In the Shadows: A Tale of Silver and Gold (in seven parts)
In the Halls of Malfoy Manor
"MOVE!"
Draco shoved Ginny away from him as the creature leapt forward. He barely managed to scramble backwards, away from the manticore's large, lion-like body, which landed where they had been. Ginny's trembling form was just to the other side of it, edging towards the door.
He scrambled to his feet, away from the creature, distracting its gaze. Although the manticore's head followed him, its large, spine tipped tail crashed down in the opposite direction, into the wall next to Ginny's head.
"Run!" he cried, and she slid out from underneath the pinioned tail to the entrance.
The manticore swung its large paws at Draco, snarling. He edged up against the wall, the sharp claws just missing the front of his robes.
Ginny had made it outside, but she was watching in horror as Draco struggled to get away from the manticore. The great beast ripped its tail out of the wall with an angry cry, and turned to face him.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he heard her cry.
What is she doing? Draco thought frantically. Charms don't WORK!
A small table, which had been settled in the far corner of the cabin, levitated in front of the manticore; with a slash Ginny sent it shooting forward into the creature's head.
The manticore howled in pain, one large paw rising to its human face. Blood poured between its claws. Draco cast about, looking for some way out of the cabin.
Over to his right, the pathway to the fireplace was clear. He still held the Floo Powder in his hand.
Just one good leap…that's all it would take. I'd be home in an instant.
Ginny was outside, motioning him to hurry. He watched her as she eyed the manticore, an anxious expression on her face.
He gritted his teeth, stuffed the powder into his shirt, and dodged around the creature, heading for the door.
The manticore was ready for him, this time.
He screamed as the manticore's long claws sunk into his chest, batting him backwards with incredible force. He slammed up against the walls, rattling the timbers, his head cracking against the hard wood.
Spots danced in front of his eyes, blurring the image of the beast, who placed a massive paw upon his aching chest. Its face was a mess of dried blood and dirt.
"This has gone on long enough."
Draco stared at the beast fiercely. It grinned at him, fanglike teeth baring from beneath the human lips.
Then, suddenly, it was jerked from behind.
Ginny had its tail grasped firmly between her two hands, her palms only inches away from its poison stinger. She braced against the wooden frame of the doorway.
"What are you doing?" Draco yelled.
"You are a pest and an annoyance!" the creature growled, snapping its tail in fury. Ginny's arms jerked forward and she yelped, tripping forward into the cabin. Sprawled on the floor, she could only look up helplessly as the manticore raised its tail, striking down towards her.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
A shower of silver and green sparks burst from Draco's wand and slammed into Ginny, propelling her toward the cabin door. Her head slammed into the frame, her body whipping about, and she lay, motionless, just beyond the reach of the manticore's tail.
Draco watched her unmoving body in horror.
The manticore laughed. "My way would have been much more painless and certainly less messy. But as you've killed her for me, at least now all I have to deal with is you."
Draco rose to his feet unsteadily, wincing in pain from the tears across his chest and stomach. He backed away and raised his wand.
"Then come and get me."
The beast narrowed its eyes, sat back on its haunches, and sprung towards him.
"CRUCIO!"
All of the anger, the pain, the hatred…all of the emotion he'd felt from the night before, and the sharp, unnerving ache he couldn't suppress at the sight of Ginny's crumpled body in the doorway…all of it channeled into the strength of his curse.
The spell hit the great creature full force; it fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
"No charm can touch you?" Draco's face twisted in hatred, and the creature continued to screech, its cries growing more high-pitched by the moment. "It appears this one can."
"Please," it screamed. "Please!"
The spell's intensity increased.
"Malfoy…"
"But as you've killed her for me…"
"Draco."
Draco glanced up, surprised. Ginny stood in the doorway, hanging by the doorframe and wobbling unsteadily on her feet.
"Stop."
The power faded from Draco's wand.
The manticore collapsed, its body tremoring from the attack. With a whimper it settled to the ground.
Ginny moved over beside him, placing one hand on his wand. "Even if it did attack us…it's still a living creature. It doesn't deserve this."
"Doesn't deserve this?" he spluttered. "It…it tried to kill us both."
"Nothing deserves to die like that. Except maybe Voldemort."
"I was not going to kill it. I didn't even know if the curse would work."
"But it did."
Her face looked so sorrowful, he had to turn away.
"I know how to use the Forbidden curses. That is something I was taught long ago. What's wrong with it?"
Ginny half-smiled, but her face was still mournful as she glanced down at the Manticore, which lay completely still. "Besides the fact that they are Forbidden?"
Draco shook his head. No matter what the situation, she always managed to make him feel guilty, somehow, at being who he was. "That has been a tradition passed down in the Malfoy family for generations. We learn all of the Dark Arts—and all the countercurses to defend against them. In a way, it protects us, and defines us."
Her earlier words rang in his ears, even as he spoke his last ones. You are not your father…yet…
Ginny didn't respond
Draco removed the Floo powder. For some reason, he didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. "We should get back, before that thing regains its strength."
"Then let's go. All I want to do is get back to Hogwarts."
"We cannot go to Hogwarts," Draco said. "The Floo's been closed."
"How were you expecting to get back, then?" Ginny said.
"I was going to return home. My mother can speak with the person at the Ministry who can reopen the Floo Network into Hogwarts."
"Absolutely not!" Ginny cried, then staggered. She leaned back against the wall for support. Her voice was much quieter than before. "I'm not going to Malfoy Manor."
"What are you going to do then? Sit around here and wait until someone finds you? There's just enough powder for both of us to make a joint trip."
"My father always says that if there is enough for two in one, then there's enough for two in two."
"Do you want to test his wisdom?" Draco shook the bag in front of her, where less than a handful of the sparkling green dust remained. "You want to chance one of us getting stuck out here, in we don't even know where, hoping the other will be able to find us again? Because if that is the case, you can wait on me. With that." He gestured to the manticore.
Ginny eyed the scant portion, and sighed. "Alright then. You can come home with me…to the Burrow."
Draco snorted. "To your home? What will we do there? Fling about the garden gnomes while that half-dead bird of yours tries to notify Hogwarts in less than a year?"
Ginny's face turned as red as her hair. "After what you told me about your family, what makes you think I'll be safe? I might as well stay with the Manticore."
"As you have been so quick to point out, my father's gone. And my mother's not like him," he retorted, "at least not directly, if that's what you're afraid of."
"Among other things. I've seen firsthand what your family is capable of."
Draco placed a hand to his head in frustration. "Look! Gin—Weasley, nothing is going to happen to you over there. I promise."
"And I should trust you…why?"
"Because I owe you," Draco huffed, then winced. When he raised his hand, there was blood staining it. "I owe you my life—the least I can do is offer you some protection."
"Your life?"
He gestured to the manticore. "If you hadn't grabbed it, it would have killed me."
She looked slightly taken aback. "You didn't abandon me either. I know you could have escaped, earlier."
Draco felt his cheeks flush. "We've already called a truce. We can just extend it a bit."
Her eyebrow raised. "You went back on the truce—with the Floo powder."
Another flush, this time, of shame. "I can guarantee my word." He removed his Prefect's badge from his robes, gritting his teeth as another wave of pain burned through his body, and slid it into her hand.
"Your Prefect's badge? Why…why should I trust this?" she was starting to gasp, and her face looked pale.
He stared at her for a moment, his gray eyes somber. "Because it's the only thing I've ever earned of which my father was proud. There's no way to distinguish who's top when Dumbledore awards a Prefect position. All my father knew was that I was one of the best…as good as Granger—and better than Potter. And that, for once, was enough."
Ginny's hand closed about the badge, and she lowered her head for a moment before nodding. "Very well. To Malfoy Manor it is."
He stepped into the fireplace. She moved unsteadily from the wall, wobbling a bit, and stood next to him, using his shoulder for support. He dropped the powder into the grating.
"Malfoy Manor."
In a flash, they were gone.
The Divination classroom was empty of students, as Harry knew it would be.
He, Ron and Hermione had agreed that a letter to Fred and George would probably be safest. Having the twins drop in on the Burrow wouldn't be too surprising for Mrs. Weasley, and would allow one of the two of them to spy on the Weasley's enchanted clock for Ginny's whereabouts.
He only hoped Mrs. Weasley hadn't noticed.
Hermione had sent the letter with Hedwig the evening before, looking a little sad when she returned from the Owlery. She'd avoided Ron's eye the rest of the evening, and the three of them had gone to bed with hardly a word. Ron's snores, which Hermione had imitated so well the night before, were absent.
The next morning, they'd gotten a note telling them to be in the Divination classroom around 9 o'clock. Ron seemed to have cooled off slightly, and he was at least civil to Hermione again.
"They'd better be quick," Hermione huffed as they sat in front of the fireplace, waiting. "I've got Advanced Arithmancy in half an hour!"
Harry and Ron both ignored her.
Harry hadn't thought to ask how the twins had managed to find a Floo into Hogwarts, but he knew better than to inquire, given their connections (Mrs. Weasley still had a sinking suspicion about their being involved in Mundungus Fletcher's latest scheme.) But somehow, they'd managed it, because a few moments later the fireplace roared to life, and a red head popped up in the green flames—and then another. Hermione leapt back from where she'd been sitting as Harry and Ron moved forward, greeting the twins.
"I'll never get used to that," she muttered.
"Hiya Harry, Ron, Hermione," said Fred.
"Hiya Hermione, Ron, Harry," said George.
"Did you find anything?" Ron asked eagerly.
"We checked on the clock at home. Ginny's at the Ministry of Magic."
"WHAT?"
George shrugged, or at least would have if he'd had shoulders. "That's what the clock said. At least in the beginning. Then the hand went to "Mortal Peril," which worried us a bit, then then it went to "traveling, then, it rejoined Dad's at Work." So she's at the Ministry, somewhere. And she was in Mortal Peril--though she isn't now."
"Mortal Peril?" Ron squeaked.
"The Ministry...what would Malfoy be doing there?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Well—the Department of Magical Creatures is there, of course," returned Hermione. " What else would he be doing but reporting on Hagrid and Grawp?"
"For twelve hours? " Fred scoffed.
Hermione chose to ignore that. "Did Mrs. Weasley notice anything?"
"Well, she did seem to think it a little strange that we'd come home. But we just told her we missed her cooking—'s hard to get a square meal in Diagon Alley—and she started crying and hugged us a lot and fed us three servings of breakfast. But I don't think she noticed the clock."
"She's been a bit busy, you know, with the Order of the Phoenix, and all. Still won't tell us what she's about with it, but she's not at home as much anymore."
"Anyways, we enchanted it so that it looks like Ginny's at Hogwarts, with Ron."
"Thanks," said Harry. "That will make things a lot easier."
"What's Ginny up to, anyhow?" asked George. Harry, Ron and Hermione had agreed not to let the twins know any of the events that had occurred in the Dark Forest, or about the agreement she'd seemed to make with Malfoy.
"That's what we'd like to know," said Harry. "We haven't the foggiest what she might be doing with Malfoy. Keeping an eye on him, we hope. But we just want to make sure she's safe and all."
"She's with Malfoy—how safe can she be?" said Fred.
"That's what I said!" Ron cried, throwing his hands up. "See, Hermione? Mortal Peril!"
Hermione looked at him curtly, but chose not to respond. "Is there any way for you to check and see where Ginny might be at the Ministry?"
"Well, we might, but we're rather unpopular at the Ministry right now. The Magical Altering Ink we created was a big hit in the secretarial pools, and from what I understand a few bottles got mixed up and it caused a lot of memos and documents and such to get switched…"
"…and a lot of false laws to get proposed. And a few passed. Seems we must all submit five forms of identification to enter a Chudley Cannons Quidditch match."
"And Halloween's become a "muggle-dress-up" day."
"And Dragons under twenty-five feet long can now be kept as house pets."
"And leather pants must be worn soapy."
"And every second Tuesday of the month, the Minister of Magic must come out to the fountain in the square and sing 'God Save the Queen' in flowered underpants and a top hat."
