Chapter 6

The memories are shadows (Far from home by Five Finger Death Punch)

Gin and Aradia shared a wicked look as they snuck out of the house early on a Saturday in the middle of October. Gin had not slept well and she'd been planning on going to out climb all by her lonesome, but Aradia had caught her. Not that she minded. When it was the two of them it felt almost like home for Gin. Gods, she missed Egypt! Not that she said anything since it would only worry her friends, but she had to do something, anything to bring back the feeling of home. Even the hours they all spent in the training rooms didn't feel normal.

They ran once they were out of the house, not wanting to be followed should anyone be up and about this early. Gin had a plan. Aradia had spent a good five minutes just gaping at her, though, Gin thought wryly, it hadn't stopped her from tagging along. They took a small side door and raced across the grounds towards the Quidditch Pitch. Laughing, they hurried inside- as to make it more difficult to get caught.

"I am so glad you checked the practice schedules," Aradia said, grinning widely as they changed their shoes. Today they were going to do a different type of climbing than the one their friends had witnessed- hence the sneaking about portion of the mornings events.

Gin snickered before rolling her eyes. "Oh please, as if I wouldn't at least attempt to cover our arses!"

Working together in silence they secured the rope around Gin and set cushioning charms. Lead climbing was a bit more complex when you were scaling something this tall. Gin would go up, securing the rope at intervals and when she reached the end of their first rope or pitch as it was known, Aradia would make her way up to Gin's position – removing the ropes from each secure point as they went. They would do it all over again as they made their way to the top.

She had no doubt that should any of their friends- or gods forbid Severus- catch them that there would either be temper tantrums that would go on for hours or that glary thing Severus so liked to use on them despite the fact that it had no real affect. Putting all that out of her mind, Gin concentrated on the climb. It felt so good to be gaining a bit of her old self back.

Soon they were in their own little world, the ease in which they worked together made talking unnecessary. Gin could feel her mood lifting the higher they climbed. The cold wind didn't even bother her, in fact, she nearly forgot all about it.

-GBD-

Draco was very wary. Gin had not once been late for a meal. But, she and Aradia hadn't been in their room when Pansy checked. Pensively, he poured a cup of coffee. He was actually getting used to it and he really liked how quickly it jolted him awake.

"I'm sure they are just out exploring," Theo said reasonably, though he too was not hiding his concern from any of them.

"We know what that means," Pansy added, biting the corner of her mouth. "They may just slaughter us where we stand should we go looking for them."

"I will not! They've been more than reasonable about letting Draco and Blaise tag along, but good gods! I am not going to face their wrath; most especially Gin's if she thinks we were worried over their abilities."

Draco all but growled. He knew damn well how skilled both women were. It was just that someway, somehow, Gin had wormed her way under his defences. He cared about her, damn it all!

Blaise slammed his hand on the table before jumping to his feet and all but running out. Draco sighed and followed. Clearly they were feeling as similar about Gin as they did everything else. Not that they had discussed it. It was almost as if the issue was off limits. It was something they would have to discuss soon.

He grabbed the main doors before they could slam closed in his face, spotting Blaise moving out onto the grounds. It was a good plan, giving him a decent view of most of the castle. If they were climbing, it was quite possible that they could be seen from Blaise's position.

He glanced over towards the Pitch and nearly fell over. "Oh well fuck all!"

Blaise gaped at him before turning to see what had his attention. He simply sat. "Holy hells."

Draco shook his head as if it would clear away the sight, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it, of the two small figures scaling the tallest tower of the stands. Both looked to be dressed all in black, Gin's long braid vibrant against not only her clothes but the tower. Aradia was just below Gin. He slowly made his way to Blaise, not once taking his eyes off the Pitch. Blaise had the right idea. Sitting seemed like a fine choice just now.

-DBG-

Gin pulled herself up and over the top of the tower, landing neatly on her feet. She turned to make sure Aradia made it up. Once they were both in the stands, they laughed until their sides hurt. Leaning on one another, they sat on the bench, still grinning widely.

"I have not had that much fun in too long!"

Gin agreed. "It was almost as good as that time in Karnak-"

Aradia cut her off, playfully covering Gin's mouth with her gloved hand. "Don't mention that! I swear Bill and Aiden will hear you all the way in London! If they show up today, I will blame you!"

