Chapter 1

It started just after Valentine's Day of her fifth year, that is when the first letter arrived and she had been receiving a letter daily since then. It did not matter that it was now the middle of summer; the letters kept coming, always at the same time; always by the same owl. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not figure out who the author of the letters was as they had never left her any kind of clue as to their identity. She had tried everything she could think of, magically or otherwise, to reveal the sender's identity.

When spells and potions failed, she turned to observation. She started watching the people she suspected could have been the one writing her the letters but everyone was acting as per their normal behaviour so after a couple of tiring weeks people watching, she decided to just sit back and enjoy the letters, hoping that one day the mystery man behind them would finally reveal himself.

As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the letters continued to come and this morning was no different as the owl that delivered the letters arrived as usual outside the window shortly after six in the morning. She had spent the hours since its arrival reading and rereading the letter, trying to find some sort of clue as to the writer's identity, without much success. A small part of her hoped that the mystery man behind the letters was Harry but she knew deep down that that was highly unlikely, if not outright impossible. She knew Harry would never think of her as anything more than a little sister at best and at worst, an annoyance that just happened to be his best friend's little sister.

"Ginny dear, can you come downstairs for a moment please?" came the voice of her mother, interrupting her thoughts.

"Coming Mum!" called Ginny in return before folding up the morning's letter and heading downstairs. "Mum what…" Ginny's question died on her lips as she came to a sudden stop just inside the living room door. "L-Lord Malfoy," Ginny greeted the aristocrat nervously, hoping the fear she suddenly felt was not noticeable in her voice.

"Miss Weasley," greeted Lucius in return. "Join us," he offered indicating to Ginny that she should take a seat. "After all the matter I am here to discuss with your parents does concern you, therefore it is only appropriate that you be here for it, even though the matter has already been decided upon."

Ginny looked at Lucius in confusion before turning that confused look to her parents. "Mum? Dad? What is Lord Malfoy talking about? What matter involving me has already been decided?"

Molly and Arthur shared a concerned look with each other before turning their attention back to their daughter. "Now Ginny dear," began Molly in the placating voice. "We know how you feel about Harry but you have to accept the fact that he doesn't feel the same way about you."

"Mum I…"

"Shh Ginny dear, let me finish. Even if and I'm only saying if Harry did return your feelings, you must understand the kind of danger you would be in by being his girlfriend," continued Molly.

"I know that Mum," replied Ginny. "But what does all of this have to do with why Lord Malfoy is here?"

"We just though that if you understood and accepted the fact that you will never get together with Harry that you would be more open to accepting Lord Malfoy's son," soothed Arthur.

"What do you mean by 'more open to accepting Lord Malfoy's son'? In case you've forgotten Lord Malfoy's son has done nothing but torment me for the last five years never mind what he's done to Ron," argued Ginny.

"I'm sorry Ginny but it's for your own protection," commented Molly, trying to placate her daughter's increasing agitation.

"What is for my protection?" demanded Ginny.

"Ginny dear, why don't you go upstairs and pack some clothes and some personal items and your father and I will pack up the rest of your things and send them on to you," instructed Molly as she tried to shoo Ginny from the room.

"You want me to pack?" cried Ginny in shock and disbelief. "What the bloody hell for?"

"Watch your tongue Ginevra," snapped Arthur. "Especially in front of Lord Malfoy and his son."

"Not until someone tells me what Lord Malfoy and his son are doing here and what it has to do with me," snarled Ginny angrily in reply.

"Miss Weasley," purred Lucius, causing Ginny to spin and face him. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance in explaining why my son and I are here and how you are involved."

"Fine, Lord Malfoy, why are you here and what does it have to do with me?" demanded Ginny.

"Ginevra!" hissed Arthur, grabbing Ginny by the arm, only to have Ginny wrench her arm free before he could do anything more.

"Well?" demanded Ginny through gritted teeth.

"Quite simply Miss Weasley, I've just saved your life," replied Lucius coolly.

