Finding Beauty
Chapter 3: Another Curse
~*~*~*~*~
Ginny was unnaturally aware of the restless silence and clatter of silverware against plates as she and Malfoy sat in haughty silence at dinner.
Finally unable to contain her curiosity, Ginny asked, "Is my father going to be okay now?"
Malfoy took his time chewing the piece of steak he had just put into his mouth as Ginny waited impatiently for him to answer. After wiping his mouth carefully with the napkin he had placed properly in his lap he looked up.
"Yes."
And smirking he stuck another piece of steak in his mouth. Ginny was disgusted with him. Disgusted with his proper manners, disgusted with his lack in conversation, and disgusted with him for just being Malfoy. She picked at the food on her plate as she felt the anger within her rising rapidly.
She quickly made up her mind that she was not going to eat the food Malfoy had set in front of her. With fresh determination she loudly set down her silver fork and leaned back casually in her chair. Then she took to staring at him with an angry passion.
Malfoy seemed to refuse to meet her eyes and give her the satisfaction of winning a silent battle.
"It was the curse." He said, speaking at last, although still looking at his own plate in a defiant sort of way.
"Excuse me?"
"The curse." He repeated, somewhat irritably. "Your father must have gotten sick. That's what happened isn't it?" At this he looked up and met her eyes.
She stared at him with hatred. The flickering light of the candles cast strange shadows on his already fair complexion, making him look older than he really was.
"Yes." She said angrily. "The rose started wilting and my father became ill."
Ginny pulled out the rose from her pocket and saw with surprise that it was just as healthy looking as it had been when her dad had given it to her. It was no longer wilting.
"Ah." Malfoy began in an annoying know-it-all sort of way, "The rose is what keeps your father healthy. If the rose is in good condition, then he will be also."
Ginny glared. "So now explain to me why exactly you put this forsaken curse on my dad?"
And to her utter disbelief, Malfoy smiled. Like he was enjoying the memory of the rotten thing he had done!
"You'll have to ask me that question later." And he preceded eating once again.
"Later!" Ginny exclaimed furiously. "Listen to me Malfoy! There is no later! Understand? You are going to tell me the counter curse and I'll be going home to my family, never to think of you again, except when I turn you into the Ministry!"
And as if he were just longing to make Ginny even more furious, Malfoy laughed.
"Do call me Draco. I won't be referring to you as 'Weasley'. There's no need for that here."
Ginny's mouth hung open. She tried to form the hateful words she wanted to say, but nothing but unintelligible mutters came forth.
Draco continued, "And the counter-curse is so complex that you nor any of your little Ministry friends would be able to achieve it."
Ginny found the words she had been searching for. "Damn you Malfoy! You lie! Those 'little Ministry friends' as you call them, are searching right now for this place, and when they've found it you'll be thrown into Azkaban!"
Malfoy laughed again and Ginny felt her face flush in anger.
"They can't." He said simply and confidently. "I've learned a few tricks of my own Ginny, and they've all been successful. Including the one I placed on my manor here. It'll never be found unless I want them to find it, and it seems, my dear Ginny, that you have walked effectively into my brilliant trap."
And with that he stood up, throwing his napkin down and pulling an elaborate cord that hung next to the wall.
Ginny felt herself shrink into her chair. If what Malfoy said was true, she was indeed in an ill-fated situation. Her eyes threatened to release angry and sorrowful tears, but she was not about to let Malfoy see her cry. Nothing would give him more pleasure than that.
A few seconds later Elf scrambled into the room and stood waiting, like a begging dog at Malfoy's feet. Ginny realized that the cord he had pulled must have summed the elf.
"I am through with dinner, and as it seems that Miss Weasley won't be eating anymore of her food either, would you please escort her to her room?"
"My room!" Ginny shrieked, the reality of the situation crashing down on her. "That won't be necessary Elf." She replied promptly, jumping out of her chair and moving towards the door. "You can escort me out the front door. My stay here is finished."
Elf looked from her back to Draco with large, confused eyes but made no move.
"Obviously Elf," Draco began, not looking at Elf but rather at Ginny, "Our guest here doesn't realize that she's a permanent visitor. And I might take this time to inform her of something else."
Malfoy walked over to where Ginny had been sitting and picked up the rose she had left there in her haste. "If you try to leave," he said, now speaking directly to her, "The rose will wilt and die. You know what that means don't you?"
