A/N: Ok, ok, ok. I'm well aware of the fact that it has been more than a year since I've updated, well, any of my stories, including this one. I guess it is mainly due to a mixture of university, writer's block and James's death. The fact that my apartment was broken into and all my stuff – including my computer – stolen didn't help much either. So I heartily apologise to all of you who have been waiting for this chapter for a very long time. I hope you will all forgive me and continue to read.
I'd like to dedicate this chapter:
Firstly, to all of you who have reviewed this story since its conception. Thanks so much!
And secondly to James, my love and inspiration now and forever. We were never two my love.
Demon Kiss
Chapter 7
This is me for forever
One of the lost ones
The one without a name
Without an honest heart
As compass…
…Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
All I wish is to dream again
My loving heart
Lost in the dark
For hope I'd give my
Everything…
…Walk the dark path
Sleep with angels
Call the past for help
Touch me with your love
And reveal to me my true name…
- Nemo
By Nightwish
It was the dream again, the same one she'd been having for the past week. Ginny stood alone in a deserted street beneath an evening sky muted with thick smog. The air burnt the back of her throat, carrying with it the smell of burning wood and flesh, while the stifling breeze swirled with drifting flecks of black. Her skin felt like it was blistering while she stood there, but for some reason she did not seem inclined to do anything about it; she was waiting, although she did not know for what.
She did not have to wait for long, because a cool breeze suddenly blew over her, carrying away the heat and the ash and the smell, leaving Ginny feeling better that she could recall ever having felt.
And he was there, suddenly, as if he had simply been blown in with the fresh breeze. Yet it did not touch him, did not move his black cloak, did not ruffle the soft paleness of his hair. It was as if the breeze itself came from him, rather than from nature, as if he were larger and more powerful than even the fire raging somewhere in the distance – or so it seemed. The moon unexpectedly showed herself from behind the curtain of smog, showering her shimmering radiance upon him, illuminating him with a glow that seemed to come as much from within him as without. He stood silently, appearing more like a statue than a human, features set in that impassively handsome arrogance that he was so well known for.
Ginny felt her throat tighten, her breath catching in her chest. The part of her that was lying in bed, sleeping, dreaming, knew what would happen next, but the part of her that was the dream waited there, impatiently, breathlessly.
The smog parted further, and Ginny caught a glimpse of more black-clad figures standing in a semi-circle behind him, all with that impassive quiet to match his own.
"Draco."
His name whispered across her lips as if it had always been there, simply waiting for her to speak it. A shiver ran down her spine, but Ginny was unable to pinpoint any reason or emotion behind it.
He smiled, a soft, knowing smile, and stretched out his hand, palm up, towards her. "Join me."
Licking her lips nervously Ginny stood silently for a moment, caught between her need for the man before her and her growing sense of unease. There was barely a part of her that did not want to lay her hand in his, to take up the offer, to experience the promises held in his eyes.
She raised her hand, achingly slowly, reaching for him. But there was something calling her back, a pounding sound right behind her that she simply couldn't ignore.
"Come to me." It was as if he spoke inside of her, as if his voice could caress parts of her that no other person should be able to touch. And she hesitated, her hand still held suspended in the air, mere inches out of his grasp, but still the other noise intruded. The pounding was becoming louder every moment, and she heard a voice, a familiar voice…
Ginny sat bolt upright with a gasp, clutching her sheets close to her body. The pounding was coming from her living room – or more precisely from her front door.
"Come on, Ginny, we know you're in there! Open up!" She recognised Tonks' voice coming through the wall.
"On my way!" Ginny shouted back as she half fell out of her bed, grabbing for her night robe. She was at her door a few seconds later, dishevelled and slightly annoyed.
"Finally!" Hermione huffed as Ginny pulled open the door. "What took you so long?"
"And why aren't you dressed?" Tonks piped in from the side. "We said we'd be here by ten."
"But it can't be ten already!" Ginny grumbled as they piled into the living room. "My alarm hasn't even gone off yet."
"It's ten thirty, Gin." Hermione called over her shoulder as she headed into Ginny's kitchen. "I'll make coffee while you get dressed."
Ginny waved in a non-committal way as she disappeared in her bedroom, massaging her temples as she walked. She could feel a headache coming on already. Perhaps some good old caffeine would cure it. Grabbing some random items of clothing from her drawer, Ginny wondered if she'd managed to sleep through her alarm. Considering the dream she's been having it was completely possible.
The dream seemed to become more real every time she had it, as if it grew in strength simply by being replayed so often. The first time she had merely shrugged it off as some subconscious way of dealing with the Malfoy reappearance, but was a dream still insignificant if it occurred that frequently? Ginny had to start admitting to herself that there was more to the dream than she initially thought. And she also had to face the fact that it was more real than anything she had ever experienced before. A part of her, deep down, knew that if she gave in to him, if she took his hand, it would mean something not only in the world of dreams, but in the physical realm too. The part of Ginny that was magical knew this beyond all doubt. She just wasn't quite sure what that acquiescence would mean.
Even more frightening was the fact that it became harder for her, each time she dreamed, to resist him. To tell the truth she did not even know whether she wanted to resist.
"You nearly done?" Tonks stuck her head into Ginny's bedroom, a grin on her face. "I can't believe you overslept on Girls Day Out!"
