Chapter 16 - Deceiver
The penultimate chapter, and I'm sure many of you will be able to guess how this is going to end by now.
I should flag up a violence warning here. The scene with Ginny and Dawlish is particularly gruesome and if you're in the least bit squeamish you might want to skip that bit. If you're male, be prepared to feel very, very uncomfortably.
Huge thanks, as always, to Arnel for beta reading.
"Okay, Harry, the outer Protection Jinxes are down," Ginny whispered.
Harry nodded and slowly opened the gate. It swung open with a soft creaking noise, making him wince slightly. There were no signs of activity from the small bungalow in front of him, however, so it appeared that their target remained unaware of their presence.
On his signal, Ginny came up and slipped her arm around his waist. Harry then threw the Cloak of Invisibility over both of them, allowing them to approach the house without any risk of detection. Upon reaching the front door, Ginny immediately began to cast a series of spells.
"Any problems?" Harry whispered.
"Nah," she grinned and with a slight push of her hand, the door swung open. Harry just shook his head at her cockiness.
Creeping into the darkened house, Harry sniffed the air. He caught the scent of a woman almost immediately, coming from the room to his right. Gently, he reached for the doorknob and with agonising slowness, turned it. The door opened to reveal a dark, but otherwise unremarkable, bedroom. A double bed took up most of the space, and in the pale light he could just make out the shape of a body lying under the covers. He raised his wand and sent a single Stunning Spell into it.
"Well, that was easy," Ginny declared in a normal voice.
"Let's check we've got the right person before we start slapping ourselves on the back," he admonished. With a wave of his wand, the lights in the room came on and he was able to see what he was doing.
"Ugh, what ugly wallpaper," Ginny noted.
Harry ignored her and went over to the slumbering body. He turned the woman's head so he could see her face clearly before he grunted in satisfaction. "It's her," he confirmed.
"Great, want to interrogate her here, or do we take her back home?" Ginny asked.
"Let's do it here," Harry decided. "I don't see the point of dragging her all the way home if we end up having to dump the body somewhere."
"I guess," Ginny agreed and Levitated the unconscious woman onto a chair that was situated in front of a vanity unit. A couple of flicks of her wand, and the woman was bound to the chair with thick ropes.
"Wakey-wakey," Harry called out and awoke the woman with a swish of his wand.
"What… who…" she mumbled groggily.
"Hi, we're conducting a survey," Ginny announced brightly. "We're asking one hundred Ministry traitors their most favoured way of being executed. Your choices are 'a' beheading, 'b', the Killing Curse, 'c' a sharp knife up the…"
"Who are you?" the woman screeched. "What do you want with me?"
"I think you know who we are, Miss Bryant," Harry said coolly. "If you think about it, I'm sure you can figure out why we're here, too."
"You!" Bryant gasped. "But what do you want with me? I've done nothing!"
"Bored now!" Harry yawned before point his wand at the woman's head. "Legilimens!"
There was a long silence, punctuated only by the occasional whimper from Bryant. After five minutes or so, Harry lowered his arm and relaxed.
"So, can we use her?" Ginny demand impatiently.
"No, she's really low on the pecking order," Harry said in a disappointed voice. "Getting Scrimgeour's address was her big coup."
"The weak-willed bastard got what he deserved," Bryant spat having obviously realised that deceit was pointless now.
"She's also a fanatical blood-purist," Harry noted with disgust. "Her boyfriend is actually a Death Eater, would you believe."
"Yuck, talk about having no taste. Still, that does explain the wallpaper," Ginny grinned.
"No taste?" Bryant yelled. "At least I'm not rutting a filthy half-blood like this vermin."
Ginny casually walked over to the woman and slapped her hard across the face. "You do know your precious master is a half-blood, don't you?" she asked tauntingly. "Hell, old snake-face is barely human any more. So don't give me that crap about 'purity', bitch."
"Lies, all lies!" Bryant screamed defiantly "You'll be begging for forgiveness when you're on your knees in front of the Dark Lord, miscreants!"
"Somehow, I doubt that," Ginny snorted. "So, what do we do with her now, Harry?"
"Simple, this," Harry declared. "Avada Kedavra!"
A brilliant green light shot from Harry's wand and the woman slumped in her seat, stone dead.
"Okay, efficient, but not very subtle," Ginny noted wryly. "I thought we were going to make this look like an accident?"
"I had a better idea, aided by a few memories I lifted from that last Death Eater we captured," Harry grinned. "Come outside, my pretty, for a have a new trick to show you."
The pair of them marched outside and paused in the garden. Turning back towards the bungalow, Harry raised his wand and shouted "Morsmordred!"
"Well, aren't you a clever boy," Ginny said, admiring the immense glowing skull that was forming in the air above the house.
"It's not perfect, but it will do," Harry announced. "Let's go home, love. I'm tired and I want nothing better than to cuddle up with a warm little redhead."
"As long as you don't put your cold feet on me again," Ginny declared. "I wake up with a start whenever you do that."
"Only because you keep pulling the duvet off me," he griped. "No wonder my feet get cold."
"Oh, poor darling," Ginny said unconvincingly. "I'm sure I'll find a way to make it up to you."
"I certainly hope so," he grinned, before Disapparating away. A second later, Ginny followed, leaving a huge, ominous green skull floating in the air for all to see.
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With mounting trepidation, Ginny stealthily approached the back door of the Burrow. For the millionth time, she questioned whether she was doing the right thing. It was bad enough that she'd already lied to Harry. He'd gone out on a reconnaissance mission trailing a Death Eater and she'd begged off, claiming she wasn't feeling well. As soon as he had left, she'd been out the door and had Apparated to a spot near her childhood home.
Harry had been right; the Burrow was being watched. Fortunately, she'd been able to bypass the lurking man in her wolf form with ease. Now, back in human form, she hesitated at the familiar kitchen door, uncertain of what welcome she'd receive inside. Taking a deep breath, she carefully opened the old wooden door and crept inside.
