Victim of Rancour

Chapter 24

"Ginny?" Harry croaked.

"Malfoy kidnapped her."

"Gone?"

The defeat in his best friend's eyes was a terrifying sight to Ron. "We'll find her!" he said, trying to sound more confident than he really felt.

"Ginny!" Harry collapsed onto the ground and curled into a foetal position.

"Nice work, Ron! Defeating that demon took a lot out of him. You just had to tell him right away, didn't you?" Hermione scolded. "You should've given him some time to recover."

"How is he?" Ron asked, feeling extremely stupid because of his own tactlessness. "Will he be all right?"

"He's gone into shock. But I'm not sure whether it's from exertion or the bad news…probably a combination. We have to get him to the hospital wing."

"But will he be all right?" Bill, who'd been looking on over Hermione's shoulder, asked.

"Yeah, will he pull through?" George asked worriedly.

"That depends."

"On what?" Ron asked.

"On whether we save Ginny."

Someone came running out of the castle, pushing his way past Bill and George. It was Remus Lupin, followed closely by Captain Faust. "Harry!"

"He's unhurt. Just exhausted," Hermione reassured. Then she transfigured a large boulder…debris from one of the towers, into a stretcher and levitated Harry onto it. "Galatea and I will fix him up," she added, before she went to the castle, levitating Harry behind her. Lupin stayed right by the floating stretcher's side, and George and Bill too escorted her to the castle.

Ron kicked a smaller piece of debris away, venting the frustration he was feeling. Malfoy had somehow managed to sneak away with Ginny right under their noses. Witnesses said they had heard a scream, and when they reacted, only Ginny's wand remained. Later, with the help of the Marauder's Map, it had also become clear that Malfoy was no longer in the castle, and they'd found the Priest, stunned, in one of the broom-cupboards. He'd had a reddish spot on his scalp, indicating that someone had ripped out a lock of hair.

"Mr Weasley," Faust called, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do not call me sir, yet, since you have not been formally asked to join the Order. But that's what I've been meaning to talk to you about. I will be putting in a good word for you, and I suspect I will not be the only one," the German said solemnly. "That flanking assault you led saved lives today. Over half of us would have been killed if you hadn't done that. Instead, we only have one casualty… not counting Harry. We all owe you, and we'd be honoured to have you among us."

"Thank you," Ron mumbled, not sounding enthusiastic about it at all.

"Aren't you pleased?"

"Yeah…but my sister…"

"Ah, of course!" Faust nodded sympathetically.

"Anyway, if you people hadn't turned up as quickly as you did, a whole generation of Weasleys would be dead now. Not that I'm complaining, but how did you lot get here so fast?"

"Janice…Lieutenant Cliff, got a strong premonition about three hours ago. She didn't know exactly where or when, but she saw a lot of death. So we prepared ourselves and lingered near the cruiser. When Gudrun's distress call came in, we were ready to go."

A shadow shot over the grounds and Ron looked up to see the cause of it. "What's that?"

"A Prowler…They used to be employed for scouting, but we mothballed them after we deployed the Orbital Eyes," Faust explained.

The craft, about as large as a Muggle fighter-plane, swooped around the castle once as if to survey the damage, before going in for a landing some fifty feet away from Ron. The hatch opened seconds after touchdown, and Ironheart climbed out, looking a bit confused, but relieved. He walked over to Ron. "I came as fast as I could…and I brought the Dementor Slayer. But it looks like it's all over."

"Not quite," Faust said sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"My sister has been kidnapped," Ron said.

"Your sister?"

"You have my permission to read my mind, Commander. Otherwise it'll just take too long."

"Very well!" Ironheart agreed. "You know how it works right…you have to be thinking the relevant thoughts. So I'll ask you questions every now and then to guide your thoughts."

