A/N: So the italics are the flashbacks and for anyone who got confused, Ginny and Draco started dating each other in Draco's 5th year and the Malfoys switched sides in Draco's 6th year due to the entire Lucius in Azkaban fiasco. Oh and, Draco died in the war. So here is ickle Ginny mourning over her late boyfriend.
Goodbye
The leaves rustled and hummed as Ginny shuffled her way through them. The wind brushing against her skin made her shiver and despite the crispness, she continued to make her way through the fierce winds and fluttering leaves. After sometime, the winds finally started to die down, though the coldness in the air still prevailed.
The skies were an eerie shade of grey, sombre like herself Ginny thought. She took some more steps, somewhat unconsciously, her mind still lost in its own thoughts. No, not thoughts, memories is the more suited word she felt. Some memories from a time not so long ago, a time which she would spend milleniums waiting for.
Eventually, she did reach her destination, her sanctuary, where she found herself more often than her own home. Delicately running her hand through the familiar carving, her fingers traced the letters engraved on the gravestone, Draco Lucius Malfoy.
"No way!" Ginny shrieked, looking at the Slytherin in horror.
"Weasley now that's cheating, you CAN'T back off like this," scowled Draco.
"Listen ferret, I didn't mean that bet, I just agreed to stop you from rambling."
"Is it so? Because if my memory serves me correct, we were having a rather heated debate on who would win today's quidditch match and you agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me if your house lost, which it DID," he said yelling the last part.
"You slimy Slytherins cheated." she spat.
"We won fair and square! Now stop trying to make up excuses."
"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow, goodbye!" she said.
"It's goodnight Weasley, not goodbye," he said and walked off without uttering another word.
Tears slipped down Ginny's face and fell on the grave as one by one memories came flooding to the forefront of her mind.. It didn't matter how many dates they shared, it always felt they were teared apart way too early, all those promises, those kisses, those smiles…everything, disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Leaving behind her to collect her own broken pieces.
Merlin knows how much she tried to move on, tried to accept Harry, but he wasn't enough, no one can be enough now.
There would always be a piece of her aching for him, aching for his arms, his scent, his smirks. Aching for the feel of their hands entwined, his fingers stroking the back of her hand gently.
She wanted to curse the day she realized she was going to fall for him, but she can't. Because even if they didn't last as long as she would have liked, he made her happy, falling for him filled her with life and she couldn't have been more alive even in a thousand lifetimes.
They stood in front of the Gryffindor common room entrance silently staring at each other, not wanting to break this fragile moment, she gently tugged on his tie to pull him down and tentatively pressed a kiss on his lips.
It always felt ecstatic, kissing him. It filled her with a warmness which had nothing to do with the summer heat.
Draco never ceased to amaze her, he would always come up with the most bizarre yet the most beautiful plans for their dates. She thought it won't be long, before she'll fall for him way to hard to ever turn back unscathed and as much as the thought scared her, it appealed her too.
"As always, I had an amazing time Draco," she whispered leaning her forehead against his.
"So I haven't lost my touch on captivating ladies it seems," he smirked.
Smacking him on his arm she giggled softly and turned around to enter the Gryffindor common room.
"Goodnight Ginevra."
"Goodbye Draco."
He shook his head saying, "It's night Weasley."
"I know, so?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's not goodbye, it's goodnight," he breathed.
Wistfully looking at the name one more time, she turned around and headed home. Ginny felt numb all over her body, just like she felt whenever he abandoned her, just like she felt that day, just like she felt everyday now.
"You can't!" Ginny said exasperatedly. Focusing on him, she felt a prickling sensation in the corner of her eyes.
"I can and I will, nothing you say will stop me," Draco said coldly. He never used that tone on her before, not after that bet, not after they've started dating, and this tone somehow made the prickling sensation in her eyes grow more strong until all she could see was his blurring figure walking down the corridor.
