Ginny was lying unconscious on the stone table in the center of the room. She was cut and bruised and blood stained her Yule Ball gown. Tears ran steady along the fabric from where she had been assaulted. Lucius circled her slowly, hungry eyes raked over her scantily clad and lean body.
'This should be fun.' He laughed, taking out his wand and aiming it at her.
'Crucio!' The curse rang through the thick air, making Draco scream out for her.
'No!' He threw himself against his chains.
Ginny was writhing and screaming in pain. Laughter, evil and malicious, pierced Draco's mind as he watched. There were about forty deatheaters in the room, a rather small gathering, but enough to intimidate. They all had power and hunger in their stares, cackling wickedly as Ginny suffered.
He wanted it all to end; the pain she was going through was unbearable for him to watch. Once again, Lucius removed the curse and Ginny remained shaking fiercely on the table. Draco took note that his father had stripped himself of his robe and was now standing in only a dress shirt and pants, wand at the ready. The other deatheaters had followed suit and the floor was now an ocean of black fabric.
Part of him wished he had listened to Blaise's warning and left Ginny; but he hadn't wanted to hurt her. Now here they were, prisoners of Draco's father and she was hurting more than she would've if he had just heeded Blaise's advice. He cursed Blaise for knowing. He cursed Pansy for being jealous. He cursed his father for doing all of this, for hurting Ginny, for taking what was Draco's and violating it. But most of all he cursed himself as he watched Ginny suffer. He knew just as well as Blaise had that if his father found out, he and Ginny would both be in unimaginable danger.
A bloodcurdling scream sliced through his thoughts and he leveled his gaze on Ginny again.
There was a large man ferociously molesting her, one of his colossal hands fumbled with her gown, trying desperately to free her from it, while the other roamed her body mercilessly.
To the man's benefit, the dress slid from her torso, revealing her crimson bra. The man reached into his pocket and removed a small dagger.
'Leave her alone!' Draco scrambled to free himself, making the rusted chains dig into his wrists.
The dagger gleamed at him, reflecting the same laughter that rang through his ears. Fabric could be heard ripping as the blade sliced through the middle of the lingerie, opening it to unveil her breasts.
'Not enjoying the show, Draco?' Lucius sneered, moving toward his son. He raised his fist to strike when a sudden SNAP! was heard.
Ginny's head was tossed to the side, her dirty hair falling into her face, and her body completely stilled. The burly man was now on top of her, grinning madly at his work.
'What did you do? You bastard! What did you do?! Ginny!' Draco cried, gathering the last bit of his energy and flinging himself against his manacles. Blood only ran from his wrists, staining his arms.
'I love you, Ginny.' He whispered, letting tears fall.
'Draco...'
He looked up. The room had frozen in place.
'Draco...'
Ginny was still motionless.
'Ginny.'
'Draco!'
This time the call was more desperate.
'Ginny, where are you?'
'Draco! Come back to me.'
She was crying. Scared.
'Ginny... I'm so sorry.'
'Draco please! Come back.'
He looked back up at her. She was lying completely still.
'Draco!'
This was impossible. He was hearing things. She was deathly still underneath the heavily built man. No one in the room was moving except for him. His father was stationary, fist still raised, smirk present on his face.
'Draco!'
What was going on? He was hallucinating. Ginny was placid on the stone table; where was the voice coming from.
'Draco!'
He jolted.
'Ginny, where are you?'
He jolted again.
'Draco!'
She was so close.
'Draco! Please...'
Draco's eyes shot open. There, in front of him, sat Ginny. She was crying and holding his hand tightly. He had been dreaming.
"Ginny." He took her in his arms and held her.
"You were calling me. You were shaking and covered in sweat. I was scared. What happened, Draco?"
It had all been a dream.
"A nightmare."
She pulled back.
"About what?"
Draco sighed and brushed his thumb along her cheek, catching stray tears. Ginny leaned into his hand, wanting him to hold her.
"You're in so much danger, Ginny. I can't let it happen to you. You have to leave, we can't do this."
"What?"
She was horrorstruck.
"Ginny, when my father was controlling my thoughts... that's what's going to happen. They'll find out. They'll find you. You're safer without me. I can't be selfish and put you in that kind of danger. I won't do it; I refuse."
He made to stand, but Ginny grabbed his wrist and he sat back down.
