Disclaimer: This is a fan fic, meaning, I do not own any Harry Potter characters you recognize, I do not own the settings, and I do not own the parts of the books I've borrowed. That belongs to JKR. The plot you don't recognize is indeed mine. I hope you enjoy my playing in JKR's playground!
Author's Note: Lots of warnings on this chapter, dears. This chapter mentions rape at various points. Please make sure you're in a safe place before you read this.
Chapter 9
Draco asked Luna to come with him to his mother's so they could make a plan on how to rescue their friend. They had notified the prefect Draco saw earlier, but by the time the prefect heard from a professor at the castle, the train had pulled into the station. All Draco and Luna knew was that the Headmistress was aware and would be alert with her contacts at the Ministry for information. Draco knew that was nearly as much as could be done, but he needed to do more. He knew Luna would be a formidable ally, and as of that time, the only one he had. He considered trying to contact Potter, Weasley, and Granger, but they had been on the run for so long that Draco wasn't sure how to contact them. Luna mentioned she had an idea, but wanted to be in a safe place to discuss it, and agreed to come to his mother's to do so.
Draco stayed on the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters as the crowd thinned out, and when there were only a few people standing around he asked Luna to stand close to the wall, hiding in a shadow. He cast a shield followed by a concealment charm on the shield, to hide them just before apparating to the safe house where Severus had hidden his mother.
When they arrived in the foyer, his mother was waiting but was surprised when she saw a blond instead of a red head. "Draco?" she asked, not bothering with formalities as she noticed the distressed look on the two young faces.
"They took her. He took her. The Dark Lord will soon have Ginny if he doesn't already, and we need to find her," he said in a rush. He noticed his mother's glance at the girl beside him who was decidedly not Ginny. "This is Luna Lovegood, and she knows how to contact the Golden Trio to see if they can help."
His mother ushered them into the small living room and started a kettle for tea. She sat them down and asked Draco to start at the beginning, and why the Dark Lord would want the girl. Draco did his best to explain his theory that Dumbledore had placed some spell on Ginny to stop her dreams of Tom the summer after her first year, and when he died, the spell had failed. He explained the intensity of the dreams, sharing some specifics, how often they seemed to occur, and how they were tied to some event. He shared that the last dream she had shared with him prior to the one from today was one from Halloween, when Tom had said Ginny would belong to him.
He then mentioned what little Ginny had said about today's dream on the train before she had disappeared from the lavatory. He said that she thought it looked similar to the Potter's old house in Godric's Hollow, and that she had been in a cellar of sorts, with a bed. And he said that Tom had told Ginny she finally belonged to him.
All the while, Luna had removed a coin from her pocket and had been enchanting it every few minutes. She finally looked up with a smile. "Draco, they can come. They need an apparition point," she said. Draco thought. He didn't like sending a location where it could be intercepted. But the town a mile away, through the forest, would work. He could apparate there and bring them along. He gave the town name to Luna, who quickly sent one last message through the coin. A moment later, she looked up from the coin again. "They'll be there in five minutes."
Draco nodded. "Mother, I think we may need some more tea," he said as he stood. "I'll be back shortly."
-x-
Ginny woke up, knowing from the bump on her head that this was real, even though it looked exactly like her dream. She was trapped in a room, a room with a bed laying on the floor and a bucket in one corner. She patted down her pockets, but she didn't have her wand. She paced out the size of the room, and it was the same as it had been in her first dream of the room. It was just as dim, and she could see the trapdoor above her, and the lock holding it in place.
She tried not to cry, holding herself gently, but she couldn't help a tear leaking out of her eye. She was trapped, she wasn't going to be able to get out on her own, and she wasn't even sure anyone would come looking for her. Stop that. Draco will tell someone, if he can't come himself. She wasn't sure if that was true, but she was fairly confident he would notice she had gone missing. She didn't know what time it was - she could have been gone for days already, or only minutes. But Draco would notice, and Luna would as well. Her friend acted dotty, but she was especially observant.
Ginny knew she should probably sit down and save her strength, but she needed to be moving. Moving meant thinking, and thinking meant still alive and under her own control. Who knew what would happen when she finally saw someone. So she paced, for what seemed like an hour, before she finally sat down. She chose to sit on the floor rather than the bed, as she didn't want to fall asleep. She was sure that letting herself sleep at this point would be giving in too easily. She at least needed to know if she were going to be fed and watered, or if she was to be forgotten.
She wasn't sure how long she sat, though it was long enough to get into a semi-meditative state as Luna had been teaching her, before she heard the lock on the trapdoor open. She stayed seated, not wanting to risk being stunned, and she stared ahead of her instead of looking up as if eager or afraid. She needed to stay calm and rational. She could get out of this if she could keep her wits about her. She flinched at the sound of the trapdoor whinging open, and an oddly familiar odor soon wafted down. It was Tom himself, though she was certain he had Death Eaters training their wands on her as he stood over her, much like her dream had been.
"Ginevra Weasley, my silly little girl," he said. "You have finally arrived. It seems these are the only guest rooms we have available at this time," he said, and she heard someone snicker. "It's not as if you'll need anything more, in any case," Tom continued. He may not look like her Tom, but she needed to keep him firmly in her mind as that. It would be easier to process later.
