AN: This just popped into my head. I don't really know where I'm going with this, so let me know if you have any ideas!! Also, I know it's a little strange and angsty but this'll probably just be a one-shot. Let me know if you think I should continue it. If I do, I need ideas on where to take it. Oh, and the girl is someone I made up, and everything and everyone else belongs to the great JK Rowling.

Summary: Why is Draco so cold? This is the story behind the calm mask that our ferret always wears and the cold sneer he shoots at everyone.

A young blond boy raced at top speed through the cold dank hallways of his ancestral home. Shrieking in laughter, the 7 year old boy veered down a dimly lit hallway in an attempt to avoid being caught by his 16 year old babysitter. The girl following him was also laughing. They had been playing hide and go seek by the Malfoy rules. Which basically meant whatever Draco felt like. At the moment he felt like turning it into a game of tag through the maze of passageways in a far wing of the Malfoy Manor.

Even though she was having fun playing with her charge, the girl was worried. She was a powerful witch but Lucius Malfoy scared her. He wouldn't have hired her but he was sick of his son running away from the house elves and turning up in random forbidden parts of the manor. Narcissa hadn't wanted it but she was forced to give way. The girl had to follow a stringent set of rules and she was breaking all of them right now. She wasn't allowed to let him run around, play games, do anything but his studies, and basically keep him locked up bored and not having fun. However, she didn't like it. She loved little kids and when she broke the first rule Lucius had set down for her (don't fall in love with him), she figured what the heck. I might as well break the rest of the stupid rules.

This is not a good thought to have ever. Especially when working with the Malfoys.

The two friends had been playing for hours. The girl had finally caught up Draco and suggested breathlessly, "Draco, we have to get back to your room. If your father gets home early and comes to check on you . . ."

She didn't need to say more. Draco scurried off again, dragging her by the hand. With a sigh she followed. She knew it was a risky game she played because no one really knew what time Lucius got home. She sent her usual prayer up that they wouldn't get caught because she knew what would happen if Lucius caught the two of them wandering about. He had described her punishments with careful detail when she was hired. She couldn't help but shudder at the memory.

"Let's take the short-cut past father's study!!" Draco suggested randomly. Her blue-green eyes widened and she shook her head. "Aaw come on! He won't be home yet and I need finish my schoolwork. Or else he'll beat me." He trailed off, his little shoulders hunched up as if he could already feel the blows that would descend if he failed to please his father, the girl cursed her soft heart.

They tiptoed down a better-lit hallway and then stopped before turning left into a carpeted, well-lit hallway.

"Remember," the girl whispered nervously. "We're not allowed down here. We need to get out of here quick . . ."

She broke off as a shadow broke off from the wall and walked over to them.

"You certainly do need to," the stranger said in a deep, growling voice. "You, boy, your father's looking for you. Said he had somethin' special planned for you. As for you," he said, as he turned back to the girl, "you're gonna come with me. You have some explaining to do to Mr. Malfoy."

He turned to grab Draco, but the boy only squeaked in fear and clung to his babysitter. The man's eyes narrowed in his grimy face as he took in the scene. Draco was supposed to grow up to be strong and self-reliant. Even though he was young, he could not rely on anyone for safety. Especially not some . . . girl. Even if she was drop-dead gorgeous and incredibly sexy. He could see why Lucius had kept her around for so long. No one else had lasted that long looking after Draco.

The man sneered. "In that case both of you come along. I'm sure Draco," he said, drawling out the name like it was distasteful, "can benefit from this experience. Hey girl, you know what's coming?"

The girl's face went dead white as the implications sunk in. Lucius Malfoy and stated flatly that if she ever committed any strong infringement of the rules she would be beaten, raped, and fired – in that order. She knew Draco's father was cruel – that was just solid proof of it – but she and her family needed the money desperately and this job paid well. And once she met Draco and started looking after him, she no longer minded the threats hanging over her head. Draco had fun and she enjoyed creating wonderful childhood memories. She knew that she had to make the memories so that in case he couldn't stand the world any more, he could retreat inside his head and find love from at least one person in his life. (AN: I know I know, corny. And his mom does kinda love him, she just doesn't show it.)

She shook her thoughts from her head and concentrated on the current situation. Not good. She had no intention of being raped or beaten, but she couldn't see a way out of it. One thing she knew for sure though: Draco should not see any of it. It would scar him for life and destroy all the work she had put into the past 4 years of his life working with him. No, Draco could not see this.

She was again jolted from her thoughts as the stranger grabbed her arm and dragged her, and consequently Draco, away towards the library. Draco looked like he was going to cry, but long experience with his father had taught him not too. She hoped he would still be that strong after tonight.

The man shoved them through the huge library doors and despite herself, the girl looked around in awe. The Malfoy library was legendary. There were stories about how they got so many books . . . and stories about what they used them for. She shuddered.

Again, the man pushed them towards the fireplace in the back of the huge room. He growled out a greeting to the man reclined in the expensive (of course) chair.

"Lucius, guess who I found wandering outside your study." He pushed them forward roughly. "Baby-whiney-crying-boy and girl-you-keep-and-don't-screw-and-I-don't-understand-why."

Lucius glanced up dismissively from his book but then froze as he saw the girl's chalk-white face and his son clinging to her, scared. He stood up slowly, turning to face them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lucius asked softly. The girl shivered. His voice scared her especially when it was soft and deadly. "Draco, why are you hugging her? She's just some Mudblood – she's defiling you by touching you." When Draco still wouldn't let go, he roared, "LET GO OF HER!!!"

