A/N: Here's the answer to the cliffhanger! I hope it makes sense.

The Safe House

Chapter Eight

Draco was writhing in pain on his bed, sweat and tears were pouring down his face, and his clothes were clinging to his body. All of the covers had been kicked to the floor, and Ginny could see the muscles in his body tensing and releasing rapidly as he was hit with waves of pain. He was clutching his left arm to his chest, and his eyes were clenched shut. He screamed out again, and it jolted her into action.

Ginny ran to the desk and grabbed his wand. She looked at the clock, noting that it was 12:01. She would only allow herself ten minutes before she would resort to more drastic measures. Memories of victims flashed through her mind. During the last few weeks before her abduction, there had been a few Death Eaters found in a catatonic state, all had died quickly, their bodies simply shutting down from being tortured. The last one she heard about was found already dead. The medical community had been worried that there were some rogue members of the Order that had begun hunting Death Eaters and using Dark Magic to kill them. Now, she realized, it had been Voldemort. He had found some way to kill his own followers, using their Dark Marks.

"DRACO! I am going to perform some spells on you. And then I am going to get some potions from downstairs."

Ginny began waving the wand over his entire body, muttering many spells to cool the body temperature, slow the heart rate, and numb the nerves. Draco was gritting his teeth but seemed to be able to hold in most of his screams. He looked at her briefly before squeezing his eyes shut again. His rocking slowed down after the last spell, and she took off running down the stairs to the potions pantry. Searching quickly through their supplies, she grabbed the Burn-Healing Paste, Calming Draught, and Sleeping Potion. When she arrived back in his room, she glanced at the clock again. 12:08. She knew the spells that she had performed were not going to last very long and was debating whether or not she should just keep reapplying them until it ended. As she kept her eye on the clock, she forced the Calming Draught down his throat and wrenched his left arm free in order to apply some of the paste. 12:10. He cried out once more, and his body started shaking violently. She knew it was time to do something that she had only done once and not with someone who was actively being cursed.

Taking a large gulp of the Calming Draught, she held her left arm to his, clasped his hand in hers, and then with a complicated flick of the wand, she shouted, "SORBERE DOLORO!"

Fire and ice combined throughout her entire body, and she jerked her head back and screamed in pain, her eyes wide with fear. It was shocking to feel so much pain. If the spell had not been keeping them joined together, Ginny would never have been able to hold on to him. She started to fear that they were both going to die, and she began sobbing in grief and in pain. She was only barely aware that Draco had pulled her closer and had wrapped his legs and other arm around her. Draco had no idea what Ginny had done, but he knew that he was suddenly able to bear the pain. It was horrible still, but he didn't feel his mind gradually slipping away anymore. It had been a strange moment when he almost stopped feeling altogether, yet he had known that just on the other side of that relief was insanity. He was almost welcoming it, but suddenly, Ginny was holding him and somehow pulling the pain away from him. He didn't even think about what he was doing as he surrounded her with his body, but he felt drawn to her like the strongest magnet. He was clinging to her as if she were giving him life. They both could feel power and pain surging back and forth between them. They were connected by the very essence of their magic. Minutes or maybe hours passed, but finally the pain had stopped. They both fell to their sides, still clutching to one another.

Ginny slowly turned her head to check the clock. 1:17. She wasn't sure how long they had been under the spell or how long they had been lying half-unconscious in its aftermath. She wanted to feel relief, but the residual pain in her body and the drain on her magic was pushing her to get up and continue healing him, and then herself. Draco was stirring and gingerly started to sit up.

"Unh." He grunted and slipped back down onto the bed.

"Draco, lie still. I forgot to get the chocolate." Ginny struggled to stand up from the bed and almost fell to the floor when taking her first step.

"Don't…go," he gasped. He looked at her with fear and worry written across his face.

"It will help. I can do this, Draco." She hadn't attempted to take another step because she could see how worried he was for her.

Finally, she managed to get to the hall before dropping to her knees. Okay, Ginny, you can do this. Just take your time. Crawl if you have to. Just keep moving! She placed the wand in her teeth and made her way to the stairs. After painfully crawling backwards down the staircase, she paused at the bottom of the steps and began to cry. Her body ached, and she was so tired, but she knew that to use any magic would likely render her unconscious and leave Draco without much-needed help. Get moving, Ginny. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and MOVE!

