Chapter 2

Her name was Drusilla Scarletfeld.

At first sight, everything about her could be summed up in one word, perfect. From her flawless skin to her friendly smile, it seemed as if she were an angel who had fallen from the heavens above…at least that's what people thought when they first met her. Not until they were confronted by the true Drusilla, did they know how horrifying she really was.

Unlike Draco, who's feelings were forever concealed by his cold expression, her deadly thoughts were masked by her dazzling smile. She could commit cold blooded murder with the same smile plastered on her face, and she had done so many times. She was a constant companion to Draco, ever since eight years ago. Many wondered what about her, other than her beauty, captured the interest of the infamous Draco Malfoy for that long. All knew that Draco had beautiful women walk by on a daily basis, but something about her captivated him for nearly ten years. None dared to ask, because although they did not fear her as much as they did him, she still filled their hearts with dread.

They called her the "Smiling Black Widow".

"Yes my Lord?" she bowed low, her dark red hair, so much like Ginny's, fell forward, forming a curtain around her face.

"Drusilla, I have some news for you. Something that might just arouse your…curiosity," the Dark Lord rasped. Lifting her head slightly, her smile became just a bit slyer. Seeing that he had piqued her interest, he peeled his lips back in a cruel sneer. His plan had just rolled into action.

Three hours later, a calm-looking Drusilla walked out of the dimly lit ballroom. Her usual smile was still firmly in place, but it had chilled by many degrees.

Nothing I can't handle, and if I play my cards right, this little complication just might help us.

Quietly walking toward her chambers, she faded into the darkness.

Ice cold water woke Ginny. A guard had poured an entire bucket of murky but freezing water on her as a wake up call. Shivering, Ginny wrapped her arms around herself. Glancing outside, she saw the sky was still dark and wondered what time it was.

"Get your skinny arse up!" the guard ordered her in a harsh tone. Trying to stand up, she slipped on the pool of water which had quickly frozen in the icy environment. Growling, the guard grabbed the whip that hung at his belt, and brought it down on her back, leaving a red welsh on her ivory skin. Arching her back in pain, Ginny bit her lip to keep from screaming.

"Don't pretend to fall again to waste time. Now MOVE!" Struggling once again to stand up, Ginny crawled out of the dank dungeon and followed the guard out. Outside of the dungeons, there was a long hallway filled with half-burned candles illuminating the otherwise completely dark corridor. Pushing her forward, the guard followed from behind.

They walked for what seemed like hours, down long winding hallways and shifting staircases. Many times Ginny wondered if they were going in circles, since everything looked the same. Finally, the guard ordered her to stop, before tapping on a large oak door.

"Come in," a voice called. Stepping into a room even dimmer than the hallway, the guard immediately bowed low. Seeing that Ginny was still standing upright, he gave a forceful yank on her hair, causing Ginny to fall to her knees.

A squeaking sound came from the far end of the room, and Ginny presumed it was probably a chair. Squinting, she tried seeing who was at the other side, but all she could make out were shadows.

"My eyes have accustomed to the darkness, but yours probably haven't still, have they…Miss Weasley?" a voice asked. She recognized that voice, it had once belonged to, "Snape." She said. As soon as the word was out of her mouth, a hand struck her across her face leaving her cheek burning with pain.

"That was for your impudence-" the guard was cut off by Snape.

"You know the consequences for insubordination, Garber," he warned the guard, before turning to face Ginny. "I must apologize for his behaviour, he hasn't been trained well.

"Now, Miss Weasley, you have been called here today to make a simple choice," Ginny merely snorted, knowing that no choice they offered her would be simple. Her eyes had adjusted more or less, and she could now see Severus Snape a bit better.

"As I said, the choice is quite easy, a yes or no question actually," moving to a bookcase next to his desk, he picked up an old leather bound book.

"I knew about your relationship with Mr. Malfoy years ago in Hogwarts, and even though years have passed, I know you still have certain feelings for him. No, Miss Weasley, don't deny it." Snape suddenly stopped, and turned to the guard again. With a wave of his hand, the guard obediently stood up and walked out of the room.

