A/N: Well here it is, the last chapter of Piercing the Darkness! ::wipes
the tears away:: Thanks to all of you who stuck through it with me and
were so encouraging! I dedicate this chapter to you!!
(I heard this song the other day on the radio, and took a quote from it..I was ecstatic! It fit with my story so well!)
~*~
Somewhere in this darkness there's a light I just can't find.
Maybe it's too far away
Or maybe I'm just blind...
~*~
(When I'm Gone by 3 Doors Down)
Piercing the Darkness
Chapter 17 Darkness Forever
******
All throughout the day Ginny pondered over Dumbledore's scar, which meant that she was thinking a lot about Draco too. She wanted everything the way it was before-before she had seen Harry kill Voldemort, before Draco had taken her, before she had gained that tiny bit of courage and punched him that day that seemed so far away in her mind. But it hadn't been more than a couple of months ago. And since then she had grown and matured in ways that she had not been expecting.
She decided not to eat dinner. The questioning eyes and whispers were almost too much to bear. And she didn't want to run into Draco for fear that she might give in. 'Give in to what?' She asked herself. 'Into love.' Her conscience replied.
But inevitably Draco found her. By way of letter.
Ginny sat down on the corner of her bed, staring at the owl and the letter it was trying to get Ginny to untie from it's leg. She knew who the letter was from, and still she was afraid to open it. This resulted in much squawking from the poor owl that wanted its mail delivered, and his payment.
Finally Ginny took the letter, and the grumpy owl nipped her hand before ruffling its feathers and taking flight. It hadn't even waited for his pay.
The letter was brief and to the point.
Dear Ginny,
Would you please meet me in the gardens? At the bench under the great Magnolia around dusk? I need to see you.
~Draco
Ginny gulped and stuffed the expensive piece of parchment under her pillow as she stuffed her face into it, letting her cries come out muffled. She hated him for making him feel the way she did. She hated him for making her agonize the way she had. She hated him for being so annoyingly gorgeous. She hated him for turning on her, and making her believe that he was truly evil.
But she loved him for who he was.
******
"Ginny?" Ron entered his sister's dormitory to find her crying into her pillow.
Ginny didn't turn to look at him, and she didn't feel like talking.
"Go away Ron."
He paused trying to decide weather or not to push on. He decided he wanted to know.
"Please tell me what's wrong."
"I said leave Ron!" she almost yelled, finally pulling her face away from the security of the pillow.
Ron sighed and sat down on his sister's bed. He playfully tugged at her pillow, trying to lighten her mood a bit. She tugged back, not smiling at all. Finally he got it away, and then noticed the letter.
"Who's that from?" he asked, again playfully. "Secret Admirer?"
"No!" Ginny yelled, blushing uncontrollably, and turning to hide the letter away. But she was too slow. Ron pounced on it like a cat, and the smile left his face as he yanked it open.
He balled the letter up in his fist, causing Ginny to cry out and grab at it. Ron pushed her away and stood up solemnly.
"I don't want you seeing him Ginny." He said, his lips set tightly, his fists still balled around the parchment.
"I don't care what you want Ron." Ginny answered as calmly as possible. "He needs me."
"HE NEEDS YOU!?" Ron had lost it. "What do teenage boys ever need teenage girls for!?"
"RON!" Ginny screamed back. "Do I ever question what you do with any of your little girlfriends!?! I mean the ones you manage to keep for more than a day." She added nastily. "Plus, Draco isn't like that! You don't have any idea what he's been through....what we've been through!"
"Maybe I don't, but I know that he's the one that put you through it!" Ron said, his ears and neck turning beet red. "For all we know, he's going to try and regain Voldemort's power and become the next most powerful Dark Wizard!"
"How dare you!" Ginny yelled back. "You know nothing about him! You don't even know anything about your own sister!"
"Well, I thought I did, but now I realize that she's just some scarlet woman associating with people like Malfoy!"
There was complete silence following his remark until Ginny burst into very loud tears and stormed past him. Ron felt uneasy about what he had just said and called after Ginny.
"Wait Ginny! I didn't mean it! Don't go see him!" He ran down the stairs after her and into the Common Room where Harry, Hermione, and many others were sitting. They were all looking quite overwhelmed to be present in the current situation.
Ginny turned on Ron from her position in the middle of the room. Her black robes twirled with her as she yelled at him through her sobs.
"I'll go see whomever I want Ron!"
"Not if I go to dad you won't! You know he'd never agree to it!"
"You wouldn't!" Ginny yelled, horrified at the idea.
"Oh yes I would!"
"What is all this commotion!?" Professor Lupin had just entered the Common Room to see two very furious redheads yelling at each other.
The room fell silent as Lupin took order.
"Mr. and Miss Weasley please follow me." Lupin also glanced at Harry, and he and Hermione followed also. They went to the staff room, which was located down the corridor.
"Now," Lupin said, as he ushered them into the room.
"Sirius!" Harry called right away, and a large black dog ran up wagging his tail, and then transformed into the former convict, Sirius Black, right before their eyes.
