It\'s So Difficult to be Mature

Chapter 13: Death & Resurrection

Draco suddenly realized he was alone. Mrs. Weasley had gone home, and Draco just noticed that no one else was around. He started walking, and he ran into Meredith who was pouring over some thick tome. She was quite absorbed in it.

She didn´t notice him come in so he stood behind her and glanced at the book. He recognized one of the pictures.

"Hey, I know that dagger," he said with slight surprise. "It used to be in Malfoy Manor."

Meredith literally jumped up and shrieked. Draco covered his ears and when the noise subsided he apologized for frightening her.

"It´s alright," Meredith said, once she calmed down. Then she looked at him curiously. "You say that you owned this dagger?"

Draco shrugged. "Well, not me exactly, it was my father´s. It was in our house for as long as I can remember. I think I remember Lucius saying something about it being a family heirloom."

Meredith was making him uncomfortable with her stare. "Really. That´s quite interesting. Hmm. Thank you, Draco. You´ve been a terrific help."

Draco shrugged again. "I´m not sure what I did, but you´re welcome."

He left her office, and Meredith returned to her book. He started to go look for his wife, since he was most comfortable in her presence, but for some unexplainable reason, his feet led him to Detainment. He honestly didn´t know why because the last person he´d ever want to see was Ron Weasley, but there he was. He was peeking in various cells, all of which were empty, except one. He almost passed it by, but the strangest sight caught his eye. Potter and Weasley were fighting and it looked like Weasley was trying to kill Potter.

Quickly he yanked the steel door open and Harry fell out backwards with Ron on top of him, trying to strangle him. Frozen in shock for a moment, Draco leapt in and pulled Ron off, and shoved him back into the cell, shutting the door swiftly. Jumping back at the wild look in his eyes as Ron stared back at him through the window, Draco leaned over to help Harry up.

"What the hell was all that about, Potter? Has Weasley finally snapped?" He rather sounded at though he wished it was true.

"No," Harry said hoarsely as he rubbed his neck and clutched his broken hand to his chest. "He´s possessed."

Draco scoffed. "Ridiculous. How? By what?"

Harry smiled weakly. "By whom, actually. He claims he´s possessed by the spirit of Voldemort. I wouldn´t have believed him either if he hadn´t attacked me."

Draco peered in through the window. Ron lay crumpled on the floor and periodically he twitched.

"He doesn´t look good, I´ll give him that much," he remarked, "but possessed? Isn´t that a tad exaggerated?"

Harry glared at him. "Look, Malfoy, I know you don´t like him and he doesn´t like you, but Ron has been my best friend since we were eleven. He would not attack me like that and he was not himself."

Draco looked at Harry´s hand. "Here, let me see that." Harry held out his arm and Draco made a noise. "Well, I´m not a doctor, but I could try to fix it for you. I took a few Medi-magic courses at Hogwarts." Harry nodded and Draco pulled out his wand. He tapped the hand a few times.

Harry marveled at the improvement. "That was amazing! Thanks, Malfoy, it doesn´t hurt anymore."

"Be careful," Draco warned. "It isn´t fully healed."

He was watching Ron through the window. Ron wasn´t moving and Draco couldn´t even tell if he was breathing.

"So what do you propose we do?" Draco asked, leaning against the wall.

Harry grasped at his hair in frustration. "I don´t know, but we have to do something!"

Draco was still watching Ron, who woke up, clutched his head, and fell over again.

"I don´t know either. If it´s true, Weasley´s going to be put through hell."

* * *

"Ron?" Lily whispered gently. "Can you hear me?"

Ron stirred groggily. "Uh," he grunted. "Where am I?"

"You´re still in the cell, Ron," James replied. "Do you remember what just happened?"

Ron struggled into a sitting position. His skull threatened to burst and he was feverish. His tongue felt thick and his mouth was dry, making conversation difficult. His head was swimming and he was very disoriented. Objects were blurred and he was on the edge of delirium.

"Harry, I killed Harry," Ron said panicking. He tried to stand up, and only fell over again.

"No, no, Ron, he´s not dead," Lily hastened to reassure him. "It´s alright."

Ron curled into a ball and shook. "He should kill me."

Lily and James were stunned. "What! Why would you say such a thing?"

"If Voldemort wins my body, he´ll destroy my world and those I love. Harry should just kill me."

"Ron, stop that!" Lily admonished. "We told you, you have to fight him!"

Ron could no longer hear her. He was hallucinating and his mind was spinning. Everything in the room became something else. Reality had no meaning for him. He was lost inside his own mind. He was trapped and he couldn´t find his way out.

* * *

Jeanette and Snape were arguing. Remus was sitting back with a slightly amused smile. This scene had been playing for what seemed like hours and it was wearing thin.

"We have to start over!" Jeanette yelled angrily. "We can´t give up now!"

Snape sneered. "I can. I don´t know what I´m doing here in the first place!"

"But we´re close, I can feel it!"

"What you don´t seem to realize, Dr. Mills," Snape said sarcastically, "is that we nearly blew ourselves up! I´m not interested in placing my life in danger."

"We simply have to try again. I´m not going to abandon her. Maybe your conscience will allow you to do so, but mine will not. I am not a quitter!" Jeanette spat furiously.

"As far as I can tell, you´re wasting your time, my time, and valuable potions ingredients on this pointless endeavor. Face it! Potter is not getting his wife back, and he ought to just grow up and accept it!"

Jeanette stared at him in disbelief. "What happened to you to make you this way? Is it just because you are a Slytherin raised by Death Eater parents? Or did you experience some horrible personal tragedy?"

Snape turned his back to her. "I see, just because it´s Potter you´re willing to do anything possible to help him! You haven´t given a single thought to the countless others who have died at Lucretia´s hands, but the second it´s Potter´s wife you decide to do something!"