"It was really a mess; the Ministry Officials and some of the others have been trying to sort it out for weeks."
"How did the ink get switched?" Harry asked.
"Dunno. But if they do decide to trace it back, they might find that it originated in a certain office of a certain junior assistant who also happens to be a certain backstabbing brother."
"Not that we meant for it to cause problems," Fred grinned.
"At least not for everybody else."
"Well, if you hear anything on Ginny, let us know."
"Same goes for you. Take care of yourself, Harry. And don't let Ginny worry you too much, Ron. After all, she is our sister."
Their twin freckled faces disappeared into the flames, and after a few moments, the fireplace went dark.
"That's why I'm worried," muttered Ron.
Hermione looked perplexed. "So what do we do now?"
"Maybe we can write to one of the Order. Someone who works in the Ministry…and someone who won't tell my Dad."
"Professor Lupin might be able to help," suggested Harry. "He doesn't directly work for the ministry, but he knows a lot of people there, particularly in the Department of Magical Creatures. And I think he can keep a secret, so long as it isn't for too long."
"Fine, then I'll send a note with Pig…" Ron paused for a moment at the little owl's name—Ginny had named it, after all. "…I'll send a note with Pig for him to check around. Hopefully, he'll find something that'll let us know where they've been."
Draco coughed roughly, stepping out of the shower of ash and smoke that had signaled their arrival to his home. There was a dead weight on his left-hand side; it was causing his chest to throb fiercely.
Ginny had fainted sometime during the trip. He didn't remember catching her, but he must have at some point because he had his arms wrapped around her.
He felt uncomfortable and rather guilty that his well-planned excursion had come to this. It was his fault that she'd suffered such injuries in the Vivarium. The memory of her body smashing into the doorframe of the cabin...the sickening crack her head had made against the wood…it replayed over and over in his mind.
He'd only intended to get her out of reach of the manticore's tail, but somehow, he'd misjudged her position, or the door, or the power of the spell…he'd been too desperate to think clearly, and she'd ended up like this.
But what was bothering him more was what had been bothering him ever since the manticore first attacked—no, from the evening before, with the giant…
He actually cared. He cared that he'd caused her pain, and that he'd hurt her. He cared that she'd been hurt.
He lifted Ginny's body in his arms, the claw marks in his chest burning. He had no idea where his mother was, or who else might be occupying the house, but if there was anyone here, they wouldn't take kindly to the presence of a Weasley. His suite of rooms would be safest.
He walked slowly up the stairs, Ginny's hair draped over his shoulder, her head lolling softly against him.
He wasn't a completely unfeeling person—things worried or bothered him the same as they worried and bothered others. It was a misconception among the others about those in Slytherin. But this was different. She was one of the people he should hate the most—she was one of the people he hated the most—but now, he couldn't hate her, no matter how he tried. It seemed strange, that such powerful feelings could change over the course of one day.
Especially when his feelings for the others she knew hadn't changed. If Potter died tomorrow, he wouldn't shed a tear.
One day…
Or had it been that?
He remembered Flourish and Blotts: "Leave him alone, he doesn't deserve all that! " Even at eleven, she'd been able to stand up to him. And after that…from events on the train to that Bat Bogey Hex…particularly last year…
He frowned, shifting her rather roughly in his arms. The sooner they got to Hogwarts, the better. Then, he could get back to Slytherin where everything was normal and made sense. And where he could hate Weasley, Potter, her brother and all the rest of their little gang in peace.
Ginny stirred slightly. He watched her face for a moment, then gently raised her head to lay on the soft part of his shoulder.
His suite of rooms was near the top of the staircase, and exactly as he remembered them from the holidays. His letters from Hogwarts had been lain aside the desk in his study; his old broomsticks hung neatly in a row on the walls of his bedroom. His bureau was beginning to gather a thin film of dust; Mother had probably spared the House Elves this little bit of cleaning in favor of the more important rooms.
He lay Ginny on the green and silver brocade bed clothes, the pulled on one of the five strings hanging over the side table. In one moment, a sharp crack announced the arrival of the tiny Teenija, the eldest House Elf of the Malfoy family.
"M-master Draco! Has you returned so soon, sir?" she glanced nervously about the room, eyeing the dust with trepidation.
"Don't worry about the room, Tenny. Can you have a look at this girl? She needs to be checked for injuries."
"Tenny will have a looks for young Master, sir, of course, sir."
"And where is my mother?"
"Tenny believes that the Mistress is in her study, sir…she is there quite a bit, sir, with her guests."
"Guests?" Draco moved to the door, pausing to watch as the Elf began to examine Ginny. "What guests does she have?"
"Tenny is not being allowed to know, sir, on account of Dobby, sir."
Draco frowned at the mention of the old house elf. "Why not?"
"Mistress does not trust House Elves, young master, sir."
Tenny said no more, but went back to examining Ginny. Draco raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her. He didn't have the time or the desire, whatever her opinion on Dobby or the family might be.
"I'm going to find mother, Tenny. Don't tell anyone this girl is here. If she needs more serious treatment, come and find me first."
Tenny turned to glance over at him, her large eyes widening slightly. "Yes, sir. Tenny tells no one. But what of young master's injuries?"
Draco glanced down at his robes; there were dried patches of red visible on his tie, as well as the white shirt he wore underneath his robes. "I'll take care of that later. Just look after the girl."
"Yes sir."
He sauntered down the hall, loosening his tie. His chest still ached, much more fiercely then he'd let on to Tenny, but he could let Madam Pomfrey look it over when he returned to Hogwarts.
The sooner he got to Hogwarts, and away from Ginny Weasley, the better.
His mother's study was on the far side of the mansion, away from the traffic of the main floors. It extended down through three levels, containing a massive library alongside a cozy, well-lit sitting room. Draco entered through the upper doors, peering over the balcony at the stuffed cushions on the lowest level. His mother wasn't there, meaning she was probably in the room that was attached to it, where her writing desk was.
He took his time down the winding staircases, holding tightly to the rails for support. He'd really have to see Madam Pomfrey.
"Mother?"
He knocked on the doorway to the Writing room, his gaze passing across the numerous volumes that rose three stories above his head. Almost every book ever written in the wizarding world was contained here. And he'd read many of them, though nowhere near all.
The doors swung open behind him.
"Draco?"
Narcissa Malfoy gazed at him for a moment, then enveloped him in a hug, causing him to grunt slightly in pain. She released him, looking over him concernedly.
"What happened to you? I thought you were supposed to return last night!"
"I was…delayed." He doubled over, holding to his chest. "Ran into a little Floo problem."
"Floo Problem! What, did it take you to the wrong destination? I'll have words with that Roget, I swear."
"Perhaps you should. His connections aren't as secure as they should be."
"My poor Draco. Did you have Tenny look at that?" she winced as she peeled back his robes.
"I'll have Madam Pomfrey look it over when I get back. I just want to get to Hogwarts, Mother. I've been gone far longer than anticipated."
His mother straightened. "Of course. You just tell Madam Pomfrey that you hurt yourself working for that mudblood loving half-giant's poor excuse for a class. I can't believe Dumbledore still keeps him around." She was fishing around in one of her cabinets. "But, I'm certain that won't last for long, after what you told them in the Department of Magical Creatures."
"Actually," Draco flushed. "I didn't make it to the Being division…or anywhere else, for that matter."
Narcissa pulled out a flask of alcohol, wetting a small cloth with it. "Why not?"
"It is a long story, mother. I'd rather not…"
"Fine. Don't tell me anything. You are just like your father, sometimes…"
You're not your father, yet…
"OUCH!"
"Don't whine," said his mother, wiping up the areas around the wounds. "This needs to be checked over again by Madam Pomfrey, of course, but this will help."
"So," she sighed, placing the alcohol back in the cupboard and coming over to stand in front of him. "You've not succeeded in getting rid of Hagrid after all?"
"No," he gasped, trying to ignore the stinging, "at least not today."
"He really IS like his father, then. A failure," rang a voice from the upstairs hall. They hadn't heard the visitor enter, but Draco knew that voice almost as well as he knew his own. He'd heard it in echoes, in passing, for almost the whole of his life. And in person for the last six months.
A graceful, gaunt figure descended the staircases, moving towards them. The face would have been beautiful, had it not been hollowed and sunken, from thirteen years of confinement in the coldest, most soulless place in existence.
"You've got to work on your form, Draco. Otherwise, you will end up like your father." Bellatrix Lestrange watched him coyly, a wicked grin shadowing her face.
Draco turned. "Hello, Aunt Belle."
There was a gentle humming that filled the room.
"Mum…?"
As Ginny's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she found herself wrapped in a large brocade quilt, embroidered with silver and green. Overhead, a curtained green canopy draped lightly over ebony wooden posts. The rest of the room was rather dark and dreary, and the one small window on the eastern side let in very little sunlight.
Her head ached fiercely; she remembered flying away from someone, and banging into something incredibly hard. There had been a manticore, too…and the Floo…and…
"Malfoy!"
She sat up swiftly, and the room swam.
"Miss must not do this, she hurts herself even more," said a kindly voice. To her right, Ginny could just make out the small, withered form of a female House Elf.
"Who…who are you? Where am I?"
"I am Tenny, Miss. You is in Master Draco's bedroom, where the young master brought you, Miss, so Tenny is looking after you."
"Where he brought me? Malfoy?"
"Yes, Miss. Young master takes quite a bit of care with the young Miss." Tenny looked somewhat slyly at Ginny, and she felt herself blush.
"I don't know why. We hate each other."
"Yes Miss. But all the same, young master told Tenny to looks after you, and to not tell the Mistress of the Manor that you was here, Miss. Master Draco said he was finding a way back to Hogwarts, Miss."
Ginny leaned back against the pillows, puzzled. Malfoy was appearing to be…civil. And this House Elf…she didn't appear to fear him as much as Dobby had. At least, she spoke of Draco without trembling.
"You belong to the Malfoy family?"
"Yes, Miss."
"Then…you must have known Dobby?"
Tenny's face changed. "Tenny is not allowed to be speaking of Dobby, Miss. Else she will have to punish herself severely, Miss."
Ginny was well aware of what punishments Dobby had inflicted upon himself as a servant of the Malfoys. "It's alright then, Tenny. Don't punish yourself."
Ginny watched the seemingly kindly House Elf as she bustled about the room, mixing a few different potion bottles into a goblet. "Are you a nursemaid here, Tenny?"
"Tenny watches after the Malfoy children, Miss. She is watching after master Lucius when he was a lad, and she is watching over Master Draco now, Miss. Please, drink this."
She handed Ginny the goblet, which smelled like sulfur and rotten tomatoes.
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "What is it?"
"Tenny knows a bit about medicines, Miss. This will help you sleep, and help your head, Miss."
"I don't really care to go back to sleep, Tenny."
"You must, Miss, if you are to be healing. Just for a little while. Tenny promises, nothing will happen to young Miss while she is being watching. Tenny does not think Master Draco allows for it, Miss."
This time Ginny's face grew as red as her hair. "Thank…thank you, Tenny."
She sipped the potion, which was surprisingly good, given its smell. Almost immediately, she began to feel heavy, and her head slipped back onto the soft brocaded pillow.
"Tenny is uncertain," she could hear the House Elf droning softly, "but Tenny believes the young Miss is having affecting on Master Draco. He treats Tenny with respect. Tenny…Tenny might have to iron her hands after saying so, but Tenny is glad…very glad…for this."
The world went peaceful, and dark.
"What is she doing here?" Draco asked, turning back to his mother.
"Tsk, tsk, widdle nephew. Are you not happy to see your aunt?"
"Not when it might mean getting my mother caught. If Dumbledore comes looking for her, Mother, then you might end up getting sent to Azkaban. It's bad enough having one parent in there."
"Don't worry, Draco. Kreacher keeps us updated as to Dumbledore's whereabouts, for the most part. Besides that, Dumbledore has yet to set foot in Malfoy Manor, and he won't do so now."
Draco was unconvinced. "After what she did to Potter? I think he'd have a good enough reason."
