A Serpent Among Lions
Chapter 14 - The Truth is Revealed
It was early afternoon and Molly had just had lunch. She had plans to go over and see Harry and Ginny a little later; she was still hoping to hear from someone at Hogwarts regarding the possible leak about her new grandchild. She had just sat down to do some knitting for the new baby when she saw Hermione's school owl fly into the window.
Immediately opening the parchment, she read:
Dear Mum,
I received a note from Professor McGonagall a few minutes ago about the baby and the news is not good. She spoke with Professor Snape and apparently the word about Harry and Ginny's baby is all over the school. Druhilda, one of the Slytherin students, came into the dormitory, snatched Meghan's diary from her as she was writing in it about the baby, and read it. The news travelled through the proverbial Hogwarts grapevine, which means just about anyone could have told the wrong person.
Molly read and reread the letter several times, then shook her head sadly. Was nothing sacred anymore? She decided that she should go over to Ginny and Harry's flat immediately, they needed to know. She considered sending them an owl first, but she didn't want to risk it being seen by the wrong person. She sent a Patronus over saying that she was coming over, threw some floo powder into the fireplace and stepped into it.
She found Harry at the dining room table, fast asleep. It looked as though he'd had a rough night, as his face was streaked with dried tears. Going over to him, she gently put her hand on his shoulder. Poor guy, he had been through so much lately.
Harry jerked awake as he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he saw that it was Molly, he relaxed slightly and rubbed his hand over his aching face. He felt as if someone had drilled a sizeable hole through each temple and was attempting to extract his brain through the holes.
Looking up at Molly through blurry eyes, Harry said, "Hello, Molly. I'm sorry for the state you found me in but when I tell you what's happened, I'm sure you'll understand." His voice came out raspy and so very weak. "I'm so sorry, Molly, but Ginny has been kidnapped." He gestured at the note that was still on the table in front of him.
Molly patted his back, when he said about the state he was in, but then gasped in surprise, "Ginny was kidnapped? My poor daughter!" She exclaimed, taking the note from the table and reading it over, "How could someone be so cruel?" Molly was at a loss for words, her voice breaking as she felt the agony that she knew that Harry was feeling. Giving Harry a hug, she tried to comfort him, then sent a patronus to Arthur to come to the flat right away.
Arthur stood in his office at the Ministry of Magic, preparing to leave for the flat to tell Ginny and Harry what they had found out. He saw Molly's patronus come flying in the window and knew something was very wrong from the sound of her voice. Without another thought, he grabbed the newly reconstructed paper from his desk and apparated to the hallway outside Harry and Ginny's flat. Upon his arrival, Arthur knocked at the door, anxious to find out what was wrong.
Harry heard the crack from the hallway outside the apartment before he heard the knock on the door. "I'm sure that's Arthur," he said wearily as he got up to answer the door. Moments later, Arthur stepped into the room and Harry greeted him. "Arthur, it's good to see you again. How are you?"
Arthur looked at Harry, and then at Molly, "I have some news for you, Harry...but I could tell by the sound of Molly's voice that something is very wrong. Where's Ginny?" He said, looking around the flat.
Molly took her husband's hand, "Arthur, I don't know how to tell you this, but Ginny was kidnapped."
"WHAT?" Arthur said, very loudly, "Did they leave a note?" Molly handed him the note and he looked at it, "How dare they!" Arthur's voice quieted down when he saw the grief on Molly and Harry's faces, "Harry, they must have come while we were talking last night. Let me tell you what I found out and then we can go looking for the bastard."
Nodding, Harry said, "All right, Arthur, what is your news?" Silently Harry prayed that it was not more bad news. He did not think he could handle another part of his life falling apart at the moment.
"Let's go sit down," He said, leading Harry and his wife over to the couch. Molly conjured up some tea for the three of them to drink and he took a deep breath, "That paper I told you about in the trash can, we were able to piece it together. We think that it was quite possibly your cousin who killed your aunt and uncle and framed you for murder," He said quietly, handing the paper to Harry.
Taking the paper from Arthur, Harry examined it. He saw the relevance of this letter immediately. With shock in his voice, Harry looked at Arthur and said, "Arthur, this is a Hogwarts letter addressed to Dudley! Does this mean that my cousin is a wizard as well?" Harry seemed to answer his own question. "Of course he must be. This is incredible! Vernon must have hid this letter from Dudley for all these years. I wonder if Dudley finally found the letter and was so angry that he killed his parents. Incredible, just incredible." Harry trailed off, staring once more at the familiar letter.
