Coeur Corrompu
Chapter Fifteen
O no, I see,
I spun a web it's tangled up with me,
And I lost my head,
The thought of all the stupid things I said,
O no what's this?
A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle,
I turned to run,
The thought of all the stupid things I've done,
I never meant to cause you trouble,
And I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,
O no, I never meant to do you harm.
O no I see,
A spider web and it's me in the middle,
So I twist and turn,
Here I am in love in a bubble,
Singing, I never meant to cause you trouble,
I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,
Although I never meant to do you harm.
They spun a web for me,
They spun a web for me,
They spun a web for me.
Coldplay - Trouble
Ginny read over the newspaper article again in disbelief. Closing her eyes, she opened them again. The print still hadn't changed. Her still photo still smiled up from the dirty newspapers page. No matter how she looked at it or where, it still said the same. It was strange to see her own name in a Muggle newspaper and there was something about it that didn't seem quite right. Draco though was reluctant to answer her unspoken questions. In fact Draco was reluctant to speak at all, and this added to her discomfort over the situation.
Taking a deep breath she began to organise her thoughts in a logical list.
A couple of weeks ago she had been approached by Draco Malfoy for help. Her own curiosity and need to show how good she really was drove her to not tell her co-workers what she was doing. Having interviewed many people she smelt a rat in the system - Draco Malfoy had been an Auror and double spy. This helping had led to her being attacked in her own home by a man who looked like Draco. The real man had appeared and killed the false one. He had told her it was dangerous for her to remain there and insisted she came with him to his hideaway home. Now there she felt safer but at the same time had the sinking feeling she wasn't. Draco was being chased after by both the Ministry and the Death Eaters. The Ministry wanted him for questioning into the disappearances into some Dark Lords believing him to be a vital key. The Death Eaters wanted him because he knew too much. They wanted vengeance for their betrayal.
Now though there was a new twist. Someone had informed the Muggle press that she had been kidnapped. She wasn't entirely sure why but she had her suspicions. With little knowledge of the world she was in except for the basics, she was unsure of what to make of the situation.
Looking up from the paper her eyes fell upon Draco again. He was pacing back and forth the small kitchen, his head held low and his lips murmuring curses she couldn't quite hear. His hair had fallen in front of his face but he didn't seem to care. He seemed in a world of his own from where she sat at the kitchen table.
`I don't understand,' she said for what seemed the hundredth time.
He stopped pacing and turned to face her, his look darkened with anger. It was difficult for her not to flinch under that gaze. In fact it had been difficult since she woke up to function normally while he was in the room. Her hand itched to slap the smirk off his face and her lips begged to brush against his. It was infuriating the way he made her feel.
`I don't understand,' she repeated slowly and with a hint of anger. Ginny was not in the mood for playing stupid mind games. It had been a hard morning and he wasn't making it any better by being silent.
`Well you wouldn't would you Weasley,' he said snidely, his whole face contorting into the boy she remembered from school. `If the whole bloody world were collapsing you wouldn't understand without precious Potter to tell you the answer.'
`Shut up Malfoy!' she shouted, her patience snapping like an elastic band. `I've been taking your crap for two weeks now and I didn't ask for all of this crap. The least you could do is have the decency to explain what the hell is happening to me!'
`You know what they say Weasley. Can't stand the heat get out of the fire.' With that he turned away from her and began to busy himself making a cup of coffee. Every time they argued he would busy himself with something else, she had noticed. It made her angry that he wasn't concentrating on her.
She looked down at her hands and noticed they were clenched up in fists of anger. Why did he have to do this to her? All he had to do was explain to her why she was in a Muggle newspaper. It didn't really seem that hard a task to her. He was being immature as per usual but this time she wasn't going to stand for it. Rising from the table, she walked over to him and stood close by.
`Tell me why my picture is in the newspaper Draco, or else I'll…'
`You'll what Weasley?' he said softly, still not looking at her. `Turn me in to the police? Tell Potter that I came onto you so he'll beat me up? Or maybe you'll just scream and stamp your foot until you get what you want. Oh by the way Ginny what exactly is it you want from me?'
