SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
It felt like it had been a very long time since Ginny had laid down next to Malfoy, but it had likely only been a few minutes. Harry stood resolutely still, not quite able to believe he was really here— really alive. Everything had been so chaotic, he had barely had time to catch his breath, and now… now he was just standing here, waiting. Waiting for Ginny to come back.
He stared down at her, wondering what she was thinking— what she was seeing. Her brow was slightly furrowed in the middle, but otherwise she gave no signs as to what she was experiencing. If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed she was asleep. Off to her left, Malfoy looked similarly— unconscious, as though asleep, though his facial expression was completely blank.
His mind flashed on Malfoy, fighting to stand upright against the billowing winds, bellowing out memories of Ginny's as she fought to end Lord Voldemort at last. The whole thing had been so surreal… he had been saying something about a door? Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but it had clearly meant something to Ginny, for that was the moment that everything had ended. All at once, Tom Riddle had fallen out of the sky, and all of the bodies of the risen dead had collapsed to the ground, inert, as though they had never moved at all. The sky had returned to its mid-afternoon blue, and Ginny's constellation-dragon had faded away like mist. The collection of what Harry presumed to be souls had funneled back through the portal Ginny had opened, and once it closed behind them, Ginny had fallen, and Malfoy's spell had caught her, but then Malfoy…
He didn't really understand what had happened to Malfoy. He had gone through the portal, according to Ginny, or at least his soul had, but why? How? He, Ron, Hermione, and Kathleen had had so little time to really talk to Malfoy about how all this worked… although maybe Malfoy himself didn't know. Ginny hadn't thought this would happen— maybe Malfoy hadn't either. But that meant that Ginny was in truly uncharted territory trying to find him…
"How much longer, d'you think?" Ron whispered from his left, holding his own place in the circle.
"Dunno," Harry whispered back. "I don't even really understand what they're doing."
"Her soul left her body and is looking for his," Hermione added, as though that was the most logical thing in the world. "In that other place."
In that other place that, apparently, wasn't on Earth. Had the train station been something like that? He had seen his mum and dad, and Sirius, and Dumbledore… But now he was back in his body, and he had no idea how to travel like Ginny was doing now. If he knew how, perhaps he could have joined her… but her admonishment to maintain the circle at all costs echoed in his mind, and he gritted his teeth as he held still.
"Dad."
Harry looked over his shoulder to see Fred approaching Mr. Weasley, who stood on Harry's other side.
"How much longer?" Fred stage-whispered into Mr. Weasley's ear.
"I'm not sure," Mr. Weasley replied. "She told us to stay here no matter what, and not let anyone else cross. Why? What's going on?"
"Ministry types," Fred said darkly. "They're arresting all the people we tied up, but they're asking questions too— a lot of questions."
"Understandable, given what just happened," Mr. Weasley said with an air of deliberate calm. "Where's Kingsley?"
"Talking with them, I think. McGonagall too."
"Good. Let's let them handle it then."
Fred looked like he wanted to say more, but grimaced instead as he glanced at Lucius Malfoy and then walked away. Harry followed his gaze; both Malfoys' eyes were riveted on their son. Narcissa's cheeks were still flushed from crying, while Lucius was paler than Harry had ever seen him. Would they be arrested too? Lucius almost certainly… he had helped with the fighting, in the end, but he was a Death Eater… but then, so was Draco. Harry's eyes drifted toward his old nemesis once again. The thought of Malfoy waking up to be clapped in shackles made Harry's stomach twist. Malfoy had done horrible, horrible things… but Ginny was right. Without him, the war could not have been won. They would never have known to get to Hogwarts today without his warning, and if they had not arrived when they did, Voldemort would have hidden the diadem away somewhere else, somewhere they would probably have never found. In the end, Snape had managed to tell Harry about the fact that he was carrying a piece of Voldemort's soul inside him, but that had been such lucky happenstance. Draco had made sure Harry had known, had told him even when he didn't have to, and had kept them safe by not reporting their presence on Malfoy Manor's lands to Voldemort. And that was before they counted whatever he had done to help Ginny access this otherworldly power…
"Well, I never expected I would be able to say this, but… Lucius Malfoy, you're under arrest by order of the Ministry of Magic."
Startled, Harry looked up to see an Auror he didn't recognize approaching Lucius Malfoy, who looked stricken.
"Wait! Stop!" Twelve voices spoke up at once with varying refrains for the Auror to pause. He did so, raising his eyebrows.
"I'm not sure what this is about, but surely you know that this man—"
"—is in the process of saving his son, and my daughter along with him," Mrs. Weasley interrupted fiercely. "He's not going anywhere. The Ministry will just have to wait."
"I— I beg your pardon?"
"I'm not sure what you've been told of the situation here, Dawlish," Mr. Weasley said in a cold voice, "but my daughter is the one who ultimately ended Lord Voldemort's life. We all owe her an unimaginable debt. She has instructed us to stay here until she and Draco Malfoy return, and that is what we will do, Lucius included. Molly is right— he's not going anywhere. You can wait here if you like, but I imagine you're needed elsewhere."
