Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR.
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I apologise for the wait. This chapter has been a mission to write, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.
The Dissenters
"Are you almost finished?" demanded Ginny, wearily staring up at the roof.
She was currently lying on her bed, her nightdress pulled up to bare her protruding stomach, while Lara did the usual weekly check-up to see how the baby was progressing.
Ginny hated these checkups. A sticky potion was spread over her belly that was supposed to allow the magic to sense the baby's development easier. Ginny just found it cold and annoying.
Then there was the sensor, a magical instrument that looked like a handle with a smooth ball at the top, which Lara ran over her stomach to sense the baby inside. The image was then projected on a clear surface, much like a mirror, for Lara to see. Ginny wouldn't have minded this part so much, except that it tickled and left her feeling unpleasantly tingly all over her stomach.
Lara pulled the sensor away from Ginny's stomach. "Everything looks well." She wiped away the remaining potion with a cloth and stepped back. "The child is coming along fine."
"That is not what I wanted to hear," scowled Ginny, tugging her nightgown back down to cover herself.
"Be grateful that your baby is healthy, Ginevra. The Dark Lord would not be happy if it started having complications, especially now that you're so close to the birthing stage."
"He never seems to be happy about anything," muttered Ginny, sitting up on the bed, "but thank you for reminding me of my impending death."
Normally Lara would have made a joke at this, or at least one of her usual blunt comments, but she only gave a distracted smile and started collecting her things together.
Ginny frowned at the brunette. Something wasn't right here.
It was true that Lara was a rather enigmatic woman, but she had never been so quiet and distracted. She had yelled, laughed, mocked and given advice, but Ginny had never seen her as distant as this. There was no impatient hair tossing, no secretive laughs and smiles, no mysterious comments. She just did what she had been ordered to do.
Ginny realised somewhat sadly that Lara hadn't even called her 'girlie' once today since coming to the manor. It was a nickname that, to Ginny at least, allowed the two women to have a more friendly relationship. Lara always used it when she was teasing.
"Is everything okay, Lara?" asked Ginny, if a little hesitantly.
Their relationship may be a little out of the ordinary, but Ginny was still wary of the woman. Lara was a Death Eater, after all, and even if she was different to the others, she had never once shown that she did not faithfully serve her master.
Lara blinked, as if suddenly realising that Ginny was still there. "Oh. It's nothing, really. I just have a lot on my mind right now." She laughed a little ironically. "Very much so, in fact."
"You're not just talking about a few problems troubling the brain, aren't you?"
Lara stared at her in a measuring way, as if determining whether to tell the truth or not. "No," she said finally, a wry smile twisting her lips. "I'm not."
Ginny waited expectantly for Lara to go on.
"You're a curious little thing, aren't you?" observed Lara, somewhat amused. She once again gave that scrutinising stare and then laughed to herself. "Well, why not? What harm can it do to tell you, after all?"
Not having a clue what Lara was talking about, Ginny saw fit to remain silent at this speech; barely containing the curiosity she felt to learn more about the woman in front of her.
Lara leaned forward, blue eyes locking on Ginny's. "I'm sure you've gathered by now that I have magical abilities one might consider rare in the wizarding world?"
"Yes," admitted Ginny, "but I'm not exactly sure what those abilities are."
Lara smiled. "Well, it is hard to define. In many ways I am much like a seer, except I don't see or predict prophecies like seers do. I sense things instead."
"Sense things?"
"Yes. It's hard to explain, but I suppose one way to look at it would be to imagine the world as a canvas of lines. If the lines are straight, it means that everything is normal and progressing as it should be; if the lines are wavy, it means that something is wrong. My powers allow me to see those lines."
"So you can sense everything that is happening in the world?"
Lara chuckled. "No. To take on that much at once would kill me. To sense a disturbance in the equilibrium of the world is not a comfortable experience. Often I will get headaches-migraines, depending on how powerful the disturbances are-but always there is some unwanted side effect. That's why I have to limit my focus to a few people at the most. It's just too dangerous otherwise, but lately the Dark Lord has been asking more of me."
