A/N- Ok, ok so I know it has been a long time since my last update and I am truly sorry! I feel awful, but things have just been extremely hectic. I have been working on this chapter for a while, and it's long so I do hope that makes up for my lack of updating! I hope you enjoy and of course reviews are much appreciated!
P.S -I took the chapter down to check for any grammar mistakes and hopefully it's all fixed. On you go...
So glad to see you well
Overcome and completely silent now
With heaven's help
You cast your demons out
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you off your cloud
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about
Making your amends to the dead
To the dead- The Noose, by A Perfect Circle
He sat incredibly still.
His back was straight as a ruler, hands folded on the handsome desk before him. His mouth was twisted into a slight scowl, and his eyes were hard. Had she not known any better, she might have mistaken him for a statue.
Narcissa Malfoy stepped into the room quietly and noiselessly closed the door behind her. She cautiously approached her husband, knowing he was deep in thought and it would be unwise to interrupt him abruptly.
"Lucius," She called gently.
His striking eyes snapped to her, and his demeanor loosened. His scowl had dropped, now replaced with a small smirk, and he patted his lap, urging her over. She smiled and sat, placing her arms around his neck.
"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" He growled slightly.
Narcissa didn't answer at first, and traced her fingertips over the lines of his face. Finally she smirked, "Don't be too excited love. I merely came to tell you that I invited Severus over for dinner this evening."
Lucius raised an eyebrow, "You sneaky witch, you had me going for a moment. Why not send a house elf to tell me this?"
"Like you said I wanted to get you going. I need my own forms of entertainment now and then." She replied shortly, and moved to slide off his lap. His hold on her tightened.
"You know I can't stand a tease Narcissa," He said. His tone was serious but his eyes sparkled mischievously.
She loved his eyes. They were his best feature, because they were the only things that gave away his true emotions. Even then, he was difficult to read, but after their many years of marriage, she could. To all others, Lucius was a master of masks, something he had passed on to his son.
She grinned, "You always say that my darling," She leaned in and kissed him deeply before pulling away and getting to her feet, "Yet you married me." With that said she sauntered out of the large study, closing the door firmly behind her.
Lucius chuckled. His wife was one of the only people who could make him smile so easily. But the sharp tap of an owl at the window cut his thoughts of the blonde witch short, a frown falling back in to place.
With a flick of his wand the window opened, and the owl immediately swooped in, dropped a letter on his large desk, and flew back out the open window. Clearly, it was not to wait for a response.
Lucius lifted the letter and turned it over in his hands curiously. It was addressed to him, but he did not recognize the scrawl or the seal, something that was unusual. He opened it easily and his eyes widened as they quickly scanned the parchments contents.
Mr. Malfoy,
You may not have heard of me, my name is Albert Surdmore. I am the newly appointed warden of Azkaban prison. After returning to England to receive this post that the Dark Lord has asked of me, I immediately began to make changes in the prison. These matters of course have no interest to you, and I do not wish to begin explaining them, as they are not the reason for this letter I am writing to you now. The reason I am writing however is that I have found information that may be of use and great importance to you.
I was informed that one of our former prisoners, Ginevra Weasley, was released from Azkaban and into your household, sentenced to servitude. As this was a few months before my current post, I have never met the traitor Weasley and do not know much on the matter. I had been told only that she had been of great importance to the Order of the Phoenix, and that her interrogations had proved unsuccessful.
A new prisoner had recently been moved in to her old cell, which had led to an interesting discovery. Apparently, one of the stones on the floor had been loose, and prisoners of that cell had been storing items there for centuries. One of our guards had caught the current resident of that cell trying to hide an item, which led to our findings. It seems that Weasley had also happened upon this hiding place, and used it as well.
Most of the items we had found were worthless- food that had been saved and wasted, small trinkets inmates had managed to smuggle in… But we also found one thing that may be of interest to you. A small sheet of parchment was found, on it written a letter, addressed to the Weasley girl.
I assume she smuggled it in with her, as seeing our prisoners are denied any form of mail. On that note, this letter is addressed to her, but other than her name, it is all written in a sort of secret code that we could not decipher. Therefore, as your family is in possession of the girl, I thought it would be best to tell you of these findings (the letter is attached, see other side of parchment), so you may sort matters out in the best way you see fit.
I do not know what the secret letter says, and if it is worth anything or not. But I do believe it must have a connection to the Order of the Phoenix and in such case must be investigated. I have heard how fruitless the interrogations of the girl have proved before, but I truly believe this is something important Mr. Malfoy. I urge you to try and find out, and would be happy to assist interrogation of the girl if you wish so. I have been known to be quite successful in these situations (which I am sure is why I have been promoted so recently).
I am not sure how much time and effort this letter will be worth Mr. Malfoy, but I am positive about one thing. The girl knows a lot more than she is letting on, and she is much cleverer than she has been given credit for.
Good day to you, and good luck.
Albert Surdmore
Lucius finished the letter, eyes narrowed now. He quickly turned it over, looking at the worn looking parchment attached to the back. It was indeed addressed to the youngest Weasley, but other than her name, all of it was in strange letter combinations, words written upside down, letters switched and twisted. It made no sense what so ever.
