TW: suicidal ideation. If this content is sensitive for you, please skip the third scene in this chapter and read the summary in the end notes instead.
MAY 2nd, 1997
The Riddle manor was smaller than the Malfoys', but it was much newer- perhaps built in the last two hundred years or so. It sat upon a hill overlooking a Muggle village down below, and had great swathes of ivy covering its brick exterior. The upper story was entirely dark, but on the ground floor several windows shown with light. They were not the first ones to arrive.
This house had apparently belonged to the Dark Lord's family at one point; he had reclaimed it after returning to corporeal form. According to Draco's father, the place had been in a state of utter disrepair until the last few months when the Dark Lord had decided that this was to be the Death Eaters' operational base.
Draco extended his arm for his mother to take, the light spring breeze tousling his hair a bit, carrying with it the scent of fresh-cut grass. Narcissa linked arms with him and allowed him to guide her forward, Lucius walking on her other side. These habits were ingrained in him; it was second-nature to fall into this dance of formality and etiquette. They were a welcome crutch for the evening ahead.
A simpering Peter Pettigrew opened the door for them, murmuring congratulations on Draco's victory at Hogwarts. Knowing that Pettigrew barely merited the Dark Mark etched into his arm, Draco ignored him- they were of different social strata, particularly now. He was the conquering hero of this party, far above needing to address the help.
The chatter of the party washed over him as he and his parents moved through the foyer and into a grand ballroom, sumptuously appointed with emerald curtains and a massive crystal chandelier. A dais had been built into one end of the room, upon which sat a large, ornate throne, engraved with serpents. At least for now, the throne was empty. Death Eaters and their wives congregated in little groups, spread all throughout the space. Faint orchestral music could be heard as Draco entered the room, though he couldn't immediately discern its source.
As soon as he entered the room, Draco was swarmed by Death Eaters, some of whom he had never even said two words to before. They jostled against each other to shake his hand, shouting their congratulations on his dual victory.
"The Dark Lord was wise to put his trust in you, boy! You have a bright future ahead."
"Those Order freaks didn't stand a chance, they never even saw it coming!"
"You manipulated that girl right into the Dark Lord's hands- well done!"
Deep down inside, part of Draco was screaming, but it was far away- he was vaguely aware of it, but he couldn't feel the absolute gut punch that that last sentence would have been on an ordinary day. Pleased with this new layer of his Occlumency abilities, he smirked and smiled and thanked the crowd as he was expected to do, a beaming Lucius Malfoy at his shoulder.
"Draco!" A triumphant Bellatrix pushed her way through the crowd, arms thrown high above her head as she reached out to embrace him. She wrapped him in a tight grip and kissed both of his cheeks, catching him off guard for a second. He recovered quickly and returned her embrace before she pulled back, grinning from ear to ear.
What a different reception than at Christmas. Not just by his aunt, but by all of the Death Eaters. He recalled them shouting to volunteer their daughters and nieces to take Ginny's place and bit back a sneer- here too, they were jostling for power, clawing their way to greater influence with the Dark Lord.
"Hello Aunt Bella," he said with what he hoped was a charming smile. "Thank you for the warm welcome."
"It's well-deserved, of course," she said, linking her arm with his and pulling him away from his parents. Draco made himself not look back over his shoulder. "I must admit, Draco, after your father's failures last year I had my doubts about how this would go, but you've proven me wrong! The Dark Lord was right to place his trust in you."
Draco did not fail to notice the subtle way his aunt distanced herself from "his father's failures last year," even though both of them had been there and taken to task by the Dark Lord for failing to retrieve Trelawney's prophecy.
"It is an honor to serve," he said. "I'm grateful for the chance to show my dedication."
"I'm sure the Dark Lord will reward you most handsomely," she continued, summoning a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. "A toast to your glory!"
Draco watched the wine, a deep red, slosh into the glass and reminded himself that it was not blood. He clinked his glass with his aunt's before drinking deeply, the alcohol bitter on his tongue.
The party proceeded in this way for a while, Draco mingling with various Death Eaters and their wives, with his aunt never far behind him. He caught sight of Snape from across the room and tried to make eye contact, but it appeared his old professor was avoiding him. As soon as Draco started to move toward that side of the room, Snape ducked out of sight.
Why? Draco wondered with a frown. Not wanting to share his victory party? Or something else? A memory of red hair flashed in his mind but Draco pushed it away immediately. It was not the time nor the place.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy," came an unfamiliar voice. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced." Draco turned away from where Snape had been to see an older man with a pockmarked face and slicked-back hair extending his hand for Draco to shake. Draco took it.
