Chapter 17
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Molly and Arthur slowly walked through the meadow. In the fading daylight, they each held their wands aloft, stepping lightly and silently. Neither spoke as the minutes passed, taking with it the last of the sun's rays. The meadow was solemn and still, as if all the attention of the trees and woodland creatures were on the slow journey of the weary couple. Even the nighttime sounds were more muffled than usual. Walking along the small trail, the couple only stopped when they came to a large open area, where the ruins of a grand temple lay.
Quietly- almost reverently- the couple surveyed the damage and rubble for a few moments before moving forward. Long shadows loomed along the cast away stones, their fingers of darkness stretching across the ground. The couple each lowered the hoods of their cloaks. Two pairs of eyes met, eyes that had seen each other through decades of joy and pain. With a nod between the couple, they raised their wands and set to work.
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Ginny stretched out on her bed like a cat, still reveling in early morning sleepiness.
Draco hadn't come home last night, and Ginny had been given the freedom of stretching out haphazardly as she pleased. The morning sun was glaring through the window, telling her she had slept in much later than usual. She lay still for a moment, letting the rays warm her skin. She sat up in bed, continuing to stretch lazily. As she moved her pillow back into place, something caught her eye. A brown piece of parchment was poking out underneath her pillow. Curious, she pulled it out from underneath the pillow. She unfurled the parchment, reading the handwritten scrawl.
4:00. Edge of the wards.
Ginny read the parchment over again several times, trying to make sense of the note. She scrunched up her forehead, and tried to rub the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. After all his paranoia for her safety, suddenly Draco wanted to meet her outside? Ridiculous, he would never-
She peered closer at the handwriting, her heart thumping. The scrawl was almost certainly not Draco's. She peered around the room, checking to see if some stranger was lurking in the corner. The sunlit room bode no hiding places for intruders. She held the note tightly in her hand, questions swirling in her mind. Had someone been in her room? Had someone slipped a note to her while she slept on, blissfully unaware of an unwanted stranger? Someone wanted her to leave. Why? Her breath hitched. She knew exactly who. She knew exactly why. Draco had warned her the servants of the Dark Lord were after her. It had to be some evil trick, but... why on earth leave a note like this, so incredibly obvious to be a trap? Ginny shook her head. She would have to tell Draco as soon as he got home. She folded the note and stuck it into the drawer on the bedside table.
She dressed quickly and headed to the library, but was followed by disconcerting thoughts about the note. She was jumpy and nervous as she picked up a book and sat down to read, her eyes scanning word after word but retaining nothing. Her chair was near a sunlit window, but she wrapped a blanket around herself tightly.
I'm safe.
She went about her day, determined to drive the note from her mind, but it didn't cease to leave her mind for one minute. She found herself at once wishing for Draco to come home and feeling guilty that she felt such relief in his absence. She immediately tried to stamp down the traitorous feelings- the relief that came when he was gone, that she wasn't a puppet in his hands, where he controlled every string, every limb, even the words that left her mouth - stop! She scolded herself harshly. Draco had saved her life. She should be grateful to him- she owed him everything. She swallowed another traitorous feeling- the resentment that crept up at that statement, as she thought about how he seemed to completely and totally own her. Not for the first time, something deep inside was telling her how wrong that was.
She shook her head, willing the tumultuous doubts away. She turned back to her book, determined to fill her head with magic, with heroes, and with happily-ever-afters.
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Draco was having a shit day.
He stormed through the door of his office, slamming it behind him as he did so. Adrenaline was coursing through him, and it was both thrilling and agitating. He pulled open a drawer to retrieve a bottle of Ogden's, pouring and downing two glasses almost immediately. As the alcohol settled, he adjusted the covering for his eye, before glancing down at himself. His white crisp shirt bore a bright crimson stain across the middle of it. He began unbuttoning the shirt, before shouting for the house-elf. Evie entered the office, meekly bowing. Draco tossed the ruined shirt to her.
"Burn this," he growled, pulling a clean shirt on, "And tell Ginevra to meet me for dinner in an hour." The house-elf let out a terrified squeak, trembling head to foot.
"M-Master-"
"What?" Draco snapped.
