When The World Ends. D/G, K/M. 8/11. R.
Title: When The World Ends
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R. OMG, I didn't actually write smut...
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Ginny Weasley, Katie Bell/Marcus Flint.
Disclaimer: The characters here do not originally belong to me, but to JKR, Raincoast, Scholastic and their teams of lawyers. This version of the characters is all mine, though.
Spoilers/Warnings: This takes place during DH (minus the Epilogue of Doom). Also, this fits "undercover: having to participate in illegal / hurtful activity" prompt on my
hc_bingo card.
Summary: Ginny is tired of being pushed into the background as if nothing she endured counted for anything. It turns out, Katie feels the same way. They plan on making a difference in the war, even if no one takes them seriously.
Prior chapters:
One - Shadows On Our Own
Two - Forming Alliances
Three - Knowing The Names of Things
Four - In The Shadow Of Flames
Five - Through Ashes
Six - Broken Images
Seven - Finding an Equilibrium
Spring shall come, come again, calling up the moor-fowl,
Spring shall bring the sun and rain, bring the bees and flowers;
Red shall the heather bloom over hill and valley,
Soft flow the stream through the even-flowing hours;
Fair the day shine as it shone on my childhood--
Fair shine the day on the house with open door;
Birds come and cry there and twitter in the chimney--
But I go for ever and come again no more.
Robert Louis Stevenson, "Home No More To Me"
For an impossible, frightening moment, Katie was certain that she was walking into a trap.
Marcus was standing beside her, his hand at the small of her back as she walked down the hall in Warrington's family home. Warrington, Montague, Pucey, Bletchley and Higgs were all there for dinner, and she was the only woman in attendance. For a moment, terror clawed at her heart, and she wondered if she had made a fatal mistake. Had Shacklebolt been right? Was Marcus playing her for a fool? Did he plan to turn her over to these friends of his for torture and rape, so that she would never be found again? The whispers in the corridors of the Ministry were full of these dark tales, and it was only too easy to believe.
Her step faltered, and Marcus turned his head slightly to look at her in concern. Katie pasted a wan smile on her face, but he wasn't fooled. He knew she was worried about something.
When had that happened? When did he start caring about her? Or had he always? It had seemed that way in Shacklebolt's questioning, but that had been infatuation. This seemed like it was something more. But more importantly, when did she start caring back?
Marcus made the introductions once they were seated in a small parlor that was meant to be inviting but was more forbidding than anything else. Katie always dressed demurely now, but she wished for more layers of clothing, something to hide herself in. They couldn't read her mind even if they wanted to, but she felt the need for protection of some kind.
"I have to admit, it was a bit of a shock," Higgs said, breaking the awkward silence in the room. He scratched the back of his head. It was probably a move meant to make him seem endearing and confused, but didn't help settle Katie's nerves in the slightest. "I mean, there was word that Flint was dead, and then he shows up again. And he's with you." He smiled, all of his teeth showing. "There's talk that fire was because of Muggles. What do you think?"
"Terence." Marcus was glowering at him, and Katie turned to look at him, startled. "Back off or we're leaving."
"Oi," Pucey began, leaning forward, hands outstretched and open. "Listen. I for one just want to understand what happened. You're from the same village, right?" Katie nodded at him, her eyes wide and expression blank. "I'm sorry about what happened. Flint said the two of you are the only ones that made it out alive?"
Warrington had been at the side bar and brought over drinks. Katie thought of refusing; she wasn't much for hard liquor and if her hands shook it would be too easily seen. But she accepted a glass when Marcus did, and sipped it gingerly. "There wasn't anyone else," Katie said after a moment, managing not to grimace at the whiskey in the glass. She wasn't sure what Marcus had told this bunch about what had happened; they were his mates before the fire, and he might have changed the story to seem better.
"I told you already," Marcus said impatiently. He had drained half the glass in one gulp. "I saved her life. There was no one else and the village was burning. Just let it go." He was all but snarling at his friends, and Katie wondered how in the world he thought he could fool them into thinking that he was on their side still.
Katie put a hand on his arm, a look of concern on her face. "They're just worried about you."
"Right," Pucey said, relieved and gesturing at Katie. Montague and Warrington also seemed to be relieved. Higgs was just staring at them impassively. Bletchley was rifling through the liquor cabinet, his back to them. "He doesn't talk about it," Pucey said to Katie, leaning forward a little. "So I'm not surprised we didn't know about you until recently, let alone that you're together."
"It's none of your business," Marcus snarled at him, his grip on the glass tight enough to cause his knuckles to whiten.
"Let's take a walk," Warrington said in a light tone. "Why don't we see what's keeping dinner."
"I don't-"
"She'll be fine, mate," Bletchley said in a lazy tone from his position at the bar. He was holding a bottle of vodka and making himself a liberal glass of vodka and tonic. "What? Do you think we'd just stash her in a room somewhere and steal her away from you?" he asked sardonically. "What do you take us for?"
But both of their faces were chalk white, and Pucey could only shake his head. "Look. You've been secretive mate. And we're your family, so we just want to know what she's like."
"I'm in the room," Katie said tightly, breaking in. "No need to pretend I'm not here."
Montague snickered, breaking the tension further. "Flint, do you honestly think she'd let anything past her? I remember you on the pitch, Bell. Shockingly good aim. How is it now?"
