Author: Lee Velviet
E-Mail: Vampslay@Bellsouth.net
Disclaimer: You know who this stuff belongs to-J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., etc-I own absolutely nothing! ::Sob::
Summary: Ginny Weasley has had it with Draco Malfoy and his 'evil' ways-so she decides to have it out with him-what will Draco do when she challenges him to a secret Wizard's Duel? (Laugh hysterically, probably…)
(A/N: Reviews would rock, flames are welcome, but constructive criticism would be better! As always, please let me know if I get facts wrong! Thanks for reading!
Sorry about the wait again-hope you guys like this chapter! I'd really appreciate your opinions! This part is a little darker than the rest of the chapters-the next one will probably be darker too-be patient, I am going somewhere with this! ^-^)
5. The Poison Ring
Draco raised his head again almost instantly-he'd certainly done it now. Ginny's hands were wriggling under the collar of his shirt; her fingertips sliding down his back-he grabbed her hand just as it brushed across an ugly reminder from his father.
"Get away from me." He glared at her hatefully, and shoved her none too gently off his lap.
Ginny's eyes snapped open wide as he dumped her off his lap with the cold, harshly spoken words.
She landed on the floor with an unpleasant thud. "Ow!"
Draco watched her with narrowed eyes as she stood and rubbed her rather delectable looking backside…get hold of yourself, Draco…he looked at her heaving chest through the school robes-he'd like to get hold of something all right- and clenched his teeth; he wasn't getting anywhere with this…
"What was that?"
Ginny was glaring at him, tossing her magnificent mane of red curls.
"That was a moment of temporary insanity," Draco muttered, standing and gathering his books.
"Hey, you grabbed me!" Ginny spat, flames in her brown eyes.
"And you're the one who came looking for trouble," Draco said snidely as he slung his book bag over his shoulder and began to walk away.
Ginny stared after him, her lips tingling, and fell into his vacated chair.
"I think I found it."
Draco was debating whether or not Lucius would bother coming to murder him himself, or just send someone else to assassinate him in his sleep. No, his Father wouldn't make his death that merciful…he'd make sure he was wide awake-and most probably hanging from some ceiling by his fingernails-
"Drayyycooo."
He stared at the ceiling, cursing the fates. Wasn't his impending death bad enough? Only one person said his name like that.
An odd bitter taste spilled across his tongue as he caught the scent of an overly strong, musky perfume. He was going to throw up if he had to smell that atrocity of a fragrance all during dinner…
"Soooo…are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
Draco inwardly groaned as he turned his head unwillingly. "Oh, was that this weekend? I'd forgotten."
Pansy Parkinson smiled at him with sugary sweetness, the warmness of her smile not reaching her cold eyes. Draco had always noticed that about her-it had always made him hideously uncomfortable when he'd kissed her-that air of coldness she had about her had always reminded him of his mother-he shook off the sickening thought. He'd broken it off with her during her last visit to his family's Manor over the previous summer, when he'd finally become unable to stand her anymore.
"Of course you didn't forget, silly-it's only the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year. You're going, aren't you?"
He fought to keep his attention on her-he'd just seen Ginny enter the Great Hall out of the corner of his eye. "Er-yes, sure…"
"Would you like to go with me?"
Draco dragged his gaze to hers and felt his lip curl. "I thought I told you it was over, Pansy-what part of "Pansy, it's over, I can't bloody stand you", didn't you understand?"
Her eyes narrowed to viperous slits, and her red painted fingernails curled into her palms.
"You just lost your last chance, Draco Malfoy-you don't want me as your enemy." The over-made girl hissed this at him as if he ought to be scared.
Instead he laughed.
Pansy made a furious, unattractive sound low in her throat and pushed away from the table.
Draco shook his head as he watched her go. Who did she think she was?
Some line about women scorned wandered through his thoughts until he caught sight of Ginny again.
Ginny felt his eyes on her and looked over at him boredly. He met her gaze steadily, and then frowned sourly.
She blew him a kiss.
His eyes widened and then he fairly snarled.
Ginny grinned and picked up a banana from a silver bowl of fruit in her slim fingers.
He turned faintly red and stood up, stalking away from his table abruptly before she could do anything.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked from beside her. She eyed the deceptively innocent looking banana as Ginny peeled it and took a voracious bite.
Ginny shrugged. "Guess he doesn't care for bananas."
"Miss Weasley, what would I get if I mixed dried digitalis leaves with essence of worm wart and powdered asphodel root?"
Ginny thought quickly. "A restorative potion?"
"For-?" Professor Snape crossed his arms, looking at her boredly.
Ginny knew he was just waiting for her to screw up.
"Er-the bite of the Malaclaw." She paused and then added, " It will help the fever and rash, but it won't help with the unluckiness part."
Snape looked displeased, and she could see him searching for a reason to take points away even though she'd answered correctly.
Ginny felt a moment of satisfaction before Snape narrowed his black eyes and muttered, "Correct, Weasley-but ten points from Gryffindor for being a know it all."
Ginny felt her mouth drop open as several Slytherins behind her giggled and laughed.
She bit her lip and glared at Snape's back fiercely. Thank God she only had to get through this last class-tomorrow was Saturday, and also the trip scheduled to Hogsmeade.
A whole weekend free of Snape and Malfoy- it sounded like Heaven.
"Weasley-pay attention! You may actually learn something."
Ginny bit back an unpleasant retort and settled back in her chair. She couldn't believe there was still an hour of this left.
She made herself feel better by blaming it all on Malfoy.
Harry looked at Ginny over his butter beer and frowned.
Ginny barely noticed he was even there.