It took her several more minutes to make it to the pantry where she quickly ate half a bar of the chocolate. Common chocolate substance. She smiled to herself when remembering Draco's description of the medical chocolate kept in the potions pantry. She found a bottle of Pepper Up Potion and took the smallest sip. She knew that her body needed rest and did not want to stay awake any longer than necessary once Draco was stable. With him in mind, she took another small sip of the potion and then pocketed the vial in her bra. Leaning back against the doorframe, she waited for the treatments to take effect. It wasn't long before she felt strong enough to begin the journey back to Draco's room.

When she returned to his bed, he looked at her and sighed with relief. "I was getting ready to come find you." His voice was hoarse from the screaming, but his breathing was calmer than when she had left.

She started to say something witty, but she just couldn't get past her relief at seeing him alive. Her smile started to turn into a grimace as she fought another wave of tears, this time for the man in front of her.

"Hey… Don't cry." He looked at her with so much love in his eyes that it startled her.

"You need to eat this," she said, giving him a bar of chocolate. "And then you need to sleep. I will give you the Sleeping Potion and some more Calming Draught. Do you have the Dreamless Sleep potion in here? I didn't see it." She sat down on the side of the bed and stroked his damp hair away from his face.

He chewed the last chunk of chocolate and then replied, "Yeah, I brought it up with me tonight because of the dreams I had last night. I didn't want a repeat performance." He gave her a wry smile. "It's in the drawer." Her smile instantly faded at his revelation, remembering how sleepy he had been that morning, but she decided not to question him further.

She opened the bedside cabinet and pulled out the potion. "Alright then, drink up." After administering all three potions to him, she tucked him back into the bed and checked his pulse and temperature. She pulled the Pepper Up Potion from her bra, sat it with the others, and moved to sit at the desk chair.

"What about you? Ginevra, you need to lie down, too." He lifted his heavy head and tried to give her a stern look.

"No, I need to make sure that you are okay first. I just want to watch you for a while, and then I might go back to sleep." She smiled warmly at him, attempting to put him at ease.

He dropped his head back on the pillow, and he sounded like a little boy as he pleaded, "No, I need you here. I need to know you are okay, too. Please, get in bed."

"Draco – "

"No, you look awful. You don't have to take the Sleeping Potion, just come and sleep with me." His voice was getting more and more drowsy as the potions began to work.

She watched him drifting off to sleep, and she felt her own eyes drooping. "Okay. I won't take anything."

She crossed back to other side of the bed to be near the potions and the wand that were lying on the bedside cabinet, and then she slipped into the bed. Draco, half-asleep, had turned towards her and immediately drew her closer to him. Ginny vaguely recalled the importance of keeping a patient emotionally stable to further promote their recovery and decided to not pull away from him. Her exhaustion was returning swiftly and sleep was beginning to claim her when she thought she heard Draco mumble into her ear. "I love you."

ooo

Draco slowly opened his eyes and could see a mass of red hair in his face. He smiled as he slowly breathed in the scent that he had grown to love. As he replayed the terrible events of the night before, he instinctively tightened his arm around her waist. She stirred slightly, and he stilled his movement, not wanting the moment to end.

Ginny had been awake for several minutes when she heard Draco's breathing change. She knew he was waking up, but she was still surprised by his sudden embrace and couldn't stop herself from reacting. She lay there for a moment more, wondering what his next move would be. Each time she had awoken throughout the night in order to check over him or perform a few more healing charms on him, she would find herself wrapped in his arms. Each time, she had chosen to return to his bed, but not to his embrace. Now she lay there once again under his protective arm, thinking about the confession she had heard from him in his sleep. She wanted to believe it, but she knew this man had been through hell and she had saved him. He was not the first patient to utter those words to her after avoiding a near-certain death. With that thought in mind, she began to stretch away from him feigning her awakening.

"Mmm…Draco are you up?" she asked quietly.

He was disappointed in her immediate withdrawal from his body. "Yes, just."

She sat up quickly and grabbed the wand, clearly switching into her Healer mode. She muttered a spell and ran the wand over his entire body. Her face was serious with her brow pinched and lips pressed into a line. Draco was fascinated by her and watched her work over his body, enjoying this last bit of intimacy with her. Without even thinking, he lifted his hand and gently touched her hair as it hung down over him. Her eyes flew to his, and he debated whether to pull her to him or not. That moment of hesitation was all she needed to remind herself of his state of mind, and she continued with her ministrations before standing up.

"You have recovered really well so far, but I would still like you to stay in bed today. Rest is the best thing for you right now. Do you think that you could eat something? I think that if you're up to it, then you should definitely eat." Her voice was pleasant and impersonal; it was her professional voice.

