Chapter Five-Trust
Draco was stabbing at his eggs the next morning. His father and mother were sitting across from him, and he wondered where Ginny was. He thought to himself, what should I do? Ask her about the Order or get beaten to death? Neither seemed pleasant. He looked to the stairs for about the eighth time that morning and frowned when he didn't see Ginny there.
Draco put his fork down and said, "May I be excused?" Lucius Malfoy caught his eye and gave a curt nod. Draco stood up and went up to Ginny's room. When he opened the door he heard a small sob and Ginny threw her arms around him and burst into tears. She was still in the clothes from the day before and looked as if she hadn't slept all night.
"What's wrong? Ginny?" Draco held her by her shoulders and looked her in the eye. She was death pale and there was a bruise on her collar bone. "What happened?"
Ginny buried her face in his shoulder and chocked out, "Someone attacked me."
Draco held her against him and looked around the room. His heart stopped when he saw the mirror, green letters stood out clearly, spelling, Consider this a warning. Warning for what? He thought. Of course, it's written to me. "Tell me about the Order."
"What!?" Ginny pulled away from him and backed up a few feet.
"The Order of the Phoenix, tell me everything."
"I-I can't believe this." She whispered, putting her hand behind herself and on the vanity to steady her. Draco didn't see her hand shakily pull the drawer open and clutch a silver object inside it.
"Ginny I'm not going to hurt you, but this needs to stop, I've got to tell him." Ginny shook her head desperately as he walked towards her. He reached a hand out to touch her and Ginny recoiled, ripped out a small knife and thrust it into his stomach. Draco gasped and fell to his knees. She pulled the knife out of his flesh and backed away from him.
She still gripped the bloody knife, tears running down her face. Draco clutched his stab wound just as the door burst open. Three men ran into the room. One raised his wand at her. Ginny threw the knife at him and it caught directly in the nape of his neck. His eyes widened and he fell to the ground, dead. Draco blacked out just as his father grabbed Ginny.
Draco's eyes snapped open. He was in his own bed and... He reached down to where Ginny had stabbed him and saw only a scar. What on earth? He saw a house-elf in the far corner, mixing a potion in a cauldron. He groaned and asked, "What happened?"
The house-elf jumped and turned to face him. It bowed low to the ground and squeaked, "Young Miss stabbed you, Master. Master's father took her away."
"Away where?" Draco said rising out of the bed.
"To the room, Master." The elf said, fearfully.
Draco leapt out of the bed and grabbed his wand from his bedside cabinet. He ran to the door and raced downstairs. The room was a place where Lucius did Dark Arts without Ministry detection. Why he was doing this, why was he trying to save someone who had just tried to kill him? Because I love her. He sprinted to the drawing room and shot a spell at one of the many stone tiles on the floor. "Alohomora!" The stone vanished, leaving a spindly staircase that led downstairs.
Draco quickly descended and ran down a black corridor to the room everyone so feared. Candles on the wall were lit. A man turned to face him, his father. He faltered and put his wand to his side. "Ah, Draco, so good of you to join us and just in time to hear what Ginerva has to say." Draco looked past him to see Avery holding Ginny by her shoulders. She looked up in his eyes and resigning, closed her own. Lucius raised his wand to her and bellowed, "Crucio." The spell was aimed at her heart and Ginny crumbled. The only thing holding her up was Avery's arms. Lucius sneered, seeing her biting her lip so she wouldn't scream out.
Draco watched in horror as his father lifted his wand and then shot the curse a second time. This time she screamed. Her scream was desperate and while she was being tortured she screamed, "Help me, please!" Draco shut his eyes and tried to block out her screams. "Draco please!"
Enough, Enough!
"Please!"
Stop, stop! "STOP IT!" Lucius pulled his wand back, he was so startled. Draco ran to Avery and shouted, "Let go of her!" He pushed Avery off and caught Ginny before she hit the floor.
"Thank God." She whispered, when she felt Draco holding her. Her head fell against his chest and she gripped his shoulders, hard. Draco gently set her down and turned to face his father, pulling up his wand.
"What are you doing!?" Lucius shouted at his son.
Draco hissed, "You won't touch her again. You'll have to go through me first."
Lucius' eyes narrowed and he spat, "You fool! Crucio!" Draco dropped his wand before he could utter a spell. He was screaming before he hit the floor. This was torture like he'd never known. Words didn't describe it. His scars were being reopened; he was being cut, burned, and horribly murdered.
