Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but I own the plot.
A/N: I HATE DOUBLE-CROSSING "FRIENDS"! CONFIDE TO THEM AND SOMEHOW-
Cough. I'm actually apologizing for the late update. I'm really, really sorry, but I felt really uninspired and really tired and really laden with homework. Your reviews really kept me up. Chapter seven is the best reviewed chapter yet and I'm eternally grateful to all of you.
Here you go! The first action chapter. (Which I probably screwed…)
Bride of a Dragon
By: Katrina
Start of a StormMoonlight filtrated through the curtained windows onto Ginny's bed, where she was sitting with her legs crossed, leaning against the wall with a grin on her face. She hadn't expected the lunch to have gone so well; then again, she didn't quite expect Draco to actually eat with his fingers right there in front of her. And she didn't expect him to actually…well, laugh after they collapsed into a heap of food. And when Ginny cleaned him up before he left with apologies rambling out of her, he was in a cheery mood.
Before, after Ginny's first real meeting with Draco, in which he insulted both Harry and her family in that bookshop, she had always compared him and Harry Potter and came with the conclusion that they were from two different worlds. Really, those two were completely different people. Harry was sweet and caring, while Draco was snobby and intolerable. He certainly didn't make her feel better about her Valentine in her first year, and in subsequent years he'd always made sure to insult her family in front of her. Those were times when Ginny was glad that she liked Harry instead of him. Yet now, when Draco was laughing, she thought she could detect a bit of Harry in him, and Draco also had something that Harry didn't have, something that attracted her. Ginny wasn't sure of what it was exactly. Perhaps his recklessness or his conceitedness? Ginny couldn't imagine herself and Harry bickering, but she could imagine her and Draco bickering as a cranky old couple. Which she would actually enjoy, in fact.
Ginny fingered the necklace around her neck lovingly, tracing her fingertips on the delicate dragon pendant. She was looking forward to seeing Draco tomorrow, for some reason. Well, he is a fun person to laugh at, she decided, pulling the blankets over her. She was about to close her eyes when something peculiar happened.
The necklace gleamed.
Ginny sat up with a start. The necklace had never gleamed in her six years of wearing it. Well, sure, it reflected light under sunlight, and sometimes if she turned it over under the lamp it would gleam, but never like this. Besides the fact that the moon was currently masked by the night clouds, the dragon was glowing green. Ginny stared at it for a moment. After a few more seconds of glowing, it faded away slowly. What was that about? Ginny wanted to know as she lied down for a second time. She shrugged to herself. It is a Malfoy item, and you can always expect cocky things from those things. She remembered her mother telling her about Narcissa's earrings, which supposedly could sing French opera songs. So there really wasn't anything too weird about a gleaming-green necklace, right?
Yet she still felt some uneasiness, not aware of the approaching danger, nor the fact that at the same time, Draco was just awakened by the same feeling of uneasiness.
~*~
Something's very wrong. Draco's eyes sprang open, staring into the darkness of his chamber. Something's very wrong indeed.
He had been dreaming about the lunch he and Ginny had earlier, in which they were laughing over the stupid antics they were doing, but just as Ginny and him leaned toward each other for a kiss, something cold surged through his body, waking him up immediately.
And Draco knew that it wasn't just some night shivers.
The Malfoys had very intuitive senses. Most people don't believe in the sixth sense, unless you count the fact that some people could feel the sensation of people being in the same room as them. But the Malfoys had a different kind. They could tell if something bad was going to happen. At least, that was what Lucius and Narcissa had claimed to him. Draco had to admit that his parents are intuitive; his father could tell that Voldemort was coming back at the start of the fourth year, and could tell that when Voldemort was going to meet his downfall, while his mother sensed the death of her parents and predicted who would win each year's Magical Makeup Masquerade. But Draco never thought that he had any. In fact, he'd always dismissed his parents as Trelawney the second's', except with more luck.
However…now…Draco had the most acute sensation that somebody who didn't belong was in his mansion.
Calm down, Draco. The Augustus Mansion is very well protected by charms, including the Apparition Blocker. You have house-elves and butlers and maids who're sleeping in the lower floors, easily awakened by the faintest noises, and you have bodyguards.
