A/N: Thank you so much to reviewers! I love you all. Late February. This is another long chapter… sorryyy. I think this is a sort of exciting chapter (as well as the next one). ENJOY! D
READ: I'm really sorry for the chapter called Hooks. I KNOW that it was really boring, but I had to put some space between the Scry and Decisions & Drawings, and I also needed to tell you that there was a window in the basement. It was important. But I couldn't just have Chapter Thirty-Four: The Window: Draco saw a window, and said, "oh cool. I could escape through there" and then FINISH! So bleurgh.
Sorry!
Disclaimer: I am not lucky enough to be as smart enough as to invent these characters myself. They are not mine. Too bad. –pout-
The Stone Speaks
Chapter Thirty-Five: Decisions and Drawings
GINNY
"Miss Weasley, are you even paying attention?"
Ginny's head snapped up. "Sorry?" she asked stupidly, causing everyone around her to laugh. She coloured, and set down her quill, using the broad feather to hide the sketch of a tall, pale boy. "Excuse me, sir… I didn't hear you."
"Yes, Miss Weasley, I thought as much," sneered Professor Snape. "Now, if you could set your quill down for just a moment and prove to the class how much attention you have been paying… what is the difference between the Doonebury Draughts and the Jarman Formulae?"
Ginny hesitated. Come on, brain, this is where you're supposed to kick in! "Er," she said, hoping to buy herself time, but still nothing came to her. A few Slytherins snickered at her stupidity. "One is… one is…" she sighed. "I don't know, Professor."
"I thought as much," Professor Snape repeated icily. "That will be five points from Gryffindor. I said, the Jarman Formulae is a draught conceived by Lorna Hartnett and Christopher Jarman in 1322…"
Snape seemed to have it in for Ginny since the meeting in Professor McGonagall's office, though when he gave her the detentions that he so frequently served out, he merely interrogated her about her Black magic for hours. She remembered one of their conversations:
"I am no fool, Miss Weasley. Professor McGonagall asked you, 'Have you ever used any other Black Magic' and you said, 'no'. That was a lie. So naïve you must be, to leave your mind unprotected when lying…" Snape said silkily. "Tell me, what Black magic have you done aside from Transforming and Scrying?"
"None. I haven't done any," snapped Ginny. She instantly felt the probe in her mind, but she clamped down on it and tore the probe to pieces. Get out of my mind, Death EaterGinny thought angrily to herself, so that Snape could not hear her.
Ginny picked up her quill and inspected the drawing that she had made on a scrap of loose parchment. Draco's face was too round, and she had forgotten to sketch in his new haircut. She scratched an X across his face, crumpled the parchment and shoved it angrily into her bag. Looking around, she found that she had no parchment left except for her homework – drawing Draco on that would not be smart.
Suddenly the door flew open and a large, tawny owl swooped in. The class was disrupted and everyone gasped and gossiped in the momentary distraction that the owl's arrival caused. Snape stared at the owl; so did Ginny. There was no mistaking the tiny, neat scrawl on it saying, Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley. Ginny looked up and found herself staring into Professor's Snape black-onyx eyes from across the classroom, so terrifying like her magical necklace.
Ginny reddened under the piercing gaze of the Potions master who seemed so fascinated by her all of a sudden, and looked down at her homework. She keep her head down, but she averted her eyes from her work and peeked up at Snape through her reddish-black eyelashes.
Snape had peeled the parchment from the owl's leg and was reading it, his black eyes scanning whatever was written with a hawk-like gaze. Then his eyes snapped up to stare at Ginny. "Miss Weasley," he said coldly.
Everyone in the classroom shut up and stared at Ginny. She was being pulled out of a lot of classes – first out of a History of Magic exam, and now out of Potions when they were doing end-of-year-test revision? It was mad.
