Variations

Chapter 8: The Story of the Rebel

Ginny was walking around the lake, dully tossing pebbles at the water. She wasn't really trying, but every once in a while she'd get one to skip, a small setback, for she liked to imagine that her pebbles were wreaking havoc with the Grindylows and Merfolk that had caused Harry so much trouble when he'd gone into the lake to rescue Ron and came out having saved Gabrielle as well. Logic told her that was impossible, but she shoved that aside and hit her next rock with a charm for speed as it flew. The pebble skipped four times before settling into the water.

Frustrated, Ginny turned away from the lake and discovered that her feet had nearly carried her to the beech tree. She focused her attention on those traitorous appendages until she was past.

That must have been her third time around the lake, but Ginny chucked another rock at the water and started in on a fourth. She had no desire to return to the castle where she'd been cooped up for most of the past year, and even less to venture to Hogsmeade, where Harry, Ron, Hermione and most of the rest of the school was spending the day.

Ginny had promised herself, sworn to herself, that she wouldn't do it, wouldn't become that girl who stays locked in her tower and pines after her hero. She'd managed it for awhile too, even ventured a study date, but it had been clear from the start that her heart wasn't in it and her date, Terry Boot, had been so thunderstruck about being asked out by Harry Potter's ex-girlfriend that he hadn't even been able to tell her where she was going wrong with inanimate transfigurations. After that she'd made several clever attempts to join Harry, Ron, and Hermione on whatever quest they were on, but security around Hogwarts was so tight that she was always caught before even leaving the grounds, costing Gryffindor several house points in the process. Eventually, she'd simply had to conclude that, for better or worse, a tower was where she was locked, and the entire country was pining after her hero, so she might as well join in.

Things only got more complicated during the few instances when Ginny and Harry saw each other: Bill's wedding, Christmas, and the two times he'd shown up at Hogwarts during the school year. They hadn't gone out of their way to avoid each other, but somehow managed it anyway. Ginny couldn't imagine that more than a hundred words had passed between them since Dumbledore's funeral.

Still, Ginny couldn't go anywhere or do anything without being haunted by her memories of Harry. She couldn't catch the snitch without remembering watching in excitement as Harry did the same. She couldn't captain the Quidditch team without giving the same insightful advice Harry had given last year, despite having only ever played the seeker position himself. She couldn't visit the Burrow without remembering the summers Harry had spent there with Ron, and, by proxy, with her. She couldn't spend time in the Great Hall or Gryffindor Common Room without remembering the times when Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been there with her. She couldn't walk past the beech tree without remembering the times she'd spent there with Harry. She couldn't even walk into the Charms classroom without wondering where Harry's usual seat was and if it was anywhere near hers. It seemed pathetic even in her own head, but, try as she might, it wasn't something she could help.

She managed to keep up appearances as best she knew how, but privately she couldn't help but wonder if she'd lost that, whatever it was, that made her Ginny Weasley. That thing that made her stand up to six older brothers, and gave her guts enough to steal their brooms when they refused to let her play Quidditch with them, and helped her master most spells without ever really trying. Sometimes she hated Harry Potter for stealing that from her. Other times she hoped it was serving him well, wherever he was.

Ginny's thoughts were rudely interrupted when a fat drop of rain fell on her head, followed by another and another in an increasingly insistent series. After considering and rejecting the idea of staying outside just to spite the weather, she lobbed the rest of her pebbles at the lake, kicked in a few more from the ground for good measure, and hurried toward the castle.

After pausing in the Entrance Hall to dry her clothes and hair, Ginny wandered slowly up the stairs, entertaining the possibility of several destinations, but in the end she found herself in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady and entered, supposing the Gryffindor Common Room was as good a place as any.

She was drying the robes of some younger students who'd been caught in the storm as well and contemplating the best way to con them into a pounding at gobstones when Headmistress McGonagall's voice, magically amplified, reached them.

"Students, report to your houses at once. House guards seals yourselves in ten minutes. Teachers to your positions. This is very real."

Everyone froze. It felt like all the air in had been sucked out of the place. Even though it looked as warm and inviting as ever, the Gryffindor Common Room had never before felt so oppressive.

The portrait hole creaked open and Ginny spun and aimed the first spell she could think of at the entrance without pausing to notice that they were being joined by a group of students who looked at least as terrified as the rest of them. Fortunately, the first spell that had come to Ginny's mind was the same drying charm she'd just been using on the younger students.

Students continued to rush in over the next few minutes, in groups of twos and threes and sometimes larger, looking increasingly terrified as time progressed, then Dean and Seamus surged inside and no more followed.

