Cruel: Heart and Soul Chapter 28, a harry potter fanfic

My Dear Readers,

I find it very frustrating that fanfiction.net is not exactly working as it's supposed to…

It fails to italicize the words that are supposed to be italicized!

I'm sorry, if sometimes you get confused on who exactly is talking, if it's a memory of a flashback or if it's a thought.

I have emailed fanfiction services countless times already and I have asked them repeatedly to look into this problem.

I don't get a reply, though I don't really think they will.

They just haven't fixed it yet.

I hope it's all right with you that this chapter would have some slight errors with the italicization of words. It's beyond my control of what really transpires in the "uploadment" of the document.

I hope that you would continue on reading and forgive me for any trouble that you might be having when reading the fic.

…

Besides, its almost finish…you might as well get it over with and let your mind get some peace.

Hehehehe.

Anyway, thanks once again for your wonderful and continuous support.

Evening Raine Star

Chapter 28

Harry was back at the Ministry, gathering all the information he can on the aftermath of the war.

Somehow, everything had to do with the aftermath.

Voldemort had died and so had other Deatheaters, but others still remained. Locating the remaining Deatheaters was the main problem of the Aurors. These surviving Deatheaters were plotting something, the Aurors didn't know exactly what, but they knew that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be pretty.

But where to find them?
If he only knew where Ginny was, then maybe he would be able to locate the Deatheaters.

Yes, he had a suspicion that Deatheaters were behind the disappearance of Ginny and Valerie.

Still, finding Ginny was a problem.

He didn't want to tell Ron yet. Knowing Ron, he would go into hysterics and act before thinking, which was a stupid thing to do.

Who else did he know would know where Ginny was?

Think Harry! Think! Maybe there would be people who you haven't thought of because they are the people who wouldn't be really on good terms with her.

Malfoy!

Harry shook his head and had to keep from laughing despite the situation. What relationship could Malfoy possible have with Ginny?
He had almost completely forgotten about the things that Malfoy did to Ginny earlier. Was he making a play at her?

And at the Annual! They were made to perform together. Before they left the party both Ginny and Valerie were with Malfoy.

This was turning out to be pretty weird…

Either way, he didn't have a choice. He'd have to pay a visit to a dear old friend.

He informed his Superiors that he might have a hunch to where the Deatheaters were. He'd notify them immediately by wand if anything came up.

* * *

Draco briefly saw a scene before him, it was if he was watching through Ginny's eyes:

Hazy figure amidst the bright light and darkness. The figure was talking and there was an evilness to the person.

He suddenly felt winded. It was if someone aimed a hundred punches at his chest. He couldn't breathe. He was wheezing.

He clutched at his chest, his fingers brushing against the Core Lantern. He grabbed hold of that before dropping to his knees.

* * *

Harry didn't bother to knock as he reached the Malfoy Manor. He just barged in and started opening doors, looking for where his old school enemy was.

He heard a clatter in the next room and he ran to the source of the noise. He threw the door open. "Malfoy! I-!" he gaped at the wheezing, convulsing man before him. "Damn!" Harry rushed forward to help the man.

Draco at the moment had no idea who was helping him back into the chair. All he knew was the fading pain and the image of the hazy person.

"Geez! What a time for you to get sick on me!" an all to familiar voice penetrated his stupor.

Draco focused on a man with dark hair and green eyes, the legendary scar jolting his memory. "Potter? What are you doing here?"

"Sure, not even a thanks for saving your life!" Harry rolled his eyes at him.

Draco frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked again.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry demanded of Draco.

Draco glared at him. "I don't know."

The moment the words flew out of his mouth, he felt a burning sensation start where the Core Lantern was.

"Yeah right! As if I would believe that!" Harry snapped. "There's no time for this! She might be in trouble!"

Draco forced himself not to display any emotion, he forced himself to look indifferent. IN the inside, he was raging. Gods! What has he done leaving her alone in her house?

