Title: Call Me Ginevra
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I don't own any characters except those you can't research on the lexicon and aren't mentioned in the books. The plot is my own. Any resemblances to other plots are pure coincidence. Think about it this way, great minds think alike.
Full Summary: The war has the Weasley's worried about poor little Ginny. After checking her resources McGonagall claims she has the best caretaker for Ginny. Too bad it turns out to be Narcissa Malfoy. While at Malfoy Manor Ginny faces growing up, a strict regiment and Draco on a day-to-day basis. Can Ginny and Draco brave the unknowns of friendship? Will the buds of relationship form? What will Harry do when he finds out that only Ginny holds the key to defeating Voldemort?
Pairings: Draco/Ginny (I guess this sort of answers the "buds of relationship" question in the summary, huh?)
Rating: Eventually M, but pace yourself. (I will give fare warning of the chapters which that rating applies.)
Chapter Note: I discovered upon rereading this chapter after uploading the story that I still had a few mistakes in there (cause I've rewritten this chapter about five hundred times) so I've changed some bits and pieces, nothing too big.
Chapter One: Day One Opens with a Bang
"Are you hungry?" Narcissa asked.
Ginny looked up at the woman as if she had spoken a different language. They had spent what seemed like hours together in silence, but really it had only been a few minutes since leaving the meeting place. Somewhere between deathly afraid of her impending doom and completely unable to respond in a coherent manner, she blinked. "Well? Speak up Ginevra, if you don't answer the question I'll assume you're not hungry and then you won't be able to eat until dinner tonight at seven, are you hungry or not?"
"Yes, I could eat." Ginny replied in a mousey fashion, almost afraid of the directness of the question. She was lost in how unsure she was of what this relationship would be like. She didn't know if once she walked into Malfoy manor she would be put to work like Cinderella but without the ball and happy ending at the end, or if she would be ignored entirely, which based on all the other alternatives she would prefer.
With Lucius recently broken out of Azkaban and with Draco's advancements in his studies of charms and potions, well, Ginny feared for her safety. However, she was constantly reminded of the vow Narcissa took which in essence bound her life to Ginny's.
"Very well, let's go then, I hope you don't mind French, although it will be part of training to experience foods from different cultures." The woman stepped through an archway that provided entry to the Muggle world, and onto the streets of Muggle London. Ginny found it odd that Narcissa passed so casually between both worlds. But, as Ginny began a close inspection of Narcissa, she wasn't wearing anything that would seem peculiar to Muggles.
Narcissa was merely dressed in a tight fitting jacket and skirt that fell just below her knees. They were lavender which complimented her pale skin and light blonde hair. Ginny had never been this close to Narcissa before and had only seen her on rare occasions like at Ministry get-togethers, but now that she was close enough she was fascinated by the details she noticed.
Like that Narcissa had a way of walking so that her arms swung only a few inches in front of her hips, or that she walked heel to toe, or that she seemed to always look slightly uninterested in her surroundings.
She had little time to notice much else before she was brought to the entrance of a French restaurant called Le Fete. Ginny was led down a small hallway and through two French doors into an empty room. On one side was a massive bay window decorated with light blue and silver drapes and on the other was an equally sized painting of a woman sitting in a field of flowers watching a little girl play under a tree.
Ginny sat down across from Narcissa at a small table next to the window and looked at the menu blankly. Unaware if she would be punished for speaking, Ginny braved the unknown. "Mrs. Malfoy?"
"Call me Narcissa." Narcissa said, the tone of her voice amazingly softer and almost, but Ginny wouldn't assume it at the moment, warmer. "Mrs. Malfoy is Lucius' mother. I much prefer the sound of my own name." Narcissa put down the menu that she had been studying and removed the small half-lens glasses she had put on without Ginny's knowledge and looked at the fifteen year old directly.
"Do you prefer to be called anything other than Ginevra?" The interest she showed seemed genuine and Ginny was beginning to feel more and more confused.
"Um, Ginny." Ginny had been surprised at Narcissa's words. It was as if she didn't like Lucius' mother.
"Ginny, a very pretty name." Narcissa began to put her glasses back into their satin holding bag. "Of course we shall reserve that for a less public setting, as members of society we should maintain a formality in the public eye, you understand of course."
Ginny nodded. "Mrs., Narcissa I mean, why…" Ginny trailed off. Why had Narcissa taken her in? If it was to use her as bait against the Weasley's and therein Harry and therein the Order and all of good wizarding England, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. The waitress came by with a cup of tea for Narcissa, apparently a usual, and a glass of water for Ginny. After the waitress took Ginny's drink order and left the room was cast into silence.
