Author: Lee Velviet
Disclaimer: This belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. etc. I own nothing!!!
6. The Rematch
Ginny gasped as Pansy opened the door and marched forward, grabbing her by her wrist. "What are you doing? Leave me alone!"
The furious looking girl dragged her down a dark hallway, and Ginny could see gray light filtering through the boarded up windows-she stumbled down a rotted staircase with bits of the railing missing after her. Pansy's hold on her aching wrist intensified, and she pulled her through another hallway, and down a dark, narrow flight of mildew slick stone steps that wound on forever. Just as Ginny thought she was going to scream in absolute terror, Pansy stopped, unlocked a heavy wooden door, opened it and shoved her through it. She fell onto her knees hard.
"You bitch!" Ginny spat the words hatefully, fear and anger choking her throat. Her words echoed in the room.
Pansy laughed insanely and slammed the door, leaving Ginny in near darkness. At least she now knew where she was-The Shrieking Shack.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth, Weasley?"
"Draco?" Ginny crept further into the dark chamber, gasping when her foot slipped and she fell forward, catching herself on one hand.
She made a face when she stood upright again, feeling something slippery and sticky on her palm. She looked closely, horrified, and as she saw the dark redness on her hand, and smelled the coppery scent of blood.
She stepped forward, slipping again-the dungeons floor seemed to be covered in it…
"Draco?" Her voice cracked as she spun around the chamber, her search bordering on hysterical.
"Go…away."
Ginny took a step toward a particularly dark corner.
"Go away, Gin…" the voice hissed again. "My father…Lord Voldemort- they'll be back any minute."
"They probably know I'm already here, seeing as Pansy just threw me in here…the door's locked, and I lost my wand-haven't got much of a choice, have I?"
She squinted through the dimness. "Where are you, anyway? You have no idea how much of a pain in the ass you are-" Ginny bit back a shocked sob when she finally saw him. She made to rush forward but stopped when he lifted his head from his chest and fixed her with a venomous silver glare.
"Stop."
"But-"
"They'll kill you. Do you understand? Pansy put you here on purpose."
"Why did they do this to you?"
He was chained to the stone wall, his arms drawn over his head. Great bloody gashes crisscrossed his chest, the wounds deep and angry, trickling freely down his abdomen and over the front of his jeans-a puddle had formed at his feet, and ran across the floor.
She'd slipped on his blood. White faced and woozy, Ginny stepped near and unsnapped the heavy manacles one by one.
His breathing was raspy in the near darkness. His arms fell, but he couldn't stay on his feet-his eyes rolled back, and he fell forward.
Ginny threw her weight against him, and lowered him to the floor.
"Draco-" Ginny balled up the sleeve of her robe and pressed it against his chest.
"Stop-get away, damn it!" He blinked, looking up at her.
"Why?"
"I didn't…I don't want you to see me this way." He looked away from her, his sweat-dampened hair falling into his eyes.
"What are you talking about? You-" She grabbed his arm and twisted it- he hissed in pain as she stared down at his forearm.
"Oh my God."
"They gave me the Mark," he mumbled, pulling his arm away from her.
"Draco…I'm so sorry…oh, God, You-know-who is here? What are we going to do?"
He laughed darkly. "I was actually thinking about joining Death Eaters Anonymous…"
"This is not the time to suddenly gain a sense of humor, Malfoy!" Ginny snapped, looking around the room desperately. "What I wouldn't give for Harry's Invisibility Cloak right now…maybe he'll figure out where we are-the Shrieking Shack, did you know?"
"It always comes back to Potter, doesn't it…" Draco pushed her hands away and stood up with difficulty. He swayed on his feet slightly, before putting out a hand against the wall to steady himself. "That perfect little prat-it's too bad you're here and not him. I wouldn't mind seeing him get his ass fried…"
Ginny looked at Draco with something akin to hate. "What's wrong with you?"
