Spoken Secrets
"Stop!" A pristine voice called out, a strong sense of fatigue evident in it. The girl to whom the voice belonged stopped running when she reached the top of the hill. The trees obstructed her view, but she found him when she looked hard enough.
The man obeyed, but he remained with his back to her. Slowly, he turned his head. Although she could not see his face, for his hood covered it, she knew he was grimacing. A tendril of red hair fell from her bun and into her face, splitting her sight.
"Why do you smile at me?" Her wand was firm in her raised hand and her voice was threatening and as steady as a drum. She was strong and wouldn't let him get away this time. She couldn't. Her brother's dead body was not here to distract her as it had been before.
"How do you know that I am smiling? You cannot see my face," he said, while his gloved hands reached up to his hood.
"Don't!" she called out before she knew what she was doing. Her eyes looked suddenly vulnerable; like a doe's. She scrunched them closed, making the tearstains on her cheeks more visible.
"What? Surely you wish to see who I am…" and he tugged his hood down. A wave of blond hair fell onto his shoulders.
She gasped. "No." Her hand, which held her wand, crashed to her side. "No. I told you not to show me who you were!"
"And? Would it help to ease your uncertainty if I told you that I'm the one that killed your brother?"
Tears welled up in her eyes. Knees wobbling, she crumbled to the ground in a little ball. She heard him as he began to walk away. You can't let him go. You have to get him back for what he did.
"Stop!" she called out again as she struggled to a standing position. A gust of wind flew past, swirling her escaping tendrils and his feathery hair. She tried to regain her composure.
"Are we going to go through all of this again?" he asked nonchalantly, as if none of this struck him as serious.
"No."
"Looks like we are. What can I do to make you cry this time?"
"SHUT UP!" Her moves were quick and she found herself moments later with her wand at his throat. "I swear to GOD that I will have you dead in a moment if you say one more putrid word to me."
A bead of sweat betrayed his farce of composure. "Virginia…"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Her breathing was hard and her hand was shaking. She could tell he was avoiding her eyes.
"Can't you look at me? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you killed my brother now that I have you cornered? CAN YOU TELL ME NOW?" She was in his face, her voice roaring. She stopped for a moment and brought her finger from her free hand and traced a path down his cheekbones. "Or are you too scared to, now that your situation has taken a sharp turn down the john?" She couldn't help but sneer.
"Don't make a mockery of me," he spat, his steely eyes shooting daggers straight into her own. "You don't seem to understand that the tables are constantly turning on us." He began to back away, but with a flick of her wrist and a mumble of a spell, he was pinned back against the nearest tree.
"Pardon me. Now, what were you were saying Mr Malfoy? I don't seem to have been listening." Taking a few large strides, she was back in the position of power. Although she was considerably shorter than he was, she felt large. She felt powerful.
"I was saying you should watch your back Miss Weasley."
Crack.
Ginny snapped her head around to see another cloaked person approaching. "Shit," she mumbled under her breath. Before she knew what she was doing, she had shoved Draco in front of her with her wand stabbing into his spine. "You will tell them that everything is okay," she grunted quietly from behind him. "You will tell them that I shall not be harmed in any way, do you hear me?"
She heard him gulp. "Good."
"Oi!" It was the person in the distance. "Is `at you Draco?"
"Yeah."
"Who've you got cowering behind you?"
"Ginny Weasley. But it's all right."
"Are you bleeding kidding me?" the hooded man asked, as he neared them. "You actually have her calm? Is she knocked out?"
"No."
"How in the bloody hell did you do that?"
Ginny could feel Draco tingling with pleasure. She reminded him of the real situation by pressing her wand harder into his back. He stiffened.
"Go back about your business."
"No way in `ell! I want to see this!" The man was very close to them now and Ginny was beginning to get frightened. If her want left Draco for a moment he would have her pinned. Unconsciously, she was pressing her wand into Draco's back so hard that he was actually arching himself forward.
