A Life in the Past

"How are we supposed to escape?" asked Ginny. "Do you have the keys?"

"Nope," said Draco. "We'll go through the window, I happen to know that the bars are removable."

Ginny looked doubtfully at the window, which was about ten feet above them, and very tiny. "And how are we supposed to fit through?" she asked.

"It'll be a tight squeeze," said Draco. "But I think we'll manage."

"And then what?" asked Ginny. "We take a huge fall to the ground and get splattered like insects?"

"That's not the way I would go," said Draco. "But whatever rocks your boat."

"What do you mean, 'not the way you would go?'" asked Ginny.

"I mean, this tower becomes wider as it descends one floor, so there's a platform just outside this cell," said Draco. "But if you want, I could push you off, and you could take a huge fall to the ground and get splattered like an insect, but you'd have to do it alone, I'd rather keep my life."

"No, I'll come with you, if you don't mind," said Ginny.

"Oh, I do mind," said Draco. "I'm not helping you out, you can follow me if you want."

"All right, I'll follow you," said Ginny. "But where are you going to go?"

"Ah, well," said Draco, looking thoughtful. "I hadn't thought about that. All I've planned is getting onto the platform, after that, I'll probably have to climb down the walls."

"It'd be easier to take the huge fall," said Ginny, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, it might be," said Draco. "But if we could get in through a window... Did they have glass panes back in this time period?"

"Probably not," said Ginny. "Why?"

"We'll go in through a window," said Draco.

"And what if Elias or his father finds us?" Ginny inquired. "What then?"

"Er... Well, I've got this spoon, and you've got that chest," said Draco, pulling out his silver spoon. "We'll think of something."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Ginny. "I've got this chest, what's that got to do with anything?"

"You could distract them while I, what could I do with a spoon?" Draco looked very pensive for a moment.

"Why don't we just try to get out of here?" Ginny suggested. "How are we supposed to get up to that window?"

"Climb," said Draco. "Couldn't be hard, and I've got the spoon, so I'll scrape the stone away from around the bars, and we'll be out in no time."

"You're going to use a spoon to take the bars off?" said Ginny. "Now that's stupid."

"Fine, I won't help you," said Draco. "You can stay here and rot for all I care."

"Well, it doesn't sound like it'll work, does it?" said Ginny.

"This is a magical spoon," said Draco, earning a chuckle from Ginny. "I'm not joking, this is my father's spoon. It's almost as powerful as a quarter of a wand, so we aren't completely powerless."

"Why didn't you say that before?" asked Ginny.

"Because you never asked," said Draco standing up. "Now bear with me a moment, I've got to get up there and take the bars off."

"Okay," said Ginny.

"And shut up for a moment, will you?" said Draco looking up at the window thoughtfully. "I know it's hard for you, but I can't have to yapping away."

"Fine," said Ginny.

***

"Wilfred, how was your day?" asked Alfred Weasley.

The Weasley family were all seated at the dinner table, platters of delicious smelling food spread over the table. Ron really fit in here, even if he wasn't the real Wilfred Weasley.

"Just fine," Ron replied. He had tried to pretend that the little talk he had had earlier with Paquerette had never happened.

"Pass the duck," said Annabelle Weasley, the youngest and only female Weasley child.

This family reminded Ron of his own; Tobias, the eldest child of Alfred and Martha Weasley was a lot like Bill, Ron's own brother, and Jonathan, the second oldest was much like Charlie. Ebenezer was just as much a perfectionist as Percy, and even the twins, Nicholas and Nigel reminded him of his brothers, Fred and George, who were also twins. Sitting here made Ron miss his family, for the first time that day. His life had changed so much suddenly, he hadn't even been prepared for it; one minute he had been with Ginny in the cellar, and the next, he was waking up in the Weasley castle, which by the way was on Ottery St. Catchpole, and seemed to be the exact location of the Burrow. Ron wondered if he'd ever see his family again.

"We had better get going," said Nicholas standing up. "Lots to do."

"Yeah," said Nigel, also standing up. "See you all later."

"Oh, Nicholas, Nigel, I do wish you would spend more time with us," said Martha.

Nicholas and Nigel just waved goodbye and left through the door.

Ron smiled. Just like Molly to be so worried about her children. But there was something seriously strange, Ron had always learned that things were different back in these times, but everything seemed perfectly normal to him, perhaps a little old-fashioned, but what about the barbaric races? And life seemed to be quite organized.

"Not hungry, Wilfred?" asked Jonathon, looking a little concerned. "You are not eating."

