Chapter One
Screams of pain echoed in the dark hallways. Women cried of dead children and lost lovers, whispering their want to live or die between tearful gasps of air. Men, what little men were left, screamed of bone breaking pain that was forced into their bodies night after night, their weak bodies being tortured and damaged, their spirits breaking.
They were noises Draco grew accustomed to at the prisoner camp he was stationed at. His footsteps echoed against the tortured yells. Somewhere he heard a bone break in two, the sound echoing off the stone walls of the dingy fortress. Little light filled the cold halls, the only sources from moonlight peering through barred windows and torches placed on the walls. The smell of blood and filth filled the air, something Draco could never quite get used to when he returned home, his robes reeking of the stench, his pores filled with it. Water dripped from the ceilings; Draco shoes splashed in a small puddle.
He passed a crying woman, pleading to be let out. "Please, sir," she cried at him. "I have three kids. Please, they need me."
Draco walked by without a glance. He walked by a few more cells, randomly hitting doors to startle the captives, before he turned down a hallway and towards a big, black door at the end. He collected himself before he knocked and walked in.
The room was dark except for several lit candles on the floor and the moonlight pouring through two windows. The light shadowed a man in dark robes, outlining his face, though Draco took to looking at the man's shoulder instead. He knew those red eyes too well, and that slit, snake like nose. His stomach turned like it always did when he was in his presence, how looking the man in the face made him want to die a little, something Draco was suspicious of actually happening.
Lord Voldemort stood waiting for him with a satisfied grin on his face. Draco walked up to him and kneeled in front, kissing the hem of his robes, and then a moment of silence passed.
"You have done well, Draco," Voldemort spoke, his tongue hissing like a snake. "You helped capture most of the Order of the Phoenix, and were responsible of finding Harry Potter before I so graciously murdered him. If only your father was alive to witness it all--I know he'd be proud."
Draco did not move. "Thank you, my Lord."
"Tell me, young Malfoy, what can I do to repay you?"
Draco's heart pounded, though he stayed still. He knew that in a blink of an eye, he could have anything he wanted, anything at all he desired. There were no limits that Voldemort reached in rewarding his servants.
Draco stared at the hem of Voldemort's robes. "There is one thing, Lord."
"Stand, Draco, and look at me."
Draco stared at the and taking a breath he stood to his full height. He was several inches taller than Voldemort, but felt tiny next to him. He heisted before he looked into Voldemort's eyes.
Voldemort stared at him before giving a small smile. "I see-you want the prisoner. But why, may I ask, as you're so carefully hiding that information from me."
Draco felt his stomach turn, but his expression did not change. "Surely you've heard of our families hate for one another, Lord. She loathes me more than anything-she'd make a lovely play toy."
Lord Voldemort grinned in a sinister manner. "Yes, she would put up a good fight, but I hope you realize what you'll be dealing with. She already injured three Death Eaters, and that was without a wand, of course."
Draco nodded. "I'm well aware of this-Pansy was one of them-but I believe I can handle her. She won't have a wand, and she'll have an house-elf to keep an eye on her."
Voldemort eyed Draco. "Thought this through, haven't you? I wonder if she's still alive because of your care, Draco."
"I won't deny that my interest wasn't peaked at knowing we had the last remaining Weasley under our control. I hate her and her dead family just as much as I did Potter. Keeping her alive to mourn her loss would serve her more misery than death."
Voldemort grinned, something that looked painful to do. "Spoken like a true Death Eater. If that is what you really want, then go and take her. Ginny Weasley is yours to keep."
Draco nodded. "I thank you, my Lord." He walked out of the moon lit room, and back down the hallway with the cells. When he got to the last one protected by Crabbe and Goyle, he told them to scatter before he stopped at the barred door. He placed his hands on the cool metal, listening to the two men's footsteps echoing away from him. Making sure the hallway was clear, he gazed down at the sleeping redhead on the straw floor.
