I believe this is a much better and more proper Chapter II than the last one was and I believe this shall please a great deal of people. I have gone through all the necessary details of that time. I doubt I will add any more to this. I have spent the better part of my free time of the past week writing this. Every absolutely necessary detail is addressed.
How exactly Draco and Ginny came to be friends I do not feel is a necessary detail and by that I mean the exact conversations and meetings and everything. I addressed the most important of them.
The tiny house elf led Ginny up the grand staircase.
"Where are we going?" Ginny asked gently.
"Shhhh," the elf answered in return to her inquiry. "Mistress and Young Master Malfoy is taking their tea right now and you, servant, has no business disrupting them so you shut your mouth."
Ginny's eyes widened. No house elf had ever spoken to her in such a way before. Never.
The house elf led her to the far backside of the house and down a very narrow rickety staircase.
"Servant is pleased to be careful. She is to sleep here in the bed in the same area we elves sleep in," the little elf informed her in a soft tone. The elf did not so much as look at her. "You is to be presented to Master Draco as his slave in the morning. Best you make yourself more presentable."
"Thank you," Ginny said simply as the elf snapped its fingers. Lights appeared lining the walls.
They were placed far apart. Ginny saw a single bed along the back wall and many tiny pallets that were on the floor. On one of these pallets sat a young elf.
Ginny walked over and tucked her knees to her chest as she sat on the bed. Tears poured down staining her cheeks. She cried herself to sleep. Prison must be better than this.
Something kept poking her mercilessly. "Go away," Ginny whimpered batting at what was poking her.
"Servant must get up at once! She is meant to take Young Master's breakfast to him as well as cook it," the elf said as it shoved her out of the bed. "She will do well to remember that she is no guest but a slave to the Masters and Mistress."
Ginny got up then as the elf glared pointedly at her and refused to let her so much as sit back down on the bed to tie her shoes.
The elf glared and pointed to the stairs. "Servant, go cook Master Draco's meal." It jabbed its finger at the stairs and Ginny gave it a very insulted look and left it.
"Servant girl, does you know where you is going?" a small voice asked from behind her.
Ginny turned and saw the elf who had taken her downstairs late last night.
"I do not," Ginny said softly. "Would you please show me how to get to the kitchen?"
"I will show servant girl how to get to kitchen," the elf said with a slight smile.
Ginny was led up the rickety staircase from the night previous and they stopped outside a great set of oak doors with D.M. carved half way up.
"Is that Draco's room?" Ginny asked softly staring at the intricately engraved designs the decorated the border of the door.
"That Young MASTERS room. Servant ought refer as such to master. You has no business speaking of him as equal when you isn't equal to him," the elf reproachfully told her.
Ginny felt annoyed at being corrected by an elf for calling an old school mate by his first name especially when she was referring to him in a much more respectful way than she felt he deserved. She certainly had no intention of calling him master to his face or behind his back.
"Servant," the elf said softly and it tugged at her skirt. It pointed to a hole in the wall and tugged her toward it.
Ginny shrugged before sticking her tongue out at the door and following the tiny creature to the kitchen.
"Servant had best get to work now," the elf pointed to a large stove then to the wizard equivalent of a refrigerator.
Ginny walked over and opened the door of the refrigerator and made a face as she looked in. It was completely full of expensive looking food.
"What does Draco usually have for breakfast?" Ginny asked looking back at the elf.
The elf glowered, "MASTER Draco, on Tuesdays, usually has eggs and toast, sometimes bacon or fruit with it."
"Okay then that is what I will make for him," Ginny said turning back to the refrigerator rolling her eyes.
"Servant keeps forgetting her place. Master Draco like to receive respect from us inferiors."
Ginny slammed the refrigerator door, "I'll try to do better," she growled whipping around to the fireplace and started making the MASTERS breakfast. Maybe she should serve the MASTER burned food. Might serve the little brat right but as of yet he had not done anything cruel to her and it would not do for her to start out showing ill feelings toward him. It would just provoke him to treat her in a barbarically monstrous way. Not to mention it would only show her own contumacious personality and feelings toward her captors and predicament.
Ginny hummed softly as she began to cook the meal. She finished preparing Draco's meal at five till seven.
The little elf stood there with her the whole time watching everything she did as if he did not trust her.
"Come Servant girl, you is to take master his meal," the elf led her up the same back staircase they had used to enter the kitchen and Ginny groaned when they reached the top.
The elf pointed to Draco's room doors and one of them creaked open. Ginny slowly and cautiously approached the door. She peered around the door into the room.
"Tinker just set the food down on my bed. I will be out in a minute. Also please tell me what father's gift is for me if you know," the now very mature voice of Draco Malfoy called through a door which must lead to a bathroom. "Tinker."
