Twelve: Sins of the father

Ginny and Astoria were up in a flash, wands at the ready. Facing them were Nott, Zabini and Harper. They stood lined up, arms and wands held loosely at their sides. Each of them was smiling, though these were cruel smiles. The moonlight danced on their faces, then shifted to the tall figure of Thorfinn Rowle standing behind them. He too was smiling, like an indulgent Professor supervising his favourite students' end year exam.

"The Astronomy Tower, I should have guessed. You always were a dramatic bitch," Nott hissed.

Ginny's eyes darted sideways, searching for an escape, or even Snape. But Rowle was blocking the stairwell—he winked when saw her look—and their wretched Headmaster was nowhere to be found.

Fine, it didn't matter. She'd beaten them before and she'd only improved since. Not to mention, she had Astoria by her side too. Only this time, there was an actual Death Eater thrown into the mix.

"Is he here to make sure I don't hurt you?" Ginny asked, gesturing towards Rowle.

Rowle's smile broadened as he bowed to an invisible audience. "You've proven yourself to be a dangerous psychopath. I'm sure Professor Rookwood would agree we need to keep the talented students safe."

"Speaking of talent, why don't you display your gift for disappearing, Astoria?" Zabini drawled.

"Fuck you," Astoria said, jutting out her chin.

"We're not playing around here. We don't want to hurt you, but it's time to choose a side," Harper said, looking like he meant it, the prick. No doubt he thought he was the nice guy here.

"Fuck. You." Astoria spread her feet out slightly, assuming a duellist's pose like they'd practised two weeks ago in a D.A. meeting.

"Fine. We can tell Daphne we tried," Nott said, raising his wand. He at least did not seem bothered in the slightest.

"You do remember how this ended last time, don't you?" Ginny egged him on. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was beating in her chest like a war drum. Yet unlike last time, her opponents didn't look like Dolohov or the rest, just like themselves. Whether that meant Ginny had gotten better or the world had gotten worse, was anyone's guess.

"Quite. Which is why we have practised." Nott's tone was void of any hesitation. "Professor Rookwood prepared us for your Transmogrifian Torture curse."

"Given his lack of pedagogical talent, I'm not too worried," Astoria said, tossing her hair from her face.

"And I know a lot more curses than just that one," Ginny added.

My dearest Ginny, you know more curses than most Death Eaters at this point. My followers always preferred to use what worked, rather than innovate. But you're different. And now, you will reap what you've sown, Tom whispered. She could almost feel him adjusting her pose, straightening her back and loosening her death grip on her wand. Or were those memories of what Harry had taught her?

"Funny, so do we," Zabini said. "Let's see how many we can use before you lose all sense of past and present."

"Have you figured out yet why you're going to die, Weasley?" Nott asked. The need for her to understand her supposed sins was burning in his eyes.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your family," she said, even as she tried to ignore the implications of his words. Last time, they'd sought to hurt her. In this new world order, they'd see her dead. It seemed she'd finally found a limit to Yaxley's and Percy's protection.

She exchanged a glance with Astoria and found the same determination there. "I don't think I can afford to hold back," she told her friend.

Astoria blanched, then nodded. "You're right. Guess we're all combatants first here, students second." Ginny could see something in her friend deflate. Last time she'd cursed Nott, Astoria had berated her. Now she was resigned to doing the same. And that decision came with its own cost.

"I do wish Susan was here. She'd have blown up the tower by now," Ginny said, forcing herself to chuckle. Anything was better than to dwell on the loss of innocence. Astoria smiled wanly.

"Don't laugh!" Nott screamed. Last time—the night she'd cursed him—he'd snapped like that too.

Like last time, she sought to take them by surprise.

Let the harvest begin, Tom hissed.

Her wand was up in a flash, the stunner leaving its tip with a bright flash and impossible speed. Like last time, Zabini was too slow. She could see his eyes widen, and her own smile grow to match. But then a shield sprang up and ate her stunner without difficulty.

"No cheating," Rowle said, wagging his finger as he lowered his wand again. Merlin, he was fast.

Well he did make it into the Prophet's top 10 most wanted list. Not all of my followers are fools.

Spells went flying. A crackling purple spell burst forth from Nott's wand towards her. As she ducked underneath it, she smelled something rotten. It slammed into one of the buttresses of the Astronomy Tower with a deafening crack. Stone exploded and rained down on her and Astoria.

They split in opposite directions, like they'd done a thousand times during the D.A. sessions. Harper went for her friend, hurling spell after spell at her. His at least seemed nonlethal. Zabini and Nott lacked his restraint. The former seemed particularly eager to get back at her for nearly taking him out before the fight had properly started—again. He lobbed three different spells her way, each gleaming like phosphor in the night. They left behind burning puddles wherever they landed.

