Chapter Seven:
All you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash.
The first thing Ginny thought upon seeing Astoria Greengrass was the that the girl was pretty. She had pretty brown hair that had been poorly cut, but now reached her shoulders at odd angles. Her blue eyes were dull, lifeless almost, but Ginny could tell that they once sparkled. Ginny had heard, from Luna, that Astoria was smart. Her quick wit and intelligence had made her a valued Ravenclaw house member, a star pupil at Hogwarts. And of course there was her inheritance, although useless now. The Greengrasses had once owned one of the largest trading companies in the world. Their company would have been valuable to Voldemort, Ginny thought. Probably why he was so insistent in their capture.
After the Greengrasses had made it clear that they would never side with Voldemort, their accounts had been seized, access to them blocked. Their estate and family heirlooms taken from them, any valuables pertaining to the image of the Greengrass wealth and prestige stolen; a cruel and unjust fate seen in the Pureblood community, but in light of the Greengrasses betrayal, appropriate.
Ginny had seen Astoria enter the kitchen and decided to see what exactly she was up to. Ginny trusted Draco's judgement, to an extant. This girl, the girl he was supposed to marry, had been captured by the Death Eaters. It was obvious from the marks upon her skin that she had been tortured and abused, and still Ginny was suspicious. The plan to save Astoria had gone through flawlessly. They hadn't lost anyone, no one was spotted, everything was perfect.
But what if the Death Eaters had gotten word? What if they knew what was going on, what was going to happen? They could have easily placed a spell on Astoria, making her into an, albeit unknowing, double agent. So, Ginny followed her.
"Where the hell am I?" The brunette asked. Her voice was hoarse, scratchy sounding. From screaming, lack of water or a combination of both, Ginny didn't know.
"You're safe," Ginny replied, stepping slowly into the kitchen.
The younger girl jumped, quickly turning around to face the intruder. Her hand automatically going to her leg, where her wand would have been in the pocket of her jeans. Her fingertips brushed against the white nightgown and Astoria remembered that she was wandless, and therefore in a very bad position.
Ginny raised her arms, her hands held open, "Easy, it's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm-"
"Ginny Weasley, yes I know," Astoria cut in, her left fist clenching and unclenching. "Where am I?"
"A safe house," another voice replied. Both the brunette and the red head turned to the back door.
"Draco?" Astoria questioned, her eyes widening. She made to move but hesitated, her arms coming up to wrap around her torso.
Draco's eyes wandered over his would be betrothed before flicking over to Ginny. "I'll take it from here."
Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but Draco just gave her a look. His eyes pleading with her. Sighing, Ginny nodded and turned around and leaving the way she had come. Draco looked back to Astoria, who was eyeing him warily. He took a small step forward and when she didn't seem to move away, another.
He slowly made his way to her, reaching his hand out to brush against her arm once he stood in front of her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, his eyes moving quickly over her face, taking in the bruises and small cuts.
Astoria looked up at him, shaking her head. She had never thought of what she would do if she ever saw him again, she honestly didn't think she would.
"Come on," Draco said, holding his hand out for her to take. She eyed it, as though waiting for a snake to attack. "We're just going to my study, Astoria."
Slowly, Astoria reached out and grabbed his hand. He gave it a quick squeeze before walking out of the room. He brought her back to the front of the house and Astoria saw the front door again. The door the called to her, freedom, freedom. Draco opened the door to the right of the stairs and led her in.
"You can sit on the couch," he told her, closing the door as he spoke.
Astoria looked around the small room, there was a desk facing the door and behind that a window. To her left was a two person leather couch and to her right a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. The brunette slowly walked to the couch and took a seat, flinching when Draco sat down next to her.
He frowned and then released a sigh, "What did they do to you?"
Too much, she thought.