Chapter 13
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What had once been the Fountain of Magical Brethren in the Ministry of Magic, was now atangled, chaotic mass of fractured marble and dismembered statues. Dust that had been cast into the air in small clouds from the destruction of the fountain, was now beginning to settle and coat the ground. Among the scattered rubble and debris, a red-headed girl in a scarlet gown lay unconscious.
Ginny Weasley lay sprawled on her stomach. Her body was still and unmoving.
It had been a night of celebration at the Ministry, where the graduating class of Hogwarts had gathered to commemorate on of the most important milestone in a witch or wizards' life.
But amidst the celebration, without warning, a series of explosions sounded off in the Ministry. The blasts pounded the underground, reducing walls, rooms and ceilings to dust. Following the explosions, a sea of masked figures in black cloaks had filtered into the Ministry of Magic. After months of inactivity, with nary a whisper of movement, The Death Eaters had come back out in full force.
The broken fountain was spraying a crooked, pitiful stream of water into the air. It splashed and bounced off of brick and stone, with a few drops occasionally landing on the back of the unmoving girl.
Ginny's eyelashes began to flutter, as her brain sluggishly tried to bring her back to consciousness.
Pain.
Every inch of her body was in pain. That much she knew. Without opening her eyes, attempted to move her limbs. The result was more pain and a groan escaping her throat. Her head felt like it had taken a hit by a bludger, and she couldn't quite yet lift it off the hard floor. There was a high-pitched ringing in her ears, making the back of her eyes pound with each beat of her heart. Her eyelids fluttered more purposefully, and she dared a small peek out of them. She found everything to be blurry. Her arms and legs ached sorely. She wasn't sure how long she had been laying on the hard ground, but it had been long enough to make her muscles stiff.
With another groan, she managed to lift her head, and took one hand to move her hair out her face. She took a look at her surroundings. At first, she thought her vision was still blurry, because everything around her looked mangled and distorted. But then as she blinked several times, she realized what she was seeing.
Rock, dust, and bricks littered the ground before her. Half a wall was missing just ahead of her. The marble floor beneath her was cracked and upheaving...
The memories took mere seconds to flood back to her.
Explosions... screaming... a Death Eater... a blinding flash of light... and Harry-
Harry! She thought with a surge of panic. She had to find Harry.
Harry Potter... he had been so confusing and mysterious these past few weeks, and then he had kissed her... hehad KISSED her! But then he had gone running into the ballroom just seconds before the explosion...
Ginny quickly tried to get herself up. She managed to move herself up to all fours, gingerly testing each limb for possible broken bones. She quickly searched herself for injuries. Aside from a few scratches, including a bleeding cut on her forehead, she seemed to be relatively unscathed. Her dress was torn a bit on the skirt, and her hair had fallen completely out of its chignon, hanging loose down her back. The ringing in her ears was dying down a bit, but she knew she couldn't hear properly at the moment. Looking around the rock and rubble, she couldn't see a soul.
Her wand. Where was her wand?
Her answer came quickly when she looked down near where she had been laying. The familiar stick of wood that had seen her through thick and thin, lay next a brick, miraculously intact. Grabbing the wand, she looked towards where she thought the entrance to the Ballroom had been, and began to hobble towards it.
As she moved towards the entrance, two Death Eaters stepped out of the Ballroom and into the hallway. They looked down the corridor, the opposite way where Ginny was hobbling, their backs turned to her. She must have regained her hearing, because she heard one of them speak gruffly to the other.
"He said somewhere down there, I think."
Before they could turn around and discover her, Ginny waved her wand in quick succession, stunning both of the cloaked figures, watching as they each fell to the ground. She stepped over their stunned forms. Moving closer to the ballroom, she could hear screams and shouts. Her hobble was now resembling a normal walk, and she felt the adrenaline of fear and anticipation begin to race in her veins, giving her a burst of energy.
Everyone she loved most dearly in the world, was been in that Ballroom.
