A/N: And now you can find out how Ginny is associated with Voldemort.
The morning after that, I went down to breakfast, as usual. I piled my plate with my usual morning meal and ate, as usual, in silence. But then the usual-ness ended. Ginny came and sat down across from me. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully, starting to serve herself. I gaped at her.
"Ginny...what are you doing here?" I asked incredulously.
"Eating."
"Well, obviously. I meant here, at the Slytherin table."
"Oh. Isn't it obvious? I don't have any real friends but you, Draco."
I paused, letting that turn over and over in my head. "What do you mean?" I finally asked, unsure of what, exactly, she meant.
"Well...I had been friends with the Dream Team, but now that Ha—Potter tried to rape me...I don't have any more friends."
"You never had any friends in your own year?"
"Not really, no."
"Ginny, you ought to make some friends."
"I don't really want to. I don't think I can trust anyone but you any more."
There was yet another long pause between us as we both ate our breakfasts. "So, what you're saying is...I'm stuck with you?"
She beamed at me. "Basically!"
I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. I made a face of displeasure as I recalled what I'd seen this morning in my bathroom. My hair was turning white. I didn't know how, or why, but the roots had definitely gone pure white. I'd taken care to find a spell, and fix the problem. My hair was again one solid, blonde color, which was pleasing. "Well, congratulations to me," I muttered to myself, before finishing my meal. "Alright then, Ginny...so I'm stuck with you. What do you plan to do?"
"Stick to you like glue," said Ginny, before wrinkling her nose. "Sorry...Muggle phrase, picked it up off my dad."
"Yeah..." I sighed, and pushed away from the table. At least there was school put in there, so that she couldn't "stick to me like glue" all day.
--- ---
Classes came and went, and before long it was time for dinner. Ginny and I sat at the table, discussing little nothings as we ate. But one thing was far from a little nothing.
"It's like...like I'm called to Him," she said haltingly.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Well...He explained it once...He said it was like the Mark, but without the actual Mark. When he wants me, it's like...my whole body burns with pain, until I show up where he wants me."
"So you're a living Dark Mark, hm?"
"Apparently. It's a residual thing from when he possessed me first year. He sorta...left a copy of himself behind, in hiding, inside my head. And when he wants me, all he has to do is tug, and I hurt all over. I literally have no choice but to make my way out to the Forbidden Forest, where his copy Apparates me to the location."
"That's...oddly fascinating. In a creepy sort of way. But then, that's how he operates—creepy, but fascinating." I leaned back on the bench, my hands resting on the edge of the table, gripping it gently. And then I hissed in pain, and clutched my left arm, watching as Ginny went positively rigid, her eyes widening, her mouth hanging slightly open.
We had to go. Both of us. I grabbed Ginny, and dragged her out of the Great Hall, to my rooms. Her eyes stared at nothing, and I knew that she was, temporarily, blind. I changed into the robes, and yanked on a book on one of my shelves; the entire section of wall lifted and slid aside, and I pulled Ginny into my arms, carrying her down the stairs, and into the secret passage.
I ran as quickly as I could down the passage with my burden, Ginny shivering in my arms. Eventually we reached a small stepladder, and I climbed up it, using my shoulder to bang the trapdoor ceiling up. I burst through the hole, and nudged the door back down with my foot, concealing its location with a few kicks of leaves over the cracks that betrayed its presence.
Now in the forest, I hurried past its borders, where instantly we Apparated to the location Voldemort had chosen for this meeting of his faithful followers. What they didn't know was that, even then, I was only faithful to one person, and that certainly was not the Dark Lord.
I let Ginny down from my arms now, and as if in a haze, she staggered through the circle of Death Eaters, into the center, where she fell to her knees at Voldemort's feet. I, myself, took my place in the circle, between my father and Crabbe.
Voldemort smirked at Ginny, and reached out one long finger, trailing it down her cheek. "Ah, my pet. You came," he hissed, smiling hideously. "My...queen," he added.
I watched from behind my mask, having stopped briefly to put it on before entering the circle. I felt cool and empty as I watched them, and listened, just as emptily, as Voldemort spoke to one and all about his plans. I watched coldly as he tortured several Death Eaters, but I said nothing, merely absorbing it all.
That was another thing they didn't know. I had only joined up with the Death Eaters in order to help Dumbledore and Snape. All of what I heard was being stored away quietly.
All the while, I found it more and more difficult to stand Voldemort cooing over Ginny. It disgusted me, and I wished there were something I could do to stop it. But I knew if I spoke a word about it, to anyone, I would die. So I kept my mouth shut, because I liked living. I liked living quite a lot.
A/N: My thanks again to my lovely, lovely beta Herbie. I love her forever and always. I think.
