On the Monday morning, Ginny had Defense with the Dark Arts. She walked morbidly towards Carrow's room with Colin beside her. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ginny was still thinking about where on earth the sword could be! She knew Harry had pulled it out of the sorting hat in his second year to defend her…it surely had to be in the castle.
They arrived at the classroom all too soon and Ginny sighed with defeat as they entered and took their usual spot in the middle of the room. She saw Carrow smirking and writing something on a piece of parchment behind his desk. Ginny had taken McGonagall's warning and not tried to say anything in Carrow's class recently. Since their little confrontation in the corridor…she'd avoided him like the plague.
When the class settled, Carrow stood up and walked briskly around the room, "We should start the class with the most recent news of the weekend. Who can tell me what happened?" Several hands shot up and Carrow nodded at a Slytherin called Angus Campbell, "Potter and his pals broke into the Ministry. No –one knows why." Carrow chuckled, enjoying himself, "Indeed, Campbell. I think it's important for sixth years to be informed on current events. No-one knows why. I would like to open it up for debate."
There was a low murmur around the class and Ginny clenched her hands in her lap, refusing to speak. If she was interrogated again, she had to think on her feet. Carrow nodded at another Slytherin called Sophia Carter said carefully, "Professor, some say he was after the Sword of Gryffindor. What use would that be to him?"
Ginny froze and refused to even move. Any reaction she showed now could easily give something away. Carrow patrolled around the classroom, wand in hand and a gleam on his face as he said to Sophia, "Well, Miss Carter, this is a good question. The Sword of Gryffindor is Goblin-made and therefore very powerful. Potter needs all the power he can get if he wants to live. I must say I'm surprised he's last so long as it is. My money is at the most another month before he gets caught."
This caused a chuckle from the Slytherin side of the room. Ginny could feel eyes on her…more than one pair anyway and she practiced breathing to control her temper. She knew they wanted a rise out of her. They hadn't gotten one in a while. She tried to keep it that way.
When the lesson was over, Mr Carrow dismissed the class, and asked Ginny to stay behind, "Miss Weasley? Might I have a word?" He now wanted the students to learn Imperio. It was the hardest spell Ginny had ever tried to master. He claimed he wanted them to have tools to fight it, and the only way to do that was by being under the spell themselves. Few in the class had actually achieved it.
Ginny walked forward to his desk nervously, her bag slung around her shoulder. She stared into his cold, grey eyes and he smirked at her. Colin pretended to be packing up his books, but Ginny was sure he was just hanging around to make sure she was ok. Carrow said pleasantly, "I'm very pleased that you seem to be learning your place in the classroom. But I would appreciate some information on Potter and his pals. Surely you know their whereabouts?" Ginny sighed and stared at him irritably, "We've been through this, professor. Mr Potter broke up with me. I am no longer his girlfriend. Therefore I do not know of his whereabouts and he has not made any effort to contact me."
Ginny tried to sound like she meant it and she looked him in the eye while saying it, to try and make it more convincing. Carrow stood up and leant forward over the desk, "Oh yessss…" he hissed, eyebrow raised skeptically, "And your brother? Has he also been radio silent? Surely you've heard from him?" Ginny huffed out a breath of air in irritation, "Mr Carrow, I have heard from none of them."
She was about to turn and leave when she heard Carrow mutter, "Imperio!" In the distant, Ginny heard Colin gasp, but she knew she wouldn't be affected. She was still going weekly to McGonagall for her potion and she just felt a strange sense of eeriness overcome her.
Carrow commanded her, "Face me, Weasley." Ginny did as she was told and faced him. He smirked at her happily. She thought maybe if she acted like she was Imperised, he'd believe her. Carrow's smirk grew wider and he chuckled, "That's better. Now Weasley…did Potter or your brother or Granger contact you?" Ginny whispered under her breath dreamily, "No…they didn't…Sir."
Carrow sighed and then stalked towards her before whispering, "You know Weasley, I think you're lying. Somehow…you can defy Imperio. I only have one option left now. The Dark Lord is anxious for information, see and if I can be the one to deliver it to him…I will be rewarded." Ginny bit her lip, finding it pointless to argue or reason with him.
Then Carrow seemed to just notice that Colin was still there. Ginny turned to see his wand clasped in his hand, ready to strike. Carrow barked at him, "Get out of here!" Colin glared at the man in front of him and retorted, "No!" Carrow stalked towards him, and then Colin yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Before Carrow had time to react, Colin had the Professor's wand in his hand and Ginny gaped at him in shock!
He then ran forward and pulled at her arm shouting, "Let's go!" Ginny had just enough time to register the shocked Professor's face when Colin dragged Ginny out of the classroom and slammed the door behind him. They had Care of Magical Creature's next, and so without thinking, Colin pulled her down the halls and into the Entrance Hall, Carrow running behind them and yelling like mad, "STOP! STOP those thieves!"
Ginny was panting by now and she ran into Professor Slughorn accidentally who was walking out of the Great Hall. He paused and saw Mr Carrow running after them, looking like a maniac. Slughorn raised an eyebrow before asking her, "Are you ok, Miss Weasley? Mr Creevey? You both look troubled." Ginny glanced at Colin, who was holding Carrow's wand in his hand and Ginny turned to the Professor who had just halted in front of them before saying, "I suppose you can let Mr Carrow explain, Sir, why Mr Creevey here felt the need to defend me."
