Chapter 11

No Girls Allowed

It had been three weeks since the first attacks. Three weeks of bickering and bonding among the kitchen survivors. Three weeks of hope resting solely on the splinters in the Slytherin Common Room. Three weeks since Hermione Granger had begun to fall for Draco Malfoy.

The vanishing cabinet, for all intents and purposes, was finished. The entire group of survivors had met in the Gryffindor Common Room to discuss their options, but came up short on possibilities. Even if Malfoy and Hermione had been completely confident in the cabinet's restored abilities (which they weren't), there was still no telling where the other one was. All Malfoy could keep telling them was it's probably nowhere close to where your lot would want to end up. That was less than reassuring. By the end of the meeting, there were more questions than answers, and the group had dissolved. They would meet again tomorrow. Unfortunately they hadn't bargained on tonight.

They had expected it eventually, of course, but they were caught off guard nonetheless. They had suddenly heard scuffling movements just outside the corridor that led to the kitchens. The survivors had heard them getting close to their little hallway before, of course… but they had always swept past during their searches – maybe this would be another of those fortunate escapes.

They still lacked a solid plan to see where the cabinet led, or if it even worked, but suddenly, it seemed like their hands might be forced. They listened breathlessly to the probing movements of the creatures, knowing how easily they could be trapped. They waited. Silent. Terrified.

CRACK

It was the sound of wood splintering against hooves and horns. They were still quite some distance from the sound – the kitchens were concealed behind one of the last doors in this hallway. But the outcome was suddenly inevitable. Someone would have to try the cabinet, regardless of the consequences, or they would all die.

Within seconds, plans began to fly about the room, each one more far-flung than the next. Harry told Kreacher to be ready to apparate anyone at a moment's notice. Boot shouted out something about drawing straws, which everyone latched onto quickly.

"Yes, of course!" said Ginny, as she began a frantic search of the kitchens for straws or string or anything else they could draw from.

Harry's face changed immediately.

"Sorry, Gin," he said darkly. "Terry just meant for the men in the group to draw, didn't you?"

Terry quailed at the threatening look he was receiving.

"'Course," he said at once.

Even Neville nodded his head vigorously, having seen Harry's face.

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," she replied heatedly, her face flushed with resentment. "Everyone here is more than capable of taking care of themselves."

Hermione moved to stand beside Ginny, arms crossed. Draco could see the tops of nine popsicle sticks clutched in one of her hands.

"Sorry," Harry replied in a voice that was deathly quiet, "No girls allowed."

Draco moved to stand behind Potter with his arms crossed as he narrowed his eyes at Hermione. Weasley had stood up, too.

"Yeah, no girls allowed," Ron echoed.

"Guess you're out of the draw then, Weasley," Draco muttered tauntingly in a tone only he could hear.

Ron rounded on Draco.

CRACK

The group was jolted into silence. They were working their way down the hall, methodically, door by door.

"Fine, no drawing for us," Hermione said. Her voice had the smallest hint of trembling, but she had taken a defiant step forward. "We volunteer."

Ginny's eyes lit up with determination and her mouth pressed into a grim line as she nodded once in agreement.

"We haven't got the fucking time for this, Granger," Draco said angrily. "You know where I think the other one is! If they get their hands on you…"

"I don't care who or what you think is waiting for us, Draco," she said, cutting him off. "We can defend ourselves."

"Not if you're outnumbered!" Harry countered heatedly.

"We're better fighters than they are!" Ginny said angrily.

"They're more dangerous than you – they're angry and they're desperate!" Draco shouted back.

"We are desperate! All of us! And I'm getting angry!" Hermione yelled at him.

Draco closed the distance between them in two strides. She had never realized exactly how tall he was until he was standing there, an angry inch away from her, looking down piercingly into her eyes.

"If there are Death Eaters on the other side of that cabinet, or even supporters…!"

Draco took a breath to bring his temper into check.

"These people kill and torture for fun, and right now, they are looking for a way – any way - to take their revenge. If they got their hands on Harry Potter's mudblood friend and his future wife, let me assure you they would take vengeance to its fullest measure."

"Draco-"

"You'd be damaged in every possible way. They would torture you… they would rape you… they would tear you apart. And then they would heal your wounds and start again."

Draco's breathing was uneven, and he looked haunted by what he was saying. He looked ill. It affected her more than she could say.

"Ask me if I'm lying, Hermione… ask me if I've seen them do it," he sounded as though the air had been crushed from his lungs. "I won't let it happen to you."

She reached up to touch a loose strand of his hair, but Draco had pulled her into his arms before she could reach for him. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her deeply.

The others were frozen in place. Even Weasley stood with his mouth agape, watching the scene unfold before him.

CRACK

The time to act was now.

Harry took Ginny's hand in his, hoping to melt her resolve, but she turned away from him, still angry at the discrimination she was facing.

"Ginny," he said seriously. "I won't let you go. I can't. I'm sorry."

The group fell into silent agreement for a single moment before the stillness was broken by violent scuffling. Weasley had snapped out of his horrified shock and rammed into Draco, full force, taking them both to the floor.

Draco was more than willing to fight Weasley, but this was not the time for it. The creatures would try the door to the kitchens the same as they were trying the others.

Potter and the rest of the males in the group rushed to pull the two apart.

"Ron, we don't have time for this!" Potter said, his anger quickly turning to dread, but no one heard him.

In fact no one heard the faint 'pop' of Kreacher apparating out of the room.

"You bastard! Stay away from her!" Weasley snarled as he continued to lunge at Draco despite the hands trying to hold him back.