Unexpectedly, Ginny became aware that she was staring at the two seventh years, not because there was anything about their appearance worth staring at, but because she was somehow expecting them to do something, and she didn't have to look around to know that she wasn't the only person with that idea. The seventh year Prefects remained, inconveniently enough, Ron and Hermione, and the Head Boy and Girl were in other houses, so it seemed only logical to look to the seventh years for instructions. Dean and Seamus seemed to understand that, even though they didn't know what to do about it. Neither did Neville, by the look of him, but he got up from his chair by the fire to stand with his roommates anyway.

"I think they expect us to say something," Ginny heard Neville whisper.

"You think?" Dean spat back.

"Prefects, come up here," Seamus suggested, the most sensible thing Ginny had overheard yet.

Ginny almost approached with Mark Williams and Jennifer Hanson, the only Prefects present, but ultimately stayed back. After all, what advice could she possibly give? It wasn't as though being Ron's sister and Harry's ex-girlfriend imbued her with any special knowledge. The only real insight she had came from being involved in the battle in the Department of Mysteries, but Neville had been there as well.

However, after watching the five of them quarrel and become increasingly short with each other, Ginny knew that they would not come up with a solution. What's more, their argument was having a dire effect on the younger students, who seemed to be succumbing to their fear one by one and freezing up. There was only one solution she could think of to remedy that: they needed to do something, no matter how ineffective it might be.

"Hey," Ginny said, turning to the closest person to her, a first year she didn't know by name.

She jumped and turned to face Ginny without speaking.

"Help me out a minute," Ginny continued, pulling her to the nearest sofa and recruiting the people who'd been sitting on it to help as well. Together they began pushing the sofa over to the portrait hole. The seventh years and the Prefects stopped arguing to watch them.

"Um, Gin?" Dean asked.

"Yeah?" Ginny replied.

"Whatcha doing?" Dean said.

"Blocking the entrance."

"But that sofa isn't nearly tall enough," Dean pointed out.

He had her there, but admitting that wouldn't do anything to help the other students, who she'd been quite right in assuming simply needed something productive to do. Fortunately, improvisation was one of her strong suits.

"And you don't think anyone coming through the portrait hole will trip with this sitting right here," Ginny said, leaving the first sofa to recruit a second set of younger students to move another sofa in front of the fireplace.

Together, the whole house helped create a bunker of sorts out of tables and chairs, but when that was finished they found themselves quite without anything else to do except hide and wait.

Ginny had placed herself at the very front of the bunker, between Neville and Dean, where they kneeled, wands ready. She thought she was prepared, that she knew what she would do if the portrait hole opened, but when it finally did she found herself frozen. She watched as the shape of a person slipped through the hole and into the Common Room, trying and failing to think of a spell, any spell, that would help them. Then the figure stepped into the light and Ginny saw the most beautiful sight she could imagine: Harry. She forced her limbs to move and rushed forward to speak with him, Dean, Seamus, and Neville right behind her.

"What's happening?" she asked. "McGonagall announced that we should lock ourselves in our houses as quickly as possible, but that was over an hour ago, we haven't heard anything else since."

"Voldemort's attacking Hogwarts," Harry replied grimly. "He's somewhere in the castle. The Order, the Aurors, Ron, Hermione, and I are looking for him, but the Death Eaters are giving us trouble."

"Why would You-Know-Who come here?" Neville asked. "Is he looking for something?"

"Yes," Harry replied reluctantly. "We think he's looking for me."

"Why you?" Seamus demanded.

"That's complicated," Harry sighed. "The point is that I can't stay here much longer without putting you all in danger."

Harry turned to the rest of the students in the Common Room.

"Listen up. You all deserve to know that Hogwarts is currently being attacked by some very bad wizards. Does anyone have any Floo Powder?"

The fact that Harry asked that question at all was a mark of how little time he'd spent at Hogwarts that year. Heightened security of the school had led to occasional checks to ensure that no one had any banned substances, among them, Floo Powder. Fred and George might have managed to slip some past Filch and Mrs. Norris, but none of the students present, not even Ginny, approached their prowess at rule breaking. Any Floo Powder in the house would have been confiscated long ago.

"Alright," Harry relented when the others confirmed that they had no Floo Powder. "The Fat Lady should be able to stop anyone who shouldn't be in here, but we have to make sure this place can be well defended, just in case. It would be best if first, second, and third years go lock themselves in the dormitories, the girls' side if the boys can make it up there, since the staircase will slow down most of the Death Eaters. Should anything go wrong up there, third years, you'll be in charge of defending the younger students. Everyone else, it's your task to make sure they don't have to by stopping any intruders before they have a chance to get upstairs. Should it come down to it, Fred and George's fireworks make an excellent distraction. There's a stash of them in the seventh year boys' dormitory."