Gin cackled, not bothering to protest. The Incident as it was known now was the one time that Bill and Aiden had truly been upset at either of them. While the real Karnak was far more… well preserved…than the Muggles knew, it wasn't as if they had done something like scale Khufu's Horizon in Giza or anything. They had set cushioning charms and had been there for one another. It seemed that acting like 'heathen monkeys' was still unacceptable. "Heathen monkeys," she muttered when Aradia finally dropped her hand. "I still want to know where the hells they came up with that one!"

Laughing, Aradia hopped to her feet. "Just don't even think about it. Instead, we should decide just how we're getting down."

Gin scoffed. "The same way we got up. You lead this time."

Aradia waved her hands in a surrendering sort of motion. "Hells no! You lead, I follow. That has been rule one since the beginning and I am not about to change it now."

"Fine," Gin muttered, promising herself that one day she would actually get Aradia to lead.

-GDB-

Blaise shivered as a particularly cold gust of wind hit him as he stood and held a hand out to pull Draco to his feet. "Well, do we risk their wrath or go back inside and pretend we saw nothing?"

Draco allowed himself to be pulled up and shrugged. "If we go back, we risk Pansy's wrath when she sees that we don't have them with us."

"Good morning, gentlemen."

Inwardly cussing, Blaise tried not to wince as Dumbledore joined them. Did the man really know every fucking thing? How the seven hells had he seen the girls? Upon reflection, Blaise decided that he simply did not want to know.

"Good morning, Headmaster," they chorused.

"I see that Miss Weasley and Miss O'Carolan are having a bit of an adventure. Perhaps you two could warn them that Gryffindor has rescheduled their practice and will be on the Pitch in less than an hour."

Confused, he and Draco both stared at the man. Sure, Dumbledore seemed to ignore that Gin never bothered to button up her school robes and most of the time forgot them altogether at meals, but was he really going to overlook this?

"What?" Draco muttered.

Dumbledore actually laughed. "Oh, I knew of their hobby and have been assured by their brothers that neither young woman will take too many risks. I just prefer to have a peaceful Saturday. I do not wish to witness Miss Weasley's skill at duelling and I am sure you gentlemen feel the same."

"Which would be why we were not going to disturb them," Draco muttered.

Blaise snickered. "We're going. Will you alert Cissy that we may be in need of hex removal soon enough?"

He started off, wondering if this dread was what prisoners felt like before their executions. Draco fell in step beside him and they both just shook their heads when Dumbledore laughed lightly. That man was amused by the oddest things.

-BGD-

Daphne had finally reached the end of her patience. Sitting alone, well at least without her friends, at the House table since Pansy had retreated to the house and Theo had followed after her, she all but slammed her cup on the table. Waving off the other seventh year boys' concerns, she stood and marched up to where Narcissa was chatting quietly with Professor Babbling. "Narcissa," she said softly, hating to interrupt but this was important.

Narcissa looked up, her smile falling away the moment she did so. With a soft nod, she said, "Go on down to our rooms and I will be with you momentarily."

Daphne tried to smile as she nodded. Turning, she spotted the three heroes watching her. Her eyes narrowed and she swept across the room, not really noticing the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who backed away from her. Slamming her hands on the Gryffindor table, she speared Potter with her most damning glare. "You need to finish this fucking war, Potter. Now."

Feeling a bit better at venting her temper, Daphne turned on her heel and walked out. Narcissa and Marguerite would help her figure out how to make her friends happy again. They didn't like their sons unhappy any more than Draco and Blaise liked seeing Gin sad. There had to be a way to fix this, there just had to be!

She slipped through the dungeons, not bothering to complain about the three seventh year boys that had followed her out. It would simply do no good and waste energy she wasn't sure she had at the moment. Banging on the door to Severus and Narcissa's quarters, she waited. Severus opened the door, took one good look and nodded firmly. "Go on in. I will be in my private lab should my assistance be required."

Daphne didn't reply to that. As if they wanted a man, any man, to stick his nose in at this point. No, the solution would be found by women. The men involved had done enough.

-DGB-

Aradia looked over and sighed. "Gin, we have company."

Gin shook her head and didn't bother to look or stop her descent. "Let me guess…two very fit Slytherins, one blonde and the other brunette... how do they manage to always find us?"