Jeanette was seeing red. She resented his accusations. "How dare you! If you aren´t going to help than you might as well leave. You are no longer welcome here!"

Remus moved to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jeanette, calm down. It´s alright."

But Jeanette was still furious. "No, Remus! I´m trying to save a woman´s life and all he´s doing is making sarcastic comments and telling me to give up! No wonder so many people hate you!"

The last part was aimed at Snape who gaped at her for a moment before his expression turned dark. He looked ready to tear her limb from limb and he glared at her with the look of loathing he usually reserved for Harry, Remus, or Sirius. When he spoke it was in a low, threatening tone.

"I have never liked you. All through Hogwarts, no one even tried to see the real me. I was instantly branded as scum because I was a Slytherin and I didn´t worship the ground that Potter, Lupin, and Black walked on. I have no idea what I was thinking trying to help you, but rest assured I will never make that mistake again. I have learned my lesson. You may call me whatever you like, but it seems to me you haven´t looked in a mirror lately. Who is really the evil one here, Dr. Mills?"

After that speech, he turned and headed for the door. He had his hand on the knob just as the door swung open. Sirius came rushing in and the door caught Snape in the stomach, throwing him to the floor.

"We have more trouble," Sirius said. He saw Snape on the floor. "What are you doing down there?"

Snape grimaced. "I find it comfortable. What do you think I´m doing down here, you twit?"

Sirius shrugged, for once ignoring the insult. He turned to Remus and Jeanette. "What was that a few minutes ago? I figure it had something to do with you."

Jeanette replied calmly, "It was us. The spell didn´t work."

"Well, we don´t have time to try again right now," Sirius said. Jeanette ignored Snape´s leer of triumph as he stood up and brushed off his robes. "We have other problems."

"Of course!" Remus said, hanging his head. "What is it now?"

Sirius sighed. "It´s two things. First, Albus was attacked. By Lucretia."

Jeanette gasped, Remus gaped in surprise, and Snape narrowed his eyes.

"Are you certain, Black?" Snape asked in an oddly choked voice.

Sirius gave him a withering look. "Of course. He´s alright, although he says he has a nasty bump and a probable concussion. Madam Pomfrey is at his place now."

Snape continued towards the door. Sirius reached out and grabbed his arm. After the look Snape gave him, he reconsidered it and dropped the arm.

"Where are you going?" Sirius demanded.

Snape sneered. "I´m going to speak to him. Not that it´s any of your business."

And he left. Jeanette was still angry, but she was now concerned for Professor Dumbledore´s condition.

"Are you sure he´s alright, Sirius?" she asked concernedly.

Sirius smiled at her. "Yes, of course I am."

Remus regarded him warily. "And what´s the other bad news?"

Sirius´ smile turned grim. "It appears Ron is possessed."

"What?!"

"Oh, it get´s better," Sirius assured them. "He´s possessed by Voldemort."

Jeanette felt faint and it was lucky that Remus was there to support her. "Oh, is that all?" she asked in a tiny voice. "Remus, help me to a chair. I don´t feel very well." Once she sat down, she place her head between her knees and took a few deep breaths.

"Are you up for an inspection, Jeanette?" Sirius asked tiredly.

"Sure, why not?" Jeanette asked with false enthusiasm. She headed for the door and turned the handle. It wouldn´t open. "What´s wrong with the door?"

"What do you mean, Jeanette?" Remus asked, coming to her assistance.

After several manly displays of grunting and pulling, a few `Alohomoras´, and a couple attempts of breaking down the door, they finally gave up. The door refused to yield and let them out.

"It appears we´re stuck," Sirius said in disbelief. "I think I´m going to die in this place. Wouldn´t that be ironic? After all of this trouble with Lucretia, I die because I´m trapped in a room."

"Relax, Padfoot," Remus said, almost snappishly. "We´ll just have to wait for someone to let us out."

"I wonder how long that will take?" Jeanette mused. "For that matter, I wonder why the door´s stuck?"

Outside of the room, Ginny Weasley was beginning to feel the pangs of guilt.

"I´ll release them when I get back, if they haven´t already been rescued. Besides, they´ll get my owl eventually and it will explain everything to them," she reassured herself. Then to the door she said, "I´m very sorry, but you would try to stop me. I can´t let you do that."

She raised the hood of her woolen cloak and made sure that it shadowed her face. Checking to make sure that her wand was in a secure place, she started off down the hallway, hoping that no one would notice her.

* * *

Meredith was sucking on the end of her quill, thinking about the reason Lucretia wanted Ginny´s baby. She couldn´t think of any connection between Lucretia and Ginny and at first she couldn´t find one between Draco and Voldemort, but Draco had shined a whole new light it, albeit unknowingly.

The book was open in front of her and something about it was nagging in the back of her mind. The book continued to taunt her. What Draco told her must mean something, if only she could grasp it! There was just one solution.

She threw some special powder on the flames of her office fireplace. "Mrs. Weasley? Hello, I´m Inspector Meredith Levine, I´m not sure if we met. I work at M.A.T.D.A. where your son and daughter are? Could you please stop by for a moment? I need to ask you a question, it´s rather urgent."

A short while later Molly Weasley walked into her office.

"Hello, Inspector Levine. You needed to ask me something?"

Meredith seemed a trifle embarrassed. "I hope I´m not keeping you from anything. This may seem trivial, but I assure you that it´s very important. Would you please look at this picture and tell me if you recognize anything?"

A little confused, Molly looked at the same picture that Draco had seen. A look of shock came over her face.

"Why, yes indeed, I do recognize this one," Molly said, surprised. "This goblet, why it´s been in Arthur´s family for generations, or so he told me. Is it a valuable antique? I suppose ours is just a reproduction. I must say I never paid much attention to it. Quite ostentatious, if you ask me."

