Scars III

Chapter 16: Relapse to Pain

Pansy was typically a rather quite girl. She was never one to make a fuss, at least never about anything that mattered. She might put on a show of bitchy-ness for the other houses but the Slytherin’s all knew her as a quite, study oriented woman. It was for this reason that a crowed had gathered behind her, all watching in something that resembled abject horror as Pansy Parkinson screamed, her fist pounding against the rough wood of her Prefect’s room.

It was a few long minutes into this tirade that Blaise made his way to the front of the crowed and snatched her by the wrist before she could smash her fist into the wood yet again.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?” he demanded.

Pansy stared up at him, her eyes aglow with raw fury. “She won’t come out! She has that fucking drug in there!” shaking Blaise from her she turned back to the closed door and screamed, “GINNY GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW!”

“Enough!” Blaise yelled, grabbing her by the waist this time. “She obviously isn’t listening, just calm down Pansy.”

Pansy let a low growl emit from her lips before pulling free and stomping out of the Slytherin dorms.

Blaise let a long sigh escape him before turning to a first year and saying, “go get Potter, NOW!”

The first year bolted. Turning back to the door Blaise began going through his repertoire of unlocking spells. By the time he found one powerful enough Harry had arrived.

“What’s going on?” Harry asked as Blaise completed his spell.

“She’s on that stuff again, Pansy about broke down the door trying to get her to come out,” Blaise explained as he opened the door. He let Harry slip in after him before closing the door on the many watching faces and relocking it.

He couldn’t have said if he was sure it was a good idea to have brought Harry, he wasn’t entirely sure how Harry would handle Ginny, especially in her drugged out state. Agrafine was a drug that fucked a person up.

Lust, anger, any emotion the person felt, had been feeling, suppressed or blatant was amplified and spewed out from lips that couldn’t keep words in. there was no restraining a person high on the drug, just like there was no restraining Dev if he got upset.

