I forgot to thank my beta last time, which makes me a horrible, horrible person, because she really has been fantastic. So thank you Clarissa, you're completely invaluable.

Comments are love, so is constructive criticism, just please keep it polite.

Notes: Thanks to all the people who have commented. That's

mt-threat,

Kellbell930 (thanks for e-mailing. In answer to your question I'm 18),

MovinForward (I'm very sorry I couldn't find the time to take a proper look at you story. Though it looks like you've got some reviews now. Well done :D. I will try to look when I get some more time, but atm I barley have time to think)

And mell8

Seriously you guys make my day.

If I didn't get back to you it was because I've been unbelievably busy with work over the last few months (exams next month, wish me luck. Eeep!) but I really do read a treasure every single one.

Disclaimer: No I don't own it, but then you already knew that.

Okay, enjoy…

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Chapter Two

A Battle Lost

It was becoming increasingly cold now, but the warm, dark castle held little entertainment for a child, so Ginny let her daughter pull her outside to play.

There was something rather endearing about the mixture of wizard and muggle culture that Drotham Castle had come to embody. It had bothered Ginny for a long while; Muggles and wizards living in such close quarters seemed odd to someone brought up in such a magic environment, even if her parents had been Muggle lovers. But the feel of the place had grown on her, so that now she could barely imagine living without such diversity.

A group of children where playing grounded Quidditch, a game invented by the Muggle children who felt left out when they couldn't use broomsticks. They played on a large open space jokingly known as 'the grounds'. Ginny laughed as she distinctly heard someone shout, "That's not fair! You can't levitate the ball into the goal."

Lily was skipping along beside her, Harry's old red and yellow scarf wrapped firmly about her neck. She had looped it round twice, leaving the second loop loose so that it dangled well below her waist and the ends of the scarf still trailed along the ground soaking up frost from the grass.

Neville Longbottom and his Muggle wife Amy, were repairing the thatch on the roof of their house. Neville had stayed safely on the ground for this task and was using his wand to float piles of straw up to Amy as she sat on the roof.

Ginny was about to go over and say hello when she felt Lily's small hand slip out of her own as the child ran off shouting "Connie, Connie, Connie!" She looked up to see Tonks being ushered along by her own daughter, Connie Lupin as she carried the new addition to the family, Felix, on a sling around her front.

Connie had an affable face, inherited from her father, and a veil of long, bright turquoise hair she inherited from her mother. Actually she'd gotten the Metamorphmagus powers and turquoise was just her favourite colour at the moment, a vast improvement, Ginny thought, from the month or so when her favourite colour had been green.

Ginny often felt rather sorry for the Lupins, having to put up with two children who were crosses between Metamorphmagi and werewolves (though thankfully neither changed in anything but personality during the full moon, Ginny often ended up being pulled in by Tonks to help try and calm them down once a month). It was difficult enough bringing up a child normally.

Lily grabbed Connie rather roughly by the hem of her borrowed Weird Sisters shirt (worn like a dress with a belt at the waist) and dragged her away saying firmly "I want to play jungle adventurers."

The two girls went off to play, and Ginny found her way over to Tonks.

"Where's Remus?"

Tonks sighed "Order meeting. I know he's needed -head of the Order and all that,- but I wish he didn't have to work so much with Felix just born." She shifted the baby onto her lap and threw him an accusing stare "all night he was wailing. I barely got a moments sleep."

Ginny nodded sympathetically, remembering Lily at that age.

Tonks reached up to push a few stray pieces of hair out of her eyes. Her hair was still pink, but she had changed it to a softer, bubblegum pink, making her look a little less like a rebellious teenager.

"We're both so busy at the moment," she went on, "But I hate putting them in the crèche."

She pulled out her wand and started charming little blue butterflies from thin air to drift above her son's head. Ginny reached out and touched one with her fingertips. She had seen Hermione do a very similar charm for Lily with yellow birds and had always wished that her charm work was good enough to copy it.

Lily and Connie's game of jungle adventurers appeared to be going quite well, a tribute to their imaginations, since it was freezing and there were only three trees in sight. Lily had picked up a stick and was using it as a wand and occasionally a machete depending on what she felt was appropriate at the time. Suddenly she turned round pointing. "Oh no, it's a Bas'lisk!" Connie turned round too.

"What's a Bas'lisk?" she asked, perplexed.

"It's a giant snake" said Lily knowledgably. "Ooo, and it kills you if you look at it."

Lily shut her eyes. Connie copied as usual, and both girls proceeded to hit the imaginary snake with their sticks, until Lily managed to hit Connie by accident.

