Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR.
A/N: My apologies for the wait. This chapter has given me hell, so I'm sorry if it doesn't turn out so well.
To Feel
"Where's Ginevra?"
The question remained unanswered. Just in that moment the door opened and Draco Malfoy strode into the room. He checked on the threshold, grey eyes widening in faint surprise when he saw both Lara and Voldemort standing in the middle of the room.
"What's going on?" he demanded, echoing his mother's question.
It was Lara who replied.
"I need to see Ginevra. Something is wrong with the child."
Narcissa paled and instinctively gripped her son's arm. "Draco, go bring Ginevra here. She should still be in her room."
He nodded, the slight tightening of his jaw being the only sign that he was disturbed by this news.
Without a further word he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, his mind buzzing with what he had just learnt.
There was something wrong with the child. Something no one had expected, judging by the worried gleam he had caught in Lara's eyes. He knew his life was now hanging by the barest thread. His survival, not to mention his mother's, was linked to the welfare of that child. If it died so did he. Voldemort would make sure of that.
Draco clenched his hands into fists. How could this have happened? Hadn't his mother taken perfect care of Ginny? Hadn't he restrained himself from hurting her even when the stubborn redhead had pushed her boundaries?
His eyes narrowed. If she had done something to cause this problem he would not show her mercy this time. He didn't care what confusing feelings she made him feel; he knew what he wanted in life and he would not have her or her stupid fits of rebellion ruining that by putting his life in danger.
Draco stopped outside Ginny's bedroom and opened the door without knocking. This time, however, there was no biting remark to greet him from the impertinent prisoner.
He frowned, pausing as he took in the seemingly empty room and the discarded dress set out on the bed.
That was when his eyes fell on the pale form lying by the foot of the mirror.
His breath caught. Not even stopping to contemplate what he was doing, he swiftly moved towards the unconscious girl and knelt down beside her body; looping an arm underneath her as he lifted her into a sitting position.
"Ginevra," he murmured, giving her a gentle shake. "Ginevra, wake up."
The girl remained silent, her head lolling to the side from the movement.
Draco could feel the panic rising inside him. This was not good.
He reached into his robe to grab his wand, intending to cast the enervate spell to awaken her, when fingers suddenly tightened around his wrist. His gaze darted down to the girl in his arms, just catching the flutter of her lashes as the deep brown of her eyes were revealed.
She stared up at him, awareness dawning on her face, and then a faint tinge of pink stole to her cheeks.
"Malfoy? What-"
"What happened?" cut in Draco ruthlessly, ignoring her blush and her stammering.
"I-" She held a hand to her swimming head. "I think I fainted."
"You're not hurt?"
A slight frown creased her brow. "No," she said slowly, "No, I'm fine, but" - she stared down at her stomach, words trailing off.
Draco followed her gaze, his eyes widening as he took in the small bump. It was bare for him to see, as Ginny was still only wearing her undergarments, and looked disturbingly unnatural against her thin frame.
"Merlin," he breathed, forgetting himself for a moment as he brushed his fingers against the stretched skin.
"What do you think it means?" asked Ginny, trying and failing to appear as if she was not affected by his gentle caress.
Draco's eyes caught hers, his hand rising and falling with her erratic breathing, though he seemed to pay no mind to this. "I don't know," he replied truthfully, "but it seems Lara was right."
"Lara?"
"She's in the morning room with the Dark Lord. She believes that something may be wrong with the child. They want to see you," he added, staring at her with sudden suspicion.
Ginny's eyes blazed. "If you think that I did something to make this happen, you're wrong. I told you that I don't want to die any more than you do. Do you honestly think that I would jeopardise my life by damaging the child now after putting up with having sex with you in the first place?"
"Having regrets, Weasley?"
"You know I regret it," she gritted out bitterly.
"Funny. You didn't seem to find it so terrible before."
Pink spread across her cheeks.
"You don't need to tell me how much of a whore I am for having enjoyed being with you. I already know what you think of me."
Draco wasn't sure why the waspishness of her tone bothered him, only that it did.
He was the one who had called her a whore-and had taken malicious satisfaction in doing so-but hearing her so honestly admit that she had enjoyed being with him made quite a different emotion stir inside him.
After all, hadn't he enjoyed being with her too?
Shaking away such dangerous thoughts, he put his mind back to the matter at hand. This was not the time for discussing their twisted relationship-if relationship was what one could call it. The Dark Lord did not like to be kept waiting, and Draco knew all too well how impatient Lara could be.
"Can you stand?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Ginny glared owlishly at him. "Well, I can't if you keep holding me like this."
And it was true. He still had his arm looped around her while his free hand was resting on her bare stomach.