"I—but—what? Return here? They're right there—"
"It's complicated," Harry interrupted. "But Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are right. We all have to stay here, him included. Kingsley Shacklebolt will back us up, if you need an Auror's opinion."
Dawlish stared at Harry, his eyes flicking up to the scar on his forehead. "Is it true that you survived the Killing Curse a second time, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes. Partially thanks to him." He nodded his head toward Malfoy, making Dawlish raise his eyebrows still further.
"Well… this is highly irregular, but I suppose the whole thing is highly irregular…" he muttered, thinking things over. "Alright, fine— I will return in fifteen minutes. Conclude whatever your business is here before then."
"But—"
Dawlish wasn't listening. He had already walked away.
"What happens if they're not back in fifteen minutes?" Kathleen asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
"We stall again," Mr. Weasley said with a deliberate breath, his eyes on Lucius. "For once, Malfoy, we're on the same side."
"It has been… a strange day," Lucius said in a strangled voice. "But once my son is back… I will have no issue discussing things with the Ministry."
Harry privately thought that discussing things was not a great descriptor for what Dawlish had in mind, but Lucius likely felt that he needed to save face in front of so many people he had disdained or outright tried to murder in the past. Pride was one thing he and his son shared in common.
"I hope," Narcissa said, her voice shaking, "that you all will be willing to tell the Ministry what my family has done for the cause. My son, and my husband."
Harry raised his eyebrows. What, exactly, had Lucius Malfoy done for the cause other than fight today?
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Mr. Weasley said, his eyes returning to Ginny. "For now, we wait."
SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
Ginny and Ignotus raced through the air, the silver thread arcing ahead of them. The forest below them looked like a great emerald sea, the leaves of each individual tree blending together in the dense foliage, and Ginny was privately grateful that she wasn't having to traverse the thing on foot. She would have been walking for hours and still not found Draco.
Draco, please answer me, she pleaded, pushing her consciousness across the bridge toward his door. Are you hurt? Just hang on, I'm coming to find you. Ignotus Peverell is helping me.
Ginny…
Draco? Draco, can you hear me?
Stay away! His voice was sharp as a whip lashing across her consciousness, and she flinched in Ignotus's arms as she felt herself being pushed back.
What do you mean, stay away? Where are you? We have to go home.
No response.
Draco? Draco!
"What's wrong?" Ignotus asked.
"He responded to my call, but he said to stay away. He's been silent ever since I got here; this was the first time I've heard from him, and he just said to stay away."
Ignotus frowned, his jaw growing tight. "We must move quickly."
"What do you think could be happening to him?"
"I do not know."
"Very helpful, thank you," Ginny snapped before making herself take a deep breath. "Sorry. I just… this wasn't what was supposed to happen. Once Voldemort was dead, that was supposed to be it. We…"
We were going to be together, her brain finished, and her throat grew tight. Could it really be that, after everything, she would lose him now? Now, in this moment of supposed triumph?
"I understand," Ignotus said softly. "We will find him."
"If he's a prisoner of these… these shadow-demons or whatever… what the bloody hell am I supposed to do about that? I don't actually know how to use this power."
"You seemed to do fine back on Earth."
"That was all… I don't know, instinct! I dropped into the light, and then I didn't have to think about anything, it just made sense… I knew what I could do, what I needed to do. I don't feel that way at all now. I'm just… me. Not this chosen champion or whatever. I'm not even an adult yet. And as terrifying as Voldemort was, he was still…"
"Still human?" Ignotus asked wryly. Ginny nodded. "That is true. But I urge you to reconsider your own abilities— remember what I said about the Mother's light being granted to you. It was not a guarantee. It was because of who you are, without any powers or titles, that she agreed to grant you her blessing."
Ginny bit her lip, fighting back the fear roiling in her stomach, fighting back the urge to argue with Ignotus. Draco needed her— she couldn't start doubting herself now. But every unfamiliar star above them reminded her that she was very, very far from home…
Alys's words echoed in her mind, words spoken so many times so long ago: The gods remember us. We are not forgotten.
Would Ginny be forgotten, here in this twilight-realm?
Great Queen, please hear my prayer. Please help me find Draco and bring him home safely. I need your help.
There was no answer, though far below her, Ginny saw a crow fly up out of the trees and out across the sky.
I'll choose to take that as a good sign, she thought, ignoring the wriggling in her stomach.
They flew for a while longer before they reached the edge of the forest. The silver thread they had been following had begun arcing downward; below them lay a dirt path, winding through the open, grassy fields the trees had given way to, and out in the distance stood the castle Ginny had glimpsed from beneath the oak tree. Now that she was closer, she saw it wasn't made of stone at all, but apparently of some kind of crystal. It glimmered under the starlight, a beautiful silvery-white that seemed impossible for a structure of its size.
"What is that place?" Ginny asked.
"An old relic. It was here long before my time."
"Who built it?"
"I do not know."
Ginny grimaced. It didn't really matter, she supposed. "It looks like the thread might be leading that way."
"Mm. Perhaps this is a trap."
"A trap? What makes you say that?"
"If they wanted to take you, as you say, but took him instead… I am certain they know you are here, after that flash. They had to know that you would try for the castle— that was where you were intending to go to begin with, was it not?"
