Getting Personal

CHAPTER 20 Waiting

Draco was tired of waiting. For four long, cold days, he had waited. Waited to hear from Dumbledore, waited to hear reports from the Order, waited for someone to give him information. Once again, he was cooped up in someone else's house - he had to give Dumbledore credit though, he certainly did know wizard's everywhere - about three miles from his family's summer home. I should have just stayed at Hogwarts, he thought bitterly, for all the good I've done here! Potter hadn't spoken much to him, but he never really did. The Mudblood had taken back to glaring every time she saw him, none of the Order trusted him except maybe, just maybe, Snape, but many in the Order did not trust him, and as for Ginny's family, well, it was clear they thought the blame lied with him. Plus, the thought of a Malfoy taking their precious daughter to an Inn for the night was unthinkable, no matter that they had slept in the same bed all summer with them in the house.

"She's there," Snape told him on the afternoon of the fourth day.

"I already knew that!" Draco snapped back, feeling rather ill towards everyone.

"Well, now it's confirmed," he said calmly. "And we know she's still alive."

Draco nodded, thinking of the ten thousand ways he would torture his father before killing him when this was all said and done. "When we were at Harry's house, Lupin said something about knowing that he wouldn't kill Ginny."

Snape looked at him in silence, so Draco pressed on.

"Who was he talking about?"

"I think you already know that."

"My father?"

"No."

"The Dark Lord?"

Snape nodded stiffly, as if this was a conversation he wanted no part of.

"But why?" Draco had to know. "He said Dumbledore told them why."

Snape silent and then finally said, "During her first year at Hogwarts the Dark Lord possessed her, and she let him. Because she willingly let him possess her, some shadow of himself has stayed with her."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, not liking the direction this conversation was taking.

"She did not know it was the Dark Lord. She only knew of her friend . . . Tom Riddle. When Potter destroyed his journal, he did not destroy Tom Riddle. Tom faded, but only until the Dark Lord had risen back into power. It is Dumbledore's theory that in some sick and twisted way, the Tom part of the Dark Lord loves her."

Draco's insides rumbled at the thought of the Dark Lord loving his girlfriend. "He's not capable of that."

"Maybe. Or maybe not."

"What does he think? That she'll fall for him?"

"As Tom, he is quite different. He would never go before Ginny as himself. Or perhaps it's you he wants."

Draco had heard enough. He stomped from the room and headed down the hall until he found Potter in the bedroom they were currently sharing with the twins.

"Ginny told me once that there is a prophecy about you that says you have to kill the Dark Lord," Draco barked without so much as a greeting.

"Or he has to kill me," Harry replied without looking up.

"Right. Count me in."

Harry rolled over and looked at him. "What?"

"I want Ginny back. I don't want to have to fucking worry about some bloody Mudblood Dark Lord trying to get with Ginny or war or death or anything. Let's end this."

Harry looked at him calmly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! I want Ginny back! I hate this, sitting here on my ass like a prat doing nothing!"

"Right then." Harry stood up with a tiny smile. "So what should we do?"

***

Ginny tried to keep track of the days by forcing herself to stay awake when she could see sunlight trickling in narrow window. So far it wasn't working out very well. When the fear would pass, the boredom set in. She hadn't seen Tom since the first night, or anyone else for that matter, but she knew he had come in at some time. The room now held a small sleeping cot, two blankets, and usually when she woke up she found food. At first, she had been petrified, but after at least three days that she had counted of not seeing another person, the terror began to wear into the monotony of doing absolutely nothing.

She entertained herself by reciting the spells and charms and hexes she had been studying for her N.E.W.T.s. She wondered if the Holidays were over and Hogwarts had started again. She wondered if Draco was looking for her. And when all that lost its fascination, she slept.

Draco's hands were gliding over her body, feeling every curve in her skin. His lips skated from her ears to her neck to her breasts, and brushing against her stomach.

Ginny moaned from underneath him, wanting him, wanting his touch.