"Better," Katie said, cracking a smile in spite of herself. It wasn't a complete lie, either. She'd been training hard ever since leaving St. Mungo's to get her athletic skill back, and the law enforcement program had honed it even sharper.
Montague waved Marcus off. "For Merlin's sake, man. Just step outside for a few to cool off. We won't bite even if she asks us to."
"And that's not bloody likely," Katie said evenly, looking at him pointedly.
Montague only laughed, and Marcus seemed mollified enough to let Warrington drag him off.
"What happened?" Pucey asked, waiting a few minutes to be sure that Warrington and Marcus were out of earshot. "How'd you survive it? You don't even look burned."
Katie could feel Bletchley's and Higgs' eyes on her, taking in her covered up appearance. She put the glass down and kept her hands folded tightly in her lap. "Mum pushed me out of the way. I was at home. I didn't even know what was happening at the time. I mean, my mum and I were having a piece of cake..." She could feel the blood drain from her face as she remembered it, the taste of the cake on her tongue, then the panic and the heat as the fire came through the living room, the feel of her mother's hands pushing at her. "I can't," she said abruptly, and fled the room. She couldn't process their startled gazes, that even the bland looks on Bletchley's and Higgs' face had changed to one of concern.
Katie crashed into the wall opposite the doorway, turning frantically to look at the hallway. There was a loo somewhere. She remembered Marcus pointing it out. She had to get to the loo before she started crying, before she completely broke down.
Marcus had her in his arms before she even realized what was happening, and she buried her face in his chest and just breathed in the scent of him. He cradled her, making shushing noises. No doubt he was glaring at his friends for upsetting her, and it helped to calm her down somewhat. She hadn't realized she was crying, that she had gotten so comfortable around Marcus that she could let him see her cry. She wiped at her eyes and wanted to stomp her foot at the sight of the eye makeup smeared across the back of her hand. "Wh-where's the loo?" she asked, getting her voice to even out. "I need to fix this."
"Two doors down on the left," Warrington cut in, concern coloring his voice.
Katie merely nodded and ducked into the loo without looking at him. She locked the door and grabbed the sink with both hands for balance. This was a disaster. How was she supposed to do this if thinking about the fire made her panic? How could she possibly be an artifact investigator if she couldn't even handle one fucking conversation?
Her footfalls were soft, so no one heard her approach the parlor. Marcus was practically snarling at his friends for upsetting her, for even mentioning the fire and their home village. He seemed especially angry with Higgs, for trying to make a political statement out of it. "This is Vince's fault, the sodding wanker! Don't try to change that!"
Bletchley noticed Katie standing in the doorway first. The other men noticed him straighten up, and they all looked at Katie. Marcus looked almost guilty; prior to the dinner, he had assured her that the others didn't know that she knew the truth about the fire.
"Vince?" she asked. There was no need to pretend her voice was strained and thin. She was already feeling stupid for breaking down in front of them.
"Vincent Crabbe. Who's already been dealt with," Bletchley said. He plopped down into an armchair; most of his vodka was already gone, and there had been very little tonic in it.
"Look. You might not want to talk about it," Higgs said, glaring at Marcus, "but the fact of the matter, it's a valid concern. There's talk," he began, looking over at Katie in the doorway, "that the whole mess was started because of muggles."
"But Vincent Crabbe isn't a muggle. He was a piss poor beater on the quidditch team," Katie returned. She gingerly sat back down where she had been before, ignoring the glass still by her side. At this point, she wasn't going to touch it. She didn't trust anyone in the room other than Marcus, and had no idea what might be in it.
Montague laughed. "You know, mate, I like her," he said to Marcus. "To the point and obsessed with quidditch, just like you."
"Politics," Higgs said as if Montague hadn't spoken, "are important now. You need to know who your allies are and what they believe in."
He was going to be the difficult sell in the room. Maybe Bletchley, considering he was quiet and observing as well. But he was also steadily drinking his way through Warrington's liquor cabinet, so Katie really only had one target to keep in her sights.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, taking the innocent approach.
"Muggles are dangerous," Higgs said flatly. "The muggleborns are coming into the villages and the schools, they're taking jobs and they're talking about magic to muggles. They're breaking the statute of secrecy, and they're upsetting our entire way of life."
"Are you serious?" Katie said, letting a touch of incredulity through. "There have been plenty of muggleborn students at school and they're just fine. The world hadn't ended yet."
Higgs shrugged. "Maybe there are some individuals that can keep their mouth shut. I'm talking in general here." He turned to Marcus. "You know I'm right, mate, so you can stop staring at me as if you'd like to slit my throat. She knows what you are."
The room had gone quiet at that, and Katie knew this was a test of some kind. "What are you getting at, then? What's this all about?"
"He said you're in school," Pucey began, trying to shift the conversation.
"The law enforcement program," Katie answered, nodding.
"Right," Higgs said, pointing at Katie with his glass. "Magical law, yeah?"
"Of course it is," she said, frowning at him. "It's basic training and memorizing all our laws."
"Our laws, not theirs. They don't learn that in Hogwarts," Higgs pointed out. "They don't grow up knowing them, knowing how it works. They don't know how to live in our society, but we just welcome them in like they're one of us. We give them jobs and a place to go, but they go back where they came from and take magic with them. That endangers all of us, even the law abiding ones, and they have weapons. There's more of them than there are of us, and the muggles can finally be rid of us as they've tried to do so many times before."