With that final question he looked at her. For a second all her thoughts seemed to cease and her heart began to race in excitement. It wasn't exactly a question that should be part of this conversation. Had he wanted to know, shouldn't he have asked when she had confronted him before? Maybe he was just trying to stop her train of though. Well it had worked. Her train of thought had completely derailed and started going back over covered ground.
`I want you,' she said simply.
Draco regarded her in silence as if waiting for the rest of her sentence. She had considered not telling him the obvious, but it seemed to just blurt out of her mouth. Not in the voice of a bumbling fool, much to her surprise, but someone who knew exactly what she wanted. It was strange to her. Even with Harry she would never have had the confidence to say something with so many insinuations. She just hoped he didn't take it the wrong way and try drag her to bed. Not that she'd mind.
`Is that all Weasley? I thought you had questions about that,' he gestured to the newspaper on the paper. `You always seem to be full of questions and yet you say that all you want from me is me. I think you're more confused then I am, and that's a hell of a lot.'
Ginny looked away from his accusing gaze, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid for saying what she was thinking. What on earth had possessed her? She reprimanded herself inwardly and felt a blush growing on her cheeks.
`You're picture is in the newspaper because they want to find you,' he said in a harsh whisper. `They want to scare you - make you go to them and confess everything. They know that I'm hiding out here with Muggles and they know that if they make it out that I've taken you by force that I will be spotted and reported to the police. Even if they can't find me, they think they can find you. By finding you they hope to get to me. By finding you they will torture you until they get what they want.'
Each word sunk in slowly. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to get a clear cut answer. Draco had a habit of being a little too much to the point. Now she was scared, and the fact that she was scared made her more scared.
`Who?'
`The Ministry are the only ones who would do something so open and public. Death Eaters have more unorthodox methods as you should already know from your experiences at your house,' he said calmly as he continued to watch her. `Muggles, like wizards, thrive on crime. They go out of their way to make sure it doesn't happen. By saying I am a known murderer who has not been brought to justice is their scare tactic. They are assuming you don't know my dark past. I assume they have used their character profile of me to determine that I very rarely trust anyone.'
`Oh…'
Foolish was how she felt for not having realised this before. He probably thought she was stupid now. He was probably wondering how on earth she managed to become a researcher for Auror's. She obviously didn't have the intelligence to find the answers on her own. Merlin she hated it when he was right. What had she been thinking when she decided to take the job offered to her? This wasn't what she had envisioned her life becoming.
In her mind she had seen herself with Harry standing in a small garden. Around the garden was a white picket fence which kept her safe from the rest of the world. Harry would be smiling down at her as she cradled their child in her arms. It had seemed so perfect in her mind. In reality though, Harry had accepted a job in another country without even asking her to join him. He may have thought it to be noble, but she would have done anything for him then. She would have died for him.
`Ginny,' he said calmly as he moved her chin so she was looking at him. `I'm sorry. You can't stay here anymore. You can't…be with me.'
She nodded a couple of times feeling completely separate from her body. This was not ok. It was far from ok in fact. Ginny wanted to be with Draco because its where she felt safe. She didn't want to leave him knowing that she would probably never see him again. He was dead to the world and soon enough he would be dead to her once again. There would be no more darkness and mystery. She would go back to her boring job, forgetting everything that has happened.
`If I can get you out to Whitby, you should be able to disapparate from there…' he said slowly as his mind worked over the plan. `No that would be too dangerous. They would take you the minute they picked up your scent.'
`What would happen if I stayed here with you?' she asked quietly.
`Bob is a good man. As much as he wants to believe me, he'll go to the police eventually. Especially if he thinks I'm a murderer.'
`But your name isn't even mentioned in the article!' she said indignantly. `It's not your picture that's sprawled across the front page.'
He looked at her and lightly brushed her cheek with his hand. The way he was acting was so tragic from the view of Ginny. It was as if he were preparing to say goodbye to her that very moment. She leant her head into his touch and closed her eyes. If it had not been for the situation this would have been a perfect moment.
