I'm With You

Summary: Ginny hasn't been herself lately. She's withdrawn into herself and nobody seems to notice. In a fit of depression, she runs to a bridge, hoping that someone will notice she's gone. Who notices, isn't someone she expects. Song-Fic Draco/Ginny.

Rating: PG-13 as usual people

Disclaimer: I neither own Harry Potter or Avril Lavigne's song, I'm With You

Ginny Weasley ran.

Out the front door, away from the Burrow, into the pouring rain that drenched the front yard. Tears stained her face, only to be washed away by the ruthless raindrops that soaked through her clothes and clung to her skin. Sobbing, she ran faster away from the Burrow, through the neighboring woods, towards the Elsbeth River that was nearly a half mile away, still she ran towards it, full sprint, not feeling the cramps beginning in her side. All she could think of was what had just happened.

Ginny had been about to go to bed. It was Easter Break, so the rains were pouring and she was home with Harry, Ron and Hermione for a small break from Hogwarts. She was walking up the stairs and heard voices talking in the living room. It was Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. She leaned towards the railing, wincing as the rail brushed her wrist, sore from what she had done earlier that week. "Ron." Hermione giggled and she heard Fred, George and Harry all collectively groan at the public display of affection on their part.

"So, Harry. Who've you asked to the Graduation Ball?" She heard Fred ask Harry playfully. "Any young hopefuls to snag the famous Harry Potter?" She heard the sound of high fives being exchanged between the twins.

"No." Harry said. "I don't think I'm even going to go to the Graduation Ball."

"Why not, Harry?" Ron asked earnestly. "It'll be loads of fun..."

"Why don't you take Ginny, Harry?" Hermione asked. Ginny's breath caught in her throat. Would this be it? Could it be...

"Ginny?" Harry's voice sounded so unsure. "Well...I don't know...she's just..." He stammered. She heard a dead silence as she held her breath. "I really don't feel that way towards her." He said finally.

Ginny had heard enough then. She had run out the back door, through the kitchen, slamming the door behind her, and behind her she had heard Hermione let out a little yelp. Nothing, nothing, nothing. That's what she was to Harry. The words repeated in her head like a pounding headache that refused to go away. Breaking through the trees, she saw the rain continued to the river, making it cloudy and unpredictable. She kept running until she reached the edge of the bridge. Someone will notice I'm gone. She reasoned to herself. Bill, Charlie, George...one of them will notice I'm gone. Even in her mind, she didn't even think of Harry. She didn't want him there anymore. She wanted to forget "the Boy-Who-Lived" ever existed. That's how I am to him, anyways. She reasoned, even so, tears fell down her face faster. Her nose was running, but she didn't care. She took her first steps on the bridge, shaking and holding her breath, hoping that someone would come after her.

I'm standing on the bridge,
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here, by now

The rain was pouring heavily now, and Ginny was shivering slightly. Water droplets ran down her arms, stinging the cuts she had inflicted upon herself earlier that week. Dark long gashes ran deep on the underside of her left forearm, inflicted by a forest green Swiss Army knife she had nicked from her father's Muggle shed. She traced the marks, wincing slightly if she pressed too hard. Whenever she had started to feel numb, or devoid of any emotion, she had run the silver blade over her skin to feel something. Anything.

A noise caught Ginny's ear, and she turned around. There was nothing but the soft pitter-patter of the rain on the metallic bridge and the raging waters beneath her. She sighed, feeling like crying again. No one noticed that she was gone. She was all alone. Just another face in the crowd, and if she disappeared, there was always another Weasley to take her place.

Sinking to the ground, Ginny let out a harsh sobbing gasp, not feeling the cold that penetrated her skin and bones and chilled her temperature. No one was coming. No one was coming...

There's nothing but the rain,
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening by there's no sound
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home?

Tucking her legs close to her chest, Ginny rocked slowly back and forth. Her red hair fell across her pale, deflated face in clumps, hardly the tell-tale golden red that marked her as an obvious Weasley. Tears came in a steady stream, though they were hardly visible in the rain that washed them away almost instantly. The words repeated in her head like a newfound mantra, "Nobody's coming, nobody's coming, nobody's coming..."

"I'm not worth anything." Ginny whispered to herself, forcing herself to believe her words. "No one cares enough about me to come after me. I'm nothing, completely nothing. Nothing, nothing nothing!" Letting out a strangled cry she hit her arm as hard as she could, sending crimsons lightning rods up her arm, which made her cry out even harder.

When it seemed like she couldn't stand the cold any longer, she stood up, stretching her unused leg muscles. She turned around, staring at the turbulent river that ran beneath her, her breath catching her her cold chest. A large lump grew in her throat steadily as she started to climb the metal barrier that separated her from the watery depths of the Elsbeth River. She stood standing on the railing for a good thirty seconds, willing herself to jump. More and more tears fell out of her eyes to just disintegrate upon leaving her dark brown eyes.

"Ginny, don't do it."

