Finding Beauty
Chapter 5: Gaining Trust and Discovering Hope
~**~**~**~
After lying awake for half the night, Ginny finally got out of bed. An idea had occurred to her, and she scrambled over to her bag, which was lying in a chair. Cally had put it there and left it, and Ginny hoped she hadn't rummaged through it.
She reached into her bag and fished around for what she was looking for. Her hand hit something soft and she gasped.
"I forgot about you!" She whispered into the bag. Inside lay the guinea pig, which Fred and George had given her. It seemed to be fast asleep and not at all upset. Ginny watched it for a moment. The rodent chirped once in his sleep and turned from a bright yellow to a murky brown. Ginny lifted him delicately and placed him on her pillow, hoping he wouldn't run off.
She then emptied her bag onto the desk and grabbed the roll of parchment and quill that fell out. Hermione had instructed her to write letters if she were deferred from leaving. So Ginny had stuffed some parchment into her bag before she left.
Rummaging around in the desk, Ginny was delighted to find a spare bottle of ink, and she quickly sat and began to compose her letter.
She told her family all about the predicament she was in and all that she knew about Malfoy, briefly mentioning the curse the household seemed to be under.
After she was through, she rolled it up and sealed it, and sat there, trying to decide how she was going to send it. The obvious solution was to find an owl. There had to be an owl somewhere in the Malfoy household. There was probably a whole owlery full of them!
Springing up, she threw on some robes over her gown and silently left the room. Her heart was racing as she stepped noiselessly into the hall. The hall was huge, and she glanced briefly at the portraits that hung sleeping on the wall, glad that they weren't awake to watch her. Torches lined the walls and were glowing dimly, hardly enough light to see by. Nevertheless, she continued on, treading softly on the strip of plush carpet that lined the rich hardwood floors.
Ginny knew she was on the second level of the mansion, but she had no idea where to find an owl. There were so many doors, all of which were closed. Deciding that she'd rather search downstairs first, she made her way down the huge marble staircase.
This part of the house she knew better than the second level. Her eyes shifted uneasily as she watched for moving shadows, still clutching the letter tightly in her right hand.
She came to two double doors. These were rather plain and simple, so she stepped over to them and pushed one slightly. She peered in and found that she was staring into the kitchen. On the other side she could see a black door, and she wondered if perhaps this led outside to the stables. Malfoy had bragged to her earlier about the pure-breed horses he owned and Ginny figured there must be a stable on the grounds. Owls could always be found in stables.
She crossed the kitchen on tiptoe, watching out for any house-elves that might still be awake or sleeping near the fire. Nothing bothered her though, and the air was only disturbed by her own breathing. She turned the handle to the black door and was disappointed to find it locked. Wishing desperately that she had her wand, she stood there, contemplating her next move.
Something clicked in her head. Fred and George had always found ways to get into places they weren't supposed to be going, and it wasn't always done with magic. She pulled a pin out of her long hair, which fell out of its bun and tumbled down her back. She hastily leaned down and inspected the lock. It didn't seem so complicated at all. A few seconds later she heard a satisfying click and stood up proudly as she turned the handle. It had worked.
She threw open the door and was immediately met by a current of icy air. It was snowing outside. Shivering, she wrapped her robes tighter around her body and stepped onto the stone patio, just outside the door. Unfortunately, as she let go of the door, the wind blew it closed with a loud clamor. Ginny's heart raced wildly. What if someone had heard?
She skimmed the yard and spotted the stable several yards off. The snow- covered roof glistened in the moonlight and she trudged through the snow on the ground to reach it.
Flinging open the stable doors she was met with sounds from all the animals inside, obviously perturbed that their slumber had been disturbed so rudely. Ginny ran along the stalls, as the horses grunted, and climbed the ladder up into the loft. There must be some owls hidden away up there, sleeping warmly in the hay. But as she reached the top her hopes sunk, there wasn't an owl in sight. In fact, not a hoot could be heard.
