HARRY POTTER AND THE SEERS' TRUTH
By Lady Lestrange
Chapter 49
What is a Dark Wizard?
10 REVIEWS. I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 10 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to reviews follow the story.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. THANKS JK.
--LADY LESTRANGE
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(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down FIVE times. --Lady Lestrange)
UP TO THIS POINT: Parvati has been having dreams and visions about the Dark Lord, Harry and a Prophecy Child. So far, they are not sure who the prophecy child is, and it is important for them to find him/her. The Sorting Hat is not sorting, so the students have "little brothers and sisters" to show around. The dream team thinks that The Sorting Hat failing is a plot to hide the Prophecy child from the teachers and anyone who can help insure that he/she stays on the side of light. No one is sure that the brothers and sisters actually belong to the house they are currently in.
The Hogwarts Express has been attacked. Dark Marks have been in the sky. The floo network is compromised. The Minister of Magic has been turned. Snape is now teaching both Defense and Advanced Defense, but it looks like Advanced Defense is just an excuse to let the Slytherins and Ginny and Edward visit the Dark Lord. Mrs. Figg is teaching potions and we know very little about her so far, except that she was against Dumbledore's suggestion to make Poly Juice Potion.
Beatrice is an animagus, a bunny. Edward's granny looks like she could have given the Dursleys a few pointers on cruelty. Slytherin is a house at war according to Snape, divided between Death Eaters and those who want to stay on the side of light. Harry uses his Invisibility Cloak and finds out when it is ripped, the Invisibility spell ceases. There is an unwelcome addition to Myrtle's bathroom, Olive Hornby. Peeves is his usual annoying self, but the Baron seems to have a little less control over him.
Samara, for some reason, lofts some wicked, powerful curses. She doesn't look like she has total control over them, which isn't really surprising since she's learned magic on her own from a book, that Harry is sure is a dark book. She seems to like Draco, but don't assume this is a romance. It is not. Ginny is still hearing voices in her head. Harry's scar is hurting more, and neither he nor Ginny know what this means. Ginny is closer with Harry this year, but again, not romantically. There is Edward, the new Gryffindor, who seems interested in Ginny, but Ginny really hasn't gotten over Tom.
We find out about Neville's powerful auror parents. We learn that Neville has a memory charm that was put on him as a baby. He's a more powerful wizard than anyone ever thought as evidenced by his yew wand and the way he reacts to Snape's ministrations in trying to remove the memory charm. We might wonder why Snape is trying to do this himself, instead of enlisting the help of Madam Pomfrey. Sirius and Lupin are on "fieldtrips" with the sixth and seventh years.
Of course we can also wonder why Snape is so determined to teach his classes advanced spells like the Patronus, or we can just chalk it up to Snape, being mean. The Fifth year class starts apparition classes and we meet Professor Sinistra. We also visit Hufflepuff, where we see The Wall, and Slytherin house, where we discover, to our amazement, a magic room that Draco shares with Samara, but Samara has a very unslytherin use for the room. Ravenclaw to come next weekend.
The chapter, CHAINED AND CHARMED, takes place at the same time as DANCING IS AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE-when Samara was in Slytherin, dancing. It is Saturday afternoon. Harry and the Gryffindors examine Samara's Dark Book, after they come back from lunch. They find an extreme potion, and decide they need to make a trip to the Chamber of Secrets. Ghastly Ghostly Dinner is when Gryffindor's meet with Samara after her little trip to Slytherin. Samara and Beatrice are persuaded by Edward to help him steal his snake back from his brother Ethan. Things get a little out of hand, and Samara learns more about Slytherin than she ever wanted to know.
Now the Gryffindors are mad at her. Samara wants to make up and be friends with them, but is it possible to befriend both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy? How far will she go to make up, or will she just find some valuable information to store away for future use? (So, don't you want one of those Tee shirts?)
LIONS AND TIGERS: We see a very stressed out Snap both in Harry's memory of what happened with Snap and Neville and in the actual DADA class. We find out Trelawney doesn't want Samara in her class and Samara decides to take Ancient Runes instead. McGonagall assures Samara that Trelawney has done her a favor. McGonagall further talks to Samara about her experiences in Gryffindor, opening the door to give Samara someone to talk to, if she so chooses. We also learned lots more about animagi in McGonagall's class. Snape dismisses the Gryffifndors and keeps the Slytherins after class. We find out it's because Snape wants them to practice their patronus because the Slytherins are so lousy at the spell. Could it be because there are so few happy memories to chose from?
In DRAGON BREATH AND BLUDGER BATS, Ginny and Edward set the Slytherins up with fire mints, and Samara gets extremely angry at them both because they hurt her friends. In an effort to contain her anger, she goes to the Quiddich pitch where she meets Fred and George. After lobbing a few quaffles at them in her anger, they decide to ask her to be a Beater for Gryffindor. She refuses, but later when she talks to Draco, he is not very nice to her, (hey, who said Draco was a nice guy?) so she wonders whether or not she should take the Beater job.
In WISH IT REAL; WISH IT NOT we see into one of Ginny's dreams. If you don't remember this dream, go and re-read chapter 28. In Chapter 29, THE SPELLING BEE, Samara is feeling homesick and friendless until Draco invites Samara back to Slytherin. Also, includes a short intro into what's coming up in potions class.
In Chapter 30, CHILD OF GRYFFINDOR, Neville and Snape break the Imperio part of the Memory Charm. The trio discusses the Founders' spells, which put their gifts in the Sorting Hat; however they do not have the original parseltongue version of Salazar's spell. Ginny also sees Edward painting and the reader sees a bit of Ginny and Tom's relationship. In SLYTHERIN GAMES—Well, if you don't remember it, you better re-read. Voldemort is finally out and angry—burning and pillaging and we see a little-known inside version of Slytherin through Ginny's eyes. In STICKY SITUATIONS, Samara uses her adhere charm on the Weasley twins, Neville sticks Beatrice's wand to his with bubble gum, and Edward is sticking in Gryffindor.
In OW POST the Slytherins get even for the Dragon Breath Mints, among other things—
In the Ravenclaw chapter—I'm still trying to think of a good name for it—Help me please—we meet a number of Ravenclaws and find out a little more about the characters, in Ravenclaw as well as Edward and Samara. So do you think either of them are really Ravenclaws? Hmmmm? In chapter 35 we meet Sirius again who plans to have a talk with Dumbledore about his keeping Harry safe and of course what that nasty Snape is doing to poor Neville. The Quiddich Game and then more of Neville's awesome Auror parents.
The war is heating up and touching the lives of the children. This story is rapidly approaching –nasty things. Not for the faint of heart. Last chapter, we had a relaxing time at Hogsmeade. Samara bounces from friend to friend and Harry has some nasty dreams, and Harry is shocked to find out that Ron and Hermione are a couple. We knew that already though, right?
In THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS the trio did some exploring, but failed to find the basilisk eggs. They found other things though. Obviously, they have to go back, but first Ginny gives them some instructions.
In THE CHAMBER, THE WALL, THE WAND AND THE WINDOW, Ginny gives the trio some instructions about the Chamber, the Gryffindor boys are having trouble sleeping and Harry's talking to the Snake, Kauket. Parvati has yet another vision, about a muggle and the earlier one about the wand is explored. Trelawney tells Ginny she will open a window to the past—Didn't she already do that? Is Trelawney a little late with this prediction, or does it mean something else?
