A/N: The song in this chapter is "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace. I got the lyrics from LyricsTop. I originally heard the song on the radio, but could only remember two lines. Thank goodness for Yahoo! Answers, or I wouldn't have known the name of the song to get the lyrics. :D

There are a lot of mature themes in this chapter, such as suicide, cutting, violence, and attempted rape. The fic is rated M for a reason, so if you can't handle it, please don't read it. Here's chapter nine. Enjoy!

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"Ginny?! Ginny! What are you doing?!" Yes, Ginevra, what are you doing? Ginny opened her eyes to see Draco kneeling down above her, his mercury pools of eyes staring down at her. Why was Draco here? Had she killed him? Had her spell accidentally rebounded off of her and gotten him as well? Had she said it wrong and killed them both?

No. She sat up slowly, her head spinning from the sudden fall, and stared around her. She was still in Draco's room. She still had his wand clenched firmly in her hand. She could still feel Tom's presence in her mind. She was still alive.

How had she not died? How was she still alive, not even injured? I don't know, perhaps the fact that you still have yet to speak. You don't have any skill whatsoever when it comes to silent spells or wandless magic. Thank goodness.

Ginny's eyes met Draco and shame washed over her. He was looking at her with a mixture of fury and pity and fear. "Ginny, what were you doing with my wand?" She realized it was still in her hand and dropped it to the floor where it rolled away. He grabbed it up quickly, putting it inside his robes, and grabbed her shoulders, making her look into his eyes. "Tell me!" His face was grim.

Her lips trembled. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. She saw those tears reflected in his eyes.

"Ginny, were you…were you trying to kill yourself?" His voice wavered on the word 'kill'. She nodded, her shoulders shaking under his hands with silent sobs. Ginny collapsed into Draco's arms, crying, and he held her close. "No more, do you understand me?" It was not a question, but a command. "No more. I don't know all of what you went through Ginny, but I know it was horrible, and I'll do whatever I can to make it right. But…you cannot kill yourself. You cannot take the easy way out." He pushed her away. "Look at me." She did. "Please, you have to understand, I know how you feel, I do, but committing suicide, or even just hurting yourself, it isn't the right way to deal with this."

He pulled back his sleeve, thrusting his arm in her face, and she gasped. Deep, ugly, bloody red scars crisscrossed across his wrists, blending in with old, white, disfigured scars. The new scars were only on one wrist though, over the Dark Mark, as if he had tried to cut it out, to disfigure it beyond recognition.

"I keep them hidden with a spell most of the time, but I forgot to do it again when I got out of the shower. The old scars are from before I got the Mark. I started them after that event I told you about. The newer ones…I did them recently to my new Mark. I didn't want it Ginny, I didn't want to be a Death Eater. My birthday, that's when I got, the Mark. The day I met you. Ironic, isn't it, that the best thing that could ever happen to me, also happened on the day when the worst thing that could ever happen did."

She looked up at him in confusion. He took her face in his hands, staring into her eyes. "You, Ginny. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, meeting you. And isn't it ironic, that I met you on my birthday, the day they gave me the Mark?" He laughed bitterly, then sighed, his eyes sad. Draco brushed her tears away with his thumbs. "Ginny, please, promise me you won't do this again. Promise me you won't kill yourself. Because, Ginny, you have friends now. I'm your friend. Blaise and Alex are your friends. And we care about you. We love you…I…I love you." He bit his bottom lip and looked away from her, his cheeks tinting pink.

He began to sing, his voice quiet as he held her close, running his hands through her hair. Ginny pressed her head against his chest, feeling the way it vibrated as he sang, his warm breath on her hair, his strong arms around her. She wasn't sure what he meant, by telling her he loved her, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it either, so she closed her eyes and listened to him sing and stopped thinking about it. For once, Tom was quiet, letting her feel a moment of content, perhaps even happiness, in a bittersweet, sad sort of way, as she listened to the dismal but beautiful song that Draco sang.

