A Momentary Thing

Ginny walked slowly through the slick floors that had appeared to her in dreams so many times before. Slime covered the walls and if one looked past that pipe, there would be a snake skin, shed by what must have been an unusually large snake. She felt nervous, but she had been here so many times that it almost felt like home.

There he was again. Tom Riddle, bane of her existence and he who troubled her every thought, was leaning against a pillar in the Chamber of Secrets.

"Ginny, darling," he drawled, "can't we just talk?" He smiled, and it was very handsome indeed, and Ginny was feeling fairly trusting. Tom sauntered towards her, finally standing very near her body. He grasped a strand of her red hair and twirled it between his fingers. "Always loved the hair, Gin," he murmured.

She simply stood, slightly shaking. Even though he was only playing with her hair, she felt somehow violated. Ginny felt hatred like no other for him, yet he was somehow allowed to stroke her hair--she was far too terrified to fight back. He met her eyes, his face an inch away from hers. His lovely brow was wrinkled.

"Darling, are you frightened?"

She shook her head slowly, mesmerized by his hypnotic turquoise eyes. He smirked.

"That's my girl."

He leaned in, breathing softly on her neck. Ginny thought she might pass out with the strange combination of emotions she was feeling--lust, suspicion, anger, and deep, deep anxiety. Her eyelids fluttered, and with that, he plunged the dagger into her chest. She left out a gentle gasp, falling. He held her close and twisted it a little deeper. As Ginny's form fell to the ground, Tom spat on her. His lips twisted into what could have been considered a grin.

"You're mine, Ginevra."

Ginny woke with a gasp, frantically patting her chest. She looked down--no blood, no dagger, no Tom. Still breathing quite heavily, she leaned back against her pillow and curled into a ball. This was the third dream--no, nightmare this week. Ginny fell asleep quickly after, forgetting about the dream, just as she had the ones before it. Nonetheless, spellbinding eyes and gruesome daggers disturbed her with each blink of an eye.

Someone was shaking her. Ginny slowly opened an eyelid and, from her position on her stomach, looked up at the culprit. Annabelle Marquis was an overachiever that seemed to be competing for Hermione Granger's legacy, as far as being a goodie-two-shoes was concerned.

"Weasley, you need to wake up."

Shifting her head into her pillow, Ginny moaned.

"We'll lose house points, Ginevra." At that note, she opted to awaken, if only to make Annabelle annoy someone elsewhere. Ginny tumbled out of bed, giving her a glare.

"Happy now?" Ginny asked with a scowl.

Annabelle gave her a tight smile. "That's my girl."

Ginny's back stiffened, and her eyes darted toward Annabelle, who was straightening her tie. Why had that phrase given her such a chill?

"What did you just say?"

She rolled her eyes. "Blimey, Ginny, you're the crankiest, weirdest person in the morning I've ever known since Seamus Finnegan."

Ginny muttered an apology.

"No matter, I'm very accepting. Oh, and your friend Loony--I mean, Luna, her owl kept pecking me this morning with a message for you." She practically chucked the rolled-up parchment at Ginny. "I am going to breakfast, you may follow." Annabelle turned up her nose and strode out the door.

Ginny was bewildered, but didn't think much of it. Unrolling the mail, she read the message.

Meet me in the library before breakfast. Need to tell you something.

-Luna

She stuffed the note in her pocket and hastily put on her clothes, brushed her teeth and hair, and walked out of the dormitory, where her boyfriend Dean Thomas was waiting for her.

He smiled. "Fancy seeing you here!" He kissed her cheek and held her hand, bouncing it around. "Are we going to breakfast or not?"

Ginny couldn't help but grin. That was the general effect Dean had on her. He was sweet, and it was admittedly nice to have a companion, someone expected to put his arms around her shoulders and be hers.

As they walked to the Common Room, Dean was distracted by Seamus, who simply insisted on showing him something or another, and Ginny was left to walk to breakfast by herself.

She clutched her satchel, pretending it was a shield against whatever seemed to be troubling her subconscious. She could have sworn that a big, black shape seemed to be following her. Ginny checked behind and saw nothing, but she could feel a presence. Whether it was her overactive imagination or a shadowy stalker, whatever it was made her walk so quickly that she almost ran over someone. That someone happened to drop their books. She knelt down to help when she noticed silvery blond hair. Bollocks.