In NO MORE GAMES we return to ADADA class and Ginny finds out by using the Quick Quotes Quill that the class is more than she planned, but the notes are stolen, so she has no proof to go to Dumbledore with—So she takes matters into her own hands. In PERVIGILO ARMARO, we see part of Ginny's awesome ward. Doors are opened and Tom is out, but he isn't everything we thought he would be. Could it be that he's keeping secrets from us? Puppy Puffs and the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw Quiddich game offer a little comic relief. Chapter 44, MORS MORDRE. Ginny gets a dark mark. nouf said. BLOOD AND MAGIC MINGLED is Ginny reaction to Voldemort's Imperio curse, and a trip to the Chamber. In THE SEVENTH SUFFERING, We leave Ginny in the Chamber, while we go off with Samara to find out what happened to Ginny in Slytherin this morning, but Samara gets side-tracked, and she learns a personal secret of Draco's—so when is she going to share her secret? Speaking of secrets, Snape has a few, which he unwittingly shares in SNAPE'S SECRET AND SALAZAR'S TREASURE. In SECRETS KEPT AND THOUGHTS SHARED, we at last know what side Snape is on--almost--
And for all those Ginny lovers--awesome Ginny in this chapter--where we at last, rejoin the Dark Lord. Worried about those dark wizards? Which brings me to my next question,
What is a Dark Wizard?
Ginny and Edward had crept out of Gryfindor Tower earlier Friday evening. She had left her bed surrounded by its awesome ward in the hopes that no one would miss her, and if they did, she knew they would assume that she, like Lavender and Parvati, had made other sleeping arrangements.
She had spent the first half an hour nervously pacing the Slytherin Common Room, as it slowly filled with Slytherins, some she knew, but most she didn't.
"Ginny Love, will you sit down? I'm starting to get sore feet."
Ginny stopped dead still. "You can't feel my feet," she thought. "Can you?"
"Ha! Got you!" said Tom, who sent a tingling through her body.
"Why did you do that?" asked Ginny.
"I thought maybe if you thought I already had some control maybe I could get some control."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"No, going to Salazar is the stupidest thing I ever heard."
"It's not like a have a choice."
Finally, Edward had pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Stop being so nervous," he said. "You'll do fine. It'll be fun. You'll see. Wasn't Beaubaxtons just amazing?"
"Yeah," agreed Greg. "When the whole dormatory went up like a fireworks! Whoosh! It was beautiful!"
"Well, you got a close up view, you stupid Prat," drawled Draco.
"It was worth it," Greg said sincerely. "I didn't even realize my robe was on fire."
"That was because he was trying to save the Veelas from the flames," quipped Vincent.
"Veelas? It's a good thing we weren't there," said Tom.
"Why?" thought Ginny confused. "You wouldn't have control of my body—"
"Yeah, but I wouldn't have control of my brain either," thought Tom as several memories were quickly squelched.
"You've seen veelas?" began Ginny.
"Yes," said Tom dryly and it's not a memory you would appreciate, Ginny Love. Talk to the nice Slytherins—"
"Nice?" repeated Ginny.
"But," muttered Ginny, trying to catch the gist of the conversation. "People died—"
"Virginia," said Millicent, growing into her black robes from her cat form. "People die all the time. The people involved were wizards and witches, people who should have been able to protect themselves. But many of them weren't people at all. They were Veelas. Do you know why Beaubaxtons is by the sea?"
"I never gave it much thought," said Ginny.
"Because the Veelas are descendents of the Sirens. They've left the sea, but they aren't witches. They are creatures—like werewolves and vampires and hippogriffs or blast-ended screwts."
"Wait a minute," thought Tom.
"And they still don't feel badly about drawing wizards to their deaths," said Edward. "Do you know they still sink ships—not as many as they used to of course—but they still do it."
"You can't put vampires in a class with hippogriffs, and what in the world is a blast ended screwt?!"
" A mindless worm," answered Ginny.
"What! I know some vampires, and they aren't creatures. They are, or were either wizards, witches or muggle at one time. Unlike a blast ended screwt that was never anything but a mindless woruot;
"Shut up Tom. Shut up Tom. No. I'm not going to shut up. I'm going to—"
"We all—all the males had to be charmed with obsurdesco." Edward continued, and Tom got quiet, listening to the conversation.
"I don't know that spell," said Ginny.
"To be deafened." Replied Ethan.
"You were deaf? None of you could hear during the attack on Beaubaxtons?"
"That's right," said Draco. "That's why Millicent and the other female death eaters were so important during our raid there."
"But it's still wrong," said Ginny.
"Wrong," spat Draco. "Why do you Gryffindors have label things right or wrong. Good or evil. The labels don't mean anything. All that matters is Power—you are either in control of it or subject to it. Which would you rather be, Weasel?"
Ginny bristled at Draco still calling her weasel.
"Good question." Thought Tom. "Why don't you answer him, Ginny Love."
"Who's side are you on?" Ginny thought.
"The Slytherin side. I can't help it that I'm in your head."
"Yeah," thought Ginny. "Me either—" "But all of you are subject to Voldemort," she said aloud.
Immediately a furious rustle went through the group. "The Dark Lord!" snapped Ethan.
"Lord Voldemort!" corrected another.
"Whatever you call him," said Ginny. "He's still a dark wizard—and he--"
"So what's that?" interrupted Draco.
"What?" Ginny was confused.
"A Dark Wizard. What's that?" said Draco.
"And what makes a wizard dark?" asked one of the older Slytherins.
"I—I –don't think I know how to answer that."
"Yes, well neither do we," said Edward. "So you're in the right group."
The little group broke into laughter.
"This isn't funny," said Ginny.
"She's right," interrupted Nott. "It's not funny. When wizards do things that go against their consciences, that's wrong. That's dark."
"What's a conscience?" joked Ethan.
And the group broke into laughter again.
"It's not when wizards go against their consciences, but when they do evil things that they no longer consider evil," said one of the older Slytherins. "something hurtful—"
"What is this? Ravenclaw?" demanded another of the Slytherins. "It doesn't matter."
"It does matter," said another.
"When the Mark burns, nothing matters but going to Him—doing his will—"
"But there are no veelas at Drumstrang," said Ginny. "Why would you—or the Dark Lord want to kill these wizards?"
"Oh we're not going there to kill them," said Ethan. "We're going there to welcome them to the fold. Too many wizards that believe as we do, have been scattered. It's time we band together."
"And then Askaban," whispered Edward, glancing at his brother. Their eyes held one another's for a moment and Ginny felt the magicial communication between them. "Mother," breathed Edward.
"Soon," muttered Ethan, sparks dripping from his fingertips.
"Suck it in, Ethan," drawled Draco. "You're going to set the carpet on fire."
"Again—" said Vincent.
Edward lifted his hand and misted the carpet with the water elemental.
"Wish you were here last week to drown your brother's magic," said one of the older Sytherins. "Snape was seriously pissed that none of us could pull from the water elemental without touching water. I thought he was going to drown the lot of us, before he was done."
When Edward turned back to Ginny his hair was damp and his damp fingers felt cool against the nape of her neck.
Snape strode into the room from the corridor and surveyed his young group. With eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring he contemplated each of them. "Nott," he said softly. "Go back to bed. You aren't going. You too, Goyle."
"What?" Alvin's eyes were wide with fear. "Sir—please. I can go. I—want to."
"I'll be more careful this time," said Greg. "Please."
"We'll deal with it later," said Snape sharply. "It wasn't--my decision."
The room went deathly quiet. The fear palpable.
"Does he think I'm—unworthy?" whispered Alvin.
