Friends Close, Enemies Closer

.:Angelgrl185:.

((I don't own the Harry Potter Series of any of its components))

Chapter Nineteen: Realm of the Gods

Day of the Winter Solstice

It peeked out tentatively over the white mountains of sand. The brink of the Winter Solstice dawned with the glory of the morning sun. An orange haze of light filtered through the pastel sky as a large red orb began its ascent.

Ginny turned her head and covered her eyes. The light radiating from the sun burst forth into white-hot light and burned the eyes of all present. A low rumble deep in the earth caused the camels to fidget nervously. In front of her, Draco glanced about warily, his pales eyes squinted and his white skin almost invisible in the light. As the sun rose, the light dimmed and the air around them began to shimmer as an illusion in heat.

Ginny cried out in surprise at the ground lurched beneath their camel and she was thrown to the ground. Tremors wracked through the desert as the earth groaned. Multitudes of sand was tossed and shifted as the ground cracked wide open and luscious green life began slithering from its depths.

Draco reached down and hoisted Ginny back up behind him on the camel as the sand gurgled beneath her and sparkling pools of water surged forth. Tall, marbled pillars and buildings began to rise from the ground until they towered high in the sky. As the sand settled and the earth silenced, those who had seen the transformation from barren land to paradise stared in disbelief.

"Rilanthia," Ginny whispered, her face a picture of disbelief.

"It truly is a city fit for gods," Draco murmured, awe encompassing his words.

"It's beautiful," she responded, nodding in agreement.

Ginny was broken from her reverie by coarse, gleeful laughter. She turned her head sharply toward the source. Voldemort stood on the edge of the cliff with his arms spread wide and his body wracking with laughter. His crimson eyes glittered in the light as his lips spread into a thin, sinister smile. Ginny shivered at the essence of pure evil radiating from the wizard. Voldemort turned to his followers.

"The time has now come!" he cried. "Power and glory await us now."

Those still alive among his ranks roared in response. Voldemort held out his hand signaling silence.

"There is a passageway hidden within this city that leads to the cave. Find it."

At the command, Death Eaters surged forth on their mounts toward the city. Draco reined his camel behind Lucius and Voldemort at the cliff's edge.

"Draco," Voldemort spoke.

"Yes, my lord?" Draco responded, bowing low in his saddle.

"Join the hunt and take the girl with you," he commanded. "Her memories will be useful in finding the passageway."

"As you command," Draco replied.

He bowed his head briefly. With a flick of his wrist, he spurned the camel forward. Ginny wrapped her arms around his waist as they flew through the desert, their rooms billowing out behind them.

When they passed through the threshold of Rilanthia Ginny felt the familiar flow of magic slam into her body. Tears pricked in the corners of her cinnamon eyes out of joy. The absence of her magic had been slowly draining her energy and to now feel its return was like drinking in the sweetness of air after drowning. Ginny heard the hitch in Draco's breathing as his magic came back to him and she squeezed his waist happily.

The camel trotted along the city, its hooves thudding dully on the dirt covered streets. Ginny glanced around and drank in the beauty of Rilanthia. The interior of the city was no less appealing than its exterior. Bright, exotic flowers decorated the walls and grounds while white and gold marbled buildings gleamed in the morning sun.

"Where is the passageway?" Draco asked, twisting on his mount.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't know."

"Stop playing games, Ginevra," Draco growled. "This isn't a stroll in the park. Where is it?"

Ginny's eyes darkened at his words and she scowled. "So that's how it's going to be now? Voldemort's closer to his goal every minute so you decide to trade in for the winning side?"

Draco's mouth dropped slightly.

"Let me tell you something, Malfoy," Ginny hissed, emphasizing his last name. Her eyes were flashing in anger. "He's not going to win and there is no way in hell I'm going to try and help him."

"You're naïve and foolish, Ginny," Draco replied dryly. "Do you really believe he needs your help? The only reason you're alive up till now is because Voldemort needed you to draw Potter here, you know this. They will find the passage with or without your help. Now if you want to live to see tomorrow I suggest you cooperate. Potter's here so Voldemort has no need for you now. You're dispensable, Ginny; now help me keep you alive."

Draco's tone had softened toward the end and Ginny could hear the subtle pleading contained in his voice. She drew her breath and nodded, slowly releasing the captive air. Closing her eyes, she prodded her mind for the hidden memories and felt herself sink into the familiar flow of energy that coursed through her body as the magic took a hold of her. In her mind, she gently weaved together the colored strands and created a gateway to the recesses of her mind. She had never tried to access the memories on her own they just came randomly. Not leaving room to doubt the dangers of using Occlumency on her own mind, Ginny plunged into the past as an icy sensation flooded her.