This world will never be

What I expected

And if I don't belong

Who would have guessed it

I will not leave alone

Everything that I own

To make you feel like it's not too late

It's never too late

Even if I say

It'll be alright

Still I hear you say

You want to end your life

Now and again we try

To just stay alive

Maybe we'll turn it around

'Cause it's not too late

It's never too late

No one will ever see

This side reflected

And if there's something wrong

Who would have guessed it

And I have left alone

Everything that I own

To make you feel like

It's not too late

It's never too late

Even if I say

It'll be alright

Still I hear you say

You want to end your life

Now and again we try

To just stay alive

Maybe we'll turn it around

'Cause it's not too late

It's never too late

The world we knew

Won't come back

The time we've lost

Can't get back

The life we had

Won't bleed us again

This world will never be

What I expected

And if I don't belong

Even if I say

It'll be alright

Still I hear you say

You want to end your life

Now and again we try

To just stay alive

Maybe we'll turn it around

'Cause it's not too late

It's never too late

Maybe we'll turn it around

'Cause it's not too late

It's never too late (It's never too late)

It's not too late

It's never too late

"I promise," she whispered.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Draco had watched her like a hawk ever since then. She had heard him mentioning to Blaise about having her sleep in his room and not letting her out to do chores, but Blaise and Alex had insisted that was going overboard. Again Alex had lectured, to Draco's annoyance, that Ginny was not a child, and Draco could not watch her twenty-four seven, despite whether or not she had attempted suicide. However, Ginny had noticed that whenever she was not around Draco, either Blaise or Alex was near her, keeping an eye on her.

Thankfully, they did not hinder her from doing her work. Ginny found cleaning the Manor soothing, as it gave her something to do, instead of leaving her alone with her thoughts, or Tom. Tom had gotten stronger and more prominent as the weeks went by since Ginny's attempted suicide. He was pissed at her for attempting to kill them both, but he didn't bitch. He had taken to talking daily, his voice so strong it was like he was standing right next to her. Her dreams were filled with him, and he had even occasionally been able to make himself stand before her, though he faded in and out of view, less prominent than a ghost or vision. He was currently bothering her yet again as she mopped the marble floors, discussing why he was so much better than Muggles or mudbloods, as if he were trying to convince her. It was an old subject, one that used to make her laugh at how vain and arrogant and wrong he was, but she hasn't laughed in a long time, and she wasn't planning on doing it now.

Ginny heard footsteps coming up the stairs down the hall, but she ignored them, figuring it to be Alex or Draco or Blaise, or perhaps just one of the other slaves telling her it was time for supper. She was getting a bit hungry, now that her appetite had mostly returned to her, with time, and she had begun to do steady, physical work from sunup to sundown, just like the other slaves.

Ginny stopped before one of the large, beautiful windows looking out over the grounds. She didn't get to go out there often, mostly because up until recently she had been too frail and weak to walk all the way to the gardens, much less all of the Malfoy Estate's huge lawn, but now that she was strong enough and the leaves were beginning to turn, marking the end of summer, she wanted desperately to go out in the warm sunshine and play in the falling leaves. She looked around her, not seeing anyone, and opened the door to the small balcony, closing her eyes and reveling in the smell of the moist air, the feel of the wind running through her hair, the warmth of the sun on her skin.

That is until she heard a deep, arrogant, aristocratic behind her as a strong hand clamped down on her shoulder.

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Lucius Malfoy walked up the stairs towards the wing where his study and library were, lost in his thoughts. Months had passed since he had presented his son with Ginny Weasley, and still he had gotten no where. Albeit, he had been too busy lately, what with furthering the power of Voldemort's new regime. Voldemort and his Death Eaters did not just control the Ministry, they were the Ministry. Voldemort, over the past year and a half, had stretched his dark, disfigured hand over all of Britain's Magical world, ruling it all with the power of the head of the Ministry, and Lucius had worked his arse off to help him do so smoothly.