"Hello Harry." He said happily. "And Ginny," He stopped casting a quizzical look towards Lupin at Ginny's state of tears and frustration. "We are glad that you are safe, but what is wrong?"
Ginny turned and glared at Ron.
"Ron just feels he has to make it his business to get into my personal life. I'm sorry if I come off rude, but I don't need any guidance from him, or from any of you." She crossed her arms over her chest to show that she was through explaining.
Ron looked as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words to come out.
"Ah," Lupin said. "Well then...." He looked towards Sirius as though unsure of how to handle a delicate situation between brother and sister.
"How about Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I go on a walk, and catch up on things?" Sirius asked, breaking the uneasy silence and patting Ginny on the back. "Maybe it's best if we leave her be."
Ginny shrugged and stormed out of the room, feeling Ron's glare on her back. She didn't care what he thought about whom she concerned herself with. If anything, all he had done was convinced her that she wanted to see Draco even more.
******
Draco paced back and forth and around the garden. 'She's not coming. She's not coming.' He told himself over and over again. But he refused to leave, even though the last rays of sun had disappeared and any hope he had had for them gone. But in his stubbornness he lingered near, afraid to leave might she show.
It was a great surprise to him when she did.
He watched her as she crossed the massive lawn, hurriedly making her way towards the bench under the Magnolia. He leaned against the large tree, blending in perfectly with the surrounding shadows and studied every detail of her as she approached the bench. The way she walked so gracefully, and the way her hair swung causing her to sigh and brush it out of her face again and again.
She sunk down onto the bench, and Draco realized that she had never even seen him. He stood quietly, not making his presence known as he observed her sad and helpless expression. It was then that he realized that she wanted to see him.
He moved from the shadows and stood behind her. She had pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs, and then laid her face in her arms.
"I didn't think you were coming."
Ginny yelped and almost fell off the bench, before quickly turning around to face Draco.
"Don't do that!" She said, although it wasn't an angry tone. "You scared me half to death."
He paused for a moment, an amused expression on his face.
"Have you ever though about what that means?" He asked, sitting down next to her, but making sure that he wasn't touching her.
"What what means?"
"Half to death."
"It's just an expression." Ginny stated curiously.
"But it's kind of odd isn't it.."
Their conversations went on for many hours, until Draco noticed Ginny's eyes starting to droop, and ordered that she go to bed.
"But I want to talk with you...." she yawned as she pulled herself up and leaned on Draco. "Some more."
Draco turned his face away as he helped her across the grounds and up to Gryffindor Tower. He had so longed for her gentle touch. She was so beautiful and innocent. But now he felt like he was no longer worthy of her.....or maybe he was afraid of something else.
******
The next day at dusk, Ginny went out to meet Draco at the same place. Ron would only glare at her as she left, her nose held high in the air. There was nothing he could do to stop her from seeing Draco.
This time Draco was sitting on the bench waiting for her, instead of looming in the dark. He stood as she approached, a mischievous smile playing on his face.
"What?" she asked. "Is my hair a wreck?"
Draco laughed.
"No, it's perfect....you're perfect."
Ginny smiled back at him, and stood in front of him. She expected this to be the part where he leaned in and kissed her, but he turned away instead, an uneasy expression replacing his previous one as he motioned for her to sit.
"Have you gone to see Dumbledore yet?" Ginny asked hesitantly.
He sighed as though that wasn't the conversation topic he had been hoping for.
"No," he replied. "Not yet." He went to lean against the tree.
Ginny found his posture unbelievingly fitting and handsome. She longed to hold him.
"Are you going to? You know he might not make it."
"I don't know Ginny." He said, with a bit of frustration. "Why would the old guy want to see me anyway?"
It was a rhetorical question but Ginny had to answer it anyway.
"Because you saved his life." Her voice faltered a moment, as she turned and looked at him. He was looking away again, apparently trying to act as though he didn't care about the world or anyone in it.
"Draco," he finally turned and glanced at her. "And because you risked your life for him, it left a mark." She went to stand in front of him. "A scar of love."
Draco pulled away and began to slowly walk towards the fountain in the middle of the garden. Ginny fell into step beside him.
"That scar's there because of Voldemort's curse. It doesn't have anything to do with me." He answered briskly, trying to close it.
Ginny's eyes widened. She hadn't known that he knew about Dumbledore's scar.
"I though you said you hadn't gone to see Dumbledore."
"I saw it when he was lying on the floor in Hagrid's cabin." Draco said shrugging. "It doesn't matter though, it's not there because of me."
"Yes it is!" Ginny argued. "It's the only reason it's there! You just can't admit that you showed enough love to save him!"
"I don't care what you say Ginny!" Draco said, raising his voice and turning threateningly towards her. "It's not true!"
Ginny moved backwards, almost tripping. He was beginning to frighten her. As she backed away, he came forward. Suddenly, he seemed very tall and over-powering to her.
"I don't want to hear anymore about Dumbledore, or Potter, or my father! Just drop it!" He said, as Ginny backed into some shrubs.
He reached out and caught her arm before she fell, and suddenly they were very close.
