Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter or the characters from the Harry Potter books.

Chapter 1: Fading Hope

Ginny sat alongside the bleeding wizard. He'd just been rushed to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and Ginny was the one sent to heal him. Concentrating all her power, Ginny felt the magic flowing through her; in when she inhaled, and out when she exhaled. She raised her hands over the still form in front of her. The man wasn't dead, only badly hurt. Ginny wondered what this man's story was, what had happened to him. Had he asked for this punishment? Ginny thought not.

She gently let the magic flow from her hands into the dying wizard. She focused her strength and set her mind on one thing: saving this man's life. With a burst of energy, she let her magic go, letting it flow into the still form. Ginny watched as her magic flowed through the wizard, healing his wounds slowly. First, the magic wrapped itself around his wounds, making the edge of his skin start to fold over. Then the magic brought the edges of skin together, sealing the wound and stopping any more blood from escaping. Finally, the blood dried and vanished from his body.

Ginny sighed in relief and exhaustion. Falling into the chair behind her, she watched as the wizard began to breathe more normally. His breath had been short and shallow before. Now, it was deep and soothing. His eyes fluttered open, taking in the room and the meek girl at the side of his bed.

"It's okay," Ginny whispered to the man, grabbing his hand to comfort him, "Everything's going to be alright." She watched as he closed his eyes again, drifting into a deep sleep. Ginny sighed to herself again. Everything wasn't going to be alright. She had saved his life, but that didn't make him safe from an attack again.

That was one thing that depressed Ginny. When she worked at St. Mungo's she did get a chance to impact and save peoples' lives, but what good would it do? She often saw the same faces more than once within a month or even a week. She'd heal the person only to have to heal them again.

That's better than letting them die, Ginny though miserably. On occasions, a person would come in with such extensive injuries that Ginny couldn't do anything. No amount of magic could save their lives. The curses that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were using were dark and horrible magic. She would shudder at some of the people who came in, but held their hands as they died, nonetheless. She'd sing to them softly, songs of hope and peace, as she held back her own tears and her own lack of hope. These times made her feel like whatever she did, it wasn't enough; that the effort of the good side would never be enough to conquer the bad.

Despite her own fading hope, she made a promise to herself: she would do everything in her power to help anyone who needed it. She'd made that promise after she had gotten a taste of what working at St. Mungo's would really mean. Ginny had started working there at the beginning of summer, along with other classmates of hers. They all knew Hogwarts was closing, so they felt the need to help any way that they could.

It had been great at first. Ginny had learned the basics of Healing and had excelled quickly. Healing wasn't really about spells or incantations; it was about concentration and control of your own magic. Of course, spells could heal bruises and scrapes easily enough, but there were no people who came in with just minor cuts anymore. She recalled her first days at St. Mungo's. Those were the days when there weren't overcrowded rooms and too little Healers to help; the days Ginny would give anything to have back. But summer was nearing an end now, and things were bleak.

"Weasley!" a magical voice shouted into the room.

"Yes?" she replied, getting up from her chair and speaking to no one in particular.

"Status?" the magical voice asked, ringing loud and clear.

"Patient is alive and well," Ginny replied to the voice as she walked to the door.

"Good. Room 431 needs you." With that, the voice stopped, and Ginny made her way up to room 431, bracing herself for whatever it was she was about to face. She pushed the door open, and her breath caught in the back of her throat. Lying on a nearby table was a small girl not being attended to. Ginny cursed under her breath; she hated seeing children in St. Mungo's, hated when she wasn't able to save them. She rushed over to the life-less girl and made quick observations.

The girl wasn't breathing, so Ginny forced her magic to flow through her tiny body, forcing the girl's lungs to fill with oxygen, then let it go. She did this for several moments, when the girl suddenly came to life. Ginny sighed in relief as the girl sat up abruptly. The little girl took in the room and then glanced at Ginny.