Ginny was aware that Harry's suggestions made sense, and that it would be in their best interest to follow them, but she was beginning to feel frozen again. Building a barricade was one thing, but the idea of organizing their defenses was somehow terrifying, like a battle was inevitable if they only waited long enough. And they'd already been waiting for an entire, horrifying hour, how much longer would it be before they were rescued?

Harry looked around, waiting for someone to begin carrying out his instructions, but no one did, no one could.

"Come on you lot. We're Gryffindors, famed for our bravery. Each and every one of you was put into this house for a reason. The Sorting Hat saw courage in you, live up to it! Tonight we are all in danger, and tonight we may all be called upon in this battle. I know you're afraid, I know you don't want to fight, but if it comes down to it, you will have the choice to give up or to strike back. You can't give up. Together, you can face anything that comes through that portrait; all you need is to be ready for it."

Everyone remained still, but there was an obvious change in the air. Ginny could almost feel Harry's words coursing through her, reminding her of her courage, of why she was Ginny Weasley.

"What about the students in other houses?" someone asked from inside the barricade.

"Unfortunately, without their passwords there's nothing I can do for them, but if I see anyone I'll remind them to check on their houses," Harry said, smiling slightly despite his answer. "Now the, first, second, and third years upstairs, everyone else down here. DA members should stay in change here..."

Now that was something Ginny simply couldn't stand for. If there was a fight going on then she would be damned before she allowed herself to be forced to keep out of it by the likes of Harry Potter. He caught her angry look, faltered, and changed tracks almost immediately.

"...or, if you're willing, you can come out and help."

"We're with you Harry," Ginny confirmed. Neville, Dean, and Seamus nodded.

"Alright, I just need the Marauder's Map; I'll be back in a minute."

The rest of the students were organizing themselves and Harry dashed upstairs. In the meantime, Neville, Dean, and Seamus helped the older students arrange themselves to defend the tower and Ginny levitated the younger boys up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. By the time Harry made it back downstairs, the Common Room was a changed place.

"I guess we're ready, then," Harry said, and they left through the portrait hole.

Ginny followed him through and arrived in time to see Ron and Hermione slip out from under Harry's invisibility cloak, looking surprised to see her, Neville, and the rest.

"They wanted to help," Harry said, correctly interpreting their expressions.

"I'm not sure how much use this is going to be, then," Ron said, handing Harry back his cloak. "There's no way we'll all fit under there."

Harry's face fell and so did Ginny's, he hadn't considered that.

"I guess not," he said, accepting the cloak nevertheless.

"Listen, Harry, why don't Seamus and I go and see if we can check on the other houses," Dean said insightfully. "We've got some friends in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and we know where their common rooms are."

Ginny felt her heart skip a beat in spite of herself. Dean and Seamus had never been in a battle before; they had no idea what they were getting into. Harry knew that, he had to.

"Alright, if you're sure. Be careful, though," Harry said reluctantly, contradicting Ginny's prediction. She nearly shouted advice after them, but they were already gone. They were a year ahead of her, she assured herself, they knew more spells than she did, they could take care of themselves.

Ginny remained distracted until Hermione grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest secret passageway with the rest and they spent several minutes pouring over the Marauder's Map, at last locating Tom Riddle on the second floor.

Now that they knew where Voldemort was, they set off at a hurry to avoid losing him again, but were held up only a short distance later. There was a Death Eater lying dead in the hallway. Ginny didn't recognize him, but the sight gave Harry, Ron, and especially Hermione pause. In fact, she seemed so distraught that she forgot she was supposed to be minding the map, so Ginny took it from her. Hermione didn't even notice, in fact, she didn't look away from the Death Eater until Ron grabbed her shoulders and guided her a few steps away.

"The other Death Eaters must have noticed that something was different about him," Harry sighed cryptically, and that was all that any of them said on the subject.

Ginny glanced down at the map and found that Voldemort was speaking with two other Death Eaters. They had no more time to waste and she motioned for the rest of them to hurry up. One level, two levels, three levels they descended without incident. On the fourth floor Ginny saw a group of Death Eaters approaching. She was quite sure they could manage them, but Harry insisted on finding another way, so they did. However, on that other way they ran into worse trouble still.

When Ginny inspected the map and saw her coming, she didn't even pause to think, she simply motioned to the others to hide. The closest place was a large tapestry, which they ducked behind, but it wouldn't be nearly sufficient, not if she was paying attention.

"What's going-" Ron began, but Ginny threw an arm across his face to shut him up.

Ginny turned to the map again, hoping she'd been mistaken, but she was not. Bellatrix Lestrange was approaching along their hallway. Ginny felt her insides clench in fear.