Bit by bit, Ironheart extracted all the relevant information out of Ron's mind, asking questions every now and again to focus Ron's thoughts and keep them on the subject. Ron admired Ironheart's discipline, even when Ron's thoughts strayed towards Selene…or Jasmine...whatever her name was, he stuck to the subject.

Ironheart was in deep thought after they were done. Something seemed to be bothering him.

"Commander…what's wrong?"

"When you alerted Max to Malfoy's threat, he chose to ignore the severity. And he didn't bring you that special Map either."

Ron's mouth fell open in surprise. "Now that you mention it…But we had quite a bit on our minds. I guess we forgot."

Ironheart seemed doubtful. "Where is Max right now?"

"With his sister, I suppose. But I'm not sure where that is. It may be in the dungeons or the hospital wing. I think the hospital wing, since the threat is over."

"Take me there!"

"Okay." Ron gestured to the Commander to follow him, and Captain Faust fell into step with them too. They passed the Great Hall, which was now about half-filled with students, all of them fourth-years and older, since the youngest students had been evacuated first. To his credit, Diggory was moving about, reassuring the ones who were still a bit shaken up.

Soon they were in the familiar hospital wing again, and Harry was sleeping on one of the beds, with Galatea standing guard over him. Wolfe's sister wasn't there, and Madam Pomfrey's annoyed expression at the rude intrusion into her hospital changed abruptly as she laid eyes on Commander Ironheart. She ducked into her office and slammed the door shut behind her.

Ironheart apparently hadn't noticed. Instead, he walked over to Harry's bed. "How is he?"

"Asleep. Hermione and I thought it would be best for him. We're hoping to have some better news for him when he wakes up."

"He really loves Ginny, doesn't he?"

"His emotions are very intense," Galatea said. "I've never felt despair equal to Harry's." She placed her hand on his forehead. "I still feel it now."

Ironheart nodded gloomily, before his face darkened. "Where is Max?"

"I don't know," Galatea said, looking extremely uneasy. "He… felt guilty after he saw Harry."

"As he should."

That last sentence came out as a growl, and Ron began to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. "You mean…Wolfe somehow knew that Ginny was about to be kidnapped."

"I strongly suspect that he did… though I can't be one hundred percent sure. Max would never underestimate a fellow like Malfoy, and leave it to the Aurors. I know him too well."

Ron clenched his fists as the implication of Ironheart's words sank in. For some reason, Wolfe had allowed Malfoy to take Ginny. "But… why?"

"My… ah… grand-daughter revealed Malfoy's involvement with Anastasiou, right? That's why… Max wants revenge, and he used your sister as bait, not caring that she's an innocent. Something he must've learned from Lei!" Ironheart growled. "The only good news is that he probably tagged your sister. We just have to hope that she isn't brought to a place that can jam the signature."

Ron struggled to stave off the red mist of anger that was trying to take over his mind. "But…that's not right. Wolfe wasn't there when his sister told us about Malfoy."

"He felt guilty about Harry's condition… trust me… somehow he knew!"

The door to Madam Pomfrey's door swung open, revealing the matron. There was something different about her. She was wearing light make-up. "Hello, Donovan!"

Somehow, despite his obvious anger, Ironheart managed to offer her a weary grin that took the poor matron by storm. "Long time…Poppy."

Seconds later, McGonagall and Trelawney swept into the infirmary. McGonagall had shoved herself in front of Trelawney, and was beaming at Ironheart. But Trelawney didn't give up, and McGonagall fell face-first onto the hospital-wing floor. Trelawney had tripped her.

Unabashed, the seer threw herself onto the Commander and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Donovan, it's been too long!"

From the corner of his eye, Ron saw that Faust had trouble keeping a straight face as he helped up an angry McGonagall, who looked about ready to turn Trelawney into an insect.

Ironheart extricated himself from Trelawney's desperate embrace. "Ladies…please. I'm a married man now."