"Speak up Ginevra." Narcissa instructed.
Clearing her throat, Ginny's hands making fists in the tablecloth in her lap, she finished her sentence. "Why did you take me in? I mean, for real?"
Narcissa raised a thin eyebrow and Ginny feared for her life. "Ginevra, exactly what do you mean by the phrase 'for real'?"
"Just that, I don't understand it you see. It makes no sense. What's the truth behind it?" Immediately Ginny cursed her horrid inability to shut her mouth when her brain wouldn't stop shouting at her.
Narcissa sipped at her tea. Setting down the cup, gingerly as to ensure none of the liquid would go sloshing about, she looked Ginny in the eyes and Ginny could feel her stomach doing flip-flops. "First, Ginny, I want to tell you that you are the daughter of a Weasley. By bringing you into my home I am putting myself and family at a great risk-"
"Exactly, so why do it?" Ginny blurted out, eyebrows squished together.
Narcissa sneered. "My dear girl, you must really stop making that face, it's atrocious." Ginny paled and sunk into her chair. "Keep your posture." Narcissa snapped and Ginny sat up. "Now, let me be very clear, while you are under my house you will obey by my rules and conduct yourself in a manner that I see fit. Interrupting an adult while they are speaking, making unappealing faces and then ruining your posture are three things that I do not tolerate."
Narcissa paused and looked Ginny over a bit. "We will address your poor grammar later. But you asked a question and I will answer it. I must first assure you that because I brought you into my home, I must in some way not be evil as I have already attempted to assure you. Now unless you suffer from sort of attention span deficiency or have such poor grammar that you can't understand what I'm saying, there is no need for me to repeat myself, am I clear?"
Ginny nodded numbly. She had never felt so vulnerable. At that very moment she could feel her mind quickly going through all the things that Narcissa could criticize next. Draco was prejudice because of her family finances; Lucius was prejudice because of her father; Narcissa was prejudice because of her manners. Ginny had truly discovered that the Malfoys really were as prejudice as people thought they were.
"Good," Narcissa took a breath. "I brought you into my home for reasons that you will later find out but are not proper dinner conversation. As I mentioned before I have some selfish desires, one is to have another lady in my home, someone I can mold and look after. Draco is not exactly the most endearing of people, though he can be when he tries."
Ginny had to bite back the urge to snort in disagreement. Draco? Endearing? Maybe the rumors about Narcissa being a drug addict were true after all.
"Also, with the level of expectations for young pureblooded ladies quickly declining, as you will notice throughout your societal meetings with them, I found it necessary to begin to spread the traditional values to the younger generation. Do you have any further questions or may we continue with our meal?" By the time Narcissa ended her sentence the waitress walked in to take their order. There was obviously no more questioning to be done at that time, and Ginny was honestly fine with the answer that she had been given.
Narcissa ordered first and then helped Ginny out with the menu. Ginny minute by minute felt oddly comfortable with this woman whom she had been taught to hate and even fear. Narcissa was in no way how Ginny had imagined. Where Ginny had thought her battered and afraid, Narcissa was strong and opinionated. Where Ginny had thought her corrupt and cruel, Narcissa was warm and maternal. Where Ginny had thought her mute and ignorant, Narcissa was articulate and cultured.
Narcissa in fact resembled the women that Ginny had always dreamed of being taken in by, adopted per se.
"I'm sorry." Ginny said, breaking the silence between conversations. She was barely audible over the rain drops pelting the windowpanes.
Narcissa looked at her with softness in her eyes. Ginny's eyes were focused at the dead center of the table. "For reacting the way I did when I found out you were taking me in. I should've really been more grateful. I mean, it's not like you're not putting yourself in a difficult spot anyways."
Narcissa dabbed her mouth with her napkin and listened. "I mean, I guess…" Ginny couldn't find a way to keep speaking without the fear of sounding remedial or rude. "It's just being who I am; from where I'm from, knowing who I do and all… hearing that I'm being taken care of by a Malfoy isn't exactly like getting a Christmas present."
Ginny looked up to find Narcissa's lips forming a small smile. Just from her experience with Draco she wasn't aware that any of the Malfoy's had the muscles in their face to smile. "You're really not anything like what I thought you would be like."