Draco jumped away from his best friend, panic, hurt and fright battling for dominance in his eyes. He glanced for reassurance at her and she nodded back, her own mask perfectly in place, betraying no hint of fear.

Lucius Malfoy looked coldly down on his only son. He noticed, with some disdain, that the boy actually flinched away from him in fear. Malfoy's did not feel fear or love and his son must learn that if he was to be able to take his rightful place in life. He spoke to the man who had brought them to him but never took his eyes off the girl's face.

"Greyback, those names might win as the worst ones you have ever come up with. You up for some entertainment tonight?" His cold words, and even colder meaning, caused the girl to shiver. It felt like someone had dropped an ice cube down her shirt. Not that there was much room to do so, as Mr. Malfoy preferred she wear tight shirts. Perve, she thought as disdainfully as she could. Even that was not enough to comfort her as Lucius opened a secret room and dragged her through as Greyback dragged Draco while replying, "I thought you'd never ask. What took you so long? She's lived in your house for 4 years and look at that body!" The girl shivered again, and this time it wasn't because of the cold room.

"Fenrir, chain her and restrain the boy." She flinched away as Greyback dug his long nails into her arm and leered at her, his hot breath blowing in her face. She looked past him, tears in her eyes, to Draco. He was paler than usual because the flush he had gained from their afternoon game had long faded away. It seemed so long ago now. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Greyback had chained her wrists from long chains dangling from the ceiling and her ankles to the floor. She was suspended in the middle of the room and felt extremely vulnerable as she waited for her punishment.

Lucius contemplated for a moment before dragging Draco over in front of his best friend. "I want you to watch this," he whispered viciously in his ear. "I want you to see the pain in her eyes, Draco. You caused that." He grabbed his cane and swished it mercilessly down on the girl's back. She flinched in pain and grimaced, but closed her eyes quickly so Draco could not see the pain in them. The cane swished down again. And again. And again. It was taking all of her resolve and love for her young charge to keep from screaming in agony. And the cane kept coming down. It felt like eternity until it stopped but she knew it wasn't over yet. She felt the chains slip from her ankles and then her wrists. She collapsed on the ground, panting. Lucius and Greyback just laughed. Draco jumped up to go to her, but Greyback snarled and, as he hesitated, his father put him in the full-body bind. Unable to move, he gazed at the only person who had ever shown real love to him began to sob in pain.

Lucius chuckled darkly as he watched the play unfold. It was just working out too smoothly. His son would soon learn not to feel at all. It would be his greatest strength.

Unaware of Lucius and Greyback staring at her mangled back with lust, the 16 year old knelt on the stone floor, trying to rein in her tears. She wished with all her heart that Draco did not have to see this, did not have to blame himself. She tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault but she couldn't find the breath. Her back was on fire and she could feel her blood running down her skin and soaking into her ruined shirt.

She felt hands close around her upper arms and was heaved to her feet. She couldn't breath for a moment as her back screamed in protest of being moved. She could feel Greyback's breath hot on her neck and wished it would just hurry up and end so she could die. As if reading her thoughts, Greyback growled at Lucius.

"Can we hurry the hell up. I wanna show her what true domination is. I wanna pound into her like there's no tomorrow and leave her completely broken."

The girl tried to fight back and protest but all she could manage to get out was a quiet whimper. Both men chuckled and moved closer towards her.

"You scared girl?" Greyback asked, darkly. Taking her silence as an affirmative, he pressed himself up against her, admiring her body again. She had an hourglass figure that made him want to run his hand up and down her sides. He did. She was more than a head shorter than him and seemed incredibly breakable at that moment. As soon as he received this thought, he acted on it. He threw her to the stone floor and she screamed in pain as she landed on her back. She couldn't help it. Greyback laughed as Lucius picked her up again and carefully dusted her off . . . everywhere. As soon as she realized this, she tried to push his hand away from her chest, but he sneered at her and grabbed her. She whimpered again and Lucius laughed softly in her ear.

She cast a glance at Draco, still frozen in the middle of room, still watching in horror. She managed to croak out, "Close your eyes Draco. Close them now I don't want you to see this." Obediently, he did as he was told. Seething, Lucius punched her in the stomach, and as she leaned over, retching, Lucius slapped his son. Startled, his eyes opened wide and he gasped in pain. Lucius grabbed Draco roughly by the shoulders and repositioned him so he could see everything that happened.

Draco's eyes filled involuntarily with tears as he watched her get raped by first his father, then Greyback. They were laughing as they violated her body in the worst way. After, Greyback dragged her broken body towards the door to "deposit" outside. Feeling lonelier than he could ever remember, he finally let go and cried. He didn't care that Malfoy's didn't cry, he didn't care that his father was getting his cane out again and heading towards him. All he knew was that he could never love anyone again, not even as a friend. When he finally went to Hogwarts (which could never be soon enough) he would try to impress his parents and keep his head down. And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't dream of continually playing hide and go seek with his only friend, because he would never find her.

AN: Um, again, I actually have no idea where that came from. I think I was just imagining draco bursting into my math class and saying you've been alive all these years! Why didn't you come find me! I needed you! Can you tell I get bored in math class? Besides, the girls would all sigh in jealousy because the hottest guy ever is hugging me like he hasn't seen me in years and the guys would get jealous because they just randomly realized that they all want to be the one holding me and once draco magically disappeared the cutest guy EVER (jk draco I think you're cuter – don't worry I'm not cheating on you . . .) would ask me out and I'd live happily ever after.

Anyways, yea . . . I know it's kinda depressing, it depressed me while writing it, but if you guys want me to continue then I need a name for the girl and then she won't have died.

Review please and I'll love you forever!!! I wanna know what you think!!