Rating:
R
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Draco Malfoy Ginny Weasley Harry Potter James Potter
Genres:
Romance Mystery
Era:
Multiple Eras
Stats:
Published: 10/21/2001
Updated: 10/02/2002
Words: 143,884
Chapters: 17
Hits: 70,312

All You Need Is Love

MochaButterfly

Story Summary:
Ginny and Draco wake up one morning to find themselves in a totally different world. The year is 1607, Draco is Prince of Wales, Ginny Princess of England, and they're Muggles. Everything's different, but the worst thing is they're . . . engaged.

All You Need is Love 13

Posted:
06/13/2002
Hits:
2,849
Author's Note:
Thanks to Tia for beta'ing!

Chapter Thirteen

Behind the Tapestry

The festivities were soon called off after Elle came to her father screaming. News spread quickly that there had been a murder in the castle, and everyone was eager to return to his or her home.

Ginny would've been thrilled if she hadn't had such a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about who was murdered.

Her mother Lavinia was incredibly angry about it all. Alone outside with no one except Ginny to hear her complain, she muttered under her breath, "What disastrous timing. It will delay your wedding night."

Ginny tried not to look too relieved. "That's terrible, Mother," she said, though she couldn't keep the glee from her tone.

"I shall just have to send Ramiro home and have him come tomorrow evening," Lavinia said, more to herself than to Ginny, who couldn't help overhear. "By then this mess will hopefully be over."

Ginny asked casually, "Who is Ramiro?"

Lavinia flashed an exasperated look. "Do you listen to anything I say?"

"No," she replied honestly.

Her mother was clearly attempting to keep her temper. "He is the one I hired to witness your wedding night."

Ginny felt the blood drain from her face, and the murdered person was pushed from her mind. "Witness?" she croaked.

"You know about this already, Ginny," she snapped. "I have told you a million times."

"Someone's going to witness us having sex?" Ginny demanded.

Lavinia looked surprised at her bluntness, but the statement hardened over into a look of infuriation. Before she could fire her reply, her husband Edward came out gesturing her to come in. Without another glance at Ginny, she walked inside.

Ginny thought she might die from shock. First she got married against her will, and now she would have to shag Draco? With someone around to watch? Deep in her mind she was aware of the wedding night, but she had subconsciously figured that she could have just pretended to have actually done something. And she had thought - or rather, prayed with all her might - that she and Draco would be gone out of the world before people began to notice she wasn't getting pregnant.

As if in a daze, she walked back inside. Well, she would just have to devise some sort of plan to get out of tomorrow night. Maybe she could fall ill again. That might work.

I'll worry about it later, she told herself, suddenly remembering the person who was murdered. She needed to focus on what was happening now. She'd deal with what was going to happen later when it actually occurred.

Ginny asked a servant where her parents were and found them in a room with Draco, Edward, Elle, and Francis. Francis was speaking with Edward and looking grave. Elle clung to her father's hand, her eyes wide and her cheeks stained with dry tears.

"So who is it?" Lavinia demanded impatiently. "Can it be covered up and forgotten?"

"Dear . . ." Robert said warningly, giving her a stern look. She pretended to ignore him, but didn't say anything else.

"It was impossible to see the features," Francis replied, and then turned back to Edward. "But other things, such as hair and clothing, lead me to the conclusion that it's your wife's brother."

Ginny stared at Francis for a minute, trying to process what he was saying. Edward's wife's brother? So that would be . . . Draco and Elle's uncle? She wasn't aware they had an uncle. She threw a questioning look at Draco, but he didn't see her. His countenance was that of deep thought, as if he was trying to recall an uncle.

"Uncle is dead?" Elle cried suddenly, tugging on her dad's hand and looking up at him as if hoping he would contradict her.

"Shh," Edward told her, but when he glanced down at her he immediately softened. He drew his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his body. Then he returned his eyes to Francis. "Arsen is the man who was murdered? You believe this?"

"His hair, even though it was soaked with blood, is clearly a light blonde color," Francis said without really answering the question. "And I did see Arsen earlier today. He was wearing dark green. The same sort the dead man is wearing."

"Who would kill Arsen?" Robert asked, looking confused. "To hint that perhaps the murderer will attack. . . a member of the Royal family next time?"

"Let us not jump to conclusions," Francis began.

