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*************A/N: Warning this chapter contains sensitive content. This is a dark story, so turn back now if that is not your thing. ************
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Chapter 14
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Arthur lay his nine-year-old daughter in her bed, tucking the duvet around her. It was late, and she had fallen asleep listening to her brothers tell stories about adventures at Hogwarts, having spent hours listening to them intently, a dreamy look in her eyes. He ran his hand over the head of the sleeping girl, cherishing the thought of her presence in his life. But the thought also brought a thrill of fear, for tomorrow was Ginny's tenth birthday.
It had been years since he had set fire to the temple, and set his rage and anger on the Goddesses of Fertility and Childbirth. He knew he had done something unforgiveable to the immortals, but years and years went by without a word or whisper of the immortals or their whereabouts.
Yet, despite this, Arthur wasn't stupid enough to believe that he could escape without consequence. One day he knew he would pay dearly, and for this reason he had cherished every moment and every day that he had been blessed to have his family intact. Healthy. Alive.
It was coming, he knew. The tenth birthday was when he and Molly were to give up Ginevra forever. Sighing in resignation, knowing inevitably something terrible was coming, he trudged his way back up to his bed. As he lay down next to Molly, the feelings he had become oh so familiar with over the last ten years replayed again in his mind, as they did nightly.
Regret. Anger. Confusion. The 'what ifs?' The 'if onlys'...
He slipped into a fitful sleep.
He was walking in a barren meadow. The clouds were stormy grey, the horizon was hazy and devoid of color. The dull landscape whipped around in a violent breeze. As Arthur walked, he felt like he was in some sort of post-apocalyptic world, devoid of life.
Two figures appeared ahead of him, and he stopped.
Before he could see them clearly, he knew who they were. Two tall women stood a few inches above the ground, their outlines slightly blurred, and their faces casting an ethereal glow. They would have been beautiful, or, at least they had been beautiful. But now...
Arthur saw with a pang the evidence of the destruction that he caused. Despite their immortal souls, the women appeared to have sustained many small burns and scorch marks to their otherwise unmarred skin. Their long white dresses were torn and singed at the bottom. Their eyes were dark and cold. They looked at him with malice.
One Goddess held an accusing finger towards him.
"Arthur Weasley." she whispered, but the sound was deafening.
Arthur only nodded back at her.
She regarded him coldly, eyes narrowing. "You have done a great evil to the immortals. Destroyed something most sacred."
Her sister leaned forward; her hair partially burnt off on one side.
"You dare go against Eileithyia and Artemis? Such treachery cannot be undone. Cannot go unpunished."
The other sister closed her eyes, a great glow beneath her eyelids.
"This mortal's actions have set in motion a dire fate. He has caused great pain to many, and he does not know the extent of his touch."
She opened her eyes, and Arthur felt a cold chill deep inside himself.
"Arthur Weasley, for your crimes against the immortals, we sisters cast a great curse." Her eyes took on a fiery gaze, flames shining vehemently in their depths. "Your sins be upon your daughter."
Arthur tried to protest, tried to interrupt the immortals and tell them that Ginny was innocent, that the sins were his and his alone. But the moment he opened his mouth, the Goddess raised her hand and he felt his throat close, choking off any words. As he struggled to take a breath, the Goddess continued.
"A curse be upon your daughter. The sins of the father will be cast upon the daughter. Despite the goodness in her heart, evil will be drawn to her. She will see great pain, great sorrow. She will endure much suffering."
Arthur struggled violently, desperately trying to break his silence. He surged forward to grasp the goddess by her charred gown, but he only fell to his knees.
"Ginevra Weasley will have a life cut short... and her life will end in tragedy."
There was a great flame where the goddesses stood, and Arthur was blasted backwards by the heat of the inferno.
He bolted upright, sucking in deep shuddering breaths.
He was in his bed. Running a shaking hand across his face, Arthur looked over at the clock. It was midnight.
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Ginny Weasley was in shock.
She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings, and her weary mind was still trying to make sense of what had just occurred in the last hour. She was able to comprehend, however, that the two people she cared about most in the world, were simply not there anymore.
