All I Took For Granted Was A Lie
***
Chapter Four: Through the fear
See chapter one for disclaimers and notes.
***
"You go into the woods
Where nothing's clear
Where witches, wolves,
And ghosts appear.
Into the woods
And through the fear,
You have to take the journey.
~ Into the woods by: Stephan Sondheim
***
I stumbled backwards and Spike glared at me but none of the Death Eaters heard me. My mind was reeling. Since when had Weasley been a Dark supporter? I thought he was one Potter's little groupies. Things couldn't have changed that much. What was next? The old coot Dumbledore telling Granger to get out because she was a mudblood? Spike was ignoring me and his eyes were fixed on the meeting before him. He had a calculating look in his eyes. I didn't like the looks of it.
Crawling back over to him, I settled back into see what I could hear. "You won't get two feet for they try and kill you," I hissed.
"I'm already dead. And besides. I won't need to go that far. They've left the girl by the edge of the clearing. We'll sneak around. I'll distract." They really had left her by the edge of the woods where we could easily grab her from behind. I couldn't see who it was because her captors had let her fall over but I knew those robes. Hogwarts. I had money on it being Granger.
Spike pulled me backwards so he could talk more freely. "You go around. I'll wait for a signal from you before I go in and then you get her back to the house as fast as you can. Got it?"
"What about you? Once they figure out you're a vampire, it won't take them more than two seconds to kill you."
"I don't think it'll be a problem. Plus, I have a very manly looking sword. They have twigs. Got it? Go."
I quickly made my way over to where the girl was lying. Her guards were very large but didn't appear too smart. I was betting on Crabbe and Goyle. Didn't matter which ones. I caught Spike's eye across the clearing and the vampire smirked.
He stepped with purpose. The Death Eaters all looked up at him and the Dark Lord hissed. "Who are you and why are you here?" he snarled.
"I heard you were the big bad round here," Spike was saying. "My old buddy Angelus said you were worth getting in touch with if I was back here and wanting some fun."
The guards were definitely distracted. I reached out and pulled the girl back. She began to wiggle against her bonds but I clamped a hand over her mouth. "if you want them to look over here," I hissed at her as low as I could. "Then keep moving." The only indication that she'd heard me came in that she stopped moving completely. She froze. Damn, I thought, she recognized my voice.
Pushing the thoughts aside I pulled her back into the underbrush only to come face to face with none other than the Weasel's own sister. Her eyes went impossibly wide as she saw me and she opened her mouth to speak but no sound came. I didn't know if it was a spell or fear but if she was quiet, we might just get out of there alive. I pulled the knife from its sheath in my jacket and noted with amusement how I was wrong about her eyes. They could get wider. I cut the bonds at her wrists and ankles and pulled her hand to show her to follow me. She didn't move. "Come on," I whispered. "I swear I won't hurt you. I know a place you can go. It's got a fireplace that might be on the Floo."
She looked back at the clearing where Spike was now in his demon face strutting around looking remarkably like a chicken. "You and him…"
"Later."
Then we began to run. I could hear the girl behind me as I tried to crash silently through the growth. She wasn't any quieter. I was really beginning to get tired by the time I could see the house up head. I turned back and saw that my companion was lagging considerably. "Come on," I said. "It's just there. Hurry." Her breathing was far too labored and I feared we might not make it back before the Death Eaters noticed she was missing.
A scream cut through the night air. Never mind. They'd noticed. I grabbed her hand and we dove as quickly as we could towards the house. Buffy and every one else was suddenly in the back yard looking at us in alarm. I guess it was later than I thought if they were all already home.
Then suddenly, we were at the door and it was being slammed behind us. The girl was being laid out over on the couch unconscious with Willow and Tara fretting over her while Buffy demanded to know where Spike was. Dawn hugged me. "What happened?"
"Death Eater," I said. "Dark Wizards. In the forest. Spike was the distraction. The girl goes to Hogwarts."
"Damn it!" Buffy shouted. "You two know better than to get into something like this by yourselves! What were you thinking?"
"That if we didn't act then, she'd be dead by now! He's going to be fine Buffy!" I shouted back. "It's Spike, remember?"
"He's right," Dawn said softly. I kissed her softly. She could always calm me down like that. Buffy sighed.
"He better be."
"Dray," Tara called. "Come here. We need to know a bit more about her before we go working the magics on her."
I walked over to them and looked down on the girl I'd always ignored at school. She was tiny with long red hair. It was a wonder I didn't recognize it in the forest. "Gina or something. No. Ginny. Ginny Weasley. She's got like a million older brothers. Real poor family. She's sixteen I think."
"What happened?" Giles asked in watcher mode. So I took a seat on another couch and recounted the tale. I had hardly finished telling the tale hen we heard a pounding on the door.
"Open the bloody door!" Spike's voice came through. Buffy threw it open and launched herself into his arms.
"Damn you," she whispered. "I was so worried."
He gave her a quick hug back before turning to me. "Did you get her?"
"In there," I told him pointing. He nodded. "They called off the search saying that she can't have gotten far. They thought I'd brought a friend to kill her. I'm deeply ashamed of the state of evil today. They didn't hardly try. Made a good attempt to kill me though. It was fun," he smirked. Buffy hit him.
"Well," Giles interrupted. Some one need to keep watch. Dawn can take the first watch and Draco'll take the morning watch if she's not awake by then."
"That's not a good idea," I told him. "We hate each other."
'Then you'd better hope she wakes up. Dawn, get him up at three. Draco, get some sleep. Same for all of you. I have a feeling that we just got ourselves into something we should have stayed out of."
