Author: RavenEcho
Summary: Ginny hurts. And no one knows. It's not easy being a number. Her number is zero, because that's how many people understand her…probably a Draco/Ginny waiting to happen. Some Ginny/Remus.
Disclaimer: If I owned this stuff, would I really be on this computer typing away right now? No… I would be eating some rich-people-food in my gigantic English manor…
Touch Me
WARNING: This chapter contains some graphic and dark content.
Chapter 14: A Secret Meeting: Part 2
Draco found himself listening in awe as Remus carefully told Ginny's story in his gentle voice. This girl had gone through more than he had earlier realized. It had begun as a child, always ignored by her older brothers and overlooked by her parents in the constant chaos of the Weasley lifestyle. Remus thought that Ginny's childhood might have given her self-esteem issues. Then in her first year of Hogwarts, there had been the tragedy of the Chamber of Secrets and the diary.
During this tale, Remus' voice grew tight as he spoke of Tom. "Tom Riddle controlled her quite nicely," he said grimly. "Ginny's never told me the whole story, just bits and pieces. What I know, I've gathered from long though, unfinished sentences, overheard nightmares. Even though in front of Dumbledore Ginny let it look like the one time she saw Tom was in the Chamber the night Harry rescued her, I don't believe it. I'm not that stupid. In fact, I'm almost positive that they met many times before that final night. And I think that they," Remus swallowed, stumbling over his next words, "did things. Awful things." He began to speak faster, his words falling out in a hardly understandable jumble. "He raped her, Draco. Many times. Brutally, too, and over and over again until she stopped crying. And he would make her do things. He would force her to take him in her mouth, and she had to let him to anything he wanted to her. He would shove his whole fist inside her, or stick knives inside of her, or he would stick her own wand in her and cast the Cruciatius Curse. He beat her and cut her with knives and burned her with spells." Remus paused, shuddering. "And the worst part is, he insulted her all along, calling her ugly and worthless. I just don't know how she survived it. I know it's affected her deeply, more so than many people know. She already had problems with self-esteem, and that about shot it down to zero. After that, it was pretty much downhill. She was just so insecure. She became entirely absorbed with her classes, much like Hermione, except that no one noticed Ginny's high scores, not even Dumbledore. Her insecurity caused her to develop multiple eating disorders, and she started cutting herself. I'm surprised she hasn't had success in killing herself- not for lack of trying though. And as she got older, it got worse and worse as no one realized and no one cared enough to notice. Then, there was last summer. Ginny was sent to stay with me; her parents didn't think that she would be safe at the Burrow." At this moment, Remus stopped his monotone story and turned towards Draco.
The blond Slytherin immediately rolled his sleeve up with a sigh, showing his bare skin. Remus nodded. "Didn't think so."
Draco gave a small half-smile. "At least someone has confidence."
Remus nodded, returning Draco's facial expression. Then he continued his story. "We were to stay at Sirius' old house in Grimmauld Place; it's the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. We were the only ones living there, though sometimes members of the Order would drop by. Other than that, we were the only human contact either of us had. Before, it had always been Harry that I was closest too, because he was my best friend's son, and it seemed he was the center of life for so many other people. But over simple domestic tasks, Ginny and I slowly bonded. At first, there was nothing there. The polite little courtesies, yes, but she was shut down, and not about to open up to me. That lasted until the first full moon. I didn't take any Wolfsbane Potion. Snape, who usually brews it for me, was gone on a mission. Ginny had to go back to the Burrow for a night so that I could transform. The next morning, she came back and found me in the room, with the door still bolted shut and me tied up in silver chains. You know what silver does to a werewolf: pretty much renders us helpless. I think that that was the first time that she realized what I had gone through. It broke down the barriers. From there, it all escalated. Until the kiss. It was pretty sudden; Ginny is so much younger than I am, and I don't really have a death wish, and while the feelings were there, I ignored them. Until one day I just kissed her, while we were washing dishes. We did the dishes the muggle way; Ginny always insisted on it. Ginny had soap on her nose, and her hair was pulled back in a cute little ponytail, and I don't know what came over me, I just did it. And she kissed back. After that, it was only a matter of time before we were having sex. I had to take it kind of slow, considering all she's dealt with. I knew that we weren't in love, but I also knew that she needed a friend to help her heal. And since I was the only one that understood that pain, I was the only one that could help her through. So I did. That's all it ever was. We were just friends, and it was just sex." Remus let out a breath as he looked at Draco, who had a studious expression on his face. "That's it. There's the story told in full."
Draco nodded, seeming to be in shock. "I just had no idea it went so far back," he finally said. "I knew it began earlier than this, but this is not just a few years' problem. This is a lifetime."
Remus' face twitched in acknowledgement. "Yes. It's gone on longer than anyone knows, except for me, and you, and Ginny."
"That's what I came here for tonight, you know," Draco said quietly. "I have to know how to help her, how to get through to her like you did. Because at first I thought I had it all under control, but now it's spiraling out of my grasp, and I don't know how to get it back in hand. She's cutting again, she's losing weight by day, she's not talking to anyone. She's going down the same path that I imagine my sister Angela went down, and I'm not going to see that happen all over again. You have to help me, Remus."
Remus sighed. "I'll try my best."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Still not that long, but I think I more than make up for it in that fast update! I don't know that I'll be able to get the next chapter up quite as soon, but it should be within a week from today. Just drop a review or an email if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.
REVIEW RESPONSES: I know I posted this chapter really early, so I'm blaming my low number of reviews on that. But come on guys, please, pretty please, review my story! If you're a writer, you know how uplifting it is!
Thanks to: EternalEcho, my sole reviewer for Chapter 13, who also happens to be my best friend.