A/N: You're all very close when you say 'Harry's power is talking to animals.' Not quite it though. You'll just have to wait and see. This one, one more, then the next one will have more Harry! This one and the next one are D/G!!!! (I know you're happy Draco's Lil' Devil)
Draco's Cutie Gal – I'm glad you've come to read this one! I like it better than MS, but that's just me!
arkynn – I don't know who Ron's going to end up with. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them!
Moonshadow – I'm working on it really!!! Just a little hint though, another sphere won't be discovered for two more chapters. Thanks for the reviews!!
This chapter if dedicated to Nightfall, who made my story 'Story of the Week' on her website! I highly recommend her stories, especially the 'Turning Back Trilogy'!!!
Seventh Sphere
By Amanda H (aka
Niffler)
Now or Never
Draco had been growing more and more nervous over the past several days, ever since he received that letter. Today was Sunday. He was supposed to meet his Father and fellow Death Eaters in the Forbidden Forest tonight.
"How can I do it?" He asked himself. The situation seemed hopeless as he sat and picked listlessly at his dinner.
"How can I not? Is it better to die for the right reasons or live for the wrong ones?" He puzzled. He was unaware of the eyes watching him from across the Great Hall.
Ginny watched Draco as he picked at his food. He had barely eaten anything, only moved it around his plate. Trying to be inconspicuous, Ginny focused on him.
"Sadness, anger, confusion." She thought, trying to accurately read what he was feeling. It was difficult with so many others in the room.
"Hate, indecision, longing." Her heart broke for him. He was in such pain and anguish. Suddenly the large Grandfather clock at the side of the hall chimed 7:00. Draco suddenly sat up straight as a board as the chime caught both him and Ginny by surprise. She twisted in her seat to look at the clock. Its roman numerals read 7:00 on the dot.
As it finished its last chime she turned back around. A very puzzled looking Ron was looking at her.
"Ginny, you're not probing Malfoy's mind again, or whatever you were doing?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing her closely.
"Uh, no, of course not." She lied quickly. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"You were staring at him again." He replied, eyebrows raised.
"I was not!" She replied indignantly. "I was only staring into space. I didn't know daydreaming was a crime!"
"Sorry Gin. Just watch where you stare okay?" He asked, returning to his meal.
"Yeah sure, whatever." She replied uninterestedly. She pushed the food around her plate until she was sure Ron was no longer paying attention. Then she quickly turned so she could see Malfoy again. He was gone. A different Slytherin had taken his place. A quick scan of the Great Hall revealed that he had left.
"Oh No!" Ginny thought. "I just know he's in trouble." She leapt out of her seat and hurried to the doors, waving a hasty goodbye to Ron and company.
Ginny burst through the doors and glanced down each hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Malfoy. He was nowhere to be seen.
"If I were Draco were would I be?" She thought, then smirked at her own cliché. "The only place I could get into real trouble. The Forbidden Forest!" Ginny sped down the hall to the door leading outside. She pushed it open with full force and slipped out. She shivered slightly.
"Oooooh. The autumn nights are getting cool." She thought, wrapping her arms around herself as she walked quickly towards the forest. Up ahead she saw a figure wrapped in a black cloak heading for the forest. Ginny sped up and silently approached them from behind.
She froze as an autumn leave crunched under her foot, inches away from her query. He spun around at lightning speed, wand pointed at her surprised face. As Draco recognized her he slowly lowered his wand.
"What are you doing here?" He hissed angrily.
"What do you mean? I'm following you because I know you are going to do something stupid. Something you don't want to." She replied in his hushed tone. "Now care to fill me in on some details?" She asked expectantly. Draco sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"No. Now hurry back to the castle before they catch you." He advised turning away and continuing to the Forest. Ginny followed.
"Who? Who are they?" She persisted.
"Ginny!" Draco sighed. "If you want to be of any help to me at all you should go back to the castle now." He instructed, glancing apprehensively over his shoulder.
"Do you have any idea how much they would love to get their hands on a Weasley?" He whispered.
"No." She replied, a ball of fear growing in the pit of her
stomach.
"I will be brave." She told herself, pushing that ball further down. Draco turned to leave again.
"Draco, you don't have to join them." She said. He turned back.
"You have no idea do you?" He sneered cruelly, looking down at her.