"We're too late," Molly moaned as they watched the sun continue to rise. The members of the Order were helpless to do anything while the morning sun had dawned. Now they were gathered at the shore and staring despaired at the desert.

"Hush, Molly," her husband chided. "It is not over until the world is dead. As long as people are still alive to fight than there is hope."

"Let us hope that Harry has not yet reached Rilanthia and suffered a fate similar to Miss Zabini," Dumbledore said, soberly.

"We cannot dally here any longer," Sirius spoke, coming to stand alongside Dumbledore.

"Sirius is right," Arthur agreed. "We must keep moving. Time is trickling away from us."

Dumbledore nodded and looked to Remus. His light blue eyes were grave and lined with wrinkles. He looked so aged and tired.

"What of Miss Zabini?" he questioned.

"I wrapped what I could of her body in the parachute," Remus replied. "I placed her body on the ship. She needs to be returned to her family when this is over."

"Of course," Dumbledore replied.

"That's if anybody survives," Snape muttered, darkly.

"Severus, please, don't talk like that!" Molly snapped, her brown eyes flashing irritably. "Have a little faith."

"Says the one who just complained we were too late," Severus remarked with a smirk.

Molly huffed and straightened up her back, glaring at him.

"Molly's right, Severus," Dumbledore said, softly. "If we enter this fight expecting to lose than we most assuredly will."

Snape sighed and nodded. "Should someone stay and watch the ship?"

"I wouldn't advise it," Arthur spoke up. "We are going to need all the man power we can get."

"Leave it," Dumbledore commanded. "We must mount and ride now. Time is off the essence."

With a swift maneuver not common for a man of his age, Dumbledore leapt upon the back of his camel.

"A note of warning," he said, looking back. "Magic will be unavailable to you here. You will feel empty and helpless without it. Don't give in. Many wizards have gone crazy without the feeling of magic flowing through their veins."

With that said, Dumbledore kicked his camel and raced off into the desert leaving Arthur, Molly, Remus, Severus and Sirius to follow in his wake.

Ginny landed roughly on dirt and rock-infested floor. She winced as her skin scraped against the jagged terrain. A frown marred her freckled features as she processed the pain. Memories weren't supposed to hurt.

Dusting herself off, Ginny stood and looked around. It was a familiar place, but one that she had only witnessed before through the haze of a dream. There was a stale stench hovering in the air and the atmosphere was damp and humid. Ginny could feel the curls on her neck begin to stick to her skin.

She moved cautiously through the cavern. Up ahead she could see the source of light that was casting the rest of the cavern into shadow. When she arrived, Ginny gasped. Just like she had seen in the memories before, a large sword was illuminated in pure white light and hovered in the air. Its blade was longer than Ginny's own body and light reflected off of its silver frame. The handle was intricately designed with silver and gold patterns lacing the black core. It was the most magnificent piece of craftsmanship she had ever witnessed.

Ginny, however, could not reach the blade. A huge circle surrounded the pillar it hovered above. As she studied the ground, Ginny could only blink in amazement. The circle was divided into three equal parts, each part containing a different element. To her right the ground blazed with searing fire and Ginny could feel the heat of it warming her skin. To her left was a pool of serene, crystal water that Ginny longed to step into. Across the circle, the third part contained pure white grains of sand. It was a wonder that the elements didn't fuse together or destroy each other. Ginny knew that the water should be evaporated because of the heat or that the sand melted and crystallized, but here they were in their natural forms.

Ginny shook her head in wonder before backing away from the enchanted area. She needed to find the exit of the cavern. Walking toward the nearest wall, Ginny placed her hand gently against the cool stone and proceeded to walk along it. She figured the wall would eventually lead her to an exit. She passed by stalagmites and stalactites the protruded from the ceiling and ground of the cavern. Water dripped from the tips of the stone jutting from the ceiling. Minutes passed until she finally stumbled upon a passageway. A naturally carved stairwell led up into a dark recess of the cave.

Ginny swallowed nervously before plunging into the dark pathway. She kept her hand on the cavern wall as she steadied herself climbing the stairs. The steps were wet and Ginny felt herself slip many times. It wasn't long before Ginny ran smack into a solid wall. She frowned and rubbed her head irritably. Feeling around with her hands, Ginny let out a frustrated grunt when she realized there was no doorway or tunnel, but rather a dead end.

