Old Friends

"They came to talk to me around seven," Percy said, keeping pace with Harry. The Wales law enforcement department had blocked all apparition in light of the two missing quidditch players, so Harry, Percy, and Arthur were on their way to the department of transport to get a designated portkey. Harry asked questions as they went, having Percy fill them in.

Percy was getting ready for work when two representatives of the Harpies' security team came to question him. He had been the last to see Audrey, after all. They answered very few of his own questions, except that they were trying to identify the timeframe the two had last been seen. "I took Audrey to lunch and dropped her off around two, but I haven't seen Ginny since Friday night," he said. "They did say teammates saw her yesterday morning."

Fifteen hours. Up to fifteen hours ago, they had been taken. Maybe less. Hopefully less, Harry thought.

"What about Ron?" Harry asked, pushing through a line of citizens who were making requests for a variety of other reasons, vacations mostly.

"As soon as they left I got on the Floo with him. He said he was on his way there."

"I need to speak to your supervisor. Now," Harry snapped at the representative sitting at the desk.

Soon they were ushered into a small arboretum behind the transportation department. They were given a flowerpot and told to hold on. Launch was two minutes away.

When they landed outside the small complex, it was apparent the morning had caused chaos for everyone involved. Harry, Percy, and Arthur stepped past a young auror-in-training who was set to watch the barrier. "Hey! Hey! You can't come back here!"

His superiors were looking over. "I'm from the Ministry," Harry snapped, then kept moving. Arthur followed suit, though Percy looked awkward and out of place. He was used to paperwork and the nuances of law making, after all, not taking on a scene as his own.

"Mr. Potter," one of the supervisors came over, reaching out a hand.

Harry ignored it. "I need to know what's going on."

They gave him only as much as they'd given Percy. So it wasn't that they couldn't tell him, it was that they didn't know. One of the players had woken up and noticed signs of a disturbance in Ginny's flat. As they started to notify their teammates and authorities were called, someone also noticed Audrey wasn't anywhere to be seen either. "I want to take a look around, if you don't mind," Harry said.

"Certainly, but only aurors are allowed on the premise," the man said, looking at Arthur and Percy.

"This is Arthur Weasley," Harry said. "We believe this may be linked to an earlier incident where a muggle artifact was utilized. I brought him for his expertise."

"Weasley? You don't think this is a little too personal—"

"He's staying," Harry said. "Both of them are staying. If you don't like it you can take it up with my supervisor."

He pulled the other two away and they circled. "Percy, go find Ron. See if there's anything at Audrey's flat to be found out. Arthur, just look for something—anything— that we might be able to trace."

They both left and Harry walked towards where the Holyhead Harpies stood, sequestered from the center of the action. A few of them were sobbing openly, others with arms around the shoulders of those weeping, and more still standing, unsure of what to do as they talked, trying to make sense of what happened. "I'm sorry to bother you all, but can I speak to Ginny's flatmate, please," Harry said, trying for more patience than he'd felt since Arthur's arrival at his office.

One of the crying girls nodded and stepped forward out of the arms of one of her teammates. Everyone else was still close by, though Harry leaned in to her, lowering his voice. "Hi, uh—"

"Tasha," she said.

"Can you tell me about the last time you saw either Ginny or Audrey," he asked.

"W-well, yesterday we all went to the shore. Ginny was changing into running clothes when we left around noon," she said.

"And when did you get back?"

"One of the locals said that colors were more vivid at night, so we waited until after dark. Sometime around midnight," Tasha closed her eyes, concentrating, "o-or one. I don't know. I just got in and went straight to my room. I thought Ginny must be asleep already."

"What about this morning?"

"We were supposed to meet on the field at sunrise," Tasha said. "But when I got into the bathroom, everything was messed up. There were bottles all over the place and I thought maybe Ginny had just had a bad night again."

"Bad night?" Harry asked.

"You know what happened Friday," Tasha said, "but she still wasn't feeling good Saturday. So I thought maybe she'd been sick and I just didn't hear her. I looked in her room, but she wasn't there." She was starting to break into more tears. "And then I saw the burn on the armchair a-and—"

She melted into uncontrollable crying. A tall, linky brunette came forward to comfort her again. He could go look at the flat himself. "Thank you," he said. "I'm sorry you had to repeat it again."

