The Distance to Here: Chapter 13
A/N: Read our bio for information/apology
Ginny was dreaming. She was standing at the foot of a great, deep lake. The water was teal like she had never seen before; green and blue swirling and churning. All around her the rocks were bathed over and over with the constancy of the white tipped waves. Further out, the boulders were being slapped, the water making a resounding crack as it lashed them with all of its fury. A breeze, no, a gale, caught up her hair and blew it haphazardly around, whipping against her flushed cheeks. The wind soared around her, at once caressing her and causing utmost discomfort. Droplets of water tinkled onto her face. They weren't a brilliant splash of colour, they were clear and held no awe. Ginny wanted to be teal.
Then she was in the water, drowning. The water wasn't teal anymore, the blue had drained out and now only the green remained, illuminated and intense, and all around her.
And she felt alive. She was falling through the water, plummeting and struggling to find air. She knew she was going to die, but she didn't care. It was better to die, she thought disjointedly, to die, exhilirated, than to live in a dead, diseased world. She wanted to die in a world that was beautiful and luminescent and such a familiar green...
~*~
"Ginny?" Hermione called, poking her head out of the corner fo the fireplace, "Are you in here?"
There was a stirring noise from the next room where a single bed with yellowing sheets stood in one corner. The room itself was sparse, with nothing but a dresser and a mirror. The walls were white-washed and cracked. Lying fitfully in the bed was the only spot of colour in the room, Ginny's scarlet head, with a still more colourful personality.
Hermione smiled fondly at the young woman for a moment before shaking her gently awake.
"What?" Ginny asked groggily. Her eyes widened suddenly as she took in Hermione's face. "Hermione! What are you doing here? Where's Malfoy? I'm so confused," she said finally, rubbing her eyes and then her temples.
"It's alright," Hermione said reassuringly, patting her friend's shoulders. She proceeded to tell Ginny all that had happened from the time they had gone to Dublin, omitting the unfortunate incident when too much alcohol had been consumed.
"And that's it?" Ginny asked skeptically. Her story had a lot of holes in it.
"Yes...what?" Hermione demanded more than a little defensively.
"Nothing!" Ginny erased the look of polite incredulity from her face. After all, Hermione wasn't the only one hiding something. Denial and yearning coursed through her. She blushed. Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Well, anyway, Draco is now at Fred and George's, and he's waiting for us. There's a meeting at two. Oh, and I need my wand back. I feel naked without it."
Ginny yawned, nodding, and lurched out of bed. She was still in her Death Eater robes.
"Oh," she trailed off, eyes flitting from side to side. It was awkward for Hermione to see her like this. Although she was not a real Death Eater, the fact that she did work for them burned into her like the Dark Mark. Her right hand went to her left wrist and she scrambled around, picking clothes off the floor.
"Um, I'll be..." she motioned towards the shabby bathroom and darted in.
Hermione sat heavily down on the sinking mattress. When did life start getting so complicated? She remembered their days at Hogwarts, relatively so simple compared to what they were facing now. At Hogwarts, they had exceeded the expectations of all who knew them, and here, in the outside world, they had no one to protect them, and the expectations were the hell of a lot higher.
Inside the bathroom, Ginny was briskly brushing away frustrated tears from her eyelids, and splashing cold and metallic water on her face. She hated having to hide and skulk in front of her friends, her family, Harry...
"Harry," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
~*~
"I'm ready," she called, leaving her robes in a crumpled heap by the toilet. There was a gloss on her lips and a shine to her eyes that Hermione didn't fail to notice. She wondered just how much she had missed during her time in Dublin. They set off by Floo, leaving the plain apartment alone with the sunshine streaming in through the windows.
~*~
Dumbledore smiled as he stepped through the beaded curtain. Ginny and Hermione were sitting tall and proud in their spots at the table, two remarkable women, powerful witches and courageous fighters. They flanked the equally courageous man with platinum hair, who should have towered over them both, but was slumped sulkily in his chair, apparently recently chastised. Hermione kept glancing at him, looking for something written in his face.
"Mr. Malfoy," he said gravely. Draco got to his feet respectfully, slightly bowing his head. "I am glad that you are here and safe."
"Professor, I am grateful for your help. If there is anything I hate to be, it is a burden. Your tolerance will not be forgotten."
"I hope not, Draco, for there is much to do before you may walk down Diagon Alley in safety again."
They both took their seats. Hermione was now looking non-plussed at the amount of respect eh was capable of showing. Ginny looked like a smug mother hen, or perhaps, a smug mother barn-owl.