She collapsed in the hay and felt hot tears sting her wind-blown cheeks. She was angry with herself . . . with Malfoy, and even more so with her father. It still pained her and angered her every time she thought about why she was here. If her father hadn't picked that bloody rose. . . . but she couldn't continue to blame him, for if anything, that made her feel even worse. Guilty even, for continuing to accuse him for something she herself would have probably done as well.
Ginny irritably wiped away the stinging tears, telling herself that she would find an owl in the morning. She would get it out of Cally somehow. . . .
"I think it's time you come down now Miss Weasley."
Ginny jumped at the sound of another human voice and peered over the edge of the loft to find Malfoy standing there. He was obviously in his night clothes as well, although he had wrapped a warm cloak around himself, hurriedly it seemed, for his hair was rumpled and his eyes still weary.
She sat where she was, unsure of what to do. Draco would see her try and hide the letter away, yet if she sat here he would surely find it anyway.
Acting as though Malfoy had once again outsmarted her, she sighed and turned her back to him, hastily stuffing the letter into the folds of her robes before descending down the ladder.
"It's much warmer inside." He said, as though speaking to a child. "I have no idea why you would prefer to sleep in the stable."
"The company is more pleasurable." Ginny stated, cutting her eyes in Malfoy's direction.
He smirked. "Ah, yes. I've forgotten that you are used to living with a bunch of animals."
Ginny turned on her heel sharply, angrily, and raised her hand to slap him. Malfoy was too quick though, he caught her arm mid-air and sneered in her face.
"Don't . . . you . . . ever . . . speak . . . to me . . . about my family!" Ginny said, trying and failing to control her rage.
Draco's smirk only widened and he gripped her arm even tighter. They stood in hateful silence for a moment, and Ginny felt the circulation in her arm being cut off by his grip. He surprised her by reaching quickly into her robes and drawing forth her letter.
She gasped and reached out to grab it, but Malfoy had successfully trapped her. He twisted her arm and she was forced to turn as he twisted it behind her back. With her back against him, Malfoy leaned forward and spoke dangerously in her ear.
"The owls sleep inside."
He laughed mockingly and Ginny had to bite her lip to keep from crying in anger.
"You bastard." She seethed. "I hate you."
Draco stopped laughing immediately and turned her back around to face him. His eyes glittered with something Ginny had never seen in any other man before. It was lust beyond all recognition. It was more than just a physical lust. It was a true, wholesome desire. A craving for some unknown release.
"You better learn to like me." He said, his lips moving slowly and his voice once again rich and smooth. "Because you aren't going anywhere. Sending letters to your friends aren't going to work. They'll never be able to break the curse that is now upon you and your dad."
His fiery eyes roamed her face again. "But with your help, my dear Ginny, we'll accomplish something even greater."
Their eyes met and Ginny could see the longing in them again. But it seemed distant and she somehow knew that nothing good was there. It was complete evil.
With that he thrust her forward, away from him and out into the cold air.
"Walk." He commanded.
~*~*~*~*~
Draco took her inside and into a grand room. There was a fresh, roaring fire in the majestic fireplace and Draco pushed Ginny down into a chair in front of it. He then pulled out the letter to her family and quickly scanned through it.
"I suspected this." He said, as though he were the wisest wizard to ever be born. "I knew you would be foolish enough to try and send for help." He sighed, clearly annoyed with her. "Like I said, there is no need. It will do no good."
"Then why not let me send it?" Ginny asked incredulously. "After all, if it won't do any good, and won't help my situation in the slightest, what harm can it cause? I'm sure my family would at least like to know that I'm still . . . alive."
Draco moved the letter toward the fire, as though about to throw it in, but stopped at Ginny's words. He seemed to be contemplating over this new idea and he stared at her sort of funny.
"Would you learn to trust me a little more if I allowed you to send this letter?" He asked.
Ginny gawked. "Trust you?" She asked in amazement. "What does that have to do with anything?"
She could see the impatience and irritation rising inside of him again, but she was too curious to care.
"Just answer the question!" He replied. "If I allowed you to send this letter to your family," He scoffed as though the mention of her family was repulsive, "would you not trust me a bit more?"
