Chapter 3
Draco barely controlled an urge to laugh at Ginny's change in demeanor. When his father had been in the room she had cowered, but now she was like a caged tiger. Her red hair was messy beyond belief and floated around her flushed face like a cloud of fire. Her brown eyes regarded him with unconcealed hostility. If she hadn't been a Weasley he would have almost found her pretty. This last thought sobered him quickly. She was a Weasley, and her safety was in his hands and with it his reputation. "The deal," he said steadily, walked past her and towards the doorway, "is that that pretty little ring you slipped onto your thumb is one of my father's greatest inventions. Not only does it allow him to track your movement for as long as you wear it, but it allows him to summon you to him, and you cannot remove it. It's brilliant really. He has you completely under his control and yet you aren't taking up dungeon space and you can be useful to him. Did I mention the fact that you can't talk about the ring to anyone who doesn't also have one?" Draco had reached a near hysterical point in his little speech. "That is the best part. There is no way even wonder boy could save you right now. So I suggest we go to our chambers and get ready for dinner."
Ginny's expression had changed from one of anger to one of revulsion to one of fear throughout Draco's speech. He felt a wave a pity for her. She had really done nothing to deserve this, unless tackling him counted, and that he assumed that she would never have done if she had known what it would cost her. He stepped through the doorway and turned to face her, "Come on then. I'll show you to your room."
Ginny followed him wordlessly through the archway, down the stairs and through a dizzying maze of corridors. They stopped in front of an ornate door and Draco opened in slowly. The room revealed was large and one of the most elegant Ginny had ever seen. "This," Draco announced with a dramatic sweep of his arm, "is the Ivory room." He pushed the door all the way open and nudged her inside. "There's a washroom over there and there will be clothes appropriate for dinner hung in the wardrobe. I'll be back in forty minutes."
Ginny stood for several minutes in the doorway of the room simply staring at the elegant décor. The Ivory room was true to its name. Everything from the marble floor to the draperies around the bed and the satin sheets was a glistening ivory. In fact the only real color in the room was Ginny herself. She was almost afraid to touch anything least she ruin the perfection of the suite but Malfoy's parting words forced her to head straight to the bathing area.
The bathroom was as beautiful as the bedroom and nearly as monochromatic. The ivory marble was broken only by gold fixtures. There were thick towels hanging neatly on the towel rack and a satin bathrobe hung on the back of the door. She filled the bath with warm water and bubbles that smelt of peppermint. The talking mirror above the sink had helpfully told her she looked dreadful and she was determined that none of her strain should show when she went to dine with the Malfoy family. As baffled as she was by their behavior, Ginny knew she would have to work hard not to show her anxiety.
The short bath was refreshing and Ginny felt a thousand times better when it was over. She dried her hair with a quick drying charm and twisted it into a ponytail. The satin robe that had been left for her was charmed so that it fit perfectly and she wished fervently that she didn't have to change out of it and go down to eat. In the wardrobe she found several clothing choices. There were three sets of fancy outer robes with a dozen or so dresses that could be worn underneath. Everything was a lovely golden color that complemented the ivory of the room and was, in turn, made even more beautiful by its surroundings.
Ginny gave up any pretenses of self control she might still have been holding onto and allowed herself to gape at the dresses, trying on at least four before settling on the perfect one for the evening. Her choice; an ivory floor length gown cut in a A-line with a simple V neck, spaghetti straps and a low cut back. The covering layer was cut in a similar A-line and had only one clasp, a butterfly right at chest level.
With the aid of a few simple spells her mother had taught her Ginny styled her hair into a simple bun and applied enough makeup to cover the exhaustion that showed in her every feature. There were ivory ballet slippers on the floor and she slid into them, sighing with contentment at the way they molded to her feet.
A knock at the door brought her mind back to the present dilemma and she suffered a moment of panic. She was going to dine with the Malfoy's, the evilest family she had ever seen, a family that had every reason to want her dead and buried. After all she was the youngest of the Weasley family – a family the Malfoys held in contempt – and she had been present for at least three of the times Harry Potter had foiled the Dark Lord and his minions. She moved with great reluctance to open the door. There was nothing like deep seeded hatred to ad enjoyment to a last meal.
