Chapter Nine
Muggle murder's
"Anyone home?" called Ginny, once she'd gotten herself out of the cramped Weasley household fireplace.
Sure enough there was her eldest brother, Bill, a scowl worthy of a certain pale skinned boy gracing his face. "Where were you?" he demanded, brown eye's identical to her own flashing with anger.
Ginny, her own mood deplorable, scowled right back. "Sweet of you to ask brother dear… I was busy getting…" Tied up by you lot's precious Malfoy. Was what she had been about to say…unfortunately before she could express her sentiment's regarding a certain ferret, a loud crack informed them of a third parties presence.
Ginny turned. Gasped. And snarled, "You!"
Draco groaned silently, he so did not have time for antagonistic female's right now. His steely gaze quickly slipped to her brother, he didn't know …yet. ( If he did he'd be hexing yours truly's arse right now.) He discreetly shot a non-verbal silencing spell at the 'antagonistic woman' who it appeared was on the verge of telling her brother and causing a huge delay. "They're going to hit the underage training centre. Severus just got word, Tonk's is there and so is Mundungus but it's going to be a pack raid both Lestrange's, Pettigrew, Avery, Bulstrode and Nott. Also there are a few under aged kids the Creevey's, and a few muggle's but our main target is Pamela Parkinson if she get's caught we're in deep shit. Cause that leaves me open for suspicion," His gaze slipped to the youngest Weasley her curiosity it seemed had overcome her need to yell at him, she was standing wand out half pointed at herself, silently listening to his quick tirade. "I was her sister's best mate, favorite lover and all…so we need someone to get her out while the rest hold down fort. I've gotta go."
Ginny snapped out of her reverie the minute the second crack resonated around the room. Her wand previously pointed at herself now jabbed her neck callously as she released herself from the spell.
Bill was quickly grabbing some floo powder, "Your story's gonna have to wait, sweetie," using his usual endearment for her as he started to step into the fire before he spun around and asked her hesitating because he obviously was thinking better of it," Are you going to follow me if I don't take you?"
Ginny simply arched her brow delicately, as if to say 'do you really have to ask'
Bill groaned, exaggeratedly, a twinkle in his eye telling her he was proud of her and threw a handful of floo powder in the fire and motioned for her to proceed him.
Ginny stepped into the fire for the second time in minutes took her wand out just to be ready and clearly said, " Underage training centre, muggle London."
It was a good thing that the Weasley's had had the importance of shield charms drilled into them by their mother and used them reflexively when they stepped out of floo's and loo's alike. Not to mention that in her one year as a part of Dumbledore's Army and her three in auror training had taught her the reflexive importance. For not a minute after she stepped out of the floo in the familiar training centre than was she hit by a stabbing hex one that mercifully slid away due to her protective shield.
Ginny turned to face her opponents, the reality of her situation dawning on her, she hadn't dueled with a Death eater since her fourth year in Hogwarts. Well, she thought grimly,it was time her training was put to test. She slid her gaze calculatingly over the scene before her Tonk's Mundungus and her brother were each holding down a death eater each but that still left three unaccounted for. Ginny's gaze suddenly swept upward sure enough the Creevey's seemed to be holding one down on the stairs but that still left two… a jet of green light passed by her shoulder missing her by millimeters Ginny spun around and shot a Petrifaction spell at her attacker. She missed, the masked death-eater flung another unforgivable at her. Unfortunately no shield charm gave complete protection against an Unforgivable. All the charm was able to do was numb her for a second when the crucio slammed into her, as trained Ginny used the second wisely… she silently mouthed Sectumsempra at the death eater and found the crucio lasted only seconds as the death eater was thrown roughly of balance wand pointing wildly in the air drenched with blood. Seconds later he tried to apparate out but instead collapsed in a heap. Ginny struggled to her feet, the spells were still flying wildly around her, she saw Bill fighting Bellatrix Lestrange. Pushing the long srands of hair from her face Ginny fended of curses as she tried to make her way over to her brother.
"William Weasley," rasped a female voice mockingly, as she ducked a stupification spell Bill shot at her. "You're a curse breaker are you not, a bit of precision isn't really that much to ask of a person you know."
Red hair fell distractingly into brown eyes, as he circled around wand steady. "Eager to die Lestrange?"
"No I'm more into killing…nephew isn't it blood traitor?"Her wand waved menacingly in front of him.
A snort of laughter "Please, curses I can deal with but name-calling, why you're gonna break my heart." Another jolt of green was neatly side-stepped.
"A Weasley with a sense of humor. Cute."
"Yes women do seem to think so…don't get to deep though I have a grudge against people who try to Avada Kedavra my freckled arse, besides my wife would deal you a nice bitch slap for hitting on me I imagine."
A maniac gleam entered the dark eyed woman's eyes bringing an eerie anticipation into her face.
