(A/N: If you wanna see something funny, look at the album cover to Jason
Mraz's CD. Funny stuff man!
Thanks once again for all your reviews, I love it when people guess what's going to happen. I'm happy to know I keep you all in suspense, it means I'm doing my job, right? I'll try to get another chapter out soon!)
Chapter Thirteen: White Wolf
The dripping of water was slowly driving Lucius insane. He didn't have the keys, he didn't have his wand, and he had no way of disapparating because the charms he put on all the dungeons prevented that sort of escape. It was a sick twist of fate, he thought, being locked in a prison of his own making.
He wondered how he would get out of here, and debated of which form of escape would come first; Dirk Bulstrode discovering that Lucius hadn't returned yet and him going in search, or there was the less pleasant; having to wait until Dirk brought down the food, which would take at least twelve more hours.
"I'll kill everyone in that Muggle loving family," Lucius hissed to himself, "starting with that girl!"
~*~*~
The wolf just stared at them, unmoving as if it were frightened of them as much as they were of it. It cocked its head to the side, looking from Ginny to Lisbeth who was still hiding. The wolf slowly put one paw out towards them, but it made the wrong decision.
Ginny pointed the wand directly at the wolf and was prepared to shout out every curse she knew, but stopped. The wolf had backed away and hid behind a small rock. It was as if the wolf knew what she was about to do, knew that witches with wands could do some serious damage.
"What's wrong?" Lisbeth asked, too afraid to look.
"Hang on a second." Ginny stepped away from Lisbeth and inched towards the rock with the wolf behind it.
Crouching down on the ground was the wolf and when Ginny poked her head over the rock, the wolf looked up into her eyes. The wolf's silky coat glowed in the moonlight, making the creature exquisite to behold. Ginny stretched her hand out to touch the soft fur, and found that beneath the fur she could feel the strong muscles tighten, and the heartbeat quicken.
"Hello," Ginny said softly, continuing to pet the animal.
"Is it a good wolf?" Lisbeth asked, coming up behind Ginny.
"Yes, I think it is." Ginny laughed.
The wolf stood up suddenly and pricked its ears. Ginny also stood up while pushing Lisbeth towards the ground. With her wand stretched before her, she scanned the scenery. There was no one about, and as far as she could tell, they were the only beings there, human or animal. Ginny looked back at the wolf, who looked at her in return.
"Are you here to help us?" Ginny asked.
The wolf pawed at the ground, then looked back up.
"Are you going to show us how to get to safety?"
Again the wolf pawed at the ground.
"Ok, then we'll follow."
Ginny took Lisbeth's hand in her own and began to follow the wolf through the woods, around trees and over brambles. Their pace was very slow, and every once in a while the wolf would look back, making sure Ginny and Lisbeth were still following. The moon's glow was able to help by lighting their path, and all the while Ginny felt a calming reassurance.
They had been walking for ages when finally the wolf stopped. Ginny looked around, but couldn't see any sign of dwelling. The wolf nudged Ginny's leg with its snout, then walked towards a large wall of rock. Ginny followed the wolf, questioningly, Lisbeth close behind. Ginny tried to make out where the wolf was going, but suddenly it vanished!
"Hello?" Ginny called. "Where did you go?"
Ginny looked from tree trunk, to protruding rock, to large bush, but there was no wolf. She was getting panicky, and hoped that the wolf would come back soon, or that another guide would take its place.
The wolf reappeared, calming Ginny at once, and walked right up to here. It was pawing the ground, and walking a few feet away, stopped, then pawed the ground again. Ginny had no idea what the wolf was trying to communicate to her. It kept coming back up to her, nudging her leg, paw the ground, then walk away again.
"I think it wants us to follow it." Lisbeth said.
"What do you think we've been doing?"
