A/N: I know I haven't updated in forever. Please forgive me? I mean it when I say I will never ditch my stories. I hope you all believe in that. It's a little long but I feel you all deserved it after my absence. Please enjoy!
Clenching my fists; I'm pretty positive it's silk that's now bunched in my hands. I refuse to open my eyes. The last thing I remember was The Dark Lord's devilish eyes boring into mine; it had to have been a nightmare, a simple nightmare and nothing more.
My legs felt like tingly jelly all over and every muscle, including ones I had no idea existed, ached. The pulsating pain in my head faded with each throb.
I couldn't find the will to open my eyes! I was paralyzed by fear. It took a good moment of deep steady breathing and a series of happy memories to calm my nerves.
I'm just sleeping. I just had a horrible dream provoked by Malfoy's haunting words; an empty promise. I'm in bed. I fell asleep after an eventful day at Hogsmeade. It was just a long soothing nap; in an unbelievably comfortable bed.
My eyes fluttered before I took a sweeping gaze around the massive room I was in. Ok, now I'm confused. I'm obviously not at home, and I am definitely not in my dorm room. Where in the bloody hell am I?
Well I was definitely laying on a bed with tope silk sheets. I couldn't help but caress the fine material. The bed was enormous, the pillows fluffed with feathers. I was beginning to worry; if today really happened as I imagined, then why am I here!? And where is here? It's all too confusing for me. I mean, who associates kidnapping with expensive bed sets and a luxurious room? I know I don't. My dismal thoughts lean more towards damp, dark, dungeons.
My hand fell to the pocket that normally conceals my wand and came up empty. My stomach dropped as I patted myself down for the one thing that would keep me safe, assuming the worst.
Dear Merlin.
Now scouring the room for my precious wand, I began to realize how incredibly clean it was. So I must be somewhere expensive, in someone's rich house. I know it's a wizard's home because of the moving pictures on the wall. The characters in them though...so distorted, and complacent. Everything about this place screams sickening contradictory.
Fear spiked up again as I frustratingly groaned in defeat. It was official; my wand was nowhere to be found. I caught a glimpse of a small 5x5 window next to a quizzical looking book case and ran to it. The view that greeted me left my mouth ajar, confirming my fear from before.
Barren desert.
"No," I gasped. This can't be happening to me!
As if things couldn't possibly get any worse, I heard footsteps approaching me. Thinking on my feet, I threw open the window and opened a deceivingly small cabinet of a big oak dresser and hid. Just on the other side I could hear two grumbling men shuffling about the room, searching for me.
"The master will NOT be pleased!"
"Come now, she couldn't have gotten far, it's a bloody desert," one of the men's voices resounded from the window area. "Call a search party. It's impossible to hide here, especially without her wand as well."
They both cackled amusingly and sent the most chilling shiver down my spine. The worst part is I knew they were right. There was absolutely no way out of this for me without my wand. The desert stretched for miles and I didn't even have the slightest clue of where I was...
Another man burst through the door, "Is the captive ready for the auction or not?!"
Auction?
"N-No sir, y-you see—"
"She got away sir!"
A loud crash followed their fearful stuttering.
"You blundering imbeciles! Find her! Quickly! Before The Dark Lord has my head for this, and in turn I'll have BOTH your heads on a bloody silver platter!"
The door slammed and the men still remaining muttered angrily under their breaths.
"Let's get going, you lazy oaf," they started to fight with each other now.
"You're one to talk. This is entirely your fault!"
Their incessant bickering continued as they left the room and echoed from beyond the door until their voices slowly faded out. I counted to thirty before I deemed it safe to slowly creep out of my hiding spot. Once I was back into the open, I wondered how long I truly was inside that confined compartment because now my body was sore all over; I gave myself the benefit of the doubt considering I was also in a life or death battle against a few Death Eaters before this previous predicament.
But now is not the time to think! It's time to act.
Grabbing the sharpest thing in this elegant room I could find, which sadly was an old rusted pen, I began my way out of the mahogany door. At first I cracked it open to see what I was facing, but all I could see was a wall. I heard nothing, so I assumed it was a vacant hallway.
