THE PERFECT STORY
by shiningbright

Disclaimer: Don't remind me...

A/N: Hey everyone! I wanted to get this chapter out yesterday after I finished typing it, but I never got a chance (I was babysitting- go figure). Today I got a moment, so here it is. I've already written half of chapter fifteen so it's going pretty well. Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next twist of the story-

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: INEVITABLE

Ginny's eyes fluttered open. Her head was pounding and her shoulder and torso was numb. She was in a chair of some kind, and wearing normal witch's robes. Suddenly a shriek sliced the air. Ginny shot up, but an unspeakable force knocked her down again.

"Weasley!" cried Madame Promfrey. "Lay down! Thank Merlin you're alive! That nasty curse- I thought for sureit killed you!"

Ginny raised an eyebrow and tried to sit up, but she had seemed to lose control to all of her limbs. "What's going on?" she murmured weakly. "Where ar-"

"Hogwarts," a drawling voice interrupted miserably. "Hogwarts."

"What?" Ginny asked groggily, looking around. "I haven't been here since… Why am I here?"

A series of screams rose up from the grounds. Ginny's face turned white as she looked up at Draco, silhouetted in the window. "What is going on?"

"It's a war," Madame Promfrey whispered hysterically. "War!"

"Shut it, woman," Draco growled.

"What's going on?" Ginny demanded, sitting up. She stared around wildly, noticing the two Death Eaters by the doors. "Malfoy-"

A knock was heard on the other side of the door. One Death Eater hurriedly opened it. Bellatrix Black stepped inside.

"Well well well, my dear boy, this is quite a display," Bellatrix greeted Draco proudly. "A thousand Death Eaters against maybe two hundred ministry boys and girls. This is a proud moment indeed for a budding Dark Lord."

"Hello, Mistress," Draco drawled dully.

Madame Promfrey let out a shrill scream. "It's the Black woman!" she cried, scrambling closer to the wall. "Get away from me!"

Ginny glared at Bellatrix, remembering that this was the Death Eater who had not only killed Sirius, but was rumored to kill Harry Potter as well.

"Ah," Bellatrix said, turning to face Ginny. "It's the Weasel girl. Weren't you going to marry Potty-Head?"

Ginny's face was red with twisted anger. But she couldn't move. She couldn't feel her legs.

It was her first chance to avenge Harry's death and she had chosen that moment to not only be incapacitated, but to also be wandless. Every bit of her hated Draco even more for both of those miseries.

"They say I killed Potty, you know that, girl?" Bellatrix continued, relishing her emotional torture. "But I, unfortunately, did not have the joy to. But I did witness his death…"

Ginny bit her lip. She didn't want to hear this…

"…He was killed brutally and painfully. Of course, once the Dark Lord had gone, all of us were very, very angry. And Potty-Head was the thing with which to take our anger out on." Bellatrix paused, as though enjoying a rather pleasant memory. "He screamed your name as we tortured them, did you know that? He cried like a baby…"

A tear threatened to slip down Ginny's face at the monster's words, but she held steady, as emotionless as a stone.

"Of course, Potty is human, and only lasted so long. Eventually, his strength gave out and the game had to end. But like I said, I never got the chance to dispose of him." Bellatrix glanced over at Draco in the window. "Why don't you tell her who did, Draco?"

Malfoy stood rigidly, his body twitching as he watched the ongoing battle below.

"Draco? Well?" Bellatrix continued dryly, her impatience becoming obvious as her face turned a deep shade of violet. "Tell her! Now."

Malfoy didn't acknowledge his aunt whatsoever.

"Boy, you listen to me-"

"Get away from me, Aunt Bellatrix," Draco snarled, flipping around, his face contorted with rage. "Leave me alone! I should've listened to Weasley earlier! You are evil for making me what I am!"

Bellatrix lowered her eyes, fuming. Ginny sat up in her chair, still weak from the curse. Draco took a step back, his hand burrowed in his robes. Bellatrix ripped out her wand.

"For your disobedience you shall pay!" the woman shouted, flicking her wand at Malfoy. Draco blocked it lazily with his own wand. The jet of eerie purple light ricocheted off of Draco's shield and knocked out a Death Eater guarding the door.

"You may have killed everything I love," Draco spluttered angrily, pointing his wand at Bellatrix's chest. "But I will no longer allow you to force me to do your dirty work!"

Bellatrix smiled softly, her heavily lidded eyes lighting up. "Well, my dear nephew, say good-bye to your mother."

Draco jumped back. "No."

"Yes, Draco, dear, say bye." Bellatrix Black smiled even wider, revealing yellowed teeth.

Ginny shook in her chair. But now was no time for being afraid. Knowing that Promfrey was on the floor, cowering, and that one of the two Death Eaters was presumably dead or would be soon, she scuttled out of the chair. The second Death Eater, too busy watching the family reunion before them, didn't see her sneak up to the crippled body of the other Death Eater. Searching his robes, Ginny managed to find a wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" she cried, doing her best to remember Mad Eye's description from third year. Bellatrix dropped to the ground, falling on Draco's boots.

"Wha-" Draco began, spying Ginny on the floor. He leaned down and checked Bellatrix's pulse- just in case. "She isn't dead," he said a moment later. "You just knocked her out." He felt an urge to wrap his arms around the redhead and kiss her until the debt was repaid, but he had to stop himself. Now was not the time.

"It's better she didn't die," Ginny muttered as she attempted to stand. Leaning against the wall, she swayed on her feet and felt lightheaded. "This way we have proof you were blackmailed and threatened into killing people."

"What?" asked Madame Promfrey warily as she stood. "What do you mean, threatened and blackmailed?"

"I'll tell you later," Draco huffed as he left the room. "But people are dying right now that shouldn't have to."

shiningbright