Ron frowned. Obviously, Ironheart knew Trelawney and McGonagall from the days before he'd married, but the married man excuse was a bit weak. He liked the commander very much, but he knew the old man was still a World Class Womaniser. Ron knew that Ironheart had continued to see other women even after he married his wife… part of the reason why she was so bitter and mistrustful of other females.

"Sybil, Minerva…this has to end. You two were best friends before I came along." Ironheart sighed. "Please, bury the hatchet?"

Ron had to hand it to him, though. The disarming grin he flashed at the women made even Galatea turn crimson, making Ron wonder whether there was a male equivalent of the Veela, and Ironheart was a descendant of such a creature.

"Oh…I never could say no to you!" Trelawney sighed.

"I really ought to turn you into a newt for this… but you'd probably get better." McGonagall smiled.

The hum of a Cruiser powering up filled the hospital wing. But it didn't sound right. The pitch was a bit higher than normal, and as Ron looked out of the window he saw that the Prowler was taking off.

Ironheart saw it too. "I should have known… Max! Well, it looks like he's going after your sister."

*

Ginny looked around groggily as she tried to get her bearings, seeing a door close as someone hurriedly left the room. The last thing she remembered was being stunned by an old man… the wizard who'd been leading the wedding ceremony before it got interrupted. She instinctively tried to reach down to get her wand, but found that she couldn't move her arms much, having been chained to a bed. Not that it made any difference, since her wand had been taken from her as well.

The chamber she was in didn't look like a cell. Some simple carpets lay side by side, covering nearly the entire floor. There was a closet, a desk and a high-backed leather chair.

The door to the room looked heavy and hard to break. Clearly, the room had been designed to imprison people, but the things in the room suggested that the prisoners kept in there weren't facing immediate death. Or maybe they'd just put her in there to give her false hope, and they were planning to kill her anyway.

She'd been lying there for what seemed like an eternity, when suddenly the heavy door was being unlocked. However, the candles told her that hardly half an hour had passed, unless they were magical candles. The door swung open, revealing Draco Malfoy and a strange wizard, who held the keys to the room.

"Hello, my love!" Draco smirked maliciously. "I hope you're not too uncomfortable."

"Draco…you're with them?"

"Sharp, as always! That's why I chose you to bear my children."

"Never!" Ginny spat, feeling disgusted.

Malfoy just chuckled, and gestured the man to wait outside. Then he closed the door. "Never say never, Virginia!" He sat down next to her, pulled up her dress and ran his hand up her leg, stroking her inner thigh.

Ginny shivered with disgust at his touch. "Never!" she repeated.

"Silly girl!" Malfoy chuckled.

"Yes…I am a silly girl. For not having noticed sooner that you're a pathetic, stinking coward!"

Ginny felt Malfoy's fingers digging into her thigh painfully. "I wouldn't say such things if I were in your position."

"Of course not!" Ginny taunted. "You're a pathetic coward, remember? The slimiest weakling ever to slither over the face of the earth."

Malfoy's other hand grabbed her hair and pulled it hard, sending a jolt of pain through her scalp. "Careful!"

Ginny refused to show any sign of being in pain. Instead she just glared at Malfoy. "You don't scare me! You don't have what it takes."

"We'll see about that!" Malfoy said, rolling on top of her and forcing her legs apart with his knees.

Ginny, being quite limber, spread her legs wide and arched her back, bringing her legs back together as they cleared Malfoy's body. The she kicked him in the face with all the power she could muster, snapping his head back and sending him tumbling off the bed.

He stood back up, blood oozing out of his nose. He looked livid as he drew his wand. "Well, I'll just have you stun you then! No… I have a better idea… I'll paralyse you and let you remain fully conscious. Why deprive you of the memory of the day in which you gave yourself to me, after all! And after I take you, I'll put you under the Imperius Curse, and I'll make you enjoy it. I think I'll have some pictures taken then, to send to Potter and your brothers, so they can all see that you're my little whore!"

