“I hope you’re hungry, Fenrir, because I’ve brought you a crate of raw steaks. Finish chaining the boy and we’ll have dinner,” Lucius said. “Oh, and put some extra chains around this meddlesome witch’s feet.”

After Lucius and Fenrir had left, Ron, through Hermione’s eyes, was able to see the boy who was now a prisoner along with the girls. It was Neville Longbottom.

“He’s after Draco and all of the old D.A. members who put him in Azkaban,” Hermione reasoned. “Ron…Ron, can you still hear me?”

“The connection’s getting weak,” Luna explained. “I think he can still hear you, but he can’t speak to your mind anymore.”

Hermione concentrated as hard as she could. “Ron, if you can still hear me…please remember that I love you. No matter what happens to me, I always will.”

Ron shook his head as he came out of the Telepathy Charm. He felt so tired, and by the look of them, so did the other three. This kind of magic was powerful and took a lot out of you.

“They’ve got Neville now,” Ron explained weakly. “Hermione says he’s not just after Draco, but also the six of us that got him landed in Azkaban.”

Ron turned his attention solely on Draco. “I hope you know what you’re getting into taking on Luna. Somehow she knew I was there. She gave me a message to give to you.”

“Well, let’s have it,” Draco said casually. As Ron related the message back to him, a slow flush crept up in Draco’s cheeks. “There’s no doubt about it,” he said, a smile playing at one corner of his mouth. “Someday I may have to marry that witch.”

“I still wonder how she knew I was there,” Ron said, noticing that Harry and Ginny had fallen asleep in their chair from the strain of the spell.

“Oh that’s easy enough to explain,” Draco answered, crossing over to the window seat and leaning back against the wall. “She told me once that the reason she comes across so odd to some people is that she’s got a bit of a ‘twinkle’.”

“A ‘twinkle’?” Ron asked, yawning widely and leaning back against his pillows.

“Yeah,” Draco said, yawning back and closing his eyes. “Not always, but sometimes, Luna said she’s a bit of a Seer.”

“Oh…that makes sense,” Ron said tiredly, feeling the comforting drowsiness of sleep overtaking him. Ron and Draco’s conversation ended then and there as both boys succumbed to the invitation of slumber.

Christmas break ended without another word from Lucius. Ron, Harry, Draco, and Ginny returned to Hogwarts with promises to begin having some ‘just the four of them’ meetings so they could practice and prepare for the upcoming battle with Lucius and Fenrir.

The rules at Hogwarts were changed almost the instant they were back. This was due to the abduction of Hermione, Luna, and Neville. No student was allowed out of the castle after dark…period. Students could go out during the day, but only in groups and only with a professor. Hogsmeade visits were, until further notice, cancelled. The only way for Harry, Ron, Draco, and Ginny to go down to Morgan’s clearing was if Charlie was with them.

Anybody who cared to really notice Ginny would have thought she turned into Hermione. She diligently spent every hour she could spare in the library, looking for any spell they could learn and use in the fight to get back their friends. Oh yes, Ginny also carried a grudge against Lucius Malfoy. After all, it was he who gave Ginny Tom Riddle’s diary, exposing her to possession by him. The other three were in the library with her as often as they could be, but since their class schedules were different from Ginny’s, it wasn’t always possible.

It was here in the library during her study hall, that Ginny had an idea. She quickly scribbled a note and tucked it in her book with the edge sticking out. She knew that only Harry would have the guts to touch a book which read ‘Property of Ginevra Weasley’ across the front cover.

Ginny made sure no one was watching and quietly made her way over to Hermione’s favorite, virtually hidden alcove. Leaning against a tapestry of Godric Gryffindor, Ginny said, “Bollucks!”

The old familiar entrance opened allowing her access to the tunnels beyond. Using her wand for light, Ginny walked along the path she knew so well to the mouth of the large cave. She flicked her wand in the direction of the fireplace she knew was there and said, “Incendio!”

Flames sprang up at once and there was Godric and Rowena’s cave in front of Ginny, just as she remembered it.

“Miss Ginny? Is that you?”

Ginny grinned widely. “Milius! It’s great to see you. I’d hug you if I wouldn’t just fall right through you.”