Draco snorted at the last one. His bodyguards were probably in some French tavern with those pretty French witches.
Yet the point was, the Mansion was too well-protected for anyone to just break in. Unless they know the place very well…
Or…
Colette had told him that the mansion he bought was full of secret traps and chambers, complete with loads of tunnels. Her grandparents had allegedly been experts of such things, she'd mentioned once. 'And we French witches and wizards are known for houses full of surprises,' she'd once announced smugly. After her first tour of the Augustus Mansion, she'd told Draco that within its ten floors, there were many secret stairways and chambers yet to be discovered. Along with her, Draco had discovered a few, all leading out into either the front garden or the back hills. And since neither his garden nor the back hills were protected by the charms…an intruder who's also an expert at these sorts of things could enter.
But why would they need to? Draco demanded. Isn't it easier if they just kidnap me and demand for some ransom?
"It's just your paranoia," he said aloud to himself. "You're just too accustomed to the silence and you're imagining weird things." Ha! Since when do I actually imagine? "Go and read a book."
Draco took his own advice. He got off the bed, picked the fattest volume off his bookshelf, and settled by his study table to read. He hadn't gotten past the title page when something caught his ear. His whole body stiffened as the same sound came again.
Creak.
It was very faint, but it was most definitely there. Draco took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He wasn't usually scared. He shouldn't be scared. But he was. He grabbed his wand, clutching it tightly, and lit up his whole chamber, his body rigid with apprehension, while mentally reviewing the whole outlook of the mansion.
The chamber he was in, the Master Chamber, is in the heart of the mansion, the largest chamber. It's on the fifth floor with ten different staircases leading to the adjacent rooms. To get into his room, however, one needs both ten keys and a password. The keys must be fitted into the ten locks in a special order, and the password must be uttered in a special way. Well protected. There was a balcony in which a thicket of trees surrounded it. It was also protected from there. On either side of the chamber, there were mazes of rooms. One could easily get lost just on this floor. There were also trick staircases and made up floors to lure off possible intruders.
It wasn't easy to rob him.
Normally, therefore, Draco wouldn't have been so scared.
But the creaks. His whole mansion was made of either some sturdy magical material he could not name or marble. All ten staircases leading to his chamber were marble.
And marbles do not creak.
The only things that creak in his house, that can creak in his house, are the furniture, which hopefully do not move, or the secret staircases.
Considering the circumstances, it was the secret staircases.
And why would anyone bother to use the secret staircases?
In fact, how would anyone even know to use the secret staircases?
Draco had a bad feeling about this.
He went over to the fireplace, about to throw in some Floo powder to get his bodyguards, when he remembered another safety precaution Colette had advised him to take.
The Floo network is closed at nights.
Damn her and her cautiousness! Draco thought, annoyed. I'm literally stuck here. Where on earth are my house-elves and the other idiots when I NEED them?
He hoped they weren't killed already.
As he contemplated on what to do, there was a deafening blast that came from the large front door. Draco instinctively ran over to the window and looked down at the garden. Where the many varieties of flowers and the large fountain should be, there was only a pile of blackened rubble.
Burned in such a way that the ashes form a Dark Mark.
And ten, tall figures cloaked in black.
Death Eaters.
Draco nearly collapsed. He wasn't exactly popular with the Death Eaters. Ever since the untimely departure of his father, the remaining Death Eaters hadn't been charmed. Lord Voldemort had been extremely abusive, thinking they were also traitors like Lucius had been, and the Ministry had not been lenient either. Draco knew those last ten well. The only reason they stayed out of Azkaban was because of the fact that they had been well tortured and thus let off after they managed to get out of St. Mungo's, sane.
With the death of both his parents, Draco knew that he was the scapegoat.
And he knew that whatever should befall him was not going to be pretty.
How did they know where to find him?
Draco gritted his teeth as the obvious answer surfaced.
Damn you, Virginia! All the former sweet thoughts he had of Ginny Weasley disappeared to be replaced by cold fury. She had told, after all. He had upheld his end of the deal but she…the traitor! Draco clutched his fists in anger. He was going to give that girl a piece of his mind.
I must stay alive.