She was too busy trying to look like she wasn't staring across the small room at Draco Malfoy. He was sitting alone, head turned slightly as he stared out the small window at the rest of Hogsmeade. Gray light from the stormy overcast day filtered through the thick, ancient wavy glass and made his skin and hair look paler than ever. She wondered what was making him look so troubled-she'd never known him to look anything less than thoroughly smug…
Ron kicked her foot under the table and she sat bolt upright, the hand wrapped around her mug jerking and sending the sudsy butter beer sloshing over the sides.
She mopped up the mess with a napkin and glared across the tiny booth at her brother.
Ron glared back. "All right-enough of this! What's with you? You've been running around here goggle-eyed all morning-what's going on with you and Malfoy?"
Ginny's eyes snapped open wide before she realized it was an admission of guilt, and she looked for an escape, only to realize she was trapped by Hermione, who sat on the outside of the booth, sending her an equally questioning look.
Harry was leaning forward in disbelief. "There's something going on with you and Malfoy?" His green eyes stared at her, completely aghast. "Really, going on? You're not-you know-"
Ginny dropped her forehead onto the table and moaned. "It was you guys wasn't it? The one's who went to McGonagall? Oh, God." She squinted at them. "Do you have any idea how horribly embarrassing that was?"
"Well, yeah, sorry… but…you aren't getting out of this that easily," her redheaded termagant of a brother groused.
"Wait, wait, wait." Hermione bent until her head was down level with Ginny's and said," You don't have to say anything you know-it's nobody's business but your own."
Ginny looked over at the older girl suspiciously. "What?"
"What?" Harry and Ron exclaimed at once.
Hermione made an awful face at them and looked at Ginny once more.
Ginny raised her head hesitantly-Ron looked ready to explode. She looked at Hermione doubtfully. "I think I'm not getting out of this alive."
Two outraged male voices rose with questions and accusations in the next moment. "Are you crazy? You must be nutters! Do you have any idea what Dad would say?"
Ginny watched in disbelief as Hermione stood up, grabbed the two boys by their collars, and marched them toward the exit-her Mum would have been proud.
She looked over at Malfoy to see him watching her; and then her vision was obscured by someone walking between them.
Pansy Parkinson. Ginny felt her nose scrunch up at the sight of her obviously expensive yet tasteless magenta colored robes. She also had execrable taste in perfume-bleh. It smelled someone had sprayed a wet dog with an old witches favorite toilet water.
She watched the fashion victim sit down next to Malfoy and nearly overturned her drink-what was that spiteful cow doing?
"Hi, Draaaycoo."
Draco rolled his eyes-he'd stayed in one place too long again-trouble always had a way of finding him when he did that. This time it came in the form of Pansy. Who'd had the idiotic idea of naming the girl after a flower, anyway? She resembled a bulldog, really-should have been Puggy Parkinson in his opinion.
"What do you want?" He asked in his customary rude manner.
Her eyes flashed briefly before she laid her bejeweled fingers on his arm-he looked at her disdainfully. The flesh under his sleeve began to crawl.
"Just wanted to share a drink-for old times sake? No hard feelings-we are on the same side, you know."
Draco tugged his arm from her and looked at her impatiently. "Do I look stupid to you? I know what you're up to-I'm not drinking anything around you-you'll likely have poisoned it, no doubt."
She laughed.
He looked at her as if she'd just declared herself Queen and was dancing naked on the table. He shuddered at the visual.
"You're so distrustful, Draco-why would I ever want to poison you."
"I have no doubt you'd like to see me cursed with warts or bulging eyeballs-or maybe shrink a rather cherished part of my anatomy to the size of a gnat-"
"Stop," she said, smiling slyly, "I had nothing of the sort planned. You are giving me ideas, though-but how could I deprive the world of that?" She let her eyes drift downward pointedly. "It would be an absolute crime."
Draco had to drag her straying hand from his knee. "You can stop stroking my 'ego' now, Pansy-what do you really want?"
Her heavily painted lips curved, and she ignored his question completely. "I saw you staring at the Weasley girl."
His heart began a painful thud in his chest. "Oh, really."
"Mmm." Pansy looked at him appraisingly. "I've seen her staring at you too."
He leaned back and crossed his arms. "I suppose you owled my father with those interesting little tidbits of information as well," he drawled, his eyes bored. He wanted to strangle the nosy witch.
She shrugged.
Murder!
Draco opened his mouth to tell her off and saw Ginny glaring at him from across the room.
He cut his eyes at her slightly and she stuck her tongue out at him. He found himself resisting the urge to laugh. He pulled his eyes away and took a long drink of his butter beer, wishing for something stronger.
"Well…I'm off." Pansy stood up and smiled at him in a way that sent shivers of unease down his spine. "See you…soon."
Draco watched her go and decided he'd better leave before any more trouble came his way. He stood up, feeling oddly dizzy for a moment before walking past Ginny's table without a second glance.
Ginny looked away as Pansy came towards her, trying to pretend she hadn't been watching her and Malfoy's discussion with avid interest. After a moment she looked back around; Pansy was nowhere to be seen, and Malfoy was leaving, looking decidedly ill.
Nervously, Ginny took a gulp of her butter beer and stood with a resigned sigh-she guessed she should go see what was wrong with the stupid git-if she didn't, who else would bother?
"Malfoy?" Ginny peered through the drizzle into the slight alleyway between Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks, eyeing the darkness with misgivings. She was sure she'd seen him disappear back there-she was tempted to just leave him, but he'd looked so sick…
"You're such a goody-goody," Ginny muttered to herself with a sigh. If it had been Ron, he'd have just shrugged and went back home.
Ginny pulled out her wand and walked cautiously into the narrow alleyway. "Lumos!"
She had to close her eyes momentarily-everything had spun suddenly with the appearance of light-and she stepped around mud puddles as she walked further along.
"Malfoy? Are you back here?"
There was no answer. The rain began to fall harder, and Ginny looked back over her shoulder-maybe she should go back and find the others first-
She tripped over something and landed hard on her knees, dropping her wand in the mud.