"That's my fucking line now, Weasel," he said angrily.

"She's mine!"

"For fuck's sake. You dumped her – we all fucking saw it, remember?" Blaise chimed in, incredibly annoyed with this argument in the face of imminent danger.

"Everyone knows I was joking! Everyone knows we were getting back together! We've been getting closer all week!"

"So have we," Draco said, leaving it up for interpretation.

"That's enough, Malfoy!" Potter shouted. "We've got to get out of here!"

CRACK

As though to punctuate his point, they heard the creatures break open one of the few remaining doors that separated them.

Everyone heard the second 'pop' as Kreacher returned alone.

Draco's panicked gazed flew to Kreacher for an instant before searching desperately for Hermione. He was startled to find her close by, her own shocked face fixed on the wrinkled house elf. He blinked several times, as though clearing his vision, reassuring himself that she was still there.

"Fuck!" Potter shouted suddenly. His voice was a mixture of fury and terror. He charged toward Kreacher and pulled him up off the floor desperately.

"Take me to the cabinet, NOW!"

In the next instant, he and the house elf had vanished.

"Ginny!" Hermione whispered sounding devastated as full realization swept over her.

"Kreacher!" Draco shouted into the silence.

The house elf appeared in front of him. He turned toward Hermione.

"Don't follow us through," he said firmly. "We'll come back for you if it's safe."

His eyes lingered on her face a moment longer, knowing how many different deaths could await him.

"Kreacher, take me to the Slytherin Common Room, and then get the others out of here!"

It was a worse feeling than Harry could have imagined. He had arrived in the empty Slytherin Common Room, and knew she had already used the cabinet. He knew what could happen if it wasn't working properly. He knew what would happen if the other cabinet was broken. He knew what lay waiting for her if the cabinet was where Malfoy remembered. He cursed loudly as angry tears pricked at his eyes, and charged toward the cabinet, wand drawn, hoping against everything that the woman he loved was alive.

Draco had arrived in the Slytherin Common Room in time to see the doors of the cabinet swing shut and knew that Potter had just vanished within. He steeled himself as he looked at the dark wooden doors, fighting against the thought of the instant death that could lie there. But there was nothing for it. He broke out into a run, trying to distance himself from the fear instead, and flung himself headlong into the darkness and what lay beyond.

In his hurry through the cabinet, Draco had run headlong into Potter at the other side. When he recovered from the impact and had a moment to look around him, he froze instantly. He wasn't in Borgin and Burkes as he had expected. He was home.

A new set of fears confronted him. Had all the Death Eaters gone with Voldemort to Hogwarts? Was this just another trap laid by Voldemort and his followers? Were creatures hunting Ginny Weasley?

Potter was staring at Draco. He, too, had recognized this place, and seemed to be waiting to be told what direction to go. Draco's mind worked quickly.

"Ravvi!" he whispered into the silence.

A tattered and trembling house elf appeared before him with a 'pop.'

"Oh, Master Draco!" she half squeaked, half whispered. "There is intruders in the house, Master Draco!"

His heart sank.

"How many?" he demanded.

"Two, sir. A man and a girl."

The next moment he heard a piercing scream of pain that had Potter rushing for the door in front of him.

"RAVVI, LOCK THE MAN IN THE DUNGEONS AND BRING THE GIRL BACK HERE, NOW!"

Potter stopped in his tracks, turning frantically to watch the elf disappear before wheeling on Draco.

"If she's hurt," he rasped, but his voice was agonized, not threatening. "If that man's one of yours…"

Draco didn't respond. His eyes were fixed firmly on the spot his family's elf had vanished.

He was rewarded several moments later when Ravvi returned with her arms thrown over the limp body of Ginny Weasley. Potter gave an anguished cry before gathering her in his arms gingerly. All of her hair was gone and parts of her scalp and neck were bleeding where she had been made to claw at herself with her own fingernails. Draco shuddered as guilty relief surged through him that he was not kneeling on the floor clutching an unconscious Hermione in his arms.

"Ravvi has the Manor been attacked by animals?"

"Yes, Master Draco, but Ravvi makes it safe," she said in her high pitched voice, gesturing to the single window in the room that was covered over by one of the several closet doors in the house.

"Who did this to her?" Potter ground out, looking icily at the elf.

Ravvi looked to Draco, who nodded, before answering.

"Ravvi sees him twice before in this house, but she doesn't know his name. He is going with…. with… he is going with…"

"The Dark Lord?" Draco said, easing the elf's discomfort.

"Yes, Master Draco. He is going with him to Hogwart's. He says this man is helpful to him with information. He says he rewards this man to take anyone at the school."

Potter's jaw clenched, and Draco knew his mind, too, had jumped to Fleur Weasley.

"How did he get back here?" Draco demanded.

"He comes as a bird, sir," Ravvi replied.

"He comes… what?"

"He comes as a bird, sir," Ravvi repeated, simply. Seeing her Master's confused gaze, she tried to continued on more descriptively. "A very large bird, sir."

"He got into the Manor as a bird," Draco repeated dumbly, not understanding the poor elf's attempt.

"No, Master Draco, sir! Ravvi doesn't let him in as a bird! She thinks he is one of the animals attacking again, but he knocks on the door as a man."

"He's… an Animagus?" Potter asked through clenched teeth, and the pieces fell together in Draco's mind. How else could he have made the journey from Hogwarts to Wiltshire without being harmed?

"A bird," she said. And then chancing another look at her Master, continued expressively. "A large bird, sir."