THE PERFECT STORY
by yeminquon

Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: All right.. I usually wait until I get at least five reviews for a chapter before I post the next one, but I wasn't getting any so I thought "why not?" Anyway, here's chapter six.

CHAPTER SIX: ANGEL OF HELL

Ginny ran down the hall, Snape's wand clutched in her hand. She had to find a way out of this manor! Once she got out, she could find the Order, let them know where Draco was living (as if it wasn't obvious) and then she could save all of the poor slaves like Martha and hopefully stop another dark wizard from ever rising again.

She hurried down the hall, passing by many doors, windows, and draperies. It was all bright, sunny, and happy; an illusion, of course. Nothing was happy in the Malfoy Manor. People just liked to pretend.

Her head was pounding. She wished she could just lie down, here, on the floor, at her rundown flat in London, or even in that damp, dirty bed back- mustn't think that, she forced herself to think. Mustn't think that!

Her head was hurting as thoughsomeone was beating a nail into it, but the prospects of leaving the manor helped her to better ignore it.

"She's this way! Hurry!" a man's voice some twenty feet behind shouted. Ginny glanced back. Crabbe, big, clumsy Crabbe, was chasing after her, and in front of him was Draco. Ginny's breath caught in her throat, but she knew it was now or never. Spying around her, she sought the nearest doorway, window, stairs- anything.

She had reached the hallway. And directly in front of her, looming up at her, was a stained glass window, displaying a picture of Salazar Slytherin. It was beautiful, but in that evil way. Beautifully evil. Ginny braced herself... It was the only way. She was on the first floor, wasn't she?

She turned around to fall into the glass backwards. Draco's eyes clouded over with fear. He knew what she was going to do. Ginny had only one chance. Raising Snape's wand, she shouted- "Stupefy!" Draco's eyes rolled back in his head as he fell to the floor. Ginny crashed into the window, bracing herself for the fall. Shards of glass spun around her as she fell right into a clump of bushes. Briars.

The thorns cut into her skin. It was pain beyond pain, just short of a Crucio. She tried to disentangle herself from the plant, but found that moving hurt more. And when she heard footsteps approaching, she knew immediately that her plan hadn't worked.

Poor Martha, she whispered, tears leaking from her eyes. Poor Martha.

oOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOo

"Clever stunt," Draco chided dryly as his henchmen dropped her back on that terrible bed. Ginny didn't look at him- just stared at the ceiling. "But not clever enough. You will learn what we do to runners." Malfoy approached her, his lips curled into a smirk. He had given back Snape's wand and had sent the slimy git on his way. The henchmen- two heavily built Death Eaters- stood in the corner, snickering at their master's sarcasm. Ginny rolled her eyes. Draco was nothing to her, simply a fly, waiting to be-

"Crucio!" the fly shouted, catching Ginny off guard. The cuts from the briars were riveted with heat. Her insides screamed as she fought the pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her body melted in shock. Even after Malfoy had released the spell, she couldn't stop shaking. So this is way it's an unforgivable, she thought madly. No wonder Voldemort had such an effect on people. Her own body wasn't right, wasn't okay. She felt as though she was being electrified. Her eyes sagged. She hated Malfoy more then than any other time in her life.

"Humph," Malfoy laughed at her obvious discomfort. He lowered his face over hers, their noses merely two inches apart. Although she was shaking, her breath caught. How could Draco Malfoy- evil, murderer, Voldemort-successor Malfoy- be so attractive whilst he was torturing her? Why did she imagine their lips pressing together with passion each and every time he peered his stone-grey silver eyes in her own? It was a curse. And he was an Angel of Hell. "Now, tell me, will you prove to be as useless as that jackass Martha? Or will you actually be of worth to me? Useless people are unnecessary and are better burned than taking space in my manor."

Ginny choked, her eyes wide. "What about Martha?" she gasped. "You- no..." her voice fell to a whisper. Draco grinned maliciously.

"Martha proved...useless. So I disposed of her," he laughed. His voice grew stern. "Now, how about you?"

Ginny realized just how much trouble she was in. She had broken her promise to Martha. But if she died, no one else would be saved. The servant girl would have died in vain. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she glared into her captor's eyes.

"I hate you," she whispered. Gulping with difficulty over the lump in her windpipe, she wiped away a tear. "But I am worthy..."

Draco smiled dimly. But in his eyes Ginny saw an emotion she couldn't decipher- regret? Pain? Certainly not anger. Nor happiness. "I know you are."

And the Angel from Hell motioned to his henchmen and the three left the room, leaving behind a sobbing woman who wondered if she had made the right choice.


Preview for Chapter Seven

"Why do you do it, Draco Malfoy?" she cried. "Why do you do it? Is something testing you, Draco! WHY? You could be so much! Yet you have to degrade yourself by succumbing to your overwhelming past. Why can't you defy your father's legacy and be something of actual importance and right?"

YQ