Remus came in with Sirius, as always, by side. They both smiled at Ginny and Hermione, and stopped stiffly when they caught Draco's icy and appraising gaze.
"Be nice," Remus said to Sirius through his teeth. In reply, Sirius uttered the softest of growls. This man was the image of his father. What the hell was he doing inside the headquarters?
"Be nice," Hermione whispered sharply. Draco shifted subtly in his seat, but said nothing. She hated not knowing what he was thinking.
By now Sirius had transformed, and he was moving with Remus to their seats directly opposite the three young people.
Years of practice had taught Harry Potter that outburst of anger only invited negative consequences. Nevertheless, it took a great deal of strength to keep from rushing Draco as he stepped through the curtain. Draco was sitting comfortably in between the two most important women in his life. His arms clenched at his side. Calmly, he strode to the table, glanced at everyone except Draco with a nod that thrilled Ginny's heart, and took the strategically empty seat beside Ginny, sandwiching her rather uncomfortably between the two rivals. They averted each other's gaze. Hermione gave Draco a searching look, but the iron wall was up, and could not be penetrated.
One by one, members of the exclusive resistance formerly known as the Order until denounced and disbanded by the Ministry filed in. They were known now simply as the Rebels, standing alone, fighting two enemies, desperately trying to survive the crossfire of these formidable foes. Most of the members didn't notice Draco, but some were intimidated by him, especially those who knew his father. When they stared, he only turned unaffectedly away, aware of the pacifying presence of Hermione and Ginny.
Ron was the last to come in, smiling and joking as if he were only here to pay a visit to his brothers.
As he caught sight of Draco, all trace of laughter drained from his face, except for around his nostrils, which was white. He went to the head of the table. Draco barely had time to marvel at the self-control Ron had gained and mastered before the meeting began, and he was neither addressed nor alluded to.
"I could hardly get away," Ron began. "But this meeting was necessary, vital. All of you will be needed to repair the damage of last night. From now on, this country will be in a state of chaos that none of us has experienced in our lives. Those of you who have jobs that can be postponed must do so. Or should, since you are under no obligation to me. There are tasks for all of you. We need temporary Ministers, and we desperately need intelligence. No one knew about it until a few minutes before it happened, and then only by chance. So-"
"Hold on a minute." Draco's silky voice penetrated into the hardness of Ron's carefully controlled speech. "What happened last night? Hermione and I were forced to go to Dublin for a few days." Everyone stared. Those who had not noticed him at first certainly did now, and the reactions were not ones of welcome. Draco raised his chin a little higher.
"There was a fire." That was Ginny, voice slightly hoarse, soft and haunting. "A Ministry dinner in a secret location. Everyone who was anyone in or involved with the Ministry was there. I don't know how the D- Voldemort found out, but w- they- sealed every opening and burned it. Harry found out and got Ron, and everyone he could, out. Everyone else died."
"Everything's on hold at the Ministry. No other departments except for Muggle Relations, International Co-operation and Justice are operational. There's no point in keeping any others working. We need people trailing Death Eaters, people acting as officials, and as spies. All of you know what is at stake, some better than I. I cannot ask for your obedience, but I do ask you to remember why we are here and the loyalties we have. The lives of those we love are at stake, as are our own. That is all. I aks that if you are available to owl me saying that you are willing to come in for a meeting. The Ministry is opening its doors for temporary employment, and I need people by my side that I can trust."
Everyone dispersed. Soon, only the trio, Ginny, and Draco remained to discuss the monumental challenge before them. Draco's survival and Ginny's protection, and the uneasy balance it required. Ron and Harry wanted to opt for the easy way out.
"Sorry, Malfoy, but bad luck. We may as well turn you over to Voldemort and allow him to kill you. Or, rather, allow Ginny to kill you. It will solve everything, and it seems to be the only way. Too bad it can't be me," he finished with malice. Ron was dead-set on saving his sister at all costs.
"No." That was Ginny again, but this time, her voice wasn't soft. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. I refuse to do it, Ron, I won't have the death of an innocent man on my conscience. Ultimately, it's my decision. Besides, he's my friend, as much as you hate him. I won't betray him."
"Ginny, please see reason," Harry said quietly. "If it's between saving Malfoy and saving you, what do you think everyone's choice will be?"
But Ginny wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Hermione, who's indecision was apparent by the expression on her face. "Hermione?"she asked pointedly.
"I don't know!" The young woman burst out, her vehemence surprising everyone, Draco in particular. Wasn't this the same woman who only hours ago had wanted to kill him? "I agree with Ginny. I won't let you kill him. It's not...right. Do you remember how you used Snape for Avada Kedavra and created a Simulacrum? Couldn't we just do that?"