"If there's anything any of us can do," the brunette said.

"Just let me know if you remember anything else."

Harry got into the house where Arthur was surveying the kitchen. On the counter were two cups, and on the floor a kitchen towel. Otherwise, the room was spotless. "What is it?" Harry asked.

Arthur pointed into the cup nearest him. "Didn't the man you arrested this summer have a vial of potion?"

"Yeah," Harry looked into the cup. "Green. Just like that, but thicker."

"But Ginny wouldn't have just taken it would she?"

"Not if she could see it," Harry replied, he grabbed his wand and a vial, filling it with the watered down potion. The one they'd confiscated was a sleeping draught. He'd send it to some to see if this was exactly the same. He looked for signs of information on the other cup, but found nothing.

"Harry," Percy called as he came through the door, out of breath. "I've looked everywhere, but I can't find Ron."

"Did you ask—"

"Of course I asked the others. They said he arrived early, but then he just… left or something. You don't think he would have gone after whoever on his own?"

Arthur, usually so calm and even, stalked out of the kitchen and walked over to the fireplace in the living room, gripping the mantle. He slammed both hands onto the brick, gritting his teeth and growling. Harry and Percy just watched this show of frustration.

"If he did," Harry finally said, tentatively, "it's because he noticed something the others didn't. We just have to figure out what."

"Ginny," a voice said. Her shoulders were being shaken. "Ginny, can you hear me?"

The voice had a far away echo, but started to come into focus along with a shudder of her muscles warming back up.

"It only took Neville a few hours to wake up," said another voice and Ginny opened her eyes.

"Ginny!" Audrey said. Hers and another set of hands helped Ginny sit up. "You're okay!"

"Where are we?" she asked. Her voice slurred as she slumped against a brick wall behind her. She looked around. Dean had been the other set of hand helping to steady her. Neville sat on a bench on the other side of a large, celled room, his lip cut and a bruise on his forehead. In the back corner Katie Bell and Luna Lovegood stood, watching.

"I don't know," Audrey said. "I came into your flat and that large bloke you were with attacked me. But he had someone else with him."

"Landon," Ginny said. "He put something into my water."

"That's how they got me here too," Neville said. "I think they must have mixed it with my plant growth potion. I was tending to a greenhouse Saturday when it happened. Being in the greenhouse made it possible to breathe it in."

Ginny stood up, stretching her muscles, though Audrey looked concerned. "Do we know who—"

"No idea," Dean said. "I was on a family trip to my grandparents. They leg locked me Friday when I went on a walk. I don't know what my mum is thinking happened."

Luna had been searching for Womnots in Northern England and Katie was backpacking through France.

"Dumbledore's Army," Ginny said.

"What?" Audrey asked.

"It's a group some of us started back in school," Ginny said.

"Of course!" Dean said. "But… does that mean they're getting more?"

Ginny thought for a minute. "I guess," she said. They all looked at each other with meaningful glances. Ginny knew that all of them were doing an inventory of those that could be joining them. Hermione, Ron, and Harry certainly concerned Ginny first and foremost. "But they do seem to be picking don't they," she said.

Two men and a woman clipped down the hall, dressed in business robes and stopped in front of the bars. "So glad you're awake, Miss Weasley," the woman said. She wore bright red lipstick and hair in a sharp bob of black hair. Everyone in the cell stood. "Why don't you join us for a little—" she paused with a grin, "—chat."

Dean and Audrey stepped in front of her and the others came closer as well. One of the men cast a spell that created a wall-like barrier as the other opened the barred door. "It's okay," she told the others and stepped forward. Audrey looked worried.

The charmed exit was cold as Ginny passed through. She shivered while the men closed the door again, one of them stepping behind her, his wand touching her between her shoulder blades as she followed the woman.

There were other men and women throughout the hallway, most of them young—under the age of 40—gathered and chatting between themselves, smug grins as Ginny and her entourage passed by. "Everyone was very glad when we finally got you here," she said. Ginny didn't reply as she was lead up a flight of steps and into a large office. Bookcases lined the walls and a large oak desk sat firmly in the middle. It looked like a typical office, except that there were lights and a camera set up around the desk. A woman with glasses was speaking with a skinny kid with mean eyes, who was apparently the cameraman.