“I’m pleased to see you as well, Miss Ginny,” the aristocratic ghost said. “And just hearing you say you’d like to hug me is enough for me.”

Milius looked around behind Ginny. “And where are Ron, Harry, and Hermione? I wouldn’t have minded seeing them as well.”

“Well, Ron and Harry are in class. I’m afraid Hermione, and a few of my other friends, have been kidnapped. That’s why I’m here…to see if I can find anything that may help to get them back.”

Milius shook his misty grey head. “I am grieved to hear it. Of course, the resources of the cave are at your disposal. I hope you can find something useful.”

“Thanks, Milius,” Ginny said, her eyes already scanning the cave and all of it’s wondrous contents. “Well…here goes.”

Ginny shifted through the contents of the room for the better part of an hour. She might have been in a bigger hurry if her study hall wouldn’t have been her last class of the day. Ginny was surprised that Harry hadn’t found her note and followed her to the caves.

Ginny coughed as a cloud of dust assailed her nostrils. She was currently going through a stack of old books, looking for anything of interest. After removing about fifty books from a large stack, Ginny came across a glass case. Inside of the case was yet another spell book. Ginny reasoned that it must be fairly special to be locked up. She searched the edges of the case until she found an impression in the glass. It looked like the amulet would fit into it; the whole amulet.

Ginny sighed, thinking it was too bad that Harry hadn’t found her note and come on down. Now she would have to go fetch him.

“Hey, Milius!” Ginny called to the ghost who’d been trying to stay out of her way so she could search.

“Yes, Miss Ginny?” he asked, floating over.

“What book is this?” she asked, indicating the glass case.

Milius looked thoughtfully at the case for a moment. “You know, I do believe that’s Godric’s spell book; all the spells he ever made up. He really had a knack for it.”

“Is there anything really powerful in there?” Ginny inquired. “I guess what I mean is, is it worth it to bring Harry down here to open the case?”

“Oh to be sure,” Milius quickly agreed. “As I said, Godric really had a gift for creating his own original spells. Undoubtedly it contains strong conjurations.”

Ginny pushed back up to her feet and dusted herself off. “Well, all right then. I’ll go get the boys and we’ll be back in a bit, Milius.”

“Capital. I really would like to see them.”

When Ginny got to the library, she discovered that her books had been taken. However, the note she’d placed carefully was now on the ground under the table. She snatched it up and stomped her way to the Gryffindor common room. As Ginny got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, she found that it was already swinging open and she could hear Harry’s voice.

“Come on, Ron! Charlie’s going to go with us down to Morgan’s clearing and see if she’s there.”

Harry wasn’t looking where he was going and crashed right into Ginny. When he saw who it was he had run into, he grabbed her and pulled her roughly against himself.

“Thank Merlin! I was about to think that Lucius Malfoy had gotten a hold of you!”

Ginny handed the lost note to Harry. He read it, a sheepish grin crossing his face. “Did I drop it?” he asked.

Ginny smirked and nodded. “I really could have used you down there. As it is, we’ll have to go back.”

“Go back where?” asked Ron, who’d finally made it out the portrait hole. “Oh, Ginny! There you are!” he said grinning widely.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Well spotted, Ron. I was just telling Harry we need to go back down to the Caves of Concealment. There’s a spell book of Godric’s down there that could come in handy, but Harry has to help me get it.”

“Figures,” Ron said. “We going to take Draco?”

“Take me where?” Draco asked, coming down the corridor towards them. He looked at Ginny and smiled. “I see they found you.”

“I didn’t need finding,” Ginny explained, “just a boyfriend who doesn’t lose important notes I leave him.”

“Sorry,” Harry apologized. “Anyways, I think Draco has a right to go down with us. We are, after all, preparing to fight his father.”

“You know,” Draco began, “the man running around pretending to be Lucius Malfoy isn’t really my father anymore. I don’t really remember the last time he was.”

“Well, you don’t need that lunatic anymore,” Ginny said. “You’ve got a new family now.”

“Come on, you lot,” Harry said. “Let’s get down to the caves and have a look at this spell book Ginny’s going on about.”