"We are the only two who know about this meeting, as I have just cast a memory charm on Garber. Miss Weasley, I need your help, and in exchange I'm willing to let on a few secrets." Rolling her eyes, Ginny wondered what kind of fool Snape mistook her for.

"Whatever you're trying to get at, Snape, save it. I'm not that gullible."

"Miss Weasley, you have every right to not believe me, but at least hear what I have to say." Seeing that although she was reluctant to trust anything that came out of his mouth, she was still listening, he started again.

"Mr. Malfoy has risen quite a bit in ranks among Death Eaters since the last time you two met. This you probably know already. Yes?" Taking her silence as confirmation, Snape nodded.

"The Dark Lord is somewhat…jealous that only Mr. Malfoy seems to elicit fear of such great magnitude from the other Death Eaters. He fears that Mr. Malfoy might someday try and replace him. Voldemort does not take threats lightly and will not tolerate anyone who poses as one," pausing Snape turned to look straight at her. "In other words, he wants Draco removed." Looking intently at her face to see if he had caused her emotionless face to change at all, he was disappointed to see that her face was still completely impassive.

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked coolly. Snape flipped open the old book he had been carrying, and turned it to a page where a familiar photograph was pasted. The picture was of her and Draco in old times. He was smiling down tenderly at her while they sat on the beach gazing at the setting sun.

"Because you're the only one who can convince him to leave before he's terminated."

"You expect me to believe this story?" Ginny snorted. "You and I both know that if you were caught betraying the Dark Lord, death is imminent. I don't believe a coward like you would risk such a thing," Ginny told him.

"Draco is like a son to me. Of course I'd make sure nothing were to happen to him," Snape replied curtly.

"And even if that were true, what makes you think I could do anything? I'm sorry Snape, there are just too many loopholes in your story to be believable. Besides, you forgot one important point. If Draco Maloy were killed, it would not affect me. There is nothing between us. What was there long ago is dead."

"You say that with such confidence, Miss Weasley, but I believe you less capable of so to believe your words. You know, I once loved too, and I know feelings die hard," Snape informed her.

"How touching," she said sarcastically. "Unfortunately, I still have no interest in being a pawn in your game." Snape gazed at her thoughtfully, before drawing a conclusion.

"You have changed, Ginevra, and not for the better." Snapping his fingers, another guard came into the room and guided her away, none too gently, back to that dank cell.

Back in the dungeon, she discovered that Lupin's message had arrived. Opening the small piece of parchment, she saw his neat writing.

Keep us informed.

Sighing, she scribbled down an exact account of what had happened today with Snape, before setting the little box flying away. Lying down, curled up in a ball, she thought of the one person who delighted in haunting her for the past years. Draco Malfoy.

Maybe she had lied to Snape, telling him what they had before was dead. She knew that Draco's feelings for her were probably long gone and buried, but hers…she was still trying to convince herself that nothing more was there.

Ten years had passed, she shouldn't still feel anything. Her traitorous heart told her otherwise. Even so, she would not allow this mission to be jeopardized by something as trivial as emotions. No, this was the turning point. If she did what she was assigned to do perfectly, this war would be over. Her family, everyone's family and friends were counting on her, and she couldn't fail. Swearing herself to remain stoic and calm, she promised that she would sit in the cell or do whatever horrendous work they had planned for her, and she would most definitely not go near Draco Malfoy.

Staring out of the barred windows, she saw a small box flying towards her. Realising it as the message she had sent off, she stood up and reached out to take it. Unfolding the parchment, she read the few words on the page.

Take up his offer, do not reject.

Staring wide eyed at the small piece of paper, she wondered if Lupin had lost all his senses. He was one of the few who knew about Draco and her relationship. He was overestimating her, putting too much faith in one person. But orders were orders, and she had learned quickly that when issued, they were to be obeyed.

"Guard!" she yelled out.

