Enemy Revealed.
"Stop!" screamed Draco's voice from behind them. The wizards
hesitated and Ginny squealed in relief as she looked up. The wizards parted
before her and she saw Draco. Ginny was so relieved but froze once more upon seeing
his eyes blazing a fiery red.
"I want this one alive," he bellowed. The four wizards looked at
each other.
"Draco! What have they done to you? What's going on?" pleaded
Ginny. The four wizards muttered amongst themselves as Draco helped Ginny free
of her hole. Draco laid Ginny on the floor and cast a healing spell at her
gashed leg.
"Draco? What's going on?" she begged.
"There Ginny. All better. Come on." Ginny realised Draco would not
elaborate and remained silent as she was aided to her feet. The four wizards
barred their progress. The larger one stepped forward.
"We haven't got time for this, boy. One of the teams have been
sent in to kick us out. We cannot afford baggage. Leave her."
"But they will kill her too?"
"Perhaps. But they would definitely kill us. Come on."
Draco seemed to be drawn between saving himself or Ginny, and to
Ginny's relief he turned to Ginny and smiled. "Okay, then you go and I'll help
this damsel in distress alone then shall I?"
Ginny felt her heart warm to Draco immediately but this feeling
was crushed when on of the wizards stepped forward and grabbed Draco, spinning
him around.
"Don't be a damn fool! The Malfoys of this world outrank the
Weasleys, remember?"
"I know that. But think how in debt she and her pig family will be
if I save her? All support for the cause remember?"
The wizards hesitated. One turned to the empty corridor behind
them all and asked in a deep feminine voice "Do we have time for this?"
She waited momentarily before nodding to the others. Draco sighed
and helped Ginny up.
Angry with him, Ginny would not look at Draco as they limped along.
"Come on Malfoy. Drop her if she's weighing you down," sneered a
cloaked figure nearby.
"Remember who my father is," spat Malfoy.
"We did. That's why you're still alive, boy," At this remark, the
others laughed and Draco went red.
As the figures walked along, Draco kept trying to help Ginny walk,
but she refused. She was thinking of poor Dumbledore upstairs. Draco's eyes
burned a fiery red and he looked around nervously as they walked along.
Rexil and his two Dementor partners froze. There were voices above
them. Rexil muttered until his staff glowed a brilliant blue. Electricity began
to spark across the air. D-Mob heard his message and returned to Rexil's side.
Draco, the four wizards and Ginny wound their way back down into
the smoke. Ginny had to be guided by Draco, who seemed to have acquired
excellent vision. The wizards seemed to be talking not to each other, but whispering
to unseen entities around them.
"Who are they talking to?" she asked Draco shyly. He smirked.
"We are surrounded by friendly faces. You may have noticed my
eyes? Well, it's only a spell to allow me to talk to friendly ghosts all around
– you've worked for the Ministry?"
"what? Oh, when I used those crystal balls to look for Penny."
Draco seemed to go a little quiet at this, but rallied. "Yes,
then. Well, this is what it is like on the receiving end. In the field, so to
speak. We have friends watching us from afar."
Ginny was pleasantly surprise to see the pain of mentioning Penny
on Draco's face. Penny had been Ginny's best friend and had fallen for Draco.
But after he had hit her, she had run away. No-one had ever seen her since.
Ginny still hoped but after all these months it looked unlikely she would ever
see her friend again. And Draco knew in his heart he was to blame.
"Oh. Who's 'we' than?" said Ginny, her thoughts returning to the
subject. Draco shut up as they descended deeper.
Rexil and his eight Dementors had spread out throughout the first
floor. Their demonic minds were primed with deadly spells as they watched as
the first of the four black wizards descending the charred staircase.
To be continued...
Disclaimer:
The characters and setting are all thanks to J.
K. Rowling. I claim no ownership of these characters, though the events I put
them through are all mine. Mwah hah ha.