Ginny tensed and changed tack waiting instead for a clear shot at Lestrange, suddenly she felt an iron fist grab her by the neck. Moments later she was choking, struggling to breathe her back against the blood spattered walls.
Pettigrew.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see her brother still dueling fiercely with Lestrange blood spurting out of a wound on his wand arm.
On her other side Mundungus was dueling with Nott a white shield surrounding him and a wounded Tonk's who lay unconscious inside the shield he'd put up.
A young girl cowering in the shadows of the corner on her far right.
Her mind going into over drive trying to calculate the odds, she smiled terrifyingly at the pitiful excuse of a wizard holding her up against the wall.
"Forget you manner's along with you conscious this time Peter?"
Rat like features twitching uncontrollably he tightened his grip on her slim neck, tears blurring her vision Ginny tightened her grip simultaneously on her wand and shot a well aimed Portkus on the doll the young girl hiding in the shadow's was clutching, before she felt her wand fly out of her hand.
Pettigrew was sneering dangerously at her, yellow teeth bared. "How are we now My Lady."
Crack.
Fleur and Moody apparated in, Moody immediately caught up with the other Lestrange while the half veela directed an impressive levitation spell at the rogue Marauder.
"You 'vill do good not to touch my sister- in –law, you filthy rat."
Ginny who had fallen to the ground at Fleur's spell, scrambled up, saw Fleur cast a quick summoning charm for her confiscated wand, grabbed it and with a quick nod headed upstairs to portkey the rest of the children out of the house.
Colin was still ,dueling with Bulstrode, his brother lay oddly still at his feet. Ginny swallowed past the lump in her throat and kept up the steps throwing a confudding charm on Nott from her position above the dueling pair. Not waiting to see if her charm had hit it's target she sprinted down the familiar hallway putting up entrance wards as she went…the last thing she needed was another death-eater bursting in as she got the children shipped of to the Burrow.
She pulled out a few Knuts from her inner pocket and charmed them with the Burrow as the destination spot to go off in fifteen seconds if her math was right there were only five death-eaters downstairs which meant someone was up here trapped in her wards. She stopped infront of the playroom door and charmed it to work like a mirror/glass thing she'd seen in a muggle pah-leese staition, at least that was what Hermione had told her it was.
The children were sitting up on the bed whimpering slightly but quiet, too quiet. Her gaze fell on the discarded black mask on the table a dillusionment charm she realized smart.
She opened the door stepped and stepped in, in one fluid movement she threw the handful of knuts at the children who caught them reflexively and threw a freezing charm on the whole room. A harsh Finite incantatem rang out almost immediately, but the split second distraction gave Ginny enough time to throw a shield charm on the children and determine the position of the death-eater.
She threw a series of leg locker curses, and stunning hexes behind the door.
A large pop signaled the departure of the children, she prayed, fervently that her mother was there to meet the shell shocked muggle children.
A blood-red jet of light passed by her cheek, singeing it slightly.
Ginny spun around wand in hand putting an automatic shield charm around her, while nimbly dodging a icy blue jet of light that flew out of the death-eaters wand.
The unmasked man pushed, unruly dark hair out of his eyes, Ginny gasped. "Terry?"
"Surprised? Oh, well, you never were very good at assessing people … among other things."
Deciding she couldn't very well tell him what she'd seen of him moments ago, Ginny sneered, uncannily like Malfoy, "Actually given that I broke up with you in less than a week, I'd say my assessing powers are just fine."
Blue eyes narrowed dangerously,"Been hanging around the 'dream-team' much? Hot's for Harry still going strong."
Ginny almost choked at his reference to the trio, the words flew out of her mouth even as she thought them, "Been hanging around Malfoy much?" she asked a non-verbal stinging hex flying out of her wand tip in sparks of bright orange.
"He's a pureblood and one of The Lord's right hand men. An estimable young man." The hex dissolved as it clashed with his own acid shooting curse.
Ginny, who continued to par his Dark Art's spells with swift counter-jinxes, had a vivid image of him swarming around Malfoy and giggling with Parvati and Lavender about his abs flit disturbingly through her minds eye.
"So that's why you never dated after me, Malfoy's magnetic charm pulled you over to the dark side did it?"
A jet of light the color of Fred and George's puking pustules flew hitting her squarely on the chest. Ginny was still for a second and then pain, it was like rusted blunt knives were tearing her muscles open.
Ginny screamed, then just as suddenly the pain stopped. She was at the side of the bed crouched over, while to her utter surprise on the floor across was Terry crouched in a similar position.
He's clutching his scar she realized, as she took in the scene before her.
" the Dark lord when he split his soul into different horcruxes split part of his soul when the horcrux is destroyed the soul dies but the essence returns to him. So since Tom Riddle took some sort of sadistic erm…liking to you hence apparently so has the Dark Lord."