"Why do you want me?" she allowed herself to ask, trying to keep a note of calm in her voice. She was feeling very anxious, even with the attempt at meditation, but she felt it would be important to put on a brave face to him. He laughed at that question.
"The only daughter in a line of seven, and the first in generations? The magic you possess is the tool I need for a tricky bit of magic. Your heir will be the perfect sacrifice of your magic," he stated, a manic look in her eye that confirmed to Ginny he was mad. But she had heard what he said, and any color that had been in her face quickly drained away. She knew what that meant, as she had no heir, and she knew what that bed was for. She knew what happened to women in muggle wars, and though she hadn't heard of it in the recent wizarding wars, it was occasionally a topic in History of Magic.
She leaned away at his statement as her brain processed what he meant, and he laughed again. "Didn't I tell you that you were to be mine?" he said as he closed to trapdoor again.
Ginny couldn't help it anymore; she curled up into a ball and cried herself into exhaustion, and eventually, sleep.
-x-
Draco had been somewhat surprised when Harry and Hermione arrived by themselves. He didn't ask, but Hermione whispered to him that Ron had walked off months ago and they had been traveling alone. He nodded, and then asked if the pair would trust him to apparate directly to the safe house, so he wouldn't have to inform them of the location. They nodded, and he grabbed their forearms and apparated into the entryway. His mother and Luna were both there, waiting.
"Mister Potter, Miss Granger," his mother welcomed them. "I've some tea prepared in the living area if you'd like to warm up as we chat." Hermione looked at the woman, as if uncertain as to how to assess her, but nodded and pulled Harry after her into the room Luna disappeared into. The woman made seemed to make Hermione nervous, though Draco knew she didn't quite understand why there were there in the first place. She didn't know why Ginny wouldn't have gone home to the Weasley's, as they hadn't had the time to explain when using the coin.
Draco noticed she was lost in thought enough that she did not notice Narcissa personally handing her a cup of tea. "Miss Granger," the woman said quietly. "Do you think you could leave that bit of him in that locket out of the room for this discussion?" Hermione and Harry were both suddenly very alert to what the woman had said, and Hermione checked the chain around her neck. It was visible, and she relaxed slightly but looked at the older woman carefully. "The Dark Lord will play enough of a part in this story, we do not need a bit of his soul trying to listen in, or the dark magic clouding our thoughts," the woman stated firmly, flatly laying out what she knew, and could feel coming from that necklace.
Hermione looked at Harry, and nodded once, sharply. Harry returned the nod. "I can put it in my bag and leave the bag by the door, but within sight," Hermione offered. They could not afford to lose it. Narcissa tilted her head, but nodded after a moment. It would taint the room but not Hermione's mind, at least not as strongly. Hermione removed the locket, and stood to put it on a side table by the hinges of the door, where it couldn't be easily grabbed when one entered or exited the room. She sighed, and took a deep breath when she returned to sit and take her tea. It would only take a moment for the fog to clear.
When she looked back at Harry and offered a weak smile, he smiled back and then turned to Draco. "I believe Hermione and I are rather behind on everything. But most important right now is why are we here, and why does he want Ginny?" Harry said, narrowing in on the two most important questions. He knew that every moment would count for his friend.
Draco launched into an explanation of Ginny's dreams for the third time that day. He went into as much detail as he could manage, knowing that Harry was the only other person in the room who would truly understand the depth of Ginny's dreams. He stressed that he did not think Tom, as he was referring to the Dark Lord for ease, knew of a connection, or was necessarily even sending the dreams. They had all come true in some sense, and did not seem to be trickery. He ended with the dream Ginny had had on the train today, her reaction, and how he knew she had been taken. He pulled out her wand and laid it on the table in front of them.
Harry stared at that wand, and Draco could tell he was processing, and trying to hold back his anger. "Why didn't she tell us about this if they started over the summer?" he finally settled on asking.
Draco sighed. "She said she was afraid you would assume she was like you, and that she would be kept from helping in the fight against Tom. And at that time, we weren't certain if they would continue. We certainly didn't know how frequent they would become," he admitted.
Luna spoke up at that point. "Ginny knew you were planning something over the summer. She told me about it when we came back to Hogwarts in September. She didn't want you to be distracted," she offered. "She was annoyed, some, by the secrets, but she knew what you were planning was necessary to win this war." Luna smiled at them. Ginny loved her friends, and cared for them. She had known that an extra burden on top of whatever they were planning would only hurt them in the end.
Hermione nodded. "We did kind of ignore her over the summer. The day of the wedding was the only day I really spent with her all summer," she admitted, feeling guilty.
"Enough of that now. What is past is past. We need to focus on a plan for now," Narcissa said after allowing them a moment of reflection. "The sooner we can find her, the better for everyone."
Harry had picked up on the connection between his parents' home in her Halloween dream and today's. "I hadn't told Hermione this, but I have been wanting to go to Godric's Hollow. If Ginny thought the place she had been was very similar to my parents', it would be a very good place to start. And since I've been wanting to visit the cemetery, it wouldn't seem too out of place or random for us especially at this time of year," he admitted.
"We all know I'm a bit odd," Luna said, seemingly off topic. "But we also know I can sense things. I'm not a seer, but I can feel people. Harry, you know this from what I've seen for you before. Ginny has a bit of skill as well, but hers always presents as dreams. I've noticed it more with the war, but she showed it when we played together as children too. She'd dream about a game, or a prank from her brothers, and it would happen the next day. I didn't think it was true for these dreams, or I would have mentioned it earlier…" she drifted off, thinking again and not finishing her explanation.
