Escape from Loch Lomond
Ginny dragged herself to the shore of a small island in the middle of the Loch, her body was in agonising pain, she was shivering with cold, and she was now sure that she had been caught. With no wand to defend herself, and no broom to fly away on, the Auror's would catch her soon enough. Ginny flopped down onto the grassy banks of the island and for a moment, consigned herself to her fate. There was no way she could hope to escape now, she thought to herself, no more tricks left in her bag, and without her wand, no spell to save her. But then, as though it had been waiting for this exact moment, the small bag around Ginny's neck began to radiate a warmth that spread out across her chest, down her arms, to her fingertips, and down her torso, all the way past her thighs, her shine, to the tips of her toes. She was no longer cold, and no lonGer felt so hopeless. Ginny reached for the bag to find the source of this mysterious magic. The front pocket was hot to the touch, so Ginny opened it quickly, and gingerly slid her fingers inside until her hands closed around… of course! Ginny's heart thundered as she pulled Harry's wand from her bag and examined it. Steam still spouted from the wood as the wand finished its warming charm. Now Ginny was warm, and dry, and no longer felt as though she was alone and hopeless.
Harry's wand had performed magic without even being asked. Could this mean that Harry was nearby? But why would Harry even be here, in the middle of nowhere? No, Ginny thought, that's too unlikely. But why would it help Ginny of its own accord? I must have to keep going, Ginny thought to herself. If Harry's wand had come to her rescue, then surely Ginny was its best chance of being re-united with its owner, which in turn, must mean… Harry is still out there somewhere! With renewed vigour Ginny dragged herself to her feet. She had sworn to herself, had she not, that she would never give up the search? Yes, she had lost her wand, her most faithful companion, but Harry's wand had never let him down, and if it would allow her to take control of its power, there was no reason it should fail against the Aurors.
Pointing out at the water to where the charred remains of her broomstick lay submerged in the shallows, Ginny tried Harry's wand for the first time. Accio Cleansweep! The wand provided no resistance, and the remains of Ginny's faithful, finally beaten broomstick leapt onto the shoreline. Though she knew the likely outcome, Ginny tried to use magic to repair the broom, but after a half-hearted attempt at hovering, the Cleansweep fell with a definitive thud, beaten and dead, the final chase against the Auror's serving as its last Hurrah. Flying out would not be an option. Then how was she supposed to get off an island? Ginny briefly considered disapparating, but she was sure that the Ministry would trace any attempt at apparation and be on top of her again in an instant, provided that they hadn't already cast an anti-apparation jinx across the entire Loch already. Swimming would be far too slow, and she had no idea what she would do if she was able to get to the shoreline. Her best chance of escaping, she decided, was to steal the broomstick of one of the Auror's. But this also put her at the greatest risk. She would have to be very, very close to the Auror's to get a grasp of one of their broomsticks.
Ginny tipped out the contents of her bag to see what she had left. Her entire supply of fireworks had been used up, but Ginny was in no rush to repeat the scenario that had landed her here in the first place. She had two Peruvian Instant Darkness Powders left, a stack of Defence Against the Dark Arts Books, her cauldron, her tent, which by sheer luck she hadn't unpacked before the Auror's caught up with her, Harry's cloak, the Marauders Map, and five decoy detonators. Not much to hold back a team of highly trained Auror's, but she would have to make do. She repacked her tent, donned the cloak, and sat on the shoreline to keep watch for the Aurors. She spent hours watching, hours waiting, hours planning, until finally they came. Gawain Robards, and six of his best men rode across the glassy lake on their sleek Nimbus brooms before touching down gently on the shore. The men spread out into a fan shape and prowled forward like lions. Robards spoke.
"Ginny Weasley! Come quietly! We have you completely surrounded. We know you are unarmed. This little escapade is over, come with me now so you can stand trial for your countless crimes."
"What of your crimes Robards?" Ginny called out, shedding the invisibility cloak and leaving it hanging by her waist. "It took me a while to figure out who you really work for. When did the WULF recruit you?"
"You dare accuse me of treason?" The large Welshman called back as his Aurors formed a circle around their pray. "You, who are responsible for the death of Harry Potter, and the countless injuries to the Aurors who seek to bring you to justice. Do you have no shame?"
