Author's Note: This was posted before, but I decided to edit it up a bit. For all you readers out there who are subscribed to me, I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. My old computer crashed, and I had to get a new one! But now, I'm back to writing! For those of you who have read this story before, I promise I will write some new stuff soon. But I found this one, and decided to edit it.
Paralyzed By: ChoCedric
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
An intense, suffocating fear gripped Ginny Weasley as chaos reigned all around her. It was her brother's wedding; it was supposed to be a happy, carefree day for him and his beautiful bride, but yet, it was turning into a disaster. Terrified witches and wizards began Disapparating all around her, and she tried desperately to see her family through the crowd.
"Ginny! Ginny!" Turning, she heard Bill's voice. "Come over here, please!"
Ginny, still panicky, ran over to where she could see the pale, fearful forms of Bill and Fleur. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked in a small voice once she had arrived.
"Just stay by us and things will be fine. We'll look after you," said Bill, putting a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder.
At that moment, Ginny felt her pride almost get the best of her. She opened her mouth, ready to snarl, "I can take care of myself," but closed it again, thinking better of saying those words. Here they were, in the middle of a war, and the Ministry of Magic had just been taken over by Voldemort.
As she looked through the crowd, she tried to catch a glimpse of the polyjuiced Harry, along with Ron and Hermione. But she couldn't find them anywhere, and even more terror gripped at her. Ever since she'd learned that Harry had a much bigger part in this war than even she'd thought, she'd been haunted at night by the image of his dead body. His lifeless, open green eyes stared at her, a look of such hopelessness in them that it broke Ginny's heart. She hadn't told anyone about the nightmares, but they persisted in haunting her. Each morning she woke up shaking, not being able to get the image of his blank, lifeless eyes out of her mind.
"Ginny, none of them are here," said Bill soothingly. "I think they've made their getaway."
Ginny felt tears spring to her eyes, but angrily blinked them back. She had to be the strong, feisty redhead she was known for; she couldn't break dow n now, not at a time like this. Even though the love of her life, plus her brother and best friend, were missing, she still had to remain the stubborn Weasley girl.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came running over, both looking stricken. Molly, being one to break down often, was already in tears. "My son is gone!" she wailed. "Ron is gone! Fred and George Disapparated back to their shop, but Ron is nowhere to be seen, along with ..." she lowered her voice, "Harry and Hermione."
"They'll be all right, Mum," said Bill reassuringly. "We all know they have some sort of mission Dumbledore sent them on."
"I just want my entire family safe!" sobbed Mrs. Weasley. Ginny echoed the sentiment, but kept a stony face.
Moments later, pops of Apparition sounded all around, and a horde of hooded, masked figures arrived on the scene. The Weasleys, plus some other Order members including Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, all whipped out their wands, and a fierce battle ensued.
Ginny was in her element as she shot spell after spell at Death Eater after Death Eater. She succeeded in getting a few of them down, but every time she got rid of one, they seemed to multiply. It was getting frustrating, and Ginny grew tired as she ducked and dodged Cruciatus Curses, Impediment Jinxes, and Leg-Locker Curses.
"You can't fight forever, Mrs. Potter!" one of them mocked, and Ginny felt a fierce anger erupt in her. She wasn't surprised that they knew about her and Harry's brief relationship the previous year. Offspring of these Death Eaters who were here now must have told them they'd seen Harry and Ginny together in the hallways and during breaks. How could Harry be so thick? She thought furiously. How could he think breaking up with me would keep me safe?
She was sure none of the Death Eaters knew they'd broken up. And even if they did know, it was plain to see Harry still cared.
"Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus!"
Ginny felt her wand fly out of her hand and she then fell, stiff as a board. Petrified, she could see her family falling around her, the fight also drained out of them. She knew it had been a hard, long battle, but the Death Eaters were obviously stronger; they'd probably learned Dark Arts from Voldemort himself. Even though Ginny was desperately scared, she vowed to herself that she would fight for her family, fight for freedom, fight for Harry. Even if she was asked where Harry was, she wouldn't give in she would despise herself if her visions of Harry's lifeless emerald eyes became a reality, and it was her fault.
"Now, then," came a cruel voice from right in front of the circle of fallen Weasleys and Order members. "Now that we have you all at attention, we have a quick question to ask you. If you cooperate with us, we shall not harm you."
