A Lighter Shade of Black

A Twisted Beauty

Ginevra felt a brief opening in the air around her as T.J. and Laura popped into the cave. Truth be told, she had had the feeling that the two girls wouldn't listen to her. No, she had only hoped that they would.

"Pick your weapons, ladies," she murmured without emotion, reaching out first for the emerald-tinged blade.

The other three barely had time to register what had just occurred as the loud crack shuddered through the cavernous halls they stood in. Ginevra had disappeared into thin air once again.

"On three we grab the arrows." Nicole stated, always the one quick to control the situation.

'Three' was still ringing in Taylor's ears as the three of them popped out of and into existence once more. She took in her surroundings, gasping aloud at the haunting beauty of the manor before her. Beautifully constructed and you could tell the previous owners had kept the - well, everything trim and proper. But now, she noticed with a twinge of sadness, almost every inch of the large mansion was covered in ivy and most of the windows were boarded up.

Gin stood a few yards ahead of them, sword in hand with that same regal, fiery look on her face. Her eyes were fixed upon her friends when she turned to face them.

"Please don't follow me. Send for help." she whispered, her lovely voice carrying to their ears on the wind.

The three knew from the way her voice filled with all sorts of emotions that they should do as she said to. She turned back to the large, looming house that no one believed could have ever been a home and began her march. Her hair was pulled into a strict ponytail that swished as she turned, trying to keep the tears from falling out of her large, brown eyes.

Laura turned and quickly conjured up a small fire and tossed a bit of emerald powder into it as she yelled, "Black House!"

Tonks peeked her fiery red head into Katie Black-Malfoy's room and smiled. She had agreed to stay with Katie and Molly if and when everyone else set out for Charlie's sister and her friends. They had only noticed that Laura and Taylor were gone after a few minutes of unanswered questions aimed at them.

Tonks crept into the small room and sat on the edge of her bed, careful not to move it too much. She lightly brushed one of Katie's dark curls behind her ear, smiling at the little girl. Katie had seen so much and yet she was still a happy little girl with curly hair and big, blue eyes.

…

Charlie sat on the couch with his head in his hands and his brothers standing around doing basically the same thing.

Why?

That was the only thing running through his mind at the moment. Why would his sister run off in the middle of the night without any other means of back up than her three best friends? Why would she run off to save Malfoy? Why would she do something so stupid and harebrained?

Because she loves him, that little voice in the back of his mind rang out, She loves him, and she's so bloody Gryffindor that she wouldn't dare plan something out!

Charlie could barely contain the grin that was longing to spread on his face. His sister was in love, of course! Why else would she act so dotty? He stood up and made his way towards Katie's room, where he knew N'dora would be.

Ginevra stepped through the door of the great manor and breathed in the rotting smell of wood. It filled her with a sense of longing for the souls that once lived and breathed within the walls of the manor.

Her mother had always told her that a house that had been lived in for a long time by the same people could have a… well, a sort of soul. (More like an aura that expresses itself to magical people.) She'd never believed it until she felt this house's longing for the people who lived before.

Or, perhaps it wasn't the fact that the old manor missed the members of the family themselves, but more like it missed being lived in. Being alive with the movement and sound and souls of the family.

Ginevra looked to the coat rack next to her and, without really thinking about it, carefully slid an old coat off. The once fine, dark black garment was now covered with inches of dust and was tattered and torn from moths. Gin could tell that it once belonged to a young man as she slid it on over her blouse.

She knew that she must have been a sight to see wearing that coat and holding her sword with this regal, 'don't-give-me-a-reason' look on her face.

Silently, she was wondering if anyone could have told how afraid she was.

As Ginevra grasped the sword tightly in her hand, preparing to ascend the steps, a line from her favorite bedtime story floated into her mind.

"In the tallest room of the highest tower - which was at the top of the steepest stairs - there lay a fair-haired princess sleeping."

She smiled in the most twisted way as she recited the verse from memory. Of course, this was a more inside out version of Sleeping Beauty.

…

"Let's go."

Charles looked up from his shoelaces (which he had been tying) to the lovely face of N'Dora Tonks. The woman had just walked into his room and shut the door before she said those words. Charlie was wondering what had her feeling so ready.

"Tonks, you can't possibly go; you haven't been feeling too great, remember?"

"But Charlie, c'mon! This is Ginevra we're talking about! Not some witch or some muggle chit. Damn it, Charlie, this is your sister. And I happen to like her a lot and I don't want her hurt by the darkest wizard since Grindelwald!" she babbled, "Especially not for the sake of saving my cousin!"

Charlie shook his head firmly.

"I know who we're talking about!" he snapped, "So don't make it sound like I don't! She's my sister and my responsibility and I don't want you hurt over her stupid Gryffindor tactics! So you're staying here!"

Charlie stood up and snatched her wand out of her hand and stuck it in one of the many pockets of his pants. Nymphadora only sat and stared at the tall, muscular Weasley. She had never seen him so fierce and protective… so afraid.

Standing, she touched a hand to his cheek and turned him to face her.

"It'll be okay, Charlie." she murmured, "She's got the best brothers in the world to protect her from the bad guys."

Charlie stared down into her deep brown eyes and smiled gently. "Thanks N'dora."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead just before Laura's head popped up in the fireplace.

"Gin's gone into this big creepy mansion and I'm guessing we need back up for when she comes out."

Laura had barely gotten the last words out when Charlie disapparated.

End Chapter