Comment from Herbie: hmmph. You'd best love me forever and always. :-P
The morning after that, I went down to breakfast, as usual. I piled my plate with my usual morning meal and ate, as usual, in silence. But then the usual-ness ended. Ginny came and sat down across from me. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully, starting to serve herself. I gaped at her.
"Ginny...what are you doing here?" I asked incredulously.
"Eating."
"Well, obviously. I meant here, at the Slytherin table."
"Oh. Isn't it obvious? I don't have any real friends but you, Draco."
I paused, letting that turn over and over in my head. "What do you mean?" I finally asked, unsure of what, exactly, she meant.
"Well...I had been friends with the Dream Team, but now that Ha—Potter tried to rape me...I don't have any more friends."
"You never had any friends in your own year?"
"Not really, no."
"Ginny, you ought to make some friends."
"I don't really want to. I don't think I can trust anyone but you any more."
There was yet another long pause between us as we both ate our breakfasts. "So, what you're saying is...I'm stuck with you?"
She beamed at me. "Basically!"
I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. I made a face of displeasure as I recalled what I'd seen this morning in my bathroom. My hair was turning white. I didn't know how, or why, but the roots had definitely gone pure white. I'd taken care to find a spell, and fix the problem. My hair was again one solid, blonde color, which was pleasing. "Well, congratulations to me," I muttered to myself, before finishing my meal. "Alright then, Ginny...so I'm stuck with you. What do you plan to do?"
"Stick to you like glue," said Ginny, before wrinkling her nose. "Sorry...Muggle phrase, picked it up off my dad."
"Yeah..." I sighed, and pushed away from the table. At least there was school put in there, so that she couldn't "stick to me like glue" all day.
--- ---
Classes came and went, and before long it was time for dinner. Ginny and I sat at the table, discussing little nothings as we ate. But one thing was far from a little nothing.
"It's like...like I'm called to Him," she said haltingly.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Well...He explained it once...He said it was like the Mark, but without the actual Mark. When he wants me, it's like...my whole body burns with pain, until I show up where he wants me."
"So you're a living Dark Mark, hm?"
"Apparently. It's a residual thing from when he possessed me first year. He sorta...left a copy of himself behind, in hiding, inside my head. And when he wants me, all he has to do is tug, and I hurt all over. I literally have no choice but to make my way out to the Forbidden Forest, where his copy Apparates me to the location."
"That's...oddly fascinating. In a creepy sort of way. But then, that's how he operates—creepy, but fascinating." I leaned back on the bench, my hands resting on the edge of the table, gripping it gently. And then I hissed in pain, and clutched my left arm, watching as Ginny went positively rigid, her eyes widening, her mouth hanging slightly open.
We had to go. Both of us. I grabbed Ginny, and dragged her out of the Great Hall, to my rooms. Her eyes stared at nothing, and I knew that she was, temporarily, blind. I changed into the robes, and yanked on a book on one of my shelves; the entire section of wall lifted and slid aside, and I pulled Ginny into my arms, carrying her down the stairs, and into the secret passage.
I ran as quickly as I could down the passage with my burden, Ginny shivering in my arms. Eventually we reached a small stepladder, and I climbed up it, using my shoulder to bang the trapdoor ceiling up. I burst through the hole, and nudged the door back down with my foot, concealing its location with a few kicks of leaves over the cracks that betrayed its presence.
Now in the forest, I hurried past its borders, where instantly we Apparated to the location Voldemort had chosen for this meeting of his faithful followers. What they didn't know was that, even then, I was only faithful to one person, and that certainly was not the Dark Lord.
I let Ginny down from my arms now, and as if in a haze, she staggered through the circle of Death Eaters, into the center, where she fell to her knees at Voldemort's feet. I, myself, took my place in the circle, between my father and Crabbe.
Voldemort smirked at Ginny, and reached out one long finger, trailing it down her cheek. "Ah, my pet. You came," he hissed, smiling hideously. "My...queen," he added.
I watched from behind my mask, having stopped briefly to put it on before entering the circle. I felt cool and empty as I watched them, and listened, just as emptily, as Voldemort spoke to one and all about his plans. I watched coldly as he tortured several Death Eaters, but I said nothing, merely absorbing it all.
That was another thing they didn't know. I had only joined up with the Death Eaters in order to help Dumbledore and Snape. All of what I heard was being stored away quietly.
All the while, I found it more and more difficult to stand Voldemort cooing over Ginny. It disgusted me, and I wished there were something I could do to stop it. But I knew if I spoke a word about it, to anyone, I would die. So I kept my mouth shut, because I liked living. I liked living quite a lot.
A/N: My thanks again to my lovely, lovely beta Herbie. I love her forever and always. I think.
Comment from Herbie: hmmph. You'd best love me forever and always. :-P