Harry falling to the ground, his eyes closing...
Bill, covered in blood. Too much blood, pushing her away and telling her to run.
It all seemed like a blur after that...
Ginny snapped back to awareness. She was still standing in front of the large mirror in the parlor. She was still a frightful mess, and her hands were still bound in front of her. But behind her, was the boy with the pale face who haunted her nightmares. He was staring at her darkly, and her stomach swooped in fearful apprehension. He had one hand at the back of her neck, running through her long hair. His other hand lay possessively on her shoulder, and his fingers toyed with the strap of her dress. The cold touch was enough to fully bring her out of her stupor. She brought her bound hands up and whipped around. She pushed Draco in the chest as hard as she could with her bound hands, causing him to take a step backward.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked.
"Or what?" Draco smiled, taking a step towards her, "What will you do, princess?"
Fighting was what Ginny wanted to do. She was shaking with equal amounts of hurt and rage. She wanted to break something, destroy something. Wand or no wand, she wanted him to feel pain. With an animalistic screech, she lunged at him, ready to bite, scratch and claw at his stupid face. She wanted to rip out his stupid hair, and gouge out his one stupid eye. In a move that proved he was clearly prepared for her attack, he grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and shoved her back against the wall. Her head bounced off the drywall, and she saw stars. She shook her head a bit in an attempt to clear it. She lifted her leg and tried to kick him in the groin, but he positioned himself too closely for her to land a hit.
"You're only hurting yourself, you know." He said in a falsely gentle tone. Ginny tried to catch her breath, and clear the stars from her vision. Draco was pressed against her tightly, and appeared extremely amused. Ginny eyed the mirror that they had been standing in front of. Mustering her last bits of strength, she grabbed Draco by his robes. She whipped them around, and with all her might, thrust Draco backwards into the mirror. The mirror shattered, sending shards to the floor in a series of crashes. Ginny quickly grabbed a large shard with her bound hands, and held it up to Draco's neck.
Draco simply flashed her that infuriating smile, acting as if this was all some game, and that she didn't currently have an incredibly sharp object so very close to his artery.
"Go on," he challenged, his silver eye glinting at her, "make me bleed."
Ginny was momentarily taken aback by his comment, but that slightest hesitation was all it took. Draco shoved her hands away from his neck, thrusting them downward. The downward momentum caused the shard to fly from the grip of her hands, slicing through the flesh of her palms before falling to the floor. With his hands on her forearms, he forced her downwards until she lost her balance, slipping and falling to the floor. Rolling quickly on her side, she managed to hit Draco in the ribs with her knee. He let out a grunt of pain, but wrapped his arm around the leg she attacked him with, holding it around his hip. Ginny let out a scream of frustration, whipping her upper body around in an attempt to escape him.
It was only when she felt the tip of his wand dig into her neck that she froze.
"Enough."
She stopped thrashing, feeling a fresh wave of dread at his tone. She tried to lay still, not wanting to experience whatever fresh horror awaited her at the mercy of Draco's magic. She turned and stared at the wall, not wanting to look at him. She knew he was staring down at her, and she could feel something dark and commanding radiating from him as he held her down. His wand ran along the skin of her neck, and she could feel it against her racing pulse.
Don't stop fighting. Keep going.
She attempted to bat away Draco's wand with her shoulders, to free her leg from the hold he had on it. But he was so much stronger than he was.
It doesn't matter, keep fighting.
Draco released her flailing leg, and then positioned himself so he sat on top of her, pinning her down more fully. She let out a scream that she hoped would shatter his ear drums, and he held her wrists in his lap with one hand, and with the other pointed his wand at her chest.
He calmly muttered to her, wand between her breasts.
"Infirmitas."
Ginny stilled, waiting to feel the effects of the spell. She had expected to be stunned, or feel the pain of the cruciatus curse, but she felt neither, and was slightly confused as to why she was still conscious. Draco, however, appeared quite pleased, and he sat back on his heels, releasing some of his weight off her.
"There. Now, go on, Ginevra. I want to see you struggle."
