Chapter 26

"THIS is it?" asked Genny. They were all staring at a worn down muggle neighborhood. In front of them were two large houses, number eleven and number thirteen grimwauld place.

"Are we at the right place?" asked Emily. "I don't see a number twelve anywhere!"

Hermione shook her head and smiled. We're at the right place. You two just can't see it yet. You need a notice from the secret keeper or something. Ron and I will go in and tell them we're all here. They'll HAVE to let us in. They can't just leave us out here."

Genny looked down miserably. "They won't let me in."

Hermione looked concerned. "Why? The Weasley's are in there, and your related to them! They have to let you in."

Genny shook her head, "It's not that simple."

Emily saw a muggle car swing around the corner. She was about to warn them to act like muggles, when the car stopped next to them and the door swung open. Before anyone had a chance to react, somebody grabbed Emily and Genny and pulled them into the car. Emily tried to scream, but found herself no longer in control of her body. Somebody had spread something slimy on her forehead. There was a screaming roar in her ears, and she saw Genny squeezing her eyes tight next to her, and felt the car zooming away before she passed out. The last thing she heard was Hermione screaming, "Harry, we have to save them!"

Emily groaned as the world spun back into focused. Everything was blurry. Suddenly she remembered what had happened. As if it had hit her in the face, she slumped backwards and found herself against a cold, hard wall. "Genny?" she whispered, hoping desperately for a reply.

Somebody groaned next to her. Emily's vison was slowly getting back to normal, and she saw Genny's vivid red hair spread out on the floor next to her. Genny was lying on the ground, slowly waking up.

Emily rubbed her eyes and finally realized where they were. Surrounding the two girls were rock walls. On one wall were bars, tightly fitted together so that Emily's hand couldn't even reach through them. The whole place gave off an alien feel. Emily shivered. It was also freezing! Why hadn't she brought a heavy cloak?

She shook Genny. "Genny, wake up. We're in serious trouble!"

Genny waved her hand at Emily, as if waving away a bad dream. "Go back to sleep, Emily," she groaned. "We have transfiguration later."

"We won't if you don't get up," said Emily crossly.

"All the more reason to stay in bed."

Emily snarled at her. She found a dirty pitcher of water and threw its contents at Genny.

"Hey!" she shouted, waking up immediately. Her eyes widened as she saw where they were. "This cannot be happening. No!" She whispered, her voice growing a bit louder until she finally screamed her last word. She hugged her knees and tucked in her head as if that would make it all go away.

"Genny, we don't know where we are. We have to stay calm. Don't lose your head just yet," Emily ordered her.

Genny just shook more. "Lose our heads. Yeah, exactly. Lose our lives along with our heads. This is awful!" She looked up at Emily. "I know where we are. I've been here before."

Emily felt relief wash over her. Genny would never have been anywhere too dangerous. "Great. Where?"

"Lucius Malfoy's dungeons. Voldemort gave the orders for us to be brought here. He's always the one to order prisoners captured."

Emily froze. 'Oh, so not so good,' she thought. "Why were you here before?" she asked, then interrupted herself. "More importantly, why did they take us?"

"They took you to blackmail your dad," Genny answered solemnly. "And me to try to recruit or kill. They should know better by now! I'm not going to join them!" She began to cry again.

"Genny, why would they think you would join them?" asked Emily confused. It made sense for them to kidnap Emily as blackmail for Lupin; he was very important in the Order. But why Genny?

"My parents," she sobbed. "My stupid, evil, good-for-nothing parents. I hate them! Why are they doing this to me?"

Emily took a deep breath. In dangerous situations people always thought of themselves and their troubles first, but Genny was the one in need of help- not Emily. Emily hugged her. "I'm sorry, Genny. I don't understand. Please explain."

Genny wiped her eyes. "You know how I told you my parents are Death-Eaters and I've been moving around, living with all my relatives?"

Emily scarcely remembered. "Yes," she replied anyway. "You said you had refused to become a Death-Eater."

"There's more," moaned Genny. "I lived with my parents for a little bit at one point when they wanted me back and I liked Draco Malfoy. You know" she winced, "really liked Malfoy. Strictly speaking we're far enough related that I could do that…"

Flashback

Genny peered down both hallways and then scurried out of her hiding space. She ran to the door and pulled on the doorknob as hard as she could as if a rampage of lions was after her.

