chapter 35
The magical hurricane eventually vanished...Rosie was standing where it had been. She just stood there in the middle of the room. No expression. Ginny turned to Draco.
"It didn't work..?" She said, unbelieving. That was some pretty intense magic...it would have blasted away everything...except Rosie then.
Draco and Ginny just stared at Rosie, but she did nothing.
Staring continued...
Until Rosie squealed. "You did it!" She said happily.
"We did?...you sure?" Draco asked.
"I'm positive!"
"Then why are you still there...with not a scratch on you?" Ginny remarked.
Rosie frowned at her. "I used to think you were the smart one of the two...surely I would not take a job that could kill me! I'm defeated, but I don't have to die...sheesh!"
Ginny blushed. "Sorry" she mumbled. Then everything was dark again. For a second anyways. Ginny blinked and suddenly they were back in the room full of weird things, Ares and Voldemort and the flower twins.
"Took you long enough" Voldemort sneered.
"You passed the test too?"
He snorted. "Of course I did, you don't think it's hard to fight a little girl like her" He said while looking at Iris. It was clear that he had fought Iris while Draco and Ginny fought with Rosie. Iris glared at Voldemort's insinuation of her not being strong, but remained silent.
"I have watched..." Ares began speaking slowly. "And have considered everything...and decided...that this duel will definitely be worth of seeing"
"This duel just a big television-show for him" Draco whispered into Ginny's ear. Luckily...Ares didn't hear that comment.
"Peto quod Attero"
"What did he say?" Ginny questioned Draco.
"He said: 'Seek and Destroy'...I think"
That exact moment (Surprise, Surprise) they fell again. This time though, it was different. It was not dark, but they could feel sunlight on them. It wasn't a long drop this time, but they landed in water.
When Ginny resurfaced, she gasped loudly. Draco, who had come up too, asked her what's wrong.
"It...It's...the Maze"
"What do you mean 'the Maze'?"
Ginny glared at him. Draco got the message.
"OH! The Maze you were trapped in when you were kidnapped by Voldemort"
"Thank you, Captain Obvious"
They crawled out of the water.
"But…it doesn't make sense...why make the battlefield just like that Maze"
Rosie's voice boomed. "Voldemort has been here before, taking a test in which he could win a prolonged life. He won and got his prize. I'm sure this Maze that you are talking about is the same as here, because Voldemort must have copied it"
"Great" Ginny muttered. She didn't think to ever return here. Not that 'here' is actually 'there' where she had stayed, but it looks the same alright.
"Well...at least we don't have to search" Draco said, relieved.
"Why?"
"Didn't we take that necklace of Pansy that could...take us to where we need to go...where ever that is"
"Oh right" Ginny said and she pulled out the necklace from her pocket. She stared at it. Then back at Draco.
"How does it work?"
"Don't know…Pansy just said that it would help us find our way and that she commanded it to listen to us...a bit vague don't you think?"
"Yeah...maybe if you put it on, it will do something"
It's from Pansy so it's safe I guess Ginny figured, so she put it around her neck.
Nothing.
Hello, Miss Ginny
Ginny glared at Draco.
"Don't start to get funny with me now, Draco"
"What? I didn't do anything"
Why does everybody always think that I'm someone else?
Ginny scrunched up her face.
"What do you mean someone else?"
Draco looked at her like she was crazy.
"Is this place getting to you so much that your brain malfunctions?"
Another glare in the direction of Draco which quickly shut him up (the threat of no more snogging-sessions is going to haunt him for life!).
I mean that I am the necklace of Everywhere, commanded to take you...everywhere
"Oh...ok...do you know where we are going?" (Draco obediently said nothing)
Well...no...mostly the person I'm talking to at least knows WHERE he wants to go instead of knowing that he wants to get somewhere, but doesn't know where...you know?
"Where do we have to go?" Ginny asked Draco. Draco said nothing, still thinking that Ginny was talking to some imaginary friend or something. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Draco…I asked YOU this time" he looked startled.
"I don't know"
And Rosie...spoke again. "To the center of the Maze...Isn't that logical? A house elf would know that!"
"To the center of the Maze" Ginny told the Necklace of everywhere"
"I heard her, Ginny" Draco said annoyed.
AND...glare number three is up.
"Not you, Draco!"
The Centre? Okay...let's go!
Ginny felt the necklace rise a bit and pulling her softly. Ginny then remembered something.
"Do you...think that you could...direct us the way to the center, but without meeting any creatures in this Maze?"
Sure...just a slight detour then...there was a Mager coming up the way I was going anyways
Ginny shuddered at the thought of encountering another Mager. She told Draco quickly about the necklace and he looked slightly relieved at the fact that she had not been going out of her mind. (he'd never admit to her that he was afraid of that, because he was a little more afraid that the aforementioned threat would be done...not that he would admit that he was afraid of that too!)
"..That explains it" was all he said though.
They walked for a while under the guidance of the necklace. Ginny knew that it was directing them the safest way possible, but she was still staying alert. You never know.
I am terribly sorry Miss Ginny, but there is a Skrewt coming up that we can only avoid if we go left which will only lead us to a more dangerous road
"Draco, there's a skrewt coming up"
"Okay" he said lazily. The skrewt came, Draco kicked, one skrewt less in the Maze. And on they went.
Surprisingly, it went well, with the necklace guiding them and telling them beforehand what was coming. They managed to find the center with only a few scratches here and there of an overgrown Garden Gnome (with fangs)who seemed a bit genetically manipulated.
The Center appeared to be only a big grass field, with some bushes here and there. Voldemort was already there.
"Took you long enough" he growled.
"Don't be so impatient for your death, Riddle. It will come soon"
"Pride goes before destruction" Voldemort said.
"and a haughty spirit before a fall" Ginny countered.
"The tongue speaks, but the head doesn't know"
"No one is so bold as a blind man" Draco added.
"Nothing is- " Voldemort started to say before he was cut off.
"Will you STOP already with the stupid lines and get on with it already!" Ares' voice boomed.
"Okay, okay...don't bite my head off" Ginny muttered.
They all went into fighting-mode.
Then...the battle started.
