Delicious As Sin

Chapter 9

By PinkSunRise

       

As Harry woke up, he felt tired and groggy.

"Soon..." a tiny voice whispered in the back of his mind, causing Harry to look around confused. ‘Soon? What?’ he thought, but he was distracted by Ron’s excited voice.

"Come on, Harry!"

Harry pretended to smile.

"I am excited," he said before walking to the bathroom. He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth before jumping into the shower. He showered quickly and slipped into his robes. He knew how important this game was he had to concentrate. ‘Soon…’ he thought. He still felt distracted. He was in autopilot; everything he did was completely mechanical. Hermione looked at him worried.

"Bad night?" she whispered

"Sort of," he said, and she hugged him quickly as she shooed him off. Ron looked on a bit confused and perhaps a bit jealous, but he smiled knowingly. Harry was in the locker room examining his appearance. For a few days, his colour had returned and the dark circles had faded to the background, they had yet to make an appearance until, of course, now. He did not recommend crying to sleep for anyone. ‘Dreaming, well sort of… maybe, whatever,’ he thought. His eyes were tinged with redness and he ruffled his hair. He zoned out during the pep talk and Ginny grinned excitedly at him. Ginny knew that blend of anxiousness and excitement as well as Harry did. Cheers rung loudly in his ears and he gazed quickly over the stands. He found Hermione and he looked over until he saw… Snape. He looked away quickly and did a quick lap in the air. He hovered in the centre circle facing Draco. Draco smirked.

"I see you’re doing well, Malfoy," Harry said and blew him a kiss. He winked at him and returned Draco’s smirk with a slightly eviller one. No one had caught their little interaction, and Draco narrowed his eyes in determination. Madame Hooch was shouting the usual from below. He nearly missed Madame Hooch blowing the whistle, signalling the start of the game. He saw the Snitch circle over his head before zooming off and conveniently disappearing. He was vaguely aware of the commentary being done. He stood still for a bit too long and was vaguely aware of a Bludger whizzing by dangerously close to his side. He ducked as Ginny came barrelling over him. The Quaffle was tucked firmly against her side and every other chaser soon followed her. She turned and mouthed a quick ‘Sorry’ before she made her way to the goal. Harry leaned low and did a quick dive as he saw a flash of gold. Draco was by his side. He laughed as the Gryffindor beaters send a Bludger barrelling past Draco’s head.

"That was not nice," Draco cried out, indignant and swerving, before he joined Harry again. He shot past Harry, almost knocking him off his broom.

"I can play dirty too," he shouted. ‘Honestly, we’re like five year olds," thought Harry and briefly wondered if he should stick his tongue out at Draco. He was surprised no one noticed the lack of malice between them. They did cover it well. One of the Gryffindor chasers went down and he winced sympathetically. Then he saw the Snitch right above him. He flew straight up and Draco followed close behind him. Harry gasped as Draco veered off to the right quickly. ‘What is going on?’ he thought. He watched in horror as a Bludger slammed into Ginny, and Draco’s fleeting silhouette followed her close as she made her descent through the sky. He was inches away before he grabbed her limp body. Her broom fell and it hit the ground. Harry heard of a crack as it snapped; he was just glad, it wasn’t her. Harry was aware of shouts and a whistle being blow as he caught the snitch. He zoomed downwards next to Draco, who was looking at the redhead with concern.

"That must have hurt." He said before gazing at Harry who had the snitch firmly gripped in his hand.

"I was saving someone!" he said indignantly as they made their way towards the ground. Harry watched as Draco refused to set Ginny down.

"What should I do with her!?" he yelled. ‘Why hadn’t I seen it before…’ Harry wondered. He watched as Draco flew off to the hospital wing with Ginny. Ron was yelling furiously at Madame Hooch.

"Ron, calm down, damn it!"

"Harry caught the snitch! We would have won if it hadn’t been for Malfoy!"

"He saved Ginny!" Hermione yelled and Ron grumbled under his breath. Harry laughed as he tossed the snitch to Madame Hooch.

"Good job, Harry," Ron and Hermione both chorused.

"Thanks," he said

"We would have won…" Ron began and Hermione cut him off abruptly.

"Enough!" she forcefully shrieked and Ron hung his head. He went to the locker room and showered quickly. As they made their way back to the common room. Harry moaned in despair at the pile of homework currently residing on his desk.

"I’m drowning," he muttered.

"Eh, you’ll be okay. You could ask Hermione for help," Seamus said helpfully and Harry turned around quickly and blushed.

"Uh, thanks, Seamus…"

"Any time."

