Blood Ties

Rating: PG-13

Summary: "You fall in with the sort of people your parents would call the wrong crowd, and before you know it you're sucked into the vortex" A chain of events forces Ginny to take on the world of the Dark Lord; but will the lure of power prove too much for her?

Disclaimer: Anything you recognise, I don't own.

A/N Well, here I am again, back from the hell that is known as I-Can't-Think-Of-A-Decent-Story-Line – but this just sort of jumped out at me when I was thinking about possible plots, and I kinda liked it, so I decided to write it and inflict it upon the fanfiction community, lol. I've just been looking back at the first chapter of Things Change, and I have to say my writing has improved so much since then. It's almost embarrassing to read the early chapters of Things Change now, lol.

Anyway, this story is definitely going to be a D/G, although I'll have to work on how to get Draco in here, and I don't think he'll be emerging for the first few chapters, but never fear, he will appear! Hopefully I can work in a little romance, but I'm not making any promises this early on, heehee. Of course, it's likely it'll appear eventually. But then, that's just with Draco and Ginny. You never know, she could find someone else instead – or as well…

Chapter One

Bad Day

They were laughing.

All of them, laughing as her life was ripped apart at the seams and thrown carelessly to one side. But then, why should they care? It didn't matter to them that these were people she loved, people she had known all her life and now would never see again – it was all a game. Just a game.

The blinding green light that filled her vision was merciless, and the laughter that accompanied it was haunting as it rolled off the walls and over her in waves. She tried to block it out, tried to stop the screams reverberating in her head, but it was no use. There was no escape from this torture, no way out, no way she could it make it stop; no matter how many countless gods she prayed too and equally how many times she cursed them too. The sounds of the dying and the murderers filled her head, almost sending her insane with agony. There was no way out, no way out, no way—

Ginny sat up in bed, gasping for breath as she slowly realised it had all been a dream – or rather, a nightmare. Untangling herself from the damp, sweaty bedclothes, she threw them off the side of the bed and collapsed back down onto the mattress, letting the fresh night-time air cool her down as she mulled it over in her mind.

It was nothing new to her of course. The nightmare of her parents' murder by the Death Eaters plagued her constantly, appearing repeatedly every night as she slept. Consequently, she could never really get the full night's sleep that an eighteen year-old girl needed, instead waking in the early hours of the morning and just quietly laying there until the sunlight that streamed in through the windows told her it was time to get up. She would get washed and dressed quietly, often lost in her own thoughts, before going downstairs to the same thinly-veiled argument that would ensue every morning with her foster parents. "Why don't you find out about further education dear" they'd say, or perhaps even, as a last resort, "How about another job dear? A nicer one? I'm sure you'd find one almost straight away".

But she'd always reply with the same thing; "I like things just fine, thank you"

That was a bare-faced lie of course. But she couldn't do anything about it; things just had to be the way they were. She'd made her choice not to go on to university, not keen on the idea of going to a ministry-run college, and she was going to follow through on it, even if it meant she had to take that stupid job at the library for money. Her only question was why did she have to get landed with a job at the single most boring place in the universe?

But if she wanted to scrape together any of her own money, she'd just have to live with it. There were no other jobs she could take; her foster parents – Mary and Drew – had known they were lying to themselves and her when they'd said she could find a nicer job. Many muggles in the village where they lived didn't take kindly to Ginny, and were 'suspicious' of her and the way she acted, like how she often seemed to appear just when nobody knew she was there, or her dislike for telephones (something they found incredulously ridiculous – the telephone was a blessing as far as they were concerned). Of course, they'd never been suspicious of Mary and Drew – both extra careful to keep their identities secret – but with Ginny the villagers were a whole different bunch of people.

Stupid muggles, she thought, rolling over onto her stomach and looking at the clock on her bedside table. 2:37am winked back at her in neon green, and she groaned quietly, burying her face in her pillow and scowling into the soft linen. Sighing, she then turned her face towards the window, looking out at the inky blue sky dotted with little diamonds for stars. Her thoughts wondered to her brothers for a moment, and lingered there as she stared out at a sky which she knew they also lay under, somewhere out there.

Two years is a long time to be alone…, she thought sadly, twisting round the small silver band that dangled from a chain around her neck; a ring her mother had given her as a child, and one she had never worn on her finger again since their death. She hadn't seen her brothers for two years now, ever since the ministry had come and destroyed what little family they had left…

Quickly Ginny wiped away the tears that had filled her eyes, refusing to let them fall. Crying was a weakness she could no longer afford – she had to be strong. Not just for herself, but for all of them.

