Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters present in this fic, or magical situations (spells etc) that are described in J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series.
Yes, I have 5 reviews at the very moment I am typing this.
Key: Brackets mean the beginning and end of a flashback.
CHAPTER FIVE -
Decoding.
FEW DAYS LATER.
"My Lord," Lucius Malfoy said, trying to get the Dark Lord's attention. "I have some news which concerns you." He smirked at the information Narcissa had given him.
("Are you certain, Narcissa?" Lucius had said, feeling considerably excited.
"Yes, quite so," Narcissa replied. "She was very...jumpy when I mentioned her 'weight'." Narcissa had smiled. "I was pregnant once before, you know."
"How could I forget?" Lucius said, darkly, remembering her ever-changing moods, and furious rages. "Anyway, I think that you deserve a present, Narcissa."
Narcissa smiled slyly. "Well...")
"Well?" Tom said, impatiently. The meeting had ended and he wanted to go and finish some plans.
Lucius moved forward to stand closer to Tom. "I would rather not say here, my Lord," he said in a low voice, casting a quick glance over the other Death Eaters.
Tom sighed, disinterested. Being the leader isn't all it's cracked up to be. He stood up, and walked through the door at the far end of the room. Lucius shut it behind him. The Death Eaters were murmuring "snobby bastard", "bootlicker." Not taking any notice of the fact that they were the same.
"What is so horrifying that the others innocent ears cannot hear?" Tom said, sarcastically. He sat himself down on a leather chair, by the fireplace.
"My wife, Narcissa, has reason to believe that," Lucius paused, wanting to drag it out and exacerbate the problem, "Miss Weasley is hiding something from you." Lucius smiled inwardly, knowing that the Dark Lord does not appreciate such things, and he would especially not tolerate it from his 'pet'.
"And why does Mrs. Malfoy find it her place to tell you?" Tom's eyes flickered in distaste. In his eyes, Mrs. Malfoy's respectability in putting up with Mr. Malfoy and her son had faltered by sticking her nose in. "What is it that Ginevra is hiding?" he added.
"My wife is concerned for Miss Weasley," he said, in a smug voice, which Tom took no notice of. Lucius Malfoy knew Narcissa cared nothing for the Muggle-loving rat. "For her...well-being."
"And what is she hiding, Lucius?" Tom said impatiently.
"Narcissa has reason to believe that Miss Weasley is pregnant," Lucius held back maniacal laughter, giving a small smile instead.
They sat in silence for what seemed an eternity.
Tom finally spoke, looking Lucius directly in the eye. "How does your wife know this?" he said, leaning forward, his tone was daring Lucius to lie, telling him what he would do if he were lying.
"She noticed that Miss Weasley has gotten slightly fat around her stomach and," Lucius faltered, "breasts," he finished in a small voice.
Tom looked at Lucius as though he were idiotic. "Weight, Lucius, there is such a thing," he said bluntly.
"When Narcissa mentioned this to Miss Weasley, she said that she seemed put-out, and quickly changed the subject," Lucius added an afterthought from when Narcissa was pregnant. "And she had unexplainable changes in her mood, my Lord." This has got to work.
Tom remembered Ginny's behaviour a few days earlier. "If you are lying to me, Lucius, you now what I will do to you." I'll have to talk with Ginevra.Then as an afterthought; her breasts have gotten slightly bigger.
"Yes, my Lord," Lucius bowed his head in acknowledgment. "I am fully aware of the consequences." For Miss Weasley.
"Good. This meeting is over," Tom said in a finishing tone. "Send the other Death Eaters away." Tom stood, turning his back on Lucius and staring out of the tiny window at the side of the room.
"Yes, my Lord," Lucius repeated. He rewarded himself with a chilling smile, and an invisible pat on the back for his excellent cunning.
As Lucius left the room, Tom picked up a glass from his table, and poured himself a drink.