I tiptoed out of the door and lo and behold, a hallway. The problem was I was right in the middle of it. Left or right?
Right.
I shuffled quickly to the end of the hall and peeked slowly around the corner. To my dismay, it was another long hallway. So I swiftly followed it down to the "T" cross path that stood before me. Now what? Left or right?
Left…
As much as I was afraid to look into any of the rooms, I realized somehow I had to in order to find my wand. I'm so useless without it.
Coming to the nearest door, I put my ear against it to see if there was any noise on the other side. Hearing nothing, I twisted the knob and opened the door in a strategized way so that it wouldn't creak. There was nothing and no one inside. I did see a pair of old clothes though, girl's clothes? I thought that was strange. This room was as nice as the one I stayed in. The dirty pair of clothes that lay on the bed felt so out of place for me that it started to creep me out.
I left and tried the next room. Same thing. A pair of clothes strewed on the bed, but this room was a mess. Almost as if a struggle happened here.
Then it hit me. I wasn't the only one captured. There were others. But what the hell did they do to everyone that involved removing their clothes…naturally my mind darted to the worst outcome and I shivered.
Now my mind was just picking solutions that had to be completely off base. Maybe this was more like a prison than it seemed to look? We were all supposed to wear uniforms? Maybe we are going to a Death Eater Tea Party?
Now that's just silly.
"What are you doing here?"
I pivoted slowly until I was face to face with Blaise Zabini and his wand shakily pointing at me. Swallowing hard, I raised my hands to show him I was unarmed and just as afraid and confused as he was.
"I should be asking you that question," I murmured.
Something in his face changed, and he was no longer scared. It was a ruse. He sighed and cracked his neck as he held the wand more firmly by my neck. My stomach dropped to the depths of my being and I felt a wave a panic strike my nerves.
"Blaise—"
"Walk."
"Blaise!"
"NOW!" He shoved me backwards and I tripped over myself onto the floor.
So it's come to this. It's not like I thought I was going to escape unscathed or without a fight. But facing someone I knew wasn't how I thought it would go down either.
True, he's a Slytherin and I a Gryffindor…but we got along pretty well for rival houses. He tutored me in Potions and I he in Charms. We didn't mind being seen in public together unlike the majority of our houses. We helped each other out and we tolerated each other. I don't know why, but I figured something like that could save me from the fate he's making me face right now.
"Blaise, please. You know me. How could you let this happen to me?" I don't even know what awaits me after this point. I don't care either. I'm not foolish enough to believe it's anything less of my worst nightmares. That's who Voldemort is, that's what the Death Eaters are.
He grit his teeth and pulled me up by the sleeve with unnecessary brute force. "I have no choice!" He yelled at me. He yanked me closer to him, never putting down his wand and whispered in my ear, "Don't you understand that? I'm just as much a prisoner as you…"
Acting on impulse thanks to my helpless emotions, I head butt him right on his nose and he started bleeding. For a split second he released me and cupped his face.
I took this time to be brave, "We all have a choice, Zabini!"
And mine was to run.
Just as I rounded the corner of the hall, I heard Blaise throw a spell that hit the wall behind me; too much of a close call. I had no idea where I was headed now, not like I had any idea before either. My luck just kept getting worse and worse. More than a few times I ended up at a dead end. To make matters worse, the halls all irritatingly looked the same. For all I knew, I was running in endless circles. I knew my time was running out with all the noise that was erupting around me from countless followers now searching for me. I'm sure all completely unhappy about it.
One last corner, one last try…and there it stood before me. The door way to Heaven. It was the only door that didn't look painfully identical to the rest. No, this had to be the front door. It was a large, wooden oak door that stood at least 8 ft. tall with an old English iron knob.
I ran to it, sprinted actually. Somehow some way I found all this extra energy that carried my feet even faster and made me feel even lighter. I did it. I stood a fighting chance for freedom. My fight or flight instinct completely took over as my hand wrapped around the knob.
The moment I twisted it, someone took a fistful of my hair and pulled me backwards. An excruciating pain ached in my head as I screamed.
No…I was so close.
"Get back here you little—"
"DON'T!" Blaise's voice rang clear.