There was a definite scowl at this, which Ginny couldn't help but smile at. She could just imagine how irritated Lara would be by Voldemort's requests.
"That's how I knew about the child's unnatural growth," continued Lara. "I could sense a disturbance in the equilibrium surrounding you and the baby, which could only mean that something that was not meant to happen had happened. The limitation of my power is that I can never sense a clear picture of what is happening; I only get the feeling that something is wrong."
"So you can only sense the present?"
"It's easier to sense the present, but if I focus enough I can catch glimpses of the future. It's only a feeling, of course, but it would be enough to sense if danger is coming."
"Wow."
"I assure you, it's no picnic," said Lara grumpily. "It was bad enough before when I was just following the Dark Lord, Draco, the child and yourself, but now I'm being forced to track the Dissenters movements as well. They've been suspiciously active over the past two weeks, and because I have no clear figure to follow, it makes it even harder for me to pinpoint what their next move will be. That means a whole lot of headaches."
Ginny frowned. The Dissenters were the ones who had been searching for Harry and attacking the Death Eater bases, but Harry was at Malfoy Manor now…
Lara rubbed her temples tiredly. "I shouldn't even be telling you this. Draco was the only other person besides the Dark Lord who knew the real truth."
"I won't tell anyone," promised Ginny earnestly. "Anyway, it's not like I have anyone to tell. I'm a prisoner, remember?"
"I suppose," chuckled Lara. "I hope you aren't planning any more escape acts?"
"You knew about that?"
Lara rolled her eyes. "Really, girlie, after everything I just told you, you're still daft enough to wonder how I know about everything? The disturbances aren't just limited to unnatural occurrences, you know? I can focus on what I want to find out. In your case, my sole focus is to ensure that you remain at the manor and that the child and you are both healthy. Naturally, I am going to notice if you try to escape and get hurt in the process."
"That's some gift," remarked Ginny, reluctantly awestruck, even though she had just realised that escaping was now very much out of the question with Lara around.
"Perhaps. Right now I'd rather not have to deal with it."
"Are the headaches that bad?"
Lara sighed. "Sometimes. It's more than just headaches, though. Trying to follow too many things at once may be dangerous in the sense that it uses too much mental power, but it also means that it's harder to focus in general. It's like trying to spread a small amount of butter over a large slice of bread. It's just not possible to cover everything satisfactorily; the best you can hope for is a very thin coating."
"So there are gaps in what you can sense?"
"Yes, there are gaps," murmured Lara, turning her face to stare out the window. "And right now I get the feeling that I'm missing something important. I just don't know what it is."
OOOO
Ginny was still frowning over Lara's words when she came down for dinner that night. It had taken a lot to process everything, but she guessed that she should have seen it coming. Lara always had carried that air of omniscience about her. She was much like Dumbledore in that respect. Ginny wondered if he too had been able to sense things like Lara had.
"Is everything all right, Ginevra?" asked Narcissa, noticing the furrowed brow and downcast lips.
"Oh," said Ginny distractedly. "Yes, everything's fine."
She sat down at her usual seat and poured herself a glass of water, trying to ignore the way a pair of grey eyes followed her every move. As with everything when it came to Draco, this proved difficult.
They had not spoken much since the day she had tried to escape. Ginny felt her temper flare at even the thought of all the things he had said and done to her, but there was more than anger there. She felt embarrassed, too. Embarrassed that she had confessed her feelings to him, while he had simply thrown everything back in her face.
Her eyes darted involuntarily to his, bidden by that commanding stare. He caught and held her gaze, the grey an unrelenting force piercing into her brown. She felt naked before him, like all her defences and airs of defiance were as transparent as the glass she held in her hand.
The tension grew, her heart sped up, and then, as if he could hear the beating organ thumping against her ribs, his lips curled slowly into a smirk.
