A/N: From here on out, chapters will likely be shorter, simply because I don't want to abandon this fic and this is all I can manage right now.

Winter Dreams Lost

Chapter 20:

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She was dreaming.

She had to be. She must be. The very wish she had begged to the universe had materialized right before her eyes, and that only seemed to happen when she was dreaming. Not to say that this was a good dream by any means. In fact, it had to have been one of the more tortuous nightmares she had encountered since she could remember. Draco had found her, beaten her, and she lay completely at his mercy. But just when all hopes had been lost, he had come for her.

Harry had come for her.

He stood tall in the doorway, furious green eyes cutting glass as he surveyed the scene. Perhaps this was not a dream at all, but one of her fairytale books where the fair maiden is saved by her hero, and always just at the last moment. But that was never real life, was it?

"So easy to get your attention."

His cold, drawling voice spoke above her and she blinked- fear rippling back through her body. No dream, no fairy story. Thought and consciousness rushed back into her body. She was back at the manor. And the boy looking at her- that really was Harry Potter. The lights in the room seemed to have halos that pulsated with each throb of her pounding heart. She was still bound at the wrists, still unable to move her legs. Leaning over her, Draco was grinning at Harry maliciously, one aristocratic eyebrow raised and looking disarmingly pleased with himself. He had his prey within his grasp, to dismember and devour. Despite a wand pointed at him, his silver eye glinted with triumph. Draco's white-blond hair was disheveled, falling over his satin black wrap, and his breath came in short pants. Gleaming white teeth showed between his lips. Cornered and wandless, the blond boy looked as though that couldn't bother him less. He made no movement, save for the tightening of his hands on Ginny, gripping her like a vice.

Ginny blinked again, trying to focus her vision on the welcome intruder, trying to ignore the aches in her face and body. Harry's face was tight, his mouth in a thin line, jaw clenched at the sight before him, looking from Ginny's torn clothes to the bruises to the swelling on her face. His green eyes swirled in a thunderous storm- flashing with fury. One hand held Draco's stolen wand, while his own pointed directly at the blond on top of her, knuckles white. When he spoke, his voice was low and calm.

"It's over, Malfoy. It's done."

Draco laughed, the sound sending a shiver down her spine as it echoed in the foyer. He licked his lips, tilting his head to the side."You may not believe a word I say, Potter- I've certainly never given you any reason to do so- but the truth is I am quite pleased to see you here."

Harry didn't move, his wand steady.

"Although…" Draco drawled, sitting his weight on his heels, "I don't know if I can stand not knowing your secret. How on earth did you manage it? My wards were clever enough to stump the Mudblood. I used the very best. Yet here you stand, always finding a way. I really must know though- my security needs to be top-notch. Dangerous times." He clicked his tongue, and one hand ran up Ginny's thigh. "Cherished things should be well-protected."

Harry's eyes narrowed, and Ginny mulled the word over in her mind.

Cherished. That didn't seem to be something Malfoy knew anything about.

"So, oblige me," Draco said, "How did you do it? Dark Magic, perhaps? Has the Chosen One sunk low enough to abandon his own morals to remain savior? I would understand if you had. I happen to believe that Dark Magic is vastly misunderstood. And yet... a champion of good such as you could never tarnish his reputation by being bested with something as trivial as a ward to a Manor. Even so, there must have been something... some detail I overlooked."

Harry lowered his wand slightly. Wordlessly, he stepped to the side. Behind him, a small figure stepped forward. It was skinny and wrinkly and ancient and... Ginny squinted, lifting her head a bit. A House-elf. Something sparked in her memory. This elf had been in the manor before, she had seen him.

Draco stiffened slightly. He sat back, arms relaxing on his thighs. "I see. Very foolish of me. I thought I had bigger things to worry about than worthless slaves that betray their masters." He narrowed his eyes at the little elf. "I will enjoy tearing your limbs apart for your treachery to House Black."

Kreacher folded his arms defiantly. "Harry Potter is Kreature's master."