"Augustus Rookwood," the man said with a smile. "Your father and I used to work together quite a lot, back in the old days. Why, I remember when-"
"Ah, Rookwood, you're here too." Lucius seemed to materialize out of thin air at Draco's back, placing his hands on his son's shoulders. "Good to see you again."
"Same to you, Lucius, same to you," Rookwood said with a smile. "You'll have to forgive me for being late, I was just finishing up some work-"
"Of course," Lucius interrupted. "You're perfectly on time- I believe dinner is about to begin. Come, Draco."
"Good to meet you, Mr. Rookwood," Draco said before allowing his father to guide him away, his mental gears turning. Lucius Malfoy did nothing without a purpose. Why didn't he want Draco to speak to Rookwood alone?
He made a mental note to keep an eye on Rookwood, see what he could observe. He couldn't question his father about it here, not that Lucius was likely to give him a truthful answer anyways.
The party-goers meandered out of the ballroom and across the hall to the formal dining area, where a great feast had been laid out for them. The smell of roasted meat wafted toward Draco, making his mouth water. This meal looked fit to rival a Hogwarts feast.
He quickly realized that he didn't know where he was supposed to sit. He had learned very early on that the Death Eaters' ever-changing hierarchy was reflected in where they were allowed to place themselves in proximity to the Dark Lord. Surely that didn't mean...?
"Come, come," said Bellatrix, pulling him away from Lucius. "Our guest of honor."
Oh no.
He was helpless, unable to protest, as Bellatrix dragged him to the front of the room, seating him on what would be the Dark Lord's left-hand side. Severus Snape was seated directly across from him.
What is going on with you? he shot at Snape as he sat down, keeping his eyes trained on Snape's face. Snape ignored him, keeping his eyes focused on his plate. Draco opened his mouth to say something but paused when the back door to the dining room opened and the Dark Lord swept in.
He does like to make an entrance, Draco thought. Waiting for all of us to enter first.
Bellatrix was seated on his other side. Snape was his only potential lifeline here, though he didn't seem inclined to be helpful.
Draco held his breath as the seat at the head of the table slid out and the Dark Lord seated himself. The chatter of the room instantly died down as people murmured greetings to the Dark Lord, inclining their heads. Draco quickly did the same.
The Dark Lord looked around the room, eyes landing on each Death Eater in turn, before finally coming to rest on Draco, who focused on keeping his gaze respectfully downcast.
"Lucius, Narcissa," the Dark Lord said. "Trade seats with the Carrows."
There was a bit of murmuring further down the table as a quietly outraged Alecto Carrow yielded her seat to Narcissa before moving to sit further away from the Dark Lord. His parents were only a few seats down from him now.
The Dark Lord extended his hands to the table in greeting. "Welcome, my friends. Tonight we gather to celebrate our victories, to honor those most dedicated among our ranks, and to toast to an even brighter future ahead. Feast, my loyal followers, and be merry, for a new era is upon us."
The Death Eaters, Draco included, raised their glasses in a toast, murmuring, "To the Dark Lord!" before drinking. Snape picked up his fork and that seemed to serve as a cue to everyone else that it was acceptable to eat. The Dark Lord's plate remained empty.
Draco busied himself with his own food, hoping to avoid any prolonged conversation. He ruminated on the Dark Lord's words. To honor those most dedicated among our ranks. Was that meant to be him?
The Dark Lord didn't speak as they ate, but nor did he eat. He leaned back in his seat, fiddling with what Draco now knew was the Elder Wand, running it between his fingers and twirling it around- the picture of boredom. How many Death Eaters knew what that wand was, what it could do?
"Wormtail," the Dark Lord said, causing Pettigrew to jump to his feet at once, down near the end of the table. "Tend to Nagini." Pettigrew scurried away like the rat he was, through the door the Dark Lord had entered through. Draco silently thanked the universe that Nagini was apparently taking dinner elsewhere. If he had to eat while that disgusting snake devoured-
"Lucius, I believe congratulations are in order," the Dark Lord said. "Your son has redeemed you."
"Thank you, my Lord," Lucius said with a deep bow of his head. "I am honored."
"You may have your ring back," the Dark Lord said, turning to look at Draco. Draco looked down at his hand, where his father's signet ring rested on his middle finger. In truth, he had almost forgotten it- he had worn it for so many months now. He made to slide the ring off his finger, but Lucius spoke up.
"If it please you, my Lord," he said in a careful tone, "I believe Draco has earned the right to wear it."
The Dark Lord smiled, and Draco couldn't stop a cold thrill of fear from running down his spine. "Oh I quite agree," he said. "He is a boy no longer. Tell me Draco, when will you come of age?"
Draco swallowed his food before speaking. "June 5th, my Lord."