"If it is true," he said to himself. "Why would she keep it from me?" Tom felt anger rising in his chest. "She may not know, but how could she not?" Tom felt immensely disorganised for not seeing it before, for being unable to comprehend her for once, his rage took over, and he threw the glass forcefully at the wall, watching it shatter. Tom imagined how Ginny would look later on in her pregnancy; if it were true.
Tom left the room, and went in search for Ginny.
Ginny was enjoying the afternoon sun out on the balcony. In the distance she could see some of the ocean above the trees, which were not too tall. She was wondering why Tom had wanted a house or headquarters or whatever it was, near the sea. When the man in question entered the room.
He looked about the room, when his eyes landed on her small figure sitting out on the balcony with her back to him. He creeped toward her, and set his hand on her shoulder, gripping it. Ginny gasped in surprise, turning to see him staring down at her with a predatory look in his eyes.
"Ginny," he began, gently. "Do you have something you need to tell me?"
Ginny stared back at him, then held her head down. "N-no," she stuttered. "Why do you ask?"
"Somebody tells me you do need to tell me something, and I highly doubt that the person is lying to me," Tom said, losing his gentleness, and pulling her up. "Get inside, now," he growled. Tom wanted it from her mouth. She obeyed, and sat on a chair by the balcony windows. Tom followed behind her, shutting the glass doors.
"Get up," he sounded like a General demanding proper actions when being given a report. Ginny stood, and Tom moved in front of her. "Look at me," he demanded. Ginny lifted her eyes to his.
"I-I don't have a-anything t-to confess," she insisted, her voice betraying her.
"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny," he said as if he were speaking to a naughty child. "Your insistent choice of hiding this from me only makes it worse for you. So, don't lie to me, I know you are lying, you silly girl," he said, sneering.
Ginny couldn't find the words, she was against everything he stood for, and she didn't want to tell him on this basis. She couldn't tell him.
"Shall I help you along, Ginny?" he said, maliciously. He grabbed her arms, pressuring his fingers into her skin slightly.
"Don't -"
"I think that Ginny has been a very naughty little girl, and has been hiding something important from me," he said in a mock-thoughtful voice as he began gripping her arms harder.
"I haven't done anything," she said in forceful voice. "Please, Tom, let go, you're hurting me!"
"That is the point, Ginny," he said bluntly. "Now," he said, reverting back to the mocking voice. "I wonder what it could be that little Ginny is hiding from her...master," he sneered, lewdly, and smirking at it. "Maybe a treacherous doctor knows, hmm?"
Tears were sliding down Ginny's cheeks; the agonising pain in her arms was unbearable. "Please, let go!"
"Tell me, Ginevra," he hissed. She cried harder, trying to push herself away from him, only resulting in more pain. "Tell me, you stupid girl!" he shouted.
Ginny mumbled something that couldn't be heard over sobbing.
"Stop crying! You should know physical pain is nothing compared to emotional pain!" he said, reminding her of a lesson he had taught her before he took her down to the Chamber of Secrets. "I cannot hear your juvenile mumblings."
"All right," she said, he tears dying down, her face presenting clear-cut pain. "I'll tell you," she said, her voice laced with tremblings. "I got pregnant by a murderer!" she shouted at him.
Tom let her go, Ginny kept her head down and rubbed the forming bruises on her arms. As she lifted her head, Tom slapped her hard across the face. Ginny gasped and put a hand to her cheek. "That's for shouting at me." He then pulled her to him, wanting to feel her as though it could justify his slap. Ginny felt disgusted. "Why did you want to keep it from me, Ginny?" he said holding her at arms length, watching the blood rush to her cheek, and the bruises forming on her pale skin.
"Leave me alone," she said quietly. Then adding. "I thought before I got any bigger someone would come for me, take me back to my family," she said brutally.
