The inside of the tunnel was dark and dusty, but not for long. Only a few seconds after the roof closed over their heads, the goblin-boy lit a torch, filling the tunnel with flickering light and strangely moving shadows. It didn't do anything to get rid of the dust, but Ginny supposed she couldn't be too picky about these sorts of things. Mum wouldn't get too angry about her having dust on her dress, anyway, or at least not any angrier than when she came home covered in dirt and bits of grass. She could just magic it all away, after all. That was what Mums did.
"So what's your name?" Ginny asked as the goblin-boy led her down the tunnel. "I have to have something to call you, you know, unless you want to just be 'goblin-boy'."
"I'm not a goblin," the boy said.
"Well, I can't call you 'boy'," Ginny said, setting her hands on her hips. The boy was facing away from her, so he didn't get the full effect of her anger, but she was sure he could tell from her voice. She'd gotten quite good at having an angry voice, though she did get most of it from listening to Mum lecture the twins.
"You don't have to call me anything," the boy said. "It's just the two of us. We don't have to use names."
He was right, but Ginny wasn't about to back down now that she had a good argument going. The boy, whoever he was, could be as stubborn as Ron, and she decided right then that she didn't like him one bit. "Well, I can't just think of you as 'boy', then," she said. "It feels weird."
"Fine," the boy said bitterly. "My name's Cassidy."
Ginny couldn't help laughing a little, even though the boy grumbled at the sound. "That's a girl's name," she said. "Is it your real name?"
"My full name's Cassidy Smith," he said, and she thought he might turn around and start yelling at her. Instead, he just kept walking, leading her down twists and turns and through halls so narrow that she could feel the walls scraping against her arms. "What's your name, then? It's only fair that I should get to know what yours is if you know mine."
"I'm Ginny Weasley."
Cassidy got a chance to laugh then. "That's just as strange as my name," he said. "At least I'm not named after a weasel. What's Ginny short for? Virginia?"
"Ginevra," she said, deciding that she liked this boy even less than she liked Ron, and considering Ron was the reason she was stuck here, that meant she disliked him very strongly. "And if you make fun of my name again, I'll punch you."
"If you do that, you'll never get out," Cassidy said. "I'll run off, and you'll be left here forever. You'll never find your way out." He did lower his voice before muttering, "That's not even a real name."
Ginny decided to pay him no mind. It was what Mum always told her to do when her older brothers were bothering her, and even if it didn't work with them as often as it was supposed to, she hoped it would work with Cassidy. For a while, it did. She was able to march proudly behind him, chin high and arms crossed. Even if he couldn't see her, she was sure he could feel her stony silence and was properly mortified by how he had treated her.
Walking in proud silence got boring very quickly, though, and before long Ginny's arms swung by her sides and her chin was back to its normal place. It was far more interesting to look around at the tunnels Cassidy lived in, and if she hadn't been so intent on keeping up with him, she would have been perfectly happy to explore. He didn't look likely to stop, though, not even for a chance to look down a side tunnel or read what looked like a dust-covered inscription, so she had to run along behind him and do her best to stay close, so he wouldn't vanish with the torch. However proud she was willing to act, she didn't want him to leave her alone in the dark.
At least she wasn't afraid of spiders. Then she would have been terrified of being stuck there alone.
"How did you wind up here, anyway?" she asked after looking around also began to grow boring. If there was nothing else to do but talk, then she wanted to talk.
"Why do you care?" Cassidy asked.
Ginny hadn't expected him to be rude again, but then she supposed that he hadn't been thinking about things the same way she had. He hadn't had a chance to really stop being angry with her. It was another way he was just like Ron: she didn't know anyone who could hold a grudge longer than her brother, unless it was Percy. But then, he was her brother too, so she supposed they might as well count as the same in this case. "I'm sorry I made fun of your name," she said, hoping an apology would be enough. "Cassidy's a nice name, and I bet it was a boy's name once." Old names could be strange like that, particularly old Muggle names. Maybe he had been a Muggle from years ago and just hadn't grown any older.
"You didn't answer my question," Cassidy said, but he didn't sound as angry as he had before. He didn't sound particularly friendly, either, but at least not being angry was a good start. They could become proper friends later.
"I thought you were angry at me for what I said about your name," she said. "That's why you weren't talking." When he didn't respond, she went on, "You should be nicer to me, you know. I didn't even make you apologize for making fun of my name. I didn't even hit you when you did it. I would have hit one of my brothers if they'd made fun of me." Of course, being so young, she didn't have much else to do, and it wasn't as though they could hit her back.