Within a spilt-second, Ginny realized something was wrong. The little girl's eyes were misted over, and her expression was hazy: common symptoms of someone who had been put under the Imperius Curse.

"Ava – " the girl shouted with a wand that Ginny hadn't noticed, but Ginny was too quick.

"Stupefy!" Ginny shouted, and the tiny child was thrust backwards on the table. Breathing heavily, Ginny approached the girl. She looked down at the tiny face, which was surrounded by soft, brown curls. Ginny stood by the girl, her wand pointed at her, until she would be called off again. The case with the little girl wasn't uncommon. Ginny attended to at least one patient a day that had been imperiused, and she was seeing more and more of them lately. Being a Healer, you always had to be prepared for anything because the Death Eaters would do just about anything to anyone.

"Weasley!" the magical voice called again.

"Yes?" she asked wearily.

"Status?" the voice asked mechanically.

"Patient is alive but is imperiused," Ginny replied, her wand still aimed directly at the little girl.

"Okay. Wait until assistance comes," the voice responded, and then it was gone. Ginny waited several minutes until an advanced Healer came to help the child further. It's a tricky situation when dealing with a person who has been imperiused. You never know how much strength the curse has and how easily it can be removed. That's why when a patient has been put under the Imperius Curse, an advanced Healer comes in to take care of the person. One advanced Healer explained it to Ginny as having to send your own magic inside their minds, locate the curse, and then use the strength of your magic to remove the curse.

The advanced Healer said it was very difficult, that they run the risk of damaging their own magic. When they dive headfirst into someone's mind, it's possible to get lost in the other person's thoughts and memories. After being told this, Ginny had no problem sitting back and waiting for those advanced Healers.

"You can go now, dear," a ruffled woman said to Ginny as she approached the unconscious, little girl. Ginny snapped out of her daydream as the magical voice filled the room again. She was sent to yet another room to tend to yet another person.

Ginny spent the day healing countless amounts of people, and doing all she could to make a difference. It was hard for her, especially when she had diminishing faith in the Ministry. Ginny felt like she wasn't doing enough, but she still worked her hardest. Ginny always tried as much as she could to heal and save every single person that she tended to.

She sat tiredly beside yet another bed, staring at the young woman in front of her. Ginny had barely managed to save the woman; her injuries had been so bad and deep that Ginny's magic could only just reach the wounds. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to ease the pain from her migraine. Commotion started on the opposite side of the room, and Ginny opened her eyes in attention. Peering over, she saw two healers trying to hold down an older man, but he was fighting them off both physically and with magic. Ginny could see waves of magic flooding through the air at the two Healers.

Walking over, Ginny was about to help in the struggle when one of the Healers whipped out her wand, muttered something inaudible, and then stashed her wand away again. Ginny watched as the older man was easier to tie down now, and the other Healer performed his own bit of magic so the man relaxed comfortably on the bed. The two Healers made sure the man was no threat anymore, and then they both sank onto the floor in exhaustion.

"Excuse me," Ginny said as she approached one of the Healers, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Yeah?" the woman asked wearily as she lifted up her long, dark hair into a ponytail.

"What did you do just there?" Ginny asked the woman.

"With him?" she asked, her hand flinging back to indicate the older man, "Oh, I just bound his magic."

"Bound his magic?" Ginny asked in confusion. She had never heard of binding someone's magic before.

"Haven't you heard of it, darling?" the woman asked, popping some bubble gum into her mouth. Ginny shook her head so she continued, "Well, only a few Healers are taught this method of Healing. It's not really recommended because it's like invading someone's personal life. When some people come in here, especially during these dark times, their magic is uncontrollable. They can unconsciously give off waves of their own magic, which is very uncontrollable."

Ginny nodded, but wasn't quite sure she understood. The woman saw Ginny's slight confusion, so she explained some more.