Ginny's eyes grew wide and she felt extremely weak.
"That's right." He continued, nodding his head. "Your dear old dad will die too."
He walked slowly towards her, as Ginny stood stricken. When he came but only a few inches away, he reached for her hand and placed the flower gently in her palm.
"I need to go home . . ." Ginny muttered, staring at him but not really seeing anything. She heard everything as if from a distance, and her vision was becoming hazy.
"No," Malfoy said, dropping her hand. "I'm sure you will like it here just fine."
"But why?" Ginny asked. She heard the pleading tone in her voice. "Why me?"
"It's difficult to explain." Malfoy replied, using fake pity. "And personal too. I like keeping personal things to myself."
"No . . ." She said, her voice becoming weak and uncertain.
The room around her seemed to swirl. Color and light became one until everything turned a brilliant white.
She fainted.
~*~*~*~*~
Everything was wrong.
The sheets were too soft. The room was too bright. And these weren't her clothes.
As Ginny awoke, with many troubling thoughts trying to sort themselves out in her head, a small house-elf walked into the strange room.
"Where am I?" Ginny asked the elf.
"Good morning Miss." It answered. "In Master Draco's house Miss."
"Oh . . ." Ginny replied, placing a hand to her forehead and squinting at the sun as the elf pulled the long, deep green drapes all the way open.
"You fainted last night Miss." The elf said.
Everything came back to Ginny then. She remembered her father, the curse, and worst of all, Draco. This house-elf wasn't the same as the one she had met last night. This elf was smaller and she wore a piece of pink polka- dotted fabric around her waist. It was worn and dirty.
"How did I get in here?" Ginny inquired.
"Oh," The elf exclaimed. "Master Draco brought you up here, because Elf and Cally can not carry humans."
"He carried me!?"
"Yes, of course."
Ginny leaned back against the plump pillows and sighed in frustration. "Why didn't he just use magic to get me up here?"
The elf looked surprised at Ginny's question. "We do not use such insignificant magic anymore miss."
Ginny was confused. She could tell that this elf was smarter than most. "What's your name?" She asked. "And what do you mean, 'insignificant magic'?"
"I am called Cally, miss. And we do not use magic around the house anymore. We can not."
"Why not?"
"Because of the curse."
Ginny leaned forward to look closer at Cally, but suddenly the elf hung her head shamefully, shaking it slowly.
"Curse?" Ginny asked, trying to gently prod her into an explanation.
"Cally has said too much already miss. Master said not to speak of it. Cally should go iron her hands for that!"
Throwing the soft covers back, Ginny swung out of bed and stooped down in front of Cally.
"I'm sorry." She said, trying to make Cally feel better. "I won't tell Malfoy. There's no need to punish yourself. Now, where are my clothes?" She had a mind to put them on and leave this place full of nightmares at once.
Ginny stood up and looked around the room at last. It was much larger than any room in her house and obviously more elegant. A large oak dresser stood at one end of the room, a matching wardrobe next to it. The bed had a canopy, and curtains, that matched the drapes, were pulled back around it. There was a plush oriental rug adorning the floor, and a painting of a majestic horse hung over the extravagant fireplace.
Cally walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Inside hung some of the most beautiful dresses and robes Ginny had ever seen. Gaping, she pointed to the dresses and said calmly, "Those aren't my clothes."
"This is what Master Draco instructed for you to wear."
"No. My clothes will be fine. I am leaving today anyway."
"Oh no." Cally said, shaking her head, her eyes widening. "Master does not think so. You are to stay with Master, miss. Remember the rose?"
Ginny remembered. How could she not?
"That's all rubbish." She said determinedly. "My father will be fine." It almost sounded as though she were trying to convince herself.
"It's not rubbish, miss." Cally said quietly and sadly. "No, not rubbish."
Ginny stood in silence for a moment. Never had she felt so alone, abandoned, and afraid. Nothing was as it should be. She was stuck with her worst enemy in his own home. Her parents probably wouldn't be able to save her, and unless the ministry came to her rescue, she was a lost cause.
Cally pulled out a long royal blue dress and laid it out on the bed, indicating that Ginny should put it on. Ginny admired it from where she was standing, but the sadness and anger within her would not allow her to touch it, much less wear it. The dress was, after all, a possession of Malfoy's.
"Please miss."