"And why would you Lord Malfoy, of all people, save my life unless…" Ginny trailed off as an idea started forming in her head as to what Lucius' real motivations were, her eyes travelling from Lucius to Draco and back again. "And if I don't want your help? What then?"

"I'm afraid that is not an issue Miss Weasley," replied Lucius tiredly. "The marriage contract has already been signed and sent to the Ministry so I suggest you do as your parents told you and go pack a few things as we will be returning to the Manor shortly."

"Mum…Dad…please tell me what Lord Malfoy just said isn't true," pleaded Ginny as she turned her attention towards her parents.

"Go pack Ginevra," instructed Arthur as neither he nor Molly looked at their distraught daughter. "We can't keep Lord Malfoy and his son waiting any longer then they already have been. Why don't you take…your husband with you? I'm sure he'll help you pack, which will make things go much faster."

"Yeah right," snorted Ginny under her breath as she spun on her heel and stomped out of the room and up the stairs, not bothering to see if Draco was following her or not. "I don't even know why I'm bothering," grumbled Ginny as she started throwing things into her Hogwarts trunk. "It's not like anything I own could ever live up the Malfoy standards after all."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," commented Draco quietly from the door to Ginny's room, causing her to spin around in surprise.

"What is that supposed to mean Malfoy?" demanded Ginny.

"It means Ginny," Draco began, his tone still quiet as he walked over to Ginny, taking the books from her hands and placing them carefully in her trunk, "that my mother will make sure that you have everything you might need after all you are the new Lady Malfoy. You are one of the aristocracy now and my mother will make sure you have the right clothes for your place in society."

"Whatever," sighed Ginny as she put the last of her clothes in her trunk before locking it and dragging it towards the stairs. She was not prepared for Draco to help her so she was quite surprised when she felt the other end of her trunk lift off the floor. "Thanks," she commented quietly when she noticed Draco had indeed picked up the other end of the trunk and was helping her carry it down the stairs.

"When can we expect the money Malfoy?" demanded Arthur.

"The money was transferred to your account the minute you signed your daughter over to me Weasley," Lucius sneered in reply.

CRASH!

"You sold me to the Malfoys!" demanded Ginny as she lost her hold on her end of the trunk.

"It's not what you think Ginevra," Molly tried to soothe her irate daughter.

"Not what I think?" demanded Ginny. "How can you stand there and tell me 'it's not what I think' when I just heard you question Lord Malfoy on when you could expect payment and there is only one thing that payment could possibly be for," snarled Ginny as she fought back pain filled tears.

"Ginny…" tried Arthur, only to have Ginny turn away from him.

"Draco, can we get out of here?" pleaded Ginny. "Please?"

"Father?" questioned Draco, asking for permission to take Ginny on ahead to the Manor in that one simple word. At receiving an answering nod, Draco held out his hand towards Ginny. "Come on Ginny."

"Thank you," replied Ginny as she stepped towards Draco taking his hand.

"I'm going to need you to step a little closer Ginny," instructed Draco with a teasing smirk. "This isn't your average portkey so we need to be as close as possible," he explained carefully as he tentatively pulled Ginny close, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Put your arms around me and hold on tight alright?"

Ginny did as Draco instructed wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Relax Ginny," Draco whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to hurt you," he continued softly as he activated the sigil in his ring, instantly transporting the two of them from the Burrow and depositing them in Lucius' study at the Manor. Ginny and Draco remained in one another's embrace for a few moments enjoying the feeling of holding and being held by the other, after their arrival at the Manor until Ginny pulled away.

"Thank you…I think," commented Ginny as she nervously fidgeted with her necklace.

"It's alright. As I said Ginny, I'm not going to hurt you," replied Draco, equally as nervous but he was just that much better at hiding it. "Come on, let's go find my mother and introduce you. Just be warned though she may not let you out of her sight until you no longer recognize yourself but I promise that by the time she's done with you, you will definitely be the newest Lady Malfoy."

