Rays of Sunshine through a Storm
'She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies.'
Dark clouds gathered, heavy with rain. The wind blew fiercely. Due to the heavy gusts of wind, the trees in the Forbidden Forest bent so low, they threatened to snap into half. Twigs and fallen leaves blew everywhere, some hitting the windows loudly.
Streaks of angry lightning flashed through the dark and dismal sky. The sky was almost black, with all the twinkling and shining stars hidden behind masses of grey rain clouds. Sounds of clashing thunders could be heard.
Suddenly, heavy rains started gushing down from the vast heavens above. The streams of water flowed from the windowpane like a miniature waterfall. The clock chimed midnight and the rain poured and pounded down upon the ground even harder.
It was as if the rain wanted to wash away every speck of dirt and cleanse the world of the very essence of evil. Everyone sat silently in the Hospital Wing as Nature released its utmost fury upon the castle and its inhabitants.
It was New Year's Day. However, no one was celebrating. Voldemort and his followers had decided to attack the Wizarding World on the day before the New Year.
As a spy for the Order reported, Voldemort said it was going to be a new year, led by a new leader, untainted by its lowly past.
A new year where darkness would reign and Lord Voldemort would rule supreme. A new year where everything would be in utter chaos and where Dark creatures prowl in the darkness. A new year where no one would be safe.
Luckily, none of it came true. The light side still prevailed over the dark. But at what cost? What had been sacrificed for the greater good of the Wizarding World? How many thousands of lives were lost? How many families were now broken up by the deaths of their loved ones?
A single drop of tear rolled down Ginevra Weasley's pale cheek. She wanted to drown herself in the elements of the weather outside, but her mother insisted that she stayed where she was.
Ginny had the urge, the need, to take a long dagger and stab Voldemort in the heart (if he had one) over and over again till he was long dead. But even that simple wish had been denied to her. Harry had already killed Voldemort and was now lying on one of the Hospital beds.
Her brown eyes strayed to the left and settled forlornly on a pale blonde boy. He was lying there, unmoving. His breathing was so shallow, it would seem that he was not breathing at all. It was all thanks to Voldemort that Draco Malfoy was lying on that bed, hovering between life and death.
Madam Pomfrey had said that the curse used on Draco was very Dark Magic, second to the Killing Curse. Very few people who had been hit by this spell had woken up again. Madam Pomfrey had tried her best in healing him. All they could do now was to wait and hope for the best.
Everything seemed surreal to Ginny. No sound was heard except the pattering of the rain against the windowpane and the occasional sniffing and sobs of the unfortunate people whose loved ones were grievously injured.
Ron sat beside Ginny, unusually pale and silent. The curse was actually meant for Ron. He was fighting alongside Harry. But Draco, with extraordinarily quick reflexes, had predicted what Voldemort was going to do and pushed Ron down, causing the curse to hit Draco instead. That single push had effectively saved Ron's life.
Ron was feeling awfully guilty. He had yelled and called Draco a Death Eater. He had even said Draco was just using Ginny as bait and was not worth having Ginny at all. He now knew that was not true and Draco was loyal to the Light side. How ironic. The man he insulted before the battle had started had been the man who saved his life.
Ginny was absolutely devastated. She could not imagine life without Draco. It was simply impossible. 'Draco' and the word 'dying' could never be in the same sentence.
If he died, she would never get to look into his grey eyes or lean into his warm embrace forever. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her vision became blurred. Ginny could not hold back her tears any longer. Then, her salty tears gushed out in torrents and splashed down her front.
Mrs Weasley looked at her stricken daughter and could feel her heart twinge painfully. Her daughter had never broken down like this before. In the family, Ginny was always the strong one, the pillar of the family. The one who kept everyone together in times of trouble.
It was hard to see Ginny like this, sobbing uncontrollably. Sitting beside her, Mrs Weasley put her arms around her only daughter. She did not say anything. She just rocked Ginny back and forth gently, like she used to when Ginny was a child.
Ginny cried into her mother's warm shoulder. Her tears were soaking the cloth, but her mother did not seem to mind. There was a terrible throbbing in her chest and she could not be rid of it.
