A/N: Here's the thrid chapter of the story. It's short, but it will reveal where are the Weasleys. There could be some 'disturbing' parts here, but they are necessary to the plot.
I want to thank Heaven for approving the submission of this story to Portkey, if it hadn't been for her, I would have never made up my mind. Also to Pen, for her support and good ideas and to Kris, for Beta reading for me, again.
Chapter 3 - La Santé
La Santé used to be a prison where the Government of France sent the most dangerous criminals. Years ago, it had been bought by some mysterious man that had kept it abandoned for a long time.
Now, it was a place where the enemies of Salazar Slytherin were sent. Among the 'enemies' were many people loyal to Godric Gryffindor. Some of them had even tried to murder Slytherin. The truth was, it was a horrible place. People were tortured and killed in the worst ways you could imagine, and there were never trials. The prison was lead by the FOS (Friends Of Slytherin), a feared organization that was devoted to follow every single person who would dare oppose to Slytherin doctrines.
And Ginny Weasley couldn't understand why she was there.
It had been almost six days since the FOS agents had broken into her house and obliged her and her parents to abandon it and then took them to the prison. She had been put in a dirty room along with two other witches who were way older than her, and it was for that reason they kept fighting every second about everything.
She hadn't been able to see her parents… She didn't know where they were. A lot of theories about her current situation had swarmed into her mind as more days kept coming. They weren't there for being muggle-borns, that was for sure. So maybe the FOS thought that her father was involved in some sort of anti-Slytherin activities. But how could he? He was the most pacific man that existed.
This is a mistake, she kept repeating.
She was still wearing her pijamas. She was hungry, scared, dirty and above all, confused. Extremely confused.
"You, the red-headed," said a tall wizard as he entered the room and stared at her with an expression of disgust. He made her stand up from the bed where she was laying and forced her to walk towards another room. He pushed her roughly and she fell on her knees.
Her father was there. Or at least it seemed like her father. The only recognizable part of his face was the red hair that was left in his almost bald head. She saw that his face was full of bruises and blood. At first, Ginny thought he was dead. His head was hanging over his shoulder and his eyes were closed. But then, and after what it seemed a huge effort from his part, he lifted and looked at her. And he smiled… The same warm, soothing smile that he always gave her.
"Daddy!" Ginny sobbed and ran towards him. But she was stopped half way by two wizards she hadn't even noticed. "You bastards! Why are you doing this?" she screamed, forgetting all about precaution.
A fat, dark haired wizard entered in the room. He sent a sharp look toward Ginny and motioned towards a door on the corner that led to a tiny room. They sat her on a metal chair.
"Miss Weasley," the fat man said, sitting in front of her "I'm Adelbert Goyle."
Ginny let out a sarcastic laugh at the politeness of the man. He ignored it and kept talking.
"Do you know why you are here?" he asked.
"Let me guess... I don't know, maybe because I have a red coat?"
Goyle snorted. "Have you heard anything about the attack on the English Minister of Magic in this city two weeks ago?"
Ginny didn't answer immediately. She had heard her father and Harry talking about it. Something about a trap to kill Slytherin when he came to France for a diplomatic visit. It had turned the FOS head over heels, and they were desperately looking for the perpetrator.
"Are you talking about that accident our Holy Minister suffered?" she asked, carefully not showing she was feeling uneasy.
Goyle stared at her. "It wasn't an accident... It was an attempt of murder to Lord Slytherin."
"Oh," she said. "Who would've guessed that someone would want to kill such a lovely man."
"Being sarcastic won't help you, lady," Goyle said.
"Well, what do you want me to say about it? Yes, I read about it in the newspapers. And no, I have nothing to do with it."
A deep silence followed her statement. Goyle's eyes never left her and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"We have whitnesses who assure they saw your father near the... crime scene."
"I thought this was a free country," Ginny said, sharply. "I'm sure he can go wherever he wants."
However, something was building in her mind. Could it be that her father...?
"He was seen just before the attack," Goyle pointed.
"Come on, Mr. Goyle... You surely don't think that my dad has the hobby of killing politics."
"The problem we have, and you too, is that your father refuses to give us the name of his partners in crime," Goyle continued as if he hadn't heard.
"What do you expect him to tell you if he has nothing to do with it?" Ginny insisted.
"General Pettigrew has taken personal interest in this case." Ginny shuddered. Pettigrew was known for being one of Slytherin's most saddistic friends. "And he happens to think that you and your mother have something to do with this... event." She forced herself to keep her face straight. "I personally doubt it, and I would be delighted to share my opinion with the General if your father decides to confess who helped him."
Ginny let out a dark laugh. "You obviously don't know my father. If all the tortures and the beating up didn't make him lose his tongue, what makes you think that I can convince him? That, of course, if what you're saying is true, which I doubt."
"You have half an hour," Goyle said, standing up, "to convince him. If not, you and your mother will spend a lot of time here."
* * *
In the half hour that they spent together, Ginny didn't mention anything about Slytherin. They talked about trivial things. Ginny tried to lighten the mood with a couple of comments, but she knew her father was blaming himself for her presence there. And it was then she knew that what Goyle had said was true. Her father had tried to kill Slytherin. But instead of being shocked, she was prideful. Arthur Weasley was a man of honor.
The lack of cooperation though, didn't thrill Goyle and the rest of the FOS members. They started treating Ginny as bad as any other prisoner. Soon she was on the list of raped women in the place. And everyday, she faced her attackers with a straight face and her chin lifted. She wasn't going to surrender to anyone.
* * *
A couple of days later, Ginny was given a few minutes with her parents... Or what was left of them. Compared with their state, she was safe and sound. Her mother hardly breathed and his father couldn't stand up.
She didn't cry. She had to keep the honor of the family. It was the only thing left.
"Gin," her father muttered and she approached to him. It hurt her to look at him. "Promise me something."
"Anything," she said, softly.
"Promise me that you'll never feel embarrassed about what has happened to you here."
"I'll kill them some day," she said, with determination.
Arthur Weasley didn't reply and took a deep breath.
"Dad?" Ginny didn't want to ask, but she had to. She had been thinking about it for too long. "Is it true… that they have a witness?"
"Of what?" he said and Ginny understood he was doing it because the FOS agents could be hearing behind their conversation. She was about to give up when he grabbed her wrist. "Someone... Someone that holds a grudge against me invented that accusation."
"You really think that? You really think that someone accused you?"
Arthur nodded. "There's no other explanation. They knew too many details about my life," he sighed. "Whoever it was… that's my real enemy."
"Not Slytherin? Not the FOS?" Ginny asked quietly.
"Them too. But this was something personal. There's nothing lower that betraying a friend."
"He or she should suffer as much as you have," Ginny said, with a tone of hate in her voice she didn't know she could use. Mr. Weasley remained silent. "And his or her family too," Ginny added. "Just like ours."
"Ginny..." Arthur muttered, and his voice went out.
A wizard entered the room to take Ginny to her cell. Before she disappeared through the door, she turned to face her father once more.
"Dad... As long as I live, the traitor's family will suffer. I swear it, on the Weasley's pride."
And those were the last words she ever said to him.
* * *