Ginny was torn between wanting to do the exact opposite of whatever came out of Draco's mouth, and trying her damnedest to get out from underneath him.
The latter won out, and she tried with all her might to wriggle out from underneath him. But as she went to mover her limbs, she discovered she was only able to move them a few feeble inches. She let out a cry of frustration, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she used every ounce of energy to simply move.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she felt the reality of how hopeless it really was hit her. She was almost completely immobile, her limbs like lead. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead from her exertion that was giving no payoff. She tried to stifle the sobs that were threatening to erupt from her. Draco was looking down at her, his wand resting at his side. With a whimper of defeat, her energy momentarily depleted, she held still.
Draco reached down, moving her hair off of her sweaty forehead. His fingers traced her jaw, and she turned her face away from him.
This is it, she thought. This is the end.
She felt him move and his breath was on her neck. One hand caressed her bare shoulder, and the other went back to her hair.
"There now," he cooed in her ear, "this is much better, isn't it? We can't have you hurting yourself."
His lips moved to her collar bone, and she fought a wave of nausea that caused bile to build up in the back of her throat. She tried not to listen to the words of poison leaving his lips, but she found herself unable to keep from hearing them.
"I've been waiting so long for this." He murmured, his lips moving across her skin. He lowered the other strap of her gown, exposing more flesh for him to devour. She shuddered at the contact, and felt his quick intake of excitement. One hand moved to her thigh, running it up and down. "Now, be a good girl for me. Don't fight me, do as I say, and I won't have to hurt you anymore than I have to."
Ginny could not hold back the sob, or the stray tears that leaked from her eyes. She felt him lift the skirt of her dress to her hips, felt his mouth descend from her collar bone to the swell of her upper breasts.
"I've wanted you for so long, Ginevra. Even when you were just a child, I knew that you belonged to me. Even then, I knew that no one else could have you, that you were mine. You were so small..." he ran a hand over a breast, grasping firmly as she sobbed again, "but now, you have grown so beautifully. I will show you what I've learned, Princess, such incredible things. You have no idea what your body is capable of, but I will teach you. I will show all of it to you. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
Ginny felt her mind rapidly withdrawing her inside. Draco's slow, sultry voice was beginning to fade. Her eyes began to glaze over, and the panic and horror she felt was beginning to subside. She kept her head turned away from him, eyes shut tightly. She would allow her mind to carry her far away from what was happening to her. She would turn into herself so deeply that she wouldn't hear Draco's voice, or feel his wandering hands. She felt like she was floating away...
She hardly noticed his hands moving to her hips, as he continued whispering his disgusting desires for her in her ear. But it was like a dream now, the sounds were muffled and the sensations were dull. It was only when she felt his nails digging painfully into her hips that she was jolted back to reality.
Draco's nails dug deep enough to break her skin, and he was doubled over. She looked up at him and saw his jaw was clenched in pain. He immediately clutched his arm where he had rolled up his sleeves.
His dark mark was burning. He was being called.
A series of thoughts rapidly slung through her brain.
He would leave. He would have to leave, he had no choice...
She came to a conclusion, hope welling up inside her. She turned her head to the side once again and stared at the wall, letting her face become expressionless.
Draco seemed to recover, and he moved up and off of her. Gathering his wand, he levitated Ginny's form into the bedroom, where he deposited her onto the bed. Aside from being moved from the floor to the bed, she had not moved one inch, and she remained looking away, unseeing.
She tried not to flinch when Draco leaned over to her, stroking her face with his hand.
"I have to go," he said softly, his hand now stroking her neck, "but I will be back. Don't worry for me, I won't be gone long. When I get back, I will show you all those wonderful things I promised you." He made as if to leave her, but at the last minute he reached back and grabbed the back of her arm, squeezing so painfully she let out a gasp.
"If I find out you did anything stupid while I was gone, I swear to god I will not hesitate to punish you." His tone was frigid, and Ginny felt every muscle in her body tense at the threat. She felt his wand at her temple, and when he spoke, his voice was back to the cooing softness of a lover. "Sleep now, princess. Sleep." Something warm enveloped her, and she felt waves of drowsiness wash over her. Her eyes were heavy as Draco walked away from her. She could barely hear him as he opened the door to the room and summoned a house-elf.
