AN: Ginny's personality is going to be a little different than you are used to but trust me after this chapter she'll be back to her normal self.
Chapter 9
Later in the day Narcissa let Ginny out of her room and immediately noticed the change in her. The fire in her eyes and in the rest of her had died. After a light lunch Ginny went into her lessons and for the first time completely absorbed herself in the books. She had resigned to her fate and took the last steps towards becoming the perfect society woman. She gave up her individuality and her fire in order to become what was expected of her.
At dinner that night Narcissa received an owl from Lucius. According to the letter, Lucius, Draco, the Dark Lord and others were going to renew their efforts to get new recruits starting the next day. According to Lucius, the Dark Lord said that they would not return until their numbers had been replenished.
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More than another year had passed before Ginny even realized. Her twentieth birthday was well on its way before she and Narcissa had heard anything regarding the Dark Lord and his group. The war had still raged on without the Dark Lord and Draco's presence but it might as well have been just an illusion to the two women in Malfoy Manor. They were locked in with no way to find out what was going on.
One warm late July afternoon Narcissa received an owl at lunch and smiled as she read that her husband and son would be back in the next week. As she continued to read her smile widened when she saw that the Dark Lord wanted her to start planning the Yule Ball to finally announce Ginevra as his future bride.
After lunch both women went their separate ways. Narcissa had much planning to do in order to get the house and everything in order in time for the ball. Ginny was glad to have the afternoon to herself. She made her way back to her room and sat in front of the vanity and stared at her reflection.
Gone was the simple girl who wanted nothing more than to roughhouse with her brothers and to snuggle up to her mum and dad when she felt lonely. In her place was a confident looking woman. She had learned to console herself and practically be an iceberg; keeping her thoughts and feelings to her self. She was too afraid to even attempt to write her feelings down on paper…the diary incident was still fresh her mind.
The talks between her and Narcissa had ceased after the night she had caught her and Draco together. She hated to admit it but Narcissa had a point, if she didn't go along with what was planned Draco and Narcissa would be the ones to face the consequences. Ginny would think back on what Narcissa had said to her about duty versus love and she finally learned to accept her duty as the future bride of Voldemort. She loved Draco and knew that he loved her in return, but he chose duty over love and she could now do the same.
Ginny tried to brace herself every day for her new life that would one day be. She tried not to be scared or sad about her fate but sometimes she also wondered if it would have been so bad for Narcissa if she had gone with William when he asked. She would brush her wonderings off as nonsense; Narcissa was right, everything happened for a reason. If she and Draco were meant to be together it would've happened but fate was against them.
As she looked at herself she noticed that instead of a mass of wild curls that reached barely to her shoulders a soft waterfall of waves made its way down her back. Her face had gotten more defined and feminine as the last traces of baby fat left. She had even sprouted up two more inches. Her eyes had changed as well. They were now always accented with make up but no matter what shade she applied it couldn't bring the light back into her eyes.
Ginny searched the mirror for a glimpse of the girl she had once been and could find no sign. It had been two years since she had seen any of her family and it had been over a year since the boy she loved turned her away. It had been a year since she had given up hope of ever being happy again or any hope in anything. For all she knew her whole family could be gone…and strangely she felt only numbness over the whole situation.
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The week came and went and Draco came back to the Manor. He too had changed in the many months. He was fitter than he had ever been. His hair was no longer slicked back but it was shorter and had a messy but classy look to it. The one thing that was the most noticeable to Ginny and Narcissa was the lifelessness of his eyes. He was his normal self but the light had also gone out in his eyes.
The first night at dinner that he was back he announced that Voldemort was going to combine Ginny's birthday and the Yule Ball. Ginny sat quietly with her mind strangely at ease. She could feel Draco's eyes on her but she made sure not to catch his eyes with hers as she looked over to Narcissa and nodded along with the older woman's plans.
Draco couldn't help but notice the changes in Ginny. She looked so beautiful and yet so haunted. She's changed so much. She looks like a princess…an empty shell of a princess at least. Her eyes look as empty as I feel. He adverted his eyes from her so his mother wouldn't get upset and looked sullenly out the window to the rose garden; his mind far away.
Over the years he had done many things he regretted but he couldn't get the stricken look that Ginny gave him when he called her Weasley for the first time in years and turned her away. He knew it was for the best but he missed her so much. It felt like a part of him was dying; he wanted so badly to just be with her but there was just too much at risk to see her.
He couldn't help to see the shell of the woman he loved and feel so guilty. If he had the guts he would have told her to stay with him always, no matter what people said and no matter the risk. A part of him desperately wanted to gather her in his arm kiss her senseless and then to run away with her but the other part of him couldn't let that happen. If he left, Voldemort would kill his mother and probably his father too and he couldn't handle knowing that he would have been responsible for his parent's deaths and quite possibly Ginny's as well. Voldemort was crazy enough to wipe them all out in a blind jealous rage.
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The day of the Yule Ball was filled with last minute preparations as everyone scurried around the Manor getting things in order for the Dark Lord's arrival. Ginny was left to prepare herself to meet her betrothed in person for the first time since she was fourteen when she saw him at the Ministry. Surprisingly calm, or numb, Ginny sat and contemplated her life and her future.