Angry, hurt, and very frustrated, Draco swept his fall of hair from his eyes.
"Oh, I don't know-could it be the fact that I'm BLOODY EVIL?"
His sarcastic shout made her blanch slightly.
She watched him pace, his fists clenching spasmodically as he surveyed their prison. "You don't look…well."
"No kidding? I got whipped by my Father and branded for life by an evil bloodsucking demonic bastard! Sorry if my appearance doesn't meet your strict standards at the moment, Ginny, luv. It's a bit hard to look all Wizard GQ when you've just been tortured in a bloody cellar!"
Ginny clenched her teeth, watching sweat bead on his forehead. He was so tense she could see the muscles in his neck standing out. "It's the Mark isn't it? It's affecting you somehow…"
Draco turned to her with a snarl of a smile. "Yes, it is. I really don't think I'm quite sane at the moment. Or do you see blood all over the walls too?"
She bit her lip, her anger fading as she saw the dark circles under his eyes, the sharp hollows of her cheeks-Voldemort was getting to him, breaking him down. He clutched his forearm as if he was afraid it might fall off.
Worry washed over her-had she ever truly been able to stay angry with him for very long?
She stood up and walked over to him, placing her hand on his arm. "Draco-"
He flung her hand off, twisting around to look at her with narrowed iridescent eyes. "No don't touch me, Ginny-in fact stay as far away from me as you can."
"Draco, don't be angry-"
"I'm not angry you silly brat! Don't you understand? I can feel it, Gin-it's welling up inside me like a black cloud of locusts-and it's eating away whatever part of me that seems to give a damn about you. If you show me a grain of kindness, I'll take advantage of it. I don't want to hurt you, Ginny." His eyes flashed as he took several stumbling steps backward. "Just stay away, do you understand? No matter what I say or do from here on, don't listen."
Frightened, Ginny nodded, backing away into her corner to curl up. "Wait-did you just say you-"
He made a low growling noise in his throat. She ducked her head.
Draco turned his back, facing the wall. He stared down at the mark on his arm, feeling as if the thing was eating him alive. He wondered if this was how Voldemort had taken his father…
"I'm sorry, but I have to do something about your chest-you can grumble and growl at me all you want," Ginny suddenly stated, standing up stubbornly.
"Weasley-"
"Oh stuff it, you prat. Sit down and let me have a look at you."
Draco sighed roughly and sat down in the middle of the floor. He blinked at the sight of his blood staining the floor, wondering if it was real or just another hallucination.
Ginny tried to bite back a gasp when she saw his back, seeing the white, raised ridges of scars from brutal whippings crisscrossing the pale skin.
He heard her gasp and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, his eyes flat and cold. "Come on Weasley…we haven't got all bloody day. They'll be back to make me watch as they murder you soon, no doubt." He snorted, closing his eyes with disturbing finality. "Hell, maybe they'll make me murder you."
Ginny closed her mouth and crossed back around in front of him, her eyes troubled as she tried desperately to ignore his last words. Someone had beaten him, and horribly…his Father, no doubt-no wonder he was so cold, so unfeeling…
"My wounds are up here, Weasley, not on the floor. I thought you were desperate to play nursemaid." He sneered this as if he seriously doubted it. "I should have known better-the amount of knowledge you have about first-aid could fill a thimble-about the same amount you're Muggle loving father could afford to spend on your school robes-"
"Shut up!" Ginny said hotly, curling her hand into a fist. "You're hateful, you know that? It's no wonder someone beat you half to death!"
She gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth as his eyes narrowed. "Oh, Draco, I'm sorry-I didn't-"
"Just get it over with, Weasley," he ground out, laying back.
"Stop calling me that," Ginny muttered, lowering herself to her knees and leaning over him. "If you care about me so much, you can at least call me Ginny."
"How about bloody annoying git?"
She sighed in exasperation as she looked closely at the slash marks. "It's not going to work you know-you already spilled the beans. I know you like me, now."
