Charmed

Chapter 10

By Terra Rose

The Malfoy Manor had been renowned throughout the wizarding community in Great Britain because of the extravagance in which it was built, furnished, and maintained. It was rumored that there were at least seven gardens surrounding the Mansion, along with an extraordinary terrace about the establishment. It was whispered that there were at least 50 separate rooms not counting the infamous dungeons with secret passages connecting several nearby villages to the property. Perhaps it was the prominence of the estate that attracted the Dark Lord to it. He had moved his forces to the Manor with plans that it could serve as their base in the war that was soon to come.

There was an eerie fog circling the notorious estate on the evening that he gathered his most faithful followers together in the drawing room of the Malfoy Manor. As the mist swirled about outside the house, his notorious hooded Death Eaters assembled and prepared to hear their master's wishes. From a far corner in the room near the fireplace where a massive armchair resided, they all heard a hiss that sounded much like 'silence'. The chatter from moments ago ceased instantly and the Dark Lord cackled viciously at the thought of his minions fearing his every word.

"I have asked you all to come here with the expectation that you would each deliver to me good news." He began, his voice sounding mellifluous as an angel. The Death Eaters listened with great attentiveness, fearing that they might miss a word and receive debasement for such an offence.

"Narcissa. Prey tell me what the word is on my most eager follower, young Draco." He inquired from his seat by the fire. Even without looking at him, she began to quiver inside her black cloak.

"M-my lord, there were a few complications." She started, stepping closer to his armchair.

"Complications? Explain this rubbish." He commanded in an ever so soft tone, yet striking fear in the pale-haired woman.

"Dumbledore.. He is interfering in our plans. He has been trying to soften the boy by having him mentor the Weasley's youngest child. Draco appeared to have grown quite fond of her. I forbade him to associate with her in fear that he would dispel information to her. I fear that the headmaster has swayed Draco to their side." Narcissa explained slowly, hoping that her words would not anger her master. On the contrary, he was quite intrigued by the account.

"The old fool! He cannot hope to sway someone with such great dark potential that Draco possesses. This Weasley child, she may be more useful than I had imagined. It seems that there is more than one angle to her involvement in my plan. It appears that she is the weakness to both Harry Potter and Draco."

Narcissa stood for a moment in confusion. She was quite unaware of what Harry Potter had to do with her son. The Dark Lord cackled once more, causing all of his followers to jump in fright.

"Harry Potter is in love with the Weasley girl and attachment of any type is a weakness in this war. I had already begun to manipulate her in my favor. And now it seems that she has transformed from a mere pawn on my chessboard into the royal queen herself. I will draw Draco into my forces and bring Potter to his knees with that little girl."

The velvet skies were dusted with stars that echoed the future in their glimmering orbs and the clear waters of the lake reflected the dazzling moon as it rose in the sky. The students of Hogwarts were making their way to their respected dormitories to insure that they were there before curfew. And just outside the Fat Lady's portrait, two students stood in each others presence with love shining in their eyes. Years from now, they would hold each other in an embrace and remember their budding romance blooming like a wild rose that grows without seed nor pot.

"Just one more." Draco requested in the sweetest voice he could muster, his crystal eyes twinkling like the stars in the evening sky. Ginny took one look at his charming face and she felt her knees go weak. She giggled before granting his wish; she gently kissed him on the lips. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, entwining his fingers in her auburn hair. He noticed that she was trembling but assumed that she was just a bit cold due to the autumn chill that had sauntered upon the Hogwarts grounds.

"Draco…I have to go." She whined, pulling away from him reluctantly. He sighed sadly and nodded.

"Ok, love. I'm sorry." He said, cupping her face for a moment. " I will see you tomorrow. Sleep well, darling."

Ginny gave the Fat Lady the password and went into the Gryffindor common room after her Slytherin boyfriend departed. She went directly to her favorite arm chair right by the fire and pulled out a book to read. She recalled fondly that reading had become a haven for her, growing up in such a chaotic household. Whenever her mum would start in on the twins regarding their practical jokes or yell at her dad about the garden gnomes, she would meander up to her room and pull one of her favorites from the bookshelf.

"I think that it is wonderful that my love for books has rubbed off on somebody." Hermione's voice sounded from the entrance of the common room, interrupting Ginny's quiet reading environment. Ginny looked up from her brand new book on Werewolves, one that would make Professor Lupin quite proud. Hermione stood before her with her usual bright smile shining an extra 100 watts. Ginny was certain that Hermione's new boyfriend was the cause of her gleefulness. She was dressed trimly with a plum outer robe draped on her shoulders and her bushy brown hair fell just below her shoulder blades.

