Chapter 2

Two strong arms wrapped around Ginny's waist, yanking her aside. She toppled backward, landing hard on her back. The air was knocked from her lungs, and she gasped for breath as debris from the ceiling cascaded down beside her. Harry lay on top of her.

He stayed there, shielding her as the dust and rubble rushed past, as if to protect her. But that was impossible. They were enemies.

Ginny could only stare into those green eyes. It felt like she was drowning in them.

For a moment, they gazed at each other. Then Harry seemed to snap back to reality, hastily climbing off her. He turned his back and stared at the spot where they'd been standing just seconds earlier.

The room was sealed off. Only one tunnel remained—the one they were now standing in.

Ginny blinked rapidly, brushing off the dust that clung to her, then looked back at Harry, who was still ignoring her.

"You saved my life. Why?"

Finally, he turned to her. "Apparently, saving people is my thing."

Ginny glared at him, standing up and surveying the wreckage. "What just happened?"

"You fired a spell in a room where magic isn't allowed," Harry replied. He gestured to the remnants of the ceiling. "There was a symbol below it to warn you."

"I don't get it. Why would my Lord forbid magic here?" Ginny wondered aloud.

"It's a trap. We weren't supposed to survive. We should be buried under that rubble right now."

Ginny swallowed hard. She had nearly died. If Harry hadn't pulled her aside, she would have died. Harry followed her gaze, and to her irritation, he stepped close behind her.

"You're welcome."

Ginny whirled around, raising her hand. Her wand pressed against Harry's throat. He didn't seem fazed. If anything, he looked amused.

"Watch it, Potter." Her eyes flicked to his hands. No wand.

Potter didn't even have a weapon. He was at her mercy. She smirked.

"Looks like I'm the one with the weapon. If I were you, I'd be very careful about what I say, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm trembling in my boots."

With a swift motion, he brushed her wand aside, walked past her, and crouched by a piece of the ceiling. He picked up his own wand and gave her a challenging look. Ginny simply glowered.

"There are two things we can do, little miss—"

"Don't call me that," Ginny snapped.

"What's your name?"

"None of your business!"

"Alright, then. Little miss it is."

Ginny glared at him, her hands trembling with fury. That arrogant, insufferable—her mind raced with curses she wanted to hurl at him. She raised her wand, and Harry eyed her warily.

She hesitated. "Is it safe to use magic here?"

"I don't see a symbol." Harry shrugged.

"Good."

A Stunner shot from her wand, narrowly missing Harry. He raised his wand, but Ginny was prepared, and his Disarming Charm had no effect.

Ginny smirked. "Didn't see that coming, did you, Potter?"

Harry sighed. "I don't want to fight you."

"Why not? Afraid?"

"All I want is to get out of here. I don't know why your Lord built this secret tunnel system, but knowing him, it's nothing good—for either of us."

Ginny wanted to argue. She wanted to defend her Lord. But to her annoyance, she had to admit Potter had a point. Voldemort never did anything without a reason.

Harry walked past her. "So, it's your choice: come with me, or stay here."

Ginny hesitated. She had no intention of going with Potter. He was already irritating her to the point of boiling rage. But staying behind and losing track of Potter? That wasn't an option—not when he was within her grasp.

Voldemort would return. And she would be the one to deliver Potter to him.

"Fine, I'm coming." Ginny followed Harry into the dark tunnel.

Harry glanced back, chuckling. "Cozy, little miss."

"Don't call me that," Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"What should I call you, then?" Harry lit the tunnel with his wand. The passage stretched ahead, narrow enough that Ginny was forced to walk behind him, which she preferred—it allowed her to keep an eye on him.

"Ginny. Ginny Weasley."

"Nice to meet you, Ginny Weasley. I'm Harry Potter."

"I know who you are."

"Of course," Harry muttered. "Probably nothing but good things, right?"

"Just the basics. About how annoying you are," Ginny snapped. She'd heard plenty about Harry Potter. His bravery, his arrogance, his average magical talent.

But no one had mentioned how those green eyes could leave her breathless.

Ginny cursed herself silently. She had to get those eyes out of her head.

"Left or right?"

Ginny looked up. Harry was watching her, curious. She'd been so lost in thought she hadn't noticed they'd reached a T-junction in the tunnel.

"Left."

Harry turned right.

"I said left, Potter."

"Be my guest, Weasley." Harry kept walking.

Irritated, Ginny followed. "Do you ever listen to anyone?"

"Sometimes," Harry said with a smirk. "When they don't have a Dark Mark."

Ginny opened her mouth to retort, but Harry suddenly stopped and grabbed her arm.

"What—"

"Shhh," Harry hissed, gesturing for silence. Ginny held her breath and listened. She heard nothing.

"I don't hear—"

"Shhh. Listen."

