Author's Note: Hey everyone, hope you all liked chapter one. Thanks to all who reviewed or flamed.
Enjoy the story,
--Leather-Winged Angel
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Ginny awoke the next morning and was disoriented for a moment. "Oh yah," she thought as she remembered where she was. "Death Eater base, right." Ginny rubbed her eyes sleepily and crossed her new room to shower off and get ready for the day. A few minutes after Ginny immerged from the bathroom, clean, awake, and ready as she'd ever be for a day in the "Manor", as Tom had called it the night before, she heard knocking on her door.
"Ginny? It's Tom; you up yet?" Ginny walked over with a sigh and opened the door for him.
"Yah I'm up," she said letting Tom into the room. Tom nodded at her, and smiled a bit. He seemed tired himself.
"You hungry?" Ginny nodded, "Good, I'll show you down to breakfast then." Ginny followed Tom down the hall and a few flights of stairs to what Ginny figured was the second floor of the Manor. "Both our rooms are on the fifth floor of the Manor Ginny, and the dining area is down here on the second." Tom said, his tone friendly. "After we eat I can show you around a bit if you'd like. There's really only a few rules you need to remember about the Manor. One, never disobey my father, unless you're suicidal that is. Two, if you're told not to go someplace in the Manor, don't; chances are something deadly is there that wouldn't blink an eyelash about killing and/or eating you." Ginny looked at him, startled, because he'd was smiling as he spoke of these supposed deadly creatures.
"You sound so happy about them being here." She commented curiously.
"I am, they're great protection. Most important rule about the Manor is to stay in the gray," Tom pointed to the walls. "Look at the walls where ever you go, if the walls are gray you're fine, if the walls are black run the other direction immediately. Humans aren't allowed in the black-walled areas of the Manor for their own good, so don't get curious. Around here curiosity kills the stupid human, not the cat." Tom lead Ginny into a beautifully decorated dining hall, almost a miniature of the Great Hall in Hogwarts. Ginny stared around at the vast drapes and tapestries and the numerous portraits of what looked to be demons and angels in battle.
"What's with all the demon and angel pictures, and what do you mean by "humans" aren't allowed?" Ginny said as she and Tom sat down at the large mahogany table in the center of the hall.
"There are other beings then humans and mortals here Ginny. This Manor is home to many demons and fallen angels. Not to mention hybrids of celestial beings, demons, and mortals. As too the pictures," he shrugged, "it's better then having a million pictures of my father, the Death Eaters, and me up isn't it?" Ginny nodded numbly, not quite knowing if Tom was joking about demons living in the manor or not. She found out soon enough when she spotted a male vampire eating breakfast beside a girl with leathery black wings folded behind her and a forked tail swishing at her side. Both of them seemed to be eating muggle brand cereals.
"Good morning TS," the vampire said, looking up and nodding to Tom. "Who's this you've got this you. Our new houseguest?" Tom nodded and sat down across from him. The vampire looked about 22 and had short brown hair and red eyes. Ginny started at his eye color and shyly sat down next to Tom. She looked again and saw that the vampire's eyes were rimmed in red but were actually a light hazel. He nodded and smiled kindly at Ginny.
"This is Bernard Diskoi, our resident weapons expert. Preppy snot that he is, the bastard knows his carnage." Tom grinned at Bernard, who regarded him coolly over his thin-wire glasses.
"I prefer to be defined as a rich snob Thomas, you know that." He smiled momentarily at Tom, who grimaced at being called his full name, then turned to Ginny. "I don't believe your insolent host mentioned your name." Ginny smiled at bit at him.
"Ginny Weasley, it's nice to meet you Bernard," Ginny took Bernard's pale hand and he smiled for a moment at her before returning to his breakfast.
"This here is Liz Hellion, one of our adopted refugees. In case TS hasn't gotten around to telling you, the demonic world is in the middle of a massive war that's beginning to spill into the mortal plain. Since the Riddle line has strong demonic ties several allied fractions have taken to using the Manor as a base and temporary hospital. It has also become home to rouges like myself, orphans from our wars and the Wizarding world's, and to refugees like Liz." The tan girl beside Bernard nodded into her cereal.
"Most of us don't have much memory of ourselves, and just pick names and are adopted by the Manor's current residents. That's what happened to me about five years ago, when I was 16, and I've since decided to stick around and help out here. When my clan doesn't need me of course, when they do I'm out fighting with them." Liz smiled at Ginny and they shook hands briefly. Liz's black-brown hair and electric green eyes matched eerily with her wings, Ginny noted silently.
"Hmm, by the way Ginny, you can also call me TS if you like. It's my nickname; Thomas Salazar is a bit long." Tom piped up from beside Ginny. Ginny nodded at him and noticed that he was already halfway through some pancakes.
"You suck as a host Tom. Ginny, just think of what you'd like to eat and drink and it'll appear," Liz supplied as Ginny opened her mouth to ask Tom the question Liz had just answered for him. Tom shrugged and continued to eat.
"You take over then Lizzy." Liz glared at Tom and finished her cereal.
"I would, but you're father wants you to do it on your own, like a big boy." They glared at each other again, but Liz broke into a grin. Tom rolled his eyes and returned to his food. Ginny thought quickly about scrambled eyes and orange juice and smiled when they appeared in front of her. Liz waved goodbye to Bernard and Ginny, flipped Tom off with a smile, and walked out of the wall, wings flapping idly. Ginny smiled after her, she seemed really nice.
