Chapter Twenty-Two
Through the Hole in the Wall

Ivy and Ebony woke up four days later, sprawled on the floor of Borgin and Burke's. Ebony had no idea what had happened…all she did was lift up a purple pot.

"Ebony, yeh say yeh lifted up that purple pot there? Well, yeh mightn't have known, but that is a Paralyzing Pot. If yeh touch it, it releases a purple smoke that paralyzes yeh and puts yeh to sleep for days…I reckon that we was in here for awhile. Let me check my calendar…" Ivy reached inside her robes and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper.

"July 30th, 1998. We came in 'ere four days ago! It's almost midnight now! There's on'y twenty-four hours left for Harry to kill You-Know-Who!"

"Ivy, why don't you say his name? You were engaged to him after all…"

Four days had passed since they left the Shrieking Shack, and Harry and Ginny were now walking down Diagon Alley. They were so close to Borgin and Burke's, and now that there was one day left, they were more frightened and nervous than they had ever been in their entire lives.

Ginny knew the secret of the great and terrible magic now; she knew nothing that could make Voldemort scared or embarrassed or ashamed…she had always assumed that Voldemort had no feelings. But she was going to have to try.

"Tell me again how you know that it's in Borgin and Burke's?" Ginny asked Harry as they passed Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George had obviously closed the shop for a little while, but customers could still buy through Owl Post.

"I dreamt Wormtail tiptoeing up to that withered hand on the bloody pillow. Unless there's some other Dark Arts shop in Knockturn Alley with an identical withered hand, then it's in Borgin and Burke's,"

Harry's voice was shaky these past few days, Ginny noticed. It was nearing midnight on July 30th as they turned down Knockturn Alley.

Ivy looked over at Ebony, ashamed. She was waiting for Ebony to bring that up. Ivy looked down at her toes, not wanting to answer. But Ebony was watching her impatiently, so Ivy had to explain everything.

"Ebony, yeh must remember, I was on'y sixteen! He was twenty-two, and I hadn't known he was related to yeh, or that he was to be the Darkest wizard in history! But I thought I had loved him…don't ask me why, I just did. He didn't start up his evilness until a year later. He always asked me why I loved my Muggle parents, and wouldn't it jut be easier to kill them? I replied no each time, mind you, but he insisted on asking. He made me watch him murder a pregnant Muggle woman, and I cried for him to stop. I hated him after that. He had me tied to a chair and put some kind of charm on my eyelids so I wouldn't be able to close them. He was horrible, and every time I tried to escape, he put the Imperius Curse on me. I was able to throw it off eventually, but by that time, he knew I didn't love him. He never loved me; he just wanted someone to help him. But it wasn't going to be me, I made sure 'o that! One night, he beat me with a stick and was about to murder me when Albus came in. I was slipping in and out of consciousness, but Albus said something to him, and then he fled. I was taken to St. Mungo's, and Dumbledore had to put an Unplottable Charm on my parents' home. Eventually he performed the Fidelius Charm. I am their Secret-Keeper, 'o course, but still, I find it hard to sleep at night, knowing that he might be able to find them,"

Ebony felt a deep empathy for Ivy. She had only feared her mother's death for a few moments that night they were hiding in the closet, but it was one of the worst feelings she ever had. Now that her mother and husband had died, she knew how Ivy would feel if her parents had been killed. Ebony forced the tears back, and hugged Ivy for a few seconds. They both pulled away at the same time, and then Ivy resumed tiptoeing towards the withered hand.

"This used to be his. I watched him use this many times…he charmed it to conceal secret areas. All you have to do is tiptoe over to it, then lift up the fourth finger, and a secret passage will open," Ivy explained as she gestured for Ebony to stand back.

Ivy reached the hand, lifted the fourth finger and jumped backwards as the hand turned black and revealed a hole in the wall behind it. They clambered inside, waiting for someone to come either way.

Harry and Ginny entered Borgin and Burke's exactly 12:04 AM. At 12:05 AM, Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott emerged from a hole in the wall behind the withered hand.

"Well, well, well! Thought you'd just waltz down there and attack the Dark Lord, did you, Potter? And what about Ms. Weasel-Hair here? Did she think she'd actually be able to help you? Why, my father killed her father, and now I must kill her. Don't think you're lucky, Potter. Just because we can't kill you doesn't mean you won't die tonight!" Malfoy shrieked, withdrawing his wand.

All of a sudden, a wand pointed at the back of Theodore's head rendered him unconscious. Ebony and Ivy emerged from the hole in the wall, wands pointed at Malfoy.

"You two go! We'll handle this good-for-nothing little…bloody hell!"

Ebony directed them to go into the hole, but Malfoy threw a tiny black ball at her head, which lodged itself into her forehead and made her faint. Ivy commanded them to leave, and as they clambered through the hole, Ginny turned around and saw Ivy club Malfoy in the head with a long silver pole.