Charlie was always the first to notice when someone was acting oddly, Jonathon was Charlie, just in a different time.

"Oh, fine," said Ron. "Just fine. Don't worry about me, I had a lot to eat before."

"Annabelle, do not play with your food," said Ebenezer. "It is there you to eat, it is no toy."

"I am not playing with my food!" cried Annabelle.Â

"Annabelle, please control your temper," said Alfred. "We cannot have you blowing up at your brothers in such a manner."

"Oh, blame me then," said Annabelle. "It is all my fault, now. But not one of you has taken the time to notice that my dear, sweet brother Wilfred is no longer among us."

"What do you speak of?" asked Tobias. "Wilfred is seated just here." He pointed to where Ron was sitting.

Ron smiled at Annabelle, but she frowned back. "Do you not see?" she screamed. "He is not Wilfred, he is an imposter, IÂ know not who he is, but he is not my brother."

"Absurd," said Tobias. "He is right here, right here in front of you. This is how he has always been."

"But this way he talks," said Annabelle. "This 'can't' and 'don't' he speaks, what means it?"

"Cannot and do not," said Ron. "In short form."

Annabelle glared at him. "Why speak in that manner?" she asked.

Ron shrugged. "I just do," he said.

"But you did not speak this way before," said Annabelle. "You have only arrived back from Hogwarts' a day ago, and at Hogwarts' your speech was not of this 'can't' and 'don't,' but then I did not see you on the train back, was it something you began then?"

"Er, yeah," said Ron. "It was then."

"I do not like it," said Annabelle. "It is not the way of my brother."

"He is your brother," said Tobias. "And if he speaks it, then his way it is."

Ron looked at Jonathon. Jonathon looked down at his plate, seemingly avoiding Ron's eyes. Ron frowned. What would happen to him if they found out who he was?

***

Draco smiled to himself. He had climbed up the wall and was working on taking the bars out of the cell window. He had just completed the task with the help of his father's spoon. The bars were now out of the window (which would explain what made them removable a thousand years later, in Draco's time), and it was time for him to escape.

He jumped down, landing gracefully on his feet in front of Ginny. "Do you want to go first?" he asked. "Or should I?"

Ginny couldn't hide her happiness. She threw her arms around him. "You're a genius!" she cried. "You really are!"

"Stop it," said Draco, shoving her off. "I don't want Weasley germs on me."

"Too bad," said Ginny. "Because you're going to get them on you no matter what."

"Don't slap me, don't hug me, and don't kiss me unless told to do so," said Draco. "And I won't discriminate you either."

"Okay," said Ginny. "And I'll go first."

"Do you want to climb, or should I lift you?" Draco asked.

"I don't think I'd trust you to lift me," said Ginny, uncertainly. "But I don't know if I'll be able to climb."

"Would you rather we hire a lift and pulley?" asked Draco, sarcastically. "Would that suit your needs?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Just lift me then," she said. "But don't drop me."

"Oh, I will," said Draco. "What's the fun of it if I don't drop you?"

Ginny glared at him, but didn't say anything. Draco lifted her up slowly by the waist, and Ginny reached up. Her fingers barely brushed the opening in the wall.

"A little higher," she called down.

Draco lifted her higher, until her was holding her by the knees. Ginny pulled herself towards the window, and pushed her head through. She slid out slowly until her head and shoulders were out of the window, but got stuck when she tried to pull her chest and below out.

"I'm stuck," Ginny called out to Draco. "I can't get through."

"That wouldn't be a problem if your chest weren't so large," Draco called up to her. He climbed up the wall, using the crevices in the stone as holds. "I would help you," he said. "But I don't think you'd want me to."

"Just this once," said Ginny. "I'm giving you permission."

"All right," said Draco, now very uneasy.

Draco and Ginny worked together to get Ginny out of the window, and Ginny found it very uncomfortable and difficult.

Once she was out of the window, Ginny found the platform, and stood on it, watching Draco lowering himself out of the window, feet first. Ginny wondered for a moment how he had done that, but then realized that he had been holding on to the inside of the wall with his hands.

Draco jumped lightly down onto the platform beside Ginny.

"Where do we go from here?" Ginny asked, trying her best not to look down.

"We get across here," said Draco, slightly out of breath. "There should be a window just on the other side of this tower."

"How do we get there?" asked Ginny.

"Very carefully," said Draco, starting to slide across the wall.

Ginny turned around very slowly and edged along the wall facing inwards not wanting to face the massive drop below. Draco on the other hand, was facing outwards, his back to the wall. He preferred having support behind him, while Ginny preferred a support she could see.