The Beast Within

She was going to die.

The moon was low, hanging as if by a thread. And as her head swam with too many thoughts, she could see it swinging like a great clock's rhythmic tail--tick-tock, it took her life one second at a time.

Ginny tore her eyes from the night sky, staring back at the man across from her. Remus had slid down the wall at her opposite, his legs crossed almost meditatively and his head rolled back against the cool, uneven stone behind him. He seemed to be studying the bars that made up the front wall of their 'cage', and he had been doing so for the last ten minutes, silent as death.

She knew the truth, that he was too afraid to come closer or even look her way, terrified at the prospect of doing her harm. He honestly didn't show it. His lined, boyish face was as calm as ever. But Ginny knew that he was being tortured on the inside because that was what she felt like.

"Professor," she said. Her voice was small, and it reminded her of a kitten begging for milk. She hated its weakness, but, at the moment, that was not what was bothering her the most.

The werewolf paid her no attention.

She wanted to shout out at him, to tell him how selfish his silence was, but instead she wondered why he was no longer her teacher, why her mouth called him 'professor' but her mind called him Remus. A part of her argued that she should keep some bit of propriety, sanity in this insane situation, but the other came from a place closer to her heart.

She needed to call his name, the one that first came to her when he entered her horrid cell.

"Remus!" she snapped.

"Ginny," he replied, finally giving her a second glance. His eyes belonged to a soulless, but she knew that no Dementor had given him its kiss.

She was happy just hear him say her name--not Miss Weasley or Ginerva. Her soul softened enough for hope to return. "Do I honestly smell that bad?" she asked, brushing back a lock of greasy red hair.

Remus blinked, a dumbfounded expression upon his face. "What?" He quickly shook his head. "No. . . Of course not."

Ginny let out a dry laugh. "Then will you at least come and sit by me?" She pulled her feet beneath her, making room. "And it wouldn't kill you to talk to me either."

Lupin stood slowly, his body aching from the quick beating he'd been dealt earlier. He walked toward the young witch and sat down opposite her on the makeshift cot she'd thrown together. After a moment, he scooted back so that they were shoulder to shoulder, backs supported against stone.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Ginny smiled faintly, enjoying the comfort that his warm presence brought. "No, how can I be? I'm locked in a cell, Professor." She nodded bitterly. "But I'm ok, I guess. They haven't hurt me since the day I was brought here."

Remus turned quickly. "Did they use the Cruciatus Curse on you?"

"A little." Ginny winced at the memory, and she felt the wizard beside her tense in anger. "But they stopped right after. It was Bellatrix Lestrange who caught me. She was asking me if I knew where Harry was. . ."

Lupin grabbed her arm. "He's not here?" Ginny shook her head. "And Ron? Hermione? But I thought you were all together?"

"No," Ginny said. "Don't worry. The others are still out there somewhere. I was the only one caught." Her head dropped slightly, face abashed. "The others didn't even know I was taken. See, they were leaving that night. I heard them talking. Do you know that they were going to leave me behind? They had planned it earlier--Harry had to go looking for something and his two best friends were going with him. I planned to follow them, track them down and make them include me. I heard them say that they were going to Diagon Alley first. They, of course, apparated. I tried the Knight Bus. Lestrange caught me almost instantly. It was dumb luck on her part, I suppose--the mouse wandered straight into the food bowl."

"We didn't know," Lupin said.

By we, he was referring to the Order. They had been afraid that something awful would happen to the children, but they didn't think that Voldemort had one of them, and they didn't know that Ginny had left on her own.

Ginny shrugged, crossing her arms. "It's a good thing, though, that Harry didn't tell me what he was looking for. The Death Eaters would have probably gotten it out of me. Thankfully, I only knew where their first stop was."

Remus stared at her. "Let me see your face."

The witch turned, opening her eyes wide so that he could see her well. "I know you're looking for some hint of Imperius or a similar curse, but you won't find any. They didn't stop torturing me because they had me under their spell. They stopped because they knew I was telling the truth. Snape saw into my mind and told that awful woman to stop her hexing. Then they put me in a cell."

"And they didn't say why they had decided to let you go unharmed?"

Ginny smirked but her expression was anything but happy. "I can only assume that they thought I was useful. They thought they could use me to get to Harry. My guess is that greasy haired bastard told them that we were close. But I guess they're tired of waiting."

"This doesn't make sense," Remus growled. He leaned forward, balancing his forehead in two palms. "Why now? If they've waited this long, a month, why would they decide to do this to you? Unless. . ." His voice broke off, suddenly hoarse. "Unless they no longer need to use you against Harry."

Panic lit Ginny's face for the first time, and she threw out her legs, scooting beside him. "Do you think they've. . . Do you think they've got Harry and the others? Or he's. . ."

"No." Remus quickly shook his head, slipping a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "No, no, Ginny. We can't give up hope so easily. However, this development could have a simple answer. Perhaps Harry has decided to confront the Dark Lord, or they know his location and are planning to take him. Or it could be even simpler, they've gotten bored, and Voldemort has given his permission."

"You're not wrong, Lupin," hissed a voice.

The two prisoners nearly jumped out of their skins. A robed figure stood at the end of the long hall before them, hands clasped loosely before his navel and slit-like nostrils flared. Remus could smell him now, and his wolf jumped playfully at the sight, ready to tease the snake. But the man was obviously scared. Nevertheless, he stood, a steady hand holding Ginny from doing likewise.

Lord Voldemort sauntered up the hallway, alone, no servants at his side. His red eyes played over the cage in delight. "However," he said, "You're missing one small detail. The girl is of no use to us any longer." The dark wizard smiled grotesquely. "We have a new person to bargain with, to use as a hostage of sorts--someone our dear Harry knows and cares for just as much and who carries valuable information worth retrieving."

Remus found himself shaking his head. He had been a Gryffindor in school, and he had fought as hard as any other in the war. But he had never been one to display open, thoughtless courage. Somehow he was managing to voice the words of two of his best mates, two who were no longer around to do the same.

"I don't know that I carry information of any value," he said coldly. "But, if I did, you would never be able to retrieve it, Voldemort. I will be of no use to you."

The Dark Lord paused a moment, his glare growing so severe that Remus was tempted to turn his back to him. "On the contrary," he said, his voice soft and deadly. "You will prove greatly useful. A mutt like any other, you only need to be broken first. Tomorrow night, you will tear that child beside you into a thousand pieces. And when you've awoken with her blood in her mouth and her fill in your stomach, it will be easy to bend you toward my uses. I know from good sources that you have never fed in such a way. It will be quite a maddening experience for you, I'm sure."

"Sadly," Voldemort concluded, caring his 's' like a great serpent, "I will not be there to witness the event. I have muggles to kill and places to be. But, as a present to my gracious guests, I will have wine sent up for you two of you. Enjoy your last day as an innocent, Lupin. When night next falls, you'll be a murderer, just like the rest of us."