Chapter 16: Innocence Lost

The Opposite

Chapter 16: Innocence Lost

Harry and Ginny looked around the pub. No one was in sight. Ginny leaned against the wall. She looked very poignant and grim. She didn't appear to be afraid, but Harry knew that was just a façade. He reached out to her. Ginny looked at his hand then at him.

"What?" she asked, clearly perplexed. Harry took a step forward and grabbed her arm. He pulled her into an embrace. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. "Harry, I'm not scared. I just don't want to be the downfall," she said quietly. Harry nodded.

"I understand. You won't, though. Just tell them the truth. Don't get too flippant with them, especially Bellatrix. She's a really nasty one," Harry said. Suddenly, he heard the swishing of robes. He turned to face Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. Two short, rough looking girls were being held up by them. Their hands were bound and one looked ready to murder. Ginny peered over Harry's shoulder and gasped.

"Parvati?" she whispered. Sure enough, Parvati Patil was with them. Neve looked positively evil. She was in better shape than Parvati, though. Parvati's eyes were glazed over. She didn't look well at all. She looked quite unbalanced. Bellatrix was holding onto her arm tightly.

"Welcome, Potter, Weasley. I see you've kept up to your end of the deal. The Dark Lord decided to be generous and let you have one of the kidnapped students back. Now, Miss Weasley, if you would be so kind as to walk over this way," Lucius said. Ginny stepped around Harry. Harry put his hand out, blocking her.

"Give us one of them. Only then will I come over," Ginny said. Lucius looked at Bellatrix. She nodded at him, and he sighed.

"Fine. Here." Lucius pushed Neve towards Harry. Harry pulled her over to him.

"I'm going to meet Parvati in the center between us. Then I'll come with you." Ginny took a step forward. Bellatrix walked forward, practically dragging Parvati. Ginny took Parvati's hand and sort of pushed her into Harry. She turned to look at them. Then Lucius grabbed her arm and pulled her off. Bellatrix stayed, staring at Harry.

It was taking all of Harry's strength not to just charge at the woman and rip her to shreds with his bare hands. She'd been the one to kill Sirius. Neve was still staring at her maliciously. Bellatrix smiled and turned sideways.

"Soon, little baby Potter." With that, she was off after Lucius.

Harry picked up Parvati properly and looked over at Neve. Harry muttered a charm, and her binds broke free. He looked her up and down. Dried blood was over her face. He couldn't really see her left eye on account of her hair covering it. Neve looked like a deranged murderer. He also detected a sort of crazy, distant feeling. It was like she wasn't there. Parvati shivered in his arms.

"Can you walk all right, Neve?" Harry asked. Neve nodded stiffly. She looked at Parvati. Her eyes hadn't even closed yet. "You decided to backtalk, didn't you?" Harry asked as they walked. Neve nodded again. Harry noticed her eyes were a bright red. "Do you know what they want with Ginny?" Harry kept asking her questions. Neve looked at him. He almost shivered with the coldness he saw in them.

"I have not a fucking clue, to tell you the truth. They never really talked about it," she said coldly. Her voice sent chills down his spine. Neve turned her head to face the front once more. They quietly continued walking down the street to the castle. No more words were said.

Dumbledore and Drake were awaiting their return at the gates. Drake took Parvati from Harry, and Neve shrugged off any help from anyone. When they got inside, Aurora took one look at her sister and sorrow filled her heart. Neve stared back at Aurora. Aurora's eyes were filling with tears. She ran to Neve and threw her arms around her. Neve just stood there, not moving. Then the two disappeared up the stairs.

Harry went to where Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Draco were. Aislin and Fionnula were there as well. When Harry entered, Ron and Draco stood up. Harry nodded, signaling that everything had gone well. He sat down in a lazy way. Ron and Draco returned to their seats.

"How is she?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry looked over in her direction.

"She looked awful. If her hands weren't bound, I think she would've slaughtered both Lucius and Bellatrix. I can only imagine what she'll do if she comes face to face with them again. They also brought Parvati. Now, Parvati looked slightly insane. Her eyes were all glazed over. They must've put the Cruciatus Curse on her a lot," Harry said dryly. Hermione nodded as Dumbledore opened the door.