Back down in the caves, Draco spun around in circles, somehow not able to find words to describe his surprise. Meeting Milius only stunned him more. Harry, Ginny, and Ron took turns explaining about the caves and all of the events that had transpired the previous year. It was a lot of information to take in all at once.

“You know, first you had to deal with my dear, Aunty Bella last year, and now my father this year. I appear to come from a long line of stark-raving mad lunatics,” Draco said matter-of-factly. “Anyways, where’s this spell book?”

Ginny led the boys over to where she’d been looking through spell books and pointed down at the glass case. “Let’s have your amulet half, Harry,” Ginny said, holding out her hand.

Harry gave Ginny his lion amulet half. She clicked it into her own amulet half and bent down by the glass case, pushing the whole amulet into the impression. There was a sound of compressed air being released and the top of the glass case slid open.

Ginny reached in and pulled out the worn book. Handwritten in ink across the canvas cover was ‘Godric Gryffindor’s Original Spells’. Ginny sighed loudly. “Just think…these are spells created by one of Hogwarts’ founders.”

“Let me look at it, Ginny,” Ron asked, stretching out his hand.

“No way, Ron,” Ginny said, shaking her head emphatically. “I found it, so I’m going to check it out first.”

Ginny stayed up until the wee hours of the morning going through Godric’s old spell book. Early rays of sunlight had begun to peek through the draped windows of Ginny’s dorm room before she finally realized how long she’d been up and that she had a full day of classes coming up in about two hours. More discoveries would have to wait until she’d had a few hours of sleep. Ginny carefully tucked Godric’s book into her satchel and laid her head down on the pillow.

The instant Ginny’s eyes were closed, the dorm room door slammed open. “All right, ladies, look alive!” Parvati Patil yelled. “Dumbledore’s just announced that the next unity event is a Gryffindor/Ravenclaw sunrise breakfast.”

Ginny groaned loudly, throwing her pillow in the direction of Parvati’s voice. She realized that, as a prefect, she had a responsibility to get up. Pulling the spell book out of her satchel, Ginny went through the motions of getting ready. If nothing else, she could catch a nap in History of Magic, which was her first class.

“Find anything yet?” Harry asked as she stumbled into the common room.

Ginny shook her head. “Not yet, and I’ve been at it all night. I’m going to look while we eat with the Ravenclaws.”

Ron was waiting for them outside the portrait hole. Ginny was actually surprised he’d slept in the Head’s dorm last night. Ever since Hermione’s kidnapping, Ron had taken to sleeping on the Gryffindor common room couch. When Ginny got close enough to Ron to smell him, she could tell exactly where he’d spent the night. Anyone who knew Hermione well, knew she used a sweet-smelling citrus perfume called Lemon Enchantment. This was the scent Ron was currently sporting. Ginny knew he must have slept in Hermione’s bed. Pity for her brother welled up in Ginny, and she would have flung her arms around him if he wouldn’t have got embarrassed.

“Okay, big brother?” she asked gently, as they headed down to the Great Hall with Harry.

“Okay as I can get,” Ron said quietly. “I’ll be glad when this whole bloody mess with Lucius Malfoy is over.”

“Did you talk to Draco last night?” Ginny asked, suspecting that Ron’s melancholy mood stemmed from an ‘I want to kill Lucius’ session that the two commonly had.

“Yeah,” Ron said, “Pansy was giving him a hard time, so he slept in the Heads’ dorm. He says Slytherin gets to have a ‘sunset supper’ with Hufflepuff tonight.”

“Oh, so they’re doing it too,” Harry said as they finally arrived in the Great Hall. There was one large table instead of the usual four. The chairs were alternating purple and gold, indicating that each student would be flanked by two people from the other house. Ginny, Harry, and Ron sat one chair apart from each other with Ginny in the middle. Padma Patil and another 7th year Ravenclaw girl sat on either side of her.

While breakfast was served by cheerful house-elves, Ginny again immersed herself in Godric’s spell book. Not really paying attention, she shoveled in porridge while she read, accidentally dropping a great big glop of it on the edge of the pages.