"Yes, but it took a year to complete the simulacrum. We don't have that much time. Voldemort wants answers, and he's not patient."
Harry spoke up again, voice thoughtful. "What if we just used a dead simulacrum of Malfoy? It wouldn't take as long to complete, because it won't have to walk or talk or anything. You can just show Voldemort and then burn it. No one's the wiser."
"It's a good idea, Harry, but Voldemort's not as trusting as all that. He'll want a witness. Probably Lucius, or even himself. He might even want to torture him for a bit before someone kills him." Ginny spoke so matter-of-factly that Harry mentally winced. He wished that she was still pure, untouched by Voldemort's taint. He wanted desperately to protect her, but knew that the closer he stayed to her the more danger she would be in. It was all he could do not to kidnap her and take her away from Voldemort, to Africa, maybe, the Carribean, or America. But they both had ties, obligations. He idly wondered if Cho had made it out alive, and found that he didn't care much.
"Harry?" Ginny was asking. He shook his head and smiled reassuringly at her as Draco began to talk.
"As much as I love being discussed like an inanimate object, I think that my opinion should come into this conversation." Ron snorted, but Ginny and Hermione looked at him, brows furrowed. Harry was lost in thought again.
"Ginny," he looked at her almost tenderly. "You know what happened to me, why I left. You know that I have nothing left. You do, though. You have a lot. If you want, I wouldn't blame you if there was no other way. It wouldn't be so terrible. Really," he said, looking into her blue eyes, now brimming with tears.
"No," she whispered helplessly. "I won't do it. I can't," she said, more loudly, looking to each of them in turn, for support, guidance, maybe.
"Well," Ron said, resigned, "you'll just have to stall, Gin. But be careful, for god's sake."
"Now," he continued turning to look with disdain on Draco, "What the fuck are we going to do with you?"
A/N: Well, that is all, I hope you liked it. I am now writing in math class (fantastic since I'm getting a 69 and this can only mean future bad things for my mark) so hopefully, I will actually be able to post at least once a week. But if you want long chapters, it'll probably be around two weeks. Tell me which you prefer. I love my loyal readers!
And you should probably know that while Laura and I are still best buddies, she is no longer writing this. So it's all me, folks, and has been for actually quite a number of chapters. Bet you didn't notice, huh? So don't worry.
A/N: Read our bio for information/apology
Ginny was dreaming. She was standing at the foot of a great, deep lake. The water was teal like she had never seen before; green and blue swirling and churning. All around her the rocks were bathed over and over with the constancy of the white tipped waves. Further out, the boulders were being slapped, the water making a resounding crack as it lashed them with all of its fury. A breeze, no, a gale, caught up her hair and blew it haphazardly around, whipping against her flushed cheeks. The wind soared around her, at once caressing her and causing utmost discomfort. Droplets of water tinkled onto her face. They weren't a brilliant splash of colour, they were clear and held no awe. Ginny wanted to be teal.
Then she was in the water, drowning. The water wasn't teal anymore, the blue had drained out and now only the green remained, illuminated and intense, and all around her.
And she felt alive. She was falling through the water, plummeting and struggling to find air. She knew she was going to die, but she didn't care. It was better to die, she thought disjointedly, to die, exhilirated, than to live in a dead, diseased world. She wanted to die in a world that was beautiful and luminescent and such a familiar green...
~*~
"Ginny?" Hermione called, poking her head out of the corner fo the fireplace, "Are you in here?"
There was a stirring noise from the next room where a single bed with yellowing sheets stood in one corner. The room itself was sparse, with nothing but a dresser and a mirror. The walls were white-washed and cracked. Lying fitfully in the bed was the only spot of colour in the room, Ginny's scarlet head, with a still more colourful personality.
Hermione smiled fondly at the young woman for a moment before shaking her gently awake.
"What?" Ginny asked groggily. Her eyes widened suddenly as she took in Hermione's face. "Hermione! What are you doing here? Where's Malfoy? I'm so confused," she said finally, rubbing her eyes and then her temples.
"It's alright," Hermione said reassuringly, patting her friend's shoulders. She proceeded to tell Ginny all that had happened from the time they had gone to Dublin, omitting the unfortunate incident when too much alcohol had been consumed.
"And that's it?" Ginny asked skeptically. Her story had a lot of holes in it.
"Yes...what?" Hermione demanded more than a little defensively.
"Nothing!" Ginny erased the look of polite incredulity from her face. After all, Hermione wasn't the only one hiding something. Denial and yearning coursed through her. She blushed. Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Well, anyway, Draco is now at Fred and George's, and he's waiting for us. There's a meeting at two. Oh, and I need my wand back. I feel naked without it."