She tried to ignore the terrifying possibilities of what she might find when she went inside. By the sounds of chaos erupting from it, she knew she had to brace herself for what lay before her. Walking quickly up to the now crooked doorway, Ginny paused to the side of the entrance, and chanced a look inside.
The sounds she heard were not misleading; it was absolute chaos.
Scattered across the large ballroom were dozens of Death Eaters, almost all of them dueling Aurors or members of the Order. Many of the students and their families appeared to have fled, but Ginny recognized some of them still standing their ground. Many of the students had teamed up, battling the onslaught of Death Eaters, and assisting the Aurors. Ginny tried not to look at the many unmoving forms that lay on the ground amongst the rubble.
She searched the dueling witches and wizards, looking for Harry and any other familiar faces. She saw many people were fleeing to the balcony that she had been on earlier with Harry, where they appeared to be apparating away. A flash of red caught her eye, and she saw Fred and George. With a wave of relief, she saw they were leading her mum to the safety of the balcony, where the three of them disappeared.
Another familiar face caught her eye. Ron and Hermione were standing side by side, skillfully dueling a pair of Death Eaters. The Death Eaters fell quickly under their barrage of spells, and the pair took each other's hands, and moved on to duel the next enemy.
It was hard to see faces with all the commotion. She held her wand at the ready, and slowly slid inside the ballroom, her back to the wall. No one seemed to notice her entrance, and she was able to stun a few Death Eaters who were caught unawares. She continued moving along the wall, heart pounding in her chest.
Bill... Dad... Harry... where were they?
She had to duck as a wayward spell ricocheted over her head, blasting a hole in the wall above her. The blast caused a group of three Death Eaters to take notice of her position along the wall. She readied her shield, but the three Death Eaters only paused, looking at her. She held her shield firm, expecting them to advance towards her, but they didn't immediately attack. Instead, one of the shorter Death Eaters murmured something to the other two. The two nodded at the third Death Eater, who turned abruptly and ran, disappearing into the crowd.
The remaining Death Eaters looked back to Ginny and advanced, wands raised. They did not speak, but continued to move closer. Not wanting them to make the first move, Ginny dropped her shield and blasted the taller figure.
"Reducto!"
The Death Eater flew backwards and out of sight, leaving his partner alone. He looked stunned for a moment before waving his wand at her.
"Incarcerous!"
"Protego!"
Ginny barely managed to deflect the curse, and the Death Eater fell to the ground, bound by ropes.
Ginny continued moving along the wall, searching desperately for her loved ones. She occasionally stopped to stun one of the masked figures, including one that had tried to curse Neville Longbottom, who's back was turned as he dueled a different Death Eater.
As she moved further along the wall, through the throngs of people, she could see a large group of at least twenty Death Eaters standing shoulder to shoulder, their backs facing her. It took a few moments for her to realize that they were standing in a formation...
They were circled around something.
She was sure she knew what she would find in the middle of the circle.
She quietly continued to edge along the wall, trying to get closer to the group of cloaked figures without attracting their attention. Moving stealthily, she found herself just a few feet behind the group, close enough that she was able to peer between two of the figures and see the middle of the circle.
She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.
There, in the middle of the circle, was Tom Riddle. Except he wasn't Tom, she thought, not anymore. It was a hideous monster. She saw glowing red eyes, white skin, slits where there should have been nostrils... it was a creature straight out of a nightmare. Tom had become completely inhuman, the evil on the inside now displayed for all to see, no longer hidden behind a handsome, charming face.
For all the horror that she felt within her, it was nothing compared to what she felt when she saw who was in the circle with Tom.
Harry Potter stood several feet away from Voldemort, facing him. Ginny's heart sank to her feet at the sight of him. He was slightly disheveled, his lip cut and bleeding, and his dress robes dirty. Despite this, he was standing tall, wand in hand. Looking at his face, Ginny was shocked to see that he looked completely unafraid. His jaw was set, his fists were clenched. His green eyes blazed with determination behind his glasses. She felt immensely worried and proud of him at the same time. She knew he was more than capable at dueling, but he was dueling the Dark Lord, with dozens of Death Eaters watching, ready to strike him down at any time. Her mind immediately began racing, trying to think of an escape plan...