Ginny nodded nervously as she allowed Draco to lead her out of Lucius' study and through the Manor to his mother's rooms, where she was introduced to Narcissa, who was quite the opposite of what Ginny expected her to be, especially after having seen her at the Quidditch World Cup a number of years earlier.

Narcissa welcomed Ginny kindly before chasing Draco from the room so that she could get started on Ginny's transformation.

It was nearing dinnertime and Draco had not seen or heard from either his mother or Ginny and he was quite nervous about everything and could be found pacing the Entrance Hall at the base of the Grand Staircase. Draco could not understand why his father had been so insistent on his 'marriage' to Ginny even though he was secretly pleased and had promised himself he would never treat her in the same cold and detached way that his father treated his mother, he just had to make sure that his father never found out about it. His father had him worried. He knew Lucius was up to something tonight, he just did not know what or why his father insisted that they eat in the formal dining room instead of the family dining room that they normally used. Draco was so caught up in his thoughts that he never saw nor heard his mother approach, so he jumped slightly when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright my Dragon?" asked Narcissa in concern. "It's not like you to pace such as you were."

"Everything is fine Mother," replied Draco turning to look at Narcissa, only to catch sight of Ginny making her way down the stairs. Ginny looked like a goddess descending from the heavens in Draco's eyes. She was dressed in a simple white satin Muggle style ball gown with a simple white lace over robe. Her hair, which had been wavy when she arrived, was now straight, hanging down her back, almost to her waist, the front and side pieces tied back from her face, a thin diamond tiara nestled in her hair. Her make up was simple, highlighting her features nicely. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of simple diamond stud earrings and the wedding band that had appeared on both hers and Draco's hands after the 'marriage' contract between the Weasleys and Malfoys had been finalized. As Ginny reached the bottom of the stairs, Draco was there to meet her. "You look beautiful," he complimented her in quiet awe as he extended his arm towards Ginny.

"Thank you," replied Ginny shyly with a slight blush as she took Draco's arm and allowed him to lead her into the formal dinning hall.

"Relax," soothed Draco when he felt Ginny tense beside him as they entered the room to find the long dinning room table set for four, one at each end, the other two settings in the middle facing each other. Draco led Ginny to one of the middle seats, pulling the chair out for her before leaning over and whispering in her ear. "Just work your way in," he instructed before straightening and making his way to the seat across from her. Just as Draco took his seat Lucius led Narcissa into the room, each taking one of the remaining seats at either end of the long table.

"Draco," Lucius greet his son.

"Father," replied Draco.

"Ginevra," Lucius greeted Ginny, a slight sneer in his voice.

"Lord Malfoy," greeted Ginny in nervous reply, never taking her eyes off the elaborate table setting in front of her.

"Why Ginevra, don't you look just lovely," commented Lucius as he watched her for a minute. "As if you truly belong here," he continued with a smile, but Ginny heard the stress behind the words, almost as if he was taunting her.

"Thank you Lord Malfoy," replied Ginny quietly, knowing that Lucius' words had hidden meanings behind them.

"Of course I do hope you don't have any trouble with our ways, that are no doubt different than what you are used to," he continued as he laid his linen napkin across his lap.

"Father," hissed Draco.

"Yes Draco?" asked Lucius looking over at his son with a slight smile, almost a smirk, as the house-elves brought the soup in.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on her?" questioned Draco quietly, not really wanting to anger his father or let him know about his true feelings for Ginny. "It's not Ginny's fault that her parents…"

"Have entirely too many children to be able to afford to teach those children the proper way of living?" asked Lucius calmly, as he sipped his water.

"A condition that should not be held against the child Lucius," scolded Narcissa lightly.

"I certainly do not hold it against her Narcissa dear," replied Lucius with a smile. "I just hope that she is able to…shall we say overcome the inadequacies of her training?"

"A feat that I am sure she will be able to accomplish in short order darling, if she is given the time to learn. You cannot expect her to live up to the Malfoy standards her first night in the Manor," argued Narcissa lightly.

