Walking in Shadows

Disclaimer: I did not create any of the Harry Potter storyline, or characters. These ideas belong to the fabulous JKR, which we all must pay credit for the wonderful world she has created.

Warning: Though this story will contain no sexually explicit material, there will be graphic violence that may offend some people. I will be leaving the rating at PG13, but if any of you feel that it needs to be made higher, I will increase the rating.

A/n: Thank you for the reviews, and again I apologise for the long wait. Be prepared for more explanations in this chapter, but hopefully it will be all action from here….

Unexpected Visitors

After Ginny’s rather wild exclamation, everyone had gone into frenzy. Hermione was asking questions at a record speed, while Ron and Harry seemed to not be able to stop themselves from making objections at every second breath Hermione took. Ginny had tried to answer their questions the best she could, but now she was not paying attention to them much at all, for her heart was still swelling with immense relief and joy to know that Draco was alive. She had always wondered, always hoped, but now…. now she knew….

“Where are you going?” Ron asked in surprise, as Ginny suddenly stood up, moving towards the door in a rather trance-like manner. She paused, her brain finally registering his voice, and turned to him, her eyes still glimmering with tears.

“I’m going to find Draco.”

“But Ginny, you don’t even know if what you saw was real.” Harry said reasonably.

Ginny just shook her head, clutching her hands to her chest, her eyes meeting Harry’s emerald ones with an earnest expression. “You don’t have to believe me, Harry, but I know what I saw was real. It’s almost like I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen…”

She sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes, seeing their saddened and disbelieving faces. They thought she was insane, and they had good reason to. It had been four years, and there was not even a whisper of his name…. The last time they had seen him was when he had been sucked into the sword….

“I’m not crazy,” she defended against the unspoken words. “I know what I saw and I’m not going to wait around while he’s in trouble. I’m going to find him.”

“But you don’t even know where he is!” Ron objected.

“I don’t care!!” Ginny retorted, losing her temper now. Didn’t they understand that she needed this? In her heart she had been dead for four years, and now that she had finally found her reason to live again they were going to take it away from her? “I’m not a child anymore. I can do what I want!”

“Right, with that attitude you’re really grown up,” Ron snapped back.

They glared at each other, and although Ginny knew he was just worried, she couldn’t handle this. Not now…

“I’m going for a walk,” she said stiffly, storming towards the door.

“Ginny, wait,” Hermione said desperately, but Ginny ignored her as she opened the door roughly and slammed it shut behind her. She practically ran out of the house before they could stop her and bring up more excuses and objections. She knew it was real, she just knew….

Thunder growled in the distance as Ginny left the house. She walked quickly into the looming darkness towards the sound of the crashing waves, the harsh wind whipping at her face and tangling her flaming red hair. She wrapped her arms around herself, huddling against the cool night as rain started falling in fat droplets down her. Shivering slightly, she just continued to walk, her eyes burning with tears, her throat constricting painfully.

“He is alive,” she whispered over and over to herself as she walked down to the sandy shore, her eyes falling on the monstrous waves crashing and raging in a stormy battle with the obsidian rocks. She stopped walking and stared out into the stormy seas.

“Draco,” she whispered shakily, shivering in the cool night as she stared at the black sea before her with its swollen waves threatening her with their ferocity. “I know you’re out there…” Tears slipped down her cheeks, tracing her care-worn face. “Beyond these waves, beyond these stormy skies… I can see you now, standing on my opposite shore looking out into the ocean just as I am now, knowing that past those waves I am waiting for you, just as you are waiting for me.” She closed her eyes, a shaky smile coming to her lips. “We just need to close the distance….”

The wind slashed against her, the rain coming down more sharply now, slicing painfully into her skin. Thunder growled again and a fork of lightening struck the dark night, tearing the black clouds with a streak of blinding white. In that moment a strange outline flittered across the shadowy sky, much like what she had seen earlier that day. Her eyes narrowing slightly, she watched as the shadow grew larger. Whatever the shadowy outline was, it was coming closer very quickly.

She took a step back, her hand automatically going to grab her wand out of habit but it was not there. She made a strangled noise in her throat, her heart quickening with fear, feeling paralysed with the sudden realisation that she was in a very horrible situation. Her mind was frantically commanding her legs to move, and it was with great relief that she found the sickly fear that had been numbing her body lift so she could run.