Katie looked at him, at the fervor he spoke with. He believed this. He utterly and truly believed this, and there was no way the Order could understand what they were dealing with.
Because there was that grain of truth in it, and the Order didn't want to acknowledge it.
"There's laws," Katie said, shaking her head. "The Ministry-"
"Ah, you got yourself an idealist, Flint!" Higgs said, throwing his hands up in disgust. "That's all the goody-goody Gryffindors are, isn't it?"
"Higgs," Marcus began in a warning tone, features contorted into a glower.
"The Ministry you hold so dear is full of those muggleborns," Higgs said, turning to face Katie. She could see Bletchley going for more alcohol out of the corner of her eye, and the other men were all looking resigned to Higgs' diatribe. Apparently, this was a frequent topic of discussion.
"There's still a procedure," Katie protested, shaking her head. "It's not like anyone can just go in and change things."
"Ha!" Higgs returned, wagging his finger at her. "You just watch. All that we know is changing, and the fools in office are letting it happen. Muggleborns are coming in, changing everything we have ever done just because it doesn't suit them."
"That isn't-" Katie cut herself off, thinking of Hermione and her anti-house elf campaign back at Hogwarts. "It doesn't always happen," she said faintly.
"But it does happen," Higgs said fervently, leaning forward. It wasn't triumph per se, but her acknowledgement seemed to please him. "It happens enough that we're in danger. But if we say something, we're branded traitors to our people. That it's sedition, that we're trying to overthrow the government and kill our own kind."
"Aren't you?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "My family's done nothing and they're dead."
Higgs seemed to deflate somewhat at her heated tone. "It's not... That was an accident."
Katie thought of Draco's halting words at the Three Broomsticks, the quiet desperation in his tone. He hadn't wanted her to think he condoned it, but he was still trying to excuse what happened. It was an accident. Pures didn't mean to kill other pures, but it just happened in the fight to convince a few pures to kill those of mixed blood.
She was heartsick. What was happening to the world around her? When had it all gone insane?
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Katie said, turning away from Higgs.
"Good," Pucey said with a sharp nod. "There's better things, yeah? You're in training at the law enforcement program. You going to be an Auror like your friend?"
It had been the rumor back at Hogwarts that Pucey had a crush on Angelina. Angelina had been flattered, but hadn't really thought much about him. Alicia had flirted with him a spell, then Montague. Montague's older sister had words with Alicia, putting a stop to it before she left Hogwarts with Spencer. Katie remembered being amused by the whole situation and glad she hadn't been part of it.
She shook her head at Pucey. "Artifact Investigation, if my application is accepted."
Montague whistled and the others looked impressed. "That's difficult to get into."
Katie nodded. "I'm hoping that doing the mentorship program will help my chances."
"Mentoring?" Warrington asked, looking interested. "So someone guides you through the program and makes recommendations?"
"More like I'm guiding students through what I think is important for them to know. But I'm working with two students, so I'm hoping it looks that much better for me."
"Who is it?" Montague asked, curious.
"Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley."
Most of the men were surprised by that combination. "Huh. I had no idea he was even interested in that sort of thing," Montague said thoughtfully.
"Well, I've been coaching them on the basic law enforcement program. I don't know if he's more interested in the Auror program or not. He's asked after that one."
Things continued in that vein for a few more minutes, until Warrington decided it was time for dinner. Higgs tried to steer the conversation back to politics a few more times, but overall it was a much better evening than Katie thought it would be.
"You were pretty honest with them," Marcus murmured that evening, undressing with his back to her. As much as they shared a bed, he was conscious of the fact that she still considered their room her parents' room. She also seemed to be disconcerted whenever she caught him staring at her, still uncomfortable with showing off her skin.
"They weren't a bad sort. Higgs was obnoxious and didn't know when to shut it, but he wasn't evil either." Katie moved to stand in front of him, only half dressed. Marcus was clearly startled by that when he looked up to see her. "I can see why you want to save them if you could."
"I didn't-"
"I could tell. You didn't want to say anything terrible about them before this." She sat down beside him and touched his leg. "They're your friends. You don't want them to get hurt."
Marcus slipped his hand through hers. "They're going to, no matter who wins."
"Yeah." Katie looked at him in concern. "I'm sorry."
"I knew what I was getting into," Marcus told her, shaking his head. "They knew what it meant when they took the mark. It's not as if we were coerced or lied to. We know what it's about. We know why we do it."
"They care about you."
He wondered if she cared about him, if she worried about his duplicitous role at all. "Yeah."
"We'll make it work out somehow," Katie said, pressing her lips to his temple.
Marcus cupped her face in his hand and kissed her fiercely on the mouth. She deepened the kiss, and they fell backward onto the bed.
If it hadn't gone well that night, if any of them had threatened to harm her, he wouldn't have thought twice about hexing them. Or killing them, if it came down to it. She was the important one to him, the one that made this whole farce worth living through. There was nowhere else to be but at her side. It wasn't because she was the one that had saved his life or that he had been infatuated with her since his seventh year at Hogwarts. He couldn't have said why she was so important, why he needed her so much. All he knew was that he did, and he would do anything for her. If she felt even a fraction of that in return, it would be enough.
