A/N: Hey it's another quick update so I hope you like it! The next chapter is done too but I'm too tired to reread and edit so that'll have to be done over the next couple days, it's an extra long chapter to make up this shorter one. Thank you again for all of your reviews, it really helps and inspires me to get the chapters out faster and to a higher quality. Thank you all for the favs and follows, it would be great to hear from you guys - if you have any questions feel free to pop me a PM even. Anyway my insomnia is killing me so goodnight!
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I'm finally getting cabin fever. This whole staying indoors with just my own company is starting to get to me. How long can he make me live like this? I almost want to see my captor, and that's saying something.
"Binky!" I shout for me house elf at exactly 7.55am.
"Y-yes mam?" The small elf stutters as she winds her pillow case dress between her bony hands.
"Fetch me some riding boots." I say adamantly.
"R-right away mam." And off she popped.
I was going out today, I was going to make sure of it.
I get changed into a loose cotton silk blend top and very fitted brown trousers.
At 8.07am my elf comes back so I grab the knee high leather boots from her and put them on as I run and stumble down the hall, I don't have long until Binky reports my strange request back to Draco who will then come and look for me right away, I don't even have the power to open the doors myself but I know that one of the servants brings in a food delivery every day at exactly 8.15am.
I run down the stairs and get there precisely on time, as planned I run up to the man and take the other side of the box and spin it around so I'm on the outside and he's on the inside, with his hands full there is not much he can do other than call for help but with no one else around it's pointless.
I laugh out loud with glee as I run across the grounds feeling fresh air in my lungs. It feels so good to be outside.
I spot the large riding complex up ahead so focus on getting there before anyone can stop me, I've always wanted to ride a horse before so today will be the day. Why not use the facilities that are kind of mine through marriage? It'll get me away from Draco faster anyway.
As luck would have it tied up just outside of the stables is a white horse with all of his tack on. He's a stunning creature and totally huge. Big horses are faster, right? He flares his nostrils at me as I get closer so I untie his rope thingy and climb the fence so I can get on him. Not really knowing what to do I launch myself and land on his back with a thump. Before i can get settled he starts to back up with his ears pinned to his head,
"Woah horsie, go forward." I say to him as if he'd understand. I pick up the reigns and flick them against his neck but it doesn't do anything.
My heart thuds as I realise how stupid it was to get on a strange horse with no hat on, but I don't have time to think about it as he backs up so far he fits a fence which then scares him into lurching forward at a flat out gallop. I fling forward onto his neck and grab his mane for some sort of balance as I scream out for help.
"Stop!" I shout at the horse but it makes no difference as he picks up speed instead of slowing.
I can hardly see as tears stream from my eyes uncontrollably, half from fear and half from the wind. The ground looks so far away and it moves so fast as I try and fail to gain some balance and control. I wish the grounds here were smaller. I wish this beast didn't have so much ground to run free on. I shut my eyes and try to sing myself into calmness as the bumpy ride gets worse than worse.
"Pull on the reigns!" I hear someone shout so I dare a look around and see a ginger horse gaining on us.
"What?" I bellow at my saviour.
"The rope around his neck, pull it!" I hear above the wind.
"I can't move!" I shout back in panic.
I hear nothing more but see the horse get closer and closer. I keep my eyes on them as I start to see the horse in more detail, he has a white line down his face, when they're close enough I can even see Draco sat on top of his handsome horse, well I see a shock of blonde hair anyway so I can only imagine it's him. I'm so glad he's going to help me, he's only about twenty meters away now and I can see him more clearly.
But maybe I should have been looking ahead this whole time.
Out of nowhere my horse puts on the breaks and I scream as I fly through the air and then hit something icy cold. I'm so confused when I hit the water that I freeze in panic before rising to the surface coughing and spluttering. The lake is deep and I can hardly swim, especially in this state, I tread water inefficiently as my head keeps bobbing under the water filling my lungs with murky water. I hadn't even seen the water ahead but I certainly knew about it now.
"Help!" I wail as my head goes under again and again. Who has a whole lake in their garden anyway?