Clutching the necklace to her chest, Ginny exhaled wearily, settling down into bed and beginning her long wait until morning arrived.

***

"Oh, your monthly post came for you today, dear"

Ginny looked up as Mary held out an envelope towards her, waving it around slightly in an indication for her to take it as she carried on reading the paper propped up in front of her. Ginny took it silently, offhandedly tapping it with her wand to release the sealing charms and carelessly tearing it open, not worrying about the fact  that she had practically ripped it in half. She opened out the folded piece of parchment and skimmed it quickly, skipping the formalities at the top and instead reading only the last paragraph, the important one.

But today it was just the same as it had been last month, and the month before that, and the many other months before that also. It read;

I am sad to announce that there is still no news as to the whereabouts or activities of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and so it is with humble apologies that I must inform you of the continued need for you to reside with Mr and Mrs Adams until further notice. I must once again repeat that this is for your own safety and for the safety of many others as well as your self. We hope that you will continue to enjoy your stay with the Adams' and that you keep in good health…

"Yadda yadda yadda, yours sincerely, another air-brained secretary" Ginny muttered under her breath, crumpling the letter up. She didn't bother to read exactly who had written the letter; Fudge had so many secretaries that it seemed to be a new signature every month.

"The same?" Drew asked, looking up from buttering his toast on the kitchen counter. Ginny just raised an eyebrow, slouching in her seat at the table and taking a bite of her own toast.

"That'll be a yes then" Drew muttered to himself, turning back to his breakfast. Both he and Mary were used to Ginny's behaviour in the mornings now – the slouching, the yawning and the contemptuous scowls – and so they just left her to it most days.

Ginny stayed silent throughout breakfast, only speaking to ask – rather brusquely – if she could look at the newspaper. Mary handed it to her without a word, and Ginny took it, flipping it to the front page and scanning it quickly. There didn't seem to be much on there today, and so Ginny tossed it onto the table and stood up, walking out of the kitchen and into the hall, where she retrieved her beaten-up old sneakers and her bag. Quickly sliding on her shoes, she called out a quick 'bye to Mary and Drew before slipping out of the door and into the street.

Mary and Drew's house was situated on the main high street of the village – or should she say the only high street in the village? There was hardly any pavement; just a thin strip of paving slabs to separate the front doors from the road that people actually called 'a street'.

Even though it was pretty hot outside, the June sky was overcast over with grey clouds, a sure sign of rain, and for once Ginny was thankful that she couldn't travel the two miles to the town for a better job. The library was only down the other end of the street, and besides, there was always the little shop next door – it was the only alternative to one of the nice modern cafés in the town, but Ginny couldn't go there unescorted, so she had to make do. It was old, and the people who ran it didn't really take to kindly to Ginny, but during her lunch hour Ginny would sometimes slip in and order a coffee, and maybe, if she was hungry, a doughnut too – it helped to keep her mind of the complete boredom that came with working in the village library.

Today was no different. On entering the dingy, badly-lit library, Mrs Hortense (the owner), narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Ginny before nodding to the desk that sat in the corner – Ginny's usual seat. Sitting down, Ginny turned on the ancient desk lamp that sat on the edge, defying the darkness caused by the heavy drapes Mrs Hortense always had half-closed over the windows. The old lady looked at her disdainfully, her eyes travelling to the bag that Ginny had slung over her shoulder before trudging into the back room where she kept all her accounts books. The door swung closed behind her, leaving Ginny in further darkness. She stared at the door for a second, annoyance beginning to build up inside her.

She has got to be the most irritating old lady on the planet, Ginny thought to herself, trying to suppress her frustration.

"Well, if that's the way you want to play it Mrs Hortense," she muttered under her breath as she stood up, "Then that's the way we'll play it"

Stepping over to the large Victorian windows at the front of the library, Ginny eyed one for a second before grabbing one side of the drapes with both hands and wrenching it aside. Clouds of dust rose from the ancient red velvet, and Ginny put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from choking on it as it swirled in the rays of albeit weak sunshine that was casting light over the shelves. Wiping watery eyes, Ginny moved onto the next one, repeating the action with all the windows until the library was full of light. Clouds of dust were everywhere, clogging Ginny's nose and making her sneeze, and so she stood on tiptoes and opened the windows, wincing slightly at the screech that sounded from the old, corroded metal as she pushed them open. It was worth it though, as the air almost immediately became clearer, and Ginny no longer needed to wipe her nose on her arm. Smiling contently, she looked around the library, with the sunlight streaming in and illuminating all the books, and decided once and for all that Mrs Hortense must be mad.