Lisbeth stepped closer to the wolf, and the wolf stared at Ginny. Ginny took a few more steps closer, and the wolf walked a yard away, then stopped, staring at both of them. Step by step the girls followed the wolf to the large rock wall, and they finally figured out what it was the wolf was trying to show them. Behind some thorny bushes, between the ground and the rock, was a large sliver of shadow.the entrance to a cave!
The wolf crawled beneath the rock and into the cave, followed by Lisbeth. Ginny had no choice but to do the same. There wasn't much room to move, but she used her forearms to make her way over the damp earth, her head scratching against the rock above. They'd been crawling like that for ten minutes before Ginny felt a cool wind on her face. She looked up to see that she had entered a vast cavern that was dimly lit by blue light, rippling off the rock like water. Ginny's mouth hung open as she stared at the rock formations and the grandeur of it all.
"It's beautiful." Ginny managed to say.
Lisbeth was also staring up at the expanse of the room in wonder. They had forgotten that the wolf was still there, and it made its presence known by giving a quick low bark. Ginny looked down and saw the wolf walk towards the other end of the cavern. There was a small opening, larger than the cavern entrance, but Ginny still had to get down on her hands and knees to get to the other side. The next room wasn't as large, but still impressive. Ginny followed the sound of rushing water to a small stream that came in through an underground entrance, and left the same way. The wolf went to the water and began drinking.
"I'm thirsty." Lisbeth declared, and walked towards the water. She took a few sips, then began petting the wolf.
Ginny had suddenly realized that they hadn't gotten out of the woods, and they only had at most a three day supply of food. Now with the wolf, she'd be surprised if they'd make it in one day. Ginny dropped to the ground feeling frustrated all over again. She would have liked to just keep walking until they were out of the woods, but she doubted her legs would carry her any further. After a month of hardly any walking, her legs had cramped up horribly.
Taking a glance towards the water she saw that Lisbeth had already curled up in a small ball and was soundly asleep. Ginny crawled towards the water, took a few sips, then laid down herself.
While the two girls slept, the wolf kept watch.
~*~*~
"You imbecile!" Lucius shouted at Dirk the moment he unlocked the large door. "How long did it take you to realize I hadn't come back?"
Dirk stared at his hands, obviously trying to count on his fingers, but with little success. "Five?"
"Five hours!" Lucius roared. "Did you actually think that I would have willingly spent five hours down here? Hmm?"
"Uhh."
"And when did your tiny little brain figure out that something must have been wrong?"
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Give me your wand." Lucius grabbed the wand before Dirk could complain. "Crucius!"
Lucius loved the look of pain emit from that big ugly oaf. He'd been wanting to do that for a long time, but hadn't come up with sufficient reason to.until now.
"Hurry up, get into the well! We need to apparate at the fort." Lucius followed Dirk into the completely dark well. "Once we get there organize a search party. We need to find those two girls." Lucius straightened his clothes and smoothed back his hair. "Bring Weasley directly to me."
~*~*~
It was a good dream, about Quidditch. Ginny was soaring in the air, chasing the Quaffle from one player to the next. The crowd was cheering for her, the game depended on her to make this goal! Ginny raced over the field, but something not right was happening. Slowly, one by one, all the players on the field were disappearing. The crowd was going as well. Soon Ginny found herself all alone, looking around at the now empty Pitch. Before she could react, two Bludgers came pelting her way, hitting her at exactly the same time, knocking her off her broom. She was falling, falling, falling.
"Help.help." Ginny murmured, but she was caught in someone's embrace.
"Shh, Ginny, it's okay." The soothing voice spread through Ginny's body, causing her to relax her tense muscles.
She was being held tight in someone's arms, very warm and very safe. She began to cry into the someone's chest, feeling hopeless and useless.
"What's wrong?" The voice asked.
"I can't get out of here." She sobbed. "I don't know what to do."
"You got out of the dungeon.that's something."
Ginny slowly stopped her sobs. "But.that was different. The woods are so big and out in the open. Someone will find us."
"I'll be here for you," The voice reassured. "I'll never let you fall."