If Voldemort had been the devil of her childhood then Bellatrix Lestrange had been the boogeyman. Fred and George had taken great pleasure in telling exaggerated tales of Bellatrix's deeds during the first war and had only stopped when a five year old Ginny had woken up from a nightmare, run to her parents' room, and tearfully begged her father to check if Bellatrix Lestrange was under her bed. What's more, somehow, learning Bellatrix's true nature and encountering her briefly during the battle at the Department of Mysteries had done nothing to tarnish that childhood image.

However, Ginny's hopes of escaping the situation without encountering Bellatrix yet again were dashed a moment later when Neville peaked around the tapestry, saw who they were hiding from, and promptly dashed out to confront her.

"Neville, where are you going?" Hermione whispered after him, but he was already gone.

"Ah! Ickle Longbottom. I wondered if I'd be seeing you here," Bellatrix said in her horrible, cooing voice.

"Neville!" Harry yelped, dashing out from behind the tapestry himself. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Do you?" Neville countered.

Ginny didn't need to look at Harry to know the confused, faltering look he must be wearing. He didn't want to kill Bellatrix himself, but he didn't want Neville to have to do it either.

"Even little Harry Potter is afraid to face me, but you think you can do it alone?" Bellatrix laughed. "This should be entertaining."

Ginny was still behind the tapestry with Ron and Hermione, but she heard the whoosh of a spell and ducked back into the open just in time to see a suit of armor behind Bellatrix raise its sword. Ginny had no idea what Neville had hoped to accomplish with that, but it was obvious that he hadn't managed it.

"Ooh, a distraction," Bellatrix said. "I'll be sure to watch out for that."

And Bellatrix raised her wand. Almost immediately, a bright purple spell raced to Neville, who stumbled backwards, narrowly managing to cast a shield over himself before it reached him.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny started forward to help, but, amazingly, Neville held up his hand, telling them to stop. His other hand was clasping at his ribs. Bellatrix's spell must have gotten through his shield.

"Eager for more?" Bellatrix laughed. "I'll see what I can do, then."

They began to duel again, but Neville was so very outclassed that it was almost painful to watch. Time and time again he was forced to leap out of the way of his opponent's spells, surely only aggravating the pain in his ribs, and almost all of his own spells were entirely ineffective.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged grim looks. It was time for them to intervene. However, before any of them could raise a wand, Neville finally hit Bellatrix with a spell, a banishing charm. Caught off guard, she tripped back, right into the suit of armor behind her. The sword impaling her through the stomach.

Bellatrix looked down at her stomach, looking momentarily stunned, as though she hadn't any idea at all of how the sword got there, and then she threw her head back and laughed. It was a horrible sight, her standing there laughing, her blood dripping to the floor. Ginny tried to look away but found that she couldn't.

Abruptly, Bellatrix stopped laughing. She glared at Neville, her eyes sharp and clear, the sanest Ginny had ever seen her, but somehow also the most deranged.

"Cruc-!"

"Stupefy!" Neville cried, not a moment too soon.

Bellatrix fell immediately to the ground, the suit of armor on top of her. Ron and Hermione tied her in ropes and Ginny pulled her wand from her limp hand. A few steps away, Harry and Neville were deep in conversation, their expressions stony and their voices low, and Ginny knew better than to try and eavesdrop.

"We've got to keep going," Harry said after a minute, addressing all of them.

"Alright," Neville replied, but the moment he tried to take a step he tripped over his own feet. Harry caught him and lowered him to the ground. Neville didn't try to regain his feet, in fact, he looked quite content to never leave that spot again, but he couldn't stay there and he obviously couldn't carry on with the rest of them.

"You three go on," Ginny offered, surprising herself, but knowing it was what she needed to do. "I'll take him back up to the common room. It'll be safe there. I'll find you lot afterwards."

"Alright," Harry replied, looking relieved. "But take the Marauder's Map; it'll help you find us."

"You need it more than I do," Ginny protested, holding it out to him.

"Ginny...please," Harry said, and Ginny was astounded to hear a note of fear in his voice.

Surprised, she looked up and saw in his eyes the same sad determination he'd worn at Dumbledore's funeral when he told her they couldn't be together, and suddenly Ginny understood. Whatever it was that they had a year ago; it was still there, waiting. But this wasn't the time, and that thing that Harry had to do, he wouldn't be able to if he was worried about Ginny.

"Oh," Ginny breathed. "All right."

She handed the map to Hermione, who memorized it and gave it back. Then they parted ways, Harry, Ron, and Hermione to their battle and Ginny to hers. Ginny heaved Neville to his feet and staggered away under his weight.