Familiar scents immediately assaulted her nose. Her family had eaten hotpot for dinner, she could tell, with spotted dick for pudding. The aroma was enough to fill her with pangs of sadness and deep yearnings for a simpler time before she'd been made a Slytherin. Concentrating, she used her wolf-enhanced sense of smell to establish exactly who was in the house. Her mother and father were here, certainly, but she could also detect the faint scent of Percy, which surprised her. With her brother Ron at Hogwarts and the twins renting a place with their friend Lee Jordan, her parents should have been the only people here. That said, Percy's scent was weak, so maybe he'd just visited recently.
Feeling reasonably confident that they wouldn't be interrupted, Ginny headed for the sitting room. Gently pushing the door open, she heard her parents chatting softly. With her heart in her mouth and her wand in her hand, she stepped into the room purposely.
"Hello Mum. Hello Dad," she said in a firm voice.
"Ginny?" Molly gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"Ginny, I…" her father began while starting to rise out of his seat.
"Please, stay seated and keep your hands where I can see them," she ordered, brandishing her wand. Arthur sunk back into his seat.
"I'll keep this brief as I know the Burrow is being watched," Ginny began. "I know that things haven't been particularly good between us, but you're still my family and I felt I had to come and talk to you. I just wanted you to know that I left Hogwarts of my own volition. There were no spells or potions involved; I just believe in what Harry's doing and I want to be a part of it."
"Ginny, love, the Ministry is saying that you and that Potter boy have been doing terrible things," Arthur said warily. "They're calling you a terrorist, for Merlin's sake! What have you gotten yourself into?"
"Dad, despite what lies Madam Bones has been spewing, what we're doing is right! The only people we're attacking are Death Eaters, a job the Ministry should be doing, not chasing us! Harry is the real deal, Dad, he's the one who's going to destroy You-Know-Who, and all the bloody Ministry are doing is getting in his way," Ginny snapped.
"What rubbish has that delusional boy been filling your head with?" Molly cried. "He's just a child; how can he possible defeat You-Know-Who?"
"There are things I can't tell you, but you'll just have to trust me on this. Hell, even Dumbledore believed Harry was special. It's only Bones that refuses to believe that prophecy," Ginny pointed out.
"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Molly asked indignantly. "Besides, Dumbledore has gone missing and no one can find him. We're in big trouble without him, so please don't drag your adolescent boyfriend into this!"
"Has he… touched you inappropriately at all, Ginny?" Arthur asked hesitantly.
"Dad, I love him," Ginny replied wearily. "I would do anything for him and he would do anything for me. We've even talked about marriage in a few years. Let's just say we're totally committed to each other and leave it at that, please?"
"This is ridiculous, Ginny," Molly scolded. "Your only hope is to hand yourself in. If you surrender willingly I'm sure they'll go easy on you."
"I'm not going to argue about this, Mum," Ginny scowled. "I only came here to let you know that…"
Ginny's voice trailed off as she noticed her father was not looking directly at her. She'd spent enough time within Slytherin House to learn that reading other people's body language was a skill that could save your life. It was this hard-won ability that made her realise that Arthur was in fact looking slightly over her shoulder. Tensing herself, she spun round with her wand raised.
"Stupefy!" a voice cried out.
As she turned, Ginny caught the briefest glimpse of her brother Percy, before everything went black.
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Ginny awoke suddenly, and it took a few moments before she realised where she was. She was sitting in the kitchen at the Burrow, tied very securely to a chair. Several people were standing in front of her in a semi-circle. Her parents stood regarding her tearfully while Percy just glared at her with a look of contempt on her face. More worrying were the two other men present, both dressed in Auror's robes.
"Miss Weasley, I must inform you that you are under arrest by order of the Minister for Magic," one of the Aurors recited blandly.
"You traitorous backstabbers!" Ginny yelled at her family. "I only came here to let you know I was alright, and you turn me in, you bastards!"
"You're a dangerous criminal wanted by the Ministry. Of course we were going to turn you in," Percy said pompously.
"You total shit!" Ginny raged. "Where the hell did you spring from, anyway?"
"I was simply upstairs," Percy replied smugly. "My flat is being decorated so I'm staying here for a few days."
"Please, Ginny, this is for the best. You might not see that right now…" Molly started to say.
"Damn right I don't see that! Mum, they'll throw me in Azkaban until I rot. How can that possibly be for the best?" Ginny yelled in despair.
"You can't complain, you only brought this upon yourself," Percy noted coldly.
"Shut it, you!" she snarled. "You'd sell anyone out to your precious Ministry!"
"I'm sorry if I happen to believe in law and order," Percy retorted. "Of course, those are things you've never much concerned yourself with, are they?"
"This is getting us nowhere," one of the Aurors declared. "Weasley, we're taking you to the Ministry. I believe Madam Bones is keen to interrogate you, herself."
A wave of despondency crashed over Ginny. Harry had been right and she hadn't listened to him. She dreaded what he would think when he came home tonight and found her gone.
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"Wake up," a harsh voice bellowed.
Groggily, Ginny opened her eyes and looked up, only to see the imposing figure of Madam Bones glaring at her angrily.
"He wasn't there, was he?" Ginny said smugly.
"No, indeed, your precious boyfriend appears to have departed in somewhat of a hurry. He mustn't care too much about your fate, Miss Weasley," Bones replied sternly.
"What would getting caught have done to help me?" Ginny scoffed. "Besides, if you really wanted to catch him you should have been a bit quicker with the Veritaserum, shouldn't you?"
