2.
Lucius Malfoy looked out of the window of the carriage into the romanian
woods. They were at the same time so like and so unlike the english wood he
was used to. Not light and green, but dark and inhospitale. And here it was
much darker than usual.
"Hey, Adam, are we going the right way here?" he asked the man on the coach- box.
"Right?"
Lucius sighed softly. Adam Mac Dogall, the father of his gooddaughter was a brilliant wizard, but he couldn´t find the way from his bedroom to the bath. He had thougth, that any idiot could find the way to Bruna but obviously Adam had made the impossible possible. Lucius examined more serious the landscape and realized that they were in fact not were they should have been. He should have looked out intstead of daydreaming.
"Adam stop, we must have a look, and see were we are."
"Where we are?"Adam looked at him questionaly," oh, the way. I`m so sorry, Lucius. I was just thinking about our project. I think we are lost."
"It´s okay," Lucius sighed again exasperated and stepped out of the carriage," let´s just look at the map."
"Where are we?" Narcissa, Draco and Clair also stepped out of the carriage.
"We just gone off route a bit, my dear. Don´t worry." He hadn´t finished his sentence, when a little dragon suddenly flew down. He changed his direction when he saw them but it was enough to make Narcissas white cat flee with a cry.
"Duchess!"
Lucius sighed, the last thing the needed right now. "Draco, would you please look after your mother's cat."
Draco grinned as he saw the grimace his father made: "Yes, Sir. Come Clair, we'll go for a little walk."
"Okay." The small girl with the brown hair joined him and they went into the forest. Lucius looked at the map in order to find out where they could be. He had just sucedeed as he heard a terrible cry. Draco and Clair? Lucius turned around and hurried to follow them.
Ginny had lost the feeling of time. She didn´t know how long she was laying there. Two days, three days. All she knew was that her mouth was sore and she was hungry like never before in her life. In the beginning she had tried to move but it was too painful and soon she was too weak.
And now she began having hallucinations, too. A white cat had just jumbed on her. A white cat in the middle of the romanian forests. And suddenly there was also a girl, which looked at her terrified and let out a cry. A girl, she knew, although she couldn´t remember the name. She closed her eyes again. Just a dream. But then someone seemed to lifted her head, something touched her lips and suddenly water was flowing into her mouth. Ginnny swallowed, coughed, then swallowed agien. Finnally she decided, that this was no dream and opened her eyes again. She looked in worried grey eyes and realized that a young man was holding her. A young man, she knew very well. But what was Draco Malfoy doing here?
Lucius needed no more then two minutes to find Draco and Clair. Both seemed unhurt, although very pale, but they were not alone. Draco knelt by a girl. She looked bad, covered in dirt and blood, with rotten clothes and fearful eyes - but the red hair couldn´t be overlooked. She must be Arthur Weasley´s youngest child - how was her name - Virginia? How come she was here? Specially in this bad condition?
He knelt side to side to Draco. "What happened? What are you doing here?" he asked softly.
"Vampires," she murmured, " the camp - the camp for the research on the misty blue dragons. My brothers and the others, you must help them ." her voice broke in fear.
"We will look after them," Lucius reassured her, when he lifted her gently.," how many people were in the camp?"
"Bill . Charley .and seven workers," he felt her trembling against him when he carried her back to the carriage followed by Draco and Clair, who both looked very worried. She had nearly no weight, he observed, when she had last eaten?
Narcissa and Adam rushed to him, when he stepped out of the forest.
"What´s happend?" exclaimed Adam, " who is that?"
"Her name is Ginny Weasley. We were in the same year in Hogwarts," explained his daughter.
"What did happpend to her?" Narcissa made a bed out of her traveling cloak, where Lucius could lay her down," poor girl."
"Another attack," answered her husband, shortly," didn´t Elacin say something about a camp for dragon research, near the ruins of the old Holy ghost church? I think we better see if there are other suvivers. Adam, come with me."
