Unofficial Portkey Archive

A Backwards Fairytale

Chapter 1: And They All Lived...

an_enchanting_riddle

Disclaimer: None of the names/places/situation/quotes that you may recognize are not mine but are more than likely JK Rowling's, so just assume that that's the case unless I tell you otherwise. I am right now worth a whopping $2.34, so if you would like to sue me - go for it! But I'm warning you, it won't even buy you a gallon of gas.

Summary: Fairytales are supposed to be lovely stories told to children at bedtime, where handsome, valiant knights rescue their damsels in distress. For Ginny Weasley, her fairytale life ended up a twisted, even backwards version of that - so backwards that it may not end how she wants it to. And with Draco Malfoy attempting to be a knight in shining armor who `rescues' her from the perfect life she'd always wanted and takes her to a life more properly found in her nightmares, how could it? But we all know that any good fairytale starts with a fiery redhead and an angry ferret.

A/N: This fic is very different from the others I have previously written in the way that Draco is not out of character, Ginny is not naïve and nothing is sugar coated. I won't jump into love scenes or mushy thoughts like I have before - everything will be gradual and more realistic in the sense that relationships will be developed slowly and it will take time for people to change - family rivalries will not be forgotten easily. You get the drift. This doesn't mean that it's going to be a slow story that you have to force yourself to stay awake for until the last third of the story - trust me, there will be plenty of action, betrayal, love, lust, hate, and witty comments to keep you going - it will just be more tastefully done. If you don't like that kind of story, this story probably isn't for you - but if you're willing to give it a try, I think you'll find that it's a more enjoyable read than my other candy-coated stories.

Anyway, I'm very nervous about this fan fiction and how you will like it. Obviously, if there is anything you want me to change, make a suggestion - I do take the time to read them and hopefully change what I can. So here's your story!

Chapter One: And They All Lived…

"To play safe is not to play." - Robert Altmack

As nineteen-year-old Ginny Weasley settled into bed, ready for a night of good rest on the night of October 22nd, she would never have guessed that she would end up dreaming about Draco Malfoy - she hadn't even seen him since he'd graduated. But nevertheless, there he was in her dream - actually, it was more of a nightmare. Exactly three years ago, Ginny had made a life-threatening decision to follow her brother and his two friends into the forbidden forest, chasing danger and chancing her life.

"Hermione, we have to go right this instant! We'll miss him if we wait much longer and you now the consequences of that!" A seventeen-year-old Harry Potter urged one of his best friends (not to mention love interest) from the entrance to the dark Gryffindor common room.

"Harry, I'm hurrying - really, I am. It's just that I can't find the spell anywhere and even if we make it in time to stop them, without the spell, we're dead and so is the rest of the wizarding community. It would really go a lot quicker if you wouldn't rush me," Hermione Granger said from the fireplace, where she was flipping through a dusty old book, looking for a spell that may help their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher recover from and be able to fight back against Voldemort and his use of the Imperius Curse over her.

"What I don't understand is why we don't just tell Dumbledore. Don't you think that he could handle it better than us?" Ron Weasley, Ginny's brother asked. "He knows loads of odd spells - I'm sure he would know this one too. But no, we keep risking our lives and getting nothing in return. After all, we still haven't defeated You-Know-Who after six years of trying."

"Ron, don't pout!" Hermione said, still zealously paging through the enormous book before her.

"Ron, you know we've done well for the community. Sure, we haven't been rewarded exactly, but think about how many times we've won the house cup because of our escapades. Lately, he's been striking as many as three times a year instead of just once and every time, we've saved at least one life directly - many more would have died if we didn't keep fighting him off," Harry explained rationally, tapping his foot impatiently.

This statement seemed to keep Ron quiet, making him remember when his own baby sister had been saved from Voldemort himself in her second year. Not only had Ginny's life been spared by Harry, Ron and Hermione, but also Sirius' (though not for long), Buckbeak, Dobby, and many more.

"I've found it!" The brown-haired girl cried ecstatically, crouching low over the pages and scanning it for the proper directions on how to use the spell. Within two minutes, Hermione had scanned the whole section dealing with Imperius counter-curses. "Let's go, then."

Neither of the boys needed to know what the incantation was or how it would be used. It was already pre-determined that Hermione would be the one to actually use the spell - she was after all the brightest witch in their class.

Within seconds, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already underneath the invisibility cloak, ready to charge into the forest and face whatever dangers may lie ahead of them. With that magic cloak, the three of them could sneak anywhere without being noticed.

