Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Okay, here comes the big stuff so fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, we're going for a ride (get your mind out of the gutter) lol. Anyways, on with the show of course.
Chapter 20 – Secrets and Shocks
"I so did not sign up for this!" whined Hermione as she trudged through a bog trailing far behind Ginny who was plunging ahead full speed.
"I told you we had to get Joan of Arc's sword to complete the Ritual."
"Yes, well I imagined that as more of a traveling through beautiful castle ruins and solving riddles and magical puzzles like in first year of Hogwarts." Hermione grumbled.
"Well only we can find it and it wasn't kept in a castle since, you know, everyone thought she was off her rocker," Ginny muttered back.
"So how exactly do we find this sword? We just trudge through the sludge until one of us stubs our toe on it?" Hermione, sighed.
"No, of course not. She was brilliant, she wouldn't have just hidden it like that. It would be impossible for us to find it except for by sheer dumb luck. Plus, that would be way too simple, there must be some clue around here to point us to some dangerous quest." Ginny remarked ominously, "Help me look around, your not going to find it just stumbling arou-"
"OW! FUCK!" screeched Hermione midway through Ginny's tirade. She bent down and grappled around in the muck and pulled out a surprisingly clean sword.
"You were saying?" smirked Hermione.
Ginny mumbled something back that sounded similar to, " Go muck yourself futhermucker."
"Pardon? What was that? I couldn't hear you over the din of me tripping over the thing you said I wouldn't trip over." Hermione gloated.
"I would tackle you right now but if Draco ever saw or heard of this he'd be way too happy hearing that we were mud wrestling."
"Speaking of mud, I really hate it, so can we get out of here now that we have it? We still need to stop at Fred and George's."
"Yeh, I guess so. This was a completely useless mission if I do say so myself. It's too bad we're the only ones who can see or touch the sword or we could have sent someone else to trudge through this crap." Ginny complained.
The two girls Apparated to Diagon Alley and cleansed themselves with a quick charm. They headed off towards Fred and George's shop and stepped inside, trying not to bang into someone or one of the million popping, zipping, or beeping displays. The shop was growing immensely, and looked much like the Burrow because of all of the room additions.
"Fred!" called Ginny as she spotted a slice of bright red hair.
'Ginny! Hermione! Wow, great to see you! Any particular reason?" Fred asked nonchalantly.
"Yes actually, and it's important. Grab George, and meet us in the back room." Ginny dragged Hermione through the crowd towards the darker back room area.
"Ginny, are you sure this will work before we even bother trying? I mean won't Drea and Narcissa have thought of this before? I'm not so sure…" Hermione chewed on her bottom lip nervously.
"Look, you can't back out now, we've already told them we accept and they have Draco there. Whether or not it works we can try can't we? Now get a spine for goodness sakes!"
"Woah, harsh lil sis. What's the big rush?" George started as him and Fred walked in.
"First, we may sound totally crazy, but you have to believe us and trust us before you start flipping out."
"O great, what did you do?!" Fred accused Ginny.
"I didn't DO anything…much. Anyways, we need your help, and we need you to come with us. Now listen and don't interrupt. We need you to…"
The four of them split up shortly later and Hermione and Ginny ran over to Madam Malkin's.
"We need a robe A.S.A.P!" Hermione shrilled.
"Well, considering that is all I sell I would ask you to please be more specific," Madam Malkin huffed snootily.
"A very expensive and rare one. We will pay whatever you want we just need it," Ginny looked at her watch quickly, "in about an hour. Now listen closely, because if you make a mistake I will personally see to it that you become a human pin cushion."
Ginny and Hermione left the store quickly after giving their order and rushed back over to where Fred and George were waiting.
"Are you ready for this?" Hermione asked them all.
"As ready as we'll never be." The three Weasly's said in synchronicity.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "You don't even know how creepy that is do you?"
The four of them Apparated together, hoping that they weren't completely missing something.
Draco was lounging on a new sofa in a room in his mother's 'house'. He wasn't actually lounging, he actually wasn't relaxed at all. He was tense with waiting for the right moment to start his part. So far either Drea or Narcissa had been bothering him and talking to him since he arrived. The two of them were bustling about like giddy little school girls getting ready for the biggest dance of the year. They were setting up candles and incense and different gemstones around a pentagon painted on the floor with which Draco desperately hoped wasn't blood.
He gulped and turned away from the pentagon. It was absolutely vital that Drea and Narcissa get the spell and pentagon right, however the bloody lines and the disgusting odors emitting from burning alters made him want to gag.
"Amethysts, sulfur, rose quartz, graphite, and amber. What am I missing? Oh yes, jade!" Drea mumbled to herself absentmindedly. Spinning to face Draco she asked, "Drakie, can you watch Harry for about twenty minutes, I completely forgot to pick up jade slivers."
"Yeah sure," Draco said acting completely uninterested. Truthfully, his heart was beating a tattoo into his Adam's apple. This was exactly what he had been waiting for all day. "Where's mother?" he asked, stretching nonchalantly.
