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Chapter 23: Startled in the Dark
She was roused from the safety of a comfortable sleep, wrapped securely in warmth and the darkness of the room. She felt hands on her shoulder, shaking her awake. As soon as she was ripped out of her security of a dreamless sleep, she sat bolt upright with a start, confused and struggling to regain her orientation.
The last thing she could recall was being led to her bedroom by Draco, shivering from the cold. And now, she could hear a female voice, a low whisper in the dark, but she couldn’t see anything. It was so dark in the room, the usual light of the moon that normally shone through the window was absent. Squinting, she looked around the room, searching for a face to match the sound of the voice to. She saw a pair of eyes shining back at her, and she sighed slightly with relief.
“Virginia, wake up!” the persistent voice whispered again.
“I’m awake! Who is that?” Ginny asked, her voice groggy with sleep. She had fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted from the emotional day she’d had, and her nights of little sleep that had led up to it.
“It’s Danika! Please, get up, we need your help!” she cried, pulling Ginny’s arm to drag her out of bed. Ginny stumbled out of bed, almost tripping in the tangled of the sheets.
“What’s going on?” she asked, self-consciously straightening out the straps of her shift to readjust it.
“There’s no time to explain, you have to come with me!” Danika cried, pulling Ginny along as she stormed out of the room. Ginny reached for her wand, which was lying on the table near the door, managing to snatch it up She tried to resist against the girl pulling her along, protesting wildly along the way, trying to garner an explanation from her. Finally fed up with Danika’s lack of answers, she yanked her arm away and stopped dead in her tracks.
“If you don’t bloody well tell me what this is all about, I’m going back to bed!” Ginny announced defiantly. The younger girl turned around, glaring at her, as if considering the small redhead.
“It’s the sanctuary. The charms are failing, and we need your help,” she said, her voice serious and cold, which was such a change from her usual warm and friendly demeanor.
“But what can I do?” Ginny asked softly, confused.
“Just come, please!” Danika cried, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. Unable to utter a word of protest, Ginny found herself trying to keep up with the girl. Danika led her down to the main entrance of the hall, and swung open the great door, letting in a chilling gust of wind and a great amount of snow.
“You should put these on,” Danika paused, gesturing to a large pair of boots left lying haphazardly in the hall. Ginny’s sense of propriety scoffed at the idea of wearing giant boots, knowing that her small frame would look ridiculous, but then the icy wind reached her toes, and she threw propriety to the wind, and jumped into them.
Danika led her trudging through the snow-covered landscape, heading towards the wood where the labyrinth was hidden. The snow swirled around them, and Ginny began to shiver uncontrollably, wearing only the giant boots and her thin night shift. She thought longingly of the center of the maze, where it was always so warm and green, and it was this prospect that kept her from succumbing to the cold.
She stumbled along, led by Danika, through the steep snowdrifts, and when they finally crossed the threshold to the center of the labyrinth, Ginny stopped in her tracks, shocked. The once lush and green field was now covered in snow. The leaves of the surrounding trees were all gone, and the bare branches were coated in snow and ice, and it was cast in dark shadows. She found it hard to breath as her eyes drank in the sight of the herd, centered together as though to ward off the cold that was destroying their paradise.
“What has happened here?” she gasped through chattering teeth, looking around in horror. Her eyes met with Draco, who was standing with his family but a few feet away. She stepped back slightly when he turned his sight on her – his eyes were so cold and he was glaring at her. She flinched slightly under his hard look, until she realized that his gaze was not directed at her, but behind her, at Danika.
The rest of the Malfoy family were looking at her in shock, probably wondering why she was there, and why on Earth Danika had revealed their family secret to her, not knowing that Draco had already explained it to her. His aunt and uncle, standing together, seemed unsure of how to react; Elizabeth gazing at her with a mixed look of uncertainty and hope, while Vincent’s look…was somewhat unnerving to her. Ginny found herself wishing that she hadn’t come with Danika.
Ginny looked up again at Draco, pleading with him to jump in at any moment and explain to everyone what she already knew, and how she had come to discover it. He returned to gaze, but remained silent and at a distance.
“Darien, you remember what happened in the corridor the other day! She has the kind of power we need to recast the charms! She can help us!” Danika exclaimed, her hand pushing Ginny forward, closer to the half-circle of Malfoys.
“I…there’s nothing I can do!” Ginny protested desperately. Darien snorted slightly, and Ginny winced, knowing that what she had done to him would come back to haunt her.
“Now, now, Virginia, I think I know more than anyone else here that you are quite capable of helping us out,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, shattering the sense of protection that normally accompanied being in that location. Darien stepped forward, closer to her, and suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face the group of shuddering creatures at the center of the clearing. The unicorns, normally so alive, their eyes glinting with a sense of joy, were looking back at her with dull, empty eyes, as though they were ready to accept their fate.
