Broken Without a Fix

14

Ginny stood back from the door and stared around again. A clock said 6:12. She had lost complete track of all time since she got to the Manor. She was hungry again. Two men suddenly walked into the Great Room. Draco and Harry. Hogwarts, here I come, she thought to herself, but Tom bolted out of the next room at the sound of hurried footsteps. He stared at Draco and Harry without batting an eye, daring either to make the first move.

"Hello boys," Tom said slowly, his wand hand still at his side, his eyes drawn to Draco and Harry. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor. Although,"--he looked to Draco--"some seem to have been here before. But say goodbye Draco, to the Manor, to Potter, to Ginny,"--he pointed to her and Draco's eyes pivoted quickly to her--"to your mother in her grave, and even to your father." Lucius walked in and Draco drew in a sharp intake of breathe.

"Hello son," Lucius said evilly with a small smirk playing on his face. Draco's blood was slowly boiling and Lucius was delighting in it.

"Father," Draco acknowledged and Lucius stared back at him. Lucius looked to Tom. Tom spoke.

"It seems we are at an impass," he said slowly. "You want dear Ginny back. I need you. At first, we thought we needed Potter. But it is clear now that it is you. So, if you would relax, and just take the curse,"--Draco frowned--"and we will do no harm to either Harry or Ginny."

Draco sat and thought for a moment with his wand still lying stupidly in his hand at his side. "You'll have to fight me to take me alive," he said finally. Ginny started to bang on the glass door, and when Draco shifted his gaze to her again quickly, she mouthed the word No with tears threatening to pour down her face. Draco shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her as Tom threw the first spell.

"Crucio!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Tom merely brushed away the reflected curse with a flick of his wand. Fear appeared in Draco's eyes for a single moment, but he quickly replaced it with an icy glare.

"Fear," Lucius said slowly from the sidelines. "Such a trivial emotion. Tsk."

Draco turned away from his father one second too late as Tom threw a whispered spell his way. Draco's pant leg started on fire and was quickly extinguished as he turned and dived to avoid another spell. Tom sniggered.

"You shall never beat me. I knew more Dark Arts by my 7th year than you shall know in your life." Tom uttered a curse towards Harry. It quickly knocked his wand out of his hand and he reached from it. Lucius's wand was on his throat in seconds.

"Not too wise there, little wee Potter." Harry slowly stood up and raised his arms in defeat. Lucius stepped behind him, placed his wand on the base of Harry's neck, and firmly took Harry's shoulder from behind.

"Alright," Draco said suddenly and everyone turned to look at him. "If you do not harm them..." He paused. "I will go with you and not fight it."

Ginny started to bang the glass doors again and Harry shook his head quickly at Draco.

"Harry," Draco said as he turned to him, "take care of Ginny for me." And he surrendered his wand to Tom's waiting hand and stood quietly as the shadows melted to form tall men. They took his arms sharply and crossed the room to Tom.

"Lucius," Tom said, "put Potter in with the girl."

He turned to the dark men. "And you may follow me to the dungeons in a moment."

Lucius took Harry sharply by both upper arms after depositing his wand in his pocket. Harry grimaced at the iron grip as Lucius brought him towards the library door. Lucius uttered an inaudible spell and suddenly thrust Harry towards the glass door. Harry put out his hands to block the collision, but they met a watery substance and his entire body felt cold and moist for a moment. But then it was all over and he hit the carpet floor. He opened his eyes and Ginny was kneeling next to him. He jumped and went to the glass, but Lucius was moving his lips with a spell and it was solid once more. Lucius walked towards Tom.

"Lock him up," Lucius said with an icy glare towards his son. Draco spit at his feet. Lucius blinked once and suddenly lashed out. The guards allowed Draco to drop to his knees as he held his face where a bruise was already starting to imprint itself on the precious white skin.

"Get up," Lucius said harshly, but Draco did not move.

"Take him and come," Tom said to the dark guards and Draco was pulled to his feet. His arms were pulled from his face and Harry and Ginny gasped at the purplish bruise already forming from his father's hand.

Tom started towards the staircase, but instead of going up them, he stopped at the banister. The men brought Draco forward as Tom lifted a part of the marble rail and pushed something. The stairs suddenly started leveling out until there was a completely flat space where the stairs had been. Beyond the flatness was a large dark space and Tom walked forward. The men followed with Draco still held sharply between them. As Tom disappeared into the blackness, Draco looked back. A single tear rolled down his face as the men started forward with him. Ginny began to bang again on the glass and Harry stepped back with his head in his hands.

***

The grip on his arms hurt terribly. He grimaced in pain, yet stayed silent and walked forward as they led him. All he could think of was not resisting in order to save Harry and Ginny. They soon came upon a staircase leading downward and one of the dark men shoved him forwards. He was flung down sharply, but caught himself on the third step. As soon as his feet hit the stone he was once more seized by harsh, unforgiving hands. His lips let out a small sound of defeat and Tom spoke.

"You may want to get used to screaming," he said and Draco's heart quickened. Screaming. He almost cried, but he held it in for Ginny. They reached the bottom of the stairs and light suddenly blinded Draco's vision. There were sounds. Human sounds. And as the brighter light melted away, Draco almost screamed at what he saw.

***

"Ginny, now that the anticipated duel did not really occur," Lucius said, "it is time to get you ready again. Ginny looked down at herself and back at him.

"What the bloody hell does that mean Lucius?" she tossed at him nastily. Harry frowned at the ease that the two had with first name communication.

"He has brought a woman here to help you ready yourself. You shall still be the queen at his side as he desires it. Now step out of that room and follow me. Leave Potter." Lucius uttered another hushed spell and the glass doors suddenly opened. Ginny threw a warning glance at Harry as she stepped through and closed the doors behind herself. Lucius started down an unfamiliar hallway and led her to a dark red room where a very familiar blonde woman was waiting.

"Hello and welcome to Malfoy Manor. I am Narcissa Malfoy and I will help you ready yourself today."

***

Avery. Nott. Parkinson. All three were there. The three who had betrayed Lord Voldemort. Avery was lying on his back and bleeding from the head with a clearly broken ankle. Nott sat in his cell quietly with a broken nose and bloody seeping from random wounds. Parkinson had his shirt off and was almost entirely covered in deep purple bruises. Nott looked up from his seat at Draco and nodded his head.

"Sooner or later," Nott mumbled as Draco was roughly led to an empty cell. The door was shut behind him and he stared out at Tom.

"So you betrayed me also," Tom said cruelly. "And from what I hear, you were doing so well." Draco spit at his feet. "Crucio," Tom said plainly, and with a flick of his wand, Draco was kneeling on the ground with clenched fists and tears squeezing out of his eyes. Draco started to pound his fists on the ground and Tom lifted the curse.

"More?" Tom asked. "Ah, but wait, you have a guest."

Draco looked up. He had finally come.

***

She bathed her and brushed her. Ginny was completely clean. There was a red dress. Blood red. It easily reached the floor. Narcissa slipped it over Ginny's head and pulled the bottom hem to the floor.

"I--we all--thought you were dead," Ginny said suddenly. Narcissa looked up from her work with large, blue eyes.

"Tom controls the dementors. My soul was lost for a time, but he took the body from Mungo's and restored the stolen soul to the body. It seemed only as if I had slept for a long time. And I was here. My home. I was happy and if I leave, Lucius may kill me or Draco. Or even you or Potter. So I stay."

Ginny looked away with a small tear in her eye. It was too sad.