Hermione started to stir, but a searing pain in her bottom woke her up suddenly. She wasn't alone. She shifted her weight onto her right side and tried to cover herself with her skirt while crawling away from the person at her side. Draco was kneeling on the floor with a wet cloth stained with blood.

"What do you think you are doing?" screamed Hermione, not fully remembering what had happened.

Draco was taken aback a little. For the first time to Hermione, this rich brat seemed shy and defensive.

"I was just…" he started to say in his defense, but he abruptly stopped. His demeanor changed, he raised his head and tossed the cloth to Hermione. "Here. It has a dittany ointment in it. It will help it heal faster and reduce scarring. Believe me, I know."

"What do you care, Malfoy." Hermione spat out.

"I don't!" He answered immediately and in a snide tone he said "I just like to keep my toys in good shape."

"Draco, if you truly think I will be your 'toy', you are sadly mistaken. I will fight you and your family every step of the way."

The young man looked down and smiled "For being the smartest witch in our class, you are being very stupid." Hermione was determined to hold her ground and kept eye contact with the young Malfoy.

Draco shook his head and continued "Do as you wish Granger, but as you noticed, my father is very sadistic and he isn't above calling in other Death Eaters to rape a mudblood as a punishment."

This visibly shocked Hermione. She knew that Lucius was preparing to take her by force, but she never really realized where that could go.

"They will need to use a body binding curse for me to go along with it."

Draco started laughing. "If my father would have wanted to just punish you he could have just used the Cruciatus curse. He likes to get his hands dirty. What's the fun in petrifying you when he'd derive so much pleasure in physically overpowering you and feeling you writhe underneath him. He WANTS you to fight him 'every step of the way,' so he can beat you down until you lose the will to live."

"And when I do?"

"He'll be happy to put you out of your misery."

Hermione opened her mouth to make her rebuttal, but her eyes started swelling up with tears. She couldn't speak, as she felt she lost the ability to breathe. What had happened? Why did she have to land in the Malfoy household?

"Hermione," Draco said, realizing she had become overly emotional. "I need an answer for my father. Will you obey our every command?"

Hermione pulled herself together, looked Draco in the eyes and uttered "No. I'd rather die."

Draco laughed a nervous laugh "Granger, you either must be the dumbest mudblood there is or you have an uncontrollable death wish."

"What is it Draco, afraid you'll miss me?" she said with a fierce fire burning in her eyes.

"I hate losing my toys." He said trying in vane to keep the upper hand.

"Draco," Hermione smiled, "if you really only consider me a toy, you aren't man enough to know what to do with me… maybe your father is right to teach you."

Draco was furious, and with a crack he apparated out of the dungeon.

Finally Hermione was alone. Her bottom was raw. She couldn't sit but she didn't have the energy to stand either. She stayed on her side, laying frightened. Lucius was soon going to apparate into the dungeon to use her to pleasure himself. As she looked about the room for something to defend herself, her eyes swelled with tears and she began to cry. Her cries soon became loud sobs as Hermione let go of all her emotions.

"Why?" She cried "Why am I here? Why is this happening to me?" She pounded her hands on the ground, and then dug her nails scratching at the stone floor. "This isn't fair, it just isn't!"

"Don't cry" a little voice said from the wall with the chains.

"Who's there?" Hermione yelled startled. There was a moment of silence "I said who's there? Answer me!" again no one spoke. She started crying again "whoever you are, know that I will not stand still, and will fight you until I die!"

From the wall, a grey transparent figure came gliding through. It was the ghost of a young girl. She looked to be around 11 years of age, but her face was grave and aged. Her hair was long and it flowed down to her elbows. Hermione's strength was leaving her again.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked the ghostly girl.

"Nikki." Hermione looked at her puzzled as she noticed she was wearing muggle clothing. "It's short for Nicoletta."

"You still haven't answered my question." Hermione took a long deep breath and tried to stand up but as she did, she felt weak and fainted back down to the floor.

"Oh dear…" said the ghost. Nikki then rose from the spot she was floating on and disappeared into the ceiling. She was very careful to remain within the confines of the walls as she rose to the upper levels. She traveled quietly between ceiling and floor until she arrived at the wall she was looking for and stuck her head through it. She quickly retreated back into the wall with a squeal as a silver ball came levitating into her head.

"Nikki!" Draco reprimanded her. "How many times will I have to tell you before you learn? Announce yourself before you come gliding in. Mother could have been in my room, or worse yet, Father."