I'm actually thankful when I see Draco dive into the water elegantly and swim over to me with ease, he holds me around the waste and pulls me to shore.
"What on earth were you thinking?" Draco roared at me as I coughed my guts up on the ground. I swallowed so much lake water that I actually begin to wretch on the floor.
"Oh no." I mutter to myself but it happens so fast I don't even know what's happening, one moment I'm sat there and the next I'm throwing up all over Draco's expensive looking shoes.
He groans and turns around so he's not looking at me, he pulls out his wand and cleans his shoes before doing a quick drying spell on his clothes and hair.
"Me, please." I say. My voice cracks and I feel so weak and embarrassed all I want to do is lie here and melt into the ground.
"No way. You deserve this." Draco says with venom before leaving me on the floor and walking over to the white horse and making sure he's okay, "this stallion is worth more than your life so you better be glad he's not permanently damaged."
"I wish he was." I say to myself but obviously a little bit too loudly as Draco hears me.
"And I'm sure he's glad that this happened to you. How would you react if a stranger jumped on your back and asked you to run?" Why did Draco have to talk to me like I was a child?
"I didn't ask him to run, I just wanted to sit on him."
"If you wanted to ride the horses all you had to do was ask. I would have started you off on a nice horse like Dutchess here as this horse is probably more than you could ever handle."
"I'll never get on a horse again." I spit as I rise to my feet and storm off. I'd always wanted to ride one but that one experience was enough oil put me off for life.
"And why is that?"
"Because horse is just as much of a Bastard as you are, Malfoy." I shriek as I start to run across the grounds away from them.
Obviously on his horse Draco is much faster but because he had two to control I manage to get a short lead. I get to a tree and scramble to the top as quickly as I can. I'm soaking wet, my throat hurts and I've ripped my top but I have my spirit and that is the important thing.
"For fucks sake Ginny if you're not down here in five second you will live to regret it."
"How old do you think I am?" I laugh sarcastically.
"I'll treat you as old as you act. Five..."
"Stop acting like my dad."
"Four..."
"Go to hell."
"Three..."
"I hate you."
"I really don't want to have to put you into the dungeon so two..."
"Fine I'm coming." I shout down at him before ascending down the tree.
"I'm glad you've seen reason." Draco says.
"The only reason I'm down here is because you threatened me."
"Any method works for me."
I run out of back chats so stick my tongue out at him.
"Did you just stick your tongue out at me woman?" He asks bewildered.
"Maybe."
"I think you just did." He jumps down from the white horse and walks towards me, I back up until my back hits the tree and then he's inches from me.
He's so close I can tell he's only recently brushed his teeth. His breath smells of mint and he still has a bit of toothpaste on his lip. He looks at me dangerously and I feel like a trapped animal. I want to get away because he's scaring me but I don't know what to so.
The next few moments are like an out of body experience of me watching myself spit in Draco's face. He brings his hand down and slaps me hard but I just laugh and run for it again. He jumps on his horse and follows me but as I dart through the trees he struggles to keep up whilst riding one horse and leading another. He has to duck to avoid low branches and then I see the house in sight. For once I actually want to be inside so he doesn't have the advantage of horse back so as I exit the wooded area I run faster than I ever have before, adrenaline pumps my out of work legs as I breathe faster and heavier than I have since my quidditch days. On the open ground the horses are gaining on me, but I won't let them win.
I throw myself through an open door but I can't let myself stop. I'm getting tired and as I run up the stairs I feel like my legs are going to give but I won't let them. I'm finally on the corridor that leads to my bedroom but I can hear his footsteps echo through the halls behind me. Sweat pours from my brow but I won't let anything stop me now.
I fall into my room and go quickly to the other side to get into the bathroom, as soon as I enter I lock the door and collapse on the other side with my heart pounding so hard it feels like it's going to escape my chest and fly off. I try and take deep breaths to get more oxygen to my body but I'm in such a panic as well that it's hard to master. my cold, wet clothes stick to my skin and mix with the sheen of sweat on my body. I must look disgusting because I certainly feel it.