"Like you? I can't stand the sight of you-" Draco hissed as she produced a tiny vial of blue liquid from somewhere within her robes, and opened it, carefully smearing the stuff across his wounds. It stung like hell. "What the hell is that?"
Ginny kept applying the stuff, and he could have sworn she was grinning every time he winced. "A little something Mum makes all of us carry around constantly-a secret family recipe for emergencies only. The ingredients are quite expensive-and I'll pull your tongue out if you make one crack about my family being poor, Draco."
He gasped, unprepared as her fingers hit a particularly sore spot.
"Sorry," she said in sudden commiseration, and she put the cap back on the vial before hiding it away again. She held her hair back from her face and leaned low over him, blowing on the stinging cuts.
Draco almost went cross-eyed at the sight and at the thought that crossed his fevered mind. "Got any plans to go farther south? I seem to have a tremendous pain just there-Ow!" He sat up as she pinched his side.
"My God, you have the morals of a snake!"
Draco leaned against the wall and watched as she paced. "Or a Malfoy- there's really not much difference."
Ginny glared at him. "Why did I have to follow you today?"
"Because you find me maddeningly attractive?"
"I felt sorry for you," she barked.
"Really? How Weasley-ish of you." Draco rubbed his arms-his shirt, muddy as it had been, would have been welcome just then.
"Are you cold?"
"No, I'm shivering because I'm good at it."
"I'll ignore the sarcasm this once on the grounds that you're not in your right mind." Ginny unzipped the front of her robes.
Draco felt his eyebrows shoot up. "And you are? I don't think what you have in mind is quite appropriate right now-even though it may well get me warm-in fact I think I'm well on my way-"
"Do you ever think before you open that great yawning maw of yours?" Ginny stripped off the black robe and dropped it unceremoniously on his head.
Draco caught the heavenly aroma of warm vanilla before he tugged the fabric from his head and wrapped it around his shoulders. "I suppose you expect me to thank you now?"
"I really don't-I think I'd pass out if I ever heard you say a nice word to anyone, much less express your gratitude."
He watched her lean against the door, taking in her school uniform- the starched white shirt, gray jumper, tie, and knee length pleated skirt. He allowed his eyes to drift down her legs, taking in the plain gray knee socks and black Mary Jane's.
Somehow she looked older without the black school robes shrouding her.
She was quiet for a long minute, her heavy fall of soft red curls hiding her face. "Do you really think they'll…kill me?"
Draco didn't know what to say. He actually felt guilty for telling her.
"Honestly-yes."
Her head drooped toward her chest.
Draco stood up, wincing, and crossed over to her before he really knew what he was doing. "Gin…"
She was crying. He felt a hot tear drop onto his hand, and then he was gathering her into his arms.
Ginny buried her face against his neck, fighting back the tears. "I don't want to die, Draco. I want to get married, and have children and grow old-"
He rested his chin against her head and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the awful pictures flashing through his mind. Her death…
"-I want to see Ron and Hermione get married and have kids, and go to the station with them when they're older to send them off to Hogwarts…I want to see Harry, alive and well and happy at last." She pulled back and looked at him, blinking rapidly. "I'd even like to see you again when we're old and gray." She laughed. "We'd make a pair. Two wrinkled old people still biting each others heads off-it'd keep life interesting."
The scary part of it all was-Draco could see it all in his head. He dropped his arms from her and backed away.
"What is it?"
Draco shook his head, shrugging off the fabric around his shoulders and tossing it back at her. "I can't do this."
She frowned, wiping away her tears as she caught the robe. "What are you talking about?"
"I can't be good, Ginny. I can't be…I'm not good…"
She stepped forward at the panicked tone in his voice. "Draco, calm down."
"No!" He turned in a circle, feeling as if the room was closing in on him. "I'm not good…I don't want to be."
"You're talking like a mad person," Ginny stated, forcing her voice to remain calm.