Draco looked around the room helplessly. Large as the room was, he didn't know one secret tunnel that was in the room. He didn't dare to go out to any of the ones Colette showed him; the Death Eaters would find him way too easy then; all of the other ones were on the ground floor. He needed to find one in this room that would lead somewhere else. He looked at the bed. The bookshelf. The table. The chandelier. The bookshelf…. "Venius!" he called softly, pointing his wand at the books. All of them flew off the shelves and landed quietly on his bed. He tapped the bookshelf with his wand, wondering if there was some tunnel behind it. That was the way it was in movies, wasn't it?
Wasn't it?
Apparently, not in this case. The bookshelf remained immobile. The wall it leaned against sounded solid instead of hollow, diminishing any chance of having a secret passage behind it. Draco bit back a shriek of frustration. Keep cool. "Wingardium leviosa!" he whispered, pointing his wand at the bed and the books. It lifted up. He looked closely to see if there was a trapdoor.
No such thing.
Draco tried the same thing with the table. The desk. Even the chandelier.
He did everything Colette did to find the secret tunnels.
But he could find none.
By this time, he could almost hear the dull thuds of the Death Eaters climbing up the marble staircase. Even with the ten keys and the password, he had a bad feeling that somehow, they were going to find a way into his room. Dark magic, after all, could overcome such petty protections. With a flick of his wand, he moved all the furniture in the chamber to obstruct all the possible entrances into the room.
Upon doing so, he realized one place he'd overlooked.
The balcony.
Draco slipped into the balcony. The moon was thankfully up, providing some feeble light. The plants surrounded the possible way down the balcony snugly. Draco knew that there was no way he could blast those plants away. The former creaks he heard could be heard again.
Louder.
Closer.
Draco didn't know what to do. He looked around the balcony and saw something.
One of the curling plants seemed to be a fainter color than the others.
Hope filling him quickly, Draco touched the plant with his wand cautiously.
It wasn't a plant. It was a replica made by some special kind of green marble.
And as soon as he touched it, the part of the ground of the balcony disappeared.
To be replaced by a dark hole with what seemed to be a makeshift ladder leading into it.
Draco breathed a sigh of relief. Never mind where this place leads. He could positively hear the Death Eaters outside his chamber's door, muttering dark spells to get it to open. Thank God he wouldn't be there to witness that. He steadied himself and started to descend the ladder. As soon as he was fully in, the ground sealed itself back up again.
He was in complete darkness.
"Lumos!" Draco whispered, looking around the place he was in. It was a tunnel, all right. He climbed down quickly and was relieved to have touched upon solid ground again. There was only one way to go: forward.
And he did the only logical thing to do.
He ran.
Draco had never run before. It was either flying on a broomstick or a carriage similar to that of the Beauxbatons or some kind of a magical transportation. Or, he just walked. Dignified. But now, in his slippers, heavy dark silk nightshirt, and thin pajama pants, he was running faster than he could've possibly thought himself capable. Draco was running with all his might. Within a minute of such strenuous exercise he was about to collapse, but something kept him running. He hadn't been a Quidditch player for nothing; his endurance was still fine after nearly a decade of not playing Quidditch.
The passage sloped down steadily. The floor was paved with marble. Draco was sure that it led somewhere down to the garden. Well, it doesn't matter. He would Apparate. He would try to find his bodyguards in those bars and fire them off right then and there.
And his house-elves and maids and butlers. Everybody who was supposed to protect him.
Finally, he reached somewhere. It was a door. Draco collapsed heavily on the floor, closing his hands on the doorknob. It was locked. He was about to yell Alohomora except someone on the other side spoke up.
"Think he's really gonna come out this way?"
It was Benson, one of his father's colleagues.
A Death Eater, in other words.
"Yes," someone else replied. It was Nott. "I think I just heard someone inside."
This is not good.
"So it's that Malfoy git, isn't it?"
"Good thing the Mistress thought of it to have us guard over here."
There must be at least three or four there, guarding the exit, just waiting for him to come out so he would be caught. Draco cursed whoever the Mistress was. He tried to steady himself up and perhaps run the other way, but it was too late.
"Alohomora!" a Death Eater from the other side shouted.