"Yes, quite," Meredith said, distracted. "Thank you for your help, Mrs. Weasley. You helped a great deal."

Molly was a bit offended, but she was always polite. "I´m glad I could. Good day." Then she left.

Meredith was staring at the book. The picture, which contained two items now identified, gave her a possible idea. She had no way to prove it, but it was the only thing that made sense. The only connection.

Yes, that dagger and that goblet were the answer. It still didn´t explain everything, but it was a start. The dagger itself was nothing truly special. The pommel was studded with emeralds and the blade was curved, which was a bit unusual for daggers of that period. The goblet was gold with an emblem stamped on the bottom.

It was the caption around the picture that was the most interesting. It read:

Clockwise from the top left: emerald studded dagger of Salazar Slytherin, ruby studded sword of Godric Gryffindor, bronzed quill of Rowena Ravenclaw, and golden goblet of Helga Hufflepuff.

* * *

Ron was wandering through a forest. It was quite peaceful and calm. It felt so refreshing. He strolled along, whistling. There was nothing to fear.

He thought he heard someone call his name, but there was no one around. Suddenly a lone figure appeared in the distance and began to walk towards him. When he realized who it was, he ran forward, full of happiness.

"Hermione! Oh, I´m so thrilled you´re here! Isn´t it amazing? So quiet and soothing. But how did you get here?"

Suddenly Hermione´s shape shifted and she morphed. Ron watched in increasing horror as the person in front of him ceased to be Hermione and became Voldemort instead.

"Hello, Weasley," Voldemort said, as if he was greeting a colleague. "So the time has come for the final confrontation? Good. Let´s begin."

Ron´s first instinct was to run, so he did. He was suddenly grateful for his long legs as he ran and dodged his way through the forest. He made his way through bushes, around tree trunks, and under branches. He was careful not to look back for fear of what he might see. Then he tripped and fell heavily to the ground. He struggled to stand up, but his foot was caught.

Voldemort loomed over him. His red snake-like eyes gleamed with hunger and Ron trembled. He was almost prepared to beg for his life. He was just too terrified.

"What do you want from me?" Ron asked, quivering.

"Your body. Why don´t you just give it up? You´re only hurting yourself and others you care about this way."

Ron curled up and prayed that this was all some terrible nightmare, but when he opened his eyes Voldemort was still standing over him.

"Enough!" Voldemort boomed. "I can´t wait any longer. I won´t need a wand for this."

He leaned down and Ron scrambled to get away. But it was no use, he was stuck. He cringed and a scream ripped from his throat as Voldemort´s long spidery fingers found their way around his neck. He started to choke and couldn´t breath. Voldemort laughed his strange high-pitched laugh and Ron gagged. His hands flew to his neck and he tried to pry Voldemort´s hands away, but the grip was too strong. He was losing consciousness.

"Nothing will stop me this time," Voldemort hissed. "There´s no Potter to save you in here and once I have your body, no one will get in my way. If it wasn´t for that damned woman, I would be ruling the world already! No matter. With your body I will begin again."

And Ron released a silent scream.

* * *

"Oh, James, he´s not fighting," Lily sobbed. "We´ve lost him!"

"Not yet," James said. He flinched as Ron screamed and his hands flew to his throat. He was clawing as if he was trying to create a hole in his neck.

"We have to do something!" Lily said shrilly. "We can´t let him die!"

James looked around for something to snap Ron out of it. The cell was barren, and besides, he couldn´t pick anything up. He and his wife were helpless.

"Ron!" Lily screamed in his ear. "Ron! Come back!"

There was nothing except for the sounds of Ron choking. He wasn´t breathing and after a moment he lost consciousness.

Lily turned to James. "How could we have let this happen?"

* * *

"Merlin help us, what is he doing?" Harry asked frantically. Ron was trying to rip his throat apart and he was convulsing. "Malfoy, we have to do something, he´s dying!"

"Gladly," Draco said sarcastically. "What do you suggest?"

"I don´t know!" Harry shouted. "As hard as this may be for you to believe, I don´t always have a plan! I´ve already watched my wife die, I´m not about to watch it happen to my best friend as well! We have to perform an exorcism, or something!"

"An exorcism," Draco said blankly. "Well, I don´t know about you, but I´m a tad rusty on exorcisms."

Harry lost it. He was absolutely furious with the world. His wife was gone, one of his best friends was being held hostage, his other best friend was possessed, and his life was Hell. He blasted the steel door open, without a wand, and ran inside. Then he grabbed Ron´s flailing wrists.

Ron´s eyes snapped open and rolled around. He was choking and rasping, he took on the appearance of a rabid dog. He attempted to free his hands from Harry´s grasp and spit in his face. Harry quickly wiped his face on his sleeve and forced Ron to stop moving,

"Won´t take me, Voldemort," Ron mumbled fiercely. "Go to hell."

"Ron!" Harry shouted as if he and Ron were on opposite ends of a football field. Harry slapped him sharply across the face. "Snap out of it, damn you. Is physical pain the only thing you respond to? Fine."

And channeling all of his rage into one solid movement, Harry broke Ron´s nose. Draco, standing in the doorway, looked down on Harry´s handiwork, which did nothing more than cause Ron to become enraged and spill a lot of blood.

"Couldn´t have done better myself, Potter," Draco said admiringly. "But perhaps that wasn´t the best technique."

* * *

Severus Snape knocked tentatively on the door to Albus Dumbledore´s room. A voice within bid him enter. He poked his head in through the door and saw Dumbledore reclining comfortably in his bed.

"Ah, Severus, this is a surprise. What brings you here?"

"I heard about the attack. Are you truly alright?"

