Chapter Ten

Ginny swam through the darkness of her mind, slowly coming into consciousness. Cold, dampness was seeping into her clothes from the hard surface she was lying on. She cracked her eyes open gingerly, realizing that the muffled sounds in her head were the rumble of voices. With what felt like unreasonable effort, the fog finally lifted.

She was lying on her back, her head turned so that she could see the semi-transparent form of a wizard standing in front of her. Beyond him, Harry, wand raised and face set in defiance.

"You are nothing," Harry said.

"True, I am diminished in this state," the ghost wizard answered. "But I am still far more powerful than you could imagine, boy."

"I don't care how powerful you are, you'll never hurt my—Ginny!"

"Ah, young love, how sweet. It won't be enough, this time, to save you. Where's your mummy now, Harry?" The wizard's voice was silky, but his words were sharp enough to cut deep. Harry's green eyes flashed. "Oh yes, I remember it all, stupid boy. Pure luck saved you when you should have been nothing against me."

"No. Love saved me."

"You sound like that insufferable Dumbledore, it doesn't become you." Ginny carefully felt for her wand, but it was gone. A quick glance and she saw it hanging almost carelessly in the grip of the ghost. Only, ghosts couldn't hold things. What was he?

"Dumbledore is ten times the wizard you ever were, even when you were alive," Harry snapped.

"Nobody compares to Lord Voldemort, insolent child." The wizard suddenly hissed, startling Ginny so badly her heel scraped against the stone she lay one. The wizard whirled, revealing a long, wispy transparent strand attaching him to her. No, attaching him to the locket she still wore around her neck. "Be still, girl. I'm not done with you. How about you watch your little boyfriend play with my pet?"

A horribly slick sound filled the dank chamber and Ginny screamed as cool scaled brushed against her as the basilisk poured itself out of a tunnel she couldn't see in the dark.

"Don't look at it, Harry!" she yelled, just before she felt her body lock up in a full body bind curse. She watched helplessly as Harry shot a spell, but nothing was going to pierce that hide. Not only were basilisks powerful magical creatures, this one was over a thousand years old. Harry vanished into a side tunnel, pursued by the snake. The wizard above her regarded icily.

"You know," he said conversationally, as if Harry's pounding footsteps and the snakes strikes that shook the walls around them were mere birdsong on a picnic, "I was quite irritated with a blood traitor being let into my House. But, as any good Slytherin knows, these things must be turned to our advantage. I can destroy the Light side from the inside out, using your body, little Ginny." Ginny tried to struggle, but the curse held. She clenched her fists, wanting to scream. She clenched her fists! The curse was releasing her. Surely he knew? But he droned on. Ginny lay perfectly still, as she felt the curse easing slowly from her body.

A wild yell from behind her almost made her blow her cover, but Harry bolted past her, the snake hot on his heels. Ginny's mind screamed. SOMEBODY HELP US! Almost as if answering her, a sudden light assaulted the dark room. From above them, Dumbledore's Phoenix familiar appeared with a tinkling, trilling song. It dove down, dropping the Sorting Hat, of all things, right on Harry's head. It then proceeded to attack the basilisk with vigor, flashing in and out of existence. Soon, the basilisk was blinded, the fiery bird having gouged its yellow eyes from its skull.

"NO!" The spirit began shooting spells, curses so dark they sizzled the air around them with malevolence. Ginny shouted for Harry to dodge, sending the boy into an impressive roll. The snake heard her, though. Its gruesome visage bore down upon her, forcing her to roll out of the way. A jet of light hit it in the face, distracting it. Astoundingly, Draco scrambled out of a tunnel some three or four meters above them on the opposite wall. He grappled momentarily, but only managed to slow his fall down the slimy wall. He landed with a heavy thud, and even with the curses flying and the snake screaming, Ginny heard the sickening crunch of something decidedly broken. The snake did, too.

