Twin Rings

Ginny sat on her bed staring at her new found object.

Just an hour ago she had been walking back to the common room when heard a sound behind her. She turned to see an empty corridor. However something lay glinting on the floor. She walked over and picked it up. It was a ring, a simple, silver band with markings on it. Tied to the ring was a very old piece of parchment that might have crumpled if she had moved it.

Carefully she carried it back to her dormitory. It was midnight when Ginny sat on her bed. The rest of her friends were asleep and she was thankful for the curtains. She wanted to remove the parchment, but it was still in a screwed up ball. Leaving the parchment for later, she picked up the ring. It looked old, like the parchment because it was no longer shiny. The inscription looked to be in another language. In fact it looked like ancient runes. Deciding she couldn't decipher these runes she placed the ring and parchment in her drawer by her bed and lay down to sleep.

Someone was shouting. It wasn't English. They were scared. It was like they were taken over by fear. She ran through the forest. The trees were deliberately blocking her path. Preventing her from helping the person in trouble. A scream tore through the air and ripped her heart. She felt helpless and alone.

As Ginny changed into her clothes she remembered the ring. It was still in her drawer and she pulled it out. She slid it onto her right thumb. It fitted so perfectly. The metal felt so smooth on her skin. Today she was going to Hogsmeade. She grabbed her backpack and got it ready.

After breakfast she went with the other half of the school to Hogsmeade. It was a typical English day, overcast, as they went into the village. Kids were scattered everywhere when Ginny got off the train, some heading for Zonko's, the Three Broomsticks. However Ginny didn't follow the crowd. They probably didn't want her around anyway.

People only put up with me because I'm Ron's little sister (Ron had recently taken over being Quidditch captain from Harry). Instead she found a bench near the Three Broomsticks and sat down. She sat and watched. She never really realised how many people there were in Hogwarts. Some of the students she didn't even recognise, being in fourth year she should recognise most people. It was so easy to be invisible. She felt it most of the time anyway. People didn't much attention to her and it annoyed her. She used to sit in her dorm and plan ways to make people notice her, though most of the time it meant her doing something amazing, like save somebody. She continued to watch people. About ten minutes passed before she realised she'd been fiddling with her ring, the one she'd found. It was so unique, and it annoying because Ginny wanted to know what the symbols meant. The language wasn't at all familiar. She had to look at the parchment tonight.

Suddenly someone sat on the other end of the bench, making her lose her trail of thought. Feeling irritated she sat back and watched a kid buying ice cream from some guy outside Zonko's. She didn't even notice who was sat on the bench with her. After a while she shifted slightly so she could see out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't see them clearly, but she saw enough to know the pale blond hair belonged to the one and only Draco Malfoy. What surprised her most wasn't the fact he sat on the bench, but that he hadn't said anything nasty, yet. She didn't look at him, but kept looking at the now busy ice cream man.

She felt his gaze shift to her and she kept her face passive staring away form him. Eventually he got up and walked away. Ginny watched him walk to the corner. Just before he reached it he turned to look at her. Their eyes met and Ginny looked away. She looked back just as Draco turned the corner. What was that about, she thought, how weird. She didn't have much time to dwell on it when Hermione dragged her into the Three Broomsticks. The rest of the afternoon was reasonably normal, except for the fact she wasn't as nervous around Harry as she usually was.

The next few days passed with no great change. She'd had no time to think about the ring and the parchment because she'd been getting her Potions coursework finished. It was Wednesday night. Ginny collapsed on her bed and it was only eight thirty.

That voice, screaming in pure terror. She could hear traces of words in that strange language. The trees were everywhere, blocking every path, scratching her bare arms. She was running towards the voice. Not knowing which way to turn. It was all around her. Then suddenly a laugh echoed throughout the entire forest. It was filled with evil and hatred, something that scared to the depths of her soul. The Voice needed her help.

That morning everyone seemed subdued. There wasn't the usual loud chattering in the great Hall at breakfast and no one seemed to be alert in lessons. After having an early lunch Ginny slipped outside for a walk. The winter sun trying to break through the clouds, the bitter wind whipping across her face. There were voices on the wind. She followed the sounds through the grounds, seeing the familiar landmarks. Her footsteps quiet on the hard ground, the odd leaf crackling under her boots. She soon found herself being lead into an old part of the school she didn't know. She sensed she was closer to the voice sounds. Ahead of her stood an archway it was surrounded by twelve-foot trees, and lead somewhere dark. The archway itself was stone and looked old because of the ivy creeping up either side. Ginny stared at it. She moved closer and ran her fingers over the cold stone. There were markings. She tried pulling away the ivy without much luck, but she managed to see enough.