"Just over a month from now," the Dark Lord said, laying the Elder Wand down in front of him. Draco noticed the Resurrection Stone on his hand, still mounted in its ring setting. "We will have to celebrate. Tell me, have you given any thought as to what you'd like for a gift?"
Snape's eyes flicked to Draco's face in warning.
This is a test.
"No, my Lord," Draco said. "I haven't thought about it." And in truth, he hadn't. His birthday had been the furthest thing from his mind.
"But of course you've been too busy to worry about something as pedestrian as a birthday," the Dark Lord said, voicing Draco's thoughts. "If it were not for you, we would not be having this gathering to begin with."
Draco said nothing, unsure of where this was going.
"Who would have thought that my rise to greatness would hinge on the actions of a sixteen year old?" the Dark Lord continued. "Though perhaps there is something poetic in it- I took my first step toward greatness when I was sixteen and opened the Chamber of Secrets, to continue Salazar Slytherin's great work. Though you would know all about that, wouldn't you, Lucius?"
His father did not respond, and despite the depths of his Occlumency, Draco felt his stomach growing tighter.
"Yes, there is a certain poetry to it," the Dark Lord said, picking up the wand again. "Ginny Weasley nearly gave me a new body four years ago, and now she has given me the keys to immortality."
The room was silent now, the air thick with tension. Draco wasn't sure he was breathing. Did that mean that the Dark Lord already had the gem?
"For those who are unaware," the Dark Lord said, "last night marked the end of an era. Severus succeeded in doing what many claimed was impossible- he ended the great Albus Dumbledore's life, without the old man suspecting a thing." He started to clap, and the table quickly did as well. Snape inclined his head, his face completely stoic.
"Severus served as my trusted spy at Hogwarts these many years, and will be returning there in the fall as Headmaster."
This was apparently news to Snape, whose eyes widened almost imperceptibly before he nodded again.
"You anticipate that the school will be in your grasp soon then, my Lord?" Bellatrix asked.
"Without a doubt," he said, "and the Ministry as well. Dolohov has been hard at work on that front-" he lifted his wine glass in a quick toast, "-and now that I am the Master of Death, Harry Potter will be no match for me, no matter what protections Albus has cooked up for him. Dumbledore gone, and Harry Potter soon to fall." His voice had dropped to a whisper, his eyes on the wand.
"If Severus has been my spy at Hogwarts," he said, "then Draco has been my secret weapon. Through- what did you call it, Lucius? An ingenious use of the Imperius Curse?- and countless hours of research and work, Draco succeeded not only in bringing my Death Eaters to Hogwarts to assure Severus's triumph, but in fulfilling the late Sybill Trelawney's final prophecy, detailing my eventual defeat of Harry Potter."
That's...an interesting way to spin it.
"I am now Master of Death!" the Dark Lord declared, his voice growing louder and reverberating in the space. "I am master of the Elder Wand, gifted by Death itself from Dumbledore's cold, dead hands! I am master of the Resurrection Stone, that gateway between the living and the dead. I am master of the true cloak of invisibility, woven from the fabric of everlasting life. I, who have gone further than any down the road to conquering Death!"
"Praise be to the Dark Lord," Snape said, lifting his glass. The other Death Eaters, Draco included, were quick to follow suit. The Dark Lord smiled.
No mention of the gem.
"Death's gifts are numerous," the Dark Lord said after a moment, "with the best yet to come. Tell me, Rookwood, how fares our honored guest?"
Draco's eyes snapped to Rookwood's face- he was seated directly next to Snape. Lucius was carefully looking elsewhere. The old man wiped his mouth with a napkin before smiling at the Dark Lord.
"Very well, my Lord," he said. "Preliminary results are excellent. I hope to have more complete information for you in the coming weeks."
The coming weeks. Weeks?
"Excellent," the Dark Lord said. "I'm sure your expertise will get the job done. Do be gentle though- I don't want her permanently damaged."
Deep, deep down at the bottom of the ocean, Draco was screaming, a rusted old pirate's chest sealed shut nearby.
MAY 3rd, 1997
Harry drummed his fingers against the fold-out table in his compartment on the Hogwarts Express, his mind racing a million miles a minute. They had held Dumbledore's funeral this morning, a devastating affair for all parties. Harry had been cornered by Rufus Scrimgeour afterwards, trying and failing yet again to get Harry to endorse the actions of the Ministry. Scrimgeour had promised a full-scale inquiry into Ginny's disappearance, but Harry knew the truth. They had already exhausted their leads.