"Call me Ginny." She snapped, surprising the elf with her harshness. "I'm sorry." Ginny immediately apologized. "I do not wish to be here."
Cally gently took her hand. "Cally understands Miss Ginny. No one in this house wants to be here. Including the master."
Ginny looked at the elf with surprise. Why would Draco dislike living in his own home? What curse had she spoken of? She was about to ask when Cally moved away, and opened the door to the room.
"This is your room. Everything in it is yours." She instructed. "Master says to come to breakfast at eight o' clock. You can call Cally if you need anything." She pointed to a rope that hung from the ceiling on the opposite wall, one very similar to what Malfoy pulled to summon Elf last night.
Then Cally was gone. And Ginny was left alone. With her thoughts that held nothing but pain.
~*~*~*~*~
He sat proudly at the breakfast table, following her with his eyes as she went and sat herself quietly. Breakfast was served in an entirely different room than where they had previously dined the night before.
The long blue gown brushed the floor as she walked, and the layers bustled gently together as she sat. Ginny felt exposed and uncomfortable. The front of the dress was much more low-cut than she was used to wearing, and her quickly developing chest felt constricted against the dress itself. The sleeves were short, and the material was smooth and silky, much finer than anything she was used to wearing, and much more formal. Yet the house- elf had left her no choice. Ginny had searched the room in vain for her own clothes.
There was once again no conversation at the start of breakfast. Elf brought out platters of every kind of breakfast food imaginable. Ginny only picked at her eggs and toast, slowly drawing the fork along the plate as she felt Malfoy's eyes on her.
An escaping strand of hair fell into her eyes and Ginny lifted her head to swoop it back into place. Her eyes met Malfoy's as she did so, and he took that chance to launch the conversation.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked, a surprising amount of true concern in his voice. But still Ginny could not believe that he had the nerve to ask her something so implausible. She would have liked nothing more than to throw her food in his face and tell him she had never met a bigger prat in her entire life. What game was he playing at? What was all this about? He owed her many explanations that he took no grace in giving. Yet she controlled her boiling emotions and nodded as politely as she could manage.
He looked at her sort of funny, as though he had been expecting her to blow up. Ginny supposed he knew her anger; she had always been a readable person.
"Not hungry?"
"No." Ginny sat down her fork and placed her small hands into her lap.
"Me either."
Malfoy stood thereafter and walked to where Ginny was seated, politely offering his hand to her.
Instead of taking it, Ginny ungracefully pushed back her chair and stood on her own.
"Very well." Malfoy acknowledged her un-accepting manner with a scowl. "I suppose there's no point in offering my arm to you then either?"
Ginny gave him no answer, not even a curt nod.
His scowl grew and he turned towards the door.
Ginny realized she had nowhere to go. This mansion was unfamiliar to her, and without an elf to help her find the way, she was lost. From the direction the sun was pouring into the large windows, Ginny made an educated guess that they were in the east wing. Still, she had to ask Malfoy about leaving again. Did he really expect her to stay here today too?
"Wait!" Ginny called as Malfoy began exiting. He turned with a long swish of his black robes and gave her a cold stare. Stepping forward hesitantly she questioned him, "Aren't you going to tell me when I can leave?"
His stare hardened and Ginny noticed his brow wrinkling in anger. "There in no 'leaving' involved in your stay here." His tone was just as rigid as his expression.
Ginny picked up her ridiculous skirts and hastened forward, following him as he turned his back on her once again.
"What is this Malfoy?" Ginny nearly screamed. "Is this just some sick, cruel joke!?"
He rounded on her faster than she had expected. In surprise she fell against the wall, shrinking away from his hateful expression. He leaned one hand against the wall, enclosing her in his wrath.
"This is no game." He said through clenched teeth. "This is very, very real." He was breathing hard and the fury in him was rising rapidly.
Ginny reached into her dress and pulled out her wand, which she had hidden there that morning.
"Stay away from me." She said, trying to keep her voice steady. The wand, she had pointed at his chest.
Malfoy gave her weapon a mere glance before letting forth a bitter laugh.
"That'll do you no good." He stated, an embittered emotion lurking behind his tone and expression.
"Mind games don't work on me, Malfoy." Ginny said, refusing to pocket her wand.
"Well this mind game really wouldn't work since I am not lying." He glanced at the wand again. "Go ahead, try something."
Ginny surveyed him somewhat cautiously.