Today is that day that everything I once lived for dies. My family has been unable to rescue me and I have no escape. Today I accept my fate to be the bride of Voldemort. Today I bury my heart for good.
After glancing at her reflection in the mirror one last time she took a breath, straightened her dress and opened to door and was shocked to see Draco waiting for her. He looked at her and couldn't help but think of how beautiful she looked. Her hair was piled on her head with delicate curls hanging down held in place with a silver tiara. The dress she was wearing looked as if it was made for her. It was an emerald green strapless floor length ball gown that was simple but stunning; she was easily going to be the belle of the ball.
He held out his arm for her to take and almost frowned when he noticed that in place of the necklace that he had given her was a necklace that matched her tiara. The two made their way silently to the ballroom and paused briefly at the doors before they opened to reveal the ballroom full of Death Eaters and their significant others. At the head table, at the far end of the room sat Voldemort, Lucius and Narcissa while the other Death Eaters were scattered among the other tables.
It wasn't until that moment that Ginny realized how many followers Voldemort really had. She stiffened slightly when all of the eyes turned to look at her as she was led to the head table. She kept her eyes straight ahead looking at Voldemort willing herself to be strong especially after she had seen how inhuman he still looked. She was most unnerved by the evil redness in his dark eyes. Halfway there Voldemort stood along with the rest of the room and only sat again when Ginny had been helped into her seat by Draco.
The banquet was quiet and Voldemort made no move to talk to Ginny at all and for that she was grateful. After the desert had been cleared he stood and spoke, "My loyal servants it pleases me to see all of you here to celebrate Yule. I know many of you are confused with the presence of a Weasley here tonight and why she is at my side. The war will be over eventually and I will reign as supreme king and when that day comes I will need a strong pureblooded queen by my side. I have chosen Ginevra Weasley for my bride, for many reasons. She comes from a pureblood family and has proven herself to be a capable and lovely witch."
Voldemort motioned for Ginny to stand and she did calmly. He took her left hand and slipped a huge diamond ring on her ring finger as he said, "You are all my witness that I have claimed her as my intended. Therefore any threats on her are also threats on me. My loyal servants lift your glasses in honour of your future Dark Queen, Ginevra."
Even though many curious glances were cast, all of the Death Eaters lifted their glasses to honour Ginny. After all had taken a sip from their glasses Voldemort charmed the instruments to start playing. He led Ginny onto the dance floor and they gracefully glided across the dance floor.
She tried not to be nervous at her close proximity to him and hoped that he wouldn't speak to her so she wouldn't have to refer to him as her lord. She nearly shuddered at the thought of calling him Lord but she knew eventually she would have to.
Halfway through the first song he spoke to her for the first time directly, "You look lovely this evening Ginevra."
Ginny smiled softly and blushed as she said, "Thank you." Then at his questioning look she forced herself to add, "My lord."
In those two words she felt as if she had betrayed everything she once stood for especially when she saw him get a pleased look on his face. Her shame for calling him her Lord made a crack in her numbness.
"I'm glad to see your lessons with Narcissa have paid off. You are the vision of nobility. I hardly recognized you when you arrived. Long gone is the girl in second-hand robes and here now is a woman of pure loveliness. I am glad to see you have accepted you new role so willingly. I had expected you to be displeased with our engagement but you have surprised me with your acceptance. You have accepted your new role beautifully. You are Ginny no more. From now on you are Ginevra, future queen."
Ginny gave a small smile and let the words sink in and then graciously said, "I am very thankful for all of the work Mrs. Malfoy did. She and her family have been very kind to me even with our known feud."
Voldemort smirked and said, "I am pleased then that they have treated you so well. I will see that they are rewarded appropriately for it when the time comes."
After the first song other couples joined them on the dance floor. She could feel their eyes on her and she could feel herself blush from the attention. "You should get used to people starting at you, my dear. You are by far the most beautiful woman in the room. I knew I was wise in my choice."
After the second dance Voldemort stepped back from Ginny to start dancing with Narcissa. Lucius stepped up to Ginny bowed and offered her his hand. Trapped, all she could do was curtsy and take his hand. Like his son he was also a graceful dancer but she felt so uncomfortable dancing with the same man that just two and a half years ago had struck her so hard she fell unconscious and then years before slipped her that awful diary that nearly killed her.
Lucius, however, took this opportunity to talk to her. "Ginevra, I know you must loathe being this close to me but I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my deplorable past behaviour towards you. I know nothing I can say can make up for ever laying a hand on you. I can only say that I still don't know what came over me. I can tell you that I regret it every day and that I only hope that one day you can forgive me as I can never be able to forgive myself."
Ginny looked at Lucius questioningly, wondering if that was the first apology he had ever made. "Thank you for your apology, Mr. Malfoy, but I hope you don't mind me saying that I am not ready to accept it and I'm not sure if I ever will be able to accept it."
Lucius nodded and after the song was over he bowed to her and she curtsied in return. For the next two hours she danced with Death Eater after Death Eater and as she could refuse no invitation to dance she had to dance with Rodolphus Lestrange and had to keep her cool when all she wanted to do was to strangle him with his tie. She never expected to ever get this close to the man who killed her nephew.
