Chapter 8
Arthur Weasley stood in a daze.
The once grand temple, though increasingly decrepit over time, was now engulfed in flames.
He was transfixed. It happened so fast, but he could have stopped it. A part of him wanted to, it really did. But the larger part of him, the part that was filled with anger, regret, and sorrow, wanted to see the vile thing burn. He stood as a silent witness to the temples demise, as stones fell and smoke billowed up into the sky.
The goddess and their greed, the unfair covenant, it was all burning.
Arthur could feel the heat from the flames on his face, though it did nothing to dry the silent tears that wet his cheeks. A bitter wave of triumph rose up within him.
As he stood, silently watching the flames, he heard screaming. He recognized the high –pitched voices of the goddesses Artemis and Eileithyia, screeching and wailing. Despite their immortality, they wailed as if in agony. In his still drunken and despaired state, Arthur found himself unable to care.
Let it all burn, he thought.
With one last look at the smoldering temple ruins, he turned away.
He walked numbly down the ancient dirt path, heading back to the Burrow. He did not turn back, nor did he dare think about the repercussions of what would happen once the temple lay in ashes.
He did not see the cloaked figure approach the burning temple, nor did he see them fall to their knees.
X
She's beautiful.
Harry Potter sat at the kitchen table at the Burrow, not paying any attention to the ongoing conversation. He was distracted by the spectacle in front of him: a teenage girl with long red hair, eyes sparkling from the dancing candles on the cake in front of her, surrounded by a multitude of Weasleys. It was Ginny's birthday, her coming of age. She sat at the end of the table, a sweet smile on her face, her eyes shining with emotion as she looked around at her family.
When he had first seen her in the garden, he thought she had looked so different than when he last saw her. Her eyes were darker, her hair longer, lips fuller...and when she had smiled at him it was like the sun was shining. It was enough to make him stumble and stutter an awkward hello, before fleeing to the refuge of the house. Ginny was clearly a woman now, not a little girl. The thin, frail thing he had seen flee to Egypt in Bill's arms seemed a distant memory.
He watched attentively as Ginny's lips pursed to blow out her candles, before he felt a sharp elbow in his ribs that told him Hermione had been talking to him.
"What?" he said under his breath, rubbing his rib.
"I said ," she hissed impatiently, "we have a meeting later tonight with Dumbledore after everyone is in bed. I'll come wake you and Ron up when its time."
Harry's good spirits immediately soured. He had no time to pine over the girl beaming at the end of the table. Time wasn't his only problem, either. He simply could not afford to give anyone his affections, not with the Dark Lord and his minions looking for any possible way to weaken him. He was risking enough with Ron and Hermione as it was. Not to mention the suffering that Ginny and the Weasley family had gone through already just by associating with him. No, any visions of chasing the pleasant fluttering in his heart when Ginny was around was beyond his grasp... not when it seemed like his task of stopping the rising darkness seemed endless. Just like these stupid meetings... constant strategies to try and find Voldemort. The Horcrux hunting was finally over, but now that the Dark Lord was mere mortal, he was more elusive than ever, but his followers somehow seemed to multiply by the day.
"I hate meetings." he said grumpily, and the slice of cake that was placed in front of him did nothing to lighten his mood.
No, he thought nastily, stabbing his cake with a fork , merlin forbid he have anything as pleasant or lovely as Ginny Weasleys affections in his life .
X
Once the birthday festivities died down, Ginny found herself escaping to the garden, in need of a reprieve. Clutching a blanket more tightly around her shoulders, she took deep breaths, feeling her rapid pulse slow down. She couldn't help the small smile that stood on her lips despite it all. She had sat through more than an hour of Weasley fanfare before the anxiety took hold., and she was quite proud of herself. An entire hour before feeling the tightness in her chest and the urge to flee overtook her. She allowed herself to relish the small victory.
A noise of rustling plants drew her eyes down to the garden. A tiny green snake was weaving in and out of the carrot sprouts.
"Sneaky!" she said, smiling. "I thought I told you to clear off. Hermione is here with Crookshanks and he'd love to have you as a snack."
The snake slithered towards her outstretched hand, the small tongue tickling her palm before wrapping around her wrist. She giggled in spite of herself, staring down at her little friend. She was still talking to a snake, she was holding a snake, she was friends with a snake!
