Author's Note: Sorry for the mess-up.
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Blood Tithes
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chapter 1: CONFUSION - the beginnings
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Ron sighed and leaned back on the couch as Draco sank his teeth into the tender flesh just below Ron's collarbone and began gently licking away the blood that welled up. As the pain from the bite slowly ebbed away with the blood, Ron reflected on the strange turn his life had taken in the past couple of weeks…
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It had started in darkness and confusion. It had been a night about half a week before Ron was set to go back to Hogwart's for his sixth year. Harry had, once again, been spending the last weeks of summer with Ron and his family. He had been asleep in the spare bed in Ron's room when Ron's father had come in and gently shaken his son awake. Ron had been deeply asleep and when he blearily opened his eyes the first thing he had noticed was the look of worry etching his father's face. Mr. Weasley had put his finger to his lips, indicating that they shouldn't wake Harry and had then motioned for Ron to get up and come downstairs.
Confused but sure that everything would be explained once they got downstairs, Ron had risen and stumbled to the door. He had paused to step into a pair of fuzzy slippers before continuing out the door and following his father down the stairs. The sight that had greeted him at the bottom of the stairs had brought him up short and wiped the last vestiges of sleep from his mind. Lucius Malfoy had been in the living room pacing back and forth and had looked up impatiently as Ron and his father entered the room. "It took you long enough," he had snarled. "Hurry up and bring him here. We don't have much time." He had gestured imperiously.
"Just give us a minute." The anger had been evident in Arthur Weasley's voice but his look had been gentle when he turned toward his son. Ron had been opening and shutting his mouth like a fish, trying to phrase a question that might give him some clue of WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON! Ron had seen that his mother was also there and had appeared to be wringing her hands. She had come and given Ron a reassuring hug as his father put his hands on his shoulders and steered him to sit down in a chair. "I'm sorry, Ron, there's not enough time to explain everything right now. We'll tell you everything soon. Right now you need to do something very important and I need you to know that every thing will be ok. Right now you have nothing to worry about." Lucius Malfoy had given a derisive snort and Ron's father had shot him a look that could have caused a strong tree to wither up and die.
Ron had been beginning to feel very uneasy and confused. He had looked worriedly from his mother to his father, and at Mr. Malfoy who was sneering evilly at him from beside the fireplace. The fact that his parents looked worried had definitely not helped.
"What's going on?" he had managed as he watched his father pull out his wand and look at him with a scarily unreadable expression.
"We're running out of time!" Lucius Malfoy snapped and Ron's father had flinched.
Arthur Weasley had brushed his hands along Ron's forehead before raising the wand regretfully. "I'm sorry, there's no time. It'll be ok. Trust me." He had then whispered a spell too quietly for Ron to catch and Ron had felt himself becoming detached. He had tried to ask his father again what was the matter, what was going on, but had found that he couldn't speak. He had tried to get up from the chair and found he also couldn't move. He would have panicked then but there had been a strange calm steeling over him and he had watched with little more than a detached curiosity as his father, surprisingly strong, had picked him up over his shoulder and walked to where Lucius Malfoy was standing.
His father had stepped into the fireplace and thrown down a handful of Floo Powder with his free hand. "Malfoy Manor," Ron had heard distinctly before sight and sound were devoured by roaring green flames.
As soon as the world cleared once again, Ron had been quickly carried out of the fireplace and in a few moments they had been followed by Lucius Malfoy who quickly strode off down a dark, side hall. Arthur Weasley had hitched his son a little higher on his shoulder and followed silently. Soon they had arrived in a darkened room and Ron's father had set Ron down, propping him in a chair. Now that he wasn't hanging upside-down he had been able to see that they were in bedroom with a large, four-poster bed set in the middle of the floor. The curtains had been drawn back and Ron had just been able to see what had appeared to be Draco Malfoy lying in a pile of twisted sheets. He had appeared to be restrained somehow and had emmitted a strange mewling sound as he writhed on the bed.
Ron had just been able to see out of the corner of his eye, though he hadn't been able to feel, that his father had been sitting next to him and had been clasping one of his hands tightly. Lucius Malfoy had stepped into view holding what had looked to be a Very Sharp knife and a small part of Ron's mind had started screaming that something was terribly wrong here and he needed to find a way to escape and why had his father brought him here? This part of his mind had been drowned out, however, by the magical calm that had been washing over him in soothing waves, as well as by the fact that he couldn't do anything anyway.