Nikki's face popped back into the room, "Or Pansy" she said with a mischievous smile.

Draco's eyes widened as his cheeks turned bright red. He looked both embarrassed and angry but he quickly composed himself and continued levitating his ball. "If there is anything you need Nikki, make it quick, I am not in the mood to play childish games."

"And you say that while playing a sedentary version of Aingingein?" Draco was sitting in a chair by his desk with his wand in his hand. He'd been levitating a silver ball through a series of moving flaming hoops that appeared out of thin air. This was a game meant to be played on broomsticks, but Draco enjoyed playing it when he was frustrated and needed an outlet. Directly in front of him was his bed. It was an elegant and very large four poster bed with deep purple curtains adorning the top of it. The bed was covered in hunter green satin sheets that peaked out of the purple silk cover. It was a bed fit for a prince. A Persian rug covered the beautiful inlayed wood floor what seemed never to have been walked upon. There was a bookcase with a few school books, and an open doorway led to Draco's bathroom. Nikki moved her translucent body through the wall into Draco's room.

"It's the girl in the dungeon." She said a little distressed.

"What about her?" Draco sighed.

"She's fainted again."

"And what pray tell, would you like me to do about it?" He asked her indignantly.

"Draco, she's hungry and dehydrated. How long has it been since she's eaten? She needs some sustenance or she may die."

"She wants to die."

"Draco, I know you. You don't want her to die." Nikki could see that he was wavering in her favor. "Draco, She needs you."

"She doesn't need me." He interrupted abruptly. "She's never needed me." He almost seemed bitter as he said it.

Nikki smiled and "I have never seen you this affected by a girl before, Draco."

Draco seemed almost offended at her comment, how dare she speak to him that manner "I am not at all affected by her," he stated calmly, "now go away and leave me alone."

"Drac-"

"I said, LEAVE!" he yelled as he hurled the levitating ball straight at her. Nikki didn't' flinch, she just shook her head as the ball was levitating inside it. She turned on her heels and went back into the wall.

Draco charged the wall she disappeared behind and punched it so hard his hand hurt. He turned and fell onto his bed, laying down and looking at the ceiling. His ceiling was painted full of Doxies, Fairies and Pixies frolicking in marshland. He laid there, staring at the creatures attacking each other and flying around. He thought of Hermione, her body laying unconscious on that cold dungeon floor. He got angry with himself. He could not to get her face off of his mind. He sat up in his bed and let out a groan of frustration. He slowly ran his fingers through his hair and tugged at the roots. He looked up with his eyes closed and almost against his wil,l he yelled "Boffy!"

Suddenly there was a crack and the house elf appeared before him. "I want a plate with a little of everything that was on the dinner table, a glass of water and a glass of pumpkin juice. Also a plate of the desert I didn't even get to see." Draco stood up and walked to his desk, he pulled out some paper from the desk and realized Boffy was behind him staring intently at his every move. Draco turned suddenly and reprimanded the elf. "Am I speaking Parseltongue? What are you waiting for?" The house elf seemed stunned and then quietly said "Beggin' the young master's pardon, Sir, but why woulds the young master need more food?"

Draco's eyes became large and stern. "I do not need defend myself to my family's house elf." He then spoke to himself, but loud enough that Boffy could hear. "Some mudblood filth ruined my dinner and I need to make excuses to the sodding elf."

"Boffy is sorry, Boffy will go to the kitchen and slam his nose in the cupboard as punishment," The elf responded.

"Do you really think that would be enough punishment for a house elf who questioned his master?" said Draco.

Boffy stepped back and thought out loud, "Boffy will slam Boffy's head on the table while stabbing Boffy's hands with forks."

"Fine. Now bring me my dinner first and I will call you tomorrow to come and pick up the plates."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, sir." And with a snap of his fingers, Boffy made a tray appear on Draco's bed. It contained a plate containing a serving on the pasta, a serving of the pork roast and a bread roll. Next to it a small plate with a slice of chocolate and caramel cake. Finally there were two glasses; one containing water and the other one containing pumpkin juice. "You may leave now, Boffy and don't bother me until I call" and with a pop the house elf disappeared. Draco pointed his wand at the bed, and said "Accio Tray." The tray came flying towards him, and as he caught it, he apparated out of his room and into the dungeon.

