are you doing this?" Ginny asked, her eyes flashing with rage.

"I have my reasons. Besides which it's none of my business," Draco replied.

"Damn it! This is my life. You have no right to manipulate it. I'll do exactly how I please. I don't have to listen to you, or do what you say," she yelled.

"Ah! The little ironies of life. You'll do exactly what I say Ginny because it isn't just your life. You don't have much of a choice in the matter." Draco looked at her as she stood in front of him, her back against the wall, her fiery hair a stark contrast to her pale face and white nightdress. He could feel the rage emanating from her, the fear. And he could feel something else.

"You bastard," Ginny cursed as she swung her arm, her palm stinging across his cheek.

Ginny felt the breath rush out of her as Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. She bit her bottom lip as she pushed against his chest. The scream on her lips died as Draco's mouth descended on hers. It was not a tender kiss. Draco chewed at her lower lip demanding her surrender, as Ginny fought back, struggling for release. With an impatient sound, Draco imprisoned both her wrist in his hand behind her. His free hand crept into her hair keeping her head steady in place as his tongue pushed its way into her mouth. Ginny continued to squirm as Draco plundered the softness of her mouth, his tongue gliding over hers, his teeth biting her lips. Unable to resist, Ginny felt herself beginning to respond to the kiss when Draco abruptly released her.

Ginny's hand touched her swollen lips, her numb brain registering the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

"How dare you?" Ginny hissed as Draco merely smirked.

"Don't tell me that you didn't enjoy that. You were there for the taking, Weasley."

Incapable of speech, Ginny just stared at him, horrified at the intensity of her own reaction to the kiss.

"Maybe I should try again," Draco said, raising a hand to touch her.

"No! Don't come near me, don't touch me," Ginny shrieked.

Draco leaned over her, his eyes dark and his lips drawn into a thin straight line. "Listen to me Weasley. You will do exactly what I tell you. You have far more to lose than I will ever have. And I don't take 'no' for an answer." He turned around and walked back to the door. "Goodnight...Weasley," he said before he tossed her wand back to her and left the room.

Ginny wanted to ask so many questions, but she couldn't trust her voice and kept quiet. She slowly slid down to the floor until she was sitting with her arms locked around her knees. How long she sat there, Ginny did not know, and yet she knew it wasn't long enough for the throbbing in her head to subside. It would never be long enough. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. When she opened them, her gaze fell on the tiny cuts on her wrist where Draco had held her and her charm bracelet had cut through the delicate flesh. She fingered the cold, heavy, pendant around her neck, watching it with pure disgust. The thought of wearing Draco Malfoy's life next to her heart in exchange for the lives of the two people she held closest to her heart made her sick.

Disgusted and ashamed of her own weakness, Ginny got up and slowly made her way out of the room. She stood under the hot spray for long minutes, washing herself and rinsing and washing again, until her body ached. But she still didn't feel clean. She wondered if she ever would. The wounds on her wrist throbbed painfully, but she felt nothing, allowed nothing to reach her. She knew that numbness was only temporary. Tomorrow, she told herself; tomorrow she would figure out what to do about the situation. There had to be a way. But for tonight she was the eleven-year old girl who had been tricked by the darkest wizard of all time and did not know what to do.

Back in her room, she stood in front of the mirror and only then did she realise that she was crying silently, crying since she had left the bathroom. She lay on her bed, under warm, soft covers. She might have been lying on a bed of thorns. A cold shiver ran through her as she fearfully shut her eyes. The conversation remained in her mind long after it had ended, a frightened teardrop rolled down her cheek and landed on her pillow. She admonished herself for her weakness, but the tears came anyway, a silent, transparent tidal wave of emotion that she could not control. Suddenly, she realised that she hadn't cried since she was twelve.

Sirius' voice rang in her mind, when Ginny had asked him once how he had managed to live in Azkaban for so long.

"I learned to live one minute at a time. You don't live all your minutes at once. Just the one you are in. You can make it through one minute. You don't have to be strong for that. Just one minute."