He had watched, detached, as Lucius approached with the knife and his father had lifted his hand shakily and turned it so that the tender forearm lay exposed. Lucius Malfoy had made a small cut in the soft skin just below Ron's elbow and had caught the blood that subsequently spilled out in a small, black bowl. After a few seconds he had taken the bowl away and Ron's father had applied cotton to the wound, wrapping it in gauze.
Lucius had carried the bowl over to the bed where Draco continued to writhe and emit strange noises. Ron had felt horror stirring in that small corner of his mind as he watched Lucius dip a finger into the bowl and bring it to his son's lips. Draco had instantly calmed and fallen silent and Lucius had lifted his head and brought the bowl to his lips. Ron had just caught sight of a thin trail of blood running from the corner of Draco's mouth before the view had been blocked by his own father who had hugged Ron to him, shaking.
Ron had heard the low murmur of conversation and then, when his father had moved away once more, he had seen that Draco was now sitting up on the bed, looking pale and drawn. Lucius had been standing looking down coldly at his son while Draco's eyes had stared at the floor. Suddenly, his gaze had flicked up and caught Ron's own. Ron had wanted to react to the strange look in Draco's eye but he had still been numbed from the spell and his body had just sat there, staring passively back. Draco had frowned and glanced up at his father, "What's wrong with him?"
Lucius had sneered at Ron before replying. "There wasn't time to explain anything to him so his father insisted he be sedated. He can still see and hear everything but hasn't got the will to do anything." He had curled his lip before continuing. "If you'd like to talk to him privately now, Mr. Weasley, there's a spare room just through there. I would ask that you not leave yet. There are things, still, to discuss."
Ron's father had been silent as he bent and picked up Ron once more and carried him into the other room. Before they had gotten to the door Ron had heard Draco say, "Yeah, well if you could explain some things to me, to that would be great." His tone had been very unpleasant but Ron had sensed that he knew little more about these strange events than Ron himself had.
They had passed, then, into the other room and Ron hadn't heard Lucius' reply.
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Blood Tithes
.
.
chapter 1: CONFUSION - the beginnings
.
Ron sighed and leaned back on the couch as Draco sank his teeth into the tender flesh just below Ron's collarbone and began gently licking away the blood that welled up. As the pain from the bite slowly ebbed away with the blood, Ron reflected on the strange turn his life had taken in the past couple of weeks…
.
.
.
It had started in darkness and confusion. It had been a night about half a week before Ron was set to go back to Hogwart's for his sixth year. Harry had, once again, been spending the last weeks of summer with Ron and his family. He had been asleep in the spare bed in Ron's room when Ron's father had come in and gently shaken his son awake. Ron had been deeply asleep and when he blearily opened his eyes the first thing he had noticed was the look of worry etching his father's face. Mr. Weasley had put his finger to his lips, indicating that they shouldn't wake Harry and had then motioned for Ron to get up and come downstairs.
Confused but sure that everything would be explained once they got downstairs, Ron had risen and stumbled to the door. He had paused to step into a pair of fuzzy slippers before continuing out the door and following his father down the stairs. The sight that had greeted him at the bottom of the stairs had brought him up short and wiped the last vestiges of sleep from his mind. Lucius Malfoy had been in the living room pacing back and forth and had looked up impatiently as Ron and his father entered the room. "It took you long enough," he had snarled. "Hurry up and bring him here. We don't have much time." He had gestured imperiously.
"Just give us a minute." The anger had been evident in Arthur Weasley's voice but his look had been gentle when he turned toward his son. Ron had been opening and shutting his mouth like a fish, trying to phrase a question that might give him some clue of WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON! Ron had seen that his mother was also there and had appeared to be wringing her hands. She had come and given Ron a reassuring hug as his father put his hands on his shoulders and steered him to sit down in a chair. "I'm sorry, Ron, there's not enough time to explain everything right now. We'll tell you everything soon. Right now you need to do something very important and I need you to know that every thing will be ok. Right now you have nothing to worry about." Lucius Malfoy had given a derisive snort and Ron's father had shot him a look that could have caused a strong tree to wither up and die.