The house-elf looked to be in total anguish, as if she was fighting dearly the words coming out of her mouth.
"It's the Mistress, Master."
Draco's hands froze on the buttons he was working on.
"What about her?"
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"Something's happened."
Harry looked from Ron to Hermione. They were looking at him with the same apprehension that he was feeling. Harry was pacing frantically back and forth, broom in hand. Ron and Hermione were standing eerily still, looking uneasily at the wards in the distance.
Ron cleared his throat. "It's only been-" he glanced at his watch, "-a few hours..."
Hermione shook her head. "Harry's right," she said, eyes distant in thought, "it's been too long. We should at least go check on him."
"He said to never go to his place," Ron said, nervously rubbing his neck, "that we could be tracked there."
Harry growled, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"No, we need to go, something is wrong." He stopped pacing, gripping his broom tightly, "We'll make it quick, then we can help him relocate if need be."
The other two nodded, and the trio disappeared with a crack.
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Draco's hand was around the House-elf's throat.
The elf was kicking and thrashing wildly, mouth opening and closing in silent protest, but Draco's hand only squeezed tighter. Only when the elf's eyes looked about to pop out of her head, did he finally release her, letting her fall to the ground in coughing, gasping, clump.
After a few gasping breaths, the elf crawled to Draco's feet, clutching at the hem of his robes in supplication.
"For-forgive me, M-Master," the elf sobbed, great tears leaking down her face, "Evie is not being careful enough, Evie has been a bad, bad, elf!"
She continued her pathetic groveling, but Draco was only half-listening. His hands were shaking, and he balled them into clenched fists. He took a deep breath, stretching out his neck out until it made a popping noise.
"Evie," he said, his voice calm and dangerous, "I've decided we are going to dine formally tonight. Go to Ginevra. Bathe her, and dress her nicely. Tell her tonight is very important. Tell her it will be very special ."
Evie's eyes widened in fear. "M-Master, please-"
" Enough. "
He glowered at the house-elf, who cowered under the rage in his gaze.
"Go. Get her ready. Now ."
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Ginny had never thought of herself as beautiful. At least, not that she could remember. But standing in front of the full-length mirror, having been bathed and dressed by Evie, Ginny admitted that in this very moment, she didn't look beautiful, she looked stunning .
She was surprised to learn that she would be dining formally, and she would have been lying to herself if she said she wasn't thrilled as she tried on the most beautiful dresses of exquisite fabrics, and that her insides didn't dance with excitement when Evie draped her neck in a diamond necklace. She stared at herself in the mirror in awe, admiring the dark green gown she wore. Her hair was pulled away from her neck in an elegant twist, but the color still shone brightly against the gown. Evie had placed diamond earrings in her ears to match the necklace. Ginny felt like she was looking at a Princess from one of her books.
Evie was uncharacteristically quiet as she led Ginny to the dining hall, but Ginny was caught up in her own thoughts. She needed to tell Draco about the note, but she worried if in doing so she would be sacrificing one of the few freedoms that she had. Thoughts of what Draco might do in reaction to someone trying to coerce her out of the Manor plagued her. Her only refuge right now was the vast library, and she felt sick at the thought of losing that.
She looked up in surprise when she realized they were already in the dining hall. Looking across the hall, the table was formally set, the fireplace was roaring, and dozens of candles lit the table. She thought it incredibly romantic, and she wondered what had caused Draco to make such an occasion. At the other end, Draco stood from his seat, looking handsome in his finely pressed robes. Ginny gave him a warm smile as he approached her. He stopped right in front of her, and her smile faltered a bit. He had a glint in his silver eye that seemed to lower the temperature in the room by several degrees. Something in his face looked dangerous, almost predatory.
"You look beautiful, Princess." He spoke coolly, his good eye raking over her appraisingly. He took her hand, kissing her wrist. "But of course, I expected nothing less." He led her to her chair, helping her sit down. He sat at the other end of the table, watching. Ginny felt her stomach fill with unease. The man who was staring at her had impossibly light features, but his face was somehow dark. She knew at once she didn't like it.