Making a show of raising his eyebrow at her, as if to remind her that he was still the one in charge, he pulled his arms away from her and allowed her to move away from him.
Ginny stood up-Draco following in tow-but swayed as soon as she made to take a step. Immediately he was there, grasping her by the waist to steady her with his capable hands.
Silver collided with deep brown.
His heart gave a jolt, unsettled by the inexplicable power that always seemed to radiate between them whenever their gazes met. It was as if his blood, quickened by the rush of finding their bodies closer than expected, had somehow become magnetised to hers; drawing the two of them closer with an invisible force.
Draco couldn't understand it. He hated her-he knew that just as well as he knew his own name-but being close to her like this always seemed to trigger something inside him. It was so indefinable, so unnerving, but it was there all the same.
Why did she have this effect over him? What did he even want from her? She was just a girl. Just a stupid girl. There was no sane reason why he should feel this way, and yet he knew there was something there.
Something that he wanted.
Ginny stared up at him through those bewitching brown eyes, her lips parting slightly as she sucked in a small breath. He found himself transfixed by the simple action, his eyes lowering to that tauntingly soft mouth. It would be so easy to close the distance between them; so easy to get a taste of the sweetness he knew that her lips could give...
Panicking at the sudden direction his thoughts were heading, Draco abruptly tore his hands away from her waist and turned away from her.
"Can you walk or not?" he asked roughly. "Or do I have to carry you now?"
Ginny's cheeks once again blossomed with her ever-ready blush. "I'm fine," she snapped, looking half confused, half aggravated by his sudden show of temper. She stalked past him and grabbed the silk dressing gown hanging on the door and slipped it on to cover her exposed body. "There, I'm ready."
Draco said nothing to this announcement and continued to say nothing as they walked back towards the morning room. He was still unnerved by the stray thoughts that had infiltrated his mind and was too busy trying to convince himself that he had not been indulging in thoughts of kissing the redhead by his side to actually pay any attention to her.
"Took you long enough," muttered Lara by way of greeting, scowling as the two made their silent way into the room.
"Go get her yourself then next time," retorted Draco.
"Enough of that," said Voldemort dismissively. He turned to the brunette by his side. "Well, Lara, what do you sense?"
Lara threw a final scowl at Draco and then walked forward to stand in front of Ginny. She let out a deep breath, eyes closing, and then reached out her hand towards the redhead's stomach, as if searching for some invisible object.
Silence closed in on the room, the only sound being the collective breaths of anticipation coming from its occupants. No one moved. They just waited; waited and watched to see what would happen, though Ginny herself could only stand in frozen fear.
A slight frown twisted Lara's calm expression. Her hand began to tremble and a few beads of sweat could be seen gathering on her brow. She took in a sharp breath, the trembling in her hand becoming so violent that her whole arm quivered in protest at the energy she was using.
It was disturbing to watch. Ginny could actually see the vibrant woman withering before her eyes; see the strength dying as Lara's expression became more of a grimace, the steady breathing becoming more erratic.
No one dared move. No one dared speak. The silence was suffocating in its intensity, smothering them in a thick veil of nerves, and then Lara let out an agonised gasp and stumbled back, her eyes snapping open to meet Ginny's own horrified gaze.
Ginny remained frozen in place, her heart pounding in her chest, just staring into those blue eyes; eyes that right now were mixed with fear, wonder and…triumph?
"What happened?" demanded Voldemort, stepping forward in his impatience. "Did you find out what is wrong with the child?"
"The magic is too strong," panted Lara, holding a hand to her now throbbing head. "The child is protected by a barrier that shuts out everything. It's almost as if her womb is using an advanced form of occlumency against me."
"But did you manage to find out anything?" repeated Voldemort, his tone leaving no doubt that there would be serious consequences if she hadn't.
Lara held her master's unforgiving gaze briefly and then locked eyes with Ginny. The girl in question swallowed nervously, but Lara only closed the distance between them and-much to the surprise of everyone-wrenched open the silk dressing gown that was covering the girl's body.
Ignoring the gasp of protest and shock that escaped the redhead's lips, Lara focussed her eyes on the small bump now visible to see. "I knew it," she whispered, the same mixture of emotions filling the blue of her eyes, though this time the gleam of triumph was impossible to miss.
Ginny could only stare, too frightened to move and too stunned to speak.
Lara turned away again to face her master. "My lord, the child is in no danger, though I was right in thinking that there was something wrong. If you look closely you will see that her stomach has already swollen to the size of where it should be in about one or two months."
"I don't understand," exclaimed Ginny, finally finding her voice. "Are you saying this thing inside me has already developed to a two month year old baby in just one week?