Ginny was utterly miserable. There never was a day worse than this. What's more? Fred and George had been spying on the Death Eaters for the Order when they had been captured.
The news had come out a week ago that her two favourite brothers had been captured. She had not been able to do anything to help. Ginny was horrified, but at least she Draco was there to comfort her. She hoped, with the Voldemort's downfall, they would be found soon.
Last week, she and Draco were still at the Burrow, sleeping under the bright stars and having so much fun. But now, it seemed so long ago. Last week was like last month.
Ginny was a little mad at Ron. How could he say such things to Draco? Then again, maybe he was just concerned for her... She knew, by the look on Ron's face that he was feeling very guilty at the moment.
Ginny did not know how long she had cried. Slowly, her tears lessened and were reduced to soft sniffles. She had cried till she had no tears left.
Her cheek was sticky with tears and her eyes were swollen from all that crying. When Draco had just enter the Hospital Wing she had shaken him, hit him gently on his cheek, kissed him even, but nothing worked.
Mrs Weasley continued hugging Ginny tightly, comforting her the best she could.
Suddenly, the doors to the Hospital Wing opened quietly. As the Hospital Wing was so silent, the soft creaking of the door seemed like a thousand times louder than it should be. All heads immediately turned toward it.
Professor Dumbledore walked in, looking very somber as he saw the injured people lying on the bed. Some people looked at him as he passed, wondering what news he brought.
"Miss Weasley," he said, stopping in front of Ginny.
Curious people leaned forward to hear what he was going to say. There was no need though. The Hospital Wing was so silent, even if you whispered, everyone would have heard it.
Ginny looked up from her mother's arms.
"I've good news for you," said Professor Dumbledore.
Good news? Ginny's heart leapt.
"What?" she asked.
Smiling slightly, Professor said, "Mr Fred and George Weasley have been found. They are not seriously injured and will be coming down from St. Mungo's soon."
There was a little pause. Ginny could not believe her ears. That was great news!
"I think they are arriving approximately now." Professor Dumbledore announced, looking at his weird contraption that looked a little like a watch.
As he finished his sentence, the doors opened again and two redheaded twins entered the Hospital Wing.
"I'll leave you alone," Professor Dumbledore said. He nodded at the twins before striding off, cloak billowing in the wind.
For Ginny, the rain of tears had stopped. But outside, the huge storm was still raging mercilessly.
"Fred. George." Ginny exclaimed as she stood up to give them a hug each. They returned her hug and hugged their mother before sitting down on some chairs.
"We heard what happened to our best mate," said Fred, jerking his head at Draco. Out of the whole family, excluding Mr and Mrs Weasley, the twins had liked Draco best.
"Yeah... We should have been there to help..." George added sadly, shaking his head.
"It's not your fault." Mrs Weasley disagreed.
"Yeah...it's nobody's fault, actually..." Ginny drifted off into a painful silence.
Suddenly, shuffling sounds could be heard. Someone had awoken! Ginny dashed to Draco's bedside, hoping and praying that it was Draco. Unfortunately, it was not Draco. Ginny sat back down with her hopes dashed.
The ache in her chest grew. She missed Draco horribly. She felt like crying, but all her tears were spent.
Ginny listened enviously to the joyous sounds coming from her left. The family was laughing together happily; drowning the injured family member with hugs and kisses.
Her eyes turned hot. Ginny rubbed at them, still no tears came out. She had cried them all out already.
She looked out of the window. The rain was still washing down the clear glass. Although the rainfall was lesser than before, the rain was still quite heavy.
The hours passed at a snail's pace.
Ginny was very tired, but her worry for Draco would not let her rest, so she stayed up the whole night. The chairs in the Hospital Wing were hard and uncomfortable, making her squirm in her seat every few minutes.
She did not mind sitting on it such a long time so long as Draco woke up soon. The tension in her chest had lessened a little, but it was still there after all that hours.
Ginny looked to her left and saw her three brothers asleep, snoring slightly. Another look to her right confirmed that her mother had fallen asleep too.
The good thing about not being able to sleep was that she would not have any nightmares. She rather face exhaustion than face the dark, frightening nightmares alone in her sleep.
There was nowhere else to look. She tried to focus her attention on anything but Draco. The ache in her chest tightened painfully every time she laid eyes on his stiff, pale figure that lay beneath the white sheets.
