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
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
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