"Potter," spat his aunt, her face growing grotesque, "didn't get half of what he deserved."
"I don't disagree with you, Aunt," said Draco. "Yet, he did survive, and thanks to you, he's even more annoying than he was before. He's determined to save the world, and get revenge for Sirius Black. And the Slytherins have had to be extra careful in dealing with him.
"Beyond that, because of Father, the name of Malfoy doesn't go very far with anyone in the wizarding world anymore. If they find out you're here, I guarantee you Dumbledore's little army will be at the Manor within a day."
"And who would tell them, Draco? You?"
"Of course not. No one," he added, perhaps more quickly than he should.
Bellatrix eyed him shrewdly.
"Your Aunt won't be staying for much longer," said his Mother. "She's just using our connections to finalize some plans. And we've been particularly careful, considering that it's almost certain Dumbledore is having the Manor watched. Now go on upstairs."
"And the Floo?"
"I'll contact Roget and have him re-open one of the old networks into Hogwarts so you can go back. It'll take a few hours, but you should be back before sunset."
"Very well, Mother. If you need me, just send Tenny or one of the others to me and I'll come."
Narcissa nodded. He walked past Bellatrix with a defiant look; she continued to eye him warily, and he grimaced as soon as he'd passed her.
The last thing he needed was for his aunt to suspect anything.
Then, he thought grimly, I wouldn't have to worry about Ginny at all. She wouldn't just be forgotten…
She'd be dead.
Tenny was still bustling about his suite when he returned; in his bedroom, Ginny was sleeping peacefully.
"How is she, Tenny?"
"The young Miss is being rather badly hurt, sir, but Tenny is giving her a good medicine, and she becomes much better in a few hours, sir."
"Will she be able to travel?"
"Tenny is believing it is not being best for her to travel anytime soon, sir, but she would perhaps be able to if young master is needing to go…for young Miss's protection, sir."
Draco eyed the House Elf in surprise. She had been around for as long as he had been living, but she'd never voiced her opinion quite so plainly.
Even Tenny seemed to realize she'd spoken out of turn. "Tenny is sorry," she rasped fearfully, "Tenny will go and give herself a beating, sir."
He normally never cared about the comings and goings of the House Elves, but a little voice inside him, which sounded peculiarly like Ginny, forced him to raise his hand. "That's not necessary, Tenny. Just keep me updated on where my mother's…er…guests are, if you can…and who else might visit the manor tonight. The "young Miss" will have to leave when I do. But you will have to punish yourself—severely—if anyone finds out that she is here," he added imperiously.
"Yes, thanks to Master Draco, sir. Tenny does as you command."
With a small "crack" she was gone.
Draco pulled off his robe and lay it on one of the chairs, then leaned against the wall, watching Ginny as she slept. The hourglass atop his bureau told him it had been nearly eighteen hours since they left Hogwarts—which meant they'd been gone far longer than he'd anticipated.
The Slytherins knew he would be missing for some time, and had come up with a plan to avoid his being discovered. Pansy would tell Professor Snape the same thing she told him yesterday—that Draco remained ill—and Professor Snape would pass along that information to the rest of the teachers.
Ginny, however, was another matter.
There was no doubt that Potter and her prat of a brother, Weasley, would be worried about her. What concerned Draco was that with her continued absence, they might consider doing something rash—like telling Dumbledore. In doing so, they would probably have sniffed out something about her being with him—Potter was pretty good at deducing things like that—which could get all of them in serious trouble if they were caught.
Setting up the Floo might take another few hours. That was time Draco did not have, especially if goody-goody Potter decided to be sensible instead of letting his hero's complex kick in.
I have to let them know she's alright…
He felt nauseous at the thought of easing Potter's mind. Yet, he had no other choice.
Still, there was no way in hell he was directing the message to Potter.
After a lot of contemplating—and quite a few reminders that this was a necessary evil—he decided it would be safest to contact Granger. Beside the humiliation he would suffer at having to forge even the smallest, most inconsequential alliance with Potter, or Weasley, there was the added problem of their not believing him.
But Granger might—she, despite her rather arrogant and prissy manner—could be quite sensible of some things.
Not that she hadn't caused him grief—as a matter of fact, she was the one who usually acted upon her threats (his face still stung at times from the slap she'd given him in third year and her hexes were always the ones that hit home). But she'd be concerned about Ginny, and would more than likely listen to reason. She only attacked if provoked…and usually ended up stopping more encounters than participating in them.
He pulled out his quill pen, and scratched a few lines onto a parchment.
A wave of his wand ensured only Granger's eyes would see the note. She'd tell Potter, of course, and Weasley, but that was nothing compared to addressing something to them.
He picked the fastest owl in the aviary—his eagle owl was still at Hogwarts, of course—and send the letter off.
And hoped Potter had retained some of that arrogant self-importance to last through the night.
Harry toyed with the puff pastries on his plate. The rest of his dinner remained untouched.
Ginny was still missing, and there had been no sign or any word…a situation that had Ron near apoplexy. After they'd sent the owl to Professor Lupin, they'd waited almost half a day, hoping that he might know of somewhere Malfoy might have gone. But the Professor had checked almost all areas of the Department of Magical Creatures, and had come up empty handed.
"Sorry Harry," his letter had said, "There were no Floo entries, authorized or otherwise, in that Department…of course, there are some networks that are off limits, but there is no reason why they might have gone there…they wouldn't know how…if she hasn't turned up by tomorrow morning, please let me know. I think it would be best if Arthur, or Dumbledore, knew about this."
Harry had decided, finally, that they needed to tell Professor Dumbledore.
"We're never going to find them this way," he said to Ron. "At least Professor Dumbledore will know where to look…and what to do."
Ron had agreed with him.
Surprisingly, it had been Hermione who'd held back.
"Listen…she was in mortal peril. Now we know she's not. She's somewhere at the Ministry--but at least we know she's there. So there's really no reason why we should fear Ginny is in danger."
"You're right," Ron replied. "There's two reasons…first off, she's with Malfoy, and secondly, SHE'S WITH MALFOY! "
Hermione had crossed her arms. "If it were one of us, would you be quick to turn us in, or would you give us the benefit of the doubt? She's not even been missing a day. It seems rash to bother Professor Dumbledore with this right away."
"Right away? She's been missing a whole day! Plus, Ginny isn't exactly you. And I hardly think Malfoy qualifies as a Harry!"
"And what if they are all right? What will happen then? Grawp will be discovered!" Now that it appeared Ginny was safe, Hermione's attention had returned to protecting Hagrid and Grawp.
Ron tapped his foot wildly at this, but Hermione was unrelenting, and finally, convinced him to trust in Ginny—and wait just a few more hours.
"Until supper. Then, we tell Dumbledore!"
The rest of the day had gone without any hint of their whereabouts, although the professors didn't seem to get suspicious. None of the other Gryffindors, whether they were friendly with Harry or not, took it upon themselves to report Ginny's absence—most were too afraid of Ron for that—and had simply explained to the teachers that Ginny was sick. From what he could gather in the classes they shared, the Slytherins were doing the same with Malfoy. Harry couldn't be sure, but he thought he might have seen signs of worry on Pansy Parkinson's pug face.
Supper had brought sign of neither Malfoy nor Ginny.
Ron's fork tapped on his plate. Hermione glanced over at him, sighing.
"Come on, then."
Harry tossed aside his fork and scrambled for his books, Ron doing the same, only more quickly.
A large, beautiful tawny owl soared overhead, dropping a small roll of parchment on Hermione's plate as she lifted her satchel from under the table. She watched as it sailed away, then picked up the small roll of paper, looking confused.
"Who's that from?" said Harry.
Hermione shrugged as she pulled at the unstamped seal. "I'm not sure. I don't recognize the owl. Maybe its from Ginny!"
She unrolled the parchment, Ron and Harry eagerly watching her face.
With a gasp, she dropped her bag, her books spilling across the table and sending the remainder of her meal flying.
"What is it?" Ron cried, reaching across the table to snatch the note out of her hand. The moment he touched it, it dissolved into a fine gray ash, burning out similar to a Howler. Hermione's eyes sparkled in the superior manner that usually meant she'd discovered something no one else knew.
"Brilliant!"
She gathered her books haphazardly as Ron, Harry, and the rest of the Gryffindors, most of whom were covered in leftover puff pastry, potatoes and plum pudding, watched her open-mouthed.
She seemed to notice they were not moving, and reached over Neville to grab the back of Harry's robe and drag him to his feet.
"Come ON!" she hissed at Ron. "Ginny!"
Without another word, she marched out of the Great Hall, Ron and Harry scrambling along behind her.
"What is this all about? What about Ginny?" Ron cried as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room, which, thankfully, was empty.
"Who was the note from, Hermione?"
Hermione tossed her books aside, which was an indication of just how excited she was. Hermione highly disapproved of the mistreatment of books.
"M-Malfoy! That letter was from Malfoy!"
Harry and Ron stared at her.
Hermione ignored their blank looks and continued on. "He said…he said 'Ginny was with him, they were safe, and would be returning to Hogwarts shortly.'"
"That was all?" Harry said, after a few moments of silence.
"Well, it wasn't exactly like that…it was more like 'tell that knit Potter and that prat Weasley that his sister is safe and we'll be coming back soon and if you tell anyone, she might just not be."
"So she was with him…" Harry murmured.
"I don't believe this!" Ron cried. "He's telling us not to worry! What the bloody…"
"At least she's all right, Ron. And she'll be home soon."
"And you believe that?" Ron spat, whirling on Hermione. "You actually believe what Malfoy says?"
Hermione looked taken aback. "Well…wh-why not?"
"Because he's MALFOY! He can't be trusted! We've got to go and find them!"
"Starting where? Malfoy Manor?"
"If we have to!"
"Ron, calm down! Malfoy's got no reason to hurt Ginny." Hermione sat down on one of the stuffed settees. "Nor would he have reason to let us know that she's alright, unless he wanted to prevent us from worrying. He was concerned."
"Prevent us from worrying? Concerned!!?? "
"Hermione's right, in a way," Harry said, interrupting him before he could continue. "Malfoy wouldn't let us know—unless he had a reason."
"So you'll give him credit, now, right? He's the bloody saint, trying to save the world?"
"Of course not!" said Hermione. "He must be doing this to prevent our telling someone he and Ginny are missing."
"Which means he was up to no good."
"Whatever he was up to, Ginny's stopped him. They were in the Ministry, at some point, and now they're not. And there have been no Ministry Officials today, searching for Grawp. She must have stopped him, somehow." Hermione was beaming. "I guess she was right."
Ron looked at her quizzically. "Right about what?"
Hermione's smile disappeared. "N-nothing."
He started towards her. "What did Ginny tell you, Hermione?"
"Nothing."
"What was she right about? Did something happen between Malfoy and Ginny in the woods?"
"Ron…"
Ron eyed her as though he were really seeing her for the first time. "Is this really about Hagrid and Grawp? Or are you...you've been doing everything you could to make sure Malfoy didn't get into trouble this time around, haven't you? Are you protecting him?"
"Of course not!" Hermione yelled, rising. "I would never protect Malfoy! Its just…maybe…maybe things are different…he seems to act different…with…with Ginny."
Harry dropped the books he'd been holding, staring at Hermione in amazement. Ron looked as though he'd been punched.
"You think…you think…"
Hermione shook her head, retreating a few steps. "I'm not saying anything, Ron. Its just…the letter, everything…none of it makes sense, at least not where Malfoy is concerned. Perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt…or give Ginny the benefit of the doubt…after all, they've been away together...nothing bad's come about..."
Ron open and shut his mouth, goggling at her.
"Hermione," Harry rasped, "What exactly did Ginny tell you happened that night? Do you think…"
"Please," she wailed, "it's not like that…its just…I can't explain it, is all. This has all been so confusing, and there was no way to know, but since Ginny's safe…oh, please…you trust me, don't you?"