Ron had been beginning to feel very uneasy and confused. He had looked worriedly from his mother to his father, and at Mr. Malfoy who was sneering evilly at him from beside the fireplace. The fact that his parents looked worried had definitely not helped.
"What's going on?" he had managed as he watched his father pull out his wand and look at him with a scarily unreadable expression.
"We're running out of time!" Lucius Malfoy snapped and Ron's father had flinched.
Arthur Weasley had brushed his hands along Ron's forehead before raising the wand regretfully. "I'm sorry, there's no time. It'll be ok. Trust me." He had then whispered a spell too quietly for Ron to catch and Ron had felt himself becoming detached. He had tried to ask his father again what was the matter, what was going on, but had found that he couldn't speak. He had tried to get up from the chair and found he also couldn't move. He would have panicked then but there had been a strange calm steeling over him and he had watched with little more than a detached curiosity as his father, surprisingly strong, had picked him up over his shoulder and walked to where Lucius Malfoy was standing.
His father had stepped into the fireplace and thrown down a handful of Floo Powder with his free hand. "Malfoy Manor," Ron had heard distinctly before sight and sound were devoured by roaring green flames.
As soon as the world cleared once again, Ron had been quickly carried out of the fireplace and in a few moments they had been followed by Lucius Malfoy who quickly strode off down a dark, side hall. Arthur Weasley had hitched his son a little higher on his shoulder and followed silently. Soon they had arrived in a darkened room and Ron's father had set Ron down, propping him in a chair. Now that he wasn't hanging upside-down he had been able to see that they were in bedroom with a large, four-poster bed set in the middle of the floor. The curtains had been drawn back and Ron had just been able to see what had appeared to be Draco Malfoy lying in a pile of twisted sheets. He had appeared to be restrained somehow and had emmitted a strange mewling sound as he writhed on the bed.
Ron had just been able to see out of the corner of his eye, though he hadn't been able to feel, that his father had been sitting next to him and had been clasping one of his hands tightly. Lucius Malfoy had stepped into view holding what had looked to be a Very Sharp knife and a small part of Ron's mind had started screaming that something was terribly wrong here and he needed to find a way to escape and why had his father brought him here? This part of his mind had been drowned out, however, by the magical calm that had been washing over him in soothing waves, as well as by the fact that he couldn't do anything anyway.
He had watched, detached, as Lucius approached with the knife and his father had lifted his hand shakily and turned it so that the tender forearm lay exposed. Lucius Malfoy had made a small cut in the soft skin just below Ron's elbow and had caught the blood that subsequently spilled out in a small, black bowl. After a few seconds he had taken the bowl away and Ron's father had applied cotton to the wound, wrapping it in gauze.
Lucius had carried the bowl over to the bed where Draco continued to writhe and emit strange noises. Ron had felt horror stirring in that small corner of his mind as he watched Lucius dip a finger into the bowl and bring it to his son's lips. Draco had instantly calmed and fallen silent and Lucius had lifted his head and brought the bowl to his lips. Ron had just caught sight of a thin trail of blood running from the corner of Draco's mouth before the view had been blocked by his own father who had hugged Ron to him, shaking.
Ron had heard the low murmur of conversation and then, when his father had moved away once more, he had seen that Draco was now sitting up on the bed, looking pale and drawn. Lucius had been standing looking down coldly at his son while Draco's eyes had stared at the floor. Suddenly, his gaze had flicked up and caught Ron's own. Ron had wanted to react to the strange look in Draco's eye but he had still been numbed from the spell and his body had just sat there, staring passively back. Draco had frowned and glanced up at his father, "What's wrong with him?"
Lucius had sneered at Ron before replying. "There wasn't time to explain anything to him so his father insisted he be sedated. He can still see and hear everything but hasn't got the will to do anything." He had curled his lip before continuing. "If you'd like to talk to him privately now, Mr. Weasley, there's a spare room just through there. I would ask that you not leave yet. There are things, still, to discuss."
Ron's father had been silent as he bent and picked up Ron once more and carried him into the other room. Before they had gotten to the door Ron had heard Draco say, "Yeah, well if you could explain some things to me, to that would be great." His tone had been very unpleasant but Ron had sensed that he knew little more about these strange events than Ron himself had.
They had passed, then, into the other room and Ron hadn't heard Lucius' reply.