(A/N: Alright, I'm sorry about fuming in the last chapter. But I had had a
really bad day, and my patience had run out somewhere between noon and
four. I'm not going to kindly ask those reviewing to please refrain from
pointing out the fact that I have crappy spelling skills.
Well, here y'all go! Another chappy!)
Chapter Fifteen: The Pain of Centuries
The room was silent as Ginny stared down at the crumpled body of the one person she had not expected to be here. She fell to her knees by his side, feeling the warm trail of tears on her cheeks. Slowly she held her hand out to the silver hair that covered his face and brushed it back revealing a large bruise over his eye and his lip cut and bleeding. His breathing was very shallow and his skin was cold to the touch.
"Draco?" Ginny whispered. "Oh, please don't die-please."
There seemed to be not much Ginny could do. She didn't know any healing spells and all she could do was try to revive him by shaking him by the shoulders. He lay there, unmoving, showing no signs of awakening.
"Draco.I knew I loved you.I knew it all along. Please don't go-don't leave me.I know now.I know."
Ginny lowered herself so she could embrace Draco, her cheek was touching his as she whispered, "I love you." She then turned slightly so she could place a light kiss on his lips.
~*~*~
Everything was happening so fast. It was like Draco was sitting, watching different scenes pass by, sometimes going so fast he could barely make out who was in them, then they'd suddenly slow down so that he had a clear picture of the people. He hadn't a clue why or how this was happening, but as he saw each scene he felt apart of himself awake, a part of him he never knew existed. The funny thing was that they seemed to be going backwards.
Pain of betrayal.
He felt such hatred, mixed with the deepest love as he saw the elegant brunette. He had felt she loved him too, but it was all a plot.all a plot. He wooed her and showed his affection openly, but she warned she had no heart. He saw her across the salon, drinking tea with a man his Father warned him about. How could such a beautiful woman dine with such a horrible man? Then, the first time he had ever saw her was when she was on stage. He could not keep his eyes off of her and inquired after her, but she would be leaving for America soon.well, so would he then.
~*~*~
Ginny rushed to the fireplace and searched the mantle piece for the container of Floo Powder, but it wasn't there. She looked down at the ground, moving a broken chair out of the way to reveal the shattered pieces of the container, along with a spattering of green powder, most of it having sunk through the cracks in the wood paneled floor.
"No." Ginny got on her hands and knees trying to scoop up the remaining powder, but it wasn't nearly enough to get herself through the fire, let alone her and Draco.
After wiping her hands on her clothes, she frantically began searching the room for any other means of escaping this place. She didn't know what she would be looking for, maybe a piece of paper explaining in detail how to escape, but that was hopeful wishing. The room was a mess, parchments scattered the floor, a few broken wands, the shattered remains of the meal on the now broken table. And then Draco, still lying as still as death.
"Someone help me!"
~*~*~
Pain of loss.
It tore at his very heart, the woman he loved hung in front of him. The locket was returned to him, but his love was gone. He begged his Father to release her, but he declared she was a witch. He knew he loved her, even before they would meet secretly in the woods. He saved her from the death of the water, which only enhanced his love. Why wouldn't she ever notice him? No matter what he did--tease her, flirt with her cousin-- nothing would do. She looked so sad being escorted to her home with her Aunt and Uncle. He knew her Mother and Father had died and she'd be living with them.she was so sad and beautiful.
~*~*~
One thing that Ginny was proud of remembering was the hovering charm, which was now put into action. Draco was gliding about waist in front of Ginny as she left the fort, the moon light casting blue shadows over his body. Ginny looked back once at the flickering lights of the window and hoped nobody would wake up until she was quite far away. She looked down at the paper in her hand with help from her wand light and frowned.
The map showed that the wood was very huge and in the center of it was the building she had just left. She had no idea which way to go, which way would lead her to civilization, or which way would lead her to something horrible. She actually didn't care at the moment, as long as she put more distance between herself and Lucius Malfoy. She shuddered, remembering the horrible look in his eyes as he shook her. She actually thought for a second that he would kill her and that she would never see her family again, test out Fred and George's new experiments, laugh with Ron, share her secrets with Lisa. But that was when the wolf-Draco-saved her.
~*~*~
Pain of pride.