She was thinner and paler since her days at Hogwarts. Moonlight bathed her in the one windowed room, lightening up her face like an angel. Her red, pouty lips were chapped from dehydration, and her no longer rich hair was filthy and knotted. There was dirt smudged on her freckled cheeks, standing out sharply against the black circles under her closed eyes. She curled up in a ball on the dirty, straw floor, her body shivering under a thin, ragged cloak. Unlike the other cells, she was alone, her roommate dead already, but she lay there as if waiting for death herself.
Ginny's body twitched in her sleep. "Mum," she murmured. "Daddy-where are you?"
Her twenty year old body moved again as her breathing accelerated. "Ron!" her voice now yelled. "Ron!" Her body shifted towards Draco, giving him view of the pink scar on her left wrist. Her breathing settled down after a moment, but she continued to whisper her dead family's names.
Draco watched her whisper the name he hated even since their death. Everyone knew the Weasley family died a month ago, right before the end of the war, their loss affecting the outcome greatly. But what no one knew was where the youngest Weasley was moments before her family's death. Lord Voldemort told Draco in secret that when he went to the Weasley's home the night of their death the plan was to kill them all, but after finding that Ginny was missing, he waited for her to come home where he than captured her. He never said why he didn't just kill her than and there.
Draco watched her a moment longer before he whisked off down the hall and up the stairs towards an office. He barged into the room, slamming the door, and making the three inhabitants jump. Draco's eyes settled on a brunette girl sitting between Crabbe and Goyle.
"Pansy!" Draco barked. "Clean up Weasley. I'd suggest stunning her this time unless you want another black eye."
Pansy pushed back her tea on the table and glared at him. "There's no way I'm touching that filth! You can't-"
"You know perfectly well you have to follow my orders," Draco snapped. "You two," he said to Crabbe and Goyle. "I want you to escort her to Malfoy Manor when she's done--I'll be there waiting. And you know what will happen if you touch her."
The two nodded dumbly, but Pansy continued to glare at him, her eyes so scrunched he could barely see the blue of them. "What's with your obsession with that brat? Keeping these idiots guarding her cell so no one can touch her; giving her more food than the others. Does the Dark Lord know of all her special treatment?"
"The Dark Lord allows me to do whatever I want," Draco said. "And what I want is my own business. I except you to follow orders, Pansy, or you'll have to answer to me."
She stared him down, a look that would make any other male queasy but Draco, before letting out an agitated growl and stormed out of the room. He heard her stomp down the stairs, stirring up a ruckus, and yelled, "Wake up, Weasley!" while banging on the bar door. Draco let out an agitated sigh before he left the room to the Apparation point.
~*~
Ginny walked up a long, stone driveway with Crabbe and Goyle both on her side, neither answering her questions. They were silent since they Side-Apparated her to a large black gate with an M on it where they then whispered their names before the gate opened and let them in. They only touched her when they directed her inside the premises.
"I said," she repeated, "where are you taking me?"
Silence answered her. Ginny ringed her hands in anger, but knew better than to attack someone twice her size. It was too dark out to see her surroundings besides the trees on either side of the stone path. Even the stars and moon were covered by clouds. Off in the distance she heard a trickle of water and a rustle in the trees above their heads.
They continued walking in silence. "And why are you two always standing outside my cell?" she continued to ask, eyeing them accusingly. "I've never seen you two do anything without being told to." She paused, remembering her years at Hogwarts with them, watching the two follow their leader, being commanded like dogs and servants. "If Malfoy wasn't dead, I'd suspect him to be behind all of this."
She saw the two men exchange glances over her head. "Er, Malfoy?" Crabbe asked.
Ginny looked at him, surprised he finally spoke. "Yes, Malfoy-that horrible boy you two flanked around everywhere. Don't tell me you already forgot about him."
