Thirteen: Echoes of the past

She woke up to Astoria slapping her cheek.

"Ugh," she muttered. She tried to move, but something heavy was pressing on her legs. They were in a dark room with stone arches above them and empty racks that must have once held wine bottles. There was no sign of a hole above them through which they'd fallen and the only light was instead offered by torches ensconced in the wall.

"Oh good, you're awake. I thought—"

"I'm fine," Ginny interrupted. The wine cellar was ominous enough without them inviting talk of death into the room. As she tried to shift and look behind her, she saw rubble covering her legs. "Think you can get that off me?"

"Yeah, sure," Astoria said and carefully began levitating rock after rock off her.

"Did you see what happened to the rest?"

"Just that the room collapsed and then, next thing I knew, we were falling," Astoria said. Her hair was in disarray and a nasty cut ran across her left cheek.

"It looked like Bill was right underneath the collapse," Ginny said.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's with Fleur," Astoria said and Ginny could tell her friend was trying to reassure her. Merlin, what was happening really? "For how long was I out?"

"Only a few minutes, don't worry," Astoria said as she cast aside another slab of stone. Ginny shifted forward and could almost wriggle out. Just a few more.

Then she heard a noise. Instantly, she raised her hand, forestalling whatever Astoria was going to say.

"Ssh, someone's coming."

Or something. She heard a low hissing as something slithered across the floor. A long shadow was cast from around the corner. A snake. Nagini. Just as she lay there, trapped.

"Astoria, take the sword," she whispered as she removed it from her back. At least that was no longer blocked by the rubble.

"I'm not much of a swordswoman," Astoria said, pointing her wand at the shadow.

"Spells won't do much against a Horcrux. Take the sword."

"Won't it disappear if I take it? I'm a Slytherin, remember," she said in an urgent whisper, her eyes darting back to the quickly-growing shadow.

"Only one way to find out." Ginny shook the sword at Astoria.

"Alright. Fine," Astoria took it, her hand trembling even worse than Ginny's. As she raised it and studied it, the little light in the cellar reflecting of the blade, her mouth opened. She tentatively swung it. "Still here. Good."

"Alright, now just kill the snake. Easy. Harry killed a much larger one in his second year."

"Alright. Easy." Astoria put her wand away and grabbed the sword with both hands. It was as oversized in her hands as it had been in Harry's.

"You can do it," Ginny whispered as her friend slowly sneaked towards the shadow.

"I mean, it's about time I got to kill a Horcrux myself, right?" She raised the sword a bit higher, just as Nagini's head appeared around the corner. Astoria involuntarily took a step back and Ginny couldn't fault her for it. The snake was massive. No wonder Dad had been in St. Mungo's for so long after being bitten by it.

Nagini turned its head towards them and hissed again, its sharp fangs glistening with poison. Ginny tried to squirm underneath the rubble some more, but it wouldn't yield.

"Alright. Easy," Astoria whispered, gripping the hilt firmly even as Ginny tried to reach her wand. The way her body was angled, it was difficult to reach, but she couldn't just not do something.

Nagini slithered closer and then began to circle Astoria, who turned with the snake, her eyes glued to its teeth. The seconds ticked by, the torchlight flickering. Ginny could feel her fingers brushing the tip of her wand.

Nagini lunged with a loud hiss, mouth open as she dove for Astoria. Her friend jumped backwards, swinging the sword ineffectively. Ginny could hear it bounce off the scales. It looked more like Astoria was waving her wand than duelling a snake. Nagini made another move that Astoria only just managed to parry.

"Come on Tori," Ginny grunted as her fingers brushed her wand yet again.

Encouraged by her words, Astoria took a step forward and swung the blade right at Nagini's head. It bounced off with a clang, but Nagini shook its head in confusion. Astoria swung again and this time, it nicked her just below her head. Nagini quickly withdrew, hissing in pain. It slithered back a few feet as Astoria planted her feet. The blade shone with green blood at its tip and a flush tinged Astoria's pale cheeks.

"Alright. Alright. Bring it!" she shouted. Whether it was to intimidate the snake or embolden herself, Ginny couldn't tell, but it definitely explained why the sword of Gryffindor had answered a Slytherin's call.

Nagini dove forward again as Astoria almost pirouetted out of the way, taking another swing. This time the blade clashed off the scales again, but she seemed to be gaining confidence.

"It's almost like dance, really," Astoria panted.