"Damn!" Ginny flung mud from her hands and twisted around to see what she'd tripped over-"Draco!" He laid soaking wet and unconscious on his back in the mud.
"So it's Draco, now, is it?"
Ginny looked up at the voice. Fear took her breath away; a hooded Death Eater stood above her, barely distinguishable against the rapidly darkening sky. Another stood nearby.
She opened her mouth to scream, unable to catch her breath, then the world tilted and spiraled, and everything went dark.
"Wake up!"
Ginny frowned as a vicious slap stung her cheek. Her head felt so heavy…
"I said, wake up!" The voice nearly screamed.
Ginny opened her eyes, which wasn't an easy feat-they felt like lead.
She groaned as the room spun into focus-
"Pansy!"
Pansy Parkinson looked at her, a decidedly mad gleam in her eyes. "Finally woke up, you lazy thing?"
"What did you do?" Her tongue felt swollen, and Ginny tried to move her arms-but they were tied at the wrist behind her back. She looked around the room, which was dank, dingy, and covered in dust and cobwebs-it looked vaguely familiar.
Pansy laughed and Ginny noticed the Death Eaters robe stretched across her shoulders. "It's funny you should ask me that; Draco was just accusing me of trying to poison him when he looked over at you in the tavern." She smiled and tapped a heavy, ornamental tear dropped shaped silver ring on her finger. The glittering, silvery swirls flipped open to reveal a hollow, shallow compartment.
"A poison ring. You drugged our drinks. Who for? Your master?" Ginny looked at her in disbelief. "You're jealous, aren't you? You truly think there's something between Draco and I? And to think, all this time, I thought you were merely stupid," Ginny muttered, shaking her head.
Pansy's face turned an ugly red. "I'm not the one tied up, am I?"
"Where is Draco anyway? Tied up in your bedroom?"
"He's none of your business, Mudblood lover." Pansy snapped, and stepped forward, pushing her sleeve up. "Do you see this? Do you know what it is?"
Ginny bit back a gasp. The idiot girl had gone and become a Death Eater. "Er-a really bad tattoo?" Pansy was stupider than she thought.
The girl's face twisted so badly Ginny wanted to look away.
"Make your jokes while you can, Weasley-my Master has plans for you."
Ginny gulped, tugging at her bonds. She could get out of the ropes easily-Fred and George Weasley were her brothers, after all.
"Who's your Master?" She asked boredly. "He's got almost as atrocious a taste in robes as you do."
"I believe I'll let him introduce himself." Pansy grinned insanely as a door creaked open behind her.
Ginny bit her cheek as a tall Death Eater drifted in. She stared into the blackness of its hood and then gasped when it was suddenly thrown back.
"I understand you've been seeing my son, Miss Weasley."
She almost swallowed her tongue-had Draco always looked that much like his father? She'd thought it was him momentarily, but upon closer examination, there were subtle lines and differences in hair color-small slashes of white marred his temples, and there was a cold emptiness in his silvery eyes that Draco's couldn't begin to compare to.
Ginny began plucking at her ties in earnest-she did not want to spend any length of time in a room alone with two utterly mad people-Pansy Parkinson, and Lucius Malfoy.
Draco awoke reluctantly, pulling his eyelids open with some difficulty. He almost groaned at the sight of his father standing before him.
Instead he pulled on the familiar old mask, the cold formality his father demanded in his presence.
"Hello, Father. I trust you're well."
His father didn't answer.
Draco looked around the dark, cold room-it looked like a dungeon of sorts. He was chained to the wall. No surprise there.
He looked back to his Father as his ears cringed at the all too familiar sound of a whip being unfurled. The dry insult stepped up to his lips despite himself. "A whipping? How unoriginal of you, Father."
He watched Lucius' lips pulled back in a cruel sneer as he raised the wicked looking black whip threateningly. He could have used the Cruciatus curse-but Lucius rather enjoyed the sight of blood.
Draco found himself smiling despite the thought of impending pain-at least he wasn't hanging from the ceiling by his fingernails.
Ginny stalked across the room angrily, ignoring Pansy's icy stare-she'd gotten herself free of her bonds all right, only to be imprisoned in the same room with an insane witch as a watchdog.
"How does it feel to know Draco is going to marry me? Me and not you, Weasley?"
Ginny made a disgusted face and turned her head to look at the girl. "You still don't get it do you? I do not like Draco Malfoy! He doesn't like me- he detests me! Those rumors-they weren't true! We were dueling for God's sake-I fell, hit my head, and he took me to Madam Pomfrey so he wouldn't get in trouble-that's all!"
Pansy stood from her seat instantly, her teeth bared. "Don't lie to me! I saw you kissing in the library!"
Ginny paled but still shook her head. "That was nothing-did you see him push me off his lap? I just pissed him off, and he was trying to get me to shut up. He hates me!"
Pansy blinked, looking unsure…and then she laughed shrilly, and quickly left the room.
Ginny ran behind her, but the girl had locked the door firmly behind her.
She turned her back to the door, wishing she had her wand-she tried not to think about where Malfoy was-his father had left minutes before looking coldly furious-or what was happening to him.
The room was stifling even though Draco knew it to be cold and damp and he swallowed against the dryness in his throat before lifting his head to look at his father's eerily glowing eyes. He was utterly mad. He decided in that instant he'd rather die than ever look like his father did at that moment; which was fast becoming a very real possibility. Lucius had just informed him of Voldemort's intention to make him a Death Eater.
It didn't seem to matter that Draco wanted no part of it.
"Can we lose the chains?" he murmured, daring his Father to unloose him. "You don't fear me do you?"
Lucius smirked back at him, an older reflection of his own face. "Insolent brat, aren't you? Ah, well, I suppose that's my own fault. You are what I made you."