He searched for her everywhere, but he could not find her. His Father had disowned him when he ran out, refusing to marry the Princess, vowing to find the woman who had run away. She had said yes when he asked her to marry him, sharing his love with her own. The many times they spent in the woods, his love growing each day. He saw her beauty that first day, down by the river, and knew it was his trainers daughter, the woman that was hidden from the world. He saw the carriage roll into the courtyard and in the glow of the torches, saw a veiled woman, whom he felt a strange attraction to.
~*~*~
The cold wind caressed Ginny's cheeks, sending shivers down her spine. She had checked the map over and over again, but she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, or had it turned around from the beginning! It seemed hopeless, traveling when all she could see at a time was what her small circle of wand light allowed. Draco was now hovering beside her, rather than in front. She had nearly run him into a tree not too long ago.
It didn't seem possible, the sky had grown darker. Ginny looked up and saw a huge black cloud cover the moon and most of the stars. The night seemed complete now, an enemy trying to befuddle her and trip her up. She gripped her wand tighter, looked down at Draco, who was now moaning in his sleep, but still far from consciousness.
~*~*~
Pain of forever.
This next scene was different. First it was the desert, cruel in all its entirety, along the life giving waters of the wealthiest Kingdom on earth. He felt an emotion deep within him stir as he watched the woman come into view. He longed for her, but knew he could never show his love. He watched her suffer through three mis-carriages and yearned to take her away from her pain. When she first touched him he felt truly alive! But he could never commit treason, so he feigned indifference. It did more harm than good, for his emotions were boiling over and erupted that night.their first night. Sitting in his room, planning the next meeting with his love, evil descended.
"You will never have her," The hiss. "As long as time goes on you will forever be separated, spending eternity longing.but never having."
That was the true pain. The poison was minor compared to the knowledge that a curse was set upon himself and the one he loved. He tried warning her as she entered his room with the evil, but his voice was gone. The last strength he had was killing the man who forced himself on her. And he died in her arms, separated from the life they should have spent together.
~*~*~
"No!" Draco yelled, startling Ginny so bad she screamed.
Ginny's concentration was shattered, and her spell broke. Draco came crashing down to the ground and lay on a thick layer of dead leaves. Ginny's heart was racing in her chest, deafening her to the sounds around her. Once she had got control of herself she knelt beside Draco and noticed his eyes were now open, though they seemed to be staring at empty space.
"Draco?" Ginny brought her hands to his cheek, checking his temperature.
He seemed to be gulping down air and trying to speak at the same time. "The curse.he did it."
Draco groped around in the dark with his hands and when they came into contact with Ginny's shoulder he gently brought her towards him. He was shaking and his hands were clammy.
"Don't leave me-ever! I'll die if you go again."
Needless to say, Ginny was very confused. What was he talking about, the curse? As far as she knew she was curse free, all her faculties were in check and nothing foreign was sprouting on any part of her body. Draco seemed perfectly fine as well, besides the fact he was rambling.
"Draco, it's ok.we're safe for now." Ginny began caressing his cheek, and his eyes finally came into focus long enough to stare into her eyes.
He saw them again, all the lives, pass through her eyes. He wondered why he had never seen them before, it was so obvious. And then the events of this life came crashing down on him. All the hurt he had put her through, dogging her steps only to push her down, or humiliate her. He felt sick with himself and wanted to hide from all his faults, but they were staring him right in the face.
"Draco?" Ginny was getting worried, he was no longer focused on her. "Stay with me, Draco! Stay awake!" She began tapping her hands on his cheek in hopes to awake him.
Draco blinked, scrunching his face, then opened his eyes again, "Where are we?" He said, looking now at the trees surrounding them.
Ginny laughed, "I don't know, really. I was hoping you would tell me that."
The ground was very soft and soggy and Draco's hand sank through the many layers of dead leaves as he propped himself up. He was fine, other than a slight headache directly behind his eyes. He looked around again at the woods and then everything came rushing back to him.
He had left Hogwarts to come here, to get Ginny. He knew he had to get to the fort to see which dungeon his Father had put her in, but before he even reached the place he saw Ginny and that little girl coming towards them. He knew he frightened them, being in his wolf form, but he felt it would be safer to remain in his animagus state. This way Ginny would trust him and if he was seen no one would know who he was.
He hadn't, however, planned on two guards finding his broom, the only safe escape out of the woods. He knew that the only other way out would be to go to the fort and either find the broom, or risk using the Floo network. When he saw Ginny fall on their way out of the cave he immediately changed back into himself and rescued her, but the little girl had seen. He quickly explained the way out, then left, but always watching them, hiding behind trees, bushes, sneaking into the house long before they arrived and stunning the guards, then hiding in the shadows. Everything was working, the little girl went first through the fire, but Ginny had been distracted and walked towards the long table. He panicked when he saw his Father enter and start attacking her.