"You know, the mistake most people make about those of us that recognize the wizard's superiority to muggles is that we can't appreciate some of the work they do," the woman said. "Mix a little magic in there and it's just so much better."

"What am I doing here?" Ginny said, dull and uninterested.

"You do know what your people did to mine," she said. "After everything was done they couldn't just let it alone. They hunted down everyone." The woman stepped around the desk, following the edge with her fingertips. "Whether or not they were directly involved."

"If you're talking about the impervious curse, those who were coerced were given their chance to indicate so," Ginny said.

"Oh, no, no, that's not what I mean at all," she said. "You do understand the idea of war, Miss Weasley?"

"I know it's what killed my brother," Ginny replied.

"Yes," the woman said. "Quite unfortunate side effect. But you do know we lost lots of people, too. I lost my fiancé for one. But not during the battle. Months after, when someone decided they needed revenge." She straightened some paperwork on the desk. "But of course, you still had such a big family to go back to," she said. "All of those siblings and your parents. Everyone. And what was I left with? This very large house and no one to share it with."

The woman sat behind the desk and leaned back in the chair. "Everyone I still love is locked up for the rest of their lives. No contact with the outside world. Well, I found out there were lots of us like that. Lots of us who were victims as much after the war as during it."

"Maybe you should just chose your side better next time," Ginny retorted.

The woman froze. She pushed back from the desk, walked quickly over to Ginny and slapped her. The anger subsided and she pulled herself back into a demure demeanor. "All I want, Ginny, is a chance to be with my family again. You understand that, yes?"

Ginny didn't say anything, but glared at her. "So why me?"

"One of those neat little things the muggles do are with videos. We've gone to great lengths to make sure no one knows who we are. Polyjuice potion, charms, and things like that," the woman said. "So you, Miss Weasley, get to be our representative. We have a list of people to be released from Azkaban and you are going to read them on camera."

Ginny laughed. "That's not going to happen," she said.

The woman nodded to someone behind Ginny. The office door opened as she spoke. "We were just going to hurt some of the others if you refused, but the most perfect thing happened this morning," she said.

Two men carried Ron under his arms, dragging his feet along the floor. His face was bloody, two streams coming down his nose. There was a gash along his upper right arm and he fell to the ground as they dropped him. Ginny went red in the face and tried to move towards him. She was stopped by the woman's arm. "Now, now," she said. "He tried to break into here. I can do what I do to others who try to come in uninvited, or you can sit and read a little list of names, and we'll let him join you down in the basement," she said. Ginny thought about slugging her, but there were at least two wands trained on her and someone standing over Ron.

Ginny turned and walked over to the desk, taking a seat and pulling the paperclip from the papers, holding it in her closed fist.

Several hours had passed and there was no more information than there had been in the morning. Some of the Holyhead Harpies made lunches when they were allowed back into their apartments and brought extras out to those still investigating. "We really adore your daughter," a girl named Irene said to Arthur. "I just wanted to tell you so."

He nodded solemnly and muttered, "Thanks."

Percy left in the early afternoon. They all knew they couldn't keep putting off telling Molly what was happening. Hermione was supposed to be at the Burrow at some point that afternoon too. Harry was glad he didn't have to be there when they found out. Instead, he concentrated on trying to find new bits of detail. He was just starting to examine the burn when a buzz, like the static of a television, originated in the fireplace. It was a screen, or a facsimile of a screen. When Harry got closer he noticed four little metal corners, the image floating magically in between them. When he put his hand through, that portion of the screen disappeared, but when he pulled it back it was there.

"Arthur!" Harry shouted. Mr. Weasley came running, standing and watching as Ginny's face appeared looking stoic and determined. She had papers in front of her and cleared her throat, looking forward.

