Into A Deeper Darkness

Into A Deeper Darkness:

Chapter One: Bring Back The Sun

By Sabaye Leyr

~

Crawling through this world as disease flows through my veins
I look into myself, but my own heart has been changed
I can't go on like this
I loathe all I've become

Away From Me, Evanescence

~

The street in front of them was damp, dirty and dark. It also smelled peculiar, a mix of different smells that she didn't really want to think about. A weak, dying Muggle street lamp provided the only light besides the pale, filtered light from building windows. The street itself was cobbled, and although it once have must been beautiful, now it was just grungy and muddy.

Harry Potter impatiently brushed a wild strand of raven hair out of his eyes, his mouth set into a thin frown. Behind him, Seamus Finnegan leaned against the alley wall, his expression closed and slightly worried.

Both men were staring at the redhead in front of them, who was quickly applying makeup to her face, using her wand to add it and the light from Harry's to see what she was doing.

"Ginny, this isn't a very good idea," Harry mused, holding his wand in a position where Ginny could see her mirror. Ginny didn't even acknowledge him, just continued to line her eyes with a pencil and eye shadow. She finished, then placed her wand against a lock of her mass of curly hair, muttered a spell, and watched as it straightened. Instead of being a curly, fiery waterfall that reached halfway down her back it became a lovely sheet of straight hair reaching down to her backside.

Seamus politely whistled, and Harry's eyes grew wide behind his glasses as she pulled off her cloak to reveal a slinky black dress. Her skin shone pale in the low light, tinted slightly blue by the moon's faint light.

"How do I look?" Ginny asked, her face breaking into a smile as she turned around once. Seamus nodded in approval, his eyes lighting up, but Harry's frown deepened. He stepped forward, and lightly touched her arm, pulling her towards him.

"Gin, I don't like this one bit," he hissed in her ear, and Ginny turned to look at him, a mixed expression on her made-up face.

"Harry, I'm an Auror. I know what I'm doing. This is simply...an easier way to get what I'm trying to get." She flashed him a smile, hiked up the skirt of her dress and slipped her wand into the thin case strapped to her upper leg, and ventured out into the street.

Harry ran another nervous hand through his hair, cursing under his breath as he watched her go. Seamus pushed himself off the wall and came to stand by Harry, admiring the view he had of the backside of Ginny. Then he turned to look at his old classmate.

"Don't worry, Harry, she'll be fine. Rosan'll be caught completely off guard. Besides, how could he not resist simply jumping her as soon as she even looks in his direction? She's ravishing," Seamus gave him a crooked smile, and then winked suggestively when Harry turned to glare at the teasing blond.

"Ah, look, there 'e is," Seamus dropped the level of his voice, ducking down against the alley wall. Harry quickly followed, peering out around the corner of the wall.

The man named Rosan was strolling down the street at a leisurely pace, a slightly predatory grin on his face as he looked over the street, and the many women walking around. He was tall and thin, pale skinned, with dark eyes, and short, curly dark hair. He couldn't be more than thirty years old.

He wore a heavy black cloak, even though it wasn't quite winter yet. Oddly, a top hat sat on his curly head and he carried a cane, which Harry suspected had his wand in it.

"So this is the modern wizard Jack," Seamus muttered, narrowing his bright blue eyes. Charles Rosan, one of Voldemort's Death Eaters and Muggle torturers. He haunted the streets of London, doing his dirty work for Voldemort under the guise of a follower of eighteenth century London's Jack the Ripper. It seemed he got into the part, judging from the cane and top hat.

Ginny sauntered out onto the street, coming to lean on the old lamp pole, bringing one leg to rest on it and wrapping her arms around the pole.

Rosan's eyes eventually fell on Ginny, and his grin widened. Oh, this was an uncommonly pretty one. He was going to have fun tonight. He threw his cane up in the air and caught it around the middle, twirling it slightly as he came to stand at the corner of the light from the street lamp.

"Well, hello," he said softly, winking slightly at Ginny. Ginny smiled at Rosier, a smile that Harry had never seen on her face before. It was a dirty...seductive smile. He thought it clashed oddly with her angelic features and the image of her he had in his head. But at the same time, he felt a blush begin to creep up his neck at this different side of the redhead.