"You know it'll be some sort of trap, even if she isn't there," Hermione said, still practical. She didn't want them to go in the first place, but if it Ginny could be there they didn't have much of a choice. They all knew she didn't believe in divination, but she never doubted Luna's skill to read people or how everything Luna said seemed to come true, not once she got to know the younger woman. If Ginny had dreamed of Godric's Hollow..."It would do us good to have some spare wands when we go." She looked to Draco and Luna at that, and nodded. "What do we need to do to prepare, and when do we leave?"
Narcissa looked at the clock, and sighed. "It's well past time for supper, and while you may do better going at night, going right now unprepared is not going to do anyone any good. Leaving tomorrow at dusk would give you some time to prepare, and sleep in a real bed for a night," she said, looking at the two young adults sitting on her couch. "And if he hasn't changed his habits, you'll have the easiest time of avoiding the Dark Lord at that time. He prefers to do his work at night, and should have only left a few guards behind," she admitted, recalling when her husband would most often disappear.
Harry and Draco both appeared to disagree. "We need to get to her as soon as possible. She could be tortured as we speak," Draco said before Harry could say anything. He looked to Harry, and Hermione, open and wondering what the pair would do if it were just them.
"A light meal, a nap, and let's go at dawn," Hermione suggested. "Surely he would be off to the Ministry by then? And fewer people would be out at dawn to alert anyone to our presence."
The five people in the room looked at each other. No suggestion was going to be ideal, but if they could avoid Tom outright while getting to Ginny as soon as possible, that would be the best. "Mrs. Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"Black. It's Narcissa Black," the older woman cut in, though not unkindly.
"Yes, ma'am. Is it likely he would be elsewhere at dawn?" Hermione asked. Harry and she had not done any tracking of his movements or patterns. They had in fact tried to avoid him as much as possible, but Hermione recognized the older witch was a wealth of knowledge.
"He would be very likely to be wherever his current base is, or out planning his next move. He would be unlikely to be in Godric's Hollow at that time of day unless he is using it as a base, which I do not believe he is. The Manor had been prepared for him at the end of last year," she admitted.
Hermione nodded, and then looked around the room to everyone. "Leave at dawn?" she asked. This would only work if they could all agree.
"Dawn," Luna agreed. Draco and Harry followed suit. Hermione turned to Draco's mother. "Is there room for all of us?" she asked. "And I can prepare some food if you can show me the kitchen. Harry and I haven't had much and could likely only take something light anyway."
Narcissa waved her hand at the young witch. "I have food prepared already, as this was supposed to be a somewhat happier occasion. Let's eat in the kitchen and then you can take whatever beds you can find upstairs. There should be more than enough," she offered. She rose to lead them to the kitchen. The meal wasn't exactly light hearted, but Harry and Hermione asked Draco and Luna about Hogwarts and how the Defence class was going, and in turn offered what little they could share of their search. Hermione was careful to observe Narcissa as she let Harry speak freely. Since she knew about the horcrux Hermione had been wearing (and was now safely in her bag, which was wrapped around her wrist), she was wary of what was said. But she also knew that Draco had taken many pains to keep his mother hidden, and would have had his reasons. She hoped they had made the correct decision in coming.
Narcissa, in turn, was watching the young witch. She knew Hermione was a muggle born, but even she had admitted to Draco in private that the girl was brilliant. Narcissa believed in blood purity, but she could not deny that witches like Hermione Granger belonged in their world. She was in a conundrum with herself over it. She knew the witch was smart, and would distrust Narcissa. She couldn't blame Hermione, but she hoped the witch could trust her enough to sleep. They would need it for their venture in the morning.
When Hermione started going through her bag to gauge what supplies they would need, Narcissa stood and reviewed what the young witch listed off. She couldn't help with the dittany, but she quickly offered a few spare healing potions she did happen to have on hand. She asked Hermione if they would need any Dreamless Sleep, but the witch declined, mentioning that Harry hadn't had a dream in quite some time, and she preferred to sleep lightly - just in case. The older witch nodded. She reviewed the list of food items Hermione had left out, and made a note of what she could supply the young woman with in the morning, before sending them up to bed.
Narcissa chose to stay up most of the night, preparing breakfast while at the same time baking some flat bread that Hermione and Harry would be able to carry easily and reheat over a fire for some more substantial meals. She scoured her cupboards for long-lasting food, but only found some beef jerky she hadn't ever eaten - she had assumed Severus had enjoyed it. She felt he would be okay with her giving it to the pair that the fate of the war appeared to rest on. She knew that even with stasis charms, any fruit she sent would get bruised and rotten. She wasn't sure how the pair had been surviving, but if the bread and dried meat could give them something more substantial for at least a little while it would be worth it.
When the four teenagers woke, Narcissa had a light breakfast of porridge and fresh fruit ready, and the few sausages she had allowed were done by the time the last one came down the stairs. They ate quickly, had a second cup of tea at her urging, and Narcissa took the chance to pull Hermione aside and offer her the food she had prepared. "I wish I had more, but the bread is fresh unleavened and should last a while, and the dried meat even longer. I found a few spare bandages and gauze as well. I noticed that cut on your hand had gotten quite dirty," she mentioned. "Keeping it covered would help it heal so you could hold your wand more confidently."
