WARNING: this chapter will contain slight Deathly Hallows spoilers. If you haven't read it, don't read any further. For those of you who have read it, you know I'm not gonna stick entirely to that plot. No Harry/Ginny here, thank you.

Chapter Fourteen

The Hardest and Easiest Choices

Draco stared at the beautiful young woman he loved.

He crossed the room again, taking her into his arms with a wonderful tenderness. "You're wonderful, you are." He whispered into her hair.

Ginny pushed back to stare at him. "Don't you care?"

"Of course I do. But it doesn't matter. I love you Ginny. Love changes everything."

Ginny met his eyes. "Everything?"

"Everything." He kissed her swiftly. "I think I knew all along, but now I'm going to need your help." Quickly he outlined the plan he had set into motion just before he found her. He tried apologizing, but Ginny would have none of it.

"What's done is done, my love. We have to get to that tower. We have to help Dumbledore! If Snape thinks you've chickened out, he's likely to kill him!"

Draco's eyes widened at the possibility. He took her hand and together they ran to the Lightning Struck Tower. They burst into the stairwell but Draco stopped her again. "Can you make youself invisible?"

"Of course." She replied instantly.

"Do it. I don't want to unsettle Snape any more by having you show up."

Ginny nodded then disappeared. He suddenly ached to kiss her again but controlled himself.

They started up the stairs once more and emerged in the room.

"Stop!" Draco cried as Snape reached for his wand.

Snape looked at him. "It's for your own good."

"I don't care! Don't kill him!"

"I have to."

"No you don't! You always have a choice."

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore interceded. "What Severus means is that I am making him do this."

Draco nearly dropped his wand at this. GInny too felt her jaw drop.

"But... but why?"

"It would take far too long to explain right now. You have interrupted a delicate process, but I suppose that's also a bit of your fault, Miss Weasley. Or are we Adriana right now?"

Ginny gracefully stepped out of the invisibility and faced him. "Professor..." She looked ready to argue but she seemed to see something in his eyes and she sighed. "What do we do now then?"

"Miss Weasley, you return to your common room and wait for the Death Eaters. Mr. Malfoy, Snape will take you into hiding. In five years the Fidelus Charm will wear off and the two of you may go about your merry way."

Ginny opened her mouth to say that the Fidelus Charm only wore off after the Secret Keeper had been dead for four years. But she saw in Snape's eyes he already knew. In a year he would die.

She bit her lip and turned to Draco. "I guess this is good bye then..."

"Yeah." He looked at Dumbledore, "Can I still write her?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "It would not be safe. Miss Weasley will have her plate well and full I imagine, trying to keep her family in line once she tells them about your relationship."

Ginny winced. She had not thought of this before and magically gifted or not, she did not appear to relish the chance to tell her mum. She turned to Snape.

"Professor... I'm sorry."

"You're an exceptional girl, Miss Weasley. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Ginny turned once more to Draco.

There were no words, but they were not needed. They merely held each other for a few seconds then there was the sound of a scuffle outside the door and Draco was kissing her again. "Be safe."

"You two." She replied even as Dumbledore calmly said, "Apparation would work nicely."

Ginny stepped away from Draco and Apparated into her bedroom. She sat down hard on the bed, clutching her head. During her second year Dobby had once told her how to apparate from one room to the other inside Hogwarts. She could Apparate from one room to another in Hogwarts, but could not go further than edge of the grounds.

She wanted to cry, but contained herself in time.

There was much to be done. And Fucking miles before I sleep.

(A/N: Did you cry? I did.