"Evening, sir," Ginny said, making her accent deliberately thick. She pushed herself off the pole, running a quick hand through her hair, pulling it over her shoulder. She then slowly approached him, where she was quickly diminished in height compared to the tall man.

"Don't leave the light, Gin," Harry whispered through gritted teeth.

"It's a little late to be out, isn't it, sir? The streets aren't safe anymore," Ginny continued, shifting her hips, the seductive smile still on her face. She took a half step closer to Rosan, pulling her shoulders back slightly in a huffy stance that brought focus to her chest. Harry felt the flush rise to his face.

Rosan laughed.

"I'd say it's less safe for you, girl, than it is for me. You shouldn't be out here," he hissed, his eyes shining in the low light.

Ginny pouted slightly, crossing her arms and shifting her hips again.

"Well, a girl has to work, doesn't she?" She countered, continuing to pout. Rosan chuckled again.

"I like you, girl. You've got guts. How about I give you some work tonight?" The dark haired man asked, still speaking softly. Ginny smiled flirtatiously again, lightly touching the mans cheek and pressing a quick kiss to his neck.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He'd never known Ginny could be such a...temptress.

Seamus sniggered quietly in Harry's ear.

"Down, boy," he teased, and Harry felt his blush deepen.

Ginny had taken Rosan's hand and was now leading him down the street, talking softly to him, saying something that Harry couldn't hear.

Rosan laughed again, a chilling laugh that went straight to Harry's bone as Ginny led him inside the old house that the Ministry had been using for months to scout out Rosan's habits and locations.

Harry took in a shaky breath, turning to look at Seamus again. Any humor was gone from the Irishman's face.

"Let's go," Seamus said firmly, and Harry nodded. The two of them turned and quietly moved into the back of the alley.

Harry swung onto the fire escape ladder and carefully began to climb up, making the least amount of noise he could. Seamus followed behind him.

Harry could feel his heart beating in his ears, a rhythmic, drumming sound. He was praying that nothing would happen to Ginny before either he or Seamus could get there to help her.

~~

Rosan shut the door to the room firmly, a predatory glint shining in his eyes. Ginny had taken a seat on the nightstand by the bed, crossing her legs and playing with a strand of silky hair.

Rosan came to stand in front of her, and Ginny slowly looked up at him. He was a handsome man, no doubt about that, but he was very thin. Almost to a fault. And she hadn't realized how tall he was.

The knot of nervousness in her stomach tightened. What if he could overpower her? Ginny quickly banished the thought and smiled at the curly-haired man again.

"Let me help you with your cloak," she said, winking at him and running a hand across his face as she unbuckled the heavy cloak and threw it off his shoulders. The Dark Mark was livid on his skin, but she didn't have any reaction to it. She laid his cloak carefully across the back of a chair.

Her body stiffened slightly when she felt Charles's hand slide slowly across her nearly bare shoulders. His lips were icy as they pressed kisses on her neck and shoulder. A shiver danced down her spine, and suddenly, there was a point in her back.

"Get on the bed," Rosan snarled, poking her with the long knife that he'd drawn from his cane. Fear seized up Ginny's heart.

Her hand instantly went to her thigh and she whipped out her wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny shouted, swinging around. The knife went flying. Rosan stared at her in surprise.

"A witch!" he hissed, his lips curling in disgust. He took a closer look at her face.

"Virginia Weasley!" he spat, and charged forward, hands out to choke her. She quickly knocked his hands away, darting under them. Quickly she threw off her high-heeled shoes, aiming them at the man's head. She couldn't run with them on anyway.

One missed and smacked into the wall. The other caught him right over the eye, momentarily stunning him.

Ginny turned and made a mad dash for the door. Her hands closed around the cold knob and twisted frantically. The door didn't move, there was no tale tell click of it opening.

Ginny's heart pounded in her ears as she whipped her wand around, glancing over her shoulder. Rosan had recovered himself and was now madly searching for his long, curved knife.

"Alohamora!" Ginny hissed, but once again, no click. Ginny swung around just in time to see Rosan charge at her again.

