Blinded

Pushing Daisies: Blinded by Your Love

By Clairvoyant Snake

Do you ever realize in time how difficult life gets?

That one should never give in?

Regardless, people are flawed.

Flawed to the deepest core of their putrid souls.

Depth in the eyes of deceit are what keeps some alive.

Some of the dead are killed by the ones they loved.

Will you kill me?

***

Chapter 1

Love Kills

She pushed her way through the crowded halls of Hogwarts; Maneuvering through the throng of wild, frantic, lost cries.

Thinking she heard the voice of her lover, she ran as fast as she could down to the empty dungeons. If it wasn't for her bright red hair, she would have reached the dungeons sooner.

Pulled to the side by strong arms belonging to her brother Ron Weasley, Ginny struggled desperately. To no avail, her brother was obviously stronger for she could not even twist around to spit in his face. She could faintly make out the sound of cracking wood. Ginny hadn't the faintest clue what that could've been though.

He whispered in her ear, "Ginny, where the hell do you think you're going? The Death Eaters are attacking," he said this with slight amusement evident in his now deep voice of a Seventeen year old.

"No! No, Ron! You don't understand! Let me go!" she cried plaintively.

He did not give in to her pleas and continued to hold her with his death-like grip. She resorted to savage methods.

Ginny bit him hard whilst he was distracted for a moment and was looking to his left.

The cries of their classmates was intensifying to a higher degree as Ginny managed to evade Ron's second attempt to grab her by the waist. She had absolutely no clue what was wrong with her brother. But according to his recent behavior -she managed to put together the few clues he left behind every so often. His character had changed. He had become more tolerant of Malfoy's taunts, better able to deal with Hermione's repeated rejections, and had managed even to give up his dangerous obsession with money and trying not to be Potter's second for the rest of his life.

Apparently, Ginny had been wrong.

No one noticed how his changes were occurring during the same time as the recent Death Eater activities. He had been on the Missing Person's list for two weeks before he was seen walking slowly, and with a bad limp -up the hilly slope from where the Forbidden Forest blurred its boundaries with Hogwarts' land.

He had managed to avoid Madam Pompfrey's constant attention as well. The person who had first noticed him, quite ironically indeed was Draco Malfoy. Despite popular belief, Draco evidently had a heart. He ran to the Headmaster's office upon viewing the missing Weasley, and informed Dumbledore of his recent appearance. Groups of people had ran across the lawn to meet up with long-awaited Ron.

The only things wrong with him then were his limp and the glazed over look in his eyes that everyone attributed to his lack of energy and apparent hunger.

The glazy eyes never did leave him.

No one had bothered to notice.

For Ron had seemed normal.

Not even Ginny could tell anything was different.

Everyone was wrong about the youngest male Weasley.

Ginny ran as fast as her short legs could carry her. Because she was so nimble and had a chance of losing herself within the crowds, she managed to lose Ron as well.

All the better...

Her lungs felt they were going to burst, as she hurried down the lengthy staircase to the dungeons. Once the familiar scent of dampness, cold, and earth permeated her senses, she knew she was getting closer.

Closer to her goal.

Her love.

The scent of a coppery tang reached her nose as she turned the sharp bend into the Potion's Hall.

Thinking it was already too late, she sprinted as fast as she could to the source.

She saw Draco Malfoy sprawled on the dirty, cold, stone floor, with vast amounts of horrid, red, thick, pooling blood.

His blood.

His eyes were closed shut tight, and to her it seemed as if he was willing himself to not die on the spot. He held his arm in the remains of his mutilated right hand. The dagger that did the damage to his once beautiful, soft, white, delicate fingers. They were now nothing more than fragments of visible white shiny bone, and red streaming blood, with skin dangling from the fraying edges of what once was his former hand's shape.

The pain seemed to be so real to her eyes. She could almost feel the torture her Draco had endured. Ginny knew he had been branded as a Death Eater that Christmas. She knew his secret as well. The one that could've resulted in his death had anyone found out.

He was a spy for Dumbledore. As was his Head of House, Professor Snape.

As a team, the two had gone to meetings periodically -but to be more accurate, whenever they felt the stinging burn of their mark. The stench of burning flesh, that served as a constant reminder to those who chose to arrive late or not arrive at all.

She raced over to her boyfriend of two years and started to feel the hot, salty tears of her own to fall down from the blood-shot eyes that refused to leave her lover's pained face.

