A/N: All of the characters contained herein are the property of Ms. Rowling, with the exception of Marcus Parkinson. This chapter takes place the morning of Ginny's attack and the events unfold as seen through her eyes.
"We'd better get moving if we're going to get decent seats in transfiguration," Hermione said noticing that people were starting to leave and head to their classes. They all rose and began to collect their things.
Ginny sighed. Why did it have to be potions today? She really hated potions, or, more specifically, she really hated the potions master, Professor Severus Snape. He had always been awful to her, and knowing how he felt about Harry, would probably be even worse now that she and Harry were dating.
She smiled slightly to herself. She was dating Harry! She could still dance at the thought even though they had been seeing each other most of the summer. It all seemed rather unreal sometimes. She'd loved him since the first moment she saw him, before she even knew that he was Harry Potter. He had looked so lost and alone, and she had known that she never wanted him to feel that way again. He had won her heart that day just by walking up to her Mum and asking for help.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she turned to look into eyes that she had once, embarassingly enough, compared to pickled toads.
"You were a million miles away just now. What were you thinking of?" Harry asked smiling.
"Pickled toads," she said grinning impishly and causing Harry to blush. She loved when he did that.
"I'll deal with you later," he said grinning now as well. "Meet me back here for lunch?"
"Of course," Ginny replied, and then made a face as she remembered. "That's assuming Snape doesn't decide to poison us all in potions."
Harry laughed and then pecked her on the cheek before following Ron and an impatient Hermione out of the hall.
Ginny left the hall as well, and headed for potions, wishing, as she frequently did, that she was in the same year as Ron, Hermione, and Harry. She moved among the other Gryffindor fifth years chatting and laughing. She was friendly with all of them, although not particularly close with anyone but Colin Creevey. They liked to joke that they had bonded over their hero worship of Harry.
"So... Ginny Weasley finally gets her man?" Colin joked as they walked.
Ginny grinned. "More like Ginny Weasley's man finally noticed she was alive."
Colin laughed. "I take it you had a good summer then?"
"Yeah you could say that. What about you? How was your summer Colin?" she asked.
"I was hoping you'd ask," he said grinning. "It was great! My summer internship at The Quibbler was fascinating. I got to go on assignment and everything. I even got one of my pictures published. Thanks for getting that set up with Luna for me."
"No problem. That's what friends are for after all," said Ginny.
They had reached the potions classroom at last and quickly found seats. Ginny got her cauldron and other supplies ready. If she had learned nothing else since first year, it was to be seated and quiet when Snape made one of his grand entrances. The man was such a drama queen, or whatever the male version of that was.
The doors of the dungeons banged open and Professor Snape strode into the room, his robes bilowing about him in typical bat-like fashion. The classroom settled into an almost eerie quiet upon his entrance.
"Before we begin today's lesson," said Snape coldly, "I wish to remind you that in just a few short months you will be sitting for one of the most important examinations of your school careers. It is these examinations which will prove how much you do, or do not, know about the use and brewing of potions. Incompetent as so many of you are," Snape paused here to glare at the Gryffindors, "I expect you all to achieve no less than an 'acceptable' on your potion's OWLs. Should you not achieve the high standards I have come to expect, I will become most... displeased."
Ginny rolled her eyes, unfortunately Snape caught her.
"Do you have something you'd like to add Weasley?" he hissed.
"No Professor," Ginny said sweetly, all the while thinking, "Why don't you go wash your hair Snivellus."
Snape's eyes narrowed into a glare before he continued.
"This will be the last year many of you wll be spending with me, as I only accept those who achieve an Outstanding on their OWLs into my NEWT classes. Unfortunately, we still have this year to go before that happy day, so I suggest you all concentrate on achieving the high level I expect of you." Snape's eyes once again swept contemptuously over the room before he continued.