"This message is for the Ministry of Magic," Ginny said. Harry's stomach did about five flips in a row. Arthur knelt beside him to stay close to the screen. Several of the local magic law enforcement officers realized something was happening and piled into the room. Harry's relief that she looked relatively well made it difficult to concentrate on what she was actually saying. Something about uneven retribution and the demands of those who held her—he did hear her say that no one had yet been harmed, though she glared to her right at that comment. "The creation of organizations such as Dumbledore's Army has proven to favor certain viewpoints while unfairly punishing others. Today, there is in the control of those looking for justice, myself and several members of those who have worked under this grouping. Be warned, they know the whereabouts of others—" the camera moved from an image of Ginny to a grid of images following different people through public spaces. Harry recognized Hannah Abbott and George at his shop, and Cho Chang. The image cut back to Ginny.

"The release of the following individuals will secure the safety of current and potential hostages," Ginny said. She read off a list, slowly steadily. She stopped, swallowed. "For each day these demands are not met, there will be one less hostage to exchange." Ginny set down the papers and looked away from the camera to her right. "There, now let me tend to my brother and—" the screen went blank as they cut Ginny off.

"So they do have Ron," Arthur said.

Harry was thinking. The list consisted of some of the worst Death Eaters that had been put in Azkaban. Often those who were trying to re-enlist Death Eaters to a new organization with similar goals. He pulled one of the brackets that had held the magic screen. Tracing it would likely lead them to another abandoned space. He turned it, noticing the craftsmanship. The edging had a slight purple tint. He walked back over to the burn mark on the armchair. Purple speckles were embedded in ash.

"Dittany Stalk," Harry said.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Dittany Stalk wand core," Harry said. "Leaves its own kind of trace. Most people don't even realize, but as the wand gets old, the core starts to leave spots. And then you can trace it back to the current location of the wand holder. It's why most wand makers won't use it anymore." He looked at Arthur. "That's how Ron found them."

Arthur nodded, stood up. "Let's go."

Ginny held Ron up as they were ushered back to the basement cell. It was still slow going and though they were being pushed, Ginny was able to use the opportunity to get the layout. The first floor was mostly empty. There were people going up to a second floor, where they seemed to congregate. The kitchen was to the back, where there must be some kind of servant entrance. Of course, it was likely that the property out back was under some kind of charm. Front exit would be the most likely to lead to freedom, but difficult to fight through and probably guarded from the exterior. The halls extended wide and the south side seemed mostly unoccupied, as other areas had little groups of people scattered throughout.

Everyone was alert as Ginny brought Ron into the cell. Dean helped her and they were locked in again. Ginny pulled off her shirt, leaving her in a sports bra, and started tearing it into strips. His arm was still oozing blood and his eye was swelling shut. She couldn't do anything about that without ice or a wand, so she focused on creating bandages to stop the bleeding.

"Ginny," he tried to say.

"Shhhh," she said. "Just relax. Dean?"

They all had been watching her wrap Ron up. "Yeah?"

Ginny looked toward the hall, checking that none of the crew was watching them. "Do you remember lock picking? When Fred and George taught us my third year?" she asked, holding out the clean, new paperclip.

His face of concern grew to one of relief. "Yes," he said, taking it and going to the lock.

Everyone gathered near. "Okay, here's how it's going to go," she started.

Dawlish joined with a large team of aurors covering a city block around the building. There had been one major problem: they could not attempt to enter with their wands. A charm, similar to that used for secret keepers, lay over the house. To avoid the need to tell the hostages the address for them to enter, a caveat had been included that those without wands would be unaffected. Dawlish had been resistant, but Harry knew they had to get in there. "I'm going," Harry said. He had the invisibility cloak for one. Though he hadn't used it in ages, Harry always kept it in the office. He knew one day it would bee useful. "Besides, if they find me I can say I was backing up Ron earlier."

Dawlish relented, reminding him there wouldn't be backup. Harry nodded. He still had to try. He handed over his wand to Arthur, who grabbed his wrist and looked him in the eye. "Molly and I can't lose them," he said. "And we can't lose you. Be careful."

Harry nodded and threw on the cloak, heading towards the yard of the property. The property, which had seemed derelict before, came into the daunting, but kept, view that the house truly possessed. Where it was abandoned before, a witch stood watch on the steps, eyes narrow and watching. Harry went along the edges of the outer wall. There was a base level, first corridor and second level from what he could see. Windows were evenly spaced.

