The Rise and The Fall

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction using characters from the world of Harry Potter, which is owned by J.K. Rowling. The characters, creatures and other related descriptions are also owned by J.K. Rowling. I will not be receiving any monies in relation to this fan fiction. I have also used the HP Lexicon for some minor details.

Summary: Since Harry Potter's death five years ago at the hands of Lord Voldemort, his remaining allies are in constant hiding. They scrounge for food and traipse the lonely catacombs of London in a bid to remain hidden. But what happens one day when necessity begs them to leave their safe haven and risk it all?

THE RISE AND THE FALL

Chapter One: The Capture and the Separation

CELEBRATIONS IGNITE THE WIZARDING WORLD!

By Rita Skeeter

The Daily Prophet is proud to announce the five year reign of our most beloved supreme ruler, the Dark Lord. Today there will be widespread celebrations marking this most important anniversary for all witches and wizards, so why not head down to Godric's Hollow and witness the consecration of the Dark Lord's first monument? Or trek up to Hogwarts for a re-enactment of that fateful night five years ago which saw our supreme ruler overcome his greatest enemy, Harry Potter? If these celebrations are too much for you, then make your way to Diagon Alley for a simple procession of the Dark Lord's most trusted followers. The cream of the Dark Lord's crop will all be in attendance, so bring along a gift as a gesture of your thankfulness.

This five year anniversary wouldn't be complete without the story of the Dark Lord's victory over Harry Potter. It is with great pleasure that I can relate this story to all those who are worthy to read it, having been able to meet the scar headed boy on many occasions, but I will not be dwelling on that. Our story begins on May 2nd 1997, in which the Dark Lord triumphed and The-Boy-Who-Lived died. The Dark Lord had placed his most faithful servant, Severus Snape, in charge of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after its not-so-innocent former Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, met an untimely end. The school flourished under Severus Snape's care without the troublesome Harry Potter and his friends, but this was not to last. The aforementioned date arrived, and Harry Potter rushed onto the scene in a misguided blaze of misplaced glory, firing up his foolish supporters into fighting with him and sacrificing themselves for him.

A tragic battle ensued, and many of the Dark Lord's most trusted followers lost their lives, but not before they could purge the Wizarding World of blood traitors and half-breeds. The Dark Lord was forgiving, he extended his opulent hand out in mercy to Harry Potter, the Dark Lord gave Harry Potter a chance to redeem himself, and to stop his friends from sacrificing themselves. However, Harry Potter was not to be swayed from his arrogance, and the battle continued until he finally felt some idea of guilt and conscience. Harry Potter disappeared from the fighting at Hogwarts, and was never to be seen alive again. His broken corpse was brought back to Hogwarts, placed on the front steps and made an example of. Where he is buried now, no one knows. Those who saw that he was dead and accepted it, joined the Dark Lord almost immediately. Those who were just as arrogant as Harry Potter fled, some died in the chase and some have not been seen since that wondrous day. Perhaps today would be the day to hunt those remainders down, those drains on the Wizarding World, then today will be a truly triumphant celebration!

Turn to page five for further stories on the Dark Lord's rise to power.

Ginny threw the newspaper down in disgust; it had been the third time she had read it in two weeks. It had been a lucky find initially, for them to get some news of their home had to be a good thing. Now Ginny was not so sure, hadn't they been better off not knowing? Hadn't they been better off not reading those slanderous and disrespectful lies? Ginny thought so. Reading that snivelling drivel made her feel utterly sick, mostly because she knew that the Prophet was printing what it had to print; such brown nosing could not be possible unless someone was coerced into it. And it had to be Rita Skeeter, people like her seemed as though they would survive the end of the world, and it was always people like her; manipulative, persuasive, adaptable. They were barely managing to survive. Hermione was generally good at making something out of nothing, and the cans of food swiped from the muggle food stores were very helpful. Without any staff to keep the shops safe, it made it very easy to walk in there and take stuff, especially when they needed new clothing.

London was teeming with useful shops, and having access to the underground tunnels made it easier to move from target to target. The fact that there were barely any muggles left also helped, though Ginny disliked admitting it, since now it was easier to perform magic without having to Obliviate someone every time you decided to do a spell. The fact that many had been put to death or put into camps made her feel worse, but it had definitely eased their process when tracking down a viable entrance to the tunnel they had now been in since they had fled Hogwarts five years ago. The tunnel had been accessed from an opening in Regent's Park, which Hermione seemed to have visited before but didn't divulge the story behind it like she would have. Having to witness your best friend's mangled body being chucked on the front steps of Hogwarts did do something terrible to Hermione's sense of confidence, and Ron didn't really bother trying to argue anymore, even if he disagreed with Hermione. Neville and Luna had escaped with them too, and both were just as scarred from the battle, mentally and physically. Neville bore some tremendous wounds, despite Hermione's attempts to heal them and Luna barely spoke anymore, unless she had something profound and serious to say. They were all affected by the war, and Ginny was no exception.

