~Ch. 8- Capture~
Obsidian waited with the dragon riders in secret, concealed just beyond the edge of the Forbidden Forest, watching the evacuation of Hogwarts with immense satisfaction. "You've done well, Macnair. The Dark Lord will be pleased.
"Now we need only retrieve the Weasley girl, and the mission will be complete." She was sitting astride his dragon with him, having joined the group. The Dark Lord had instructed for her to be brought to him, along with the bearer of the mysterious bracelet.
Macnair only nodded shortly, his Death Eater's mask concealing his face. * Once the group arrived back at the Gryffindor quarters, they ran into McGonagall. "What are you three still doing around? We need to get as many people out as possible." She said, sternly. She looked the most disarrayed they'd ever seen her, but that was her only outward sign of how the destruction of their school was affecting her.
"So since you three are still able to walk, you won't mind helping some of the others here outside of the wreckage." She gestured at several first years who had apparently just been pulled from the rubble.
Ginny glanced at the two momentarily, then moved towards a first year girl who had hurt her leg. Smiling cheerfully at the sobbing girl, she offered a hand. "Here, come on, I'll help you get to safety."
Hefting the girl into her arms, she moved to make her comfortable, the sobbing girl going quiet and just clinging to her in fear. Glancing between Harry and Draco, she looked at them grimly. "Come on, then."
While Harry moved immediately to start helping the other injured or hurt students, Draco hesitated. Staring around, all he could see was the wreckage. Just a massive amount of damage, done by Death Eaters.
But that's not what bothered him the most. What bothered him was he didn't see the sense in it. Didn't see the purpose other than for destructive waste. Whatever the Dark Lord did, it was always calculated, always purposeful. Nothing had been captured or taken, noone kidnaped. Not Harry, not Dumbledore. So he couldn't help feeling as if the attack wasn't over. That this was just the calm in the eye of the hurricane.
He looked up, his eyes meeting Ginny over the head of the injured girl. All his instincts were telling him that they should just go back to the classroom. Just hide until all the bad things went away.
Sighing, he bent over another Gryffindor, clutching a bleeding wound on his arm. The face was familiar. Dennis Creevy. How many times had he mocked the Creevy brothers, insulted and humiliated them? Creevy looked up to Draco with shock and fear. Draco bit back a wince, holding out his hand to the younger boy. Dennis just stared at him.
Ginny smiled a bit, patting the girl's arm as she left the semi-ruined Hogwarts for the fresher air of the outdoors. "Don't worry. See, they're already setting up tents and everything." She assured the girl, gesturing towards where a few teachers were setting up some magical tents for the students to sleep in.
Everyone was working. Those not working, were injured. People were putting out fires, rescuing injured students, setting up tents, cooking food... Ginny was proud of the way everyone came together to help everyone else.
Draco was still stuck in a staring contest with Colin Creevy's younger brother, however. He sighed, his arm staring to get tired from holding his hand out. "Come on, kid." He sighed impatiently. "I'm not going to bite you."
Dennis just clutched his own arm tighter, blood seeping through his fingers. "Like hell you won't." He squeaked. Draco was shocked. He never knew the boy had spitfire in him.
He favored Dennis with a rare grin. "It's okay, Creevy. I'm not hungry now, anyway."
Dennis's mouth seemed to be struggling between a line of terror, and a return smile.
Setting the girl down in a tent reserved for those with injuries of some sort, Ginny moved out of the tent, stretching her arms as she glanced around the burning rubble of Hogwarts.
If the Death Eaters were after her, she was glad they were gone, but saddened that all of it happened. If so many had been hurt because of her, if anyone died...
Ginny trembled slightly, moving back for the interior of Hogwarts to fetch another injured student. She wasn't going to stop until someone forced her to or until everything she could do was done. * Obsidian saw the hair first. That signature red hair, the color of melted rubies. A small, dark smile transfixed her mouth. "There's our target, boys."
Nott, Avery, and Macnair gave loud whoops, signaling to their restless dragon mounts. The cloaking spell fell away like water, and the dragons pumped their powerful leathery wings, sending up huge gusts of air that bent the branches of the trees, sent dead leaves swirling around their heads like halos.
The dragons rose once more into the smoke-filled sky, then descended as one, converging upon a single, helpless figure. A girl with red hair...
Ginny stared for another few moments at the smoldering half-ruined Hogwarts, until she heard a strange noise behind her. Wind. Strong wind. Her heart suddenly thudded in her chest. Maybe it's just a strong wind. The wind does pick up most of the time after dark. Her gaze turned upon the fading sun, the glow almost seeming as if Hogwarts' flames had risen just as the sun's own faded. But there was that wind.
And a sudden thought hit her, and her already beating heart then beat furiously within her with terror at that sudden thought. They can't be back. The Death Eaters can't be back. Harry said they were gone. Harry promised they were gone.
She started to turn, but it was almost as if her body wouldn't react fast enough for her mind. It seemed as if it was all in slow motion. Turning behind her, she stared in horror at the sight of the dragons and their occupants. Her worst fears were confirmed. Suddenly, her feet sprang into action, and she moved desprately towards the ruins, screaming at the top of her lungs.
They were coming. For her.
Thoughts buzzed through her head. Thoughts of Ron and Hermione, laughing and working together. Thoughts of Harry, sweet and generous Harry, always helping her out. And then there were thoughts of Draco, most predominant in her mind.
And she might never see them again if she didn't run faster.
So she tried, pushing herself physically to the limits, scrambling across the grass towards the entrance to the semi-ruined Hogwarts. "Someone, help me! Someone, anyone! PLEASE! They're after me! The Death Eaters!" As she ran, she struggled to remember some sort of spell, any sort of spell that would help her, but the terror paralyzed her brain, and it was as if she had never been taught a single spell in her life.
"Someone help me!" She screamed, desperately, scrambling for the ruins, praying that somehow she'd be able to hide in there. More thoughts buzzed through her head, again, thoughts of Draco most prevalent.
He would blame himself, for her being captured. He would say it was because they had gotten too close. Because he was the son of one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters.
But as Ginny ran, she couldn't help but wonder why. Why would Voldemort send three dragons with Death Eaters, to practically destroy Hogwarts, only to teach a Slytherin boy not to disobey him and to take away the feminine distraction that kept him from becoming a Death Eater?
It didn't add up. The Death Eaters were after her for such a petty, miniscule reason? And then, Ginny noticed she was wearing the bracelet, and her heart sank. The girl, Susan Bones, had been so oddly attached to the bracelet. She had acted so strangely. And she couldn't find anything about it in the library... but she hadn't checked in the restricted section.
