AN: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling

21st September 1997

Ginny Weasley staggered as she shuffled through the long corridor. Every step was agony. All she wanted to do was to curl up somewhere and die. The Carrows had taken extra pleasure in torturing her. They had hung her with the chains, tying her hands above her head and then had repeatedly lowered her in a tanker of water. Submerging her till she struggled for breath before taking her out. Then they had placed a stronger version of the freezing charm on her. She thought she would die of the pain then and there but she did not scream. And they had used the Cruciatus on her; that was when Ginny screamed as several hot knives dug into her flesh. They did not stop. When they finally let her go, Ginny did not know the direction to the Gryffindor tower.

She did not know where her feet were carrying her because in her mind she was 11 again and talking to Tom and Tom was telling her that Harry would never notice her. She was just a silly, little girl and he was the boy-who-lived. He would never fall for someone as poor and simple as her. Tom had then offered her to be great. He had promised her that he would tell her the secret to be just as great as Harry if she did him a favour. Trapped in the body of a sixteen year old Ginny Weasley was an eleven year old girl, dreaming about being great and beautiful, someone worthy of the hero who conquered You-know-Who.

Ginny's feet hit the bottom stair of the staircase leading out of the dungeons. She fell, hitting her head heavily on the banister. This brought Ginny back to her reality but even then she wasn't able to think clearly. She had to return to someplace, but where? There was someone who was supposed to come for her, but who? What was she doing down in the dungeons anyway? Why couldn't she remember anything? Panicking she checked her pockets, there was no diary. No, Harry had killed Tom years ago. How many years ago was that? Where was Harry, wasn't he supposed to sneak out and meet her near the broom closet on the third floor? Now she remembered, she had to go there. He must be waiting for her. Ginny tried to get up, but it was too difficult. She gasped in pain as she fell back again, so she crawled up the stairs. Someone was staring at her from the top of the steps but she couldn't see clearly. What was wrong with her eyes? She kept crawling up nevertheless and had reached the top step when a hand shot out and pulled her to her feet. She almost fell back but she held on to this mystery person's hand to steady herself.

She wanted to thank him but she didn't know how to say it out loud. She panicked. She didn't know how to speak. She looked at the mystery person with alarm, gripping his arm, how did people speak? The mystery person freed his arm from her grip, she tried to hold on but he moved away and she didn't have the strength to chase after him.

Draco Malfoy stared at the broken form of the once beautiful Ginny Weasley. He had to marvel at the girl's determination. She was crawling up the stairs to get away from that hell hole. Had it been him, he would have just crumpled at the lower step and waited for his death. He watched as her bloody and broken body crawled up. He wanted to help her but was afraid that someone would see him. If the Carrows saw him they would surely report him and the Dark Lord would not spare his parents. But as she reached the top step and her features became clearer, Draco's hand shot out to help her. He just couldn't let her crawl all the way to her common room.

She looked at him with panic evident in those unseeing eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something but she couldn't find the right words to say it. Draco's eyes widened, he knew that emotion. He knew that feeling. With the panic in her eyes, he was taken back to the night Dumbledore had died. Bellatrix had locked the two of them in the ballroom of Malfoy Manor on returning home and had tortured him thoroughly. At some point his mind was so exhausted from the attacks that he had forgotten how to say the words. He only remembered the silent pleas he sent her through his eyes and his screams as she laughed at his pain. It had taken his body and mind two months to recover but he still had the scars. He felt her grip tighten on his arm, he knew what she was going through and he recoiled. Gently he pried his arm free from her feeble grip and took a step to the side. "I am sorry." He whispered.

Ginny heard his whispered apology. The voice sounded so familiar, Harry? She tried saying his name out loud but all she could manage was grunt. And then she remembered she had to go to the third floor-no- fifth floor. She had to go somewhere, so she shuffled forward. And that's when she saw him; Harry. He smiled at her as he walked towards her; he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he leant his face in as if to kiss her. "Wake up, Ginny." He whispered. "Wake up. You need to snap out of it. It's not safe. You are in danger. Snap out of it Ginny." He kissed her, his arms snaking around her waist, but it felt wrong. This was not how Harry touched her. His kisses were never so rough or degrading, nor did he ever hold her like he was restraining her. His words came back to her. He had asked her to wake up, those words kept echoing in his mind when everything suddenly came back. Harry was not here, he was on the run. The man kissing her was not Harry, she struggled to open her eyes but it was as if they were glued together. She struggled against this person who was holding her, squirming in his arms, trying to push him away with whatever little energy she had, she clawed at him. It looked like she had hit her mark as the man swore, loosening his grip on her. She stumbled back and started walking away as quickly as she could. She was begging her eyes to open but they just wouldn't, she knew this was the blinding hex. She did not have the strength to draw out her wand and cast the counter curse. It would waste time and she had to get away from that monster.

