Behind the Wall
"Malfoy," Ginny hissed, giving the blond a firm shake. "Malfoy, wake up!"
She swore when he did not respond and slumped back against the wall, cradling her knees to her chest. This was not the first time she had been captured while on a mission, but then nothing she had ever experienced had come quite close to this either. She didn't think she would ever forget being offered as a sacrifice to a foul-tempered dragon, nor having Draco come at the last minute to rescue her.
A small smile touched her lips as she thought of the way the blond had leapt down onto the dragon from out of nowhere, sparing no thought for his own safety. He had been quite magnificent, though she would be hard-pressed to admit as much aloud – especially within the blond's hearing. He was conceited enough as it is.
Still, he had saved her; though, when she thought about it, she was really back to where she had started. True, she was no longer naked and chained to a rock, waiting to be eaten by a dragon, but that did not change the fact she was once again wandless and being held captive by religious zealots.
Ginny sighed and stared at the unconscious blond. The claw marks on his face were developing an ugly green tinge and were flared with red. The scratches on his chest were shallower and much less inflamed, yet it was obvious both were infected and would get worse if his wounds were not attended to soon. She bit her lip guiltily, knowing – even if she refused to admit it aloud – that it mostly was her fault they were in this mess. The fact that her feet were smothered in cuts from running barefoot in the tunnels did little to comfort her. She had barely noticed the pain while running, but now that she was stationary all the evils of her situation were finally registering to her brain.
"And who knows what's going to happen to us now," she mused, clutching her knees tighter to her chest.
Draco gave a small groan. She glanced down to see him struggling to sit up, still trying to get his bearings after being stunned into unconsciousness. A slight frown furrowed his brow as he stared about the cell-like cavern they had been shoved into.
"Where are we?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"I don't know," she replied, "but that stone is covering our only exit."
She pointed at the large, round stone that had been rolled over the opening. She had tried to move it earlier, but it was so massive that she had soon realised only magic could budge it.
"Then we're trapped," he sighed.
"Seems like it, unless you've got another wand hidden somewhere up your sleeve."
"I'm not wearing any sleeves," he responded dryly. "You took my shirt, remember?"
"Well, you could hardly expect me to wander around naked," Ginny retorted, throwing him a contemptuous glance.
Draco shrugged. "It's not my problem they stole your clothes."
"Oh, shut up."
He smiled, though it faded quickly. "I wonder what they want with us," he said after a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"Cyras wouldn't have let us live unless he wanted us for something. I know him; he never keeps excess baggage around."
"You mean that man in the white suit?"
Draco nodded. "That's him."
Ginny frowned. "So how do you know Cyras? And who is he, anyway? I've never seen him before."
"We did a few missions together in the past. You probably don't know him because he's not part of the Ministry."
"So he's a curse breaker like you?"
"Was." Draco rubbed a hand over his face, wincing when his fingers brushed against the claw marks carved into his skin. "The last time I saw him he was trading stolen artefacts on the black market. Shortly after, I got news that he had been killed. Seems I was misinformed."
"I wonder why he's working with those dragon worshippers," Ginny mused, propping her chin on her knees. "He doesn't seem the type to go for old African religions."
"He's not. No doubt he hoped they would help him find the artefact," Draco responded, leaning back against the wall. "The thing with Cyras is that he was never good at getting magical relics himself. He's intelligent, but when it comes to actually applying what he's learned, he always falls short. Of course, he's very good at persuading other people to do his dirty work."
"How very astute of you, Draco," Cyras praised, clapping his hands with lazy amusement as he walked into the cavern.
Ginny swung around in fright. She had not even heard the stone move.
"Oh, don't look so alarmed, my dear," Cyras responded, smiling kindly at her. "I have no intention of sacrificing you to any more dragons. You've done your part beautifully and can now enjoy the rest of the show."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ginny demanded, glowering at him.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" He laughed. "Come, come, I expected better from the Ministry's best."
"Enough with the games, Cyras," Draco snapped. "What do you want with us?"
Cyras smoothed back his wavy brown hair, which was seen to be lightly flecked with grey upon closer inspection. "Why it is exactly as you said, my boy. I need someone to do my dirty work, and who better than the dear companion of my old curse breaker days."
Draco gave a dry laugh. "I'm not going to help you."