"Aislin, your services are needed," he said. Aislin nodded and left the room. Dumbledore walked over to the seat she once occupied. He sighed. "I fear that Miss Patil is permanently insane. To imagine torturing a child like that is unbearable," he said, looking weary. He intertwined his long fingers and looked out over them.

"What about Neve, professor?" Draco asked. Everyone looked at him in an astonished manner. They all expected the last person to care about Neve's well being was him. Draco noticed this. "I'm sorry. I forgot what a cold, heartless bastard you all take me for," he said gloomily.

"That's not it, Draco. We might've used to think you were that way. But, we don't anymore," Hermione said. Draco blinked. This was the first time she'd ever called him by his first name, and it shocked him. He nodded as Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Miss Assante doesn't appear to be damaged physically except for her muscles being a little sore from the curse. But, mentally, I think she's a little worse for the wear," he said. Hermione and Neville exchanged looks.

"What do you mean?" Neville asked. Dumbledore sighed, as if he feared someone asking this question.

"Well, Neveah is a very strong person. She has a very strong mind. If you ask me, she looks like she needs a shoulder to cry on. But, I don't believe she'll give her captors that satisfaction. If anything, I'd say she's in shock or just a little traumatized. She'll never be the same, though. I don't think the Cruciatus Curse had anything to do with her being this distant or traumatized. Something else happened to her. I don't think she'll share it with us, yet. Well, I must return to the school. I will visit again in about a week. Good night." Dumbledore left the room.

Upstairs, Neve stared out the window in her room. She hadn't said anything since she spoke to Harry. Aurora watched her sister worriedly. Aurora jumped when the silence was broken by Aislin opening the door. Neve didn't flinch one bit. Aislin looked over at Aurora who shrugged.

"Has she said anything?" Aislin whispered. Aurora shook her head.

"She will not even look at me. You talk to her. I will go get her some food." Aurora stood up and left. Aislin looked over at Neve. She was still staring listlessly out the window. She'd let Aurora clean her face. Her face held no readable emotion. It was like looking at something transparent.

"Neve?" Aislin asked. Neve didn't move. Aislin stepped closer to her. Neve finally turned her head. Her eyes were still red. She looked possessed by some kind of demon. "Neve, are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Aislin asked. Neve opened her mouth.

"No," she said. Then she turned to stare back out of the window. "How's Parvati?"

"She'll make it. But, the damage to her mind might be beyond repair. I'll try my best. Neve, your sister went to get you food. Are you hungry?" Aislin asked. Neve turned back towards her.

"No. I'm going to sleep," Neve said. She stood and walked over to her bed. Aislin nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Aislin saw Aurora coming down the hall. Aurora carried a tray of food with her. She looked very tired and sad. She noticed Aislin walking briskly down the hall.

"What is wrong?"

"She said she wanted to sleep and that she's not hungry," Aislin said. Aurora looked at Neve's door and nodded. She turned on her heel and left.

The next day, Neve was shooting magical arrows at dummies. Her face was hard as stone. Draco and Drake were watching her in utter shock. Her arrows were packed with such power. Draco's arrows were white. Neve's arrows were red. He didn't understand how she could've come up with this amount of power in such a short time. She was never good with enchanted arrows.

Neve focused on the target in front of her. Picking up an arrow, she pulled it back. The tip began glowing red and a large ball was formed quickly. Neve let it go and hit the target head on. The explosion was phenomenal.

Inside, a chandelier fell, barely missing Fionnula. She'd jumped to the side quickly when she heard the chain snap. Aurora and Harry looked at each other. Fionnula was breathing hard.

"Now that was surreal," Harry said. Aurora nodded. Harry grabbed Fionnula's hand and helped her up. Fionnula looked up, dusting herself off. "What do you think that was?" he asked.

"It sounded like an explosion, a very strong explosion," Fionnula said, her eyes narrowing. Aurora and Harry followed her outside. Neve was furiously shooting arrows. Draco and Drake just stood there amazed. Fionnula looked from them to Neve, then hit Drake on the shoulder. "Aren't you going to stop her before she destroys this place? She already caused a chandelier to fall and nearly kill me!" Fionnula yelled over the explosions. Drake looked at Neve. She dropped the bow and looked at the bunch. They were watching her with wide eyes. She ran past them.

