NB: This is my first Draco and Ginny fic. I've always been a Draco fan, right from the first book because he's a complex, contradicting character with a bad boy attitude, what's not to like? Also I find his drawling sarcasm and witty, cruel sense of humour sexy. Yes I'm very weird but I also come from a fandom where we romanticise an alien prince who's responsible for planetary destruction and mass genocide; all in the name of love and because he has the sexiest arse ever. Death Eater Draco, yeah sure! Annnnnnyway, I have been a staunch canon shipper so I never felt like I could do Draco justice. Then I wrote Draco in a Harry/Ginny fic … Ooops!

Draco and Ginny just sorta did their own thing from there on out and I stumbled upon real, natural chemistry. So I read some gorgeous D/G fics and I finally learned about the entire Fire and Ice/Romeo and Juliet concept. I loved it and 'Dragon Heartstrings' was born.

However this fic is for mature readers only as it contains bad language and sexual content. If you're looking for unicorn and rainbows – hit back right this instant. My stories are really heavy on emotion and while this is primarily a romance there will be huge doses of drama, angst, action and suspense in between. Ye been warned! Fear not, my author's notes are only this long in the beginning as I like to give fair warning and will appear at the end of chapters from here on out.

Remember, while thoughts and constructive criticism is appreciated, flames are not! If you do not like what you're reading please be respectful enough and ignore MY story; I can't please everyone. Great, happy reading all!

WARNINGS: Bad language and character death!

For my best Friend Ritz who's such an incredible sounding board for all my weird plot ideas and for encouraging me to take on a Draco/Ginny story. Hopefully she'll read my work as she used to before!

Dragon Heartstrings

Prologue

May 1998

GINNY Weasley did not think the last time she saw the boy she loved, would be the last time he was alive. That she would witness Harry Potter – ironically the boy who lived – die …

Ginny was held by fistfuls of her long red hair, her back arching as Bellatrix Lestrange placed a cold dagger against her throat. She was afraid to swallow or breathe lest the sharp knife cut into her skin.

The room was stretched taut with an eerie silence that made the other occupants present finger the necks of their robes uncomfortably. Voldemort, the darkest wizard of her time was pacing the small room in frustration, the soft rustle of his moving robes striking fear in every heart there on that night. Ginny herself was certain her own heart would explode from being caught in the midst of such a dangerous situation.

Then he came. Walked in with his bloody, soiled clothes yet managing to still look extremely unruffled in a room with his mortal enemy and a handful of Death Eaters. His visible bravery reigniting some of Ginny's dying courage as she struggled against Bellatrix's hold.

"Harry." Ginny cried out. His green, green eyes only flickered to her for a second, angry and flashing before turning to glare fiercely at the Dark Lord. If Harry's menacing stare had been directed at her Ginny was sure she would have squirmed.

"I'm here now, let her go." Harry spoke directly to Voldemort not a hint of fear in his hard voice.

Voldemort's cold laugh was high and shrill and it grated on every one of Ginny's last nerves. Then she heard Bellatrix cackle behind her and the inner circle of Voldemort's Death Eaters joined in falsely with their master. Ginny struggled against Bellatrix again, the smell of blood and sweat combined with the deep gash on her forehead making her light headed. Bellatrix placed the dagger more firmly against her neck and Ginny's futile wriggling ceased. She noticed Harry's shoulders tense at her position and love for him burst forward from her heavy heart.

"Ah Harry, how lovely of you to join me here tonight." Voldemort said in a fallaciously polite voice. As if he had not captured Ginny during the Battle of Hogwarts to lure Harry there.

"I was coming to you either way Tom, there was no need to drag Ginny into this as well." Uncomfortable shifting was heard at how Harry addressed Lord Voldemort and the wizard himself became furious. His red eyes flashed dangerously and his lizard like skin became more pallid. Voldemort chose to ignore Harry's slight though.

"Yes, I am sure you would have. However, I've heard that Miss Weasley is so close to you Harry, is that true?" When Harry did not answer Voldemort gave a humourless smile. A cruel tug of his thin lips. Then he raised his wand and Harry was writhing on the ground in pain. No sound escaped Harry's mouth though as Voldemort's wand held the Cruciatus curse mercilessly on him.

"Stop it!" Ginny screamed as more tears over Harry's situation flowed from her big, brown eyes.