But there was another who could go unnoticed and she didn't need an invisibility cloak for that. Ginny Weasley was lurking on the staircase that leads to the dormitories, hoping to get in on the action. She knew Ron would never let her come on a journey like that willingly, not after what they had encountered in her fourth year. It's not that he didn't trust that she could hold her own - he was just too protective of her, especially after the Chamber of Secrets incident.

Without making a noise, Ginny crept through the common room and out of the portrait hole. She couldn't see them with the invisibility cloak on of course, but she knew where they were headed and she knew that they couldn't possibly run through the Forbidden Forest with a heavy cloak on. Ginny thanked her lucky stars that Harry hadn't had the Marauder's Map with him when they left or they would have already spotted her and made her go home.

The redheaded girl was in such a rush to get to the Forbidden Forest that she clumsily ran into a potted plant on her way through the hallway containing the Prefect's Bathroom, causing an extremely loud noise to echo through the hallway.

Little did she know that Draco Malfoy, who was on his way to the bathroom, had heard the commotion and stopped in the shadows to see who could possibly be making such a racket so late at night. A huge smirk crossed his face when he saw that it was the youngest Weasley. He was just about to mock her for being such a klutz when he realized that she was in a hurry to get somewhere - probably somewhere out of bounds. Of course, this was too good to pass up - so he followed.

Draco followed Ginny for quite some time before he realized where she was leading him to. The only place he was actually afraid of was the Forbidden Forest, so naturally, this had to be where she was going. He would have stopped and turned back if he didn't feel so curious as to why the youngest Weasley would be wandering into the forest so late at night and in such a hurry, so he gritted his teeth and walked on.

Once outside of the castle, Ginny knew she would have to hide herself much better because there weren't any corners to hide behind, so she resigned to running along the walls of the castle - staying hidden in the shadows. The night air was cool but refreshing compared to the stuffy castle.

All five of the teenagers were nearing the edge of the Forbidden Forest when Ginny and Draco saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione reappear before their eyes and begin struggling to make their way through the forest brush.

`So that's what she's doing,' Draco thought to himself, `She's going after Potter, Weasel, and Mudblood - more specifically, Potter, in more ways than one.' The blonde smirked again. He could tell that this was going to be a good show. Quietly, he kept following her, hoping that she was keeping good track of the Dream Team - he wasn't about to get lost with nothing but Weaselette to keep him company.

Distracted, Draco accidentally stepped on a very brittle twig, causing Ginny to stop abruptly, freezing in place for just a moment - just long enough for Draco to hide himself, before she turned around and looked warily behind her. When she saw nothing, not even a shadow or moving branch, she began walking again - careful not to lose sight of Hermione's pink sweater that loomed ahead of her.

Feeling that she had time, Ginny let her mind wander for a moment. What was it that Harry saw in Hermione anyway? Sure, she was smart, witty and brave - but was she funny? Could she possibly keep his life happy when she rarely cracked a joke? She was far too serious for Harry; he had spent his whole life being alone and without a decent family - he needed that for his adult life at least.

"Oh great, I've lost them," Ginny said in a voice barely above a whisper as she saw the pink sweater disappear ahead of her.

`Oh goody,' Draco thought, rolling his eyes. He couldn't believe this girl - he had always thought of her as an intelligent girl at least but now he knew she was as unfortunate in that as she was financially. First of all, she'd heard a cracking noise behind her in the Forbidden Forest and didn't even bother investigating, then, her only job is to keep following the Dream Team and she somehow lost them.

For the next few minutes, Ginny (and therefore Draco) slowed down considerably, trying to hear any sounds of movement that would hint that they were going in the right direction at least. Of course, no reinforcement came, so Ginny and Draco were basically lost in the middle of the forest.

Suddenly, Ginny felt her body slam against something hard. When she looked up, she saw a dark creature in a black, hooded robe, concealing his face from her. Before she could scream, the man expertly grabbed her around the middle and clamped his hand down over her mouth so that she wouldn't scream for help.

He, on the other hand, let out a low mirthless laugh as a handful of accomplices reveal themselves to her. Both Draco and Ginny knew exactly who they were at that moment. These men prided themselves in killing innocent people in the most cruel and unusual ways, they served only one man…Voldemort. These men were Voldemort's right hand men - these were Deatheaters.

"Look what I've caught, Goyle," the deep voice of the man holding her said, a hint of excitement showing in his voice.