A terrifyingly un-Gryffindor grin started to surface on Ginny's freckled feature's. He can't hurt me, the death-eater's have order's not to hurt me…that means…
And as suddenly as she'd entered Ginny ran out of the room leaving behind a kneeling, groaning Terry.
I should've petrified Terry, she thought as she practically flew down the corridor, but none of that mattered now, if she was right there was a chance she could keep from any other order member being hurt, she ran down the stairs her mind reeling with possible situations, what if she wasn't right and Voldemort didn't care if she was cursed or hexed or what ever…
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes going over the old training centre Tonks was still unconscious in the now flickering force field , Mad-eye lay on the floor blood spurting from a wound on his neck, Fleur the image of elegance was sporting over a dozen cuts on her picture perfect face while her own husband stood feet away from her cornered by the raven haired death-eater.
"It has been amusing enough dueling with you William, even if you are a blood traitor," drawled Bellatrix her wand held high over her head.
"Oh my a death-eater consorting with a blood traitor Voldemort will be so disappointed." Taunted Bill, watching his sister move toward him out of the corner of his eye, he shook his head slightly.
"How dare you, take the Dark Lord's name…" She hissed through her teeth.
Bill paused, turned his warning gaze from his sister and grinned. "Double dare me and I'll tell you which way he swings. Bet your just dying to know."
Bellatrix Lestrange just stared, open mouthed at the blood traitor. And they wonder why Master wishes to eliminate this scum? She raised her wand prepared for the final blow when the red haired chit ran in front of her brother, blocking him from her view.
Bella scowled, ironically so did William Weasley.
His voice was gruff, "Ginny move."
"Yes, do I'm rather in a hurry." drawled Bella.
Ginny through a pleading glance at her brother, "Trust me."
Bill's scowl deepened, he would not watch his little sister die in front of him. He began to open his mouth to say just that…
"Move Weasley, so I can finally kill your brother." Bella bit out well aware of the ongoing duels around them and Miss. Weasley's lack of actual participation in them.
Bill frowned not in annoyance but curiosity why would Bellatrix Lestrange tell Ginny to move instead of just killing her? He shot a pointed look to Ginny to which his sister nodded ever so slightly, ignoring his instinctive urge to put himself up in front of Ginny like a shield he took a step back.
Ginny turned her attention to the death eater, her brother wouldn't interfere his eyes reflected the understanding. She knew what she was doing, and he knew that.
She wasn't exactly sure of what she was doing, he didn't need to know that.
"Make me." she taunted her voice much more confident than she actually felt.
Bella felt her fury escalate, her, the Dark Lord wished her to bear his source…she was nothing but the lowest scum, filthy blood traitor that's what she was.
It wasn't as if the Lord didn't have a better option he had her, his most loyal servant his faithful follower and …maybe if she wasn't here, maybe the Dark Lord would see, maybe he would take her to be the bearer of his source...
Black eyes glittering darkly she pointed her wand at the young girl, I'll make you beg for death, she promised mentally.
Crucio.
Pain. Unbearable pain ran through Ginny. She fell in a crumpled heap to the ground.
And then … nothing.
Ginny looked around, Bill was standing over Bellatrix who like Terry was clutching her arm and moaning in pain. Identical honey toned eyes clashed, Bill's widened in confusion while her own were lit with a spark of amusement. She scrambled ungracefully up from the floor dashing over to help Mundungus who was now dueling with his left arm. But the death eater he'd been dueling had obviously seen what had happened he pulled a Galleon out of his pocket and repeated what Ginny had done moments earlier with the knuts.
Seconds later all the death eater's had escaped with an exception of Bellatrix Lestrange who was now bound not only in anti apparition Jinx's but ready to be locked up in the basement of Grimmauld place which also happened to be an anti-magic containment cell (courtesy of Madame Black of the Ancient and most Noble house of the Blacks).
Ginny watched as the ministry Auror's showed up as usual hour's after the damage had been done and Tonk's was carried out to St.Mungo's.
Her brother who was being healed by one of the healer's while Fleur fawned over him her blonde hair managing to look picture perfect despite the fact that she'd been dueling for her life mere minutes before, suddenly materialized at her side.
His hand draped casually over her shoulder he gave her a brotherly squeeze and murmured into her ear, "How bout that talk my-not quite-so-little-anymore-little-sister?"
Ginny managed a smiled even if it was a little strained. "If I told you I'd probably have to kill you too, one loss in the family is one too many. Don't you think?"
Bill frowned, what on earth had gone over in the last meeting that had made his optimistic-brat-of-a-sister
so terribly mature?
He watched her walk silently away from him head down, defeated, he didn't see the tear that slid down her left cheek.
Fleur wrapped her arms around her husband watching her sister-in-law walk away. "Come I 'vill tell you 'vhat has 'happeened, mon aimee. She 'ees a very brave girl considering…"
