Snape stopped just outside the hospital wing door and spun Ginny around to face him. "I must reiterate..." he started.
"That this potion is not to be trifled with and should only be used when truly, truly necessary," Ginny finished. "I can't take it more than once a week, and if I start feeling or seeing or doing strange things I should come to you immediately." She gave him a bright smile.
"I don't find you amusing, Ms. Weasley," Snape seethed.
"You're not exactly a cauldron of giggles, either," Ginny muttered.
"I think perhaps you should come assist me in cleaning the grates in the Potions lab," Snape told her. "A bit of hard labor might cure you of your insolence."
"I wouldn't count on it," Ginny sassed.
"Perhaps 50 points from Gryffindor then," Snape suggested.
"You can't punish me, because I'm crazy and don’t know what I’m saying or doing," Ginny protested, giving Snape a smirk.
"Your family and the headmaster might fall for that, but you'll get no sympathy from me," Snape warned her.
"Oh, but I have gotten sympathy from you," declared Ginny, patting the pocket of the robes she was wearing. "Or perhaps it was guilt. Doesn't matter much to me, I benefit either way."
"You'll do well to show more discretion with those potions," Snape growled. "If you're caught with them, I will claim they were stolen."
"And no one would ever believe you'd given them to me," Ginny realized. "So I will be the soul of discretion." She put her hand on the doorknob. "Let's get this over with."
Ginny pulled the door open with a sigh. There was a brief moment of silence as Ginny hesitated in the doorway, but then Snape pushed her roughly into the room, and Mrs. Weasley spotted her.
She came flying over, crying out Ginny's name, but Ginny sidestepped her embrace.
"Don't touch me," Ginny growled. "Don't think I don't know it was you who stunned me."
"Ginny..." She tried to grab her daughter, but Ginny pushed away her mother's hands.
"Just leave me be." She stalked off toward her bed.
Mrs. Weasley watched her go sadly, then turned to Snape. "Where did you find her?"
"The dungeons."
"But the boys searched down there," Mrs. Weasley protested.
"Your daughter is quite skilled at hiding things," Snape said cryptically before turning and gliding out of the room.
Mrs. Weasley turned her attention back to Ginny, who had stopped at Malfoy's bed.
"Have a good adventure?" Draco asked her.
He flinched at her look of hatred when she turned on him.
"Don't speak to me," Ginny hissed.
"Why are you growling at me? I wasn't the one who dragged you back here," Draco protested. "Caught sneaking around by Snape..." he shook his head with a look of mock sympathy. "I can only imagine the detention you're going to have to do."
"Yes, you can only imagine it, because he didn't give me detention," Ginny boasted. "There was some talk about points being taken away from Gryffindor, but with all the points Ron and Harry got for rescuing me, that won't keep us from the House Cup."
Draco scowled. "How did you not get detention?" he whined.
"You've just got to know how to handle old Snapie," declared Ginny breezily, giving Draco a wink.
She was climbing back into her bed by the time Draco had recovered enough from that remark to get his mouth closed. "You can't be serious," he muttered.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ginny teased.
"I hope you at least had the decency to take my robes off first."
Ginny giggled, but her laughter stopped when Mrs. Weasley approached the bed uncertainly.
"I told you to leave me be," she said coldly. "If you weren't always hovering over me so, I wouldn't have been so bloody likely to rabbit out of here."
"Fine," Mrs. Weasley declared, turning away from her. "I'll be in Madame Pomfrey's office if you need me."
She skittered off, wincing as Ginny called after her, "I won't."
Draco waited until Mrs. Weasley was gone, then told Ginny, "I'll take my robes back now."
"When I'm done with them," she snapped.
"Off to another rendezvous with Snape, are you?"
"Honestly, Malfoy!" Ginny declared. "There is not a detention in this world bad enough that I would do something with Snape to get out of it."
"But by all accounts, you haven't been quite yourself lately," Draco reminded her.
"That would require a level of craziness WAY beyond where I am, though." She studied him thoughtfully. "Did you only set out to drive me mad, or did you honestly want me dead?"
"Dead? What are you talking about?" Draco protested. "I only helped you..."
He was interrupted by the arrival of Fred and George, who barreled over and flopped down on Ginny's bed.
"There you are, little wanderer!" Fred proclaimed, giving Ginny a kiss on the head before she could push him away.
"You made Mom have kittens, running off like that," George told her, sneaking in a hug of his own.
"I don’t rightly care."
Fred and George raised identical eyebrows. "Going through a rebellious phase, are you?" asked Fred.
"When hasn't she been?" George teased.
"You'd run off, too, if she was hovering over you," whined Ginny. "I wish she'd go home and let me get on with my life!"
"Have you told her that?" wondered George.
"To leave? Only a million times."
"He meant the part about you wanting to get on with your life," said Fred. "She'd probably let you go if you told her it would make you better."
"I don't need to get better, there's nothing wrong with me," Ginny declared. "I've tried telling her the best thing for me would be to go back to the dorms, but she won't listen."
"Maybe she'll listen to us," George offered.
