****
Title: Lady Darkness
Author: Emcee
and rain
Rating: R
Summary: Tom and Ginny enjoy being back together, while Sirius
discusses the situation with two old friends.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Pablo for the beta. Lyrics in the
chapter title from "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" by Pete Townshend.
Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" and the characters, places and things related to it do not belong to me. They are from the brilliant mind of JK Rowling. They belong to her and her publishers. I am not making any profit from this fan fiction.
xiii. 'Nothing gets in my way not even locked doors. I don't follow the lines that've been laid before.'
Ginny was wrapped in tight warmth. An inexplicable sense of safety and happiness spread through her entire being.
She opened her eyes and found herself not in her room at Twelve Grimmauld Place, but an unknown room.
It took her fuzzy mind a few moments to remember why she was in this fanciful room. She had run away from Headquarters with Tom.
The warmth was Tom. He was spooning her, his body flush with hers. His chin rested on her shoulder. He mumbled unintelligible in her ear. "Mmmf... Sister... No..."
Ginny wriggled out of Tom's arms and stood up. She stretched, arching her back. The skirt of her dress was rumpled. She smoothed it down with the palms of her hand.
She turned to the bed, looking down at her sleeping lover. He had wrapped his arms around Ginny's crumpled pillow, hugging it tightly. Ginny smiled brushing a lock of his hair out of his face. He looked innocent in his slumber, such a sharp contrast to his bloodthirsty nature.
There was a strange sensation against her ankle. Ginny looked down to see Apophis rubbing his head against her ankle. "Hello there. I don't think I can bear to wake him. I'll just get myself all pretty before he wakes."
Ginny carefully stepped over Apophis. As she stepped towards the door, her foot caught on something. She bent down, picking up the soft, blue jumper.
She clutched it tightly, wringing the jumper in her fingers, unsure of what to do. While last night she had been eager to get rid of this knitted top, now she didn't want to let it go.
It was hers. She had received it for Christmas two years earlier. Her mother had worked so hard on it.
Mrs. Weasley's jumper never meant anything to Ginny in the past. She took them for granted. Ginny knew, no matter what, on Christmas morning, she would have a new sweater from her mother.
But that would never happen again, would it?
She was never going to get a jumper from her mother again.
Tom had told her that her life would change forever. It didn't seem real until this moment. The weight of reality settled down on her.
Was she... Supposed to cry? It felt like that was the normal response to these feelings. However, nothing about Ginny was normal. They felt alien inside of her.
She had to throw this out, get rid of these squirming, nauseous emotions.
Ginny walked down the corridor, wringing the jumper in her hands. This had to end, now.
She went into the bathroom, focusing on the dustbin. She held the jumper over it.
She hesitated, focusing on the knit pattern. There were minor flaws in the knit. It had been made for her, only for her.
Turning away from the dustbin, Ginny stared into the mirror.
Was she really a new person? The dark princess Tom believed her to be? Was the identity of Ginny Weasley so easily cast aside?
She looked over herself, decked out in her rumpled black gown. This was a present from her lord. It was not like her mother's jumper. It was not made for her. It was for another girl.
Was the jumper really for her? Or was it made for a girl who didn't exist anymore?
Ginny slipped the jumper over her head. She smoothed it down over her torso.
It wasn't right. No, she wasn't right. The jumper belonged to someone that wasn't her. Her pale flesh, her dark lips. She looked like a vampire. Even her trademark red hair was showing black roots.
The darkness was claiming her body and soul. She could see it creeping into every inch of her.
Maybe she wasn't there yet. Maybe there was still a hint of Ginny Weasley inside her. But that was only temporary. The darkness was taking her and Ginny Weasley wouldn't survive the poison.
She would wait for that time to come. The emotions would fade in time.
For now, Ginny folded the jumper. She opened the drawer under the sink, tucking it away.
Tom felt the absence of his lover beside him. As he woke, he wanted her close. He needed her to soothe him.
He couldn't remember the last time he had a sound night's sleep. Maybe when he was a small child, before the weight of the world settled onto him. He could not remember it clearly. It seemed like he had always been lost.
He needed to be pulled out of this darkness. The only one who could soothe him wasn't in this bed.
He heard the sounds of movement in the room. He rubbed his forehead, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Princess? Come back to bed."
A hand clamped over Tom's eyes. Spindly fingers wrapped around Tom's throat, tightening. "It's time to get up, Darling." The voice was high-pitched, tense.
Tom was hoisted out of bed, thrown against the wall. The hand was removed from his face and his eyes snapped open. His attacker was an ugly thing. He was snake-like, more beast than man.
Tom had never seen him before, but he knew what it was-- who it was. "Voldemort, I presume." The pressure on his throat roughened his voice. "How did you find me?"
"Please," Voldemort shoved him back onto the bed, releasing him from the surprisingly strong hold. "You left a trail a simpleton could follow."
Wriggling and writhing, Ginny was hauled into the room. Lucius Malfoy held her hands behind her back.
Anger welled inside Tom. He leapt to his feet. "Princess!" He snatched up his wand, pointing it at Lucius. "Let her go!"
"Please," Voldemort pushed Tom back. "I promise not to harm your little toy. Lucius, let the young miss go."
Lucius scowled, gripping Ginny tighter. She cried out. Tom jumped up again. He would rip Lucius apart with his bare hands for daring to touch his lady.
"Lucius..." Voldemort hissed, "I hate to repeat myself."
Growling, Lucius released Ginny. She scrambled towards Tom, her eyes wide with fear.
"Princess," Tom tried to keep his voice steady. Nerves were making him queasy. "Take Apophis and leave the house. I want you as far away from here as possible."