"Fat chance of that!" yelled Ginny, her bravery mounting. "You'll kill us all anyway!"
"Tut, tut, Miss Weasley," said the Death Eater. He looked into her eyes and smirked. "Despite your bravery, I can smell your fear," he taunted. "You fear for the boy you love, don't you? I am assuring you that seeing him die will be a show you will most definitely witness."
"And then," said the evil, sadistic voice of Bellatrix Lestrange, "You will cwy and cwy, itty bitty baby Weasley. Because then you'll have to spend the rest of your pathetic life without the boy you loooooooooooooove sooooooooooooo much! Ah, picture his warm, soft lips rotting six feet under the ground, decaying, his beautiful hands you loved to hold, decomposing ... ah, what a beautiful sight. And then, the Dark Lord will be victorious!"
Ginny spat on the ground, her entire body shaking with rage. How could these Death Eaters know what images haunted her at night? Legilimency, she thought to herself. Harry himself had told her about it on one of their walks by the lake last year.
"Now," said the male-voiced Death Eater, "We'll start with you, little Mrs. Potter. Tell us where your soon-to-be-dead lover is, and we'll let you go."
"Never!" Ginny screamed. "You'll have to kill me first!"
"Leave her out of this, you scum!" Bill roared.
"Not my baby, not my baby!" wailed Mrs. Weasley. "Leave my daughter alone!"
"I think not," smirked Bellatrix, pointing her wand at Ginny. "Is your love for each other enough to withstand this? Crucio!"
And it was pain beyond anything Ginny had felt before. Hot, angry knives were searing through her skin, burning it like acid. Pinpricks and needles were inserting themselves into every pore, and she was screaming, screaming so loudly that she thought her throat would go raw. I will not give him away, she thought desperately. I will not give the boy I love away. It comforted her that she truly didn't know where he was right now.
Suddenly, the pain stopped as quickly as it had started, and she lay panting upon the ground. She heard her mother sobbing next to her, and her brother's furious roars of anger.
"They've found him!"
Bellatrix's voice sounded triumphant and joyful as she stared at the other Death Eaters. "Come on, we must go! Release the blood traitors, we have more important business to be getting on with!"
As the Weasleys and Order members were released and pops of Disapparition were heard all around them, Ginny felt a fiercer terror than she had ever felt before grip at her. She knew who the "him" was that Bellatrix was referring to. It was Harry. He, Ron, and Hermione had been located, and Ginny's heart pounded wildly as she realized that death was coming very near Harry. The image of his body falling, of his lifeless eyes staring, staring, staring with such hopelessness, washed over her again, and she tried her best to hold back horrified tears.
Her family surrounded her, putting comforting arms around her. "He'll be fine, Gin," Bill whispered into her ear. "He always gets away, you know he always gets away. Are you all right? You're shaking really hard."
"I have a potion that helps with the effects of the Cruciatus," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep, soothing voice.
"My baby, oh, Ginny!" exclaimed her still sobbing mother. "Oh, sweetie, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," said Ginny in a monotone. The one thing she needed right now was to be left alone with her worry and her thoughts. Her family was smothering her, trying to comfort her, but it wasn't working. Every time she looked into their eyes, she imagined Harry's empty emerald ones staring lifelessly at her.
"Let's get you inside," said Bill, taking a hold of her arm. Numbly, she was taken inside the Burrow's loving, soothing environment, but it didn't have the same effect on her as it always did. Instead of feeling like nothing could go wrong, she felt as though everything could.
And it stayed that way for the rest of the day and into that night. As she lay in bed, she knew the whole world had gone to hell as more nightmares of Harry's empty body assaulted her. The frozen look of defiance, terror, helplessness, vulnerability, and fear on his face rocked her to her core. She hadn't heard any real news of his death, and she was extremely relieved for that, but the endless fear stayed with her nevertheless.
What was going to happen in the future? What would Hogwarts this year be like without him, Ron, and Hermione? What if Death Eaters killed her and her family? Questions invaded her mind, making her toss and turn in bed. No matter what happened, she knew it had to get a whole lot worse before it got better, and she didn't know how to prepare herself for what was ahead. She knew it would be a year of turmoil, and as sleep claimed her once again, she said a silent prayer that no matter what, everyone she knew and loved, especially her Harry, would survive.