She hadn't really thought the bracelet could be dangerous. Perhaps, if this is what they were after, she could take it off. She could throw it at them and they'd take it and leave them all alone. But as she ran, her fingers fumbling to pull the bracelet off, she realized that the latch was no longer there. It was as if the bracelet had been physically made around her arm, never to be taken off.
And she screamed again, scrambling for the ruins of Hogwarts, longing to be hiding in the destroyed classroom where she and Draco had been, wishing that she had stayed and never risked coming out.
And most of all, she wished she had stayed with Draco. * Draco knew. The instant the Death Eaters and their dragons rose again, his head whipped towards the entrance, staring at the visible sliver of sky from the crumbled entrance. Maybe it was because his senses were heightened, or because he was already paranoid and alert, or maybe even for another reason entirely. He just knew. Knew before the screams started, the running.
He knew Ginny was in danger.
And before his brain could even register the knowledge, his legs were moving, propelling him forward towards the exit outside, the way Ginny had left. But as he ran, no matter how fast or agile he forced himself to be, it was if time itself had slowed down, working against him.
His vision was at once focused and blurred. He seemed to be moving at a snail's pace, the world going by at a crawl. At last he saw Ginny, scrambling for cover. Saw the three dragons that swooped down on her like vengeful demons from the sky.
He wasn't going to make it.
Was this the dream? Was this reality, reenacting the dream? Or was he still dreaming, still caught in a nightmare?
You will try and fail.
No. It wasn't right. This couldn't be the time. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. This wasn't the dream. That had been the end of the world
This was just the beginning of the end.
So close, and yet so incredibly far away. He was helpless to do anything but watch as a girl with black hair leaned from the dragon's back, plucking Ginny off of the ground as if she were no more than a weed. The dragon pulled out of its dive, soaring for the sky again, heading there at an astonishing rate. The other two dragons followed hard upon its tail. Soon they were no more than dark blotches against the fiery sky.
Draco stumbled to a halt, staring after them, the look on his eyes empty, bleak. Ginny was gone.
But it wasn't the end. He knew it. Just as he knew innately what he was supposed to do now.
Try and go after her, of course. But the nightmare taunted him, echoes of his father's words.
You will try and fail. * Afraid to look back, Ginny couldn't tell where the dragons were, how close they were, save for the wind that swept at her school robes, whipping them out behind her.
They were getting too close for comfort.
And suddenly, she was no longer running, but kicking the air, her legs scissoring. Her feet were above the ground, and she was being pulled up by a pair of arms that she suddenly found around herself.
She was being pulled up onto a dragon.
And suddenly, she saw someone else running. Draco Malfoy. He had heard her. He was coming to save her. Her eyes met his own for a moment before she felt the dragon shoot upwards now that she was safely on the dragon's scaley back.
Draco Malfoy was nothing but a speck on the ground.
Ginny swallowed her dizziness from being so high up, and from being so close to something so vile. The Death Eaters. They had her, and she had a sickening feeling that she was going to be taken to the person she was the most terrified of.
Lord Voldemort.
Trying to calm her nerves, she tried to focus on something other than the man formerly called Tom Marvolo Riddle. I'm sure that I'll have a great story to tell Charlie about these dragons once I get back home... If I get back home.
This wasn't working quite as she hoped... * Obsidian hauled Ginny up over the back of the dragon with unnatural strength, a malicious gleam in her black eyes. "Hello Ginny, remember me?" She laughed darkly.
The dragons soared above the clouds, flying away from the setting sun, towards the already nighted horizon. Obsidian cast a spell of ropes that immobilized Ginny. "If you're not completely stupid, you should have figured out by now what the Dark Lord wants with you, Weasley." She mocked the younger girl.
Ginny glared back at Obsidian, trying not to stare a the ground below, nor the dragon beneath her, but rather, the horizon. "Yes. I figured it out. It has something to do with the bracelet."
She frowned. "But you can have it, I don't care... I'd give it to you, but I can't seem to get it off." Oh, Ginny would be more than willing to let them have it if it meant her freedom.
Obsidian mocked Ginny with further laughter. "So quick to give away an object you know nothing about? Especially when the greatest enemy of the entire wizarding community would send his dragons to rain fire on Hogwarts to get it? What a little fool you are."
The evil spirit possessing Susan Bones' body smirked, and there was a glimpse of screaming and death in that expression. "But worry not, the choice is not up to you, anyway. And the Dark Lord requested specifically that we bring you alive. Otherwise I could have just chopped off your hand last night, and have done without all this fuss..." She smirked again. "But I did rather enjoy watching that miserable school burn, nevertheless."
Ginny felt the anger inside her growing, and she turned slightly, spitting into Obsidian's face. "You would, you pathetic creature!" She snarled, gathering her strength.
Secretly, though, she couldn't help but shudder. The Dark Lord wanted her. And he wanted her alive. She only hoped that he had forgotten about the diary. But she knew better. She knew she was in for the terror of a lifetime and that there was nothing she could do about it.
The darkling creature did not rise to Ginny's insult, merely replied calmly. "Pathetic? Well, that's rich, coming from a girl tied to the back of a dragon, at the mercy of her enemies. Oh, and who thinks Draco Malfoy actually cares about her." Obsidian snorted. "Now that, my dear Weasley, is truly the definition of pathetic."
Ginny bit hard on her lip, trying not to cry. This hurt... all of this hurt so much, but she had to be brave. There would be time to cry and let it all out later.
"Draco Malfoy?" She huffed. "I care nothing for Draco Malfoy. That stupid git has done nothing but insult my family, my friends, and myself and he is infuriating. If you think that I could possibly believe he cares for me... you're wrong."
Obsidian stared down at Ginny, her pupils swallowed by the shadows in her eyes. "I am no fool. As my master is no fool. And you," At this, she leaned forward, mouth opened, and inhaled deeply in front of Ginny's face, taking in her scent as a panther might do. "You have Draco Malfoy's smell all over you."
Obsidian giggled, and it was not a pleasant sound. "I suppose you think he's sensitive, misunderstood." She shook her head, making a scolding, tsking sound. "How naive you are. He's only using you. He's a Malfoy. The Dark Arts are in his blood... just as they are in mine."
Using her? Had it all been just a game? Ginny swallowed hard, but she ignored Obsidian, determined to keep herself calm. Draco wasn't faking it. He did care.
Even if others said differently... Could Ginny have been mistaken? Just as she'd been mistaken to trust Tom Riddle, five years ago... but she didn't want to lose that hope that he wasn't. She had to be there if he was honest.
Satisfied with Ginny's silence as a sign that her words had struck a nerve, Obsidian merely smiled and turned to scan the scenery. They were passing over vast, mist-shrouded mountains. The smell of heather and the metallic tang of rain wafted in the air. Obsidian repressed a shiver of excitement. Soon she would see the lair of the Dark Lord, be trusted with that secret. Soon she would rejoin her master, the one who'd made her, brought her into being inside the shell of Susan Bones.
