Chapter 2

Authors Notes:

Ok so here is the next chapter, it's a bit rushed but I hope it's still understandable.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Answering the past

Shock had been the first emotion that coursed through his body. How many years had he searched the world in search of her, believing in the end; that like everything else in his life, that she too was dead. But now to see her lying shaken at his feet was something else entirely. Oh gods how he wished to feel her hair again, smell her sweet perfume, feel her lips. She had looked up at him, scared, begging him with her eyes to save her.

'My Lord, I do not understand.'

'Do you think you could fool me? Fool your Lord, Malfoy? I know everything.'

'Yes, my Lord, of course. Thank you.'

'I should think after all these years of service you deserve a little prize. I do believe once upon a time you found her quite endearing and I know you still do. I do, however, expect a new generation to come from this to serve our Cause.'

'Indeed, my lord. Thank you. You have as always been merciful.'

After being dismissed, he had pulled Ginny to her feet and pulled her quickly to an apparition point and taken her straight to Malfoy Manor where instead of her hugging him, loving him, he was in for a surprise.

'Don't touch me, you Death Eater! SCUM near my skin!' she all but bellowed

'Ginny, it's me, Draco; you're safe no one can touch you now.'

She looked quite well as if she had just recently been found in hiding and quickly brought to him.

'How dare you! You disgust me, don't come any closer! LET ME GO!'



The loud crack of his hand colliding with her skin seemed to calm her down as he then helped her into the parlour and onto one of his mother's favourite white couches.

'Listen to me,' he demanded, looking at her straight in the eye. 'You are lucky they didn't kill you. Now you are to live here with me and soon after we are married you will give me an heir, but that is to keep the Dark Lord happy. I will ask you questions and you will answer them truthfully!'

'Where have you been living?'

A small silence eschewed as she fought an inner battle

'Wales.'

'How did you escape?'

'The night of the attack on the Burrow I had gone down to the lake at the back of the house past the trees,' she looked at him, stony-eyed, 'and when I came back, it was burnt. I looked, but no one was there. I found bodies, but that was it. I took a broom and flew as far as I could, and then I was smuggled from I don't know where out of the country until I found myself in Wales.'

'You should have come to me. Why didn't you?'

'I wanted to die. I hoped that as I was flying I would fall off or something and then I would never wake up. But it seems I did not, and I could not come to you as when I read the prophet the next morning it said you had been at the raid.'

'Ginny, I...I came to try and save you make sure you lived!'

'Of course you did. But did you ever think that I could never and would never be able to live, properly, without my family. Could you not have told me? Helped me spare their lives, work out an escape root?' she had now stood and was becoming hysterical

'Ginny, I haven't after all these years stopped loving you,' he said. 'You went down to the lake that night because you thought you heard the music of the tree. It was a trick. I had placed a silencing charm on the others in your house and lured you out. Then I put an atmospheric changer around you so you would not see the flames and return. I couldn't tell you because I hadn't seen you for so long, and it was a task that needed to be done there was no other way. And if that meant that I could only save you, let you live then that would be enough.'



'How dare you! If you had really loved me, you would have let me die. You would have told me so I could have saved my family.'

Suddenly she felt an unwelcome wave of calmness pouring over her and her mind screamed at her to fight against it but it was to no avail.

'My family is dead too,' he replied coldly. 'I could only save myself and then I could have only saved you. Delly'

Crack

'Master called Delly' squeaked the little house-elf bowing so low that its forehead touched the ground

'Take Ginevra here and bathe her, put her in a white gown and prepare her for the marriage ceremony'

'What? No! Draco?' She begged grabbing onto his robe as he stood 'Let's talk, more, come, Draco?'

'She is to be ready and in the foyer at 6.30' He said ignoring her pleas

'Come, Missus must come with Delly'

'No, Draco you don't have to do this now. Draco! Draco please!' she screamed and screamed his name until she had been pulled out of the room by the small house elf

After a long time of staring straight ahead Draco stood moving towards the window. He looked out toward the dark woods looking for something that wasn't really there.

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'Who goes there?' came the melodious voice of a girl from underneath the tree

How glorious was this site to his eyes, to see such a tree hiding the magic of the entire world. Every night he has been coming to this tree as if it had been calling him to it, down in the centre of the forbidden forest. It sparkled in the night light, the moon showing the hidden secrets beneath its mystic branches. But tonight he would not be alone, someone else had come too, and this was his tree.

'Speak! Before I draw my wand' she called



'To bad I drew mine before you had the chance to even take a breath' he whispered into her ear, his wand at her neck.

'You do not scare me' she said not very convincingly

He stepped back then to take a look at her, her eyes searching his face for familiarity and when she found it her body seemed to relax.

'Can you see now? I have come, just as you asked.' she said

'Indeed, I see you found my tree.' He replied walking around the tree

'Your tree? I think not, this is my tree I have been coming here for years.'

'No its mine, see, it pulls me to it' he replied his spoilt side coming out

'This conversation is ridiculous, let's say its everyone's tree' she said finally

'No. Its only our tree' he said from behind her

'Yes, yes...I...I guess so,' she mumbled 'it's beautiful is it not?'

