It doesn't take long to move all of her belongings in with Goyle. The Death Eaters had made sure to take away everything from her, and the only things she had managed to salvage from home were a few articles of clothing and the her brothers' hands from the family clock.

"I can buy you new things," Goyle says, looking at the pitiful pile of her belongings.

She shakes her head. "I will be fine," she says.

"Being stubborn won't keep them alive."

And though Goyle whispers the words, he might have well have screamed them. Ginny winces. She supposes she'll have to get along with him somehow.

"You didn't want to be with me," he says. "No one does, you know. They think I'm dumb."

"I don't-"

"Maybe I am. Crabbe and Malfoy were the only ones who really liked me."

Silence hangs between them. Ginny feels the strange urge to reach out and comfort him, but she can't bring herself to do it. Goyle is a stranger to her, just another surname and another person she had never cared for.

"I need to visit my parents," she says quietly. "They need to know what is happening."

"I'd like to meet them."

She is surprised by how gentle his voice is. Goyle, who had always been little more than a thug. Goyle, who had always delighted in bullying others. Goyle, who had been so chaotic and cruel at Hogwarts.

Maybe he's just as scared as she is. Maybe the fear of losing his life is breaking him down, just as the fear of losing her parents is breaking her.

"Maybe one day," she says quietly.

..

"You have twenty minutes," Rodolphus tells when he transports her to Azkaban. "Best be punctual, Weasley. I doubt even you could survive a night here."

Ginny wraps her arms around herself, shivering. She had almost forgotten the way the Dementors' darkness seems to chill all the way to the bone. She wonders how her parents have survived. They are the kindest people she has ever known, and she knows that their minds must be a feasting ground for the guards.

"Won't they be thrilled?" Rodolphus continues, smirking. "Bet they planned to have hundreds of grandchildren, what with there being so many of you."

Out of habit, she reaches for her wand, only to be reminded by the empty spot that she is powerless.

She sniffs and moves forward.

Her parents look so frail. Her mother is thinner than Ginny has ever seen her, and her father's hair is now more grey than red. Both have lines on their faces that have aged them much too soon.

"Mum, Dad," she says, her voice cracking.

Her mother reaches for her through the bars, and Ginny squeezes her hands, resting her face against the metal. Her father's hand rests on her shoulder.

"Ginny, dear," her mother rasps, and tears fall from Ginny's eyes without shame.

She tells them quickly about what has happened, the latest cruel twist in the torture her family has faced. When she finishes, her father takes a deep breath.

"You don't need to worry about us," he says softly, squeezing her shoulder. "In the bigger picture, we don't mean much, dear. You can't allow yourself to suffer just to save us."

"Nobility is a Gryffindor trait," Ginny reminds him.

But where has her nobility gotten her? She is almost alone now. Everyone she loves has been taken from her in one way or another. And should she meet the deadline forced upon her, what will happen to her parents? They will never be free. They will never know their grandchild.

"Your father's right. You need to be okay, Ginny," her mother says before bursting into tears. "Oh, it would be so lovely, wouldn't it? Bill and Fleur talked about having a child before- before-"

Ginny's tears worsen, and she lets out a choked sound.

"Molly," her father sighs, releasing Ginny's shoulder to hug his wife. "Hush, Molly. It's okay."

Ginny feels as though her heart is being torn apart. Does she save her parents and have a child that she does not want? Does she defy the new order and run away, leaving her parents at the Death Eaters' mercy?

"What do I do?" she asks, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Whatever you feel is right," her father answers. "Just remember that we love you, whatever your choice."

She has never felt so helpless. She had hoped her parents would have all the answers, as they always have since she was young.

"We love you," her mother agrees.

"I'll find a way to get you out," Ginny promises. "I don't know how, but I'll keep you safe, and you'll be able to meet your grandchild, and everything will be okay."

Even to her own ears, her words sound hollow, empty. False promises are the cruelest hope, but it's all she's got.

"Everything will be okay," she says again. "You'll see."

Rodolphus appears from the shadows. "Time's up, Weasley," he says. "We'll be going now."

Ginny clings to the bars for a moment, her lip trembling. "I'll find a way," she says desperately. "I'll find a way to make everything right."

"Be strong," her father says.

"We love you," her mother adds.

Before Ginny can say any more, rough hands pull her away. In an instant, there's a tug at her navel as she's pulled into the air. The prison fades, and she finds herself alone with Rodolphus in his office.

"Not nice, lying to your parents," he sneers. "You'll find a way to make everything right, eh?"

Ginny scowls. "I wasn't lying," she says sharply.

"Look at you. Can't even visit them without crying like a baby," he says, and the delight in his words feels like rubbing salt onto and open wound. "How can you make things right when your nothing but a weak little girl?"

Ginny stands tall, head high, just as she had done so many times before when she'd had to stand up to her brothers. "I'll play this little game," she says, and there's a newly found strength in her voice. Seeing her parents, as painful as it might have been, has renewed her hatred for this new life, and something has awoken deep inside her. "And I'm going to win."

Rodolphus does not look intimidated. Her merely smirks, folding his arms over his chest. "Do you really think a traitor can win? Remember who holds the cards, little girl."