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Ginny stared at herself in the mirror. Yesterday afternoon, a nice young woman called Miss Grist had helped her choose some nice, fashionable muggle clothes. This morning, they had apparated by her bed. Ginny loved them and was delighted to find enough clothes to last all week. Happy, she composed a loving letter to Harry, explaining what was going on here. Ginny watched Hedwig fly away with her message before breakfasting.
Her father and elder brother Percy both accompanied Ginny into London on the train. Being amongst muggles like this helped Arthur Weasley and his family adapt better to working with them during their Ministry chores. Ginny sat and stared at the rows of sad, pallid faces that filled the carriages like corpses – this was creepier than Snape's dungeon, she thought.
As Ginny found her way to the scrying crystal balls, she immediately sensed a great tension in the offices.
"What's going on?" she asked the young SMS officer at the crystal ball next to her, but was told to keep quiet.
Other SMS staff were running around and messages were being passed. Mr Boggs and Mr Streck were not in the office, so Ginny decided to continue scrying for Penny. As the images came through the crystal ball, she was immediately drawn into the SMS investigations happening around her.
Ginny could see the muggle security guards and armed soldiers surrounding a building. Ginny pushed her thoughts towards them and she began to listen in on their scenario…
"Street secure sir." Reported the green clad soldier.
"Reeves. Secure that camera crew – tell them about the bomb and get them the hell away." barked his superior.
"Sir!" nodded another man, who Ginny saw peel of to the camera crew. Crowds of people were being ushered out of the area. Streets were being emptied. Children cried as their parents comforted them. Police officers had cordoned off the roads and Ginny realised that there were abandoned cars nearby.
She followed Reeves to the camera crew and caught most of the conversation. Apparently, an old wartime bomb had been uncovered by builders and the area has had to be evacuated. The SMS officer next to her suddenly gasped. Ginny looked at her neighbour's crystal ball and saw a robed figure retreating away from a stricken soldier somewhere inside a large warehouse.
As horrified as Ginny was, she immediately wanted to watch as well.
Inside the warehouse, a large, robed figure could be seen surveying the crates and barricades erected by the SMS soldiers around him. One of the soldiers lay bloody and charred in the middle of the floor. Ginny floated towards a group of whispering soldiers.
"Repeat – fall back! We need assistance. We have Voldemort, but no containment! Fall back!" whispered one desperately into a small black box.
Ginny gasped. Beyond the soldiers she saw Voldemort throw his head back and laugh. Then Ginny felt her senses flood with a miasma of stars and screams.
Ginny was shaken awake by an SMS officer. He was a friendly type with a trimmed beard framing a warm smile. "You shouldn't be looking in to SMS ops luv. You're here to look for some girl right?" he smiled.
"Was that really Voldemort in there? What happened?" gabbled Ginny, rubbing her aching head.
"Look, concentrate on finding Penny. Some Death-Eaters are confluxing some areas of London, which is why you got knocked out. We've got to stop them because there seems to be something bigger brewing."
"And Penny?"
"Penny is probably not involved, but with such dangerous people about, let's try and find her before they do, ok?"
"Ok. Thanks." shivered Ginny. And wtth that, Ginny spent the rest of the day looking for her friend. Occasionally she encountered more clouds of interference and her heart ached, chilled at the thought of Penny being lost out there.