Never Again

A/N: This is my first story on Portkey, and I apologize if it's not up to par. It is not yet finished, but as the 7^th book is coming out, I felt that I should get it out there before the cannon version of the end comes out. So here it goes, a story based of the Nickelback song `Never Again'

Chapter 1: Never Again

“Narcissa Black, will you marry me?” the figure asked, looking up at her from his position on his knees, the small velvet box held open, revealing its contents to the blonde: a white gold banded ring with a large, princess-cut diamond in the center, a small emerald on each side.

“Of course I'll marry you Lucius,” she whispered softly as the blonde man slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. He stood up and she threw her arms around him in a back breaking hug before she let go, using her left hand to turn his chin towards her, using her right hand to pull him down into a long, passionate kiss.

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“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Lucius lifted up Narcissa's veil at the minister's words, and their lips met in their first kiss as husband and wife.

“A toast! To my son and the new Mrs. Malfoy. May you enjoy a long and prosperous life together.” Abraxas Malfoy held up his glass of wine at the reception, and everyone else in the room did so as well, toasting them.

The couple shared their first dance, their wedding cake, their first glass of wine. As the night progressed, Narcissa noticed Lucius drinking more and more, getting slightly drunk, but she thought nothing of it. As soon as the reception was over and they had opened their wedding presents, they were given a farewell as they left to catch a portkey for their honeymoon.

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

“Get away from me Lucius, right now,” Narcissa warned, her fists at the ready. She could smell the Firewhiskey in his breath. It was the third time that week he had come home drunk. They had only been married a year, but it had gone from good to bad to worse. With every passing week, he got drunk more often and came home, expecting her to have everything for him, and if she didn't, he would beat her for it.

The increasing pressure from his father was getting to him, Narcissa knew that, but he was handling it the wrong way. He didn't have to get drunk to spite his dad. His dad never saw him drunk. Only Narcissa did. At the young age of 20, Lucius still had a full life ahead of him. On the road he was headed, he would be lucky to make it to 30 without dieing from alcohol poisoning.

“You don't have to get the Mark, Lucius. You don't have to do this! Please, think of us. We could have a family. You can't let the Dark Lord take that away from us,” she begged. That's all she wanted from her husband, was for him to accept himself, to want to start a family.

“SHUT UP NARCISSA!” he roared, advancing on her. Her eyes darted around the room for a way out. He would never remember this in the morning. She would be safe coming back, but she had to get out now. “My father wants me to join the ranks of the Dark Lord, and he is my father. I may be married, but I still do as my father tells me to. If I don't, he will have me killed. Without batting an eyelash. Is that what you want? How can you have a family if you're husband is dead?” With each word he said, his voice grew louder and Narcissa became more and more scared of him.

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

Before she had a chance to run, Lucius had her pinned against the wall with his hands, and she screamed before he had a chance to get his hand on her mouth. He quickly covered her mouth, and she struggled against him as he held her, whispering his apologies and giving her his reasoning for what he was doing.

Suddenly, he cried out in pain, pulling his hand off her mouth and shaking it violently, sending a small splattering of blood onto the wall. “Damn it Narcissa, what was that for?” he cried, looking at his punctured hand, the teeth marks visible.

“Get your hands off of me, Lucius,” she hissed, anger evident in her eyes as she glared at him.

“Fuck you,” he muttered as he backhanded her, leaving a red mark as her neck snapped around from the force of the blow. “That's for screaming,” he murmured softly, his gray orbs burning into her blue ones. His fist connected with her jaw. “And that's for biting me.”

A thin stream of blood trickled out of the right corner of Narcissa's mouth as she glared at him. He blinked, loosing concentration for a mere second, and she took advantage of it, slipping under his arm and running up to their room. She used her wand to securely lock the door against all charms and human attempts just as Lucius started to pound on the door, demanding she open the door. The pounding eventually stopped as he disappeared downstairs to the kitchen, most likely getting more to drink. She fell into a troubled sleep, knowing this wasn't over yet.