He waved his wand and the manacles fell free-Draco sagged momentarily before dragging himself up. He eyed the bloody furrows crisscrossing his chest and leaned against the wall weakly. "So where's Voldemort? Likes to be fashionably late does he? I hear pasty white is in this year."
Lucius growled at him. "You shall not mock your master that way."
Draco snorted. "What way does he like to be mocked in, then? I'm always ready to oblige bloody evil dark wizards with aspirations of world domination."
"You're tongue has been your downfall of late, my boy. You should watch how you use it."
The tall blonde looked at his feet before he laughed. "I take it you found out about Ginny."
"Don't dare mention her name in my presence."
"Who? Ginny? She's harmless-she can't hurt you."
"She certainly can't."
Draco stared hard at him. "What have you done?"
Lucius only smiled.
Draco felt a fury rise up in him like he'd never known. He moved forward, and grabbed his Father by the throat. "What did you do to her?"
In his weakened state, his Father just pushed him away. "Control yourself, boy."
"If you did anything to her, I'll rip your heart out," Draco found himself snarling, his hand over his chest. It ached fiercely at the thought that Ginny might be-
"Amusing. I'd almost believe you have feelings for that girl."
"You know nothing about her-or me for that matter. You're an insane old man who lets another lead you around with a ring through your nose like a bloody prize cow. I'm not about to become like you, Lucius, a man who isn't really a man- a man who kills innocents for the pleasure of it. You may as well kill me now, I refuse the Mark."
Lucius laughed. "You speak of innocents? You're as evil as I am, my son. In fact that's why Lord Voldemort wants you-you have great potential." The opal eyes sparkled.
A chill ran down Draco's spine. "I might not be a saint, but who the hell is, anyway. I don't run about murdering children and torturing people. I can get myself off in the normal way quite easily, thanks."
The ugly black look on his Father's face made his skin crawl.
"What's wrong, Dad? Have I hit a sore spot?"
His Father stepped forward, his hand clenched around his wand.
"Having a hard time getting it up lately, Lucius?" Draco clucked his tongue. He realized briefly he was getting to the man in much the same way as Ginny had gotten to him in the library that day-poking and prodding at sore spots.
"You won't speak to me in such a disrespectful manner, you bloody ingrate! You'd be living in rags like Potter and those Weasley's if it weren't for me!"
"If it weren't for you." Draco laughed out loud, his slightly healed wounds pulling open with each breath. "If it weren't for you, I'd have probably grown into a prat like Potter. For that I'm certainly grateful. I'd have had to off myself long ago-but don't think for one second that I feel beholden to you for anything. You made one major mistake in the raising of me Father. You never taught me loyalty."
"I'll kill you!" He'd never seen his Father's face turn that particular shade of purple.
"Will you?" Draco spread his arms wide, forcing a careless look onto his face. "Somehow I doubt it-you've always been a bit of a coward, haven't you? I mean, everyone was talking that time you practically ran off from Arthur Weasley in Flourish and Blotts my second year-"
"I run from no one!" His Father exploded furiously, green sparks beginning to shoot from the end f his wand. "I should kill you-taking up with that Weasley, that common filth-"
"You lack the courage of your convictions, sir," Draco said to his Father with infuriating indifference. He looked at the wand in Lucius' hand. "Do it." (A/N: Yes, that's from Interview with the Vampire. ^-^)
Lucius' face was black with hatred, and he brought up the wand furiously.
"Stop!"
Lucius looked up as Voldemort drifted towards them, leaving a trail of venomous steam in his wake. "My Lord." He bowed slightly.
Voldemort's violet eyes burned into Draco. "Clever, aren't you?" He hissed through his slit of a mouth. "Trying to get your Father to kill you before you could receive the Dark Mark. How very noble." Lord Voldemort narrowed his violet eyes at Lucius appraisingly. "An admirable trait, wouldn't you say? Odd, how he is so reluctant to be brought into my fold, when you, my most trusted Death Eater, was his sire?"
Lucius clenched his jaw but was wise enough to utter not a word. His crystalline eyes fell to the floor, his wand hanging limply in his hand at his side.
Draco swallowed as Voldemort slithered up to him, black robes dragging. He fought to keep his face impassive, as the flat snakelike nostrils flared, and the slashing violet eyes narrowed even further. A stench rose from the evil creature, and nearly choked him.
A hoarse scream rose in his throat but was never issued as the Dark Lord grabbed Draco's forearm and twisted it to expose the inner part, pressing his cold, skeletal hand to the sensitive skin there.
A sizzling sound came as Voldemort burned the Dark Mark into Draco's flesh, and he stared at his Father forcefully across the dungeon, biting his cheek until it bled.
His Father looked away.
When Voldemort at last stepped away, Draco was dripping with sweat, his mouth filled with blood, and he looked down at the ruin of his skin, furious.
"Bastard!" He ground out fiercely, and leapt at Voldemort.
Voldemort grabbed Draco up by his throat, demonstrating remarkable strength for a man of his age and build, choking off his air supply as he slammed him against the gray wall of the dungeon. "Be glad I made you what you are, young Malfoy-you'd be dead now if I hadn't."
Draco glared at him through rapidly blurring eyes.
Voldemort dropped him onto the filthy flagstone floor, and he landed hard on his side, bruising his ribcage.
"He's grown rather spirited, Lucius…no matter. The Mark will change that in time."
Draco watched the tail of Voldemort's robe drag along the floor as he turned away, and felt his eyes begin to close. The pain and shock was taking its toll, and he sank into a merciful unconsciousness.
What had happened to Ginny…?