Draco left Ginny at her room and hurried back to his own. If he moved fast he should be able to owl Sirius and let him know what was going on. There would be no benefit in a kamikaze mission to save Ginny. The Malfoy Manor was impenetrable unless you either were a Malfoy yourself or bound to one. That was one of the reasons that Draco had been so surprised when Lucius had given Ginny that ring, for it would allow her to move with relative safety throughout the grounds and the house itself. Of course her movements would be tracked and certain warded rooms would refuse her access, but she would still be able to move quite freely.
His owl was perched, as always, on a bedpost. Its beautiful head turned towards the door, acknowledging its master's presence. "Hello." Draco said softly, moving towards the magnificent animal. The bird allowed itself to be pet, but its dignity would not allow for more than a slight screech in greeting. Draco moved from the bird to his desk and wrote a quick note to Sirius.
Sirius,
Ginny is with me. She's fine.
There's no point in coming, you
won't be able to get pas the wards.
I will send word when I know what
My father has planned.
Draco
Finished his letter he sealed it with a drop of green wax and tied it to his owl's leg. He watched as the bird disappeared into the early evening sky and then turned to prepare for dinner.
Draco pulled on the black velvet dress robes that he knew were his mother's favorite and looked critically at his reflection in the mirror that he had silenced in a fit of irritation months before after it told him he looked like a cherub in his school uniform. This outfit was far from being his favorite, but he felt it would be in his best interest to ingratiate himself to at least one of his parents at that evening's meal. He didn't like the look of the current situation. No one told him anything, no one ever had unless they were giving him orders, but he was certain that his father was once again serving someone else's orders and not his own whims. That was the only possible explanation for the simple fact that the Weasley still breathed. Whoever was in charge wanted her for something, some sick and evil purpose that he hoped, desperately, that he would be able to prevent. He couldn't find a connection between his father's plan for the Muggles and the "Mud-Bloods" and his and Ginny's current predicament.
A glance at the grandfather clock that stood in the farthest corner of the room from where he stood told him that he should go find Ginny so they would not be late for dinner. It would be of little help to either if they displeased him yet again tonight. Wrapping a cloak around his shoulders Draco strode out of the room.
The Ivory room was on the same floor as his own bedroom, but in a separate wing so it took a while for him to reach it. He knocked sharply on the door and waited, with ill-concealed impatience for Ginny to appear.
The door swung open quickly and Ginny emerged, a vision in the silk robes she had donned. Draco blinked once and then regained possession of his Malfoy cool and nodded at her. "Weasley" he said, offering her arm. She settled her fingers gently on his sleeve only a slight tilt of one perfectly shaped brow telling him of her confusion. He led the way to the dining hall in silence, contemplating her transformation for a good portion of the walk. He had never really noticed Ginny as a beauty, but now, seeing her in the type of finery that Pansy and the Patil twins took for granted, he couldn't understand how he had overlooked her before; she was radiant. Of course he was a Malfoy and she would never know that he found her even the least bit appealing.
The doors to the Dinning Hall loomed ahead of them and Ginny's fingers tightened on his arm. He reached up with one slender hand and squeezed her fingers reassuringly. "Relax," he whispered, "they can smell fear."
By dinner time at Hogwarts Ron's panic had risen to the point of an all-out nervous breakdown. Harry had stayed with him all afternoon, trying to calm his frantic best friend to no avail. By six o'clock he would have gladly joined Hermione in the Library and studied potions until he died of boredom. Sirius had not made contact yet. To Ron, this was the ultimate bad sign, but Harry understood it for what it truly was, a piece of hope.
If the worst had happened Sirius would have been back already with the news. True the best case scenario had been that Sirius would somehow perform a rapid rescue mission, but Harry's own adventures had taught him that those never went as quickly as planned. Most likely Sirius was still attempting to find Ginny within the extensive manor. Harry's only worry was that his God Father would act recklessly and get himself, or someone else, hurt.
Harry tried a variety of tactics to distract his panicked friend, but it was to no avail. He was finally forced to concede his failure when he beat Ron resoundingly at a game of Wizard's Chess. Having nothing to say or do that would comfort his friend Harry finally gave up. Nothing he had done had been helpful, and he wasn't sure Ron even knew he was in the room. Rising carefully Harry told his friend he was going to find Hermione and to come tell them if there was any news.