Ginny felt her cheeks grow hot and quickly took a sip of her drink, averting her gaze from the handsome man opposite her.
Draco's smirk grew, so that his eyes were glinting with his malicious humour. "You're looking a little flushed, Ginevra. It's not too hot for you in here, is it?"
She almost choked on her water but, thankfully, managed to swallow it just in time before she started coughing uncontrollably. Her cheeks were now very red, and her eyes were like daggers when she finally raised them back to his.
"I'm fine, thank you."
Silver gleamed with silent laughter.
Ginny had the sudden urge to throw the rest of her water at his face. She knew what he was trying to do. He had always delighted in humiliating her, and it seemed that now was no different.
She should never have told him that she was attracted to him. He was a Slytherin, it was just in his nature to take advantage of other people's weaknesses, and why should she be exempt from that? She should have known better. She should have kept a greater control over her tongue. If anything, she should have known that he was not to be trusted.
Draco turned his attention back to his mother, apparently having had his fun. Ginny found this open act of dismissal even more annoying than his taunts. It made her feel insignificant, as if she was nothing more to him than a source of amusement that he easily tired of.
He did not look at her again during the dinner. Ginny was fuming by the time she returned to her room.
She slammed her door shut, muttering a string of derogatory names under breath that told all too well what she thought of the handsome blond and his behaviour. One of these days she would put him in his place. She would make sure of it.
Ginny got changed out of her clothes and into one of the silky nightgowns, and then did the usual routine of washing her face and brushing her teeth. She let out her hair from its plait and began to drag her brush through it, a scowl still twisting her lips.
"Stupid Draco," she muttered, glaring at her reflection as she tugged the brush through a particularly knotty part of hair. "Thinks he's so clever…"
A scraping noise sounded outside her window. Ginny frowned and placed her brush down. She stood up from the stool and walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain to peer outside.
The moon was completely hidden by black clouds. She could only see the grounds bathed in shadow, forming odd shapes and figures in the misty darkness. No sign could be seen of the thing that had made the noise.
"Strange," murmured Ginny, and though she would never admit it, felt just a little unnerved by it all.
She pulled the curtain back over the window, blew out the candle, and then clambered into her bed, pulling the covers right up to her chin. It was a warm night, but somehow she felt safer when fully covered.
Even though Ginny told herself not to listen, she found herself straining her ears for any sound of that strange noise again long after she had climbed into the bed. She didn't hear it.
"Get a grip! It was probably just an owl."
Yes, she thought, just an owl. There was no reason to panic.
Comforted by this common good sense, Ginny finally began to relax. Her eyes closed, her breathing steadied, and then she was slowly drifting off to sleep.
She did not stir when the scraping noise started up again. Nor did she wake when the curtain fluttered with the cool breeze let in from the previously closed window. She just slept, completely oblivious to the dark figure now creeping stealthily towards her.
The moon slipped out from behind the clouds, extending its silvery fingers right into the room to touch Ginny's eyelids. She made a sleepy noise and rolled over in the bed, hugging the pillow more closely to herself.
Her intruder, which was revealed to be a man dressed head to foot in black, complete with black mask, paused for a moment, waiting to see if she would wake or not. Satisfied that she was still asleep, he moved closer and leaned over her in the bed, his hand getting ready to clamp over her mouth.
It was in that moment that Ginny's eyes snapped open. She got a brief glimpse of a hideous, black mask, shaped with no features at all except for the eyes peering out through the slits, and then she let out a bloodcurdling scream and pushed with all her might at the man leaning over her.
The man fell back with a grunt. Ginny wasted no time and leapt out of the bed, her feet thumping on the floor just as loudly as her heart as she raced towards the door. She wrenched it open, almost skidding as she ran out into the hallway, and just barely managed to dodge the curse the man had thrown at her.