“Bollucks!” Ginny cried, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at the book. At her words, the book fell to the table, quickly flipping open to a blank page at the back. Right before Ginny’s eyes, a pencil drawing began to appear on the page in front of her. She glanced at everyone around her, noticing that they were too preoccupied with their breakfast and socializing to notice what she was doing.

“Excuse me, but did you say bollucks?”

Ginny turned to the source of the voice, which just so happened to be the pencil drawing. It was of a slim-faced woman with long, dark hair. “That was always one of Godric’s favorite words. He loved to curse! Now, is there something I can help you with?”

Again, Ginny looked at the people surrounding her. The pencil-drawing woman smiled. “Don’t worry, no one but you can hear me.”

Ginny suddenly remembered where she’d seen this face before. The statue coming out of the caves…it was Rowena! “That’s right, dear. Now, let’s see if I can guess what you need, that way you don’t have to look crazy by talking to a book. Just nod if I get it right. You need…a terrific spell?” Rowena guessed.

Ginny nodded and Rowena continued. “Okay, you’d…like to hex the socks off of another student?”

Ginny shook her head. “No? Okay…you…want to help a friend?”

Ginny nodded emphatically. “Boy, I must be more tired than I thought. This has to be a daydream,” Ginny thought.

“Oh no, not that old rot. Dear, you are not daydreaming. Now where was I? Oh…is your friend in mortal peril at the hands of a deranged lunatic?”

Ginny, still a bit dumbfounded, nodded once more. Pencil-drawing Rowena smiled. “Well dear, it’s been a pleasure. I hope you find this useful!”

The worn parchment pages of Godric’s spell book began to ruffle quickly as if there was a strong wind. As suddenly as it began, the book stopped, staying open on a section called ‘dimensional magic’. Ginny quickly scanned the spells in that section until…there it was, right in front of her. If any spell could best Lucius Malfoy, this was it. It was if it had been made especially for them.

Ginny leaned forward and whispered loudly to Harry. “Oi, Potter! I’ve found it. You, me, and the two you-know-whos, right after dinner, and you know where.”

Harry nodded to let Ginny know that he understood her message. Ginny could only hope they could master the spell before Lucius Malfoy called for them.

That evening found Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Draco in the Room of Requirement. The only thing in the extra-large room was a pile of humungous teddy bears, and four poufs for the teens to sit on. Ginny paced back and forth at the front of the room, ready to explain the spell she’d found.

“Okay, first I have to tell you that this spell book is enchanted,” Ginny began. “That’s how I knew the exact spot to find this spell. I got a little help from Rowena.”

Ginny opened the book to the back, revealing the unmoving, unspeaking pencil sketch of the Hogwarts founder. “She’s the one who led me to this section,” Ginny said, now holding the book open to the dimensional magic section. “And that’s where I found this spell,” she explained, flipping to the page she had marked.

“Chaos Portal?” Draco asked skeptically.

“Yeah,” Ginny said excitedly. “See, it’s a four-person spell. And we’ve all done a spell together before, so why not again?”

Ron took the book and studied it carefully. “I dunno, Ginny, it looks pretty complicated.”

Ginny jerked the book away from Ron. “The four of us together projected your mind who knows how far. Trust me, we can do it.”

Ginny scanned the faces of all three boys, daring any of them to challenge her. After a moment of silence, in which the boys merely squirmed under her glare, Ginny continued. “Okay, like I said, it’s a four-person spell, but we each have a different spell to do. The first person casts a container around the person or thing we’re casting the portal on. The incantation is Cohibeo. The next person casts a spell to speed up time in the container. That incantation is Tempus Fugit. The third person casts a spell to bend time in the container. The incantation to do that is Tempus Inclino. The fourth person casts the most important part. As long as all of the other parts have been cast correctly, the last part causes the portal. The fourth incantation is Tempus Rumpo. This spell breaks time in the container, causing an unstable environment which is what causes the portal. Now we need to assign parts.”

“I want the time-breaking part,” Draco said immediately. “I want to be the one who does him in.”

“Okay,” Ginny said. “Now of the rest of us, the strongest person should cast the container spell.”