"I love you Ginerva," Draco whispered.

Draco doesn't call me Ginerva, she thought, hazily. She looked closer at the wizard before her, only to discover that his hair was dark and his eyes were glowing red. She began to scream.

Ginny's eyes shot open and she scrambled from her bed, the scream still clinging to her lips. Wildly, she glanced around the room and found no one. She was still clothed. A dream, she told herself firmly. But the feeling hadn't stopped. She still felt like she was back in her dream, underneath her invisible lover. "Stop," she whispered to the empty room. But the feeling increased. The driving became harder, faster, and her skin prickled as invisible fingers stroked her body.

This can't be happening, she told herself rationally, ignoring the contrary evidence her body was giving her. I'm alone. I'm fully clothed.

But as the feelings inside of her grew more intense and more undeniable, she began to cry. "Stop! Please stop!" She fell to the floor, sobbing, unable to control what was happening, and drew her knees to her chest. "Please stop!"

It felt like an eternity before she felt the shuddering gasp inside of her that signaled the end, and Ginny began to throw up.

After that she refused to let herself sleep. She sat huddled against the wall, ignoring the bed, afraid of what would happen when she slept. Two more days passed, and occasionally she would find that she had dozed off, but she always woke with a start, afraid of what might be lurking. She sat against the wall, her mind repeating what had happened over and over again, trying to figure out if she was raped, if it was just a nightmare, or if she was going crazy. Because she didn't know what Tom's spell had done to her and she didn't know how to block it. On the third day since her dream, Tom came back.

"Waiting for me?" he asked, entering the room.

Ginny looked at him but said nothing.

"You look awful," he told her, conjuring up food.

She was sure she did. The last thing she had eaten was three days ago, and she had thrown that up. She had barely slept, and fear kept her huddled against the wall, shaking and sweating, even during the cool nights.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice like silk. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Ginny drew her knees closer to her chest and didn't answer. She felt Tom's hand brush against her cheek and she flinched away. But Tom was still standing across the room. Ginny's eyebrows drew together and he began to smile. "What did you do to me?" she hissed.

"I told you," he smiled, "we're going to always be together."

"You can't do this to me!" Ginny screamed at him, suddenly more furious that scared. "You can't just rape me!"

"I would hardly call it rape, Ginerva," he told her, his wicked grin expanding. "Besides, I was no where near you."

But even as those words left his mouth, Ginny could feel his hands, sliding along the skin of her bare stomach, his fingers slipping beneath the waistband of her knickers. "Stop it!" she screamed, charging him. She swung her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could.

Tom looked mildly surprised and rubbed his cheek. Then he reached down and grabbed Ginny by the neck and shoved her against the wall. "You are mine. You will always be mine."

Ginny struggled to remove his fingers which were blocking her wind pipe.

"Do you understand me? Do you?" He shook her harder.

Ginny tried to nod her head, but the room was going blurry. Spots danced before her eyes, and then everything went black.

Tom didn't come back at all after that. Every once in a while she would look up and find food, but she saw no one. She could feel his presence occasionally. An invisible kiss or the brush of a hand stroking her cheek or her name, lingering in the air, but there was no Tom. It felt like years had passed, as she was too afraid to sleep and too bored to stay awake. The fear won out. The thought of waking to someone inside of her was worse than boredom.

And when the door finally did open, Ginny looked up to find Draco and Harry staring at her.

CHAPTER 21

Finally, after what felt like centuries, Dumbledore informed them that he had it on good word that Ginny, if she was in the castle, was there alone most of the time. "However, as Draco has told us," there are a great number of wards protecting the castle. We need to learn all that we can."

Harry cleared his throat. "Draco has been teaching them to me and Fred and George. We've been practicing. I think we're ready."

"Certainly not," Molly sniffed, her eyes red and puffy. "I can't let you boys go in there alone."