"But do it at your own risk." This statement caught Ginny's attention. Malfoy certainly was a good liar. Why wouldn't her magic do her any good? She raised it determinedly, shouting a simple curse with a vengeance.
Immediately Ginny doubled over in pain. She felt as though someone had just knocked the air out of her. The pain was so immense she couldn't even breathe. She sensed Malfoy reaching over to help her up, and she coughed hard, trying to regain her breath.
Finally she was able to stand and the pain eased up a bit. The spell had not seemed to affect Malfoy at all.
"Using magic in this place has little or no effect. Instead you are overcome with severe pain. It takes someone very strong to be able to accomplish a spell and endure the pain at the same time."
Malfoy had said this as though she were learning about the Goblin Rebellions in Professor Binn's class.
"But why?" Ginny gasped.
"Don't worry yourself with it. I told you to be careful, you shouldn't have tried it. You need to learn to trust me."
Ginny wasn't satisfied.
"Is it because of the curse Cally was telling me about?"
Malfoy immediately became rigid, staring at Ginny intensely, the anger rising again. "Cally told you of a curse?!" He asked, his voice rising.
"Yes."
"There is no curse!" He shouted. "Disregard what that piece of dirt said! She will be punished!"
"No!" Ginny shouted back. "Don't hurt her! Please, she.she was just talking."
If anything Malfoy's irritation became worse. "You need to stop asking so many questions!" He yelled, his breath hot on her face.
"Okay." Ginny squeaked, trying and failing to hide her fear.
And just as suddenly as the anger had come, it was gone. Malfoy relaxed his face and body, and offered her his arm with some hesitation.
Ginny was too afraid not to take it, so she did. Although her own arm hung loosely in his firm one.
"I figured I would show you around the grounds today."
That was it. No explanations. They were back where they had begun. Ginny would be forced to spend another entire day at this place, with nothing to go on. Malfoy got angry when she demanded explanations, and the house servants offered no help.
How was she going to get home?
~*~*~*~*~
Thanks to all these great reviewers! :
Lady-Thetis, Ginia Malfoy, shock-a-lot, Serepidia, SamiJo, android eleven, Analy, Chocolate Muse, gohansfan.
Chapter 3: Another Curse
~*~*~*~*~
Ginny was unnaturally aware of the restless silence and clatter of silverware against plates as she and Malfoy sat in haughty silence at dinner.
Finally unable to contain her curiosity, Ginny asked, "Is my father going to be okay now?"
Malfoy took his time chewing the piece of steak he had just put into his mouth as Ginny waited impatiently for him to answer. After wiping his mouth carefully with the napkin he had placed properly in his lap he looked up.
"Yes."
And smirking he stuck another piece of steak in his mouth. Ginny was disgusted with him. Disgusted with his proper manners, disgusted with his lack in conversation, and disgusted with him for just being Malfoy. She picked at the food on her plate as she felt the anger within her rising rapidly.
She quickly made up her mind that she was not going to eat the food Malfoy had set in front of her. With fresh determination she loudly set down her silver fork and leaned back casually in her chair. Then she took to staring at him with an angry passion.
Malfoy seemed to refuse to meet her eyes and give her the satisfaction of winning a silent battle.
"It was the curse." He said, speaking at last, although still looking at his own plate in a defiant sort of way.
"Excuse me?"
"The curse." He repeated, somewhat irritably. "Your father must have gotten sick. That's what happened isn't it?" At this he looked up and met her eyes.
She stared at him with hatred. The flickering light of the candles cast strange shadows on his already fair complexion, making him look older than he really was.
"Yes." She said angrily. "The rose started wilting and my father became ill."
Ginny pulled out the rose from her pocket and saw with surprise that it was just as healthy looking as it had been when her dad had given it to her. It was no longer wilting.
"Ah." Malfoy began in an annoying know-it-all sort of way, "The rose is what keeps your father healthy. If the rose is in good condition, then he will be also."
Ginny glared. "So now explain to me why exactly you put this forsaken curse on my dad?"
And to her utter disbelief, Malfoy smiled. Like he was enjoying the memory of the rotten thing he had done!
"You'll have to ask me that question later." And he preceded eating once again.
"Later!" Ginny exclaimed furiously. "Listen to me Malfoy! There is no later! Understand? You are going to tell me the counter curse and I'll be going home to my family, never to think of you again, except when I turn you into the Ministry!"