How long has it been since someone opened those curtains? she wondered, walking over to a shelf that had several different copies of Great Expectations and Jane Eyre on it. Picking up one of the oldest books on the shelf, she opened it to see that it was an 1895 publication of Nicholas Nickleby, with the date stamp telling her that it had last been checked out in 1957.

"Probably the last time someone actually came to this library" she murmured, closing it and picking up another.

Ginny became so absorbed in looking at all the different books that she failed to notice the sound of Mrs Hortense's door opening, or the small gasp that escaped the old woman's lips as she saw how light and airy the building looked. There was no chance, however, that Ginny would miss the sound that followed.

"I knew yu were up t' no good!" The woman shrieked, causing Ginny to spin round and drop the book she was holding from shock. Mrs Hortense's face became horribly squashed, and to be frank, rather terrifying as she hobbled across the room towards Ginny, picking the book from off the floor and sticking it back on the shelf with a slightly manic glint in her eye. As soon as the book was back in place, she rounded on Ginny, staring at her with a terrifying expression.

"Mark my words girl," she croaked, hobbling forwards so that Ginny's only choice was to take a step back, "that if I catch yu in my library again, I'll 'ave your 'ead 'ung above the door, an' that ain't no word of a lie, yu 'ear me?"

Ginny nodded slowly, staring down at Mrs Hortense with a revolted look on her face. The old woman stared at her for a second, before shaking her head and hobbling back towards her little office, careful to avoid the sunshine that had invaded the library.

"Does that…does that mean I'm sacked?" Ginny called after her, peering towards the door Mrs Hortense had disappeared through.

"Sacked good an' proper my girl, good an' proper" she heard the old woman cackle, sounding quite gleeful that she had finally found an excuse to fire Ginny. The only reason she had taken her on was the fact that Mary's mother had once been close friends with Mrs Hortense, and Mary had practically begged on her knees for Ginny to be given the job.

Ginny stood motionless for a moment, processing the information Mrs Hortense had given her, before glowering fiercely and throwing up her hands. She angrily grabbed her bag from off the desk, pausing one moment to look back at Mrs Hortense's door with a glare, and then swept out of the library, making sure to slam the large double doors as hard as she could.

Outside the air was still hot; in fact, it seemed to have got worse since she had entered the library, and Ginny could tell the air was getting humid. She looked up at the sky and sure enough, the clouds had gotten darker and lower; the rain was already starting to fall. Shouldering her bag, Ginny headed up the street towards the Adams house.

***

"What do you mean, 'you got sacked?'" Mary asked incredulously, turning round in her seat at the table so she could look at Ginny, who stood in the doorway looking very wet and also very angry.

"What do you think I mean?" she replied, kicking off her shoes and walking over to the table, where she sat down. She chucked her bedraggled bag onto the floor beside her and slumped back, arms crossed as she scowled at the far wall.

"But why on earth would Mrs Hortense sack you? I can't think of anything you could of done wrong…"

"That's funny, neither can I" Ginny replied heatedly, scrabbling in her bag. Withdrawing her wand, she tapped her hair with it and muttered something under her breath, and instantly her hair was dry again.

"What do you mean by that?" Mary asked, lending a hand and drying the rest of Ginny's drenched form with one flick of her wand, "Surely there must be some reason…"

"The only thing I did was let a little light in" Ginny answered defensively, tearing a corner off of the Daily Prophet that lay on the table and fiddling absently with it. "You'd think she was some sort of vampire from the way she reacted"

But Mary also seemed to be shocked from what Ginny had just said. Her blue eyes widened and she shook her head, sending Ginny an almost disappointed look.

"You didn't open the curtains did you?" She asked solemnly.

I swear the whole world has gone mad, Ginny thought to herself, nodding. Her thoughts seemed confirmed when Mary shook her head, sighing as though Ginny had just told her she'd flunked every single exam she'd ever taken and was officially a lost cause.

"Please!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air with exasperation, "Please, tell me what is so wrong with opening the curtains!"

Grasping Ginny's hands, Mary gave her a calm-down-and-I'll-tell-you-why look, putting a finger to her lips in an indication for Ginny to quieten down.