TBC
(Next Chapter: 6. The Rematch Bet you can guess between whom! ^-^)
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~Please forgive me if I didn't get those of you that asked e-mailed about the update-my Internet service sucks half the time and it always screws up my outgoing mail! That's what I get for being cheap, right? Thanks again! ~Lee
E-Mail: Vampslay@Bellsouth.net
Disclaimer: You know who this stuff belongs to-J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., etc-I own absolutely nothing! ::Sob::
Summary: Ginny Weasley has had it with Draco Malfoy and his 'evil' ways-so she decides to have it out with him-what will Draco do when she challenges him to a secret Wizard's Duel? (Laugh hysterically, probably…)
(A/N: Reviews would rock, flames are welcome, but constructive criticism would be better! As always, please let me know if I get facts wrong! Thanks for reading!
Sorry about the wait again-hope you guys like this chapter! I'd really appreciate your opinions! This part is a little darker than the rest of the chapters-the next one will probably be darker too-be patient, I am going somewhere with this! ^-^)
5. The Poison Ring
Draco raised his head again almost instantly-he'd certainly done it now. Ginny's hands were wriggling under the collar of his shirt; her fingertips sliding down his back-he grabbed her hand just as it brushed across an ugly reminder from his father.
"Get away from me." He glared at her hatefully, and shoved her none too gently off his lap.
Ginny's eyes snapped open wide as he dumped her off his lap with the cold, harshly spoken words.
She landed on the floor with an unpleasant thud. "Ow!"
Draco watched her with narrowed eyes as she stood and rubbed her rather delectable looking backside…get hold of yourself, Draco…he looked at her heaving chest through the school robes-he'd like to get hold of something all right- and clenched his teeth; he wasn't getting anywhere with this…
"What was that?"
Ginny was glaring at him, tossing her magnificent mane of red curls.
"That was a moment of temporary insanity," Draco muttered, standing and gathering his books.
"Hey, you grabbed me!" Ginny spat, flames in her brown eyes.
"And you're the one who came looking for trouble," Draco said snidely as he slung his book bag over his shoulder and began to walk away.
Ginny stared after him, her lips tingling, and fell into his vacated chair.
"I think I found it."
Draco was debating whether or not Lucius would bother coming to murder him himself, or just send someone else to assassinate him in his sleep. No, his Father wouldn't make his death that merciful…he'd make sure he was wide awake-and most probably hanging from some ceiling by his fingernails-
"Drayyycooo."
He stared at the ceiling, cursing the fates. Wasn't his impending death bad enough? Only one person said his name like that.
An odd bitter taste spilled across his tongue as he caught the scent of an overly strong, musky perfume. He was going to throw up if he had to smell that atrocity of a fragrance all during dinner…
"Soooo…are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
Draco inwardly groaned as he turned his head unwillingly. "Oh, was that this weekend? I'd forgotten."
Pansy Parkinson smiled at him with sugary sweetness, the warmness of her smile not reaching her cold eyes. Draco had always noticed that about her-it had always made him hideously uncomfortable when he'd kissed her-that air of coldness she had about her had always reminded him of his mother-he shook off the sickening thought. He'd broken it off with her during her last visit to his family's Manor over the previous summer, when he'd finally become unable to stand her anymore.
"Of course you didn't forget, silly-it's only the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year. You're going, aren't you?"
He fought to keep his attention on her-he'd just seen Ginny enter the Great Hall out of the corner of his eye. "Er-yes, sure…"
"Would you like to go with me?"
Draco dragged his gaze to hers and felt his lip curl. "I thought I told you it was over, Pansy-what part of "Pansy, it's over, I can't bloody stand you", didn't you understand?"
Her eyes narrowed to viperous slits, and her red painted fingernails curled into her palms.
"You just lost your last chance, Draco Malfoy-you don't want me as your enemy." The over-made girl hissed this at him as if he ought to be scared.
Instead he laughed.
Pansy made a furious, unattractive sound low in her throat and pushed away from the table.
Draco shook his head as he watched her go. Who did she think she was?
Some line about women scorned wandered through his thoughts until he caught sight of Ginny again.
Ginny felt his eyes on her and looked over at him boredly. He met her gaze steadily, and then frowned sourly.
She blew him a kiss.
His eyes widened and then he fairly snarled.
Ginny grinned and picked up a banana from a silver bowl of fruit in her slim fingers.
He turned faintly red and stood up, stalking away from his table abruptly before she could do anything.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked from beside her. She eyed the deceptively innocent looking banana as Ginny peeled it and took a voracious bite.
Ginny shrugged. "Guess he doesn't care for bananas."
"Miss Weasley, what would I get if I mixed dried digitalis leaves with essence of worm wart and powdered asphodel root?"
Ginny thought quickly. "A restorative potion?"
"For-?" Professor Snape crossed his arms, looking at her boredly.
Ginny knew he was just waiting for her to screw up.
"Er-the bite of the Malaclaw." She paused and then added, " It will help the fever and rash, but it won't help with the unluckiness part."
Snape looked displeased, and she could see him searching for a reason to take points away even though she'd answered correctly.
Ginny felt a moment of satisfaction before Snape narrowed his black eyes and muttered, "Correct, Weasley-but ten points from Gryffindor for being a know it all."
Ginny felt her mouth drop open as several Slytherins behind her giggled and laughed.
She bit her lip and glared at Snape's back fiercely. Thank God she only had to get through this last class-tomorrow was Saturday, and also the trip scheduled to Hogsmeade.
A whole weekend free of Snape and Malfoy- it sounded like Heaven.
"Weasley-pay attention! You may actually learn something."
Ginny bit back an unpleasant retort and settled back in her chair. She couldn't believe there was still an hour of this left.
She made herself feel better by blaming it all on Malfoy.
Harry looked at Ginny over his butter beer and frowned.
Ginny barely noticed he was even there.