There she was, laying unconscious on her side. He rested the tray on the ground beside her and knelt by her side. He cautiously raised his hand and lowered it to her face. He slowly moved back a strand of hair that was covering her eyes. He slowly and delicately caressed her face and he ran his fingers over her hair. As much as he was trying to fight it, the corner of his mouth raised and he sort of smiled. He ran his finger over her lips and wished his lips were doing it instead. He remembered this young woman when she was just a girl, not yet comfortable in her own skin. She was so very beautiful.

"I knew you would come down to help her"

Draco didn't even bother turning to see Nikki floating in.

"I don't want her to know I brought her food."

"What will you tell your Father?"

"I'll lie, what else. I am going to bring her to, and then apparate back to my room. Can you make sure she gets some sleep? She's going to need to be rested."

"Of course" Nikki said with a smile.

Draco brought the fresh pumpkin juice up to Hermione's mouth and forced a little in it. As Hermione started coughing, Draco quickly placed the glass back on the tray, glanced at Nikki then brought his right index finger over his lips and apparated out of the dungeon.

She opened her eyes and looked around for what woke her. She suddenly saw the tray and before Hermione thought out how it appeared beside her, who could have brought it or where it came from, her fingers were in the food lifting it and bringing it to her mouth. Her hands and mouth were covered in the creamy pasta sauce, she so fervently had desired at the family's dinner table.

"Hungry, weren't you?" Nikki said as she entered from her wall. "I could tell you were starving." Hermione watched her come towards her, and her eyes squinted a little as she did every time she was thinking hard about something. She wanted to ask questions, but she was just too hungry, and she wanted to eat as much as she could, before someone would show up to remove the tray.

"As I was saying, my name is Nicoletta, but I go by Nikki," the ghost said. Hermione waved, but continued eating without a word.

"Please try to stay clean, if someone finds out you were given food, and not just a little bread and water…" Nikki stopped herself, thought a moment and then continued "well, they won't be happy."

Hermione pretended not to notice what she was saying, she was finally becoming satiated with the food. Her breathing became more regular and she finally felt as if she could rest without the feeling of death taking her over. She sat back, really took in the room and sighed.

"So," Hermione looked at Nikki "How long do you think I have until someone comes down and kills me?"

Nikki looked down, "Wouldn't know… Let's talk about something else."

"Do you know where my friends are? Harry Potter? Ginny or Ronald Weasley?" Nikki shook her head 'no'. "Neville? Luna? Anyone?" Again, Nikki shook her head.

"I'm sorry, the only people I see are those who come to the dungeon and Draco." Hermione looked as if she were going to start crying again so Nikki tried changing the subject on her own. "You know my name, but I've only heard you called 'Granger.' Is that your name?"

"Well, It's my surname, my first name is Hermione. Hermione Granger."

"Pleased to meet you Hermione Granger, I'm Nicoletta Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked incredulously. "You're a Malfoy?" She thought that such a sweet ghost was probably some other muggle-born witch Lucius had tortured and killed. It never crossed her mind that the ghost would be a relative of Draco's.

"Was a Malfoy, I'm a ghost now."

"Are you Draco's…" she looked at Nikki who resembled nothing of the Malfoys.

"Cousin." Nikki said proudly. Hermione was quick thinking, so she realized that for the girl to be a Malfoy, her father would have had to have the same name and therefore be Lucius' brother.

"Nikki, are you Darius' daughter?" Hermione asked reluctantly.

"Yes, I am. He was the greatest wizard ever… well, before Bellatrix had something to do with it."

As Hermione remembered the painting in the dining room, she was quite surprised by Nikki's statement. "I don't understand. What do you mean?" She asked coyly.

"It's a long story" said Nikki smiling.

"Well, I believe I have all night."

"Well," Nikki floated over to Hermione and wrapped her legs in a sitting position a few inched above the ground beside her. "When father was still in school at Hogwarts he met my mother and they sort of fell in love, or lust, depending on who you ask. Either way I was the product of their union. Mother decided to raise me alone, so soon after she realized she was pregnant with me, she broke it off with father and didn't tell him where she was going. Mother went to a muggle village outside of Hogsmead and married an older man who was a butcher by trade. He provided a good life for my mother and myself, until… well… until he found out I was a witch."

"Didn't he know your mother was one?"

"Oh no, she wasn't a witch… mother was muggle, she had no powers."

Hermione was visibly shocked… a muggle? The Malfoys? Who hated muggles and muggleborn alike? They had a muggle 'disgrace' in their family? "So you're a half blood?" She asked the ghost cautiously.