Tonks stood up as Connie ran to her. She swept her crying daughter up on her baby-free side and hugged her sympathetically. "We'd probably better go," she said, looking up at the ominous grey clouds gathering overhead, threatening rain. "Hey, fancy coming back with us?."

Connie, apparently recovered, jumped out of her mother's arms and grabbed Lily's scarf excitedly. "We could play fort under the table," she said.

Lily shook her head, pulling her scarf back and gathering it protectively in her arms. "Fort's boring," she said. "Let's play Egyptian curse breakers."

Ginny took another look at the grounded Quidditch game. It had managed to collide with a normal Quidditch game a group of children had been playing overhead. The two captains were now arguing animatedly.

"Love to," she said, taking Lily by the hand. "Come on Flowerpot."

It was then that a wailing siren started to sound. Ginny jumped, cursing under her breath. "Oh, I hate that sound."

Tonks was slightly more familiar with the siren than Ginny, having helped to set it up, and she saw the momentary fear pass over the other woman's face. Then the Auror in her took over, and she gathered her children up in her arms, taking on a look of deadly seriousness.

The siren itself was a safety mechanism, put in place in case the castle was ever found by Death Eaters. The spells that triggered it also removed the protective spells that stopped people from being able to Apparate out of the castle grounds. Fortunately this was just a practice; it had been announced at breakfast that morning. Ginny firmly held her daughter's arm as they were suddenly surrounded by crowds of Muggles, all rushing to the main hall where Portkeys and wizards waited to take them to various safe houses.

She saw Tonks offer her left hand to a woman in a green dress, while somehow balancing both Connie and Felix on her right, and watched as they all disappeared.

Ginny took hold of a blond woman who was pressing past her. "Don't bother, you can come with me," she said, taking her hand. The woman nodded. Ginny tightened her hold on Lily's arm.

Lily, startled by the sudden rush, looked up at her with large green eyes, and then smiled with and innocence that Ginny knew would be lost before long.

"Are we ready?" asked Ginny, looking at her daughter and the blond woman in turn. The woman nodded, and Lily giggled in response. "Ok. On the count of three. One. Two. Three." And Ginny Disapparated, taking Lily and the blond woman with her. There was the familiar sensation of being pressed in from all sides. It was always far more uncomfortable with passengers. She felt more crowded and when they landed on solid, if rather dusty, ground the dizziness took a little longer to subside than usual. When it finally had, she pulled out her wand and whispered, "Lumos." Bright white light illuminated the cluttered, windowless, musty space around them. The blond woman looked around nervously. "Where are we?" she whispered.

"This," said Ginny fondly, "is the basement of my old house. There's not much use going upstairs I'm afraid. The house itself was reduced to rubble a long time ago."

ó ó ó

It was the week after the end of her fifth year. Harry, with Ron and Hermione in tow, had gone to his aunt and uncle's house for the last time to secure the protective magic that Dumbledore had set in place for him.

Ginny was at home with her parents, the rest of her brothers and Bill's soon-to-be wife, Fleur. Harry would be coming back to stay with them soon and she was wondering how to handle him following their break-up. It wasn't like when she'd broken up with Michael Corner and had spent the rest of the term wanting to cause him severe pain. No, she wasn't angry at Harry as such. She had understood his reasons for breaking up with her. In a way she even loved him more for it, but she didn't think she could stand to have him around all summer and not be able to kiss him, or hold his hand, or do all those other things that couples were supposed to do. It had been okay when he had not been with her in the first place. But now it was all different. Now that she had had him once, how could she cope? Perhaps she would just avoid him. That would be easier, but not in the long run. What if he died and this was her last chance to see him? Ginny winced at the thought, but she knew it could happen.

BANG!

There was an explosion that seemed to shake the whole house. Moments later, Charlie came crashing into her room, looking panicked.

"They're here!" he yelled, grabbing her by the arm. "They've broken through the wards!" She didn't need to be told who they were. Her parents had been worrying about an attack by Death Eaters since the beginning of last year.

"The others have already Disapparated," said Charlie hurriedly. "They sent me up to get you. I'm going to disapparate with you. Alright?"

"Hang on," she grabbed her wand from the desk. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a mocking voice. With a horrible sinking feeling Ginny realised she recognised the voice.

"Amycus," she heard Charlie breath. With one swift movement he pulled out his wand and pushed Ginny behind him.

"We've put a binding spell on the house," said Amycus lightly. "Dissapparate and you'll get splinched. Although perhaps you might prefer that to what we have planned."

Charlie raised up his wand.

Amycus laughed. "Don't bother. We've-"

"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Ginny, pointing her wand out from behind Charlie. Amycus hadn't been expecting that. The spell caught her head on, and her lumpy body fell to the floor with a thump.