Ginny yawned, nodding, and lurched out of bed. She was still in her Death Eater robes.
"Oh," she trailed off, eyes flitting from side to side. It was awkward for Hermione to see her like this. Although she was not a real Death Eater, the fact that she did work for them burned into her like the Dark Mark. Her right hand went to her left wrist and she scrambled around, picking clothes off the floor.
"Um, I'll be..." she motioned towards the shabby bathroom and darted in.
Hermione sat heavily down on the sinking mattress. When did life start getting so complicated? She remembered their days at Hogwarts, relatively so simple compared to what they were facing now. At Hogwarts, they had exceeded the expectations of all who knew them, and here, in the outside world, they had no one to protect them, and the expectations were the hell of a lot higher.
Inside the bathroom, Ginny was briskly brushing away frustrated tears from her eyelids, and splashing cold and metallic water on her face. She hated having to hide and skulk in front of her friends, her family, Harry...
"Harry," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
~*~
"I'm ready," she called, leaving her robes in a crumpled heap by the toilet. There was a gloss on her lips and a shine to her eyes that Hermione didn't fail to notice. She wondered just how much she had missed during her time in Dublin. They set off by Floo, leaving the plain apartment alone with the sunshine streaming in through the windows.
~*~
Dumbledore smiled as he stepped through the beaded curtain. Ginny and Hermione were sitting tall and proud in their spots at the table, two remarkable women, powerful witches and courageous fighters. They flanked the equally courageous man with platinum hair, who should have towered over them both, but was slumped sulkily in his chair, apparently recently chastised. Hermione kept glancing at him, looking for something written in his face.
"Mr. Malfoy," he said gravely. Draco got to his feet respectfully, slightly bowing his head. "I am glad that you are here and safe."
"Professor, I am grateful for your help. If there is anything I hate to be, it is a burden. Your tolerance will not be forgotten."
"I hope not, Draco, for there is much to do before you may walk down Diagon Alley in safety again."
They both took their seats. Hermione was now looking non-plussed at the amount of respect eh was capable of showing. Ginny looked like a smug mother hen, or perhaps, a smug mother barn-owl.
Remus came in with Sirius, as always, by side. They both smiled at Ginny and Hermione, and stopped stiffly when they caught Draco's icy and appraising gaze.
"Be nice," Remus said to Sirius through his teeth. In reply, Sirius uttered the softest of growls. This man was the image of his father. What the hell was he doing inside the headquarters?
"Be nice," Hermione whispered sharply. Draco shifted subtly in his seat, but said nothing. She hated not knowing what he was thinking.
By now Sirius had transformed, and he was moving with Remus to their seats directly opposite the three young people.
Years of practice had taught Harry Potter that outburst of anger only invited negative consequences. Nevertheless, it took a great deal of strength to keep from rushing Draco as he stepped through the curtain. Draco was sitting comfortably in between the two most important women in his life. His arms clenched at his side. Calmly, he strode to the table, glanced at everyone except Draco with a nod that thrilled Ginny's heart, and took the strategically empty seat beside Ginny, sandwiching her rather uncomfortably between the two rivals. They averted each other's gaze. Hermione gave Draco a searching look, but the iron wall was up, and could not be penetrated.
One by one, members of the exclusive resistance formerly known as the Order until denounced and disbanded by the Ministry filed in. They were known now simply as the Rebels, standing alone, fighting two enemies, desperately trying to survive the crossfire of these formidable foes. Most of the members didn't notice Draco, but some were intimidated by him, especially those who knew his father. When they stared, he only turned unaffectedly away, aware of the pacifying presence of Hermione and Ginny.
Ron was the last to come in, smiling and joking as if he were only here to pay a visit to his brothers.
As he caught sight of Draco, all trace of laughter drained from his face, except for around his nostrils, which was white. He went to the head of the table. Draco barely had time to marvel at the self-control Ron had gained and mastered before the meeting began, and he was neither addressed nor alluded to.
"I could hardly get away," Ron began. "But this meeting was necessary, vital. All of you will be needed to repair the damage of last night. From now on, this country will be in a state of chaos that none of us has experienced in our lives. Those of you who have jobs that can be postponed must do so. Or should, since you are under no obligation to me. There are tasks for all of you. We need temporary Ministers, and we desperately need intelligence. No one knew about it until a few minutes before it happened, and then only by chance. So-"
"Hold on a minute." Draco's silky voice penetrated into the hardness of Ron's carefully controlled speech. "What happened last night? Hermione and I were forced to go to Dublin for a few days." Everyone stared. Those who had not noticed him at first certainly did now, and the reactions were not ones of welcome. Draco raised his chin a little higher.