"Yes. Back to my story, the old butcher told my mother he couldn't have a witch living in his house and told her she needed to make a decision: him or me. Mother was happy where she was, she was taken care of and I was not part of her world, so I don't blame her for trying to be rid of me. She brought me to father and introduced me. Although father was excited to meet me and ready to take me in, he was frightened as well. He hid me in his room and took on my education himself. I learned many things from him in the year I spent with him, you know… before I died. It was my very death and the un-removable portrait of mother that drove him mad and made him into what he is now."

"Wait… the un-removable portrait of your mother? You mean the woman in the painting in the dining room?"

"Yes. When Bellatrix found out father was still pining over her portrait, the portrait of a muggle, she permanently charmed it so it would remain, un-movable, on the dining room wall for his father to see. He tried prying it off by magic, he even tried to pry it off with a muggle crow bar. He tried covering it, but the cover kept flying off and finally, he even tried to burn it down. Even Bellatrix can't take it down, that is, until father dies."

"What does Lestrange have to do with Darius?"

"Bellatrix Black and father were promised to each other ever since their third year at Hogwarts. The families couldn't have been happier." Nikki stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag herself. "When Bellatrix found out she wasn't the only woman in father's life, she decided to track down and kill my mother, then torture my father by permanently installing her portrait in the family dining room. She then finished the job by enlisting the help of Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan Lestrange to bring my father and myself down to this very dungeon. All three of them cast the Imperius curse onto him and made him in turn cast the Cruciatus curse on me. They made him watch me beg him to stop the pain and after what seemed like an eternity, Bellatrix got bored and had him perform the final unforgivable curse on me and watched me die. That's when he turned and became crazy."

"How awful! To be killed by your own father."

Nikki continued her story as if she hadn't been interrupted "The Black family was very upset with the Malfoys. They allowed a muggle to come between this most perfect union. That's why Lucius asked Narcissa to be his bride. To mend the feud between the two pure blood families. Bellatrix then married Rodolphus whom she had been shagging anyway and no one cared that father was driven mad. They just sent him to a wizard hospital in Switzerland and left him there and I will never see him again. So I now hide within the walls and only Draco knows of my existence. For the longest time he thought I was an imaginary friend. No one else knows I am still living within these walls."

Hermione wanted to wrap her arms around the ghost of the girl and hold her until while she cried, but all she could do was ask, "Nikki, why don't you haunt them, you know, to scare them. Why are you in hiding?"

"An 11 year old ghost couldn't scare them. They would just have me exorcized. Do you know what happened to a ghost who gets exorcized?"

"No." Hermione said curiously. She'd read about exorcisms, they didn't sound pleasant but she really didn't know the details.

"There is a plane of existence that overlaps both the world of the living and the abyss of death. When I died, that's were I chose to be and this decision cannot be reversed. I currently exist in the overlap of the world of the living. I am dead so I can't feel anything and nothing can harm me. If they successfully exorcized me, I wouldn't leave this plane. I'd simply become a living being existing in the overlap of the abyss of death. So instead of being dead were everyone else is alive, I would be alive were everyone else is dead. I am told the feeling is similar to being released in space without a space suit and your eyes, brains and internal organs get sucked inside out."

"You mean like a really bad Cruciatus curse?"

"No, you can survive a Cruciatus curse. You wouldn't survive a minute of this, but because already dead, the pain will last an eternity."

"I see" said Hermione and then said reassuringly "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"I had no doubt," Nikki said. "I've heard all about your moral fiber."

"Really? From who?" Asked Hermione.

Nikki quickly changed the subject. "I see you enjoyed your dinner. I miss my sense of taste you know."

"It was very good, please let me know which house elf sent it down. I'd like to thank them." Hermione replied.

"It was no house elf. You are not to be fed until you totally submit to being a slave."

"Then who brought this to me?"

"He made me promise not to tell."

Hermione wasn't the smartest witch in her class for nothing. It wasn't hard to figure out who wouldn't have made her promise if only one person other than Hermione knew of her existence. "Well," she said smiling "You can tell Draco I was very thankful to whoever brought this tray to me." Nikki looked puzzled, but nodded.

"Now please try getting some sleep before Lucius returns, you'll need all your strength tomorrow," the ghost ordered and, as Hermione started to contest, Nikki continued "I'll keep watch through the wall of the entry hall and if 'dear uncle Lucius' returns while you're sleeping, be sure I'll immediately wake you." Hermione smiled, thanked the ghost and closed her eyes as Nikki glided back into the wall and disappeared.