Turning her face back while still running, she screamed as she saw the figure closing in on her at a very alarming speed. She let out a yelp as her foot connected with a piece of driftwood, sending her crashing to the wet sand. She sat up quickly, ignoring the pain that was burning her skin, and turned her face to see where the figure was, but nothing was there. Frowning for a moment, she pushed herself back up to her feet before turning around and let out a terrified scream. There, standing mere inches away from her was a very deadly looking black dragon, its yellow eyes watching her intently.

Clutching her racing heart, Ginny just gazed back at the dragon, completely frozen.

“Why do you scream and run from me?” The dragon said in a calm, familiar voice. “Do you not remember me?”

Ginny paused, a frown coming to her lips. She stepped forward, gazing at the dragon and slowly started to recognise the familiar graceful wings, the warm yellow eyes, and that soothing, dragon smile.

“Neeya?” Ginny said incredulously. “Is it really you?”

Neeya smiled and nodded, “Indeed it is, Ginevra. It has been a long time since I have last seen you. You have grown a great deal.”

Ginny felt tears come to her eyes again and rushed forward, throwing her arms around Neeya’s scaly neck. The last time she had seen her friend was when Draco had gone missing. Ginny had gotten furious with her friend for not telling her what would happen to Draco, but now she had realised that Neeya had just been as upset as Ginny. She had known the whole time that Draco would not stay once he had completed his mission, and Ginny had never understood the dragon’s sadness. Now…. now she understood.

“I’m sorry.” Ginny whispered. “I’m sorry I got angry at you, Neeya…”

“Do not shed your tears for the past, Ginevra,” Neeya said in her deep, soothing voice. “This is not the time to reminisce. I’m sure you must know that….”

Ginny nodded her head, sniffling slightly as she pulled away from Neeya. “What’s going on?”

Neeya sighed. “There is much we need to talk about, but we should do it somewhere else. The Shadows could be watching us at this very moment, and we don’t need Loki’s spies knowing anymore than they should.”

“We can go back to my house,” Ginny said quickly. “It’s just up the road.”

Neeya nodded, and to Ginny’s complete surprise started glowing a pearly white.

“What are you doi-” She began, and then broke off as Neeya started changing before her very eyes. The large elegant wings folded back, her long, graceful tail shrinking, as her body twisted and shrunk. The dragon form slowly faded until Ginny found herself staring at a very tall woman with dark tan skin, warm, animalistic eyes, and long black hair that was tied back in a plait.

“But you’re-”

“A human, yes,” Neeya replied calmly, a slow smile curving her full lips. It reminded Ginny of the dragon smile she loved. “Xaiya is dead… I have taken her place as the leader of the dragon clan.”

“So you were given the power to turn into a human?” Ginny asked curiously.

Neeya nodded. “Yes, all of Xaiya’s powers were passed on to me, but we must hurry to your home. I am afraid that we are risking a great deal by standing out in the open here. The Shadow warriors have been on my trail ever since I left Erenia to look for you.”

Ginny nodded to show she understood and quickly led Neeya back up the shore to where the yellow lights in her house shone through the rain splattered windows like beckoning beacons. Ron and the others would still be in there, but right now that didn’t matter; what mattered was finding out what Neeya knew so she could help Draco. He was the only thing she cared about now.

Opening the door, she gestured for Neeya to follow and entered the house. Immediately she was accosted by Ron, Hermione and Harry, but they all fell silent when Neeya’s tall frame entered the room.

“Who is this?” Hermione asked nervously, staring up at Neeya’s imposing form. Even as a human she looked dangerous, and her yellow eyes, although warm, still held the dangerous glint.

“Relax,” Ginny said quickly. “It’s Neeya.”

“The dragon?” Ron asked open-mouthed.

Neeya chuckled, “Yes, Ronald, the dragon.” She closed the door behind her, wiping some of the rain droplets from her white cloak. “But now is not the time for reunions. I have much to tell…”

The three others frowned, but Ginny just continued to stare at Neeya. “Please, tell me everything.”

Neeya nodded her head, silent for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. “You must know that the magic of this world is dying.”

All four of them nodded their heads. “Yes,” Hermione said softly. “The researchers cannot understand what is causing it...”