Nodding sadly, Arthur agreed, "From what you have told me, your cousin is a very jealous and spiteful man, intent on getting his own way. We all know that magic can be learned through other means, that Hogwarts is not the only institution or way of learning magic. He must have had a mentor though. But who?" Arthur said, thinking out loud, "Well, the point is that Dudley more than likely was the one who kidnapped Ginny and we need to find him so we can help her."
"I already have scouts on the lookout for Dudley. Even if he wasn't the one who murdered them, he's bound to know something," Arthur rubbed his nearly bald head in frustration, "I don't know what else we can do but wait."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ginny had fallen asleep after eating her breakfast. She had done her best to find a way out of the room, but it was guarded too well with spells and she was certain that her captor was keeping an eye on her. When she woke up again, it was because she sensed someone in the room with her, watching her, hovering over her...
The man had been watching Ginny for hours. He could sense somewhere inside of himself that it was becoming an obsession but he would not let himself acknowledge this. When he could no longer stand the wait, he had crept inside the room and sat in the corner, watching her sleep.
When she stirred awake, he rose from his chair and smiled at her. "I trust you slept well. We will be having another discussion in a minute and I need your full attention." The man bent and picked up his tool bag and then dragged his chair closer to the bed.
Ginny sat up and nodded, "Thank you for the breakfast, it was quite filling," She said, with no hint of condescension in her voice. She figured if she was polite to him maybe he wouldn't be so rough with her. At least she hoped that was true, "I will tell you anything I can."
Smiling again, the man said, "Of course you will." He sat in the chair, the tools displayed prominently on his lap. "I would like to start with simple questions again. First, when you need to visit Hogwarts, how do you get inside? Do you know of any ways to get in undetected?"
She looked with apprehension at the tools on his lap and knew that he wouldn't hesitate to harm her if she didn't cooperate, "The only way I know of to get into Hogwarts, other than the front doors, is through the cellar in Honeydukes. There's the statue of the one eyed witch...I don't remember the spell that you have to say to get it to work though..." Ginny said, thinking and knowing that her brain wasn't functioning that great, "The Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack, but that only gets you onto the grounds..."
The man already knew the spell that activated the one-eyed witch statue but he now saw his opportunity to show his superiority. He could see from her answer that the girl was not quite scared enough. Quick as a flash, the man reached over and grabbed Ginny's hair and pulled hard. "I need the spell that will give entrance to Hogwarts through this 'one-eyed witch'. You will remember." He made his voice menacing with just a hint of insanity audible.
Ginny gasped at the pain he inflicted on her, "Dis...dis...dissendium!" She cried out with tears in her eyes, "It's dissendium," If she could have she would have shook in fear, "Tap it with your wand... and say dissendium."
Releasing her hair, the man smiled. "Of course it is, my dear. I knew you would remember. My next question has many parts. First, what is your favorite perfume?"
Ginny tried to think, still addle brained from the earlier attack, "Um, Enjoli," She said, remembering how Harry had brought it to her on Valentine's day and tears flowed down her face. Those had been such happy times. Would she ever see her love again?
The man went straight to his next question. His aim was to throw her off guard so that she would not find any pattern to his questions. "Who would you say was your best friend?" He looked through the bag on his lap and selected a large, heavy wrench and began tossing it from hand to hand as he looked at Ginny, waiting for her answer.
"Other than my husband, Hermione without a doubt," She said, wondering if he was thinking of who he was going to hurt next, "She and I have always gotten along since we went to Hogwarts," She shivered a bit, looking at the wrench he was holding and knowing that he was trying to intimidate her.
He had one last question before he began on the next phase of his plan. "Where was Dumbledore's body buried?" He knew the question would be unexpected and he watched her face carefully for any reactions that would cross it.
Of all the questions he asked, this was one of the hardest to answer since it brought back so many bad memories. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered Dumbledore, such a kind, loving man. She wished he was here right now and struggled to remember where they had buried him, "He was buried on the school grounds, but...his body went up in flames. It was consumed."
The man threw the wrench forcibly onto the bed only inches from Ginny's body. He stood menacingly and said, "You can do better than that. Where is the body of Albus Dumbledore?"
Ginny gasped as the wrench nearly hit her, "I...I don't know..." She said, nearly in tears, "There was a monument...but his body just disappeared in flames. No one knows where it is," Tears filled her eyes as she begged him silently for mercy. She was afraid that he was really going to kill her. She hoped and prayed that he would make it quick, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't be using Avada Kedavra on her, or else he would have done it already. She couldn't help shaking in fear.
He was pleased with the fear that sprung into her eyes and almost smiled when she began silently pleading with him. It was now time for the next stage. With one swoop of his arm, the man grabbed Ginny by the neck and slammed her into the wall behind her bed. He held her there, his hand still tightly closed around her neck, several feet off the ground and stared hard into her eyes. "I told you to answer my questions immediately and truthfully. You did not obey my commands and now I am forced to punish you."