"Watch where you're going, Weasley. Or should I say Virginia?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "My name's not Virginia, you idiot. It's Ginevra, actually."

Malfoy shrugged. "Same difference. Filth like you doesn't deserve a name anyway."

Like a true Weasley, Ginny acted before she thought about it later. She punched Malfoy on the arm. Hard.

"Fuck!" He rubbed his bicep. "You've got a sharp jab, Weasley. Better than your brother's, anyway. But then again, I think that plant over there could fight better than him."

She sighed. "You're just bitter about your old man being thrown in Azkaban. How's that going, by the way? Has he gone mad yet?"

Malfoy stopped what he was doing and looked her squarely in her eyes. "Don't you say a bloody word about my family, Weasley. Not a word."

"Aww, is somebody touchy?" And before they could get into a full-fledged fist fight, she started to leave.

There was a silent sort of fury on his face that seemed to scream, 'How dare you leave me!' "Darling," he said with an icy sarcasm, "can't we just talk?"

Ginny dropped her satchel. She turned around quickly and stared at him, clearly in a sort of trance. He shook his hand around several times.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Weasley? You're acting like you did when you were strangling those bloody chickens. By the way, think you could show me the Chamber of Secrets someday? I'd love to take a trip."

She turned sharply around. "How did you know about that?"

Malfoy shrugged. "Father knows best. He told me you're the one you attacked all those people. I guess that's why you put him away--hey, where are you going?"

Whatever Draco (or his father, for that matter) was saying didn't matter to Ginny at that moment. She finally realized what was happening. Tom Riddle was back in her life. She walked away purposely, a goal in mind, knowing she had to investigate him once more. Why was he haunting her again? Was there some sort of connection that she didn't know about?

Her pace sped up, and soon enough, she arrived in the library. Luna was sitting alone in a table towards the back, an uncommonly solemn look on her face. Ginny took a seat.

"What's wrong, Luna?"

"I dreamt of my mother last night."

Ginny gave a sympathetic glance. She covered Luna's hand with her own.

"That's not it." Luna's spooky, light blue eyes met hers. "You were in it. I mean, not directly, but there was this man. Our age, extraordinarily handsome, but there was something...off about him. And he--he kept saying these nasty, awful things about you, Ginny, but he said that you were the key. He kept mentioning the Chamber of Secrets. It's all fuzzy, I can't remember much."

Ginny swallowed the overwhelming lump forming in her throat.

"His eyes...I remember his eyes in particular. They were this peculiar blue-green color, and they just oozed of power. He scared me so much...do you know him, Ginny? Who is that awful man? I mean, he accused you of my mother's death, which can't be true...what's going on, Ginny?"

She licked her lips. "There is something I need to tell you, Luna."

Luna sat stunned. "You mean...wow. What can I say, Ginny?"

Ginny shrugged, a blush starting on her cheeks. "You're one of a very select few that knows the truth." She looked at Luna's face that glowed with curiosity. One could always tell when she wanted to ask a question--her eyes got an inquisitive spark to them, probably from having a newspaper editor (even if the newspaper was The Quibbler) as a father. "Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

She gave an excited nod and played with her turnip earrings in anticipation. "If it's not too bold to ask...did you see any Three-Legged Gorglebunks down there?"

Biting her lip, Ginny tried very hard not to laugh. She could always count on Luna, intentionally or not, to give a situation a lighter feel. "I might have seen one, but maybe it was the Toenail of Icklibõgg."

She struggled for breath. "You mean...THE Toenail of Icklibõgg? Why didn't you get it? You know of its magical healing properties, not to mention the rumors that it vanquishes evil!"

"Well, erm," Ginny squirmed in her seat, "I couldn't really tell if it was, it just kind of resembled it. For all I know," she gave a nervous laugh, "it could have been just a Sparkling Hoovylump."

Luna shook her head. "It's always a close call with that one. I've seen at least three Sparkling Hoovylumps in my time."

Any amount of lip-biting could not stop Ginny from giggling.