Lupin had told him that Aurors had indeed gone to Godric's Hollow, and discovered Ginny's school robe and her broomstick on the outskirts of the village, but nothing else- no signs of a struggle, nothing destroyed, no dead bodies or tortured Muggles. Kingsley had interviewed several people who had seen someone matching Ginny's description walking down the street after dark, but she was alone, and nothing had happened to her that any of the Muggles remembered. The Potter house, or what was left of it, remained undisturbed.
As for Malfoy Manor, a warrant had quickly been issued the previous day to search for Draco Malfoy or any signs of Death Eater activity, anything that would lead towards Ginny. Harry was unsure if the Aurors on that assignment were that stupid or if Malfoy was just that good, but they had found absolutely nothing of interest. No evidence that Malfoy had been back to the manor since Christmas, and still no sign of Lucius.
And maybe they weren't at Malfoy Manor, Harry mused. Perhaps they thought that was too obvious, and were in fact hiding out somewhere unknown to the Order or the Ministry. He ran his hand through his hair as he looked out at the countryside rushing by, frustrated. Kingsley, whether due to fear of political reprisal or a genuine disbelief in Harry's suspicion, had refused to interview Blaise Zabini again, and Kathleen's mother had taken her away by Apparition yesterday, not wanting to wait for the Hogwarts Express. They were no closer to finding Ginny, and Harry was running out of ideas.
"Hermione, what are you writing?" Ron asked. Hermione was scribbling furiously on a sheet of parchment, the inkwell splashing a little as she dipped into it.
"Everything we know about... well, everything," she said without looking up.
"That's going to take a lot of parchment," Ron said, and despite everything, Harry laughed.
"It's like a puzzle," Hermione continued. "I'm sure we're missing pieces- Kathleen's tampered memories are evidence of that- but we have to lay out all the pieces we do have in order to figure out what's missing. We can't count on the Ministry for this. Remember what I said about most wizards not having an ounce of logic?"
Harry nodded, remembering Snape's puzzle protecting the Sorcerer's Stone. "Alright, so what do we know?"
Hermione blew out a breath and put her quill down. "Let's start with things that we're absolutely certain of, and then move to things we can reasonably infer. We're absolutely certain that Ginny is missing, and she went missing on the night of May 1st, the same night that Death Eaters broke into Hogwarts and murdered Dumbledore."
Harry and Ron nodded as she underlined something she had written.
"We're absolutely certain that both Snape and Malfoy are Death Eaters."
Another nod, another underline.
"We're absolutely certain that..." Hermione bit her lip. "Well, I don't know exactly what it means, but we can be certain that Dumbledore suspected something to do with Ginny, as he asked Tonks to keep an eye on her and report anything unusual, reasonably meaning that he suspected something unusual might be occurring."
"And we know that that started after the Christmas holidays," added Harry.
"Yes, exactly," Hermione said, underling another sentence.
"That timeframe lines up with Kathleen's Imperius Curse," Ron said. "When Malfoy started to want to know more about Ginny."
The trio stayed silent for a moment, no one wanting to voice the thought that was echoing in Harry's head. Could Dumbledore have known about the Imperius Curse, and not done anything about it?
"Perhaps Dumbledore had reason to suspect Ginny would be a target," Hermione said finally, "but he didn't count on Malfoy's attention being on Kathleen instead. I'm going to put that under 'reasonably infer.'" She wrote something down and drew a star next to it.
"A target for what, though?" Ron asked.
"That's what we don't know," Hermione said. "Or part of it anyway." She wrote the question down toward the bottom of the parchment.
"During Malfoy's conversation with Snape after Slughorn's party," Harry said, "he said 'my assignments are safe.' And then a little later, he said 'He'll have all the information he needs to fulfill the prophecy, and the repairs will be completed on time.' The repairs were clearly about the Vanishing Cabinet- that doesn't seem to have anything to do with Ginny, now that we know she left by broomstick. And the prophecy has to be about me and Voldemort- Trelawney went missing over the summer, remember? Along with Lucius Malfoy."
Hermione was scribbling away, making notes.
"Tell us again about this conversation Ginny overheard about the Deathstick, Harry," she said.
Harry took a deep breath, wracking his brain for anything he might be forgetting. "Malfoy and Zabini met up in the library, where Malfoy asked for Zabini's help in researching it. He said it was an unbeatable wand, and that all the Death Eaters were looking for it. That it had been lost for over a century, and he was going to... to research it in the library! Kathleen said he gave her a list of books, right?"
"You think he might have been making her do the research for him?" Ron asked.
"We have to look at the conversation through a different lens now," Harry said, "now that we know Kathleen was under the Imperius Curse. Ginny was in the library with Kathleen, and they just happen to overhear this conversation? What if Malfoy wanted her to overhear it?"
"But why?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Harry admitted. Hermione bit her lip.