Ginny tried to will her Gryffindor bravery to overcome the raw fear installed inside. The fear of losing the one she held dearest to her heart. He had warned her all the time of one of her family being close to the devil himself -Voldemort.

She would always laugh and gently prod his with her finger saying, "Well, we know how 'close' you are to the devil!" From which she would receive a reprimanding look, that made her laugh even harder.

Well, he had tried. And he hoped to whatever God there was in the world, that he was wrong; just installing rumours into his love's heart and mind. He forced himself to never mention it again unless he had solid proof.

He never did get any.

She bit her lip and forced herself to lift his arm away from the practically indiscernible torn shards of skin and bone that could have once resembled a hand. A lovely, once familiar hand, that had on more than one occasion roamed the un-known territories of her body. She wanted to cry again with the memories of his hands that once traced gentle circles on her back, her arms, her most sacred regions.

Now...

Not anymore would she feel the hand of love upon her lonely self.

Taking out her broken wand; having been broken while in the struggle with her brother earlier. She took no notice of its non-functionality, and pursued to treating her injured love.

Whispering words that she had learned from her mum back when the war first started, the wounds started to heal. She now had grateful tears flowing down her pale, withdrawn face. What wouldn't she give for him to still be healthy, still be talking, opening his eyes to the world...

Then she noticed it.

The Dark Mark on his left forearm was cut off. She could see the reddish-white flesh that stood out so clearly from the rest of his rapidly blood depleted body. His pale skin didn't help to camouflage the damage done to himself.

She continued to repair his most serious injuries before taking his right hand into her own.

She grimaced at the obvious discomfort he must have been facing. She wished he would say something, anything...but he couldn't.

He couldn't even see her.

Gouged out eyes would never permit such.

The sound of pounding footsteps reached Ginny's alert ears.

The sound of someone who probably could help her and Draco save his life.

She screamed, "Help! Please! Anyone, there's someone here in dire need! Hurry!"

And the 'helper' turned the corner, which probed Ginny to scream.

It was Ron.

***

"Step away from Malfoy, Ginny," came Ron's cool, calm voice of reason.

She didn't budge. Ginny wrapped her arms around Draco protectively and forbade Ron from approaching any closer. The glazed look was quite apparent in his eyes at that moment.

She didn't trust him.

Not with her life, Draco's, nor even a common garden weed's.

A deep instinctual sense came alive in her at that moment.

As Ron grit his teeth in frustration for his sister's insubordinate behavior towards Draco, he whipped out his wand fiercely and smiled an evil grin that didn't quite reach his quite vacant-looking eyes.

"Step away from the git. I'll count to three, if you don't move I'm afraid someone will have to get hurt".

He dangerously started tapping his wand against his free hand, as if his patience was wearing thin. Ginny, thinking that some quick plans would be very helpful started looking around her with frantic eyes, yet dared not turn her head for fear of Ron following her gaze.

Her gaze fell to the dagger.

Which still lay on the stone floor just to the right of her hand. Right bloody next to her.

Thinking her chances were slim to none, and there wouldn't be any loss if she tried -she lowered her eyes to the ground and slowly reached out a trembling hand for her brother to pull her up. As he extended his hand, and an accomplished smirk raised the corners of his slim mouth -Ginny quickly and without hesitation reached for the fallen dagger and as one who had experience born from the mere shocking disbelief of the realities of life -she growled and threw her hand with dagger to his bare, pale throat.

She stopped a mere millimeter from cutting into his skin.

Softly, but making sure he heard every word she had to say -she spoke, "What the bloody fucking hell do you think you were going to do to me? To Draco? Tell me what the hell is up with you -and I may just let *you* go". She knew the only way for her or Draco to survive was to turn the tables on her once 'beloved' brother.

For only a second, it appeared as if his eyes returned to their usual twinkling, bright, blue eyes that were as transparent as glass on a window.

But Ginny failed to notice such difference in her brother's demeanor, for he simply reverted back to the malicious grin he had before she had dared threaten his life. His life with a Measly dagger. Muggle at that.

With the sound of a snarling lion caught in a trap, Ron replied, "Just because you're my darling, loyal," he said with vehemence, "sister, I will tell you the tale of how I found the right side. The winning side as your precious Draco once followed and called it." He spat precious as if it contained a contagious disease.

Ginny fought back tears of disbelief. How could she have not believed Draco? He was right all along. And he had tried to tell her stupid, giggling self!