"What is it?" Luna asked, concerned. She thought that Ginny was crying, not laughing. "Is there something else you wanted to tell me?"

Ginny smiled. "Nothing, Luna. I mean, you're the only person I've told since my first year. Completely voluntarily, I might add. I just--"

Luna shrugged. "It's ok. I don't think of you any differently, if that's what you're wondering. By the way you acted second and third year, I always figured something tragic happened in your past. Not to mention the gossip in the halls that innocent Ginny Weasley was the killer. I never believed those, though...there was a reporter for The Quibbler that insisted that it was all a mastermind plot from the Giant Squid. I suppose he was misinformed." She got a dreamy expression in her eyes, the one that told a person her mind was very, very far away. Ginny, however, was extremely comforted. Luna was a bit offbeat, but she could be trusted and considered a good friend, indeed.

Breaking off their easy silence, Neville entered the library. He stumbled awkwardly to their table, nearly in tears. Suddenly, the mood in the library was grave. He held a note in his hand and seemed like he was trying very hard to control himself.

"What's wrong, Neville?" Luna asked, concerned.

He didn't say anything, but pushed a parchment in front of their faces.

Drop out of Herbology or the toad gets it.

Luna had a sharp intake of breath. Ginny furrowed her brow. "Who sent this?" She flipped the paper, examining it. She found no signature, no evidence.

Neville shrugged. "I don't know. I got it this morning. But--but Trevor has been missing for two days. Who would do this?" On that note, he finally took a seat, resting his head in his arms. Luna absentmindedly patted his back.

"Could you--could you help me find him? I mean," he raised his head up, "you all are my friends. Right?"

Luna and Ginny bobbed their heads up and down eagerly, perfectly in sync.

Neville nodded distractedly himself. "Thanks. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have more important things than to track down a ransomed toad."

Ginny's eyes widened. "They said that?"

"Well, no," Neville rested his chin on his hand, "but I know that's what they would think. If I asked them. Despite everything the six of us went through last year, there's no penetrating that trio. So I propose we start our own." With that, his back straightened, and his face was so hopeful that Draco Malfoy himself probably wouldn't be able to say no.

"Erm, sure. Anything you'd like, Neville," Ginny said, giving him a kind smile. Luna agreed.

Neville cleared his throat, "I think our first order of business is to find out who kidnapped my toad."

Ginny touched Neville's arm. "Don't worry about it, Neville. I'll get to the bottom of this for you, okay? Just worry about that Herbology essay contest coming up."

Neville Longbottom had the highest marks in the school as far as Herbology was concerned. In fact, if he aced this essay and kept up his good marks, he could get a lovely amount of money and a secure job waiting for him in the future.

"Neville," Ginny said slowly, "I'm going to ask again. Can you think of anyone who would abduct your toad? Anyone?"

Neville, Ginny, and Luna all seemed to come to a realization at the same time. Who else would be cruel enough to do this? "Draco Malfoy," the trio whispered. Ginny abruptly stood up from her seat, ready to spy on someone who would get his comeuppance.

Paintings, Ginny discovered, are an underused resource in seeking a person. One of a man, who claimed to be a former headmaster, said that Draco had gone to a secret room behind the state of Moogly the Holy. One had to scratch the statue's head and whisper, "Dogma." She crept around the corner, followed the painting's instructions, and surely enough, a door had cracked open. Ginny peered in. Draco wasn't alone. Lucius Malfoy, who was supposed to be in Azkaban prison, was in the room also. It wasn't actually his form, just an apparition that appeared on a mirror on the wall. Nevertheless, Ginny had to cover her mouth to keep from making some sort of noise.

Draco was pacing. "What do you want, Father? You know communication is dangerous."

His father's face was grim. "Of course I know. What do you take me for, a mudblood? I know how risky this is. But I needed to tell you something before you saw it on The Quibbler or some rubbish like that. Your mother has gone missing."

Draco stopped pacing. Ginny held her breath.

"What?" he asked quietly.

The elder Malfoy sneered. "You heard me, boy. I've still got connections, and they know to tell the public that it's all rubbish, but in case the truth leaks out somehow, just deny it."