The key scraped in the lock, and she leapt away from the door as it opened.
"He is a mad person," Lucius Malfoy said conversationally as he stepped in, and Voldemort entered silently behind him.
Ginny felt her throat close as she saw the fierce violet eyes staring at her from the glaring white face. Her whole body shook in terror.
Draco was standing in a corner, breathing hard.
"Dear Pansy tells me you had a meeting scheduled-a wizard's duel, I believe it was?" Lucius smiled at her coldly. "She tells me you never had a chance to finish it."
Ginny was almost past the point of comprehension. She could only stare at Voldemort with wide, dark eyes. Had this 'thing' ever really been Tom Riddle?
"Give him his wand," Voldemort hissed at Lucius suddenly.
Lucius walked over to his son slowly. He pulled a wand from his sleeve and held it out on his palm.
Draco blinked, and took it woodenly.
Lucius turned to Ginny. "My dear." He brandished her wand.
She reached out a shaking hand for it. It felt comforting in her grasp.
"Why are you bothering with this?" Ginny heard herself speak, and was surprised by it. "Why aren't you just using a killing curse and getting it over with?"
Voldemort actually laughed. It made Ginny's skin crawl.
"Young Malfoy must prove his loyalty to me, girl. Killing you will do that." He smiled, exposing needle like incisors. "The duel was Lucius' suggestion-it should prove amusing."
Ginny shuddered inwardly, feeling as if her heart might pound through her chest.
Lucius stepped to his master's side. "Shall we begin?"
Draco's head was full of nightmares-every horrible thing he'd ever seen or heard or dreamed of was standing around him waiting to take a bite.
"On the count of three."
Draco shook his head, looking over at his Father. "No…"
"One."
He looked and saw Ginny standing opposite him, her face white.
"Two."
"I won't do it!" He shouted, feeling the Mark on his arm begin to burn fiercely-Voldemort was exerting his power over him, and Draco watched in horror as his arm rose and he extended his wand directly at Ginny.
"Three!"
"CRUCIO!"
Ginny thought her heart was going to explode when the Cruciatus curse hit her. She fell to the floor, shrieking in a pain filled voice that she wasn't even sure was hers. God, she wanted to die…
She managed out of sheer stubbornness to raise her arm and yell, "Expelliarmus!"
The pain stopped immediately as Draco's wand was tugged from his grasp-but it stopped in mid-air, and Ginny watched in disbelief as it flew back into Draco's hand.
Voldemort laughed rustily.
She guessed cheating was most definitely allowed here.
Ginny hurried to stand, and looked at Draco with no little fear. His eyes looked eerily blank.
"Imperio!"
She threw herself flat against the floor, skinning both palms and knees again as she barely managed to avoid the Imperious curse. Desperate to get out of it alive, and unwilling to hurt Draco, she thought fast and shouted, "Locomotor Mortis!"
Draco dodged the curse easily.
"Serpensortia!"
Ginny shrieked as a huge, spitting black snake appeared, slithering towards her. She leapt back, not sure what to do, panic clouding her mind.
"Finite Incantatem!"
The snake continued to draw near, and Ginny felt her shoulders strike the wall behind her.
"FINITE INCANTATEM!" She yelled desperately, her mind racing-what else was there? It wasn't working!
"Impedimentia!" The spell seemingly bounced off.
The snake was at her feet, it's purple tongue flickering out to taste the air-it's huge yellow eyes focused on her with evil intent. She closed her eyes and turned her head.
In that moment it finally hit her that she was really going to die.
TBC
(Next Chapter 7.Liberation! Hmmm, what could that mean? ^-^)
(A/N: Ack! Another cliffie! Sorry about that, really! I hope to post more soon! Thanks so much for the reviews-sorry if this got a little too dark or gory for some of you-blame it on all the rain I've been subjected to of late. I do. I promise some nice fluff for you real soon, 'Turkey! Love ya! ^-^ ~Lee)
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Disclaimer: This belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. etc. I own nothing!!!