"No," Ron spat finally, casting Hermione a dark look. "I'm afraid that those feelings are reserved for those of us who are loyal to one another. I can't believe you'd even consider that! Or at least tell us if Ginny is up to something!"
"She's not up to something. But her feelings have to be considered too…"
She seemed to be making the situation go from bad to worse.
"FEELINGS? "
Harry glanced between the two of them.
Hermione's eyes were fearful. "Listen, Ron...it's just..."
"YOU LISTEN! THIS IS MY SISTER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS TO TRUST MALFOY! TRUST HIM!! I WANT TO KILL HIM!"
"Ron..." said Hermione, reaching out a hand to him. "Please..."
"GET OFF!" He pushed between them, storming through the portrait hole. They could hear the Fat Lady's errant remarks as she banged roughly against the wall.
Harry watched his friend march down the corridor, his face nearly as scarlet as his hair, as Hermione collapsed onto the sofa. Ron had grown irritated with both of them every now and again, but he rarely became this angry.
Perhaps this time, though, he had good reason.
"Hermione, how could you believe…"
"I know, Harry...but...there are things...there are things you don't know. Things neither you nor Ron..."
At the mention of his name, she burst into tears.
Harry stood over her awkwardly for a moment, then sat down beside her and patted her shoulder softly. After a few moments, she turned to him, her eyes red and her face splotchy.
"I wish I could tell you both what I know. But I can't...I made a promise I cannot break. I'm as worried about Ginny as anyone. But…we never really knew what happened…and H-Hagrid…" Fresh tears rose in her eyes, and Harry found himself, despite his better judgment, nodding his head.
"I trust you, Hermione. Don't worry...Ron will too. You just have to give him some time to get used...well, you just have to give him some time."
She nodded, wiping her eyes with her robes. "I know...but its just...hard..." She leaned over to gather up her books. "Things will be so much better when Ginny gets back and can explain all of this! Ron's not the only one who could strangle someone right now!"
Harry smiled. "Somehow, I don't think that will help out the situation much."
Hermione half-smiled, sniffling, as she pulled out her advanced Potions book. "I just hope Ginny gets back soon. And that what Malfoy wrote was the truth. Because if it wasn't, Ron's not going to get the chance to kill him."
Darkness was growing outside the windows of Malfoy Manor; Draco glanced again at the hourglass.
Eight o'clock. Even if Granger had received his owl, and taken him for his word, it wouldn't stop the rest of the Potterites from wondering where they were.
Tenny had returned only once, to check on Ginny, and report she was going to be quite well by this evening. To which he felt an unwanted amount of relief.
Criado, the youngest House Elf, had come at sunset (at Teenija's order, no doubt) to light the lamps and candelabra. He'd merely nodded and bowed at Draco, then lit the fire and disappeared with a crack.
Draco had received no word from his mother, which also began to worry him. If she decided to check up on him herself…
Ginny stirred slightly. He rose from his armchair by the fire and moved over to the bedside. There was a large bruise around the side of her face and down her neck, the aftereffects of his trying to help her.
This is my fault…
Bending over her, he brushed a few strands of her long, red-gold hair away from it.
A loud "bang" signaled the arrival of another House Elf.
"Mistress says the Floo is ready, Young Master. Mistress says Young Master is being here, and Kreacher is eagerly to see Young Master, heir to the noble line of Black, one of the few left who is worthy…"
Draco swung around; behind him, the House Elf Kreacher, whom he'd only heard of in passing from time to time because he was so useful a spy at the Black house, was wringing his hands and staring at Ginny with disgust.
And shock.
"A mudblood lover, yes, the same brat as was there before, the same as was polluting the house of my Mistress, my poor Mistress, if she knew the shame of such a brat, to be contaminating the noble House of Malfoy…Heir of the House of Black…"
With a great bang, he was gone.
Draco stared at the space where the House Elf had been, his mind whirling. Kreacher was supposedly loyal only to those who served the Dark Lord. And somehow, he knew Ginny, Ginny had stayed with him—in the Black House...
He'd known Potter was there, but the Weasleys?
"Ginny. Ginny, wake up!"
Ginny stirred once more.
"Get up!" Kreacher had such hatred for her in his face. There was only one place he could be going…
"GET UP, WEASLEY!"
Ginny's eyes snapped open. Draco rushed to the fireplace, using his wand to snuff the flames out.
"Hurry! Hurry, you have to get up!"
She was watching him in confusion, barely managing to sit up. The medicine appeared to have made her groggy, but Draco had little time to worry on that now.
"Get up! The Floo is ready, we need to get back to Hogwarts!"
"Wait a moment," she whispered, "I…"
"We don't have TIME!"
He lifted her in his arms, ignoring the pain in his chest, and moved as swiftly as he could to the fireplace. A leather bag of Floo Powder hung near the hearth.
"Can you stand?"
She reached for the mantelpiece. "Yes, I think so. Malfoy, what is this about?"
He undid the strings, heart racing. A larger quantity than he needed poured out into his hands, but he cared little. He shoved it at her.
"Here…hurry! Go to Slytherin…it's the only one that's open."
"What?"
"HURRY!"
She stared into his face for a moment, looking puzzled. The expression he wore must have been alarming, because she didn't question, and moved into the fireplace.
A figure materialized before them with a pop, and before it was even visible, had seized Ginny's outstretched hand, forcing her to drop the Floo Powder.
Bellatrix Lestrange yanked Ginny out of the fireplace, drawing the young girl close to her gaunt face.
"Well, well, well…what have we here?"
Harry found Ron soaring around the Quidditch pitch, despite the late hour—and the chance of getting caught.
It took him a few minutes to settle to the ground. Harry walked over to him.
"I borrowed the Firebolt."
"'s okay," Harry said.
"Can you believe what she said?" Ron said finally, after a few moments of silence.
"Hermione meant well, Ron. I don't think she wanted you to completely trust in Malfoy. She just didn't want you to worry."
"Not about that. I mean about Malfoy…and Ginny. The idea of…"
"That might not be true, mate. Hermione was basing it on something Ginny told her, but it can't be that serious. Ginny's hated Malfoy almost as long as you have."
"I know…but…" Ron sighed. "You know, when she came out of the forest, things were different. Both of them were different. You thought it was strange, right? When Malfoy wouldn't argue back?"
"So," Harry replied. "Malfoy's been cowed before—particularly by Ginny."
"But he's never run away. He usually shows up after he's been beaten—and uses it to come up with something fouler than normal. But this time—its was like he was afraid of her finding out…or of what she might do. Or of…upsetting her."
"Then good for Ginny. It's a sign that Malfoy is finally getting what he deserves."
"Or that he's changing." Ron looked disgusted at the thought. "I mean, come on! He gave up a chance to get you, Hermione, Hagrid AND Grawp into trouble…why? For Ginny? Any other time before, he would have cared less about getting caught in the forest after hours. And Snape would never have punished him."
"But Malfoy doesn't like to be embarrassed. He was saved by Ginny. That might have been enough to prevent him from talking."
"That's another thing. Being saved by Ginny. That's enough to be concerned about right there!" He buried his hands in his face. "I'm not supposed to worry about Ginny like this. She's supposed to be sensible…like Mum. She's the girl. She's not Fred and George…or Percy…or Bill."
"I don't recall anyone ever telling me that girls were sensible. And in a way, you're right," said Harry, sitting down next to him. "Ginny's not like any of you. She's Ginny. She's her own person. And she can make her own choices, whatever they might be."
"They're supposed to be sensible. Both girls and choices! And they're not supposed to have anything to do with Draco Malfoy!"
"Like Hermione said…give Ginny the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she'll surprise us all."
"She's seemed to do nothing but that lately…I'd hoped…"
"What?"
"I'd hoped she'd at least be rather boring in one area. She used to annoy us all, following you around all the time. But lately it hadn't seemed such a bad idea…"
Harry eyed him for a moment. "What…you think…Ginny and…I…?"
He started to laugh.
"Don't laugh, it isn't funny! I wouldn't have minded having you as around all the time…"
"Ron, I am around all the time. With the way your Mum goes on, I basically am a member of your family. Not that I mind," he added quickly. "In fact, I rather like it."
"I know…but still…at least you would have been…safe."
"Right. With Voldemort, the Death Eaters, Dementors, Giants, and Bellatrix Lestrange running about, trying to snuff out me and everyone else I'm close to? I'm the perfect choice."
"At least you're not related to her!"
"No. I'm not." He stood. "Come on. Let's get back to the Common Room. Its getting late, Ginny will probably be arriving at any moment, and Hermione will never get her homework done if you don't come back soon. And you know we'll have to hear about that in the morning."
They started to trudge back up to the castle. Harry hoped that wherever she was, Ginny wasn't facing anything near as dangerous as Bellatrix Lestrange.
"What are you protecting, Draco?" Bellatrix asked, flinging Ginny aside to the floor. Narcissa apparated a moment later, taking in the events before her with a confused expression.
"A friend of Potter's—and an enemy of the Dark Lord!"
"Draco?" asked his mother shakily, eyeing the Floo Powder in his hand, the remainder of which was scattered around Ginny's trembling form.
"She followed me," he said nervously. "But she ended up saving my life, mother."
"Saving your life?" mocked Bellatrix, pulling out her wand. "I remember you, little one…"
Ginny had backed up into the wall, but was staring at her defiantly.
Not now, he thought.
"I remember you well. They wanted to protect you…your little friends, so brave. But I guess they're not here, now."
She raised her wand.
"CRUCIO! "
Ginny's body contorted, her shrieks filling his chambers.
"STOP!"
Draco bolted across the room, snatching at his aunt's wand arm. She flung him off unceremoniously. He cried out, clutching at his stomach, as Ginny collapsed onto the floor, whimpering.
"What are you doing, Draco? "
His mother was watching them both in shock.
"You…you can't hurt her. They know she's here. Dumbledore knows she's here. If anything happens to her, you and my mother will both be sent to Azkaban."
His aunt eyed him in amusement. "Do you think I care what that withered old man thinks? I would like to see him try and catch me."
"You may not, Bella. But I do," said Narcissa, moving over to help Draco to his feet. "The only way Lucius and the others will be able to escape is if there is someone who can help them. If Dumbledore finds out I've been harboring you and others, then everything Lucius has worked for will be for naught. Beyond that," she pointed out, "I'm not keen on failing the Dark Lord again."
At this, Bellatrix's face darkened, and she stared at Ginny's trembling form hatefully. "It was their fault that the plan failed. Hers, and Potter's, and that mudblood and their friends. You," she raised her wand, pointing at Draco, "how do they know she's here?"
Narcissa moved swiftly between them. "You will not point your wand at my son, Bella."
"They don't know she's at the Manor. They know she's with me. But it won't take Dumbledore long to find us."
"It won't take him long to find you. But he'll never find her." Bellatrix stooped to grasp Ginny's arm, pulling her to her feet, and dragging her down the hallway. Ginny turned to look at him, her eyes filled with fear.
"Mother," Draco cried, "she can't hurt her."
Narcissa looked at him. "Don't worry, Draco. You won't get caught. The blame will fall to the Death Eaters. You sought refuge here, and your aunt surprised us all. If Dumbledore comes looking for her, then you've been as much a victim in this as she has."
He watched helplessly as his aunt dragged Ginny's whimpering form out of the rooms, down to the dungeons of the Manor.
I promised she wouldn't get hurt…
"CRUCIO!"
Ginny's screams echoed through the Manor. He turned, banging his fists against the walls, listening helplessly as his promise was broken over, and over, again.
**ouch! Sorry, another cliffy…get used to it, cuz you're gonna get a couple of really good ones! I'm getting to the meaty stuff now…the next chapter brings more of Bellatrix, a plot involving Hogwarts, and perhaps a little relief for Ron…if Malfoy can muster up the courage to save Ginny from his aunt!**
***Thanks to all who've reviewed, you've been a big help! The story's coming really well, but as many of you writers know, its sometimes hard to remember all that you've written as you write! I'm going back and editing as best I can, but I am as eager to get this out as you are to receive it. Forgive any errors of plot flow, I promise I'll correct them if I can!***
In the Halls of Malfoy Manor
"MOVE!"