Small victories .
"Today was a long day," she sighed, "but I've made it through. It was exhausting. I think tomorrow is going to be worse... I've got to be brave, Sneaky. I'm going to Diagon Alley with my family tomorrow. I haven't been there in years. And... I've got to make the decision whether or not I'm going to Hogwarts. I have to decide by tomorrow at midnight."
She sighed heavily, and the snake eyed her curiously.
"I've got to be brave."
X
That night, Ginny's head swirled with confusing dreams.
She was back in Egypt. She knew it was Egypt because she was finally warm, down to the bone. She was standing underneath the balmy sun. The heat licked every inch of her skin. She was wrapped in an embrace. Strong, lean arms of a boy were holding her close. Soft lips were gently covering her own, and the sensation filled her abdomen with a gentle fluttering. A warm body was pressed against her own, and she didn't flinch, didn't retreat, but welcomed it. It was so different and foreign... There was no fear, no hesitation, only bliss. The new sensations enveloped her, taking her breath away.
She rolled onto her stomach in sleep, her body tingling pleasantly.
She never imagined that touch could feel so pleasant, could ever feel so desirable... and she wanted more. She raised her hands to the boy's head, running her hands through soft hair, and crushing her lips to his. There was no tightness in her chest, no urge to flee. She was allowing a boy to hold her and kiss her, and she was kissing him back. It was incredible. His lips left hers, and before she could protest, or see the face of the boy in front of her, she felt soft kisses on her neck. Her eyes closed in pleasure. A scorching hand ran slowly up her back, tangling into her hair, causing a jolt of electricity to race down her spine.
A soft moan escaped her lips, and she woke with a start. Her eyes opened in her darkened room but her vision was still bleary from sleep. She sighed, closing her eyes again, and smiled in contentment at the dream.
So pleasant, so nice...
She continued to lay on her stomach, her body completely relaxed into the mattress. She could feel the sleeve of her nightgown being tugged off her shoulder. The cool night air hit her exposed skin. Just as a shiver moved through her, she felt a soft kiss. Warm lips were caressing the bare skin that had been revealed from her shifted nightgown. The lips kissed her again and she felt a warm breath, creating goosebumps along her flesh and eliciting a soft gasp from her mouth.
Except- something wasn't right.
Someone was kissing her, touching her, but she was awake now ...
Someone was in her room.
With a jolt of fear, Ginny bolted upright in bed. She reached to her bedside table, her hand finding her wand in a flash and pointing it at her assailant.
" Lumos! "
But with her wand illuminating the room, she could see that there was no one there, no assailant to hex. She was alone in the darkness.
Panting with panic, her hand shook as she surveyed her dark room. Someone had been here, someone had been touching her...
"MUM! DAD!" she screamed.
It seemed like only a few seconds before her door blew open as her parents barreled through.
"What is it?!"
"Ginny, are you alright?"
"There was someone here!" Ginny cried, "I know there was!"
Her brothers, Harry and Hermione appeared at the doorway as well. All had their wands aloft, searching. Hermione sat on the bed next to Ginny as the rest of the Weasleys and Harry looked all about the room.
Mr. Weasley waved his wand, then turned around back to Ginny.
"There's no one here, sweetheart. It's just us."
Ginny shook her head. It couldn't have been, she was awake and she had felt something...
Her mum walked over, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze.
"Maybe you just had a nightmare, love. Maybe you just thought someone was here."
Ginny looked up into the face of her mother. Molly was smiling but Ginny could see the worry hidden beneath it. She looked at the others in the room. They all looked at her with mixed looks of pity on their faces, and she hated it.
"Never mind, never mind- I just-you're right, mum, I just had a bad dream was all. I'm fine." She forced her voice to sound calm and causal, knowing she must be sounding like a lunatic. "Just another nightmare."
There couldn't be anyone in her room. It had to have been a nightmare. No one can apparate inside the wards... she surely had imagined it... she must not have been as awake as she thought she had.
Humiliated, she met Harry's gaze, and while there was no pity there, his face was eerily unreadable in the dim light. She flushed and turned away from his gaze. He somehow managed to witness all of her worst moments.
Merlin, maybe I am going mad.