"I'm not leaving, Draco. We knew this would happen, we knew. I don't want to just--"
"Ginny..."
"No, let me finish. I don't want to just end it. We both still want it. I'm not going anywhere."
Draco took a minute to examine her. Soft, loose red curls flowed to her shoulders, slightly disheveled from sleep. Her makeup from the night before had smeared from the crying she had been doing when he was pulled from his nightmare. She was still dressed in the gown. The gown that he had just seen torn and stained with blood. Her blood. The gown that he had just watched deatheaters tear at, moving their rough hands along her delicate skin, the skin that only he was allowed to touch.
She was in so much danger.
He wanted to protect her. This had to end or she would get hurt. Even killed. He knew he'd never be able to live with himself if anything ever happened to her because of him. He couldn't do it.
"Gin, we can't. You have to listen to me. You're in jeopardy. Go."
He dropped his hold on her hand.
"No. Draco, you can't mean this..."
"Go."
His voice was cold and cruel, stabbing at her like a thousand knives. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and choked on her words, stumbling for pleas.
"But I love you... you love me."
"Get out!" He yelled, making her jump. The tears broke free from behind her eyes and she stood up. She just stood there, looking at him and wondering if he meant this; he couldn't mean it.
"I don't want you to be afraid, Ginny. I'm going to protect you in every way possible; my father won't touch you. None of those filthy men will."
His tone had been loving and gentle, opposite of what it was now.
"I want you to know how much I love you."
She thought she had known; but then he showed her and she had never felt so much happiness in her entire life.
Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek, a tear falling onto his face. He pulled away, refusing to look at her.
"Oh. I know we said we would wait for later to exchange presents... but I had to give this to you."
Draco handed her an unwrapped silver velvet box with a green bow on top. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next.
There, glistening up at her, was the platinum chain she had been gazing at in Madam Malkin's. Draco's ring was dangling from it.
"I love you, Draco." She turned and walked to the door.
Tears filled her eyes as she removed it from the box.
"Draco... it's so perfect." She breathed. He had smiled and kissed her before taking the necklace from her and placing it around her neck.
"I always will."
The door clicked shut.
Draco looked up and saw emptiness. That's all he felt. It was for her sake; he had to save her from that horrible fate. He loved her more than anything else in the world, but he had to do this.
Ginny walked out of Draco's room, her vision blurred from the tears, and slid down against the wall.
How could he do this to her? Last night she had given herself to him, he told her he loved her, he said he'd do anything to protect her. How could he?
"I don't want you to leave me, Gin. But I understand if you can't be with me. It's only fair for you to be safe."
She looked up at his soft grey eyes and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"I'm not going anywhere. I love you."
Draco looked as if he was about to cry. He slid his hands across her back and held her tighter to him.
"I will give my life to protect you, Gin. I love you so much."
Sobs began to creep up on her and she buried her face in her hands.
"Well well well, what do we have here? A sad little Weasley girl." A sharp voice drawled from the shadows.
Ginny's head instantly shot up and she rubbed her eyes.
"W-who's there?"
A dark figure stepped out from the shadows and Ginny's worst fears quickly became a reality. The black hood dropped from the top and she was soon staring at Lucius Malfoy.
"Now what would a Weasley be doing in such an exquisite gown, one that she surely could not afford herself, outside of my son's Head Boy room?"
Ginny stood and pressed herself against the cold stone wall behind her. Lucius strode over to her and looked her up and down.
"I must say that it compliments you very well, my dear."
A chilling finger ran down the length of her cheek, then her neck, and down to her chest.
"Don't touch me." She snapped.
"So you're Draco's little whore that he's been hiding from me." He grabbed hold of her chin roughly and forced her to look at him.
"My my, we're feisty. It would do you well to learn respect for me. I can show you darkness like you've never known." His face was dangerously close to hers and she could smell Firewhiskey on his breath.
"Funny you think I don't know darkness when you're the one that gave me Tom Riddle's diary when I was but a mere child." She retorted.
Lucius chuckled and held her tighter against the wall.
"Have you no fear of what peril you're in, you foolish girl? Draco's powerless against me. He won't be able to save you when you scream, writhing in the clutches of the deatheaters."
Ginny paled and realization dawned on her, she was completely helpless.