Ginny raised her head and moved to grab the wand. He heard Ginny scream as Avery pulled her up as his father's next target. Ginny clawed at his hands and reached for Draco's fallen wand. She couldn't reach it. Avery laughed as he tried to pull her to her feet. Draco felt the curse lift and his father turned his wand on Ginny. Before he finished the spell her foot desperately kicked out and knocked the wand straight to Draco.
He snatched it and gasped, "Stupefy!" The wand made a sound like a gunshot. Lucius fell to the ground. Draco turned to Avery and growled, "Put her down." Avery threw Ginny to the floor and ripped out his wand but Draco had stupefied him before he had even the time to point it at him. Draco lowered the wand, turned back to Ginny and ran to her side. She let Draco pull her to her feet and was about to say something, but he cut her off. "Come on then."
"Wait." Ginny clutched his robes and said quickly, "There're more of them here."
"What? How many?"
"At least a dozen more." Draco swore and then froze when he heard a faint 'Alohomora' from upstairs. "Here." He grabbed her wrist and hurried down a second black corridor. They came out in a room lined with shelves, bearing poisons and other foul things. Draco raked the room with his eyes. They rested on a small culvert in the corner of the room. It was boarded up with huge wood beams. It was the drain that led to the lake. He gripped Ginny's shoulders and asked, "Can you swim?"
"Yes."
He pointed his wand at the drain and said, "Reducto!" The crisscrossed beams exploded and water began to viciously flow into the room. They went through the drain and made to swim for the surface. Ginny didn't realize how deep the lake was and sunk to the floor. She furiously ripped off her shoes and kicked off of the lakebed.
Her head quickly surfaced and she looked all around her for Draco. "Draco?! Draco!" She began to panic, where was he? His head popped up a few feet away from her and he swam over to her. He had ripped his cloak off so as not to sink and his boots as well.
"Can you make it to the other side?" Ginny nodded, shivering like mad. They made their way to the bank almost a mile away. When they reached the shore, Draco dragged himself out of the water and lay on his back on the grass.
Ginny wearily stood up about four feet from the shore and walked over to Draco. She leaned over him, her legs laying over his. Her wet curls ran down like a curtain over Draco's face. "Thank you." She whispered, her face inches over his.
"Your welcome." He said, a faint smile on his lips. She rested her head on his chest and he said hoarsely, "You know, it kind of took me by surprise when you just stabbed me like that."
Ginny raised her head and said with shame, "I didn't know who to trust."
"Do you know now?"
"I think so." She said, a smile coming on her lips. Draco frowned when he saw how cold she really was, her lips were a faint blue and she was death pale. He knew that he could look little better. She laid her head down again and closed her eyes. Draco put an arm around her and laid back, exhaustion finally taking him.
"I can't believe she's alive."
"Dumbledore said they were just about gone, something about hypothermia."
"Do you think she'll be alright?"
"Yes." Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione all crowded around her bed. "Told you so." Harry said, smiling.
Ron's haggard face formed into a grin and he wrapped Ginny in a hug. "How are you doing?" He asked.
"W-what's happened?"
"You didn't answer any of my letters. I didn't know what to think, after about the fourth one we called the Order and they found you by the lake."
"Your letters? You never sent any letters."
"I did, maybe Lucius was having them blocked or something. Anyway, they brought you to St. Mungos straight away, and here we are." Ginny's eyes took in the white linen sheets and the beds a few feet away from her own. She noticed she was wearing a sleeveless white nightgown also.
"What happened to you though?" Hermione asked.
"Where's Draco?" Ginny asked, ignoring her question. She was looking around her, expecting to see him in one of the other beds.
"That git, who cares? You know, when they found you, he wasn't letting them take you. He even tried to hex Mad-Eye, called him a few choice words and such." Ron said.
"Where is he?" Ginny asked again.
"Across the hall." Harry said.
Ginny climbed out of the bed and headed for the door when Ron grabbed her, "What are you doing, the healers said you had to stay still."
"I have to see Draco." Ginny pushed his hand away and hurried down the corridor.
Ron turned to Harry as his sister left and said, "She's out of her mind."
Ginny ran barefoot to the Fin le Kruitt ward. She saw Draco, who was sitting up looking rather well, tossing his wand in the air and catching it one handed. When he caught it his eyes took in the red head standing in the doorway. He let go of the wand and stood up next to his bed. Ginny hurried over to him and he threw his arms around her. He was in white pajamas and his hair fell in front of his face. Ginny laid her head against him and closed her eyes. He put his head on top of hers.
They heard someone rush in and shout, "What is going on!?"
Draco irritably pulled away to see the Dream Team in the doorway. Ginny's hand came up and rested on his cheek, "Forget them." She whispered, kissing him again.
