Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter Universe.
Thanks to Aerileigh for beta-ing this for me.
~~~~~~~~
Draco paced up and down the hallway outside of Luna's hospital room. Though his mind was far from caring about anyone except Serena and Ginny, he had been convinced by his mother, father, and Blaise that leaving would arouse suspicion within Luna. In her fragile state, Luna couldn't handle the devastating news of her best friend being missing, or her goddaughter for that matter.
Harry and Ron were talking to a group of Aurors about obtaining the documentation on the Floo network while Pansy did her best to contact all the members of the Weasley family. She had been ordered to do that task by Narcissa, who was rotating people in and out of Luna's room so that she did not suspect anything happened. Everyone had come to an agreement that it would be best not to inform her and send her into a state of shock.
"She wants to know where Ginny is," Blaise hissed worriedly, coming out the room. "What am I going to tell her?"
"Blaise, calm down." Narcissa placed a hand on Blaise's shoulder. "You can't panic or she will sense something is wrong. Tell her that Ginny took Serena to the Manor and had to go home to change. She will be back momentarily."
"If we don't find-"
"We will find them," Draco said, glaring at Blaise.
"Of course we will, dear," Narcissa said soothingly. "Your father is getting Theo now. He will provide us with some new information. I'm sure of it. Now Blaise, go tell her Ginny will be back soon."
"I'll tell her," Blaise said with a nod, knowing it would be pointless to do much else.
"Draco?"
Draco turned and saw Michael, Astoria, and Anthony walking towards him. In an instant, Draco had Michael pinned against the wall by his throat. Astoria and Anthony stepped back in shock while the assembled group gasped as the Aurors moved to get Draco off Michael. He wouldn't budge, his face contorted in rage, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"Where the fuck were you?" Draco squeezed tightly, ignoring the protests around him and the gasping of the man in front of him. "Too busy flirting with her and ignoring what I hired you to do."
"Draco-" Michael gasped.
"Draco!" snapped Lucius as he walked onto the scene.
Draco released his hold and watched as Michael crumpled to the floor, his breath coming in short gasps. However, Draco was past caring. He had the urge to kick Michael's form while he was on the ground, but Lucius seemed to intercept his train of thought because he quickly directed Anthony and Astoria to help Michael off the ground and into one of the chairs in the hallway.
"Draco, sit," Lucius directed.
Draco sneered. "Sit? You want me to sit? Serena and Ginny are missing, Father, if you haven't noticed. We can't find them. Merlin knows what he's doing to them. You didn't see the way he was looking at Ginny."
"Draco-"
"No, Mother," Draco shouted, his voice sharp in the quiet that overcame the hall. "I'm going to go find them. The rest of you can sit around and have tea for all I care."
With one last heated glare, Draco stormed down the hall, Lucius on his heels. He didn't notice his father, though. All he could think of was the way that Warrington had looked at Ginny, the leering manner in which he gazed at her. The thought of what he could be doing to Ginny made him sick. He knew what his Slytherin compatriots were capable of. And Serena-Draco stopped, his heart hammering painfully.
"We'll find them, Draco," Lucius said in his best soothing tone.
"I have no doubt of that, Father," Draco said, his voice quiet. "But will we be too late to save them?"
Lucius didn't have an answer.
"Malfoy," Harry yelled.
Draco spun around, leveling a glare on the green-eyed man. "What?"
"We need you to look at these Floo lists," Harry said calmly, using the tone he used on the victims who came into the Auror's office. "You would know these places better than we would. We've narrowed it down by the time frame that she left."
"I'm coming," Draco said.
"Theo should be arriving any moment now. He will be able to help," Lucius said firmly.
"He should be here already," Draco snapped, walking away.
Lucius sighed. "Warrington, you have no idea what you've done."
~~~~~~~~
Ginny stared around in panic. She didn't know how long Warrington had been away, but in that time she managed to loosen the knots around Serena's hands. The little girl was still asleep. Not knowing what spell was cast, Ginny was unable to decipher when exactly Serena would wake up, but the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of her daughter's chest calmed Ginny down enough to think.
