Chapter 12

They say it is important to be able to sacrifice what we are, for what we could become…

All life seemed to stand still. There was nothing, not a cool breeze, or a blue sky. Not an earth or a heaven, just void. The blackness that filled the space was vast, as if it would go on forever, if there was one that is. Looking down, there was no physical body, only the feeling that something was holding them up. No face, hands, feet or arm could be seen, just darkness. Then, like a title wave, it all came crashing back.

Draco's eyes flew open to the sounds of laughter. Groggy eyes could only see the dark red carpet in front of him. There was the sound of distant chatter, and the pounding of feet. He closed his eyes and tried to feel his body, if he still had one. Lifting a hand that was lying in front of him, he began to slowly flex his fingers, still working, he thought. However, once he realized that his body was indeed still intact, the pain behind his head filled his senses.

It was if little stars were dancing before his eyes. The pain was crippling, and Draco eye's stung with tears. He let out a loud moan, and curled into a ball, all the while gripping his head.

"AH! The he's awake," Called a gruff voice. The chatter stopped, as laughter ensued.

"Look at 'im!" said a voice.

"Bloody crying!" There was more laughter, the louder they got the more Draco's head hurt. He blocked out the rest of their taunting and focused on his pain. Be strong, he said to himself, Merlin, be strong.

"Let's get 'im something to make the pain go away!" someone called, "'e'll want to be awake for this."

Suddenly, someone grabbed Draco's shoulders and lifted him up. His silver eyes rolled back before focusing on the face in front of him.

"Zabini?" he came with a slur. There was a blow to his face.

"You do not address him!" the Death Eater said to him,

"It's alright, just clean him up" His face was then grabbed, and a vile of potion was stuck into his mouth. Draco tried to spit it out; whether good or bad he didn't want anything from this lot. He fought with the Death Eaters, spitting and turning his head, but his energy was draining quickly and soon enough, he was over taken.

Blaise, his old friend, had a look of pure enjoyment on his face as Draco was dropped to the ground, coughing and spitting out blood. There was laughter, and more comments on Draco's broken appearance. After a few moments, the pain in his body went away, and he was able to look up.

"It was only Pepper Up potion." Blaise said softly. "There was no need to worry."

"Fuck you," was Draco's only reply; the others snickered.

"Always such a pleasure, weren't you Malfoy?"

Draco didn't acknowledge his voice, only stood up. When Draco was able to stand up to his full height, he sneered as he found he was a head taller than Zabini. The two just looked at each other; they had so much history, being friends since they were 5 years old. However, when Zabini tried to drag Draco into the ranks of the Death Eaters, Draco left him in the dust. That was over six years now, and the two hadn't looked on each other since. Silver eyes met deep brown ones, until Blaise rolled his eyes.

"You still are a little bastard," he came tauntingly. "Even when you are obviously out numbered, you still act as if the world revolves around you."

"When you're around, Zabini," started Draco; "it is obvious who out shines you in very sense of the word." The other man's eyes grew bitter, as the smirk on Draco's face grew. Suddenly, as if a light bulb clicked in his head, Blaise began to smile. Not just any smile, a cruel, all knowing smile. Draco raised a brow. "And what do you find so amusing?" the other man shook his head.

"It's just…" he began to laugh. "You are the most pompous sod I ever met." He looked Draco straight in the eye. "And I just can't wait until you beg me to stop."

"Stop what?" replied Draco, Blaise smiled again.

Looking to the other men, he signaled them to grab Draco. Seizing him by the arms, the two men twice as large as Draco began to beat him. Blows were given to his face, chest, stomach, side and back. Yet Draco made now sound. If this were what Blaise was talking about, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of saying a word. The silver-haired man took every blow with as much dignity as he could muster, even when he heard a resounding crack, as a knee was given to his ribs. Even as blood began to fill his mouth, and various bones were cracking with every hit, Draco didn't say a word.

When the two were done, they threw Draco to the ground, who coughed out a puddle of blood. He couldn't breathe, as a few of his ribs had been cracked. He looked up, through one puffy eye and smirked the best he could.

"Is that all, Zabini?" came Draco, coughing out more blood. "I took better beatings in school." His foe only smiled.

"Oh, you thought that was what I was talking about?" Draco furrowed his brow.

"What?"

"Oh Malfoy, I know you could take a beating twice as much as this…" he nodded to his men, who quickly left the room. "But…can your friend?"

Draco looked up as two Death Eaters brought in Casey Caché. His head was hanging low, and his clothes were tattered and ripped. His silver eyes watched as they dropped him harshly to the ground. Blaise then went over to him and knelt next to Casey's barley moving figure

"Do you know…" came Zabini, ruffling his hair. "Who this is?"