Narcissa sipped at her drink, and then set it down. "Ginny, I am not who I married. I do appreciate your apology and accept it. It takes a great deal of courage to apologize because it means one of two things. Either you've recognized your mistake or you're conceding to end a conflict. Both take courage. I must also say Ginny, that you should know by know that there is always more than what meets the eye." Narcissa watched as Ginny nodded thoughtfully.
"You must also understand that despite what you may think, everyone holds prejudices. Why, even you dear Ginny, and your wonderful family hold prejudices. For example when you saw me. You relied on second-hand if not completely false information about me or things you knew about my husband and son to make judgments about my character. You have to admit that you let my name, my finances, and my family, cause you to carry prejudices about me."
Ginny could only admit defeat on that. It was strange to hear it, but it was so true as well. How many times had she met a Hufflepuff that she couldn't believe was in that house just because they were smart? Were Hufflepuffs stupid then? And how many times had she prejudged a Ravenclaw for being anti-social because they were proclaimed bookworms?
And although most of her Slytherin prejudgments were proven true, she knew for a fact just from hearing from her father that some of those kids led hard lives. It wasn't like their behavior was all unexplainable.
She was interrupted as the food was brought in. She had apparently ordered some sort of veal dish and Narcissa had gotten something that looked like it wasn't done dying. Ginny didn't dare look at it to long for fear she might see two eyes pop out of the pasta and blink at her. Feeling sick at the thought, she sipped at her water until her stomach was calm and began to pick at her veal.
"I'm not like them you know." Ginny hadn't even realized she had spoken until she saw Narcissa looking at her with a question on her face. Ginny's cheeks went red. Her mouth should be arrested. "My family I mean. I'm not like them. I mean, I'm like mum and dad because we all three have red hair and freckles and small feet. And I'm a lot like Bill and Charlie cause I like adventure.
"I'm like Percy cause I'm smart, but I'm smarter than him really. I've actually been told that I'm smarter than Hermione. I never told her that though, cause she would've stopped talking to me. And I'm like Fred and George cause I'm really good at flying and casting spells and joking around. They say I'm mischievous like them, but I don't think I quite compare except I can play a mean prank."
Ginny giggled to herself. "I don't quite know how I'm like Ron. But he cares a lot for me and although he butts into my business too much I care a lot for him too. But really I'm not like them."
She had spent her years conflicted between two parts. One part was what was expected of her by her family and friends. She was expected to be drop dead in love with Harry Potter, to be a daddy's girl, to be admiring of the twins, and to be passionately steadfast in all of the Weasley values. But truth be told, she wasn't really any of those things.
Yes, she cared for Harry, but she was young and didn't need to be bothered with that fanciful thought. She was more absorbed in her studies and what Lord Voldemort was doing next rather than following Potter around after her second year. Yes he had saved her life, and yes they had recently broken up, but she wasn't torn apart. In fact if he hadn't ended it she would have. She just didn't want to so close to Dumbledore's death.
Ginny paused. Where was she going with this exactly? She had just run through her entire immediate family describing comparisons in behavior to Narcissa Malfoy, probably someone who didn't care, so exactly what was her point in all of it anyways?
"What I mean is that I don't want to be protected, I don't want to be coddled, I don't want to be expected to obey every rule every minute of every day and I don't like that they think that I'm perfect or that I have to be. I've got Slytherin friends but I can't tell them that. I've got friends in all the houses. And," She trailed off.
"What is it dear?" Ginny looked up at Narcissa. She was genuinely surprised. Narcissa had actually been listening this whole time!
Ginny fiddled with her fork. "Well, Snape had actually been my favorite professor in school. You see, I was really good at potions and herbology and he would give me extra assignments cause I would always finish my work early and all. He was more of my head of house than Professor McGonagall was. And actually, he was the one that helped me through what happened in the Chamber of Secrets. I really liked him. Until…"
Her eyes burned with the memory of hearing Harry describe what had happened that night above the rooftops. Breaking free from her reverie, she looked up to find Narcissa with a strange look on her famous. Almost a knowing look. Ginny for a moment wondered if she had given away anything about Snape, given away that he wasn't a Death Eater. Or at least, she thought he wasn't.
"So I bet you're wondering what will be going on while you're with me?" Narcissa changed the subject. Ginny, surprised that Narcissa seemed to be respectful of such a touchy subject, sat their numbly for a moment before nodding. "Many say I run a strict regime, and I do, I will expect you to abide by the rules I set out for you as nothing less would be expected by those in society from a girl living in a Malfoy home. Clear?"
Ginny nodded.