"Let her sleep," he commanded, "when she wakes, bathe her and heal her. Tell me every move she makes, and use any magic necessary to restrain her if need be."
Warm blackness was pulling at Ginny, and unable to fight it anymore, her eyes closed and sleep overcame her.
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Ginny woke much later.
She wasn't sure if it was hours or days that she slept, but she still felt a great weariness in her bones. Though the spell that had weakened her had long since lifted, she did not get out of the bed. She rolled on her side, ignoring the aches and pains that screamed across her muscles. Tucking her bound hands underneath her head, she stared at the wall, her face blank.
She was still staring at the wall when a house-elf approached the bed. The elf placed a warm hand on her arm, giving her a gentle shake.
"Mistress," she squeaked, "Master commands that you eat. He has commanded that you eat, or he has told his elves to force Mistress to eat."
Ginny did not speak. She did not move. Her eyes did not leave the wall.
"Mistress," the elf pleaded, giving her shoulder another gentle shake, "please, you must do as Master says. Evie does not want to use magic on you, but she will have to if Mistress does not obey Master's command."
Saying nothing, Ginny slowly sat up. She stared blankly ahead, but felt the elf place a piece of bread in her hands. She ate numbly, the food like lead in her stomach. When she refused to eat more, the elf grasped her bound hands, and pulled her up from the bed.
"Mistress will wash." The elf said, pulling Ginny to her feet. "Master commanded Evie to clean the Mistress, and heal her wounds."
The elf led Ginny into the parlor, and through a set of French doors where a grand bathroom met her sight. A clawfoot tub was full of steaming bathwater and smelled of exotic perfume. A shelf near the tub was lined with large glass bottles, full of expensive-looking beauty concoctions. Ginny allowed the elf to remove her torn robes, and lower her into the warm water.
The elf gently washed her, removing the blood, the dirt and the grime, and washed her hair, rubbing it with soaps and oils. Ginny sat in the tub, with her knees drawn up to her chin. She said nothing as the elf helped her out from the tub, and began to dry her.
The elf dressed Ginny a simple, dark green gown, that fell just past her knees. She held very still as the elf dried and brushed her long hair, smoothing out the crimson locks and letting it curl softly at the ends. The elf then set about healing Ginny's wounds. She ran a long finger along the cut on her face, and the skin knit together and disappeared without a mark. She ran her hands down Ginny's arms, the cuts and abrasions healing. She placed a hand on Ginny's thigh, and the large purple bruise faded.
Ginny's actions were robotic, obeying the house-elf's commands but never speaking or making eye contact. The elf patted Ginny on the shoulder, a look of deep sympathy in her big eyes.
"Don't despair, Mistress." she soothed. "Evie will take care of you."
The Elf unlocked the door of the bathroom, before turning back to Ginny.
"Does the Mistress have any other wounds that need healing?"
Ginny did not look at her, but held up her bound hands. Her wrists were red and swollen around her bindings, and the skin was beginning to split. The elf looked at her sadly, before gather her wrists in her hands. With a small wave the bonds fell, revealing the marred skin beneath them. The elf lightly touched a finger to Ginny's wrist, causing her to wince.
"Painful, Mistress?" The house-elf asked softly.
Ginny nodded.
"Evie has a pain salve. It will help Mistress with her wrists."
The elf opened one of the bathroom cabinets, rifling through several creams and bottles of tonics. Finding the salve, she turned around to give it to her mistress.
"Mistress! What-?"
Ginny was standing in front of the elf, her hand raised, a large glass bottle in her hand.
"I'm so sorry!" Ginny gasped. Then she brought down her hand to the elf, shattering the glass bottle on her head. The elf toppled over and fell to the floor, unconscious. Ginny leaned down and turned the elf over, relieved to see she was still breathing, despite the rapidly growing lump on her head.
