Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling's publishers, etc, etc. I own nothing but the plot and I can't make profit off this piece of writing, except for my own satisfaction.
A/N: Sorry to everyone for the wait. I lost my inspiration to write for a while, but not anymore.
Anyway, a few notes on the story: first of all, I realized that the witch burning was way earlier than sixteenth century (more like, two hundred years earlier) and I have not much idea how Great Britain is like back then. (In fact, I'm not even sure if Scotland is a part of Britain.) Which is why I'm creating a time period of my own, for the purpose of the story. No, it's not going to be outlandish, and I'll have a backstory to explain it. Please bear with it.
Secondly, I modified the first chapter, which is why it may be a good idea to skim it. After all, I took so long to update, it might help you understand this chapter better.
I'm done. Let's go.
Fire
By Katie
Part Two
Inflame
The first time Draco saw her, he thought he was hallucinating. But there she was, carefully selecting items and bargaining with the vendors.
The second time he saw her, he admired her hair - still beautiful after all these years - before reminding himself that she had been dead for nearly a decade.
The third time, when he saw her in the same marketplace, Draco knew. It had to be her.
But after he'd shaken free of Pansy Parkinson, the girl had already disappeared in a flash of red, as if she had sensed Draco's presence from a few yards away.
*
Ginny Weasley walked briskly through the wet and unpaved streets, holding a dying lantern in one hand and a sack of provisions in another. She paused as a dilapidated building loomed into view and glanced around discreetly. Though nobody but her and the Order of the Phoenix could see it - Harry was the Secret Keeper - It still would not be wise for anyone to see her.
Luckily, this part of the city was declared unfit even for slums, having endured much destruction in the past. And so Ginny slipped through the door without being noticed. Inside, the house was still dark and gloomy with the lack of adequate light, though not as rundown as its appearance entailed. There were three floors, but they usually congregated on the first. Indeed, in the area that might have once been a parlour, Ginny found Hermione Granger and Ron.
"Oh good, Ginny, you're back," Hermione said, looking up from the cauldron. Her face was drawn and tired. "I was afraid you would get caught. We just heard that Voldemort's henchmen are beginning to scour the city again."
"I think one of them saw me, but I got away in time. We still need the toads' eyes though," Ginny said, handing over the sack. Then she bit her lips. "How is he?"
Hermione and Ron exchanged a look. "Not very good," Ron admitted. "He still hasn't woken up. This potion might be too late already…"
"Dumbledore should be here soon," Hermione interrupted, trying to sound reassuring. "He'll be here soon…"
Ginny tried to smile at her, but she couldn't. Hermione had been saying that for the last ten years, and for all she knew, Albus Dumbledore had never existed.
The three of them were silent as they listened to the laboured breathing upstairs. Outside, it had begun to rain.
*
Later, Ginny knew it was a stupid idea to dash out in the rain for the toads' eyes, but she was, driven by impulse as usual. In fact, she didn't realize she'd bolted from the room in tears until she found herself again in the marketplace, completely drenched. But nobody was there. No toads' eyes. No anything.
It's midnight, you idiot, she thought fiercely. Of course nobody will be here!
But all she had thought was that Harry couldn't die. All these years, he had been their only hope as he did his best to keep everyone safe. He was the one who had taught her the Flame Freezing Spell the week before she was captured herself. He was the one who had rescued Hermione from unfeeling muggle parents to give her a home. He had held the resistance together after Dumbledore disappeared.
If he died, Ginny knew, the resistance would crumble and sooner or later, they would all be burned or, in Ginny's case, killed by the Killing Curse.
And he might very well die, a nasty little thought occurred to her. He hasn't woken up in more than a year…how do you know he'll get up again?
Ginny looked up suddenly. The rain suddenly stopped and a shadow loomed over her. She turned around to meet a pair of hostile grey eyes. She glanced up and saw that he was holding a silk umbrella over her. She tensed immediately. A silk umbrella meant that he was either involved with Voldemort or that he was a wealthy muggle who lived to see witches burn.
The man began to speak, but Ginny didn't wait. She turned and took off.
*
"Wait!" Draco shouted. He didn't bother running after her, for she was rather fast for someone that thin and small. Besides, he knew how to stop her kind. "If you don't stop, I'll call the police!"
That worked like a charm. The girl stopped and glanced down at the ground, shoulders trembling. Calmly, Draco caught up to her and put the umbrella over her, more to get a better look at her than to shield her from the rain. Suddenly, she glared up, so angrily that he was unnaturally surprised.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded. She pushed her dripping hair back from her flushed face. "How dare you threaten me?"
