Chapter 16 - Condemnation
`Over the years, I forgot how many times the twins placed me under the Petrificus Totalus… Usually they did it when I found out their mischievous plans and menaced them to tell mom, the only person they actually fear.
Each time, they kept me under the spell for a few minutes until they put their plan into action… Oh, I miss my family's fiery temper.
When you are placed under a spell by someone you love, just for fun, you don't mind… much. But, when you're placed under Petrificus Totalus so that the Royal Guards can transport you to the Palace's catacomb, that's no fun at all…'
After was seemed like hours, Ginevra was abruptly dumped inside a cold and dark cell. All the women that had been attending the class were in there already, most of them crying with despair and fear.
"Stupid women, trying to be better than men!" a few Royal Guards yelled, from the other side of the cell bars, their faces sneering menacingly. "You will all get what you deserve…"
With evil laughter, the Guards retreated from the corridor, leaving the large group of women trembling with fear and apprehension. In the other cells, several criminals started whopping them and hissing dirty words.
"Look what you've done to us! We have families to feed, Milady… What will happen to our children? To our husbands?" several women yelled, loosing any control they had left.
One of the students showed some respect, by helping Ginevra get up from the floor, while the others kept on complaining and mumbling between them. Ginevra was being judged by those she had been trying to help… That was betrayal and it broke her heart.
Mustering her strength, the Princess straightened her back, took a deep breath and looked around at her `students'.
"Do you honestly believe I wished this fate to fall upon our heads? Do you actually think that I don't care about your families? Well, surprise, I actually do have a heart!" Ginevra said furiously, although she kept her voice as low as possible. It wouldn't do to start screaming with so many criminals around. "I had never expected this to happen, and I'm so terribly sorry we were betrayed… All of us. Someone must have broke the contract and revealed our secret, that's why the Guards knew where and what to look."
"And the teachers just fled! They left us there, to fend for ourselves…" a short blond woman complained, rubbing her wet cheeks.
"And you may notice that I'm here, among you, willing to be judged for this situation. They are just as innocent as you all are, and I'll make sure none of you remain here for long…" Ginevra replied calmly and then turned around to face the cell bars. She knew she had to do this, but it scared her immensely what would happen from now on.
"Guards." She called loudly, ignoring the whistles coming from the men, in the other cells.
"What do you want, you piece of shit?" one of the Guards spat, as he approached with another colleague. Ginevra chose to ignore the nasty treatment and prepared to speak in her most cool and well-educated tone of voice.
"I demand you call Prince Draco, right now. I need to talk with him…" she requested, nose high in the hair and back as straight as possible.
The Guards laughed for a while, then stopped to look at each other and laughed again.
"The Royal Family has too many things to do, they can't visit traitors in the catacombs, whenever a criminal wants to see them…" one of the Guards commented, still chuckling.
"My name is Ginevra Molly Malfoy, Princess of Birmingham's Kingdom and married to Prince Draco Malfoy. I demand to see my husband, right NOW!" she yelled at last, her chest heaving with her fury and nervousness.
All the men in the catacombs stared at her in shock.
"How can we tell if you're telling the truth?" the Guards asked.
Ginevra extended her left arm and in her hand shone a ring made of platinum, with an emerald surrounded by small diamonds. The ring that Queen Narcissa had passed on to her, several months ago. Ginevra had come to love as much as the wedding band next to it. They both meant a lot, although in different ways.
The Guards appeared to recognize the Royal Jewel, as Queen Narcissa had worn it most of her married life, and immediately opened the cell's door to allow her to leave.
"Forgive us, Milady, we had no idea you had gotten lost in the middle of the confusion… Please, step out of the cell." The Guards said with stricken looks on their faces and sounding extremely nervous.
"No. First of all, I am the responsible for the secret magic lessons, so, you will release all these innocent
women." Ginevra ordered coldly, not taking one single step toward the door.
"We can't. They must be sentenced…"
"Do as I say or there will be consequences!" Ginevra bellowed and they avidly obeyed, allowing every woman to leave. "Once again, I'm sorry I've failed you all."
The women left the catacombs freely, but the Princess remained in the empty cell.
"Now, call my husband and his father…"
This was not the plan she had traced… Things had gone out of her control and power. Her new life would be taken away from her, before her purposes were accomplished.