"None where you are concerned. I wouldn't harm Harry, Kingsley knows it, that's why he wouldn't arrest me for it. I couldn't understand why you were so hellbent on arresting me without any evidence, and then it finally clicked. The WULF aren't just after Harry. They knew I was at home with him, so they would have tried to kill me too, if he hadn't locked me inside. But you see, our home had the best protection that the Ministry could provide. After all, Harry Potter lives there, and he does have quite a few enemies that, regretfully, escaped prison. So how were the WULF able to break down all of those enchantments? They had to have help from inside the Ministry. Now who, in the Ministry, with that kind of knowledge, would be able to help them? Who has been trying, a little too hard, to get me locked up?" Robards said nothing, but just for a fleeting moment, his grin faltered. Ginny had him on the back foot, now all she had to do was distract him a moment longer.
"I suppose there's a bad accident waiting for me in Azkaban? A bungled escape attempt? Maybe I try to jump off the ferry on the way there, and drown trying to swim ashore?"
"Incredible. You are even more deluded than I gave you credit for Miss Weasley. My congratulations, you've figured me out entirely, I confess. Tell me, how do you plan to escape this time?" Robards took a measured steep forward, and Ginny could tell the Aurors were beginning to close in around her.
"Well I'm going to fly out, of course."
"Hah!" Laughed one of the Aurors, "Your broom is finished, I saw to it myself after your little stunt with the fireworks."
"Yeah, a shame about that. You know, Harry bought me that broom for Christmas, and he'll be very upset when he finds out what you did. I guess I could borrow yours."
"Let me see your hands!" Robards bellowed, "We'll have no more of your magic powder!"
"Didn't you like it?" Ginny feigned sadness, "I guess you didn't have time to buy a hand of glory? You seem like a busy man."
"Well, after tonight I may reward myself." Robards grinned. In three or four strides he would standing face to face with Ginny. Now was the time to act. Ginny raised her empty hands, and took one careful step forward, her foot resting on a dark, glistening stone.
"Well I'm sure that will be very nice for you. Oh, Mr Robards, do watch your step." In the split second it took the Head Auror to realise what she was going to do, Ginny stepped down hard and crushed the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder beneath her foot. The world was instantly black. Ginny could hear the Auror's cursing, and knew she had no time to waste. She sprinted blindly at where she thought the nearest Auror had been, and collided with him at full pelt. The pair went sprawling to the ground.
"SHE'S HERE!" He began to wail, but Ginny blindly aimed a fierce kick that seemed to knock the wind from him. She scrabbled around in the darkness for her prize. Finally, her hands locked around a sleek, smooth piece of wood. With no time to get her bearings, Ginny threw the cloak around her, and kicked off hard. The force of the Nimbus Two-Thousand-Five-Hundred accelerating hit her like a sledgehammer. She had barely managed to hold on as the broom had shot off of the ground and taken her to the edge of the clouds in a matter of seconds. The Aurors surrounding the Loch had taken off in pursuit, but they had been caught off guard, and now Ginny was riding the fastest racing broom in the world at full chat. They wouldn't catch her now. She clung on for dear life as she pushed the Nimbus harder and harder, barely able to see where she was going, but going there as fast as she could nonetheless.
Ginny couldn't tell how long she stayed that way, it could well have been days before she finally opened her eyes and allowed herself to look behind and check if she was still being pursued. Even though there was no sign of any Auror's, Ginny sped on again to make sure, until she was no longer capable of gripping the handle of the broom. Only then did she relent and reluctantly slowed down, drawing Harry's wand from her bag just in case. Deciding to try and gain her bearings, Ginny dipped below the clouds to see a large town beneath her. She must have flown back to England. With no better alternative, Ginny headed for the outskirts of the town, and landed in a field just out of sight. Aside from a few startled cows, she hadn't been seen. Ginny slung the broom over her shoulder, and re-adjusted the Invisibility Cloak so that it covered her properly.
She decided that she would walk into town, try and scavenge a bit of food, and see if there was any way of getting some news from the outside world. She couldn't hope to find any copies of the Daily Prophet in a large Muggle town, but she might see the Muggle News on one of those Telly-Vision devices, and if there were any freak natural disasters, huge storms, or anything of that ilk, she would be able to gauge where the Auror's were. Progress was slow, as Ginny tried to keep the tail of the broom from poking out beneath the cloak. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered whether or not the Ministry could trace their broomsticks, and were beginning to surround her at this very moment. Nevertheless, she strode on until she reached the town, passing a quiet country train station. Here she saw the first poster of herself in the Muggle world. There was a large, edited photo of herself, completely still, but her hair stuck out at angles, and her eyes were glass and dangerous. The caption on the poster said; Police are appealing for any information on the whereabouts of Ginny Molly Weasley. Miss Weasley escaped from Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital on September 1st. Miss Weasley is thought to be a danger to herself and others, and should not be approached under any circumstances. There was also a phone number to call and report sightings.