"And maybe I'll turn into a hippogriff and fly away from this place," snapped Ginny.
"That is a more likely scenario," Fred admitted.
"So you'll help bust me out of here then?" Ginny asked hopefully.
"No way," said Fred and George in unison.
"We'd do anything in the world for you, Gin," Fred told her.
"Anything but take on Mum," George finished.
"We could hear her all the way up in the tower yelling at Malfoy because she thought he'd carried you off somewhere," Fred claimed.
"You could not!" Ginny exclaimed.
"I bet they could, the way she was screeching," Draco muttered.
Ginny heard him and smiled a malevolent smile. "I don't know how she could think someone like Malfoy would be able to carry me off," she taunted. "Have you seen the scrawny arms on him?"
Fred and George laughed.
"Bugger off, Weasley," Draco shot back. "At least I don't look like my mother mated with a house elf. Oh, wait, I almost forgot, Weasleys can't afford house elves. It must have been a garden gnome."
Fred whipped aside the curtain between Draco and Ginny's beds with a growl. "Say one more word about my family, Malfoy, and I'll hex your stones off," he threatened.
"I don't think he has any," teased Ginny.
"You found them sure enough last night, Weasley, when you...Ooomph."
His words were cut off when George landed on his chest, putting his wand to Draco's throat. "Finish that sentence and it will be the last thing you ever say, Malfoy."
"You...wouldn't...dare," Draco gasped, trying not to show how much pain he was in as he attempted to shift out from under George's weight.
"Wrong thing to say," Ginny murmured as George pressed his knee harder into Draco's chest and his wand harder against Draco's throat. Meanwhile, Fred pointed his wand at a spot under Draco's blankets that Draco found much more unnerving.
He was saved, however, by Mrs. Weasley bellowing, "Boys!"
"What is going on here?" Madame Pomfrey screeched. "Get away from that boy!"
"Do what she says, boys." Mrs. Weasley stood by Ginny's bed, her hands on her hips. Fred and George both backed off of Draco upon seeing the look on her face. "Now tell me what happened."
"Malfoy insulted Ginny," Fred told her.
"And we reminded him he'd be better off keeping his mouth shut," George finished.
"You had to do this reminding with a wand in your hand?" Madame Pomfrey questioned.
"Yes, ma'am," replied George.
"Much more effective that way," piped up Fred.
Mrs. Weasley fought to keep the smile off her face but failed. Fred pounced on her good mood. "Mum," he said, crossing to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Won't you please let us take Ginny away from this prat?"
"Yeah, Mum," continued George, joining Fred at her side. "Who knows what he might try next, alone here with Ginny."
"I would never allow..." Madame Pomfrey started.
"You have to sleep sometime," Fred told her.
"He's too weak to do any harm," the matron insisted.
George ignored her. "Ginny really would be better off up in Gryffindor tower with all of us watching over her," he proclaimed. "Me, Fred, Percy and Ron will make sure nothing will ever hurt her again."
"But she's not herself," Mrs. Weasley protested.
"Because I’m not with my friends," cried Ginny. "Please, Mum, let me go back to my normal life, instead of being locked away in here."
Mrs. Weasley glanced over at Madame Pomfrey with an inquiring look. "Poppy?"
The matron sighed. "Medically, there's no reason to keep her here."
"So I can go?" asked Ginny excitedly.
"With the promise that you'll come back here if you have trouble sleeping or the nightmares give you any more problems," Madame Pomfrey instructed.
"Done," Ginny promised, hopping off the bed. "Bye, Mum, see you when school's over."
She started out but stopped when she realized the twins weren't following her. "Aren't you guys coming?"
"We’re not going anywhere with you dressed like that," Fred declared.
"Like what?" She looked down at her bare legs. "I don't know where my skirt is, the house elves never brought my clothes back. But this covers me enough."
"I think he meant the robes, Gin," George told her.
Ginny glanced down at the green-trimmed black robes, the Slytherin patch standing out starkly against the dark background. "Oh, sorry, I forgot I was wearing these."
"Because being a Slytherin comes so naturally to you," Draco muttered.
"Shut it, Malfoy," said Ginny, Fred and George in unison.
"I'll give you something decent to wear," Fred offered, slipping off his robes.
"Those robes are more decent than anything a Weasley could ever afford," Draco sniped.
Ginny slipped off Draco's robes as she approached his bed. "Shut up before they kill you," she advised, tossing the robes onto his lap. "I'll bring the sweater back later. And yes, I'll make sure I have it washed first, so you won't get any Weasley filth on you."
Draco found he couldn't meet her eye to agree with the insult. "Just keep it," he muttered. "As a souvenir of our lovely time here together."
Ginny snorted out a laugh. "Goodbye, Malfoy."
"Good riddance, Weasel."
Ginny shook her head and walked away. Fred caught up with her and slipped his robes over her shoulders. Ginny shrugged her arms into them, and Fred and George each took one of her hands and led her out of the hospital wing.
Mrs. Weasley looked after them warily. "Are you certain it was wise to let her go?"