6. The Rematch
Ginny gasped as Pansy opened the door and marched forward, grabbing her by her wrist. "What are you doing? Leave me alone!"
The furious looking girl dragged her down a dark hallway, and Ginny could see gray light filtering through the boarded up windows-she stumbled down a rotted staircase with bits of the railing missing after her. Pansy's hold on her aching wrist intensified, and she pulled her through another hallway, and down a dark, narrow flight of mildew slick stone steps that wound on forever. Just as Ginny thought she was going to scream in absolute terror, Pansy stopped, unlocked a heavy wooden door, opened it and shoved her through it. She fell onto her knees hard.
"You bitch!" Ginny spat the words hatefully, fear and anger choking her throat. Her words echoed in the room.
Pansy laughed insanely and slammed the door, leaving Ginny in near darkness. At least she now knew where she was-The Shrieking Shack.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth, Weasley?"
"Draco?" Ginny crept further into the dark chamber, gasping when her foot slipped and she fell forward, catching herself on one hand.
She made a face when she stood upright again, feeling something slippery and sticky on her palm. She looked closely, horrified, and as she saw the dark redness on her hand, and smelled the coppery scent of blood.
She stepped forward, slipping again-the dungeons floor seemed to be covered in it…
"Draco?" Her voice cracked as she spun around the chamber, her search bordering on hysterical.
"Go…away."
Ginny took a step toward a particularly dark corner.
"Go away, Gin…" the voice hissed again. "My father…Lord Voldemort- they'll be back any minute."
"They probably know I'm already here, seeing as Pansy just threw me in here…the door's locked, and I lost my wand-haven't got much of a choice, have I?"
She squinted through the dimness. "Where are you, anyway? You have no idea how much of a pain in the ass you are-" Ginny bit back a shocked sob when she finally saw him. She made to rush forward but stopped when he lifted his head from his chest and fixed her with a venomous silver glare.
"Stop."
"But-"
"They'll kill you. Do you understand? Pansy put you here on purpose."
"Why did they do this to you?"
He was chained to the stone wall, his arms drawn over his head. Great bloody gashes crisscrossed his chest, the wounds deep and angry, trickling freely down his abdomen and over the front of his jeans-a puddle had formed at his feet, and ran across the floor.
She'd slipped on his blood. White faced and woozy, Ginny stepped near and unsnapped the heavy manacles one by one.
His breathing was raspy in the near darkness. His arms fell, but he couldn't stay on his feet-his eyes rolled back, and he fell forward.
Ginny threw her weight against him, and lowered him to the floor.
"Draco-" Ginny balled up the sleeve of her robe and pressed it against his chest.
"Stop-get away, damn it!" He blinked, looking up at her.
"Why?"
"I didn't…I don't want you to see me this way." He looked away from her, his sweat-dampened hair falling into his eyes.
"What are you talking about? You-" She grabbed his arm and twisted it- he hissed in pain as she stared down at his forearm.
"Oh my God."
"They gave me the Mark," he mumbled, pulling his arm away from her.
"Draco…I'm so sorry…oh, God, You-know-who is here? What are we going to do?"
He laughed darkly. "I was actually thinking about joining Death Eaters Anonymous…"
"This is not the time to suddenly gain a sense of humor, Malfoy!" Ginny snapped, looking around the room desperately. "What I wouldn't give for Harry's Invisibility Cloak right now…maybe he'll figure out where we are-the Shrieking Shack, did you know?"
"It always comes back to Potter, doesn't it…" Draco pushed her hands away and stood up with difficulty. He swayed on his feet slightly, before putting out a hand against the wall to steady himself. "That perfect little prat-it's too bad you're here and not him. I wouldn't mind seeing him get his ass fried…"
Ginny looked at Draco with something akin to hate. "What's wrong with you?"
