Chapter 7
Arthur Weasley was completely and utterly sloshed .
Alone in a dimly lit pub, he downed another glass, spilling slightly down his chin as he did. He set the empty glass on the bar, lowering his forehead into his hands in despair.
He knew he should go home. He knew he needed to talk to Molly, but... it all seemed impossible at the moment. He had finally told her the truth. The truth about the price he would pay, no, that they together would pay. His perfect baby daughter, home right now, probably being rocked to sleep by his wife, would be taken from them. But he was not sure what was more unbearable… the sacrifice of his daughter, or the thought of Ron and Molly dead.
There was nothing for it, he had done what he had to do.
Damn it all.
Another drink and his vision was now heavily blurred.
Molly hadn't shouted at him, hadn't thrown him out on his arse, hadn't cursed his name. No, in fact he wished she had. Instead, a horrible realization of their situation sunk into her features, and she hadn't been able to look at him since.
He didn't blame her, how could she, after what he'd done?
But that didn't stop the despair from pulling him under. He took another drink, and again wished the gods had accepted the sacrifice of his own life… and how much better everyone would be.
Another drink, and swirling thoughts of anger and regret spun in his head like a hamster wheel.
Another drink, and Arthur found the barkeep ushering him out. He vaguely heard the voice telling him to go home, to call his wife, but Arthur stumbled along the street instead.
Who did those goddesses think they were? So what if they were immortal? They weren't even able to help him without requiring payment! He probably could have just paid a more experienced Healer to save Ron and Molly!
The whole thing was ridiculous, the agreement was ridiculous. He needed to meet with Artemis and Eileithyia.
Arthur fumbled with his wand, and in his drunken state, found he hardly cared whether or not he was fit to apparate.
With a loud pop, Arthur found himself in front of the familiar temple. He also, by some divine miracle, had arrived in one piece. He stumbled a bit towards the grand entrance, the stone steps appearing blearily before him. Only tripping once or twice, he was once again inside the vast main room.
He shouted drunkenly for Artemis and Eileithyia, his voice echoing off the empty dark walls. But unlike his last visit, there was no answer. No voice. No apparition. Just a horrid silence.
Cursing a slew of slurred gibberish, Arthur moved over to the entrance of the temple. A pile of rubbish had been stacked against the wall, an abandoned plan at remodeling the inner chambers of the temple. He collapsed heavily onto a wooden crate, his head bowed.
Realizing he no longer had a drink in his hand, he put his hand in his cloak and withdrew a cigarette. A vice from his youth he had only recently began to indulge in once more. He smoked and allowed his mind to become mercifully empty.
It was all hopeless anyway.
He tossed the cigarette carelessly to the ground, where a tiny bundle of rubbish began to turn bright crimson... the very smallest of sparks.
Arhtur watched the tiny embers numbly.
All he had to do was stick out his foot and snuff the growing embers. A tiny movement and he would prevent the embers from catching onto the surrounding rubbish that could easily become tinder. His foot was practically in mid-air, ready to strike the glow.
But it hovered slightly above its target, as an inconceivable thought crossed his mind.
Why not? He thought.
Why not let it burn?
X
"NO!"
"Don't shout, Ginny."
"No! Bill, absolutely not!"
Bill sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.
"Ginny, you have to. It's not up for discussion."
Sixteen-year-old Ginny Weasley rounded on her brother, red-faced and furious.
"Bill. This is my home! You can't expect me to just leave without putting up a fight. I can stay, we'll find a way to make it work!"
"Ginny, you can't. I'm joining the Order, and you can't stay here alone."
"Says who?"
"Says everyone!"
"I'll stay with Dr. Muthusamy and Naz."
"You aren't a muggle."
She slammed her hands on the table, her face now red as her hair.
"FINE!" she shrieked, "Fine! I'll stay at the Burrow, but I am not, I will not, step one foot in that bloody school, and you can't make me! You couldn't drag me back there if you tried!" Her fists were clenched, her eyes blazing, and the witch lights of the tent flickered as her temper boiled over.
Bill suddenly felt a rush of affection and gratitude for his parents. They had dealt with half a dozen teenagers, while he felt he was barely clinging onto sanity with just the one. Ginny was no longer the little girl he had carried in his arms as they fled to Egypt. No, in front of him was someone who was very much grown up.
Of course, he had known that this talk with Ginny would inevitably end up in a row. Not only was he telling her what to do (her least favorite thing) but he was asking her to do something he knew she would hate. With the girl in front of him, he knew that was a toxic combination.