***
"You have to stop."
Ginny looked up as Draco came into the Chamber of Secrets, looking even more pale than he usually did. "Draco, we already agreed not to talk about this."
"Whatever you're planning with Longbottom and the rest of them, stop. I'm telling you, they're on the lookout for you. They're just waiting for you to slip up so they can torture you to death. You have to stop. You can't give them that excuse, Ginny."
He sat across from her, concern etched onto his features. He looked tired, and Ginny knew it had nothing to do with their classes. He'd barely been able to stay awake long enough to congratulate Katie on passing her exams at the end of January. Ginny knew her actions as co-leader of the DA was keeping him up at night, but wasn't willing to stop their activities. The Death Eaters had to be stopped, and she was one of the few in the school willing and able to do something about it.
"With a family like mine," she began softly, "do you really think I could do any different?"
Draco took her hand in his. His fingers were cold, like ice. "I had to try."
She shoved his sleeve up, exposing the Dark Mark. It was such an ugly thing, and it looked even worse whenever Voldemort put forth a call. "You can still turn on them. You can be something more than this mark."
He shook his head sadly. "With a family like mine," he echoed with a wry smile.
"I had to try."
They smiled sadly; they had both known this would be difficult. They were caught up in what was happening around them as much as they didn't want to be, and there were few options left. He refused to claim to use her, and she refused to claim to use him.
"Watch yourself," Draco murmured, running his fingers along her cheeks. "They're vicious and they're looking for you. I can't help you if certain people catch you."
"I've been careful," Ginny said, pressing his hand against her face and leaning into his touch. "I know what's at stake here."
"I can't lose you," Draco said softly. "You can't let them take you."
It wouldn't be a choice if the Carrows had their way, but so far the Headmaster had disallowed some of their favorite tortures. They couldn't simply take students they wanted to torture and play with. They couldn't simply destroy lives, even muggleborn ones. The school was the last safe haven, as difficult as it was. Outside of the school, muggleborn witches and wizards simply disappeared. Sometimes bodies were found, sometimes they weren't.
Ginny leaned in to kiss him. "I won't let them." They would have to kill her first.
"There's some talk..." he began uncertainly as Ginny kissed his neck. "I overheard Amycus tell Alecto that they're willing to go over Snape's authority. They don't think he'll last much longer in the organization anyway. They're planning to kidnap some students before hols."
"I'm one of their favorite targets," Ginny said, pulling back to look at his miserable expression.
"Don't let them catch you," he repeated. "I can't stop them. I can't do anything if they decide to attack me."
She rubbed her thumb along his lips, then leaned in to kiss him. "I won't come back, then. I'll find something else to do, some other way to help. But I'll leave early and I won't come back."
It was February and Easter was early this year. They didn't have much time left together at all.
They had to make the most of it.
***
There were many ways in and out of Hogwarts castle, and most of the Death Eaters knew only the official ones. Some of the unofficial ones, such as the tunnel behind the one eyed witch, were known as well. But Ginny and the twins had been crawling all over the castle, so there were many routes they knew about that few others did.
And she knew the routes through the pipes and hollowed walls that the basilisk had used.
Following one of these led her to Hogsmeade. There was a curfew in effect, of course, so Ginny didn't actually exit into the village. She and Neville had managed to make several new routes in and out of the castle throughout the year. They probably had learned quite a bit of esoteric magic in the Restricted Section in order to do it, and Ginny was proud of the effort they had made. It was something the Death Eaters didn't know about. It was a secret amongst the DA members, something tangible. There were ways in and out. There were ways around the Death Eaters, ways to avoid Filch and Mrs. Norris. There was a Resistance at work, and there was hope.
It was the most important thing, to have hope. There was little enough of it elsewhere.
Ginny didn't plan on going home for Easter hols, so she had to figure out something to do with herself in the interim. She couldn't be at Hogwarts, and it would be difficult to evade detection for long if she lived inside its walls. The castle might be full of hiding places, but she still had to emerge for food and bodily needs. There was only so long that she could hide before she slipped and was caught. She had to be practical about that.
And what to do about Draco? He was terrified for her, but also terrified to act. His life lay on the line, as well as the lives of his parents. He had drawn away from his former friends, and they had noticed that. He couldn't rely on them as allies in this, and the fragile solace he had found with her would be gone. Ginny was afraid that he would break, that he would be pulled along with the other Death Eaters and embrace everything he had been fighting hard not to. He was better than that, but there was little she could do about it.
They had both made their choices with their eyes wide open. They had started seeing each other as more than just nuisances knowing full well what the conflicts would be. There was too much stacked against them, especially regarding family and political alliances. There couldn't be a happily ever after for them, as much as she wanted there to be one. If his side won, her family would be reviled, punished and possibly killed. If her side won, his family would be reviled and punished. They likely wouldn't be killed, but for proud Malfoys, being ostracized might as well be death.
She risked an unsigned owl the day she went into hiding. It had been sent by school owl, and she had been careful to use parchment obtained by a house elf, a teacher's quill and wore gloves while standing in the owlery while writing it. Just in case it fell into the wrong hands, it wouldn't be traced back to her. She didn't want Draco to be tortured because someone caught him with an owl, even if she didn't sign it.
I love you. Stay safe. Please think of me kindly.
She didn't expect a reply, but it tore her heart to shreds not to receive one.