"Quick! Tell me where she is! I know you don't have her, at least do you have a clue to where she might be?" Harry pressed him, shaking him by the shoulders.

Draco grasped the Core Lantern and closed his eyes.

He could feel her. She was scared beyond reasoning and comprehension. She was in a dark room. She could hear other people on the other side of the room. The person before her was mad.

If only he could have a better look of that person!

As if Apollo heard him, he saw the person that held Ginny hostage.

Draco blanched as he realized who it was.

Callysta!

Harry saw Draco turn a sickly pale color, as if he wasn't already too pale to begin with. Harry was getting worried by the minute. It was obvious that Malfoy, Ginny and Valerie had something in common, he just didn't know what.

Harry gritted his teeth and administered a blow to Malfoy's face. It wouldn't hurt, but hurt enough to get him to snap out of it.

            Draco blinked his eyes. "She's alive! Ginny's with the Deatheaters!"
            Harry let out a whoosh of air. "Yes, I had a hunch she's with the Deatheaters! Tell me where I can find them!" He got this puzzled look on his face. "How did you know that?" Harry caught sight of Draco constantly fingering a strange jewel. Was that how he knew? "let's go! We can't waste time! You're the only one who knows how to get there!"
            Draco didn't want to move. The realization the Callysta was really alive and the Valerie is Callysta…oh gods! It was just to confusing to think about it!
            All this time! She was just here! Plotting and waiting.

What did she want?

She was behind the entire thing!

"Listen Potter! Do you even know what you're getting into?" his voice was harsh but soft. "I'm sure you're wondering where Valerie is, right?"

Harry wondered how he knew that too, but nodded in agreement.

"I wont tell you much but all you have to know is that Valerie is Callysta. Valerie and Ginny are friends. Valerie has Ginny in some Deatheater underground place…Yes Potter! Don't give me that stupid look! Yes, Valerie is a Deatheater!"

Harry paled. If possible, he was now paler than Draco.

Valerie a Deatheater. She was his protégé, and now she knew of all the Aurors' and Ministry's secrets!

* * *

Harry was appalled at what he had just heard. The words made him feel weak in the knees and felt as if he was going to collapse any second now.

Oh gods!

I can't believe it. Valerie? Ginny? What the hell was going on here?

It didn't make sense, but in reality it was starting to.

But what was Valerie's goal in being friends with Ginny?

Harry could understand that fact that she had used him to get to the Ministry…it hurt, but it hurt more that Ginny was in some Deatheater underground cave that he had no inkling of how to get there.

Besides that, he couldn't understand how Malfoy had anything to do with this.

Sure, he had suspected and had gotten mad at Ginny for hanging out with Malfoy, but then…he guessed he had forgotten about that ever since Valerie entered his life.

Yes, it was shameful.

First he had wanted Ginny, now it was Valerie…

But it was useless now.

Both women were gone.

One was good, the other was bad.

Somehow things weren't working out for him.

He needed to know how to find them right now!

"Quick! Can you just spit out? Or do I have to wring your puny neck to get it out from you?" Harry snarled in a un-Harry like way.

Malfoy was surprised, but not that surprised by the vehemence that Potter was showing him. "Don't yell at me Potter," he scowled at him. "I don't know where they are. I've told you all that I know,"

The moment those words left his mouth, he felt a roaring flame consume his body. A voice that sounded like the crashing of waterfalls and the bellow of a lion deafened him as he felt his body pitching forward.

Fool! Do not deceive yourself! You do not know all. All the information that you have seen in the Core Lantern is not complete. The reason you do not see is because you do not wish to. You cannot escape your faith. You are linked to her no matter what you do.

You can let her die, but you will never be able to live with yourself.

When you die, it would be much worse when you finally see her in this Realm.

I am warning you Draco Malfoy.

Make me cross and I swear I will make your life miserable.

The roaring in his ears were slowly fading.

He wanted to curse the god, but if he didn't want to suffer the consequences. His life was already miserable enough.

"Malfoy, what are you do? Quit your stalling!" Harry was standing beside him.