Ginny and Ron had suffered the loss of their large family. They knew for definite that Fred had died during that infamous. They had a feeling that their mother and father had been captured, tortured and killed, but they couldn't know for sure, and the remaining brothers had disappeared. The family had scattered themselves at their father's request in the hope that they would survive if they weren't all found together. Other than that, Ron and Ginny didn't know anything further, they barely even knew what had happened to all their other friends and the Order of the Phoenix. At this point, knowing was not an issue, surviving was and that was all that mattered to them presently. Ginny coped by remembering her family in happier times, the thought kept her going especially during winter when it seemed like they could barely even leave their sanctuary to find food, and it allowed her to have some hope that they could be a family again. Despite this, thinking about Harry made her feel hopeless, but if she thought about her family thinking about Harry was inevitable; he had been part of their family since Ron's second year at Hogwarts. She thought about those lost moments that they could have had and the moments that they managed to have, even in such a short space of time. But, Ginny couldn't shake the feeling that Ron and Hermione had been affected the most by the image of Harry's body, tossed onto the stone and battered. Ginny had no qualms anymore in believing that Ron and Hermione had cared a great deal more about Harry than she had, and she knew Harry had felt the same about them, that he cared more for them than for her. Nevertheless, she had still loved him. It hurt all the more when she had to witness Neville and Luna taking comfort in each other, and watch Ron and Hermione cope with each other; truly, she felt lonely.

"Ginny, why are you reading that rubbish again?" Hermione's voice cut sharply through Ginny's thoughts. "You know what it does to you... I'm going to burn it."

"I'm fine, Hermione," Ginny replied shortly.

"You've been sitting like that for ten minutes, now," Hermione said emphatically, reaching to touch Ginny's arm.

"I'm over it," Ginny said in a hard tone, moving away. She looked away from Hermione before she could feel guilty and noticed Luna on her own, asleep. "Where's Neville?"

"He's gone on food duty," Hermione answered.

Ginny looked at her finally, a questioning look in her eyes. "Why would he leave Luna?" she said suspiciously. "He's been adamant that he doesn't want to leave her side for the past two weeks."

Hermione sighed and sat closer to Ginny, the wall scraping behind her as she shifted. "He thinks she is going to die," she whispered, her face on the brink of crumbling, but she managed to keep herself together. "You know we have tried all the healing magic we know; I think he just needs time on his own."

"She won't die, Luna is stronger than Neville thinks," Ginny said, more hopeful than she actually believed. Luna had gotten sick two weeks ago, from what they had no idea, and she deteriorated quickly despite their best efforts. Outwardly, she appeared to be in perfect health so they assumed that something terrible was happening internally. All they could do was watch as she got worse and worse. Ginny looked around as she heard movement, seeing Ron rise from his bed. "You think Luna is going to be OK, don't you, Ron?" she asked, giving him an imploring look.

Ron didn't answer immediately, but looked from Ginny to Hermione with a bemused expression. "Course she will be OK," he finally answered, the pause contradicting his words. At least the sentiment was there, not that it would keep Luna alive. "Where's Neville?" he asked abruptly, trying to cover his obvious anxiety.

"He's out to get food," Ginny sighed, slumping back against the wall. She couldn't be bothered to talk anymore, what was there to talk about? Everything had been exhausted, the only interesting topics being what their next movements would be and it always turned out to be staying where they were. Their situation was truly hopeless, no matter what Ron or Hermione would try to convince her of and the length of their hardships just made that hopelessness even more concrete and permanent. Honestly, it was not that bad down in the tunnel since Hermione and Luna had made it as homely as possible using all manner of charms, Transfiguration and everything else they sourced from above. But it could never compare to freedom, to playing Quidditch, to walking through the halls of Hogwarts and going to Hogsmeade with a friend or lover. Ginny particularly lamented the fact that she hadn't been able to finish her education. Everything about the world was wrong, and she no longer understood it.

"Hello, Luna," Hermione's voice was soft and sympathetic as Luna roused from her deep sleep. She only mumbled in response. "Do you want some water? Food?"