Goyle shifted on the other side of her. "How'd you know he was…er…"
"Dead?" Ginny asked. "I saw him with my own eyes. It was a few months before-" Ginny's voice trembled. "Well, he died this past winter, didn't he?"
She heard Crabbe snicker and turned to him in shock. "What are you laughing at?"
Crabbe grinned at her. "And people think we're stupid," he said as the kept on walking.
"Yeah," Goyle said with a chuckle. "At least we don't believe everything we see."
Ginny opened her mouth to question him when she looked ahead and saw their destination.
A large manor loomed out from a distance in front of her. It was beyond huge to Ginny-its large white walls were towering over the evergreen trees in front of it. Long pillars stood on either side of a thirteen foot long double door, and a fountain with lights splashed in the middle of a circle drive. Several lights were on in the manor, lightening it up against the dark sky. Small lanterns were placed in the gardens aligning the front lawn, showering off rose bushes and lilacs. But what peaked her curiosity was the same big M that was on the gate that lay on the middle of the huge door. Who was M?
They reached the front door in no time where Crabbe grabbed a huge knocker in the middle of the M and knocked three times. Ginny stood there in silence. Questions were bottled up in her mind, topped off with an unnerving anxiety, but she did not hold one ounce of fear. With a creak the huge door opened large enough for a house-elf to stick its head out.
"Please, come in," the house-elf squeaked before opening the door and bowing at them. Crabbe and Goyle grabbed each arm and dragged Ginny in, something she thought was a bit unnecessary.
"Not too rough," Goyle muttered. "You know he'll kill us if we leave a bruise."
Crabbe nodded. Ginny's head whipped around to either men. "Who will kill you?" she asked. "Who are you talking about? Tell me, damn you!"
"Temper, temper, Weasley. That will have to go if you expect to live here in peace."
Ginny let out a gasp and looked straight ahead at Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy?" Ginny sputtered, thankful the two men were holding her for she was about to faint in shock. "Malfoy? But…but you're supposed to be dead!"
Draco let out a loud, fake laugh, the other two men copying him. "Now why would you think that?"
"I saw you die!" she yelled. "Harry killed you-I was right there! I saw you go down and everything!"
Draco shook his head. "Do you honestly except the Dark Lord to send his favorite Death Eater out onto battle so early in the war?"
"What do you-"
"That was Zabini-we had him take Polyjuice to fool the Aurors. They were tracking me weeks before I slipped by them."
Ginny stared at him, still in shock and couldn't take it in. It was like seeing someone rise from the dead, someone she wasn't sorry to see gone in the first place. "But why all this?" she asked. "What does you being alive have to do with me?"
Draco let out an ear to ear grin. "You, Weasley, are my prize for finding your dead boyfriend."
Ginny's face dropped at the mention of Harry's name. "I don't understand-"
"I won you, Weasley. The Dark Lord granted me with whatever I wanted, and all I could think about was owning you because I frankly don't think you've suffered enough."
Ginny was barely aware of Crabbe and Goyle letting go of her arms before she sank to the tiled floor on her knees. "You two-leave," Draco snapped at the two men. They left the room with the close of the heavy door.
Ginny continued to kneel, staring at Draco, her eyes hardly blinking. "This is all a joke," she muttered. "You don't want me--you hate me."
"Precisely," Draco said. "I want to be a constant reminder to you of what misery really is. And plus, with the war over and everything, this will keep me entertained."
Ginny shook her head. "You're sick," she whispered. "You're positively mad."
Draco waved her off. "I'm as sane as you are, though I do wonder how that month in prison treated you. Tell me, Weasley, did you enjoy falling asleep to screams of people being tortured?"
Ginny glared at him, and very shakily, she got to her feet. "You're horrible."
Draco smirked. "Thank you. Now, if you please, I'll leave my house-elf Flipsy to look after you. Have a good night." And with that he walked out of the main foyer.