Trembling slightly, Ginny stood. She presumed that it was from Professor McGonagall about Fred, George and Elma Tonks, and she was worried about what she would find out from her siblings and Fred's girlfriend. She untidily swept her belongings into her bag, and, swinging it onto her shoulder, squeezed past Colin Creevey, his girlfriend Anchee Salil, and a chunky Slytherin boy called Louis Caletti.
"Yes, Professor?" Ginny asked, stopping beside Snape's broad desk.
Snape surveyed her, making Ginny feel as though she was under a very harsh spotlight. She stared defiantly up into his sallow face, and waited for him to respond. Snape thrust the parchment at her. "Professor McGonagall wants you," he said smoothly, his voice dangerously soft.
Ginny took the parchment, and then, tearing her hazel eyes from her Professor's dark ones, left the Potions chamber. She moved quickly, and as she mounted the steps, her eyes darted sideways to glance at the secret wall that formed the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Memories of standing out there with Draco filled her, and worry took over her brain as she moved faster up the stairs.
Only Filch questioned her about being out of class, and she brandished the note at him; Ginny made it to Professor McGonagall's office fairly untroubled. As she raised one hand to knock, paralyzing fear took over her senses. What will they have to say? What if Draco's hurt? What if he's… dead
Her breath came ragged and sharp, her heart pounding madly. "No, that's impossible," she whispered. Ginny shook the thoughts from her head, fiery ponytail hitting each shoulder in turn. She held her head high, and rapped smartly on the wood of the door.
"Come in," called Professor McGonagall's stern voice.
Ginny pushed open the door and entered. "Hello Professor," she said politely. "Hello Fred, George, Tonks." She smiled weakly at them each, but she couldn't muster a grin.
The three young adults exchanged glances, unnerved by Ginny's 'welcome', if it could be called that. "Sit down, Gin. Are you okay?" Elma Tonks asked kindly.
Ginny smiled again, and nodded, hiding everything that was buzzing in her head. She lowered herself into a hard-backed chair, and then she said seriously, "I trust that McGonagall told you why you're here?"
"We've already checked," said Fred bluntly.
Ginny looked up, alarmed.
"We used the Extendable Ears to try and hear what was happening in the Lestrange castle," he continued, and was about to come out with the truth when he saw his sister's expression. She looked stricken, her fingers holding the chair's arms so tightly that her knuckles were white.
George decided to take over, being the more sensitive of the twins. He crouched beside Ginny and placed his hand over her. "Gin… he's there," he said softly.
A thousand emotions blurred Ginny's eyes. The first was relief – Draco was alive – and then, almost immediately, came despair – the Lestranges had him. They were the most cruel, insane Death Eaters. Then, something struck her. "George… Fred…" she asked slowly, "how – how did you know that Draco was at the Lestrange mansion?"
The adults looked at each other again. "We heard him," they said together.
Not good, not good, not good… "What do you mean?" Ginny asked, feeling her legs start to twitch of their own accord as nervous spasms shook her body.
"Screaming," said Fred quickly, forcing it out as quickly as possible.
Ginny blanched. "He was… he's…" she whispered. Elma Tonks rushed to her side and wrapped her arms around Ginny's thin shoulders. "Get off!" she cried, wrenching away from them and staggering from the chair. "Why – why are you comforting me?" she shrieked. "Draco's being hurt – he's being tortured – STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!" she roared when George tried to hug her.
Everyone in the room was shocked. Ginny did not explode at people. That wasn't how she worked – Ginny snapped and hid her feelings. This open woe was extremely unlike her.
"Will you stop staring at me like I've grown another head?" Ginny shouted. "You're all – argh!" she balled her hands into fists and stamped her foot; her schoolbag fell from her shoulder and the contents scattered across the floor.
"Miss Weasley, calm down!" barked Professor McGonagall. "I understand your dismay, but attempting to destroy my office is unacceptable!"
"That's easy for you to say!" snarled Ginny. "You're safe in your little office. You haven't got Dark wizards trying to kill you or holding your best friend hostage!"