"Hello, Hermione." Ginny greeted, "Harry and Ron still haven't begun studying for N.E.W.T.S. yet?" Hermione nodded, sitting in the arm chair opposite from Ginny and taking out some coursework of her own.

"You know, I think that if you asked Ron to study with you privately, he would be quite interested." Ginny suggested with a giggle. Hermione scowled at Ginny to hide her embarrassed blush and threw one of the pillows from the chair at her.

"Hey! No need to get hostile. Where are they anyways? They are usually in here about now to ruin my peace and quiet." Ginny inquired in a curious purr. She loved to embarrass Hermione because it was hard to find something that she was actually sensitive about.

"They have detention with Snape. They got into a spat with some of the Slytherins during Potions." Hermione explained, pulling her bushy brown hair into a ponytail, "They actually started shooting hexes at each other till someone's cauldron got hit and exploded all over Snape's desk. He was absolutely livid…I have never seen his face become so red."

Ginny laughed at the thought of Harry and Ron shooting hexes from behind a desk at the lot of surly Slytherins, Professor Snape screeching like a woman about his precious potions, and the rest of the class shouting and laughing at the scene before them. After a moment of silence, Ginny noticed that Hermione was looking at her questioningly.

"Ginny? Where did you get that necklace? It's gorgeous!" Hermione squealed, leaping from her chair and taking the charm in her hands to investigate. Ginny tittered nervously as Hermione touched the emeralds and rubies with amazement. She felt dim-witted; she should have concealed the necklace so no one would notice it's extravagance.

"This in one of those binding pendants. I have actually read about them. They are very expensive." Hermione explained as she went to her satchel to get a book. She pulled a massive text out and began to flip through the pages. After finding the correct page, she handed it to Ginny. There was a large picture of the charm on Ginny's necklace and a script:

Souls are entwined and hearts are forever bound by the selflessness that love offers us all. The Celtic legend of hearts entwined forever throughout time comes to life in the pendant of Keltianos. The pendants were created more than 2000 years ago by several different clans throughout what is modern Great Britain today; one of the creators being the clan of Keltianos. The bestowing of the pendant to another was a symbol of binding true love uniting clans. Several centuries ago, wizard and witches began to give the pendant to those whom they wished to bind their essence to. Although they are usually passed down through families, not many have these precious pendants in this day and age for they have been destroyed because of their peculiar powers. If one is given the pendant out of true love, a part of the giver's essence is captured and held inside the pendant serving as a protective barrier to the one wearing the pendant. Dark wizards throughout have sought these pendants and destroyed them because of this. There are only about 12 left in the wizarding world, however the location of several of the pendants are unknown.

Ginny closed the book slowly and handed it back to Hermione with a dazed expression on her face. Draco had given a charmed necklace, a soul binding locket, a protective pendant, a family heirloom…it was more than she could take in.

"Who gave this to you?" Hermione inquired while inspecting the jewel once again, causing Ginny to blush profusely.

"It was Harry, wasn't it? It is just like him to want to protect you like this. And I know he loves you more than anything. I bet that since his family is pureblooded, his father had it in the family and left it for him. That is so sweet. Did he explain what it meant to you?" Hermione said all of this in one breath. Ginny shook her head, worried that the necklace was going to become her undoing. If she didn't tell Hermione who it was from, Hermione would ask Harry about it.

"Hermione…Harry didn't give me the necklace. Someone else gave it to me." Ginny began in a quivering voice, sounding much like a mouse does when cornered by a cat. Hermione arched her eyes brows in question and set her spectacles down in her lap.

"If Harry didn't give the pendant of Keltianos to you, who did?" she asked this with the curiosity burning in her eyes like the embers ablaze in the grate before them. Ginny turned away from her intelligent friend and gazed at the fire as though the fire itself could tell her all the answers she sought.

"It was someone that cares about me…I just can't talk about it right now." Ginny attempted to explain, but she realized it was no use when she noticed Hermione was grinning at her.

"I know that being in love is very embarrassing at times. But you are going to have to tell everyone about you and Harry eventually. But I promise to keep it a secret as long as you are still uncomfortable, ok?"

The days were getting shorter as winter neared, the castle getting more drafty as each day went by. He realized that he was shivering when he looked up from the book he was reading to check the time on the side table clock: 1:30 A.M. It was awfully late to still be in the common room, but most Slytherins were know for being night owls. He remembered that during childhood, his own father stayed up most of the night in the study and his mother would whine constantly about being lonely in her gigantic bed.

