QUEST FOR FREEDOM


By Fire


Chapter 7 Wandering Souls


"We'll sing to the morning

We'll sing 'til the bells they sound

We'll sing 'til the wandering soul is found"

from Wandering Soul by Kate Rusby


It was a different hand that led Ginny now. Remus Lupin had moved to the back to block the tunnel as they travelled along it. Lupin had led them to the Whomping Willow where they had entered a tunnel, hidden within its trunk. The tunnel seemed endless, and Ginny had no idea where it would take them. All anyone knew was that it was their only escape.

After a journey that seemed like an eternity, Ginny was helped out of the tunnel by her brother, Fred, and found herself standing in a run-down wooden house. One by one the survivors climbed through, until Lupin himself arrived, sealing up the tunnel for good. Looking around Ginny counted just nineteen, including herself.

"Ginny, I need to talk to you," said Lupin.

"Ok," said Ginny.

Lupin led her into another room and pulled a chair from underneath a broken table and gestured for her to sit down. From her seat, Ginny looked up at Remus and waited for him to speak.

"Do you know where we are, Ginny?" asked Lupin.

"No," said Ginny shaking her head.

"We're in the Shrieking Shack," said Lupin.

"In Hogsmeade?"

"Yes," said Lupin. "It was used as a hideaway for me, when I was a student, for when I transformed each month. Anyway, six weeks ago, James and Sirius brought supplies from the castle here to be used in an emergency."

"They knew we'd need an escape?" said Ginny.

"They meant it more as a precaution," said Lupin. "I don't think…"

"I bet Dumbledore sent them, didn't he?" said Ginny, interrupting. "After all, he knew everything, didn't he. The all wise, all powerful Dumbledore. But where is he now? Where is he when we need him?"

She was stood up now, and angry.

"Ginny, you need to calm…"

"I will not calm down!" she shouted. "He knew how strong the Death Eaters were. And he knew that Harry wouldn't win."

"Don't say that," said Lupin.

"Why not?" said Ginny. "Why would he have prepared a getaway if he thought we would win?"

"He prepared a backup, in case the worst should happen."

"He's dead, Moony! He didn't even try to fight, try to help. He sent us to the slaughter and watched as we were massacred!"

"We all knew the risks, Ginny."

"He knew that Harry wasn't ready. He could have done something; he could have gone too. He could have helped."

"Don't you think he did all he could?"

"No!" Ginny exclaimed. "If he did my husband would still be alive. There must have been something he could have done."

"Getting angry at Albus isn't going to bring Harry back," said Lupin calmly. "You have to understand that."

Tears started to flow down Ginny's face.

"I should have gone with him. I could have helped. I could…"

"You would have been killed as well," said Lupin. "Voldemort was stronger than we thought."

"It wasn't supposed to be this way, Moony," said Ginny. "What about King Arthur and Excalibur? He was supposed to be a hero, a champion of the people, but where is our champion now? Gone. Dead. He left me."

"Not by choice," said Remus. "Not by choice."

"There's always a choice!" shouted Ginny. "He could have run! Hidden away somewhere; found a new life, a new face, a new name."

"That's not who Harry was," said Lupin. "And don't forget, I've lost him too."

"I can't do it, Moony," said Ginny. "I can't carry on. What are we supposed to do now? Everything we've fought for is gone. Our whole lives are changed. What do we do?"

"We run," said Lupin. "We go far, far away, and never come back."

"I don't want to run for the rest of my life," said Ginny. "I'd rather just sit here and wait for them to kill me."

"If they find us they won't kill us," said Lupin. "They'll do worse. They'll capture us, torture us perhaps. Enslave us definitely. It will be worse than death and I don't want to suffer that. We've suffered enough."

"I can't go on without him," said Ginny. "I thought I could cope. I thought I could be strong. But I can't. I'm weak."

"You're not weak, Ginny," said Lupin. "You've just had a big shock and it hasn't had time to sink in yet. You've always been strong, and we need you to be strong now. You are our leader, and right now, we need a leader. I know you can do it. I trust you to do it. Harry believed in you. Prove him right."

Lupin pulled Ginny into a tight hug.

"You ready to face them?" he asked.

"Yes," said Ginny. "The show must go on, right?"

