Author's Note: You've all been amazing!! Thanks so much for your support and love, you cant imagine how much it means. But Final Stand is, finally, over....This Ginny and Draco saga is officially over....!!!! *cries* REVIEW PLEASE!

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1 month later.

"Draco come on, you've been in the bathroom for like an hour." Ginny clicked her tongue impatiently and smoothed the wrinkles from her frock, looking critically in the mirror. Only Hermione and Ron's wedding rehearsal dinner could have possibly persuaded her out of her jeans and t-shirt and into something suitably girly. She giggled absently as she remembered Hermione and Cho forcing her to at least try one of Lavender's old dresses on. Cho had changed her rehearsal dress at least three times in the last month and had had to have several alterations to her final bridesmaid's dress due to the ever swelling 8-month bump she now carried around- Harry was convinced it was twins. Ginny just thought it was going to be a fat baby.

"Draco!" She whined, well aware that if she was late to rehearsal the bride would have a fit and she'd make a scene in front of, literally, zillions of people. Eventually enough was enough, Ginny went to the bathroom door and pushed it open. "Just how long can you shower for?"

Ginny gasped in horror. Draco was slumped against the edge of the shower, water dripping from his half clothed body. The shower was flooding the room. He gripped the shower side with one, white knuckled, hand and was clutching at his chest with the other. It took Ginny a moment of sick hesitation to react. She dashed forward and stepped over Draco, feeling the shower spray begin to seep through her clothes as she fumbled to turn it off.

"Draco what's wrong? What is it? Speak to me…" She slapped his face hard and pulled it to look directly at her, "God damn it Draco!" His eyes drifted in and out of focus; she slapped him again.

"It's the mark Ginny. It's­-" He sucked his breath in sharply. "My parents, they never found the cure 'cause there isn't one. It's a time bomb." Ginny's mind raced on fire.

"What? What are you talking about?" Desperately she clutched to any piece of his skin she could reach, pressing close to his dripping body.

"Voldemort wasn't as stupid as he seemed. If he ever died, then everyone with the Mark died with him. That's his last joke," Draco gave a harsh laugh, "Why he needed so many…why he ever regained strength in the first place…he…he was sucking the life out of us."

"No!" Ginny yelled. "Draco I'll help you, I'll-"

"Shhh love, shhh." He put a finger to her lips and stroked her face, the pain etched out in his feeble expression was more than she could bare. "Just help me get to the other room."

"No Draco, you're going to be fine, don't give up on me, not now." Her face was already wet with tears that were choking her voice. "Not after everything we've been through."

"Ginny…" His face screwed up with the agony. "Just get me into the other room first. Then we'll go from there."

Slowly, agonisingly slowly, Ginny helped Draco inch by inch to their double bed in their hotel room. The couple collapsed in a heavy-breathing pile of pain and clung to each other.

"Draco what can I do?" Ginny whispered, letting him stroke her hair.

"I don't know Gin, I just don't know. I can feel myself going- damn I'm scared." His breath quickened and Ginny hurriedly rolled over and began to kiss his lips softly,

"Don't be." Kiss, "Don't be scared." Kiss, "We're going to be together forever," Kiss. "No," Kiss, "Matter," Kiss, "What." Draco nodded and they kissed more, gently, Ginny terrified of how fragile he seemed. Then she had an idea.

"Wait." She jumped up from the bed with a sudden burst of energy, flinging her hair back out of her face. "I've got to tell the others,"

"No Gin, don't make a scene." Draco struggled to lift himself up a little, Ginny darted back over to him,

"Shh, lie still. They might be able to help, someone must be able to do something, to start working on a cure. Dray…" She fought hard against the tears and the overwhelming urge to panic. "And Hermione's your sister, she should be with you."

"Ginny it's her wedding rehearsal, this isn't the time." But Draco's call was lost to a door slam as Ginny raced from the room. He slowly pulled himself across the bed and reached for Ginny's notebook and a pen- he owed them this much at least. Then began the hardest thing he'd ever had to do since they day he walked away from Ginny.