Ginny set the tray down on the unmade bed and then moved to the wall beside the door to wait for Draco to come out and see his gift.
Draco stalked out wearing only a white towel wrapped around his middle. He stalked over to the walk-in closet not even looking at Ginny. A set of dark green robes with silver buttons came flying out of the closet and landed very close to the tray of food. Draco came out still only clad in the white towel and he still had not seen her. He had a pair of black silk boxers in his hand.
He still did not bother to look around and he turned so his back faced the door of his room and dropped the towel.
Ginny slapped her hand to her mouth as she stared at Draco. She was trying hard not to squeal in delight. She knew she was no different than any other Hogwarts girl in the fact that she had always wanted to see Draco Malfoy nude.
Draco hearing the skin on skin contact spun to her. His eyes were wide but they showed more shock than fear.
Ginny knew she should have the decency to look away but she looked Draco over from head to foot and as soon as she realized what she had done she looked down at her feet a deep scarlet tinged her cheeks.
Draco quickly pulled his boxers on before addressing Ginny.
"What are you doing her Weasley?" he ground out and he trudged over to her.
"I am the surprise your father has for you," she said.
Draco reached out and clutched her chin in his hand and took her chin roughly jerking her head up so she had to look him in the eyes. Ginny's brown eyes glowed furiously at the impertinence and impetuousness of this guy.
"Interesting," Draco drawled as he tossed her chin to the side. "Interesting and rather disturbing."
"I beg you pardon Draco but what is interesting and what is disturbing?" Ginny asked gently.
Draco frowned darkly at Ginny.
"It is not your place to question me and what makes you think you have the right to call me by my first name? You should call me MASTER!" Draco ground out as he pulled on his robes. "What is for breakfast?"
"The house elves told me that you usually had toast, eggs, and bacon today so that is what I prepared for you, MASTER," Ginny said neither disguising her sardonic tone or hiding the hateful glare she sent his way.
Draco snarled and moved threateningly toward Ginny. Ginny, remembering how she had been treated by death eaters, backed up and let out a squeak of distress. She slid to the floor and was looking up at him with wide eyes and quivering lips. Draco crinkled his nose and looked as if he smelled something a hippogriff had just made. He stared down his tiny aristocratic nose at her before turning to his breakfast.
"Servant," Draco began and the smirk could be heard in his voice, "Place the tray on the table now."
"Excuse me Mal-ferret," Ginny started.
Draco grasped his wand and aiming it between her eyes, "DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME THAT! EVER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND? IF YOU CALL ME THAT AGAIN I SWEAR THAT I WILL TURN YOU INTO A WEASEL AND MAKE YOUR LIFE A BIGGER HELL THAN I AM ALREADY GOING TO ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT!"
"Well if I already know I am not to be treated..."
"Draco, I heard yelling. What is wrong dear?" Lady Malfoy said poking her head through the open door and looking at the adolescents. "Ah. I see your father has sent you a..."
"Servant Mother," Draco said quickly before his mother could draw any inappropriate conclusions. "I assure you I have no intention of sleeping with this girl." He sniffed haughtily and turned his head.
Ginny watched the two Malfoys. They were a very odd family. She had never seen Draco speak so respectfully to anyone except teachers and that was only when he was sucking up to them.
"Servant!" Draco growled. "I told you to do something! NOW DO IT!"
Ginny felt her lip curl upwards but she saw his wand was pointed at her and she was smart enough to know better than to argue with an armed wizard when she was without a wand. She snatched the tray from the bed and stalked over to a table and set it down in front of the only chair. Draco walked over and noticed Ginny still standing very close to his meal. "Shoo," he told her sitting down and picking up his fork.
Ginny, who had permanently decided not to take any crap off of Draco, smacked the back of his head and stomped to the fireplace.
Draco stood up furiously. "Don't hit me!"
"What are you going to do about it?" Ginny asked rudely.
"Prohibitio!" Draco snarled vengefully and pointed his wand at the wall beside the fireplace.
Ginny's hands were bound above her head and she ground her teeth together. "A Weasley?" Lady Malfoy questioned looking at her red hair.
"Yes, the youngest one," Draco said and he stabbed his eggs and began to eat happily.
"That is so nice we can help those sweet people out," Lady Malfoy said and smiled at her son.
Draco rolled his eyes. His father definitely did not pick his mum for her sense, "Mother, they are all muggle loving freaks, the lot of them. A disgrace to pureblood wizards everywhere."
Ginny screeched like a banshee, "Do NOT talk about my family that way!"
"Silencio," Draco drawled pointing his wand at Ginny.
Ginny opened her mouth. No sound came out but many enraged expressions rippled across her countenance.
Thus was Ginny's lot for the next several weeks.
