Fallen

A/N:
This is my first story and I've already posted it on fanfiction.net and decided to post here at dracoandginny.com too. This is a Draco/Ginny story (this is by far, my favourite pairing), and it is going to be based on the album “Fallen” by Evanescence. I love this album and I thought the songs would make a great foundation for the plot of a fanfic, so here I am with a story. I wrote this story to help improve my writing skills, so any feedback, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated, but please don’t just flame, give me constructive criticism, tell me what it is that you don’t like.
Enjoy!
dracosslytheringal

*~*~*~*~*

Summary: Ginny is tired of waiting around for Harry to notice her; she’s sinking into a depression and decides she doesn’t want her life to revolve around him anymore. One day she seeks help in the unlikeliest person, and the relationship evolves into something unexpected.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever have the good fortune or talent to own anything that belongs to the amazing writer J.K. Rowling, or the excellent musicians of Evanescence. Thus, the only thing I own is the plot.

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Chapter One: Going Under

Now I will tell you what I’ve done for you
50 thousand tears I’ve cried
Screaming deceiving and bleeding for you
And you still won’t hear me
Don’t want your hand this time I’ll save myself
Maybe I’ll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated by you
Just when I thought I’d reached the bottom
I’m dying again

I’m going under
Drowning in you
I’m falling forever
I’ve got to break through
I’m going under

Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies
So I don’t know what’s real and what’s not
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
So I can’t trust myself anymore
I’m dying again

I’m going under
Drowning in you
I’m falling forever
I’ve got to break through
I’m going under
So go on and scream
Scream at me I’m so far away
I won’t be broken again
I’ve got to breathe I can’t keep going under

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

It was the first day of school, and Ginevra Weasley was about to enter her sixth year. She was now sixteen years old and had been waiting around for Harry Potter to realise what was right in front of him for five years. During that time, which seemed like an eternity to Ginny, she had blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent and mature young woman. She was tall, slim, and fair-skinned, and had the most beautiful deep red hair that flowed in soft waves down to the middle of her back.

“Ginevra Weasley! If you do not get down here this instant, you will miss the train!” Ginny was pulled out of her reverie as she heard her mother yell up the stairs to her. She knew better than to procrastinate when her mother was in her first day of school mood, so she quickly grabbed her bag and ran downstairs.

As Ginny came to the bottom of the stairs, there he was, the source of all her pain, sorrow, and suffering, that tortured her heart and soul every waking moment. She quickly turned away and ran out the door as Harry said a cheerful “Good morning!” to her. She ran to the car faster than she ever thought possible; as she sat down, she tried with all her strength to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She could never understand how Harry could be so happy when she was experiencing so much anguish.

Ginny gathered herself as moments later Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley all piled into the car. The car ride felt like an eternity to Ginny, because she had to sit beside Harry and watch him completely ignore her existence, while he talked animatedly with Ron and Hermione.

They finally arrived at the train station, and quickly entered Platform 9 ¾. As always, students and their families were bustling around the platform ensuring they weren’t forgetting anything and would not miss the only train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ginny quickly said goodbye to her mother and father and hastily kissed them before she rushed onto the gigantic train. Ginny wanted to make sure she could get her own compartment away from everyone where she could be alone and not have to face someone that might remind her of how unhappy she was.

Ginny found a compartment near the back of the train and immediately shut the door, so that no one would enter and disturb her solace. She sat down and curled up in the fetal position as if she were protecting herself from everything around her. She looked out the window and envied all of the smiling faces and abruptly turned her face away to avoid falling deeper into self-pity. Ginny closed her eyes, for the only time she felt at ease was while she was sleeping.

The train finally began to move and Ginny had almost fallen into a deep slumber when she heard the door of the compartment slide open. She thought to herself, ‘If I pretend to be asleep maybe they will just leave me alone.’ However to Ginny’s misfortune, that wasn’t the case; the person not only didn’t leave but actually went and sat down across from her.

She waited for several minutes but they just did not seem to be moving. Ginny finally opened her eyes; she was shocked, she could not believe what she was seeing, she blinked several times, thinking perhaps that this was a dream, or possibly a nightmare. Sitting before her was none other than Draco Malfoy, her family’s most hated enemy, and the man who would endlessly tease and torment her family for their lack of wealth and material objects. ‘Why on earth would he be caught dead associating with a Weasley?’

“Do you have something wrong with your eyes there Weasley? Your family cannot afford to get glasses for you? I have to say I’m not surprised,” Draco drawled.

“Malfoy, what the hell are you doing in here, wouldn’t you be incredibly embarrassed if someone saw you this close to a Weasley?” Ginny retorted. A slight smirk crawled across Draco’s face, and Ginny couldn’t help but feel her cheeks begin to blush. ‘Why have I never noticed how good-looking Malfoy is? Well I guess you don’t get the name Slytherin Sex God for nothing…’

“For your information, Weaslette, I wasn’t planning on interacting with a Weasley, I was simply hiding from that wench, Pansy Parkinson. There were no empty compartments and when I came upon yours, I saw you asleep, and thought that I would be able to leave before you woke up. So as you can see, this was the simplest way to escape that insipid girl.” As Draco mentioned Pansy, Ginny could sense the malice, and utter disgust in his tone, and watched as his eyes suddenly turned a stormy grey colour. This sent Ginny into complete disbelief and gave her chills; this reminded her so closely of someone, someone with just as much disgust, someone just a cynical, just as sinister, some who possessed just as much hatred for everything in the world. Ginevra was shocked because he reminded her of herself.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Weasley? You have been staring into space for a long time now, you’re scaring me, are you possessed or something?” Draco said with a look of curiosity on his face. She intrigued him, he had never seen such misery in a Weasley. It finally hit him, she was not just an ordinary Weasley. She was different, and now that he thought about it, she had never acted like a typical Weasley. Something had corrupted her innocence; she had been influenced by something for so long that it had turned her into someone else. It had turned her into someone, like him.

Ginny just sat there, completely ignoring all of the comments Malfoy was making about her family, she just continued to sit there in her sorrow, wallowing in her thoughts. All she could think about was all of the girls that would be swooning over Harry this year, all the times she would have to sit and watch Harry date girl after girl, and continue to ignore her. It was these thoughts that drove her deeper and deeper into loneliness, into a severe lack of self-worth, of confidence. ‘Why can’t he love me, why can’t he notice how much I love him, how much I would give up just to be with him?’ Ginny’s mind was rushed with this continuous flow of thoughts that haunted her soul.

Ginny struggled to restrain her tears for the second time that day. ‘I will not cry because of him, not again, why does he have this power over me, why can’t I control my own emotions, why does he command my every thought!’ As hard as she fought back the tears, her strength was not enough; besides, she no longer had to uphold any reputation she may have had. Malfoy would surely torment her for this later, but then again what did she have to lose? So she would be humiliated, but she had no pride left to defend, Harry had destroyed that long ago.

The tears began to fall despite Ginny’s best efforts, and after only moments, her body began to wrack as she sobbed, completely destroying any barriers that she had built up that would stop her from behaving like this in public.

Draco did not know what to do, in fact, he was absolutely overwhelmed. He knew that she had problems but this was far beyond his comprehension. Were Gryffindors not supposed to have legendary courage and bravery? Inexperienced in this area, Draco brought up what was causing Ginny to behave in such a way. “Weasley, what the hell are you crying for? Honestly what could be that horrible?” Draco asked with a very blunt, unsympathetic tone.

This only caused Ginny to cry more, and for her body to tremble intensely. “Look, I am sorry, I didn’t mean to make things worse. Seriously though, as much as you hate me, and I hate your family, is there something wrong? I do not think it is healthy for someone to be that depressed.” Draco tried his best to sound concerned, but this was new for him. In his family, you never dared to comment on emotions, you just pretended that feelings did not exist.

Ginny’s sobs continued for quite a long time, and Draco was now genuinely worried, he had never seen someone other than himself experiencing such misery. Draco finally decided that maybe if he were to talk to her, she might not think about whatever problems she was enduring. “Look, Ginevra, you know you remind me a lot of what I am like when I am at home. I sink into that same depression, when I am forced to be there and bear the torture from my father. You are not like your family, there is something greatly different about you, something has made you change.” Draco did not know what made him open up to her, maybe it was because she could understand what it felt like to be depressed, or maybe, somehow psychologically, he knew that they could help each other, that they had something in common. Whatever it was, he wanted to talk, he needed to, and there was no doubt that Ginevra did too.

Ginny looked up at Draco ... did he really care, was he just teasing her again, or was this genuine concern? Ginny looked into Draco’s silver-grey eyes, and she felt like she could see into his soul; there was something there that made her feel comfortable with him, she felt like she could open up to him, tell him what had haunted her for too long. She knew that this would make her vulnerable, but for some unknown reason, she trusted him.

After a few minutes of silence, Ginny finally spoke. “I am not like my family, I will never be like my family, they are noticed, they are loved. I will never have that, I am always the one that is being ignored, I am always seen as little Ginevra Weasley, who can’t be independent, can’t be noticed for who she is.” Ginny’s voice sounded hesitant, as if it were far away.

Draco just nodded in understanding. “That isn’t true, you know. I noticed you, didn’t I?” Draco was shocked by his own comment; he had noticed her, hadn’t he? She was definitely beautiful and they did have a lot in common, even if it was their misery and depression, but there was a connection between them that both of them could feel.

“I just can’t handle being controlled, I am like a slave to his every move, I can’t handle just waiting around for him anymore, he has this control over me that I just can’t avoid.” Ginny’s eyes turned dark as she spoke of him, the pain embraced her once again. A single tear fell, and slid down her flushed cheek, as anger rose up inside her.

“Who is this ‘he’ you are talking about? How can this one person have hurt you so horribly?” Draco was very interested in her story now, something in her life had altered her perception of existence itself, and it was truly terrifying to him.

“Harry Potter…” she said slowly, enunciating every syllable so that the name slid off her tongue as if it were cursed; Draco could feel the absolute revulsion it brought up in her. She said she loved him, yet she emanated such hatred for him. “I have loved him since I was eleven years old, and look where I am now, still pining for him like a little girl. Look what I have become, and yet I still want him, I still need him to love me; I have been rejected and ignored by him for five years and yet I still yearn for his acceptance, his attention, his affection.”

Draco was lost for words, he just stared into Ginny’s eyes, and it was as if they were having a conversation without saying a word aloud. The train slowed to a stop, and they broke their gaze. They both stood up and left the compartment separately without saying another word to one another, they needn’t say anything, both knew that they secretly needed one another, even if they were reluctant to admit it.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Two: Bring Me To Life

How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core
Where I’ve become so numb without a soul
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I’ve become

Now that I know what I’m without
You can’t just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I’ve become
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch without your love
Darling only you are the life among the dead

All this time I can’t believe I couldn’t see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought without a voice without a soul
Don’t let me die here there must be something more
Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I’ve become
Bring me to life

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny exited the train and in the same monotonous fashion as every year, they travelled to Hogwarts castle. Ginny was glad to be back at school, at least here she had her classes and homework to occupy her thoughts, and she would have less time to wallow about Harry. Ever since she had talked to Draco on the train she could not get him out of her head, she felt a connection with him that she had never experienced before, she felt comfortable with him and trusted him, yet felt like she knew nothing about him. Draco fascinated her, yet confused her at the same time, she thought she loved Harry, but how could love bring her so much pain? She needed to see Draco again, she needed to tell him everything, she would not let Harry be an obstacle in her path of happiness any longer, and she was going to move on, she owed it to herself. Ginny knew that Draco was the only person who could help her; he was the only other person that could understand her situation, her depression. She had to see Draco as soon as possible.

“Hey Drakie, where were you on the train? I looked everywhere for you, I missed you; I had hoped we could have had some fun if you know what I mean…” Pansy touched Draco’s chest seductively as she tried to persuade him to notice her. Pansy was a tall, attractive girl, with long blonde hair, who possessed all of the right assets that would make any guy’s head turn. However, Draco wasn’t biting, he just ignored her and continued his conversation with his best mate Blaise.

Draco’s thought were flooded by Ginevra Weasley, before today he never would have given her the time of day, in fact before today he made her life hell, but now, he could not get enough of her. Her sheer presence caused excitement in him, he needed to help her, he needed her help, he wanted to see her, and they needed to talk. Thoughts of what had transpired between them earlier overwhelmed Draco, and he not only realised that he was attracted to Ginevra, but he actually cared for her. All of these new emotions were relentless, he wanted to tell her how he felt, but he decided he had to wait until they worked through their individual problems before they could have a relationship. Nevertheless, if they helped each other they could get there much quicker.

Everyone had settled in and dinnertime came quickly. The entire school filled the Great Hall as the annual sorting ceremony and grand feast were to take place that evening. Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table by herself, but not far from the Golden Trio, so that she looked as if she had some friends. Over the past year, Ginny had distanced herself from any friends she had, as she preferred to spend time by herself and avoid almost all communication with anyone else. Ginny looked across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table where she saw the platinum blond hair of none other than Draco Malfoy. A slight smile crept across her face as she caught Draco’s eye; he gave her his infamous Malfoy smirk, which caused Ginny to blush and look away.

The sorting ceremony began and everyone’s attention was occupied while they welcomed their new housemates and then with the feast that evening and talking to their friends about what they had missed over the summer. Ginny did not have a very good appetite and felt even worse because of all the happy students around her enjoying themselves. She had to go somewhere else, she couldn’t handle it anymore, so she got up and left the feast early, with of course no one noticing her absence.

However one person did notice Ginny’s absence, Draco looked up to the doors of the Great Hall just as Ginny slipped through them supposedly unnoticed. Draco got up from the table, completely ignoring Pansy’s whining about how she was talking to him. Draco quickly followed Ginny into the foyer, where he caught up to her. “Ginevra” Draco said as he touched her arm to get her to stop. Draco’s face immediately lit up at Ginny smiled at him; that was the first time Draco had seen her smile, and she looked the most beautiful he had ever seen her. It was at that moment that Draco became determined to make Ginny happy so that he could see her smile like that constantly.

“Draco!” Ginny answered a little too enthusiastically.

“I noticed you leave, and I wanted to talk to you. About earlier today…” Draco was cut off by Ginny’s interruption.

“Draco can we go somewhere else to talk?” Ginny asked slightly worried about what might happen if people saw them together, but more concerned with privacy because she knew what Draco wanted to talk about and would rather not discuss it publicly.

“Sure.” Draco replied.

Ginny grabbed Draco’s hand and pulled him down the hall towards the Room of Requirement. The physical contact between them sent a sensation coursing through their veins, it made both of them forget their troubles and just smile. They stopped in front of a wall, Ginny told Draco to wait for a moment, Ginny walked in front of the wall three times, and finally a door appeared. Draco and Ginny entered the room to find a large comfortable couch, and an armchair in front of a fireplace that contained a roaring fire.