"I can do it," she reminded herself. "It's just one minute at a time. I had promised myself that it's my life and I will live it, the way I like." Tears rolled down her soft cheeks, wetting her pillow as she remembered the promise again, and tried to sleep thinking about Harry and Ron.

When Ginny woke up in the morning, light hurt her eyes when she tried to open them. Someone was calling her name.

"Christina, would you shut up, my head is hurting."

Christina pulled the curtains and stared at her, "Are you ok? You sound terrible," she said concerned and put her hand on Ginny's cheek. "Oh, Gin you have fever. Thank God, it's Saturday. You stay in bed. I'll bring some breakfast for you and tell Hermione."

Ginny turned her blood shot eyes to her friend and smiled, "Thanks Chris."

By the time Hermione came to see her, Ginny was feeling only marginally better. The previous night's events seemed just like a horrible nightmare to her but for the burden around her neck.

"Hey, Ginny how are you feeling?" Hermione asked as she entered the room. Ginny quickly hid the pendent before the other girl noticed. "You eat some breakfast and we will go to see Madam Pomfrey," she said waiving aside Ginny's protests. "No, you have to go. With the exams coming around the corner you can't take chances. Besides, Harry and Ron wanted to see you."

Ginny sat up straight, her eyes wide. "Why...why do they want to see me?"

Hermione put a comforting hand over her shoulder and tried to calm her down, "Christina told us about you. You know they cannot come up here. They were worried about you."

Ginny let go the long breath, which she didn't notice that she was holding and lay down tiredly. "Oh, yes, of course."

"Are you ok Ginny?" But before Ginny could reply she heard Hermione gasp. Hermione seized Ginny's hand and pulled the sleeve up. Alarmed, Ginny pulled her hand back. Hermione looked at her face worriedly, "Ginny, what happened? How did you get those cuts? Did some one hurt you?"

"No, of course not. No one hurt me, it's just...." she paused, wondering how much she ought to tell Hermione.

Seeing the younger girl hesitate, Hermione frowned, "Ginny, do you want to tell me something?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, it's nothing. I am fine...really"

Hermione reluctantly nodded, "If you want to talk, you know I'm here, right?"

In the hospital wing, the first thing Ginny noticed was the Hufflepuff prefect, Ernie Macmillan lying on a bed, his head covered in white bandages. Hermione followed her gaze and told her that some one had attacked him from behind in the evening in the bathroom. He had been found later on in the broom closet. Ginny nodded and stepped forward with a blank expression, took her potion and went to bed.

The next day, Ginny hesitantly made her way into the Great Hall for breakfast. Even though she was still feeling ill, she knew it had nothing to do with physical pain. She sat with Harry, Ron and Hermione, letting the familiar sounds and sights of the room soothe her distraught nerves. But despite her best efforts, she felt like a misfit. She could feel the burden of the pendant; feel the life throbbing in it and the alienation it brought to her from all that was familiar. Feeling out of her depth and place, Ginny excused herself and went to the library.

Madam Pince watched in surprise as the youngest Weasley walked into the gloomy library on a bright and beautiful day when most of the students were outside. Ginny headed straight for the charms shelf, but found no books on charmed pendants. Braving the stern looks the librarian gave her, she asked who had taken the books. She showed no surprise when Madam Pince told her that the books had been checked out by Draco Malfoy

"But there is one book in the Restricted Section," Madam Pince said, her eyebrows knitted in suspicion.

When Ginny came back to the library, she had the permission pass signed by Professor Snape.

%%%

Draco didn't see Ginny the next day. Unconsciously, he watched the door during the meals. He watched her brother, Granger and Potter all day, but she was not with them. He told himself that he just wanted to see how she looked when she felt miserable.

On Sunday, he decided to go to the library, half-hoping to find Ginny there. He knew she would try to find out more about the pendant, but he was disappointed. The library was deserted. He was pondering on what to do next when he heard the faint tinkle of ankle bells. He looked for her in the nearby rows, but she was nowhere. She moved again and this time he saw her in the restricted section. He cursed himself when he saw the title of the book that she was reading.

"Dark Magic, Charmed Pendants, Keeper of the Life and Soul."

