Chapter 4
Never Again
A/N: Thank you all reviewers! Your reviews helped me so much. I realize now that I can't please everyone.
I tried to find a solution in between good and bad. Some people wanted happy, and me and at least one other were more for the angst and tragedy. I tried to find the in between and I hope a lot of people are happy with it.
He knew she was crying. That much was obvious. Even though she didn't make a sound. he could tell there were tears streaming down her face. Unthinkingly, he reached out in attempt to comfort her, but she pushed him away. Then she could heard her running away. She was gone.
Suppose I deserve that. he thought sitting back down and covering his eyes with his hand in an attempt to stop the tears from coming. He knew being a Death Eater was a risk. He had no idea it would cost him her. He stared intently at the mark in disgust, before remembering that he served Voldemort, and should not treat the mark so.
All of a sudden, the candles that had fallen to the ground, leapt back into the air and lit up. The room was bright. Draco's eyes instantly hurt. But he took advantage of the fact that everyone's eyes were closed, or squinting. He immediately got up, and hurried out of the room. Praying that Ginny didn't see him depart.
He walked as quickly as he could out of the swimming pool area, and into the corridor. He was pretty far down it when he realized that he was going the wrong way. He promptly turned around and began walking back. Student were streaming out of the door and going of into other directions.
Just as he was nearing the group. He saw the red hair of his love. She was walking in the directions. Her face was tear stained, and her eyes puffy. She was obviously not looking were she was going. And he was to busy looking at her to look where he was going. It would seem by all means of logic the two of them were the most likely to bump into each other. Yet neither of them saw it coming. So when the collision took place, they both fell down.
Draco looked over at her and apologized. But she barely noticed, just nodded her head and left. Well, I think it's safe to say that she doesn't know who I am. If that's good or bad, I'm still trying to figure out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I still didn't believe it. I guess that's understandable. It's such a blow. All this time I never thought I was dealing with a Death Eater. Sure, he could be a Slytherin. He had the dreams and hopes for the future. He could have been a Ravenclaw, he had the wit and the brains. He could be a Gryffindor, he had he bravery. Yet, somehow I thought he was a Hufflepuff. Silly, I know. But he was so kind, and considerate. He seemed do honest. And please forgive the house bigotry, but when I think Death Eater, I don't think Hufflepuff. I think Slytherin.
Ginny walked through the halls as quickly as she could. Most students were going to the Great Hall. A lot of them hadn't eaten in a while. But after she bumped into Malfoy, she began to run to the Common Room. She thought she was alone, so as soon as she got inside, she broke down into tears. But she wasn't alone.
"Ginny!" her brothers voice said as he rushed to her. "Ginny, what's wrong?" He put his arms around her, and she gripped his shirt and cried into him. It's over, it's all over.
When she was all cried out she pulled away from him gently. And opened her eyes. Suddenly she felt sick. Her head was hot, and her stomach hurt. Then something happened to her that had happened to her before. And still it terrified her.
"Ron! My vision's going!" she screamed abruptly.
"Oh, God." his voice said before he tightened his grip around her and Ginny knew no more.
~*~*~*~
A/N: Not changing PoV. Just scene.
Ginny woke up slowly. She was laying in a bed. And it must have been the next day because the birds were chattering as if it was morning. And the heat of the morning sun was on her face. Ginny opened her eyes slowly to see. Ron, George and Fred, (they opened a joke shop in Hogsmeade,) Harry, Hermione, and her friend Julia. They were all in the room sitting in nearby chairs.
Madam Pomfrey was there to filling up a water glass at her bedside table. She turned to her and asked, "It's happened, hasn't it?"
Pomfrey looked somber, but nodded.
"How long do I have?"
She answered slowly. "Six days."
Ginny rolled back over the tears welling up in her eyes. Fred was closest, and hugged Ginny as she began to sob. But this time it wasn't because of Dragon. This time it was because she was dying, and there was nothing she could do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco stared intently at the fire. It was blazing right before he left for the auditorium, but now it was becoming smaller. Not like it was dying, more like it was sick, and struggling to survive.