“That’s because it’s not from this world,” Neeya responded calmly. “There is a hole in the barrier that connects the world of Light from the world of Shadows. The magic that is alive in the Shadow Realm leaks through this hole and destroys all magic in this world. It feeds on light magic, and if left unchecked will destroy everything….”

“What is this Realm of Shadows, and how did the hole even get there?” Harry asked with a frown. Ginny, having been wondering the same thing turned to Neeya, a curious expression on her face.

Neeya sighed, “Four years ago you defeated a man named Voldemort, but you used the Shadow army to do it…’

“They were from the world of Shadows, weren’t they?” Hermione said softly, quickly putting two and two together.”

Neeya nodded her head. “Yes. The sword of souls works as a key to the portal. It open and closes it, but something happened when the soldiers were called back to their world. Something went wrong, and though I have my suspicions, I am unsure of what actually happened.”

“You think something stopped the portal from fully closing?” Hermione asked.

Neeya shook her head. “Not something- someone…. Loki was in that battle, and though I saw Draco stab him, I know he is not dead…. It is very possible that he meddled with the magic that closes the portal, allowing the magic to leak through, as well as his shadow warriors….”

“And what will happen to this world if this hole isn’t closed?”

“In the Old War, Kashera sealed off the shadow to create the world of Light and protect her people. Now, however, the barrier she made is falling apart. That hole is becoming bigger with each passing day, and eventually the barrier will be no more. Every person in this world will be consumed by the shadows once that barrier falls. Loki could survive in the Shadow Realm because he was made immortal by Kashera’s magic, the only magic that can fight the power of the Shadows. We, however, will simply fade into nothing and become the very shadows that killed us. We rely on our lesser magic to survive, and it is our magic that the shadow feeds on. Even your muggles will die, for every living thing in the world of Light has magic inside them.”

“So what do we do then?” Ron asked.

“’We’ must do nothing. It is Ginny who holds the key to stopping the Shadows.”

“Me?” Ginny said in surprise, feeling all their gazes turning to her. It was just like four years ago when she had found out she was destined to guide Draco to becoming the Dragon Rider, only this time it was even more surreal… “But what can I do?”

“You have the pendants, don’t you?” Neeya asked her.

Ginny nodded her head, knowing instantly what Neeya was talking about. She reached inside her robe and pulled out two pendants: one a pale blue that was shaped into a tear, the other a crimson red that had a tear indentation in it. Ginny knew that they were to be combined, but she had never tried uniting the pendants, afraid of what might happen….

“Those pendants are filled with Kashera’s magic. They will help you in the Shadow Realm, for the magic that you use here will be swallowed whole once you enter that dark place. You were always the one who was supposed to use them, and now is the time to do it. You have a great destiny ahead of you, Ginevra, if you are willing to follow it….”

“But what am I supposed to do?” Ginny asked earnestly. She had no idea how to even use the pendants, let alone get to the Shadow Realm.

“Destroy the Shadow Realm.” Neeya answered, her eyes glinting in the flame light so that they looked like they were on fire.

Ginny just stared at her, unable to believe what she was being asked to do. How could you possibly destroy a world? “But how? And if it was so easy to destroy a world, why did no one ever do this before? Why didn’t Kashera just destroy the Shadow Realm instead of just sealing it off?”

Neeya frowned, “I don’t know… Kashera… well, she had strange methods… She must have had her reasons for doing what she did though… As for how to destroy the world, you simply have to break the core.”

“The core?”

“Every world has a core- think of it as a life force. It’s where the magic of the world gathers and fuels all the living things that live on that world. The Shadow World’s core is deep in the heart of the Realm, in the old Kingdom of the Dusks. Destroy that, and you will destroy the shadow magic that is fuelling the world. Once the shadow magic is dead, the world itself will die, and the portals that connect these worlds will be destroyed, as will the hole…”

“You make it sound so easy,” Ginny said with a shaky laugh. She was suddenly feeling very overwhelmed, but she knew she had to do this. It couldn’t just be a coincidence that she had seen a vision of Draco and Loki, and now this happens...

“There is someone else who wishes to speak to you too,” Neeya said in her deep voice. “I will call her now…”

Ginny frowned and watched curiously as Neeya pulled out a small object that looked like a box. She whispered something and the box glowed a pearly white for a moment before turning to ash in her hands. A second later there was an odd rushing of air, and they all jumped back in surprise (except for Neeya) as a familiar woman appeared in the middle of the room.