Ginny finally grasped her wand. With a cry of relief, she gripped it and drew it. Just at that moment, Nagini dove again, jaw wide open. She could see Astoria hesitate and then simply ram the sword forward, right in Nagini's trajectory. The tip burst straight through the snake's skull and halted its attack. Astoria stumbled backwards as the two collided, but held onto the grip. Nagini thrashed and screeched, but Astoria just drove the sword deeper, cold determination on her face.

"Fuck you, you filthy snake," Astoria grunted as she withdrew the sword and studied the squirming snake in a pool of green blood. She raised the sword above her head and brought it down, decapitating the beast in one swing. Green light flared, and then Nagini went still.

Astoria spat on the corpse. "Why couldn't our house crest have had a nice beast? Like a cat, or a flamingo, really. Anything but snakes."

The whole blade glistened with green blood. The last Horcrux down. Voldemort mortal.

#

After that, Astoria was quick to move the rubble off Ginny. If her hand shook a bit more while doing so, Ginny didn't comment on it. Instead, she slapped her friend on the back as soon as she was free, a broad grin on her face.

"You did amazing, Tori. Really. Godric Gryffindor would be proud. And I'm proud too," she added, giving her friend a one-armed hug, careful not to cut herself on the sword Astoria was still holding.

"Merlin, I'm so getting disinherited for this," she muttered, casting another look at the headless snake.

"Order of Merlin if I have any say in it though," Ginny said, giving her friend another hug. "Hey, Tori, it's okay. We're safe. You did great."

"Safe's a bit optimistic," Astoria said, looking around the wine cellar.

"Alright, fine, not safe. But safer than we were with that monster still crawling around," Ginny said as she slowly took the sword from Astoria's trembling hands. Her friend looked as likely to cut herself at this point.

Astoria took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Ginny could hear her count to ten under her breath. When her eyes opened again, she was no longer shaking like a leaf caught in a hurricane. "Alright. I'm good. Let's go," she said.

Ginny put the sword on her back and nodded. "Let's go. We got a mortal dark lord to deal with."

As they walked past the empty shelves, it was difficult not to picture a thousand prophecy orbs shining inside them. Any moment now, she expected to hear Lucius Malfoy's voice to cut through the eerie silence. That was just her being stupid of course. Malfoy was locked up in Grimmauld Place and most of the other Death Eaters back then were dead now too.

Not Dolohov though.

She shook her head and pressed on, soon enough stumbling across a wooden staircase that led upstairs. The stairs creaked underneath them, making her wince. But even when they reached the top and pressed their ears against the wooden door, they couldn't hear anything beyond. After a hushed conversation, she slowly pushed open the door.

Beyond lay the remnants of a battlefield. What had once been the grand entrance, was now a scene of carnage. The front door had been blasted away, together with most of the stone staircase that led to the first floor. The rich carpet was covered in blood and bodies. Ginny covered her mouth as she forced herself to look and try to identify them all. None of them were friends, though she did vaguely recognise one of the Diagon Alley shopkeepers among them. It bothered her that she couldn't even remember which shop had been his, let alone his name.

"Upstairs?" Astoria asked, gingerly stepping between the bodies.

"Yeah, I suppose so." She could see a trail of blood leading upstairs. She hoped it was one of theirs. Wounded or not, that would mean they'd still be alive. Or bleeding out.

The stone crumbled beneath them as they ascended. In addition to the cracks of a blasting curse, the staircase had also run afoul of a withering curse by the looks of it. She and Astoria both had their wands out, the sounds of battle growing louder as they neared the top. Perhaps Bill had made it to there?

Instead, she found what might have once been the Riddle hunting room. A crossbow and mounted stuffed animal heads proved a receptive audience for the current slaughter. Most of the battle had petered out. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the still form of Oliver Wood not far from her. Only two were still standing: Susan Bones and—her heart skipped another beat—Dolohov. It was clear the duel had been going on for quite some time. Susan's left arm hung limp by her side, and the veinlike scars Ginny knew so well from in the mirror covered all of Susan's face. But she fought on with the same determination as always.

Dolohov's eyes found hers when she entered and lit up with delight. "Ah! The main course. Well, then I can stop playing with my food. Rei Enemor." His wand flashed and with a crack, a purple flame whip burst forward.