Forcing me around by my hair still, so that I faced them all; I recognized the man holding me by my hair as the man who threatened the others for their heads if they didn't find me. The more I glared at him, the tighter he pulled my hair and I winced.
"You're lucky little girl…lucky I don't publicly beat you here right now," his rotten breath made me unintentionally gag. Pissing him off even more, he threw me hard to Blaise's feet. "Take this wretch and get her prepared. We can no longer keep the Dark Lord waiting or I'll let him know YOU were the cause…" He pointed at Zabini who in turn nodded.
I stood on my own and Blaise took the initiative to grab my wrist and pull me into the closest room. I didn't even realize he had a paper bag in his hands.
"Make haste! I'm not leaving this spot until she comes out ready in 5 minutes or less you hear!"
Growling low, Blaise slammed the door shut and locked it. He threw the bag on the bed that was pitifully falling apart in the corner and released me.
"Change." He ordered and motioned toward the bag.
Folding my arms, I refused to do anything he said. "No. Not until you tell me what's going on."
He sighed sympathetically and gave me a pained expression, "Please, change. It's better me telling you than that Gorilla man out there." He whispered the last part while pointing at the door.
I bit my lip and shuffled over to the bed and flipped the bag upside down. Out fell an astonishingly beautiful teal dress. I held it up and it was long sleeved and tight fitting. The sleeves and the chest were like lace and the pattern for it was flowers in bloom. The waist line and bottom had stretchy material but it was meant to hug every curve possible. It was a long dress, but there was a slit in the leg that ended high enough to be questionably inappropriate.
"What is this?" I asked completely dumbfounded.
"You don't like it?" He asked confused, "I grabbed the prettiest one that wasn't so revealing like the rest…" He mumbled the last part nervously.
I looked at him like he was insane. "This isn't revealing?" I asked pointing out the lacey top part, and I barely realized the back part; starting from the mid-back down is missing. I say missing because I don't think anyone should show lower than what I'm staring at right now. "You're insane."
"It's really not that bad!" He tried to convince me and I shook my head.
"TWO MINUTES!" Came the dreaded voice beyond the door and I rolled my eyes.
"What is this even for?"
"Just put it on," He groaned.
"NO! I—"
"Look, Destiny…I'm really trying here. I know you don't believe me but, if I had my way you wouldn't be here…but you are. It's a fact that you have to accept you're trapped now. You abide by the rules like I do, and I'm trying to make it as easy for you as possible because yes, I do know you and because I have a soul and a soft spot for you ok? The dresses the other girls are wearing are far worse than yours I promise you and I didn't want that for you…"
I was completely speechless and I gulped mainly to clear my tear ducts. I guess I am lucky after all. "Thank you," I avoided eye contact because I didn't want him to see the sentiment in my eyes as I dragged the dress to the bathroom door to change.
Before I could reach it, he stopped me and made sure I looked into his eyes. His expression was conflicted as he put one had on my shoulder and squeezed it. Deep down I knew there was nothing he could do, but I wondered just the same what he was truly thinking.
The dress was sexy, no doubt about it. I felt sexy. I was right about the material; it hugged and accentuated all my curves. The lace wasn't as revealing as I thought it would be, and the back part I could get used to. It showed skin, true, but it left so much to the imagination and made the dimples on the lower part of my back stand out so much. It was even safe to say the color of the dress made my hazel eyes pop.
I reminded myself to thank Blaise.
"Hey." Speak of the devil.
Opening the door slowly, more for my protection than anything; he slipped a pair of silver heels through the opening.
"These are for you," he said blatantly and I smiled.
"Thank you, Blaise."
"Don't thank me just yet…" He frowned.
"LINE UP YOU BRATS!" An older man with wearing a torn up trench coat spat in our faces.
Doing as we were told, all of us girls lined against the cold stone wall. Actually, all of us were girls I soon realized. All dressed in scantily clad dresses; my mind immediately darted to the worst thoughts possible and I shuddered. Blaise couldn't be more right when he said there were worse dresses than mine. Some of the girls here looked like they just walked out of a sex shop!
