Panic. Deep, intense and never-ending panic. Ginny couldn't fight it. You need to get him out of here. NOW. Screamed her mind. But everything was happening in slow motion. Her dad, here because it was Sunday, seeing that it was a muggle, went to speak to him out of pure curiosity like he did with every muggle venturing near their house. She couldn't help it. She screamed. Her dad, hearing her distress, called her name. In front of Crow. She had nothing else to do now, but run to her dad, push him back into the wards, and face Crow.
Destiny was sometimes too cruel.
She took advantage of Crow's surprise over her action and the fact that her dad had disappeared, dragging him by the arm way down the hill, yelling to her father it was okay and that she was going to take care of it. Once she was sure her father couldn't see them anymore, she released him. Crow appraised her slowly and started speaking.
"My, my, seems I found my little runaway after all"
Ginny felt like all her previous courage was leaving her. Seeing him in front of her and understanding it was not a nightmare, she felt frozen to the bone. Everything she had suppressed during those past months from her abuse was coming back and it made her dizzy and sick. She couldn't say anything. But Crow wasn't expecting her to speak.
"You forced me to search for you and I am not happy. In fact, I've never felt so angry, you are so going to regret your hiding little girl! But don't worry, we are all waiting for you in town, especially Tancred and Lola."
This made Ginny react. He was crazy if he though she will go back willingly! She was going to fight this tooth and nails, no way she was going back. It was over and she was taking a break from her so called job.
"No! I'm never going back to you! You are all sick! I'll make you go back to prison to rot!"
"Really now? Have you forgotten I have just found a way to make you comply?" Crow was looking at the top of the hill, where he discovered her family lived.
Ginny paled. He wouldn't, would he? Of course, he would. She had given him a golden opportunity, and instead of hiding behind the wards she had given herself away. But she couldn't have left her father deal with Crow, and yet now all her family was in danger.
"I forbid you to touch to my family!"
"Oh, but your father seemed really kind. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I came more to visit, especially as you made it as you had taken a liking to me, dragging me all the way down that hill. And I won't forget how he just disappeared. It seems you kept a lot of secrets from me."
She was trapped. She knew it, he knew it, and he now looked at her with his triumphal grin. She had to consider carefully her options. On one hand, she knew going back with them was going to destroy her. If she had some humanity left the first time, now she will be an animal, being totally dehumanized by those horrible people, with no hope of getting out of it a second time. Was she going to give up so quickly, knowing that if she did this, she was selling herself to the demon? But on the other hand, it was her family at risk. She could run back to the wards, hide herself forever, knowing Crow would always be pushed back by the muggle wards. However, she also knew he won't stop coming now that he had discovered she lived there, and her family will start asking questions and always be in danger from this threat so close to them. No, she couldn't do that to them. She brought the danger to them, she was responsible to take it far away as possible from her home. Besides, they couldn't help her. They were defenceless against someone like Crow. Resigned, knowing she was never going to live until the end of the year, she asked a last favour before giving in.
"Promise me. Promise me to never come back here. To never speak to anyone of my family if I come back to town and if I do everything you want."
"Ask me nicely on your knees and maybe I'll consider agreeing to your demands."
That was it. It was back to daily humiliation, and Crow was making sure she knew her place. Slowly, she got down on her knees and she implored him not to touch to her family. She forbade herself to cry. It was no use and would only make her feel weaker. For all the supremacy magic gave to the wizards, here she was, bowing and begging for her family to be spared by a mere muggle. There was no pride, no, only a feeling of deep emptiness, as if she had done the unforgivable and could never redeem herself. But if it was necessary to get rid of Crow, she'll do it time and time again. Crow relented, and before leaving, he ordered her to be back to town the day after, or else.
She went back to her house, avoided her dad's questions about the mysterious muggle, and retreated to her bedroom, where she will be safe to cry. Because what was happening to her wasn't fair. She had been healing, trying to forget what she had been subjected to, what she had been forced to live. But no. Crow and all the others were out of prison and Crow had looked for her everywhere, going as far as to go to her village, up the hill and to her house. It seemed unbelievable. In every scenario she had imagined, it couldn't have been worse. She had imagined she would have to confront Crow one day, once she would have felt back like herself, happy and smiling again. But never had she imagined confronting him in front of her house and in front of her dad. She was so doomed. Once again, the reality of her situation made her want to laugh at the irony of it all. It seemed she had no choice after all. Best to prepare herself for tomorrow. Yet, Ginny was not stupid. She would be lucky to get out of it alive, and knowing this, she felt her inside twist. Oh, why, why had it arrived?