Ginny wanted to scream or cast a shield or anything. But by the time her brain had overridden the horror, the purple flame had already constricted Susan, ensnaring her from her feet to her neck. She didn't scream. Instead, she looked almost peaceful. Then the whip hissed and her eyes and mouth went wide. She crumbled to the floor, dead. Gone. Yet another D.A. casualty.

And Dolohov grinned. The bastard grinned as he turned to her and Astoria. "It was only fair. After all, I didn't get to kill anyone last time at the Department of Mysteries." And then he chuckled. A chuckle just like she'd heard so many times in her nightmares, as he cursed her, hurt her, tortured her, scarred her. These scars were his.

"Avada Kedavra!" she shrieked.

Dolohov levitated Susan's body in front of it and laughed again as it caught the green Killing Curse. "I'm happy to see you too, Weasley, don't worry. Maybe this time we can make you symmetrical? But first…" his gaze shifted to Astoria. "Privacy." His 'v' was sharper than any other she had ever heard. Before she could contemplate the meaning of his words, he'd already jabbed the ground with his wand.

Her surroundings turned white. Just she and Dolohov standing alone in a white void. Of Astoria or the Riddle Manor, there was no more sight. Dolohov surveyed their surroundings and shook his head. "This is rather bland. Allow me." With a flourish of his wand, white turned grey and black as the Department of Mysteries took shape around her. An amphitheatre with rows upon rows of benches and in the middle, a raised stone dais with on it a stone arch. A veil hung from the arch, fluttering in the wind. The Death Chamber. The rotten bastard had taken her back there.

"Nice, isn't it?" Dolohov said.

"I will kill you," she vowed and pointed her wand at him.

"I'd like to see you try." He held his wand behind his head in a fencer's pose.

Dolohov's first spell was just him testing the waters. The purple flame whip she'd come to associate with him. Ginny dove to the side easily enough, her cheeks burning with the heat its passage left behind.

Before she could consider the offensive, he was already moving again, weaving a curse.

This one was dark and crackling, a sphere that sliced the air itself. She summoned one of the benches towards her and it met the sphere halfway. The sphere exploded in a thousand shards as the bench shattered and its smouldering wooden splinters clattered unto the ground.

"Better than last time," Dolohov remarked.

It was clear what he was doing. Both spells had been an exact copy of their last duel. It had been easy enough for her to recognise them; she'd lived through it all a hundred nights already. That just raised the question of whether he was intentionally playing a game, or just resorting to old favourites.

He placed his wand against his lips. As he pulled it away, a cloud of frost sprung forth and readied itself to race towards her.

"Fyromor!" she spun her wand in a circle around her head. Magic roared and fire clashed with Dolohov's cloud of ice. It forced him backwards, hand held in front of his face to shield it from the steam that burst forth.

He whipped a cutting curse towards her, just like last time. But this time, he would not be drawing blood from her.

"Protego!" Her shield caught it easily enough. "You're not hurting me again, Dolohov."

His face showed a flicker of frustration. "That's what your uncles, the Prewetts, said too. It mattered little. Pleaga."

The all-too-familiar shimmering wave rushed towards her. But ever since duelling Rookwood, she'd been prepared for what to do. She let it come closer until it almost touched her wand. Let him think she was frozen by fear.

She moved her wand in the same figure eight gesture. "Freyhl!" The spell exploded in a shower of stars raining down from the ceiling of the amphitheatre. Dolohov stumbled backwards, even as she hurled a cutting curse his way.

Dolohov pulled back, but not entirely in time. With a ripping sound, his robes and left arm were laid open. He grimaced, quickly healing the wound with a flick of his wand.

"That was for my uncles," she spat out, hurling a blasting curse his way.

Dolohov shielded and quickly followed it up with a conjured flock of birds that streaked towards her. Ginny burned them and lobbed four fireballs his way in quick succession. Dolohov sheltered behind a hastily conjured wall, which quickly morphed into a stone golem. It stormed towards her, but a tripping hex sent it tumbling down the amphitheatre, landing in a heap of rubble.

Dolohov tried to animate it again, but a blasting curse sent him diving for cover even as it rained rocks all around him. She followed it up with a flame whip.

"That's my spell, bitch," he roared, catching it on his wand and lobbing it back, only in duplicate.

Ginny almost laughed as she easily swept away his return volley. "Nix ero." A dark shadow hunted Dolohov, snapping at him with dark tendrils. He grimaced as it grabbed onto his legs, leaving behind burn marks before he could dispel it.