Draco became quiet several weeks later. He seemed to stare out the window a lot and ponder about different things. Ginny honestly couldn't care less about the change Draco was showing; though the house elves could talk of nothing else.
"Master Draco is behaving strange...not like himself," A small elf who, like Ginny, only served Draco. "He was never a child who sits quiet. He always were in everything."
Ginny felt her eyes roll up. "You know what my suggestion is?" she asked. "Maybe you should stay out of his business."
The elf glared at her. "Maybe you should not be being such a bitch toward Master Draco," the elf sneered.
Ginny felt her hands clench at her side but she did not dare to attack the little creature. The elf could use its magic against her.
After those weeks Draco stopped torturing her with crude and sardonic remarks. His whole personality became more teasing. He still obviously looked down upon her and still treated her with a large amount of condescension.
6 months later
Ginny walked into Draco's room carrying a tray that had a huge plate of Belgian waffles and strawberries on it.
Draco was standing and staring out the window. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were apathetic and no light was in them.
"Where do you want me to place your breakfast Draco?" Ginny asked.
Draco stared at the reflection of the youngest Weasley in the window. He felt weird when he saw her standing there holding food for him.
"Please set it on the table," Draco said with the same lack of spirit he'd had for months now. "Please join me."
Ginny's eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock at the odd request. Draco and she had become friends, true, but that did not mean he asked her to join him for breakfast.
"Draco, are you sick?" Ginny asked walking over and placing the palm of her hand on his forehead.
Draco peevishly batted her hand away. "I am fine. I have something I need to talk to you about."
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked as Draco walked across the room and pulled out a chair and motioned for Ginny to take a seat.
Ginny gave him a very dubious look. Something was wrong with him.
"Tinker," Draco called as the duo both took their seats.
There was a loud crack and a tiny house elf who only served Draco and obeyed only his orders appeared in front of the pair.
"Tinker please fetch Miss Weasley some breakfast," Draco told the elf.
Tinker gave Ginny an odd look but disappeared and returned with another tray that had the same thing Draco was having.
The tiny creature put it on the table in front of her and gave her a hard look before disapparating.
A beautiful brown owl swooped through the window then and dropped a note on Draco's head and swooped out again.
Draco snatched the note and tore it open. His eyes flitted over the page before he stood up again.
"Accio Box," Draco commanded.
A gilded box zoomed from under the bed. Draco tapped out a complicated rhythm on the emeralds, peridots, and beryl.
The lid slid half off and Draco slid the letter into it.
"Draco what is that?" Ginny managed as he slid the lid back on.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself about. I am afraid I cannot say what I need to say to you at this moment. I have been called away on urgent business. I will see you when I get back hopefully.
It had been a month since Draco had left her in that hurried fashion. Surely he would be home soon. She had been serving Lady Malfoy and had become very good friends with her. Lady Malfoy told her of many of the gruesome and abominable acts her husband had committed. Lady Malfoy and Ginny grew very close mostly due to the fact that they were kindred in those months. Both felt completely alone so they sought a friend and found each other.
It was December 26th when Draco showed up at the Malfoy Mansion again.
Ginny was staring out his window watching for him anxiously. She could not believe how worked up she had become over a Malfoy. She did not realize how much she had come to enjoy his colloquy and banter.
A lone figure appeared on the walk. It stumbled hopelessly up the way.
Ginny's heart went out to the hurt thing and she reached over and took the last lit candle in her room and sped out into the darkened corridors of the Malfoy house.
She found the main staircase instantly and quickly undid the wards and stepped out onto the veranda. Her eyes eagerly searched for the person who was haltingly making his way up the path. Her bare feet were soon walking down a snow-strewn path.
Then just in her peripheral vision a shock of pale silvery blonde caught her eyes. Ginny walked toward the prostrate face down form in the snow. The stench of blood assaulted her as she drew closer to the person for she could tell that it was a person now. Her breath caught fast in her throat.
"DRACO!" she sobbed out and dashed to his setting the candle to the side she hauled the boy up into her lap. Blood stained her white cotton peignoir. Ginny gasped at the ghastly sight of his face. His skin was ashen, his eyes were wide, and his hair was horribly disheveled. "Draco..."
Ginny got her arms under him and began dragging him through the snow towards the house. A thick trail of blood tarnished the snow. It was pitch black when she arrived at the long porch.
"LADY MALFOY!" she screamed as loud as she could.
Two house elves appeared before the word Lady was half uttered, "Mistress is sleeping trash girl," they hissed.
"Get her at once!" Ginny barked with a fierceness that startled her at least as much as the elves.
"She sleeping," one snapped back in a low tone.
"I am sure Lady Malfoy would want to be wakened since her son is home and hurt badly."
