Disclaimer: Thanks to my friend Stacy (mysterywriter) I got this idea. So,
hopefully, it isn't too hard to follow. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling,
except the part me and Stacy thought up.
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Chapter 14: Tears and Broken Promises
Ginny sat on the floor of Dumbledore's office for a while, crying with her head in her hands. She could hear the world moving on around her. People were being dragged off to Azkaban, wands were being collected, and Fudge was waltzing around, sounding very smug as he shouted out orders to others.
But Ginny could only just hear them. Her sobs were drowning out most of the noise, and her thoughts were on other things. She didn't know how it had come to this. How had, in a matter of months, her entire life fallen apart? Every single person she had ever loved was either killed, or sent off to Azkaban.
Ginny couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't sit and cry in a room that was filled with the people who had betrayed her. She got up and ran past everyone, toward the door. Fudge called after her, but Ginny ignored her, she just ran faster. Once she had gone down the spiral staircase, three steps at a time, Ginny bolted toward the entrance hall without a second look back. She didn't want to ever look at Fudge or any of his goons ever again. She felt contaminated whenever she was in a room with them. She thought that their heartlessness and greed was a disease, and feared that she might catch it.
Pushing as hard as she could, Ginny threw the two huge wooden doors open. The outside sky was a dark blue and everything around the ground was beginning to look the same. A cool, refreshing breeze hit her face, making her hair flow out behind her. Ginny didn't notice the slight chill in the air, her eyes were focused completely on the lake and no where else. She approached the inky black water, and began to circle around the lake, gazing hopelessly into it's murky depths.
With her mom, dad, brothers, and friends all dead, who was she going to turn to? Draco was the only answer to that question and now, thanks to her, he was gone as well. The more Ginny thought about it, the worse she felt. If she wasn't related to Voldemort, he wouldn't have taken her away from her family. If she wasn't related to Voldemort, then Lucius wouldn't have felt threatened for power, and killed her family and friends. If she wasn't related to Voldemort, she wouldn't have had to work for both sides and Draco wouldn't have been in danger.
Rage filled Ginny. How could a man, who claimed to be her father, ruin everything that was perfect in her life?
Ginny groped for the necklace that she always wore: the green crystal with the silver snake that Voldemort had given her. Ginny had to strong urge to throw it into the water, showing how much she hated him. But all that met her fingers was air. Ginny's stomach dropped. She felt around her neck, feeling for the chain the held the pendent. Nothing was there. But that was impossible. She always wore it. That, and her Claddagh ring. Ginny quickly looked down at her finger; the ring was still there. Where had her pendent gone?
Telling herself that that wasn't important, Ginny went back to pacing. But the rage for her father was still there, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Suddenly, something dawned on Ginny.
If she wasn't related to Voldemort, then she would have never seen this side of Draco. The rage left her quickly, and Ginny was re-filled again with sorrow. Draco. Her Draco. He was such a wonderful person. He didn't deserve to be in Azkaban. Fudge had promised that he wouldn't be on the list of Death Eaters, and he had broken that promise. Ginny could only imagine what thoughts were going through Draco's head at this moment. He probably hated her for betraying him. But, no matter how much he might be hating and despising her, Ginny could do nothing but love him, and cry in his absence.
Ginny didn't have anywhere to go, so she continued to walk and think. Some time around midnight, she fell asleep under a large tree by the waters edge.
~*~*~*~
The bright sun shine woke Ginny up the next day. The scene from the night before had been playing all night in her dreams, and Ginny wasn't surprised to find that her face was wet when she woke up. She had been crying in her sleep.
As Ginny rolled over, hoping to go back to sleep and not have to face the real world, something startled her. A small, bony, house elf was standing feet away from her, clutching a Daily Prophet in one hand, and a piece of toast in the other.
"Ms." The house elf said, slowly approaching Ginny as she began to sit up. "Dobby saw that Ms. slept out here, and decided to bring Ms. breakfast and the paper." Dobby said, laying the Daily Prophet on Ginny's lap and the toast on top of it.
"Oh, ummm, thanks." Ginny said awkwardly, trying to force a smile. The house elf bowed and, with a pop, disappeared. Ginny removed the piece of toast from the top of the paper, and was just about to take a bite, when something caught her eye. Underneath the crumbs, in big, black, bold letters was the headline on the front page of the paper.
Malfoy Sentenced to Dementor's Kiss
Ginny's jaw dropped, as did her piece of toast. She scanned the article, hoping against hope that it was Lucius they were talking about. But the first few sentences told her everything.
"Last night, at approximately twelve o'clock, the Minister Cornelius Fudge single handedly captured all of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's known followers. He ruled that most of them shall spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban. But that Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, who were among the captured Death Eaters, shall receive the Dementor's Kiss based on the evidence that he became the Dark Lord soon after He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named died."