There was only one escape route: the door. While she didn't know what was beyond that door, she knew it was the only way out. Ginny struggled with the ropes that bound her hands, letting out a hopeless groan. She was stuck. Furthermore, Serena was asleep, which meant that she couldn't help Ginny get out of her bonds.
Ginny thought that it might be a good thing that Serena was asleep. If Warrington came back and did anything-Ginny paused, unable to think about what could happen. In the war, she had been sheltered from the abuse that the prisoners of war suffered. She knew it happened. She wasn't naive. But her parents kept her safe at home, and while she had resented them for that, she now thought that saving her from being captured was perhaps the best thing her parents ever did for her. She swore the minute she got out, she was going to go spend time at the Burrow.
Tears began to slide down her face as she thought of all the things that could happen to Serena. She didn't care about herself at the moment. All she wanted was Serena to be returned back to Draco safely. There was nothing she desired more. If she could will Serena home, she would. A thought came to her: wandless Apparition.
She grabbed Serena's hand and tried. Her body sagged when she realized that it wouldn't work. She was still stuck in her bonds, and Serena was still sleeping behind her. She turned her body around so she could get a look at Serena, unbothered by the rips in her own dress. The fact that she could see blood staining the floor beneath her didn't bother her either.
"I love you," Ginny whispered tearily. "I'm going to get you out of here. If I don't get to come with you, I just want you to know that I love you."
A strangled sob tore out of Ginny's mouth as she realized that Warrington might not let Serena go. She helplessly struggled against her bonds. She desperately wanted to gather Serena in her arms. The fact that she couldn't made Ginny break into a fresh set of tears, and she had to take a few deep breaths to regain her composure. She told herself that the tears wouldn't help her situation, and that she couldn't think while crying.
She sighed when no new ideas came to her. "You're going to grow up a wonderful girl. You'll be smart, beautiful and you'll have boys knocking on your father's door. Of course, he won't like that at all. But he'll have to get over it."
Ginny froze when she heard the door knob rattle. A chilling sound filled her ears. "Hello, poppet."
"Please, let her go," Ginny pleaded, staring hopelessly at Serena. "I'll do anything, just let her go."
"I'l make you a deal." Warrington walked up to her and hauled her to her feet. He spun her around in his arms, a sinister smile on his face. "I'll take the little one up to a nice comfortable room and keep her in this sleep."
"Just send her back," Ginny whispered desperately.
"She'll be my insurance," Warrington continued, ignoring Ginny's pleas. "If you behave, I'll send her back to St. Mungo's unharmed."
Ginny bit her lip and nodded, knowing that was the best deal she would get. "You have to make a Wizard's Oath that you will not touch her."
Warrington laughed. "No, poppet. Take it or leave it."
"I'll take it," Ginny said quickly. "But I want to see you put her in the room. And when you're-when we're through, I want to stay with her."
"Until I need you again," Warrington whispered vindictively. His hand squeezed tightly around her arms. "You're going to suffer as much as she did. I will break you, repair you, and do it all over again."
Ginny schooled her features to show no emotion. "Let's get this over with."
"It won't be quick, poppet." He smirked, waving his wand to untie her feet before levitating Serena's sleeping form. "Follow me. Don't try anything funny either. If I lose my concentration, your daughter will fall. Any sudden impact in her current condition will cause exponential damage."
"You're a bastard," Ginny spat.
"My mother and father were married when I was born," Warrington said with that same sinister smile.
Ginny resisted the urge to knock Warrington out. He was levitating Serena high in the air, and she knew Warrington was right. If Serena were to fall in her current condition, the damage would be irreparable. Her brain was in a fragile state and wouldn't be able to take the jostle. Ginny resigned herself to follow behind Warrington, keeping her thoughts on Serena and not the impending confrontation with Warrington.
~~~~~~~~
"I got here as soon as I could," Theo said out of breath.
Draco did his best not to snap at him as he had done to everyone else in the room. If anyone could help him now, it would be Theo. Theo had been following Warrington and would know his hangout spots and various homes. Draco shoved the list into Theo's hands and sank down on the chair, his eyes burning from reading the tiny scrawl on the parchment. He didn't understand how so many people could leave the hospital at the same time.