She coughed uncomfortably, attempting to clear the dry feeling in her throat. She looked down at her plate of food. Where moments ago she had been ravenous, she now felt her appetite rapidly depleting under the tension in the room.
"Draco," she asked nervously, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, "is everything alright?"
He eyed her quietly for a few moments before answering. He had leaned back in his chair, his chin resting in his hand in contemplation of her.
"I had a bad day, Princess. A very bad day, indeed."
Anxiety surged within her. "What- what is it? What's happened?"
Draco's eye narrowed, and he leaned forward on the table.
"I had to kill someone today."
Ginny dropped her silverware, stuttering. "Had to- to kill?" She clutched her shaking hands together in her lap. "Was it one of... one of them?"
"You mean, one of the Dark Lord's agents? Oh no, this man was much worse than a Dark Agent. Much worse."
"Worse? Who then?"
Draco's mouth curled into a twisted smile. "A traitor."
Ginny sat back in her chair, her mind spinning.
"A traitor? Someone betrayed you? What happened?"
"It was the worst kind of treachery, Princess." Draco stood from his chair, his fingers drumming on the table. "This man, was a man who I thought an ally- a friend, even."
Ginny's breath escaped her lungs. Draco's friend had betrayed him, and he-
"You killed him." She whispered.
Draco rested his palms on the table, looking up at her.
"Oh, yes," he said quietly, "I killed him."
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The air was thick with apprehension.
Harry took a deep breath. He could feel that Ron and Hermione were feeling the ominous atmosphere just as he was. Ron looked wary and Hermione's face was slightly pale. The tree stood outside the door to Zabini's flat, shadows looming in the days last minutes of daylight.
Harry raised a hand to knock on the door, and as he did so, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
"The wards are down," he murmured. Ron and Hermione immediately drew their wands, and Harry followed suit. He rapped the wooden door twice with his fist, and as he did so, the door moved under his hand, having not been closed properly. The door made a creaking noise as it cracked open, only revealing a darkened room behind it. Harry prodded the door the rest of the way open with the tip of his wand. He felt Hermione shiver in fear beside him.
"Easy," he said. He stepped into the doorway. " Lumos ."
The trio cautiously entered the dark flat. Harry moved his wand around the room. Ron made a startled movement beside him.
"Bloody hell- Harry, the fireplace!"
Harry swallowed hard, lowering his wand. As he did, the area beneath the fireplace became visible. There on the floor, lay the crumbled, torn body of Blaise Zabini. He was shirtless, and his throat slashed- with blood dripping in rivets down his chest. His arms and legs were twisted at odd angles, and his chest was covered in deep cuts.
Hermione raised her wand above Zabini's head, then let out a moan before falling to her knees.
Above the fireplace were large letters, clearly written in Zabini's blood.
TRAITOR
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Ginny's mind was reeling. She knew that in war, lives were inevitably lost, but to think that a man had died at Draco's hand, a man who had been Draco's friend, sent shivers of dread to her bones.
Draco resumed drumming his fingers on the wooden table.
"Do you know what I hate more than anything in the world?"
Ginny could see the answer in his face.
"Traitors." She whispered.
"Good girl," he crooned, "I hate them even more than I hate the agents of the Dark Lord. The Dark Agents- they have made clear what they mean to do. They mean to destroy me- they mean to take you away from me."
Draco stood upright, taking a few steps toward Ginny, the fingers of one hand tracing along the table as he moved. "But traitors... they are so much worse. A traitor looks into my face and intends to deceive me." On the second to last word, he emphasized it with a slap of his palm to the table, causing the dishes to rattle and Ginny to jump in her chair. "To trick me." Another slap. "To lie to me." Slap. Ginny flinched on the last slap, not wanting him to come any closer. She didn't dare look at his face.
"This friend... this traitor - he did all those things," he snarled, "and so he had to be punished ." His last word filled her with fear, and she fought to keep her composure. Draco was now standing right behind where she sat. He leaned down to her.
"Do you want to know what I did to him?"
She shivered. She wanted nothing less.
"I made him hurt, Princess. I made him bleed. I made an example of him, so that all who see him will know what happens when someone betrays me... When someone lies to me."