Draco shoved Ginny away from him as the creature leapt forward. He barely managed to scramble backwards, away from the manticore's large, lion-like body, which landed where they had been. Ginny's trembling form was just to the other side of it, edging towards the door.
He scrambled to his feet, away from the creature, distracting its gaze. Although the manticore's head followed him, its large, spine tipped tail crashed down in the opposite direction, into the wall next to Ginny's head.
"Run!" he cried, and she slid out from underneath the pinioned tail to the entrance.
The manticore swung its large paws at Draco, snarling. He edged up against the wall, the sharp claws just missing the front of his robes.
Ginny had made it outside, but she was watching in horror as Draco struggled to get away from the manticore. The great beast ripped its tail out of the wall with an angry cry, and turned to face him.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he heard her cry.
What is she doing? Draco thought frantically. Charms don't WORK!
A small table, which had been settled in the far corner of the cabin, levitated in front of the manticore; with a slash Ginny sent it shooting forward into the creature's head.
The manticore howled in pain, one large paw rising to its human face. Blood poured between its claws. Draco cast about, looking for some way out of the cabin.
Over to his right, the pathway to the fireplace was clear. He still held the Floo Powder in his hand.
Just one good leap…that's all it would take. I'd be home in an instant.
Ginny was outside, motioning him to hurry. He watched her as she eyed the manticore, an anxious expression on her face.
He gritted his teeth, stuffed the powder into his shirt, and dodged around the creature, heading for the door.
The manticore was ready for him, this time.
He screamed as the manticore's long claws sunk into his chest, batting him backwards with incredible force. He slammed up against the walls, rattling the timbers, his head cracking against the hard wood.
Spots danced in front of his eyes, blurring the image of the beast, who placed a massive paw upon his aching chest. Its face was a mess of dried blood and dirt.
"This has gone on long enough."
Draco stared at the beast fiercely. It grinned at him, fanglike teeth baring from beneath the human lips.
Then, suddenly, it was jerked from behind.
Ginny had its tail grasped firmly between her two hands, her palms only inches away from its poison stinger. She braced against the wooden frame of the doorway.
"What are you doing?" Draco yelled.
"You are a pest and an annoyance!" the creature growled, snapping its tail in fury. Ginny's arms jerked forward and she yelped, tripping forward into the cabin. Sprawled on the floor, she could only look up helplessly as the manticore raised its tail, striking down towards her.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
A shower of silver and green sparks burst from Draco's wand and slammed into Ginny, propelling her toward the cabin door. Her head slammed into the frame, her body whipping about, and she lay, motionless, just beyond the reach of the manticore's tail.
Draco watched her unmoving body in horror.
The manticore laughed. "My way would have been much more painless and certainly less messy. But as you've killed her for me, at least now all I have to deal with is you."
Draco rose to his feet unsteadily, wincing in pain from the tears across his chest and stomach. He backed away and raised his wand.
"Then come and get me."
The beast narrowed its eyes, sat back on its haunches, and sprung towards him.
"CRUCIO!"
All of the anger, the pain, the hatred…all of the emotion he'd felt from the night before, and the sharp, unnerving ache he couldn't suppress at the sight of Ginny's crumpled body in the doorway…all of it channeled into the strength of his curse.
The spell hit the great creature full force; it fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
"No charm can touch you?" Draco's face twisted in hatred, and the creature continued to screech, its cries growing more high-pitched by the moment. "It appears this one can."
"Please," it screamed. "Please!"
The spell's intensity increased.
"Malfoy…"
"But as you've killed her for me…"
"Draco."
Draco glanced up, surprised. Ginny stood in the doorway, hanging by the doorframe and wobbling unsteadily on her feet.
"Stop."
The power faded from Draco's wand.
The manticore collapsed, its body tremoring from the attack. With a whimper it settled to the ground.
Ginny moved over beside him, placing one hand on his wand. "Even if it did attack us…it's still a living creature. It doesn't deserve this."
"Doesn't deserve this?" he spluttered. "It…it tried to kill us both."
"Nothing deserves to die like that. Except maybe Voldemort."
"I was not going to kill it. I didn't even know if the curse would work."
"But it did."
Her face looked so sorrowful, he had to turn away.
"I know how to use the Forbidden curses. That is something I was taught long ago. What's wrong with it?"
Ginny half-smiled, but her face was still mournful as she glanced down at the Manticore, which lay completely still. "Besides the fact that they are Forbidden?"
Draco shook his head. No matter what the situation, she always managed to make him feel guilty, somehow, at being who he was. "That has been a tradition passed down in the Malfoy family for generations. We learn all of the Dark Arts—and all the countercurses to defend against them. In a way, it protects us, and defines us."
Her earlier words rang in his ears, even as he spoke his last ones. You are not your father…yet…
Ginny didn't respond
Draco removed the Floo powder. For some reason, he didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. "We should get back, before that thing regains its strength."
"Then let's go. All I want to do is get back to Hogwarts."
"We cannot go to Hogwarts," Draco said. "The Floo's been closed."
"How were you expecting to get back, then?" Ginny said.
"I was going to return home. My mother can speak with the person at the Ministry who can reopen the Floo Network into Hogwarts."
"Absolutely not!" Ginny cried, then staggered. She leaned back against the wall for support. Her voice was much quieter than before. "I'm not going to Malfoy Manor."
"What are you going to do then? Sit around here and wait until someone finds you? There's just enough powder for both of us to make a joint trip."
"My father always says that if there is enough for two in one, then there's enough for two in two."
"Do you want to test his wisdom?" Draco shook the bag in front of her, where less than a handful of the sparkling green dust remained. "You want to chance one of us getting stuck out here, in we don't even know where, hoping the other will be able to find us again? Because if that is the case, you can wait on me. With that." He gestured to the manticore.
Ginny eyed the scant portion, and sighed. "Alright then. You can come home with me…to the Burrow."
Draco snorted. "To your home? What will we do there? Fling about the garden gnomes while that half-dead bird of yours tries to notify Hogwarts in less than a year?"
Ginny's face turned as red as her hair. "After what you told me about your family, what makes you think I'll be safe? I might as well stay with the Manticore."
"As you have been so quick to point out, my father's gone. And my mother's not like him," he retorted, "at least not directly, if that's what you're afraid of."
"Among other things. I've seen firsthand what your family is capable of."
Draco placed a hand to his head in frustration. "Look! Gin—Weasley, nothing is going to happen to you over there. I promise."
"And I should trust you…why?"
"Because I owe you," Draco huffed, then winced. When he raised his hand, there was blood staining it. "I owe you my life—the least I can do is offer you some protection."
"Your life?"
He gestured to the manticore. "If you hadn't grabbed it, it would have killed me."
She looked slightly taken aback. "You didn't abandon me either. I know you could have escaped, earlier."
Draco felt his cheeks flush. "We've already called a truce. We can just extend it a bit."
Her eyebrow raised. "You went back on the truce—with the Floo powder."
Another flush, this time, of shame. "I can guarantee my word." He removed his Prefect's badge from his robes, gritting his teeth as another wave of pain burned through his body, and slid it into her hand.
"Your Prefect's badge? Why…why should I trust this?" she was starting to gasp, and her face looked pale.
He stared at her for a moment, his gray eyes somber. "Because it's the only thing I've ever earned of which my father was proud. There's no way to distinguish who's top when Dumbledore awards a Prefect position. All my father knew was that I was one of the best…as good as Granger—and better than Potter. And that, for once, was enough."
Ginny's hand closed about the badge, and she lowered her head for a moment before nodding. "Very well. To Malfoy Manor it is."
He stepped into the fireplace. She moved unsteadily from the wall, wobbling a bit, and stood next to him, using his shoulder for support. He dropped the powder into the grating.
"Malfoy Manor."
In a flash, they were gone.
The Divination classroom was empty of students, as Harry knew it would be.
He, Ron and Hermione had agreed that a letter to Fred and George would probably be safest. Having the twins drop in on the Burrow wouldn't be too surprising for Mrs. Weasley, and would allow one of the two of them to spy on the Weasley's enchanted clock for Ginny's whereabouts.
He only hoped Mrs. Weasley hadn't noticed.
Hermione had sent the letter with Hedwig the evening before, looking a little sad when she returned from the Owlery. She'd avoided Ron's eye the rest of the evening, and the three of them had gone to bed with hardly a word. Ron's snores, which Hermione had imitated so well the night before, were absent.
The next morning, they'd gotten a note telling them to be in the Divination classroom around 9 o'clock. Ron seemed to have cooled off slightly, and he was at least civil to Hermione again.
"They'd better be quick," Hermione huffed as they sat in front of the fireplace, waiting. "I've got Advanced Arithmancy in half an hour!"
Harry and Ron both ignored her.
Harry hadn't thought to ask how the twins had managed to find a Floo into Hogwarts, but he knew better than to inquire, given their connections (Mrs. Weasley still had a sinking suspicion about their being involved in Mundungus Fletcher's latest scheme.) But somehow, they'd managed it, because a few moments later the fireplace roared to life, and a red head popped up in the green flames—and then another. Hermione leapt back from where she'd been sitting as Harry and Ron moved forward, greeting the twins.
"I'll never get used to that," she muttered.
"Hiya Harry, Ron, Hermione," said Fred.
"Hiya Hermione, Ron, Harry," said George.
"Did you find anything?" Ron asked eagerly.
"We checked on the clock at home. Ginny's at the Ministry of Magic."
"WHAT?"
George shrugged, or at least would have if he'd had shoulders. "That's what the clock said. At least in the beginning. Then the hand went to "Mortal Peril," which worried us a bit, then then it went to "traveling, then, it rejoined Dad's at Work." So she's at the Ministry, somewhere. And she was in Mortal Peril--though she isn't now."
"Mortal Peril?" Ron squeaked.
"The Ministry...what would Malfoy be doing there?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Well—the Department of Magical Creatures is there, of course," returned Hermione. " What else would he be doing but reporting on Hagrid and Grawp?"
"For twelve hours? " Fred scoffed.
Hermione chose to ignore that. "Did Mrs. Weasley notice anything?"
"Well, she did seem to think it a little strange that we'd come home. But we just told her we missed her cooking—'s hard to get a square meal in Diagon Alley—and she started crying and hugged us a lot and fed us three servings of breakfast. But I don't think she noticed the clock."
"She's been a bit busy, you know, with the Order of the Phoenix, and all. Still won't tell us what she's about with it, but she's not at home as much anymore."
"Anyways, we enchanted it so that it looks like Ginny's at Hogwarts, with Ron."
"Thanks," said Harry. "That will make things a lot easier."
"What's Ginny up to, anyhow?" asked George. Harry, Ron and Hermione had agreed not to let the twins know any of the events that had occurred in the Dark Forest, or about the agreement she'd seemed to make with Malfoy.
"That's what we'd like to know," said Harry. "We haven't the foggiest what she might be doing with Malfoy. Keeping an eye on him, we hope. But we just want to make sure she's safe and all."
"She's with Malfoy—how safe can she be?" said Fred.
"That's what I said!" Ron cried, throwing his hands up. "See, Hermione? Mortal Peril!"
Hermione looked at him curtly, but chose not to respond. "Is there any way for you to check and see where Ginny might be at the Ministry?"
"Well, we might, but we're rather unpopular at the Ministry right now. The Magical Altering Ink we created was a big hit in the secretarial pools, and from what I understand a few bottles got mixed up and it caused a lot of memos and documents and such to get switched…"
"…and a lot of false laws to get proposed. And a few passed. Seems we must all submit five forms of identification to enter a Chudley Cannons Quidditch match."
"And Halloween's become a "muggle-dress-up" day."
"And Dragons under twenty-five feet long can now be kept as house pets."
"And leather pants must be worn soapy."
"And every second Tuesday of the month, the Minister of Magic must come out to the fountain in the square and sing 'God Save the Queen' in flowered underpants and a top hat."
