Fall From Grace

Chapter Twelve - Am I selling you out?

Ginny stared down the hole in the middle of the girl's bathroom floor. The entrance to the chamber of secrets was open once again. A voice from her past came rushing back towards her.

"Ginny." The sixteen year old Tom had held her hand the first time she went to the chamber and whispered to her, "this will just be our special place."

It had been. Ginny would sometimes just sit down there with Tom, doing her homework or talking about everything. Tom had been so understanding about all of her worries about Harry, if he thought she was ugly or stupid. How Harry only saw Ron's little sister. Tom, unlike every other boy she had met, didn't care about her older brothers but wanted her.

"I love you Ginny, do you love me?

"Yes. You know I do."

"Do I? You never do anything to show me that you love me. How would I know?"

"Tom. What do you want me to do?"

"Kiss me Ginny...kiss me."

He was beside her again now as her flashback subsided and swirled into the mist of her memory. He caressed her neck in the same way he did six years ago when he had laid her on the cold stone floor of the chamber and shown her that love was not the beautiful magical thing songs made it out to be. Love was like a battle. Only one person would win and the other would end up bleeding on the floor. She had seen Ron only hours afterwards and had wanted to scream at him, 'Look at me now! I'm twelve years old and I had fucked a boy!' It was six months later before Ginny realised she hadn't shared her love with a boy, she had been at one with the definition of evil.

Ginny opened her eyes and took Tom's hand. He still looked like a sixteen year old boy and Ginny had no fear when she just jumped into the deep black hole.

The Chamber of Secrets had not changed in the 4 years during which Ginny had not seen it and it was a wet and cold as ever. Steeling herself for the appearance of Lord Voldemort Ginny shut her eyes tightly and turned to where the huge statue of Salazar Slytherin would be.

"Ginny, love, what are you doing?" A calm and mildly amused voice asked.

"I'm scared," Ginny said abruptly.

"Of what?" Tom asked patiently.

"Lor...lor...of You-Know-Who," she hissed quietly.

"I thought we had been over this already Ginny. I am Lord Voldemort and you love me don't you? Now open your eyes," Tom placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head towards his and as her eyes slowly flickered open she smiled.

"It's you. I thought...after what Harry said...but it's you. My you."

"Well of course it is Ginny, I will always be yours," Tom said, leaning down and planting a kiss on Ginny's lips.

%%%

Draco's head was pounding. The lights in the hospital wings seemed to be swinging in front of him and he couldn't recall exactly what had driven him to wake up. The squeak in the far corner jolted his memory somebody was in the room with him.

"Who's there?" he called groggily.

"Nobody," Harry said, his voice stern. "I was just checking to see if Ginny was with you."

"Ginny?" Draco whispered, his eye blurring once again as his memory returned. She had been with him on the Quidditch stand talking about...Draco sat up abruptly and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Malfoy!" Harry said from the doorway, "what are you doing?"

"Ginny's in trouble, we have to save-" Draco's words were cut short as he tried to stand up but collapsed back onto the hospital bed.

"Oh and you are going to do such a wonderful job of that if you can't stand. What do you mean Ginny is in trouble?" Harry had moved closer to Draco's bed.

"Lord Voldemort. He's here. He wanted me to be a Death Eater, he said Ginny was going with him. We have to get to her!" Draco stood up again and remained wobbling on his feet

"Where was he taking her?" Harry asked as he and Draco moved quickly towards the door.

"The Chamber of Secrets I think. We have to hurry," Draco said picking up his pace and rushing down the corridors. By the time they reached the girls bathroom he was panting heavily and almost translucent in his paleness. Harry had never seen anybody look so awful except Cedric...Harry shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking about death.

"Malfoy you look awful," Harry said to the other boy.

"Thanks Potter. I'm glad you're my date for this evening too, lets jut go. How do we get into this thing?" Draco tried to sneer but his face betrayed how tired he really was. As Harry spoke Parseltongue Draco turned, if possible, paler and the bathroom opened up before him.

"Neat trick Potter. You show that to all the girls?" Draco asked with a difficult smile

"No, you're just a very special little girl. Listen Malfoy. You're dying here, you are going to be absolutely no help in the chamber."

