AN: Sorry for not updating in months. I've had such a lot of trouble with this chapter, trying desperately not to be so repetitive and then I've had a lot of college work to do along with being ill all over Easter. On this is the non-beta'd version of this story because I only got my beta reader after submitting the first 5 chapters on here. If you want to read the beta'd version you can go read it on the Fire & Ice archive or Fictionalley.
Chapter Six.
"W-w-what are you doing here?" spluttered Ron, "You're dead!"
It took all of Draco's strength not to burst out laughing at the look on Ron's face, his face was rapidly turning purple and he looked like he was struggling to breathe. If this was the reaction he would get every time he came back from the dead, he should really die more often.
"I'm afraid not Weasel, sorry to disappoint you."
"Ginny, how the hell did you know where he was?" The attention was now on her, she could feel 9 pairs of eyes focused on her and it was making her feel uncomfortable.
"I found him. I was pissed off and I went for a walk to my secret place and he was just there. Just my bloody luck."
Blaise coughed loudly. "I think you should start discussing the real reason why you need Draco here."
"Yes. I also feel like I need an explanation seeing as I am involved in all this." Ginny spoke up.
"Absolutely not." Molly was in shock. "I'm not letting my baby girl hear things like that. No off you go dear and make yourself comfortable in the living room. Mr. Zabini, do be a dear and go with her."
She was furious she was 21 and a fully qualified witch, she became of age four years ago and yet they were still treating her like a kid. She was strong and there wasn't much they could say that would shock her anymore. Anyway she knew most of what was going on after she was told earlier. She was being hunted by Death Eaters, that much she knew but she still understand why.
She stormed out of the room dragging Blaise behind her and headed for the living room, muttering a variety of curse words under her breath. She fell onto the sofa and started yelling at Blaise who just stood there listening. He knew that he shouldn't interrupt her when she was in a horrendous mood.
"What gives them the right to just shove me out? I'm 21 - nearly 22 yet they still treat me like a little kid. I've faced more dangers than they will ever know and besides they didn't mind any of the times that Ron went off and nearly got killed. He was barely 12 years old when he went through the trapdoor and Harry was only 11 yet they are all so brave for doing that. Just because I happened to be foolish back when I was 11 and went and got myself possessed by Voldemort."
"They love you, Ginny."
"Shut the fuck up Blaise. You know nothing about love. If they loved me they wouldn't put me in danger which they are doing at the moment. I'd be in less danger if I knew what was going on."
"They are doing what they think is best for you."
"Well they are wrong." She crossed her arms and frowned.
"You look just like Draco when you do that. Like he looks when he can't get his own way." Said Blaise, looking amused.
"DON'T YOU EVER COMPARE ME TO THAT BASTARD." She stood up and walked over to Blaise, poking him in the chest with her finger. "I AM NOTHING LIKE HIM."
"Of course." Replied Blaise, mentally adding the words 'you are'.
Ginny shot him a glare. "I still don't see why I can't know what is going on. Am I going to be treated like a baby for the rest of my life?"
"So why did you so urgently need to speak with me Mr. Weasley?" Best get this over and done with quickly so I can go back to being dead.
"Well, as I'm sure you've heard from my daughter and Mr. Zabini, there has been rumours of a new Dark Lord coming to power and they have been rounding up all the old Death Eaters which escaped being put in Azkaban 5 years ago. There has also been rumours of a big attack. You have obviously had connections with Death Eaters in the past and we need you to help us."
"Yes but I still fail to understand why you need me to help you." They'd managed this long without needing him.
"It's a waste of time dad. That git won't help us. He only cares about one thing - himself."
"Shut up Weasel." Snapped Draco. Who gives him the right to say who I do or don't care about? "I'll help you if I can."
"Right. Mr. Malfoy do you have any idea who could be this new Dark Lord?"
Draco thought for a moment. He had a rough idea who it could be but he had no idea whether they were still alive or not and he didn't want to appear stupid. Besides if he ever learnt one thing of importance from his father, it was that you never betray family - unless of course they were Squibs or traitors.
"Bellatrix Lestrange."
There. He'd done it now. He had just turned in his favourite aunt into the Aurors and strangely enough he didn't feel any regret at having done it. He'd just helped the most pathetic excuse for a Pureblood family and essentially sent a family member for the Dementors Kiss.
"That bitch killed Sirius, one of Harry's last links with his parents." Ron slammed his fist down on the table, causing it to shake and startling the rest of the table with his outburst.
Hermione wrapped her arm around his shoulder and whispering into his ear, trying to calm him down. Anything to do with Harry, no matter how small, was a touchy subject at the moment what with the anniversary of his death fast approaching.
"She didn't kill him." Draco stated as calmly as he could.
"You bastard! You know full well she did! Why I should kill you now with my bare hands, I knew you wouldn't help us. You selfish ferret!" Ron exploded.
"He fell through that veil you idiot, she may have been firing curses at him which led to him falling backwards through the veil but she didn't kill him. Causing someone's death and actually killing them is completely different." Draco snapped.
"How do you know all that?"
"Are you forgetting who I am, Weasel?"
"Mr. Malfoy, do you have any idea where Bellatrix could be right now?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"No sir." Draco replied. "I haven't been in contact with anyone since I fled Hogwarts all those years ago."
"Ah. It appears we have a slight problem then. Do you think you could find out where she is hiding?"
"Maybe. If you don't mind me asking, why are you so desperate for me to find out where my Aunt is?"