Lucius's scowl was more prominent than ever. He threw the letter down on his desk and began to pace his large study, thoughts swirling dangerously fast across his mind.
So, the Weasley chit was hiding more secrets eh? He had learned a few months ago, from the day he had met her at Azkaban that she was strong under torture. The former warden had told him that she not once yielded information, and he had seen with his own eyes that she did not submit easily.
She annoyed him from the start. From the first time he had seen her with her family, a small first year in hand-me-down robes. She wasn't even meant to survive that first year! And now here she was, many years later, still a nuisance and a thorn in his side!
He had believed, upon bringing her to work in his home, that it would bring some form of results. A trap for her family, and of course Potter. They would certainly want to save their golden girl, the youngest. Bringing her away from Azkaban, somewhere where they supposedly had a chance to save her, how could they not! But alas, he had underestimated the Order.
They were no longer the foolish small group they had once been. The Order had become so much more established, a huge organization, with nearly as many numbers as the Death Eaters. And he could only guess that it was why a rescue party had not yet arrived at Malfoy Manor. They knew better.
But this, this letter, it could be something important! If Weasley had taken care to keep it safe in Azkaban, it surely had some knowledgeable value. He needed to know what it said. It was crucial!
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It wasn't going to be easy. It definitely seemed the Weasley girl wasn't as stupid as they had thought, not just another brave hero without any brains. He would need use all his cunning, his torturing needed to be more than just brute violence.
He could not do this alone. He would need assistance, but not in the form of Albert Surdmore. He sneered just of the thought. The man may believe himself excellent, and maybe he was, but as the girl was enslaved in his house, his family would take care of the matter.
He stopped pacing, and returned to his most comfortable armchair behind his desk, letter lying before him.
"Heller!" He called loudly, followed by an immediate loud pop as the small house elf arrived, bowing low to his master.
"How may I help Master Malfoy?" He asked in the usual squeak. Lucius could understand why his son despised the creatures, but they had their uses.
"Fetch me Draco, tell him it's urgent," Lucius replied coldly. With another bow and a pop, the elf was gone, leaving Lucius in silence and his thoughts for company once more.
"Reducto!"
The hairbrush did not even shiver. Ginny Weasley lowered her wand with bitter disappointment.
She held it in her hand, examining it closely. Although it was wonderful to be able to do any form of magic after she had been deprived of it for so long, it was not the same. This blocked wand was fine for any simple household spells, but for anything else, it was completely useless. A stick.
She curled her fists around it tightly, deeply tempted to snap it. Then she took a long deep breath, trying to calm herself. Even if it didn't work properly, she would still need it if she had any hope of escaping. Small amounts of magic were better than no magic.
Still frustrated, but more controlled, she threw the wand on her cot, and returned to the pile of papers on the floor of her small bedroom. She began to sort them into neat piles, dozens of scribbles and blueprints of anything and everything she knew about Malfoy Manor and its inhabitants.
She needed out.
It was no longer simply the burning desire to escape and be free of this hell, no it had become much more than that. In the past week, she had felt a change in the atmosphere. It was more than just a feeling, and she could not explain it. Something big was going to happen, soon. She had no idea what, or how, but she knew with every fiber of her being that she needed to leave as soon as possible.
She had been carefully and slowly, as she was always incredibly busy during the day, planning her escape from the Manor. After countless explorations of the enormous place, she had managed to draw blueprints of the Manor, which were fairly accurate. She had even drawn up a rough schedule of each of the house occupant's days.
The only place she still hadn't managed to find was the dungeons, a fact that irritated her deeply. It wasn't supposed to be too difficult to find bloody dungeons! They were underground! Where else would they be?
And yet, she had found no evidence of any underground dwellings of any kind at the Manor. She knew they had to be there, but she had looked everywhere she could think, and no stairs led farther down than the entrance level. She had not forgotten Twinkie's last word, and was sure the dungeons had something that would aid her, but she could not wait until she would find them.
Danger was coming, and it was nearing time to act.
Soon, she would attempt her plans, and she would be free. Or dead. But now was not a time to be morbid. No, she had to stay focused and hopeful. As much as possible anyway with a faulty wand.
She sent the offensive object a glare, and grabbed the stack of, now, neat papers. She went to her trunk, and folded the papers neatly in the back, under the loose padding of the trunk. It wasn't the best hiding place, but it would have to do for now.
Looking out the window, she was slightly surprised to see night had already fallen, which meant she had been in her room uninterrupted by menial labor for at least an hour. Was it too much to hope for an early night?
The Malfoy's seemed to have a knack for fetching her right before she could fall asleep, or sometimes even during it. The bastards. Just because they could lounge around all day and sleep when they pleased, they expected everyone to follow suit.
Exhausted, Ginny plopped down on to her cot, once again facing the resented wand. With a sudden burst of frustration she grabbed it and began to wave it aimlessly, with a twinge of violence. She jabbed it rather harshly in the direction of a lone spider on the ceiling, all the spells it wouldn't perform swirling in her mind, when suddenly, the spider exploded into a puff of smoke.