From the shadows, another woman stood. Staring at Ginny, she smiled a smile so cunning and cruel that even the walls shivered.

Knowing well that the trap had been laid, she turned and melted into the shadows.

Knocking on a huge wooden door, Ginny stood out side of the master bedroom, Draco's room. Just as she was about to open the door, it swung open from the inside. An exotically beautiful woman wearing a tiny dress and a satisfied smirk, strutted out.

Instantly, Ginny knew exactly what the other woman was doing there, and she was glad she hadn't witnessed it. After the woman walked past her, Ginny stepped into the dark room. She could still smell the sex in the air.

He was standing by the windows, wearing only silk pyjama pants. With his arms crossed behind his back, he looked like an emperor gazing at his empire. Clearing her throat to signal her presence, he didn't even look back at her.

Although she expected him to be surprised that she was no longer in the dungeons where he had left her last night, he did no such thing.

"You didn't think I would wait for you, did you?" he bit out. Confused by his words and shocked that he was ignoring the fact that she was no longer in a cell, stopped her from replying immediately.

"What are you talking about?" When she finally replied, her tone was monotonous and completely void of emotion. He turned around after hearing her cold tone, looking directly at her with those frigid, steel grey eyes.

"I moved on. Moved on to different women, better women." His voice was just as cold as hers, possibly colder. Moving closer to her, he ran his fingers through her red hair, which had lost the brilliance it had held only a few days ago. Ginny visibly flinched at his touch, which earned a cynical sneer from him.

"I don't much care," she told him. Although she couldn't move away from him, she tried her best to distance herself from him by staring right through his body, not looking up into his eyes.

He hated how she avoided his eyes, how she preferred to look straight through him, but he kept anger out of his voice.

"Your cold manner does not suit you, dear Ginevra. You were born a burning flame," he mocked. "Shame isn't it? You've lost your fire."

"That's all thanks to you and your bloody Death Eater clan," she spat back, her blood boiling. How many times had she heard from whispering gossipers that she was no longer the smiling passionate girl she once was? Now to have the perpetrator mock her was too unjust for her not to respond.

"Well I guess the little spitfire, hasn't completely lost the fight. Tell me Ginevra, how does it feel to be on the losing side now? After knowing that you were offered a chance to win, to have everything," he taunted, wearing a cold sneer on that otherwise perfect face.

"You call this everything?" she scoffed, still not looking at him. "You're even more deluded than I thought."

"Deluded? Then you must be referring to the years I spent with you," he retorted cruelly. Ginny worked hard to keep her temper at bay and not reach out her hand to slap him. She still had to complete both her own mission and Snape's little plan. It would be of no benefit to her if Malfoy killed her now.

"I was ordered here by Snape, he-" she started to inform him.

"If you don't think I know what's going on in my own Manor, than you have yet much to learn," Running a hand through his hair, he related her task to Ginny. "The Dark Lord is moving Narcissa back from the asylum. You will serve as a constant companion to her. I believe you'll find it interesting," he snorted.

"You laugh at your own mother?" Although she never cared for Narcissa, it still disgusted her that he could treat his mother with so little respect.

"I have no interest in anything that is not of use to me," he replied.

After she left, Draco padded barefoot into his bathroom. The elaborate bathroom was completely black, from its black marble bathtub to the dark granite countertops; everything was in that dismal colour. Turning on the faucet, freezing water poured out. Taking no heed of the low temperature, he cupped the water in his hands and splashed some on his face.

Looking into the mirror, Draco watched blankly the water droplets dripping down his face. Assigning her to take care of his mother was the only thing he could think of that wasn't grotesque. He was beginning to doubt that bringing her back to the Manor was the best idea. When she was far from him, he could hate her and curse at her, but when they were here together…it seemed as if the inner rage died down.

A few moments ago, when he had touched her, it seemed as if all he had wanted, was to revert back to the old days. Days where they laughed together, and when his caresses did not cause her to flinch.