Girls Day Out, as it had been labelled, was a regular thing for Ginny, Hermione and Tonks. They'd all get together on a Saturday every once in a while and do something fun. Ginny knew that it was a way for her friends to spend time with her without the fact that she was the only single one being overtly pronounced, and usually she appreciated it, but she just wasn't in the mood.
"Yeah, I'm nearly done." She replied as she zipped up her pair of black leather muggle boots. They often went out in muggle London on days such as these, and if Ginny remembered correctly, Hermione had suggested that they go see a muggle 'move', or something like that. "I've just been tired Tonks."
"Too tired to go see a muggle what-ya-ma-call-it?" Tonks asked with a grin and a wink.
"It's called a film or a movie." Hermione huffed as she walked into the room, three cups of coffee in her hands.
"Thanks 'Mione." Ginny shot her friend a grateful look as she accepted the steaming coffee. Lots of milk, lots of sugar. Perfect. She took a long sip before replying to Tonks. "'Course I'm not too tired to go watch a …"
"Movie." Hermione supplied for her.
"Yeah, that." Ginny shrugged and grinned. "I've heard those muggle claptors are really hot." Liar. She thought to herself. She really didn't feel like doing anything of the sort. Her thoughts were still filled with a rather hot wizard, to be truthful.
"They're called actors, Ginny." Hermione said with a sigh, rolling her eyes and laughing at her friends. "And yes, some of them are pretty cute."
"Awesome!" Tonks exclaimed and punched a fist into the air. "Let's go."
"Does Remus know you're this enthusiastic to see hot muggles?" Hermione teased as she and Tonks disappeared down the hallway. Ginny just shook her head as their voices drifted further away and she couldn't hear Tonks' reply. It was going to be a long day.
So the muggle movie hadn't been too bad, Ginny had to admit, if nothing else it gave a relatively good insight into the everyday lives of muggles, although Hermione maintained that it wasn't nearly that glamorous all the time. According to her the whole James Bond thing sort of blew muggle life out of proportion. Ginny made a mental note to take her father to a movie for his next birthday. He would love it.
The three women were leisurely strolling back to Diagon Alley when Hermione brought up the one subject that Ginny would have given anything to avoid.
"So have any of you actually seen Malfoy since his mysterious reappearance?"
Tonks shook her head. "I haven't. And fortunately our family connection isn't so close that I would be forced to either." She frowned for a moment. "I did see that Zabini boy in a restaurant the other night with the woman who runs Malfoy's business. I felt kind of sorry for her."
"Why?" Ginny croaked out, hope her friends wouldn't notice her odd reaction to the entire topic. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to know what Malfoy and Zabini were up to or not, but the fact that the mere mention of his name was enough to make butterflies ponce around in her stomach disturbed Ginny slightly.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, Zabini is still a handsome plonker, but just the way he looked at her made me nervous. It was almost like he wanted to eat her."
"Eew. Overshare." Hermione quipped. "I so didn't want to know that."
"Not in that way, silly." The older woman rolled her eyes at Hermione. "I mean as if what he was eating in the restaurant wasn't his actual meal, she was."
Ginny shivered, a feeling of foreboding suddenly making her cold, but she pushed it away, attributing it to her lack of peaceful sleep.
"Says the woman who is married to werewolf." Hermione teased, grinning at Tonks. "Get those looks often do you?"
Ginny and Tonks rolled their eyes in unison. "Funny 'Mione." Tonks muttered, but a smile was tugging at her face. "At least I'm not married to a man who one puked up slugs."
This sent the two older women into peals of laughter, and Ginny forced a grin. She really wanted the day to end. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with her friends, but rather that she had too many other things she needed to think about. One of those being Malfoy, and the other being the Ministry serial killer case. The whole department was at their wits end. There simply weren't any leads to follow. The autopsies done by the coroners weren't of much help, the crime scene units were unable to find anything, and there were no witnesses. All they had were a pile of useless bones.
"That's it!" Ginny cried out loud, startling her friends out of their conversation.
"What's what, Ginny?" Hermione wrinkled her nose and raised a brow at her red-haired friend.
"I know who can help us solve the murder!" Ginny was nearly bouncing out of her skin. "Tonks, I want you to contact Moody and get me permission to show the bodies to an outside specialist, plus the paperwork to do a memory-modifying spell on a muggle."
"What are you planning Gin?" Tonks asked eyes narrowed at her friend. "You don't actually think there's a muggle who could tell us anything our own team couldn't?"
Hermione huffed in indignation, but the two Aurors ignored her.
"Oh yes there is." Ginny smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead. "I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier! I'm so going to prove my theory correct. Just get me the paperwork Tonks, please?"
"I don't know Gin, this could be risky. We can't afford to let the panic spread to the muggle world as well."
"Just trust me, please Tonks, this might be the only chance we have of catching these monsters, please?" Ginny gave her friend the best imitation of puppy eyes that she could do.
"Fine." Tonks sighed. "I'll go talk to Moody."
"Oh thanks Tonks, I owe you!" Ginny called over her shoulder as she turned to sprint away.
"You bet you do!"
So that's it for chapter 7. Hope you all liked it. I know it probably wasn't worth the wait, but please review in anyway. I'm hoping that chapter 8 will be much longer and much more action packed than any of the previous chapters have been, and that it won't take me another year to get it out.
Thanks again for reading!
-Katyla