"Perhaps we should have told you this when you got the job," she said, "but the last time those curtains were opened was 1979"

"Really? I thought it was more like sometime last century!" Ginny replied derisively, staring at Mary with a disbelieving and angry expression. What exactly had caused everyone to suddenly go nuts over a pair of bloody curtains?

"Look dear, I know you don't think you did anything wrong but those curtains have always been closed for a reason," Mary replied, her tone soothing, "Eric – that's Mr Hortense – was killed when he got hit by some anomalous…thing that flew in through one of the library windows. Believe it or not, those curtains were almost never closed up until the end of the seventies. After Eric died, Mrs Hortense never really opened the windows or the curtains again – wakes up too many painful memories to see the sunlight"

"So you're telling me that the old bat doesn't like sunshine because her husband got killed by a 'thing' that flew in through the window?" Ginny replied disbelievingly, "How do they know he didn't just keel over and die? You never know, it could've been death by nagging"

"Now Ginny, really" Mary replied, giving her a reproachful look, "You know you shouldn't say things like that. And Drew and I have suspected for quite a while that it may have been a spell of some sort – He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at his strongest yet when Eric died, and it's perfectly possible that a Death-Eater teenager could have cast the spell through the window for what they might call some 'fun'. Mrs Hortense was absolutely cut up when he died and I'll not have any foster child of mine making crude remarks about her"

"Fine, whatever," Ginny answered, withdrawing her hands from Mary's and standing up, "All I know is, that old crone sacked me for no good reason, and when I come home I find a lecture from you waiting on the doorstep. I'm not staying here for this"

Picking up her bag, she dried it quickly with her wand, checked out of the kitchen window to see if it was still raining (which fortunately it wasn't), and then swept out of the room, her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Mary called after her as Ginny put her shoes back on and unlatched the door to leave.

"Out!" she shouted back, slamming the door behind her. Once outside, she paused, heaving a frustrated sigh before stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans and starting to walk. Quickly running through a mental list of where she could go, only one place jumped out at her.

Turning into a little side street, she looked around quickly to check no one was there before disappearing out of sight with a small pop.

***

The smell of coffee in the small espresso bar was comforting as Ginny opened the door, weaving her way though the tables to the counter. The lunch hour rush wouldn't be starting for a good few hours, and there were only a handful of people around, so there was no queue.

Ginny leant against the top of the counter as she waited for someone to come and serve her, staring through the glass top at all the little cakes and things that were laid out on the shelves. Her mouth almost started to water as she looked at the muffins and cakes and little pastries, and she didn't notice the worker waiting for her until she heard a small cough. Looking up, she grinned apologetically at the woman, digging in her jean pocket for some change. She pulled out a small handful of coins, quickly counting them before looking at the menu on the wall behind the counter.

"I'll have…one caramel latté and a…double chocolate muffin please" she ordered, laying a crumpled fiver on the counter. The woman looked warily at the grubby, torn money for a moment before picking it up and slipping it into the cash desk and going to get Ginny's order. She returned with a mug of steaming latté, a large chocolate muffin displayed on a plate complete with a little napkin folded underneath it, and a forcibly cheerful smile.

Stuffing her change in her pocket, along with the rest of her coins, Ginny took her order over to a table by the window and sat down, digging hungrily into her muffin and sipping at the steaming hot latté.

As she sat and ate, she watched people go past outside the window, wondering at how long it had been since she'd last been to a place as busy as this. For two years now she had practically stayed put in that village, only breaking off to go back to school. After the Ministry had taken her as a ward of protective custody, she had been placed with her foster parents, Mary and Drew, living with them whilst Ron – the only other one who still had to be looked after by law – lived elsewhere.

They had been split up because the Ministry had deemed it too dangerous for them to live together – her parents had been killed by Death Eaters in what seemed to be a planned attack on two people at the forefront of the insurgence – and so they had decided that it put them all in too much danger to see each other until the war was over. Even her older brothers weren't allowed to visit, despite the fact that they didn't have to adhere to any of the ministry's rules if they didn't want to, because they were over eighteen. No, the ministry had decided that they might attract danger to Ginny, and so for two whole years she had been allowed absolutely no contact with any of her brothers at all. She didn't even know if any of them had families; wives, children…she didn't have a clue.

Just then, she was broken from her reverie by two people who had just entered the café sitting down at the table next to her, and she would have paid them no heed had it not been for the little symbol that decorated their black jackets – it was a small purple 'M' on the breast pocket that she recognised immediately. These two worked for the ministry.