Ginny desperately fought to hold back her tears. "They won't believe it. They'll know you used magic on me!"

"Ah, but I certainly won't have to use magic to produce a little redhead Malfoy!"

"I'd sooner kill myself then bear your spawn!" Ginny screamed.

The door swung open, revealing a very pale looking man with classical features. "Mister Malfoy. I'll have to ask you to accompany me for now. There are some very important people who would like to meet you! This can't wait!"

Malfoy wiped the blood away with his sleeve and stopped the bleeding to his nose with a simple charm. Then he winked and blew her a kiss. "Wait for me!"

He left and the door locked again, leaving Ginny to try and think of a way to escape.

*

Her fruitless pondering was interrupted nearly an hour later, as she heard a muffled sound coming from the corner of her room. She strained her neck to get a look at the corner, but she could only see a small table. But then the table started moving, and she heard a child's voice yelp in pain as something thudded the underside of the table.

A little boy no older than five emerged from under it and looked at her with intense dark eyes after he brushed long, red curls out of his face.

"Hello!" Ginny said.

The boy put a little index finger on his lips and came closer. "Be quiet!" He pointed at the door. "The man wouldn't let me in. I'm not supposed to be in here."

"Sorry!" Ginny whispered back.

"Why are you chained?"

Ginny bit her lip. They boy didn't look like a prisoner. Would he believe her if she told him that some bad people were keeping her prisoner?

"Did you make Mr Anastasiou angry? Is that why they've tied you up?" the boy whispered, giving her a frown that looked very familiar. He looked very much like her nephew, Arthur.

She took in the boy, and recognised George and Charlie's stocky build… Ginny's heart skipped a beat. The woman at Hogwarts. An image of Charlie cradling the woman against his chest came to her mind. Charlie's old girlfriend who'd claimed that they had a child together...named Charlie.

The boy gasped. "You saw my mummy?"

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?" the boy asked.

"You knew what I was thinking!"

The boy suddenly looked very frightened. "Please don't tell anybody. I'm not allowed to do that. But you know my mummy…I haven't seen her for so long!"

"Shhh, it's okay!" Ginny said soothingly. "Yes, I know your mummy. I met her today. I'm your daddy's sister. I'm you Aunt Ginny."

"My daddy? The dragon slayer?"

"Only if the dragons were bad and tried to eat people!" Ginny giggled. "Your daddy used to take care of dragons. But he stopped doing that years ago."

"Oh." The boy looked slightly disappointed at this, but his eyes brightened. "So you're my family. Mummy said she'd take me to see my family soon. But Mr Anastasiou keeps her working hard, so she never has time."

"Well, Charlie. If you get me a wand, I'll take you to see our family. You'll get to play with your cousins, won't that be nice?"

The boy grinned from ear to ear. "Really? Do I have a lot of cousins?"

"Yes," Ginny began. "There is Arthur…he's nearly four, about your age."

"I turned four a long time ago. I'm nearly five!" Charlie said.

"Well, then you're the eldest," Ginny said, before continuing with the list. "And Susie and Millie are three, and Amelie is almost two and a half, and Fred in nearly two. And then there are Alroy, Grace, Cassidy and Duncan. But you won't be able to play with them for a while because they're still little babies."

"I have all those cousins?"

Ginny smiled and nodded.

Then boy pondered this for a while, before he began eyeing Ginny apprehensively. "But why are you tied with the chain?"

"These people who are keeping us here are bad people, Charlie. Your mummy has been trying to get away for years. I think that's why they took you away from her. And they tried to hurt your mummy today because she wouldn't listen to them anymore." It all sounded very complicated, and Ginny knew it might be too much for the little boy to comprehend.

"Can you take me to my mummy?"

"If we can get out of here, yes…I can take you to your mummy."

That seemed to convince the boy. "I will get you a wand."

"But how will you do that?" Ginny asked worriedly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can get a wand from Mungo."

