Everything from that moment happened so fast, that it always amazed Ron how he could manage to remember it all. The red wave that was sweeping towards them, that threw everyone off their feet and into the air. The painful landing, and the pounding of adrenaline throughout his body as he jumped up, ignoring the protests of his aching muscles. Helping Hermione to her feet, grabbing her hand and running, pulling her behind him, as he raced into the clearing, searching for his little sister. He had to find Ginny, but he couldn't leave Hermione behind while he looked for her.

The squeeze of Hermione's hand on his as they approached a body lying in the snow, the sound of her breathe hitching in her throat as they looked at one another, then to the still body lying in front of them. The sounds of footsteps and voices all around them as their group tried to figure out where everyone was and what exactly had happened.

The feel of the snow on his knees as he crouched down, still holding Hermione's hand. The lifeless feel of the arm as he turned it over, wanting to face the truth and see if it really was his baby sister, lying dead in the snow.

A gasp of relief and an incredible flood of emotion as he observed the cool complexion, and the pale blonde hair that proved that this was anyone other than his sister. Hermione's sob of relief, and the feel of her face pressing against his shoulder, and the softness of her hair as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair s he gasped in relief.

The sound of Harry's voice, calling from the distance that they had found Ginny, that she was alive. The feel of the cool wind and snow swirling around them as they held on to each other and tried to deal with all the emotions that were sweeping through them.

It amazed Ron how much of that he could remember - and how it was all something that he could never forget.

* * * *

He couldn't sense her - he couldn't tell where she was. All he could feel was swirling amounts of energy, crackling in the air all around him, distorting his vision and his sense of direction. As he blindly ran through the forest, he was stumbling, waving his hands wildly to avoid tree branches, completely unaware of where he was going. He could hear footsteps behind him and voices yelling out in the distance, everyone disoriented and confused, desperately trying to figure out what had happened.

Something was pulling him in - drawing him towards it. He couldn't stop.

"Malfoy, where are you going? We have to try to find Neville, catch him if we can!" Potter called out. Draco stopped in his tracks, and turned to look at his former nemesis.

"Potter, you bloody well go and do whatever it is that's important to you. Catch your bad guy, save the world as always, if that's what matters to you. The enemy will always be there, but she might not be," Draco yelled, before turning and continuing his search for whatever it was that was pulling him.

It was almost like a magnetic force. A big powerful ball of energy suddenly grown too large, and collapsing in on itself will turn into a giant vacuum, pulling the largest sources of energy and matter towards it - a black hole. With a sinking feeling, as he could feel the remnants of energy around him, he knew with sickening clarity that Ginny was the black hole drawing him in.

Suddenly, without it even registering with him, he was in the clearing. She was in front of him, lying stretched out in the snow. She was as pale as he'd ever seen her, wrapped in the black cloak she'd been wearing all night. Her fiery hair spread out in the snow, the only sign of warmth and life in the area. He ran forward, crouching in the snow, pulling her body into his arms, cradling her head.

He grasped her hand, desperate to feel the crackle of electricity that existed between them whenever their hands met. He felt nothing but cold, clammy skin. He looked at Potter, his gray eyes full of fear.

"Oh no, Ginny," Potter said mournfully, stepping forward.

"Wake up, Virginia," Draco said softly, trailing a finger down her face. Her eyelashes fluttered momentarily, then lay still. "Ginny, wake up! Come on, you stubborn little Weasley, open your eyes!"

"Malfoy, just leave her!" Potter cried aggressively, his feelings of protectiveness towards Ginny sparked by Malfoy's tone of voice. The arrogance and condescension that had always marked his tone of voice when speaking to them when they were children was suddenly back.

"You little Ministry witch, don't forget our little agreement," Draco muttered into her ear, pulling her cold body closer to his. "I asked you to help me protect what is mine, that's what got us into this whole mess. You agreed to that, Virginia. You said you'd help me do that!"

"Malfoy, just leave her alone! It's over now!" Potter was yelling.

"Just because YOU are what's mine doesn't mean that the agreement's changed. I wouldn't let Longbottom take you away from me, I won't let this -- because you belong to me. You belong with me," Draco said, as his shaking finger ran along her cheekbone. He held his palm out against hers again, concentrating on his power, hoping it would spark a response from her.

All of his energy and concentration focused on her hands, on channeling his energy into her, hoping to bring something of her back. There was a distant sound of snow crunching behind him, but he ignored it, unable to tear himself away from the girl lying in the snow.

He felt a warm blast of steamy breath against his neck, startling him away from his focus. Shaken, he looked up, and was nearly blinded by the silvery, shimmering light standing before him. Realizing what was happening, he solemnly nodded, and eased Ginny back down onto the ground, and moved away, hoping that this was for the best.

