2. Chapter 1

AN: This chapter is a lot of back story but it is still pretty interesting to read. It’s a little long but that couldn’t be helped because this chapter helps set up for the rest of the story.

Chapter 1

3 years ago

Draco was once again stuck between a rock and a hard place. Voldemort had charged him to capture Ginevra Weasley. It was to be his first real mission since he had been inducted into the ranks of the Death Eaters four years ago. In order to prove his loyalty up to that point to Voldemort he was a spy in the Order like his mentor Snape had done. Snape was more than willing to give up his position as a spy when he was promoted to second in command after Voldemort.

The reason that Voldemort wanted Ginny was that he believed that she could be a pivotal player in the war. Her strength would have been more than enough to have revived his spirit from the journal and if Potter had not interfered she would have regained her strength in just a few hours. For her strength, blood purity, and innocence she would also be his perfect bride when the time came to have a queen by his side.

Voldemort was sure that with her at his side that they could not lose. Her strength would tip the scale in their favor and her tie to the other Order members and her developing beauty was also a bonus. Another bonus, as he lewdly suggested, was that with her family’s apparent fertility he should have a dozen or so sons in no time.

The plan was to get her when her guard was down and to keep her at Malfoy Manor until the time was for Voldemort to “persuade” her to marry him and join the ranks of the Death Eaters. Draco didn’t know what Voldemort planned to do to persuade her but he knew that it wouldn’t be pretty. While at the Manor, he was to prepare her for her upcoming nuptials and her role as Voldemort’s queen. If he failed to prepare her or fail to protect her in anyway the consequences would be dire.

Draco had found it hard not to flinch when he heard the Dark Lord’s plan. The Dark Lord had once been a good looking man but after his resurrection he looked more like a snake than a human being. But as the obedient servant to the Dark Lord that he had been raised to be, he acquiesced to his master’s commands.

After his meeting he walked outside of the throne room and made his way to the Apparition point in the Fortress. When he got there he was thankful to have the quiet to think about the plan. There were several problems that Draco could find with the plan. The first was that his loyalty was to the Order and not to Voldemort. The second was that the Order, especially Molly and Arthur Weasley as well as the rest of the Weasley clan, would never go for it; they would never risk a member’s life, especially since she was so young and in such a dangerous situation.

The third was Ginny herself would be terrified of the idea of being Voldemort’s captive and future bride but she would do it anyway out of stubborn Gryffindor pride. She would see the chance to maybe take down the Death Eaters as a noble mission regardless of what happened to her. And the last problem with the plan was that Draco didn’t have the heart to go though with it. He was falling in love with Ginny.

He had always admired Ginny’s spirit and her fiery temper even from the first time he had met her when his father had slipped Tom Riddle’s diary in with her second-hand books. It wasn’t until his fifth year that he really noticed her again. Yes, of course, he had bullied her but he was more on auto pilot at that point. He knew it was expected of him to make her life hell.

Her hitting him with her bat boogey hex in Umbridge’s office was probably one of the best things that she could have done for him. Her fire for her convictions and her love for her friends touched the empty part of him that had been building up for years.

Draco had started to question his father’s views on blood purity during his fifth year at school when it became apparent the he would soon have to join his father’s side in servitude to Voldemort. He had once thought that his father was brilliant for following Voldemort during his first reign but he now realized that this time around his father was just a glorified prisoner to a madman who still held on to the ideals of an inexperienced and bitter young man.

Draco knew that if his father were to try to get away, that the Dark Lord would kill his whole family and even though his father was a murderer once upon a time he loved his family too much to endanger them. So to keep his family and himself safe he went along with Voldemort and did as he was told.

Draco didn’t know when he wised up but he couldn’t bear the idea of being the Dark Lord’s lap dog. The thought of serving Voldemort and killing innocent witches, wizards and muggles made his blood boil with anger. Although he hated to admit it, he could name dozens of muggle born or half blood witches and wizards who were just as good as or better than many of the pure blood witches and wizards he had known, including himself.

Surprisingly, he really didn’t harbor any bad feelings towards muggles. He pitied the fact that they were without the gift of magic, but they were still human beings. He didn’t see how killing or torturing a muggle who was defenseless was a noble cause. He also didn’t see why there should be punishment to a witch or wizard just because they married someone of another blood class. As a child he was taught that his Aunt Andromeda was a fool to marry a muggle born wizard and he was taught to hate her for it. Because of his parents strict view on properness and blood purity he never got the chance to meet his only first cousin Nymphadora until he was in his late teens. As he got older he learned a very important lesson: You can’t choose who you love. All that matters is love and to love with your whole heart.

During his fifth year he had approached Dumbledore and told him that he wanted nothing to do with Voldemort and from that moment on he had been a double agent. It was hard to lie right to his parent’s faces but luckily he was skilled in Legilimency and Occlumency and could block his thoughts better than even Snape; who had taught him. Right before Dumbledore’s untimely death Draco had been welcomed into the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix, reluctantly by most.

Draco Apparated to the ruins of the once grand castle and school known as Hogwarts. After Dumbledore’s sudden death the school was left abandoned. Without the protection that Dumbledore could provide to the students, the students and professors scattered to the wind in order to find a place that they could consider safe. A few months after the death of Dumbledore, McGonagall tried to reopen the school to disastrous results. Voldemort led a team of Death Eaters onto the school and anyone who refused to join his side was hit with the killing curse

The teachers and the students that had been foolish enough to return were easily outnumbered. In the biggest slaughter to date, three hundred twenty four students and teachers were mowed down one after one by the most dreaded of all spells that came under the guise of a bright green light. Only seventeen students were left alive to later be inducted into the ranks of the Death Eaters. Half bloods and Muggle born students weren’t even given a second thought as they were slaughtered right after the Death Eaters learned of their blood status.

Power mad and antsy for more blood the Death Eaters moved on to attack another pillar of strength for the Order, The Burrow. Dozens of Death Eaters swarmed the magical home, and like the cowards that they were, burned the house to the ground. They were discouraged, however, to find no bodies in the ashes. A few brave souls snuck to the ruins of the Burrow and under the shield of night cleaned up the area and turned the land that used to house the large and very magical home into the official cemetery for the fallen of the War.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Draco Apparated home to Malfoy Manor to inform his parents of the plan and how they were supposed to help; Lucius was mainly just to set up more wards around the massive estate while Narcissa was to help him teach Ginny etiquette. The days ticked by as preparations were made on the Manor.

Voldemort expected him to have Ginny at Malfoy Manor before the first of July and the closer July got the more pressure was starting to build for Draco. He had still not informed any member of the Order of the newest development on the side of the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters, however, had been informed of the new developments and many were displeased. Many Death Eaters found it hard to swallow that their lord was going to ally himself with a blood traitor and make her his Queen. Bellatrix was especially livid at the idea; everyone knew that she was madly, with an emphasis on the word mad, in love with Voldemort.

As the end of June approached the preparations at the Manor had finished. The room that was to be Ginny’s new home for a while, also known as the lilac room, had been redecorated and Narcissa had even gone to the liberty of buying the soon-to-be new “houseguest” a whole new wardrobe. Her room was next to his room in the east wing of the manor, which under any other circumstances would have been the perfect room for her as it had the best view of the lake and his mother’s lavish rose garden.

The next Order meeting was set for June 28 and it was then that he would meet with heads of the Order and give his monthly report. Oh, Joy.

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Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Please review with your thoughts and opinions but be constructive when you do so. This is still a work in progress so I could really use some feedback. There is still much more to come. The next chapter is already written it just needs the bugs worked out. The next chapter is also a lot of back story but I promise that the back story part will be over soon. I just didn’t want it all in one chapter because it was getting a little lengthy.

3. Chapter 2

AN: This chapter is still a lot of back story but there is more of a one on one connection between Draco and Ginny plus some dialogue as well.

Chapter 2

The next thing Draco knew it was the day of the next meeting. Every month the meetings would continue to get grimmer as some members of the Order had started to get caught in the crossfire and had sadly either lost their lives…or ended up where they wished that they had. Out of the Weasley family alone there had been a massive loss, apart from the loss of their beloved home, the Weasley family was now one less in their numbers. Four months ago, Percy and Charlie Apparated right in the middle of a battle between the golden trio and a group of Death Eaters.

Percy blocked Ron from the Killing Curse at the very last minute and died in Ron’s arms. Charlie on the other hand arrived only seconds before Percy and had managed to block Harry, who was being distracted trying to help Hermione, from the Imperious Curse and, while under the influence of the spell, was the one who shot the Killing Curse at Ron that was blocked last minute by Percy.

The Weasley family had always been close but after the loss of Percy their ties became closer than they had ever been. They all pulled together, the twins even went so far as to abandon their shop and move back in with their family, to comfort each other and Charlie who, after he found out what he had been forced to do, nearly went insane with grief.

Percy had just recently left the corrupted and ineffective ministry to rejoin his family. His old flame Penelope Clearwater had found refuge with the Order after the murder of her Wizard father and muggle mother during a raid on their home. When Percy rejoined his family and joined the Order they started up where they had left off and before his untimely death they had made plans to be married after, if there was an after, the war was over.

Things had never been easy for the Weasley’s but with the death in the family plus all of the men in the family losing their job, things were definitely looking grim. Diagon Alley was completely overrun with Death Eaters as Knockturn Alley invaded the whole shopping district and Hogsmeade was reduced to nothing more but rubble, so even though the twins had made it seem like it was their choice to leave their shop...they would have died if they had attempted to stay away from the safety of the Order.

Other families of the Order had lost loved ones as well. Six months ago, Luna’s father was tortured to death for nothing more than the enjoyment of the Death Eaters who ransacked his home. Luna -who was there for a visit at the time- was forced to watch as her father was tortured to death.

But the worst blow for Luna and for Ron as well, was the death of their unborn child due to her torture at the hand of Rodolphus Lestrange, the same man who had tortured her father to death only minutes earlier. Luna was barely rescued in time, thankfully Ron had gotten there just in time to fight off and even kill some of the men that had invaded the house. Rodolphus managed to Disapparate just as Ron’s curse made it to where he was standing. To add insult to injury after Luna had healed and they buried the remains of their child; the Healers told Luna and Ron that they were still unsure if Luna would ever be able to conceive again.

Ron and Luna had started dating straight out of their fifth and final year at Hogwarts. Ron grew to love his eccentric friend and she returned his love, so three years later they were married. The next week they realized that Luna was pregnant. Molly was a little shocked to see his youngest son with such a unique young woman but she accepted her with open arms into the family. All of the family mourned for the loss of the baby and vowed that if they ever found the slippery bastard Lestrange that they would avenge the loss. The baby, who was to be named Luron Arthur Weasley, was only three months shy of being greeted into the world by a huge and loving family that was anxious to meet him. Percy was buried next to him at the Burrow.

Other members of the Order and friends of the Order had also died. Some of them included: Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hannah Abbott, and the Creevey brothers just to name a few. Neville’s Gran, so far, was the only family member of an Order member to die of natural causes after the second rise of Voldemort.

With tragedy there was also some joy. Bill and Fleur married four years ago and, almost exactly nine months later, welcomed the first Weasley grandchild, Jacqueline Isabelle Weasley. After they had discovered that Fleur was pregnant again, only four months after Jacqueline’s birth, they went into hiding for their own safety and the safety of their unborn and newborn children. They haven’t been seen in two years but the news was that they are healthy and fine hiding in a small, naturally undisclosed, French town. Their second child was another girl named after Fleur’s murdered sister and mother, Gabrielle Appoline Weasley. Bill mentioned in one letter that his wife was starting to get a little annoyed with the curse of fertility that the Weasley’s seemed to have as she was pregnant yet again…only this time with twins.

Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin also tied the knot last spring. They had met once right before Sirius’ death. Andromeda Tonks stopped by Gimmuld Place after hearing about her cousin’s escape from Azkaban. Nymphadora followed along in order to see her cousin from the first time since she was a small child. After the second rising of Voldemort and the death of Sirius they found comfort in each other and despite the age gap they are a loving and compatible couple.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place was expecting another arrival as Hermione announced last month that she and Harry were expecting their first child in the next five or six months. For both of their safety and the safety of their child, Hermione and Harry had agreed to keep low profiles until the baby was born and after the birth they would have a small secret wedding. It was decided that after the wedding Hermione and the baby would go into hiding with her parents for their safety. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had been sent away to the States under new names for their protection by Hermione and were waiting anxiously to see her and their new grandchild safe with them again.

Draco felt blessed everyday that he was still fortunate to have not lost any family. He still mourned with the rest of the group for their losses but it still felt like he was only an outsider looking in. The only person who ever let him in or just sit and talk with him was Ginny. She felt too like a bit of an outsider.

She had been kept out of any fighting and had been kept safe inside of the Order since she was fourteen. She once confessed to him that she felt like a captive in the Order. She was frustrated that she couldn’t help and that she was always being left out. She didn’t know what fighting was like other than her experience at the Ministry four years ago.

Their solidarity in their feelings of loneliness sparked their friendship just a few months after Draco became involved with the Order. Draco would hide out at the Order sometimes and say that he was spying just to spend some more time with Ginny, who very many times was left alone or left out of what the others were working on. After their first year of friendship Draco was confident to say that the girl that he had once considered to be lesser to him was now the best friend he ever had.

It wasn’t until their third year of friendship they finally stopped referring to each other by last names only. Draco could remember vividly the first time he had ever heard her call him by his first name. It was August 11, a little less than a year ago and instead of the cake and presents that usually made up a certain fiery redhead’s birthday there was a raid planned by the group to infiltrate Diagon Alley to pick up supplies.

This left the redhead alone again without even a “happy birthday” from anyone. The majority of the Order members had their assignments; from being members of the actual raid to going to other places and distracting Death Eaters from their regular posts. Draco knew about the raid and reluctantly had to tell the Dark Lord about the plan…he just happened to leave out the detail of when the raid was going to be exactly.