If Draco had any doubts before, they dissipated. It was her, all right. She had the same fiery voice and spirit. For a rare moment, he wasn't sure how to retort. She didn't know who he was, and if she did, she would only think that he was a Death Eater. Which he almost was, ironically enough. That wasn't the image he wanted to give off though. It seemed too mundane for such a coincidence.
"I know who you are," Draco said finally, plunging ahead with his original plan. He kept his tone even and cool, like his mother.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so," she said. "Stop making small talk. What do you want? Money? I have some." She bent down and pulled out some bits of rags. Then she hesitated over the money. "What money do you use?" she said, a little fearfully. "Pence? Pounds?"
Draco smiled to himself. She was afraid of exposing herself. He wondered if she should take advantage of that, but his curiosity won. "I'm a wizard, just like you," he said.
"Well, I have five Galleons. That's all I have. Take that and leave me alone," the girl said. There was a note of hysteria in her voice now.
Draco liked it. "No, I don't want your money," he said calmly. Idly, he admired the picture she made, the way her wet clothes hugged her malnourished body. "What is your name? And if you don't tell me…"
She stiffened. "Ginny," she said finally. "Call me Ginny."
"Ginny," Draco repeated. Definitely not from Hogwarts or high society. "Well, hello, Ginny. My name is Draco Malfoy."
Ginny gave a start. Evidently she knew who the Malfoys were. She tried to move away, but Draco seized her arm. "Let me go!" she snarled.
"No, you don't want that," Draco said. "My threat still stands, Ginny, and now you know I can make it come true. Although I suppose it doesn't matter, because you are supposedly dead."
Ginny's eyes widened.
"I was there at your burning, eight years ago," Draco said. "Tell me, how did you stay alive?"
Ginny did not speak. She only looked at him, sparks flying from her eyes.
"Tell me," demanded Draco, who always got whatever he wanted. "If you don't, I will hex you."
That didn't have the effect he intended.
"Hex me?" Ginny said. "Hex me?" she repeated shrilly. "Do you honestly think I care if you hex me or not? I won't be any worse off! I know you and your people. You call us vermin, but you are vermin yourself. You laugh at us because we can't use our magic, but at least we don't use our magic to hurt other people."
Draco shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't know?" Ginny said. She sounded scornful, and once more Draco was reminded of his proud and beautiful mother. "Well, since I'm stuck here, I might as well tell you. You watched me burn. Do you know why I burned? It isn't because I used my magic, because I can't use my magic. You know why? Because your master, and his spies, reported us to the muggles, and the stupid muggles believed them, and went and captured me. They can just accuse me of anything and I'll be killed without question. You know that?"
Her voice was thin, but it was gaining momentum. "Your master tries to catch all of us to put on the stakes. The muggles think they're doing it for themselves, but they aren't. They are only helping your master to kill us all. And when he does, he'll kill the muggles, and then he'll kill you. Meanwhile, you get to go to a school to make your magic better, so you can do the same thing as your master, so he'll spare you."
"No," Draco said. "No, that's not true! All of you died because you're worthless! I know your people, and all you do is making excuses!"
"We died because you made us die!" Ginny shrieked. "Two of my brothers died because of you! Your master doesn't tell you anything. They don't tell you how they are trying to kill everyone who's worthless all over the continents and -"
Draco slapped her with all the fury he could muster. She stumbled back but caught herself. No handprint appeared on her flushed face.
"It's not going to make what I said untrue just because you slapped me," she shouted.
"Is something the matter?"
Two muggle policemen had appeared, each holding a lantern. Draco thought he and Ginny must've made a strange picture, unmatched in attire yet equalled in anger. He merely shook his hand. "My maid and I are merely having an altercation," he said haughtily. "She will be punished, no worries."
When the police left, Draco looked at her. She was shaking with the effort of trying to breathe.
"Listen -" he began.
But she didn't listen. She turned and punched him in the face. It wasn't as hard as his slap, but it was enough for him to fall backwards onto the cold ground, sputtering. "Go ahead and tell everyone," she snarled. "Burn me again. I'm dead already, aren't I? I have nothing else to lose."
She began to walk away. As the sound of her footsteps began to dim, Draco shouted, "If you don't come back here tomorrow, I'll track you down and make you, and all your friends, suffer!"
He didn't know if she heard, but Draco knew that she would come back.
A/N: As before, please review! Otherwise, I'd assume that nobody wants to read it and I'll go work on my other unfinished stories.
Any questions, as usual, I hope I addressed. If not, tell me!