There was a new type of expression on Draco's face, Ginny realized. It was almost indescribable...it was a look of longing...of want. It was a different prospect for Ginny...she had never known anyone who wanted her.
All of a sudden, it was gone. And Draco had turned away once again.
"You'd better go." A sad sort of tone came over him.
"But!" She began.
"Just go!" He shouted again, turning his back on her and walking into the shadows.
Ginny resisted the urge to follow, cry, and yell. Instead she turned and ran back up to her dormitory, never looking back.
******
For days after their brief controversy, Ginny ventured out to the gardens. Always at the same time and at the same bench.
He wasn't ever there.
She sighed as she wrapped her cloak around herself tighter, the December air was cold, and the sky looked as though it were about to burst with crystal snowflakes. She exhaled and watched as her breath punctured the icy air in a spurt of steam-like clouds.
Her brother, Harry, and Hermione had all given up on her, and labeled her as insane.
"Why would you want to go out and sit in the freezing cold, waiting for someone who's not going to show up?" Ron had asked her earlier, as she bundled up, just like she did every evening.
Ginny hadn't responded as she pulled on her gloves and wrapped her scarf around her neck.
"It's been weeks now!" Ron continued. "Apparently he doesn't need you."
Ginny clamped her teeth together hard; she refused to give in to Ron's bait. So maybe Draco didn't need her..
He had avoided her in every way possible. Ginny had restlessly gone over every conversation they had had, trying to remember if she had said something to cause him to ignore her the way he was. She always came up empty handed.
But still she came, every night after a late dinner.
And still he did not come.
******
Draco couldn't concentrate properly on anything. His grades were dropping, the people he had once known as friends had abandoned him, and his mother was deathly sick.
He knew he would never be able to solve his problems unless he went to see Ginny. Draco had watched her sit in the cold every day from his dormitory window that overlooked the gardens. The guilt, pride, and shame had welled up inside him.
He sat, like he did every night, on his windowsill until he spotted her flaming red hair making its way to her usual bench. The first snow began lightly falling. It had come late this year, and everyone had been greatly anticipating it.
So, taking deep breaths, he set off, calming his mind, and trying to push aside the fear of hurting himself, and of hurting Ginny. This fear would always be impossible for Ginny to understand...for she had not suffered through the pain and desire of the dark mark...
"There you are!"
Draco groaned as the youngest male Weasley and Potter approached.
"We've been looking for you." Ron said again, narrowing his eyes at Draco.
"And how long have you been wandering around before you finally realized that I might just be in my house?"
"We haven't been wandering around." Harry said, using the tone of loathing he saved especially for Draco. "We need to talk to you about Ginny."
Draco rolled his eyes and kept walking.
Ron made an annoyed call and told Draco to turn himself right back around.
"I'm actually going to see you're sister Weasley."
"Great." Ron said sarcastically. "After you made a fool out of her."
At that Draco turned around.
"What do you mean?" He asked, glaring as usual.
"She's been going out every night, hoping that you'll be there, and always coming back with that bloody disappointed look on her face. She's acting crazy."
"I can't help it." Draco said, raising his arms in mock innocence. "Girls are crazy for me!"
Harry snorted and Ron glared.
"Just would you please tell her to stop this nonsense and come back in before she catches pneumonia?" Harry asked as politely as he could.
"No." Draco answered simply before heading away again.
"Malfoy!" Ron cried after him in anger and frustration.
"Shouldn't you be off snogging Granger, Weasley?" Draco drawled.
"Hey!" Draco heard Potter shout as he rounded a corner and left their view. "She's my girlfriend!"
******
"I just don't understand them at all." Ron was saying dispiritedly to Harry as Malfoy disappeared from their sight. "I mean, how can Ginny stand him?"
They turned around and headed towards the Infirmary.
"Hermione says they're in love." Harry said.
"This isn't helping much in the way of comfort." Ron said, turning his glare on Harry.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "What?! It's what Hermione said....and Ron, it's probably true. I mean, who goes out and stands in the frigid elements of the weather every afternoon waiting for someone?"
Ron shrugged.
"You're just going to have to accept it," Harry said. "I hate Malfoy just as much as you do, but there's nothing anyone can do about their relationship except themselves."
"Since when did you become the love expert?" Ron asked jokingly.
"Since me and Hermione started going out."
Ron sniggered at the dreamy look on Harry's face and punched his arm.
"Snap out of it Harry!" Ron grinned mischievously. "If you're so in love with Hermione, maybe I ought to take Malfoy's advice and go snog her!"
Harry's dreamy expression was replaced by one of alarm.
"You haven't been snogging her have you!?!"
"Relax Harry! I'm only joking."
Harry unwillingly smiled and punched him back.
They were at the Infirmary now, and for once Madame Pomfrey was smiling and she allowed them in without an argument.
"Miss Granger's already in there." She said as she led them over to Dumbledore's room.
She smiled heartily and let them in.
"I think he's going to be alright." She whispered happily. "He took a change for the better last night."
Harry and Ron entered the elegantly furnished room and greeted Dumbledore happily. He was sitting upright in bed, and eating what looked to be chicken noodle soup.