On the day of the raid, Ginny was left to watch the children of the Order members and the refugees. Another thing that Draco had come to love about Ginny was her love of children. She would spend much of her time in the children’s room; reading to them, coloring with them and even tucking them in when it was time for bed. Sadly, many of the children had been left at the Order for safety and then subsequently orphaned. Draco came during the designated “lights out” for the children in order to surprise her.

He found her out cold on a chair in the children’s room with a book resting on lap. He remembered smiling at her as she snored lightly. He moved the book onto a nearby end table before he moved to gently shake her awake. Her eyes popped open as she saw him next to her with his finger next to his lips to tell her that she needed to be quiet.

“Come with me,” came out in a whisper as he gave her his hand to take to get out of the chair.

Smiling she stood and followed him as he led her towards the kitchen. “Why are we going to the kitchen, Malfoy? I’m not cooking for you again you are the most finicky…” Her words died out as she entered the kitchen and saw a single cupcake with a lit candle in it. Draco just smiled at her and led her to the table with the cupcake on it.

“If it just took a cupcake with a candle in it to shut you up I would have done this ages ago.” He remembered teasing her.

He remembered how she swatted his arm playfully with teary eyes. He also remembered how she laughed at how off pitch he was when he sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

After the flame on the candle was blown out they had split the cupcake and sat next to each other at the dining room table as she confessed that he was the only one that remembered her birthday.

“I know we’re at war but a little “Happy Birthday” from my family would have been appreciated. Thanks for this, Draco. It meant so much to me.”

Smiling he had said, “It’s no problem, Ginny. What are friends for?”

That year was the first year that the two friends had decided to celebrate their birthdays. Draco’s was earlier in that year in March but since he was stranded at a ball his parent’s threw for him and stuck on the Death Eater’s side for a while they didn’t end up celebrating for his birthday until nearly a month later. They finished their halves of the cupcake and Ginny looked up at the clock, it was 10:43p.m; the exact time that Ginny was born. When Ginny looked back at the table there was a long green velvet box on the table in front of her. He remembered how she looked between him and the box and gaped at him.

“Come on fish girl open your present already.”

Ginny snapped her mouth closed as she turned to the box and opened it. She couldn’t help herself as a little gasp of shock came out. It was a simple but lovely silver necklace with a small emerald in the center of it.

“I know it’s not as great as that homemade card or the sweater you knitted for me for my birthday but I did the best that I could. It’s not even new…been in the family for centuries but I knew green was your favorite color so I figured I’d give it a shot. I think the muggles call what I did ‘regifting.’ If you don’t like it I could always take it back to the Malfoy family vault.”

He remembered how his joking around with her was just a cover of his nervousness. He wanted desperately for her to like the necklace and to not be overwhelmed by the gift. He had always given lavish gifts to his friends but Ginny wasn’t like the spoilt brats that he had grown up with. It was true that he was falling for her but he didn’t want to scare her off. He needed her too badly as his friend to lose her.

Ginny finally looked at him and with a smile and a teasing glint in her eye said,

“Well I guess it’ll do. I mean I put real time and effort into making that card and you just went through a dusty old vault and grabbed the first thing you could find. As your best friend and confidant, next year I expect something with a little more effort behind it, Draco.”

It was probably then at her witty comeback that Draco realized that he really was in love with the redheaded firecracker.

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Ok sorry that this chapter did a bit of a 180 but I needed to end on a happy note because I literally cried when I was writing the first part of the chapter. I really hated to kill off people and be morbid but death happens in war. Again I urge you all to review. I really want to know what you guys think of it. Thanks again to my beta MiajanE who is wonderful. Moogle, I hope you can suffer through for a little while longer the chapters are going to get better as they go along.

4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Draco made it to Grimmauld Place early on the day of the meeting and made his way reluctantly up towards the designated boy’s dormitory at number 12 Grimmauld Place. He had to pass the children’s room on his way up to the dormitory and stopped outside to watch as the children played and colored. The children were so all so innocent and unaware. They spanned the ages from just a few months old to about eight or nine and many of them had been at the Order since the war begun. They went day by day happy and without a care in the world. Sighing, he wished that he could go back to days when he was as blissfully unaware as the children he saw before him.

He knew that the children were almost all half-bloods. The majority of them had been either left at the Order or rescued by different members of the Order. He knew that if certain members of the Death Eaters had been there in his place that they would have taken great joy in ending each and every one of their lives.

A little girl with brown hair done up in pigtails ran past the door shrieking in laughter as she was chased by Luna who was doing the “I’m going to get you and tickle you” game with her. As Draco looked at the innocent faces that were all around the room he felt reassured with his choice of what side to be on in the war. No child chooses what parent that they are born to. Blood status didn’t define anyone as a person…it is their actions that define who they are.

Finally he made his way back towards the dormitory and he noticed that the grim and run down house that used to be the home of his muggle hating ancestors was now much more cheery; from the actual changes to rooms, to the people living in the home. Even with all of the tragedy the Order had endured, so much tragedy already, but still there was always someone who could find the silver lining in even the worse of times.

The many rooms in the house had been turned into makeshift barracks with bunk beds lining every wall and other rooms had been changed into private rooms for the many married, and even the unmarried, couples to have some privacy. With over eighty people living and fighting for the same cause in one house it was always a little cramped. Thankfully, many of the members of the Order also found other safe houses to stay at when it got really crowded.

Draco had overheard that the children were going to be moved in the next couple of months to a larger safe house that the Order members had been building up for a while now. According to what he had heard the children’s hideaway was almost as secure as Hogwarts used to be. It was actually Luna’s idea to move them and she and a few other members would move with the children and lay low.

Luna, for all of her eccentricities, was amazing with children. They trusted her because in many ways she was a lot like them; she still believed with childlike wonder. After she had recovered from the miscarriage it was rare to find her outside of the children’s room unless she was on assignment. Out of the many Order members Draco was surprised that the girl who he and many others had once been called ‘Loony’ would end up being someone he looked up to.

The children and the Order members would be protected by their secret keeper and it would be both a safe house plus a primary school. The few teachers that had been in the area and had flocked to the Order for safety were thrilled at the idea of being able to teach, in a safe environment, again. For all of their safeties no one knew who the secret keeper was going to be except the secret keeper. Many assumed that it was going to be Ron as he was staying behind while his wife went into hiding but then again, some assumed that he stayed behind without her so he could hunt down Rodolphus and take him out himself.

As he entered the dormitory he went to the bunk that he used to share with Percy. When he reached his bunk he noticed that the bottom bunk that had been Percy’s had an unexpected person on it.

Upon moving closer to the bed he could hear the sniffles of someone who was obviously crying. Draco had assumed that it was Penelope grieving so he turned to walk away to give her some privacy but before Draco knew what was happening he was nearly tackled in a flash of red. Draco now found himself with Ginny’s head buried in his chest as sobs racked her slender body. He did the only thing he could think of as he moved them to sit on the bed as he just held on to Ginny as she cried.

Draco just sat and rubbed her back reassuringly like his mother used to do when he was little; to soothe him when he was ill. His heart went out to his friend. She, like the rest of her family was still raw over not only the death of Ron and Luna’s child but of losing Percy as well.

After a little while her tears subsided but not before she sniffled out in between sobs, “h-e was g-going t-to be t-twenty t-two t-today.”

She sat there long after the tears had subsided clutching on to him. After a few moments in silence Ginny raised her head to look at her friend and her lifeline and smiled lightly as her thanks as she stayed snuggled in his arms.

Draco was fighting conflicting emotions. He wanted so badly to make her pain go away but he knew that in the coming days and weeks that he would have to become his old self again and be stone cold in his indifference to her. He could feel himself growing more and more attached to the fiery redhead and he knew that his feelings could very easily spell out trouble for the both of them.

He couldn’t help but think about how much Ginny had changed his life and that she had no idea how much she really meant to him; she was warm, trusting and forgiving, like no one he had ever met. She was strong and resilient; even after the love of her young life had made his decision to be with another woman; she stayed strong and supported her friends on to happiness. Even though Draco still disliked Harry he was grateful to him. He was grateful that Harry only saw Ginny as a sister and nothing more.

He lost track of how long they just sat there with her in his arms but before long the commotion downstairs signaled that the meeting was going to be getting underway in a little less than an hour. The two parted from their embrace, sat and looked at each other for a little while. Ginny wiped her eyes with the back of her hand until Draco offered her his handkerchief and, being the way that he had come to expect her, she wiped her eyes and then, quite loudly and unladylike blew her nose into the hanky.

Torn between disgust and laughter Draco chose the latter and chuckled lightly at the unique young woman sitting across from him.

When she attempted to hand the hanky back and with a chuckle he said, “Its ok you can keep that one.”

She smiled slightly at him and he felt his heart leap in a very un-Malfoyish way.

“I’m sorry I broke down like that. I should be stronger. It just came over all of a sudden after I realized that it was his birthday today.”

He looked her straight in the eye and told her, “It’s natural that you are upset. You and your family have been through hell, it’s ok to mourn for the ones you’ve lost. Never feel guilty for mourning someone you loved.”

Her eyes became teary again as she confessed, “He was my least favorite of my brothers but I still loved him so much.”

She went back into the safety of her best friend’s arms as she began to cry again.

“What hurts most is the knowledge that he’ll never get to know his child…” She looked up at him again with tears streaming down her face, her voice all shaky.

Draco looked at her in confusion for a moment before he had put two and two together. Penelope was pregnant with Percy’s child.

Sniffling she said, “She just found out. She thought it was just her nerves and her depression that was making her weak and unable to keep anything down…”

Ginny stopped to dry her eyes again.

“When will this God forsaken war end?” She whispered, barely audible.

Draco looked seriously at her and answered truthfully, “I don’t know, Gin. I just really don’t know.”

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Please again I urge you to vote and let me know what you think but I love this story too much to not post the chapters as I get them done so I’m not going to make demands on how many reviews I want to see. But anyway, if you like the story please review...it helps my creative style to know that people appreciate my work.

Just a side note: I made Percy’s birthday on the day of the Order meeting for two reasons: one because it just fit well there and two June 28^th is my brother’s birthday…but, unlike Ginny, my brother who shares Percy’s birthday isn’t my least favorite brother.

5. Chapter 4

AN: This chapter is going to be a little different because it’s from Ginny’s point-of-view. I felt that the story was a little one-sided so hopefully this chapter will help balance things out. Just a warning…this chapter goes into more detail of certain sad parts of the story.

Chapter 4

As Ginny sat in the arms of her best friend she thought of how surreal her life had become. If someone had told Ginny four years ago that by the time she turned eighteen Draco Malfoy would be her best friend she would have thought that they were nutters. How could it be possible that the boy who made her and her brother’s lives hell in Hogwarts be her best friend?

The end of her fourth year was when her life got turned upside down. Dumbledore had died and had left the place that she considered, like many other people, her second home defenseless. Before his and Sirius’ death the strangest thing had happened; Draco left the side of the Death Eaters to join the Order. Right after the funeral she, and many others, said goodbye to the beloved castle for the last time.

The summer was quite an adjustment; The Weasley family abandoned their beloved home to join the rest of the Order, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin, and Shacklebolt were the heads of the new Order. Ginny was proud that her parents were so vital to the cause but it also hard to hardly ever see them. They all lived in the same home and yet only seemed to see each other at every other meal.

For the first couple months things weren’t that bad; Ginny had always been used to chaos and cramped living conditions so the Order headquarters really felt like home. It was amusing to see Draco adjust to his time at the Order. He seemed to always have a look of shock and distress even though he did his best to try and hide it.

A few months later after being constantly left out of everything the loneliness started to get to her. She understood that she was still young and that her family just wanted to make sure that she was safe but it was still aggravating. She knew that she could fight…she had proved just as well as the rest of the group that had gone attempting to rescue Sirius.

It had seemed to Ginny that everyone had someone to rely on. It wasn’t until the beginning of August that she began to feel really alone. The twins were still at their shop, Charlie was busy helping out with the Order, Percy was still being a mindless puppet at the Ministry, and Bill had just gotten married, so none of them noticed that their only sister was feeling left out and useless. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna along with the older Order members were always so distracted and busy that they barely had time to notice her.

After McGonagall and some of the other professors had reopened the school the whole of the Order was on edge. Everyone was waiting for disaster to strike while also hoping that the endeavors of McGonagall were going to work out after all. The attack on Hogwarts left many dead, but the deaths that had weighed the heaviest on Ginny’s heart was the deaths of her best friend, Colin Creevey and his little brother. The destruction of her beloved home had just added insult to injury. Precious memorabilia was forever destroyed; even the unique family clock wasn’t spared the same fate of the rest of the house.

While the other Order members had gone during the night to salvage the ruins of both Hogwarts and the Burrow, Ginny was left alone with her thoughts and grief. She wondered around the empty old house until she came upon Draco in the kitchen. He had changed a lot in the few months that he had been at the Order but he still remained aloof. She sat down next to him and started their first ever real conversation. What was said didn’t really matter. What mattered was that two ex-enemies found acceptance and friendship in each other.

From that moment on their friendship blossomed and bloomed until the point where Ginny would begin to dread when Draco would have to go away to play the “perfect servant” to the monster known as Voldemort and would look forward to his return. He understood her like no one else she had ever met. On the side he would encourage her and teach her how to defend herself and she in return shared her passion for healing with him. As the years passed it became hard to imagine her life without him in it. She found that she had started to rely on him more than anyone else in the Order.

When she turned sixteen she saw her one time crush Harry falling for Hermione. Surprisingly, she didn’t mind them getting together as much as she thought she was going to, Ron and Luna had also been getting more and more serious since they had first started dating. Bill and Fleur had left a few months before her birthday to go into hiding. It had been so exciting to become an aunt but it was also discouraging to know that it wouldn’t be until after the war that she would get to see her brother and nieces again.