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

“Why was I locked out of the bedroom this morning, honey?” Lucius asked the next morning as he sipped at his coffee. He had no recollection of the night before. To hide the bruises, Narcissa had performed a concealing charm, and he didn't even remember that he had hit her again. Everything was back to normal

“Oh. I thought I heard someone in the house last night before you got home so I locked myself in the bedroom before you got here. I must have fallen asleep without unlocking it. Sorry, Lucius,” she lied, giving him a forced smile, her jaw aching from where he had hit her.

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

“Why the hell is she in here Lucius?” Severus Snape asked the blonde man as they both paced the waiting room of St. Mungos.

“I told you Snape! I don't know! I got home and she was on the floor of the kitchen in the middle of a pile of glass. It looks like she dropped the bottle of Firewhiskey, bent down to pick it up, slipped in the spilled alcohol, and fell onto the glass. I didn't do anything, so don't give me that accusing look!” he growled as he paced, knowing the truth of what had really gone on.

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Inside her room, Narcissa was being treated for face wounds. Lucius had come home drunk again, and she had gone to hide the Firewhiskey so he couldn't drink anymore. He had grabbed it and they had struggled for it, causing it to fall to the floor. He had gotten angry with her and had kicked her in the stomach. She had collapsed to the ground, her face landing in the glass, and when he had gone to forcefully pick her up off the ground, the glass had ground into her face. He had rushed her to St. Mungos, threatening her with worse punishment if she dared to tell anyone what had really happened. He had told her what to say about what happened, how she had dropped the bottle, slipped, and cut herself.

She had heard Severus arguing with Lucius outside her room, and for a moment, she wished she would have gone for him instead of Lucius. Severus really was concerned about what happened to her, unlike Lucius, who was causing this. Severus could sense that something wasn't being told, and he knew that what Lucius was saying wasn't the truth. He had always been good at that.

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

“You better not tell ANYONE what happened, you hear me? If you do, I SWEAR I will kill all of your friends and make you watch me do it. And don't even think about leaving me either, or I will kill you. AFTER I kill your precious Snape. I've seen the way you look at him. I see the desire in your eyes, the desire you once reserved for me. I will NOT have my wife going off to be with that scum bag, even if I work with him now,” Lucius hissed as he shoved her into their room.

“I wouldn't think of leaving you Lucius. Not when I'm having your child,” she whispered to him, and she closed the door into his face.

Lucius stood outside the door for a few moments in shock. He was going to be a father. This couldn't be true. He was only 20, how could he be having a kid already? He wasn't ready for that kind of commitment, but he knew that he would have to go through with it. He needed an heir to the wealth he would one day receive from his own father. “It better not be a girl, that's all I have to say,” he stated to the closed door, unsure if she had even heard him. She had, and she grimaced. He would kill her when he found out she was having their daughter in only 5 months time.

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

“Where is she, Malfoy?” Severus asked, his voice cold with anger.

“I told you, Narcissa isn't home right now. She went off to some exercise thing,” he said casually, leaning against the doorframe of his mansion as he gazed out at Severus coldly, his long blonde hair partially obstructing his eyes.

“LUCIUS! She's 7 months pregnant! I don't think she is going to be exercising at some place when she's pregnant!” he cried, trying to get a look into the house.

“Well, that's where she said she was going. Maybe she went drinking. Oh bugger off, Snape, I know she's pregnant, I was kidding when I said she was drinking. Don't take everything so damn seriously,” he hissed as he stepped back into his mansion, slamming the door in Snape's face as Snapes started to yell and pound on the door.

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Lucius stomped up to their room, throwing open the door to reveal Narcissa, sprawled on the floor beside the bed, curled into a ball, sobbing. The floor was covered in blood, and this made Lucius get even madder.

“What the FUCK happened here!” he yelled, pulling her to her feet. “Why is there blood on my carpet? I want an explanation for this Narcissa Malfoy, and I want it NOW!” He practically screamed at her, and she started to cry harder.

