Cold

Chapter Five

(Draco Malfoy)

I rolled over and stared out the one window in the room. I could hear my fellow Slytherins snoring around me. Everyone expected me to be Head Boy by now, but, I was the first student in Hogwarts history to ever turn it down. That was another reason my father was angry at me.

Not that it mattered, of course. I had something else on my mind. The Weaslette... I had never expected her to be one who's soul was filled with anguish. But it was, and I could see that. Perhaps that was why I just couldn't find myself to be angry at her.

"Man, Draco, ol' boy, you sure have changed..." I thought, throwing my legs over the bed and pulling on my shirt. I always slept shirtless.

Of course I had changed. I walked very softly from the room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Slytherin common room. It was silver and green, stone and marble and such. Cold. Just like my house. I began to wonder if I was supposed to live in an ice cave or something. I sighed, feeling this was all too familiar.

The anger has been here a long time, Draco Malfoy... and nothing will EVER make it go away...

"Yeah, you have no idea," I muttered, starting a fire with my wand.

(Ginny Weasley)

I winced as I placed lotion on the burning mark upon my skin. It just wouldn't stop burning, no matter what. The lotion only dulled the pain, which came prickling back not too long after. I set the bottle back in my bag and pulled my t-shirt back up onto my shoulder. My hair was in a braid over my left shoulder. My pajama pants were black with green logos of the Witch Sisters and my t-shirt was ebony as well.

Besides, I've felt worse pain...

"How much worse pain can you get?" I thought as that sharp stab came gushing back within me.

"GINNY!"

"Tom!" I gasped as the pain shot through my veins. I bit my lip, falling to the floor. "Erg... damn..."

"That's right, Ginny. Feel that pain. You know the pain. But you can feel worse... you can feel worse..."

"No..." I murmured. "Please... don't..."

I didn't want to relive that. The things I saw in my dreams... The pain I felt of him forcing himself inside of me. His laughter. I covered my ears, but everything was within me, so it only became louder. I wanted so much to scream, so much for it to go away, but neither could happen. The Dark Mark felt like fire now, and when my eyes opened, I could see crimson fluid, dripping onto the rug.

"No!" I whispered, trying to wipe up the blood.

I had no choice but to flee, with his voice ringing in my ears. It was horrifying. As my feet met with the cold floor of the school- after leaving the portrait hole of course- I could hear the droplets of blood hitting it behind me.

"Someone... please... anyone..." I murmured, racing down a flight of stairs before Filch saw me. I was headed toward the dungeons.

(Draco Malfoy)

I gasped, lowering myself to the floor as bolts of pain shot through my soul. It was the worst it had ever been. What was happening?!

"Draco Malfoy... you will now be a Death Eater."

"NO! PLEASE! FATHER, PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME!"

"Draco, you WILL be a Death Eater, or I will DISOWN YOU!"

"F-father..."

"I... have to get away... before my memories get the best of me," I breathed, stumbling out the door and the portrait hole. "P-professor Snape... can help... me..."

I had never felt such agony, but I had to keep going. That was how it always was- take the pain and move onward before it kills you. No, I would never let my father or Voldemort take my life. I was stronger than that. I had to be. I was racing toward Professor Snape's office when I ran into someone. We both yelled out, then quieted when we noticed who we saw.

"M-m-Malfoy," she whispered, her face pale and plagued with torment.

"W-Weaslette?"

She looked on the edge of hysteria. She grasped me by the shirt, her pupils dilated, tears spilling over her cheeks.

"G-get him away... out of my head... please..." she begged. "Don't let him do that to me again!"

"What the hell's the matter with you?!"

"GET HIM AWAY!"

I heard footsteps coming our way. I pulled her against me, muffling her cries, and inched up into a corner. Filch walked into the hallway, his lantern raised, his cat at his feet. I held my breath as he took steps down the floor.

"Please don't see us... please don't see us..." I thought, feeling the blood of the Dark Mark spilling onto the Weaslette's blouse.