Hermione thanked the woman, and quickly put everything in her bag. They returned to the group, and Draco raised an eyebrow at her, but she just mouthed 'Supplies,' and let him be. As they prepared to apparate away, Draco to take Luna and Harry to take Hermione, she wished them luck. As soon as they were gone, she made certain she had another bed for the young redhead, and when that was in order, she promptly fell asleep on the couch, where she knew she would hear them upon the group's return.
-x-
The group arrived in the Hollow, hopefully unseen. Harry tossed his invisibility cloak at Draco and Luna, who agreed to use it to follow Harry and Hermione to the cemetery. They four walked there and Harry eventually found his parents' grave. Luna and Draco stood back, giving him room. Luna mentioned to Draco that she hadn't visited her mother's grave in quite some time, but might like to do so after seeing Harry's connection to his parents' grave.
Soon after Harry knelt to the ground to speak to his parents, Draco felt they were being watched. He looked around, and noticed an old woman staring at Harry and Hermione. Luna made a bird call, and Harry looked up. He noticed the woman, who was beckoning at them to follow her, though she was silent. Harry asked if she was Bathilda Bagshot, and she nodded. Harry turned to Hermione, raised an eyebrow, and decided to follow. Draco and Luna trailed them, still under the cloak, until they approached a house. Draco had noticed most of the houses in the Hollow were the same. Draco hoped they were in the right place.
Draco was hit by the smell in the house right away, and knew something was very wrong. He hung back, using an arm to stop Luna from moving forward. Harry continued upstairs, following the woman, while Hermione stayed downstairs. As soon as they were alone, Draco pulled off the cloak and handed it to Hermione. "Something isn't right," he whispered. "And why is she so important?"
Hermione sighed. "Bagshot supplied Skeeter with information for the book that witch wrote on Dumbledore. Harry wants the truth," Hermione admitted. She turned, and looked around at the rooms around them. "From the few pictures Harry has from his parents' home, this looks very similar. Do you think we'll find a trapdoor? Something is fishy," she said. The odd feeling to run was prickling her neck, and she wanted to get out of there.
Luna was searching and made her way to the back of the first floor, where she assumed they would find a kitchen. She saw something - not quite a trapdoor, but definitely an oddity in the floor, and called out to the two to come to the back. They rushed in, and she pointed at the floor, but before they could open the trapdoor, the ceiling fell in on the hallway and Harry was calling out to Hermione, "He's coming! His snake is here!"
The snake and Harry both fell through the ceiling. Harry had cast a disarming charm, in hopes of blasting the snake away with the first spell that came to mind, but as he fell, it hit Draco instead. Harry caught the blonde's wand, but quickly tossed it back so he could help fight the snake. The snake lunged at Harry again, and Hermione used a blasting curse to move the snake out of the way. It caught Harry's wand hand and ripped his wand out of his hand, splitting it nearly in two. He quickly slipped it into his sleeve, hoping it could be repaired, but knowing he was out of commission. He ran across the room so he was behind Hermione, and called out to her that they needed to leave. Tom was coming. Hermione used another blasting curse against the snake and it flew out the window. Harry grabbed her and she apparated them away, but he saw Luna open the oddity in the floor before they disappeared.
Draco peered down, and saw a bed. He gulped, but tried to keep his composure when he saw a redheaded girl curled up on herself, wearing nothing but her shirt. It was long enough to cover everything, but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he jumped down and pulled Luna after him. They would have to apparate away quickly and he didn't want to have to carry the redhead out of the room to get to Luna.
"Ginny," he called out; he noticed she was shivering. He approached her, wanting to be slow but knowing they would shortly be out of time. "Ginny, love, we need to get you out of here," he said, slowly, as he sat down on the bed. He could see blood stains on the sleeves of the shirt, and he started to worry. She also had some fresh cuts on her legs in patterns he feared he recognized. "Love, I'll carry you, I just need you to turn towards me," he called. "We need to leave quickly, Ginny," he begged. She didn't budge.
Luna sat down next to Draco and tried. "Ginny, we can take you somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden. We can get you help. Draco only wants to help you, love, he's hurting seeing you hurt," she said gently, and at hearing the young woman's voice, Ginny moved. It looked as if she were trying to turn, but couldn't.
"Help me," she managed to get out. A crash could be heard from above, and Ginny flinched.
Draco picked her up and Luna placed a hand on his arm. "Mother and Luna will do everything they can, love," he assured, even as his friend tensed at his touch and shivered harder. He apparated away as a shadow loomed over the trapdoor.
-x-
Luna and Draco were waiting on Narcissa, who was upstairs with Ginny. Luna had received a message on her coin shortly after they returned. 'Safe?' it had read. Luna replied back with two words, 'Safe. Home.' They hadn't heard anything more, but Draco didn't expect to. The pair had to continue with their hunt, and while he knew they cared and would come back if they could, Draco had a niggling feeling that Hermione would be working to remove the incriminating memories of the location from their minds. They would remember the conversation and what they had done, but nothing of the location. If she could do similar work to her parents, as he knew she had, she wouldn't hesitate to do so for this knowing Ginny was here.
The young witch waiting with him stood, and moved to go up the stairs. "She changed the word on my bracelet. She's awake," Luna explained, and Draco quickly followed her. Luna knocked on the door lightly. Narcissa opened it and exited, holding up a hand to pause any immediate comments.
