Sorry for the wait, but school is rough. So here is the background information I promised. This should clear things up. So, I disclaim, and on with the show.
Chapter Three: Memory Lane
I sat at the window seat in the small library. So much had changed in so little time. In the three days since the Dream Team had turned on me, I hadn't been approached by any one outside of Colin, Luna, Fred, George, Padma, and Parvati. Even my own family had kept their distance from me.
I snorted, causing the window in front of me to fog briefly. It was only a matter of time before Harry, Ron, and Hermione came after me. It had happened before. Neville, Seamus and Dean, so many others. My eyes started to water as the memories took over.
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It was storming outside. Lightning was flashing and the thunder crashed with a frightening intensity. The rain pounded on the roof of 12 Grimmauld Place. It was ironic that the atmosphere outside matched the one that would soon fill the Headquarters.
Snape was giving a briefing on the information he had gleaned from the Death Eaters.
It was all the normal stuff: murder, rape, pillage, etc. I was just beginning to tune him out when he said something that got my attention. And not just mine, the entire Order sat up straighter in their chairs. No one moved for a minute, and then Colin spoke.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Repeat that."
Snape explained once more. "I overheard Bellatrix Lestrange talking to her husband. She was saying that she would love to get her hands on Neville. To 'complete the family picture, and send him to whatever LaLa Land his parents are on.' I was just suggesting that we be cautious about sending Longbottom out. She was serious."
We all looked over to Neville, whose eyes had gone wide. I caught his eye, and leaned across the table to grab his hand. He grasped my hand back, squeezing slightly.
Dumbledore spoke up next. "Has she mentioned him before?"
"On occasion. But lately her bloodlust has been stirring. As the war heats up, so does she."
"Well, it's obvious that she's nutters, but is she a serious threat?" Lupin asked with a concerned face.
"To Neville, and everyone else who comes across her. Even the Death Eaters have to be careful around her."
"So, I guess that means it is time to take offensive action, then?" Tonks came in.
"You'd better."
There was silence for a few moments as people took in what was said. Then I spoke up. "Well, the first thing we need to do is get Neville out of here, somewhere safe." My statement was met with nods of agreement from around the table.
We were beginning to make plans for Neville when it all went to hell. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hit us with an idea.
Ever the brains of the Dream Team, Hermione spoke first. "What if we use this to get to Lestrange?" Again silence descended. Hermione looked around to see that she had everyone's attention and continued. "If she is really as dangerous as Snape seems to think that she is, we need to get rid of her. Quickly. So what if we used her supposed obsession with Neville against her?"
I picked up on certain words in her speech that showed her disbelief with the notion that Lestrange was out for Neville. Apparently, I wasn't the only one for Snape spoke up. "Seems to think? Supposed? You don't believe me?"
"It is hard to wrap the mind around. Neville isn't exactly threatening or dangerous. Why would anyone want to go after him? What would that gain them?" Harry questioned.
"Potter," Snape begin through gritted teeth. "Bella is not a sane or stable person. She doesn't need a logical or intelligent reason to want someone dead or in pain. This makes her even more dangerous than someone like Lucius-"
"How in the bloody hell does that make her more dangerous than Malfoy? That's a crazy bastard if I ever saw one. He is Voldemort's right hand man! How does one get more dangerous than that? You cannot say that he isn't dangerous!"
"I didn't say he wasn't dangerous. I said that Bella was more dangerous. She doesn't think, she just acts. She doesn't care about alliances, or timing, or being undetected. Lucius won't act unless he is sure he can do it and get away with it. It's why he keeps being let off, nothing sticks. Bella is the exact opposite. Some could say that she acts rather like a Gryffindor."
This underhanded slight broke the tension in the room as lips upturned into smiles and low chuckles came forth. The respite however was brief as Hermione spoke again.
"All the more reason to get rid of her. What we suggest is that we use Neville against her. Use him to draw her out."
Silence. Then all at once, the Order responded.
'No."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
"Have you lost your bloody minds?"
"You can't be serious?"
"What if she actually gets him? What if he dies?"
Every head turned to me as I asked this question. I continued on. "I am not about to put Neville in danger in some elaborate plan to capture and question Bellatrix Lestrange."
I was saying this hypothetically, until I looked at the threesome. I sat foreword in my chair, my eyes wide with disbelief. "That's exactly what you planned to do, isn't it?"
"It's not like the idea doesn't have merit. It could work. We could deal Voldemort a serious blow and gain important information from her. Information that Snape won't be suspected of giving, information we could act on."
"And again, what if he dies?" I looked around at the rest of the Order. "Would you all have them do this to one of us?"
"Ginny, be reasonable. This is our chance."
"To act as Death Eaters?" I was joined in the fight by Fred and George. "Because I don't think that was in the job description when we joined the Order."