He looked around the room at the people sitting around the table, 7 of which had flaming red hair. The twins (Gred and Forge?) looked unhappy which must have been unusual for them. If he remembered rightly they were a pair of troublemakers at school and always had that goofy smile on their faces. Bill was holding his wife, Fleur, closely and they both looked pretty upset. I'd look upset too if I had those hideous scars across my face, thought Draco. He almost felt guilty when he remembered that it was his fault that that had happened in the first place. Ron still looked ready to murder Draco on the spot. Nothings changed there. Charlie was fiddling with his mug of coffee and looking distracted.
"They are after Ginny." Whispered Charlie.
"What?" Draco was shocked. He knew that Ginny had told him that back before he came back but he didn't seriously think that it would be true after he had thought about it for a few minutes. He thought that she had just been toying with him so that he would help out her family. "Why?"
"Why do you care, ferret face?" Snapped Ron.
"Ron. Please just calm down. You aren't doing any favours to Ginny if you decide to go and beat the crap out of the one person that can help her." Hermione stroked his arm reassuringly.
"So why do they want her?" He tried to hide any concern that he may have that was visible.
"Ginny happens to be a talented Pureblood witch. My only daughter and the first female Weasley born into the family for several generations. She would be very useful for the Death Eaters if they were to capture her. The blood of a virgin has magical properties and they could use that to bring back You-Know-Who if it was used properly. After that they would either kill her or keep her for You-Know-Who to use as a plaything, or even worse to produce an heir for him."
"Why would Bellatrix want the Dark Lord back? She has everything she could ever want along with an enormous amount of power." Draco asked.
"That's what an outsider would think and have no idea that the Death Eaters wanted You-Know-Who back in power. The Death Eaters are growing restless, they don't think that it's right for a woman to be in charge of them. Bellatrix knows this and so she needs to act quickly and get You-Know-Who back so she can save her own skin and then hopefully still have a fair bit of power when he does return as she was the one to bring him back to power."
"But he can't come back!" Draco burst out. "He'll kill me if he does!"
"Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if You-Know-Who did come back then." Ron muttered earning a slap on the arm from Hermione.
"What makes you think that?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"I failed to kill Dumbledore, remember? I wasn't able to say that curse, he was right there in front of me but Snape had to stand in for me. The Dark Lord was furious which is why I had to go into hiding and which is why I only came out of hiding today, after 6 years of living in some pokey little shed."
"Still your fault he died though." Ron snapped.
Draco tried to keep his cool but it didn't exactly work. "Tell me, Weasel. What would you have done if he threatened to kill your parents if you hadn't have done it? You may not think it but my family was important to me, so important that I would have done anything for them. To keep them safe."
"I… I… wouldn't have done it, I'd have got them out of here and somewhere safe."
"Well your father doesn't have the Dark Mark on his arm, your father wasn't in Azkaban where it was easy for the Dark Lord to get to him." Draco hissed.
"I think this meeting has come to an end. Now I'll go and sort out Percy's old room for you Draco. You are welcome to stay with us until all this fuss has blown over." Mrs. Weasley left the room, various other members of the family following her.
Ginny had been sitting on the sofa for what seemed like hours. She wondered vaguely if there had been any bloodshed yet. She knew that her brothers would be civil to him so that he would give them the information that they needed but the same thing couldn't be said for Ron.
Blaise went to the door and opened it before returning to the sofa. "I think the meetings over now."
She jumped up and ran to the door. Draco would be sure to give her some answers, he wasn't like her family. They would tell each other anything and not keep secrets from one another. She made her way to the kitchen where she saw that he was still sat on the chair with his cold coffee in front of him.
"So can I finally have some answers?" She sat down opposite him.
She received no answer and so she tried again, unsuccessfully.
"Oh for gods sake Draco! Can I have some answers? I want to know what's going on!"
"Maybe it's better that you didn't know." He whispered. If I don't tell her maybe it will end up not being true.
"What the hell? Look it's my life that is in danger here! I deserve to know what is happening. I'm not some little girl that will run away and hide because they hear something bad. It's going to be more dangerous if I don't know what's going on."
"It's not only your life in danger here, alright?"
"Oh so you won't say anything because you are afraid that your life is in danger. It doesn't matter about me!"
"Who said that it didn't matter about you? You don't need to know all these things, all these terrible things. It's better that you don't know. Its hit me bad and I dread to think what it would do to you!"
Ginny was furious. What gave him the right to keep things from her? Just because he was so weak he couldn't handle the truth, it didn't mean that she was weak as well.
"I can't believe you!" Ginny shrieked. "I thought you were different, I thought you would tell me the things my family don't want me to hear. You are such a selfish, spoilt, little ferret!"
"For once in my life I am not being selfish, I'm thinking about other people for a change!"
She was just about to leap across the table and wrap her hands around his neck but Blaise just happened to walk in at that moment.
"Ah can't keep your hands off each other I see." Blaise's eyes shined.
"Fuck off Zabini!"
"I'll be just on my way. I may pop round to see you two lovebirds tomorrow sometime." He waved and headed out the door.
"He needs his eyes checking." Ginny mumbled before turning and telling Draco that her mum would be down shortly to show him the way out as she left the room to let off some steam.
AN: I have actually started writing the next chapter, yay! So fingers crossed it shouldn't be too long before the next update. An angel lives in you should be updated soon as well. Remember I love reviews and constructive criticism is very welcome!