In war, time seems to almost freeze to a complete standstill and yet go faster than it could ever seem possible all at the same time. In no time it had been almost three years that she and Draco had been friends. So much had happened in such a short time. Her brother, Ron, had just turned eighteen, in February, and married his girlfriend of three years. Life during war was so bizarre and surreal. People were dieing all around and yet even in the darkest times love still seemed to bloom and flourish.

For Draco’s eighteenth birthday on March fourteenth she had picked up her mother’s long forgotten knitting needles and made Draco a sweater and a homemade card for his birthday. She finished both with time to spare. It was always coloring time in the children’s room so she had plenty of time to make the perfect card and with enchanted needles she could practically make a dozen sweaters in a week. It was the first year that as friends that they had decided to exchange birthday gifts and Ginny was nervous. She knew he came from a lot of money and that he had probably never gotten a homemade gift in his life but she really had nothing else to offer. Other than…well; he wouldn’t want that anyway.

The other problem that came up with celebrating Draco’s birthday was that he hadn’t come back to the Order in weeks. She had started to really worry. When he finally came back to the Order she had to restrain herself from tackling him to the ground…she was just so happy that he was alright.

Once the rest of the Order had settled down for the night the two of them had crept into the kitchen; the others knew about their friendship and while some of the Order members were alright with their friendship it made others nervous, namely her brother Ron. While in the kitchen she called up her courage and gave her shabby homemade gifts to Draco. She braced herself for his disappointment but as he read the card he smiled and as he opened package he treated the sweater that she had made him as the most priceless thing in the world.

“Weaslette, it’s great. Thank you.”

She had been so relieved to hear his praise and then thrilled to hear when he confessed,

“It may sound ridiculous but I always wondered what it would be like to get one of your mother’s famous sweaters. My mother never did anything like this; she thought knitting was below a woman of her station. How did she find the time to make this for me?”

Smiling she informed, “She didn’t.”

At his flabbergasted look she continued, “I made it.”

She would always remember his genuine smile and look of shock and happiness.

Months later many things had happened. A surge of new people had flocked to the Order for safety including Percy, who had grown tired of the corrupted Ministry and Penelope Clearwater who needed a safe place to hide out. Percy and Penelope hadn’t seen each other since they had graduated but the spark between them still was undeniable.

That year, for the first time, on her birthday she was left completely alone. She had been forgotten and she didn’t even know if she was going to see her best friend or not. The Order had been busy all day cementing their plans for the raid and then left without a goodbye. Only Luna had stayed behind, but that was only because she was still getting over her morning sickness. At five months pregnant she was miserably sick and yet positively glowing all at the same time. Luna was in one of the private rooms sleeping peacefully so Ginny was on children watching duty.

Playing with the children took her mind off of her depression. It seemed like everyday there was a new child brought to the Order as everyday there seemed to be a new face. As the time for “lights out” came for the children Ginny found herself in the middle of the room reading from the worn but loved children’s story book as the children, and then eventually she, fell asleep.

She was having a pleasant dream when she was awakened by someone shaking her. She opened her eyes sleepily to see Draco crouched next to her chair with his finger to his lips to motion for her to be quiet. She had just smiled at him; she was so glad to see him. She took his hand as he helped her out of her chair as he led her out of the room and towards the kitchen.

She groaned inwardly as she remembered the last time he had dragged her into the kitchen. He had attempted to make some sort of something and was desperate to get help. Draco had many talents but cooking was definitely not one of them. She nearly giggled as she remembered the look of displeasure on his face as he ate the slightly extra browned grilled cheese that she had made after she had deemed what he had attempted to make as a biohazard.

“Why are we going to the kitchen, Malfoy? I’m not cooking for you again you are the most finicky…”

Her words died on her lips as she the single chocolate cupcake with the green candle in it. She felt like crying with happiness as she swatted Draco for making a smart assed comment and then laughed loudly at his terrible attempt at singing…singing was another talent he couldn’t seem to grasp. She blew out the candle as she made her wish…

As they sat and split the cupcake she confessed that he was the only one to have wished her a happy birthday and as she thanked him she did what she had never done before, called him by his first name. It felt good to finally call him Draco instead of just Malfoy. The look on his face at the sound of his name coming from her lips made her wish that she had started calling him Draco months ago.

After she finished her last bite she looked at the clock and sighed. It was just then 10:53p.m., the exact minute that she arrived into this world. When she brought her eyes back to the table she was shocked to see a long green velvet box sitting in front of her. She gaped at the box and then at Draco before he made another one of his annoyingly witty comments.

She opened the box and a little gasp came out on its own accord. It was beautiful. It was delicate but perfect. It was a silver necklace with a lovely emerald in the middle of it. She felt a little overwhelmed by such a fantastic gift but as she heard Draco tease her she knew that he had just meant it in friendship so being her normal self she made a witty comment that rivaled his own.

While looking at the handsome blond boy that had become her lifeline she noticed for the first time that he got a certain sparkle in his eyes when he laughed and it was then when she was looking at her best friend and confidant she realized that she was falling more and more in love with him. It was a feeling that shocked her and delighted her all at once.

Things were blissfully peaceful for a whole month until tragedy struck again and this time much closer to home. Luna had gone to visit her father for the first time in months. She remembered how the eerily quiet day had been as if the universe knew that disaster was on the way. The quiet of the Order was broken with screams and crying. She remembered how Ron had come in carrying Luna while screaming for help.

Ginny knew something was dreadfully wrong when he saw the blood all over Ron. The many Healers who were called in shooed everyone out of the room, including a protesting Ron, as they did their best to save Luna and the baby’s lives. Outside in the hall the present Weasley clan plus Hermione and Harry paced the halls waiting anxiously for news. While out there, Ron, in a rant of near hysteria, told the people waiting of what he had walked in on. He slammed his fist into the wall screaming in pain and frustration as he cried out, “If I would have been there when I was supposed to be this never would have happened! This is all my fault!” His eyes became teary again as he finished in a near whisper, “I should have been there to protect her.”

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took Ron to the side and tried their best to comfort him as Mrs. Weasley repaired his now broken hand. They waited for hours for any news and nearly six hours later the head Healer came out to fill the family in on what had happened.

The Healer looked to the family sadly and said, “We did everything we could…”

Before the Healer could say anymore everyone had already dissolved again into tears. In war those words always meant death. Ron pushed past the Healer and went into the room and went straight to his even paler than normal wife and cried tears of relief to see that she was still alive. He held her close and they both cried in agony as the Healer informed them that their baby had died under the stress of torture. In the corner of the room another Healer held a tightly wrapped bundle and after declining to see the remains of the baby the Healer took the remains to be prepared to be buried.

The funeral was quiet and solemn. They all went in groups to the ruins of the Burrow which was now the cemetery for the fallen of the war. Ginny went with her parents and the twins, who had left their shop to be with their family. There wasn’t a single person who wasn’t crying as the tiny coffin was lowered into the ground. Ginny looked over to Ron and Luna and had never seen two more broken people. Luna, who was still very weak, clutched on to her husband for support and comfort as they both watched their baby lowered into the ground. The day before they had buried Mr. Lovegood in the plot to the left of the baby’s grave. It was a little comfort to know that even in death that the baby wouldn’t be alone…his grandfather would always be there to look after him.

Back at the Order the silence continued on until Luna had gone to rest. She had lost a lot of blood and was still recovering. The Healers had also told her that after losing the baby that it was uncertain if she was going to be able to conceive again. After Luna was out of earshot Ron promised that if he ever saw Rodolphus Lestrange that he would make him pay. “He took my little boy away before I ever had a chance to know him. If I see him again I’m going to rip him apart with my bare hands. He’ll wish he was never born.”

It wasn’t until that night that Draco came back from another long stay on the other side. As soon as Ron saw Draco he shoved him and pinned him up against the wall by choking him with one hand and pummeling him with his free hand. It took Mr. Weasley and Harry both to pull Ron off of Draco. As soon as Ron was pulled off of him Draco slumped to the ground grasping his throat as he tried to catch his breath. The whole time Ron was being dragged away from Draco he was trying to get back at him to finish what he had started.

As he calmed down he looked back at Draco and said, “What I did to you is nothing compared to what I’m going to do to that bastard that you have the misfortune of calling ‘uncle’. Tell him his days are numbered.”

Ron then huffed off to the room her shared with his wife not even looking back as Percy and Neville helped Draco to his feet and as Mrs. Weasley healed his broken nose and blackened eye. After he was healed and informed, Draco’s rage against the youngest Weasley boy died. Later that night he had confessed to Ginny that he held no grudge against her brother. He had been Ron’s enemy all through school and he was related to the man who had caused the death of Ron’s child.

He had looked at her solemnly and said, “I probably would have done the same thing in his place.”

The pain of losing that baby was still raw when tragedy struck again. The “Golden Trio” were out on a mission looking for supplies when they were ambushed by a group of Death Eaters. They were outnumbered easily. Ron and Harry were on either side of Hermione as they did their best to defend themselves from the numerous hexes that were continually being thrown at them.

They finally started to overcome the Death Eaters until one Death Eater blasted Hermione off of her feet. Harry ran to her side and as Amycus Carrow cast the Imperious Curse was when Charlie Apparated right in front of Harry and took the curse instead. Under the curse Charlie was forced to turn and direct his wand at his youngest brother and say the most dreaded of all curses.

Before the green light had a chance to hit an unsuspecting Ron, Percy Apparated and effectively blocked Ron. A look of pure shock was plastered on his face as he slumped, instantly dead, into the arms of his youngest brother. Being the cowards that they were the Death Eaters left as more of the Order had started to arrive.

The Order was always in a state of some kind of chaos but when Ron and Charlie brought home the body of their brother the normal chaos in the Order turned to hysterical chaos. Ginny vaguely remembered what had happened during the next few days. She was in and out of crying fits that seemed to seize her from her very core. The twins had finally moved back to be with the family on the day of the funeral.

The funeral was a horrible déjà vu. Percy’s coffin had been lowered into the plot next to his nephew and throughout the whole funeral everyone’s eyes had made the same sad journey across the steadily growing cemetery.

It wasn’t until just today at Penelope’s discovery of her pregnancy that the Weasley’s had started to once again focus on the silver lining that even in the worst of times still managed to shine through. It was also today that it Mrs. Weasley decided that Ginny was to go along with Luna and the children; Molly refused to lose her only daughter if she could prevent it.

As the noise continued to grow downstairs Ginny once again parted from the comforting embrace of her best friend and dreaded even the idea of being away from him. She was battling with how she was going to tell Draco that she was going to have to go away for her mother’s sake but what she didn’t realize was that Draco was battling with how he was going to share his information as well.

---

Sorry about how long this chapter was and that it overlapped but I needed to get through Ginny’s experience because, as I said earlier, I thought the story was a little one sided. The next chapter the two friends finally come clean to each other and the real action should start to take place.

6. Chapter 5

AN: I forgot to mention that none of the familiar people and places and other things are not mine. I only like to play with them. The original things are mine; such as Nex Domus and other things you’ll see later.

Chapter 5

The sounds from the main meeting room reverberated up the stairs to the two friends that sat in an uncomfortable silence. Ginny still had tear stained cheeks as she looked down at her hands. The two had since separated from their embrace and now sat facing the door in silence. Each had something to tell the other but couldn’t find the right words to say it. How can I tell her?

How can I tell him?

They sat in silence for a little while longer each glancing at each other and then looking away until soft brown eyes met grey.

“I need to tell you something. I have to go away for a while.” The two said at the same time.

Draco and Ginny both took in what the other had said as they sat there looking at each other before Draco asked, “Where are you going?”

Ginny sat looking at her friend for a moment before her courage allowed her to speak again.

“Mum wants me to go with Luna and the children to the safe house. I’m supposed to be packed and ready to go tomorrow morning. They are announcing that they are upping the move tonight at the meeting; Mum is so worried that she insisted that they move it up after she found out about Penelope. Mum doesn’t want to lose another grandchild and since Penelope is due in about five months Mum thought it would be better that she gets settled in as soon as possible.”

Draco took in the news but saw the troubled look on her face and asked, “What’s wrong, Gin?”

Ginny shook her head and smiled and said, “Nothings wrong. I’m still just a little overwhelmed. I’m going to be leaving my mum and dad and most of my brothers for the first time in my life.”

Draco gave Ginny a knowing glance as he said, “Ginny I know when you’re lying even with out using Legilimency. Don’t lie to me. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Ginny sat for a while and thought about her new duty to go along and to help the children. On one hand she would be there when her newest niece or nephew was born but it was essentially trading one day care center for another. She would be expected to do nothing but help look after the children. While it was noble to want to help protect them the safe house was strong enough that it would take a miracle to find it and to break into it. Being there would be a waste for Ginny; I would be a glorified babysitter until the end of the war…and if we lost…

Ginny shook her head free of her negative thoughts as she said, “I want to help Luna with the children but I can’t stop the feeling that it’s just my family’s way of locking me into another gilded cage. I know they want to protect me but I can fight just as well as anyone else in the Order.”

She paused to look at Draco with fiery determination in her eyes.

“I can help just as well as any other Order member and yet they still treat me as if I’m 11 years old. They seem to forget though that when I was 11 that I was the vessel for Tom Riddle to try to make his way back into the world. I’m not afraid to fight and I’m not afraid of him. As far as I’m concerned he is the sole root of all of my family’s misery in this damned war.”

Ginny looked at her friend with an almost sullen look and finished by saying, “I just want my chance to do what I can to help.”

Throughout Ginny’s entire tirade Draco’s heart was beating a mile a minute. It wasn’t usually this easy to make Draco nervous but he couldn’t help himself feel a little overwhelmed by what she had said compared to what he had to tell her.

“I guess I should be grateful that I have a family who cares so much for me but I still think that they all see me as a little girl with pig tails who’s too little to play with the big kids.”

Draco stood and began to pace. He was to nervous to just sit. As he paced Ginny gave him a look of confusion as he started muttering to himself. Ginny had never seen Draco so erratic. After a few moments of pacing Draco stopped and turned to Ginny.