"Well, yeah… there's nothing else around here."
"Exactly. The perfect place for a trap."
"So what, are you saying we shouldn't go? Because I have to go—"
"That is not what I am saying. I am saying we must be cautious. Strategic."
"Which means?"
Ignotus took a deep breath. "Which means that they should not know I am assisting you, not if you want to find your friend."
"So… so you mean we should split up?"
"I should… make myself scarce, until we see what exactly we are dealing with. They will be more likely to underestimate you if you appear to be by yourself."
So reminiscent of all her schemes with Draco— directing her audience's attention.
"I don't love that idea."
"I will be with you, Ginny. It is my fault you, and therefore your friend, ended up here in the first place. I will not abandon you now."
She took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to do this.
"Okay. I trust you. I'll follow this thread, and then… then see what we're up against, I guess."
Ignotus nodded as he descended, dropping down onto the path and allowing Ginny to stand up.
"Do not worry. I will be with you."
"And if something goes wrong—" Ginny stopped short when she turned around to face Ignotus and found that he had vanished. "Well, that's disconcerting."
She turned back toward the path, the glimmer of the silver thread sparkling under the starlight as it wended its way forward along the dirt. There was no doubt now that she was back on the ground— the thread was leading toward the crystalline castle.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself. Draco was in terrible danger. She didn't have time to overthink things. Flexing her fingers, savoring the weight of the spectral sword in her right hand, Ginny marched forward, her heart pounding.
The castle didn't look like Hogwarts, even from this distance. It was narrower, with a single narrow tower on one side, stretching towards the heavens.
Kind of like Morgana's tower, she mused, remembering the painting of Guinevere's Plight. When she had first read the story, it had just been a fairy tale— the same with the Tale of the Three Brothers. But now, with the way this place looked, with the magic here… it was like she had fallen into a fairy tale herself. Draco had been her rescuer in so many ways back on Earth, and now their roles were reversed. He was trapped in a tall tower, and she was on her way, sword in hand, to rescue him.
Her mind flashed on the dragon constellation she had summoned, and she gritted her teeth, praying that there weren't going to be any more dragons in this fairy tale. Shadows were bad enough… what other terrors could this place hold?
They weren't all bad though, she supposed. The sprites had been innocent enough, and the wolf-beast, while terrifying, hadn't felt like the shadow she had spoken to. It had been dark, and terrifying, and dangerous, but it hadn't felt like it carried any malice. If anything, it had been ready to help her— she just hadn't realized it at the time. That was comforting, in a way— it wasn't like she had stumbled into a wholly evil world. Maybe this place, just like Earth, was complicated.
She walked for a little while longer, passing nothing of particular note, when she came to the edge of a small outcropping of dilapidated buildings. The castle was very close now; these buildings seemed to form the outer edge of the castle's domain. Were they inhabited?
Ginny stopped walking, tightening the grip on her sword, wishing she had her wand instead. Swinging a blade around was all well and good, but she was a witch, damn it— part of her just wanted her regular magic, not the light. A wand gave her so many more options—
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the sword shrunk in her hand, twisting itself into a faintly glowing version of the Elder Wand. Ginny wrinkled her nose, immediately thinking of Voldemort, but she reminded herself that Dumbledore had wielded this wand too; it had done its fair share of evil in the world, but hadn't that been the fault of its owners? The wand itself was just a tool, just like any other. An exceptionally powerful tool, but a tool nonetheless.
"Ginny Weasley! There you are!"
Ginny jumped at the sound of Alys's voice, and she fought the instint to raise her wand when her eyes alighted on Alys running towards her down the main street, her skirts hiked up in her haste. She looked… worried. Not hostile. Ginny's heart twisted as memory after memory of Alys's flashed in her mind. Was Ignotus right about her, or could he be mistaken?
"I have been looking everywhere for you," she continued, panting as she came to a stop in front of Ginny. "I saw the flash of light and I knew that meant you had to have ended up beyond the veil somehow, but when you were not in our regular meeting place I grew sick with worry— it is not safe to go wandering around this land alone, Ginny Weasley. What in the Mother's name are you doing here?"
Ginny bit her lip, surprised to find tears pricking her eyes. She wanted to trust Alys. She had been difficult ever since Ginny had met her, but she truly had been Ginny's saving grace throughout this entire ordeal. Part of her felt very certain that she could not have psychologically survived those long weeks with Rookwood without Alys as an escape, and in the darkest days at Malfoy Manor, her connection to Alys had been her only lifeline. Without Alys, she really wouldn't have found out about the gem's other powers, or about the second sight, or even figured out that Voldemort had split his soul. She never would have been able to see Draco's beach without Alys. But the memory Ignotus had shown her was burned into her brain, and Alys's insistence that she open the gate…
"Ginny Weasley? What is wrong? Why are you crying?" Alys looked downright alarmed now, and, after a hesitant moment, reached out and lightly put her hand on Ginny's upper arm.
Ginny shook her head, pushing the tears back as best she could. "My friend is missing," she whispered.
"Your friend? What friend? What do you mean, missing?"