Knowing she only had precious seconds, Ginny blew through the door of the bathroom, and into the parlor. She ran to the fireplace on instinct, and began frantically searching for the Floo Powder. She ran her hands up and down the mantle. She knocked over all the old leather-bound books and various knick-knacks, but there was no powder to be found. She sprinted to the desk and began rifling through the drawers, but that was a useless search as well. Crying out in frustration, the only other thing she could do was make a run for it. She ran out the parlor doors, entering a foyer large enough to fit the entirety of the Burrow. She saw a pair of enormous oak front doors, and bolted towards them. Turning one of the handles, she let out a cry of joyous disbelief, as it turned and opened for her.
The cool air hit her skin as she leapt outside. The sky was cloudy and a dull gray, and she couldn't tell what time of day it could possibly be. There were sprawling grounds of immaculate green landscape in front of her, and without really surmising her surroundings, she made a run for it. Not caring that she was barefoot and clad only in a thin gown, she flew across the grounds as fast as her legs would carry her. She hadn't yet seen another soul, but she was determined not to waste a single moment. She ran across grass and around fountains and hedges, staying clear of the main driveway. At last, as she began to get a stitch in her side, she saw a large iron gate at the entrance to the grounds. She ran up to the gate, but she did not see a latch of handle. She reached out and clasped one of the iron bars, but when she did, she felt a jolt of magic throw her backwards.
She landed hard on her side, her breath coming out in painful gasps.
"No, no no no!" she moaned. She drew herself back up, and limped back to the gate. She moved further down the iron fencing. If the gate wouldn't open, she might be able to climb over... she found an area where a tree stood close to the fence, and tentatively reached out a hand to touch it. She felt another jolt of pain as her hand made contact, once again causing her to fall to the ground.
There has to be a way out, there has to be a way...
Ginny began sprinting along the iron fence, determined to find a point of weakness. She felt her body being pelted by drops of rain, and her feet slipped and slid on the wet grass. By the time she had been shocked for the fifth time, she could hardly get herself up off the ground. She was out of breath, soaked to the bone, and exhausted from the exertion.
She couldn't get out. There was no way out...
Standing shakily to her feet, and even though deep down she knew it was pointless, she screamed.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Tears mixed with the rain that hit her face, and the sky continued to darken, echoing her despair. There was no way out, she was trapped. She sank to her knees, her hands covering her face.
"Going somewhere, Princess?"
Ginny screamed in fright. She whirled around and found Draco standing behind her. He was wearing a heavy cloak, his hood up. Though it was raining, and the sky was darkening, she could still see his face. He looked absolutely livid.
He moved towards her, and she cowered back. He reached down and grabbed her by the hair, hauling her to him. She let out a cry of pain, but then her mouth was suddenly wrapped in linen, stifling her. Draco leaned down to her ear, and his fingers dug sharply into her. She felt her sore hands become bound once more.
"I warned you not to do anything stupid," he spat at her, "and this little show was very, very stupid." She felt his wand at her throat.
Ginny was dragged back into the Manor by her hair. She kicked and wrestled and flailed, but Draco's fist in her hair held tightly. She screamed through the cloth that covered her mouth. She was determined to make it as difficult as possible, to fight tooth and nail. It seemed like hours she was dragged. He pulled her through the long hallway, and house-elves stood by silently as he pulled her to his room. By the time Draco had dragged her back to the bedroom, her throat was raw, her head was bleeding, and her limbs gave out on her, tremoring in fatigue. He led her to the front of the roaring fireplace, before throwing her down on the white animal-fur rug that lay in front of it. The soft rug cushioned her fall, and the heat of the fireplace began to dry her. Draco would hardly need a weakening spell on her now, because she couldn't even find the strength to sit up.
She felt Draco walk away from her, and heard his cloak fall onto the back of a chair. He walked back into her line of vision, and began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. His hair was just slightly out of place, falling over the black fabric that covered his bad eye. His silver eye was dark as it bore down on her menacingly. After he finished rolling up his sleeves, he withdrew his wand.
"Do you like stories, Ginevra?" He smirked at her.
She didn't answer. She was too busy willing her breathing to slow down with the gag on. Her lungs were on fire.