"Who is Mungo?"

"The man who looks after me. I've been to many places, but he is always with me. He is much nicer than the others, and he plays with me sometimes. Can we take him with us?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'm afraid we can't. He may be nicer, but he won't let us go either. And how would you get his wand?"

"He drinks a lot of brandy. He's sleeping now, and he won't be up for a long time. That's how I got away to look around."

"Okay. But be careful, sweetie."

The boy nodded and flashed her a grin that made him resemble Charlie, before he disappeared under the table and into the tunnel that had to be under it.

*

"I want to know what happened, Vlado!" Anastasiou screamed. "I want to know why all our troops came back stunned, and I want to know why Potter didn't come back."

"Lord Anastasiou?" the guardsman called.

"What?" the old vampire snapped impatiently.

"Von Brandenburg and Mr Malfoy are here to see you."

He looked at the young wizard standing next to Von Brandenburg. Malfoy…he was at Hogwarts. Hopefully he'd be a source of information. "You…what happened at Hogwarts? Why were my forces defeated?"

"Well, it's not like I stuck around to let your forces kill me," the young man drawled.

"Do not mock me…Malfoy. You're not that important! Now speak before I lose my temper and rip your throat out."

The wizard paled and swallowed. "I didn't see the battle, but the way I understand it, a dozen crack troops from the Order of Illumination showed up a little over a minute after your people did. They had a warship that took care of the beasts and some of the trolls too."

Anastasiou brought his fist down on his oak desk, breaking it in two. "I already know that from the men that have been debriefed. But how did the Rangers respond so quickly?"

"How am I supposed to…wait…I can't verify the validity of this, but I overheard fragments of a conversation between two Rangers. They said they were lucky that someone had a premonition."

"Someone had a premonition?" Anastasiou repeated. "I guess that is a possibility." He kicked his desk. "The only variable one cannot plan against." He sighed. "And Potter?"

"He killed your Demon," Malfoy's answer was puzzling.

"What Demon? What are you talking about?"

Malfoy raised his eyebrows as an annoying smirk appeared on his face. "Oh…you mean your Potter? That wasn't the real Potter. The real one showed up and destroyed yours. Your Potter was some kind of Demon…I believe they called it a Speculum Demon."

"Nonsense! Roots of Evil ceased to exist centuries ago."

"I know what I heard." Malfoy shrugged. "Do you have any other explanation?"

"Do not test my patience, Malfoy!"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger."

Anastasiou huffed. "Very little can be done about that now. And why was the ceremony not finished by the time the attack had begun?"

"A delay!" Malfoy replied, frowning.

Anastasiou read concern behind that frown. Malfoy suspected something. "You believe the delay wasn't a coincidence?"

"I can't prove that it wasn't. But four Rangers were present before the attack began…not counting Granger, because she was the Maiden. She was supposed to be there, but they certainly weren't on the guest list. I think that Weasley may have suspected something about my special talisman, and that he'd called in his girl's friends to expose me." He looked at Anastasiou. "Can they do that?"

"The Order of Illumination has highly capable artificers among its ranks. One of them is the co-inventor of your talisman. So I wouldn't be surprised if they had the means to expose you."

"I think they did, somehow. Because Granger and some Aurors were hunting me while Potter battled the Demon. But I had changed my appearance by then."

Anastasiou smiled at this. "Do you always carry Polyjuice Potion?"

Malfoy nodded. "You never know when it might come in handy."

The door to the chambers swung open violently and one of Vlado's aides came rushing in. "Lord Anastasiou…five of our compounds are under attack. Rangers!"

Anastasiou hadn't felt this shocked in nearly two hundred years. His compounds all over the world were very well hidden. How could one have been uncovered, much less five? "Why?"

"I can't be sure. But these compounds were the staging areas and return points. I think the Rangers have put tracers on the attackers. It's the only explanation I could come up with."