Lavinia interrupted. "Not jump to conclusions!" she repeated shrilly. "A man who is practically royal was murdered! Of course one of us will be next. Francis, I want you to put guards everywhere. At every entrance of the castle, and near all the big windows, and have several more than usual guarding Robert-and-my quarters --"

"Lavinia, dear, calm down," Robert said,his voice calm. "Arsen was a Duke, yes, but from what Edward tells us he rarely ever was in contact with Arsen as a friend or even ally. Ever since Orla died they avoided each other." Ginny assumed that Orla was Draco's mother. "For someone to kill Arsen obviously is not meant as a direct threat to any of us. Anyone knows that Edward does not care for the man."

"I did," Elle muttered quietly, so quietly Ginny thought she was the only one who heard.

"Robert, darling, think for a moment, will you?" Lavinia asked kindly, changing her tactics. "Arsen was killed in our castle, at our child's wedding. If this was not a threat to us, then the murderer would have killed Arsen at his home, away from all this."

"Unless the murderer lives here," Ginny said under her breath. She hadn't expected anyone to actually listen to her, but suddenly, everyone was staring at her.

"What do you mean?" said Francis, his face creased in confusion.

It was pretty obvious to Ginny that Tom had murdered this Arsen fellow, but if she told them her mother would insist otherwise. So instead, she just shrugged and didn't reply.

"Just ignore her," Lavinia sighed after a moment of silence. "Ginny, dear, let us adults figure this out."

Ginny bit her tongue to keep from retorting. One of these days her opinions were just going to spill out of her, and there would be no way to stop them.

She spun around and stormed out of the room. Following close behind her was Draco. When they were a good distance away from the room, Ginny stopped and turned to face him.

"You never told me you had an uncle," she accused a bit sharply, trying to rid herself of some of her pent up frustration.

"I kind of forgot," Draco told her with a shrug. "I met him at the ball. I didn't know his name, though."

"Well, he's dead." She wasn't sure why she said that.

"Yeah, thanks for the update."

She curled her hands into fists, her mind scrambling to find some sort of snappy comeback.

"Calm down, Ginny," he told her, grinning arrogantly. "You're going to explode if you keep turning that red."

Somehow, his playful tone helped her relax. She released a loud breath of air and dropped her shoulders. "Sorry," she said. "Lavinia was pissing me off."

"Your mother?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about her. She'll get hers someday," Draco said, and Ginny had the eeriest flashback of Ron saying the same thing about him. It struck her as ironic, but she was in no mood to laugh.

"I would love to be the one to give it to her," she snapped. She forced herself to loosen up again, and abruptly changed the subject. "Tom wasn't at our wedding."

"Pity," Draco murmured.

"Meaning he was probably off murdering your uncle," said Ginny slowly. "That's obvious . . . but why'd he kill him?"

"Maybe he thought it was me by mistake," Draco told her soberly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not funny, Draco."

"I'm not trying to be funny, Weasley," he replied angrily.

Ginny let out a groan of frustration and started to run her fingers through her hair. She nearly knocked her crown off. She'd completely forgotten about it. Yanking it off her head, she had a desire to heave it across the hall. But she kept her cool and gripped it tightly in her fingers.

"Can you just try to come up with reasonable explanations?" she asked Draco impatiently.

"That is the most reasonable one I can think of," he fired back. "Is it so hard to figure out, Ginny, that I'm just as clueless on this as you are? Contrary to what you think, I don't know everything."

"All right, look, bickering and bitching will get us nowhere," Ginny barked shortly.

"You're the one who's bitching, it sounds like to me," Draco said without hesitation.

The way he had something to say to everything bothered her. He rubbed her the wrong way every time he opened his mouth! How could she live with it? And how could she have kids that would have to survive with a father like him?

Ginny suddenly was struck with an idea. She was desperate. That much was clear. And Tom was going to eventually do something to her. So why would she wait around for it?

She would go to Dumbledore. There still was a chance that maybe he could help them. If not, if he somehow turned them over to Tom, then so what? It would come sooner or later, and Ginny wasn't about to wait around for it and have children with Draco in the meantime.

"Come on," she said swiftly, grabbing his wrist and hurrying down the hall.

"Come on where?"

"We're going to see Dumbledore."

Draco followed, but she could hear his surprise as he repeated, "Dumbledore? I thought you said he was evil."

"I didn't say that," she snapped. "I just assumed. I could be wrong."

"Are you aware that Dumbledore lives in my country?"

"Yes, I am, thank you, Draco." Her tone was short and clipped. He was annoying her.

"So what? Are you just going to take a carriage and pray that no one kidnaps you again?" said Draco, referring to the Gypsies.

