His head was leaned over to one side in a way that was already familiar to Ginny. She had the distinct impression that he was listening to something, something deeper than the sound of voices and heavier than the passing of thought. His eyes closed momentarily and his features relaxed into a peaceful expression.
It had been a den of some sort, occupied (from what she could see) by four Death Eaters and one molting owl. Now the furniture was upturned and scorched, and the floor had rivulets running through it, looking as though the linoleum tiling had been melted. The outline of two Death Eaters were starkly visible against the blast lines of one wall. The other two lay in a heap of still-smoking carcasses, piled indifferently against a corner. The owl was still very much alive and trying to sort through its ruffled feathers.
The vivid gaze reopened, fixing Ginny with amusement. "If you have a question, feel free to ask."
The redhead gave her surroundings a cursory glance. "I stepped through the wall three seconds after you. What the hell happened?"
"You worried about Death Eaters. I told you not to. We keep our promises." Harry stretched, suddenly cheerful, as if he were an elementary school student on some field trip. "Let's go see what's in the other room!"
"Merlin, didn't they fucking hear you?" Ginny breathed, taking one last stare at the ruined room before she followed Harry out the door.
"Don't be silly," he chided her, not turning. "Walls can't listen when you cut off their ears."
#
Lucius didn't stand a chance, really.
His office erupted in a wreath of flames, the door blown apart by such force that it flew through the air and crashed into the window. Glass buckled like a curtain, raining little silver points of light onto the ground below.
The Death Eater was fast-anyone had to give him that. He had his well-polished wand drawn and trained on the open doorway before the window even shattered. Already his lips were forming the words of the Killing Curse.
Something large blocked his vision monetarily before it hit him and sent him tumbling to the floor. He looked upwards and nearly choked at the bile that was quickly washing up the back of his throat; It was Goyle Sr., expression twisted in the agony of death and cracked skull still oozing thickly with blood.
Quickly, Lucius pushed the bulky corpse off of himself. It was like a lead blanket, clumsy and unyielding, but he finally got it to roll on its side when-
"Hello, Lucius."
Harry Potter stood before him, a statue carved of marble, flowing black stone for robes and the most intense set of raw beryl for eyes. They seemed almost slitted; shadowed and sinister; they caught his attention and bravery like a net, leaving only the icy streaks of fear already beginning to claw up his stomach.
Lucius, with an effort, shoved aside his terror. The words whirling in his head like a mantra, came to his mouth in a shout; "Avada Kedavra!"
The sickly green light shot towards Harry, the Boy-Who-Lived-But-Died, the ghost of the Ministry from Azkaban. Harry held up a hand and gathered pulsing green that vanished between his fingers. He made a face.
"Ugh, now I feel sick. We hate Dark Magic and its taste of rotten meat."
Lucius was in a state of shock. Here was a ghost! He had to be! There was no other explanation for it!
"Ginny?" Harry asked softly. She crept shyly by his side. "This is your call, Ginny." Harry told her. "Do with him what you like, I won't stop you."
The redhead pulled out her restored wand. She pointed it at Lucius' forehead, her eyes stormy and grim. "Where are they?" She asked. Her voice was deathly quiet.
"Who?" Lucius sneered, proud to the last. His Malfoy blood boiled in the presence of a Weasley. "Dear Arthur? His wife? The boys, perhaps?" His lips drew up in a snarl. "Kill me and you'll never know."
"If that's the way it's going to be," Ginny snarled back, equally ferocious. She brandished her wand, twirling it up and around.
Suddenly Harry was between them, looking thoughtful.
"We think you'll tell us, Lucius," he said slowly, "whether you like it or not."
Fear leeched back into those pale eyes, but the Death Eater managed to retain his contemptuous sneer. "You bluff, Potter."
"Now now," Harry smirked, leaning forwards so Lucius could get the full benefit of his twisted green glare. "Are you really in a position to say that?" A pale hand shot out and wrapped slender fingers around the blonde's neck.
The Death Eater convulsed. Potter's touch seemed to burn into his skin like a hot iron brand. Something edged its way forcefully into his mind, opening up everything he meant to hide, exposing the secrets he meant to take with him to the grave. He battered at the alien presence in panic, but it was a futile effort. A sparrow might have had better luck felling a tree. He gave a scream of frustration, and in return felt the most pain he'd ever had before in his brief but bloody life.
Crutacious was a purely physical experience-this pain crew molten tracks across his brain. His nervous system was on fire. He wanted to rip out his own heart and end his misery like never before. This was not Voldemort punishing him. This was not his father abusing him. Merlin, please let it stop oh god kill me please just let it stop…!
He crumpled backwards, released from the agony. Unlike Crutacious, he experience no aftershakes. Instead, his entire body was numb. He opened his mouth to curse his tormentor, but all that came out was a wet trickle of thick, warm blood. He'd screamed his throat into raw pieces.