Ginny's throat ran dry, as horrid thoughts of blood and gore swirled in her mind, she fought back a wave of nausea. She jumped nearly a foot in the air when she felt his cold hands place themselves on her bare shoulders.
"You swore you would never lie to me," he said coldly, gripping her shoulders tightly. Ginny's mind raced, her heart pounding. She thought of the many nights he had spent with her- of when his hands were rough and frantic on her. All those nights she had lain trapped beneath him, when he had used her body to the point of pain to spend his dark passions, without a care or thought to the tears on her face or the bruises on her body. Those nights when she would have given anything to be released from his hold, but she had kept silent, burying those dark thoughts, believing him when he said she was his, and that her body was not her own. Did he know?
Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his lips brush her ear.
"You've been keeping a secret from me."
She whirled around to face him.
"Wait, Draco, I-"
He cut her off by grabbing her mouth with his hand, his fingers digging into her face.
"Don't-" he spat, "lie to me." His eye flashed with a sort of feral danger she had never seen before. He released her mouth roughly, digging his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a crumbled bit of paper. Ginny's heart nearly stopped. The note! He had found it before she could tell him about it-
But when he smoothed out the paper, it wasn't the note she had found under her pillow. It was a picture from a newspaper of a boy with dark hair and startling eyes- eyes that were looking at her in despair. Her mouth fell open. She was a fool. She was such a fool...
The paper crumbled in Draco's clenched fist, trembling with fury as he held it.
" How long? "
She looked at him, terrified. "W-what?"
He seized a glass pitcher from the table, throwing it at the wall, shattering it into pieces.
"How long , Ginevra?" He roared at her. "How long have you kept this picture? How long have you been keeping secrets from me? How long have you been acting like a filthy whore?"
Ginny was shrinking down in her seat in fear, as he towered over her in a rage.
"I-Its nothing, it isn't! I found the picture during the storm!" Tears sprang to her eyes, and she instinctively raised her hands to protect herself, "I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't t-talk to me, I swear! He told me to burn the picture! I'm so sorry, Draco, please!"
Jaw clenched, he loomed over her. "Yet, you didn't , did you? You kept this, you kept this from me! Do you have any idea what you've done?"
She shook her head, tears falling freely.
"I'm so s-sorry, I just wanted a friend to talk to! But he wouldn't talk to me, and I didn't tell him anything, I swear! It's nothing, it doesn't mean anything! I don't even know his name!"
Draco's nostrils flared in anger, his lip curling.
"You talk to me , Ginevra. And Evie. You don't need anyone else, understand?"
Ginny lowered her trembling hands, wanting desperately to bring down his anger.
"You- you're right- I shouldn't have hidden that from you, it was wrong. I'm so sorry."
Draco leaned back from her, standing up straight, glaring at her.
"You really don't know who he is, do you?" He spat icily.
Ginny hung her head in shame. "No."
He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"He is a master of deception. He weaves threads of lies, ensnaring foolish girls like you. He is the ultimate enemy." He thrust the paper into Ginny's face, "Look at him, look at him very carefully." Ginny turned teary eyed to the boy in the picture, whose face was unreadable.
"He is the Dark Lord," he snarled viciously, "The one who seeks to destroy you!"
Ginny gaped at him, horror-struck. Before she could look back at the boy in the picture- The Dark Lord - Draco crumbled up the paper, throwing it into the fire, where it smoldered into embers.
"Oh, no." She moaned.
"Yes," Draco hissed, and the embers of the fire reflected in his silver eye, dancing along with the fury that also lay within them, "that was no boy you were talking to- that was the man who killed your family. The man who will stop at nothing to take you away from me."
Ginny buried her head in her hands, unable to stop her tears.
How stupid, how careless she had been. All because she had wanted to talk to the boy, and what might that have cost her?
She felt Draco's hand on her shoulder once more, though his grip was much gentler. She looked up at him, blinking away her tears. He reached down to her face, wiping a tear away from her cheek with his thumb.
"No more tears over this, Princess." He held his hand to her face, stroking her lovingly. "It has already been forgiven."
"Forgiven?"
"You were foolish, but no harm was done."
