Chapter 12

"So did you have fun?" Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother's question.

"What are you smoking?"

"Apparently not enough."

"Yes I had fun! He's ... oh my god he's perfect!" Charlie smiled as his sister sighed dreamily. They were taking yet another walk in the country before dinner; Charlie wanted to hear about Ginny's afternoon and Ginny, of course, was more than willing to tell him about it.

"What'd he get you?" Ginny laughed, thinking about it; to someone else the gift would probably seem random and a little out of place, but to her it was perfect. Something told her that Draco knew she wouldn't see it as out of place.

"A snitch ... the first one he ever caught. He had it engraved." Ginny took out the small box from her pocket and handed it proudly to Charlie. He raised an eyebrow and, taking it from her, opened it. He broke into a grin as he read the inscription.

"He's really good to you, huh?"

"Better than you can imagine ... I want to tell them, Charlie!" Ginny whined as she tugged on his coat sleeve like a five year old. Charlie chuckled and shook his head.

"I know you want attention, but they'd flip out! Give me some time to work on them ... we'll figure something out, Gin."

"Firstly I don't want attention, but I would appreciate them actually noticing that I exist, once in a while! Secondly, promise?" Charlie wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulders as they continued to walk.

"Yes, I promise little one. Where did you get that Cloak anywho?"

"An old friend happened to come across it and she asked if I'd like to have it." Ginny smiled mysteriously.

Malfoy Manor

"Draco, I'm elated with your relationship ... but this moping thing is starting to get on my nerves, darling."

"I'm not moping!" Draco sighed heavily and sat down on the couch of his mother's study. It was one of the only places in the entire house where Lucius wouldn't go, ergo it was safe to talk about Ginny there.

"Oh please, I know your moods. And this is definitely moping! You never did tell me what she got you." Narcissa smiled at Draco from across her desk as she sipped her tea.

"An Invisibility Cloak! It's embroidered and everything!" Draco smiled proudly and Narcissa looked as though her son had just told her he was going to parade around muggle New York on a broom in a hot pink Speedo. She quickly regained her composure and smiled as she continued to sip her tea.

"Then why all this moping? You've got a beautiful girlfriend who just gave you an amazing Christmas present. And you'll be seeing, and probably snogging, her again in two weeks." Draco chuckled and smiled sheepishly at the floor; his mother read him like a book.

"Again, mother, I'm not moping. And ... that's the problem! Two weeks! I can barely owl her without Lucius or someone in her family finding out." Narcissa nodded sympathetically.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. Her brother seemed awfully nice."

"Yeah, Charlie's a peach, too bad the rest of her family are bloody –"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Draco Lucius Malfoy! I'll not have you insulting the Weasleys like Lucius." Draco cringed as he realized what he had been about to do.

"But Mum! You don't understand! They don't pay any attention to her ... and the only time they ever notice her is to be way too protective! Ginny's like ... I don't even know ... but she isn't even angry for it! She just goes on as if nothing were the matter!" Narcissa smiled at her son and walked over to him, sitting down on the couch beside him.

"I know its hard, but there's nothing you can do about it right now." Narcissa looked up as she heard the slam of a door; Lucius was home and he didn't sound very happy. "I suppose we'll have to go out and meet him, did you take that potion I told you to?"

"Yes Mum." Draco sighed and stood up; the potion was supposed to help him withstand the oncoming fight a little better. "You stay up here, please? Come down and get me once he's gone to bed, but until then stay out of sight." Narcissa sighed, but decided it best not to argue with her son.

"Alright, keep your mouth in check, Draco. He'll let you go faster if you don't smart off to him."

"Yes Mum." Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes and quickly left his mother's study. He walked down the large, black, marble staircase to the main floor, where his father was sitting on the living room couch.

"You lost a Quidditch game I hear?"

"Yeah, stupid Potter caught the snitch first." Draco leaned against the wall, staring at the back of his father's head.

"Or maybe you just weren't fast enough?" Lucius stood up and whirled around to face his son. "What have I told you about letting that boy win?!" Draco opened his mouth to speak, but Lucius was much faster. "Crucio!"

Draco fell to the ground as pain coursed through his body. He bit his lip, refusing to give his father the satisfaction of hearing him scream. Lucius smirked as he lowered his wand, releasing Draco from the spell.

"No yelling? What? That didn't hurt enough? Try again, shall we? Crucio!" Draco screwed up his face in pain, but still refused to utter a sound. Lucius laughed maliciously as he watched his son, lying on the ground. "Hmm ... still nothing." Lucius lowered his wand and released the curse for the second time.

"You ruddy bastard!"

"What was that son?"

"Don't you ever call me your son again!" Lucius raised an eyebrow at Draco, who was still lying helplessly on the floor.

"I'll try and remember that, Crucio!" Draco uttered a moan as the full force of the spell hit him.

