AN: This is part two in a trilogy. As you might notice, I've taken some liberties with the Death Eaters and their structure. I'm going to tackle Voldemort in this part, and it's not easy, believe me. In fact, I've probably taken more liberties than canon would allow. So please humor me, and I hope you find Cut to be a more involved, much darker and infinitely more dramatic piece than Who? Also, please be forewarned that there will most likely be some Lucius/Ginny implied. I will alert you in the Author's Note when/if this appears.
Draco watched her lazily, admiring both her body and her brazen decision to put on the cloak that he'd given her, effectively marking her as his. Choosing for the moment to forget the scandal that would surely ensue, he rose from the warm nest of sheets and kissed the back of her neck. He turned her around to face him and delighted in her blush when she saw that he was still nude.
"Come back, won't you?" he said, half-demanding, half-pleading. She took her time answering, searching his eyes.
"Yes," she finally said, turning on her heel. He watched the swing of her hips as she exited his chambers. He sighed and got back into bed, trying not to think about all the certain fates that would befall him.
Ginny entered the common room and all eyes turned toward her. Ron had a glint of fury in his. He advanced on her.
"Where were you? We were worried sick!" he blurted, just glad to know that his sister was safe. Ginny frantically scrabbled in her mind for a suitable explanation.
"I, erm, I woke early and decided to go for a walk around the lake, you know, just admiring the snow," Ginny said, forcing a sunny smile. Ron didn't look appeased.
"Where'd you get that cloak, Ginny?" Ron asked, suspicious to the core. She tried hard to look clueless.
"I have no idea, Ron, when I woke this was at the foot of my bed, no note or anything. I wish I knew who sent it, I'd like to thank him or her," she said, hoping that Ron would leave her alone. He stepped forward, and she saw dim recognition in his eyes. He fingered the posh leather of the cloak wonderingly.
"Bloody hell, Ginny, this looks quite similar to that blasted Malfoy's winter cloak." Ginny hoped she looked convincingly bewildered.
"Who?"
Like the proverbial Muggle saying, all hell broke loose. From Harry, Hermione and Ron there had been threats, insults and furious questions. Almost-hexes. The rest of the Weasley family, save Mrs. Weasley, gave Ginny disapproving looks and disappointed shakes of the head. Mrs. Weasley, thankfully, told Ginny that just because one's family was horrible didn't mean he would turn out that way, too.
From Draco she received surprising support; he'd not gone and shown off like she thought he would when Ron and Harry angrily confronted him in a secluded part of the dungeon. Ginny secured his and the Trio's secrecy, confining her relationship to those closest to her. In a searing moment of maturity Draco knew he couldn't make demands on Ginny. He reasoned that the more he tried to get her to make time for him the harder it would be for her to keep her wits about her. So for the rest of his time at Hogwarts, he let Ginny come to him when she found it safe.
They made love the night before his graduation. Afterwards, she had stayed in his bedroom like the very first night, and he held her close to him as she tried to pretend she wasn't crying. When Draco was forced to let her leave in the early hours of the morn a sharp pang of something indefinable crossed his chest as he watched his curvy redhead leave his chamber silently.
He'd told her that night that it was possible they could be separated until after her graduation. She'd nodded and he'd kissed away her tears. She knew that Draco had to be careful now; after all, he was to be made a Death Eater.
During his last term, his father had come and collected him almost every weekend for Lucius' version of "tutoring." Draco had learned a few things along the way. He'd noticed that his family ran a number of businesses that were merely fronts for recruiting new Death Eaters or used for selling items that were less than aboveboard. When Lucius had forced him to begin learning the bookkeeping for these various enterprises, Draco saw that there was great potential for making actual money.
Lucius was pleased when Draco showed interest in his legacy, planning Draco's induction into the Death Eater ranks for two weeks after his graduation. Draco, on the other hand, had other ideas.
Lucius was just a pawn in the Dark Lord's game, Draco decided. He wanted none of it. Oh, sure, there was the heady exhilaration of killing and being feared world-wide but Draco saw no money, no respect in that. He wanted more; more money, more respect, more freedom. His father and his father's plans was the only damper.
Draco went to the only person he could ever talk to: Snape.