Ginny took a deep breath. If Alys was lying, it was better to play dumb— it was better to be underestimated. And if Alys was telling the truth… well, then Ginny was telling the truth too. "When I opened the gate… I don't understand how it happened, but his soul went through… he's lost. I have to find him."
Alys's eyes widened. "He is still alive but his soul is here?"
"Yes. This is showing me the way." Ginny gestured toward the silver thread, which extended straight down the main road. "It looks like it's leading to the castle. Who lives there?"
Alys frowned, looking down at the thread. "No one, as far as I know. The building is very old— it was here long before I arrived, and has been empty as long as I have been here. How did you get this thread?"
"It just appeared," Ginny said, fighting to keep her tone even, ignoring the wriggling in her stomach. "But I'm certain it's leading me in the right direction— I can feel it. I have to find him and bring him home, Alys. It's my fault he ended up here in the first place."
Alys knelt down and lifted the thread, examining it as she ran her fingers over it. "Would you allow me to accompany you? The castle may well be empty, but as I told you, this can be a dangerous place to be on your own, especially for a new arrival. It was an… adjustment for me, long ago. I wish I had had someone with me back then."
Alys glanced up at her, and Ginny bit back a frown. Was she being sincere, or manipulating her? She couldn't tell, and anger pulsed in her stomach as she thought of Alys potentially taking advantage of her vulnerability.
"Yes," she made herself say. "You've helped me this far— maybe you can help me this time too."
Ginny could only pray that that was true.
Alys rose to her feet, dusting off her skirt. "Then let us be off— the castle is not far from here, maybe another ten minutes."
They walked together in silence for a few moments, through the apparently abandoned village, but Ginny couldn't stand it.
"Alys, why did you help me?"
"What do you mean?"
"The first time we met, you didn't want to help me at all— you just wanted me to go away. But then I came back, and you agreed to help. Why?"
Alys laughed. "Because you were stubborn, I suppose. I knew all too well what kind of damage the Mother's light could bring into the world unfettered, but seeing the look on your face… well, I suppose I saw a bit of myself in you."
Ginny raised her eyebrows, glancing in Alys's direction. "A bit of yourself?"
"Well, yes. There was a firmness to your gaze that… well…" She trailed off for a moment. "My grandmother always said that I could turn my face to chiseled stone, and when I saw you that second time… well, I suppose I finally knew what she meant."
Deep, unrestrained sadness laced with bitterness lingered in her tone.
"Alys… I never really got the chance to say this, but I'm so sorry about your family—"
"We do not speak of it here!" Alys snapped, her voice as sharp as a knife, chilling Ginny's blood. The two women stopped walking, and Alys closed her eyes for a moment, taking a long, deliberate breath. "I apologize. Let us keep going."
She marched ahead, and Ginny followed behind, her grip on the Elder Wand tightening.
Draco. Can you hear me?
No response. She gritted her teeth in frustration. If he was telling her to stay away in some misguided attempt to protect her, she would never let him hear the end of it when they made it home.
When. Not if. When. Ginny could allow no other possibility.
They reached the castle courtyard, which appeared to be deserted, just like the surrounding village. Ginny opened her mouth to ask if this was usually the case, but Alys quickly motioned for her to remain silent. Alys walked cautiously forward, looking around, before silently urging Ginny to follow as she walked toward the towering double doors that marked the entry the building.
Ignotus, I hope you're following me…
Alys opened the door; its hinges were completely silent as it swung open, revealing a large, empty entry hall made entirely of crystal.
This had to have been constructed by magic… but was it by wizards' magic, or something else?
"I see no sign of anything," Alys whispered. "Perhaps it really is abandoned."
"The thread leads down that way," Ginny whispered in response, nodding her head toward a set of doors at the other end of the room. "Let's follow it. I could make us invisible—"
"No," Alys interrupted, her tone growing momentarily sharp. "You doing anything might draw attention to ourselves."
"But you just said there's no one here—"
"That we can see. Come quickly now— we cannot be far."
Alys hurried forward, her skirts swishing across the crystalline floor, and Ginny followed her through the doorway, silently reciting spell after spell that she had learned in the D.A. It had been so many months now since she had been able to use magic; it was like a muscle, stiff from lack of use. Her fingers flexed over the Elder Wand's handle, savoring its warmth.
Draco, wait for me— I'm almost there. They walked down a long, empty hallway, devoid of any decorations or distinguishing features. Their distorted reflections shone in the crystalline surfaces of the walls, making them look like melting ice sculptures.
She pushed the sensation of ocean waves through the bridge, hoping it would comfort him, whatever he was experiencing. He probably wasn't being tortured— this place was quieter than a tomb. No sounds of screams, thank Merlin…
Was it her imagination, or was the thread glowing brighter than it had before? She picked up her pace, growing level with Alys before outpacing her, practically running to follow the thread. Her heart was pounding— she was so close, she had to be.
"Ginny Weasley, we must be cautious—"
"We're close, I can feel it. Look!"
They had reached yet another set of double doors. The silver thread was definitely glowing now, and went under the gap between the door and the floor.
"Perhaps we should wait—"
"Fuck that." He was on the other side of this door— she was sure of it. Wand in hand, she reached forward and opened the door.