"With this guy," she told Ginny, "He didn't want to be here and was fighting us off physically. He somehow tapped his own magic, and it started acting on it's own accord by attacking us. Sometimes the witch or wizard is aware of what they are doing, and sometimes they're not. When it comes to people who are brought here, I find it best just to temporarily bind their magic. It's tricky, but if you have enough control of your own magic, it's not that difficult. Here," she said, facing Ginny squarely, "take out your wand and I'll teach you. Lord knows you'll probably need it some time or another."

Ginny did as she was told and took out her own wand, sitting down as she did so.

"Okay," Ginny said hesitantly.

"Now," the woman told her, "feel your own magic. You have to be able to control every part of your own power in order to control someone else's. Feel it flowing through you, in and out."

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, building up her own power, pulling it from the very core of her body. She felt it simmering around her, and increased her concentration and control so she could manage all of her magic.

"Done," Ginny said, opening her eyes, ready for the next bit of instruction.

"Good," the woman said with a bit of a smile as she felt Ginny's magic in the air around her. "Now take every bit of your magic, and wrap it around me. Let it all go, sending it onto me, harnessing my own power."

Ginny closed her eyes once again, still feeling every bit of her magic. In one moment, she let it all go. It was an amazing feeling, kind of like the sensation she got when she shot off on her broom, straight up in the air. Her whole body felt woozy, as if she had just sent her organs out, instead of her magic. Ginny concentrated farther, feeling her magic out around her, and she flung it fiercely at the woman, wrapping it tightly around her.

The dark haired woman had a sharp intake of breath, but smiled at Ginny when she opened her eyes.

"Very good," the woman said cheerfully. "Look," she began as she pulled out her own wand, "I can't do one bit of magic now," The woman flicked her wand, saying Lumos, but nothing happened.

"Wow!" Ginny exclaimed, surprised by her own ability.

"Alright," the woman said again, "now, when you bind someone's magic, it doesn't always mean it'll stay that way. If you left me like this, then your magic will eventually wear off. Also," she said with a sly smile, "some people can override other's magic. Like now, seeing as this was your first attempt at binding someone's magic, I could probably get your magic off me."

The woman closed her deep, brown eyes, concentrating with her own strength. All of a sudden, Ginny felt as if she were choking. The feeling only lasted for a moment, but it was awful. It felt as if someone was trying to force her organs back in to her body. Ginny felt the familiar tingle of magic, as her power came flooding back at her.

"Not a pleasant experience," the woman said, smiling as Ginny was wincing. Her whole body ached. "Yet, binding someone's magic is useful. It has – " she began again, but was cut off.

"Donnolley!" the magical voice shouted into the room.

"Yeah?" the woman called back.

"Status?" it asked.

"Oh, I'm alive and well, thanks!" Donnolley replied cheerfully, and she grinned at Ginny.

"The patient?" the voice asked exasperated.

"Right," she said still smiling. "Patient is alive, but his magic is bound."

"Again?" the magical voice asked with slight irritation.

"Yep!" she still replied cheerfully.

"Very well. You're needed in Room 192," the voice said, and then went away.

"What did the voice mean when it said 'again'?" Ginny asked the woman.

She grinned at Ginny, "Once you've gone through that sensation of binding someone's magic a couple of times, it's kind of addicting. It just comes naturally to bind someone's magic after the first couple of times."

"Right," Ginny replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Well," she said as she got up from the tiled floor, "I better get a move on." She turned to go, but then spun back around to face Ginny, her hand stuck out in the air. "I'm Melanie, by the way. Melanie Donnolley."

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny said, taking Melanie's hand in her own and shaking it.

"It was nice to meet you, Miss Ginny," said Melanie, her silly grin still on her face. "Maybe we'll run into each other some other time."

Ginny watched as Melanie skipped to the door, and with a wave, vanished from sight. The rest of the day flew by in a haze, and luckily, Ginny didn't need to bind anyone's magic. She left St. Mungo's late at night, disapparating to The Burrow.