Draco groaned. I'm going to Apparate. He didn't care that he might still be in the vicinity of the mansion and that the Apparition might go wrong. So what if I Splinch? At least half of me will still be alive. He closed his eyes and Apparated to the first place he thought to go.
Ginny's hotel.
~*~
"Harry?"
It was the dream she had ever since she first met him…always of him holding her tenderly, although they stopped after Hermione married him. …yet…as she looked up into his eyes…she realized that it wasn't Harry she was embracing.
No, it was someone else. Someone whom she was equally glad to see. Silvery hair instead of dark. Silvery eyes instead of Harry's emerald ones.
"Draco…?"
"Yes…Ginny…it's me…"
She felt his breath on her face…she could smell his cologne as he slipped his hands into her shirt…
"Draco…"
He responded with a kiss, trailing down as her shirt fell.
"Draco…"
Her arms around tightly around him now…
Silence. The fingers had suddenly become cold…yet familiar…
"Virginia…it's me…"
The voice…
"Remember me…?"
Oh God…pull away…pull away…
"Open your eyes…"
"NOOO!"
Ginny fell out of the bed, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead. What had begun as a sweet dream with Harry transforming into Draco had turned into a nightmare.
With Tom.
She hadn't had this nightmare for a long time. Not since Harry defeated Voldemort. Sometimes, Ginny was even able to forget that during her first year, she had been a pawn of Tom's. That Tom had been in her body, trying to kill off the Muggle-born students. Including Hermione.
But now she had it again.
Just as frightening real and scary as it had when she was eleven.
And it wasn't good.
Ginny shivered in spite of the sweat, drawing her legs to her chest. She knew that Tom, or Voldemort, was gone for good now, but still a part of her react whenever a feeling of evil and darkness was near. Whenever Tom appeared in her dream during Voldemort's second reign, it was when somebody was murdered brutally, or when the Death Eaters had won an important battle. Or when a Dark Mark was floating above a building Ginny had known and loved.
It was always an omen that something horrible had happened.
Tom's former presence in her linked her to Voldemort in the same way Harry's scar linked him to the same dark wizard. But according to Harry, his scar stopped aching after he defeated Voldemort.
Just like Ginny stopped having those nightmares.
So what did this mean?
There is no chance of another dark wizard, could there?
Or any evil happenings?
"Of course not," Ginny answered the question quickly. "Are you doubting Harry's abilities? All the Death Eaters are gone…in Azkaban…. It's just jitters, I bet. You aren't used to sleeping in a place by yourself. You've always had Molly to sleep with you…that's it. Maybe you should visit Molly sometime next week and then Apparate back…"
A shadow passed over the window.
And it wasn't the trick of the light.
Ginny's eyes widened and she hurried over to the window, not knowing what she was expecting to see. It was probably a bird, she thought, although really, it felt more like a person…climbing on the building perhaps…? And why was she having this acute impression that someone was watching her?
Stop it! Stop it! Stop being so paranoid!
Ginny paced around the room restlessly, her whole body stiff with alertness.
There was a knock at the door, startling Ginny.
Ginny dashed over to the bed and grabbed her wand, clutching it tightly in front of her. "Lumos!" she whispered, as she edged closer and closer to the door. "Who is this?" she asked.
Nobody answered. But someone had to be outside. "Who is this?"
Still nobody answered. Ginny panicked. It's probably Hermione…. But Hermione doesn't even know where Ginny was! Ginny quickly went over a list of possible curses in her mind. I'll Disapparate if something bad happens…it's probably just a hotel thief…you've heard about them…
But the ones she heard about were Muggle ones.
She didn't know what magical ones do to a single woman in an empty room.
And Ginny didn't have any time to ponder about this, for the door blasted open, incinerated to ashes within moments.
There entered Draco Malfoy.
~*~
"D-draco?"
Draco had to admit that he was surprised to see Ginny with a pale face, pointing her wand at him with a quivering hand.
She's probably expecting me to be killed by the Death Eaters already, he reminded himself darkly.
But she didn't look like someone who had just backstabbed him. She looked more or less like a victim herself. Her red hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, the rest hanging down limply down her back. Her nightdress seemed crumpled, as if there had been a struggle, and she was panting, as if she had been scared.
Draco decided that Virginia Weasley was a better actor than he had given her credit for.