***
***
To the next chapter!
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R. OMG, I didn't actually write smut...
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Ginny Weasley, Katie Bell/Marcus Flint.
Disclaimer: The characters here do not originally belong to me, but to JKR, Raincoast, Scholastic and their teams of lawyers. This version of the characters is all mine, though.
Spoilers/Warnings: This takes place during DH (minus the Epilogue of Doom). Also, this fits "undercover: having to participate in illegal / hurtful activity" prompt on my
hc_bingo card.
Summary: Ginny is tired of being pushed into the background as if nothing she endured counted for anything. It turns out, Katie feels the same way. They plan on making a difference in the war, even if no one takes them seriously.
Prior chapters:
One - Shadows On Our Own
Two - Forming Alliances
Three - Knowing The Names of Things
Four - In The Shadow Of Flames
Five - Through Ashes
Six - Broken Images
Seven - Finding an Equilibrium
Spring shall come, come again, calling up the moor-fowl,
Spring shall bring the sun and rain, bring the bees and flowers;
Red shall the heather bloom over hill and valley,
Soft flow the stream through the even-flowing hours;
Fair the day shine as it shone on my childhood--
Fair shine the day on the house with open door;
Birds come and cry there and twitter in the chimney--
But I go for ever and come again no more.
Robert Louis Stevenson, "Home No More To Me"
For an impossible, frightening moment, Katie was certain that she was walking into a trap.
Marcus was standing beside her, his hand at the small of her back as she walked down the hall in Warrington's family home. Warrington, Montague, Pucey, Bletchley and Higgs were all there for dinner, and she was the only woman in attendance. For a moment, terror clawed at her heart, and she wondered if she had made a fatal mistake. Had Shacklebolt been right? Was Marcus playing her for a fool? Did he plan to turn her over to these friends of his for torture and rape, so that she would never be found again? The whispers in the corridors of the Ministry were full of these dark tales, and it was only too easy to believe.
Her step faltered, and Marcus turned his head slightly to look at her in concern. Katie pasted a wan smile on her face, but he wasn't fooled. He knew she was worried about something.
When had that happened? When did he start caring about her? Or had he always? It had seemed that way in Shacklebolt's questioning, but that had been infatuation. This seemed like it was something more. But more importantly, when did she start caring back?
Marcus made the introductions once they were seated in a small parlor that was meant to be inviting but was more forbidding than anything else. Katie always dressed demurely now, but she wished for more layers of clothing, something to hide herself in. They couldn't read her mind even if they wanted to, but she felt the need for protection of some kind.
"I have to admit, it was a bit of a shock," Higgs said, breaking the awkward silence in the room. He scratched the back of his head. It was probably a move meant to make him seem endearing and confused, but didn't help settle Katie's nerves in the slightest. "I mean, there was word that Flint was dead, and then he shows up again. And he's with you." He smiled, all of his teeth showing. "There's talk that fire was because of Muggles. What do you think?"
"Terence." Marcus was glowering at him, and Katie turned to look at him, startled. "Back off or we're leaving."
"Oi," Pucey began, leaning forward, hands outstretched and open. "Listen. I for one just want to understand what happened. You're from the same village, right?" Katie nodded at him, her eyes wide and expression blank. "I'm sorry about what happened. Flint said the two of you are the only ones that made it out alive?"
Warrington had been at the side bar and brought over drinks. Katie thought of refusing; she wasn't much for hard liquor and if her hands shook it would be too easily seen. But she accepted a glass when Marcus did, and sipped it gingerly. "There wasn't anyone else," Katie said after a moment, managing not to grimace at the whiskey in the glass. She wasn't sure what Marcus had told this bunch about what had happened; they were his mates before the fire, and he might have changed the story to seem better.
"I told you already," Marcus said impatiently. He had drained half the glass in one gulp. "I saved her life. There was no one else and the village was burning. Just let it go." He was all but snarling at his friends, and Katie wondered how in the world he thought he could fool them into thinking that he was on their side still.
Katie put a hand on his arm, a look of concern on her face. "They're just worried about you."
"Right," Pucey said, relieved and gesturing at Katie. Montague and Warrington also seemed to be relieved. Higgs was just staring at them impassively. Bletchley was rifling through the liquor cabinet, his back to them. "He doesn't talk about it," Pucey said to Katie, leaning forward a little. "So I'm not surprised we didn't know about you until recently, let alone that you're together."
"It's none of your business," Marcus snarled at him, his grip on the glass tight enough to cause his knuckles to whiten.
"Let's take a walk," Warrington said in a light tone. "Why don't we see what's keeping dinner."
"I don't-"
"She'll be fine, mate," Bletchley said in a lazy tone from his position at the bar. He was holding a bottle of vodka and making himself a liberal glass of vodka and tonic. "What? Do you think we'd just stash her in a room somewhere and steal her away from you?" he asked sardonically. "What do you take us for?"
But both of their faces were chalk white, and Pucey could only shake his head. "Look. You've been secretive mate. And we're your family, so we just want to know what she's like."
"I'm in the room," Katie said tightly, breaking in. "No need to pretend I'm not here."
Montague snickered, breaking the tension further. "Flint, do you honestly think she'd let anything past her? I remember you on the pitch, Bell. Shockingly good aim. How is it now?"