Voldemort stopped only to levitate Harry off the floor and onto the stone dais that had been raised purposefully there. She watched helplessly as Voldemort walked over to Harry who was now bound to the stone bed by rusty looking manacles.

"She has something of mine, Harry and I want it back of course." Voldemort whispered into Harry's ear. "Since simply killing you has become such a tedious affair Harry, I thought why not make you suffer first. You deserve that much after all the lucky escapes you have made. So I thought why not take yours too. Really it would do you no good when you're dead." The Dark Lord stood up again and caressed Harry's now pale face with the tip of his wand.

Then Voldemort pressed his wand into Harry's cheek forcefully. Harry began to jerk maniacally as if he were being electrocuted. When Voldemort finally pulled back the offending wand with a flourish Harry opened his pained eyes and glared at Voldemort. Ginny could only imagine the gruelling pain Harry must have been feeling then, not only from Voldemort's torture but his scar too and yet the dark haired wizard refused to vocalise his pain. Not even a squeak escaped his clenched jaw.

"Do not fret Harry, it does not matter whether you are dead or alive for this ancient ritual to work. Therefore you will die tonight, Harry Potter. All in due time, boy."

The moment Bellatrix dropped the dagger from Ginny's neck she made to lunge at Voldemort, however she was hit by a full body curse from Lucius Malfoy while Kaos Nott walked over towards Harry. Ginny felt hopelessness well inside of her while her every limb remained paralysed.

Rodolphus Lestrange scraped at her blood with a small blade after Bellatrix threw her to the wooden floorboards of the Shrieking Shack. Ginny wondered where the others were. Surely Harry had not come here by himself. Ron and Hermione couldn't be far away. The Order, her parents, their friends – they would save them.

Ginny's mind raced with panic as the minutes trickled by. She was then picked up and placed next to Harry. She could only stare at the ceiling subsequently as dark robed figures moved around her. No doubt they were drawing ancient runes around Harry and her. Spells were muttered and a dark red light started to glow around Ginny. Even with her entire body numbed, her chest seemed to expand with an inexplicable force. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move and something was pressing down on her powerfully, suffocating her. Then there was a flash of blinding white light and suddenly Ginny could move again.

She heard shouted spells and screams of pain while debris rained down around her. Before she could move a body loomed over her as a shield charm flowed around them, stray spells and falling wood bouncing of their protection harmlessly. Ginny looked up into a familiar pair of emerald green eyes. She reached out a hand to touch his face in relief, her heart soaring in her chest as he bent down and kissed her quickly.

That was the last moment Ginny had been truly happy.

The Shrieking Shack was a fury of burning flames when Harry pulled her off the dais and stood protectively before her. She wished she had a wand to duel with at Harry's side instead of having to hide behind him.

"Avada Kedavra."

Green light spurted forward from Voldemort's wand. It happened so quickly Ginny could only stare at it in horror. Instead of moving away from the deadly curse though Harry stuck out both his hands and shielded Ginny, taking the curse full on. Right through his chest.

"No!" Ginny screamed. She dropped down with the weight of Harry falling on her. That was the last thing Ginny's mind accurately registered that night. Not even Voldemort dropping down limply in the burning smoke, as she screamed for Harry infiltrated her shocked brain. Every other movement or shout was a blur from a torrent of tears that never seemed to end. Disbelief clouded her mind and she felt more light headed than before. Harry was not dead. His was simply stunned or cursed, but he was not dead.

She did not feel the strong hands pulling her around her waist as the ceiling of the Shrieking Shack caved in. Whoever had been tugging at her had only just managed to pull her away before flaming, wooden beams fell from the ceiling. When Ginny opened her eyes again she could not see Harry anywhere. Crawling on her knees she moved back the burning embers, uncaring of the melting flesh of her palms as she tired to move through the rubble. She had to find Harry. She was dragged kicking and screaming out of the haze of thick black smoke and raging fire as the shack burned to ashes around them.

Up in the sky an ugly skeletal face made of the blackest smoke ever seen rose into the air. The lipless mouth opened and a blood curdling scream filled the night air as chaos raged all around her, worse than the flames in the air. A thunderous roar cracked through the night air as the Shrieking Shack exploded in a mighty blast of fire. Its aftermath was like a heatwave that sent everyone who had managed to escape the Shack sprawling backwards. That was the last thing Ginny remembered before her world went black.

"She'sthe catalyst, isn't she?" Ron Weasley asked in the hopes that someone would deny his words, tell him otherwise, call him daft as they normally did when he was wrong.