"No," the matron confessed. "But nothing I was doing for her seemed to be working, so I thought trying a different approach might be prudent."
She gave Mrs. Weasley a reassuring smile. "Why don't you go home and get some rest, Molly? You could certainly use it after the last couple days. I'll floo you if there are any further problems with the girl."
Mrs. Weasley chewed her lip uncertainly.
"I'm certain your boys will look after her. And it will probably be best for the two of you to be apart for a bit after the last few days," Madame Pomfrey added delicately. "Let her go back to her routine, and when she gets home for the summer, all of this will have been forgotten."
***************
As Ginny, Fred and George reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny stopped.
"You can always go back," George told Ginny, stroking her hair tenderly.
Ginny shook her head. Fred slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her on the top of the head. "We can sneak you past them if you want," he offered. "Remember how you used to hide under our robes when we first got them? Bet you would still fit."
"I'll have to face them sometime, might as well get it over with," Ginny told him with a small smile. "Thanks, though."
"We'll run interference if it gets to be too much," Fred assured her. "Just let us know."
Ginny nodded as George pushed open the portrait hole. The room was alive with noise, with everyone going about their business and not taking note of the latest arrivals.
Suddenly Ron, who was slumped in a chair by the fireplace with Hermione hovering over him, spotted his siblings. "Ginny!" He flew out of his chair and over to her, sweeping her into a bone-crushing hug. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Ronnie, you're squishing me," Ginny complained, trying to pull free.
"I should strangle you," Ron scolded. "What were you thinking, running off like that?"
"She was thinking she needed to get away from that prat in the hospital bed next to her," George growled.
"I didn't like being cooped up, I wanted to be back here with everyone," said Ginny.
"So why didn't you come back here when you ran off?"
"Leave her be, Ron," Fred demanded. "She's here now, that's all that matters."
The other Gryffindors began to crowd around them, calling out to Ginny.
-- "Ginny, it's so great to see you."
-- "We were all so worried about you."
-- "We thought you were dead."
-- "What was it like down in the Chamber?"
-- "You can't ask her that."
"Everyone back off!" Fred bellowed. The crowd took a step back. "I know you are all as excited as we are that Ginny is fine and is back with us, but you need to give her some room to breathe."
Hermione approached warily. "Ginny, how are you?"
"Better now. You?"
"Me? I'm fine," Hermione assured her. "But we weren't expecting you back here for another day or two."
"I'm not sick, there was no reason for me to stay there any longer."
"I only thought...well, never mind, I'm glad you're back," Hermione sputtered.
"Hi, Ginny," Colin piped up, pushing through the crowd. "Glad to see you survived your encounter with the monster the same way the rest of us did. Quite the adventure, our first year, wasn't it?"
"Quite," Ginny murmured.
"Yeah, almost dying is a GREAT way to end your first year," Ron muttered.
"I seem to remember someone else who almost got himself killed first year," Hermione reminded him with a nudge.
Ron blushed. "That was different." He turned his attention back to Ginny. "Can we get you anything?"
"We could nick some food," Fred offered.
"And probably some butterbeer, too," George added.
"There will be no parties in this common room tonight," said a stern voice. Percy approached a bit uncertainly. "Not that it isn't wonderful to have you back here, Ginny." He surprised her with a fierce hug. "However, I don't want to encourage any raucous behavior in these two."
"We don't need encouraging," George assured him.
"Yeah, we can get raucous all on our own," Fred proclaimed.
Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Ginny spoke up first. "Let's save it for another time," she told the twins. "I really should spend tonight catching up on my studies."
"That's the correct attitude to have," cheered Percy.
"But exams have been cancelled," Fred protested.
"Still, a bit of extra studying never hurt anyone," said Percy.
"Yes it did," proclaimed Fred. "It made you end up with a stick up your..."
"That's five points from Gryffindor for insulting a prefect!" Percy bellowed.
"How many will I lose for punching a prefect?" George questioned.
"You wouldn't dare."
"You know I would," growled George.
"Thanks, guys, for making my homecoming so peaceful," Ginny told them.
"Sorry, Gin," Percy and George muttered with proper abashment.
Ginny smiled. "You're only acting normal, why should you be sorry? This is what I wanted, for everything to go back to the way it was, and for all of us to forget we ever heard about the Chamber of Secrets."
"Ginny..." Percy started.
"That's the way I want it, Perce," declared Ginny sternly.
He nodded in reluctant agreement.
"Thank you." Ginny kissed him on the cheek.
Percy flushed with embarrassment. "You should get to that studying."
"No, Gin, stay down here with us for a bit," Fred pleaded. "We can have a game of Exploding Snap."
Ginny looked around at the other Gryffindors, who had drifted away but were still sneaking curious glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. "I don't think I need to draw any more attention to myself tonight."
"We'll make it a low-key game, I promise," Fred vowed.
"What has Mum told you about making promises you can't keep?" scolded Ginny.
"We could work up a distraction, give 'em something to gawk over other than you," George offered.
Ginny gave him a kiss, too. "Lovely offer, George, but I really want to get back to my room and my things and my..." She had been patting at the pockets of her robe while talking, but she trailed off as her search grew more frantic.
