Ginny woke with a groan, her head was pounding. She put her hand to her forehead and moaned as she sat up. The room was dark and she was on a small cot. Where was she? Who had kidnapped her and why?
Her first thought was Death Eaters and that they had kidnapped her to get to Harry. Which was foolish on their part, she meant nothing to him. The only time he'd really noticed her that year was when he was desperate for a date to the Yule Ball, right after he and Ron had made fun of her date. He hadn't even given her a goodbye on the platform. If they really wanted to get Harry they would have done better if they'd kidnapped Ron, only she wouldn't want Ron in this position, but still it was common sense. Her kidnappers were obviously idiots, which could be good for her because then it would be easier for her family to rescue her.
As she was thinking this she moved to push her hair from her face and froze. Whoever they were they had ruggedly cut off most of her hair! She'd been trying to grow it out, get it longer then Bill's, and now it roughly framed her face. Why would they cut off her hair?
Fear clutched her as she thought back on the events of the previous year, and what Dumbledore had said at the last feast.
At that moment the door to the small room was flung open. For a moment a tall sturdy man stood outlined in it. Then he reached in and flipped a switch and light flooded the tiny room.
With a scream Ginny stumbled off the bed and backed herself into the nearest corner. The dark haired, blue eyed man laughed coldly.
"W-who are you?" Ginny demanded trying not to sound terrified.
"Your destiny," the man answered with what could only be described as a sadistic smile.
"I don't have a destiny. Destinies are for people like Harry, not people like me."
He laughed again, "You mean that child the Wizarding World foolishly puts all their faith in?"
"We are not foolish! And Harry..." she froze and paused to wonder why she was bothering to argue with her kidnapper. What she needed was answers and she needed them fast,"Y-you're not part of the Wizarding World?"
"And you're not anymore either."
Her heart dropped and then felt as though it was in her throat. She couldn't move, could barely breathe. What did he mean? She had to stay strong, not show fear. Her family would come for her, they would save her, she'd be all right.
"Do you know what you are?" the man asked with a strange reverence.
"I'm a Weasley," she told him with as much conviction as she could muster, "and I have six brothers and a father who will stop at nothing until they find me."
The man laughed coldly again, "You no longer have a family. You are a Slayer."
"A-a what?"
"You have been chosen. You are a Slayer, You are destined to fight vampires and demons for the rest of your living days."
Again Ginny felt her heart leap in fear, she hadn't been kidnapped by idiots, she'd been kidnapped by a madman. Wondering if maybe she could talk her way out of her predicament she told him, "Vampire activity is regulated by the..."
The man laughed at her again, "You honestly think vampires are going to pay attention to some stupid regulations?"
They stared at each other silently a moment, as Ginny's heart was pounded in her ears. She wanted to go home. She wanted Harry to come rushing in and save her, much as he had done in her first year at Hogworts, or if not Harry then one of her brothers or her father. Someone would come for her, wouldn't they?
"Well?" the man demanded.
"I-I don't know," Ginny managed.
"Typical," he told her in disgust, "they would give me an ignorant girl to train."
"W-who are they? Who are you for that matter?" Ginny asked instead of defending herself.
"They are the Watchers Council, they train girls that are to become Slayers, they keep the records of pervious Slayers. I am Brice Elden, you will call me Elden. I'm your Watcher, do as I say, learn quickly, and you'll live longer. If you don't listen then you'll die."
"Die?" Ginny asked in horror.
"It's a mortal battle. If you don't kill the vampire, it will kill you."
"I don't kill. Y-you're obviously mistaken. I can't be this-this slayer, I'm just Ginny Weasley. I'm only a Weasley."
Elden, laughed coldly, "Stupid, stupid, child. You're the Slayer. We'd know if you weren't."
"How do you know that I am?" she demanded.
He came at her then, his fists flying towards her face. She didn't even think, reacting off some inner instinct she blocked each one of his punches and then sent him sprawling to the floor. She quickly took advantage of the situation and hopped over him. She began to make a run for it and was stopped when his hand grabbed her ankle and she was sent sprawling to the ground.
She screamed and tried to kick him off. She was actually starting to back away when she was grabbed from behind and a cloth covered hand went over her face. It was drugged the same as the one before it and she barely heard them argue as she passed out.
"What do you think you're doing?" a male voice from behind her said.
"Not needing your interference."
"I'm helping you, Brice."
"This isn't your girl! Why don't you take..."
For hours she heard no more.
When she woke again, her head was pounding and she was tied rather uncomfortably in a chair. She groaned.
"You see your power?"
At the sound of his bitter voice her head flew up and snapped around towards him.
"Power?" she questioned.
"If you weren't the Slayer then how did you manage to fend me off?"
She didn't answer, instead she tried to twist around to see what he was up to.
"Hold still!" he snapped.
"Why?" she growled trying harder to turn and glare at him. This man, Elden, was going to be in more trouble then he was worth when her father and her brothers got a hold of him.
"Your hair needs to be cut properly. Hold still or I'll end up cutting your face instead," he told her.
Reluctantly she held still as he began to cut at her hair. Her stomach was doing somersaults and her heart was hammered in her chest. She didn't like this Slayer business, she hated her Watcher and she just wanted to go home.
Finally after several moments she couldn't take it anymore.
"Why do you need to cut my hair so short?" she challenged.
"A Slayer doesn't need long hair, it only gets in the way."
"W-will you let me see it?" she asked.
"Will you cooperate with your training afterward?"
Ginny quickly considered her options. She obviously wasn't going to escape therefore her only option seemed to be to wait. She could wait until she found a way to escape or, more likely, someone would rescue her.
"All right." she told him softly, hesitantly.
He untied her and told her to follow him.
She jumped slightly when he flipped the light switch and turned to stare at herself in the mirror. Her breath caught in her throat, he'd cut her hair so short. It was no longer almost as long as Bill, but neither was it as short as Charlie's. It was somewhere near the twins' and Ron's length. It made her suddenly realize just how much like the rest of her family she looked: she had the same general face shape as her mother, Ron and her had the same eyes, she shared Charlie and Percy's nose, she had Bills and also her father's forehead...then she smiled and took in the smirk that she shared with the twins.
She'd be all right she told herself, as long as she remember her family was all right there in her face.
"It's not so bad is it?" she asked softly.She paused for a moment and frowned before turning to Elden and informing him, "Your mirror is broken."
He frowned at her in a confused way before looking at the mirror, "It doesn't look broken."
"It isn't talking," she pointed out.
He laughed harshly, "It's a normal mirror or you'd say muggle, they don't talk."
"Oh, well that's rather boring," she said softly.
"Now we begin your training."
"I still think your crazy," she informed him, "My family will come for me and then you'll be sorry."
He frowned at her, "Give that nonsense up, your family will never come for you. We Polyjuiced a demon girl to look like you and then we killed her."
He paused to take in her sharp intake of breath.
"Forget your family, little girl, they think your dead."
Her heart was hammering in her chest again and her mind was racing. She took another quick breath and forced herself to calm down.
"Now," he told her, "we will begin your training. Follow me."
She followed him silently without protest. She'd let him believe that her family thought her dead. He obviously didn't know they had a grandfather clock that didn't tell the time, but told where each member of the family was. Her family would know she was alive. Her family would come for her.