Entry 1
Ginny's foot slipped on a slippery stair, making her almost fall before she braced herself, pressing both of her hands on the walls on either side of her to stop her descent. The stairway that she was in was damp, dark and narrow, its walls so close together that they almost held the girl in a box. The steps beneath her were crooked and slanted at odd angles, and her balance even further being thrown off by the fact that it was almost pitch black.
Knockturn Alley didn't have any lights, whether magical or muggle-made, both a hazard and a benefit. The hazard being that practically anyone could be lurking around or that Ginny could slip and fall, like she almost had done earlier. But the benefit was greater than the danger. The dark provided Ginny the perfect camouflage, something that she really needed that night. If the people that she was searching for knew that she was looking for them, Ginny would have no chance; they would either disappear or come out and kill her before she could even blink an eye.
Ginny stepped out of the narrow staircase and steadied herself, glancing around once more in search of her prey. It was the fourth night in a row that Ginevra Molly Weasley had made her way down the long, twisted streets of Knockturn Alley. She had started sneaking out when she had become serious about her goal, tired of simply sitting at home having nothing but the thought stew in her mind all day, driving her crazy. So tonight, just like the past three nights, she had flooed her way into an abandoned store in Diagon Alley and crept down to Knockturn Alley, the only place she could think of where her quest might yield promising results.
Ginny rounded another corner and paused as she saw a glimpse of something move past the corner of her left eye. She spun around in the direction that she had seen it, but didn't bring out her wand. It would only cause her to look like a threat, something that she certainly didn't need. The young witch swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling parched and her heart starting to race beneath her shirt. She was both excited and frightened. Some part of her told her to go back—to return to the home that she had lived in for sixteen years now and to the warm people that she had called family for her entire life. She didn't need to do this; she would be perfectly fine, working in the Order and going about their business with pride.
But as soon as the thought of the Order popped into her mind, she knew she couldn't go back. It wasn't so much a result of Harry Potter dumping her because he wanted to protect her as a result of the knowledge that she'd been pinned in for too long. Held down under the presences of six older brothers, a ministry father, and now hidden in the shadows of Harry Potter and all of his deeds. No one could ever seem to acknowledge her, to realize that she was her own person, and was more than capable enough to make her own decisions and contribute to things as equally as anyone else.
That would all change now. The Death Eaters didn't care whether you were too young or not. Ever since Dumbledore had died, they had been making their presence felt. Just last week, they have braved out into a well lit and well populated street and massacred everyone on it, the deeds that Voldemort's followers used to do in his glory days. It was repulsive to her, but the power that they held was attractive, like a lure held to a fish as bait. The more of a taste she got of it, the more that she wanted it, and the more she realized she was never going to get it by staying in the shadows. It was time to make her own stand, even if she had to break the rules to do it.
Set determination now only on her face, Ginny took a step in the direction that she had seen the glimpse of movement—
And three black shadows suddenly surrounded her, hemming her in with more force than even the solidity of the cramped stairway she had come down earlier had done.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" hissed the hungry voice of a man to her rear right. Ginny didn't turn around to face him, keeping her attention on the two Death Eaters in front of her. Her hands had broken out in a cold sweat as soon as the trio had arrived, some trace of her fear appearing once again. She hurriedly wiped her wet hands on her jeans, clenching them together in fists afterwards so the three wouldn't notice.
"Arthur Weasley's youngest—his only daughter," came the oily reply of the Death Eater directly in front of her. With a start, Ginny realized that it was her former Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Snape. She couldn't see his face, but it didn't matter. She knew that his eyes were staring at her beneath the hood, narrowed at whatever thoughts he was thinking at the moment.
"And what are you doing here, pet?" sneered the harsh voice of the last of the three Death Eaters, this one to her left. Ginny looked away from Snape to stare at the woman in surprise. It was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater that Ginny had met before, when she and some other Hogwarts students had invaded the Ministry of Magic in her fourth year. The woman's hood was down, allowing her features to show: dark skin, heavily lidded eyes, a strong jaw and a constantly frightening expression on her face.
Ginny licked her suddenly dry lips. "I want to become a Death Eater," she said hoarsely.
Bellatrix gave her a frightening grin and then she started to laugh at her. The laugh sounded maniacal. Ginny wondered if the woman was insane. Behind her, the man started to laugh as well.
"You want to become a Death Eater sweetheart? Do you even know what Death Eaters do?" Bellatrix sneered at her. "We kill things and torture people. We serve the Dark Lord to his fullest."
Ginny felt her face light up in anger. "I know what you do. And I think I'd be a good asset to it. I'm not afraid to kill." To prove her point, her eyes roamed over the wall beside her. Spotting a spider, she took her wand out and pointed at it, forcefully saying a hex that she had made up recently, "Exgordia."
At her word, the spider burst, its guts splattering onto them all. Or maybe not them all, the girl realized, looking at the others. They had all conjured shields at the last minute, and they hadn't even known what the spell had done. Ginny cursed herself silently at her stupidity. She should have done that. Then she wouldn't look like such a novice right now.
Trying not to let her annoyance at herself show, she gave them a wide eyed grin, trying to match Bellatrix's in seeming insanity. "But I'm sure that we won't be killing spiders, right?"
A serious expression took over Bellatrix's face, and she narrowed her eyes at the girl, as if trying to figure out some trick. The man behind Ginny did the same thing, but without stopping his heavy breathing down Ginny's neck. Snape continued staring, as he had been doing all along, no hint of whatever he was thinking showing itself in his hood. After a long moment of silence, he gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. Immediately Ginny's wrists and bottom half of her legs were wrapped in tight ropes that had come out of nowhere. Her mouth was spelled shut, so that she couldn't talk anymore. The sixteen year old struggled, but to no avail; the ropes were magic and held firmly.
"Maybe we could hold her for ransom. If she's his only daughter she'll probably fetch a great sum of money," said the man behind her.
"Are you an idiot?" snapped Bellatrix, "Her parents don't have any money. The Ministry fools would probably try and capture us if we gave her back anyway. Besides, we could easily get money ourselves." The woman gestured around her and Ginny suddenly understood what they had been doing there. They were getting supplies for whatever activity they had planned next—or maybe just things for themselves, Ginny thought, noting a jar of jam sticking out of Bellatrix's deep pocket.
"I suggest we kill her," snarled Bellatrix, suddenly appearing in her face again. "Liquefy her bones and send the rest to her family and The Order, just to impress upon them how serious we are."
Ginny grew afraid. She realized that Bellatrix was telling the truth, and would have no problems in doing what she had offered at all. She suddenly wondered what she had gotten herself into. She should have went back when she had the chance. Then she'd be comfortable and safe in her own bed, not out here facing death at the hands of the servants of Lord Voldemort.
"No," said Snape quietly, speaking for the first time since had told them who she was earlier. "We'll take her to the Dark Lord and see what he wants to do with her. He might have a better use."
The other two Death Eaters were obviously displeased with this course of action, more willing to perform their own suggestions. However, neither of them said anything against it. Snape must have been the unofficial leader of the trio, or else Ginny suspected that none of the two would have listened to him without comment. Bellatrix and the other man made soft grunts of acceptance and the later grabbed Ginny's arm. All three disapparated from the spot, going back to wherever they had come from, and dragging Ginny along with them.