"Water, please," Luna replied, her voice cracking as she attempted to get the words out. Watching Luna was the tip of the hopelessness Ginny felt. Luna, who had always been optimistic and friendly despite people shunning her, wasting away was unthinkable. After she had finished gulping the water down, Luna looked around slowly, showing Ginny her full face. It shocked her how pale she had become, they all lacked sun but Luna was suffering the most, she had purple lines under her once bright eyes, and her blonde hair lacked that sunshine it used to hold, now it just looked dull and lifeless. The gauntness of her face was the most worrying feature, and Ginny could no longer bear to look at her. "Where's Neville?" she asked suddenly, as if panicked by his absence.

"Don't worry," Hermione soothed. "He's just gone on food duty. I think he needed time alone."

Ron looked at Ginny sceptically and she nodded in agreement. "Hermione, when did Neville go?" he questioned slowly, wanting to be careful.

"About a couple of hours ago," she said offhandedly. "Why?"

"Well..." began Ron tentatively. "Don't you think that is quite a long time?"

Hermione shot Ron a dark look. "Not at all," she said in a hard voice, gesturing to the fragile Luna. "Neville is quite capable of looking after himself, and he's not stupid."

Luna laid a hand on Hermione's arm as if to thank her for the reassurance, and she fell back against the pillow soundlessly. "I need to sleep a little more," she said quietly. "Wake me when Neville returns."

"We will, Luna," Hermione promised.

After a few minutes in silence, Ron checked Luna over quickly, checking to see if she had gone back to sleep. "He's been gone for bloody ages now, Hermione," he said quietly but in a firm tone. "Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd? It doesn't take this long to get food, that food place is only up the road and it's still packed full."

"I know that, Ron," Hermione said through gritted teeth, "but I was trying to show a bit of tact in front of Luna."

"We can hardly go looking for him, Ron," Ginny offered. "Maybe he got a bit distracted, went into the clothes shops."

Ron gave her an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Neville? In a clothes shop?"

"Well, he did need some new clothes," Hermione said rationally. "And so does Luna."

"This is what I think," Ron said, carrying on looking disbelieving. "I think he has gone to find those tablet things you were talking about the other day. He's got it into his head that these muggle things can help Luna."

Hermione scoffed. "Neville backed down when I told him they wouldn't work," she explained confidently, but the nervousness in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts. "We can't possibly use them as we don't know what is wrong with her. I told him those exact words."

Ron moved towards Hermione, taking her hand. "Neville is desperate, Hermione," he said softly. "I would probably do the same thing for you, no matter how stupid the idea is."

Hermione sighed, a sign that she accepted the possibility of his theory. "It is not entirely flawed," she said quietly. "They could work, if only we knew what was wrong with her, then we could get the right medication for her."

Ginny felt a sudden draft and it sent a chill down her spine; it was a sure indication that the hatch to the tunnel had been opened. Assuredly, the sound of the hatch banging shut confirmed her suspicions. All three of them withdrew their wands; they knew the routine, no matter how many times someone left the tunnel, when they returned this is how they were to be welcomed; with a wand in their face and a harshly-spoken question. Upon seeing Neville enter the warm light beaming down from the ceiling, Ginny almost lowered her wand, but Hermione's sharp voice reminded her of the importance of keeping it raised. "What spell did I cast upon you in first year?"

Neville looked taken aback, but answered swiftly. "Petrificus Totalus."

They all lowered their wands with a sigh of relief, allowing Neville to pass through.

"Where have you been, you stupid git?" Ron said angrily. "Hermione said you've been gone hours."

"I made a detour," Neville replied shortly, his voice telling them that he didn't want to tolerate an argument.

"A detour? A bloody detour?" Ron's voice gradually getting louder. "We've been worrying about you, we thought you were dead, you great -."

"Ron, shut up!" Hermione whispered forcefully. "I don't want Luna waking up to you shouting."

"I'm sorry," Neville said, his eyebrows knitting together, worried. "But I had to go there, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said, Hermione."

Ginny felt so much sorrow for Neville in that moment, his eyes on the verge of tears as he opened his rucksack and poured out nearly a hundred small square and rectangular boxes, all different colours but all rattling like they held sweets inside. They must be the tablets that Hermione was talking about, the things that muggles relied on to get better.

"Will you look at them, Hermione?" Neville said, almost begging. "One of them might be able to help her."

Hermione looked torn between being rational and trying to help her friend, but finally she sighed. "I will look, Neville," she said softly, "but I cannot guarantee that any of these will help her."

