Chapter 82 - The Beginning of the End

[pokecharm]

The moon washed the courtyard in a sickly bluish hue. The stone benches looked black in the growing shadow. But none of this garnered any attention from Ginny Weasley. The cold winter air hit her face, numbing it, but she hardly noticed. Her eyes were trained on the inert face in her lap. She touched his cheek lightly, repeating his name, but it made no difference. She ran her hand down his arm, and gripped his wrist. She could feel a pulse and looked at him questioningly. He looked much like Hermione just did. She wasn’t sure if she could cry anymore; her face was wet and blotchy, and her chest was aching from the effort.

She had come flying down those stairs so quickly, she hadn’t realised where she was going. There was no way she would have spotted Harry under his Invisibility Cloak, but it brought back all the questions she’d thought up earlier. There had been a pool of blood darkening the grass around him. He had a cut across the back of his head. She waved her wand; after cleaning the cut she saw it was not nearly as large as she thought. She had pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of him and set it aside. In the grass, it looked like nothing at all. She picked it up and threw it over his legs to keep him warm.

She took a few calming breathes trying to think what to do and remembered a spell Hermione had used on Harry over the summer. Pointing her wand at him, she said quietly, ‘Rennervate!’

Harry’s eyes blinked a few times and he groaned, pulling his hand to the back of his head. She felt a smile reaching across her face and sighed in relief. She wiped the tears that had appeared on her cheeks and said, ‘Harry?’

He blinked again and looked at her doing a double-take. He tried to get up, but she kept her arms around him. ‘You were pretty out of it when I got here…’

He nodded. ‘Are you okay? I…Tom…did you see him?’

‘No, but I saw another man…and he said he’d catch me later,’ she answered slowly.

He reached an arm around her, still trying to sit up, and she loosened her grip grudgingly. He sat up slowly. ‘Are you okay? You didn’t answer me.’

She pursed her lips together and replied, ‘I tripped over you on my way down those stairs.’

He shook his head, holding her hands in his. ‘And?’

She leaned back. ‘Don’t give me a hard time, Harry, I was worried out of my mind after you! I got ‘your’ message and didn’t know where you were! On top of which, Hermione-’

She stopped suddenly and Harry squeezed her hand. ‘Hermione what? Shouldn’t you two be together?’

Ginny shook her head. ‘No, I…Ron and George came through, but they left…I left her with Malfoy.’

‘Ron and George? What were they doing here?’ Harry jumped up. ‘And Malfoy! We have to go get her now!’

‘What are you talking about? He saved her…Ron was attacking him,’ Ginny replied, trying to get up. ‘Sort of…I’m still not sure…they just…they left me…didn’t really say much…’

Harry folded the Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it into one of his pockets, then offered a hand to her. She took it, but they both realised quickly that she wouldn’t be able to put much weight on her ankle. He started to lean in to carry her, but she stopped him. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Now you’re trusting Malfoy, too?’ Harry asked, again trying to lift her off of her feet.

‘No,’ she replied, pushing him away slightly. ‘But I saw the commotion…it was mental. George dragged Ron out of here and left me and Hermione with Malfoy…if he were part of it, wouldn’t George have said something?’

Harry stopped what he was doing and shook his head. ‘When Tom hit and petrified me, he said he’d learned the trick from Malfoy. Something tells me we were right never to trust him.’

Ginny felt her shoulders sag in defeat and Harry took the opportunity to lift her off the ground. She shook her head. ‘Harry, you’re in no state to be carrying me…we have to go get her…’

Harry nodded. ‘I know…but we can’t get out of the school either…’

‘What? How do you know?’ Ginny asked, looking out across the grounds.

‘Tom told me. An alarm he and someone else put up. It won’t let anyone in or out.’ Harry was walking easily enough with Ginny in his arms, so she didn’t continue to argue with him over carrying her.

‘Kreacher came, I asked him to find you when the locket went cold,’ Ginny said slowly.

‘I’m not sure he’ll be able to get back in now.’ Harry slowed as they reached the top of the stairs. They were now in the entranceway to the school. The room of requirement was above them. There was no sound around them but Harry’s soft foot falls. Harry asked quietly, ‘Who was the man? Have you seen him before?’

She nodded and tried to get out of his grasp. ‘Yeah. Harry, put me down. You’ll have to look before we go anywhere. He was at the train station that day.’