Ginny didn't stop. She just kept running, barely able to see in the darkness, but knowing that if she hesitated now it was all over. Her body was pumping with adrenaline, her heart pounding so hard that it felt like her ribs were going to splinter any moment from the pressure.
She could hear the man still chasing her, his heavy feet thumping down the hallways like an ominous war drum. It was the sound of defeat, and Ginny knew it was coming for her.
Her eyes fell on a vase resting on one of the cabinets. She grabbed it, and without even really thinking about what she was going to do, threw it back as hard as she could. The resounding smash and loud curse was enough to tell her that the vase had found its mark, but Ginny didn't pause to check to see how much damage she had done. She just kept running.
Turning down another hallway, she was just deciding whether to hide in one of the rooms or keep running, when an arm came out of nowhere and yanked her into the shadowy alcove. She let out a yelp of surprise, but a hand was swiftly clamped over her mouth, and she suddenly found herself trapped against a man's body.
Ginny began to struggle desperately against the strong arms holding her in place, tears spilling freely down her face. She was so scared she could barely breathe.
"Relax," whispered a voice firmly from somewhere near her ear; a voice that Ginny had no trouble in recognising, and one that she thought could never give her so much relief as it did now.
Her body instinctively obeyed the curt command. The hand was removed from her mouth. Ginny turned to see Draco staring down at her, his grey eyes just visible in the semidarkness.
She couldn't explain why she suddenly felt safe in that moment. All she knew was that feeling his arms around her like that made her feel like nothing in the world could hurt her. She was safe. She was with him.
"I need you to stay quiet," said Draco, giving her a warning look.
Ginny nodded obediently.
He adjusted his hold on her, keeping one arm around her waist to hold her close to him, and then gripped his wand more firmly with his free hand. He pulled her with him so that they were both flat against the wall, and then very carefully edged closer to where the hallway they were in curved to connect with the one Ginny had just fled.
Ginny's heart was still hammering against her ribs, but she felt less afraid now. His presence had a calming effect over her, as strange as it was to believe, but she was still well aware of the danger they were in. She was just glad that she was with him and not facing the unknown man alone.
"Come out, come out, little witch," called a smooth voice tauntingly. "I know you're hiding around here somewhere."
Ginny tensed and held onto Draco more tightly, her eyes staring fearfully towards the darkened hallway. She could hear the man's footsteps coming closer and was once again grateful for the solidness and reassuring warmth of the body shielding her.
"Very well," said the man, his voice so close now that Ginny knew he must be just around the corner from them. "I'll let you play your little game of hide and seek, but I will find you, little witch. I always do..."
The footsteps came even closer. Ginny wondered why Draco wasn't doing anything. Was he really going to just let them get caught?
Just when she thought that they would be discovered and killed, the blond suddenly moved with deadly speed. There was a blinding flash of white, a heavy thud, and then everything went still once more.
"Unfortunately for you," murmured Draco, a half-smile curling his lips as he stared down at the black heap on the floor. "I found her first."
Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and stared at the lifeless man. "Is he dead?"
"Not yet." Draco eyes suddenly fastened on hers. "Were there any more of them?"
"I-I don't know. There was only one in my room, but-"
He suddenly started running again without another word, dragging Ginny along with him. They were heading in the direction of her bedroom, and she could tell by his clenched jaw that he was worried.
She was still trying to catch her breath when they stopped, not at her door, but at the one where Harry was being kept. He blasted open the door with his wand, just catching sight of another black-clothed man holding what looked like an old necklace in his hand, reaching out towards Harry's unconscious figure.
Draco didn't hesitate. Ginny heard the two, deadly words hiss from his mouth, and then the room was filled with a sickly green light. Once again there was a thud, but this time she didn't need to ask whether the man was alive or not. She already knew his fate.
Harry remained on the bed, still as oblivious as ever to the world around him. Ginny didn't think it could ever be possible, but she was glad in that moment that Draco was such a ruthless killer. If he had hesitated even a second, she knew that Harry would have been portkeyed beyond their reach by now.
