Chapter Two
Draco woke up feeling refreshed and warm. He felt Ginny's back pressed to his, the two of them in the middle of the bed. She let out little snores as she breathed her nose squeaking. It was going to be a long day, but he had a solution.
Slipping out of bed, he walked barefooted to his closet. Choosing a royal blue shirt and black slacks, he prepared himself mentally for the day. The Dark Lord had set high expectations, and there would be no getting around them.
After dressing, he walked over to the sleeping girl. Her face was still beat up badly, her one eye still puckered. Deep bruises marred her skin from her face, down to the small hand resting on top of her pillow. Draco reached out a hand and felt her head for fever.
"What are you doing?" her gravelly voice asked.
Checking to be sure his wards were sound proof and air tight, he sat down on the bed next to her.
"I was checking that you didn't have a fever. You don't. I'm going to try and get you some potions today. Hopefully I'll be able to find them. Then I'm going to ask the Dark Lord if I can be married," He told her.
After a good night's rest of peaceful dreams, his rejuvenated mind had hatched the idea. Draco felt her tense in the bed. Clearly, she had not thought everything through. Somehow, she had walked into his life, forcing him into decisions he didn't want to make.
"Who will you marry?" She whispered.
"You of course," Draco scoffed out. "I'll request it today. Here is my plan: One, I'll tell the Dark Lord that I have received you, a pure blood witch; Two, I will explain my want of a wife; Three, I will explain my plan of getting you to join our side and in effect give up private information about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It's our only shot."
"I'll never betray Harry or the Order. And I'll never marry you. Ever," Ginny's voice was filled with hatred as she forced the words from her lungs.
"Nonsense. Ginny, to save us I need to work the mind of an evil wizard. I'll say whatever I need to so that I save our necks. Plus, I'm not taking no for an answer," Draco said as he stood from the bed.
Walking to the door, he gave her a final look before exiting. On the other side of the door, Draco began warding it. Making sure it was indeed locked and sound proof; he began a walk of death towards the Dark Lord's chambers.
Ginny lay in the soft bed, wondering if she had the courage and strength to try and stand. After taking ten minutes to roll over last night, she doubted she could even make it to the bathroom. Her eye was throbbing, her wrist felt like it was broken, and every breath came with a sharp stabbing pain. Clearly, someone had beaten her thoroughly.
Trying to remember how she had gotten here, she closed her one working eye. In the meadow behind the Burrow, she had been picking flowers. Harry was coming round for a few days, and she wanted to make his room feel welcoming. Mom had warned her that she wasn't to go outside of the yard…that the wards wouldn't hold. Still, she had walked out to the meadow. Anything for Harry. Then, from the edges of the trees, the fight had started. Ginny berated herself. She should have been prepared; instead her wand had been in the basket she carried.
They hit her with crucio, and her muscles had tightened and twitched in agony. It explained why she hurt everywhere. After apparating away with her, the beatings had began. Somewhere between the dark room and the dungeons, she had blacked out. When she woke up, she wished she hadn't. Deatheaters were torturing young girls. The girls had pushed her to the wall, and were protectively watching over her. Until they realized what the men were about. After that, she was squished, kicked, and stepped on as they shoved their way to the back for protection.
Two hands reached out for her, and then she found herself dragged by Draco Malfoy. Unbelievably, he had been kind in his own way, and honest. She let out a jerky sigh and looked around the room with her good eye.
There was a strange bust, trinkets on the dresser, and two doors. Knowing where the two doors went, she looked back to the trinkets. There was a golden snitch, a pocket watch, and a picture she couldn't see. Clearly, Draco was a minimalist.
The bust, when she could lift it, would make the perfect weapon. The watch or snitch could be a portkey, and it wouldn't hurt to take them when she escaped. Her throat ached thinking of escape. Draco had warded the room with so many spells; there would be no undoing them without a wand.
Sure, anyone could do wandless magic with small things. After all, wandless magic was the first magic any witch or wizard ever did. While she might be able to change the color of the sheets, there was no way she would be able to take the wards down and escape. Maybe a fully charged Ginny could float the bust and steal his wand, but that was under the pretense of her getting well soon.
Draco Malfoy. Merlin, all this over flowers for stupid Harry Potter that never looked her over twice. Harry had withdrawn into himself, only speaking in hushed tones with Hermione and Ron. He never played around or teased anymore, so set on being a mature adult that could defeat the Dark Lord. Apparently, he had gotten it into his thick skull that the wizarding world needed to be able to look at him and know he was serious. To that Ginny had replied that no one was looking at him because he was in hiding. By his reaction, those were not the right words even if they were essentially correct.
