A/N: Finally, chapter seven. I hope you all like it. Many, many thanks to Lyr942, who finds time to clean up my rubbish even though her life is beyond hectic.
-hugs-
Introductions
Saturday, 8 November
When Ginny awoke, it was nearing ten o'clock in the morning and she could only assume that Draco had kept his word and allowed her and Fiona to remain. The discussion she'd had with Draco had been successful in that she was still in France, but she had not learned anything about Draco or those who so obviously followed him. Not that she'd really thought to ask, but he hadn't let slip even one tiny bit of information, which left Ginny with only her dreams and deductive reasoning to figure things out. She did, however, vow to get some information within the next couple of days.
Fiona was absent but Ginny didn't mind. She wanted a good, hot shower before she went searching for either her friend or for Draco. She ate an apple while she dressed, choosing a pair of jeans, a navy blue jumper with a white oxford underneath and her brown boots. After drying her hair with her wand, Ginny set out to find Fiona.
She had completed her search of the ground level and was debating whether to go upstairs or down into the basement she'd found when Adrienne happened upon her. Ginny only had a moment to contemplate how quietly the other woman moved before she was pinned roughly against the wall by her jumper. She winced as her head made contact with the wall and her hands reflexively grasped Adrienne's wrists.
"I don't know what you said to convince Draco to let you stay but I still don't trust you and, unfortunately for you and your outspoken friend, I am very much the more dangerous," Adrienne snarled in English. "I will be watching you, Cherie."
Ginny's temper surged. Forcefully, she removed Adrienne's hands from her person and shoved her against the wall opposite. Her hand balled into fists by her side. "Listen to me, Cherie, I have six older brothers, so if you think for one instant that I am afraid of or intimidated by you then you are severely mistaken. I am quite capable of taking care of myself."
Adrienne scoffed. "You were subdued easily enough last night."
"You were allowed to subdue me. I knew what you were planning from the moment Fiona said she saw you sneaking out the backdoor." Ginny was momentarily rewarded by the look of utter disbelief warring with mild embarrassment on Adrienne's face. But it did not last for long.
"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, girl. Go home to your safe school and your warm bed, and forget you ever came here. You're not wanted."
"I may not be wanted," Ginny ground out, "but I am needed, and one far outweighs the other."
"You speak in riddles," Adrienne spat. "There is nothing you can say or do that will make me trust you."
"That's too bad, really. I'm a good friend to have on your side."
Before Adrienne could get the last word, Ginny turned and stalked off down the hall. She ended up in the foyer and decided she would go outside and cool off before finding Fiona. It wasn't her friend's fault that Adrienne was hateful bint and Ginny was sure she'd explode at the next person who spoke to her.
Ginny was so angry that she did not notice Fiona and Maurice sitting on the edge of the porch as she stormed down the stairs and began pacing back and forth across the small clearing in front of the house. It was cold out, but not so much that she needed a cloak or jacket, and the crisp air did wonders for her temper. She supposed she could understand Adrienne's misgivings; she was obviously very devoted to Draco. But that still did not excuse Adrienne's rude behaviour.
"All right, there, girlie?"
Ginny jumped with a start and stopped pacing. "Huh?"
"Someone's put your knickers in a twist," Fiona said, with a laugh.
"Oh, right," Ginny said, dumbly. "I just had a chat with Adrienne."
"Adrienne?" questioned Maurice, his boyish face quite serious. "Qu'a-t-elle dit?"
Ginny was confused for a moment before she realised that she had forgotten to recast the Translation Charm. Pulling her wand from up her sleeve, she muttered the words,"Translatio Francia." under her breath. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"What did she say?" Maurice repeated.
Ginny opened her mouth to respond but paused when she finally looked at the cabin she'd exited just a minute earlier. It was the cabin in her dreams. Turning a quick three-sixty on her heel, Ginny was not at all surprised to realise the clearing she was in had been the setting for many of her dreams, including the one in which Draco was abducted.
"Oh, you know, the whole 'I don't trust you and never will' bit."
"Please, don't take it personally," Maurice pled. "Adrienne doesn't trust many people. She will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves."
"I understand," Ginny said, rubbing her chest where Adrienne had pushed her, "I really do. I just wish she'd leave out the part where she accosts my person."