Charlie flashed her a wavering smile. "Nice one. Now let's get out of here." He ran into the hall, Ginny following at his heels. They had almost reached the stairs when another Death Eater stepped out in front of them. He was wearing his mask, in the dim light of the hallway it made his face look like a skull. Another half dozen Death Eaters also wearing their masks, came up the stairs and stood behind the first. Charlie started to back away. A female Death Eater stepped out from the group.

"You must be the oldest Weasley brat." she said. Ginny got the impression that behind her mask, she was sneering. "Listen. We're willing to do a deal. It's just the girl we want. So, if you leave now without any trouble, we'll let you live."

Ginny felt a shiver go down her spine. What could they want her for?

"Cover me," she heard Charlie whisper. He ran out in front of her firing curses at the Death Eaters in their way. Ginny barely had time to put up a decent shield before the Death Eaters started to fire back. She gritted her teeth. She wouldn't be able to keep this up for very long. The barrage of spells coming at them was making her shield shake, but it was working. They were getting through. Ginny went to stand close behind her brother so that she could follow him through the path he was making.

"Expelliarmus."

Ginny's wand flew from her hand. So did Charlie's. They both turned to see Amycus standing behind them, Alecto, by her side. Both where smiling maliciously. Charlie started to reach for the wand of a fallen Death Eater nearby.

"Accio," said Amycus and that wand flew to join theirs in his left hand. Ginny found Charlie once again moving to stand in front of her. He had one hand around her waist, pushing her towards the wall, and the other she realised, was fumbling for the handle to a door that led into Fred and George's room. He pulled her in backwards into the room just as Amycus fired a stunning spell at them.

Once inside Charlie locked the door and ran towards the window.

"That will hold them for about two seconds." he said trying to open the window. "Try and find something to brace the door."

Ginny didn't need telling twice. She ran towards one of the beds and began pushing towards the door. Charlie stepped back from the window cursing.

"Can't get through it. They must have sealed us in completely. Perhaps there's something in here that can help us," he said running to help Ginny with the bed. The door exploded and they were suddenly faced with three Death Eaters. Charlie upended the bed so that he and Ginny could take shelter behind it. He pulled one of the boxes that Fred and George used to store their products in towards him and started going through it. It was full of the punching telescopes that Hermione had got a black eye from last year.

"I won't make this offer again, Weasley," said the female death eater's voice from the other side of the bed. "Either give us the girl, and go without a fight, or die, and we'll take her anyway."

"On the count of three, get ready to run." Charlie whispered. "One, two, three!"

They both leapt out from behind the bed, Charlie hurling the box of telescopes at the death eaters. Half of them exploded in the Death Eaters' faces, causing chaos. Amycus was pointing his wand at them. Ginny saw a flash of green but not much else because Charlie was pushing her head down. When she stood up again, she found that she couldn't see him. There wasn't time to question this though; she had to get away. She had only taken a couple of steps however, when she tripped over something heavy. She cursed as she hit the ground. If they ever survived this she would shout at her brothers for not cleaning their room properly.

She looked back to see what the offending object was and realised to her horror that it was Charlie. He was lying face-down on the ground, unmistakable with his Weasley red hair. Ginny grabbed him by both shoulders and pulled him over. She had been thinking that perhaps she could shake him, and he would wake up, but that thought died the moment she saw his face. His eyes were staring at the ceiling unseeingly, his mouth was slightly open, his chest was not moving to breath. He was quite clearly dead.

Ginny stared at him, all thoughts of Death Eaters and escape driven from her mind, until she felt ropes bind themselves around her arms, legs and mouth and remembered with a sudden jolt where she was.

The Death Eaters rounded in on her. Ginny sat there staring at them, terrified and utterly helpless.

"So, this is Potter's girlfriend," said one, eyeing her from behind his mask.

'Oh no. They're going to use me to get Harry,' thought Ginny desperately. 'They'll kill him, and they'll use me to do it.' But perhaps the Order would get back in time to save her. It was a small hope but it was her only chance.

As if reading her mind the female Death Eater stepped forward calling the group's attention. "We've already wasted enough time here. Hurry and get something of hers to put with the note before they come back to look for her."

"One of her fingers ought to do the trick," said Amycus, pulling out a knife. Ginny's heart skipped a beat. She shut her eyes and tried to block it all out.

"No." said another voice from the back of the group. "Wait. Her hair's more noticeable. The dead brother should get the message through."