Ginny was shaking so bad she couldn't even read the paper in front of her. She threw down the Daily Prophet and ran as fast as she could toward the school. She wasn't even sure of where her legs were taking her until she stopped in front of a painting of a fruit bowl. After tickling the pear, Ginny dashed inside the kitchen and straight to the fireplace she had used the night before. She shoved her shaking hands in her pockets, and felt around for some extra floo powder. Ginny's eyes were tearing up, and she let out an exhausted sob just when her fingers rubbed against the grainy powder that resided in her robe pocket. Ginny threw it on the fire and walked into the green flames.
"The Ministry of Magic." Ginny said clearly. She was already feeling sick, and the spinning that went along with using floo powder didn't help. Right when Ginny was sure she was going to vomit, the spinning stopped. She opened her eyes, and found herself in the Ministry of Magic building, next to one of the many fire places.
Ginny dashed to the front desk, nearly running into it and startling the man behind it.
"Where's the Minister?" Ginny gasped, looking both out of breath and upset. The man, who's eyes had been very wide, stared at her for a few moments.
"I don't think I'm allowed to -" the man began.
"Where. Is. He." Ginny asked, looking dangerously desperate. The man shook his head, indicating that he couldn't say anything. Ginny pulled back one side of her robe, revealing only to the man at the desk that she was pointing her wand at him. "Tell me, or I swear to God I'll -"
"Second floor, first door on your left." The man muttered quickly. Ginny put her wand back in her pocket and ran to the elevators. She pushed the up button at least a hundred times, and was on the verge of tears when the elevator doors opened.
Once on the second floor, Ginny turned left and wrenched the door open, making it slam against the wall as she dashed into the room. Fudge was sitting at his large, oak desk with his feet up and his hands behind his head.
"Where is he?" Ginny demanded in a very shaky voice as she stumbled into the room. Fudge's eyes were wide and he nearly fell out of his chair as he tried to sit up properly.
"What?" Fudge asked.
"Where's Draco?" Ginny said, this time with less force. Her voice was shaking more then her body, and a few tears were falling down her pale face. Fudge's expression changed from startled to smug in less then a second.
"Ah, so you've heard the news." Fudge said with an almost Lucius-look on his face.
"You promised." Ginny said, slowly trying to walk closer to Fudge, but her legs felt like jelly. "You promised that you wouldn't charge him as a Death Eater."
"That was only to get you to help us." Fudge laughed. "Now that I have the power, I can break all the promises I please."
"You KNOW that he's not like them!" Ginny yelled through her tears. "You told me that you were on my side!"
"I'm not *on* your side, I *own* your side. I have all the power I need, and there's no one who can take it away!" Fudge yelled triumphantly. He looked almost insane with power.
"You can't do this! You can't do this to Draco!" Ginny cried, breaking down into sobs and falling to the floor. Fudge didn't seem the least bit concerned; he simply smirked as Ginny cried. "Please don't do this." Ginny sobbed, her voice shaking so much it could barely be understood. "Please don't take Draco away from me... he's all I have." She whispered.
"You think that I'm going to change my mind just because *you* want me to? Let me remind you that you're a Weasley *and* an ex Dark Lord. I really don't think that you have a say in anything." Fudge said, talking over Ginny's crying. "If anything, you should be thanking me. I let you off the hook."
"Then punish me instead of Draco!" Ginny pleaded. "Please... please don't hurt him."
"I don't think the Dementor's Kiss hurts too much." Fudge smirked. "But, then again, it's never happened to me."
"Please take me, let Draco go." Ginny continued to plead.
"I'm not in the mood for a trade, Ms. Weasley. Everyone already knows who I've punished. Draco Malfoy is going to get the Dementor's Kiss tonight, period." Fudge said, making Ginny cry even harder.
Her sobs were so loud, Ginny didn't even hear the door the Fudge's office open.
"Minister," A man said, poking his head through the open door. "There's a slight problem. We think someone's escaped."
"Right." Fudge said importantly, standing up from his chair and walking toward the door. Before he left, he turned to Ginny and said, "You can see yourself out, and if you come anywhere near my office again, I'll have you arrested." With a snap of the door, he was gone.
Ginny's sobs were quiet by now. She just sat there for an hour, crying and thinking about what to do next. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, there was no way she could save Draco from a fate she'd bestowed on him.
~*~*~*~
Okay, I just want to apologize for not updating as early as I normally do. School has been hell, and it's taking over my life. To add to that, I'm not going to be able to reply to any of the reviews this chapter. I'm so sorry! I'll try to for the next one, it's just that this entire week is packed with tests for me. I really do appreciate all of the reviews though, they're the things that keep me writing! So thanks to everyone and I promise an earlier post with thank yous in the next chapter!