"Good. You will attend breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. Breakfast is served at eight-thirty, lunch at one, and dinner at seven. We eat in the family dining room on the second floor. I will have house elves wake you up every morning at six thirty and you will have ample time to make yourself presentable. After breakfast, at nine thirty, you and I will begin classes until twelve thirty when you can go and freshen up for lunch. After lunch at two thirty we will continue classes until five o'clock when you will have free time before and after dinner until ten thirty when you will be required to be back in your own room."
"Your room has a bathroom connected to it and its own balcony with space to garden so there will be no need to be out after ten thirty. The subjects you will study are very traditional so don't be surprised. Politics, art, music, history, language, literature and poetry, and of course, charms and potions. I find that there is no use for anything else after Hogwarts."
The waitress brought out courtesy fruit cups filled with an assortment of berries and orange slices.
"Not even Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ginny asked, stirring her steaming soup.
"My dear, all those subjects will provide you with that. Art, music, literature and poetry will allow you to be creative with the use of charms and potions, politics and history will allow you to be knowledgeable of what it is you will have to accomplish with those charms and potions."
After Narcissa finished her sentence, the waitress came in and took away the empty plates. Two small bowls of steaming soup were set down in front of them. After the waitress left the room, and once she was sure no one was there, Narcissa took out her wand and with a wave the steam disappeared from her soup. Taking a sip after retiring her wand, she sighed. "Wonderful."
"And I'll be studying all of that everyday?" Ginny looked down at her soup. Narcissa smiled and taking her wand out once more, cast the incantation on Ginny's soup and in seconds it was mild enough to eat.
Narcissa continued. "Language, literature art, music, and poetry will be every day before breakfast, politics, history, charms and potions will be after lunch. Of course some of these will be able to be connected to things going on today and to each other. I will show you direct examples of how they can be used in modern society as well. Most of the time we will study either in my bedroom, my study, or sometimes outside if I'm up for it, although the summer heat or torrential downpours will call for indoor studying. At times I will find the need to travel into town to put you to the test."
With Ginny's look of utter distress, Narcissa smiled. "Trust me dear, I have all the confidence that you'll struggle very little with my regiment. Naturally it will be a bite to chew to begin with but you will become used to it and then it'll become second nature."
"You have a lot of faith in me for someone who's just met me."
Narcissa laughed and Ginny was reminded of the chimes her mother hung over the sink. "Knowing the kind of spirit your family has, I should, you show amazing promise and perseverance. Why should I doubt you?"
They continued to finish up their soup and the conversation was paused until it could be picked up later.
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After the lunch was paid for by some unspoken tab which, Ginny thought, must be enormous with the way Narcissa seemed to disregard money (and odd as Ginny wondered where Narcissa got Muggle money to pay for it all), the two set out to have Ginny sized for robes. After re-entering wizarding England, Narcissa took Ginny to Hogsmeade, one of the last untouched places of the war.
Narcissa led Ginny past the usual dress shop that Ginny had seen Draco wander into. Ginny looked into its windows and watched her reflection disappear off onto the brick wall, then turned back to Narcissa in bewilderment. "Aren't we getting robes?" She asked.
"Yes." Narcissa replied, looked both ways across a small street before directing Ginny in the opposite direction of town.
"But we just passed the robe store." Ginny was pointing in the direction of the robe store.
Narcissa let out a light laugh that sounded like the last and that didn't make Ginny feel like she was stupid for being unaware of what was going on. "Ginny, every other child, even Draco, may very well shop there but I will not have a charge of mine wearing those robes."
"But I thought they were the best in all of England?"
"Not quite." Narcissa barely finished her sentence before she was pulling Ginny into a white building, windows covered with silver drapes.
Within the passing of five minutes, Ginny had been sized and was looking about at the marvelous creations of some woman named Bellina as Narcissa had a conversation with the fitter.
"She will need a robe for day to day wear, for outerwear, active wear, dinners, formal events, and dances. We'll come in monthly to update any size changes that may occur. Since its August already, we have our annual Halloween ball and she'll need an outfit for that. I suppose the same as usual? Two weeks before? Right, we'll need a dress for the Ministry's grand ball as the Minister has decided not to postpone until better times, three weeks before, we'll come in. We'll take care of New Year's afterwards." Narcissa made a few scratches in her black book and Ginny just let it wash over her, waiting to digest the things she would have coming to her until after she digested her veal.
The woman with the pins nodded, gave Narcissa a slip of paper, and Ginny and Narcissa were off again.