"Ok, we can reasonably infer that that conversation was staged, I think," she said, writing it down. "We just don't know why."
"Kathleen said Malfoy gave Ginny some information at the Valentine's Day party, information he wanted her to research," said Ron. "And he didn't want her to tell anyone else about it. He was talking about a weapon. Seems to fit."
Hermione nodded. "What do we think about him 'observing' her for a couple weeks first? Trying to learn what would be convincing to her maybe?"
"Maybe," Harry said. "He was taking a pretty big risk if you think about it, with giving her information and trying to make sure no one else figured anything out until it was too late. He had to know about our..."
"Our relationship dynamics, yeah," Hermione said. "What he could get away with and what he couldn't."
"I bet that's why he let that fight happen in the corridor," Ron said. "Remember that smart-ass comment he made about kissing Ginny? And then when we punched him he didn't fight back at all. He was turning us against each other."
Harry's face felt hot at the memory. Malfoy knew exactly how to bait him, and he had fallen right for it.
Hermione sighed again. "Ok. Is there anything else we're missing, anything that we know for certain or that we can reasonably assume?"
"Yeah, Malfoy's a cunt," said Ron, making Hermione gasp in outrage at his language and Harry chuckle grimly.
"Yeah, we know that for certain," Harry said.
"More questions to consider: why did Malfoy release Kathleen's Imperius Curse after he left Hogwarts? He just didn't need it anymore? Seems an awful big risk to take, knowing Kathleen would run right to us," Hermione said.
"He felt confident that he had covered his tracks," Harry said. "Kathleen's memories aren't admissible to the Ministry now without Legilimency, and he made sure she would never agree to that." He tightened his hand into a fist. "And I'm starting to think he's right- we can guess all we want about what happened, but it doesn't tell us what to do now. As far as the Ministry can tell, Ginny isn't at Malfoy Manor, and neither is Malfoy. She was in Godric's Hollow, but they can't see any evidence that anything happened there."
"That's not entirely true," Hermione said, pulling out a copy of the day's Daily Prophet. Dumbledore's solemn face was front and center on the front page, giving Harry an unexpected gut punch.
"I didn't notice this article at first, what with all the space given to Dumbledore's funeral," Hermione continued. "But look at this."
On page 4, in much smaller print, a headline read: COLUMN OF LIGHT IN GODRIC'S HOLLOW MYSTIFIES MUGGLES, STUMPS AURORS
Harry snatched the paper from her, skimming the small article.
"On the night of May 1st, Muggle residents of Godric's Hollow reported seeing a column of golden light to the west of the village. The light lasted for approximately ten seconds, according to reports, and is suspected to have a magical source, though Ministry officials confirm that the magical signature remains unidentified. There are no injuries associated with the event. An investigation is ongoing in this matter. Follow the Daily Prophet for more exclusive updates," he read. "Kingsley didn't say anything about this to us."
"Probably because he doesn't know what it means," Hermione said. "It's weird that the Aurors can't identify the magical signature. A spell of that magnitude would leave a trace behind."
Harry remembered Dumbledore's words about Voldemort's magic leaving a trace in the cave and grimaced. "Do you think it could be Voldemort, and the Prophet just isn't saying?"
"I think Kingsley would have said something," Hermione said. "Or Lupin. And to be honest, it doesn't tell us much- we already know this involves Voldemort. I'm more worried about the fact that they couldn't identify what spell effect it was. That had to have been a massive amount of energy- Muggles reported seeing it from miles away, Kingsley said."
"Dad's still investigating, separate from the Aurors," Ron said. "Bill will help once he's well enough, and Charlie said he's coming home soon."
Hermione scribbled some notes. "Alright. And we'll help as soon as Harry is able to leave the Dursleys, assuming they haven't found her by then."
Harry's stomach clenched at the thought of Ginny still being missing by his birthday.
"I wish I could just leave now," he grumbled. "I feel useless just sitting around."
"It's better than walking around waiting for Death Eaters to catch you," said Ron. "You're our main hope now, Harry, with Dumbledore gone. We've got to protect you for as long as we can."
Harry grimaced, the weight of responsibility heavy on his shoulders. "Thanks for that."
"Speaking of," said Hermione. "Let's talk about the Horcruxes." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You said Dumbledore thought there was seven?"
"Six," Harry corrected her. "Seven soul pieces, but one's still in his body."
"Right, okay. So six."
"Four, now," Harry said. "Riddle's diary was destroyed, and so was Marvolo Gaunt's ring. We don't know about the locket." He pulled out R.A.B.'s fake locket and slammed it angrily on the table. "It could be gone but it might not be. There's three more. Dumbledore thought they would be items related to the founders, but Voldemort could never get his hands on Gryffindor's sword."