Ginny stepped back from the wall and tried to squint through the darkness. Her cinnamon eyes had adjusted slightly to the surrounding blackness, but she could hardly make anything out. Reaching into her back pocket, Ginny discovered that her wand had apparently followed her to this bizarre realm of memory. Whipping it out, Ginny muttered the necessary words to make it glow.

Iridescent light illuminated the space around her and chased the darkness away. Ginny held her wand aloft from her and studied the wall in front of her. A slight shimmer caught her eyes and she placed her hand softly against the portion of the rock that caused it. It was cold and damp to the touch. Ginny grinned. Dampness meant water. She held the ball of light higher in the air and scanned the ceiling of the tunnel. A slight trickle of water was flowing down the wall from a crack in the ceiling. Now that she could study it in the light, the wall ahead seemed to have a crack going around its outer edge.

"It's a doorway," Ginny murmured in disbelief. "How clever."

She placed her hand back on the wall and searched the exterior for any type of button that would trigger the doors release. She let out a screech of triumph when her fingers sank into the rock and a low rumble emitted through the tunnel. Slowly, the wall creaked open. Ginny held her wand in front of her and stepped cautiously through the new doorway.

A dank stairwell was in front of her and was lit by small torches lining the wall. Ginny extinguished her wand and slowly crept up the stairs. A putrid smell filled her nostrils as she ascended and she quickly wrinkled her nose in disgust. Following the flickering shadows on the stairwell, Ginny soon happened upon one of the most grotesque sites she had ever seen. Piles of rotten bones and skulls were scattered all over the stairs and the lingering presence of death was hovering like a thick cloud of smoke.

Ginny felt light headed as she took in the scene and leaned against the wall for support. Closing her eyes she tried to block out the horrid image of the skeletons' faces contorted in screams of horror. Drawing in a few deep breaths, Ginny opened her eyes and squared her shoulders in determination. She continued moving up the staircase until she reached the top. The passageway continued and as Ginny moved forward, soft things began to brush against her face. Ginny fought back a scream when she realized she was practically swimming in spider webs. The silky white tendrils were woven in almost every aspect of the stone hallway.

"Incendio," Ginny whispered, brandishing her wand. A bright ball of fire accumulated at the tip before blasting through the passage and incinerating every spider web along the way.

Threads of web crackled and burned on the ground as Ginny continued through. Her blood froze when a scurrying noise caught her ears. Ginny felt her body run cold and something akin to terror quaked through as an idea of what it could be popped in her mind. Ron wasn't the only one in the family who was deathly afraid of spiders and from the look of the passageway, the scurrying could very well be a whole bunch of them.

Willing herself to keep going, Ginny hesitantly and somewhat fearfully, continued down the passageway wary of little arachnids jumping out of the shadows onto her face. The putrid stench seemed to be increasing in strength with each step she took. Ginny felt chills run down her body as a cold wind burst through the passageway extinguishing every torch dousing Ginny in complete darkness. Hands shaking, Ginny held out her wand.

"Lumos," she said, her voice quivering slightly. A gasp escaped from her mouth as she stared before her. The hallway was blocked with thick layers of white web. The strands shone with a waxy gleam in the light emitting from her wand.

"Incendio," Ginny said once again. A fireball once again grew on her wand and was released. However, instead of wiping out the web, the fireball was reflected off the surface and shot back toward Ginny.

Ginny yelled in surprise and quickly dropped to the floor. She could feel the intense heat of the fire burning her skin as it skimmed right above her body. The scent of burned hair caught her nostrils and she quickly rolled over on the ground to put out whatever flames were trying to consume her. Sitting up, Ginny looked to the web. It had been blackened from the fire, but no visible sign of damage could be seen.

Ginny walked up to the barrier and gently placed her hand against it. It felt sticky and cool to the touch. Extremely grossed out, Ginny withdrew her hand quickly. Once the contact was gone, the web barrier parted down the middle. Ginny stared briefly puzzled as to what she did to gain passage. A loud roar in the distance made her blood curdle and she swallowed hard. Why was she doing this again? Oh right, death by Lord Voldemort.

Gritting her teeth, Ginny ducked through the webs and entered to find a narrow path surrounded by the same sticky substance leading off into the distance. Tiny spiders dotted the white web causing Ginny to shrink away from the sides. They seemed to follow her movement along the corridor. One of them had the indecency to jump off of its web and land on Ginny's arm. With a shriek, Ginny flipped her arm around trying to throw the spider off.

"Mobilarbus!" Ginny managed to squeak out. With a flick of her wand she moved the spider of her arm and flung it into the wall. Ginny noted in satisfaction that the spider was now smushed to the wall and would no longer be bothering here. Then she noted, to her horror, that this made the other spiders very angry and they were now scurrying quite fast in her direction.