Fiona laughed lightly and Ginny did not miss the surreptitious glance Maurice threw her way. He was also sitting a little closer than was strictly necessary, which was so cute it made the rest of Ginny's foul temper vanish. The boy was clearly smitten. She wondered if Fiona had a clue.
Smiling, Ginny crossed to Maurice and extended her hand. "Ginny Weasley," she said, "Nice to meet you – properly."
He took her offered hand in his own and shook it. "Maurice Durant. Enchanté."
Ginny sat down on the other side of Fiona who began swinging her legs. The silence was a little awkward but Ginny was having trouble thinking of something to talk about that would not start an argument or inevitably lead to a subject she did not want to discuss. She was unsure of what she could ask him, and because he seemed a bit shy, Ginny did not want to scare him off.
"Maurice and I were talking about England," Fiona piped up. "He's never been."
"Really?" Ginny said, grateful for the neutral conversation, "and what have you learned?"
"That the Hollyhead Harpies are the best Quidditch team in all of England," he said with a grin. "That the Thames really does stink and that Madam Rosmerta serves the best butterbeer in the world."
Ginny laughed and Fiona blushed. "Well, I see you've covered the most important parts of our fair homeland."
"It sounds silly when you put it like that," Fiona said. "He's conveniently left out the fact that he was asking the questions."
"Of course he was."
Fiona rolled her eyes and turned to Maurice. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"Any rumours you'd rather be disillusioned of?"
He was quiet for a moment while he considered. Ginny could honestly say that she had not expected what he finally asked. "Is it true that your prison is guarded by Dementors?"
"They used to," replied Fiona, solemnly.
"Why don't they anymore?" Maurice said, confused by Fiona's shift in demeanour.
"Because they went back to Voldemort," Ginny supplied.
Maurice, too, became serious at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "Draco spoke of him, in the beginning, but no-one listened, so he stopped."
Ginny was frowning now. "What do you mean, no-one listened? How can you take Death Eaters seriously and not Voldemort? They serve him. One does not exist without the other."
"I know that," Maurice replied, tersely. "Draco has never lied to me before; I do not doubt he speaks the truth about the Dark Lord. But there are not many others who are willing to hear it."
"But why?" Ginny said, emphatically. England had been slow to accept the truth to begin with but that really had more to do with Fudge's insecurities than anything else. Once the proof was revealed, Voldemort's return became rather a universally accepted fact. He was back; that's all there was to it.
"Because," Maurice began, "Voldemort has never been to France; most of us do not view him as a real threat. He's intangible; the English Death Eaters he sends to accomplish what the government does not have time to do, and act as liaisons between our Minister and himself, are."
"Your Minister is a Death Eater?" Fiona said, rather loudly.
Ginny agreed wholeheartedly. Fudge had been a right old idiot, and Scrimgeour was a political nightmare, but no-one would have ever suggested that they were followers of Voldemort. She wasn't so naïve as to believe that no Ministry officials supported the Dark Lord, but certainly not the Minister.
Maurice nodded. "Almost everyone in our Ministry is a Death Eater," he said, grimly, "and those who are not still share sympathies and ideologies. You can't even work at the Ministry without the proper blood status."
Draco hadn't been kidding when he said that pure-blood mania was the sentimentality of the masses. Ginny shivered. There was a whole other side to the war, one that had perhaps been in existence before there was even a war, and no-one in England knew about it. And if they did, they weren't doing anything about it, which was worse in her opinion. There was so much that Ginny did not understand about the new world she had entered but she didn't know where to begin asking, either.
That didn't stop Fiona. "So what are you doing out here in the woods?" she asked Maurice.
"Hiding. Fighting back, when we have the chance," he said. "What are you doing out here in the woods?"
Fiona shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm just along for the ride."
Maurice looked to Ginny. "It's true," she said. "She wouldn't let me leave without her. Stubborn as a mule, she is."
"I think it's one of my finer qualities, thank you."
Ginny and Fiona continued bantering as they usually did, but Maurice seemed incredulous.
"You were going to come here alone without knowing anything about the country or what you'd be dealing with when you got here? That's suicide. Especially in France."
