Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Ginny's D.A.
Chapter 12 – Getting Information
"Professor McGonagall," asked Ginny, "Do you have a plan?"
"In auror training," said Tonks, "They say that the first thing you should do in a situation like this is find out how many enemies there are, and where they're at. Then you pick them off one by one, or as few at a time that's possible."
"That sounds like as sound a plan as any," agreed McGonagall.
"When we slipped into this room," commented Ginny, "it was because we heard movement ahead of us. Do you think your cat form could take a look out there, unnoticed?"
"An excellent suggestion," replied Minerva. "I can usually be unseen if I wish to be." She then transformed into a cat and walked into the hall.
Ginny held her wand at the ready, just in case someone came into the room. They waited in silence for about two minutes until the cat returned and changed back. McGonagall looked pale as she explained, "There are three young Death Eaters out there. It's Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Harry told me he suspected Malfoy last year, but I wouldn't believe him."
"Nobody believed him, and that's why Dumbledore's dead," commented Ginny. "Harry should've been rewarded for defending himself against Malfoy, not punished. But worrying about that now won't help. I think it's time for me to get revenge on the Malfoy family for Lucius slipping me Tom's diary."
"You can't just get revenge…" started McGonagall.
"I know, you think I should stun him so that he can kill someone else once he wakes up. Or send him to Azkaban. We certainly know that Tom can't break him out of there, especially without dementors guarding it. Professor, sometimes it's not a good idea to try being merciful."
"I'm afraid she's right, Professor," added Tonks, "I'm not saying to start using unforgivables, but you've got to remember, those aren't boys, they're murderers. They participated in an unprovoked attack on a school full of children. They want to kill you and every child in this castle! They wouldn't think twice about torturing a first year girl into insanity! They've made their choice to live and die for You-Know-Who. Snape proved that no one stops being a Death Eater. Ginny and Professor Flitwick, could you come with me to make the world a better place?"
"But Tonks, they're just…"
"Death Eaters," finished Tonks. "As far as I'm concerned, once you take the dark mark, you're no longer a human being!" Without a word, Tonks, Ginny, and Flitwick crept out of the room.
Ginny saw the backs of the three of them, and pointed her wand at Malfoy. Apparently, the Death Eaters had heard noise because they turned around and each of them yelled, "Avada…"
Before they could finish the death curse, Ginny thought, 'Sectumsempra," while Tonks took out Crabbe and Flitwick got Goyle. Ginny closed her eyes as Draco fell over, quickly bleeding to death. She noticed that the others had used cutting curses and decapitated Crabbe and Goyle.
Ginny wanted to throw up, but didn't allow herself to. She went back to the room with the others and suggested, "We need to get out of here before they find the bodies."
McGonagall looked appalled, but came anyway. "We should make our way toward the students to insure their safety," the headmistress insisted.
"Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle will never hurt or kill anyone again," stated Tonks when she saw the look on Minerva's face. "Detention didn't work with them. Maybe we can safely interrogate someone near the dungeons with less chance of being caught."
The group walked around the corpses, doing their best to avoid looking at them. Ginny could swear she heard Draco whisper the words, "Blood- traitor," as she walked past him.
In another hallway, they saw another group of three Death Eaters, so this time Tonks, Flitwick, and Professor Sprout took them out. Ginny didn't feel much like attacking anybody else. She kept telling herself why she did it, but it repulsed her, none the less. She kept saying to herself, "It's them or us and the rest of the world."
When they got to the Slytherin dungeon entrance, they saw two Death Eaters glaring at the entrance. They pointed their wands at the doorway and shouted, "Reducto." A few scratches appeared on the entrance, but that's all. They turned around and pointed their wands at Ginny's group shouting, "Avada…" before they both fell over. Tonks had stunned one, while Ginny put one in the full body-bind. Tonks and Ginny then levitated the bodies to a nearby classroom. McGonagall sealed and silenced the door. Everyone pointed their wands at the one who was stunned while Tonks enervated him and said calmly, "I want you to tell us how many of you are here, where you're stationed in this castle, and why you're here."
"What are you going to do, use the cruciatus curse on me," he asked, sneering.
Tonks replied, "Fine. We'll put you in the full body-bind and leave you where no one will find you, if they even look. It'll take you at least three days to die. She pointed her wand at him and cast, "Petrificus Totalus."
After wands were pointed at the other one, Tonks released him. "I assume you've been listening."
"Y-Yes," the Death Eater replied.
"So, what is your answer? Do you want to lie down here with your friend until you slowly die of thirst?"
"N-No. The fifty that fell in the attack were all revived. I was one of them. After the Dark Lord punished us, there were forty of us left. There were five guarding Weasley, who's obviously escaped. There were two assigned to break into each of the houses. There were three assigned to break into the headmistress' office, and six were sent to guard the entrance – three outside and three inside. Another three are guarding the secret entrance we used. Then five more groups of three were assigned to walk around the castle, patrolling the halls."
"That means that thirteen have been incapacitated, and twenty-seven are left," said McGonagall. "Why is your master here?"
"The Dark Lord believes that the Weasley slut knows where Potter is. Even if she doesn't tell us, Potter will probably come here himself to rescue her. Keeping the castle will be a bonus, but it's not his main objective."
"Where is your master?" asked Ginny, fiercely.
"He's not inside the castle. He didn't say where he was going, but that he'd be back when Potter arrived."
"Where's this, 'Secret Entrance?'" asked McGonagall.
"I'm sure I know where that is," replied Ginny. "I know this school as well as Wormtail does." The Death Eater's eyes bulged out. "There are only two passages that still work, and only one of them leads to a place worth going. Fred and George used to visit Hogsmeade all the time while they were students here. They'd bring back lots of goodies from Honeydukes." The look on the prisoner's face confirmed that Ginny was right.
"Wotcher, you've been really helpful," said Tonks, before putting him back in the full body-bind. "When we free the castle, we'll take you to the ministry, if we remember." She then disillusioned both prisoners and commented, "It looks like we've got our work cut out for us."
Chapter end