"I will never trust you, Malfoy."
"Oh." He said, still looking thoughtful. "Well, I guess there's no need for this then . . ."
He stretched his arm out once again, ready to throw the letter into the fire . . .
"Wait!" Ginny cried. "I suppose," she started hesitantly, "I suppose I might give your true intentions in this whole matter a second thought."
"Alright then." He said, rolling the parchment back up and looking rather . . . content. "Stay right there."
Ginny stared at him in unbelief as he left the room and came back minutes later with a regal looking owl sitting proudly on his shoulder.
"I wanted you to see that I'm really sending it." He said, glancing at Ginny as he attached the letter to the owl's leg. "Take this to the Weasley's."
The owl hooted once and hopped off his shoulder, soaring out of the window Draco had opened for it.
"What ARE your true intentions in this situation anyway?" Ginny asked in awe.
"Don't worry about it." His brisk attitude had returned and he seemed rather downtrodden now. "There are still a few hours before day-break. Why don't you try and get some sleep?"
Ginny wanted to start arguing again. She wanted answers and explanations. But she decided now wasn't the right time. Instead she abandoned the hopes of receiving any more information and stood quietly to go to bed.
"Ginny . . ." Draco started, turning around to meet her eyes. "Don't expect the letter to do any good . . ."
"I know, I know." She replied in annoyance. "You've already told me. But I still have hope. You can't keep me here forever." She boldly met his gaze.
She could see he was fighting his ego. She knew he wanted to say something like, "Yes I can. You're mine now." But she was surprised to find that he did not. Instead he leaned his lips alarmingly close to her cheek. For a second her heart beat insanely, she could feel his warm breath on her face. She had to do something before her hormones got the best of her.
She cleared her throat. Malfoy jumped back ungracefully, and pretended as if he had only been about to bend over to check his shoelace.
"Goodnight." He mumbled.
"Night."
Ginny left the room feeling more confused than ever. She sighed. At least her parents would know that she's okay, even if Draco was telling the truth, and they would never find her.
Hope was all she had left.
Chapter 5: Gaining Trust and Discovering Hope
~**~**~**~
After lying awake for half the night, Ginny finally got out of bed. An idea had occurred to her, and she scrambled over to her bag, which was lying in a chair. Cally had put it there and left it, and Ginny hoped she hadn't rummaged through it.
She reached into her bag and fished around for what she was looking for. Her hand hit something soft and she gasped.
"I forgot about you!" She whispered into the bag. Inside lay the guinea pig, which Fred and George had given her. It seemed to be fast asleep and not at all upset. Ginny watched it for a moment. The rodent chirped once in his sleep and turned from a bright yellow to a murky brown. Ginny lifted him delicately and placed him on her pillow, hoping he wouldn't run off.
She then emptied her bag onto the desk and grabbed the roll of parchment and quill that fell out. Hermione had instructed her to write letters if she were deferred from leaving. So Ginny had stuffed some parchment into her bag before she left.
Rummaging around in the desk, Ginny was delighted to find a spare bottle of ink, and she quickly sat and began to compose her letter.
She told her family all about the predicament she was in and all that she knew about Malfoy, briefly mentioning the curse the household seemed to be under.
After she was through, she rolled it up and sealed it, and sat there, trying to decide how she was going to send it. The obvious solution was to find an owl. There had to be an owl somewhere in the Malfoy household. There was probably a whole owlery full of them!
Springing up, she threw on some robes over her gown and silently left the room. Her heart was racing as she stepped noiselessly into the hall. The hall was huge, and she glanced briefly at the portraits that hung sleeping on the wall, glad that they weren't awake to watch her. Torches lined the walls and were glowing dimly, hardly enough light to see by. Nevertheless, she continued on, treading softly on the strip of plush carpet that lined the rich hardwood floors.
Ginny knew she was on the second level of the mansion, but she had no idea where to find an owl. There were so many doors, all of which were closed. Deciding that she'd rather search downstairs first, she made her way down the huge marble staircase.