After a while, before the moon had barely begun to rise, the dragons started their downwards spiral, seeming to be heading for a secluded ruin of a stone tower, isolated of the edge of a sharply graded cliff.
Ginny swallowed hard, her fear merely growing the closer they got to that ruined tower. Surely Voldemort himself couldn't be there. Surely not. She shuddered at the thought. The only image she had of the Dark Lord was his Hogwarts school boy image. Tom Riddle.
A shiver ran through her. What did he look like now, this powerful menace of the wizarding world? She knew that there was much pain for her in the future, though there was some strange reason that he wanted her alive...
She would have felt safer if he hadn't cared if she was dead. That would have made things much easier.
The three dragons landed in a narrow clearing at the base of the decrepit tower. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance, and clouds heavy with rain blocked any view of the stars. Avery, Nott, and Macnair dismounted, and Obsidian hauled Ginny off the saddle as if she weighed no more than a twig.
As soon as their riders were clear, the dragons trumpeted in disgruntlement, launching themselves homewards, their purpose fulfilled. Obsidian looked sharply to each masked Death Eaters. "You all are dismissed as well. You have served the Master well."
With silent bows, one by one the men Disapparated, leaving Ginny and Obsidian alone at the edge of the cliff. "Lord Voldemort is very select about those he lets into his presence. You should feel honored, Weasley." With a smirk, and a bit of eagerness, Obsidian began walking the two of them towards the entrance.
Ginny swallowed hard, staring at Obsidian as they moved towards the entrance. "I don't get what the bracelet is for, though... why go through all of this trouble? How did I even get it in the first place?" The terror was digging deeper and deeper with every step she took towards the ruins. She only wished Draco were here, holding her, protecting her, assuring her it was safe. Even though she would have never before in her life imagined him doing such, at that moment she didn't find it the least bit strange. She just felt so vulnerable.
And she was about to meet someone who she was the most vulnerable around...
As they approached the entrance, the battered-looking wooden doors swung out silently in wordless invitation. Nothing could be seen behind them but a yawning blackness.
Obsidian turned to Ginny with eyes that glittered like chips of ebony. "Save your questions for your... interview." She told her, her expression excited and malicious at once. Then she gestured towards the opening. "After you, Weasley. He's waiting."
Swallowing her fear, Ginny took a step forward, figuring that she'd have to do it, either forced or willing, and she was certain it'd be a lot less painful if she went somewhat willingly.
The darkness closed around her, and she involuntarily shuddered. She couldn't see anything. Her hands fumbled in the darkness as she stepped forward, trying to figure out where she was.
After a few moments, the darkness drifted away, lit dimly by a few candles that flared into life in wall sconces. There was nothing in the small, circular room but dust and silence. The only other exit besides the one they'd come through was the stairwell, that curved around out of sight.
Obsidian stepped out from around the younger girl, moving without hesitation towards the stairs. Soon their footfalls echoed softly against the aged stone walls. The steps were very narrow and steep. The passageway was only barely wide enough for one person to walk. Obsidian was humming a little as she ascended, seemingly in very high spirits.
At last, they reached the top floor of the tower. It was the same size as the ground floor, except much more lavishly furnished. The roof peaked high overhead, and the narrow window slits let in the chill night air. Two figures awaited them. One was easily recognizable as Lucius Malfoy, facing them, his arms crossed his chest in a self-contained stance.
The other figure was Lord Voldemort. And yet... it was not Lord Voldemort as Harry had seen him.
A gasp almost escaped Virginia Weasley as she saw his face. The man formerly known as Tom Riddle was not a freak of nature, a disfigurement to look upon. So many people were absolutely terrified of this person. They wouldn't even speak his name. The rumors said he was no longer even human, he'd changed himself so much with spells and black magick. But this version was not abhorrent and disgusting... but handsome. Almost... almost a...
Harry. He reminded her of an older Harry.
The resemblance made her shiver, but she couldn't look away. Somehow, Voldemort had a hypnotic quality. He had those eyes that drew you in, that you couldn't look away from no matter how hard you tried.
And suddenly she was finding it hard to believe that this man was really the evil Lord Voldemort.
Lord Voldemort looked to Ginny, and a smile lit up his darkly compelling face. He laughed, and it was a rich, pleasant tone. "Virginia Weasley," he murmured, by way of a greeting, his voice a low baritone. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He laughed again, amused with his own humor.
He moved towards her, his black robes making soft noises. Soon he was standing less than a foot away. He had a slightly musky scent, cold. Like snakes. He lifted her left hand in his right one, his fingers delicately tracing her skin. He examined the bracelet, not speaking.
Ginny shivered slightly as he drew closer, and she swallowed hard as her hand was lifted, and she struggled to pull her scraps of courage together. "Why have you brought me here alive? Why not just take the bracelet if you wanted it so badly?"
Despite her brave words, she had to force them out, but in the end, her voice was strong. She smiled weakly, feeling that Harry would have been proud of her.
Voldemort looked up at her then, his eyes flashing but unreadable. They weren't bright green, as Harry's were. That's where the eerie resemblance ended. His eyes were black. Exactly the same shade as Obsidian's as a matter of fact.
"I have memories of you, Virginia." He told her, releasing her hand and standing back a few paces to watch her, his gaze contained. "Memories of a past I did not have, and yet, did. A past inside a journal. Companion to a lonely, scared little girl."
He lifted one hand, using it to gesture gracefully. "When my faithful Obsidian told me of an object with deep roots in ancient and Dark Arts, as well as the one who bore it so unwittingly, I knew it could only be you. I knew that life, working mysteriously, would have you cross my path again someday."
Virginia Weasley narrowed her eyes a bit, staring at the bracelet. "I knew there was something wrong with it." She muttered before looking up. "I'm a different person." She said, trying not to look straight at him.
"I'm not some little girl who wrote in that journal. I've changed. I'm not scared anymore. And I'm no longer a child... I'm a woman."
As soon as she said it, Ginny felt a knot in her stomach, immediately regretting saying it. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all. This man was a master of manipulation. He'd tricked her once already. She wasn't just going to allow herself to walk into another trap again. A small smile touched his mouth at her defiance. He moved in close to he once again, grasping her chin firmly and forcing her to look directly at him. "I admit, you have... grown." He told her, amusement in the timbre of his voice. Amusement... and something else as well. Something darker.
"But, Virginia, I think you're not being entirely truthful. You are scared. You're trembling with every breath. And you won't meet my eyes." His fingers slid away from her jaw, freeing her.
"I wanted you brought to me alive for a reason. I want to make a bargain with you. And know, that once you're in my good graces... you will never have anything to fear from anyone again. That is what it means to be a friend of Lord Voldemort."