"Of course," Dumbledore replied with great energy. "I have a tough head. It would take a greater witch or wizard than Lucretia to kill me. Can I help you, Severus, or were you simply concerned with my health?"

"I was simply wondering why Lucretia was here," Snape replied.

"She was looking for Hermione Weasley."

"Hermione?" Snape said in honest surprise. "How did she get here? Everyone´s looking for her!"

Dumbledore frowned slightly. "Perhaps you had better tell me the whole story."

So Snape told him everything that Jeanette had told him. Dumbledore´s frown deepened as he listened to the tale and at the end he made a dissatisfied noise.

"So that´s what she was after." Dumbledore sighed. "I really feel terrible for Harry and Ron, not to mention Virginia. They don´t deserve this."

Snape made a scornful sound and Dumbledore looked at him, his eyes twinkling.

"I know, Severus, you dislike Harry, but you really should get over this ridiculous feud you have going with him. And at the very least you should show some concern for the child of Draco Malfoy. He was your favorite student, was he not?"

Snape nodded. "I suppose no one deserves the wrath of Lucretia."

"You wouldn´t remember her at school because she was many years ahead of your time, in fact, I wasn´t even Headmaster. I was the Transfiguration professor, and I remember her quite well. She was a marvelous student, and she was a sweet child. However she made one mistake. She fell in love with Tom Riddle."

Snape looked pensive. "I never understood that. How could people like that ever love someone?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "When Lucretia fell in love with him, she was still a girl. Foolish. They also used one another, to some degree. But I believe that he loved her-as much as he was capable of loving anyone. Well, Hermione slipped from my grasp, but I chipped the hypnosis spell so she might have some of her own thoughts again, enough to perhaps escape."

"Should I report back to Black and Lupin?" Snape asked, as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"You should owl them at least." Snape turned to leave. "And, Severus? I know what she did to you, but don´t let it cloud your judgement."

Snape nodded and left. Dumbledore felt slightly dizzy and lay down again.

"Gertrude McFadden," he murmured sleepily. "I wonder if she´s still in there."

* * *

Ginny had been standing in the park for an hour. Now she was beginning think she had been abandoned. Only she couldn´t imagine that woman passing up this opportunity.

She appeared in a cloud of purple smoke with another woman trailing behind her. She sauntered over to Ginny, who was not particularly inconspicuous. Ginny felt her spirits lift when she recognized the other woman. It was Hermione. Perhaps the crazy scheme would work after all. Ginny instantly recognized the first woman as Lauren Burke, from the warehouse that day.

"Ginny, darling," Lucretia cooed, as she got closer. "How wonderful to see you. I got your owl. Just in time too, I was about to go out and terrorize some people."

"Lucretia," Ginny replied coldly.

"So, what can I do for you?" Lucretia asked cheerfully.

"It´s difficult, shall we say?" Ginny replied in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"It always is, isn´t it?" Lucretia agreed. "What do you want from me? You shan´t get it. In fact, you were rather stupid to request this meeting. Because, well, I now have you right where I want you."

"And you are rather stupid if you think I would give myself up that easily," Ginny retorted. "Or my child."

Lucretia clapped her hands together and smiled. "Oh, you figured it out! Good for you. I was beginning to think you and your group were a lost cause. Stupid, you know. Always thinking I wanted Harry Potter. Who cares about him?"

"We´re not stupid. And we have succeeded, we know what you want. Although, I´ll admit, not why you want it."

A wind blew suddenly and a chill raced down Ginny´s spine. She pulled her cloak tighter around her body. Lucretia noticed her discomfort and smirked. Hermione remained unmoving.

"You haven´t figured that out yet? Honestly, just when I was thinking that there was some hope for you...I haven´t dropped enough clues? It´s really fairly obvious."

"Not to us," Ginny replied frostily, keeping one eye on Hermione. "Would you care to enlighten us?"

"I might as well, after all, it´s your child I´m going to take," Lucretia idly twirled her wand between her fingers.

"Why do you want my child?" Ginny demanded. "What could you possibly want with my baby, any baby?"

"Because of who you are. And who that Malfoy brat is. Don´t you understand, Ginny? Don´t you know anything about your ancestry?"

Ginny laughed scornfully. "I know I´m a Weasley, a family which goes back several generations."

"Yes, but not all the way. Go back a little further. Perhaps back to the days of the Founders of that bloody school of yours?"

"Hogwarts? What about the Founders? No one traces their bloodline back that far. " Ginny was beginning to regret this. The woman was obviously insane.

"Except for You-Know-Who."

"Voldemort?" Ginny said in confusion.

"Damn it, would everyone just stop saying his name!" Lucretia took a few deep breaths. "I´m sorry. Yes, him. He can trace his bloodline back all the way to the Founders. And guess who his ancestor was?"

"Slytherin," Ginny whispered, instantly reliving the terrible days of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Exactly," Lucretia replied with relish.

"But what does that have to do with me or Draco?" Ginny asked, near tears.

Lucretia was irritated. "Really! You are quite infuriating. Alright, look at me." Ginny looked. "Who do I remind you of?"

Ginny was startled. "Who? No one."

Lucretia laughed. "Oh, right, the spells. I´ll remove the one that changes my appearance, but not the one that keeps me youthful. Wrinkles are just unsightly."

Lucretia did some fancy wand waving and muttering under her breath. All Ginny could do was watch in fascination as the color of Lucretia´s hair changed, her nose lengthened, and freckles appeared on her cheeks. When the transformation was complete she turned to Ginny expectantly.

"Well?"

Ginny inspected her. "You do look rather familiar, I suppose. In fact, you rather resemble my mother."

"Exactly!" Lucretia exclaimed jubilantly.

Ginny was horrified. "You´re not my mother!"