"Oh, but you already have helped me, Draco. You got rid of that overgrown serpent for me, just as I knew you would."
All trace of amusement died out of the blond's grey eyes. "You set us up."
"But of course," Cyras said with a small bow of acknowledgement. "I had to remove the dragon protecting the deeper part of the catacombs somehow, and since you so conveniently decided to come to Timbuktu with your little red-haired wench here, you made it that much easier for me. It wasn't difficult to persuade the Ouagadou-Bida worshippers that the only way to save their city was to sacrifice the foreign woman to their god. Then it was just a matter of waiting for you to sweep in like a good hero and kill the dragon that would harm your damsel in distress."
"You mean you were just using me as bait the whole time?" Ginny demanded angrily
"I'm afraid so, my dear. You see, only the sword of Amadou Sefedokote can destroy Ouagadou-Bida."
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "The sword of what?"
"Why don't you explain, Draco?" Cyras suggested. "You were the one who was given the sword, after all."
Ginny looked expectantly at Draco.
"Amadou Sefedokote was the first to slay the original Ouagadou-Bida," Draco explained, never removing his eyes from Cyras's smiling face. "His fiancée, Sia, was going to be sacrificed to the dragon, as was the custom of their people, but he would not allow this and attacked the dragon – removing its head seven times before it was finally killed. Both he and Sia fled after that and were never heard of again. However, legend has it that Sefedokote placed a powerful spell on his sword, ensuring – even after his own death – that if Ouagadou-Bida should rise again and the ritual of human sacrifices be restored, he would grant the warrior willing to save the victim the power of his sword and so vanquish the serpent."
"Ah, but it is not just a legend, my boy," Cyras commented, fondly tapping the blade attached to his hip. "Today you proved the rumours to be true."
"So it would seem," Draco responded through gritted teeth.
"Well, that's all very fascinating," Ginny said with awful civility, turning her attention back to Cyras, "but don't you think you were leaving rather a lot up to chance? What would you have done had Malfoy not got to me in time or if we had both been killed by the dragon?"
"Oh, I had full confidence that Draco would come to your rescue as soon as he discovered your plight," Cyras replied, brushing an imaginary speck of dirt off his suit. "He's really quite loyal underneath that selfish demeanour of his, and so very clever at putting two and two together. Naturally, I made it as easy for him as possible to find you; I even sent a few guards to lead the way for him should he get lost."
"How thoughtful of you," Ginny interposed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Yes, I thought so too," he said with a beatific smile. "As to the dragon killing either one or the both of you – well, it would have been a shame, of course, but no great loss. I would have found another way to get past the dragon eventually."
She clenched her hands into fists. "So you were just going to let me die?"
"My dear, I don't see why you're getting so upset. Draco did manage to kill the dragon and rescue you, so there's really no reason for you to be complaining."
"Why you little—" Ginny began furiously, then broke off as she caught Draco's eye, who gave her an admonitory look. She pressed her lips together and folded her arms. "You're lucky I don't have my wand," she settled for instead.
Cyras chuckled, unmoved by her threats or her glowering countenance. "What a little spitfire you are. Yes, I think you would have been wasted on that dragon. Perhaps I will find a use for you, after all. I'm going to create a great empire, you know."
Ginny let out a derisive snort. "A great empire? This is the twenty-first century. You try setting yourself up an empire and you'll have the whole world coming after you – Muggle and magical."
"Not if I go about it the right way," he responded simply.
Draco frowned. "Just what are you planning, Cyras?"
"You must be losing your touch, dear boy. I was certain you would have guessed by now. Or have you forgotten what the artefact we're looking for actually does?"
Ginny stared at the two men warily. "What's he talking about, Malfoy?"
"You don't know?" Cyras exclaimed in surprise. "Then let me enlighten you, my dear. The item you have been so blindly searching for is one of the most powerful objects of ancient lore known to wizarding history. It has many names, but most know it simply as the Dragon Skull. Not the most inspiring of titles to be sure, but it is said that when you look into the eyes of the serpent, you will see what your heart desires above all else. However, unlike the fabled Mirror of Erised, you will also be shown the way to gain that desire – even if that means going back in time. The man who has such an object for his use would be more than powerful. Wielded the right way, he could become invincible."
"What makes you think you'll do any better than the people who tried to use it in the past?' Draco retorted, unimpressed. "You'll fall just like the rest of them."