"But father. "
"No, " Lucius ignored the pleading eyes of his son," you stay here and take care of the women. And whatever happens you don´t follow us." Lucius would never allow his son or one of the women to see what they would find on the hill top. Silent he and Adam took their brooms and flew up the hill. A few minutes later they reached the camp. Another attack, no, corrected Lucius himself, a massacre. The young men couldn´t be helped anymore. They lay there on the ground with horrorfying wounds, some of them barely recongizable.
Adam stumbled to the bushes and began to vomit. Also Lucius felt sick, but here were only eight men and hadn´t Ginny told him, that two of her brothers were with her? Carefully he stepped down the hill and suddenly caught sight of something red. Red hair. Someone was laying there in the rocks. He flew down with his broom and landed beside him.
When Adam finally followed him he found Lucius kneeling by the side of the young man, feeling his pulse.
"He is still alive, but very badly hurt, as far as I can see," Lucius looked up," listen to me. You go back to the carriage and drive as fast as you can to Bruna. Or better let Clair drive. I will apperate with him directly."
"But no one is allowed to apperate in Bruna," protested his friend, ," the duc . "
"Now is not the time for etiquette," Lucius snappped at him," he´ll die if he doesn't get help very quickly. Just take care of my family." Then he closed his eyes in concentration.
Ginny felt very weak. She had woken up a bit, as Mr. Mafloy carried her away and her tears had began to flow again while answering his questions.
"Hey, don´t cry ," she felt Draco's hand in hers. She nodded and sqeezed his hand. She hold onto it while Narcissa wrapped her in a cloak.
"Do you want some more water?" asked Clair and helped her to drink a bit. Ginny closed her eyes, but opened them abruptly, when something fell on her.
"Oh, the little dragon again," Narcissa looked at Quennie suspiciously.
"She is my friend, "murmured Ginny and wrapped the free arm around her," she must go with us." Exhausted she closed her eyes again. She barely recognized the other man coming back. When the carriage began to move again she whimpered a bit.
"Sch," she felt Narcissa protecting her against the pushes while Draco was still holding her hand. For the first time, she felt secure and slowly she drifted into sleep.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Harry and Rom drank hot chocolat sitting in the kitchen of the burrow. "And Sirius hasn´t sent an owl yet?" Harry frowned at him,"he wanted to send an owl when they´ve finished the dining room. Why do they need so much time to get that finished?"
" I´m not sure that they both really good craftsmen. I guess they are stuck and not brave enough to tell you that your future dining room looks like Snape´s class room."
"I hope not, "murmured Harry between bubbles of laugther, " I was relieved enough, that we are not moving in Grimauld place."
"Oh, you are in a good mood," said Mr. Weasley looking to them.
"Hello Dad."
"Hello Mr. Weasley."
"Hello boys, do you two want to come with me to the ministery today? I kow I had promised to take you to my work nearly a month ago, but there is so much to do ."
"It´s okay," said Ron.
"Yeah, just let us go. We both are really curious to see the new ministery."
"I know, I know," Mr. Weasley smiled and then they went with Floo Powder to the ministery, where Mr. Weasley first showed them his new office.
"Wow, that´s much bigger," observed Ron.
"It was time one of our important workers gets a bit of honour, "Fudge poked in," hello Harry, hello Ron. How are you?"
"Very well, Mr Fudge," said Ron.
"The new ministery is amazing."
"Yes, it is, isn´t it?" Fudge beamed a them."It has much stronger walls than the old one. Even if there is still someone left to attack it, they have no chance. A new ministery, a new future, that´s what Gabriel is saying. And you are the one which has garanted this new future, Harry."
"No," Harry blushed," I had a of lot help."
"Modesty is something good,"said a voice behind them,"but sometimes you should claim the prize for what you did."
They turned around. Gabriel was a handsome man of around thirty. He had a very impressive face surronded by redblond hair. Bright green eyes looked at the visitors." And do you like our new ministery?"
"It´s very nice."
"Good I´m very happy, that you like it. But I'm afraid I have to go back to work again. You know, a lot to do at the moment. Have you made the list for me Arthur?"
