A/N: fanfic based on the song Never Again by Nickelback.

Disclaimer: insert usual "I do not own..." phrase here.

/Lyrics/

Italics Dreams

Never Again

Draco Malfoy watched impassively as his mother was led away by a Ministry official. He himself was being questioned my another official, one he used to go to school with.

"Draco, can you tell me what happened here tonight?" Hermione Granger asked, turning Draco's attention back to her with the question.

"What's the difference?"

"Well, if you tell me why your mother did this, we may be able to make a fairer sentence for her." Draco looked up at the girl in front of him.

"You want to know why?" Draco hissed, "Because Lucius Malfoy was an arrogant bastard with control issues."

/He's drunk again, it's time to fight
She must have done something wrong tonight
The living room becomes a boxing ring
It's time to run when you see him
Clenching his hands
She's just a woman
Never Again/

Flashback--

Lucius Malfoy apparated into the dining room of Malfoy Manor. It had been a hard day at the ministry, and Lucius had been drinking since the afternoon. he poured himself a brandy, and stumbled into the den, hoping to relax. Lucius noticed his wife sitting on the couch, her back facing him.

"Narcissa, Dear, what are you doing?" Narcissa turned to look at him, her pale face going even paler.

"Nothing, I was just going to head up to bed." she held her hands behind her and backed away towards the stairs.

"What have you got behind your back?" he asked in a more forceful tone. slowly, Narcissa withdrew a porceline doll from behind her back. Those damn porceline dolls. How Lucius hated them, even more than muggles. The problem was, his wife had them all over her bedroom. "What have I told you about those damn dolls?"

"I'm sorry, Lucius, I didn't mean it, I--"

"I told you I never wanted to see any of those damn dolls in my house!" he balled his hands into fists, the brandy glass shattering in his grip.

"But Lucius, I--" Lucius took a menacing step forward, and ripped the doll from her hands.

"You think you can disobey me, blatantly lie to my face, and talk back to me all in one night!" he thrust the doll against the mantle, shattering it. Narcissa dived for the broken glass, cutting her hand in the process. Lucius grabbed her by the arm, and jerked her backwards. She hit the far wall with a shriek.

/I hear her scream, from down the hall
Amazing she can even talk at all
She cries to me, Go back to bed
I'm terrified that she'll wind up
Dead in his hands, She's just a woman
Never Again /

Draco bolted upright in bed when he heard the loud shriek coming from downstairs. throwing on a robe, he slammed his bedroom door into the wall and ran downstairs. the image unfolding before his eyes was a familiar one, though no less terrifying. his mother was huddled on the floor, crying, when Lucius jerked her upwards.

"Stop that fucking crying!" he smacked her once across the face, hard enough to leave a bruise. Lucius lifted her up by her feet and held her by her neck several inches off the floor. "You're a Malfoy, damn it!"

"Father!" Draco jumped over the banister and pulled his father away, sending him crashing into an old table. "Mother, are you alright?" Draco helped his mother off the floor, and examined her neck and face quikly, which were beginning to bruise.

"Draco..." she coughed through her tears. "Just go back to bed... this is my fault..."

"But mother!"

"Go back to bed Draco!"

"Yes, go back to bed Draco." came a voice from behind him. Draco whirled around and came face to face with his father, who immeditely kciked him in the stomache. Lucius grabbed Draco and Narcissa by the hair and began draging them struggling up the stairs. he got to Draco's room, and threw the youth inside, casting a locking spell on the door.

"Father!" Draco pounded with both fists on the door. "You asshole! open up this door right now!" he continued pounding on the door, as he heard his mother being dragged down the hall, screaming, and he was unable to help.

/Been there before, but not like this
Seen it before, but not like this
Never before have I ever
Seen it this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again/

Draco fell to the floor in a heap, crying, his fists bloody from pounding on the door. eventually, his mothers screaming stopped, and Draco cried himself to sleep. but even in sleep he was unable to get away from his fathers cruelty.

Four year old Draco walked into his Mother's room, and noticed his mommy crying. Draco crawled up on to his mommy's bed.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Narcissa turned her head to look at her little boy.

"What's that spot on your face?"

"Nothing, sweetheart, Mommy just messed up her makeup is all."

"oh... alright..."

Ten year old Draco huddled against the wall. His father was furious; the house elves hadn't cooked the meal Lucius had wanted. Mother had been blamed, again. Father had thrown the dishes at the wall, at Mother, and even at poor, scared, little Draco. Father had then smacked Mother...

"NARCISSA! Would you look at his grades! He can't even beat a mudblood! It's all your fault, you stupid cow! Up until now Malfoys have NEVER failed at anything. I should never have married you." Tears began to pour down eleven year old Draco Malfoy's face. His father's voiced traveled through the walls and into the next room. Draco curled up into a ball when he heard the tone in his father's voice, followed by the flesh-striking-flesh sound that he knew so well.

Draco was woken up by the pounding on his door.

"Get up, you lazy son of a bitch! Your slut of a mother wants you!"

Draco heard the locks of his door clicking open as his father removed the locking spell. Draco pushed himself up from the floor.

/Just tell the nurse, you slipped and fell
It starts to sting as it starts to swell
She looks at you, she wants the truth
It's right out there in the waiting room
With those hands
Lookin just as sweet as he can
Never Again/

Draco sat on a chair in his mother's room. The St. Mungo's nurse began asking a series of questions. Narcissa answered most of the questions truthfully. Except when the nurse asked how she got the bruises around her neck.