Angry, hurt, and very frustrated, Draco swept his fall of hair from his eyes.
"Oh, I don't know-could it be the fact that I'm BLOODY EVIL?"
His sarcastic shout made her blanch slightly.
She watched him pace, his fists clenching spasmodically as he surveyed their prison. "You don't look…well."
"No kidding? I got whipped by my Father and branded for life by an evil bloodsucking demonic bastard! Sorry if my appearance doesn't meet your strict standards at the moment, Ginny, luv. It's a bit hard to look all Wizard GQ when you've just been tortured in a bloody cellar!"
Ginny clenched her teeth, watching sweat bead on his forehead. He was so tense she could see the muscles in his neck standing out. "It's the Mark isn't it? It's affecting you somehow…"
Draco turned to her with a snarl of a smile. "Yes, it is. I really don't think I'm quite sane at the moment. Or do you see blood all over the walls too?"
She bit her lip, her anger fading as she saw the dark circles under his eyes, the sharp hollows of her cheeks-Voldemort was getting to him, breaking him down. He clutched his forearm as if he was afraid it might fall off.
Worry washed over her-had she ever truly been able to stay angry with him for very long?
She stood up and walked over to him, placing her hand on his arm. "Draco-"
He flung her hand off, twisting around to look at her with narrowed iridescent eyes. "No don't touch me, Ginny-in fact stay as far away from me as you can."
"Draco, don't be angry-"
"I'm not angry you silly brat! Don't you understand? I can feel it, Gin-it's welling up inside me like a black cloud of locusts-and it's eating away whatever part of me that seems to give a damn about you. If you show me a grain of kindness, I'll take advantage of it. I don't want to hurt you, Ginny." His eyes flashed as he took several stumbling steps backward. "Just stay away, do you understand? No matter what I say or do from here on, don't listen."
Frightened, Ginny nodded, backing away into her corner to curl up. "Wait-did you just say you-"
He made a low growling noise in his throat. She ducked her head.
Draco turned his back, facing the wall. He stared down at the mark on his arm, feeling as if the thing was eating him alive. He wondered if this was how Voldemort had taken his father…
"I'm sorry, but I have to do something about your chest-you can grumble and growl at me all you want," Ginny suddenly stated, standing up stubbornly.
"Weasley-"
"Oh stuff it, you prat. Sit down and let me have a look at you."
Draco sighed roughly and sat down in the middle of the floor. He blinked at the sight of his blood staining the floor, wondering if it was real or just another hallucination.
Ginny tried to bite back a gasp when she saw his back, seeing the white, raised ridges of scars from brutal whippings crisscrossing the pale skin.
He heard her gasp and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, his eyes flat and cold. "Come on Weasley…we haven't got all bloody day. They'll be back to make me watch as they murder you soon, no doubt." He snorted, closing his eyes with disturbing finality. "Hell, maybe they'll make me murder you."
Ginny closed her mouth and crossed back around in front of him, her eyes troubled as she tried desperately to ignore his last words. Someone had beaten him, and horribly…his Father, no doubt-no wonder he was so cold, so unfeeling…
"My wounds are up here, Weasley, not on the floor. I thought you were desperate to play nursemaid." He sneered this as if he seriously doubted it. "I should have known better-the amount of knowledge you have about first-aid could fill a thimble-about the same amount you're Muggle loving father could afford to spend on your school robes-"
"Shut up!" Ginny said hotly, curling her hand into a fist. "You're hateful, you know that? It's no wonder someone beat you half to death!"
She gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth as his eyes narrowed. "Oh, Draco, I'm sorry-I didn't-"
"Just get it over with, Weasley," he ground out, laying back.
"Stop calling me that," Ginny muttered, lowering herself to her knees and leaning over him. "If you care about me so much, you can at least call me Ginny."
"How about bloody annoying git?"
She sighed in exasperation as she looked closely at the slash marks. "It's not going to work you know-you already spilled the beans. I know you like me, now."