Ginny shrugged it off. "Just got lucky, I guess." Maurice was beating awfully close to the one bush Ginny didn't want beaten.
"You seem to be doing that a lot."
"That's exactly what Draco said." Ginny changed the subject. "You said you fight back, given the chance. What did you mean by that?"
Maurice seemed reluctant to accept the shift in conversation but ultimately let it drop. Perhaps he sensed that he wasn't really going to get anywhere with that line of questioning. "Les Dragons, we fight the government. More specifically, we fight Death Eaters. Draco leads us."
In her head, Ginny knew that Draco was their leader but she was still having trouble assimilating the fact with the Draco she knew. That Draco never led anything but Crabbe and Goyle into a barrage of insults against Harry, Ron, Hermione and, occasionally, herself. It was simply amazing that people trusted him with their lives.
"But you should really talk to Draco about this," Maurice continued. "I don't know how much he wants to tell you; it's not my place to reveal our secrets."
"Well," Fiona said, "that was cryptic."
Maurice offered Fiona an apologetic smile; Ginny noted he had dimples, which just doubled the cuteness factor. She was tempted to tease them but at that moment a searing hot pain flashed across the top of Ginny's thigh.
"Ow, bloody hell!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and plunged her hand into her jeans' pocket. She'd put her Sickle in there when she dressed, and now Luna was calling her. It took her a moment to dig it out, and she burnt her fingers in the process.
Well, who is it?
Ginny laughed, the pain in her fingers forgotten in light of Luna's intuition. She wouldn't even bother asking how Luna knew she'd found the man from her dreams last night. Slipping her wand out of her sleeve, Ginny pointed it at the coin and wrote her reply.
Draco Malfoy. Figures, right?
"What does Luna have to say?" Fiona asked.
Ginny held up finger, in a 'give me a minute' gesture. The coin warmed again, this time less intensely, as though it knew she was holding it already.
Interesting.
Ginny replied: That's not exactly the word I would have chosen.
Tell Fiona to trust her heart.
Ginny quirked an eyebrow and smiled at Fiona. "Luna says you should trust your heart, Fi."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I imagine it means exactly what it says."
"Ha, ha. I do believe you're the funniest person I know."
And tell Draco, "In ice and stone, far from home, be not afraid. Fire, she will come to destroy the light."
Ginny shook her head in confusion, wondering what Luna was on about
All right... you lost me, but I'll tell him.
She considered asking what the fallout of her and Fiona's disappearance had been, but decided she didn't really want to know. There wasn't much she could do about it anyways.
Miss you.
Miss you, too.
Ginny stuffed the coin back into her pocket and her wand up her sleeve.
"Well?" Fiona asked.
"She wasn't the least bit surprised," Ginny replied.
Fiona was quiet for a moment. "Do you think she knew all along and didn't tell you because she wanted you to come?"
Ginny snorted. "I really wouldn't put that past her." Ginny thought of how adamant Luna had been that she should go see Professor Trelawney. "Actually, I think you may be right, Fi. I wonder how long ago she figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Maurice interjected. He looked distinctly distrustful. Ginny supposed the conversation did sound a bit suspicious. "Who are you talking about?"
Ginny could have smacked herself for talking so openly about the one thing she did not wish to discuss. She really did prefer to avoid the whole thing rather than lie. Maurice seemed like such a nice bloke; it would be a shame to loose his trust before she really had it.
"Luna is a friend of Ginny's at Hogwarts," Fiona supplied. "She's the only one who knows where we are. She's also the one who gave us the coins so we could communicate if we needed to."
"She just wanted to make sure we were still alive." Ginny said.
Maurice's brow furrowed; he knew they were avoiding his actual question. "That doesn't explain what the two of you were talking about."
Ginny sighed. "Luna is…"
"Special?" supplied Fiona.
"Hah, I guess that's one way of putting it," Ginny replied. Maurice, however, did not seem any less confused. "Luna is connected to the universe in a way that most of us mere mortals can't even hope to understand. Merlin knows I gave up trying ages ago."
"I tend to think she's just plain crazy," Fiona said. Ginny rolled her eyes but chose not to respond.
Maurice paused, trying to make sense of the non-information Ginny and Fiona had provided. Ginny was beginning to accept that she was not going to be let off the hook so easily this time.
