Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait. My muse has been on vacation for a while. She's returning slowly. Thanks for sticking with me, for the great reviews (you make me blush), and the adds for favorites and alerts. I try my best to entertain.
Chapter Three
If I Didn't Have You
After two hours, and a few minutes, Ginny had helped Draco down the many stairs and out towards the back entrance. Mark was there, waiting, and he looked around just to make sure they were alone. Ginny cautiously made her way over to him, a sad look on her face. Mark tried to smile, but it didn't meet his eyes. "I see you made it," he stated. Ginny could only nod. She was afraid to speak, fearful that tears would start to fall. Mark handed her a set of keys. "You do know how to drive?" he asked.
"Yes. One of my brothers taught me the year I graduated."
"I have the old blue Cadillac Grand Prix. It's not pretty but it gets me around." Ginny giggled. "Be careful, Gin. Owl me as soon as you get to where you are going."
Ginny hugged Mark as a single stray tear rolled down her cheek. "I promise. What are you going to say if the Ministry comes back?"
"Let me worry about that. Now, get going before it's too late."
Ginny walked back to Draco, who had hung back to give them a chance to talk. She lightly took his hand and she could have sworn she saw a glimmer of a smile spread across his lips. "You ready?" she asked him. Draco nodded and she led him out the door. When she heard it clang shut she knew that there was no turning back. She braced herself and made her way over to the car. She opened the passenger side door and helped him to sit.
Before she had a chance to shut it, Draco leaned over. "A car?" he asked, confused.
Ginny sighed. "Yes, a car. It's the only safe way to get to where we are going." She pushed him back inside, shut the door, and made her way over to the driver's side. She opened the door, sat down, and started the ignition. Driving a car was like riding a bike: you never forget how to do it. The ride to the Manor took a little over an hour. She stopped right outside the gates. They were high and made of some sort of magical metal that she couldn't put her finger on. She didn't expect the gates to be shut and locked. She sighed and put her head on the steering wheel, keeping clear of the horn.
She was trying to figure out a way to open them when she heard Draco let out a small gasp. "We- we're here?" he said quietly.
Ginny looked over at him and saw that he was wide-eyed. "What's wrong?" she asked just as quietly.
"I didn't think you would bring me here."
"How do you know where 'here' is?" she wondered aloud.
"This place gives off certain 'feelings.' I can't really explain it but I know I'm home."
Ah, Ginny thought. "Well, you did ask me to bring you here, remember?"
Draco nodded. "But, I didn't think you would listen."
"Yes, well, unfortunately, we can't get in. The gates are locked." Draco opened his door and got out of the car. "Where are you going?" she called out into the darkness. The sun was only an hour away from rising so it was still dark. Draco ignored her and just walked up to the gates. She watched as he placed his hands on the metal, caressing it as he would a lover. She was lost in thought of the way he used to do that to her body. She was so lost that she didn't hear him calling her name. She shook her head. "What?" she said out the window.
"I said, can you come here?" he repeated himself.
She got out of the car and made her way over to him, careful not to get too close. "What do you want?" she asked.
"Your wand," he said as he held out his hand to her.
"Uh, I don't think so. You haven't the eyes for spell casting."
Draco sighed and closed his eyes. "I just need to tap the lock."
"Why can't I do that?"
"Look, this place only recognizes a Malfoy. If anyone else did it, they would be thrown back by a horrible curse."
Ginny sighed and shook her head. "I don't want to be mean but the Ministry has already been through here. I'm sure that spell is long gone."
Draco turned his blank gaze in her direction. In the waning darkness, his eyes were eerily vacant. "I can feel the spell. Even if the Ministry did come through here, it would have been because the gates were open. Once you close them, the spell sets itself back into place. Now, either give me your wand or deal with the curse. I won't be held responsible for your stupidity."
Ginny huffed. How dare he? She was about to just make him go back in the car when she realized why she was here in the first place. Putting her pride aside, she took out her wand. "I am going to give you my wand but you are only to use it to unlock the gate. After you do that, hand it back to me. Understand?"
"Sure, whatever," he responded as he took her wand. She watched as he gripped the wand a little tighter than normal and hesitate. He hadn't held a wand in a very long time and the sense of power flowing from hers gave him a little bit of confidence back. He let out a long breath and felt for the lock with his free hand. Once he knew where it was he put the wand to it. Sparks flew from her wand but the gate finally clicked and creaked open. Ginny smiled and then jumped when she felt her wand tip at her arm.
She turned, slowly, to face him and noticed that he was pointing her wand at her. "What are you doing?" she whispered. She could hear that her voice shook from being scared.
"I'm handing you your wand," he said nonchalantly.
Ginny moved away from the point and took a hold of her wand. "Well, you shouldn't just point it without telling me what you're doing," she said.
"I'm blind. How the hell am I supposed to know I'm pointing it at you?"