The unicorn was standing over her, as if studying the human in front of her. Draco recognized, with a tug at his heart, that this was the eldest female unicorn in the herd. The eldest male was lying a few feet away in the snow, the first and only victim of Longbottom's attempt at a slaughter. The lessons that Draco had learned while growing up, about the unicorns, had taught him that they choose only one mate for their entire life, and remain so devoted to their chosen one, that life without the other is barely worth living.

She turned back to look at him, and the look in her eyes reflected such sadness and pain that Draco gasped. She dipped her head, gently muzzling Ginny's neck. Shaking out her silvery man with a delicate snort, she softly touched the tip of her silvery horn to Ginny's hand.

A wave of light filled the area, blinding Draco as he fell backwards from the force of it. In the back of his mind, he could hear Potter's cry of "Bloody hell, not again!" as he thought it was yet another blast of power. But the feeling from this one was completely different. There was power behind it - obvious by the force throwing him to the ground. He opened his eyes, and nearly yelped with the intense pain throbbing in his head from brilliant white light all around them. But there was warmth and ease, nothing destructive about it. They were bathed in the light, and there was a revitalizing energy in it. He could feel his skin tingling from it, and though blinded, he knew deep down that when his was over, he'd open his eyes and see Ginny standing before him.

He could feel the harsh light recede, and when he cautiously opened his eyes, he discovered that he'd been right. Ginny was standing in front of him, a look of confusion and utter exhaustion on her face. He picked himself up off the ground, noticing distantly that it was no longer covered in snow, but had returned to the lush green grass that had always existed within the bounds f the sanctuary. He could hear Potter calling out in the background, that she was alright, but at that moment, he only cared about one thing.

He walked towards her, and reached out and grabbed her hand. A slight tingle swept over the skin of his palm when their hands made contact, and he felt a crashing wave of relief sweep through his body. Her brown eyes looked up at him; they were clouded by sadness and a sense of helplessness. Looking down on the small woman, Draco thought that he'd never seen her look so defeated and like a lost little child before.

"Neville?" she asked, her voice low and hoarse.

"Gone. We don't know where, but he's not here anymore." She nodded solemnly, and looked around her, her shimmering eyes taking in the sight of the revitalized clearing.

"The unicorns?"

"Safe and protected. Nothing is going to come near them again," he said, pulling her close to him, so he could wrap his arms around her and hold her, feeling the rhythm of her breathing.

"Was it worth is?" she murmured, as she wearily rested her hand against his chest, relying on his support to remain standing.

"You are," he murmured back, as he tightened his hold on her, not quite sure if he'd ever be ready to let her go. Far too many close calls that night.

"Is everyone safe?" she asked, barely audible as she buried her face against his chest.

"As far as I know," he answered gently.

"Ginny! Are you all right? What the hell were you thinking, running in there like that! Just wait until I tell Mum about all this!" Ron cried as he arrived, with Hermione in tow, on the scene.

"Ron, give her a few moments, you idiot, before you start with your ranting and raving. She's all right, that's what matters most right now," Hermione scolded.

"Where's Neville? Did he get away? How did he get away?" Ron questioned Harry, rapidly.

"We're not sure where he is -- there was no sign of him when we got here."

"Is everyone accounted for?" Harry asked them. There was a pause, and a stricken look passed between his two oldest friends.

"We lost one person, Harry," Ron said, looking away. Draco's head snapped up, and he could feel Ginny's body stiffen at those words. Harry looked shaken, obviously not expecting that to be the answer.

"Where's Gabrielle?" he demanded, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"She's coming, with Darien," Hermione said, turning to the path they'd come down. A horror-filled silence fell over the group, as they watched Darien walk towards them, with Gabrielle trailing along behind him. He was carrying a lifeless body in his arms.

"Danika," Draco breathed, is disbelief. Ginny pulled away from him, and turned to look at the lifeless body dangling in Darien's arms. Darien's cold gray eyes met hers and she flinched.

"She's dead. Killed by the power burst," he said, his tone terse and clipped. A collective gasp seemed to sweep over the group.

"Oh Ginny, what have you done?" Harry asked, turning to her. Looking at everyone who was staring at her, her eyes wide and panicked, no one seemed to notice how shaky she was or how white her face was. As Darien came closer, the tall Malfoy who had been an adversary to her since she'd met him, carrying the body of a young woman who'd she'd probably killed with her power, no one seemed to care that she was struggling to say on her feet.

"Ginny, you couldn't have known...this had nothing to do with you. No one holds you responsible for this," Hermione said softly. Despite Hermione's words, as Ginny's knees gave out, only Draco lunged forward to catch her before she hit the ground.