“Lucretia,” Ginny said in surprise, instantly recognising the beautiful woman with familiar grey eyes- eyes that were just like Draco’s….

“Ginevra,” she said with a small smile, and then looked to Neeya, giving her a business-like nod. “Thank you Neeya; I am glad you found her.”

“What are you doing here?” Ginny asked, feeling just a little apprehensive. Even though Xaiya had explained that Lucretia had had no choice but to give her the crimson rose, she was still a little wary of the woman.

“I had a vision,” Lucretia said softly, her grey eyes glinting in the soft firelight. “You see unlike you Ginevra, I was a born a seer, and as such I will only have visions about one person. That is what seers do; they see visions about the same person their whole lives, no matter how trivial or important that person may be.”

Ginny just frowned. “So what did you see?”

“You,” Lucretia said softly. “I’ve always seen you.”

Ginny let out a small breath, gazing at Lucretia in surprise and curiosity. “You see visions about me?”

She could see Ron, Harry and Hermione all looking rather stunned at this information, but none of them said anything. Neeya gave her a reassuring smile, and Ginny couldn’t help but feel comforted. Her eyes flicked back to Lucretia’s, meeting those warm, grey eyes.

“Yes, Ginevra; you are the one I see in my visions…” She reached into her blue robes and pulled out a wand. “You know that our magic is dying, but I think I still might be able to show you this. I’m going to give you a memory; it is the memory of my vision.”

Ginny just nodded her head, unsure of what to expect. “Alright.”

“Good girl,” Lucretia said with a small smile, and then took a deep breath, raising the wand to her temple where Ginny could see a silvery strand of thought clinging to the wood as she pulled her wand away. Silently she passed it into Ginny’s thoughts, and as Ginny closed her eyes the vision washed over her…

She stared up at the great stone doors, her heart thudding uncomfortably. Someone was shadowed next to her, blurred from her vision, but it was the person in front of her that caught her attention. He was standing tall, his shoulder-length blond hair blowing in a non-existent wind, his grey eyes looking down at her, a gleaming gold sword in his hand with a single emerald in the hilt. Their eyes meet and she found herself being sucked into those grey eyes, spinning and swirling into a grey vortex, images and thoughts flashing so fast before her that she couldn’t make anything of it out….

Suddenly everything stopped and she was standing in the middle of a dark room staring at herself, only she looked different… Her skin was glowing faintly, her hair streaming out behind her, golden threads mixed in the fiery red. She had her arms spread wide as golden and white lights collided with an electrical frenzy around her. A pendant was glowing at her neck, a blood red stone with what looked like a tear pressed into the middle, as a strange humming sound issued from it. Light burst forth from the pendant, spreading right over her body until she was encased in a barrier of light. Her eyes flashed with sudden golden glow, her hair changing to a pure white; even her clothes were changing to white by the extremity of the light surrounding her...

Ginny looked around, wondering what was happening and saw a whole army of shadowy figures racing towards her. She watched in horror as the vision version of herself gathered balls of energy at her fingers before sending them flying towards the shadowy creatures. Black dust flew everywhere as the radiant light that came forth from her fingers extinguished the creatures. More creatures came, but every time the vision version of herself would call forth more magic, killing them over and over again…

It was then that Ginny noticed there was someone else in the room; it looked like the same person who had been by her before, though they were still blurred, almost distorted. She narrowed her eyes slightly, watching as the person walked up to the vision-Ginny, stopping just behind her. She knew the person said something, but she heard nothing, simply watching as her vision-self turned around, a slightly surprised expression on her face. The shadowed person brought up their arm, something clutched in their hand, and Ginny moved closer to get a better look, but before she could really figure out what was in their hand, the person had rammed whatever it was into Ginny’s chest. The vision-self screamed just as Ginny herself screamed, watching in horror as the other Ginny fell to the ground clutching her chest, the light that had built around her dying until she was just the same red haired, brown-eyed girl, gasping and choking on the crimson blood that was spilling out of her mouth. The shadowed person said something quickly before running off, the army of shadows looming up towards where the vision-Ginny lay now that she was no longer fighting them off.