“Damn it Lucius, you made me lose the baby! That's why there is blood on your precious carpet. It was stillborn because of you! When you kicked me in the stomach, something happened, and when whoever it was at the door came and you left, I gave birth to your daughter, except she was DEAD,” she cried, her fear, pain, and maternal instincts causing her to be extremely emotional.

“Good. No Malfoy should have a girl for an heir,” he hissed, and Narcissa looked at him, hatred in her eyes.

“I HATE you Lucius. I hate you with all my life. I can't believe you just said that. I lost our child, don't you even CARE?” Her tears had dried as anger took over.

“No. It was only a girl.” His gaze was cool and collected. Narcissa hit him in the arm before running out of the room to the guest bedroom in tears, locking the door and falling onto the bed, crying out in pain from the labor and the bruises from when he had attacked her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I'm sorry `Cissa, I know how much you wanted that baby,” Severus said softly, giving her a hug. Because he and Lucius worked together, he and Narcissa had become better friends, and he had worried about her ever since she and Lucius had married a little over a year ago.

“It was one of those things that couldn't be stopped Sev, but I feel so dirty. My daughter died, and I don't think Lucius even cares because it wasn't the son that he wanted,” she whispered, crying onto his shoulder. She still hadn't told him about everything that Lucius did to her. Snape would have killed Lucius, and Narcissa didn't want that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

20 years passed with similar events happening. Lucius would get drunk, harm Narcissa in some way, and she would go crying to Severus. Exactly one year after she gave birth to her daughter that never saw the light of day, she gave birth to a baby boy with the same pale blond hair of his mother and the haunting gray eyes of his father. He was named Draco Malfoy, and he was the only reason Narcissa survived the coming years. She had her son to look after, a son that really loved her. But she was powerless to protect him, just as she had been powerless to protect herself from the wrath of a drunken Lucius.

Draco began to notice his fathers state when he was 5. It was the first time that he had been allowed to stay up after 8, and he had been sitting in his mother's lap, reading a book to her when his father had stumbled into the foyer, drunk beyond all reasoning. Narcissa had quickly stood up, instructing Draco to go up to his room quickly and quietly, and he had done so. 10 minutes after she told him to leave, he had stood outside the door, listening to his father lay all the blame of his own failure on her, and he had heard Lucius hit his mother. It was then that he ran to his room, not fully aware of what had happened, but the events of that night were embedded in his brain for the rest of his life.

After that first incident, he had begun to notice things. Like how there were always healing potions in all of the bathrooms. How the elves paid particular attention to his mother. And how there was a bottle of Firewhiskey in his father's study that was always full when he walked past it going up to his room and always empty when he walked past it going down to breakfast.

The beatings had started at age 7, when he still hadn't begun to show signs of his magical abilities. Narcissa had pleaded with Lucius, telling him that he was sure to show them soon, and wouldn't it just slow the process down if his body had to continually heal itself. That had of course turned Lucius' rage on her. The cycle continued, Lucius beating Draco or cursing him for not showing his abilities, Narcissa pleading with Lucius to stop it, Lucius turning on her, and Draco sneaking away to his room, climbing into bed, his door magically locking itself and his cuts healing themselves over night. If Lucius had paid any attention to his son, he would have known that Draco had been showing signs of magic since he was 3 years old.

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

“I'm through with you, Lucius. I'm not going to let you hurt me any more,” she hissed as she backed towards an end table.

“What are you going to do Narcissa? You haven't a wand anymore, remember? I took it away after I caught you spilling your guts to Snape. I couldn't have you going any farther and telling him what I do when I'm drunk, now could I? Or you telling him it was my fault you lost the first baby? No, that would be horrible for my reputation in this society. And I was doing so good at hiding my evil streak.” He grinned maliciously at her as she backed away from him.

“I can't believe you destroyed this family. You and your damn attraction to the Dark Lord. You sold your life to him, and he repays you by getting you stuck in Azkaban. I thought I was free from your stupidity when you got thrown in there, but you managed to escape and come back to haunt this family. You never cared about this family, or me! You lied to me, you asshole!” she yelled, slowly opening the drawer, glad he was too inebriated to notice that she was doing something behind her back.