"That soldier is no one of consequence!" he yelled, feeling his debt in the pit of his heart.

"Just tell me, Draco, dear friend." He said, "Who is this?"

"That is Casey Caché, he is a solider in my camp!" there was a burst of laughter by all the men, even Blaise himself was laughing at Draco, "Leave him alone!" the men laughed more. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"He?" came Zabini, "He…" he pointed to Casey.

"Yes, he!"

"Oh Draco, Oh stupid, naïve, blind, Draco." He stood up and turned to his men. "Can you believe it, boys! He doesn't know who this is!" there was more laughter as he turned back to Draco, chuckling.

"He doesn't matter!" yelled Draco. "I matter, take him away, do any thing you like to me!" Blaise shook his head.

"This is too much fun," he whispered softly. The black-haired man slowly made his way to Draco, kneeling in front of him he smiled. "Do you remember, back in school?" he started, as if he was talking to a child. "You had a crush on a certain…shall we say… Mudblood lover?" Draco growled. "Do you?"

"Fuck you!" Yelled Draco.

"Answer the question, Draco." He said, taking his chin in his hands, as the two Death Eaters held his arms. "Do you remember?"

"Of course!" growled Draco.

"Ginevra Weasley." Balise sighed. "Quite fit wasn't she?" He smirked. "Even for poor trash."

"Shut up!" yelled Malfoy. "Don't you talk about her like that! Don't you fu…"

"Then Potter shagged her and left her in the same night. I have to give it to him though, I wouldn't stay with that poor trash either." Malfoy tried to get out of the Death Eater's grip, but that only landed him another knee to the ribs. "Then you two got together, and then engaged!" he sighed dreamily. "It was so…romantic, wasn't it?"

"Shut up," He wheezed out. "Don't talk about her!"

"How well do you know this…this…Weasel?" he inquired. "I'm guessing not very well." Draco furrowed his brow as Blaise got up, and walked over to Casey. Picking up his head, he showed it to Draco. "Bring him closer." He ordered, and the men dragged him closer to Zabini. Draco looked at the two in wonder, what the hell was he getting at?

"Now tell me Malfoy, who is this?" Draco looked quickly at Casey.

"Casey Caché," He replied, more chuckling, as Blaise shook his head.

"Take a closer look." He told him grinned. Draco furrowed his brow and looked at Casey closely. He looked different. His nose seemed smaller, and his lips fuller. Draco guessed it was the beating he must have taken, the blond shook his head.

"Caché," He said again. Blaise then rolled his eyes, and pulled back the neck, exposing the whole face, and having the hair out of his eyes.

"Can you see it, Draco?" he asked in a taunting manner. "Can you see what we all saw in less than two minutes?" Draco's eyes narrowed as they looked at C…

Draco's mouth fell open as he took in who he was looking at. That… that wasn't Casey it was Ginny. His heart began to beat rapidly, as his mind raced. It was Ginny! That …Casey…she... he…GINNY! He looked at her for a long time, eyes burning with the new emotion swirling inside of him.

"You see it now, Draco?" he asked him. "You see her, I did. I saw Ginevra Weasley in less than two seconds after they brought her in. Knocked out cold, head bleeding, I knew there was something wrong with this soldier, and in an instant I knew. This was no man, but a woman, a woman who changed her entire identity to be in the War. She tricked the smartest commanders in England, with only a few spells and some duct tape." Blaise laughed and looked to his men. "Wake her up." A few of the men walked over to Ginny, "Couldn't even recognize the girl you loved Malfoy?" inquired Zabini. "How pathetic."

After a few moments, the sound of sputtering and gasping was heard. Draco was too shocked to do or say anything. Ginny… his Ginny…

"How are you my little sun shine?" came Blaise, kneeling in front of her. She shook her head.

"Huh?" she asked, looking around groggily. Draco could see her looking like an animal in a cage. Fortunately, the Death Eaters blocked Draco from view.

"Feeling, okay?"

"Where am I?" she said in a deep voice, Draco turned away.

There was some laughter before. "Oh darling, there is no need for façade here, we all know who you are…"

"What the…"

"Ginevra Weasley." There was silence. "How are you, love?"

"I don't know what you are talking about…I…"

"Cut the shit!" yelled Blaise, taking her by her short hair. "We know who you are, we took the spells off your face, and the tape on your breast! You are Ginevra Weasley, daughter of the Minster of Magic, and faithful fiancée to…" He lifted her up, so she was standing on her own feet, but her weight was on Blaise. He then parted the Death Eaters and stood in front of Draco.