"Why you doing `at?" the person called. He was now face to face with them. Ginny immediately pulled her wand back so it was only just touching him.
Draco coughed. "Why can't I?"
The man began poking his nose around to where Ginny was. She slowly began to walk over to the side of Draco, her wand making a half circle as she walked.
"She's a shy one, isn't she?" the man called, gripping Ginny's arm from behind her. Fuck. The man now had her wrist tightly in his fist and he began pulling on it. At least it wasn't her wand hand.
He kept talking to Draco as he reeled her in slowly. "You know, I've always heard she was quuuuite the beaut, this one. Not like any of the other hags they have back at that office of theirs."
Ginny was completely in his view now and he grabbed the wrist with her wand. She closed her eyes, waiting for what she knew was coming.
"Thought she'd put up more 'ova fight though."
What? That wasn't Draco spilling the entire story and sending her to her death. What was going on? She looked up at him and saw his eyes brimming over with amusement. "You're sick." She said venomously as her eyes narrowed. She paid no attention to the man who held her. Somehow, he seemed unimportant. Instead, her gaze was held steadily on Draco.
"Well, `ats not too polite young lady. I'm the one who `as you, you know." His grip tightened on her wrists, but she remained looking at Draco.
"You're one sick fuck, you know that?" Her voice was full of something unexplainable.
"Yes. I do." Draco turned his eyes from her and to the man holding her. "Carter…"
"Yes?"
"Get off of my hostage."
"Right sir."
Ginny was suddenly let go. She did not run; she did not pull up her wand, she simply remained staring at Draco with anger and confusion. Draco turned from her, still smiling.
"Carter, I want you to go back and salvage anything that you can find. I'm sure we'll need it sooner or later." Carter was about to say something, but before he could, Draco cut in. "Leave the lady to me." The other man nodded and dashed off.
"Fuck you," Ginny spat, raising her wand to him again, but it appeared that Draco had had the same idea. "What sick game are you playing? What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm keeping myself alive. What are you doing?" He raised his eyebrows at her.
"I'm getting revenge for my brother."
"Ah, only you seem to be religious… and God doesn't want you to kill anyone."
"God's word never stopped you, so why should it stop me?"
"There's a difference between you and I. You believe in him, yet I do not. So we are stuck in quite the position. Or, should I say, you are stuck with quite the decision."
"No. There's no decision here. I will be forgiven."
"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something I'll regret."
A flash of light emitted from his wand and struck her in the breast. She gasped as she was propelled backwards onto the muddy ground. Her breathing stopped and her stomach contracted in pain. Her eyes closed and opened again, and the world stayed in her vision.
She wasn't dead. Everything was stiff but her mouth.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"Because I had, nor do I have, any intention to." He wiped a piece of hair behind his ear.
"Why?"
"I thought it would be quite obvious. You fascinate me, Virginia Molly Weasley. You simply fascinate me."
Images shot through Ginny's mind. Images of a man who sat in the coffee shop every morning with a paper open to cover his face… Images of her sitting in her flat and hearing something at her window; but seeing nothing when she went to investigate… Images of her always feeling like she was being watched… Of countless cases she had been sent on where a man clad in black was always just beyond her grasp.
"What's so fascinating about me?"
"You were in the grasp of the Dark Lord, but you managed to escape and not go back to him. You never use your past happenings as an excuse for your mistakes. The way you care so deeply is not fathomable to me, yet you are capable of it. Even your smell…"
"My smell?" If she could have cocked her eyebrow, she would have.
"Yes, your smell." He nodded and knelt down next to her stiff body.
"When have you smelled me?" she asked innocently, wishing she could look at his face, see what it would tell.
"Countless times, but when is not really important."
"It seems as though you care for me…" she spoke the words softly, barely believing that she dared to utter them.
"I do not." He said the words so sharply that she bit her tongue. A moment of silence passed between them.
"Why did you kill my brother?" she asked meekly.