“How badly do you want to help end the war?”

Ginny raised a brow at the question and said, “Didn’t I just tell you that I want to help. I’m sick of being on the sidelines.”

Sighing, Draco nodded and asked, “Would you do anything to help?”

Ginny stood to face him searching his face for an answer to his odd behavior. “Draco what is this about? You know I’d do anything if the meant I could help put an end to his war.”

When Ginny put out her hands to grasp Draco’s he asked her a question that seemed to come out of nowhere.

“Ginny, do you trust me?”

Ginny stared into his intense grey eyes and saw his fear, worry and doubt. All she could do was nod. As she was nodding she was pulled into the familiar embrace of her best friend; her head resting on his chest.

His chest vibrated slightly as he spoke to her, “I’ll never let any harm happen to you Gin.”

Before she knew what was going on her vision blurred into darkness as Draco whispered reassuringly, “Everything’s going to be alright.”

------

Ginny awoke as the sun was setting through a window that she had never seen before. She sat up fast on the bed and looked around the unfamiliar room in shock and awe. The room was lovely. It was done in all shades of blue, with white painted wooden furniture.

She stood and looked around the room and made her way to the one of the three ornate doors in the room. Her mind was spinning the whole time she made her way to the door and she began to panic when she noticed that her wand was missing.

Where the hell am I? Where’s Draco? Is he alright? Did he bring me here? If he did I’m going to kill him for scaring me like this. Where the bloody hell is my wand?!

Meanwhile in another room Draco was once again pacing.

You’re a bloody genius Malfoy! Trust me Ginny and then I practically kidnap her…well actually did kidnap her. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Yes, this was a great way to ease her into the bad news. Oh, sorry for taking you here without your permission oh and by the way…

Draco slammed his fist down on a nearby desk in frustration before he made his way out of the study.

Ginny had started to get a little frustrated that she couldn’t seem to pick the right door to get out of the room. The first one was the large bathroom and the second was the massive walk-in closet. Before she even made it towards the third and final door Draco had made his way into the room.

As soon as Draco saw that look on Ginny’s face he knew he was in a lot of trouble.

She advanced on him glaring up at him. “Draco, what the hell is going on?”

He placed his hands on her shoulders as he calmly told her, “Gin, calm down. It’s ok.”

Draco instantly regretted his words as Ginny angrily shrugged his hands off of her shoulders and began to yell at him.

“Don’t you dare tell me to fucking calm down! I wake up in a strange place after my best friend assures me that everything is going to be alright and to trust him and then you go and do something like this. Where are we, Draco? What the hell were you thinking? My family is probably frantic wondering if I’m dead or alive!”

As she was yelling she backed him up to the now closed door. As Draco felt the door against his back he tried his best not to think about how badly he wanted to grab Ginny and put her back against the door and kiss her senseless. Being more sensible he instead did something he had never done before. He apologized.

He grasped her again by the shoulders only this time to move her back a little bit. He then dropped his hands to his side.

“Gin, I needed to tell you something important and when you told me you didn’t want to go through with going into hiding I thought it would be easier to talk to you away from the Order. I’ve been charged by the Dark Lord with a mission and once I tell you about it if you want to return I’ll take you back in a heart beat. I’m sorry I didn’t get your approval first but I felt trapped in the house and I acted irrationally.” He stated.

Ginny tilted her head in disbelief at her best friend of almost four years as all anger faded from her small frame. Sighing she walked over to the bed and took a seat and motioned for Draco to join her.

As he hesitated to join her she asked a little testily, “Well are you going to tell me what’s going on or are you just going to stand there all day?”

Draco moved towards the bed and sat down next to Ginny. “So where are we Draco?”

He shrugged and said, “It’s the Malfoy Chateau “Paix Retraite” in southern France. It’s a retreat for the Malfoy heir to use. Malfoy’s only ever have one child and it’s always a male so years and years ago one of my ancestors got angry with his father and set this place up. He took a property of his father’s and turned it into this retreat. It has old magic that hides it from anyone that the heir doesn’t want to find it. When I turned eighteen it became mine to do with as I pleased. My father, even though this was his at one time, can’t step foot anywhere near here without my consent. Actually, he can’t even remember where it is unless I want him to. The only people who can come and go here as they please is myself and one day my wife and our children. Only Malfoys and their chosen confidants are allowed on the property.”

Ginny nodded taking in all of the information. I can’t believe I’m in France. It’s lovely but there are more important things to be thinking about.

After a calming breath he started to tell her possibly the most difficult news he had ever had to deliver. “Well as I said, the Dark Lord charged me with a mission. He told me that he considers this mission as one of the priority missions. He’s sure that when the war is over that he will reign supreme and therefore he has decided that he should get his affairs in order now so that when he takes the throne as supreme rule he can do so easily.”

Ginny rolled her eyes at the presumptuous nature of Voldemort but continued to listen intently.

“Other Death Eaters have been charged to do other things to help the Dark Lord get situated but my task is to prepare the Dark Lord’s future bride and queen.”

Ginny looked at him with wide eyed curiosity. Who in their right mind would willingly agree to be that monster’s bride?

“My job is to protect her and with the help of my mother, get her ready to take her place as the Dark Queen. He expects us at Malfoy Manor in two days. He wants her to be presented officially as his betrothed at the annual Yule Ball at Malfoy Manor. The day after the final battle is to be the wedding so I would still be in charge of her protection until then.”

Ginny listened to the end of what he had to say as she looked at her hands sadly. I guess I’m not the only one who is going to be trapped in a gilded cage. I wish we could be together. I can’t bear the thought of being away from him for so long…maybe forever.

Then all together as if a light had been switched on in her head Ginny had a brilliant idea. “Draco, why can’t you just come with me to the safe house? It’s a literal fortress. I know it won’t be exciting but at least we won’t have to say goodbye for an unknown amount of time.”

Draco saw the excitement on her face and hated himself for having to crush it. I would love nothing more then to go with her but that would never work.

“Ginny, I can’t. If I leave and fail this mission he threatened to kill my mother.”

Ginny’s eyes widened in shock and horror at what Draco had just said. Voldemort truly is a monster.

Draco took on of her small hands into one of his larger ones as he continued, “There’s more that I need to tell you.”

Ginny squeezed his hand supporting him to go on. “Go ahead, Draco. I’m listening.”

He looked her straight in the eyes and said, “It’s also my responsibility to get his bride to Malfoy Manor by any means necessary. You see, his future bride isn’t one of his followers. She is actually a member of the Order and would not come willingly. She’s a pureblood who he thinks will be an asset to his side for winning the war and her joining him would be the ultimate insult to two of the leaders of the Order.”

Ginny looked at her friend in horror and started to shake her head. “Draco, please. Please, stop talking right now.”

She stood up and hugged herself trying to convince herself against what she already knew to be true.

“Ginny, he wants you.”

Those four simple words sent her to her knees crying. No, no, no, no! This is a nightmare. Wake up Ginny wake up! Wake up!

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I promised a little more action and I hoped I delivered it. I wanted to keep going but the next bit is going quite long so here seemed to be a good cut off point. Again please review. The next chapter is going to be intense so stick with it.

Paix Retraite means peace retreat in French.

7. Chapter 6

AN: This one has some violence in it. You’ve been warned.

Chapter 6

Ginny sat on her knees lost in thought for what seemed for hours before Draco came and knelt beside her and gathered her into his arms. Her mind was spinning. She was mad, scared, and felt so lost.

Me. He wants to make me his queen. Why me? So what if I happen to be a pureblood? As if blood status even means anything anyway, well to normal people it means nothing. Aren’t there wacko purebreds on his side that would love to be his Queen? I am against every thing he stands for. Why would he want me?

I’ll just go with Luna into hiding. He’ll never find me. I’ll be safe there with Luna and if I’m there I could always go back to the Order and be with my family. But if I go he’ll kill Draco’s mother. I don’t know her but she is Draco’s mother and Draco would do anything to save my mother…

Torn between her feelings she moved further into her friend’s embrace and let her tears flow.

If I stay I’d be eventually forced into a loveless marriage with a monster…and if we lost the war I would never be able to escape. I would be a prisoner forever. A prisoner married to the most evil man in the world…

Ginny raised her teary brown eyes to look into the conflicted steel grey eyes of her best friend as her mind continued to race.

If I leave, Voldemort might torture or kill him along with his mother. I’d rather die than know that I caused him pain or even that I was the one that caused his death. He wouldn’t let me get hurt. He promised to protect me but I’d be protected by the wards if I went with Luna. I could go with her and be safe as a glorified babysitter… unless we lost and then I’d end up with Voldemort anyway. And if he found the half-blood children in the hideout…he’d have them tortured and killed.

If I stayed I could possibly have some sway with Voldemort when it came to executions…I could plead on the behalf of my loved ones. If I was his wife I could ask him to be merciful for my sake. I wonder if that would work. I’d give up my freedom and my chance to marry for love if I could spare even one of my friends or family. They do say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I really have no choice…I have to stay.

Ginny laid her head on Draco’s shoulder as her tears subsided. She held on to him loving the way that her body fit so perfectly in his arms as if they were made for each other. I could never leave Draco for so long anyway…I love him.

After a few more moments, Ginny broke the embrace and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she said with a sniffle, “I’ll stay.”

Draco met her eyes and asked, “are you sure you want to do this? I’ll take you back to the Order right now if you ask me to.”

Ginny gave a weak smile to her friend. “Draco, if I go it would only cause more pain then if I just stay. He’ll kill your mother and maybe even you if you fail your mission. And if I did leave and he sent people after me he could find the children and I just can’t take that risk.”

Draco sighed, whether it was relief or disappointment he wasn’t sure, as he got to his feet and helped Ginny to hers. He steered her back to sit next to him on the bed and they sat in silence for a few seconds before Draco spoke again.

“This isn’t going to be easy, Gin.”

With a small nod Ginny smiled and said, “I’ll be alright as long as you are.”

Sighing again Draco shook his head and said, “That’s something we have to talk about as well. I figure that the best way to bring you to Malfoy Manor would be to have you unconscious again and to have you awake in the dungeon.”

At Ginny’s inquiring look he continued, “Yes, Malfoy Manor has a dungeon. One half of it is the potion portion and the other is for what dungeons have always been used for. You would wake up in the dungeon and I would come down, probably with a few death eaters, and they will congratulate me for bringing you in by betraying you and the Order.”

Ginny gave him an understanding look and added, “So from that point on I would see you as the enemy again and act as if you betrayed me.”

Draco nodded as he continued, “It would have to be convincing or both of us are screwed. If they thought that we were friends they would reassign you to someone else and I would be punished and wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near you. The Dark Lord is a highly jealous man and he doesn’t want others to get too close to you. That’s why he thought I was perfect for this job. He knows that our families hate each other so he assumed that I wouldn’t get too close to you while I was there as a spy. He’s been planning this from the very beginning.”

Ginny frowned as she listened to what Draco had to say. Draco sighed again as he continued, “I’m going to have to be like I used to be around you. I’ll have to pretend to despise you and my mission. Sometimes I may even have to be cruel.”

Ginny nodded slowly as she took in all that Draco had to say. “And in return to your cruelty I will have to supply my own. Draco, I can pretend to hate you if I have to but is there going to be anytime that we will ever get to be ourselves around each other?”

Frowning Draco said, “I don’t know, Gin. I doubt it.”

Ginny matched Draco’s frown as she asked, “So what exactly do you mean when you said ‘prepare his bride’?”

“Basically, mother and I, well mostly mother, will teach you all that you need to know to get by in high society. The Dark Lord plans to have a form of government that is a monarchy. He will be king with you at his side and all of his loyal followers will be given the titles of Lords, Counts or Dukes. He wants things to be as they were in the old days where there were certain codes of behavior for the upper class.”

Ginny groaned as she thought about what would be expected of her. Ginny was a girl who liked to wear muggle jeans and to rough house with her brothers. Even before the war Ginny rarely wore anything but jeans and a tee-shirt. In this role she was going to have to be a girly girl. “So basically, I’ll be in a private finishing school preparing to become a fluffy girly girl and the perfect wife to a madman?”

Draco chuckled lightly at his friend and said, “I guess you could look it at that way.”

The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes before Draco looked over to the clock on the wall. “It’s getting a little late, Gin. We should probably get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. We will finalize plans and then there’s no turning back.”

Draco stood and turned to face Ginny as he continued, “You can sleep in here; it used to be my mother’s room. There should be something you can sleep in either in the dresser or the closet. Sweet dreams, Gin.”

Before Draco turned to leave he bent down and kissed her cheek. All Ginny could muster after that was to softly say, “Goodnight,” in return as he closed the door. Ginny touched her cheek lightly with her hand and smiled. If there wasn’t a war going on I wonder if there could be something between us.

---

The next morning both Ginny and Draco woke early. The sun had barely started to rise when Draco sent a house elf to show Ginny to the dining room so she wouldn’t get lost. The chateau was, for lack of a better word, enormous. It was about three-fourths the size of Malfoy Manor. They shared a meal in a comfortable silence and after meal had been cleared they moved into one of the sitting rooms to work on their plans.

They sat next to each other on a comfy leather sofa and before they started working on any plans Draco took Ginny by the hand and looked her into the eye and asked, “Are you sure that this is what you want to do?”

Ginny smiled nervously but nodded. “I’ll be alright. You’re going to have to trust me to be ok because you’re not going to be able to be this nice to me anymore.”

Draco smiled back at her. “Ok then let’s work out what’s going to have to happen.”

“What is going to be the story of how you “kidnapped” me?”

“I was thinking that before we left for the Manor we would stop off the war memorial at the Burrow. There I would knock you unconscious and take you to the Manor.”

Ginny nodded, “That would be alright. But what if one of the Order members is there?”

Draco just grimly said, “I’ll do what I have to do.”

Ginny frowned but nodded. “What happens when I wake up in the dungeon?”

