It All Began With Dwarfing Draco

Ginny hurtled down the corridor. ‘Turn left and follow the corridor,’ Draco had said, ‘you’ll see the door that will lead you outside’. Her eyes now flicked madly around her, searching for this said door. They all looked the same for Merlin’s sake! She would have stopped long ago had the fear of lurking Death Eaters not terrified her.

Suddenly there was a light breeze in the stony hall. It smelled of the woods that Ginny had longingly gazed at while imprisoned in that cell. It urged her on, giving her new strength. As she ran the breeze grew stronger, so strong in fact that the invisibility cloak was blown under her feet. It tangled around her ankles, binding them together and sending her sprawling across the cobble stone floor. She groaned.

‘This nightmare needs to end,’ Ginny mentally complained, struggling to her feet. Looking around, she saw what she thought was a door only it wasn’t where it should be. It was on the floor and broken into many pieces but some remained intact, mainly the part around the brass handle. Puzzled, she turned around and would have screamed with joy had her voice not been…silenced.

The doorway to freedom. She burst outside, feeling free and happy but stopped dead in her tracks and became scared once more. The Death Eaters were still frozen around her and she hated them more than anything else, other than Voldemort himself that is. Trembling, she crept her way through them, forgetting that she still had the invisibility cloak wrapped around her until she tripped again that is. She caught herself just in time. A death Eater was standing and inch from where her nose now was. If she would have fallen any further…she didn’t want to think of that.

Then she saw them. Hermione and Professor Dumbledore stood a few paces within the forest boarder, barely visible in the darkness. Hermione’s tired eyes stared nervously at the doorway in which Ginny had just came through but Dumbledore had a wide smile on his face. He saw the pale, shaking girl behind the cloak and gave a sigh of relief. He did not want another event like the one in the Chamber six years ago.

"It is all right Ms. Weasley," he called out to her in his calm, thoughtful voice that could only be associated with him. "The Death Eaters are under our control. They will not harm you."

"Ginny?" Hermione asked confused, now searching for her beloved friend. Ginny slowly pulled the cloak over her head, exposing down to her shoulders. Hermione squealed with glee and lunged at Ginny, wrapping her arms around the missing redhead as hard as she could.

"Oh Ginny," Hermione cried, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. "We were so worried."

"Me too," Ginny croaked. Hermione pulled back, her tears ceased, and gave Ginny a confused look.

"What happened to your…"

"I’ll explain later," Ginny interrupted, her voice no louder than a harsh whisper, and looked over Hermione’s shoulder at Dumbledore. "Draco’s still in there. We have to save him!"

"Harry and Ron too," Hermione said, turning to Dumbledore as well while worry filled her eyes again. Dumbledore nodded and brought a frail looking hand to his chin, stoking his beard. He then looked up over his half-moon glasses and peered at the girls.

"Did Mr. Malfoy give you your wand, Ms. Weasley?"

"Yes sir." Dumbledore nodded and then lowered his gaze again. His light blue eyes flicked back and forth as if reading a book or scanning over a paper for information. "Please sir, we don’t have much time. What should we do?" A smile formed on Dumbledore’s lips as his aged mind concocted a plan.

"You will be needing that wand soon Ms. Weasley. Now gather round both of you, we must prepare."

* * * * *

"Where did she go!" Pettigrew roared, making Draco smirk.

"That’s for me to know and you to never find out," he replied nastily.

"You will pay for that! Oh you will pay dearly! I will see to it myself if I have too!" Draco laughed as mockingly as he could.

"Why don’t you do it then? Or are your cowardly rat instincts taking over?" There was a soft pop, the sound of someone apparating. Draco’s smirk grew wider as he turned around. There standing before him was Peter Pettigrew himself, shaking with fury and his face as red as a tomato. His hairline had receded a lot since the last time Draco had seen this man, course a lot of stress could do this to someone. His fingernails had grown to an amazingly long length (for a man at least) and his front teeth were even more bucktoothed than Granger’s used to be.

"My you look well Pettigrew," Draco said sarcastically. "A little more cynical looking though I must say. You really need to see one of those Muggle shrinks or something." Pettigrew shrieked with anger and sent a body-binding curse flying at Draco who easily dodged it and sent his own curse back.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco shouted. The curse hit and knocked Pettigrew’s wand out of his hand. Draco expected the small man to cower but the rat dared to smile and laugh. "I don’t see anything funny here Pettigrew, especially for you, knowing that I can blow you to pieces in a heart beat."

"Oh but I think it is quite humorous, my boy." Draco grinned and lowered his wand.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," he drawled. " Thought I would have to come get you." He turned around and met the steely eyes so much like his own.

"I like to take my time with these things," Lucius said. "I had no doubt that Peter would botch this whole operation, as usual."

"Ohhh," Draco chuckled and looked over his shoulder at the now trembling Pettigrew. "So this wasn’t your idea. And here I thought it was you who was the master-mind behind this brilliant scheme." Draco spoke with every single word dripping with sarcasm. He laughed silently as he saw the vein in Pettigrew’s forehead begin to grow and pulse. The corner of one of his wrinkled eyes twitched slightly and his hands balled into fists.

"Calm down Pettigrew," Draco mused. "Wouldn’t want you having a heart attack now would we?"

"Stop teasing the poor man Draco," Lucius said, his tone almost the same as Draco’s. He then cleared his throat and put a serious look on his face. "Now, I do believe we have some business to attend too." Draco turned to the man he had once called father and scowled.

"You read my mind, old man." Lucius drew his wand out of his walking stick where he had so cleverly hidden it and aimed it towards Draco. The younger Malfoy laughed shortly and did the same. "Let’s get this over with."