No one answered him this time though. The other eight people in the room continued to stare at the pale, lifeless looking girl on the bed. Her skin ghastly and her hair once so vibrant now lay lank and flat around her. They had just won a war yet there was no feeling of victory amongst any of them. Grief for their lost loved ones weighed heavily on all their shoulders. However it was the position of their surviving family members that ripped at the shreds of their torn hearts. It settled on their chests, constricting the air in their lungs until they couldn't breathe properly any longer.

"She was the only one who ever came into such close proximity with them both. She shared her heart and soul with them." Kingsley Shakelbolt's usually booming voice was grim. "She is a powerful witch on her own merit as well, it is no wonder he wanted to use her. She had a lot to offer him, more so to hurt Har – " The dark skinned wizard broke off abruptly and everyone else shifted uncomfortably in the room. No one could bare the thought of Harry Potter being dead.

Molly Weasley sobbed. Harry and Fred, two of her beloved sons gone forever while her daughter lay on the brink of death. This was not the life she had imagined, dreamed of for her only daughter. The first female to be born after seven generations.

None of the Weasley men could bear to look at the frail, unconscious girl lying helplessly before them for they should have taken better care of her. Not even seventeen as yet and already broken. They had failed her and guilt was a difficult emotion to swallow, its bitter taste vile and choking. Especially when they were powerless to do anything but watch her suffer. Every small pain that she felt was like a dagger through their hearts.

"What do we do now?" It was the one question no one wanted to ask but hung in the air around them like a foul stench. Hermione Granger was too wise to stay stuck in the past. If they were ever going to move forward, this was the place to start. Eight heads turned to look at Kingsley expectantly.

"We tell her as much of the truth as she can handle now, until she is ready to hear it all. Then we let her decide for herself. She'll be seventeen in a couple of months."

"This is Ginny we're talking about. Can you imagine how she's going to react?" George Weasley spoke for the first time that day. It would most likely have been him in the situation his baby sister found herself in, had Ginny not fell first. Had George felt like he had the right to actually slip in and out of fitful comas after his loss then it would have been him. Only the worry that marred his family's faces now held him together.

"Then it'll be her choice but she'd be better off away from it all."

They hated to agree but what choice did they have really? No one could come up with a better solution and so they all settled down heavily that night. Watching. Waiting for her to awake. Then their new lives would start. And they knew then, nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter One

Seven Years Later …

GINNY Weasley stared at the injured man on the bed in shock. Even covered in bandages she recognised him immediately. Although his pointy face had now filled out into all sharp angles and planes making him look handsome, aristocratic even, instead of skinny and pointy. Her bright brown eyes darted across his body and she could see that he was no longer scrawny either. Toned muscles visible on his bare chest, long legs now lean and strong.

Ginny noticed the dark mark was also visible on his arm and she shuddered. She may not have liked the boy she knew in her past but that had been years ago. He had served his punishment fairly and did not deserve to be continuously questioned for his past transgressions. If anyone saw the mark here he would be escorted immediately to Des'Carcera. It would take months for the English Ministry to clear his name and the French prison was not somewhere anyone wanted to vacation in. The French still had Dementors swarming their fortress. Dark, dreary beings worse than the ones back home had been. And Ginny could remember their rattling, foul breaths clearly. No, no one deserved that kind of inhumanity.

So she walked over to Draco Malfoy and took out her wand. Gripping her wand tightly Ginny reached with her free hand for Malfoy's left arm, feeling faintly uncomfortable while holding his strong forearm. Before she could cast a quick glamour charm however Malfoy's right hand shot out to grip her hand. His long fingers painfully strong around her slender wrist. Ginny gasped as his stormy grey eyes opened to rest on her face. Sharp and cold, there was no emotion brewing there, no warmth at all and Ginny squirmed beneath his penetrating stare. She tried to pull her hand away from his hold but even with his injuries his grasp was strong.

He swallowed with a small moan and Ginny could only imagine how thirsty he must be after all the potions he had been given. His eyes narrowed at her wand with a small, humourless smirk playing on his mouth and Ginny did not understand why he was giving her that cold, hard half smile of his. Then one neatly shaped, pale eyebrow arched effortlessly at her. Did he have to look so condescending? She had her wand out on him. Prat.