"I find that unlikely," Cyras said with an indulgent smile. "The Tuareg wizards who found the Dragon Skull were only concerned with finding fertile land and water; they never realised the object's true potential. Those who took possession of it centuries later used it to attain gold and any other profitable trade item they could find; all they cared about was making Timbuktu a powerful city, too afraid to aim for anything grander. And then those peace-loving Islamic scholars decided one day that it was wrong for them to have such power – that it was too dangerous and would only bring pain to their beloved people. So the catacombs were built and the Dragon Skull was hidden away, disguised beneath the Sankore Mosque like an old relic in a rotting tomb."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, and then the Moroccans came in search of it and destroyed the empire, taking over Timbuktu and executing most of the scholars. We all know the story, Cyras, but if you think the city fell because the artefact was hidden away, you're wrong; it fell because the Dragon Skull existed in the first place."
"I suppose you think you're very wise," Cyras mused, his pale eyes glinting with amusement, "but just think about it for a moment. Think of all the possibilities. We could achieve so much with the Dragon Skull on our side. There would be nothing to stop us! Why, we could even rewrite history if we wanted to!"
Draco laughed scornfully. "We? Do you really think I would join you in this mad scheme of yours? That artefact does nothing but bring destruction. Every desire you attain through it has a cost, and those costs would be high for a man of your ambitions."
Cyras's eyes narrowed. "You mean to frighten me off, but I'm not scared of your paltry threats." He flicked back his hair, his expression smoothing to its usual pompous arrogance. "I had been meaning to offer you a place by my side, Draco, but I see it is futile. No matter, you will play to my piping soon enough."
The blond merely raised an eyebrow. "I think not. Since you're here talking to me at all, you obviously still need my help for something. In fact, I distinctly recall you saying you needed me to do your dirty work, so I can only imagine there is something else protecting the artefact besides the dragon that you did not count on. You already know I'm not going to join you, and since I have an incurable dislike of being forced to do things, you'll just have to remove whatever it is yourself."
Cyras laughed softly, though he looked far from amused. "You know, Draco, I've always admired your indomitable nature, but I'm afraid this time it is proving to be nothing more than an unwanted nuisance."
"How unfortunate for you."
"Oh, no, dear boy, it is unfortunate for you. You see, you're quite right that there was more than Ouagadou-Bida guarding the Dragon Skull. And since you can't expect me to risk my life to get rid of it, I'm afraid you're just going to have to put your understandable scruples aside and do what I ask of you, because if you don't—" He smiled, showing every one of his perfect teeth until his mouth almost seemed to curl into a snarl. "Well, dear boy, if you don't, your little friend here may just end up in pieces after all."
Ginny gasped as she was suddenly pulled to her feet and trapped in a surprisingly strong grip.
"No!" Draco exclaimed before he could stop himself, reaching out to her as if he might pull her back.
Cyras's eyes lit up with dawning glee, knowing he had hit the jackpot. "Well, well," he drawled, pressing his wand to her neck, a lazy smile touching his lips, "it seems I have found a use for her after all."
Draco let his hand drop back to his side, clenching it into a tight fist so that his knuckles burned white. His eyes found Ginny's, and she could see the mixture of frustration and helplessness burning in his grey irises. It was strangely comforting to know he cared enough about her wellbeing to actually show his distress in that normally imperturbable face of his.
"Ah, but how touching," Cyras observed. "Such a speaking exchange of glances – it almost moves me to tears. I would hate to ruin such a perfect moment, so do be a good boy, Draco, and do what your elder says, or those pretty brown eyes of hers might just have to go."
A muscle twitched in Draco's jaw. "What do you want me to do?"
"I knew you would come around," Cyras said, pleased. "You always were so dedicated to protecting defenceless females."
"Just get on with it," the blond retorted harshly.
"Very well. The wizards who created the catacombs have placed ancient traps and curses all around the room where the Dragon Skull is being kept. With all your youth and expertise, I'm sure it would be no problem for you to get past them. You are the best, after all."
"That's it?'
"That's it," Cyras affirmed. "Though, naturally if you fail, the girl will have to die."
"Well, it sounds like you've thought of everything," Ginny said quietly, turning slightly in his slackened hold to face the older man. "But you did miscalculate one thing."
"And what is that?" Cyras responded with another of his indulgent smiles.