"I've convinced him, that you will mature," said Snape, his voice still a rough sneer. "I said, we'll discuss it later. Here." Snape handed Nott a small bottle of potion. "Share it," he said. "Go to sleep."
Ginny suddenly felt as if someone had placed a drop of molten metal on the inside of her left arm. She screeched and clawed her robe away from her inner arm, tears welling up in her eyes. Her Dark Mark was an angry red welt.
"The rest of you, let's go," said Snape. "Animagus, transform now. Those of you who can apparate, may go directly to the apparition point and go to Him."
"You're alright," Edward encouraged her. "It's not even burning black. I think he likes you."
"I was surprised, that's all," said Ginny, resisting the urge to try to claw the mark from her skin. I'm a Griffindor, thought Ginny. I have to be brave.
"Right Ginny. Gryffindor!" Tom shuddered and tensed. "You know, Ginny Love, I may not be able to feel your feet, but I can feel that."
"You feel the Dark Mark?"
"I was part of the spell, remember how you dragged me into it?"
"I did not. I was trying to help you."
I knew Gryffindors were stupid, but I never knew how stupid—
Shut up, Tom.
Snape turned into the hallway that lead down to the boys dorm, but instead of taking the stairs, he stopped at a picture of an aristocratic gentleman that looked enough like the Bloody Baron to be his father or grandfather. Snape spoke the spell and the picture opened revealing a very wide tunnel that led out onto the grounds.
A light frost was starting to form, making star patterns on the grass and leaves, and Ginny could see their breath in front of them. Starlight twinkled and the last quarter of the crescent moon was already high. It was a cold clear night and going to be colder where they were going. Ginny pulled a frost covered leaf from a tree and placed it over her burning arm. It did nothing to quench the fire there.
"The only thing that helps—supposedly--is phoenix tears," said Edward. "I've never tried them. Snape guards his store of them with wards that are nastier than the pain of the Dark Mark. It will stop as soon as we portkey."
Ginny nodded, unable to think of anything, but getting to the portkey and stopping the pain. She wanted to run.
Some of the older students apparently had the same idea as they jogged ahead several yards, into the Forbidden Forest, a flash of white—someone's animagus streaked ahead of them, apparently off of Hogwarts grounds and then they were out of sight.
"The youngest will go first," Snape announced. "Snood, Pritchard, Lestrange, Weasley, get over here. You're in the first group. Ethan, you'll bring it back for the others. Be quick. You only have 20 seconds between. Snape turned and paced off into the Forbidden Forest and the apparition point, as Ginny felt the familiar tug of the portkey behind her navel.
==
The plain upon which Ginny apparated was cold and barren and covered with frost. In the distance was a bleak castle-like structure. As the group approached it, the building looked less and less like a castle and more like a haunted wreck.
"I can't believe my dad wanted to send me to this dump," muttered Draco. "Thank Merlin, mother wanted me closeby."
"But they say, Drumstrang has the best teachers of the dark arts," said Vincent.
"No," corrected Ethan, "Carman's the best teacher of the dark arts."
"If you live through it," added Edward.
Ginny tried to reconcile Edward's version of Carman with the pretty girl that played chess and went to classes with Tom.
A flash of Carman and Tom sitting with heads together whispering over some dark book came into Ginny's mind.
"Tom? What aren't you telling me?
I told you before, we can't keep secrets. The memory of the study session with Carman and Tom continued. Carman was fascinated by Salazar and the Dark Arts, even then—But of course, she just thought Salazar was another aspect of Tom.
"Isn't Carman your granny?" Ginny asked Edward.
"Yeah," said Edward. "But don't call her granny."
"Call who Granny?" said a soft feminine drawl.
Ginny turned to see a slender witch whose hood was pushed off of her head. Snow white hair that hung loose to her waist was blowing in the cold wind. Bits of ice clung to it. She was small and appeared almost frail, until you looked at her eyes. Although she wore a Death Eater's mask, Ginny could see her dark piercing eyes through the holes in the white mask, and any illusion that this woman was frail, vanished.
"Carman," breathed Edward, catching her hand, and kissing it. "Good evening, Grandmother."
"We shall see," said Carman. "If you do what is required of you, it may be good."
"I will make you proud, Grandmother," said Edward.
"You have already done so," she said with a softening of her features that may have been a smile. "So this is your Prophecy Child?" She turned her piercing eyes upon Ginny, who cringed internally.
Tom, on the other hand, was blatantly curious. "Take her hand," Tom urged. "Let me feel her magic—let her feel ours--"
"No, Tom," thought Ginny, wanting anything but to encourage Tom in this, but Carman was holding out her hand to Ginny as if she expected her too, to kiss it. It would be rude to refuse to shake hands with the old woman, Ginny decided.
"Old woman!" thought Tom.
"Virginia Weasley, Ma'am," said Ginny as she took the woman's hand. Immediately she felt the woman recoil.
"A Weasley?" she said with distaste, but she was still gripping Ginny's hand, and Tom reacted immediately to Ginny's ire at having her family insulted. The rush of magic through Ginny's hand was enough to make Carman think again, her eyes narrowing, into hooded slits under the mask, and her grip tightening like iron.
"A very unusual Weasley," she said as she released Ginny's hand.
"I think you made an impression," said Tom.
"I don't care," retorted Ginny hotly.
"Ah," said Voldemort turning towards the students. They immediately bowed and prostrated themselves on the ground, all except Ginny. Edward tried to pull her down beside him, and Tom argued with her in her head.
"Ginny Love this is going to get you killed. This is stupid. Just bow down and play his little game."
"The first of our little pioneers," said Voldemort. He moved among them touching some, ignoring others, but when he came to Ginny , she had at last knelt on the cold rock.
He studied her, the wind whipping his robe around his feet. "You know I could put your face in the dirt, yet you resist bowing to me. I'm thinking perhaps, you need a lesson in respect." His snake tongue flitted in and out of his mouth. "Not as frightened of me today, I see. I taste only fear, apprehension, not terror. Well, that can change." He reached forward, placing one of his long fingers under her chin. "Tell me, Virginia. Have you found it yet?"
"I found a book, now dead and worn
Its pages lost, soiled, marred and torn. That is all"
He nodded. "Imperio! When you find it, remember you will bring it to me."
"I will," she answered.
"And my eggs?"
"Are safe."
"Are safe, Master," he corrected.
"It means nothing," said Tom. "Just say it."
"Are safe, Master," she said.
He moved on, speaking to some of the children and finally he came to Snape and the older death eaters. He spoke quietly to some of them, and then he stood in the middle of the circle and raised his voice with the sonorous spell.
"Today, we celebrate the great occasion of the noble school of Drumstrang joining our ranks as Death Eaters. Some will choose to Eat Death and others will just choose Death. Either way, the school will be purged of those who defile the name of wizard and witch and out ranks will grow. Some of you have wondered how this will be accomplished. Our newest Death Eaters will today prove their worth."
"I don't like the sound of that," said Tom.
Ginny felt her apprehension escalate to fear. For just a moment she wondered how she had gotten herself to this point, but Tom's thoughts interrupted her.
"It doesn't much matter how we got here, Ginny Love. It only matters what we do, now that we are here."
"Lucius," the Dark Lord spoke to his loyal Death Eater who came forward bringing with him the plain red robes of the Drumstrang students.