Three staircases later, Neville was heavy and growing heavier, and Ginny was tired but bound and determined to fulfill her promise to Harry. Keeping her wand ready, minding the map, and helping Neville stay on his feet simultaneously was difficult and more than once she considered passing the map to Neville, but, though he never complained, he seemed to be having enough trouble putting one foot in front of the other without her giving him another thing to worry about.

Ginny didn't doubt that most of his condition could be chalked up to the curses he suffered during his duel with Bellatrix, but she suspected that some of it could be blamed upon its abrupt end as well. Even she couldn't stop thinking about it: the gruesome image of Bellatrix throwing her head up and laughing when she saw that sword protruding from her stomach seemed to be burned into Ginny's eyes, and it took a great deal of concentration to remember to look past it to see what she was doing.

In spite of these difficulties, their trek back to Gryffindor was largely uneventful. Knowing she was in no position to put up a fight, Ginny would steer Neville into the nearest hiding place whenever the map indicated that anyone was getting too close and they'd stay there until the threat was gone. The tactic worked well until they were a few hallways away from Gryffindor Tower and the map indicated a large group of Death Eaters approaching and someone else in the only secret passageway close enough for them to reach in time. The figure was labeled Jacob Dawlish, a name Ginny vaguely remembered Tonks once listing among other Aurors she'd like to throttle. Still, Ginny knew that she and Neville were much less likely to come off dead in and encounter with Dawlish than they were in an encounter with five Death Eaters, so she pocketed the map, concocted a story, whispered to Neville to play along, hitched on a scared expression, and slipped into the secret passageway.

When they got inside, Dawlish was walking away from them and for a moment Ginny allowed herself to think that they might be able to get away without dealing with him at all, but then he turned around, apparently pacing, and caught sight of them. Ginny pulled a shocked expression a second too late, but Dawlish didn't seem to notice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked warily.

"We're students," Ginny replied breathlessly. It sounded like a stupid think to say, but growing up with six brothers had taught her how to play to people's sympathies by acting scared, and lesson one was conveying the most obvious information as though it was the meaning of life. "We were in the Great Hall when McGonagall said we needed to get to our houses, but there were already Death Eaters all over and we've been trying to make it back but it's so scary and now Neville's hurt."

Run on sentences were the second lesson in acting scared. Ginny noted with gratitude that Dawlish seemed convinced. She never much liked resorting to the third lesson: begging.

"I can escort the two of you to your house," Dawlish offered, looking chuffed to be given the opportunity to help a damsel in distress.

"Oh, thank you, sir!" Ginny exclaimed, channeling her former gratitude into her reaction to this new development. "Gryffindor isn't much further. We were almost there when a group of Death Eaters came along and we had to duck in here."

"Not a problem, Miss," Dawlish replied, moving past Ginny toward the hallway without offering to help support Neville, who was growing heavier still. Ginny followed, forcing herself not to roll her eyes.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady some ten minutes later. The trip took more than twice as long as usual, not because Ginny had to help Neville, but because Dawlish made a great show of sweeping them into secluded corners every few feet so he could scout the area ahead.

Feeling increasingly irritated with their would-be savior, Ginny opened her mouth to say the password, but he cut her off.

"Crup."

Ginny was on the verge of correcting him when the Fat Lady smiled and clicked open, so Ginny had to admit that, for this at least, it was fortunate they had Dawlish along. She noted the password change and helped Neville inside.

The Gryffindor Common Room hadn't changed much since she left. The older students were still guarding the portrait hole and fireplace: they'd all tensed when Ginny and Neville entered, but relaxed when they saw who it was. However, as Ginny was lowering Neville onto a chair, the defenders all gasped simultaneously and pointed their wands at the portrait hole. Ginny looked up to see Dawlish sliding into the Common Room.

"Wait," she yelped, stepping in the way of their aim. "He's an Auror."

They all lowered their wands at that, but Ginny noted with satisfaction that many still looked wary.

"Thanks for your help," Ginny said, turning to Dawlish. "I reckon we'll be alright now."

"Are you sure?" Dawlish replied, looking unconvinced.

"Yes," Ginny said emphatically, sensing where this was going and wanting none of it. "It looks like the others have everything under control here."

"Is this your entire house?" Dawlish asked, eyes narrowing.

"Oh," Ginny gasped, turning back to her housemates. Of course, she knew precisely where everyone else was, but Dawlish couldn't know that she'd already been to Gryffindor. She needn't have worried; out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Neville poking the nearest student with his foot.

"The younger students are up in the dormitories," the student volunteered after the moment it took him to decode Neville's signal. "We thought if the Death Eaters did find a way to come in here they'd have trouble getting up there. The stairway to the girls' tower is bewitched, you see."