"Do you think that was the last of them?" she asked, turning her face to look up at the blond.
"I don't know." He frowned to himself and then glanced at the dead man. "Tinky!"
The house-elf immediately appeared in a low bow. "Master called?"
"Check the rest of the house for any intruders. Kill any that you find."
"Yes, Master."
"Make sure my mother is safe while you're at it. No doubt she would have been disturbed by the commotion, but she's smart enough not to leave her room while we're being attacked. Tell her I'll come see her later."
"Yes, Master," said Tinky, bowing again, and then vanished with a loud crack.
"Come on," said Draco, tugging Ginny forward.
"Wait! What about Harry? We can't just leave him here! They might come back for him."
Draco glanced back at the raven-haired man and cursed under his breath. He released Ginny and walked over to Harry, picking the emaciated man up easily and slinging him over his shoulder. He gripped his wand more tightly and turned his eyes back on her.
"Right, let's go, but stay close to me. I won't be able to protect you if you're too far away."
Ginny nodded and followed him out the room. They managed to get back to the man Draco had cursed in the hallway without any further trouble. Draco stopped and levelled his wand at the unconscious man, using a simple levitating charm to lift him up from the ground.
"Alright, I need you to open that door," said Draco, gesturing to the closed door a few feet away from them.
Ginny obliged, holding it open for him as he guided the man into the room with his wand. He gestured for her to go inside, following her in himself, and then shut the door behind him with a snap.
Draco dumped Harry down on one of the couches and then turned on the masked figure now lying on the floor again. He dragged the man over towards one of the armchairs, hauling the man up so that he was sitting on the chair, and then calmly conjured chains to keep the man in place.
"What are you going to do with him?" asked Ginny, watching the blond in some trepidation.
"Interrogate him."
Ginny didn't like the sound of that, but she was so exhausted from everything that had happened that she simply collapsed into a chair herself and watched as Draco used the enervate spell to wake the man.
Immediately the man began to thrash against his chains. Draco walked forward and pulled the mask of the man's face, revealing a rather handsome young man with dark skin and slanted eyes. Ginny knew by the openly surprised expression on her captor's face that he had not been expecting to see this particular person under the mask.
"Blaise Zabini?" exclaimed Draco, eyes narrowing. "You're a Dissenter?"
Blaise smiled as soon as he realised who was before him, showing every one of his perfectly white teeth. "Long time no see, Draco. I do wish we could have reacquainted ourselves under better circumstances. How about you just let me go now and we can try again?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Well, you have sided with the Dark Lord. I would say that rates pretty high on the idiocy levels."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "And yet you're the one chained to a chair. Funny that."
Some of Blaise's arrogance flickered, but he tried to cover his worry by plastering a mocking smile on his lips. "What? Are you going to kill an old school friend?"
"Yes," said Draco bluntly, "but first you're going to tell me what you know. If you cooperate, I might even kill you quickly."
"I'm not telling you anything."
"Oh, I think you will," replied Draco, smirking somewhat maliciously. "I'm very gifted at getting information out of people."
Ginny saw the fear shining in Blaise's eyes and knew that she didn't want to watch this. She averted her face, but nothing could stop the loud snap of bone being broken or the scream of pain that followed.
"Tell me how you knew Potter and Ginevra were here," demanded Draco, staring calmly into his old friend's eyes.
"No."
There was another crack of bone snapping. This time the scream turned into more of a sob.
"Let's try that again, shall we? How did you know they were here? Is there someone in the Dark Lord's inner circle working for you?"
Silence.
Draco sighed and snapped two more of Blaise's fingers. "You have four more fingers left, Blaise. You do not want to know what happens when I run out of fingers to break."
Blaise groaned in pain, his breathing ragged. Ginny knew exactly how he was feeling, having had her fingers broken by Draco herself. Still, though she was sickened by the violence the blond was displaying, she found that she had little sympathy for the man chained to the chair. Blaise had been going to kidnap her. If she was going to be anyone's captive, she knew that she would prefer to be Draco's.