"C'mon! Open you damn door!" she begged. There was no point in begging a door. After all, it wasn't about to pity her and open. Doors just don't work like that these days.

Genny gave up and ran from the door. 'I need another way to get out of here!' she though desperately.

"Going somewhere?" asked an amused voice from right next to her and she passed a place where two corridors met.

Genny yelped and tried to keep running, but the man had grabbed her arm.

"The Dark Lord will not be pleased that you try to run away," he said tonelessly.

Genny struggled helplessly to pull out of his grasp. It was no use. She looked up at the merciless blond man who had recaptured her. His eyes were cold and steely. 'Lucius Malfoy,' she thought with disgust. Why had her parents brought her to this awful manor? It was a dungeon without bars.

"Tell your damn lord that I don't give a damn! I don't care that my damn parents made me come here with you damn freaks! You and your damn Death-Eater friends can just bow down to the Dark Lord like the slaves that you are," she spat at him.

He threw her to the ground and leered over her making her cringe away from him. "You will not insult the Dark Lord," he hissed at her. "You will be a Death-Eater and you will like it!"

"I won't!" Genny shouted at him. Her ten year old mind somehow had the hope of escaping still.

Malfoy dragged her into a large ballroom, with the banners of Slytherin House and Voldemort hanging on the walls. "I have her, my lord," he said, bowing to a tall figure.

Genny refused to look at Voldemort. Eye contact was essential for legilimency, she had learned once. That time she had been foolish and clueless. Now she knew better.

"Stop struggling," commanded Genny's dad, slapping her face. Tears formed in Genny's eyes but she defiantly tried to hold them in.

"Do it quickly, my lord," said Genny's mother with no expression- no sign of caring for her only child at all.

"Atra Stigma," Voldemort hissed pointing his wand at Genny's left forearm.

She screamed in pain as searing heat blasted her arm, branding her with the Dark Mark for the rest of your life.

In her pain, tears and all, she heard the Death-Eaters around her laughing and Voldemort, with joy in his voice, saying, "And now you are my slave, forever bound to me and my evil."

Faces swung around her laughing horribly. He parents, Malfoy, Voldemort…everyone else there it seemed,"

End of Flashback

Genny was crying endlessly now. "It was awful. Now I'm his slave. He could command me if he wanted and I'd have to obey."

"Genny, it's fine. I doubt he really has that much power over you. It's just a mark on your arm. It's nothing!" comforted Emily.

Genny shook her head, "No. It's magic. It's evil. He has control of me."

"What did that have to do with you liking Draco Malfoy?" asked Emily carefully. She didn't want to upset Genny, but she was very curious.

Flashback

"Are you okay?" asked Draco Malfoy, helping Genny to her feet.

She wiped her face. The tears that had flooded down her face only minuted ago were slowing. She had run out of the room once she had regained control of her body. "Yes. Yes, I am, thank you." She pulled her hand away. She didn't need this son-of-a….well, not a very nice person.

"I remember when he did it to me. It hurt like hell," offered the younger Malfoy. "Ice helps a little bit. If you want, I'll get a house elf to bring some."

Genny nodded, thankfully, "That would be nice."

End of Flashback

"He was nice to me for some reason," she explained.

"But he threatened Harry that day in the Three Broomsticks," Emily pointed out.

Genny nodded. "I don't think he and Harry ever really got along. He's not really that evil though."

"Genny! He killed Hogwart's old Headmaster! He's evil," Emily shouted.

"He probably had to. Besides, he didn't. He couldn't do it. Snape did it for him. I'd know. I was there. You were still at the school with the muggles."

Emily stuck out her tongue. "Too bad I was with the stupid, clueless muggles instead of fancying an evil git!"

"I'll have to remember to tell my son that," said a male voice interrupting the two girls. It came from outside of the bars. "I'm sure that Draco would feel quite embarrassed if he knew he was liked by a traitor. I'll have to punish him for that. Although I suppose he didn't know that you were going to betray us when he helped you up. I'm sure he thought you were one of us at the time." The voice paused. "The Dark Lord would like to see you, Weasley."