"Where," Draco calmly inquired, "did she go?" There was a dangerous tone in his voice that made Ginny nervously nibble her fingernail.

"I don't know, and frankly, it is not of my concern. Let her off herself, just as long as she doesn't make too big of a fuss."

Nodding, Draco added, "I understand."

At this, Lucius Malfoy presented a very cold smile. "That's my son. I think the guards...well, they are Dementors, they seem rather indifferent, their version of fond I'd imagine, to me. I doubt they'd care if I ran away, but I'm waiting for the Dark Lord to receive me."

"That sounds like a good plan," his son said quietly.

"I've got other business in this place to take care of. Goodbye, son." With that, the apparition disappeared. And much to Ginny's surprise, Draco's whole demeanor changed--he suddenly was the epitome of anguish, kicking the wall with a cry of indignation. At that moment, he reminded her of Harry, and it scared her a little bit. She decided that she couldn't get any clues if she stayed anyway, and planned her attack for tomorrow.

Slowly closing the door, so as not to disturb Malfoy's lack of peace, she crept back to the common room. How did Lucius Malfoy, trapped in the most horrifying place on earth since the Chamber of Secrets, manage to communicate with his son? Ginny would have investigated more had she not realized how late it had gotten...it must have been almost seven or so. Classes started again tomorrow (weekends parted with such sweet sorrow), and she needed to study for a Transfiguration quiz. Even though she still had time to go back before she was considered late, Ginny felt that stealth would be in her best interest--not many students traveled to this part of the castle, after all. Wand in hand, she whispered, "Lumos." It was then that she became aware of a shadow behind her. Ginny froze. Should she pretend that she never saw this stalker and keep walking, or deal with it?

Embracing her Gryffindor spirit, she confronted it. "Who's there?" she asked in a firm voice. No one answered, but the shadow stayed.

Ginny lifted her chin. "Fine. But you'll find that I've fought many a Death Eater in my time. Your loss, I suppose."

It was clear that whatever was following her wasn't going to reveal itself, so she opted to keep going on her way. The whole time, she felt its presence, but it still wouldn't come out. Soon enough, she reached the Fat Lady's door ("Where have you been, miss?"), and when she got inside, she exhaled a breath of relief. Ginny suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of drowsiness. She crawled into bed, preparing herself for the dreams to come.

Not surprisingly, she was in the Chamber of Secrets once again. This time, Tom was lying on the floor, hands behind his head, as if he were in a field looking at the stars. "Hello there," he said softly. He stood up, brushing himself off. Ginny simply stood in fear, as she always did.

Tom reached out and touched her shoulder. "Why this panic, Ginny?" he asked in a falsely kind voice. She couldn't speak, she was always unable to.

Turning his head, he scoffed. "I bet your people kind you incredibly boring," he said condescendingly, and then his voice softened, "but the more still and quiet you are, the better."

Ginny merely stared ahead. She felt like a comatose patient at St. Mungo's, one of those who didn't respond to actions but could still hear and see things. If Ginny could move, she would have shivered, imagining how terrible it would be to live like that.

Tom started to circle around her. "Poor ickle Ginny Weasley. She can't do a thing, the miserable coward." He started to laugh. "Where's that infamous Gryffindor courage? Or, what, do you expect your precious Potter to save you?"

He slapped her. "Can't fight back, can you? I always figured you for a pathetic one. Now," he reached into his robes, "I need to give you something. But before that--"

Tom cradled her head and kissed her brow. An uncontrollable warmth spread through her, and Ginny hated herself for it.

"When will you realize, my dear, that I only want the best for you?" he murmured. He stroked her arm. "Ginevra, this is where you belong."

Like in every dream, he struck her chest with that strange dagger. She crumpled to the ground, hands clutching the hilt. As she slowly sprawled down on the floor, blood forming a pool around her, Tom kicked her.

Ginny awoke. She took deep breaths. Now that she could remember the dreams, there was no way she could go back to sleep. For the rest of the night, she sat in the common room, studying Transfiguration. She knew that the shadow was near her, but this time, she felt an odd sense of reassurement.