She sat up abruptly, staring in wonderment at the gift in her hands. Could it have possibly been released from whatever had kept it from it's full potential? She pointed it at the hairbrush again, wishing with all her heart for some form of success.
"Reducto!" She yelled again. The brush only quivered slightly, but it made Ginny's heart leap. There was hope for this wand yet.
Suddenly, a loud pop filled the room, as Heller the house elf appeared before her. Startled, she pointed the wand at him, but after his large eyes widened she lowered it immediately.
"Sorry Heller, you frightened me," She apologized.
"Miss Ginny, Heller is sorry to scare you Miss, but I have a message from Master Malfoy." He mumbled squeakily, avoiding her eyes.
"What does he want?" She asked with a sigh. She should have known she wouldn't get to turn in early.
"He says that you is to be eating dinner tonight with the family and their guest. He says dinner is in twenty minutes Miss, and to dress nicely." The elf stumbled slightly on the words. He seemed nervous.
Ginny's eyes widened. Dinner? With the Malfoy's? Surely, this was some odd dream. Perhaps nightmare was a more fitting term. It did not make any sense. They treated her as if she mud on their shoes, with distaste and hate. Why would they want her to dine with them?
The small elf cleared his throat, tearing her from her thoughts. "Master told Heller to make sure you is preparing Miss Ginny," He said apologetically.
She blinked, "I don't have nice clothes."
"Master thought you would say that, he said to say you are a witch Miss, and you should be able to think of something. Heller is also here to help."
She pursed her lips, anger bubbling inside her, but tried to dismiss it upon addressing Heller. "Can you transfigure fabrics into clothing?" She asked, still trying to control her temper.
The elf nodded.
She would've tried doing it herself, but she wasn't sure her wand would be able to, and even if it was, she did not want the elf knowing that it might be able to assist her in more than household spells. If she did succeed escaping, she was to do it alone. She did not want another Twinkie. She was determined that no one else would be punished for her actions.
Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed as nicely as possible with her circumstances. They had transfigured her uniform into a simple black dress, longer than usual, which was a relief on her part.
She wore her hair down, it was slightly wild, but she did not care. These were just the Malfoy's after all. She wasn't going to try too hard, and she was suspicious enough of this change of routine anyway. She needed to be on her guard, not uncomfortable.
After slipping her wand up her sleeve, she took a deep breath, and began walking towards the dinning room.
She felt like a sheep heading for slaughter.
Her heart was pounding, her stomach churning. Why was she so nervous? It upset her, and intrigued her all the same. Could her gut feeling have been right? Was today the day? The 'something' she had felt nearing, was it happening now?
As she walked, she replayed her plan of escape over and over in her mind. She wasn't completely prepared yet, but she was usually good at acting on instinct. She didn't know why she was stressing out so much, perhaps the Malfoy's just wanted to chat? It seemed unlikely. She wanted to be ready for anything tonight.
Pausing before the grand doors only for a moment, she entered without knocking, trying to keep calm and stand tall. If there was one thing Ginny had learned in life, it was to never show the enemy your fear.
All three Malfoy's were already seated, the picture of poise. Blonde and pristine. Nothing looked different than any other night, except for the guest sitting beside them. The opposite of poised and pristine, greasy haired and slouched, Severus Snape's cold eyes snapped up to her.
His lip curled, but he said nothing as Ginny stood there, the surprise and shock freezing her momentarily.
Finally, it clicked.
"You!" She shouted, charging towards the sallow skinned man.
Before she could reach him to punch his lights out, a small bang pushed her back, causing her to stumble.
Lucius had stood, his wand raised, his fury evident. "Remember your place Weasley!" He barked, sneer etched on his lips.
Snape smirked, "It's quite fine Lucius. I think we all know how the Weasley temper works."
Ginny glared daggers at him. How dare he! How dare he speak about her, her family? The slime! He killed Dumbledore! He had started this war! He needed to pay!
Yet this time it was Narcissa who stopped her from charging at Snape again.
"If you are done with your theatrics now, we would like to have dinner." Her tone was cold and commanding.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she finally approached the table cautiously, noticing the only empty space was beside Draco. She sat quickly, biting her lip to keep from cursing the whole lot.
As if sensing her thoughts, Draco laid a gentle hand on her forearm, a warning. She glanced at him swiftly. He was looking at his father, not showing any response to her presence. It was odd, now that she thought about it, that he had remained silent throughout her outburst.
She tried to move her arm from his grip, but it only tightened. Shit. He wasn't happy.
The silence in the room was incredibly uncomfortable. All but Draco seemed to be looking at her, none of them seemed to be delighted with her presence. Well, the gits would have to deal with it, they had made her come to dinner after all.
Finally, the silence was broken by the appearance of a massive dinner on the table. It seemed that here, like at Hogwarts, elves would send it up magically. Draco's grip loosened as his hands went to his silverware.
The whole lot began to eat, each with manners to equal a queen's. Ginny was beyond confused. She was dazed. Was she supposed to eat with them? Why had they summoned her here? Simply to be rattled by Snape's presence? What did they want?
She stared dizzily at the scene playing before her. There was only one possible explanation. They were all lunatics. Completely and utterly bonkers.
