All Fall Down

Ron was starting to regret that he hadn't asked to borrow Harry's invisibility cloak, as he darted around a corner and stood, holding his breath, hearing footfalls only a little ways away from him. Please, he thought, go away...just go away...I'm not here, you can't see me. The footsteps, apparently ignoring his attempts at mind manipulation, did not turn, but came closer. They were approaching from the way he'd come...had they followed him? Was it Snape, or Filch, ready for him to turn around so they could grab him?

Kicking himself suddenly into gear, Ron started to run. He needed to get away, needed to get to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, to find out what was happening. If he were caught, at least he'd have some proof of something, some excuse or reason for being there. He had to find some clue, to Ginny's distress, to Percy's disappearance, to anything. He didn't care about rule breaking anymore. Let them find me, it doesn't matter, Ginny needs me, she needs my help.

Ron kept running, turning corners and sprinting down hallways, not bothering to check if there was anyone behind him. He heard the footsteps following for a long time, but after a while, they faded out entirely. Hearing this, he stopped, swung around behind a suit of armor, and peered out. There was no one there. Ron was finally alone. He stepped around the suit, and started towards the door of the girls' bathroom, only a few paces in front of him. Yet, as he did so, a hand clamped on to his shoulder, and he jumped. This is it, he thought. I didn't even make it to the bathroom...

"Where do you think you're going, eh?" Asked a familiar voice. Ron breathed a sigh of pure relief, though rather annoyed. He turned around, and saw Thetis, her sightless eyes flickering in the torchlight coming from the wall nearest them.

"You followed me," he accused, growing more and more irritated now that the supposed danger was past. "You scared me half to death. I thought you were Filch, or Snape, or McGonagall, or something. What are you doing, anyway?"

"That's what I should be asking you," Thetis muttered. "You're an idiot, you know that?" She stopped talking abruptly. "Someone's coming," she hissed, grabbing Ron by the shoulder and barreling forward towards the bathroom. "Come on, don't just stand there!" She pushed open the door, shoved Ron inside, and closed it as quietly as she could, leaving only a crack from which to peer out of. After a while, she shut it completely, heaving a breath and turning to face Ron again. "Filch, I think. Sounds like he's got his cat with him. He's gone, at any rate."

Ron stared at her, opening his mouth to ask how she knew, and then thinking better of it. He turned around again, scanning the bathroom for a moment, before rushing over to a sink, and beginning to frantically mess with the tap. Thetis stood for a few minutes, then called out, "Ron, where are you? You've gone quiet all of a sudden."

"I'm over here," he whispered. "This is the one, any way. This tap. See? Well, I suppose you don't, but it's got a little snake on it, at any rate. The chamber of secrets is down there..." he shuddered.

Thetis crossed the room towards him. "You said this had nothing to do with the chamber," she said. "And I didn't find Ginny here, she was out there, down the hall a ways." Ron shook his head.

"I know what I said, but...I dunno...there's something horribly wrong. Ginny's not just worried over Percy, this time, there's something else." Ron stopped, covering his mouth, and glancing over his shoulder to see if Thetis had caught his slip. If she had, she made no indication, but knelt down over the tap. She ran her hands along the sides of it, until she touched the snake, and nodded.

"Here it is. But I don't understand. How's this the entrance to the chamber? Do you push it or something?" Ron didn't answer. He was staring at the doorway. Someone was outside, and a strange light was creeping in through the crack. "Ron?" Thetis asked, and then, as if she sensed it to, she stopped.

"Come on," Ron whispered, and the two of the slipped into one of the stalls, with Ron praying that they didn't disturb Myrtle's sleep. Lucky enough for them, she wasn't there, and they locked the door just as their pursuer burst in to the bathroom, looking around. Very cautiously, Ron lay himself flat on the floor, looking out from the crack beneath the door and the floor. Something caught in his throat, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out.

Draco Malfoy was standing in the center of the room. There were shadows in front of him, moving silently around on the wall, their owners out of Ron's view. As Ron watched, another form entered, tall, light-footed, quiet, graceful. Her golden hair swung behind her as she moved, in complete contrast to the moldy, dirty bathroom. Fleur Delacour...what was she doing here, and with Draco Malfoy, of all people?

But Fleur was wiped entirely from Ron's mind, as the shadows drifted closer to Malfoy. They weren't shadows after all, Ron noticed. They were pale, silvery...ghosts of some sort, but of no kind that Ron had ever seen before. He nudged himself as close as he could get the crack, tilting his head to look up, slightly. One of the ghosts drifted out of his view, but the other hovered closer to him. Ron was afraid that it had seen him, he shrank back...but then stopped dead, and felt as if his heart had decided, at that moment, to abandon him altogether.