Lucretia waved her hand. "Of course I´m not. I´m about thirty years older than your mother. However, you and I, dear Ginny, are related."

* * *

Ron´s flailing about wasn´t helping matters. Harry had numerous bruises and Draco had a scratch or two. They were trying to pin him down, but Ron was possessed with murderous rage and refused to lie still. He was trying to suck in air like a fish out of water and began to turn purple.

Harry tried to grab Ron by his collar and shake him, but it wasn´t helping. Covered in Ron´s blood, he stumbled against the wall and watched his best friend fight himself.

"Ron!" Harry screamed. Draco held him back.

"James," Lily said urgently, "is there any way to show ourselves to Harry and Draco? I may have an idea!"

But James had no solution to their problem. Luckily Draco did.

"Potter, I think I have a solution." He moved to Ron´s side. "Weasley, you prick."

Ron´s eyes focused for a moment. "Malfoy?"

"Yes, it´s me, you daft twit. What´s the matter? Are you a coward? A weakling? It figures that the one time you don´t have Potter to rescue you, you´re going to die!"

Harry grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. "What the bloody hell do you think you´re doing, Malfoy!"

"Potter, I know what I´m doing. Leave off." He moved closer to Ron. "I know why you hate me. It´s because I´m better than you. I´m richer, I´m smarter, I´m definitely more handsome. Face it, Weasley, you´re jealous!"

Ron roared and lunged and Draco, forcing him to the ground and pummeling him. Draco managed to gasp out.

"See, it´s working!"

* * *

Ron was being strangled by Voldemort when another person appeared in his private forest. For a moment he was annoyed and he might have said something, had he not been choking. It was Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy?" Ron asked weakly and with confusion.

Malfoy started taunting him.

"What´s the matter? Are you a coward? A weakling? It figures that the one time you don´t have Potter to rescue you, you´re going to die!" he jeered.

Ron felt the blood rush to his head and a familiar surge of anger filled his body. Malfoy continued.

"I know why you hate me. It´s because I´m better than you. I´m richer, I´m smarter, I´m definitely more handsome. Face it, Weasley, you´re jealous!"

That did it. Ron roared and lunged out of Voldemort´s grasp. He threw himself at Malfoy and started to throttle him. He was absolutely furious and gave no thought to what he was doing. He just kept hitting and clawing and bashing. Voldemort looked shocked.

"Stop that!" he said loudly. "I haven´t finished with you!"

But Ron was beyond hearing him. All his thoughts were focused on hurting Malfoy. All the previous insults and barbs had come back tenfold to haunt him. He wanted to cause his brother-in-law pain. Forget Voldemort.

Voldemort came over to Ron and tried to pull him away, but all of Ron´s fury was focused on Malfoy and he lashed out. Voldemort fell to the ground, bleeding and obviously astonished.

"You´ll pay for that, Weasley!"

* * *

Sirius, Remus, and Jeanette were bored, tired, and hungry. They were also sweltering in the tiny room. A quick survey showed that they were locked in by magical means, as the windows refused to open either. Remus had managed to crack one open, but it wasn´t large enough to escape through. All it provided was a tiny breath of air. Jeanette had taken to pacing, Remus was rummaging in a few cabinets, and Sirius was doodling.

"Since we´re trapped in here, why don´t we work on rescuing Lisa?" Jeanette suggested sensibly.

Sirius sighed. "If you´re so insistent...I suppose we might as well. What do you want us to do?"

Jeanette was just doling out instructions when a tiny owl came to the open window. It flew about the room and finally came to a stop in front of Jeanette. She took it´s letter from it and it flew away again.

"Damn," Remus said. "We could have used it to send a message. What´s the letter say, Jen?"

Jeanette had turned white. "Ginny´s gone after Lucretia."

"What?!" Sirius and Remus shouted together.

"It says she´s sorry for locking us in here, but we would have stopped her, and it was her responsibility. She has to be the one to stop Lucretia for good. Oh, she´ll be killed!"

Jeanette started to cry and Remus put an arm around her and let her cry into his shoulder.

"It´s alright, somehow it will be alright."

Sirius took the letter from her. "She also says that this is her best chance to rescue Hermione."

Remus shook her head. "She´s insane. She´ll never do it."

"We have to believe she will," Sirius said hopelessly. "Now, there´s nothing we can do about it at the moment, let´s work on that spell and potion."

* * *

"Wha-what?" Ginny said, taken completely by surprise. She started to back up, but came up against a wall.

"Your father and I are distant cousins. Surprise! We´re related. Does everything make sense now?"

Ginny was still trying to understand. "This is some sort of weird twisted joke."

"Of course it isn´t," Lucretia said impatiently. "Why would I joke about something like that? However, my last name wasn´t Weasley. It was McFadden. Perhaps you see now why I became Lucretia. Who would want to be known as Gertrude?"

"So you´re telling me that you and I are related?" Ginny asked slowly.

"That´s what I´m telling you."

Ginny felt the rough wall through her cloak and was seriously having misgivings about the entire adventure. Hermione most certainly wouldn´t be any help. She was cornered and she definitely did not like the hungry look in Lucretia´s eyes.

"That still doesn´t explain why you want my child. In fact, that only makes it all the more disturbing." Ginny was trying to cover up her fear with false bravado, but the tremor in her voice was all too clear.

"Think about it," Lucretia snapped. "Voldemort and I, you and your Draco."

"I´m still not seeing the connection," Ginny said warily.

Lucretia stamped her foot and had to force herself not to scream. "Do I have to bloody spell it all out for you?"

"Apparently so," Ginny replied coldly.

Lucretia sighed. "Very well. Hermione?" Hermione´s head snapped up. "Please tell Mrs. Malfoy my heritage."