Lucius cleared his throat, and her eyes snapped to him. He was looking at her, mild amusement on his face. Clearly, a mad man. "Aren't you going to tuck in Miss Weasley? This surely is a better dinner than your last." He asked it so lightly, no hint of the previous anger there. Only his usual contempt and wait-
"Did you just call me Miss Weasley?" She blurted as she realized the eldest Malfoy's words.
He smirked, and she simply knew that beside her, his son wore an identical expression. Gits. Narcissa raised an eyebrow, and Snape wore his usual sneer. Honestly, these people needed to be taught some diversity.
"Well, that is your name isn't it? I could always resume calling you 'blood-traitor' if you prefer. It suits you." His tone was silky and taunting, the venom laced beneath it all.
Deciding to let it slide for now, she glanced down at her hands folded in her lap. "Why am I here?" She asked a moment later, now eyeing the occupants around the table. "Why have you suddenly decided to invite me to dine with you? Me, your servant?" She hesitated on the word, and it left a bitter taste.
Draco spoke for the first time that evening. "Eat. We will discuss everything after dinner. There is no point in letting the food grow cold." His tone held a warning to it, but something else was hidden. She couldn't tell what it was. It sounded apprehensive? Anxious? She could never know with him!
He was like an iceberg, with only a third of his mass above the surface. She never knew what was waiting beneath the depths.
As if cued by his words, everyone went back to their silent chewing, and scraping of silverware on delicately crafted plates. She sat in silence, gawking at them slightly, before snapping to her senses.
Something was definitely going on, and she was going to find out soon enough. Why not at least enjoy the delicious food in front of her? She hadn't had a decent meal in forever. Excited suddenly, she found herself eating rather enthusiastically.
She heard a light snort beside her, and knew it was meant only for her ears. She glanced at the youngest Malfoy, his smirk wide and eyes gleaming, mocking her.
Feeling the sudden flash of childlike anger and need of revenge she turned her head so only he could see, and opened her mouth wide, the partly chewed mouthful she had taken on display.
His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and satisfied, she returned to casually stuffing her face. She hadn't had food this good in ages, and she was a Weasley after all. How could she afford not to take advantage of the situation?
Half a second later, she felt a slight nudge and looked over, only to be flashed Draco's very own mouthful. Ginny barely held back the burst of laughter that had suddenly come at his antics.
Since when was Draco Malfoy the type to show people his chewed up food? It was so un-Malfoy of him, for a moment, he had seemed like someone else. Someone fun. A friend? Never. But as another pang of missing filled her, she noticed Snape's eyes on her.
She narrowed her eyes at him, and for the rest of the meal, kept her eyes solely on her plate, and her mouth sealed. The dinner resumed in silence mostly, except for a short hushed discussion between Snape and Lucius.
Finally, the silence was broken as the last of the plates was cleared.
Lucius cleared his throat, all eyes were immediately upon him. "So Miss Weasley, you must be dreadfully curious about this dinner I presume?"
She nodded stiffly, pulse beginning to quicken.
"Did you enjoy the meal?" He inquired, sounding generally interested, a platinum eyebrow raised.
"Wha-what?" She stuttered, utterly bewildered at everyone's strange antics. Beside her Draco scoffed, and Snape smirked. Greasy git. She shot him a glare, and Narcissa Malfoy smiled tightly at her, shocking her all together.
"Miss Weasley you must be confused, as my husband loves to beat around the bush," Narcissa said as she glanced at Lucius with a quick smirk and turned back to Ginny, "I'll get to the point."
"That would be bloody helpful," Ginny muttered.
She felt Draco stiffen at her side, and Lucius's eyes narrowed. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth in check.
Yet, Narcissa only laughed lightly, a gentle and pleasing sound. Ginny stared at the woman. Never before had she spoken to her in any way but condescending, and she avoided it if possible. Now here she was, being… pleasant.
Ginny did not like it one bit.
"We want to offer you, a… promotion, of sorts," The blonde began elegantly. "We are offering you to stay here as a guest. You will be treated to meals like this every day, you will be given one of our spacious guest rooms, and you will not have to continue any of your previous duties. You may do as you like in the Manor… within reason of course."
Ginny gawked at her. She knew it was rude, but she could not give a damn. This made no sense. They were up to something. There was no way in hell the Malfoy's would want to be nice to her, no way they would offer to willingly let her dine with them and live as a guest in their home.
"Well, what do you think Miss Weasley?" She prompted.
Gathering herself, Ginny straightened up in her seat. "I think, Mrs. Malfoy," She could not help but sneer slightly at the name, "that you all are taking the piss, because we both know there is no way in hell you would be offering me this for free. So be honest now, what's the catch?"
The table was quiet for a moment, as she surveyed each of the other occupants menacingly. Lucius looked like he was itching for his wand, but controlling himself. Snape had his usual sneer of disdain on, and Narcissa only looked bemused. Ginny assumed Narcissa was going to continue speaking, so she could not help but be surprised when it was the younger Malfoy male beside her who spoke next.
"No need for that attitude Weasley. I would be more than happy to send you off with another list of things that need to be done. The library books haven't been properly sorted in ages." He radiated smugness, and she had the sudden urge to kick him, but sadly refrained.
