Trademark smirks and Temperamental redheads

Chapter 24 - In the heat of battle (Seventh Year)

As Draco packed his bags, ready to go home for the Christmas holidays, he could not help but feel glad that his prefect duties with Ginny were over. He was tired of their constant bickering, and the less than friendly insults exchanged whenever they were in a hundred meter vicinity of each other.

His relieved state vanished when he arrived at Malfoy Manor.

"Draco, there's a meeting tonight, be ready. I will meet you in the library at six," Lucius said, as he passed Draco on his way out.

"What's the hurry?" Draco asked his mother, as he watched his father hurry out the door.

"Important business, dear. You must be tired, go up to your room and rest for a bit. I'll tell the house elves send you up a late lunch," Narcissa said, kindly waving him to his room.

Shrugging in reply, Draco silently made his way to his bedroom. There, he indulged in a long bath and immersed himself in the praise that the mirror on the bathroom wall gave out. Finally, when the skin of his fingertips began to grow wrinkly, he got out and dressed himself, carefully slicking back his hair so that not a strand was out of place.

Back in his bedroom, he noticed his trunk beside the door, still locked and unopened, the way he had ordered. After unpacking his textbooks, Draco reached back into his trunk and paused. Slowly lifting up a few pieces of carefully folded clothing, Draco stared at the pile of letters sitting at the bottom of the trunk. Writing with my heart and soul to someone I thought cared about me. Ginny's words echoed in his head. Carefully, he reached into the trunk and extracted the first letter; Ginny's scent lingered beneath his nostrils. He studied the handwriting on the front of the envelope, memorizing every stroke and every letter before turning the envelope over and gazing at the unopened seal.

She wrote to me whole-heartedly, every day, in joy and in hope. All I could do was to shun her and accuse her of betraying me with Potter. Draco felt an empty numbness at the pit of his stomach, and realised to his great surprise, that he felt guilty.

Draco had never taken well to blame, to accusation, and so he had thrived on being able to turn things around. He had hated Harry since the first day of Hogwarts, that first time when he had so sincerely offered his friendship and it had been slapped away in favor of a red haired Weasley. It was only natural then, that when things went wrong, Potter, Wonder Boy of the wizarding world, should take the blame. He was so perfect, everyone's favorite hero, and yet so disgustingly humble it was so easy to hate him; so easy to read more into his interactions with Ginny, so easy to turn the accusatory finger at the two of them. The only solution Draco could think of was to blame Ginny and then convince himself that he was indeed the victim.

Steadying his hand resolutely, Draco began to unseal the corner of the letter.

"Draco!" Lucius' voice called out as he flung open the door. Draco froze; he slid the envelope in his hand up into his sleeve and turned to face his father.

"Father, it's only five," Draco said, slight surprise showing.

"The location has been changed, we need to hurry if we want to get there on time. No apparition is allowed this time; the Dark Lord has found a suitable place to establish a stronghold. Let's go," Lucius said, then briskly walked out of the bedroom.

Draco followed, not entirely sure whether he was glad the Dark Lord had found a suitable habitat for himself. It meant he was getting stronger, ready to attack, and his first target would invariably be Harry Potter and Dumbledore. Ginny's letter was still safely in his sleeve, and he unconsciously patted it as if to draw assurance from it, or give assurance to Ginny; he wasn't sure which.

Lucius led Draco into the family carriage, and the two remained silent, facing each other with stony expressions. Draco focused his attention on the reverberating clip-clop of the horses' hooves.

When they finally reached their destination and Draco climbed out after Lucius, Draco was surprised to find themselves at the outskirts of a very distinguished part of town. They stood facing a large empty piece of barren land; a few diseased looking trees littered the backdrop, creating a rather dreary scene. Deciding he rather liked damp, dark dungeons better, Draco began to study the scenery in the hopes of finding some form of housing. When Lucius had declared the Dark Lord had found a place to establish a stronghold, Draco had not fancied a group gathering in broad daylight without even a shadow for cover. In the distance, on either side of the land, stood some rickety looking houses that had been abandoned years before. Thinking they had to travel the rest of the distance by Portkey, Draco looked around in search of any object resembling litter.

"What are you doing boy? Come over here," Lucius said, walking with purpose toward the front of ... well, something. Once Draco was beside him, Lucius stuck a piece of paper under his nose. "Read it," he ordered.