"Neve," Aurora said as she watched her sister go. Harry looked at the longing in her eyes. Neve clearly wasn't normal anymore.

Neve ran into the bathroom. She put her hands on either side of the sink. Her breathing was deep and hard; exerting that much energy was hard work. She looked at herself in the mirror. When Neve woke up in the morning, her hair had grown significantly. It was also black again. The only difference was that it was black with red stripes. Her eyes hadn't changed from the fiery red.

"Neve?" a quiet voice said after a knock was heard on the door. Neve looked towards the door. It was Hermione's voice. She was sure of it. Opening the door, Hermione stood there, looking up at her.

"What the fuck do you want?" Neve asked, her voice low. Hermione cringed at the coldness in it. She looked at Neve's arms and saw the lines from the binds hadn't quite disappeared. Hermione looked back up at Neve's face. Neve had the same blank expression on her face.

"Can I talk to you?" Hermione practically whispered. Neve continued to look down on her, as if she was contemplating Hermione's words. She narrowed her already narrow eyes and sighed.

"I don't fucking want to talk," she said, and then pushed past Hermione. She walked quickly to her room and shut the door.

"Colloportus," Neve said, pointing her wand over her shoulder. She looked at the glass of water on the nightstand next to her bed. She pointed her wand at it. Mumbling a curse, a white jet of light flew from it. The glass shattered, leaving shards all over the place. Neve picked up one. She put it on her arm and slid it across, making a long vertical gash. She dropped the shard and put her head on her pillow. She was out in ten seconds.

Later that day, Aurora knocked on Neve's door. There was no answer after she waited a minute. She knocked again, and there was still no sound.

"Neve, stop brooding, and open the damn door!" Aurora yelled. There was still no sound. Not even the sound of rustling or turning over. Aurora tried the door to find it was locked. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the keyhole. "Alohomora," she said. The door unlocked, and Aurora entered.

Glass littered the floor next to Neve's bed. Her arm was hanging off the bed and blood dripped from her fingertips. Aurora gasped and ran over to her sister. She turned Neve over just to see that she was asleep. Aurora ran to get Aislin.

"She cut herself with a piece of broken glass. It does not look too deep, just a scratch..." Aurora trailed off. Aislin examined Neve's arm, then waved her arm over it. The gash disappeared, and she stood up. Neve was still asleep through all of this. She closed her mouth and turned over.

"Scourgify," Aislin mumbled, and the glass disappeared. She turned toward Aurora. "Watch her. Make sure she doesn't do anything rash. When she's ready to talk, she will. Trust me on this one." Aislin left.

Late that night, Draco opened his eyes. It was still pitch black outside. Aurora was asleep next to him. Draco tried to move, but Aurora's head was on his arm. He carefully slid it from under her, trying his hardest not to wake her. Aurora mumbled in her sleep and lifted off of him. Draco stood up and put on some jogging pants.

"She sleeps like a she's dead," he whispered, looking back at Aurora. Her mouth was open, and little whistling sounds were coming from her nose. Draco shook his head and left the room. He went to the kitchen. He found candles to be lit inside. He pulled out his wand. No one was there. He put it back in his pocket and got a glass of water.

Walking back to his room, he heard little sounds coming from the exercise room where Drake taught them. It sounded like someone was fighting another. Moving slowly to the door, he opened it quietly. Draco gasped slightly at what he saw.

Neve was practically murdering a dummy that was enchanted to fight back. Neve threw a punch and knocked the dummy's head off. It fell to the ground, the enchantment worn off. Draco walked closer. Neve turned quickly, pulling out her wand. Draco put his hands up.

"Relax, Neve. It's just me," he said, putting the glass of water down. Neve put her wand back up and stared suspiciously at Draco. He began to approach her slowly. She just stared at him.

"Why the hell are you up? Shouldn't you be fucking my sister?" Neve asked, crossing her arms. Draco chuckled, and Neve cringed. He looked at her. She'd never cringed at the sound of his laugh. What was wrong with her?

"I should be asking that of you. You slept all day after you attempted to destroy the field. Where did you get all that power anyway?" Draco asked. Neve raised an eyebrow at him. She did not want to have this conversation.