"What are you looking for?" Ron wondered.
"Nothing...I just...these aren't my robes...they're not the robes I was wearing even, so what I need must be...I left something in the hospital wing," she finally blurted out. "I have to go back down there to get it."
"We'll get it for you, Gin," Fred offered. "What did you leave?"
"It's no bother to go back," Ginny insisted.
"But Pomfrey might not let you go again if you come back there," George pointed out.
"And us she'll want to get rid of as quickly as possible," Fred added. "So what do you want us to get?"
"It's not some embarrassing girlie thing, is it?" George worried.
Ginny smiled slightly, realizing a way to get them to retrieve her potions without finding them, and nodded. "But if you steal Malfoy's robes back for me, you won't to touch any icky girlie stuff, I'll fish it out for myself."
"Steal from Malfoy? I think I can manage that," said Fred with a grin.
"WE can manage it," George spoke up. "You're not going without me."
**************
Fifteen minutes later, Ginny was trying hard to concentrate on a game of chess with Ron, but neither of their hearts were in it.
"Good Lord, even I could beat the two of you, the way you're playing tonight!" declared Hermione in frustration. "I'm going to find Harry."
Ginny tensed at the sound of Harry's name. Ron didn't fail to notice. "You don’t have to be embarrassed around him, Gin," he assured her. "Harry doesn't blame you for everything that happened, he knows it was all Riddle."
But it wasn't all him Ginny thought to herself. I let him in. I wanted to learn what he had to teach me, I wanted what he offered me.
She pushed away from the table. "What's taking Fred and George so long?"
Ron shrugged. "Pomfrey probably caught them."
The portrait hole opened just then, and the twins came through. Ginny hurried over to them. "Did you get it?"
"Sorry, Gin," said Fred contritely. "When we got there, Malfoy was all wrapped up in the robes sound asleep."
"And we tried to summon them, but they were twisted all around him," George added. "So we tried pulling on 'em, but the git woke up and started screeching that we'd come back to kill him."
"Which of course brought Pomfrey running to chase us out of there," finished Fred. He reached out an arm to pull Ginny close when he saw her crestfallen face. "We're really sorry, Gin. Is it something we get somewhere else?"
Ginny shook her head. "I wasn't planning to come back to the hospital wing, so I took my bear with me," she said tearfully.
"Bloody hell," George muttered.
"We'll go back for her, Gin," Fred offered. "We'll just have to find a way around Pomfrey."
"I wouldn't anger her anymore if I were you," warned Ron, who had joined them. "Ginny, can't you just go tell Malfoy you left something in the robes and you need it back?"
Ginny shook her head violently. "Then he'll insist on seeing what it is and he'll tease me for the rest of my life about it!"
"If I go after Fred and George just tried to get the robes, Malfoy is going to look to see what's in them that's so important," Ron told her. "So he'll find out either way."
"Could you go one night without her?" questioned George uncertainly. "We'll go first thing tomorrow and nick the robes, make it look like some house elf took them off to be cleaned. And Malfoy will never find out anything he'll be able to hold over you."
Ginny bit her lip uncertainly. No!! her mind screamed. You can't go all night without those potions! But she gave George a half-hearted smile. "It's only one night. I'll be OK. Thanks for trying to help, you two." She hugged them both at the same time. "I'm going to go up now, before my roommates get there and start asking all sorts of questions."
"Want Hermione to go up with you to keep them away?" Ron offered. "I'm sure she would do it, you know how she loves to boss people."
"No, I'm fine alone. 'Night, guys."
Ginny weaved her way through the crowd, ignoring attempts to get her attention until she was finally alone on the stairs to the dorm. She raced up them and went straight to the open window. She tried to put her hand out the window, but it was stopped after a few inches by an invisible barrier. "Bugger," Ginny muttered. "Not getting out that way."
You don't need those potions, Ginevra purred Tom in her head. I'll make sure you have sweet dreams.
Ginny let out a scream of frustration as the echo of Tom's laughter rang through her head. She clapped her hands over her mouth and spun away from the window. Flopping down on her bed, she pulled her pillow over her head, but it did nothing to lessen Tom's taunts.
Ginevra...You can't hide from me. Come back to me, my dear.
"No."
Come see me one more time and then I'll leave you alone.
"Liar," Ginny hissed.
But you still have so much to learn, Ginevra, Tom insisted. So much power left untapped.
"Go away, let me sleep."
I'll be here as long as you are.
"No you won't," Ginny proclaimed.
She quickly arranged the pillows on her bed to make them look like someone sleeping and pulled the blankets up over them to complete the illusion. Then she slipped out of the room and down the hall, glancing around to make sure she was alone. But she saw no one as she made her way toward the showers. Stopping just before the bathroom, Ginny lifted a tapestry there. After checking once more to make sure she was alone, Ginny tapped the wall behind the hanging and muttered a spell. It opened inward to reveal a hatch. Quickly, Ginny slid inside feet first, tucking Fred’s robes around her legs tightly. Then she let go and slid away into the darkness below.