"So something from Hufflepuff and something from Ravenclaw," Hermione said, writing on a new piece of parchment.
"And Nagini," Harry said.
"He made a living thing into a Horcrux?" Ron asked.
"Dumbledore thought so," Harry said. "It's like their minds are linked- he can control her even beyond what's normal for a Parselmouth. I saw what he took from Hufflepuff- a cup. Not sure about Ravenclaw."
"Ok, so that's the things identified, at least in theory," said Hermione. "Now it's a matter of finding them."
"Voldemort's downfall is his pride," Harry said. "He'll have them in significant places, places important to his history."
Hermione nodded. "While you're at the Dursleys, can you start making a list of places to check? Places significant to him, or places you came across in your lessons with Dumbledore?"
Harry nodded, grateful to be given something to do but not wanting to admit it.
"Yeah, I'll go back over them and make notes on a timeline, too- he had clearly made multiple by the time he applied to work at Hogwarts."
Ron shuddered. "Imagine having You-Know-Who as a teacher."
Harry looked out the window again. "I didn't want to say this in front of Kingsley and Lupin, but… what if the Deathstick is real? What if Voldemort really does have an unbeatable wand?"
"There's no such thing as an unbeatable wand, Harry," Hermione said. "Lots of wizards have bragged about having powerful wands over the years, but it's just that- a brag. Every single one of them was defeated at some point, even the owner of this Deathstick."
"You've heard of it before?" Ron asked.
"I looked it up yesterday, after Kathleen's interview. Malfoy checked out every single book in the library about the Deathstick or about Loxias, its owner, and Kathleen's name is right underneath his. Loxias died, though it isn't quite clear who killed him- so his wand was not unbeatable."
"When did he die?" Harry asked.
"Mid 18th century."
"In other words, ages ago," said Ron. "What happened after that?"
"Nothing, as far as I can tell. Lots of people claimed to have killed him- he had really awful views on Muggleborns- but they all lived ordinary lives after that. No record of his wand being passed down, or anyone using it to do anything unusual."
"Which tracks with what Malfoy told Zabini," Harry said. "It must be real, and whether it's actually unbeatable or not, Voldemort thinks it is."
"Why, though?" Hermione bit her lip again. "It's not exactly recent history, and like I said, lots of people over the years have made claims about having unbeatable wands. What's special about this one?"
"Add that to the 'don't know' column," said Ron.
They sat in silence for a moment. The "don't know" column was getting big, too big for comfort.
"There's something else, but I don't know if it's connected," Harry said. "I went back to the Astronomy Tower yesterday to get my cloak, and I couldn't find it."
Hermione gasped. "Your invisibility cloak? Oh no!"
"Could Snape have stolen it?" Ron asked.
"I don't see how," Harry said. "I ripped it off to chase after him, and didn't lose sight of him until he was off the grounds. Unless, like you said Hermione, he could be in two places at once."
"Maybe one of the other Death Eaters?" Hermione suggested.
"Maybe," Harry said. "But they would have had to double back, and to know that it was even there in the first place. Which a random Death Eater wouldn't, but Malfoy could have- he knows I have the cloak, he caught me using it on the train last year."
"Could Malfoy be in two places at once?" Ron asked. "I fought with him down in the corridors, I never saw him even get to the Astronomy Tower door."
"Or he told someone about it, maybe," said Harry. "There was so much chaos, I guess maybe we wouldn't notice someone slip back up there."
The words rang false as he said them, but he didn't know how else to explain it. He saw Hermione write "invisibility cloak?" at the bottom of her parchment on Ginny.
"Losing the cloak is really unfortunate," Hermione said. "It's saved us so many times. I'll add one to my list for supplies, it's too dangerous to not have one."
"List for supplies?" Harry asked.
"I'm making a go bag for us, in case something happens and we have to leave quickly. With Dumbledore gone… it's anyone's guess what the world is going to turn into." She took a deep breath. "Which is why I've decided to Obliviate my parents and send them away."
Ron's jaw dropped. "Blimey, Hermione. That's... that might not be reversible, you know that, right?"
Hermione's lip quivered. "I know. But if the Death Eaters were to find them, I... I couldn't live with myself. This way, they'll be safe, and I won't have to worry about them." She looked away, tears in her eyes, and Ron reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.
"You're the bravest person I've ever met, 'Mione," he said. "We don't deserve you."
"Hermione, are you sure?" Harry asked. "You don't have to go with me."
"Oh stop it with that," Ron said before Hermione could open her mouth. "We're both coming and you know it. Don't try to push us away now."
Like he had pushed Ginny away.