“If you don’t help us, I don’t know what will happen to them. Whatever animosity exists between you and the Malfoys does not concern them. They are innocent in this. Help them, they are all that matters,” his voice whispered harshly in her ear. She glanced up at him, meeting his solemn gray eyes, and for the first time, she believed the words that were coming out of his mouth. Closing her eyes and wincing slightly, she nodded.
“How can I help?” she gasped.
* * * * *
Relief seemed to sweep through the family assembled there in the snow.
“Virginia, dear, you are freezing. Here, Draco honey, give her your robe before she freezes!” Elizabeth said, her voice filled with concern. While the rest of his family assembled together to discuss their plan of action, Draco walked over to her. He swung off his robe, and roughly wrapped it around her. She looked up nervously at him, and looked away. He had a grim expression on his face.
Draco wasn’t sure who he wanted to strangle more: his cousin for bringing Ginny there, or Ginny for recklessly agreeing to help. This was not part of the plan, and indeed, it could actually make things worse for them. But, looking around, he noticed that the members of his family were looking very relieved, but there was also a strange sense of curiosity about them. He swore lightly under his breath; there was one Malfoy trait that had never changed through the generations – even if his uncle was completely different from his father, the Malfoy fascination with power was still there. He turned his steely eyes on his uncle Vincent, and he could see the almost predatory glint in his eye as he watched Ginny, fiddling nervously with her wand, looking small and pitiful in his overlarge robe. Vincent was probably assessing what it is that the little witch could do, and how he could use that to his advantage. Looking back down to Ginny, he shuddered slightly at that thought.
This was the last thing he wanted. For them to see what she could do, to see it, know it and begin to plot how it could help them. Malfoys were born Slytherin, and it was a natural instinct to value power over anything.
“The charm is a very simple spell, but it requires a lot of power behind it for it to work, and to hold against whatever it is that is trying to tear it down. All that we need from you is the power; leave the conjuring to us,” Sarah said, breaking Draco’s thoughts. Ginny nodded, frowning slightly. She readied her wand, looking around for something to focus on.
“You’re not going to need that,” Draco said, bending over her, gently taking it out of her hands. She looked startled, and he could see the war that was being waged behind those brown eyes of hers; but one sideways look near the center of the field, at the shivering, crouching herd of once proud and lively creatures was enough to tip the scales, and she nodded.
“How do I…how does this work?” she asked softly. Her eyes locked with his. The intensity that she found in the gray eyes made her desperate to look away, but her stubborn pride refused to let her. He had her hands in his again, a light touch that was strangely comforting and reassuring.
“Just close your eyes,” he answered.
Chapter 23: Startled in the Dark
She was roused from the safety of a comfortable sleep, wrapped securely in warmth and the darkness of the room. She felt hands on her shoulder, shaking her awake. As soon as she was ripped out of her security of a dreamless sleep, she sat bolt upright with a start, confused and struggling to regain her orientation.
The last thing she could recall was being led to her bedroom by Draco, shivering from the cold. And now, she could hear a female voice, a low whisper in the dark, but she couldn’t see anything. It was so dark in the room, the usual light of the moon that normally shone through the window was absent. Squinting, she looked around the room, searching for a face to match the sound of the voice to. She saw a pair of eyes shining back at her, and she sighed slightly with relief.
“Virginia, wake up!” the persistent voice whispered again.
“I’m awake! Who is that?” Ginny asked, her voice groggy with sleep. She had fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted from the emotional day she’d had, and her nights of little sleep that had led up to it.
“It’s Danika! Please, get up, we need your help!” she cried, pulling Ginny’s arm to drag her out of bed. Ginny stumbled out of bed, almost tripping in the tangled of the sheets.
“What’s going on?” she asked, self-consciously straightening out the straps of her shift to readjust it.
“There’s no time to explain, you have to come with me!” Danika cried, pulling Ginny along as she stormed out of the room. Ginny reached for her wand, which was lying on the table near the door, managing to snatch it up She tried to resist against the girl pulling her along, protesting wildly along the way, trying to garner an explanation from her. Finally fed up with Danika’s lack of answers, she yanked her arm away and stopped dead in her tracks.
“If you don’t bloody well tell me what this is all about, I’m going back to bed!” Ginny announced defiantly. The younger girl turned around, glaring at her, as if considering the small redhead.
“It’s the sanctuary. The charms are failing, and we need your help,” she said, her voice serious and cold, which was such a change from her usual warm and friendly demeanor.
“But what can I do?” Ginny asked softly, confused.
“Just come, please!” Danika cried, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. Unable to utter a word of protest, Ginny found herself trying to keep up with the girl. Danika led her down to the main entrance of the hall, and swung open the great door, letting in a chilling gust of wind and a great amount of snow.
“You should put these on,” Danika paused, gesturing to a large pair of boots left lying haphazardly in the hall. Ginny’s sense of propriety scoffed at the idea of wearing giant boots, knowing that her small frame would look ridiculous, but then the icy wind reached her toes, and she threw propriety to the wind, and jumped into them.