~heart~
Nicole
************************************************************************
If you want me to e-mail you when I update, just leave your e-mail address in your review. I'd be happy to do it.
************************************************************************
Chapter 14: Tears and Broken Promises
Ginny sat on the floor of Dumbledore's office for a while, crying with her head in her hands. She could hear the world moving on around her. People were being dragged off to Azkaban, wands were being collected, and Fudge was waltzing around, sounding very smug as he shouted out orders to others.
But Ginny could only just hear them. Her sobs were drowning out most of the noise, and her thoughts were on other things. She didn't know how it had come to this. How had, in a matter of months, her entire life fallen apart? Every single person she had ever loved was either killed, or sent off to Azkaban.
Ginny couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't sit and cry in a room that was filled with the people who had betrayed her. She got up and ran past everyone, toward the door. Fudge called after her, but Ginny ignored her, she just ran faster. Once she had gone down the spiral staircase, three steps at a time, Ginny bolted toward the entrance hall without a second look back. She didn't want to ever look at Fudge or any of his goons ever again. She felt contaminated whenever she was in a room with them. She thought that their heartlessness and greed was a disease, and feared that she might catch it.
Pushing as hard as she could, Ginny threw the two huge wooden doors open. The outside sky was a dark blue and everything around the ground was beginning to look the same. A cool, refreshing breeze hit her face, making her hair flow out behind her. Ginny didn't notice the slight chill in the air, her eyes were focused completely on the lake and no where else. She approached the inky black water, and began to circle around the lake, gazing hopelessly into it's murky depths.
With her mom, dad, brothers, and friends all dead, who was she going to turn to? Draco was the only answer to that question and now, thanks to her, he was gone as well. The more Ginny thought about it, the worse she felt. If she wasn't related to Voldemort, he wouldn't have taken her away from her family. If she wasn't related to Voldemort, then Lucius wouldn't have felt threatened for power, and killed her family and friends. If she wasn't related to Voldemort, she wouldn't have had to work for both sides and Draco wouldn't have been in danger.
Rage filled Ginny. How could a man, who claimed to be her father, ruin everything that was perfect in her life?
Ginny groped for the necklace that she always wore: the green crystal with the silver snake that Voldemort had given her. Ginny had to strong urge to throw it into the water, showing how much she hated him. But all that met her fingers was air. Ginny's stomach dropped. She felt around her neck, feeling for the chain the held the pendent. Nothing was there. But that was impossible. She always wore it. That, and her Claddagh ring. Ginny quickly looked down at her finger; the ring was still there. Where had her pendent gone?
Telling herself that that wasn't important, Ginny went back to pacing. But the rage for her father was still there, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Suddenly, something dawned on Ginny.
If she wasn't related to Voldemort, then she would have never seen this side of Draco. The rage left her quickly, and Ginny was re-filled again with sorrow. Draco. Her Draco. He was such a wonderful person. He didn't deserve to be in Azkaban. Fudge had promised that he wouldn't be on the list of Death Eaters, and he had broken that promise. Ginny could only imagine what thoughts were going through Draco's head at this moment. He probably hated her for betraying him. But, no matter how much he might be hating and despising her, Ginny could do nothing but love him, and cry in his absence.
Ginny didn't have anywhere to go, so she continued to walk and think. Some time around midnight, she fell asleep under a large tree by the waters edge.
~*~*~*~
The bright sun shine woke Ginny up the next day. The scene from the night before had been playing all night in her dreams, and Ginny wasn't surprised to find that her face was wet when she woke up. She had been crying in her sleep.
As Ginny rolled over, hoping to go back to sleep and not have to face the real world, something startled her. A small, bony, house elf was standing feet away from her, clutching a Daily Prophet in one hand, and a piece of toast in the other.
"Ms." The house elf said, slowly approaching Ginny as she began to sit up. "Dobby saw that Ms. slept out here, and decided to bring Ms. breakfast and the paper." Dobby said, laying the Daily Prophet on Ginny's lap and the toast on top of it.
"Oh, ummm, thanks." Ginny said awkwardly, trying to force a smile. The house elf bowed and, with a pop, disappeared. Ginny removed the piece of toast from the top of the paper, and was just about to take a bite, when something caught her eye. Underneath the crumbs, in big, black, bold letters was the headline on the front page of the paper.
Malfoy Sentenced to Dementor's Kiss
Ginny's jaw dropped, as did her piece of toast. She scanned the article, hoping against hope that it was Lucius they were talking about. But the first few sentences told her everything.
"Last night, at approximately twelve o'clock, the Minister Cornelius Fudge single handedly captured all of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's known followers. He ruled that most of them shall spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban. But that Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, who were among the captured Death Eaters, shall receive the Dementor's Kiss based on the evidence that he became the Dark Lord soon after He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named died."