The Aurors had questioned her for most of the day after forcing a load of the truth serum down her throat. The location of their hide-out had been one of the first things she'd been asked, but Ginny had been confident that the delay in getting her from the Burrow to the Ministry's interrogation rooms had given Harry enough time to get out. He'd promised to only be gone around an hour, so he would have returned to their Bristol home ages ago. While he would have been alarmed she wasn't there, she'd been dropping enough hints about visiting her parents that he would probably have worked out where she'd gone. At least she hoped he did.
Madam Bones had taken over the interrogation personally a few hours before. Ginny was relieved that her line of questioning, and that of the Aurors previously, had concentrated on their activities against the Death Eaters. While the truth serum meant that Ginny couldn't lie, the information she revealed did entirely depend on the questions she was asked. As the questioning hadn't touched on the Horcruxes, Harry's possession of the Deathly Hallows, or their killing of Dumbledore, Ginny hadn't been forced to mention them. Indeed, all they seemed worried about was gathering enough evidence to convict her and Harry, without trying to learn anything useful to use against Voldemort.
"Where would he have gone?" Bones snapped. "Don't even think of lying, I can have another bottle of Veritaserum here in minutes."
"Harry mentioned that he had three other safe houses scattered around the country, but he never told me exactly where they were," Ginny shrugged. "Sorry, I can't help you."
"Oh, you can still help us," Bones growled. "With any luck, your evil sidekick will try to rescue you, and when he does we'll have him. Even if he leaves you to rot, I'll be happy knowing we've taken a dangerous criminal off the streets."
"Why are you doing this?" Ginny demanded. "You know that Harry and I were fighting Voldemort, and doing a bloody good job of it, too! Do you actually want You-Know-Who to win?"
"What I want, little girl, is a well-ordered and peaceful society. You may think you're some kind of heroes, but to me you and the Death Eaters are the same. You both think that you can ignore the law and carry on with your little war anywhere you please. Do you have any idea of the problems you're creating? The International Confederation of Wizards is putting tremendous pressure on us because of all the breeches in secrecy, and the Muggles are becoming suspicious, too. No, Miss Weasley, I don't want the Dark Lord to win, but equally I don't want you to win, either." Bones explained coldly.
Ginny thought desperately. Clearly Bones didn't know what she was up against and didn't understand Harry's value in the fight. Did she tell this woman more in an effort to get her to accept their help? Seeing Bones turn towards the cell door, Ginny hurriedly made up her mind.
"You won't defeat Voldemort without our help, you know. Not while he has his Horcruxes," she blurted.
Bones stopped in her tracks. She turned and looked at Ginny with an incredulous expression on her face. "What did you say?" she demanded.
"I said Horcruxes," Ginny repeated, feeling a bit more confident. "Harry has been attempting to destroy the Horcruxes that Voldemort created for years, now. You do know what they are, don't you?"
"Of course I do, you stupid girl," Bones snapped. "How did you and Potter discover about such things?"
"Oh, Harry has his ways," Ginny said evasively. "The point is that he's been trying to make Voldemort mortal for some time, and he has nearly succeeded. He's already destroyed five of them and just has one more to go. He'd probably have done it by now if he hadn't had to keep dodging your bloody Aurors."
"Voldemort made six? Oh, sweet Merlin!" Bones gasped.
"You need us, Madam Bones," Ginny said flatly.
"Need you? Of course I don't need you," the woman replied angrily. "We've known that the Dark Lord had created at least one since the day he attacked Potter. The Department of Mysteries came to that conclusion almost immediately. What I'm more concerned about is this information getting out. If the rank and file of the Wizarding world learn that it's possible to make yourself immortal through the creation of these vile objects, the effects would be catastrophic."
"It will be catastrophic if we don't finish off Voldemort," Ginny retorted. "Never mind about keeping the lid on all this, Harry Potter is your best hope of putting that evil bastard down and, I assure you, he won't be in much of a mood to help if anything happens to me."
Bones thought for a second. "I'll do you a deal," she announced. "It is vital that the existence of these disgusting, evil objects is kept secret. Your trial has been set for the day after tomorrow and nothing can change that. If you give me your word that you will keep quiet about the Horcruxes during examination, I'll arrange for you to receive a reduced sentence, to be served in the minimum security section of Azkaban. Then, if Potter agrees to work with us, I may see fit to arrange for an early release for you. That is dependent on Potter's co-operation, though. Do we have an agreement?"
Ginny thought for a moment. What Madam Bones said made sense; information about the Horcruxes should be kept secret. Besides, she'd been trained by one of Gringotts finest curse-breakers, and the 'minimum security section' sounded like something she might be able to arrange an 'early release' from herself. Even if she couldn't, she didn't doubt that Harry would be prepared to work with the Ministry if it meant finishing off old snake-face.
"Okay, you've got a deal," Ginny agreed.
Bones nodded curtly and left, the heavy door of the cell slamming loudly behind her. Ginny sat on her hard bench and wondered if she'd done the right thing. More than anything, though, she bitterly regretted not listening to Harry about her family.
Sweet Merlin, please let him be alright, she thought.
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The court hearing was dragging on and on, and Ginny was struggling to pay attention. She'd been listening to various witnesses badmouth her for hours now, and she was getting heartily sick of it. Listening to her family condemn her had been the worst. Only her father and Bill had refused to give evidence against her.
The main courtroom in the Ministry building was full to overflowing. Ginny had noticed most of her family were now seated in the public viewing seats. She'd tried to glare in their direction, although none of them apparently seemed to notice. Madam Bones was also in attendance, sitting in the front row just in front of the assembled members of the Wizengamot, but she too was studiously avoiding looking at her.
As she had expected, the recordings of her being interrogated under the effects of Veritaserum featured heavily in the proceedings and were pretty damning. Unfortunately, the disappearance of Blaise Zabini was one of the things the Aurors had questioned her about and she had calmly admitted to killing the boy. The fact that he had killed Tracy Davis seemed of no interest to them, at all.