They sat down next to each other on the couch, and there was an awkward moment of silence between them until Draco spoke. “Ginevra, I have been thinking about you all day since earlier on the train. I think that we should help each; I think we need to help each other.” Draco could not tell what Ginny’s reaction was, she was almost as good at hiding her emotions as he was, but when he looked into her eyes he knew exactly what she wanted. “I can see it in your eyes, you want to live, but there are too many barriers keeping you from it. You want to experience love, but your holding back because you are still waiting around for Potter, you want to be happy but you have sheltered yourself from the world.” Draco took Ginny’s hand in his, and Ginny turned to look him in the eyes again. “I want the same things, I want to live but my family’s reputation is holding me back, I want to experience love but my family forbids it, and I want to be happy but I have too many people in my way. Ginny we can help each other get those things but you have to let down your walls and just trust me.”

Ginny continued to look into Draco’s eyes knowing that Draco truly wanted those things and actually wanted to help her achieve those things too. “Draco I do want those things, and all that you said is true, we do need to help each other be happy, but it took me so long to build up these walls, to keep people from truly seeing the person that I am deep down. I have worked so hard to create this façade that you have to understand it isn’t so simple to just forget why I created them in the first place.”

Draco and Ginny sat in front of the fire for what seemed like forever, just gazing into each other’s eyes, the windows to their souls, Draco still grasping Ginny’s hand. Ginny finally continued, “Draco as hard as it is to forget the things that have produced this false person that I have become, I am willing to try to forget for you. I want your help, and I need to help you, I need to feel like I am important to someone, and to feel like someone needs me.” Draco could sense the emotion in every one of her words, and knew that what they were doing was right.

“I have experienced many horrific things in my life, and I don’t think that I can forget them and I don’t expect you to forget anything in your life either, it is everything that happens in our lives that makes us who we are, and that is important. But, we can overcome these things, I can’t stand being constantly depressed and miserable anymore, not because of my family, and I don’t think anyone should feel that way either, especially not you.” Draco’s eyes expressed the passion behind his words, and Ginny felt truly moved. This was the first time in as long as she could remember that she felt important, that she felt like she was no longer being ignored.

Ginny could not break Draco’s gaze; Draco smirked and it brought a smile to Ginny’s face. Draco slowly brought his hand to caress her cheek and then leaned in to kiss her. Ginny kissed back slightly; it was a very light kiss, but it had so much emotion behind it, it expressed more than words ever could. Draco pulled away, as he watched a bigger smile grace Ginny’s face. ‘Maybe it will not be as hard as I thought to make her happy, and maybe it will not be as hard as I thought for me to be happy.’ Draco thought.

Draco and Ginny sat there for hours, Draco had his arm around Ginny’s shoulder, and she felt comfortable and cared for. Ginny had already started to destroy some of the many barriers she had constructed, she was letting someone get close to her, and she was letting someone get to know the real person that lived deep inside of her.

That night Draco told Ginny of his father’s history with dark magic, and Voldemort, and all of the things he had grown up being taught, and how his life changed when he came to Hogwarts. He told Ginny about the lack of love, sensitivity, or expression of emotion, that he grew up with in his family. Draco spoke of the future his father had planned for him, how he was supposed to become a Death Eater, and how he was terrified that he might not be able to avoid following in his father’s legacy.

Ginny told Draco of how she grew up with a wonderful, caring family, but how they could just never understand her, and of what happened in the Chamber of Secrets during her first year at Hogwarts. She also told him of everything since that year that had caused her life to go downhill and of all of her experiences with Harry that kept her from being happy. Finally, she told Draco about how she had hit rock bottom that summer and how he couldn’t have come into her life at a better time, because there was nowhere left for her to fall.

Finally, Ginny began to yawn, and they realised how late it was; they were so caught up in one another that they had completely lost track of the time. It was long past curfew, so Draco insisted on walking Ginny to the Gryffindor tower. They held hands the entire way, being careful not to be caught in the hallways after curfew, but still enjoying being together. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Draco turned to Ginny and gave her a passionate kiss, which Ginny returned with just as much fervour. Draco put his arms around her waist to pull her closer, and Ginny wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck for support, as her knees grew weak. Draco deepened the kiss, and Ginny responded with a slight groan of pleasure. They finally pulled apart, looked into each other’s eyes, and saw happiness in one another.

“Good night Ginevra, I will see you tomorrow.” Draco smiled and gave Ginny another quick kiss good night, and watched as she stepped through the portrait hole.

As Ginny walked through into the Gryffindor common room and heard the portrait close behind her she smiled brightly and let out a breath she had not realised she had been holding. She looked around the common room, and thankfully, no one was up, so Ginny quietly climbed the stairs to her dormitory.

Ginny climbed into bed that night and fell asleep thinking of how that had been the happiest day she had experienced in a very long time, and actually looked forward to awakening tomorrow to see another day. That evening, Ginny had not had a single thought of Harry, and the hurt and pain slowly began to drift away; for the first time in five years, Ginny felt like she could move on with her life, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt free to experience the life that she had been avoiding for all those years, and was not afraid to enjoy being with someone else, because she had found someone she never could have believed was out there.

*~*~*~*~*

The sun rose at six o’clock the next morning and Ginny awoke to a gorgeous sunrise. Ginny sat on the windowsill that morning and watched the sun rise over the lake, with no thoughts intruding her reflection. She stayed in that position for quite some time, until her roommates began to stir from their sleep; Ginny decided that she would take a bath before breakfast, and left before anyone woke up.

Classes would begin that day, and Ginny was both excited and anxious to begin another year. ‘This year,’ Ginny promised herself, ‘I am going to move forward, I am going to change my life, and I am going to prove to myself that I can do this. I have already started, and with Draco’s help, I am going to succeed, I will not let my past continue to control me, fate does not control my destiny, I won’t let it, I will control my future. I am going to live, and nothing will stand in my way.’

Chapter Three: Everybody’s Fool

Perfect by nature
Icons of self indulgence
Just what we all need
More lies about a world that

Never was and never will be
Have you no shame don’t you see me
You know you’ve got everybody fooled

Look here she comes now
Bow down and stare in wonder
Oh how we love you
No flaws when you’re pretending
But now I know she

Never was and never will be
You don’t know how you’ve betrayed me
And somehow you’ve got everybody fooled

Without the mask where will you hide
Can’t find yourself lost in your lie

I know the truth now
I know who you are
And I don’t love you anymore

Never was and never will be
You don’t know how you’ve betrayed me
And somehow you’ve got everybody fooled

It never was and never will be
You’re not real and you can’t save me
Somehow now you’re everybody’s fool

- Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

At breakfast that morning, every student received their timetable for the year. Ginny would have a full course load this year, because she was taking advanced classes for every subject, and was even taking seventh year level Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Ginny was excited and nervous because the Gryffindors had both of these classes with the Slytherins, she loved that she would see Draco in those classes, but was slightly anxious about how the other Slytherins would react to having a sixth year Gryffindor in their class, and not only a Gryffindor, but a Weasley.

Ginny’s first class was Potions so she left breakfast early ensuring that she wouldn’t be late; she did not want to experience the wrath of Professor Snape if she was late to class on the first day. When Ginny arrived in the dark dungeon classroom, she was surprised to see Draco already there, sitting at a desk near the very back corner; her heartbeat began to race, and her knees became weak when she thought of their kiss the night before. Draco was intently reading a book and hadn’t seen Ginny come in, she checked to make sure no one else was in the room, and then quietly walked over to Draco. Ginny stood behind Draco and kissed the back of his neck, Draco shivered at her touch, he immediately knew it was Ginny when he felt her lips on his skin.

Draco turned in his chair and quickly pulled Ginny around and onto his lap. “I didn’t know you were going to be in this class. Not that I don’t want you here, I was just surprised to see you.” Draco blurted out in one quick breath, his nervousness clearly evident. ‘Oh God I sound like a bloody idiot, what is wrong with me? She is definitely something special if she has this effect on me.’

Ginny smiled at Draco’s eagerness, and leaned in to kiss him, as she slid her arms around his neck. Draco’s tongue traced her lips, seeking entrance, which Ginny granted him without the slightest hesitation. Their kiss quickly grew extremely passionate; both of them lost in the kiss, and ignoring everything around them. They did not break apart until they heard someone beside them coughing.

“I am pleased to see my students early for class but I would prefer not to see that in my classroom again. Mr. Malfoy I would not have expected this of you, I hope this will not occur again.” Snape reprimanded with a scowl on his face.

Ginny blushed wildly, utterly embarrassed, as Draco pouted because Snape had ruined a perfectly good snogging session. “It will not sir.” Draco replied. Ginny got up from Draco’s lap and Snape walked back to his desk.

Ginny sat down in the chair next to Draco as he reached for her hand. “I have been wanting to do that since you left last night.” Ginny told Draco, a light blush appearing on her cheeks.

Draco looked into her eyes and smiled. “There is something I want to ask you Ginevra,” Draco said quietly not wanting Snape eavesdropping on their conversation, “will you be my girlfriend? I mean do not feel bad if you want to say no, I would understand, I mean this is rather soon I suppose to be asking you…”

“I’d love too.” Ginny interrupted Draco’s babbling.

“Really?” Draco asked surprised at how quickly she answered.

“Yes, really.” Ginny smiled widely, trying to suppress a giggle at Draco’s stunned expression.

Just then, students began to file into the class disturbing their moment. “Meet me later, at seven o’clock.” Draco whispered into Ginny’s ear, causing her to shiver. Ginevra couldn’t help but smile as Draco gave her his trademark smirk that made her heart melt.

At that moment, Harry, Ron and Hermione came into the class, talking excitedly about their plans for their last year at Hogwart’s. As Ron sat down across the classroom, he finally saw Ginny talking to his most loathed enemy, Draco Malfoy. Not only were they talking, but they were holding hands and smiling!

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to my baby sister Malfoy?” Ron bellowed his face turning as red as his hair, as the anger rose up within him.

“I am not a baby Ron! I can do whatever I please, now stop shouting and just stay out of my love life because it is none of your business!” Ginny yelled in response, her Weasley temper becoming obvious.

“Love life? Don’t tell me you’re seeing Malfoy? You have got to be kidding me!” Ron laughed thinking that the entire situation was a complete joke.

“For you information Weasley, your sister is seeing me, in fact she’s my girlfriend.” Draco answered with a smirk, clearly enjoying how easily he was agitating Ron.

“Oh Ginny, this is great! Bloody brilliant in fact, this is the best news I have heard in a long time!” Ron smiled, shocking everyone in the classroom, especially Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Draco.

“WHAT?” They all replied in unison, with utter confusion in their voices.

“No seriously Ginny, brilliant, best thing I’ve ever heard!” Ron replied causing yet even more confusion.

Ginevra finally spoke up, “Ron would you just tell us what you are on about already?”

“What? I finally have a reason for kicking Malfoy’s ass! What could be better, I finally have the chance to kill Malfoy, and I have a great excuse!” Ron declared smugly.

Just then the bell rang indicating the beginning of class, and Professor Snape walked into the classroom. “Everyone seat yourselves this instant!” Snape commanded.

“This isn’t over Ginny.” Ron said cruelly as he took his seat.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny managed to avoid the Dream Team for the rest of the day, and was thankful when the last class of the day ended, and she was finally on her way back to Gryffindor Tower to get some well needed rest.

‘Why can’t Ron just accept my relationship with Draco? Why does he always have to ruin my happiness? Draco is what I want, why can’t he see that? Of course he wouldn’t notice that I am finally happy, he’s too preoccupied with his own life to pay any attention to my well-being.’ Ginny’s head was flooded with thoughts as she headed to her dorm; she needed to clear her mind, she needed to tell someone all of these feelings that she was suddenly experiencing.

She needed to speak with Draco, he would understand, and he would make her smile and take her mind off of things, that was what she needed most right now. ‘The only reason Ron is opposed to me being with Draco is because that means I am not in love with Harry anymore. Why is love always perfect in the movies? Every heroine always finds her true love, and they end up happily ever after. They never get hurt like I have, how can real love be so different, why can they only ever show such a fake outlook on love? Love’s not that simple and blissful, how could I have been so naïve to believe that?’

Ginny reached her dormitory a half hour later, and decided that she would take a nap before dinner, she needed to relax, and would talk to Draco later when she had sorted out some of her feelings.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny woke up with a start; she had had another dream about him, ‘Why can’t I forget him, why does Harry still have such dominance over me?’ She shook her head as if chase the thoughts away, when she suddenly realized what time it was, and quickly headed down to the Great Hall before she completely missed dinner.

Ginny reached the common room when Harry confronted her. He was the only one left in the common room and was sitting in a armchair by the fireplace watching the staircase leading to the girls’ dormitory, waiting for her to come down.

“Ginny, I think we need to talk.” Harry told her, as he stood up and moved toward her.

“Look Harry, I don’t think that there is anything we need to talk about. Now if you don’t mind, I want to get downstairs before I miss dinner.” Ginny replied bluntly as she headed for the door.

Harry quickly followed her, and grabbed her arm as she was walking through the portrait hole and roughly turned her around to face him. “When I saw you with Draco today, it made me realize something, I don’t know how I could have been so blind, I mean you were right in front of me for all these years. Ginny, I love you, and I want to be with you more than anything in the world.”

Harry had not loosened his grip on Ginevra’s arm; he did not want her to leave before she heard him out. ‘There is no way that she would ever choose that bloody Malfoy over me now, I mean she has loved me for years, yet again I will beat Malfoy, only this time he will never get over because he will be constantly reminded of it!’ Harry grinned widely, menacingly, causing Ginny to question his motives more than she already was.

“Harry, I’m sorry but you’re too late, I’m sick of waiting around for you, I’ve already given up. You have caused me so much pain, for so long, and now I’m over you, I’m moving on, I’ve found someone else. I won’t sacrifice what I have with Draco because you are suddenly jealous, he means too much to me.”

“You mean you would actually choose ferret boy over me? You have got to be joking! You love me, what could you actually see in him that would make you suddenly forget that?” Harry scoffed, stunned that Ginevra Weasley was actually rejecting him.

“Bloody hell Harry, get over yourself!”

“I won’t let him hurt you, you know better than I do, that he will! Why would I stand around and watch him rip your heart to pieces, and have you come and cry on my shoulder later anyway? You know I saw him with that slut Pansy Parkinson earlier, he’d dump you for her any day, I mean why wouldn’t he?” Harry explained arrogantly, looking Ginny in the eye.

Before Harry knew what was happening he felt a hand on his face, and an unbearable stinging, Ginny had slapped him! “You know as well as I do Potter, that Draco isn’t dumping me for Pansy, you are just jealous because the great and almighty Boy-Who-Lived isn’t getting what he wants. You are pathetic you know, just creating problems so that you can be the hero, well it doesn’t work that way!”

By now Ginny had backed away from Harry, and was looking at him with pure hatred, disgust dripping from her every word, “You don’t love me at all, you just want what you can’t have. Well I am not going to let you hurt me anymore Harry, I have suffered long enough, and I don’t love you anymore, I don’t need you anymore.”

“You want to know what really amazes me Harry?” Ginny continued her rant, “No one knows this side of you, they only know the fake, public-appeasing Harry Potter. ‘You’ve got everybody fooled,’ they all think you are sweet and innocent but I know better than that know. You’re not who I thought you were, you’re not the boy I fell in love with five years ago.”

“Ginny you are overreacting, you know you still love me, you’re just overwhelmed because you never thought that I would return that love. You would rather be with me than Malfoy, and you know it, stop denying it.” Harry had been slowly moving closer to Ginny again, and suddenly pulled her to him, and kissed her aggressively.