"It's not that simple anymore. We have to do whatever it takes to win this war. We can't let Voldemort take over." They certainly knew the sweetest word to use to get the results they wanted. I could see most of the Order considering what they said, some even began to openly agree.
The argument continued for hours and as time wore on the factions grew and took form. It was horrible to see most of the Order was following the Golden Trio, but that''s how it played out. I fought against the idea as hard as I could, as did Colin, Luna, Fred, George, the Patil twins, and Seamus and Dean, who had become especially close to Neville during the war. But we were sorely outnumbered. The conversation finally came to a halt when I spoke my next words.
"Is Neville expendable now? The boy we all grew up with. The one we helped when he lost Trevor, the one who, you yourself Harry, helped when Malfoy bullied him?" The apologetic looks I received didn't help calm me at all.
"Ginny, when we joined the Order, we made an oath."
"It didn't say we could do this."
"It was implied."
"Was it?" Neville's voice broke in, and it was only then I realized he hadn't spoken once since this entire argument had started. "Was it? Because I certainly don't remember signing my name on that dotted line."
"Please," I implored. "Let Neville decide, and if he says no, drop it. We'll find another way to get Bellatrix."
Everyone turned to stare at Neville. When he spoke next, his voice was quiet, and strangely devoid of emotion. "I just have one question. If this was Tonks, would we even be discussing this?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ron retorted.
"It's a very real possibility that this could be Tonks. The half-blood daughter of the wayward sister disowned for marrying a Muggle? Or what if it were Sirius that she wanted. Would you be willing to sacrifice him?" No one said anything, but the answer came through clearly. No. If it were Tonks or Sirius we wouldn't be having this argument. If it were one of them, we would already be loading them down with so many protection charms, Voldemort wouldn't even be able to read about them in the Daily Prophet.
Neville stood up. "Then I guess my answer is no. I won't do what you wouldn't ask from anyone else." He walked out then, and the meeting ended.
Neville didn't interact with the Golden Trio again outside of the Order meetings, and even then he was noticeably cold with them. Two weeks later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sent Neville to his grandmother's house to gather information she had obtained. The Death Eaters attacked leaving Mrs. Longbottom dead and Neville nowhere to be found.
It wasn't until the next meeting that we found out from Snape that Bellatrix said that she had received an anonymous message to be at the Longbottom residence. Further investigation found that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a few select others were supposed to be there for an ambush, until Dumbledore called an impromptu meeting.
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Needless to say, those of us who had fought for Neville threw a fit. We couldn't believe that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had pushed this through. Neville and his grandmother were now gone without cause and there was nothing to show for what happened to them. The fact that the Dream Team shrugged it off as a casualty of war did not endear them to me, or any of the others.
Dean and Seamus were especially vocal in the call for punishment on the Dream Team, and when that was denied, their overall dislike of the Trio increased. They constantly argued and disagreed with them and Harry, Ron, and Hermione took it for awhile. Finally, though, they felt it was time to be rid of the two nuisances.
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It had been almost a year since the tragedy of Neville and things were still hostile between Dean, Seamus, and the Trio. The rest of the Order ignored the tension, striving to intercept and fight the growing amount of Death Eater raids.
"We have the soon- to- be inductees meeting in the Black Forest . There they will be taken to receive their Dark Marks. They need to be intercepted and taken care of," Snape informed us.
"Why?" Kingsley asked.
"These new recruits are a vicious bunch of buggers. I haven't seen such enthusiasm for death since, well, since the group Lucius and I were in joined."
"When?"
"Tonight, so you have to work quickly. Their portkey is for 12:05. I'd be there at midnight to intercept them. Now, I have to go. Potions to make and all." Snape left the room quickly, and we got to work. The plans were being finalized when Harry mentioned that Dean and Seamus weren't there.
"I thought that this was a mandatory meeting?" Tonks turned to Dumbledore.
"Yes, I wonder if they are alright."
"I'm sure they are fine," Hermione said. "We'll find them later and tell them what they missed. We've been meaning to speak with them anyway." The inquiry ended there, but I saw the look the Dream Team shared, and made a note to myself to check in with Dean and Seamus later.
As the meeting dispersed, my mother called me to her and demanded that I help her with dinner. I only had enough time to owl Dean and Seamus for lunch tomorrow, and to ask why they missed the meeting. I went on about my business, Dean and Seamus slipping to the back of my mind. When I finally made it up to my room after watching the ambush team leave for the Black Forest, I found an owl waiting. Their answering letter chilled me to the bone.
Ginny,
We would love to meet you for lunch tomorrow, but we just got a letter from Dumbledore about a new mission. We have to be in the Black Forest by midnight for an emergency. We'll meet when we get back. Oh, and what meeting are you talking about? Potter and his sidekicks said it was cancelled. Well, we have to go, see you when we get back.