"It was really a mess; the Ministry Officials and some of the others have been trying to sort it out for weeks."
"How did the ink get switched?" Harry asked.
"Dunno. But if they do decide to trace it back, they might find that it originated in a certain office of a certain junior assistant who also happens to be a certain backstabbing brother."
"Not that we meant for it to cause problems," Fred grinned.
"At least not for everybody else."
"Well, if you hear anything on Ginny, let us know."
"Same goes for you. Take care of yourself, Harry. And don't let Ginny worry you too much, Ron. After all, she is our sister."
Their twin freckled faces disappeared into the flames, and after a few moments, the fireplace went dark.
"That's why I'm worried," muttered Ron.
Hermione looked perplexed. "So what do we do now?"
"Maybe we can write to one of the Order. Someone who works in the Ministry…and someone who won't tell my Dad."
"Professor Lupin might be able to help," suggested Harry. "He doesn't directly work for the ministry, but he knows a lot of people there, particularly in the Department of Magical Creatures. And I think he can keep a secret, so long as it isn't for too long."
"Fine, then I'll send a note with Pig…" Ron paused for a moment at the little owl's name—Ginny had named it, after all. "…I'll send a note with Pig for him to check around. Hopefully, he'll find something that'll let us know where they've been."
Draco coughed roughly, stepping out of the shower of ash and smoke that had signaled their arrival to his home. There was a dead weight on his left-hand side; it was causing his chest to throb fiercely.
Ginny had fainted sometime during the trip. He didn't remember catching her, but he must have at some point because he had his arms wrapped around her.
He felt uncomfortable and rather guilty that his well-planned excursion had come to this. It was his fault that she'd suffered such injuries in the Vivarium. The memory of her body smashing into the doorframe of the cabin...the sickening crack her head had made against the wood…it replayed over and over in his mind.
He'd only intended to get her out of reach of the manticore's tail, but somehow, he'd misjudged her position, or the door, or the power of the spell…he'd been too desperate to think clearly, and she'd ended up like this.
But what was bothering him more was what had been bothering him ever since the manticore first attacked—no, from the evening before, with the giant…
He actually cared. He cared that he'd caused her pain, and that he'd hurt her. He cared that she'd been hurt.
He lifted Ginny's body in his arms, the claw marks in his chest burning. He had no idea where his mother was, or who else might be occupying the house, but if there was anyone here, they wouldn't take kindly to the presence of a Weasley. His suite of rooms would be safest.
He walked slowly up the stairs, Ginny's hair draped over his shoulder, her head lolling softly against him.
He wasn't a completely unfeeling person—things worried or bothered him the same as they worried and bothered others. It was a misconception among the others about those in Slytherin. But this was different. She was one of the people he should hate the most—she was one of the people he hated the most—but now, he couldn't hate her, no matter how he tried. It seemed strange, that such powerful feelings could change over the course of one day.
Especially when his feelings for the others she knew hadn't changed. If Potter died tomorrow, he wouldn't shed a tear.
One day…
Or had it been that?
He remembered Flourish and Blotts: "Leave him alone, he doesn't deserve all that! " Even at eleven, she'd been able to stand up to him. And after that…from events on the train to that Bat Bogey Hex…particularly last year…
He frowned, shifting her rather roughly in his arms. The sooner they got to Hogwarts, the better. Then, he could get back to Slytherin where everything was normal and made sense. And where he could hate Weasley, Potter, her brother and all the rest of their little gang in peace.
Ginny stirred slightly. He watched her face for a moment, then gently raised her head to lay on the soft part of his shoulder.
His suite of rooms was near the top of the staircase, and exactly as he remembered them from the holidays. His letters from Hogwarts had been lain aside the desk in his study; his old broomsticks hung neatly in a row on the walls of his bedroom. His bureau was beginning to gather a thin film of dust; Mother had probably spared the House Elves this little bit of cleaning in favor of the more important rooms.
He lay Ginny on the green and silver brocade bed clothes, the pulled on one of the five strings hanging over the side table. In one moment, a sharp crack announced the arrival of the tiny Teenija, the eldest House Elf of the Malfoy family.
"M-master Draco! Has you returned so soon, sir?" she glanced nervously about the room, eyeing the dust with trepidation.
"Don't worry about the room, Tenny. Can you have a look at this girl? She needs to be checked for injuries."
"Tenny will have a looks for young Master, sir, of course, sir."
"And where is my mother?"
"Tenny believes that the Mistress is in her study, sir…she is there quite a bit, sir, with her guests."
"Guests?" Draco moved to the door, pausing to watch as the Elf began to examine Ginny. "What guests does she have?"
"Tenny is not being allowed to know, sir, on account of Dobby, sir."
Draco frowned at the mention of the old house elf. "Why not?"
"Mistress does not trust House Elves, young master, sir."
Tenny said no more, but went back to examining Ginny. Draco raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her. He didn't have the time or the desire, whatever her opinion on Dobby or the family might be.
"I'm going to find mother, Tenny. Don't tell anyone this girl is here. If she needs more serious treatment, come and find me first."
Tenny turned to glance over at him, her large eyes widening slightly. "Yes, sir. Tenny tells no one. But what of young master's injuries?"
Draco glanced down at his robes; there were dried patches of red visible on his tie, as well as the white shirt he wore underneath his robes. "I'll take care of that later. Just look after the girl."
"Yes sir."
He sauntered down the hall, loosening his tie. His chest still ached, much more fiercely then he'd let on to Tenny, but he could let Madam Pomfrey look it over when he returned to Hogwarts.
The sooner he got to Hogwarts, and away from Ginny Weasley, the better.
His mother's study was on the far side of the mansion, away from the traffic of the main floors. It extended down through three levels, containing a massive library alongside a cozy, well-lit sitting room. Draco entered through the upper doors, peering over the balcony at the stuffed cushions on the lowest level. His mother wasn't there, meaning she was probably in the room that was attached to it, where her writing desk was.
He took his time down the winding staircases, holding tightly to the rails for support. He'd really have to see Madam Pomfrey.
"Mother?"
He knocked on the doorway to the Writing room, his gaze passing across the numerous volumes that rose three stories above his head. Almost every book ever written in the wizarding world was contained here. And he'd read many of them, though nowhere near all.
The doors swung open behind him.
"Draco?"
Narcissa Malfoy gazed at him for a moment, then enveloped him in a hug, causing him to grunt slightly in pain. She released him, looking over him concernedly.
"What happened to you? I thought you were supposed to return last night!"
"I was…delayed." He doubled over, holding to his chest. "Ran into a little Floo problem."
"Floo Problem! What, did it take you to the wrong destination? I'll have words with that Roget, I swear."
"Perhaps you should. His connections aren't as secure as they should be."
"My poor Draco. Did you have Tenny look at that?" she winced as she peeled back his robes.
"I'll have Madam Pomfrey look it over when I get back. I just want to get to Hogwarts, Mother. I've been gone far longer than anticipated."
His mother straightened. "Of course. You just tell Madam Pomfrey that you hurt yourself working for that mudblood loving half-giant's poor excuse for a class. I can't believe Dumbledore still keeps him around." She was fishing around in one of her cabinets. "But, I'm certain that won't last for long, after what you told them in the Department of Magical Creatures."
"Actually," Draco flushed. "I didn't make it to the Being division…or anywhere else, for that matter."
Narcissa pulled out a flask of alcohol, wetting a small cloth with it. "Why not?"
"It is a long story, mother. I'd rather not…"
"Fine. Don't tell me anything. You are just like your father, sometimes…"
You're not your father, yet…
"OUCH!"
"Don't whine," said his mother, wiping up the areas around the wounds. "This needs to be checked over again by Madam Pomfrey, of course, but this will help."
"So," she sighed, placing the alcohol back in the cupboard and coming over to stand in front of him. "You've not succeeded in getting rid of Hagrid after all?"
"No," he gasped, trying to ignore the stinging, "at least not today."
"He really IS like his father, then. A failure," rang a voice from the upstairs hall. They hadn't heard the visitor enter, but Draco knew that voice almost as well as he knew his own. He'd heard it in echoes, in passing, for almost the whole of his life. And in person for the last six months.
A graceful, gaunt figure descended the staircases, moving towards them. The face would have been beautiful, had it not been hollowed and sunken, from thirteen years of confinement in the coldest, most soulless place in existence.
"You've got to work on your form, Draco. Otherwise, you will end up like your father." Bellatrix Lestrange watched him coyly, a wicked grin shadowing her face.
Draco turned. "Hello, Aunt Belle."
There was a gentle humming that filled the room.
"Mum…?"
As Ginny's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she found herself wrapped in a large brocade quilt, embroidered with silver and green. Overhead, a curtained green canopy draped lightly over ebony wooden posts. The rest of the room was rather dark and dreary, and the one small window on the eastern side let in very little sunlight.
Her head ached fiercely; she remembered flying away from someone, and banging into something incredibly hard. There had been a manticore, too…and the Floo…and…
"Malfoy!"
She sat up swiftly, and the room swam.
"Miss must not do this, she hurts herself even more," said a kindly voice. To her right, Ginny could just make out the small, withered form of a female House Elf.
"Who…who are you? Where am I?"
"I am Tenny, Miss. You is in Master Draco's bedroom, where the young master brought you, Miss, so Tenny is looking after you."
"Where he brought me? Malfoy?"
"Yes, Miss. Young master takes quite a bit of care with the young Miss." Tenny looked somewhat slyly at Ginny, and she felt herself blush.
"I don't know why. We hate each other."
"Yes Miss. But all the same, young master told Tenny to looks after you, and to not tell the Mistress of the Manor that you was here, Miss. Master Draco said he was finding a way back to Hogwarts, Miss."
Ginny leaned back against the pillows, puzzled. Malfoy was appearing to be…civil. And this House Elf…she didn't appear to fear him as much as Dobby had. At least, she spoke of Draco without trembling.
"You belong to the Malfoy family?"
"Yes, Miss."
"Then…you must have known Dobby?"
Tenny's face changed. "Tenny is not allowed to be speaking of Dobby, Miss. Else she will have to punish herself severely, Miss."
Ginny was well aware of what punishments Dobby had inflicted upon himself as a servant of the Malfoys. "It's alright then, Tenny. Don't punish yourself."
Ginny watched the seemingly kindly House Elf as she bustled about the room, mixing a few different potion bottles into a goblet. "Are you a nursemaid here, Tenny?"
"Tenny watches after the Malfoy children, Miss. She is watching after master Lucius when he was a lad, and she is watching over Master Draco now, Miss. Please, drink this."
She handed Ginny the goblet, which smelled like sulfur and rotten tomatoes.
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "What is it?"
"Tenny knows a bit about medicines, Miss. This will help you sleep, and help your head, Miss."
"I don't really care to go back to sleep, Tenny."
"You must, Miss, if you are to be healing. Just for a little while. Tenny promises, nothing will happen to young Miss while she is being watching. Tenny does not think Master Draco allows for it, Miss."
This time Ginny's face grew as red as her hair. "Thank…thank you, Tenny."
She sipped the potion, which was surprisingly good, given its smell. Almost immediately, she began to feel heavy, and her head slipped back onto the soft brocaded pillow.
"Tenny is uncertain," she could hear the House Elf droning softly, "but Tenny believes the young Miss is having affecting on Master Draco. He treats Tenny with respect. Tenny…Tenny might have to iron her hands after saying so, but Tenny is glad…very glad…for this."
The world went peaceful, and dark.
"What is she doing here?" Draco asked, turning back to his mother.
"Tsk, tsk, widdle nephew. Are you not happy to see your aunt?"
"Not when it might mean getting my mother caught. If Dumbledore comes looking for her, Mother, then you might end up getting sent to Azkaban. It's bad enough having one parent in there."
"Don't worry, Draco. Kreacher keeps us updated as to Dumbledore's whereabouts, for the most part. Besides that, Dumbledore has yet to set foot in Malfoy Manor, and he won't do so now."
Draco was unconvinced. "After what she did to Potter? I think he'd have a good enough reason."
