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- The Spoils of War -
He loved watching her sleeping form. It seemed so peaceful, one of those few moments when nothing else mattered, when nothing else existed but her. Waking up like this was the only reason he had for falling asleep at night. Every time it was a gift to see her there next to him. Her red hair cascaded down her elegant neck and covered the pillow in fiery swirls. He let his eyes wander over the sight of her naked back. He loved that the most.
It was always like this. He never found himself waking and staring into her eyes, she was always facing away from him. But this gave him the opportunity to look at her without her knowing, without her being bothered. He remembered the days when she would smack him as her face flushed red when he said he thought she was beautiful. That never happened anymore.
He reached out, wanting to caress the curve of her neck, her shoulder, her arm and then, reaching the fabric of the sheets, her side and hips. Being allowed to touch her was a miracle in itself. He loved looking at her beautiful skin, that beautiful creamy skin he had tasted so many times. He wondered whether she would mind if he told her he wanted to taste her again, if she would react at all.
He turned away from her for a moment, lying on his back so he could stare at the ceiling. It had been so long ago, but it didn't let go of either of them. The war was over and they had won, but it still ran their lives every day as if nothing had changed. That one fight, that one day, had left them all marked in their own ways. Oh, she had fought so valiantly, so fiercely. She had protected him from his own father, she had protected him from his aunt. And he in turn had taken curses from his former friends to protect her.
"Run, don't wait for me. Find the others! You'll be safer with them."
"No, I'm not leaving you!" she screamed, trying to raise her voice above the noise of spells hitting walls and explosions all around them.
"Just go, Ginny! I can handle it here. I don't want you to get hurt."
She looked at him, catching his complete attention for one still moment. "You'd better not get hurt. I want you in one piece when all this is over."
And ducking away from a green jet of light, she leaned in against him to kiss him.
"I love you, Draco."
Those four words had made him feel invincible. No spell, no curse could have harmed him after hearing her speak those words aloud for the first time. Of course he had known she loved him, they had made love so many times before, each time as special as the first. But this finally made it real.
"I love you too. Now go, get to safety."
She ran, ducking away from more coloured beams and vanished from his sight. He turned around and eyed the battleground for his family. He had already stopped his father and aunt, but there were more predators waiting to hurt those he loved.
He turned back on his side and looked at her bare back. He remembered seeing every bit of skin for the first time, being allowed to touch each bit as they continued to get to know each other. He felt so proud that it was him and nobody else who got to do that. She was his and his alone.
He stretched out his arm and lightly traced a finger over her back. She didn't respond so he continued slowly, reveling in the feeling it caused inside of him. When his finger reached the roughened white line of a scar, he halted momentarily. He never got used to this imperfection that ruined her angelic aura. It always reminded him of his own flaw, his own mistake.
He followed the scar all the way down to the small of her back, where it crossed with another one. He let his eyes follow the intricate spider-web of white marks that stretched out all over her lower back. He was to blame. If he hadn't been such a fool she would still be perfect, she would still be fine.
But he had thought she would be safe as long as she was away from his side in combat. If he had only kept her with him, this would never had happened. If he had protected her properly, she would still be the same girl he had fallen in love with.
The silence after the big explosion was terrifying. Death Eaters and Order members alike stared at the great mushroom-shaped cloud that rose from the horizon. For a moment, silence ruled the air. He caught the scared glances both parties exchanged and, before anyone had the chance to regain control of their senses, he bolted from the sight.
He had to find her, he had to know she was safe from all this. Why had he sent her away? How could he have thought she could be safe in the middle of all this.
He ran past his friends and foes, avoiding the bodies on the ground. He told himself not to look down to much, he would probably see people there he couldn't handle seeing.
A piercing shriek made him turn towards his left. He found himself heading towards a graveyard where he could see only one person standing. Coming closer, he saw the familiar face of Pansy Parkinson. She looked up from something at her feet and smiled gleefully.
No, not something. Someone. Ginny.
"Was that all? And everybody kept telling me what a powerful little witch she was. You should have chosen differently, Draco. You should have picked the really strong one, not the pretty little weakling."
Speechless he watched the broken figure of his beloved on the ground, face down in the dirt. Her red hair covered her face, but he knew her eyes were open, waiting for the next blow to fall. Her cloak was ripped to shreds on her back, exposing her beautiful skin.
Horrified he saw how small streams of red blood leaked onto the ground and stained her clothes. Her back, once a perfect blank canvas, was now red with blood and lashes.
Hearing the pleased cackle of the triumphant girl, he raised his wand as if he was in a trance. What curse he uttered, he couldn't even remember. All he knew was that the young Slytherin fell down next to Ginny's body with a surprised "Ah…"
Bending down, he gathered Ginny's motionless body in his arms and walked away, holding her as close to him as he could.
Leaning in, he kissed the scars as if to sooth the pain. Ginny stirred slightly, but said nothing and didn't turn to face him.
He sighed and crawled up against her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. Her scent didn't have the soothing effect it used to have, but he bit his lip, trying to ignore the pain welling up in his heart.
Her wounds had healed and the blood had stilled. Even the words had stopped, no more spells, no more magic. Just the two of them in bed, that was all that was left. But there were always those echoes, haunting her. She was never the same. Never again Ginny Weasley.
"…No…Stop…I can't…I can't bear any more…Stop…It hurts…" He heard her voice whisper flatly.
"It's okay…" he whispered back as he started to rock her body slowly. "It's stopped. It's all over…"
"…It hurts, make it stop…"
"I will, I promise. I will make it stop."
"Stop the words…stop it, stop…It hurts. I can't take it…Please…No more."
He bit his lip and ignored the tears that burned in his eyes. "It's okay, Ginny. No more pain, I promise…"
Suddenly she cried out, her scream echoing through the room. He felt her shaking against his chest and immediately turned her around. Tears dropped from her long eyelashes down to her cheeks and her pillow, but she made no movement to wipe them away.
He couldn't look at her eyes. He knew what he would find there, and every time he saw it he felt like he was dying. With his own eyes closed, he leaned in and kissed her tears away. She didn't even react to his touch.
Gathering up all his bravery, he opened his eyes and looked into hers. Even though he knew what to expect, he still had to swallow hard. The fire in her eyes had long since died out. There was no spark left. She looked straight past him, straight past everything.
Her eyes were dead, nothing more than two brown orbs without their natural shine. Their lights had gone out. All that was left was a dull and empty stare. The only things she saw nowadays were the images from her memories.
"Stop…No more, stop. The pain, it's too much…Don't, please don't…Please no more pain…"
Her voice sounded flat, as empty as her eyes. She wasn't there anymore, he knew. All she was now was a shell, repeating the last moments of sanity she had known. Nothing more. Never again Ginny Weasley. He couldn't bear it anymore.
"I'll make it stop. I will, I promise. I love you." He whispered as he pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I'll make it stop."
Pressing her body tightly against his, wrapping his arms around her to enjoy this one last embrace, he reached for his wand.
"No more pain. I'm going to make it stop, Ginny. I'll end it. No more…"
He looked one more time and kissed her mouth and wiped his tears away.
"Avada Kedavra."
The End