"Like you? I can't stand the sight of you-" Draco hissed as she produced a tiny vial of blue liquid from somewhere within her robes, and opened it, carefully smearing the stuff across his wounds. It stung like hell. "What the hell is that?"
Ginny kept applying the stuff, and he could have sworn she was grinning every time he winced. "A little something Mum makes all of us carry around constantly-a secret family recipe for emergencies only. The ingredients are quite expensive-and I'll pull your tongue out if you make one crack about my family being poor, Draco."
He gasped, unprepared as her fingers hit a particularly sore spot.
"Sorry," she said in sudden commiseration, and she put the cap back on the vial before hiding it away again. She held her hair back from her face and leaned low over him, blowing on the stinging cuts.
Draco almost went cross-eyed at the sight and at the thought that crossed his fevered mind. "Got any plans to go farther south? I seem to have a tremendous pain just there-Ow!" He sat up as she pinched his side.
"My God, you have the morals of a snake!"
Draco leaned against the wall and watched as she paced. "Or a Malfoy- there's really not much difference."
Ginny glared at him. "Why did I have to follow you today?"
"Because you find me maddeningly attractive?"
"I felt sorry for you," she barked.
"Really? How Weasley-ish of you." Draco rubbed his arms-his shirt, muddy as it had been, would have been welcome just then.
"Are you cold?"
"No, I'm shivering because I'm good at it."
"I'll ignore the sarcasm this once on the grounds that you're not in your right mind." Ginny unzipped the front of her robes.
Draco felt his eyebrows shoot up. "And you are? I don't think what you have in mind is quite appropriate right now-even though it may well get me warm-in fact I think I'm well on my way-"
"Do you ever think before you open that great yawning maw of yours?" Ginny stripped off the black robe and dropped it unceremoniously on his head.
Draco caught the heavenly aroma of warm vanilla before he tugged the fabric from his head and wrapped it around his shoulders. "I suppose you expect me to thank you now?"
"I really don't-I think I'd pass out if I ever heard you say a nice word to anyone, much less express your gratitude."
He watched her lean against the door, taking in her school uniform- the starched white shirt, gray jumper, tie, and knee length pleated skirt. He allowed his eyes to drift down her legs, taking in the plain gray knee socks and black Mary Jane's.
Somehow she looked older without the black school robes shrouding her.
She was quiet for a long minute, her heavy fall of soft red curls hiding her face. "Do you really think they'll…kill me?"
Draco didn't know what to say. He actually felt guilty for telling her.
"Honestly-yes."
Her head drooped toward her chest.
Draco stood up, wincing, and crossed over to her before he really knew what he was doing. "Gin…"
She was crying. He felt a hot tear drop onto his hand, and then he was gathering her into his arms.
Ginny buried her face against his neck, fighting back the tears. "I don't want to die, Draco. I want to get married, and have children and grow old-"
He rested his chin against her head and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the awful pictures flashing through his mind. Her death…
"-I want to see Ron and Hermione get married and have kids, and go to the station with them when they're older to send them off to Hogwarts…I want to see Harry, alive and well and happy at last." She pulled back and looked at him, blinking rapidly. "I'd even like to see you again when we're old and gray." She laughed. "We'd make a pair. Two wrinkled old people still biting each others heads off-it'd keep life interesting."
The scary part of it all was-Draco could see it all in his head. He dropped his arms from her and backed away.
"What is it?"
Draco shook his head, shrugging off the fabric around his shoulders and tossing it back at her. "I can't do this."
She frowned, wiping away her tears as she caught the robe. "What are you talking about?"
"I can't be good, Ginny. I can't be…I'm not good…"
She stepped forward at the panicked tone in his voice. "Draco, calm down."
"No!" He turned in a circle, feeling as if the room was closing in on him. "I'm not good…I don't want to be."
"You're talking like a mad person," Ginny stated, forcing her voice to remain calm.