"A good one…you've just saved your own life with it! So none of the other bases are compromised?"

"Highly unlikely, my lord."

That was something, then. But five bases…that was still a costly loss and a major setback. The Mistress would not be pleased. He turned to Malfoy. "Well, it seems like we are quite safe, here."

"So it seems. Where is here, anyway?"

"That's information you don't need to know, Mr Malfoy. By the way, what do you intend to do with your prisoner?"

"Ginny? I need half an hour alone with her. After that she won't be of much use to me anymore. I was thinking that we should kill her. Her death will break Potter's spirit." Malfoy smirked. "For some reason he really loves her."

"He does?" Anastasiou frowned. 'Then perhaps we should use her as bait."

"You're the boss, of course. But I strongly recommend that we kill her now and send her head to Potter in a basket. Otherwise they might mount a rescue. And Potter leads a charmed life, so he might actually succeed."

"Her death will break him? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Her mere presence seems to empower him. Kill her, and he will waste away," Malfoy said. "I had actually wanted her to bear my offspring, since her blood is about as pure as wizarding blood can get. But I guess there are other fish in the sea."

"Very well, then she dies." He gestured for Vlado Velkowski, his most senior wizard henchman.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Accompany Mr Malfoy here back to the compound from whence he came. Instruct him in the ways of our organisation. I will leave him in your hands."

"As you command." Vlado bowed and retreated from the room. Malfoy merely followed the old wizard out.

"He didn't bow to you!" Von Brandenburg pointed out.

"He is unaware of the proper code of conduct. Besides, I am sure today's raids on our compounds have cost us a lot of personnel. We can't go around executing people for insolent behaviour. Voldemort killed off some of his most efficient and effective servants that way. I do not want yes-men, Wilhelm."

"Does this mean you will dispose of Vlado in the near future?"

"He has lost his edge… but I will present him with some subtle clues to indicate that we've noticed his complacency. If he doesn't change his ways then…"

"And how are you going to break the news about the raids to the Mistress? Will you take responsibility?"

"Of course not. I am not responsible, am I?" Anastasiou said, smiling. "And I believe we have found Mr Malfoy's first task."

*

Ginny again heard s shuffling sound emanate from under the table in the corner of her room. It had been nearly half an hour, and she'd been worrying about Charlie having been caught. She was immensely relieved to see his red curls emerge from under the table, and he triumphantly held up a long, ebony wand. It wasn't hers, but it would do just fine.

Charlie handed the wand to Ginny, who frantically tried to get good aim at the cuff of her other arm, but there was no way to do that. Her head got in the way of the spell. Quickly, she realised that there was no need to be elegant, and she just pointed her wand at the chain that held her wand arm. "Diffindo!" she whispered, and a link broke, freeing her arm. The rest was easy, and soon she massaged her naked wrists.

Now she had to face another dilemma… the guard on the other side. There was no way she could open the door without him hearing her. She'd have a wand pointed at her face as soon as the door opened. Maybe if she crouched down and surprised him?

Ginny shook her head and rejected the idea as too risky. Then her eyes fell on Charlie, who was looking at her expectantly. Maybe he would be willing to distract the guard on the other side, and lure him far enough for Ginny to open the door and get a clean shot at him.

"Okay," the boy said happily, before scrambling to the corner of the room again.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ginny whispered.

"What is going on in there?" the guard's voice sounded through the door, and Ginny heard him fumbling with the keys. She could allow him to open the door, but there was a small chance that he would evade her stunner. She'd have to stun him through the door. Harry had told her that Dumbledore had saved his life by blasting through a door to stun Barty Crouch Jr.

But she didn't have that kind of power… did she? She looked at Charlie's hopeful eyes and made her decision. She concentrated on the image of Draco Malfoy's sickening smirk as she imagined where the guard had to be standing…"Stupefy!"