"I just want to warn you before you go in," she said. "Draco, it is as you believed when you explained to me about her seeming to be afraid of you. Someone was very rough with her, and enjoyed knife play." She raised an eyebrow at her son, and shook her head for him to keep quiet. "She is no longer an innocent, and from what little she told me, Tom expects her to bear him an heir. She signed a magical binding contract swearing not to harm any offspring, though she was tricked into it," she explained. Draco closed his eyes, and Luna gasped.
"May I see her?" Luna asked. Narcissa nodded and let her in, but looked at Draco.
"It was him, wasn't it?" Draco asked. He couldn't look his mother in the face. His gaze was instead focused on her always-covered arms, and wondering if Ginny would have scars like his mother.
Narcissa nodded. "I believe so. I don't think she knows for certain, but she noticed the scars when I rolled up my sleeves to work on hers. She recognized the pattern as similar to what I was trying to heal away. He didn't have the right kind of blade; she won't scar as heavily as me. He did seem particularly aggressive over the scars already on her arms." She raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't push for an answer.
Draco wanted to scream, but knew it wouldn't help anyone. "Lucius belongs in hell," he said vehemently. He tried to calm down, and when he thought he could handle it, he asked his mother's honest opinion. "Do you think she'll even want to see me again?"
"She was asking for you," his mother replied. "But I felt you needed to know, just in case she has any more involuntary reaction," she explained. She motioned towards the door. "Draco, she probably will. She's strong, though. I...I'll be right outside if you need me."
Draco slowly opened the door and slipped inside, Luna was sitting on the bed with Ginny, holding her friend and petting her hair as they spoke. Luna motioned for Draco to come closer when she noticed him, and pulled Ginny closer as the young woman started to tense. "I'm right here, and Narcissa is just out in the hall," Luna was saying to the girl. "No one can find us here. Harry and Hermione are safe," she continued, squeezing Ginny as she mentioned Harry. "And Draco would die before he chose to hurt you. His aura just wants to protect you," Luna said as she continued to stroke Ginny's hair.
Ginny shuddered, but she looked at Draco and tried to smile. It came out as more of a grimace, and Draco decided it would be best if he stayed at the foot of the bed. He chose to sit on top of the trunk at the foot, where he couldn't reach her and where she could see him in practically full view. "Hi," he managed.
Luna looked at him while she continued to hold the girl. "Ginny thinks I need to go home to my father. But I told her that Daddy would understand that I'm needed here until she can be comfortable around you again," Luna told him.
"Your father will be worried that you never came home," Ginny rasped out.
Luna smiled at her friend, though she couldn't see it. "Love, you know Daddy doesn't know today from three weeks ago. Besides, I changed my charm that belongs to him so he'll know I'm safe, with friends," she explained.
"Luna," Ginny tried again. "Family is more important."
Luna sighed. "You are my family, silly. Friends are just as much family as blood," she said.
This time, Ginny sighed. "Your father needs you, Luna. You told me that yourself. I...I will be okay," she tried. She knew she was pushing away one of her best friends, but she also knew that at times like these, family was the most important. Luna's father did need her, and Ginny wanted her friend to take care of the only blood relation she had left.
"Ginny," Draco said, noticing a slight flinch at hearing his voice. "Luna is correct. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't help you like she can."
The redhead looked at him for a minute, scanning her eyes up and down his body and all over his face. "You and I," she said, pausing. "We will be okay." She looked down at her hands, and she whispered, more to herself, as if to reassure herself. "You aren't him. And you aren't Tom."
The three sat quietly, Luna continuing to stroke Ginny's hair, and Draco trying to think of everything but what Ginny had just confirmed. Narcissa came in, carrying a tray of tea. Draco hoped she had remembered that Ginny preferred peppermint. His mother set down the tray, and Draco rose to help her distribute. He approached the bed slowly, carrying a cup of tea in each hand. Draco gave one cup to Luna, and held out the other for Ginny. She took it, and he was careful not to touch her fingers. He returned to the table to take his own cup, and chose to sit back on the trunk at the foot of the bed while his mother moved to the chair next to Ginny.
There was something about peppermint tea that caused Ginny to want to talk about what was bothering her. It had been this way when she was a child, and as much as she did not want to talk tonight, it was the same way. About halfway through her cup, she started to speak. She told of what Tom had told her about wanting her heir, because she was the first girl in many generations and therefore had powerful magic she could pass to an heir. She spoke of crying, until she fell asleep. She spoke of waking to pain in her legs, and noticing she was bound to the bed. Someone had cut her arms deep enough to wake her, though she found she had been dosed with something to make her agreeable to everything at that point. She suspected a love potion. It was then that she had signed the contract Narcissa had mentioned earlier, before she was stunned into unconsciousness again.
Ginny paused, and finished her tea. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed the strength of Draco's hand. She looked at him, and pointed to the space next to the bed. There was a second chair there, and she thought she could reach his hand from there. Draco moved, slowly, and sat in the chair. When she extended her right hand towards him, he took it gently, not knowing what to expect. She squeezed his hand and held it as she continued.