"I know you're in there Ginny," I hear Draco say thorough the door, "so you can either open up the door or I'll use magic to do it myself.
"Leave me alone." I shout. I'm crying now too, oh great.
"Do I have to count down from five again?"
"Go ask someone who gives a damn."
"Five..."
"I'm not falling for that again."
"Four..."
"I'm not a child you know."
"Three..."
"Why didn't you just marry a six year old if you wanted to treat your wife this way?"
"I shouldn't have to warn you about the dungeons any more Ginevra. Two..."
That bastard. I rise with shaky legs and unlock the door, maybe if I open it quick enough I can make a run for it...
...right into Draco's chest.
"Don't even think about it." He says as he grabs my shoulders.
I struggle against him but it's no use.
"You've managed to avoid the dungeon by a hair but you will be made to stay in this room. Your bathroom will be blocked off so you will only have the use of your ensuit toilet, all of your clothes and shoes will be taken away from you as will your duvet. No fires will be lit for you and all you will have to eat and drink is bread and water. You will have no interactions, not even with your house elf. Do you understand?" He informs me like I'm a naughty school girl or something.
"Well you've made it pretty clear." I say through gritted teeth.
"Good." He says darkly before turning around and shutting the door. I instantly go over to it but of course it's locked. As I turn I see all of the things he said vanish.
When I was younger I always promised myself that I would earn everything for myself so that nobody could take it away from me, but now I didn't have much of a choice.
I cross my arms across my body to try and draw some warmth as my damp clothes and now cold sweat send shivers coursing through my body. I hate Malfoy, I really do.
As the day goes by I end up stripping my bed of it's bed sheet and huddling in the thin material for any warmth I can get, when that doesn't do much i grab the curtains and rip them from their rails and make a small nest out of them to make myself a bit more comfortable. I take off my clothes but it's already too late, the cold has gone through to my bones and with nothing to combat it I'm left with my teeth chattering and my body shaking uncontrollably.
And that's how the bastard finds me exactly one week later. I must smell like a barn after a week of no washing and I'm so ill I haven't even been able to stomach the bread I've been getting for the last three days.
"Y-y-y-you." I say murderously as he walks through the door.
Something like guilt glints through his eyes but it's quickly covered with the same stone cold hardness I'm used to, "who, me?"
"Well w-who else? I've b-b-been deprived of-f all interactions if you r-remember correctly." My voice is crackly through disuse and my body still shivers. For the last five days I've been going through the same vicious cycle, I shiver for so long that I get a fever and begin to sweat, then I get cold again which makes the sweat turn into a cold dampness, and then that makes me even worse the next time and so on. In fact the only times I dragged myself away from my little nest was to throw up in the toilet.
"Indeed you have. Now would you like me to draw you a bath or would you like another week of this?"
"T-t-the first one p-please."
"As you wish." With a quick spell the bathroom door reappears so Draco steps over me to reach it and go inside. Not trusting whether it was real on not I wait until I hear him turn the taps on to go inside.
Before he's even finished running it I drag my already naked limbs into the warming harmony of the bubbles and water. Never has a bath felt so good.
"See look, I can give." Draco says.
"And you can take away." I respond bluntly.
"Exactly. I can be good or bad to you depending on whether you are good or bad to me."
"Forcing me to stay in this house is not good for me, not letting me continue my studies is not good for me, punishing me the way you do makes me physically ill." I was glad that my teeth had stopped chattering.
"You need to earn my trust, Ginevra," he tells me, "and so far you're not doing a very good job."
"I do not exist on this planet to please you."
"Oh but I beg to differ. For now at least." Draco winks at me and leaves.
When I do finally leave the bath three hours later my room is back to normal, the curtains are back up, my duvet is back and so are my clothes and shoes. A fire is roaring and the door is unlocked but right now I do not want to go outside, in fact all I want to do is igloo in my duvet and sit by the fire. And so I do just that. I'm still ill but at least now I can start the healing process. Whilst sitting there watching the fire lick and devour the wood it feels like the whole of last week was just a dream.
I really wish it had been.