"Hello Harry, Ron." He smiled brightly and set down his spoon. "I can't wait until I get to eat some real food." He dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Madame Pomfrey doesn't think my stomach can digest anything worth eating." He patted his stomach lovingly. "Of course, she doesn't know how hearty a meal my stomach's used to."
Harry looked over to Hermione as she glanced his way. As their eyes connected, he knew they were both thinking the same thing.
Ole' Dumbledore was here to stay.
******
There she was.
Her red hair stood out brilliantly against the white of the snow. Her back was turned to him as he approached. The fountain Ginny was standing by had frozen over and she was staring at it, shivering in great gasps once in a while, and leaning over to look at her reflection in the clear ice.
There was suddenly another reflection behind Ginny as she stood standing. But she didn't move, and his hot breath sent shivers down her spine.
"Your brother's right. You shouldn't be out in this cold."
His deep voice was right in her ear, and her stomach did a couple of flips. She hadn't been this close to him in weeks, and it was almost intoxicating. Unknowing to her, Draco felt the same way.
She felt his hand on her arm, rubbing up and down trying to briefly warm her and stop her shivering.
But she wasn't shivering because of the cold.
Finally she turned around lifting her face up to meet his.
With a smile on her lips she asked jokingly, "Since when have you agreed with anything my brother's ever said?"
"Never...until now." He narrowed his eyes in all seriousness, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh out loud.
His flat expression broke into a reluctant smile as he took her hand and pulled off her glove, placing it in his own to warm it.
But she pulled away.
"Why do you do this Draco?" She asked.
Draco looked at her with curiosity.
"What are you talking about?"
"That day, a while back," She was trying hard not to stutter. "When we were talking, and then you got mad...I was really hurt when you ignored me..I just, I mean...I guess I had thought that you loved me." She dropped her head and averted her eyes from his.
Draco sighed and tilted her chin back up.
"I won't do it again." He said, his eyes never leaving hers. And somewhat uneasily he brought his lips down to hers, and as he did he felt the pain....but also the warmth and joy of the taste and beauty of her.
Sliding his hands around her waist, and not able to keep himself from pulling her to him as tightly as possible, he caressed her lips with his tongue, longing to go deeper until she finally relented and allowed them both the pleasure of each one's taste. And as the kiss went on Ginny felt him searching her and her knees almost buckled until she had to pull away.
The first thing she noticed as each reluctantly separated, was his eyes.
His eyes were glowing that strange red, like it had when she had been with him...when she had thought that he was a death eater.
She stood, stricken, not understanding and not caring to. Turning to flee, she felt Draco grab her arm, and at the same time he cried out in pain.
Ginny turned slowly back around, and rolled up the sleeve of his robe. A faint trace of the dark mark was still there, but it was no more than a mere outline against his pale skin. She remembered how reluctant he had been to kiss her....and realized that she caused him the pain.
Ginny led him over to the stone bench, and they sunk down onto it together. Draco was cradling his face in his hands, and shutting his eyes tight, so that Ginny didn't have to see...because she couldn't begin to comprehend. He was still trying to comprehend.
"I suppose you don't want to see me anymore." Draco said, still in pain.
Ginny ignored his comment.
"I want to know why this is happening." She asked sternly.
Draco straightened up and turned to her, the red of his eyes still boring into hers.
"I really don't know Ginny..I don't want to be like my father."
As she watched him suffer she realized for the first time that she would never be able to fulfill what she had wanted to accomplish.
There was darkness in him that she could not pierce. It had been forced upon him, and he had done everything to try and defeat it. But with love comes a knot of cruelty that one can not disregard.
She stood up and offered her hand to him, showing that she would except him the way he was.
"You are not your father. He could never love."
They walked hand in hand back up to the castle, and the darkness surrounded them.
Ginny decided that she had never disliked the darkness...and she never would.
~The End~
A/N: I'll write an epilogue if I get enough reviews asking for one, but I'm not sure if any of you would want that, it might ruin the ending or something. Anyhoot, tell me if you do. Even if you don't, leave me a review to tell me what you thought of the ending!! :o)
Thanks to,
Mystique, Stokely, Amaryllis, Riverchic1998,: Aw, that was really sweet! Frederick Weasley: lol your reviews are so funny. TomFeltonLover4eva: Sorry for making you almost cry!! I'm really glad you liked it so much though! Alexis Revelin: ::blushes:: Really? Me a writer? Bess: Thanks for all of the sweet reviews you've left me! Delta 2002 KryptonBlue: Yes, I am evil!! Sorry to leave you hanging like that! Hope you liked this chap! Blue Eyes: Thank ya! Weasley Pride: I just couldn't let Dumbledore die! Luza: The name of my new fic is Facing Fear. Sorry! Thanks for your lovely review!
Yin: Even though I haven't heard from you in a while, I had to put u in here, because I just love any reviews you give me! I still love your story to, and I'm anxiously awaiting chapter 7!
Hells: I love your reviews so much to!! Thanks for sticking with me through this whole story! (and for reviewing my new one!)
Luna Writer: Wow, you've been with me through this whole story too! I really enjoy reading your comments because they are always so encouraging and inspiring. Thank you so much! Can't wait for more of your story!