Ginny tried to push Harry away, but his hold on her was too strong. ‘It’s not supposed to be like this, I was supposed to savour his kiss, not loathe his touch. When I kiss Draco I feel nervous, exhilarated, but with Harry, I just can’t get him to let go of me fast enough.’

Harry pulled away from Ginevra and she immediately took the opportunity to slap him again, this time with much more force. “Do not ever come near me again Harry Potter, I’m not falling for your act any longer! Do not ever speak to me again, or you will sincerely regret it!” Ginny enunciated every syllable to make her opinion abundantly clear to Harry.

Before Harry could say another word, Ginny turned and ran as fast as she could, she did not have a destination; she just needed to get as far away from Harry as she could…

*~*~*~*~*

Warning: There is consenual sex in this chapter. (There was no option to add this one above so I'm hoping this is an adequate warning...)

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Four: My Immortal

I’m so tired of being here
Suppressed by all of my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Because your presence still lingers here
And it won’t leave me alone

These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that time cannot erase

When you’d cry I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I’ve held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
But now I’m bound by the life you left behind
Your face its haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that time cannot erase

When you’d cry I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I’ve held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

I’ve tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone
And though you’re still with me
I’ve been alone all along

When you’d cry I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I’ve held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

Ginevra ran as fast as she ever had, with no thoughts crossing her mind about where she was headed, or who she was headed to, she was so overwhelmed by the situation that she just needed to be alone to process what had happened with Harry, and what it all meant in retrospect. Ginny was just following her feet, trusting that her subconscious knew where she needed to go.

Suddenly, Ginny’s escape was interrupted when she ran into the chest of someone and fell to the cold stone floor in the corridor just past the Gryffindor common room. Not bothering to look up to see who she had run into, Ginny just sat up, gathered her knees to her chest and burst into tears, followed by sobs, which caused her small body to wrack with each cry that she emitted.

“Ginevra, what happened? Are you alright?” Draco asked concerned as he knelt down beside Ginny to attempt to comfort her.

“Draco, what are you doing here?” Ginny returned in a weak effort to gather her composure.

“Well, when I saw that you hadn’t come down for dinner, I was worried about you, so I thought I would come and see where you were. Apparently it was a good thing I came to check on you, now will you please tell me what has gotten you so upset? Was it something I did?” Draco asked sympathetically, while putting his hand under Ginny’s chin so that she would look at him.

“Oh Draco, I’m sorry, no it isn’t anything you did, I promise I will explain everything later, but right now I need to go somewhere in the castle far away from here, anywhere.” Ginny pleaded, but Draco needn’t be asked again, as he knew exactly where to take her.

“Anything for you, Ginevra…”

*~*~*~*~*

Almost thirty minutes later, Draco and Ginny reached a portrait deep within the winding corridors of the cold, damp Hogwart’s dungeons. Draco whispered the password, and the portrait swung open to reveal Draco’s private chambers.

It was the most beautiful room Ginny had ever seen at Hogwart’s, the large four-poster bed sat against the opposite wall, covered in a duvet of forest green, and a canopy of intense black, that flowed into the curtains surrounding the bed. The stone walls and floor seemed to shimmer, creating the look of silver. A large fireplace was located on the left side of the room, its mantle covered by lavish accessories. On the right side if the room were two doors, made of the magnificent antique wood found throughout the entire castle. The room was not very large, but cozy considering its location in the dungeons, and extremely spacious for a private room.

Ginny finally moved to sit on the edge of Draco’s bed after admiring the room for a moment. “Draco?” Ginevra asked rather than stated.

Draco replied trying to sound encouraging yet not forceful, “Yes.”

“I am so happy that you came to find me, I need to talk to you about what happened. I need to straighten everything out, but I can’t seem to do it in my head; I know what I want, but I can’t express it.” As Ginny said this, Draco went and sat down beside Ginny on his bed.

“After classes this afternoon, I decided to go back to my dorm and take a nap before dinner. I woke up terribly late, and rushed down so that I wouldn’t miss dinner. But when I reached the common room, Harry Potter was waiting for me, and no one else was there.” Ginny rushed through the beginning of her story as if she couldn’t push the thoughts out of her head fast enough.

Draco put his arm around Ginny’s shoulder to calm her as she became frightened to continue telling Draco her story. ‘Maybe I made a mistake, maybe I shouldn’t tell Draco what happened. I don’t think that I could go through all that pain again if he were to change his mind about me. I can’t hide this from him though, he has been so supportive, and he doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. Oh Merlin, why does this have to be so complicated? I finally know that I want to be with Draco and I cannot bring myself to tell him what happened earlier…’ These disconcerting thoughts suddenly overwhelmed Ginny, but she had progressed so much during the past few days, and knew that she owed it to Draco to be honest with him.

Draco gave Ginny a reassuring smile, “Ginevra, you shouldn’t feel pressured to tell me what happened if you aren’t ready, I will understand if you need some time to sort things out.”

“No, Draco I need to tell you, I will finally be able to move on once I get everything out in the open, Harry will not cause me any more confusion or distress, I won’t let him.” Ginny’s voice became forceful and confident with her last statement, her determination becoming evident as she turned to look into Draco’s eyes.

Those silver-grey pools drew her in, and Ginevra’s uncertainty was abolished as she saw into Draco’s soul, and uncovered the yet unspoken feelings that were hidden deep within him. Ginny was now assured that her feelings were reciprocated by Draco and knew that she would not have to endure the terrible games that Harry had played with her heart.

Ginny was finally ready to continue with her story, if she ever wanted a relationship with Draco she had no other choice. “Harry had been waiting for me to come down, and when I did he said he needed to talk to me. When I told him that there was nothing to discuss, he became hostile, and grabbed me, making me listen to what he had to say.”

Draco was becoming furious, ‘Why the bloody hell won’t that Potter just back off, doesn’t he realize that he lost his chance long ago, I can’t believe that he would do that to her.’

“Then, he-he told me…” Ginny could feel the all too familiar sensation of the tears welling up inside, ‘No, not again, I promised myself that I would get past this, Harry Potter has no excuse for causing you this agony again.’ “He told me that he loved me, that I deserved better than you, and that you would dump me in a second for Pansy if you had the chance. He even had the audacity to say that he saw you with her today and that I might as well give up because I would come crying to him later looking for his sympathy.” Ginny was reminded of all the pain that Harry had caused her for all those years, and the fury began to burn deep within her soul as she repeated the earlier event to Draco.

“Ginevra, I was never with Pansy today, you need to know that I care about you too much to ever hurt you.” Draco was suddenly anxious because he was scared about what he might lose, ‘She can’t believe Potter, I have finally found what makes me happy, and I would do anything for her, if I lose her now I don’t know what will happen to me.’

“That’s exactly what I told Harry, but even him accusing you of cheating on me wasn’t what was so upsetting. He made me feel like I was worthless, like I had no feelings; he was so degrading, and his words stung even more because I never expected that from him. And you know what? His words didn’t rip at my heart like I thought they would, they destoryed the little pride that I had left in myself.” Draco could see the pain in Ginny’s eyes, but it wasn’t the grief that he saw days before on the train, no this was the pain of someone who was betrayed by someone they thought they knew.

“He wouldn’t believe that I didn’t love him anymore, he tried to convince me that I still had feelings for him. You know, I think I’m angrier with myself for not seeing how fake he was, and believing that was really him for so many years. Oh, and that’s not all either, when I tried to leave again, he kissed me. I’m so sorry Draco, I tried to push him away, I really did, but he was too strong and I couldn’t pull away.” Ginny lowered her head and looked down at her hands, which she was moving around uneasily in her lap. She couldn’t look Draco in the eyes; she feared that he would not forgive her, and that she would be heart-broken again. She couldn’t face that depression again, she had been there and couldn’t bear going through that again, she wouldn’t survive it a second time.

Draco gently lifted Ginny’s face so that he could look into her eyes. Ginny was shocked when she saw love, not hormone-driven lust that most teenage boys have, but an everlasting, eternal love that made Ginny blush, the kind that everyone goes through life hoping to find, but most are never fortunate enough to experience. “Ginny, love, I trust you, I know that you are over Harry, I know that you didn’t plan it or expect for any of it to happen…”

Ginny interrupted Draco’s sincere explanation of his thoughts, “Draco I know, you don’t need to explain, I knew that you would understand, and that’s why I’m being completely honest with you. I realized something when Harry kissed me, I love you more than I ever loved Harry, and when Harry was kissing me I was disappointed that it wasn’t you that I was kissing. I always thought that I could never live without Harry, I have dreamed for years about the moment when Harry would finally kiss me, but then it actually happened, and I only wanted to be with you…”

Ginny was brought back from her ramblings when Draco suddenly interjected, his mind finally processing what Ginny has just told him, “Did you just say that you love me?” Draco asked not absolutely believing what he thought he had just heard Ginevra say.

Draco smirked as Ginny looked away from him, her heart beating rapidly, “Yes, I did Draco.” Ginny replied shyly, almost inaudibly.

For the first time in Draco’s life someone was expressing their emotions to him, and Draco returned them. He had never felt this way for anybody before, and knew that he probably never would, Draco was not going to lose this opportunity, “I love you too Ginevra.”

Ginny looked up as Draco captured her lips with his, as he was determined to never let his love go. The kiss was strong and full of pent-up emotion that neither could express adequately with words, but quickly became passionate, and filled with lust. Draco deepened the kiss as he pulled Ginny close to him, her arms instinctively wrapping around Draco’s neck.

Ginny’s arms roamed Draco’s muscular back as she felt his hot lips against her skin. Draco kissed her jaw line, down her neck, and along her collarbones. Ginny had never felt so wanted, and desired before, she needed Draco now more than she would ever admit to herself.

Ginny’s hands began to unbutton Draco’s white school shirt, as Draco’s lips found their way to Ginny’s once again. Their kiss quickly became heated and ardent as Draco’s hands started to roam over Ginny’s body; they found their way to the front of Ginny’s blouse, and Draco began to methodically unbutton it.

When Ginny’s blouse was long forgotten, Draco pulled away from Ginny, “Ginevra, I love you, and I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without you.” Draco told Ginny while trying to catch his breath.

“I love you too Draco, and more than that, I trust you and I know that you would never do anything to hurt me.” Ginny replied becoming slightly anxious. Ginny caught Draco’s lips once again; she leaned back on the bed and pulled Draco on top of her, placing them in a very intimate position.

Draco’s hands found their way to Ginny’s milky white breasts as he was exploring her body, and he began to gently massage each one. This caused a new, enjoyable sensation in Ginny, one that made her hormones go wild. Ginny continued to move her hands over Draco’s toned chest; her hands journeyed over his flat, muscular stomach, and stopped when they reached the top of his pants.

Ginny slowly, and nervously proceeded to unbuckle Draco’s black leather belt, and unfasten his black school pants. Draco lifted himself slightly off of Ginevra to allow his pants to slide down his legs, and then kicked them off to leave him solely in his green boxers.

Draco placed his lips on Ginny’s chest and made a trail of kisses down her torso. Ginevra’s smell intoxicated Draco, she smelled wonderfully of vanilla, exhilarating Draco even more. He finally kissed just below her belly button, and placed his hands on the top of her grey skirt before looking up into Ginny’s eyes seeking permission. Ginny nodded weakly and blushed, having never been this far with anyone before, and knowing where they were headed.

Draco seductively removed Ginny’s skirt and panties, and consequently his own boxers. Draco kissed Ginevra fervently one more time, before placing himself above Ginny and entering her untouched body.

Draco and Ginny made love for the first time that night, yes Draco had had sex before, but never with a person he loved and cared for like Ginny. Ginny fell asleep with Draco’s arm draped over her stomach, holding her as close to his body as he possibly could. Both slept soundly that night, falling asleep relishing in the moments they had shared with each other that evening.

*~*~*~*~*

Haunted

Long lost words whisper slowly to me
Still can’t find what keeps me here
When all this time I’ve been so hollow inside
I know you’re still there

Watching me wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you loving you
I won’t let you pull me down

Hunting you I can smell you – alive
Your heart pounding in my head

Watching me wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Saving me raping me
Watching me

Watching me wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you loving you
I won’t let you pull me down

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny woke up the next morning feeling disoriented, as she looked around the room, she felt Draco holding her, and thoughts of the previous rushed back to her. ‘A week ago I never could have thought that there was anyone out there for me other than Harry Potter, but I was wrong. Now that I have found Draco I couldn’t be happier…’

Ginny’s thoughts were interrupted as Draco began to shift, his eyes fluttered open and he smirked as he looked at Ginny. ‘I’m not letting my father get in the way of me living my life, I don’t care what he thinks of my relationship with Ginny, I love her and I am never going to let her get away.’

Ginny turned around to face Draco, and blushed as she saw Draco staring at her with a smirk across his face. “Good morning Ginevra.” Draco said seductively as he pulled Ginny closer to him and gave her a chaste kiss on her swollen lips.

Just then, a clock suddenly chimed, and Ginny looked over to see that it was seven o’clock. “Oh Merlin, look at the time! I had better get back to my dorm before anyone notices I was out all night.” Ginny said undecidedly, not wanting to leave Draco’s arms.
Draco made a puppy-dog face, “Ah, do you have to go? If you stay we can go to breakfast together…” Draco argued pulling Ginny closer to him in an attempt to prevent her from leaving.

Ginny leaned in and kissed Draco, she pulled away slightly and muttered quickly, “Well if you insist…”

*~*~*~*~*

“I can’t believe Ginny would do that to you Harry!” Ron nearly shouted, as Harry told him what had transpired the previous night between himself and Ginny. “So you told her that you loved her too, and she told you that she didn’t love you anymore? Of course she loves you, I can’t believe she would do that to you mate.” Ron said trying to determine exactly what Harry was trying to tell him.

“I know, I couldn’t believe it either, honestly Malfoy has screwed with her mind, I’m sorry mate, I know she’s your sister but I don’t understand how she could want to be with him, he’s probably a deatheater for crying out loud!” Harry explained to Ron, trying to sound like the victim in the entire situation.

“Harry, she’s my baby sister, and I know what is best for her, and Malfoy is definitely not! Don’t give up, keep telling Ginny how you feel about her, she surely can’t ignore your feelings forever, she’ll eventually give in.” Ron was persistent, he didn’t think that Harry was the best person for his sister to be seeing, but in lieu of the present situation, Harry was exactly what Ginny needed.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny and Draco walked into the Great Hall together holding hands, Draco smirking and Ginny giggling sweetly.

“Hey Harry, now’s your chance, go talk to Ginny again.” Ron prodded Harry towards the enormous doors of the Great Hall.

‘This is the perfect opportunity to catch Ginny off guard, Draco won’t know what to say either, this absolutely cannot go wrong…’ Harry thought. “Yeah, you’re right Ron, I’m going to go talk to Ginny, I’ll be right back.” Harry said before heading towards Draco and Ginny before they had a chance to sit down.

‘Oh no! Why is Harry coming over here? Why can’t he just leave me alone, why can’t he understand that I don’t want him? It seems like he is only out to cause turmoil in my life, I just want him out of my life forever so that I can be happy with Draco!’ Draco could see that Ginny was becoming inundated with confusion, he looked up and saw the source, and of course it was none other than Harry Potter.

