There's Something About Ginny

'I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed bound and broken on the floor
You're a little late, I'm already torn'

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

The grey-eyed man tentatively turned the bronze key and opened the heavy door, carrying a heavy tray of food on his other arm. Struggling, he managed to open the door and quickly entered the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Draco looked in disgust at the appalling condition of the room, knowing, however, that soon she would be transferred to a chamber of higher caliber, and not for her own good.

His eyes lowered as he saw Ginny slumped upon the floor, where she had been left the night before. He wondered whether she was asleep as he gently laid the tray upon the floor, disgruntled at having to do servant's work. Malfoys do not bow down to others, he had told his father once, and the consequences were grave for such speech. He learned never to voice his true opinions again.

Ginny slowly turned towards him, dark circles under her eyes. "Please no... not again..." she muttered, her sight blurry from emotional and physical exhaustion. And who wouldn't be after such torture? Draco thought as his eyes took in the ripped, bloody dress. A wave of anger and disgust came over him... he hated Voldemort, every little thing about him. He hated his hypocrisy, his followers, his father, the mission he had been made to do and how he had been made to do it, he hated himself for being a coward... the Weaselette had been right, he recalled, when she had uncovered herself to the worst man possible. His father was magnificent when it came to Legilimency, sensing that his son was trying to hide something and ripping the knowledge away by force. It was his entire fault, he sadly thought, that she was here.

Yet till he felt brave enough to approach the other side, he was resolute to mend his mistakes as much as he could. Draco wished that Snape were here - during the whole terrible summer he had been his guide, his advisor... yet he was gone on a mission of his own when Draco needed him the most, only to return in several days. Removing two tiny potions from his cloak pocket, all that he could fit inside, he gingerly raised Ginevra's head, coaxing her to drink them. Yet all that Ginny could see was the dark mark upon his arm, and her delicious mutterings soon were accompanied by a feeble struggle. Slowly, Draco finally managed to have her fully down the blood replenishing and dreamless sleep potion. It would give her two hours worth of sleep.

Lifting her up and placing her upon her bed, Draco sighed. He remembered when just a year before his only worries had been how to give Harry and his friends the hardest time he could. Becoming a Death Eater, the destiny that had shadowed his life for as long as he could remember, had seemed so distant and far away. War turns children into men, he supposed, whether they are ready or not. In a different light, Draco gazed at the witch whom he had once seen as naught but red hair and a second-hand cloak.

Her pale face, which he knew could appear angelic and saintly under a different moon, reminded him now of a martyr instead. She had been through much, he knew, both now and in her second year as well. He had been surprised when he learned that it had been the little Weaselette who was opening the chamber. Full of naïveté and youth, he had wanted to join the culprit. Little did he know of what it took for a man to kill, torture, rape... It was his father, he knew, who had handed her the wretched diary, and he had paid dearly for his mistake. Draco knew that his father had hoped to regain his status by the kidnaping of Alucinor and the final key to the potion. Men will do anything for power, he thought disgustedly, and it did not take long for the young Malfoy to discern that he could bring about his father's downfall were Ginny to simply... disappear.

He cared for Ginny, for a reason unknown. She was beautiful, intelligent, a pureblood, but there was something else which he could not understand. Maybe it was because she had always seemed so good to him, she seemed to make Harry so much happier, that he craved her like a man in the darkness craves the light. Maybe it was simply because she was Potter's. Yet he had dared not approach her, for their two families were enemies in more ways than one. What happened during the attack on Diagon Alley had occurred solely because he was lost in relief that she was unhurt, the rest frustratingly unexplainable to the young wizard. He knew that he owed it to her, Potter and himself to get her out of this wretched place, regardless of the implications upon his father. But how? And then he remembered when, years ago, he had been brought into a similar room as punishment by his father, the first time that he had lost to Harry in Quidditch. A house elf had come to him with a message from his mother, he recalled, and she had later paid much as consequence at the hands of his father. What she had told him was how to escape, and perchance it would work again.

His hands shaking at his mutinous thoughts, Draco left the room, knowing the consequences were Voldemort to see him be longer than necessary by Ginevra's side.

Almost two hours later, with a plan already fully formed inside his mind, Draco returned under the pretense of returning the tray. Ginny was just beginning to stir, her eyes widening in confusion as she saw him beside her. "What now?" she repeated, her voice laced with fatigue, though slightly stronger than before.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said resolutely, "I'm going to help you escape." Yet Ginny seemed to disbelieve him, continuing to plead in a weak voice to leave her alone, to stop, she was only a child...

Draco sighed, feeling at a loss. She was obviously still in shock, yet what could make her snap out of it? During the first thing that came to mind, he removed the chain from around her neck, and made her meet his eyes. This time, Ginny did not voice his thoughts, yet the uncomfortable feeling that someone was probing his thoughts returned. What would she do? Would she hate him because it was his fault that she was here? Apprehensive, Draco was taken completely off guard as Ginny weakly raised herself just high enough to place her arms around him, and began sobbing uncontrollably into his chest.

Draco was confused, never having had a girl sob into his chest before. Tentatively, he rubbed her back with his shaking hand, whispering soothing words to her as he figured that he should. He did not need to be an Alucinor to know that after cruelty, kindness could be devastating. Draco wondered what he would have thought had this happened just a few months before. He simply could not understand how someone could be so cruel to someone - a girl and a pureblood at that.

When the young witch had finally calmed down, Draco told her of his plans. He was apprehensive as to whether she was strong enough to leave on her own, and wandless as well, yet Ginny was adamant and they both knew that she had to leave as soon as possible. Carefully placing the chain around her neck, Draco guided the pale witch, as feeble as an autumn leaf, to the third stone to the left of the metal bars. Draco was worried by the look in her eyes as Ginny neared them, yet pushed it aside in favor of more pressing matters. Hurriedly saying 'Aberatio Cadacus', a door appeared suddenly in the wall. Taking one last look at each other, Ginny whispered a soft thank you; staggering slightly, she disappeared behind the door.