Alright now, Review!!
(I heard this song the other day on the radio, and took a quote from it..I was ecstatic! It fit with my story so well!)
~*~
Somewhere in this darkness there's a light I just can't find.
Maybe it's too far away
Or maybe I'm just blind...
~*~
(When I'm Gone by 3 Doors Down)
Piercing the Darkness
Chapter 17 Darkness Forever
******
All throughout the day Ginny pondered over Dumbledore's scar, which meant that she was thinking a lot about Draco too. She wanted everything the way it was before-before she had seen Harry kill Voldemort, before Draco had taken her, before she had gained that tiny bit of courage and punched him that day that seemed so far away in her mind. But it hadn't been more than a couple of months ago. And since then she had grown and matured in ways that she had not been expecting.
She decided not to eat dinner. The questioning eyes and whispers were almost too much to bear. And she didn't want to run into Draco for fear that she might give in. 'Give in to what?' She asked herself. 'Into love.' Her conscience replied.
But inevitably Draco found her. By way of letter.
Ginny sat down on the corner of her bed, staring at the owl and the letter it was trying to get Ginny to untie from it's leg. She knew who the letter was from, and still she was afraid to open it. This resulted in much squawking from the poor owl that wanted its mail delivered, and his payment.
Finally Ginny took the letter, and the grumpy owl nipped her hand before ruffling its feathers and taking flight. It hadn't even waited for his pay.
The letter was brief and to the point.
Dear Ginny,
Would you please meet me in the gardens? At the bench under the great Magnolia around dusk? I need to see you.
~Draco
Ginny gulped and stuffed the expensive piece of parchment under her pillow as she stuffed her face into it, letting her cries come out muffled. She hated him for making him feel the way she did. She hated him for making her agonize the way she had. She hated him for being so annoyingly gorgeous. She hated him for turning on her, and making her believe that he was truly evil.
But she loved him for who he was.
******
"Ginny?" Ron entered his sister's dormitory to find her crying into her pillow.
Ginny didn't turn to look at him, and she didn't feel like talking.
"Go away Ron."
He paused trying to decide weather or not to push on. He decided he wanted to know.
"Please tell me what's wrong."
"I said leave Ron!" she almost yelled, finally pulling her face away from the security of the pillow.
Ron sighed and sat down on his sister's bed. He playfully tugged at her pillow, trying to lighten her mood a bit. She tugged back, not smiling at all. Finally he got it away, and then noticed the letter.
"Who's that from?" he asked, again playfully. "Secret Admirer?"
"No!" Ginny yelled, blushing uncontrollably, and turning to hide the letter away. But she was too slow. Ron pounced on it like a cat, and the smile left his face as he yanked it open.
He balled the letter up in his fist, causing Ginny to cry out and grab at it. Ron pushed her away and stood up solemnly.
"I don't want you seeing him Ginny." He said, his lips set tightly, his fists still balled around the parchment.
"I don't care what you want Ron." Ginny answered as calmly as possible. "He needs me."
"HE NEEDS YOU!?" Ron had lost it. "What do teenage boys ever need teenage girls for!?"
"RON!" Ginny screamed back. "Do I ever question what you do with any of your little girlfriends!?! I mean the ones you manage to keep for more than a day." She added nastily. "Plus, Draco isn't like that! You don't have any idea what he's been through....what we've been through!"
"Maybe I don't, but I know that he's the one that put you through it!" Ron said, his ears and neck turning beet red. "For all we know, he's going to try and regain Voldemort's power and become the next most powerful Dark Wizard!"
"How dare you!" Ginny yelled back. "You know nothing about him! You don't even know anything about your own sister!"
"Well, I thought I did, but now I realize that she's just some scarlet woman associating with people like Malfoy!"
There was complete silence following his remark until Ginny burst into very loud tears and stormed past him. Ron felt uneasy about what he had just said and called after Ginny.
"Wait Ginny! I didn't mean it! Don't go see him!" He ran down the stairs after her and into the Common Room where Harry, Hermione, and many others were sitting. They were all looking quite overwhelmed to be present in the current situation.
Ginny turned on Ron from her position in the middle of the room. Her black robes twirled with her as she yelled at him through her sobs.
"I'll go see whomever I want Ron!"
"Not if I go to dad you won't! You know he'd never agree to it!"
"You wouldn't!" Ginny yelled, horrified at the idea.
"Oh yes I would!"
"What is all this commotion!?" Professor Lupin had just entered the Common Room to see two very furious redheads yelling at each other.
The room fell silent as Lupin took order.
"Mr. and Miss Weasley please follow me." Lupin also glanced at Harry, and he and Hermione followed also. They went to the staff room, which was located down the corridor.
"Now," Lupin said, as he ushered them into the room.
"Sirius!" Harry called right away, and a large black dog ran up wagging his tail, and then transformed into the former convict, Sirius Black, right before their eyes.
"Hello Harry." He said happily. "And Ginny," He stopped casting a quizzical look towards Lupin at Ginny's state of tears and frustration. "We are glad that you are safe, but what is wrong?"
