Depths of Despair

Ginny sat down on her four poster bed and closed the curtains behind her, making any light from the outside disappear. She fell backwards on her overstuffed pillows and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep. But there was something inside of her, that wasn't going to comply with that wish.

She stumbled backwards almost falling, but she caught herself on a nearby tree. Glancing around she saw that she was trapped, caught in a cage of the tall towering trees. A movement in a nearby bush caught her gaze and she watched in horror as a dark shadowy figure emerged. She tried getting away from this horrible place, but her legs wouldn't move. The figure came closer until a single ray of light, from the moon, shone through the trees to land on his face. Ginny knew that face. She knew of the secrets that hid behind it and tried to run once again, but her legs, once again stayed still.

"Ginny? Ginny!" he yelled out to her, running towards her.

"You stay away from me. Just stay away." Ginny tried to hide the panic that she felt, but it was a useless attempt. She remembered all the horrible things that he had done to her, everything he had said. She didn't want to let him do any of it again, but she knew that somehow he was going to anyway. He couldn't be trusted.

"But Ginny, I love you." Oh no. Not the topic of love again. She felt her will against him falter, but she stood her ground.

"No you don't, Tom. I know you. I know these games you play. I won't let you do it again." She found that her feet moved back as he moved in closer to her.

"Oh yes you will." He said with an evil laugh. His eyes changed to an evil red as he closed in on her.

Ginny woke with a start and felt the tears in her eyes. Why had she dreamt about him again? She glanced around the dormitory to see if anyone had heard or seen her. The answer was the steady rise and fall of her classmates' stomachs. Sliding off her bed she crept quietly to the end of it, where her trunk set. The red head attempted to open it quietly and almost cried out when it let out a loud groan. She pulled out what looked startling like the Marauders Map that she had seen Fred and George use to maneuver around the school: a simple crinkled piece of parchment. After pulling out an old quill, she paused for only a second before removing her bottle of ink, as well. Gently, she removed the cork from the bottle and submersed the feather's tip into the dark liquid.

Tom? She began to write. She waited, hoping that an answer wouldn't come. But it did.

Ginny? Is that you?

Ginny couldn't write. How could she had been so stupid to keep this page? Why had she let Tom talk her into ripping it out and casting that charm over it? She had tried to throw it away, but found that part of her wouldn't let her. She couldn't move at all for a few moments.

She shoved everything away before someone woke to find her there, and went to the bathroom to begin her usual morning ritual. After a short shower, she dressed in some old jeans and one of Fred's hand-me-down shirts. Ginny brushed out her long red hair and placed a drying charm on it. She sighed as she walked towards the old wooden door that lead out to the common room, and grabbed a well worn sweatshirt from the rack beside the exit.

*(^.^)*

Ginny ran along the path by the lake; it was the only place that she ever felt any peace and quiet. Ron had made a bad habit of asking her where she was going at all times, and sometimes even followed her. He tried to stay hidden from her, but she always knew he was there. The smallest Weasley sat on one of the large stones on the shore, staring out into the water.

Silence. There was no one around. Absolutely no one. She closed her eyes and thought on her latest dream, about Tom and all that he had done. He had understood her, the only one who ever had. He was the only one who had taken time to get to know her; Tom was the answer to her prayers. But something went wrong that day she was lured into the chamber: he changed. He acted mean and horrible. She had been promised that they would run away together and they'd live happily ever after, but Ginny found that those empty promises left an imprint in her heart that would never be erased.

She sighed and rose from the boulder and turned back towards the castle. She saw someone making their way out towards her so she turned and walked the other way, thinking it was Ron coming to check up on her. She picked her pace up to a jog and got back onto the path that winded around the large lake. The intruder sped up, matching his pace to her own. Ginny glanced back over her shoulder as the sun hit the stranger's body, and she noticed he had dark jet black hair.

It wasn't Ron.

It was Tom.

Ginny ran faster following the twists and turns of the road. She stole another look over her shoulder, but the stranger had disappeared. The girl slowed, turning around completely to see where the stranger had gone. She walked back around the corner that she had just cleared, feeling someone staring at her. Ginny turned around in a circle to find the culprit, but there was no one in sight.

I must be imagining things, Ginny thought to herself, feeling slightly relieved. Just as she was about to start off on the path again, a pair of hands grabbed both of her arms from behind and pinned them to her sides. Ginny screamed as she kicked, trying to free herself.

"No, Tom! Let me go! TOM! HELP!!!" She screamed hysterically, as she fought with all her strength.

"Ginny, GIN! Calm down! It's me, Harry!" The Boy Who Lived sounded worried and surprised at her little fit. He let her go and turned her around.

"Ginny, its okay, honey. It's okay. It's just me." He took her head in between his hands and pulled her close while Ginny sobbed. "I'm sorry, Gin, I'm sorry. It's just that I saw you down by the lake from my window and you were all by yourself. I thought you might want some company."

Ginny pulled back away from Harry and wiped the tears off her face.

"You shouldn't do that to a person, Harry." She turned away from him, ashamed of her tears and the assumptions she had made.

Harry stayed where he was, but wanting so badly to comfort her. He stayed quiet for a while, waiting for her to say something. Finally the question that was nagging at him shot out from his mouth. "Are you still having nightmares? About Him?" She abruptly turned around and shot Harry a glare.

"Don't you, Harry? Don't you still have dreams about the night that Cedric died? Don't you even think about it anymore? Or are you so heartless that you can't even think about the person that you led to deaths front doorstep!? " Ginny yelled at him, lashing out at her friend. Suddenly, she broke down, dropping to her knees and letting her head fall down into her hands. Harry walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Leave me alone, Harry. Just let me be alone for a while. Please." She brushed his hand away.

Harry stared at Ginny, watching her cry. He backed away from her and then turned to walk back towards the castle, taking a moment to look back at her a few times.

Ginny tried to figure out what had happened in her mind. Obviously, she had thought Harry was Tom. Sure, they resembled one another, but not that much. Maybe she was just seeing things. The nightmares were playing tricks with her mind. She wasn't thinking straight... so many excuses to use. She should probably just go back to the castle and get a potion from Madame Pomfrey. That should make it all better.

Ginny dried her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She pushed herself off the ground and into a standing position. Before walking up the path that Harry had just walked up moments ago, she straightened her sweater and dusted the dust off her jeans.

Harry glanced behind him once again and found that Ginny was slowly catching up to him. He slowed down a little more, mentally willing her to walk a little faster.

Ginny paused as she looked up from her shoes and saw that Harry was almost directly in front of her. She kept walking briskly as he fell into step beside her and waited for her to say something. Nothing was said all the way up to the castle.

As they reached the large wooden doors Harry grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Ginny, about what you said back there," he nodded towards the bend in the path. Ginny wanted to open her mouth and say that she hadn't meant it. Any of it, but nothing came out. She just nodded.

"I'm not heartless. I wish I was, then I wouldn't have to think about it, but I do. I think about it all the time. There will ever be a day when I won't blame myself for what happened to Cedric, because I am to blame." Harry let go of her hand and let his head droop down in shame.

Ginny stood in silence. There was nothing to say. She had already heard this from Harry before, several times, actually. She knew what he was going through and how he felt, but she knew that he didn't know how she felt. So the scarred girl never said a word. She nodded and turned from him, walking down the large corridor towards the Gryffindor common room.