She was too busy trying to look like she wasn't staring across the small room at Draco Malfoy. He was sitting alone, head turned slightly as he stared out the small window at the rest of Hogsmeade. Gray light from the stormy overcast day filtered through the thick, ancient wavy glass and made his skin and hair look paler than ever. She wondered what was making him look so troubled-she'd never known him to look anything less than thoroughly smug…
Ron kicked her foot under the table and she sat bolt upright, the hand wrapped around her mug jerking and sending the sudsy butter beer sloshing over the sides.
She mopped up the mess with a napkin and glared across the tiny booth at her brother.
Ron glared back. "All right-enough of this! What's with you? You've been running around here goggle-eyed all morning-what's going on with you and Malfoy?"
Ginny's eyes snapped open wide before she realized it was an admission of guilt, and she looked for an escape, only to realize she was trapped by Hermione, who sat on the outside of the booth, sending her an equally questioning look.
Harry was leaning forward in disbelief. "There's something going on with you and Malfoy?" His green eyes stared at her, completely aghast. "Really, going on? You're not-you know-"
Ginny dropped her forehead onto the table and moaned. "It was you guys wasn't it? The one's who went to McGonagall? Oh, God." She squinted at them. "Do you have any idea how horribly embarrassing that was?"
"Well, yeah, sorry… but…you aren't getting out of this that easily," her redheaded termagant of a brother groused.
"Wait, wait, wait." Hermione bent until her head was down level with Ginny's and said," You don't have to say anything you know-it's nobody's business but your own."
Ginny looked over at the older girl suspiciously. "What?"
"What?" Harry and Ron exclaimed at once.
Hermione made an awful face at them and looked at Ginny once more.
Ginny raised her head hesitantly-Ron looked ready to explode. She looked at Hermione doubtfully. "I think I'm not getting out of this alive."
Two outraged male voices rose with questions and accusations in the next moment. "Are you crazy? You must be nutters! Do you have any idea what Dad would say?"
Ginny watched in disbelief as Hermione stood up, grabbed the two boys by their collars, and marched them toward the exit-her Mum would have been proud.
She looked over at Malfoy to see him watching her; and then her vision was obscured by someone walking between them.
Pansy Parkinson. Ginny felt her nose scrunch up at the sight of her obviously expensive yet tasteless magenta colored robes. She also had execrable taste in perfume-bleh. It smelled someone had sprayed a wet dog with an old witches favorite toilet water.
She watched the fashion victim sit down next to Malfoy and nearly overturned her drink-what was that spiteful cow doing?
"Hi, Draaaycoo."
Draco rolled his eyes-he'd stayed in one place too long again-trouble always had a way of finding him when he did that. This time it came in the form of Pansy. Who'd had the idiotic idea of naming the girl after a flower, anyway? She resembled a bulldog, really-should have been Puggy Parkinson in his opinion.
"What do you want?" He asked in his customary rude manner.
Her eyes flashed briefly before she laid her bejeweled fingers on his arm-he looked at her disdainfully. The flesh under his sleeve began to crawl.
"Just wanted to share a drink-for old times sake? No hard feelings-we are on the same side, you know."
Draco tugged his arm from her and looked at her impatiently. "Do I look stupid to you? I know what you're up to-I'm not drinking anything around you-you'll likely have poisoned it, no doubt."
She laughed.
He looked at her as if she'd just declared herself Queen and was dancing naked on the table. He shuddered at the visual.
"You're so distrustful, Draco-why would I ever want to poison you."
"I have no doubt you'd like to see me cursed with warts or bulging eyeballs-or maybe shrink a rather cherished part of my anatomy to the size of a gnat-"
"Stop," she said, smiling slyly, "I had nothing of the sort planned. You are giving me ideas, though-but how could I deprive the world of that?" She let her eyes drift downward pointedly. "It would be an absolute crime."
Draco had to drag her straying hand from his knee. "You can stop stroking my 'ego' now, Pansy-what do you really want?"
Her heavily painted lips curved, and she ignored his question completely. "I saw you staring at the Weasley girl."
His heart began a painful thud in his chest. "Oh, really."
"Mmm." Pansy looked at him appraisingly. "I've seen her staring at you too."
He leaned back and crossed his arms. "I suppose you owled my father with those interesting little tidbits of information as well," he drawled, his eyes bored. He wanted to strangle the nosy witch.
She shrugged.
Murder!
Draco opened his mouth to tell her off and saw Ginny glaring at him from across the room.
He cut his eyes at her slightly and she stuck her tongue out at him. He found himself resisting the urge to laugh. He pulled his eyes away and took a long drink of his butter beer, wishing for something stronger.
"Well…I'm off." Pansy stood up and smiled at him in a way that sent shivers of unease down his spine. "See you…soon."
Draco watched her go and decided he'd better leave before any more trouble came his way. He stood up, feeling oddly dizzy for a moment before walking past Ginny's table without a second glance.
Ginny looked away as Pansy came towards her, trying to pretend she hadn't been watching her and Malfoy's discussion with avid interest. After a moment she looked back around; Pansy was nowhere to be seen, and Malfoy was leaving, looking decidedly ill.
Nervously, Ginny took a gulp of her butter beer and stood with a resigned sigh-she guessed she should go see what was wrong with the stupid git-if she didn't, who else would bother?
"Malfoy?" Ginny peered through the drizzle into the slight alleyway between Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks, eyeing the darkness with misgivings. She was sure she'd seen him disappear back there-she was tempted to just leave him, but he'd looked so sick…
"You're such a goody-goody," Ginny muttered to herself with a sigh. If it had been Ron, he'd have just shrugged and went back home.
Ginny pulled out her wand and walked cautiously into the narrow alleyway. "Lumos!"
She had to close her eyes momentarily-everything had spun suddenly with the appearance of light-and she stepped around mud puddles as she walked further along.
"Malfoy? Are you back here?"
There was no answer. The rain began to fall harder, and Ginny looked back over her shoulder-maybe she should go back and find the others first-
She tripped over something and landed hard on her knees, dropping her wand in the mud.