The Prince arrived much later, Ginevra presumed it was already dark outside as the cell became humid and colder. He looked pale and worried as he gripped the bars separating him from his wife, sitted on the cold stone floor, rolled in a ball to keep herself warm. Her red hair was falling off her bun and her face was tearstained…
He had dreaded this day… He had known it would happen, sooner or later.
Ginevra stood on her feat while the Guard opened the cell and Prince Draco ran to his wife, pulling her into his arms.
"What have you done, Ginevra? How could you risk yourself, this way?" he whispered angrily, although his hands gently caressed her face and hair.
"I needed to do this, Draco… Call me a lunatic, if you want to, but I had to change things. It didn't work, though. Someone betrayed us…" she explained, sobbing violently and holding him as close as possible, trying to enjoy his presence for as long as she could.
"Who's us, Ginevra?" he asked, angrily.
"I can't tell you, Draco, I'm under a secrecy contract." She explained sadly. "But now, they're all safe…"
"Except you! Aren't you the martyr…" Prince Draco sneered coldly, pushing her away from him and started pacing the cell. "First, you meddle with Hogwarts and now, this… Do you enjoy ruining this Kingdom? Do you hate me that much?"
"I'm sorry you interpret it that way…" Ginevra whispered, her heart breaking with sadness and the tears falling down her face. "Please, leave."
The Prince stared at her in shock and worry… He quickly gathered her in his arms once again, but this time, she remained stiff and unresponsive.
"Ginevra…"
"No, Draco, just go." She whispered, returning to her foetal position on the cold floor, her eyes tightly shut as the sobs travelled down her body. Finally he left, leaving her alone… he had no power to set her free, after she had confessed to be the author of the crime of high treason.
It hurt so much to see her in such a situation… He worried about what would become of her, if his father would sentence her like a common criminal. Prince Draco's heart broke to leave his wife behind, sitting in a cold cell, surrounded by common thieves and rapists, but there were no special cells for women in the catacombs. He had tried to convince the Chief Guard to release her under his custody, but he hadn't allowed such thing. There was nothing left to do, now, just wait for his father to set his wife free.
Despite all of the King's precautions to stop the news from spreading, by the next day, the whole kingdom was commenting on the Princess' arrest and the reason why she was in such a situation.
"Damn that stupid girl! She meant trouble right from the start…" the King snapped, throwing the newspaper angrily on the breakfast table.
"Father, please release her and I assure you she'll be kept under watch. Ginevra won't do this, ever again…" Prince Draco pleaded once more, dark circles under his eyes showing his failure to sleep the previous night, worrying over his wife.
"No! Draco, I've told you this last night… She will be sentenced, like any other criminal." The King hissed, before leaving the room in a temper.
The Queen swallowed a sob, but the tears fell down her face at seeing her broken son and imagining Ginevra in the catacomb.
"What will they do to her, Mother?" he mumbled weakly, hands covering his face.
"I don't know, Draco, I don't know."
By order of the King, no one was authorized to visit Ginevra. Not even Prince Draco or the Queen.
For three days, Ginevra remained alone, in that cell, doing nothing, saying nothing, eating nothing… She smelled awfully and her clothes were filthy, but still, she remained silent.
At last, the Guards came to get her and took her to the city's main square, at the same place where the Student's Leaving Party had been held. The street was full of people, staring at her sadly, disappointment etched on their faces.
The Weasleys were near the front, looking broken, while Mrs. Weasley cried and sobbed, at seeing her daughter in such a bad condition. Parvati was crying in Ron's arms…
`At least they got together.' Ginevra smiled sadly and kept on studying the crowd.
Next to the Weasleys, were the Potters and Blaise Zabini, looking very worried. The Royal family was on the stage facing the crowd and the prisoner.
Queen Narcissa had red puffy eyes and her face was showing her apprehension, while Prince Draco sat extremely still, his eyes avoiding her and dark with tiredness. It broke Ginevra's heart to see him so tired and it hurt her even more that he didn't stand to look at her, in the eye.
King Lucius Malfoy looked smug and satisfied to see the girl in the state she was in. His son deserved a better wife than this… creature.
"Ginevra Weasley, you're being accused of treason to the throne. How do you find yourself?" he asked, after placing a Sonorus charm on his throat.
"Guilty." She replied, trying not to faint. She was too weak to stand on her own.