They had entered an impossibly massive room, with a ceiling so tall Ginny couldn't make it out. There were no lights that Ginny could see, but the room was bright with light, glinting on the walls and floor. And at the far end of the room, pinned to the wall by a mass of what looked like black spiderwebs, was an unconscious Draco Malfoy.
Ginny couldn't help it. "Draco!" she shouted before running forward.
"Ginny Weasley, wait!" Alys hissed, but Ginny couldn't care about her. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, her eyes locked on Draco's unconscious face. He didn't look injured, but that didn't mean anything, not when it was his soul pinned up there—
She reached him and, when he didn't immediately wake up, began pulling at the spiderwebs, trying to free him.
"Draco, come on, I need you to wake up." She grimaced as she pulled on the webs, her hands immediately growing sticky. They were almost slimy, unlike any cobwebs she had ever felt before. She ripped at them, pulling them down, but there were so many—
"Diffindo!" she tried, being careful to aim away from Draco's body. A small portion of the webs disappeared, sliced by the Severing Charm, but almost immediately grew back. "Ugh! Why isn't this working?"
"Ginny Weasley, I think we are in trouble," Alys said, her voice wavering.
"What do you—" Ginny looked over her shoulder, back toward Alys, and her stomach dropped. All along the edges of the room, shadows were forming, first as a formless mass and then gradually coalescing into humanoid shapes before melding back into shadow, then reforming again.
"Elentiya," they whispered, their hoarse voices sending chills down Ginny's spine. "Lady of Light."
Ginny turned around, throwing her arms out to her sides, blocking Draco from their view. "Leave us," she commanded, making herself sound much braver than she felt. "I will take my friend now, and leave. You will let us pass, unharmed."
A great skittering went through the shadows, racing around the room— almost like whispers, though the sound reminded Ginny of scurrying insects.
"Witch-queen," they spoke. "Golden champion."
"Call me whatever you want, but I'm leaving now, with him."
The skittering grew louder, and the shadows coalesced over the doors behind Alys, blocking her path.
"You cannot leave."
Ginny hesitated for the briefest moment before pushing her shoulders back. "You cannot stop me. We will be leaving." Praying that this would work, Ginny focused on the Elder Wand, willing it to turn back into the sword. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she felt it shift in her hand, a flash of golden light momentarily blinding in the room. The shadows hissed as if in pain.
"Ginny…" Draco whispered from behind her.
"Hold on," she whispered, not daring to turn her back on the shadows in order to look at him. "I'm going to get us out."
"It's… a trap…"
"Yeah, I can see that."
"No… you have to… go…"
"I'm not leaving you."
"Ginny—"
Formless shadow started dripping from the walls, sliding across the floor in all directions.
"Ginny Weasley, get out of there! Don't let it touch you." Alys hurried into the middle of the room.
"We are hungry, Elentiya."
Ginny gulped, standing her ground, willing her light to fight off whatever this was, but as soon as it touched her foot, she yelped. It was colder than ice, and felt like… like void, like nothingness in the truest sense— like it was sucking away at her very being.
"Ginny Weasley, move!"
"But what about—"
"You cannot do anything for him if you do not protect yourself!"
"Ginny, run…"
He sounded so tired. She had to end this, quickly…
But first she had to run.
She hurried away, her heart twisting, and stopped in the center of the room. Alys was there too, facing the doorway, legs spread a bit in a defensive stance. Ginny held her sword out in front of her, and on instinct swung it toward one wall, pushing the light forward with all her might. A section of the shadow on the floor disintegrated, but it very quickly refilled, as though she hadn't struck at all.
Ignotus, now would be a really great time to make your appearance… help me, please…
"Fight back, Ginny Weasley," Alys urged, walking backwards toward her, keeping her eyes on the growing shadows. "Get rid of them."
"That's what I'm trying to do," Ginny hissed, turning so she was back to back with Alys, her eyes on Draco. She swung the sword again, and the same thing happened— momentary progress, but not enough, not nearly enough. "Ugh! There's too many of them. Lumos!"
The light spell took effect, even without her wand, but it was quickly swallowed up in shadow, even more immediately than had happened with the sword.
"Incendio!"
"We have waited so long, Elentiya… let us feast, let us drink from your magic like fine wine…"
"I do not have time to teach you everything," Alys snapped. "And I am sure you do not wish to perish here. You should give the light to me— let me use it instead."
Ginny froze, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. "Is that possible?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes. Pull its manifestation from your chest and hand it to me."
"I've never been able to do that before."
"Just try! We do not have any time to waste."
Indeed, the pool of shadow had them completely surrounded. It would be upon them very soon.
"I thought you said I can only use the light once, for whatever I intended with it when Death granted it to me. That's all over now. I shouldn't be able to use it at all."
"I was wrong, obviously. You glow with the Mother's light still. And now that you have used it, you can give it to me!"
"That's not what you said before."
"Is now really the time to argue? Give me your light, and I will get us out of this mess."
Her heart sinking, Ginny stepped away, turning to face her. "You're lying, Alys."
For a heartbeat, Alys stood rigid, and when she turned around, her face was as cold as Ginny had ever seen it.