She grinned, curling her fingers around the hilt of the sword attached to his hip. "I'm not a defenceless female!"
In one fluid motion she had wrenched the sword from its scabbard and thrust it into his chest, driving the blade through flesh and bone as if it were butter. He gave a sharp, awful gasp – as if all the breath had been squeezed out of his lungs – and then he stumbled backwards, his wand dropping to the floor from his suddenly loosened grip. Ginny broke free from his hold and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flailing to the ground, the sword still stuck in his chest. She snatched up his wand and aimed it at his face, breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath.
"Check to see if he has our wands," Ginny ordered the blond.
Draco nodded, quickly gathering his wits together, and went over to the wounded man to search his pockets. Cyras latched a hand around Draco's wrist, staring up at him with wild eyes.
"You won't get away with this," he rasped, blood gurgling out of his mouth. "They'll all come after you."
Draco wrenched his wrist free and grabbed the two wands from Cyras's pocket. He tossed Ginny hers and then stood away from the older man, his expression blank.
Cyras's eyes widened in alarm. "What are you doing?"
"Let's go," the blond said calmly, placing a hand on Ginny's back to lead her out of the cavern.
"How dare you ignore me! I spared your lives!"
Ginny looked back at him contemptuously. "Spared our lives? You were just using us because you didn't want to get your hands dirty, and you know it. Face it, old man," she said with spiteful relish, "the game is up. You've lost."
"I don't think so. You'll never be able to find the Dragon Skull without me." His eyes fastened on the blond. "You need me, Draco – you know you do."
Draco turned to look at the older man, a faint smile touching his lips. "Don't flatter yourself, Cyras. I've never needed your help for anything. You've always been second-rate, and you will die second-rate." He turned back to Ginny. "Come on, Weasley."
"You can't leave me like this!" Cyras screamed, his face reddening with anger. "Draco!"
The two exited the cavern, and Draco used his wand to roll the stone back over the cavern, muffling the screams still coming from the man trapped inside.
"He'll die if you leave him there," Ginny muttered, feeling a little uncomfortable at the thought of another man's blood on her hands, despite how much she loathed said man.
"He deserves it," Draco said shortly. "Besides, we don't have time to be worrying about Cyras. We need to get the Dragon Skull before it's discovered we've escaped."
"You mean you're still going to try and get that thing?"
"That is what we came here to do." A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. "Why, feeling scared?"
"No," she responded stoutly, holding her chin high. "I'm ready to look for this relic whenever you are."
"Then let's go."
Ginny followed Draco back into the maze of tunnels. They didn't have to worry about creating their own light so they could see more clearly, for someone had cast the spell to trigger the torches jutting out of the walls. However, Ginny couldn't help but feel uneasy at the lack of opposition they came across. There had been so many of those dragon worshippers earlier, and now there seemed to be barely any.
The two came upon another junction. Ginny frowned at the blond, noting the way he hesitated before the different passageways.
"Perhaps we should have made Cyras lead us to the Dragon Skull, after all," she mused. "It's obvious you don't have any idea where we're going."
He glared at her. "I have some idea."
"Oh, really, then which way do we go?" she responded tartly.
Draco stared at the three tunnels. "The middle one, of course."
Her eyebrow lifted. "You just chose that at random, didn't you?"
"No."
"Yes you did." She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Let's just face it, Malfoy: we're lost. We have no idea what we're doing or where we are or even how we're going to get out of here."
"I will find the way."
"Are you saying that because you think you might actually know or because your pride just can't handle the fact that you really have no clue?"
Draco's eyes narrowed. "Well, I don't see you exactly helping!"
"Hey, I'm not the curse breaker. I'm just your protector, remember?"
"Some protector," he scoffed.
She bristled with anger. "Excuse me? Have you forgotten already who just saved us from Cyras? I didn't see you doing anything to help; you were just sitting there blabbering away like you always do."
Draco let out an exasperated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough already! We're not going to get anywhere if we keep arguing like this!"
"You started it," she muttered, but fell silent at his reproachful look.
"Alright," he began much more calmly, "there has to be a way to figure out where the Dragon Skull is being kept."
"Well, if you ask me, I say we should take the left tunnel."
"And why do we want to be taking the left tunnel?" he asked in a voice that suggested he didn't put much stock in her idea.