Their eyes met, and Draco died. He felt as if his soul had just turn to dust, and his heart ripped out from his own chest. There she was, Ginny, always so close, always right there, and he hadn't even seen it. Blaise had seen it so quickly, and he hadn't seen it in five months.

"Draco Malfoy." Her mouth opened a closed for a few moments, before large tears began leaking down her face. Draco's mouth shut as a sob reached his lips. He wouldn't cry, he wouldn't dare cry for her…he wouldn't any more. She was a betrayer.

"Dr…"

"No, no, no," Came Blaise, placing a finger over her lips. "Before we start with the 'I love you' let's get you fixed up." He beckoned a Death Eater, who came immediately to his side. Blaise then took a hand and touched Ginny's face softly, all the while smirking at Draco. He wanted to lunge at Zabini, but his pride wouldn't let him. "Healer, take care of this Mudblood lover." As the Death Eater stretched out his hands, Blaise stopped him. "But before you do, why don't you share with the group." The Death Eater nodded, and took off his mask.

Draco heard Ginny give a loud cry. Draco's own eyes widened with fear as Colin Creevey's face appeared behind the mask. Ginny was shaking with fear as he came closer, a sinister look on his face.

"See my dearest," started the black haired man, "Arthur Weasley was right, there was a mole in the camp."

"Healer's loyalties are not bound to one side," said Colin, coming too close to Ginny. "I am able to heal all that needed it."

"So, he came to us." He smiled, "why don't you heal our new girl, as you tell Malfoy a story." The two smirked at each other, as Ginny was sat harshly on the ground. Colin smiled at Draco.

"You see Malfoy, I knew who Casey was." Draco began to feel the heat rise in his face. "I knew, for about three months. The day she fell from the obstacle course, I found something strange." He kissed her lips, the woman grimaced. "That our Casey was a woman, and she later told me that she was in fact Ginevra Weasley." He caressed her face, "the love of our lives." He then took a vile out of his pocket, and slipped the tip into her mouth. "Drink up, love." Draco looked at her eyes, and saw tears and hate in them as Colin smiled happily. "And the day of the Veritaserum test…" he looked at Draco with a raised brow, as Ginny swallowed the liquid.

"Go on man!" came Blaise, "I want DETAILS!" the Death Eaters chuckled.

"Oh Malfoy," taunted Colin. "I would have loved for you to have been there." He smiled cruelly, "As I had her." Ginny shook her head, and coughed, pushing him harshly from her.

"Colin!" she breathed, looking at him with pure disgust, "You sodding..."but she was cut off by his lips crashing down upon hers, taking a fist full of red hair in his hand. Draco watched as their eyes never left each other, even as if tear after tear fell down her face, and she pushed at him in vain. Draco felt sick to his stomach, watching as the love of his life kissed another man, knowing that this was not the first time. Knowing that she had willingly gave more to him. He felt his anger bubbling, as he clenched his fist. When the kiss broke, Colin just kept her close to him, watching her as she spit at him and on the floor; as if trying to get the taste of him out of her mouth. His eyes then turned to back to Draco, giving him a cold smirk.

"I always hated you Malfoy," said Colin, coming to stand in front of him. "Always, since the day I entered Hogwarts, I hated you. So, the best way to get my revenge was to shag the only thing that matters to you."

"Fuck you," growled Draco, barely above a whisper.

"Feel better, love?" Blaise inquired as he took her from the other Death Eater.

"Get off me!" she screamed. "Don't you touch me…" he grabbed her chin.

"No, no, ladies don't talk like that." He told her, she looked at him with malice.

"If you touch me, you bastard, I swear to Merlin…" Blaise then motioned to his other Death Eaters who grabbed Ginny by both arms, taking out his wand and pointing at her face. He looked at Draco with a smirk.

"Crucio!" he cried, Ginny fell to the floor as the Death Eaters let go of her. She screamed as the curse took over her body, her face scrunched up in pain. Draco watched, unable to do any more but feel his heartbreak. There was a round of laughter as Blaise turned back to Draco when he was done, Ginny's moans the only thing filling the room. There were snickers of laughter from the others in the room, as they watched the four of them.

"Want to watch, my old friend?" Draco didn't reply, only looked at Ginny who had tears dripping down her face, silently mouthing to him.

"Draco." She breathed out, "Please."

"No?" came Blaise, he shrugged. "Alright then, get him out of here!"

The blond man's eyes went wide as they picked him up by the arms. He began to struggle, against them.

"DRACO!" cried Ginny, as she shot up. She began to stumble toward him when Blaise came behind her, and pulled her to him.