Ginny gasped and turned around, holding tightly to the pole that held her in place. She couldn't see who was there behind her. He was tall, hooded by a long dark cloak that covered his features. She knew his voice from somewhere, but she couldn't place it in her misery. "What do you want?" She yelled at him over the sound of the rain.

"Come on, Ginny." He said calmly, walking towards her and holding out his hand. "You don't want to do this."

"You don't know me!" Ginny screamed. "How on Earth could you possibly know what I want?"

He stopped, still holding out his hand, but close enough for her to reach for. "Wouldn't have you already done it by now?"

Ginny's eyes felt like they had reached their limits of crying, but they welled up anyways. He had stumbled on her most painful secret. She was scared of dying. Shaking, she took his hand and climbed down and fell into his arms, sobbing into his cloak. He smelled vaguely of pine needles and scented candles and another herb she couldn't place. He didn't say anything, but just held her in his long arms that stretched easily around her weak frame. Her vision grew dark, and she fell into that cloak, and she didn't know anymore.

It's a damn cold night.
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you, take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I'm...
I'm with you.

I'm with you.

Ginny woke up in an unfamiliar bed. It was a canopy bed, almost like her one at Hogwarts, only lined with forest green drapes and matching sheets. Looking down, she was wearing a dark red wine colored nightgown that seemed to hold the heat of her body close, keeping her warm. Rain still pounded heavily on the window and the window was dark, proving that it was still the middle of the night. Tossing off the sheets, she pulled herself out of the bed. The floor was made out of stone, but somehow it was still warm enough so that she didn't want slippers to keep the chill away. The door opposite the bed opened a crack. Ginny jumped as a small creature entered the room. It had a long nose with large bulging electric blue eyes that looked like they were ready to fall right out of its head. It squeaked when it saw that Ginny was staring at it. "Oh, missus, oh missus!" It exclaimed. "Ferny is terribly sorry for disrupting missus sleep! Master only told Ferny to keep the fire going in here for missus to be comfortable." Ferny, Ginny assumed was the house-elf, bowed low to Ginny.

"Er..." Ginny stuttered. "Um, Ferny, is it?"

"Yes missus." Ferny's answer was muffled by the hearth rug on the floor on which she bowed.

"Who is the Master of this house?" Ginny asked, hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"That would be me." The voice that had held her back from the edge of the bridge came from behind her and Ginny spun around to face...

...Draco Malfoy.

I looking for a place
I'm searching for a face
Is anyone here I know?
'Cause nothing's going right
And everything's a mess
And no one likes to be alone.

Ginny gasped and backed away faster than she intended and backed straight up into a stone wall. She cried out softly and stepped forward. "Malfoy?" She spat. "What the hell..." She felt dizzy and had to sit down on the bed again.

"You have a fever." Draco said quickly. "You were out in that downpour way too long. Ferny has been taking care of your since I brought you here." Turning to the House-Elf, he nodded to her. "You're free to go back to the kitchen, Ferny."

"Thank you, Master." Ferny said, bowing and moving towards the door.

"Oh, Ferny." Draco turned to the House-Elf. "Would you mind bringing Ms. Weasley some chicken noodle soup? Fresh if you please."

"Yes, Master Draco, right away." Ferny left the room, closing the door with a small click.

Ginny stared at Draco's politeness towards his House-Elf. She would expect that a Malfoy would kick the poor thing out the door, but the House-Elf looked well cared for, it even had a proper tea-towel that was fashioned after a toga that the Hogwarts Elves had. She stared critically at Draco. His hair fell across his face, abandoned was the look of absolute in-control, with every hair in place. It looked as though he had just run his hand through it several times. His storm-grey eyes were like the sky outside, completely dark and hazy.

"You're the Master here?" She asked, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"Yes." Draco said, fingering the hem of one of the drapes of her bed. "My father was killed...in the Last Battle. I'm the Master of Malfoy Manor now."

Ginny winced. She had remembered that Lucious Malfoy's name had been among the casualties listed on the Death Eater's side, but she had never thought about what would have happened to Draco afterwards. She had heard that he had refused the Dark Mark, but had also refused to help Dumbledore and Harry. The thought of Harry suddenly felt like someone had stuck a knife into her heart and twisted evilly hard.

"Ginny...are you okay?" Draco's face was one of worried concern.

"I'm fine." Ginny tried to shake the feeling, but instead she hid it behind an impassive face.

"These certainly don't look fine." Draco said, gripping her left arm tightly and pulling it so that that old scars and the new wounds lay bare to the world. Ginny jerked her arm back out of his hands and covered it with her other hand.

"You had no right..." Ginny started furiously.

"I didn't have a right?" Draco repeated incredulously. "You were about to kill yourself."

"I wasn't..." Ginny stammered, thrown off balance. "I was...I meant to..."

"Were you waiting for Potter Boy to come and rescue you?" Draco asked, the cold hard sting of his words bit into Ginny's mind and heart. "He's oblivious to anything that's right in front of his face, Ginny. You and I both know that."