"Yes, but I don´t think ."
"Excellent," Gabriel just ignored his last comment and left the room with the paper, Arthur had handed to him.
"I´m really not sure if this lists are such a good idea," said Mr. Weasley to Fudge."Making all these lists of innocent people."
"I´m not very happy about it either. But if Gabriel is right and there are still followers of you know who around ."
"Do you really think, they are some of Vordmort´s folks left?" asked Harry," I thought they were all on the run?"
"Yeah, but someone must have helped them flee. And maybe they are a group - it could be dangerous."
"But destroying the life of innocent people ..."
"If they are innocent," Fudge sighed," I don't feel very happy about it myself, but it´s better to suspect innnocent than to let someone dangerous escape. And we have to be discreet enough not to destroy their lifes." With a shrug he left the room.
"What about this lists?" asked Harry worried.
"It´s just a list about all people which where in Slytherin, as well as all persones who have contact with any of them."
"But that must be half of the wizarding world," protested Harry.
"I know," Mr. Weasley looked tired," but I think it´s just because everyone in the ministery is so nervous, because they have no trace to the ones who helped the Slytherin to flee. I´m sure in two months everything will have calmed down. But I have to work now."
"And if your father isn´t right?" asked Harry sorrowful, as they left the ministery," I mean, if they really check everyone ."
"I don´ t think, it´s really a problem. It´s a lot of work, sure. But maybe they'll find the bad guys and if not - they have to do it another way."
"That´s not the problem Ron." Harry looked very worried." Just imagine somewhere where erveryone is suspected."
Ron gave him a confused glare. He had obviuosly never read 1984 or heard of MacCarthey. But maybe Harry exaggerated. He gave Ron a smile:" Forget it. Just let´s go back to the Burrow."
Ron nooded in agreement and they went into the floo network once more, appearing seconds later in the kitchen of the burrow.
"What do you think of a short fly to relax a bit?" asked Harry.
"Good idea."
But before they could get their brooms a nearly hysteric Mrs. Weasley come into the kitchen: "Oh, finally you are back. I have bad news for you. Something happened to Sirius."
"Hey, Adam, are we going the right way here?" he asked the man on the coach- box.
"Right?"
Lucius sighed softly. Adam Mac Dogall, the father of his gooddaughter was a brilliant wizard, but he couldn´t find the way from his bedroom to the bath. He had thougth, that any idiot could find the way to Bruna but obviously Adam had made the impossible possible. Lucius examined more serious the landscape and realized that they were in fact not were they should have been. He should have looked out intstead of daydreaming.
"Adam stop, we must have a look, and see were we are."
"Where we are?"Adam looked at him questionaly," oh, the way. I`m so sorry, Lucius. I was just thinking about our project. I think we are lost."
"It´s okay," Lucius sighed again exasperated and stepped out of the carriage," let´s just look at the map."
"Where are we?" Narcissa, Draco and Clair also stepped out of the carriage.
"We just gone off route a bit, my dear. Don´t worry." He hadn´t finished his sentence, when a little dragon suddenly flew down. He changed his direction when he saw them but it was enough to make Narcissas white cat flee with a cry.
"Duchess!"
Lucius sighed, the last thing the needed right now. "Draco, would you please look after your mother's cat."
Draco grinned as he saw the grimace his father made: "Yes, Sir. Come Clair, we'll go for a little walk."
"Okay." The small girl with the brown hair joined him and they went into the forest. Lucius looked at the map in order to find out where they could be. He had just sucedeed as he heard a terrible cry. Draco and Clair? Lucius turned around and hurried to follow them.
Ginny had lost the feeling of time. She didn´t know how long she was laying there. Two days, three days. All she knew was that her mouth was sore and she was hungry like never before in her life. In the beginning she had tried to move but it was too painful and soon she was too weak.