"No, no, me and you have some unfinished business." He said, as he pointed his wand to her neck. She screamed and with all the effort she had, elbowed him in the stomach and gave him a hard blow to the face. Zabini stumbled back a bit, feeling the blood that was dripping from his nose. Ginny immediately ran over to Draco, punching the Death Eater at his left. The larger man stumbled back as the other let go of blond momentarily to get his wand. Ginny grabbed Draco around the elbows and looked into his eyes.

"I love you," she said quickly in a harsh whisper, his silver eyes locking with her brown ones. He stared at her and all he felt was anger and loss. At this moment, even with three Death Eaters just behind her, their wands pointed directly at them, knowing she had put herself into more danger, he had nothing to say. She lifted a hand and touched his face softly, "I..." but she was then caught around the stomach as Blaise held her close to him.

"GINNY!" he finally said, as Blaise picked her up. "NO! GINNY!"

"DRACO!" she screamed, as she was thrown to the ground. He began to fight against his captors, throwing ill aimed punches, all the while watching Blaise give Ginny another Cruciatus Curse.

"You are going to regret that one, sweetie." He said, as he wiped the blood from his face on his robe. He nodded to two Death Eaters who picked up Ginny off the floor, holding her up as Blaise came closer. "This won't hurt… much." There was laughter as he hit her across the face. He had to get to Ginny, Draco thought. Yet, as he gave another ill-aimed blow, he got an elbow to the face, and blacked out once again.

.

Draco woke up to the smell of decay. The floor was cold and hard, and his head swam. He looked up to see bars, and bricks. The blond man then began to cough, blood and the morning's lunch spilled out onto the brick floor. His stomach felt like he had just been turned up side down over and over again. His breathing came out in harsh puffs, as he attempted to get off his stomach. He looked around; he seemed to be in a prison. He started to get up, but a hand stopped him.

"Don't," said the voice; Draco froze as he looked at Ginny. She was alive, he thought as he looked at her behind her own bars. "You will make yourself sick." Draco took in her appearance.

The young woman looked downcast hunched over, sitting in next to the bars, as if she had been watching him. Her short hair was messy and tangled, her hands clasped together on her lap. She looked at him, the moon still hidden behind the clouds.

"Are you okay?" she questioned softly, her soft voice like music to his ears. "You don't need anything do you?" he didn't reply. Looking down again, she sighed.

He looked over her area as well. There were only two differences between her cell and his, for one, she had a pillow, and the other, that pillow was covered in vomit and blood. Draco looked at her once more, and noticed the tears falling from her face. He didn't make a move.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, as the moon came from behind the clouds. "I am sorry…so sorry." She looked up at him, and Draco almost gasped.

Her eyes were puffy from tears, her cheeks red from the blows from the Death Eaters. Dried blood was on a few cuts on her face, her nose, and lips. The red haired woman had bruises all down her neck and a thin cut starting from behind her ear to below the cut of her dress. She wiped her face self consciously and sighed.

"I understand if you don't want to speak to me Draco," her brown eyes met his sliver ones "but I need you." Ginny began to cry. "I can't do this with out you." He was going to ask, do what, but he decided not to. At that moment, he didn't want anything to do with Ginevra Weasley. "Please."

Draco just looked at her, his eyes filled with pain, suspicion, and anger. He saw her wipe the tears that fell fast down her face, as she shook her head. He could feel the humiliation, the pain, and the suffering radiating off her body, but he felt no sympathy. The silver-haired man felt nothing for the woman pleading in front of him. As far as he knew, this was a lie too, given to her by the Death Eaters so they could kill him. She had been lying for so long to him, why not once more.

"Draco?" she inquired, sniffing. "Are you okay?" he didn't realize that he had spaced out, and blinked a few times. By then she was closer to the bars and reaching out to touch him, he scooted back. He saw the way her face and hand fell, and inside he smirked. She pulled back, and slid to the other side of the bars. Draco looked at her for a while longer before lying on the cold brick floor. There was silence for a long time, and as Draco began to fall asleep to the cries of Ginny Weasley.

.

Draco's eyes flew open; some one was calling him.

"Get up! Get up you lazy bastard." He felt something hit his forehead and looked over to Ginny's cell only to find it empty. He panicked. He quickly got to his feet and went closer to her side. She was gone; he began to look into all the other empty cells; only to find she wasn't there either. With a sense of foreboding, thinking that they might have killed her, he began to cry out.

"GINNY!" he screamed, "GINNY!"

"Will you shut your fat mouth!" someone hissed at him, he ignored the scratchy voice and continued to call out. "SHUT UP! Do you want to draw attention to yourself."

"GINNY!" he called once again.