"I'm not sure.I've only been here twice before." Draco rubbed his hand against his head, hoping to massage the headache away. "But it's enchanted, there's no way out except the Floo network, and now that'll be heavily guarded."
"Come on, there's got to be some way.some emergency escape?" Ginny brought the map so that Draco could see. "Anywhere on here? Does any of this look familiar?"
Draco snatched the map from her and stared at it, disbelieving. "Where'd you get this?"
"I, uh, stole it from back there." Ginny's face blushed slightly.
"Ginny, my Dad only made one of these maps. It shows all the dungeons and if-" Draco stopped talking and grabbed her wand as well. Ginny was about to protest, but stopped when she saw what he did next.
He touched one of the dungeons with the tip of the wand and said, "Reveal!" Small, spindly handwriting began appearing in that rectangle. Ginny stared at the names in shock disbelief.
"I know that girl!" She said. "And him too! They're here? In this wood?"
Draco nodded his head, and a few moments longer the handwriting faded off the page.
"Where is this?" She asked, pointing towards the now empty rectangle.
Draco touched the wand again to the rectangle and said, "Direct!" The same small, spindly handwriting drew a small dot off to the side of the rectangle, then etched a line from the dot, to the rectangle, noting the different landmarks on the way.
"We have to get them!" Ginny breathed. "We have to get them out of there!"
"We?" Draco questioned. "No, I came to get you, not the whole lot of them."
"But Draco! That's not humane!"
"No, it's called being safe, now let me think.there was something about the water being a weak point."
"Draco!" Ginny disturbed his thoughts. "I'm not leaving until we get them out of there." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, yes you are, if I have to carry you out."
"I'd like to see you try."
"Listen!" Draco shouted, causing to Ginny to jump. "Soon my Father's going to wake up, if he hasn't already, and one he realizes what's happened he'll call every man in the woods to hunt you down. He already thinks I'm here somewhere, though I'm sure he doesn't know why. If he finds you, Ginny, you're dead.in the literal sense of the word."
Ginny gulped, cast her eyes to the ground, then looked back up. "I said I'm not leaving."
Draco narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Fine, it's your life."
Draco repeated the spell on the paper, and the line appeared once more. He memorized the way, taking mental notes, and watched as the line disappeared. He then began walking in the direction the map had pointed out, Ginny following closely behind. It was eerily silent, except for the sound of their footprints.
"I hope Lisbeth is alright." Ginny said aloud to break the silence.
Draco made an inaudible reply.
"Maybe she already told my Father and they're now on their way."
"Right."
"It could happen.they could be on their way."
"Oh, I'm sure he is, but that would be his first mistake."
"What do you mean?"
Draco stopped, then turned to face Ginny, "Don't you get it yet?" He paused. "Think, why would my Father kidnap you?"
Ginny had often thought about that question, but had never been able to answer it. Her Father wasn't real prominent in the Ministry and it wasn't a big secret that they were poor.
"My Father's using you as bait. And once your Father gets here, mine will kill him. You don't know how many times your Dad's been close to pinning something on my Dad. Once Arthur Weasley, the Muggle lover, is out of the way, my Father's path would be much clearer."
Ginny thought of this as they made their way deeper into the woods. It was true, Arthur had come home on numerous occasions always saying how he had gotten good leads on how to incriminate Lucius, but he always seemed to be out of reach. It would only be a matter of time before Lucius decided ending Arthur's life would be much safer than going about his business with someone always poking into his business.
Ginny had been deep in thought when she noticed that Draco had stopped.
"This is it." He said.
Looking down, Ginny could see a very large hole in the trunk of a very large tree. The interior of the tree was very hard to see, considering the night time conditions.
"Ladies first." Draco placed his hand on her back and nudged her towards the hole.
There was barely room for her to crouch down and then Draco entered, making it a very tight fit. Ginny was thinking that they had been lead to the wrong spot before she felt a jerking movement in the ground, and then the sensation of going down. It took the good part of five minutes before they stopped with another jerk. She heard the squeak of hinges, and then saw that a door was being opened to a well lit hallway, which mirrored the dungeon she had been in.
Ginny ran past Draco and into the hallway, her footsteps echoing off the walls. "Is there anyone here?" She called.
