Disclaimer: Any characters, places, or events that you recognize in this story most likely belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. I am in no way associated with either entity. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit, and am making absolutely no money off them. In addition, at the beginning of each chapter I use lyrics from the song "Girl" by Tori Amos. She wrote the song, and again, I am not making any money off it by putting it in my story. So, if by any spectacularly odd trick of nature one of the people I have named read this, please don't sue me.
Author's Note: This is a Draco/Ginny angsty fic which is set the year after Draco graduates from Hogwarts. This chapter is a sort of introduction, while everything else is a flashback, from Draco's point of view. The lyrics to the song "Girl" just provide a sort of vague plot line for the story. And to top it all off, I present to you mostly-in-character Draco! Tah-dah!
* * *
From in the shadows she calls
And in the shadows she finds her way
Finds her way….
* * *
Prologue
I think the first time that I really saw Virginia Weasley was three years ago. Of course, I had seen her in the hallways at Hogwarts; I knew who she was. But until that night she had simply been another Weasley, another mouth they couldn't afford to feed. She had been the Weasel's younger sister and an easy target for my cruel jokes. After all, my first words to her had been to tease her about her crush on Harry Potter. My last words to her were much the same. Even as I tell myself that I will never again hurt anyone the way I hurt her, I know I am lying. I am a Malfoy, it is what we do; we use others to our advantage, we manipulate their lives to please us. We betray. It is what I did. And because of this I will probably never speak to her again.
* * *
That night was exactly three years ago. It was fall, and I had graduated from Hogwarts the previous spring. I was free from everything: free from Potter, from his friends and allies, from the stupid restrictive rules of school. I had graduated as Head Boy, and had finally beaten Potter at a Quidditch game. For the first time, my life was exactly how I wanted it to be.
I had thought that this would have been enough for my father. Although I knew happiness meant nothing to him, I thought my grades and athleticism would at least be acknowledged. But no, I had forgotten one crucial element to our relationship, something that had been waiting for me since before I was born. There was still one thing I had to accomplish in order to do right by him.
You've guessed it by now, because naturally, the only ambition a Malfoy can have is to become a Death Eater. Although the guess is correct, in the reasoning you are mistaken. I had no ambition to become a Death Eater. In fact, I had no ambition at all. Had I felt the need to become anything from a street artist to the Minister of Magic, I would have done so. I would have rebelled and ignored the repercussions. However, I had no such desires, and so I accepted my lot as it was offered to me. It seemed reasonable enough.
The particular day on which my story takes place became known as Voldemort's Last Stand. Not too creative a title, but an appropriate one never the less. It was his last attempt to kill Potter. There was nothing extravagant or complicated about the plan that The Dark Lord had crafted for the occasion. That in its self was unusual because every other plan had been so intricate that they had all been doomed to failure. This one was simple: the Death Eaters would take someone hostage, and Potter would try and rescue them. When he came, they would kill him. That was really all there was to it.
Hopefully Potter wouldn't be expecting another attack. He had grown used to having one every year, and yet his graduation had gone off without a hitch. In fact, I thought bitterly, he had probably been disappointed that he hadn't left Hogwarts with a bang.
The decision of who to use for a hostage wasn't too difficult. They couldn't use Sirius because he was too hard to find - still on the run after all those years. They couldn't use Hermione or Ron, because Harry would immediately know they were missing. He had no family to speak of, and few close friends. Of course, they could have picked anyone and he would have come to their rescue, possibly even if the victim had been me. However, they wanted it to be someone he would feel some responsibility for, someone he cared about at least a little. This left Ginny.
She was perfect for it. She could easily be led into a trap. She was the Weasel's sister and Granger's closest female friend. Potter would come for her at exactly the right time, and he would still be too confident to notify the authorities about her disappearance. Best of all, Ginny's disappearance would cause very little commotion outside those immediately involved. The one thing that people always remembered about Ginny was that everyone ignored her.
This stint wouldn't just be a replay of the Chamber incident either. That plan had relied on too many things, between the basilisk and the journal. This time it would simply be Harry against Voldie and the rest of the Death Eaters. Potter would be badly outnumbered, and he was unaware of the amount of power that the Dark Lord had regained. Ron and Hermione would come with Harry, of course, but they didn't stand much of a chance of helping him either. After all, Granger was a mudblood, and Ron was… well, Ron. Ginny, would not be allowed to fight; her role would end when Potter arrived.