As a double agent, Snape knew and understood the difficulties of that type of life. Although he only allowed a slight curvature of his lips, Snape was secretly elated that Draco would not go the way of his father. He proposed to Draco that Draco become Dumbledore's Ministry envoy, a legitimate position but one that allowed Draco to feed misinformation to his father and perhaps aid in Voldemort's downfall and Lucius' band of not-so-merry men could be punished. With Lucius in prison, Snape said, Draco could begin building his empire.
Draco knew that the sooner he was rid of his father he could rescue his mother from St. Mungo's. Living under Lucius' demands and perverted appetites had driven his surprisingly delicate mother mad. Draco often wondered if it was only a guise until Lucius was banished from society.
Snape and Draco went to Dumbledore with their plan. Dumbledore willingly agreed, seeing the advantage of someone who would be even more of an inside agent than Snape could ever be. It was agreed that Draco would go through the Death Eater ceremony. Although it went unspoken, no one was quite sure what would happen if Lucius Malfoy and his Death Eaters were captured. As it stood, Azkaban was in tatters and the Dementors were uncontrollable. Even the strongest of wards and charms would be no match for a group of dark wizards who welcomed pain for pleasure.
Ginny was informed and was nearly inconsolable. It had taken lots of kisses and hugs and explanations to convince her that he would be successful. Ginny's heart sank when she realized she'd be seeing Draco fairly regularly at Hogwarts, untouchable. As much as she was loath to admit it, she thought that the "out of sight, out of mind" principle would assuage her pain over her lonely seventh year.
Graduation came and went. Draco steeled himself for the upcoming ceremony. Lucius had been beside himself with maniacal joy when Draco was hired by the Ministry to work with Hogwarts as a special envoy.
"You see the benefits of this, boy. You can collaborate with Snape when that addled fool Dumbledore confides his ideas on how to bring down Lord Voldemort. I say, you've landed a prime position. I'm proud of you because you are helping the cause."
Draco's guts had twisted. He'd never heard his father say he was proud. His nostrils had flared in distaste that his father's praise had to come wrapped around something so diabolical.
When the night came, Draco found himself flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual, though he'd come to despise them for their stupidity. They too were being initiated. Although it was a huge coup, the sons following in the footsteps of the fathers, Draco was the uncontested heir apparent to the tribe.
Lucius instructed Snape to place the Dark Mark in a different place, because it was increasingly difficult for the Death Eaters to hide their mark. Upon instruction from Lord Voldemort, new Death Eaters were branded on their back, directly behind the heart. When the Dark Lord called them, new recruits would feel excruciating pain, spurring them to hurry to Voldemort so that they would be released from agony.
Beginning of Term, Ginny's seventh year
There were no meetings or summons for a long while. Draco began his role as envoy, conducting Ministry business for all of Hogwarts and continually apprising Dumbledore and Snape if his father chanced to tell him anything. Draco had been given quarters near Snape's in the dungeon, in the event that business would keep him overnight. He swore Dumbledore had winked at him when he handed over the password. What was that about?
Draco happened to be in residence on the first night of the new term. When Ginny came into the Great Hall for the Sorting Feast she squeaked in surprise when she saw him sitting at the head table, next to Snape. He wore emerald green robes, still Slytherin to the core. His hair seemed blonder than ever and it was slicked back just so. Ginny locked eyes with him and saw his answering smirk. She hadn't expected to sit through dinner with inappropriate thoughts of their last encounter months ago. It was funny how you could be so intimate with someone yet still feel uncomfortable in their presence.
She choked down some food and made for Gryffindor tower.
Did she think she was going to get away when he'd not touched a woman in three months? His mouth was grim as he excused himself from the head table and strode in her direction. He could hear the clicking of her school shoes on the corridor floor. He picked up his pace and just before she could enter the portrait hole-
"Immobilus!" Ginny stood stock still, crouched. He'd only said it half-heartedly, and she could still move her eyes. She heard him walk up to her, felt his hands on her body.
"Mobilicorpus," he said resolutely. She lifted a few inches into the air and he spun her around to face him, laughing at the murderous glare in her eyes.
"Ah, Gin, not so fast. Did you not miss me? Please tell me you weren't going to deny me one of the few nights I'll be staying at Hogwarts. His hand touched her behind possessively and guided her still-crouched, immobilized body down a secret passageway he knew to the dungeons.
"Well, I guess you can't answer that," he said playfully, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Ginny realized they were near Snape's quarters. Draco noticed her fearful eyes.