"Look," he continued gently, mustering all the patience he possessed, "it's not as bad as it sounds, alright? All we are asking for, is one term at Hogwarts- just listen, will you? You've done incredibly well with your lessons, and Dumbledore won't require you to go back to your own year. One term, just so you can take your N.E.W.T.S. You'll be with Ron and all the other seventh years, won't that be nice? And Harry and Hermione will be with you as well."
She rolled her eyes at that.
"I don't even know them, Bill! I haven't seen them in years."
"Well, you know Ron well enough. He's excited for you to come to school, he wants you with him. There are so many experiences you've been missing out on."
"Oh, I think I've had plenty of experiences there, Bill." She said acidly.
"It won't be like that, Ginny. You know it won't. There's no Tom to torment you. Ron will keep you safe. It's only one bloody term, and you'll be graduated, ready for a career! You won't be able to be a healer if you don't have your N.E.W.T.S."
"Well, that's out then, I suppose." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Looks like I'm doing Quidditch instead."
Lord was she stubborn.
"Ginny, you know I'll support you no matter what you decide to do. You would make a good Quidditch player-"
"A damn good one!" she snapped.
"You're right, you would make a damn good one. I know you'd be successful. But, Ginny, for years I've watched you plan and dream about being a Healer. You said you wanted to change the magical medical field, that you would bring an end to the ancient and barbaric practices we still use. If that's not your dream anymore, I understand. Just don't let what happened at Hogwarts be the reason that you didn't do what you've always wanted."
"You- you're taking me away from my home, Bill. How can you not think I'd be upset by this?"
"You have every right to be upset. You have every right. This will be the second time you've been torn away from what you've known. I wish it was different… but your life has been that the last five years, hasn't it? Different?"
She crossed her arms and scowled but said nothing.
"It's been decided, and I'm sorrier than I can say that I have to force your hand. We're leaving for the Burrow tomorrow. The Order needs my help, Ginny, they need me. I've got to go. Once you finish your term at Hogwarts, you'll have unlimited potential, you can do whatever you want! Whatever it is you choose, I'll be right by your side, because I'm more proud of you and what you've become than I can say."
Ginny was fighting back tears, and her anger was struggling to fight for dominance in her face.
"Oh, Bill, you-you think you can just- that all you have to do is… you're just trying to butter me up, aren't you? Well, bloody hell, I won't have it! Stop being so- so reasonable, its infuriating! This is not fair! I'm not letting this go!" With a childish stomp of her foot, she fled the tent, her robes and long hair billowing behind her. Bill didn't stop her.
She was right, of course, it wasn't fair. But nothing in Ginny's life had been fair up to this point. And as always, when it came to Ginny, Bill was hoping and praying that he was making the right decision.
X
Ginny and Naz sat on the bank of Lake Qarun, watching the sunset. Ginny allowed angry tears to flow silently down her face as she stared unseeing into the water.
Naz's voice broke her reverie.
"Your brother loves you very much."
She didn't move.
"I know." She said softly.
"I can tell this is hurting him, Ginny."
"I know."
He looked at her a long moment. Waiting for her to talk. That was one thing she loved about Naz. He never pushed her about anything.
Naz. Her friend. Her only friend. Just another thing she would be leaving behind.
"I don't know where I belong, Naz." she admitted miserably. "I thought it was at the Burrow. Then Hogwarts. Then I thought it was here. Now I'm going back, and... I don't know what to think anymore. I don't know why, it's just..."
What was it exactly? Confusing? Horrifying? Both?
"I thought you loved the Burrow. You've always talked fondly about it."
She shook her head slowly.
"I haven't been there in years… my family always visited me here. You know, thinking it was safer that way. I do have good memories there, I really do. But, it's not the Burrow I mind so much."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she stared at the lake water, smooth as glass, a very gentle lapping of tiny waves licking the shore. The water was turning a vivid orange in the sunset. Ginny thought she'd never seen something so beautiful, so warm.
"I love this place so much, Naz." she said mournfully. "I'll miss the sun. The sun is always out here. I'll miss the heat… and the desert. I'll miss wandering for hours, just looking around, exploring endless ruins."
One of her hands curled around a fistful of sand. She lifted it up above the ground and relaxed her palm, watching it flow between her fingers in smooth waterfalls.
"I'll even miss the damn sand that I can never quite get out of the tent, no matter how many times I sweep."
A slight breeze blew her hair around her face, hiding a fresh torrent of silent tears. She turned to look at Naz.
"I'll miss my friend. My best friend."
