Thread: After the End (Harry Potter, KC and Googl)

Voldemort would have likely been amused at the thought of Ginny praying to a higher power as she lay awake and unable to fall asleep. He had been raised in a muggle orphanage when he was younger and was familiar with the concept of the deity that many muggles believed in... but he doubted one actually existed. Right now he was the closest thing to a god on the planet, he had power that went beyond the understanding of even normal wizards and was as close to immortal as anyone had ever been before. Just a few more steps and he would no longer be the shell that he was, restored to the prime of his life he would have even more power. First remove the fragment of his soul from within Potter and transfer it into Ginny to make it even less likely for someone to from the Order to destroy it... then finish up his research into the Deathly Hallows and the Phillospher's Stone, his earlier attempt to steal that particular artifact didn't make it any less desirable and if it had been destroyed that didn't matter at all... it could be created once more. In fact it was upon the Stone that he had been meditating before Ginny arrived, later on in the day he would dispatch Death Eaters to the home of its creator, ensure that they turned over every stone in order to find notes or clues to it that might have been left behind. Most of Dumbledore's library had already been brought to his home in anticipation of research that would be conducted, already a few potions had been found that would strengthen his body further... not quite his final goal but he would achieve that before long. The entry of Ginny broke him from his thoughts though and he smiled at her gently, admiring her body in the outfit that she had put on. It seemed that the elves had picked out one of Bellatrix's outfits for her and it fit wonderfully, no doubt there were some charms built into the material to help it fit a little better. The dark material contrasted with her pale skin, not the artificial pale skin that Bellatrix cultivated but fair skin that came with her red hair... also went well with the dark clothing. That clothing suits you Ginevra, I recall a young girl in second hand robes and she has grown into a beautiful woman who deserves to wear the finest clothing, hand tailored to fit her. A little flattery, he didn't think it would mean much to her normally but with the potion she had been slipped... The potion however had obviously worked, she wasn't throwing herself at him but he saw her start to smile back to him and approach when he motioned her closer to him. This wasn't adoration, it wasn't fawning but at the same time it was far better then nothing and he just wanted to cause a little bit of conflict for her, just a little emotional difficulty partially for his amusement and partially to smooth things along a little bit. Just drugging her into a state where she felt she was in love with him wouldn't give him the results he needed, he needed her to give herself to him of her own free will, without a potion making the choice for her otherwise he wouldn't be able to transfer the fragment of his soul from Potter into her, in order to take the fragment of his soul from Potter he also had to take something else. As her gaze was captured by the mirror at his side Voldemort raised his wand, a quick slash of it through the air casting the same spell that had been cast yesterday, changing his hollowed form to that of Tom Riddle once more, the change was no less painful then before but a great deal more power was put into this casting, before it had only been for a short affect and now he wanted it to last as long as it possibly could... a few scant minutes just wouldn't do this time. Slowly he rose to his feet, closing that little distance there was between them and glancing over to the mirror, unable to see what she saw but giving her a knowing smile all the same. The mirror, its a rather interesting thing isn't it? He asked with a chuckle. Its origins were lost in mystery many many years ago but it ended up in Hogwarts after it claimed the lives of several owners. I am sure you are aware of its properties, that it only shows the person who looks into it what they desire most in the world... it would be rather rude of me to ask you what it is you saw in it though, why not join me, I thought that we might talk. Another flourish of his wand summoned up a throne next to his, less ornate but fitting for the status he intended for her and taking her hand Voldemort gently led her back towards the throne where he took his own seat, looking over to her and knowing she would need to lean forward to see the mirror if she wanted to keep gazing. Tell me Ginny... He said, using the name she went by rather then her given name. Do you really think that I am the monster the rest of the world believes me to be? You are closer to me then anyone and I would like to think that you know better then the ill informed masses. Now he was playing the charm, show her the Tom Riddle whom she had known, whom she had confided in so long ago. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlike Hermione who had undoubtedly suffered while he was away from her Draco had passed the time in comfort. After the initial visit where he had beaten her for daring to attempt to escape from his control Draco had returned to his own chambers and taken a potion to deal with the lingering pain in his body where she had struck him. A little time in front of the mirror ensured that she hadn't left a mark on his neck with the tie and really he was unscathed but her rebellion had set him on edge, if he went back to her then he might have even killed her without a second thought. Rather then do that though he set to work with her wand, working on a little project that would help to break her spirit when the time came to unveil it... just snapping it in front of her wouldn't be quite enough now. During the time he spent away from her though he wasn't just idle, he had eaten richly and enjoyed fine wine while she was barely given enough food to stay healthy, he had gone forth from the Manor on errands for the Dark Lord, mostly small things as the Order seemed to be keeping their heads down for the time being. The only real sign of activity was a subversive radio show that so far had not been tracked down, though it was hardly a priority. Instead most of what Draco had done had involved going to a small house in the countryside and tearing it apart for anything of a magical nature, several note books and a few components of an alchemists workshop had been uncovered and sent over to the manor where The Dark Lord had set himself up, Draco did not know what he had wanted it all for but he wasn't going to ask to many questions. It was three days before he was ready to deal with the Mudblood again, the house elves had been reporting to him about her attempts to subvert their loyalty to the family and how only one had listened at all and was quickly punished for daring to even think of listening to what he had been told. Draco had vague recollections of Granger ranting about freedom for House Elves a few years ago but he was surprised that she even bothered to think about that sort of thing now. At this point it hardly mattered though, he was going to be breaking her either way and if this was just another reason to punish her then he would seize upon it. Dressed now in a comfortable but perfectly fitting set of robes Draco made his way through the home, eager for the chance to make the mudblood suffer and now he actually had his wand with him to make it a little easier. With a spring in his step and a sneer upon his face Draco opened the door, looking to the naked form in the room. You lost some weight Granger. He sneered at her. Really it suits you... Crucio. He raised his wand and cast the curse without a moments hesitation, he doubted she would be able to see it coming and watched her body contort in pain through narrowed eyes, it felt better then expected to cast an unforgivable curse upon her and Draco held the curse for longer then he had meant to before lifting his wand slowly... almost as if reluctant to end her suffering. Hell he was tempted to cast it again but instead smiled at her as if he hadn't just subjected her to intense pain. Now I don't think you will be speaking to my House Elves anymore. His voice calm, as though discussing the weather instead of letting her know why he had exposed her to torment. So lets see if your disposition has improved at all, you are probably hungry and a little bit cold so if you are willing to get on your knees and grovel I might consider letting you have a warm meal and perhaps even some clothing to wear. Anything she got to wear now would only be to further degrade her, not meant to enhance her comfort.