Harry finally approached the couple, a fake look of suffering plastered across his face. “Ginny, I know when we talked last night that you didn’t want to hear me out, and I know that I did not take it very well, and I really regret it. I couldn’t sleep last night knowing that you didn’t completely understand how I feel about you, Ginny I love you so much and I realized yesterday that I can’t live without you.” Harry entirely ignored the fact that Draco was standing directly beside Ginny, he just rambled on trying to convince her that he really cared for her.

Draco finally stepped in, sensing that Ginny was too overwhelmed to respond to Harry’s speech. “Maybe you didn’t get this last night Potter, but Ginny doesn’t love you any more, I believe she demanded that you stay away from her, and this doesn’t look like staying away to me.” Draco became extremely protective of Ginny, he had seen her at her worst, and wouldn’t let her get to that state again, she had been through so much and he knew that his Ginevra did not deserve to be hurt again.

“I believe she can speak for herself Malfoy, now if you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to Ginny alone.” Harry commanded, grabbing Ginny’s arm to lead her away to somewhere private.

“Yes Harry, I can speak for myself, but you utterly ignore every word that I say. It’s obviously clear by the way you would not listen to me last night. So let me make it undeniably clear to you Potter, I do not love you, I do not want to be with you, I do not need you, and I want you to stay the hell away from me!” Ginny’s voice had become very loud, and everyone in the Great Hall was looking to see what the big kerfluffle was about. She was sick of Harry’s perseverance, he knew that she didn’t want him, but he would not give up until he caused problems in her relationship with Draco.

Harry was speechless, the entire student body had just seen him be rejected by Ginevra Weasley, and he could not produce the words to defend himself.

Ginny left the Great Hall, proud of herself for finally standing her ground, and not letting Harry get under her skin, ‘Harry will not ruin my life, I will never let that happen again.’ Draco quickly followed after aiming a threatening glare toward Harry.

‘Oh this is not over Ginevra, you will regret certainly regret that. No one humiliates Harry Potter, not even you, if I can’t have you then neither will Draco…’ Harry began plotting a scheme in his mind to split up Draco and Ginny, he was determined to be relentless, and he would not let them be together, he didn’t care what it took.

*~*~*~*~*

Harry stayed up all night devising his ‘flawless’ strategy, there was no way that Draco and Ginny could divert his conspiracy…not if Harry went directly to a source that neither of them could ignore.

The next morning at sun break, Harry headed up to the owlery, with two parchments. He attached the rolls of parchment to the legs of two school owls; he could not send Hedwig in case the recipients of the owl recognized that it belonged to Harry. If anyone discovered that Harry had been the sender the consequences would be disastrous, no action would be taken and his entire plot would be destroyed.

Harry gave the owls a treat, and sent them away, now he just had to wait, and his goal would unfold in due time…

*~*~*~*~*

Later that morning at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley received an owl, when she unrolled the parchment and read its contents, she was shocked, to say the least.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley:

I have some news in regards to your youngest child, and only daughter, Ginevra Weasley, that may be of concern to you.

It has come to my attention that she has become involved with a very dangerous individual, and I fear that she is no longer behaving as normal. In fact, she has become romantically involved with said person.

Ginevra is no longer speaking with her older brother Ronald, nor is she communicating with his best friend Harry Potter. As a matter of fact, yesterday morning, Harry Potter declared his love for her in the Great Hall, and Ginevra caused quite a scene by rejecting him and demanding that he never speak to her again.

Now, I have made my apprehensions abundantly clear to you, I assume you are quite anxious to hear the name of the person responsible for this transformation in your daughter. This person is none other than Draco Malfoy. Thus, I also fear that Ginevra is in physical danger, as it is a well-known truth that Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy is a servant of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and is an active deatheater.

I hope that you will take this shocking information into consideration and take the necessary precautions to prevent Ginevra from being harmed any further.

Sincerely,
An alarmed and apprehensive friend

Harry had disguised the letter so well, that even Molly Weasley, a mother to him, could not recognize the author’s identity. Phase one of Harry’s plot had been successful, Mrs Weasley immediately flooed to the Ministry of Magic to discuss the situation with her husband. However, the Weasley’s were not aware that another letter had also been sent from the same ‘alarmed and apprehensive friend’ that morning.

*~*~*~*~*

Simultaneously, another letter was being opened at the Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his private chambers when an unfamiliar owl appeared at the window. Lucius walked over and took the parchment from the leg of the owl, and unrolled it. When Lucius had finished reading the letter he was furious, livid in fact, he dropped the letter and rushed out of the room.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

I have some news in regards to your only child, and heir to your fortune, Draco Malfoy, that may be of concern to you.

It has come to my attention that he has become involved with an individual who is a danger to the longstanding Malfoy reputation, and I fear that he is no longer behaving as normal. In fact, he has become romantically involved with said person, who might I add comes from a despicable family.

I believe that your son has acquired a weakness Mr. Malfoy, and I am certain that Malfoys do not look kindly upon others knowing their weaknesses. His romantic involvement with this person may be the most dangerous element of the situation, for he openly, and publicly, demonstrates his emotions, which can only prove to serve as a further weak point.

The family that this person comes from is pureblood, yes, but that is as far as their acceptable qualities go. They associate with Mudbloods, and are so poverty-stricken, that this family cannot afford proper clothing for their children. I am sure by now that you have determined whom Draco Malfoy has recently become close with.

Yes, in case there were any doubts in your mind, I shall verify your thoughts, the person who is now a weakness in your son’s life is none other than Ginevra Weasley, daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley.

Now you must see where I find my trepidation, your son has blatantly disgraced the Malfoy name, and is currently damaging your family’s high-standing reputation with every moment that he spends with the girl.

I hope that this newfound information will be of great importance to you, and you will take the necessary precautions to prevent any further interaction between Draco Malfoy and Ginevra Weasley.

Sincerely,
A concerned and confounded individual

*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Alright guys, sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than the others but there wasn’t much in the plot for me to write about without ruining the next few chapters. So basically this is just a transition to the next chapter, which I am currently working on.
dracosslytheringal

Chapter Six: Tourniquet

I tried to kill the pain
But only brought more
I lay dying
And I’m pouring crimson regret and betrayal
I’m dying praying bleeding and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved
Am I too lost?

My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

Do you remember me
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side
Or will you forget me
I’m dying praying bleeding and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved
Am I too lost?

My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied Christ
Tourniquet
My suicide

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

Draco and Ginny were lying in Draco’s large four-poster bed, wrapped in the twisted and tangled forest green sheets. The room was dark, with the exception of the glow emitting from the embers of a long forgotten fire.

"I love you Ginevra." Draco said, pulling her body close to his after making love that evening.

"I love you too Draco." Ginny said snuggling into Draco's body. 'I don't know what I would do without him; I just can't believe that I am so lucky. I don't deserve Draco, not in my wildest dreams.' Since being with Draco, Ginny had gotten over all of the pain Harry had caused
her. Her heart was beginning to heal, but she would never forget the way that she had become so depressed because she would avoid that kind of anguish at all costs.

Ginny was selfish that way, for she was not concerned as long as she was not affected. If she felt that someone could cause her to suffer more pain than she already had experienced in her life, then she would stop at no cost to avoid it.

Ginny and Draco were oblivious to Harry's scheming, and were happily enjoying each other's company. They talked little, just content in being together. They were unaware that they needed to cherish these last moments together, for they would yearn for times like these forever after.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny and Draco were headed to the Great Hall the next morning when Professor Snape stopped them in the corridor.

“Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley!” Draco and Ginny turned to see Professor Snape walking towards them, with a look of distress. “I have been asked to escort you to Professor Dumbledore’s office, please follow me.” And without so much as an indication of what this was about, the couple followed closely behind Professor Snape, giving each other looks of concern as they were confused about what was about to take place.

When they arrived at the stone gargoyle in front of Dumbledore’s office, Professor Snape muttered the password and the statue moved out of the way to reveal a spiral stone staircase. Ginny and Draco stepped onto the staircase, and Professor Snape left without saying another word.

When they reached the top of the staircase, Ginny gasped and Draco’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Dumbledore was sitting behind his large antique desk in the centre of the room, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting across from him in two large armchairs, and Lucius Malfoy stood the right of them in front of the bookshelves that covered the walls of the entire office.

As Draco and Ginny walked into the room, everyone’s eyes were on them. Draco grasped Ginny’s hand, and Ginny squeezed it in return, expressing her fear to him without saying a word. Both knew what was about to happen, and did not want to let go.

“Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, I’m pleased Professor Snape was able to find you. As you can see, your parents have come to see you, although I am unaware of what they wish to discuss with you. They assure me that a dangerous situation has arisen that they must deal with immediately.” Dumbledore needn’t explain the circumstances, Draco and Ginny were well aware of why their parents were at Hogwart’s, and were almost certain who was responsible for bringing them there.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an urgent matter that I must attend to. I shall leave you to speak privately.” Dumbledore left his office with a wink of his sparkling blue eye, while the Weasleys and Malfoys remained.

The tension was building, and no one said a word. The longer they denied it, the longer they did not have to admit that the situation was true. The silence was finally broken when Draco spoke up, “May I ask what it is that everyone is worried about?” Draco knew exactly what everyone was worried about, but continued to act ignorant.

“Don’t be stupid boy, you know exactly why we are here!” Lucius barked, causing Ginevra to jump. Draco pulled her closer to him knowing the fearfulness that Lucius incurred in everyone that crossed his path.

Mr. Weasley interjected uncertainly, “Ginevra, sweetie, I am not sure what possessed you to become involved with him,” nodding his head towards Draco, “but I am sure it was just a momentary lapse in your good judgement. However, you are no longer going to see him, and that is my final word.” Mr. Weasley was trying with all his strength not to become agitated. ‘I let her get hurt in her first year at Hogwart’s when I could have stopped it from happening if I had been paying more attention to her. I won’t make that mistake again. Ginny just doesn’t understand what danger she is in; it’s not even Draco I am worried about, it is what Lucius will do to her for being with his son. I have failed as a father once, and I will not let that happen again.’

“But Dad, you can’t say that. You don’t understand, I love Draco, you can’t just forbid me to see him. I won’t let you!” Ginny countered, tears welling up in her eyes. ‘I spent five years longing for Harry to love me, and now that I have finally found Draco, who loves me the way that I love him, my family won’t let us be together!’ Ginny was overwhelmed by all of this and could not handle what was happening. Her heart was being torn to pieces by her own parents, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“Draco, the same applies to you, you are forbidden from seeing this girl ever again,” Lucius threatened. “You know better than to cross me. You will obey me, otherwise you will regret it.”

“I am not going to let you ruin this for me, Lucius,” Draco replied bitterly. “If you were a father to me you wouldn’t care who I was with as long as I was in love and happy. You can’t control my life anymore. I have faced my demons and I won’t let you destroy my life again like I have always let you!” Draco shouted, dominant in his position. ‘This can’t be happening; Lucius has something planned to keep us from being together. He is being far too calm – I know he will do something to keep us apart, but I can’t give up yet. I love Ginevra too much to let her go so easily.’

“If you knew what was best for yourself, you wouldn’t associate with such filth! I will control your life as long as you carry the Malfoy name, and I won’t let you dishonour my family any longer.” Lucius was becoming impatient; he would not stand for this nonsense for another moment. Lucius abruptly turned and stormed away, yelling “This is not the end of this Draco. This is far from the end; I will guarantee you that you will never see that girl again.” And with that threat, Lucius descended the staircase.

Draco did not know that the end would come sooner than he was expecting. Danger was approaching quickly, and he would be the only one with the opportunity to protect Ginevra and keep her out of harm’s way.

Ginny was now in tears, and Draco pulled her against him as she cried into his chest. ‘Why are they doing this to us, to Ginevra? Can’t her parents see how much this is hurting their daughter? It’s no wonder she was so depressed when I met her, they don’t even care whether she is happy or not.’ Draco thought only of Ginny’s welfare; he was worried and scared for her. Looking into her eyes, he could see that she was falling back into her self-destructive depression, and falling quickly.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were whispering about something a few metres away, occasionally glancing over at the couple. Mrs. Weasley finally stood up and headed over to where Draco still stood comforting Ginny.

“If you’ll excuse us Draco, I need to discuss something with my daughter.” Mrs. Weasley bluntly stated. ‘I can’t stand seeing my baby so upset, I have to make her recognize why her father and I are doing this.’

Ginny looked up into Draco’s eyes, and nodded slightly, giving him permission to leave her alone. Draco walked over and stood beside the bookcase on the other side of the room, pretending to be looking over the wall of tattered books. He was actually watching them intently, as Ginny turned to face her mother, wiping the tears from her face.

“Ginny, darling, you are only sixteen years old, you don’t know what’s best for you yet,” Molly Weasley explained in her motherly tone, trying her best to convince Ginny to stop seeing Draco without causing an argument. “You’re too young to be in love. Please, stop seeing Draco, it is honestly for the best, you will be much happier without him.”

But Ginny would not give up that easily, she was too committed to give up without a fight. “Happy? You actually think that I would be happier without Draco? Well then you definitely don’t understand. If you were really the devoted mother that you claim to me, you would be able to see how happy Draco makes me. Didn’t you notice how depressed I was just a few weeks ago before I left for school?”

‘If I could only tell her that I can see in her eyes what she feels for Draco, she will hate me for this but it is the only way.’ Molly Weasley thought. Mrs. Weasley’s face went blank; pretending that she hadn’t seen Ginny’s depression, and did not saying a word.

“That’s what I thought,” Ginny was becoming angry. “I am happier than I ever thought I could be after what I’ve been through in my life. I can’t, no, I won’t give up on Draco just because you don’t like his father. In case you haven’t noticed that either, Draco is not his father!” Neither of her parents understood, but then again, how could they? She had never told them what she was going through, she never gave them the chance to help her when she desperately needed it. How could they know if she really needed their help now?

“I’m sorry Ginny, I have tried to discuss this rationally with you and treat you like an adult, but the reality is you are just a child, you can’t make these decisions for yourself!” Molly Weasley’s usually calm, and patient demeanour was wearing thin, as she raised her voice. “I won’t argue with you any more, your father and I have made our decision. You will never see Draco Malfoy again!”

“I am not a child! And you think I can’t make decisions? Well, you are wrong because I have just had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life.” Ginny fumed, tired of always being treated as though she could not do things for herself. ‘Harry influenced every one of my decisions for the past five years. Now that I finally have the ability to use my own mind, my parents are trying to decide everything for me. I won’t let them do that to me!’

“And what may I ask was the hardest decision of your life?” Arthur Weasley piped in with evident sarcasm. ‘I will never give in on this, if I have to lock her away to keep her out of danger, I will. I will do whatever it takes.’

“I had to choose whether I wanted to be with the man I love, or with my family.” Ginny stated. Draco had begun to move closer to Ginny as he began to overhear the argument she was having with her mother, and now he was standing next to her.

“I don’t believe I made that choice an option to you, Ginevra Weasley.” Mr. Weasley responded fiercely.