"Yes, Miss Weasley, whatever you think is best." He was trying to be funny, but she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Right then. I'll be back with your," she looked at the clock, 11:36, "lunch shortly."

"Only if you eat with me. I won't have you just sit and watch me all day, Ginevra. You need to take care of yourself as well."

"I will be back soon."

She quickly exited the room and went to the kitchen to prepare a light lunch. Thankfully, she had made a soup a few days before that would be perfect. She opened a jar of peaches and put them in a bowl. Once the soup was reheated, she loaded up a tray and started back to his room.

"Bon appetit! Eat slowly, and let me know if you feel like you could get sick." She sat at the desk and held her soup in her hands after she had served the tray to him.

He smirked and watched her for a moment before he began to eat. Draco did not realize the extent of his hunger until he felt the first spoon of warm, delicious soup sliding down his throat. He understood why she had reminded him to eat slowly.

"How are you feeling?" he questioned her after nibbling on a piece of peach.

"I'm doing well, considering what we have been through. Although, I was only bearing half the burden. I should have done more sooner. I'm sorry, Draco. I have never seen that before. I've only heard of it a few times, and as far as I know, you are the first to survive."

"Don't apologize, Ginevra. You saved my life. I hate that it had to involve hurting you." He took a sip of the water. "What exactly did you do? Was that some kind of Dark Magic?"

"No, it is a rarely used, but very advanced healing spell. Dark Magic is selfish magic; this is clearly not. This spell was designed to use in emergency situations where the patient cannot be given the proper potions in order to survive the medical procedures needed to save them. It is always done with at least two Healers, or a Healer and a Mediwizard."

He interjected, "Could you have died, Ginevra?" There was a hint of anger in his voice.

"No. … I don't think it would have come to that. I think he knows how long it takes to kill, and he stopped after that. He would have no way of knowing that I was taking half of the curse for you."

"Have you done this…" He looked at her questioningly.

"Sorbere Doloro."

His face had become very serious, and the anger was becoming more evident in his voice. "Have you done this Sorbere Doloro spell before?"

She looked down at the bowl of soup in her hands, resting in her lap. "Once. It was for Justin Flinch-Fletchley. We found him barely alive after a particularly gruesome attack in Cork. There was no time to get more medicine." She glanced up at him before continuing, noticing that her explanation was not soothing him. "I volunteered to be the Absorber, that's what it is called. We were both bound down to prevent any further damage, and the spell was cast by my partner. He was then able to heal Justin enough to be able to transfer him to St. Mungo's." She finally lifted her head.

His mouth was closed tightly, and he was breathing through his nose. He looked very upset.

She quickly continued, "I, of course, had learnt the spell in training. It was a very morbid lesson, injuring one another and then casting the spell. Waiting for our instructors to heal us. I was very good at both casting the spell and taking the spell. Of course, our injuries were slight, and we only had to wait for maybe five minutes to be healed." She noticed his jaw ticking. "I am fine, Draco. It was more than I expected, but I am fine." She watched him clinching his fist at his side.

He was deep in thought for a moment before he said, "You should have let me die."

"What!"

"You could have been free, Ginevra. You could have gone home, patched things up with Potter, and helped end this war. This house is not keeping you here away from the ones you love. I am."

"Stop it. Don't you dare even think that way!" She stood up and slammed her bowl on the desk. "I would never, could never let you die, Draco. I…I…just couldn't!"

He moved the tray from his lap and held his arms open. She quickly climbed onto the bed and fell into his embrace. "Don't say that, Draco," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I was so afraid of losing you. I want to be here with you. I want to stay with you. I don't want to go back out there."

He closed his eyes and stroked his hand down her back. "I don't want to go back either." He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. "I guess you're stuck with me, yeah? Thank you, Ginevra. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

He leaned forward and kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, but the moment his lips touched hers, he knew there was no going back. He would win her heart, he would make her his, and he would never let her go.

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A/N: I see that people are reading! Thank you! Please feel free to review, too. This has not been beta'd, so I do appreciate the comments.

I have been replying to the reviews through the PM, so check your inbox if you have reviewed. If you don't have an account that I can send a message to, then THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND THE FAVOURITES!

Sorbere Doloro = Latin for 'absorb pain' (well, it probably isn't exact, but that's the idea)

The fluff really begins now! It will last for quite a while before anything else dramatic happens. I hope you enjoy!