"God I hate that bitch," Tom muttered into his fork. Bernard chuckled a bit and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Looks like you've got quite a few people worried about you Ginny, you made the first page." Ginny looked up from her eggs and took the paper from Bernard's outstretched hand. She skimmed the article, which seemed to focus on the fact that Hogwarts security had been breached. She smiled at the picture of her they had in the article. It was a picture from last year, on the train back that Ron had taken. She was sitting with Harry and Hermione and grinning with them about their OWL scores. It was actually quite a nice picture.
"You guys should stop dancing around it Tom, everyone knows you like her." Ginny came back to reality and tuned into Bernard and Tom's conversation. Next to her Tom was red and glaring daggers at Bernard.
"Come off it man, I do not like Lizzy! We've hated each other since she came here, plus she's twenty-one for God's sake. My father would flip." Tom stared stonily at his empty plate and growled under his breath. "She's isn't single anyway so lay off." Bernard smiled a bit and chuckled again.
"Fine, fine. I've had my fun for the time being. I'll torment you more later Tom. See you around Ginny, and welcome." With a nod to Ginny and a chuckle in Tom's direction Bernard rose from the table and left the hall silently.
"You done Ginny?" Tom asked quietly, his face returning to a normal color.
"Yah, I'm done. Do I get the grand tour now?" She asked, slipping some friendly sarcasm into her voice. Tom nodded and lead her out of the hall and down two flights of stairs, below ground. "Hey Tom, how old are you anyway?" She asked as Tom stopped to unlock a medieval-looking wooden door.
"Sixteen, same as you right?" Ginny nodded. "I'll show you the main dungeon real quick and then I'll take you up to the rest of the Manor. You'll spend most of your time in the upper floors but if you get any training from us you should know the main dungeon. Most of the dungeons are black-walled, but the main dungeon is gray." Tom walked Ginny through the main dungeons, which was very plain and simple. Scarred-up gray walls extended around the rectangular room which had weapons and armor cluttered in every corner and along the walls. Tom ran through a list of weapons that were held in the room, but most of them Ginny hadn't even heard of.
After that Tom took Ginny up to the ground floor of the Manor and showed her the reception hall and ballroom that took up most of the main floor. In almost every direction Ginny could see black-walled corridors leading off from the main hallways. She stayed close to Tom and was introduced to several other humans and demons along the way. Everyone she met greeted her politely, if not outright cheerfully. On the second floor of the Manor Tom skipped the meal hall, since Ginny had seen that already, and showed her several small kitchens that were connected with trick walls. The kitchens surrounded the meal hall and there was little else on the second floor.
"The third floor is the guest quarters mostly. Not much else to see but gray-walled hallways leading to bedrooms and bathrooms on this floor. Some quite interesting things in the black on three, but I'm afraid they aren't for your eyes Ginny." Tom winked at her and grinned when a low rumbling growl carried up one of the black-walled hallways near them. Ginny shivered lightly at the sound and quickly followed Tom up to the forth floor. "Now you won't like the forth floor much because only the main hallway is gray. This is known as the Demons' Chain because all black halls eventually lead here, by trick walls and such. Demons' Chain is the base of demonic activity in the Manor, barring the Seventh Dungeon, which is the Chain's underground companion." Tom spoke hurriedly and quietly lead Ginny up to the fifth floor.
"The fifth and sixth floors are where you'll probably spend most of your time Ginny. The fifth has both our rooms, as well as Bernard's, Lizzy's, and many others that you'll meet around here. You met Devon Malfoy correct?" Ginny nodded and followed Tom as he headed up another flight of stairs. "Dev's room is on the fifth as well, not far from ours either. Now the sixth floor is the best. Devon has changed it a lot, little bugger, but there's no better place to hang out and get a good laugh." Ginny gasped quietly as Tom lead her through a set of double doors into what looked like a muggle skate park, muggle rock concert complex, complete with mosh pit of course, a huge swimming pool, a fighting field, and giant trampoline all mixed together. Each area seemed to flow into the next and the fighters, skaters, bikers, skateboarders, swimmers, and moshers alike all seemed to be moving to the same beat. Ginny couldn't quite find the beat in the rapid punk-rock music, but everyone else seemed to be able to. Tom was even nodding his head to it as he lead her over to the pit.
"Oy, Devon! Get you're disowned arse out here!" Tom roared into the crowd. Seconds later Devon appeared in front of them, scowling at Tom. He noticed Ginny and his face split into a (very non-Malfoy) grin.
"Ginny! Great to see you again, are you liking the Manor?" He jumped forward and hugged Ginny as if they'd know one another their whole lives.
"Actually yes Devon, I am. You were right," she said turning to Tom as well, "the Manor is much more relaxed and well, normal, then I thought it would be." Devon and Tom grinned and Ginny saw Liz over in the pit whipping her tail as fast at her head to the fast beat of the music. She also stopped Bernard over on the fighters' field, parrying with a broad sword like it was a child's toy and taking on five opponents with ease. She let Devon drag her into the pit and relaxed into the music. Tom took off with a grin to find and annoy Liz, and Ginny found herself in tune with the music in minutes. She had definitely stumbled across an amazing place here, but in the back of her mind she was still wondering how the hell she was going to escape. For now she pushed those thoughts aside though and listened to Devon rant about how he'd changed the boring old sixth floor into the 'enjoyable muggle-tainted monstrosity' it was now.
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End Note: Chapter two complete. As my past readers may have noticed, I changed this around *a lot*. I hope everyone liked it though, and please reviews guys (and girls!).
Fight on,
--Leather-Winged Angel