Without thinking, Ginny stood. She felt the tug of the locket, pulling towards its master, but the terrifying Dark wizard was so focused on killing Harry who, so far, eluded him, Ginny's movements went unnoticed. As if in slow motion, she saw the basilisk rear back. Draco stood, pressed against the wall, one leg bent almost completely sideways, but he stood. Face grim, eyes wide, wand raised, he stood. Harry shouted, and Ginny turned. He'd fallen, and the transparent Lord Voldemort—Salazar Slytherin—stood over him, triumphantly. The Sorting Hat suddenly flew off, and Harry bounded to his feet, swinging a sword gleaming sword in an overhand arc. A sharp hiss brought her back to herself, and she made a choice without even realizing it. She ran for Draco. The snake struck, Ginny screeched, and flung herself.

Pain, pain, pain.

She looked down, and a single, gigantic fang stabbed through the center of her chest. Directly through the locket. A horrible screeching echoed through the chamber, and spells were flying from behind her, hitting the snake's gory eye sockets, driving it back. She choked, tasting hot blood on her lips. It hurt so bad, so bad. She stood, arms flung out, agony coursing through her, her only thought to keep standing, to block the snake. But the pain.

"Fawkes!" Harry screamed, and the Phoenix grabbed Harry by the robes, flying him above the snake and dropping him. Ginny watched Harry fall, spinning to slice the head of the basilisk in two, and she let herself fall with him.

"Ginny!" Draco fell beside her, yanking the fang from her chest. The locket smoke, and he snatched it. She saw it flair with hot, green fire around his hand, but he threw it away without looking. "Ginny!"

"Dra—co," her voice broke, and hot blood coursed over her chin.

"Ginny!" Harry was suddenly on her other side, his voice raw.

"Brother," she whispered, trying to touch his face but convulsing when a wave of pain washed over her again. Draco squeezed her hand. "Draco. I—would have chosen—you."

The void rose up around her, and she couldn't hear them yelling anymore. The pain began to fade, and relief settled her. Death seemed like such sweet rest. She wasn't even scared anymore.

sssssssssssssss

"Gentiana, you marvelous child." The hands were warm, motherly, petting her face, but the voice wasn't her mother. Ginny opened her eyes, and she was standing in a quiet field somewhere near the Burrow, a place she'd played with her brothers so many times. The world seemed softer around her, though. She turned her head, looking for the person attached to the hands on her face.

It was almost like looking in a mirror, a mirror that showed the future. The woman was older than her, but the same red cascade of hair, the same lips, the upper lip slightly too full and shaped like a recurved bow. The same smattering of freckles over the long, slim nose.

"You have Harry's eyes," Ginny said, surprised that she wasn't scared. The woman smiled, and a face that might have been average was suddenly transformed. She was gorgeous.

"And you have your father's eyes, Gentiana," Lily Potter said gently.

"Am I dead?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Lily answered matter-of-factly.

"Will they be okay without me?"

"They could be. But they don't have to be," Lily answered. At Ginny's puzzled look, Lily gave her another smile. "You can go back. Right now, the Phoenix is working his magic for you. Your body is healing. You have a choice, though."

"I can go back?"

"Yes, but I want you to understand what you would be choosing. War is coming, my daughter. War as bad or worse as the one you lost me to. Darkness is going to eat the world, and you and Harry are at the heart of it."

"Will they die without me?"

"People will die regardless. If you go back, you will not be living in a happy world. You will experience a lifetime of pain in the next six years. You will lose people you love dearly."

"And if I stay?"

"If you choose to go on to the afterlife, the outcome of the war is the same."

"Do we win?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Right. I have one more question." Lily arched a brow. "Did you have a choice? To come back?"

"No. I was given a different choice, my daughter. Have you decided? The time for choosing is passing."

"Yes. I'm going back."

"I thought so." Lily pulled her into a tight hug. "You are growing into a more amazing person than any mother could ever hope for. I hope you and Harry know just how loved you are."