Just then, the common room door opened, and someone entered. Draco didn't even look up. Well, he didn't until he heard a voice say his name, A voice that obviously did not belong here.
"What do you want, Potter?" He wondered how he had gotten in, but the remembered that as head boy he new all the passwords.
"Ginny wants to see you." was his reply.
He panicked. "Why? She asked for me?" he asked getting up.
"Not exactly." was his reply looking at him venomously."
"What do you mean?" He tried to stay cool, but his emotions were getting the better of him.
He still looked angry. "She said 'I want to see Dragon.' I said, 'Who's that?' Then she fed me some bull shit story about meeting someone during the blackout. Said she called him Dragon. Told me everything she knew about him, and told me to find him. Let's go, Dragon."
"I don't know what your talking about."
"I think you do. She said he was the captain of a Quidditch team. One of our captains is a girl. I'm one, and it wasn't me. The other is Bob Bobson, and he wasn't there. You're left."
"Just, go without me, and tell her that you don't know who it is." he suggested no longer hiding it.
"Don't you think I want to! Don't' you think I want you as far away from her as possible! I love her. Not in the way you would think. It's not romantic, or brotherly. But it's there, and it's deep. And the last thing I want is the picture of you two together in my mind. But she loves you. And I swear to God, if you hurt her, especially now, you won't live long after."
"What's so special about now?"
"If you come with me, you'll find out, won't you?"
He sighed. "Okay." He grudgingly got up and walked out with Potter. When the Gryffindor started leading him toward the hospital wing, he was surprised, but said nothing. Harry led him to the infirmary, and said nothing at all. He just nodded at him as he entered.
Draco looked around, until he spotted her. She was laying in the bed by the window, her eyes were closed. Draco quietly sat in the chair next to her. He slowly leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Ginny smiled softly without opening her eyes.
"Dragon?" she asked quietly still keeping her eyes closed.
He paused for a long moment. "Yes."
She did nothing. "I'm afraid to open my eyes."
"I'm afraid of you to open your eyes to."
"Now, why would you be scared?"
"Because, the second you see me face, you'll cry. Why would you be scared?"
"Our love is easier when it's blind."
"Well, love is blind."
"And ours is the blindest love."
"I do love you, you know?" he asked. "I hid it, I know. But, I do."
"I do, too. I don't understand why."
"You wouldn't understand."
"You're better than a Death Eater."
"How do you know, you don't even know my name."
"Name's are unimportant."
"Open you eyes."
"Not until you explain it to me."
"It may take a while."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"My father was abusive, toward me, and my mother. He was a death eater, you know? He was right hand man. When he died, my mother married again. And I like my step-father. He was a death eater too, but my mother supportive of them, it didn't bother her. It didn't bother me, I was raised to believe in their causes. He was kind to my step-brother and sister. And him and I were becoming friends. He was perfectly tolerable, and a Death Eater. It proves my point, their not all bad. Last year he offered to recruit me, and I accepted. Now, open your eyes."
"How can you be that brutal? How can you do that to all those people? This is life we're talking about! How can you treat it like that?"
"It was how I was raised-"
"That's no excuse!" she yelled. She took a deep breath. "Do you really love me?"
"More than anything."
"Then, please, see, life is life. It matters not whether they can levitate something with a wooden stick. That's not their fault. If you love me, stop it, now, and promise me, help see others to stop it, help bring Voldemort down." He paused again before agreeing.
Then they said nothing. He took her hand in his, and sat silently. Her eyes were still closed. His eyes looking over her face, worshiping, every curve, every dip, everything. Then, he finally said, "Open your eyes." She did. And she studied him for along time. Her eyes showed no emotion. They just stared. For a long time she said nothing, just looked.