Percy. Percy was there, outside his stall, the moonlight glinting through him. Before Ron could even hope to understand, he'd stood up, and pushed open the door of the stall, screaming something that even his own mind couldn't understand. Malfoy's killed him, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead. Ron couldn't think, could barely breathe, and found himself running at Malfoy. He's dead...I'm going to kill him, like he killed my brother, like he hurt my sister, him and his whole family, I'm going to destroy him, to wipe his memory from the earth...Percy, Ginny, I'm going to kill him.

* * * * *

After awhile, Tom discovered that surrounding himself with his decaying glory did not help his spirit. The dark, damp walls of his haven beneath the school did nothing to bring him from his stupor, and the thoughts of the Potter boy did not even rouse him. I've failed, he thought. I've let it go. There's still hope, it doesn't matter...but I've failed. I've been defeated, but by what? A little girl...a little red-haired impish girl.

But she's not, anymore, he reminded himself. She's not a little girl, she's a beautiful strong girl with glorious hair and scorching eyes and a blazing spirit...ah, what am I thinking? I've failed, I've failed...I've lost to my own...to my own...heart. There, I've said it now. I love her, and I want her, and I can't kill an innocent little girl, I can't now, and I couldn't then, and here I am.

He sat in silence for a long time, feeling the clock ticking away in his head, as he wrung his hands unconsciously in his lap. She won't tell, he thought, she can't. She's too afraid...far too afraid of me. I want her, I want her, I want everything, I'm the Dark Lord, why shouldn't I have it? I cannot be defeated...ever...but I can't have her, I can't give in. To love is a sign of weakness...ah, but all I want is to love, and to love...it's crazy, it's wrong...I am the dark lord. I feel no pain, have no emotions, cannot love.

Tom rose from his makeshift throne, stalked to his dusty corner, and stood, face to the wall, for a long time. He ran his hands along it, reaching into the cracks, and pulling out spiders, flinging them across the room in his confusion and anger. I'm a monster, I'm the most powerful monster in the world, I am undefeatable, I am terrible and wonderful and I need her. I want to make her my dark queen, to stand beside be and witness my triumphs, my victories, my long nights of solitude...but she would not love me. I am the dark lord.

* * * * *

When she was sure that they were gone, Thetis detached herself from the wall and sprang over to where Ron lay. Careless of them to leave him here, she thought, groping for his arm, and pulling him limply to his feet. He was heavy, she realized, groaning under his weight as she held him up. Still breathing, though. Good. Thetis wrapped one arm around his chest, and began to drag him towards the door.

The hall was clear, Draco and the strange girl having left a long time before. Who was she? Thetis didn't know her. She was gorgeous...but she sent chills down Thetis' spine, and her beauty was a cold one. "Figures," she muttered to herself, stopping to rest her arm, and breathing heavily. "Hanging around Harry Potter, I should have known. I never asked for this."

And who were those ghosts? Why did Ron become...mad, really? What effect did those things have on him? He kept screaming, Percy...who's Percy? Thetis didn't understand, and didn't really hope to, as of yet. First priority, she thought, is getting Ron back to the common room. Then I'll have a nice long chat with Hermione, and make sure everything gets explained before I get any deeper in this than I absolutely have to. Another Hogwarts mystery...I feel like I'm walking through one of my BackGarden history books.

Thetis was surprised that no shadows loomed out of the dark corridors, that no ghosts flitted by, or Professors stalked the halls. She was utterly alone on her entire trek back through the walls of Hogwarts, towards the common room. She didn't know how long she walked, but in time, she reached the portrait of the fat lady. Thank heaven, she thought. This boy could lose a few pounds, no trouble.

"Gummy worms," she whispered, but nothing happened. Thinking perhaps she had the wrong password, Thetis wracked her brain, but couldn't remember. "Gummy worms," she tried again, a bit louder. Again, nothing. Then, listening hard, she could hear a very soft rumbling sound, coming from directly in front of her. Oh gods, she thought. She's asleep. The portrait, she's asleep. "Excuse me, MA'AM?" Thetis called, too loudly for her own comfort. Yet it seemed the fat lady was far too deep in slumber to be revived.

She collapsed into a heap on the ground, letting Ron slide to the floor next to her. Her exhaustion finally seemed to be catching up, and she suspected it was far too late for her to hope to go back to sleep once she got in the common room. And what now? Undoubtedly they'd be found out here, eventually. And who would believe her story? Malfoy would be back in his own common room by now...and that girl, whoever she was, would be long gone. She had no proof of her purpose for being here, save Ron, who, at present, wasn't much help.