He tried two of them on his level. Both were locked. He moved around back, holding still along the exterior wall as two people passed. Harry was tempted to take one of their wands now, but he wasn't certain if he had to be inside the building before he could use magic without the illusion replacing reality again. Instead he waited, edging along the wall outside. In the kitchen a dozen people gathered around a table full of food. But to the right a door stood ajar. Harry adjusted his cloak and then passed by, entering through the open wine cellar.

Dean unlocked the door. "Finally," he said.

"Keep it closed," Ginny hissed at him. Dean replaced the door, sitting by the bars and using his finger to hold it, making it appear closed. Luna and Neville had Ron, holding him upright on the bench in between them. They all had their roles and they just had to wait.

Two voices—one male, one female—talked back and forth as they came down. "But how did they figure out the location?" the female said.

"I'll bet he had a tracker on him," replied the man.

"It would have been disabled as soon as he walked through the door," she replied.

Ginny looked at Katie and the arranged themselves by the door. The two coming down the hall had a tray of food. Minimal, but food nonetheless. Everyone tried to look casual as they came close. Ginny took hold of the bars and as the man lifted his wand to create a barrier, Ginny jerked it open, throwing him back against the opposite wall. "Go!" Ginny said and Katie lunged through the door, tackling the blonde woman who dropped the tray of food.

Katie wrestled over the wand, sparks flying as Dean came out as well. The man recovered as Ginny came around, trying to kick his wand from his hands. He grabbed Ginny's ankle, jerking her foot out from under her and throwing her to the ground. He reached his wand and pushed himself up. "You little bitch," he said, raising his wand to her. Ginny closed her eyes just as a jinx hit the man, throwing him back and to the upper corner of the ceiling.

Ginny turned, Katie had the wand, the blonde woman was unconscious and she continued to point her wand at the man. She dropped him and Ginny scrambled forward to grab his wand.

Ginny caught her breath as Luna and Neville helped Ron along. Audrey came up behind Ginny. "You go with them," Ginny said.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Just get to Percy and he'll tell the right people," Ginny said. "Dean, you too."

"Audrey's right, you can't go alone," Dean said.

"There's no time to argue," Ginny insisted. "That way and to the left," she said, pointing down towards the side of the hall that lead away from the staircase, which was her direction. "Katie knows the spell to dig through. You'll probably end up in a muggle yard. Just be careful. And take care of my brother," she added as a last thought.

She was glad they didn't continue to argue, though Audrey looked back one more time as they disappeared around the corner. She hoped she was right in assuming no one was guarding that end. They had watched for nearly an hour and she realized their captors were only coming and going by way of the staircase. Ginny stayed put. They had to see her. The man started to stir first. She edged towards the stairs and shot red sparks, letting them hit near his shoulder. She turned and ran. "JENNA!" he shouted and she could hear his footfalls behind her. "THEY'VE GOTTEN OUT!"

Ginny took the steps two at a time. She pointed the stolen wand to the right, two people ducking to avoid her spell. She shot two more, one hitting the skinny cameraman. He dropped to the floor. Ginny moved further into the mansion, taking a corridor to the right.

She got to the end of a long hall, several doors and crevices, but no window at the end. "Damnit!" she said under her breath.

"This way," she heard the man say.

"Are you sure?"

"Come on!" he growled at whoever questioned him. Ginny raised her wand, unsure of how many people she was about to face.

Two hands grabbed Ginny, pulling her into a nook of the wall. Fabric fell around her and she started to kick, a hand around her waist and one covering her mouth. "Shhh—shhh, it's me," Harry's voice in her ear. Ginny closed her eyes and relaxed as he took the hand off her mouth and turned her around, adjusting his cloak around her. She stood there, eye-to-eye with Harry as a group of people ran past them.

"She was down here!" the man shouted. Landon was with them and Ginny swallowed as they turned back around.

Harry waited until they passed by and moved in, kissing Ginny—desperately and deeply. She was shocked in the first moment, closed her eyes and leaned into him in the second, then abruptly pulled away, slapping his arm with her free hand. "What the hell, Harry?"

"Sorry," he said, breathlessly. "I just—where are the others?"

"Katie should be getting them out," Ginny said, her heart pounding. "But she needs at least another few minutes. I need to get out there so they'll follow me."