She pulled open the door and returned to the room where the others were gathered. Some were speaking to each other in low voices, others stood alone, contemplating in silence.

"Everyone," said Ginny. "I know that this last hour or so has been more terrible than we could possibly have imagined. And although we have all envisaged defeat, I don't think any of us believed it could actually happen. We are the only ones left. Harry is dead, so there is no way to defeat Voldemort, and even if there were, there are too few of us left to fight. Our only option is to run."

"Dumbledore had some supplies stored here several weeks ago," said Lupin. "There's some muggle money for each of us, and it will change to the currency of any country we visit. As you know, the Death Eaters will be able to track us through magic, so there is only one way we can do this. I have prepared a list of meeting places, one for each of you. We will meet up every two weeks, on a journey that will last at least six months. All you have to do is apparate. Apparate to anywhere in the world. Avoid anywhere with a high Death Eater presence though, if you can. Wherever you go use limited magic, although you might want to alter your appearance, but do it gradually so there's less magic to pick up on. When you apparate somewhere move around a bit before setting off again. Perhaps catch a train, or a plane, depart from a different place than where you arrived. You will be more difficult to track that way. I will explain more about our final destination at our first meeting, but it is time for us to leave. We have lingered here long enough."

He and Ginny distributed the money amongst the rebels and with several loud cracks they apparated away leaving five of them to wait behind.

"Hermione," said Lupin. "Are you comfortable with apparating?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "Lily taught me."

"Ok then," said Lupin.

"See you soon, Hermione," said Ginny.

"You too," said Hermione, who then apparated away.

"Take care of yourself, Ginny," said Fred, hugging his sister. "I'm sorry about Harry."

"Thank you, Fred," said Ginny. "You take care, also."

"I will," he said, then apparated with a crack.

"What are you too going to do?" asked Ginny. "Are you going to stick together, or separate for the time being?"

"We're going to separate," said Tonks. "We'd be easier to track if we stick together."

"At least you've still got each other," said Ginny.

"We're lucky," said Lupin. "Will you be ok?"

"Yes," said Ginny. "I have to be, don't I?"

"We'll see you at the first meeting," said Lupin. "And you know how to contact us, if you need to."

"I know," said Ginny.

Lupin apparated, followed almost immediately by Tonks. Once alone, Ginny thrust her hand inside her robes and pulled out Dumbledore's scroll. She noticed, as she unravelled the parchment, that whatever the hard thing was, it was no longer there. Once opened, she held the scroll out in front of her and quickly read the slanted green writing, with a feeling of disbelief slowly welling up inside her.

Ginny,

The dreams we have had relate to a reality that should have been. The night the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort was made to me, someone, I don't know who, obliviated a young Death Eater called Severus Snape. This was the moment when history was diverted from the path we both saw in our dreams, to the path that we have been living ever since. You must stop that person, Ginny. It's the only chance we have to make things right. The vial that I wrapped up inside this scroll contains the potion you will need to take you back, just add one droplet of your blood, or it won't work. The attack has begun, I only hope that we're not too late.

A.P.W.B.D

Ginny delved her hand into her robe again, searching desperately for a potion vial that might have slipped from the scroll into her pocket. After a frantic, but thorough, search, Ginny realised with horror that the vial was gone. Her mind flashed back to a moment in the battle when she been knocked off her feet. The moment when a Death Eater cast a reducto curse and made part of the castle collapse. The moment when the potion vial, and with it the only chance to save Harry, was lost.

Rolling up the scroll and stowing it in her robes once more, Ginny apparated away, with nothing but despair for company.


Two weeks later Ginny arrived in Russia for the first meeting of the survivors. They were meeting in a place called Magadan, in Far Eastern Russia, a place at the end of a very bad road, a place where they would be difficult to find.

In the two weeks that had passed, Ginny had visited various places. She'd been to China, to Brazil and also New Zealand, a place which she liked very much. Like many of the others, she'd taken the first step to change her appearance and had turned her hair blonde.

She arrived at the house where they were meeting to find ten of the others already there.

"Fred!" she said, hugging her brother as she entered the living room.

"How've you been, Ginny?" he asked looking concerned.

"Holding up," said Ginny. "So, where've you been?"

"Egypt," said Fred. "Then I went to Canada and made a brief appearance in France."