"Better," Katie said, cracking a smile in spite of herself. It wasn't a complete lie, either. She'd been training hard ever since leaving St. Mungo's to get her athletic skill back, and the law enforcement program had honed it even sharper.
Montague waved Marcus off. "For Merlin's sake, man. Just step outside for a few to cool off. We won't bite even if she asks us to."
"And that's not bloody likely," Katie said evenly, looking at him pointedly.
Montague only laughed, and Marcus seemed mollified enough to let Warrington drag him off.
"What happened?" Pucey asked, waiting a few minutes to be sure that Warrington and Marcus were out of earshot. "How'd you survive it? You don't even look burned."
Katie could feel Bletchley's and Higgs' eyes on her, taking in her covered up appearance. She put the glass down and kept her hands folded tightly in her lap. "Mum pushed me out of the way. I was at home. I didn't even know what was happening at the time. I mean, my mum and I were having a piece of cake..." She could feel the blood drain from her face as she remembered it, the taste of the cake on her tongue, then the panic and the heat as the fire came through the living room, the feel of her mother's hands pushing at her. "I can't," she said abruptly, and fled the room. She couldn't process their startled gazes, that even the bland looks on Bletchley's and Higgs' face had changed to one of concern.
Katie crashed into the wall opposite the doorway, turning frantically to look at the hallway. There was a loo somewhere. She remembered Marcus pointing it out. She had to get to the loo before she started crying, before she completely broke down.
Marcus had her in his arms before she even realized what was happening, and she buried her face in his chest and just breathed in the scent of him. He cradled her, making shushing noises. No doubt he was glaring at his friends for upsetting her, and it helped to calm her down somewhat. She hadn't realized she was crying, that she had gotten so comfortable around Marcus that she could let him see her cry. She wiped at her eyes and wanted to stomp her foot at the sight of the eye makeup smeared across the back of her hand. "Wh-where's the loo?" she asked, getting her voice to even out. "I need to fix this."
"Two doors down on the left," Warrington cut in, concern coloring his voice.
Katie merely nodded and ducked into the loo without looking at him. She locked the door and grabbed the sink with both hands for balance. This was a disaster. How was she supposed to do this if thinking about the fire made her panic? How could she possibly be an artifact investigator if she couldn't even handle one fucking conversation?
Her footfalls were soft, so no one heard her approach the parlor. Marcus was practically snarling at his friends for upsetting her, for even mentioning the fire and their home village. He seemed especially angry with Higgs, for trying to make a political statement out of it. "This is Vince's fault, the sodding wanker! Don't try to change that!"
Bletchley noticed Katie standing in the doorway first. The other men noticed him straighten up, and they all looked at Katie. Marcus looked almost guilty; prior to the dinner, he had assured her that the others didn't know that she knew the truth about the fire.
"Vince?" she asked. There was no need to pretend her voice was strained and thin. She was already feeling stupid for breaking down in front of them.
"Vincent Crabbe. Who's already been dealt with," Bletchley said. He plopped down into an armchair; most of his vodka was already gone, and there had been very little tonic in it.
"Look. You might not want to talk about it," Higgs said, glaring at Marcus, "but the fact of the matter, it's a valid concern. There's talk," he began, looking over at Katie in the doorway, "that the whole mess was started because of muggles."
"But Vincent Crabbe isn't a muggle. He was a piss poor beater on the quidditch team," Katie returned. She gingerly sat back down where she had been before, ignoring the glass still by her side. At this point, she wasn't going to touch it. She didn't trust anyone in the room other than Marcus, and had no idea what might be in it.
Montague laughed. "You know, mate, I like her," he said to Marcus. "To the point and obsessed with quidditch, just like you."
"Politics," Higgs said as if Montague hadn't spoken, "are important now. You need to know who your allies are and what they believe in."
He was going to be the difficult sell in the room. Maybe Bletchley, considering he was quiet and observing as well. But he was also steadily drinking his way through Warrington's liquor cabinet, so Katie really only had one target to keep in her sights.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, taking the innocent approach.
"Muggles are dangerous," Higgs said flatly. "The muggleborns are coming into the villages and the schools, they're taking jobs and they're talking about magic to muggles. They're breaking the statute of secrecy, and they're upsetting our entire way of life."
"Are you serious?" Katie said, letting a touch of incredulity through. "There have been plenty of muggleborn students at school and they're just fine. The world hadn't ended yet."
Higgs shrugged. "Maybe there are some individuals that can keep their mouth shut. I'm talking in general here." He turned to Marcus. "You know I'm right, mate, so you can stop staring at me as if you'd like to slit my throat. She knows what you are."
The room had gone quiet at that, and Katie knew this was a test of some kind. "What are you getting at, then? What's this all about?"
"He said you're in school," Pucey began, trying to shift the conversation.
"The law enforcement program," Katie answered, nodding.
"Right," Higgs said, pointing at Katie with his glass. "Magical law, yeah?"
"Of course it is," she said, frowning at him. "It's basic training and memorizing all our laws."
"Our laws, not theirs. They don't learn that in Hogwarts," Higgs pointed out. "They don't grow up knowing them, knowing how it works. They don't know how to live in our society, but we just welcome them in like they're one of us. We give them jobs and a place to go, but they go back where they came from and take magic with them. That endangers all of us, even the law abiding ones, and they have weapons. There's more of them than there are of us, and the muggles can finally be rid of us as they've tried to do so many times before."