“No!” Ginny screamed, running over to her own body. She watched the crimson staining through her clothes, her hands falling away from the wound, stained with her own blood. “No,” she repeated again, shakily placing her hand against her cold, dying face. Their eyes meet, and as Ginny stared into those clouded, chestnut eyes, the shadowy creatures closing in around them, she felt the vision distorting and crumbling away…

Taking a deep breath, tears burning her eyes, she looked up at Lucretia. “Why did you show me this?”

Lucretia gazed at her steadily. “Because I want you to change the future.”

“How?” Ginny said desperately, feeling suddenly very afraid. She had just watched herself die…. “How can I change it?”

“What’s going on?” Ron said suddenly. “What did she see?”

Lucretia ignored Ron, keeping her gaze locked on Ginny’s as she moved closer, saying to her so that no one else can hear. “I cannot tell you how to change it, for I do not know who the person is, or when they will try to hurt you. All I know is that they will try to kill you. I was hoping that you knowing this would stop it from happening.”

Ginny frowned, “But what if I don’t realise in time?”

Lucretia sighed. “That is a chance you will have to take if you want to do this. You always have a choice. You can stay home and forget about what you know and have seen, or you can go to the Shadow Realm. Either way, if you do not change your future when the chance is given to you, you will die- whether it be by the magic of the shadows, or by the person who will betray you….”

Ginny looked down, taking shaky breaths. She had just seen her own death. She had watched as someone close to her had betrayed and killed her, but she didn’t know who… It frightened her to think that she could be going to her death, but knowing what she knew there was no way she could just forget about it. This was her chance to make things right- this was her chance to help Draco…

“I’m still going.” She said softly, meeting Lucretia’s beautiful face.

The older woman smiled sadly, a tear slipping down her eyes. “I thought you would…”

“Well then I’m going too.” Ron declared loudly, taking a step forward, his blue eyes meeting Ginny’s face. “There’s no way I’m letting you go into that creepy place alone.”

“She will not be alone,” Neeya said calmly. “I shall be going as well to protect her the best I can.”

Ginny smiled gratefully at Neeya, but then turned her gaze to Ron. “You can’t go Ron. What about Luna? Please just stay with Harry and Hermione, for me?”

“I’m not having a baby like them,” Ron said quickly, gesturing to Harry and Hermione. “And Luna will just have to handle it because there is no way I am letting you go without me.”

Ginny went to open her mouth to argue but Lucretia cut in, her eyes watching Ron with an odd expression. “He must go with you. You will need his help in the end…. I can feel it….”

Ron looked at triumphant at that, but Ginny still felt worried. She stared at Lucretia, who simply nodded at her, as if to say ‘this is the right thing.’

“Very well.” Ginny sighed in agreement. “But you know that your magic will be useless in there?”

Ron nodded. “I know.”

“It won’t just be your magic either,” Neeya said softly. “The longer you spend in the Shadow Realm, the stronger its hold on you becomes. As soon as you enter that place your spirit will begin to decay. It will kill you if you stay there long enough. Do you understand?”

Ron swallowed hard. “I understand.”

“Then it is settled. The three of us will go to the Shadow Realm.” Neeya said firmly, turning to look at Ginny.

Hermione looked at Ginny, her eyes filling with tears. “Please be careful, Ginny. I wish I could come and help you, but I…”

“I know,” Ginny said softly, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll be fine though…”

Hermione nodded, giving her a small smile and moved on to hug Ron, while Ginny turned to see Harry watching her seriously. He walked over and pulled her into a brotherly hug, just holding her close.

“Be careful, Ginny. This isn’t like last time…”

“I know,” Ginny whispered, clutching him tight. “But I have to do this.”

He just nodded his head to show he understood.

Pulling herself away from him, she turned to Lucretia. “Is there anything else I must know?”

“There is someone you must meet before you go to the Shadow Realm,” Lucretia answered. “I can take you to her now if you like.”

“Alright…” Ginny said softly. “Where is she?”

“At my house…” Lucretia replied. “She’s been in hiding with her sister, but she has something very important to give you. Come, we can take a portkey there. Our magic has not died so much yet that it won’t work…”

Ginny, Ron and Neeya all stepped forward, each placing their fingers on the small bottle that Lucretia had pulled out of her robe. Ginny looked up and met Harry and Hermione’s worried gazes, giving them a small smile briefly before she felt the world spinning around her as the portkey activated, taking her speedily to France and the mystery woman…

A/N: This chapter hasn’t been Beta’d, so sorry for typos, etc.