She told them of how she had been woken the next time to more intense pain in her legs. She told them of how her arms had followed her legs this time, and she openly stared at Narcissa, unable to stop herself as she spoke of the pain, her screams, and how it only seemed to push the unnamed death eater even further. She explained that she knew what was to come, and knew she couldn't prepare herself. It was ripped from her before knew what was happening. The man laughed the more she screamed in pain, until she finally understood that the more she screamed, the worse it would be. She fought her mind to be quiet, and finally settled on biting her tongue instead. Her fingernails cut into her palms, and she begged to Merlin for it to stop. She didn't know how long it was, but she must have passed out, because the next thing she remembered was waking up, curled in on herself and Luna and Draco, apparently, opening the door. She thought that if she didn't move, they would leave her alone for a while longer. She hadn't known it was them until Luna spoke up. There had been no women in the group, and it was Luna's voice that had convinced her in her haze they weren't Death Eaters come back for her.
Ginny's hand squeezed Draco's more as the story progressed, until he was certain she was trying to break his hand. But he would take whatever she had to give, to pay for his father's actions. She soon realized he was crushing his hand, and loosened her grip but didn't let go. "You. Aren't. Him," she said slowly when she realized what she was doing, giving each word emphasis, to remind herself as much as Draco.
Luna hugged her friend closer, and rocked her until Ginny was calm. She murmured to her, nonsense words and lullabies, until Ginny begged Luna to at least go visit her father. Luna, knowing Ginny was stubborn and wouldn't drop it, said she would go to her father tonight once Ginny was safely asleep, but that Ginny was to use her bracelet if she needed anything. Ginny agreed, part of her mind able to be at ease that she wasn't keeping a family apart as the holidays neared. She fell asleep a short time later.
Luna rose from the bed and helped settle Ginny in a more comfortable sleeping position, while Narcissa found a dreamless sleep potion and set it next to the bed. It was only early afternoon, but she was certain the young girl would need a dose when she woke in order to get some peaceful sleep that evening. Draco, at a loss as to what to do, cleared the teacups and took the tray back to the kitchen. His mother and Luna soon joined him.
"I'm worried about leaving," Luna admitted. "She may close in on herself, like after Tom."
Draco nodded, and Narcissa looked between the two. "I'll ensure she at least gets out of bed every day, even if only for meals. We can do our best to keep her entertained," the older witch stated. "And I'll talk to her, woman to woman, as often as she needs," she continued. Ginny and she had more in common than she would like to admit to the observant blond witch in front of her.
Luna looked at Narcissa carefully, taking in the truth of her statement. "I know you will. Your soul is reaching for hers," she said out of the blue. The girl then smiled, back to her cheery disposition. "Draco, could you apparate me home?" she asked. She couldn't legally apparate for another few months, and she didn't want to bring the Ministry down on her home. Draco nodded, and as soon as Luna had gathered her things from the living room, she gave Narcissa a long hug, and turned to offer Draco her arm.
Narcissa hoped the girl's faith in her and Draco wouldn't prove to be misplaced. Narcissa hadn't felt whole herself since before Draco's birth.
-x-
The first week Ginny spent with Draco and Narcissa, she felt as if they were all walking around on ice. She had wanted to push the memories to the back of her mind, put them into a box, and forget about it, much as she had tried with her experience with Tom and the Chamber of Secrets. But after two nights of nightmares and waking up screaming and scrambling for a knife (one Narcissa had quickly but silently removed from her reach when Ginny dropped it in fear upon seeing her arms), she knew it wasn't going to work any better this time around than it had when she was eleven. It was worse, this time, because she knew she was hurting her friend for something he didn't do. But she couldn't get her mind around it. She saw how every flinch she made hurt Draco more, but she was afraid.
Draco was avoiding her, even though it was hard to do in the small home. She had set up a chess board by the fire in the living area, but it sat unused. She couldn't stand to read any of her defence books just yet - they hadn't helped her when she had been trapped on the train, and she thought her classmates would think her a failure and unworthy to be leading the group if they learned of it. She would have to inform the Headmistress when they returned to Hogwarts...if she made it back. She knew that Tom was furious, she had seen it in her dream the previous night, one where she woke screaming yet again, needing the comfort Draco had always provided, but afraid to let him touch her. Still, she felt it helped to have him sit near her while Narcissa held her gently.
She joined Narcissa for tea every day that week, but it took her until Thursday to ask the woman anything personal. It was slightly ridiculous, seeing as the woman had seen her naked, and treated her wounds, healed the cuts Ginny knew she recognized and hadn't mentioned the older scars, and had even helped apply a balm to her bruised nether region. If she could trust a woman on personal matters, it was this woman. But she was afraid, and she didn't know what to say, so they had kept to neutral topics until Ginny found herself asking a very personal and inappropriate question. "Was Draco planned?" she found herself asking. She quickly turned bright red when she realized what had left her lips, and she hid her face while she apologized profusely, stating she would pack up her things and leave immediately, even though logically she knew she had nowhere to go. Luna's would have been an option but she hadn't heard from her friend all week (another worry).
But instead of the cold, emotionless face she expected, Ginny found herself enveloped in a giant hug. Narcissa knew how much hurt was in that question, for the both of them, and knew how much Ginny needed to hear that it could be okay. She knew some of the young woman's struggles with acceptance, and knew Ginny feared her family would turn against her if they knew. Narcissa knew that Ginny needed to hear that even though she knew what Tom wanted and had all but ensured it would happen, that she could be okay, would be supported, and she could survive the outcome. And, to some degree, she needed to know how to completely trust Draco again.