"Where are we going now?" Ginny asked, walking alongside Narcissa. As they walked along, Ginny became aware of how different and out-of-place she looked next to the affluent woman. Ginny was dressed in tan slacks and a shirt and looked more like the help next to Narcissa than her new charge. Narcissa's outfit was elegant and she looked like she belonged somewhere dripping with money. Before Ginny could delve further into her thoughts, Narcissa replied.
"Gringotts, we've got to open you up your own account, then to the Ministry, I need to pick a few things up, you can practice mingling and then we're off to Malfoy Manor for your grand tour of my lovely home, I'll show you your room, you can get well acquainted with the house elves, wash up and be ready for dinner."
Narcissa's mind amazed Ginny. This woman seemed to make lists in her sleep. Everything was so organized and thought-out. It was so strange how much Ginny seemed to like her when she had been under the impression that any conversation with the woman would be quite the opposite of pleasant.
"Wait, Gringotts? My own account? I don't even have two Knuts to rub together to make an account." Ginny became embarrassed by her proclamation of poverty.
"My dear, every single one of my girls receives an allowance and as I have stated before you are no different. You will get twenty-five galleons a week to entertain yourself, but that will cover all frivolous expenses, plus any expense I do not specifically supply, in other words, everything but necessary items of clothing, educational items and meals that we provide." There was a pause. "Close your mouth Ginny, you'll catch flies."
Ginny's jaw was scratching the concrete as they walked. Twenty-five galleons?? Her father only earned thirty-five hundred a year from the ministry! Closing her lips and swallowing, gulping rather, she was frozen mute as they walked up to the famous Gringotts building.
The marbled walls were imposing and magnificent before the littlest Weasley. The bronze doors before her were opened by two goblins, each dressed in scarlet uniforms. They were allowed to pass and arrived at a set of silver doors with a rhyme Ginny had read only once before:
"Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there."
Marveling, Ginny and Narcissa were granted access by two more goblins into the main hall which, literally, took Ginny's breath away. The grandiose chandeliers made of thousands of crystals threw light around the room which was filled with the sounds of coins clinking and shuffling of little feet. Ginny and Narcissa approached the mahogany counter and a goblin looked up from his work, his long eyebrows brushing the rims of his spectacles. "What business have ye?"
Narcissa, not at all intimidated by the brashness of the goblin smiled coolly. "I need to open a new account."
"Name?"
"Narcissa Malfoy."
The goblin hesitated as he flipped to a page in his ledger, using a quill to write in the name. "Will the account be under yer name?"
"No, it will be under Ginevra Weasley." The goblin wrote this in.
"Do ye have the opening fee?" The goblin peered over his desk at Ginny. Ginny of course was too scared to react and stared right back at the wrinkled creature.
"I do." Narcissa pulled from one of her robe pockets a bag of coins, which by the audible sound they made clunking against the wood as Narcissa set them down, sounded like multiple galleons. The goblin opened the sack, looked in, weighed it, and then deposited it into a drawer at his desk. He nodded to Narcissa who then, started for the door. Ginny blinked and followed close behind.
Once they were out of the building Ginny turned to Narcissa. "That's all we had to do? I thought there was going to be more… papers and stuff."
Narcissa shook her head. "They know me there and know the routine by now."
The rest of the walk was in silence as the two headed down the street, out of Diagon Alley and towards a small floo centre. Stepping inside, they paid for a handful of floo each. Stepping up to their designated fireplace, they settled themselves inside it, threw their floo, and were off to the Ministry of Magic.
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Narcissa had already stepped out and was in the process of dusting her skirt before Ginny was even aware they had landed (she had built up a habit of closing her eyes during flooing). Ginny stepped out of a gilded fireplace against a long wall into the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The floor was polished dark wood, the ceiling (as Ginny had heard) a peacock blue. The golden symbols which danced across it dazzled Ginny. As she followed Narcissa the sound of the Fountain of Magical Brethren fell quieter behind them.
Ginny looked back and took in the sight. She remembered when it had been blasted to rubble and was surprised to see it incomplete. The actual fountain part was replaced but none of the statues had been. She vividly remembered that night. The thestral ride, the mirror, her poor busted ankle (from which she still had an inability to turn it a certain way). It made her think of Harry.
A frown broke out across her face. She hadn't really spoken to him since Dumbledore's funeral. He had insisted that he was going in search of the Horcruxes, but understood his handicap at being an underage wizard with no knowledge of them. Ginny quickly snapped out of her trance.