Sliding down further in her seat, Ginny searched around quickly in her bag for something she could use to hide behind, and the first thing she came across was a book. Opening it quickly to a random page, she held it up in front of her face in an attempt to conceal herself from the view of the two ministry workers. She mustn't let anyone see her away from the care of her foster parents – it would mean big trouble.

Deciding that the best option was probably to leave, Ginny quickly and quietly began to clear away her things, paying the two workers no more than a swift and cautious glance – until she heard them mention a name that made her freeze on the spot.

"Here, Veronica, did you hear about that Weasley kid?" said the man, "What's his name – Richie, Ray—"

"Ronald," Veronica  replied, taking a swig of coffee and casting a glance around the café, "Yeah, I heard – I work with the Hit Witches, don't I? Fudge is furious, can't believe they took him right under his nose; It sounds as if the kid had gone on an unauthorised trip into the town centre and they," (here she leant forward conspiratorially and lowered her tone) "the Death Eaters, just grabbed him, blasted a couple of muggles to high heaven and back and disappeared. The amount of memory charms my lot have been out performing since yesterday has got to be a record. Fudge even had to talk to the muggle prime minister about it; apparently he's told their news people it was an escaped convict gone crazy or something like that"

Her colleague, the rather short, fat, balding man who looked like he probably worked in book-keeping and had no life, shook his head and tutted disapprovingly.

"Really, these youngsters have no ideas what's good for them anymore; and of course, it doesn't help that Dumbledore has been indulging those three" (by 'those three', Ginny knew he meant Harry and Hermione as well as Ron) "since the day they arrived at Hogwarts. It's despicable really"

"I completely agree Frederick. Fudge is steaming of course. Rumour has it that Potter wants to find the boy himself, but Fudge is completely forbidding it. He says it's ridiculous that Potter even thought he might be allowed to leave the complex – he's just too important to the war for him to go anywhere"

"What about the girl?" Frederick asked, biting into a large filled baguette and spilling half the contents down his chin, "Helga or Helen or—"

"Hermione," Veronica supplied, a look of disgust flickering across her face at the sight of Frederick eating, "Devastated apparently. Cried for a whole day straight – well, that's what Broger told me anyway. Naturally, once she'd finished she was just as obstinate as Potter – practically insisted they go along and find him"

"Fudge refused of course?" Frederick enquired, looking worried for a second that his beloved Fudge had been beaten down.

"Of course," Veronica replied, "So they're both still stuck in the complex. Dumbledore can't do anything about it either – his jurisdiction doesn't exceed Fudge's in this case. As Potter has no legal guardian, Fudge can appoint anyone he wants, and he's obviously appointed someone he trusts, not who Dumbledore wants it to be. That means he basically controls everything about Potter's future"

"But Potter's eighteen isn't he?" Frederick asked, "Won't he be out of the Ministry's control?"

Veronica shook her head, smiling so smugly that Ginny felt sick at the sight of her.

"Because of the…circumstances surrounding him, Potter's is a special case – the girl's too. They'll stay under Ministry protection until the end of the war. And I wouldn't be too surprised if they do the same for Weasley's sister after this as well. She'll be in extra danger now if the attack on her brother is anything to go by"

Hearing herself mentioned, Ginny felt fear rises up in her chest as she realised just how stupid she had been to go out alone, and just how much trouble she would be in if anyone found out. Telling herself it would be better for her to just leave now, she promptly and silently wrapped up the rest of her muffin in the napkin and slipped it in her bag, before finishing off her latté with a last swig. Quickly considering whether or not it would be a good idea, she slipped her book into her bag, grabbed hold of her wand where it lay at the bottom, and quickly transfigured the book into a baseball cap, wincing as a small pop emanated from her bag. Luckily it hadn't been loud enough for anyone to hear, as the two Ministry workers carried on talking at the other table, and so she pulled it out of the bag and slipped it on, twisting up her hair and putting it into the hat so that it couldn't be seen. Then, keeping her head down, she picked up her bag, stood up and walked out of the café as fast as she could.

Once outside in the bustling street, Ginny let out a relieved sigh, slowing her pace down only when she could no longer see the café when she looked round. Turning into the next small side street, she paused to catch her breath for a moment, leaning against the wall.