"Because I've wanted to talk to you for so long it hurt." He turned his head away from her.
"You could have done something else… you could have just said hello."
"No." He shook his head and closed his eyes lightly.
"Why not?" She simply couldn't understand.
"You would not have touched me if I had said hello. You would have found out who I was and hated me."
"But I hate you now…" she felt tears in her eyes. Could one cry when they were paralyzed?
"You touched me."
"My wand touched you," she corrected him.
"Your hand caressed my face, Virginia. Your skin touched mine."
She was speechless.
"You are my obsession, but I don't think I can care for you. I can't care for anything."
"That's not true." She sighed, slowly realizing that the spell was wearing off. She curled her toes in her shoes.
"I know you're coming back, but I just needed to tell you. I thought maybe you could figure out what this was for me."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." She twirled her foot in circles in the air.
"Do I baffle you?" he asked, lying down next to her.
"No, not really. You're not as mysterious and as far gone as you think." She surmised, sighing.
"I don't think I'm far gone," he snapped defensively, turning his head to her.
"But you think you've hit rock bottom."
"True."
"Do you think I've hit the bottom?" she asked as she moved her pointer finger.
"No!" He turned to her. "I… I-" He didn't know what to say.
"I think you're afraid to admit that you want to feel for me because feelings are a weakness to you, but you do. I don't know why you chose me, but you did."
"I already told you why." He looked back up at the sky instead of at her.
"I'm not special you know," she said the words quietly as she inhaled.
"Yes you are."
"No I'm really not."
"You have red hair…" he pointed out.
"So? You have blond."
"You're the only good looking redhead I know."
"Well, thanks…"
"You're welcome."
He propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her milky face. "You're really not that pretty."
"Well thanks again," she scoffed sarcastically.
"But you don't need to be." He leaned down and placed his mouth on hers. Not able to use anything else, she pulled her leg up and kicked him as hard as she could.
"Gerroff!" she squealed beneath him with disgust.
He did so and watched her as she spoke. "I have every intention of killing you once I have use of my body again."
"I know."
She blinked. "You know?"
He nodded. "I just needed to satisfy my thirst for you… otherwise I would have never stopped."
"Well, please, do stop. I would never be able to be with you. You know that."
"Yes I do."
"We're just from two different worlds…"
"Oh just stop. Just stop already, you… you…"
"What? What am I?"
"An angel."
From the distance a voice called out for her. "GINNY!"
Draco stood. "I should go. Thank you for the kiss."
"I don't ever want to see you again." She stated, as her eyes narrowed.
"I know."
"If I do see you again, I'll kill you."
"I know." And with those words, he was gone.
Harry appeared at the top of the hill.
"Over here Harry!" she called, waving her leg in the air.
He dashed over, his wand out and ready. "Oh Merlin, are you okay?" he asked, bending over her to see if there were any cuts or bruises on her.
"I'm fine, just getting over a paralyzing spell." Ginny wiggled her hips and smiled upon seeing that she could move.
"Thank the heavens. We were so worried about you." Harry sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"How is everyone?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. She knew asking Harry would only confirm the truth about her brother, so she avoided the question. Hot tears began to form in her eyes. Embarrassed, she turned from Harry and wiped them away.
"They're fine. It turns out Ron is okay."
"WHAT?" Ginny jumped up.
"Yeah, he's fine. He just got hit with some spell that I've never seen before. He pulled out of it just after you left and we had to make sure he was going to be okay. I could have sworn it was Avada Kedavra, but I guess it wasn't. Hermione is looking into it as we speak."
Ginny started crying.
"I know, it gave me a scare too." He pulled her into a hug.
After a moment, Ginny scooted away from Harry and stood. "We should get going; I want to see him for myself." Harry nodded and began to leave, but Ginny didn't follow immediately. "I'll be there in a second…" Harry nodded at Ginny's words and continued, leaving her in the clearing in the woods.
"Thank you, wherever you are…" she whispered to the sky. "Thank you so much."