TBC...?
***
Chapter Four: Through the fear
See chapter one for disclaimers and notes.
***
"You go into the woods
Where nothing's clear
Where witches, wolves,
And ghosts appear.
Into the woods
And through the fear,
You have to take the journey.
~ Into the woods by: Stephan Sondheim
***
I stumbled backwards and Spike glared at me but none of the Death Eaters heard me. My mind was reeling. Since when had Weasley been a Dark supporter? I thought he was one Potter's little groupies. Things couldn't have changed that much. What was next? The old coot Dumbledore telling Granger to get out because she was a mudblood? Spike was ignoring me and his eyes were fixed on the meeting before him. He had a calculating look in his eyes. I didn't like the looks of it.
Crawling back over to him, I settled back into see what I could hear. "You won't get two feet for they try and kill you," I hissed.
"I'm already dead. And besides. I won't need to go that far. They've left the girl by the edge of the clearing. We'll sneak around. I'll distract." They really had left her by the edge of the woods where we could easily grab her from behind. I couldn't see who it was because her captors had let her fall over but I knew those robes. Hogwarts. I had money on it being Granger.
Spike pulled me backwards so he could talk more freely. "You go around. I'll wait for a signal from you before I go in and then you get her back to the house as fast as you can. Got it?"
"What about you? Once they figure out you're a vampire, it won't take them more than two seconds to kill you."
"I don't think it'll be a problem. Plus, I have a very manly looking sword. They have twigs. Got it? Go."
I quickly made my way over to where the girl was lying. Her guards were very large but didn't appear too smart. I was betting on Crabbe and Goyle. Didn't matter which ones. I caught Spike's eye across the clearing and the vampire smirked.
He stepped with purpose. The Death Eaters all looked up at him and the Dark Lord hissed. "Who are you and why are you here?" he snarled.
"I heard you were the big bad round here," Spike was saying. "My old buddy Angelus said you were worth getting in touch with if I was back here and wanting some fun."
The guards were definitely distracted. I reached out and pulled the girl back. She began to wiggle against her bonds but I clamped a hand over her mouth. "if you want them to look over here," I hissed at her as low as I could. "Then keep moving." The only indication that she'd heard me came in that she stopped moving completely. She froze. Damn, I thought, she recognized my voice.
Pushing the thoughts aside I pulled her back into the underbrush only to come face to face with none other than the Weasel's own sister. Her eyes went impossibly wide as she saw me and she opened her mouth to speak but no sound came. I didn't know if it was a spell or fear but if she was quiet, we might just get out of there alive. I pulled the knife from its sheath in my jacket and noted with amusement how I was wrong about her eyes. They could get wider. I cut the bonds at her wrists and ankles and pulled her hand to show her to follow me. She didn't move. "Come on," I whispered. "I swear I won't hurt you. I know a place you can go. It's got a fireplace that might be on the Floo."
She looked back at the clearing where Spike was now in his demon face strutting around looking remarkably like a chicken. "You and him…"
"Later."
Then we began to run. I could hear the girl behind me as I tried to crash silently through the growth. She wasn't any quieter. I was really beginning to get tired by the time I could see the house up head. I turned back and saw that my companion was lagging considerably. "Come on," I said. "It's just there. Hurry." Her breathing was far too labored and I feared we might not make it back before the Death Eaters noticed she was missing.
A scream cut through the night air. Never mind. They'd noticed. I grabbed her hand and we dove as quickly as we could towards the house. Buffy and every one else was suddenly in the back yard looking at us in alarm. I guess it was later than I thought if they were all already home.
Then suddenly, we were at the door and it was being slammed behind us. The girl was being laid out over on the couch unconscious with Willow and Tara fretting over her while Buffy demanded to know where Spike was. Dawn hugged me. "What happened?"
"Death Eater," I said. "Dark Wizards. In the forest. Spike was the distraction. The girl goes to Hogwarts."
"Damn it!" Buffy shouted. "You two know better than to get into something like this by yourselves! What were you thinking?"
"That if we didn't act then, she'd be dead by now! He's going to be fine Buffy!" I shouted back. "It's Spike, remember?"
"He's right," Dawn said softly. I kissed her softly. She could always calm me down like that. Buffy sighed.
"He better be."
"Dray," Tara called. "Come here. We need to know a bit more about her before we go working the magics on her."
I walked over to them and looked down on the girl I'd always ignored at school. She was tiny with long red hair. It was a wonder I didn't recognize it in the forest. "Gina or something. No. Ginny. Ginny Weasley. She's got like a million older brothers. Real poor family. She's sixteen I think."
"What happened?" Giles asked in watcher mode. So I took a seat on another couch and recounted the tale. I had hardly finished telling the tale hen we heard a pounding on the door.
"Open the bloody door!" Spike's voice came through. Buffy threw it open and launched herself into his arms.
"Damn you," she whispered. "I was so worried."
He gave her a quick hug back before turning to me. "Did you get her?"
"In there," I told him pointing. He nodded. "They called off the search saying that she can't have gotten far. They thought I'd brought a friend to kill her. I'm deeply ashamed of the state of evil today. They didn't hardly try. Made a good attempt to kill me though. It was fun," he smirked. Buffy hit him.
"Well," Giles interrupted. Some one need to keep watch. Dawn can take the first watch and Draco'll take the morning watch if she's not awake by then."
"That's not a good idea," I told him. "We hate each other."
'Then you'd better hope she wakes up. Dawn, get him up at three. Draco, get some sleep. Same for all of you. I have a feeling that we just got ourselves into something we should have stayed out of."
TBC...?