She chose not to reply. Once she managed to keep her temper and sort her thoughts out she'd explain to him what she was going to do.

However, when she reached the doors that lead to the barn, several guardsmen stopped her.

"Sorry, Your Majesties. Queen Lavinia says that you are not allowed to leave the castle," one man said.

"Queen? She's not the queen anymore; I am!" Ginny cried, taking advantage of her power for once.

The man who'd spoken shifted uncomfortably. "I am sorry, Your Majesty. I cannot let you leave."

Ginny bit down on her lip to keep from screaming. Well, then she'd just have to force her mother to let her go. She was supposed to be the most powerful person in the kingdom, wasn't she? What right did her mother have to keep her contained?

As she practically ran to find her mother, she noticed she was still gripping Draco's wrist. He must've felt her hold tightening, because he stopped walking with her. Irritated, she turned around to ask him what he was doing, but he spoke first.

"Ginny, calm down," he ordered sternly. The way he was the calm one only infuriated her more. It was as if he were her parent or something. "You look like you're about to have a heart attack."

"I just might," she said sullenly.

"Whatever you were planning on doing, I'm sure it was stupid, anyway," he told her. "So maybe it's for the best that we're not allowed to go."

"Oh, we're going to be -" she started.

"Your Majesty?" a voice said.

Ginny turned to see Maria smiling. Ginny tried to push down her anger and act reasonably. "What?" she said.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," Maria explained, "but I need you to come with me."

"Why?" Draco nudged her from behind, indicating that she should go without questioning. Sighing, and closing her eyes briefly, she added, "I'm sorry. Yes, I'll come with you."

"I'll see you later," Draco whispered in her ear. "We'll figure things out."

She threw a glance over her shoulder at him, wondering when he'd become so in control of everything. His face, as usual, was void of any emotion. Turning, he headed down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Come," Maria said with a smile, taking Ginny's elbow to lead her.

"Should I change?" Ginny asked. "I'm still in my wedding -"

"No," Maria cut in, a bit sharply. "No, dear, it'll only take a few minutes."

Ginny kept up with her brisk speed, thinking it odd that they were moving so fast. She glanced at Maria and started to ask where they were going when she saw that the maid was sweating. A sheen of moisture coated her forehead.

"Maria? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course," Maria said dismissively without looking at her.

"You're sweating."

"It's warm in here."

It was actually kind of cold, and Ginny was wearing a considerable amount of layers. Still, maybe since Maria was so short and pudgy, and because she moved around a lot more, she found it warmer.

Maria led her to the sitting room where Lavinia always received guests. "Sit for a moment," she instructed, and Ginny did so, becoming more confused as each second passed. Maria was acting so strangely; with nervous energy. "Here, drink this," she added, handing her a silver goblet. "I shall be back with whom would like to speak with you." Then she was gone.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "That was weird," she muttered to herself.

She glanced at the goblet in her hand. It had clear liquid in it, which she guessed was water. Taking a sip, she found it wasn't water - it was something delightfully sugary and fruity.

Forcing herself to forget her frustration, she relaxed in the chair as much as her corset would let her, and sipped her drink.

* * *

"Your Majesty!"

Draco just about collided with Harry in the hallway, the servant was moving so fast. Draco's first reaction was to throw some nasty insult at him, but then he remembered that it wasn't the Potter who would actually understand what he was saying, so he bit his tongue and kept quiet.

"Your Majesty, I have something to show you," Harry said, out of breath.

Draco would've rather made a snowman with Elle than go with him. But Harry looked so eager,and uneasy at the same time, that he sighed and gave in. "All right, but it better be quick," he said.

Harry nodded and started to lead him through the castle. They didn't speak to each other. Draco's mind was on other things - his uncle's death, Ginny, his wedding . . . he really didn't have time to be worrying about something Harry wanted to show him.

"It's in here," announced Harry when he paused in front of a doorway. He quickly grabbed a torch off the wall and opened the door for them.

Draco walked in first, and even before Harry came in with the light, he instantly recognized the room. It was the empty one with the freakish tapestry and hidden chair.

"Yes, I've seen the chair," Draco sighed as Harry headed towards the tapestry. "It's a weird place, but I don't know who put it there."

"But have you seen this? Would you come here and see?" Harry asked, too absorbed in what he wanted to prove to care whom he was talking to.

Draco released an exasperated breath and came to stand beside him. Harry handed him the torch to hold, then pushed the tapestry aside. The green chair was still there.

