Pale

Have to try to break free

From the thoughts in my mind.

Use the time that I have,

I can't say goodbye,

Have to make it right.

Have to fight, cause I know

In the end it's worthwhile,

That the pain that I feel slowly fades away.

It will be alright.

Jenny

9/6/10

6:48 p.m.

"So you don't like Dark Magic at all? You've been forced into it?" I asked breathlessly, desperate to know more.

"I've always despised Dark Magic. I've been forced into it by my parents choices." Draco said flatly.

"What was The Dark Lord planning when you were last there?" Kingsley butted in, ignoring my now pale face, and continuing with his aggressive bad cop routine.

"I wanted no part of it, I do not know. But most of his plans usually circulate around killing Harry Potter."

"Has the Muggle spy been beating you up every time she comes up here?" Tonks asked randomly, and any remaining blood in my face vanished. SHIT!

"No. She promised she would visit after each mission. She only beat me up when Kingsley asked her to, and before you arrived."

"You lying wretch!" Kingsley bellowed, turning away from Draco to advance on me. "Giving away secrets, hmmm? Letting him know things?"

"Has she revealed any secrets to you about the Order?" Lupin asked sharply, as Kingsley raised his wand, and with one flick, I was suddenly unable to move, cords coming from nowhere and binding me tightly, making me gasp with surprise. I met Kingsley's gaze with a defiant stare, tensing as adrenaline rushed through me as he smirked.

"She's joked bitterly about why that's why I asked her to come, but she's never told me anything."

"Then why did you ask her to come?" Lupin pressed, nervously looking between Kingsley, who was glaring frozenly at me from Draco's response, and Draco himself. He still looked like he was storing anger, which was not good for me. I was already pretty much at his mercy, a position I usually wasn't in with anyone, never mind him.

"Because I was getting bored and desperate in the attic. I felt terrible about what I had let Greyback do; I wanted to somehow try to make amends."

"What would you talk about?" Kingsley asked dangerously, not dropping his spell.

"Don't answer-" I started, but Kingsley flicked his wand again, and I was suddenly silent. Draco paused, unsure.

"What would you talk about?" Kingsley asked calmly, looking at me with triumph. I closed my eyes when he answered.

"She would always become depressed, so I would try to comfort her. She was so sad; it made me worried about her because I care for her well being." My eyes snapped open in shock. WHAT?

"You care for her?" Kingsley asked stupidly, looking at me, too shocked to goad my current position.

"She's attractive, strong, and very brave. Her visits kept me sane."

"Why did you want to be questioned?" Lupin asked quickly, looking at me with a concerned expression, waiting for Kingsley to let me go. He didn't, and unease crept over me. This was going to be a long night…especially with Draco's answers. He liked me?

"Because her depression wanted me to get out of the attic to be around her more, to keep her safe. Once I thought of a way to help the Order, I knew I had to be questioned to be trusted."

"And what did you think of to help us?" Kingsley asked dangerously, suddenly coming back to life.

"I'm good at making potions. If I could be trusted, I would make potions for the Order, including the Wolfsbane Potion to keep her safe, to ease her depress-" Draco blinked, and his dreamy demeanor was lost as he started in surprise as he took in the room, then started to look angry at Kingsley, as he was still training his wand on me. I could feel Draco's eyes boring into me.

"Well, well…the truth comes out at last…" Kingsley put his wand under my chin and took a step closer, looking angrier by the second. "You promised a Dark Wizard to come and visit him, after he helped attack you. Muggle weakness makes Muggles' stupider than I realized."

"Kingsley." Mr. Weasley said sharply, but he ignored him as he glared at me, and I glared back, as stiff as I could be, to make much slack as possible in the rope. Unfortunately, they tightened again by magic. Draco shifted, as if he was going to get up.