First it had been a matter of getting rid of Dumbledore two years ago. The useless man was the head of the once secret Order of the Phoenix, and a thorn in Voldemort's side. Lucius, wanting to win the Dark Lord's favor and get his shameful son away from the manor where he could further embarrass Lucius, had offered his son to kill Dumbledore. Voldemort felt Draco was too weak, especially after the meeting where Draco had failed to rape the kidnapped Muggles and mudbloods. Although Lucius agreed with the Dark Lord, this was the only way he felt he could atone for his weak, pathetic son. The Dark Lord had accepted, assigning Draco to the task of murdering Albus Dumbledore.

As expected, the damn boy had failed, embarrassing and shaming Lucius. Draco had gotten a heavy beating daily after that, especially when Lucius was demoted and assigned to the prisoners of war, of which, at the time, there had been few. Until Dumbledore was finally killed by Snape, and the war truly began. Prisoners began to flood the dungeons under Malfoy Manor, flooding it until they were piled up. Then, just a few months after Dumbledore's death, Harry Potter was killed by a Death Eater.

The Death Eater's rejoiced and attacked the Ministry, bringing it down with their huge army. They took Azkaban, turning it into a dungeon for prisoners of war. Quickly, Voldemort's army ruled over all of Wizarding England, raiding houses of mudbloods, blood traitors, and known Aurors.

One of those homes had been the rickety, pathetic house that belonged to the Weasley family, famous for fighting for the Order of the Phoenix daily on the battlefield. They were spied on constantly until a pattern was detected. The father and brothers went out to fight every day, leaving the mother and daughter at home to tend to the house. The women were useless except for a good fuck, so the Death Eater spies waited until all of the family was home for the daughter's birthday. That was when they attacked, killing the men, raping the mother, and kidnapping Ginny Weasley as a prisoner of war.

At first, Lucius had planned on torturing the Weasley girl until she spilled all she knew about the remaining Order members, then he would fuck her and throw her to the dogs, leaving his Death Eaters to have their way with her until she died. She was a useless teenage girl, after all. However, something strange had occurred. No matter how much he tortured her, Ginny Weasley never uttered a word. He took his problem to the Dark Lord, who told him about Old Magic, which had most likely been used on Ginny Weasley.

In Old Magic, there were no spells or incantations. The magic came from within, and a person's will was what casted spells, not his wand. This magic was rarely used because it was extremely dangerous, and only a few wizards, such as Dumbledore, knew how to use it. Voldemort suspected whatever Old Magic was cursed on Ginny Weasley, it was to keep her mouth shut, to protect a dire secret. A secret the Dark Lord believed may be very important to winning the war.

And so, Ginny Weasley, before Lucius could even get a chance to fuck her, was put under the watchful eye of Voldemort, who deemed her untouchable by Lucius or any of the other Death Eaters, until her secret was discovered. She could be beaten, broken, but Voldemort did not want her raped or killed.

At first, Lucius was confused by this order. Had the Dark Lord had a sudden bout of compassion for this teenage girl? Did the Dark Lord want her for himself? No, he quickly learned when Lord Voldemort elaborated. Old Magic was often based off of ancient customs, many of which involved purity, virginity, and blood pacts. The Dark Lord did not want her virginity taken, for fear it would disturb the ancient Magic that surrounded her, causing her to be silent forever, and whatever dire secret she knew locked away until the end of time. The Dark Lord believed she was only temporarily silenced, and that when they found a way to undo the Old Magic, he could discover the secret that would bring him power.

Lucius did not understand why someone would entrust a teenage girl with such an ancient, powerful secret, or why Voldemort had taken a sudden interest in her and Old Magic, but he did as he was commanded, passing on his message to his men, telling them Weasley was not to lose her virginity, or it would be their deaths. The Death Eater's obliged, especially as Ginny Weasley began to dwindle down to nothing, and soon Lucius forgot about her, locked up in Azkaban.