"I should have known better than to trust a witch."
"Ginny, run!" Draco bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Alys spoke in another language, something unfamiliar to Ginny, and as one, the shadows threw themselves off the walls, rushing straight for her.
SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
It had certainly been longer than fifteen minutes by now, but Dawlish had not returned. Harry shifted his weight from foot to foot, anxious for something, anything, to do. The group stood in tense silence, with even Zabini looking unusually somber.
All at once, Ginny's and Malfoy's bodies arced up off the ground, as though an invisible force had grabbed them by their chests. Just as quickly, they slammed back into the ground, and a small rivulet of blood trickled out of each of their noses.
Narcissa let out a shuddery oh at the sight, clasping her hand over her mouth.
"What's happening?" Ron demanded, nearly taking a step forward but stopping himself at the last moment. "Are they hurt?"
Harry could see that they were still breathing. They were both frowning, as though they were having a bad dream. As he watched, Ginny's right hand twitched, like she was trying to grab something.
"My son—"
"No!" Fleur snapped at Lucius, who had lifted his foot, starting to take a step into the circle. "We do not know what is happening to them. If we break the circle, things could be worse. We have to stay put."
"But for how long?" Zabini demanded. "Nothing's changing, other than them getting body-slammed, apparently."
"Until they come back," Mr. Weasley said in a deliberately calm voice, extending his left hand to hold hands with his wife. "She said to hold the circle until they come back, so we will stay here."
"But Mr. Weasley—" Kathleen started hesitantly.
"She saved all of us," Harry interrupted, his heart in his throat. "Mr. Weasley's right. We can't abandon her now. We can't help her from here anyway, even if she's fighting something. The best thing we can do is stay put."
The words felt foreign to his own ears. Always, ever since he had entered the Wizarding World, he had been the one rushing forward, pushing even when those around him were telling him to stop. To see Ginny lying on the ground, bleeding, and urging the others to do nothing… he could hardly believe his own words. But Ginny's fierce look as she instructed them was emblazoned in his brain— the same look she had worn so many times, the same strength that had gotten him through so many challenging situations. He had underestimated her before, had tried to protect her before, and all it had done was put her in more danger. No, he had to listen to her, even if his legs were screaming at him to run to her.
Ginny and Malfoy's bodies did not move again. The trickle of blood slowly stopped, and their breathing remained even— whatever had happened in that other world appeared to have been momentary.
Come on, Ginny, you're strong… you can do this…
He didn't know what exactly this was, only that he wished very much for both of them to wake up.
"Do you think they're wherever you went, Harry?" Luna asked from across the circle, startling him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you looked like you were dead, but you were only sleeping— at least that's what it looked like from the outside. They look the same." She nodded her head down toward Ginny and Malfoy. "What do you think?"
"I… I guess I don't know. Where I went didn't look anything like the world Ginny's portal showed us."
"That's… that's maybe a good thing, right?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice quivering. "Seeing as you were… as you were…"
"Hit by the Killing Curse? Yeah, maybe a good thing," Harry said wryly, trying to reassure himself that Mrs. Weasley was right. Although truth be told, where he had ended up had been very peaceful, and wherever Ginny and Malfoy were seemed to be quite dangerous, if their nosebleeds were any indication.
"Arthur. A word, please."
Harry looked over his shoulder to see Kingsley approaching, a stern look on his serious face. Mr. Weasley angled his head toward him while remaining in the circle.
"It's not done yet?" Kingsley continued, glancing down at the center of the circle.
"Not yet."
"We need to hurry it up."
"Kingsley, I promise you on my life that I'm not going to let Lucius Malfoy walk away once this is over— surely his arrest can wait."
"It's not that. It's…" Kingsley trailed off.
"It's what?"
Kingsley leaned in close to whisper in Mr. Weasley's ear, and it was only thanks to Harry being on his immediate right that he heard anything at all.
"This is beyond us, Arthur. The sky didn't just darken here— it seems like the world over saw what the Muggles are claiming was an eclipse, followed by a flash of starlight. The International Confederation of Wizards has called an emergency meeting— the Statute of Secrecy is at risk. No one knows what happened, and the Ministry hasn't said anything yet, but—" He glanced down at Ginny again. "People are asking questions. Lots of questions, which will be very difficult to answer. MACUSA called personally, and they weren't happy that they couldn't speak to Thicknesse. We—"
"I trust you and your office to take care of it, Kingsley," Mr. Weasley interrupted in a tone that brokered no further argument. "None of that involves my family."
"But… but Arthur—"
"Kingsley, my daughter is sixteen years old. Do whatever you have to do, but understand that that is not my daughter's responsibility. She saved us all from Lord Voldemort. I trust the Ministry doesn't need her to save them again so soon."
"Do you want me to tell them the truth, or do you want me to stall?" Kingsley asked flatly, standing up straight again.
"Stall. I'm not sure we know the truth ourselves, yet. Tell them there was a great battle to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters, and you don't know anything about the magic that affected the sky."
Kingsley nodded sharply before hurrying off, his robes swishing behind him in his haste.
Mr. Weasley glanced at Harry, aware that he had likely overheard. "One problem at a time."