"No, love, Dumbledore gave me rooms here. And when you're safely inside, well, I can't say for sure if I'll let you out of this position." Again she stared him down, rolling her eyes. He came to a nearly hidden door and muttered the password.
Draco floated Ginny in and let her hang there while he said the incantations for locking and silencing spells. The room was sparse but the bed was large and welcoming. Wall sconces provided flickering light. She was still feeling peckish, but her anger was dying down. With a prod of his wand she floated over the bed and he released the spell's hold on her.
"Oof!" Ginny blurted, hitting the bed on her stomach, feeling her school skirt ride up her thighs. She spun her body only to be crushed by Draco's warm mass. Feverish male hands touched exposed perfumed skin wherever they could. Ginny gasped when he tickled the back of her bare knees. Already Draco was breathing hard above her, his full lips forming a darkly sensual smile as he ground his still-clad manhood into the cleft of her thighs.
"How do you want it, Ginny? From behind, on top, in front?" he questioned in a raw, hoarse voice as he ripped her knickers apart with his bare hands. Breathless, she tried to reply. A cry rent the close air as he delved into her sex and plundered her with his tongue. He feasted on her soft flesh, curling his fingers into the curve of her hips, knowing he would leave bruises, knowing she wouldn't care.
Ginny tore the fastenings off her cloak as she frantically searched for her wand. Though she could barely see the curve of Draco's tight ass, she pointed her wand at it.
"Deshabiller!" she strangled out, feeling his clothing melt from his body and seeing it reform in a pile on the nearby floor. She swore she could feel Draco smile against her and she cast the same charm on herself.
He let up on her and she banged her fists on his shoulders in frustration, moaning and squirming closer.
"The wand I've got here at my disposal isn't any good at casting contraceptive charms." With a huff, she grabbed her wand again and began to say the incantation as well as she could, considering that Draco had gone back to his work. The last word went off with a scream as he took her over the edge.
Draco watched his fiery faerie writhe on the bed because of him. Truly there was no greater high. He grabbed her and shoved her to the side of the bed, getting himself into position. Grunting at the unceremonious move, Ginny rolled back to face him. He pushed her onto her back, then pulled her atop him, his member between her legs.
"You'd better brace yourself, Gin, because I won't have enough hands once I've started." His comment was punctuated by shoving himself up inside Ginny, a sensation the likes of which she had never known. A startled cry left her lips and she was boneless to support herself as he asked.
"Do I have to do everything?" he drawled, one hand creeping to the apex of her thighs and the other crossing her taut breasts.
"Rotter," she gasped. "Harder!" A soft hand covered the rough one that was rubbing furiously on the knot of flesh that was sure to bring her to a rollicking finish. Draco felt her little fingers pressing his harder into her and growled his satisfaction.
Spurred on by her words and action, Draco used every fiber of every muscle to slide deeper within her slickness.
He began licking and biting her ear. Making a sound that was halfway between animal and human Ginny's release took off like a rocket inside her. In a last moment of clarity, Draco smiled tightly and locked himself inside her, thrusting as deeply as possible while her wild shudders drew him over the edge as well.
They lay sweating, passion-slicked skin sticking together. Draco's hands lazily teased Ginny when her breathing evened.
"Insufferable git," she said mockingly. "Ruddy toad. Foul bastard. Had to cast a spell to get me into bed. Someone's desperate," she hissed.
"Would you like me to show you, Weasel Princess, Muggle-lover, exactly how desperate for you I am?"
Ginny rotated slowly on his chest until she was lying stomach to stomach with him, her elbow propped on his shoulder.
"No," she sighed. "I misplaced my summer homework assignments and only found it today. I still have Advanced Transfiguration and Herbology to finish before tomorrow." Draco's eyes glinted
"Pity," he said, letting his voice drop suggestively. She leaned down and kissed him briefly, then rose to dress. He watched her supple skin disappear beneath shirt, skirt and shoes. Stuffing her bra and panties in the interior pocket of her robe, she grinned cheekily at him.
"I'll see you around, Malfoy."
The first six weeks of the term went smoothly. The Ministry still wanted to keep a close eye on Hogwarts even though Harry Potter was gone, and they believed Draco was the perfect choice for the job. Although the Ministry was not privy to Dumbledore, Snape, and Draco's secret rumblings they assumed all was well within the ancient walls of the school.
And it was going well, really, for the first six weeks of the term. Draco and Snape had discussed the proper ways for Draco to conduct himself in the presence of Death Eaters so as not to attract any undue attention. Both Dumbledore and Snape coached and challenged Draco to learn Occlumency and Legilimency.