A sudden movement was heard just ahead, and Ginny ran along until she saw one of the occupied cells. A boy was getting off of his cot and stared at her disbelieving her. If Ginny hadn't already known who would be down here, she would have never recognized him.
"Cort?" She stared at his tattered clothes, and his frail body.
The last time Ginny had seen him was in the Gryffindor Common room, just before Christmas break. He was a year younger than her, but she had helped him with an Herbology essay once.
"G-Ginny?" He rushed towards the bars and grabbed hold. "Is it really you?" He rubbed his eyes, then looked back up at her.
Ginny suddenly felt her own dirtied, ratty clothes and matted down hair. She could tell from the look in his eyes, that he had deduced that she had also been a prisoner at one point.
"Who's there, Cort?" A female voice asked from further down the hall.
"It's Samantha, from Ravenclaw." Cort informed her, though she already knew. "We've been down here for-we don't even know how long!"
"We're gonna get you out!" Ginny said, digging in her pockets, producing the ring of keys.
"Where'd you get those?" Cort asked as his cell was opened.
"I, um, borrowed them." Ginny smiled, then ran down to Samantha's cell and freed her as well.
"Ginny, Sam! Duck!" Cort yelled.
Ginny turned around and saw Cort go after Draco. Ginny ran down the hall just in time to break up the fight before it escalated into something worse.
"No, Cort, he's helping! He saved me.it's ok!"
Cort glared at Draco, then turned to Ginny.
"We can't trust him." He said under his breath, to Ginny.
"Fine, then stay down here, for all I care. I'm the only one who knows the way out.although, you could ask my Father when he comes to check on you."
Samantha had walked up to them by then, and studied the three faces. Cort nodded his head in consent, and followed Draco, Ginny and Samantha out of the dungeon. The fresh air was the best thing that happened to him in a long while, and he just wanted to stand there, underneath the dark sky and breath it all in.
"Ok, now we can leave."
"Wait!" Ginny tugged on Draco's arm. "There are more rectangles, and more prisoners!"
Draco looked as if Ginny had sprouted another head. "You said you wanted to rescue these two! We've rescued them, now let's go!"
"You can leave, for all I care, but you'll hand over my wand and the map first."
They had a short staring contest, both Cort and Sam looked from one to the other, wondering who would give in first.
"Fine!" Draco said, "We'll rescue them all! Although we'll probably get killed in the end."
Ginny smiled, and watched as Draco placed the wand over another rectangle, revealing more names Ginny recognized from school.
WARNING!!! Do not read the following Author's Note unless you have read ALL of Order of the Pheonix!
(A/N: Yay, I loved the book to pieces! I know when Harry started seeing Cho I was REALLY mad because although I love Draco/Ginny fics I just don't see J.K. Rowling writing that ship. So, I know that in the books, in my mind, Harry and Ginny should get together. I was even thinking before the book was out that it would be good for Harry to go out with Cho and realize that he only liked liking her, you know, in love with the idea of being in love. I felt it would be good for him to come to terms with relationships and how he wanted his to be, so that when he finally saw Ginny in that light he'd know!!! ::wink wink::
Now, this Professor Umbridge/Ministry of Magic fiasco! I cannot believe they would do that! It's like communist Russia! The newspapers print what the "establishment" dictate, they place people on their paryroll in officiating positions at Hogwarts, and cause the people to think Harry was a fake who was going mad! Not to mention taking bribes and information to pay for freedom. It sickened me to no end, and by the time I got halfway I wanted to physically hurt that Umbridge woman!
Ok, the sad part, Sirius dying. I knew a character died, and all along I thought it would be Neville, I must admit. I thought that he would die taking a blast from someone's wand, saving Harry, and thus having his memory cherished by every wizard thereafter. Well, I was wrong. When I read the part about Sirius dying I wondered if J.K. wanted her readers to cry, because I admit I had no tears in my eyes, though I was thoroughly distraught. After finishing the book I thought, "Ok, Sirius is dead.I'm okay with this.I can cope." But then a day or so after I was very torn, "No!" I shouted. "You can't kill him! I need him to be in the other books! Kill Lupin! I don't need him!" I dunno, I just felt Sirius had some unresolved issues that Lupin didn't. I would have liked to see Sirius and Snape come to some understanding, a truce of sorts, admitting, though not in words, that they were both wrong and sorry. Plus, I fell in love with the character, so I might just have to write an A/U fic with Sirius in it.hmm.maybe the mysterious veil not really death, but a middle point.hmm..