She could make a diversion... yes, that could work. She needed to attract their attention, just long enough for the Order or the Aurors to realize what was happening and get Harry out of there...
But even as the details of the plan were coming into place in her mind, Harry stepped forward, and did they very last thing she ever expected.
Without breaking eye contact from Tom, Harry held out his hand, and dropped his wand to the ground.
The sound of that precious length of Holly clattering on the hard floor echoed throughout the circle. The very air around them seemed to still. Ginny felt her racing heart freeze.
What was he doing? What on earth was he doing?
But Harry seemed to know exactly what he was doing. His hands rested at his sides, and he seemed unconcerned with the fact that he was now unarmed. Eyes still staring down the Dark Lord, Harry neither moved nor flinched as Voldemort took a step towards him.
The grotesque, snake-like mouth opened, and an unnatural high-pitched laughter filled the Ballroom. The laughter died down to a cold smile, and Voldemort raised his wand, pointing it at Harry. It was at this moment that Ginny's shocked brain finally comprehended what was happening.
Harry was sacrificing himself.
Her reaction was pure instinct. Suddenly, without thinking, without having nary a thought of the consequences, uncaring of whether the action could lead to torture or death, Ginny launched herself into the circle of Death Eaters with a cry.
"No!"
Shoving herself between the tall, dark figures, she elbowed them out of the way, limbs flailing wildly, trying to reach Harry.
She had to reach him. She had to stop him.
She made it a few steps inside the circle before several pairs of strong arms grabbed her. She cried out in protest, but the arms roughly pulled her back. Her hair and dress whipped around as she was thrust back.
"Harry, stop!" she screamed out to him, catching his attention. The Death Eaters restrained each one of her arms painfully, holding her in place. Harry looked at her, fear passing over his face and his eyes widening. He made a quick movement as if to run towards her, but he stopped himself. Even from a distance, she could see a great sadness well up in his eyes.
"Please," she pleaded with him, her voice bordering on hysteria, and she flinched as the grips on her arms tightened in warning, "Don't do this!"
Couldn't he see how stupid this was? What a mistake this was?
Harry's green eyes became glassy with emotion. He swallowed hard, his face drawn in sorrow. He slowly shook his head side to side, speaking to her in a raw, choked, voice.
"I'm sorry."
Ginny halted her struggle at his words, her mind uncomprehending.
But Harry turned away from her, and looked back at Voldemort, who's wand was still raised.
Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing. What she was seeing...
"NO! No, wait!"
With a cry of frustration, she grappled again with the two men who held her arms. The taller one wrapped his arms around her tightly, and moved his hand to cover her mouth, muffling her frantic cries. She did not stop struggling, even as she saw Voldemort open his mouth to say the words, even as she knew the words had been said, she struggled and struggled.
She did not stop struggling as she saw the jet of green light leave Voldemort's wand, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it.
But then the light hit Harry square in the chest, causing him to let out a soft gasp as the air and the life left his lungs. Then he fell to the ground. The boy who lived now lay motionless on the ground, black hair tousled and beautiful green eyes closed.
That was when the world came to a screeching halt. The laughter of Voldemort was roaring in Ginny's ears, and she abruptly stopped struggling against the hands that held her. Her body, her screams, her breath, even the blood in her veins seemed to stop. All she could do was stare at the crumpled, lifeless form of the boy who had come to mean everything to her.
And how cruel, how utterly and pathetically tragic was it, that now at his death, was when she had come to this realization...
The very floor seemed to come out from underneath Ginny's feet, and she felt herself sagging under the arms of the Death Eater who held her.
Dead.
Her ears were ringing with that cold, high-pitched laughter.
Harry was dead.