Draco was stabbing at his eggs the next morning. His father and mother were sitting across from him, and he wondered where Ginny was. He thought to himself, what should I do? Ask her about the Order or get beaten to death? Neither seemed pleasant. He looked to the stairs for about the eighth time that morning and frowned when he didn't see Ginny there.
Draco put his fork down and said, "May I be excused?" Lucius Malfoy caught his eye and gave a curt nod. Draco stood up and went up to Ginny's room. When he opened the door he heard a small sob and Ginny threw her arms around him and burst into tears. She was still in the clothes from the day before and looked as if she hadn't slept all night.
"What's wrong? Ginny?" Draco held her by her shoulders and looked her in the eye. She was death pale and there was a bruise on her collar bone. "What happened?"
Ginny buried her face in his shoulder and chocked out, "Someone attacked me."
Draco held her against him and looked around the room. His heart stopped when he saw the mirror, green letters stood out clearly, spelling, Consider this a warning. Warning for what? He thought. Of course, it's written to me. "Tell me about the Order."
"What!?" Ginny pulled away from him and backed up a few feet.
"The Order of the Phoenix, tell me everything."
"I-I can't believe this." She whispered, putting her hand behind herself and on the vanity to steady her. Draco didn't see her hand shakily pull the drawer open and clutch a silver object inside it.
"Ginny I'm not going to hurt you, but this needs to stop, I've got to tell him." Ginny shook her head desperately as he walked towards her. He reached a hand out to touch her and Ginny recoiled, ripped out a small knife and thrust it into his stomach. Draco gasped and fell to his knees. She pulled the knife out of his flesh and backed away from him.
She still gripped the bloody knife, tears running down her face. Draco clutched his stab wound just as the door burst open. Three men ran into the room. One raised his wand at her. Ginny threw the knife at him and it caught directly in the nape of his neck. His eyes widened and he fell to the ground, dead. Draco blacked out just as his father grabbed Ginny.
Draco's eyes snapped open. He was in his own bed and... He reached down to where Ginny had stabbed him and saw only a scar. What on earth? He saw a house-elf in the far corner, mixing a potion in a cauldron. He groaned and asked, "What happened?"
The house-elf jumped and turned to face him. It bowed low to the ground and squeaked, "Young Miss stabbed you, Master. Master's father took her away."
"Away where?" Draco said rising out of the bed.
"To the room, Master." The elf said, fearfully.
Draco leapt out of the bed and grabbed his wand from his bedside cabinet. He ran to the door and raced downstairs. The room was a place where Lucius did Dark Arts without Ministry detection. Why he was doing this, why was he trying to save someone who had just tried to kill him? Because I love her. He sprinted to the drawing room and shot a spell at one of the many stone tiles on the floor. "Alohomora!" The stone vanished, leaving a spindly staircase that led downstairs.
Draco quickly descended and ran down a black corridor to the room everyone so feared. Candles on the wall were lit. A man turned to face him, his father. He faltered and put his wand to his side. "Ah, Draco, so good of you to join us and just in time to hear what Ginerva has to say." Draco looked past him to see Avery holding Ginny by her shoulders. She looked up in his eyes and resigning, closed her own. Lucius raised his wand to her and bellowed, "Crucio." The spell was aimed at her heart and Ginny crumbled. The only thing holding her up was Avery's arms. Lucius sneered, seeing her biting her lip so she wouldn't scream out.
Draco watched in horror as his father lifted his wand and then shot the curse a second time. This time she screamed. Her scream was desperate and while she was being tortured she screamed, "Help me, please!" Draco shut his eyes and tried to block out her screams. "Draco please!"
Enough, Enough!
"Please!"
Stop, stop! "STOP IT!" Lucius pulled his wand back, he was so startled. Draco ran to Avery and shouted, "Let go of her!" He pushed Avery off and caught Ginny before she hit the floor.
"Thank God." She whispered, when she felt Draco holding her. Her head fell against his chest and she gripped his shoulders, hard. Draco gently set her down and turned to face his father, pulling up his wand.
"What are you doing!?" Lucius shouted at his son.
Draco hissed, "You won't touch her again. You'll have to go through me first."
Lucius' eyes narrowed and he spat, "You fool! Crucio!" Draco dropped his wand before he could utter a spell. He was screaming before he hit the floor. This was torture like he'd never known. Words didn't describe it. His scars were being reopened; he was being cut, burned, and horribly murdered.