Sighing, she tried to take her mind off of Harry, and back to Draco. The problem at hand.
Draco went over transfiguration spells in his head while in the Dark Lords presence. Then if the Dark Lord decided to see what Draco was thinking, he would get the impression Draco was thinking of a way to defeat the Order.
Waiting was always the worst thing about private audiences with the Dark Lord. Draco knew his reasoning behind it was to make his followers nervous so that they would slip up. It was another test of sorts, to make sure that his followers had nothing to worry about. Too bad Draco had more than a mind full of worries.
"Draco, what are you doing here this morning?" Voldemort hissed. Draco tried not to look at the creatures bear chest and twisted hands. Meeting Voldemort's eyes, he began his case.
"I discovered Ginny Weasley among those captured. I wish to take her for my own, as she is a pureblood," Draco paused to watch the Dark Lord's reaction. It was hard to tell, the snake eyes not giving anything away.
"Weasley, related to Potter's friend?" Voldemort questioned.
"Yes sir, that is another reason why I wish to take her. She is of a strong stock, and I believe that the way to the Order and Potter is through her. Think of the secrets she may know," Draco trailed off. His palms were beginning to sweat, and he had to think of potions now to keep his mind emotionless.
"Why not torture her? It would be quicker." It was not the reply that Draco had hoped for, but was prepared for nonetheless.
"My lord. She is of pureblood. That is becoming increasingly uncommon. I do not wish to marry a woman that I cannot trace her family back. With this girl I can trace back centuries if needed. I want to follow our most noble decree, and carry on with the noble work," Draco let his voice reach a peak, adding emotion into his speech. Regardless of his thoughts or feelings, Voldemort needed to believe this was the truth.
"Very well Draco, you may have this boon for one in return. Know that until Potter is dead, the children you bear are mine," He turned his back onto Draco dismissing him.
Draco began to leave the room when he felt his body stiffen and turn back around. Voldemort had his wand pointed at him, a grin twisted onto his face.
"You do not agree to these terms? My my, what do we have here," Voldemort ruffled through Draco's thoughts.
Carefully, Draco thought of the disgrace he felt at his father's death. Killed by a mudblood of all people. He guided his thoughts to the talk he had with his mother about pureblood and how it affected families. Then he thought about all the kinky sex he could force Ginny to have once she was his.
Voldemort's head twitched as he pulled back. Draco watched as the Dark Lord lowered his wand and moved back to the fire.
"I agree my lord. I am sorry if I did not seem thankful for your mercy," Draco bowed and began to back-pedal out of the room.
Voldemort allowed him to leave, this time not stopping him. Draco clenched his fist as he walked back to his rooms. His mind felt dirty. Knowing Voldemort believed what he wanted to; Draco had made up memories and thoughts in the lonely hours in his room for such an event. Never had it been necessary to think of rape or torture, but tonight it had to be laid on thick. He had raised attention to himself, and the Dark Lord was curious enough to go searching his thoughts.
Once at his door, he checked around the hall to be sure that no one was watching. One by one he lifted the wards, and stepped through the door. Once on the other side of the door, he began placing wards in weaves to keep him safe.
Out of paranoia, he added some of the more widely known wards, knowing that even they were not easy to remove. Assured that he was safe for the time being, he turned towards his bed. Ginny looked to be in the same position that he had left her, her good eye staring him down.
"I think I am dying," she croaked. "It is hard to breathe and I've coughed up blood."
Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and headed over to the bed to check on Ginny. Sure enough there were blood splotches on the pillow and her breathing was short and shallow. A migraine began to pound in his head as she sat next to her on the bed.
"I can't leave the manor to get any potions for you. The Dark Lord is already suspicious of me and it would raise questions if I left right now. I know a few spells that will make you more comfortable, but I have no way to block the pain they will induce."
"Let me die." Tears rolled down her cheek, and she tried to keep calm.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let that happen," Draco said before pulling his wand out of his sleeve. For the next half of an hour Draco used every spell he could remember from school and even some he had to look up in his old course books from Hogwarts.
Ginny was now breathing normally, her swollen eye now only bruised but open, and her broken bones mended. Her cries of pain and screams of agony echoed in Draco's head as he stared out of the bedroom window.
Life had been a lot simpler without her. Definitely not simple, but simpler than it was now. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the window's cool glass. The choices of his misbegotten youth were catching up to him quicker than he could run away. Maybe, if he could do this one thing, save this one person, he could save his soul.