Instinct kicked in and she slid down the door, landing on her behind. The knife plunged into the cheap wood of the door, splintering it slightly.

Rosan snarled and stamped his foot down on her wand, preventing her from casting any more spells. At the thought of being wandless, Ginny's blood ran cold.

She leapt forward, catching Rosan around the ankles and tackling him. She put all her weight onto his left arm, pushing the hand with the knife in it towards the floor.

The door wouldn't open. She was trapped in the room with a Death Eater. Not just a Death Eater, but a Death Eater who was following in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper. And her wand was on the floor two feet out of her reach.

Rosan reached up and grabbed a handful of her fiery hair, yanking her backwards. He then sat up, his face twisted into a horrible, lusting, predatory expression. Ginny was sprawled across his lap as he stared hungrily down at her.

He pulled on her hair again, this time exposing her neck, and the knife moved swiftly towards her throat.

Ginny screamed, and wrenched her head to the side. Pain filled her mind as she lost a large chunk of hair doing so. She rolled and picked up her wand again, pointing it at Rosan's face. Tears pricked the edge of her vision as her scalp continued to sting. Rosan cursed, staring at her from his position on the floor.

"No one can hear you scream, little Weasley. You can't get out the door, either. I've killed enough little ladies to know what to do. You're just a little harder to hold on to, being a witch." Rosan said in a singsong voice, a grin spreading across his face.

Ginny shuddered. She'd never have time to break the hex on the door. She didn't think he'd actually cast Silencing charms and such on the whole room for simple Muggle prostitutes. He'd done it quickly, too, if he had this time, because she'd only had her back to him for a moment.

Ginny swung around, pointing her wand at the door and casting a powerful Reductor charm. The already splintered part of the door shattered completely. It was hardly an escape route, but it worked.

"Harry! Seamus!" Ginny shrieked out the hole, then turned around and faced Rosan, who'd climbed to his feet.

"Stupefy!" she shouted and the curse hit him full on in the face. He toppled backwards, knocked unconscious.

Ginny let out a sigh of relief and crossed over to him, quickly binding his hands and legs. The knife he'd been holding lay on the floor a couple feet away.

The door creaked open. Ginny turned around, expecting to see Harry or Seamus.

Her breath caught in her throat and she raised her wand, about to shout another spell. A dark cloaked, hooded man stood in the door.

"Proeliumcæcus!" he shouted as Ginny had the stunning spell on her lips. A blinding white light came from the wand, and passed inches from Ginny's face, smashing into the wall. It bounced, and struck the back of her head.

Stars danced before her eyes, and everything spun. A splitting, sudden pain cracked through her head. Ginny stumbled, trying to raise her wand at the other man, but she couldn't quite focus on him. Any spell she fired off bounced wildly; she couldn't aim at all, the lights still flaring up in her vision.

Must not get captured...escape... she numbly thought, backing up across the room. The dark cloaked man strode forward, grabbing her tightly by the shoulders.

Ginny let out a little scream again, and began to fight, kicking and flailing. The man couldn't hold on to her. Ginny stumbled and fell backwards when the man's grip suddenly loosened, and she felt him give her a hard push, adding to the force of her fall.

A high-pitched shriek filled her ears, the sound of glass shattering, and she realized she'd been pushed through the window.

Screaming again, she scrabbled madly for a handhold, but found none and pitched backwards out the window, shards of glass slicing into her arms and torso.

The back of her head smacked onto the metal of the fire escape, and the stars and blinding lights in front of her eyes got brighter as she continued to plummet to the ground, all thoughts swiftly leaving her mind when she hit the cobbled street below.

~~

"Harry! Seamus!" the two men heard Ginny's cry faintly. They threw caution to the winds and clattered up the escape as fast as they could.

They reached the landing to the second floor of the building, and drew their wands, looking around.

"Which floor? Second or top? She never let us know..." Seamus hissed, and Harry's brow furrowed. He didn't know either!

"Split up!" He immediately ordered, and Seamus nodded.