"She's out gathering yew and marrow shoots or something like that. Some funny sounding magical plants."
Inwardly Draco partied. It was finally happening. Drea stalked haughtily out of the room and Draco waited and listened carefully to make sure she was actually gone. Quickly, he jumped off of the couch and spun to face Harry who was sitting blankly on a chair by the fire.
"Finite Incantantum!" Draco shot the spell at Harry.
"What the hell?" Harry looked around to gather himself, " Oh man, I'm so in big trouble!" he groaned, rubbing his temples with his palms.
"Yeh tell me about it." Draco commented, "Now shut up, and listen up. We have a plan, but there is too much to get wrong for you to only half listen."
Ginny, Hermione, Fred, and George, all Apparated to the shack in the woods. They walked in carefully looking around then headed to the far room.
"Draco! Harry! You're alone?" Hermione ran up to both of them.
"Yes, now we only have about ten minutes now, so Ginny, take him and do what you have to do." Draco said quickly.
Ginny and Harry ran out to Apparate away.
"Okay, I owled Bill, Charlie, and Percy, they should be here soon, I told them it was an emergency." Fred started, "Are you sure this is going to work though because they will flip if anything happens to Harry."
"Well…we think so…because anyone in the pentagram with male parts will survive, so-"
Ginny started but was interrupted by Narcissa.
"You two must be Weasly's, but where is Harry?"
"That's what we were just talking about mother, I went out to meet them and when I came back he was gone." Draco answered sullenly.
"Hmm…well, no matter, if he's not in the pentagram he will die anyways, I had just hoped that I could watch. Anyways, the sun is starting to set; it won't be too long now, so if you expect your brothers to live I'd suggest you find them. Fast." With that, Narcissa turned on her heel and left the room depositing a bunch of branches into the pentagram first.
"Wow, that was great Draco. Do you think that she believed it?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Of course she didn't she's a paranoid bitch but it doesn't matter there's nothing she can do."
Draco paced back and forth as if reassuring himself.
"We'll go wait for our brothers." Fred said quietly, sensing the tension emanating from them both. Hermione nodded absentmindedly and took up pacing with Draco.
A couple of hours later there was a meeting going on in the living room. Draco, Hermione, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, and Percy were discussing the imminent problems.
"Where the hell is Ginny, if she's not back soon, they will start suspecting something." Hermione paced agitatedly around the room.
Draco pulled her down onto his lap, "Don't worry, they already suspect something. But, the problem with their plan is them giving you complete powers. They can't do anything. We've thought of everything. Stop pacing, the floor seems to need repair and you're going to make yourself fall through the floor."
Hermione just sighed and relaxed into his arms, pissed off and worried. At that moment there was a 'pop' and Ginny appeared panting in the center of the room. There was another 'pop' but there was no one else there.
"I'm sorry I'm late guys. It was much harder than we thought. She's a tough bugger." Ginny grumbled to herself.
Narcissa strode into the room haughtily with Drea trailing behind her.
'It is time."
"Wow, trying to sound ominous much?" Draco quipped.
"No back talk mister, I brought you into this world, I can take you out just as quickly!" Narcissa snapped back with a glare.
Draco just huffed mightily and stood up, practically dumping Hermione on her ass.
"Okay, let's just get on with this, all guys in the creepy shape on the floor thingy." Draco stepped into the pentagon and stood looking haughty with his arms crossed.
The other boys followed suit more slowly and entered the pentagon with trepidation. Narcissa and Drea added some more items to piles of crap that had been collecting around the edges since dawn.
"Is all of that really necessary?" Ginny asked, looking at the piles of rocks and leaves and incense.
"No, it's just for decoration," Narcissa rolled her eyes, "of course it's necessary you dimwit, do you think I'd spend my day crawling around finding branches to make the room look spiffy? I don't think so."
"Woah menopause much?!" hissed Ginny to Hermione.
"BELLLLAAAAA!!!" screeched Narcissa loudly.
With a pop Bellatrix Lestrange Apparated into the room, "Yes, Cissy?" she asked coldly.
"We are ready now. The Potter boy is missing but no matter, he will die anyways." Narcissa sneered.
"Every boy who doesn't want to die a painful death step into the pentagram," Drea ordered bossily.
The complied of course, and Drea started hefting a large book from off the shelf. Narcissa's eyes were darting around the room. A fairly loud squeak from the floorboards came from just outside the pentagram.
"Avada Kedavra!" yelled Narcissa.
A flash of green light emanated from her wand and something fell with a thunk to the floor.
Ginny and Hermione shrieked and all of the boys gasped. Hermione threw herself on Draco sobbing.
Narcissa walked over to the empty area and ripped off an invisibility cloak. There lay Harry, his eyes blank and mouth open in shock. Dead.
A/N: I know it's been a while in updating I'm so sorry, unavoidable circumstances, plus I thought all my work was deleted and I couldn't stand to rewrite it all. Anyways, I hope you like this little twist. :D
Much Love,
CiCi