Now that was a close call, she thought, thinking back to the café and just how near she had come to being discovered breaking the rules. Thinking of the café and the conversation she had overheard there, she realised it would be good for her to get home as soon as was humanly possible, and so she looked around quickly to check there were no muggles close by before apparating away with a small pop.

***

Having gone upstairs from the moment she had arrived back, Ginny had taken refuge in her bedroom, transfiguring her hat back into a book and finishing off the muffin as she thought about what she had heard.

The letter was obviously lying of course, she thought contemptuously, shredding the one that she had received that morning and chucking it in the bin. 'No news as to the whereabouts or activities of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' – yeah, right. My brother being abducted by a group of Death Eaters was just a minor glitch unworthy of mention. She sighed frustratedly, running a hand through her hair. This is ridiculous.

Of course, the next question Ginny needed to answer was 'what was she going to do about it?'. There was no way she was just going to sit at home and pretend nothing was wrong – she had just heard the first piece of news about her brother in two years, and it was that he had been kidnapped by a group of Death Eaters.

Plus, she added, opening the draw of her beside table and taking out a photograph, It doesn't sound like anyone's even doing anything about it. Harry and Hermione are stuck in some 'complex', and it seems as though the ministry are only concerned about Harry.

She looked down at the photograph in her hands, smiling slightly as Ron waved up at her from it, along with the rest of their family. It had been taken just before her parents had been killed, the day before her and Ron had gone back to school for another year. Everyone was in the picture – well, everyone apart from Percy, who had remained distanced from the family ever since he had sided with the ministry. Contact between him and the rest of them had been revived after the death of Sirius Black, but it had remained minimal.

Now of course, Ginny had no contact with him anyway, or with the rest of them, and the photographs that she had hidden away in her beside table were a nice reminder of the extensive family she had. Although now that she knew the ministry had been lying about Ron, there was no way she could be sure that any of the others were okay, or even alive.

She fell asleep holding the photograph, memories of the past and the life she had once had with her family following her as she slumbered.

***

It was still dark when Ginny awoke, abruptly sitting up in bed, breathing fast and hard. She had not expected to sleep through the whole night, but the reason she had woken was quite different from what it usually was.

Sitting still for a minute, her only movement the motion of her breathing, she stared at the photograph that was still clutched in her hand, a look of wonder on her face.

"Please be okay…" she murmured softly, touching the sleeping face of the Ron in the photograph. He opened his eyes sleepily, smiling up at her with bleary eyes before shifting into a more comfortable position and going back to sleep. She looked down at the picture for a moment, like she was thinking something over, before nodding to herself as if she had come to decision.

Putting the picture down on the bedside table, she got out of bed, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Kneeling on the floor, she looked underneath her bed, pulling out a black backpack that was covered in dust. Brushing it off, she tossed it onto her bed, then walked over to her wardrobe.

Opening it, she pulled out a few clothes – mostly jeans and tops – as well as a pair of worn looking converse boots, shoving them all haphazardly into the bag. The clothes that she had been wearing that day were hanging over the back of her desk chair where she had thrown them earlier, and now she put them back on, grabbing a jumper from her chest of drawers and pulling it on over her tank-top.

Don't forget to write a note, she reminded herself, tearing a piece of paper out of a notepad that lay on her desk and scribbling a quick note for Mary and Drew telling them not to worry and that she was fine.

Fat lot of good that'll do of course, she thought grimly, folding it up and placing it on her pillow where Mary and Drew were sure to see it. She paused for a moment as she picked up the bag, gazing at the note for a moment as if considering whether what she was about to do really was a good idea; but then her gaze fell on the photograph on her beside table, and her resolution was strengthened. Picking it up along with her wand, she looked at it one last time before putting it into the backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

Once in the hall outside, she silently closed her bedroom door, gliding noiselessly across the carpet and down the stairs, careful not to let any floorboards squeak as she passed Mary and Drew's room and praying that neither of them was a light sleeper.

She made it to the front door without any disturbances, and sat on the stairs, silently putting on her sneakers and reaching for a black beanie that sat on the radiator in the hallway. Standing up, she put the hat on, grabbed her keys and soundlessly slipped through the front door, closing it quietly behind her and finally leaving her virtual prison behind.

***

A/N Well, here it is, the first chapter of my new fic. I hope it wasn't too bad, lol. I've been writing this over the Christmas period, which was probably a bad idea as it's taken me days because there's been so many good movies on telly, but I've finally finished, and well, here you go! Please review and tell me what you think, and whether or not I should continue – although I probably will whatever anyone says, so…