Finally, she said, "I'm not crying. See? No tears."
"I love you, Ginny."
"I love you, Draco Malfoy." She sat up slightly, and he lowered his lips to hers. It was a soft tender kiss. He gently put his hand on her back, and she put her hands around his neck. When they separated, he pulled her into a hug. Their bodies molded against each other, as she began to cry silently into his shoulder. When he noticed the tears he held her closer.
"What's wrong?" he asked deeply concerned.
"I'm dying."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny couldn't read his expression. It was almost like stone, nothing being shown. She launched into the scientific explanation. "It's called 'Malititus.' There's these particles in my blood stream that have been there since I was born. No one knows how or why they're there. Something sets them of, it's different for everyone that has it. When they are activated, it's a major shock to your system, people usually experience fainting or nausea from it. But the thing is, because it's in your blood, it goes through your heart, eventually your heart can't take it anymore, and it shuts down. I've got about a week left before my heart stops."
Tears began to stream down her face as she watched his vacant expression on his face. He pulled her into a hug, and she cried on him again. It wasn't until they separated that she noticed that he had been crying too.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(A/N: Not changing PoV, just scene.)
Each day was harder than the last for Ginny. Somehow, the knowledge was still sinking in. She would never become a journalist, or lead a protest against the death row in the United States.
Her family was all there by the end of the day. They were going to take her home, but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't hear of it. She said moving me could cause me to faint or other things. Draco came to see her every day too. Her family soon got used to the fact that he was with her. Somehow she thought that all of her brothers would have killed him, but they wouldn't dare when she was in this condition.
On the fifth day, she convinced Pomfrey to let Draco take her outside. The nurse conjured up a wheel chair in case she fainted again, and he walked her out. They went across the grounds and stopped at a lovely willow tree by the lake. They didn't talk at all. He got her out of the chair, and laid her down underneath the tree. He laid down next to her and rapped a secure arm around her waist.
It was silent for a long while.
"I'll miss you." Ginny said softly looking at him directly in the eye.
He nodded his head slowly. "I'll miss you too."
He slowly lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was short before he pulled apart. Then they kissed again, this time a little harder, a little more probing. She put her hand gently on his shoulder, and he moved his around her waist. She pushed her body slowly closer to his, and felt the warmth going between them. She put her body flat on the ground, and he leaned over her a bit. When they finally separated, they took a few deep breaths before kissing again, each of them never wanting to stop.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco didn't want to leave her after the fifth day. He wouldn't have if she hadn't told him to get some rest promising that she would see him tomorrow. So he went, but he didn't sleep. He just sat in the Common Room staring into the fire. It must have been hours and hours, but at about four in the morning, the fire finally went out.
He wasn't sure how he knew it. But suddenly it became clear. He didn't cry just leaned back on the couch and slipped into a deep depression. Somehow in that moment everything he cared about fall apart. In that moment he knew that his Fire was gone, and that he would never see her again. She was dead.
Slowly he began conscience of his heart beat. He began to notice his breath. And with each breath, and each beat he got more and more angry. It should be me. I should be dead, not her, she had a future, dreams. His eyes fell on a letter opener on the table in front of him. He picked it up ready to end it all. He could be with her again. But then, just as he was about to put it to his wrist, he remembered her words.
*And promise me, help others to stop it, help bring Voldemort down.* He dropped the letter opener. Determined to keep his promise. Determined to prove to her that he would redeem him-self.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, he wandered up to Dumbledore's office, (Prefects knew where it was.) When he reached there, he talked to the Headmaster for a long time. By the time he left, he was an official spy against Voldemort, helping to bring him down.
Ginny wanted to be buried at Hogwarts, under the weeping willow tree. and for years after her death, he would go and visit her grave. Sometimes when he went there, he would see the squirrels, running around her grave. The birds would sit upon it and sing sweet songs. Once there was a deer resting upon the ground by it. He smiled when he saw that. Ginny would like that.
