The moon hung heavy in the night sky as Ginny slunk through the shadows, her lithe body hugging the stone walls. The silencing charm she had cast on her feet ensured no rustling cloak would give her away. Ginny fleetingly thought it was eerie, not that she couldn't hear the scrape of boots on cobblestone, but that the absence of sound, the silence, had become such a constant companion.
Edinburgh Castle loomed high above as Ginny slipped through an archway and ascended the narrow stone staircase. Despite the moon's brightness the stairway seemed to grow darker and darker, eventually slipping into an unnatural blackness.
At the top of the stair she paused, fighting the strong repelling charms, and knocked rhythmically. After a pause she rapped again and waited for an answering tap.
"Out of the night that covers me." Ginny strained to hear the muffled voice.
"Black as the pit from pole to pole." She replied.
"I thank whatever Gods may be." Came the answer.
"For my unconquerable soul." A sliver of light shone on her face as the door quickly opened and Ginny stepped inside.
An old man, wizened and hunched settled himself back on a stool near the door. He nodded over the single candle, shrugging toward the inner door.
"They're in the red room."
Ginny nodded and pulled her cloak off as she swept forward.
Inside she found Harry, Hermione and Luna working in silence. Luna was stooped over a battered cauldron muttering to herself. Ginny could see her blond hair had become plastered to the girl's scalp from the fumes. Whenever a strand would break away from her head Luna would sweep it firmly back. She did not look up at Ginny's entrance, though the youngest Weasley placed a small parcel of ingredients on the table next to her.
Hermione and Harry were crouched above the desk. The pair were pouring over an exceptionally old tome, using their wands to turn the ancient pages.
"No, no, this is definitely the character for rend. I'm sure of it." Harry's voice was fevered. It struck Ginny with a sort of wild hope, so rarely was he excited about anything these days.
"And I'm telling you, the translation key is imprecise." Hermione leaned back and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not willing to steak everything on what may or may not be a door we can or can't reopen."
Harry had turned away from the book now, his focus solely on Hermione. "How can you honestly say that? Yes it's a risk, but it doesn't make any sense for us to continue on like this. You know as well as I do that it's only a matter of time before we're found out. And then what?"
A deep silence lingered after Harry's passionate declaration. Hermione seemed at a loss for words, her eyes glued to her old friend's determined face.
"If we're going to die we should at least go down fighting." Now all three sets of eyes were on the sole remaining Ravenclaw in their group.
"Luna, be reasonable," Hermione started, "This can't be our only choice. There's got to be another way."
"We've been looking for months. If you of all people haven't found another way by now. . . then this is it." Ginny spoke solemnly and paused to take a deep breath. "If we don't act soon then it will be too late for us to do anything at all."
The four were quiet then; Luna's bubbling cauldron had turned a deep ruby.
"Fine," Hermione whispered. "I. . . I know we're out of options. I'll make it work somehow. I always do manage."
"It'll be a damn good last stand." Harry was definite. "And besides," he clapped Hermione on the shoulder, "there is actually a chance we could come out of it on top." He grinned, "Lord Snakeface won't know what hit him."
All three of the girls cracked smiles as Ginny moved to stand by him.
"Let's do it as soon as possible." Harry said after a moment.
Hermione's wand traced along a line of the text. "Looks like from here it's just a matter of assembling the runes correctly and waiting for the next full moon."
"Right then," Harry said, "If that's decided I'm calling it a night. Are you coming Gin?"
And as the pair swept from the red room, neither Luna nor Hermione registered the slight hint of madness in Ginny's answering laughter.