"You charm the poor boy into liking you, putting up a little sad and depressed act, 'Oh no, I'm a werewolf, and a stupid ugly Muggle, come help me', Bah!" My arms reacted instinctively as they strained against the rope when he hit me full across the face. Anger was coursing through my body, my cheek inflamed. I wanted to kill him. Acting faster than I would have thought possible, he flicked his wand at Malfoy as he stood up angrily, and rope twisted around him too, making him loose momentum and fall back onto the seat, struggling and thrashing angrily. Kingsley took my chin in his hand and studied me closely, almost with satisfaction at the bruise forming. "I've tried to teach you not to tell lies, but nothing has gotten through your thick, Muggle skull. You leave me no option." He flicked his wand, and I was suddenly free, but not for long. I steadied myself, ready to kick his ass. What happened next happened incredibly fast.

"Kingsley-" Tonks started as he slashed his wand through the air as I went to jump and kick his face in, but his spell was fast.

"Crucio!" He snarled, and this time was worse, much worse. Greyback had been playing with me. Kingsley was serious, and fiercely angry. It felt like I was being changed again, but all the pain at once, I had screamed as soon as it hit me, and I felt myself flying backwards, and with a crunch that made my head ring like crazy, I smashed into the wall-

The pain ripped away as a scuffle broke out. I was sprawled out on the floor at a weird angle, eyes closed, trying to remember how to breathe. I could faintly hear the quiet shuffling noises of Malfoy struggling, and it sounded like he was almost trying to say something. Then Mr. Weasley spoke, and he sounded more terrible than I ever could have imagined. "Get out." I heard him snarl angrily, then cut off Kingsley as he tried to say something. "Get out of here, and never come back!" He shouted, and I heard feet stomp away, and Kingsley swore angrily as he left the room. At the same time, feet hurried over and cupped my hurt cheek, and Mrs. Weasley murmured, 'Episkey,' and I felt the bruise disappear. "Is she alright?" I heard Mr. Weasley ask, like he was afraid to know the answer.

Mrs. Weasley gently set my head back to where it had been, and said something about not being sure, that I may be unconscious. Mr. Weasley swore, totally out of character for him. "We'll have to send someone after him, to erase his memory, I forgot, damn," Mr. Weasley bolted, and I heard his footsteps die away too, along with two other pairs. They rang in my head for awhile.

"Should we move her, or call Madam Pompfrey?" I heard Tonks ask shakily, and Mrs. Weasley hesitated. Tonks words sounded bended, warped, and they changed in pitch.

"I'm not sure. That curse normally only causes pain, I've never heard of someone blacking out before…I'm not positive if moving her would be the right thing, she'll be dreadfully sore…" Almost as soon as she said it, I became aware that I felt like I had come back from a night under the full moon. Every cell ached, especially my head. "…and I think she hit her head on the way down, oh, yes, that's a nasty cut…Episkey." Once the throbbing pain in my head was gone, I focused on getting up. It was hard work, but once my eyelids started fluttering, I knew I was on the right track, and a moment later, I finally took in the room once more, and I tried to sit up immediately. For some reason, I still thought Kingsley was there, and he was about to feel serious pain. "Ah, no, take it easy, dear." Mrs. Weasley said gratefully, but kept me from getting up. I wouldn't have anyway, I was suddenly exhausted, and I set my head back down, closing my eyes.

"What happened?" I murmured, trying to sound as urgent as I felt, but it came out like I was half asleep. Mrs. Weasley stiffened so much, I heard her. Something shifted next to me fiercely, as if it was trapped.

"Kingsley used Crucio, an Unforgivable Curse. He was so angry that it blasted you right off your feet. If I ever get my hands on him again, I swear his-" Tonks must have prodded her, because she stopped talking. "How's your head?" She asked in almost a forced calm. I opened my eyes. Both of them looked worried.