The Death Eaters wouldn't hurt Ginny, at least not until Potter was dead. If they were going to lose they would want to attract as little attention as possible, and if they won, they could dispose of her later. By then Ron would probably be dead as well, and even in death she would be overshadowed by her siblings.
If we could lure her to the edge of the Forbidden Forrest, the one farthest from Hogwarts, then we could get around the anti-apparation charms and make a quick exit. The entire scheme posed only one major problem, which was how to get Ginny where she was needed. It was clear that some sort of bait was needed, for someone to act as a go between. At the time, there were only four of us of the right age; Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and myself. I would have thought that Pansy would have worked better, but they chose me. I suppose it was because I had recently turned eighteen and would be needing an assignment soon.
They told me I would have to make friends with Ginny over a short period of time and win her trust gradually, until I could get her away from Dumbledore's supervision. I didn't understand why everyone thought it would work. I failed to believe that even kind-hearted Ginny Weasley would risk leaving the warmth and safety of Hogwarts to talk to me. After all, the few occasions on which I had spoken to her I had insulted her and made her cry. As for the occasions on which I didn't embarrass her, it wasn't out of mercy.
Furthermore, I represented everything that was evil to her. I was a Slytherin, a bully, and the Anti-Potter. She probably thought that I had become a Death Eater years before. Who didn't? If she had been born to Death Eaters, she would have known the truth; that one can not join until one has turned eighteen and completed a set task. Only a select few Slytherins were aware that I wasn't a Death Eater yet, as I was aware that they weren't. I could have told the Gryffindors the truth, but I let them think what they would. I relished the fear I saw in their eyes. It gave me power.
I lived off the power all that time. Yes, I was unfeeling ice to her compassionate fire. How was I, armed with nothing but good looks and Dark Magic, to coax her out of her shell?
Pansy, ever the gossip, knew the answer to this question. In fact, she saved me from having to spend time befriending Ginny before the fact. I would not have to earn her trust. Ginny would not come to me out of friendly concern, but simply out of the desire to see me again after the long summer. I thought that Pansy was joking. It was utterly inconceivable; Ginny Weasley did *not* and could *never* have a secret crush on me. It just didn't happen. I was her opposite, and although I was dead sexy (and knew it), I was ultimately someone to fear. Besides, no one girl could have a crush on both me *and* Potter in the same lifetime. It went against every rule in the book.
I blurted this all out to Pansy, not knowing if it was a genuine thought or just panic. She began to laugh somewhat maniacally. I think it amused her that she would be at the source of Ginny's undoing. Pansy was probably jealous that anyone could like me except her, although the feeling had never been mutual. I cared for Pansy about as much as I cared for ambition. I just didn't. Whatever happened to me I simply let happen unless I was against it. Unfortunately for me, the first thing that happened was Pansy. I never protested, and she thought it meant I loved her. She was so naïve, so gullible; all that time I felt nothing.
Nothing was about as much feeling as I had for anything even remotely related to Death Eaters. And even as my heart voiced its various doubts about my part in Voldemort's scheme, I knew I would go through with it. I didn't know Ginny, so what did I care what happened to her? Why should it matter if she got hurt? And if her demise brought about Potter's, well then I might just have to celebrate. Because he was one of the few things about which I was *not* indifferent. I hated him.
In the end, I did what was asked of me. I wrote a love letter and owled it to her. I still didn't think she would take it seriously. I had no real objections, and the one bit of motivation that maybe Potter would finally fall. Besides, this was to be part of my initiation into the darker circles of wizarding society. It was the first job that I had been trusted with, and if I did well, I might receive my very own Dark Mark (just what I always wanted!). So, I simply couldn't be seen refusing the Master and making a fool of myself. I would follow through without complaint. And anyway, I wanted to see for myself if the impossible had really occurred. I needed to know if little Ginny Weasley could really like someone as horrible as me.
A/N: If you like my story so far, please review. If you don't like it, please review anyway. If you are completely indifferent to the story, review! I live for reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Not as warm and fuzzy as, say, Draco, but they're really nice all the same.
::Runs away chanting. "Took my poor 'ickle fic to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Too many author's notes jumping on the bed!' " Mwahahaha::