Ginny turned and glared at Ron.
"Ron just feels he has to make it his business to get into my personal life. I'm sorry if I come off rude, but I don't need any guidance from him, or from any of you." She crossed her arms over her chest to show that she was through explaining.
Ron looked as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words to come out.
"Ah," Lupin said. "Well then...." He looked towards Sirius as though unsure of how to handle a delicate situation between brother and sister.
"How about Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I go on a walk, and catch up on things?" Sirius asked, breaking the uneasy silence and patting Ginny on the back. "Maybe it's best if we leave her be."
Ginny shrugged and stormed out of the room, feeling Ron's glare on her back. She didn't care what he thought about whom she concerned herself with. If anything, all he had done was convinced her that she wanted to see Draco even more.
******
Draco paced back and forth and around the garden. 'She's not coming. She's not coming.' He told himself over and over again. But he refused to leave, even though the last rays of sun had disappeared and any hope he had had for them gone. But in his stubbornness he lingered near, afraid to leave might she show.
It was a great surprise to him when she did.
He watched her as she crossed the massive lawn, hurriedly making her way towards the bench under the Magnolia. He leaned against the large tree, blending in perfectly with the surrounding shadows and studied every detail of her as she approached the bench. The way she walked so gracefully, and the way her hair swung causing her to sigh and brush it out of her face again and again.
She sunk down onto the bench, and Draco realized that she had never even seen him. He stood quietly, not making his presence known as he observed her sad and helpless expression. It was then that he realized that she wanted to see him.
He moved from the shadows and stood behind her. She had pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs, and then laid her face in her arms.
"I didn't think you were coming."
Ginny yelped and almost fell off the bench, before quickly turning around to face Draco.
"Don't do that!" She said, although it wasn't an angry tone. "You scared me half to death."
He paused for a moment, an amused expression on his face.
"Have you ever though about what that means?" He asked, sitting down next to her, but making sure that he wasn't touching her.
"What what means?"
"Half to death."
"It's just an expression." Ginny stated curiously.
"But it's kind of odd isn't it.."
Their conversations went on for many hours, until Draco noticed Ginny's eyes starting to droop, and ordered that she go to bed.
"But I want to talk with you...." she yawned as she pulled herself up and leaned on Draco. "Some more."
Draco turned his face away as he helped her across the grounds and up to Gryffindor Tower. He had so longed for her gentle touch. She was so beautiful and innocent. But now he felt like he was no longer worthy of her.....or maybe he was afraid of something else.
******
The next day at dusk, Ginny went out to meet Draco at the same place. Ron would only glare at her as she left, her nose held high in the air. There was nothing he could do to stop her from seeing Draco.
This time Draco was sitting on the bench waiting for her, instead of looming in the dark. He stood as she approached, a mischievous smile playing on his face.
"What?" she asked. "Is my hair a wreck?"
Draco laughed.
"No, it's perfect....you're perfect."
Ginny smiled back at him, and stood in front of him. She expected this to be the part where he leaned in and kissed her, but he turned away instead, an uneasy expression replacing his previous one as he motioned for her to sit.
"Have you gone to see Dumbledore yet?" Ginny asked hesitantly.
He sighed as though that wasn't the conversation topic he had been hoping for.
"No," he replied. "Not yet." He went to lean against the tree.
Ginny found his posture unbelievingly fitting and handsome. She longed to hold him.
"Are you going to? You know he might not make it."
"I don't know Ginny." He said, with a bit of frustration. "Why would the old guy want to see me anyway?"
It was a rhetorical question but Ginny had to answer it anyway.
"Because you saved his life." Her voice faltered a moment, as she turned and looked at him. He was looking away again, apparently trying to act as though he didn't care about the world or anyone in it.
"Draco," he finally turned and glanced at her. "And because you risked your life for him, it left a mark." She went to stand in front of him. "A scar of love."
Draco pulled away and began to slowly walk towards the fountain in the middle of the garden. Ginny fell into step beside him.
"That scar's there because of Voldemort's curse. It doesn't have anything to do with me." He answered briskly, trying to close it.
Ginny's eyes widened. She hadn't known that he knew about Dumbledore's scar.
"I though you said you hadn't gone to see Dumbledore."
"I saw it when he was lying on the floor in Hagrid's cabin." Draco said shrugging. "It doesn't matter though, it's not there because of me."
"Yes it is!" Ginny argued. "It's the only reason it's there! You just can't admit that you showed enough love to save him!"
"I don't care what you say Ginny!" Draco said, raising his voice and turning threateningly towards her. "It's not true!"
Ginny moved backwards, almost tripping. He was beginning to frighten her. As she backed away, he came forward. Suddenly, he seemed very tall and over-powering to her.
"I don't want to hear anymore about Dumbledore, or Potter, or my father! Just drop it!" He said, as Ginny backed into some shrubs.
He reached out and caught her arm before she fell, and suddenly they were very close.
There was a new type of expression on Draco's face, Ginny realized. It was almost indescribable...it was a look of longing...of want. It was a different prospect for Ginny...she had never known anyone who wanted her.
