Underestimated
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything that you recognize.
Chapter 7: Truth Amongst the Lies
Ron sat quiescently in the armchair at the front of the fire. He stared at the flowing flames, as he silently came unglued. Harry was very worried about his friend, his sister had gone missing two days beforehand, and Ron hadn't spoken since. That was not at all like him, Harry was waiting for him to unhinge at any second, but he always just sat there. That's what scared Harry the most.
"Ron?" he voiced, timidly, not wanting to disturb him, "are you okay?" Ron nodded slowly, not taking his eyes away from the mesmerizing fire. Harry sighed, that was not the truth, but he knew that Ron didn't talk unless he absolutely wanted to; he did not want to push him, especially in the state that he was in. Harry got up to leave, as soundlessly as he could.
"It's just that-" Ron started, his voice sounding raspy from lack of use. Harry stood, and walked over to Ron, surprised that he had said something.
"That what?" he asked, eager to hear what was going on inside his friend's head. Ron looked at Harry, really looked at him, not just through him, for the first time since Gin went missing. His eyes had lost their brilliance that they had once boasted, and were now filled with regret. Harry searched for the hope he wished would be there, but found none.
"Just that, it's all my fault, that she's gone," Ron said, "I'm her big brother, I should have been there for her, I should have protected her." Ron felt a diminutive bit better at voicing what he had felt for so long. He knew that if he had watched over her more then this wouldn't have happened. He thought that she was irritating, always by his side, but now he knew that he needed her. He had missed her this past year, he wanted her to be apart of his life again, not just by blood. Now, it was plausibly too late.
Harry could see that he had lost him again. This was ridiculous, he wasn't going to sit idly by while his friend ate away at himself. He steeled his outer countenance, and pushed Ron out of that damn chair.
"OY!" Ron yelped, as he glared up at Harry from the floor. Harry just glared back, unshrinking.
"Ronald Weasly, I will not tolerate all this moping around any longer!!" he yelled, causing some of the occupants of the room to turn and listen, "You did not let me sit there and feel sorry for myself when I lost Sirius, and now I am returning the favour! You can just sit there and gripe or you can do something! You can find her, and bring her back!" Harry was red in the face, and heaving from anger, but he felt better for finally telling Ron how selfish he was being. Ron stared up at Harry. He hadn't seem Harry this riled up for a long time. He knew inside that Harry was right, that he needed to find her himself, he needed to show her that he really did care for her, and that he was looking for her. Harry saw some hope return to his friends eyes, and smiled. He reached out his hand to help him up. Ron grabbed it, and pulled himself up, brushing himself off as he did.
"Thanks mate," he said, smiling knowingly, "I'm sorry I've been such a pain in the arse," Harry laughed, and nodded.
"That you have been, but I think we can forgive you. Now, where to start!"
Madame Pomfrey stood over the still body of one Draco Malfoy. This young man had been through a terrible lot throughout his young life. Tears started to well up in the older woman's eyes, as she placed a shaking hand over her mouth.
"It will be alright, Pomfrey, he is a strong lad," said a comforting voice from behind her. You'd think that after all of her years working here that she would be used to Dumbledore's surprise visits. But, alas, the elder man was always showing up when she least expected it.
"I know, Albus, but he has been through so much already," she stated, her eyes blurry from the unshed tears. Albus smiled kindly at her.
"I know, now, why don't you go get some sleep," he said, and she looked as if she was going to say no, "don't worry, I'll stay with him." At that Pomfrey nodded, and with one last look, she left the infirmary for her chambers.
Albus Dumbeldore settled himself in the chair beside Draco's bed. He had known for awhile that Draco was in for the fight of his life, and he had figured that Ms. Weasly was going to be the one to start it. Merely because Ginny was special, she had a power in her that, when unleashed, could very well destroy the magical world. This was the power that Draco's master was after, and this was the power that Draco had no clue that one day he was going to share. Draco's soft moans brought Albus out of his musings. Draco was awakening.
"Mr. Malfoy, do not be worried, you are in the infirmary. You sustained some major injuries, but they're healing quite nicely under the watchful eye of Ms. Pomfrey," he said, as Draco was slowly opening his eyes. Draco looked at his headmaster, nodding to what he had just told him. Those were not the questions he was going to ask.
"Headmaster, where is Gi-Weasly?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant. Albus merely smiled that knowing smile of his.
"She, sadly, was taken Mr. Malfoy, and we feel that you know more about this then we do," he stated, knowing that the young Malfoy heir would help them in any way that he could.
"Damn it," he said, as he looked away from the headmaster. Draco had hoped that maybe Gin had gotten away. He knew, deep down, that she couldn't of. His father was very strong, and would use any means necessary to get what he wanted, or what his master wanted.
"All I know is that Voldemort wanted her for some reason that I was not privy to, and that my father was the one that took her. Honestly, Headmaster, I had nothing to do with it! I was told that it was my duty to trick her into a trap they were to set, but I had refused," he said, wanting him to understand that he would never hurt her, that he never wanted her to be taken.
"We have to find her!! He could already have killed her by now!! We need to get her back!" he yelled, as his frustration and anger grew. Why had nobody gone to find her? Why was Albus still here and not gone to find her? Albus was merely looking at him with a curious look on his face. It was infuriating.
"Why haven't you gone after them?" he asked, clearly disrespecting his superior. Dumbeldore looked unfazed by his outburst.
"We needed to know more, Draco, and you were the one that was there when it happened, you were the closest to the situation. And no, she isn't dead," he stated matter-of-factly.