Draco scoffed. "Don't be too sure. I've got plenty of space to mount your corpse on my wall." He fixed his gaze again on Harry. "I knew there was no way your intelligence could have broken the wards. You've always leaned on everyone else to do the thinking, haven't you? First the Mudblood and now House-elves? Must be nice to have everyone around you at your disposal. Have you ever actually done anything on your own?"

"Are you done?" Harry asked, completely unruffled.

Draco's grin was feral.

"No, I can't say that I am. It's a shame your Mudblood of a mother didn't teach you proper social etiquette before she snuffed it. Honestly, just barging in the door? Very rude. Ginevra and I were trying to enjoy a quiet night in."

"I'm sure she won't mind," Harry said, taking a few steps forward. "The Aurors are on their way."

Ginny's heart leaped within her, and she sucked in an excited breath. Escape. Escape was near... People were coming, people who knew Harry, and then she could finally leave-

"Are they?" Draco challenged. His eye darted to the elderly House-elf, and a chill filled the air. A whisper of words left his lips.

"Mors proditori. Mors proditori..."

The words sent a tingle of magic in the air, and the house-elf trembled.

Kreacher suddenly hunkered over, clutching his thin and filthy chest. Harry knelt down, commanding him to stop, to disobey whatever order Draco had given him. The elf collapsed onto his little knees, breath escaping in frail rattles as he recovered from whatever magic had been upon him. Harry's face hardened at the sad sight, supporting the House-elf gently by the shoulder. He clenched his jaw.

"You cannot condemn Kreacher for the betrayal of your house. Not when I am his Master and named an heir of House Black by Sirius. It doesn't matter what or who you destroy- it's over. They know you are here."

"Of course," Draco smirked. "I admit I was hoping you would be stupid enough to come alone. God knows you've done stupider things in the past. But I'd say we have time for a few extracurricular activities before we're found. Why don't you make yourself more comfortable? We could all eat dinner, enjoy some Elf-made wine, talk about the last Appleby Arrows match, I'm open to ideas."

"Enough."

Draco held up his hands in mock surrender. "You think I'm stalling, don't you? Well, I admit I am. But what did you expect? I'm unarmed, you've hijacked my House-elf, it seems like you've clearly got the upper hand. Don't you?" His hand was suddenly at Ginny's throat, and she let out a soft gasp of surprise. The hand gave a firm squeeze of warning. "We won't be going anywhere. She doesn't want to leave me. She's safe here, this is her home. I take care of her." Draco glanced down at Ginny, who froze in place at his stare. "She doesn't want to leave me do you, darling? She knows she belongs to me. She knows she's mine. She knows I could never let her go." His eye seemed to cloud over for a moment, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You'll never leave me. Just like you promised."

Harry stepped forward again, now looking much more menacing than he did a moment ago. His patience had run out. "Get up. It's done."

Draco whirled to face him with a vicious snarl. "Another step Potter and I swear to god I will kill her right now!"

"You'll be dead before she takes her last breath." Harry's reply was just as venomous.

The hand on Ginny's throat stiffened along with the rest of his body. The tension in him wafted around her. He was weighing his options, a manic gleam in his eye. He was a cornered wild animal. Feral. Desperate. A predator protecting its kill. But the alpha was issuing a deadly challenge for his prey, and the challenge would mean his life. But it was a game to him, and the madness inside him seemed to dance in delight. "Dabbling in Unforgivables now, are you Potter?"

Not rising to the bait, the corner of Harry's mouth twitched. "No time like the present. The Ministry has been quite tolerant of my behavior in the past- and I don't see that changing any time soon. It's just about the only perk of being the Boy Who Lived. Everyone will understand. I've had a stressful year, I was bound to snap at some point. But that doesn't matter to me. Whether I break the Auror code or not, I don't care. I'll do what I have to do. As for you? You are either going to die or rot in Azkaban. Again, I don't care. But I'm giving you a choice. It's death or Azkaban. If you don't get your fucking hands off Ginny, I'm going to assume you've chosen death, and we can call it a day. Or you can step away now, and spend your life quietly in Azkaban. The Dementors are gone, so you might stay sane if you're lucky."

Draco's teeth bared just slightly, his confidence fracturing. He was wild. Unhinged. "My father will hear about this!"