Looking out of the window, Ginny saw that the gushing rain was reduced to slight drizzles. It was about five or six in the morning. As she gazed out of the clear, glass window, what she saw really surprised her.
There, in the middle of the rain, a ray of bright sunshine shone through the dark clouds. It was like a spear of golden light, slicing through the dark, cloudy sky. The clouds surrounding the light were still raining. Slowly, the light spread further, drowning the rain in honey-coloured light. Was this an omen?
Ginny's mood brightened a little, just like the gold-glistening sky. To her left, there was a slight stirring. She turned, tearing her eyes away from the wonderful scene outside. Her eyes met a pair of silvery-grey eyes. Draco was awake!
She jumped onto him and squealed in glee. "Merlin, you are alive!"
Ginny heard a very resounding 'oof'' coming from beneath the bed sheets as her weight landed on him. "Oops... I'm sorry...are you alright?"
Mrs Weasley and Ginny's three brothers woke up at her loud squeal and crowded around the bed, large smiles pasted on their faces.
"Yeah..." Draco answered groggily, coming out from under the sheets.
He looked a little tired, but his grey eyes were glinting with amusement. Draco's usually perfect hair was stuck up messily. He reached out to Ginny and wrapped his arms around her.
Ginny hugged him back and breathed in his sweet scent. She was so elated that he had woken up.
"For one moment, I thought I lost you..." Ginny whispered, clinging on to Draco like she would never let him go. "And I'll never see you again..."
"I'll never leave you, Ginny..." Draco murmured into her ear, gently stroking her long, auburn hair.
"It's good to see you up, mate." Fred said joyfully.
"Yeah. Somehow, we missed your annoying presence." George added, grinning from ear to ear.
"Glad to know I was missed." Draco answered dryly.
"Thank goodness you are all right, dear," said Mrs Weasley warmly.
"M-Draco?" Came a stuttering voice. Ron stepped out from behind Fred and George. "I'm apologise for being such a prat to you... Friends?"
Ginny was shocked. She never expected Ron to swallow his pride and do that. But she was glad, nonetheless.
For a second, Draco did not answer. He stared at Ron right in the eye, as if he was trying to read what exactly Ron had in his mind. Finally, he removed his hand from Ginny's hair and shook Ron's hand. "Friends." Draco agreed.
Mrs Weasley then quickly ushered her three sons out, whispering something about giving Ginny and Draco 'some privacy'. The four of them left, quietly closing the door behind them.
"Hey, look!" Ginny pointed out of the window, showing Draco the beam of light shining through the rain.
"Hmmm..." Draco turned around to look, holding on to Ginny's hand.
Ginny leaned against his warm shoulder, revelling in the feel of his smooth shirt. She thought about all those tortuous hours she had waited for Draco to awake. She no longer felt that tight knot in her chest that was there before Draco awoke. Then, she realised something.
"Draco, I have something to tell you..."
"What?"
"I love you..." Ginny said quietly, shyly looking into those pale, grey eyes of his. He stared at her, his eyes boring into her.
He did not reply. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked away. Although she was a little disappointed, she never expected anything else. Draco was not a very expressive person. He never told anyone what he truly felt. He–
"I love you too, Ginny..." Draco said truthfully in a soft voice. She looked into his eyes; they were shimmering with love for her. Her lips curved into a smile. Then, his lips landed on hers, kissing her gently.
Everything fell into place. It was perfect.
A huge fiery sun rose gracefully from the horizons beyond. The majestic, blazing ball of fire sent rays of sunlight chasing away the dark clouds and rain. Draco and Ginny watched the sun rise together.
It was a new day. A new year. A year where peace would descend after the years of war. A year where everyone would be safe and where the light side reigned over the dark. The new year started, with the sun rising merrily and Ginny and Draco holding each other, untainted by its dark pasts of war and horror.
A/N: Hope you like this story! It was raining for the past few days so I had the sudden inspiration from the rain. It's a oneshot, so there will not be any more chapters. I'm currently writing another story, Under the Table. It also about Ginny and Draco. So, if you have not read it, go read it! Haha. Send in your reviews! Thanks!