A heavy silence hung over the room. Finally Dumbledore cleared his throat and said, "Draco knows the wards and it has been Harry who has encountered the Dark Lord and lived more than 5 times."

Draco glanced around the room. "If my father hasn't turned the wards against me, getting in will be no problem."

Again, there was silence and he could feel Molly's unspoken question hanging in the air. "Why should we trust you?"

Finally Moody spoke up. "Teach us the wards, and then if they have been turned against you we can help."

Draco nodded stiffly, his anger rising up inside him. Why were they taking so long? Why weren't they in a hurry to get Ginny? "Fine." They ate the rest of the dinner in silence and when he was through, he went back to his room and pulled on his cloak.

"What are you doing?"

Draco whirled around and saw Harry in the doorway.

"I'm going to get Ginny. I'm not waiting until tomorrow or the next day or the next. This is ridiculous, and the rest of them can sod off!"

"Right then, mate," George said, edging in the room. "Let's go."

Draco looked at them suspiciously.

"She's our sister," Fred snapped hotly. "We don't want to wait either. Why do you think we've been practicing?"

The four of them crept down the stairs and towards the side entrance, hoping the rest of the Order was still eating dinner. Once outside, they apparated to the stone wall that surrounded his family's castle. Draco sucked in a deep breath of the ocean air and stepped up to the gate. "Draco Malfoy and three guests," he said.

If nothing happened in five seconds, they were all to get out of they way, for it meant his father had turned the wards against him. But, as he lifted his hand, the gate slid open. Quickly they darted across the courtyard, and made their way into the dark castle. They saw no one as they followed Draco to a narrowing winding staircase. As was the plan, Fred and George hid in a curve nearly half way up so they could attempt to stop anyone who might come up. When Harry and Draco reached the top, Draco pressed his ear to the door and heard nothing. "Alohamora," he whispered, and he door creaked open.

There she was, sitting on the floor opposite the door, staring at him. "Tom?" she whispered.

"No, it's me." He rushed across the room and hugged her. "Are you alright?"

She started to nod and then shook her head. "Are you real?"

Draco glanced at Harry. "Let's go." He scooped Ginny into his arms and darted down the stairs behind Harry.

"Let's get out of here," Harry told the twins.

They apparated back inside the home of Dumbledore's acquaintance and Fred, George, and Harry fought Draco off for a chance to hug Ginny.

"That was too bloody easy," Fred said darkly, with a glance towards the kitchen. "Why didn't we do that sooner?"

"Because we didn't know," Dumbledore said from behind them.

Draco was still holding onto Ginny when she went limp in his arms.

***

When Ginny opened her eyes, her surrounding were familiar. The hospital wing at Hogwarts.

"Oh baby," her mum gasped, crushing her with a hug.

Ginny flinched under her touch.

"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

Ginny shook her head and tried to look pleased to see her mum. But she wasn't. She hadn't even been particularly pleased to see Draco and Harry for fear of what Tom was going to do when he found out that she was gone.

"Everyone wants to see you," her mum was saying, "but Madam Pomfrey said we have to wait until Professor Dumbledore sees you."

Dumbledore. Of course. He would know what to do. "Can you send him in?" Ginny asked.

Her mum looked slightly put out, but nodded. "Of course."

She came back minutes later with him in tow. Ginny glanced between them and Dumbledore immediately caught her message.

"Molly, if you could allow me to speak to Ginny in private?"

"But, I, but she-"

"Please."

Her mum frowned and stomped out of the small room. Ginny and Dumbledore eyed each other for a moment.

"He put some sort of curse on me," Ginny said finally. "A binding curse or something." She told him about the spell and the way he had been able to touch her without even being in the room, and showed him the scar on her forearm. "Can you undo it?"

He looked at her arm carefully before speaking. "I do not know any counter curses for this, but I will look. However, this seems to be the binding spell that binds two wizard's minds together. Of course, the spell is supposed to be done together so each can be bound. If this is the one Tom did, he has given himself access to your feelings. He can make you feel things, but he cannot harm you."