"Yes, Ginevra, that is exactly what I'm saying."
"But you say it is in no danger?" interposed Voldemort, watching the brunette with piercing eyes.
"Logically it should be," admitted Lara. "The magic the child holds is too powerful for such an underdeveloped human. There's a reason why most wizards and witches only discover their magic upon coming close to the age of eleven, and even those who show signs of magical ability earlier on in life only manage it in small bursts of uncontrolled magic."
"The mind and the body are too weak to control it," murmured Draco, catching on.
Lara nodded. "Exactly. Magic is supposed to mature with the human body. The nature of your encounter with Ginevra, however, allowed an overwhelming amount of concentrated dark magic to be infused into her womb, only becoming stronger once it fused with the powerful magic she herself would pass onto her seed. No embryo could survive such an onslaught of power; it's just not developed mentally or physically enough to contain such a force."
"Well then why is this monster still growing inside me and at such a rapid pace?" demanded Ginny, becoming just a little hysterical.
"Because the magic has somehow found a way to speed up the process of the embryo's growth in order to compensate for the deficiency," explained Lara. Her eyes shifted to Draco. "It's no different than when your soul accepted the jade stone's magic. You could have easily been killed from the power infused into your body, but your soul embraced it as a part of you, allowing the magic to transform you into something more than just a normal wizard."
Draco paled imperceptibly at this casual reference to the magic placed on him but his expression remained as impassive as ever. "And so the child is going to keep growing at this pace?" he asked calmly, though there was a faint edge to his voice.
"I'd give you two months at the most before the child will be ready to be born."
"Two months?" echoed Ginny, feeling suddenly ill.
Voldemort's eyes lit up with satisfied glee at this pronouncement. "This is good news, indeed. Two months instead of nine makes a vast difference. You've done well, Lara."
Lara bowed in acknowledgement at this praise. "Thank you, my lord."
Ginny, however, could not contain her panic. Two months instead of nine did indeed make a vast difference, but unlike Voldemort, who looked on the birth as something to anticipate with enthusiasm, she could only feel a nauseating dread at the thought.
Once the child was born she would have no further use to Voldemort. Her child would be taken from her and sacrificed so that he could glut his thirst for power, and she would in all probability be murdered.
She had hoped that an opportunity to escape would present itself over the next nine months but now she only had two, if even that, to form a plan and make her escape. It wasn't enough, and with this sickening realisation came an even more sickening sensation of dizziness.
Black swarmed before her eyes. The muffled roaring in her ears became louder until it dominated all thought, and then she was drifting into nothing, welcomed by a smothering darkness that consumed all.
For the second time that day Ginny Weasley had fainted.
Draco noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye and on reflex caught her before she could hit the ground. He frowned down at the girl in his arms, a strange sort of feeling twisting inside him. She looked so vulnerable in that moment.
"What happened to her?" asked Voldemort.
"Hyperventilating," observed Narcissa, speaking for the first time. She stepped forward to stand beside Draco. "If that is all you need from her, I shall take her back to her room so that she can regain her strength. She is clearly under stress from everything that has happened and needs to rest."
"Very well," said Voldemort, not really caring about anything else now that he knew his plans were in full motion and very close to being achieved. "Make sure that she stays in full health. We can't afford to have any mishaps happen between now and the birth."
Narcissa inclined her head. "Of course."
His red eyes flicked to Lara, who nodded, and then with a swish of his cloak he was gone.
"Watch her close, Draco," advised Lara. "More than your life is depending on her safety now."
Draco barely had time to digest these parting words before the brunette disapparated with a loud crack. His eyes flicked to his mother, who stared right back at him through emotionless eyes.
"Will you carry her for me?" asked Narcissa, gesturing to the unconscious redhead.
He nodded, swallowing back any words he might have said, and slipped an arm under Ginny's legs so that he was holding her bridal-style. Narcissa led the way back to Ginny's room, holding the door open so that Draco could carry the redhead inside without any difficulty.
Draco gently placed Ginny down on the bed then stood back. He felt his mother come stand beside him.
"You never told me that the child was yours," said Narcissa quietly, the faint tones of reproach just hinted in her voice.
"There was no need. It's going to be sacrificed as soon as it is born."
Narcissa gave a somewhat bitter laugh. "I see. So this is what my son has become? A tool to breed children for the Dark Lord."
"I didn't rape her on the Dark Lord's orders, if that's what you're thinking," retorted Draco, stung by her words. "It wasn't like that at all…"
He stared down at the unconscious girl, the memory of her coming into his room and offering herself to him playing once again before his eyes. She had been like a virgin on the sacrificial altar then, but whatever their strange encounter had started out as it had finished as a mutual yearning to be together.