"I'm going with you-" Draco started.

"I know," Harry interrupted. "Even I'm not idealised enough to think I could get rid of you that easily. But I think it would be better if you stayed hidden and only helped get Ginny if I really, really need it."

"Oh stay hidden, yeah, that'll be so easy in a big stone room," Draco sneered.

"You will have my invisibility cloak," Harry said handing it over and looking at Draco with serious distrust. "It was my Fathers," he said quickly, "just don't ruin it."

"You really like your Father huh?" Draco asked.

"Yes. And he's dead." Harry glared at Draco.

"God I wish my Father was dead," Draco said wistfully.

"Let's not get into this 'who is worse off' game. I'll win hands down," Harry said.

"Maybe not. My childhood wasn't all sunshine lollypops and roses, you know?" Draco began to shout but his voice caught in his throat.

"What did Father spank you for getting too close to the maids?"

"Fuck off Potter, you know nothing about me. Let's just go," Draco said with venom and Harry reluctantly agreed.

Inside the Chamber of Secrets was cold and Harry was silently wondering if Draco would make it through the night. His attention was captivated by the figure standing alone where Harry had seen her lie years before. At least this time Ginny was awake and she turned to smile at Harry as she heard him come towards her.

Harry pulled out his wand and checked in all the dark corners with a lumos spell. Running up to Ginny he was confused to see her looking so scared.

"Oh God! Harry - your wand!" Ginny pointed to the stick of wood in Harry's hand that didn't appear to be doing anything out of the ordinary.

"What about it?"

"It's - quick, give it here, I can sort it out," Ginny said desperately whilst holding out her hand.

"Sure Gin. What's wrong with it?" Harry looked about nervously before handing it over to Ginny.

"Harry," Ginny scolded the panicked look in her eyes now totally replaced by a smirk, "has Dumbledore taught you nothing? You mustn't just hand your wand over to any old person, who knows what they will do with it?"

"What?" Harry looked at Ginny, confused. Their whispering echoing ricocheted off the stone walls of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Morsmorde," Ginny muttered putting her wand gently to her heart.

%%%

Serverus Snape fell out of his chair and onto the floor. The pain from his dark mark shot up through his arm with a ferocity he had never felt before. It was that pain that had caused him to jump out of his chair and land on the floor, robes asunder and in shock.

"What did I do wrong?" The shy Hufflepuff that needed Potions tutoring asked delicately, wiping her lips and crawling out from under his desk.

%%%

"Ginny. Give me back my wand," Harry said slowly but forcefully.

"Umm, no," Ginny said smiling playfully. Her happiness didn't waver even as Death Eaters surrounded them both.

"Virginia." Lucius Malfoy stepped forward and kissed Ginny lightly on her neck, "You called?"

"I am going to show you morons how to kill Harry Potter, take notes if you wish."

Harry's eyes dotted nervously to the door, he was desperately looking for a way out.

"Ginny -"he started

"Step one," Ginny began, cutting out Harry's words, "is to disarm him. Please note the firm grip I have on his wand. Step two is to point your wand at him and curse."

"Ginny-"

"Goodbye Harry Potter. Avada Ked-" Ginny made a dull thud as she landed on the floor and the rest of the curse was lost as the air was forced out of her lungs. Harry's wand fell from her hand and rolled towards his feet. Without checking exactly who his saviour was Harry began stunning as many of the Death Eaters as possible. The Death Eaters looked shocked by protective force around Harry and the lack of Lord Voldermort. Unfortunately this didn't last very long. Out of the shadows he came, gliding and menacing.

"Harry Potter. How lovely to see you, again." Voldemort walked over to where Ginny was lying on the floor. She smiled at him, not seeing the twisted darkness of his real body but the youthful beauty of his sixteen year old self. Lord Voldermort was not fool enough to think Ginny would keep loving him if she saw who he really was. What he really was.

"Tom. Something...hit me." Ginny looked around at the circle of Death Eaters bowing at the feet of their Master and Harry who, although he still held Voldemort at wand-point, looked as if he had been hit by a bus.