X
"Are you sure you want to go?" Harry asked carefully.
Ginny looked up in surprise.
"Yes. Why?"
Harry shrugged slightly.
Because I don't think you should go. Because I have a bad feeling.
" What if he's there?" He asked.
He knew there was no need to clarify who 'he' was.
Harry felt the need to corner her and ask the question that was burning in his mind. Why ? Why did she have to go there? Didn't she realize she wasn't the only one with terrible memories of what had happened there?
"It's been so long." she said with a light chuckle. "This can't go on forever. Afterall you'll be my personal body-guard, won't you? I'll just pretend I'm Gwenog Jones and you're holding back my adoring fans."
Harry stared at her. He did not find the joke funny. She should stay. She should be safe.
"I know, it's just, the likelihood of him being there..."
"Is quite low you know. Besides, I'm of age. If someone ticks me off, I have a few things up my sleeve. Bill gave me some... specialized training." A smirk crawled up her lips. "I'm ready."
Please, please stay home.
Harry backed away, arms crossed grumpily.
"Fine," he snapped. "If that's what you want."
"It is," she said coolly, "And I don't recall needing your permission, Harry ."
He stared at her. Yes, maybe he was overstepping his bounds a bit, but the whole thing felt so... wrong.
"Why, Harry? Why are you bothering me about this anyway? I have brothers, you know, I don't need your two cents as well."
"You know why!" he said.
"Actually, I would like you to explain it to me. Very clearly." she challenged.
Because I need to protect you.
"Because I was there, remember? I saw him, and I saw you... and it was..."
Horrible .
Terrible .
"I'm sorry about that." She nodded once to him in understanding. "But it's not your decision, and I'm going. I can't very well be a shut-in for the rest of my life."
She left out the door, allowing it to slam as she left.
Harry stormed into his own room, slamming the door. She was being completely unreasonable. She wasn't the only one who had suffered that day, and now she was about to go gallivanting right back to where it had all happened. Flashes of her hurt, of her lying on the ground kept popping up at random intervals.
The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach remained through the rest of the day.
X
Mrs. Weasley was shouting above the chaos.
"Alright then, let's go! Ginny, you tell me the second you're ready to leave and we'll be gone. Harry and Ron, do not l eave her side for even a moment or I swear-"
"Bloody hell, mum, enough threats already!"
"Alright, enough everyone! Let's go!" Ginny shoved past her family to the apparition point, and with a smile and a crack she was gone.
The Weasleys stood dumbfounded for a moment.
"Did- did she just-? RON!"
"WHAT?"
"Go after her, you idiot!"
"Oh, that's nice! Thanks a lot mum..."
"GO!"
"Alright! I'm going! Merlin's balls..."
X
Ginny Weasley was having the time of her life.
After years of isolation, the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley had been an insurmountable beast. Initially she had been overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, the smells, and worst of all, the crowds, but after some deep breaths and a well-timed calming draught from her mum, Ginny felt her nerves calm and began to immerse herself back into the wizarding world.
It was wonderful.
Bill and Charlie were buying anything she ogled her eyes at. Ginny's mum had placed a notice-me-not charm on her, so no one was stopping to talk to her which made it so much easier to deal with the crowd. She felt like she was back at a newly discovered ruins site in Egypt, keen on exploring every nook and cranny of the alley, excitement and elation replacing her normal anxiety.
It was wonderful.
X
It was horrible.
Harry Potter was in a terrible mood.
He tried to enjoy the outing, to stay involved with the conversations with Ron and Hermione, he really did. But it was awfully difficult when he was spending every few seconds looking over his shoulder, looking for a dark cloak hiding blonde hair, and desperately trying to stamp down the growing feeling of foreboding in his abdomen. He checked every alley, guarded the entrance to every shop the Weasleys went into, and jumped at the site of any blonde wizard in the street.
It was horrible.
"For goodness' sake, will you stop doing that?"
He turned to find Ron and Hermione staring at him.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Stop acting like Malfoy is going to pop up for a hello any moment. I've never seen you so paranoid."
Harry lowered his voice and leaned towards them.
"I've just had a bad feeling about this all day."
Ron and Hermione quieted at this. They had learned long ago not to ignore Harry's intuitions, despite the fact that they often resulted in a detention or two.