Harry leaned back in his seat and rested his head against the window, grief gripping his heart. If he hadn't pushed Ginny away, if he had let her help with the information about the Horcruxes, would she still have fallen into Malfoy's clutches? Or would she be here right now, holding his hand, as they prepared to try to save the world?
MAY 17th, 1997
She wouldn't get to take her O.W.L.s. That was the thought currently bouncing around Ginny's brain as she stared at the ceiling, waiting for the moment when Rookwood would return. She didn't know how long she had been here, but she did know she was never getting out. She couldn't die, and Rookwood wouldn't let her go unless she yielded the gem to Voldemort, which she couldn't find a way to do, even if she wanted to. It was like it didn't exist, other than the moments it was saving her pathetic life.
This is my punishment.
It had been foolish to think that death was her punishment for giving Voldemort the Deathly Hallows- that's what Rookwood had told her they were called. No, death was simple, death was finite, death was like falling asleep. That wouldn't do, not for the evil she had unleashed on the world.
Harry would die because of her- at her hand, basically. He might already be dead- Rookwood told her precious little about the outside world. His face floated in her mind every time she closed her eyes lately. Would Voldemort tell him of her betrayal? It seemed like a thing he might think was funny. She imagined the light in Harry's eyes fading, his last thought being how much he hated her.
That was her punishment, too- to lose him, permanently, in every way. She would continue in this wretched existence, forever, alone, with the knowledge that the world outside had been entirely destroyed, or would be soon.
Dumbledore wasn't coming. Dumbledore wasn't coming because he was dead- had died the same night that Ginny left, according to Rookwood. The Order of the Phoenix would crumble without him, and now that Voldemort had the Hallows...
She closed her eyes for a moment, flexing her fingers as she took a shallow breath. No one was coming. There would be no reprieve for her.
She had screamed and cried at first. Screamed obscenities and curses, which had descended into wails for her mother and pleas for mercy. She still remembered the first time she had begged for Rookwood to kill her, to end it all, and Rookwood's only response had been, "If you know how to do that, do let me know."
She didn't, of course. If she did, she would tell him. Then her punishment would be over.
She didn't yell much now. There was no point. Rookwood didn't care and there was no one else to hear her.
It wasn't constant though, the pain. There were times when Rookwood left her alone, like now. Sometimes it was to sleep, and other times appeared to have no purpose at all. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he had other people to torture. Or maybe he just felt like giving her a break.
Sometimes Ginny thought it would be easier if she had been given to someone like Bellatrix Lestrange instead. At least with her, she was consistent- consistently malevolent, but consistent. Rookwood treated her like the subject of a fascinating experiment, like this was something she had signed up for or should be grateful to be a part of. The contrast of Rookwood's idle chatter while he "worked" on her was maddening.
Maddening too were the moments of "respite," as Rookwood called them. He said he wanted to control for outside factors, only testing one variable at a time. She couldn't be allowed to starve, or rot away from bed sores. He would cast the Imperius Curse on her, unstrap her from the table, and have her tend to her needs. She ate meals, took showers, used the bathroom, stretched and walked around the room. And though she hated herself for it, she had begun to look forward to those moments. The Imperius Curse felt so good. Like everything was right in the world, and all she had to do was eat a sandwich in order for it to keep being that way. It wasn't true, of course- nothing was right in the world, nothing ever would be right again. But Ginny hoped that, in the grand scheme of things, the universe wouldn't begrudge her this one little indulgence.
Ginny had two indulgences, really. One was the Imperius Curse, and one was Alys. She couldn't figure out if Alys was real, somehow, or just a figment of Ginny's imagination, her mind's way of trying to protect her from the horrors outside her body. She supposed it didn't really matter- Ginny's experiences of Alys's world were real enough, whether they existed independently of her or not.
She hadn't told Rookwood about the visions, and he seemed unaware of them. She had been about to, more than once, but something always held her back. What if Rookwood found a way to take them away? Then she would lose some of her only moments of peace in this never-ending torment.
She didn't think Rookwood would be interested in the visions anyway. Other than the first one, Alys lived an incredibly ordinary life. She was definitely a Muggle, and appeared to live sometime in the Middle Ages. She lived in a small village in a clearing surrounded by forest on three sides and farmland on the other. She lived with her elderly grandmother as well as her older sister, her sister's husband, and her little toddler-aged nephew whom she doted on. She was clearly in love with Henry, though she often acted like she wasn't. She was a healer in their village, taught by her grandmother, and spent lots of time either gathering herbs, making medicines, or treating villagers, who seemed susceptible to what they called "the plague." They seemed like they must be many different illnesses to Ginny, for just as Alys had said, none of the symptoms remained constant. What's more, they never appeared contagious- someone could be afflicted by "the plague" and be the only one of their family to get sick. Some got better, but most died, despite Alys's best efforts. It made her bitter, Ginny could tell, but every time she tried to talk about it, she was admonished against it.