"So, what was she not surprised by? What does she know?"
Fiona deferred to Ginny this time. She sighed, again, and chose her words carefully. "The information I had coming here was incomplete. I knew I was looking for someone but I didn't know that I was looking for Malfoy specifically."
"And?"
"And we were wondering if Luna knew it was Malfoy and didn't tell me because she was afraid I wouldn't leave. We weren't exactly friendly at school and he didn't leave on the best of terms."
The expression on Maurice's face was very similar to the one Fiona wore when she was trying to wrap her head around something. Ginny waited patiently for the next question. Fiona lay back on the porch with one hand tucked behind her head and the other resting on her stomach.
"So you're on some sort of… mission?" Maurice said finally.
"I guess you could call it that."
"To save Draco from Death Eaters."
"Yes."
"Who sent you?"
Ginny smirked. "A girl's got to have her secrets, Maurice."
He frowned and turned to Fiona. "And you're-"
"- the easy-going and companionable sidekick, of course."
"More like the comic relief."
"Hey!"
"I'm sure your feelings are irreparably damaged."
Fiona stuck out her tongue. Maurice was smiling again, which was a good thing. It meant that his attention was focused on Fiona and not Ginny's motives. She figured she'd make an escape and leave them to get to know each other a little better.
"Listen, is Malfoy around? I need to talk to him."
Maurice shook his head. "He left early this morning to reconnoitre a possible Death Eater base."
Ginny's stomach turned as something cold and uncomfortable settled in. It wasn't quite dread, but close, and it seemed to be there for no reason at all. It was a very bad feeling, indeed.
Fiona swiftly pushed herself upright and was looking very concerned. "You all right, girlie?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Ginny responded, rather unconvincingly. "I don't suppose you'd tell me where he is, would you?" she asked Maurice.
He smirked. "A man needs his secrets."
"Touché." Ginny climbed the stairs to the door and tried to ignore the fear that was ricocheting about her ribcage.
Maurice and Fiona were both watching her progress with interest. "Are you sure you're okay?" Fiona asked. "Do you want some company?"
Ginny waved her off. "Don't be ridiculous. Relax while you have the time. I'm sure I can find something with which to entertain myself." She paused. "He didn't go alone, did he?"
"No, he took someone with him."
"Good." Maurice's reassurances, however, did little to assuage Ginny's concern. She didn't even really know why she was so worried. She imagined Draco did this sort of thing all the time; Maurice certainly seemed unconcerned. Besides, it was only reconnaissance, not combat. He'd be fine.
Ginny entered the house before Fiona could ask her again if she was all right. The first thing she wanted to do was write down Luna's bizarre message to Draco. It sounded like nonsense but, knowing Luna, it was probably life-alteringly important. Digging a slip of parchment and a quill from her trunk, she copied the message. After the ink dried, she folded it up and put it in her jeans' pocket.
Not looking forward to another encounter with Adrienne, Ginny left her room and went straight for the basement. She found there were actually two subterranean levels. The first appeared to be some sort of canteen while the second, she discovered upon entering, was a training facility much like what the Room of Requirement had provided for Dumbledore's Army.
The dozen or so simultaneous double-takes her arrival earned were almost comical. The various witches and wizards were separated into teams of three and four and were duelling each other. She recognised a few of the faces by sight from her dreams, but others were completely foreign to her. After a moment, they returned to their exercise and jinxes and hexes were soon flying everywhere. Ginny noted that the walls seemed to be spelled to absorb errant curses.
A young man detached from one of the groups and made his way around the fray to Ginny. He had thick, black hair and kind, brown eyes. "Hello," he said, extending a large hand. "I'm Jean."
"Ginny," she responded with a smile. It never hurt to turn on the charm. "Nice to meet you."
"Enchanté," he replied in kind. "Welcome to Headquarters. Have you been transferred here from another safe house or are you a new recruit?"
Ginny saw her golden opportunity. Jean was a friendly guy and while she doubted he knew as much about Draco's goings on as Maurice, he was probably more likely to share what he did know. That aside, she would need to make friends amongst the ranks if they were ever going to believe a word she said.
"I guess I'd be a new recruit."