She ran behind him, the other Slytherins were now mockingly staring at her, avoiding their stares, she grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. The tears were now freely flowing down her cheeks.
"Draco don't, please.." she pleaded, going down on her knees in front of him. She realized how pathetic she looked, like a weakling, begging to him like that, it crushed all her pride to do this in front of all the Slytherins. But she didn't care anymore, not after she has realized how much she loved him. She would crush her pride a million times if he won't crush her heart.
"Ginny..."
Draco's housemates were bluntly laughing now, clearly pleased by the scene of a Gryffindor begging a Slytherin.
Draco glared at all of them and they quickly scrambled away.
"I love you Draco, please.."
"Ginevra you know my situation," he said softly, cupping her cheeks and fetching her up.
"He might k-kill you..." she stammered and made a movement to bring his hands to her lips and kiss them softly, her lips brushing his knuckles and his palms.
"I know," he smiled sadly.
She knew this smile, the smile of utter hopelessness. It broke her heart all over again to see him in pain. In an instant, she made the decision of letting go her own helplessness to make him smile.
"And if he won't, I will, for leaving me like this!" she said fiercely, trying every bit to stop herself from crying, trying every bit to stay strong for him.
"Oh?" his lips thinned considerably to control his smile.
"How very original of you Ginevra, I think threatening to kill me is a bit redundant considering we're all about to die anyway."
And that seemed to broke all her dams, all her pent up emotions flooded through her eyes as she began sobbing uncontrollably. He gently pulled her to himself until her sobs were muffled by his shirt.
"It's okay, I'm not abandoning you Ginevra, and even if I do, I'll always come back to you alright? You knew I wouldn't be able to ignore this for long, not after my family betrayed Him like that, I'm not safe here anymore," he mumbled hugging her tightly.
"You're more safe here than anywhere else."
"Not with the Carrows here, Severus can only protect me as long as..." his voice broke, "I love him y'know? He has been like a father to me all these years, I can't put him in risk anymore. The Dark Lord would kill him too if he tries to hide me from him, you don't have any idea how furious he is with the Malfoys since we switched sides."
"But don't abandon me again like this, wherever you go, take me, 'kay?"
He didn't say anything and she knew it was pointless to ask one more time.
"Stay safe, wherever you go and hide, stay safe," she said pulling herself back and kissing him, pouring all her emotions in that one single kiss, she wanted him to know how much she loved him. Much more than any 'I love you' could convey.
"I will," he nodded after they parted.
She slowly started to step away from him, each step more agonizing than the previous one.
"Goodbye," she mouthed.
"Goodnight Ginevra, goodnight," he whispered back, leaving her numb all over.
That night, Ginny stood at the backyard of her home. The gentle breeze swept through her, and she couldn't help but long for his warmth, his comfort in these chilly nights.
Her family won't understand, they haven't lost their other half, they don't walk around everyday with a huge gaping hole in their heart. They don't wake up to cold fabrics of a long forgotten shirt and a lingering scent which makes you lose someone all over again. They just don't.. and she hopes everyday they won't ever come to understand this loss.
The loss of something within you.
She wished she had enough will to let him go, wish him goodbye one last time and move on. But she couldn't, because saying goodbye would mean accepting the fact that he won't be coming back this time, saying goodbye would mean writing the end of a story she so desperately hoped wouldn't finish.
In these long winter nights, she spent almost every moment fantasizing her life with him, fantasizing what could have been, what should've been..
She can't say goodbye, because that would mean giving up all the fantasies she held, of him, of her, of their future.
Because giving him a farewell would mean all the times when she wished him goodbye, it was indeed a goodbye.
"Draco Malfoy, you better stop this instant!" she screamed at the running figure.
He stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around to convince the one who interrupted him knowing all too well that his girlfriend could not be convinced.
"Look Ginevra-"
"Shut up 'kay? Kingsley told you to stay inside Hogwarts!" Ginny yelled.