Ginny went quiet. Now she heard it too. A rumbling sound. Something was coming. Straight for them.

A massive round boulder filled the tunnel, hurtling toward them.

"Run!" Harry still had her arm, pulling her away. Ginny broke free to run faster.

For a moment, she thought Harry looked back to check if she was keeping up, but it must have been her imagination—Potter was far ahead of her.

"Faster!" Harry shouted.

Ginny ran as fast as she could, her lungs burning in protest. The boulder loomed close behind, its presence palpable.

Finally, she rounded a bend and stopped, gasping for breath. The rumbling sound continued. She turned, horrified.

The boulder hadn't stopped. It rolled smoothly around the corner.

How was that possible?

Magic. It had to be magic. The boulder was enchanted—to crush anyone in its path.

Ginny had no energy left to run. She grabbed her wand, firing her most powerful curse at the boulder. It bounced off harmlessly. She tried another spell. The boulder deflected that one too.

Too late, Ginny realized the boulder was immune to magic.

It hurtled toward her. Too close. No time to flee. She was going to be crushed.

A hand grabbed her arm, yanking her into a narrow crevice. She found herself nose-to-nose with Harry. The space was too tight to move. Ginny's breath came fast and shallow. Harry held his breath entirely.

The boulder thundered past their hiding place, disappearing into the darkness.

Ginny tried to step out, but Harry blocked her path with his arm. She looked at him questioningly, but he only shook his head.

A moment later, they heard it again. Three more boulders roared past. Just in case the first one wasn't deadly enough.

"All clear," Harry said. But neither of them moved. They stared at each other, and Ginny found herself drowning in his eyes again. Was he using some spell to paralyze his enemy?

Harry broke eye contact and stepped out of the crevice. Ginny followed, finally able to breathe.

"How did you know the boulder was coming? I didn't hear anything."

"When you've been hunted your whole life, you learn to trust your senses," Harry replied. "I could hear it."

"How did you know magic wouldn't work?" Ginny asked.

"It's a game, Ginny. This place is designed to kill. Voldemort's enemies are witches and wizards. So he enchanted objects to repel counter-spells. Without magic, we're just like Muggles. Weak. Vulnerable. Easy prey."

Ginny glanced at her wand, feeling a strange pang in her chest. Her entire life, she'd relied on magic. For the first time, she felt abandoned by something she had always trusted.

She looked at Harry and saw he was feeling the same. He, too, relied on his magic, and he, too, felt its loss.

"What now?" Ginny asked.

"We have to work together. It's the only way."

Ginny snorted.

"Got a better idea, Weasley?"

Ginny thought for a moment but had to admit Harry was right. Their best chance of survival was cooperation. "Fine."

"Then it's a deal." Harry extended his hand. Ginny looked at it as though she wanted to bite it off. Harry withdrew it quickly.

"Partners," Ginny said grudgingly.

"For now," Harry added.

They walked in silence. Neither noticed how they were walking closer than before. Nor how their footsteps seemed to fall in sync.

"If you'd just listened to me, Potter, and we'd gone left, none of this would've happened. Let's go back and make the right choice."
Ginny rounded the corner and froze, stunned. The tunnel had split into a T-junction. "This was just a straight tunnel a moment ago."

"As I said, we're not meant to make it out of here alive," Harry glanced at his watch. "And it looks like I won't. My half-hour is up. Hermione's going to kill me."

"Who's Hermione?" Ginny asked.

Harry ignored her. "Let's go left." He led her into a narrow tunnel.

The tunnel ended in a dead-end chamber. The only thing in the room was a torch mounted on the wall. Curious, Ginny walked toward it.

"Don't touch it," Harry warned, standing right behind her.

Ginny's hand was already on the torch. "A torch can be useful in the dark, Potter. See? Nothing happens." She stood proudly with the torch in her hand, pleased to prove Potter wrong for once.

Until the floor beneath her feet suddenly vanished. The ground disappeared, and she plummeted downwards. The fall seemed endless. She hit the ground with a loud thud, groaning in pain. The torch lay extinguished beside her.

To her annoyance, Harry landed on his feet. His gaze was fixed on something ahead of her. All the color drained from his face.
Ginny followed his gaze and froze. Her heart sank to the deepest pits of despair. Before her lay two massive, hideously ugly trolls, snoring loudly in their sleep.

Ginny pinched her nose against the nauseating stench. Her eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for an exit. The Troll Chamber was round and dark. She saw no way out. Helpless, she turned to Harry.

Harry gestured upward. She looked up. Above the trolls was a small black hole, just big enough for an adult to fit through.
Ginny stared at Harry in disbelief. Harry shrugged, his expression clear: Do you have a better plan?

Ginny looked around again. The way they'd come was sealed off. She cursed Voldemort and this magical trap.
They had no choice. To escape, they had to pass the trolls.