"That was a bit risky," said Ginny.

"Well, I figured if I could get them looking for me in France, they'd be less likely to find us all congregating here," said Fred.

"That's not a bad idea," said Ginny.

"Hi Ginny, hi Fred," said Hermione, entering from the hallway.

She and Hermione embraced before sitting down.

"How are you?" Ginny asked.

"I'm ok," said Hermione. "I'm missing Ron, and Harry, but I'm coping. What about you?"

"Coping," said Ginny. "Is there any sign of Moony yet, Fred?"

"Tonks is here," Fred answered. "She said that she's expecting him any minute."

"Ok," said Ginny.

They heard the door shut and a man walked into the living room to join them.

"We were just talking about you, Moony," said Ginny, standing up to greet him.

"Nothing good, I hope," he said.

Tonks arrived from the kitchen and greeted Lupin with a kiss.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you, too," Lupin replied.

Ginny glanced at Hermione and the two shared a smile.

"Everyone is here now, Moony," said Ginny. "We need to start the meeting."

"Right," said Moony.

He remained standing while everyone else took their seats.

"Welcome to Magadan," he said. "As I told you two weeks ago, I will be explaining more about our journey at this meeting to day. But first, the news. Our plan has succeeded. Voldemort has sent Death Eaters to track us, and they are falling further and further behind. Our tactics are working, but we have to be careful not to allow our movements to form patterns.

"Now," he continued. "We need to begin to form our new identities. Create a new name for yourself, a new history. Design yourself a family, and prepare a list of qualifications for your alter ego to have. You will need these to be completed by the time we arrive in Melbourne, Australia, which is where we will begin our new lives. As you may have noticed, when you arrived here today, a new address will have appeared on your parchment, replacing where we are now. This is the name of our next meeting place, in two weeks time. When the name Melbourne appears there, our journey will be complete. I would appreciate it, if by the next time we meet, you have decided on a new name, so we can get used to using them. Other than that, there is nothing else to say. I will continue to monitor the Death Eaters' progress and keep you up-to-date on how close they are."

"Moony," said Ginny. "Do you not think that eventually they will find us?"

"Possibly," said Moony. "But for the most part they are already ten days behind us. By the time we reach Australia, we will look different, act differently, we'll have new names, and we won't be using magic. They'll find it difficult to find us in the city, even if they make it there."

"Ok," said Ginny. "So at the moment it's limited magic, but by the time we reach Australia, it's no magic."

"None at all," said Lupin. "We will find jobs, and houses and integrate ourselves into muggle society. It's the only way. Oh, and on a side note, can I ask that when we have a meeting that you apparate to someplace well away from the meeting point, then travel there using muggle transport. I know most of you did that today. It just means that we can avoid having all our trackers arriving here at once, and being able to collaborate. It keeps us ahead."

With that the meeting was closed and Lupin allowed the group to trickle slowly away, in the hope of not attracting any unwanted attention.


Five months later, the whirlwind world tour by the rebel survivors was almost complete. Only one last meeting remained before their arrival in Melbourne, the final destination. Throughout the trip, both Ginny and Lupin had been attempting to keep tabs on the Death Eaters that were tracking them, and were confident that their trail was growing thin. Lupin was sure that even if the Death Eaters did track them to Melbourne, the rebels would be well enough integrated that the enemy would have a hard time finding them in the crowd.

The final meeting was to take place in a small town in Tennessee in the USA, and as usual Ginny arrived early and by bus, so as not to attract any magical followers.

Ginny unlocked the door, and found that Hermione was already inside.

"Katrina!" said Hermione, looking as though she was glad to see a familiar face.

"Hey Andrea," said Ginny, greeting her friend.

Over the months the rebels had become used to their new alias' and were gradually getting to know the others' names.

"Are we the first here?" Ginny asked.

"No," said Hermione. "Jess is already here, which means that Steve is no doubt keeping watch on the outside."

Right on cue, Tonks, now a curly-haired blonde, entered from another room.

"Did I hear my name?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ginny. "It's good to see you again, Jess."

"You too, Kat," said Jess. "Been anywhere interesting lately?"

"Tanzania," said Ginny. "I went to see Kilimanjaro."

"Impressive?" asked Hermione.