"No," Harry said. "You can't do that."

"Not now, Harry," Ginny said. Another woman was coming down the hall, looking in the grooves of the space. Ginny pointed the wand at her and as she came level, she threw the woman upside down, then let the charm free so she fell, hitting her head against a pedestal. Ginny looked down the hall before stepping out from under the invisibility cloak. She dove for the woman's wand and handed it over to Harry. "Back me up if you like, but don't argue."

She ran back towards the foyer of the house, shooting sparks that would ricochet off the pillars and draw attention. Ginny blocked a hex as she realized this was working better than she thought. A spell came past her from her right. Harry was close behind as she made a dash for the office. "Get in," she hissed, feeling him whoosh by her and slamming the door. Backing up, Ginny pointed her wand at the door, placing an extra layer of protection and locking it tightly.

People were quickly pounding, pushing against the door. Even without the charm, the doors were heavy, which helped Ginny breathe a little easier. She looked to her right, going towards the window. There were bars on the outside. She closed her eyes, realizing she was stuck. Her and Harry. But the others could get out. Maybe they were already out now.

Heat flashed by her ear. Ginny ducked down as she felt it and jerked around. The woman—the one in charge— stood in the room with her, scowling. "You're ruining everything!" she shouted. She threw another hex at Ginny.

Ginny deflected it, sending it towards the desk, which shattered into a hundred pieces.

"This is all your fault," she yelled. Ginny tried to send a leg locking curse, but found her wand flying from her hands. The woman smiled, though her mouth was suddenly changing. Her hair was growing out. "You—you and that idiot Longbottom," she said. She picked Ginny up with her wand and threw her across the room. "The one year we had the chance to make Hogwarts a better school and you ruined it. You brought war there!"

Ginny fell onto her left shoulder, but softer than she had expected. Harry must have done something. The woman didn't know Harry was here. Ginny stood, hands half up in surrender. And then she stopped. "Pansy?"

The rest of the woman had changed. Pansy Parkinson stood there, looking manic. Her clothes sat a little shorter now. "Yes, Pansy," Pansy said. "Polyjuice works so very well. Especially when you use muggles who have no idea what's going on."

"Look, you haven't done anything yet," Ginny said. "You can make a deal I'm sure."

"While my parents rot in prison?" Pansy retorted. "I'm here alone because of you." Ginny found herself lifted by magic, pushed against the wall and choked. "I should have had them kill you in that alley," Pansy said. "I had enough hostages."

Ginny struggled to get a breath. She shook her head, not wanting Harry to give himself away just yet. Her hands could move and she pulled on the tendrils of force applying pressure around her neck. "I guess now is as good a time as any to remedy that," Pansy said.

"Now," Ginny choked out. Harry threw off his cloak. Pansy attempted to change targets, dropping Ginny as Harry shouted "Expulso!" The ground in front of Pansy exploded, leaving a crater as Pansy fell, wand from hand and slowly trying to regroup.

Ginny stood and rushed to grab her wand, training it on Pansy as they heard a flurry of new voices in the corridor.

"Down! Get down!" voices commanded as the pounding on the office door ceased.

It was another ten minutes before they indicated the foyer was clear and Ginny opened the door. The aurors were taking out several members of Pansy's pack. Two people came to take Pansy with the rest of them.

Ginny made her way outside, her father standing at the edge of the lawn. Ginny ran to him, his arms wrapping around her. "My girl, my girl," he repeated over and over, kissing her head and rocking her in his arms.

"How's Ron?" Ginny asked, pulling back.

"A little worse for wear," Arthur said, holding out Harry's wand for him, then leading the pair to where all the others were, safe and being asked questions and handed water and food.

Percy came over to Ginny, pulling his cloak off and wrapping it around her with a large bear hug. Rather than waiting, Audrey joined in, wrapping her arms around both of them.

Ginny turned, watching the aftermath. The house was so large, she wondered if there were exits they didn't know about. There would probably be people who disappeared in the chaos. But for now, they were all safe. Harry stood between their group and the rest of the department, waiting for instruction. Ron was slowly more cognizant. Ginny finally took an easy breathe. They would all be okay.