Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 20 A Wizard's Debt

    Ginny pushed open the door to Hospital Wing. She hesistated for a while before going in. What was she supposed to say to Draco Malfoy? She wanted to see him so badly, had so much to say to him after their ordeal, but at the sametime, she felt she would not know what to say when she saw him.

    She heard Madam Pomfrey's voice. "There you go, Mister Malfoy. It wasn't so bad, was it? The injection would accelerate the healing of the wound. I'll give you another one in the evening."

    Poppy drew back the curtains and saw Ginny standing by the door. "It looks like you have a vistor, Mister Malfoy."

    Madam Pomfrey stepped aside and for the first time since their ordeal, Ginny and Draco came face to face with each other.

    The feeling was almost ethereal, for both of them. Ginny stared at Draco, he looked paler than usual, but he looked alright. That was most important to Ginny. Draco's expression didn't gave his thoughts away, but when he saw Ginny, alive and well, somehow, a wave of relief washed over him.

    None of them moved. "Well Ginny, what's that you have with you? A present for Mister Malfoy?" Poppy smiled and then said "I leave you two here for a while" and walked off.

    Ginny approached Draco's bed. She turned her gaze from him and put down a present on his side table, before turning back and saying "Hi" softly.

    "Hi" replied Draco. He felt awkward. Being tongue-tied was not familiar to him. But somehow……

    "Thank you for saving me" Ginny said directly, taking a chair beside the bed. He smirked inwardly. Thank Merlin for Gryffindoric straightforwardness.

    "You're welcome." That wasn't typical of Draco, and he could see Ginny's cute eyebrows rose in amazement. But at this moment he couldn't think of a better answer.

    "Why?" Ginny said hesistatingly.

    "Why did I save you? Because I thought that, for a change, I should be the heroic one instead of Saint Potter. Imagine the headlines."

    Ginny stared at him. An evasive answer, but what could you expect from a Slytherin?

    Do you really expect him to say that he saved you because he cared for you? It would be really sweet to hear from him, but Ginny did not ever hope for that. Although the thought did cross her mind, but Malfoy had hurt her before……

    Perhaps it was true, just to play hero. Perhaps it was just an instinctive assistance rendered from one wizard to another. Perhaps Malfoy did have some good in him. But to hope he saved her because he loved her? Ginny dared not hope for that, although in the deep recesses of her heart, she wished……

    "Well, I…I am deeply grateful."

    Draco looked at her. She looked really beautiful, but there was something more. After the Gala Ball, after he had hurt her, she had grown up. She still had that streak of vulnerability that Draco was initially drawn to, but now, it was coupled with a blend of maturity. She was growing up. And Draco suddenly found that very, very attractive.

    Draco suddenly straightened himself purposefully, and brought his face close to hers. He felt Ginny tensed up slightly. "It was not for nothing, Virginia. You owe me one. You owe me a Wizard's Debt."

    "And you know what that means." He withdrew his face, a satisfactory smile on his lips, his hands crossed over his chest.

    Silence.

    More silence.

    "Yes" Ginny said finally. "What do you want?"

    "I haven't thought about it." Draco said airily. Then, he smiled wickedly "What do you want me to ask of you, Virgin-nia Weasley?"

    Ginny turned pink. "Don't you dare" she said, too quickly, before she could think of a more witty retort.

    Draco smirked. Ginny stared at him. "You would never……" she began.

    "Not now. No need to, when there is still ample supply."

    Still the same, conceited, arrogant Slytherin prat, Ginny thought. But inspite of herself, she felt rather hurt by Draco's remark. Silly me……

    Draco was tempted to say "And I won't ask you for galleons, either Weasley" but decided to hold back his tongue.

    "Draco, can I ask you something? Why did you say you cannot die?"

    "When?"

    "When you were injured."

    Draco looked at Ginny in amusement. Should he share that with her? Maybe he should. It wasn't such a big deal anyway. "Because Virginia, I refuse to die in peace without inheriting the Malfoy fortune first. No way."

    Ginny rolled her eyes. Draco Malfoy sounded serious. "Is that what pulled you through? The old medi-wizard who treated you said you are very strong. I guess that's where you drew your strength from. From the galleons in Gringotts" She finished with a deadpan voice.

    "Virginia, how aptly put. I could not have said it better myself." Draco said teasingly.

    "I thought it should be the people you cared for. Your family or the one you loved." Ginny mused.

    Draco looked at her, startled. His mind went back to that instant, when he felt the darkness pulling at him. What made him come back into the light, to life. Was it really the Malfoy fortune (although that was an imporant aspect), or was it because he could not bear to let go of life, let go of someone……

    Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey appeared. "Mister Malfoy, your housemates are here to see you."

    "Well, I……I better be going." Ginny got up. Draco looked at Madam Pomfrey in irritation, as if she had just interrupted something.

    He turned back on Ginny and saw she looked rather sad. Ginny pushed the chair against the side table and said "Take care, Draco. And, thank you."

    Draco bit his lip. "Bye." And as an afterthought, added, "This is between you and me only. Aside from the teachers, of course. What happened at Knockturn Alley." And Ginny saw his grey eyes bore determindly into hers.

    Ginny Weasley walked along the corridor of Hogwarts castle. The episode with Malfoy left her feeling rather empty inside. Disappointed, maybe?

    She climbed through the portrait hold into the Gryffindor common room. She didn't have classes until about an hour later. Surprisingly, Rom and Hermione were there. It seemed that they had been waiting for her.

    "Now, can you please tell us what happened?" Ron started firing away. "Dumbledore won't tell us anything. What's with you and Malfoy? You had us all worried……and where did you go after breakfast……"

    "I'm alive and well, Ron. That's all it matters right?" Ginny went up to her brother and gave him a reassuringly hug.

    "But Ginny……" Ron protested.

    "What happened is between us only, Malfoy and myself. And there's nothing much to tell, alright? Please, Ron?" Ginny looked at her brother pleadingly.

    "I think we should respect her decision, Ron. And she's right, what matters is that Ginny is well, and with us." Harry came up from behind her.

    Ginny turned and smiled at Harry. Harry beamed at her. Dear Harry, thank you. What would she do without him?

    Ron stared at Harry, flabbergasted.

    Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, I guess, Ron, you should leave it to rest. Gin, come here." Hermione smiled and stretched out her arms, and Ginny ran over and gave her a bear hug, almost knocking the wind out of Hermione.

    Ron and Harry jumped in, and the four Gryffindors were interlock in a tight embrace, laughing. They were the best of friends, they had one another, and it was all that matters.

    At the Hospital Wing……  

    Draco Malfoy unwrapped the present from Ginny. It was a scarf, knitted from very unique colored wool, silver. Hanging from the scarf was a note that said "I made this specially for you a while back, and was planning to give it to you the day after the Gala Ball. I never had the chance to. Hope you like it. Ginny"

Author's Note: A review, please, if it's not too much to ask for. Thank you.