"She's alive," the voice said to him. "They wouldn't kill her." Draco then stopped his calling and looked toward the voice.

"Why?" there was chuckling, he furrowed his brow.

"You're a heavy sleeper." The voice said from the adjacent cell. "You know that?"

Draco squinted to see the face, but came up with nothing. "I've been told."

"That girl," He said, "that girl who is in the cell next to yours."

"I don't know her…" Draco said softly. "Not really."

There was a long silence; Draco took the time to look out the solitary window into the bright blue sky. After a few moments, there was a sigh.

"You were always such an ass," He said, Draco furrowed his brow.

"What?"

"I figured I could break you, but you still wanted to defy me." Draco stared at the other person as they moved toward him, "Even when I gave you three miles a day, plus laundry duty every night." His mouth dropped as Alastor Moody moved into the light, his appearance just as wild and scary as the day Draco met him. He looked at Draco with a raised brow before shaking his head.

"You were always such a little bastard."

"Moody?" Draco asked. "I thought…we thought…"

"What? I was dead?" he asked with astonishment, he shook his head. "What have I always taught you boy…" Draco mouthed with him, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"We couldn't find your body." The younger man said, "no one could, not even Dumbledore."

Alastor shook his head. "You stupid, stupid boy. Do you honestly think that I, Alastor Moody, who has fought in two wars, could have been captured so easily?"

"Well…you are old…"

"Shut up," He barked. "Dumbledore wanted me here, I let them capture me."

"And they didn't kill you?"

"Ha! These insolent bastards, they were so happy to have caught me, they wanted to keep me as a prize." Moody chortled. "Wankers."

Draco gulped audibly. "How long have you been here?" Moody furrowed his brow.

"Well, I would have to say… 4 months and 3 weeks; to be exact." Draco shook his head.

"How have you survived it?" Moody then let out a laugh, so loud that it echoed though the small prison. The silver-eyed man furrowed his brow.

"You really are an ass, aren't you Malfoy. How have I survived? Survived what? They have kept me here for 4 months, with food every day, and I never get bothered. They wouldn't dare mess with me," he laughed. "They think I can do wandless magic, but it's all just a trick of the eye. " Quickly looking around Moody went to his wooden leg and pulled it off. With a few shakes, his wand and magical eye fell out of it. "They really are useless without Voldemort. They did a search, but didn't even bother to check my leg." He shook his head as he placed his wand back into his leg. "But it is not their intelligence that I now question."

Draco sighed as he sat on the ground, "what do you mean?"

"I mean you."

"What have I done?" he questioned, as he looked out the window.

"You didn't talk to her." There was silence. "How dare you."

"How dare I?" Draco snapped. "How dare I? How dare she think that I would even want to acknowledge her presence, after what she did to me, and put me through. Would you talk to her! For now…that …girl doesn't exist to me…"

Malfoy looked at Moody who had the most hate filled look he ever gave to him. Draco actually had to look away from his gaze.

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Not you, you stupid boy, I am talking about her."

"I don't know why she did it…she deceived me, and I have no incentive to ever talk to her again."

Moody had the look as if he wanted to talk, but didn't know where to start. He then just shouted. "FOOL!" he breathed in heavily. "Do you know what that girl is doing for you? Do you understand how far she is willing to go for you?"

"I don't care."

"She deceived her family, her friends, you, to go into war! What kind of woman would do that?"

"A selfish one, she left us all in a blink of an eye to…"

"Fulfill her dream! She wanted a chance Malfoy, sounds like someone else I know who left everything behind to be some one they wanted" Draco looked over at Moody and then quickly looked away. "From the first day that I met her, I knew she was something else. If I had known she was going to fall in love with a bastard like you, I would have told her where Potter was a long time before."

"Don't you…"

"Don't tell me don't, you dolt!" scolded Moody, pointing a finger at Malfoy. "Aren't you even a bit curious, Malfoy, as to where she is? Or why she isn't here?" Draco shut his mouth. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe they took her?"

"I thought…" started Draco.

"No, I don't think you did. Maybe you don't realize that Ginevra Weasley is the only thing keeping you alive."

"What do you mean…"

"What I mean is that she is sacrificing everything she has, to make sure they do not kill you."

"But, Ginny doesn't have anything," Argued the younger man. "She has nothing to offer them."

Alastor then got a serious look on his face. "They want information and she is saying she has it when she has nothing." Draco's heart fell. "She was nothing but a solider, she has no information, but being Draco Malfoy's great love, they are torturing her for information. And she as long as she lies for you, you stay alive." He shook his head. "But when I saw them take her away, I knew…that girl is already dead."