"That was for Susan."

"Die!" he shrieked as he unleashed a nonverbal curse. A dark red star whizzed towards her. She easily leapt out of the way.

It begun to dawn on her that she could actually win this. It was almost easy. All she had to do was trust her instincts. Duck. Shield. Curse. Once, she'd been waiting for Tom to say all that. Now she just did it. Her next curse sent Dolohov stumbling. He managed to roll away from her follow-up, but when he rose, he was limping.

"Avada Kedavra!" His Killing Curse wasn't even on target.

But she was. "Sequi necisque!" Her wand spun in her hand and three grey circles formed around Dolohov's head. His eyes went wide as the choking curse took hold. He broke free with a nonverbal counterspell and stumbled into cover, gasping for air. She pointed her wand at the bench he was hiding behind "Irinitus Es."

The stone bench exploded, sending Dolohov sprawling.

"I learned that one from Susan, bastard," she shouted as she walked down towards him.

Dolovoh scrambled up, face bloody. "Viz Ach!"

She thought he hadn't said a word when he cast the spell that gave her these scars. But as she heard the incantation leave his mouth, the repressed memories came rushing back.

Dolohov looks at her and grins. It is a foul sight, a smile borne of cruelty rather than joy. He waves his wand. "Viz Ach!"

The next moment, all she knows is pain. Sharp agony, spreading across the right side of her body, claws gliding over her until they dig into her face. Her mind screams, and she with it. Pain. Nothing but pain.

Hearing the incantation was enough to feel the pain all over again. Her scars felt like they'd been all cut open. The silver curse sped towards her, shining in the darkness, looking like it was composed of a hundred different shards of glass.

Duck.

Perhaps that had been Tom. Perhaps just her subconsciousness. Whatever it was, she listened to it and dropped to the floor. It was just like dodging a bludger. The curse whizzed past, and the pain stopped. Her scars didn't burn. And she definitely wasn't going to get hexed by Dolohov again.

"Expelliarmus." Dolohov and his wand both went flying. She resisted the urge to cheer as his wand sailed through the arch and disappeared. Dolohov tried to scramble back up. A conjured gust of wind slammed him against the arch. "That was for Harry."

He spat out some blood and a tooth. "Merlin, what happened to you? I miss the scared little girl that just let me torture her."

A cutting curse laid open his leg. Dolohov groaned, clutching it with his good hand. Ginny walked up to him, wand still trained on him. "You saw to it that I had to get better. Aren't you proud?"

His look was one of pure hatred. "Get it over with blood traitor. Kill me," Dolohov hissed, reclining on the ground. Up close, she could see his face was covered in cuts.

She pointed her wand between his eyes. Her tormentor, at her mercy. One Killing Curse, and he'd be gone. No more Dolohov haunting her nightmares. No more risk of him hurting anyone ever again. And the world would hardly miss a Death Eater. Tom would have done it. But Harry wouldn't have.

"Come on. Do it," he snarled. "maybe then you scars will fade."

Could curses be broken like that? Did it matter? She shook her head. "going to watch us beat your precious Dark Lord. And then you're going to Azkaban. Stupefy!" His eyes were still burning with rage when her stunner connected.

As he lost consciousness, the Department of Mysteries faded around her. Instead, she was back in the hunting room, which looked even worse than before. Several of the mounted heads had been blown to pieces, and there was a hole in the wall through which the cold night floated inside. Astoria was laying on the floor, moaning softly and cradling her head.

And Dolohov was still, right in front of her, down and defeated with his wand nowhere in sight. It made her wonder how much of that had been real. Not that it mattered much. What mattered was that she'd won.

She stumbled towards Astoria and leaned forward, the concern no doubt written across her face. "Tori, everything alright?"

Her friend's gaze was mildly unfocused, but otherwise she looked fine. "Yeah, yeah. Just a massive headache. I don't know what happened. He cast a spell and next thing I knew, it all went blank." Her eyes widened. "Is Dolohov—"

"Defeated, don't worry," she jerked a thumb in his direction. "He won't bother us anymore."

"And Susan, is she really…"

Ginny just nodded sadly. She knew all too well what that spell of Dolohov's did. But there was no time to think about that now, let alone grieve. All they could do was push on and hope they'd be able to save the rest. And judging by the noise she heard in the adjoining room, there was still plenty of work left to do.