"I don't -" Draco started.

"Watch," Harry cut in. He reached forward and grabbed the top of the chair back. Then he pulled it towards them so it tipped forward on its front legs. Instantly, a scraping noise was heard, like that of stone rubbing against stone. The wall behind the chair swung open, revealing a pitch-black passageway. "Did you know about this?" Harry demanded, letting the chair fall back into its normal position.

Draco leaned forward and stuck the torch into the passage, but he couldn't see anything except darkness beyond the light of the fire. "No," he said absently. "I didn't. Hold this."

Giving him back the torch, Draco stepped onto the seat of the chair and jumped over the back into the corridor. He held his hand out for the light, and when he had it again, he started to walk through the passage. It took him a moment to notice Harry wasn't following him.

"Well, Potter, are you coming?" he snapped.

In a moment Harry was directly behind him. Draco resumed walking.

The corridor went straight for a few hundred feet, and then it began to slope downwards. Draco followed the floor, noting that when the ground leveled out they were deep enough to be underneath the castle. It's some sort of hidden passage, he thought, that probably leads outside.

When the passageway did end, it ended with a door. Draco lowered the torch to the rusted knob. It was probably locked. He twisted the handle, and sure enough the door didn't budge.

If he'd had his wand he would've been able to open it.

Cursing under his breath, Draco turned and faced Harry. His face in the torchlight was splashed with orange, and he looked grave. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"It's locked," Draco answered sourly. "Who would lock the door if something important wasn't behind it?"

"Maybe there is a key," Harry suggested, glancing around the narrow passage. There was no place to hide a key anywhere - the walls and floor was made of solid stone.

"I'll find something to break it open with in the castle," Draco said, and pushed by him to lead the way back.

It was beginning to bother him. What was the door guarding? A room? A way outside? Who had made the passage, anyway? Did anyone even know about it? The door looked so old, it was possible no one had touched it for years.

They hadn't even begun their trek back up when Harry suddenly let out a muffled cry. Draco turned just in time to see him crash to the floor onto his hands.

Draco sighed irritably. "Great, Potter, what you'd trip over? Your own feet?"

Harry shot him a glare and pulled himself into a crouch. He glanced at the spot where he'd tripped. "Shine the light here, Majesty," he said.

Draco did so, and found that he had actually stumbled over something after all. A stone in the ground was loose. Very loose - almost as if it could be pulled out easily.

"Well, try and fix it," Draco told him. Despite how old everything was he had a very strong feeling that someone actually used this corridor. He knew that they would notice if a stone was loose when it hadn't been before.

Harry used his hands to try and drive the stone back in its place, but it wouldn't sink any lower. The top remained an inch above the rest of the even ground. "Something's stopping it," he said.

"Take it out," Draco ordered.

Harry did so and placed it aside. In the hole, at the bottom, was a rusted brass key.

* * *

Ginny had nearly drained her cup by the time Maria returned. Behind her trailed Tom.

Ginny jumped to her feet, her goblet dropping to the ground. "You brought me here for him?" she shrieked.

"Majesty, please," Maria pleaded. Tom walked over to the sofa across from her, his face blank. He was ignoring her.

"I won't!" Ginny screamed. "I won't stay here for this!"

She started to stride towards the door, but Tom was too quick for her. He reached out his arm and slid it around her waist, lifting her effortlessly and pulling her back beside him. The instant he touched her it felt as if her blood had stopped, frozen in her veins. She let out a shrill yell and kicked out her feet. Yet even with one arm around her he could easily pin her still to his side.

"Settle down, Ginny," he purred, his voice far too close to her ear. "I won't hurt you. Not until we're away from the castle."

The threat rang meaningless in her mind. She was comforted by the fact that they couldn't leave the castle yet - not until Lavinia let the guards stop protecting every exit. For now, she was safe.

"Let me go," she hissed, and jerked from his grip. He let her go simply, when she'd been expecting another struggle. She nearly fell to the floor with the force she'd used to pull away from him.

"Please," he said pleasantly, gesturing to the sofa across from him, "sit."

She didn't see how she had any other choice. She shot a glance over at Maria, who had her hands clasped tightly and looked sympathetic. When she caught her eyes, the maid hurried to explain, "He just wanted to speak with you, Your Majesty. I shall be just outside the door."

Before Ginny could protest, she was gone.

Turning her narrowed eyes back to Tom, she dropped onto the sofa. He was already sitting, and smiling serenely at her.