The spell shot out of the wand like a red rocket and shattered the door, stunning the man beyond. She carefully chanced a quick glance out of the room, and saw an empty corridor beyond. Acting fast, Ginny levitated the guard into the room and repaired the door again.

The she took off her wedding dress and stripped the guard, donning his shirt and trousers. She shrunk the trousers a bit so they fit her better, and did the same to his boots before slipping them on. Then she took inventory of his items. He'd carried the keys, his wand and a pair of sheathed daggers.

She pulled one such dagger out of its sheath and examined it. It had a nasty-looking jagged edge to it. She re-sheathed it and placed it at the small of her back under her shirt while she slid the guard's wand up her sleeve, tightening it in place with the laces.

Ginny glanced at Charlie, who had taken the other knife. She briefly contemplated letting him hold onto it, but she decided against it, thinking that he'd be more likely to hurt himself anyone else. Besides, for some reason they hadn't hurt him, and she didn't want to give them any excuses for doing so. "Charlie…give me the knife."

The boy reluctantly handed it over, and Ginny tucked it into her boot. Then, she shrunk the guard to the size of a pixie and placed him in the closet before donning his cloak and pulling the hood over her head. She opened the door after ensuring that the coast was clear, and lead Charlie out after she saw that the corridor was clear. "All right. Now, how well do you know this place?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know it. I just got here today."

"Well, but you've been walking around, right?"

Charlie nodded.

"And have some guards turned you away? Did they tell you that you weren't allowed to go somewhere?"

Charlie nodded again.

It was likely that the places that Charlie had been barred from lead to freedom. So that's where they had to go! "Do you know why?"

"Yes! I saw a door that would take us onto a beach. I saw it in their heads."

Ginny was relieved. At least one of them knew how to get out. "Can you take me there?"

"Okay!" Charlie said, and held out his little hand. Ginny smiled and took it, and they set off through the maze of corridors that lead to the place where they would make a break for freedom.

They managed to proceed unchallenged for a full ten minutes, before Ginny heard the sounds of alarm emanating from the corridors behind her. "Charlie, we have to hurry!"

The boy began to jog, pulling holding Ginny tightly as if he were afraid to leave her behind. "Nearly there!"

They rounded a final corner, surprising the wizard and witch who guarded a set of stairs that lead up to a trap door.

"Stupefy!" Ginny screamed, and the red beam hit the witch squarely in the chest, knocking her out.

But before Ginny could take aim at the wizard, he shouted his own stunner.

She pushed Charlie away and managed to leap aside, causing the beam to pass though her cloak. The wizard was skilled, however, and his next hex… Expelliarmus, hit in her midriff, sending her crashing into the wall as her wand was ripped out of her fingers.

The impact against the wall knocked the wind out of her, and the pain in the back was incredible. She groaned and sank to the ground, as the wizard stood before her, with his wand pointed at her forehead.

"Stu…arrrgh!" the wizard cried, unable to finish his stunning spell. Little Charlie had jumped onto him and sunk his teeth into the wizard's hand, causing him to drop the wand. He backhanded Charlie in retaliation, and the boy fell on the floor, crying at the top of his lungs.

The wizard bent over to pick up his wand, but Ginny had got her breath back, and a wand up her sleeve. She twisted her wrist and shook her arm, sending the wand sliding out. "Stupefy!" Her anger at the wizard for having struck her nephew fuelled the spell to such a degree that the wizard flew back fifteen feet as the spell hit him.

Then she crawled over to Charlie and took him in her arms, comforting him. "Shhh…it's okay."

The boy's crying lessened and stopped, save for the errant sob or two.

Ginny examined his face as saw that his eye was swelling. But she'd have to fix it later. "Come on…we have to get out…"

"You're not going anywhere!" an all too familiar voice drawled. "Expelliarmus!"