Thankfully she only had to dance with him for a few seconds before Draco cut in. "Excuse me, Uncle, but I have not had the chance yet to dance with our future queen. Aunt Bella was looking for you as well."
Ginny almost sighed in relief when Rodolphus backed out willingly. She and Draco effortlessly started to dance one of the many dances they had practiced. Dancing with him felt so right. They moved together flawlessly from step to step. She still surprised herself with the gracefulness she had acquired during her time at Malfoy Manor. They danced in silence but for once they were allowed to look into each other's eyes without drawing suspicion and for the smallest of moments the light in their eyes attempted to relight.
After a few moments of silence Ginny broke it by saying snidely to keep up appearances, "I'm surprised your old cronies let you get so far away from them. Where are Crabbe and Goyle?"
Draco frowned and said, "I'm sure you haven't heard much locked away in the Manor but Crabbe and Goyle have been dead for a while now."
Ginny frowned in return. "I did not know. I knew that you were close with them."
Draco shrugged as he continued to gracefully move her around the dance floor. "I guess I was rather close to them but my closest mates were Pansy and Blaise. They ran away together two years ago with his mother in tow. It was a big disgrace to the Parkinson's, I'm sure you'll hear about it eventually."
Ginny nodded again but still couldn't help but feel cold about it. At least Blaise and Pansy had the guts to leave and be with each other. She locked eyes with Draco again and felt a pang of longing that she pushed down with a frown.
After their dance Voldemort called for everyone to go back to their seats and after they were seated he called for the house elves. "As you may or may not know, your lovely future queen just celebrated her twentieth birthday. Today I have decided to shower her with her gifts for her birthday and for Yule. I also wanted to take this time to announce that we have nearly doubled our numbers and starting the first of the New Year we are going to renew our offensive on the blood traitors."
A line of nearly thirty house elves appeared holding lavish gifts from jewellery to dresses and one even held the reigns to a beautiful white horse. The crowd 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at the lavish gifts as each was brought to her to see. After the last elf Disapparated to put her presents where they belonged many people began to applaud.
After the presents were cleared Voldemort raised his hand to stop the applause and announced, "My last gift tonight is a tribute to my generosity and devotion to my betrothed. Had anyone else been my betrothed this last present wouldn't be here so without further ado my final gift!"
Voldemort snapped his fingers and suddenly in the middle of the room appeared a man that was restrained by many ropes and was gagged. Before Ginny could stop herself she gasped out, "Oh my god, Bill!"
Voldemort smiled a smug smile as he said, "Oh, so that's his name then. He refused to give it but I knew as soon as I saw that shade of red hair I knew he was one of your brothers. We found him just recently on our way back through France. He was quite unprepared against us."
Seeing her brother battered and bruised sent a wave of emotions running through her numbed heart. Others gasped as well at the arrival of yet another Weasley but kept quiet as Voldemort continued, "As a show of my greatness I kept him alive while others wanted to see him dead. He will be moved here to the dungeon of Malfoy Manor and you will be in charge of his care."
Ginny could only nod and waited until the elves came to take Bill away before she said, "Thank you, my lord. The gifts were wonderful. I thank you so much for sparing the life of my brother. You have no idea how much that means to me to see him alive and well."
She couldn't bear to have called Voldemort her lord in front of her brother. She felt ashamed enough without him judging her as well. After Bill had been taken away the ball continued on for a few more hours. She was once again forced to dance with Death Eater after Death Eater but unlike earlier in the evening her mind was a million miles away. Her numbness had started to wear off and she felt so guilty that she had given up hope.
Finally the guests began to leave until it was just the Malfoy's, Voldemort and Ginny. Lucius grabbed his cloak and kissed Narcissa goodbye before he Apparated to Nex Domus. Voldemort kissed Ginny on the cheek before he also Apparated. Ginny could barely manage to not cringe when he kissed her so instead she faked a smile.
"It was a wonderful night and I think we should all head to our rooms." Narcissa said smiling tiredly.
Both Ginny and Draco nodded but Ginny interjected, "I just want to make sure that Bill is alright before I do. I'll see you both in the morning."
Ginny made her way to the dungeon without even pausing to wait to see if they were going to say anything in return. She had a difficult time navigating the stairs in her ball gown and heels but she eventually made it down to the same cell that she had been in when she was first brought to Malfoy Manor.
He had been untied and was asleep on the cot that had been placed in the cell. Ginny moved closer to the cell and was pleased to see that he seemed unharmed for the most part. He awoke with a start, startling her to the point that she let loose a tiny squeak. He saw Ginny standing there and got up quickly to stand next to the bars to talk to her.
Ginny let loose all of the pent up emotions that she had been bottling up for what seemed to her as a life time as she cried in the safety of her brother's arms. She just cried and cried for what seemed like hours before she spoke. "I didn't know if any of you were even alive. I've been so trapped here. I'm so happy you're alive."
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I promise Ginny is going to be more like herself next chapter. I know exactly where everything is going and the story should be over in just a few more chapters…I think.