"Let's not pretend anymore, shall we?" he asked. "You've been avoiding me because you know who . . . and what . . . I am."

Ginny continued to glare at him, her lips pressed in a thin line.

Tom leaned forward suddenly, as if he wanted to tell her something quietly, something secret. In a hushed voice, he said, "I brought you here for a reason, you know. You and Draco both. I assume you're aware of this."

"Yes," she replied sharply.

"Good." He looked satisfied as he leaned back once again. Then he asked, "Had you ever met Arsen?"

The change of subject was so unexpected it took Ginny a moment to realize what he was talking about. She stared. "No."

"Yes, well, I did not kill him, if you are wondering," he said as easily as if he were commenting on the weather.

"Right." And Ginny was supposed to believe that?

"I had someone else do it for me. You must know who I am referring to," he said, his beautiful eyes boring into her. She tried to look away but couldn't. "You've seen this person in your dreams."

Ginny sat up straighter. The sudden movement made her feel wobbly, and she went limp once more. "You made me have those dreams, didn't you?" she accused. There wasn't as much fire behind those words as she'd have hoped.

"You didn't think that pink potion I gave you only cured your pneumonia, did you?" he said. "You can actually thank me for that. If it weren't for those dreams, you wouldn't know if I was good or not. You wouldn't have known if you could trust me."

"I wouldn't have trusted you no matter what," she spat. Her tongue felt heavy. Was she slurring?

"True. I wouldn't trust myself, either."

Ginny tried to collect her thoughts. Her brain was turning into mush. Shaking her head to try and straighten things out, she managed to decide to return to the original purpose of the discussion. "Your sidekick in my dreams killed Draco's uncle?"

Tom nodded once. "Yes. Arsen was planning to suggest to Draco that he banish me. He had some sort of sixth sense that warned him against me. So I had him killed."

Ginny suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for Arsen. Without her even knowing who he was, he had been trying to help her. And now he was dead. "Well, you know, because of this you have sealed off every exit for you to escape from," she said, trying to make him squirm. Yet how could she use any force in her threats to make him uncomfortable if she was feeling so sluggish all of the sudden? "Lavinia had guards posted nearly everywhere. You won't be able to leave now."

"I have ways, Ginny," he said so smoothly it frightened her. Did nothing worry him?

Probably not, a voice answered for her.

"Who killed Arsen?" she asked in a near whisper, her voice trembling. "Tell me now."

Tom looked surprised. He raised one eyebrow, much like Draco did. "You don't know?"

"Tell me!" she repeated at a scream. It felt as if she were using the final ounces of strength within her.

Tom did not answer right away. He raised an eyebrow, as though he were intrigued by her yelling. Finally, he drawled, "Why, it's Maria. I thought you knew that."

* * *

The key slipped easily into the old lock of the door. Turning it, Draco heard a click. Then he pushed it open.

Inside was dark. He took a step in, holding his torch up. Harry wasn't far behind him, and he was breathing obnoxiously loud. Draco bit his lip to keep from snapping at him to shut up.

As the light washed over everything, it revealed a small, square-shaped room. Crammed up against one wall was a table, piled with parchments and vials. Another table against the opposite wall was covered with the same materials. The entire area reminded Draco strongly of a much smaller, mustier Potions dungeon.

Draco stepped in further, trying to make sense of everything. Several of the vials were full of liquid. What sort, though? Curious, Draco walked to one of the tables, Harry following him so he could stay in the light. Draco lifted one of the beakers containing what looked like blood and sniffed it.

It was dragons' blood.

He would know the pungent, spicy smell anywhere. And if he wasn't mistaken, Muggles had no use for dragons' blood. So there would be no reason for a Muggle to have a lab like this.

Just to be sure, he reached for another vial. It had a yellow-y, thick substance in it. He didn't have to smell this one, because it was labeled on the side. Armadillo Bile.

Now he was positive this wasn't a working space of a Muggle. And if this world consisted of only non-magic people, it obviously had to belong to Tom Riddle.

He is magical, Draco realized. Well, Ginny would certainly need to know of this. He knew she wasn't sure if Tom could use magic or not. He would have to tell her to stay away from him.

He turned to leave, and found that Harry was so close behind that he collided in to him.

"Potter!" he growled, shoving past him.

Harry evidently chose to ignore his irritated tone, and grabbed his arm to keep him from moving anywhere. "Wait. Where does that door lead to?" said Harry.