"Alright mate, just... just don't say anything, okay? She's having a great time."
At that, Harry heard the echo of Ginny's laugh, and for a moment he forgot all about the blonde-haired idiot. He turned to the sound of her laugh. Bill was handing her an ice cream cone and her eyes lit up with delight. The sight warmed him to his toes. She winked at the twins, giggling at something they said and then began licking the ice-cream cone. The warmth Harry had felt suddenly felt scorching hot, and he turned away, cheeks warm.
Maybe he was being a paranoid idiot. Maybe he was ruining her day. Afterall, he had been wrong on his instincts before... but he didn't want to think about the consequences of that.
But much to his surprise and relief, the day continued relatively uneventful.
Later, he looked over at Ginny, noticing that she had gone quiet. She was smiling but there was something forced in it, and her eyes looked weary.
"Are you ready to go? I'll take you home if you like." Harry couldn't think of anything he'd like more than to leave. All his feelings of foreboding had left him exhausted.
She looked unsure. "Well, its just- we still haven't gone to Zonko's, and I know Ron really wanted to look at more brooms-"
"Ginny," Mrs. Weasley bustled over, interrupting them "dear, you look exhausted. Let Ron and Harry take you home, we'll be there soon."
"MUM!" Ron whined, "I'm not ready to go just because Ginny is."
Mrs. Weasley ignored Ron's protest.
"We'll be along in a bit, dear. You go on. You've had a big day."
Ginny smiled with appreciation at her mum. "You're right, I'm knackered."
Bill stepped over to Harry and Mrs. Weasley.
"Ron can stay. Harry, you take her home. I'll be shortly behind you two, I just want to say hello to Fortescue."
He plopped a kiss on Ginny's forehead, and the Weasleys disappeared into the crowd. Harry held an arm out to Ginny.
"Shall we, my Lady?"
She raised an eyebrow at the gesture. He tried to contort his face into the most innocent look possible.
"Well, with those puppy-dog eyes, Potter, who could say no?" She reached for his arm.
"Lead the way, good sir."
They walked silently to the apparition point. Harry wanted to do a side by side, but as Ginny drew her wand, he knew better than to insist she go with him.
"Ladies first." He gave an exaggerated bow.
She scoffed. "Could you be any more ridiculous?" But her lips twitched with a smile. And with a crack she was gone.
Harry followed suit. Trying not to think about just how pathetic he actually was. He had been so awkward with her... made a fool of himself really... it was rather embarrassing.
With a crack he felt his feet hit the ground just outside the wards of the Burrow. He looked up to where he expected to see Ginny, only to find the apparition point empty. He turned around.
"Ginny?"
The yard was empty, and no lights were on in the Burrow. Panic began to seize him.
He heard movement in a grove of trees to his left, and a low voice.
Sending a patronus to Bill, he ran towards the small grove. The little cluster of trees was just outside the magical ward of the Burrow. As soon as he stepped inside the grove, he felt himself hit with a spell, body go rigid and fall to the ground.
"Harry!" Ginny cried in the distance.
Harry's eyes could barely see her in his peripheral vision, but what he saw made his stomach plummet. In the distance, Ginny was backed against a tree, her eyes wide and fearful. In front of her, wand aloft, was a tall, hooded figure in a black robe. He didn't need to see his face to know it was him.
X
Ginny felt as though her body was encased in ice. She had imagined this moment so many times. The moment she would be face to face with Draco Malfoy again replayed over and over in her waking thoughts, and in her nightmares. But every sharp word, every damaging spell, every coherent thought seemed to have skidded to a halt as he was suddenly standing before her, pressing her back against a tree.
One hand held his wand to her throat, and the other pocketed the wand he had stolen from her. He reached up from the pocket and cupped her cheek, his thumb coming around to touch her bottom lip.
He stared down at her, one eye still covered by the black cloth. He had changed, but only just. His features were more hardened, eyes somehow colder than ever. His steely glare bore into her, and she shuddered violently. He gave her a smirk as he felt the motion.
"It's been so long, Ginevra." he said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I was worried you had forgotten all about me."
His voice was soft... like he was talking to a lover, and not a young woman scared out of her wits.
She could only stare at him.