Silence fell. "Ginny," McGonagall addressed the young, fierce witch before her, "the Aurors are getting him. He will be safe soon -"
"Soon?" Ginny echoed incredulously. "In two weeks time, you mean. Sorry, but that's not what I call soon."
McGonagall decided, very wisely, to ignore this. "Mister Malfoy will be safe soon now that we are aware of his whereabouts. However, he will not be back for some time – and that cannot be changed! Do not think that you can get him back sooner by going to rescue him yourself."
"That's Harry's job," Fred chipped in.
Everyone glared at him, save for Ginny, who knew that her older brother was exactly right. She dropped down to the floor and started to scoop up her books with shaking hands, trying to block out the rest of the world.
"Miss Weasley, I forbid you to go after him, do you hear me? Attempting it alone would only end up in you having detentions every night until the day you die," McGonagall said.
Fred, George, Tonks and Ginny stared at her. "God, that's a bit harsh," said Tonks, voicing everyone else's thoughts.
McGonagall flushed pink. "Well, I was trying to make a point!" she said haughtily. "You're dismissed."
Ginny stuffed the last item into her bag, straightened up, embraced her brothers and Tonks, and then departed McGonagall's office. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can they just sit there while Draco is being hurt?! Tears stung the corners of her eyes, surprising her; she swiped them away furiously and stormed towards the second storey bathroom, needing to rant on to someone who knew what she was going through.
"Myrtle!" she burst out as she slammed through the doors. She was slinging her bag to the floor when she noticed Luna. Ginny stopped dead. "Luna," she said flatly. "What are you doing here?"
Luna raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that it was illegal to chat to Myrtle," she said, with a defensive edge to her dreamy tone.
"It – it wasn't – isn't – I mean," Ginny stammered. "I just…"
Myrtle ran her grey eyes over Ginny's face. The distress was apparent in the sixteen-year-old's hazel eyes, and the young ghost flew to her friend. "Ginny – Gin, what's wrong?" she demanded.
"They -" Ginny tried, but her voice shook and she stopped, before starting again. "Myrtle, they're torturing him," she said.
Myrtle and Luna's mouths fell open.
"Bloody hell," Luna whispered.
"You can't be serious," Myrtle gasped.
"I am!" Ginny cried. "I'm serious – they're hurting him, and… and I'm not allowed to help him! I'm not allowed to – not… Draco…" she ran forwards and threw her arms around Myrtle's translucent, wispy waist.
Luna seemed uncomfortable. "I'll… I'll just go, then," she mumbled, and headed towards the door.
"No," said Ginny. "I mean… you can stay… if you want." She unwrapped her arms from Myrtle and turned to the Ravenclaw. "I'm sorry, Lu. I've been ignoring you… just because… I couldn't face seeing Harry, Ron or Hermione. They don't understand. They never do! All of my time at Hogwarts, when I've had a problem… they just didn't get it."
"I know," said Luna. "That's actually why I came to talk to Myrtle. They didn't understand, and you seemed to be avoiding me. I sometimes visit Myrtle, so I decided to talk to her."
Ginny frowned. "What didn't they understand?" she asked.
Luna sighed. "The whole Harry thing," she explained. "Ron was just really keen for me to go out with him, and Hermione… I didn't think she was even listening!"
"Let me guess," asked Ginny wryly, "Ancient Runes revision?"
Luna giggled, nodding. The three girls all sighed and went into their own thoughts. After a moment's hush, they all spoke their thoughts at the same time.
Myrtle: "I wonder what Nearly Headless Nick is doing right now."
Luna: "Harry tried to kiss me again. I didn't let him, but I really wanted to."
Ginny: "I don't give a damn. I'm going after Draco."
All of this said simultaneously, it came out as: "Iarryonderieddamna Nearlyissoing rilethimow wanted to." The girls looked at each other and stifled laughter.
"Sorry," Luna said, "my contribution didn't really matter."
"Neither did mine," said Myrtle.
