ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT

Chapter Nine- Moonlight Sonata

Emmanuel Vance had never been scared of the dark. But as soon as his mother closed the door softly behind her, he sat straight up in his bed. The shadows seemed to crowd around in a way that was both sinister and unreal. He could hear his own breathing, harsh and loud, ringing throughout the silent room.

A shape flickered past his window.

With the unerring instinct of a hunted animal, he threw himself hard against the wall and out of sight as the shape paused for a long moment. Was that a hooded face peering at him from the darkness? Swift as a bat, it was gone. Emmanuel collapsed on his bed, heart hammering and sweat chilling quickly on his face. After an indeterminably long moment, he forced his shaky muscles to support him again as he crawled toward the door.

He had to wake his parents. Surely, surely they could stop the darkness.

ooooooooooo

In the short time they had been gone, Blaise appeared to have recovered almost entirely. As the rest of the company filed past him into the house with Bellatrix in the lead, he gave Ginny a strange look, his eyes glittering slightly in the light of the compromised ward spells. Much to his surprise, she met his gaze with a wicked smile as she passed by him. He stared after her for a moment, then threw a furtive look behind him as he resealed the wards and slipped into the darkened house after them

Inside, the house was alarmingly creaky and cluttered. Ginny found herself jumping slightly as small squeaks and inhuman whisperings issued from dark corners. After they had passed three closed rooms, Bella paused a the foot of a flight of stairs.

“Now please, listen carefully,” she said quietly, her voice low but intense. “Once we reach the top of the stairs, Blaise and I will go left, into the master bedroom. Draco, you and Ginny will turn right and go into the second room you come to. Inside is a tall glass cabinet. Reach inside and on the second shelf there is a small jet vial. It is quite light, and has a red etching of the front. I want you take that vial and meet us back at the top of the staircase. You must be altogether careful with that vial, do you hear me? Do not break it, do not open it, do not even shake it. Is that all perfectly clear? Do not go back downstairs without either Blaise or I with you. Do you understand?”

Two pairs of hard eyes met her own piercing gaze and two heads bowed in sullen acquiescence. Inwardly, she smiled. It was a start.

“Come, Blaise,” she hissed and disappeared silently up the stairs, the rapid flick of a cloak the only sound to mark her passing; he followed her, a swift and faithful shadow. Draco and Ginny regarded each other for a long moment.

“Ladies first.”

“Coward.”

And they ascended the winding stairs, climbing higher and higher, fading into the impermeable darkness.

He could hear their voices, drawing nearer and nearer to where he crouched behind a crack in the door. Desperation made his heart pound wildly; if only he’d run, just a little sooner, just a littler faster... A small sob caught in his throat. It was just like the stories, the ones his mum told, about the old days. Black cloaked figures in the night and a shining green skull, hanging in the sky. Suddenly, the faint light bleeding in from the hallway was blocked out; one of the tall figures stood frozen, just outside his door.

Filled with dread, but drawn like a moth to a flame, he leaned closer and closer to the crack, his breath all but frozen with terror. Just a little closer and he would see hood, and then.... There was a sudden noise, the swish of a cloak, and the light spilled across the floor again. The figure was gone. All of his breath spilled out in a soft sigh that was more than half a sob.

The door in front of him slammed shut and he could hear the lock turn as he fell backwards to the floor in shock.

“And stay there till we’re ready for you, you sneaky little rat,” hissed a boy’s voice, light but poisonous.

Emmanuel retreated to the farthest corner of the room, panting with fear. They were coming. They were coming and nothing would stop them and he had no way to escape. His eyes flickered madly around the room, but found no hope. Curling himself up tighter in the corner, he closed his eyes and rocked his body back and forth. Not happening, not happening, not happening, not happening, just a bad dream, soon his parents would come and lull him back to sleep, he was safe, it was a dream, nothing was wrong... He felt the darkness pressing in and turned his face away.

Reaching into the dark wooden case, Draco brought out a small bottle and examined it for a moment. Ginny stood, her back to him, facing the open door with her wand out and her hand steady.

“Got it?” she hissed impatiently out of the corner of her mouth, turning her head as much as possible without taking her eyes away from the empty hallway.