The two faced each other for a moment before Ginny spoke up. "Draco?" she said incredulously. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night, scaring me out of my wits like this?"
"You should know, shouldn't you?" Draco made sure that his voice was cold and calculated.
"I should?" Ginny gave a laugh of disbelief.
"Yes, you should, you double-crossing weasel!" hissed Draco, edging closer and closer to her. "Stop pretending that you don't know."
Ginny gave a sputter of impatience. "It's not hard, because I don't."
Draco snorted loudly and obviously. "Must I actually spell it out for you what's wrong?"
Ginny crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That would be helpful."
Draco was getting frustrated. Who could've ever guessed that Weasleys could be so annoying? So sly and dishonest, all of a sudden? If he didn't know better, he would've thought that Ginny really did not know. "Well, I remember that someone placed a bet with me, saying that if I don't go along with it, she would blackmail me by telling the Death Eaters my whereabouts."
"Yes, that happen to be me," Ginny admitted sarcastically.
"So what do you know? I go along with the bet, honoring my side of the deal, allowing myself to go on those stupid dates with you…and get accosted by the Death Eaters you've decided to tell anyway!"
"What?"
"Enough acting! Just because you're losing the bet, Potter and Weasel advise you to play it dirty? Well, I'm sorry that they aren't as fulfilled as me. I've never done anything to them, all right? Can't you just leave my life along? What, just had to ruin everything I've worked so hard to build because I don't want to have sex with you? You just had to tell the Death Eaters to kill me?"
Ginny's face revealed no indication that she knows what he was ranting about, but she looked highly affronted at his accusations. "Aren't you getting far-fetched here?"
"You are."
"Why would I actually tell the Death Eaters where you are? I don't even know who the heck they are, first of all! And I'm actually winning the bet. I don't resort to lowly tricks when I'm losing, like a certain Slytherin I happen to know!"
"Winning my ass!"
"Be like that. Why would I tell them to finish you off if I still need you and your money to support my daughter and me?"
"Well then, I suppose that the Death Eaters in my mansion are just illusions, then!"
Draco and Ginny would've carried on more, except at that time there was a low cackle from the staircase, followed by rapid footsteps.
Ominous footsteps.
~*~
The shadow you saw! Ginny suddenly remembered.
She grabbed Draco and pulled him inside. "Reparo!" she whispered, watching the door resurrecting itself. When she was sure that the door was solidly between her and whoever the people were, she turned to Draco, eyes narrowed. "Draco, are you sure that you aren't the one who happened to, um, slip that Ginny Weasley is here in some French hotel?"
Draco wasn't listening. His face pale, he said in a shaking tone, "That's…that's the neighbors, right?" He sounded like he didn't want to know otherwise. Neither did Ginny. "That's just the neighbors…complaining…right?"
"The rooms are Soundproof."
Ginny realized fully what she was talking about, and slowly began to link everything up. Death Eaters…Draco mentioned Death Eaters…Draco wearing his night garments when the Malfoys are known for fancy dressing…his hair disheveled…obviously he didn't plan to come here to have tea…the shadow she had seen…the cackles…cold…the ominous footsteps…her dream. She turned to Draco with desperate eyes. "Please don't tell me that those footsteps can possibly belong to Death Eaters," she pleaded.
"You really didn't give me away?"
Ginny shook her head. "I need you alive to marry me," she whispered. The joke sounded out of place in a situation like this, but she was glad that Draco's gray eyes softened slightly before hardening again.
"Then we're in trouble," he said, pulling on her hand to get away from the door.
"Should we…Disapparate?" Ginny suggested timidly.
"To where?" Draco asked. "I don't know any place that's safe and open to Apparition at this hour."
Ginny didn't know, and if she did it was too late. Both she and Draco were aware of other presences outside the door. They backed away slowly till they were leaning against the window. The moon came out just as the door blasted open, revealing ten masked and cloaked figures, all of them pointing their wands at Draco and Ginny.