Lucius's smirk was back in place, "Draco, although your suggestion sounds quite appealing, I'm sure the girl doesn't share your enthusiasm. So Miss Weasley, would you like to accept our generous offer?"
"Would you like to tell me what you want in return?" She countered.
"Information," Lucius finally admitted, "We shall give you anything you wish and in return you answer a few simple questions."
Ginny scoffed, "Did you honestly think that bribery would get me to talk?"
Lucius sighed, "No, but I had hoped. It's a lot easier than other ways of interrogation." He turned to Snape, "How much longer Severus?"
Snape took out a pocket watch and glanced at it swiftly, "Another minute or so." He replied curtly, tucking the watch back into his robes.
Ginny was about to ask what they were talking about, a cold chill filling her. So, it was going back to more interrogations, which could only mean torture. She wasn't sure how many more times she could take it. It had been a while since a wand had been raised against her, and it seemed that the longer she went without it, the more it hurt the next time.
Before she could speak however, Lucius turned to her once more. "Last chance Weasley, I'm offering you the easy way, and you can only benefit from it."
"I don't see any benefit in betraying my beliefs, nor the people fighting for them," She replied stubbornly, trying to keep up a brave front.
"Stop being a Gryffindor for one moment Weasley," Draco said softly from beside her. She turned to look at him and noticed his eyes seemed warmer than usual, "Think of your own needs for once."
His gaze was smothering her, suffocating and beseeching. Her reply stuck in her throat, her mouth went a little dry. His lip quirked slightly, and heat rushed to her cheeks. That devil! He was charming her into doing what he wanted! He knew it, and she knew it, yet she still couldn't look away.
But once again, Lucius spoke and broke her trance-like state. "Weasley," He paused and she locked eyes with him, scowl in place. "In your food," He continued, "there were several sedative potions which should be taking effect in about thirty seconds. Are you going to be intelligent and accept our proposition, or foolish and refuse?"
Stunned, she gaped at him.
"Twenty seconds," He taunted.
She turned to Draco, but he only shrugged nonchalantly.
Furious, she stood, pushing her chair back. "Not only do I not intend on accepting anything you monsters offer me, you can kill me before I'll give you any information!" She exclaimed proudly.
"But where's the fun in that?" Lucius drawled.
She opened her mouth to shout another snarky comeback at him, but a sudden wave of dizziness stopped her. Clutching her head, her limbs began to feel heavy, and she had to place a hand on the table to keep her legs from giving way.
"That will be the potions taking effect," Snape said in his usual bored tone.
Shooting the hooked nosed man one last glare, the room began to grow dim, before fully overcome with darkness. A bang, and she knew she had fallen on the floor as her side hurt from the impact. She tried to fight the black abyss, but it was too powerful.
In seconds, consciousness was as far away as the moon and the stars.
It was deafening.
The ringing.
It raged, such a high-pitched note that it almost seemed impossible she should hear it. But hear it she did.
Nothing else was audible, just the steady, stinging, ringing. She wanted it to stop. She would rather hear nothing. Could she stop it? If only she could cover her ears. Could she? How?
There were always her hands.
Yes! She had hands! The realization granted some form of excitement, some notion of sense and logic. Her hands could cover her ears, and the horrid ringing silence would cease! Or was it just silence? Did the absence of all sound cause some form of sound? Did that make any sense?
Everything was so foggy and confusing.
But slowly, she was becoming more and more aware of herself. She had hands, and they were attached to a body. She obviously had ears, because otherwise she wouldn't be able to hear this blasted ringing.
Her ears were attached to a head, her head. She was alive, therefore she was breathing. So that meant she had a mouth and nose. What else was on a face? She squeezed her eyes tightly in concentration. Wait… eyes! She had eyes!
If she opened them, then would the darkness cease? The darkness suddenly frightened her. What could be hiding in it? Where was she anyway? A sudden primal urge to see her surroundings fell, and she knew it was time to open her eyes. It would give her answers.
But how? It couldn't be too difficult, but she didn't remember the motion and it frustrated her. What was going on? Why was she so confused, why couldn't she see? Panic and desperation filled her. She tried to squeeze them again.
And suddenly, effortlessly, her eyes opened.
The ringing ceased immediately, and she sighed in sweet relief. Blinking once or twice at the lack of darkness, she glanced at her surroundings.
The light was dim here too, but bright compared to the previous darkness. Stone walls. Everything was stone. A wooden table not too far away, and everything beyond it was hidden in shadow.
Where was she?
She suddenly noted she was sitting, and moved to stand. She could not. A quick look down and she saw she was restrained. To a chair. What the hell?
But then, it all came rushing back.
The strange dinner. The proposition. The sedative potions.
Bloody Malfoy's!
Anger welled in every pore of her being. She thrashed and tried to loosen her bonds, but it was to no avail. She wasn't going anywhere, and surely, they would be upon her soon.
Information. That's what they wanted, and they believed she could give it to them. She had thought that perhaps, after the last times, they had understood they would not get it from her. Apparently not.
Or perhaps, perhaps they had something new. Something that would make them believe she might actually talk this time. A cold chill filled her. Before she could ponder any further however, a door that she cold not see snapped shut loudly, and footsteps approached.
