The House of Black Revived

"Still no change?"

"No, not a single sign that she hears us."

"Oh, Remus what are we going to do? I've already lost Ginny, I don't think I can stand to loose another of the children. Surely she knows that we don't blame her? She is as much as a daughter as Ginny is. Their was nothing she could have done. She had questioned me before about the safety of allowing Ginny to work alone in Diagon Ally. Does she blame us for not being there to protect them?" Mrs. Weasly asked, her voice watery from tears.

There was a long pause in which Hermione could count her heart beats.

ONE…Ginny was gone. TWO…There were five of them.

THREE…Only a broken wand. FOUR…She had fought back.

FIVE…They had taken Ginny. SIX…Ginny had told her to run.

SEVEN…She had left Ginny. EIGHT…Nothing she could have done.

NINE…It was all her fault. TEN…All her fault. ELEVEN…All her fault.

"I think," Lupin said slowly, "that she blames herself more than anything else. The Muggles have a word for it. Survivors Guilt. Why don't we let her rest some more and we will be back when she is awake. Besides I think you need to check in on Bill. He was starting to pack and said he was going to… Hello Harry, going to see Hermione?"

Lupin had paused mid sentence to greet Harry who was on his way into her room. Hermione heard him mumble something in quiet undertones as she turned on her side to face the wall. The dingy walls hadn't brightened much in the past two summers, and the blank canvas still hung on the wall. The first summer they had learned about the Order, Ron and Harry had slept in this room.

During the lull in Deatheater activity most of the Order had dispersed throughout England, to avoid the suspicion of anyone watching the habits of the members. After Ginny… Dumbledore had given the order to move most of the Order back into the house at number twelve Grimmauld Place. Hermione had been unable to enter the room she had shared with Ginny, and nobody had pushed her.

She heard the door handle turn and resolutely shut her eyes. She didn't want to have to talk to anyone just yet. She felt the side of the bed dip as Harry sat down beside her. For many moments he was quiet. She listened to his breathing. So steady, so certain.

"She wouldn't have wanted this you know." He said so softly she wasn't sure he was talking to her or himself. She remained silent.

"Ginny would have hated the inaction as well as you taking on all of the blame." Harry spoke on a sigh. Hermione found she had trouble swallowing a lump in her throat. He was right. But still.

"I know what it's like to be the only one to walk away. I dragged Cedric's body out of that graveyard. I had a way to talk to Sirius all that school year. I had the means to save him, if only I'd remembered, then we never would have been in the Department of Mysteries at all. I know what it is like to keep being the only one to walk away while everyone else dies around me. I live in fear that before this is over I'll be the only one left." Harry's voice cracked as spoke, and she could feel the pain he felt over his supposed failures of the past. But he still didn't understand.

"But you never left them." She said, whisper quiet. "You were there until the end. I was not." Her voice broke as tears once again filled her eyes only to drip down onto the pillow.

"Mione…" Harry started uncertainly.

"I left her. I left her all alone." Came her agonized whisper

Harry didn't say anything else, he just patted her shoulder and let her cry herself to sleep.

8

When Ginny awoke next she was lying on her side in an uncomfortable position. It took all of five seconds to remember what had happened in Diagon Ally. Grimacing she pushed herself up and glanced around.

She seemed to be in a very dimly lit cell. A small patch of gray light fell through the ceiling and did very little to illuminate the dark corners of the small room. She stood up and grimaced at the pain. Lying on a stone floor wasn't the best way to take a nap she surmised.

She took a few steps and then was drawn to a halt. Startled she looked down and saw that they had clasped a small silver chain to her left ankle. It sparkled brightly in the very dim light. Great. Magical. Ginny let a few of Bill's favorite cuss words slip out.

"I wouldn't have thought that the youngest weasel would have known such a word. Such un ladylike behavior." The raspy mocking voice came out of the opposite corner.

Ginny started and jerked her head to the source of the voice.

"Come out where I can see you." She demanded. If she was trapped down here she would at least see who it was.

A very familiar mocking laughter filled the air as she hear a rattle of chains and her fellow prisoner showed himself.

Ginny gaped. There was no denying she new that gaunt figure. True, his hair hadn't been cut and he looked to be in need of a shave, but it was defiantly him.

"MALFOY!" she choked. What would HE be doing here.

Draco Malfoy let loose another peal of semi-demented laughter that echoed around the room.

"No," he said, "I'm no Malfoy." Ginny could do naught but gape at him.

"What do you mean, not a Malfoy?" exploded Ginny. "Who do you think you are, if your not a Malfoy?" she asked thunderstruck.

Their was a moment in which Draco simply stared at her. Then he smirked

"Call me Black. Draco Black."

Hi mina! waves This is a short chapter, but it seemed to want to end there… so who would I be to argue.

I'm sorry about the MANY problems from the last chapter… blushes I'll be better from now on. The next chapter should be posted in about three days or so. Thanks for reading!