Draco paused and turned back, shining the light where Harry was pointing. There was another door across from the first one they'd entered. It was nearly hidden in the shadows, the dark-brown coloring of the wood blending with the stone walls.

"Open it," he ordered to Harry.

He obeyed and pulled the door open with no trouble. It revealed a stairway.

Draco felt a blast of icy air blow in. He handed Harry the torch and strode over, then hurried out of the room and up a few stairs. He didn't have to go very far. At the top of the staircase was daylight. It led directly outside.

"It's an exit," Draco muttered, shutting the door and turning to Harry. "And it's not guarded."

"Perhaps no one knows about it," said Harry.

Draco tried not to be annoyed. "Yes, that's exactly the problem. This room belongs to Tom. He's doing something down here." He didn't expect Harry to understand, but he nodded like he did anyway. "Right, then, let's go find Ginny. I'm sure she'd like to know about this."

* * *

"Why, it's Maria. I thought you knew that."

Ginny stood up so quickly a wave of dizziness passed over her. Dots splotched her vision, and she had to close her eyes to wait for it to pass. I must have stood up too fast, she told herself, then opened her eyelids again and fixed Tom with a furious gaze.

"Not Maria," she said firmly, but softly. "It couldn't be Maria. It's a man, I know it is -"

Tom laughed, and it was a repulsive sound. She stared at him, surprised into silence, until he stopped and spoke. "My dear girl, that person in your dreams is not a man. It's Maria. I wouldn't lie to you."

Somehow, with a sick lurch of her insides, she knew he was indeed telling the truth. She felt just as betrayed, just as ill as she had when she'd thought Harry was the one murdering everyone. Only this seemed so much worse, for reasons she couldn't identify.

Her legs felt weak, and she considered it had to be from shock. She took one step towards the door before she had to stop and blink again. What was happening to her? Why was she feeling so . . . lifeless?

"Maria," Tom said simply, smiling a small, creepy smile at Ginny. "Come here. I think the potion is beginning to take affect."

Potion? The words Tom said swam in her head. What potion?

The door opened, but it sounded far away. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she turned towards the entryway and opened them. Her vision was slightly blurred around the edges. What was going on? What potion had she taken?

Maria walked to Tom's side. Ginny's sight was clear enough for her to see the maid's pleased smile. It was then she realized to what potion Tom had been referring.

Her eyes dropped down to the floor, where the silver goblet lay on its side, empty. The drink Maria had given her had been drugged!

Oh . . . Ginny took another step towards the door, but had to pause. It felt like too much effort to get that far.

This time, when she returned her gaze to Tom and Maria, it was fuzzy. It was like she was viewing everything through thick glass. Their blurry figures swam in her eyes, and the room seemed to spin. It felt as if the floor was rushing up to greet her. She threw her hands out to keep from hurting herself, but she lost her balance and dropped forward.

What are you doing with me? she desperately wanted to ask. But she couldn't command her mouth to work. She couldn't do anything. She gave up her struggle and collapsed against the ground.

Voices intermingled in her ears, and the world swirled around her in a mix of colors. She could feel the scratchy carpet against her cheek, the vivid sensation telling her that everything was indeed happening, and not a dream.

Then, as if someone had pushed a button to turn it all off, all went black.

* * *

Draco left Harry to lock everything back up and return the key to its hiding place, asking him to come and join him once he had done so. Then he went to find Ginny.

For the first time he couldn't find her anywhere. He asked many servants, but none knew where she would be. He finally got fed up and demanded to know where the queen was. The girl answering said she was taking her bath, and would not be able to accept any visitors for another hour.

Frustrated, Draco ran a hand through his hair. He then cursed himself for messing it up, and hurried to smooth it back down.

After ten minutes, he went in search of Maria. The maid would have to know where Ginny was, because she had taken her somewhere herself.

But he couldn't find her either. It was as if everyone he wanted to see had just dropped of the planet. Biting back what he knew would be extremely colorful language, he told his servant Timothy to let him know if Ginny came looking for him, and went to find Elle. She would keep him occupied, he thought, and maybe even know where Ginny was.

However, Elle didn't. He found her practically glued to their father's side, still upset over the murder of her uncle. Draco had forgotten about the murder. After a half hearted attempt to make her feel better, he left to mope around the castle in hopes of running into someone who was aware of where Ginny was - or better yet, run into Ginny herself.

Nearly a half hour had passed before Draco noticed Harry hadn't come back. He remembered plainly asking Potter to come and seek him when he had finished locking everything. He'd wanted him there when he told Ginny of the "workplace" he'd found of Tom's.