The Councils were just summing up at present so, mercifully, the trial would soon be over. The faster she was convicted and carted off to Azkaban, the quicker she could work on a way to escape. Her appointed Defence Council was currently speaking, although he didn't appear to be actually saying anything in her defence. Not that she was surprised, of course.
"Wizards and witches of the Wizengamot," the crusty old Judge said after the councils had finished speaking, "you have heard all the evidence against Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley. I now call on you to pronounce her fate. If you believe her innocent of the charges brought against her, please raise your hand now."
Not a single hand was raised.
"If you believe her guilty, please raise your hand now," the Judge continued. This time, every member of the Wizengamot put their hand in the air.
"Miss Weasley, the members of this court have found you guilty of all the charges brought against you," the decrepit old Judge intoned pompously. "You have been found to be a remorseless murderess, with scant concern for the laws of this land. You have committed the most heinous of offenses and, with this in mind, I have no alternative you to be sentenced to receive a Dementor's Kiss. The sentence will be carried out two days from now at Azkaban. Take her away."
"WHAT!" Ginny screamed. "That wasn't what was agreed! Wait, I have something to tell you all…"
Ginny stopped and shut her mouth. She'd just realised that although she was talking, no sound was coming from between her lips. Obviously, as soon as the sentence had started to be delivered, someone had hit her with a Silencing Charm.
Feeling panic mounting inside her, she looked pleadingly in Madam Bones's direction. The stern witch looked back at her without any expression on her face, before she turned and started to leave with everyone else. Ginny felt a pair of strong hands grab her and drag her away, presumably to taken her back to her cell.
Her mind was momentarily a whirl of confusion about what had just happened, before clarity hit her. She'd been duped! Madam Bones had never had any intention of giving her that lenient sentence; she'd just wanted to make sure that she didn't blurt out anything about the Horcruxes during her trial. Now the Minister had made sure that she would be silenced permanently. Clearly, the Ministry considered it more important to suppress information about the Horcruxes than it was to fight Voldemort. With a sinking feeling, Ginny realised that she'd been tricked into withholding the one piece of information that might have saved her.
As a pair of Aurors dragged her away, she swore at them bitterly. Not that anyone could hear her, of course.
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The next day was pure misery for her. She'd been transferred to the maximum security section of Azkaban that morning, after spending the previous night in the Ministry's holding cells. She'd never have dreamed that she could have considered her previous accommodation desirable in anyway, but now she bitterly wished she was back there.
Her cell here in Azkaban was freezing cold and damp. It reminded her in many ways of the horrid prison cell that she and Snape had rescued Harry from, and it brought her dark amusement that both the Ministry and Voldemort would share ideas about prisoner accommodation. In fact, Voldemort's dungeon was more preferable, simply due to the lack of Dementors.
The vile creatures had plagued her constantly throughout the day, sometimes just coming and hovering right outside her cell. Her throat was already raw from all the screaming she'd done and she felt like she would go insane at any moment. How some people survived years in this hellhole was beyond her. The thought that one of those monsters would be sucking her soul from her in the morning terrified her more than she could say.
Her only hope now was that Harry might stage a rescue attempt, but that idea worried her, too. If he was caught trying to free her, she would never forgive herself. If he had any sense, he would stay well away. Besides, that's what she deserved. He'd told her not to trust her family, and she'd ignored him. This situation was entirely her fault.
Feeling more wretched than she believed possible, she chewed on the lump of hard bread that had been given to her for dinner. A cup of rancid water was also provided, but despite this being the first sustenance she had been given that day, she really couldn't face any of it. Her only comfort was that the Dementors had apparently left for the moment.
"Well, you're in a pickle, my little darling, and no mistake!" a male voice chortled from outside of her cell. Looking up, Ginny saw an Auror, Dawlish, she believed was his name, lounging against the bars with a cruel smirk on his face.
"What do you want, pig?" she snarled, in no mood to listen to his taunting.
"Now, now, Miss Weasley, that's no way to talk to me. I'm just trying to be friendly, that's all," he grinned. Then, to her surprise, he pulled a key from his robes and opened her cell door. Once inside, he locked it behind him.
"You are a pretty little thing, aren't you," Dawlish said, a hungry smile on his face. With a terrible fear building in her, Ginny began to realise what the man was doing here.
"What do you want?" she demanded fearfully, trying to buy herself some time to think.
"I want you, you little red-haired whore," he hissed. "Why should that murdering bastard Potter have all the fun? Besides, this is your last chance to have a bit of fun. After tomorrow, you won't be enjoying anything, ever again.
Ginny watched in revulsion as the Auror opened his roles to reveal that he wasn't wearing anything underneath. The man was already fully erect, and clearly looking forward to having her.
Grinding her teeth in anger and fear, Ginny almost wept. She'd spent years fending off the forced advances of a host of Slytherin boys, and now she was going to be violated by a bloody Auror, of all people. The hypocrisy of Madam Bones and her 'law and order' speech made Ginny want to scream at the injustice of it all. But she had more important things to worry about at that moment.
Dawlish had by now taken himself in hand and was gently stroking himself, a look of almost insane eagerness on his face. The man stepped towards her, and Ginny felt herself tremble in fear. Focus, she angrily told herself, if you keep your head you might figure a way out of this.
But how? Dawlish was a big, strong-looking man and he had a wand. She was unarmed and severally weakened by her nightmarish day. She didn't stand a chance against him, unless… unless she thought like a Slytherin.
"Don't hurt me," she begged him. "I'll… I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt me, please."
"I knew you were a little slut," Dawlish grinned. "You want this, don't you? You want to be shafted one last time, eh?"
"Please, I'll…" she stammered, and nervously licked her lips. Dawlish saw her do it, and his smile became almost feral.
"Go on, suck it!" he commanded.
Reluctantly, Ginny knelt down before the man and opened her mouth. Slowly, she let him guide his swollen member between her lips… before she bit down, as hard as she could. An agonising scream filled the narrow cell. Ginny felt a hot gush of blood in her mouth, before something smashed into the side of her head, knocking her unconscious.