"I was choking on a piece of food, and grabbed at my neck."

"But mother..." Draco whispered.

"Hush, Draco." The nurse looked from Draco to Narcissa, skepticism showing clearly on her face. She followed Draco's gaze out to the waiting room where she saw Lucius Malfoy sitting quietly, looking like an angel.

/Seen it before, but not like this
Been there before, but not like this
Never before have I ever
Seen it this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again/

Lucius Malfoy came home drunk again. Minister Fudge had invited Lucius Malfoy out to celebrate the Malfoy's wedding anniversary. Lucius was in a good mood as he stumbled up the stairs. He managed to make it to his wife's room. Without knocking, he entered and crawled into bed with her.

"Narcissa, wake up..." Lucius whispered to his wife. one hand was resting on her hip, his other hand stroking his wifes blonde locks. Narcissa rolled over, and groggily looked up at her husband.

"What is it now, Lucius?" she asked, sighing. Lucius leaned over and kissed her lightly.

"Lets spend the night together. we haven't had a night alone since Draco was born." Narcissa rolled back over in bed.

"I'm not in the mood. go to bed Lucius, you're drunk." at these words, Lucius lost his playful demeanor, and rage took its place.

"How dare you!" Narcissa's eyes widened as she realized what she had said. she immediately sat up in bed, and looked at her husband.

"Lucius, I didn't--"

"How dare you try to tell me what to do in my own house!" he clenched his fists, and swung at Narcissa, sending her flying off the bed. she held her face, sliding across the floor, backing away form her angry husband.

"Lucius, Please!" she made it to the door way, and continued backing away, into the hallway. "let me explain, I was still asleep--"

"Never tell me what to do in my own house!" Lucius screamed at her, and Draco rushed into the hallway to see what was the the matter.

"Mother!"

"Go, Draco, just go." she backed away a little more. Draco stood transfixed, his own fists clenching at the sight.

/Father's a name you haven't earned yet
You're just a child with a temper
Haven't you heard "Don't hit a lady"?
Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure/

"STOP IT!" Draco's scream echoed throughout the entire manor. Lucius had his hand mid-air, ready to strike, but he stopped and glared at his son.

"What did you just say?"

"I said stop it, you asshole." Lucius growled at the name, standing up straight and faced his son. "She's only a woman, she's never done anything wrong to you. her only crime is that she married a man who has a drinking problem, control issues, and a short temper."

"You little son of a bitch, I'm gonna beat the--" a thought struck Lucius then. if he beat the hell out of his son, it would hurt, but Draco went to school, and surely someone would notice. but if he beat the hell out of Narcissa, whom Draco loved more than life itself... Lucius pulled out his wand, and quickly cast a binding spell on Draco, and then turned on his wife.

"What are you doing!" Draco shouted as he struggled against his invisible bonds. Lucius pointed the wand at his wife and glared at his son.

"Why, Draco, don't you know? I'm punishing you." he looked at Narcissa, an evil glint in his eye. "Crucio." Narcissa struggled at writhed at the pain that was being inflicted, screaming with every breath she took.

As he watched the scene, Draco died on the inside.

/He's drunk again, it's time to fight
Same old shit, just on a different night
She grabs the gun, she's had enough
Tonight she'll find out how fucking
Tough is this man
Pulls the trigger just as fast as she can
Never Again/

Draco watched his mother as she rocked in a rocking chair, both arms wrapped around a porceline doll. this doll was different than the others. it resembled Draco as a small child. they botho knew that the doll would get them in trouble with Lucius, but neither of them cared. they were ready this time.

Lucius apparated into the middle of the living room, and spotted Narcissa with the doll.

"Narcissa... What have I told you--" Lucius stopped mid-sentence as he noticed that narcissa had pulled out a strange looking piece of metal. "What is that?"

"A gun." replied Draco, and stood up from his place on the steps. "marvelous invention, really. its a weapon that muggles use to kill each other with, much like wizards and the killing curse." he glanced at his father, who was silent. "its amazing what you learn when you go to school with a bunch of mudbloods."

"What are you planning on doing?" Lucius asked, not moving from his spot.

"We just wanted to have a little chat with you." Draco placed a hand on his mothers shoulder. "Me and mom are leaving. you aren't going to do anything about it." Lucius clenched his teeth.

"You honestly think that I am just going to let you walk out of here?" he balled his fists. "Over my dead body!"

"Actually, if you try to stop us, thats what we had planned." Lucius lunged at his smirking son, and pinned him to the ground. his hands found their way around Draco's neck, and he squeezed. he forgot all about Narcissa and the gun until he felt a sharp pain burning its way into his back. as he fell to the side, Draco saw his mother standing over his father, the gun held out in her hands as she emptied the chamber into the body. she continued pulling the trigger long after it was empty. Draco stood up and pulled the gun away from her gently.

"Mom, its alright. its over." Narcissa collapsed on the floor along with Draco, and buried her face as she cried. Draco looked over at the body of his father, the blood pooling around his body. They were finally free.

/Seen it before, but not like this
Been there before, but not like this
Never before have I ever
Seen it this bad
She's just a woman
Never Again/

They were finally free from Lucius' cruelty.

For the first time in his life, Draco felt safe in his own house.