Chapter 33: A Tricky Situation

~*~

"I think," said Mr. Ollivander, "That because this wand had a previous owner, and that owner was left-handed, that the wand will continue to work in its wielders left hand. Try a simple spell for us and see if you have any trouble with it." [Chapter 13 of This Very Story]

~*~

 Harry blinked a few times, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark surroundings. He was very grateful that somehow his glasses had actually stayed put on the bridge of his nose. He felt a strange pulling weight on each arm and looked down to find that he was bound by heavy chains and manacles. As he tugged on one of the chains holding his left hand he was shocked when it actually tightened its hold. There was no doubt that his bindings were aided by magic. He glanced around the area which appeared to be right next the same clearing they had just been fighting in. As his eyes finally adjusted fully he glanced around again, further inspecting the area where he was chained. His glance followed the thick chains and he realized that they were connected to the trunk of a very large tree. He let out a sharp intake of breath when he realized that someone was tied to the smaller tree next to him. The fears and suspicions running through him were immediately confirmed when moonlight bounced off of the other captive to reveal long red hair.

"Ginny," he whispered sharply, hoping that she was awake as well. "Are you okay?"

"Harry, I'm fine" she said. "Thank god you're awake, all those stunners... You are alright aren't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Where are we? And how tight do they have you chained."

"Not as badly as you," Ginny frowned. He looked over and realized that she was only bound to the willow tree by crude bits of rope.

"We need to do something," said Harry, trying his best not to panic. He considered the situation and tried to come up with a plan. "Do you think if we..."

"Shh!" said Ginny sharply. Harry remained silent for a minute. He was about to ask her why when she continued. Only he realized as she continued her tone was very different.

"We might be watched," said Ginny. Her tone had adopted a hiss like quality. Harry's brain began to click bits of information quickly now. Ginny was a parseltongue! That was why she'd acted so strangely when he'd talked to that snake over the summer. She hadn't known until then probably.

"You're a parseltongue!" he exclaimed. The language came to him with ease now, even though there were no snakes that he could see in the vicinity. He supposed it was easier around fellow parseltongues.

"Yes," Ginny replied dryly, "Thanks to Tom that is, but we can use it against him now. I doubt he's watching us personally and it's highly unlikely that any guards will understand."

"Do you think you can get out of those ropes?" Harry asked her.

"Of course," exclaimed Ginny, "I'm not a Weasley for nothing, and these aren't even carefully tied.

"Mine are," said Harry soberly. "They're magicked too I bet."

"Ha, got it!" said Ginny happily, and she scooted towards him in the darkness. "Maybe I can get yours."

"I doubt it," he said, "No offense, but I don't think this is something to wriggle out of."

"You're right," she said frowning again. "Do you still have your portkey on you?"

Harry looked down at his wrist where the watch had been and distinctly remembered it tearing and shattering as a curse bounced off it. "No, how 'bout you?"

"I've still got mine," said Ginny. She reached towards him and the bracelet on her wrist started twitching.

"Stop!," Harry cried and she jerked her hand back abruptly. "They've obviously got some kind of wards on them so that portkeys won't work. Don't break yours!"

"What do you expect me to do!?" said Ginny, exasperated. "You can't honestly think I'll go back without you!"

"You've got to try," said Harry. "It's no use of you staying if it'll just get you killed as well."

"Don't start on that Harry! You know very well that-"

"You didn't let me finish," said Harry. "If you go you can get help. Chances are Dumbledore already knows and you can guide him here. You've got to go soon though. I doubt they'll leave me here for long."

"Harry, are you sure we can't just break the chains? I know if we tried..."

"No," said Harry. "There's no way we'll get these undone quick enough. Every time I struggle against them they tighten."

"Do you still have your wand?" asked Ginny.

"No," said Harry, realizing he must have dropped it when he'd been stunned. "Maybe it's still here."

"I've got mine," said Ginny. "I'm surprised they weren't more careful. It's acting rather strange though." She looked around the forest suspiciously, half expecting something to jump out.

"Ginny," said Harry slowly, "What kind of tree are you tied to?"

"A willow of course," said Ginny. "Now isn't the time to be daft."

"What wood is your wand made of?" he replied, smirking slightly.

"Willow," she replied slowly.

"Therefore the suiting explanation is..."

"The wood came from a branch of this tree!" said Ginny.

"Exactly. Maybe you can summon my wand?" said Harry hopefully. He knew he'd feel much more secure if he had his own wand back in his possession.

"ACCIO WAND," she said. Even though the command was given in parseltongue it seemed to work just as well. And apparently with added power due to her being so close to the tree her own wand had quite literally sprung from. "Ow!" exclaimed Ginny as Harry heard something thwack against her.

"Here," she said, handing it to him, careful to keep her braceleted arm away from the chains, and he felt a surge of relief as he grasped it. At least now he didn't feel so powerless.