Ginny raised her head and moved to grab the wand. He heard Ginny scream as Avery pulled her up as his father's next target. Ginny clawed at his hands and reached for Draco's fallen wand. She couldn't reach it. Avery laughed as he tried to pull her to her feet. Draco felt the curse lift and his father turned his wand on Ginny. Before he finished the spell her foot desperately kicked out and knocked the wand straight to Draco.
He snatched it and gasped, "Stupefy!" The wand made a sound like a gunshot. Lucius fell to the ground. Draco turned to Avery and growled, "Put her down." Avery threw Ginny to the floor and ripped out his wand but Draco had stupefied him before he had even the time to point it at him. Draco lowered the wand, turned back to Ginny and ran to her side. She let Draco pull her to her feet and was about to say something, but he cut her off. "Come on then."
"Wait." Ginny clutched his robes and said quickly, "There're more of them here."
"What? How many?"
"At least a dozen more." Draco swore and then froze when he heard a faint 'Alohomora' from upstairs. "Here." He grabbed her wrist and hurried down a second black corridor. They came out in a room lined with shelves, bearing poisons and other foul things. Draco raked the room with his eyes. They rested on a small culvert in the corner of the room. It was boarded up with huge wood beams. It was the drain that led to the lake. He gripped Ginny's shoulders and asked, "Can you swim?"
"Yes."
He pointed his wand at the drain and said, "Reducto!" The crisscrossed beams exploded and water began to viciously flow into the room. They went through the drain and made to swim for the surface. Ginny didn't realize how deep the lake was and sunk to the floor. She furiously ripped off her shoes and kicked off of the lakebed.
Her head quickly surfaced and she looked all around her for Draco. "Draco?! Draco!" She began to panic, where was he? His head popped up a few feet away from her and he swam over to her. He had ripped his cloak off so as not to sink and his boots as well.
"Can you make it to the other side?" Ginny nodded, shivering like mad. They made their way to the bank almost a mile away. When they reached the shore, Draco dragged himself out of the water and lay on his back on the grass.
Ginny wearily stood up about four feet from the shore and walked over to Draco. She leaned over him, her legs laying over his. Her wet curls ran down like a curtain over Draco's face. "Thank you." She whispered, her face inches over his.
"Your welcome." He said, a faint smile on his lips. She rested her head on his chest and he said hoarsely, "You know, it kind of took me by surprise when you just stabbed me like that."
Ginny raised her head and said with shame, "I didn't know who to trust."
"Do you know now?"
"I think so." She said, a smile coming on her lips. Draco frowned when he saw how cold she really was, her lips were a faint blue and she was death pale. He knew that he could look little better. She laid her head down again and closed her eyes. Draco put an arm around her and laid back, exhaustion finally taking him.
"I can't believe she's alive."
"Dumbledore said they were just about gone, something about hypothermia."
"Do you think she'll be alright?"
"Yes." Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione all crowded around her bed. "Told you so." Harry said, smiling.
Ron's haggard face formed into a grin and he wrapped Ginny in a hug. "How are you doing?" He asked.
"W-what's happened?"
"You didn't answer any of my letters. I didn't know what to think, after about the fourth one we called the Order and they found you by the lake."
"Your letters? You never sent any letters."
"I did, maybe Lucius was having them blocked or something. Anyway, they brought you to St. Mungos straight away, and here we are." Ginny's eyes took in the white linen sheets and the beds a few feet away from her own. She noticed she was wearing a sleeveless white nightgown also.
"What happened to you though?" Hermione asked.
"Where's Draco?" Ginny asked, ignoring her question. She was looking around her, expecting to see him in one of the other beds.
"That git, who cares? You know, when they found you, he wasn't letting them take you. He even tried to hex Mad-Eye, called him a few choice words and such." Ron said.
"Where is he?" Ginny asked again.
"Across the hall." Harry said.
Ginny climbed out of the bed and headed for the door when Ron grabbed her, "What are you doing, the healers said you had to stay still."
"I have to see Draco." Ginny pushed his hand away and hurried down the corridor.
Ron turned to Harry as his sister left and said, "She's out of her mind."
Ginny ran barefoot to the Fin le Kruitt ward. She saw Draco, who was sitting up looking rather well, tossing his wand in the air and catching it one handed. When he caught it his eyes took in the red head standing in the doorway. He let go of the wand and stood up next to his bed. Ginny hurried over to him and he threw his arms around her. He was in white pajamas and his hair fell in front of his face. Ginny laid her head against him and closed her eyes. He put his head on top of hers.
They heard someone rush in and shout, "What is going on!?"
Draco irritably pulled away to see the Dream Team in the doorway. Ginny's hand came up and rested on his cheek, "Forget them." She whispered, kissing him again.