"I suppose not. A pity she has to learn it in the first place though," replied Lucius with a dramatic sigh. "I wonder just what other things your family neglected to teach you. I'm sure it must have been rather difficult growing up with so many brothers…"

"I'm sorry Lord Malfoy, please forgive me but I do not understand what growing up with six brothers has to do with anything," questioned Ginny, taking the time to choose her words carefully.

"Well," Lucius began with a sneer. "Your mother no doubt was far too busy chasing the person you call a set of twins to provide you with any sort of knowledge about the facts of life. And even so, wearing those hand-me-down's, no doubt not even having the normal attire that a girl should have, seeing as you did not have an older sister to get them from…one has to wonder if you know anything in regards to the finer points of one's sexuality, or if perhaps you think and act more like a male than you would a female," he finished with a smirk.

"Excuse me…" whispered Ginny as she carefully laid her napkin on the table next to her plate before rising from her seat and making her way from the room, hoping her slight unsteadiness went unnoticed.

"Ginny…wait!" called Draco as he rose from his seat to follow her.

"Sit down Draco," instructed Lucius.

"But Father…"

"Sit. Down. Draconis," ordered Lucius, sending a menace filled glare at his son. "If Ginevra chooses not to eat with the family, then that is her choice. She is your wife on paper only and you need only bed her once a week to maintain the contract. This so called marriage is only valid until the Potter brat does what he is supposed to do, at which time the Malfoy family will be purged of the stains that blacken our name and any and all associations with the lower classes will be terminated permanently. Until such time, use Ginevra in any way you see fit Draconis. Use her to prepare yourself for your real wife. Use her to fine tune your sexual expertise as your real wife will appreciate a truly skilled lover. Make no mistake Draconis, your marriage to Miss Weasley changes nothing; your betrothal still stands and your relationship with Miss Weasley is not to be spoken off outside these walls. Is that understood Draconis?"

"Yes Father," replied Draco as he reluctantly began eating while his thoughts stayed with Ginny, who had heard every word that Lucius had just said to Draco as she was in the hall.

Ginny knew that Lucius despised her and her family but had hoped that by having her marry Draco, for reasons she could only guess at, Lucius would at least try to be civil to her, but after what he had said to her and what she had just heard him say to his own son, she knew that she would never be accepted as part of the Malfoy family, no matter how hard she tried or how long Harry took to kill the Dark Lord.

/-/There is no way that Dra…Malfoy will ever love me/-/ thought Ginny desperately as she started to make her way unsteadily up the Grand Staircase to the suite of rooms that Narcissa had given her earlier in the day. /-/Just remember Ginny, you mean nothing to any of the Malfoys and you never will. You are here for only one reason, never forget that and above all do not fall in love with Ferret boy no matter what/-/ finished Ginny as she closed the door to her rooms behind her before slowly sliding down the door. Ginny could not stop the tears that came moments later. Tears of pain; the pain of having her parents practically sell her to their mortal enemy. Tears of rejection by the family in whose house she was now a prisoner. And finally tears of acceptance; acceptance of what was and what could never be but more importantly acceptance of the cards that the fates had dealt her. Ginny had no idea how long she had been sitting there nor how long she had been crying until a squeaky yet disdainful voice spoke.

"Girl must get up."

"Go away," mumbled Ginny not raising her eyes to look at the house-elf.

"Girl must get up," snapped the house-elf. "Girl must get ready to do her job and please the young master. Girl will get up," snarled the house-elf when Ginny still did not make a move to get up from the floor. "It's Girls own fault," sighed the house-elf with a snap of its fingers. "Master told Blinky to do whatever Blinky had to do to make sure Girl does as is expected of her."

Ginny grimaced as a dull pain started to spread throughout her body after the elf had snapped its fingers and the longer she stayed on the floor, the greater the pain became. Gritting her teeth against the pain Ginny carefully rose to her feet, using the small table next to the door to help support her before slowly making her way across the room to the adjoining bath. Once in the bathroom Ginny felt the pain coursing through her body ease off but not vanish entirely as the elf had followed her.

