Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Seventy: A Black Curse

Chapter 70: A Black Curse

Later, Madam Pomfrey performed a few spells on Ginny and assured everyone—including Mr. Weasley (who Harry had nearly forgotten was teaching Muggle Studies now and had witnessed the accident in the Great Hall) that she would eventually be alright.

Then, Mr. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna left to go to their afternoon classes. Harry had to leave to teach his second class of second years and so Draco said he'd stay at her bedside. This annoyed Harry but then Draco said he'd come and get him if there was any news.

After teaching his class in a sort of daze, Harry came back to the hospital wing and found Draco there at her side. He was leaning forward on his chair, his elbows on his knees and his hands folded. He almost looked like he was praying.

Harry walked slowly forward. Neville had already told him that he could skip his Independent Study tonight, so he was planning on being here all night or until Madam Pomfrey kicked him out. He didn't want to miss Ginny possibly waking up.

"So," Harry said as he drew nearer to Draco and Ginny. "She's still unconscious."

"Yes." He stood and stretched. "You should be safe for at least the night I'd expect." Harry wondered at what Draco meant by this but then Draco continued, "Pomfrey said she probably won't wake for at least two days if I'm right about that spell. And then she'll have to take potions for probably weeks in order to heal fully."

"Yeah, that's how it was when Hermione got hit with it."

"She's lucky she didn't die, you know," Draco said flatly. Harry didn't say anything as Draco looked him over. "I should tell you," he said, seeming to decide something. Then, Harry saw something on Draco's face that he never thought he'd see: his eyebrows relaxed and then furrowed as Draco frowned. He felt sorry for Harry. "Come on, step out into the hall with me."

Harry followed him without a word and only glanced back briefly at Ginny's unmoving form before walking through the doorway. They walked down the hall a bit. Draco checked down the turn in the hall but there was no one there.

"Right, so..." Draco said, looking at the floor as though he were trying to put a puzzle together in his head.

"Am I about to find out what she couldn't tell me earlier today?"

Draco studied at Harry for a moment before he spoke. "Ginny is possessed by the raised spirit of Voldemort."

"What?" Harry said flatly.

Draco ignored him and plowed on. "He has slowly taken her body over since Halloween. It's been especially bad since probably around Christmas. She has had seconds, sometimes minutes of possession already where the only thing I can do to draw her out of it is hold her and hit her with calming spells until he can't control her any longer. I have hardly been able to let her more than an arm's breath from me for fear Voldemort would gain control of her body and use her to kill you. She's maintained control only through a combination of bodily contact with me, calming charms and sleeping potions."

"That's not funny," Harry said flatly. He glanced back over his shoulder, wanting to go back to Ginny's side.

"No, it's not."

"Are you serious?" Harry said, not sure what to believe.

"Very serious. As the grave."

"Wait," Harry said, realization dawning. "Did this happen on Halloween?"

"Yes," Draco said, "the memorial at midnight in the Forbidden Forest. Neither of us realized what was happening before it was too late."

"I was set a task by the Auror department to find out about this," Harry said, grabbing a handful of the messiest part of his hair. "They want me to find out why a dark magic sensor keeps going off. It went off on Christmas in..."