Draco was on his knees and all he could see was the dark green carpet before him. He was going to kill Potter if he didn't shut his trap.

What did Apollo say? That he didn't want to see? Why didn't he?

He hated to admit it.

He didn't want to accept that he was in love with Virginia Weasley. Was it so bad?

No.

Maybe it was because he refused to be hurt again. Maybe it was because he didn't want to deceive himself that he was in love and in the end realize that he was living a lie. He couldn't bare that. He didn't want to go through it again.

Being with her tormented him…

But not all the time…

He realized that when each day passed, he desired, hungered and craved for her. His body, mind and soul would not give him peace until he thought about her or at least went to see her. His being demanded her.

She always had to be there. Whatever he was to do, her essence would infiltrate his system. When he thought he had enough---but it never was, she would leave him, empty and wanting more.

That was the trouble of it all.

When he did concede to his mind's urges, he usually ended up in torture. What his being was hoping for would not be given in complete.

At some point or another, he had wanted her completely. He wanted to claim her. He wanted her to be in his sheer control…that she would be in unconditional submission.

If she heard him say this to her, she would think that he was a male chauvinistic pig. Hearing it with would make her despise him. She would rebel.

And now?

He was still caught in the tumult of his emotions. He was blending into the multitude of colors that were his emotions. It was dizzying and excruciating that he had no way out of it.

Harry was getting impatient.

So far ten minutes have passed and Malfoy had remained hunched over and silent.

Disturbing.

His side was very accessible to kick, but he had to back down.

"What are you doing? Don't your realize that Ginny's life may be at stake here?"

"Shut it Potter!" Draco's voice was full of asperity as he struggled to keep from hitting him.

Harry did shut up, not because he was told to but because he could feel a strange force around them.

Draco closed his eyes and reached for his Core Lantern.

Please, please let me see her. Let me know where to find her. Lead me to her.

His Core Lantern started to burn in his hand, but he didn't let go. He would never let go.

He could feel the blaze of the lantern escape through the spaces in between his fingers and dance across his closed eyes.

Please! Show me now!

Harry cried out as he fell back on the carpet.

He thought Draco's hand was starting to burn, he could see the fierce light emanating from his hand. He could see Draco's lips rapidly moving as he gripped whatever it was he was holding tighter.

He fell back when Draco opened his hand and the light from the bauble he was holding formed a scene before them.

* * *

"Valerie?"

Valerie then turned back to look at her, an evil smile on her face, her eyes dancing menacingly as she spoke, her words like daggers. "I'm not Valerie, Ginny dear." Her smile grew wider and more crazed. "I' am Callysta Veridienne Hope"

"What?" somehow the words didn't much make sense to her. Valerie, or Callysta, as she claimed to be, was still grinning at her.

Callysta sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Ginny, I'm sure you would want an explanation for all this?"

Ginny nodded, somehow the name sounded so familiar to her.

"I'm sure Draco had mentioned me before, if he hasn't, then that would have been so rude of him. But since, we both know that his manners are so refined…
Ginny choked back a cry as she realized it now. "Callysta Veridienne Hope! Yes! Draco did tell me all about you,"

Callysta smiled, pleased that Draco did take the liberty of explaining all the she had done to him in the past. "Yes, the one and only. Cally, Draco's former love."

"He told me everything," she spat out accusingly.

Callysta sighed again as she knelt down in front of Ginny. "Ginny, please don't be mad. I couldn't bear it if you were mad at me. You are my friend, but since I found out that you have ties to the man I love, I can't let you get in the way of my plans." She placed a cool hand on the side of Ginny's face.

Ginny read the woman's face. She sounded sincere and sorry, but could she really trust her? She wanted to, she couldn't deny the fact that this woman, being Valerie and at the same time being her enemy, was her friend. "Alright---Callysta," she said slowly. "You are my friend, though I find it very hard to trust you,"

Callysta's smile was sad. "Yes, I understand, I knew what I was getting into anyway. It's the price I must pay." She withdrew her hand away from Ginny. "Now, for that explanation."

