Ron and Draco stayed close to each other for the rest of the afternoon. Gradually the Weasley's began to realize that something had happened. Charlie noticed almost immediately that his younger brother was happier. Ron was smiling his unruly red hair was continually being pushed out of his eyes by the blonde.
Ginny came home with tears in her eyes that night. She ran straight to her room. When her mother tried to get her to talk, Ginny just cast a silencing charm on her room and continued to cry. Ginny finally quit crying and stood at the window. She closed her eyes and wished. She wished for a new love, a boy who would protect and love only her.
At the three-broomsticks a young wizard was checking in. He had just arrived in England from America. He had longer hair than most guys in America kept theirs and his brown eyes were very expressive. He was partial to red heads with blue or green eyes, his ex had brown eyes. His name is Dylan. Dylan had come into his powers late in his life he had been sixteen when his powers showed.
His powers included, control over the weather and he was a seer. Recently he had been plagued with dreams about a very lovely girl who seemed depressed. He thought she looked beautiful, sad but beautiful. Dylan pulled his hair back in a pony tail as he carried his things up to the room he would be staying in. The room was small, the bed was up against the wall, a small stand in the corner had one draw in it and a window that showed Diagonally at it's busiest state.
He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, forcing his mind to go blank. Music filled his mind, soft and slow. Then a picture formed a long hall way with marble floors and a window at the end. Leaning against the window was the beautiful girl from his dreams. Most times when he saw her it was when she had been crying, this time her beautiful blue eyes had a sparkle in them that could only be happiness. Looking out the window he saw to couples walking far below. One a brunette girl and black haired boy the other a blonde boy and a red haired boy. She was smiling down at the two couples.
Dylan reached out and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. She turned her had and looked back into the hall as if expecting to see someone. Dylan turned just in time to see a man with red hair pulled back in a pony tail.
"Charlie!" she said climbing off the window sill and hugging him. Dylan got hot, he had never seen her, this happy. Whoever this Charlie was, he obviously meant quit a lot to her. Slowly the hall began to fad and Dylan found himself in his room above the three broom-sticks.
Back at the burrow Ginny was putting her trunk in the back of the flying car that had once been flown into the whomping willow that sat on Hogwarts ground. She fought back a smile. Her thoughts were continually haunted by hurt over Neville breaking up with her, although part of her had always known he had loved Luna. Even when they been together she had thought they had a small chance now she knew better.
"Don't think your leaving without saying your goodbyes Ginny." Hermione joked pulling the red haired girl close.
"We'll see you soon." Harry added before he hugged her too.
Ron kind of stared at his little sister, as if just realizing that she was the only one of them going back to Hogwarts. She stared back with a sad smile, her brothers, at least one of them had always been there with her.
"Just think Gin, this is your last year." He said pulling her in hug for the first time in over a year.
Charlie stood off to the back of the crowd. To him it seemed just like yesterday that he had left for his last year at Hogwarts. Now his little sister was going off to hers. Silently he thought that none of them realized just how important that year could be. Hugging his baby sister goodbye he thanked god that she would not be in danger any more.
Draco had taken Blaise to go through all the stuff his parents had left him. Now they sat in the master bedroom looking at the paintings that had been left to him. Staring back at them was a picture of a mad Lucius Malfoy.
"Draco what are you doing here!" the portrait yelled.
"I'm cleaning out my manor." Draco said matter of fatly.
"Your manor, Boy this manor belongs to me as the oldest living Malfoy heir." The portrait all but yelled.
"Except that you no longer live!" Draco shouted.
Blaise just watched as his best friend and the portrait went around and around in an argument that would never end. Or so it seemed until Draco told the portrait that the actual man was dead that shut it up.
"So the Malfoy name will end with you?" The portrait asked
"I don't know." Draco replied.
Blaise turned his eyes on the blonde to see a deep blush covering his cheeks. The two of them spent hours going through things and deciding what would be kept. In the end, portraits of his mother, the family tree and the vanity from his mother's room were the only things he kept. Malfoy manor was a large place with fourteen bedrooms, three bathrooms a large kitchen, two dining rooms and a large library.
"What are you planning to do with this place?" Blaise asked Draco as they walked down the lane.