‘The one that you were scared about?’ he asked as he let her down gently.

She arched an eyebrow. ‘I wasn’t scared.’

‘Right,’ Harry replied, grinning.

She started to poke him, but stopped, grabbing his shoulders and kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly. She had the sudden feeling like she might not see him again, it was a strange foreign feeling she hadn’t let bother her since the previous year when she saw Hagrid carrying his body out of the forest.

He pulled away slowly and smiled. ‘You’re right, we should snog more instead of worrying about whether we’re going to make it out of this.’

He meant it jokingly, but she looked up at him grimly. ‘I hope we’re not too late for Hermione.’

Harry pulled her close, nudging her forehead with his. ‘She’s going to be fine, you’re going to be fine, we’re going to be fine.’

She felt calm as he spoke and realised he was trying to be calm himself as well. She gripped his arms and said, ‘Come on, Harry, we need to go find her. Up these stairs and then down the hall; the room of requirement should be there.’

‘Should being the operative word,’ Harry quipped.

He gripped her hand and she grimaced, limping after him. They hadn’t made it more than a few steps before a clear voice could be heard from above. It was Draco Malfoy.

‘I told you they were here. I did my part, and that’s all I’m doing.’ He sounded defiant as usual.

Harry’s grip on Ginny’s hand tightened. He pulled close to her and whispered, ‘He’ll never change.’ She gave him a worried look and he sighed. ‘She’s going to be okay…’

‘You don’t sound so sure,’ Ginny replied just as quietly.

Harry pushed her back as the footsteps drew closer. The second voice was one Harry knew all too well. ‘You’re really worthless. Just come to get ahead, you bloody Slytherin!’

Malfoy said something rude and they both heard a loud thump followed by the second voice, ‘Shut your mouth, Malfoy! I may have little use for you.’

Ginny pulled close to Harry, craning her neck to help her hear better. Malfoy stumbled to his feet and said breathlessly, ‘Leave me alone! I did what you wanted! What everyone wanted! When do I get what I want?’

‘In due time…now bring her along. That’ll get the other two here. You got rid of the other two Weasleys, right?’ the dark voice questioned.

Ginny whispered, ‘That man, he’s the one who was going to chase me.’

‘I don’t doubt it,’ Harry replied. ‘I thought he was as good as dead.’

Before Ginny could ask who it was, a loud crash behind them made them both jump. Harry grabbed Ginny, lifting her off of the ground and took off running. A loud voice called, ‘Look at that, they’re afraid of us; the Great Harry Potter.’

Harry stumbled past a large column and Ginny pushed him. ‘Let go! You can’t carry me; who’ll carry Hermione?’

Harry shot her a wild look. ‘I hadn’t thought it that far. Take the Invisibility Cloak, I’ll get Hermione.’

‘No,’ she replied harshly. ‘I’m not leaving you with Merlin knows whom.’

‘I can’t let anything happen to you,’ he replied quietly.

She touched his shoulder lightly. ‘I’m not the one that needs protecting right now, Harry. We need to get Hermione and I’m not leaving without both of you.’

‘You may not be leaving at all then,’ a cold voice called from the top of the stairs. ‘Come out, come out, where-ever you are! I’ve got a great game to play!’

Malfoy started to say something when another loud smack and thump stopped him from speaking again. Harry gripped Ginny’s hand and whispered, ‘We don’t know what we’re up against, please, just go.’

‘No.’ She gave him a blazing look that he could only glare at in response. They both pulled their wands out, uncertain of what to expect. Ginny put her right hand in his left hand and waved her wand at her ankle, hoping a quick numbing spell would slow the pain.

Harry took a deep breath and pulled her away from the stairs, further into the darkness. She was having trouble seeing, but Harry was hoping that this would keep them undetectable. He put his finger to his lips, to signify they should be quiet and she nodded, turning and looking around.

The footsteps were loud, now on the same level as they were, and the voice continued taunting them, ‘Come on, bring out your bird and I’ll make a woman out of her.’

Ginny could feel Harry stiffen at this, but he didn’t slow down. She squeezed his hand to reassure him, but she wasn’t feeling overly confident herself. They were moving slowly, she imagined he was slowing down because of her, but she didn’t nudge him. The voice was reverberating off of the stone walls, making it hard to tell where he was standing.