Someone grabbed her from her waist and shoved her hard against the wall. Her head banged on the wall, and she could see a million spots behind her closed eyelids. "Oh no, you don't Weasley!" A low soft voice threatened in her ear. Crabbe. "You thought you could get away from me? I wouldn't let that happen Weasley, not till you learn your lesson. You should know Weasley, in the current scenario a blood traitor is as bad as a mudblood and a blood traitor must never attack a proper pureblood. It's time for you to learn your place in our world. And that would be under me, till you submit." With that he hauled her off the wall and dragged her through the corridor. "No!" she whispered hoarsely. Why weren't her senses working properly? She needed to raise an alarm. Ask for help. She wouldn't let Crabbe rape her. She tried screaming again but no voice came out. Crabbe laughed softly, "I wouldn't repeat my last mistake, now would I?" He said as she heard him open a door, she knew she was doomed.

He pushed her in roughly, Ginny staggered and fell on her knees. "Very good, Weasley. You already know your position don't you? But then being Potter's bitch, you must have learnt something." Her eyes stung, experimentally she tried to open her eyes and found that she could open her eyes but everything was blurry. She blinked a few times when Crabbe grabbed her hair and pulled her head behind. Ginny kept her face devoid of all emotion. She would not let Crabbe break her. If he rapes her, then he rapes her. She would fight him with all her might and make sure to castrate him as soon as she got her energy back. But tonight will never taint her. She would never let him break her.

Crabbe had bent low to stare at her. "Even for a blood traitor, you are quite pretty Weasley. I would enjoy fucking you tonight. Don't worry, I have silenced the room, you will get your voice back. I would love to hear you scream." Ginny butted her head in his nose, Crabbe staggered back; she kicked his shin, making him lose his balance before scrambling out of his grip. She stood up hastily on her unsteady legs and twisted her ankle. She gasped in pain as she heard the clear snap declaring that she had broken her ankle. She cursed and tried to crawl away from Crabbe, who grabbed her broken ankle. Ginny screamed in pain as he twisted her broken ankle. "Yes Weasley. That's exactly how I want you to scream." Crabbe said pulling her to a seating position her hair. He waved his wand and handcuffed her wrists to a nearby desk as well as chained her legs with a nearby chair.

He unzipped his trousers pulling out his penis and tried to force it in her mouth. Ginny clamped her mouth shut. She won't go down without a fight. Crabbe laughed before pulling the chains on her feet and tightening the ring on her broken ankle. Ginny inhaled sharply in pain but forced herself to keep her mouth shut. Crabbe applied more pressure, this time a gasp escaped her and Crabbe fell on her broken ankle, knocked out cold. Blaise Zabini stood at the door with his wand stretched out in front of him; his handsome faced marred with pure hate and anger. Ginny watched warily as Zabini stepped inside the room and kicked Crabbe's body aside, as he vanished the cuffs and the chains.

Ginny did not make a move to stand up. But she stealthily moved her hand inside her pocket to her wand. "Are you hurt?" Zabini asked hoarsely. Ginny said nothing, just stared at him defiantly. Zabini sighed. "Look, I am not going to hurt you or harm you in anyway. You might think I am evil but I would never rape someone." He said, spitting out the word rape in disgust. "He will wake up soon. So, tell me. Are you hurt? Can you stand?" Ginny stared at him before shaking her head. "Broke my ankle." She said in a strangled whisper. Zabini nodded and tapped his wand on her ankle. Bandages covered her ankle. "This should keep it in place, till we reach Madam Pomfrey. Now try standing up." Ginny tried to stand up, but she couldn't. Pain shot from her ankle to her spinal cord, she gasped falling back but Zabini caught her. Without a word he pulled her to his chest, cast a disillusionment charm on both of them and lifted her up. Ginny couldn't see Zabini, but she knew she could trust him. He carried her with utmost care to the hospital wing.

AN: Please do read and review. This fic has been my most ignored fic till date and has a lot of potential. It is in some ways the base of a lot of future fics and moments in my other fics namely Welcome Home Harry and couple of other fics that I am currently working on and will publish once I finish Until the last breath.

That being said. Please do read and review. Happy Reading.

Love
The Fishes