The Phoenix and Dragon
Chapter 2: May 1999
"At the Crossroads"

"Psst, Ginny.". "Ginny." "Are you awake?" "Ginny…look I'm sorry for everything." "Ginny." "Gin…"

A very tired nearly eighteen year old Ginny Weasley stirred in her sleep, her mind was wandering, she could her name by a familiar voice that she once held in her esteem- "Draco" she whispered. Instantly, she opened her eyes and noticed a stark white room with too much sun light. Ginny turned her head to the person speaking her name and glared. She also noticed for the first time that she was in a hospital bed in Hogwarts' school infirmary.

"What do you want Malfoy?", Ginny said with all the hate she could muster for a name. Ginny sat straight up wearing a hospital gown with her sheets resting on her legs, her shoulder length straight red hair was a mess but she looked radiant.

Draco mildly surprised by her reaction was sitting across Ginny in his own hospital bed. His signature blond hair which was cut short was sticking up from the top and he was still gaunt from his turbulent sixth year.

"So you still recognize my voice, huh Ginny?", Draco looked at her with a smile, looking like a handsome devil.

"Don't call me 'Ginny' you arse and of course I would recognize your annoying voice. So I am asking again, What. Do. You. Want?", Ginny couldn't believe she was in the hospital and that too Draco calling her name and whist wondering why she was here in the first place.

"Ginny, we have known each other for years-" Ginny cut him off before he could continue, "No, we don't, we don't know each other at all. Just call me your usual, 'Weaslette' or 'Girl Weasel'; only my friends call me Ginny".

Draco looked down, he knew this would happen, he had dished out so much torment over the years on her friends, her family and herself as well. But, he was hoping that his final year at this magical school would possibly be the time where he get a second chance in life. However, it really hadn't worked out so well, everyone was still vary of him especially any of the students from his year who had returned to continue their education after the Battle of Hogwarts.

With all sincerity, Draco said "Ginny, look, I just want us to be friends again. I'm so sorry for everything that happened since our last day at MOM. The next coming weeks will be my final days here, I am trying to overcome the past, I'm trying to better myself. I would like a second chance."

Ginny was aghast, a second chance, he wanted a chance after all that occurred; would he give anyone a second chance if they were in his place? However, before she could respond, Madame Pomfery had walked to their beds from her sleeping quarters.

"Good morning, Ms. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy. How did you sleep? Do you remember how you ended up being in a hospital bed?", asked the Matron of Hogwarts School Witchcraft and Wizardy.

There was no answer from the patients. Poppy Pomfery was getting tired as the sole school nurse. She was now considering a formal request to be Head Matron at St Mungos', where she would be focused on supervising a staff and on administrative work, her possible new position was sounding better and better after thirty years of being at Hogwarts.

Madame Pomfrey was getting a bit annoyed but continued "Alright then, do you recall why you had come here in the first place before you both had passed out within a few moments of entering the hospital?"

Both Draco and Ginny recollected separately, that they had come to the infirmary to get a tonic for a persistent migraine that was getting worse as the day wore on. Ginny remembered walking to the infirmary at about 5pm after trying to work on her year end Charms project, but failed to do so and decided to finally do something about her painful headache. Draco recalled how he woke up with a pounding headache that just wouldn't get better no matter what he tired, he was in his nearly empty dormitory room when he decided that he couldn't concentrate on his final Potions essay and walked to the infirmary at 5pm.

Ginny spoke up first "Madam I had come in to get a tonic or some medicine for a headache that I had the all day yesterday, there were times that the headache was a little less painful so I thought it was getting better but really it was just getting worse. I couldn't focus on my project and that was when I decided to come up here and speak to you."

Madam Pomfrey looked at Draco, who said, "I too was having a headache the whole day and it was getting worse, so I decided to come up here for some sort of cure. That's when I saw Ginny by your desk."

The surprise on both the matron's and Ginny's face was evident when Draco called Ginny by her given name. Draco realized a little late the slight mistake he made, it was no secret that the Weasleys and Malfoys had a long held family feud.

"Right. Yes, I saw the both of you enter, I was afraid that you may have hexed each other, but now it doesn't seem likely. You looked at each other for a few seconds before fainting, I levitated the each of you to your beds and here we are. Because of this episode you also skipped dinner last night and that could be the reason why you both passed out. Do you still have the headache or any pain?", asked Madam Pomfrey looking at both teenagers.

They answered by shaking their heads no.

"Since you both seem fine and nothing seems out of the ordinary, I would suggest you both eat your breakfast here and get back to your houses. As procedure dictates, I will fill out a report and place the report in your files. I have placed a vial of headache relief tonics on your breakfast trays, please have it after you finish eating. Have a good day and if the headaches return, please come back to see me," Madam Pomfrey mentions and goes back to her quarters.

A delicious breakfast tray magically appears near their beds, thanks in part to the elves who stayed back at Hogwarts to continue their service while now getting their employment benefits of pay and housing.