"I image the other Aurors probably need your help more than we do," Ginny offered, then she saw it, a flicker of fear in Dawlish's eye, gone as fast as it came, but unmistakable. All at once Ginny knew why she'd found him pacing in a secret passageway and why he was so reluctant to leave now: he was just as afraid of this fight as she was pretending to be and he had no intention of returning to it.

"They're doing just fine," Dawlish replied predictably. "I think my talents would be put to better use if I stay here and watch over you kids."

As much as she knew she ought to sympathize with his situation, the thought of it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Harry was out there, risking his life to put an end to this war while this man, this Auror, was cowering with a group of students, saying he was protecting them so he could call it nobility later. Furthermore, his 'protection' would no doubt prevent her from helping Harry by returning the map to him and rejoining the fight.

"You're too kind," Ginny said through gritted teeth, false gratitude gone.

"Least I can do," Dawlish said cheerfully.

"Sure is," Ginny muttered.

Ginny had long since started sharing Tonks' opinion of Dawlish, but getting rid of him wasn't the sort of decision she could make on her own, so she joined her classmates behind the barricade to discuss the matter in hushed voices. Most had seen through his act, but they were still divided.

"He could be good in a pinch," Joel Thatcher, a fourth year, pointed out.

"You heard him," argued Elaine Cline, one of Ginny's roommates. "He only wants to stay here so he doesn't have to go back out there."

Even those who wanted Dawlish to stay seemed moved by this. Cowardice in the face of war was something that Gryffindors simply couldn't abide.

"Still, if Death Eaters get in here, he'll have a job arguing why he shouldn't fight," Joel said.

"Have you lot had any trouble so far?" Ginny asked in a whisper. Dawlish was looking in their direction.

"No," Joel replied at equal volume, "but that doesn't mean we won't."

"Why don't we move this furniture back," Dawlish said jovially, halting their debate. "We could get the younger students down here and sing a few campfire songs, take our minds off our troubles."

That cinched the matter. Between looking horrified, everyone, including Joel, communicated their permission for Ginny to get rid of the man, which she did happily, though perhaps with a bit more gusto that she'd intended. She'd only wanted to tie Dawlish up long enough for them to put him outside and force him to rejoin the fight, but instead he'd collapsed to the ground, unmoving. It seemed that Ginny had rather underestimated her annoyance with him and, she soon discovered, the number of people who wanted to have a hand in forcing him to go.

However, their exuberance had a price. Ginny couldn't help but cringe as she approached Dawlish's still form. She could count the effect of at least five different hexes in addition to her own, all of them quite nasty. He was bleeding freely from several wounds and seemed to be struggling to breathe. Ginny's limited repertoire of healing spells that she'd picked up from her mother and her few years on the Quidditch team were no match for these injuries: he'd have to go to the hospital wing.

Stifling a sigh, Ginny bent to patch his cuts as well as she cold, so he at least wouldn't leave a trail of blood as they went, then, after racking her memory for a moment, she cast a disillusionment charm on him and lifted him with a flick of her wand. She'd nearly reached the portrait hole when she realized she'd forgotten something and turned back to her classmates.

"Well?"

It seemed that nearly everyone wanted to come along, but, by general agreement, none of the fourth years volunteered, since they didn't know enough magic to battle Death Eaters if they didn't need to. They soon also realized that if all the older students went with Ginny, it wouldn't leave enough people to defend Gryffindor if it was attacked, so after several drawings of lots and spinnings of wands, five people joined Ginny at the portrait hole and they left.

It was a long way to the hospital wing, and they accomplished it mostly by using secret passageways. Ginny's time was occupied with looking after Dawlish and making sure that her companions didn't start any fights they didn't stand a decent chance of winning, which was generally limited to those in which they could surprise a group of Death Eaters they greatly outnumbered. Her classmates must have taken Harry's speech to heart, Ginny decided. They acquitted themselves masterfully, shelving their fear and facing situations that would have had a lesser group running scared, despite their limited experience with dueling.

They reached the Hospital Wing far sooner than Ginny ever could have alone but found the door locked, probably for the first time in the history of Hogwarts. Feeling let down, Ginny turned to the others for ideas, but they were already looking to her. Ginny sighed contemplatively. They simply couldn't keep dragging Dawlish around like this: he slowed them down, and the movement wasn't doing anything to help his injuries.

Supposing it was as good a solution as any, Ginny lowered Dawlish to the floor in front of the door, motioned her companions to hide around the nearest corner, knocked loudly, and ran to hide as well. She leaned around the corner to watch and make sure someone was inside to find Dawlish, and that, furthermore, that someone wasn't a Death Eater. She was relieved, therefore, when the door opened a crack, then wider to reveal Professor McGonagall, who lifted Dawlish with a flick of her wand and drew him inside.