"Mine did," said Ginny, holding her head high (she still only came up to Luna's shoulders), "and I'll say it again. I don't give a damn if Lord Voldemort's baiting me out – Draco's being tortured, and I don't intend to let him be killed. Forget waiting for Aurors to come as back-up. I'm going to help him."
"I'm coming, too," said Luna instantly, which was astonishing, as she had never been too close to Draco.
"Me, too," declared Myrtle.
Luna grinned. "That's all the back-up we need, then."
That Night, 10pm
Wand – check.
Knife – check.
Omniculars – check.
Black clothes – check.
Blood (stolen from Professor Snape's stores) to attract Threstrals – check.
Magical necklace – check.
Dungbombs for a distraction – check.
"Let's roll," Ginny murmured, and, glancing around to ensure that the other sixth-year Gryffindor girls were sleeping, tiptoed to the stairs. Hopefully, no-one would be in the common room so late. She walked into the common room – damn.
"Ginny, where are you going?" Ron asked, pausing his soft stroking of Hermione's hair.
"Er. Nowhere," Ginny said, her hand moving towards the necklace… come on, invisibility… Harry gave her an appraising look. She rolled her eyes. "Well. I am going somewhere. Just to the kitchens. I want to get a glass of warm milk to help me sleep," she lied fluently.
"Why the army gear?" Ron joked.
Hermione's chocolate-latte eyes widened. "Ginny – you're not going after Malfoy, are you?" she gasped. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth, remembering too late that she wasn't supposed to tell about Ginny and Draco's friendship.
Ginny's eyes clouded; though she didn't say anything, her answer was obvious. Seeing as Ron and Harry now knew, she hissed angrily, "You weren't supposed to tell anyone!"
Ron gaped. "Ginny! Why are you going after that big-headed git?" he demanded.
"Leave him alone," Ginny said furiously. "I'm not going after him, anyway, I'm going to the kitchens!"
"Accio bag!" Harry said, and Ginny's army bag flew into his hands.
"No!" she exclaimed, reaching for it, but Harry held it out of reach.
"You have a knife… and a vial of – Ginny, is that – blood?!" Ron yelled, horror-struck. "What the bloody hell are you playing at?!"
Ginny glared. "None of your business, Ronald," she snapped, Summoning her bag back and shouldering it angrily.
"It is my business, Ginevra!" Ron responded hotly. "You're my little sister, and my job is to stop you from doing stupid things! This, Ginny, is considered a stupid thing!"
"You're going to stop me, are you, Ron?" Ginny retorted. "What are you going to do, then? Tell mum?" she taunted. "Ron. Grow up."
Ron's face flushed an angry purple. "NO, Ginny, you're going to learn to behave-"
"LEAVE MY LIFE ALONE!" Ginny yelled, drawing her wand swiftly. "Stupefy!"
Hermione, Ron and Harry's eyes suddenly lost their focus, and, before they could gather what was happening, Ginny was gone. She fled down the corridor, cursing her own idiocy. I should have turned invisible before I got the common room, just in case! I need to be less impulsive. Ginny stole down the grand stairs, and vaguely saw the outline of a girl in the shadows.
"Ginny?" Luna hissed through the gloom.
"Yeah, it's me," Ginny whispered. "Come on, Myrtle's meeting us by the Forest." Needless to say, Ginny was not looking forwards to another meeting in the Forbidden Forest. There had been no news as to whether the chimaera had been taken away, and the thought of being chased by it again terrified her. Then, another memory came.
Ginny ran out from between two trees, and then the tall, lean, male figure that she had been searching desperately for was there. She collapsed in his warm, strong arms, whimpering hopelessly against his chest, while he murmured, "Ginny," in her ear. "Draco…" she whispered.
Her heart beat faster, and she imagined him bleeding, dying… suddenly the Forest wasn't very scary at all, and she walked faster. Luna and Ginny crept past Hagrid's Hut, with lights dimly glowing through the windows, and saw that Myrtle was already hovering at the edge of the Forest.