Now he had another mission: to see where Harry had gone. Maybe he just couldn't find him, like Draco couldn't find Ginny. It would make sense.

He asked around the kitchens and various other places, but none of the servants had seen him. Swallowing a particularly nasty curse, Draco spun around and stormed back into the main part of the castle.

It was driving him mad! Where was everybody? Were they purposely hiding from him just to irritate him?

Then another thought struck him. Perhaps Harry was still down in Tom's room.

Of course, it would make sense. How could Draco even begin to trust Harry? He didn't know him at all, and from what Ginny told him, it was clear that this Potter was way different from the future wonder-boy. Dark, disturbed, angry . . . just how had he known about that chair, anyway? How could he have "found" it? Had he just decided to go prancing around that room, and suddenly think to pull on the chair? It sounded suspicious, and Draco scolded himself for having not noticed it before.

For the second time that day, Draco found himself pulling forward on the green chair, a torch in one hand. Several minutes passed as he marched through the empty passage with nothing out of the ordinary and no sounds from anywhere. When he finally reached the doorway of the room, he saw something that was very out of place.

It was a body, lying between the door and the doorframe, holding it open.

Draco knew immediately it was Harry, and just about dropped his torch. Managing to hold onto the wood, and tightening his grip, he slowly moved his feet next to the limp body. He was on his back, his head tipped to the side, and for a moment Draco stood there, wondering if he was dead. Shock kept him from feeling anything substantial, but he was still able to imagine how weird it would be to know that Harry Potter wasn't in the same world with him.

But then he shook the thoughts from his mind and focused on more important things, like if Potter's chest was moving or not. And it was. Harry was still alive.

Keeping the torch up high, Draco pushed the door the rest of the way open and crouched beside Harry. He didn't stir or even move an eyelid. If not for the steady rise and fall of his chest Draco would've just assumed him dead.

"Come on, Potter," he said gruffly, nudging Harry's arm a bit roughly. "Wake up."

His breathing pattern wasn't affected. The way he looked it seemed almost as if he had been stunned.

That makes sense, Draco told himself. Clearly Tom had come down here and found him snooping around. Harry was lucky he hadn't been killed.

Draco stood and sighed. So what had Tom come down here for? Ingredients to make a potion? He turned to look around and see what had been disturbed in the room, only to find the sight that greeted him astonished him into stupidity for about three seconds.

The entire room had been empty. Swept clean. The tables stacked with parchments and vials were gone, not one quill or ink-drop left behind.

What had happened? He'd been in here only forty-five minutes before. It would be impossible for one person to take everything out in that amount of time. He had to have used magic.

Just then, Harry decided to wake up. He moaned, and Draco glanced back at him. Stirring slowly, he reached a hand up to wipe his eyes underneath his glasses.

Draco opened his mouth to say something, but a rather quiet noise startled him. He jerked his head back towards the opposite door. It was open just a little, moving slightly when the wind blew especially hard. Every now and then it would scratch against the stone frame before it was blown open once again.

"What happened?" Harry asked groggily. Draco turned and strode over to him as he struggled to sit up.

"You were stunned," Draco told him truthfully, his tone neutral. "Stand up. The dizziness will wear off in a minute."

Harry did so, but took his time. When he straightened, his face was dark with confusion, his eyebrows furrowed together. "What happened?" he repeated, lifting a hand to his head as if it hurt.

"I just told you," Draco snapped. Honestly, the boy was dim. "You were stunned."

As if he hadn't heard a word, Harry continued. "Doctor Thomas found me locking the door . . . and he pulled out something and shouted at me. That's all I remember."

Draco took a deep breath and reminded himself that Harry wouldn't know what "stunned" meant, so there was no use trying to press the issue. The thing Tom had pulled out on him was most likely a wand. It would be pointless to try and explain that to him.

"He was carrying something . . ." Harry added, almost as an afterthought. "A person -"

That caught Draco's attention. "A what?" he asked faintly.

Harry closed his eyes for a minute and winced. He was in the middle of a bad headache, Draco knew. He'd experienced the aftershock of stuns many times. "I could not tell exactly. I only got a glimpse. He had something over his shoulder, and it looked like a bundle of white."

"You just said it looked like a person," Draco said doubtfully, becoming angry for reasons he couldn't figure out. He was beginning to think that maybe Harry had just imagined things. "Think it out, will you?"