"That this potion is not to be trifled with and should only be used when truly, truly necessary," Ginny finished. "I can't take it more than once a week, and if I start feeling or seeing or doing strange things I should come to you immediately." She gave him a bright smile.
"I don't find you amusing, Ms. Weasley," Snape seethed.
"You're not exactly a cauldron of giggles, either," Ginny muttered.
"I think perhaps you should come assist me in cleaning the grates in the Potions lab," Snape told her. "A bit of hard labor might cure you of your insolence."
"I wouldn't count on it," Ginny sassed.
"Perhaps 50 points from Gryffindor then," Snape suggested.
"You can't punish me, because I'm crazy and don’t know what I’m saying or doing," Ginny protested, giving Snape a smirk.
"Your family and the headmaster might fall for that, but you'll get no sympathy from me," Snape warned her.
"Oh, but I have gotten sympathy from you," declared Ginny, patting the pocket of the robes she was wearing. "Or perhaps it was guilt. Doesn't matter much to me, I benefit either way."
"You'll do well to show more discretion with those potions," Snape growled. "If you're caught with them, I will claim they were stolen."
"And no one would ever believe you'd given them to me," Ginny realized. "So I will be the soul of discretion." She put her hand on the doorknob. "Let's get this over with."
Ginny pulled the door open with a sigh. There was a brief moment of silence as Ginny hesitated in the doorway, but then Snape pushed her roughly into the room, and Mrs. Weasley spotted her.
She came flying over, crying out Ginny's name, but Ginny sidestepped her embrace.
"Don't touch me," Ginny growled. "Don't think I don't know it was you who stunned me."
"Ginny..." She tried to grab her daughter, but Ginny pushed away her mother's hands.
"Just leave me be." She stalked off toward her bed.
Mrs. Weasley watched her go sadly, then turned to Snape. "Where did you find her?"
"The dungeons."
"But the boys searched down there," Mrs. Weasley protested.
"Your daughter is quite skilled at hiding things," Snape said cryptically before turning and gliding out of the room.
Mrs. Weasley turned her attention back to Ginny, who had stopped at Malfoy's bed.
"Have a good adventure?" Draco asked her.
He flinched at her look of hatred when she turned on him.
"Don't speak to me," Ginny hissed.
"Why are you growling at me? I wasn't the one who dragged you back here," Draco protested. "Caught sneaking around by Snape..." he shook his head with a look of mock sympathy. "I can only imagine the detention you're going to have to do."
"Yes, you can only imagine it, because he didn't give me detention," Ginny boasted. "There was some talk about points being taken away from Gryffindor, but with all the points Ron and Harry got for rescuing me, that won't keep us from the House Cup."
Draco scowled. "How did you not get detention?" he whined.
"You've just got to know how to handle old Snapie," declared Ginny breezily, giving Draco a wink.
She was climbing back into her bed by the time Draco had recovered enough from that remark to get his mouth closed. "You can't be serious," he muttered.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ginny teased.
"I hope you at least had the decency to take my robes off first."
Ginny giggled, but her laughter stopped when Mrs. Weasley approached the bed uncertainly.
"I told you to leave me be," she said coldly. "If you weren't always hovering over me so, I wouldn't have been so bloody likely to rabbit out of here."
"Fine," Mrs. Weasley declared, turning away from her. "I'll be in Madame Pomfrey's office if you need me."
She skittered off, wincing as Ginny called after her, "I won't."
Draco waited until Mrs. Weasley was gone, then told Ginny, "I'll take my robes back now."
"When I'm done with them," she snapped.
"Off to another rendezvous with Snape, are you?"
"Honestly, Malfoy!" Ginny declared. "There is not a detention in this world bad enough that I would do something with Snape to get out of it."
"But by all accounts, you haven't been quite yourself lately," Draco reminded her.
"That would require a level of craziness WAY beyond where I am, though." She studied him thoughtfully. "Did you only set out to drive me mad, or did you honestly want me dead?"
"Dead? What are you talking about?" Draco protested. "I only helped you..."
He was interrupted by the arrival of Fred and George, who barreled over and flopped down on Ginny's bed.
"There you are, little wanderer!" Fred proclaimed, giving Ginny a kiss on the head before she could push him away.
"You made Mom have kittens, running off like that," George told her, sneaking in a hug of his own.
"I don’t rightly care."
Fred and George raised identical eyebrows. "Going through a rebellious phase, are you?" asked Fred.
"When hasn't she been?" George teased.
"You'd run off, too, if she was hovering over you," whined Ginny. "I wish she'd go home and let me get on with my life!"
"Have you told her that?" wondered George.
"To leave? Only a million times."
"He meant the part about you wanting to get on with your life," said Fred. "She'd probably let you go if you told her it would make you better."
"I don't need to get better, there's nothing wrong with me," Ginny declared. "I've tried telling her the best thing for me would be to go back to the dorms, but she won't listen."
"Maybe she'll listen to us," George offered.
"And maybe I'll turn into a hippogriff and fly away from this place," snapped Ginny.