The rest of the day passed by quickly. He was in and out of the library, back to the common room and to the dorm. ‘I’m becoming like ‘Mione,’ he mused, ‘nights are by far, more interesting than days.’ He decided with finality and smiled. His dreams were just… something else. Last night had scared him. He had never seen Tom like that before. He had no idea how to react, what to say, or what to do. At night, he threw on his invisibility cloak and crept towards the hospital wing. He stared at Ginny who was peacefully sleeping. He sat down on the edge of the window and looked down.

"You could jump…" a soft voice said from behind him, and he almost did because he was so surprised. He turned to look into hazel eyes.

"Ginny, Merlin! You scared me," he said and then narrowed his eyes, "Why would I jump?"

"Because you might want to end it all," she said as she reached for a glass of water on the table beside her.

"What do you know about wanting to end it all?" he said cruelly and gazed at her.

"I know that you’re dreaming about Tom," she said as her eyes flashed dangerously, and Harry looked at her.

"How…"

"He told me," she said as if it was the most natural thing the world for her to be talking to one of most evil creatures on earth, but then again Harry was sleeping with him.

"You talk to him?" he asked.

"Very rarely, he comes to me sometimes in a dream," she explained and watched, amused as Harry’s eyes widened.

"In a dr… in a dream?"

"Not like that, we’re sort of… friends," Harry just looked at her.

"Kind of…" she said, "I mean really he’s not that bad. After the Chamber of Secrets, well, he apologised and said, well, we talked. I’ve met him twice since then."

Harry couldn’t believe his ears or Ginny for that matter. She thought Tom was… nice. He apologised to her… Harry was visibly shaken and sat down abruptly on the bed as his legs gave out. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny was faster.

"Don’t you tell me what to do Harry Potter," she snapped, and leaned close to him almost purring, "After all… you are sleeping with him…," before lying back down, looking utterly satisfied at the outcome of her statement. Harry turned red and looked down.

"Where is Ginny and what have you done with her?"

"Don’t be stupid. I’m still here, I grew up, Harry, I got over you," she said smiling and Harry looked hurt, "I’m not saying it was a bad thing, but I needed to grow up, Harry. I needed it," she said with a far away look, "I’m not evil or anything, but I’m darker than most people make me out to be. Ron tries to keep me under a leash, but he needs to learn that I fight back. I’m not Ron’s little sister and a Harry Potter admirer, I’m just me," she whispered.

Harry was worried. This seemed so… wrong. But secretly he was happy for Ginny. She had changed, but perhaps for the better.

"You met him after? And he didn’t try to hurt you? You trusted him?" Harry blurted out.

"Harry, he was fine I met him once almost two years after the Chamber of Secrets and once recently. He was a perfect gentleman. We talked and that was it."

"What did he do to you?" he asked softly.

"He helped me grow up, Harry. He helped me learn that not everything is black and white. He taught me that I didn’t need to live under people’s shadows. He was my first you know. He said… it was better if I grew up faster than later and realise how much I hated my life. He said he didn’t want… he said he didn’t want me to become like him."

Harry’s mind was working in overdrive trying to process all the new information that had suddenly overwhelmed his brain. Everything that Ginny or this new Ginny was telling him was too much. It was insane.

"He was your first…?" Harry asked, without blinking an eye.

"Yes… It was amazing. But it just happened once. I told him I wanted to be with someone who I could be with forever, and he let me go, but not before he gave me this," she said as she reached for her wand and tapped it against her finger. A thin golden band appeared on her finger with a large ruby.

"What… what is it?"

"A protection ring. It protects me from most magical attacks," she explained and it disappeared.

"He was you first," Harry repeated. He couldn’t get over the fact that innocent little Ginny had slept with… Tom… his Tom.

‘When did he start being your Tom,’ a voice in his mind chided.

"Get over it, Harry. Neville was next, just so you know," she smirked. He rarely saw Ginny smirk, but, oddly, it suited her. Harry’s mind flashed back to the begging and pleading everyone had to do with Ron to let Ginny to go out with Neville. Harry smiled as he wondered what Ron’s reaction would have been to finding out Ginny had slept with the Dark Lord himself. Harry glanced at the clock and saw how late it was. Harry was burning with questions to ask Ginny, but he had would attend to them later.

"I should go. Uh… we’ll talk again later," Harry said.

"Just one minute," Ginny said as she pulled Harry close. She pressed her lips to his and he tensed but responded ever so slightly. She pulled away and licked her lips.

"I had to see whether it was as good as Tom cut it out to be and, might I say, Mr. Potter, I’m impressed," Ginny said as she winked and then finished knowingly, "sweet dreams."

Harry smiled at her before he bolted from the infirmary.

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