Ginny skidded to a halt at the bottom of the hotel stairs, not caring about how odd she must look; wearing her dress but still with no shoes on and her hair half-way curled. She hesitated, teetering between dashing out to the garden and pushing her way through the crowd to try and find Mione in the dining hall. She didn't get a chance to make her choice however, as a very round and rosy looking Cho came striding towards her, hair wound up in a chignon, dress flowing delicately around her knees. Her expression was one of excitement and semi-annoyance, she called out, one hand resting securely on 'Bump Potter'.

"Ginny!" She hailed her over and Ginny didn't hesitate. Cho's expression turned to confusion, "You're not even dressed yet Gin- What's wrong?" Now she saw the urgency, the panic in Ginny's eyes as she shifted from foot to foot.

"Where's Mione?"

"She's right through there. But why?" Cho pointed to the crowded hall behind her and Ginny began to shove her way through the melee. Cho was hot on her heels,

"Ginny." She warned. "Ginny what's happened?"

"Mione! It's Draco," She added. "Hermione." At last she spotted her through a gap between two peoples' elbows, gliding around simply glowing, engagement ring glinting and her rehearsal dress light and unassuming- nothing like the stunning wedding dress Ginny and Cho were helping her to make. "Hermione." Behind her Cho was a picture of worry as she grabbed Ginny's arm,

"Ginny Weasley, stop! Is this going to ruin Hermione's day?" The older girl was deadly serious.

"Yes." She told her honestly, and in shock Cho let go of her arm. "Mione you've got to come." Ginny reached her almost-sister-in-law and clutched at the side of her dress, trying to pull her along. "It's Draco," Hermione was confused, looking from Cho to Ginny and then casting around for Ron.

"Ginny what's happening? Slow down sweetie,"

"No you've got to come!" She couldn't convey her urgency enough, "Draco's dying." With that Ginny broke free, away from the crowd and ran back up the stairs, cursing as she tripped and laddered her tights. In the hall Cho was trying to keep up with Hermione's frantic search for the boys, all wedding plans forgotten, they realised the emergency.

"Draco, are you ok?" Ginny burst into the room, letting the door fall behind her with a slam.

"I'm still here love." He looked weak but he was at least standing, propped up a little on the bed. Ginny ran to his arms and pressed herself against his chest,

"Thank god, if you'd gone before I could say…" She began to cry again and looked up at his face wildly, "Don't leave me Dray, please don't leave me all alone."

"I promise sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head and tangled his fingers in her hair, clutching her to his chest.

"The others are on their way." This snapped Draco into action,

"Then we don't have much time."

"What? But I- they're coming, they'll help. Wont they?" Her eyes were wide, lashes heavy with tears.

"You remember I told you about this potion Gin?" Ginny took a second to remember as she stared at the phial.

"Yes, yes, that's the one that will freeze us until-"

"Until the world was one where we could be together, forever." He finished for her, gripping her arm tightly.

"Until there's a cure."

"Until the mark has worn off."

"Until people accept our love." The list could go on. "Do it." Her eyes compelled him,

"You're sure this is what-"

"Sure as I love you, sure as the day turns to night, Draco Malfoy I want us to take that potion, and be together forever." She looked wild and beautiful.

"God I love you Ginny, and I'm so glad-" He stopped as he heard footsteps and raised voices drawing closer. "I'm so glad we found each other and that you are mine, for eternity."

"Quick," Ginny urged, poised on tip toes, ready to kiss away the liquor from his lips. Draco fumbled, uncorked the bottle and threw aside the lid. He gave Ginny one last, nervous, smile and then downed it in one. The effect was fast. Draco began to buckle, his breath constricted, his vision blurring.

"I love you!" Ginny cried as she grabbed her head in her hands and kissed him roughly. The taste was bitter but she refused to break off the kiss, ignoring the pain and only feeling the rough of his moist tongue rolling over hers.

It was over too soon.

-*-

Hermione and Harry tumbled through the door together, stopping short in shock at what they saw, Ron crashing into the back of them, and Cho panting up a few seconds later.

