Chapter 10: Spy

Chapter 10: Spy

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Everyone stared at Ron in disbelief. Hermione looked appalled that he would say something like that. Ginny looked sad that her birth could've possibly been a mistake. None of this seemed to make sense to her. Harry looked around at everyone's faces. Even Dumbledore appeared to be stumped on this one.

"RONALD WEASLEY! How could you say something like that about your sister?" Hermione exclaimed. She hit him with a pillow from the sofa. Ron tried to block her onslaught. Dumbledore raised a hand and Hermione stopped. They all turned to look at the old man. Ginny was still gaping.

"I wasn't supposed to be born? How is that possible?" Ginny asked, looking at Ron for some sort of answer. Ron was rubbing his head.

"Well, isn't it obvious? Mum always used to say that Ginny was a miracle child when we were younger because she was such an angel. I never thought much of it until now. Mum couldn't have anymore children after me. At least that's what Bill told me he heard her tell Dad one day when they were younger. Mum swore an angel gave her to them, because a year later, Ginny was born even though it was physically impossible," Ron said. Everyone still had the shocked looks on their faces.

"So, I was a mistake?" Ginny whispered. Ron shook his head.

"Never a mistake, Ginny. It was just a miracle you were born. If you ask me, I'm glad you were. I don't know how I would've taken it being the youngest. I already get picked on enough," Ron said in his usual jovial manner. Ginny smiled a little at his words. He definitely knew how to make her feel better.

"Professor, could this be true? I mean, that Ginny wasn't supposed to be born?" Neve asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Someone knew way before the new prophecy was even made that Aurora was going to die. But, it's who would've known that is the question. Plus, who went back and changed what happened to bring Ginny into existence. They knew that Ginny would be the only one to save her. They knew Ginny would be Aurora's only hope in surviving, but she couldn't do that if she never existed," Dumbledore said. Everyone nodded.

"But who has that type of power to give a child to a woman, even though it is physically impossible for them to give birth?" Harry asked, curious as to how this happened. Hermione looked up out of her stupor.

"A Graviostetria," she said. Everyone looked at her in awe. The girl had an answer to almost everything.

"A what?" Harry asked.

"A Graviostetria. It's special type of healer that specializes in childbirth and whatnot. I read about them a couple of years ago in fourth year," Hermione replied. Dumbledore chuckled a little at everyone's amazement.

"But, how would a Gravostetica get into the past to help Mrs. Weasley?" Aurora asked, mispronouncing the word. Draco giggled a little. Aurora shot him a dangerous look and he straightened up immediately.

"It's Graviostetria, Aurora. I have no idea how that is possible. I need to go to the Department of Mysteries. Maybe I can find some answers there." Dumbledore stood and walked over to a candle. "Portus," Dumbledore said, taping his wand on the candle. He touched it, then disappeared.

Everyone sat in awe of the conversation they just had. Ginny was staring at her hands.

"So, someone altered time a long time ago and that's why I exist. That's why the Seer saw Aurora die. I can think of no one who would do that. How did they get that far back? Don't horrible things happen to witches and wizards who meddle with time?" Ginny said, looking up. Hermione and Harry nodded, remembering their use of the Time Turner in their third year. Ron looked a little saddened. Ginny looked over at him.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Ginny asked. Ron looked up at her.

"To think that my younger sister only exists to save someone's life...That's not a very cheerful thought..." Ron's words were cut off by a deafening scream on the other side of the room. Neve put her legs up on the sofa she was sharing with Neville. Neville looked on the floor around them to see what she saw.

"What is it, Neve?" Aurora asked, searching the floor as well.

"Un ratto! Un ratto!" she screamed, trying hard to get as far away from the floor as she could. Harry and Ron looked at each other, fighting laughter. Then, a rat appeared. He was missing a whole foot and was scampering around with a silver substitute for the missing foot, it seemed.

"Wormtail..." They immediately got up. They saw the rat moving around the door. It touched a rather large piece of wood and was gone in an instant. Harry and Ron stomped on the floor.

"FUCK! This is NOT good!" Harry yelled. If Wormtail knew their whereabouts, he could tell Voldemort and then they'd all be dead.