The key scraped in the lock, and she leapt away from the door as it opened.
"He is a mad person," Lucius Malfoy said conversationally as he stepped in, and Voldemort entered silently behind him.
Ginny felt her throat close as she saw the fierce violet eyes staring at her from the glaring white face. Her whole body shook in terror.
Draco was standing in a corner, breathing hard.
"Dear Pansy tells me you had a meeting scheduled-a wizard's duel, I believe it was?" Lucius smiled at her coldly. "She tells me you never had a chance to finish it."
Ginny was almost past the point of comprehension. She could only stare at Voldemort with wide, dark eyes. Had this 'thing' ever really been Tom Riddle?
"Give him his wand," Voldemort hissed at Lucius suddenly.
Lucius walked over to his son slowly. He pulled a wand from his sleeve and held it out on his palm.
Draco blinked, and took it woodenly.
Lucius turned to Ginny. "My dear." He brandished her wand.
She reached out a shaking hand for it. It felt comforting in her grasp.
"Why are you bothering with this?" Ginny heard herself speak, and was surprised by it. "Why aren't you just using a killing curse and getting it over with?"
Voldemort actually laughed. It made Ginny's skin crawl.
"Young Malfoy must prove his loyalty to me, girl. Killing you will do that." He smiled, exposing needle like incisors. "The duel was Lucius' suggestion-it should prove amusing."
Ginny shuddered inwardly, feeling as if her heart might pound through her chest.
Lucius stepped to his master's side. "Shall we begin?"
Draco's head was full of nightmares-every horrible thing he'd ever seen or heard or dreamed of was standing around him waiting to take a bite.
"On the count of three."
Draco shook his head, looking over at his Father. "No…"
"One."
He looked and saw Ginny standing opposite him, her face white.
"Two."
"I won't do it!" He shouted, feeling the Mark on his arm begin to burn fiercely-Voldemort was exerting his power over him, and Draco watched in horror as his arm rose and he extended his wand directly at Ginny.
"Three!"
"CRUCIO!"
Ginny thought her heart was going to explode when the Cruciatus curse hit her. She fell to the floor, shrieking in a pain filled voice that she wasn't even sure was hers. God, she wanted to die…
She managed out of sheer stubbornness to raise her arm and yell, "Expelliarmus!"
The pain stopped immediately as Draco's wand was tugged from his grasp-but it stopped in mid-air, and Ginny watched in disbelief as it flew back into Draco's hand.
Voldemort laughed rustily.
She guessed cheating was most definitely allowed here.
Ginny hurried to stand, and looked at Draco with no little fear. His eyes looked eerily blank.
"Imperio!"
She threw herself flat against the floor, skinning both palms and knees again as she barely managed to avoid the Imperious curse. Desperate to get out of it alive, and unwilling to hurt Draco, she thought fast and shouted, "Locomotor Mortis!"
Draco dodged the curse easily.
"Serpensortia!"
Ginny shrieked as a huge, spitting black snake appeared, slithering towards her. She leapt back, not sure what to do, panic clouding her mind.
"Finite Incantatem!"
The snake continued to draw near, and Ginny felt her shoulders strike the wall behind her.
"FINITE INCANTATEM!" She yelled desperately, her mind racing-what else was there? It wasn't working!
"Impedimentia!" The spell seemingly bounced off.
The snake was at her feet, it's purple tongue flickering out to taste the air-it's huge yellow eyes focused on her with evil intent. She closed her eyes and turned her head.
In that moment it finally hit her that she was really going to die.
TBC
(Next Chapter 7.Liberation! Hmmm, what could that mean? ^-^)
(A/N: Ack! Another cliffie! Sorry about that, really! I hope to post more soon! Thanks so much for the reviews-sorry if this got a little too dark or gory for some of you-blame it on all the rain I've been subjected to of late. I do. I promise some nice fluff for you real soon, 'Turkey! Love ya! ^-^ ~Lee)
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