"Just- never mind." She took a hold of his arm and led him back to the car. Once they were inside, she put the car in gear and drove past the opened gate and up to the front steps of Malfoy Manor. To say it was big was not doing it justice. This place was even beyond huge. She was sure that the main house was not the only house; as there were probably staff quarters just beyond. She couldn't help herself take in its beauty. "Wow," she exclaimed.
Draco smirked. It was like a little of his old self came back and she found that she missed that part of him. "It's a little intimidating," was all he could say.
"It's enormous. I've never seen any place that could rival Hogwarts but this comes damn near close." She put the car in park and turned it off. "I'm sure I'm going to get lost inside."
"I know this place like the back of my hand," he responded. "Maybe this is a good place to learn how to live without my sight." He meant the last to be a joke but he could sense that she didn't find it funny. He sighed. "Just get me inside."
Ginny got out of the car then helped him out. It took her a while to get him up the huge flight of steps that led up to the main door as he kept stumbling and losing his footing. They arrived at the door and she carefully placed her hand on the handle. It clicked under her fingers so she slowly pushed the door open. "It's unlocked," she stated.
"Shouldn't be," he responded. "That fucking Ministry," he started.
"Don't blame the Ministry," she interrupted. "If your family weren't Death Eaters, they wouldn't have had to raid the house. You should be lucky they just didn't burn it to the ground." Even to her, she sounded harsh.
Draco winced at her words. He knew she was right but it didn't make it any easier to hear. "I know, but this is my home. It's hard to see it so empty. It's also hard to know that people came through here. Who knows what they did to the inside."
Ginny placed her hand on his shoulder and was surprised when he didn't pull away. "I'm sorry. Let's just go inside. We'll look around once I find out that it's safe."
Draco turned to her. "I don't want you wandering around by yourself."
"I'll be fine. I've had to deal with a lot after you left. I think I can walk a house without getting into any trouble."
"I know that," he spat. "I just don't want you to get lost. It's not like I can come and find you."
Ginny knew that he was lying but she didn't say it out loud. It was best to let him believe what he wanted for the time being. She led him into the foyer. There was a long winding staircase to the right and the floor was made of white marble with black running through it like veins. Two doors on either side were closed. She turned to him. "Which door leads where?" she asked.
Draco turned his head to the right. "The one on the right leads to a sitting room and the one on the left leads to the parlor. Just down the hall in front of us and slightly to the left will lead to more doors."
"Where do you want to rest?"
"Take me to the sitting room. If the Aurors left everything in tact, there should be a couch and a few high backed arm chairs."
Ginny opened the door and was amazed by the sight within. He was right, as there were chairs and a couch along with a few tables. She led him into the room and it was as if he had sight because he walked effortlessly over to the couch. He sank down and stretched. The room was dark and she didn't know if there were any candles. "Um, I don't see any candles to light the room."
Draco sighed. "Not that I need light but at the other end of the room is the window. Just pull back the curtains."
Ginny rolled her eyes and cautiously walked through the room. She cursed as her knee found a coffee table and she heard him snicker. She rubbed her knee and took in deep breaths. It was one of those occurrences when you hit a part of your body so hard you feel like you could pass out from the pain. A few seconds later, she was able to stand up straight and she hobbled over to the window. She yanked open the curtains and the first rays of light spilled into the room. She could see a huge stretch of land just beyond the window. "It's so beautiful," she remarked.
"When you see the same scenery for most of your life, you kind of get used to it," he replied.
Ginny ignored him and turned away from the breathtaking sight. The morning light was just enough to let her see that the sitting room was done up in rich blues and greens. It was a very masculine room. There wasn't much else in here except for places to sit, hence the name of the room. She turned to Draco who had pulled his whole body onto the couch so that he was lying down. "I'm going to go and look at the rest of the house. I'll return in a few minutes."
"You'll need more than a few minutes to roam the house," he replied. "If I didn't have you right now, I would never be here again.
"Just sit there and I'll be back." She left without waiting for a response. She knew that the long trip here would eventually catch up to him and that he would soon be asleep. She left the sitting room and walked across the foyer to the other room. The parlor looked like a small dining room. There was a six-seater table and wooden chairs to match in the center of the room. A few cabinets, with expensive china sets, inside were along the walls as well as candleholders. Ginny lit one of the candles and made her way to the back of the room where there was a door. She slowly pushed it open to see a remarkably huge kitchen. Her mother would have squealed with delight at the massive size of this room. She pushed that thought aside as she made her way through the kitchen to yet another door. Behind that door was a spacious dining hall. The table in the center could have easily fit all of Gryffindor with room to spare. This room was done up in all shades of brown to match the table. Candleholders were set along the table and protruded out of the walls. At the far end was another set of curtains. She opened these and the morning light just barely lit this room as it was on the other end of the sunrise. She left the room and was suddenly out in the hallway of the foyer behind the stairs.
