Chapter 2

Ginny's POV

When I regained consciousness I was lying on a marble floor in the middle of what looked to be a ballroom. There wasn't much light but I managed to make out a crystal chandelier above my head.

Sitting up, I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by a group of people wearing dark robes and with skull like masks on their faces. Death Eaters.

One man stepped forward, "Little Ginevra Weasley," he said, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I recognized that voice as one I had hoped never to hear again, "It's been a long time since we last saw each other. Five years. As you can see with your own eyes, your little boyfriend only delayed my inevitable return and now I am stronger than ever."

"Tom Riddle," I spat, trying to seem braver than I actually felt, "Do your pathetic worshippers know how you were so weak that you had to resort to using a first year to return to power?"

A look of fury crossed Voldemort's face, "You will do well to learn your place here. Sadly I can do you no lasting harm; we need you in good condition if Potter is to attempt a rescue but no matter, unimaginable pain does not need to be permanent... Crucio!"

It is impossible to describe the amount of pain the Cruciatus curse causes a person, but suffice it to say that dying is a much better option. I writhed on the ground in pain, screaming as the curse ripped through me.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a few seconds, the curse was lifted.

My screaming stopped and I lay on the ground panting, cruel laugher coming from the hooded figures around me. The world seemed to get darker and darker as I started to black out.

"Draco," Voldemort's voice echoed through the room, "your failure to kill Dumbledore was more displeasing and I am starting to question where your loyalties really lie. As punishment, you will be forced to attend to Miss Weasley. Make sure that she is well fed and stays in good health. We wouldn't want our bargaining chip to lose its value now would we? Take her to the dungeons."

Hands grabbed my shoulders roughly and a black bag was forced over my head. I didn't even have the strength to protest or cry out as I was dragged out of the marble room.

...ooOoo...

Finally we seemed to arrive at the correct destination and I was unceremoniously thrown onto what felt like a small cot. I heard a clang of metal, a brief scraping noise and a sigh, then nothing.

Slowly I pulled myself into a sitting position and reached up to take the sack off of my head. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room.

The walls and floor were made of stone, but I was surprised to find that they were neither wet nor slimy. My cot was in the corner of the room and in the adjacent corner was a small toilet and washbasin. There was a small table in the middle of the room with a single chair beside it. The ceiling was a swirl of dark colours that changed constantly like the ceiling in the Great Hall, but not showing the outside weather. The opposite wall was not a wall, but series of bars. There was a hinged area of the wall that seemed to be a door and outside the door sat a blonde haired man with his head in his hands.

I moved slowly towards the door and put my hands on the bars. "Malfoy?" I called timidly. His head snapped up and he stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked at me for a few long moments before responding. "What Weasley?"

I looked at him closely; he was different from when I had last seen him, the last day before summer break. His voice had held no malice, just resignation and weariness. He wore a black cloak like the other Death Eaters, but his was open, revealing an expensive looking grey silk shirt and a pair of dark trousers. His hair was no longer slicked back but hung loosely around his face, which I noticed was thinner and more sunken than the last time I had seen him.

"Is this where you've been all this time?" I asked finally, after all, no one had seen him after holidays had started, "What happened to you?"

He immediately straightened up and stared back at me defiantly. "I don't see how that is any of your business Weasley," he said coldly.

I stiffened, "Don't give me that shit Malfoy, you're as stuck down here as I am, so get off your high horse and stop pretending to be so superior." I paused before continuing, "Wherever here is..."

He stared at me for a moment, stunned that I would speak to him in such a way, before chuckling humorlessly, "Well well well, look who decided to grow a backbone in the last several months. As for where we are, welcome to Malfoy Manor or more specifically, the dungeons."

I looked around me again, noting that as dungeons go, this was a relatively comfortable one.

"Pretty nice for a dungeon Malfoy, kind of ruins the whole evil Death Eater image, do you feed the prisoners steak dinners as well?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Obviously not all the cells are like this but you heard what the Dark Lord said, you need to be kept in good condition so he can use you as leverage against Potter."

"So what are they going to do to me?" I asked.

"Other than use you to get to Potter? They can't kill you or really injure you all that much, but they'll find ways to get inside your head and make your time here as miserable as possible."

He looked at me grimly, "Welcome to hell Weasley."