"Because there's a more intense feeling of magic down there," she said simply. "Can't you sense it?"
"Weasley, if it was as simple as sensing for the artefact's source of magic, anyone with a brain could—" He broke off, a stunned expression coming to his face. "Wait a minute," he muttered, taking a step towards the left tunnel. "I can sense it."
Ginny smiled smugly. "I told you."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he demanded, rounding on her.
"I thought you would have realised. You are supposed to be the brains of this operation, after all."
He glared at her and then, very slowly, a reluctant smile graced his lips. "I suppose I did deserve that one."
"Yes you did," she said bluntly, "but I'll forgo teasing you for now. We'd better get moving. I can hear more people coming."
He nodded and dragged her down the left tunnel, this time relying on his natural affinity with magic to figure out which direction they should go. Eventually they came to a wall with a snarling dragon etched into the stone.
"This is it," Draco said confidently.
"It does look like it," Ginny observed, peering at the drawing, which greatly resembled the dragon that had tried to kill her earlier. "How are we going to get behind it?"
"Give me a minute," he muttered, and proceeded to perform what looked like some very complicated spells.
She sighed, knowing he was probably going to be there for a while, and looked about the cavern. There was not much difference between this room and all the others, apart from the etching on the wall. The wizards who had designed the catacombs had clearly meant it to be like a maze – a very brown, rugged and ugly maze. She wondered how she and Draco were ever going to make it out to the surface.
The sound of hurried footsteps caught her ears, and she turned to face the tunnel they had just come from, a slight frown creasing her brow.
"Er, Malfoy—"
"Shut up!" Draco snapped, not looking at her. "I'm trying to concentrate!"
"Yes, I know, but—"
He rounded on her, his eyes flashing angrily. "What?"
"I believe we're about to be attacked," she explained, gesturing to the tunnel where the sound of several feet pounding against earth was getting louder."
He swore under his breath and turned back to the wall. "Cover me."
"What?"
"I said cover me, damn it! I'm going to try and break this wall, but I'll need to remove the rest of the curses protecting it first. You hold them off for as long as you can."
"And what happens when you break the wall?" she asked sarcastically. "You think the people chasing us are just going to disappear?"
"I'll figure that out later," he retorted, pushing her non-too-gently towards the tunnel. "You just make sure no one gets too close."
"Oh, sure, I'll just take on a whole army of religious zealots by myself," Ginny said with false cheeriness. "It'll be no trouble at all."
"That's the spirit," Draco said offhandedly, and turned his attention back to the wall.
Ginny glared at the back of his head and then, when he continued to ignore her, heaved an exaggerated sigh and faced the tunnel again. "I almost think I'd take one of mum's ghastly stews and all the respectable men in the world over this," she muttered under her breath.
The footsteps got even louder, to the point where she could almost make out the different sets of feet. She swallowed, her confident expression wavering slightly, and took a firmer grip on her wand.
"Come on, Lady Luck," she whispered, "don't fail me now."
There was a moment where all was still and she could only hear the erratic pounding of her heart. The flames flickered along the walls, casting an eerie light over the brown, tomb-like cavern, and then the first cloaked figure came through the opening, firing a killing curse at her without warning. She threw herself to the ground, dodging the green light just in time, and sprang back to her feet with a rapid Stupefy. The man keeled over like a log, only to be replaced by three more.
Ginny swore and fired three disarming spells. Two of the men were easily disarmed, but the third deflected her spell and reacted with a nasty slashing hex. She was too slow to use a shield charm, and though she tried to move out of the way, the hex still caught her arm, piercing into her skin like a hot knife. She countered with another stunning spell, which finally hit its mark, and then cast two body-binding curses at the unarmed men.
There was a lull in the onslaught, and she glanced down at her arm, her face paling as she saw the alarming amount of crimson streaming out of the wound. There wasn't enough time to heal it properly, so she used a basic healing spell to pinch the skin together, and then let out a strangled oath as a jet of purple light almost collided with her face. Her heart jolted wildly in her chest as she stared at the ruined crevice of rock and dirt that could have been her head. It was lucky the person had bad aim.
She swung around to confront the newcomer, meeting his malicious dark eyes. Another man came out from behind him, and she gritted her teeth, knowing that sooner or later she was going to be overwhelmed. Too much had already happened that day, and she could feel herself growing weaker.