Draco did as he was told, slightly confused by all this. The Death Eaters' place of gathering can be found at Number 44, Emmerwing Crescent, London. As soon as Draco had read the last word, the paper in his hand burst into flame and Draco had to drop the piece of paper quickly to stop himself from getting burned.

"A Fidelius Charm?" Draco asked, staring at the piece of paper as it finished burning and disappeared into thin air. Lucius gave a curt nod in agreement. Draco looked up to find that a large, three-storey mansion of sorts had miraculously appeared on the barren land, forcing the few sickly trees onto either side. What color remained of the exterior proved it had been a very grand construction at one time of its existence. Now that he thought about it, this place was rather close to the Ministry of Magic, rather too close in fact; it was no more than a fifteen minute ride. How the Dark Lord would be arrogant enough to believe he wouldn't be found right under the Ministry's nose was beyond him. Even with a Fidelius Charm, it was only a matter of time before people started wondering about the black clad figures that had a tendency to show up in this vicinity.

Lucius walked straight up to the house and motioned impatiently for Draco to follow, after an inspection on Draco's attire, Lucius gave a nod and rapped on the door sharply, a moment later it was opened and the two black clad figures entered.

~~~

"It is almost time," Voldemort began. "My forces have become strong, and my powers have returned to me in full measure. But before I can begin my conquest of the Earth, Harry Potter must be eliminated. As long as Harry Potter is alive, he will be a threat to my dominance. We will attack Hogwarts."

Draco's eyes widened beneath his hood at Voldemort's last words, and he clenched his hands into fists.

"My Lord, do you think it wise to attack now? We have only just begun gathering troops, perhaps we should wait a while longer - " Nott said.

"Silence!" Voldemort commanded.

"Our Lord is never wrong, how dare you challenge his plans," Bellatrix Lestrange commanded, her eyes glinting maliciously.

"Forgive m-me my Lord," Nott stuttered, backing up slightly.

"When would you have us attack, my Lord?" Lucius asked.

"Draco, what do you say?" Voldemort asked. Draco jerked his head up in surprise, two bright red eyes stared at him, rendering him motionless. Draco thought fast, there was no way he could get out of this with a half-hearted reply.

"The students return to Hogwarts next week, we should attack soon after that. With innocents to protect, there won't be enough Professors to oppose our forces, it should be an easy victory."

"Well said," Voldemort approved. "What do you say Severus?"

Draco turned to the figure standing at the edge of the crowd. "Draco's always been an excellent planner my Lord," Snape responded, adding his approval.

"We will attack in three weeks on the next full moon," Voldemort declared.

~~~

"Ginny, I need to talk to you," Draco said quietly, making sure the other prefects couldn't hear. The prefect meeting was over, and the students were making their way out of the room hurriedly, eager to go back to their warm common rooms.

"I don't believe there is anything I could possibly have to say to you," Ginny replied, making to move away. Draco swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the crowd.

"The Dark Lord is planning to attack the school," he said without ceremony. Ginny stopped struggling and stared at him. "In three weeks, on the night of the full moon."

"No, he can't be. You said so yourself, he wouldn't dare attack while Dumbledore is here," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"Don't be dense, Ginny. That was then, now he's got a whole army of Dark creatures to fight for him. He won't lose. You have to warn Dumbledore before it's too late," Draco insisted, shaking her slightly.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ginny asked suspiciously. Draco sighed.

"Ginny, as much as you'd like to believe I'm a cold blooded reptile of sorts, I'm not. I care about you, your safety is my main concern, if it wasn't for you, I couldn't care less if the Dark Lord wants to attack or not," Draco replied.

"Oh, so the lives of my brother and friends, and the lives of everyone here at Hogwarts means nothing to you?" Ginny demanded fiercely. "God you're sick, how can you speak so righteously as if the loss of lives is some mere, insignificant event?" she spat.

"Ginny," Draco said in a low, warning tone. "This isn't the important issue right now."

"Why should I believe you? This could be Voldemort's plan to trick us."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Ginny," Draco said quietly, staring into her eyes. She looked away.

"I trusted you once before." She shook her wrist free of his grasp and dashed out of the room.

Once outside, she caught up with Ron and Hermione and made her way back to Gryffindor Tower in silence. She wanted to tell them about what Draco had said, but what if it was all a lie? What if he was using her to trick them? She couldn't let that happen, she would not risk the lives of everyone at Hogwarts. Biting her tongue, she excused herself and went upstairs to her bed.