Ginny couldn't help but stare. The last time she saw Lucius Malfoy, in the presence of the Dark Lord he was blubbering and crying on the ground. Now, he was serving him as if nothing had happened. Lucius began to hand one robe to each of the student Death Eaters. When he reached Ginny, he paused, his steely gray eyes meeting hers, as if it was somehow her fault that he was subjected to the repeated crucio curses just a week ago. Miss Weasley," he said coldly as he handed her a dark red robe.
"Thank you," she murmured, the manners that her parents had taught her coming automatically from her mouth even though she hated Lucius Malfoy.
The Dark Lord was still talking as Ginny put on her robe. "One of the students in his animagus form has already infiltrated the Drumstrang boundary to make the portkey that will take the students in, and he has brought back this ordinary quill.
"Engorgio!" pronounced Voldemort, causing the quill to grow to three times its normal size. "You will put on the robes of Drumstrang. There are students loyal to me inside. They have all been owled. They will be awaiting you. You must find them and bring them out to me. You will have a quarter hour, before the storm begins."
"A quarter hour," muttered Vincent. "That's not very long."
"It's not a big school," added one of the other Slytherin boys.
Voldemort turned calmly to them. "You should not speak when I am speaking," he said. "Crucio! Crucio!"
Listening to the screams of her fellow students, Ginny's insides felt like they were melting. Edward's hand tightened around her arm. He seemed to realize that she was about to rush forward to them. "Why was she here? Why wasn't she home safe in bed. Because somewhere inside of this monster, her Tom had to exist, didn't he?"
"I think he's beyond help," said Tom sadly.
"How can you say that, Tom? As if—as if—he isn't YOU."
"He isn't. I'm a memory of what he used to be."
Abruptly as it started, the spell was ended. The boys lay panting and sweating on the frozen ground.
"Get up," urged Voldemort. "I believe an apology is in order."
"I'm sorry—" Vincent sobbed.
"Please forgive me—"
"Put on your Drumstrang robe," Voldemort ordered. "You have cost us enough time. Go! Now!
The boy who had made the portkey stood holding the feather quill next to Voldemort. Several of the children rushed forward at once, anxious to be out of Voldemort's sight.
"Youngest first," snapped the boy holding the quill, and the students made a rough queue. Ginny was shuffled to the front with the younger Death Eaters. When they arrived inside of the castle, they were in a deserted hallway that appeared to be near the dormatories, but she couldn't be sure. The boy who made the portkey, immediately turned into a small white ferret and scampered down the hall. The feather floated to the floor as the others disbursed.
"Wait," said Ginny. "Don't one of us have to go back after the next group?"
"You do it," said Gloria Snood as she sprinted down the corridor after Ethan and Edward.
Ginny picked up the feather just in time. Immmediately the portkey brought her back to the Death Eater circle. Another group of children laid their hands on it. Two abrupt trips and she was starting to feel dizzy.
"Someone else has to bring the portkey back, she announced.
"I'll take it," said one of the older Slytherins, and Ginny looked around for a familiar face.
"Come on Weasel, you look lost," drawled Draco lighting his wand. He and Vincent Crabbe started down the unlit corridor with her. They made several turns, and Ginny was very conscious of the fact that she would have to find her way back.
"I was here twice when my parents were thinking of sending me here," said Draco. "Boys' dorms are this way. Girls' that way." He paused at the bottom of the stone stairs and watched a rat labor by. "Guess you are on your own from here, Weasel. Do you remember where the portkey is?"
Ginny nodded.
"Good Luck, Weasel." They turned and hurried up the stairs to the boy's dorm. Ginny lit her wand and crossed the corridor to a staircase that went down. Please let Draco have told the truth, she thought. The corridor was musty and damp. She couldn't imagine living down here. It was ten times worse than the dungeons. It reminded her of the Chamber when she had first visited it. She shivered. When she got to the end of the tunnel, there was a door. She knocked on it first, but no one answered. She tried Alohomora! Nothing happened. She raised her wand and examined it.
"Did you hear that, Tom? Someone speaking?"
"Parseltongue," said Tom. "A snake. Be careful."
"The mistress-s-s- is s-s-safe. S-She is a powerful sorceress-s-s-s. I will kill her enemiesssss."
"Who speaks?" asked Ginny in parseltongue. "Show yourself. I am trying to help your mistress."
For a moment there was silence, and then a small snake slithered out from underneath a statue. It was reddish brown with a dark brown zig zag pattern on its back.
"Is your venom toxic to humans?" Ginny asked, thinking it looked very much like one of the adders that was used in the basilisk potion.
"Long nosed adder," said Tom. "Deadly. Not usually friendly."
"Hissuss!" the little snake said haughtliy. "I am your death,"
"I am not your prey, nor your enemy. I want to help your mistress. Where is she?"
"SSShe isss sssafe," said the snake.
"The door is warded," said Tom. "Nothing too difficult. Four point. I'm not sure what's used though—animal and mineral— Ah, that's it. Animal. Vegetable. Mineral and Ether. Watch the snake."
"Tom, if I break this, what's to say that whoever is inside of it won't curse me, and I won't get back to the portkey."
"Nothing," said Tom. "But I don't think you want to go back to Him empty handed."
"OK," said Ginny "How bad can it be? I mean this four point ward is pretty pathetic."
"They learn the Dark Arts," Tom said. "Not defense against the Dark Arts. You might have someone on the other side ready to do Avada Kadavra. What's the snake doing?"
"Nothing. Just watching me."
"It will probably attack if you try to open the door. Talk to it first."
Ginny hesitated. "Is your mistress in here?" Ginny asked the snake.
"Yessss."
"Would she join Voldemort to save her life?"
"I do not know thisss one of whom you ssspeak."
"I'm trying to help her," said Ginny. She reached down and the snake did not retreat. She picked up the snake, draping it over her shoulder.
She felt Tom tense inside of her, expecting the snake to strike, but the snake seemed content to watch and bide its time.
"Talk fast," said Tom. "We're running out of time. You know they won't wait for you at the portkey. Ask the snake, does anyone in this room know Avada Kadavra?"
Ginny asked, but the snake didn't understand.
"Has your mistress or the others in the room ever killed anyone?" asked Ginny.
"Yessss," said the Snake. "My mistress, but not the others. And I have killed for her."
"Just use, Testudo. Break it and hope for the best," said Tom, "And don't stand in the door way. Move immediately when you enter. Of course you will have to re-do the Testudo."
"Ok," said Ginny, holding her wand before her and breaking the ward.
In front of her stood four young girls all with wands raised against her. Four spells hit Ginny simultaneously and bounced harmlessly off of the shield spell which warded both her and the snake.
Then one of the girls squealed. You hold my Koschchei. How did you avoid his strike?"
"He would not strike me," said Ginny in English and then she switched to parseltongue. "I told him I was trying to help you."
When the girls heard her speak in parseltongue, they moved as a group, backing against the wall and cowering, still holding wands in front of them, but with much less vigor.
"Honestly Ginny, frightening small children now, are you?"
"It beats cursing them," replied Ginny
Four point ward," said Ginny, pulling the snake from her neck and handing it to the girl, as she hissed calming words to it. She switched back to English. "I could do that ward in my sleep. You obviously spend too much time on the Dark Arts and not enough time on defense against the dark arts."
Ginny Love, you can do a 12 point ward in your sleep.
"I don't want to brag, Tom."
"Now," she continued. "If you want to live you can join Voldemort. Otherwise, you are going to die, because this place is going to be leveled in—she checked her watch—about seven minutes."
"But," said one of the girls nervously. "We've heard bad things about him."