Filch turned around and left. I let out a breath then pulled the girl from my chest.

(Ginny Weasley)

I had to admit, Malfoy pulling me close like that truly shut me up. Even if he was Malfoy, he was handsome. He WAS considered the cutest boy in school. Now that he had stopped talking to everyone, pulling himself away from everything, the air of mystery drove women wild. I never considered him attractive- I was always looking at what he had done to my friends and myself, but now.... I blushed.

"Good. You shut up. What the hell were you yelling about?" Came his voice, breaking my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh..." I stared down. "It was... Tom Riddle... that's all..."

"That's ALL?!" He exasperated. "Are you INSANE?! Did you say this guy was Voldemort?"

"Y-yes... but I guess... I should get used to it..."

"How... long... has he been doing this to you?" He seemed surprised that he was asking.

"Trying to control me? Six years."

"SIX YEARS?!"

"Yes, but he had me in first year. That's when I opened the Chamber of Secrets-" I gasped and covered my mouth. That WAS supposed to be a, well, a secret.

"I see," he responded. "C'mon." He offered his hand. "Let's go see Professor Snape and fix us both up."

I nodded. "Malfoy, why are you being so nice?"

"Did you already ask me that question?" He snapped.

I smiled. "Okay then, how about this. Can I call you... Draco?"

He stopped and looked back at me, surprised. I saw his cheeks warm a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh... sure. If you want..."

"Okay then, Draco," I beamed at him, something I hadn't done in a long... long... time. "And I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier. I was just... upset..."

"Explainable. Don't feel guilty for it. I swear I could have killed myself after my fath- err.... Nevermind."

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, opening the door to Snape's office. "Now... if I know Professor Snape, and I do, he's probably brooding in his office right about now." He turned and winked at me.

Sure enough, there Snape was, pacing about the room, seemingly in deep thought. I glanced at Ma- Draco, who seemed not at all phased at Snape's dark expression.

"Professor?" he questioned.

He looked up, blinked, then approached us.

"What are you two doing out here this late? Filch would have both your necks!"

I had to giggle. Snape sounded like Ron, which was absolutely hilarious in my opinion. Ron would die if he knew I had EVER compared him to Snape. Draco raised an eyebrow then gestured to me.

"It's not good; I'll tell you that. We're lucky Filch didn't find us."

Snape sighed. "Fine then, sit down."

(Severus Snape)

"This is strange," I thought. "The lotion should have soothed the pain, if only by a little. And it should have lasted..."

I furrowed my eyebrows as Draco lifted his sleeve, blood pouring to the ground. The auburn-haired lady beside him placed fingers to her chest and pulled them back, stained crimson. I couldn't understand what had happened, but my confusion was coated in worry- and emotion I hated because it made me vulnerable.

"This isn't the original Dark Mark," came a voice in the back of my head, but I didn't want to listen. I didn't want to believe that I couldn't help these young people.

"Tell me... um... what started this... um... bleeding. You first, Miss Weasley."

It was embarrassing, even for someone composed as I, to speak of 'bleeding' to a woman, even if that wasn't the case.

"Um..." she seemed hesitant to tell me and Draco gave her a small shove. "I... well, it was... a nightmare... sorta..."

"Sorta?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Draco had paled upon her saying that. "Do you have something to add, Draco?"

"So... did... I..." he breathed.

"What did it involve?" My eyebrow tweaked, but his face unsettled me.

"My... father." Draco answered softly.

"Mine wasn't about your father," Ginny's voice had dropped just as low- perhaps lower than Draco's. "It was about... T-tom."

I knew immediately who she was talking about, though shock settled over me that SHE knew who she was talking about.

"Riddle?"

"Y-yes," her voice was barely audible now.

"What was he... doing?" Draco whispered, his eyes wide, the gray irises of his eyes almost pulsing.

Ginny winced as blood poured from the wound.

(Ginny Weasley)

Tell them and I'll destroy you.

"I... I don't remember!" I stood quickly, but everything spun and I fell backwards. Someone caught me...