AN: Prepare for the big change. This chapter is vastly different from the others. Major plot factors are unveiled. Bet you didn't see this coming! -he he- But damn, if I could sell Draco's I'd have more money than God!
---Chapter Eight---
The Chapter With No Title
She half ran half hobbled through the corridor. One hand was on her thigh and the other across her chest on her arm, both trying to stem the flow of blood. The pain in her ankle was growing worse, but she needed to keep running. If she was caught, she would die.
'Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit…' she thought. She didn't have time.
Turning the corner sharply, she slammed into a hard chest. She didn't fall; two strong arms wound their way around her middle. She closed her eyes tightly as one hand moved to her hood, preparing herself for the end, even though she could never be prepared. Moving her hand slowly to her knife, she gripped the handle hard, not knowing if she would be able to defend herself. An injured person had little chance in situations like these. As the hood fell back, her eyes snapped open and she lifted her undamaged arm and aimed for her opponent's chest. He let her go and moved quickly, turning to the side so the knife only ripped through the flesh on his arm.
'Well, that looks painful,' she thought dazedly as she struggled to regain her balance. She was beginning to feel faint from her wounds and loss of blood.
The Death Eater quickly pulled back his hood before she could strike again.
"Ginny?" a weak voice asked her in astonishment. Ginny found herself looking at the pale, pointed and very handsome face of Draco Malfoy. His silver eyes were filled with pain, confusion and concern. The first feeling Ginny had was one of great relief. The second was anger at herself and concern for him. The third was betrayal.
"What are you doing here Draco?"
He looked at her, eyes wide with amazement. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"
Ginny sighed, knowing that they could not do this here. She looked at the man she had been seeing regularly for the past few weeks and decided she would take her chances with trusting him. Softly, she said, "Draco, can you help me get out of here?" she nodded at his arm as she added, "I think we both need a Medi-Wizard."
He looked down at his wet hands and was bewildered to see the blood that covered them. It wasn't his blood. It had not quite hit him yet what was going on.
He looked at her stonily as he said, "Ginny, I'm going to get you to the apparitions point outside. Can you walk there or…" he trailed off as he watched her face tighten with pain, as she began to go limp.
"I guess not," he said. Taking out his wand, he preformed a spell to make her lighter. Lifting her into his arms, and wincing at the pain it caused him, he began to run down the corridor. It took five minutes to reach the outer walls, and by then Draco was sweating profusely. Not out of the great amount of running he had just accomplished, but the amount of blood he could feel absorbed into her cloak. Out of the worry he was feeling for this woman who kept changing his life.
He apperated to his Manor quickly, calling for a house elf. His former Professor, Serveus Snape arrived within minutes.
**
Snape watched the couple carefully as he entered the medium-sized room. He noticed right away how Draco's feelings had not changed for the red head. His suspicions where almost confirmed and this was the perfect time to test them.
As he headed towards the bed where the girl-Weasley lay, Draco raised his head from where he was resting it and nodded at him. The Malfoy heir, now head of the family, had always had good manners. They were not overly friendly, but very mature and respectful. His etiquette had been like that for as long as Serveus could remember, at least when he chose to exercise it.
When he reached the large bed, he asked Draco what had happened. Snape did not miss the hesitation in Draco's voice. It was by this that he knew Draco was telling the truth.
Draco gave him a very simplified version of what had happened. He left out why he had been at the Lestrange's, as well as why Ginny was there. He remembered suddenly that he didn't know what Ginny had been doing there.
Deciding he would burn that bridge once he crossed it, he asked his old professor about Ginny's condition.
"She's suffered major blood loss. You're lucky you called me when you did, Draco. Now let me have a look at you."
Draco was reluctant to let Snape near his arm. Reminding himself he had nothing to fear from the man he had known since childhood, he tried to relax. But Draco retained the niggling suspicion that his godfather was up to something.
"I'm going to take a vial of blood, Draco. It might hurt a bit." Snape told Draco.
"Why?"
Snape looked at his former pupil in annoyance. "Don't be silly, Draco. We don't know if the dagger was charmed or poisoned, as the owner is…unable to answer any questions. And after being at the Lestrange's, we can't be too careful, what with all the damn curses around that god-forsaken place."
Later, as Snape left, he patted the two vials that held the blood of two people entangled in more than they could handle. He had the sneaking suspicion that in those two glass tubes would be the answer to centuries of waiting.
**
When Ginny woke, she found Draco asleep on the chair near the bed she found herself in. Unsure of what to think of her, well, boyfriend, she was silent for a long time. Funny how I haven't actually started thinking of him as my boyfriend yet. I might not get the chance, either, if he was involved in what it looked like he was involved in. I cannot jump to conclusions. Look where it got me last time. Let him explain before you freak out. She lay back on the bed, stared at the ceiling and closed her eyes briefly.
When she opened them again, she found Draco looking at her with conflicting emotions on his face. I hate it when you fall asleep like that. You blink and BOOM! You're late for work.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," she replied. There was a pause. These damn silences never leave me the hell alone. It's a conspiracy, I swear.