“Take a look,” he said and held the bottle out to her. It was a work of art, the opaque jet glass throwing the faint light back at their eyes. Three slashes of red, like the ragged wounds of animal claws, scored jaggedly across the front. A tiny diamond winked like a star from the ebony lip of the bottle. No cork sealed the gaping mouth.

“All right. Let’s wait in here until....” A sudden crash from the hall brought them both swiftly to attention. As if by unspoken agreement and without even a look exchanged, Ginny moved slightly to the side of the entryway, concealing herself but keeping a clear shot into the hall open as Draco did the same on the other side. After a long tense moment in which not the slightest sound could be heard from the hall, Draco eased himself cautiously out, back-to-back with Ginny and wand at the ready. All the spells he had learned or picked up as a child that might be useful in combat were running madly through his mind. Entrail-Expelling Curse, no, too messy, Severing Curse, probably not enough power, Reducto Curse, wouldn’t cause enough damage, Petrificus Totalus was only a temporary solution at best, and the Cruciatus Curse was....

“Not necessary,” said Bellatrix calmly, stepping out from the room across from them on the other side of the staircase. She replaced her wand to her pocket after wiping it gingerly on her ragged robes. In the shadows behind her, Ginny could see Blaise crouched on the floor, leaning over what looked like.... She looked away, her stomach heaving slightly. She didn’t know a human body could lose that much flesh and still be in one piece.

“Do you have the vial?” she continued briskly, stepping in front of the door and blocking Blaise from sight. Draco held up the delicate bottle, clutched firmly in his other hand. “Good. Now, there’s just one more thing.”

Walking halfway around the passageway, Bellatrix stopped just at the head of the stairway, next to the first room with its tightly closed door.

“Come here, Ginny,” she commanded softly, beckoning imperiously with her finger. Mesmerized by Bella’s dark cobra stare, Ginny walked slowly down the hall toward the robed Death Eater, back straight and head held high, but her eyes dreamy.

“Open the door.” Her gaze still locked with Bellatrix’s, Ginny did so. In the corner of the darkened room was a little boy, a boy with bright blue eyes, eyes as bright as the ocean and golden hair like the sun. He was frozen with terror, pressed against the wall and shivering as he stared at her.

“Kill him.” Ginny didn’t seem to hear her, and neither did the boy. They stared at each other, each lost in their own world; one was pure terror, but no one save for Ginny knew what was in the other. After a long quiet moment, the slim teenager raised her hand to chest level, as if she was reaching out to the boy. Behind him, Draco heard Blaise come up quietly and freeze, caught in the burning tension of the strange tableau. Bellatrix stared with burning eyes at the two children, excitement and anticipation parting her lips with an expression somewhat akin to lust.

A part of Ginny’s mind cried out in protest for the little boy, so innocent, so scared, so helpless. But over that small protesting voice lay a greater power, a consciousness that saw the boy and the animalistic fear in his eyes and felt nothing but contempt. He was little more than an insect, his tiny fluttering heart and his mind (an empty white roaring abyss of terror) the mirror image of a hunted beast. Such a coward, such a traitor was hardly worthy of life.

Venomous brown eyes met ocean blue and Ginny’s hand stretched out infinitesimally farther and her breath seemed to stop for moment. Then she whispered, so softly it would have been impossible to hear, except for the deadly silence in the room:

“Sleep.”

He blinked. The feeling of pressure, of an impending storm, grew stronger in the room, but Ginny seemed untouchable by any earthly emotion or action. She didn’t move, but just kept looking steadily at the boy. Entranced, Draco, Bellatrix and Blaise stared as well, but while the latter two were utterly absorbed in the child, Draco gazed unwaveringly at the red-hair girl before him. What was she becoming, the girl he had taken and made their own? What had she been before?

The little boy’s eyes fluttered, then shot open with panic. He was struggling silently, fighting as hard as he could against the relentless pull she exerted. It was the tug of the moon, moving oceans in its wake, and he was the helpless swimmer, drowning in the rip tide.

Eyes narrowed with anger at his resistance, she spoke again, harder, more demanding:

“Sleep.”

At this infuriated command, the boy suddenly sat up straight and the fear seemed to melt from his eyes. Rebellion and defiance almost sparkled from them, and illuminated what had been little more than a terrified animal the moment before. He would fight. Just as his mother, and his father, and his sisters before him, he would be brave.