C'est tout!)
Well, here y'all go! Another chappy!)
Chapter Fifteen: The Pain of Centuries
The room was silent as Ginny stared down at the crumpled body of the one person she had not expected to be here. She fell to her knees by his side, feeling the warm trail of tears on her cheeks. Slowly she held her hand out to the silver hair that covered his face and brushed it back revealing a large bruise over his eye and his lip cut and bleeding. His breathing was very shallow and his skin was cold to the touch.
"Draco?" Ginny whispered. "Oh, please don't die-please."
There seemed to be not much Ginny could do. She didn't know any healing spells and all she could do was try to revive him by shaking him by the shoulders. He lay there, unmoving, showing no signs of awakening.
"Draco.I knew I loved you.I knew it all along. Please don't go-don't leave me.I know now.I know."
Ginny lowered herself so she could embrace Draco, her cheek was touching his as she whispered, "I love you." She then turned slightly so she could place a light kiss on his lips.
~*~*~
Everything was happening so fast. It was like Draco was sitting, watching different scenes pass by, sometimes going so fast he could barely make out who was in them, then they'd suddenly slow down so that he had a clear picture of the people. He hadn't a clue why or how this was happening, but as he saw each scene he felt apart of himself awake, a part of him he never knew existed. The funny thing was that they seemed to be going backwards.
Pain of betrayal.
He felt such hatred, mixed with the deepest love as he saw the elegant brunette. He had felt she loved him too, but it was all a plot.all a plot. He wooed her and showed his affection openly, but she warned she had no heart. He saw her across the salon, drinking tea with a man his Father warned him about. How could such a beautiful woman dine with such a horrible man? Then, the first time he had ever saw her was when she was on stage. He could not keep his eyes off of her and inquired after her, but she would be leaving for America soon.well, so would he then.
~*~*~
Ginny rushed to the fireplace and searched the mantle piece for the container of Floo Powder, but it wasn't there. She looked down at the ground, moving a broken chair out of the way to reveal the shattered pieces of the container, along with a spattering of green powder, most of it having sunk through the cracks in the wood paneled floor.
"No." Ginny got on her hands and knees trying to scoop up the remaining powder, but it wasn't nearly enough to get herself through the fire, let alone her and Draco.
After wiping her hands on her clothes, she frantically began searching the room for any other means of escaping this place. She didn't know what she would be looking for, maybe a piece of paper explaining in detail how to escape, but that was hopeful wishing. The room was a mess, parchments scattered the floor, a few broken wands, the shattered remains of the meal on the now broken table. And then Draco, still lying as still as death.
"Someone help me!"
~*~*~
Pain of loss.
It tore at his very heart, the woman he loved hung in front of him. The locket was returned to him, but his love was gone. He begged his Father to release her, but he declared she was a witch. He knew he loved her, even before they would meet secretly in the woods. He saved her from the death of the water, which only enhanced his love. Why wouldn't she ever notice him? No matter what he did--tease her, flirt with her cousin-- nothing would do. She looked so sad being escorted to her home with her Aunt and Uncle. He knew her Mother and Father had died and she'd be living with them.she was so sad and beautiful.
~*~*~
One thing that Ginny was proud of remembering was the hovering charm, which was now put into action. Draco was gliding about waist in front of Ginny as she left the fort, the moon light casting blue shadows over his body. Ginny looked back once at the flickering lights of the window and hoped nobody would wake up until she was quite far away. She looked down at the paper in her hand with help from her wand light and frowned.
The map showed that the wood was very huge and in the center of it was the building she had just left. She had no idea which way to go, which way would lead her to civilization, or which way would lead her to something horrible. She actually didn't care at the moment, as long as she put more distance between herself and Lucius Malfoy. She shuddered, remembering the horrible look in his eyes as he shook her. She actually thought for a second that he would kill her and that she would never see her family again, test out Fred and George's new experiments, laugh with Ron, share her secrets with Lisa. But that was when the wolf-Draco-saved her.
~*~*~
Pain of pride.
He searched for her everywhere, but he could not find her. His Father had disowned him when he ran out, refusing to marry the Princess, vowing to find the woman who had run away. She had said yes when he asked her to marry him, sharing his love with her own. The many times they spent in the woods, his love growing each day. He saw her beauty that first day, down by the river, and knew it was his trainers daughter, the woman that was hidden from the world. He saw the carriage roll into the courtyard and in the glow of the torches, saw a veiled woman, whom he felt a strange attraction to.