“You didn’t,” Ginny answered angrily, “but I have chosen Draco. If you can’t support me, and let me be happy, than I do not want to be a part of this family a moment longer.” Ginny continued firmly, forcing back the tears accumulating again in her already red and swollen eyes.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could not tell Ginny the truth about why they didn’t want her to be with Draco because she would just rebel even further, and never look at their point of view seriously. But Ginny would risk the consequences of being in love with Lucius Malfoy’s son, not realizing what he was capable of doing.

Ginny was blinded by the love she had for Draco, and knew she needed to stop for a moment and think. She turned and stormed out of Dumbledore’s office, knowing she couldn’t stay there. She was so confused, and yet so certain of what she wanted; she had to understand her own feelings before she could do anything else. To do this, she had to get away from everyone and everything around her and just be alone with her thoughts if she were to survive what was happening.

As Draco was leaving to follow Ginny, Mr. Weasley stopped him. “I hope you know what you have done Malfoy; you have torn her apart from her family,” he said venomously. “We love her and only want the best for her, and that does not include you. You think you make her happy, but look at all the pain that you are responsible for. Did you look at her face when she left? She doesn’t want to give up her family, but you have forced her to.” If he could not convince Ginny that she and Draco shouldn’t be together, then Mr. Weasley’s only other possibility was to convince Draco of it.

“No, I didn’t force her to make that decision, you did. If anyone is responsible for all her pain, it is you,” Draco disputed. “If you want to accuse someone for causing this, blame yourself. You just won’t let yourself see what she’s going through. Just because you ignore it and deny it doesn’t make it go away.” He left before either of the Weasleys could respond.

Little did Draco know that Mr. Weasley would actually take his advice. He wouldn’t ignore and deny this problem; instead, he was going to prevent Ginny from seeing Malfoy, even if he had to die trying.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny ran all the way to the Astronomy Tower without stopping. She had to get away from everyone if she did not want to be influenced by them, and wanted her decision to be entirely of her own will.

The round stone room was completely bare, free of all distractions. There were large windows surrounding the room, with a view of the entire Hogwart’s grounds. It was a beautiful day outside; the warm sunshine brightened the room, and the bright blue sky was obstructed only by the occasional cloud that drifted slowly across it.

Ginny walked over to the window to the right of her, and looked outside, staring at the landscape. She held her head in her hands, as she attempted to straighten out her thoughts and find a solution to her heart-wrenching dilemma.

‘I can’t live without Draco; he means the world to me,’ she thought. ‘After everything he has done for me, I know that he loves me and only wants me to be happy. But I am causing so many problems in his life too. His father doesn’t approve, but then again Draco is finally beginning to distance himself from the life that his father has planned for him. Draco has to make his own decisions; if he no longer wants to be with me because of this, then I will not stand in his way.’

‘On the other hand, my family means so much to me. I cannot help that they don’t understand the situation; I know they are only trying to help. They are so protective since my experience with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets, and I know that they mean well and don’t want me to be in danger again. But they don’t seem to comprehend that I have been so desperately cautious of my safety since then. If I thought I would be in danger by being with Draco, I would not have risked having a relationship with him in the first place.’

‘I don’t want to give up on either of them, but despite any choice I make, someone will be hurt, and I cannot do that to them. Oh Merlin, I can’t do this anymore! What have I done? I am so lost; it seems that every time I gain back an ounce of happiness, it is torn away from me! I don’t even know if life is worth all these sacrifices any more…’

Ginny was utterly confused, distraught, and alone. She cried herself to sleep on the cold stone floor, afraid of the decision that she had to reveal the next day.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Seven: Imaginary

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming
Monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops
As they’re falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Don’t say I’m out of touch
With this rampant chaos – your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The Goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

“Draco?” Ginny called as she walked into his private dormitory. She found him sitting in an armchair by the fireplace and ran over to him. Draco turned to her with an uncertain look on his face, not knowing what to expect.

“Draco, I am so glad that you I found you!” Ginny was almost frantic with delight. “Last night I couldn’t sleep knowing that you weren’t there beside me. I needed you to hold me and comfort me.” She paused, and her expression became serious and sincere. “Draco, I love you so much, and I can’t live without you. I missed you so much, and I won’t let you go.”

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. “Ginevra, I love you too, but what about your family? I am not going to be the reason for a rift between you and your family; I can’t force you to make a decision like that.” Draco pulled Ginny onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around her. “I want you to be happy, but if you can’t be happy with me in your life, then I understand.” Draco had done a lot of thinking himself last night.

“Draco, what are you talking about?” Ginny was positively flustered. “You know that my family thinks that it is wonderful that we are together; they realize that we are deeply in love, and want me to be happy.” Ginny sank into his arms, and sighed, “Sure, we didn’t know what they would think, but why would you think that they would disapprove? My parents would never force me to choose between you and them.” Ginny knew that her parents and Draco had argued last night, but why was he asking her such a silly question?

“I’m sorry Ginevra, I love you and I want nothing more than to be with you. I looked all over the castle last night to tell you that, but I couldn’t find you.” Apprehensively, Draco continued, “I just assumed that you went to Ron when you ran off yesterday. I thought that he wouldn’t want us to be together any more if he knew we had a row.”

“No, silly, I went to the Astronomy Tower. I just wanted to be alone and think, but,” Ginny leaned down to meet his waiting lips, “all night I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Once again, Ginny sighed with pleasure, wondering how she was so lucky to be loved by Draco.

After making love, they both promised to never worry about such silly problems ever again. Holding each other close, they realized that worrying about the future wasn’t worth the uncertainty and separation that they had experienced earlier.

Later that morning, Draco and Ginny entered the Great Hall hand in hand, and saw Ron sitting at the Gryffindor table waving them over. “I wonder why he wants to speak to us,” Ginny murmured to Draco, wondering why Ron was in such a good mood.

“Draco, Ginny, sit down,” Ron said, pointing to two empty seats opposite himself and Harry. “How’s it going?” he added, nonchalantly.

“Fine, thanks,” Ginny replied warily, “Now do you want to tell me what’s up?” ‘Why in Merlin’s name is Ron was acting so sociable with me and Draco,’ she wondered.

“Hey little sis, what’s with all the questions?” Ron asked jokingly. “I just thought that it would be nice to have breakfast with you and your boyfriend. What’s wrong? Did you guys have a row or something?” he asked with a smile.

“No, sorry Ron, it’s nothing… I just couldn’t sleep very well last night, that’s all.” Ginny replied sweetly. That answer seemed enough to satisfy Ron, and he went back to eating his breakfast. “You’re awfully quiet this morning, Harry, is there something wrong?” Ginny asked, trying to make conversation.

“Oh, sorry Ginny, I was just wondering if I could ever find someone that loves me the way that you love Draco.” Harry answered pensively.

“Trust me Harry, there is someone out there for you,” Draco responded. “But let me give you one piece of advice. Once you find her, don’t ever let her go; or else, you will never recover.” He slid arm around Ginny’s waist and pulled her close, so that he could feel her body next to his.

“Thanks Draco,” Harry said sincerely. “Don’t worry; I’ve been waiting for so long to find someone that loves me that I won’t give myself the opportunity to screw it up. You know,” he continued, “I’m really happy for you two; you’re an extremely lucky guy, Draco, to have a great girl like Ginny.”

“Thank-you Harry, that is really sweet.” Ginny told him, smiling.

“You know, it’s true Ginevra; I do have a really great girl. I don’t deserve you.” Draco whispered as Ginny kissed him on the lips and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him nearer.

*~*~*~*~*

“Ginevra? Ginevra!” Ginny could hear someone calling her name. When she woke up, she saw Draco lying on his side in front of her, looking panicked. “I have been looking for you all night Ginevra, why did you run away like that?” Draco stroked her hair, but waited for her answer.

As Ginny’s eyes adjusted to the light, she smiled remembering her wonderful dream. “I was just dreaming about you Draco, it was a brilliant dream…” Ginny explained, her mind disappearing into her dream world again. “We were together, and we were happy. Our families approved and even Harry envied our love and devotion to each other and was happy for us. We had no problems, no stress, no worries, no pain; we were just together and in love, and there were no obstacles keeping us from being together.”

“Ginny I’ve had the same dream, but this is reality!” Draco exclaimed. “Here, not everyone is happy, least of all you, and I am responsible for that.” Draco had done a lot of his own thinking the previous night, and decided that he could never be with Ginny; there were too many hurdles that they would never be able to overcome. However, unbeknownst to Ginevra, it was not Draco’s decision, but someone else’s.

“What are you talking about Draco, you have never caused me any pain! In case you don’t remember, you saved me from it!” Ginny sat up, looking confused.

“No Ginevra, I have forced a falling-out between you and your family.” Draco hung his head sadly. “I am not going to make you choose between us, I can’t make you do that. Ginevra, if you choose me, you will forever miss your family. And if you choose your family, we will both be heartbroken. Whatever you decide to do, I am going to be the cause of years of angst and regret for you. There’s nothing left to say; we cannot be together anymore.”

Ginny’s face fell when she heard those words coming from Draco. ‘This can’t be happening, this has to be a nightmare…’ “You don’t even know what my decision was Draco!” she exclaimed. “I love you and I don’t care what my family thinks. We can be happy together, and eventually everyone will have to accept our relationship.” Ginny was now pleading with Draco.

“But we don’t live in that dream world Ginevra!” Draco shouted, becoming frustrated with Ginny’s careless attitude. “We’re living a life where everyone disapproves of us being together, and are trying to keep us apart!” His heart was aching as he watched the pained expression of Ginny’s face. ‘I can’t give in and let Ginevra be hurt. If only she knew how much I love her and want to be with her. But she can never know, it has to be this way, for her own safety.’ He just wanted to hold her in his arms, whispering into her ear that everything would be all right, that it was just a big misunderstanding.

Ginny’s heart was breaking with every word that Draco spoke. “You’re wrong Draco!” Ginny cried, trying to make Draco to understand and change his mind. “I want us to be together and you want us to be together; that’s all that matters!” For the first time, Ginny hadn’t the faintest clue of what Draco was feeling when she looked into his eyes. ‘Why is Draco doing this?’ she wondered. ‘There has to be some way that we can be together, there has to be another chance for us.’

“I am sorry Ginevra, there is no other option. I just want you to be happy, and that can never happen as long as we are together.” Draco explained, trying his best to stay strong and not give into her perseverance. ‘If only I could tell her my suspicions of Lucius and how guilty I’d feel if I separated her from her family. But I can’t. I love her too much to drag her from the people she loves, just so that she can die for my sake.’

Ginny finally broke down into tears, as she couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer. Draco was also at his breaking point, and knew that he could not deny his love for her any longer if he stayed.

“Goodbye Ginevra,” Draco said coldly as he turned and left, leaving a broken-hearted Ginny, alone, and sobbing. ‘I can’t look into her eyes and watch her fall back into depression. If she knew why I was doing all of this she wouldn’t let us stay apart. So, this is the end for us.’

*~*~*~*~*

As Draco reached the corridor below the Astronomy Tower, he found Lucius waiting for him, smirking. Lucius had obviously heard everything that had occurred, and was enjoying the pain that his son was experiencing.

“Well done Draco,” Lucius said clapping slowly, mocking the despair of the situation. “I don’t believe I could have done it better myself. I am glad that you accepted my advice last night.”

“Shut up Lucius,” Draco snapped, matching his father’s tone. “I am not in the mood for you. You’ve had your way, so there is no other reason for you to be here.”

Draco had not realized how much pain he would be causing himself by trying to save Ginny. As he walked on, he thought, ‘I am so sorry Ginny, I promised you that I wouldn’t let my father keep us apart, but I failed miserably. Please forgive me, Ginevra, for I had no other alternative.’ Suddenly, he stopped, with a look of horror. He had done exactly what he had promised he would never do to Ginny; he had caused her more pain than Harry ever had. Even worse, after he had lied and denied his feelings for her, he did nothing but watch as his words ripped her soul to shreds.

“You made the right decision Draco. I’m surprised that you weren’t selfish. That is something Malfoys never do, and I am convinced you never learned it from me,” Lucius drawled, still smirking at his son. “Well, now that you are no longer burdened by that disgusting piece of trash, there is nothing preventing you from joining the Death Eaters. I shall plan your initiation as soon as possible.”

Draco whipped around to face his father. “Just because you think I obeyed you by breaking up with Ginevra does NOT mean that I will do your bidding forever. I will not follow your ridiculous Lord or join your stupid Death Eaters!” Draco shouted, losing control of his emotions.

“Don’t be so quick to make such idiotic decisions, Draco,” Lucius sneered, looking down at his son with contempt. “If you don’t join the Death Eaters, then your muggle-lover girlfriend will die!” He laughed, enjoying the pain stricken expression on Draco’s face. “Honestly Draco, have I taught you nothing? Haven’t I warned you time and time again not to cross me? Well,” Lucius shrugged as he walked away, “I can tell by the look on your face that you will take me up on my offer. Be prepared to serve the Dark Lord, my son,” Lucius said with pride as he strode down the corridor, impressed by his ability to control his only son.

Draco stood still and watched his father’s swaggering figure disappear around a bend in the corridor. He shook his head, muttering, “And that disturbed human being considers himself my father.’ Draco suddenly listened carefully, and realized that he could no longer hear Ginny’s sobs. He half-turned towards the direction of the Astronomy Tower, longing to hold Ginny in his arms and to soothe her fears away. But he stopped himself, knowing that her safety depended on his resolve to do as Lucius had commanded.

An old and very familiar wave of despair swept over Draco as he turned and walked away from the tower. For the first time in his life, he had been in love and had loved back. He had been completely understood by a beautiful redhead who wasn’t afraid of dealing with her own problems as well. He had been alive when he was in Ginny’s arms. But as Draco rounded a corner in the corridor, he squared his shoulders as a soldier does when headed towards a certain death. His life with Ginny was now just a dream, and no matter how much they both wanted that dream to be true, it could never be.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Eight: Taking Over Me

You don’t remember me
But I remember you
I lie awake and try so hard
Not to think of you
But who can decide what they dream?
And dream I do…

I believe in you
I’ll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live to breathe
You’re taking over me

Have you forgotten all I know
And all we had?

You saw me mourning my love for you
And touched my hand
I knew you loved me then

I believe in you
I’ll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live to breathe
You’re taking over me

I look in the mirror and see your face
If I look deep enough
So many things inside that are
Just like you are taking over

I believe in you
I’ll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live to breathe
You’re taking over me

I believe in you
I’ll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you to live to breathe
You’re taking over me

Taking over me
You’re taking over me
Taking over me
You’re taking over me

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny was sobbing hysterically, not willing to accept what had just transpired. Although her vision was blurry, Ginevra found her way to the wooden door that Draco had just exited through. ‘I won’t give up. Draco couldn’t have meant all those things he said. He’s just frightened, and he loves me too much to take me away from my family.’ She loved Draco, she needed him, and she was determined to make everything right for the two of them again.

Ginevra, had only slightly opened the door when she began to overhear a conversation taking place outside.

“Well done Draco,” Ginny the voice as none other than Lucius Malfoy, as he clapped slowly, mocking his congratulations. “I don’t believe I could have done it better myself. I am glad that you accepted my advice last night.”

‘What the hell is Lucius doing here? This cannot be a good sign, nothing good as ever occurred when Lucius Malfoy is involved.’ Ginny thought quickly not wanting to miss any of the situation.