Neville's face broke into a smile, a very rare sight for any of them. "Thank you so much, Hermione, you are a great friend," he said, his voice nearly joyful at the prospect of at least some hope. He left the rucksack on the floor and made his way over to Luna, sitting on the edge of her bed and taking her hand. He leant down and said her name ever so quietly, not wanting to wake her so harshly. "Luna," he called a little louder, raising to a whisper now, "Luna, I've got you something that might help."

Luna was stirring, and seeing her tiny frame was heart-breaking, especially when she gave the most breathtaking smile to Neville. Ginny shivered again; seeing them made her feel awful, lonely and selfish. How could she begrudge them when they could only have moments together? Seeing them together made her value her life all the more, no matter how tiresome or hard it had become, at least she had her life, at least she wasn't dying.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

All five of them whipped their heads round to locate the source of the unfamiliar voice and standing in the tunnel beyond the entrance were four black robed figures, their faces uncovered and twisted into looks of pure cruelty. Death Eaters. They all sat paralysed with fear, confusion pounding through their minds with the unadulterated instinct to run, but their bodies just wouldn't obey.

"Muggles or magic folk?" A different voice questioned them this time.

They all remained silent, too fearful to answer.

"Muggles or magic folk?!" The question came again, but this time it was shouted and it boomed along the tunnel, reverberating and bouncing off the walls.

"Magic folk," Ron finally answered begrudgingly.

The Death Eaters looked at them through narrowed eyes and with suspicion. "Then show us your wands," the Death Eater demanded. "And don't try anything funny or you will be facing the consequences."

They all withdrew their wands carefully, all of them ready to shoot off some spell, anything to get themselves out of harm's way. "What about hers?" the first Death Eater said harshly, pointing at Luna who looked about ready to crumble.

Neville stood in Luna's defence. "She is ill," he ground out through gritted teeth, pointing his wand threateningly now. "She can hardly move, so you will have to take our word for it."

The Death Eater stepped forward and they all pointed their wands defensively now at this sudden movement, but all he did was laugh an awful high laugh. "And you suppose so, do you?" he said humorously, his voice still full of hatred. "And what position are you in to be telling us what to do?"

None of them answered, deciding to remain on the defence and keeping a constant watch on the wands pointing directly at them.

"And this one is ill?" One of the others said, his voice also suggesting that he found the whole situation amusing. "That is why you were in that muggle shop, then, boy, we were curious about that. That's why we followed you, you see, we though it rather curious that you should be rummaging around a muggle medicine shop."

"And it paid off," the second one said triumphantly, glaring at them with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "The Dark Lord will be wanting words with you."

"But he won't have use for this one," the third one said coldly. "She looks to be dying any minute soon."

"Then leave her out of this!" Neville shouted. "She is too weak to fight back!"

"We don't allow loose ends, loverboy," the first one chuckled. "Avada Kedavra!" And that sickening green light shot forth with remorse, blinding Ginny as she looked directly at the merciless light.

"Luna!" Neville screamed in anguish and all Ginny heard was a resounding thump and a definite finality. Then everything seemed to happen all at once, she shot blindly from her wand any offensive spells she could remember, waiting for her vision to return and she could hear the others doing the same, screaming with anger and pain.

"Ginny, quick!" Ron yelled desperately and she tried to reach him with all her willpower, toppling over as she fell into something hard, presumably the chair she had been sitting in. But her hand slipped through what she thought was Ron's fingers and heard that familiar CRACK! which ended all her hopes of escape in a matter of seconds.

"No!" One of the voices screeched. "Don't kill her! The Dark Lord will want to question her!"

Ginny yelled at the top of her lungs, the tunnel coming back into view and she was all alone, save for the Death Eaters and the body on the floor, and she realised that it was Neville, his face turned to hers, his eyes wide open in terror and strewn with fresh tears. "Neville! Neville!" she sobbed uncontrollably, shaking him in a useless effort.

"Shut your mouth!" one of the Death Eaters shouted violently, shoving her to the ground and she gasped as her head connected with the stone floor. Ginny felt herself becoming faint, and her vision started to blur again, but she wouldn't give up without a fight.

"Stupefy!" she screamed, and she watched tiredly as her spell hit one of the Death Eaters square in face and sent him flying back into the bed post, a resounding smack suggesting that he wouldn't be getting up in hurry. "You bitch!" one of them exploded, but she couldn't hear anymore and soon after that, her vision gave up entirely, and the whole world went black.