‘You can’t run all night…not on that ankle…I hear it hasn’t healed completely,’ the man said. ‘If you’re not going to be a good man, at least let me. Let her go and we’ll take you both…well, we’re taking you both anyway.’

Ginny pulled Harry’s hand, and he turned, coming back towards her. He pointed in the opposite direction, but she shook her head and pointed back the other way. They stood there for a few moments glaring at one another before Harry conceded, letting Ginny lead them back the other way.

After a few steps and a quick crouch behind another column, the voice came booming from where they had been, ‘Where did you run off to? Cleverer than I would have expected…and I’ve been told you’re pretty dim, Potter.’

Harry slumped down onto the ground and waved his wand around them, creating a bubble. He whispered, ‘We can’t hide the whole time. Let’s get under the cloak.’

She craned around the column slowly. ‘I can see him; just there…Malfoy’s…Malfoy’s got Hermione!’

Harry leaned over Ginny, looking past her. ‘Bloody hell…do you know who that is?’

‘It looks a little like Tom, but with dark hair,’ Ginny commented.

‘No, it’s-’ but Harry was cut off before he could finish. A loud explosion came from behind them and they both went flying.

‘I see you!’ Tom crowed. ‘Nice try, Potter, I told you that we were going to storm the school.’

Harry rolled onto his back and coughed. In one moment, the column they’d been hiding behind had erupted like a volcano, throwing them both in opposite directions. Tom waved his wand and Harry felt his body lifting off the ground. He grappled with the invisible ties, but it was of no use. Tom threw him forward and Harry crashed near Draco’s feet. Tom waved his wand again and Harry was thrown into a nearby wall.

He could feel the ring burning warm, so he knew Ginny was still conscious, but he couldn’t figure anything else out, his head was ringing and he was seeing spots. Tom had tossed him around like a rag doll and although nothing felt broken, he felt like he’d been hit by the Knight Bus, and it had stopped to back up. The other man had grabbed Ginny by the throat and was holding her up in the air. She was clawing at his hand with both of hers, but he wouldn’t let go. The sneer was plastered to his face.

‘Look who I’ve caught,’ he replied, grinning. ‘Trouble-some little mouse…we’ll finish you off quickly.’

The room had grown dark in a matter of moments and Draco cringed, feeling the Dementors press inward. The man loosened his grip on Ginny, then let her fall to the ground hard. She had the wind knocked out of her and her leg buckled on impact. She struggled to breathe as she felt a stabbing pain in her leg; she grabbed her ankle while he leaned down and grabbed her wand.

Draco shot her a worried look while shifting Hermione in his arms, but Ginny only glared back at him, though she was only just making out his visage. She spat, ‘You liar! I knew it!’

She would have said more, but a spell hit her in the chest and she was thrown across the floor. Harry was grappling with Tom on the other side of the entranceway. The man turned his attention away from Ginny to Draco. ‘Don’t let her get away, use force if you have to.’

Ginny could feel the room spinning and another spell hit her, one that didn’t hurt, but made the room come back to its normal state. Her ankle was also feeling less pained. She turned onto her side and looked up to see Draco staring at her. He was looking much worse than the last time she’d seen him. His face was swollen in a few places and his robes were covered in blood that was clearly his. She didn’t dare say another word and worried how Harry was faring.

Another loud thump and she knew too quickly Harry wasn’t doing well at all. The man skipped between them, Harry face-down on the floor, while Tom took Ginny’s wand from him and then twirled Harry’s in his own hand. Tom grinned at Ginny. ‘You’re looking well, Ms. Weasley.’

She shot him a disgusted look and Harry, despite looking rather beaten up, spat, ‘Stay away from her.’

The man, who Ginny still didn’t know, turned his piercing glare at Harry. ‘Oh, no; Mr. Potter…you remember me, don’t you?’

Harry blinked and straightened his glasses by tilting his head. ‘Yeah, you paraded around as Mad-Eye Moody my fourth year. Barty Crouch, Jr. I thought you were as good as dead.’

‘The news of my death were very greatly exaggerated,’ he stated, waving his hands theatrically.

Tom turned suddenly and kicked Harry hard in the ribs. Crouch turned away and smiled at Ginny. ‘I’m so glad you could join us. I was worried Malfoy had given you the slip.’

She clenched her jaw, uncertain of what was going to happen next and replied smartly, ‘No such luck.’