"That's right. Hundreds of deatheater men, hungry for fresh young flesh. And you, their target, at the mercy of them. You brought my son to fight the inevitable and for this you will pay. Draco can't help you; as a matter of fact, he'll be there watching you suffer, watching that undefiled body of yours be seized, ravished by those superior to him."
He let out a low laugh and Ginny felt like screaming for help. But as soon as she gathered her courage, they disappeared with a POP!
The Great Hall was back to its normal appearance as students began filing in for dinner. Draco took his seat at the Slytherin table between Pansy and Blaise, who were pleased with Draco's earlier decision. Students talked and laughed, but Draco could do nothing but stare at his food, pushing it around lazily with his fork.
"Looks like the little Weasley didn't take too kindly your news this morning, Draco." Blaise smirked, drawing Draco's attention to the Gryffindor table.
Ginny wasn't there.
He noted that Potter was glaring at him and Granger had a worried expression on her face.
"I had to do it. I didn't want to."
Blaise nodded.
"She's a Weasley, Draco. And a Gryffindor. Your father's enemy's only daughter. She makes an easy target for both you and the Senior Weasley. It's bad to mess with fire if you're from a world of ice."
Blaise was wrong. It was love. They had loved each other. They still did. He had to do this to save her. The only thing Blaise had been right about was the danger that Ginny was in and what his father would do to put an end to his happiness. He had defied these past few months what he was destined to become since he was born, and for that he would pay.
Ginny would pay.
"It's for the best, Draco." Pansy offered, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her off.
"Besides, now you and I can spend more time together."
Draco rolled his eyes and turned toward her.
"It was not out of my free will, Parkinson. I love her, she taught me that there is such a thing as a life without darkness. I had to save her from the risk she was at."
Pansy sneered and moved closer to Draco.
"You mean the risk she's still in, don't you, Draco? You know she's still not safe."
"I'm going to my room." He announced, storming out of the Great Hall.
"Malfoy!" A voice called from behind him.
He kept walking.
"Malfoy!" It persisted.
Draco stopped and turned to face Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"What do you want now, Potter? Come to tell me that you win?"
"Where is she?" Ron demanded.
"Where is who, exactly?"
"My sister, you bloody bastard! Where's Ginny?"
Draco's thoughts halted and he just stared at them.
"What do you mean, where is she? I haven't seen her since this morning when I told her that it's over."
Ron looked dumbstruck and Hermione bit nervously at her bottom lip.
"Don't play games, Malfoy. We know you know where she is. Probably still in your bed." Harry scoffed.
Draco lunged at him and pinned him to the ground.
"Don't you ever, ever speak of her like that again, Potter. I don't have any bloody idea where she is. She was upset when she left my room this morning and I haven't seen or heard anything of her since."
"Then where could she be?" Hermione asked softly.
Draco lifted himself off of Harry and adjusted his robes.
"I don't know, Granger. But I had nothing to do with it. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to my room." He turned on his heel and walked off in the direction of the dungeons.
"Puffapod." Draco growled at the entrance to his dorm. He walked through his study and into his bed chamber, gasping at the site before him.
Candles were strewn across the floor, his bed sheets were torn, and glass was shattered everywhere.
"What in hell's name... Ginny!" He hurried across an overturned table and made his way to his bedside table that had a glass dome where a scene was playing before him.
Ginny was sitting up against a wall, hugging her knees tightly when Lucius stepped into the picture. He slapped her and Draco could feel a burn on his cheek.
Removing his eyes from the dome, he noticed a note that had fallen from the table.
Draco-
I told you that you could not hide her forever, however I did not think it would be so easy to find her. I never in my wildest thoughts would have imagined that you would lower yourself to a common whore, much less a Weasley. We're at the Manor. Your presence is expected soon if you don't want her suffering to be in vain.
-Lucius
"Shit." He yelled, throwing the globe across the room.
He made his way over more obstacles and stepped into his fireplace.
"Malfoy Manor!" He bellowed.
A/N: I know, I know! It's about time, right? I had writer's block, then school started and I had to get acclimated to my new schedule. Sorry it took me so long. I don't know when I'll be able to write again, hopefully soon. I just need to find out where I want the story to go and how much longer I want it to take. Thank you all for dealing with my horrible lack-of-updates. Review please! Love you all. xxxx Nicole