Ginny stared after him, long after he was gone, and barely felt a tug on her dress. "Miss Weasley," squeaked Flipsy. "Miss Weasley, Flipsy has come to show you to your room."
Ginny followed the house-elf up a massive staircase that parted into two separate cases, each opening up a wing. She was in a complete daze-what was going on? Were her legs even moving? She went down the left wing and heard Flipsy speak as if she were far away, and not right in front of her.
"This is the main living corridor, Miss Weasley. Master Malfoy also lives down here."
She barely noticed the rich, green colored walls and the many high, windows, and the high ceiling. There were deep, mahogany doors everywhere, leading off to dozens off rooms. Pictures of moving characters lined the walls, though she didn't bother to see who they contained. She kept on walking until she bumped into Flipsy.
"This is your room, Miss Weasley," the house-elf said before opening up a door.
Ginny was sent into another row of shock-her room was enormous. A big, scarlet bed stood in the middle of her room; it was so huge that there were steps around her bed to get in. Gold curtains hung open on all four sides of the bed, showing numerous matching gold pillows set out perfectly on the comforter. On one of the walls sat a big fireplace with a scarlet couch in front of it, and on another wall was a desk and a bookcase. Through further examination, she found that one doorway led to a walk in closet, that was already filled with feminine clothes, and another led into a private bathroom. Ginny found it was almost a replica to the Prefects bathroom Fred and George showed her. There was a huge tub with dozens of tabs, everything in a white marble. There was even a chandelier.
"This is the second main room of the manor," Flipsy squeaked. "The first is Master Malfoy's room, which is right across from yours. There are a dozen other rooms, each different and unique, a ball room, a library, drawing room, tea room, the kitchens, and much more. Master Malfoy said you're free to use the other rooms of the house, except the last room in the right corridor."
"Why?" Ginny asked, glancing around the room. "What's there?"
"It's his study, Miss."
Ginny merely nodded, seeing no importance to a study. "If that is all, Miss, can I pull out a nightgown and then put you to bed?"
Sleep--that's what Ginny needed most now. She nodded and watched Flipsy run over to the closet and come back with a long, light green nightgown. She refused to let Flipsy change her, though she was suddenly drained, and persuaded the house-elf to leave and that she could tuck herself in.
Ginny climbed up the two stairs to her bed and crawled in, not even bothering to move all the pillows to the side. She just lay there, taking in that she was in her most hated enemy's house, and fell asleep.
~*~
Ginny awoke with the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She blinked her eyes at the sudden ray of light, wondering how much of it could get through her tiny window.
She clenched her eyes together and clutched her ears, waiting to wake up to the daily screams, but it never came. She dimly opened her eyes to red and gold, instead of the bricks of her cell she had grown used to. Then it hit her as hard as a slap on the cheek--she was in Draco Malfoy's house.
She sprawled out of her bed and nearly fell down the two stairs to the floor. She flung open her door and ran down the hallway--past the portraits and the paintings-- and towards the grand staircase. She had to get out, she thought suddenly. She didn't care that she was wandless, barefoot, and in a bed gown--she had to get out of this Manor, and now. It became a need of survival, as if a tiny voice in her head screamed at her to get as far away from Malfoy, that nothing good could come of being in his house. She ran down the steps, her heart skipping a beat at the view of the front door. She ran past the dining room, not noticing that someone was sitting there, and reached out her hand to the door handle. She briefly grasped it before howling in pain and being knocked into the air.
She landed several feet away from the door with a gasp of surprise. She fell on her back, and lay for a moment, staring up at the carved ceiling until she no was no longer dazed. She cupped her red, raw hand, tears leaking down her cheeks.
"You can't get out, Weasley."
Ginny picked up her head at the voice, but didn't see anyone around her. "Who's there?" she yelled, picking herself up.
"In the dining room-come and have breakfast, why don't you?"