~*~*~
The cold wind caressed Ginny's cheeks, sending shivers down her spine. She had checked the map over and over again, but she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, or had it turned around from the beginning! It seemed hopeless, traveling when all she could see at a time was what her small circle of wand light allowed. Draco was now hovering beside her, rather than in front. She had nearly run him into a tree not too long ago.
It didn't seem possible, the sky had grown darker. Ginny looked up and saw a huge black cloud cover the moon and most of the stars. The night seemed complete now, an enemy trying to befuddle her and trip her up. She gripped her wand tighter, looked down at Draco, who was now moaning in his sleep, but still far from consciousness.
~*~*~
Pain of forever.
This next scene was different. First it was the desert, cruel in all its entirety, along the life giving waters of the wealthiest Kingdom on earth. He felt an emotion deep within him stir as he watched the woman come into view. He longed for her, but knew he could never show his love. He watched her suffer through three mis-carriages and yearned to take her away from her pain. When she first touched him he felt truly alive! But he could never commit treason, so he feigned indifference. It did more harm than good, for his emotions were boiling over and erupted that night.their first night. Sitting in his room, planning the next meeting with his love, evil descended.
"You will never have her," The hiss. "As long as time goes on you will forever be separated, spending eternity longing.but never having."
That was the true pain. The poison was minor compared to the knowledge that a curse was set upon himself and the one he loved. He tried warning her as she entered his room with the evil, but his voice was gone. The last strength he had was killing the man who forced himself on her. And he died in her arms, separated from the life they should have spent together.
~*~*~
"No!" Draco yelled, startling Ginny so bad she screamed.
Ginny's concentration was shattered, and her spell broke. Draco came crashing down to the ground and lay on a thick layer of dead leaves. Ginny's heart was racing in her chest, deafening her to the sounds around her. Once she had got control of herself she knelt beside Draco and noticed his eyes were now open, though they seemed to be staring at empty space.
"Draco?" Ginny brought her hands to his cheek, checking his temperature.
He seemed to be gulping down air and trying to speak at the same time. "The curse.he did it."
Draco groped around in the dark with his hands and when they came into contact with Ginny's shoulder he gently brought her towards him. He was shaking and his hands were clammy.
"Don't leave me-ever! I'll die if you go again."
Needless to say, Ginny was very confused. What was he talking about, the curse? As far as she knew she was curse free, all her faculties were in check and nothing foreign was sprouting on any part of her body. Draco seemed perfectly fine as well, besides the fact he was rambling.
"Draco, it's ok.we're safe for now." Ginny began caressing his cheek, and his eyes finally came into focus long enough to stare into her eyes.
He saw them again, all the lives, pass through her eyes. He wondered why he had never seen them before, it was so obvious. And then the events of this life came crashing down on him. All the hurt he had put her through, dogging her steps only to push her down, or humiliate her. He felt sick with himself and wanted to hide from all his faults, but they were staring him right in the face.
"Draco?" Ginny was getting worried, he was no longer focused on her. "Stay with me, Draco! Stay awake!" She began tapping her hands on his cheek in hopes to awake him.
Draco blinked, scrunching his face, then opened his eyes again, "Where are we?" He said, looking now at the trees surrounding them.
Ginny laughed, "I don't know, really. I was hoping you would tell me that."
The ground was very soft and soggy and Draco's hand sank through the many layers of dead leaves as he propped himself up. He was fine, other than a slight headache directly behind his eyes. He looked around again at the woods and then everything came rushing back to him.
He had left Hogwarts to come here, to get Ginny. He knew he had to get to the fort to see which dungeon his Father had put her in, but before he even reached the place he saw Ginny and that little girl coming towards them. He knew he frightened them, being in his wolf form, but he felt it would be safer to remain in his animagus state. This way Ginny would trust him and if he was seen no one would know who he was.
He hadn't, however, planned on two guards finding his broom, the only safe escape out of the woods. He knew that the only other way out would be to go to the fort and either find the broom, or risk using the Floo network. When he saw Ginny fall on their way out of the cave he immediately changed back into himself and rescued her, but the little girl had seen. He quickly explained the way out, then left, but always watching them, hiding behind trees, bushes, sneaking into the house long before they arrived and stunning the guards, then hiding in the shadows. Everything was working, the little girl went first through the fire, but Ginny had been distracted and walked towards the long table. He panicked when he saw his Father enter and start attacking her.
