Chapter 15: Shimmering Light
A few hours had passed, and the clearing at the center of the woods had been vacated and was now silent. Draco had led her out of their hiding spot, insisting on absolute silence. The look in his eye had conveyed the complete gravity of this moment – she was to be the first person not in the family to breach that circle, to step foot in that clearing, and he had made her understand that this was not to be taken lightly.
Pausing at the edge, Ginny wondered why she hadn’t felt the magic of this place earlier when she had been so close to it. The brand of its power filled the air and was drawing her in. It was ancient and strangely cleansing. The warmth and light that she could glimpse just beyond the tree line spoke of the mystery that lay behind the protective barrier of the threshold.
He took her hand, and led her through the trees, pulling her into the clearing. And into another world.
It was an immense field, still lush and ripe as it would be in the springtime. Grass grew luxuriously, vibrant bushes were blooming and wild flowers scored the field, whispering of the life and vibrancy of this magical place. Further down, an ancient oak tree hung protectively over a small pond littered with lily pads and teeming with evidence of life. It was what she pictured a fairy grove would be if she were to ever see one.
And, grouped in the center, suddenly alerted to their presence, the silver creatures paused and gazed at them warily. Struck immobile by their absolute beauty, Ginny stared through wide eyes at the effect of their shimmering coats sparkling in the moonlight. Drawn forward by their splendor, she took a few hesitant steps towards the herd, her eyes alit with the wonder of childhood. It's no wonder this forest was full of magic, she thought distractedly as her eyes took in the wonder of the sights before her eyes.
One broke away from the group, taking a few tentative steps towards the redheaded stranger. Involuntarily, her hand reached out, stretching towards the creature, inviting it to come even closer. Its ancient and powerful eyes met her own, and she felt as if it could see into her soul. After a few moments, the magnificent head bowed slightly, and it approached and nudged the palm of her hand with its muzzle.
With shaking fingers, she slowly reached out and stroked the silver mane, barely able to contain the storm of emotions raging through her. As her fingers grazed the silky mane, she was overcome with a sense of peace and well-being: how could there be anything wrong when she was standing in a glorious field, stroking the mane of an animal long thought to have vanished from the Earth, other than the few kept at Hogwarts?
Draco watched her from the edge of the tree line, unwilling to interfere with the scene before him. The combination of the silver moonlight, the shimmering coats of the creatures in their magnificent sanctuary and the sight of her vibrant hair glowing in the light was almost overwhelming him. His connection to this place was very strong, and because of it, he could feel her emotions, the wonder and fascination, and he was enveloped by his desire to observe the purity of this moment.
She turned back to him, her eyes full of contempt and a cold, focused rage.
“How is this possible? They were all destroyed by Voldemort’s followers,” she questioned softly, her voice shaking.
“As far as the world knows, yes, all of the unicorns left in the world were killed by Voldemort, in order to feed his power and return him to full strength. No one knows of this place, and this herd, the last ones in the world.”
“But how? How is this possible? Is this some sort of cage that you use to keep them at your mercy, in your power?” she demanded, her voice rising with the swell of her anger.
“This is a sanctuary, Virginia, not a cage. They choose to be here, and they could leave at any time. Their magic created this forest. They have been here long before the Malfoys were, and they are a part of us now.”
“Sanctuary from what? There is no threat against them anymore!”
“He wasn’t the only threat against them, and you know it! Damn it, Weasley, you know the power that they have, the purity of their magic, the strength of it. Despite the absence of a Dark Lord, there are still those that would seek to use it to their own gain. We cannot allow that. Even wizards who wouldn’t abuse their power but would just cage them for their own pleasure…Their safety is the responsibility of the Malfoy House, it is not something we take lightly.”
“I don’t understand any of this. Start from the very beginning, please,” she commanded, her voice full of authority that he felt enticed to obey.
“This place was created out of their magic. Everything you feel in this forest is their creation. The maze, the trees, the weather patterns, everything is created and maintained by them. Over a thousand years ago, an unsuspecting Malfoy stumbled into this forest. He had been traveling back to his home, the reason has been lost through time, but we do know that he was attacked and left to die.
“This was in the dead of winter, and he was left with nothing to keep him warm. He crawled, bleeding to death, into the cover of this forest, and managed, probably through sheer luck, to follow the maze into the center, where the unicorns lived. There were many more of them back in those days, and they did not need to be so careful of strangers. They healed him, and protected him from the winter through their magic.