Ginny's stomach growled, but ignored it. Food wasn't what she wanted at the moment. She hesitantly walked over to an adjoining room, her bare feet paddling on the cold, tile surface, and poked her head inside to find Draco sitting at the end of a large dining table.
Draco gave her a smirk. "Didn't take you long to figure that one out, did it?"
Ginny glared at him. "What was that?" she yelled, still cupping her hand.
"That," Draco said as he cut his eggs, "is a nifty little charm to make sure you stay inside the house. We don't want you escaping, now do we?"
"Don't talk to me like that! I demand you let me out this instant!"
Draco laughed as he set down his utensils. "Don't you get it, Weasley? You're not going anywhere. As of last night, you're under my control."
Ginny's temper flared. "I'm a person, Malfoy, not some broomstick you can just own."
"You know, you should be more thankful that you're out of that hell hole and living in luxury."
"You're wrong!" Ginny yelled. "I was better off waiting for death to come for me; waking up to blood curling screams everyday…eating scraps of food..."
Her stomach growled at the mention of food and she couldn't help but glance at the sorted amounts of breakfast food laid out on the table. Draco smirked. "Or, you can shut that trap hole for once, and have your first real meal in over a month."
She shook her head, but now her stomach was talking so loud she knew Draco could hear it. "Refusing food isn't going to make me release you," he said as he buttered a piece of toast. "If anything it will make things easier if you're too weak from not eating."
Ginny walked a bit closer to the table and saw her favorite breakfast foods: Apple French toast and bacon, cheese omelets with wheat toast. There was even a tray of buttermilk pancakes with heaps of syrup. And to think, she had been living off of stale bread and broth.
Before she knew it, she sat across the table from Draco and grabbed everything in sight. She shoveled eggs into her mouth, well aware that she looked like a pig, but she didn't care.
Draco scrunched his nose. "At least breathe between bites."
She didn't want to, but she took his advice, knowing she'd have to give her stomach time to adjust to a huge amount of food. The last thing she wanted was to throw up all over the table.
The remainder of breakfast was silent; Ginny was too busy eating to insult Draco, who had been surprisingly quiet. He finished well before her, but he sat there and stared at her--it unnerved her. Once she was satisfied, she pushed her empty plate away, feeling as if she gained five pounds, and looked up at Draco.
"Now that you're finished," Draco said, "I'll give you the rules of you living here."
Ginny opened her mouth in argument but Draco continued. "First, you're not allowed outside. And even if you manage to leave the house, there are wards and security measures all around the manor. You wouldn't get as far as the fountain before you're caught so don't even bother trying.
"Second, the house is yours to explore, except my room and study. I'd suggest you not sneak into those rooms either, or you'll receive another very nasty shock."
Ginny glanced down at her hand that was till red and aching. "How long will this take to heal?"
Draco looked at her hand as well before he stood up and pushed back his chair. Ginny's stomach rose into her throat as he walked towards her, regretting she interrupted him.
"Never mind," she said as he neared, pulling out his wand. "It's really nothing-sorry, go back to the rules." She grimaced when he pointed his wand at her, and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for more pain to come.
But instead of pain, a sudden relief filled her hand. She opened one eye at looked at it. It was white again, and showed no signs of injury. She glanced up at Draco in surprise.
"Let that be a warning," he said as he pocketed his wand. "Next time I'll let you suffer."
She glanced where he placed his wand. "Will you give me my wand back?"
"No, all the prisoners' wands were broken in half."
"So, I'm still a prisoner here."
Draco stared at her in silence. "No, you can be given partial freedom if you cooperate. You're free to do what you want in this house except for those few rules, but only if you understand that I am in charge, and you must listen to me at all times."
Ginny clenched her teeth. She tried to imagine having to take his orders for the rest of her life, voluntarily being peaceful in the same room, but it just didn't seem possible. But she tired to think of fighting with him for years to come, and how tiring and draining it would be. She'd seen his temper before and already knew that their situation would not change. If anything, it would get worse.