They were all feeling much better now that they'd gotten rid of Dawlish, and they staged their next three battles with gusto, finally getting to take advantage of the Marauder's Map and travel in Harry's direction. They were looking for the fourth when Ginny turned a corner and ran straight into something invisible but quite solid that she'd missed on the map. She lifted her wand warily, but the invisible entity spoke first.

"Ginny!"

"Hermione?" Ginny responded, things clicking into place.

"Death Eaters!"

Ginny looked up and saw them, at least seven angry looking wizards in black robes, a much larger force than they'd ever faced before, but they had no place to hide and no time to waste.

"Get ready!" Ginny said to her companions, and they assembled just around the corner in an attempt to retain any surprise they could.

A moment later, Ginny cast a stunning spell at the advancing Death Eaters and five others joined hers, but only three Death Eaters fell.

A fierce battle ensued. Any advantage the students gained with their superior numbers was more than undone by the Death Eater's repertoires of powerful spells, and it was soon doubtful that the students would be able to hold off their assailants long enough for someone to think of a place to hide. Then something strange happened.

Ginny, who'd been getting by on a few of her favorite hexes and luck, suddenly saw through the battle, almost like the pictures in a Muggle book her Dad brought home once: at first she'd look at it and see a jumble of nothing, then unfocus her eyes and see a shape inside. All of a sudden the battle made sense. She knew when to duck and when to dodge and when a shield charm would suffice, and which Death Eater was distracted enough to land a spell on. It was something like the previous year during the Battle of the Tower, only this time there was no lucky potion guiding her.

Soon the battle was over and the clarity left, but Ginny knew that it would return next time she needed it. Her companions were staring at her in amazement, but she ignored them, looking for Hermione, who, she'd noticed, hadn't joined the battle.

"Hermione? Where'd you go?" Ginny called, realizing that she must not have taken off the invisibility cloak.

"Over here," came the reply from around the corner and a short distance away, sounding more shaken than Ginny could ever remember hearing Hermione.

Ginny felt along the wall until her arm connected with something solid: Hermione's shoulder.

"We took care of those Death Eaters for you," Ginny said, directing her gaze and where she knew Hermione's eyes should be, but wishing she'd just take off the cloak.

"That's good."

"So you can take off that cloak now," Ginny prompted.

For a moment nothing happened, as though Hermione had forgotten that she had the cloak on at all, and then she slowly came into view.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, observing Hermione's swelling nose and cut forehead and attempting to mask her surprise but not her concern with little success.

"It's nothing," Hermione said dismissively. "I need to get back to Harry."

"So do I," Ginny replied. "We can all go together."

"That's good," Hermione said, not meeting Ginny's eyes.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ginny asked, reaching for Hermione's arm.

"I'm fine," Hermione said shortly, shying away from Ginny's touch.

"Okay," Ginny sighed disbelievingly, "I'll tell the others. Have a look at the map and see if you can figure out where Harry is."

Ginny passed Hermione the map then turned the corner to speak with her companions, only to find them already in discussion with a house-elf.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked when no one volunteered any information.

"He's come to take us out of Hogwarts," Elaine replied, a look of pure relief crossing her face. "The house-elves are helping all the students."

"You lot can go if you want," Ginny sighed. "Hermione and I are going to find Harry."

"Apologies Miss," the house-elf said with a bow, "but Mistress McGonagall is ordering us to take all students out of Hogwarts. I must not be disobeying her orders."

If she'd been given enough time to think, Ginny was certain that she could have reasoned the house-elf into letting her and Hermione stay, but she never got the chance, for at that moment Hermione came bursting around the corner.

"Ginny, we have to go now! This way."

Ginny turned to follow her, but the house-elf's protests were difficult to ignore, for a moment later they'd both been frozen in their tracks.

"You must all be coming with me."

"You don't understand," Hermione cried, unfreezing herself and then Ginny wandlessly. "We have to stay, it's important."

"Mistress McGonagall's orders were very specific."

"We'll tell her you tried," Hermione pleaded, growing desperate. "We'll make sure you don't get punished."

"We must be going," the house-elf said simply, and with a snap of his fingers he lifted Hermione a short distance off the ground and started off down the hallway and into a secret passageway, keeping a wary eye on Ginny as well. However, Ginny's interest was no longer in finding Harry, for the moment that Hermione's feet left the floor an expression of pure terror that Ginny had not seen matched that entire battle came over Hermione. It looked like she was desperately trying to stay calm, but after a few moments of that she started flailing around desperately and grabbing at Ginny, the closest person, nearly pulling Ginny's robes off in her attempts to reach the floor.

