Disclaimer: everything recognisable is not mine, but J.K.R's. The poem is not mine either. I am neither dead nor rich.
Cautions: Historical AU. This story disregard all seven books, and it is set in a historical AU, somewhere like the middle ages, only characters, spells and such will remain somewhat the same.
The painted veil
Lift not the painted veil which those who live
Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there,
And it but mimic all we would believe
With colours idly spread,—behind, lurk Fear
And Hope, twin Destinies; who ever weave
Their shadows, o'er the chasm, sightless and drear.
I knew one who had lifted it—he sought,
For his lost heart was tender, things to love,
But found them not, alas! nor was there aught
The world contains, the which he could approve.
Through the unheeding many he did move,
A splendour among shadows, a bright blot
Upon this gloomy scene, a Spirit that strove
For truth, and like the Preacher found it not.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
Prologue – Wheel of fortune
The Wheel of Fortune: Change, evolution, success, good fortune, fate. Happiness, abundance. New conditions.
The misty rays of light faintly traced the outline of the dark woods. A small figure stumbled across the tangled roots of these gigantic trees, which stood proudly as they blockaded the sun. The hood of the figure's cloak fell, revealing a bushy mess of brown one called hair, someone would easily confuse the small girl for a hairy animal.
The wood is silent apart from her rushing steps, occasionally interrupted by a few animal howls. The small girl did not hear them, her mind was not on any beasts, but she could not ignore resonating screams in her mind caused by the brutes that named themselves human.
War was a terrible thing, she doubted she would ever forget any scenes she saw not long ago. Any dark woods was better than the burning town she left behind, at least the animals killed for food, she could not understand why man hunted their own kind without any apparent logical justifiable reasons. She would rather satisfy a carnivore's stomach than pieced by a meaningless arrow that only seeks destruction.
So she ran.
As fast as she could, she ran into the forbidden woods, unwittingly leaving her sanctuary for the past months, leaving an old life and an event that would later be recorded in history books. She ran until her legs could not carry her anymore, until her small frame cut and bruised from the unforgiving woods, until her eyelids dropped and covered her large brown eyes. Her all too skinny face relaxed, and her exhausted body sank to the ground.
Resting in peaceful slumber for an unknown period of time, she was awoken by a stranger's muttering.
'So similar,' a handsome dark haired man stared down at her, eyes flicker with something she could not quite make out. Recognition? Regret? It couldn't be, she had never once seen him before.
She instinctively drew away.
'I won't hurt you', he put a hand on her shoulder. Somehow, she felt assured. Yet, she could not bring herself to trust his words, she could not bring herself to trust that prefect mask of his which one called face. Uncertainty was the only thing she trusted and was certain about for the past months, this trust or the lack of had preserved her, simultaneously robbed her of her childish innocence. She froze, as he picked her up from the ground. With a wave of a wooden stick and a load crack, they vanished into thin air.
The wood was silent again.
Ten years later
Like a diamond necklace, a spider's web glistening with dew under the morning sun. A spider crawled to the middle of the web, carefully avoiding the tiny water droplets, found a dry spot and settled down waiting for its prey. The web is set, and the spider is ready.
They could not believe the ease of attacking the escort party. It was almost too good to be true. The guards were mostly non-magical, and the few magical did not match their duelling expertise, stemmed from their extensive field experience.
'Harry!! Over here!!' A red-haired girl yelled, as she twirled around and stunned another guard, face flushed pink prettily.
'I am sure it is this carriage.' she reported to the black-haired boy who ran to her. Correction, man, she flushed inwardly. Harry had changed greatly for the past years, for better of course, as his unruly black hair fell in front of those gorgeous green eyes, as his…
'Ginny?' Harry asked, 'are you sure?'
She wanted to smacked herself, how could she be ogling him under this circumstance. Luckily, she did not think he noticed.
'Of course, look at the decorations and the size of it,' she said exultantly. 'A daughter of the Duchess will surely have the biggest and the pinkest' she added with distaste.
