Chapter Two

It was dark and quiet when Ginny opened her eyes again. A pale light outlined the edges of the drapes. She sat silently for the first few seconds of consciousness. Her mind was blank as if she had just awoken from a fairytale sleep and didn't know what day it was. Everything was peaceful, for the moment. She had a nagging feeling something was off, but she couldn't decide exactly what. She quickly felt her face, chest, arms and legs to make sure she was still in one piece. She was. Why wouldn't she be? Ginny leaned back on her elbows and breathed a sigh of relief. Confused, but feeling a bit silly, she shifted to her side and lay back down. She reached slowly to pull the sheets back over her shoulder. And then she froze. Something wasn't right. These were silk sheets. Never in her life had she owned silk sheets. Or a bed this large. Ginny was at once wide awake. Her heart pounding in her chest as panic swept through her. 'Where am I??' Her thoughts screamed at her. Images began to flash in her mind. Horrible images. The war. Death Eaters surrounding her. And Voldemort. Voldemort! The events of last evening came flooding back- at least, the last evening she could remember.

"Oh God!" Ginny whispered, close to tears.

She shot up and threw the covers off of her. She was about to get out of the bed and run somewhere- anywhere- when a voice from the other side of the room startled her.

"Ah, You're up! I was beginning to fear the worst." Was the mockingly pleasant greeting from Lucius Malfoy. He reached inside his jacket, retrieved his wand, and pointed it at the wall.

"Lumos!" He said and the fireplace lit up, illuminating the room.

Lucius was sitting fully dressed in a chair on the opposite side of the room looking quite bored. He twirled his wand casually before putting it away.

Instinctively, Ginny went for her wand. It wasn't there.

Lucius smiled. "Old habits die hard, don't they," He mused. "Don't waste your time."

Ginny's wand had never been more than an arm's length from her since she had first gotten it. She felt naked without it. The feeling of helplessness made her sick to her stomach. She had been so prepared- overprepared even- for a face to face encounter with Voldemort and his followers. She silently cursed herself for letting the wand out of her sight, feeling a better witch would have prevented that somehow.

Ginny pulled the covers up to her neck and glared at Lucius. Barefoot and still dressed in the flimsy nightgown she was wearing when death eaters had snatched her from her room, she was cold, hungry, and completely defenseless. Lucius, she observed, was prepared to take full advantage of this. The fire was now blazing next to where he stood. In front of him was a small table full of fresh fruit, toast, marmalade, and a large silver teapot among other things. Two armchairs were placed opposite each other at the table. One had a burgundy colored robe and matching slippers that looked to be just her size laid across it. Ginny looked slowly from the obvious set-up back to Lucius Malfoy's expectant face.

"Hungry?" He asked.

Ginny was silent. Lucius continued in an irritatingly upbeat tone.

"Come, you must be! What, with being unconscious and such."

The dumbfounded look on her face amused him.

"Yes that's right. You've been out for quite some time I'm afraid," Lucius said, feigning concern. He moved over to the chair with the robe on it, pulled it out slightly and stood behind it.

"Won't you join me?"

Ginny simply stared at him, unsure how to react to this twisted tea party. As perfect as it looked, anything he offered would surely have some horrible catch to it.

"What's the matter," Lucius asked, seeing her hesitation. "Afraid I've poisoned it? Don't be ridiculous," He stated matter-of-factly. "If I wanted you dead then you certainly would be."

Stepping over to the table, Lucius dipped his finger in the bowl of porridge to taste it and waited patiently for an answer. When one didn't come, he gave an over-dramatic sigh.

"Well, I do detest eating alone." He stated and took a few steps forward. Ginny recoiled instantly at his advance. He stopped short, slightly surprised by her reaction. He stared at her for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"I'm going riding." He announced. "Perhaps we'll have a chat when I return."

Lucius strode airily out of the room, shutting the door behind him and sealing it with a locking charm.

Ginny sat perfectly still for awhile, not sure how to react to this little performance. It was uncharacteristic, yes, but also deliberate. Obnoxious as he may be, Lucius wasn't stupid. He had obviously concocted some sinister plan to get her to talk. Ginny really didn't want to know what he had come up with.

It wasn't until she heard the rapid galloping of a horse leaving the grounds that she dared to venture out of her bed for the first time. The floor was made of an exquisite black marble. It was beautiful but cold. That basically described everything in the entire house, Ginny thought. Indeed, even Lucius Malfoy himself.

Ginny walked slowly over to the window and looked out over the perfectly manicured grounds surrounded by a gloomy forest that went on as far as the eye could see. It had obviously rained overnight and a mist had settled on the grounds. The birds outside were chattering away. Their eerily cheerful singing seemed out of place here. She stared somberly. It certainly was not the place she wanted to spend what were probably the last few days of her life.

She wandered over to the elaborate breakfast Lucius had set up and stood next to it. She didn't plan to touch it, of course- wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The porridge still retained the imprint of where he had stuck his finger in it. Ginny frowned and looked at the robe and slippers.

'I'd rather freeze to death,' She thought to herself.

Everything was so ridiculously elegant. Ginny found it disgusting. A crystal champagne glass for orange juice? Her anger was growing. A silver tea service? Hand-painted china? Who lives like this?? The folded cloth napkin with an embroidered "M" in the corner was the last straw. Ginny drew her arm back and knocked the thing across the room. It was satisfying to see it hit the floor.

It was then that she noticed the silverware underneath; a teaspoon, a table spoon, two different sized forks, and a knife. Ginny's mouth fell open slightly with surprise. Lucius may be smart but he wasn't perfect. This little detail had been overlooked. It wasn't much, but it gave her a renewed sense of hope. She quickly grabbed the knife and slid it up her sleeve, her mind racing with possibilities. With all the excitement, she began to feel lightheaded. Not wanting to risk passing out again, she reluctantly returned to the bed and wrapped the covers around her. She was still cold and hungry, however, no longer was she defenseless...