"Spectacular," said Ginny. "So what about you guys?"

"I went to watch the sea lions at 'Loro Parque' in Tenerife," said Hermione.

"I spent three nights in a yurt in Mongolia," said Tonks. "And it snowed! Can you believe it?"

The door opened again and in walked Fred closely followed by Seamus Finnegan.

"Sam!" said Ginny, hugging her brother. "And Joe! I didn't expect to see you two arriving together."

"We ended up on the same train," said Fred. "Joe got on a couple of hours ago, but I was there all night."

"I bet that was uncomfortable," said Hermione.

"Tell me about it," said Fred. "I tell you, the sooner this journey ends, the better."

"I have good news then," said Ginny. "Check your destination paper."

Fred pulled the parchment from his jeans pocket.

"Four-fifty-nine Hampton Street, Melbourne, Australia," he read. "Finally."

"So, any sign of Steve yet?" asked Seamus.

"He's outside watching the arrivals," said Tonks.

"Invisible again?" said Fred. "And he's the one getting to us about using magic."

"He's doing an important job, Sam," said Ginny.

"I suppose so, Kat, but he's just strengthening the magical trail," said Fred.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "But it's only one invisibility spell twice a month. It's hardly an Unforgiveable everyday, is it?"

"She's got a point," said Tonks. "It'll barely register on the magical radar, not to mention how short a time it's actually being used."

"You're right, I guess," said Fred. "It's not that I'm blaming him, it's just hard living without magic and I suppose I'm a little bit jealous."

"We'll just have to get used to the magic free existence," said Seamus.

"Which for Hermione won't exactly be difficult," said Tonks, with a slight smile.

"Hey!" exclaimed Hermione. "I've been in this for a year now, and I'm as much a witch as you are!"

"I know," said Tonks. "I'm only teasing. You're a bloody good witch, and you know it."

She paused and sighed loudly.

"It's such a shame to see such magical talent go to waste," she said, sadly.

"It's just one more thing to add to the list of everything Voldemort has taken from us," said Ginny.

More rebels had been arriving and as Ginny finished her sentence Remus Lupin entered the room.

"Hey Steve!" Ginny was the first to greet him.

"Good to see you, Katrina," he said, fairly jovially. "Everything is in order, I trust."

"Yes," she replied. "We're on the home straight now."

Lupin smiled sadly.

"I'm afraid that we'll most likely never see home again," he said. "Ok, everyone. I don't have much to say today. We arrive in Melbourne for a meeting in two weeks time, until then I want to continue in the same vein as always. Apparating to various places and so forth. It would be best if no one apparates into Australia. Arrive by plane, or by boat from all over the world. I honestly don't care where, just don't make life any easier for the Death Eaters who are following us. They are still out there, and are reluctant to give up the chase, so you must still be on the alert. That's it for today, so unless Katrina wants to add anything we can be on our way again."

"I'd just like to say," said Ginny, "how proud I am of everyone. We've had a really tough time these last few months, physically and emotionally, and I'm so proud of the way everyone has risen to the challenge. You're a credit to the people who trained you, to Dumbledore and to Harry, and I know they'd both be equally proud to stand here before you today, and far more worthy than I am. Thank you for being strong."

The rebels applauded Ginny's words, and Lupin slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It's been tough, Katrina," he said. "But a new life awaits us. We just have to seize the opportunity, and move on from the horrors of our pasts."


Over a year and a half later, Katrina Lewis was re-stocking the clothes racks at the designer store where she worked in Melbourne. She had found the job there not long after her arrival in Australia and she had quickly fit in and made many new friends. Although she was still in contact with her old companions, Andrea Johnson, Sam Patterson, Joe Walters and Steve and Jess Yorkman, their meetings were few and far between as all felt that if they were being tracked, they didn't want to make it too easy for the Death Eaters to find them all.

However much she tried to push it from her mind, Katrina often thought about her old life. She missed Harry dearly, and not a day went by that she didn't wish he was still alive. But the thought that troubled her most was that she had lost the chance to set things right. Dumbledore's note had been enough to make her believe that what happened that day was not supposed to happen, and the more she thought about it, the more Katrina knew it made sense.