"Your father? Your father is dead, you lunatic!"

A loud, barking laugh escaped Draco's mouth. He shook his head, blonde hair coming loose. Harry watched him with concern and pity. Ginny wondered if he might be stalling as well.

"You need help, Draco," Harry murmured. "Let go of Ginny and come with me."

Draco grimaced, as if in terrible pain. One hand still clutched Ginny's throat, and the other hand rested on her cheek. He held her gently, like a small animal he didn't want to frighten away. Looking at her, but somehow not seeing. "He doesn't understand, princess. No one understands. Not like we do. He doesn't know. He doesn't know we can't be separated. Not... not again." His words were a reverent murmur, tumbling out in shaky pleas. "We're too intertwined, you and I. I am the darkness and you are the light in it. The gods saw fit to bring us together, saw fit to give me your light. And I need it so badly, I'll die without it. But does it truly matter? Life and death are all the same to us. Even when I was a child. You were there. You were there for me and you said you would never leave me. My light in the dark-"

"Malfoy-" Harry started.

"-But then one day you were gone. You were gone and the candle glow was snuffed out. I floundered in the dark, waiting years to have you back. And then I saw you. The universe had brought you back to me. You were gifted to me. You were so young and sweet, I almost didn't believe it. I had to see for myself, to see if you were real underneath those shabby hand-me-down robes. I had to look at you."

"Malfoy, shut up and get off of her now-"

Draco seemed not to hear. He leaned down further, desperate and longing. "I made you mine. I made you mine in every way, and you have loved me so sweetly in return. You were with me completely, just like I knew you had to be." He smiled crookedly, convinced she should be rejoicing with him. Blind to her distress, he looked at her expectantly, thumb gently stroking her skin.

Looking up at him, Ginny swallowed hard, her mouth dry. Thoughts and feelings, (or were they memories?) tumbled and whirled in her mind. They were elusive, impossible to catch and examine closely, leaving her in a haze of disorientation. "Draco, I don't know what you're talking about. This- this is madness. I could never- I don't..."

I don't love you. I don't care about you. I want to leave you. You're a monster.

The unspoken words she couldn't force out must have hung in the air, in plain sight for Draco to see. Realization set in, and the grin on his face faltered. Ginny gave a slow shake of her head, confirming his assumptions. How could he think for one second that she cared for him?

Draco bared his teeth, and the hand that wasn't on her throat rose into the air. "You fucking bitch-"

It happened in seconds. Draco moved to strike her, but Harry moved faster. A bright jet of light shot out of the wand he held, flying forward toward the blonde boy's kneeling form. There was a small explosion, momentarily blinding Ginny with light and a cloud of dust. The blow from Draco's fist never came. Instinctively she scrunched her form as much as her bindings allowed. The dust settled, and she dared open her eyes. It was not Draco but Harry that now stood next to her. Wand still drawn, he was tense and wary, looking around the room as if he expected Draco to pop up in front of him at any moment. But the room was empty. Looking down at the elderly House-elf, Harry gave him a slight nod, and the elf disappeared with a pop.

Ginny's head fell back on the floor with a breath of relief. He was gone. It would be okay. Harry was here, and people were coming. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins began to slow, and feeling began to trickle back into her limbs. Every bruise on her body seemed to flare and ache at once, throbbing as one now that her heart beat at a normal pace. Her wrists felt painfully squeezed in her bindings, and based on the way her chest felt when she breathed, she wondered if she had broken ribs. A low, painful groan escaped her lips, which now that she thought about it also felt swollen and achy. Harry was instantly kneeling at her side, startling her with his sudden appearance. His green eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe. Not finding any life-threatening injuries, he placed a hand on her arm.

"Are you..." He stopped mid-sentence, seeming to rethink the question he was about to ask. "Are you hurt?"

Just my muscles. My bones. My dignity. But she'd be damned if any injury meant she had to stay where she was for one more minute. "I'm alright."