"Still not up for talking?" taunted Draco. "Very well."
Another finger was bent back.
"Let's start small. How did you get past my wards? You have three seconds to answer before I break another finger."
Blaise remained silent.
Draco wrenched back the middle finger, holding it down just a little longer so that the pain was increased. Three more seconds passed and then another finger was broken, and then another.
"Well done for lasting this long, Blaise," praised Draco with mocking amusement. "Your leader would be so proud." He slipped the dagger out of his sleeve and calmly placed the tip at the corner of Blaise's right eye. "Let's see if I can get your tongue loosened with this. I've never quite managed to pop an eye out in one go, but I'm sure we can gouge it out if it proves difficult."
"All right, all right," sobbed Blaise, as Draco began to place pressure on the blade. "I'll talk."
Draco stepped back and folded his arms, his expression grim. "Then talk."
"There is someone in the inner circle who has betrayed the Dark Lord. I can't tell you whom, I don't know myself, but whoever it is has been feeding us information. They told us about how you and your men attacked one of the refugee camps and kidnapped Potter and some girl. Later we found out that both the girl and you had gone missing from the Death Eater headquarters."
"Go on," prompted Draco, watching him intently.
Blaise swallowed. "We decided that if the girl was important enough for the Dark Lord to kidnap, then she'd be useful to us too. Our correspondent suggested we check Malfoy Manor. We did, but we couldn't get inside because of the wards you have around the place. That was when we decided to plan an attack on the headquarters to make it look like we were going only after Potter."
"I see," murmured Draco. "You were hoping that they would move Potter here with me, knowing that I would have to remove the wards to receive him."
"Yes. We knew that if we attacked the headquarters directly and tried to get Potter that the Dark Lord would send him to you here at Malfoy Manor for safekeeping until things settled down. Myself and another man were stationed here to see if we could ascertain what wards you had used and break them ourselves."
"Well, obviously you succeeded. I do wonder how, though."
"It was by mere chance," admitted Blaise. "We saw the girl trying to escape and you following her. We knew it would be stupid to attempt anything with you there and all the Death Eaters that were bringing Potter over, so we waited. Luckily for us, you put the wards back up right for us to see and hear."
Draco inwardly cursed at his own stupidity. Of course he should never have put the wards back up while so vulnerable to prying ears and eyes.
"So you managed to get past the boundary wards," he continued, changing the subject. "How did you get in the house itself?"
Blaise smiled. "You have this place warded against magic only. It took us a while to figure it out, I admit, but we managed to work out that if we came in at night when you would all be asleep, it would simply be a matter of scaling the wall, forcing the window open, and then getting the girl and Potter out via portkey. As long as we didn't use magic, no one would know we were here."
"But that didn't work out to plan, did it, Blaise?"
"No. That stupid girl woke up before I could portkey away with her and started screaming her head off."
"And that's when you lost your head and fired that curse," remarked Draco amicably. "Silly of you, really. I might not have even realised what was happening at first, except your spell alerted me to your presence and gave away your exact position."
"It doesn't matter. There'll be more of us to come."
"Oh no, Blaise," said Draco calmly, "there won't be any more of your little friends coming here. You see, from what I can gather, you and your friend were the only ones who knew how to get past my wards. Since I've already killed your friend that leaves only you with this vital information."
Blaise swallowed hard. "You're wrong. I went back and told the others how to get past the wards."
"I think you're lying," responded the blond. "I think you've been hiding in those hills for a week, just waiting for your chance to sneak in here. It didn't even occur to you to tell the others how to get in should your plan fail, as I know that you're far too arrogant to even assume that something could go wrong with one of your plans. You truly thought that you were going to succeed, didn't you, Blaise? But Ginevra is my prisoner, and I will never let you have her."