All of a sudden, it was gone. And Draco had turned away once again.
"You'd better go." A sad sort of tone came over him.
"But!" She began.
"Just go!" He shouted again, turning his back on her and walking into the shadows.
Ginny resisted the urge to follow, cry, and yell. Instead she turned and ran back up to her dormitory, never looking back.
******
For days after their brief controversy, Ginny ventured out to the gardens. Always at the same time and at the same bench.
He wasn't ever there.
She sighed as she wrapped her cloak around herself tighter, the December air was cold, and the sky looked as though it were about to burst with crystal snowflakes. She exhaled and watched as her breath punctured the icy air in a spurt of steam-like clouds.
Her brother, Harry, and Hermione had all given up on her, and labeled her as insane.
"Why would you want to go out and sit in the freezing cold, waiting for someone who's not going to show up?" Ron had asked her earlier, as she bundled up, just like she did every evening.
Ginny hadn't responded as she pulled on her gloves and wrapped her scarf around her neck.
"It's been weeks now!" Ron continued. "Apparently he doesn't need you."
Ginny clamped her teeth together hard; she refused to give in to Ron's bait. So maybe Draco didn't need her..
He had avoided her in every way possible. Ginny had restlessly gone over every conversation they had had, trying to remember if she had said something to cause him to ignore her the way he was. She always came up empty handed.
But still she came, every night after a late dinner.
And still he did not come.
******
Draco couldn't concentrate properly on anything. His grades were dropping, the people he had once known as friends had abandoned him, and his mother was deathly sick.
He knew he would never be able to solve his problems unless he went to see Ginny. Draco had watched her sit in the cold every day from his dormitory window that overlooked the gardens. The guilt, pride, and shame had welled up inside him.
He sat, like he did every night, on his windowsill until he spotted her flaming red hair making its way to her usual bench. The first snow began lightly falling. It had come late this year, and everyone had been greatly anticipating it.
So, taking deep breaths, he set off, calming his mind, and trying to push aside the fear of hurting himself, and of hurting Ginny. This fear would always be impossible for Ginny to understand...for she had not suffered through the pain and desire of the dark mark...
"There you are!"
Draco groaned as the youngest male Weasley and Potter approached.
"We've been looking for you." Ron said again, narrowing his eyes at Draco.
"And how long have you been wandering around before you finally realized that I might just be in my house?"
"We haven't been wandering around." Harry said, using the tone of loathing he saved especially for Draco. "We need to talk to you about Ginny."
Draco rolled his eyes and kept walking.
Ron made an annoyed call and told Draco to turn himself right back around.
"I'm actually going to see you're sister Weasley."
"Great." Ron said sarcastically. "After you made a fool out of her."
At that Draco turned around.
"What do you mean?" He asked, glaring as usual.
"She's been going out every night, hoping that you'll be there, and always coming back with that bloody disappointed look on her face. She's acting crazy."
"I can't help it." Draco said, raising his arms in mock innocence. "Girls are crazy for me!"
Harry snorted and Ron glared.
"Just would you please tell her to stop this nonsense and come back in before she catches pneumonia?" Harry asked as politely as he could.
"No." Draco answered simply before heading away again.
"Malfoy!" Ron cried after him in anger and frustration.
"Shouldn't you be off snogging Granger, Weasley?" Draco drawled.
"Hey!" Draco heard Potter shout as he rounded a corner and left their view. "She's my girlfriend!"
******
"I just don't understand them at all." Ron was saying dispiritedly to Harry as Malfoy disappeared from their sight. "I mean, how can Ginny stand him?"
They turned around and headed towards the Infirmary.
"Hermione says they're in love." Harry said.
"This isn't helping much in the way of comfort." Ron said, turning his glare on Harry.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "What?! It's what Hermione said....and Ron, it's probably true. I mean, who goes out and stands in the frigid elements of the weather every afternoon waiting for someone?"
Ron shrugged.
"You're just going to have to accept it," Harry said. "I hate Malfoy just as much as you do, but there's nothing anyone can do about their relationship except themselves."
"Since when did you become the love expert?" Ron asked jokingly.
"Since me and Hermione started going out."
Ron sniggered at the dreamy look on Harry's face and punched his arm.
"Snap out of it Harry!" Ron grinned mischievously. "If you're so in love with Hermione, maybe I ought to take Malfoy's advice and go snog her!"
Harry's dreamy expression was replaced by one of alarm.
"You haven't been snogging her have you!?!"
"Relax Harry! I'm only joking."
Harry unwillingly smiled and punched him back.
They were at the Infirmary now, and for once Madame Pomfrey was smiling and she allowed them in without an argument.
"Miss Granger's already in there." She said as she led them over to Dumbledore's room.
She smiled heartily and let them in.
"I think he's going to be alright." She whispered happily. "He took a change for the better last night."
Harry and Ron entered the elegantly furnished room and greeted Dumbledore happily. He was sitting upright in bed, and eating what looked to be chicken noodle soup.