Ginny just dodged, jumped and shielded, falling into a familiar rhythm as she danced across the Astronomy Tower. Occasionally, she hurled a low-power offensive spell their way, minor hexes and jinxes that might inconvenience, but wouldn't truly hurt—not that any of them connected. Most of her attention was devoted to fending off two opponents at once.

She was faster, both in the air and on the ground. She was better too, while she recognised many of the curses they used, they lacked the strength she knew they could possess. The fire Zabini brought forth scalded, but didn't scorch. Nott hurled four conjured glass daggers at her, but were caught by her shield.

It left her an opening. "Rei Enemor!"

A whip of purple flame—one of Dolohov's favourites—burst from her wand and lunged for her two opponents. Zabini caught it on a shield—just. Yet even as he struggled and grimaced to hold it, Nott hurled another glass dagger at her. Ginny rolled to the side and could feel something clip her shoulder. Her other shoulder protested too when she landed on it.

She swore and jumped up again, only just in time to dodge Zabini's conjured vines. They slammed into the ground next to her, then turned and raced towards her. A quick gust of wind blew them towards Zabini, only for Nott's flame spell to devour them.

A cutting curse, she caught on her shield, seeing it scratch her shield at eye level. She was halfway another curse before she had to abandon it to dispel a flock of crows heading her way.

"Merlin. Expelliarmus." Her disarming charm flew wide, even as another set of vines rushed over the stone floor towards her. She leapt over it and could feel her ankle protest as she landed.

"Fuck," she swore. She needed to go more on the offensive, or she'd mess up sooner or later.

"Incendio!" Her fire was snuffed out before it even made it halfway. Whatever she held back before, whether in practice duels or against them before, she now let loose. This was like the Department of Mysteries. Real stakes. Real spells.

Real consequences, Tom added.

"Tro za!" she screamed, making an upwards flick with her wand.

A gust of wind burst forth and slammed into Nott. He was lifted off the ground and she could see him fly over the walls. She'd killed him, she knew that as he disappeared from sight. But before elation and horror could set in, he resurfaced, carried back onto the battlements by a spell. Rowle gently steered him to the ground with his wand.

"Really, Weasley? Try all you want, but no one's dying but you, trust me," Rowle said. "And then your precious Order will know what it means to lose friends to a knife in the dark. You'll all pay for what you did to the Notts."

It wasn't fair. How could they win four to two? She was already panting as she and Astoria shuffled towards each other. Her friend had a cut on her cheek, but was otherwise unfazed. Harper looked far worse for the wear, his nose broken and his robes singed.

"Bloody Rowle, if not for him, Harper would be done three times over," her friend swore, wiping blood from her face. The red smudged her white gloves.

Nott, Zabini and Harper regrouped too, looking at them like predators cornering prey at the end of a long hunt. They looked winded, but not nearly as much as Ginny felt. Of course, they could afford to make mistakes, knowing that Rowle would fix it. She and Astoria couldn't. Every move had to be perfect. And that had cost them.

This couldn't be it, could it? She'd known she might die, but she'd always expected that to be while destroying a Horcrux. At Dolohov's hand perhaps, or Rookwood's. Not at the hand of her classmates. This wasn't right. She couldn't go out like this.

Harry would have been so disappointed.

"Pleaga!" she yelled, weaving the figure eight as the shimmering force of destruction left her wand. She didn't watch it, instead already forming a cutting curse. After that came a small stormcloud of darkness that sped towards Harper.

Astoria matched her spell for spell. She had grimaced sometimes when using those spells in the D.A. Now, she didn't hesitate. Streams of fire burst forth from her wand, followed by a claw of pure darkness that grasped for Zabini's throat.

They couldn't give up. She wouldn't. "Fulmen atenor!" Lightning crackled and sped towards Nott. That one Rowle caught only just in time, the flash lighting up Nott's terrified face even as the thunder was contained before his eyes. Even Rowle looked impressed at that.

He almost missed that one, keep going, Tom encouraged her, sounding elated.

A choking curse was parried by Nott. Astoria summoned a snake. Another flame whip went whizzing by. Astoria summoned a firestorm that would have set the whole tower alight like a beacon, if Rowle hadn't snuffed it out. A stunner went wide. A ray of bright white energy sent the three Slytherins scattering. None of it was getting through, but at least Ginny and Astoria were on the offensive now. Let them run and dodge.