Draco, being a Malfoy and therefore insensitive, began looking around the circle, wondering if his father had joined in on this party. Surely he would never miss an opportunity to pick on a Weasley when they were so defenseless. Then again, he probably wouldn't have known that they were going to run into her tonight - they were probably expecting Potter and his friends, but they were a bit late for that, so they would take what they could get.

Ginny was caught off guard by all the men that quickly enclosed her in a circle and began to squirm uncomfortably. She had no way of knowing what these Deatheaters were capable of doing to her. She knew that it would be no problem for them to see her dead, but she hoped against hope that it wouldn't come to that.

Draco settled in to watch - he knew that this would be a better show than he had originally hoped for by far. He'd seen them torture people before - they were ruthless, but he knew that they probably just wanted to play with her for awhile then wipe her memory clean - nothing too bad, all things considered. Sure enough, the torturing soon began.

Each man got a turn of course, it was only fair. Some men taunted her with remarks and licked her; others would physically damage her - nothing big really. They pinched her, scratched her, one man even punched her - she was already bloody and she'd only been captive for a few minutes. Her lip was torn open and bruises were starting to form on her arms and torso - her face was wet both from sweat and saliva. She was so exhausted that she felt she could pass out any second.

"That looks like a Weasley," another hooded man pointed out after every one had gotten their turn and they had all gotten a good look at her, "it looks like the youngest Weasley's grown to be a very pretty young woman. She's got curves in all the right places and beautiful brown eyes - not to mention that she's a pure-blood."

Ginny felt herself shiver under the eye of these disgusting men that were talking about her like a piece of meat and they were all at least 15 years older than she was. It sickened her to even think of any one of those men laying a finger on her.

Draco sneered from the bushes as he saw Ginny get chills as the older men talked of her beauty. Of course, he had identified all of them already and noted that his father was indeed a part of the group. Of course, Ginny knew Lucius' voice, so his father couldn't talk for fear of being turned into the Ministry.

"What do you think we should do with her?" One man asked.

"Give her to our sons and let them have their way with her, I say. She's useless beyond that point anyway," Goyle suggested to the group, sending Ginny's brain into overdrive.

Sure, she didn't know who all these men were but she knew that one was Goyle, and it was likely that Crabbe's father was also in the group and she would rather die than be handed over to any Slytherin to `have their way with her'.

Draco's face went pale as soon as he heard those words. He wanted no way with Ginny Weasley! That was not fair! If they were going to give the boys a girl, Draco thought that they should at least get a better one than that. She may be pureblooded but she sure didn't act like it. Not to mention, he was fairly certain that Ginevra Weasley lived up to the first name given to her at birth. From what he knew, she was a pure, innocent virgin girl - she wouldn't last 10 seconds with the set of boys those men were going to send her with.

"No, she's seen too much and knows too many of us now - there's only one choice," the man holding her announced with more excitement evident in his voice than ever now.

`He can't possibly mean -' both Ginny and Draco's minds were reeling with the alternative he was obviously talking about.

But all of their worst thoughts were confirmed when the man pulled out a long, jagged dagger from his pocket. Already showing traces of blood from other victims, the knife gleamed in the moonlight that shone through the trees.

`He can't possibly be serious,' Draco thought to himself, getting up from his sitting position and crouching low, eager to hear what Weasley's fate was.

"She can't be left alive."

Ginny lost it. Tears began pouring from her eyes harder and faster than she had ever imagined that they could. Her body was racking with the power of her sobs, which could be heard even through her captor's tightly clasped hand. Her world was going to end any second. She would never see her brothers, her parents, Bill's wedding - none of it. Her parents would have to plan a burial service for her at the age of sixteen. It was supposed to be the beginning of fun times, not the end of them. Reality hit her hard when the dagger was raised and lined up with her heart - the man was just holding it in the air, as if to showcase what he was about to do.

All the while, Draco crouched in the bushes, panic coming over his face. What should he do? Save her? Why would he save a Weasley? He hated them, yes, but he had never truly wished death on them - without them, who would he mock? Well, Potter and Mudblood of course - but other than that, he would be left alone. He wasn't like his father in the sense that he could stand by and watch an innocent girl be killed for mere entertainment. Draco was evil, yes - but not ruthless. He had made up his mind.