This part of the house she knew better than the second level. Her eyes shifted uneasily as she watched for moving shadows, still clutching the letter tightly in her right hand.
She came to two double doors. These were rather plain and simple, so she stepped over to them and pushed one slightly. She peered in and found that she was staring into the kitchen. On the other side she could see a black door, and she wondered if perhaps this led outside to the stables. Malfoy had bragged to her earlier about the pure-breed horses he owned and Ginny figured there must be a stable on the grounds. Owls could always be found in stables.
She crossed the kitchen on tiptoe, watching out for any house-elves that might still be awake or sleeping near the fire. Nothing bothered her though, and the air was only disturbed by her own breathing. She turned the handle to the black door and was disappointed to find it locked. Wishing desperately that she had her wand, she stood there, contemplating her next move.
Something clicked in her head. Fred and George had always found ways to get into places they weren't supposed to be going, and it wasn't always done with magic. She pulled a pin out of her long hair, which fell out of its bun and tumbled down her back. She hastily leaned down and inspected the lock. It didn't seem so complicated at all. A few seconds later she heard a satisfying click and stood up proudly as she turned the handle. It had worked.
She threw open the door and was immediately met by a current of icy air. It was snowing outside. Shivering, she wrapped her robes tighter around her body and stepped onto the stone patio, just outside the door. Unfortunately, as she let go of the door, the wind blew it closed with a loud clamor. Ginny's heart raced wildly. What if someone had heard?
She skimmed the yard and spotted the stable several yards off. The snow- covered roof glistened in the moonlight and she trudged through the snow on the ground to reach it.
Flinging open the stable doors she was met with sounds from all the animals inside, obviously perturbed that their slumber had been disturbed so rudely. Ginny ran along the stalls, as the horses grunted, and climbed the ladder up into the loft. There must be some owls hidden away up there, sleeping warmly in the hay. But as she reached the top her hopes sunk, there wasn't an owl in sight. In fact, not a hoot could be heard.
She collapsed in the hay and felt hot tears sting her wind-blown cheeks. She was angry with herself . . . with Malfoy, and even more so with her father. It still pained her and angered her every time she thought about why she was here. If her father hadn't picked that bloody rose. . . . but she couldn't continue to blame him, for if anything, that made her feel even worse. Guilty even, for continuing to accuse him for something she herself would have probably done as well.
Ginny irritably wiped away the stinging tears, telling herself that she would find an owl in the morning. She would get it out of Cally somehow. . . .
"I think it's time you come down now Miss Weasley."
Ginny jumped at the sound of another human voice and peered over the edge of the loft to find Malfoy standing there. He was obviously in his night clothes as well, although he had wrapped a warm cloak around himself, hurriedly it seemed, for his hair was rumpled and his eyes still weary.
She sat where she was, unsure of what to do. Draco would see her try and hide the letter away, yet if she sat here he would surely find it anyway.
Acting as though Malfoy had once again outsmarted her, she sighed and turned her back to him, hastily stuffing the letter into the folds of her robes before descending down the ladder.
"It's much warmer inside." He said, as though speaking to a child. "I have no idea why you would prefer to sleep in the stable."
"The company is more pleasurable." Ginny stated, cutting her eyes in Malfoy's direction.
He smirked. "Ah, yes. I've forgotten that you are used to living with a bunch of animals."
Ginny turned on her heel sharply, angrily, and raised her hand to slap him. Malfoy was too quick though, he caught her arm mid-air and sneered in her face.
"Don't . . . you . . . ever . . . speak . . . to me . . . about my family!" Ginny said, trying and failing to control her rage.
Draco's smirk only widened and he gripped her arm even tighter. They stood in hateful silence for a moment, and Ginny felt the circulation in her arm being cut off by his grip. He surprised her by reaching quickly into her robes and drawing forth her letter.
She gasped and reached out to grab it, but Malfoy had successfully trapped her. He twisted her arm and she was forced to turn as he twisted it behind her back. With her back against him, Malfoy leaned forward and spoke dangerously in her ear.
"The owls sleep inside."
He laughed mockingly and Ginny had to bite her lip to keep from crying in anger.