"Maybe not, but I do know that no one has to join you-know-who." She replied, her voice gained strength and courage.
"Some people do." He answered sadly. Ginny could feel his inner torment.
"No." She answered stubbornly. "No one does." He laughed lightly at her. It was a cruel, unfeeling laugh.
"If I don't they'll kill me." He replied matter-of-factly, laughing as though it were a joke.
"Then come back with me to the castle and Dumbledoor will protect you." Ginny answered, almost pleadingly. Draco wavered a moment, then shook his head.
"They won't give up. I can't live in the castle forever."
"You can't live as a Death Eater forever either." She replied matter-of-factly. The name 'Death Eater' tasted foreign and bitter in her mouth. He thought for a moment, but made no move.
"Come Draco." She insisted with strength and courage she didn't know she had. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, but she refused to listen. "Please, come with me." Her words hung heavily in the air, silence draped between the two.
"Alright." Draco finally consented. "But hurry!" He commanded, grabbing her hand and breaking into a run towards the castle. Suddenly a dark figure stepped out of the shadows in front of them His cloak covered his face, the evening shadows hiding his identity. Draco immediately shoved Ginny behind him and looked up at him.
"Father." He said tersely.
"Draco." The figure replied in a matching tone. "Was this not our appointed hour?" He asked.
"Yes." Draco replied.
"Then why are you not in the Forest as I asked?" He asked, his voice low and foreboding.
"I have decided not to come. I will not join you." Draco said determinedly. Ginny gasped from behind him. The man ignored her.
"It was not your decision." He replied.
"I'm making it my decision." Draco said, slightly tilting his chin up. Lucious looked on with an air of disgust.
"You will be forgiven if you come now. If not. . . " He paused. "I would hate to see people get hurt." He sneered, glancing briefly at Ginny, crouching behind Draco. His voice was low and cold. Ginny could sense almost no emotions from him.
He turned to go back to the Forest, obviously expecting Draco to follow. Instead Draco pulled Ginny from behind him and looked her straight in the eye.
"Go back to the castle and tell no one." He commanded earnestly. "That way neither one of us will be killed."
"Draco." The tall man called from ahead. Draco gave Ginny a push, which sent her sprawling to the ground.
"I can take care of myself. Now Go!" He said turning to his father. He ran several yards to catch up with his father's long strides and walked with him into the forest.
A tear slid down Ginny's cheek. She hurriedly wiped it away and stood up, brushing the dirt and leaves from her robes.
"If I go back for help, it will be too late." She thought. "But if I go alone. . ." She left her thought unfinished, biting her lip in concern. Suddenly an idea struck her. She lifted her wand high above her head and shot out red sparks. They seared up into the night sky, gleaming brightly overhead.
"Good." She thought. "I just hope someone sees the sparks." She sighed.
"Alright! Here I go!" She decided, raising her chin and taking a bold step forward. A thick, England fog had begun to roll in. It made the air moist and sticky, weaving in between the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Ginny approached the Forest's boarder cautiously. The fog made it difficult to see very far in front of her so she started trekking in the direction she thought the Malfoy's had gone. She tried to be as quiet as she could, straining her ears for sounds of activity.
Finally Ginny heard the sound of voices to her right. She adjusted her direction and headed for them. Soon the voices were loud enough for her to hear what was being said.
"What do you mean, 'you refuse'!!" A voice bellowed. "Lucious I though you said he would offer no resistance."
"Draco, you have no choice here. You will join us. You will serve our master." Lucious's cold voice cut through the air.
"Your master is nothing but a resurrected memory with no strength of his own and a serious anger management probl,"
"Crucio!" Lucious screamed, cutting Draco off.
"Ahhhhh!" Draco cried out in pain as the curse hit him. Ginny reached the edge of a clearing. She crouched low behind a large bush, parting the branches so she could see inside. Ginny was looking through a semi-circle of Death Eaters. They were all facing Lucious and Draco who was picking himself up off the ground and brushing dirt off his robes. A bright fire was burning behind them
"Draco, I think you should be more grateful. The master himself has taken an interest in your addition." Lucious informed, looking down at his son. He turned and nodded to another dark robed, masked figure in the circle, who stepped forward and threw a handful of powder ceremoniously on the fire. It sparked and cracked, then the flames turned green. The entire semi-circle went down on one knee, bowing their heads to the flames. Lucious glared down at Draco.
