Title: Luna Soleil
Author: Samantha Riddle aka Slytherish
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Oh, and it has some Order of the Phoenix Spoilers.
Summary: Ginny Weasley is captured by Death Eaters after an attack on the Ministry. What does Lord Voldemort want from her, and what does it have to do with that cold night in her first year at Hogwarts School? What happens when Ginny falls in love, and can't decide between her family and the one she loves so dearly?
Notes: Okay I'm sorry this took me forever to post. I've been very busy. I hope this makes up for it, its longer then my last chapters. The other chapters are all 4 full pages, plus a paragraph or two extra. This page is an entire five pages and a sentence. So, hopefully this will make up for my delay? Hopefully? Well, just in case it doesn't, I'll start wrting the next chapter as soon as I post this. Will that make up for it? ^.^
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Chapter Seven: And The Sun Wins Again
"Miss Weasley... how have you been fairing since we last talked?"
Ginny looked up at Voldemort's cruel face, and her eyes met his own. Automatically they began to water, and she had to force herself to look away. She didn't trust herself to open her mouth. Voldemort was smirking as he reached a spider-like hand forward and titled her chin upward so she was looking at him again.
"I asked you a question Ginny," He said softly.
"Fine," Ginny snarled, she pulled her chin away. For a brief second Ginny was sure he was going to hit her, but he didn't. In fact the expression on his evil face was hard to decode.
"Like I said last time we spoke, you are stronger then I thought. However, I will show you when it is necessary to be strong, and when you know your place." Ginny realised for the first time that his wand was out, and pointed carefully at her heart. She closed her eyes for a breif second and then opened them again, it seemed he wasn't going to torture her after all.
"Pull up your left sleeve Ginny," Voldemort continued, turning away from her and picking something up behind him. Ginny trembled, her right hand touching the bottom of her left sleeve. She looked down at the dirty robes and then back up at Voldemort. "Now." He commanded, a touch of impatience in his voice.
Ginny slowly began to bring up the sleeve, realising she didn't have much choice in the matter. Feeling as if she was moving too slowly, Ginny suspected, Voldemort reached down and pulled the sleeve the rest of the way up himself. He stopped once the entire length of her sleeve was up on her shoulder. Ginny looked down at her bare arm and felt sick.
As if she was revisiting a past life, she remembered the few times she had learned about Voldemort's Dark Mark. Her father had told her about it when she was younger, and the Dumbledore's Army group that Harry, Ron and Hermione had started had touched upon the subject. Ginny remembered even hearing the Order discuss it once or twice. Her eyes wide, she looked up at Voldemort.
The Dark Mark was an ugly skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, and its brand on your skin was what connected you with the Dark Lord. It was used to scare non-supporters, and was put over the the dead bodies of those the Death Eaters, and Lord Voldemort killed. Every one of his Death Eaters had one, and it could not be removed. That was all Ginny knew, but she was already beginning to realise there could be much more to the brand then what she had learned.
"W..what are you going to do?" She whispered, her voice shaking.
"Scared Ginny?" Voldemort asked, a long pale finger going down her left forearm, as if measuring it out for the proper size of a Dark Mark. When she didn't answer he sneered, very much amused. "You know what I am going to do."
She did indeed, and her heart began to pound in her chest, goosebumps covering every inch of the arm that was in his hand. She wanted to cry and run away, as far as she could before he put that hideious mark on her body. She was scared- scared out of her mind.
Voldemort put the palm of his hand on her forearm, right in the center. Ginny recoiled slightly, and started to pull away. As if he was expecting this, Voldemort looked over to where Draco Malfoy was waiting in the shadows, by the door. He called him over swiftly and asked him to hold her still. Ginny hadn't removed her eyes from Voldemort's hand on her forearm, but felt Draco put his hands on her shoulders.
"Hold still," Voldemort told her coldly, "This is going to hurt."
Ginny would have commented about how blunt Voldemort was being if she hadn't been frozen in fear. Voldemort let go of her forarm, and put his wand to his palm. He whispered something Ginny didn't hear and the replica of the Dark Mark appeared on his palm, only this one was not a brand, but looked like it was cut into his skin. Her eyes widened, as blood leaked through the cuts that made up the mark. Voldemort dumped his hand into a black substance behind him and then immediately put his hand onto her forearm with so much force, and so suddenly that Ginny let out a cry of surprise.
It didn't hurt, not until Voldemort pointed his wand at his hand on her arm and muttered, "Morsmordre!" She felt as if a knife was carving the mark into her forearm. She screamed, and desperately tried to pull away, only to have another wave of pain wash over her. Draco steadied her, one arm quickly wrapping around her middle to keep her from moving. She could hear him whispering into her ear.
"Don't move- it will only hurt more. Relax Weasley, it will be over in a minute."
It was only a minute indeed, but it felt like forever to Ginny. She didn't start crying until Voldemort let go, and she caught a glimpse of the mark on her arm. It was glowing a brilliant shade of red, that reminded her of Voldemort's eyes. Limping collapsing against Draco as she cried, Ginny let her sleeves down to cover the mark.
"Drop her," Voldemort commanded Draco. He gently lay her down on the floor, and disappeared behind her. Ginny didn't care, she just continued to sit ther on the floor and cry. "Stop crying," Voldemort told her harshy. "Pain makes us stronger. I thought you were strong Ginny?"