She looked at her palm, now empty of the sand she had allowed to flow from it. Naz reached over and covered it with his own palm.
"I'll miss you too, little al-sahereh."
Ginny used her free hand to pull back her hair so she could see Naz's face. He was smiling kindly and it warmed her heart.
"Well, at least I won't have to constantly worry about the Egyptian Ministry of Magic prosecuting you for knowing about Bill and I. Your big mouth will be the death of you."
Naz gave her hand a squeeze and looked at her intently.
"Ginny Weasley, you're the bravest little witch I know. This is just your next great adventure."
Ginny smiled.
"I hope you're right."
X
Ginny entered the tent that evening to find Bill sitting at the dining table, twiddling his wand between his fingers, looking pensive. She removed her sandals and moved over to sit by him, taking an Eid biscuit from the jar on the table.
After a few moments of munching on her biscuit he looked up at her.
"Well, Gin-bug, it's our last evening together."
She merely nodded, mouth full.
"I thought we could end it with a lesson."
She swallowed quickly.
"Oh, Bill! No! We need to do something fun."
"How about," he interrupted, putting his hand up to silence her, "I teach you something completely new? Completely different."
"You've already given me your curse-breaking lessons, they aren't my thing."
"I'm not talking about that. You completed all your lessons for Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I have yet to teach you certain, ah, spells, that I have learned since leaving Hogwarts."
"What do you mean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I won't be there to protect you, and I would feel more comfortable if you had a certain set of skills. Dueling skills, to be exact."
Ginny tried to ignore the fact he was using her least favorite word in the world. Protect. But as much as she loathed the word, she stopped getting angry about its use long ago. She knew her family loved her, and as strong as she was, she was still grateful for their help. Between Dark Lords and psychotic one-eyed blondes, Lord knows she had needed them.
"Well, you've taught me most of the dueling spells already, haven't you? I've already kicked your arse a time or two."
Bill smirked wickedly.
"Not those kind of spells, Gin-bug. These spells are more… advanced. These spells are, well, I suppose forbidden isn't the right word, but let's just say they are far from likely being taught at Hogwarts…"
Ginny didn't miss the sparkle of excitement in Bill's eyes, and her interest peaked.
"Forbidden, you say? As in, they are very dangerous?" She asked, leaning forward conspiratorially.
"Oh yes, dear sister, very dangerous. But, very useful. Useful that is to say, especially if you were confronted with someone very disagreeable, and you needed to keep the upper hand of a situation…"
Ginny was eating up his words.
"Or exact some much-deserved revenge, if the situation allows…"
Ginny jumped up from the table, wand in hand.
"Dear Brother, I thought this day would never come! I rather think you may belong in Slytherin. Teach me all your dark magic, oh powerful wizard!"
Bill laughed heartily at that.
"Now I could hardly call these spells dark but knowing them will put me at ease. Now, we've only a few hours, so go get Dummy."
"Okay!" Ginny beamed. She disappeared into a back room and came back, a stuffed life-size doll in her hands.
"Got him."
When Bill first began Ginny's Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, they had decided to use a dummy for Ginny to practice on. Overtime, Ginny had given the dummy a few personal touches.
She placed the well-worn doll on the ground, where it immediately toppled over, the head coming off and rolling across the floor. The doll had blond hair that had been halfway singed off at some point. Across his forehead, Ginny had written, "Perve" in black thick ink. An arm was missing, and the torso and legs were covered in various slashes and scorch marks, stuffing beginning to spill out of them. A black satin cloth was haphazardly tied to his face.
Ginny struggled to get him to stand in place. The legs of the dummy had been dismembered and reattached so many times that Ginny had to spell him to stand up straight. She grabbed the blonde head that had rolled away and smashed it back onto the neck.
After several spells the dummy stood on its own, though its head toppled back, hanging on by a thin strand of fabric.
Ginny turned back to Bill, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Let's do this."
X
The ballroom of Malfoy Manor was alighted with torches.
Dark figures, robed and masked, knelt on one knee in two lines, framing a long aisle. At the end of the aisle stood a towering form. Skin of palest white, and unnatural reddened eyes, he stared at the doorway of the ballroom.
The doors opened, and a young man stepped into the room. He was also cloaked in black, a horrid mask of silver covering his face. He walked slowly down the pathway of Death Eaters, towards his Dark Lord. He had waited so long. It was finally time.
As he found himself in front of Lord Voldemort, he lowered himself to one knee, bowing his head in reverence.
"My Lord. I've come to serve thee."