The first thing her parents did when Ginny returned from Hogwarts at the beginning of summer was to teach her how to Apparate. She picked up on it quickly, probably because her parents were so freaked about her learning to Apparate. They didn't want their only daughter walking about everywhere because that's the only way she could get from one place to another. Actually, her parents didn't want her to leave The Burrow at all, but Ginny insisted when she told them she wanted to help as much as she could at St. Mungo's.

Sighing, Ginny flopped down on the couch once she was safe inside her home. She thought back to yesterday when her parents had both dropped in to check on her. They did that every week, apparating to the home to see if Ginny was safe and alive, and then they disapparated back to the Ministry. They'd been practically living at the Ministry for the whole summer, dropping in once a week to see if their only daughter was, in fact, still alive.

All the Ministry officials, and now other adult wizards, were practically living at the Ministry, or out doing their part against the Death Eaters. Ginny already hated the Ministry, but taking her parents away from her just pushed her hatred farther. In the last two, three months (Ginny was already starting to lose track of the days) the Ministry had been able to do practically nothing against Voldemort and his followers. Sure, there had been arrests, but the people being arrested were no more Death Eaters than Ginny was; it was an absolute joke.

Ginny had spent many nights, sitting at the table alone, her dinner getting cold in front of her. There was never anyone there to comfort her or provide her with comforting words; she was alone. Ginny had concluded that the Ministry was just a joke. There was all this hustling about like they were really making an effort, but it was all garbage; she didn't trust the Ministry one bit.

Finally, Ginny undressed and went to her room, her exhaustion overcoming her. As she lay in her bed, she wondered what Ron, Harry, and Hermione were doing. They had gone off to who knows where after the school had closed. They said they were going to stay for Fleur and Bill's wedding, but the wedding never happened. There was too much going on, not enough room for even a bit of happiness anymore.

Ginny succumbed to sleep, and woke early the next morning. She quickly made herself some toast with the help of magic as she got ready. The Ministry didn't care whether underage wizards used magic anymore. They had too much on their plate, dealing with Voldemort and his Death Eaters to worry about some silly, little, underage witch or wizard doing some nonsense spell.

After she had eaten her toast, she walked all the way to the edge of her property, and then disapparated to St. Mungo's. Ginny spent another weary day tending to men, women, and children, whether they were witches, wizards, or muggles. It didn't matter to her; the faces all became blurs by the end anyway. When her long day was done, she disapparated.

Looking around, Ginny couldn't see anything familiar. She should've been at the edge of her property, the boundary line to where a person could or could not Apparate. But the surroundings told Ginny that she was far from home. At The Burrow, there were trees, plants, and flowers sprinkled everywhere, but here, everything was dead. It was a barren wasteland. Off in the distance, Ginny spotted a town, but other than that, there was nothing.

Ginny shuddered as the wind picked up around her. Her own exhaustion must have thrown her ability to Disapparate off. She was ready to turn on the spot, disapparating back to The Burrow, when she stopped. Peering into the hazy night, Ginny saw a still form on the ground.

She rushed over to the body, already able to tell that the person was in dire need of assistance. He was bleeding from all over, and he wasn't breathing. Ginny lifted his light form hurriedly, spun on the spot, and arrived outside the property of her home. She continued to carry him, via magic, into her home, knowing that she had scarce time, if not any.

Setting him down quickly on her table, she siphoned off some of the blood, but then backed away in horror.

Lying on her table was the still body of one of the enemy itself: Draco Malfoy.

A/N: Will Ginny refuse to help save the guy who led to Dumbledore's downfall or will she stick to the promise she made herself, doing everything in her power to save him? Read and REVIEW, and you'll find out!

Yay! First chapter done! So, I'm going to be gone for nearly two weeks so don't expect an update until then. I just wanted to get the first chapter up, but I promise, first thing when I get back from vacation I'll update chapter numero dos (that means number two for all you non-Spanish speakers out there).