“Oh, but you love me. You know you do, Narcissa,” he murmured, taking a step towards her.

“Fuck you, Malfoy,” she hissed, making a mad grab for the loaded Muggle revolver. She had it out, but it went off before she had it aimed at Lucius. Then her fingers were slipping off the gun, and she saw his wand pointed at her.

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

Draco Malfoy, age 19, was startled awake by the sound of a gun going off right below his bedroom. He sat straight up in bed, throwing the covers off of himself and practically sprinting out of his room as he heard another gunshot ring through the Manor, his wand lying forgotten on his bed stand. He bolted down the stairs and into his father's study, skidding to a stop as he noticed the scene in front of him. Before he had a firm grip on the reality before him, he practically flew across the room, consumed by anger and hatred.

Never Again

A/N: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes. I do not currently have a beta, as the only person I know who could beta is no longer taking stories to edit. If anyone is interested, just review saying you're interested. That would be amazing! Hope you enjoyed the first installment

P.S.: Don't worry, this story quickly turns to Ginny/Draco conflict

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A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed, and a bigger thanks to my new beta, Emmalyne. It will be she that saves you from all of my ramblings and grammatical errors. I know that the previous chapter had nothing to do with the ship, but it kind of sets the stage for how Draco got to be how he is. Now on to the good stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not lay claim to anything except the plot.

Malfoy Couple Dead, Son Hospitalized

No further information is being disclosed on this case. Aurors were seen removing two bodies early this morning, and sources say that the bodies were those of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black-Malfoy. There was no sign of their only surviving relative, son, Draco Malfoy. Only moments after someone spotted the Malfoys being removed from the premises, news came from someone who had been at St. Mungos. Draco was there, in a coma, the Healers unsure of the exact cause. Tests are being performed, but the source refused to offer any other information. Keep reading for any new information on the infamous Malfoy family, or what is left of it.

Malfoy Awakes

Draco Malfoy, the sole heir to Malfoy, Inc., as well as to both the Malfoy and Black estates, awoke from his coma just this morning, two months, one week, and six days after entering the coma for unknown reasons on the night of his parent's death. Although the Prophet requested an interview, Malfoy declined. He would only say one thing about the whole situation. “My father is dead. That is all that matters.” Malfoy seems to be blocking the fact that his mother is dead as well, or he is less concerned about that fact than the fact that his father is dead.

Truth in Words

True to his word, Draco Malfoy has taken huge steps towards clearing the Malfoy name of everything that it has stood for in the years since the rise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Just 3 months after he woke up from his coma and gave his press statement, he has shut down the part of Malfoy, Inc. that is known for its underground dealings in Dark artifacts, instead changing the whole face of that part of the company so that it now deals with Muggle affairs as well, something that is probably making Malfoy Senior roll over in his grave. Malfoy has also completely cleaned out Malfoy Manor of all Dark artifacts, allowing the Ministry to completely go through his home and remove anything suspicious looking, as well as showing them some secret rooms that Lucius Malfoy kept things in. A complete scan was done of the Manor, and once the Aurors searching the place were certain it was free of anything suspicious, they made a public announcement that Malfoy Manor was no longer home to anything illegal. His earlier stay in St. Mungos proved the theory that he was a known Death Eater wrong. He does not have the Dark Mark, something that cannot be removed or permanently glamoured away. The day after his Manor was searched, he allowed himself to be put under the influence of Truth Serum and was asked many questions dealing with charges that have been impending for years. After three hours of interrogation, Draco Malfoy was relieved of charges including but not limited to: the torture and killing of Auror Alastor Moody and the torture and cause of insanity of Percy Weasley. No further details of the trial are being released, but Draco Malfoy has been absolved from all charges against him and his name.