That night, Ginny tossed and turned on her bed fitfully, unable to make up her mind. There was a time when she'd trust Draco with her life, but that time had passed. Going to Dumbledore with this would mean revealing that Draco was indeed a Death Eater, and no matter what, Ginny could not bring herself to do that.

It could be a trick, what if Dumbledore gets all the Aurors to patrol Hogwarts and then Voldemort attacks somewhere else instead and there's no one there for defense? But what if it's true? Then I would have knowingly risked the lives of everyone at Hogwarts! Argh!!

In the end, she decided to leave her relationship with Draco out of her decision-making. If there was even a small chance that Voldemort was planning something against Hogwarts, then Dumbledore had to know about it. Deciding on that, she made her way to breakfast sluggishly, having been awake all night debating with herself. She went up to the teacher's high table and strode toward Dumbledore, raising her chin defiantly as Snape glared at her.

"Professor Dumbledore, I have something to tell you, it's important," she managed to say clearly, though her legs were turning to jelly beneath her.

Dumbledore looked at her carefully, his blue eyes piercing as he studied her. Finally, he stood up and motioned for her to follow him to his office.

"Voldemort is planning to attack the school," Ginny blurted out as soon as the office door had closed behind her.

Dumbledore was silent a moment, he did not seem the least bit surprised by this news. "Where did you hear this news, Miss Weasley?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"I-I can't say, but I thought I should tell you all the same. Even if there's only a slight chance that it's true, we must address the issue right? There's hundreds of lives at stake Headmaster," Ginny said earnestly.

"I understand your concern Miss Weasley, however, I remind you that I am well informed of Voldemort's moves from a certain Professor," Dumbledore said quietly.

Of course! Snape is working as double agent, he would have told Dumbledore all about this already! Ginny thought, mentally slapping herself. All those wasted hours of deprived sleep, she thought wistfully.

"I am attending to the matter Miss Weasley, you need not concern yourself with it, however, I would request that you do not spread this about. The student body is a fickle bunch and news like this could be potentially harmful if overheard by the wrong ears," Dumbledore said gravely, looking at Ginny solemnly.

"I understand Professor. I haven't told anyone," Ginny assured him.

"Is there any more information you can tell me?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, I guess Professor Snape has told you the details. I've only heard that it's supposed to take place in three weeks, on the night of the next full moon," Ginny replied.

"Very well, please go to your classes now, Miss Weasley. I assure you the matter has my proper attention."

Nodding her head, she got up and made her way to Transfiguration, noting, in her absent-minded state that Snape brushed past her on his way to the Headmaster's office.

~~~

Dumbledore was sitting patiently at his desk as Snape walked in, having attended to Fawkes with a soft stroke of his scarlet plumage.

"I was wondering if you needed me to do anything in preparation for Voldemort's attack," Snape explained.

"Everything has been taken care of, Minister Fudge is aware of my need for all Aurors to be on call that night. Members of the Order will be notified by Phineas," Dumbledore assured him. Snape directed a wary glance at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus, who was currently feigning sleep.

"Perhaps we should try a speedier method, such as Fawkes?" Snape suggested.

"I'm sure Phineas will be up to the job," Dumbledore replied confidently, Snape distinctly heard a small sound emitting from Phineas' portrait. Not bothering to argue, he moved on to his next question.

"So, what did the little Weasley have to say?" Snape asked, barely making an effort to hide his contempt.

"She relayed to me some knowledge of Voldemort's plans. From where do you suppose she heard such information? Or whom, if I'm not mistaken," Dumbledore asked quietly, a slight twinkle in his eye. Snape remained unfazed.

"I've made it clear previously that I'd vouch for Draco's integrity anytime. His attachment to Miss Weasley is somewhat of a nuisance," here, Snape made a face, "however, I cannot deny it has done wonders for Draco's character."

"Indeed, nor can I," Dumbledore agreed, the corners of his mouth twitching; Snape scowled. "The question is, is it the right opportunity for us to approach young Malfoy, or is he still in need of time?"

"I believe he would be useful in future, but now is not the time, his mind is not yet made up. Or, better put, he has not yet realized his decision," Snape said, staring into Dumbledore's serious expression.

"Very well, I trust you to handle the matter. Could I suggest, Severus, that you begin some Occlumency lessons with Mr Malfoy?"

Snape nodded, and without farewell, stepped out of the office, his expression grim as his thin lips pressed themselves into a line.

~~~

Draco paced around the potions classroom, a damp and chilly air surrounding the usually comforting room. Occlumency? Who's got time to worry about Occlumency while Hogwarts is in danger of attack? Draco wondered peevishly, craning his neck to see if Snape had come out of his office yet.