Ginny paused, puzzled. This wasn’t right. No, it shouldn’t be this way. Unconsciously, her mind strayed back to her own subjugation. No, not a command: a suggestion, an insinuation, a gentle nudging. She smiled, a cat’s smile, cunning, smug, and lovely.

She swiftly crossed the room and knelt beside him, her grin widening as a slight tremor crossed his face. He flinched hard as she stretched out her hand again, but it merely came to rest gently on his head. Slowly, slowly, it ran lovingly through his hair, a mother’s caress. He stared up at her, confusion and fear plain on his face. But despite the stunning tension in his muscles, he didn’t move as Ginny soothing away his fears and abating his wild panic. Then, after a long moment, in a hiss that was softer and gentler than a lullaby:

“Sleep.” His eyelids fluttered like trapped moths against a windowpane, but the spark of rebellion was extinguished. Small shadows danced across his face as his eyes finally closed and his hushed breathing slowed, weakened...

Stopped.

The harsh breathing of four people filled the room. Then, silently and without warning, Ginny wavered in her crouch on the floor and fell over the body of her victim in a dead faint. Her red hair escaped the black hood and spilled across the floor like a pool of blood.

“Well,” said Bellatrix slowly, a wicked smile beginning to steal across her face, “It appears our search is ended.” Blaise stared down at Ginny, a wondering look on his narrow face. “When we return...”

The sudden crack of Apparition cut off her words. As swift as a shadow, Bellatrix flew across the room and slapped Ginny hard across the face. Her eyes fluttered open and stared at the furious woman, uncomprehending.

“Up,” she hissed wildly, and hauled the girl to her feet. “What are you doing sitting there staring? They’re here!” she snarled at the two boys. “Downstairs, now, and don’t damage that vial!” Blaise dashed off, down the stairs two at a time with Draco hot on his heels. Bellatrix grabbed Ginny’s arm in a painful grip and dragged her away from the small body on the floor, pulling out her wand as she went. Pale and unseeing, Ginny followed obediently.

The Aurors had surrounded the house. Draco could hear their grim voices, calling commands and uttering binding spells around the perimeter. He felt panic welling up and flooding through his veins. Blaise spun around to face him; they moved together and stood back to back in the center of the entrance hall, wands drawn and faces tense. Any second now, the splintering of the front door and then....

“What in Merlin’s name are you two doing? Preparing for some imbecilic last stand?” shrieked Bellatrix furiously from the top of the stairs. Still supporting Ginny with one hand, she whipped her wand violently threw the air next to the door and screamed “Accio broomsticks!”. The power of her spell shot the brooms straight through the wall without even a scratch on them. Stunned, Blaise and Draco caught their own brooms as they soared through the air. Above them, Bellatrix expertly fielded both her and Ginny’s brooms, then pointed her wand to the arched ceiling above them.

“Reducto!”

As the debris rained down, nearly impaling them on shattered glass and splintered wooden beams, all four of the Death Eaters swooped and spun wildly, finally shooting through the gaping hole Bella had blasted. Ginny clung weakly to Bellatrix’s broom, the older woman’s weight behind her the only thing that kept her from tumbling to the earth during their vertical plunge. She could feel hot breath like a dragon’s against her cheek and it made her moan, half-deliriously. Suddenly, she felt something rough being shoved into her hand. It scraped roughly against her fingers, slightly splintered and pricking uncomfortably.

“Do it,” hissed a voice behind her, demanding, but oddly anxious, almost nervous. “You know the incantation.”

Lost in her own mental fog, Ginny felt a memory come drifting upward. Not her own; at least, she didn’t think so. It was so beautiful, glittering and majestic against the sparkling night sky, a sign of her victory to all the world below it. A smile flitted dreamily across her face.

“Morsmordre!” she shrieked to the cold night, louder than a banshee, wilder than a harpy. Gasps came from the obscured shapes above her as the Dark Mark blossomed brightly below like a poisonous lotus, its green sparks vying with the stars for luminousness amidst the night shadows.

As Ginny fell back into the warm mist in her mind, she breathed in the freezing air and tasted the sharp promise of snow on it. A voice behind her seemed to whisper, quieter than the icy breeze, “Well done, little one.” But maybe it was just the wind, after all. Suddenly, they plunged together after the swift dark shapes hovering above her, into the darkness that shone and sparkled with promise.

ooooooooooo

“So, let me get this straight. Doe she even know? Does she even understand? I mean, for Merlin’s sake, does she remember?”

