Sleeping Beauty
Chapter 1: The Master
A/N: This originally was supposed to be based around the story of Sleeping Beauty, hence the title: a beautiful young girl put into an enchanted sleep and rescued by a handsome prince with love's first kiss. sigh
But it didn't quite work that way. It went down some weird bunny trail into the beyond, becoming something dark and strange, and rather lots of fun to write.
I wrote this with a friend in mind, Ayla Pascal, another fanfic writer, who has said several times that she wants to see Ginny and Draco get together. I don't think they will in canon, but they make the perfect couple for this fractured fairy tale.
Of course, everything belongs to JKR, except for the story of Sleeping Beauty…which, like all fairy tales, belongs to anyone with an active imagination.
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A young man paced through the antechamber, his pale hair glinting in the torchlight. He stalked up one side of the chamber, muttering at himself, anger in ever flip and snap of his cloak. He stumbled as he turned; he smacked the wall to his left in anger and continued to pace. The torchlight highlighted his pale, pointed features, then covered them in shadows.
The door was pushed open slowly. The man standing in the doorway surveyed the pacing form, contempt curling his mouth. He did not hesitate to share his opinion. "What a worthless creature you are. Weak and incompetent. I do not understand why the Master wishes you to join us."
The youth did not pause in his angry circuit around the room; beneath his robes his knuckles went white. "Yes, Father, so you have said. Does he wish to see me now?"
The man in the doorway scowled. "Against my advise, yes."
This made the young man pause momentarily, before pushing past the man in the doorway. "Then lead on."
The older wizard scowled darkly, then led the way down the hallway, his robes flowing around him like some dark wind.
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"Enter."
The young wizard shivered at the sound of that cold voice. It made all the fine little hairs on his neck and arms stand up and quiver. He could not imagine serving the possessor of that voice for the rest of his life, but he had little choice. His father entered the room, after telling him to stay in the hallway until called and to watch his manners when he was presented to his Master.
He heard his father say, "Master," groveling before the snake-eyed freak in the room. "I beg to present my son."
"Very well, Lucius," that cold voice drawled. "Bring him in."
The door creaked as it opened wider, revealing a large chamber with dozens of robed and masked wizards arrayed around it, all watching him as he made his way to the throne occupied by the cold-blooded monster he would soon call Master.
"Ah, young Malfoy, your father has told me about you. He says you are receptive to my ways and are ready to become a Death Eater."
Draco Malfoy swallowed involuntarily at the image that name put into his head.
"Your father has also said that you have revealed a certain squeamishness when it comes to killing what you like to refer to as innocents."
Draco forced himself to meet those eyes, those unnatural glowing eyes, vowing not to buckle to this fiend.
"We shall see," Voldemort murmured, holding Draco's gaze. A masked servant appeared around the corner of the throne, holding his wand on a floating figure. A girl, considering the folds of fabric visible under the concealing cloak draped over her. With a malicious smirk, Voldemort waved his own wand. The cloak blew away, revealing a young lady, unconscious, with pale skin and flame-red hair. Draco felt his knees buckle. Ginny Weasley.
"Kill her, young Draco, kill her and join me."