"No one is coming for you, Ginny," he said surely. "The only person you have is me, so I would suggest you take these silly notions from your mind, and think about how you are going to stay with me forever." Ginny looked at him, repulsed. Dirty git. "Now, you will never hide anything from me again, Ginny, do you understand?" Ginny didn't answer, deciding to ignore him. Tom raised his hand again, and Ginny stared horrified, pulling with all her might and wrenching out of his locking grasp, running for the door. His hand reached for her, missing her flying hair by a millimetre.
She threw open the door, running for the stairs. Tom didn't bother going after her, knowing that the guards would get her, and drag her back to him, throwing her at his feet.
Ginny sprinted down the steps, and then suddenly felt herself falling, and falling, and she couldn't stop...
Tom's head snapped up as he heard a bloodcurdling scream fill the whole house
"Professor Dumbledore," a man with greasy black hair addressed the wizened wizard. "I have information concerning Mr. Weasley."
"Mr. Weasley is not here, Severus," Dumbledore said grievously. "He, Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter have sneaked out again."
Snape sighed. They had no idea about the dangers they were risking. "I will inform you then, Prof. Dumbledore," Snape sat himself down on the chair across from Dumbledore. "I have reason to believe that Miss Ginevra Weasley is not dead."
Dumbledore smiled a small smile. "And what reason do you have?"
Snape related to Professor Dumbldore what he had overheard at a Death Eater party between Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.
("What do you think he will do?" Narcissa whispered.
"Kill her, torture her, or send her back to the Order, which is least likely," Lucius answered in the same tone of voice. Both were unaware of Snape lurking behind them, most people were unaware of Snape lurking behind them.
"Why would he want to kill her, isn't she a valuable asset?"
"I was being sadistic, Narcissa," Lucius said, smirking at his wife.
"Why aren't they here?" Narcissa said, searching the room with her piercing gaze.
"Well, Miss Weasley is his mistress, I'm sure he's exploiting that fact. I still can't imagine why he would want her in that way, there are plenty of others he could have taken, like that Cray girl who is constantly fawning over him," Lucius said in distaste.
"She isn't ugly, Lucius," Narcissa said. "I wouldn't call her beautiful, though."
"Maybe he likes them red-haired, freckled, and, how can I say this without offending you...curvy in all the right places."
Snape stood disgusted at Lucius' lewdness.
"That does offend me, Lucius," Narcissa said, smirking sardonically. "When are you going to tell the Dark Lord that she is carrying his heir?"
"Tomorrow, at the meeting," Lucius smiled, viciously. Walking away with Narcissa, leaving Snape feeling repulsed at what they had just been discussing.)
Professor Dumbledore felt extremely sorry for Ginny, knowing that he had failed her, and her family. "Is she a Death Eater?" he asked.
"No, she was kidnapped for some other reason," Snape said thoughtfully. "Narcissa Malfoy said that she was a 'valuable asset'."
"Why haven't you been informed of her?" Dumbledore asked, surprised that Snape only found out this piece of information now.
"I have never seen her, when I am at those parties she and him are never there, he may suspect me of being a spy," Snape said, looking at Dumbledore with a grim face. "Lucius only knew because he is his second-in-command."
"There must be a way for you to talk to her, Severus," Dumbledore said, his eyes glinting underneath his half-moon spectacles.
"That is impossible, Prof. Dumbledore," he muttered, shaking his greasy head. "The meeting room is well-guarded, and then we are escorted out of the house, and we Apparate, and it's usually held at Malfoy Manor."
"Nothing is impossible, Severus, you know that."
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Jaded Dagger: I have changed the anonymous reviewing thing, so now you don't have to sign in. Thanks for reviewing!
Next chapter up on Wednesday or Thursday.
I'm going to review my own story: Personally, I thought that I dragged out the "I'm pregnant" scenes effectively. Both Lucius and Ginny make Tom wait for what he wants to know. I really enjoy the Lucius and Narcissa scenes. A teensy weensy bit of Draco will be coming up, only once unless I change it.