"I'm not sure.I've only been here twice before." Draco rubbed his hand against his head, hoping to massage the headache away. "But it's enchanted, there's no way out except the Floo network, and now that'll be heavily guarded."
"Come on, there's got to be some way.some emergency escape?" Ginny brought the map so that Draco could see. "Anywhere on here? Does any of this look familiar?"
Draco snatched the map from her and stared at it, disbelieving. "Where'd you get this?"
"I, uh, stole it from back there." Ginny's face blushed slightly.
"Ginny, my Dad only made one of these maps. It shows all the dungeons and if-" Draco stopped talking and grabbed her wand as well. Ginny was about to protest, but stopped when she saw what he did next.
He touched one of the dungeons with the tip of the wand and said, "Reveal!" Small, spindly handwriting began appearing in that rectangle. Ginny stared at the names in shock disbelief.
"I know that girl!" She said. "And him too! They're here? In this wood?"
Draco nodded his head, and a few moments longer the handwriting faded off the page.
"Where is this?" She asked, pointing towards the now empty rectangle.
Draco touched the wand again to the rectangle and said, "Direct!" The same small, spindly handwriting drew a small dot off to the side of the rectangle, then etched a line from the dot, to the rectangle, noting the different landmarks on the way.
"We have to get them!" Ginny breathed. "We have to get them out of there!"
"We?" Draco questioned. "No, I came to get you, not the whole lot of them."
"But Draco! That's not humane!"
"No, it's called being safe, now let me think.there was something about the water being a weak point."
"Draco!" Ginny disturbed his thoughts. "I'm not leaving until we get them out of there." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, yes you are, if I have to carry you out."
"I'd like to see you try."
"Listen!" Draco shouted, causing to Ginny to jump. "Soon my Father's going to wake up, if he hasn't already, and one he realizes what's happened he'll call every man in the woods to hunt you down. He already thinks I'm here somewhere, though I'm sure he doesn't know why. If he finds you, Ginny, you're dead.in the literal sense of the word."
Ginny gulped, cast her eyes to the ground, then looked back up. "I said I'm not leaving."
Draco narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Fine, it's your life."
Draco repeated the spell on the paper, and the line appeared once more. He memorized the way, taking mental notes, and watched as the line disappeared. He then began walking in the direction the map had pointed out, Ginny following closely behind. It was eerily silent, except for the sound of their footprints.
"I hope Lisbeth is alright." Ginny said aloud to break the silence.
Draco made an inaudible reply.
"Maybe she already told my Father and they're now on their way."
"Right."
"It could happen.they could be on their way."
"Oh, I'm sure he is, but that would be his first mistake."
"What do you mean?"
Draco stopped, then turned to face Ginny, "Don't you get it yet?" He paused. "Think, why would my Father kidnap you?"
Ginny had often thought about that question, but had never been able to answer it. Her Father wasn't real prominent in the Ministry and it wasn't a big secret that they were poor.
"My Father's using you as bait. And once your Father gets here, mine will kill him. You don't know how many times your Dad's been close to pinning something on my Dad. Once Arthur Weasley, the Muggle lover, is out of the way, my Father's path would be much clearer."
Ginny thought of this as they made their way deeper into the woods. It was true, Arthur had come home on numerous occasions always saying how he had gotten good leads on how to incriminate Lucius, but he always seemed to be out of reach. It would only be a matter of time before Lucius decided ending Arthur's life would be much safer than going about his business with someone always poking into his business.
Ginny had been deep in thought when she noticed that Draco had stopped.
"This is it." He said.
Looking down, Ginny could see a very large hole in the trunk of a very large tree. The interior of the tree was very hard to see, considering the night time conditions.
"Ladies first." Draco placed his hand on her back and nudged her towards the hole.
There was barely room for her to crouch down and then Draco entered, making it a very tight fit. Ginny was thinking that they had been lead to the wrong spot before she felt a jerking movement in the ground, and then the sensation of going down. It took the good part of five minutes before they stopped with another jerk. She heard the squeak of hinges, and then saw that a door was being opened to a well lit hallway, which mirrored the dungeon she had been in.
Ginny ran past Draco and into the hallway, her footsteps echoing off the walls. "Is there anyone here?" She called.
