Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Chapter Four
Ginny paced aimlessly around the dungeon waiting for Remus to return. Suddenly, she heard the door open behind her,and a Death Eater quickly and quietly entered the room. He carefully shut the door behind him and cast a Silencing charm on the room. He turned to her and removed his hood.
Before her, stood Blaise Zabini, her former schoolmate. He was tall, with dark, wavy hair and piercing blue eyes. He had olive skin and chiseled features, trademark for his level of aristocracy. She didn't remember much about him from Hogwarts, only that he and Draco Malfoy were friends. Yet Blaise had never tormented her or her friends. That didn't mean much, however; he was still a Slytherin...and now a Death Eater.
"Zabini!" she cried out in fear. "What do you want?"
"Ginny," he said, using the soft voice she recognized from the day before, "don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."
"Then what do you want? Where's Professor Lupin?" she asked, not really believing his claim.
"Lucius and Draco are with him," he said. He didn't elaborate on what they were doing to the professor, but Ginny could only guess. "Don't worry. They won't kill him...or you. You're both too valuable. They're going to try and barter with the opposition when things get bad."
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, still keeping her distance from him.
"No matter what you might think of me, I never wanted this," he said, truthfully. "This is the destiny that was chosen for me. I have no choice. I have to fight for the Dark Lord." He sighed, allowing his confession to sink in. "But I can promise you that I won't let anything happen to you. I know what Draco wants, and I'll do whatever I can to prevent him from hurting you."
"I don't care about me," she said harshly. "What of Professor Lupin? How badly will you allow him to get hurt?"
"Ginny," he said, crossing the room to her, "They won't be too hard on him. If they torture him too much, he'll be too far-gone to tell them anything. As it is now, he hasn't said anything we didn't already know. I only just found out yesterday that he was here."
"Why don't you just help us escape?" she asked, backing away from him.
"If I help you, they'll know I did, and they'll not only kill me, they'll kill you and your entire family. Surely you know that," he said, exasperated. "The only thing I can do is try and protect you while you're here. I'll make sure of that." He glanced towards the door. "They're coming. I have to go," he said hastily before exiting the dungeon.
Ginny stood there, stunned. She knew he was the one who'd healed Remus' wounds before, but she had a hard time believing him. Needless to say, she was quite bewildered.
Moments later, Remus was tossed back into the dungeon. Ginny ran to help him stand and led him back to the mattress.
"What did you tell them, Remus?" she asked softly.
"Nothing," he said. "I didn't tell them anything." His mind was tired from withstanding the Truth potion they'd given him and his body ached from the curses they'd inflicted upon him. His breathing was ragged, and he was struggling to stay conscious.
Ginny was about to pull the blanket up around him when the door opened again.
Blaise strode over to his former professor and loomed over him. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at him. He pulled the other man's shirt back and began performing healing spells on the open wounds. Soon, his wounds were nothing but mere scars. Remus' tired eyes looked to the Death Eater, then to Ginny.
Blaise stood again and said to Ginny, "That should help him for now. I'll try and get some food later." He turned to exit and paused at the sound of her voice.
"Thank you," she whispered. Blaise didn't acknowledge her and left the dungeon quickly.
Ginny turned back to Remus, who was now sitting up, and briefly explained the conversation she'd had with Blaise.
"Remus, I don't trust him," she said.
"Absolutely not," he replied. "He's got another motive, I'm sure. Ginny, be sure and watch yourself around him. He may be protecting you from Draco because he wants you...for himself," he finished quietly, not looking her in the eye.
She looked quite frightened of that prospect, and Remus gently pulled her to him. "I won't let anything happen to you, Ginny. I promise. I'll protect you with my life," he assured her. She nodded into his shoulder before pulling back. She leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily. She couldn't help wondering why Oliver and the others hadn't come for them yet. It was a thought that nagged at her mind, but she quickly pushed it aside. They'd come soon, she kept telling herself.
Remus watched her, lost in her thoughts. She was beautiful, with her long red hair and pale, silky skin. He'd never really noticed her before, never really been alone with her for copious amounts of time since she was his student. She was always with Harry or Hermione or Oliver. But now he noticed how much she'd grown up from the scrawny, shy twelve-year-old he'd met so many years ago.
He reached over to take her hand. "Ginny," he began, "I've sat in this room in total silence for hours before you arrived. I can't bear to do it anymore."
She looked at him, surprised. "Well, what do you propose?" she asked.
"Why don't we just talk? It seems as though we'll be here for a while, and it would be nice to get to know each other better," he said. He was only doing this to keep them both calm, especially her.
She sighed and couldn't help but smile at him a little. "Well, what do you want to talk about?"
"Well, for starters, I was an only child, and I've always wondered what it was like for you, growing up in a house full of brothers," he said.
She almost laughed at his question. "It wasn't bad," she began. "Yes, they always picked on me, and yes, they're incredibly over-protective, but they always took care of me, defended me. I wouldn't have had it any other way, really."
Remus smiled and patted her hand. "Ron seems the most protective. So does Harry, even though he's not your brother."
She nodded. "Harry's as good as my brother. He's always looked out for me, especially after my first year." She gulped, remembering her experience in the Chamber.
Remus sensed this. "Ginny, I've always been proud of how far you've come after that. Anyone else would have never gotten past it, but you have. And you're a stronger person because of it."
"Thank you, Remus," she said, blushing, "but I wouldn't have done so well without you. You took the time to talk to me about it in second year and you always had extra time for me when I struggled in your class. I'll always be grateful for that."
Remus was blushing as well now, and he quickly released her hand and thought of a subject change.
"You're very good at Healing, I've noticed," he said.
"Yes, I like it," she said simply. "I like helping people. It makes me feel useful, although, I'm not nearly as good as Oliver."
Remus cringed slightly at the mention of her boyfriend. He liked the boy fine, but he never felt they made a good match. Of course, everyone always thought she'd end up with Harry, but they never worked out romantically.
"Yes, Mr. Wood will be an excellent Healer," Remus replied. "But I always thought he'd play Quidditch forever."
Ginny laughed. "So did I! But after he joined the Order, he wanted to learn a useful skill, and Healing seems to come naturally to him." She yawned and glanced up at the window. It was dark outside.
"You should sleep some," he said to her, knowing her response.
"I'm fine," she said. "But you could definitely use the rest."
He smiled briefly at her. "I'll sleep if you sleep," he bargained.
She nodded and they made their way onto the mattress. She laid down next to him and listened to his breathing. In the quietness of their dungeon, Ginny's fears returned to her mind. What if they weren't rescued? What if they killed Remus? What if Draco hurt her? At this last thought she began to cry quietly.
Remus heard her and wrapped his arms around her and gently wiped her tears away. He caressed her cheek with his hand.
"Ginny," he whispered, "don't cry. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
"Remus, I'm so scared," she responded.
"I know. I'm scared too," he said. "But we've got to think positively and stay strong. If we're weak, they'll use it against us. We have each other, too. So we just need to hang on."
Ginny merely nodded and he pulled her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the reassuring beat of his heart. He kept his arms tight around her as they fell asleep.