She cast a crippling curse, Zabini transfigured a piece of rock into a shield that intercepted it. Astoria made it rain acid, Rowle's metal umbrella caught it. Both she and Astoria were panting now, the strain showing on their face. But they couldn't, mustn't lose.

Nott's cutting curse caught her in the stomach, even as she twisted to the side. She almost doubled over and clutched her midriff, her hand coming away bloody. He smiled. The sick bastard smiled.

Lucius Malfoy had smiled like that too, as Ron had choked on blood. She hadn't seen the spell he'd used then. But she'd found it since then, and learned it.

"Sequi necisque!" Her wand spun in her hand and she felt the power rush through her veins.

Good!

Three circles of grey light formed around Nott's head, then pulsated as they closed in. She could see the instinctive fear, and then the reassuring smile as he knew Rowle would catch it. The circles pulsated again. Nott's eyes widened as his wand slipped from his grip and he sunk to his knees, coughing. His hands reached for his throat even as blood spurt forth from his mouth, running down his chin.

She'd gotten him.

Somehow, she'd gotten him.

Harper looked sideways in shock. His distraction lasted only a single second, but it was enough. Astoria's amethyst-coloured spell slipped past his guard and he slumped to the ground, motionless. Zabini panicked and conjured a massive shield that caught the three burning arrows Ginny lobbed at him.

And then, everyone looked at the staircase, where lay the slumped figure of Thorfinn Rowle. Standing over him, like a conqueror come to call, stood Draco Malfoy. Before Zabini could even think about angling his shield, a stunner from Malfoy slammed into him.

And just like that, peace returned to the Astronomy Tower. Some fires still burned, pools of acid still dug their way into the stone and a solitary snake slithered across the surface, but the fight was over. Nott was twitching and coughing. Ginny almost absentmindedly threw a countercurse that saw him go still. Only Ginny and Astoria were still standing.

And Draco Malfoy.

Draco Malfoy had just stepped in and—and what? Hexed Death Eaters and friends? Saved them? It made no sense. And still, the proof was all around her in the scattered forms lying on the ground. Admittedly, his stunner had been a lot tamer than her own spellwork, but it had knocked out Zabini and Rowle just as easily.

He stepped over the limp forms of his housemates and came to a halt a few steps in front of her and Astoria.

"Are you alright?" he asked, the concern even stranger on his face than the exhaustion. And Merlin did he look exhausted. Up close, it was even worse than she'd been able to spy from afar. Bags under his bloodshot eyes, his hair a mess and his pallor more akin to that of a corpse than a man, Pureblood aristocrat or not.

I will concede that I use my followers poorly, Tom laughed. But it is what they are here for. Tools to be used and discarded. And by the looks of it, young Malfoy has become a faulty tool.

"You helped us," Ginny said, as if saying those words could dispel the illusion or dream or whatever it was that was unfolding right now.

"I knew you had it in you," Astoria said smugly. She sounded infinitely less surprised than Ginny herself had. Ginny gave her friend a questioning look, but Astoria just smirked.

Nott groaned. Ginny quickly hit him with a stunner. "I guess we should go." She turned on her heel. This would take some time to make sense of. Time and energy, neither of which she had right now. She'd just duelled to the death. That's what it had been right? Rowle and Nott had said as much. Her schoolmates—despised schoolmates but still—had tried to kill her. And she'd tried to kill them in return.

Right now, she needed space. She pushed past an equally baffled-looking Malfoy and was almost through the staircase, when his voice caught her.

"Weasley, wait!"

She came to a stop and turned around again, hand reaching for her wand. Had Malfoy snapped out of his momentary common sense? A war was being waged inside his mind and it translated onto his face. He looked torn between guilt, self-hatred and fear.

"The Room of Requirement," he blurted out.

Ginny blinked. If there ever had been a non-sequitur, that had been it. "What about it?"

"There's something in there."

"Something?" Astoria asked. She still hadn't moved from where she'd stood when the duel had ended. Her face was paler than usual and her legs were trembling, but that hardly seemed to concern her. Her eyes were on Draco. "How do you mean, something?" Her tone was soft, as if speaking to a terrified animal.

"Something precious to the Dark Lord. If you ask for the storage version, it'll lead you to it. Maybe. I've been hunting for it all year, but I can't find it. Maybe you'll have more success?"

She could hear Tom hiss in anger

Something precious… Did Malfoy mean… a Horcrux? But why would he look for it? Why would he give it up? He revelled in pureblood superiority, he adored the Death Eater movement.

"Why would he betray Voldemort?"

Only when he flinched did Ginny realise she'd asked the last question out loud.