The Slytherin common room had been deserted for quite some time, but he had been engrossed in a novel and had not noticed the occupancy of the room dwindle to only himself. He sighed and began to gather his belongings, hoping that he would not disturb his roommates by coming into the room so late. The crackle of the fire distracted him for a brief moment. The flames often reminded him of his Ginny, the way she smiled and danced about with her red curls playing on the breeze. She melted his heart with her very laughter, even when separated by numerous corridors and thick walls of plaster. He placed his hand on the ivory wall next to the hearth and imagined Ginny doing the same. He felt her familiar warmth envelop him, and for a moment he was certain he felt her hand touch his through the wall. The sound of a book toppling from his grasp awoke him from his reverie and he bent to pick it up. A slip of parchment that had been tucked inside had come loose and he pulled it out to see what it contained:

The sun shines brightly for you, with auburn hair you need not woo

Your love will bloom like a rose, overcoming all the winter snows

But beware the morning dew, when your true love is taken from you.

It was the fortune paper he had acquired in Divination, the seemingly bogus fortune that had been a burden on Draco's mind for quite some time. He stuck the paper back in the book violently and shoved the book into his bag. Seeing those words made him very angry and very frightened simultaneously, although he didn't understand the emotions that invaded him. He felt like a secluded beach suddenly invaded by tourists during summer vacation; everything was different and new for him. Having someone in his life that he couldn't live without was very foreign. For years, he had lived for only himself because no one else would. His parents had never cared about him, aside from expecting perfection in regards to his academic life. They often only spoke to him when they inquired about grades or Quidditch matches. But Ginny…she was something he had never experienced in his life. He felt as though she was the playful breeze that beckoned him away from a life of dreary boredom and redundancy. She had become a lighted star upon his darkened path, guiding him away from all of his fears.

Therefore, the fortune revealing ,'…your true love is taken from you…', rattled him completely. The protective charm he had given Ginny was a family token, a secret that Grandmere Malfoy had given to him on her deathbed. She told him in a quiet whisper that he would one day give the pendant to a person that shone brighter than all the stars. He knew now that he would do anything to protect Ginny and her sparkle…anything at all.

His voice beckoned her towards the gardens, always was his tone of voice similar to a nocturne. She carefully glided down the stairs of the stone wall and entered the garden. The scent of gardenias and roses filled the air, and she smiled as the sunlight enveloped her. She tenderly touched the tulip petals, letting the memory of the oranges and reds be etched into her mind. He called out to her again and she slowly walked towards the edge of the garden. He stood facing the horizon, watching while the sun began to set. She heard him sigh as the beauty of the colorful sunset was painted across the sky like an artist's pallet. She imagined Michelangelo dipping his paintbrush into the assorted pigments and creating the scene before them. She felt him touch her shoulder with his strong hands and her name escaped his lips a quiet whisper. She blushed and turned away, hoping that he would still say her name in that manner when they were older.

"Love me forever, Ginny?" She heard him ask as she looked up into his cerulean blue eyes. In an instant, his face transformed before her eyes into the face of a man she would always fear: Tom Marvolo Riddle. He smiled charmingly as her smiling face turned into a face of horrific fear. He wrapped his arms around her, as though they were lovers and she realized as he began to entwine his spider like fingers in her hair, she hadn't the power to move.

"Yes, Sweet Ginny. You are dreaming. But this time, I won't let you wake up as you have in the past." He explained this in a voice that seemed to echo, as though his chest was hollow. She felt the urge to scream until her lungs exploded, yet all she could do was whimper and tremble in his embrace.

"You are mine, dearest girl. I want you to know that you still belong to me. Remember when you did all of those wonderful deeds for me? You are already on the way to being one of my followers." After he said this, she found the courage from within to respond.

"I have never willingly served you. You haven't the power to harm me anymore."

He nodded and continued to stroke her hair with a delicate smile painted on his lips.

"Perhaps, but I will always have the power to reign over you. You wouldn't like it very much if I decided to murder someone you love…like a certain Slytherin? You are all mine, Ginny. You know that now."

A/N: I have really enjoyed writing this fic and I have adored getting those wonderful reviews. I want to express that I am a writer that needs to be motivated by commentary. I really desire to hear what you think of my writing, so please please please drop me a line!

I have decided to start giving a special thanks to my reviewers:

Madrid- Thank you so much for keeping up with this fic. Your support has been phenomenal!

Lavender Kenobi- I cannot thanks everyone and leave you out. Thanks a lot!

HyperSquishy- I am glad that you think this fic is unique. That was what I was aiming for. As for your question: She will get her memory back but not for quite a while.

FirePrincessofSlytherin16- I am sorry if the story was confusing. I blame it partly on the fact that my dividers were erased and I had no knowledge of that. So I fixed that problem and I hope the story is less confusing. A lot of explanations will be revealed in the next few chapters.

Lacy1- Thank you so much for all of your reviews! You have been such a wonderful reviewer!

swimfan-Thank you thank you thank you! You have been so awesome!

GoldenFawkes- Thank you for your review! In the next few chapters, things will begin to unfold.