Mr Carrow glared at her with utter hatred in his eyes. Ginny glared back with equal defiance and the Death Eater spat at her, "You're a fool, Wesaley, stealing a teacher's wand!" Colin glared at him too, his boyish face usually friendly, was turned into quite a scornful mask of disgust. They were between classes and so there were several people who had stopped to watch the scene.
Slughorn tried to laugh it all off as he said, "Oh Mr Carrow, I'm sure there's quite an innocent explanation for all of this." Ginny smirked a little and Slughorn continued, "Why, I'm sure it was meant as nothing more than a harmless prank, a little dare, you know. I used to do them myself in school." Carrow stared in outrage at Slughorn for suggesting it was a dare. Ginny almost wanted to laugh at the ludicrousness of it all!
Then a low, cold voice she heard Snape saying to all the passerby's who had stopped to watch the episode, "Students, carry on to your classes! I'm sure there's nothing to see here!" Ginny watched as Snape approached them, his long black cloak floating behind him and his black, beady eyes narrowed on Ginny. He reached them and asked quietly, "What's all this, Mr Carrow? Mr Slughorn?"
Carrow went first and gasped with indignation, "Professor Snape, this insolent boy stole my wand from me!" Ginny was about to explain why when Slughorn got in before her and explained, "Professor, I'm sure it was a little trick. You know, a prank of sorts." Snape stared Ginny down and she had never felt so small in her entire life!
Snape nodded sternly and said clearly, "Weasley, Creevey to my office, now. Mr Creevey, please give Professor Carrow his wand back." Colin did so reluctantly and Carrow all but snatched it back from him. Ginny briefly wondered if Slughorn suspected that they had done it for other reasons as she turned to look at his face. He had a beseeching, worried look about it. Ginny guessed maybe he knew it was more than just a trick or a dare.
XXX
When they arrived in Dumbledore's office (Ginny could never think of it as Snape's…), Ginny and Colin sat on the opposite end of the desk from Snape. Ginny glanced at the portrait behind him on the wall. Dumbledore was awake and his eyes were twinkling with interest at Colin and Ginny sit before him. He smiled kindly at Ginny and she felt a sudden loss…seeing him sitting there and smiling down at her through his half-moon spectacles.
Snape sat in the chair opposite them. Dumbledore gestured his head to the left and Ginny's gaze followed his gesture. There…sitting right behind Snape in a glass cabinet…was the sword of Gryffindor! Ginny felt a jolt of surprise and she tried to bite her lip in order to prevent herself from gaping at it too much.
Snape said in a slow, drawn out voice, "Miss Weasley and Mr Creevey, I do not buy Professor Slughorn's story of taking a Professor's wand off him because it was a trick or a dare. As much as your brothers might have been such sort of troublemakers…you two generally aren't…particularly you, Mr Creevey." Ginny wasn't sure what to say as Snape stared at with piercing eyes and she looked at him in disgust, sitting in Dumbledore's place. Dumbledore seemed to have a bemused expression, but otherwise wasn't giving anything away. Snape continued in his cold tone, "And so, Mr Creevey, I'd like to know the real reason you apprehended a Professor's wand from him."
Colin glanced at Ginny and then without waiting to consult her said firmly, "Well…Professor Snape you see, Mr Carrow has been giving Ginny a rather rough time in class." Snape narrowed his eyes but otherwise didn't comment. Colin continued and Ginny stared at the sword in the glass cabinet, not sure where else to look.
Colin said swiftly, "And he likes to er…use Crucio on his students. It's happened about three times to Ginny already and…" Snape interrupted Colin then with a raised eyebrow and asked sternly, "And are you telling me that these Crucio's were used without being provoked?" Colin stared at him in shock and said rather angrily, "Professor, I shouldn't think Crucio should be used in school, provoked or not."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Ginny and then she glanced back to Snape who looked more serious than ever before he replied, "Indeed, Mr Creevey. But when people who are in power have the power, it would be wise not to question their authoritative methods." Ginny stared at him in disbelief and Professor Snape sighed as he got up and said, "I will give the both of you detention with Professor McGonagall on Saturday morning since she is your head of house." Ginny could not believe her ears! She glanced at Dumbledore's portrait, who conveniently seemed to be have disappeared in the time that she looked away.
Reluctantly, Ginny got up from her seat and moved to the hallway, not saying another word. When they were out of earshot of Professor Snape, she pulled Colin into an empty classroom, shut the door and put a silencing charm on it. She said to Colin, "I saw it! The sword! It's in Dumbledore…I mean Snape's office!" Colin frowned and grimaced at this and he must have seen the resolve in Ginny's eyes because moments later he asked, "So how are we going to get it?"
A/N: Hey all! So I've finally gotten to the really interesting bits about Ginny's year! Yay! I'm trying to write as much as I can now because the holiday is soon coming to an end and I am starting a new course on Monday. It's a four week long course so I won't be able to post as regularly. Please bear with me because I'll be lectures from 9-5 everyday too and still have other work. Just saying: don't get too used to these regular updates!