"Potter," spat his aunt, her face growing grotesque, "didn't get half of what he deserved."
"I don't disagree with you, Aunt," said Draco. "Yet, he did survive, and thanks to you, he's even more annoying than he was before. He's determined to save the world, and get revenge for Sirius Black. And the Slytherins have had to be extra careful in dealing with him.
"Beyond that, because of Father, the name of Malfoy doesn't go very far with anyone in the wizarding world anymore. If they find out you're here, I guarantee you Dumbledore's little army will be at the Manor within a day."
"And who would tell them, Draco? You?"
"Of course not. No one," he added, perhaps more quickly than he should.
Bellatrix eyed him shrewdly.
"Your Aunt won't be staying for much longer," said his Mother. "She's just using our connections to finalize some plans. And we've been particularly careful, considering that it's almost certain Dumbledore is having the Manor watched. Now go on upstairs."
"And the Floo?"
"I'll contact Roget and have him re-open one of the old networks into Hogwarts so you can go back. It'll take a few hours, but you should be back before sunset."
"Very well, Mother. If you need me, just send Tenny or one of the others to me and I'll come."
Narcissa nodded. He walked past Bellatrix with a defiant look; she continued to eye him warily, and he grimaced as soon as he'd passed her.
The last thing he needed was for his aunt to suspect anything.
Then, he thought grimly, I wouldn't have to worry about Ginny at all. She wouldn't just be forgotten…
She'd be dead.
Tenny was still bustling about his suite when he returned; in his bedroom, Ginny was sleeping peacefully.
"How is she, Tenny?"
"The young Miss is being rather badly hurt, sir, but Tenny is giving her a good medicine, and she becomes much better in a few hours, sir."
"Will she be able to travel?"
"Tenny is believing it is not being best for her to travel anytime soon, sir, but she would perhaps be able to if young master is needing to go…for young Miss's protection, sir."
Draco eyed the House Elf in surprise. She had been around for as long as he had been living, but she'd never voiced her opinion quite so plainly.
Even Tenny seemed to realize she'd spoken out of turn. "Tenny is sorry," she rasped fearfully, "Tenny will go and give herself a beating, sir."
He normally never cared about the comings and goings of the House Elves, but a little voice inside him, which sounded peculiarly like Ginny, forced him to raise his hand. "That's not necessary, Tenny. Just keep me updated on where my mother's…er…guests are, if you can…and who else might visit the manor tonight. The "young Miss" will have to leave when I do. But you will have to punish yourself—severely—if anyone finds out that she is here," he added imperiously.
"Yes, thanks to Master Draco, sir. Tenny does as you command."
With a small "crack" she was gone.
Draco pulled off his robe and lay it on one of the chairs, then leaned against the wall, watching Ginny as she slept. The hourglass atop his bureau told him it had been nearly eighteen hours since they left Hogwarts—which meant they'd been gone far longer than he'd anticipated.
The Slytherins knew he would be missing for some time, and had come up with a plan to avoid his being discovered. Pansy would tell Professor Snape the same thing she told him yesterday—that Draco remained ill—and Professor Snape would pass along that information to the rest of the teachers.
Ginny, however, was another matter.
There was no doubt that Potter and her prat of a brother, Weasley, would be worried about her. What concerned Draco was that with her continued absence, they might consider doing something rash—like telling Dumbledore. In doing so, they would probably have sniffed out something about her being with him—Potter was pretty good at deducing things like that—which could get all of them in serious trouble if they were caught.
Setting up the Floo might take another few hours. That was time Draco did not have, especially if goody-goody Potter decided to be sensible instead of letting his hero's complex kick in.
I have to let them know she's alright…
He felt nauseous at the thought of easing Potter's mind. Yet, he had no other choice.
Still, there was no way in hell he was directing the message to Potter.
After a lot of contemplating—and quite a few reminders that this was a necessary evil—he decided it would be safest to contact Granger. Beside the humiliation he would suffer at having to forge even the smallest, most inconsequential alliance with Potter, or Weasley, there was the added problem of their not believing him.
But Granger might—she, despite her rather arrogant and prissy manner—could be quite sensible of some things.
Not that she hadn't caused him grief—as a matter of fact, she was the one who usually acted upon her threats (his face still stung at times from the slap she'd given him in third year and her hexes were always the ones that hit home). But she'd be concerned about Ginny, and would more than likely listen to reason. She only attacked if provoked…and usually ended up stopping more encounters than participating in them.
He pulled out his quill pen, and scratched a few lines onto a parchment.
A wave of his wand ensured only Granger's eyes would see the note. She'd tell Potter, of course, and Weasley, but that was nothing compared to addressing something to them.
He picked the fastest owl in the aviary—his eagle owl was still at Hogwarts, of course—and send the letter off.
And hoped Potter had retained some of that arrogant self-importance to last through the night.
Harry toyed with the puff pastries on his plate. The rest of his dinner remained untouched.
Ginny was still missing, and there had been no sign or any word…a situation that had Ron near apoplexy. After they'd sent the owl to Professor Lupin, they'd waited almost half a day, hoping that he might know of somewhere Malfoy might have gone. But the Professor had checked almost all areas of the Department of Magical Creatures, and had come up empty handed.
"Sorry Harry," his letter had said, "There were no Floo entries, authorized or otherwise, in that Department…of course, there are some networks that are off limits, but there is no reason why they might have gone there…they wouldn't know how…if she hasn't turned up by tomorrow morning, please let me know. I think it would be best if Arthur, or Dumbledore, knew about this."
Harry had decided, finally, that they needed to tell Professor Dumbledore.
"We're never going to find them this way," he said to Ron. "At least Professor Dumbledore will know where to look…and what to do."
Ron had agreed with him.
Surprisingly, it had been Hermione who'd held back.
"Listen…she was in mortal peril. Now we know she's not. She's somewhere at the Ministry--but at least we know she's there. So there's really no reason why we should fear Ginny is in danger."
"You're right," Ron replied. "There's two reasons…first off, she's with Malfoy, and secondly, SHE'S WITH MALFOY! "
Hermione had crossed her arms. "If it were one of us, would you be quick to turn us in, or would you give us the benefit of the doubt? She's not even been missing a day. It seems rash to bother Professor Dumbledore with this right away."
"Right away? She's been missing a whole day! Plus, Ginny isn't exactly you. And I hardly think Malfoy qualifies as a Harry!"
"And what if they are all right? What will happen then? Grawp will be discovered!" Now that it appeared Ginny was safe, Hermione's attention had returned to protecting Hagrid and Grawp.
Ron tapped his foot wildly at this, but Hermione was unrelenting, and finally, convinced him to trust in Ginny—and wait just a few more hours.
"Until supper. Then, we tell Dumbledore!"
The rest of the day had gone without any hint of their whereabouts, although the professors didn't seem to get suspicious. None of the other Gryffindors, whether they were friendly with Harry or not, took it upon themselves to report Ginny's absence—most were too afraid of Ron for that—and had simply explained to the teachers that Ginny was sick. From what he could gather in the classes they shared, the Slytherins were doing the same with Malfoy. Harry couldn't be sure, but he thought he might have seen signs of worry on Pansy Parkinson's pug face.
Supper had brought sign of neither Malfoy nor Ginny.
Ron's fork tapped on his plate. Hermione glanced over at him, sighing.
"Come on, then."
Harry tossed aside his fork and scrambled for his books, Ron doing the same, only more quickly.
A large, beautiful tawny owl soared overhead, dropping a small roll of parchment on Hermione's plate as she lifted her satchel from under the table. She watched as it sailed away, then picked up the small roll of paper, looking confused.
"Who's that from?" said Harry.
Hermione shrugged as she pulled at the unstamped seal. "I'm not sure. I don't recognize the owl. Maybe its from Ginny!"
She unrolled the parchment, Ron and Harry eagerly watching her face.
With a gasp, she dropped her bag, her books spilling across the table and sending the remainder of her meal flying.
"What is it?" Ron cried, reaching across the table to snatch the note out of her hand. The moment he touched it, it dissolved into a fine gray ash, burning out similar to a Howler. Hermione's eyes sparkled in the superior manner that usually meant she'd discovered something no one else knew.
"Brilliant!"
She gathered her books haphazardly as Ron, Harry, and the rest of the Gryffindors, most of whom were covered in leftover puff pastry, potatoes and plum pudding, watched her open-mouthed.
She seemed to notice they were not moving, and reached over Neville to grab the back of Harry's robe and drag him to his feet.
"Come ON!" she hissed at Ron. "Ginny!"
Without another word, she marched out of the Great Hall, Ron and Harry scrambling along behind her.
"What is this all about? What about Ginny?" Ron cried as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room, which, thankfully, was empty.
"Who was the note from, Hermione?"
Hermione tossed her books aside, which was an indication of just how excited she was. Hermione highly disapproved of the mistreatment of books.
"M-Malfoy! That letter was from Malfoy!"
Harry and Ron stared at her.
Hermione ignored their blank looks and continued on. "He said…he said 'Ginny was with him, they were safe, and would be returning to Hogwarts shortly.'"
"That was all?" Harry said, after a few moments of silence.
"Well, it wasn't exactly like that…it was more like 'tell that knit Potter and that prat Weasley that his sister is safe and we'll be coming back soon and if you tell anyone, she might just not be."
"So she was with him…" Harry murmured.
"I don't believe this!" Ron cried. "He's telling us not to worry! What the bloody…"
"At least she's all right, Ron. And she'll be home soon."
"And you believe that?" Ron spat, whirling on Hermione. "You actually believe what Malfoy says?"
Hermione looked taken aback. "Well…wh-why not?"
"Because he's MALFOY! He can't be trusted! We've got to go and find them!"
"Starting where? Malfoy Manor?"
"If we have to!"
"Ron, calm down! Malfoy's got no reason to hurt Ginny." Hermione sat down on one of the stuffed settees. "Nor would he have reason to let us know that she's alright, unless he wanted to prevent us from worrying. He was concerned."
"Prevent us from worrying? Concerned!!?? "
"Hermione's right, in a way," Harry said, interrupting him before he could continue. "Malfoy wouldn't let us know—unless he had a reason."
"So you'll give him credit, now, right? He's the bloody saint, trying to save the world?"
"Of course not!" said Hermione. "He must be doing this to prevent our telling someone he and Ginny are missing."
"Which means he was up to no good."
"Whatever he was up to, Ginny's stopped him. They were in the Ministry, at some point, and now they're not. And there have been no Ministry Officials today, searching for Grawp. She must have stopped him, somehow." Hermione was beaming. "I guess she was right."
Ron looked at her quizzically. "Right about what?"
Hermione's smile disappeared. "N-nothing."
He started towards her. "What did Ginny tell you, Hermione?"
"Nothing."
"What was she right about? Did something happen between Malfoy and Ginny in the woods?"
"Ron…"
Ron eyed her as though he were really seeing her for the first time. "Is this really about Hagrid and Grawp? Or are you...you've been doing everything you could to make sure Malfoy didn't get into trouble this time around, haven't you? Are you protecting him?"
"Of course not!" Hermione yelled, rising. "I would never protect Malfoy! Its just…maybe…maybe things are different…he seems to act different…with…with Ginny."
Harry dropped the books he'd been holding, staring at Hermione in amazement. Ron looked as though he'd been punched.
"You think…you think…"
Hermione shook her head, retreating a few steps. "I'm not saying anything, Ron. Its just…the letter, everything…none of it makes sense, at least not where Malfoy is concerned. Perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt…or give Ginny the benefit of the doubt…after all, they've been away together...nothing bad's come about..."
Ron open and shut his mouth, goggling at her.
"Hermione," Harry rasped, "What exactly did Ginny tell you happened that night? Do you think…"
"Please," she wailed, "it's not like that…its just…I can't explain it, is all. This has all been so confusing, and there was no way to know, but since Ginny's safe…oh, please…you trust me, don't you?"
"No," Ron spat finally, casting Hermione a dark look. "I'm afraid that those feelings are reserved for those of us who are loyal to one another. I can't believe you'd even consider that! Or at least tell us if Ginny is up to something!"