His fingertips brushed across her forehead, smoothing away a strand of hair. "But you may call me Tom, if you wish." He murmured.
Ginny took an involuntary step back at his words and the hands on her face. Especially at his name. "No," she breathed, her voice barely audible at first.
"I don't know what it is you want from me, but if this bracelet is dark magic, then whatever it is you need me to do with it is obviously something that I'm not going to want to do. So I'm afraid you're stuck, Tom."
Her brain was screaming at her to stay silent, but her heart begged her to stand up to him, to be bold and daring. But she wasn't sure how long she was going to be free from pain, speaking to him like this. Denying him.
His expression didn't change at what she said. He only smirked knowingly, as if he'd predicted word for word what her response would be to his request. Gazing into her face, he spoke even more softly. "I know what you're thinking, Virginia. I know you so well, in spite of your changes. I know admire that hero of yours, Harry Potter. I know you defy me now because its what he would do in the same situation."
Voldemort shook his head, smiling. "Yes, brave Harry. He would spit in my face to the last, till the Cruciatus curse broke his mind and he babbled gibberish at shadows."
His voice dropped to a low hiss, dripping with sweet venom. "You think I will force pain on you. You fear what you will say, when the agony hits you, and your blood runs fire. You are afraid you'll give in. Betray yourself, your loved ones. Your Harry." He looked to her, shadows of relentless cruelty in his eyes.
"You think me so uninspired, so cliche as that? I have other ways, Virginia. Other ways to bend you to my will. Ways more creative than simple Imperius or Cruciatus curses. You will think on that." Nodding towards Obsidian and Lucius, who had watched their exchange in silence, they now stepped forward, flanking Ginny, pulling her back towards the exit. She was clearly being dismissed for the moment.
But his word rang out one last time, before they started to force her down the steps. "Draco Malfoy bears my mark, Virginia. He is my creature. As will you be."
With that proclamation to ring in her ears till dawn, Obsidian and Lucius took Ginny back down to the first level, binding her with magical ropes and chains, then leaving her.
Draco Malfoy.
As Ginny sat, bound by magic, the only thing she could think of was Draco Malfoy.
Was it the way that Voldemort had said it? Could he possibly know what went on? Could he possibly know what had gone on between her and Draco?
No. That would have been impossible... wouldn't it?
She hung her head, her thoughts still on him. Was he alright? What was he doing? Was he talking to Harry, Ron, or Hermione? Was he blaming himself or was he dealing with it?
Had he already forgotten about her? * After Ginny's abduction, the events at Hogwarts turned even more chaotic, if that were even possible. Ministry wizards and teachers alike went on triple alert. No students were allowed to venture beyond the evacuation sight by themselves, unless their parents had come to fetch them home. Fudge himself had come, to try and convince Dumbledore to retreat to a safe- house. But the Headmaster steadfastly refused to abandon his students and faculty. Similarly, they had approached Potter, but he had also refused to go.
Everywhere Draco walked, he saw harried-looking Ministry officials, talking to reporters. Everyone was so confused. And everyone was completely baffled as to why Ginny Weasley, of all people, had been taken. The officials were assuring her friends and family that a team of Aurors had already been dispatched to track the dragon-riders. Draco knew they would have little success.
Everywhere he walked, he saw kids with white faces, clutching each others hands and looking back to their school, the expression on their faces as if their best friend had just died.
But hardly anybody cried. Maybe it was just the shock that kept back floods of tears, or just maybe it was because they were all so determined, and strong. Draco found himself hoping it was the latter.
As for himself, he didn't feel strong. But he didn't feel scared, or sick anymore, either. Ever since his epiphany at the moment of Ginny's capture, he had felt nothing but a grim sense of purpose. And he'd spent hours waiting for his chance to slip off alone. To do what he had to do. He didn't know if he would succeed any better than the team of Aurors. He just had to try. And that was all there was to it. Any worry he had for Ginny, any feelings of fear on her behalf, he shoved to the back of his mind, compartmentalizing to a degree that made him seem vastly more cold and detached than usual.
The moon had been up for hours by the time Draco got his chance. Most of the people still around in the campsite were asleep, and Draco timed his get away to coincide with a shift change of the lookouts. He had almost made it, when a shadowy figure emerged from behind a cluster of bushes, blocking his way.
"What do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Hissed a voice. Draco recognized it. It was Harry Potter's.
Draco stood his ground, not batting an eyelash. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he inquired ingenuously.
Harry jerked the hood of his robe away from his head, allowing Draco to see his angered expression. Harry had his wand up, pointed at Draco. He cursed himself for having lost his own back at the school. It would be tough extracting Ginny without it. Harry watched him with narrowed eyes. "It looks like you're sneaking away secretly in the dead of night. Off to join your Death Eater friends?"
Draco ignored the last part. He crossed his arms, affecting a casual, bored air. "I'm flattered that you feel the need to watch my coming's and going's so carefully, Potter. But really, it's not necessary. I don't need a babysitter."
"What you need is to be locked in a box and mailed to Brazil, but as that's unlikely to happen, I think I'll just turn you over to the Ministry authorities." Harry snapped back, his green eyes glinting determinedly behind his glasses.
Draco had lost all his patience for these games. He had to get to Ginny. "Move," he said icily, his tone going soft and dangerous.
Potter then asked a question that Draco wasn't expecting or prepared for. "What were you and Ginny doing trapped together in that classroom? She doesn't even have your class."
It brought back the feelings and images and emotions Draco had been holding down, refusing to examine. Ginny, holding him while he cried. Him, holding Ginny while they kissed. It had been quite a confusing hour. But also one of the most clearly defined moments of his life. He looked back to Harry, unashamed. "Kissing." He answered.
As he expected, Harry didn't believe him. "I don't believe you."
Draco only shrugged.
Harry faltered a bit then, lowering his wand slightly, his eyes darkening, obviously perplexed by Draco's reactions.
That's when Draco made his move. He sprang forward agilely, snatching at Harry's wand. The other boy grappled with him for a minute, but Draco broke away, reversing Harry's wand on its owner, breathing hard. "Shouldn't have let your guard down, Potter." Harry glared back at him, murder in his gaze, his hands clenching at his sides in impotent fury.
Before Harry could call out for assistance, Draco used his wand to perform a levitating spell on himself, putting himself out of reach, then a summoning charm to call forth his broomstick from the castle. It zipped towards him, and he mounted mid-air. It felt a bit odd to perform spells with another person's ward, especially Harry's, but it got the job done. "Only borrowing it, Potter, don't worry." He called down to the dark-haired boy.