Lord Voldemort flicked his wand in Harry's direction and the boy flew into the air. The Voldemort Harry was prepared to fight was not like this. Harry was expecting him to make a spectacle of killing the Harry Potter but Lord Voldemort appeared to have his eye on something else. That something else was a very dishevelled looking Ginny Weasley. Lord Voldemort ran one bony finger along her jaw line and Ginny closed her eyes. Not looking all that different to a cat being petted. As he touched her the flaming red hair she was known for glowed an ethereal blue before the light faded and Harry saw that she now had a head of dark black hair.

"Virginia. It was this boy," Lord Voldemort said and with another flick of his wand Harry's invisibility cloak was thrown to one corner and Draco Malfoy was looking sheepish in the middle of the chamber.

"Draco," Ginny whispered sounding bitterly disappointed.

"Mister Malfoy. I believed that you would be joining me. I never saw it this way. Perhaps you could tell us why you threw my Virginia to the floor?"

"I didn't like how you were treating my Ginny." Draco sneered at him looking a lot braver than he felt. At his words the hard distaste in Ginny's eyes began to fade and the corners of her mouth twitched up.

"Insolence will be punished," Lord Voldemort said and Draco fell to the floor. What ever he was now seeing nobody could see but he was gazing outwards and began screaming at the top of his lungs.

"No, you can't. You can't she's..only...only little. STOP. STOP IT!" Draco's screams snapped Ginny from her trance and she stepped towards him. Voldemort saw where she was heading and he sneered at her.

"Crucio!" He yelled and Draco's body began to spasm and Harry suspended many feet above them could see the pain on his face. Ginny ran to his side and knelt down. Trying to not hit Ginny with the curse Voldemort took the spell off. Crouching by Malfoy's body Ginny began to sob quietly and was wiping the blood from his ears.

"Come on Draco, wake up. Please wake up. It's ok now. Come on!" Ginny was stroking his blonde hair that was stained with his own blood from where his spasm had thrown his head against the stone floor.

"Virginia, come to me." Voldemort held his hand out to Ginny.

"No, Draco's hurt, you hurt my Draco." Ginny's voice sounded like she was six.

"Virginia you must come with me."

"No, I hate you. You destroyed him. Look at what you did you horrible, horrible..."

"Don't say those things Virginia, you love me..."

"I do. I l...lov...Draco?"

"Forget him Virginia, you love me and by my side we can rule."

"No." Ginny stood up to face Voldemort, "you don't understand. Love isn't real. I don't love you, I never have loved you."

Harry stared at Voldemort. He was looking thinner, more ghostly with every word Ginny said.

"How could I ever love anybody? It's a word made up so teenagers can have sex without feeling guilty and pop singers don't have to spend hours thinking about life. Love isn't real." Ginny gazed down at Draco's form and her eyes flashed red. Literally her body was transformed and before Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort and Draco Malfoy stood the most powerful person in the world.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU DID," she was yelling her voice echoed around the cave, "YOU ARE THE MOST SELFISH, DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING IN THE WORLD. YOU HAVE NO POWER, YOU NEVER HAD POWER YOU USED FEAR TO RUIN PEOPLE'S LIFES. YOU ARE...finished."

Lord Voldemort looked almost see-though and Harry was getting scared. Little Ginny Weasley was scaring the person who had terrorised the Wizarding World for years.

"Virginia, you have to love me."

"No," she whispered, "I hate you."

A blinding flash of red reverberated around the cavern and Harry tried to avert his gaze. Once he felt the light subside he tried to look at Ginny but too late he realised he was falling, fast.

Ginny heard Harry fall and felt as if she had awoke from a dream. The last thing she remembered she was in the girls' bathroom and now she was underground with Draco bleeding next to her and Harry's prone body to the other side. She gently ran her hand over Draco's face to check he was real and with the touch she felt dizzy and weak. Stumbling over to where Harry lay she began to cry. He had fallen so far and now he lay still.

"I'm sorry Harry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." Taking all her willpower she kissed his cold cheek gently and she fell next to him.