"They're all true," said Ginny blandly. "Here's the choice. Join him. Live. Stay here. Die."
"That's not really the choice, Ginny Love. It's more like stay here, die for sure; join him and you'll get tortured and maybe die—"
"I'm not going to tell them that, Tom."
And, she checked her watch again. "We now have six minutes and I'm leaving. Are you coming or not?"
"The girls looked at each other and put their wands away. Two of them, came immediately. The other two were more hesitant. "The teachers said to hide," said one.
"If you stay here—you—will—die," Ginny said.
The other girl asked if they had time to get some of their friends."
"Run," Ginny told them.
"Wait. Where's the portkey?" asked the girl.
"At the intersection of the corridors by the boys' dorm staircase," said Ginny.
"Meet you there," called the girl.
Ginny turned to leave, with the other two girls, when the third one, threw a spell in her direction.
Ginny analyzed. Second level, and blocked flawlessly, sending a stupefy spell over her shoulder without even looking. After Snape, this was easier than playing Exploding Snap. She turned, frowning at the girl who was lying on the floor. No one else had even drawn their wands.
"Hilda!" screamed one of the first girls.
"Leave her," uged Tom. She didn't care about you."
"I can't leave her to die, unconscious. She won't even have a chance to get out.
She won't have a chance anyway , said Tom.
Ginny levitated her stunned body toward the portkey. "Get her wand and Go!" she snapped at the other girls. They ran.
When they reached the place where the portkey should be, there was no feather quill on the ground.
Maybe they just left, thought Ginny. "The portkey will be right back."
"Don't bet on it," said Tom.
"We still have two minutes," shouted Ginny.
She counted to twenty. If the portkey was coming back, it would be here by now.
"OK, we have no portkey," she announced to the girls. "Any of you know a fast way out of here?"
"It takes ten minutes to walk out to the grounds," said the girl with the snake. "I doubt if you could fly it in two minutes."
"Fly!" said Ginny, "Where are your broomsticks?"
"In our rooms," said one girl taking off at a run.
"No! Wait! " called Ginny, and the girl skidded to a halt. Thinking of Harry's tri-wizard task, Ginny said, "Accio your broomsticks."
"We don't know that spell," said another of the girls.
"It's a charm," said Ginny desperately.
"We don't take charms," said one of the girls, as the first girl arrived at a run with five more friends. Her snake was hissing loudly in complaint as she rearranged him over her shoulder.
In fact, thought Tom. We're closer to the boy's dorm, accio some of the boy's broomsticks, Ginny Love.
Ginny mentally went down the list for the fastest brooms. "Accio Firebolts," and touched the ground where she wanted them. Accio Nimbus 2001." She touched the ground again. "Accio Nimbus 2000!"
The brooms clattered to the ground around them. One of them was followed by a boy about 12. He was looking at Ginny's wand tip. "That's my Firebolt," he said nervously, pointing to one of the two Firebolts that had arrived.
"You can get on it, fly out with us, and join Voldemort or stay here and die," said Ginny. "Decide now."
He jumped onto the broomstick and flew out of the corridor without looking back.
"Wait for us!" screamed Ginny.
"Too late," said Tom. "You know you will need to send the Dark Mark ahead of you, or they will kill you as you fly out."
"I don't know how," moaned Ginny.
"You can do it," said Tom. "I have faith in you."
There were six broomsticks. Ginny picked up a Nimbus 2001 and mounted it.
"Lead on," said Ginny as the other girls mounted the brooms either singly or in pairs. "But do not go out into the grounds. I need to go first."
"You should have taken the other Firebolt," said Tom, as the girl with the snake mounted the Firebolt.
"I'm a Weasley," said Ginny. As they streaked towards the opening. "I've never owned anything new."
The girls skidded to a halt, turning their brooms to face her as they reached the opening. Ginny pulled her wand and pointed it ahead of her into the night sky. "Close to me, now," she called as she muttered to herself. Please let this work, she thought.
"It will," coached Tom. "You have the intent-"
"MorsMordre!" Green fire flashed ahead of her into the sky above them. Ginny gasped and almost fell off of her broom as the spell hit her left arm with fiery pain. Her Dark Mark burned black.
==
An icy rain began to fall around them and the wind blew wildly whipping their broomsticks off course as they tried to land on the precipice. A group of the adult Death Eaters were weaving the spell using Elemental magic. The Air was fairly crackling with it. Other adults were standing by ready to kill any who seemed to be trying to escape. Several more flew out on their broomsticks and were promptly killed. The green streaks of Avada Kadavra marring the sky.
==
"I told you she'd make it back," crowed Edward. "I want my money back. You lost your bet, Millicent."
The money exchanged hands between Millicent and Edward and about a half dozen other Slytherins.
"You were betting?" said Ginny incredulously. "You were betting if I would come back or not! When you took my portkey!"
"It wasn't your portkey, Weasel. It was all of ours," said Draco.
"Who took the last portkey?" she said dangerously.
"Well, we just forgot," said one of the older Slytherins looking at the crowd around her. "We're not used to these massive Gryffindor rescues."
"You!" said Ginny pulling her wand. "I should—I should—"
"Easy, Ginny Love," warned Tom.
"The Slytherin had also pulled his wand. It was immediately removed from his hand.
"Expelleramus!" said a silky smooth voice. Everyone of the students were now silent and watching, as Voldemort held the boy's wand in his hand. "Virginia, I believe the spell you are looking for is crucio," said Voldemort.
Thunder rumbled from the storm and lightening flashed across the sky, as the whole castle below them began to shake with the combined Elemental magic of dozens of adult Death Eaters.
"No," said Ginny. "I would never. I—couldn't—"
"If I say you can, you can—"
Ginny, just do it," said Tom. "It's not like anyone here is going to turn you into the Ministry.
"No. Tom. It's wrong. It's illegal."
"You have no choice, Ginny."
"It's illegal." Ginny said softly, the wind now whipping her hair across her face. "I can't."
"Either you perform the spell on him, or I perform it on you," said Voldemort.
"He's unarmed," complained Ginny.
Voldemort tossed the boy his wand, but he made no move to protect himself with it. He seemed to know that it would go worse for him if he did. He stood with the wand, by his side. His eyes closed as if steeling himself for the spell that he knew was coming.
Ginny pocketed her wand. "I guess you'll have to perform it on me--Tom." She said.
"Don't provoke him!" screamed Tom, but he was too late.
"Crucio!" said Voldemort. Ginny was suddenly plunged into fire. She felt her skin melting off, sizzling and frying and burning off of her bones. She was dying. Dead already. Her blood was bubbling inside of her and her eyes felt ready to pop. Why was she still hurting? She should be dead. She opened her mouth and screamed and screamed as if that could in some way release the pain from her body. And then it stopped. Every muscle, every bone, every part of her was crying out in the aftermath of the pain. She had rolled on the frozen ground and her robe and cloak were covered with ice and dirt. Her breath came in short gasps. She looked around stupidly expecting to see flames and smell burnt flesh.
"Ok," said Voldemort turning calmly to the rest of the student Death Eaters. "We retrieved all of the expected young Death Eaters. How many new recruits do we have? It looks like Virginia brought nine. Did anyone do better?"
Edward and some of the new Drumstrang girls were helping Ginny to her feet.
"Ahhh—Damn it! How can I hurt when I don't even have control of the body?" breathed Tom.