"Reducto!" Ginny yelled. The webs where she aimed her wand blasted apart shooting spiders all over, but away from Ginny.

With that, Ginny turned on her heels and fled down the hallway not stopping for anything and not daring to look back. The sound of the spiders scurrying grew faint and in the distances the farther she ran and eventually her breathing returned to normal. Ginny didn't feel quite safe enough to stop from moving quickly though. A grin flickered on her face at her relief of getting afraid from the dreadful eight legged things, but it was removed immediately when a low growl echoed through the hall behind her.

Ginny whirled around and brandished her wand in front of her, the light striking the darkness. Squinting her eyes she couldn't make out anything as she continued to back up cautiously. Ginny jumped in the air as her body connected with something solid. Her arms brushed against a cool sticky substance. Ginny felt her heart plummet to the pit of her stomach when she realized that her body was immobilized and she couldn't move. Rotating what little of her wrist she could, she could make out that she was stuck in the same sticky substance of web that barred her passage earlier.

"Oh no," she groaned. Frantically she tried to kick and wiggle her way out but to no avail. It only seemed to suck her deeper into the threads.

The sound of scurrying reached her ears and Ginny froze. Moving her wand slightly, Ginny cast light against the passageway. What met her gaze made her blood freeze and her cinnamon eyes widen in fright. Standing before her was the largest spider she had ever seen in her entire life.

It's body consumed the entire hallway. It's exterior was jet black and shone eerily in the light. Little red dots speckled its hide and hair protruded from eight gangly legs. A collection of beady eyes stared straight at Ginny and fangs dripping with a yellow substance induced fear in her. Ginny couldn't hold back this time. Opening her mouth wide, Ginny let out a scream that reverberated through out the hall.

At the noise the spider reared on its heels and shot out a leg at her. Ginny screamed again as the sharp point of the spider's leg pierced her flesh. Ginny felt a warm fluid being to trickle down her left side, right below where the spider pierced her shoulder. Ginny felt her eyes fill with tears of pain as she gritted her teeth. Only one thought entered her mind as she watched the spider rear back again.

"Draco."

Draco paced impatiently.

It had been almost a half an hour since Ginny has delved into her little mind trick. It wasn't supposed to take this long and Draco couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. His slate eyes studied Ginny as she stood before him, her eyes closed in a look of concentration. Every so often she twitched or her lips moved, speaking silent words, but other than that, Draco had no indication of what was going on.

A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air sending chills down Draco's spine. His eyes widened as Ginny visibly paled and her body began to tremble.

"Ginny!" Draco shouted, quickly closing the distance between them.

Her body swayed slightly before crumbling toward the ground. Draco reached out and swiftly caught her light form in his arms. Cradling her against his chest, Draco watched her worriedly. He felt so helpless and silently cursed himself for making her do this, but he had no choice. Voldemort would have sensed if she didn't would have killed her for not cooperating.

Another scream tore from Ginny's now bloodless lips and seemed to pierce his soul. He could feel the fear and pain contained within it and it cut him to the core. Draco hugged her close to him and buried his face in her hair. His hands gently rubbed her back more in an attempt to ease his own trembling than hers.

Confusion flooded his mind as a warm, sticky substance seeped through his robe. Draco pulled back from Ginny and looked around from the source. A bright flash of scarlet caught his attention. Draco gasped in shock and anger when he discovered the pool of blood collecting on the sandy floor. A small river of crimson was flowing down Ginny's body from a large hole in her left shoulder.

"What magic is this?" Draco wondered in confusion. "Ginny is in her memories? Those are physical. Ginny, what happened to you?"

A whimper escaped from her lips. Draco gently shook her body as if to wake her from a nightmare.

"Ginny," he said, "come back. You don't need to do this anymore."

Draco watched helplessly as Ginny's body begin to spasm and her screams filled the air. Another wound appeared, this time right above her hip. Draco could do nothing as Ginny screamed and tossed in his arms. He could do nothing but watch her die in his arms.

Hello my readers. It has been a very long time since I last posted for this story. My muse has been unavailable to me this year and I have not felt the urge to write from some time. I humbly apologize for making you wait so long and I only hope I haven't lost all of my following.

You'll be happy to know that this story is now coming to a close with only one or two chapters left. It is my goal to have this finished within the next month or so. After this I plan on writing some original fiction. Thank you for being so faithful to me and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Please review and tell me what you think although I don't really deserve it.

.:Angelgrl185:.