"Damn!" Ginny flung mud from her hands and twisted around to see what she'd tripped over-"Draco!" He laid soaking wet and unconscious on his back in the mud.
"So it's Draco, now, is it?"
Ginny looked up at the voice. Fear took her breath away; a hooded Death Eater stood above her, barely distinguishable against the rapidly darkening sky. Another stood nearby.
She opened her mouth to scream, unable to catch her breath, then the world tilted and spiraled, and everything went dark.
"Wake up!"
Ginny frowned as a vicious slap stung her cheek. Her head felt so heavy…
"I said, wake up!" The voice nearly screamed.
Ginny opened her eyes, which wasn't an easy feat-they felt like lead.
She groaned as the room spun into focus-
"Pansy!"
Pansy Parkinson looked at her, a decidedly mad gleam in her eyes. "Finally woke up, you lazy thing?"
"What did you do?" Her tongue felt swollen, and Ginny tried to move her arms-but they were tied at the wrist behind her back. She looked around the room, which was dank, dingy, and covered in dust and cobwebs-it looked vaguely familiar.
Pansy laughed and Ginny noticed the Death Eaters robe stretched across her shoulders. "It's funny you should ask me that; Draco was just accusing me of trying to poison him when he looked over at you in the tavern." She smiled and tapped a heavy, ornamental tear dropped shaped silver ring on her finger. The glittering, silvery swirls flipped open to reveal a hollow, shallow compartment.
"A poison ring. You drugged our drinks. Who for? Your master?" Ginny looked at her in disbelief. "You're jealous, aren't you? You truly think there's something between Draco and I? And to think, all this time, I thought you were merely stupid," Ginny muttered, shaking her head.
Pansy's face turned an ugly red. "I'm not the one tied up, am I?"
"Where is Draco anyway? Tied up in your bedroom?"
"He's none of your business, Mudblood lover." Pansy snapped, and stepped forward, pushing her sleeve up. "Do you see this? Do you know what it is?"
Ginny bit back a gasp. The idiot girl had gone and become a Death Eater. "Er-a really bad tattoo?" Pansy was stupider than she thought.
The girl's face twisted so badly Ginny wanted to look away.
"Make your jokes while you can, Weasley-my Master has plans for you."
Ginny gulped, tugging at her bonds. She could get out of the ropes easily-Fred and George Weasley were her brothers, after all.
"Who's your Master?" She asked boredly. "He's got almost as atrocious a taste in robes as you do."
"I believe I'll let him introduce himself." Pansy grinned insanely as a door creaked open behind her.
Ginny bit her cheek as a tall Death Eater drifted in. She stared into the blackness of its hood and then gasped when it was suddenly thrown back.
"I understand you've been seeing my son, Miss Weasley."
She almost swallowed her tongue-had Draco always looked that much like his father? She'd thought it was him momentarily, but upon closer examination, there were subtle lines and differences in hair color-small slashes of white marred his temples, and there was a cold emptiness in his silvery eyes that Draco's couldn't begin to compare to.
Ginny began plucking at her ties in earnest-she did not want to spend any length of time in a room alone with two utterly mad people-Pansy Parkinson, and Lucius Malfoy.
Draco awoke reluctantly, pulling his eyelids open with some difficulty. He almost groaned at the sight of his father standing before him.
Instead he pulled on the familiar old mask, the cold formality his father demanded in his presence.
"Hello, Father. I trust you're well."
His father didn't answer.
Draco looked around the dark, cold room-it looked like a dungeon of sorts. He was chained to the wall. No surprise there.
He looked back to his Father as his ears cringed at the all too familiar sound of a whip being unfurled. The dry insult stepped up to his lips despite himself. "A whipping? How unoriginal of you, Father."
He watched Lucius' lips pulled back in a cruel sneer as he raised the wicked looking black whip threateningly. He could have used the Cruciatus curse-but Lucius rather enjoyed the sight of blood.
Draco found himself smiling despite the thought of impending pain-at least he wasn't hanging from the ceiling by his fingernails.
Ginny stalked across the room angrily, ignoring Pansy's icy stare-she'd gotten herself free of her bonds all right, only to be imprisoned in the same room with an insane witch as a watchdog.
"How does it feel to know Draco is going to marry me? Me and not you, Weasley?"
Ginny made a disgusted face and turned her head to look at the girl. "You still don't get it do you? I do not like Draco Malfoy! He doesn't like me- he detests me! Those rumors-they weren't true! We were dueling for God's sake-I fell, hit my head, and he took me to Madam Pomfrey so he wouldn't get in trouble-that's all!"
Pansy stood from her seat instantly, her teeth bared. "Don't lie to me! I saw you kissing in the library!"
Ginny paled but still shook her head. "That was nothing-did you see him push me off his lap? I just pissed him off, and he was trying to get me to shut up. He hates me!"
Pansy blinked, looking unsure…and then she laughed shrilly, and quickly left the room.
Ginny ran behind her, but the girl had locked the door firmly behind her.
She turned her back to the door, wishing she had her wand-she tried not to think about where Malfoy was-his father had left minutes before looking coldly furious-or what was happening to him.
The room was stifling even though Draco knew it to be cold and damp and he swallowed against the dryness in his throat before lifting his head to look at his father's eerily glowing eyes. He was utterly mad. He decided in that instant he'd rather die than ever look like his father did at that moment; which was fast becoming a very real possibility. Lucius had just informed him of Voldemort's intention to make him a Death Eater.
It didn't seem to matter that Draco wanted no part of it.
"Can we lose the chains?" he murmured, daring his Father to unloose him. "You don't fear me do you?"
Lucius smirked back at him, an older reflection of his own face. "Insolent brat, aren't you? Ah, well, I suppose that's my own fault. You are what I made you."
