MALFOY MANSION

Draco stalked through the halls, ignoring the maids as they tried flirting with him. They should've been the whores, not Ginny. Ginny deserved better. She was kept down in the basement, with food and water but she was so quiet. The maids hated to take her food for fear of the "rats". Ginny, as far as Draco had heard, didn't care about the rats, if anything at all. Tonight was no different, the maids stood in the hallway, arguing on who was to take her tray.

"NO! I took it last time," a brunette said, "you take it!" She tried shoving the tray to a darker haired maid. Draco, in his anger, grabbed the tray.

"I'll take it for God's sake!" He stormed from the kitchen, and on the way to the basement passed his father. His father didn't question for he was talking to another death eater. They're always here, Draco thought, When will they leave? Ginny needs an outing. Maybe, I can take her on one. I just need to talk my dad into it.

Draco came to the basement door and opened it ever so carefully. He didn't want to wake, disturb, or most of all scare her. He ordered the lights on and they switched on. The stairs creaked as he walked down them, and the musty smell of the wet basement met his nose in disgust. He would make his dad move her. She needed better living conditions than this.

"Ginny?" Draco called when he reached the bottom of the stairs, "I've brought you some food. Where are you?" He looked around the very dark room. In one corner sat a heap of blankets, next to a huge water heater. A generator, up against another corner, was silent for the time being. There was no movement in the light, but in the shadows he heard her. She was there, hiding like the dog everyone thought she was. Everyone except for him.

"Ginny…" he walked to the heap of blankets and sat down. He could barely make out her outline as she stood backed in the corner. Her fight or flight responses where probably kicked into full gear, "Ginny, come here. I am not going to hurt you for Dumbledore's sake! Look, come sit here. Remember what I told you this afternoon at the bar?"

Ginny, after letting his words sink in, slowly crept from the corner. She was even paler in the basement than she normally was. She showed no emotion, no smile, and the dark circles under her eyes told Draco how she'd been sleeping.

"That's it. Come here, look at what I brought you," he looked down at the plate to see a bowl of what looked like green pea soup, a slightly bruised apple, and a bottle of tainted wine. Draco, in being himself, wouldn't have ate any of this crap, but he smiled a pleasant smiled as she sat next to him, looking to the ground with a downcast look.

"You know what? You've never been down here…" she seemed to whisper the words, as if her throat were slowly blocking her air, "I hate it down here, I hate my job, I hate my smell, I hate myself." She slowly fell to the ground, her eyes letting the tears come.

"Ginny," Draco said while pulling her up against him, "I don't hate you. If you were to hate anyone, hate me. Hate me for not helping you." He rocked her back and forth in his arms as she cried.

"Draco Malfoy," she said against his chest, "I could never hate you. You're one thing that keeps me going from day to day. But everyone else, they hate me, and your father keeps trying to make me…oh god." She threw up vial and he held her upright while pulling her hair back form her face.

She's going to die down here, Draco thought, She needs help. I need to help her. If she dies…

"Draco," she said as she sat against him once again after she threw up, "what happened to the good world? What went wrong? Why can't God just let me die? I want to die." She lay against him and he rocked her back and forth. He knew she was going to die down here, she knew also.

"Ginny Weasley," Draco said, "My father won't let you go, but I will. Let's run away together. Where do you want to go?" He took a spoonful of the soup and touched it to her lips.

"Far away…"she said as she took the food. It comforted her down inside to know that he was there. "Why do you like me? You have the pick of everyone in this god forsaken country, and you choose me, your dad's whore. Why?"

Draco considered this for a second and he smiled as the thought finally came to him. "Everyone has always liked me. They've always shown it. That damn Pansy Parkinson was always so damn clingy. But there was you, the little red-haired girl who hated me. You were so darn cute when you used to talk about me. You'd get so mad at me sometimes. I guess it's because I never realized you were one of the most beautiful people I ever knew, until years later, when my dad bought you. I know he bought you, but Ginny, you're mine."

"Draco," she said while looking at him, "I've always been yours. I just don't want to stay here, in this dark basement anymore. I miss the luxuries of life, and I hate being used every single day by men I don't know. I know you, and when I was given to you for your birthday gift I could have flown away. I was willing with you, because I knew you'd be gentle. So many of those men, they know what I am, and that's all they use me for. I'm so tired of it all. I'm so tired of everyone's bullshit. I'm so very tired…" Draco was waiting for her to say more, but was surprised to look down and see her sleeping in his arms.