He tiredly rubbed his eyes, realizing that he was surviving on little to no sleep. The adrenaline was slowly disappearing, leaving behind worry, fear, anger, and exhaustion. Draco could feel his muscles crying out for sleep, not to mention the pounding headache he had from snapping at everyone in his sight. He knew at the end of all of this when Serena and Ginny were safely in his arms-
"I'm an idiot," he muttered, dropping his head in his hands.
"Draco?" Pansy rested a hand on Draco's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Draco glared at her.
"Right," Pansy said, quickly retracting her hand. "Sorry."
"She told me she cared for me," Draco said softly. "All I could do was stare at her."
"What would you say if you could, Draco?" pressed Pansy.
Draco thought about it. Given the chance, he didn't know what he would say back to Ginny. She was right. He cared about her. He couldn't deny it anymore. In all truths, when he had chosen to go on a vacation with her and Serena, especially when he found out it would be her birthday, he had hoped that they would reenact some of the things they did when they had been in a relationship.
But when it-the shagging that is-was done, he didn't feel good. Not after what she said. The most shocking part was when she told him she went there for him. Draco was used to people who had ulterior motives. He met and associated with his fair share of social climbers and gold diggers. With people like that constantly in his life, he couldn't imagine that someone would genuinely care for him without wanting anything in return.
Then again, Ginny did want something in return. Ginny wanted him to feel the same way. She wanted a relationship with him. Now, in his current situation, he didn't think she was asking for much. Perhaps things would have been better off if they never ended things to begin with. Not for the first time, Draco began to wonder if it was foolish of him to allow Serena to sway him on that subject.
His thoughts shifted to his daughter, and he cursed himself once more. He didn't understand what Warrington wanted with Serena. Ginny he could understand. Draco had an inkling of what was going on in Warrington's mind. He saw that Draco was fairly interested in Ginny and was now planning to show Draco the same pain he felt, tenfold. But Slytherins did not take on unnecessary burdens. Serena would only be a complication.
"Draco?"
"We were supposed to be on a beach right now, Pansy." Draco shook his head dejectedly. "Serena should be building a sandcastle with Ginny. Then we would go inside and celebrate Ginny's birthday like I planned with the chocolate mint mousse she made yesterday. I got her kidnapped on her birthday."
"Stop it," Pansy whispered furiously. "You did not do anything. Warrington did this, and I do not want you to forget that. When you find him, remember this is his doing, not yours."
"She-"
"I know, Draco. Everyone here knows how she feels about you," Pansy said, squeezing his shoulder. "We also know how much she loves Serena. I can bet that wherever they are, Serena is safe."
"But what will she have to do to keep Serena safe?" asked Draco.
Pansy looked like she was about to protest but stopped. "She'll be fine."
"Don't say things you cannot guarantee," Draco said, steely.
"I think we got it," Theo exclaimed excitedly. "I think I know where he took her."
~~~~~~~~
"Untie my hands," Ginny ordered as Warrington rested Serena on the bed.
Warrington chuckled, the sound disconcerting. "You must think me a fool, poppet. Given the chance, you would run out of here as fast as you could."
"You don't know me at all," Ginny said venomously. "I would never leave my daughter here with you. You're nothing but a coward who hides behind a mask of cruelty. You're nothing, and Tracey may be vile, but she would never love you."
Warrington stalked towards her, his expression betraying none of his emotions. She shuddered when he brought his hand to her cheek, caressing it softly. Her head whipped to the side as he reared it back and slapped her hard across her face. Ginny held back a cry when her cheek, which was burning red, began to sting. She looked into the eyes of her captor, tears welling in her eyes.
"You'll do well to remember that I've been playing nice," Warrington seethed. "If you dare speak her name in front of me again, death won't come soon enough for you. I will torture you within an inch of your life and let you watch as I kill your daughter."
Ginny whimpered but stood tall. "I just-I want to touch her, please."
"As a favor, my poppet," Warrington said, his maniacal smile back on his face. He untied her hands. "Any wrong moves, and I will not hesitate with my wand."