Hermione stepped forward and began in a monotone. "Lucretia, real name, Gertrude McFadden. Born in-"

Lucretia interrupted. "No, none of that. Just skip to the part about my ancestry. You know, back in the days of the Founders."

"Gertrude McFadden, a direct descendent of Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Hermione recited dutifully.

"Thank you," Lucretia replied merrily.

Ginny´s jaw dropped. "You´re related to Helga Hufflepuff?"

"We are related to Helga Hufflepuff," Lucretia corrected. "And you needn´t sound so surprised."

"But you´re pure evil!"

"And?" Lucretia responded.

"The Hufflepuff House stands for all things good, kind, loyal, and hard-working. You´re none of those things!"

"Thank you," Lucretia replied sweetly. "But now do you see?"

Ginny glanced at Hermione, searching for perhaps just a glimmer of life. Hermione remained motionless. Ginny wanted to cry out to her, but she held it in.

"If you and I are related, then that means I´m also related to Helga Hufflepuff," Ginny said in awe.

"Finally!" Lucretia exclaimed. "Now you´re getting it. You have Hufflepuff blood in your veins. Not a lot of it, but some. And your husband has Slytherin blood in him."

Ginny thought she was impervious to surprise by then. She was wrong. Her knees buckled and the ground swayed. Everything spun around her and she was very dizzy.

"What!"

"Yes," Lucretia said maniacally. "Your husband is a Malfoy. The first Malfoy child was the son of Slytherin´s daughter."

Ginny´s head spun. "What?"

"Slytherin had two children: one boy and one girl. From the son came You-Know-Who´s line and from the daughter, who married a rich nobleman who changed his name to Malfoy, came your husband´s family."

"Are you saying that my husband has Slytherin´s blood in his veins?" Ginny asked, trying to get a grasp on all of this new information.

"Yes. He´s not an heir or direct descendent, but he has the blood. And the blood, my dear Mrs. Malfoy, is what counts."

"So you want my child," Ginny said slowly, "because, because-"

"Because when you mix Slytherin and Hufflepuff blood, no matter in what doses, you create a child so powerful that he or she could take on any witch or wizard in existence. Unfortunately, my relations with him, resulted in nothing. So I will have your child, who will serve me just as well. With your child, Ginny, I shall rule the world. No one will dare stand in my way. Especially that piece of filth, Voldemort. I can finally destroy him."

"So, so, had a child been had from you and Vol-Vol-Voldemort," Ginny stuttered. "That child would also have been very powerful?"

Lucretia was becoming agitated. "Yes. You see, Ginny, the Slytherin line and the Hufflepuff line rather hated one another. As do the Malfoys and Weasleys. Until you and your beloved Draco, that is, a match no one could have ever predicted. Tom and I, we were different. We fairly used one another and to no avail."

She suddenly realized what she was doing. She was allowing herself to chatter away when the person she wanted was right within her grasp. Her violet eyes flashing, she whipped out her wand.

"Enough of this! You have your answer, Ginny, now I will rid myself of your meddling ways forever!"

Ginny tried to move, but there was nowhere to go. "If you kill me now, the baby will die with me!" she said desperately.

"There are ways," Lucretia said with an evil grin, "of preserving the life of that child, with or without you."

Then she raised her wand high above her head. "Goodbye, Virginia."

And she brought it snapping down.

* * *

"Oh, they´re all going to be killed!" Lily cried as Ron continued to beat Draco, periodically pausing to push some invisible something away.

Draco managed to pull away for one vital moment, leaving Ron to battle his invisible attacker.

"Potter, somehow I´m in there! I don´t know how, but I am! Weasley must have dragged me in! I saw him, I saw Voldemort! You have to help!"

And he was dragged back into the fray. Harry´s eyes were wide, his skin was chalky, and he was sweating nervously. He had no idea what to do. He ventured forward, towards Ron and Draco who were wrestling.

"Ron?" He said tentatively.

"Harry, picture yourself with Ron and Draco!" James cried, knowing Harry couldn´t hear him.

Lily got the idea. Somehow, Harry had to be in Ron´s mind too. "Imagine you´re fighting Voldemort with Ron and Draco!"

Harry thought he actually heard someone tell him what to do. Far beyond questioning reality, Harry obeyed. He closed his eyes and imagined himself with Ron and Draco. Remembering what Draco had done, at the same time he cried out, "Ron, you bastard!"

When he opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar forest. At his feet Ron and Draco were trying to kill each other. Voldemort was choking Ron from behind. At that moment, Voldemort looked up. His disgusting face formed a smile.

"Potter. Good."

* * *

When Lisa regained her memory, she spent a few precious minutes remembering. She and the others who had been freed through some miracle were overjoyed. They were themselves again, not mindless slaves. Lisa started walking, looking at familiar faces, delighting in the fact that she remembered them.

Lisa came upon a strange building. It was steel, like many of the other buildings in Lucretia´s realm, but a nagging feeling appeared in the back of her mind, as if there was something important about this building.

Lucretia was occupied down on Earth, so Lisa pushed open the door. There was an odd sound coming from one chamber. Lisa tiptoed down the hallway and listened as the clanging grew louder. At the center of the room, a young woman was taking an axe to an odd glowing column. Her anger, which was reflected in her attempt to desecrate the thing, surprised Lisa. She ventured forward.

There was something familiar about the woman. She must have heard Lisa´s footsteps because she turned and gasped.

"Lisa?"

"Cho?" Lisa said in the same astonished tone. "What are you doing here?"

There was a bitterness and hatred in Cho´s eyes. "I´m trying to destroy this!"

She gestured to the glowing column, which Lisa examined for the first time. It seemed to be an ordinary stone column, except it pulsed with a purple glow. Jeanette´s words, from their first meeting, suddenly came back to her.