She awoke sometime later. It was dark outside so she guessed at least a few hours had passed. Her head throbbed painfully and her mouth tasted horrible. Scrambling in the darkness, she found the cup of rancid water and rinsed the blood out of her mouth the best she could. There was no sign of Dawlish, and Ginny assumed he'd limped off to seek medical help as soon as he'd knocked her out. A grim smile of triumph came to her face. She might face a Dementor in the morning, but she'd meet her fate knowing that only one man had ever had her, and that she'd given herself to him willingly.
Weariness and despair began to wash over her again, and she crawled to a corner of the cell. Pulling her thin robes about her as best she could, she let sleep mercifully claim her.
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"Wake up, Weasley," a harsh voice called out, rousing her from her blissful slumber.
Her body instantly protested as she moved, and she groaned out loud as she tried to stretch her aching limbs. Groggily, she tried to focus and was suddenly brought up short by the sight of the person looking through the bars of the cell at her: Madam Bones.
"Don't get your hopes up, Weasley, I'm not here to save you," the woman said coolly.
"Then why are you here?" Ginny growled. For the briefest second she'd had a faint glimmer of hope, but that was all obviously in vain.
"I thought I owed you an explanation," Bones replied. "Despite what you think, I take no pleasure in this. I genuinely wish I didn't have to send you out to that Dementor, but I have no choice."
"You're that eager to keep your secrets, are you?" Ginny spat bitterly.
"My secrets? Oh, you stupid girl! What I'm doing here is for the good of all the magical community, even the Muggles, too," Bones snapped harshly. "What I said before was true. If knowledge of what the Horcruxes were became common knowledge, we would have an epidemic of idiots trying to make themselves immortal. Even if the correct rituals aren't publicly known, I would guarantee we'd have untold murders committed by dim-witted fools thinking all they had to do was kill someone. It would be a bloodbath! Plus, imagine what would happen if some of the smarter ones may actually succeed in figuring out the correct procedure? If they're desperate enough to kill to obtain immortality, who knows what they would do once they had achieved it."
"Fair enough, I can't argue with that," Ginny agreed, "But I agreed to keep this secret. I could have given an oath never to reveal this information."
"My dear girl, do you seriously think I trust you with that information? No, I think the temptation would be too great for you and Potter," Bones told her coldly.
"But you trust yourself, do you?" Ginny replied in disgust. "You do realise that Harry will never help you now, don't you? In case you've forgotten, there's already someone with a working Horcrux out there, and I bet you have no idea how to kill him, do you?"
"Oh, we don't intend to kill You-Know-Who. We have a better plan for him than that," Bones said haughtily
"What?" Ginny exclaimed in surprise.
"Deep within the vaults of the Department of Mysteries, we have a special chamber. This chamber is designed to freeze a human being so they remain in stasis for eternity. It's our intention to place the Dark Lord in this chamber where he will be rendered completely harmless. We can, of course, then hunt for his remaining Horcruxes at leisure. It's a far less risky option then fighting him head on," Bones explained calmly.
"And how do you intend to lure Voldemort into this chamber? I don't think he's going to just step into it because you ask nicely," Ginny pointed out sharply.
"We have several options," Bones said breezily. "We may try and leek information that will draw him there, or we might be able to ambush and Stun him. We have many ideas we can try, but you don't need to know about those."
"I presume you're only telling me all this because in a short while I'll be incapable of remembering anything?" Ginny noted angrily.
"Precisely," Bones nodded. "I felt that you at least deserved to know why this terrible thing was happening to you. You see, the Wizarding world is in a perilous situation at the moment, and I don't just mean through You-Know-Who's actions. The Muggles outnumber us a thousand to one and that disparity grows every year. Our existence becomes harder and harder to hide all the time and, believe me, if the Muggles decide to stage another series of witch-hunts like they did previously, we won't stand a chance. We are running a very real risk of annihilation here if we are discovered."
"You're exaggerating," Ginny scoffed.
"Am I?" Bones asked earnestly. "The magical population drops each year while the Muggle one increases. Their technology is beginning to rival what we can do with magic and, believe me, if it becomes known that there is a secret race of witches and wizards living under their noses, the rank and file Muggle will not be happy! That's why we insist that all magical children receive a proper education and do everything we can to ensure they remain in our world. We can't afford to lose a single one! Even those idiotic Death Eaters need to be spared, even if it's just for breeding stock. No, we can't afford to take any risks here, which is why you, Miss Weasley, have to go."
Ginny stood up shakily and approached Madam Bones so she could look her straight in the eye.
"There's one thing you haven't taken into account," she said in a cold, calm voice, "and that's Harry. He's more powerful then you could ever guess, and once he finds out what has happened to me, he'll give you a war like you wouldn't believe. Oh, in case you didn't know, Harry's already killed Dumbledore and I expect you'll be next on his list."
"Dumbledore's dead?" Bones gasped. "Potter killed him?"
"Oh, yeah, and I'll tell you something else; for what that old bastard did to Harry when he was young, Dumbledore has been sentenced to roam in limbo for all eternity. You might have the upper hand here, but I assure you that you'll receive your punishment in the next life, Bones. Harry is the Master of Death, and you will feel his vengeance!"
Bones stared at her like she was mad, and then turned and walked briskly away without a backward glance. Ginny watched her go angrily. She knew she shouldn't have told Bones all that information about Harry, but she'd just wanted some way to hurt the woman. Hopefully, she might at least have some concerns now.
In the silence of her cell, Ginny felt fear starting to build in her. Soon, she knew, they would come for her. Slumping down in the corner she had slept in, she waited miserably for her soul to be ripped from her body.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
They came for her a short while later, at least meaning that she hadn't had that long in which to suffer. A pair of burly Aurors had come and bound her hands, before dragged her out of her cell and through the long, winding corridors of Azkaban. After a seemingly endless walk, she was shoved roughly through a heavy, iron door into the bright sunlight.