Ginny's second wand flew out of her hand, but the spell had caught her in the shoulder so she was able to twist with the impact, preventing her from crashing into the wall again. Instead, she scooped Charlie off the floor and made a break for the stairs, zigzagging to try and avoid being hexed. But unfortunately, Malfoy was better than Harry and her brother had given him credit for, and she felt her legs stiffen as she was hit by the Leg-locker Curse. She turned as she fell, to avoid landing on top of her nephew and landed painfully on her already hurt back.

Malfoy smirked triumphantly as he placed his foot on her belly. "Here you are…at my feet!"

"Stop playing around and kill her!" an old wizard who'd accompanied Malfoy shouted.

"Stupefy!" a new, deep voice thundered, and a thick and intense red beam hit the old wizard, sending him flying down the corridor, past Ginny and Malfoy.

Malfoy whipped around and stooped low, to make his profile smaller, levelling his wand at the new enemy. A Ranger!

The Ranger's eyes hardened with fatal understanding as he saw Malfoy's wand, knowing there was no way he could avoid it.

"Avada Keda…" Malfoy's breath caught in his throat, and he looked down.

Ginny had used Malfoy's distraction to draw a dagger. Then, knowing that the Ranger only had seconds to live, she blindly drove it upwards, twisting it as she felt it connect.

Blood was soaking Malfoy's robes as he still looked down in shock

"Expelliarmus!" The Ranger roared.

Malfoy seemed to defy gravity as he flew down the length of the corridor, before he crashed into the wall at the end, tracing a vertical trail of blood along it.

Ginny then turned to look at the tall Ranger… she recognised him. "Ranger Wolfe?"

The Ranger waved his wand and Ginny felt her legs loosen up. He stared at her intensely. "You saved my life."

"You saved mine…we're even. How did you find me?"

"I'll tell you when we're out of here…" His eyes softened as he noticed the boy. "Charlie?"

Charlie rushed over to Ginny and hid behind her.

"It's okay…Charlie. He's a friend…he's your Uncle Maximilian."

Charlie eyed Wolfe with wonder. "Is he daddy's brother?"

"No…he's your mummy's brother!"

Wolfe's expression closed up again. He strode over to the stunned old wizard and picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder. "Grab Charlie. We need to find a way out of here."

Ginny pointed to the stairs. "That's a way out. Charlie says that it leads to a beach."

"How does he know?"

"He read it in a guard's mind…and do we have to take that scum with us?" She nodded at the old wizard.

"This man is a higher-up within Anastasiou's organisation. He's a wellspring of information. Let's go!"

They climbed the stone steps and Wolfe blasted the trapdoor away as they reached it. They walked a short distance down a rocky path, and soon, they were standing on a small beach…stars twinkling overhead.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked.

"Pohnpei…Micronesia. Half of that base is actually under the sea. I completely missed this entrance. But I found the one I used on one of the artificial islets. Who would have thought that Anastasiou would use Nan Madol as a location for a base…ah…here's our ride."

A small craft appeared out of thin air and landed on the beach. Wolfe quickly put the old wizard into an enchanted sleep, before shoving him into small a cargo compartment. Then he helped Ginny into the craft and strapped her in, since her back had been hurting badly. The craft was a two-seater, so Charlie had to sit in Ginny's lap.

Then a few angry shouts came out of the forest, and Wolfe quickly jumped into the craft. "Sorry, as much as I'd like to stay and exterminate you all…" He lowered the hatch, and seconds later they took off into the starry night… towards freedom.

As they soared through the night sky, and Charlie looked out of the viewport, fascinated by the sight, Wolfe surprised Ginny with a question. "So…do you think that Malfoy will ever adapt to his new life as a eunuch?"

***

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, oh noble readers. Remember my ego likes reviews.

To al the people who screamed for Malfoy's death…well, I didn't kill him, but I hope this will satisfy you for now. Let me know what you think. :-)

Finally, Casual Reader and Viva, yes, Harry's hair standing on end was partially inspired by DBZ. Clever observation.