"Got it in one," was her acerbic reply, not bothering to answer the second part. Aradia was not about to touch that subject, most especially when she was tied to Gin and this far in the air. No one, not even Severus, doubted where those three were heading. Well, except for the three of them apparently. Most days it was amusing to watch. Not today. Shaking her head, she began moving down cautiously.

It was a few long minutes later and far closer to the ground when Gin grumbled and pushed off from the wall, landing neatly on the ground. Aradia landed next to her a moment later, bracing for whatever was about to happen. She could see just how wary Blaise and Draco were and couldn't help but wonder if they wanted to get hexed. She thought that was something outgrown long ago along the annoying habit of a boy tugging on a girl's plait when he liked her…which was what usually led to aforementioned hexing.

"Dumbledore sent us." Draco all but stepped behind Blaise to hide, wincing.

Gin snickered, though no one missed the dangerous edge to her voice. "That sounds like something he would do. But, I am guessing you two were already looking for us weren't you?"

"You missed out on the coffee," Blaise pointed out.

Gin turned, grumbling softly in Arabic as they packed up their gear and changed back into their boots. Some of the things she was muttering were likely not humanly possible but, Aradia was most certainly not going to point that out.

"The Gryffindor team is on their way to the Pitch," Blaise offered hesitantly. "Dumbledore said he didn't want you to have to hex that idiot."

Aradia's brows shot up when Gin marched past the boys, dumping her bag in Draco's arms, but otherwise not saying a word. Not in English at least. When the exasperated redhead was gone, Aradia joined the boys, whispering softly. "I do hope you two know how lucky you are. Some of her suggestions are just not humanly possible and I really thought she was going to try some of them out on us…well you two anyway."

"Oh we are well aware," Blaise assured her.

Aradia didn't think that they did. She really should have explained Gin a bit better to them, but it was too late for that now.

"We were going to leave you alone. It was Dumbledore's idea to bother her." Draco looked mutinous as did Blaise, but at this point Aradia was more concerned about Gin crossing paths with anyone she ought not in this sort of mood.

"Come on," she told them, all but throwing her bag at Blaise's chest, hoping that they understood how serious she was. "She's likely to hex anyone that even looks at her wrong in this sort of mood and then retrieve her saif to finish the job."

She was concerned when she didn't see Gin on the grounds. Surely she was not angry enough to have moved that fast had she? Groaning, she took off running, more concerned than ever. Thus far, Gin had actually held her temper and only one time had she bothered to hex anyone. Even then, it had been Granger and a nasty little confusion hex right before Potions, one she had never been punished for since she had been far too sly at casting it.

Her only goal at this point was to find Gin before some hapless moron tested her already worn through patience. She didn't care that she scattered the Gryffindor team as she darted through the doors and down towards the dungeons- if the bastards said one thing about her actions she knew Draco and Blaise were not far behind and would take care of them for her.

-GBD-

Pansy was waiting in the upper common room, having all but hidden behind the chair a few minutes ago when Gin had stormed in, raced down to the dorms and returned moments later with a sheathed sword. A sword she wielded with deadly skill and accuracy. She had proceeded to duck behind the tapestry leading to the training rooms with a look in her eyes Pansy would not ever have expected. There was a great deal of anger but it had all been drowned out by pain and a look she was coming to realise meant that Gin was feeling homesick. The redhead had looked to be at the end of her rope emotionally, as if she was barely hanging on.

Warily, she sat back knowing that Aradia would be along soon enough. She hated this feeling of helplessness that came with seeing a woman she truly called a friend and confidant so upset and knowing that nothing she could do would help. She promised herself that if Gin got this homesick and upset again that she would be Flooing those brothers of hers to take her home, even if it would mean saying goodbye. Gods, she didn't even want to think of the possibility. However, she had just enough compassion in her to know that it might be necessary.

The wall slid open revealing a harried looking Aradia.

Pansy didn't need to even ask, merely pointing towards the training rooms. When Aradia was gone, she buried her face in her hands, praying to every god she could name that Aradia could help this time. She didn't know how long she sat there before Theo sat with her and bundled her into his arms. "I hate seeing her this way," she whispered, tucking herself into his lap.

He brushed his hand over her hair and kissed her brow. "I do too, darling. We all do. Why don't we go to our room and have a quiet day?"

She merely nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. Theo always had the best ideas.