Harry paused meaningfully, but he did not challenge her reply. Ginny knew she must look a fright. Her busted lip combined with the numerous scrapes and bruises, long hair disheveled, dress torn, and- oh god, her dress. Blood began rushing to her cheeks as she realized how mortifyingly exposed she was. She looked away in humiliation, the last of her dignity now in shreds. She felt rather than saw Harry move, and felt a length of fabric covering her chest and midriff. He did not comment on her state of undress, nor did he appear embarrassed. Once she was covered, he immediately set to work on the bindings holding her wrists. He pressed his wand to the bindings and began murmuring. It took him several seconds to tear through the first binding, and he quickly moved to the next, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Did you kill him?" She asked softly.

Harry's wand froze for a moment, and he glanced down at her. "No."

"Oh." She said, feeling unsettled. "Where is he?"

Harry grunted as the second binding came free. She felt the sensation creeping back into her hands, and she rubbed them together. They were sore, but the bindings hadn't broken her skin. Before she could get her bearings, Harry gently pulled her off the ground and to her feet. The world spun around dizzyingly for a few moments as she got used to being upright, and Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders to hold her steady. "Kreacher is looking for him. He was gone before my spell hit. He couldn't have Apparated, but..." He adjusted the cloak around Ginny, fastening the clasp for her. "That's why I think it's in our best interest that we leave quickly." Ginny could have sworn she saw a flicker of doubt in those beautiful eyes, and it made her insides give a lurch of fear. It was too easy, she thought, and the look in his eyes told her Harry knew it too. But the flicker disappeared, and he took her hand in his, warm and firm. "Come on, let's get you home."

Home.

She didn't bother saying she had no idea where home was. All she knew was that it would be somewhere away from here. Harry practically sprinted to the door, pulling her along with him.

Out the door, down the stone steps.

She felt a familiar sense of anxiety as they grew closer to escape. Harry suddenly darted behind a large tree and waved his wand at the top of Ginny's cloak. A cool, tickling sensation spread down her body. She found it odd that she hadn't felt any fear when he had turned his wand on her.

"What was that?" She asked when Harry once again pulled her into a run.

"Notice-me-not charm." He said as they ran side-by-side.

"Will that even work? Won't he still notice you?"

"Better me than you."

They were rapidly approaching the wrought iron fence with the large doors. The magical wards glittered ominously back at them. Harry's face paled when they noticed that not a soul could be seen on the other side.

"Where the fuck are the Aurors?" He whispered. Releasing Ginny's hand, he moved forward to the doors, studying them for a moment before waving his wand. A beautiful, silver stag erupted from his wand, but when it galloped to the iron gate it seemed to disintegrate into thin air. Whatever he had done yielded nothing- the iron doors did not move an inch, and the stag seemed unable to penetrate them. Ginny wrung her hands, trying to conceal her worry. Harry had said people were coming. He said they were going home. But the doors weren't opening, and they were clearly alone...

A twig snapped in the distance and the pair both jumped at the sound. Harry pointed his wand in readiness at the sound, and Ginny stepped back so he stood slightly in front of her. Harry seemed to be holding his breath as he scanned the grounds, one arm slightly raised to shield her. The grounds were ominous, but other than a light wind rustling the foliage, they appeared to be quite alone. She knew better.

"Harry..." she said nervously. "He's watching us."

"I know," he said, chancing a sideways glance at her. "Be ready to run when I say." Run where she didn't know, but she nodded anyway. Then Harry shouted Kreacher's name, much louder than Ginny was comfortable with, to summon him to his side.

But seconds turned to a full minute, and the elf did not appear. Harry swore violently under his breath, before turning back to the gate. He began muttering something rapidly under his breath, his wand twisting in complicated movements. "This will take a few minutes," he said, concentrating on his task, "but as I've been through the wards once already, I should be able to unravel part of them now. God, where's Hermione when you need her?"

Feeling agonizingly helpless, Ginny looked back towards the Manor.

"Evie!" She called as loud as she dared. "Evie, I need you!" But her sweet elf was also absent, not responding to her Mistress's call. Her tension mounted, a feat she didn't think was possible. "What's happened to them? Why aren't they here?"