So Draco Malfoy, he thought to himself as he laid her down, You've got yourself in deep this time. He gently laid her down, pulled the covers over her, and kissed her forehead before standing. He left the tray, and climbed the creaking stairs, all the while taking a few glances back. Upon reaching the top of the stairs he almost gave the command for the lights to turn off, but thought better of it. She needs the light, she needs hope, and she needs someone to love her.

LATER THAT NIGHT-Draco's Room

"Draco," Lucius said in an underlying tone, "Do you know what you ask? I think you've grown a fondness for that red-headed bitch."

"No dad," Draco said while sitting on the edge of his bed, "It's just that the men have been complaining lately about how she looks, and how much they don't want her. We need satisfied customers. A little shopping will do the slut good."

"Fine," Lucius said while walking to the door, "But, she'll be in your charge. If anything happens, it's your fault. Also, make sure to get her something semi-sexy. The damn mini skirt is beginning to annoy me." Lucius touched his temple with his forefingers before leaving the room.

I'll buy her something sexy, as long as she wants me too. Tomorrow Ginny Weasley, is your day. Malfoy smiled to himself while climbing into his bed, but soon wiped the smile from his face as he thought of Ginny, lying in the cold basement, a two-stories below him. She must be freezing he thought. What if she's lying there, in the dark, scared? What if the rats are watching her, waiting for her to sleep? Holy Shit! Draco sat straight up in bed and ran to the door. Wait, if someone sees me they'll want to know what I'm doing. I need an explanation. He thought of one quick as he walked out the door into the hall. The servants had long retired and his father was snoring comfortably from his massive room down the hall.

Draco slunk through the hall, and down the stairs. The kitchen lay just beyond and he quickly slipped in through the swinging doors. There was food in abundance here, he knew that, but what would Ginny like?

If she's cold she'll want something hot…hot chocolate? Maybe two cups, and they could share. Draco knew the kitchen like the back of his hand, and he quickly brewed two cups, took out some marshmallows, and placed them in the hot cocoa. Ginny also needed some food. Some fruit would due. It would stay cold in the basement and she could stash it away. After inspecting them for bruises and marks, he took two green apples, two red apples, two oranges, and two bananas. He placed them in a bag, and grabbed the two cups of hot chocolate.

Upon peeking outside the doors he found that everyone was still asleep, just like planned. He snuck to the door that led to the basement and pulled the key form his pocket.

The doors being locked will be the first thing to go! How dare my father…she deserves so much better.

The latch clicked, and he slipped inside, locking the door again behind him. He came down the stairs and found her, sitting against the wall, looking at her hands. What else was she to do? She was bored out of her mind.

"Ginny," Draco whispered, "I've brought some stuff for you." He walked to the blankets and handed her a cup of the hot chocolate, and after she took a sip he handed her the bag, "It has fruit in it. I know how hungry you must be…" he looked at the tray to find nothing touched, "Ginny Weasley!" He scolded her, "You must eat!" He sat next to her and looked her in the eyes, "If you don't eat how are we going to run away together?" He smiled as she finally smiled at him.

"Oh Draco!" She threw her arms around him and smiled, "How can you be this brave? What if someone finds out?"

She smiled even bigger as he hugged her tighter against him, "I'll tell them to go to Hell." She laughed in his ear, and he smiled even bigger, "It's good to hear you laugh again, Ginny." He turned his head and kissed her neck. He was ready for her to pull away, for her to tell him to stop, but she turned her head to the side, giving him an advantage.

"Ginny, do you trust me?" he asked, and to his surprise: Ginny nodded before turning her head and gently nibbling on his ear. He kissed her neck, and made his way to her lips where she welcomed him. He was gentle, but all the while he gave her time to say stop. When he didn't he kissed her more reverently and she kissed him back.

They stopped a little while later form their kissing escapade, and enjoyed their, now cold, hot chocolate. Ginny was cuddled against Malfoy and he told her of how he was going to take her shopping, and buy a few things extra. He also told her of how his father wanted her to buy something sexy, and she looked at the ground with a deep sigh.

"Ginny," Draco said while taking her chin and making her look at him, "I won't make you buy it. I won't let him do this to you anymore. I will keep you, for myself. I will treat you like a queen. But, do you want this? Do you want me, or just your freedom? I've thought this over, and I don't know what you are doing. I don't know if you cling to me for your freedom, or for love."

For once in her life, Ginny Weasley, couldn't decide.