"Can I still hate you?"
Draco gave what she thought was a small smile, but it vanished. "I wouldn't want it any other way, Weasley."
~*~
Flipsy drew her a bath after breakfast. Draco announced after their discussion in the dining room that he would be gone all day, and that if she was smart she wouldn't try to escape again. Though her hand was healed, she could still feel the memory of the pain, and wasn't planning on trying that again anytime soon.
After a glorious vanilla and raspberry scented bath, she walked into her closet with a ivory towel wrapped around her thin body. She toyed with her necklace as she looked at the clothes in awe. They were all luxurious, ranging from dress robes to Muggle jeans, and every one of them looked to be her size. She grabbed a long, plain beige dress with thick straps; the bottom fell to the floor when she put it on and found it was comfortable while still showing off her curves. She checked herself out in a floor length mirror; she was a lot thinner than she realized. In fact, this was the first time she had seen her over reflection in a month.
She walked up to the mirror until her close was a centimeter away from it. Her stomach grew heavy at the realization that she didn't look like the Ginny she used to. The fire had died in her eyes; even her freckles have dulled. There were dark circles under her eyes, making her look years older than she really was, and her cheek bones protruded slightly. Sighing, she stepped away and towel dried her hair, annoyed that she couldn't use magic.
She decided to first explore the huge house, wondering what she would find and how long it would take her. She started with the downstairs. Right next to the dining room she found a huge kitchen, but she just had time to glimpse at a large, old fashioned stove before a few house-elves shooed her out of the room. Down the hall from the kitchen was a tea room, elaborated with several tea sets, one indicating it was from Japan. Adjacent to this room was a drawing room, with a piano. Ginny couldn't fight the temptation to play a few select notes.
On the opposite side of the dining room, she found a large, empty room which she suspected as a ball room. It had several chandeliers and long, swooping drapes over the windows. A grand piano and a harp stood in one corner, and a stage was set up right next to it. Ginny gasped as she looked up at the ceiling--there were dozens of stars, despite it being light out.
She tore herself away from the ball room and went down the hall, where she found her next favorite room-a library. Though she was no Hermione, she had always found a passion for reading and she immediately selected a book and nestled into a cozy armchairs.
She didn't stop reading until her stomach growled with hunger, but before she could get up to walk to the kitchens, Flipsy appeared by her side with a tray of soup and sandwiches. "Would Miss care for lunch?"
Ginny greedily took the tray and set it on an end table next to her. She gulped down the delicious, hot soup, thankful that she could have food whenever she wanted. She was halfway through her turkey sandwich when she noticed that Flipsy was still there.
"Er…yes?" Ginny asked.
"Flipsy just wants to know if Miss is enjoying herself."
Ginny suppressed a snort. "Enjoying myself isn't the exact word." She set down her sandwich. "I saw that there are other house-elves here. How come you're the only one that helps me?"
Flipsy grinned. "Flipsy is your own personal house-elf, ma'am."
"Personal? So you'll do whatever I ask for?"
Flipsy nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes, Miss! Flipsy is happy to serve you!"
Ginny sat there, gathering this new information. "Then you could always tell me what I need to know?"
Flipsy kept on nodding. "Flipsy can tell Miss things like where certain books are, and about the secret passage way, and-"
"And why Malfoy is keeping me here?"
Flipsy stopped nodding. "Oh no, Miss. Flipsy can not tell you that."
"But you're supposed to tell me…"
"Master Malfoy is my master, Miss, and he forbade me to talk about it."
Ginny's face lit up. "So there's something there to talk about!"
Flipsy's face fell. "No, Miss! Flipsy-". The house-elf paused, growing panicked, and grabbed Ginny's book off her lap and hit herself on the head.
"Don't do that!" Ginny cried as she reached down and snatched the book back. "I'm sorry-you're right, we shouldn't talk about it."
Flipsy panted. "Flipsy is sorry if I upset Miss-Flipsy had to punish herself."