"Probably the most damning of all is that she spends most of her time in an alternate universe in which time does not flow the same as it does here. There, she is protected even more because that is where her power is located. There are only two ways to stop her, or at least hinder her. One, destroy her power core, but for that you would have to get into the other universe and find it."

It looked like she had found it. Lisa felt her own fury well up inside of her. She turned to her old friend.

"Where can I get an axe?"

Cho found her one and together they started to bash it. Gradually others joined them and started to chip the source of all of their misery. Over and over they battered it, but it remained firm. It refused to break. That didn´t stop the prisoners. They channeled all of their pain, frustration, and rage into destroying the cause of it. It wouldn´t relent. They chipped it, broke pieces of it, but still it remained strong.

Exhausted from the effort, Lisa was ready to collapse. Some, like Cho, had endless amounts of rage to tap into, but their attempts were making no progress. Then one woman had a solution.

She ventured forward. "I have this. I must have had it on me when I died, and it carried over to here. I never used it because I couldn´t even remember I had it, but now, it might just be the thing."

In her outstretched hands, she held a battered wand. Lisa looked at her with a grin of delight. The woman smiled back shyly, her dark eyes were lowered.

"This might just do it!" Lisa said joyfully. "How can we ever thank you? What´s your name?"

She thought for a moment. Then she laughed. "I actually have a name!" She lifted her head and stared proudly into Lisa´s eyes. "My name is Isobel Snape."

Before Lisa could register her surprise at hearing that name, Isobel had melted back into the crowd and she turned back to the task at hand.

"We all need to work together! Everyone, touch the shoulder of someone else, and in one voice we´ll say it together." She placed a hand on Cho´s shoulder. "Alright, ready?" They all shouted yes. "Okay. Here goes. One, two, three!"

"REDUCTO!"

A loud explosion filled their ears and knocked them all to the ground, as chunks of stone flew over their heads.

* * *

Ginny screamed and ducked her head, waiting for the curse. It didn´t come. Just as Lucretia was about to call the words, she fell screaming. She covered her head as if she was being pelted with rocks. Blood appeared on her skirts and Ginny watched in horror as her young and beautiful face changed from that of a youthful princess to that of an old hag. She seemed to shrivel up before Ginny´s very eyes.

Behind her, Hermione came out of her trance. She was very confused and scared, not knowing how she got there. When she saw Ginny, she let out a little cry. Then it became a big one. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed. She remembered. She missed her family, she needed them desperately. Ginny looked at her, her pale face overwhelmed by what had just happened.

"Hermione!" Ginny cried. She took one step towards her, but her movement was impeded.

Lucretia leapt up. She was hideous, with her yellowed skin and sunken cheeks, she looked like death personified. Ginny shrieked and jumped back. Only her eyes were the same, still malevolent.

"So, they destroyed my core, did they?" she rasped. "But they underestimated me. I would be stupid indeed to have placed all of my power there. As it is, I put too much, but no matter. I am still powerful. I can still kill you."

Hermione said defiantly, "You´ll have to get through me first."

Lucretia turned to her. A grotesque smile caused Hermione to flinch. "That can be arranged. Crucio!"

* * *

Voldemort sprang up and headed towards Harry. Both Ron and Draco realized it at the same time and they stopped fighting. Draco tackled Voldemort from behind and Ron battered him in the face. Voldemort stumbled and fell.

Harry, momentarily frozen in fear and faced with the realization that his parents weren´t there to help him, moved forward and joined Ron and Draco in taking down Voldemort. They kicked, punched, snapped, and clawed at the man who had tortured them for so long. Voldemort wouldn´t go without a fight and he gave nearly as good as he got. Harry´s hand was broken again and he screamed in agony. Voldemort stood over him, laughing.

"After all these years, it finally comes down to this. Well, Harry Potter, it looks like you won´t escape this time."

Ron was lying in the ground nearby, he was much closer than Draco, who wasn´t moving. He was barely conscious, but he heard those words and pulled himself over to them. A million thoughts were running through his head. Memories of their friendship.

Memories of fighting a mountain troll together, of searching for the Philosopher´s Stone, of sharing treats on the Hogwarts Express, of making up predictions for Divination. Of little things like discussing Quidditch or getting nervous together before the balls, or even the ridiculous arguments that, though they hurt, could never destroy their friendship. And especially of the words Dumbledore had told him just before his retirement and he cut himself off from the world.

"No matter what you think, Harry will always need you. You have to be there for him. You have to help him. He´s strong, but not strong enough to face it all on his own. Help him, Ron. Be strong for him when he himself cannot."

Harry. He had to save Harry. But he really wanted his mummy.

* * *

Ginny screamed again, but Hermione dived to the side and the curse missed. Lucretia cursed and Ginny called out.

"Hermione!" And Ginny threw her own wand at her. Hermione caught it.

This served as a distraction and Lucretia looked from one woman to the other. Hermione pointed the wand at the insane witch.

"Don´t move, or I´ll blast you!" Hermione threatened. Lucretia smiled her disgusting smirk.

"I´d like to see you try it!" And she lunged at Hermione who was startled and dropped the wand.

Lucretia and Hermione were locked in combat and neither one of them were "playing by the rules". Ginny was rooted to the spot in fear. She shut her eyes and tried to block out the screams.

* * *

"That ought to do it," Jeanette said, wiping her hands on a cloth. Remus and Sirius inspected their handiwork. The potion was frothing and it was a bright electric blue. Lisa´s body lay out on the table before them and they prepared to cast the spell.

This time Remus and Sirius took up the chanting and Jeanette dealt with the potion. Just as they began, the door burst open and Meredith came rushing in.

"I´ve figured it out!" she shouted, waving a piece of paper. "I know why Lucretia wants Ginny´s baby!"