Suddenly, there was the shatter of glass and a scream of terror that froze Harry's heart. Seamus froze temporarily in surprise, then his head snapped upwards, looking at the floor above him.

Ginny was flailing madly, falling out of the window. Harry and Seamus watched in horror as her head smashed into the railing to the third floor fire escape, and her body went limp in mid-air.

Seamus immediately leapt up the steps, and dove into the room via the broken window.

Harry stood, unmoving, on the second floor fire escape, staring wide-eyed as Ginny hit the ground. His breath caught in his throat as he, for a few agonizing seconds, stared at her pale, faintly lit form sprawled out on the street.

Then all feeling and movement came back to him, and he leapt off the platform onto the ladder, climbing down it as fast as he could. His feet hit the street and he was immediately running.

He fell to his knees when he got to her side, ignoring the shooting pain from his bone cracking against the stone.

"Ginny, be alive," he pleaded softly, just as he had when he'd found her in the Chamber of Secrets.

This time was worse, though. She was deathly beautiful in the moonlight, her skin paler than usual. Her chest rose and fell shallowly, and Harry felt relief wash over him.

"Seamus! Get down here!" he cried, swinging around to look up at the window.

He got no reply for several minutes, and then Seamus's bright head appeared in the shattered window.

"Harry! Rosan's up here, Ginny's got him bound and everything!" Seamus said, his voice holding a touch of confusion.

"Then how the hell did she fall?" Harry demanded harshly, his hands trembling slightly. Seamus shrugged impatiently.

"I don't know, Harry, but we have to get him and Ginny back to Grimmauld Place!" Seamus shouted down at him, his eyebrows drawing down over his eyes in annoyance.

Harry didn't say anything, just turned back to Ginny. He stared at her for a moment, then lifted a trembling hand and brushed a coppery strand of hair out of her face.

Seamus was clattering down the fire escape again, Rosan floating in midair beside him. He blinked at Ginny's still form, the corners of his lips turning downwards in a worried frown. The odd, closed expression came over his face again, and he hastily turned away.

Harry softly muttered the levitation spell, taking a deep breath as Ginny rose into the air.

He began to walk down the grungy street, in a quick, brisk walk. Seamus followed behind him, his shoulders hunched and taught, one arm raised to keep Rosan floating behind him, the other stuffed deep into a pocket on his robe.

Just before they Apparated, Harry didn't miss that hand coming out of Seamus's pocket and going to the charm he wore around his neck, tightly grasping it in his fist. He discreetly brought it to his lips, kissed it, then disappeared with a pop.

~~

Voldemort's cat-like eyes shone out of the darkness of the candlelit manor room, narrowed and hateful.

"Rosan has been captured? I thought he was bait, and that we were to kill Potter, Weasley and Finnegan, not the reverse. I thought you were supposed to be there to prevent that," the Dark Lord's voice was cold and berating. The tall, slender man in front of him made no move, not a muscle in his face moved. His gray eyes were proud, and the candlelight reflected off of his feathery, slightly curly head of hair.

"I used the battle-blind spell, my lord, so not all is lost," the man spoke coolly, looking straight ahead, his expression still guarded and blank.

Voldemort chuckled.

"What other news do you have, Draco? What tricks up your sleeve?" Voldemort asked softly, leaning forward, his hands folded in his lap. A wicked smile crossed the young man's face as he gave his master an answer.

"Virginia Weasley is blind, I read it in the papers this morning. The Proeliumcæcus spell has a permanent effect. The Order has lost one of its most valuable Aurors." His shoulders straightened even more in pride. Voldemort's eyes widened in subtle surprise.

"How did you manage this?" he demanded, eagerly leaning forward farther.

"A coincidental mix of things, my lord, but all that matters is we are now in a bargaining position. Instead of killing her, we can...convert her," Draco suggested, his gaze flickering to fall upon his lord's face to see the reaction.

Voldemort was pleased; a small smile was curling on his lips. A plan was forming in his head, but he had one more question. He'd always been the curious one.

"How do we do this, Draco, my son?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in wicked mirth.

"By returning to her what we stole," Draco said, an evil smirk passing over his features.

"Yes, by returning to her what we took from her,"

~~

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed it. J