Before they could meet Narcissa's friend they first registered their wands with some man in dire need of a shave. They walked past him and got into a lift which took them to level four. As they stepped out they were met by a man with brown robes on.
"Welcome Mrs. Malfoy, good to see you again." Narcissa and the man shook hands and she smiled warmly.
"And you," She replied, turning she set a slender hand on Ginny's shoulder. "This is Ginevra Weasley; she will be staying with me for a while." Ginny stepped up and shook the man's hand. His face was soft around the edges and wrinkled slightly. He was in his fifties and she assumed it was the stress from the war that made his eyes turn downwards at the outside. His hair was a dark blonde and brushed about as if he had been running his hands through them. A small cowlick protruded from the back of his head where a few strands of hair almost curled and stood out from the rest of the straight hairs. His brown eyes widened as he shook her hand and he blinked a few times, looking from Narcissa back to Ginny.
"Hello, how're you doing?" She smiled awkwardly and stepped back, attempting to become less obviously self-conscious.
"Fine thank you, Ginevra." He cleared his throat. "My, what a beautiful name, and I must say Narcissa; she's much more sociable than dead Draco." Ginny was immediately embarrassed. Despite Ginny's personal feelings, his approval seemed to mean some sort of importance because Narcissa smiled even wider and nodded. After a few more words, Narcissa and Ginny followed the man, who Ginny learned was named David, down the corridor lined with people flipping through folders and running in and out of offices.
The walls were covered with pictures of the Death Eaters. Individual shots from Azkaban, shots from some of the outbreaks, family pictures, ID pictures, they were all over the place, haunting the Ministry halls. David explained that the Ministry was such a mess due to the war and that he apologized profusely for the clutter.
Ginny followed David and Narcissa into a small room with a desk and chairs. David shut the door behind them and held out his hand for them to sit as he took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. "I got the paperwork you requested on the Golden Snidgets and your puffapods are in a box in the basement. I'll mail them to you so you don't have to worry about carrying them."
"I'd appreci-" Ginny's head snapped to the wall beside her as it rumbled. Her stomach leapt in between her lungs. It sounded like thunder. There were voices in the hallway, raised voices, and she saw David grip the arms of his chair tightly. Narcissa reached out for Ginny's arm and pulled her back behind her so Ginny stood on the other side of Narcissa from the door.
David stood and walked over beside Narcissa. The room shook and she knew that what she heard wasn't thunder. The lights went out and before she could scream, she felt a hand on her wrist and was pulled into the hallway where she was bombarded by dark black smoke and horrified screams.
"What's going on?!" She cried, frightened, pawing for the floor as she dropped to her knees. Pressing into her palms as she crawled behind Narcissa she felt bits of plaster which she assumed were from the walls and ceilings. Around her she heard hurried footsteps and general calamity.
"It must be an attack! Stay close and follow my voice, we've got to get to the fireplace!" Narcissa yelled back. The two crawled onwards, Ginny's eyes watering from the smoke and her chest convulsing with painful coughs. Debris continued to fall around them as they went on. Ginny paused every once and while, hand covering her mouth as she coughed. "Ginny! Don't breathe in so much! You'll pass out!" Ginny's lungs burned and she began to feel lightheaded, the screaming making her head throb. Her knees were beginning to sting from rubbing against the carpet.
As she moved, apparently in front of a door, someone tripped over her. As the person scrambled to stand, Ginny felt a heel dig into her knuckles. "OW!" She cried, kicking whoever it was away from her.
"WHO JUST KICKED ME?!" Barked an angry voice, Ginny froze. Something in her, an instinct, told her that the person she had kicked was not a friend. She could see a red light glowing through the smoke but before she could cry out in fear, Narcissa grabbed her arm and was pulling her in through a door and down a stairwell. As they ran, Ginny could hear the man behind them. "DON'T RUN!" He taunted, a maniacal laughter following his words.
Ginny felt her body go cold with fear. This man was a Death Eater. As if the night here in the Ministry or the attack on Hogwarts wasn't enough; Ginny was hoping she would never have another run in with a Death Eater. As Ginny and Narcissa frantically rushed into the atrium from a door by the lift, the smoke dispersing up into the vaulted ceilings, it seemed freedom was at hand.
They rushed into the nearest departure fireplace and as Narcissa reached for some floo Ginny turned and saw a read beam of light the size of a full grown kneazle heading for her and flashes from that night they were in the Department of Mysteries swarmed her mind. She was unconscious before they reached Malfoy Manor.