`He saw you. No matter how much he thought you are really my fiancée, he has seen you and will have to act. Any man would do it. I estimate that we have the rest of the day before the police make a move and the Ministry are informed. I can't let them take me and I defiantly can't let them take you.' His voice was slow and warm making her feel funny inside.
`Why not just put you're picture in the newspaper? Wouldn't it have been easier for them to find you when they first wanted you?' she said in a hushed tone.
`I'm a Malfoy with Auror training under my belt. I can disappear in the crowd with a quick spell and become a different person,' he paused, `At least that's the theory.'
`What are we going to do then?'
Slowly he drew her into an embrace. His arms held her impossibly close and his chin rested against the top of her head. Closing her eyes she could almost imagine the scene. Gently she nuzzled into him, enjoying the warmth and smell he presented. It was comforting to be there even though he had told her all the things he had done. When she thought of him it wasn't a murderer she saw. It was a man who was working with what he had.
`I need you to make me a promise,' he whispered into her hair. It sounded as if he was scared to speak, but that couldn't be possible. What did he have to worry about?
`Anything,' she said sincerely.
`Do everything I tell you to do without a fight. Don't ask me questions until I'm ready to answer them.'
`But…'
`Just promise me this one thing.'
`Alright, I will.'
He released her from the hug and brought his hands up to frame her face. The pads of his thumbs rubbed gently over her cheeks. It seemed so final and intimate that Ginny didn't want this moment to stop. He was finally acting the way she wanted him to, but only now they were going to be separated.
`Go upstairs and pack your things. Don't leave anything of yours behind that you care about. Make sure you are wearing something flexible and comfortable - It's going to be a long journey. Then I want you to write a letter to…to Potter. Tell him you're safe and that I am going to take you to Kings Cross station. There I will let you go on the promise that no one makes any attempt to follow me.' Draco said slowly as if talking to a small child.
`But that would imply that I was kidnapped!' she searched his face with a frown. `Why would you want me to do that?'
`No questions.'
`Please…just this one…Tell me why you want me to make out you kidnapped me!' she sounded desperate and in all truth she was. She didn't want them thinking badly of Draco even though they probably already did.
`How do you think they'd react if they knew you had come of your free will? They aren't exactly going to be happy that you went behind their backs. They hate me. Their job is to hunt me down and take me in for questioning,' he paused. `You will be regarded as untrustworthy if it looks like you were helping the bad guy. I don't want to have ruined your life.'
Ginny nodded again. It was all she could think of doing.
`Potter will come to the station and you will be waiting as promised. I'm going to give you a letter. You won't open it, understand? You will hand it over to Potter and tell him that he must follow the instructions inside. From there you must promise to do everything Potter asks of you. If he tells you to go to the Ministry, you will. There you will tell them that I took you against your will. They will believe you because they know who I am.'
Another nod shook her head.
`Do not try contact me. Do not try finding me. I will be gone.'
`I don't want to go…' she whispered.
`You will though because you have to. If you stay with me you will be taken by one or the other. Better to have Potter safeguarding you.'
`I don't want to go with Harry,' she stated simply. `I want to be with you.'
`We can't all have what we want, however much we want it,' he soothed calmly.
`Do you want me to go?' she asked in a shaky voice that showed everything she was feeling - all the fear and anger along with the pain and loss.
`No,' he whispered.
`Ok,' she replied in the same whisper.
Slowly he moved his head down to hers and kissed her lips ever so gently. Automatically she returned the kiss. It was bitter sweet to the touch. The first time they admit wanting each other and they have to be split apart. It had taken the knowledge of loss to being them together and now she wished for the entire world that she had just kissed him when she had first wanted to.
Moments later and he had brought her close to him, his hands wandering over her curves, yet holding her protectively at the same time. Their lips moved over each others as she snaked her arms round his neck and held on to him.
`The first cut is always the deepest,' he murmured against her lips.