Ginny shook her head frantically. "No! I'm not going to leave you alone with that thing!"
Voldemort's laugh was high and cold. "Brave little sprog, isn't she? Most would flee the moment they saw me."
"Well, you are enormously ugly," Ginny spat.
"Go!" Tom bellowed. "Now!"
Ginny scowled, pushing Lucius out of the way before stalking out of the room.
Voldemort nodded. "Good. Now Lucius, leave us. I would like to speak to my younger counterpart."
Lucius gave a curt nod before exiting the room.
Blood red eyes met ice blue. Tom rose to his feet, eyeing Voldemort intently.
Voldemort chuckled coldly as he looked Tom up and down. "Well, well, well... Wasn't I the young buck?"
"What do you want?" Tom demanded. He wrapped his fingers tighter around the handle of the wand.
Voldemort's lipless mouth curved in a smile. "Do you really think I care about your strumpet?"
Tom growled low in his throat. He didn't care for this line of questioning. Ginny was his. No one, not even himself, would tell him what to do regarding her. "What do you care?"
"Love," Voldemort spat, "Has been ruin to more powerful men than you. I would hate to see you fall before you had the chance to prove yourself to me."
Tom shook his head. "I have no wish to prove myself to you." He would not-- could not-- address the fact Voldemort said he loved Ginny. How could he deny it when he was unsure himself?
Voldemort crossed his arms over his chest. Though frail and beastly, he was commanding in his scarlet gaze. "We need not be enemies, Tom. We are the same person, you and I. No one knows you as I do... and no one knows me as you do. You would be my most powerful servant."
Tom pointed his wand at Voldemort's throat. "I am slave to no one."
"Only your passions, hm?" Voldemort pointed his wand at Tom's heart. "I have no wish to kill myself."
"I am not you," Tom snarled. "I am pure, the Heir of Slytherin. Not some ghastly snake beast."
Voldemort pressed forward, the tip of his wand pressing into Tom's flesh. "You are polluted with our father's blood. I am pure."
Tom chuckled, his laugh mirroring Voldemort's. "Purely hideous."
"Maybe I'm not the heartthrob you are." Voldemort pressed his wand in hard. Tom hissed in a breath, trying to keep himself strong. "But I command respect and fear."
Tom smirked. "I really don't care."
Voldemort smirked back. "Miss Weasley is quite attractive. It would be a shame if she were sullied by my Death Eaters."
Fear crept into Tom. He knew the Death Eaters would do whatever Voldemort said. They would love a young lady like Ginny at their disposal. No! No one would touch her but him! She was his dark princess, not some victim to be raped and tortured! "I don't care for idle threats," Tom tried to mask the harsh alarm in his voice. "Are we going to duel?"
Voldemort moved his wand, letting it rest at his side. He raised his head, looking down his flat nose at Tom. "We have no quarrel, young one. Not yet, at least... I only wished to know if what Lucius told me was true."
Reaching out, Voldemort ran his spidery fingers over Tom's cheek. "I can give you anything you want. All you need to do is serve me. You will never overtake me. It is the best offer you will get."
Tom jerked away from Voldemort's touch. "I make my own opportunity."
Voldemort nodded. "Charming. We will meet again, young one. I am not finished with you."
Voldemort disapparated, leaving Tom alone in the bedroom. He sat back down on the bed, holding his head in his hands. The whole world was against him now. All he had was Ginny.
Hermione watched from the doorway as Harry paced the length of his room. She frowned. Ever since Ginny's supposed betrayal, the air in the house had been tense. Harry had especially appeared dark. "Harry?"
Harry looked up, blinking in surprise. "Oh. Hermione. Hi."
Hermione smiled weakly, striding to him. She took his hands. "Harry, stop pacing. You'll wear a hole in the floor."
Harry looked down at his feet. "Oh." He sighed. "I didn't realise I was doing that."
"Well, you were." Hermione squeezed his hands gently. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
"We need to owl the other members of the DA. Make sure they know not to talk to Ginny. Let's see there's Neville, Dean, Seamus, Lavender..." He started to pace again, pulling along Hermione.
"HARRY!" Hermione dug her heels into the floor. "This isn't going to help. We need to talk. Now, I know this is about Ginny, but this isn't what's bothering you."
Harry blinked at Hermione, his eyes dull. "Ginny is evil. She tried to kill Remus and Fred. What else has to be wrong?"
"You tell me," Hermione whispered. She reached for Harry's hand.
Harry bowed his head. "I couldn't save her." His voice was hoarse. "I thought... When I went into the Chamber of Secrets... That I saved her life. But there was nothing left to save, was there? She had already sold her soul to Riddle."
"You can't blame yourself." Hermione whispered. "You can't even blame Ginny. Blame him. He's the cause of all of this. Voldemort."
"Is it even Voldemort?" Harry asked, releasing Hermione's hand. "Or is it Riddle? Do I have to kill both of them now? Or are they going to team up and kill me."
"You're not going to die, Harry." Hermione felt her heart thumping inside her chest. The idea of Harry dying terrified her. She knew, deep inside, she couldn't deny it. It was quite possible Voldemort might win. "I won't let them."
"We've lost so many people, Hermione... In so short of a time. I don't know if I can bear to lose anymore. Knowing that they're dying to protect me... I can't stand it."
Hermione wrapped an arm around Harry's neck, drawing him close. He buried his head in her neck. She smoothed down his unruly hair. "Shh... Harry, it's all right."
Harry shook his head. "No, it's not." He tightened his grip on Hermione. "If Ginny tries to hurt anyone I care about again, I'm going to kill her myself."