"That is a more likely scenario," Fred admitted.
"So you'll help bust me out of here then?" Ginny asked hopefully.
"No way," said Fred and George in unison.
"We'd do anything in the world for you, Gin," Fred told her.
"Anything but take on Mum," George finished.
"We could hear her all the way up in the tower yelling at Malfoy because she thought he'd carried you off somewhere," Fred claimed.
"You could not!" Ginny exclaimed.
"I bet they could, the way she was screeching," Draco muttered.
Ginny heard him and smiled a malevolent smile. "I don't know how she could think someone like Malfoy would be able to carry me off," she taunted. "Have you seen the scrawny arms on him?"
Fred and George laughed.
"Bugger off, Weasley," Draco shot back. "At least I don't look like my mother mated with a house elf. Oh, wait, I almost forgot, Weasleys can't afford house elves. It must have been a garden gnome."
Fred whipped aside the curtain between Draco and Ginny's beds with a growl. "Say one more word about my family, Malfoy, and I'll hex your stones off," he threatened.
"I don't think he has any," teased Ginny.
"You found them sure enough last night, Weasley, when you...Ooomph."
His words were cut off when George landed on his chest, putting his wand to Draco's throat. "Finish that sentence and it will be the last thing you ever say, Malfoy."
"You...wouldn't...dare," Draco gasped, trying not to show how much pain he was in as he attempted to shift out from under George's weight.
"Wrong thing to say," Ginny murmured as George pressed his knee harder into Draco's chest and his wand harder against Draco's throat. Meanwhile, Fred pointed his wand at a spot under Draco's blankets that Draco found much more unnerving.
He was saved, however, by Mrs. Weasley bellowing, "Boys!"
"What is going on here?" Madame Pomfrey screeched. "Get away from that boy!"
"Do what she says, boys." Mrs. Weasley stood by Ginny's bed, her hands on her hips. Fred and George both backed off of Draco upon seeing the look on her face. "Now tell me what happened."
"Malfoy insulted Ginny," Fred told her.
"And we reminded him he'd be better off keeping his mouth shut," George finished.
"You had to do this reminding with a wand in your hand?" Madame Pomfrey questioned.
"Yes, ma'am," replied George.
"Much more effective that way," piped up Fred.
Mrs. Weasley fought to keep the smile off her face but failed. Fred pounced on her good mood. "Mum," he said, crossing to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Won't you please let us take Ginny away from this prat?"
"Yeah, Mum," continued George, joining Fred at her side. "Who knows what he might try next, alone here with Ginny."
"I would never allow..." Madame Pomfrey started.
"You have to sleep sometime," Fred told her.
"He's too weak to do any harm," the matron insisted.
George ignored her. "Ginny really would be better off up in Gryffindor tower with all of us watching over her," he proclaimed. "Me, Fred, Percy and Ron will make sure nothing will ever hurt her again."
"But she's not herself," Mrs. Weasley protested.
"Because I’m not with my friends," cried Ginny. "Please, Mum, let me go back to my normal life, instead of being locked away in here."
Mrs. Weasley glanced over at Madame Pomfrey with an inquiring look. "Poppy?"
The matron sighed. "Medically, there's no reason to keep her here."
"So I can go?" asked Ginny excitedly.
"With the promise that you'll come back here if you have trouble sleeping or the nightmares give you any more problems," Madame Pomfrey instructed.
"Done," Ginny promised, hopping off the bed. "Bye, Mum, see you when school's over."
She started out but stopped when she realized the twins weren't following her. "Aren't you guys coming?"
"We’re not going anywhere with you dressed like that," Fred declared.
"Like what?" She looked down at her bare legs. "I don't know where my skirt is, the house elves never brought my clothes back. But this covers me enough."
"I think he meant the robes, Gin," George told her.
Ginny glanced down at the green-trimmed black robes, the Slytherin patch standing out starkly against the dark background. "Oh, sorry, I forgot I was wearing these."
"Because being a Slytherin comes so naturally to you," Draco muttered.
"Shut it, Malfoy," said Ginny, Fred and George in unison.
"I'll give you something decent to wear," Fred offered, slipping off his robes.
"Those robes are more decent than anything a Weasley could ever afford," Draco sniped.
Ginny slipped off Draco's robes as she approached his bed. "Shut up before they kill you," she advised, tossing the robes onto his lap. "I'll bring the sweater back later. And yes, I'll make sure I have it washed first, so you won't get any Weasley filth on you."
Draco found he couldn't meet her eye to agree with the insult. "Just keep it," he muttered. "As a souvenir of our lovely time here together."
Ginny snorted out a laugh. "Goodbye, Malfoy."
"Good riddance, Weasel."
Ginny shook her head and walked away. Fred caught up with her and slipped his robes over her shoulders. Ginny shrugged her arms into them, and Fred and George each took one of her hands and led her out of the hospital wing.
Mrs. Weasley looked after them warily. "Are you certain it was wise to let her go?"
"No," the matron confessed. "But nothing I was doing for her seemed to be working, so I thought trying a different approach might be prudent."