What were they so afraid of? Even the trees have ears here, you know that. But who was listening?
It was an interesting problem to try to figure out, a little puzzle for her brain away from the pain. Much more interesting than staring at the ceiling, much safer than her only other option for company.
The door opened and Ginny's palms began to sweat.
"Oh good, you're awake. I was just doing a bit of light reading and came across a spell that might be effective. Let's give it a try and see what we find, shall we?"
It was nighttime now, and Ginny was floating above a clearing. The full moon shown brightly over the land, the sky awash in starlight. Ginny could see so many more stars here than she could in real life. In her time?
It doesn't make a difference anyway, she reminded herself. Don't question a good thing.
She was floating above a group of standing stones. She had never seen this place before, but the woods felt the same. Ginny had never visited standing stones before, though she knew they were a popular Muggle tourist attraction. They held some sort of religious significance, if she remembered right.
Several figures emerged from the edge of the forest and Ginny gasped. About a dozen women from the village entered the clearing, Alys included, and they were all naked.
The moonlight shone beautifully on Alys's skin, giving her an otherworldly glow as she approached the standing stones. The other women held back, apparently waiting for her.
Alys approached one edge of the standing stones and lifted her arms above her head, toward the moon. Her full breasts stretched with her as she moved, her dark brown hair brushing against them.
"We gather together on this full moon night seeking your blessing and counsel, oh great Queen," Alys intoned. "We who hold the faith of the ancient ones, we who seek to walk between worlds and honor your most sacred name. Let my hands do your work, let my mouth speak your words, let my feet walk your path."
"As it was, as it is, as it ever shall be," the other women repeated as one, still keeping their distance. Alys's grandmother and sister were among them, Ginny realized.
What was this? Some kind of religious ceremony?
Alys moved her right hand between two stones like she was cutting something before stepping through, entering the ring. She stood tall and proud, feeling timeless and powerful as she often did to Ginny. She was in her element here.
Alys stood to the side of one stone like it was a gate as the other women filed in one by one, moving to make a ring within the ring of stones. Between each gap stood a woman, evenly spaced. Their number wasn't an accident.
Alys moved to the center of the circle and raised her hands again.
"Maiden cast your circle white. Weave a web of glowing light. Stag and bear, hawk and wolf, bind us to thee!"
"As it was, as it is, as it ever shall be," the women repeated.
"Mother cast your circle red. Weave the strands of glowing threads. Earth and Air, Fire and Water, bind us to thee!"
"As it was, as it is, as it ever shall be."
"Old Crone cast your circle black. Weave the wisdom that we lack. Sunlight, moonlight, Starlight's shimmer, bind us to thee!"
"As it was, as it is, as it ever shall be."
Alys looked ecstatic now, though Ginny could not discern any physical difference in the surroundings.
"Our gods remember us!" she shouted. "We are not forgotten! Rejoice, for our Great Mother shines down on us all!"
"Hail, Great Queen," the women chorused. "We are not forgotten."
"As it was, as it is, as it ever shall be!" shouted Alys, throwing her arms toward the women. "We stand in this place beyond place, in this time beyond time, and remember the wisdom of the ancient ones. Spirits of this world and all others, hear our call! Join with us now in our sacred rite."
Again, nothing discernible happened, but the women threw their arms up to the heavens in unison, their heads tilted back in wonder. Were they seeing something Ginny wasn't?
The women started to dance, spinning in a circle within the stones, and Alys tilted her face to the moon with her eyes closed, her smiling face the picture of peace.
Third scene: It is May 17th; Ginny has been in Voldemort's house for 16 days. The entire scene consists of Ginny's thoughts and reflections on her circumstances. The only things she knows about the outside world are that Voldemort has the Hallows and that Dumbledore is dead. She believes that her time with Rookwood is her "punishment" for inadvertently giving Voldemort the Hallows and thus, she believes, allowing Harry to be killed and the world as she knows it to be destroyed. She expresses suicidal ideation, complicated by the fact that she is unable to die. She ruminates on how Rookwood uses the Imperius Curse for her to attend to her needs like eating and going to the bathroom, and she feels guilty for enjoying her time under the curse. She also reflects on her continued visions of Alys and whether or not they are real or something her mind has made up to protect her own sanity. Alys appears to be a Muggle healer from the Middle Ages who lives with her grandmother and her older sister's family, including her four year old nephew.
I know things are dark at the moment, but I promise we won't leave Ginny here forever! She doesn't have hope at the moment, but we'll have to see how the story continues to see what changes are in store for her.