Harry swallowed. "Right."
It was going to be a problem though— even if Kingsley played dumb, hundreds of people saw Ginny unleash her power. How long would it be before the Ministry started questioning witnesses, or MACUSA, or the International Confederation?
And what would that mean for Ginny?
"Please wake up," he whispered, and watched as Ginny turned her head to the side, toward Malfoy.
SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
Ginny's vision went black, and then white, all at once. On instinct, she had lifted the sword in front of her, hoping to shield herself, and a flash of brilliant, blinding light filled the room. The shadows' cacaphonous screams echoed off the walls as they were blasted backward, and Ginny's eyes widened in awe as the tendrils of inky blackness disintegrated before her eyes.
The shadows weren't all gone though— the ones that had maintained their corporeal form had been pushed back toward the edges of the room, their featureless faces glowering at her.
"Hurry up, human woman. We grow impatient."
"Ginny, run! Get out of here!"
You have to go, Draco pushed across the bridge, as though afraid his verbal command wouldn't be enough.
I have to get you out.
No!
Ginny glanced over her shoulder to see Draco straining against the bonds holding him to the wall. He was very much awake now but otherwise appeared unharmed, though she dared not spare him more than a glance before turning back to Alys.
"How could you do this? How could you fight with them?" She gestured around the room toward the shadows, who were cautiously keeping their distance now, though they writhed with impatience along the walls. "Your ancestors fought against them, and now you side with them? They would be ashamed—"
"Do not presume to speak to me about my ancestors, witch," Alys interrupted, snarling the word witch as if it were a slur. "You know nothing of them— of what they suffered under your kind's hand."
"What are you talking about? I saw the memories— your memories. Except for the last one, but you didn't want to show me that, did you?"
Alys sneered at her. "I needed you to trust me."
"But why? What is it that you want? Don't you understand that if you help them, they'll destroy the whole world?"
"Not the whole world. Just yours."
Ginny, go, please!
"What do you mean?"
Alys's sneer deepened. "How could I expect a witch to understand? You do not realize what a blight your people are on the earth. How much you destroy, how much you take… Your kind do not deserve to live."
"Alys…" Ginny took a hesitant step forward. "Nicholas Malfoy was a terrible, terrible person… but he was just one man."
"And all it took was one wizard to destroy my entire people. Do not lie to me, Ginny Weasley— are you going to tell me that he was some kind of aberrant, an outlier among wizardkind? Then tell me… why did you have to summon the Mother's light to destroy yet another wizard intent on massacring the world? Was he an outlier too?"
"There are good wizards and bad wizards," Ginny said, fighting to keep her voice even. "Just like everyone else."
"And yet the damage one bad wizard can do far outpaces that of an ordinary man."
"That… that is true." Ginny took another step forward, and Alys took a step back. "But good wizards can stop the bad— just like today. It took a lot, but—"
"And how long until the next bad wizard destroys the innocents' lives? I killed Nicholas Malfoy, but was forced to spare his wretched son, and do you know what his son became? How many innocent people he slaughtered during his lifetime?"
"And how many of those deaths were because of what you did?" Ginny whispered, making Alys bristle. "It's just a cycle, don't you see?"
"A cycle I intend to break." Alys held out her right hand, and a sliver of shadow separated itself from the wall, sliding across the ground and up into her hand, forming an inky black sword. "You asked me why I helped you, why I changed my mind about helping you. Do you want to know the truth, Ginny Weasley?" She took a step closer to her, and now it was Ginny's turn to take a step back, sword held aloft. "When you appeared to me that first time, I knew exactly what you were. I thought to myself, this has to be the Mother's idea of a great cosmic joke— she took her gift away from me, stopped me from ridding the world of your kind, and then dares to present that same light to you, a witch with no knowledge of our traditions, no respect for our history… no right to wield the light, none at all. I played it safe with you in that conversation, not knowing exactly how involved the Morrigan might be in your appearance, but I was disgusted at the sight of you, glowing as though you were one of us."
Damn it, Weasley, listen to me right now— you need to—
Stop it!
"But then, after you left… a friend came to me with a proposition." She gestured toward the shadows. "When I first arrived here, Ginny Weasley, I was alone… a prisoner in a strange land, unable to cross over to join the dead. But over time, I made friends, friends with powers of their own."
"Yeah, the power to destroy things," Ginny muttered.
"Exactly what I wanted, after the Morrigan's betrayal. My friends reminded me of your gem's greatest power— the ability to open gates between worlds, truly open them in physical form, and not just for a brief minute. No, with that light, there would be nothing blocking passage from here to there."
"Exactly what Morgana didn't want!"
The shadows hissed at the mention of Morgana's name, and Alys's expression grew colder.
"You know nothing of her, Ginny Weasley. But it matters not— my friends and I have… come to an understanding. At their urging, I befriended you, helped you, made you trust me— all so that you could end up here, though you turned out to be cleverer than I anticipated. But my friends are here, and our goals are aligned. Do you know what their kind feed on, Ginny Weasley? Magic. There is a feast waiting for them on the other side."
"And so what, you think if you let them through, they'll only go after wizards?" Ginny asked incredulously. "You can't honestly believe that."