Seamus and Dean
The letter burst into flames, as is standard with letters containing any information about the Order. Bile began to rise in my throat as I looked at the clock. 1:10 was the time glowing on the screen. I pushed down the foreboding feeling that was brewing and forced myself to walk slowly down the stairs. I walked into the meeting room, where it seemed the entire Order was situated, waiting for the return of the team and news of what was going on. As it had been over an hour since they had left, it was sure they would return at any moment.
I walked over to Dumbledore. "Sir, did you send a letter to Dean and Seamus?"
His eyes twinkled. "No…should I have?" I felt my face pale with his words, and at that moment the team popped in. They were all sporting some type of wound and were covered in dirt and blood.
Dumbledore immediately took off for Harry, checking to see if he was all right. By the time everyone was healed, cleaned, and had recounted their story, I was in a panic. Dean and Seamus were nowhere to be found.
Suddenly it all clicked in my head, and the ground disappeared from beneath my feet. I looked at the Dream Team and listening to the story they were spinning with barely controlled anger.
"When we arrived, we tried to be silent, but it's a nearly impossible feat while in the woods. We were discovered and the little bastards opened fire on us. They were relentless, we had to kill them." Here Hermione paused as if trying to decide how to force out some terrible news. She was a wonderful actress. "When we were fighting, we got a huge surprise. Dean and Seamus were there." There was a silence that seem to come only when the Trio was involved. "We ended up killing them along with the others."
I couldn't't stand another minute of their lies. "You liar. I just received a letter form them. They said they got a letter from Dumbledore telling them to be there at midnight."
Harry looked at me and I could see the triumph in his glaze. "And I assume that wasn't true?" Upon an affirmative answer, he continued. "Well, then this proves that they were in league with the Death Eaters. I knew something was up when they didn't't show for the meeting."
"That is because you told them the meeting was cancelled." I challenged.
"Is that what they said?"
"Yes. You tricked them!" I was nearly hysterical.
"Prove it." With these words I froze and suddenly an unexplainable numbness came upon me. I knew it was a defence mechanism as I finally realized that the Harry, Hermione, and Ron from Hogwarts were gone.
"You know that I can't. The letter is in ashes now." I answered calmly.
"How fortunate. For them, I mean." Ron stated. "Look Ginny, it's obvious that they used that letter to have an alibi when they were caught."
I saw the slip. "When?"
"If. You know what I meant."
"Yeah, I do. You said exactly what you meant." I looked around imploring the Order to side with me. I could tell that not many people believed what I was saying was true. I was forced to admit that it was a bit hard to sell. They had an entire team to back them. It was then I realized that two people were missing. "Where are Oliver and Bradford?"
I knew the answer before Ron opened his mouth to lie. "They were killed by Seamus and Dean. When they noticed we were there, they killed Bradford and Oliver. That's why we had to kill everyone, they were out for blood."
I knew then that I had lost; the Order now believed Seamus and Dean to be Death Eaters, and once again the Dream Team were decorated heroes. I knew what had really happened to Oliver and Bradford. They were killed, but not but Dean and Seamus. They were the only ones on the ambush team that did not follow Harry, Ron, and Hermione religiously. They would have fought, and they paid for it with their lives.
I told the Weasley and Patil twins, Colin, and Luna what I knew and suspected. They agreed that the Dream Team was far gone. But we kept it to ourselves because we knew that we couldn't't prove it. Besides, who would believe us. No one was willing to think that the Trio had gone mad.
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From then on, we watched Harry, Ron and Hermione. We saw the changes so clearly. Later we were threatened to keep our mouths shut or we would be next. We weren't the only ones to notice something different. Order members not close enough to the top of the chain of command to do anything also noticed, but they too were silenced. Still, the number of members not under the spell of the threesome was few.
Fred, George, Padma, Parvati, Colin, Luna, and myself gave ourselves the name The List, because we knew if we didn't tread lightly, we were next on the list of errant Order members to be rid of. For years we watched and fought the Trio, and for years they have been getting rid of one Order member after another. Now, it seemed that they had decided to cross me off of the List. Or maybe they merely moved me to the bottom, as I wasn't dead yet.
I dried my eyes and turned from the window as the door to the library opened, admitting the other members of the List.
"Hey Gin, you okay?" Luna asked me. They all gathered around me, as if to offer protection.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I was just… remembering." I was immediately understood. "Do you think they'll try to kill me now?" I voiced the question we all had been thinking for the pass three days.
"I wish they would try," Colin growled.
I shook my head knowing that the Trio would kill all of them in order to get to me if they really wanted to. I shivered thinking of Oliver and Bradford.
Padma spoke next, saying what I was dreading to hear. "Dumbledore wants to speak to you."