"You're late," she said crossly.
"Sorry," Ginny apologized. "I got held up. Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the common room."
Myrtle and Luna grimaced together. "How'd you get rid them of them?" Luna asked interestedly.
"I Stupefied all three of them," said Ginny, a little annoyed. "Now, I believe that we have something more important to do?"
"Oh, yeah! Illegally rescuing the boy you love right from under the nose of the most evil Death Eaters ever to work in Lord Voldemort's services," Myrtle said sarcastically. "I can't wait."
Ginny's face became quickly crimson. "I'm not," she said firmly, pulling the vial of blood from her bag, "in love," she uncorked it, "with Draco." She stooped and emptied the contents all over the leafy floor. "He's my best friend," she corked the vial again, and, upon seeing the looks that Luna and Myrtle were giving her, added hastily, "and okay, yes, maybe I have a crush on him." She rolled her hazel eyes. "Anyway, Myrtle, you didn't have to come if you didn't want to."
"And anyway," Luna added, "I highly doubt that the illegality of our situation is going to be a problem. We're forbidden to save Draco, but we're doing it. We are also forbidden to go into the Forest, but we're also standing in it."
"I suppose," Myrtle laughed, and the three girls stood quietly as they waited for the Threstrals to turn up.
"Ginny, did you bring a knife?" Luna questioned as the first Threstral turned up.
"Yes," Ginny replied, scratching the Threstral's nose and holding it still while Luna swung onto its back. "You?"
"Yeah. Here's the second Threstral, by the way," Luna responded.
Ginny patted the horse's leathery neck and then, with some difficulty, since she was a lot shorter than Luna, climbed onto its back. "Isn't it a good thing we can all see Threstrals?" she joked.
Though they chuckled at her comment, it was true. All three girls had seen death – though Myrtle had never seen another die, she herself had died, so seeing the Threstral was natural; Ginny had seen Sirius Black and her uncle Bilius die; and Luna had seen her Sirius, and her mother perish. It was quite a dismal thing to share in common.
"Let's set off, then," said Myrtle, and when the other two gave her odd looks, she smiled sheepishly. "I'm not too good with horses, and I can fly by myself. Anyway, I think that the sooner we set off the better."
"Good idea," said Luna. The Threstral beat its wings and rose into the air, swooping in a broad circle to pick up air. "Let's go!"
Ginny stared at the Threstral. "Come on, then," she said irritably. "Fly. Flap your wings. Do whatever it is that you do to get your big black butt in the air." The Threstral whinnied and pawed at the ground with one hoof. Ginny sat back. "Luna!" she hissed, trying to shout without all of Hogwarts hearing her.
Luna and the Threstral dropped down to earth again. "What's wrong, Gin? Let's go."
Ginny bit her lip, embarrassed. Then, she asked awkwardly, "er… Luna… how?"
"How what?"
Ginny sighed, her pride taking a major blow. "How do I make it go?" she asked, mumbling through her destroyed ego.
Luna giggled, and her Threstral trotted towards Ginny's. "Hop onto my Threstral," she said, "and hold on tight," she then addressed Ginny's Threstral, "good boy. You can go home now."
Feeling as though she must be very stupid to not know how to make a horse move, Ginny slid onto the other Threstral, sitting behind Luna, folding her arms tight around the other girl's waist. "Now what?" she questioned.
"Are you holding on tight?" Luna asked calmly. Ginny nodded, but immediately wished she hadn't. With a powerful kick of its hind legs, the Threstral thrust itself into the air. Ginny yelped and held on tighter to Luna, though not actually shouting her head off, as she had the urge to do.
Myrtle floated up into the air beside them, and the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, ghost and Threstral flew away. Ginny squeezed her eyes closed and did not open them until those big, heavy, silvery hooves touched down on the winding dirt path that lead up to the Lestrange castle. She slid off and landed, hard, on her knees.