Ginny had felt the first flickers of pity when Lucius turned that terror-filled gaze on her companion. Everything that followed had been one long, endless horror. Now she backed away from the crazy-eyed mess coughing up copious amounts of oozing crimson, and farther way still from the one who'd caused it all. What was Harry, to cause such wonton pain to a fellow human being?
the wizard turned his head as soon as she'd had those thoughts, sharp green flames glowing from under those dark locks of raven hair. He chuckled slowly.
"You can run if you want. We won't hurt you."
Ginny gave the offer some serious thought, then shook her head. "What did you do to him?"
Harry did that strange lean-his-head-to-one-side motion again. "I reached into his memories and dug out the answer to your question."
Ginny stared at the blonde's neck. Five red lines ha been scorched into the skin, tattoo-like, by Harry's fingers. "That's not all you did."
Her one-time friend replied nonchalantly, "it worked." He moved aside. "If you still want to kill him…"
Ginny looked at him in shock. "After all that? You're a-" She checked herself , but it was too late; the implication had been loosed. But the reaction from Harry was less than satisfactory. He only shrugged at her, then returned his attention to Lucius.
"You'll give a message to your master for me?" To his credit, Lucius managed to nod his head calmly, though hate was deeply etched in his expression. "Good. Please inform your Dark Lord that his favorite person in the whole wide world is back." Harry's lips drew back in a parody of a smile. He looked dangerous indeed.
#
Gordic's Hollow trembled in the pale sunrise. A keening wind cut through the thin clouds, scattering them in the presence of feeble morning light.
The last free wizarding town in England stirred slowly to wakefulness. Those of the resistance effort who still lived hid here, behind wards and shields and fortified walls. Gordic's Hollow had been transformed from a sleepy country town to the final citadel for the Order of the Phoenix.
Albus Dumbledore made a habit of waking up early each day to inspect the wards. The last attack had rocked the fortifications quite badly, and the old wizard could see the strain on the protective spells. Outside the range of the massive Shield Charm Flitwick renewed each day, the grass was scorched and yellowed from curses and hexes. Yet it was easy to see that Voldemort had again refused to throw the full weight of his forces upon them in his last offensive. Perhaps the name of this quiet place still kept him at bay.
As usual, 7:30 precisely, a grumbling black cloud known as Severus Snape emerged from his small home and joined the one-time Headmaster in his rounds, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. Every day they passed the ruins of the Potter residence, and every day Snape made a point of averting his gaze from the charred skeleton of a house. Perhaps the Potter name was cursed-whether by the Ministry or Voldemort, no one could be certain.
Snape greeted Dumbledore with a customary grunt and a half-salute of raising the chipped mug. "Another fine day of hell," he growled.
"Nonsense," Dumbledore replied, but his words no longer held the old energy and conviction. "The clouds have been blown clear. We are in for a lovely little day."
"Might as well enjoy them as they last," Snape muttered. "What news of Bill Weasley's lonely sojourn to Manchester?"
"Nothing good's come out of that, I'm afraid," Dumbledore replied grimly. "He came back yesterday night, badly injured on the back of a Welsh Green, of all things. He'll make it-barely-but I don't know what good his efforts will do."
"What's the use?" Snape snarled. "It's all the same intelligence anyway-Voldemort enslaving Muggles, Voldemort amassing forces to invade the European mainland, other Ministries of Magic too scared shitless to rise up against him, England operating under the cheerful facade of Umbridge." Here Snape indulged in a particularly convoluted sneer, a tendon in his neck twitching.
"If Ginny is in Manchester as the rumors have said, then Bill's efforts will be worth everything he paid," Dumbledore replied sagaciously, but he was troubled. Always troubled. The people were losing hope, day by day, as if it were being bled out of them. The Hogwarts generation had gathered here with their families, Muggle and Wixarding alike-Weasleys, Grangers, even Creeveys. This was their last refuge before going into hiding. This was their last chance at overthrowing evil and tyranny before sinking into a world of despair… Snape grimaced at Dumbledore's high ideas, brooding: safety from misery and despair? Did he really hope to hold on from here, when even Hogwarts had been lost?
His thoughts were interrupted by the piercing voice of Molly Weasley:
"Ginny!"
#
{Author's Notes} first thanks goes to Tristhe, my amazing beta. ::Applause:: Okay, personal observations and shit like that: Am probably going to rewrite the first chapter sometime because after like half a year it looks really rough and I'm not really very fond of it anymore. Second, sorry for the slow update. 6 APs going here… kinda a lot of work, not a lot of time. Again, sorry. Third, some things that were bugging me: Hades' Phoenix: Eh, yeah. Logic problem. Yeah. Gotta find justification for that somehow. But if you think about it, Ginny was in a position where she really didn't have much choice about anything. it was like, trust or die. Cr1Ms0n^D3v1L : Opened up my inbox today, saw your review (I guess ff.net mails them now by bot), thought, hey, I probably should get off my lazy ass and get the next chapter up. And ended up writing some more, too! Thanks!