Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N. Well, it's Christmas after all. One more chappie before the new year for all you wonderful people who reviewed chapter 8.

Enjoy. Xxx

Chapter 8

The remainder of the term passed swiftly in a blur of learning and sleeping as Ginny did little else. Many people tried to question her about Draco's disappearance but Ginny was evasive each time. Ron tried to get Ginny to talk about what had happened but she refused. She could see the slightly smug "I told you so" look on his face. Ron was convinced that Draco had run away to become a death eater, and in some ways he was quite right. Ginny just didn't have the energy to explain something she didn't fully understand. She decided to leave it to Dumbledore and the other members of the Order.

She threw herself into her healer training, unwilling to be left to her own thoughts for even a brief second. When the Easter holidays came, Ginny was surprised to find that the field hospital was in fact the head quarters of the Order, at Grimmuld Place and so she was surrounded by her family. When they were told about Draco there was an awkward silence as everyone turned to look at Ginny, who faced them all down defiantly. It was Ron who reacted first. He got up from his seat and crossed the room to Ginny and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Ginny. Are you ok?"

Ginny wriggled out of his arms, and went to leave the room, the emotion building inside her again.

"I'm fine. Worry about Draco."

Turning back to them she steadied her voice and blinked back any tears that were still trying to surface.

"He is one of you now. Remember that and bring him back. If not for me then in the name of all that is decent. Whatever his past, he is out there fighting on your side now."

She felt the lump rise to her throat and choke her again so she left them and immersed herself in a particularly heavy healer textbook.

Another month passed and there was still no word of Draco. The trio were off with the order most of the time and Ginny worked hard to keep her mind busy. The pain inside her had changed to a kind of fierce determination. She spent a lot of time with her patients and smaller and smaller amounts of time sleeping. She did nightshifts most nights and then spent her days reading every textbook she could find.

One night, as she was watching over the occupants of her ward, Mundungus Fletcher entered, his face pale and his eyes wide.

"You had better come Miss Weasley. There has been bloody big fight."

Ginny ran down the stairs and crossed through the silencing spell that had been cast around the main dining room. The sound that met her ears was like no sound she had ever heard. The moans of twenty or more seriously wounded wizards filled the room. She looked around, seeing many familiar faces. She blanched as she looked some of them over and noted their injuries. Bloody big fight was an understatement.

Spotting Tonks across the room, her head bleeding but otherwise looking fairly ok, if a little shaken, Ginny ran to her.

"Tonks! Are you ok? What the hell happened?"

Tonks looked up and her face brightened at the sight of Ginny. "Here help Shacklebolt. He's hurt bad."

Kneeling to Kingsley Shacklebolt she found him unconscious, a gaping wound in his chest. Quickly she stemmed the flow of blood and reached for her bag of potions. Passing Tonks a vial of blood replenishing potion she told her to give it to him on her mark. Ginny patched his wound quickly until she was satisfied that he would last the rest of the night and the told Tonks to make sure he was given the entire contents of the vial and to call her if his breathing worsened or he woke up.

Ginny passed through the room, helping and patching up people. She caught snatches of what had happened, an attack on a Death Eater stronghold, a lengthy battle ensued and then when the Death Eaters surrendered and they entered the building, some of the death eaters set of some kind of explosive and blew themselves up, taking a number of Orders with them and injuring many others. Only one Death Eater was recovered alive.

Ginny felt her gaze being drawn over to the corner where several of the others were working on bringing the aforementioned Death Eater round so he could be questioned. She tried not to think about the fact that she could not see her brother or Harry anywhere in the crowd, hoping with every bit of energy in her body that it was because they weren't there or they weren't badly hurt. Her attention was needed here so save those put in her care, that was her main priority.

Many hours later, when every person she could help had been patched up and those that were beyond help were made as comfortable as possible, Ginny left the dining room and went to the kitchen to see if there was anyone there that could tell her about her brother and the others who she had not already seen.

She found the kitchen crowded and to her relief Ron, Harry and Hermione, Remus and Dumbledore were there at the table looking pale and sombre. She threw her arms around Ron,

"What the hell happened? Are you all ok?"

She could see that Ron was still in shock as were Harry and Hermione. She began to make sugary tea for all of them while she scolded Remus and Dumbledore for not doing so earlier.

When she turned back to them with a tray laden with tea and chocolate biscuits she saw Ron looking at her, a smile on his lips.

"You sound like a cross between Mum and Madam Pomfrey when you fuss like that."

Ginny rolled her eyes and tutted. "Hush now Ron. Drink your tea."

Ron did so, pressing his smiling lips onto the rim of his cup. Ginny bumped down onto a chair and looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

So, what happened? I don't have much time before I have to get back to the others."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and began.

"We received news that there was a disused farmhouse just outside of London being used as a refuge for certain Death Eaters. When we arrived they were waiting for us and fighting broke out. We held them off easily, there were far fewer of them than of us. A few of our number managed to battle our way inside but as they did so, one of the Death Eaters blasted the whole front of the house. There were a good few of us injured, a few killed and some of the Death Eaters got away. One of them was captured and he is currently being questioned by Moody and Tonks. We hope we will be able to get some more information on Voldemort's whereabouts and who the leaders of the various groups of Death Eaters are as well as where they are. Unfortunately, the leader of this particular gang either got killed in the blast or got away, we cant be sure."

Ginny pursed her lips and reached over to Ron, gripping his hand.

"I'm so glad you are all ok. You might have been killed! So I take it you know who the leader of this gang is? Would it not be easy to trace his movements. He may lead you back to Voldemort."

At these words, everyone around the table looked away and shifted uncomfortably.

"What is it?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat again and looked directly at Ginny, his face a picture of gentle sympathy.

"We have reason to believe that this gang consisted of or possibly was led by Draco Malfoy. It was he who communicated to us the location of the Death Eater's location."

Ginny stiffened visibly, her face turning redder and redder as all eyes fell upon her.

"You mean to tell me Draco was in the middle of that fight and might have been caught in the blast?"

Remus spoke, his voice soft.

"Ginny, he may have escaped with the others. It is far too early to tell. He is in no position to contact us now. I saw him briefly during the attack and….."

Ginny stood suddenly, her chair scraping against the flagstones and drowning out Remus's words.

"You mean to tell me you knew he was in there and you kept attacking them?" her voice was shrill and hysterical. "Who ordered this attack?"

Dumbledore spoke up in the affirmative and Ginny rounded on him.

"Did you know he was in there?"

Dumbledore nodded, "You must understand Miss Weasley, we had to act. There was no other way."

Ginny stood there swaying on the spot for a moment her face draining of colour as the realisation hit her.

"He could be dead. And you killed him. He helped you and you killed him." The room began to spin and the darkness closed in on Ginny as she fell heavily to the floor.