Waiting

Ron and Ginny Weasley clung tightly to each other in the dank cell they had been placed in, and waited. They saw neither sun nor moon, and the passage of time had begun to blur for them. No other living person had been seen since they were captured in the last battle and thrown together in this cell that held them so securely. Their wands had been snapped and their hands loosely bound, and they had been locked away and apparently forgotten. The loose knots allowed Ron to eventually get his bonds free, and loosen the ropes which held his sister.

\"They are going to let us starve to death,\" Ginny said in a tired, resigned voice. Ron shook his head and was suddenly grateful for the darkness which hid his flaming cheeks, ashamed because he had been thinking the same thing.

\"No, Ginny, we\'ll be alright. I\'m sure someone is looking for us, and they\'ll find us soon. All we have to do is keep waiting.\" Ron pulled his sister closer and rested his head on top of hers.

Ginny sighed and opened her mouth to answer him, but stopped when she heard a small clank from what had to be the beginning of the passageway they had been led down when they were brought to their cell. Ron held his breath as he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming nearer to the door, and quickly backed himself and Ginny into a corner, placing himself in front of his sister in what would prove a futile attempt to protect her. \"Stay still Ginny, and close your eyes. Maybe if they think we are asleep or dead they\'ll be foolish enough to let down their guard,\" he whispered to her. He closed his own eyes and slumped slightly in front of his sister, trying to slow his breathing down enough so it wouldn\'t be noticeable in the darkness of the cell.

The chains that locked the door rattled and clinked and then the door creaked open. Suddenly he sensed light shining on his closed eyelids, and he forced himself not to blink his eyes open, hoping their ruse would work, although he wasn\'t sure exactly what he\'d do if whomever it was let down their guard, he knew he had to at least try, for Ginny\'s sake.
A cold, wicked laugh sounded throughout the cell, and he heard the door click shut again, although there was no rattling of the lock this time, which gave him a small glimmer of hope.

Bella laughed again, and shot her hand out, causing a small green flame to come from her fingertips and land on Ron\'s arm. Ron felt the heat on his arm, and forced himself to ignore it, but soon the pain was too much and he yelped and patted the flame out, opening his eyes as he did so. He moved closer to Ginny, eyes wide with disbelief. \"Bellatrix LeStrange?\" He gasped out the name, unable to process why she was suddenly in the cell with them.

Bella nodded, seemingly pleased to have been recognized, and allowed her lips to curl up into a wicked smile. \"I am she, yes. How good of you to recognize the woman who has been sent to kill you.\"

Ginny stiffened under him, and he heard a small groan of terror issue forth from her throat. Ron looked at the pale, gaunt woman in front of him and stared defiantly into her eyes. \"Fuck you,\" he said, his voice clear and loud, and thankfully not betraying the fear he felt.

Bella laughed again and shook her finger at him. \"Such language, whatever would your mother say?\" This time her laughter turned into a howl of glee, and she threw her head back in pleasure. \"Terribly rude of me, I forgot she\'s already dead. Well then, think of your dear, fragile sister you try to protect. What will she think when she dies, and the last thing she hears is her brother cursing like a drunken sailor?\"

Ron\'s eyes got wider, and he thought briefly that this must be a dream, this couldn\'t really be happening. Bella tossed her head, sending waves of black cascading around her shoulders as she advanced on them. Ron waited until she was close enough to touch, and then shot out with his hand, connecting with her kneecap, but she only smirked and shook her head at him. \"Did you honestly think I would come into the cell with you and not protect myself? Honestly, its no wonder we are winning, if that\'s all the brighter you people are.\"

Ron felt Ginny go limp behind him, and prayed that she had passed out, so she would be spared whatever Bellatrix had planned for them.

Bella waved her hand casually, and Ron was easily lifted off the now still body of his sister and pressed against the far wall, completely immobile. She ignored the body of the girl on the floor and walked over to where Ron was pinned, running her lips softly down his neck, enjoying the mingled look of loathing and lust she saw reflected in his eyes. \"I have that effect on men.\"

Ron paled and tried to shake his head, but nothing happened. It seemed that she had not taken his ability to speak as he screamed loudly, trying to rouse Ginny so she could try to make her escape while Bellatrix was busy with him. \"You\'re a horrid, nasty bitch, and you don\'t have any effect on me other then to make me sick to my stomach!\" He was lying, of course...despite her too thin frame she was still beautiful, and he violently wished she would only ask that of him and spare his sister\'s life, along with his own.

Bella grinned and bent her lips to his neck again, trailing kisses down until she reached his collar. Ron saw signs of movement from his sister, and a spark of hope leaped to life as he silently willed her to get up, get out - to run... And suddenly his thoughts broke, as he felt a prick and then a coolness enter his side. He couldn\'t see what she had done, but when she pulled the knife out and wiped it clean on her gown he knew what had happened, and screamed, loudly, although the pain hadn\'t reached his mind yet. Wake up Ginny, for gods sake, wake up and run!

Bellatrix shook her head and chuckled darkly. She waved her hand again, and Ginny was on the wall opposite Ron, both not able to move, and both able to see each other. \"There, thats much better. Live like a family, die like a family. Should really be put on your family crest, but as you haven\'t got much of a family left, especially after I finish with you two, it seems silly now.\"
She tapped one long nail on her bottom lip and looked back and forth between the two of them. \"What to do, what to do,\" she murmured quietly.

She crossed the room to Ginny and slapped her soundly on the face, rousing her immediately, causing a hand print to appear on her cheek and eliciting a cry of rage from Ron as he watched and was unable to do anything for his sister.

Bella laughed again, and with a bored looking expression sent the knife rocketing through the air until it was lodged in Ron\'s arm, making him scream in agony as the knife wiggled in his flesh, driving down until the tip was lodged in the wall. Bella then focused her concentration on Ginny, who was watching all of this with a blank stare, unable to comprehend the enormity of the situation they were in.