Ginny kept her eyes tightly shut as she felt someone step toward her. She wasn't sure she could have moved if she'd wanted to. Her body wasn't responding to her commands anymore. She was expecting them to grab one of her hands and start sawing her finger off, or at the very least pull her head back by her hair, but instead she felt someone separating a piece of her hair out with surprising gentleness and cutting it from the rest without causing her any pain at all.

"Good. Now let's go." She heard the female Death Eater say.

Ginny opened her eyes. One of the Death Eaters was leaning over to pick her up. It was at this point that Ginny's brain suddenly started to work again. No, she wouldn't let them take her like this. Perhaps if she struggled enough they would be forced to kill her. That would be better than being captured. She aimed a kick at the Death Eater with her bound feet. He jumped back, and Ginny took that moment to wriggle towards the bed. A second later she felt a spell hit her and everything went black.

ó ó ó

"Mummy, I'm bored. Can we go home now?"

Ginny was jolted out of her reverie by Lily who was tugging on her cloak impatiently.

She looked at her watch. Only a few minutes had passed. She shook her head "No Flowerpot, not yet."

"But I'm Booorrred," said Lily crossing her arms grumpily.

"Please stay still until your uncles get here," said Ginny in exasperation.

As if on cue, there was a pop, and Fred and George appeared, both accompanied by attractive women.

Ginny recognised one of them as Fred's long-suffering, Muggle girlfriend, Susan. However, the other woman was a stranger. She and George were both flirting horrendously, although from the nature of the conversation, Ginny guessed that he didn't have a clue who she was either.

"Still think it would be better if we'd chosen a theme park as our secret hiding place," Fred commented, pulling out his wand and lighting the space further.

"Yeah," said George, "less dust."

"Well, we're stuck here until Ron's done all the rounds," said Ginny matter-of-factly, "and he has to do Bill's shift too so it'll be at least twice as long as usual."

"This place is boring," Lily complained.

"Well said, Flowerpot," said George. "I agree, but not to worry. I'm sure I can find something stashed away in here to make our stay more interesting."

He began rooting through the various objects that were piled against the walls returning a minute later, carrying a box and wearing a cheerful expression.

"Look, Fred, it's some of our old things." He pulled out a wand and gave it to Lily instructing her to give it a wave. Lily did so and the wand turned into a flower, much to the child's delight.

Fred, not to be left out, went off in search of something else amusing.

"Look at this Ginny," he called moments later from behind a pile of boxes.

Ginny, unable to help herself, went over to see. He was going through yet another box, pausing occasionally to pull out an object. Ginny squeaked, realising she recognised one of them. It was a white teddy bear. If she remembered correctly it was supposed to talk when you pressed it's stomach. Ginny did so. "Bugger off, I'm sleeping," declared the teddy bear in a rough Cockney accent. George burst out laughing. " Mum never believed my when I told her that I didn't teach you that word!" he said ignoring Ginny's scowl.

"It never used to do that," Ginny told him irritably. "It must be broken."

She dug further into the box. After several more minutes of searching, they found a group of toy soldiers who told them off for being in the way of their parade and a pop-up book chronicling the adventures of the wizard George and his dragon, and their infamous sheep -and occasionally princess- pilfering scam. The dragon bit Ginny on the nose at which point she closed the book abruptly.

By the time Ron arrived, looking less than happy, almost half an hour had passed.

They were some of the last to Apparate back. Ginny jumped at the unexpected feel of rainwater hitting her head and began pulling a reluctant Lily back toward the castle. Ron was going the same way. He still looked glum.

"We can't get them all out," he said suddenly as they reached the castle doors.

Ginny frowned, "what?"

"The Muggles. I went round all the hiding places on mine and Bills lists. Did the headcount. Even with repeated trips, we can't get more than half of them out, and this is the best escape plan that we've come up with so far. There's no avoiding it Gin. In the event of an attack by Death eaters, almost half of these people will die."

He had dropped his voice for the last part and Ginny pursed her lips, looking around at the many faces passing by her as they made their way back to their various workplaces.

Ginny felt the melancholy all the rest of that afternoon, as she changed Lily out of wet clothes and half made up a story for her based on the time that she had gotten lost in her wardrobe as a child.

She remembered a conversation that she had, had with Ron about the safety measures when Lily was still just a baby. "We can't hide from him forever Ginny. One day he's going to find us. It's when, not if. Be prepared."

Ginny sighed and thought about a different conversation with a different brother. She heard the words spoken in Charlie's voice. "Tomorrow's going to come whether we worry about it or not. Keep the now for now and let the future worry about itself."

Ginny thought that just for today she would pretend that they were safe.

"Mummy. What happened to the little witch after she escaped from the wardrobe?"

"She lived happily ever after, darling."

"Really?"

"Of course."

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Next week: finally some Draco/Ginny action!

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