"Hurry, Malfoy!" she urged. "I can't hold them off much longer."
As if to prove her point, the men fired two killing curses at once, both of which she only just managed to dodge. She let out a shaky breath, barely managing to pull her wits together before another curse, which seemed to consist of black crosses, was fired at her from seemingly out of nowhere. It hit her full in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and leaving her gasping painfully for air. She grabbed at the wall, holding herself up, and looked down to see tiny red lines forming all over her upper-body, which then distorted as the red began to thicken and elongate, mixing with the other lines to stain her skin a deep red.
"Oh, gods," Ginny whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.
There was a loud buzzing in her ears. She could feel herself growing faint, and a distant part of her brain noted that the three men had turned on Draco and were raising their wands as if to strike. She pulled herself together, clenching her fingers tightly around her wand, and managed to stun all three of the wizards before they could attack. A satisfied smile came to her lips, and then she faltered, her body swaying helplessly as the buzzing intensified in her ears.
"I got it!" Draco exclaimed, stepping back from the wall, which promptly crumbled away to reveal a new opening.
Ginny barely registered that he had spoken. It felt as if she was no longer part of her body, like she was somehow looking down upon herself. She thought she would try to walk, just to see if her body would move with her, but then the whole cavern seemed to compress, and she suddenly found herself falling. There was a moment where Draco and the cavern ceased to exist, and then her head cracked against the ground, snapping her back to reality as needles of pain flooded through her nerves.
"Weasley!" Draco exclaimed, falling to his knees beside her. He saw the blood blossoming out of the criss-crossed wounds on her chest and stomach and let out a strangled oath. "Damn it, why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"
"Y-you weren't l-listening," she said with a weak smile, and then started coughing as she choked on her own blood.
Draco ran an agitated hand through his hair, his expression far from calm. "Alright, we can fix this. Everything's going to be fine, Weasley. Just hang in there, okay?"
"I'm f-fine. Di . . . didn't you see me get rid of all t-those people back there?" She grasped his wrist with bloody fingers, and her eyes, though hazy, still managed to focus on his. "And you s-said I wasn't a good protector," she taunted, laughing a little.
He swallowed, trying to ease the sudden dryness of his throat. "Well, you certainly proved me wrong this time, Weasley."
"I did, didn't I?" she murmured, turning her face away, a rather vacant smile hovering at her lips.
Draco frowned. She was getting delirious, and would probably be completely lost to him if she kept losing blood at the rate she was now. He tried his best to heal her wounds, but it was a dark curse that had been used, and the cuts remained stubbornly open.
"Damn it!" he hissed, slamming his fist on the ground. "I don't know what to do! Tell me what I can do!"
Ginny's hand closed over his. "D-don't . . . wo-worry about . . . G-get . . . dr-dra . . . skull."
He leaned over her anxiously. "What?"
"Th-the skull. Get the skull," she gasped before quietly fainting away.
Draco stared at her unconscious form, his own body trembling slightly. He clenched his hands into fists and shifted his gaze to the cloaked figures littering the cavern. He bound the men with ropes, making sure none of them could try to hurt Ginny again or come after him once the stunning spells and binding hexes wore off. He then leaned back over the redhead and placed her in a more comfortable position.
"Don't you go dying now, Weasley," he told her sternly. "I'll have you know that I've never had a partner die on a mission with me yet, and I don't plan on having that record broken today just because you decided to go and get yourself mortally wounded."
He frowned as the silent seconds ticked on, realising it just wasn't the same when she didn't make one of her snippy retorts. And just like that, he knew he had to save her, no matter what the cost. She was an irritating partner to be around sometimes, but she was his irritating partner.
Draco stood up and faced the new opening he had created. It was too dark for him to see what was inside the room, but he knew the Dragon Skull was somewhere in there – that simple relic that had caused so much war and misery, and which even now was the reason his partner was currently lying in a pool of her own blood not a few feet away from him.
He let out a deep breath and walked forward, hesitating a moment outside the entrance. "Lumos," Draco whispered, lighting the tip of his wand.
The light revealed a small path, embraced on either side by an abyss that seemed to go on forever. He stepped onto the path, his light somehow feeble and suffocated by the thick darkness that surrounded him. He hesitated again, casting one last look at Ginny, and then he walked slowly forward until he was swallowed by the shadows.