Harry didn't answer her, jaw clenching and unclenching in concentration as he worked furiously on the wards. He muttered another curse under his breath, before abruptly stopping and rolling up his sleeves to his elbows. Ginny was inexplicably distracted by the action, and for a moment all danger was forgotten as she stared at him. His forearms were lightly bronzed from sun exposure, and as he moved and twisted his wand, the muscles in them flexed. His dark hair was disheveled, but it looked incredibly natural on him. She spotted a bead of sweat on his brow. She watched it slowly beginning to move down his face when another breeze ruffled the bushes next to her. Flinching in fear, she whirled around to the noise. A large tree stood near her, surrounded by cherry bushes. The branches and leaves ruffled innocently, but something more ominous moved through the air.

"Talk to me, Gin," Harry commanded gently, not turning around. "What do you see?"

But look as she did, other than trees and bushes they were still alone. She swallowed hard, still having the feeling of being watched. Of being hunted. "There- there's no one..." Her voice trembled.

"That's good. I need a little more time."

The air around her suddenly felt still. Too still. Like death was near, possibly even standing next to her. She turned left and right, but nothing seemed out of place. That's when it came. A cold, suffocating dread began rising up within her. Choking her. Her chest heaved in panic. "Harry..." She could barely get the words past her parched throat. Even though she stood in the sunlight, it felt as though darkness were swallowing her up. "Harry, something- something's wrong..."

But whether Harry didn't hear her or didn't seem concerned she didn't know. He wiped the sweat from his brow and kept working.

Ginny looked around frantically. Trees. Grass. Shrubs. But then something nudged her foot. She looked down, and had to stifle a scream when she did. On her foot lay a small, green snake. It lay slightly curled, head reaching around her ankle, forked tongue tasting the air. Tasting her. Her blood froze in her veins. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and for a moment her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. The snake slithered innocently across her ankle, before angling its head to look up at her. The scales moved across her skin, and she shuddered violently in alarm and disgust.

"Harry..." she breathed shakily, her lips trembling.

"I'm almost done, Gin. Hang on."

"Harry, there- there's a snake..."

The words came out of her mouth so softly that Harry hadn't heard them. Panic surged within her as the snake coiled up her ankle. Small as it was, the tiny creature was overpowering her senses, and everything about it felt wrong, wrong, wrong.

Harry suddenly blew out a breath of triumph. "Got it!"

Ginny whimpered softly and fell backward on her bottom. The snake coiled around her, and she was unable to crawl away from it. Her breaths became rapid and frantic.

"Gin? What is it?" Harry blinked down at her, his eyes moving to the serpent wrapped around her, his stance relaxing slightly. "Don't worry, I won't let it hurt you, okay? Just be still for a moment."

Barely comprehending his words she couldn't even nod, unable to tear her eyes away from the beady, red dots that seemed to hypnotize her with terror. Harry spoke whispered hissing noises. The snake turned away from Ginny, eyeing the man speaking to it. She supposed she should be curious as to why and how this man could communicate with the snake, but in her shocked state, she only cared to get away from the creature. The snake uncoiled slowly from her ankle, moving towards Harry. He whispered the snake language once more, and the snake lay still in the grass. Harry looked back over to Ginny, reaching down and helping her up from the ground. Her eyes did not leave the snake, and it was looking right back at her. Harry tried to guide her away, but she remained frozen in place. The eyes of the snake seemed to pull on her, feet sinking into the ground where she stood and gaze unable to look away.

"Hey," Harry tried to get her attention, squeezing her hand. "It's alright. It's just a snake. But I need you to move, Gin, we need to go now." When she made no response, he touched her chin gently to look at him. The action quelled the mysterious grip the presence of the snake had on her. "There she is," Harry murmured, and warmth filled her belly when he gave her a small smile. "As much as I'd love to stand here all day and look at you, we can't stay another second. We need to-"