And as if he were just longing to make Ginny even more furious, Malfoy laughed.
"Do call me Draco. I won't be referring to you as 'Weasley'. There's no need for that here."
Ginny's mouth hung open. She tried to form the hateful words she wanted to say, but nothing but unintelligible mutters came forth.
Draco continued, "And the counter-curse is so complex that you nor any of your little Ministry friends would be able to achieve it."
Ginny found the words she had been searching for. "Damn you Malfoy! You lie! Those 'little Ministry friends' as you call them, are searching right now for this place, and when they've found it you'll be thrown into Azkaban!"
Malfoy laughed again and Ginny felt her face flush in anger.
"They can't." He said simply and confidently. "I've learned a few tricks of my own Ginny, and they've all been successful. Including the one I placed on my manor here. It'll never be found unless I want them to find it, and it seems, my dear Ginny, that you have walked effectively into my brilliant trap."
And with that he stood up, throwing his napkin down and pulling an elaborate cord that hung next to the wall.
Ginny felt herself shrink into her chair. If what Malfoy said was true, she was indeed in an ill-fated situation. Her eyes threatened to release angry and sorrowful tears, but she was not about to let Malfoy see her cry. Nothing would give him more pleasure than that.
A few seconds later Elf scrambled into the room and stood waiting, like a begging dog at Malfoy's feet. Ginny realized that the cord he had pulled must have summed the elf.
"I am through with dinner, and as it seems that Miss Weasley won't be eating anymore of her food either, would you please escort her to her room?"
"My room!" Ginny shrieked, the reality of the situation crashing down on her. "That won't be necessary Elf." She replied promptly, jumping out of her chair and moving towards the door. "You can escort me out the front door. My stay here is finished."
Elf looked from her back to Draco with large, confused eyes but made no move.
"Obviously Elf," Draco began, not looking at Elf but rather at Ginny, "Our guest here doesn't realize that she's a permanent visitor. And I might take this time to inform her of something else."
Malfoy walked over to where Ginny had been sitting and picked up the rose she had left there in her haste. "If you try to leave," he said, now speaking directly to her, "The rose will wilt and die. You know what that means don't you?"
Ginny's eyes grew wide and she felt extremely weak.
"That's right." He continued, nodding his head. "Your dear old dad will die too."
He walked slowly towards her, as Ginny stood stricken. When he came but only a few inches away, he reached for her hand and placed the flower gently in her palm.
"I need to go home . . ." Ginny muttered, staring at him but not really seeing anything. She heard everything as if from a distance, and her vision was becoming hazy.
"No," Malfoy said, dropping her hand. "I'm sure you will like it here just fine."
"But why?" Ginny asked. She heard the pleading tone in her voice. "Why me?"
"It's difficult to explain." Malfoy replied, using fake pity. "And personal too. I like keeping personal things to myself."
"No . . ." She said, her voice becoming weak and uncertain.
The room around her seemed to swirl. Color and light became one until everything turned a brilliant white.
She fainted.
~*~*~*~*~
Everything was wrong.
The sheets were too soft. The room was too bright. And these weren't her clothes.
As Ginny awoke, with many troubling thoughts trying to sort themselves out in her head, a small house-elf walked into the strange room.
"Where am I?" Ginny asked the elf.
"Good morning Miss." It answered. "In Master Draco's house Miss."
"Oh . . ." Ginny replied, placing a hand to her forehead and squinting at the sun as the elf pulled the long, deep green drapes all the way open.
"You fainted last night Miss." The elf said.
Everything came back to Ginny then. She remembered her father, the curse, and worst of all, Draco. This house-elf wasn't the same as the one she had met last night. This elf was smaller and she wore a piece of pink polka- dotted fabric around her waist. It was worn and dirty.
"How did I get in here?" Ginny inquired.
"Oh," The elf exclaimed. "Master Draco brought you up here, because Elf and Cally can not carry humans."
"He carried me!?"
"Yes, of course."
Ginny leaned back against the plump pillows and sighed in frustration. "Why didn't he just use magic to get me up here?"
The elf looked surprised at Ginny's question. "We do not use such insignificant magic anymore miss."
Ginny was confused. She could tell that this elf was smarter than most. "What's your name?" She asked. "And what do you mean, 'insignificant magic'?"
"I am called Cally, miss. And we do not use magic around the house anymore. We can not."
