Not What They Were- a Drinny fanfiction

Chapter 13

"No!" Cursed Draco. The most brilliant mane of red hair he had ever seen just disappeared around the corner at the end of the hall.

Damn Ginny!

Draco moved towards the dark corridor Ginny had fled through, skidding to a halt. Standing just outside the threshold, Draco cried towards Ginny, knowing it was useless. 

Why? Why had she chosen that wing? Of all the other places in the Manor, why did she choose this place?

"Yela?" Draco called meekly, fear bubbling in his chest.

A faint pop alerted Draco to the presence of his beloved elf.

"Yes, Mas---uhhh----Draco?" Yela squeaked.

"Yela, I am going to ask you a favor, as a friend. It is in no way a command. You are not bound to complete this, and you are encouraged to tell me no immediately do you understand?" Draco spoke softly but firmly to the small creature and looked down in her big eyes to convey understanding.

"Yes Draco, Yela is understanding."

"Yela, a moment ago Miss Weasley entered the East Wing of the Manor and----"

"Oh no! Master say you lie! Miss Weasley can't! She shouldn't!" Yela pulled the knit cap she wore on her head down over her eyes and shook her head fiercely.

"Yela," Draco knelt in front of her and spun the elf to face him, "Yela please I do not have much time, I do not know how far she has gotten, and I am not sure where she is. I know we all hate this wretched place, but against my better judgment, I am going to ask you for your help." Draco cursed himself for inviting her to do this. She was so small and delicate, he often thought of her as frail, though he knew her magic was more than a match for his own.

"A moment Sir," Yela replied and vanished with another small pop leaving Draco alone in the hall, fretting over Ginny's safety.

"They will help too!" Yela called as four little pops emitted from nothing, and four more of Draco's loyal elves came to stand with their Master, now friend, in the hall.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked, not wanting to endanger them, but knowing he had no choice.

"Yes! We are SURE!" The four new elves called in unison before taking off at a full sprint down the corridor.

"Draco?" Yela placed a hand on her friend's forearm, "We go together."

Draco wrapped one hand around Yela's fingers and the other around his wand. It had been years since Draco dared to step foot in this portion of the hall. The dark magic that lingered there dug up horrible memories of a past he tried hard to forget.

Yela and Draco walked the halls for what felt like hours, wand lighting their way. The farther they walked through the halls without any sign of Ginny the less hope he had of finding her alive. Draco and Yela had seen no part of the wing that might suggest anyone had been there in years. Every few moments Yela would check in with the other elves, and return with no news for Draco. Once or twice they encountered another elf, with the same hopeless story as before. Just as Draco was about to give up hope and turn in, a meager pop emitted from what seemed like a few feet in front of them.

"Yela and Draco!" called a rather generous elf named Dodgy who had joined the search "We is finding her! We is finding her! Popply has taken her to your room!"

"Yela tak-" before Draco could even ask his house elf to disapparate him out of the dark hall, she was already on her way and placing him next to his bed where he found a sleeping Ginny.

Her skinned had paled, and her red hair was laying fanned out around her face, tangled and in knots. Her pink robe and undergarments had been replaced with a pair of his favorite Slytherin boxers and sweatshirt; the elves must have changed her in an attempt to save her prudence. But even as she lay covered in dirt and plaqued with red marks that were sure to become bruises, Draco thought there was something beautiful about how the rising sunlight passing through his window caught the glow of her complexion, casting a golden light around her. At that moment Draco realized what he felt for her was more than just kinship, lust or protection. It was something much stronger.

In an attempt to be a gentleman, Draco retrieved blankets from the cupboard and made himself a bed on the small couch, leaving Ginny the fourposter to sleep in. Though try as hard as he might, he could not fall asleep. His thoughts were plagued with scenes of Ginny, lost in the corridor, fighting in the Battle at Hogwarts or fleeing a capture. The idea of losing her tonight seemed to keep a hold on his throat. The idea he could have lost her was present as his mind turned from her to his work.

The potion she had masterfully reverse engineered was sitting atop his wardrobe, beckoning him and mocking him. By his hand, she was now a part of something much greater and far more dangerous than she had any idea, and he damned himself for allowing it to happen. Back and forth he had waivered on whether or not to tell her more details of the investigation, but tonight's events solidified his decision. She would play no part in his work life any longer; he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. If his decision meant she would no longer be a part of his life, than so be it. That was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant she was free from danger.

__________________________________

Ok! 

Who had the potion? 

Was that a house elf that Ginny saw? 

What's going on in that dang house?

Will Draco stick to his word and keep Ginny away from the investigation? My guess is probably not. 

;)

I will try to update faster next time, I was working on an original piece called Copy, you can find it on my profile. But I gave you two chapters in one day, and I promise another within the week!