Even now he could recall very vividly the way her kisses had become more demanding; the way her body had practically begged him to enter to satisfy her growing need, and the soft sound of her voice breathing out his name as they had moved as one.
No, that had been no rape and nor had it been a mere game of seduction. She had wanted him, and though he would never admit it, he had wanted her too.
Draco turned to see his mother watching him intently and felt his hackles rise again. He could tell that she was doing some deep thinking. Knowing what his mother thought of him, he knew that it wouldn't be about anything good.
"What?" he snapped. "Are you going to accuse me of something else now? I told you that I didn't rape her, so you can stop looking at me like that."
"I can see that you didn't rape her," came the calm reply. "I'm just…surprised."
Draco blinked, momentarily thrown out of his stride. "I-what?" he stammered, looking suddenly very boyish in his confusion.
"You know that the Dark Lord will kill her once this is over, don't you?"
His brow creased. "Yes."
"And that doesn't bother you at all?"
Draco glared at his mother. "Just what are you implying?"
"I don't know," said that maddeningly calm woman. "You tell me."
Silver flashed with anger. "If you think that I care about her, Mother, you're wrong. I don't give a damn about whether she lives or not. What happened that night between us means nothing to me. Nothing."
He suddenly clenched his mouth shut, furious at himself for saying so much.
Narcissa merely raised an eyebrow.
Letting out a growl of frustration, Draco stalked out of the room without a further word and slammed the door shut behind him with a loud snap. A slight smile curled Narcissa's lips as she heard his footsteps stomping off down the hallway.
It seemed her son had learnt to feel.
She was not so naïve as to believe this somehow made everything well again, but it was a step. He was not the soulless monster anymore. He had been forced to feel, and in that she found something that she had believed almost to be lost.
Hope.
OOOO
Something warm and slightly damp was gently brushed against her forehead, a few trickles of water escaping to trace her closed eyelids. Her eyes fluttered, slowly opening to see the familiar pattern of her ceiling staring back at her.
"Ah, you're awake," a cool but oddly soothing voice murmured from beside her. "Are you feeling better now?"
Ginny blinked and sat up, almost collapsing again at the sudden rush of dizziness that overwhelmed her. Gentle hands quickly came to her rescue.
"Careful now," said her companion, as the hands eased her back down on the bed. "Don't push yourself."
There was something about the woman's voice that made a lump come to Ginny's throat. It was so concerned, so genuine. She almost felt like the woman actually cared about her.
"What happened?" whispered Ginny, closing her eyes again.
"You fainted. I thought it would be best to just let you get some rest, so I had Draco bring you up here. Merlin knows you've had more than enough to deal with today."
There was a pause. Ginny heard the sound of something being sloshed in water and then wrung.
"Of course, they would never think of that," the woman muttered more to herself, continuing to bathe the redhead's face.
Ginny felt the lump begin to burn her throat and the telltale sign of tears stinging at her eyes. She knew who was sitting beside her now and felt oddly conflicted by it all.
Narcissa had never been outwardly rude to her before but then the woman had never treated her so affectionately either. It was almost frustrating. There was no reason for the blonde to behave in this way, as if she were a mother simply tending to a sick child. It was too hurtful, too mocking.
Ginny would have given anything to have her own mother bathe her face again like this, but Molly Weasley was dead. None of her family remained now, no one who had loved her and cared for her. She was alone, alone and abandoned, and yet here was the mother of her captor treating her with a tender sincerity that was almost overwhelming in its unexpectedness.
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the tears that threatened to escape.
Narcissa placed the flannel back in the bowl of water. "Are you alright, Ginevra?"
"No," choked out Ginny, unable to contain it anymore. "I'm not alright. I'm not alright at all."
Everything was just too much. Her family and friends were dead; she was being held captive against her will, forced to sleep with a man she hated and in doing so became pregnant to him, and now-unless a miracle happened-she had barely two months to live because of said child. Add in the confusing mixture of feelings she felt for her captor and it was no wonder that she had reached breaking point.
Her body trembled as the suppressed tears began to force their way out of her tear-ducts, her chest constricting painfully with the sheer force of emotion coursing through her. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to cry like this. She had been forcing everything in, trying to push all her woes to the back of her mind, but Narcissa's concern had unlocked something inside her. She couldn't hold it back any longer.
Ginny curled her body into a ball, shaking and choking on her tears.
There was a sigh and then hands calmly pulled her closer. It was then that Ginny realised she was being held in the arms of Narcissa Malfoy.