“Shut up Lucius!” Draco snapped, matching his father’s tone. “I am not in the mood for you. You’ve had your way, so there is no other reason for you to be here.”

Ginevra could listen to no more, she had heard more than enough. She slammed the door shut, as she slid to the floor with her back it, her head in her hands, and the tears overwhelmed Ginny once again. ‘How could Draco let his father control him like that? He promised me that he would never let his father come between us, he promised me!’ He also promised that he would never hurt you Ginevra, and now look at you. Another voice in her head resounded.

These thoughts haunted Ginny as they repeated themselves constantly in her mind. She was rapidly spiralling downward into that familiar situation that she remembered far too clearly, she falling into despair, into depression. However this time it was a different feeling, not because the person she loved, ignored and resented her love, but because she was loved and was loved in return, and she had lost it all. A person who had pledged their love, had hurt her so terribly, and had literally shattered her heart and soul into millions of pieces. There were too many pieces for her heart to ever be repaired; she would yearn and desire Draco’s love forever, she would do anything to get Draco back, and would stop at nothing until she had succeeded.

*~*~*~*~*

It had been a week since Draco had broken up with her, and Ginevra did not eat, she barely slept and she had not spoken a word to anyone since that night. She kept everything inside, all of her thoughts, all of her pain, her fear, her anxiety, and even her love. Every time Ginny thought she had forgotten Draco, she would see something that reminded her of him and it all came rushing back to her, all of the sorrow, agony, resentment, and anger boiled up within her.

But all of these emotions truck something within Ginevra; they inspired her to develop a plan. Not a plan of revenge, but a way to get Draco back. She wanted him and she loved him, and even if he no longer reciprocated these sentiments, it did not matter, as long as she would end up happy, with Draco.

Ginny had not attended classes that week, but no one had come to check on her either, so she didn’t bother going. ‘No one cares about me, no one loves, they could care less whether I lived or died, for all they know I could be dead right now and it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. Draco was the first person to ever want me, or truly love me, I will get that back, I don’t care what I have to do.’

Little did anyone speculate, Ginevra was dead. She was dead inside, She had lost everything that was important to her, she had lost the only person that made her life worth living, and it had changed her profoundly, but not for the better. Ginny had become menacing, and conniving, she would confront Draco the next day, and convince him that they were meant to be together. ‘If it’s threats that Draco responds to, it’s a threat he’ll get. I will give him option that is no option, he doesn’t have it in him to disregard me, not after he hears the alternative.’

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny went to the Great Hall as soon as the sun rose the next morning. She sat down at the Gryffindor table facing the door, so that she could see every person that walked into the room.

Ginevra waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity, just sitting and staring at the entrance waiting for him to enter when Draco finally arrived in the Great Hall. Ginny watched as he looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw her sitting there.

Draco had rebuilt his barriers, Ginevra could no longer look into his eyes and determine what he was thinking, but she did know that he tore his eyes away from her quickly, not wanting to see her. “It’s exactly what I thought, he can’t look at me, he can’t bear to see what he has done to me. Draco never wanted to break up with me, he loves me and wants to be with me, he just terrified of what his father is capable of. I will talk to him today…’ She ran through her scheme once more in her mind as she watched the door yet again, only this time waiting for Draco to leave.

When Draco finally passed the Gryffindor table, Ginevra immediately stood up and followed him out of the Great Hall. Ginny reached the foyer outside and saw Draco a few metres down the corridor, and quietly rushed after him. She knew that Draco was unaware of her following him, and that was the way she wanted it to be. If she couldn’t be with him she could at least watch him; she needed to talk to him but she knew that he would avoid it at all costs, so Ginevra would settle with watching him for now.

Little did Ginny know, Draco could feel her presence close to his, but did not mind because it comforted him to know that she was near, as long as she did not attempt to speak to him there was no need for him to agonize over it.

They had walked for quite some time, content in pretending to be unaware of the other’s presence when they had reached the Slytherin corridor deep within the dark, dank, miserable dungeons. Ginny knew that Draco was headed for his dormitory and hid behind a large stone statue a few metres away, where she would wait for Draco to emerge and she would be able to see him once again.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginevra proceeded in this same monotonous fashion day after day, for two weeks until she finally could no longer restrain herself, she had to talk to him.

Ginny went to the Great Hall that morning and once again waited, anticipating Draco’s appearance that morning.

When Draco left the Great Hall after finishing his breakfast later that morning, and yet again Ginny followed him reminiscent of every day. Yet today was different, when they reached the foyer, Ginny called out to him, “Draco!”

He turned surprised at her sudden change of habit. “Yes?” Draco replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Please, don’t be like that, we need to talk.” Ginny stated unyielding in her mission.

“Fine.” Draco answered gruffly, knowing where this was headed but unable to refuse ignore the situation a moment longer. This was his opportunity to end it once and for all.

Ginny pushed him into an empty classroom just down the corridor, as she firmly shut the door behind her. Draco was standing perfectly straight, making him tower over her, as she approached him. “I want to know why we can’t be together.” Ginevra stated bluntly looking into his silver-grey eyes.

Draco huffed not wanting to rehash this again, “We’ve been through this before, it’s just too hard, there are too many factors keeping us apart, and it would never work for us to be together. There is nothing else, why can you not comprehend that?” Draco said harshly, staring at her.

“But that’s my point Draco, that can’t be it. You love me, you wouldn’t give up that easily, there has to be another reason, I know there is.”

“We’ve been through this too, even if I did love you that isn’t enough to keep us together. Our relationship is over and that is final, there is nothing left for us to discuss.”

“So you’re saying that you do love me?” Ginny asked surprised by what she had just heard.

“I never said that.” Draco replied assertively. “Just because you say things, it doesn’t make them true.”

‘I know he’s lying, I can see it in his eyes; when he gets frustrated he lets his guard down. I think I may have found his second downfall, his first being me.’ Ginny had closed her eyes trying to gather her composure, ‘This is going better than I had expected.’

Ginny was not getting through to Draco, so there was no other option than to give him an ultimatum. “I know you love me Draco, you cannot deny it; we have something special, if you would just admit it to yourself. You are the only reason for me to live, and if we can’t be together, then this is goodbye Draco, because there is nothing keeping me in this life.” Ginny said as she watched the shocked expression appear on Draco’s face. ‘There is no possibility that he will ever reject me now. He wants to be with me, and this will convince with him to stay with me.’

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Draco retorted, looking at her with sheer disbelief. “I never loved you, why in Merlin’s name would you ever kill yourself for me? The only thing the we ever ‘had’ was a good time, I mean we were great in bed, but there was never anything more between us.” He continued as he watched Ginevra’s face fall.

Her eyes welled up with tears as each of Draco’s words stung her. ‘How can be saying that, when he knows it isn’t true? He loved me, I’m sure of it…’

Draco was looking at the floor, for he knew if he saw her face or looked into her eyes, he could not keep us his façade a moment longer. But it was inevitable, when he heard Ginevra sob he instinctively looked into her eyes searching for the source of her distress. He didn’t need to look into her eyes to know that he was the one responsible for torturing her soul, but once he saw it for himself he could not neglect the guilt that was tearing him apart for causing her so much agony.

Without thinking, Draco walked over to Ginny. She looked down at the floor not able to look at him any more. He grasped her hand in his, which caused Ginevra to look up at him. He gave her a slight reassuring smile, as she began to lean in to kiss him.

Draco pulled away roughly knowing that once he felt her lips on his that he would surrender and tell her everything. He could not let that happen, he had sworn to himself that he would protect her, and he would save her if he could.

Draco rushed out of the room not looking at her again; he would not allow himself the opportunity to concede, he was certain that if she only knew why he was doing this it would be so much simpler.

*~*~*~*~*

Draco was not aware of it, but he had already conceded defeat, now that Ginevra knew in her heart that he still loved her, and cared for her, she would not let down. She would force her way back into his life, if only to convince him of how much he needed her there.

Fate had brought them together and life had intervened, but life is unpredictable and full of uncertainty. At this point Draco was the only uncertainty that Ginny felt was keeping them separated and she was willing to hold onto that uncertainty until it was guaranteed that fate was back on course.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Nine: Hello

Playground school bell rings again
Rain clouds come to play again
Has no one told you she’s not breathing?
Hello I’m your mind giving you
Someone to talk to
Hello

If I smile and don’t believe
Soon I know I’ll wake from this dream

Don’t try to fix me I’m not broken
Hello I’m the lie living for you so you can hide
Don’t cry

Suddenly I know I’m not sleeping
Hello I’m still here
And that’s all that’s left of yesterday

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

Draco left Ginevra crying in the empty classroom, alone and miserable. He pleaded with himself in an attempt to guarantee that he was doing the right thing, ‘If I love her as much as I know I do, then it has to be this way.’ He was torturing himself with guilt, he was responsible for causing the only woman he had ever loved more pain than she could ever experience; he had broken her heart, she had opened herself up for rejection a second time, and he had embraced the opportunity to drive the stake further into her already broken heart.

His eyes begged to see her beautiful smile, his lips yearned for her passionate kiss, his heart longed to hear her utter “I love you,” his body craved the feel of her bare skin next to his, but most of all, his soul ached to be near her, to feel the connection that bound them to one another.

Draco could not sleep; he fought with himself for hours, trying to validate the reasons for lying to Ginny. ‘How could I have told her that I never loved her? She could not have believed that I was only with her for sex…she just can’t. Even if this is all over at some point, we can never be together; she will never trust me again, I’ve hurt her too much, I’ve lied too many times.’

“Why did I lie to her to protect her? We could have just gone to Dumbledore and got his help. Why did I have to try and be the hero?” Draco yelled aloud in frustration.

‘Because you saved her once and you thought that you could save her again.’ A voice in his head answered.

“I promised I would never let her get hurt again, and I destroyed her.”

‘She would have experienced a far more severe fate had you not broken things off.’

“Death would have been far less painful than what she is going through right now.”

‘Death would have taken her from you forever, at least this way you still have a chance to be together one day.’

“Oh Merlin, what have I done? I’ve dumped the only girl I love, I broke Ginevra’s heart, I lied, I let Lucius control me, and worst of all I have surrendered by fate to the hands of Lord Voldemort!” Draco could no longer handle the consequences. He had tried to please far too many people and had failed miserably.

Moreover, his latest attempt to convince himself that he was doing what was best for Ginevra had been futile. He had tried to be the noble, good-hearted person that did the right thing, but had only appeared to everyone else as a jerk, as the idiot who found someone who loved him and threw it away as if it were the most insignificant thing in the world.

Draco lay on his bed staring at the blank ceiling, massaging his temples, contemplating his options. “If I tell Ginevra the truth, I know that she will put herself in danger, and Merlin knows that Lucius will follow through on his threat.” Draco said aloud trying to make sense of things. “But if I don’t join the Deatheaters, Lucius will kill me for certain. This is the only way that won’t result in one of us being murdered.” Draco finally decided, as Lucius entered his room interrupting him.

“Good decision boy, I knew that you had a good head on your shoulders, once it was on straight,” Lucius said sarcastically as Draco sent him a deadly glare, willing him to explode and be removed form his life forever.

Draco had been dreading this moment, he knew why Lucius was there, there was no other reason, it was time. It was time for Draco to surrender everything good in his life and adopt of life of evil and corruption, it was time for him to be branded with the dark mark forever more and swear his allegiance to the man, no not even a man, a thing, the most malicious and evil wizard that the magical world had ever witnessed. He was giving up everything he had ever believed in and promised himself, and all to protect his one true love, Ginevra Weasley.

“You know why I am here, now get up off your ass and put something respectable on, you are being initiated by Master in an hour,” Lucius ordered, pronouncing ‘Master’ as if it were the name of a god so high that it was an honour just to speak of him.

*~*~*~*~*

“Come boy!” Lucius commanded Draco as if he were a dog, when they arrived in front of a tall, black door made of mahogany. The stone walls and floor were a cold, uninviting black, and on the walls hung portraits of every Deatheater past and present, a collection of the most evil witches and wizards ever known to the magical world.

Draco did not know their location, however, he was certain that it must be Voldemort’s headquarters. The air was stiff and cold; the ambiance frightened Draco and made him shiver with terror. As Lucius rapped on the door in front of them, the sound echoed for several moments in the long, empty corridors, and with each echo that returned Draco realized how near the moment was coming when he would be initiated.

After an eternity of waiting, the door opened to reveal a room full of people dressed in thick black cloaks, hoods covering their heads, and black masks covering their faces, preventing Draco from identifying anyone else in the room. They were situated in a half circle, with their backs facing the door. When they heard Draco and Lucius enter they separated revealing a path that lead to a stone platform at the front of the room, where Voldemort himself sat in a tall, black, wooden chair.

The room was dark with the exception of a few large candles spread throughout, giving the room a fear-provoking glow. Little could be distinguished, but Draco discovered that this was all part of their plan, in preparation for an attack against them; the purpose to allow them to scatter before being caught.

“Come Malfoy…” Voldemort hissed at Draco and Lucius as he stared Draco up and down, examining the man who would soon become his newest supporter.

Draco hesitated for moment before realizing that it was too late for him to back out now. He slowly edged forward after Lucius, taking careful steps being cautious so as to avoid making any mistake that would have him tortured by Lucius later on. As they approached the platform that raised Voldemort above everyone else in the room, Lucius knelt to the ground and bowed to his master. Draco immediately followed, as they simultaneously rose with Voldemort.

“It is time young Malfoy,” Voldemort stated, knowing he need not explain the suffering that was to follow.

*~*~*~*~*

Draco returned to Hogwart’s late that night, broken, terrified, and in agony. Never had he experienced such torture in all his life, even the merciless beatings and Cruciatus curses from his father for all those years could never have prepared him for the physical pain he had just endured.

‘What have I done? Why didn’t I just go to Dumbledore? This was never what I wanted to happen!’ Draco screamed in his mind. He sat in an armchair in the Slytherin common room reflecting on the past day, holding his head in his hands, openly weeping for the first time in his life.

Draco had destroyed his life, and had nothing left to lose. He knew that he had killed Ginevra with his words earlier that day, and knew that he must tell her the truth if he wanted to turn his life around. ‘I can’t live this lie anymore, it has destroyed my life and Ginevra’s, I have to stop this before it can go any further.’ Draco thought.

Draco had hit rock bottom that night, and he could fall no further into despair. He had found Ginny in that same state many weeks ago, and had saved her, and now he would give her the chance to do the same for him, if she would ever forgive him.

*~*~*~*~*

Draco had stayed up all night running possible scenarios through his head. He wanted to come clean with Ginny immediately and begin to rebuild his life with her, but he knew this would be the most difficult ordeal he would ever be subjected to, but he was willing to go through it all to get her back.

He stood outside the doors of the Great Hall waiting for Ginevra to come down for breakfast that morning, going through precisely what he wanted to say repeatedly in his mind. But when he saw the beautiful redhead coming towards him, it was all forgotten.

‘Oh Merlin, there she is. Please someone help me, I can’t do this…’ Draco thought anxiously. You don’t need help Draco; she loves you, that’s all the help you need. The ever-present voice within him reassured.

Ginny reached the doors where Draco was standing and walked right past him, ignoring his presence. Draco reached out to her, “Ginevra…I’m…I’m sorry!” Draco blurted out sincerely.