Ginny was stunned that Tom somehow felt a part of the spell—but it was a mental torture too, she supposed—
Tom seemed to recover faster than Ginny though. "That was stupid, Ginny. More than stupid," Tom chided her. "If you are going to play these games you have to leave the Gryffindor bravado at home. It has no place here. It's just going to get you killed! And me cursed along with you! Did you forget, if you die—I don't! He could have just as easily decided to use Avada Kadavra."
Voldemort went from student to student counting and corralling the new recruits, most had one or two. Draco and Vincent had five between them, and Ginny guessed that if they didn't come totally willingly, then all five were Draco's' but Voldemort stopped in front of Millicent.
"Do you have some neat little packages for me, my dear?" he asked.
She began pulling stunned mice from her robe pocket, and dropping them into Voldemort's outstretched hand. One, Two, Three, Four—oh that one, I hurt. I think my tooth must have hit his spinal cord. He seems to be paralyzed, but he's still alive, Master." She grimaced, looking suddenly afraid. "I don't know for how long though," she whispered, "so you might want to use him first, before he dies." She searched through the rest of her pockets. "I know I had another one. I didn't eat him. I wanted to eat him, but I didn't—I didn't-- where is he? Oh, here he is." She dropped the fifth mouse into Voldemort's hand.
He smiled at her, and said very softly. "Never damage what is mine. Dens extractum!"
Millicent cried out, grabbing her mouth. Whimpering, she spat blood onto the ground and then reached down to retrieve a single tooth from the frozen ground.
Voldemort had already moved on. "And you?" Voldemort was standing in front of one of the Slytherins who should have sent the portkey back to Ginny. "Who did you bring me?" The boy gestured to the one Drumstrang boy that he brought.
"Not good enough, Wylie," said Voldemort. "Crucio!" After a moment he lifted the curse. That one was from me," he said and before the boy could recover his wits about him, Voldemort continued. And this one is from Virginia. "Crucio!"
The storm was now raging about them. Lightening had set some fires, but since the castle was primarily stone, that didn't matter so much. Voldemort lifted both of his hands and concentrated, muttering a spell. Ginny didn't know what it was, but she was pretty sure he was drawing from the Earth Elemental. The rock at his feet was rippling up like sand, on a windy day.
"Join me, my fellow Death Eaters!" he called and suddenly the force of the Earth magic being used intensified as many of the older Death Eaters and some of the younger ones joined their magic to his. The Earth shook and Ginny felt the heady feeling of magic all around her, even though she had called none of her own.
"Release your magic, back to the Earth!" he called and the Earth beneath Drumstrang gave a might learch and the entire castle shifted.
Finally Voldemort released his own spell and the gap widened, the castle shifting beneath the edges of the crack. Once more, the Earth shook and the castle split along many of the buildings weak spots. Several large chunks of it fell into the gap in the Earth and then the rest of it slipped beneath the surface of the Earth.
Voldemort sighed and dropped his hands to his side. Ginny couldn't help but notice that he looked exceedingly tired, but his blood red eyes were shining like a predator's.
The cheer that went up from the Death Eaters was deafening, and the magic crackled around them. Although many of the Drumstrang students and teachers were standing with the cheering mob, some were huddled apart, shivering and afraid.
To these, Voldemort turned, his robes covered with the dust of Earth magic, and his voice raised with the sonorous spell. Although Ginny did not want to listen, she found herself spell bound by his words and his magic.
"For us there are only two possibilities," he said. "Either we raise our hands and our wands and revere the pure blood of wizards which flows through our veins, or we continue to subsist under the thumb of the muggles, and muggle lovers. This latter must not continue. Even if we are small, we are a force. A well-organized group can conquer a strong enemy. If you stick close together and keep bringing in new people, we will be victorious over the Destroyers—and Despoilers--the Muggles.
A cheer went up from the Death Eaters, and Voldemort waited until they settled before continuing.
"Muggles possess nothing of their own creation. Everything that they have is stolen. They are leeches on the land and parasites on the flesh of our Magic. Their debauchery cannot be allowed to continue."
"Burn the bastards!" cried one of the wizards. A shout of approval greeted this idea.
"For the freedom of Magic folk is a consequence of power and the source of power is the combined will of every witch or wizard with the strength to raise a wand, or lift the power of the Elementals. But, will to power must be strengthened by passion. Our strength lies not in the dead weight of numbers but solely in the Elemental Energy we alone can wield. Wizards and Witches! Even the smallest minority, with magic, with a mighty intent, can achieve a mighty result if that result is inspired by a fiery, passionate will to succeed.
But there are those in the wizarding community who try to keep us down. What you have to understand is that labels like 'good' and 'evil' are created by weak wizards who can only use words to protect themselves, because they have no real power. That's what really matters isn't it? What matters is whether or not you are in control of what happens to you, whether or not you have the power to shape events to suit your needs and wants. There are those in the wizarding world who want to deny you that power, but these same wizards cannot face you wizard to wizard with a wand in their hand. They are weak. They would fail. And they know it! So they have devised another way to control you. They call the magic that gives you your freedom to be who you really are –evil or Dark. They call you murderer and try to shame you into their camp. Are you ashamed of who you are?
A murmur went through the crowd.
A wizard with a silver hand thrust it into the air. "We are not ashamed," he cried.
"No," murmured several others. "We are proud."
One day, you will be able to wear your Mark proudly and acknowledge who you really are, but now we have to hold our pride in our hearts. We must proceed with stealth, but it will not always be this way. Never--NEVER let the muggle lovers shame you. You are the elite—the magic of tomorrow.
Today, you see a school destroyed, but schools are not the keepers of knowledge—WE are. We are the witches and wizards of the future. We will build new schools. Schools where true wizards and witches are taught what it means to be one of the Elite. Schools untainted by the blood of vermin." He opened his arms as if to embrace the crowd. "You are the new beginning of Magic," he said. He turned and gestured to the students gathered together. "Here is the new beginning of Magic!"
He paced behind the group from Hogwarts, placing one hand on the shoulder of Ginny Weasley and the other on the shoulder of Gloria Snood. It took everything Ginny had, not to shrink away from his touch. He continued, still speaking with the Sonorous spell.
"Steady, Ginny Love. You've come this far. It can't be much more now," whispered Tom.
"Earlier tonight, you felt the Mark that joins us, calling you to witness and take part in this event. Tonight, one of the youngest witches here, again sent our Mark into the sky, and you all felt the fire of her ardor."
Murmurs went through the crowd, as several nodded.
Ginny gasped. "I just wanted the spell to work," she thought, noticing the curious look she was receiving from the girl with the snake.
"I know, Ginny Love. Try to relax. You're shaking."
Voldemort continued: "Once again tonight, you will feel the burning of the Mark."
A slight murmuring of reluctance whispered through some of the Death Eaters, but the reluctance was quickly squelched, as Voldemort continued passionately, as if saddened by their reticience. "Our sacrifice binds us together. Think now, of those of our blood who are entombed in Askaban. To them, this Mark, is not pain. It is the burning of Hope.
Voldemort nodded to Gloria Snood. "Send the Mark, child," he said, and she sent the Dark Mark into the sky with a flourish. "MorsMordre!"
Voldemort smiled his strange snake smile, and seemed to gain strength from seeing the phantom Mark wavering in the cold wind. "We are finished here," he said softly. "Carman, do you have the wands?"
"Yes, Master," she murmured bowing low.
"Keep them safe. Our friends in Azkaban will have need of them."
"Yes, Master."
He turned. "Lucius, arrange for the apparition of our new recruits. I want to make them feel like part of the family. We will finish with them tomorrow."