After splashing cold water on her face, Ginny made her way back out into the main room before entering her bedroom and carefully seating herself at the vanity. As Ginny sat there attempting to hide the evidence of her tears, Blinky stood off in one corner watching her and maintaining the elfin pain curse to ensure Ginny's co-operation.

"Girl will put this on," ordered Blinky, pointing to a black silk dressing gown that had been laid out on the bed, once Ginny had hidden the evidence of her tears, removed the jewellery she had been wearing and taken her hair down. "Now!" snapped Blinky increasing the pain when Ginny hesitated a second to long.

Once Ginny had changed into the dressing gown Blinky shoved a vial into her hand ordering her to drink it. After choking down the potion without question, Ginny raced into the bathroom to quickly rinse the vile taste from her mouth, eventually resorting to brushing her teeth when rinsing failed to work.

/-/I bloody well hope my parents make good use of Lord Malfoy's money, especially given what they've sold me into/-/ thought Ginny dejectedly as she stood looking at her pale reflection. /-/I'm nothing more than Malfoy Junior's high priced whore who's services have been paid for by daddy/-/ mused Ginny darkly as she felt another wave of pain wash over her thanks to Blinky.

"Girl is taking too long," snarled the house-elf as he entered the bathroom. "Girl must be in young Master's chambers before he arrives," instructed Blinky as he increased the pain curse once more.

Ginny stumbled from the bathroom and out into the main room as she tried to fight back the fresh wave of tears while trying not to double over in pain.

"This way," snapped Blinky, indicating to Ginny that she was to enter her bedroom instead of going out the main door to her chambers. Upon entering her bedroom Ginny was surprised to notice a door next to her bed, a door that had most definitely not been there mere minutes earlier. Blinky made his way over to the door, opening it for Ginny. "In…now," he demanded as he raised his hand, threatening to increase the pain Ginny was feeling once more.

Ginny did as she was told and stepped through the door only to find herself, not in a hallway as she had anticipated but in what she could only assume to be Draco's bedroom. There was a large four-poster king size bed situated along the opposite wall and the entire room was decorated in Slytherin green and silver, the furniture a deep cherry wood.

/-/There is definitely more to that door then meets the eye/-/ thought Ginny as she walked towards the French Doors that led out onto a private balcony, overlooking the grounds on a decidedly different side of the Manor from her own.

"Girl is here for one reason and one reason only," snapped Blinky, drawing Ginny's attention away from the window. "Girl will do her job and pleasure the young Master and Girl will not even think of trying to do anything beyond the physical pleasuring of young Master. Master told Blinky to make sure Girl does only what is required of her and nothing more."

"Ginny?" asked Draco in surprise from the door to his bedroom before Ginny could question Blinky about the meaning behind his words. "How did you get in here?" he asked as he gently touched Ginny's shoulder.

"Does it really matter?" asked Ginny in reply as she turned towards Draco, stepping into him and kissing his neck as her trembling hands went to work on the fastenings of his robes. "I'm here now," she said as she began nibbling on his ear. "Does it really matter how I got here?"

"Of course not," replied Draco as he gently pulled Ginny's face from his neck. "I was just surprised was all but I am glad you're here," he said with a smile as he leaned into kiss Ginny on the lips, only to have her avoid the kiss by leaning down and starting to kiss the part of his chest that she had managed to expose from his robes.

/-/I'm sorry Draco but that is the one thing I can't give you not if I want to survive this. You can have my body but I know that if I give you my heart I won't survive when you leave me after the Dark Lord is dead/-/ thought Ginny sadly.

It was not long before Ginny had divested Draco of the majority of his clothes, leaving him in nothing but the black slacks he had been wearing under his robe. Ginny knew the minute she got a good look at Draco in nothing more than his pants that she was in serious trouble of losing her heart no matter how hard she fought against it. The man standing in front of her now was no longer the scrawny little twelve-year-old bully she knew from her first year. No, the man before her now was a Greek Adonis. Draco's chest had broadened and filled out. Quidditch had given him a lean but muscular physique. His light tan brought out the silver in his eyes while his platinum blond hair fell haphazardly across his forehead.