"Draco, we've no time to waste, let's begin." Snape's voice reached Draco's ears before he sighted the professor striding inside. The door was slammed shut and sealed with a locking spell before Snape turned to face his student.

"Professor, you know I would never refuse what you tell me to do, but I really don't think this is the time for extra merit classes. There's more important business to be attended to," Draco said.

"More important business? Such as the Lord's attack?" Snape asked with a curious twitch of his lips. Draco blinked, he was sure Snape was finding this somewhat amusing. Had Snape somehow known that he would leak out news of the attack?

"Well, yes," Draco replied cautiously, judging Snape's response; he remained passive. "I mean, there's a lot of preparation to do for the big night isn't there?"

"Oh of course," Snape said. Another twitch of the lips. There was no mistaking it, it was definitely a grin of sorts. "What I'm curious about is whether you're planning to prepare for assault...or for defense?"

"I...what?" Draco asked, was this some sort of trick question? The professor eyed his pupil for another few seconds with the same twitch of the lips before turning serious.

"Draco, there are some things that perhaps should be left to a later date, however, there is no time, and I will therefore have to grace you with some surprising news. I am a member of the Order of the Phoenix, I trust you understand the implications behind this statement," Snape said, waiting patiently for Draco to absorb it all.

"You're with Dumbledore," Draco finally breathed, his eyes a little wider as he stared at his professor in awe. Snape gave a curt nod in response before clearing his throat.

"Occlumency is the art of locking one's mind from the probing of another wizard. The Dark Lord has mastered, even perfected the art of Legilimency, and it would be difficult for one to guard one's mind completely against him," Snape said; then gave a sigh before continuing. "However, we must get as much progress as possible out of the next three weeks. If you are so keen as to risk your own life for a girl, then I'd suggest you at least have it in good mind to do what little you can to protect yourself." Snape paused and began to rearrange his desk, unnecessarily tidying the neatly stacked scrolls of parchment and odd assortment of potions necessities.

Draco's silent pondering was much more welcome than Potter's contemptuous and brainless questioning had been. There was no doubt Draco was much more knowledgeable in all elements of magic and its history than Potter could ever hope to be.

"I take it I will have to learn to clear my mind if I hope to continue in the Dark Lord's services," Draco asked finally, requesting confirmation from his professor.

"Very good. Occlumency is hard to master at the best of times, however I have faith in your abilities, you were after all trained and brought up by the best. Potter, on the other hand, was hopeless from the beginning," Snape said, placing a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco gave an amused sneer.

"Gryffindors could never hope to disguise their thoughts from others. If you want a job done, you'd best get a Slytherin to do it," Draco said.

"Let us begin."

~~~

Draco stalked into his room and lit a fire before throwing himself onto the bed. Tonight was the night, there could be no allowance for errors; he had to remain calm. Yet he could feel his hands shaking, his mind swirling with images of Ginny and questions about her safety. He had not attempted any communication with her since his warning three weeks earlier, partly out of apprehension and partly out of resentment. Every time he remembered her distrust of him, a dull ache would present itself in the vicinity of his chest, causing him to willfully close up that train of thought.

He had not exactly been given instructions or indeed any mission to complete, simply told to stay out from underfoot and to refrain from heroics. It was complete and utter bull, but until the attack began, he had no idea of what to do with himself. Instead, he lay silently on the bed, his eyes fixed on the canopy above until a warning tone emitted forebodingly from his wand.

Getting up quickly, he made his way to the outside of the building, and sure enough, from within the depths of the Forbidden Forest came the same warning tone that emitted from his wand. Louder, clearer and much more sinister, and the dread Draco felt in his stomach slowly crept up his spine as he saw the first of the Death Eaters approaching.

~~~

Ginny remained awake and alert, sitting in front of the fire of the Gryffindor Commons. Beside her, Harry, Hermione and Ron were also fidgeting nervously, all waiting for something to happen. Though the students had been told nothing specific, all were chilled by Dumbldore's speech at dinner.

"I trust that you have all had time to finish your dinners, and I take this time to put before you a warning of the utmost seriousness. Tonight, there will be an attack made on Hogwarts, however, I ask that you all refrain yourselves from curiosity. Security provisions have been made and defenses set up. Prefects, I am entrusting you with the imperative duty of keeping everyone in their respective common rooms. No matter what sounds are heard, nobody is to leave the common rooms without permission." His eyes roamed the Hall and made contact with every Prefect, silently speaking more than his words, and each Prefect in turn, swallowed nervously, feeling the heavy burden he had placed upon their shoulders. They would be the last line of defense if the attackers broke through the Professors' resistance.

