"I couldn't do it. I couldn't." She whispered into his neck as Draco held her tightly. "I saw you watching, and he was talking about you and I…I….I am sorry"

Draco ran his hands over her cheeks, collecting her tears "Why are you sorry"

"We will both surely die now" She sobbed, tightening her arms around his neck.

"Virginia…" He began "I do not fear death if you are at my side" Virginia only tightened her arms around him.

"You are injured" Virginia said sadly, running her fingertips up Draco's side. He winced as the feather light pressure passed over his broken rib. "We must get you to the doctor"

"No, Not the doctor. It is to risky to go to the doctor…" Draco replied, lifting his weight from the barn, which he had been leaning against. "The whole town is suspicious of us. If we go to the doctor, then they will know you have come back."

"But you are hurt. I can not stand to see you hurt, in pain…" Virginia mumbled. "And we can not stay here. It is dangerous for us here to…"

Resting as much weight on his own legs, Draco made to move towards the fence. "Then we must go"

"Where? We have no where to go." She told him He ignored the question, and concentrated on walking, slowly towards the border line of the property. He stumbled, and Virginia moved quickly to his side, helping him walk.

~*~

"How long do you think it will be before they realise we would have come here?" Virginia asked worriedly as she stood at her bedroom door, and looked out onto the horizon. In the distance, the mountains shone in the dwindling sunlight. She knew what was on the other side of those mountains. Boston.

As a child, back when everything was good. Before The witchcraft, before the plantation shut down, before her father moved away. Before everything, she used to sit on the window sill and dream of Boston, what it held, what it could be for her. But now, it was a haven, her dream used to be to go to Boston to live, but now, her dream is to go to Boston and survive.

"I don't know, but it will be soon." Draco replied from where he lay on her bed. His breathing was shallow and painful as he tried to sit up again. Virginia moved to his side.

"Lay back Draco. Don't hurt yourself" She whispered, but Draco did not listen, he just sat up a little more and propped himself up on his arms.

"Your dress is still ripped Virginia" he told her softly, his eyes lingering on the ripped neck line of the old, dirty garment. Virginia looked down to where his gaze was, blushed, and stood, moving away from the bed.

"I better get another dress then" She smiled, moving to the small dresser in the corner. She pulled out the only dress in there, and then held it up to her body, looking at herself in the broken mirror.

"That is a beautiful dress Virginia" Draco smiled, Virginia nodded.

"It was my mothers. She married my father in this dress. She kept it, hoping that one day I would be married in it, but… It looks as though this will be the dress I am to die in" Virginia sighed, and then moved into the next room to quickly change into the dress.

When she returned, Draco's breath caught when he saw her. Virginia looked like an angel. When she had changed, she had managed to run a small comb through he hair, the comb was ratty with many teeth missing, and did very little for her knotted hair, but now her long red hair was a little more manageable. She looked stunning in the soft peach fabric. If Draco had of had the strength, he would have stood and pulled her into his arms, But for the moment, he had no choice but to just stare at her, and notice she had tears in her eyes.

"What is going to happen to us Draco? Are they really going to kill us?" she asked. Draco took a deep breath, and nodded slightly. Virginia moved back to his side again and sat. Draco took her hand.

"I will be with you till the very end, I will never again leave your side. You don't have to go through this alone" He told her "You will not be alone"

"Are you scared?" She asked.

"I am scared that I will lose you. I don't want to lose you when I have just found you." He whispered, pulling her into his arms and shifting on the bed to make space for her.

Virginia did not know how to reply. Everything in her world had changed so quickly, and she could not explain it, even to herself.

"Where you really going to give yourself to my father?" Draco asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I only did what I thought I had to do" she whispered, tears welling in her eyes a the mere mention of Draco's father.

"Did…Did he hurt you?" Draco asked softly. Virginia rolled onto her side and burried her head into Draco's shoulder.

"Only with his words" She replied softly, running a gentle hand down his chest "How are your ribs?"

"Swollen, Broken, Painful" Draco listed. Virginia nodded, and pressed a soft kiss to his chest. "But they feel a little better now"

"I wish things were different, I really wish that they were." Virginia sighed. Draco just tightened his grip on her shoulders, pulling her to him. "We have no choice but to wait here till they come for us, do we?"

"WE may have more time than we think" Draco mumbled into her hair and then kissed her forehead softly. "Maybe we will have till morning…"

Draco paused when beside him he felt Virginia tense. She sat up and ran to the window sill. Shifting his weight a little, Draco sat up, and looked out to the horizon, where the sun was swiftly setting.

Two horses were making their way towards the Weasley's house, and behind them, the whole township was following. Some had pitchforks and others had large candles, some where even screaming quotes from the bible.

Shooting Draco a nervous look, Virginia ran her hand quickly through he hair, "It seems our time has run out"

~*~

"Come out witch. Come out or we set fire to your house!"

"Draco, what do we do?" Virginia asked softly. Draco sat up and stood, holding her in his arms. He didn't know how to answer her question, because he did not know what he should do to save them.

"I don't know" He whispered, and then, something hit the side of the house. The townsfolk were outside, throwing stones.

"Should we go out there?"

"They will kill us if we do?" Draco whispered into her hair.

"But they will burn down the house, with us in it if we don't. Draco, I don't want them to burn down my home. I was born here, my brothers, were born here. To see this place, this place of hope burn to the ground, I could not bear it…"

"Alright, I understand…but to give ourself up." He whispered.

"Ahh, young Draco. You think I would have given you that option." Both Virginia and Draco turned to the doorway of the room, where Father John, the local reverend stood in the doorway. "We have come to take the witch, Draco. Step away"

"No" Draco exclaimed, standing in front of Virginia. "I will not let you take her. She is not a witch"

"Come on Draco. She is to be taken into the custody of the courts, she will be placed in prison" Father John said, stepping into the room.

"If she is to be placed in prison, then you may as well lock me up to. I will not let you take her from me." Draco replied. Father John stepped into the room a little more. Draco did not move from where she was standing in front of Virginia.

"Draco, I don't wish to hurt you" Father John began, moving his hands from behind his back revealing the length of rope that he was going to use to tie up Virginia.

"Yes, you don't wish to hurt me, no one ever wishes to hurt me. My mother never meant to hurt me, but she died. My father never meant to hurt me, but he lied, condemned the woman I love and he bashed me, breaking my ribs. You say you don't wish to hurt me, but you are going to. If you did not want to hurt me, then why are you trying to kill us?" Draco asked.

"It is the will of the townsfolk, and the will of god…"

"It is the will of god to murder in cold blood. To murder with no real reason? If that is the way of god then I am not sure that I believe in him any longer." Draco admitted.

Father John was shocked, but stepped forward again. "Surely you do not mean that?"

"Surely I do." he replied "I would rather die than to live with out the word of god, but if Virginia was to leave me than, I have no faith. If you take her, then you take me, and we will die side by side. They are the terms, take them or leave them"

Father John looked at them for a few seconds, considering his options. "Put out your hands Draco. Virginia."

Looking at each other, they both held out there hands and tied them, binding them tightly so that they could not escape.

"Come" Father John said, leading them out of the house.

~*~

The townsfolk cheered when Father John led them from the house and tied them to the back of one of the horses.

Lucius Malfoy glared at his son as the crowds continued to cheer. "So be it"