Then he turned his broomstick in the direction the dragons had gone, his expression settling into a mask of determination. And he flew. *
Obsidian waited with the dragon riders in secret, concealed just beyond the edge of the Forbidden Forest, watching the evacuation of Hogwarts with immense satisfaction. "You've done well, Macnair. The Dark Lord will be pleased.
"Now we need only retrieve the Weasley girl, and the mission will be complete." She was sitting astride his dragon with him, having joined the group. The Dark Lord had instructed for her to be brought to him, along with the bearer of the mysterious bracelet.
Macnair only nodded shortly, his Death Eater's mask concealing his face. * Once the group arrived back at the Gryffindor quarters, they ran into McGonagall. "What are you three still doing around? We need to get as many people out as possible." She said, sternly. She looked the most disarrayed they'd ever seen her, but that was her only outward sign of how the destruction of their school was affecting her.
"So since you three are still able to walk, you won't mind helping some of the others here outside of the wreckage." She gestured at several first years who had apparently just been pulled from the rubble.
Ginny glanced at the two momentarily, then moved towards a first year girl who had hurt her leg. Smiling cheerfully at the sobbing girl, she offered a hand. "Here, come on, I'll help you get to safety."
Hefting the girl into her arms, she moved to make her comfortable, the sobbing girl going quiet and just clinging to her in fear. Glancing between Harry and Draco, she looked at them grimly. "Come on, then."
While Harry moved immediately to start helping the other injured or hurt students, Draco hesitated. Staring around, all he could see was the wreckage. Just a massive amount of damage, done by Death Eaters.
But that's not what bothered him the most. What bothered him was he didn't see the sense in it. Didn't see the purpose other than for destructive waste. Whatever the Dark Lord did, it was always calculated, always purposeful. Nothing had been captured or taken, noone kidnaped. Not Harry, not Dumbledore. So he couldn't help feeling as if the attack wasn't over. That this was just the calm in the eye of the hurricane.
He looked up, his eyes meeting Ginny over the head of the injured girl. All his instincts were telling him that they should just go back to the classroom. Just hide until all the bad things went away.
Sighing, he bent over another Gryffindor, clutching a bleeding wound on his arm. The face was familiar. Dennis Creevy. How many times had he mocked the Creevy brothers, insulted and humiliated them? Creevy looked up to Draco with shock and fear. Draco bit back a wince, holding out his hand to the younger boy. Dennis just stared at him.
Ginny smiled a bit, patting the girl's arm as she left the semi-ruined Hogwarts for the fresher air of the outdoors. "Don't worry. See, they're already setting up tents and everything." She assured the girl, gesturing towards where a few teachers were setting up some magical tents for the students to sleep in.
Everyone was working. Those not working, were injured. People were putting out fires, rescuing injured students, setting up tents, cooking food... Ginny was proud of the way everyone came together to help everyone else.
Draco was still stuck in a staring contest with Colin Creevy's younger brother, however. He sighed, his arm staring to get tired from holding his hand out. "Come on, kid." He sighed impatiently. "I'm not going to bite you."
Dennis just clutched his own arm tighter, blood seeping through his fingers. "Like hell you won't." He squeaked. Draco was shocked. He never knew the boy had spitfire in him.
He favored Dennis with a rare grin. "It's okay, Creevy. I'm not hungry now, anyway."
Dennis's mouth seemed to be struggling between a line of terror, and a return smile.
Setting the girl down in a tent reserved for those with injuries of some sort, Ginny moved out of the tent, stretching her arms as she glanced around the burning rubble of Hogwarts.
If the Death Eaters were after her, she was glad they were gone, but saddened that all of it happened. If so many had been hurt because of her, if anyone died...
Ginny trembled slightly, moving back for the interior of Hogwarts to fetch another injured student. She wasn't going to stop until someone forced her to or until everything she could do was done. * Obsidian saw the hair first. That signature red hair, the color of melted rubies. A small, dark smile transfixed her mouth. "There's our target, boys."
Nott, Avery, and Macnair gave loud whoops, signaling to their restless dragon mounts. The cloaking spell fell away like water, and the dragons pumped their powerful leathery wings, sending up huge gusts of air that bent the branches of the trees, sent dead leaves swirling around their heads like halos.
The dragons rose once more into the smoke-filled sky, then descended as one, converging upon a single, helpless figure. A girl with red hair...
Ginny stared for another few moments at the smoldering half-ruined Hogwarts, until she heard a strange noise behind her. Wind. Strong wind. Her heart suddenly thudded in her chest. Maybe it's just a strong wind. The wind does pick up most of the time after dark. Her gaze turned upon the fading sun, the glow almost seeming as if Hogwarts' flames had risen just as the sun's own faded. But there was that wind.
And a sudden thought hit her, and her already beating heart then beat furiously within her with terror at that sudden thought. They can't be back. The Death Eaters can't be back. Harry said they were gone. Harry promised they were gone.
She started to turn, but it was almost as if her body wouldn't react fast enough for her mind. It seemed as if it was all in slow motion. Turning behind her, she stared in horror at the sight of the dragons and their occupants. Her worst fears were confirmed. Suddenly, her feet sprang into action, and she moved desprately towards the ruins, screaming at the top of her lungs.
They were coming. For her.
Thoughts buzzed through her head. Thoughts of Ron and Hermione, laughing and working together. Thoughts of Harry, sweet and generous Harry, always helping her out. And then there were thoughts of Draco, most predominant in her mind.
And she might never see them again if she didn't run faster.
So she tried, pushing herself physically to the limits, scrambling across the grass towards the entrance to the semi-ruined Hogwarts. "Someone, help me! Someone, anyone! PLEASE! They're after me! The Death Eaters!" As she ran, she struggled to remember some sort of spell, any sort of spell that would help her, but the terror paralyzed her brain, and it was as if she had never been taught a single spell in her life.
"Someone help me!" She screamed, desperately, scrambling for the ruins, praying that somehow she'd be able to hide in there. More thoughts buzzed through her head, again, thoughts of Draco most prevalent.
He would blame himself, for her being captured. He would say it was because they had gotten too close. Because he was the son of one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters.
But as Ginny ran, she couldn't help but wonder why. Why would Voldemort send three dragons with Death Eaters, to practically destroy Hogwarts, only to teach a Slytherin boy not to disobey him and to take away the feminine distraction that kept him from becoming a Death Eater?
It didn't add up. The Death Eaters were after her for such a petty, miniscule reason? And then, Ginny noticed she was wearing the bracelet, and her heart sank. The girl, Susan Bones, had been so oddly attached to the bracelet. She had acted so strangely. And she couldn't find anything about it in the library... but she hadn't checked in the restricted section.