Ginny, in all her exhaustion from traveling and sobbing, found strength enough to look up into the eyes of him who held her. They were soft and comforting, reflecting the blue light around them. She looked from the eyes to the silvery hair, but didn't have enough time to recognize who it was, before she fell asleep.
~*~*~
It was the sweet singing that woke Ginny the next morning. Lisbeth had awaken earlier and washed her face and hands in the water and felt so happy to be out of the dungeon that she couldn't help but sing old nursery rhymes. Ginny sat up, very confused.
"You're up!" Lisbeth exclaimed. "I was waiting for you before we ate."
Ginny rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and yawned. She couldn't remember much of the night before, only that she had felt very scared, very alone, and then the exact opposite.as if someone had held her the entire night. Ginny looked over at the sleeping form of the wolf.
"We have two pastries! That should be enough!" Lisbeth handed Ginny a pastry, and began eating her own.
"At Hogwarts I could have eaten two dozen of these." Ginny said, gazing at the small pastry.
The wolf awoke and walked towards the two girls. Reluctantly, Ginny offered the wolf part of her pastry, but it refused. Ginny couldn't help keep the happiness from her face, so she looked down, and there, beside her, was a small piece of parchment. Ginny took parchment and noticed it had writing on it;
"There are only two ways out of the wood. The wolf will guide you to the easiest."
"I wonder what that means." Ginny thought as she read over the parchment again.
She looked at the wolf who stared up at her, as if trying to read her thoughts. It unnerved Ginny a little, but she had to trust the wolf.who else could she trust?
In the day light the cavern was lit properly, but the girls didn't have time enough to examine the beauty. They were escorted out of the cavern in less time than it took them to get in. Outside the sunlight was blinding. Ginny found it very hard to adjust to the light, and when she did she frowned. In the month she had been kept prisoner she had not only grown very skinny and scrawny, but her skin was also a lot paler, and she noticed she didn't have half as many freckles.
Ginny felt very vulnerable, walking out in the open, knowing full well people were probably looking for her not too far away. She wanted to go back to the cave and wait until night fall, but didn't know how the wolf would take that.
The wolf was walking at a faster pace now, Ginny and Lisbeth finding it harder to keep up. She was beginning to get scratches on her arms and legs, and even a few branches had cut across her face. Lisbeth didn't fare any better. Once Ginny looked up at the sky and noticed a dark cloud was heading their way. She hoped they would be out of the woods before it began to rain, but was prone to thinking fate would deal her a bad hand once again.
The walking continued, and it seemed they were going in circles. Ginny wanted to sit down and rest, to take the weight off of her muscles, but she kept telling herself "just a few more feet.just a few more yards and we'll be out." But she no longer believed it. She was so busy wondering if they'd ever get out to notice the sound of running water and that the wolf had stopped. Ginny nearly fell into the wolf, and Lisbeth nearly fell into Ginny.
"What is it?" Ginny whispered, but she only needed to look up to see the problem.
Standing ten yards away were two men covered in black cloaks: wizards. Ginny's first impulse was to scream and shout that they'd finally been rescued, but the wolf bit down on Ginny's shirt, warning her to stay down. She stared at the two men, finally able to hear what they were saying.
"Where did this come from?" One of them asked.
"From over there, in those bushes."
The man held a broom stick up in the air.
"Lucius will want to see this."
"Do you think they escaped?"
"Of course not!" The one with the broom shouted. "How could they escape if the broom is left behind? You know what this means?"
"No, what?"
"Someone else is in this wood.someone who isn't supposed to be."
"Remember what Lucius said."
"Of course I do!" He paused. "Lock the Prime Ministers daughter back up, and bring the Weasley directly to him."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she lasted ten minutes with him."
"Though this presents a bit of a problem." The broomstick and the two men left the scene.
"Ginny," Lisbeth whispered. "Ginny.who's Weasley? I never saw anyone named Weasley."
When Lisbeth looked at Ginny's face she was surprised to see complete fear stare back at her. "I never told you-Weasley's my last name."