She gave Mrs. Weasley a reassuring smile. "Why don't you go home and get some rest, Molly? You could certainly use it after the last couple days. I'll floo you if there are any further problems with the girl."
Mrs. Weasley chewed her lip uncertainly.
"I'm certain your boys will look after her. And it will probably be best for the two of you to be apart for a bit after the last few days," Madame Pomfrey added delicately. "Let her go back to her routine, and when she gets home for the summer, all of this will have been forgotten."
***************
As Ginny, Fred and George reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny stopped.
"You can always go back," George told Ginny, stroking her hair tenderly.
Ginny shook her head. Fred slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her on the top of the head. "We can sneak you past them if you want," he offered. "Remember how you used to hide under our robes when we first got them? Bet you would still fit."
"I'll have to face them sometime, might as well get it over with," Ginny told him with a small smile. "Thanks, though."
"We'll run interference if it gets to be too much," Fred assured her. "Just let us know."
Ginny nodded as George pushed open the portrait hole. The room was alive with noise, with everyone going about their business and not taking note of the latest arrivals.
Suddenly Ron, who was slumped in a chair by the fireplace with Hermione hovering over him, spotted his siblings. "Ginny!" He flew out of his chair and over to her, sweeping her into a bone-crushing hug. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Ronnie, you're squishing me," Ginny complained, trying to pull free.
"I should strangle you," Ron scolded. "What were you thinking, running off like that?"
"She was thinking she needed to get away from that prat in the hospital bed next to her," George growled.
"I didn't like being cooped up, I wanted to be back here with everyone," said Ginny.
"So why didn't you come back here when you ran off?"
"Leave her be, Ron," Fred demanded. "She's here now, that's all that matters."
The other Gryffindors began to crowd around them, calling out to Ginny.
-- "Ginny, it's so great to see you."
-- "We were all so worried about you."
-- "We thought you were dead."
-- "What was it like down in the Chamber?"
-- "You can't ask her that."
"Everyone back off!" Fred bellowed. The crowd took a step back. "I know you are all as excited as we are that Ginny is fine and is back with us, but you need to give her some room to breathe."
Hermione approached warily. "Ginny, how are you?"
"Better now. You?"
"Me? I'm fine," Hermione assured her. "But we weren't expecting you back here for another day or two."
"I'm not sick, there was no reason for me to stay there any longer."
"I only thought...well, never mind, I'm glad you're back," Hermione sputtered.
"Hi, Ginny," Colin piped up, pushing through the crowd. "Glad to see you survived your encounter with the monster the same way the rest of us did. Quite the adventure, our first year, wasn't it?"
"Quite," Ginny murmured.
"Yeah, almost dying is a GREAT way to end your first year," Ron muttered.
"I seem to remember someone else who almost got himself killed first year," Hermione reminded him with a nudge.
Ron blushed. "That was different." He turned his attention back to Ginny. "Can we get you anything?"
"We could nick some food," Fred offered.
"And probably some butterbeer, too," George added.
"There will be no parties in this common room tonight," said a stern voice. Percy approached a bit uncertainly. "Not that it isn't wonderful to have you back here, Ginny." He surprised her with a fierce hug. "However, I don't want to encourage any raucous behavior in these two."
"We don't need encouraging," George assured him.
"Yeah, we can get raucous all on our own," Fred proclaimed.
Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Ginny spoke up first. "Let's save it for another time," she told the twins. "I really should spend tonight catching up on my studies."
"That's the correct attitude to have," cheered Percy.
"But exams have been cancelled," Fred protested.
"Still, a bit of extra studying never hurt anyone," said Percy.
"Yes it did," proclaimed Fred. "It made you end up with a stick up your..."
"That's five points from Gryffindor for insulting a prefect!" Percy bellowed.
"How many will I lose for punching a prefect?" George questioned.
"You wouldn't dare."
"You know I would," growled George.
"Thanks, guys, for making my homecoming so peaceful," Ginny told them.
"Sorry, Gin," Percy and George muttered with proper abashment.
Ginny smiled. "You're only acting normal, why should you be sorry? This is what I wanted, for everything to go back to the way it was, and for all of us to forget we ever heard about the Chamber of Secrets."
"Ginny..." Percy started.
"That's the way I want it, Perce," declared Ginny sternly.
He nodded in reluctant agreement.
"Thank you." Ginny kissed him on the cheek.
Percy flushed with embarrassment. "You should get to that studying."
"No, Gin, stay down here with us for a bit," Fred pleaded. "We can have a game of Exploding Snap."
Ginny looked around at the other Gryffindors, who had drifted away but were still sneaking curious glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. "I don't think I need to draw any more attention to myself tonight."
"We'll make it a low-key game, I promise," Fred vowed.
"What has Mum told you about making promises you can't keep?" scolded Ginny.
"We could work up a distraction, give 'em something to gawk over other than you," George offered.
Ginny gave him a kiss, too. "Lovely offer, George, but I really want to get back to my room and my things and my..." She had been patting at the pockets of her robe while talking, but she trailed off as her search grew more frantic.