She blinked in the brilliant spring sunlight and looked around her. At that point, whatever faint hope that she had that Harry might be able to stage a last-minute rescue died. In front of her was a flat area surrounded by the raging North Sea. Although not large, the area was packed with people, most of them wearing Auror robes. Over on the far side were the Dementors; at least fifty of them Ginny guessed, all hovering menacingly. Even if Harry could reach this god-forsaken island, it would be suicidal for him to try anything in the face of these kinds of numbers.
A hard shove in the back got her moving forward again. She was marched past the assembled gathering and there she noticed her father and brother Bill, both looking at her mournfully. Despite her mounting fear, she tried to glare at them and convey the contempt she felt for them now. Soon, she reached the edge of the group and was brought to halt in front of Madam Bones herself. The woman stepped forward to address the crowd.
"My friends, we are gathered here today to witness justice being served," Bones announced loudly. "Ginevra Molly Weasley has been tried by her peers, and found guilty of numerous counts of murder and sedition. She has been sentenced to receive a Dementor's Kiss; a harsh punishment, but one that will hopefully serve to deter those that seek to undermine our society."
A polite round of applause broke out and Ginny was disgusted to see that it was Percy who had started it. He'd been lurking near where Bones had been standing and was resolutely refusing to look in her direction, the cowardly bastard.
"While some would say it was unfair that an underage witch be subjected to such a fate," Bones continued, "her actions have, regrettably, left us with no option other than award this sentence. While I had hoped…"
Bones's next words were drowned out by several large explosions. Ginny gasped as the space in which the Dementors were hovering was obscured by flashes of brilliant white light, and a thick, white smoke began to engulfed the whole area. Seconds later, the screaming started and she saw the Dementors were all on fire. It was only then that she realised what the flashes were: detonation of white phosphorous bombs.
Harry had taught her that the Muggles used white phosphorous in bombs, shells and grenades to create thick smokescreens. The chemical also had a terrible effect on whatever it came into direct contact with, and the tiniest lump could burn through someone's body in seconds. The only way to put the stuff out was to complete immerse it in water, but it didn't seem like the Dementors were aware of that. Although it was impossible to kill a Dementor, you could destroy its body, leaving it as a malevolent but largely harmless wraith. That seemed to be happening with ruthless efficiency right in front of her eyes.
A series of gasps and cries made her turn and look the other way. The Aurors were suddenly all choking and rubbing their eyes. Ginny caught a whiff of an acidic smell and realised that someone had let off several canisters of CS gas, so she quickly turned to face the wind. In doing so, she caught sight of a small, metal canister landing on the ground nearby. As soon as it hit the stone floor it began to spew out a thick orange smoke. Ginny nearly wept with joy as she realised what was happening.
Suddenly, she felt the something tug at the bindings that kept her arms clasped behind her and, a second later, she was free. Spinning around, she saw a pair of hands seemingly floating in mid-air.
"Get behind me," a male voice ordered, "now!"
Turning, she backed away until she was at the very edge of the island. Below her, perhaps ten feet or more, was the cold waters of the North Sea, and there didn't seem any visible means of escape. She turned back, and a wide smile came to her face at what she saw.
The smoke and gas had dissipated quickly in the cold winds that swept over Azkaban. This meant that Harry, who had by now shed his Invisibility Cloak, was clearly visible. What had made Ginny smile, however, was the fact that he held Madam Bones tightly in front of him, with a Muggle pistol pressed to her head.
"Everybody stand still: now!" Harry bellowed.
The crowd, many of whom were still openly weeping after their exposure to the CS gas, looked up in shock.
"It's Potter!" a nearby Auror shouted. "Get him!"
Harry instantly aimed the pistol in the direction of the Auror that spoke and fired one round. The bullet hit the man in the upper thigh and he fell, screaming, and clutching at his wound. The pistol was back against Bones's head a second later.
"Back off, or your precious Minister will be needing a new head!" Harry yelled angrily.
Everyone froze. The wounded Auror was curled on the ground, whimpering. Clearly, the rest of them now realised how dangerous the strange Muggle weapon Potter was holding actually was.
"Ginny, your robes are tucked into the right-hand pocket of mine," Harry said without turning his head.
"Potter, it's hopeless…" Bones began, but Harry just tightened his grip around her throat, making it impossible to speak.
Ginny wasted no time and retrieved her robes from her boyfriend, throwing them on without a moment's hesitation. Reaching inside, fingers found the welcoming feeling of her Skorpion machine-pistol, which she withdraw and cocked. Standing just to the left of the Minister, she levelled the weapon at the Aurors.
"If any of you even blink, I'll open fire!" she screamed at them, hatred burning brightly within her.
"Right, listen up! If you all play nicely, you might get your Minister back in one piece," Harry called out. "Firstly, I want you all to throw your wands in my direction, as hard as you can. If I even suspect one of you of keeping hold of a wand, I'll put a nine millimetre hole in Bone's head. Do it; now!"
No one moved. Deciding they needed encouragement, Ginny fired a short burst just above their heads, causing a large number of the Aurors to flinch. She then pointed the weapon directly at the nearest person, who just happened to be Percy.
"Do as he says!" Percy yelled fearfully. Soon, a veritable cascade of wands landed on the cold, stone floor.
"Very good," Harry praised them sneeringly. "Now, everyone turn around. You're not to look back until I…"
"Wait, Harry!" Ginny interrupted. "You, Dawlish! Step forward."
Ginny had spotted the man lurking in the crowd and she felt herself tremble with rage at the sight of him. Obviously, whatever injury she had inflicted on him had not deterred him from coming to watch her soul being sucked from her.
Fearfully, the tall Auror stepped forward. Perhaps sensing something bad was about to happen, his fellow Aurors backed away from him.