"Why not?"
"Because of the curse."
Ginny leaned forward to look closer at Cally, but suddenly the elf hung her head shamefully, shaking it slowly.
"Curse?" Ginny asked, trying to gently prod her into an explanation.
"Cally has said too much already miss. Master said not to speak of it. Cally should go iron her hands for that!"
Throwing the soft covers back, Ginny swung out of bed and stooped down in front of Cally.
"I'm sorry." She said, trying to make Cally feel better. "I won't tell Malfoy. There's no need to punish yourself. Now, where are my clothes?" She had a mind to put them on and leave this place full of nightmares at once.
Ginny stood up and looked around the room at last. It was much larger than any room in her house and obviously more elegant. A large oak dresser stood at one end of the room, a matching wardrobe next to it. The bed had a canopy, and curtains, that matched the drapes, were pulled back around it. There was a plush oriental rug adorning the floor, and a painting of a majestic horse hung over the extravagant fireplace.
Cally walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Inside hung some of the most beautiful dresses and robes Ginny had ever seen. Gaping, she pointed to the dresses and said calmly, "Those aren't my clothes."
"This is what Master Draco instructed for you to wear."
"No. My clothes will be fine. I am leaving today anyway."
"Oh no." Cally said, shaking her head, her eyes widening. "Master does not think so. You are to stay with Master, miss. Remember the rose?"
Ginny remembered. How could she not?
"That's all rubbish." She said determinedly. "My father will be fine." It almost sounded as though she were trying to convince herself.
"It's not rubbish, miss." Cally said quietly and sadly. "No, not rubbish."
Ginny stood in silence for a moment. Never had she felt so alone, abandoned, and afraid. Nothing was as it should be. She was stuck with her worst enemy in his own home. Her parents probably wouldn't be able to save her, and unless the ministry came to her rescue, she was a lost cause.
Cally pulled out a long royal blue dress and laid it out on the bed, indicating that Ginny should put it on. Ginny admired it from where she was standing, but the sadness and anger within her would not allow her to touch it, much less wear it. The dress was, after all, a possession of Malfoy's.
"Please miss."
"Call me Ginny." She snapped, surprising the elf with her harshness. "I'm sorry." Ginny immediately apologized. "I do not wish to be here."
Cally gently took her hand. "Cally understands Miss Ginny. No one in this house wants to be here. Including the master."
Ginny looked at the elf with surprise. Why would Draco dislike living in his own home? What curse had she spoken of? She was about to ask when Cally moved away, and opened the door to the room.
"This is your room. Everything in it is yours." She instructed. "Master says to come to breakfast at eight o' clock. You can call Cally if you need anything." She pointed to a rope that hung from the ceiling on the opposite wall, one very similar to what Malfoy pulled to summon Elf last night.
Then Cally was gone. And Ginny was left alone. With her thoughts that held nothing but pain.
~*~*~*~*~
He sat proudly at the breakfast table, following her with his eyes as she went and sat herself quietly. Breakfast was served in an entirely different room than where they had previously dined the night before.
The long blue gown brushed the floor as she walked, and the layers bustled gently together as she sat. Ginny felt exposed and uncomfortable. The front of the dress was much more low-cut than she was used to wearing, and her quickly developing chest felt constricted against the dress itself. The sleeves were short, and the material was smooth and silky, much finer than anything she was used to wearing, and much more formal. Yet the house- elf had left her no choice. Ginny had searched the room in vain for her own clothes.
There was once again no conversation at the start of breakfast. Elf brought out platters of every kind of breakfast food imaginable. Ginny only picked at her eggs and toast, slowly drawing the fork along the plate as she felt Malfoy's eyes on her.
An escaping strand of hair fell into her eyes and Ginny lifted her head to swoop it back into place. Her eyes met Malfoy's as she did so, and he took that chance to launch the conversation.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked, a surprising amount of true concern in his voice. But still Ginny could not believe that he had the nerve to ask her something so implausible. She would have liked nothing more than to throw her food in his face and tell him she had never met a bigger prat in her entire life. What game was he playing at? What was all this about? He owed her many explanations that he took no grace in giving. Yet she controlled her boiling emotions and nodded as politely as she could manage.
He looked at her sort of funny, as though he had been expecting her to blow up. Ginny supposed he knew her anger; she had always been a readable person.