Katie looked at him, at the fervor he spoke with. He believed this. He utterly and truly believed this, and there was no way the Order could understand what they were dealing with.
Because there was that grain of truth in it, and the Order didn't want to acknowledge it.
"There's laws," Katie said, shaking her head. "The Ministry-"
"Ah, you got yourself an idealist, Flint!" Higgs said, throwing his hands up in disgust. "That's all the goody-goody Gryffindors are, isn't it?"
"Higgs," Marcus began in a warning tone, features contorted into a glower.
"The Ministry you hold so dear is full of those muggleborns," Higgs said, turning to face Katie. She could see Bletchley going for more alcohol out of the corner of her eye, and the other men were all looking resigned to Higgs' diatribe. Apparently, this was a frequent topic of discussion.
"There's still a procedure," Katie protested, shaking her head. "It's not like anyone can just go in and change things."
"Ha!" Higgs returned, wagging his finger at her. "You just watch. All that we know is changing, and the fools in office are letting it happen. Muggleborns are coming in, changing everything we have ever done just because it doesn't suit them."
"That isn't-" Katie cut herself off, thinking of Hermione and her anti-house elf campaign back at Hogwarts. "It doesn't always happen," she said faintly.
"But it does happen," Higgs said fervently, leaning forward. It wasn't triumph per se, but her acknowledgement seemed to please him. "It happens enough that we're in danger. But if we say something, we're branded traitors to our people. That it's sedition, that we're trying to overthrow the government and kill our own kind."
"Aren't you?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "My family's done nothing and they're dead."
Higgs seemed to deflate somewhat at her heated tone. "It's not... That was an accident."
Katie thought of Draco's halting words at the Three Broomsticks, the quiet desperation in his tone. He hadn't wanted her to think he condoned it, but he was still trying to excuse what happened. It was an accident. Pures didn't mean to kill other pures, but it just happened in the fight to convince a few pures to kill those of mixed blood.
She was heartsick. What was happening to the world around her? When had it all gone insane?
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Katie said, turning away from Higgs.
"Good," Pucey said with a sharp nod. "There's better things, yeah? You're in training at the law enforcement program. You going to be an Auror like your friend?"
It had been the rumor back at Hogwarts that Pucey had a crush on Angelina. Angelina had been flattered, but hadn't really thought much about him. Alicia had flirted with him a spell, then Montague. Montague's older sister had words with Alicia, putting a stop to it before she left Hogwarts with Spencer. Katie remembered being amused by the whole situation and glad she hadn't been part of it.
She shook her head at Pucey. "Artifact Investigation, if my application is accepted."
Montague whistled and the others looked impressed. "That's difficult to get into."
Katie nodded. "I'm hoping that doing the mentorship program will help my chances."
"Mentoring?" Warrington asked, looking interested. "So someone guides you through the program and makes recommendations?"
"More like I'm guiding students through what I think is important for them to know. But I'm working with two students, so I'm hoping it looks that much better for me."
"Who is it?" Montague asked, curious.
"Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley."
Most of the men were surprised by that combination. "Huh. I had no idea he was even interested in that sort of thing," Montague said thoughtfully.
"Well, I've been coaching them on the basic law enforcement program. I don't know if he's more interested in the Auror program or not. He's asked after that one."
Things continued in that vein for a few more minutes, until Warrington decided it was time for dinner. Higgs tried to steer the conversation back to politics a few more times, but overall it was a much better evening than Katie thought it would be.
"You were pretty honest with them," Marcus murmured that evening, undressing with his back to her. As much as they shared a bed, he was conscious of the fact that she still considered their room her parents' room. She also seemed to be disconcerted whenever she caught him staring at her, still uncomfortable with showing off her skin.
"They weren't a bad sort. Higgs was obnoxious and didn't know when to shut it, but he wasn't evil either." Katie moved to stand in front of him, only half dressed. Marcus was clearly startled by that when he looked up to see her. "I can see why you want to save them if you could."
"I didn't-"
"I could tell. You didn't want to say anything terrible about them before this." She sat down beside him and touched his leg. "They're your friends. You don't want them to get hurt."
Marcus slipped his hand through hers. "They're going to, no matter who wins."
"Yeah." Katie looked at him in concern. "I'm sorry."
"I knew what I was getting into," Marcus told her, shaking his head. "They knew what it meant when they took the mark. It's not as if we were coerced or lied to. We know what it's about. We know why we do it."
"They care about you."
He wondered if she cared about him, if she worried about his duplicitous role at all. "Yeah."
"We'll make it work out somehow," Katie said, pressing her lips to his temple.
Marcus cupped her face in his hand and kissed her fiercely on the mouth. She deepened the kiss, and they fell backward onto the bed.
If it hadn't gone well that night, if any of them had threatened to harm her, he wouldn't have thought twice about hexing them. Or killing them, if it came down to it. She was the important one to him, the one that made this whole farce worth living through. There was nowhere else to be but at her side. It wasn't because she was the one that had saved his life or that he had been infatuated with her since his seventh year at Hogwarts. He couldn't have said why she was so important, why he needed her so much. All he knew was that he did, and he would do anything for her. If she felt even a fraction of that in return, it would be enough.
***
"You have to stop."