Not even safe in the Muggle world, Ginny thought to herself. She shuffled on, going further into town, looking for a pub or an inn that she could sneak into to escape the cold for a while. Even though winter was fast approaching, it seemed exceptionally cold this night, unnaturally cold. The further into town she went, the colder it seemed to become, in fact, there was even frost on some of the cobbles, and small puddles had turned to ice. The reality of the situation but Ginny a moment too late, as the first of the black cloaked figures swept down from the rooftops, gliding towards her along the street like a smoky wraith, it's breath dry, and rattling. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Professor Dumbledore's warning from her second year; 'Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises – or even Invisibility Cloaks.' Ginny raised Harry's wand, her arm revealing itself from beneath the cloak. Her silver-blue horse leapt forward, charging down the first Dementor. But there were more, several more, maybe even hundreds, sweeping down towards her, unfazed by the invisibility cloak that had saved her countless times.
Ginny's Patronus was losing its battle, she was losing. Dementors surrounded her poor horse, and Ginny watched its warm glow slowly fade until it was finally snuffed out. Ginny turned and ran, the cloak streaming out behind her, no longer hiding her fiery red hair, a sure giveaway to the Ministry. She tried to get her stolen broom to fly, but it was iced over, unable to hover more than a couple of feet from the ground. She pelted on, but Dementors were just as quick. Panic had begun rising in Ginny's chest, as though her lungs were filling with water, which quickly turned to ice. In her haste, she tripped over one of the cobblestones on the ground and sent herself sprawling onto the street. The Dementors could sense victory, and the leader among them floated down to street level. Ginny turned in horror to what was sure to be the final sight her eyes would see. The Dementor lowered its hood, and opened its mouth, its empty eye sockets seeming to peer straight through her. She let out a scream, but no sound came from her lips. Her vision swam, and the world began to go dark. This is it, she thought to herself, this is the end, and I have failed. But in the moment that Ginny was sure she would die, something happened, the Dementor fled, as did those around it. A faint blue glow hung in the air over her head, and she was aware of a strong hand gripping her arm, and then the world went black.
Gawain Robards sat tensely in his study. He had spent the last hour poring over two separate reports that sat side by side on the desk in front of him. The first was his own, written after returning from the shores of Loch Lomond. Somehow, inexplicably, infuriatingly, Ginny Weasley had escaped, unarmed, unassisted, despite standing three feet before him only a few hours ago. Then, a second report from the Dementors of Azkaban had come in. They had located her in Kendal, a small village in the Lake District, but, once again, she had escaped, and this time she had received help. Her family were brought in for questioning immediately, but a very short interrogation had proved fruitless. Her parents seems thrilled with the news, and took great delight in the fact that their daughter was still at large after so many weeks on the run. Should the girl manage to procure a wand, she would become even more dangerous, and prove even more of a threat to his master.
As if on cue, a horrible, cold, high voice rung out in Gawain's mind. 'My disappointment in your failure cannot be overestimated. While Ginny Weasley remains free, she puts our goal at great risk. It would seem as though I must take matters into my own hands, pray that I remain undetected. When I return from New Zealand, you will explain yourself. The leader of the Wizards United Liberation Front will not tolerate incompetence. For your own sake, do not fail me again. For now, Ginny Weasley remains your problem, until I have dealt with the Delacour girl. Find Ginny Weasley, and bring her to me!'
Authors Notes
Hi everyone,
Good news, my computer is fixed! I'm beginning to recover my lost work and piece things back together. I've felt a little down recently over the lack of any comments on this story, as well as the Great Prophecy. I won't sit here and beg for a review, but a little note every now and then would cheer me up massively. Fan-fiction writers use their free time every day to try and write stories that will entertain people, and every once a while, gettting to read a simple comment like 'good job!' really makes it worthwhile. I know lots of people are busy, and writing a review can be a pain, but it does provide extra motivation to your favourite writers, which in turn brings out chapters more steadily.
Are you guys still interested in this story? Don't feel any pressure to comment on the chapters, but if you would like to leave a review, I have some questions to stir your minds up! Lets have some theories!
1. Who do you think helped Ginny escape the Dementors?
2. Is Gabrielle in danger? From who?
3. Are you excited to see the new school in New Zealand? What do you think it should be like?
Thanks for reading today!
Until the next,
IronManRidingaNimbus.