“You’ll probably be down there for a little while by yourself. You can scream and make a fuss because that will be expected and then I’ll come down with either some death eaters or just my mother and that’s when you’re really going to have to let me have it. Call me every name in the book and I’m going to be the prat that you remember from school.”

Ginny nodded and asked, “What happens after I get out of the dungeon?”

Draco shrugged, “You’ll fall into a routine of classes with me and mother and pretty much be restricted to the activities of a ‘lady’.”

“What are the activities of a ‘lady’?”

Draco shrugged again and said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Ginny sighed and asked, “So when do we have to go?”

“We can go whenever you want; as long as it’s before tomorrow night.”

Ginny stood and said, “Well since we have some time together we should use it. This is probably the last time that we will get to be ourselves around each other. So let’s spend some time walking and talking around this huge place.”

Ginny took Draco’s hand and helped him to his feet and together they walked hand-in-hand throughout the whole château enjoying each others company. As the sun set the two friends put their plan into motion and before anytime had passed at all Draco had once again knocked his best friend unconscious.

---

When Ginny awoke she was on a cold floor. As she stood up she noticed that her wrists were shackled and the chains that attached to them were secured on the wall. Ginny tested the length of the shackles and found that she could only move about 6 feet in any direction. To her right she could see out of the bars of the cell she was in and also to the stairs that led upstairs to what she assumed was the main floor.

After a few minutes of getting herself prepared for what was about to come she started screaming for help and rattling her chains in a futile attempt to escape. She screamed and cried for help for hours before she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Let me out of here you Death Eater scum!”

As she let out that last cry it almost died in her throat as Draco and his father came into the light. Ginny never admitted it to anyone but she was terrified of Lucius. He had almost caused her death when she was only eleven and she had been intimidated by him ever since. Anger took over her fear as she thought that it was all of Lucius’ doing that Draco was even in this mess. If he hadn’t been such a mindless idiot bent on a pureblood kick he would be on the side of the Order.

Ginny glared at both of them as they entered the cell. “You both are spineless cowards! And you,” she glared daggers at Draco, “betraying bastard! We trusted you! You were my friend!”

Draco and Lucius shared a scarily similar sinister chuckle that made Ginny shiver in fear internally as Lucius congratulated his son, “Draco I’m proud of you son. Do you see the hurt and pathetic look on her face? She honestly thought you were her little friend.”

Draco chuckled again, “As if I would honestly befriend a pitiful creature such as her. Father, you should have seen how easy she fell into the Dark Lord’s plan. She’s such a simple little thing. All I had to do was to say a few kind words to her and she thought that we were the best of friends.”

Ginny charged at him as if she was going to attack him but was stopped by the shackles. “You bloody bastard! I hate you!”

While she charged at them the necklace that Draco had given Ginny came un-tucked from her shirt. When Draco saw it he snatched it from her neck breaking the chain in the process. “Only a lowly Weasley like you would have been impressed by such a little piece of nothing like this.”

Ginny was unprepared to lose her necklace that she adored and never took off and couldn’t stop the hurt from going to her eyes along with the tears that also gathered.

Lucius smiled at his son’s actions and said, “I still don’t know what the Dark Lord sees in this little creature. She’s a disgusting muggle-loving Weasley.” His eyes scanned over her body and landed again on her face. “Well I guess she isn’t that hard on the eyes.”

He stepped closer and grabbed her chin in his hand and forced her to look him in the eyes. Ginny was pissed. She hated anyone to grab her chin like that; it made her feel so inferior to the person. Ginny didn’t hesitate and moved her head and bit Lucius’ hand…hard. Lucius let loose a grunt as he yanked his hand back and then backhanded her hard across the face with his other hand.

Ginny saw stars as she hit her knees from the shock and the now blinding headache that she had. Her head was kind of fuzzy but she could have sworn she heard Draco come to her defense…well he yelled at Lucius for hitting the Dark Lord’s property but the concern for her as she feel to her knees was evident in his eyes. As she was kneeling the fuzziness in her head turned to darkness as she slumped over unconscious.

When Draco saw his father backhand Ginny he saw red. He had to tone down his rage or he would have thrown his father into a wall. Draco was now at 6’0 and his father was at 5’9. Draco knew that he could easily take out his father and had to stop himself from doing just that. Instead he yelled at his father.

“Father, are you deranged?! I’m under the charge to protect her and to get her ready to marry the Dark Lord. I’m to report to him daily on her progress and I doubt he would like to hear that his future bride was black and blue due to your hand!”

Lucius looked at Draco, shocked that his son was yelling at him and also shocked at his own behavior. All he could do was stare at his son.

“Father if I were you I’d get some of your things and go to Nex Domus. I would hate to let it slip to the Dark Lord what happened here today.”

Lucius nodded almost numbly as he moved past his son and out of the dungeon. As soon as Lucius was out of site Draco rushed to Ginny’s side. Ginny by that point had slumped over on her side and was unconscious. Draco undid the shackles and picked her up bridal style. He made his was with her up to her chambers refusing the help of the many house elves that he encountered.

He laid her on the bed and checked her slowly bruising cheek. He pulled a chair next to the bed and held her hand and kissed the back of her hand. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he sat there and thought. I’ve failed her already. I promised her that no harm would come to her and on the very first day she ends up unconscious. Forgive me, Ginny. I won’t fail you again.

---

Ginny’s dreams were plagued by nightmares and all through the night she tossed and turned. She was startled awake by a small hand shaking her. She sat straight up in the bed and immediately wished that she hadn’t. Her head was throbbing so bad that it made her feel sick to her stomach. She laid right back down and looked to her right to see a house elf staring at her with its big eyes. It appeared to be a female elf but she wasn’t sure until the little creature started to speak.

“Miss, Miss Tilly was sent to get Miss up for breakfast.”

Ginny groaned at the high pitched voice of the elf and remained lying in the bed.

“Miss, you must come with Tilly. Tilly is to get Miss ready for breakfast. If Tilly doesn’t get Miss ready I will be punished and then have to punish myself.”

Ginny looked at the little elf with sympathy and got out of the bed. Tilly snapped her fingers and Ginny was dressed in a light green summer dress and her headache was gone. As she looked at the mirror in the room, the bruise on her face, that she knew should have been there was gone and what replaced it was classily done make up. Her shoulder length curly hair, which she usually left down and wild, was tamed up into a fashionable bun.

She only had a few seconds to look at her changed appearance before Tilly took her by the hand and practically dragged her down the halls and down the stairs to the dining room. Tilly opened the door and ushered her in and Ginny stumbled in her heels while walking into the room earning a snicker from Draco and a disapproving look from his mother. After a quick glance the Draco’s mother Ginny could see that all of Draco’s looks weren’t just from his father.

She stood next to the door unsure of what to do until Narcissa sharply said, “Come over here, sit down and eat before you breakfast gets cold. It’s rude to stare and it’s rude to make others wait to start their meal by your tardiness.”

Ginny frowned and tried to keep her famous temper in check as she made her way to the chair next to Narcissa. She ungracefully plopped down in her seat. Narcissa grimaced at her lack of grace but continued to eat her meal in peace.

If Ginny didn’t know what was going on she would have felt so confused. She was in Malfoy Manor having breakfast with Draco and his mother the day after his father gave her a black eye. “So is this a new form of torture then. Kidnap the enemy and then make them feel so uncomfortable and out of place that they die from it?”

Narcissa raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow as she looked at her young guest as she asked, “Were you not informed on why you are here?”

Ginny frowned as she said, “Oh, do you mean the fact that I was betrayed by a man who I thought was my best friend just so he could kidnap me to be a forced bride to the most evil man in the world? No, I was informed. Does that mean that I’m going to be the perfect little drone? I don’t think so.”

Ginny stood up from the table pushing away from the table hard as she ran from the room and to the front door. As she grabbed the handle she was sent flying back about four feet. She looked up from her back to see Draco’s smug face above her.

“All of the exterior doors and windows will have that same effect on you Weaslette.”

He grabbed her hand and not to gently got her back on her feet and dragged her back into the dining room. “There is no escape, Weasley. You better just get used to it here.”

He took her to her chair where he pulled her chair out for her and waited for her to sit before he pushed the chair in again.

Narcissa gave Ginny an unimpressed look and said, “Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system you can eat something. From the way it looks I have my work cut out for me if the Dark Lord expects you to be a queen. We start your training after breakfast.”

---

And there is Chapter 6. I hope it wasn’t too rough for you all to read. The next chapter starts on Ginny’s training to be a lady and some more forbidden actions between Draco and Ginny. Trust me when I say that the chapters are only going to get better as they go

8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror one morning and couldn’t help the changes that had already happened in the five weeks that she had been at Malfoy Manor. Her hair was longer and a deeper red and she had grown accustomed to seeing herself in make up and now never went without it. She was slowly but surely becoming a lady.

Narcissa’s training was brutal and boring but it seemed now that the three people in the Manor had started to get into a comfortable schedule. Ginny would wake up at seven in order to get ready to be at breakfast promptly at eight. After breakfast was an hour of language lessons. Every day of the week was one of two chosen languages. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were Latin, and then Tuesdays and Thursdays were French.

The fact that Ginny had to learn a new language was beyond her. There were spells upon spells that were designed to do translations but still she sat every day learning the old fashioned way.

At ten was a time to study the history of nobles of the past. Eleven was a free hour. But the hour wasn’t free. She was expected to do tasks to make her into a better lady such as embroider, read quietly, or work on her penmanship. Narcissa usually insisted on either embroidery or the penmanship practice. Ginny’s handwriting was what Narcissa considered to be very unladylike. She once told her that she didn’t know that a woman could possibly write worse than a man.

At noon the three would reconvene for a light lunch. After lunch if the weather was fair Ginny was allowed outside to practice her equestrian skills under Draco and Narcissa’s direct supervision. On the days that the weather was bad it would be just another free hour. At two Ginny and Narcissa would have afternoon tea and Draco would go to have his daily meeting with Voldemort.

Ginny and Narcissa would take a long afternoon tea and sit and work on Ginny’s small talking. At four would be another hour of history, if the weather was nice at five the two ladies would walk to Narcissa’s prized rose garden for a stroll if the weather wasn’t fit Ginny would practice the piano in the ballroom and then promptly at six Draco would be home in time for dinner.

After dinner was time for dance lessons. Narcissa would sit and watch as Draco would lead Ginny around the dance floor and make comments on how to improve. After about two hours of dancing it would be time for bed. Narcissa would go to the master bedroom in the west wing and Draco would escort Ginny to her room in the east wing before going to his room that was only one door down. It was a small relief to Ginny to know that Draco was so close but he still seemed so far away. The only time they ever got to talk was only snide remarks to each other.

On the weekends she would have extended dance and dinner etiquette lessons to prepare her for the endless parties, balls and functions she would have to attend as the future Dark Queen. Unlike many other people who looked forward to their weekends; Ginny dreaded the end of the week. For hours she and Draco would dance and she had to betray her heart and make it seem that she loathed his touch when all she wanted to do was to fall into his arms and let him hold her the way he used to. It hurt down to the deepest reaches of her soul to pretend hate him.

I feel so alone here. I miss my mum, dad and my brothers. Penelope and Hermione are due in less than four months and I’m going to miss the birth of my newest niece or nephew. Things are so different here. There’s no laughter, no chaos, and no noise here. The halls are always so cold and lifeless and quiet. I feel like I’m in a tomb. No wonder Draco had a hard time getting used to life at Grimmauld.

Ginny finished getting ready for the morning and headed down the now familiar path to the dining room. As she passed the main entrance she remembered the many different attempts to escape that she had tried when she first arrived. She tried her best to keep up appearances and for the first couple weeks she was unruly and just a pain but in the last week she settled into the routine.

Ginny looked at the clock right outside the dining room and found that she was going to be early for once. She made her way to her place and sat and waited for Draco and Narcissa to join her. It was nice that she was now trusted enough to walk around the manor herself. It was just yesterday that Tilly was told that she didn’t have to watch Ginny’s every move and escort her everywhere.

Ginny didn’t mind Tilly but it was nice to be able to have a few minutes of silence to think. Tilly would wake her up in the morning and help her get ready since Ginny was still without her wand. At the thought of her wand Ginny sighed. That’s another thing I’m really missing. I feel so helpless without my wand.

After a few minutes Draco came in and sat at his place. The two sat in silence waiting for Narcissa to join them. Ginny’s and Draco’s eyes met and they could see the longing in each other’s eyes. They could never talk the way the way the used to. Almost every room had a portrait in it so they were always being watched. In the beginning the portraits would jeer her along with Draco but after a harsh scolding from Narcissa they treated her with a cold indifference.

After a few more seconds of staring they broke eye contact and started throwing ‘insults’ at each other.

“Looks like you can finally tell time, Weasley. It’s good to know that even someone of your status can actually take in information.”

Ginny retorted, “Malfoy, if you get any paler someone may confuse you for a vampire. It’s good that it is morning because if it was dark out you would illuminate the whole room with your glow-in-the-dark complexion.”

After Ginny’s retort Narcissa entered the room. Draco stood to help his mother to her seat as she said, “Well it’s good to see that you two get an early start insulting each other. I hope it is out of your system. I’d like a peaceful meal.”

The rest of the meal went by in silence until the end of the meal when Draco announced, “As much as I’m going to loathe not being here for lessons the Dark Lord has asked me to spend all of tomorrow at Nex Domus.”

Narcissa nodded and said, “Ginevra and I have plenty to do that doesn’t require your presence, darling.”

Ginny stifled a shudder at Narcissa calling her Ginevra. She hated being called Ginevra it always reminded her of being in trouble with her mother.

The rest of the day was the same boring routine. Ginny was once again only half heartedly paying attention the whole day. This is like school only worse…

Dinner was delicious as always and Ginny couldn’t help but feel dread as dancing lessons approached.