"Master, where are we taking them?" Lucius asked.
"The Snow Castle," said Voldemort.
"And how many wizards will you require to guard them?"
"Oh, none, Lucius. I'm inviting them into my home—well not exactly my home—but it isn't like Rosier needs it anymore, does he?" Voldemort laughed softly.
One of the Drumstrang girls took a single step forward and then stopped and shuffled back into the anonymous group as another pulled her back, saying, "Maura, no." Although her hood was up, Ginny saw the piercing eyes of her snake peeking from under her robe. She was one of the girls Ginny had brought. She held the second Firebolt in her hand.
"I want to--play with them," Voldemort said. "Only the inner circle is invited. So Sorry, Severus, you will have to be late. You have to take the children back to Hogwarts, of course, and report to Dumbledore."
"Yes, Master." Snape was still bowing low.
"Oh, and one other thing, Severus" said Voldemort mildly. "You have failed to see that Virginia understands the meaning of respect."
"I will see that she—" began Snape, but Voldemort interrupted. "Too late," he said softly. "Crucio!"
Snape collapsed, grasping at the air around him in agony as if trying to fend off the attack. Little whimpers came through his gritted teeth.
"He didn't," began Ginny, horrified, but somehow Tom's yelling at her seemed to penetrate to her senses and she realized that nothing she would say would make a difference. She froze, helpless to stop the pain inflicted upon her professor. She would never forget the sounds he was making. When it was finished, Snape picked himself heavily from the frozen ground.
Voldemort took one last look at the crumbled remains of Drumstrang and disapparated.
==
As the group was walking back to Hogwarts from the portkey, they cleaned the Earth Magic from their clothes and hair. Some were spitting dirt from their mouths and blowing it from their noses. All were giddy with the over-flow of magic. Several students were playing games with their wands, laughing and giggling and trying to focus the abundance of Elemental magic still in their system. Incendioing plants, levitating each other and on occasion, getting out of control. Ginny wondered how Dumbledore could turn a blind eye to these little excursions. In fact, he had to know about them. Didn't Voldemort just tell Snape to report to Dumbledore? What if I went to Dumbledore right now? Thought Ginny. Immediately, her Dark Mark began to burn.
She cried out and stumbled, Edward catching her, his hands and fingernails showing dark with Earth magic against her white skin.
"Not possible," said Tom.
"What is it?" Edward asked.
"Nothing," she said, feeling hesitant to trust him after he went off without her at Drumstrang. "I just tripped."
"Ah—Ginny, are you finally learning not to be such an open book?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow. Even though Tom could not see it, he understood her amusement.
"Tom?" Ginny questioned, as the pain subsided. "What do you mean not possible'? If Snape is still somewhat faithful to Dumbledore, he must have found a way around the pain."
"Or he has a higher pain tolerance than you, Ginny Love. Or he is more faithful to his Dark Lord—"
Ginny shuddered. "Do you think so?"
"I don't know," Tom said. "I'm not in his head, you know."
"I caused him to be cruicoed. I feel awful."
"Not as bad as he feels," said Tom
"I don't know," said Ginny. "I don't remember feeling this bad since—since—"
"The Chamber," Tom supplied.
"Yeah.".
A group of the Slytherins, who were candidly blasting bushes, complained that they weren't able to go muggle baiting with their parents and older friends and instead had to return to school.
"What I don't understand," Ginny said to Edward, "is why anyone would want to kill muggles anyway. I know some wizards, like Professor Dumbledore and my father, admire some of their technologies, but even if you hate them, you can avoid them. You never have to come in contact with them. The separation and secrecy acts of 1402—"
"How could you admire their technologies?" asked Ethan, showering sparks and dirt everywhere.
" It's like admiring the adaptability of cockroaches," said Draco, shoving Ethan and his sparks away from him. "That's exactly what the Dark Lord was talking about. They are dirty little cockroaches that have infested our planet, and their technologies are the most dangerous part of them. They have done nothing good." Draco blasted an unsuspecting plant, and continued meticulously cleaning the dirt from under his finger nails with his wand. "Nothing," he repeated. "Everything magic works within the natural balance of the Elementals—everything but muggles."
"That's true," agreed another of the Slytherins, whose wet head was dripping and encrusted with dirty icicles. "If I choose to gain power through the Elements, I lose something of my self in the process, but balance is maintained. Even Lord Voldemort had to give up his humanity to obtain immortality."
"Muggles," continued Draco, brandishing his wand, "the selfish little paracites that they are, gain power through electricity and nuclear power and chemical and biological weapons and in the process we lose part of the air elemental or the water elemental through their pollution. WE LOSE—not them."
"Much of the devastation, we can repair," said one of the Slytherins, who was painstakingly cleaning the dirt from his robe with his wand.
"We shouldn't have to!" spat Draco, setting fire to a rather large tree, and then dousing it with water from his wand. "They should be held accountable for their actions, but they don't care about what they are doing to the magic of the Elements. They wage their petty wars over this piece of Earth or that piece of Earth and in the process scar the land irrevocably. Have you ever seen the land where a nuclear bomb was detonated? I'm not even talking about the places where there were real wars. I'm talking about the places where they practiced detonating the bombs, just to see what would happen."
"I don't think I know of any—" said Ginny.
"I'll tell you one," said Edward. "The Island of Askaban."
"Muggles don't know Askaban exists." Argued Ginny.
"That's right," said Draco. "Because over nine thousand years ago, they thought it sank into the sea, a casualty of their stupidity, and for a while the magical community was hopeful that they would see the error of their ways and stop experimenting, but they didn't. We have one of those dead spots right here within walking distance of Hogwarts. You all know of it. And the muggles have done this without any repercussions to themselves. They simply don't care."
"No Dark Lord in history has been so destructive," agreed Edward, drying his wet hair and clothing with his wand.
"Is that true, Tom?" Ginny wondered.
"Actually, yes," said Tom. "But then, there are an awful lot of the little--muggles."
"The muggles are vermin and deserve to be wiped off of the face of the earth," Edward continued.
"Vermin!" said Ethan, bouncing along beside them and singeing Ginny's robe with his sparks.
"They don't understand," said Ginny, at the same time dousing Ethan with the water elemental before he seriously set someone on fire.
Edward laughed, while Ethan sputtered and steamed.
"Well, he's dangerous," Ginny said referring to Ethan's sparking fire elemental.
"Since when has ignorance made any difference to the outcome of a spell?" asked Millicent, sticking her tongue through the bloody hole where her incisor once stood. She spat another mouthful of blood and looked expectantly at Draco, obviously expecting him to lead the conversation back to the problem of muggles and magic.
"That was the whole purpose of the Founders establishing Hogwarts--to teach witches and wizards the repercussions of using magic—to protect the wizards and to protect the magic, to protect the balance," added one of the older Slytherins, who seemed to actually have the Earth Elemental magic draining from her fingertips in control.
"Muggles continually upset the balance of the Elements and I say, it's time they had to pay the consequences, instead of us," said Draco.
"It wasn't the muggles who broke the fabric between the worlds of magic and muggle," said another of the seventh year girls, running a hand through her wind-blown hair. "That was a wizard."
"Wizards," corrected the ferret animagus, who had just turned back into a wizard solely to add to the debate. "Ravenclaws, playing God, Camilla. "Mettling in things they should not have mettled in."
"What about the dementers?" asked Camilla.
"What about them?" asked Ginny.
"Have you ever read: The Birth of a Nightmare?" asked Draco.
Tom shuddered. "There's some light reading you could share with Hermione," he said.