"Very well. As a sentence, your marriage to Prince Draco Malfoy will be annulled. You will go back to the catacombs, where you will remain for two months on water and bread. No visits will be allowed. After that, you will go back to your family's home and stay in home arrest for two years. I can only hope you give up on the silly idea of teaching women to become something they cannot be." The King sneered, disappointed at the lack of reaction from the pale girl. "Understand that this sentence is very light, due to the fact of your connection to my son… Otherwise, you would have remained in the catacombs for several years."
The whole audience remained silent, except for several women's sobs. Ginevra just nodded in understanding and then, dared to face her father-in-law.
"May I say one last thing?" she asked and the King placed a Sonorus charm on her throat.
"Carry on."
"These women are witches, they can do anything a man can, with a wand. Don't let yourselves be forced into a servant's position. You have rights, fight for them!" Ginevra said to the crowd, her voice sounding as weak as she felt.
"Silence! Haven't you done enough, already?" the King spat furiously and removed the spell.
Just as the Guards prepared to take her away, Ginevra finally met her husband's teary eyes. He rose from his seat and came to stand in front of her, remaining silent.
"I hope you'll find a better wife, My Prince." She whispered with a sob and finally cried, when he touched her cheek with affection. "I love you…"
As she confessed her feelings, the Guards pulled her away from him and led her to the catacomb, while Prince Draco remained in the same spot, staring at his wife… the woman who he had learned to love and whom loved him back. Now that they had everything to be happy, she was taken away from him.
"When I chose Ginevra as your bride, I chose her for her temper. I thought she would make my son fight harder to get what he wanted… She would help him mature. I never intended for you to go through this and I never intended to hurt both of you, my dearest." The Queen whispered behind her son, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Will you give up on her?"
"Yes, he will! Your marriage will be dissolved as soon as you find another bride. You have one year to marry, once again… Make sure you find a proper girl, this time." The King warned, dragging his son to a carriage, to go back to the Palace.
Ginevra felt guilty for saying those three words in such a horrible moment. She had always waited for a better time to confess her feelings to her husband, but in the end, the moment never came… She had told him she loved him, precisely when their marriage was condoned to failure.
What hurt the most was that Prince Draco never said one word. It didn't matter if he said good things or bad things, as long as he said something… Ginevra was sure that had been the last time she had seen her husband, and she knew she had two long months ahead of her, suffering for what she had lost.
Nowadays, the Guards allowed her two baths a week and her long hair had been cut by her shoulders, to keep it easier to wash. The meals consisted of water and bread, which she ate, but it wasn't enough to make her weak body recover into its old healthy form.
Probably due to her malnourishment, her menstruation had failed and Ginevra still had four more weeks to go, without a visit to keep her sane. The other prisoners gave up on haunting her after the first few nights and at the moment, they ignored each other. She was just another prisoner…
Her body was too thin and her once tanned skin was now unhealthily pale.
"Milady." A familiar deep voice called, from the other side of the cell bars. Mr. Snape was standing there, looking worried and shocked. "You look awful."
"Thank you, Mr. Snape." Ginevra smiled slightly and stood with some difficulty, grasping the walls for support. "How have you gotten here? I'm not allowed to have visitors."
"I'm not just a visitor, I'm a Potions Master that has a talent for Healing." He replied smugly and then became serious again. "How are you?"
"I miss having company, someone to talk to… I could use a decent bathroom. That bucket isn't very pleasant and I have an audience at all times…" she replied, pointing to her `toilet'. "Thankfully, the Guards have placed a sheet shielding that corner."
Mr. Snape looked worried as he followed her eyes to the curtained corner of the small cell. In his opinion, the girl deserved better than that…
"I'm worried about my family and… Draco." She confessed, approaching the cell bars to talk privately with her visitor.
"I'm sorry you're in such a situation, but you did cause it…" Mr. Snape said in a fatherly tone of voice. "Your family is well, waiting for your return to home. Draco is fine, as well…"
"Has he… found a new wife, yet?" she mumbled, playing with her thin grey dress's sleeves.
"No, but he is looking." He replied. "I came here to run a diagnose on you, to find out which vitamins you're lacking."
"Who sent you here?" Ginevra asked as he moved the wand in front of her, from between the bars.