"I was trying to cover your lovely mark here, Malfoy." Ginny hissed sharply as she looked at his dark mark pointedly before staring defiantly into his eyes again.

She watched as he frowned at her and she realised that she had used his name. His intelligent eyes looked over her face before moving to her hair. His eyes sparked with recognition then. "A Weasley, just my luck." He fell back on his covers and let go of her hand.

Ginny massaged her wrist as she glared at him. He let out a dark chuckle that came out dry before turning into wracking coughs. Ginny's Healer instincts immediately kicked in and she reached for the goblet of water from his nightstand. She went towards him and placed the goblet to his mouth before using her other hand to raise the back of his head so he could drink better. The hair that escaped around his bandages was soft and fine to touch, like silky baby's hair but thick nonetheless. He eyed her suspiciously over the rim of his goblet but drank the water she offered. He gulped gratefully and Ginny felt empathy for him at how helpless he looked then. When Ginny moved the goblet away she noticed some water had dribbled down his strong chin. She mechanically wiped at the water with her thumb, her other fingers lying gently below his chin, something she had done with her nieces and nephews countless times before. His eyes narrowed at her and Ginny drew back her hand brusquely. She rubbed her fingers together behind her back as she looked at him uncomfortably.

He sighed wearily, choosing to ignore her inappropriate behaviour and closed his eyes again, a deep breath pushing out his broad chest. "Thank you." His voice was deeper now, stronger and more in control but Ginny could only stare at him in fascination. Had a Malfoy just thanked her?

At her silence one grey eye peeked open as he watched her surprised face and she could see amusement flare in his eye before he opened the other. Ginny could only nod feebly. "You're welcome." She said softly. That was when his eyes roved over her entire figure, from the roots of her fiery red hair – scraped back in a no-nonsense bun – to the tips of her scuffed pumps peeking beneath her Healer robes. She expected to see loathing in his eyes, the mocking kind he reserved only for her family, yet his look was simply assessing. There was nothing but curiosity in his grey gaze.

"'You're a Healer now?" He asked rhetorically and Ginny noticed something light up in his grey eyes before he blinked and it disappeared. Were there blue sparks in his eyes? Surely not, they were such a cold, steel grey.

"Yes. I've come to monitor your progress. I simply wanted to hide the dark mark." Ginny told him.

She saw his left hand twitch somewhat before he moved it to rest against his stomach so the mark was no longer noticeable to her. "There is no need. I need to get out of here."

Ginny stared at him in confusion as he pushed himself up from the bed. He had several broken ribs that were still mending, a fractured ankle that had not stopped swelling as yet and numerous ugly cuts and bruises still healing themselves. Not to mention a concussion that he was fortunate to have awoken from, clearly without any memory damages either. He was in no position to just up and leave.

After the three years Draco Malfoy had spent in Azkaban he had left England. No one had seen hide or tail of him after that. Years on end and there was no sign of the shamed, young Malfoy again. There were whispers and wonderings about his whereabouts but no one had ever seen the juvenile Death Eater again. She did not know what to make of his presence so far away from home though she felt oddly pleased to see a familiar face again. Even if it was a Malfoy, she missed her family dearly and it had been months since she had seen them all together.

"Are you insane? You are in no condition to leave here." Ginny immediately went towards him but he had already managed to push his legs off the bed.

"How long have I been here? Shouldn't I have been healed by now?" Draco frowned at her.

"Only a couple of hours. You were found by some wizards on Rue Sombre. What happened to you?"

"I can't remember." He shrugged as he turned around to look for his robes. Ginny could easily tell that he was lying. Even though he remained very calm and nonchalant, his voice steady and even, the fact that he had not looked at her gave him away. She had grown up with six brothers after all – she could tell.

Before she could call him out on it though there was a loud booming noise from outside Draco's room. Draco's metal bed slid with a light screech to the side and Ginny was thrown against it in the wake of the blast. The entire building of La Magiguérir shook violently as if there was an earthquake rocking the foundations around them. Voices could be heard screaming and shouting in rapid French outside the wizarding hospital.

"Where's my wand?" Draco asked her sharply as he looked around desperately and Ginny shrugged at him. No wand had been registered as his when he had been brought in to the wizard's hospital of La Magiguérir. "Fuck." Draco cursed and Ginny frowned at him as a woman screamed horrendously outside their room. "We have to get out of here now." Draco told her.