He waved his wand and the manacles fell free-Draco sagged momentarily before dragging himself up. He eyed the bloody furrows crisscrossing his chest and leaned against the wall weakly. "So where's Voldemort? Likes to be fashionably late does he? I hear pasty white is in this year."
Lucius growled at him. "You shall not mock your master that way."
Draco snorted. "What way does he like to be mocked in, then? I'm always ready to oblige bloody evil dark wizards with aspirations of world domination."
"You're tongue has been your downfall of late, my boy. You should watch how you use it."
The tall blonde looked at his feet before he laughed. "I take it you found out about Ginny."
"Don't dare mention her name in my presence."
"Who? Ginny? She's harmless-she can't hurt you."
"She certainly can't."
Draco stared hard at him. "What have you done?"
Lucius only smiled.
Draco felt a fury rise up in him like he'd never known. He moved forward, and grabbed his Father by the throat. "What did you do to her?"
In his weakened state, his Father just pushed him away. "Control yourself, boy."
"If you did anything to her, I'll rip your heart out," Draco found himself snarling, his hand over his chest. It ached fiercely at the thought that Ginny might be-
"Amusing. I'd almost believe you have feelings for that girl."
"You know nothing about her-or me for that matter. You're an insane old man who lets another lead you around with a ring through your nose like a bloody prize cow. I'm not about to become like you, Lucius, a man who isn't really a man- a man who kills innocents for the pleasure of it. You may as well kill me now, I refuse the Mark."
Lucius laughed. "You speak of innocents? You're as evil as I am, my son. In fact that's why Lord Voldemort wants you-you have great potential." The opal eyes sparkled.
A chill ran down Draco's spine. "I might not be a saint, but who the hell is, anyway. I don't run about murdering children and torturing people. I can get myself off in the normal way quite easily, thanks."
The ugly black look on his Father's face made his skin crawl.
"What's wrong, Dad? Have I hit a sore spot?"
His Father stepped forward, his hand clenched around his wand.
"Having a hard time getting it up lately, Lucius?" Draco clucked his tongue. He realized briefly he was getting to the man in much the same way as Ginny had gotten to him in the library that day-poking and prodding at sore spots.
"You won't speak to me in such a disrespectful manner, you bloody ingrate! You'd be living in rags like Potter and those Weasley's if it weren't for me!"
"If it weren't for you." Draco laughed out loud, his slightly healed wounds pulling open with each breath. "If it weren't for you, I'd have probably grown into a prat like Potter. For that I'm certainly grateful. I'd have had to off myself long ago-but don't think for one second that I feel beholden to you for anything. You made one major mistake in the raising of me Father. You never taught me loyalty."
"I'll kill you!" He'd never seen his Father's face turn that particular shade of purple.
"Will you?" Draco spread his arms wide, forcing a careless look onto his face. "Somehow I doubt it-you've always been a bit of a coward, haven't you? I mean, everyone was talking that time you practically ran off from Arthur Weasley in Flourish and Blotts my second year-"
"I run from no one!" His Father exploded furiously, green sparks beginning to shoot from the end f his wand. "I should kill you-taking up with that Weasley, that common filth-"
"You lack the courage of your convictions, sir," Draco said to his Father with infuriating indifference. He looked at the wand in Lucius' hand. "Do it." (A/N: Yes, that's from Interview with the Vampire. ^-^)
Lucius' face was black with hatred, and he brought up the wand furiously.
"Stop!"
Lucius looked up as Voldemort drifted towards them, leaving a trail of venomous steam in his wake. "My Lord." He bowed slightly.
Voldemort's violet eyes burned into Draco. "Clever, aren't you?" He hissed through his slit of a mouth. "Trying to get your Father to kill you before you could receive the Dark Mark. How very noble." Lord Voldemort narrowed his violet eyes at Lucius appraisingly. "An admirable trait, wouldn't you say? Odd, how he is so reluctant to be brought into my fold, when you, my most trusted Death Eater, was his sire?"
Lucius clenched his jaw but was wise enough to utter not a word. His crystalline eyes fell to the floor, his wand hanging limply in his hand at his side.
Draco swallowed as Voldemort slithered up to him, black robes dragging. He fought to keep his face impassive, as the flat snakelike nostrils flared, and the slashing violet eyes narrowed even further. A stench rose from the evil creature, and nearly choked him.
A hoarse scream rose in his throat but was never issued as the Dark Lord grabbed Draco's forearm and twisted it to expose the inner part, pressing his cold, skeletal hand to the sensitive skin there.
A sizzling sound came as Voldemort burned the Dark Mark into Draco's flesh, and he stared at his Father forcefully across the dungeon, biting his cheek until it bled.
His Father looked away.
When Voldemort at last stepped away, Draco was dripping with sweat, his mouth filled with blood, and he looked down at the ruin of his skin, furious.
"Bastard!" He ground out fiercely, and leapt at Voldemort.
Voldemort grabbed Draco up by his throat, demonstrating remarkable strength for a man of his age and build, choking off his air supply as he slammed him against the gray wall of the dungeon. "Be glad I made you what you are, young Malfoy-you'd be dead now if I hadn't."
Draco glared at him through rapidly blurring eyes.
Voldemort dropped him onto the filthy flagstone floor, and he landed hard on his side, bruising his ribcage.
"He's grown rather spirited, Lucius…no matter. The Mark will change that in time."
Draco watched the tail of Voldemort's robe drag along the floor as he turned away, and felt his eyes begin to close. The pain and shock was taking its toll, and he sank into a merciful unconsciousness.
What had happened to Ginny…?
TBC
(Next Chapter: 6. The Rematch Bet you can guess between whom! ^-^)
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~Please forgive me if I didn't get those of you that asked e-mailed about the update-my Internet service sucks half the time and it always screws up my outgoing mail! That's what I get for being cheap, right? Thanks again! ~Lee