"Kneel Draco." He whispered. Draco didn't move.
"KNEEL Draco!" He commanded, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder and pressing him down. Draco resisted and remained standing.
"Imperio!" Lucious hissed. Draco's head snapped back.
"Kneel." He commanded serenely. Draco knelt down on one knee in front of the flames. Ginny could feel the hate and anger burning inside him, smothered by the blanket of the cures.
"Fine Incantium." Lucious hissed, releasing Draco. "Don't get up." He warned. Draco stayed where he was.
Suddenly the green flames crackled and a head appeared in the flames. Ginny's stomach did flip-flops as she watched the face of Voldemort become clearer in the fire. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she gazed upon its hideousness and twisted fury.
"Lucious Malfoy. I see your son is ready to join us." The face hissed. A shiver ran up Ginny's spine and she lowered herself closer to the ground.
"Yes my Lord." He answered, bowing.
"Young Draco Malfoy." Voldemort said, gazing at Draco's hardened face. "You will do great things for me." He hissed, his eyes, mere slits in his face, glowing red.
"I have a special plan in mind for you. A plan that will take you directly to my inner circle." He smiled venomously. "Yes," he said, tilting his head to look Draco in the eyes, "You have much hate and fear. You will do great things for me." He smiled in satisfaction.
"No." Draco proclaimed quietly.
"What was that?" Voldemort questioned, narrowing his eyes further. Lucious kneed Draco in the side.
"Draco." He warned.
"I said, No." Draco repeated, louder and more confidently, raising his chin.
"To what are you saying 'no' boy?" Voldemort asked, the fury evident in his voice as he glared at Draco.
"I am saying, that I will not serve you. Not under any circumstances, not for any price. My answer is no." He said, getting off his knees and looking down at the fire.
"I see." Voldemort's voice rasped in his throat, his face seemed to calm at Draco's resolute refusal. He turned to Lucious.
"I'm sorry you were not able to convince your son to join us." He hissed, though his voice lacked sincerity. "And I'm also sorry for your lose." He grinned maliciously, turning to Draco as he muttered the last few words. Quickly the twisted face in the fire whipped around back to Lucious.
"Extract the Sphere from his brain then kill him." He pronounced sentence, then slowly twisted his face to Draco. "Slowly." He grinned. Draco gulped. From the bushes Ginny felt his raw fear. They were both too afraid to think about what Voldemort had said.
Voldemort raised his chin in the air and immediately the Death Eaters chorused,
"All hail Lord Voldemort." Then, in a small puff of smoke his face disappeared from the fire and the flames returned to normal colour. The Death Eaters rose off their knees and formed a full circle around the two Malfoys.
They stared at each other, eye to eye, as though daring the other to make the first move. Suddenly Draco broke eye contact and bent into a run, trying to escape. The Death Eaters quickly closed off his escape and grabbed him, pulling him back to the center of the circle.
"Draco." His father began, disarming him, and taking out his own wand instead. "You disappoint me son." He smiled cruelly. "Now I am left with the only option of killing you." He said. Draco felt the bile rise in his throat. Escape was impossible, he was doomed.
Ginny watched silently from the bushes as Lucious disarmed Draco.
"What can I do?" She thought. "I'm helpless against a bunch of Death Eaters! But I refuse to let them win!" She decided resolutely.
"Now Draco," his father continued, "this will hurt immensely." His face broke into a cruel smile.
"Crucio!" He commanded. White-hot bolts of pain seared across Draco's face. It felt as though animal claws were ripping off his flesh and his bone burnt with hot iron. Ginny watched as he fell screaming to the ground.
"How can no one hear his screams!" She thought unbelievingly, as Lucious smiled cruelly, holding his wand above the withering Draco.
"Fine Incantium." He finally commanded. Draco's form fell limp on the ground. Lucious kicked him. "Get up boy! This won't work if you're asleep!" He commanded. Grudgingly Draco heaved himself up on his elbows, then his knees and finally to a standing position. Lucious poised to release a spell on Draco.
"Now or never." Ginny thought.
A/N: I know A CLIFFE! But I promise more soon!!! Please R&R!!!!!!!!!!!