Danika led her trudging through the snow-covered landscape, heading towards the wood where the labyrinth was hidden. The snow swirled around them, and Ginny began to shiver uncontrollably, wearing only the giant boots and her thin night shift. She thought longingly of the center of the maze, where it was always so warm and green, and it was this prospect that kept her from succumbing to the cold.
She stumbled along, led by Danika, through the steep snowdrifts, and when they finally crossed the threshold to the center of the labyrinth, Ginny stopped in her tracks, shocked. The once lush and green field was now covered in snow. The leaves of the surrounding trees were all gone, and the bare branches were coated in snow and ice, and it was cast in dark shadows. She found it hard to breath as her eyes drank in the sight of the herd, centered together as though to ward off the cold that was destroying their paradise.
“What has happened here?” she gasped through chattering teeth, looking around in horror. Her eyes met with Draco, who was standing with his family but a few feet away. She stepped back slightly when he turned his sight on her – his eyes were so cold and he was glaring at her. She flinched slightly under his hard look, until she realized that his gaze was not directed at her, but behind her, at Danika.
The rest of the Malfoy family were looking at her in shock, probably wondering why she was there, and why on Earth Danika had revealed their family secret to her, not knowing that Draco had already explained it to her. His aunt and uncle, standing together, seemed unsure of how to react; Elizabeth gazing at her with a mixed look of uncertainty and hope, while Vincent’s look…was somewhat unnerving to her. Ginny found herself wishing that she hadn’t come with Danika.
Ginny looked up again at Draco, pleading with him to jump in at any moment and explain to everyone what she already knew, and how she had come to discover it. He returned to gaze, but remained silent and at a distance.
“Darien, you remember what happened in the corridor the other day! She has the kind of power we need to recast the charms! She can help us!” Danika exclaimed, her hand pushing Ginny forward, closer to the half-circle of Malfoys.
“I…there’s nothing I can do!” Ginny protested desperately. Darien snorted slightly, and Ginny winced, knowing that what she had done to him would come back to haunt her.
“Now, now, Virginia, I think I know more than anyone else here that you are quite capable of helping us out,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, shattering the sense of protection that normally accompanied being in that location. Darien stepped forward, closer to her, and suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face the group of shuddering creatures at the center of the clearing. The unicorns, normally so alive, their eyes glinting with a sense of joy, were looking back at her with dull, empty eyes, as though they were ready to accept their fate.
“If you don’t help us, I don’t know what will happen to them. Whatever animosity exists between you and the Malfoys does not concern them. They are innocent in this. Help them, they are all that matters,” his voice whispered harshly in her ear. She glanced up at him, meeting his solemn gray eyes, and for the first time, she believed the words that were coming out of his mouth. Closing her eyes and wincing slightly, she nodded.
“How can I help?” she gasped.
* * * * *
Relief seemed to sweep through the family assembled there in the snow.
“Virginia, dear, you are freezing. Here, Draco honey, give her your robe before she freezes!” Elizabeth said, her voice filled with concern. While the rest of his family assembled together to discuss their plan of action, Draco walked over to her. He swung off his robe, and roughly wrapped it around her. She looked up nervously at him, and looked away. He had a grim expression on his face.
Draco wasn’t sure who he wanted to strangle more: his cousin for bringing Ginny there, or Ginny for recklessly agreeing to help. This was not part of the plan, and indeed, it could actually make things worse for them. But, looking around, he noticed that the members of his family were looking very relieved, but there was also a strange sense of curiosity about them. He swore lightly under his breath; there was one Malfoy trait that had never changed through the generations – even if his uncle was completely different from his father, the Malfoy fascination with power was still there. He turned his steely eyes on his uncle Vincent, and he could see the almost predatory glint in his eye as he watched Ginny, fiddling nervously with her wand, looking small and pitiful in his overlarge robe. Vincent was probably assessing what it is that the little witch could do, and how he could use that to his advantage. Looking back down to Ginny, he shuddered slightly at that thought.
This was the last thing he wanted. For them to see what she could do, to see it, know it and begin to plot how it could help them. Malfoys were born Slytherin, and it was a natural instinct to value power over anything.
“The charm is a very simple spell, but it requires a lot of power behind it for it to work, and to hold against whatever it is that is trying to tear it down. All that we need from you is the power; leave the conjuring to us,” Sarah said, breaking Draco’s thoughts. Ginny nodded, frowning slightly. She readied her wand, looking around for something to focus on.
“You’re not going to need that,” Draco said, bending over her, gently taking it out of her hands. She looked startled, and he could see the war that was being waged behind those brown eyes of hers; but one sideways look near the center of the field, at the shivering, crouching herd of once proud and lively creatures was enough to tip the scales, and she nodded.
“How do I…how does this work?” she asked softly. Her eyes locked with his. The intensity that she found in the gray eyes made her desperate to look away, but her stubborn pride refused to let her. He had her hands in his again, a light touch that was strangely comforting and reassuring.
“Just close your eyes,” he answered.
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