Disclaimer – This is J K Rowling's not mine!
Chapter 1 - Run and Hide
Currently seated at a restaurant table in the middle of Diagon Alley is one of the owners of Silver Birch House. A vulnerable setting at this time due to the current state of the Magical Community, but she never lets this stop her. A young woman often passed over in her youth due to the large amount of family and very little money she had. To any on-lookers she appears to be another unremarkable person, busily scribbling in an open ledger on the edge of the table; to anybody who takes the time to speak with her they'd tell you quite the opposite.
Virginia Weasley never pays much attention to her outward appearance, deciding that there is far too much to worry about in the world than whether you hair was still in place. She would be the first to admit that her curves certainly aren't all in the right places, but her personality shines through; any person she speaks to usually walks away with a spring in their step. She gives you her full attention, stopping anything she is doing to listen, to make you feel you are the most important person in the room and what ever you have to say is interesting. She offers a shoulder to cry on, sound advice and all the time in the world for you.
Of course, the Weasley temper has also found its way in to Ginny's genetic make up – which coupled with patience, means she is a force to be reckoned with.
"Anything else Miss?" asked the pale faced Wizard stood next to her, looking up she noticed his eyes skim across the page in front of her.
"No – that'll be all thanks. Please bring the bill." She answered covering the page with her hand,
"Certainly Miss." He said moving away. Ginny finished her wine and casually scanned the fairly empty restaurant. Before the war had begun this would have been a peak time she mused, there was no way she would have been able to wander in to sit down immediately like she had done tonight. She caught the eye of an elderly witch in the corner and smiled; the woman immediately dropped her gaze to her plate and shifted nervously.
The waiter returned shortly and once Ginny had paid, she made her way out in to the cold street, wrapping her warm navy cloak tightly around her and pulling up her hood she moved noiselessly along the quiet street. Darkness covered it like a blanket and instead of staying in the light Ginny used the dark to move along the street. She automatically opened her senses to the night but nothing moved except a stray cat sat huddled at a shop front.
As Ginny moved past it, it attempted to stand up and hiss at her except all it achieved was to stumble forwards and hiss in pain. Ginny stopped to look at the cat; a scrawny ginger thing that looked starved and cold. She looked up at the shop it was huddling outside, boards covered the smashed windows, the door was magically shielded and someone had taken down the shop front sign. Looking up she noted the black curtains covering the upstairs windows that would have been the living quarters.
Her heart sank, someone had obviously died, and the forgotten cat had been left behind. She reached into her pocket and found nothing but an old packet of tissues, what she thought felt like the wrapper of a ton-tongue toffee and the remains of a bar of 'Cadbury's' chocolate she'd nicked from Hermione.
Pulling out the chocolate, she moved towards the weak cat, speaking softly she approached it calmly. It hissed and scurried back towards the door, obviously finding strength enough to protect itself. It continued to hiss.
"Come on, there's no one here to feed you any more - all gone," She said, pointing towards the empty shop. It stopped hissing and watched her cautiously. "Now I can't pretend I'll be the best owner – I'm away quite a bit but if you'll consent I'll feed you-" she moved her hand forward with the chocolate and the cat hissed, she left it front of it, moving back slightly. The cat sniffed the air and the chocolate, and then quickly started eating it. "You're obviously very loyal to whoever lived here." The cat stood, moving towards Ginny slowly, searching her open hand for more food, it mewed when it found none. Ginny scratched what was left of one of its ears and the cat purred, rubbing against her leg.
"Wanna come home?" she asked the cat patting her lap, it surveyed her a minute, sniffed her, and then with a quick glance back at the shop jumped into her lap. Pulling the cold cat into her arms, where it curled up, she continued walking down the street - once again sticking to the shadows.
She turned down a narrow alley, not needing to light the familiar path, turning halfway along to walk up a few steep and narrow stone steps. She walked along the corridor balcony and reached her flat after passing several others.
She noted immediately that someone had broken a small seal placed at the bottom left hand corner of the door. Someone unauthorised had been through the door.
She tensed her muscles, and felt the cat in the nook of her arm do the same thing, making sure the few weapons she had concealed about her were easily reachable she held her wand in her hand and opened the door quietly.
Back against the wall, she moved down the passageway to look into the first room – the living room. Satisfied that it was empty she checked the bedroom and the bathroom. Preparing herself, she moved towards the closed door of the kitchen, her heart thumping in her chest.
She used a scanning spell to the check kitchen and detected three figures, but before she could make a plan a voice rang out,
"Your charms are the worst I've ever encountered Virginia Weasley," the door yanked opened to reveal a woman with dark auburn hair, deep brown eyes, and bronze coloured skin. "You call that a trespassing charm?" she said a small smile curving her lips. Ginny didn't answer and she quickly gave the woman an assessing look.
The attractive young woman was leaning against the kitchen doorway, long dark hair hung in a plait over her shoulder, tight black clothes wrapped her slim figure and a thick black cloak hung from her shoulders. No argument could ever be formed against the opinion that this woman was extremely attractive.
At the same time however, she looked exhausted, her face was pale, dark circles drooped under her eyes, and her body was slouched as if it was taking supreme effort to allow it to remain standing.