Callysta stood up and paced for a while before she started to speak.

All the while she was pacing, Ginny felt a tingling on her chest. It was hot. She realized then that here Core Lantern was burning. Luckily Callysta hasn't noticed it yet. Well, if she did notice it, she wouldn't know anything about it. After all, it was Apollo's creation. No wizard or witch could ever hope to find out its secrets.

* * *

Draco and Harry stared at the scene before them. It was like a movie screen except it was floating in midair.

"Oh gods," they both breathed at the same time as they saw the Deatheater hideout.

They never realized that the Deatheater place was just a few miles away from the Ministry of Magic. The place looked like a deserted building, old, dusty and obviously about to fall down. But the scene took them inside the building and in front of an elevator where it took them to the very hell of it all.

"There's so many of them!" Harry cursed as he formulated a plan to make sure that none of them escaped. Obviously, he had underestimated the number of Deatheaters that survived the War.

Draco, on the other hand, wasn't concerned about the Deatheaters, he was anxious to see where the two women were.

Finally, the scene led them to a secluded little cave where a door was at the end of the hallway. They saw through the door and saw Valerie and Ginny.

Oh no…this can't be happening. The two of them together in one room…who knows what Callysta might do to her?

But, Draco couldn't do anything. He was helpless at the moment.

They two men watched the scene roll before them.

They saw the part where Valerie told Ginny that she was Callysta Veridienne Hope and that she was Draco's former love.

Harry stared at Draco when he heard that part, which sent his stomach rolling.

"Live with it Potter, you can see that she's actually a devil under the pretty face."

There was a difference in the Valerie he knew and Callysta.

For one thing, Valerie wore glasses and she was usually quiet unless you really know her. Her hair was always tied back and a conservative way.

Callysta had silver specs in her glinting jade eyes. Her long raven black hair seemed to have a life of its own as it floated about her. She truly gave justice to what a witch should look like…how a beautiful and dangerous witch would look like.

* * *

"Ginny, I suggest you get comfortable while I'm explaining. I fear this is going to take an extremely long time. I'm sorry that I can't take off the binds, it's just that I can't afford for anything to go wrong at the moment. I'm too close to finishing my plan, I will not see all my hard work go to waste."

"As Draco may have already mentioned his past to you, his life and all the pain I have caused him, I feel that it's sort of a one sided story. You must listen to my side as well.

"Yes, I did cause the darkness in him, and that darkness was a void. It wasn't entirely my fault. I didn't wish him to become like that. The way he got so selfish, the way he didn't want to love, the way he played with hearts…I never knew that what I did would make such a big change in him.

You're asking how did I know? Well, spies. I wont expand on that matter.

When I became a Deatheater, offered to the Dark Lord by my father, I was immediately accepted into the darkness. I became one of the most promising Deatheaters that the Dark Lord ever had. He said I was clever and powerful, in time he said that I would be a leader. He was right, you know. I was a favorite. I was spoiled.

The Dark Lord saw to my training every single day. With each passing day before the way, I grew stronger. I became ruthless. All my training was for the war. I wanted to please my Master. Even more so I wanted the darkness to overcome everything.

"But then, I failed. I gathered all the remaining Deatheaters and found this place to live in. All of us Deatheaters that survived are still loyal to the Dark Lord's legacy. We're just planning and waiting.

It is not that I have become a leader. I lead these people. They need me. Though, I didn't think I could do it alone. I needed someone to rule along side with me. I wouldn't mind if the one I chose would be above me or lash out at me. I just wanted the darkness to live…

Then that's when I thought about Draco. Ah, Draco. He was meant to be part of us, but unlike me, he wasn't promised. His father couldn't do anything about it. Draco hated the idea of being ruled…always did and always will.