All Ginny could do was nod her head once. She felt horrible trying to use the house-elf like that. She pushed the half eaten food back to Flipsy. "I'm suddenly not very hungry anymore." She picked up her book and pretended to read until she heard Flipsy disappear.
Ginny stood at the pages, her eyes not moving. Draco had told her last night that she was a prize, but why her? She wouldn't put it past him to enjoy making her life miserable, but enough to want to live in the same house? And one day in the house and she was already more comfortable in the house than the prison--surely that couldn't be apart of his plan. Her eyes widened--unless he wanted to make it seem that she would have an easier life, and just when she got her hopes up, he smashed them back down. Yes, that would be a very Slytherin thing to do. No, she decided, she wouldn't give him any advantage of cooperating.
It stared to grow dark outside, but she continued to sit in her chair. Her eyes slowly scanned the page; they were growing heavy. She blinked several times, fighting a yawn, and nestled more into the chair, her head resting on the back. Just a few more pages and then she would rest her eyes for a bit…
She was dreaming she was on a broomstick, soaring over Hogwart's Quidditch field. The sun had just set over the Forbidden Forest, basking the green grass in twilight. She let out a smile as she made a daring loop; this was her favorite time to fly. She spun and practiced moves until it grew dark out, but she made no move to go back inside. She just finished a lap around the field when she noticed someone standing on the ground, staring up at her with a broomstick in their hand. She had a sudden pang of aggravation--someone else was stealing her alone time. Before she had time to tell them to bugger off, they got on their broom and flew up to the opposite side of the field.
She was annoyed, but curious at whom it was, and flew towards them. She would just get with in distance when they would speed away from her. Ginny stopped, stumped, and followed them. So they wanted to play a game, did they?
Ginny was a good flyer, but this person was noticeably better. They continued to out fly her and the more Ginny chased, the farther away they flew. She let out an aggravated groan--curiosity was killing her and this person wouldn't let up.
"Will you just stop already?" she yelled. She heard a deep laugh-the person was male. She hastily leaned forward on her room to speed dive him, but misjudged her strength and went flying off the broom.
She was falling through the dark sky, her screams echoing between the stands. She saw the male flyer speeding towards her, but he was too far away--he couldn't reach her in time. She was falling…falling…
She landed softly in a dark room with one barred window--she was back in her cell. Hermione was staring at her with tears in her eyes, her dirty face lit up by the moonlight.
"Whatever you do, Ginny, you have to get out of here alive. You have to. They won't kill you--you're a Pureblood."
Ginny felt wetness on her cheeks--she was crying. "You won't die, Hermione. You're too smart. They-"
"They see me as a threat," she said with a gentle smile. "Don't be sad, Ginny. Death will set me free. But you--you still have more waiting for you. I know it."
Ginny woke up with a sharp breath, bolting up right and knocking her book to the ground. She placed her trembling hand over her racing heart, trying to calm herself.
"Miss! Miss!"
Ginny jumped at the house-elf next to her. "You scared me, Flispy!"
"Flipsy is sorry, Miss, but you're late!"
Ginny stared at the elf in puzzlement. "Late for what?"
"Dinner, Miss! Master isn't happy, Miss. You should hurry down to the dining room!"
Ginny didn't understand why the house-elf was panicking. She took her time walking down the hall to the dining room, though the house-elf tried to drag her forward by grabbing onto her dress. Her dream slipped away from her mind, and she thought of how Draco acted towards her earlier that day. Surely someone who had healed her wound wouldn't mind if she was late for dinner.
She entered the dining room where candles were lit in the middle of the table. A glazed ham stood on a large, porcelain dinner plate, amongst salads and mashed potatoes. She went to sit down when she stopped at sight of Draco. His red wine was already half gone, and his face was completely blank, though his eyes narrowed at her. He set his napkin on his lap and nodded his head towards her empty chair, which she took after a moment.