"What happened in June… What the Dark Lord and his servants did, my father…" Malfoy swallowed. "It wasn't… It shouldn't… It was wrong," he breathed out, a whole history contained in those little words. "I've been talking to Astoria," Malfoy admitted. "She's…"

Astoria walked up to him when he fell silent. "Been understanding, insightful and just plain awesome all around? You're welcome, Draco." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then turned to Ginny. "Trust me, he's good for it."

It would explain Malfoy's behaviour. Why he had wandered these halls like a ghost, always alone and always looking like he bore the burden of the whole wizarding world. In a way, he had. Just like her. Not that it made her feel any kinship.

"But how did you find it? How did you succeed?" Where she had failed, was the unspoken second part of her question. How could this spoiled brat have gotten it right? It seemed so unfair. So unjust. She was the hero of Hogwarts, wasn't she? She was the one who now wore Harry's cloak. She, not his nemesis.

Malfoy tossed an empty bottle at her feet with an echo of his old smirk. "Felix Felicis. I won it in Slughorn's first class. Still didn't get me an invitation to the Slug Club though. Nor did it lead me to the Horcrux. Maybe that was the luck at work too, to protect me. Or because something out there decides it's your destiny, not mine."

Liquid Luck… yeah, that would have done it.

"Alright. I'll get the cloak and the sword, and then we go there. Somehow, I don't think we should stick around for graduation," Ginny said with a look at the four unconscious forms. At least they hadn't had killed anyone.

"No. No we shouldn't," Astoria agreed, looking like was going to be sick. The adrenaline was probably leaving her system. Ginny knew the signs all too well. She was beginning to feel her scars too. They were shifting, burning, screaming. She had to keep going, before the pain and tremors fully broke through.

"Let's go. You coming as well?" she asked Malfoy.

He shook his head. "No, I think I'll clean up here. Make sure no one bleeds to death," he chuckled weakly, staring at his own hands in disbelief. "Merlin, father will disown me."

He looked so lost. Ginny sighed, not quite believing she was helping Malfoy in turn now. "Only if he finds out. Do you know the memory charm?"

Malfoy looked at her like she'd grown horns. "… I know the incantation, but I've never tried it."

"Well, no time like the present to learn," Ginny said.

"Lockhart could do it, can't be too difficult then," Astoria chipped in, finally leaving her position next to Malfoy as she made her way to the staircase. With one final look at Malfoy practising the wandwork for the memory charm, they went down the stairs.

Neither of them spoke as they descended. Ginny could see Astoria pushing down the panic. She understood. She really wanted to fall to pieces now too. But they couldn't afford to, just like she couldn't in the Department of Mysteries. She had to keep going.

They couldn't be weak now. Couldn't feel. They reached the bottom and kept walking. Their footsteps echoed through the abandoned corridors. How come no one had heard their duel? It didn't matter. They kept walking. She could hear Astoria breathe quickly, far too quickly. And sniffle.

And she knew what Harry would have done, consequences be damned.

When she came to a stop, Astoria almost walked into her. Ginny turned around and looked at her wonderfully brave friend. All year, Astoria had sided with her against family, house and the wizarding world at large. She'd confronted prejudice and common sense to do what was right. And now they'd duelled side by side, outnumbered and still she hadn't hesitated. She'd even talked sense into Draco Malfoy and that had finally, finally gotten them a lead to a Horcrux. And here they were, still standing despite everything that had been thrown at them today.

"You did great." She pulled her friend in for a fierce hug. "You did so great. Thank you. Thank you for being a better friend than I deserved," she burrowed her face in Astoria's shoulder when she could feel the tears coming. Her friend mirrored her movement. "You did great," Ginny repeated.

Astoria just sobbed, trying and failing to form coherent sentences, even as Ginny just kept repeating the same words over and over again.

They stood there for Merlin knew how long, both of them crying and hugging as the adrenaline and all the fear left their bodies, until Astoria could finally speak again. "You did great too. How you held off Nott and Zabini…"

"Eh, they were amateurs," Ginny chuckled. "And we're professionals."

"I guess we are." Astoria took a deep breath and got out her handkerchief. Without another word, she passed a second one to Ginny. Both stood there, Astoria dabbing at her eyes in an effort not to smear her makeup even further, Ginny simply drying her tears. There was no point in trying to look good: even without a mirror, she knew that a duel for her life and the emotional overload afterwards had been sufficient.

When they were done, they smiled at each other. "Thank you," Astoria said.

"Thank you," Ginny echoed.

Thank me, Tom chuckled.

Astoria straightened, the fire having returned to her eyes. "Alright, cloak, sword, Horcrux?"

"Cloak, sword, Horcrux," Ginny agreed.