Thanks once again for all your reviews, I love it when people guess what's going to happen. I'm happy to know I keep you all in suspense, it means I'm doing my job, right? I'll try to get another chapter out soon!)
Chapter Thirteen: White Wolf
The dripping of water was slowly driving Lucius insane. He didn't have the keys, he didn't have his wand, and he had no way of disapparating because the charms he put on all the dungeons prevented that sort of escape. It was a sick twist of fate, he thought, being locked in a prison of his own making.
He wondered how he would get out of here, and debated of which form of escape would come first; Dirk Bulstrode discovering that Lucius hadn't returned yet and him going in search, or there was the less pleasant; having to wait until Dirk brought down the food, which would take at least twelve more hours.
"I'll kill everyone in that Muggle loving family," Lucius hissed to himself, "starting with that girl!"
~*~*~
The wolf just stared at them, unmoving as if it were frightened of them as much as they were of it. It cocked its head to the side, looking from Ginny to Lisbeth who was still hiding. The wolf slowly put one paw out towards them, but it made the wrong decision.
Ginny pointed the wand directly at the wolf and was prepared to shout out every curse she knew, but stopped. The wolf had backed away and hid behind a small rock. It was as if the wolf knew what she was about to do, knew that witches with wands could do some serious damage.
"What's wrong?" Lisbeth asked, too afraid to look.
"Hang on a second." Ginny stepped away from Lisbeth and inched towards the rock with the wolf behind it.
Crouching down on the ground was the wolf and when Ginny poked her head over the rock, the wolf looked up into her eyes. The wolf's silky coat glowed in the moonlight, making the creature exquisite to behold. Ginny stretched her hand out to touch the soft fur, and found that beneath the fur she could feel the strong muscles tighten, and the heartbeat quicken.
"Hello," Ginny said softly, continuing to pet the animal.
"Is it a good wolf?" Lisbeth asked, coming up behind Ginny.
"Yes, I think it is." Ginny laughed.
The wolf stood up suddenly and pricked its ears. Ginny also stood up while pushing Lisbeth towards the ground. With her wand stretched before her, she scanned the scenery. There was no one about, and as far as she could tell, they were the only beings there, human or animal. Ginny looked back at the wolf, who looked at her in return.
"Are you here to help us?" Ginny asked.
The wolf pawed at the ground, then looked back up.
"Are you going to show us how to get to safety?"
Again the wolf pawed at the ground.
"Ok, then we'll follow."
Ginny took Lisbeth's hand in her own and began to follow the wolf through the woods, around trees and over brambles. Their pace was very slow, and every once in a while the wolf would look back, making sure Ginny and Lisbeth were still following. The moon's glow was able to help by lighting their path, and all the while Ginny felt a calming reassurance.
They had been walking for ages when finally the wolf stopped. Ginny looked around, but couldn't see any sign of dwelling. The wolf nudged Ginny's leg with its snout, then walked towards a large wall of rock. Ginny followed the wolf, questioningly, Lisbeth close behind. Ginny tried to make out where the wolf was going, but suddenly it vanished!
"Hello?" Ginny called. "Where did you go?"
Ginny looked from tree trunk, to protruding rock, to large bush, but there was no wolf. She was getting panicky, and hoped that the wolf would come back soon, or that another guide would take its place.
The wolf reappeared, calming Ginny at once, and walked right up to here. It was pawing the ground, and walking a few feet away, stopped, then pawed the ground again. Ginny had no idea what the wolf was trying to communicate to her. It kept coming back up to her, nudging her leg, paw the ground, then walk away again.
"I think it wants us to follow it." Lisbeth said.
"What do you think we've been doing?"
Lisbeth stepped closer to the wolf, and the wolf stared at Ginny. Ginny took a few more steps closer, and the wolf walked a yard away, then stopped, staring at both of them. Step by step the girls followed the wolf to the large rock wall, and they finally figured out what it was the wolf was trying to show them. Behind some thorny bushes, between the ground and the rock, was a large sliver of shadow.the entrance to a cave!