They sounded far. How big was this place? Where was this place? What was this place? And a sudden realization sent a shock of excitement through her. The dungeons. Surely!
But as swiftly as it had come, the excitement faded, leaving only more doubts and questions. Even if these were the dungeons, she did not know how to reach them on her own. And of course, most importantly, what was even in the dungeons that Twinkie had wasted her dying breath on telling her about them? Had she even heard her correctly? Had the dying elf simply been confused?
The footsteps grew nearer, and she could now clearly tell it was more than one pair of footsteps echoing. Her skin prickled, dread oozing slowly through her veins. She wasn't ready for this.
They stepped out of the shadows, not two, but three men cloaked in black. The father, the son, and the potions master.
She should have expected this. Still, the presence of not one, but three torturers was enough to make her stomach clench uneasily. The wands they were each grasping didn't help calm her nerves either.
She appraised them as they approached, each so different from the other. First Snape, his scowl strong, menacing even with his slight slouch. Then of course was Lucius, tall and poised Lucius, looking as bored as always.
Lastly came Draco, tall and blonde as his father, yet seemingly much less at ease. His usual mask was on, a face of stone, yet something was off. He did not hold his usual arrogant demeanor, and he would not meet her gaze. It was strange. Perhaps he felt bad?
The thought was laughable.
All eyes were on her as the three men stopped walking, standing just a few feet away. As much as their gazes made her squeamish, she was determined not to let it show. They would not intimidate her. Or at least, they wouldn't know they did.
"Weasley, it's good to see you have finally come around," Lucius drawled, breaking the silence, his cold voice echoing off the stone walls.
"Yes, I must say those potions were quite spectacular. Really, I couldn't remember my own name for a while." She answered steadily, relieved her voice wasn't shaking with the fear she felt.
"Snape's concoction. Filled with enough veritaserum to keep you truthful for weeks. That was why the other potions were necessary of course, if we had given it to you all at once conscious, you would be dead within the minute." Lucius was smug all around, his smirk only barely contained.
She knew they expected her to be shocked, afraid, cornered.
Ginny only smiled.
"It astounds me," She shook her head smiling wider still, "Again and again, you Death Eaters continue to underestimate the Order. All the veritaserum in the world won't help you Malfoy, I'm immune, as is every single Order member."
Lucius blinked once, and turned to Snape. "Is it possible?" He asked, tone accusing.
Snape did not remove his cool gaze from Ginny as he answered slowly, thinking. "It is possible, however surprising. The only herb that can stop the veritaserum's effects is quite rare, and frankly I do not see how it could cause lifetime immunity either."
Ginny couldn't help but smirk, "There are other genius potion's master's Snape. Some fight for our side."
"Drop the bravery act Weasley. It's not fooling anyone," Snape whispered his dark eyes glaring.
Ginny stared him down, eyes blazing with anger. She did not retort, but she did not back down. How she wished looks could kill. Snape smirked, and she could tell he was amused. If only her arms were free, he'd be sporting a bloody nose by now.
"As enlightening as this chat is," Lucius cut in interrupting the glaring contest, "There are more important things we need to know. One last time Weasley, will you cooperate, or will we have to make you cooperate?"
She turned her glare to him, "You must be completely dim Malfoy. I've told you time and time again, you'll kill me before I tell you anything."
"Oh you poor delusional creature," Lucius began, leaning in close, eyes cold as ice. "You have no idea what you're in for." He whispered maliciously and pulled away.
Ginny shivered slightly. Was it just her, or had the room just dropped in temperature? She glanced again at Draco, who was watching impassively. But once more, something was off. Was it the fact that he wasn't saying anything? Or, that his eyes weren't hard and cold as usual? She couldn't put her finger on it, but he definitely wasn't acting normally.
Another glance at Lucius, and she saw that he now was twirling his wand in his fingers, a thoughtful look across his face. In a swift motion, he turned back to her, a cruel smile forming on his lips.
He pulled a scrap of parchment out of his robes pocket, and shoved it under her nose, illuminating it with his wand tip.
Ginny let out a small gasp, her eyes widening in surprise, as she recognized the old forgotten letter addressed in her name.
"I take you recognize this?" Lucius hissed.
Of course she did. But how had the Malfoy's come by it? Had she not been taken to Malfoy Manor unconsciously, she would have brought it with her, as it was not something that could simply be lying around. As that was not the case however, she took relief in the fact that it was hidden well, and the storage place had never been found by any guards before. It seemed that she was mistaken.
"Well?" Lucius said loudly, his wand dangerously close.
She gazed up at him, hating every inch of his malicious face. "I've never seen this before in my life," She answered coolly.
"You're a liar," He snarled.
"And you're despicable," She spat.
"Yes," He jerked up suddenly, smirk back in place, "It's one of my best qualities. Levicorpus," He added, wand pointed at her.
As she was tied to the chair, it rose and flipped with her as she was hoisted into the air by the curse. Suddenly dizzy as blood began to rush into her head, she had to blink several times to steady her vision.