He hadn't known that there was such a book in the restricted section. He mentally kicked himself for his carelessness. The pale and frightened look on her face told him that she had found something. He walked like a cat without making any noise and stood just behind her.

"Anxious to get rid of me so soon, I am hurt, Weasley."

So absorbed was Ginny in her book that she did not notice Draco's presence and jumped at the sudden sound of his voice.

"Jumpy aren't we." He noticed that the glasses looked good on her.

Ginny turned around and glared at him. "Would you stop sneaking on me?"

"What are you doing in here Weasley? Give me that book."

"You didn't tell me everything about the pendant."

He just shrugged his shoulder carelessly. "I didn't think it was important. You will not go looking for stuff like this again, understand?" he asked coldly.

Ginny ignored him and started to step aside with the book firmly pressed under her arm. However, to her consternation, she found that Draco was holding her arm in a vice-like grip.

"I told you I don't like to hear 'no' for an answer," he said as he lunged for the book. Ginny squirmed and tried to get away, but to no avail. Draco pinned her against the shelf and pried the book out of her hand. Ginny rewarded him with a vicious scratch on his hand.

"I think last night's lesson wasn't enough for you," Draco said as the long red mark started to throb. He opened the book where Ginny had been reading and smiled maliciously. Ginny felt herself starting to blush, but managed to control herself. The words on the page were emblazoned on her mind.

The keeper of the pendant cannot have intimate relations with any person other than the owner of the pendant. Any such contact will result in the death of the person who has no link to the pendant. The pendant can...

"Oh well1 I guess I'll have to come up with a new plan to kill Potter. But this would have worked splendidly. Don't you think?"

"You bastard! You think Harry and I.... I told you we don't have that kind of relationship." Ginny said furiously. "I despise you, Malfoy and any thing which is related to you and your family."

"The feeling is mutual, Weasley. I despise you and your filthy poor, Mudblood loving family and sick Potter and Granger. There's just one difference. There is nothing I won't do to hurt Potter, and if it means being with you, Weasley, then I am willing to do even that. I told you, when I play, I play by my own rules."

"You are despicable, Malfoy."

"Everything is fair in love and war," Draco replied. Both of them stared at each other, their eyes flaring with hatred.

"Let go off me." When she spoke, her voice was calm, empty, and final.

The change in Ginny surprised him and made him deeply uneasy. He had expected hysterics, cursing, screaming and pleading.

He had expected anything but the eerie, porcelain calm of Ginny's face and the bleakness of her eyes.

"So, what did you tell your brother and boyfriend about you bruised lips? Did Potter ask who kissed his girl friend?" Draco released her and asked her cruelly with evil grin on his face.

Ginny looked at Draco for a long moment. Silently she fought the emotions that were tearing her apart.

She wanted to do.

Fly. Flee. Vanish.

But those were emotions. The reality was more difficult. Humiliation and fury made her want to lash back at him, to deny him an answer. But she didn't give in to the temptation. She had the rest of her life to live.

"Everyone makes at least one bad mistake while growing up," Ginny said quietly. "You were mine."

Draco's eyes became almost black.

She turned and walked quickly out the door. The sound of tiny bells and her words floated back after her.

It hurt him more than he had expected. Her behaviour in the library had made Draco angry and unsatisfied, but her parting line had shaken him to his core.

For the next few days, Ginny ignored him. It was as though the last few days had never taken place. However, for him Ginny Weasley was everywhere. Smiling, talking to everyone, pretending that nothing had happened, nothing was wrong.

Her indifference made Draco restless. Emotion tore through him. No one had ever ignored him before. He could deal with hating and arguments with other students. He was used to cornering other students and ignoring the girls after dating them, listening to their pleadings and crying seemed kind of satisfying for him. He wanted to get back at her. He wanted to make her pay for treating him like that.

And unbelievably, the opportunity presented itself to him soon after.

It was late when he was done with patrolling the corridors. He stood in front of the door of Hospital wing and tried to listen for any sound form within. He had waited all day wanting to make sure for some reason that Ginny was all right.