Even with the somberness of the Headmaster's words, when a dull warning tone sounded from outside the Hogwarts' grounds, Ginny instinctively stood up and ran out of the portrait hole. Unknown to her, many prefects and students alike joined together and ran after her to assume responsibility for their fate.

~~~

Dumbledore and the other Professors had gathered inside his office, each fidgety and irritable as they waited for the attack to begin. When the warning tone finally met their ears, it took them all a moment to ascertain that it was in fact, real and that they were not imagining it in their anxious states. It was Snape's wand that ultimately confirmed their fears, the same warning tone emitting from his wand was clearer and sharper. All of a sudden, Dumbledore stood up and took charge.

"Phineas, if you would please," he said to the portrait inside his drawer, and turned back to the assembled professors as soon as Phineas had disappeared from his frame. "Heads of House, if you would make your way to the four Common Rooms and check that everything is in order. The rest, please make last minute checks on the defenses we have prepared, report back to my office in no later than ten minutes," he said quickly and all nodded once before rushing out.

Fifteen minutes later, Dumbledore paced his empty office still waiting for any sign that someone had returned to report. Finally, Phineas reappeared in his frame, his face twisted in a strangely smug look. "Well?" Dumbledore asked, knowing something had gone wrong almost instantly.

"I'm afraid you're on your own this time, old chap," Phineas supplied conversationally. "The Ministry has a couple of werewolf problems on their hands, I'd dare say they're much too busy exterminating pests at the moment to come rushing to your aid. Then there's also the minor inconvenience of three giants trying to bash the Ministry to the ground and making a general nuisance of themselves. I'm afraid my frame has been shattered, so I haven't been able to obtain to any further news."

Dumbledore lowered his head in acknowledgement and strode from his office, from the absence of the professors, it was apparent that the Ministry problem was not the only flaw in his plan. He was met by Snape and Flitwick outside the pair of stone gargoyles, all around shrieks and rushing footsteps could be heard echoing all around the hallways.

"The students have turned rampant," Snape growled, his face dark with fury. "We've been placing stunning spells on the younger ones for the most part and locking them up in the Commons. A few are rushing off brainlessly to join their fathers." His eyes narrowed into slits as he talked about his Slytherin students.

"But many of the others have rushed outside the castle," Flitwick squeaked, his normally high-pitched voice even more so in his urgency. "I'm afraid that the students will be in terrible danger if the Aurors don't arrive soon."

"They won't be arriving," Dumbledore replied shortly. The two professors stared at him in stunned silence. "Obviously Voldemort planned this as a double attack, the Ministry is preoccupied with giants and werewolves from what I've heard."

"I haven't seen Professors McGonagall or Sprout yet, let's go and see if they need help," Snape replied, taking charge.

"Very well," Dumbledore agreed. "If you see the other professors, please let them know about the Ministry. We can only be vigilant now as there is not enough time to preplan our defenses. I trust your judgments. Please do as you see fit."

~~~

Draco's solitary moment of dread was disturbed by the sound of shuffling feet and a moment later, the front door of Hogwarts being thrown wide open. A large population of students came running out amongst a few small pleas for everyone to return to their common rooms. What is Merlin's name was going on? Draco thought angrily, shoving a few students aside as he rushed into the castle in search of the professors.

"Everyone get back inside the castle!" McGonagall's voice ricocheted off the walls, and Draco looked up to see her standing at the top of the stairs, her face ominous and her entire body shaking with rage. Not a single student turned to obey her command, and minutes later it become evident that it was too late.

Behind the Death Eaters amassed on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest came creatures the likes of which were not taught about in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The students swarming outside came to a sudden halt as the birds let out loud squawks and flew up out of the forest. In the distance came loud growls, accompanied by a rhythmic stomping sound announcing the arrival of giants.