"You bastard." She seethed. "I hate you."
Draco stopped laughing immediately and turned her back around to face him. His eyes glittered with something Ginny had never seen in any other man before. It was lust beyond all recognition. It was more than just a physical lust. It was a true, wholesome desire. A craving for some unknown release.
"You better learn to like me." He said, his lips moving slowly and his voice once again rich and smooth. "Because you aren't going anywhere. Sending letters to your friends aren't going to work. They'll never be able to break the curse that is now upon you and your dad."
His fiery eyes roamed her face again. "But with your help, my dear Ginny, we'll accomplish something even greater."
Their eyes met and Ginny could see the longing in them again. But it seemed distant and she somehow knew that nothing good was there. It was complete evil.
With that he thrust her forward, away from him and out into the cold air.
"Walk." He commanded.
~*~*~*~*~
Draco took her inside and into a grand room. There was a fresh, roaring fire in the majestic fireplace and Draco pushed Ginny down into a chair in front of it. He then pulled out the letter to her family and quickly scanned through it.
"I suspected this." He said, as though he were the wisest wizard to ever be born. "I knew you would be foolish enough to try and send for help." He sighed, clearly annoyed with her. "Like I said, there is no need. It will do no good."
"Then why not let me send it?" Ginny asked incredulously. "After all, if it won't do any good, and won't help my situation in the slightest, what harm can it cause? I'm sure my family would at least like to know that I'm still . . . alive."
Draco moved the letter toward the fire, as though about to throw it in, but stopped at Ginny's words. He seemed to be contemplating over this new idea and he stared at her sort of funny.
"Would you learn to trust me a little more if I allowed you to send this letter?" He asked.
Ginny gawked. "Trust you?" She asked in amazement. "What does that have to do with anything?"
She could see the impatience and irritation rising inside of him again, but she was too curious to care.
"Just answer the question!" He replied. "If I allowed you to send this letter to your family," He scoffed as though the mention of her family was repulsive, "would you not trust me a bit more?"
"I will never trust you, Malfoy."
"Oh." He said, still looking thoughtful. "Well, I guess there's no need for this then . . ."
He stretched his arm out once again, ready to throw the letter into the fire . . .
"Wait!" Ginny cried. "I suppose," she started hesitantly, "I suppose I might give your true intentions in this whole matter a second thought."
"Alright then." He said, rolling the parchment back up and looking rather . . . content. "Stay right there."
Ginny stared at him in unbelief as he left the room and came back minutes later with a regal looking owl sitting proudly on his shoulder.
"I wanted you to see that I'm really sending it." He said, glancing at Ginny as he attached the letter to the owl's leg. "Take this to the Weasley's."
The owl hooted once and hopped off his shoulder, soaring out of the window Draco had opened for it.
"What ARE your true intentions in this situation anyway?" Ginny asked in awe.
"Don't worry about it." His brisk attitude had returned and he seemed rather downtrodden now. "There are still a few hours before day-break. Why don't you try and get some sleep?"
Ginny wanted to start arguing again. She wanted answers and explanations. But she decided now wasn't the right time. Instead she abandoned the hopes of receiving any more information and stood quietly to go to bed.
"Ginny . . ." Draco started, turning around to meet her eyes. "Don't expect the letter to do any good . . ."
"I know, I know." She replied in annoyance. "You've already told me. But I still have hope. You can't keep me here forever." She boldly met his gaze.
She could see he was fighting his ego. She knew he wanted to say something like, "Yes I can. You're mine now." But she was surprised to find that he did not. Instead he leaned his lips alarmingly close to her cheek. For a second her heart beat insanely, she could feel his warm breath on her face. She had to do something before her hormones got the best of her.
She cleared her throat. Malfoy jumped back ungracefully, and pretended as if he had only been about to bend over to check his shoelace.
"Goodnight." He mumbled.
"Night."
Ginny left the room feeling more confused than ever. She sighed. At least her parents would know that she's okay, even if Draco was telling the truth, and they would never find her.
Hope was all she had left.