'Hmm quite,' he sighed opening his arms to her 'come to me'

She walked into his arms and there beneath the stars and under the mystic branches of the tree they made love over and over again...

Crack

'Master,' bowed the house elf 'Dilly has finished Missus, for Master'

Draco waved his hand carelessly; he wanted to remember again all that happened under that tree. But there would be plenty of time later; he had been waiting for this moment for too long.

He walked through the dark corridors of the Manor were little light shone, he opened the door to his chamber and started to prepare, no lights were on the only visible light came from the moon. He dressed in a dark set of dress robes, looking into the mirror to see a stranger of his younger self looking back at him.

His eyes were darker, more mystic even; his pale face gave him his angelic presence and with the moon behind him made his hair look like a halo around his face. Finally satisfied with his appearance he made his way back to the foyer to see a very calm Ginny looking at him.



When he was about a foot away from her he stood still taking her in. He gazed into her eyes, once fiery seemed dull and glassy.

'Did you have more calming potion?' he smirked 'Can't you just behave?'

Even his sexual innuendo seemed lame, but he blamed it on the tension in the air.

'I'll probably need three more doses just to get through your horrible jokes' she spat somewhat pathetically

'You look...lovely' he tried

And it was true the simple white gown they had dressed her in, was made from pure silk, coming down over her milky skin reaching the ground softly. Her hair was left mane like around her plain round face which brought out the womanly beauty she sometimes seemed to lack. Though so much more enticing. Her neckline was simple with a few pearls stitched into her dress.

'Would it be too much to wish I didn't?'

'Come we need to go,' he said moving towards her 'give me your hand'

He pulled her towards his body when she flinched away from his touch, and he couldn't help but notice how well her body still matched his. Even after so many years, even after losing so much weight and so much of themselves.

'I'll not do this! I won't marry a Death Eater' she cried 'Don't you dare touch me'

'It's the only way, I would be sorry if only I could and knew how.' And with that he apparted them to the meeting place

He felt her stiffen when she saw all the Death Eater's and their masks in place, so he leant in to whisper in her ear.

'Don't say anything unless you're told to and let me answer everything and everyone. As much as this is horrible for both of us, I don't want you to die.'

She looked up at him with scared eyes and he thought he saw a slight nod of her head.

'Ahh Malfoy, you come finally with your long awaited fiancé!' announced Voldemort over the soft noises of the crowd



Silence fell as Draco walked up towards his lord with Ginny in tow. When he reached his destination he bowed low pulling Ginny with him.

'My Lord,' he said before standing 'I bring her'

'Yes I see that Malfoy, and it seems after all those years of search were not to no avail,' he said moving to caress Ginny's face 'Ha ha I see she fears me, good. You have my blessing Malfoy. Let's begin the ceremony.'

When he released Ginny she realised that she had been holding her breath, those snakelike eyes making her heart stop.

The wedding vows went by in a haze as the words of agreement left her lips and the kiss was quick and chaste. Soon she was surrounded by Death Eaters; their masks removed showing what lay beneath their dark covers. One came walking up to them as others sneered at her and complimented Malfoy, he came to stand before her very still his dark blue eyes staring at her meaningfully. When he removed his mask she could not help the loud intake of breath that came naturally.

'I see your young bride is tortured by my appearance,' expressed Blaise Zabini 'I guess I do not look as I did, though neither does she.'

'Stop flirting with my wife,' he exaggerated 'or I will be forced to remove you Zabini.'

And soon before she could cry out, they embraced. Of course what Blaise Zabini had said was indeed true; he no longer had flawless dark skin and mischievous eyes that had girls swooning. For his face now held many large battle scars, ones which marred his perfection, his eyes now were hard though a childish light seemed to sparkle beneath them. If it were possible Blaise Zabini was now more beautiful than ever, mysterious and intriguing.

'Ginevra Malfoy,' he said bowing slightly 'It's a pleasure to meet you again. I hope you and your husband will join me and my wife, Katherine, for supper one night'

'I have no care for pleasantries Zabini' turning to Draco she said 'I want to go now!'

'Excuse us Blaise'

Grabbing his wife Draco moved to the front of the stage to bow down again at his master's feet, whilst pulling Ginny with him.

'My Lord, it seems my wife is tired and in for a hasty retreat,' he smirked 'please excuseus'



'Yes, yes go...we still have many more marriages to do, the hardest still remains'

At that exact moment the doors to the Hall burst open with a clattering and an incessant scream.

'No! Get your hands off me!' she screamed

'Hermione?' thought Ginny to herself

'Silence girl,' Silenced Voldemort 'consider yourself lucky, a mudblood like you deserves nothing but torture, though you're old potions master has begged me to see otherwise.'

That's when Ginny saw a man with dark greasy hair walking up to take one of Hermione's shaking hands, trying to fix her torn, bloodied dress and covering the modesty she lacked.

'HERMIONE!' screamed Ginny 'You Bas...'

But before she could finish her sentence she felt the familiar pull at her belly and soon she was being apparted away.