Ginny was shaking so bad she couldn't even read the paper in front of her. She threw down the Daily Prophet and ran as fast as she could toward the school. She wasn't even sure of where her legs were taking her until she stopped in front of a painting of a fruit bowl. After tickling the pear, Ginny dashed inside the kitchen and straight to the fireplace she had used the night before. She shoved her shaking hands in her pockets, and felt around for some extra floo powder. Ginny's eyes were tearing up, and she let out an exhausted sob just when her fingers rubbed against the grainy powder that resided in her robe pocket. Ginny threw it on the fire and walked into the green flames.
"The Ministry of Magic." Ginny said clearly. She was already feeling sick, and the spinning that went along with using floo powder didn't help. Right when Ginny was sure she was going to vomit, the spinning stopped. She opened her eyes, and found herself in the Ministry of Magic building, next to one of the many fire places.
Ginny dashed to the front desk, nearly running into it and startling the man behind it.
"Where's the Minister?" Ginny gasped, looking both out of breath and upset. The man, who's eyes had been very wide, stared at her for a few moments.
"I don't think I'm allowed to -" the man began.
"Where. Is. He." Ginny asked, looking dangerously desperate. The man shook his head, indicating that he couldn't say anything. Ginny pulled back one side of her robe, revealing only to the man at the desk that she was pointing her wand at him. "Tell me, or I swear to God I'll -"
"Second floor, first door on your left." The man muttered quickly. Ginny put her wand back in her pocket and ran to the elevators. She pushed the up button at least a hundred times, and was on the verge of tears when the elevator doors opened.
Once on the second floor, Ginny turned left and wrenched the door open, making it slam against the wall as she dashed into the room. Fudge was sitting at his large, oak desk with his feet up and his hands behind his head.
"Where is he?" Ginny demanded in a very shaky voice as she stumbled into the room. Fudge's eyes were wide and he nearly fell out of his chair as he tried to sit up properly.
"What?" Fudge asked.
"Where's Draco?" Ginny said, this time with less force. Her voice was shaking more then her body, and a few tears were falling down her pale face. Fudge's expression changed from startled to smug in less then a second.
"Ah, so you've heard the news." Fudge said with an almost Lucius-look on his face.
"You promised." Ginny said, slowly trying to walk closer to Fudge, but her legs felt like jelly. "You promised that you wouldn't charge him as a Death Eater."
"That was only to get you to help us." Fudge laughed. "Now that I have the power, I can break all the promises I please."
"You KNOW that he's not like them!" Ginny yelled through her tears. "You told me that you were on my side!"
"I'm not *on* your side, I *own* your side. I have all the power I need, and there's no one who can take it away!" Fudge yelled triumphantly. He looked almost insane with power.
"You can't do this! You can't do this to Draco!" Ginny cried, breaking down into sobs and falling to the floor. Fudge didn't seem the least bit concerned; he simply smirked as Ginny cried. "Please don't do this." Ginny sobbed, her voice shaking so much it could barely be understood. "Please don't take Draco away from me... he's all I have." She whispered.
"You think that I'm going to change my mind just because *you* want me to? Let me remind you that you're a Weasley *and* an ex Dark Lord. I really don't think that you have a say in anything." Fudge said, talking over Ginny's crying. "If anything, you should be thanking me. I let you off the hook."
"Then punish me instead of Draco!" Ginny pleaded. "Please... please don't hurt him."
"I don't think the Dementor's Kiss hurts too much." Fudge smirked. "But, then again, it's never happened to me."
"Please take me, let Draco go." Ginny continued to plead.
"I'm not in the mood for a trade, Ms. Weasley. Everyone already knows who I've punished. Draco Malfoy is going to get the Dementor's Kiss tonight, period." Fudge said, making Ginny cry even harder.
Her sobs were so loud, Ginny didn't even hear the door the Fudge's office open.
"Minister," A man said, poking his head through the open door. "There's a slight problem. We think someone's escaped."
"Right." Fudge said importantly, standing up from his chair and walking toward the door. Before he left, he turned to Ginny and said, "You can see yourself out, and if you come anywhere near my office again, I'll have you arrested." With a snap of the door, he was gone.
Ginny's sobs were quiet by now. She just sat there for an hour, crying and thinking about what to do next. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, there was no way she could save Draco from a fate she'd bestowed on him.
~*~*~*~
Okay, I just want to apologize for not updating as early as I normally do. School has been hell, and it's taking over my life. To add to that, I'm not going to be able to reply to any of the reviews this chapter. I'm so sorry! I'll try to for the next one, it's just that this entire week is packed with tests for me. I really do appreciate all of the reviews though, they're the things that keep me writing! So thanks to everyone and I promise an earlier post with thank yous in the next chapter!
~heart~
Nicole
************************************************************************
If you want me to e-mail you when I update, just leave your e-mail address in your review. I'd be happy to do it.