But before I get ahead of myself, you must be wondering why I acted as an Auror, a protégé of Harry's. Simply to find out what the Ministry was up to. I didn't plan on meeting you. But in a way I don't regret it. I had a friend that I could laugh with. But then, I underestimated you. As it turns out, you and Draco were having a relationship behind her brother's back and as well as Harry's. Though, I guess Harry does know about it now…

"The Ministry doesn't know anything about us, and at the moment, they're clueless to what they should do."

Callysta gave off a laugh that sent shivers up and down Ginny's spine. This woman was crazy! She was evil! But she couldn't make herself completely hate Callysta because she was her friend…though a crazed one.

Ginny glared at Callysta as she continued laughing.

Callysta caught Ginny glaring at her and composed herself. "Oh, don't take it the wrong way Ginny. It's not that I think that the Ministry of Magic is inferior to my thinking, it's just that the situation is very amusing. The Ministry is very powerful and smart, but I must laugh because they don't seem to be making any progress at the moment."

"Just go on," Ginny sighed as she rested against the cold wall.

Valerie put a finger to her temple and looked at the ceiling. "Where was I? Oh, yes, now I remember!

"Well, I might as well tell you everything, even the personal happenings. You might have suspected already, but Harry and I are close. I don't really know what transpired between both of you earlier, but I hope you can forgive me for being close with Harry…

Oh? He already told you? That makes things much easier then…

But anyway, it hurt me that I was using Harry for my own personal gain. It would hurt him that I am a Deatheater and he an Auror. It just doesn't make sense, doesn't it? If he does find out, I would want him to know that I'm deeply sorry for all the things that I have done to him. If he does find me and want to kill me, I would be fine with that, I would deserve it…though I don't think there is a chance that I would die soon.

"So I told the other Deatheaters that I would be finding another to rule us all. I assured them that he was more powerful and clever than I ever hoped to be. I also had to assure them that he has darkness in him…well from what I know of what he's been doing over the past years it sure fits the description of dark.

I did find him and I felt strange. There was this twinge deep inside me. It hurt to look at him, but in the same way, the hurt was good…I can't exactly explain why. Looking at him, my old feelings for him started to resurface, though I knew it wouldn't do any good to be personally involved with him again. You know the story. If he does constantly think of me, it's either in hate or in anguish.

I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused him, and I would want to take it back, but I can't. I can't because in a way, the pain I've caused awaken the darkness in him, which is necessary for my plan now.

My plans? I wont give them away just yet. You'll have to be a little more patient.

"Now, things got complicated at the Annual that the Ministry held. I realized that you and Draco were together. And I noticed that there was a change in Draco that I really did not like. In fact, the change was because of you. I loathed and abhorred you for it. I scorned the changed. Do you know why?

I'll tell you this: It was in my plan to fully awaken Draco to the darkness, to finally pull him into it. Being the ruler of the Deatheaters, he must be clothed in the dark. He must be a Child of Darkness. In a way I am the Darkness. The Darkness that ended his old life and gave him his darkened life.

But then, you came along, which made it harder for me to fully make him accept what his fate was.

You brought him out of his misery, the darkness and the hate. You are the Light. You started to bring back his old ways that he never showed to anyone in Hogwarts.

Yes, I bet everyone in Hogwarts thought that he was a prat, a git, and a loathsome person to be with. You people just never realized before that he was actually hiding his other self from all of you. It was expected of him, being the only child and son of a Deatheater.

You were starting to interfere. It was like a game of tug of war. Whenever he tried to fight you because he remembered me, I would gain an inch or so. But when you made him happy, you would pull him back again.

It was utterly aggravating!

I realized that I was not going to get anywhere in this little Tug of War game. I had to do something drastic. That's when I kidnapped you.

Do you understand everything now?"

Callysta fell silent as she finished her explanation.

"I understand," Ginny nodded her head. "I just don't see why you have to do this,"

"Ginny, you don't understand entirely because I haven't told you my plan yet…well at least not all of it. I have to reasons you see, but I wont spoil the surprised just yet,"

* * *

The scene faded and disappeared and the lights that had formed it trickled back into the Core Lantern in Draco's hand.