But Ginny didn't hear the rest of his sentence. Just behind Harry, there was a sudden movement- a shadow rising and looming. Before she could think, or act, or gasp, he was standing right there. He was always there. Avoiding him was like avoiding her own shadow. Maybe escape was pointless after all this time. Where a moment ago a snake had lay coiled in the grass now stood Draco Malfoy. In the time it took for her to blink at what she was seeing, to question whether she was in her right mind, he was upon them. There was a flash of metal. Before she could cry out, or reach out to pull her and Harry to the ground, dagger met flesh. In one monstrous movement, Draco thrust a blade into Harry's shoulder. The sound of tearing flesh was sickening. Ginny screamed in horror. More metal, more blood, and the blade sunk a second time. Harry staggered, falling out of Ginny's grasp. She tried to grab him, to pull him back to his feet, and something hard made contact with the side of her head. She fell to her knees, vision blinding white as her ears rang. It took a minute for the world to stop spinning. She brought a shaky hand to her head, wincing when it came away bloody. And then Harry, stupid wonderful Harry, chanced a glance at her, eyes wide with concern. He was pale and bleeding, but the fear in his eyes was only for her. Distracted, he didn't see Draco raise the bloody dagger for another blow. This time, she didn't blink or think. Letting out another scream- this time of rage- she leapt onto Malfoy, clawing and scratching whatever she could find. Surprised by her attack, he dropped the dagger and moved his hands to restrain her limbs. She was able to land a punch- was even able to rake her nails across the side of his face- before he managed to throw her off him. She felt her body meet the ground, gasping as the air rushed out of her lungs. She groaned softly. Harry moved next to her, crawling on hands and knees. He was cradling one arm, his shirt was turning crimson, and the muscles in his limbs seemed to have the slightest tremor. Above them, Draco stood triumphantly, now holding Harry's wand. The predator and his kill.

"The Dark Lord assured me," Draco drawled, slightly out of breath, "that becoming an Animagus would be invaluable. It has proven true time and time again." Draco wiped his face from the blood and sweat.

"You- should have -been -a rat!" Ginny gasped painfully. Her anger fueled her bravery, helped numb the pain. "Or- a cockroach- or a- fucking- parasite."

He only shrugged back at her. "It suits me." He studied the wand he held for a moment, before gesturing with it for the pair to move toward the Manor. "Alright, we've wasted enough time. Dinner is getting cold. I've got a Bordeaux I've been waiting to open, and tonight seems as good a night as any to indulge. We can sip while we address a few of my... concerns." He pointed his wand at Harry, who seemed to be rapidly weakening, beads of sweat covering his brow, but kept his eye on Ginny. "Now, Princess" he cooed, "Potter here has sustained some nasty injuries. I would advise you to be a good girl for me, and cooperate. Whether he walks out of here alive and intact…" he jabbed the wand into Harry's injured shoulder, and the dark-haired boy grit his teeth in pain, "Is completely up to you, sweet girl. Do you understand me?"

Ginny looked at Harry, who was struggling to stay upright. He gave her the most minute shake of his head.

Don't fight.

She fought the misery that threatened to consume her, and tears sprang to her eyes.

Mistress mustn't give up.

It was too late for her- she knew that. But the boy in front of her, she had the power to save him. Looking up defiantly at Draco, she nodded once.

"Excellent," he said, his pleased expression distorted by the angry red scratches across his cheek. "Up you get."

She stood slowly, her body struggling to find its bearings, temples throbbing. Harry's hands were bound behind his back, and Draco dragged him roughly to his feet, and he somehow managed to keep from collapsing again. Like prisoners to the gallows, the two were marched towards the Manor.

It was stupid. The whole thing was stupid. Damn her for trying to get away, for thinking there had ever been a chance it could work. Damn Harry for trying to help her. Damn him for being brave and noble and incredibly stupid, for stepping into the serpent's nest to set her free. Damn Draco for existing. Damn the universe for allowing her life to be one of slavery, of being in complete control by a monster she would never escape from. Damn all of it.

"Don't be afraid."

She barely heard Harry's words. They had been so quiet, so quiet she almost thought she imagined them. She chanced a sideways glance at him as they neared the front door. Just before they stepped over the threshold, back to where she would be chained into her gilded cage, Harry winked at her.

Don't be afraid.

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TBC

Next Chapter: The game of cat and mouse will end.