She barely noticed the commotion that erupted around her. Her eyes were locked on Harry's body, so still in death... almost peaceful. Her weakened knees made contact with the ground, and there was shouting and shoving all around her.
You aren't alone. I'll be with you every step of the way.
A few more shouts, and a familiar pair of arms lifted her to her feet. As she swayed ever so slightly, her mind vaguely registered that Bill was staring into her face. His mouth was moving, but she heard only dull sounds from his lips, like her ears were underwater. She stared at him, blankly. He placed his hands on both her shoulders, giving her a shake.
"Ginny!"
She thought of Harry's kiss, the way his warm lips felt on hers.
I'm completely crazy about you...
She thought of his smile, his green eyes sparkling as he held a hand out to her.
You aren't alone...
"Ginny, wake up!"
I'll be with you every step of the way...
"Ginny!"
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Bill shook Ginny by the shoulders, trying to bring back the animation to her blank, shocked features. Her eyes looked at him but were unseeing, her brows slightly furrowed in mild confusion.
Bill had seen Harry's body crumbled on the ground. His heart cleaved in two when he realized that Ginny had watched Harry die. Though Bill had known this action was necessary to defeat Voldemort, it did nothing to still the mourning he felt at the boy's sacrifice.
But the mourning would have to wait, he had to take care of his sister. He had to get her out of there, and quickly. She stood before him, clearly in shock, but after a few good shakes, she seemed to come back to him. Her brown eyes widened in panic as she was flung back to reality, and her hands immediately began shaking.
"Bill!" she gasped, her voice high-pitched, "Bill, it's Harry... He- he just stood there!"
He longed to erase the pain he saw in her face. She was hurt and confused, and she looked around wildly for some kind of explanation.
"He-he just stood there! Why didn't he fight? He didn't - he didn't even try! And just before, we were alone, and he told me- he told me-" she cried, her voice breaking. Her breaths were coming in short, quick gasps. Bill brought both his hands up to her face, willing her to calm down.
"Ginny," he said firmly, "look at me."
She looked at him with wild eyes, face white as a sheet. He cradled her face in his hands.
"I know it hurts," he said gently, "I know it hurts, baby girl. But we can't stay. We have got to get out of here right now, okay? I need you to focus on getting out of here."
She nodded shakily in his hands, and taking one of her hands firmly, he looked around for way of escape.
The Death Eaters were still swarming in black waves, duels and battles ongoing, and it only took a glance for Bill to realize that even with the Aurors and the Order, they were completely outnumbered. He saw a group of three members of the Order in the far corner of the room, and began leading Ginny that direction. They would get Ginny to safety, and then he could help fight.
"Follow me," he commanded firmly, leading her in a run, "Do exactly as I say!"
As they ran towards the corner of the room, away from where Harry's body lay, they had to hunch over to avoid the wayward spells and hexes being cast. Ginny staggered slightly behind him, one hand holding onto him and the other holding up her dress in order to keep up.
There was a loud series of shouts as a fresh group of Death Eaters entered the Ballroom, sending people running in all directions. Bill held to Ginny's hand tightly, but halted their run as he searched for a new route. The situation was completely out of hand, but if he could just get her to the Order-
A blue light flew across the room, and struck Bill in the middle of his abdomen. It stopped him mid-movement, and forced the air out of his lungs. He felt sharp, stinging pain, crawling across his abdomen like a web. He heard Ginny scream next to him.
"BILL!"
The pain was overwhelming him, and his legs gave way. He fell to his knees. He looked down where the blow had landed. Across his abdomen were three large gashes, torn through his robes and into his flesh. Each gash was bleeding profusely. He could feel the wounds leaking warm torrents of blood down the front of his robes. He could see blood beginning to drip and pool onto the floor. Feeling his vision begin to blur, and unable to hold himself up, Bill slumped sideways. He could feel Ginny's small hands helping him onto his back. The room was spinning, and he could hear her frantic voice.
"Hang on, Bill! I can fix this, I can fix this, just hold still!"