She hadn't really thought the bracelet could be dangerous. Perhaps, if this is what they were after, she could take it off. She could throw it at them and they'd take it and leave them all alone. But as she ran, her fingers fumbling to pull the bracelet off, she realized that the latch was no longer there. It was as if the bracelet had been physically made around her arm, never to be taken off.
And she screamed again, scrambling for the ruins of Hogwarts, longing to be hiding in the destroyed classroom where she and Draco had been, wishing that she had stayed and never risked coming out.
And most of all, she wished she had stayed with Draco. * Draco knew. The instant the Death Eaters and their dragons rose again, his head whipped towards the entrance, staring at the visible sliver of sky from the crumbled entrance. Maybe it was because his senses were heightened, or because he was already paranoid and alert, or maybe even for another reason entirely. He just knew. Knew before the screams started, the running.
He knew Ginny was in danger.
And before his brain could even register the knowledge, his legs were moving, propelling him forward towards the exit outside, the way Ginny had left. But as he ran, no matter how fast or agile he forced himself to be, it was if time itself had slowed down, working against him.
His vision was at once focused and blurred. He seemed to be moving at a snail's pace, the world going by at a crawl. At last he saw Ginny, scrambling for cover. Saw the three dragons that swooped down on her like vengeful demons from the sky.
He wasn't going to make it.
Was this the dream? Was this reality, reenacting the dream? Or was he still dreaming, still caught in a nightmare?
You will try and fail.
No. It wasn't right. This couldn't be the time. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. This wasn't the dream. That had been the end of the world
This was just the beginning of the end.
So close, and yet so incredibly far away. He was helpless to do anything but watch as a girl with black hair leaned from the dragon's back, plucking Ginny off of the ground as if she were no more than a weed. The dragon pulled out of its dive, soaring for the sky again, heading there at an astonishing rate. The other two dragons followed hard upon its tail. Soon they were no more than dark blotches against the fiery sky.
Draco stumbled to a halt, staring after them, the look on his eyes empty, bleak. Ginny was gone.
But it wasn't the end. He knew it. Just as he knew innately what he was supposed to do now.
Try and go after her, of course. But the nightmare taunted him, echoes of his father's words.
You will try and fail. * Afraid to look back, Ginny couldn't tell where the dragons were, how close they were, save for the wind that swept at her school robes, whipping them out behind her.
They were getting too close for comfort.
And suddenly, she was no longer running, but kicking the air, her legs scissoring. Her feet were above the ground, and she was being pulled up by a pair of arms that she suddenly found around herself.
She was being pulled up onto a dragon.
And suddenly, she saw someone else running. Draco Malfoy. He had heard her. He was coming to save her. Her eyes met his own for a moment before she felt the dragon shoot upwards now that she was safely on the dragon's scaley back.
Draco Malfoy was nothing but a speck on the ground.
Ginny swallowed her dizziness from being so high up, and from being so close to something so vile. The Death Eaters. They had her, and she had a sickening feeling that she was going to be taken to the person she was the most terrified of.
Lord Voldemort.
Trying to calm her nerves, she tried to focus on something other than the man formerly called Tom Marvolo Riddle. I'm sure that I'll have a great story to tell Charlie about these dragons once I get back home... If I get back home.
This wasn't working quite as she hoped... * Obsidian hauled Ginny up over the back of the dragon with unnatural strength, a malicious gleam in her black eyes. "Hello Ginny, remember me?" She laughed darkly.
The dragons soared above the clouds, flying away from the setting sun, towards the already nighted horizon. Obsidian cast a spell of ropes that immobilized Ginny. "If you're not completely stupid, you should have figured out by now what the Dark Lord wants with you, Weasley." She mocked the younger girl.
Ginny glared back at Obsidian, trying not to stare a the ground below, nor the dragon beneath her, but rather, the horizon. "Yes. I figured it out. It has something to do with the bracelet."
She frowned. "But you can have it, I don't care... I'd give it to you, but I can't seem to get it off." Oh, Ginny would be more than willing to let them have it if it meant her freedom.
Obsidian mocked Ginny with further laughter. "So quick to give away an object you know nothing about? Especially when the greatest enemy of the entire wizarding community would send his dragons to rain fire on Hogwarts to get it? What a little fool you are."
The evil spirit possessing Susan Bones' body smirked, and there was a glimpse of screaming and death in that expression. "But worry not, the choice is not up to you, anyway. And the Dark Lord requested specifically that we bring you alive. Otherwise I could have just chopped off your hand last night, and have done without all this fuss..." She smirked again. "But I did rather enjoy watching that miserable school burn, nevertheless."
Ginny felt the anger inside her growing, and she turned slightly, spitting into Obsidian's face. "You would, you pathetic creature!" She snarled, gathering her strength.
Secretly, though, she couldn't help but shudder. The Dark Lord wanted her. And he wanted her alive. She only hoped that he had forgotten about the diary. But she knew better. She knew she was in for the terror of a lifetime and that there was nothing she could do about it.
The darkling creature did not rise to Ginny's insult, merely replied calmly. "Pathetic? Well, that's rich, coming from a girl tied to the back of a dragon, at the mercy of her enemies. Oh, and who thinks Draco Malfoy actually cares about her." Obsidian snorted. "Now that, my dear Weasley, is truly the definition of pathetic."
Ginny bit hard on her lip, trying not to cry. This hurt... all of this hurt so much, but she had to be brave. There would be time to cry and let it all out later.
"Draco Malfoy?" She huffed. "I care nothing for Draco Malfoy. That stupid git has done nothing but insult my family, my friends, and myself and he is infuriating. If you think that I could possibly believe he cares for me... you're wrong."
Obsidian stared down at Ginny, her pupils swallowed by the shadows in her eyes. "I am no fool. As my master is no fool. And you," At this, she leaned forward, mouth opened, and inhaled deeply in front of Ginny's face, taking in her scent as a panther might do. "You have Draco Malfoy's smell all over you."
Obsidian giggled, and it was not a pleasant sound. "I suppose you think he's sensitive, misunderstood." She shook her head, making a scolding, tsking sound. "How naive you are. He's only using you. He's a Malfoy. The Dark Arts are in his blood... just as they are in mine."
Using her? Had it all been just a game? Ginny swallowed hard, but she ignored Obsidian, determined to keep herself calm. Draco wasn't faking it. He did care.
Even if others said differently... Could Ginny have been mistaken? Just as she'd been mistaken to trust Tom Riddle, five years ago... but she didn't want to lose that hope that he wasn't. She had to be there if he was honest.
Satisfied with Ginny's silence as a sign that her words had struck a nerve, Obsidian merely smiled and turned to scan the scenery. They were passing over vast, mist-shrouded mountains. The smell of heather and the metallic tang of rain wafted in the air. Obsidian repressed a shiver of excitement. Soon she would see the lair of the Dark Lord, be trusted with that secret. Soon she would rejoin her master, the one who'd made her, brought her into being inside the shell of Susan Bones.
