Chapter Four: Intimidation
The two intruders turned to the doorway. Ginny could hear Fleur's now muffled cries. She was half tempted to streak out from under the bed and make a run for the stairs, but she would never make it. The boy walked over to the other two, his steps as quiet as the wind.
"Take her to the last room on this hall. Don't make a sound."
Bringing her shaking hand from her mouth, Ginny pulled her wand up to her chest and silently slid her feet until her legs were straight. The teen walked swiftly to stand behind the door.
"Is anyone here?" Came Lupin's voice again, coming up from the end of the steps. He made his way up. "Ginny? Fleur?"
He came into view in the doorway, Ginny blessing his shabby shoes. Lupin poked inside of the room cautiously, his robes grazing the floor as he stopped and looked around. The boy's feet were coming up steadily behind him, and Ginny had wished Lupin had been a little stealthier.
"So you've come to join in on the fun, Professor?" Came the cold voice. Lupin spun around to face him.
The lights in the house came back on suddenly. Lupin staggered backward a little bit, distancing himself from the teen. "What are you doing here?"
The cold voice laughed. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that, sir. I only wish I had asked that question first."
"Who are you here for? Who sent you?"
The teen stepped closer, still laughing. "I'm quite sure you'd love to know, too bad I'm not obliged to say."
Before anyone could move, a blast of light filled the room. Ginny shrank back further as Lupin was tossed to the ground. Her breathing was so loud that she was surprised the other two occupants of the room hadn't noticed. Her heart beat fast as she looked into Lupin's eyes. He lay on the ground, staring at her in confusion. She shook her head firmly, trying to will him to stand.
"What? What's wrong with you? I would have thought this was going to be harder." The boy laughed louder. "Get up, old man."
Lupin sent Ginny one last glance before raising himself shakily from the ground. "If you're going to send me a cheap shot, don't complain that I'm not fighting to par."
Another light filled the room, this time met by a loud gong-like sound. Lupin must have blocked a rather detrimental curse. Another light and hit came, this time the boy swore out of anger.
"Fight back, Lupin!"
Lupin laughed softly, "Must I?"
Another hit and miss came, but this time Lupin sent back a rather quick curse. The boy was sent into the wardrobe, which closed around him. Lupin muttered a few words and Ginny heard the closet lock itself. The boy was pounding hard on the doors, yelling and cursing.
"Ginny, come out." Lupin said softly, knowing very well that whoever was locked in her wardrobe couldn't hear them over his own noise.
Wobbly, she slid out from the bed, her wand still clenched tightly within her fists. Lupin pulled her into a fatherly hug, smoothing her hair a bit.
"Where's Fleur gone to?"
Ginny gestured to the back of the house, "I think someone's back there with her."
Lupin sighed, "I'd thought so . . . Look, we don't have much time. The curse on that wardrobe won't hold very long. I need you to get out of this house and to the garden. Tonks will be here shortly. I sent word when I saw the doors had been damaged."
She nodded, thankful for his calm. The door rattled harder, more obscenities issuing from the occupant's mouth. Ginny breathed in deeply and ran out of the room and down the stairs. The house was in serious disarray, the door lay on the floor a few feet from its frame, the window smashed and broken. Ginny stepped gingerly around it, then ran full speed out and into the cool night.
The stars lit the garden, the waxing moon illuminating all that it could. Ginny sprinted into the tall weeds which had taken over due to Mrs. Weasley's absence. Kneeling as low as she could, she hid herself from view. The light in her room flickered out, and she heard a loud scream. Ginny pressed her hands over her ears in desperation, hoping that Tonks would come soon.
Thoughts filled her mind as she knelt among the weeds and brambles. Why did that boy want her? He had said something about her being in contact with Harry . . . that was probably it. If only he knew she hadn't seen from Harry since then, maybe he wouldn't have bothered coming here. What did he want from her? She could very well lead him to Harry, but she would never be able to tell anyone where exactly he was. How did anyone find out how close she and he had been? It had to be someone from school.
That cold voice filled her mind. She had heard it before, she knew. Quite a few times in fact. It was so obvious to her, but she couldn't place it. That dark and mirthless laugh rang loudly in her head. It was driving her crazy. She knew him. Why couldn't she remember his face? Or even his name? Regretfully, she cursed not having asked Lupin before leaving. He knew who it was. Fortunately, he didn't seem that threatened, at least not by the teen.
Cautiously, Ginny peered at the house. The darkness around the door seemed to give way to another shadow, but it was impossible for her to tell. Upstairs, the lights were still off. No more screams filled the air, but she knew something was wrong.