Until his son's birthday, that was, when two of his men reported that they were tired of watching Ginny Weasley rot in a cell, that they wanted her dead and out of their hair. They didn't even feel an urge to rape her and take her virginity. Beating her had become a chore rather than fun. Ginny Weasley, a year after being taken prisoner of war, had reentered Lucius's life.

And like a sign, there she was, as he reached the top of the steps. Lucius stared at Ginny Weasley, his eyes scrutinizing, as she opened a door to a balcony, stepping out into the warm sunshine. He stepped closer, keeping his footsteps quiet and muffled, dodging around the spots on the floor where she had mopped, so he did not slip. He watched her as she leaned on the railing of the balcony, his groin throbbing in lust.

He hadn't seen her since that night when he had presented her as a gift to his son. Lucius knew Draco would not rape Ginny Weasley, even if he made the suggestion, because his son was much too weak for such a thing. He also felt this new tactic, to give her to his son in the hopes that they would make friends and she would grow stronger, become more alive and vibrant, begin to feel comfortable with Draco, would cause some sort of reversal of the spell. In the least, he hoped that Draco, curious over her silence, would find a way to make her speak again where he and his Death Eaters had not been creative enough to do so. But over the past few months, Lucius, again rising in the Dark Lord's ranks, had been too preoccupied to think on the Weasley girl and wonder his son's progress. He also had not seen how she had changed.

For change she had. She had filled out considerably since his son's birthday. Her breasts were much plumper and more developed now, her hair had returned to its thick, shiny luster, her body had become curvy and alluring.

Lucius stared as the short skirt of her maid's outfit rose up, revealing long, shapely legs and a perfect ass, garbed in white cotton panties. How innocent. Her dress pulled tight around her breasts, drawing Lucius's eyes, and her smiling face, hit by the bright sunlight, was that of an angel. The wind whipped her hair back from her face, making him lick his lips as an old lust for young girls filled him. He felt his hands itching to grab her, as, in his imagination, he threw her to the floor and stripped her clothes off, invading her mouth with his tongue.

But he knew he could not do that, and he almost groaned in disappointment. She had to remain a virgin, the Dark Lord's orders, and he could not disobey.

But who was to say he could not have a little bit of fun with her? Sure, he couldn't take her virginity, by could he not at least give her a little scare? His body ached to feel her under him, and as long as he didn't rape her, he could do whatever he wanted to the littlest and only Weasley.

Lucius smiled cruelly, grabbing Ginny Weasley's shoulder. He heard her sharp gasp of breath, and wanted to hear it again, to hear her scream. But he had to be patient. All in good time. "Look what we have here. A slave not doing her work." He turned her to him, and she stared in horror. He could feel his pants pull tight as he moved closer to her, backing her up until she hit the rail of the balcony. He pressed himself against her, his throbbing penis between her legs, the sudden fear in her eyes feeding his lust. "Do you know what happens to little slave girls when they don't do their work?" She shook her head, whimpering as he grabbed her face. "They get punished."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Ginny felt tears spring to her eyes as she stared up at Lucius Malfoy. She knew the look in his eyes, knew it to be the horrid lust that filled evil men before they tortured and raped girls like her. No, please no. She did not want that, anything but that.

She could feel Tom snarl inside her, clearly angry that she was being hurt, that somebody was touching his Ginevra, but he could do nothing to help her now, nobody could. She wanted to push him away, but knew that if she pushed at Malfoy's chest she would only push herself over the balcony. She was trapped like an animal, and it frightened her to death.

Lucius Malfoy grabbed her hip in one hand, pulling her so tight against him she couldn't breathe, and grabbed her face in the other, smashing his lips against hers. She felt her lips bruising as his tongue invaded her mouth, making her gag. Tom's snarling grew louder, as did her whimpers, but she kept her eyes darting around, trying to find an escape. Ginevra, his groin. Knee him in the groin, closer to his leg, not exactly in the center, that way you'll get his…err…so you really hurt him. She nodded, hearing Lucius groan, and wiggled her knee between his legs, driving it up as hard as she could.