Ginny's eyes moved across the dark kitchen towards one figure that sat stiffly at her kitchen table, Severus Snape. Ginny tried to hide the shock of seeing the potions master at her kitchen table and looked down to see another death eater she couldn't identify unconscious on the floor.
Ginny eyes moved back to meet the eyes of the woman, Blaise Zabini, and kept a tight hold of her wand, unsure of the situation.
"It's alright Ginny, that one's unconscious, and he," she pointed to the man sat at the table, "is apparently on our side."
"Oh really?" asked Ginny unbelieving.
Blaise was another owner of Silver Birch House, and currently worked undercover as a death eater, she played spy and was a major part of their team. Without her they would never have managed to save so many lives.
Ginny looked into Snape's dark eyes and he held the gaze before eventually turning away,
"We aren't safe here; we need to get Hogwarts immediately. You aren't safe Zabini – why you think this woman…" Snape sneered.
"I've kept myself alive this long, haven't I? I think I can manage a bit longer," said Blaise coldly. "Thank you for saving my life professor, I am in your debt."
"Indeed. If you won't come with me where exactly are you going to go?" he said smugly.
"That is not your concern, I will be safe though."
"Nowhere is safer then Hogwarts," he replied.
"Of course not, but I can't very well stay there can I?"
"Albus Dumbledore will…" he began
"Of course, but I do not need his help." She replied and Snape glared at Blaise, before casting a cold glare at Ginny and hissing angrily,
"Keep her alive Weasley. Do not make my efforts in vain however much of a death wish the woman seems to have." causing Ginny to grind her teeth in effort not to retort. "Very well, if you will not come with me now, I ask that sometime in the near future, you speak to the headmaster." He said looking at Blaise.
She considered this before nodding her agreement.
He levitated the unconscious death eater and strode from the room in a flurry of black cloak.
Now alone Ginny pocketed her wand, and shifted the cat to her other arm.
"No one followed me but I've been here a good fifteen minutes, plenty of time for them to do a tracking spell; we should get to Silver Birch as soon as possible," Blaise said, picking up a small bag at the foot of Ginny's old dining table.
"I take it your cover is blown," Replied Ginny flatly. Blaise looked at Ginny gloomily, "I'm sure it is not your fault, but why have you endangered me by coming here? You may have blown my cover you realise." Ginny regretted saying so in such a fashion immediately. "I didn't…" she began immediately.
"I'll explain later, but I had no other option." Blaise replied sharply
'Sorry, we'll talk later,' Ginny squeezed the other woman's arm and handed her the cat. She moved into the bedroom and using her wand emptied the drawers and wardrobe into an open velvet pouch at her feet. Moving into the bathroom, she did the same thing.
The flat was in fact merely somewhere Ginny tried to give the impression of living in, staying entirely at Silver Birch would make family and friends wonder were she lived and disappeared to all the time. Instead they wondered how she could live in such a cheap draughty old flat, commenting from time to time that she didn't own many belongings (she kept most of it at Silver Birch) and why didn't she move into a nicer flat, something with a garden maybe…
Her mother was the worst for nagging about this, feeling that being so close to Diagon Alley and the dark alleys was dangerous. She was right, of course, but what Molly Weasley didn't realise was that not only did Ginny partly own a huge home that was so magically protected it made breaking into Gringotts look like child's play, but that she also had excellent training in martial arts and combat and had finished training to be a medi-witch years ago.
Ginny sighed sadly, as she picked up a picture of her family on the mantelpiece, the small figures smiled and waved at her lovingly.
Ginny realised she missed them all painfully, even though they all lived not so far away and always had their doors open to her – she missed chatting freely and openly with them, she had not done so since just after the war had begun.
A polite cough brought Ginny out of her reverie; she turned to see Blaise politely waiting by the door, bag and wiggling cat in hand. Shoving the picture into her bag, Ginny was about to do a final check when something smashed in the kitchen.
The front door slammed open at about the same time and Blaise leapt to Ginny's side shoving the cat into Ginny's arms, where it quietened immediately.
"Apparate to location Fox," yelled Ginny. Just as a freezing spell flew towards them, they disappeared with a 'pop.'
Adrenaline washed through Ginny and her heart pounded in her chest as they sprinted through the woods. Three death eaters had managed to follow them, anticipating that they'd Disapparate and using a tracking spell to follow. Ginny knew it would not be much longer before their number increased, so kicking a death eater in the groin then smacking him across the back of the head, she screamed for them to run.
Blaise finished her stun spell and as three death eaters were now crumpled on the floor, they both turned and started running. Five minutes later, all the while Ginny trying to keep hold of the skinny cat, they stopped at another point in the trees,
"Swan?" Breathed Blaise lightly, leaning against a tree.
"Yes," replied Ginny – slightly out of breath.
However just before they Disapparated an arrow embedded itself into Ginny's right shoulder. Crying out more in shock than pain Ginny stumbled forward. Blaise caught hold of her,
"Disapparate Ginny!" she screamed, as looking up they saw four death eaters running towards them through the trees.
