It All Began With Dwarfing Draco

"Stupefy!" The curse shot from the end of Draco’s wand and hit the nearest Death Eater in the chest. The stunned man fell immediately and landed in a heap on the corridor floor. The second stepped over his comrade and began advancing towards Draco. Even with the mask hiding everything but his eyes, it was obvious the man was smirking.

Draco stood his ground, glaring at the approaching man and forming a plan in his mind. So far, disarm and stun. The was too much at risk to give this brute a chance to throw Draco’s own curse back at him and disarming would make it much more easier to knock the Death Eater out.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled and watched the wand fly from the man’s hand. The Death Eater stumbled a bit but soon regained his bearings, shaking his head slightly before beginning his charge. The man was running fast but Draco was faster. He aimed his wand at the man’s hidden face and shouted the stunning curse. It hit the Death Eater right between the eyes causing him to stop in mid-step before falling to the floor like his friend.

Draco stood over the man for a moment, staring down at what his father had wanted him to become. Rolling the man over, Draco pulled down his mask and recognized the face behind it immediately. It was Goyle’s father and the other man proved to be Crabbe’s. Just like their son’s, the two men were best friends and went every where together, worked together and would probably die together, side by side.

Draco shook his head and stood. He glanced once more at the faces he had known since child hood before sprinting down the corridor to join the fight outside. Crabbe and Goyle had caught him close to the Great Hall so it would not take long for Draco to find the great oak doors that led out to the grounds.

When he arrived, he paused with his hand on the brass doorknob and remembering Ginny. Would she be safe? He looked back the way he had come, debating whether or not to go back. It felt like something was pulling him back. Was she in trouble or was he just getting paranoid?

A scream came from the other side of the door, forcing Draco to decide. With one last look down the corridor he turned the doorknob and flung it open, rushing forward to aid Dumbledore and the others. The scream had come from a woman who had a Death Eater chasing her. Draco threw a body-binding curse at the Death Eater and ran to the woman.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, gently grabbing her shoulders. She nodded and thanked him before standing to retrieve her fallen wand. Draco turned and took down a few more Death Eaters before he heard a voice calling his name. It was Ron. He ran up to Draco and demanded where Ginny was.

"She’s safe," Draco said, more to convince himself than Ron. Before he could say anymore, Ron shoved him out of the way and shouted a stunning curse. Draco wiped around to see a Death Eater fall to the ground. He let out a sigh, relieved that it had been the Death Eater to fall instead of himself. He turned back to Ron and saw the smug grin on the freckled boy’s face.

"Couldn’t let you get killed now could I?" he said sarcastically. Draco shrugged before sending his own curse to an approaching Death Eater. The curse just barely missed Ron’s ear on it’s way to the chest of the Voldemort minion. Ron’s eyes went wide and his grin slipped off his face which brought a smirk to Draco’s.

"You almost took me out along with that Death Eater you prat!" Ron yelled when he got over his shock. Draco chuckled and scanned their surroundings. A frown formed on his face. "What is it?"

"The Death Eaters," Draco replied quietly. "They’re pulling back."

"What?" Ron looked around as well and saw the Death Eaters retreating into the forest even though there was a good number of them still standing. "I don’t understand…"

"Neither do I." Draco’s eyes flicked skyward and saw the tail of a broom just disappear behind the treetops. Puzzled, Draco summoned a broom and, ignoring Ron’s questions, pushed himself off the ground. He flew high enough to see clearly over the trees. There was nothing but green leaves and blue sky. No brooms, no people, no birds even. Draco turned his broom back to the castle and saw the gapping hole in the wall where he and Ginny had stood. Ginny!

Panic washed over Draco as if a pail of cold water had been thrown on him. He leaned forward and zoomed towards the secret room. He flew inside the gap and threw his broom to the side once he’d landed. The rumble still lay scattered on the floor and made things difficult. Draco tripped many times trying frantically to get to the next room.

He searched each room from top to bottom, calling Ginny’s name at the top of his lungs but it was no use. No Ginny. Draco dropped to his knees in the common room, his whole body stiff from shock.

"Ginny." Dumbledore burst into the room and, for the first time ever (in Draco case anyway), there was panic on the old man’s face. A moment later, Ron, Harry and Hermione entered the room. Ron immediately ran passed Draco in search of Ginny. He stopped in the doorway of Ginny’s room and stared at the chunks of wall spread out on the floor.