Draco looked thoughtful, tapping the end of his wand to his chin.
"Yes, yes, I think you do." Draco walked over to where she lay, on her back, red hair looking like blood splayed against the white fur rug, her green gown damp and bunched up around her thighs. He knelt next to her on the ground. "I'm going to tell you a story now. Would you like that?"
Ginny turned her head away, looking towards the door.
Someone will come. Someone will help me.
Draco traced a finger across the linen covering her mouth.
"Once there was a Princess, beautiful and fair..." he cooed to her. He moved a hand to her leg, feeling the soft skin of her calves. "One day, when she was very young, she met a Dragon. The Dragon knew that the Princess belonged to him, that no one else could have her. But the Princess had many brothers. Her brothers were foolish and selfish. The brothers wanted to hide the Princess, to keep her all to themselves. The oldest brother whisked her away, took the Princess to a faraway land, breaking the poor Dragon's heart." Draco's hand wandered to her thigh, moving slowly up and down. Ginny whimpered and tried to move away from his touch, but he held her in place. "When the Princess had grown up, her kingdom was at war. The Dark Lord desired to rule and reign, but a Hero tried to stop him. The Hero wanted to stop the Dark Lord from ruling, and wanted to keep the Dragon away from his Princess."
Draco's hands moved freely over Ginny's body, and she could not stop the tears from spilling. Shrouds of darkness were filling the room, casting ominous shadows all around her.
Someone will come. Any minute now, someone will come.
Draco was breathing heavily. He moved his head down closer to Ginny's, and continued his story. His words washed over her, seeping into her like a sickness.
"There was a great battle between the Dark Lord and the Hero. They both fought valiantly. But do you know what happened, Princess? Do you know who won the battle?"
Ginny's body was wracked with sobs. The grief she felt at the loss of the boy she loved pulled at her, dragging her further down. Would Harry have been disappointed that she had not been able to escape? Would he have hung his head in shame, that she was now too exhausted to keep fighting? The rug beneath her was wet with her tears. Draco gripped her tightly.
"The Dark Lord struck down the Hero. He ended him in one fell swoop."
Any second now, Ginny thought desperately, someone will be here. Someone will save me.
"After the Hero died, and the Dark Lord conquered, the Dragon found the oldest brother of the Princess, the one who stole her away. Do you know what he did when he found him? He ate him. He ate the foolish brother, and tasted his blood." His words cut Ginny like knife, her heart missing Bill fiercely.
Draco sat up, and she heard him whisper.
"Infirmitas."
Once again, Ginny's limbs were impossible to move.
Please. Let someone come. Let something happen.
She felt a whoosh of air, and her bound hands came free. The fabric over her mouth disappeared. She sucked in several shuddering breaths. Draco moved onto all fours, leaning over her.
"We're almost to the end of the story, Ginevra. Don't you want to know what happens?" Ginny closed her eyes, shaking her head side to side.
"What's that? You don't want to know?" Draco stroked her hair with his hand, moving the strands off of her wet face. "Thats alright, I think you already know the ending anyway." He leaned down, rubbing his cheek gently across hers.
"The Dragon took the Princess," he whispered, "and she was his. She was his completely, and they lived happily ever after."
Draco lowered his lips to hers, kissing her. The spell prevented her from turning away. His lips moved uninvited, unwanted, across her body. He slowly began removing her gown, touching and tasting her bare skin. Lust seeped out of his every pore, and desire oozed out of his lips. She cried, she begged, and she pleaded for him to stop. But he only shushed her gently as he pulled her further down into the darkness. He tangled his limbs with hers, his body moving on her and inside her, desperate to satiate his need for her.
Still, she looked towards the door, praying with all her heart for a rescue. But it never came.
He took her, again and again, taking and taking, devouring every last piece of her. He held her possessively afterwards, speaking sweet words of poison to her, ignoring her tears. He smiled to himself as he held her to him, because she would forever be his now.
The Dragon and his Princess.
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TBC
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A/N: This is the darkest chapter of the story, and probably where I lose most of my readers. For those who continue on, there is light at the end of the tunnel.