Weasley Girl Gone Missing

Ginevra Weasley, daughter of Minister of Magic candidate Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley, was reported as a missing person early this morning. Not long after the report was filed, an extensive search began for the only female Weasley. Tracking spells turned up dead ends. Forced interviews with suspects revealed nothing. It appears that the girl has disappeared off the face of the Earth.

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Gone

Harry Potter has finally fulfilled the prophecy made some 18 years ago. He has brought about the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Potter had set up a large search party for Weasley, with who's family he is friends with, the party consisting mainly of highly trained Aurors. After much curse breaking performed by William Weasley, the group was able to discover the location of the female Weasley. Potter and his partners in crime, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, disapparated to the location, insisting that the small numbers would ensure more of a surprise attack. The trio had been given the confirmation of the exact location of where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was residing by an unknown source. The information was correct, and the three ambushed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, gaining the upper hand, as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did not have any of his loyal servants present as the trio arrived. Although the Death Eaters soon began arriving, the time without them was enough for Potter to gain the upper hand on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Further details are unknown, but the trio returned to the Ministry with news that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and most, if not all, of his followers had been killed in the battle. The dreaded out-and-out war that was known to be soon approaching was avoided at the destruction of most of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers. Unfortunately, the trio did not find any signs of their initial target, Ginevra Weasley, nor did they return with anything relating to her. With He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gone, finding Ginevra Weasley may never be an option for the wizarding world.

Unexpected Hero

One week after the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and three weeks after her disappearance, Ginevra Weasley has been rescued, and by the most unexpected person. Progress had been made in the tracking of Weasley, and her location was pinpointed: For three weeks, she was held captive in an old, dilapidated shed located in a field next to her childhood home. Expecting resistance to her rescue, a team of well trained Aurors assisted Harry Potter in the ambush of the shed. Only moments before their exit, Draco Malfoy, son of former Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, arrived at their location with unknown useful information for the attack. The ambush went off with only one hitch: there was no sign of Ginevra Weasley. Once the dust had literally settled and the two surviving Death Eaters had been taken into custody, the Aurors were still dumbfounded as to the location of Weasley. Then, out of the pile of rubbish that had once been the shed, a board suddenly shifted, and the remaining Aurors who had been left behind to work on discovering Weasley turned their attention to the movement, wands drawn. What they saw next was not something they expected. From underneath the wreckage emerged Draco Malfoy, covered in dust and carrying the limp form of Ginevra Weasley in his arms. While the others had been fighting the Death Eaters, Malfoy had stealthily begun to search the shed. Unfortunately, the secretive man was not up to revealing much about the rescue. “She's alive. That's all that matters.” The Ministry is not releasing any further information on the case at this time.

An ebony colored wand trailed over the edge of newspaper articles, effectively cutting them out where the tip of the wand touched. Long, pale fingers gathered the articles and brought them to a mahogany desk, and the owner of the hands sat down, a large, leather bound book lying on the desk, open to the first blank page. One flick of the ebony wand by the pale fingers caused the articles to arrange themselves in chronological order, the pages turning when needed to accommodate the scraps of paper. A glass of amber liquid was sipped at slowly. Long after the spell was finished and the book simply lay open, the person sitting at the desk sat staring at the open pages. More specifically, one article. And every time the silver orbs passed over the line Weasley Girl Gone Missing the normally steady, reliable heart seemed to skip a beat. Normally still fingers drummed against a well-muscled thigh. Normally steady breathing was erratic.

Overall, Draco Malfoy was a mess.

A/N: Yes, I know it's short. Don't worry, the next chapter makes up for it ten times over. This story is still in the making, so I won't be updating constantly otherwise you would run out of story real quick. Hopefully a large chunk gets done before school starts up again because it takes up half my life. Example of this: Until I posted this story, I had not touched it since the day before classes started last August. This is probably too much info, but to me, it's essential that everyone knows this. I also know it will not be updated again until I get back to the states. I'm currently studying in England, and on Tuesday I leave for Germany and then France, and I don't know if I'll have access to internet until I get home. Anyways: till next time!

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