The Dark Lord let out a brief high-pitched laugh.
"Yes, oh yes, you have wanted this for so long, Draco Malfoy. But first you had to prove your worthiness, your devotion. And I have found you favorable in my eyes. You have proven yourself to be a loyal, willing servant of the Dark Lord."
"Thank you, my Lord."
"Now, my son, are you prepared to take the Dark Mark? To set aside any loyalties you previously had, to put your own flesh and blood secondary to the wishes of the Dark Lord?"
"I am, my Lord."
"Good. Very good. And will you serve me with all that you possess? Even if it requires that you lay down your life for the cause of the Dark Lord?"
"I will, my Lord."
"Very well. Your arm, Draco."
The young man held out his forearm, moving up his sleeve to reveal the pale skin.
The Dark Lord lowered his wand to the unmarred skin and whispered the incantation.
Pain.
It was excruciating pain.
And as suddenly as it began, it was over.
Draco looked down at his arm, the Dark Mark inky black, gleaming up at him.
Remembering himself, he bowed his head again.
"Thank you, my Lord."
"Now, Draco Malfoy, all of those who take the Dark Mark are rewarded. No one can say that Lord Voldemort is not generous. What is it that you wish, Draco? What is it you desire? Do you desire power? Control?"
"Yes, I desire both."
"And I'm told you have an… unusual interest."
"Y-Yes, my Lord."
"Don't be embarrassed, Draco, we all have our more… unique tastes. Your father told me there is a certain someone… a girl, who is currently unattainable for you."
"Yes, my Lord."
"A blood traitor I hear, an enemy..."
"She is a pureblood, my Lord."
"Is that so? Well, I think we may be able to make an exception. If her blood is indeed pure, you may have her. The Dark Lord will help you, we will find a means to bring her to you. But you must be patient, Draco. We must plan carefully, and we must be creative. Tell me, who is it you desire?"
Draco Malfoy took a deep breath.
"I want Ginevra Weasley."
X
Ginny Weasley was trying to escape.
She had been home for less than one day, and already she was fleeing.
Bloody coward, I am.
Returning to the Burrow was wonderful. Really, it was. But it was also filled with noise. With hugs, kisses, loud laughter, jovial conversation, more hugs…
Ginny shuddered. Too much. It was too much to take in all at once.
While the Burrow had been-was still- her childhood home, she found it a very jarring experience to come back. Her family was loud and boisterous. There was constant noise and commotion. Add to that the fact that every member of her family was showering her with physical affection, and Ginny's mind and body were absolutely knackered. She was completely overwhelmed and over-stimulated and found herself fleeing to the quiet back orchards of the Burrow.
She sat near the garden, allowing her addled nerves to calm a bit.
'I'm fine, I'm fine,' she had said, 'it's just... a lot.'
And then she had bolted out the back door.
Her family didn't ask questions, didn't stop her when she fled, but she heard Bill's voice floating across the kitchen.
"Leave her be, she's not used to this."
She was grateful to Bill, so grateful. She just needed a moments peace. She had been so used to it being just her and Bill, and now in her home with her family she felt like she was packed in like a sardine, except the other sardines were very loud and talked a lot and asked a lot of questions.
And tonight, more visitors were coming. She thought about how long she would need to stay at the dining table, about how early she could excuse herself to the refuge of her room without seeming rude.
She spent several minutes just focusing on breathing. She wrapped her Afghan more tightly around her shoulders, shivering, despite the warm weather. She found looking at the blossoming garden very relaxing and therapeutic.
She placed her hand along the small stones surrounding the garden, allowing her mind to wander.
She knew it would be difficult, seeing everyone. She had been prepared for that. She hadn't been prepared for the rawness of her nerves, or her need to simply leave and recharge herself. She also hadn't expected to feel so cold to the bone. Even with her warmest jumper and Afghan, she looked up to the sky, willing the sun to blaze down on her face and warm her with its heat like it had in Egypt-
"Oh!"
Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt something smooth glide across her hand. She quickly pulled her hand away as she jumped from the wall, looking down at her assailant.
A tiny, green garden snake was looking up at her curiously with dark brown eyes.
Ginny relaxed the hand that was clasping her chest, willing her heart rate to slow down. She sat back down on the low garden wall, laughing inwardly at her fright.
"Well, hello there, little one." She said gently. "You know, you gave me a fright, I thought for sure you were an evil wizard."
The little snake looked at her for a moment, and then seemed to lose interest in her. It was slowly moving along the garden bed, forked tongue reaching out occasionally. It slithered near to where she sat, and she stilled.