"Hello Harry, Ron." He smiled brightly and set down his spoon. "I can't wait until I get to eat some real food." He dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Madame Pomfrey doesn't think my stomach can digest anything worth eating." He patted his stomach lovingly. "Of course, she doesn't know how hearty a meal my stomach's used to."
Harry looked over to Hermione as she glanced his way. As their eyes connected, he knew they were both thinking the same thing.
Ole' Dumbledore was here to stay.
******
There she was.
Her red hair stood out brilliantly against the white of the snow. Her back was turned to him as he approached. The fountain Ginny was standing by had frozen over and she was staring at it, shivering in great gasps once in a while, and leaning over to look at her reflection in the clear ice.
There was suddenly another reflection behind Ginny as she stood standing. But she didn't move, and his hot breath sent shivers down her spine.
"Your brother's right. You shouldn't be out in this cold."
His deep voice was right in her ear, and her stomach did a couple of flips. She hadn't been this close to him in weeks, and it was almost intoxicating. Unknowing to her, Draco felt the same way.
She felt his hand on her arm, rubbing up and down trying to briefly warm her and stop her shivering.
But she wasn't shivering because of the cold.
Finally she turned around lifting her face up to meet his.
With a smile on her lips she asked jokingly, "Since when have you agreed with anything my brother's ever said?"
"Never...until now." He narrowed his eyes in all seriousness, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh out loud.
His flat expression broke into a reluctant smile as he took her hand and pulled off her glove, placing it in his own to warm it.
But she pulled away.
"Why do you do this Draco?" She asked.
Draco looked at her with curiosity.
"What are you talking about?"
"That day, a while back," She was trying hard not to stutter. "When we were talking, and then you got mad...I was really hurt when you ignored me..I just, I mean...I guess I had thought that you loved me." She dropped her head and averted her eyes from his.
Draco sighed and tilted her chin back up.
"I won't do it again." He said, his eyes never leaving hers. And somewhat uneasily he brought his lips down to hers, and as he did he felt the pain....but also the warmth and joy of the taste and beauty of her.
Sliding his hands around her waist, and not able to keep himself from pulling her to him as tightly as possible, he caressed her lips with his tongue, longing to go deeper until she finally relented and allowed them both the pleasure of each one's taste. And as the kiss went on Ginny felt him searching her and her knees almost buckled until she had to pull away.
The first thing she noticed as each reluctantly separated, was his eyes.
His eyes were glowing that strange red, like it had when she had been with him...when she had thought that he was a death eater.
She stood, stricken, not understanding and not caring to. Turning to flee, she felt Draco grab her arm, and at the same time he cried out in pain.
Ginny turned slowly back around, and rolled up the sleeve of his robe. A faint trace of the dark mark was still there, but it was no more than a mere outline against his pale skin. She remembered how reluctant he had been to kiss her....and realized that she caused him the pain.
Ginny led him over to the stone bench, and they sunk down onto it together. Draco was cradling his face in his hands, and shutting his eyes tight, so that Ginny didn't have to see...because she couldn't begin to comprehend. He was still trying to comprehend.
"I suppose you don't want to see me anymore." Draco said, still in pain.
Ginny ignored his comment.
"I want to know why this is happening." She asked sternly.
Draco straightened up and turned to her, the red of his eyes still boring into hers.
"I really don't know Ginny..I don't want to be like my father."
As she watched him suffer she realized for the first time that she would never be able to fulfill what she had wanted to accomplish.
There was darkness in him that she could not pierce. It had been forced upon him, and he had done everything to try and defeat it. But with love comes a knot of cruelty that one can not disregard.
She stood up and offered her hand to him, showing that she would except him the way he was.
"You are not your father. He could never love."
They walked hand in hand back up to the castle, and the darkness surrounded them.
Ginny decided that she had never disliked the darkness...and she never would.
~The End~
A/N: I'll write an epilogue if I get enough reviews asking for one, but I'm not sure if any of you would want that, it might ruin the ending or something. Anyhoot, tell me if you do. Even if you don't, leave me a review to tell me what you thought of the ending!! :o)
Thanks to,
Mystique, Stokely, Amaryllis, Riverchic1998,: Aw, that was really sweet! Frederick Weasley: lol your reviews are so funny. TomFeltonLover4eva: Sorry for making you almost cry!! I'm really glad you liked it so much though! Alexis Revelin: ::blushes:: Really? Me a writer? Bess: Thanks for all of the sweet reviews you've left me! Delta 2002 KryptonBlue: Yes, I am evil!! Sorry to leave you hanging like that! Hope you liked this chap! Blue Eyes: Thank ya! Weasley Pride: I just couldn't let Dumbledore die! Luza: The name of my new fic is Facing Fear. Sorry! Thanks for your lovely review!
Yin: Even though I haven't heard from you in a while, I had to put u in here, because I just love any reviews you give me! I still love your story to, and I'm anxiously awaiting chapter 7!
Hells: I love your reviews so much to!! Thanks for sticking with me through this whole story! (and for reviewing my new one!)
Luna Writer: Wow, you've been with me through this whole story too! I really enjoy reading your comments because they are always so encouraging and inspiring. Thank you so much! Can't wait for more of your story!
Alright now, Review!!