Compulsion - chapter 4
By Caliko
There he stood, in front of me, illuminated only by the faint blue light from his wand. I could tell that he was angry, despite the mocking glint that shone from his grey eyes. His tightened mouth gave him away.
"Hello, Virginia." He drawled, his lips twisting into a false smile. "I hope that all is well with you?" Deliberately, he lowered his gaze to my belly, making sure that I knew that he was referring to his child.
"The baby is fine." I said, then, "How did I get here, Draco?"
"I took you, of course. You couldn't think that I would allow my child to be born into near poverty?"
He was so smug! Damn him! "Take me back."
Draco just arched his brow and backed up a few steps. The light in his wand flickered out, then he pointed it to the right. "Incendio."
The fireplace burst into flame, illuminating the dark paneling and thick rug that graced the room. An aura of what could only be described as 'age' clung to the walls, making one feel insignificant in the face of such antiquity. Behind me, a large bed held court in the center of the room, swathed in the finest linen and silks. I looked twice at the bed, realizing that it was the very one we had shared in Hogwarts.
"How?" I asked, gesturing to it, "And why?"
"A gift, from Dumbledore." he said, carelessly waving his hand. "And because I asked him for it, in my naïve belief that it was something you would appreciate, if only for the fond memories."
If my eyes softened, he didn't notice. Instead, he walked over to the fireplace and sat down in one of the two armchairs that rested there. "Ginny…. We need to talk."
"I don't want.." I start, childishly belligerent, I know, but he had toppled all of my careful plans as if they were a castle made of cards.
I stopped speaking abruptly when I saw the rage in his eyes.
"It's not about what you want, anymore. Remember this - if something should happen to my child because you are careless, then you will look fondly over the days that you feared my father."
I could feel a cold chill move down my spine. This was not the Draco I knew in school. He was almost like the prat that tortured Ron and Harry, but more so. Colder in nature than I remembered. He had none of the childish belief that everything was going to go his way, simply because he was Draco Malfoy. It made him harder, more cynical. For the first time, ever… I feared him.
"I'm not an idiot." I said, avoiding the ice in his gaze. "I was always careful when I went out!"
"Oh? Then how did I find you? How did I get into your rooms? My father could have found you, and I wouldn't have known until your body had been found in a ditch!" The wand snapped in his hand, and he threw it savagely into the fire.
"Then you finally admit that he's dangerous? Well, at least your eyes are open. But, as long as I stayed away, I would have been safe."
"Don't be a twit, Virginia. You would have existed. That's reason enough for him." His chin sank to his chest, as if he was frustrated by a child. "But, then, you furthered his rage by daring to become pregnant, and then leaving before he could decide what to do with you." He brought his head up, meeting my gaze. "If there is one thing my father detests more than your family, it's a woman who won't defer to the wisdom of a man."
"Too bad for him. Isn't he lucky he didn't get stuck with me?" I smirked, then sat down in the other chair.
"Be serious, Ginny. He actually told me that he plans to find you, then slit your 'skinny freckled throat'. He doesn't exaggerate, - He means to do it."
"I know, and that's why I should have remained hidden!"
"Wrong. That's why your going to marry me, and take your place as my wife. He wouldn't dare do anything with everyone's eye on you! It would bring up too many questions that he would just as soon stay buried! No, if you were my wife, he would sit back and bide his time, wait for Voldemort to come to power, and then kill both of us for going against his wishes." He was smiling widely, as if he had thought of something so fantastic, that I should be jumping up and down in sheer joy.
:::Is he crazy?::: I blinked, then opened my mouth. "Is that supposed to reassure me?"
"Actually, it makes me feel a whole lot better. It gives us time to plot our escape. Besides, I seriously doubt that Lord Voldemort will come to power, anyway."
"One problem, Draco." I remind him, "I don't plan on marrying you."
"Of course you will, Virginia. It's only a matter of time until you agree."
"You are impossible!"
"No. I'm only in charge." He smirked, standing up. "I'll see you later, Ginny. I have an appointment with the minister this afternoon."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I won't do it!"
"No? Then, you will just have to stay here, in this room, until you do. I can't risk my father finding you, after all."
"I hate you." I said it with such venom, I surprised even myself. Draco, however, only smirked wider.
"Maybe so." He replied, "But, you're still stuck with me."
He moved to the door, and walked out, closing it behind him. I heard him turn the key in the lock, and cursed. Without my wand, I couldn't even alohomora it open.