"She’s gone Ron," Draco said quietly. "They took her." Ron tackled him. Draco found himself pinned to the ground, staring up at Ron’s furious face while his friends tried to pull him off.

"You said she was safe!" he roared. "You said she was safe and I believed you! Where is she now Malfoy?! Where is she?! Where’s my sister?!"

"I don’t know," Draco replied, looking Ron in the eye. "I wish I did but I don’t." Ron punched him in the cheek. Draco heard Hermione cry out, begging Ron to stop but nothing could stop Ron.

"You bastard! You were supposed to protect her! I trusted you to keep her safe!"

"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said sternly. Ron turned on him now, furious.

"And you! You promised us that she would be safe here, that no one would find them!" He stood and tried to move forward but Harry grabbed him around the stomach, pinning his arms to his sides. "Let go of me Harry! Let go!"

"We’ll get her back Ron, just calm down!" Harry pleaded while tightening his grip. Ron struggled as hard as he could, trying to free himself from Harry’s grasp. "Ron stop!"

"NO! I’M GUNNA BEAT MALFOY INTO THE RUDDY GROUND!" Ron bellowed.

"Petrificase Totalus!" Hermione cried. Ron’s legs snapped together and his arms locked tight to his sides while the rest of his body went stiff. "Sorry Ron but you were beginning to get irrational and we don’t need you losing your head right now." She had been standing back as Harry struggled with Ron before finally deciding to step in.

"Thank you Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore said in an appreciative tone as Hermione stowed away her wand in her robes. "Are you all right Mr. Malfoy?" Draco nodded and shakily got to his feet.

"I’ll be fine."

"Good." Dumbledore took in a deep breath before settling himself on the couch. He pressed his fingertips together and looked thoughtfully at the four students. "We need a plan."

"I have to go after her," Draco said immediately but Dumbledore shook his head.

"I don’t think that would be wise Mr. Malfoy seeing as they are after you as well." Ron moaned something but whatever it was, it was not understandable due to the fact that his lips as well as his body were stiff and motionless. With a nod from Dumbledore, Hermione release him from the full body bind.

"Let me go after her," Ron said quickly. "They don’t want me, it won’t matter if I go after her."

"But you would get yourself killed Ron," Hermione protested. Ron opened his mouth to reply but closed it again when he could not think of one.

"No Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said quietly. "It would be too dangerous for you to just barge in there alone. We must form a plan." They were all silent for a moment, minds buzzing with thought.

"There has to be something we can do," Ron groaned. Then Harry, who had remained silent thus far, let a grin slip on his face.

"I think I’ve got an idea."

* * * * *

Ginny moaned. Her whole body ached and she was shaking from the cold. She felt the hard stone beneath her, damp and icy to the touch. She didn’t remember how she got here, wherever here was, but she knew it was not her choice. Then her memories came flooding back. Draco. The Death Eaters swarming out of the forest. Hiding in the Bathroom. Lucius.

She rubbed her temples and opened her eyes. Nothing but stone walls met her eyes and the only light in the room was coming from a small grate in the wall where a little sunlight spilled in. Ginny stood up and walked over to the grate. Standing on her tiptoes and looking out all she could see were trees, lots of them, none looking like the ones on the Hogwarts’ grounds.

She sighed heavily and turned away from the grate, sliding down the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her chin on her kneecaps, Ginny’s mind began to buzz.

"How am I going to get out of here?" she mumbled to herself.

"You won’t," a cruel voice sneered. Ginny leap to her feet, her eyes flicking in every direction to seek out the person that belonged to the voice. The room seemed to get colder, if possible, when the voice spoke and it sent a chill through Ginny.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want with me?" The voice just laughed mockingly. "Answer me!"

"You are in no position to ordering anything Virginia so I would sit down and keep my little mouth shut if you know what’s best for you. Do not fret, the Dark Lord will deal with you in good time." Ginny froze and her eyes went round. The Dark Lord? Meaning Tom Riddle? But the voice said no more, leaving her with silence once more.

She retreated into the far corner of the room, pressing herself into the crease in the wall. Collapsing into a ball, she felt herself begin to rock and panic fill her entire body.

"Draco," she whispered. "Where are you? Come save me."