"Today we shall be preparing The Draught of Peace, which is a potion you may expect to see on your OWLs. This potion, is used to calm the nerves and to sooth anxiety, when mixed improperly however, it can send the drinker into a heavy, and possibly irreversible sleep. I reccommend that you all pay close attention to the directions which are on the board," said Snape, flicking his wand and causing the instructions and ingredients to appear there.
"You will find all of the components in the cabinet over there. You have exactly 90 minutes in which to complete it. You may start."
Ginny hastily gathered her ingredients and began to carefully and meticulously prepare the potion, as the professor began to stroll through the room assisting the Slytherins and criticizing the Gryffindors. Ginny was actually quite gifted at potions, despite this, Snape always seemed to find some reason to demean her work. By the end of the alloted time, Ginny's potion was finished and absolutely perfect. A light silver haze rose off of it, just as it was supposed to. Thus far, Snape had found nothing about it to criticize. Ginny smiled happily and reached for her flask to fill it.
"Hello Weasley," said a nasal, snobby sounding voice that she recognized only too well.
"Parkinson, what do you want?" Ginny hissed. Marcus Parkinson had been the bane of her existance since first year. He had gone out of his way to tease, taunt, and torment Ginny whenever he could. She, quite simply, hated him.
"Just wanted to offer my congratulations on landing Potter. You know, he's quite wealthy I hear. If you two marry then maybe your family will be able to add a second room to that hovel you call house," he smirked. Ginny felt her ears go red and saw Colin tense besde her as she struggled with her famous Weasley temper.
"Shove off Parkinson," Colin spat.
"Make me mudblood," the other boy, who was built similarly to Crabbe and Goyle murmured, his smirk still in place. Ginny put a restraining hand on Colin's arm before turing to face Marcus.
"You know Parkinson, since we're offering congratulations, let me be the first to offer mine to your family. I hear that a big announcement is expected regarding a union between Draco and Pansy. I'm sure their puppies will be adorable," said Ginny, referring to the previous night's prank. All traces of a smile vanished from the Slytherin's face.
"Filthy blood traitor," he sneered before sweeping his arm and knocking Ginny's cauldron, with it's perfectly brewed potion, to the floor.
"Weasley! What is the meaning of this?" the potion's master snapped.
"It was Parkinson sir. He..." Ginny began.
"Silence Miss Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor and you will be receiving a zero on today's assignment. Next time, I suggest that you pay more attention to what you are doing and less time daydreaming about your love life with Mr. Potter. Now, clean this mess up... without magic. The rest of you may turn in your assignments and go."
Fuming, Ginny began to clean the spill up, wishing desperately that she could hit Snape with her bat-bogey hex just once.
"Want some help Gin?" Colin asked, sending her a sympathetic look.
"No, that's ok Colin. No sense in both of us being late for lunch. Can you let Harry know where I am if he asks though?" she replied.
"Sure thing," said Colin, grabbing the last of his things and heading out of the dungeon.
By the time Ginny had the potion cleaned up and was able to head to the Great Hall for lunch, the corridors were mostly empty. She rushed down the echoing halls with her head down, muttering things about Snape's dubious parentage and affection for goats. She was still furious with him for his treatment of her, the great, greasy-haired git.
As she passed a tapestry of Wendolyn the Wierd laughing as she was being burnt at the stake, she felt a hand reach out and grasp her around the mouth. Her cauldron and books scattered as Ginny began to try to kick and claw her attacker. She was determined to get away, but a pair of extremely strong arms held her nearly immomible despite her best efforts. She felt a wand pressed to her throat.
"Cease your struggling blood traitor," a muffled voice behind and slightly to her right hissed. Ginny looked desperately around for someone, anyone to help her, but the corridor was empty except for the two black robed and hooded figures who had moved around to stand in front of her, and the third who still held her tightly.
"Death eaters!" Ginny thought frantically. "Harry! Harry help me!"