"Ah," Jean said, "in that case, welcome to Headquarters and Les Dragons Blancs. May I ask where you're from?"
"England."
Jean's bushy black eyebrows reached for the sky. "England? What brings you here?" he asked in surprise. "I don't mean to be rude, but England has been purposefully blind to the state of France for a long time."
"So I've been told," Ginny said grimly. She was ashamed by her country's apathy towards its neighbours. "But if there is anyone at home who knows about this, they're either Death Eaters or aren't talking. I myself just heard about twenty minutes ago. I never realised Voldemort's reach was so long."
Jean became noticeably uncomfortable at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, and altered the subject. "So, what brings you to France?"
"I have business with Malfoy," Ginny replied. "We went to school together. My friend, Fiona, and I have come to help."
"If you only learned about the condition of our government twenty minutes ago, how did you know that we needed help?"
Thankfully, Ginny had been prepared for this question. "We came to help Malfoy," she said. "We didn't realise he was your leader until we arrived late last night."
Jean seemed pacified by this response because the mildly suspicious expression on his face had melted back into a much more amiable one. "Have you been introduced to anyone else?"
"Only Maurice and Adrienne," Ginny said. "She doesn't like me very much."
Jean laughed at this. "Adrienne doesn't like much of anyone."
"Perhaps, but I doubt she assaults everyone else she dislikes as she passes them in the corridor."
"Give her some time; she'll get used to you being here." Jean then proceeded to point out everyone else in the room; Ginny made a mental note to speak with each of them personally before the week was out.
Afterwards, Ginny was invited to join Jean's duelling team as they were one short. She agreed eagerly, not only because it was something to do, but she had a feeling that she would need to brush up on her combative spells if she expected to hold her own in this new front of the war. In England, underage children had been pretty much off limits as far as direct conflict was concerned, but there at Headquarters most of the people she had met were about her age, if only a little older. Some were younger.
Ginny duelled with Jean and the other Dragons present for the better part of two hours, when Adrienne came down the stairs and announced that lunch would be in twenty minutes if anyone would volunteer to help someone named Marcelle in the kitchen. Ginny volunteered, if only to spite Adrienne's baleful glances in her direction.
Fiona and Maurice joined Ginny and Jean for lunch once it was prepared, and Jean introduced her to his wife of less than a year, Julie. She was about Ginny's height with short brown hair and blue eyes. She was also four months pregnant and desperate to get out of the country.
"What's the rush?" Fiona asked after swallowing a mouthful of turkey sandwich.
"Julie and I are both Muggleborn," Jean explained. "The law forbids us from having children with other Muggleborns."
Ginny choked on her pumpkin juice and Fiona's jaw just about hit the table. Julie smacked Ginny's back, trying to ease the fit of coughs that followed her unsuccessful attempt at inhaling her beverage.
Fiona looked to Maurice for independent confirmation. "It's true," he said. "If the government found out, they'd make her terminate the pregnancy."
"That's-"
"Disgusting," Ginny finished. She didn't want to know what happened to the children who were carried to term.
"Draco has been trying to get us into Andorra, but entering France is much easier than leaving France," Julie continued. "We had been stationed in Paris but he moved us here because the wards are stronger."
Ginny made her second mental note of the day to harass Draco about the state of Jean and Julie's move to Andorra. She didn't want either of them present when the Death Eaters launched their attack on the cabin.
"How many safe houses are there?" Ginny asked.
"Only Draco knows that," Maurice supplied. "Adrienne knows where most of them are because she helped set them up, but there are at least a dozen that only he knows about. Besides the people stationed there, of course."
Ginny was surprised to learn that their network was so extensive. It was no wonder she and Fiona had been spotted almost as soon as they'd entered the country. She couldn't help but wonder how many Dragons in disguise she had spoken to before finding Maurice. "How many of you are there?"
Maurice shrugged his shoulders. "Draco is the only one who knows that, too. Most of the posts only have a handful of people manning them. For instance, in Beaurieux, there is only one other besides Jacques and Gaston, whom you met."
"'Met' being a relative term," Fiona muttered under her breath.
Maurice looked sheepish. "Sorry about that. How is your shoulder, by the way?"