"Let her down," Ginny shouted up to the house-elf. She didn't know how Hermione had developed such a dramatic fear of heights, but from the looks of things she'd do something drastic if she didn't return to the floor soon.

"Eddy must make sure that all the students are safely out of the school," the house-elf said, his voice floating back to her from the head of the line.

"She won't try anything," Ginny promised. Hermione was gripping her hands so tightly it was painful, preventing her from reaching her wand to try and counter the spell herself. "Please, just let her down."

There was a pause, then a snap from the head of the line and Hermione was released, stumbling to the ground as her knees gave out. Quickly, Ginny pulled her friend to her feet and helped her to carry on so the house-elf wouldn't get the idea that they were trying to escape again.

Ginny made several queries about why Hermione had found being levitated so upsetting, but she refused to even answer questions about her wrist, which she'd landed on somewhat awkwardly during the fall. She didn't think to ask why Hermione had been so bent of leaving the house-elf in the first place until they'd arrived in Saint Mungo's and were milling around a large room with the rest of the students.

Hermione fixed Ginny with her first proper look since being so abruptly parted from the ground earlier and produced the Marauder's Map immediately. It didn't take her long at all to find and point out the distressing information she'd found earlier: two dots labeled Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were in separate rooms and holding very still. Another dot, Tom Riddle, was prowling around the same room that Harry was in.

Never before had Ginny felt so useless. There she was, safe in Saint Mungo's, the girl locked in her tower while her hero was in terrible danger, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Hermione was in a similar state. She even waved away a Healer when he came to mend her nose and forehead.

They only looked away from the map when McGonagall arrived, and it took all of their restraint to keep themselves from interrupting while Susan Bones and Terry Boot made their report.

"We have to go back for them!" Hermione exclaimed as soon as Susan and Terry were out of the way. Fortunately, the two Heads had already explained that 'they' were Harry and Ron.

"They could be hurt!" Ginny added, joining her.

"We never should have left them in the first place!"

"And now we're not allowed to leave this room!"

"Stop!" McGonagall replied, cutting them off. "I want to see them back and safe as much as you do, but returning to Hogwarts is impossible at the moment, and if they chose to remain behind while the rest of the students were being evacuated then that is their business."

"You don't understand!" Hermione maintained.

"We can't just-"

"Stop," McGonagall commanded again. "What, exactly, don't I understand, Miss Granger?"

"Do you remember the stuff they wrote in the Prophet last year about Harry being the Chosen One?" Hermione said, after taking a moment to consider her phrasing.

"Utter rubbish," McGonagall replied.

"All true," Hermione countered, which was news to Ginny, but, knowing Harry as she did, not entirely unexpected. "Professor Trelawney made a prediction about it before Harry was even born."

McGonagall sniffed, but Ginny knew that she had almost laughed. She was well aware of McGonagall's disdain for divination, but to see it expressed in this situation was very frustrating. What Hermione was trying to explain was very important.

"I know most of what she says is worthless," Hermione said, seeming to share Ginny's opinion, "but that prediction was the real thing."

"What are you saying, exactly?" McGonagall pressed.

"Harry is the only person who can kill Voldemort, and he went into Hogwarts determined to do it," Hermione explained. "And Ron will stand by him as long as he can. I meant to also, but...things happened."

That was as close as Hermione had gotten so far to explaining how she'd gotten separated from Harry and Ron. Ginny glanced at her, hoping for more.

"It's alright, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Then you'll send someone to rescue them?" Ginny asked hopefully.

McGonagall's face fell, and Ginny knew what her answer was going to be.

"Harry and Ron are on their own," she said carefully. "We don't have enough people to rescue them right now, and even if we did, we couldn't return to Hogwarts, the spells and wards that Professor Dumbledore placed on the school assure that. And even if we did release the wards, we'd only be letting more Death Eaters inside. There's simply nothing we can do right now."

"They'll be alright," Hermione said, more to herself than anyone. "Harry's made it out of tougher situations than this no problem."

Unable to help herself, Ginny glared at her. She couldn't even imagine a more dangerous situation than this. Hermione knew what was on the map as well as Ginny; Harry and Ron were in no position to save themselves. She opened her mouth to say so, but suddenly found she couldn't do it. That piece of reassurance, small and false as it was, was all they had to believe in, and Ginny couldn't bring herself to destroy it.

"We just have to wait," Ginny said instead.e

There really was nothing they could do.

Defeated, Ginny and Hermione tucked themselves into a corner to watch the map. They sat transfixed by their two dots, scarcely blinking, only breathing when they realized they'd been forgetting to. They watched those two unmoving dots for what felt like hours, and they watched then the dots stirred.