But even as he felt her wand feebly attempt to close the gaping wounds, he felt the life rapidly draining from his body. A metallic taste began to fill his mouth, and the edges of his vision began to turn black.
"It's fine, Bill, its fine! You're okay! You're going to be okay!"
He clamped his arm firmly around Ginny's wrist, stopping her movements. She looked at him, and he could see her pretty eyes flowing with tears, her red hair framing the face he had become so used to seeing every day.
"Ginny," he choked out. Ginny placed both hands on his chest.
"Bill..." she said through her tears, his name a moan of her anguish, "please don't leave me. I need you! I need you..."
The room was still spinning. Bill could hardly make out Ginny's face. With an enormous effort he spoke again.
"Run." he said hoarsely.
"No. I'm not leaving you."
Bill pushed her away firmly, moving her hands off his chest.
"Run, baby girl. Go now!"
But Ginny's blurry figure didn't move, she sat there sobbing. Bill used the last of his remaining strength to speak, to shout the words at her so she would listen.
"Run, Ginny!"
He heard Ginny give a cry of anguish, then felt her leave his side.
She got away. She got away...
Bill's vision was black, and all he could see was darkness. It was becoming more and more difficult to draw a breath in. He heard footsteps slowly approach him, and a cold, drawling voice reached his ears.
"I told you taking her away was a mistake."
Bill felt the footsteps stop somewhere near his head. He couldn't have spoken if he'd wanted to, because he felt so, so weak...
Draco Malfoy knelt down next to him, speaking quietly in his ear.
"She belongs to me, Weasley. All your foolish attempts at keeping her from me were just precious time wasted. And in yours and Potter's case, lives wasted."
Bill's breath was becoming rattled. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth was choking him.
"The Dark Lord has rewarded her to me. A precious gift for my servitude. And now, Weasley, you will die knowing this."
Bill felt light as a feather, the pain was beginning to subside.
"You will die," Malfoy continued, "knowing that every night she is mine, to do with as I please. That she will serve my every will and wish, to the end of her days, until the years of her life are spent. A long life of exquisite torture."
A long life...
As the words of Draco registered in his mind, a choking, gurgled sound escaped Bill's lips, and his mouth widened in a smile.
He laughed. He was choking on blood, barely able to draw in a breath, but still, he laughed. He laughed and laughed and the blood spilled out of his lips, dripping down his face. He was still laughing when Draco stormed angrily away from him, still laughing when the footsteps faded away into nothing.
The laughter only died when Bill no longer felt any pain.
In fact, he didn't feel anything, anymore.
Nothing at all.
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Ginny ran as fast as she could in her torn gown, sobbing as she went. She thought she was running in the direction she had seen the members of the Order standing, but she was half blinded by her tears.
Harry was dead.
Bill was dead.
The two people who had made her feel safest in the world were gone.
The grief was twisting in her like a knife, but she still ran. She chanced a glance over her shoulder to see if she was being followed, but it was a costly mistake. By the time she turned back, a Death Eater had appeared in front of her, and unable to stop her momentum, she slammed head long into them.
She fell backwards, landing painfully on her bottom and arms. The Death Eater in front of her removed his mask, and she found herself looking at Blaise Zabini. He stared down at her indifferently.
"We've been looking for you, Weasley."
With a snarl, Ginny threw the Bat-bogey hex at his pretentious face, but he deflected it easily.
"None of that, now," he admonished, "You're just going to cause yourself more trouble."
Ginny raised her wand to fire again, but it flew out her hand and into the palm of a second Death Eater standing behind her.
She looked back angrily at Blaise, who motioned with his wand for her to get up.
"Up you go, now. Come on."
Ginny glared daggers at him. The bastards killed Bill. Voldemort killed Harry. If he thought for one moment she was going to-
"Imperio."
Ginny was thrust quite suddenly into sweet oblivion. She was released from all thought and all pain. Her mind clouded with shrouds of bliss and utter contentment. The knife of grief that had been twisting in her chest was non-existent, and she felt so light she could have floated on air.