"Not hungry?"
"No." Ginny sat down her fork and placed her small hands into her lap.
"Me either."
Malfoy stood thereafter and walked to where Ginny was seated, politely offering his hand to her.
Instead of taking it, Ginny ungracefully pushed back her chair and stood on her own.
"Very well." Malfoy acknowledged her un-accepting manner with a scowl. "I suppose there's no point in offering my arm to you then either?"
Ginny gave him no answer, not even a curt nod.
His scowl grew and he turned towards the door.
Ginny realized she had nowhere to go. This mansion was unfamiliar to her, and without an elf to help her find the way, she was lost. From the direction the sun was pouring into the large windows, Ginny made an educated guess that they were in the east wing. Still, she had to ask Malfoy about leaving again. Did he really expect her to stay here today too?
"Wait!" Ginny called as Malfoy began exiting. He turned with a long swish of his black robes and gave her a cold stare. Stepping forward hesitantly she questioned him, "Aren't you going to tell me when I can leave?"
His stare hardened and Ginny noticed his brow wrinkling in anger. "There in no 'leaving' involved in your stay here." His tone was just as rigid as his expression.
Ginny picked up her ridiculous skirts and hastened forward, following him as he turned his back on her once again.
"What is this Malfoy?" Ginny nearly screamed. "Is this just some sick, cruel joke!?"
He rounded on her faster than she had expected. In surprise she fell against the wall, shrinking away from his hateful expression. He leaned one hand against the wall, enclosing her in his wrath.
"This is no game." He said through clenched teeth. "This is very, very real." He was breathing hard and the fury in him was rising rapidly.
Ginny reached into her dress and pulled out her wand, which she had hidden there that morning.
"Stay away from me." She said, trying to keep her voice steady. The wand, she had pointed at his chest.
Malfoy gave her weapon a mere glance before letting forth a bitter laugh.
"That'll do you no good." He stated, an embittered emotion lurking behind his tone and expression.
"Mind games don't work on me, Malfoy." Ginny said, refusing to pocket her wand.
"Well this mind game really wouldn't work since I am not lying." He glanced at the wand again. "Go ahead, try something."
Ginny surveyed him somewhat cautiously.
"But do it at your own risk." This statement caught Ginny's attention. Malfoy certainly was a good liar. Why wouldn't her magic do her any good? She raised it determinedly, shouting a simple curse with a vengeance.
Immediately Ginny doubled over in pain. She felt as though someone had just knocked the air out of her. The pain was so immense she couldn't even breathe. She sensed Malfoy reaching over to help her up, and she coughed hard, trying to regain her breath.
Finally she was able to stand and the pain eased up a bit. The spell had not seemed to affect Malfoy at all.
"Using magic in this place has little or no effect. Instead you are overcome with severe pain. It takes someone very strong to be able to accomplish a spell and endure the pain at the same time."
Malfoy had said this as though she were learning about the Goblin Rebellions in Professor Binn's class.
"But why?" Ginny gasped.
"Don't worry yourself with it. I told you to be careful, you shouldn't have tried it. You need to learn to trust me."
Ginny wasn't satisfied.
"Is it because of the curse Cally was telling me about?"
Malfoy immediately became rigid, staring at Ginny intensely, the anger rising again. "Cally told you of a curse?!" He asked, his voice rising.
"Yes."
"There is no curse!" He shouted. "Disregard what that piece of dirt said! She will be punished!"
"No!" Ginny shouted back. "Don't hurt her! Please, she.she was just talking."
If anything Malfoy's irritation became worse. "You need to stop asking so many questions!" He yelled, his breath hot on her face.
"Okay." Ginny squeaked, trying and failing to hide her fear.
And just as suddenly as the anger had come, it was gone. Malfoy relaxed his face and body, and offered her his arm with some hesitation.
Ginny was too afraid not to take it, so she did. Although her own arm hung loosely in his firm one.
"I figured I would show you around the grounds today."
That was it. No explanations. They were back where they had begun. Ginny would be forced to spend another entire day at this place, with nothing to go on. Malfoy got angry when she demanded explanations, and the house servants offered no help.
How was she going to get home?
~*~*~*~*~
Thanks to all these great reviewers! :
Lady-Thetis, Ginia Malfoy, shock-a-lot, Serepidia, SamiJo, android eleven, Analy, Chocolate Muse, gohansfan.