"It's all right," Fiona replied. "Thanks to you."
Maurice actually blushed and Ginny was only barely able to repress the 'aww' that threatened to escape. Fiona, too, was blushing slightly, and Ginny took that as her cue to leave. She asked Jean to give her a tour of the compound while Julie announced that she was exhausted and wanted a nap.
Jean informed her that they were in the middle of a national forest near the town of St. Gonlay in Bretagne. When Ginny asked why the wards were strongest on the cabin, Jean explained that most of the stronger and more effective wards were government sanctioned so not only was it extra difficult to cast them, but the Ministry had a habit of locating the charms and disabling them. As it turned out, very few of Les Dragons' 'safe houses' could be considered safe at all. Once again, Ginny was astonished by the militant atmosphere the French government had created for its people.
The list of people she knew had grown considerably, as well. Besides Jean, Julie, Maurice, and Adrienne, Ginny had also been introduced to Marcelle (whom she learned was the resident culinary general), Celine, Elaine, Marie, Guillaume, Alex, and Daniel, who were all part of her duelling group. She had also been introduced to a scatterbrained young man named Stephen, whom she had helped to pick up a rather large stack of parchments he had dropped after running right into her and Jean.
With the exception of Adrienne, Ginny liked everyone she met.
The day passed so quickly that she had almost forgotten she was worried about Draco. The anxiety had been quietly gnawing away at the back of her mind, telling her that something was not right, and that she was foolish to have let so much time pass without at least inquiring after him. It was not, however, until just before sunset that she finally allowed herself to admit that she was afraid for the pointy git and decided to find Maurice.
She found him sitting outside on a felled log at the edge of the clearing. It was the first time all day that she had seen him without Fiona attached to his hip. He was staring off into the woods so intently that he did not hear her approach and jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Where's Fiona," she asked.
"In the kitchen," he replied, after regaining his composure. "She volunteered to help make supper."
"Gods, help us," Ginny said as she sat next to him on the log. She let the silence settle between them for a moment. "He's not usually gone this long, is he?"
Maurice frowned, knowing exactly whom she was talking about. "No," he said at last, not liking the admission one bit. "Not without sending word."
"Where is he?" Ginny asked softly, hoping her tone would inspire him to share.
"I don't know," he replied, grudgingly. "But even if I did, I couldn't tell you."
Ginny knew he was not being spiteful or distrustful, merely honest. Les Dragons were enemies of the state, and they did everything in their power to ensure the safety of their own. Draco's devotion to Jean and Julie's welfare was a testament to that. They were both Muggleborn, but he was apparently going to great lengths to protect them and their unborn child.
"Do you believe in gut feelings?" Maurice asked, finally turning to face her.
Ginny barked out a short laugh. "They're the basis of my decision making paradigm."
"Well, I have a really bad one."
"Me too."
They sat together on the log in silence after that, waiting for Draco to appear before them, or swagger on out of the woods and make fun of them for waiting on him.
After a few minutes, Ginny felt her eyes grow heavier and heavier as she fought off a yawn. It was bizarre and disconcerting to have this intense and inexplicable need to sleep. She fought the urge to nod off as long as she could, but soon her eyes fell shut and she sensed herself topple off the log as she slipped into slumber…
Ginny peered up at the ominous shadow of a mansion before her. There was merely a glimmer of sunlight in the west and the moon had not yet risen high enough to provide any source of usable light. The house did not look like one to be entered without invitation.
Strapping her broom across her back, Ginny looked to the almost invisible black panther at her side. The animal's luminous eyes reflected eerily with what small amount of light there was to be had. "Are you sure this is it?" Ginny asked.
The animal sniffed haughtily, as if to say 'What do you take me for?'
Just then, there was a crunch of rock being shattered followed by a bellow of outrage that shook the very ground they stood on. This was followed by more stone crushing and several distinct voices firing spells at once. The panther took off without hesitation.
"Bugger," Ginny swore under her breath as she set out after the cat. Upon reaching the house, they crossed a stone patio and came to a side door which Ginny blasted right off its hinges. "You get Thomas, I'll get Malfoy," she said.
Fortunately, the parlour they entered was deserted, as was the corridor. Ginny let the cat take the lead; her excellent hearing would lead them directly towards the commotion.