"I was letting off some steam." She tried to rush past him. Draco grabbed her arm. By second nature, Neve turned, swinging her leg up. Draco ducked and tackled her.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, holding her down tightly. Neve struggled under his grip, her eyes burning.

"Release me," she growled. Draco's eyes widened.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong with you. You haven't said more than five words to any of us. We care about you, and you're treating us like shit. So, what the bloody hell is wrong wi..." Draco didn't finish.

"I said release me, damnit!" Neve knocked him off of her and rolled onto her feet. Draco stood, looking at her.

"You want to fight?" He threw a punch. Neve blocked it with her arms. She tripped him up. Draco kicked her in the shins. Neve fell backwards as Draco stood. He stared down at her. "Then fight," he said evilly. Neve smirked.

"All right. You don't have to tell me twice, bitch." She stood and started her onslaught. She was extremely fast. Draco was starting to wonder what exactly was fueling her. After fifteen minutes of nonstop torture on their bodies, Draco pushed Neve into the wall, holding her there by her arms. Neve looked at him, panting. Draco stared back.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" he asked again. Neve kneed him in the stomach. Draco's grip faltered for only a moment. He continued to hold her tightly. Neve stared back at him furiously.

"You wouldn't fucking understand, Draco, so just drop it," she whispered. Draco's grip loosened as her words hit him. Neve looked away from him. She began punching him hard in his chest. Draco just stood and took the hits. She looked in his eyes, wondering why he wasn't fighting back. It was starting to irritate her. Draco grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug. Neve didn't struggle against him.

"What happened to you?" he asked. Neve sighed and pushed away from him. She sat on the ground, still panting. Draco sat next to her. He continued to look at her. Her facial expressions had changed so much.

"Lo ha torturato e colza me," she said quietly. Draco's eyes widened. He just stared at her in a strange stupor. Neve looked up at him.

"Who?" Draco asked, his voice sounding strained.

"Bellatrix and..." She didn't know how he would take it if she said his name. Draco continued to look at her. Neve looked away.

"Who, Neve?" he asked.

"Bellatrix and...your father," she whispered, barely audible. Draco heard her just fine. He looked utterly shocked that his father would do such a thing. How could he sink that low? How could Draco possibly have his blood running through his veins? Neve noticed his facial expression change from worry to horror to just downright hatred. "Draco..."

"He is mine. I will kill him with my bare hands!" Draco yelled. Neve jumped back a little from the shock of him talking that loud. Draco was literally shaking with rage. He'd always known his father was a little...eccentric, but he never thought he would do something like that. It was so dishonorable, so shameful. Neve almost cracked a smile at him.

"Why, Draco Malfoy! I didn't know you cared!" she said, trying to sound cheerful. Draco looked sideways at her.

"Am I the only one who knows?" he asked. Neve nodded her head. "Why didn't you tell your sister?" Neve shrugged her shoulders. Then she yawned.

"I could really use some sleep," she said, standing. Draco stood and nodded stiffly. Neve turned toward him. "Don't tell Aurora, or anyone for that matter," she said. Draco nodded and they headed upstairs, limping slightly.

Ginny woke up. She was lying on a rather comfortable couch. The fireplace in the room was lit. She sat up, looking around. There was no sound, except for the crackling of the fire. No one was in the room. Then Ginny heard a hissing sound. Looking at the floor, a large snake that could only be Nagini slithered around. It stopped and looked up at her, and then continued on.

"I see you have awakened, Ginevra," an icy voice said. Ginny stiffened and turned her head. A black figure seemed to glide across the floor. Ginny watched it as it sat in the chair across from her. "As you've probably already gathered, I am Lord Voldemort," he said. Ginny nodded slightly. "It's all right, Ginevra. You can speak freely. I promise I won't kill you," he said, a slightly happy tone in his voice. Ginny still looked skeptical.

"How do I know that you always keep your word?" she asked, relaxing into the chair a little bit. Voldemort's snakelike eyes surveyed her for a moment. Then he adjusted himself in the chair.

"You'll just have to make up your own damn mind in that one, Ginevra. Now, do you have the slightest idea as to why you're here?" he asked. Ginny stared maliciously at him. She immediately put up walls around her mind. Harry told her he was a skilled Legilimens.