"I don't want to feel things," she whispered, tears dripping from her face. "He used it to rape me."

Dumbledore looked at her gravely, his eyes full of compassion. "He did not really rape you. He only manipulated your feelings so it would seem that way."

"That's just as bad," Ginny sobbed.

"I will see what I can find to counteract this," he promised.

Madam Pomfrey gave her a calming drought and after a while, she allowed her family back in.

That night, Draco came to see her. "I'm so, so sorry," he kept repeating.

"Stop," she insisted. "It's not your fault." Draco looked as worn and broken as she felt. "I missed you."

"I missed you," he nodded.

"Thank you for saving me."

He nodded again. "Ginny?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

She closed her eyes and smiled; it was the first time he'd ever said that to her. "I love you too."

"I guess I better go," he said finally, "before Madam Pomfrey finds me."

"No, stay here with me." She had missed him, but also, she was afraid to sleep, afraid Tom would find her. "Come up here."

Draco glanced around the small room and they lay down next to her. "Tell me what happened."

But she couldn't. She didn't have the words to tell him what Tom had done.

When Ginny woke, she couldn't breathe. Fingers were crushing her throat.

You stupid little bitch, Tom's voice filled her head. You left me and you went back to him!

Ginny clawed at her neck, desperately trying to suck in oxygen. Next to her, Draco was sitting up, shouting and pulling at her hands, but she barely noticed. "Please stop," she begged Tom. "Don't do this!"

Why did you leave? he raged. Why are you choosing him?

"I'm sorry!" she gasped.

Tell me you love me.

"I love you."

THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?

"They came to get me," she told him. "I'm sorry."

The pressure on her neck began to ease. You'll always be mine.

"I know."

I'm going to kill him. You may be gone, but he'll be dead. His father won't mind.

"Please don't. Don't hurt him." The salt from her tears stung the fresh wounds she had clawed into her neck.

You love him.

Ginny had no answer, and yet, she felt his hands release her neck.

Leave him. Tell him you won't be with him, and I'll let him live. If you won't, he'll be dead in a matter of days, and it won't be merciful. I'll torture him until he dies. Or maybe I'll let him live. They way the Longbottom's are. Then you could spend your days taking care of him.

"Don't do this."

You are MINE!

Ginny's head spun to the side with the blow she received.

If I cannot have you, you cannot have him! His hands darted up under the sleeping robes Madam Pomfrey had given her, and his laugh echoed in her head.

"No, please, I'm sorry. I'll do it! I will," she promised, trying desperately to push his hands away.

Do it now.

"Ginny! Answer me!" Draco was holding her wrists and only inches away from her face.

"Fight it, Ginny," Dumbledore's voice told her. "You know it is not real."

Ginny's eyes slid from Draco to Dumbledore to Madam Pomfrey. "I need to talk to Draco. Alone."

"Absolutely not!" Madam Pomfrey sputtered.

"What did he tell you?" Dumbledore asked quietly. "What did he do?"

"I'm fine. I just need to talk to Draco."

"What?" Draco asked, his face pale and his hair messed up. "What happened?"

Do it! She could feel the pressure of Tom's hand on her thigh.

"We can't do this anymore," Ginny said, avoiding Draco's gaze. "We can't."

"Can't do what?" he demanded.

"Me and you . . . we can't be together."

"Ginny," Dumbledore cut in sharply, "Tom cannot really hurt you. You may have hurt yourself, but he cannot."

Ginny ignored him. "It's over."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, trying to meet her eye. "He can't make you do this."

"Tom isn't-"

"Don't call him Tom like he's your bloody mate!"

"He's not making me do anything. I care about you, I didn't want you to go to his side, but I don't love you." She nearly lost control as that lie slipped from her mouth, nearly broke down, but Tom was still there, waiting.

"I don't believe you," Draco shook his head. "I don't."

"It doesn't matter," she said coldly. "It's still over."

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