A scream of pain filled Ginny's ears, making them hurt, as Lucius Malfoy crumbled to the ground. Good girl! Good shot! But Lucius was glaring daggers at her. "You bitch!" he spat, his face screwed up in pain. Run Ginevra, run!

She tried to, but she tripped, the world tipping as she fell down, the ground rising up to meet her. Ginny grabbed her head, but the impact of the hard marble floor still jolted her body. She looked back to see Malfoy's hand clamped around her ankle, twisting it. Kick him in the face with your heel, Ginevra!

She did so, kicking and flailing, her heel landing in Lucius's eye. Another scream of pain, this one so loud it made her ears ring with the sound, as his hands went to his face, and she saw blood spill out onto the clean, white marble, staining it. Ginny crawled away from him, her ankle aching, and pulled the heels off, throwing them at Lucius Malfoy as he tried to stand.

She made her way wobbly to her feet and ran towards the stairs, limping on her twisted ankle. Ginny had to make it to Draco's room, but that was on the other side of the Manor. The slaves' quarters, perhaps? Yes, that was closer, though down a lot of flights of stairs, by the kitchens. She made her way down the stairs, trying to ignore her ankle throbbing in pain, trying to run as quickly as she could. She reached the bottom of the stairs, wheeling around in circles. Which way was it? In the confusion she could not remember. Left, Ginevra, to the left.

She followed Tom's orders, trusting him to memorize the floor plan of the Manor in his spare time. Ginny did not hear Malfoy following her, but she did not believe he was done chasing her yet. The hallways blurred, green and silver tapestries and black furniture and white marble, as her eyes teared from the pain, and she could only follow Tom's directions through the maze of halls. Finally, she was almost there, the heavy, worn wooden door of the slaves' quarters just before her. She ran towards it with all her might.

A door opened to a set of stairs before her and Lucius stepped out, glaring, his eye a bloody, gory mess. His chest heaved as he stepped between her and the slaves' quarters, making her skid to a stop. Ginny's socks slipped on the floor, and she crashed into him, the world again blurring as they both fell to the floor, limbs flailing. Suddenly, he was on top of her, his body pinning her down. "Fucking bitch! Look what you did to my eye! Look! You're going to pay for this, damn it, you're going to pay, and it will hurt." He laughed, his hands ripping at the buttons of her shirt. It flew open, exposing her chest, and his bloody, dirty, cruel hands groped at her breasts. "You like that, don't you, you stupid little bitch. Feels good, doesn't it?" His other hand went under her skirt, grabbing at her legs, pulling them apart.

And then his weight was lifted as he flew backwards, yelling. Ginny looked up to see Alex standing over her, face determined and angry, a bloody fist clenched before her. "C'mon, Ginny." She helped Ginny up, holding her close as she cried. "Shhh, it's okay, I'm here now, that bastard won't hurt you again."

But he was up, he wouldn't stop, his wand was out, aimed at them. Alex moved between her and Malfoy, protecting her. She heard the Cruciatus curse leave his lips, hitting Alex. Alex screamed in pain, but still told her to run, so she did. "Not so fast, you whore!" She ran to the stairs, but Lucius was there, grabbing at her arm, his wand pressed to her cheek as she flailed to get away. He grinned and let her go, throwing her down the stairs. Pain erupted all over her body as she tumbled down, unable to stop herself, clutching her head, the stairs bruising and cutting her. Just relax, Ginevra, if you relax you won't get beat up as bad. She tried to, stopped resisting, until she landed at the bottom, her head smacking against the marble.

Blood mixed with her hair, spilling out of her, and she grabbed at her head, tried to catch it, as her life and strength drained out of her. The last thing she saw before she passed out was Alex fighting with Lucius, her eyes flaming, her body moving and attacking like a warrior, hatred in her eyes. Ginny smiled as her eyes rolled up into her head. Alex, her hero.