A sudden movement was heard just ahead, and Ginny ran along until she saw one of the occupied cells. A boy was getting off of his cot and stared at her disbelieving her. If Ginny hadn't already known who would be down here, she would have never recognized him.
"Cort?" She stared at his tattered clothes, and his frail body.
The last time Ginny had seen him was in the Gryffindor Common room, just before Christmas break. He was a year younger than her, but she had helped him with an Herbology essay once.
"G-Ginny?" He rushed towards the bars and grabbed hold. "Is it really you?" He rubbed his eyes, then looked back up at her.
Ginny suddenly felt her own dirtied, ratty clothes and matted down hair. She could tell from the look in his eyes, that he had deduced that she had also been a prisoner at one point.
"Who's there, Cort?" A female voice asked from further down the hall.
"It's Samantha, from Ravenclaw." Cort informed her, though she already knew. "We've been down here for-we don't even know how long!"
"We're gonna get you out!" Ginny said, digging in her pockets, producing the ring of keys.
"Where'd you get those?" Cort asked as his cell was opened.
"I, um, borrowed them." Ginny smiled, then ran down to Samantha's cell and freed her as well.
"Ginny, Sam! Duck!" Cort yelled.
Ginny turned around and saw Cort go after Draco. Ginny ran down the hall just in time to break up the fight before it escalated into something worse.
"No, Cort, he's helping! He saved me.it's ok!"
Cort glared at Draco, then turned to Ginny.
"We can't trust him." He said under his breath, to Ginny.
"Fine, then stay down here, for all I care. I'm the only one who knows the way out.although, you could ask my Father when he comes to check on you."
Samantha had walked up to them by then, and studied the three faces. Cort nodded his head in consent, and followed Draco, Ginny and Samantha out of the dungeon. The fresh air was the best thing that happened to him in a long while, and he just wanted to stand there, underneath the dark sky and breath it all in.
"Ok, now we can leave."
"Wait!" Ginny tugged on Draco's arm. "There are more rectangles, and more prisoners!"
Draco looked as if Ginny had sprouted another head. "You said you wanted to rescue these two! We've rescued them, now let's go!"
"You can leave, for all I care, but you'll hand over my wand and the map first."
They had a short staring contest, both Cort and Sam looked from one to the other, wondering who would give in first.
"Fine!" Draco said, "We'll rescue them all! Although we'll probably get killed in the end."
Ginny smiled, and watched as Draco placed the wand over another rectangle, revealing more names Ginny recognized from school.
WARNING!!! Do not read the following Author's Note unless you have read ALL of Order of the Pheonix!
(A/N: Yay, I loved the book to pieces! I know when Harry started seeing Cho I was REALLY mad because although I love Draco/Ginny fics I just don't see J.K. Rowling writing that ship. So, I know that in the books, in my mind, Harry and Ginny should get together. I was even thinking before the book was out that it would be good for Harry to go out with Cho and realize that he only liked liking her, you know, in love with the idea of being in love. I felt it would be good for him to come to terms with relationships and how he wanted his to be, so that when he finally saw Ginny in that light he'd know!!! ::wink wink::
Now, this Professor Umbridge/Ministry of Magic fiasco! I cannot believe they would do that! It's like communist Russia! The newspapers print what the "establishment" dictate, they place people on their paryroll in officiating positions at Hogwarts, and cause the people to think Harry was a fake who was going mad! Not to mention taking bribes and information to pay for freedom. It sickened me to no end, and by the time I got halfway I wanted to physically hurt that Umbridge woman!
Ok, the sad part, Sirius dying. I knew a character died, and all along I thought it would be Neville, I must admit. I thought that he would die taking a blast from someone's wand, saving Harry, and thus having his memory cherished by every wizard thereafter. Well, I was wrong. When I read the part about Sirius dying I wondered if J.K. wanted her readers to cry, because I admit I had no tears in my eyes, though I was thoroughly distraught. After finishing the book I thought, "Ok, Sirius is dead.I'm okay with this.I can cope." But then a day or so after I was very torn, "No!" I shouted. "You can't kill him! I need him to be in the other books! Kill Lupin! I don't need him!" I dunno, I just felt Sirius had some unresolved issues that Lupin didn't. I would have liked to see Sirius and Snape come to some understanding, a truce of sorts, admitting, though not in words, that they were both wrong and sorry. Plus, I fell in love with the character, so I might just have to write an A/U fic with Sirius in it.hmm.maybe the mysterious veil not really death, but a middle point.hmm..
C'est tout!)