Once again, for the millionth time that night, tears began to fall down Ginny's cheeks again. "You...you..." She stuttered, feeling herself break down. Somehow Draco sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her again, letting her tears stain his shirt again.

"Shhh. It's okay, Ginny." Draco said softly, whispering into her hair. "It's okay."

Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home?
It's a damn cold night.
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you, take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I...
I'm with you.

After about ten minutes of crying, Ginny pulled away from Draco, her eyes blood-shot red. "How..." a large sniff, "how did you know where I was?" Ginny gasped, very un-ladylike.

"Those woods are the closest woods to our estate, which is rather large, as you know." Draco said, matter-of-factly. "I was taking a walk in the rain, and I saw you run past me. I followed you."

Ginny's pale face blushed slightly, knowing he had seen her completely and utterly break down when she had thought no one was there. "Why did you stop me?" She demanded, acting tough and unfeeling to cover her embarrassment.

Draco sighed, something very unlike him. He took the sleeve of his right arm and pulled it up. Ginny let out a small hiss as she saw the old scars that covered his arm. Criss-crossing and all over his forearm, some looked like they ran very deep. But all of them were healing over scars, only reminders of a harder part of his life. His eyes locked onto his scars. "I know what it's like to hate yourself. To feel ignored." He turned his face to bore his gray eyes into Ginny's brown. "To want someone to save you but no one comes."

Ginny's mouth fell open. Draco took her left hand in his right, holding it tightly. "Potter," Draco paused, letting the taste linger over in his mouth, "he doesn't know who you are at all. Even if he did, he wouldn't have the brains enough to act upon his desires."

Ginny shook her head, trying to clear it. How was this possible. Harry was the one that she thought would understand her. Harry would have come running to the bridge the minute that he had known she was in danger, but instead, it was Draco that understood so fully and completely, it felt like he was reading her mind. He had saved her, even though he could have easily walked away.

Why is everything so confusing?
Maybe I'm just out of my mind

"How..." Ginny gulped. "How did you get those?" She gestured at his scars.

Draco looked down on them, a look of disgust and fondness crossed his face and then it disappeared. "All of them are from me. Each time I couldn't feel anything, I cut myself. I had to feel something to keep myself alive, even if it was pain."

Ginny's heart pounded louder in her ears. Her breath was uneven as he described exactly what she had gone through. "My...father." He spat the word out like it had a bad aftertaste. "Never cared for me, only that I was the next generation of Malfoy. My mother," A look of fondess dawned on his profile that Ginny could see, "she was better. But she didn't know how to be a mother. She was a woman of class and nobility, not like your mother." He turned to her. "Your mother loves all seven of you. I don't know how she could do that, since my mother could barely love one of me."

Ginny instinctively reached her hand up and gently caressed Draco's cheek, which surprisingly was rather warm. She had always imaged him to be as cold as the image he portrayed to the world. Draco reached up and took her hand in his own, looking straight into Ginny's eyes. She felt her breath catch again as she saw the deep intensity that radiated there.

The feeling continued as he leaned forward and captured his lips with his own.

It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand,
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are, but I

Shocked at first at the action on his part, slowly, she reacted to his lips against hers. She returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around Draco's neck, holding him close, trying to reassure herself this wasn't a dream. She had never been kissed like this. Not by Michael Connor, not by Dean Thomas, not by any other boy. He seemed to know exactly what she needed and responded to her. He pulled away first, Ginny almost whimpered at the lose of contact, but caught herself.

"Not everyone is oblivious as Potter, Ginny." Draco said, breathlessly. Ginny was glad to see he wasn't totally immune to passion.

Ginny felt tears coming up in her eyes again, but all of a sudden she had a coughing fit, which made her double over on the bed. Draco rested a hand on her back, holding her while she coughed. "You should lie down. Get some sleep." He said when the coughs had subsided.

"But my family...I need to..." Ginny started.

"I'll take you home in the morning, I promise. You're in no condition now." Draco said, reaching for the covers and pulling up over Ginny's body. He turned to leave, but Ginny caught his arms, the tears still in her eyes.

"Stay with me?" She asked, pleading in her eyes.

Draco's hard features softened as she said this and he nodded wordlessly. Taking off his shoes and socks, he slide into the bed next to her, holding her tightly as if he thought she would slip out of his arms and vanish into the air like smoke. Whispering in her ear, he asked her, "Will you go to the Graduation Ball with me? "

"What?" Ginny asked, rolling over to look at him.

"I want you to be my date at the Graduation Ball." Draco said seriously. "If nothing more than to piss Potter off, or if you truly feel what's happening, perhaps I'm just imaging it."

Ginny's face lit up with a smile, something her face had not done in a while, Draco noted and she nodded and whispered. "Yes. Yes I will."

They promptly fell asleep with Draco's arms wrapped around Ginny. They didn't even wake up to the romantic sigh that emanated from Ferny that had returned with the chicken noodle soup.

I'm with you. I'm with you...

When questioned back at the Burrow of where she had disappeared the previous night, she told them that she had gotten lost in the woods and a kind soul had guided her home.

I'm with you...