Blaise beckoned her, and she slowly stood up to her feet. She was completely docile, her eyes glazed over, and she followed him.
He led her to a small room that could have been a ministry office, but Ginny didn't care. The blasts had left the office relatively unscathed. Ginny sat obediently on the floor. She held out her wrists obligingly, while the Death Eater who had disarmed her shackled them to the leg of the desk. Blaise sat heavily in the large chair by the desk, looking a mix of bored and annoyed. He gestured the Death Eater out of the office.
"I'll watch her, Nott. Go let him know she's here."
The Death Eater nodded and left. Blaise lazily lifted his hand, and Ginny was brought back to earth. The shock of coming back to awareness took her breath away. The grief, the sorrow, the pain...
But as she looked at her surroundings, new fears trickled in. She was shackled to a desk. She was trapped with Blaise Zabini. Bill was dead. Voldemort had just managed to kill Harry. Death Eaters had taken over the Ministry of Magic.
He was coming for her...
A fresh wave of panic welled up in her. Eyeing the shackles that held her prisoner, Ginny knew the only shred of hope she had at the moment was Zabini, who was currently sitting in the office chair, tapping his leg in boredom.
Ginny twisted herself around so she could see him better, the best that her bound hands would allow. She managed to sit sideways and get a good view of him, though he was pointedly looking away from her.
"Blaise!" she hissed, "Blaise, please, you've got to help me!"
Blaise avoided her eye, picking up an old copy of the Daily Prophet and opening to the first page.
"Blaise!" she repeated, pleading to reach any iota of decency the boy could possibly have in his body, "Please... don't let him take me."
Ginny managed to raise herself to her knees, her wrists throbbing. She was closer to him now, but he eyed the newspaper intently.
"Come on, Blaise, please! I'm begging you."
Blaise turned to the next page.
"Don't you know what he's- what he's going to..." Ginny gulped, "what he'll do to me?"
He turned another page.
"If he takes me," Ginny whispered shakily, "He's going to hurt me, Blaise. It will destroy me. I'm not strong enough. I can't... I won't survive it. I know it."
Blaise was unmoved by her pleading. Mind racing, she decided to switch tactics.
"Draco is just using you, Blaise! He doesn't care about anyone or anything, only himself. You know that, don't you? He doesn't care if he has to take you down to get what he wants, you're just another one of his lackeys-"
"Shut up, Weasley!" Blaise thundered, rising out of the chair, causing Ginny to back down away from him.
"Zabini, you are being quite rude to Ginevra, don't you think?"
Ginny froze, her heart skipping several beats. She moved further under the table, sitting as far away from the voice as her shackled hands would allow. She closed her eyes and put her head down, though she knew there was no escape. She heard footsteps approach her, heard his robes brush the ground as he knelt before her.
She felt a cold hand move to her face. The hand grasped her by the chin and tugged, forcing her head up.
Not caring if it was childish, she kept her eyes screwed tightly shut.
"Open your eyes, princess."
Somehow, against her will, Ginny opened her eyes and looked directly at Draco Malfoy. He was looking at her like she was a little lost child he had found in the street and was taking pity on. But she knew that there could be no real pity in him. His grey eye that was fixed on her, was more calculating than anything else. He was dressed in formal robes, like he was about to attend a Gala... his fine black robes were immaculate, as was the black length of fabric that still covered his bad eye. His blonde hair was the same, his cold-pointed features the same, and his scent... it wafted into her nose as she breathed, sending a trickle of paralyzing fear down her spine. The scent stirred the bitter memories of every cold touch, every unwanted invasion, every unpleasant encounter she had ever had with this boy. He moved his hand, and looked her up and down, his eye taking in every inch of her. His gaze lingered for a moment on the cut on her forehead, before traveling down and resting on the tear in the skirt of her gown. An expanse of the skin of her thigh was visible through the tear, though the skin was marred with a large, purple bruise.