Ginny nodded and slowly made her way to Serena. She hovered over her daughter's still form, smoothing back her hair. Tears spilled from her eyes, dropping onto her daughter as she suddenly realized that this might be the last time she would look upon her daughter's angelic face. With whispered words of love, Ginny placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead, praying to anyone listening that Serena would leave this place unscathed both physically and mentally.
"How sweet," Warrington murmured. He grabbed Ginny's arms and hauled her body to him. "I think I'll put you to bed now."
Warrington grabbed Ginny's other arm, holding both behind her back. He spun her to the door and pushed her out of the room. He called for a house elf, threatening the cowering creature's life should anyone get in or out of the room Serena was in. Then he shoved Ginny to the room next door with brutal force. Warrington slammed the door behind him when they were in the room.
"Now it's time to play," Warrington said with twisted amusement, his eyes glimmering under the light.
Ginny groaned when she was tossed violently onto the floor, her head slamming into the stone beneath her. She knew the throbbing pain in her head was only the beginning. She briefly wondered if she could rile him up a little more so he would knock her unconscious, but she quickly banished the thought from her head, knowing that any sign of her fighting against him would not be good for Serena. She heard what he said next door, and she knew what would happen if she didn't cooperate.
"What spell to use first?" Warrington circled her, a bird circling its prey.
Ginny flinched. She had thought that Warrington would rape her and be done. While she knew there would be torture in between, she didn't think he would do it outright. Now though, she didn't think she would mind. Perhaps it would give Draco some time to find them and save Serena. She knew that Draco would know they were gone by now, or, at least, she hoped that he would know by now. With any luck, they were already searching for her.
Her happiness dampened slightly when she realized that Warrington had been planning this for a longtime. He had to be in order to pull off kidnapping her effectively while she was traveling the Floo network. But he hadn't bargained for Serena, it seemed. Ginny could tell by his hesitation when it came to dealing with the young girl that he did not think that Ginny would have Serena. She had been using that to her advantage when she asked him to leave Serena out of it. She knew he would see the reasoning behind having Serena out of the way. He could continue with his plan without the young girl. He had played into her hand, for which Ginny was thankful.
"Crucio."
Ginny spasmed on the floor, her body writhing in pain. Her mind descended in a hazy fog, a scream ripping from her throat. Warrington didn't let up, but kept his wand trained on her flailing form, his eyes glinting with undisguised pleasure. Ginny cried out, screaming for help from anything or anyone. Black spots danced before her eyes and she felt that this was surely the end; her death was bearing down upon her. Just as she thought she would inhale the blissful numbness of the afterlife, Warrington ended the spell with malicious laughter.
"I bet you laughed the same way when you saw Malfoy torturing Tracey, didn't you?" Warrington continued to circle her body. "I went to the Aurors about this, and they said I didn't have proof."
Ginny twitched on the floor, sobbing.
"Proof? I didn't need it," Warrington roared in anger. "I knew it was Malfoy. It had to be him and his little slut. That's what you are, aren't you? A little slut who opened her legs for Malfoy the minute he asked. You dare call me a bastard when you had one of your own."
Ginny desperately wanted to get up and fight him. Her hand came up to grab at his feet when he spoke of Serena. But she was too weak. He simply shook his leg, bringing his boot down onto her hand, a smile appearing on his face at the sound of crunching bones.
"In fact, I think I will sample a bit of Malfoy's little slut," Warrington said with lust in his eyes. "You're going to open your legs for me like you do Malfoy."
Ginny whimpered, her mind beginning to close off. She didn't want to think of Warrington's coming actions. All hope of Draco, or anyone for that matter, saving her fled from her mind. She cringed when Warrington sank down on his knees, whispering a spell that caused Ginny's dress to tear down the center. He leered at the bathing suit she had on underneath. She wondered why he couldn't have kidnapped her from the Floo network after she changed, not like it mattered what she was wearing.
"You're going to tell me what you did to my Tracey." Warrington grabbed at the material on her body, trying to tug it off. "What did you do to her to make her not remember me?"
"I-" Ginny tried to talk but it hurt.
"Things were going fine, until you came along," Warrington exclaimed agitatedly, the fact that he couldn't get her bathing suit off angering him. "Tracey had Malfoy eating out of the palm of her hand. We had a plan, you see."
Ginny's ears perked up at this new information, her mind fighting through the haze of pain.