After a while, before the moon had barely begun to rise, the dragons started their downwards spiral, seeming to be heading for a secluded ruin of a stone tower, isolated of the edge of a sharply graded cliff.
Ginny swallowed hard, her fear merely growing the closer they got to that ruined tower. Surely Voldemort himself couldn't be there. Surely not. She shuddered at the thought. The only image she had of the Dark Lord was his Hogwarts school boy image. Tom Riddle.
A shiver ran through her. What did he look like now, this powerful menace of the wizarding world? She knew that there was much pain for her in the future, though there was some strange reason that he wanted her alive...
She would have felt safer if he hadn't cared if she was dead. That would have made things much easier.
The three dragons landed in a narrow clearing at the base of the decrepit tower. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance, and clouds heavy with rain blocked any view of the stars. Avery, Nott, and Macnair dismounted, and Obsidian hauled Ginny off the saddle as if she weighed no more than a twig.
As soon as their riders were clear, the dragons trumpeted in disgruntlement, launching themselves homewards, their purpose fulfilled. Obsidian looked sharply to each masked Death Eaters. "You all are dismissed as well. You have served the Master well."
With silent bows, one by one the men Disapparated, leaving Ginny and Obsidian alone at the edge of the cliff. "Lord Voldemort is very select about those he lets into his presence. You should feel honored, Weasley." With a smirk, and a bit of eagerness, Obsidian began walking the two of them towards the entrance.
Ginny swallowed hard, staring at Obsidian as they moved towards the entrance. "I don't get what the bracelet is for, though... why go through all of this trouble? How did I even get it in the first place?" The terror was digging deeper and deeper with every step she took towards the ruins. She only wished Draco were here, holding her, protecting her, assuring her it was safe. Even though she would have never before in her life imagined him doing such, at that moment she didn't find it the least bit strange. She just felt so vulnerable.
And she was about to meet someone who she was the most vulnerable around...
As they approached the entrance, the battered-looking wooden doors swung out silently in wordless invitation. Nothing could be seen behind them but a yawning blackness.
Obsidian turned to Ginny with eyes that glittered like chips of ebony. "Save your questions for your... interview." She told her, her expression excited and malicious at once. Then she gestured towards the opening. "After you, Weasley. He's waiting."
Swallowing her fear, Ginny took a step forward, figuring that she'd have to do it, either forced or willing, and she was certain it'd be a lot less painful if she went somewhat willingly.
The darkness closed around her, and she involuntarily shuddered. She couldn't see anything. Her hands fumbled in the darkness as she stepped forward, trying to figure out where she was.
After a few moments, the darkness drifted away, lit dimly by a few candles that flared into life in wall sconces. There was nothing in the small, circular room but dust and silence. The only other exit besides the one they'd come through was the stairwell, that curved around out of sight.
Obsidian stepped out from around the younger girl, moving without hesitation towards the stairs. Soon their footfalls echoed softly against the aged stone walls. The steps were very narrow and steep. The passageway was only barely wide enough for one person to walk. Obsidian was humming a little as she ascended, seemingly in very high spirits.
At last, they reached the top floor of the tower. It was the same size as the ground floor, except much more lavishly furnished. The roof peaked high overhead, and the narrow window slits let in the chill night air. Two figures awaited them. One was easily recognizable as Lucius Malfoy, facing them, his arms crossed his chest in a self-contained stance.
The other figure was Lord Voldemort. And yet... it was not Lord Voldemort as Harry had seen him.
A gasp almost escaped Virginia Weasley as she saw his face. The man formerly known as Tom Riddle was not a freak of nature, a disfigurement to look upon. So many people were absolutely terrified of this person. They wouldn't even speak his name. The rumors said he was no longer even human, he'd changed himself so much with spells and black magick. But this version was not abhorrent and disgusting... but handsome. Almost... almost a...
Harry. He reminded her of an older Harry.
The resemblance made her shiver, but she couldn't look away. Somehow, Voldemort had a hypnotic quality. He had those eyes that drew you in, that you couldn't look away from no matter how hard you tried.
And suddenly she was finding it hard to believe that this man was really the evil Lord Voldemort.
Lord Voldemort looked to Ginny, and a smile lit up his darkly compelling face. He laughed, and it was a rich, pleasant tone. "Virginia Weasley," he murmured, by way of a greeting, his voice a low baritone. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He laughed again, amused with his own humor.
He moved towards her, his black robes making soft noises. Soon he was standing less than a foot away. He had a slightly musky scent, cold. Like snakes. He lifted her left hand in his right one, his fingers delicately tracing her skin. He examined the bracelet, not speaking.
Ginny shivered slightly as he drew closer, and she swallowed hard as her hand was lifted, and she struggled to pull her scraps of courage together. "Why have you brought me here alive? Why not just take the bracelet if you wanted it so badly?"
Despite her brave words, she had to force them out, but in the end, her voice was strong. She smiled weakly, feeling that Harry would have been proud of her.
Voldemort looked up at her then, his eyes flashing but unreadable. They weren't bright green, as Harry's were. That's where the eerie resemblance ended. His eyes were black. Exactly the same shade as Obsidian's as a matter of fact.
"I have memories of you, Virginia." He told her, releasing her hand and standing back a few paces to watch her, his gaze contained. "Memories of a past I did not have, and yet, did. A past inside a journal. Companion to a lonely, scared little girl."
He lifted one hand, using it to gesture gracefully. "When my faithful Obsidian told me of an object with deep roots in ancient and Dark Arts, as well as the one who bore it so unwittingly, I knew it could only be you. I knew that life, working mysteriously, would have you cross my path again someday."
Virginia Weasley narrowed her eyes a bit, staring at the bracelet. "I knew there was something wrong with it." She muttered before looking up. "I'm a different person." She said, trying not to look straight at him.
"I'm not some little girl who wrote in that journal. I've changed. I'm not scared anymore. And I'm no longer a child... I'm a woman."
As soon as she said it, Ginny felt a knot in her stomach, immediately regretting saying it. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all. This man was a master of manipulation. He'd tricked her once already. She wasn't just going to allow herself to walk into another trap again. A small smile touched his mouth at her defiance. He moved in close to he once again, grasping her chin firmly and forcing her to look directly at him. "I admit, you have... grown." He told her, amusement in the timbre of his voice. Amusement... and something else as well. Something darker.
"But, Virginia, I think you're not being entirely truthful. You are scared. You're trembling with every breath. And you won't meet my eyes." His fingers slid away from her jaw, freeing her.
"I wanted you brought to me alive for a reason. I want to make a bargain with you. And know, that once you're in my good graces... you will never have anything to fear from anyone again. That is what it means to be a friend of Lord Voldemort."