Narcissa would cue up some music and Draco would lead her to the dance floor. He was a wonderful dancer and knew how to lead. She on the other hand was unaccustomed to wearing heels and in the beginning would trip all over herself earning snide remarks from Draco which, in turn earned him a heel crushing down onto his foot.

Draco and Ginny made a beautiful looking couple as they danced. Ginny was only 5’6 but in her heels she got up to 5’9 making it easy for her to look Draco in the face as they danced. They moved gracefully across the floor keeping the appropriate distance from each other.

Draco sighed, “It seems like you are finally getting some grace, Weaslette.”

Ginny, in her best imitation of a proper lady, said sarcastically, “Yes indeed.”

After another hour of dancing, Narcissa turned off the charmed instruments and the trio made their way to their separate wings. As usual Ginny and Draco would keep their distance from each other as they walked silently down the many halls to their rooms. Tonight was different, however, at one point Ginny let her mind wander and she managed to trip over air in her heels.

She braced herself for the fall which never came. When she opened her eyes she was cradled in Draco’s arms; his face was barely two inches away from hers. Her eyes locked onto his and she could see her same longing mirrored in his intense gaze. He moved his head in closer to kiss her and she closed her eyes in anticipation.

All of the romance of the situation was shattered as one of the portraits spoke.

“Stupid blood traitor can’t even walk without tripping over thin air.”

Draco quickly straightened himself and Ginny out and sneered at her. “Great grandfather is still very astute. You’re lucky I was here, Weaslette. I’m sure the Dark Lord wouldn’t have liked to know that his precious future bride broke her neck from being a complete air head.”

Draco grabbed her hand and yanked her down the hall to her room. “Now that we’ve made it to you room without injury I can quit my duty of babysitting you.”

He dropped her hand and turned to walk to his room without another word. Ginny slammed her door behind her and fell back onto it slamming her fist into the door. Damn interfering portrait. Ginny sighed as she closed her eyes and remembered the look of longing in Draco’s eyes. It wasn’t until she relaxed her fist that she noticed that Draco had slipped her a piece of parchment.

It dawned on Ginny that Draco had set it all up. The sneaky git had whispered a spell to make her trip. Ginny picked up the parchment and unfolded it and read Draco’s flowing writing.

Ginny,

By now you have figured out that I tripped you in the hall and for that I apologize but it seemed the only way I could get close enough to you to give you this note. I know that this has been torture for you to be in this situation. It has tortured me as well. I can’t tell you how much I’ve longed just to talk to you. In your room you will see the same bookcase that has been there since day one but there is something you may not have noticed about that book case. It’s actually a disguised door. There are no portraits in either of our rooms so it should be safe for us to see each other. I’m willing to take a risk in seeing you if you are. The trigger is an appropriate book for us.

Draco

Ginny smiled and made her way over to the bookcase and looked for the trigger. She giggled as she pulled on the only muggle written book in the bookcase, Romeo and Juliet, and the door opened to reveal a small doorway and a back of another bookcase. Tentatively she knocked and before her hand came down again the other case opened up and she saw Draco, her smiling and happy Draco, and ran straight into his arms and cried tears of relief.

After the two had their fill of each other’s embrace they sat on Draco’s bed and had the first real conversation in weeks.

Draco chuckled, “Training with mother can’t be that bad.”

“You’re one to talk. I’m with her all day reading the dullest books in the world or working on my posture and proper small talk. Does your mother have any personality at all? She seems like just a perfect society doll.”

Draco frowned and said, “She is warmer than she is first appears. She just comes off guarded because she was trained to be a society lady.”

“I’m sorry, Draco. I’m just not used to such a cold world.” Ginny slipped her hand into his. “I’ve missed being able to really talk to you.”

“I have too, Gin.”

They sat for a little while longer just enjoying each other’s presence before either spoke again.

“Do you know why he wants you at Nex Domus all day?”

“I have no idea. I think he’s getting nervous. We’ve lost a few of our best men. The Carrows were taken out just yesterday.”

Ginny couldn’t help the look of excitement on her face, “Does that mean the Order is close to wining?”

“It’s still to early to know for sure about that but if they keep up they way they are going you could be home in time for Christmas.”

Ginny smiled, “That would be wonderful.”

Draco shared in her smile, “That would be wonderful.”

Ginny looked over to the bookcase and asked, “So what made you tell me about the bookcase tonight? Why not beforehand?”

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and said, “I knew about the bookcase since I was about ten. I knew that you were going to be in that room and I knew that was going to be an easy way to get to you if I needed to. I was afraid to use it before now but I’m not afraid of this little risk. There’s no one who could see us together here. We can be ourselves here.”

“This is harder than I ever imagined. The lessons I can handle but every time I’m around you and I have to put on the façade that I hate you it just rips into my heart. You’re my only link back to happier times and yet in front of your mother and the portraits you are my mortal enemy.”

“Things should be a little easier now, Gin. You’re strong enough to put up a good front. It could even be a little fun. Tear each other down outside of our sanctuary and then laugh at it later.”

Draco reached into his pocket and handed her the newly repaired necklace that he had taken from her. “This should help a little as well.”

Ginny smiled brightly at her best friend as he put her beloved necklace back where it belonged; around her neck. He then said a spell on the necklace to cloak it from all eyes but theirs. Draco then draped his arm across Ginny’s shoulders and held her close. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on hers.

“Draco, do you ever wonder what our lives would be if Voldemort had never come back?”

Draco answered quicker than she expected as he said, “I wonder that every day. I wonder what my life would be like if my father would had never been on his side to begin with. I wonder if I would have been a different person in school. I wonder if I could have been friends with your brother and even Potter.” He took his head off of hers and cupped her cheek and tilted Ginny’s head to look her in the eyes. “I wonder if I would have been the boy in school that you fell for instead of Potter.”

Ginny looked into Draco’s eyes and saw the love for her in his eyes. She reached up to the hand on her cheek and brought his hand down. “I should probably get to my room it’s getting late.” She walked over to the bookcase and started to walk through but stopped and turned to face Draco who was right behind her and whispered, “You don’t have to wonder about me falling for you. I fell for you long ago.”

Draco could barely register what she had said before he felt her lips on his. Not being one to be outdone he quickly snapped out of his shock and took control of the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. He had kissed many different girls before nothing compared to this.

Ginny on the other hand was in bliss. She didn’t know what had possessed her to kiss him but she was so glad she had. She couldn’t imagine a kiss being more perfect. After a little while Ginny pulled away, reluctantly, and kissed Draco on the cheek before she slyly smiled as she shut her bookcase for the night.

---

The next morning Ginny woke early and in a great mood. She couldn’t help but smile like a fool around her room as she got ready for the day. She would catch glimpses of her necklace in the mirrors around the room and her smile would get even bigger. She almost forgot herself as she left her room and was forced to conceal her good mood with a disinterested look as she made it down for breakfast.

She arrived to the dining room with plenty of time to spare and it wasn’t until Draco didn’t show up that she remembered his meeting at Nex Domus. She sent a silent prayer hoping that Draco would be alright. Breakfast was silent as always until Narcissa broke the silence. “Ginevra, today I think we will take a break from lessons and discuss some important things.”

Ginny wanted to sigh a breath of relief at the knowledge that she wouldn’t have to memorize anymore names that day but wondered what Narcissa meant by ‘important things.’

After breakfast Narcissa brought her to a part of the house she had never been to before and she was ushered into what appeared to be a parlor.

“Please sit, dear.”

Ginny gracefully took a seat in one of the many lavish chairs as she looked around the room and was glad to see no portraits or pictures of any kind. Narcissa took a seat opposite of Ginny and said, “This is my private study. I thought it would be a private place for us to chat without any unwanted eyes or ears prying into our business.”

Ginny gave a small smile to her and asked, “What exactly did you wish to discuss, Mrs. Malfoy?”

Narcissa smiled slightly and said, “In my parlor you may call me, Narcissa. I know I may seem cold and harsh but you’ll learn soon enough what behavior is expected in which situations.”

Ginny nodded grimly and replied, “Well then, Narcissa, could you please call me Ginny then while we are here? When you call me Ginevra it reminds me of my mother.”

“Alright then, Ginny, I brought you to discuss important issues; one being your relationship with my son.”

Ginny frowned at the mention of Draco as to not give herself away and asked a little harshly, “What do you mean about our relationship? Do you mean the friendship I offered that he threw away? Do you mean the trust I put him that he betrayed?”

Narcissa frowned in return. “You should not judge him so harshly. He, like all of us, is just living up to our role.”

Ginny rolled her eyes at Narcissa but under the surface sighed a breath of relief. “I don’t know if I can handle living this way. I don’t know if I can live in a role every day just to please Voldemort.”

Narcissa looked sadly out the window, “You’ll learn to accept it, dear.”

Ginny looked at Narcissa and noticed for the first time the sadness that practically radiated from her whole body. “Your marriage was arranged too, wasn’t it?”

Narcissa looked over at Ginny and replied, “Yes. I can’t help but look at you and see so much of your mother in you. She and I were very close in school but I doubt she ever mentioned that to you.”

Ginny looked at Narcissa in shock as she shook her head to the negative. Mum was friends with Mrs. Malfoy…but they are so different.

“I know it is hard to believe but in school we were practically inseparable. She was a couple years older than me; she was actually my sister Andromeda’s age but we grew up together and became fast friends as children. I wasn’t always the woman I am today. I was the youngest of three girls and by far the most unlike the lady that my mother wished me to be.

When I was a first year in Hogwarts, Lucius and my oldest sister, Bella, were sixth years. Andromeda was a fourth year but was betrothed to Lucius by his wish. It was pretty much assumed that Andromeda and Lucius would marry after graduating until she eloped with Ted Tonks the day after her graduation. The Malfoys saw that as an insult and my parents nearly died of embarrassment. The next choice would have been Bella if she had not already married Rodolphus.

In my fourth year I came back to Hogwarts betrothed to Lucius. After my sister eloped it weakened my mother so much that I had to grow up in just a few months. We saw each other rarely at social functions and for that I was glad. He made me nervous. He was older than me and he was always so serious but as I grew to know him I learned to care for him. He was kind enough to let me continue my education as was my desire. My parents wanted to withdraw me at fifteen after your mother had eloped with your father. They were afraid I would stay in school and find my own blood traitor or muggle to elope with.

The first few years of marriage with Lucius were not easy. I was only seventeen, just like you are now, and the role of wife was daunting. In time, however, I grew to accept my role as Mrs. Malfoy and all that came with that. Arranged marriages are not easy but in time you can learn to care for your husband and even come to love him. I know that you must feel very lonely and confused right now but in time all things get easier.”

Ginny looked blankly at Narcissa as her thoughts swirled around in her head. “Did you learn to love your husband?”

Narcissa smiled a genuinely and said, “Yes, I love Lucius very much. He has provided very well for me and fathered my son, whom I love more than anything in this world.”

“Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you were able to chose the man you wanted to marry?”

“In the beginning of my marriage I did all of the time. Right before graduating I was spending a lot of time with a muggle born wizard named William McManus. He tutored me in charms and was the only reason I passed. He was a kind and wonderful young man. He loved me and actually asked me to elope with him and I’ve never told anyone this before but I was going to.”

Shocked Ginny asked, “Why didn’t you? Did you love him?”

Narcissa looked again out the window and quietly said, “I did love him, but I knew it would kill my mother if I left Lucius. I graduated and married Lucius within weeks of graduation. When the Dark Lord came into power he was one of the first muggle born wizards murdered.”

Narcissa looked at the clock and surprised she said, “Well, it looks as if we chatted through lunch. I’ll have one of the elves bring us tea.”

Their small lunch and tea was in silence. Both women sat deep in thought. Ginny couldn’t help but steal glances at Narcissa. She really was a lovely woman; but she seemed so sad sometimes that Ginny wondered if there was more that she wasn’t telling her.

After their tea, Narcissa excused herself and told Ginny to explore the house and to just relax for today. She seemed upset but Ginny didn’t want to push her. I never thought that she and I would have anything in common. I guess people are right when they say that kindred spirits come from sometimes unexpected people.

The rest of the day went by quickly and before she had even realized it was dinner time. She and Narcissa sat in a semi-comfortable silence during the meal and after they excused themselves to each get an early nights rest. Before heading to bed Ginny knocked on the back of Draco’s bookcase and was disappointed that he still wasn’t back. Exhausted, she eventually let sleep claim her.

A few hours later a familiar hand brushed a few stray locks of hair from her face and then even more familiar lips left a soft kiss on her forehead before softly saying, “Sleep well, Gin.”

The pale boy left her room closing the bookcase behind him before he too fell into an exhausted sleep.

---

I hope I lived up to my promise of more “forbidden actions”. Next chapter goes into what Draco was up to with Voldemort and much more.

9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning at breakfast Draco never came down to join them. Narcissa also seemed to be somewhere else; in mind at least. After the normally silent meal she excused herself for the day and let Ginny have free reign of the day.

Ginny enjoyed having the day to herself but when Draco and Narcissa didn’t come to join her for lunch she began to get worried for both of them. She made her way to Narcissa’s private study and let herself in. Narcissa didn’t move or acknowledge her sanctuary being invaded. Her eyes stayed focused on the dreary clouds and rain. Ginny moved closer to her and could see that she had been crying.

Feeling as if she had invaded on a very private moment Ginny moved to turn and leave before she heard Narcissa finally address her. “Can I help you, Ginevra?”

Ginny shook her head and said, “No, I’m sorry I bothered you. I was worried when you didn’t come to lunch.”

Narcissa motioned for Ginny to sit in the chair next to her and Ginny obliged. When she took her seat she saw the pictures that were on the table between them. Ginny picked one up and she saw a younger Narcissa smiling in the picture rubbing her growing pregnant belly. Ginny smiled at the picture until she saw what was written at the bottom. Narcissa age eighteen. That doesn’t add up. That would make Draco older.

Another picture was similar but the age was twenty. Her twenty year old self looked just as happy if not happier but that didn’t add up either.

