Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in the books.

I'm a big fan though, and I wish J.K. Rowling would write as fast as she can. Meanwhile, I'll just have to amuse myself making up stories about her characters.

Hope you enjoy this one. ^_^

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SAVING THE DRAGON by LunaMagic

Introduction

Ginny is in her seventh year at Hogwarts. Harry Potter had gone on to be an Auror along with her brother Ronald Weasley. Hermione had gone back to the muggle world, undecided on what to do with her future. The War had been going on for about two years now, claiming lives on both sides, including the Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy, long-time archenemy of the famous Harry Potter. Lucius was killed by none other than Harry Potter, in an attempt to take over the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just after graduation this year. No word was heard of the whereabouts of Draco and Narcissa Malfoy, who had allegedly gone into hiding after the incident.

Chapter One: Into The Woods

Ginny was exhausted. She had been coaching some fifth years during their afternoon DA club meeting. Their roster of members grew quite exponentially after the Ministry of Magic acknowledged the Dark Lord's return three years ago. As club president AND Gryffindor prefect, things have been going pretty much hectic for her this year. Even Seamus, her long-time boyfriend, had split up with her because she rarely had the time to go with him on dates. It didn't get her down, though. She wasn't really all that serious about him. Still, she would miss cuddling with him in front of the fire in winter, his gentle kisses, and his loving stares. No matter, there were more important things than love.

She walked towards the window sill and gazed at the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. It was October and most of the leaves had already turned brown and red, preparing for the coming winter months. Classes have been tough this year, due to the ongoing war. The students were given high expectations, which were understandable, of course. You never know when a spell could come handy these days.

But something good did come out of the war, everyone in Hogwarts was united, even the house of Slytherin. They had finally realized that Voldemort did not distinguish between wizard and mudblood when it came to being cruel to those who opposed him. Everyone was affected.

"I've grown up, I think," Ginny mused, "I've changed… and the world has changed." She felt sad. "I miss being a kid."

She missed Harry and Hermione. They had been especially helpful and kind to her even after the incident with Tom Marvolo's diary. They wrote to her regularly (once a week) just to have her keep up with the news outside.

Also, she seldom saw her father and brothers. They were always off on some Ministry business. They've written to her sporadically, when they had the chance. She cherished all their letters and kept them in a box. They always told her how proud they were of her becoming a prefect, club president of the DA, and most of all, of how she had grown up to be a fine young woman. Ron's letters always brought her to tears. He was always so protective of her while he was around and she missed him terribly.

Ginny saw the sun setting over the trees. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the crisp, cold air blowing at her face. "Another day in the life of Ginny Weasley…" she breathed.

Ginny opened her eyes suddenly, straining her ears to a strange sound. She thought she heard a clap of thunder and a sharp moan in pain. It sounded like it came from the outside. She searched the grounds before her but found nothing suspicious.

"Maybe it was just the wind… or just my imagination," she paused thoughtfully, "Yes, probably my imagination…" She sighed and headed off for the Gryffindor common room.

~ ~ ~

Draco Malfoy tried to stifle his groans as he held his wounded side. He had disapparated just in time. Some lunatic Auror had tried to kill him outright without even giving him time to explain. He was probably thinking about the glory he was going to get for killing a Malfoy.

"Damn it all!" Draco mouthed. The pain was excruciating but the blood didn't gush out as much as he thought it would. Still, he will need potions to stem the flow before he bled to death.

"Where am I?" He looked around warily, he didn't want to meet another overzealous wizard who had nothing in mind but to kill him.

"Damn you, father. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this predicament."

He was in a forest somewhere, but where exactly? Somehow, the trees looked familiar. He looked up. There on the tops of the trees, he could see the turrets of a place he had thought he would never see again... Hogwarts castle.

~ ~ ~

"I guess this is the safest place in the world, for now," he muttered as he remembered what he was thinking off the time he disapparated. No one would think he would come back here.

"But I can't just barge in. I'm sure I'd be dead before I take a second step through the door." Draco grimaced. The pain was more like a throbbing now. He needed help from someone who wouldn't shoot him on sight. But who? All his friends had gone after their graduation, the others he had known dropped out to join Voldemort.

"The Weasel…" he thought aloud, or rather, his sister, Ginny. She was brought under Voldemort's spell along time ago… at the Serpent's Lair. "She would be level-headed enough... I hope." Draco moaned again.

"I don't have much time. It has to be her…"

~ ~ ~

Ginny was sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room, reading a book. Everyone was down in the dining hall eating dinner. She did not feel too hungry so she opted to stay behind and just munch on an apple.

Unexpectedly, she heard a loud cawing and scratching from one of the windows. She looked up and saw a crow desperately trying to get in.

Ginny stood up and opened the window. The crow flew up to her shoulder and looked at her in interest.

"Hello, crow. Whatever caused you to make such a racket?" Ginny put a finger up to stroke the crow's feathers. Just then, she spied a piece of parchment tied haphazardly to its leg. Curious, she took it out and opened it.

She gasped as she realized that the note had been written in blood. It looked fresh, too.

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Weasel,

Help. Forest. Tell no one.

D.

Please

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The "Please" looked like it was scribbled as an afterthought. D? She knew a lot of people who had "D" as their initial. "Weasel…" she gasped again. "Could it be… Draco?" He's the only one who had ever called her weasel.

She fumed. Even when he was asking for help, he still had the nerve to call her names! It probably served him right if she pretended not to have received the note. But then she looked at the note again. He was hurt. Smudges of blood could be seen on the paper. Knowing Draco, if it were a prank, he would still prefer to send a message neatly printed on perfumed paper. He was such a neat freak, from the slicked back silver hair to his meticulously polished shoes.

She debated with herself for a few seconds, then glimpsed out the window. There, at the edge of the forest, she could see a figure leaning heavily on a tree. He was clothed all in black, his silvery hair shining in the moonlight. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. She could feel him staring at her with his cold blue eyes even at that distance. Then, slowly, he turned around, attempting to walk back into the forest… and fell down on his face.

~ ~ ~

"Ohmigosh…" Ginny leaned out the window, straining to see if the man would get up. He didn't. The crow, unbalanced, flew off to the nearest tree.

"Ohmigosh. Don't be dead. Dammit, Malfoy! Shit." He can't die now. It'll be in her conscience forever. She just knew it would.

Quickly, she put the note away in her pocket and ran all the way up to her room. She needed some stuff before she went out. Opening her closet door, she grabbed a bag and put in a flask of healing potion she kept for emergencies. As she had no bandages, she grabbed a few kerchiefs out and put them into the bag, too. She grabbed the invisibility cloak out from its hiding place and hurriedly put it on. Running down to the common room, she picked up two apples… just in case he was hungry.

Opening the portrait, she clambered out and ran as quietly as she could into the night, much to the amazement of the Fat Lady.

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Ginny and Draco FOREVER!!!!

Did I get the facts straight? Please review.

Thanks for reading this fic. 

^_^ Love and Light and Blessed Be,

LunaMagic