Ginny tried not to look incredulous. "I-I won't be so foolish again, I swear it."
"I know you will, darling." He cocked his head to the side, and the dangerous look that had been present before slid back onto his face. "But all actions bear a consequence."
Ginny stiffened, and his grip on her tightened.
"You still kept a secret from me. You have wronged me- and such a trespass requires punishment. I need to be sure you learn your lesson, so that this doesn't happen again."
"No, no, I've learned my lesson!" Ginny felt the panic rising within her at the thought of punishment under Draco's hand. "I won't ever do it again, I'll be good, I swear it!"
"I believe you, but penance must still be paid."
Draco stepped back, taking her hand, and drawing her to her feet. Almost numb with fear, she allowed him to lead her by the hand out of the dining room. She turned back to look for Evie, who was standing near the fireplace. Ginny looked at her, silently pleading for help, but the house elf only bowed her head, shaking her head back and forth and muttering miserably, fat elf tears flowing between her fingers.
He tugged on her, leading her down the corridor, his grasp firm.
"Where are we going?" She hated the tremor in her voice.
"To my office."
He led her inside, bringing her to his desk. It was large, made of fine wood, and scattered with various documents and quills. She began to sit in one of the hard wooden chairs when he stopped her.
"You will remain standing."
She could only nod shakily.
Draco leaned back on his desk, looking remarkably calm, though she could easily see the storm in his gaze.
"My Father was many things, Ginevra." He spoke causally, evenly. "Some have argued that his methods were harsh, and at times violent. It may be true, I myself was punished severely by his hand."
Ginny clasped her hands together, twisting her fingers.
"Regardless," he drawled, "he managed to run and sustain a vast business empire. So, whether his methods were appropriate or not, they were no doubt effective. He was able to maintain control and command leadership, up until his death." He stood up, moving behind her. She tried to keep her breathing under control.
"Let us right this wrong, and we will move on from it- we will learn from it. Can you do that for me? Can you learn your lesson, Ginevra?"
Ginny wasn't entirely sure what she was agreeing to, but she knew that in reality, it wasn't a choice he was giving her at all.
"I-I will. I mean, yes."
She felt his breath on the back of her neck.
"Good girl."
Then she felt his cold fingers on the back of her neck, making her jump. They unclasped the diamond necklace she wore, sliding it across her skin and off of her. He set it down carefully on the table. Then he removed each of her diamond earrings, placing them upon the table next to the necklace. When he turned back to her, she could no longer hold back the question burning within her.
"What- what are you going to do?"
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I-I mean-" she stammered, feeling like she was digging her own grave, "what is my punishment?"
"Patience," he shushed her. He moved behind her once again. This time she felt his fingers in her hair. He unclasped the twist in her hair. Her red locks came free, spilling around her neck and shoulders. His hand reached up, scooping her long hair from her back, and brushing it forward across one shoulder.
"Are you- I mean, is it going to hurt?"
His breath was back on her ear.
"Yes," he whispered, "this is going to hurt."
His words sent ice running through her veins. His hands roamed over her body, gliding across her shoulders, her breasts, and her waist. He then put a hand at the nape of her neck and pushed down. She gasped and caught herself on the desk with both hands.
"Stay just like that," he purred in her ear.
She couldn't have moved if she wanted to, her limbs seemed to be frozen. Draco's hands began caressing her neck, moving to her bare shoulders. They moved to the back of her gown. In one swift movement of his hands, there was a horrific tearing of fabric as he tore her gown apart. Ginny let out a cry of surprise, and felt the chill of the air on her back. She made to move her hands off the desk, to whirl around and gather the torn fabric that was sliding off her, but found she could not move her hands off the desk. She whimpered as she struggled.
" Ginevra ."
His voice was full of warning, and she promptly held still. She heard him making a movement behind her, and heard the sound of his belt buckle coming undone. She fought down a wave of nausea. But he didn't move the skirt of her gown like she expected, he only pulled the fabric apart, exposing more of her back to him. He traced a hand down her spine, and she shivered.
"I'd say ten lashings should do the trick."
Ginny tried to turn her head to look at him.
"Lashings?"