They did not prepare for the sight inside the carriage. Much more tastefully decorated than the pink exterior, it was magically enlarged to the extent that a whole family with excellent reproductive ability could comfortably live there.
'What are you doing here?' a melodious voice asked, the owner of which stepped out and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. But she never got her answer before a shout of stunning spell, and she slid to the floor.
'I will take her,' Harry said, 'tell the others that mission accomplished. Let's get out of here.'
They made for a quick exit.
Ginny was bored, who wouldn't be if they sat a room for hours with nothing to do, even when a moth peaked her interest when it crashed into a spider web in the corner of the wall. She would not understand why Harry did not seem to be sharing her current state of mind.
'Are you sure we got the bride?' Ginny asked again.
'Not again, Ginny. You were the one that was so sure about it before.' Harry replied. 'I am sure that your unfaultable logic with that pink carriage is correct.'
'I was sure about the carriage, but this girl,' she looked down on the still unconscious girl on the bed. 'There is just something that doesn't fit. She is pretty and all that, with nice gown. But there is no jewellery, no nothing. Shouldn't she be covered head to toe with diamonds? And where is the engagement ring?'
'Maybe she just didn't care much for jewellery, and he hasn't given her the ring yet' Harry suggested and started quietly observing the girl again much to Ginny's dismay.
She knew something wasn't right, called it female intuition if one liked, but there was something out of place. She knew her previous description of the girl was a huge understatement, the girl was far more than just pretty. Eyes closed tightly, few brown curls escaped her elegant hair-do framing her delicate face. She would be prefect to play sleeping beauty, ready to be kissed and awoken, Ginny snorted.
The gown she worn was of the finest silk, hugging her small slender frame. Ginny jealously touched the silk, how she wished to have a silk dress, there aren't been many luxuries around here since the Malfoys had their trade blockaded. Despite the dress, the lack of engagement ring on her hand seriously worried Ginny. All effort wasted if they haven't got the real fiancé of the younger Malfoy. She mentally smacked herself again for thinking in this direction, of course they got the right girl, who else would have such a dress?
The girl stirred slightly, effectively stopping Ginny in her mental rant, and snapping Harry out of his gaze. Her eyelids fluttered, and finally opened, revealing her dark brown eyes. She blinked for a few times, clearly confused, and pushed her self up to a sitting position.
Ginny waited for her to stare at them, scream and faint, or at least going into hysteria. To her surprise, it never came. In fact, was it a hint of a smile she saw on her face that was gone before it could materialise? The girl gave a glance to her surrounding, then looked at them with one eyebrow raised again, and if demanding an explanation. Ginny suddenly felt the urge to pluck that perfectly arched eyebrow, how dare the girl assume she could command over them.
Harry stepped forth, and gave the girl a little bow.
'My name is Harry Potter, this is Ginny Weasley. I assure you, Milady, that we wish you no harm' Harry said diplomatically 'our intention for your predicament is not against you, rather someone close to you.'
The girl remained silent for few seconds.
'Draco Malfoy, isn't it? You wanted something out of the Malfoys. So you kidnapped me.' She said blankly, as a matter of fact, as if she was not involved at all. 'So what is it you want from them?' in a more interested tone 'peace? a stop the war? They will hardly halt the war to save their own grandmother'.
Ginny was surprised again, a Malfoy bride-to-be with such a low opinion of her future family?
'We only want them to release a couple of prisoner. Insignificant to them, but dear to us. Surely a fiancée is worth that.'
'You are wrong, Mr. Potter. They will not lift a finger for me.' She stated in a blank tone again. Then with a small smile, she said the words Ginny dread.
'For I am not the one marrying Draco Malfoy.'
A/N: Every chapter's name will be a tarot card. Other characters and pairings will slowly appear. Will be written in different POV.
Once again, I repeat, this is not set in HP universe, and nothing at all like the HP plot
R&R