"How could we not? You gave your whole life for us," Ginny said, breathing in the scent of this woman, and finding somehow, it was familiar. Like a memory of a memory.

"You've done the same for the young Malfoy boy. I would not question your choice, daughter, but I will leave you with a warning. He has a darkness inside him, fed to him with his mother's milk. He fights it, but not everybody can win against what's in their heart."

With a final warm embrace, Ginny felt this soft place fading away. Cold began to seep into her body. She blinked, her eyelids feeling sanding, and the darkness of the chamber came to her, two faces hovering above her with identical worried expressions haunting them.

"Ginny!" they shouted at the same time. She sat up gingerly, her middle feeling tender. She looked down, and a bloody hole in her robes was the only evidence of the ordeal she'd gone through. Beneath it, perfect pink skin showed.

"I—I'm okay," she breathed.

Epilogue: Year One

After the Headmaster and the Heads of Houses had blasted their way into the chamber, far too late to be really useful, the children were placed in the hospital wing.

Anastasia didn't make it. Her soul had been sapped all year by the locket with the piece of Voldemort in it. Ginny felt weak, but was fairly unharmed, thanks to Fawkes's tears. Draco and Harry were both treated for broken bones and scrapes. Lockhart babbled in a corner, having used Ron's broken wand and it backfiring on him spectacularly. Ron and Fiona had guarded him when the tunnel collapsed, Harry on the other side. Draco had left them to find another way around, which he'd obviously been successful at.

The end of year feast was even more exciting as the petrified students had been released from the hospital wing finally. The train ride home was boisterous, but Ginny took the time to write in Tom's diary.

He's going to keep trying, Tom wrote, after Ginny had filled him in. She wasn't sure if she trusted him, subconsciously worried that he might have the ability to sap her soul like the locket had.

I know. It's going to be war, Tom. I'm scared.

I will do what I can to help. There are books, spells, you will need to practice dueling and warding and defense… And, Ginny, make allies. You all need them. Salazar is more powerful than anything you can imagine.

I know, Tom. He was a shadow of a true wizard and still his power choked the room.

I am just a book, Ginny, but I'll be your ally if you let me.

I know, Tom. I know.

She closed the diary and stuffed it in a large pocket inside her robes. Draco plopped down beside her with an arm full of treats. She grabbed a chocolate frog. He hadn't brought up the chamber since they'd gotten out alive, but it seemed it was an undercurrent to every conversation. And he seemed to hover a bit more than he had before, but she didn't mind.

"I'll write you. Can I buy you an owl?" he asked. She nodded.

"Can we arrange a visit? Maybe for all of us?"

"Only if we can arrange one for just us," he said, laughing. She laughed with him. It was no secret that, though they had bonded with the shared experience of nearly dying together, Draco and Harry still weren't fast friends. They just seemed to set each other's nerves on end, somehow.

The train pulled into the station, and everyone piled out. Draco's parents stood at one end of the platform, and hers at the other. She shuffled her feet, not sure how to say goodbye, but he grabbed her hand and bowed over it. It was so ridiculously formal that she giggled, but the easy kiss he placed in her palm burned hot under his cool lips.

"I'll write," he said, and left her.

Hugs were shared all around between Harry, Hermione, Fiona, and the Weasleys, before everyone went their separate ways. Waving goodbye to her friends, Ginny turned to her mother. Molly looked her over once, her eyes overly shiny, before dragging her into a tight hug. The arms, comforting and loving, were all Molly, but Ginny thought she caught the scent of another ghosting under the breeze.

It would be a good summer.

AN: There it is. Year One is done! We've got options here. We can keep going, and do all of Ginny's school years in one long story, broken up into parts. Or I can start fresh for each year. I haven't decided yet. Thanks to all who are following and favoriting my story! I hope you guys are sincerely enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I'm not making money from my writing.