Ginny turned to look at him with tears welling up in her swollen eyes. Draco knew that she had been crying again, and felt a lump in his throat as he recognized his responsibility for it. “Please Ginevra, I need you. I need to tell you everything,” Draco said looking into her eyes.

Ginny simply nodded as Draco led her to the empty classroom where they had spoken the previous day.

When Draco had closed the door he slowly moved toward Ginny who had stepped away from him, and pulled her close to him, embracing her tightly. Ginevra cried into his chest as Draco kissed the top of her head. “I’m so sorry Ginevra, I never meant for any of this to happen, I did not mean any of the things I said to you yesterday. Please let me explain. I really do love you, and I need you. I have screwed everything up horribly and I know that you don’t want to hear it, but I have to be honest with you,” Draco exclaimed quickly before Ginny could interrupt.

Ginny pulled away from him slightly to look him in the eyes; she could see he was finally being honest with her and waited for him to continue.

“I don’t know where to start,” Draco said overwhelmed by the situation. “Well I guess the beginning of all this is the best place. The night when you ran to the Astronomy Tower I searched everywhere for you, and I couldn’t find you. When I went back to my room, Lucius was waiting for me, and he threatened to kill you if I kept seeing you. So the next day when I found you in the Astronomy Tower I broke up with you because I was trying to protect you.” Draco began his story, and then paused for a moment as he waited for Ginevra to say something.

Ginny did not say a word, but continued to watch Draco, wanting to hear the rest of his story before deciding whether she believed him, or even if she did believe him, if she would forgive him.

After several moments of silence, Draco decided it best to continue. “Then when I left the Astronomy Tower, Lucius was waiting for me again and had been listening to everything that had happened between us. He threatened to kill me if I didn’t join the Deatheaters, so I promised that I would. Then yesterday when you asked me if I loved you, I lied to you because I knew that if I told you the truth that you would be in danger, and I couldn’t let that happen. I really am extremely sorry Ginevra, I didn’t want to lie to you but at the time I didn’t think there was any other way. I love you more than anything in the world, and I would do anything just to be with you again.” Draco said apologetically.

“That’s all fine Draco, but you hurt me yesterday. Not just when you lied and said that you didn’t love me, but Draco, it hurt me even more to hear you tell me that we were nothing but great sex,” Ginny said painfully.

“Oh Ginevra!” Draco sighed. “I…I…” he stuttered, lost for words. “You know that I did not mean that, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, I would be lost completely without you in my life.”

Ginny gave him a slight smirk at how romantic he made it all sound, before he continued, ruining whatever moment he had created. “Well not that we didn’t have good sex, we definitely had great sex, but that wasn’t all we had.”

Draco stopped when he saw the glare that Ginny was giving him, and thought it best to continue. “Well last night, I was thinking about how I had lost everything, you most of all, and how I had hurt you so badly that you would never forgive me, and Lucius showed up. He told me that it was time for my initiation to the Deatheaters. And since I felt like there was nothing to keep me from doing it, I went with him. So we went to Voldemort’s headquarters, and I was given the Dark Mark.” Draco explained while lifting the sleeve of his robe to show Ginevra physical proof that he was telling the truth.

“Oh Draco, what have you done?” Ginny asked with concern, brushing her fingers over the Dark Mark.

“I don’t know; that’s why I needed to talk to you!” Draco said, feeling the tears building up again. “When I got back last night that’s all I could think about, how I have destroyed my life, and…I…Ginevra all I can say is that I’m truly sorry, and I know that doesn’t seem like an adequate apology for all the pain I have caused you, but that’s the best I can do. I love you, and I don’t know where else to go for help. Please forgive me, I need you, I need you to save me from all of this.” Draco replied holding Ginny’s hands in his, desperate for her to understand why he had done all those things.

Ginny looked straight into Draco’s eyes and saw the pain, and remorse he held deep within him, and knew that he was being truthful, and discovered that he needed her help more than she had ever needed his. He had put himself in an extremely dangerous and horribly destructive situation by joining the Deatheaters. Draco had been able to help Ginny get over all of her problems by simply being with her, and holding her close, but she knew the solution to Draco’s troubles was not that simple. More than one life was at stake and she was confused and overwhelmed, all she knew for certain was that she loved Draco, and she could fix one thing in his life: she could show him that love, and tell him that everything was going to be all right.

After quickly thinking the situation over in her mead, Ginny placed her arms around Draco’s neck and pulled him down to her as she kissed him like there would be no tomorrow. Little did they know, for one of them there might not be a tomorrow.

Ginevra pulled away slightly to catch her breath as she muttered with all her strength, “I love you Draco, don’t ever do that to me again!”

Draco simply responded by grabbing her body and pressing his body against hers as he kissed her passionately.

Suddenly the door slammed open, causing the couple to jump apart. A very livid person entered the room, shouting in rage.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Ten: My Last Breath

Hold on to me love
You know I can’t stay long
All I wanted to say was I love you and I’m not afraid
Can you hear me?
Can you feel me in your arms?

Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light
It ends here tonight

I’ll miss the winter
A world of fragile things
Look for me in the white forest
Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)

I know you hear me
I can taste it in your tears

Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light
It ends here tonight

Closing your eyes to disappear
You pray your dreams will leave you here
But still you wake and know the truth
No one’s there

Say goodnight
Don’t be afraid
Calling me calling me as you fade to black

Say goodnight
Holding my last breath
Don’t be afraid
Safe inside myself
Calling me calling me as you fade to black
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light
It ends here tonight

Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light
It ends here tonight
Holding my last breath

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

The door slammed open, and a very irate Lucius Malfoy came barging through it. “What the hell do you think you are doing with her?” he bellowed, his fury evident in his severe tone. ‘That stupid boy thinks that he can fool me; I should have known that he would never do anything because I asked it of him. He will regret what he’s done and will pay for being disobedient,’ Lucius thought while creating new ideas for torturing Draco.

“What do you care Lucius?” Draco retorted. “You’ve had your way; I’ve joined that insane cult of yours, and it doesn’t matter now whether I am with Ginevra or not.” He squeezed Ginny’s hand to let her know she was safe with him.

“It will matter as long as you are a Malfoy; you know that we do not associate ourselves with families that disgrace the pureblood lines like the Weasleys have. Now leave this piece of trash here and come with me,” Lucius ordered.

“No! I will not let you control me. I let you keep us apart before because I thought that there was no other way,” Draco said with confidence. “But I am not that naïve anymore; I love her, and will love her forever, despite your opinion of her family. We are meant to be together and nothing else matters.” He moved to stand in front of Ginny, knowing what means Lucius would soon resort to.

“You fool! I am your father and I refuse to allow you to speak to me that way; you will treat me with respect or you will face the consequences! I thought you had smartened up when you joined the Deatheaters, but apparently you need reminding of your upbringing.” Lucius smirked as he drew out his wand.

Draco tried to cover Ginny’s tiny frame and protect her from the curse he knew Lucius was planning. ‘Oh Merlin…Ginevra, please forgive me for putting you in danger like this. Someone please save her; as long as she is safe that is all that matters…’ Draco’s thoughts trailed off.

“It’s a shame you had to challenge me Draco, but I will not stand for it. In fact, I never intend to let it happen again.” Lucius threatened with venom in his voice. His eyes turned dark as his absolute revulsion disguised his fury. The magnitude of Lucius’ cruelty could meet no match; he was about to kill his only son for falling in love, and had no conscience to regret his actions. “Avada Kedavra!” Lucius shouted as he pointed his wand at Draco.
As the green beam of light headed toward Draco, Ginevra grabbed his hand and he whispered, “I love you,” one last time. When the curse hit his chest, he fell to the floor. His body writhed in agony, but he soon lost consciousness and stopped moving. Ginny fell to the ground and knelt at Draco’s side, sobbing hysterically.

“You are lucky my son loved you so much, or I might have killed you as well,” Lucius said grimly to Ginny. “But he disrespected me and disobeyed my orders; now he has paid for it. With one of you dead, I have no doubt in my mind that you are eternally torn from each other.” He gave her a last smirk, and left the classroom with his head held high. Lucius seemed as though he had just accomplished a goal instead of killing his son.

Ginevra watched Lucius leave with a look of despair on her face. Then, she turned to Draco’s now still body. “Draco!” Ginny sighed, “How could he do this to you? You can’t die; I can’t lose you now.”

Suddenly, Ginny heard Draco’s reply in her head. I am never going to leave you Ginevra. She heard his voice so clearly that she looked a little startled. Her tears continued to fall softly onto his pale face as she thought of Draco’s approaching fate. She was going to lose him unless she could find a way to counter the curse. Shhh, Ginevra I love you, I won’t leave you yet. Ginny could almost imagine his arms surrounding her, comforting and warm. I’m glad you are safe, but go find Dumbledore and tell him everything. I will stay until you say goodbye.

“I can’t leave you Draco, I’m afraid of…” a lump rose in her throat and she whispered, “Losing you.” She continued to cry as she held Draco’s hand in hers.

The only chance you have to save me is to find Dumbledore. Please, go now; I won’t have a chance to live if you don’t speak to him.

Hesitantly, Ginevra left Draco lying there, and ran to find Dumbledore.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny somehow managed to explain the situation to Dumbledore, and they both rushed Draco to Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing. Ginevra never left Draco’s side as Madame Pomfrey examined him. Her mind was completely blank, and all she could do was will him to live. After her ministrations, Madame Pomfrey slowly walked over to speak to Professor Dumbledore. They conversed in low tones, but Ginny did not try to eavesdrop; she was only concerned with Draco. Eventually, they both walked over to where Ginevra was sitting.

“I am sorry Miss Weasley,” Madame Pomfrey began regretfully, “but I am afraid that the chances of Mr. Malfoy surviving this are very slim. You’ve done everything you could, but it is a miracle that he was not killed instantly. All we can do now is pray for another miracle, because if the pain does not subside, he won’t have the strength to regain consciousness.”

“But, I don’t understand,” Ginny stammered. “He was hit with the Avada Kedavra curse – why didn’t he die?”

Dumbledore sighed, and said, “Well, that particular curse is only effective if the one who casts it really wants to commit murder. It seems that in Mr. Malfoy’s case,” he nodded toward Draco’s figure on the bed, “his father did not want to kill him wholeheartedly. Thus, the curse was lethal but it did not kill him.”

Ginny nodded mutely as comprehension dawned on her. Madame Pomfrey seemed ready to say something, when Dumbledore touched Pomfrey’s arm and said, “You are welcome to stay here by his side as long as you wish, Miss Weasley. However, I suggest that you get some rest. Poppy,” he said, turning to Pomfrey, “will you prepare a bed for Miss Weasley so that she may spend the night?” Madame Pomfrey nodded, and turned to another bed to check on another patient. Dumbledore let his hand rest on Ginny’s shoulder shortly, for momentary comfort, and then turned to leave.

Ginny’s eyes welled up with tears again as her face fell. She turned her gaze back to Draco’s pained face. He seemed to be battling with something within himself. “Oh, Draco!” Ginny whispered in despair.

Don’t cry love, I’m here, he replied. I won’t let this pain take me from you. I wish that I could be there to hold you, but I cannot do that. Draco’s thoughts echoed in Ginevra’s head, comforting her slightly. Her tears began to slow, as her sobs calmed. Suddenly, he said, This pain is getting worse. The light is trying to take me from you, but I will hold on for as long as it takes. Ginny tightened her grip on his hand, searching his face for some indication of what was happening.

I know you can hear me Ginevra. His voice inside her head was slowly becoming fainter. Please, just know that I love you and I am only thinking of you. I will fight this; I won’t let myself be taken from you. Suddenly Draco’s thoughts dwindled to silence, and she could feel its absence in her soul. Her eyes widened in worry and confusion. ‘How was he pulled away from me?’ she wondered.

When Madame Pomfrey had finished her rounds, she found Ginny dozing while sitting by Draco, her head on top of his hand. After gently waking her, Pomfrey led Ginny to the bed next to Draco’s, and tucked her in. Ginny murmured a little, but was soon fast asleep. With a soft smile, Madame Pomfrey extinguished the candles, and retired for the night.

*~*~*~*~*

Draco looked about him in confusion. He was surrounded with trees, and there was no pathway to lead him away from it. The wintry sun was coming from his left, and caused the snow and icicles on the trees to glisten like diamonds. More snow crunched under his feet as he stumbled about in confusion. He finally decided to head in the direction that the light seemed to be coming from, and moved forward cautiously. The tree branches rustled softly as he passed them, but nothing else shifted.

‘Where is Ginevra?’ he thought with panic, as he started to move hurriedly past the trees. ‘Why were we cut off like that? What-’
Draco’s thoughts stopped when he realized that he had reached a small clearing. The weak sunlight reached the floor of the forest, when it reflected off of the snow piled there. He had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the light reflected from it. Up ahead, he found a monstrous tree that seemed to rival the Whomping Willow in size. In the middle of its trunk was a hole that seemed to make a small cave.

Draco crunched through the snow, and scrambled into the hole. Surprisingly, this cave-like area was dry and relatively clean. Draco wrapped his arms around him and shivered slightly; he was still wearing hospital pyjamas. As he gazed outside of the hollow trunk, he noticed that thick, white flakes were falling from the sky. He leaned his head back with a sigh, and wondered where Ginny was. Instead of worrying more about her, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke, Draco sat up with a start. The snow was still falling, and it had settled into a tall pile on the ground. There was no sign of Ginny or anyone else, and he sighed disappointedly. But then he sat back, content in the warmth and safety of his hollow tree. ‘I would try to find Ginevra, but if I leave this tree, the snow will reach my calves,’ he thought, trying to justify his actions. ‘Besides, if I let her be, she won’t have to choose between me and her family anymore. And what if Lucius finds out that I’m not dead? He’s still going to demand that I leave Ginevra, so there’s no use in trying to continue a relationship.’ He huddled closer to the tree for warmth. ‘There’s also my dark mark that I have to worry about,’ he thought as he rolled up his left sleeve to see the mark on his arm. ‘I’d never hear the end of it if anyone saw it.’

Draco looked out of his tree again, and whispered, “I love you and I’m going to miss you a lot, Ginevra. But it’s better this way. There’s no one around, so no one will be bothered by me.”

But no matter how hard he tried, Draco’s heart would never leave Ginevra. A bond greater than life itself connected them, and it would take more than a curse to shatter it.

*~*~*~*~*

A/N:
I really need to thank my beta Jawy for her great ideas in this chapter and for writing Draco's dream for me - it was amazing. Please rewiew and tell me what you think...
dracosslytheringal

Chapter Eleven: Whisper

Catch me as I fall
Say you’re here and it’s all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one’s here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me into madness
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away
If I will it all away

Don’t turn away
Don’t give into the pain
Don’t try to hide
Though they’re screaming your name
Don’t close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don’t turn out the lights
Never sleep and never die

I’m frightened by what I see
But somehow I know that there’s much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be blinded by tears
I can stop the pain if I will it all away
If I will it all away

Don’t turn away
Don’t give into the pain
Don’t try to hide
Though they’re screaming your name
Don’t close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don’t turn out the lights
Never sleep and never die

Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I’ve fallen for I rise to meet the end

Don’t turn away
Don’t give into the pain
Don’t try to hide
Though they’re screaming your name
Don’t close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don’t turn out the lights
Never sleep and never die

Don’t turn away
Don’t try to hide
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t turn out the lights

Don’t turn away
Don’t try to hide
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t turn out the lights

-Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

As hard as Ginevra tried to keep herself awake for Draco’s sake, she could no longer resist her exhausted body’s demands, and fell into a deep slumber.