Ginny starts to eat right away, she doesn't want to be in a same room as Draco. Now that she knows that Draco wants to be her friend, she doesn't know how to react to this disclosure. Of course, she had thought about it, but the years of animosity and circumstances had put that thought out of her mind. She was still very upset about Draco's role with Dumbledore's death which included Bill's disfiguration, plus hearing about Draco trying to turn in Harry during last year's final battle did not sit well with her. However, she also couldn't forget his role in not identifying Harry when the trio was captured and brought to Draco's home. She also couldn't forget how Luna spoke to everyone about Draco's treatment of her and the other prisoners at Malfoy Manor with tenderness and decency on all levels. Ginny felt that she was not wrong in his character assessment from years before.

Draco noticing Ginny's hurriedly eating, starts on his meal, he knows that he won't get through Ginny now. She is too upset by everything, he doesn't blame her but wishes that maybe she could just for a moment see things from his side. Of course she didn't know how he felt when he meet Voldemort after his fifth year, a true creature out of Draco's nightmares and how he was given a task that surely would have ended his life and of his parents in one stroke. Ginny had no idea about his fears, his dark moments and of his only solace, a ghost in an abandoned girl's bathroom.

Draco knew that Ginny didn't know how he felt when his own aunt, Bellatrix had targeted her because she had delved into his mind and saw his friendship and secret crush on the red head. He was ever so thrilled that his deranged aunt's life had ended by the hands of the formidable Molly Weasley. No, she had notion of what was in his heart or head. So for now, he would end his pursuit of a being friends with Ginny. He hoped with time that she would see him a different light. People change, he mused, he has and promised to better himself once this part of his life was completed.

A noise of the heavy hospital doors opening took the pair out of their internal analyzing. Hermione Granger, the only one of the trio attending the extended year at Hogwarts entered the infirmary to look for Ginny. She was contacted by Madame Pomfrey to take Ginny back to her common room due to a fainting spell from a migraine the night prior. Madame Pomfrey also happened to mention that students from Slytherin House were a bit too busy to help Draco Malfoy.

"Ginny, oh my goodness, how are you feeling? I'm here to take you back to the common room," said Hermione while taking in the unusual pair in hospital beds.

"Good, I just finished my breakfast and took my headache tonic. Let me go change and we can be off," said Ginny while getting up from her bed and picking up her clothes.

As Ginny walked to the bathroom, Hermione turned to Draco cordially and said "Malfoy, hope you feel better soon."

With a nod to Hermione, Draco watched as Ginny was ready to head out. He caught a brief about Hermione saying how Madame Pomfrey thought that they both had hexed each other, but it was soon ruled out this morning and said with amusement, "Ginny, I will never forget the bats flying out of my nose. I can laugh about it now, I guess."

At his words, both Hermione and Ginny turned, Hermione was stunned at the fact that Malfoy not only knew Ginny's first name but that he also said it with a smile on his face. Ginny on the other hand was completely taken a back by Draco's words. She grabbed Hermione's arm and hurried out of the infirmary.

Hermione stopped Ginny and asked why Malfoy was calling her by her given name, "I don't know why he is calling me 'Ginny', we aren't friends," she said sounding very ticked off.

Hermione looked at Ginny and continued, "I heard from Ron and Harry, since they doing their Auruor training at MOM, they mentioned that Malfoy and his parents will be on trail after he completes his final school year. Harry plans to testify for Malfoy Junior and his mother."

"Oh, well that's kind of Harry. But, I thought they wouldn't put Mal-Ferret and his mum on trail. I am not surprised by his father's house arrest and being called in, but his mother did help Harry by lying to Voldemort, so why them?", asked Ginny with a neutral look on her face, but inside her heart was pounding, regardless of everything she didn't want Draco to be in prison.

Ginny also didn't realize that the ramifications from the war would continue and the wounds that many thought had been healed would reopen. She had just come to terms about life moving forward without so many of her friends and her wonderful and funny brother, Fred. It was also one of the many reasons why Ginny wanted to come back to Hogwarts, she wanted face her past with the Chamber and the Carrows head on, it was her way of having a cathartic experience in order to live her life on her own terms and to walk away from one of her favorite places with good memories. In part of this choice, she also made a big decision on not to continue with a relationship with Harry Potter. Ginny knew in her heart that she wasn't the right person for Harry, she felt that he needed to focus on himself for a change, so much had happened to him. They both needed to heal from turmoils and that couldn't be done while working on a relationship at the same time. It wouldn't be fair to both parties.

"I think they want to hear from everyone about what happened in the last two years. Draco Malfoy was a catalyst and since Harry will stand up for Malfoy, he knows what exactly happened before Dumbledore was killed by Snape, he also has Snape's memories so all of this will be used at the Malfoy trials. I am pretty sure that Malfoy Junior and his mother will be set free but with heavy scrutiny into their bank accounts and personal lives for some time," Hermione continued while walking with Ginny in the direction of the Gryffindor tower as Ginny could only think of her one time friend and his upcoming trials.

For Draco Malfoy, he was promptly taken away from school after finishing off his final exams which were a few days after the incident. His parents deeply felt that someone was trying to hurt their son. Since they had listened to Draco who wanted to come back and finish his schooling, it was his turn to listen to his parents' request of coming back home. For Draco, in addition to finishing his education, he wanted to face the consequences of his actions, it was hard decision and the year wasn't easy for him, but he knew that he would come out with a better understanding of life.