The elves looked at the bloody near corpse that barely resembled Draco Malfoy anymore that lay in Ginny's arms.
"We will fetch Lady at once," the elder elf said.
The other elf waved his hand at Draco's body and levitated it up and into the house. Draco was levitated to the main living room area where the elf lowered him onto the couch.
The elf disappeared with a crack and returned in the same fashion. The only difference was that it was holding a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth was in it.
Lady Malfoy burst into the room, "My dear son!" she wept falling to her knees by his side. She took his hand and kissed it. "My son."
Ginny gently sponged off his forehead and rinsed the soiled cloth in the bowl and rung the blood out of it and softly ran the cloth over his cheeks. Lady Malfoy carefully began to remove his outer garments and got his shirt off. There was a deep wound in his shoulder which Ginny instantly began to clean out. "Ripple fetch a healing potion from the private storage area at once,"
Narcissa commanded and she smoothed her son's hair back.
Draco moaned softly in his throat.
"Draco wake up baby," his mother's lip trembled a little as she spoke to him.
"Mo-mother," his voice croaked out.
"Here is the potion you requested my Lady," the elf said setting the potion on the stand next to her.
Lady Malfoy grabbed it quickly and uncorked it quickly, "Drink this my son."
Draco opened his lips and both Ginny and Narcissa watched Draco swallow the liquid. Draco's eyes rolled up into his head and his lids shut.
Ginny pushed his hair back and kissed his brow gently. His hand convulsively reached out and snatched her wrist. He moaned again.
Narcissa carefully bandaged her son's shoulder and head. She looked at him with soft eyes. "He will be fine Lady Malfoy," Ginny said putting her free hand on the lady's shoulder.
Narcissa tried futilely to smile, "We are far past formalities Ginevra. Call me Narcissa. I know he will be fine. His father's hatred has brought this upon him."
"There is nothing you could have done to prevent this," Ginny said removing her hand and placing it on Draco's shoulder.
"What if these wounds do not heal? What will we do?" Narcissa said and she had stuffed a few fingers into her mouth to stifle the wail so it would not wake her child.
"La-Narcissa," Ginny started. "If they do not look any better by the morning give me permission to write to a friend. They will be able to help. I am sure of it."
"You have permission. I will go get Draco's eagle owl and some parchment and ink," Mrs. Malfoy said standing and giving Draco's hand another squeeze dashed from the room and returned instants later.
Ginny pried her hand from Draco's grasp and took the offered quill and hastily scribbled her request on the parchment.
"Please listen to me and do not return without a reply," Ginny said as she tied the message to the owl's leg. Narcissa swept to the window and flung it open. The freezing breath of Boreas swept in and extinguished the candles. A bright moon lit the barren land and the owl took off out the window and flew straight in his path.
Draco looked none the better next morning. He had grown even more pallid and his breaths were labored. He was burning hot to the touch.
"Oh Draco," Ginny said and put another chilled cloth on his head to help reduce his temperature even though it did not seem to be doing much good.
Nothing had shown up yet. Ginny, fanning herself, walked to the window and stared hopefully out seeking the sight of the dark owl in the sky.
Nothing. She walked back and took the hand of the helpless boy who lay sick and injured on the sofa. She soothingly pushed his hair back from his face for what felt like the millionth time. Beads of sweat dotted the poor boys forehead.
Ginny put her hand to her forehead and sighed softly, turning to stare out the window again.
"Please hurry," Ginny whispered under her breath before returning her attention to her patient.
Draco's eyes opened a tiny slit and squinted at Ginny but fell shut again.
It was nearing two o'clock in the afternoon when a giant bird with red and gold plumage swept up and landed on the windowsill. It tapped the window. Draco's owl landed next to the pretty bird.
Seeing them Ginny put Draco's hand down and moved swiftly to the window and opened it. Both birds whisked into the room and the owl landed on a perch. The red feathered bird landed next to where Draco's head rested.
"Hello Fawkes, I am glad to see you," Ginny said and she walked forward and stroked the beautiful bird's back.
Fawkes sang a few soft notes before he leaned his head over and a few pearly silver tears trickled down his beak and onto Draco's shoulder wound. There was a small hissing noise and the wound closed. Fawkes did the same thing for the wound on his forehead.
Lady Malfoy was clutching her chest and stood against the far wall at as much of a distance as possible without leaving the room.
"It's alright," Ginny said and smiled warmly at Narcissa and stroked Fawkes feathers again. "Draco will be fine. This is Fawkes. He is a phoenix."
Narcissa took a few slow steps toward the bird but stopped when the bird stared at her.
Fawkes then swept out into the night and flew away.
Draco woke up completely the next day.
Please review if you have something nice to say. I would greatly appreciate it.