"It's the story of how the dementers came to be—" added Camilla.
"The story explains—"began Edward.
"Everything," spat Ethan, showering them all with sparks once again. "Did you believe that dementers were created by wizards? Wrong. They were created by muggles."
"What!" shouted Ginny,
"He's right, Ginny Love."
"When a wizard wishes for something, either by wand or wandless magic he puts effort forth until he attains it," said Draco. If he botches the spell, or doesn't complete the transfiguration or splinches the apparation, there are wizards that come to make corrections—not for the sake of the wizard—for the sake of the fabric of magic upon which we all depend. So tell me, what happens when a muggle wishes for something? What if they wish with near wizard capacity? What if they are not muggles? What if they are squibs struggling with their spells with some asinine program like Kwick Spell? What happens when they mess it up? Who comes and fixes the magic they have drawn from?"
"No one," said Ginny, "But they don't really have magic."
"That's not strictly true," said Tom. "Magic exists in everything."
"Don't they?" spat Draco, suddenly impassioned by Ginny's reluctance to believe him. "How many muggles are about as good as Trelawney at Divination?" he asked.
"I don't know," said Ginny.
"Why do you think Dumbledore follows the muggle papers?"
Ginny shrugged and backed away from Draco.
"These muggles are the ones writing that ridiculous horoscope stuff in the muggle papers," Draco continued. "Year after year, day after day, it continues. There are others too, not just clairvoyant, but telekenetic, telepathic, all the residual magics. Even those muggles who seem to have hunches, or feel lucky are actually drawing on an elemental—and so they WISH—and they—DREAM—I'm not talking about any dreams. I'm talking about the kind of dreams that consume you, the kind that become someone's life's work."
"There's nothing wrong with dreaming—" said Ginny.
But Draco continued, savagely beating home his point. "No. There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but about this time, the muggle talks to another muggle and they both think how stupid they are trying to do this, because they don't believe in dreams and they don't believe in magic. Can you see what kind of damage they do?" Draco asked.
Ginny just stared at him in horror.
"No? I'll tell you then. When they cease to hold their dream, all of their wanting and dreaming and frustration and pain coalesce into a dark, hungry shadow, and all that creature ever wants, is to fulfil the dream it was born to be! It wants the kind of dedication to a dream that always brings it to fruition. It wants—a soul. And because its maker abandoned it, without fulfilling it—anybody's soul will have to do.
"But taking that soul could not fulfill the dream," said Ginny.
"No. You're right. It does not. Only the soul of its creator will complete it, and let it return to the Elements," Said Draco.
"But matching the soul of the muggle with the dementer is an impossible task." Added Vincent.
"Hard, but not impossible," corrected Snape, as they entered the castle though the secret doorway. "Straight to bed with the lot of you. I expect to see all of you cheering our Quiddich team tomorrow not lying in."
The group groaned. "What time is it?" asked Ethan.
"5:40," answered Snape.
"Quiddich," groaned Ginny. "I'm going to be useless, tomorrow. Even on a new broom."
"Today," corrected Tom.
Still noisy and keyed up, Ginny and Edward made their way to Gryffindor Tower.
"I'm hungry," said Edward, still dripping elemental magic. "Want to stop by the kitchen and see if we can get an early breakfast?"
"No," said Ginny. "I've got to go to bed. I can get about three hours of sleep before I have to play Quiddich."
"Puppy Puffs," said Edward as he reached the portrait hole.
"And what have you been doing out this late?" demanded the Fat Lady.
"It's not late," said Edward. "It's early morning."
"Oh," said the Fat Lady, confused and she opened the portrait hole for them. They fell into the room together, both dripping magic and giggling.
Samara had just come down the stairs from the girl's dorm. She stared at them for a moment, running a hand through her loose, tangled hair. "Is it raining outside?" she asked.
"No," they both answered together, and then realizing that they were both muddy and soaking wet with the earth and water elementals, Ginny corrected—"It was—raining—but it stopped." She felt a hot blush coloring her face as she remembered asking Edward that same question on the first day of school.
"I was going to borrow your broom to go to the owlry," said Samara eyeing the broom in Ginny's hand, But you were in the ward—I thought you were, anyway—"
"Here," said Ginny impulsively handing Samara the Nimbus 2001.
Samara took it hesitantly and turned back up towards the dorm. "You should release the rest of the magic before you come up to bed," she said softly, or you'll be sleeping in a swamp. I doubt if anyone else will be through the common room this early." She hurried up the stairs to the dorm window.
"You heard the lady," said Edward, taking Ginny in his arms. "We have to release this magic."
"But what?" began Ginny.
He enfolded her in his arms, and began to release the Elemental magic through her. It was pleasant, rather like a nice warm shower on a cold evening. She sighed, snuggling close to him, but Tom's reaction was quite different.
"Carman!" he choked. "His magic is exactly like Carman's!"
==
(A/N: selections of Voldemort's speeches were adapted from copies of Adolf Hitler's speeches—obviously, there were drastic changes made, but some of the ideas were a spring board for Voldemort's speeches)
ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS:
ELE: Thanks for telling me that I am no longer under Ginny/Voldemort, but actually, I can't find Seers' Truth if I search for it with the whole title. The best way to find it is to "find" my name, lady lestrange. I don't know why fanfic doesn't seem to like my stories. My Bellatrix Lestrange story isn't under Bellatrix either. One of the mysteries of the internet I guess. As far as Tom having a dirty mind after 50 years of nothing--and hey--I don't know any sixteen year old boys that don't have a dirty mind. Do you?
Reiven: Glad you're back! About the basilisks and Edward--use your imagination. Edward's not going back just to satisfy your curiosity.
Ennui2: Holy Moly! That was a quick question! If you asked an indepth question, I wouldn't have had room on my puny hard drive! You are so wicked close. If you were playing hot and cold with Tom, you would be burning up. If it was a snake it would have bitten you. But there's one last piece of the puzzle that you need to see before you make your definitive decision.
Sky: Just wondering if you've written anything. I'd like to read it. You have no idea how huge this plot is. It's over running its boundaries.
Crystal Megan: Glad you like my Ginny/Tom. I loved MY ETERNAL CURSE. It's one of my favorite G/T fics.
Trillium: You hope Tom can come out soon? How? Glad you like my bits about Hermione. She's just so busy with Ron this year, I'm having trouble fitting much of her in. They are missing her brains obviously. Samara has loyalty to her friends, Beatrice being one. I guess you might be able to say she has a problem with authority in some instances, but mostly, she just acts first and thinks later.
Hayes1966: Glad you like my Tom Riddle. More of him on the way. Much more.
RAven173: Of course Ginny will fight the Imperio, but I wouldn't count on it all working out nice and neat. Yes. You can add me to your AIM. I'm on often since I'm homeschooled.
Jager: Like the Ginny Imperio? Me too. Lots more Ginny/Tom in the sequel.
ennui2: About McGonagall. Isn't that what Peeves said ages ago? The prophecies are as follows: (dream) Prologue; (vision) Tricks, Treats and Lack of Sleep; (explanation of Trelawney's) Fear Foretold; (partial explanation) Pieces of the Prophecy; (dream) Sisshasss-A-Sissahasss; (vision) The Chamber of Secrets; (dream-Harry) The Chamber of Secrets; (dream) The Chamber, The Wall, The Wand and the Window; (vision) Snape's Secret and Salazar's Treasure; *still to come*(dream) G/S Quiddich; (vision) Knockturn Alley.