"I used to be afraid of snakes, you know," she continued conversationally. "I guess you could say I spent some time with a rather nasty big brother of yours. It could have easily gobbled up the likes of you without a second thought."
She reached a tentative hand towards the snake. It turned to her hand quickly and regarded her warily.
"After that, I never wanted to see a snake again. Though, I suppose it wasn't really the snake, was it? It was who the snake reminded me of..."
The snake released its tongue towards her hand, as if sizing up just how dangerous the pale hand in front of it was. Ginny held her hand still, to allow the tiny snake to come closer if it wanted.
"I moved to Egypt with my brother, Bill. There were a lot of snakes there. It was terrifying at first, but then after a time, I suppose I just adapted to their presence. I kept my distance and they kept theirs. I even saw a Saharan Horned Viper near a dig site. Those are very venomous you know, I should have been absolutely horrified, but Dr. Muthusamy told me all about them, and how he had first seen one in Kabul. It was very interesting. The more I saw them, the less scary they were."
The snake drew its head quite close to Ginny's hand, and she felt a tickle of air as its tongue flicked out and grazed her fingers.
"I think you would like it over there. Egypt, I mean. Merlin knows I loved it. It's almost always sunny. It can get dreadfully hot but I loved the warmth."
She rested her hand in her lap, momentarily forgetting the little snake.
"It feels so cold to me here. That's funny, isn't it? It's rather unseasonably warm for an English spring, and yet I can't seem to get the cold out of my bones. As much as I already miss Egypt, I think my body somehow does as well."
She wrapped her arms around herself, and her mind drifted off. She was back in her leather sandals, walking aimlessly across the sand, a hot breeze blowing her robes and hair. The sun shone on her face and arms, warming her pleasantly.
A sudden sensation on her thigh broke her from her thoughts. Looking down, she saw the snake had finally deemed her not a threat, and was slowly slithering across her lap, tongue lapping at her robes as it went.
"Well," she said quietly, not wanting to startle her new friend, "you are a sneaky thing, aren't you? That's twice you've caught me!"
She reached down slowly, curling her fingers gently underneath the snake's body. She concentrated intently on not flinching back at the sensation. The snake was neither warm nor cold, and felt incredibly smooth against her palm. Though she didn't particularly like the sliding sensation of it moving across her skin, she willed herself to be still. Another fear for her to conquer.
"Sneaky." She said quietly. "Maybe that's what I'll call you, little one. You are a very sneaky thing."
The snake seemed more interested in her robes than in her hand. It was eyeing the fabric around her abdomen carefully, moving its little head around as it surveyed its surroundings.
"I wonder how long you've been in this garden, Sneaky. You can't be more than a baby. Oh Merlin, there aren't more of you are there? Mum will have kittens if she finds a den of you lot."
Feeling braver, she lifted Sneaky up with two hands, trying to peer into its face. But the baby snake was once again unimpressed, finding the collar of her button up shirt more interesting. The slithering sensation on her hands was still somewhat uncomfortable, but it was growing less jarring by the second.
"Hmm. You'll have to be careful, Sneaky. Mum will toss you out if she catches you in her garden. We might have to find you a new home- oh, now really!"
Sneaky had apparently decided her collar was boring as well, because the snake's little head had begun to dive down the front of her shirt. It seemed it thought maybe the skin underneath her shirt was worth exploring. She pulled the snake back before it could dive down further and scowled at it.
"Well, you are almost certainly a boy, aren't you, Sneaky? That was very inappropriate."
The snake looked at her face, its head tilting just slightly to the side, reminding her of a confused puppy.
"Boys should keep their hands to themselves, Sneaky. Or, well, you know what I mean."
Two pops of apparition jolted Ginny back to reality, reminding her that was she sitting alone in the garden, hiding from her family, and talking to a garden snake like a lunatic.
"Well, Sneaky, I've been hiding from my family long enough. I need to go back in. They've been so excited for me to be here."
She set Sneaky down in the dirt, but he curled into ball and made no attempt to slither off.
"Go on, Sneaky. Time to go."
Ginny heard footsteps coming up the yard towards her. She lifted her hand to her brow to see who was approaching. As she did, Sneaky let out a tiny hiss and disappeared into the vegetable patch. She watched him slither of for a moment, and then turned back towards the movement.
"Hi, Ginny."
In front of her stood a seventeen-year-old boy. A dark-haired, green-eyed boy who was all at once a complete stranger and immediately familiar.
"Hello, Harry."
X