The Arthurian legend upon which she and her friends had stumbled made it clear that Harry was supposed to be the leader, the King, and to Katrina at least, that meant he was supposed to survive. Many a night had passed where Katrina rolled around sleeplessly, half formed plans of finding the potion running through her mind. But she knew it was no use. She didn't know how to make the potion, and to find the books and ingredients need she would have to venture into Australia's magical community, which she couldn't do for two reasons: the first was that she had no idea where the entrance to their secret dwellings was, and the second was that even if she could find the entrance, she would never go through it, because that was risking exposure.

Katrina sighed as she wheeled an empty transport rack back to the storeroom. She could hear the store's PA system playing some music in the background, and though most of the time she usually ignored it, the words of the chorus caught her attention.

"Welcome to wherever you are,

This is your life,

You've made it this far,

Welcome,

You've got to believe

That right here right now,

You're exactly where you're supposed to be,

Welcome

To wherever you are."

Katrina stopped moving and sank down into a heap on the floor. The song was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be here. Harry was supposed to be alive. Voldemort was supposed to be dead. She was a witch. She was supposed to do magic, she wasn't supposed to be a muggle hiding in a foreign land. Angry tears fell from her eyes and she brushed them away hurriedly.

"Katrina?" said one of her colleagues, noticing her distress. "What is it?"

The other woman crouched down beside her.

"It's nothing, Hannah," Katrina said. "It's just this song. The words just reminded me of something I wanted to forget."

"What did you want to forget?" Hannah asked curiously.

Katrina sighed.

"My husband, Leo," she said. "He died two years ago. I guess I've believed that it wasn't supposed to happen, and the song just got to me, you know?"

"I think I understand," said Hannah. "But I didn't know that you were married."

"I've not told anyone before," explained Katrina. "It's just too painful, and besides, I came here to make a fresh start."

"Katrina!" called a voice from the storeroom.

"What is it, Margaret?" Katrina asked.

"Phone call for you," replied Margaret.

Katrina stood up and entered the storeroom.

"Did they say who it was?" asked Katrina, puzzled at who might be calling her at work.

"She says her name is Andrea," said Margaret handing the phone to Katrina.

Katrina smiled and took the receiver from her colleague.

"Katrina speaking," she said.

"Hey Katrina," said a familiar voice. "It's Andrea. I'm in town today and I wondered if you would like to have lunch with me."

"That's sounds great," said Katrina. "My lunch break starts in about half an hour, so do you want to meet me out front?"

"That's fine," said Andrea. "I'll see you then."

She hung up. Katrina replaced the phone on the hook and left the storeroom.

"I'm going to go and check the Prada stock," she told Margaret, and left.

Her mind was whirling. It was unusual for Andrea to call her, much less to invite her to spend time with her in public. It was risky. Katrina was concerned. Something was up, she just hoped it was good news not bad news, though knowing how her life had progressed so far, she wasn't taking any chances.


Half an hour later, Katrina met her friend Andrea outside the main entrance to the store. The two women embraced and set off for a café in the centre of the shopping district.

"So," said Katrina, as once they'd ordered their food. "What's up?"

"Nothing," said Andrea, shiftily. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you hardly ever call me," said Katrina. "Let alone meet me. Something's up."

"Oh, alright," said Andrea. "I did want to talk to you about something."

"Spill," said Katrina, taking a sip of her coffee, which the waiter had just brought to the table.

"It's about Ivan and me," Andrea said. "You know he always liked me, even before, well you know."

Katrina nodded, knowing exactly what 'you know' meant.

"And well," Andrea continued. "We always got on well together, it was just that back then I always liked Chris, and I only even had that date with Ivan because I thought Chris didn't like me."

"That's what I told Chris," said Katrina. "What else do you think made him finally tell you how he felt?"

"Well, I guessed as much," said Andrea. "The trouble is that after Chris died, and we came here, well I've been seeing Ivan again. It started out just friendly and casual, but then it got far more serious until yesterday, when he asked me to marry him."

Katrina swallowed a large mouthful of hot coffee too quickly, and coughed, feeling her throat burn.

"What did you say?" Katrina asked, recovering.

"I said I'd think about it," said Andrea. "I never expected him to ask me. I know we've been spending more time together lately, and it has got more serious, but I'm not ready, Katrina. I like Ivan, of course I do, but I'm still in love with Chris, and I just can't do it, not yet, but at the same time I don't want to lose him."