The third and final picture was like the others but instead of standing Narcissa laid out in a bed and smiled weakly for the camera. Even thought the form of Narcissa could move in the picture the form looked as if it didn’t want to risk moving around. The last one had Narcissa’s age at twenty five which fit for Draco but the other ones confused her.

Narcissa looked over to the young woman in the room with teary eyes as she explained, “The last picture was when I was pregnant with Draco. The other two were pictures of the pregnancies that I had that never made it to full term.”

Ginny stifled her own tears as she thought of Ron and Luna and how it nearly killed them to lose their baby.

“Yesterday you asked me if I grew to love my husband and I told you yes. I didn’t tell you the reason why. In the beginning of our marriage things were a little rocky but things turned for the better when I found out I was with child. Lucius was thrilled as was our parents but I was nervous. I was only eighteen and I was going to be a mother.

It was Lucius who helped me get in the right mindset. He showered me with gifts for the baby and talked about us as a family. I started to love him at that point. I lost the baby after my seventh month and it devastated me. Lucius was my rock through that time. He never once blamed me when others did.

Two years later the same thing happened. Still he was my rock and my support. He held me for hours as I cried and still his affection for me never faltered. Even when it seemed as if I could never conceive again he never once sought love from anyone else. When I found out I was pregnant with Draco I forced myself to stay in bed for nearly the whole pregnancy.

They day Draco was born was the happiest day of my life. To hold him in my arms and to see how healthy he was life changing. Lucius changed in that moment as well. He had a son to carry on his legacy but it was more than that. I saw the way that Lucius looked at Draco for the first time. I think it was then that I knew I loved my husband.

Life throws us obstacles we can never prepare ourselves for but sometimes they can work out for the best. Yesterday I looked back on my life and thought about William for the first time in two decades and for once I knew that I had made the right choices in life. Although Lucius wasn’t my own choice he has my love and I have his.”

Narcissa took Ginny’s hand into her own and have her hand a reassuring squeeze before she continued, “You may not see it now but one day you will look back and see that everything happened for a reason.”

By that time it was time for dinner and the two women walked to the dinning room. When they arrived Draco had been sitting already at his normal spot. With what Narcissa had said running through her head Ginny barely paid any attention to the other two in the room. It wasn’t until Draco made another announcement that her eyes left her plate.

“I will be at Nex Domus again tomorrow. The Dark Lord needs me again for some important business.”

Narcissa smiled softly and said, “That will be just fine dear. Ginevra and I need to get back on track for he lessons anyway. You need not be here.”

After dinner Ginny was surprised that Narcissa didn’t insist on dancing lessons but was grateful at the same time to be able to go to her room and wait to talk to Draco. When she knocked on his bookcase he opened the door and the first thing she noticed was the frown plastered on his handsome face.

After she took a seat next to him on the bed she asked, “What’s wrong Draco?”

After a sigh Draco confessed, “I’m being sent away for awhile Gin.”

Shocked Ginny asked, “Where are you going? I thought your only task was to watch over me.”

“That was supposed to be my duty but the Dark Lord feels that my mother and the manor are more than enough to keep you safe in my absence. I’m going with the Dark Lord and a small group abroad to try and replace the numbers we’ve lost so far.”

Ginny nervously wrung her hands and dreaded asking the next question as she feared the answer, “How long will you be gone?”

“As it looks right now I should be gone for about four months. The Dark Lord has cancelled the Yule ball and told me that he can wait another year until you are announced as his betrothed. He’s far to busy to worry about showing off his fiancé. Well that and I mentioned that you weren’t going to be ready in time to give you some more time away from him. He took my advice well; ten of our men were captured and he’s getting desperate for replacements. So that is his top priority for the time being.”

Ginny let the words “four months” sink in and wished that she never would have gone along with the plan. Either way she and Draco were now being torn apart. Draco pulled Ginny into his embrace as he tried to comfort her as well as himself. He hated that he had to go but he had no choice. He held onto her tight memorizing how she felt in his arms. It was going to be a long time before he was able to hold her like this again.

Ginny relaxed in his arms enjoying the feeling of him holding her as she asked, “When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow, I was going to tell mother in the morning.”

Ginny felt like crying but stayed strong for Draco’s sake. Instead her famous Weasley temper took over as she left his embrace and started to pace. “I can’t believe this! Finally we find a way to be together as ourselves and Lord Psychopath has to put an end to it.”

She stopped her pacing to look over at him. Their eyes locked and the tears that she had tried to keep in check now started a slow decent down her face. “How am I going to pretend that I don’t miss you when it’s with every fiber of my being? What if something happens to you?”

Draco walked to face her and wiped away her tears. “It’s going to be alright. I’m going to be alright. I’ll be fine just as long I know that you are going to be safe. I know that you are strong enough to handle anything. It’s just going to be a few months.”

Ginny nodded feeling foolish for letting herself fall into tears so easily but it seemed like crying was all that seemed she wanted to do lately. “Draco, can I ask you to do something for me?”

Draco took her hands in his and smiled, “Anything.”

Ginny stood on her toes and brought her lips to his as she wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. After a few moments of bliss, Ginny ended the kiss and said, “Be safe and come back to me.”

---

The months dragged by while Draco was gone. Once again she was on her strict schedule of lessons but the lessons were starting to get easier and easier. She was now nearly fluent in French and Latin and knew most of the family trees of nobility backwards and forwards. Even though she was excelling in her studies she still couldn’t find any happiness. She put on a good show for Narcissa just claiming that she was homesick; which wasn’t a total lie. Without Draco there her thoughts would constantly go to her family.

Penelope and Hermione had had their babies and she wasn’t there to welcome them properly. She wondered if her parents were safe and hoped that her brothers were taking care of themselves. Without Draco there she had no way to check on the safety of her friends and family. Never before had she felt so isolated.

A week after Draco left was her eighteenth birthday. It was the loneliest birthday she ever had. Narcissa had the elves make a cake for dinner on her birthday but it just wasn’t the same. She longed for that single cupcake and the company that she had the year before. She missed the birthdays she used to have with her parents and brothers. Even though Voldemort had ordered dozens of lavish gifts she missed the simple newspaper wrapped gifts, or pranks in the twins’ case, from her family.

The only thing that brought a smile to her face was that somehow Draco managed to place a single red rose with a green ribbon on the stem in with the other gifts. Among the other lavish gifts was a new set of dress robes and gowns in nearly every color and style. While Narcissa insisted on making Ginny try on every dress she couldn’t help but feel about the gifts for what they were. A bribe for her compliance in her arranged marriage.

One positive thing that Ginny could think about being separated from Draco was that she didn’t have to face Voldemort yet. Yule was just as lonely. Narcissa for once in over two decades didn’t have a party to plan and was just as bummed as Ginny. They found little solace in each other’s company.

After Yule, both Ginny and Narcissa awaited the return of Draco. Ginny tried her best to not look anxious and hid her longing for him in disdain. After January had come and gone both women were getting more and more nervous. Narcissa broke her cold and icy demeanor and actually began to worry aloud while Ginny still had to keep her concern to herself.

Lessons only worked as a small distraction. Any spare time Ginny had she would spend in the Library. She would read for hours different books trying in vain to get her worries out of her mind. She would teach herself different wandless spells and was training her mind against invasion; a skill she knew she was going to need eventually if she wanted to keep her and Draco’s feelings for each other a secret.

Before the two women residing in Malfoy Manor realized, February had also come and gone. Draco’s twentieth birthday was approaching fast and neither woman had heard anything. It wasn’t until nearly three months later that the deathly quiet manor was turned upside down. It was close to one in the morning when cracks of Apparition were heard throughout the house as Lucius and Snape appeared in the hall carrying Draco’s limp form.

As Narcissa ran to her husband, son and brother-in-law she saw her son laying limp in his father’s arms and let loose a screech of despair. Even when Lucius explained that Draco was only just unconscious she didn’t stop crying the whole time Lucius and Snape carried Draco to his room. Ginny peaked out of the crack of her door into the hallway and had to stop herself from joining Narcissa in crying.

When they got Draco laid out in his bed Ginny was already at the back of Draco’s bookcase thankful that he had left it cracked open a little. Narcissa fussed over Draco saying spell after spell to make him comfortable. From what Ginny overheard Draco was hit from behind with expelliarmus with such force that it slammed him into a tree head first rendering him unconscious. Before the others could get to him his assailant had cast another unknown curse on Draco to keep him unconscious. When Lucius and the rest of the group got to Draco his attacker was attempting to heave Draco onto their shoulder and Disapparate with him.

Lucius barely froze the assailant in time to scare off the others hiding in the area. Draco had now been unconscious for almost five hours. After the attack Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters to return to England to regroup. Apparently, Voldemort was having a harder time recruiting then he first thought he would have. They then left England and went to France for a month and then to Germany, Austria, and stopped after they made it to Italy, where the attack happened.

After a few more hours of fussing by Narcissa, Lucius led his wife back to their wing consoling her the whole way, “He’s going to be just fine, Cissy. Our son is strong.”

After she saw the coast was clear she opened Draco’s bookcase further and made her way to where he was on his bed. She was amazed to see that he had managed to get out into the sun long enough to get the hints of a tan. She couldn’t help but run her hand down the side of his face just to make sure he was really there.

At the soft touch on his face Draco’s eyes opened slowly to his love’s face only inches from his own. He managed to get out softly, “If you’re here I must be in Heaven.”

Ginny smiled through the tears that she didn’t even notice had formed and replied, “That was such a corny line.” She kissed him softly and continued, “But I don’t care. You’re here. I’ve missed you so much.”

Draco reached out to tuck strand of her now waist length hair behind her ear and smiled at her, “I’ve missed you too.”

The sound of a cough made both sets of eyes fly to the open door and to the person standing there looking at them. Narcissa moved into the room and shut and locked the door behind her. “Are you two mad? Do you have any idea what would have happened if Lucius or Severus would have seen what I just did?”

Draco sat up in the bed to face his mother as she advanced on them. “Draco, have you no sense at all? You were sent because of our family’s hatred for hers specifically. If this gets to the Dark Lord he’ll have your head on a silver platter!”

Ginny stood and kept her eyes lowered but still held Draco’s hand in hers. “And you, young lady. How long have you lied to my face? Pretending to hate my son and yet here you are with him telling him that you’ve missed him!”

Draco gave Ginny’s hand a small reassuring squeeze before he replied, “Mother, I know this looks terrible but we can explain. We…”

Narcissa cut him off sharply. “I do not care what explanations you may or may not have, Draco Lucius Malfoy. You two are going to stop whatever it is you think you are doing today! I will not let some little romance ruin both of your lives. I will not let you two die over something as foolish as this. Starting today you both with go back to the way things should be.

“Draco, you will only be present at meals and dance lessons; and if I see you two as much as give each other a look I don’t approve of, I will go to the Dark Lord myself and tell him that you are being too much of a distraction to be around the Manor. Do not think I won’t do it, Draco.

“And you, Ginevra; did nothing that I have said in the last few months sink in to that thick head of yours? You are betrothed to the Dark Lord himself. What made you think that he would not eventually find out about this little romance? He is a very possessive man and I will not have you risking my only son’s life with your selfishness.”

After her tirade, Narcissa grabbed Ginny’s arm and dragged her out of Draco’s room passed the confused portraits in the hall and threw her into her room and locked her in with the strongest locking spell she knew. After a huff she composed herself and addressed the portraits, “Caught her trying to smother my son in his sleep. She must have snuck by you while you were away.”

After she got back to Draco’s room she had to stop herself from continuing her ranting. “Draco, it is really early. I want you to get some more rest but when you get back up I want you out of the Manor for the day. Go check in with the Dark Lord and even though it pains me to even think it, I hope he sends you away from here for a while to get your head straight. I cannot believe you could have possibly been so foolish.”

Narcissa turned on her heel and made her way to her private parlor. Once the coast was clear Ginny made her way back to Draco’s side and was disappointed when he turned away from her.

“She’s right, Ginny. Eventually someone will discover our feelings for each other. We should stop this before it’s too late. We were stupid to think that we could pull this off. Eventually, you may have to marry the Dark Lord and if he even had and inkling that we’re even friends he would kill us both. I should have never shown you that bookcase in the first place.”

Ginny’s heart dropped at what he had said. “You can’t mean that. Draco, look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t mean that. Tell me that you want to pretend that we hate each other in public and private again. I don’t think you can.”

Hard steel grey eyes met soft pleading brown as Draco said seriously, “Go back to your room, Weasley. You don’t belong in here.”

Tears pricked the corners of Ginny’s eyes as she turned and walked through the bookcase closing both of them behind her before she dissolved into tears. What she didn’t know was that she wasn’t the only one in tears. On the other side of the bookcase grey eyes shed their first tears in many years.

10. Chapter 9

AN: Ginny’s personality is going to be a little different than you are used to but trust me after this chapter she’ll be back to her normal self.

Chapter 9

Later in the day Narcissa let Ginny out of her room and immediately noticed the change in her. The fire in her eyes and in the rest of her had died. After a light lunch Ginny went into her lessons and for the first time completely absorbed herself in the books. She had resigned to her fate and took the last steps towards becoming the perfect society woman. She gave up her individuality and her fire in order to become what was expected of her.

At dinner that night Narcissa received an owl from Lucius. According to the letter, Lucius, Draco, the Dark Lord and others were going to renew their efforts to get new recruits starting the next day. According to Lucius, the Dark Lord said that they would not return until their numbers had been replenished.

---

More than another year had passed before Ginny even realized. Her twentieth birthday was well on its way before she and Narcissa had heard anything regarding the Dark Lord and his group. The war had still raged on without the Dark Lord and Draco’s presence but it might as well have been just an illusion to the two women in Malfoy Manor. They were locked in with no way to find out what was going on.

One warm late July afternoon Narcissa received an owl at lunch and smiled as she read that her husband and son would be back in the next week. As she continued to read her smile widened when she saw that the Dark Lord wanted her to start planning the Yule Ball to finally announce Ginevra as his future bride.