She was gloomy at dinner that night, and her family wondered on her sudden change of behaviour. Her mother asked her if she was alright, even Ron, when everyone knew this boy was the last to notice something was wrong. She felt her throat constrict each time they asked. She was back to bear this huge secret on her one, not able and not wanting to tell her family. She was only ten for Merlin's sake! But they would never understand her actions, and she was too ashamed of what she had lived and what she was going to live again next night. Telling them was out of the question.
She could never have prepared herself for what awaited her that night. As always, she had found her old spot, waiting for Lola to find her. Lola had been her worst self, a cold bitch, insulting her whenever she could and finding any excuse to hurt her on their way to the other people. Ginny didn't recognise the path they took, as she understood now that they couldn't go back to the bar. Instead, Lola drove for half an hour, until they reached the outskirts of town, went into a little forest, and parked next to a bungalow hidden by the trees. Everything was dark outside, but you could guess there were people inside as there was loud laughter and music going on behind the closed door. Ginny froze at the idea of joining them, those people who where only waiting for their little victim to come. But Lola was impatient, and she led Ginny to the door, opening it and pushing her inside. Ginny slowly opened her eyes she had closed in fear, and realized every eye were fixed on her. Right at the time she was thinking about him, Crow emerged from a group of people who was sitting around a table at the left side of the room.
"Ah, our hero has arrived. Don't be afraid, why don't you come sit with us!"
Realizing she had no choice, Ginny complied. Entering completely in the room, she saw what she couldn't see from the entrance. A wall full of tools she knew she was going to suffer from in less than an hour. But she had no will left in her to fight it anymore, so she ignored it. However, she could not ignore it for long as some exited people grabbed what looked like a very painful whip and started working out on her back. Oh, how she had forgotten how it hurt! And throughout the night, everybody took they turn torturing or physically assaulting her.
They also took pleasure insulting her, calling her a whore, a poor plaything, a fuck toy, telling her nobody loved her, that she was hideous, that she should never have left them, and this took a toll on Ginny. She ignored them the best she could, trying to find back her little world, but as she had not lived this situation for so long, she felt like it was back to her first day, suffering but not being able to do anything about it.
Her body felt like it was broken in multiple parts, and she was seeing so much blood she felt she was going to pass out from blood loss. She had no more feelings in the low part of her body, as twenty people abusing her vagina was also taking its toll. In her almost passed-out mind, she wondered how she was going to walk after. The tears were gathering in her eyes, but she had no strength left to let them fall. She had to look with glassy eyes as what felt like an eternity later Crow called out the fun and asked everyone to go back home. At last, he approached Ginny, who was currently laid out defenceless on the darkening floor.
"How does it feel, huh, to come back down the food chain? Have you missed us?" He had the temerity to laugh at his own questions. "Well, as long as you understood your place." Then he became more serious. Stepping on Ginny's arm, he looked her in the eyes. "Do. Not. Ever. Hide. From. Us. Again. You have been warned." Not minding carrying on his monologue, seeing as Ginny did not have the will to answer, he added: "By the way, I am curious of the fact that you dad disappeared the other day, and thinking of it, yourself weren't there before, until you appeared all of the sudden. I had my suspicions when you healed so fast before, but now I need to confirm. Are you, in any way, magical, Ginny?"
The fact he said her name and that he was so serious made Ginny fight against her mind shutting down. What did he say? She could see him talk but couldn't understand him anymore. She thought there was blood in her hears. There was also blood in her mouth and running down her throat as one of them must have broke her nose and some of her tooth. Even if she wanted to answer, she couldn't. Her throat felt raw after the screaming and was itching because of the blood. She couldn't even nod or move a finger. That's how much they had destroyed her. She laid like a broken, discarded toy. Ginny blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake. Crow was like a fuzzy image, and she could no longer see if he was still in the room or not. During this process, her magic, sensing her in dire need of medical attention, started to heal small parts of her anatomy. Suddenly, her nose with a loud crack was no longer broken. With the healing, Ginny's mind cleared, and she could start thinking again. That's when she realized with horror she was not alone in the room, and that in fact, Crow had really been there. He watched her with a hungry gaze, as her magic continued its wonder, and Ginny was powerless to stop it. It was too late now. HE had seen it.
"You're so full of wonder, aren't you, little thing?" Crow had started petting her hair. "But don't worry, the two of us are going to use it to the best of its ability, as you are going to tell me all about it, aren't you, little thing?". And he continued to pet her hair, all the while fixing her with a chilling smile.
That's it for this time! I'm sorry we have to see so much of Crow, but I promise, Tom Riddle appear in the next chapter (or in the next)! With the other chapters I tried to make time go by quickly, so I tried with this chapter to focus on those two days of Ginny's life, seeing as they are important. I also promise Crow will meet his end in a very painful way.