When she was thousands of kilometres away from him, he knew what his goal was. He wanted to find her and cause her the same pain she had inflicted upon him, that was his ultimate purpose in rising among the ranks in Voldemort's Death Eaters. He had achieved his goal, or at least part of it, but what now did he want? What now was his motive in this life? His hate for her had propelled him, but now he didn't know if what he felt was hate.

Grabbing a towel, he wiped the remaining droplets of freezing water from his pale skin, shivering. For the first time since they had gone separate ways, he felt the cold.

Narcissa Malfoy had changed greatly in the last ten years. Her once perfectly fixed white blonde hair now lay limp on her frail shoulders. The once youthful and classically beautiful face had aged and only contained a few similarities to the past exquisiteness. Her once bright eyes had dulled and become dreamy, as if she were in a different world. Sitting up in bed, she was looking through old photo albums, when Ginny entered.

"Mrs. Malfoy? I'm assigned here to be your companion," she told the other woman. Looking up at the younger woman, Narcissa tilted her head.

"My son has a lover who looks just like you. I don't like her," Narcissa told her matter-of-factly. Ginny smiled dryly, whatever they said about Narcissa's current condition, she obviously still had a very intact memory, even if she did forget that Ginny was no longer Draco's girlfriend.

"I see, Mrs. Malfoy, why don't I go pour you a glass of water." As Ginny was about to leave for the pitcher on the table, Narcissa stopped her.

"No, I'm not thirsty. Come here," she patted the side of her bed. "I want to show you a picture."

"I took this photograph from my son's room a few years ago," giggling like a little girl, Narcissa related her brilliance to Ginny. "He's been searching frantically for this, I don't know why." Turning the picture to show Ginny, she stared intently at the redhead.

There in the photograph was a laughing Ginny, twirling around in a pearl white wedding dress. She remembered it with painstaking clarity and detail. It was Christmas at Hogwarts years ago.

Shedding his invisibility cloak, Draco stepped into the brightly lit girls' dormitory. Other than Ginny, no one else was in the room.

She smiled and beckoned him to sit next to her beside the Christmas tree, which was overloaded with ornaments. Obeying her, he dropped down next to her.

"Which one should I open first?" she looked at the huge pile of colourful presents, wondering where to start.

"Open this one," he told her. Pushing forward a large box wrapped in gold tissue paper.

"Is it from you?" she asked, casting a sideways look at him.

"No, it's from the Bloody Baron," he teased. Swatting him on the head, she picked up the box, and started carefully removed the wrapping paper. After waiting a few moments, Draco became impatient.

"You can just rip it open," he told her, demonstrating, by moving his hand in ripping motions.

"If the stoic Draco Malfoy is excited for something, than I must be slow about it," she replied, and just to spite him, she went at an even slower pace.

"Ginny, if you don't hurry up, I'll open it for you," Draco said irritably. Raising a brow, Ginny tore open the paper to reveal the most beautiful white wedding dress. Pearls and lace decorated the edges, while the neckline was dotted with diamonds.

"This is…oh my…Merlin this is a wedding dress!" she breathed. "Draco?" Turning to look at him, she saw that he was wearing a silly grin, not commonly seen on his face.

"You're going to marry me, Ginny." Staring at him, she gaped for a minute before gaining her senses.

"What!"

"Not now of course, but wait a few years after our graduation."

"Oh…oh," she now wore the same silly grin he did.

"No matter what your answer is, we're still getting married. But just to satisfy my curiosity, will you?"

"Yes!" she shrieked. Suddenly a splendid idea came to mind, and she madly dashed off to the bathroom, telling Draco to fetch a camera.

Putting on the dress, she twirled in front of him as he took a picture. Leaning on him later, she smiled contentedly.

"As a promise," she told him.

"Of what?" he asked.

"That we'll live happily ever after, and of my love for you forever."

Holding the picture in her hand now, she wondered just how long forever lasted.

Author's Note: Just a question

Do you think Ginny should trust Snape, or do you think he's up to no good?