And now she began having hallucinations, too. A white cat had just jumbed on her. A white cat in the middle of the romanian forests. And suddenly there was also a girl, which looked at her terrified and let out a cry. A girl, she knew, although she couldn´t remember the name. She closed her eyes again. Just a dream. But then someone seemed to lifted her head, something touched her lips and suddenly water was flowing into her mouth. Ginnny swallowed, coughed, then swallowed agien. Finnally she decided, that this was no dream and opened her eyes again. She looked in worried grey eyes and realized that a young man was holding her. A young man, she knew very well. But what was Draco Malfoy doing here?
Lucius needed no more then two minutes to find Draco and Clair. Both seemed unhurt, although very pale, but they were not alone. Draco knelt by a girl. She looked bad, covered in dirt and blood, with rotten clothes and fearful eyes - but the red hair couldn´t be overlooked. She must be Arthur Weasley´s youngest child - how was her name - Virginia? How come she was here? Specially in this bad condition?
He knelt side to side to Draco. "What happened? What are you doing here?" he asked softly.
"Vampires," she murmured, " the camp - the camp for the research on the misty blue dragons. My brothers and the others, you must help them ." her voice broke in fear.
"We will look after them," Lucius reassured her, when he lifted her gently.," how many people were in the camp?"
"Bill . Charley .and seven workers," he felt her trembling against him when he carried her back to the carriage followed by Draco and Clair, who both looked very worried. She had nearly no weight, he observed, when she had last eaten?
Narcissa and Adam rushed to him, when he stepped out of the forest.
"What´s happend?" exclaimed Adam, " who is that?"
"Her name is Ginny Weasley. We were in the same year in Hogwarts," explained his daughter.
"What did happpend to her?" Narcissa made a bed out of her traveling cloak, where Lucius could lay her down," poor girl."
"Another attack," answered her husband, shortly," didn´t Elacin say something about a camp for dragon research, near the ruins of the old Holy ghost church? I think we better see if there are other suvivers. Adam, come with me."
"But father. "
"No, " Lucius ignored the pleading eyes of his son," you stay here and take care of the women. And whatever happens you don´t follow us." Lucius would never allow his son or one of the women to see what they would find on the hill top. Silent he and Adam took their brooms and flew up the hill. A few minutes later they reached the camp. Another attack, no, corrected Lucius himself, a massacre. The young men couldn´t be helped anymore. They lay there on the ground with horrorfying wounds, some of them barely recongizable.
Adam stumbled to the bushes and began to vomit. Also Lucius felt sick, but here were only eight men and hadn´t Ginny told him, that two of her brothers were with her? Carefully he stepped down the hill and suddenly caught sight of something red. Red hair. Someone was laying there in the rocks. He flew down with his broom and landed beside him.
When Adam finally followed him he found Lucius kneeling by the side of the young man, feeling his pulse.
"He is still alive, but very badly hurt, as far as I can see," Lucius looked up," listen to me. You go back to the carriage and drive as fast as you can to Bruna. Or better let Clair drive. I will apperate with him directly."
"But no one is allowed to apperate in Bruna," protested his friend, ," the duc . "
"Now is not the time for etiquette," Lucius snappped at him," he´ll die if he doesn't get help very quickly. Just take care of my family." Then he closed his eyes in concentration.
Ginny felt very weak. She had woken up a bit, as Mr. Mafloy carried her away and her tears had began to flow again while answering his questions.
"Hey, don´t cry ," she felt Draco's hand in hers. She nodded and sqeezed his hand. She hold onto it while Narcissa wrapped her in a cloak.
"Do you want some more water?" asked Clair and helped her to drink a bit. Ginny closed her eyes, but opened them abruptly, when something fell on her.
"Oh, the little dragon again," Narcissa looked at Quennie suspiciously.
"She is my friend, "murmured Ginny and wrapped the free arm around her," she must go with us." Exhausted she closed her eyes again. She barely recognized the other man coming back. When the carriage began to move again she whimpered a bit.
"Sch," she felt Narcissa protecting her against the pushes while Draco was still holding her hand. For the first time, she felt secure and slowly she drifted into sleep.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Harry and Rom drank hot chocolat sitting in the kitchen of the burrow. "And Sirius hasn´t sent an owl yet?" Harry frowned at him,"he wanted to send an owl when they´ve finished the dining room. Why do they need so much time to get that finished?"