Slowly I stood, stretching my legs to regain feeling in them. With Luna's arm still around me, I made my way to the meeting room, the List trailing behind us. When we arrived I found that all of the Head Order members were seated at the table.
Dumbledore gave me a forced smile. "We felt it was better if Harry and the others weren't here for this." He turned to the rest of the List. "That will be all. You can go."
I interrupted. I was not going to be left alone with these vultures. "No, they already know what happened. I want them here." Dumbledore gave me such a look of indulgence that I had to bite my tongue to keep my mouth shut.
"Alright, however they must remain silent." They all nodded, once again taking seats around me. "Well, let's begin. Now Miss Weasley, these are serious accusations that, as I'm sure you know, need to be explored and investigated. I have spoken with Hermione, Ron, and Harry, along with your Healers from St. Mungo's, and now I would like to hear from you what happened in the chamber."
I took a minute to harden myself, locking away my emotions. I refused to show weakness in front of these people. "I shouldn't think you would need me to explain. It's pretty clear what happened, but fine. When I had put enough of myself into the diary by writing in it, Tom began the process of draining me. Once he gained a certain amount of my magical energy, he began to become more real." I stopped and took a shaky breath, balling my hands into fist to keep from crying. "The process, of course, usually takes years to complete from that point, however, there is a way to speed up the process. Physical contact increases the rate of growth. The more intense the contact, the faster the memory becomes physical. Being an evil bastard, Tom went for the most intense form, which is why by the time Potter showed up, he could grip a wand and duel."
Judging by the looks on their faces, this was no new information. "Why did you end up pregnant?"
I gave a hollow laugh, digging my nails deeper into my hands, and drawing blood. "Thomas Riddle spent his school years becoming evil. So, unlike other boys his age, he was not out shagging any girl he could. He never had to learn an anti-conception charm, so his memory didn't know one."
"Why didn't you fight him off?"
"What, you think it was something I wanted? Oh, I fought him, and I fought hard." Tears began to roll down my cheeks, but I didn't reach up to wipe them away. I would not draw their attention to my moment of weakness. "But something you don't seem to understand is that the process is Dark Magic, and like all Dark Magic the rules work against the victim. In order to fight him, I had to make contact with him. Kicking, hitting, biting, pushing, they all require contact with someone. Because of my fear, the hits were intensified, causing me to give him enough strength to fully overpower me so that he could rape me which, in turn, gave him even more power. As an eleven year old, I was scared witless and uneducated on such matters, so I kept fighting."
"And now? Are you still uneducated on such matters?" I looked at Owen Philips, who had turned my words against me, and I saw were he was going. Philips was a long time follower of the Trio, and I knew he was their vessel in this meeting.
I answered the question carefully. "I wanted to know what happened, and how to protect myself from it. I needed to know it wasn't my fault."
"And was that the only information on the Dark Arts that you researched? Because we heard differently." Philips was not to be deterred, and I lost all hope of this going away. I would never be a trusted Order member again, so I didn't respond.
"Why didn't you say anything about the foetus?" Dumbledore questioned.
"I didn't want to be ostracized or locked up. I wanted to be normal, to join the Order like the rest of my family. I knew it wouldn't happen if the information got out, and I convinced the Healers that it was better left unsaid. I told Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a bout of weakness the summer after my second year, when they woke me from a nightmare."
No one said anything for a moment, then finally Lupin asked, "Do you have anything to say in your defence, Ginny?"
"Am I on trial? Do I need a defence? Did I really do anything you wouldn't have done?." I saw that it was a losing battle. "Will anything I say really mean a thing when you all have already made up your minds?" I shook my head and stood to leave. "What I really want to know is what they said. What did they say I did that was so horrible that made what happened to me become my fault?" I didn't get an answer, but then again, I didn't expect one.
The List and I exited the room, only to be met by Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the way back to the library. The looks on their faces prompted Padma and Parvati to put the boys under full body bind to avoid a massacre.
Harry looked at me. "Do you see now, Ginny? You don't fuck with us and go unpunished. We always win. Let this serve as a lesson to the rest of you. Do as we say, or stay out of our way." With that the Trio walked into the meeting room. When Dumbledore came to find me the next day, I already knew what the verdict would be.
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I was put on suspension from the Order until further notice. The only reasons that I wasn't kicked out entirely was because most of my family were important Order members, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron were concerned for me, and wanted me to stay under the Order's nose. They're just so kind.
I thought that my life was over, that I couldn't sink any lower if I were dead. I was out. But what I didn't know was that my life was about to change forever, all at the hands of a few unexpected visitors.
A/N: And now the plot thickens and the story picks up. Soon enters our favorite Bad Boy, our Dark Knight. And he brings a few surprises with him. If you like this, you'll love were the story goes next. And don't worry, the Dream Team will pay. Dearly. Good, Bad, stop writing forever and ever? Let me know!