"You bastard," Ginny raged at him. "You miserable, low-life scum! Try and rape me, would you?"
"What?" Harry gasped.
"I made the mistake of letting the last person who tried to rape me walk away with just a scar, and that cost me my best friend. I'm not going to make the same mistake again," she spat and aimed the Skorpion directly at the horrified man.
Ginny pulled the trigger and sent a long burst into Dawlish's body. He jerked about like a puppet in a whirlwind, blood spurting from a dozen bullet wounds. Even as he fell, Ginny continued to pump rounds into his mutilated body. Only when he had fallen limply to the ground did she cease firing.
"TURN AROUND; NOW!" Harry bellowed.
In fear and horror, the Aurors reluctantly turned around, obviously expecting a hail of bullets to slam into their backs at any second.
"Ginny," Harry said urgently. "I've a rope in my robes. Grab it and tie the three of us together. Once you've done that, grab a couple of smoke grenades and chuck them at that mob."
"How are we getting off the island?" she asked even as she reached into his robes.
"I have a Portkey, but there's a Jinx on the island itself, so we have to get beyond its wards to use it. You up for a nice, bracing swim?" he grinned.
"I can't swim," Bones managed to grunt out.
"I guess you're going to be doing some drowning then, aren't you?" Harry growled.
By this point, Ginny had found the rope and tied it firmly around Bones's waist. She then threaded it around Harry, before securing it tightly around her own middle. She then pulled out a pair of smoke grenades, which she in turned pulled the pin from and hurled at the Aurors. In seconds, a thick purple fog enveloped the island.
"Quick, over the edge," Harry urged.
A bright red beam of light shot through the smoke, missing them by only a few feet. Someone had clearly kept hold of their wand and was shooting Stunners in their general direction. Ginny retaliated by sending a couple of short bursts of fire back into the smoke, and was rewarded by several screams. She then shoved the Skorpion back into her robes and grabbed Harry's arm.
"On three?" she asked.
"Nah, let's just jump," he smirked, before leaping off the rock, dragging both Ginny and Madam Bones with him.
The freezing cold waters of the North Sea hit her like a sledge hammer, but she only had to suffer the discomfort for a second before she felt the familiar tug of a Portkey and she was whisked away.
They landed roughly in a scrub-filled field. Harry instantly grabbed Bones and conjured ropes to bind her arms to her sides, giving Ginny a chance to look around.
She saw that they were somewhere rural, judging by the empty fields and the low, rolling hills that surrounded her. The only thing of note that she could see was a small, badly-maintained cottage about thirty yards in front of her. As Harry dragged Bones to her feet and roughly shoved the woman in the direction of the small house. Ginny guessed that this unwelcoming building was her new home.
They entered the house and Ginny noted that it was as pokey and run-down on the inside as it was on the out. Harry led them to a small, unfurnished room that contained a single chair, to which he tied Bones.
"Did you get her wand?" Ginny asked, staring at the bound woman with undisguised hatred.
"Yeah, that was the first thing I did after I grabbed her," Harry confirmed. "I snapped it and threw it away."
"They snapped my wand," Ginny noted dully. "I really liked it, too."
"They'll pay for everything they did to you," Harry snarled before turning to face Bones. "So, nothing to say, Minister? I would have thought you would have been threatening us by this point. You know, 'you'll never get away with this', or some crap like that."
"You're obviously going to kill me, so why don't you just get on with it," Bones snapped, her eyes downcast.
"Oh, no, I'll make you beg for death first, you bitch. A Dementor's Kiss? You sentence Ginny to have that done to her? Why? What did she ever do to deserve that fate?" he demanded angrily.
"I can answer that," Ginny interrupted. "She knows about the Horcruxes, and will do absolutely anything to make sure that they don't become common knowledge. Bones here is also convinced we're on the edge of an all-out war with the Muggles and that they'll wipe us all out if they become aware of our existence. Me having my soul sucked out was just her way of suppressing information."
"Okay, I actually think I feel a little better knowing there was a semi-logical reason behind it all and not just pure malice," Harry noted grimly, "not that it excuses her actions in any way. But why not just work with us? Scrimgeour was quite prepared to have me on his side, why not you?"
"Scrimgeour was a self-serving bastard," Bones muttered. "He would have sold his own grandmother if he thought it would have helped his career. I, however, have some standards. I refuse to do deals with scum like you two, who kill and torture to get what you want."
"The only people we have killed have either been Death Eaters, or have tried to kill us first," Harry yelled back angrily. "You, on the other hand, get your fat cow of a niece to blacken our names to help your career, try to arrest us on trumped-up charges, and finally nearly subjected Ginny to a fate worse than death, and you claim to have standards? You hypocritical bitch!"
"What about the Aurors you just killed?" Bones raged. "Or don't they count?"
Ginny strode over and slapped Bones hard across the face. "The only Auror that we definitely killed was Dawlish, and that bastard tried to rape me!" she screamed. "He came into my cell last night and was going to force himself on me. Is that the sort of thing that you expect from your precious Aurors, eh?"
"Ginny, he didn't…" Harry began with a horrified expression on his face.
"No, he didn't," Ginny assured him. "The stupid idiot started waving his dick in my face and was surprised when I bit it. Fucking cretin."
Bones remained silent.
"What, no comment?" Ginny asked sarcastically. "You don't seem surprised that one of your beloved Aurors would do such a thing. Or is that just a little on-the-job bonus that they get when they've been good boys?"
"Dawlish was a good man," Bones said firmly.
"He was a toadying bastard and a rapist!" Ginny yelled back. "Now, answer me, before I get a vial of Veritaserum and pour it down your throat. Did you know he was going to attack me like that?"