"Wormtail? Who's Wormtail?" Neve asked, calming down. Harry turned to face her. His face was one of pure hatred and anger.

"Wormtail is also known as Peter Pettigrew. He's Voldemort's right hand man and he's the reason both of my parents are dead. He sold their whereabouts to Voldemort and he came looking for me. I have a hunch he'll do the same thing to us," Harry said, plopping down next to Ginny as Ron sat back next to Hermione. Harry put his head in his hands and sighed very long and very deep. Ginny rubbed his back.

"How did he find us?" Draco asked. He looked around wondering if anyone would answer him. Neville's eyes lit up.

"Maybe he somehow got onto Dumbledore's robes without his knowledge and came here with Dumbledore," Neville said, guessing. Hermione nodded.

"That just might be it, Neville."

"You're forgetting one thing," Ginny said. Everyone looked in her direction.

"What?" Ron asked.

"He had his own portkey. It was obviously one-way. How would a rat carry a piece of wood that big?" Ginny asked. They all exchanged weird looks. "Someone had to plant it there. Someone large enough to carry a big wooden beam. Obviously, none of us could've done it because none of us know how to make a portkey. Also, how would Wormtail get here? It doesn't seem plausible that Dumbledore wouldn't notice a rat clinging to his robes. Plus, Wormtail would've had to have been at Hogwarts. It doesn't make any sense," Ginny said. Aurora looked pretty shocked.

"Why would someone here want to sell us out?" she asked, looking around.

"You'd honestly be surprised," Harry mumbled under his breath.

"Not why, Aurora. I don't give a bloody fuck why. Who?" Draco asked. Everyone shrugged. Someone in the castle had brought Wormtail there. Someone who knew how to get passed the barriers.

"Let's not think about that tonight. Let's think about it tomorrow," Ron said, standing and stretching. Hermione pulled him back down. That's when Aislin walked in. Everyone immediately turned around. If Aislin found this suspicious, she didn't let on, until she spoke.

"You guys shouldn't do that. You look very conspicuous. I just came here to tell you that dinner is ready." And with that, Aislin was gone, her blonde ponytail swinging as she turned. All eight of them exhaled loudly.

"That was a bit conspicuous, you guys. We're gonna have to work on being a little bit more secretive. Ron, you just can't forget about it. Voldemort could attack us tonight!"

"He's not going to," Ginny said quietly. Hermione and Harry looked at her. Ginny looked up at them.

"How do you know?" Harry asked. Ginny shrugged.

"I just know," she said with certain finality in her voice. She stood and walked out towards the kitchen. The other seven sat in wonder, then followed her out.

**********

In the kitchen, they ate in silence. Draco kept glancing around the table, seeing everyone concentrating on their plates. He grew tired of the silence and slammed his fist on the table. Everyone jumped and pulled out their wands.

"Wow. At least your reaction time is up to par," he said, smirking. Harry frowned and put his wand back up.

"What is it, Malfoy?"

"It's too bloody quiet! I've grown used to your mindless chatter and the silence is really starting to get to me. What do we do when we do find out who is helping Voldemort?" Draco asked, picking up his fork again. Hermione sighed, putting her wand away also. She would've liked nothing more than to hex him, but restrained herself.

"I haven't thought that far into the future, Malfoy. We're still trying to figure out who knew about Aurora..."

**********

Elsewhere, Wormtail morphed out of his animal form to face Voldemort. The sinister man wore his hood and all you saw were vicious red eyes. Wormtail cowered before him and kneeled.

"What did you find for me, Wormtail?" Voldemort asked in his cold voice. Wormtail looked up slowly from the ground. "Rise, you idiot," Voldemort said. Wormtail stood quickly and glanced at his master.

"I've found out their whereabouts, my lord. I also heard their conversation with Dumbledore. Apparently, the reason you did not succeed in killing Aurora Assante was because of Ginevra Weasley," Wormtail stammered out. Bellatrix Lestrange walked up behind Voldemort's chair and looked out on the man. Her eyes narrowed.

"You mean to tell me that Arthur Weasley's daughter is the reason why Aurora is still alive? How is that possible, Peter?" she asked, her voice stern. Voldemort intertwined his fingers in a very Dumbledore-like manner. Wormtail looked from her to Voldemort.