"Tracey was going to marry Malfoy then divorce him and take all his money. All those jewels he bought her, we sold them for the money, stashing it away for when we would get married." Warrington used a cutting spell on the upper half of her bathing suit.
"Why?" Ginny croaked.
Warrington grabbed her around her neck, his fingers digging into her skin. "Because of bloody Potter and his friends. I wasn't convicted of doing anything during the war, but they still seized all my money while the Malfoys got off scot-free."
"They didn-" Ginny clawed at his hands holding her throat.
He released his grip, his hand sliding down her shoulder. "They had some of their money taken from them. But look at their empire. They didn't suffer in poverty like I did."
He backhanded her across the face when she tried to bat his hands away from her breasts.
"Remember our deal, poppet?" Warrington grinned sadistically. "You don't fight me and your precious daughter lives. Now, open those pretty little legs of yours."
Ginny immediately stilled her movements and fought the pain to open her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut when he ripped off the remains of her bathing suit, knowing what was next. In her mind, she kept running the thought of doing this for Serena through her head. She knew she could get through most of it if she tried her best to remind herself why she was doing this: the safety of her daughter.
"That's a good girl," Warrington said vindictively. "Tracey took me in, and it was like the old days. But then she had to go fuck Malfoy in order to siphon off some of his money because she didn't have enough. We were going to get married and have kids."
Ginny felt relieved when he stood up and moved away her body. However, the relief soon left when Warrington pointed his wand at her, whispering a spell she did not know. Suddenly, there was a cut across her stomach and her blood spilled out onto the floor. Blatantly, she realized that he was going to kill her. She would die on the stone floor with her daughter in the adjacent room. She began to cry at that thought, not knowing what would happen to Serena after she died.
"I'm not going to touch you, whore. I just wanted to see how long it would take you to open those pretty little legs of yours," Warrington spat. He leaned down, his face almost touching her own. "When you're dead, I'm going to put you on display like this, legs opened and naked. Everyone will see just how much of a whore you are."
Ginny trembled in both anger and pain. Wheezing, she said, "No one will believe it. They'll only see that I was tortured."
Warrington's head flew back as he chuckled maniacally. "They'll see nothing but what I want them to see."
Ginny couldn't look at him anymore. She turned her head away from him, screaming out when he roughly grabbed her chin and turned it back. He stared into her pain-filled eyes, his own hard with cruelty and satisfaction. His smile was twisted, his happiness shining through at the sight of her slowly bleeding to death, naked and spread out on his bedroom floor.
"When I'm done with you, I'll take care of your daughter too," he said coldly.
"No," Ginny screamed, wrenching herself off the floor. But she was too weak. She immediately fell back. "I will come back from my grave to kill you if you lay a single hand on her."
"A risk I'm willing to take," Warrington assured her.
Ginny picked her hand up to slap him, but it was no use. The pain she was in was too much. Her vision danced before her, black spots making an appearance. She knew what was coming. She would slip into unconsciousness and then her body would fail her. She let the tears fall from her eyes as she thought of the fate that awaited her daughter. Ginny could only hope that though he wasn't in time to save her, Draco would come to save Serena from the cruelty of Alan Warrington.
"That's it, poppet," Warrington cooed. "You're going to be but a memory to Malfoy, a painful memory. For years, he will think of nothing but how he couldn't save you. He'll be driven to madness, and I will have my ultimate revenge."
As he said those words, a commotion outside of the room drew his attention. Ginny heard Warrington curse under his breath about incompetent house elves before he got up. A buzzing feeling filled her ears, and her body was becoming numb. There was a dull thrum of pain left though, and she could still see the rich, red stream of blood pouring down the side of her stomach, onto her arm, which was limp by her side.
"What the bloody hell is going on out here? I told you to-"
Ginny didn't know what happened next. Warrington was blasted across the room, and three figures came through the doorway, firing off spells. Two of them had white blond hair. With a smile, Ginny inhaled a deep breath, coughing as soon as she did. She closed her eyes, happy to know that her daughter would be safe now that Draco and Lucius arrived.
With a blissful smile, she whispered, "I love you, Draco," before her vision went black.