She looked and saw Snape had gone to the table and was placing items on it- a cauldron, several vials, and some measuring instruments. He was making potions? Now? Draco had not moved, and he continued to watch the scene, arms crossed and face blank.
Lucius was grinning wickedly, eyes dancing in the dim light. "That parchment is addressed to you, and was found in your former cell. How did you manage to sneak it into Azkaban?" He sounded generally interested, and in the sake of at least stalling the pain that was yet to come, Ginny decided she could give him that useless bit of knowledge.
"I stuffed it in my mouth," She replied easily.
Lucius nodded, "I see." He replied, looking at the parchment with distaste. She smirked at her small triumph. "And, what on earth is so important about this parchment that you felt the need to smuggle it in with you?"
"Oh you know, just a keep sake." She would have shrugged if she hadn't been upside down. It was really getting uncomfortable.
"No more lying Weasley," He whispered, and a sudden jet of light hit her, sharp hot pinpricks erupting all over her body. Biting her lip from crying out, she glared at him.
It stopped, and she let out a sigh of relief. That hadn't been too bad. She'd had so much worse.
"Liberacorpus," He said, making her land harshly on the ground, still tied to the wooden chair. "Answer me now girl, I'm tired of your smart mouth!" Lucius demanded, "What is this parchment? What is written on it? What is this absurd scrawling?"
"You really want to know?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Obviously," He sneered.
"Bring it here then," She sighed.
Lucius looked surprised, and Draco leaned forward slightly, watching carefully as his father placed the parchment in front of her, his wand illuminating it once more.
She screwed her face up in concentration, reading slowly. "Lucius… Malfoy… is… a… raging lunatic… and git… who must not… be able to comprehend… the meaning of… 'Not saying anything'!" She hissed angrily.
She felt a heavy blow to her cheek, with such force that her chair was knocked sideways, crashing with her in it.
He had slapped her. Hard.
Tears stung in her eyes, but she willed them to disappear. The wanker would not make her cry. Not this soon at least. She had been through worse. It was a matter of will power. Mind over matter. She could do this.
Yet as much as she tried to convince herself, a voice deep inside was rather doubtful. Something was different this time. She wasn't as strong as before. Her will had been weakened by more death and loss, more hopelessness. There were so many nights she had considered to end it all, but never dared. Perhaps she wasn't as brave as she thought.
On the other hand, was it really bravery? Ending it all, just because she was tired? Or was it perhaps cowardice that brought on those thoughts, and bravery that deduced them? It was so hard, but she could never bring herself to give up. There was always a way out. There had to be.
Her body ached from the violent fall, and her cheek stung like fury. But the chair had broken, and the ropes binding her were binding no longer. She would get to her feet. She would face Malfoy. She knew she had no hope of escaping at the moment, or avoiding torture. But she would look him in the eye. And one day, she would pay him back.
She breathed in deeply, and slowly, shakily, she got to her feet. Lucius stood, wand outstretched, his sneer cruel as ever. She could see the loathing in his eyes, and she knew that hers held the same.
Smoke had started to billow throughout the room, rising out of the cauldron on the table, although Snape was nowhere in sight. Draco stood in the shadows now, all she could see was his outline.
She turned her gaze back to Lucius, and lifted her chin proudly. "So, are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to curse me like the coward you are?"
Lucius snarled, and then it began. An endless stream of the most brutal curses ever created, a question and her refusal to answer, followed by more hexes created solely for this purpose.
She had forgotten how much pain she could endure without dying. It amazed her how her memories of torture were not even close to the true pain. It was not a decision to scream, it was automatic. She could not control it.
She had been wrong before. Draco was not nearly as good at his father was at this art. Lucius had no conscience, no mercy whatsoever. Draco had, it seemed, gone easy on her before.
She didn't know how much time had passed, how long she lay crumbled on the floor, throat raw, tears streaming. It must have been hours, but Lucius was relentless. She had not given in. She had not answered a single question, and he was agitated.
As his latest curse effects ended, she stared numbly at the stone patterns on the floor. She heard his footsteps approach, and he leaned down, his face close to hers, fury etched in every line.
"What are the contents of that letter?" He voice was steel, full of hate.
"Go to hell," She whispered.
He stood again, his wand pointed straight at her chest. "Crucio!"
Her scream echoed across the room, her throat burning, but she could not stop. Everything was on fire. Everything was in ice. How was she still alive? How was she not insane yet? Like Neville's parents? Or was she? Was this insanity? To endure this pain, again and again?
His curses seemed to last longer now. She writhed and thrashed, whimpering and crying out, but no one would hear. No one would help.
But suddenly, it actually stopped. She heard running footsteps, and a voice, so familiar, but she had not heard it in a while. He had been so quite. He had left, shortly after Lucius began his interrogation. It probably had bored him, but it seemed now he had come back, Draco had returned.
He was shouting something, and she willed herself to listen, with every ounce of energy she had left.
"Are you mad father? Look at her! She's a complete bloody mess! You've been torturing her for hours now! She'll go insane, or she'll be dead! And then what? You expect to get the information you seek from her corpse?"
She could not see him, as she was facing the other way, and had no willpower to turn over. Yet she could imagine him clearly, running his hands through his hair, eyes wild. Beautiful.