Draco rolled onto his back and tried to keep his mind off the pain that was coursing through his body; it was the only way he would survive this. He would have smiled had his body not felt like it was on fire; Ginny came into his mind. He felt her image starting to fade away, but clutched at it. Her fiery hair, her intense blue eyes, her porcelain skin, flecked lightly with copper colored freckles. He slipped out of consciousness; thoughts of Ginny ever vivid in his mind.

The Burrow

Charlie groggily opened his eyes; someone was pulling at his shirt. He attempted to clear the fuzziness out of his eyes. "Wha?"

"Charlie! Please wake up!" Charlie screwed up his face at the immense effort it took to wake up.

"Ginny?"

"Charlie! Oh my god! Wake up!" Charlie sat up in bed and looked around. Ginny was standing next to him; tears streaking down her face, pulling on his shirt. He glanced at the clock; 1 AM.

"Gin, what are you doing up?"

"He's in trouble Charlie! It's Lucius, I know it!" Charlie grabbed Ginny by the forearms and forced her to sit down on the bed in front of him.

"Ginny, slow down for a second. Are you talking about Draco?"

"Who else would I be talking about?! I have this feeling ... he's in trouble! Charlie, we have to go find him!"

"Ginny, hold on! Take a deep breath, let's figure this out." Ginny took a deep breath but continued to look extremely worried. "What makes you think he's in trouble?"

"I have this feeling ... I had this dream that Lucius was torturing him ... I woke up something told me it wasn't a dream. I have to go to him!" Charlie rubbed Ginny's arms.

"Deep breaths, Gin. First of all, you don't know if that's true or not. Secondly, you can't go to him." Ginny looked as though she would burst into tears. "I know, Ginny, but wouldn't Lucius just hurt him more if he ever found out about the two of you?" Ginny nodded slowly. "You're going to have to trust that Lucius wouldn't kill his own son and that Narcissa will get to Draco and help him."

"Charlie ..." Ginny's lip trembled; she wasn't sure how he expected her to just sit there while Draco was out there being tortured.

"Shh, don't cry." Charlie cupped Ginny's face in his hands. "He's going to be okay, you can't worry about what you don't know." Ginny nodded as tears poured out of her eyes. "Let's get some sleep shall we?" Ginny nodded again and crawled under Charlie's blanket.

She was suddenly reminded of the first nightmare that she had ever had, her parents hadn't been home that night.

Flashback

"Ginny? What's wrong?" A fifteen-year-old Charlie came sprinting into Ginny's room. The five-year-old Ginny sat up in her bed, bawling her head off.

"A monster was chasing me!" Ginny wailed. Charlie walked over to her bed and gathered her up in his arms.

"You're safe now, Charlie's here. I won't let anything get you."

"Promise?" Ginny's lip trembled as she looked up into her brother's concerned face.

"Yes, I promise. Why don't you go back to bed now?"

"NO! He'll come after me again!" Ginny started to cry again.

"Shh, it's okay, Ginny. Come on, you can sleep in my bed, I won't let him get you." Ginny nodded and sniffed, having stopped crying momentarily. Charlie handed Ginny her teddy bear, which had fallen on the floor, and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, clutching him tightly. He walked slowly back to his room and lay her on the bed. He crawled in next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Will you sing to me, Charlie?" Ginny sniffed again and snuggled closer to her big brother.

"Of course I will." Charlie started to sing softly, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Charlie smiled as he heard Ginny's breathing slow, signaling that she had fallen asleep.

Back to the Present

"Charlie? Will you sing to me?" Charlie chuckled as he wrapped Ginny up in his arms and she snuggled close.

"Of course I will." He wiped a few tears off of Ginny's cheek as he started to sing softly, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away ......

A/N: Oh my god! Don't you just love Charlie to death?! Anywho ... I know Lucius was a jerk and you will all get to see what happened to Draco in the next chapter. I am fully prepared for Lucius death threats. I know it was kind of random with Ginny thinking Draco was hurt and stuff ... but it was like woman's intuition, she just knew! How did you all like this? I hope it was fluffy, but not too corny! Press that little button that says review and tell me how you really feel!

Debby: Yay! Mucho thanko, I will change that ASAP! Did this chapter give you warm fuzzies as well? Probably not with the whole 'I am Lucius Malfoy and I want to kill my own son' thing. LOL, review anyhow!

PaintedSecrets: I know, we all want Lucius to die ... but he does fulfill a purpose for the time being. I liked your story, but you need to update it man! How did you like this chapter, I mean besides the whole Lucius being a royal ass part?

MoonlightPrincess: Was this enough Charlie for ya? I know, there can never be enough Charlie, but work with me here. Isn't he just the best?! How did you like this chapter?

Disclaimer: For those of you who think I own Harry Potter ... pay a visit to The-Dark-Rose-of-Insanity and she'll smack you with the smart stick a bunch of times! BTW, the song from the last chapter is Head Over Feet by Alanis Morisette, so sorry I forgot it in the last disclaimer! Oops!