"Land!" she gasped. "Thank God, it's land!"
"Oh, she's so dramatic," Myrtle said sardonically.
Ginny huffed, and got to her feet. Then she saw what was sitting before her. It was like something from a horror movie. The dirt road wound and twisted up to the castle; the building itself was tall, thin and slightly skeletal-looking, with too many turrets and slanting windows so that it seemed to be screaming, crying, shouting and laughing all at the same time. A wavering mist was shrouding the lower floors, and a bright, nearly full moon glowed brightly in the sky behind it, bathing the Eastern side of the castle in silver.
"Wow," said Myrtle.
"Wow indeed," said Luna, who wasn't even looking at the castle. She was looking at Ginny. "So, what's the plan?"
Ginny swore silently. She had forgotten that they needed a plan. "Uh…" she looked through the things in her bag, pulled out her Omniculars, and then stared up at the castle.
Come on, inspiration, hit me… Nothing came.
Then she heard it.
Quiet. Barely audible. It was far away, but Ginny's sharp ears picked it up and knew instantly what it was.
A scream.
Luna instinctively grabbed Myrtle's hand and they held onto each other. They looked over at Ginny, but she was staring determinedly at the sinister structure at the top of the path.
Inspiration… come on…
There was a tiny window at the bottom of the castle – the basement. That was where Draco would be; that was why he was so faint.
But what to do?
Inspiration…
BINGO.
Ginny swung to face them. "Myrtle," she said, no question in her voice. It was commanding and deadly serious. "You're a distraction."
"What?" Myrtle cried indignantly. "I want to do something important!"
"Myrtle! You're doing the most important part. Without the distraction, this plan couldn't begin to work," Luna explained. "Plus, I understand Ginny's reasoning. I'm not being tactless about your… condition… but, really, Myrtle, you're the only one who can do this. The Lestrange will go after the distraction – and kill her. And they can't if she's -"
"-already dead," finished Myrtle. "Okay, I'll do it."
"I have Dungbombs for that very job, Myr. Take the bag – scatter them wherever you feel like it," Ginny said.
"Me?" Luna asked.
"Luna." Ginny turned to the taller girl. "You're skinnier than me. There's a window to the basement. You're going to smash it from the outside and crawl through. Draco is in the basement. You'll help him through the window and take him back to the Threstral. If you have to, fly away before I get out. I can go with Myrtle."
Luna looked reluctant at the idea of abandoning Ginny, but she nodded. "What about you?"
Ginny replaced her Omniculars back in her bag. "I'm going to get Bellatrix Lestrange," she said.
There was a stunned silence. Then, the fifteen-year-old ghost found her voice. "I thought that I was the distraction," Myrtle implored, looking disappointed.
"You are, Myrtle. But the Lestranges are smart and ruthless. They won't leave Draco unaccompanied when people are ambushing their castle. Rodolphus, doubtlessly, will go to the see the distraction – that's you, Myrtle. Bellatrix will stay behind to make sure that no-one takes Draco – foiling Luna's part. I'm going to sneak past Rodolphus and lure Bellatrix out of the basement so that Luna can rescue Draco. Then," said Ginny dramatically, "we run for our lives."
Myrtle took a deep breath. "Sounds good," she said, taking the bag of Dungbombs.
"I'm a genius," replied Ginny sarcastically. She had to say something witty, say anything to cover her immense fear. "Myrtle – got your Dungbombs? Luna – ready to haul a wounded seventeen-year-old Slytherin through a miniscule window?"
They nodded. Ginny took a deep breath. "Let's roll."
A/N: Sorry about splitting up this chapter. But it's SUCH an ehhhhh sort of chapter, and I couldn't skip to Draco, because that would just be boring, it'd be like: Draco was screaming. He heard shouts. What was happening? "Oh hi Luna. Let's run away."
No offence, but that sounds like a CRAPPY chapter. Anywho. Please review. (And don't ask what "ehhhh" is supposed to mean.)