After lunch both women went their separate ways. Narcissa had much planning to do in order to get the house and everything in order in time for the ball. Ginny was glad to have the afternoon to herself. She made her way back to her room and sat in front of the vanity and stared at her reflection.

Gone was the simple girl who wanted nothing more than to roughhouse with her brothers and to snuggle up to her mum and dad when she felt lonely. In her place was a confident looking woman. She had learned to console herself and practically be an iceberg; keeping her thoughts and feelings to her self. She was too afraid to even attempt to write her feelings down on paper…the diary incident was still fresh her mind.

The talks between her and Narcissa had ceased after the night she had caught her and Draco together. She hated to admit it but Narcissa had a point, if she didn’t go along with what was planned Draco and Narcissa would be the ones to face the consequences. Ginny would think back on what Narcissa had said to her about duty versus love and she finally learned to accept her duty as the future bride of Voldemort. She loved Draco and knew that he loved her in return, but he chose duty over love and she could now do the same.

Ginny tried to brace herself every day for her new life that would one day be. She tried not to be scared or sad about her fate but sometimes she also wondered if it would have been so bad for Narcissa if she had gone with William when he asked. She would brush her wonderings off as nonsense; Narcissa was right, everything happened for a reason. If she and Draco were meant to be together it would’ve happened but fate was against them.

As she looked at herself she noticed that instead of a mass of wild curls that reached barely to her shoulders a soft waterfall of waves made its way down her back. Her face had gotten more defined and feminine as the last traces of baby fat left. She had even sprouted up two more inches. Her eyes had changed as well. They were now always accented with make up but no matter what shade she applied it couldn’t bring the light back into her eyes.

Ginny searched the mirror for a glimpse of the girl she had once been and could find no sign. It had been two years since she had seen any of her family and it had been over a year since the boy she loved turned her away. It had been a year since she had given up hope of ever being happy again or any hope in anything. For all she knew her whole family could be gone…and strangely she felt only numbness over the whole situation.

---

The week came and went and Draco came back to the Manor. He too had changed in the many months. He was fitter than he had ever been. His hair was no longer slicked back but it was shorter and had a messy but classy look to it. The one thing that was the most noticeable to Ginny and Narcissa was the lifelessness of his eyes. He was his normal self but the light had also gone out in his eyes.

The first night at dinner that he was back he announced that Voldemort was going to combine Ginny’s birthday and the Yule Ball. Ginny sat quietly with her mind strangely at ease. She could feel Draco’s eyes on her but she made sure not to catch his eyes with hers as she looked over to Narcissa and nodded along with the older woman’s plans.

Draco couldn’t help but notice the changes in Ginny. She looked so beautiful and yet so haunted. She’s changed so much. She looks like a princess…an empty shell of a princess at least. Her eyes look as empty as I feel. He adverted his eyes from her so his mother wouldn’t get upset and looked sullenly out the window to the rose garden; his mind far away.

Over the years he had done many things he regretted but he couldn’t get the stricken look that Ginny gave him when he called her Weasley for the first time in years and turned her away. He knew it was for the best but he missed her so much. It felt like a part of him was dying; he wanted so badly to just be with her but there was just too much at risk to see her.

He couldn’t help to see the shell of the woman he loved and feel so guilty. If he had the guts he would have told her to stay with him always, no matter what people said and no matter the risk. A part of him desperately wanted to gather her in his arm kiss her senseless and then to run away with her but the other part of him couldn’t let that happen. If he left, Voldemort would kill his mother and probably his father too and he couldn’t handle knowing that he would have been responsible for his parent’s deaths and quite possibly Ginny’s as well. Voldemort was crazy enough to wipe them all out in a blind jealous rage.

---

The day of the Yule Ball was filled with last minute preparations as everyone scurried around the Manor getting things in order for the Dark Lord’s arrival. Ginny was left to prepare herself to meet her betrothed in person for the first time since she was fourteen when she saw him at the Ministry. Surprisingly calm, or numb, Ginny sat and contemplated her life and her future.

Today is that day that everything I once lived for dies. My family has been unable to rescue me and I have no escape. Today I accept my fate to be the bride of Voldemort. Today I bury my heart for good.

After glancing at her reflection in the mirror one last time she took a breath, straightened her dress and opened to door and was shocked to see Draco waiting for her. He looked at her and couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she looked. Her hair was piled on her head with delicate curls hanging down held in place with a silver tiara. The dress she was wearing looked as if it was made for her. It was an emerald green strapless floor length ball gown that was simple but stunning; she was easily going to be the belle of the ball.

He held out his arm for her to take and almost frowned when he noticed that in place of the necklace that he had given her was a necklace that matched her tiara. The two made their way silently to the ballroom and paused briefly at the doors before they opened to reveal the ballroom full of Death Eaters and their significant others. At the head table, at the far end of the room sat Voldemort, Lucius and Narcissa while the other Death Eaters were scattered among the other tables.

It wasn’t until that moment that Ginny realized how many followers Voldemort really had. She stiffened slightly when all of the eyes turned to look at her as she was led to the head table. She kept her eyes straight ahead looking at Voldemort willing herself to be strong especially after she had seen how inhuman he still looked. She was most unnerved by the evil redness in his dark eyes. Halfway there Voldemort stood along with the rest of the room and only sat again when Ginny had been helped into her seat by Draco.

The banquet was quiet and Voldemort made no move to talk to Ginny at all and for that she was grateful. After the desert had been cleared he stood and spoke, “My loyal servants it pleases me to see all of you here to celebrate Yule. I know many of you are confused with the presence of a Weasley here tonight and why she is at my side. The war will be over eventually and I will reign as supreme king and when that day comes I will need a strong pureblooded queen by my side. I have chosen Ginevra Weasley for my bride, for many reasons. She comes from a pureblood family and has proven herself to be a capable and lovely witch.”

Voldemort motioned for Ginny to stand and she did calmly. He took her left hand and slipped a huge diamond ring on her ring finger as he said, “You are all my witness that I have claimed her as my intended. Therefore any threats on her are also threats on me. My loyal servants lift your glasses in honour of your future Dark Queen, Ginevra.”

Even though many curious glances were cast, all of the Death Eaters lifted their glasses to honour Ginny. After all had taken a sip from their glasses Voldemort charmed the instruments to start playing. He led Ginny onto the dance floor and they gracefully glided across the dance floor.

She tried not to be nervous at her close proximity to him and hoped that he wouldn’t speak to her so she wouldn’t have to refer to him as her lord. She nearly shuddered at the thought of calling him Lord but she knew eventually she would have to.

Halfway through the first song he spoke to her for the first time directly, “You look lovely this evening Ginevra.”

Ginny smiled softly and blushed as she said, “Thank you.” Then at his questioning look she forced herself to add, “My lord.”

In those two words she felt as if she had betrayed everything she once stood for especially when she saw him get a pleased look on his face. Her shame for calling him her Lord made a crack in her numbness.

“I’m glad to see your lessons with Narcissa have paid off. You are the vision of nobility. I hardly recognized you when you arrived. Long gone is the girl in second-hand robes and here now is a woman of pure loveliness. I am glad to see you have accepted you new role so willingly. I had expected you to be displeased with our engagement but you have surprised me with your acceptance. You have accepted your new role beautifully. You are Ginny no more. From now on you are Ginevra, future queen.”

Ginny gave a small smile and let the words sink in and then graciously said, “I am very thankful for all of the work Mrs. Malfoy did. She and her family have been very kind to me even with our known feud.”

Voldemort smirked and said, “I am pleased then that they have treated you so well. I will see that they are rewarded appropriately for it when the time comes.”

After the first song other couples joined them on the dance floor. She could feel their eyes on her and she could feel herself blush from the attention. “You should get used to people starting at you, my dear. You are by far the most beautiful woman in the room. I knew I was wise in my choice.”

After the second dance Voldemort stepped back from Ginny to start dancing with Narcissa. Lucius stepped up to Ginny bowed and offered her his hand. Trapped, all she could do was curtsy and take his hand. Like his son he was also a graceful dancer but she felt so uncomfortable dancing with the same man that just two and a half years ago had struck her so hard she fell unconscious and then years before slipped her that awful diary that nearly killed her.

Lucius, however, took this opportunity to talk to her. “Ginevra, I know you must loathe being this close to me but I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my deplorable past behaviour towards you. I know nothing I can say can make up for ever laying a hand on you. I can only say that I still don’t know what came over me. I can tell you that I regret it every day and that I only hope that one day you can forgive me as I can never be able to forgive myself.”

Ginny looked at Lucius questioningly, wondering if that was the first apology he had ever made. “Thank you for your apology, Mr. Malfoy, but I hope you don’t mind me saying that I am not ready to accept it and I’m not sure if I ever will be able to accept it.”

Lucius nodded and after the song was over he bowed to her and she curtsied in return. For the next two hours she danced with Death Eater after Death Eater and as she could refuse no invitation to dance she had to dance with Rodolphus Lestrange and had to keep her cool when all she wanted to do was to strangle him with his tie. She never expected to ever get this close to the man who killed her nephew.

Thankfully she only had to dance with him for a few seconds before Draco cut in. “Excuse me, Uncle, but I have not had the chance yet to dance with our future queen. Aunt Bella was looking for you as well.”

Ginny almost sighed in relief when Rodolphus backed out willingly. She and Draco effortlessly started to dance one of the many dances they had practiced. Dancing with him felt so right. They moved together flawlessly from step to step. She still surprised herself with the gracefulness she had acquired during her time at Malfoy Manor. They danced in silence but for once they were allowed to look into each other’s eyes without drawing suspicion and for the smallest of moments the light in their eyes attempted to relight.

After a few moments of silence Ginny broke it by saying snidely to keep up appearances, “I’m surprised your old cronies let you get so far away from them. Where are Crabbe and Goyle?”

Draco frowned and said, “I’m sure you haven’t heard much locked away in the Manor but Crabbe and Goyle have been dead for a while now.”

Ginny frowned in return. “I did not know. I knew that you were close with them.”

Draco shrugged as he continued to gracefully move her around the dance floor. “I guess I was rather close to them but my closest mates were Pansy and Blaise. They ran away together two years ago with his mother in tow. It was a big disgrace to the Parkinson’s, I’m sure you’ll hear about it eventually.”

Ginny nodded again but still couldn’t help but feel cold about it. At least Blaise and Pansy had the guts to leave and be with each other. She locked eyes with Draco again and felt a pang of longing that she pushed down with a frown.

After their dance Voldemort called for everyone to go back to their seats and after they were seated he called for the house elves. “As you may or may not know, your lovely future queen just celebrated her twentieth birthday. Today I have decided to shower her with her gifts for her birthday and for Yule. I also wanted to take this time to announce that we have nearly doubled our numbers and starting the first of the New Year we are going to renew our offensive on the blood traitors.”

A line of nearly thirty house elves appeared holding lavish gifts from jewellery to dresses and one even held the reigns to a beautiful white horse. The crowd ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ at the lavish gifts as each was brought to her to see. After the last elf Disapparated to put her presents where they belonged many people began to applaud.

After the presents were cleared Voldemort raised his hand to stop the applause and announced, “My last gift tonight is a tribute to my generosity and devotion to my betrothed. Had anyone else been my betrothed this last present wouldn’t be here so without further ado my final gift!”

Voldemort snapped his fingers and suddenly in the middle of the room appeared a man that was restrained by many ropes and was gagged. Before Ginny could stop herself she gasped out, “Oh my god, Bill!”

Voldemort smiled a smug smile as he said, “Oh, so that’s his name then. He refused to give it but I knew as soon as I saw that shade of red hair I knew he was one of your brothers. We found him just recently on our way back through France. He was quite unprepared against us.”

Seeing her brother battered and bruised sent a wave of emotions running through her numbed heart. Others gasped as well at the arrival of yet another Weasley but kept quiet as Voldemort continued, “As a show of my greatness I kept him alive while others wanted to see him dead. He will be moved here to the dungeon of Malfoy Manor and you will be in charge of his care.”

Ginny could only nod and waited until the elves came to take Bill away before she said, “Thank you, my lord. The gifts were wonderful. I thank you so much for sparing the life of my brother. You have no idea how much that means to me to see him alive and well.”

She couldn’t bear to have called Voldemort her lord in front of her brother. She felt ashamed enough without him judging her as well. After Bill had been taken away the ball continued on for a few more hours. She was once again forced to dance with Death Eater after Death Eater but unlike earlier in the evening her mind was a million miles away. Her numbness had started to wear off and she felt so guilty that she had given up hope.

Finally the guests began to leave until it was just the Malfoy’s, Voldemort and Ginny. Lucius grabbed his cloak and kissed Narcissa goodbye before he Apparated to Nex Domus. Voldemort kissed Ginny on the cheek before he also Apparated. Ginny could barely manage to not cringe when he kissed her so instead she faked a smile.

“It was a wonderful night and I think we should all head to our rooms.” Narcissa said smiling tiredly.

Both Ginny and Draco nodded but Ginny interjected, “I just want to make sure that Bill is alright before I do. I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Ginny made her way to the dungeon without even pausing to wait to see if they were going to say anything in return. She had a difficult time navigating the stairs in her ball gown and heels but she eventually made it down to the same cell that she had been in when she was first brought to Malfoy Manor.

He had been untied and was asleep on the cot that had been placed in the cell. Ginny moved closer to the cell and was pleased to see that he seemed unharmed for the most part. He awoke with a start, startling her to the point that she let loose a tiny squeak. He saw Ginny standing there and got up quickly to stand next to the bars to talk to her.

Ginny let loose all of the pent up emotions that she had been bottling up for what seemed to her as a life time as she cried in the safety of her brother’s arms. She just cried and cried for what seemed like hours before she spoke. “I didn’t know if any of you were even alive. I’ve been so trapped here. I’m so happy you’re alive.”