"You know nothing of it."
"Alys, they're using you—"
"Be silent!" Alys snarled.
"Human woman… no more stalling… open the gate…"
A hint of fear crossed Alys's face, though it disappeared in an instant. "I need that gem, Ginny Weasley." She stepped forward, lifting her sword, and Ginny braced herself, gritting her teeth. Sword-fighting couldn't be that different from dueling, could it?
"Stop!" Draco yelled. "Your fight isn't with her, it's with me."
Alys ignored him, swinging her sword toward Ginny; she caught it against her own and pushed back, making Alys stagger back a step.
"Your fight isn't with wizards, Alys! It's with the Malfoys."
Alys paused. "What are you talking about, wizard?"
"You're blaming all wizards for what happened to you, but it was the Malfoys who took your people's land. It was the Malfoys who worked them to the bone and stole the fruits of their labor. It was a Malfoy who massacred your people out of spite."
"What of it?"
"My name is Draco Malfoy, and I am the last of the Malfoy line. Kill me, and the Malfoys will be no more."
"Stop!" Ginny yelled, but Alys's face had already twisted into a mask of inhuman rage. She snapped something in that same unknown language, and the mass of shadows flung themselves toward Draco, racing through the air with unnatural speed.
Get out of here, he sent. Once you're gone, she can't open the gate. Home will be safe. I love you.
"No, stop!" Ginny yelled again, but the shadows were quicker. They swarmed over him, blocking him from view, and he let out an ear-piercing scream the likes of which Ginny had never heard. She could feel the effects of them through the bridge— it was fraying, slipping away… They were draining his magic. White light, so bright it was blinding, flared beneath them, and Ginny knew she was watching Draco's soul fighting for its life.
"Stop, stop, make it stop!" She ran toward the clump of shadows, swinging her sword over and over again, but there were too many of them, she would slash one and another would take its place, she needed to make it stop—
She screamed, and all of a sudden everything fell silent. No more screaming, no more rushing shadows— no nothing. She blinked in surprise, and found that everything around her was frozen still.
"I… I don't understand."
"You asked to make it stop."
Ginny whirled around and gasped at the sight of the Morrigan standing at the other end of the hall, her hood for once lifted back. Ignotus was there too, running, but he had been frozen in time just like the rest of the room. She and the Morrigan were the only ones who could move.
"Great Queen," she murmured, dropping to her knees and bowing. "Please, I—"
"You may be yourself, Ginny Weasley. Stand, if you wish it."
Feeling wrong-footed, Ginny rose to her feet and took a hesitant step forward. "Please— I need your help one more time."
"So I have been told." The Morrigan nodded toward the frozen Ignotus. "We have arrived with little time to spare, it seems. What help of mine do you desire?"
"I want Draco and I to go home safely," Ginny said, her throat tight. "Please help me save him, and help us get home."
"Is that all?"
"What do you mean, is that all?" Ginny snapped, forgetting for a moment who exactly she was speaking to. "Of course that's all, that's all I came here for in the first place."
The Morrigan strolled into the room, her deep auburn hair wavy down her back. "You have seen much, since I first met you. You could ask for anything, anything at all. Any power—"
"I don't want power! Is that what this is about? Please, I don't want any of it, I just want to go home. In fact— here." Acting on instinct, she held her hand over her chest, and withdrew the Elder Wand, then the Resurrection Stone, then the Invisibility Cloak. She reached for the gem, but it wouldn't come out. Ignoring her irritation, she tossed the Deathly Hallows toward the Morrigan's feet.
"You do not want them?" the Morrigan asked in a controlled voice.
"I just want to go home with Draco. Thank you for giving me the power to save my people from an evil wizard, but now that that's done… no, I don't want any of it, not the light, not anything. We just want to go home."
The Morrigan was silent for a long moment, an unreadable expression on her face. Then, "Well done, Elentiya."
Ginny's world exploded in white light. She was falling, falling faster than felt humanly possible, everything was so blinding—
But there was Draco, off to her left. He was falling too, the only thing here with her in this featureless, blinding column. He looked towards her, making eye contact with her, and Ginny's chest felt heavy as she saw the sadness and pain and fatigue in his expression. She reached for him, and he reached for her, but then the light grew even brighter, and she lost sight of him.
Ginny gasped as she sat bolt upright, her own body feeling foreign to her as she awoke. She took a shuddery breath before turning to look at Draco, who had sat up next to her, looking bewildered.
"It's over," she whispered, holding eye contact with him, and in an instant Draco broke down into deep, wracking sobs, his whole body shaking. Ginny immediately threw herself forward to embrace him, and he held onto her, sobbing in her arms. She stroked the back of his head, her heart pounding. "Shh, it's over, it's over."
"My son! My son!" Narcissa was on top of them almost immediately. "You saved him, you saved him, you wonderful girl!" She kissed a startled Ginny again and again, hugging them both close to her, and soon they were surrounded by their family and friends.
"My baby, my baby," Mum cried, holding her close, and soon Ginny was crying too, embracing her. It was over. Come what may in the aftermath, Lord Voldemort was dead, and the gates between worlds remained closed. They were safe at last.