Oh god, maybe she really had gone insane.
"Draco, I'm close, I know it. She'll break soon enough. No one can stay silent forever." Lucius replied smoothly, reasoning.
"No. Absolutely not. Enough for today father. We will leave now and return tomorrow, but no more today. She'll be dead if you raise your wand again." Draco said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Lucius sighed, resigning. "I suppose you are right Draco. I admit, I lost my temper. Where is Severus?"Ginny could not help but be surprised at Lucius's submission. But she could not say she was not grateful for it.
"He went home. He said the potion's should be ready by tomorrow and he will return then," Draco replied, calmer now.
"Alright, goodnight then Draco," Lucius said, and as his footsteps sounded smaller and farther away, Ginny felt a relief fill her so largely she nearly burst into tears.
A softer pair of footsteps approached her slowly, and this time it was the son who crouched down close to her. His expression was as usual, unreadable.
"You look horrendous," He whispered softly.
"At least I don't look like a ferret," She coughed, voice weak.
"Don't talk," He commanded, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "Here, drink this," He said and handed her a small potion vial. "It will help you sleep."
She did not question him, and drank quickly, desperate for some rest.
He stood and walked away, leaving her to sink into darkness once more.
Draco could not sleep.
It had been happening a lot lately, but this time was worse. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Her face as the first curse hit, her small form crumpled on the ground, nearly every inch of pale skin bruised and bloody.
He had seen many people tortured before, he himself had done countless acts, and never before had it affected him so. It worried and disturbed him, and he could not shake it off.
When his father had begun his interrogation, Draco immediately knew it would not go well. Hell, he knew it would not go well the minute he had known there was need for an interrogation. He had seen first hand how stubborn Ginevra was, and how strong she was.
He had been relieved when they had come up with the veritaserum plan. It was simple, easy.
But of course, the girl was again underestimated. How the hell were she and the rest of the Order immune to veritaserum? It was strange, but smart. The Order definitely weren't the same as before.
The moment the realization struck that they would have to resort to physical torture, a cold feeling had pooled in the pit of his stomach. He could not bear to watch her scream, and writhe and cry. It had been overwhelming, and shortly after his father had hit her with his first favorite curses, Draco had left the dungeons. He couldn't stand to see her like that, so weak, helpless, like a small child.
It drove him mad!
Why did it bother him? She was just a Weasley! He had tortured her before, and it had meant nothing at all. It had been no different to him than any other person. What had changed?
And suddenly he knew. Those few weeks when she had taken care of him, they had changed the relationship between them. They had bonded somehow. Yes, he had still treated her like a servant, but those few weeks had been so much easier. Almost like a break from life. He had told everyone that he did not remember much from those weeks, because of the potions, but that was a lie. He remembered every single moment. And he especially remembered her during that time. They had shared talks and conversations, almost like true friends, and it had been so easy. Fun.
But then he was healed, and it was over. Time to get back on with life. He had so many important matters to deal with, that after that he had no time to see her much or speak with her. Besides, it wasn't good for them to be on good terms. She was his servant. She was a Weasley. It was best to pretend like he had forgotten. It was time to go back to reality.
But now, now here he was. Tossing and turning, her suffering image popping into his mind every moment he closed his eyes. The knowledge that while he was lying in his comfy bed, she was probably freezing in the dungeons. There was only one thing to do to help clear his mind.
With a sigh, he got up and slipped on a pair of shoes and a cloak. He conjured a thick blanket and pillow, and began to walk swiftly down to the dungeons, resolved to make sure she was not freezing to death and then leave before she would be aware of his presence.
He slipped into the room quietly, flicking his wand to light the torches on his way. She had not moved since he had left her last. Curled up, bruised and small, she lay on the ground.
Carefully, he lifted her head and placed the pillow underneath it, and covered her in the blanket, casting a heating charm on it. Satisfied, and feeling better, he turned and began to walk away.
A groan stopped him in his tracks. He heard movement and a small cough. He turned to see her sitting up, gazing at him with wide eyes, flushed cheeks and her hair wild.
"Why Draco?"
Her voice was so small, so weak from screaming.
"Why what?" He whispered uncertainly.
"Why," She paused and coughed again, "do you do what you do? Death Eaters I mean. Why do you kill, and torture and rip families apart? And don't," She gasped, tears beginning to fall, "Don't say it's because we're dirt, because we are all people, we are all the same."
He stared at her, shocked. His mind was buzzing, and no words were forming.
"We all have hearts, and bodies, and minds. Just because someone's parents are different, doesn't mean they deserve to die," She said quietly.
He sighed slowly.
"It's a war Ginevra. Deserve has got nothing to do with it." He turned around and began to walk back towards the doors, before her soft voice stopped him once more.
"If you don't believe in their cause, why do you fight alongside them?"
He paused for another moment, before continuing on and leaving the dungeons, her question hanging in the air, and in his mind.
He just wished he had an answer.
A/N- Whew, that was a long one, but I certainly hoped you liked it. I am truly sorry updates are taking so long, but bear with me, I'm doing my best! Review review review, seriously you have no idea how much it motivates! Until next time loves...