This is not happening, not again...
"Don't worry, princess," he said quietly, rubbing his thumb back and forth across her bottom lip, "I could never forget about you."
He leaned in suddenly, and his lips smashed roughly upon hers. She froze from the initial shock. He was on her, he was kissing her, he was everywhere. His hands on her were rough. His touch was cold. His scent that she remembered, even from years ago, was filling her nostrils. The spell of shock was broken when she felt his tongue taste her bottom lip, she shrieked under his mouth, and squirming and wriggling under his hold.
He moved back only slightly, resting his forehead on hers, and she felt his heavy breathing. His grip on her was like a vice, and she let out a sob. She would surely be bruised.
"I've been waiting for so long," he whispered huskily, "I don't know how much longer I can wait. The Dark Lord told me- told me I had to. He ordered me to. You have no idea how difficult it's been."
He pulled back slightly. Ginny took a shaky breath, her lip trembling. His eyes traveled over the swell of her breasts, as they rose and fell with her rapid breathing. His hand came up and touched her neck. He moved downward and his fingers traced lightly along her collar bone. "I see now that he was right. You're very much a woman now. I was right to wait."
His gaze moved back to her face, his silver eye piercing her.
"I want so badly to take you with me right now. But it's still too soon, there's much to be done. I must assist the Dark Lord to power before I can claim you."
"C-Claim?" she finally found her voice. "No, I won't- that's not-"
"Oh, yes," he said, as if explaining to a child, "You see, while you've been gallivanting all over Egypt, exploring your ruins with your idiot brother, I've been quite busy." He moved his hands, pulling the sleeve up on his left arm.
Ginny gasped as she saw the shiny black ink of the Dark Mark on his arm. He grabbed her own left arm, holding it firmly, caressing her wrist.
"Princess," he cooed to her, "why are you so covered up? It's the middle of August you know."
He tugged the sleeve of her long shirt, revealing the unmarred expanse of pale skin on her forearm. He lowered his head to it reverently, placing a kiss just above her wrist.
"You'll get one too you know, once we're together. A mark that you belong to me, and symbol that we belong to him ."
Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, willing face in front of her to disappear. Willing her stupid brain to start working again.
She whimpered as Malfoy leaned in to kiss her again. He was interrupted by a loud crack that echoed in the meadow near the Burrow. Malfoy jumped, turning his wand towards the sound, his other hand still holding Ginny to the tree. He ignored the immobile body of Harry still on the ground in the distance.
Bill. It had to be Bill . He would help her.
Ginny opened her mouth to scream his name, but Malfoy's hand slammed down on her mouth, muffling the sound she hadn't yet uttered.
"Hush!" Malfoy's voice was suddenly in her ear. He leaned back from her, standing still for a moment.
X
Harry was distracted from the boiling hot rage that was filling his chest when he felt his body bind suddenly release, and strong arms heaved him up to his feet.
Bill was holding him by the shoulders, and they both looked over to where Malfoy and Ginny stood. Ginny, completely rigid, almost as if she had the body bind curse cast on her as well, and Malfoy, leaning in and speaking to her in a hushed voice.
Harry raised his wand, ready for blood.
"I'm going to kill him!" he snarled. Bills hand suddenly clamped around his arm, lowering the wand.
"Wait." he said quietly.
Harry whirled on him in confusion. "Are you crazy?"
But Bill was looking intently at Ginny.
"Just wait."
X
Ginny opened her eyes, willing the swirl of panicked thoughts to stop spinning in her mind. Malfoy was now distracted by her hair, running his fingers through it and whispering some disgusting nonsense. Tears threatened at the corner of her eyes, and she felt powerless to stop them. She looked over helplessly to where Harry was laying, only he was standing. And Bill was there.
Why is he just standing there? Get over here and help me!
Even with the distance between them, she saw Bill looking at her intently. It was a look she had never seen on his face before. He was silently communicating to her. Not breaking her gaze, he nodded encouragingly to her, and she knew what he was trying to say.
You can do this.
Ginny looked back at Malfoy, who was too busy touching her neck and looking at her breasts to notice Bills presence. He seemed to have completely forgotten that someone had just apparated near them.
I can do this.
She took a deep breath, and clenched her jaw.
I can do this.
X
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