Chapter Nine – Opening Of The Curtain
I was deathly thin, dirty beyond recognition, depressed, and hated by everyone I loved. When Dumbledore came to interview me before my execution and asked me how I was doing, I just couldn't handle it. I stood up and yelled, "How do I look?", I then sat down, exhausted from using so much of my precious energy. My anger quickly subsided and I burst into tears. I had no clue when I would be sentenced to death. Here in Azkaban prisoners were never told…part of the torture for what the prisoners did to others.
I could be losing my life today or in thirty years. I wouldn't know until it was too late. Scrimgeour told me after my hearing that I would be taken to a room and given lethal injections through needles in the same fashion that muggles were killed. Not once did he mention if it was painful, embarrassing, or anything else that would prepare me for my impending doom.
So as I cried in the corner of my cell Professor Dumbledore tried to comfort me. I cried harder as he patted my back. He didn't really care about me, he just had to pretend to until he could leave and head back to Hogwarts. Apparently since I had been sent to Azkaban, parents felt that the school need not be shut down.
It seemed so surreal. Ron, Harry, Hermione, my twin brothers, they were all in class right now.
Pulling myself together I brushed my tears off with the back of my hand and faced the aged wizard. Opening my mouth the first time since he had arrived, I whispered, "Why can't you leave me alone?" The twinkle in his eyes faded when he heard my broken voice that trembled as I held back all of my emotions. Who wasn't emotion when they were here, reliving their worst memories constantly?
'Tom.'
I shoved my thoughts of Him into the corner of my mind and tried desperately to forget all about him and Hogwarts, my friends, family, everything, because feeling hurt.
Dumbledore sat straighter in his chair and told me in a slow voice, "I want to know why you went from wanting to be in the Order of the Phoenix into turning to Death Eaters for company? Something must have happen to you Ms. Weasley, I want to know what."
'He wont even call me Ginny anymore.' I pretended like that didn't hurt.
Deciding that he wasn't going to leave until he was satisfied I began to tell him that nothing had changed. He asked me when I started to hate muggles and muggleborns. He seemed interested when I told him coming into my fifth year. Rubbing his chin he asked me a question I hadn't been expecting.
"Did someone break your heart?"
"What type of question is that?"
"You Ms. Weasley have been in love with Mr. Potter for years and yet he never felt the same way. Perhaps after fighting along side him you expected him to notice you. When he didn't…"
I cut him off shouting, "Don't you dare say any more." My eyes blazed with anger as I watched him shift in his seat. He may not think it but he was nervous around me.
"If you must know it happened after my fight in the ministry. It was not because of Harry in any way!"
Leaning forward he looked closely at me, as if searching for something.
"Can you tell me what made you change?"
My stomach churned and rumbled as one of the guards brought my days food in. The soup was actually steaming for once. I wished with all of my might that my old headmaster would leave so I could finally eat. Hunger was not uncommon when you lived in such an establishment. I frowned when I heard Lucius nosily drinking his soup. If I knew him like I did after being his cell neighbor for more then two months, he was purposely making noise to mock me.
'Damn him!'
Walking to the bars I peered over to see him sitting contently on his cot. "Malfoy," I said, "if you continue to eat like that the dementors will come here so stop it."
"They wont come." He continued to slurp.
Shaking my head I sat back down and gasped when my memories flashed before my eyes. I saw myself as a child with Fred in the front yard. It left as quickly as it came. I next saw myself with Harry, me playing on the Quidditch team, Cho Chang kissing Harry, and finally myself at the Ministry of Magic.
I fell over and felt nothing. The pain I had been expecting from the two curses did nothing. Knowing that I shouldn't let them know I was all right, I faked passing out. Lying still on the floor I waited for their footsteps to fall away as they went in search for my brother and Harry.
And I was back in my cell again.
I was puzzled; the dementors surely hadn't done this because I saw happy memories in with the bad. I let my eyes wander over to Dumbledore and knew that it was him. He had looked through my memories!
"How could you?"
"Please don't be angry but I needed an honest answer from you."
"So now my word isn't good enough for you?"
"I have to get going." Standing up abruptly he called for the guard and was escorted off the premises. I just stood at the bars and watched his back retreat. I was so enwrapped with him that I didn't notice three burly guards who were pointing at me and tell each other's something.
The iron bars to my cell disappeared and within an instant the men grabbed me, one holding each arm and the other grabbing me by the waist. The man that seemed to be in charge cleared his throat and announced, "Ms. Ginerva Molly Weasley, today is your execution. If you will please cooperate and come along with us we will not use excessive force."
Like I could use force at a time like this. I was actually thankful that I was being held upright for I am sure I would have crumpled to the floor otherwise. I had never experienced the feeling of having legs made of jelly. Now I understood the expression.
Stuttering undistinguishing words as I walked, I noticed Bellatrix looking at me through her cells bars. For a moment I thought she was gong to say something horrid, instead she remained silent. In a sign of thanks I nodded my head in her direction. She nodded back.
I let my mind wonder as I was taken left, left, right, straight, left, right and then stopped. For some reason I couldn't grasp that I was about to die. The thought of this being my last day was too much to take in. I realized that I was going to be killed by a wizard who had promised to help my family out when the war between Voldemort and Harry began.
'Is this how he helps?' I scowled, 'He is. He is getting rid of me for my family. I am the enemy!'
I cried out in fright and began to pull away from the three men who where directing me to a table that had a table nearby with three large needles. My heart pounded loudly as the sweat began to bead up on my forehead. I let out a scream and tried to escape the tight hold I was under.
A loud noise momentarily made everyone in the room pause and look to see what was happening. I nearly gagged when I saw a curtain opening to reveal people behind a glass wall. 'Are they here to watch?'
Rapidly looking throughout the crowd I noticed my family, all of them, sitting with a shocked look on their pale faces. I next noticed Mr. and Mrs. Seropian watching me with a cold, calculating look. I finally saw Harry and Hermione in a far corner with the rest of the Order of Phoenix.
The tears that had welled up blurred my vision and I gave a jump when the Minister of Magic himself said, "The curtain is suppose to be closed. Close it now!"
A young pimply man with black hair and yellow eyes that reminded me of Madam Hooch closed the curtains. Once the curtains where in the proper position I was manhandled and taken to the table. Within a minute's time I was strapped down to the table so tightly that I couldn't move my wrists of feet even an inch in one direction. As I laid there I felt my heart beat so fast that I feared it would explode from my chest and I would die from fright.
A loud voice floated through the air. "This is the witness of Ms., Ginerva Molly Weasley's death. You are going to get to hear her last words before the execution starts." A strangled sobbing form the other side of the curtain sounded a lot like my mothers and I wept.
"Guard, open the curtain."