"What are you looking for?" Ron wondered.
"Nothing...I just...these aren't my robes...they're not the robes I was wearing even, so what I need must be...I left something in the hospital wing," she finally blurted out. "I have to go back down there to get it."
"We'll get it for you, Gin," Fred offered. "What did you leave?"
"It's no bother to go back," Ginny insisted.
"But Pomfrey might not let you go again if you come back there," George pointed out.
"And us she'll want to get rid of as quickly as possible," Fred added. "So what do you want us to get?"
"It's not some embarrassing girlie thing, is it?" George worried.
Ginny smiled slightly, realizing a way to get them to retrieve her potions without finding them, and nodded. "But if you steal Malfoy's robes back for me, you won't to touch any icky girlie stuff, I'll fish it out for myself."
"Steal from Malfoy? I think I can manage that," said Fred with a grin.
"WE can manage it," George spoke up. "You're not going without me."
**************
Fifteen minutes later, Ginny was trying hard to concentrate on a game of chess with Ron, but neither of their hearts were in it.
"Good Lord, even I could beat the two of you, the way you're playing tonight!" declared Hermione in frustration. "I'm going to find Harry."
Ginny tensed at the sound of Harry's name. Ron didn't fail to notice. "You don’t have to be embarrassed around him, Gin," he assured her. "Harry doesn't blame you for everything that happened, he knows it was all Riddle."
But it wasn't all him Ginny thought to herself. I let him in. I wanted to learn what he had to teach me, I wanted what he offered me.
She pushed away from the table. "What's taking Fred and George so long?"
Ron shrugged. "Pomfrey probably caught them."
The portrait hole opened just then, and the twins came through. Ginny hurried over to them. "Did you get it?"
"Sorry, Gin," said Fred contritely. "When we got there, Malfoy was all wrapped up in the robes sound asleep."
"And we tried to summon them, but they were twisted all around him," George added. "So we tried pulling on 'em, but the git woke up and started screeching that we'd come back to kill him."
"Which of course brought Pomfrey running to chase us out of there," finished Fred. He reached out an arm to pull Ginny close when he saw her crestfallen face. "We're really sorry, Gin. Is it something we get somewhere else?"
Ginny shook her head. "I wasn't planning to come back to the hospital wing, so I took my bear with me," she said tearfully.
"Bloody hell," George muttered.
"We'll go back for her, Gin," Fred offered. "We'll just have to find a way around Pomfrey."
"I wouldn't anger her anymore if I were you," warned Ron, who had joined them. "Ginny, can't you just go tell Malfoy you left something in the robes and you need it back?"
Ginny shook her head violently. "Then he'll insist on seeing what it is and he'll tease me for the rest of my life about it!"
"If I go after Fred and George just tried to get the robes, Malfoy is going to look to see what's in them that's so important," Ron told her. "So he'll find out either way."
"Could you go one night without her?" questioned George uncertainly. "We'll go first thing tomorrow and nick the robes, make it look like some house elf took them off to be cleaned. And Malfoy will never find out anything he'll be able to hold over you."
Ginny bit her lip uncertainly. No!! her mind screamed. You can't go all night without those potions! But she gave George a half-hearted smile. "It's only one night. I'll be OK. Thanks for trying to help, you two." She hugged them both at the same time. "I'm going to go up now, before my roommates get there and start asking all sorts of questions."
"Want Hermione to go up with you to keep them away?" Ron offered. "I'm sure she would do it, you know how she loves to boss people."
"No, I'm fine alone. 'Night, guys."
Ginny weaved her way through the crowd, ignoring attempts to get her attention until she was finally alone on the stairs to the dorm. She raced up them and went straight to the open window. She tried to put her hand out the window, but it was stopped after a few inches by an invisible barrier. "Bugger," Ginny muttered. "Not getting out that way."
You don't need those potions, Ginevra purred Tom in her head. I'll make sure you have sweet dreams.
Ginny let out a scream of frustration as the echo of Tom's laughter rang through her head. She clapped her hands over her mouth and spun away from the window. Flopping down on her bed, she pulled her pillow over her head, but it did nothing to lessen Tom's taunts.
Ginevra...You can't hide from me. Come back to me, my dear.
"No."
Come see me one more time and then I'll leave you alone.
"Liar," Ginny hissed.
But you still have so much to learn, Ginevra, Tom insisted. So much power left untapped.
"Go away, let me sleep."
I'll be here as long as you are.
"No you won't," Ginny proclaimed.
She quickly arranged the pillows on her bed to make them look like someone sleeping and pulled the blankets up over them to complete the illusion. Then she slipped out of the room and down the hall, glancing around to make sure she was alone. But she saw no one as she made her way toward the showers. Stopping just before the bathroom, Ginny lifted a tapestry there. After checking once more to make sure she was alone, Ginny tapped the wall behind the hanging and muttered a spell. It opened inward to reveal a hatch. Quickly, Ginny slid inside feet first, tucking Fred’s robes around her legs tightly. Then she let go and slid away into the darkness below.
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