"He killed her!" Ron yelled, angry beyond belief. "He was dying so he had to kill her, bastard!" He was beside himself on the floor by the body of his beautiful little sister, clutching her and shaking her a little, refusing to believe it, "Ginny, Ginny please."

"Ron." Tears were flooding Hermione's face as she bent down and held Ron by the shoulders, kissing his back, "It's alright sweetie, darling, it's ok, she's ok." Harry stepped around their tearful embrace and laid a sad hand on Ginny's head, stroking the soft hair off her face and placing a little kiss atop her forehead. Cho hovered by the door, keeping watch for people coming, unsure how to react except to cry silently. Harry moved to Draco and gently shifted him to a less awkward position, it was all the affection he could manage for his dead-ex-enemy. Then he noticed the phial in Draco's hand.

"Death or suicide?" He asked the other two. Both looked up, shocked, Mione crawled closer across the floor and took it, sniffing the top. She shrugged,

"I don't recognise it," She passed the little bottle to Ron, who found the cork and replaced it, holding the thing gingerly as though it was a time bomb.

Hermione looked around, she saw another clue. "Harry, check it." She muttered and Harry snatched up the letter the second he saw it.

"Oh," He mused, handing it reluctantly over to Hermione, "It's addressed to you."

"Draco's writing," She nodded, taking the thing and holding it delicately.

"Open it." Ron urged, he needed the truth about how his younger sister had died.

Hermione put the letter down on the bed and faced them with tear stains carved in her cheeks.

"My poor brave Draco, my poor brave Ginny." She whispered. "They never told me but they made a potion…"

She explained all about the potion and the idea behind it, but slowly shook her head when she saw the hope shining in Ron's eyes.

"No sweetheart, the potion is here," She held up a smaller phial that had been concealed within the envelope. "Draco switched the potion, they drunk poison, they're dead."

"What?"

"Why?"

"They could have lived."

"No, they couldn't." She told them sadly, helping Ron to his feet. "That mark was going to kill Draco, there was never going to be a cure, it was impossible. He told Ginny the potion would let them freeze in sleep and then wake when the world was one in which they could live and love forever, but that world will never exist. Draco knew it. There was never going to be acceptance for them, even if there was a cure, the scar of the mark would haunt their love. He didn't lie to her," She insisted, "Ginny trusted him, and he did the right thing. He preserved their love, took her to a better place where they could be together forever." Hermione had to stop speaking, stop justifying her brother's actions, because her heart couldn't take any more before it broke for them.

-*-

"You sure this is right?" Harry looked doubtfully around the tower room; it was a terrible ghost. It was a ghost of days gone by in Hogwarts, the days where they occupied the castle, fought, learnt and loved within its walls, this room hadn't changed one bit since Ginny had magically locked it. Hermione nodded firmly and Cho gave a slight smile too, that was her approval as she backed into Harry's waiting arms.

"Ginny," Hermione began, leaning into Ron's embrace, supporting each other. She addressed the two bodies lying on the four poster bed. "You sealed off this room so that when the fight was over and Draco came back to you, you could come back here. No one's been able to touch it since. It's not quite how you planned is it love? But you are both back here at last, together, and I hope you're happy." Her voice was thick with emotion.

"Bye Gin." Ron whispered huskily.

"Goodbye." Cho squeezed Harry's arm, it was his turn to say goodbye.

"I'm glad you found each other. Thanks for dying for me." He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I think you'd be happy that you ended up back here. And I think I should give you this," The other three looked at him quizzically. Harry pulled from his robe pocket the diary that had started the love between Ginny Weasley and Tom Riddle, so long ago. The two lovers were so perfect in each others' arms that Harry couldn't bring himself to put it between them, so he lay it on the bedside table, next to Ginny's head; just in case she should ever wake and want to read it again. "Goodbye."

Hermione locked the door and pointed her wand at the key, thinking for a moment before she recited the spell. Ah well, I think I can safely destroy it, if they ever do wake up- because knowing them they will, they've over come everything else, why not death?- if they ever do, then I think Ginny is more than powerful enough to break the door down. And with a poof, the key was gone, as the four teary survivors left to find their own lives.