"The Queen… She has been very upset, since this happened. You know she loves you very much, just like a daughter." Mr. Snape replied and became silent, staring at her in shock. "Milady, you're very malnourished. You'll need special vitamins if you don't want to lose your child…"
"My… child?" she gasped with surprise and covered her mid-section with both hands.
"Yes, you're pregnant… Three months far, I believe." The Potions Master replied, seriously. "You'll need fruit, some meat and a lot of vegetables…"
"Mr. Snape, I'm on bread and water. I can't access those foods."
"You must recover your physical condition, if you don't wish to miscarriage your child." He snapped furiously.
"Maybe it is for the best. The child wouldn't have a father and would be made fun off because of his
mother." Ginevra cried sadly, placing both hands on her belly. "I'm sorry, baby…"
"Don't you dare give up on such an important matter, Ginevra! You have fought for matters that didn't concern you, directly, and now that you have a life growing inside of you, you give up?" he asked, incredulously. "The King must be informed of this, right away!"
"NO! Please, don't do that… If this child does develop healthily, I don't want the King to steal it from me. It's my baby, my link to Draco, and I won't allow the King to raise a cold bastard…" Ginevra pleaded, tears falling down her pale cheeks.
"Make sure you eat what you're brought." Was all Mr. Snape said, before he left the catacombs.
--++--++--++--++--
The Palace wasn't the same without Ginevra in it… The Sitting Room now seemed cold and uncomfortable without her presence on the sofa, reading a book. The meals were silent without her usual chatter…
The sadness was filling the Queen's hearts as well as the heart of her son. The Queen was sure that Prince Draco had learned to love his wife and she felt sorry for him… He had lost his first, and probably only, love, ever.
Queen Narcissa knew what happened to the men arrested in the catacombs, and she feared what would happen in the case of a woman. Worried, she had requested Mr. Snape's services and she was now waiting for his report, sitting in front of the fire, at the Sitting Room.
"Milady…"
"Severus, please, tell me, how is she?" Queen Narcissa pleaded, inviting him to sit next to her.
"She's very weak. I could see her bones through her skin and she's too pale… Ginevra needs fresh air, sunlight and food rich in nutrients, especially now." Mr. Snape replied, rubbing his face with both hands.
"What do you mean, especially now?" the Queen gasped.
"She's pregnant…"
In the corridor, standing behind the open door leading to the Sitting Room, a pair of silver grey eyes widened in shock.
"I'm having a grandchild? Oh, Draco will be so happy!" the Queen grinned widely, tears filling her eyes.
"She doesn't want the Lucius to know… She fears the child will be taken away from her, and she's right. Lucius would raise that child to be the Kingdom's leader, showing no feelings, no emotions, no heart…" Mr. Snape continued, standing up to pace the room.
"Will she allow Draco to meet his child?" the Queen asked, her face going back to showing sadness.
"She has two years to spend at home arrest, and the child will be with her… I doubt Draco will be able to see either of them." He replied, gravely. "I'm not sure about what she wants…"
"I wish I could turn back time and discourage her from carrying on with her ideas… They are suffering when they should be spending time together, loving each other and enjoying the news of the new life they had generated." Queen Narcissa sobbed, using a white linen handkerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Everything happens for a reason, Narcissa… Let things happen and we'll see how everything goes. Maybe fate is reserving their happiness for a later moment."
With that said Mr. Snape left the Palace and went back to Hogwarts. He had already given orders to the Guards, telling them what Ginevra needed to eat and gave them the vitamin potions he wanted her to take. He could only hope she would not miscarriage.
Back at Hogwarts everything was going perfectly well. The girls made the classes much easier to teach, as they applied themselves more to the classes than the boys. As they realised this, they started working more to show off… The result? Never had he given such good grades, in the seventeen years he had taught at Hogwarts.
Ginevra had succeeded in that plan of hers, and she deserved better than being treated like a common criminal. He respected her, he admired her willpower as well as her intelligence.
Mr. Snape could only hope his words to the Queen were true and Ginevra would still have her chance at happiness next to Prince Draco.
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I'm sorry it took such a long time, but my social life has been hectic, lately.
Recently, Fanfiction.net deleted my story so, from now on, you'll only find it here, at Portkey.org.
I only expect to write 1 more chapter, but you never know…
Thank you for your support, your reviews and your patience.
With all my love,
Carina
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