"Alohomora!" he said to the chains, but the charm didn't seem to have any effect.

"Wait!," said Ginny. "I think I know how to do this! It takes a lot of power but this tree is helping."

 Harry heard her muttering complicated words under her breath as she swished her wand. He watched her in curiosity until something else caught his attention. Footsteps! And they were headed towards the clearing. He was about to interrupt Ginny when the chain on his left hand came undone, and then his left foot. He stared at his freed limbs in all. Next came his right arm and then he saw figures in the distance.

"Ginny!" he called, switching back to English now without realizing it. "You have to go! Get Dumbledore. Someone's coming!"

Ginny jumped at his voice and stopped chanting. "I can't leave you now," she said stubbornly. Any argument they were going to have was cut short by the appearance of multiple rays of light in the clearing. They hadn't counted on Ginny being able to help Harry apparently.

"Go!" he shouted as he felt the last chain loosening.

 The figures were closer now and soon a swarm of the cloaked figures was approaching. More curses flew through the air as the group ran towards them. Harry panicked as he saw Ginny having to duck from various blasts, one of them scorching a nearby tree so badly that it began to crumble. The group was right on them now and they were cutting him off from Ginny. She still refused to leave though and Harry watched in horror as the curses kept drawing closer and closer.

"BUMBLEBEE," he shouted desperately with as much force as he could muster, knowing full well that it had to be Ginny who said it in order for it to activate.

To his utter surprise, it worked.

~*~

"We have to find Harry and Ginny!" Hermione had shouted upon entering the office.

 Three minutes later Dumbledore had placed his chin in his hands thoughtfully after hearing their case. Ron and Hermione were both clutching the arms of their chairs as if their life depended on it, knuckles white. Each one was wearing the look of fear and concern. They watched as Dumbledore pulled a wrinkled roll of parchment out of his desk and spread it out carefully. He tapped it carefully three times with his wand before speaking.

"I solemnly swear this is for the sake of good," said Dumbledore to the parchment.

 As lines began to form upon it Ron and Hermione knew immediately who the two creators of this new map were. The map was very detailed now and showed not only the Hogwarts grounds, but Hogsmeade as well.

"Find: Harry Potter," said Dumbledore to the map. It appeared to scan itself with a thin veil of violet light before letters of the same shade appeared.

Out of Bounds

"Last Known Location," commanded Dumbledore.

  The two students watched in horror as the map placed a purple dot on the street where they had found the bag.

"Last Known Location of Virginia Weasley," said Dumbledore.

Another dot appeared next to Harry.

Dumbledore sighed, "Way of their Departure?"

Portkey

"It appears you are right," said Dumbledore.

"Can't the map follow the portkey?" said Hermione desperately.

"Its capabilities are limited to what it has shown us," replied Dumbledore. "I will contact staff members immediately to begin the search."

"We have to help them now!" shouted Ron, unable to control his rage at only being able to sit there.

"He's got a point," Hermione shot back at him, though she felt just as angry and helpless.

 The shouting match seemed just about to start when out of nowhere and object fell out of nowhere, managing to land on Ron and pin him to the floor.

Hermione shrieked aloud.

Ron yelled as well but it was with joy, and he pulled his sister to him, "Ginny!"

 She stepped back away from him quickly. She ignored the hurt expression on his face when she scrambled out of his embrace, knowing that her next words would atone for that.

"We have to help Harry," she exclaimed loudly.

Hermione paled, "Why isn't he with you?"

"We were both bound but his chains were portkey resistant," said Ginny.

"Wouldn't his come undone as well?" asked Hermione.

"I wasn't done," said Ginny, trying not to be too sharp. "I managed to get our wands. I gave Harry his and began the charms too undo the chains. I'd made good progress and his were almost all undone, but then THAT STUPID GIT!"

"Ginny, calm down," said Ron. "What happened?"

"Death eaters started coming at us," said Ginny. "I don't know how they were alerted. I was just on his last chain when they ran through and started shooting curses. We got separated and the curses were only nearly missing me. Then I heard Harry yell. He triggered the portkey. The next thing I knew I was here. And it's a waste explaining this now when we could be helping him!"

"He triggered the portkey?" asked Ron. "How could he do that? He wasn't even touching you."

"It seems," said Dumbledore, "that my assumptions about Harry's powers are very correct. It is no surprise that he could complete such a feat."

Ginny took this information in, "We still need to get him! Now! I don't care if he is a bloody arse about some things!"

"What we need," said Ron, surprising them with his calm tone, "is a plan."

"And I'm supposing you already have the start of one?" asked Dumbledore, eyes twinkling slightly despite the situation.

"Yes," said Ron. "And it's about time we were the ones saving Harry instead of the other way around."

"Right indeed, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "Quite right indeed."