She looked in on Draco and found that he was indeed asleep on the couch. She briefly smiled at him then left the room. She made her way carefully up the stairs, the candle in front of her to light her way. At the top of the stairs was a very long hallway with doors on either side. All the doors were closed. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. She didn't even know where to start so she just walked the hallway until she came to the end. She opened the curtains here and the light filtered in. There must have been 20 doors all together. I wonder which room was Draco's? She wondered. She opened door after door. All the rooms were the same, bedrooms, each one done in a different color. She came to a very large bedroom and stepped inside. This one was done in green, the color green of Slytherin house. There was a huge king size four-poster bed right in the middle. Two large dressers took up two walls and beyond that another door which led into a big walk-in closet. She walked over to the vanity table and looked down. There were silver handled brushes and combs along with different bottles of what Ginny knew to be very expensive perfume. Inside one of the drawers was a book. Carefully opening it, she saw a date book. Feminine handwriting filled its contents with dates and times of appointments. Looking at the first page, Ginny saw that it was Narcissa's, well, what was hers. She shut the book, returned it, and closed the drawer.
She left the room and was finally back at the first door on the right near the steps. She opened it and saw stairs winding up. She walked that flight and came upon another door. When she stepped inside, she was amazed to see yet another room. This one was all done in dark blue; the rug, the bed sheets, and the curtains all matched. She opened the curtains to let in more light and was shocked to see a small picture on a bedside table. Picking it up, she saw that it was of Draco when he was a lot younger. He must have been around five and was smiling widely. Behind him, on either side, stood his parents. His father had an aristocratic look on his face and had one hand on Draco's shoulder. His mother smiled daintily at the camera, her hands clasped in front of her. It was, what the Mafloys considered, a family picture. It was just an ordinary bedroom except for the fact that Draco's old schoolbooks were on a bookshelf. Nothing about this room seemed personal. No posters littering the walls… nothing to indicate that a normal teenage boy had been raised here. Maybe Draco wasn't allowed to be a normal teenager. Ginny suddenly felt sorry for him. But not because he was blind.
She made her way back down and to the sitting room. Draco was still out so she looked around again. She hadn't noticed the fireplace that was on the far wall. She walked over to it and pointed her wand. In an instant, flames burst forth, licking the logs within. She was ready to sit in one of the overstuffed chairs when her stomach rumbled. She realized that it had been nearly 12 hours since she last ate and she was starving. Sighing, she made her way back to the kitchen to look around in the pantry. It had been almost two years since Lucius ended his life and she doubted that there was any food left.
The looked through all the cabinets but found only pots, pans, and cooking utensils. It was then that she noticed there was no refrigerator. How did this family keep anything cool? "Merlin, I'm so hungry," she said to no one.
Suddenly, there was a popping sound behind her. She spun and saw a house elf standing in the middle of the kitchen. She put her hand to her heart and tried to keep her breathing slow and steady. "What are you doing here?" it asked.
"I, um, I was just looking to see if there was anything to eat," Ginny replied.
"Cizzy don't allow anyone in her kitchen. Cizzy is mad. Who are you?"
"You're name is Cizzy?" Ginny asked. The elf nodded, her big ears flapping around her face. "My name is Ginny and I have brought Draco back here to rest." Ginny hoped that the elves here would remember Draco. And, if they did, if they would still do things for him.
"Cizzy remembers Master Draco. Master Draco was nice to Cizzy. Cizzy no longer mad since you brought him back. Cizzy will make something for the two of you to eat."
That made Ginny smiled but she was still a little confused. "That would be lovely. But, how do you intend to do that? There's no food or a place to store it here."
"Oh, young missus hasn't seen the other kitchen. It's where all the food is and where the elves prepare it."
"But then, why have this kitchen?"
"Master Lucius never wanted us to be seen if it were not necessary," the elf answered. Ginny felt bad for her but it would do no good to say so. She remembered a certain house elf that would cry easily because she no longer had a master. The only elf that was glad to be free was Dobby.
Ginny settled on just smiling at the elf. "Thank you again. Draco and I are in the sitting room."
"Is Master all right?"
"He will be. He just needs his rest."
"Cizzy feels that young missus isn't telling the whole truth?"
Ginny sighed. "Draco had a curse hit him. He's blind."
Cizzy's eyes grew wide in fear. "Master Draco is blind?" Ginny nodded. "Then young missus should contact his godfather. He will know what to do for Master." With that, Cizzy popped out of sight.
Ginny just stared at the spot that held the elf not more than a few seconds ago. Draco's godfather? Why would Ginny want to contact him? She walked back to the sitting room and noticed that Draco still hadn't stirred. The fire, along with the sun, warmed up the room so that it was comfortable. She sat down in the chair nearest him but could still see the window. Even if she did contact him, would he still come? Was it worth a shot or would Draco be mad at her for interfering? She needed help with this curse, as she was no curse breaker. She knew that there was no other choice. She decided to contact his godfather as soon as she had some food in her. She wouldn't tell Draco because he would probably be too proud to let someone else in. No, she would have to just do this and suffer his anger afterwards… that is, if the man in question even gave a damn.
A/N: I hope this was worth the wait. It's hard to describe all of Malfoy Manor so I only did a little. Please, let me know if you liked this or not. I have an idea of where this will be going but ideas would be nice. Just click that little review button on the bottom left hand side.