It had been more than a month now that she was keeping the pendant. She knew what was happening to her, she was feeling miserable and tired. She knew it was because she was not accepting the pendant with all her heart and as a consequence it was taking toll on her body. However the pendant was the least of her worries when compared to the horrific nightmares that she had started having. Though a part of her knew that the dreams had begun after Draco had given her the pendant, she did not want to believe it. The idea that Draco Malfoy was the cause of all the things happening to her was not something she wanted to entertain.

That afternoon after an exam, she had fainted in front of Hagrid's hut and Colin and Christina had brought her to the hospital wing.

Draco stepped in without making any noise. The hospital wing was dark and not a single student was there. Only the last bed in the hall showed sings of life. He took small steps towards the drawn curtains, but stopped near the bed before Ginny's. Under the drawn curtains he could clearly hear the voices of two girls. He didn't take much time to recognise the voices.

"Hermione, you shouldn't be here this long. You know it's late."

"I know Ginny and I'm a prefect, but I was waiting for Ron and Harry to go to sleep."

"How is Harry?" The concern in Ginny's voice made Draco want to kick something hard.

"Well! He is handling every thing as best as he could, which is not very good either you know...but his nightmares are not making anything easy and the worst thing is he doesn't want to talk about them and he is getting very cranky. Ron was telling me he couldn't sleep the nights when he hears Harry tossing and turning in the bed." Hermione sighed deeply. "Well, I am not here to talk about him, I am here to talk about you and I am not going any where until I get some answers, so you better start talking."

"What about me? I am fine. It's just exams and all. You don't have to worry about me."

"Do you want to talk to me about something?" Hermione asked.

"Well... What do you mean by some thing?"

"Are you seeing some one Ginny? "

"No..." Ginny snorted. "What makes you say that?"

"I saw the pendant Ginny. I saw it when Madam Pomfrey asked me to help her change you into your pyjamas," Hermione stated simply and then continued as Ginny did not offer an explanation, "Would you like to tell me where you got this pendant from? Because I never gave this to you, and Harry or Ron wouldn't know how to buy something like this."

But before Ginny could answer, Draco heard Hermione put a silencing charm around the curtains. Draco stiffed all over in the other side and held his breath, wondering what Weasley would tell the other girl. He waited anyway for them to finish. He resolved to ask Ginny directly if she had told Hermione about the pendant.

On the other side of the curtain...

"Is that it, because of this pendant you think that I am dating someone?"

"Ginny, who gave you this pendant?" Hermione asked her again.

"Hermione, it's none of your business," Ginny said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Of course it's my business. You're my friend and if anything or anyone hurt you, then it would be my business, whether you like it or not," Hermione said in a determined voice.

"Hermione what are you talking about? No one and nothing is hurting me," Ginny said tiredly.

"Ok, then tell me where you got those cuts on your wrist, and bruises on you upper arm and bruises on you neck from? And what about the dreams you said you are having and didn't tell any one about?"

Ginny's face went pale and she couldn't speak for a while.

"Hermione, I am telling you it's nothing. Trust me."

"Ginny, what is happening to you? Who is doing this to you? Does Malfoy have anything to do with this? I swear I'll kill him if he does."

"No, no, he has nothing to do with this. I promise if anything were to happen you'll be the first person to know," Ginny said crossing her fingers behind her back. She hated lying, especially to Hermione. "But there is something you can do for me. I want your help with my dreams. I haven't told anyone about them yet and I want you to promise that you won't either." She thought for a while, "First, I thought I was just imagining things, but lately I think they are real, but the problem is that they are not my dreams."

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well! I think I am dreaming Harry's life." Ginny looked at the older girl to see if that made any sense to her.

"What do you mean 'Harry's life'?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Well... it's hard to explain, but I'll try," Ginny sighed. "In the first dream I saw, I think I saw him when he was a one year old baby in his cot, and Voldemort was there and killed his parents."

Hermione's face turned ashen.

"What? How can that be possible?" Hermione asked in a whisper. "Ginny you must be mistaken... you were not even born at that time. And how do you know it was Voldemort and those people were Harry's parents and that was his house."