“Of course she remembers. Don’t be ridiculous. Whether she accepts it or not, just yet... well, that remains to be seen. But she can’t escape it, try through she might.”

“And yet you’re satisfied, I see.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But it was hardly a success. Honestly, she’s just as likely to turn as before, if not more!”

“Does it seem that way to you?”

“Well, frankly, yes.”

“Ah, how little you see of it, love. It’s a long and twisted path that brought her back to us, but even one such as she knows when she is home.”

She leaned down and ran her fingers through his hair, across his lips.

“Whereas you, my pet, you were never lost.”

ooooooooooo

Ginny leaned back against the mossy tree trunk and stretched languorously. The warm murky light filtering through the branches made her sleepy, sinking into her bones and lulling her into a warm trance...

“Mustn’t lie around in forests unaware, Miss Weasley,” came a soft, breathless voice from behind in her ear, as warm fingers brushed against her face, then strayed lower. “Who knows what might be lurking around these days?”

“I shudder to think,” she retorted softly, sliding against the fallen leaves, teasingly avoiding his touch. He muttered mutinously for a second (she thought she might have caught the word “witch”, but then, maybe not), then slid around the tree and pounced, pinning her effectively to the ground as he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, exposing and trapping her in one swift movement.

“How did you manage to get away so early, clever little girl?” he asked calmly, feeling her writhe slightly beneath him, then running his tongue slowly along her neck, just where her pulse fluttered wildly.

“Well, you know,” she replied casually, trying to keep her voice steady as his while his touch tantalized her, but failing miserably. “Still playing the ‘poor disturbed little hostage’ angle. Works wonders. Must be a better actress than I” -here she gasped slightly as Draco found an especially sensitive spot on her throat- “than I thought.”

“Hmmm,” he replied, noncommittally. “What about Natalie?”

When Ginny had returned to the Slytherin common room, bloody and disheveled the next morning, it was Natalie who found her first. But the third year had been remarkably closed-mouthed about the whole matter, taking Ginny’s cover story smoothly along with rest of them. After all, it made perfect sense. Who better for the Death Eaters to take prisoner for one of their sick, convoluted blood-rituals than sweet, innocent little Ginny Weasley? And if she seemed a little less than perturbed by the matter, well, these things took time to recover from. Poor little girl, with such a dark past, too. Sometimes the world just wasn’t fair.

It was Blaise who first warned them about Tally, although he remained uncharacteristically reticent regarding the root of his suspicions. Still, Ginny faithfully kept an eye on the potential recruit for any sign of change or rebellion. It was harder without Draco there to help her, but with the whole former House of Slytherin now busily engaged in training, his continued absence from Hogwarts remained necessary.

“She’s... quiet,” answered Ginny, absently pushing Draco away for a moment. He smirked slightly, but a troubled look crossed her face. “Does Blaise ever say anything about her?" she asked. "Why he thinks she’ll turn? Mind you, she was acting awfully suspicious before I left.”

“Not a word. It’s odd. Wonder what he did to her.” Ginny swatted at him playfully.

“Nothing you didn’t do to me, I’m sure.”

Draco grew serious in his turn. “I don’t know. I think I used to underestimate Blaise, before all of this happened.” A dark image flashed before his eyes for a second, of Blaise leaning over a twisted body, but it faded swiftly in the afternoon sunlight. He shook his head for a moment. “Won’t be making that mistake again.”

Ginny leaned back against the ground again, and Draco propped himself on an elbow above her. She smiled to see the sun slide off his hair as it fell slightly across his troubled eyes.

“So, what’s the news, anyway? Or did you just call me out here to have your wicked way with me?” she asked mockingly, as much to distract him from the memories of that night as anything else. At her words, his eyes cleared and he seemed to see her again, hair scattered messily among the rotting leaves.

“As agreeable as I would be to such a venture,” he replied lightly, “There is news. Good news, for once. Bella wants us for the next meeting. She says," He paused for a moment, swallowed, took a breath. “She’s says it’s time.”

At the last words, Ginny sat bolt upright, regardless of the woodland debris she scattered.

“Oh, Draco,” she whispered breathlessly. “Finally. It’s going to be for real.”