"I can't just stay in there and do nothing, you know that."
"Draco there is a bloody war going out there, and you know very well every death eater is going to lash out at you! You're a traitor in their eyes. And if you're so desperate to do something you can help with the shields here, you don't need to head towards the forest."
He looked at her for a moment before bolting in the direction of woods, ignoring her screams of protest behind him.
The moment she saw him dash away, she knew there was nothing that would stop him now, he had made up his mind.
Sneaking up on him at the edge of Forbidden forest, she asked, "Abandoning me again now, are you?"
He shrugged.
She couldn't believe how nonchalant he seemed regarding the entire situation. Every fibre of her being wanted to hold him close until the end of the war, but she knew he won't sit still. He'll fight till his lungs cease to breath.
"Goodbye Draco," her whisper faltered.
He chuckled softly, "It's goodnight Ginevra, not goodbye, never goodbye."
Because giving him a farewell would mean all the times when she wished him goodbye, it was indeed a goodbye.
So she settled for a promise. A promise that no matter how far they are, she'll always love him, she'll always carry a piece of his in her heart. A promise that despite the pain she'll go on with her life by being in love with his memory. She settled for Goodnight.
Gazing at his form adoringly, which was now dusted with flour, she kissed his nose.
"I love you," she said, and despite the fact she was saying it the first time, it didn't feel strange or new at all, like she had already spent all her life waking up to him in the mornings and professing her love in her half sleepy state.
He looked a bit blank at the suddenness and then he grinned, the same goofy grin that adorned his face when he was way too happy for any words to describe his feelings. He pulled her by her neck and kissed her on her lips, the flour on his hands sticking in her hair.
It wasn't a simple kiss of affection or passion, it was an full blown attack on her soul, the kiss poured out all his love into her which he couldn't convey through mere words. In that moment, she didn't care about the war, the order, the light, all she cared for was the man in her arms who loved her as much as she loved him.
Ginevra closed her eyes and pictured him, the way he would throw back his head and laugh at one of her silly antics, the way he would annoy her to no end, the way he would run from the library with her homework in his hand and a mischievous glint in his eyes, the way he would spend nights comforting her when it was him who was in danger, him who needed soothing words and caressing hands.
She smiled a little at the way he would hug her, pull her close, foreheads against each other, moments where no words were needed, when all his defences were down and she could see in the depths of his eyes how much he loved her.
She remembered her first Christmas with Draco, when she stayed back at Hogwarts to be with him, she saw them behind her closed eyelids, she saw them running in the kitchens with flour on their faces and how she would kiss his nose in the middle of baking because she just couldn't resist his cuteness. In her heart, she can still see them decorating the tree, gifting each other cakes and cookies which they made together because they weren't supposed to leave the castle, not even to buy gifts. Not that gifts mattered anyway, the time she spent with him was more precious to her than any materialistic gifts.
Despite the war raging on beyond the walls of castle, the Christmas she celebrated with Draco and the house-elfs was her best Christmas by far.
Still standing in the backyard, Ginny whispered, "Goodnight Draco."
Despite the chillness in the air, she once again felt the similar heat flood through her veins, the same warmness that engulfed her whenever she used to kiss him and she could swear she felt his lips brush hers.
She suddenly felt very light headed at the prospect of kissing him once again. Deciding that staying out this late in the backyard would only gain her scoldings from her mom and Harry, not any kisses, she made her way back to her room.
As soon as she drew near her bed, Ginny noticed a small parchment lying on her pillow. She looked everywhere but found out there were no owls around and the window was closed too. Picking it up she realized the parchment had a familiar scent, his scent.
Only five words were written on the parchment and these five words meant the world to her.
Goodnight to you too, Ginevra.
Prompt:
The 2016 Monthly Prompt List Challenge - 1. [Quote] 'I think threatening to kill me is a bit redundant considering we're all about to die anyway.'