The wolf crawled beneath the rock and into the cave, followed by Lisbeth. Ginny had no choice but to do the same. There wasn't much room to move, but she used her forearms to make her way over the damp earth, her head scratching against the rock above. They'd been crawling like that for ten minutes before Ginny felt a cool wind on her face. She looked up to see that she had entered a vast cavern that was dimly lit by blue light, rippling off the rock like water. Ginny's mouth hung open as she stared at the rock formations and the grandeur of it all.
"It's beautiful." Ginny managed to say.
Lisbeth was also staring up at the expanse of the room in wonder. They had forgotten that the wolf was still there, and it made its presence known by giving a quick low bark. Ginny looked down and saw the wolf walk towards the other end of the cavern. There was a small opening, larger than the cavern entrance, but Ginny still had to get down on her hands and knees to get to the other side. The next room wasn't as large, but still impressive. Ginny followed the sound of rushing water to a small stream that came in through an underground entrance, and left the same way. The wolf went to the water and began drinking.
"I'm thirsty." Lisbeth declared, and walked towards the water. She took a few sips, then began petting the wolf.
Ginny had suddenly realized that they hadn't gotten out of the woods, and they only had at most a three day supply of food. Now with the wolf, she'd be surprised if they'd make it in one day. Ginny dropped to the ground feeling frustrated all over again. She would have liked to just keep walking until they were out of the woods, but she doubted her legs would carry her any further. After a month of hardly any walking, her legs had cramped up horribly.
Taking a glance towards the water she saw that Lisbeth had already curled up in a small ball and was soundly asleep. Ginny crawled towards the water, took a few sips, then laid down herself.
While the two girls slept, the wolf kept watch.
~*~*~
"You imbecile!" Lucius shouted at Dirk the moment he unlocked the large door. "How long did it take you to realize I hadn't come back?"
Dirk stared at his hands, obviously trying to count on his fingers, but with little success. "Five?"
"Five hours!" Lucius roared. "Did you actually think that I would have willingly spent five hours down here? Hmm?"
"Uhh."
"And when did your tiny little brain figure out that something must have been wrong?"
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Give me your wand." Lucius grabbed the wand before Dirk could complain. "Crucius!"
Lucius loved the look of pain emit from that big ugly oaf. He'd been wanting to do that for a long time, but hadn't come up with sufficient reason to.until now.
"Hurry up, get into the well! We need to apparate at the fort." Lucius followed Dirk into the completely dark well. "Once we get there organize a search party. We need to find those two girls." Lucius straightened his clothes and smoothed back his hair. "Bring Weasley directly to me."
~*~*~
It was a good dream, about Quidditch. Ginny was soaring in the air, chasing the Quaffle from one player to the next. The crowd was cheering for her, the game depended on her to make this goal! Ginny raced over the field, but something not right was happening. Slowly, one by one, all the players on the field were disappearing. The crowd was going as well. Soon Ginny found herself all alone, looking around at the now empty Pitch. Before she could react, two Bludgers came pelting her way, hitting her at exactly the same time, knocking her off her broom. She was falling, falling, falling.
"Help.help." Ginny murmured, but she was caught in someone's embrace.
"Shh, Ginny, it's okay." The soothing voice spread through Ginny's body, causing her to relax her tense muscles.
She was being held tight in someone's arms, very warm and very safe. She began to cry into the someone's chest, feeling hopeless and useless.
"What's wrong?" The voice asked.
"I can't get out of here." She sobbed. "I don't know what to do."
"You got out of the dungeon.that's something."
Ginny slowly stopped her sobs. "But.that was different. The woods are so big and out in the open. Someone will find us."
"I'll be here for you," The voice reassured. "I'll never let you fall."
