A Sorrowful Goodbye

A Sorrowful Goodbye

Chapter 4: The Forgotten Enemy

Ginny blinked at the strange sight unfolded before her in the sixth year dormitories. Who was this man with brown robes, holding the large, leather book? He certainly couldn't be what Malfoy had called "Temptation", for he was not tempting her at all. Books and learning was all right for school, but on the last day? No, this amiable man was not enticing Ginny in the least.

"Stay here," Malfoy whispered quickly. Ginny looked up at him. He looked tired, and there were pale blue half-circles beneath his lower eyelids. His mouth, so often twisted into a malevolent smirk, seemed to be grim and limp. Ginny glanced back into the room. There was Hermione, treading softly toward the strange man. The other students were still sleeping deeply, untroubled by this disturbance.

Ginny watched as Malfoy stepping into the room. She couldn't see his expression, for his back was to her, but he seemed to become more alert. His shoulders tensed and he stood up straighter. Hermione, meanwhile, was getting very close to the man. He was smiling widely, holding the book out to her, but still just past her reach. Malfoy approached Hermione until he was right next to her. She paid him no attention, only continued making her way toward the man. Ginny gave a small gasp as Hermione collided with Parvati's large trunk, but Hermione didn't even notice, only straightened herself. She didn't even stop.

Malfoy didn't seem to be doing anything to stop her. Ginny chewed the side of her lip in frustration. Why wasn't he making progress? She realized now that this was some kind of Temptation for Hermione. It was obvious how much the girl was obsessed with her books and learning, and naturally, she would be drawn to such concepts. Ginny was just unsure why Malfoy wasn't trying to distract Hermione. She didn't know what would happen when Hermione reached Temptation, and most of her didn't want to know. Only a small slice of her mind was curious as to what this strange sort of evil did.

Hermione was a mere few feet away from the man of Temptation. Ginny knew that Malfoy wasn't getting anywhere. She had to intervene. She took a deep breath, and marched with more confidence than she felt into the dimly lit room. Nobody seemed to notice her sudden movement toward the far corner of the room where the scholarly man was beckoning to Hermione. Ginny strode to Hermione, vaguely aware of the sleeping forms of Lavendar, Parvati, and the other sixth year girls. They hadn't stir in the slightest.

Malfoy was the first to realize what Ginny was doing. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open to obviously protest, but he never had the chance. Ginny snatched the book from Temptation's hands, forcing herself not to think about what might happen because of her actions. A blinding light filled the room, and Ginny held up the book to shield her eyes. Her head grew weak and she felt dizzy from the brightness. After a moment, the light faded, and Ginny heard Malfoy yelling at her to stop. But it was too late. What was done could not be reversed. Ginny had interfered with something she should have left well alone.

The book started to become warm. Ginny blinked, and looked for the man. He was scowling with a fierceness Ginny hadn't seen before. She gaped at him in confusion for a second, before realizing how hot the book had suddenly become. It was burning her hands. She felt a pulse of energy surge through her veins, sending shivers up and down her arms.

Ginny gasped, her mouth forming a scream that could not be heard out loud, for she could find no breath to speak, let alone scream. She was vaguely aware of Malfoy rushing toward her, and Hermione seeming to snap out of the oblivious daze that she had been in.

Time seemed to slow as the book fell to the stone floor, striking it with a resounding thud. For a moment, nobody moved. Sound seemed not to exist. The only noise that Ginny heard was the echo from the book's contact with the ground. Ginny's eyes were wide, and she slowly looked up, meeting Hermione's shocked face, and then Malfoy's grim gaze. Then, Ginny felt the world tip away from her as she fell, meeting the same end that the book did. She lay on the ground, her body sprawled upon the stones, her mouth still open in its silent scream.