Blaise's eyes widened in fear at the possessive and very threatening expression that came to Draco's face at these words.
"Malfoy, wait! Don't kill me," he begged desperately, knowing what that frightening expression meant. "I'll join you. I'll tell you everything you need to know about the Dissenters. We can get them together."
Draco laughed coldly and pulled out his wand, aiming it calmly at the other man's head. "Do you really think I would trust someone like you who betrays their own at the first sign of death?"
"I-"
"Avada Kedavra."
The green light shot from the wand and buried itself in Blaise's head. The life vanished from his eyes in an instant, his head drooping into his lap as he went limp against his chains.
Draco turned and met Ginny's horrified gaze.
"You just killed him," she whispered. "Even though he was begging you to let him live."
"Don't be naïve, Ginevra. He would have killed us both if he got the chance. I know what that scum is like."
"I know, but to just kill him like that, and the way you tortured him…"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm a Death Eater, Ginevra. That is what I do. Deal with it."
Ginny frowned down at her hands. She knew she should have expected something like this. She wasn't even sure why seeing him torture and kill Blaise had unsettled her so much. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him kill and torture before; hell, he had even tortured her.
It was stupid, really. She realised that now, for how could she have expected a man like him, who was so ruthless, so efficient in his ability to hurt, to not behave that way towards a man who had just invaded his house and nearly stolen his prisoners?
Draco was the perfect Death Eater. He didn't hesitate; he didn't squirm at the thought of having to be cruel. He just did what he had to do, and he did it well. Ginny had to admit that even if his methods were not what she could condone, they were effective.
Still, somehow she had been expecting more from him.
"I need to go check on my mother and put the wards back up," Draco announced, moving towards the door. "Wait here with Potter. I'll be back soon."
"You can't leave me here with him!" shrieked Ginny, pointing at the dead body in the chair.
Draco's lips twitched almost into a smile. "You'll survive, I'm sure."
Ginny started to protest but he was gone before she could even finish her sentence. She sighed, glancing at Blaise's body, and was barely able to repress a shudder at the bent fingers she could see sticking out in odd angles.
Her stomach twisted sickeningly. Ginny quickly turned her chair around so that she was not facing the body and instead stared at Harry's unconscious form. Normally she wasn't so squeamish-this wasn't the first dead body she had seen, after all-but after witnessing Blaise being tortured and then killed, she felt a little justified in her nausea right now.
"Draco had better hurry up," she muttered, clutching her stomach.
Not only did she not like the fact that she was trapped in a room with a dead body, but she was still rather shaken from everything that had happened. Waking up to see a masked man leaning over her was certainly not the most thrilling experience; neither was it fun to be chased down dark corridors without any means of protection.
She could still remember the immense relief that had swept over her when she had heard Draco's voice telling her to relax, and wondered idly to herself why it was she had felt so safe in his arms.
The cold, rational side of her brain suggested that it was simply because he was the lesser of the two evils. Though her captor, it was likely that he at least would protect her from other enemies. The less pragmatic part of her brain wondered if it was because of something entirely different; something even that dreamy little voice was afraid to name.
Ginny was still lost in these musings when Draco returned back to the room.
"Is Narcissa okay?" asked Ginny, standing up at his entrance.
"She's fine. We've both agreed that it would be better if you and Potter are moved over to our area of the manor, just in case anything happens like this again."
"Do you think more people will come then?"
"The Dissenters are very determined."
"But you said that they won't be able to get pass the wards. You said that only Blaise and that other guy knew, and both of them are dead."
"The manor isn't impenetrable. They won't be able to use the same plan again, but you can be sure that they'll think of some other way to get in here. They always do."
A cold chill crept down her spine at the thought.
"How did Lara not sense this?" muttered Draco, more to himself. "You and Potter could have both been kidnapped and none of us would have known any better."
Ginny's eyes flicked towards him and then fell quickly back to her hands. She knew about Lara's secret, but Draco didn't know that she knew. It was probably better that it stayed that way as well.