Suddenly, out of the darkness behind her, she heard a cough. Ginny tried to turn to see who it was, but promptly fell on her back. The person moved through the garden swiftly, then stopped in front of her. Magenta robes billowed about the dark figure, their wand thrust in front of Ginny's frightened face.
"Tonks!" Ginny breathed, trying not to move too suddenly.
"Oh dear! Ginny!" Tonks moved her wand to her side, kneeling down to help Ginny up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that I came so fast and I'm so worried and everything's just so--"
"It's alright," Ginny cut in, knowing very well that Tonks could have kept in that thread for a good ten minutes. "Lupin's inside, but I don't know if he's still okay. I heard a scream from the back of the house, but I think that it might have come from Fleur."
"Who on Earth is in there?" Tonks inquired, both of them now standing and staring at the house.
"I don't know. Two people, one of them sounded quite young, but the other never really spoke."
Tonks nodded and began to go to the house. Ginny grabbed at her robes. "You can't just barge into there!"
The witch pushed Ginny off and proceeded to the Burrow. Ginny followed slowly, worried about what they might find inside. Granted, they were now ahead in numbers, but there was no telling who they were up against.
Tonks stepped into the house, knocking over a vase as she tried to side-step over the broken glass. Ginny rushed to grab it before it shattered, successfully catching the pot and placing it silently in its place. Tonks smiled sheepishly and made to go into the kitchen.
"No," Ginny hissed, "Upstairs!"
Tonks nodded and made for the steps, climbing them as fast as she could. Ginny hurried to keep up as she reached the landing. Urgently, she grabbed the back of Tonks robes, trying to keep her from passing into view of her room.
"They're in there, or . . . they were," Ginny uttered in a muffled whisper. She silently poked her head around the corner.
The room was empty, her wardrobe smashed open and sprawled sideways on the floor. Her robes and dresses lay scattered among the debris. In horror, she noted that the letter from Harry as well as her broom were missing. Tonks appeared next to her, looking at the room grimly.
"They'll be up further then."
Ginny walked into the room, not having the strength to follow Tonks, who had hurried further up the hall. The house was completely silent, and for all she knew, they could all be gone. She sat on her bed, pulling out her wand and pointing it at the door.
"Tonks, no!" Came a horrified yell from the end of the hall. A loud bang disturbed the silence, causing the house to shake once more.
Ginny jumped up. Her heart pounded in her ears as she walked slowly to the door. Shouts and calls came from the room at the end, Fleur's french curses filling the air. She heard Lupin grunt and a dull thud followed.
The hall was still, the source of the thud clearly evident in her mind. Ginny heard Tonks yell fiercely, then another series of curses bounced through the room. Ginny ran softly down to the end of the hall, her footsteps muffled by the vehement actions and harsh words from the room.
She looked to see a large man, his face revealed but no resemblance to her. Scraggly hair and harsh and twisted features of his face shocking her. Ginny looked to the teenager, whose face was covered. Her heart fell. He flicked his wand and caught Tonks in a Body-Bind curse, her stiff form falling to the floor alongside the unconscious Lupin. Fleur was cornered by the larger man, who had his wand pointed at her chest. His mouth formed a twisted smile as began to utter the words that would end Fleur's life.
Ginny rushed into the room without thinking, only knowing that her presence would postpone the murderer's vile actions. The teen's face spun to meet her. Her breath was ragged and she had her wand pointed at him.
"Finally," The boy sighed in mock relief, "I thought we'd have to tear this whole place apart just to find you, Ginny."
She could barely make out his pale features under his hood, but she still couldn't determine who it was. His tall frame would have been intimidating if not for his somewhat thin form. He moved forward slowly, raising his wand to point back at her.
"You will come with us."
Shaking her head defiantly, Ginny gestured to Fleur, "Let her go. Now."
The man standing over Fleur began to laugh, his toothless mouth disgusting and even more vile than Ginny could stand. She turned back to the boy.
"I'll let her go if you lower your wand." He said calmly.
Ginny glared at him, her chest rising and falling from her deep breaths. She slowly lowered her wand, though she kept it pointed at him the entire time. Finally, she pointed it to the floor and stood as tall as possible.
"Let her go." She repeated through clenched teeth.
"Very well."
Ginny watched as the larger man moved away from Fleur as slowly as possible. Suddenly, Ginny was knocked to the ground by the boy, apparently taken as the victim in her moment of distraction. Fleur made a move to hex the larger man, but was knocked to the ground by a swift and brutal punch in the face. Ginny grunted, trying to free herself, but it was no use.
The boy tapped Ginny with his wand, immobilizing her. He pulled back his hood and smirked at her fallen form. His companion laughed stupidly.
"I think it's time to take you out of this hostile environment, Ginny, dear."