Ginny, in all her exhaustion from traveling and sobbing, found strength enough to look up into the eyes of him who held her. They were soft and comforting, reflecting the blue light around them. She looked from the eyes to the silvery hair, but didn't have enough time to recognize who it was, before she fell asleep.
~*~*~
It was the sweet singing that woke Ginny the next morning. Lisbeth had awaken earlier and washed her face and hands in the water and felt so happy to be out of the dungeon that she couldn't help but sing old nursery rhymes. Ginny sat up, very confused.
"You're up!" Lisbeth exclaimed. "I was waiting for you before we ate."
Ginny rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and yawned. She couldn't remember much of the night before, only that she had felt very scared, very alone, and then the exact opposite.as if someone had held her the entire night. Ginny looked over at the sleeping form of the wolf.
"We have two pastries! That should be enough!" Lisbeth handed Ginny a pastry, and began eating her own.
"At Hogwarts I could have eaten two dozen of these." Ginny said, gazing at the small pastry.
The wolf awoke and walked towards the two girls. Reluctantly, Ginny offered the wolf part of her pastry, but it refused. Ginny couldn't help keep the happiness from her face, so she looked down, and there, beside her, was a small piece of parchment. Ginny took parchment and noticed it had writing on it;
"There are only two ways out of the wood. The wolf will guide you to the easiest."
"I wonder what that means." Ginny thought as she read over the parchment again.
She looked at the wolf who stared up at her, as if trying to read her thoughts. It unnerved Ginny a little, but she had to trust the wolf.who else could she trust?
In the day light the cavern was lit properly, but the girls didn't have time enough to examine the beauty. They were escorted out of the cavern in less time than it took them to get in. Outside the sunlight was blinding. Ginny found it very hard to adjust to the light, and when she did she frowned. In the month she had been kept prisoner she had not only grown very skinny and scrawny, but her skin was also a lot paler, and she noticed she didn't have half as many freckles.
Ginny felt very vulnerable, walking out in the open, knowing full well people were probably looking for her not too far away. She wanted to go back to the cave and wait until night fall, but didn't know how the wolf would take that.
The wolf was walking at a faster pace now, Ginny and Lisbeth finding it harder to keep up. She was beginning to get scratches on her arms and legs, and even a few branches had cut across her face. Lisbeth didn't fare any better. Once Ginny looked up at the sky and noticed a dark cloud was heading their way. She hoped they would be out of the woods before it began to rain, but was prone to thinking fate would deal her a bad hand once again.
The walking continued, and it seemed they were going in circles. Ginny wanted to sit down and rest, to take the weight off of her muscles, but she kept telling herself "just a few more feet.just a few more yards and we'll be out." But she no longer believed it. She was so busy wondering if they'd ever get out to notice the sound of running water and that the wolf had stopped. Ginny nearly fell into the wolf, and Lisbeth nearly fell into Ginny.
"What is it?" Ginny whispered, but she only needed to look up to see the problem.
Standing ten yards away were two men covered in black cloaks: wizards. Ginny's first impulse was to scream and shout that they'd finally been rescued, but the wolf bit down on Ginny's shirt, warning her to stay down. She stared at the two men, finally able to hear what they were saying.
"Where did this come from?" One of them asked.
"From over there, in those bushes."
The man held a broom stick up in the air.
"Lucius will want to see this."
"Do you think they escaped?"
"Of course not!" The one with the broom shouted. "How could they escape if the broom is left behind? You know what this means?"
"No, what?"
"Someone else is in this wood.someone who isn't supposed to be."
"Remember what Lucius said."
"Of course I do!" He paused. "Lock the Prime Ministers daughter back up, and bring the Weasley directly to him."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she lasted ten minutes with him."
"Though this presents a bit of a problem." The broomstick and the two men left the scene.
"Ginny," Lisbeth whispered. "Ginny.who's Weasley? I never saw anyone named Weasley."
When Lisbeth looked at Ginny's face she was surprised to see complete fear stare back at her. "I never told you-Weasley's my last name."