"Draco wasn't planned," Narcissa told the young girl as she held her close. She guided the girl to a couch, rather than the table they had been sitting at. "Draco's father is a very good manipulator. He knew exactly what to say while we were dating and what to say to my family. He also knew how far he could push before I would finally snap and leave. Or he used to," she started to explain.
She explained to the girl how Lucius hadn't ever planned on children, and how she hadn't wanted to bring any into the world once she really knew how Lucius would be. It was a few weeks after a particularly rough night that she had realized she was pregnant. She hadn't been sure of what to do. Lucius would be no father to the boy, she was certain, but she hadn't had the skill to brew the delicate poison she would need. She had gone to Severus, but he hadn't been willing to brew the poison for her either, even knowing how Lucius was towards those he only wished to control. Instead, he offered to be godfather to the child, and to swear to protect the child under oath if Narcissa required. She had agreed, but feared it would be null when she finally had to tell Lucius.
Lucius had let her keep the child, and she worried through the entire pregnancy. When Draco was born, with his father's eyes and hair, she silently wept. She hadn't known how to love a child who already seemed to reflect the man he could turn into if she couldn't keep him protected. She explained how every smile the baby gave, how his giggles, how is soft demeanor through his toddler years taught her to love him. That he was inherently good and just needed a guiding hand to keep him on the right path.
Ginny cried. She had seen Narcissa's scars, and she felt she had known what they meant. But to hear the older woman admit that she had at first struggled because of his resemblance to his father, that had actually made her feel a little better. She knew that Draco was not his father, but she was afraid. If she was honest with herself, it wasn't actually Draco. She wasn't comfortable discussing Harry, or Neville, or any of her male friends. She was afraid of what had happened to her, and she didn't know how to overcome that fear. She asked Narcissa how she had overcome it, how she had been able to be so comfortable around males.
"I started with someone I knew I could trust, and spent more time with him until I was comfortable," she said. "It was a slow process since I didn't get out of the house much. Lucius was the only other person in the Manor regularly for years. I do think it could be easier for you," she said, as she gazed up at the ceiling, in the direction of Draco's room.
Ginny nodded. With Narcissa here, especially, she knew she could trust Draco. She had already known that. She didn't know how to explain to him why she was acting this way, though. "I think I've hurt his feelings, and broken his trust in me," she whispered as she pulled her knees towards her chest.
Narcissa rested a hand on her back, comforting her as best she could. "I'll talk to him, Ginny," she reassured her. "I think he's more confused as to why he is hurt over it, not your reaction. He's never really been allowed to feel concern for anyone, other than perhaps myself."
-x-
Ginny woke up when she heard someone calling her name. She was confused; the last thing she remembered was Narcissa walking up the stairs towards Draco's room. She found she was curled up in a ball and lying on her side on the same couch she had been sitting on earlier when she and Narcissa took tea. She supposed the discussion had taken more out of her than she thought. The red head sat up slowly, looking around to see who was calling her and noticing Draco was leaning against the doorframe.
"Mother has supper ready," he said. "She wasn't certain if you would feel up to eating or not," he explained.
She stood and stretched, her back popping as she did, and she blushed a bit as it had been quite loud in the quiet room. "I think food is exactly what I need right now," she responded softly. She walked towards Draco, reminding herself that he was her friend and she could trust him. He motioned for her to go ahead of him, but she wasn't quite that trusting yet, so she grabbed his wrist instead and pulled him into place beside her. She felt better being able to see him out of the corner of her eye. "Do you maybe want to play a game of chess after supper? It's okay if you don't," she asked, then quickly back peddled.
Draco took her hand and gently squeezed it. "I would love to beat you in a game of chess," he teased.
"Oh, you think you can win, do you?" she teased back, falling on a comfortable conversation they often had before an evening of chess. "Well, we'll just see about that," she said as they entered the kitchen.
"See about what?" Narcissa asked as she poured three glasses of warm pumpkin juice.
"Draco thinks he can beat me in a game of chess," Ginny said, a bit shyly. She wasn't used to teasing in front of the older witch, yet.
"Unfortunately, we're at a tie in number of games won between us," Draco added, smiling. "So it could really go either way."
Narcissa smiled, pleased that Ginny seemed to be able to focus on one piece of normalcy right now. "Well, I've been meaning to spend some time in the living room, organizing so we can set up a Christmas tree. You two can enjoy your game while I reorganize," she said as they sat down to enjoy the stew Narcissa had started that morning. She wanted to be nearby, just in case Ginny needed anything. But she had the ulterior motive of wanting to watch her son's friendship with this young girl blossom.
After a quick meal, and even quicker clean up thanks to the few waves of a wand, the three retired to the living room for the evening, a sense of peace falling over the house for the first time all week.
-x-
The two weeks leading up to the traditional Solstice allowed Ginny to slowly learn what her new normal was to be. She and Draco worked on their friendship, though Ginny soon tired of Draco trying to treat her as if she were made of glass. She understood why he did so, but she was frustrated and wanted to feel normal again, even if that meant she might sometimes be afraid for no reason. Draco was all she had at that time that was close to her sense of normal, so one day she finally got angry and yelled at him.