They ran as fast as was possible toward the back of the mansion where they came upon the ruins of an impressive indoor garden. Ginny quickly counted the black robes; there were ten in all, plus a monstrous Mountain Troll that was currently bashing in an archway on the far side of the garden. There was no immediate sign of Draco or Thomas.
Suddenly, a jet of blue shot out of nowhere and hit the Troll in the centre of his chest. The impact caused it to stumble backward where it fell and landed on a Death Eater. It had, however, managed to retain its grip on the large wooden club in his right hand and was now flailing about wildly like an upturned beetle trying to gets its feet beneath it again.
Ginny jumped when the cat shifted smoothly into Adrienne and the older woman took off without a word to the left, circling the fray, as of yet unnoticed.
At last she saw a flash of platinum hair to her right, duelling his way into a corner…
Ginny came to with a start, the first thing she saw being Maurice's face. He looked about to panic before he realised her eyes had opened. She was laying on the ground with him kneeling beside her.
It took her a second to process what happened. She had just had a vision, in the middle of the day, after falling asleep involuntarily. It frightened her that it was even possible. Every vision thus far had been during the night.
Apparently, it couldn't wait.
"Are you all right?" Maurice asked.
His voice jolted her to action. She jumped off of the pine needle covered ground and rapidly paced back and forth three times. "You swear you don't know where Malfoy is?" she demanded urgently.
"I swear, I don't," he replied earnestly. "What's happening?"
"Oh, this is bad," Ginny said, completely ignoring his question. She cracked all of her knuckles nervously and then began shaking her hands as if willing them to provide her with some sort of epiphany.
It must have worked. "Adrienne!" she said triumphantly. "Where is she?"
"She won't tell you where he is, Ginny,"
"Where is she?" Ginny shouted.
"Try her room," Maurice replied, slightly taken aback. He was not dealing well with Ginny's manic behaviour.
Without so much as a 'thank you', Ginny raced inside where she took a right and then a sharp left up the stairs to the first floor. Jean had pointed out to her earlier in the day which room was Adrienne's.
At the top of the flight, she sprinted down the hall, turned a corner and ran head long into Adrienne. There was an awkward moment where neither realised who the other was as they tried to move around each other.
Upon recognising Ginny, Adrienne sneered and said, "Watch where you're going," before continuing down the corridor.
Ginny chased after her, hating that she had to ask her for help. "Adrienne, wait!"
She fixed Ginny with a glare that said, 'This better be good.'
"We need to go to Malfoy, and I know you know where he is so don't bother lying," she said.
Adrienne laughed mockingly and started walking away again. "You're more foolish than I thought if you think I'm just going to take you to him."
"He and Thomas are in trouble."
That got her attention. Adrienne whirled on her and fixed her with a suspicious glare. "How did you know that Thomas was with Draco?" she demanded. "I am the only one who knew."
"The same way I knew your name, and Maurice's, and that your Animagus form is a black panther," Ginny said impatiently.
"Who are you?" Adrienne asked heatedly.
Ginny realised she was not inspiring any confidence and made the decision to shoot as straight as possible with the distrustful woman. She had been hoping to keep her abilities to herself, but they really didn't have time to bicker. "I'm a dreamer, a seer; take your pick. If you don't want to trust me, fine. You want to ask me a hundred questions, fine, but not now. Every second we waste arguing is a second they don't have!"
Adrienne seemed moved by Ginny's passion, but still reluctant to believe what she heard. "A seer? You expect me to believe you're an actual, living, breathing seer?"
Ginny rolled her eyes, even though she had expected this sort of incredulity. Not everyone was as accepting as Fiona and Luna. "Thomas is about yea tall," she gestured at her shoulder with her hand, "with tanned skin, short brown hair, and brown eyes. He looks like he spends too much time out of doors."
"How-"
"I saw him." Ginny paused to give Adrienne a moment to accept that she really did know what she was talking about. "They need our help," she said, pleadingly.
Adrienne glared, and for an instant Ginny thought she was going to refuse. "I still don't like you."
"Dually noted."
"Meet me at Draco's office in five minutes."
Ginny nodded mutely, grateful that she had been believed, and ran back down the stairs.