"There was a fire." That was Ginny, voice slightly hoarse, soft and haunting. "A Ministry dinner in a secret location. Everyone who was anyone in or involved with the Ministry was there. I don't know how the D- Voldemort found out, but w- they- sealed every opening and burned it. Harry found out and got Ron, and everyone he could, out. Everyone else died."
"Everything's on hold at the Ministry. No other departments except for Muggle Relations, International Co-operation and Justice are operational. There's no point in keeping any others working. We need people trailing Death Eaters, people acting as officials, and as spies. All of you know what is at stake, some better than I. I cannot ask for your obedience, but I do ask you to remember why we are here and the loyalties we have. The lives of those we love are at stake, as are our own. That is all. I aks that if you are available to owl me saying that you are willing to come in for a meeting. The Ministry is opening its doors for temporary employment, and I need people by my side that I can trust."
Everyone dispersed. Soon, only the trio, Ginny, and Draco remained to discuss the monumental challenge before them. Draco's survival and Ginny's protection, and the uneasy balance it required. Ron and Harry wanted to opt for the easy way out.
"Sorry, Malfoy, but bad luck. We may as well turn you over to Voldemort and allow him to kill you. Or, rather, allow Ginny to kill you. It will solve everything, and it seems to be the only way. Too bad it can't be me," he finished with malice. Ron was dead-set on saving his sister at all costs.
"No." That was Ginny again, but this time, her voice wasn't soft. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. I refuse to do it, Ron, I won't have the death of an innocent man on my conscience. Ultimately, it's my decision. Besides, he's my friend, as much as you hate him. I won't betray him."
"Ginny, please see reason," Harry said quietly. "If it's between saving Malfoy and saving you, what do you think everyone's choice will be?"
But Ginny wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Hermione, who's indecision was apparent by the expression on her face. "Hermione?"she asked pointedly.
"I don't know!" The young woman burst out, her vehemence surprising everyone, Draco in particular. Wasn't this the same woman who only hours ago had wanted to kill him? "I agree with Ginny. I won't let you kill him. It's not...right. Do you remember how you used Snape for Avada Kedavra and created a Simulacrum? Couldn't we just do that?"
"Yes, but it took a year to complete the simulacrum. We don't have that much time. Voldemort wants answers, and he's not patient."
Harry spoke up again, voice thoughtful. "What if we just used a dead simulacrum of Malfoy? It wouldn't take as long to complete, because it won't have to walk or talk or anything. You can just show Voldemort and then burn it. No one's the wiser."
"It's a good idea, Harry, but Voldemort's not as trusting as all that. He'll want a witness. Probably Lucius, or even himself. He might even want to torture him for a bit before someone kills him." Ginny spoke so matter-of-factly that Harry mentally winced. He wished that she was still pure, untouched by Voldemort's taint. He wanted desperately to protect her, but knew that the closer he stayed to her the more danger she would be in. It was all he could do not to kidnap her and take her away from Voldemort, to Africa, maybe, the Carribean, or America. But they both had ties, obligations. He idly wondered if Cho had made it out alive, and found that he didn't care much.
"Harry?" Ginny was asking. He shook his head and smiled reassuringly at her as Draco began to talk.
"As much as I love being discussed like an inanimate object, I think that my opinion should come into this conversation." Ron snorted, but Ginny and Hermione looked at him, brows furrowed. Harry was lost in thought again.
"Ginny," he looked at her almost tenderly. "You know what happened to me, why I left. You know that I have nothing left. You do, though. You have a lot. If you want, I wouldn't blame you if there was no other way. It wouldn't be so terrible. Really," he said, looking into her blue eyes, now brimming with tears.
"No," she whispered helplessly. "I won't do it. I can't," she said, more loudly, looking to each of them in turn, for support, guidance, maybe.
"Well," Ron said, resigned, "you'll just have to stall, Gin. But be careful, for god's sake."
"Now," he continued turning to look with disdain on Draco, "What the fuck are we going to do with you?"
A/N: Well, that is all, I hope you liked it. I am now writing in math class (fantastic since I'm getting a 69 and this can only mean future bad things for my mark) so hopefully, I will actually be able to post at least once a week. But if you want long chapters, it'll probably be around two weeks. Tell me which you prefer. I love my loyal readers!
And you should probably know that while Laura and I are still best buddies, she is no longer writing this. So it's all me, folks, and has been for actually quite a number of chapters. Bet you didn't notice, huh? So don't worry.