For a moment Ginny was too stunned to do anything, but then a pitiful sob broke free from her throat and she buried her face into the older woman's shoulder, her tears now spilling freely as she relaxed into the warm embrace.
Narcissa seemed to understand that no words needed to be said and simply held the sobbing girl close, allowing her fingers to glide soothingly through the red tresses cascading down the girl's back. Her own expression was troubled, as if deep in thought, but she said nothing to disturb the girl in her arms.
It was some time later before Ginny finally quietened down. Narcissa gently eased her back against the pillows and then pulled the covers up to keep her warm.
"Thank you," whispered Ginny, grasping the woman's wrist, the earnestness in her brown eyes saying more than what words could have ever expressed.
Narcissa's expression softened slightly. She tenderly smoothed back the hair from Ginny's face and then stood away from the bed. "Get some rest, Ginevra. I'll have Tinky bring you some dinner later."
Ginny nodded and watched the woman leave the room, the crushing weight that had been troubling her heart lifting slightly.
It was strange. Her situation hadn't changed at all and yet the future no longer seemed so bleak to her, or maybe it was just that the present had become easier to bear? Ginny wasn't sure, but what she did know was that she was no longer in this alone.
OOOO
The next morning Ginny made her appearance at the breakfast table and was surprised to see Draco there as well. His eyes briefly flicked to her and then returned to the parchment in his hands. The act could not have been any more dismissive.
Ginny slid into her seat, feeling just a little uncomfortable. It was the first time they had eaten together in the breakfast room and the casualness of the situation was rather unsettling. She wished he could have just stayed in his room like he usually did.
"How was your sleep?" asked Narcissa, her voice just as smooth and indifferent as it had been when the two women had first breakfasted together.
If Ginny was disappointed at this cold reception she did not show it. In some ways she thought it was to be expected from Narcissa, who very rarely showed her emotions to anyone. The connection from last night was still there, though, and perhaps it was that which made Ginny relax a bit more.
"Fine, thank you," said Ginny.
"I'm glad to hear it."
Ginny took one look at the food laid out on the table and felt a wave of nausea twist inside her. Of course, she had been feeling increasingly ill at the sight of food over the past week, as well as the frequent dizzy spells and vomiting, but now she understood why. The child was growing inside her at a rapid pace, and that meant all the symptoms were being thrown at her before she could even prepare for them.
She picked up a piece of toast and started nibbling, hoping that it wouldn't later end up being regurgitated in the toilet. She could feel Narcissa watching her and managed to force a smile at the older woman. They wouldn't let her get away with not eating this morning, so she would just have to grin and bear it.
Draco sighed and crumpled the parchment in his hands, drawing both women's attention to him. He looked tired, Ginny thought.
"What's wrong?" asked Narcissa.
"The dissenters are getting more active again. One of our bases was raided last night but no one was killed. It seems like they're looking for something."
"Do you have any idea what?"
"I have a few," admitted Draco, "and what I can think of is not very comforting."
His eyes briefly flicked to Ginny and then back to the crumpled parchment in his hands. "I have to speak with Lara," he muttered, standing up from his chair.
"You know that the Dark Lord doesn't want you to leave the manor," reminded Narcissa, giving a pointed look in Ginny's direction.
Draco's jaw clenched. "Fine. Then I'll send her an owl."
He left the room on the words.
Ginny frowned to herself, thinking over Draco's words. Who were these dissenters? Was it possible that the Order had discovered that she had been taken and were now looking for her?
She stared at Narcissa. "Who are the dissenters?"
"People who have betrayed the Dark Lord," explained Narcissa. "They're either ex-Death Eaters or people who were neutral before the war but still believed in blood purity."
"So they're good?"
Narcissa gave a tinkling laugh. "Good? Don't be naïve, Ginevra. Just because people oppose the Dark Lord does not make them good. The dissenters are brutal, more brutal than the Death Eaters in many ways. These are people who didn't get as much power as they thought they would under the Dark Lord's reign and so decided to take matters into their own hands. You'd just best hope that they never find out about you."
"Why?"
"Because the child inside of you holds the most powerful magic ever to exist on this Earth and is pivotal to the Dark Lord's plans. Think about it, Ginevra."
Ginny paled. "Oh."
She was nothing but a pawn in this war, whether it would be to Voldemort or these dissenters.
Her hands clenched into fists. She was just so sick of being used. Ever since she had been kidnapped she had felt powerless to everything happening around her, but not anymore. She'd show them. There was no way she was going to give up and let them take her child from her for their sick plans, even if she did hate the thing.
Even a pawn could take down the king if the game was played right.
A/N: So this ended up being a lot shorter than I thought it would. Think of it as 'part two' from the previous chapter.