"Yes," he said, gathering the belt into his hands, "lashings. My father preferred a more old-fashioned approach to punishments. Barbaric, but effective. I learned my lessons quickly." He leaned over, and she felt him place a kiss on her back. "But you are very precious to me, I have no desire to permanently damage your pretty skin. I will be much more gentle with you than my father ever was with me." He pressed his leather belt to her, tracing a line across her back. "Remember, I do not wish to cause you pain, but you have forced my hand."
He stepped back from her, and she dug her fingernails into the wood of the desk.
"Now, let's begin."
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Harry, Ron and Hermione sat solemnly at a small table, each nursing a cup of tea.
They were back at the Ministry, having finished meeting with officials regarding Zabini's murder.
"Do you think it could still work?" Ron asked, looking defeated.
Hermione placed a hand on his arm. "We shouldn't give up just yet- we can't give up just yet. She needs us, now, more than ever." She turned to Harry, looking for support. He sighed. He would never give up on Ginny, never, but this latest blow left him feeling dark and depressed. Zabini's absence meant yet another delay, and Harry felt that every day Ginny was held prisoner was pulling her further and further away from reach.
"Harry," Hermione soothed, sensing his despair, "we know she's alive. We know she has a wand. It could still work."
Maybe it was the lack of decent sleep he'd had, or maybe it was the emotional fatigue from building up his hopes only to have them dashed repeatedly, but he couldn't find it him to answer. He put his head in hands, selfishly allowing himself to wallow in his misery for the moment.
How much longer until she was home?
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Ginny was laying very still.
The room was quiet- quiet enough to make her doubt that just minutes ago the air was filled with cracks of leather on bare skin and cries of pain. Her arms had eventually given out, and she now lay collapsed on her stomach across the desk, her cheek pressed against the wood surface. Her screams had stopped, as had her pleading sobs. Now, she was silent, eyes staring at nothing, tears dripping from her face onto the desk.
It had been agony. The first few slashes from his leather belt had stung and burned, taking her breath away. Before she could recover from the previous assault, he rained the next upon her. She could feel the heat in her back, the inflamed flesh raw and burning with irritation.
She was afraid to move. Afraid to cry. Afraid to breathe.
This is not right.
A cold hand reached down, moving the hair off of her face.
"You did well."
She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see his face.
"I had to do it, you know that, don't you? I had to punish you."
He touched her cheek softly. "Do you think you've learned your lesson, Princess?"
"Yes," she croaked.
"Good girl."
She felt a tingling under her palms, and Draco gently drew her up off the desk. When she stood, the tattered remains of her elegant gown fell away. Head downcast, she made no move to cover herself. Draco removed his own white button-up shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders. He led her to the bedroom, bringing her inside, and helping her into bed. He smoothed the covers over her, and she tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her back. He kissed her on the forehead, whispering a goodnight, before assuring her he would be joining her later.
The moment Draco closed the bedroom door, Ginny quickly moved out of the bed, ignoring the stinging pain as she moved her body. In her hand, she clasped a piece of parchment. She tip-toed to the bathroom, entering and locking the door behind her. When she turned on the light, she glanced at her reflection. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her makeup was smudged. She didn't dare turn around and try to look at her back- she would worry about that later. She opened the parchment that she held clasped in her hand.
4:00. Curio Shoppe in the village. Dimitte will release you.
Ginny stared for a long time at the parchment, before carefully folding it in her hand. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
It might be trap.
It might be the Dark Lord trying to trick her.
It might be a friend trying to help her.
But there was one thing she knew for sure, one thing that- memory loss or not - she was absolutely certain of. She knew, with every fiber of her being, that what Draco Malfoy had done to her was wrong.
She squared her jaw as she stared at her reflection, a flare of fire and determination rising up within her. Her mind began methodically sorting out the ideas invading it. There, in the bathroom, staring in the mirror, the first remnants of a plan began forming in her mind. She would need to be cunning. She would need to be brave. She would need to daring. Above all, she needed to have enough nerve...
She stared into her own brown eyes and swore a vow to herself.
Whatever happened tomorrow, Draco Malfoy would never lay his hands on her again.
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TBC