For a moment, both teenagers were seeing the experience through the same eyes. Everything was going in slow motion, allowing Draco to get to her in time. He leapt from his position into the circle and took hold of her, taking Crabbe by surprise and therefore loosening his grip on the young girl so that Draco was free to take her. The dagger had already been on its way down when Draco grabbed her, so it was no surprise that he took the full blow of the knife in the shoulder.

The wound in his shoulder didn't faze him as he cradled the small-framed redhead in his arms and began to run. Being young, quick, and agile gave him an advantage over the older men, especially since you couldn't Apparate in Hogwarts grounds. He somehow managed to find his way out of the forest much easier than Ginny had found their way into it. Draco paused to look back but saw nothing so he continued to run until he reached the front of the school.

Ginny was not doing as well as Draco was and she had not even been stabbed. She was sobbing and babbling about things that didn't even make sense. Finally, she gave up trying to get her point across and wrapped her arms around his neck and just sobbed into his chest, not even realizing who had saved her.

Slightly shocked by her actions and irritated that she was getting his new shirt wet and bloody, Draco continued to run until he was in the center of the castle's front lawn. Tired and exhausted, he gently laid her down on the dewy grass, her head facing the forest so he could keep an eye on it. In an attempt to protect her, Draco put a hand on either side of her head and a knee on either side of her hips, hoping he could get something coherent out of her.

"Malfoy?" Ginny asked, shocked by this scene. She had just assumed it had been Harry or Ron who had come to her rescue, not her enemy. "Why -"

"Weasley, please be quiet for a moment. I will explain nothing to you - just know that you are lucky to be alive right now - if I hadn't been there, you would be dead," Draco said.

All Ginny could do was stare up at the man shielding her from anymore potential danger and nod. There would be time for questions later. For now, he vision was getting fuzzy and she was growing tired.

"Weasley, stay awake one minute longer," Draco commanded, causing her to snap her eyes open and listen for as long as she could, "You owe me little Weasley. That's a wizard's debt and I hope you'll be ready to repay me when I need you to. Do you understand?"

All Ginny could do was nod before she drifted off.

Draco then ran for Dumbledore, hoping that she would be okay for a few seconds. Within minutes Dumbledore was out on the lawn questioning Draco.

"Just how did you know to look for her, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore quizzed him, looking down at the peaceful but battered-looking Ginny.

"I was on my way to the bathroom when I saw that Potter, Granger and the Weasley's were out of bed. I was going to find someone and tell them but I decided that maybe I should come out and make sure that no one was in any real trouble, so I came outside and found the youngest Weasley right here. My guess is that Potter and his friends are still in the forest. That's all I know," Draco lied to the headmaster.

"Is that so?" Dumbledore asked, looking at his shirt and then to Ginny's face.

"That's all I'm saying," Draco confirmed.

"Good then - you will be awarded with fifty house points," the old man said with a smile as he flicked his hand to send the other teachers into the forest.

"I don't really want any recognition for this, Professor. It's not right, what I did or why I did it - don't tell anyone," Draco said, referring to the fact that if his father found out that the boy who snatched away their joy was his son, he would end up with Ginny's fate. In addition to that, he hadn't saved Ginny's life because he had wanted to, but rather because it was the right thing to do.

"Very well, please report to the Infirmary to see Madame Pomfrey about your wound and then go to bed," Dumbledore told him.

Draco nodded and walked up the steps, leaving Ginny behind.

Ginny awoke with a start and looked at her clock - it showed only 11:47 at night - she'd only been asleep for about an hour and a half. Her dream had woken her up, giving her an odd feeling.

It hadn't been the first time for her to recall that dreadful night that had occurred just a few years ago, but it was the first time that she had been able to see what had been going on inside Draco Malfoy's mind as well as her own. Now she knew that Draco hadn't been selfless - not that she had thought that before, but she did now know that he was human and did care about human life - even hers. She hadn't been told before that Draco had been hurt in the process of saving her - that put a new spin on things.

That night had been the last time that she had talked to him. She wanted to ask him all year why he had saved her - why he had even been in the forest - but he wouldn't answer her. She never really knew why he wouldn't, she still didn't - but at least her questions were answered, whether she liked it or not.

Ginny rolled over in her comfortable, familiar bed and closed her eyes. She was thankful for him that night. It was because of him that she lived.

Okay! So that was sort of like a Prelude or something like that - it just gives you the background information. No mushy anything! I'm so proud of myself - I resisted the urge. So next chapter is where the story really begins! Review and tell me how you think it's going and I'll post the next chapter probably within the next week!

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