Blaise only prayed Harry would be able to handle things, or at least that he would leave if he couldn’t.

~~~~~

Harry surveyed Pansy’s room with a critical eye. The floor was a deep green, the walls pasted with notes. In one corner a desk was littered with scraps of parchment and half used inkwells. There was a dresser against one wall and the bed sat beside it. The bed hangings were closed. The entire room stunk with the sickly sweet aroma of the wizarding world most potent drug.

“Ginny,” Harry called in a whisper. When no answer came he made his way to the bed and pulled back the curtains. It immediately became clear that Ginny had set a silencing spell as high pitched giggling filled the room. She lay on her side, one arm over her face the other clutching at her stomach.

“Ginny,” Harry said, settling himself next to her on the bed. She raised her arm, her eyes wide.

“Oh, Harry. Harry what are you doing here? I thought I locked the door.” She sat up with a start her red laced eyes peering at the far door as though it might explain Harry’s sudden appearance.

“Ginny,” Harry said, pausing until she returned her gaze to him, “Pansy is very worried about you.”

“Pansy? Why would she be? Hey, Harry,” Ginny said her tone getting quite. “We broke up. She said I was too immature.”

“Is that why you snorted this stuff again?” Harry asked, his slender finger pointing towards the remaining bright blue powder upon her side table.

Ginny squinted at the powder, then glanced at Harry, “oops…I don’t think you were supposed to see that…”

“That’s alright, sweetheart,” Harry said, his hand moving to her head. He slowly worked his fingers through her elbow length hair, allowing her a moment to purr before asking, “How much did you take, Gin?”

“Um…maybe…three lines?” Ginny mumbled, her eyes half closed in ecstasy.

Harry never paused his ministrations to her crimson locks but the tightening of his jaw showed just how angry this news made him. “Straight? Or laced?”

“Mmmhh….straight, pure and…and…strong,” Ginny whispered into her pillow.

“Alright Hon, we’re gonna go somewhere now, no,” Harry said, his hand keeping her against the bed when she attempted to sit up. “I’ll carry you; we wouldn’t want you stumbling into people would we?”

“No,” Ginny sighed and let her head fall back.

“Okay,” Harry whispered. He worked one arm under her shoulders and the other beneath her knees. Lifting her easily he turned, motioning with his head for Blaise to open the door.

“Where are we going?”

“She took too much, if we don’t get some of it neutralized the shit will kill her,” Harry whispered back.

Ginny let out a low groan when Harry jostled her as they exited the room.

“Stay awake Gin, we’re almost there.”

“Sleepy,” Ginny half breathed into his shirt.

“I know, but you need to be awake for a little while longer.”

“The hospital wing?” Blaise asked as they made their way through the common room and into the dungeons.

“To far away, if she passes it will only get worse, go to Snape’s office,” Harry said.

Blaise nodded before sprinting ahead to inform Severus of their situation.

“Ginny, next time talk to me before you do something like this,” Harry whispered into the girl’s ear.

“Just wanted the pain to stop,” Ginny said, her voice shaking slightly.

“Yeah, love. I know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They arrived at Snape’s quarters in but a few moments. In almost no time Severus had Ginny on is couch, having her guzzle six potions in quick succession.

“How is she?” Harry asked once the flurry of movement had ended.

“She will survive,” Severus sighed as he eased into the armchair that afforded the best view of the couch.

“Long term damage?” Harry asked as he lowered himself in a chair opposite Severus.

Blaise absently tapped his fingers against the wall he was leaning on while they waited for Severus to give his report.

After a very drawn silence Severus raised his eyes from the sleeping Ginny and said, “If she doesn’t fall into a coma there is a very good chance at least one sense, or possibly her magic, will be severely damaged, permanently.”

“But,” Blaise whispered, his gaze focusing on some distant point as his fingers stilled their tapping, “I thought… doesn’t Agrafine only effect the emotions? The effects are never more than short term lack of magic control.”

“That’s if you take it in small doses, and infrequently,” Severus said, his obsidian eyes once more trained on the motionless girl.

“Agrafine effects both magic and the brain by effecting the emotions,” Harry explained. “Since magic is controlled by your emotions it only follows…”

“But how does that lead to being blind? Or a squib! Or…” Blaise couldn’t seem to focus his now watering eyes.

It shouldn’t have come as such a shock, but it felt nearly a physical blow as Harry realized: ‘Blaise is our father, Snape helps but it’s Blaise who really cares, who puts us as his top priority. He’s always been there, for all of us. He’s the one who’s closer to us than anyone, even us to each other…’

Gathering his equilibrium Harry said, “Excess amounts of Agrafine can cause damage to the brain through extreme emotional strain. Depending on what drives the persons magic, say sight or sound, that, as well as the emotion that is being exasperated, is the area the Agrafine will gather in. It creates euphoria as magic floods the system but the side effects are loss of control and permanent degradation of the persons magical abilities.”

“And all we can do is wait?” Blaise whispered. It was half questions, half statement.

“Yes.”

“I need to go tell Pansy what happened,” Blaise said as he pushed off from the wall.

Again Harry was forcefully reminded of Blaise’s devotion to the people he loved. He could think of nothing to say as Blaise exited the room, and then it was too late.

“Harry.”

Severus’s calm voice gave him a start as he came out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“I have spoken with Dante and Marcus,” Severus said. When Harry did not respond Severus continued, “They wish to see you. As do Reamus Lupin and Sirius Black… I trust someone has informed you of your relation to Lupin and Black?”

Harry nodded slowly, his shifting eyes captivated by Ginny’s scarlet hair so carelessly splayed across the black leather of the couch’s armrest.

“I have already set a date, the day of the first task for the Triwizard Tournament. They will be in the crowed; after the task is over I have offered my quarters for a meeting place. The issue of species has already been taken care of.”

Harry stared at the older man. “Were you even going to ask?” he finally demanded.

Severus gave him a measuring stare, then shrugged.

The gesture was so un-Snape-like that Harry found himself laughing.

“Fine,” he said as the mirth began to fade, “it has to be done at any rate.”

“Indeed,” Severus agreed.

As Harry made to rise, knowing Severus would keep a close eye on Ginny, Severus called, “and Harry.”

“Yeah?’ he asked, pausing by the door to the dungeons.

“If I were you I would consider my skill with Dragons…just a suggestion.”

Harry frowned, and then laughed. “Thank you Severus.”

Severus said nothing more as Harry exited the rooms.

‘It seems the first task has something to do with dragons…won’t Viktor just love to hear that?’