One by one, each girl was called into the next room. None of us knew for what, or what was even happening in the other room. Once a girl walked in, she never came back out and that alone made us all tremble with fear. My imagination just kept getting darker and darker the closer I made my way to the front of the line. Blaise appeared, watching each of the girls as they went. He spoke to each one, about what I had no clue but whenever our eyes would meet he would quickly look away.
Eventually I was left standing alone, last in line. I bit my lip and my breath hitched once the door creaked open and the same man grunted while motioning for me to come forward. I glanced back one last time at Blaise who's face was grim. I forced a smile not knowing if it was for his or my own sake.
He returned it and mumbled, "Good luck."
"Get a move on!" The man yanked me to him and threw me into the room.
The moment I stepped foot inside the atmosphere changed. It was eerily quiet despite the fact the room was packed with people, both men and woman, body to body. There was a wooden box standing alone on one side of the room facing everyone with a few bright spot lights hitting it. Everyone's eyes fell upon me as I approached it and a loud uproar of voices began. I couldn't catch or understand one word of what anyone was saying. It was as if I was at King's Cross on a holiday weekend trying to coax a hobo away from your luggage; all yelling and screaming.
The grumpy man pushed me up on the box, "Just stand there and look irresistible" He laughed hard at my disgusted expression.
"What is this nonsense?!" I could barely hear my own voice and no one seemed to care that I had even said anything let alone wanted to be standing there on 'stage' for everyone to speculate.
My eyes darted around the room and everyone was bickering and pointing at me. Others could not take their eyes off me and it sent the most uncomfortable shivers down my spine. The longer I stood up there, the more stress weighed upon my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around myself feeling exposed and I bit back the urge to shed a tear.
I was coming undone. No one important seemed to be paying any attention to me, maybe I could make a run for it. The idea seemed delicious and I kept running every little scenario in my head of what would happen if I did.
Do it.
Ba-bump.
Now.
Ba-bump.
No one's watching…
Ba-bump.
What are you waiting for?!
Ba-bump.
My heart beat was the only thing I could officially hear, resounding inside my head.
I took one step down.
"SILENCE!"
I froze.
"Ladies and Gentlemen…this has been the rowdiest auction of all tonight!"
Auction?
"I am known to save the best for last, and she really looks like a prize now doesn't she," the hiss in that voice was undeniable. "I'm sure by now, you all realize who she is?"
I swallowed hard. I knew from the moment I became friends with the famous Harry Potter that I would be considered some sort of liability. That being his friend meant also being a target, but I was not prepared for hearing the next part.
"Harry Potter's love interest!"
Our eyes met for a brief moment, his gaze full of amusement while mine emanated shock. I wanted to believe that he was just saying that to get to me, but he seemed so sure of himself. Then again why should I even believe it? I've been friends with him for so long and I know about him and Ginny, I've also been sworn to secrecy.
This also means I might have the upper hand here. The more Voldemort believes I'm the key to Harry, the more I can get away with getting information out of him and keep my friends safe. It's the perfect plan to sacrifice myself to.
A low hum of voices was starting to erupt again and Voldemort swiftly held up his hands; the whole room fell silent once more.
"This auction is now over. We have a bidder who outweighed all by a landslide."
Well isn't he dramatic.
"Before I continue I would like to thank you all for joining us tonight and placing your bids. You may collect your prizes from Wormtail and do what you please WITH the exception of relaying any vital information you have found to Ms. Lestrange. IF I find out any one of you is withholding dire intelligence from me, there will be severe consequences."
Bellatrix snickered as the whole room was nothing but obedient to their master.
"Now, Lucius Malfoy?"
"Yes, M'Lord?" A covered and cloaked Lucius stepped forward. He was in the whole Death Eater get up from when they performed the raids in Hogsmeade. I could see nothing but the rubble on his chin as he made his way to the front of the crowd to face the Dark Lord.
"Please, collect your prize. Oh, and congratulations." He motioned towards me and my mouth fell open.
Lucius tilted his head up so that his hood fell off, and there I could see it. The sickening gleam in his eyes, the exact moment I lost my soul.
I've been sold to Lucius fucking Malfoy.
Thank you for reading! Please review or message me and let me know your exact thoughts! I hope it's getting pretty good for you guys, I promise it's getting more and more interesting.