:::I hate this!::: I fumed, feeling helpless. :::There has to be another way out!:::
I don't know why I thought this, only that it made me feel better. It gave me something to do, other than sit back and wait for him to come for me. So, with my mind made, I began rapping on the walls and floor, hoping to find anything that sounded hollow.
Of course.. That's when I found out that the paneling covered up thick stone walls. The rat bastard had me in a bloody castle!
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He came back later that night, carrying a tray full of food to tempt the finickiest of appetites. I almost turned my back on the lot, but changed my mind when my palm fell to my burgeoning belly. Unfortunately for my pride, I kept forgetting that I had another reason to stay healthy.
"Have you thought it over yet, Virginia?"
"Why do you have to be such an insufferable asshole?" I growl, reaching for the plate of scampi.
"It's a talent of mine."
My eyes shot to his, unsure that he was actually cracking a joke. Sure enough, he was smiling when he said it.
"Why are you laughing? What are you up to?"
"Do I need a reason? Can't I be happy without making you suspicious?" He pushed his shoes off of his feet, then sat on the bed next to me with his own plate of food.
"I have a reason to be suspicious. You've kidnapped me." I remind him, inching away from the heat of his leg.
"If you must know, for the first time since you ran away, I've had the chance to relax. Alright? I'm not run ragged and in a snit for following a false lead."
"Did I give you a hard time?" I infused my words with saccharin sweetness. "Good."
That's when he started laughing. Despite myself, I giggled a bit, as well. There was something about him that will always catch me off guard.
"I've told you father where you are."
I swallowed wrong, nearly lodging a piece of shrimp in my throat. "Excuse me, I didn't catch that."
His lips twisted into a weird smile. "I told your father that I had you. He agreed that it might be better if I didn't tell Father that you are here. It seems that your father has opened his eyes a bit more to my father's evil. No longer just an irritating git, my father now rivals Satan in his eyes.
Are you done with that?" Draco motioned to my now empty plate.
"Er.. Yes." I was a bit bewildered by my father agreeing to Draco kidnapping me. "You actually told him that you kidnapped me?" I asked, as he took the plate and walked over to the door.
"Do I look insane to you?" He left the plates outside the room, then closed and locked the door again.
:::Ok, that answered that question.::: "Yes." I said, just to piss him off. Instead, that twisted smile came back to his lips as he placed the key high on the doorframe, where I couldn't reach it easily. :::Damn, why am I so short?:::
"Well, I'm not." Draco reached into his pocket as he sauntered back over to the bed. "Care to play a bit of cards, before we go to bed?"
"Bed? You don't mean to tell me that you're sleeping with me, are you?"
"Gin, this castle is over six hundred years old, and I just moved in last month. This is the only bedroom livable - the rest are still being emptied so I can get a work crew into them."
"Alright, I can believe that. Which leaves me with two more questions. One - where are we? And two - Why can't you sleep on the floor?"
He ignored both, blast it. Instead, he took out the cards and began to shuffle rather clumsily. "How about a game of poker? My butler taught me last week."
:::What is he up to?::: "No thanks."
"C'mon, Gin. What harm can it do? Just one little game. I want to get better before the next game - If I win, I don't have to give him a paid vacation."
"Oh, poor Draco… so tightfisted he can't afford to pay his butler unless he actually works."
"Yeah.. I'm amused." He drawled. "Listen. I'll make you a deal. If I win, I get to sleep in the bed. If I lose, I'll grab a quilt and sleep in the chair."
:::This could be too good to pass up. Still - :::
"If I win, you sleep in the chair, and you let me have my freedom."
"I'll let you out of the room, but you have to hide if Father is visiting."
"Deal."
Two Hours Later:
:::Rat Bastard is a card shark.::: I no longer believed that he had any intention of losing, nor giving his butler a paid vacation. :::If he even has a butler.:::
Draco snorted in his sleep, and I elbowed him in the side. The next thing I knew, he had his arm thrown over my waist, and was rubbing my belly with his palm.
Slowly, I lifted his hand off of my body, and inched closer to the edge of the bed. He immediately closed the distance. It was almost as if, even subconsciously, he was afraid that I would disappear.
:::Great. How does one escape a kidnapper who knows you too well?:::
I growled, then shivered as he kissed the back of my neck. "Stop that!" I hissed.
He only murmured, then did it again.
Viciously, I once again elbow him, only to have it blocked.
"If you don't go to sleep," Draco murmured, "I'm going to assume that you want to play."
I rolled over, wondering if he had been awake the entire time. Mutinously, I met his gray orbs, and waited for him to move over to his side of the bed.
Instead, he kissed me.
:::God help me, I forgot how it felt!:::
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TBC