Ron continued with his story, "Do you remember when I was 'supposedly' Missing?"

She nodded. And he grinned evilly at her miserable face, when he dared to lean back just a few centimeters from the precarious dagger that threatened to cut his Jugular.

"Well," he continued, "I was recruited. To prove my loyalty, I had to kill a few Muggles and had to endure immense ridicule for being poor Arthur Weasley's youngest son. Well, after that first meeting...no more was I known as the despicable Arthur's son -and was known as Killer Red within My Lord's circle of true followers. I knew you dear Draco was a traitor. I had seen him and that other failure, Snape immerge from Dumbledore's office right after our last Death Eater Meeting. " Ron's eyes unfocused for a minute and the glaze was gone for a moment once more. Again, she failed to notice.

He talked on, "Since then, I had been reporting such things to My Master and he has been rewarding me with treasures you will never see unless you join us. Leave this pathetic excuse of piece of trash on the floor and join me -your brother, your blood, to the meeting grounds of the Successful Ones. The ones that will be survivors, and idiots like Harry Potter will not be alive. You know Harry will die, right?"

Her eyes went wide with fear. She simply couldn't believe that her brother of all people would say such things about his best-friend.

"And that fucking Mudblood Granger will die too. No longer will you be discluded from the 'trio' so to speak. For once the two idiots are gone, you will be the leading lady. The woman that all others will wish to be. Ginny, life will only get harder for you if you refuse this once-in-a-lifetime offer. Do not refuse. Please?" The glaze disappeared with the last word he spoke, it seemed as if his voice had cracked and was finally returning to its normal passionate self. It was so unlike Ron, to be so unemotional, so aloof, and disconnected that it sent shivers down Ginny's spine.

This couldn't be *her* brother could it?

Licking her parched lips, and breathing in deeply she answered his cruel voice, "No, Ron. I would never join your So-Called Successful Side. The Death Eaters have corrupted your mind and you obviously need help. Please let me help you." She said this as calmly as her shaken self could respond.

She heard a slight moan emit from the ground to her right.

It was Draco, and he was returning to consciousness.

But with that slight distraction, it granted Ron with the chance to escape the dagger and he raised his wand -getting ready to perform the Killing Curse.

Ginny, however anticipated such an event -for she did realize at the right moment that he would take advantage of any distractions.

"AVADA KEDAVR-"

Ron never finished the last letter.

A lone dagger protruded from his now bloodied back.

His sister had stabbed him in the back.

He dropped the shaking wand to the ground and stumbled forward. Ron lost his balance on a loose stone on the ground, losing his footing -he fell to the ground with his hands on the cold surface. His head lowered, and he struggled for the necessary breaths to survive.

With each raspy breath, Ginny dared to approach her once beloved Ron.

Her hand shook in large tremors. She couldn't believe she'd actually done the deed that was as instinctual as a mother protecting her baby from predators.

How her mind registered Draco as her baby and Ron as the enemy -she had yet to fathom. But an innate sense told her that something was not as it seemed.

Reaching out a hand tentatively to her brother's sagging shoulder -Ginny gripped him as lightly as she could.

Struggling to form coherent words for how sorry she was, Ginny barely managed to whimper out a soft, "Ron - R-Ron? I'm s-so s-sorry..." Her words were now barely audible over the hacking sobs that had broken through her torn heart and entered her eyes, her mind. She knew she would never forgive herself.

Ron, reached a hand to grip her own. She squeaked and fretted that he had grabbed onto her hand so he could hurt her.

She never before felt such terror in a loved one's presence...it was unnerving to say the least. Taking a racking, deep breath Ron turned his head slowly to face his sister.

Her heart felt torn.

Torn into millions of pieces, for she saw the look on her brother's face.

And the glaze in his once happy, lively eyes was now gone.

And she had seen it.

Seen the effects of the dangerous Imperious Curse.

He had obviously been trying to fight the curse off for the past few minutes, enough time he thought to tell her under what influence he was under.

With one last longing look of love to his sister, Ron slumped over completely and proceeded by loosening his grip on her hand. His last words were hardly audible, but Ginny heard every precious word of her fallen brother's last speech, his last sermon, his last attempt at reconciling the future that held his string of life within the sharp blades of The Fates.

"I'm sorry" -were his last words. His last true words; spoken without the curse; spoken from his truest self.

She had killed her innocent brother.

****

TBC in chapter 2