Ginny found herself stranded in a dark, snow-covered forest. Trees surrounded her, and their trunks were so close together that they prevented her from seeing with any stray light. There was nothing familiar about the place that might indicate where she was located. She tried to look around herself in disbelief, but felt as though she was blind. So, she stood there for a few minutes, confused, alone, and shivering without a cloak.

To keep her blood pumping throughout her body, Ginevra slowly began to walk about the forest as best as she could. The snow on the ground was knee-high and she had no idea of the direction she was headed in, but she followed her feet. Desperate to find answers, Ginny constantly went in search of some sort of light.

The ominous hoot of an owl startled Ginevra, and she tried to place the location of that sound as she headed towards it. The forest around her grew lighter, and she was finally able to see the trees clearly as she passed by them. Gradually, the clusters of trees thinned out until she found herself in a large clearing. In the middle was an enormous, ancient tree. Unconsciously, she began to move toward it; something was drawing her to that tree, and her curiosity encouraged her to discover what it was about this mysterious tree that had captured her interest.

A pile of fresh, white snow covered the bottom of the tree, but as she gained distance, Ginny could see a nearly covered part of an enormous hole in the trunk of the tree. As she slowly walked closer, she could see the meagre sunlight glint on something golden that looked suspiciously like hair. Ginevra broke into a run as she realized that there was a person within that tree. ‘Maybe they can help me get out of here. Oh no! What if they are in trouble? Or, what if I am putting myself in danger?’ By the time Ginny began to debate these possibilities, she could not turn back. She had reached the small space visible in the tree, as she bent down to look closer.

Draco still sat with his knees pulled close to his chest for warmth, contemplating whether it was best to give up and let himself die, or whether it was worthwhile to fight for his life. In fact, he had been debating over this for so long that the snow had practically covered the opening of cave-like hole in the tree. Yet, he still hadn’t made a decision. ‘If I don’t let go now, I will have to keep fighting for the rest of my life. First, I will have to use all of my strength to fight for my survival, so I can live again. Even if I can do that, I will be left only to fight with the Weasleys for Ginevra. Then, I have to fight to leave the Deatheaters, which would force me to fight to win the war against Voldemort. My life will be a constant battle and I don’t think that I can do it. The simplest solution is just to give up, and it seems to be the best one for everyone involved. Even if I do wake up, will Ginevra still be waiting for me?’ Draco’s thoughts plummeted him into depression, and his self-pitying was interrupted when he heard a sound close to the tree.

“Hello?!” Ginevra yelled.

Draco sat up a little, in a panic. ‘Oh Merlin, It’s Ginevra! What am I going to do? I haven’t even decided if I want to live or not yet, and now I have to try and explain everything to her!’ Draco was becoming extremely apprehensive; although he knew in his heart that he loved Ginevra and wanted to be with her forever, his head was swirling with reasons to the contrary.

Ginny suddenly realized who was hiding within the tree. “Draco? What are you doing here? Where are we? More importantly, how did I get here?” Ginevra bombarded Draco with questions, anxious for answers.

“I don’t know!” Draco yelled aggressively in response, his voice muffled as it came through the layer of snow between them. His fear was rising to the surface now that overwhelming confusion and anxiety destroyed his controlled façade. “I’m really sorry Ginevra. I didn’t mean to snap at you, I was just surprised that you were here. I am having a really difficult time figuring all of this out myself.” Draco apologized.

“It’s okay Draco, I understand. I am just so happy that I found you; when you suddenly stopped communicating with me I was frightened that I would never see or hear you again. I thought I’d lost you forever…” Ginny explained while trying to force back her tears, and control her emotions for Draco’s sake. If the only thing she could do to help save Draco was to be strong and supportive, then she would do that, even if it killed her in the process.

Ginevra was frustrated at not being able to see Draco, so she began to dig away the snow between them. Her bare hands began to ache with pain after only removing a very small amount of the barrier that was trapping Draco inside the hollow tree. “Draco, I don’t know how you got in there, but don’t worry, I am going to get you out,” Ginny insisted with concern. She continued digging, and was finally able to catch his eye.

Draco quickly pulled his eyes away from Ginevra’s, thinking ‘I can’t do this; I can’t let her believe that I want to be saved when the only thing I really want is to be left here and to leave this world without having to regret it.’ Draco feared that if Ginny thought there was the possibility that he could live, she would be relentless in trying to save him until she could hold him in her arms again.

“Ginevra, wait!” Draco nearly yelled. “This is all a dream, this is where I ended up when I was pulled from reality. I don’t think there is any way for you to save me now,” Draco said reluctantly, knowing that it would not be that simple to convince Ginevra to leave.

“No Draco.” Ginny retorted stubbornly, unwilling to believe what she was being told. She continued to dig at the snow as best as she could. “This isn’t the end of it. I will help you get out of there, and then you will be able to come back to reality with me.”

“You know Ginny, they always say that your dreams reflect what is really happening in reality. I’m stuck in this tree, which is probably an indication of how I will be stuck in this world forever. It isn’t worth the effort when my death is inescapable.”

By this time Ginny had stopped digging at the snow bank separating her and Draco. “No Draco, you are not stuck; you are hiding. You’re hiding from all of your problems, attempting to save yourself from all of the pain and heartbreak. Draco, you are just being held back by all of your insecurities, trapped by all of your fears. If you stop hiding and face all of that, then there will be nothing keeping you from coming back to reality.” Ginevra did not know how she knew all of that information, but she knew that everything she had said was true. Perhaps Ginny was able to tell Draco all of that because it was his dream and he needed to hear it; moreover, he needed to hear it from the one person in reality that had never given up on him and had never stopped loving him, despite every mistake that he made.

‘She’s right you know,’ Draco fought with himself. ‘If you go back to reality with her, you’ll have already overcome the largest obstacle. You’ve fallen this far; if you go back you will have taken a step toward redemption, towards recovering every significant thing that you have lost.’ Draco was still perplexed; one part of him was begging him to give up everything and take the easy way out, while the other was urging him to go back to reality and make everything right again. ‘If only Ginevra knew what she was asking me to do…’

“Draco, you don’t have to come back to me if that is what you really want. I just want you to know that I have never stopped loving you, and I never will. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I will never forget what you’ve done for me. If you really want to let go and die, then I will support you. It’s your decision.” Ginevra tried to show Draco that if he didn’t want to live and be with her, then she did not want to force him into it.

Draco turned and looked her in the eyes, and quickly looked away again. ‘Look at her face; I can tell she is holding in her emotions and staying strong for me. I can’t stand to see her like that; it would be easier just to see her cry.’ However, another voice deep within him argued back, ‘You can see that she loves you by how hard it is for her to think about your death. Imagine if it actually happened; it would cause her more devastation than she could ever live through.’

Draco slowly let go of his knees and straightened his legs. Simultaneously, he began to let go of his fears, and he hesitantly looked into Ginevra’s eyes.

“Maybe I will see you again Draco. Just remember that I love you,” Ginny said sadly as she straightened again and walked back to the trees. She did not look back as Draco watched her walk away until she was soon no longer visible.

As he watched the love of his life walk away from him, Draco was finally struck with the fact that she was walking out of his life. As the pain in his heart slowly began to increase, Draco realised that there was only one way to put a stop to it. He quickly began digging out of his hole, finally conquering all of his fears that were keeping him and Ginevra apart.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny woke up disoriented, and dazed. She quickly remembered that she was in the hospital wing with Draco when she saw that plain white sheets covered her. Then she remembered what had just transpired in her dream, or rather Draco’s. Ginny hesitantly looked over at Draco’s bed, still unsure of the decision that Draco had made.

“Hi love,” she heard as her eyes met Draco’s shining silver-grey ones.

Ginny quickly jumped out of her bed as she rushed over and gave Draco an enormous hug. “Oh Draco, I didn’t think that I was ever going to see you again!” Ginny said as tears of happiness streamed down her face.

“I know and I am truly sorry,” Draco said as he pulled away from her to look into her eyes. “You see, it wasn’t until I thought I might have lost you forever that I realised the mistake I was making. I love you, and I never want to be without you again.” Draco said sincerely as he sat up. Ginny had a large smile, and her brown eyes shone; Draco leaned in to her for a kiss.

“Ahem!” Draco and Ginny quickly pulled apart as they noticed Professor Dumbledore standing before them.

“I am glad to see that you are awake and well, Mr. Malfoy,” Dumbledore exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye. “I have some news that the two of you need to hear,” Dumbledore began.

Draco and Ginny’s faces went blank as they anticipated how this news might keep them apart. “Lucius Malfoy was captured by Aurors last night, and is now incarcerated in Azkaban for attempted murder,” Dumbledore revealed. He looked at Draco directly, and explained, “Miss Weasley explained your situation to me, and I believe that neither of you are in any further danger at this time. When you are feeling better, Mr. Malfoy, I would like to discuss how you could help with the fight against Voldemort. That is, if you wish to do so?” Dumbledore asked.

“Of course sir.” Draco responded confidently.

“Very good. I must be going.” Dumbledore turned to head towards the door. When he reached it, he paused and turned back to Draco and Ginny. “After hearing your story, I believe that your relationship will survive anything. The two of you have experienced many horrible things in your lives, and I am certain that you have only been good influences for each other, despite everyone else’s concerns. I sincerely wish you both the best; if you ever need anything, I am here to help.” With that, Dumbledore winked and left the infirmary.

*~*~*~*~*

After good rest for two days, Draco was finally released from the infirmary. The morning he was released, he and Ginny walked hand-in-hand towards Dumbledore’s office. When they opened the door, they found Arthur and Molly Weasley in armchairs in front of Dumbledore’s desk. Both of their jaws seemed to drop in shock.

“Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, I am pleased that you got my message.” Dumbledore stated as Draco and Ginny stopped gaping and finally walked into the room.

“Oh Ginny, sweetie, I am so happy to see that you are all right,” Molly gushed as she rose from her seat and walked towards Ginny. “When we heard what had happened from Professor Dumbledore, I was so frightened that you might have been injured.”

Ginny took a step backwards as she saw her mother moving towards her. “Yes, I’m fine mother; I believe that we’ll be leaving now,” Ginevra replied harshly, and made a move to leave.

“Ginevra Weasley! Do not speak to your mother like that!” Arthur Weasley shouted. After calming himself a bit, he continued, “I know that you are angry with us for forbidding you to see Draco, but we were only trying to protect you.”

“Protect me from what? Draco? He is not dangerous, he loves me and would never hurt me,” Ginevra replied defensively.

“It was not Draco we were worried about, honey; it was Lucius, and rightfully so. Look what almost happened to you and Draco, because of Lucius’ anger. Please,” he said, raising a placating hand, “We did not come here to fight with you. We just wanted to tell you that we are sorry for not explaining our reasoning behind our decision. And, you should know that we will not keep you from Draco if you wish to be with him. With Lucius in Azkaban we no longer need to worry about your safety, so you may do whatever makes you happy.”

“You really approve?” Ginevra asked suspiciously.

“Yes,” Molly responded smiling.

“Thank you!” Ginevra said relieved, as she ran over to give her parents a hug.

*~*~*~*~*

Ginny and Draco left Dumbledore’s office and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they reached the Great Hall, both still smiling widely, they found Ron and Hermione waiting for them.

“Hey Gin. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Ron asked looking at the floor, ashamed.

“Sure,” Ginny replied pleasantly; she had promised her parents to try and work things out with Ron. Secretly, as much as she hated Ron for always taking Harry’s side, she loved him and missed him.

Hermione elbowed Ron in the side, forcing him look up at Ginny. “I am sorry for not listening to you, Gin. I know I can’t make your decisions for you. I still think that you should be with Harry, but if that’s not what you want then I won’t try and force you together.”

“I’m sorry too, Ron, I overreacted. You were just trying to protect me, and I took it the wrong way. I don’t want us to fight anymore; it is tearing our family apart.” Ginny responded.

Ron smiled with relief, and grabbed Ginevra in a big hug. “Ron! Put me down!” Ginny squealed, as her feet were no longer touching the floor.

“Fine!” Ron whined, putting Ginny down with a mock huff.

Draco put his arm around Ginevra’s waist as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Look mate,” Ron said, turning towards Draco, “As long as my little sister is happy, I’m happy for the two of you. But if you ever hurt her, there will be hell to pay,” he threatened, while squaring his shoulders to make sure that Draco saw how Ron towered over him by several inches.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Draco smirked, putting his hand out. Ron grasped his hand firmly, as they shook hands, calling a truce for Ginevra’s sake.

*~*~*~*~*

Harry had watched the entire scene with Ron and Ginny unfold while hiding in the shadows. His plan to keep Draco and Ginny had been brilliantly successful, but in the end it wasn’t brilliant enough to keep them apart.

He had read in Hermione’s copy of the Daily Prophet how Lucius had tried to kill Draco to keep them apart. As he innocently ate his breakfast, he came up with another scheme to destroy their relationship once and for all.

After he was finished, Harry excused himself, telling Ron and Hermione he had forgotten his Potion’s book, and headed up to the owlery. Harry tied the scroll that he had written at breakfast to the brown school owl’s leg. He gave it a treat and told it to send the letter to “Lucius Malfoy, Azkaban Prison.”

When the owl left, Harry smirked evilly, and rushed to his Potions class. As he went down the stairs towards the dungeons, he reread the letter in his head.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

I have some news that I thought might be relevant to you. I am currently watching your son, Draco Malfoy, enjoy his breakfast with Ginevra Weasley. They have been smiling, kissing, and holding hands all morning, ecstatic to be together.

It has been rumoured that Headmaster Dumbledore and even the Weasleys approve of their relationship. I felt that it was my duty to report this to you, as I know that Malfoys do not like to fail. However, the scene that I am witnessing right now indicates that you have done so.

I hope that you will take the necessary steps to ensure that your wishes are respected and adhered to by your only son, Draco.

Sincerely,

A confused and distressed observer

*~*~*~*~*

A/N:
Okay that was it, the last chapter – review and tell me what you thought if this chapter and the story in general!
I've started the sequel to Fallen, and it is called Something Real, it is a work in progress, but I am hoping to get it posted here soon. It basically just resolves the evil cliffie I left here and starts a few years in the future.
Other than that I really need to thank my beta Jawy for helping me so much with this story. She had so many great ideas and definitely helped me to improve my writing so I am very thankful. REVIEW!!

dracosslytheringal

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09/15/04:
The sequel is currently on hiatus as I cannot devote enough time to writing as I'd like to. So, if you would like to read the prologue and chapter 1 to 'Something Real', please do so at fanfiction.net where it is currently posted under my author's name dracosslytheringal (remember the 2 s'!) and read there. I will try to post it here as well but it takes so long to post when I have to enter everything manually... Thanks so much and if you've reviewed please look under 'Reviews' as I have responded to each one individually there.

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dracosslytheringal