"I was thinking I'd ask the Weasley's to move in with me." He answered.
"So then you and Ron?" Blaise let his question fade.
Draco's face turned bright red as they turned toward the Burrow. "Blaise I know you think the whole thing is funny but I really like him." Draco all but whispered.
"Hey man if your happy I don't care." Was the reply from Blaise.
They walked to the Burrow in silence. As they walked up to the Burrow the car pulled away. Ginny sat in the back of the car with fresh tears leaving trails down her cheeks. She waved goodbye as they passed Draco and Blaise.
Draco pulled Blaise back for a moment and whispered "Not a word about our little talk." And gave his friend a pointed look.
"Hey dude not a problem." Blaise said raising his hands defensively.
Ron smiled at Draco as the two of them walked up to the Weasley's. Draco returned the smile well aware that his best friend was smirking. Ron pulled the blonde boy into his arms and kissed him.
Charlie looked at his youngest brother with a look of love but also of annoyance. While he was happy his brother had found someone, he felt that it was unfair. He had lost his love. Bill was married to Fleur, Percy well lord only knows, Fred and George didn't care about that and Ginny was heart broken. His lovely Rachael had left in their seventh year for America and a month later he'd gotten a letter telling him of her passing. The letter had arrived the morning of the last trip to Hogsmade. He had been sitting a few seats away from Percy. He had opened the letter and began to read it.
Dear Charlie Weasley,
It's sad to say that this letter is not a happy one. We had sincerely hoped that the next letter we would send you would say that Rachael was returning to England to study. However this is not the case. We are in fact writing about Rachael.
We are sad to say that on the night of February fifteenth she did not come home. At first we thought she had decided to stay at a friend's house over night but the next morning her friends came by to pick her up. When we told them she wasn't here they went crazy and we called the police. By eight o'clock that night they had found a body in the woods not far from a stolen car.
Yes, Charlie our little girl is gone. According to the tests she bleed to death. We won't go into any more detail but we will tell you that she had kept a picture of you in her locket and that she loved only you. We hope you will find someone else to love, we know she would want you to.
Yours,
Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter.
"Charlie, earth to Charlie!" Ron said bringing his older brother back to the here and now.
"What?" He asked looking at the rest of his family and the two new friends.
"We were asking what you thought about us moving in with Draco at the manor." Mrs. Weasley said.
Charlie looked at the blonde boy who was blushing as red as their hair was. He couldn't see anything wrong with it. Draco needed a family and his seemed to make the boy feel at home. Besides he figured they'd be family soon enough.
"I think that would be a good idea, I just have one condition." He said causing his family to look at him.
"Well, what is it?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"I want the Burrow." Was his short answer.
Ginny sat alone in a compartment on the train. Her long red hair hanging down around her shoulders as she looked out of the windows. Her tears were all gone and her hurt was beginning to fade into the back of her mind.
Dylan was looking for a place to sit when he looked into a compartment to see the girl who had been haunting his dreams and thoughts. He knocked and she looked up and motioned for him to enter.
"I'm sorry to disturb you but could I sit in here?" He asked
"Sure" She said and he sat down.
"My name is Dylan by the way." He said in way of introduction. "Dylan Carpenter."
"Mine's Ginny." She said "Ginny Weasley."
"It's nice to meet you." Dylan said
"Where are you from?" Ginny asked
"America." Dylan replied "My parents moved to America when my older sister was in her 7th year."
"You have an older sister?" she asked
"I did, but she died before I turned five." Dylan replied "What about you any siblings?"
"Yes, I have brothers." She said hoping he wouldn't ask how many but of Crouse he did. "I have six brothers."
"Wow." Was his only reply.
"Do your parents ever talk about your sister?" she asked
"Not much." He answered "They really miss her."
"Yeah I bet they do." She said as she turned her attention back to the window.
Dylan closed his eyes and focused on the girl sitting across the compartment. He could feel pain radiating from her. The same kind of pain that his parents often had around them, the pain of losing a loved one. With his focus on her he didn't notice when a storm started up outside the window.
"Wow." Ginny said snapping him out of his thoughts. She was staring at a rain that was falling like a curtain. "That's beautiful." Dylan smiled causing the rain to stop and a rain bow to appear.