"You know," Draco began, "avoiding touchy subjects might be considered a major flaw in our relationship."
Ginny looked at him, a smile dancing in her eyes. "And where ever did you get such ideas, Malfoy?"
Draco waved at her dismissively and said in a lofty voice, "Didn't you know that I'm omnipotent? The all-powerful Draco Malfoy. It's a genetic thing."
"All powerful. Really?" Ginny replied dryly, her eyes rolling.
Draco sighed. "I suppose you'll want to know why I was at the Lestrange's."
Ginny narrowed her eyes slightly at the quick subject change and resignation in his voice. "Yes. I suppose." Assumptions make an ass out of you and me. Assumptions make an ass out of you and me. Stop it, Ginny!
"Well, I'm not a Death Eater, nor am I involved in any underhanded scheme your Gryffindor mind has undoubtedly cooked up."
"Then why were you there, smart ass?" Ginny asked him suspiciously, still consciously stopping herself from jumping to conclusions.
"If you must know, I have been trying to sell my fathers…more questionable possessions to those I can make profit from. And before you ask, yes, I have already handed over the dangerous ones to the ministry."
"You could have sold those in Knockturn Alley. You're lying."
"You know what I want to know Ginny?" Draco said, his voice lowering with the beginnings of anger. "How is it that a young woman working in the Magical Creatures department can pick up a lie a mile away? In fact, how is that young woman working there at all? I happen to remember you graduating with some of the highest N.E.W.T's in decades. You were best at potions, charms, and DADA. How is it that a brilliant student, even if she was an ignored Weasley, just got am obscure job dealing with something she was never really interested in?" Draco was growing angrier as he spoke.
"Let's look at this closely, shall we? More questions are there to be asked. How is it that a minor Ministry worker knows how to handle a knife expertly? In fact, what was she doing wandering around a Death Eater's mansion, bleeding and injured?"
"Draco-"
"What has this little, underpaid employee of a small division of the MOM doing strolling around the Lestrange Manor, nearly getting herself FUCKING KILLED?!" By this time, Draco's voice began to escalate to high volumes. He was flushed and pale with anger all at once, and looking incredibly sexy.
"So before we go and examine Lucius Malfoy's son, why don't we take a look at the littlest Weasley, who thinks she can just roam around fucking dangerous places, not knowing that she was damn lucky that the person who found her was the very person who would never hurt her? Why are you so fucking stupid, Weasley?" He took a deep breath and continued. "Can't you see what's right in front of you? Didn't you think? Don't you know how much BLOODY FUCKING DANGER YOU WERE IN?!"
Ginny looked at him, grabbed him around the neck, and kissed him hard. He resisted at first, but soon deepened the kiss and began to press into her in earnest. He climbed on top of her and ran his hand slowly down the side of her body. Then he hit her hurt arm slightly, and Ginny let out a small hiss of pain. Draco jumped off her like he was on fire.
"SHIT!"
"Why did you do that? You didn't hurt me!" Ginny cried, hurt at his reaction. What is it about him and anger that just makes my knees go weak and my stomach twist?
"You never answered my question! Why were at the bloody Lestrange's?" Draco demanded loudly, running his hand sexily through his hair for the millionth time that minute.
Ginny fell back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "It's complicated."
"No. It really isn't."
"I don't work for the Magical Creatures Department." Ginny said tiredly.
"That is a given. Who do you really work for?"
"I'm an Unspeakable." Ginny whispered.
"What?" Draco was totally shocked. Okay, I didn't expect that. Really didn't.
"And I reserve the right to obliviate you if I have any reason not to trust you with that incredibly important tidbit of information. Understood?"
He could only nod dumbly.
After a few moments of silence, Ginny asked quietly, "So why were you there?"
It took Draco a couple attempts to find his voice. "It's complicated."
Ginny's face broke into a smile. "No. It really isn't."
"Damn," Draco said, his shock fading. "Well…I had to find someone."
"Who? And why?"
Draco's eyes darkened dangerously. "I had some unfinished business with Crabbe."
**
Later, after Ginny had felt well enough for Draco to take her home, he lay on his bed. It wasn't a lie, he told his guilty conscience. I do have some unfinished business with that bastard. That just wasn't the reason I was there. It wasn't important. She wouldn't understand anyway. She would never understand Malfoy family bonds; she's not of an old family. I was protecting her from learning about things that would hurt her, that's all. But damn, I'll have to be really careful around her. An Unspeakable. Who would have thought?
AN: HA! Bet you didn't see that coming! At least, I hope you didn't. I didn't hint to it at all. So if you knew, you have freaky mind powers. Anyway, that was a large part of the story. Pay attention to all the little things, they all make up to make a whole. The real plot will be woven into the sub plots, so look out! Just a heads-up. Hope I wasn't too obvious there. As some of you might have noticed, chapters are coming slower now. Sorry about that, but…I'm hoping I can take the extra time to make the chapters less crappy. And I actually will do that for the next chapter. I might just re-write the whole thing, but I don't think I've got there yet. PLEASE review. I'm addicted. Feed me.
Until next time,
Wrong-Turn24