His fingertips brushed across her forehead, smoothing away a strand of hair. "But you may call me Tom, if you wish." He murmured.
Ginny took an involuntary step back at his words and the hands on her face. Especially at his name. "No," she breathed, her voice barely audible at first.
"I don't know what it is you want from me, but if this bracelet is dark magic, then whatever it is you need me to do with it is obviously something that I'm not going to want to do. So I'm afraid you're stuck, Tom."
Her brain was screaming at her to stay silent, but her heart begged her to stand up to him, to be bold and daring. But she wasn't sure how long she was going to be free from pain, speaking to him like this. Denying him.
His expression didn't change at what she said. He only smirked knowingly, as if he'd predicted word for word what her response would be to his request. Gazing into her face, he spoke even more softly. "I know what you're thinking, Virginia. I know you so well, in spite of your changes. I know admire that hero of yours, Harry Potter. I know you defy me now because its what he would do in the same situation."
Voldemort shook his head, smiling. "Yes, brave Harry. He would spit in my face to the last, till the Cruciatus curse broke his mind and he babbled gibberish at shadows."
His voice dropped to a low hiss, dripping with sweet venom. "You think I will force pain on you. You fear what you will say, when the agony hits you, and your blood runs fire. You are afraid you'll give in. Betray yourself, your loved ones. Your Harry." He looked to her, shadows of relentless cruelty in his eyes.
"You think me so uninspired, so cliche as that? I have other ways, Virginia. Other ways to bend you to my will. Ways more creative than simple Imperius or Cruciatus curses. You will think on that." Nodding towards Obsidian and Lucius, who had watched their exchange in silence, they now stepped forward, flanking Ginny, pulling her back towards the exit. She was clearly being dismissed for the moment.
But his word rang out one last time, before they started to force her down the steps. "Draco Malfoy bears my mark, Virginia. He is my creature. As will you be."
With that proclamation to ring in her ears till dawn, Obsidian and Lucius took Ginny back down to the first level, binding her with magical ropes and chains, then leaving her.
Draco Malfoy.
As Ginny sat, bound by magic, the only thing she could think of was Draco Malfoy.
Was it the way that Voldemort had said it? Could he possibly know what went on? Could he possibly know what had gone on between her and Draco?
No. That would have been impossible... wouldn't it?
She hung her head, her thoughts still on him. Was he alright? What was he doing? Was he talking to Harry, Ron, or Hermione? Was he blaming himself or was he dealing with it?
Had he already forgotten about her? * After Ginny's abduction, the events at Hogwarts turned even more chaotic, if that were even possible. Ministry wizards and teachers alike went on triple alert. No students were allowed to venture beyond the evacuation sight by themselves, unless their parents had come to fetch them home. Fudge himself had come, to try and convince Dumbledore to retreat to a safe- house. But the Headmaster steadfastly refused to abandon his students and faculty. Similarly, they had approached Potter, but he had also refused to go.
Everywhere Draco walked, he saw harried-looking Ministry officials, talking to reporters. Everyone was so confused. And everyone was completely baffled as to why Ginny Weasley, of all people, had been taken. The officials were assuring her friends and family that a team of Aurors had already been dispatched to track the dragon-riders. Draco knew they would have little success.
Everywhere he walked, he saw kids with white faces, clutching each others hands and looking back to their school, the expression on their faces as if their best friend had just died.
But hardly anybody cried. Maybe it was just the shock that kept back floods of tears, or just maybe it was because they were all so determined, and strong. Draco found himself hoping it was the latter.
As for himself, he didn't feel strong. But he didn't feel scared, or sick anymore, either. Ever since his epiphany at the moment of Ginny's capture, he had felt nothing but a grim sense of purpose. And he'd spent hours waiting for his chance to slip off alone. To do what he had to do. He didn't know if he would succeed any better than the team of Aurors. He just had to try. And that was all there was to it. Any worry he had for Ginny, any feelings of fear on her behalf, he shoved to the back of his mind, compartmentalizing to a degree that made him seem vastly more cold and detached than usual.
The moon had been up for hours by the time Draco got his chance. Most of the people still around in the campsite were asleep, and Draco timed his get away to coincide with a shift change of the lookouts. He had almost made it, when a shadowy figure emerged from behind a cluster of bushes, blocking his way.
"What do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Hissed a voice. Draco recognized it. It was Harry Potter's.
Draco stood his ground, not batting an eyelash. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he inquired ingenuously.
Harry jerked the hood of his robe away from his head, allowing Draco to see his angered expression. Harry had his wand up, pointed at Draco. He cursed himself for having lost his own back at the school. It would be tough extracting Ginny without it. Harry watched him with narrowed eyes. "It looks like you're sneaking away secretly in the dead of night. Off to join your Death Eater friends?"
Draco ignored the last part. He crossed his arms, affecting a casual, bored air. "I'm flattered that you feel the need to watch my coming's and going's so carefully, Potter. But really, it's not necessary. I don't need a babysitter."
"What you need is to be locked in a box and mailed to Brazil, but as that's unlikely to happen, I think I'll just turn you over to the Ministry authorities." Harry snapped back, his green eyes glinting determinedly behind his glasses.
Draco had lost all his patience for these games. He had to get to Ginny. "Move," he said icily, his tone going soft and dangerous.
Potter then asked a question that Draco wasn't expecting or prepared for. "What were you and Ginny doing trapped together in that classroom? She doesn't even have your class."
It brought back the feelings and images and emotions Draco had been holding down, refusing to examine. Ginny, holding him while he cried. Him, holding Ginny while they kissed. It had been quite a confusing hour. But also one of the most clearly defined moments of his life. He looked back to Harry, unashamed. "Kissing." He answered.
As he expected, Harry didn't believe him. "I don't believe you."
Draco only shrugged.
Harry faltered a bit then, lowering his wand slightly, his eyes darkening, obviously perplexed by Draco's reactions.
That's when Draco made his move. He sprang forward agilely, snatching at Harry's wand. The other boy grappled with him for a minute, but Draco broke away, reversing Harry's wand on its owner, breathing hard. "Shouldn't have let your guard down, Potter." Harry glared back at him, murder in his gaze, his hands clenching at his sides in impotent fury.
Before Harry could call out for assistance, Draco used his wand to perform a levitating spell on himself, putting himself out of reach, then a summoning charm to call forth his broomstick from the castle. It zipped towards him, and he mounted mid-air. It felt a bit odd to perform spells with another person's ward, especially Harry's, but it got the job done. "Only borrowing it, Potter, don't worry." He called down to the dark-haired boy.
Then he turned his broomstick in the direction the dragons had gone, his expression settling into a mask of determination. And he flew. *