"You're a very strange girl," Cassidy said, and now he sounded as though he wanted to laugh. "Where do you come from?"
"Ottery St. Catchpole," Ginny said brightly. She loved the name of the little town near the Burrow; it sounded so much more interesting than just plain London, even if London was a large city.
"Really?" Cassidy sounded eager now. "Which part? Are you a witch?"
He wasn't a Muggle, then. Well, that was one question answered. "I haven't gone to Hogwarts yet," Ginny said, "but my whole family's magical." Well, there was that one second cousin somewhere, but no one talked about him. "What about you? Are you a wizard?"
"I would have been. If my sister hadn't wished me over to the goblins, then I would have gone to Hogwarts. Instead I'm stuck here." He sighed and led her down another turn. "I've managed to live under the labyrinth for a long time, so long I've lost count of the years, but it's a pretty cold comfort to know that I won't be able to get out and return to my old life. For all I know, my sister's dead by now."
If it had been long enough that Cassidy was still a girl's name, then Ginny agreed, but she wasn't about to say that. She didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did, and she knew that if she'd been trapped under a labyrinth for years, she wouldn't want to hear that Charlie or Bill had died while she was gone. Since she was going to have a chance to get out, though, she realized there was something she could do for the boy to pay him back for helping her. "What's your sister's name?" she asked. "Maybe I could find her and tell her what happened to you?" Maybe she could also avenge him, though she wasn't entirely sure about how to go through with revenge. The most she'd ever done was sneaking spiders into Ron's room after he made her particularly angry.
"You're going to make fun of her name, aren't you?" Cassidy asked.
"No, I'm not," Ginny said quickly. "Honest. I'll even cross my heart and pinky swear if you want." Fred and George had impressed on her that both of these were nearly as strong as an Unbreakable Vow, and she wouldn't dream of letting Cassidy down. She couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him, and she never had a chance to feel sorry for anyone.
"Hepzibah," Cassidy said after a moment. "Her name's Hepzibah Smith. I don't think she's worried about what happened to me, though. She never liked me much."
"Then I'll avenge you," Ginny said eagerly. Vengeance sounded even more fun than sending a message, and she very badly wanted to do something fun. She could be like a knight in shining armor, although those weren't much for vengeance unless it was righteous. Well, what could be more righteous than this?
Cassidy laughed a little. "I'd like that."
"Good," Ginny said. The halls had widened a little, and she strode up to his side, or as close as she could get. The torch smelled strange, but she supposed there wasn't much of anything she could do about that aside from wrinkle her nose and try to avoid the smoke. "Do you know how long it'll take to get out of here?" she asked. "The Goblin King only gave me thirteen hours." She was still tired, too, but she didn't want to mention that. If Cassidy could keep going, then so could she.
"It won't take thirteen hours," he promised. "These tunnels cut right under the labyrinth. They seem like another maze, but really, they're pretty straightforward."
She supposed she would just have to take his word for it. Of course, taking his word for it meant that part of the conversation was over, and she wanted to know more. "How do you keep from getting lost?" she asked. "Is it just that you've been here for so long?"
Cassidy shook his head. "There aren't many ways to get lost down here. There aren't very many different halls. The one there is just turns a lot. You'd be able to find your way easily enough if you stayed long enough." He glanced at her, and in the strange light from the torch, he seemed almost shy. "Do you want to stay? I could show you everything there is to see."
"Sorry," Ginny said, though she wasn't sure why she felt the need to apologize. "I have to get home. My Mum will worry about me." Besides, she had to beat the Goblin King. Even if she managed to hide in the labyrinth and avoid becoming a goblin, she still would have lost the challenge, and she wasn't willing to lose.
"That's all right," Cassidy said, though his shoulders slumped. "I'll make sure you get home safely."
There was no way of telling time beneath the labyrinth. However many clocks there might have been in the maze itself, there were none below, and Ginny didn't think to ask why that was. Perhaps Cassidy just didn't need any clocks, since they might only remind him of how much time was passing. If the Goblin King's magic could affect them, then they might also be dangerous to have around if he still wanted to avoid turning completely into a goblin. Ginny wasn't sure that being halfway toward being a goblin was much better than being turned completely into one, but then, she'd never had to deal with being either. Perhaps it really was better, if only by a little.