Ron glowered fiercely at Harry's back as his friend slipped out of the portrait hole. They didn't understand- how could they? - neither Harry or Hermione had siblings and so they couldn't know what it was like to sit around waiting to hear if one was alive or in mortal peril. Wait a minute, Ron thought, sitting straighter in his chair, mortal peril. That's it! With a manic smile on his face Ron jumped to his feet. The clock, why hadn't he thought of it before? He ran up to his dorm and grabbed the jar of floo powder that Harry kept on the dresser, he would apologize later. The common room was blessedly empty when Ron re-appeared and he headed straight for the fireplace. Tossing a pinch of the powder into the flames he called out "The Burrow" and stuck his head in.
The fireplace in the Weasley home was located conveniently in the most central room in the house, the kitchen. Ron scanned the room quickly and noted that Molly could not be far, as there were dishes scrubbing themselves in the sink, he would have to be fast. He craned his head to the side and, with narrowed eyes, attempted to read the hands on the Weasley's magical clock. The clock was, unfortunately, on the same side of the room as the fireplace and it was nearly impossible for Ron to see it, let alone to make out the different faces on the hands.
"RONALD WEASLEY!"
The shout caused Ron to close his eyes in a desperate effort to disappear, he had desperately hoped to make this brief appearance unnoticed, but he should have known that doing so was practically impossible.
Molly strode across the room and knelt in front of her son. "WHAT are you DOING?" she bellowed, her cheeks red with irritation.
"I'm sorry mum." Ron said meekly, meeting his mother's fierce gaze with his timid one, all the while casting about in his mind for a decent lie. "It's just, I missed home."
Molly's gaze was suspicious but she couldn't help the slight softening the words brought. "Well then." She said, running a hand through her tussled red hair. "You'd best come in, I'll owl Dumbledore and we can floo you back later."
"No." Ron protested, "We can just talk like this can't we? For a minute." He was desperate to keep his mother from contacting Dumbledore. The man was practically psychic with his ability to know what was happening with each of his students. Ron was actually shocked that Dumbledore had not descended on the Gryffindors yet to find out about Ginny's whereabouts – surely he knew by now she hadn't returned.
Molly sighed deeply. "I know you're up to something, now come here at once. Dumbledore will not be pleased, but he will understand. I don't have time to be chatting with my silly children on the hearth all day. It's bad enough hat Ginny went wandering off to god-knows-where without my morning being wasted like this."
Ron was so busy trying to ward of the guilt-trip that he nearly missed the importance of his mother's statement. "What was that about Ginny?" he asked.
His mother rose out of sight and, for a moment, all Ron could see were her feet walking across the room, stopping and then returning. She held the clock out to him to inspect. "See?" she asked, "She's stuck here between school and lost, I suppose that means she's late returning from Hogsmead." Molly's voice increased in volume and pitch as she progressed to a full-on lecture. "You know Ron, I'm surprised at you, allowing your sister to wander about, not caring what happens. I would have expected this form the twins, but from you?" Her eyes flashed, and Ron wished he could simply withdraw his head form the fire and be done with it.
Molly's lecture continued until a none-too-gentle hand grasped Ron's shoulder and pulled him from the fire. "What are you doing?" Harry looked down at Ron with concern. "I came back fifteen minutes ago to get a book and you were talking to someone. Who was it?"
Ron would have been annoyed with Harry for being pulled out of the fire, if his friend had not just saved him from a lecture. "Mum." He said instead, rising to his feet and brushing soot from his hair. "I wanted to check the clock to see if Ginny was in danger, but mum caught me before I could." He grinned sheepishly.
Harry smiled at his friend, "Well? Is she ok?"
"I'm not sure," Ron said, his brow creasing in puzzlement, "The clock was poised between lost and school."
Harry considered the information. "But that can't be." He said sinking into a chair, "I checked the map before I went and studied; she's nowhere on it."
The cold echo of footsteps only served to increase Sirius' panic as he paced the small cell. Lucius was an unforgiving man and would not take lightly to Sirius' presence. His only real hope was that he could trick Lucius into believing he wasn't any sort of threat. But how could he?
A/N: I unconsciously stole the "they can smell fear" line from the movie What a Girl Wants. Oops In other news: Huge apology in the months it took me to update. Thanks for reading PLEASE REVIEW