"We have a message from the Dark Lord to Harry Potter," the strangely muffled voice hissed again. "I know you'll make sure he gets it." The speaker, who seemed to be the leader, nodded and Ginny felt the arms which had held her loosen and let go. As she tensed to run, the spells hit her.
"Silencio!"
"Crucio!"
Ginny fell to the floor in agony, dimly realizing her head hit the nearby wall on the way down. The pain from that was infintesimal compared to the searing, white hot fire that lacerated her nerves and made her skin feel as if it were blistering and peeling away. She also felt an intense pressure as if a nearly unbearable weight had been placed upon her. She writhed in agony, silently screaming as she felt her ribs and arms snap and her lungs collapsing.
Just as suddenly as it started, the pain was gone. Ginny struggled to rise, gasping for air. She had to get away. She had to get to Harry. She heard one of the death eaters laugh softly at her efforts.
"Oh we're not done yet. We can't have you getting away before we've delivered the full mesage. Petrificus Totalus!"
Ginny's arms and legs snapped together, causing even more pain as her broken arms were compelled to her sides. She saw a flash of silver as the leader withdrew a wicked looking blade from the folds of his robe. He moved over to Ginny, kneeling beside her.
"Tell Potter that no one is safe from the Dark Lord. Everyone near him will die," the voice hissed again, as the knife was raised over his head. Ginny heard him murmur something and felt the tip of the dagger pierce the skin of her forehead, felt the searing burn as he cut, felt the warm, sticky trickle of her own blood as it slowly ran down her face. Unable to move, unable to scream she felt the darkness closing in around her. The last thing she saw before giving into it was a pair of cold silver-blue eyes glinting from the slits in the death eater's mask.
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Ginny swam slowly back to consciousness to the low murmur of voices. Unfortunately, the return of awareness brought with it the return of pain. She let out a low moan and opened her eyes, struggling to get her bearings.
"Welcome back beautiful," she heard a familiar, much loved voice say. Turning her head slightly, she saw Harry, smiling despite the tears in his eyes.
"H-harry?" she croaked in a voice made rough from sleep. "Where am I? What happened?"
"It's ok love, you're safe. How are you feeling?" he said, lightly kissing her forehead. She realized her head was bandaged and she had to be in the hospital wing, but she had no idea why or how she had gotten there.
"Sore," she said truthfully, licking her dry lips. Then again asking, "What happened?"
"You are in the hospital wing because you were attacked Miss Weasley. Mr. Potter found you early this afternoon and brought you here. You gave us quite a scare young lady," Dumbledore said kindly. Ginny hadn't even realized that Dumbledore was in the room, looking byond him, she saw that Professor Lupin was there as well.
"Gin, do you remember what happened? Who did this to you?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked up at them, struggling to remember. Her mind reeled as images came flooding in. Potions, Marcus Parkinson being his usual charming self, her anger at Snape, and then...
"Oh my God!" Ginny sobbed as it all came back to her. The pain, the agony, the messages for Harry. She reached out for Harry and clung to him.
"It was death eaters Harry. They...they wanted me to deliver a message to you. They said to tell you no one was safe, that they were going to kill everyone you loved. They p-perfromed the crucio and then put me in a full body bind. They had a knife and..." Ginny took a deep shuddering breath.
"It's ok Ginny. You don't have to think about it anymore. You're safe now and they will pay for what they did to you. I will make them feel ten times whatever pain they made you feel," Harry said, striving once again to control his anger, feverishly going through everything he had learned in occlumency.
"I'm sorry Miss Weasley, but I have to ask," Dumbledore said gently, despite the obvious anger in his eyes. "Did you recognize any of them?"
Ginny pulled away from Harry, nodding. "Yes sir. I saw the leader's eyes. I think it was Draco Malfoy."
So now you know for sure. Hope you enjoyed this one, thank you for reading and please review. Thanks also to my wonderful moderator Danielle and my fabulous beta and son Will. Thank you to all of you have reviewed, please continue to do so.