Having time to throw a dislocate charm, as the death eaters were too far away to use their wands effectively, they Apparated to the side of a lake.
Deep murky water reflected the moonlight back at them and Ginny grunted in pain as she stumbled forward on to her knee, dropping the cat next to her where it landed neatly on its feet. Blaise grabbed hold of Ginny and pulled her roughly along the bank. To the right of them tall wheat crops rustled in the wind, the peaceful sky and bright stars blinked back at them, making the fear in them seem needless.
Blaise supported Ginny as they jogged along the bank, hearts pumping, until they came across a path yet unseen in the tall wheat. They moved unhindered by the tall grasses, across the field, constantly checking behind them.
Ginny pressed down on the wound with her left hand and clung on to Blaise with her right arm. When they came to a seemingly nondescript place in the path, Blaise sat Ginny down on the ground and started searching in the tall rushes for a small stone. The identified object, a smooth round stone big enough to fit in her palm, was uncovered in the grass. Five small nicks in a circular fashion marked its smooth surface. Turning it pattern down, she slammed it down into a small hole in the ground.
The stone immediately started to expand, and grew into a large coach, it looked like it had been chiselled out of rock and its large stone-age wheel would never move due to it massive weighty bulk. It did not appear to have a door, window or any other feature apart from wheels and a harness. The harness was shortly taken up a ghost horse which appeared from nowhere. It had a large arrow imbedded in its belly, silver blood dripped from its wound, but this didn't appear to bother the tall shire horse one bit, as it stood proudly waiting to be of service.
Ginny snapped off the arrow that was in her own shoulder and wincing at the surge of pain that this brought, she looked down at the arrow tail. It was a solid wooden arrow, green feathers stuck out the end but were currently covered in blood, and Ginny identified magical symbols carved into the long stem. Ginny realised she was getting giddy from blood loss; the pain in her shoulder had increased as her heartbeat slowed and her breathing became more ragged. Her limbs felt suddenly heavy and she briefly wondered whether the arrowhead was poisoned as she felt a light weight dump itself into her lap.
Looking down, she saw the ginger cat purr and demand petting. Unable to bring her arms up to stroke it she smiled stupidly at it. An arm hooked itself under Ginny, dragging her up. She felt the arrow removed from her hand, and looking up into Blaise's anxious face, she tried to focus as the world moved unsteadily underneath her feet.
A small door appeared in the solid stone surface and once Blaise gave a password, she quickly pulled Ginny into the coach. Blaise then gave orders to immediately set out for Silver Birch as fast as the heavy wheels could take them. Lying on a soft couch Ginny looked around the cosy room within the coach, chairs cluttered the small room and a huge fireplace took up one wall, a small oak cabinet sat in the far corner of the room, and currently Blaise was sitting in front of it pulling out its contents unceremoniously. Trays of potions, sterile flannels, cotton wool, bottles of water and various other items littered the floor, and Blaise dragged them towards her as she moved to perch on the end of the couch above Ginny, just as Ginny fell into unconsciousness.
Cutting Ginny's robes away from her shoulder carefully but quickly, Blaise revealed the deep wound, already swelled with poison and pus. She started dabbing on anti- inflammatory and cleaning potions as fast as she could, in effort to remove the poisonous arrowhead before it transferred too much poison into her blood stream.
When she could finally see the arrow cleanly she started to work at removing the head with minimum damage, and although Blaise only knew field magic for cleaning wounds, removing poisoned arrows, stopping blood loss and decreasing the effect of the poison, she did a good job considering the conditions.
The coach bumped along at full speed, and Blaise estimated that they still had another half an hour's travel before they reached Silver Birch. She wrapped up the wound and covered Ginny in an itchy field blanket. She placed the arrow in a small wooden ottoman that rested against the rear wall behind the couch, it usually held the blankets but it was in fact a highly magical object. The whole of the ottoman's wooden surface was covered in hidden magical sigils that prevented any object inside from activating or working. Thus if the arrow was a tracking device, it could not be tracked, or if it was some kind of explosive device, it would not go off.
Blaise then moved exhaustedly towards the small green fire that burned in the grate, picking up a pig shaped cookie jar from the mantelpiece, she removed some green sand-like powder from it and threw it in, and the room briefly glowed orange as the sand hit the hot flames. A moment later a woman's face appeared.
Blaise gave orders to prepare for their arrival and of Ginny's current condition; the woman's face became drawn with worry as she listened to the tired Blaise who sat in an uncomfortable armchair explaining briefly. Once the woman was gone, Blaise slumped back into the chair and closed her eyes. She did not sleep though, she couldn't have had she wanted to, guilt was crashing over in waves as she realised that the current situation was her fault. Ginny was right – she had exposed her and now she was lying with a serious wound on the couch next to her.
Blaise listened to the light breathing that came from Ginny's form the rest of the way home and berated herself for hurting one of the few people she actually loved and trusted.
Author's Note
This is a rather Long Chapter! I just started writing and got carried away! I'd be interested to know whether people think there's a story here or the ramblings of a crazy woman!
Read n Review!
Would just like to say thank you for my reviews to Zelda and Aranel!