"Do you think I care what happened to you?" Bones growled, staring Ginny straight in the eyes. "So one of my boys wanted to have a little fun with you before you were thrown to the Dementors? So what? You'd be incapable of even remembering in a few hours, and I'd have a happy and content Auror who would do anything I asked of him. It was a win-win situation as far as I was concerned."
Ginny punched the woman so hard that the chair she was tied to toppled over backwards. Bones lay on her back unconscious.
"Come on, my love," Harry said soothingly. "Let's leave the bitch to rot."
She let herself be led out of the room into the small kitchen. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.
"I was so scared I'd lost you, my love," he whispered into her ear.
A strangled sob escaped her and she threw her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she possibly could. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "You told me not to trust my family, and like a fool I ignored you. You shouldn't have risked yourself for an idiot like me."
"Shush," he said soothingly. "I should have realised how important this was to you and taken your pleas to talk to them more seriously. I'm sorry. If I'd agreed to help we could have worked out a plan that didn't leave you at risk."
"I was stupid," she insisted. "I just never dreamed that they would shop me in."
"They've been brainwashed their whole lives to obey the rules by the Ministry, Dumbledore… the entire bloody system," Harry noted. "They probably didn't even realise the consequences of what they were doing."
"Oh, Harry, I betrayed you," she sobbed. "They made me tell them the address of our Bristol place, I couldn't help…"
"I know," he cut her off. "I knew you wouldn't have stood a chance of resisting them for long. Besides, I was out of the place as soon as I figured what happened. I've got all your stuff in the bedroom. I'm just glad that I've got the chance to give it back to you."
"I'm going to miss Bristol," Ginny said sadly. "That was our first home together and I really loved that place."
"I know," he smiled, "but as long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are."
"Speaking of which, where exactly are we?" she asked through her tears.
"South Wales; Dyfed, to be precise," Harry replied. "This is another one of the safe houses that Gellert and I set up. It's not very luxurious, I'm afraid, but I wanted somewhere very different from the Bristol house. It will do for the moment. We'll sort you out a wand from one of the ones we captured from the Death Eaters and we can start striking back. This time, we'll show no mercy for the Aurors or the Death Eaters."
"Harry, what are we going to do about Bones?" Ginny asked nervously. "We can't let her go, but if we kill the Minister for Magic, we'll be hunted for the rest of our lives. Every witch and wizard in the country will tear the place apart looking for us. They'll never give up until they've hunted us down."
"I know, and I'll give it some thought. But look at you; you're filthy and shivering with cold. Why don't you go and have a nice, hot shower and I'll knock up some breakfast. I'm sure you could use a decent meal," he smiled.
"The shower sounds great and I am starving, but right now I need you more than anything," she begged. "Please, Harry, stay with me."
"I guess I could do with a warm shower myself after that lovely swim in the sea," he grinned, before leaning down and capturing her lips with his own.
With relief that he'd forgiven her for her mistake, Ginny threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back passionately. He then led her to the small bathroom with its tiny shower cubical. They barely managed to both fit in it, but Ginny wasn't complaining.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
"Wake up, bitch," a harsh voice called out.
Bones looked around her in confusion for a moment, before her aching jaw reminded her exactly where she was. With fear gnawing at her stomach, she looked up to see a sullen Potter and Weasley standing in front of her. She knew she was a dead woman, but dreaded to think what the vengeful pair would do to her first.
"We've had time to think what to do with you, Bones," Potter announced who, she noted for the first time, had changed into Muggle clothing.
"Do your worst," she spat defiantly. "Despite what you say, you'll never get away with this. Ever witch and wizard in the country will know your name and be on the look-out for you. No matter how careful you are, you'll slip up one day and the world will see how traitors who murder a Minister are dealt with!"
"Oh, but we're not going to kill you," Weasley smirked.
"What… what are you going to do, then?" Bones demanded, suddenly feeling a cold chill down her back.
"This," Potter smiled and raised his wand.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Alastor Moody stomped along Diagon Alley in a foul mood. The young Auror accompanying him walked fearfully a few steps behind him, apparently unwilling to tempt his wrath by actually talking. Smart lad, Moody thought grumpily.
"Come on, boy, we haven't got all night," Moody growled. "I want to check-in with my contacts in Knockturn Alley as soon as possible. Every second we waste lessens the chance of finding the Minister alive."
"Yes, sir," the Auror replied, increasing his pace.
Moody just grunted. He had spent most of the day cursing himself that he hadn't been at Azkaban this morning, as he felt sure that he could have stopped Potter from rescuing his little bitch from under the Ministry's noses. As it was, they had one dead Auror, several more seriously injured and thirty-nine Dementors without bodies, although he couldn't really bring himself to care about the latter. He stomped forward, desperately wracking his brains for an idea as to where Potter might have taken his friend, Amelia Bones.
"Moody," the Auror stuttered unexpectedly, "who's that up ahead?"
Moody looked up and saw a woman staggering towards them, her head turning this way and that in apparent confusion. His magical eye focused on the woman's face and he gasped in surprise. He hurried forward until he reached the woman, who flinched at the sight of him.
"What do you want?" the woman cried fearfully.
"Amelia, it's me, Moody," he said carefully.
"Who?" she blurted. "I don't know who you are. I've never met either of you in my life!"
Moody looked suspiciously at the shivering woman. "What do you remember?" he asked gently.
"I… the last thing I remember was being at home with mother and father," she began nervously. "I was really happy, as Daddy had said he'd managed to get me a job at the Ministry and I was excited about it. Where's Dad? Where's Mum? What am I doing here?"
"Minister, what are you…" the young Auror started to say.
"Shut up," Moody growled at him before turning his attention back to the frightened woman. "Easy now, my dear. Tell me, can you remember what year it is?"
"Of course," she said in confusion. "I just graduated from Hogwarts this summer, after all. It's 1971."
"What?" the Auror gasped.
"Dear Merlin," Moody announced angrily, "those bastards have Obliviated her all the way back to her teenage years!"