As if she weighed nothing, the man yanked her from the wall and threw her to the floor. He grinned with relish when he saw her grab her stomach and contort her face in agony. "You know how to make it stop, Mrs. Potter. Just tell me what I need to know and there will be no more pain." He advanced on her with another of his tools, a large clawed hammer.
Ginny gritted her teeth against the pain in her abdomen, praying that her spell hadn't broken. Whispering with her last bit of strength, she looked into the eyes behind the mask that he wore and said, "I am telling the truth, no one knows where Dumbledore's body is," Her body couldn't take anymore and everything went black...
The man was aware the instant that the light of consciousness left the girl's eyes. He lowered the clawed hammer and threw it behind him onto the bed. He gently lifted Ginny off the floor and placed her back onto the bed. Taking out his wand, the man muttered an incantation and immediately Ginny became one with the bed. There would be no way for her to separate herself from the bed while he was gone. Feeling satisfied, the man retrieved his tools and left the room quietly, shutting the door behind him. After replacing the tools on his work table, he grabbed his traveling cloak and, with a loud crack, he disapparated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seemed as if they had spent hours at the flat, waiting for news, for anything, when finally a patronus came from one of the Aurors stating that Dudley had been spotted near a warehouse that was thought to be abandoned. Jumping to his feet, Arthur waved for Molly to stay here and contact the others. Shaking Harry's shoulder, who had been dozing in the chair, he tried to wake him up, "Harry, come on, someone spotted Dudley!"
Harry awoke with a start and jumped to his feet. He had been dreaming about catching the rat Dudley and wringing his neck. "Where is the bastard?" he asked.
"He's near an abandoned warehouse. There are already Aurors on the scene, but it's very likely where Ginny is. The address is 653 Almshouse. It's a large building that looks like it's about to fall down," He said, giving Harry the visuals so that he could apparate to it, "I'll meet you there," With that, Arthur apparated. Upon arrival, he saw that two Aurors had already captured Dudley and had magically bound him. He waited for Harry to arrive so that he could decide what he wanted done with him.
Harry apparated only seconds after Arthur and appeared moments later at the abandoned warehouse. He was aware of the commotion surrounding his cousin but he ignored this and ran straight into the building. Once inside, he saw an enclosure in the center of the large open space. He knew that this must be where Ginny was being held. He called out for Arthur, "Arthur, come in here. I need help getting Ginny out of here."
Ginny awoke, not knowing how long she had been unconscious. She felt tired and weak and in a lot of pain. She found that she could move a little, and heard footsteps outside the room she was in. Thinking he had come back, she started to cry, not sure how much more her body could take, "Please, no more," She whispered.
Arthur took out his wand and went around the room, testing the spells for any weaknesses. He looked at Harry sadly, "I suppose we could try the finite incantatum spell and see if that will work. We'll have to use both of our wands though, in order to give us a chance of breaking the spells on this room," Raising his wand, he pointed it at the room and waited for Harry to ready himself.
Harry raised his own wand and joined Arthur in pointing it at the cell. "All right, Arthur, I'm ready," he said. Raising his voice, he yelled, "Hang on, Ginny, we're going to get you out of there!"
"Finite Incantatum!" Arthur shouted along with Harry and the room reverberated with a loud BOOM. Arthur looked at Harry, "The spells are down. Go in and rescue Ginny, I will go have a talk with your cousin," Arthur wanted to make sure that Ginny was all right but he knew that he had to deal with Dudley first.
Ginny hadn't heard Harry's voice, but had heard the spells surrounding the room coming down and then the door opening. Instead of her captor, she saw her wonderful husband Harry, "Harry," She said, reaching out to him, "I'm so glad that you are here," Tears of pain and relief began running down Ginny's cheeks. She then gasped and grabbed her abdomen in agony, "Harry, I think I'm losing the baby!"
Harry rushed towards Ginny and took her into his arms. "I'm so sorry that I left you, Ginny." He kissed her face and stroked her hair. "I can't imagine what that monster did to you. I'm here now to take care of you." He glanced down at her stomach and saw blood staining the sheets beneath her. "We need to get you to St. Mungo's immediately!" Frantic, he stood, Ginny held tightly to his chest like an infant. With one thought, there was a loud crack and the two of them apparated to the doors of St. Mungo's.
Meanwhile, Arthur ordered that Dudley be sent to Azkaban until he could be properly questioned and stand trial for the murders of his parents. Word had come from one of the healers at St. Mungo's that Harry had taken Ginny there and he alerted his family. He got special permission from Minerva McGonagall to have Meghan come home with Hermione and they all gathered in the waiting room to wait for news...