Ginny looked up as Draco came into the Chamber of Secrets, looking even more pale than he usually did. "Draco, we already agreed not to talk about this."
"Whatever you're planning with Longbottom and the rest of them, stop. I'm telling you, they're on the lookout for you. They're just waiting for you to slip up so they can torture you to death. You have to stop. You can't give them that excuse, Ginny."
He sat across from her, concern etched onto his features. He looked tired, and Ginny knew it had nothing to do with their classes. He'd barely been able to stay awake long enough to congratulate Katie on passing her exams at the end of January. Ginny knew her actions as co-leader of the DA was keeping him up at night, but wasn't willing to stop their activities. The Death Eaters had to be stopped, and she was one of the few in the school willing and able to do something about it.
"With a family like mine," she began softly, "do you really think I could do any different?"
Draco took her hand in his. His fingers were cold, like ice. "I had to try."
She shoved his sleeve up, exposing the Dark Mark. It was such an ugly thing, and it looked even worse whenever Voldemort put forth a call. "You can still turn on them. You can be something more than this mark."
He shook his head sadly. "With a family like mine," he echoed with a wry smile.
"I had to try."
They smiled sadly; they had both known this would be difficult. They were caught up in what was happening around them as much as they didn't want to be, and there were few options left. He refused to claim to use her, and she refused to claim to use him.
"Watch yourself," Draco murmured, running his fingers along her cheeks. "They're vicious and they're looking for you. I can't help you if certain people catch you."
"I've been careful," Ginny said, pressing his hand against her face and leaning into his touch. "I know what's at stake here."
"I can't lose you," Draco said softly. "You can't let them take you."
It wouldn't be a choice if the Carrows had their way, but so far the Headmaster had disallowed some of their favorite tortures. They couldn't simply take students they wanted to torture and play with. They couldn't simply destroy lives, even muggleborn ones. The school was the last safe haven, as difficult as it was. Outside of the school, muggleborn witches and wizards simply disappeared. Sometimes bodies were found, sometimes they weren't.
Ginny leaned in to kiss him. "I won't let them." They would have to kill her first.
"There's some talk..." he began uncertainly as Ginny kissed his neck. "I overheard Amycus tell Alecto that they're willing to go over Snape's authority. They don't think he'll last much longer in the organization anyway. They're planning to kidnap some students before hols."
"I'm one of their favorite targets," Ginny said, pulling back to look at his miserable expression.
"Don't let them catch you," he repeated. "I can't stop them. I can't do anything if they decide to attack me."
She rubbed her thumb along his lips, then leaned in to kiss him. "I won't come back, then. I'll find something else to do, some other way to help. But I'll leave early and I won't come back."
It was February and Easter was early this year. They didn't have much time left together at all.
They had to make the most of it.
***
There were many ways in and out of Hogwarts castle, and most of the Death Eaters knew only the official ones. Some of the unofficial ones, such as the tunnel behind the one eyed witch, were known as well. But Ginny and the twins had been crawling all over the castle, so there were many routes they knew about that few others did.
And she knew the routes through the pipes and hollowed walls that the basilisk had used.
Following one of these led her to Hogsmeade. There was a curfew in effect, of course, so Ginny didn't actually exit into the village. She and Neville had managed to make several new routes in and out of the castle throughout the year. They probably had learned quite a bit of esoteric magic in the Restricted Section in order to do it, and Ginny was proud of the effort they had made. It was something the Death Eaters didn't know about. It was a secret amongst the DA members, something tangible. There were ways in and out. There were ways around the Death Eaters, ways to avoid Filch and Mrs. Norris. There was a Resistance at work, and there was hope.
It was the most important thing, to have hope. There was little enough of it elsewhere.
Ginny didn't plan on going home for Easter hols, so she had to figure out something to do with herself in the interim. She couldn't be at Hogwarts, and it would be difficult to evade detection for long if she lived inside its walls. The castle might be full of hiding places, but she still had to emerge for food and bodily needs. There was only so long that she could hide before she slipped and was caught. She had to be practical about that.
And what to do about Draco? He was terrified for her, but also terrified to act. His life lay on the line, as well as the lives of his parents. He had drawn away from his former friends, and they had noticed that. He couldn't rely on them as allies in this, and the fragile solace he had found with her would be gone. Ginny was afraid that he would break, that he would be pulled along with the other Death Eaters and embrace everything he had been fighting hard not to. He was better than that, but there was little she could do about it.
They had both made their choices with their eyes wide open. They had started seeing each other as more than just nuisances knowing full well what the conflicts would be. There was too much stacked against them, especially regarding family and political alliances. There couldn't be a happily ever after for them, as much as she wanted there to be one. If his side won, her family would be reviled, punished and possibly killed. If her side won, his family would be reviled and punished. They likely wouldn't be killed, but for proud Malfoys, being ostracized might as well be death.
She risked an unsigned owl the day she went into hiding. It had been sent by school owl, and she had been careful to use parchment obtained by a house elf, a teacher's quill and wore gloves while standing in the owlery while writing it. Just in case it fell into the wrong hands, it wouldn't be traced back to her. She didn't want Draco to be tortured because someone caught him with an owl, even if she didn't sign it.
I love you. Stay safe. Please think of me kindly.
She didn't expect a reply, but it tore her heart to shreds not to receive one.
***
***
To the next chapter!