"Well, Ginevra Weasley somehow was transported to the past in her mind and first heard the conversation about the failed attempt at the meeting after Aurora Assante was supposed to be killed. She heard about the Seer and everything that was supposed to happen. Then somehow, she was transported even further back in time to Diagon Alley where the Assante sisters were. The child is telepathic and used her power to tell Aurora what to do in order to save her life. That's how we failed and that's how the girl was saved," Wormtail said quickly. Bellatrix frowned.

"That's not possible. How could she have done this if we didn't see or hear her? I specifically don't remember seeing anyone but the Assante sisters in Knockturn Alley," Bellatrix said angrily. She didn't like being proven wrong. Wormtail cowered before her also.

"Bella, hush," Voldemort said quietly. Bellatrix nodded and quieted down. She glared back at Wormtail, her eyes narrowed to the point where it looked like she was squinting. All that was heard was Wormtail's unsteady breathing. "What else was said, Wormtail?" Voldemort asked. Wormtail turned his attention back to Voldemort.

"Well, they were all trying to figure out how Ginevra could have done it. She, herself, didn't know how. The Mudblood girl said that Ginevra had altered time and that Seers were never wrong..."

"What? I was proven wrong? How is that possible?" a new voice said. Another woman with short brown hair walked up next to Bellatrix. She looked awfully angry. Wormtail could tell she was the aforementioned Seer. Wormtail nodded.

"I'm getting there. We all know that a Seer's words are written in stone. There is no changing them. Apparently, someone else, someone we don't know about, saw Aurora die. The Weasley boy said that what changed in the past was the birth of the Weasley girl. She wasn't supposed to exist. If she didn't exist, none of this would've happened. Harry Potter needs Aurora Assante to succeed and if she died, there was no way he could have done so," Wormtail said. Voldemort nodded slightly. "The Mudblood girl said that only a Graviostetria could have the power to make Molly Weasley have the Weasley girl," Wormtail concluded. Voldemort nodded again.

"Yes, I see. Where are they, Wormtail?"

"They are in an old abandoned castle, outside of Dublin. There are many spells and enchantments surrounding it. Our informant said that they could easily take some down to make it easier to attack," Wormtail said, looking hopefully at his master.

"Yes. Bellatrix, on the first of April, I want you to take eight Death Eaters and attack the castle. I will come and corner Potter and the Assante girl. I want you to take the others out."

"What about Dumbledore, my lord?" Bellatrix asked. Voldemort gave a terrible laugh. Wormtail cringed at the sound of it.

"I will take care of him, too. Astrid, take Wormtail to his room and keep him there until I require his services further," Voldemort said. Bellatrix and Astrid, the abovementioned Seer, nodded and bowed before Voldemort.

**********

Ginny Weasley sat up, breathing hard. She looked around her room and saw that it was still dark outside. She got up and ran to Harry's room at top speed. Opening the door, she looked around for his bed. Her eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness. She saw Harry's sleeping form. He groaned quietly and shifted a bit. Ginny snuck quietly over to him. Harry could be lethal when pulled out of his slumber without warning.

"Harry! Harry, wake up!" she whispered loudly, shaking him at the same time. Harry turned over and pulled his wand out. It took him a moment to realize who he was pointing it at. He pulled his glasses on.

"Lumos. Ginny, what is wrong?" He asked when he saw the terrified look on her face. Ginny took a deep breath.

"April first, Harry. That's when Voldemort will attack. April first. I saw him meet with Wormtail and Bellatrix and a Seer named Astrid. Oh, Harry, that's only four months from now! We won't be ready! We haven't trained enough!" Ginny said, whispering urgently. That's when Ron, Hermione, and Aurora walked in. By then, tears were streaming down Ginny's eyes.

"What's going on?" Ron asked sleepily.

"I heard footsteps and followed Ginny. Ginny? Ginny, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, hugging her. Ginny continued to cry quietly. Harry told them what she'd said and they all frowned.

"We have to train harder. Much harder. Starting tomorrow," Harry said sternly. Ron and Aurora nodded. Harry sighed. It was going to be a long, hard, and grueling four months...