"Didn't Zabini say that there was a traitor in the Dark Lord's inner circle?" asked Ginny, suddenly remembering this fact.
"Yes," spat Draco, his eyes narrowing at the thought. "Someone has been very sneaky to manage that one without being suspected. I'm going to have a lot to chat about with Lara tomorrow."
"You're leaving the manor?"
Draco shook his head. "No. The Dark Lord and Lara will be coming here. She would have come now, but if I know anything about the Dark Lord, he'll be showing her his personal displeasure at her inability to realise what was going to happen sooner."
Ginny understood now. Lara must have sensed what was happening a bit too late and was unable to give them any warning beforehand.
"It doesn't matter now, anyway," sighed Draco. "It's over and done with, and there's nothing we can do about it at the moment."
He flicked his wand at Harry, who levitated off the seat, and then began to guide him out of the room. "Come on," he said, gesturing for her to follow. "I'll take you to your new room."
"Okay."
They walked in silence down the hallways to where the master bedrooms were kept. Draco deposited Harry in one of them and then led Ginny to another room. He used his wand to bring the candles to life and then turned to face her.
"The rest of your belongings will be brought here tomorrow. You should get some sleep for now."
"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Ginny. "I'm never going to be able to sleep after what just happened. I'll be terrified that someone is going to come creeping in through my window again."
"No one is going to come through your window."
"It doesn't matter! I still won't be able to sleep!"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Then don't sleep but I, on the other hand, am tired and do want to sleep."
He started moving towards the door at the words, but a small tug on his arm made him stop. "What?" he said shortly.
Ginny chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes ridiculously vulnerable as they stared up into his cold grey. "Could you-I mean, would you please stay with me?"
Draco blinked, genuinely surprised at the request.
"You don't have to do anything," she hurriedly went on to explain. "I just-I just don't want to be alone right now. Not after everything that happened."
"Let me get this straight," said Draco slowly. "You want me to stay here with you so that you don't feel scared?"
She nodded, faint tinges of pink blossoming on her cheeks.
"That is ridiculous."
Ginny's blush deepened. She knew it was a rather odd request, considering that he was her captor and had just killed two men before her eyes, but right now he was the only thing close to security that she had. She just couldn't stay alone in this room tonight, not after everything that had happened.
No matter how strong or brave she could be, she was still just a nineteen-year-old girl.
"Please," begged Ginny, throwing her pride to the winds.
Draco stared at her for a moment and then gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I'll stay. It's going to be morning soon anyway."
Ginny ignored his grumbling and instead bestowed him with a grateful smile. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," muttered Draco, shrugging off the hand that was still gripping his arm. "I just don't want the Dark Lord to have any more excuses to punish me because you have bags under your eyes or something."
Ginny almost laughed at this, thinking that it was so typical of him to ruin things by making a comment like that. Instead she just nodded to show she understood and then headed over to the bed. She clambered in under the covers and once again pulled them right up to her chin.
Draco extinguished the candles, sending the room into darkness. She didn't hear him after that.
After a while she began to panic, wondering if he had just lied and said he would stay so that she would stop pestering him.
Her breathing quickened again, coming dangerously close to hyperventilating.
"Draco?" she whispered wildly to the darkness. "Are you still there?"
"Relax," came the calm reply, and she could almost imagine him rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to leave you."
Ginny let out a deep breath, her eyes closing as she relaxed back against the pillows. For the second time that night she felt enveloped by the reassuring knowledge that she was safe.
There was no need to fear now. She was with him.
A/N: I'm still not sure I'm entirely happy with this chapter, but after scrapping a whole draft copy for the fifth time, I'm really quite tired of trying to make it how I wanted it to be. I'm afraid you're stuck with it as it is now.
In any case, thoughts and feedback will be appreciated, and, as usual, I shall try update asap. I am starting university up again, though, so the next chapter might take a bit longer.