She was in the library as soon as it opened the next morning. Ginny sat in silence in an empty table, content with her thoughts. The only other person in the room was Annabelle Marquis, fervently studying Meet My Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Twiddling her thumbs, Ginny waited for breakfast to start. Much to her chagrin, Draco Malfoy sauntered into the library, looking at books in an aisle in the very back. Ginny knew this was the perfect opportunity. Wand in hand, she determinedly stormed over to him. She shoved him against a bookcase and hissed, "Stop harassing Neville or I will ruin your life."

Time seemed to stop, as Draco and Ginny stared as each other, the tension running deep. Draco pushed her away, a scowl twisting his features. "What in the bloody hell are you talking about, Weasley? Have you not been eating lately? Merlin's beard, I can give you, say, crumbs from my food if you'd like. I suppose that's what you're used to anyway." He smirked.

Ginny pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "I am not fucking around, Malfoy. Just give Neville back his toad, okay?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Why in the bloody hell would I steal his toad?"

"Because--because, it's something to do with that Herbology contest. I bet his grades are ahead of yours and you hate him anyway because you're a mean person and you're just...you're a life ruiner, Malfoy!" She started to breath heavily. He held his hands back in a surrendering pose. His stance, however, was still highly arrogant.

"Whoa. Somebody has issues. Don't take them out on me, I'm sure St. Mungo's has professionals that could help you. Free of charge, I'd wager. And I don't care about Herbology or bloody Longbottom or you. Could you just leave me alone, Weasley? I don't know why you find me so irresistible, but the feeling? Is not returned." He drove her out of the aisle. "I have to get a book, after all. I'm not sure if your people know, but that's what libraries are for."

Ginny stalked away, turning her head around to give him one last furious glance.

"Berk," she muttered, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

Malfoy was the most insufferable lad that she'd ever met, which was quite an accomplishment, considering Ronald Weasley was her brother. Luckily for her, it was time for breakfast, and leaving the library, she joined Neville in the Great Hall.

"I got another one," he cried miserably, brandishing the note. She grabbed it from his hands.

Fail Herbology, drop out, ruin your chances, whatever...or you'll find a toad nailed to your door.

Ginny shook her head. "Who would be terrible enough to do this?" she asked.

Neville shrugged. "I thought you had someone in mind?"

"My first suspect, Malfoy, didn't do it. What are the details of this Herbology essay thing? Who all is it open to?" Ginny furrowed her brow. She rather fancied this detective-like job, even though it was at the expense of her friend's pet.

"Fifth through seventh years," Neville explained. "It's not open to prefects or Head Boy or Girl, since they kind of have prime opportunities in life in the first place. It's just for everybody else, I guess. But to get the scholarship, you need top marks in Herbology and a really nice essay."

If only I asked this earlier, I could have avoided that whole episode with Malfoy. Even though it's always fun to push him around, Ginny thought.

"Now," said Ginny in a business-like tone, "I'm guessing you had the top marks in Herbology?"

Neville nodded.

"Do you know who had the second-highest marks?" she inquired.

With a sad frown, Neville shook his head. Ginny, on the other hand, grinned.

"This will be easy, I'm sure of it. We'll get Trevor back soon enough, okay?"

Neville smiled back and her and finally decided to eat. He scooped some eggs onto his plate.

"I heard some people say you were sitting in the common room last night. What were you doing?"

Ginny shrugged. "Oh, I was just--damn, I left my Transfiguration book upstairs! Listen, Neville, I'll be right back." With that, she sped towards the Gryffindor Tower. Sprinting through the halls and greeting portraits, she gave the password ('superflu'), and entered the room. She found her book, stuffed into a corner of the sofa. She breathed a sigh of relief. Ginny also remember that she had a box of Sugar Quills stored under her bed--she had time to eat a snack, she needed some relaxation anyway. She got a cherry-flavored one (her personal favorite), and started to chew on it when she noticed something in the corner. The shadow. She dropped the candy and walked slowly towards it.

"I know you're there, whatever you are," she whispered boldly. The shadow simply stood. She took another step towards it, when she saw something that made her realize what exactly it was.

"Sirius?" she asked, as the shadow came forward, revealing a large black dog. Ginny took a quivering gasp, her hand outstretched. "Is that you?"