Draco reached his hand out, placing his palm gently on the bruised thigh. Ginny flinched, though whether it was from fear or the coldness of his hands, she wasn't sure. Draco gripped her thigh lightly, rubbing his thumb across the discoloration.
Draco only smirked at her reaction, leaning in towards her.
"Did you really think," Draco whispered, leaning further in, his face inches from hers, "that this day would not come?"
His hand gripped her leg more firmly, causing her to wince. She turned her head, leaning as far away from him as she could.
"Did you think," he continued, so close his lips were touching her ear, "That I would just give up? That I could forget about you? That I would let someone else have you?"
Ginny felt his tongue lick the shell of her ear, and she stifled a sob. Draco sat back a bit, and moved his hands up to her face, forcing her to face him. He held her firmly in place and she closed her eyes again, blocking him out, a stray tear escaping. Draco didn't seem to notice or care. He rested his forehead on hers, breathing in deeply.
"Did you honestly think that I would ever let you go?" He whispered.
The chill of fear raked over her again, causing her to tremble. Draco's lips briefly rested on her forehead before he moved away from her, standing to his feet. Ginny dared to open her eyes, and as she did, she felt her shackles release from the leg of the table with a clank. She rubbed her wrists, and Draco drew her to her feet. He took both of her wrists in one hand, and waved his wand again. With dismay, she saw her wrists were now shackled together instead of the table. Only one word floated through her mind.
Prisoner.
Draco spoke to Blaise and the other Death Eater, but Ginny heard none of it. Draco led her by her bound wrists, and she walked numbly behind him. There must have been several corridors they walked down, several people Draco talked to, several bodies they stepped over, and maybe, once, a familiar voice may have called out her name, but she wasn't aware of any of it. Ginny had withdrawn so far inside herself, the shock of the events leading up to this so potent, that she may as well have been a drifting ghost.
"Ginny!"
She started to come back to awareness when there seemed to be a great commotion around her, followed by several shouts and screams. She heard Draco's voice shout a series of commands. Then it happened again, she was sure, almost sure, that she heard someone calling her name-
"Ginny!"
Ginny blinked rapidly, coming out of her stupor. It was her father's voice. She tried to turn to where she was sure she had heard his voice, but she was stopped by Draco's arm wrapping firmly around her waist.
She felt the pull of apparition, the Ministry swimming out of sight, and whoever had called her name was lost...
Her breath hitched as she felt her bare feet hit the floor, and she wobbled unsteadily. Draco's arm held her up by the waist, pressing her against him. She felt him chuckle in her ear, before he stepped away to take off his cloak.
Ginny was standing in an ornate parlor, more grandiose than she had ever seen. It was dimly lit, and a grand fireplace was roaring with flames. The floor was exquisite white marble covered with Persian rugs. Straight ahead of her, stood a tall mirror, stretching almost floor to ceiling, with a gold border. Ginny stared ahead at her reflection.
She saw a girl she barely recognized. Long red hair was disheveled, skin was white as a sheet. Her face showed evidence of her grief and tears. Her makeup was slightly smudged, and her dark eyes were red-rimmed. The cut on her forehead had stopped bleeding. Bruises littered her bare arms. A gown that had once been very pretty, the prettiest thing she had ever worn, was torn and dirty. In front of her, her wrists were bound together, already feeling sore from the shackles.
In the mirror, she saw Draco Malfoy had removed his cloak, and he too, was staring at her. He continued staring at her as he removed his tie, and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. The Dark Mark gleamed ominously on his forearm, inky black.
Ginny stared straight ahead intently, but she could see him moving towards her in her peripheral vision. He walked up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders almost reverently. One hand slid across her back, brushing her long hair aside so that it fell over her shoulder. He moved closer so that she was pressed firmly up against his front. His hand slid from her shoulder, stroking the long length of bare skin on her arm. His blonde head dipped down, and his lips placed a kiss between her neck and shoulder. He whispered to her, and she felt the breath of every word on her skin.
"Welcome home, Ginevra."
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