Ginny had been in a lot of dangerous situations before. She had fought in a war when she was sixteen years old and had lived to tell the tale. Fear was not something she entertained. However the fact that La Magiguérir was being attacked and she was barred in a room with Draco Malfoy of all people had Ginny feeling very nervous.

She did not know what he was capable of after some of the cruel things he had done in school. He may not have always done them intentionally or had a choice in some instances but he was still Draco Malfoy and she was bloody scared of him. "Weasley, now is not the time to panic. Trust me."

His voice was softer and compelling but Ginny felt hysterical laughter bubble in her throat. Trust him? His father had planted an evil diary in her cauldron, one that had caused the Dark Lord to possess her in her first year at Hogwarts. This was the boy who had picked on her brother Ron and his best friend Harry incessantly for years on end. Draco had brought Death Eaters into Hogwarts during her fifth year where her brother Bill had been scarred by a werewolf. That was while he tried to kill Albus Dumbledore of course. How the hell was she supposed to just trust him while the hospital she worked in was under attack?

Before she could contemplate this thought further though there was a loud bang outside the room they were temporarily caged in. The door to the room burst open and violent purple light flew at her. Ginny lifted her wand in panic trying to cast a hasty shield charm. She had not completely flicked her wand in the correct swish to complete the spell when a metal cot flew in front of her, taking the spell head on in her stead as it barrelled towards the attacking wizard at their door. She was pushed aside by strong arms and Ginny's side hit the floor hard. "Move."

Draco ordered and Ginny could do nothing but comply in that moment as adrenaline surged through her body and propelled her forward. After all, he had just saved her life. Fortunately they could make their way through to an adjoining room from a hole in the wall. His breathing was ragged however and she knew he could not stay conscious from more pain for much longer. Fear had Ginny scrambling on her knees; ignoring the glass that pressed violently into her hands as Draco hovered over her, crawling near her while he tried to shield her from stray spells and falling debris. His familiar position dredging up haunting memories for Ginny, causing a lump to form in her throat. She swallowed deeply and pushed aside the invading thoughts as she concentrated on her current position. She felt curiosity at his protective actions as she was the one with the wand in her hand. Screams and cries could be heard from all around them.

Fortunately for the two the ward they had managed to escape through was cramped with people fleeing in every direction. Ginny and Draco stayed close to the walls as they moved along the corridor, trying to avoid running into escaping people and wayward spells at the same time. It was far from easy and extremely dangerous yet somehow Draco and Ginny made their way through to the back of the hospital. They saw an opening to a hallway through the destruction and Draco dragged her along with him by her wrist. Ginny jogged to keep up with him; somewhere in the back of her medical mind she thought he was putting too much pressure on his injured ankle.

"Is there another way out of here?" Draco asked as they ducked again to avoid some falling stone from the ceiling above them.

"Stupefy." Ginny cried as a masked being appeared around the corner. She was now in full on survival mode. She noticed that the wizards attacking the hospital were everywhere. Thankfully the French Aurors were on sight and trying to control their movements.

"Well done." Ginny was pressed between a hard wall and Draco's lean body. She could only nod weakly as he whispered his praise directly in her ear. His breath was warm on her skin as a minty smell wafted around her.

"This way." Ginny told him as she led him forward then and he followed as fast as he could since he was limping now. Ginny sensing he was too proud to ask for help slipped her right arm around his tapered waist before taking his left arm and looping it over her shoulders. He looked at her in surprise before it turned into annoyance but Ginny ignored him. They moved faster then and were soon approaching an emergency exit that would lead them straight outside the chaotic building.

"Is there somewhere safe we can go to?" He hissed as the cold air outside bit into his bare chest.

Ginny bit her bottom lip contemplatively. She did not know when Draco Malfoy and her had become "we" but she couldn't just leave him on his own now. Out on the cold streets as he apparently had nowhere else to go to. And he was badly injured. He had also saved her life and had not abandoned her tonight. She owed him a place to recover at least. For one night only. Besides, she could take care of herself.

'How the hell did I get myself into this situation?'

Seeing her hesitation Draco smirked. Only it was cold and humourless and the motion sent an involuntary shiver of panic down her spine. "Don't worry Weasley, I just need a safe place to recover and I'll be out of your hair by morning." He told her wearily then.

Ginny could only nod, feeling uncomfortable and slightly peeved that he had read her personal thoughts so easily. Ginny thought of her safe place and disapparted while Draco Malfoy leaned heavily on her.