Chapter Twenty-Five
Pure Blood

Ginny was about to run at Snape when he had said that, but Harry held out his arm to stop her.

"You could be walking into a trap. You don't know where he is," Harry whispered out of the corner of his mouth. 'He' of course, was Voldemort. Ginny half-heartedly agreed, and refrained from attacking.

"What's the matter, Potter? Haven't you ever seen a wizard before? I daresay all of the fools you've met who've called themselves wizards are incompetent, and can't do anything significant with their so-called wands. Quite like you," Snape bellowed, his voice flowing like scorching-hot black tea being poured out of a kettle.

"You're right Snape! Harry can't do anything significant with his wand!" Ginny retorted. Harry looked at her, unbelieving that she dared speak. "Harry's best magic is done without-"

Harry covered her mouth, realizing that their abilities to do magic without a wand could be an advantage in this duel.

"Let her speak."

Ginny and Harry turned around and around, their wands raised as high as their faces, in search of Voldemort. Snape obviously found this funny, because he snickered maliciously.

"You two actually think that you can locate the Dark Lord by squinting into the shadows? No. To find the Dark Lord, you must enter the shadows…"

Snape tapped his wand against the wall that Harry and Ginny could not see, and in an instant, an unknown force was pulling them towards Snape and the wall.

"Harry!" Ginny screamed, and Harry grabbed her arms. Strong gusts of wind emerged from the shadowy corners of the room, and their hair was blowing all over their faces. Snape just smiled his wicked smile as they tried to fight against the force. In spite of their efforts, they were sucked into the shadows screaming, and a cruel, high-pitched laughter filled their ears.

"Fred! George! You two come with me this way!" Ivy shouted as Fred, George, Tonks, Lupin, Ron, Bill, Charlie, Luna, Cho, Hermione, and Dumbledore burst into the dungeons behind the hole in the wall at Borgin and Burke's.

Ivy led the twins down the dark passageway that Harry and Ginny left her at. The bodies of Lucius and Draco Malfoy, Avery, Nott, and numerous Death Eaters were stunned and bound together with invisible ropes. The twins glanced at each other, both thinking that Ivy didn't give off an aura of someone capable of battling numerous dangerous and deadly men.

"I took Ebony and locked 'er behind this wall 'ere," Ivy gestured towards the smooth, gray-brown bricks. She tapped them with her wand, revealing unconscious Ebony lying on a blanket in the middle of a tiny, circular room quite like the one Hermione had described.

"I need yeh ter stand watch here. I'm sure that is much more o' them comin soon, and no one needs ter know that Ebony's in there. If yeh hear anything, then send up green sparks with yer wands, and I'll come and help yeh out. Just stay put, please! It'll all be over soon, no matter what happens."

"Ginny! Ginny! Where are you?" Harry yelled frantically, searching through the piles of leaves. They had been sucked into the shadows, and transported here, outside of an old cottage. It was pitch black, and almost two o'clock in the morning. Harry had landed safely, but Ginny and Snape were nowhere to be seen. For some reason, that thought didn't comfort Harry. (I'm being sarcastic…)

Harry lit the tip of his wand, and held it out in front of him. He walked up to the front door of the cottage, and after pushing back numerous leaves and vines, revealed an address plate.

'Godric's Hollow'

Harry was taken aback, and almost stumbled down the small hill of grass in front of the house. Suddenly, memories flooded into his brain that were not his own…

Two men, one short and the other tall and thin, were making their way through many trees, searching for something. They were both hooded, and Harry could not see their faces. Their identities were unknown to Harry at this point, but when the first man spoke, he recognized them.

"My Lord, it is through these woods. Just a bit further, My Lord! I can almost hear them screaming! James won't give up easily, My Lord! Nor will Lily; they're both brave fools. But in the end you will be victorious, and all of the Muggle-loving idiots trying to protect them will be sorry for their foolishness! I suppose you'll be killing them next, My Lord? Especially Dumbledore-"

"Stop your babbling, Wormtail! You will give me away with all of your unremitting chatter. I have no doubt that Evans will try and protect the little brat; after all, she is a descendent of Gryffindor, part of a long line of courageous fools. Ah, we've arrived, I suppose? Yes, there's the address plate. Godric's Hollow: how secretive! And all along I thought Dumbledore was clever! At least Slytherin's home is well-hidden…"

Harry collapsed on the ground, and he rolled down the little hill, hitting someone's legs. Fresh wounds were opened on Harry's arms and face, and Harry looked up at the person who he bumped into. Through the blood flowing into his eyes, stinging, he could make out long hair.

The person took a knife out of their robes and raised it to Harry's face, slashing him, then cutting him again, across his stomach. Just as they were about to cut one of his thighs, they flew backwards about ten yards and began bashing their face against a rock.

Ginny stood over Harry, dabbing his wounds with her robes, then looked over Harry's shoulder to make sure Snape continued to beat himself, almost into unconsciousness. Harry's blood gushed onto the grass and Ginny tried her best to prevent the bleeding. Trying to remember what the wound-closing charm was, Ginny was lifted in the air, and thrown backwards. Harry stood up on his wobbly legs to see who did it.

"Well, well, Potter! I see that you are more hideous now than you were before! No matter: the Dark Lord doesn't judge on how pretty you are, he judges on how clean your blood is. And from the looks of it, your blood isn't very clean in either sense!" Snape laughed hollowly, remarking on Harry's dirt-covered wounds, and his Muggle-born mother.

Harry spoke not a word, but lifted Ginny off the ground, and placed her upright. She too was bleeding freely, and her robes and skin were torn in various places. Harry and Ginny raised their wands, not knowing what curse to use. Having no intention of breaking any laws right now, the Unforgivable Curses were out of the question. Not thinking quickly enough, Snape struck.

"Crucio!" Ginny began writhing on the damp grass, and her whole body was shaking violently. Harry ran at Snape, knocking him backwards onto the ground. All of a sudden, the little light that illuminated the front of the Hollow was gone, and strong gusts of wind swept over the three fighting souls. A cloaked figure emerged from the house, and Harry's scar burst open, leaking blood everywhere. Ginny jumped up, (her torture ended) and tried to grab Harry and pull him to safety.

"I don't think so!" Snape yelled, finally recovering from being tackled by Harry. He muttered an incantation under his breath, "Reversiflesh," and Ginny's palms began to bleed. Then her knees bled out, and then her head, when finally Ginny was covered in blood. She felt like she was being turned inside out…and she was.