"How in the bloody hell would you know if she was dead or not?" he asked giving Dumbeldore and incredulous look. The man was seriously insane.
"Because I'm not,"
Back in the Gryffindor dorms the two friends were pacing in front of the fire, trying to find a beginning to their crusade.
"We need to get to Malfoy, " said Ron, "I know that this whole getting hurt thing is just a guise! He was in on it, I am sure! He did this to her, and I want him to pay!" Ron was seething with anger, as he gestured angrily around with his arms, missing Harry's head by an inch.
"Calm down, Ron, we need you level headed if we're going to get her back, but I agree we need to go and see Malfoy. He has the answers we need to start this." Harry agreed with his best friend. He didn't trust the slimy git as far as he could throw him, but he also knew that killing him before we got the answers we needed was out of the question. No matter how much he wanted to.
Ron and Harry came up with a plan to sneak into the infirmary that night when everyone was asleep. They decided not to tell Hermione because she would tell how stupid the plan was and that they should let Albus and the order take care of it. That should have been a clue to him that maybe it was not the best plan, but they wanted so much to figure out a way to get her back, that they didn't care. They needed answers, and Draco, at the moment was their only hope. That did not bode well with the boy who lived, but he had no other choice.
Mere hours after their plan was set, the two boys stood in front of the double doors of the infirmary. They peered inside through the windows on the door. They looked at each other, and at Harry's nod, they opened the doors as silently as possible. They had spotted the ferret laying on the bed closest to the office.
"The git has the nerve to actually sleep? I can't wait to tear him limb from limb," said a very angry Ron, as his hands turned in to fists. Harry glanced at his best friend as his knuckles turned white.
"Ron, stop it, you know why we're here, just think about Ginny," said Harry in a frustrated whisper, trying to calm him, "as much as I don't want to admit it, we need him," Ron nodded, as he let his hands and body relax. They made their way over to the cot, and stared down at their arch nemesis. They had no idea how badly he had actually gotten hurt. The usual flawless face of Malfoy was now covered in deep gashes and purple coloured bruises. They could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. Harry, at the site of his injuries, started to second guess himself. Was it possible that Draco really had nothing to do with this? Dumbeldore seemed to think that he didn't, he had always trusted the elder wizard, why not this time? Harry shook his head, trying to get the treacherous thoughts out of his head. There was no way that Draco had nothing to do with this. She was taken from his room, by his deatheater father!
"What the bloody hell are you two gits doing here?" asked a harsh, but raspy voice of the bed ridden boy. Harry and Ron jumped at the sound of his voice. They had thought that he was still asleep.
"We could ask the same thing of you, Malfoy," seethed Ron, as he glared at him, "why are you still under the protective custody of Hogwarts when you should be in Azkaban?" Harry nodded in agreement with his friends question. Draco angrily pushed himself up into a sitting position. He pulled his sleeve, revealing his forearm that had many of the same wounds on it as his face. But the mark that the two had expected to be there, was not there. The two gave each other looks of disbelief. Harry quickly checked himself.
"That means nothing, Malfoy, maybe this deed was your last mission before they let you become a full fledged Deatheater. If you think that you can fool us just like that, then you have sorely underestimated us." Harry seethed at the blonde wonder, insulted. Draco rolled his eyes at the pair before him.
"Or maybe you have overestimated me!" he yelled, getting annoyed with the two Gryffindors. They still had looks of disbelief on their faces. "I am not, nor will I ever be, a Deatheater. I do not care if you two dolts don't believe me, for I do not need you to. I know what happened, and why, and I do not need your help getting her back." As he finished his outburst, he pushed his blankets off of himself, and let his feet slide off the bed to the floor. The two were still standing before him, staring, and Draco merely rolled his eyes again.
"Do you mind, I am kind of in a hurry!" he said, peeved that they were in his way.
"But, why would you want to go after her too?" asked Ron, sorely confused. Was he telling the truth, did he want to get her back as much as they did?
"Why haven't you already gone after her?" Draco bit back, angered., "you call yourself her family? HA! Pathetic, really, you don't even have the balls to save her yourselves. Pathetic." Ron stepped towards him, itching for a fight. Draco responded to his advancement by pulling himself up to his full height. Sure, he was not as tall as the Weasly, but he was just as strong, if not stronger. The two stared at each other, as Harry just shook his head.
"This is getting us no where!" he screamed in frustration, "We all want her back, for reasons of our very own, we don't need to know why, we just need to realize that she is in danger, and needs our help!" Draco tore his stormy gray eyes away from Ron, as he stared at Harry. After a moment of hesitation, as his words sunk in, Draco nodded in agreement. He knew that he would need help if he wanted to penetrate the Deatheaters lair, and get everyone out alive.
"Okay, well, we just need to trust each other," admitted Draco, "You guys have to realize that I want her back as much as you do," At his emotional words, Ron started.
"Why do you want her back, Malfoy?" he asked, his glare returning to his face.
"None of your business, Weasel." Draco said calmly, looking back at the him.
"Like hell it isn't!! She is my sister!!" Ron yelled, his hands once again balling into fists.
"STOP!" yelled Harry, tired of this childish game. "We need to get over our differences, and go after her! We don't have time for this!" The three just stood there, glaring at each other.
"Let's go," said Draco as he headed for the door, not waiting for the other two to follow.
As the trio left the infirmary, Dumbeldore let himself melt away from the shadows. He had his knowing smile gracing his features, as he stared in the direction the young men had gone.
This was perfect! He knew that the young Gryffindors would come after Draco, and al l three of them needed to work together to save the youngest Weasly. They were her only hope.
Chapter 8: The Rescue