A/N: Cliffie! Hah hah! Don't worry. The next chapter will be up within two weeks. I'm hurrying to finish this. Oh yes, many questions will be answered, and many questions raised. If you're wondering about the necklace…the gleaming isn't just for decoration, I'll tell you that much! You'll see in the next one. Can I have your reviews now? =)
~Katrina
Thank you immensely:
Angelic-pen-of course I'll update to hear more flatteries! ;P enoimreh-yes, Harry and Hermione are married, but Ginny still had feelings for him, so she thinks she still loves Harry while she's moved on to Draco. You'll see. Anon-e-mouse-wow! I'm like feeling so special now. Of course you'll be added to the mailing list. =D S A K U R A-thanks, and see I updated. Raven-I'm glad. Very glad in fact. Sayo-now it isn't only seduction. It'll be a bit more. chubs-hey I didn't have cliffies for a while! ^^ Gabie-thanks! Now I can torture Colette without feeling unethical. MelissaAdams-thank you so much! Well I'll be sure to let dear Colette die painfully. Jade*Secrets-aww thanks. I did spend a bit more time on this chapter though, but mainly I guess it's luck. ^^ SugarGirl-hehe bitch and a bit more—bitchy witch! Hey kinda rhymes. IAmVulcanLady-aren't you so lucky! I wish my French teacher is just a bit brighter. Turquoisetears-well…Draco needs to get dirty sometimes. =P miao-miao-you're welcome and thanks. melzie-really? Thank you. TickleBoom76m-yeah, Colette's going to do something all right…*mysterious* Tempest in a Teacup-yup yup. I hate when I have to worry about my elbows tucked in when I eat my favorite food…like steak! Crystal-thank you very much! OpalKoboi-thanks, and yeah, I email everyone who reviews whether they like it or not. *evil cackles* NiMiBabe-really? Wow, I'm so proud. Don't I sound so conceited? Magic Girl2-*nod* Hell and a bit more. Stephi-now you got it. ;) Jenn-you'll see. Of course Draco won't die… exactly… Nyah-thanks! I'll continue for all my wonderful readers. goldenstar555-don't worry, I'll! Oh, Gin's gonna marry Draco all right *points to title* =P London-I'll try not to. Travelgirl-thanks. I guess I did get a little carried away. But hey, it's not as gruesome as it seems… frananddragon-hey I can have fun with JK's characters…don't worry, there won't be such scenes in the future. They'll be a lot more civilized. Xangelcrisisx-thank you. 'course I'll write more for you guys. tricklingdust-yup. You'll find out more about her too in later chapters. Imagine-I'm really pleasantly flattered I'm being added to your Author Alert thingy! *lightheaded* And wow the first in your favorites! *grins* August-bows… Enter the Red Age-Molly's staying with Harry and Hermione. Well, her full name is Narcissa Molly, because I'm too unoriginal to think of something else, and besides, Ginny still loves Molly (her mom)—it is kinda her own fault, right? PhoenixRae-aww thanks! Did I tell you I love your Defense Against You? Shivering Angel-really? Thanks! depth-you'll see…you'll see… SamiJo-I know! I'll never break em up, no worries. lily-I can't answer that, but Draco will know that Colette's a DE soon enough… AnnieHalcock-that's the problem with Draco-slow! *grins* KeeperofTheMoon-ooh thank you! Lady Eros-I'm really happy you think so! Misaster-hey! That's not a bad cliffie…*innocent* Ginny001-lol! Draco is so mine! ^^ Missy-thanks! =) Rosandra May-ooh thanks! Cytheria-thank you! Sakura1287-no, I won't let Colette hurt little Molly. Don't worry! Hehe and Draco will have a sense of humor once Ginny gets through with him! Vld-wow thanks! I'll be changing all the French phrases soon. Tell me if you spot any mistake… Genny-don't worry! Happy ending I promise! Crystal Lily-sorry it took so long. *hides* Cay-yes. You'll know more about her later. I promise. Angel in Waiting-thanks and you're very welcome! MLP-here you go! estee-oops on that. But I'm a diehard H/Hr. Sorry! But it's a D/G, so there won't be that much H/Hr. frozen-n-tym-thanks! Nolaiel the Half-Elven-thanks!
Okay: I KNOW I missed someone…or some-two? (or more) on my mailing list and my thank-you-section. Please, I'm sorry (in advance) and tell me! I really don't feel like myself these days…so you know…yeah…excuses! ^^