They stopped to rest a few times, and Cassidy gave her food and water. When Ginny hesitated to eat it, he assured her that it wasn't cursed. "Eating goblin food won't turn you into a goblin," he said. "It's not like fairy food. You won't be trapped here forever if you eat it." Once she heard that, she tucked in, even though it was bland and flavorless. She was hungrier than she'd ever felt before, but the food did help to settle her stomach and make her feel stronger. She never needed to rest long before being ready to keep moving.
Hours passed, or at least Ginny assumed that hours had passed. She hadn't quite mastered the art of telling time without looking at a clock, but it certainly felt like hours. She was tired and annoyed, though not with Cassidy. She was annoyed with Ron, and with the Goblin King, and with her legs, but not with Cassidy. He was too nice for that, at least now that she had gotten to know him. If they'd managed to meet in Ottery St. Catchpole, she thought they might have been friends.
Then Cassidy pushed open another stone, and sunlight poured in. It couldn't have been very long if it was still day, particularly since it had been afternoon when Ron had wished her away. Ginny grinned, and Cassidy gave her a small smile and said, "We're here."
"Thank you!" she said eagerly, but when she climbed out, she found only more labyrinth. Her heart sank for a second, but then she whirled around to yell at Cassidy for tricking her. Then she saw that he had climbed out with her and settled the stone where it had been. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'll show you the way out," Cassidy said. His hands were empty now, and she supposed he must have left the torch inside. "I'd give you directions, but it can still be kind of tricky. It'll be easier if I lead you there." He held out his hand nervously, but when Ginny didn't take it, he let it fall to his side. "You've still got plenty of time, and the Goblin King won't find us. I promise."
Ginny decided that he wouldn't lead her so far only to turn against her, so she smiled and followed him through the twists and turns. However long he had been in the labyrinth, he knew it well, and before long they stood at the edge. Something shimmered slightly, and if Ginny looked at it just right, she could see green hills and the Burrow. Her smile spread even further, and on an impulse she kissed Cassidy's cheek. It didn't feel as weird to kiss a goblin as she had thought in the second before she did it, and when she pulled back, she saw that his face was bright pink.
"Good luck," he said quietly. "I'll miss you."
"Thanks for everything." Before something could go wrong, Ginny ran through the shimmering mist in front of the labyrinth's entrance and returned home.
Ron had wandered halfway to the town without finding Ginny, and it was nearly dinnertime, so he was forced to turn back. He felt sorry for what he had done, and if there had been any way for him to bring her back, he would have done it in an instant. Nothing came to mind, though, and he couldn't remember enough of Bill's stories to tell how the heroes had gone to meet the Goblin King and bring their siblings back. Maybe he would never see Ginny again.
That thought was enough to make him not want to go back, and not only because he knew he would be in more trouble than anyone else had that he could remember. Ginny was a brat, but he still liked her, and he already missed her. He couldn't give up, but he didn't know what else there was for him to do.
Ron was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice a red-haired girl nearly tackle him from the side. He stumbled, and his face lit up when he saw his sister standing next to him. "Ginny!" he gasped, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "You're okay! I was so worried about you."
She hit his arm, and he yelped, letting go of her. "I had to escape the labyrinth on my own," she said. "If Cassidy hadn't saved me, I might have been turned into a goblin."
"I'm sorry," Ron said, and it was the first time he had apologized to his little sister without being prompted to by one of his parents. "Who's Cassidy?" If Bill's stories had been right – as he was starting to suspect they were – then the labyrinth she had been swept off to was the same one that the Goblin King ruled over, but he couldn't remember anyone named Cassidy.
"He helped me," Ginny said. "I'm going to find his sister and avenge him. She's the one who sent him there," she added, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her anger from just a moment before was gone, and she turned to head to the Burrow, leaving Ron to trail after her. "Also, I get your desserts for a week, because saying 'sorry' isn't good enough."
He would have given her a month's worth of desserts if she'd asked. It was enough to have her back and know that he wouldn't get into any trouble. "Okay," he said. "Do you want me to help you find Cassidy's sister?"
Ginny shook her head. "I'm going to do it on my own. I'm the hero this time, Ron." She looked up at him and grinned. "You'd better not forget that. I can save myself now."
"Fine," Ron said, grinning back. "Don't expect me to come running to your rescue next time you're in trouble, then." If she wanted to save herself, then he would step back and let her. It wasn't as though she was going to get in more danger, though.