“In return for his life, he promised that he and all of his ancestors would always keep this sanctuary safe from the rest of the wizarding world, under any threat or danger that may result. For the longest time, we have merely shared this land with them, sharing in their secret, and benefiting from their magic.
“During the years of Voldemort’s power, when he began to hunt the others down and use them to feed his power, we brought as many as could be saved here, and they were safe. But now, there is something out there…that’s pressing against the protective wards. Something is looking for them, and it is our duty to protect them,” he said solemnly.
“And how exactly do you do that, Malfoy?” she asked, stonily, fully aware of the answer. He sighed.
“By replacing their power with ours,” he answered simply. Her eyes were burning a hole through him, seeking the true answer – the one that she was expecting; the one that she knew was about to come.
“How?” she repeated, incensed.
“By any way necessary. By using the same form of ritual that you saw performed a few nights ago.”
“Dark Magic!” she exploded, her voice ripe with accusation.
“According to you! Is it so wrong if it’s used to protect a group of magical creatures that, due to the damn wizarding world, are left reliant on our power because we’ve abused theirs so much? You and your laws and your narrow view of the world is not going to stop that, because we have a duty to fulfill,” he fired back.
“My narrow view of the world? Have you ever considered another way? There has to be some other way to keep them safe, and not pollute them with your…your dark ways!” she shouted, turning away from him, unable to meet him in the eye.
“The Malfoy family work together, sharing our magic and our power, to form a protective force around this forest, to protect what once protected us. There is nothing evil and dark in that,” he explained calmly.
“It violates the law and you know it!”
“And who created the law? Virginia, you’ve been a part of the political world for years now, and you very well know that behind every rule, every law, there is some vendetta or benefit for whoever made it. Haven’t you ever thought to question this one?”
“You’ve taken something good and pure, and the whole lot of you has polluted it with your type of magic,” she said, her voice echoing sorrow, as she gazed longingly at the herd of silver creatures, watching their argument with interest.
“What would you prefer to happen? That we stop what we are doing, and let them be taken, and used to fuel whatever evil is out there searching for them? If your precious Act is signed, this form of magic, the very form that protects them, will be outlawed. And they will be taken, and a greater evil than we can even imagine will rise. This is the only way.”
“I cannot accept that!” she yelled, whirling around and shaking with fury.
“Then look at them long and hard, for you may never see their kind again,” Draco said solemnly, before he turned and walked out of the clearing, his robe flapping softly in the breeze.
* * * * *
She looked around her, with the desperate eyes of someone who had been backed into a corner. The one thing that she held dearly, the one fundamental truth that she had shaped her life around was that Dark Magic, in any form, can only do harm. And now, here he was, showing her the other side of the coin.
If done for a good and noble purpose, was it still wrong? She shuddered with that thought, her stomach reeling from the impact that very thought had brought about. Gasping for air, she stumbled slightly, and fell to the ground, her mind whirling.
“Ginny, watch out! Behind you! Behind you!” his voice called, urgently, desperately trying to make her see. He ran towards her, gesturing madly, but she was couldn’t move. The pressure from the power in the room, the weight of the darkness, was pressing down on her, immobilizing her.
“Ginny!” he screamed. A brilliant flash of green light illuminated the room, and he fell. As she watched in horror, he collapsed on the ground. A high, maniacal laugh filled the room, accompanied by the stench that only dark power could bring, choking her, pressing down on her lungs, making it hard to breath, hard to think, hard to…
A soft nudge on her ear tore her away from the memory, and she gasped, sucking in the fresh air as if to grasp a hold on reality once again. The unicorn that had approached her earlier was beside her, nudging her neck in concern. With shaky fingers, she stroked the creature’s head gratefully.
The memory was always there, always reminding her of what Dark Magic wrought, of the shape her life had taken because of it. She had to put a stop to it, in any degree that she could. In retribution for his sacrifice, she would do whatever she could to make sure that no one were to suffer his fate at the hand of a Dark Wizard.
The warm muzzle nudged her again and she looked up, and observed this magical place again. The scent on the air was fresh and clean; the landscape lush and vibrant with life. There was no evidence of the death and sorrow that Dark Magic could generate, no choking power force to signal to her the true nature of that magic being conjured in this place…
Perhaps Draco was right. She stood on shaky legs, and patted the silky coat of the creature next to her. With a sorrowful sigh, she looked around her again at this beautiful sanctuary, and made her way to the tree line, where she knew Draco would be waiting for her.
She had a lot of thinking to do.
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