Ginny fingered the chain of her amulet half. “Harry, I really think you should do the container spell. If you wear the whole amulet, the container will be powerful, and that’s what we need. If the container isn’t held the whole time the portal is going, it can get out of control and pull in other people.”

“Ginny, you know I don’t like the idea of going into a big fight without you having the protection of your amulet.”

Harry’s head was filled with flashes of last year; flashes of Ginny giving him her amulet half…Bellatrix cursing Ginny…Ginny in a coma for over a month. If she wouldn’t have given up her amulet, Ginny wouldn’t have been affected by Bellatrix’s evil spell. “No, Ginny. I’ll do the container spell, but I’ll do it without your amulet half.”

Ginny smiled sweetly. “That’s what you think, Potter.”

“I’m quite serious, Ginny. You’re not taking that amulet off.”

Ginny dropped the smile and stamped her foot. “You may be my boyfriend, Potter, but you can’t tell me what I will or will not do!”

“Okay that’s it!” Ron yelled, jumping to his feet. He fixed his sister with a stern gaze. “Whether you know it or not, you’ve been filling in for Hermione; all of the reading, being bossy, and now picking quarrels with the bloke who loves you. Can we please focus so we can get the ‘real’ Hermione back when the time comes?”

Ginny looked a bit dumbfounded. “Right then…Ron, you can…I mean, would you like to do the ‘time bends’ incantation?”

“That would be lovely,” Ron said a bit tersely as he sat back down.

“Well, okay…I guess that leaves the ‘time flies’ spell for me. So…you guys want to practice?” she asked, waiting for nods from all three guys. “And, Harry? Would you please wear the whole amulet while we’re practicing so the container’s good and strong and we don’t get sucked in before we get to do it for real?”

“Absolutely,” Harry agreed. Once the amulet was snapped together and hung from Harry’s neck, Ginny set up one of the oversized teddy bears at the other end of the room.

“All right, let’s send this teddy into limbo,” she said.

Harry went first, clearly yelling, “Cohibeo!”

The foursome heard a sound like two metal swords being clinked together, but saw nothing. Ron walked forward and tried to kick the teddy, finding his foot met with resistance. He walked around the invisible container, finding it to be about three feet square. Ron nodded to let everyone know that, although unseen, the container was definitely there.

After Ron stepped back in line with the others, Ginny flicked her wand and said, “Tempus Fugit!”

The air in the container whipped around in a circle, forming a small cyclone around the teddy. The container held fast.

“Tempus Inclino!” Ron said, continuing the chain of spells. The top of the cyclone folded over until it connected to the bottom, creating a circular frame of wind around the teddy. The other three looked at Draco expectantly.

“Tempus Rumpo!” Draco said, flicking his wand at the teddy and completing the spell. Lightening spiraled inside the container and what looked like a black hole began to form. Almost as soon as it began, it stopped, causing the cyclone to disappear and the container to dissipate.

“What happened?” Ginny asked Draco.

“I don’t know,” he answered, a look of determination crossing his face. “But I think I know how to fix it.”

Draco closed his eyes for a minute. When he opened them, he saw that the room had met his needs. Where the pile of teddy bears had been was now a stack of life-sized Lucius Malfoy models. Even the teddy at the other end of the room was now a sneering Lucius. “Let’s do it,” Draco said.

Harry and Ginny both cast their spells again. When Ron’s turn came, he pushed up his sleeves, his eyes never leaving the fake Lucius. “Tempus Inclino, you bloody wanker!” he yelled, brandishing his wand with such force that it was a wonder it didn’t fly out of his hand. The cyclone took much less time to bend this go around.

A look of sheer malice crossed Draco’s face, a bit reminiscent of the old Draco who had made their lives miserable. “Tempus Rumpo!” he snarled ferociously, aiming his wand at the copy of his father. Again, lightening forked through the container and the black hole began to reappear, this time growing considerably faster. The blackness engulfed the fake Lucius and in moments there was no trace of it or the Chaos Portal as they vanished with a loud pop.

“Well?” Ginny asked. “Think it will work?”

Draco continued to stare at the spot where the copy had just disappeared. “Absolutely. That’s the one. Now let’s get some more practice in. When we do this to him for real, I don’t want to leave room for mistakes.”