"Yes, I know. I think about it too, but I can feel it was him. The other dream I had was about the Sorcerer's Stone. I was there too. I saw you guys go through all the tasks and Ron play the giant chess and I cried for him when he fell off the black knight. I saw Harry talking to the back of Quirrel's head to Voldemort's face. Then again, in the Chamber of Secrets. I told you before that when Tom possessed me, I didn't remember the hours I spent doing what he asked me to. When he took me into the Chamber I saw him first time, I met him first time. But I knew nothing of what had happened between Harry and Tom and the basilisk save what I heard from you. All I remembered was that when I awoke Harry was there injured, the basilisk was dead by my side, the diary was ruined and Tom was gone. But in my dream I saw all of it what had happened. I saw Harry came in. He ran towards by cold body on the floor. I was there; I heard what Tom and Harry talked about. How Tom wrote his name in the air with Harry's wand, 'Tom Marvolo Riddle" and waved the wand again and it spelled, "I am Lord Voldemort." How Tom called for Basilisk and Fawks came in brought the sorting hat and sword and I saw Harry fighting Basilisk and I saw him waking me up when ever he got the chance to come near me. Pleading me. I was standing there saw him crying over me. I was crying, yelling to him and Try to strangled Tom with my bare hands, but I couldn't touch him or Tom. They couldn't see me either like I couldn't help His father, James Potter. I was there too... I saw every thing. I saw James, lily die. I couldn't help Ron."

She was talking in trance, without focusing on any point, staring at her hands.

"I saw Sirius and Wormtail, Ron's Scaber's in the Shrieking Shack. And I saw Remus turning into a werewolf and I saw all those dementors... attacking Sirius, you, Harry and Ron, and I couldn't do any thing at all. I saw Harry's Patronus scare all the dementors away. But it happened twice, didn't it?"

Ginny was like talking as though someone had hypnotised her, without any emotion, without stopping. She was talking to herself, trying to convince herself that she wanted to help Harry and all of the people, she saw in her dreams.

"I don't want to see more Hermione, help me stop these dreams. I can't take it any more of just standing there see Harry fight and I don't help him."

Hermione was white as paper. She knew Ginny was telling the truth. But for the life of her she couldn't fathom how Ginny could know everything in such detail.

"Oh, Ginny, how horrible for you to see all of it. I don't know what's the reason of it all."

"You believe me." Ginny looked at her with wide eyes. Then Hermione noticed that there were tears on Ginny's face. Hermione squeezed Ginny's hand emotionally.

"Oh Ginny, of course I believe you. There is no reason to not believe you. I think we should tell Dumbledore about this or maybe even Harry."

"NO," Ginny's head snapped up, "No... don't tell anyone." She shook her head violently, "You promised. If you want to help me Hermione, see what you can find out in the library."

Hermione stared at her for a moment, "Okay Ginny. But why didn't you tell me before?"

"I thought you would not believe me. But I am scared to see more, to not be able to help and just watch people die." Ginny answered softly. "Of course I trust you." Hermione said while sitting on the bed in front of her.

"So, it was all real?"

"Yes all was that real. Harry and I used a time turner. Ginny, you should rest now and I will be back tomorrow and tell you what I found in the library." Hermione stood up and hugged Ginny warmly. "Don't worry. We will find out what this is all about. Try to catch some sleep."

"I will. And Hermione, thank you," Ginny called Hermione when she was getting out. She nodded and left the room. Ginny took a deep sigh and sat still where she was.

Draco watched as Hermione came out, the look on her face made him sure that Ginny had told her about the pendant. Furious with her, he contemplated on ways in which to teach the stubborn Weasley a lesson. He smiled to himself and stepped out of the hospital wing soon after Hermione.

Ginny tried to sleep, but sleep was the last thing she wanted. She sat up and opened her dairy and tried to put her feeling on the page.

As the long gloom of the dark drifts near,

I am left surrounded by old fears,

Struggling yet drowning in my own tears.

Pale visions of Yesterday come to mind,

Joy and happiness that I had hoped to find,

Are all lost now and;

Pain is all I won.

Far away the image of a dying sun.

Trouble and misery have come my way,

To become memories of yet...

Another day.