"She's not up to something. But her feelings have to be considered too…"
She seemed to be making the situation go from bad to worse.
"FEELINGS? "
Harry glanced between the two of them.
Hermione's eyes were fearful. "Listen, Ron...it's just..."
"YOU LISTEN! THIS IS MY SISTER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS TO TRUST MALFOY! TRUST HIM!! I WANT TO KILL HIM!"
"Ron..." said Hermione, reaching out a hand to him. "Please..."
"GET OFF!" He pushed between them, storming through the portrait hole. They could hear the Fat Lady's errant remarks as she banged roughly against the wall.
Harry watched his friend march down the corridor, his face nearly as scarlet as his hair, as Hermione collapsed onto the sofa. Ron had grown irritated with both of them every now and again, but he rarely became this angry.
Perhaps this time, though, he had good reason.
"Hermione, how could you believe…"
"I know, Harry...but...there are things...there are things you don't know. Things neither you nor Ron..."
At the mention of his name, she burst into tears.
Harry stood over her awkwardly for a moment, then sat down beside her and patted her shoulder softly. After a few moments, she turned to him, her eyes red and her face splotchy.
"I wish I could tell you both what I know. But I can't...I made a promise I cannot break. I'm as worried about Ginny as anyone. But…we never really knew what happened…and H-Hagrid…" Fresh tears rose in her eyes, and Harry found himself, despite his better judgment, nodding his head.
"I trust you, Hermione. Don't worry...Ron will too. You just have to give him some time to get used...well, you just have to give him some time."
She nodded, wiping her eyes with her robes. "I know...but its just...hard..." She leaned over to gather up her books. "Things will be so much better when Ginny gets back and can explain all of this! Ron's not the only one who could strangle someone right now!"
Harry smiled. "Somehow, I don't think that will help out the situation much."
Hermione half-smiled, sniffling, as she pulled out her advanced Potions book. "I just hope Ginny gets back soon. And that what Malfoy wrote was the truth. Because if it wasn't, Ron's not going to get the chance to kill him."
Darkness was growing outside the windows of Malfoy Manor; Draco glanced again at the hourglass.
Eight o'clock. Even if Granger had received his owl, and taken him for his word, it wouldn't stop the rest of the Potterites from wondering where they were.
Tenny had returned only once, to check on Ginny, and report she was going to be quite well by this evening. To which he felt an unwanted amount of relief.
Criado, the youngest House Elf, had come at sunset (at Teenija's order, no doubt) to light the lamps and candelabra. He'd merely nodded and bowed at Draco, then lit the fire and disappeared with a crack.
Draco had received no word from his mother, which also began to worry him. If she decided to check up on him herself…
Ginny stirred slightly. He rose from his armchair by the fire and moved over to the bedside. There was a large bruise around the side of her face and down her neck, the aftereffects of his trying to help her.
This is my fault…
Bending over her, he brushed a few strands of her long, red-gold hair away from it.
A loud "bang" signaled the arrival of another House Elf.
"Mistress says the Floo is ready, Young Master. Mistress says Young Master is being here, and Kreacher is eagerly to see Young Master, heir to the noble line of Black, one of the few left who is worthy…"
Draco swung around; behind him, the House Elf Kreacher, whom he'd only heard of in passing from time to time because he was so useful a spy at the Black house, was wringing his hands and staring at Ginny with disgust.
And shock.
"A mudblood lover, yes, the same brat as was there before, the same as was polluting the house of my Mistress, my poor Mistress, if she knew the shame of such a brat, to be contaminating the noble House of Malfoy…Heir of the House of Black…"
With a great bang, he was gone.
Draco stared at the space where the House Elf had been, his mind whirling. Kreacher was supposedly loyal only to those who served the Dark Lord. And somehow, he knew Ginny, Ginny had stayed with him—in the Black House...
He'd known Potter was there, but the Weasleys?
"Ginny. Ginny, wake up!"
Ginny stirred once more.
"Get up!" Kreacher had such hatred for her in his face. There was only one place he could be going…
"GET UP, WEASLEY!"
Ginny's eyes snapped open. Draco rushed to the fireplace, using his wand to snuff the flames out.
"Hurry! Hurry, you have to get up!"
She was watching him in confusion, barely managing to sit up. The medicine appeared to have made her groggy, but Draco had little time to worry on that now.
"Get up! The Floo is ready, we need to get back to Hogwarts!"
"Wait a moment," she whispered, "I…"
"We don't have TIME!"
He lifted her in his arms, ignoring the pain in his chest, and moved as swiftly as he could to the fireplace. A leather bag of Floo Powder hung near the hearth.
"Can you stand?"
She reached for the mantelpiece. "Yes, I think so. Malfoy, what is this about?"
He undid the strings, heart racing. A larger quantity than he needed poured out into his hands, but he cared little. He shoved it at her.
"Here…hurry! Go to Slytherin…it's the only one that's open."
"What?"
"HURRY!"
She stared into his face for a moment, looking puzzled. The expression he wore must have been alarming, because she didn't question, and moved into the fireplace.
A figure materialized before them with a pop, and before it was even visible, had seized Ginny's outstretched hand, forcing her to drop the Floo Powder.
Bellatrix Lestrange yanked Ginny out of the fireplace, drawing the young girl close to her gaunt face.
"Well, well, well…what have we here?"
Harry found Ron soaring around the Quidditch pitch, despite the late hour—and the chance of getting caught.
It took him a few minutes to settle to the ground. Harry walked over to him.
"I borrowed the Firebolt."
"'s okay," Harry said.
"Can you believe what she said?" Ron said finally, after a few moments of silence.
"Hermione meant well, Ron. I don't think she wanted you to completely trust in Malfoy. She just didn't want you to worry."
"Not about that. I mean about Malfoy…and Ginny. The idea of…"
"That might not be true, mate. Hermione was basing it on something Ginny told her, but it can't be that serious. Ginny's hated Malfoy almost as long as you have."
"I know…but…" Ron sighed. "You know, when she came out of the forest, things were different. Both of them were different. You thought it was strange, right? When Malfoy wouldn't argue back?"
"So," Harry replied. "Malfoy's been cowed before—particularly by Ginny."
"But he's never run away. He usually shows up after he's been beaten—and uses it to come up with something fouler than normal. But this time—its was like he was afraid of her finding out…or of what she might do. Or of…upsetting her."
"Then good for Ginny. It's a sign that Malfoy is finally getting what he deserves."
"Or that he's changing." Ron looked disgusted at the thought. "I mean, come on! He gave up a chance to get you, Hermione, Hagrid AND Grawp into trouble…why? For Ginny? Any other time before, he would have cared less about getting caught in the forest after hours. And Snape would never have punished him."
"But Malfoy doesn't like to be embarrassed. He was saved by Ginny. That might have been enough to prevent him from talking."
"That's another thing. Being saved by Ginny. That's enough to be concerned about right there!" He buried his hands in his face. "I'm not supposed to worry about Ginny like this. She's supposed to be sensible…like Mum. She's the girl. She's not Fred and George…or Percy…or Bill."
"I don't recall anyone ever telling me that girls were sensible. And in a way, you're right," said Harry, sitting down next to him. "Ginny's not like any of you. She's Ginny. She's her own person. And she can make her own choices, whatever they might be."
"They're supposed to be sensible. Both girls and choices! And they're not supposed to have anything to do with Draco Malfoy!"
"Like Hermione said…give Ginny the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she'll surprise us all."
"She's seemed to do nothing but that lately…I'd hoped…"
"What?"
"I'd hoped she'd at least be rather boring in one area. She used to annoy us all, following you around all the time. But lately it hadn't seemed such a bad idea…"
Harry eyed him for a moment. "What…you think…Ginny and…I…?"
He started to laugh.
"Don't laugh, it isn't funny! I wouldn't have minded having you as around all the time…"
"Ron, I am around all the time. With the way your Mum goes on, I basically am a member of your family. Not that I mind," he added quickly. "In fact, I rather like it."
"I know…but still…at least you would have been…safe."
"Right. With Voldemort, the Death Eaters, Dementors, Giants, and Bellatrix Lestrange running about, trying to snuff out me and everyone else I'm close to? I'm the perfect choice."
"At least you're not related to her!"
"No. I'm not." He stood. "Come on. Let's get back to the Common Room. Its getting late, Ginny will probably be arriving at any moment, and Hermione will never get her homework done if you don't come back soon. And you know we'll have to hear about that in the morning."
They started to trudge back up to the castle. Harry hoped that wherever she was, Ginny wasn't facing anything near as dangerous as Bellatrix Lestrange.
"What are you protecting, Draco?" Bellatrix asked, flinging Ginny aside to the floor. Narcissa apparated a moment later, taking in the events before her with a confused expression.
"A friend of Potter's—and an enemy of the Dark Lord!"
"Draco?" asked his mother shakily, eyeing the Floo Powder in his hand, the remainder of which was scattered around Ginny's trembling form.
"She followed me," he said nervously. "But she ended up saving my life, mother."
"Saving your life?" mocked Bellatrix, pulling out her wand. "I remember you, little one…"
Ginny had backed up into the wall, but was staring at her defiantly.
Not now, he thought.
"I remember you well. They wanted to protect you…your little friends, so brave. But I guess they're not here, now."
She raised her wand.
"CRUCIO! "
Ginny's body contorted, her shrieks filling his chambers.
"STOP!"
Draco bolted across the room, snatching at his aunt's wand arm. She flung him off unceremoniously. He cried out, clutching at his stomach, as Ginny collapsed onto the floor, whimpering.
"What are you doing, Draco? "
His mother was watching them both in shock.
"You…you can't hurt her. They know she's here. Dumbledore knows she's here. If anything happens to her, you and my mother will both be sent to Azkaban."
His aunt eyed him in amusement. "Do you think I care what that withered old man thinks? I would like to see him try and catch me."
"You may not, Bella. But I do," said Narcissa, moving over to help Draco to his feet. "The only way Lucius and the others will be able to escape is if there is someone who can help them. If Dumbledore finds out I've been harboring you and others, then everything Lucius has worked for will be for naught. Beyond that," she pointed out, "I'm not keen on failing the Dark Lord again."
At this, Bellatrix's face darkened, and she stared at Ginny's trembling form hatefully. "It was their fault that the plan failed. Hers, and Potter's, and that mudblood and their friends. You," she raised her wand, pointing at Draco, "how do they know she's here?"
Narcissa moved swiftly between them. "You will not point your wand at my son, Bella."
"They don't know she's at the Manor. They know she's with me. But it won't take Dumbledore long to find us."
"It won't take him long to find you. But he'll never find her." Bellatrix stooped to grasp Ginny's arm, pulling her to her feet, and dragging her down the hallway. Ginny turned to look at him, her eyes filled with fear.
"Mother," Draco cried, "she can't hurt her."
Narcissa looked at him. "Don't worry, Draco. You won't get caught. The blame will fall to the Death Eaters. You sought refuge here, and your aunt surprised us all. If Dumbledore comes looking for her, then you've been as much a victim in this as she has."
He watched helplessly as his aunt dragged Ginny's whimpering form out of the rooms, down to the dungeons of the Manor.
I promised she wouldn't get hurt…
"CRUCIO!"
Ginny's screams echoed through the Manor. He turned, banging his fists against the walls, listening helplessly as his promise was broken over, and over, again.
**ouch! Sorry, another cliffy…get used to it, cuz you're gonna get a couple of really good ones! I'm getting to the meaty stuff now…the next chapter brings more of Bellatrix, a plot involving Hogwarts, and perhaps a little relief for Ron…if Malfoy can muster up the courage to save Ginny from his aunt!**
***Thanks to all who've reviewed, you've been a big help! The story's coming really well, but as many of you writers know, its sometimes hard to remember all that you've written as you write! I'm going back and editing as best I can, but I am as eager to get this out as you are to receive it. Forgive any errors of plot flow, I promise I'll correct them if I can!***