Her eyes widened and she went completely white when she realized that she had actually yelled at Draco. She thought she was going to be sick - she had probably just damaged their friendship beyond repair. She tried to apologize, but barely got an apology out before she ran out of the room and upstairs to her room. Narcissa entered the living room where she had left the teens, just in time to hear Ginny's door slam shut. "What happened?" she asked her son.
Draco ran his hand through his hair. "Apparently I'm treating her like a porcelain doll. But I'm afraid I might hurt her, mother," he explained, having taken in Ginny's words but unsure of how he should act even after hearing her arguments.
"She is trying to figure out how to be normal again. She wants you to treat her like nothing has changed," his mother responded.
"But it has changed," Draco said.
Narcissa nodded. "Yes, you have both changed because of this. But if Ginny wants your friendship to be normal, like it was before, you'll both need to work on it. She might get angry over some things, and you might too. That's okay. That's part of any friendship," his mother tried to explain to him. She knew that actual friendship was new to him, and he needed reassurance that he could act normal in this situation.
The older witch turned to look at the Christmas tree they had decorated just days ago. It was a happy tree, perhaps the first one since her time at Hogwarts. Ginny had asked to transfigure a few odds and ends into ornaments that reminded her of home, and Narcissa had happily agreed. The ones Ginny had made were tasteful, but gave the tree a spark of life that the Malfoy trees had always missed. "We're all learning to adapt to a new normal, this year," she spoke out loud, to no one in particular but catching Draco's attention.
He nodded, turning to gaze at the tree as well. He had been happy with the additions, and had snuck a few of his own on the tree. It had been a fun, normal afternoon. He guessed that was more of what Ginny needed - he just didn't know how to act when he noticed her hesitation or notice her flinch at something. If his mother was correct, he needed to learn to accept that as perhaps a part of their new normal. He could do that, he knew. It was something he could box up and put behind a wall in his mind.
About an hour later, while Draco was reading one of Ginny's defensive theory books and Narcissa was caught up in an arithmancy text, Ginny ran down the stairs, tears running down her face. Draco looked up and as soon as he saw the tears, he stood and went over the where Ginny was standing, staring into the room as if seeing everything and nothing at once. He pulled her into a hug without even thinking about it, and the girl collapsed against him. He turned his head to look at his mother, and saw her pointing at the couch. He picked up Ginny, surprised when she clung tighter, and he walked her over to the couch. He tried to let her go when he laid her down, but she clung to his shirt, so he maneuvered her into a position where he could sit next to her.
"He's looking for me. He needs me for the Solstice," she cried out. "He's angry that he hasn't been able to find me. He knows I must be somewhere secret kept. He wants to hunt down anyone who might know where I'll be...what about my family?" she continued. "I didn't even stop to think of the danger they could be in if he thought they knew where I was hiding!" she cried even harder at that.
Narcissa was listening as she quickly prepared tea, the peppermint that the young girl enjoyed so much. When it was ready and Ginny seemed to be finished speaking, for now, she pushed a mug into the girl's hand and guided it to her mouth, to help her drink and begin to calm down. Draco was unconsciously rubbing small circles across Ginny's back to try to calm her, and between the two of them, Ginny started to calm. Her crying lessened, until only a few tears were leaking out of her eyes, and she slowly released her grip on Draco's shirt.
"Your parents will be safe," Narcissa said quietly. "I'm certain the Headmistress has prepared them well for every possibility, especially as Mister Potter was a frequent visitor. This additional reason will not alter their preparations; it will just keep them more alert."
"Do they even know?" Ginny asked. She knew she shouldn't contact them, so she hadn't tried.
Narcissa sighed. "There was a short article in the Prophet the day after you were rescued, mentioning a Weasley had escaped and that a reward was being offered for information. Shortly after, the Headmistress contacted me to ask if it was true. When I confirmed you had been kidnapped but had returned safely and you were being cared for, I'm sure she contacted your parents in whatever way she felt was safest, considering," she admitted. She hadn't wanted to worry the girl at the time.
Ginny stared at her tea. "You didn't tell them anything more than I had been kidnapped?" she asked carefully.
"No. That is for you to tell if and when you wish," Narcissa confirmed.
The girl breathed in a deep and shuddering breath before slowly releasing it. "He can't find me here? What about what Luna knows? We haven't been able to reach her since she left!" She knew it wasn't for lack of trying, and in fact Narcissa has insisted she stopped trying, for safety, and had notified the Headmistress so her contacts could look into it.
Draco shook his head, even though she couldn't see it. "No. The secret is safe. Luna asked me to oblivate her memories when I returned her to her father. She had written down the details she needed, but didn't want to remember anything about the location. I trust Harry and Hermione did something similar," he confirmed.
She leaned in towards Narcissa at that, with a whispered, "I'm so very sorry."
"You've nothing to be sorry for, love," Narcissa whispered back. "He is a madman, and you did nothing wrong. It is not your fault." It was something she had been repeating to Ginny often.
The three stayed on the couch most of the afternoon and evening, discussing what traditions they wanted to try for Christmas. Ginny hadn't felt very hungry and declined supper, instead continuing to drink the peppermint tea that was holding her stomach at bay. The thought of Christmas food was making her queasy, and as Narcissa seemed to catch on when Draco couldn't, she quickly changed the subject to gifts and other traditions of the day.
By the end of the evening, Ginny was almost feeling normal. She gave both Narcissa and Draco a hug before she went up to bed.