The events that transpired next were a blur for Draco, and afterwards he could never exactly remember what he had done or what had been done to him. His memories would only be filled with shrieks and screams. Hexes were thrown this way and that as wizards and witches barely adolescent and not yet qualified, fought with foolish courage against the intruders. Vampires, Werewolves, Giants, Dementors, Banshees, Mountain Trolls, Veela and assorted other creatures fanned out around the castle, slowly but surely closing in toward the entrance.

~~~

Ginny's surprise at having turned around and found almost all of Gryffindor following her out onto the Hogwarts grounds was cut short as gasps and shrieks filled the air. As with the sight that Draco had been met with, Ginny felt a fear spread through her body. Without notice the Death Eaters attacked and soon the night was filled shouts of spells and hurled hexes rising in a crescendo toward the starry night. The student body was being pushed backward towards the castle, with professors trying unsuccessfully to herd as many of them inside as possible. Ginny rushed after a group of Vampires who were chasing some Hufflepuffs into the castle, hurling as many hexes as she could in one breath. Most missed their aim, but the few that hit home did enough damage. The Vampires were convinced to hunt elsewhere. Ginny let out s small breath; glad her DA training had paid off.

"Don't move anywhere alone! Stay in a group and cooperate with each other if you want to survive! Find a Professor and tag along with them!" Ginny shouted at the Hufflepuffs.

She herself turned down toward the Slytherin dungeons, she had to find Draco and make sure he was all right. Though, why he would be lingering around the dungeons, she didn't know, but she had to start somewhere, and the dungeons were as good a place as any. Suddenly, a loud shout from behind her caused her to turn around, a Death Eater was standing behind her and his hex in a flash of purple light was coming straight towards her. Having no time to protect herself, she felt her stomach plummet. The purple light sparked and bounced backward as if it had hit an invisible barrier, both Ginny and the Death Eater emitted sounds of surprise. With no time to ponder what had happened, she hurried down the corridor and turned at the first corner she came upon.

As she strode along the hallway she was suddenly conscious of a drop in the temperature, and shivering, she picked up her pace, rubbing the goose bumps that had appeared on her arms. Her line of vision was blurring and she could hear faint voices, the more I found out about you, the more I realized that I liked you...Harry's voice seemed to be inside her head, drawing out a feeling of guilt she had never realized she had. If Malfoy gives you any trouble, promise me you'll tell me. Her knees went weak and she fell to the floor, her body cold and rigid as dread and guilt washed over her. Turning herself around, she looked up to see the hooded figure of a Dementor.

~~~

Draco's thought process skidded to a dramatic halt as he heard a female scream echoing from further down the corridor. His heart skipped a beat as he thought of how much that voice sounded like Ginny. Panicking, he began to sprint down the hallways, the portraits lining each side passing by in a blur. In his frenzied state, he did not notice someone throw a stunning hex at his back; it missed his main body and hit his wand arm instead. Swearing and dropping his wand simultaneously, he turned to face the Death Eater behind him, using his good arm to throw a well-aimed punch at the person's face. A 'oof' was all the Death Eater was able to manage as Draco put another blow to his stomach. Draco moved to strike him on the head, effectively putting the Death Eater out cold. An effective stunning hex was one, when administered, would only grow worse and spread over the body rather than weaken and thin out. The hex Draco had received was an effective one, and even as he ran down the corridor, he could feel his left side beginning to numb, his movements slower and clumsier.

Up ahead he could see a figure looming over someone sprawled on the ground and redoubling his efforts, he covered the distance between them in record time. A Dementor was bent over a figure with a wild mane of red hair, its pale skeletal hands moving up to remove its hood. The figure turned away from the Dementor toward Draco's direction and his fears were confirmed, the figure sprawled on the ground was Ginny. Though Draco could not see the Dementor's face, he could tell by the horrified expression on Ginny's as she tried to crawl away from the creature, that it was not a pretty sight. Unable to manage more than a quick power walk at this stage, Draco tried to leap at the Dementor and throw at fist into its body. His hand and forearm met with no resistance and went straight through the body, pulling on the cloak as it went through. Surprised and disoriented, Draco was thrown to the ground as the Dementor let out a noisy cry and threw him off, his cloak giving partly away to reveal a skeletal structure that showed no signs of internal organs of any sort. Outraged and furious, the Dementor strode once again toward Ginny, grabbing her around the throat and hauling her up so that they were face to face.

Draco's head felt as if it had split open, having hit the stone wall with tremendous force, and he knew that his left arm was now broken. Forcing his eyes to open, he sat up as far as he could and searched around for Ginny. Ginny's body was lifted up off the ground and her mouth was open in a silent scream, slowly the Dementor lowered its head toward her, positioning its mouth over her own.

"Ginny!" Draco screamed, trying in vain for his feet to cooperate and carry him toward them. "No!"