She tried to stop crying, but only found herself crying harder. Part of it was from the pain, but most of it was from the fact that now she was connected with that evil man for the rest of her life. She could never get over this.
"Apparently I was wrong," Voldemort continued, "Our first real lesson will be tomorrow, when you have finally cried this weakness out of you. Take her back Draco,"
Ginny desperately tried to calm down as Draco moved forward once more and pulled her to her feet. He roughly pushed her towards the door, only to jump ahead and catch her before she fell over. Ginny knew Voldemort was watching, and through her tears she knew Draco was blushing for having to catch her. He pushed her through the door and shut it behind them.
There were several Death Eaters outside, but Ginny took no notice of them. Neither it seemed, did Draco as he hurried her along down the hallway and back to her bedroom. In fact he was rough with her until her bedroom door had closed behind them.
"Stop crying," He told her quietly as he helped her to her bed, "Its not going to help anything. Just make it worse." Ginny shook as she looked up at him. His eyes were tired, and his face rather pale. All signs of his earlier blush were gone, and instead his Malfoy manner replaced it. It was the first time she had really seen into those grey eyes.
She fell silent, watching him as he disappeared out of the room, only to return a few seconds later with bandages in his arms. He set them down on the bed next to Ginny before sitting down himself. He watched her sniffle for a few seconds and then sighed.
"Hold out your arm."
"What are you going to do?" She questioned.
"Help you, as unbelievable as it sounds. Now hold it out before I change my mind."
Ginny obeyed, holding out the now throbing arm. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the mark, and felt Draco clean it with a damp towel before wrapping it up with the bandages. She re-opend her eyes when she felt him pull the sleeve back down yet again.
"Just keep it clean and wrap it up for a few days and you should be fine. But make sure you take the bandages off before you go to see the Dark Lord. He doesn't like to see bandages. He'll think your weak- although I'm not sure it would matter, he already thinks your weak."
Ginny didn't say anything, she felt sick agian. Her arm was stinging again, and she had just actually stopped to realise that her robes were dirty. She hadn't changed since her kidnapping which had been now, a few days before. Her thoughts scared her, why had she thought of that now? She quickly searched for a sarcastic remark to shoot at Malfoy, annoyed at his last comment.
"Since when have you been such a know-it-all on Dark Marks and Lord Voldemort, Malfoy?"
"Since I had to deal with both of them," Draco snapped getting up from the bed. Ginny felt bad almost instantly, he had helped her.
"I"m sorry," She began.
"Don't be," Draco muttered, turning his back on her.
"No, I shouldn't have-,"
"Weasley, one of the rules about this sort of life is you don't apologize for being a prat."
"But I didn't mean it,"
"I know you didn't. But you don't apologize."
"But that's stupid!"
"Stupid or not, that's the way things go here." Draco drawled with a sigh.
"I don't like this way of life," Ginny muttered.
"Who do think does?" Draco asked quietly. Perhaps he hoped he was too quiet for her to hear because next he said, "I certainly don't," under his breath. She paused, staring at his back. She was about to comment, but thought better of it. Draco really hadn't thought she'd hear him.
"So... don't apologize, don't care. What else do should I not do Malfoy?" Ginny asked. Draco turned and was now looking at her. He seemed to be thinking. Ginny smirked, she half wanted to hear this, and half wanted Draco to keep talking, and she didn't know why. Amusment?
"Don't be a Weasley."
"What do you mean, 'don't be a Weasley', I am a Weasley!"
"Exactly, so stop it."
"How?" Ginny questioned, glaring at him.
"Ginny... a form of Virginia I believe?" Draco asked.
"Yes," Ginny nodded.
"Alright, no more Ginny. Virginia. That's your name. Use it. You don't hear anyone calling me Drac, or Drakey?"
"Of course not, because that's stupid," Ginny noted.
"Who said it was stupid?" Draco snapped, his cheeks reddening.
"Malfoy, you haven't been called that have you?" Ginny asked, laughing.
"Shut up Weasley."
"But I'm not a Weasley anymore am I?" Ginny teased, "I'm Virginia." Obviously lost for words, Draco goggled at her. Ginny couldn't help it anymore, she fell over on the bed laughing.
Every bit of pain from eariler, all the fear, and all the anger vanished. It surprised her, but she was thinking about how Draco looked when he was lost for words, and how it was more funny then anything she had ever seen in her life. She didn't even know why she found it funny.
"Its not that funny!" Draco said staring at her.
"Oh its hysterical," Ginny told him, sitting up again as she controlled her laughter, "You've never been lost for words before have you? Next time it happens, look in a mirror because I'm sure you'll laugh too."
"It won't happen again," Draco muttered through gritted teeth.
"Why's that?"
"Because no one can do it, and I won't let you do it again."
"So that makes me special doesn't it? Virginia, the only girl who can make Draco Malfoy lost for words."
"Shut up We- Virginia!" Draco hissed, quickling catching his mistake. Ginny grinned.
"What's the matter Malfoy, embarassed?" She smiled, "Well I supposed I'll lay off then. You did help me. And for that I am grateful- even if I got help from a ferret." Draco didn't have an insult to say, or a name to call her. His cheeks were a brilliant shade of red, and his eyes were burning with anger.
"I'm leaving," Draco snarled turning around and heading for the door. Ginny watched him do it, smiling.
That was the second time she had beaten Draco at his own game.