They halted. Jeanette shook her head. "Tell us in a minute, this has to be done now or the potion will be ruined."

The men began to chant and Jeanette stirred the potion which bubbled and changed colors. Meredith stood back and watched in fascination as the chanting grew louder and a bright golden haze descended over Lisa´s body.

The haze sparkled and enveloped the body. It grew so thick that no one could see anything. As the men´s voices called out the final words and Jeanette poured the potion into Lisa´s mouth a great noise filled the room, causing them all cover their ears. Jeanette watched in shock as Lisa´s body disappeared with a small pop.

When the noise stopped and the haze cleared away, Jeanette looked at the others in horror.

"Oh, no, what have I done?"

* * *

Lisa felt herself being pulled up and she gave no resistance. She opened her eyes and found herself staring back at Cho. She coughed slightly and smiled.

"We did it? We really did it?" Cho nodded. Others were standing up and brushing stone dust off of themselves. There was laughing and cheering. Everyone was congratulating each other. Lucretia couldn´t torture them any longer.

Lisa grabbed Cho´s arm and pulled her over to one corner of the room.

"How did you get here, Cho?" Lisa asked in a hushed whisper.

Cho sighed. "She poisoned me, Lis. Just like I assume she did to you. I found out about her plan to kidnap your children and I wanted no part of it. So she killed me."

Lisa was full of sympathy. "Oh, Cho, I´m sorry. It´s all my fault. I created the poison."

Cho looked at her in surprise. "Your fault! It´s no one´s fault but hers, and who ever sired her. The woman was just bad. Don´t blame yourself."

Lisa suddenly pulled Cho into a tight hug. Then she felt a tugging on the back of her robes and she was pulled away. That world dissolved and she started spinning fast. All of a sudden, when she opened her eyes, she found herself somewhere else entirely. She was in a body, a real body. And she thought she saw Ginny and Hermione. Her entrance hadn´t gone unnoticed. Their attacker turned and stared at her.

There was no mistaking those eyes.

"Lucretia!"

* * *

Harry stumbled backward. He thought he saw Ron move, but he couldn´t be sure.

`Please be alive,´ he prayed. `Ron and Draco, please be alive!´

Voldemort was coming closer and more menacing. His red eyes glittered and Harry saw himself reflected in them. He was instantly fourteen years old again, facing Voldemort for the first time after his resurrection. He had been terrified then as well.

The pain in his hand, as well as other places, was causing him to lose focus. Images swayed and he fell. He whimpered, a small, weak boy once more.

"Harry Potter dead and a body all my own. Today is a good day," Voldemort said, leering.

Harry distinctly saw Ron try to lift himself out of the muck and crawl closer. One step, then another. Harry saw the pain in his face and was instantly reminded of their adventure in the Shrieking Shack when Ron was faced with a murderer and he had a broken leg. Another move forward.

"I don´t have a wand, so my hands will have to do. They were good enough for your friends," Voldemort said cruelly.

Harry knew what Ron was going to do, and he tried to call out and stop him, but he couldn´t speak. Ron forced himself to stand. Harry must have made some noise because Voldemort turned suddenly. He grinned malevolently.

"So I haven´t killed you yet? No matter. I will now."

He started purposefully forward, but Ron had other ideas. Launching himself forward with every last ounce of strength he howled in a voice so loud that it alone nearly knocked Voldemort down. Combined with the brutal attack, he never stood a chance. Ron was beyond anyone´s help. He had reached his limit.

"NO! I will NOT give in! You will NOT win!"

And Harry´s world dissolved as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Lucretia recognized her instantly. "Well, if it isn´t Lisa Potter. Trying to get in my way again, are you?"

Hermione moved to protect Ginny. Ignoring the question of how she arrived there, no longer dead, Lisa marched toward Lucretia. How she had changed.

"Why don´t you rejoin me? With you and Hermione at my side, no one would stop us," Lucretia said persuasively.

But a picture of her husband and children was enshrined on her heart, and Lucretia´s empty promises did not affect her in the slightest. Her voice rang out, clear and strong.

"I was wrong to ever follow you in the first place. You are nothing, and all you do is destroy innocent lives! Everything you promised and that I believed was a lie! You were a mistake and you are worthless. Look at you now, nothing but a powerless hag!"

There was a triumphant note in her voice, but Lucretia was seeing her life crumble before her eyes and she wouldn´t give it up with out a fight-it was not in her nature.

"A powerless hag? I´ll show you powerless!"

Without the aid of a wand, she channeled what was left of her power and used it to pick Lisa up, as easily as a rag doll, then she threw the woman across the park; the lower half of Lisa´s body hit a tree. She fell with a cry and was still.

That was too much for Ginny. She was just registering the shock of it all, not the least seeing Lisa alive again, and that act of brutal cruelty was just the limit. She concentrated and tried to tap into that little wandless magic that all magic people had. Her efforts yielded when the abandoned wand flew up off the ground and into her hand.

Lucretia was almost too quick for her. The evil witch spun around and aimed a spell at Ginny which hit Hermione. Hermione let out a scream and dropped to the ground.

She didn´t know what she was doing, but Ginny aimed the wand at Lucretia and yelled with all of her might, "Avada Kedavra!"

Instead of seeing a body lying lifeless on the ground before her, Lucretia disappeared entirely with a blood-curdling shriek. There was silence.

Hermione forced herself to stand, although she was quite shaky, and rushed over to Lisa, with Ginny, who was in shock, close behind. Hermione checked for a pulse; it was faint, but it was there.

She looked up at Ginny. "She needs to go to a hospital, now or we might lose her again."

A look of intense pain washed over Ginny´s face. When it passed she stared at Hermione. "I think I need a hospital too. I think I´m going into labor."