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CHAPTER 3 Home Again
Ginny and Narcissa planned to leave the next morning, after breakfast. They would go to St. Mungo's, even though Ginny had a suspicion Narcissa would not be welcomed there.
Her stomach was churning violently as she tried to swallow down a decent amount of food. "I don't think they're going to believe me."
"They are your family," she replied, her tone too airy to be convincing. "Of course they will."
They apparated into the hospital's reception area, Narcissa keeping the hood of her light blue cloak over her head. As they quickly made their way to the fourth floor, Ginny wondered just how many people she knew were on that floor.
"May I help you?" a mediwitch asked, stopping them.
"I'm looking for my brother," Ginny said, tossing back her red hair and sounding braver than she felt. "Ronald Weasley."
The mediwitch eyed her and then Narcissa suspiciously before pointing to a door several feet away. "Be quick with it. He's only just woken up!"
Ginny crept to the door and peaked in. She could see Ron's unmistakable red head in one bed, and Harry's messy black mop in another.
"Go on," Narcissa gave her a shove.
"Got a minute?" she whispered, stepping into the room.
Both Ron and Harry turned to face her and immediately went white.
"She's solid," Harry whispered finally. "Not, not a ghost."
"GINNY!" Ron screamed jumping out of bed and nearly knocking her flat as his arms closed around her. "Ginny!"
Harry laid still, his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth.
"We thought you were dead. We heard that you were dead!" Ron sobbed.
"No," Ginny tried to explain. "I'm fine. I'm fine."
"What's all this noise?" the same mediwitch came bustling into the room. "You need to be resting!"
"This is my sister! We thought, we thought she was dead!"
The mediwitch's face softened as she glanced at Ron and Harry. "Very well then, but no more screaming!"
"Where were you? What happened? How did you get out? Tell me what's going on! Everyone else who was taken that night, we found them, so we assumed that you were gone too," Ron spit out in one breath.
"No, I survived," she told him.
Harry climbed out of his own bed and pulled Ron away so he could hug her. "What's going on?"
"You won't believe it," she smiled nervously. "It was the Malfoy's. Draco and Narcissa, they helped me."
Again she was met with silence.
Suddenly, Ron pulled out his wand. "Disdemperio! Alcamayant! Meditatus!"
Ginny was knocked over by the blast. "What was that for?" she demanded, standing back up.
"That," Ron frowned, "removes a lot of things. It breaks polyjuice potion, removes the controlling curse and restores many memories that may have been modified."
"That's pretty powerful magic," she tried to smile, "but not necessary."
"I don't understand," Harry shook his head. "We heard Malfoy was the head of that prison. He couldn't of got that position by being soft."
"He is. Was, I mean. That's where I was."
"What?"
"You were at Dartford Prison?"
"How did you get out?"
"No one got out alive."
"Was he really the head of Dartford?"
The questions flew at Ginny. "No one except me and Luna," she admitted. "It's a long story, and I'll tell it to you one day. There's something I need to know first."
"What?" Ron asked, holding his side and sitting back down.
"Do you have any leads at all about Draco? Anything?"
Ron and Harry both stared blankly at her. It was Ron who spoke first. "Have you seen mum and dad yet?"
"No," she admitted. "I'm going to. I just want to find Draco if he's still alive."
"You mean, you want to chase down Malfoy first, and then you'll see your family."
"No! I want to, well I, well, yes."
"Something's wrong," Harry shook his head.
"Nothing is wrong. He is the reason I'm alive," she told them desperately. "He is the reason no one touched me. He kept me out of the dungeons! He took me to his house and Narcissa took care of me! Ask Percy!"
"Percy? You know where Percy is?" Ron demanded.
"Well, he was at the prison with me. Draco was looking after him too."
Harry shook his head slowly. "No one, no one at all got out of Dartford. We haven't heard a word from Percy."
"Why was Draco looking after Percy?" Ron asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"I asked him to."
"But why would he listen to you?" he pressed. "I don't understand."
"I don't know," she said desperately. "I don't. He took me out of the dungeons and let me stay in his room. We became friends."
Ron's face tightened.
"Nothing happened Ron."
"We heard rumors about that prison. Murders and rapes and tortures everyday."
"They're true," she admitted quietly. "I saw it happen more than once. Draco saved me from that."
"But Voldemort destroyed Dartford almost three months ago. Decided that the prisoners were useless. We heard that they couldn't get the information they wanted."
"Three months ago?" she gasped.
Harry nodded. "They said no one got out."
"I got out. So did Luna."
"Luna?" Ron asked. "Neville's wife?"
Ginny nodded. "She's with . . . his grandmother now."
"Can she back up your story?" he demanded
"No. No, she can't. Draco erased her memories."
"That's convenient," he snorted.
"I'm not under any spell," she insisted. "I just want to find Draco."
Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"Why wasn't it in the Daily Prophet when the prison got destroyed? I read that paper everyday!" Ginny demanded.
Ron shook his head reluctantly. "Nearly everyone had a family member they knew to be there or suspected to be there. It was our biggest loss."
"We both got out! Ask Narcissa. She's right outside. She took me in and Luna in!"
Harry threw the door open and found Narcissa, waiting patiently. Reluctantly, he invited her in the room.
"Ginny says you helped her," Ron told Narcissa stiffly. "Thank you."
Narcissa shook her head. "I only did what I could. I wish I could have done more."
"But do you know anything about Draco?" Ginny asked impatiently. "Anything?"
Harry and Ron exchanged quick glances. "He is . . . wanted, you know," Harry said finally.
"For what exactly?" Ginny pressed.
"He is a known Death Eater," Ron reminded her, avoiding Narcissa's gaze. "Head of Dartford."
"I read in the Daily Prophet that several Death Eaters were pardoned."
Harry nodded slowly, reluctantly. Darvin Moon's family was. They helped us catch 11 other Death Eaters."
Ginny stared her brother and Harry in the eyes. "You are the ones responsible for the sentencing, are you not?"
Again, they exchanged glances. "Yes," Ron said finally.
"Then why not? Why won't you believe me? Draco kept me from those horrible prison guards!"
"But what did he do?" Ron demanded.
Ginny glanced at Narcissa, who didn't seem surprised by the question. "Nothing Ron. He did nothing to me."
They sat in silence for several moments.
Ginny took a deep breath. "If Draco came back, would you pardon him since he saved me?"
She was met by a long silence.
"Would you agree to have your memories searched?" Ron asked finally.
Ginny wanted to be upset, but she knew her brother had good reason for mistrusting her. Her story did seem unbelievable. "If Dumbledore would do it, I would agree."
Narcissa's eyebrows raised, but she said nothing.
"If Dumbledore found nothing, then we would," Ron agreed finally.
"Then what do you know?" she asked hurriedly.
"Nothing, nothing until you've seen mum and dad. I'll do some searching and let you know."
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