Crouch grinned and leered at her. ‘You’re a fine specimen indeed.’ He nodded at Draco and said, ‘Help him binding Potter, leave that on the floor.’

Ginny turned to see Tom wrestling with Harry. She tried to get up, but another spell hit her and she felt her head hitting the stone floor hard. The world shifted before her eyes and she felt light-headed. When the fog cleared, she was able to see Draco gently setting Hermione on the ground near a column. Ginny watched as he stalked over to Harry, a grim, determined look on his face.

Ginny waited until all three men seemed consumed before turning her attention back to her friend. She couldn’t watch them beating Harry and she knew he wouldn’t go easily either. She also didn’t think they’d done all this to kill Harry now and slowly dragged herself across the floor towards her friend, her nails grating against the floor. Draco had been very careful putting Hermione on the ground and Ginny could see, of the four, Hermione was the one who looked the least hurt. She gripped Hermione’s arm and whispered, ‘Kreacher?’

But nothing happened. Harry had been right and Kreacher was unable to get back into the school. She wrapped an arm around her friend’s waist and pulled her body close. Hermione was still warm, but she wondered if that was from Draco carrying her. ‘Hermione…wake up…we need your help.’

She felt a strange poke in her knee and noticed, much to her surprise, Hermione’s wand in her back pocket. Ginny’s eyes bulged for a moment before she heard footsteps behind her. She couldn’t imagine why Draco wouldn’t have taken it. She half-turned to see Harry had been over-powered and looked very much worse for the wear. They had taken great pleasure in exacting some form of revenge on Harry, and Ginny looked at him sadly, uncertain what they should do. He was bleeding from a few places and she pulled Hermione closer. She whispered quietly, ‘Whatever happens, you’re going to be okay.’

She looked sadly at her friend’s inert face and whispered, ‘I’m sorry…I should never have doubted you.’ Her voice broke and she could feel her eyes moisten. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you…I never should have left you with him…I knew it was a mistake…’

She would have said more, but Crouch was coming towards her. Hermione didn’t respond at all and Crouch stood in front of her. ‘Well, I want to thank you all for being a part of this momentous occasion.’

Ginny arched an eyebrow, tightening her grip on Hermione, blinking away the tears. Draco didn’t look amused in the least. Harry couldn’t make any expressions from the ground. Tom stalked over to Crouch and said, ‘Where’s our guest of honour?’

‘She’s coming,’ Crouch responded, grinning.

Crouch bent down in front of Ginny. ‘I must say, Ms. Weasley, this has been a rather trying episode, hasn’t it? And you had to go and break your ankle, making it harder on all of us.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ she replied bitterly.

Tom looked as if he were going to strike her, but Crouch shook his head. ‘No, no, leave her be…I’ve something better planned.’

Draco was standing a few steps behind Ginny and Crouch eyed him. ‘Getting nervous, are you?’

Draco shrugged and crossed his arms. ‘Just waiting for this to be done.’

Crouch grinned. Ginny looked at him and asked quietly, ‘I thought you’d gotten a Dementor’s kiss.’

Crouch nodded. ‘Oh yes. I did. Many years ago, but there is a strange thing that happened.’

He knelt down in front of her again and said, ‘You see, if you’ve got the same malevolence a Dementor has, then you can best them at their own game. So while I let them take my soul, I took something back…for me…and now we’re…not friends, but we…help one another…’

Ginny saw the crazed gleam in his eye and uttered, ‘You’re mad!’

He stood up and chuckled. ‘No, no, no. I’m not mad. I’m as sane as can be. It’s all you who’ve gone mad. Running around doing things to hurt each other…I only have one thing I want, and it’ll be done.’

Ginny feared asking, and said quietly, ‘You have me and Harry; you can take the ring and locket. Let Hermione go.’

Crouch let out a low, rumbling laugh that erupted and filled the empty space. Tom grinned at him and Draco looked away. Crouch pulled closer to her and said, ‘Ring and locket? I thought you were smarter than that! We knew Potter didn’t have any brains, but you?’

He reached a hand out and instead of touching Ginny, gripped Hermione’s chin. ‘Ring and Locket? Wow, Tom, I never gave you credit for your part in this. Bloody brilliant!

He sneered and let go, standing up. ‘All three of you…it was just too easy.’ He turned and grinned, his eyes empty and hollow. ‘No, no, we don’t want you at all, nor the ring or locket. Those are trifles compared to what we’re after.’