She seemed close to tears. Katrina, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.

"There's no need to get upset," she said. "Ivan knows about you and Chris, right? So all you have to do is tell him, that even though you like him a lot, and you still want to be with him, it's just too soon for you to make that kind of commitment. Be honest with him. Tell him you still think about Chris, and you don't want to rush into anything."

"What if he gets angry?" asked Andrea.

"Then he's not worth the effort," said Katrina at once.

"I wish it could be easy," said Andrea. "Like it was for you and Leo. You knew exactly what you wanted and went for it, all pistons firing."

For the first time, a wave of sadness crossed Katrina's face.

"Nothing is easy anymore," said Katrina, quietly.

"Well, hello there ladies," came a voice to Katrina's right.

She looked up to see Sam Patterson, another member of their former rebellion staring down at them.

"I didn't expect to find you here," Sam continued.

"And why's that?" asked Katrina with a slight smile.

"I assumed you'd be hiding away," said Sam, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "People like me are out to get you."

As he said it, he reached out and grabbed Andrea, pulling her from her seat. Sam drew a wand from his pocket and pointed it to Hermione's throat.

"Fred!" exclaimed Ginny, abandoning all pretences. "What do you think you are doing?"

"No," said the man. "Not Fred."

His appearance changed before their eyes as the Polyjuice Potion wore off. Ginny found herself looking into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater.

"Let her go!" demanded Ginny, wishing she still carried her wand with her.

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Malfoy, flicking his wand, and Hermione vanished instantaneously.

Malfoy lunged across the table at Ginny who turned and fled. At full pelt she raced through the streets of Melbourne until she arrived at her flat. Apparating inside, she located her wand instantly and apparated away to the only place she could think to go: Remus Lupin's home.

As she arrived, she opened her eyes slowly, praying that it wasn't too late. She knew it was a good bet that the Death Eaters had already taken her brother, and so there was a good chance they had Lupin and Tonks too, and as she looked around her worst fears were confirmed. Furniture was overturned, and there were stains on the floor, indicating that a struggle had taken place. As Ginny glanced behind her, she saw the scars of wayward spells, and knew that this was the end.

She had always thought it was a bad idea to have everyone relocate to the same place. Lupin had argued that it would everyone easier to contact if they got wind of Death Eaters approaching, so that the rebels could meet and quickly escape, but as Ginny had feared, the Death Eaters had probably watched them all from a distance then made their move simultaneously, so there was no way of warning the others. Ginny heard voices on the stairs outside, but before she could apparate away the door had opened and she was immobilised. One of the Death Eaters who had entered waved his wand across her, changing her blonde hair to red and her green eyes to brown, so she looked once again as she always did.

"Ginny Weasley," said another Death Eater.

This one had removed his hood, and Ginny recognised the greasy hair from the battlefield two years ago. This was the Death Eater who had killed Albus Dumbledore. Watching them, Ginny knew she would have been shaking with anger had she not been immobilised.

"You have been our greatest prize," the Death Eater continued. "The rebel most coveted. You of course led the rebellion in the South for several years, before leading the combined army into battle. But the Dark Lord wants you for another reason. He is desperate to be the one to enslave Potter's whore."

The Death Eater smirked and another chuckled. Ginny felt invisible bonds encircle her arms and her legs and at that moment the immobilisation was lifted.

"You're wrong!" she said angrily. "I may have led the Southern rebels, and I may have led our noble army into battle, which was my right. But I am no whore. Potter's I might have been, but not his whore. Potter's wife."

She let the last word ring, and two of the Death Eaters, including the one who had spoken, looked at each other with concern.

"She must be lying," said the hooded one at once.

"Why?" asked the greasy-haired one. "What could she gain by it?"

"Perhaps she knows the law," said the first.

"I doubt it," said Greasy. "The law is known to very few. This will trouble the Dark Lord greatly. I will take her to him."

As the Death Eater stepped up to her and grasped her arm ready to apparate, Ginny felt, not afraid, but uneasy. She did not know the law of which they spoke, but she was astute enough to know that her marriage might just have saved her from some horrible punishment that Voldemort had planned.