He ran his hand softly up her arm, pushing back her sleeve and tracing the unsullied white skin which would soon bear the Mark. His Mark. Her Mark. Their Mark. He smiled.

“Yes,” he agreed softly. “Just what you always wanted.”

A small frown creased her forehead. “Aren’t you getting it as well?”

“Of course. Right beside you.” He slid up his sleeve to reveal his own unmarked skin. They stared for a moment at their arms, side by side.

“Together,” she whispered, and took his hand in hers.

He didn’t answer, just tightened his grip until the blood drained away. The pain was almost like a promise.

“And after?” she asked, still staring at their interlocked hands.

“We’re still going to need you as a spy, of course, and to recruit. Bella said she’ll give you a blood charm, one of the new ones, to hide it up so you can stay undercover.” Draco carefully did not mention his own suspicions regarding Ginny’s future after she received the Mark. Bellatrix’s lecture in the forest that night was enough to keep him quiet. Besides, he doubted that even Ginny understood the implications of that night, their first mission together. He knew that no one had explained it to her. But the time was coming, that much was sure. Whether she would be ready was another matter entirely. He shuddered inwardly. Not his problem.

“Not what I meant, you innocent little serpent. I was talking about Bellatrix and Blaise, always being so superior. I mean, we aren’t going to let that go, now are we?” Her eyes sparkled wickedly up at him, the perfect mirror of the day they first kissed. “I know you’re better than Blaise, and as for your aunt and I... well, give me time. After all, we can’t let them have all the glory in the ranks.”

“Mm, wouldn’t dream of it,” he retorted, leaning down again to capture her mouth with his. But he must have been too gentle, because she bit his lip, hard. A trickle on his blood dripped onto her lips as he gasped in surprise and ground her roughly into the ground in hungry retaliation. She laughed breathlessly and licked it off, first of her mouth, then of his, savoring the taste. It was dark, and sweet, and sick, and right.

Just like life.

ooooooooooo

Into the vial, where a small pool of basilisk's blood lay wetly congealed, the woman dropped carefully three hairs: ash blond, midnight black, fire red. The blood hissed and frothed for a moment as the strands sunk into it and disappeared, sending up a plume of smoke that twisted like snakes in the afternoon light. Then, as the thin mist above the vial cleared, the dark-haired witch leaned close over it and dropped inside a few precious grains of the substance she had spent so many long months searching for.

Moondust.

As the white powder settled on the shimmering surface of the blood, it seemed to glaze over in a moment, darkening and hardening until it shone with an icy edge. It glistened like a sliver of obsidian, bent in the curve of an angel’s wing or a serpent’s tongue.

They were bound now, an unbreakable trio. Bound by blood and death and moonlit madness.

She slid the stone out of the vial and onto a slender silver chain around her neck, smiling.

"Peace, my lord," she whispered, more to herself than to the presence she knew was watching. "The charm's wound up."

ooooooooooo

Never trust. Never love. Never tell.
Ill Met By Moonlight.

ooooooooooo

A/N

Well, it’s been a long, random, crazy journey. First off, I know I left a lot of questions hanging. One of them (what is up with Tally and Blaise?) I intend to answer in a one-shot on fanfiction.net in a couple of months. I left most of the other questions in order to keep the way open for a sequel. I may or may not write it, depending on my whim and how bored I get this summer. Any other questions/complaints/comments? Review and leave an address so I can write you your own personal reply, or just e-mail with whatever you want to know. Seriously, do it! It would make me so happy, you have no idea. Constructive criticism is appreciated, as I can use it in future writing endeavors.

I’m sorry if some of you didn’t like how this fic turned out. Despite the fact that there was not great redemption or happy fairy tale ending, I am quite content with it myself. Never fear, there are many, many, MANY redeemed!Draco fics out there. I just didn’t feel that I could write one myself. I hope you don’t consider your time wasted in reading this story. I had the time of my life writing it, and I really hope it gave you at least some enjoyment.

Oh, and by the by, I do NOT condone the killing of small children! I really didn’t want to kill Emmanuel. I liked him a lot and felt quite terrible for him myself, but horrible things happen when you’re a Death Eater. So, don’t tell me I’m a terrible person. It was just what the plot demanded. My apologies to any I may have offended.

Thank you so very much for reading, and I hope to see you all again someday. Thanks for everything.

Love Forever,
Scarlett