/-/Oh Gods he's…beautiful/-/ thought Ginny with a small whimper as she fell to her knees in front of Draco.

"Ginny what are you…" Draco's words trailed off into a light moan when he felt Ginny's hand on his already painful erection, painful due to the fact that it had appeared the minute he had found her waiting for him in his rooms in nothing more than a black silk dressing gown. "Ginny…wait…stop…" Draco pleaded a few minutes later, gently pulling Ginny's mouth off his erection.

"Were you not enjoying yourself?" asked Ginny nervously, afraid of what his answer might mean for her.

"Immensely Ginny," replied Draco with a smile. "But I do believe in equal opportunity in the bedroom," he smirked as he leaned into kiss her once more, which Ginny managed to avoid by stepping back and lifting her head slightly so that Draco's lips met her neck instead of her lips.

While feasting on Ginny's neck, Draco worked the knot loose in the tie of her dressing gown, before lightly tracing his hands along her shoulders, slipping the dressing gown off as he worked his way down Ginny's body with his lips.

"Wait…stop…" pleaded Ginny a few minutes later causing Draco to stop his oral stimulations.

"Were you not enjoying yourself?" questioned Draco, a teasing glint in his eyes as he used Ginny's own words against her.

"Immensely," replied Ginny in kind. "But if you don't stop I don't know if I'll be able to remain standing much longer."

"Well, that's easily taken care of," commented Draco as he swept Ginny off her feet and into his arms before carrying her over to his bed and gently laying her down on top of it, gracefully crawling on to it after her.

As the night progressed Ginny gave no indication of the nervousness she was feeling towards Draco being her first lover. She hid her nervousness behind the anger she felt at being forced into her current situation, anger not directed at Draco himself as he was as much a victim in this situation as she was. No she was angry at Lucius Malfoy for treating her the way he was and angry at her parents for agreeing to the arrangement in the first place.

No matter how many times Draco tried, Ginny managed to avoid his kiss, much to Draco's continued frustration, although he did not allow it to put a damper on the evening. He finally had the woman of his dreams in his bed and she was more than just an image produced by his subconscious while he slept, no she was flesh and blood and he was going to hold onto her as long as he could.

When it came time for Draco to finally enter her, Ginny buried her face in Draco's neck and wrapped her arms around him tightly as she braced for the pain she knew was coming.

Draco stilled when he felt Ginny's teeth bite into his neck and her nails dig into his back as he felt her internal resistance break away. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly in concern as he gently caressed Ginny's hair.

Unwilling to trust her voice Ginny merely nodded in response.

Not wanting to hurt Ginny further, Draco took up a slow thrusting pace, determined to make slow gentle love to the goddess of his dreams, wanting to make the night special and one that Ginny would always remember.

A few hours later found Ginny and Draco lying next to each other, Ginny's head on Draco's chest, her arm over his stomach and his arms wrapped around her. As Ginny was beginning to lightly doze off, being lulled to sleep by the softly consistent beat of Draco's heart, she suddenly felt an all too familiar pain sear through her body. Carefully raising her head from Draco's chest only to have her gaze meet that of Blinky. Ginny groaned quietly, trying not to wake Draco, as she slowly started to disentangle herself from Draco's arms as she made her way from Draco's bed over to where he had discarded her dressing gown earlier. Wrapping the robe around herself, her fingers kept fumbling with the ties as Blinky kept the pain curse active, leading her back through the door she had entered through earlier.

Once back in Ginny's bedroom, Blinky maintained the pain spell on Ginny until the door adjoining her room to Draco's had vanished; when the door was gone, Blinky, along with the pain Ginny was feeling disappeared. As soon as the elf was gone, Ginny stumbled her way from her bedroom and into the bathroom, where she cleaned off all traces of her lost innocence before collapsing onto her bed and crying herself into an uneasy sleep.