" I´m not sure that they both really good craftsmen. I guess they are stuck and not brave enough to tell you that your future dining room looks like Snape´s class room."
"I hope not, "murmured Harry between bubbles of laugther, " I was relieved enough, that we are not moving in Grimauld place."
"Oh, you are in a good mood," said Mr. Weasley looking to them.
"Hello Dad."
"Hello Mr. Weasley."
"Hello boys, do you two want to come with me to the ministery today? I kow I had promised to take you to my work nearly a month ago, but there is so much to do ."
"It´s okay," said Ron.
"Yeah, just let us go. We both are really curious to see the new ministery."
"I know, I know," Mr. Weasley smiled and then they went with Floo Powder to the ministery, where Mr. Weasley first showed them his new office.
"Wow, that´s much bigger," observed Ron.
"It was time one of our important workers gets a bit of honour, "Fudge poked in," hello Harry, hello Ron. How are you?"
"Very well, Mr Fudge," said Ron.
"The new ministery is amazing."
"Yes, it is, isn´t it?" Fudge beamed a them."It has much stronger walls than the old one. Even if there is still someone left to attack it, they have no chance. A new ministery, a new future, that´s what Gabriel is saying. And you are the one which has garanted this new future, Harry."
"No," Harry blushed," I had a of lot help."
"Modesty is something good,"said a voice behind them,"but sometimes you should claim the prize for what you did."
They turned around. Gabriel was a handsome man of around thirty. He had a very impressive face surronded by redblond hair. Bright green eyes looked at the visitors." And do you like our new ministery?"
"It´s very nice."
"Good I´m very happy, that you like it. But I'm afraid I have to go back to work again. You know, a lot to do at the moment. Have you made the list for me Arthur?"
"Yes, but I don´t think ."
"Excellent," Gabriel just ignored his last comment and left the room with the paper, Arthur had handed to him.
"I´m really not sure if this lists are such a good idea," said Mr. Weasley to Fudge."Making all these lists of innocent people."
"I´m not very happy about it either. But if Gabriel is right and there are still followers of you know who around ."
"Do you really think, they are some of Vordmort´s folks left?" asked Harry," I thought they were all on the run?"
"Yeah, but someone must have helped them flee. And maybe they are a group - it could be dangerous."
"But destroying the life of innocent people ..."
"If they are innocent," Fudge sighed," I don't feel very happy about it myself, but it´s better to suspect innnocent than to let someone dangerous escape. And we have to be discreet enough not to destroy their lifes." With a shrug he left the room.
"What about this lists?" asked Harry worried.
"It´s just a list about all people which where in Slytherin, as well as all persones who have contact with any of them."
"But that must be half of the wizarding world," protested Harry.
"I know," Mr. Weasley looked tired," but I think it´s just because everyone in the ministery is so nervous, because they have no trace to the ones who helped the Slytherin to flee. I´m sure in two months everything will have calmed down. But I have to work now."
"And if your father isn´t right?" asked Harry sorrowful, as they left the ministery," I mean, if they really check everyone ."
"I don´ t think, it´s really a problem. It´s a lot of work, sure. But maybe they'll find the bad guys and if not - they have to do it another way."
"That´s not the problem Ron." Harry looked very worried." Just imagine somewhere where erveryone is suspected."
Ron gave him a confused glare. He had obviuosly never read 1984 or heard of MacCarthey. But maybe Harry exaggerated. He gave Ron a smile:" Forget it. Just let´s go back to the Burrow."
Ron nooded in agreement and they went into the floo network once more, appearing seconds later in the kitchen of the burrow.
"What do you think of a short fly to relax a bit?" asked Harry.
"Good idea."
But before they could get their brooms a nearly hysteric Mrs. Weasley come into the kitchen: "Oh, finally you are back. I have bad news for you. Something happened to Sirius."