Even he and Ginny had managed not to call any attention to themselves. Draco thought they had behaved very discreetly, really. They'd snogged once or twice in disused classrooms, but hadn't seen each other in a carnal capacity since the beginning of the term. Draco hadn't had reason to stay at Hogwarts since then, and the time he spent at Malfoy Manor was desperately bleak. He dared not pleasure himself because he just knew his bastard father would sense something.
Ginny had smuggled herself down to his chambers to celebrate the one year anniversary of the dungeon explosion that had brought them together. Draco let her in with the haste of a man who had not eaten in weeks. Slowly, they savored each other's bodies. Ginny was making a point to lick every part of him, and he was lying back enjoying her sweet torture when it came.
An ear-splitting scream flew from Draco's lips as he sat straight up on his bed, clutching his chest. Terrified, Ginny scrambled from her kneeling position to the center of the bed to comfort a heaving Draco.
"Sweet Merlin! Are you all right, Draco? Are you hurt? What can I do?" she asked frantically, automatically checking him for some sort of wound, feeling his extremities for an anomaly. Panting, he shook his head feebly, slowly putting his mouth in working order.
"My back," he heaved with great effort, his heart beating so fast he feared it would come out of his chest. "It hurts so much." Ginny moved and tilted him slightly forward. The Dark Mark seemed to be even blacker, the angry red skin around it almost visibly throbbing with pain. She touched her fingers to it to begin to heal it when his breath was sucked inward on a hiss and he twisted, grabbing her wrist firmly.
"You can't heal it. Only he can." Pausing, they stared at one another for a long moment. Painfully, he leaned forward to her mouth, feeling the residual spikes of agony slither down his nerves like firewhiskey. She came closer to her and surprised him with the ferocity of her kiss. Taking advantage of his slightly disabled state, she grasped his head firmly in her hands and ravaged him.
She released him with a tearful look and a single word. "Go."
Draco hurriedly dressed and collided with Dumbledore and Snape outside his door. Snape eyed his reddened mouth and cheeks suspiciously and Draco tried to surreptitiously arrange his robes to cover the one thing that hadn't been doused by the pain.
"We need to leave. Follow me." Draco nodded and began to follow Snape's long steps when he was suddenly stopped by Dumbledore's hoarse, commanding voice.
"Mr. Malfoy, a word please." Draco threw a look over his shoulder at Snape, who scowled but waited. Draco hurried back to the old man.
"I trust Miss Weasley knows her way back to Gryffindor Tower?" Dumbledore asked softly. Draco met his eyes, stunned, ashamed, frightened. He nodded mutely.
"Be discreet, my friend. For one day, you will end the feud."
Horrified, Draco turned on his heel and almost ran like a little boy after the retreating form of Snape, all the consequences of Dumbledore's discovery churning through his already scattered mind.
And as soon as those thoughts had been there, they were gone.
Sometimes Dumbledore felt that little memory charms were justified. Draco didn't need to have Dumbledore's knowledge weighing on his mind.
Ginny waited in Draco's room for a long time, several hours at least. Deciding he might need her when he returned, she slid beneath his black satin sheets finally fell into a light sleep. When he entered some time later, he didn't bother to strip off his robes, just fell into bed against her sleeping form. Whatever surprise he may have felt from her presence was outstripped by the physical pain he was nursing.
Ginny woke with a start. Draco lay beside her, moaning softly. She rolled over and whispered to him. His response was a grunt that approximated her name. Withdrawing from the sheets, she came round the foot of the bed to inspect him. Conjuring a few candles, she lit up the area, almost bursting into tears when his flesh was revealed under the deshabiller charm.
Any flesh that wouldn't be covered by a normal robe was in perfect shape. His face was still glacially perfect, save for puffy eyes that told Ginny for certain he'd been made to cry in pain. His chest was a mass of bruises and red welts, and she moved her wand over them silently, doing the healing charms the best she knew how.
Gradually Draco's discomfort began to wane enough that he could speak, his throat parched and gritty. He moved as Ginny softly directed, pausing only in his monologue to gasp in short breaths when she mended the bones of his fractured ribs., healed some slashes and scratches on his back.
"You'd never believe it, Gin, but Snape's already given me three potions to help me heal," he said weakly.
"What happened, Draco?" she asked quietly.