"No, I don't," she said. Voldemort stared at her, looking quite cynical. Ginny stared right back at him, in his eyes. Voldemort smirked, and Ginny cringed. He really was an ugly man.

"I want to know about your little power. Do you know what it is?" he asked. Ginny shook her head. Voldemort surveyed her again. Ginny heard the door open. Bellatrix walked up beside her master's chair, her eyes fixated on Ginny. Ginny glared at her, and then turned her attention back to Voldemort.

"No, I don't," she repeated. Voldemort nodded, taking in her words.

"Does Dumbledore know what it is?"

"No, he doesn't."

"She lies! How dare you lie to the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix said. Ginny looked at the woman like she'd grown catlike ears and a tail. Voldemort put up his hand, silencing Bellatrix. Bellatrix went back to looking like a normal, composed woman.

"You are sick and twisted. Something is really wrong with you," Ginny said. Bellatrix mumbled something.

"Quiet, Bellatrix. Do not be rude to our guest. Well, Ginevra. Do you use it at free will, or does it just happen?" Voldemort asked. Ginny looked back at the vile being before her.

"If you mean can I do it right now, then no, I can't. It only happens when I'm asleep or something. I can't control it at all," Ginny said. Voldemort nodded. Ginny stiffened again; she didn't like him surveying her like that.

"Do you know anything about how you've managed to alter the past?"

"I know that someone altered my past. I'm not supposed to exist, Voldemort. Someone other than YOUR Seer saw what was to come. They apparently went back and altered that. If I wasn't born, you probably would've already killed Harry and the rest of my friends." Then something dawned on Ginny. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "That means that someone knew what Professor Trelawney was going to predict and also knew that it wouldn't be that way because I was never born. They saw that in another time or something that I would be born and alter things the way I've been doing," Ginny said, looking upward at the ceiling. Bellatrix looked utterly confused.

"What?" she asked. Voldemort seemed to be in deep thought.

"So, Ginevra, you're saying that someone from an alternate universe is trying to make this universe turn out in your favor?" he asked. Ginny looked at him.

"You missed it. Someone from OUR time saw this same situation in another time. They might've even it seen it play out two different ways: one with me, the other without me. They wanted to make it happen here. That way, we would be saved from you. The only way to do that is to go back in time to ensure that I would be born. The OTHER Seer saw it two ways. Is this making any sense to you? Are you that daft?" Ginny asked, directing the last two questions at Bellatrix. Bellatrix snarled and raised her wand.

"You insubordinate little wi..." she began. Voldemort held his hand out.

"Calm yourself, Bella. How is it that you figured all this out by yourself?"

"I consider myself to be relatively smart. I seem to see the events when you Death Eaters are discussing the past event. Then I return to the event in question and alter it so that it happens a different way. The Seer who made it possible for me to be born knew this by seeing it in two ways: the one where I exist and the one where I don't exist," Ginny said. Voldemort cracked an evil smile at the young redhead.

"Bella, take Ginevra to the room she will be residing in until April first. Make sure she's comfortable. I want her to be taken care of well. Do you understand?" Voldemort said.

"Yes, my lord. Come, girl," Bellatrix demanded. Ginny rose slowly. Nagini snapped at her, and she jumped. Voldemort hissed something and the large snake backed down. Ginny followed Bellatrix out of the room.

When they came to the door, Bellatrix turned to look at Ginny. Ginny stared in her eyes. Bellatrix's eyes turned light brown. Ginny kept staring.

"Where are we?" she asked. Bellatrix continued to look down on her. Then she smiled.

"We're in my country home just outside of Southampton. It's protected by all sorts of barriers and is invisible to the outside person," Bellatrix said happily. Ginny nodded and blinked. Bellatrix blinked also and looked at Ginny. She sighed and turned to continue walking.

"This is your room. Get comfy. You're going to be here for a long while." Bellatrix slammed the door. Ginny heard her mumble something. Then she heard Bellatrix's hard footsteps. Ginny turned to look in her room.

The room was very simple. The bed was very large. The walls were painted white, and there was one window in it.

"Well at least it's not some hole in the wall." Ginny walked over to the bed.

Lo ha torturato e colza me = She tortured me and he raped me.