And speaking of Ron...Thetis tapped his shoulder. "Ron!" He was still out cold. What had Malfoy used on him? Nothing life threatening, apparently...but he wasn't moving...even if he was breathing, she couldn't feel any pulse. Starting to get worried, Thetis shook him hard. "RON! Ron, you stupid git, wake UP!" He shuddered slightly, a sign of life. Progress, Thetis thought.

* * * * *

Ginny wasn't sleeping. She lay on her bed, flat on her back, and stared at her ceiling, the tearstains on her face long dry. She didn't understand anything of what had happened that day. She should speak, she should tell someone about Riddle, and what he did to her...but what did he do to her, really? Nothing. Nothing. Poor Percy and Penelope...for their sake, at least, she should have told. He'd killed them...killed them both, as he'd tried to kill Harry, as he'd tried to kill her.

And perhaps, she thought, it would have been better if had killed me. But he hadn't, and she was all alone now, more so than ever. Why didn't he kill me? What did he want with me? He kissed me...it was like my dreams, so much like all of my strange, horrid dreams. But they were beautiful dreams too...power, and safety, and love, so much love...help me, someone help me understand. And she knew she was crying out for Tom. But that made even less sense.

But how can I be? He killed my brother, he killed Penelope, he's going to kill us all! He doesn't care about anything...anyone. He's using me, playing with me, toying with me, he's evil, horrible, I hate him! But you don't, said a voice in her mind. You don't, and you know it. You aren't innocent anymore, Virginia. Ginny shuddered, remembering his lips on hers, the way they'd tasted, sour and sweet all at the same time. Her first kiss...and such a horrible experience, that she knew she'd never forget it.

Looking out her window, Ginny wanted more than anything to start the whole year over again. Something could have been changed, something in the way she did things, or said things, that could have prevented this. But there was nothing now, nothing but waiting and aching and hoping beyond hope that her dreams weren't fulfilled, that she didn't get what she'd wish for ever night from now on.

Why can't I let go? She wanted to scream it. Ron...I have to tell him, why can't I say it? He's evil...it's wrong...he'll kill me, in the end, too...it'll be all right if I just say it. But I can't give myself away...I can't give him away, he's all I have, the only thing I love. He'll kill them all, he'll kill everything, he'll kill me.

But Ginny discovered that she didn't really care.

There was a tapping on her window, and she turned around. Later, Ginny could never explain why she wasn't surprised to see him there. But there he was, tall and beautiful, his cloak swirling about him like her wildest fantasies, his black hair hanging over his face, one white hand beckoning to her. She walked forward, reaching out to touch the window, in a sort of stupor that she couldn't understand. Tom...he smiled his wolfish smile, and gestured again. The window opened, she hadn't done it, it wasn't her fault...but it was, and Ginny knew it. Stepping out, she stood on the windowsill, swaying slightly back and forth, until she fell forward into his arms.

After that, nothing mattered, not the breaking of the window, not the whooshing of the air, just his quiet laughter in her ear, and the strong arms supporting her. And somehow, even though she knew it couldn't be, it was, and Ginny was afraid anymore. I'll never be afraid again, she thought.

* * * * *

Hermione had heard that crash once before. She jolted out of bed, sprinted out of the room, and turned a corner, frantically knocking on the door of Ginny's dormitory. No one responded...were they all asleep, that they hadn't heard that noise? Or...or what? She knocked again, then tried the doorknob. Nothing, it was locked.

"Alohomora," she murmured, throwing the door open and stepping inside. Nothing seemed out of place, at first. All the students, snug in their beds, were quiet, peaceful, obviously sleeping with no trouble. Hermione walked to the end of the room, and found, her heart sinking, that all was not well.

Ginny's bed was empty, and the window was smashed, exactly like it had been at the Burrow, when Percy and Penelope had been taken. She rushed over, avoiding the glass shards covering the floor, and leaned out, looking for sight or sign of the redhead and her captor, yet there was nothing. But why had no one woken? Had anyone heard, at all?

Tapping a nearby girl on the shoulder, Hermione gazed into her face. Through the mask of calm sleep, the girl snored on, unaware. She shook her, but again, no response. A lump lodged in Hermione's throat, and she slowly lifted the girl upright, pressing fingers against her throat and wrist. Nothing. No pulse.

She was dead, Ginny was gone, and just as Hermione felt that nothing could possibly get worse, Thetis burst into the room with Ron hanging limply by her side.