"I am trying," Harry retorted, momentarily getting his fire back. Then his eyes went bleak again. "I am not sure what it was."

Draco rolled his eyes and tried to hold in his frustrations. This day was going straight down the tubes. He had been married less than twelve hours and he couldn't find his bride, he had to pose for three hours, he . . .

Wait. Bride?

With a sinking feeling, Draco spun around to face Harry once more. "White, did you say?" he demanded impatiently.

"White what?" said Harry, his face still flinching from the pain that was throbbing through his head.

"A white bundle," Draco said sharply. "A white bundle that was over Tom's shoulder. That's what you saw, wasn't it?"

Harry began to shrug, as though he had more important things to think about. "Once again, Your Majesty, I'm not sure -"

Draco grabbed his shoulders quickly, and Harry cut off with a surprised intake of breath. "You better figure it out," Draco yelled at him, shaking him once. "Because it just might have been Ginny you saw."

"Why - why would the doctor be carrying Her Majesty through here?" Harry asked softly, looking terrified at Draco's sudden rage.

It was hopeless. Shoving Harry away, causing the servant to stumble back a few steps before he regained his balance, Draco turned and reached the door leading outside in two steps. Somehow, he had a feeling that Tom had taken Ginny out of the castle. It was more than likely. She had to have been the white bundle Harry had seen.

"Fuck," Draco swore under his breath, taking the stairs two at a time. It was a relief when he was on ground level again, but the air was frigid cold and the sun had nearly set.

He wouldn't let the weather stop him. He wasn't even going to go back for a thicker cloak. Ginny was most likely being murdered in the woods at that very moment. How stupid could he have been?

From the beginning Ginny had tried to tell him Tom was evil and that he was there to do something harmful to them. Draco even had known himself when he'd walked in on him threatening her at the theater. So why had he let her go off by herself? Why had he allowed her to go with Maria?

Cursing himself not so softly, he broke into a run and headed towards the barn for a horse.


Author notes: Well, another cliffie, and I’m sorry! The chapter was screaming to be cut off there.


The lack of D/G action is, believe it or not, needed for this kind of chapter. It just wouldn’t have fit. There will most likely not be any next chapter either, but at the end, when everything is set straight – THEN there will be plenty of D/G kissy, yelling goodness.


If you’d like an update on the chapter, email me, or join the group I share with FireSprite (Emma): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firespriteandmochabutterfly/ for both updates and various cookies.


Thanks to the reviewers!:


Frangelicah (hee, I think they are, actually. But I changed things around a bit), AVK (I think you’re right, actually), sexy chic (nope, not Harry or James! And I don’t think red is such a bad color for Draco, not terrible, anyway, like bright purple or neon yellow would be ;) And don’t worry, eventually why there here will unravel. I haven’t finished explaining nearly ANYTHING yet. Lots of answers to come), Silvestria(thanks!), Baal extremely evil (the dress is all yours, darling. I’m not going to be wearing it any time soon! And thanks!), hopelesslydevoted2HP (not Maria, she’s the one who killed him. Good guess, though!), Lily Vance (I tried to hurry, I don’t like to keep you in misery), Guinevere II (Yep, just a bit of ice. One time my brother threw a snowball that smacked me right in my cheek and I thought I was going to die for about a minute. That’s sort of where I got the idea), chocagirl23 (of course it’s not ruined! And I care oodles, I know a lot of people seem not to appreciate the reviews they get, but I’m definitely not one of those people! Thanks for your long reviews, girl, they’re awesome), Nupil (Good guess! It was Maria the whole time. And eventually I will explain everything, even why Dumbledore was there and if he really was important to the plot at all. So don’t worry!), Amara Potter (Nope, not Peter or Neville or James! Good guess, though, he does seem rather suspicious. And there should be about…eh, er, two? Maybe three? chaptersleft that I still have to do, and there’s lotsa Tom to come!), Mel*Star (to be quite honest, I think my story’s rather boring, too. But it’s getting there ;) Thanks!), Shinigami Black Yuy (yep, poor Elle!), ElfinKat (lol, I like oranges, too), Gibson girl (hmm, interesting guess! You’re quite right, D/G is far from sugar-coated), Harry’s Cutie (thank you!), katja (I know, a buncha people thought I was going to kill Elle. But I’d never do that! Anyway, thanks for your review, and I’m glad you’ve found my story as well ;)), Victoria Draco88 (I love ending chapters abruptly! It’s just the mean way I am, hee. I’m very flattered this is your favorite story; thank you!).