Only the clangs of silverware against the dishes filled the otherwise empty room. Ginny watched Draco drain the rest of his wine before it filled up by itself. There was food on his plate, but he did not touch it.
The silence brought on horrible tension that made Ginny squirm. She pushed her long hair out of her face. "I fell asleep in the library." She was careful not to apologize, because she wasn't sorry at all that she made him angry, but she felt a need to say something.
Draco set down his wine glass. His cheeks had a pink tint to them. "You are to be at dinner on time every night. Is that understood?"
Ginny set down the spoon in the mashed potatoes. "I said I fell asleep."
"I don't bloody care if a house plant is strangling you--you're to be on time. I have more important things to do than wait for you. It's rude making me wait."
Ginny laughed. "Yes, and you're not being rude to me at all! I don't know what the hell is up your butt, but don't-"
Draco came at her so fast that Ginny didn't have time to react. He grabbed her shoulders and roughly pushed her against the wall, her body pinned by his. She could smell wine off his breath, and glanced up into his eyes, which narrowed at her.
"I'd watch yourself, Weasley," he growled. "You don't want to make me lose my temper."
Ginny couldn't help but whimper. If this wasn't his temper, then what was? His angered state seemed different than earlier that day. "Get off, Malfoy, you're hurting me."
Draco gave her a sinister grin and pressed further into her. "What's wrong, Weasley? Don't tell me you don't like this." He grabbed her hands from pushing him off and held them against the wall on either side of her head.
Ginny refused to let out a cry of shock as he pushed something hard into her stomach, and knowing where he kept his wand, she knew that wasn't it. Draco glanced at her round eyes and smiled again.
"Feel that, Weasley? See what happens when you make me angry?"
Ginny glared at him. "You're drunk, Malfoy. Get off me!"
"You should be thankful I find you disgusting and won't do anything to you," he growled. "Any other Death Eater would have loved to tie you up and show you what it pays to be a blood traitor."
"Fuck you," she yelled. "I knew that's why you brought me here. You want to torture me, don't you? Couldn't pass up having your enemy under constant watch, could you?"
Draco's smiled dropped, but he took some pressure off her. "Well, aren't you clever? Yes, the Dark Lord also agreed with me that there are more, better ways to torture someone."
Ginny glared at him. "You're disgusting," she said between clenched teeth. "You get off on making me miserable."
Draco rubbed himself into her. "It appears so." He let go of her wrists and stepped away from her. "Don't talk back to me again, or I'll show you what happens when you really piss me off."
Ginny watched him leave the dining room without another word, and only after he was gone did she fall to her knees. She placed her head in her trembling hands, feeling more dirty than scared.
~*~
Hello my readers! I am back again, and as promised, this time with a novel length story! I do hope you enjoy it. I can not promise how often I can put chapters out. I'm halfway through writing the story now, but school starts soon as does my new job at a newspaper. Plus, I'm writing my own novel, so it goes to say I won't have a lot of free time.
I started writing this several months ago, and apologize if this idea has already been done. I have been out of the fandom world for a bit and don't know if this idea has been tossed around or not. I assure you my idea is very original and will have a big twist.
I am looking for someone to edit my chapters. I try to do the editing myself, but by time I miss a thing or two. I would like to ask for someone with experience, either in editing another story before, or maybe you've taken special editing classes in school. If interested, email me at Londonism21@yahoo.com
Also, for those who have read "Witch Wish" by me, a group called Fiction Cast did are doing a pod cast show covering that story. A group of talented readers voice out the story-its very exciting (for me at least) and everyone should check it out. They've only done one half of the story so far but it should be completed soon. Here is the website:
http://musecast.co.uk/fictioncast/
Just go to SHOWS and I'm the second one. But check out the other one as well and make sure to comment on their work-they did a great job.
Enough from me. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and don't hesitate to leave a review!!
Liz21