-DBG-

"What the hell?" Weasley screeched, glaring at Aradia as she rushed passed, pulling his wand and aiming it at her back.

"You might think twice about that, Weasel. Detention with Professor Snape should cure you of the urge to hex a woman in the back." Only Blaise's hand on his arm had kept Draco from hexing the bastard. How dare the daft idiot try and hex a woman from behind? Had he truly learnt no manners? Why it was downright insulting and disgusting behaviour!

"Shove it, Malfoy. That bint shoved through us acting just as insane as Greengrass earlier. Whatever is wrong with Ginny must be spreading!"

Draco didn't think twice about it. He reached out and yanked the offensive wanker off of his feet by a handful of his Quidditch robes. The rage he was feeling was almost enough to keep him from coherent thought, but he pushed through it, ignoring everything and everyone else. "You sorry excuse for a human being! How dare you continue to insult women you have no right to even look at let alone judge? You are a disgusting, narrow-minded, dim-witted fool! If I ever hear that you have said one word, and I do mean one word, about any of them, I will ruin you and your entire family."

Tossing the idiot in Potter's general direction, he bit back the urge to tell the lot of them just what he thought about them. Blaise laid a hand on his arm and Draco shook his head angrily. Not once had he raised his voice, he should get some sort of free pass for that.

Blaise sounded murderous when he drawled, "I second that, just in case any of you fools have trouble comprehending what Draco has said. Stay away from our friends or you will be in far worse trouble than you can ever imagine."

He all but drug Draco away. But, there was one last thing that needed saying, at least in Draco's opinion. "Just remember that Gin and Aradia have very protective brothers, you morons. How do you think they will react to the news that Weasel is spouting off about their sisters being insane?"

"Just go," Blaise growled, shoving him towards the stairs to the dungeons, "before a professor happens along. We will pay him back, I swear."

"I am Flooing them," Draco grumbled, "as soon as we get back to the house."

Blaise snickered. "Yes, yes, we will set those five on the idiot. I had the same plan in mind, you know."

"No really," he said sarcastically, still irritated enough to risk Blaise's temper. "I can't imagine why we are both out for blood considering just whom he poses the most threat to."

"I am not discussing it with you in this sort of mood. Go find something to work off you anger and then maybe, just maybe we'll discuss it."

Draco was, for once in his life, shocked as Blaise turned on his heel and stormed off in the opposite direction of the house. Well fuck! He hadn't truly meant to push Blaise quite that far. It was a fucked up day all around apparently. He stomped off towards the house where he would close himself in their room until he could figure out how to fix it so that the two people he never wanted angry with him weren't angry any longer. Or perhaps banging his head on the wall would be a better solution? He just didn't know.

-BDG-

Aradia had expected Gin to snarl and tell her to go the fuck away, but she hadn't. Instead, she'd tossed her a sword and they had practiced until they both collapsed on the floor. Good gods, she was sore all over and fully prepared to sleep where she lay.

"I'm sorry," Gin whispered groggily. "I didn't mean to lose it like that."

"Oh, Gin, you don't need to apologize."

"I just want to go home! I can't though, because they want to fight and I can't make them give that up." With that Gin burst into tears, sobbing outright.

Pushing up, Aradia all but crawled to her, pulling Gin close and trying her best to soothe. "It will be okay, Gin. I don't know how we will make it work, but we will. Trust me?"

Gin nodded, pulling away to curl up with her arms around her legs and laying her head on her knees. Helpless to do anything else, Aradia simply waited for the storm of emotions to pass.

-BGD-

Blaise pushed open the door to their room warily. With a wince, he stepped inside and closed the door. Never had he stormed off like that – at least not away from Draco. The blonde just glared and went back to his book. Damn, damn, damn. The last time Draco had instigated the silent treatment he'd all but ignored Theo for three weeks.

"Draco?" he said cautiously.

"I was a right foul git."

Blaise was sure he was gaping. Really though, what the hells else was he supposed to do? He pulled off his robes and sat on the bed at Draco's hip. He just didn't know what to do. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed heavily. It just felt wrong to be arguing with Draco and having Gin angry at them. "As was I."

Draco reached out and pulled him forward so that they could lay back together with his head on Draco's shoulder. Both of them sighed and the silence stretched now that they were set back to rights. Later, he decided, they would discuss Gin.