"Ringing." I said truthfully, and when I went to sit up, she let me, forcing me to recline against the window seat. The window seat…something clicked in my brain, and I turned and looked up. Draco was still sitting on the seat, still bound, and looking furious. The rope looked tight, and it was everywhere, on his mouth, wrists, ankles, any major joint was firmly restrained. "Aren't you going to let him go?" I asked, and Tonks hesitated. "Tonks?" I asked again, but she sighed and lowered her wand.

"Well, we still have a few questions, for the both of you. I believe you," she added quickly, seeing my face, "but these days, I'm asking myself what Moody would have done." She withdrew another tiny vial of the clear potion, and Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"Not right now, not after-" She stopped, seeing Tonks shake her head silently, and sighed, but handed me the vial, uncorking it for me when my trembling hands couldn't do it. Draco made an angry noise, but Tonks and Mrs. Weasley ignored him, even when he started to writhe again. I looked down into the potion, slightly curious, but mostly afraid. What would this do to me? I closed my eyes and drank. The potion was tasteless, but as soon as I swallowed, I felt empty.

"Your name?" A voice asked almost shakily from the darkness of my closed lids.

"Jennifer Lillian Quinty." I said before I could think about responding or not. My voice was soft but lifeless. I thought I heard someone gasp, but I wasn't sure.

"Are you a Muggle?"

"Yes."

"Why would you come to visit Draco Malfoy?"

"Because…because he was unbiased conversation, and he looked so…inadequate. I needed someone I could talk to who…who knew less about me then the Order members."

"Did you ever tell him secrets of the Order or classified information?"

"I thought that that's why he wanted to talk to me after each mission, but I never told him anything, not even my name."

"Do you like Draco Malfoy?"

"I don't know."

"Did you become depressed after your first change?"

"Yes, I hated everything about who I had become, and what had happened to me. The only reason Greyback's bites even made me change in the first place because the full moon was so close. I could have been sent back home if fate had been on my side."

"Did you lie to Kingsley about beating up Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes, I didn't want to hurt someone who didn't want a fight. But when he asked to be questioned, I had to lie about why I had talked to him. I beat him up before the questioning began to make my lie seem legit."

"What's going on here?" A hoarse voice asked, and I paused, unsure if I should answer.

"We're just doing what Moody would do, to see if she didn't lie. Both her stories and his fit." The shaky voice said reassuringly. There was a pause, then:

"Why did you make Lupin promise to do whatever was necessary to protect himself against you when you changed?" The hoarse voiced asked.

"I needed the security knowing that he was going to protect himself from me. Without the Wolfsbane Potion, I would attack him without another thought. He deserves them more than…me…" I blinked, and suddenly, my empty world disappeared, and I was back in the attic. My head was ringing worse than before, and I felt almost weaker than before as well. Lupin was there, but I couldn't remember him being here before I drank the potion…fear suddenly jumped into me when I realized I couldn't remember anything, any of the questions. "Lupin," I started, but he shook his head, coming over and kneeling next to me. He looked as wavy as his voice now, like the room was swimming.

"I needed to make sure you were alright. Three nights ago, you scared me. I thought you were going to go down the same road I was. I was wrong….here." He picked me up and set me on my feet. Instantly, my face twisted as muscles tensed and pain flared, making me lean tiredly against the wall as the walls spun. Lupin looked vivid again, like he had when he learned about the potions incident. "I'll get you downstairs, so you can heal." He extended an arm for me to take, but I hesitated.

"What about Draco?" I asked, glancing at him once, but looking right back at Lupin, too tired to flush at his answers to the questioning about caring for my well being and such. "Are you going to question him again?" Lupin sighed, and the sound sounded far away.

"Yes, and we'll stay on topic this time. Jenny?" He asked, sounding concerned as the world went to slow mow. Everything looked like it had been frozen in time. "Jenny, Jenny!" His shout suddenly made the world go faster than ever before, things flashed before my eyes, and I could feel myself falling.

I'm back, and free to write for the summer.

blackorchestrafreak