A/N: I want to thank *all* my reviewers! I will be giving personal thanks before the next chapter. First off, I want to say *hello* to my Betas…Alinora, Nymphadora Tonks1 and RHB. They deserve a big pat on the back for putting up with me! LOL!

I do want to address one reviewer. I did try to privately e-mail you, but it was returned. If you will recall from the prequel to this story (Merlin's Oath), Ginny was promoted to seventh year and, thus, is in the same year as the Dream Team and Draco. Thanks again for keeping me on my toes! *smiles*

They sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but, in reality, was only a few seconds. Draco did not remove his gaze from his wife's. He seemed illogically calm, and that scared Ginny.

She was just getting the courage to speak, when Dumbledore gently cleared his throat and motioned for Ginny to begin.

Ginny looked the Headmaster briefly in the eyes before lowering them to her wringing hands, she then took a deep cleansing and relaxing breath. She brought her eyes to Draco's again and began, "I was NOT raped, Draco."

"Okay," he responded.

"I went to Gryffindor Tower, as we had planned. I walked up there and everything seemed normal. The evening came to an end and Harry offered to walk me back."

"I am going to fucking kill him!" Draco began a rant, but did not continue at the raised hand that his Head of House brought to his arm and lightly squeezed.

He turned back to Ginny and saw her crying. He, feeling incredibly unsteady, went to pull her into a loving embrace. However, at the first light touch to her back, she jerked away and got up from the bed. She began pacing back and forth; her arms wrapped around her torso in a self-hugging posture. She was crying hysterically. He went to stand, but, again, found Professor Snape's hand on his arm again.

Instead he settled for a soft, "Ginny?"

While she did not turn to face him, she did stop her pacing.

"This is YOUR fault, Draco Malfoy, YOUR FAULT. You just had to be jealous of Harry, even though I have never, NEVER since we decided to make this work, done anything to make you think so! He looks at me and you scowl. He hugs me like a sister, and you have to prove to everyone that I am yours by clamping your arms around me. Hell, Draco, you even freaked out when he needed comforting after a traumatic event. What have I ever done to make you jealous? What? Please tell me because I just don't get it. Then- Then tonight, you get jealous again over NOTHING. You throw a childish fit, scream and yell, stomp off and slam the door, after, of course, telling me that whatever happens to me is my fault. Well, I guess I got what I deserve, Draco. Because Harry did *try* to rape me. He was possessed. He was not himself, but who saves me from him? Not you, no, you are sulking in your room like a big baby. No, Draco, not you, Professor Snape saves me, gets me help, makes sure that I am okay, Professor 'Gryffindors are the bane of my existence' Snape. Well, you got what you wanted, I was attacked; I got what I deserve and now, you can go back to your room knowing it was *exactly* like you foresaw."

Draco was very pale. He began to speak, "Ginny- I swear that is not what I said!"

She gave him a hateful glare and he reformed his response.

"What you said was not what I meant; I never meant that you would deserve anything that happened to you because of not listening to me. And I never meant for anything to happen to you. If I had actually thought that anything was going to happen, I never would have left you alone; I swear. Ginny, please know that I never wanted to anything to happen to prove me correct."

"Oh! Is that why this happened to ME! Harry was possessed and I was attacked to prove the omniscient Draco Malfoy correct. You are some piece of work and, right now, I don't like you very much," with that said, Ginny, still hugging herself, ran out of the infirmary crying.

Draco went to follow, but, once again, found himself being restrained by a firm hand on his arm.

"Draco, you have to realize that Ginny was violated tonight…by someone she trusted-," Professor Snape began.

Draco interrupted, "Yes, I am going to take care of HIM shortly!"

"No, Mr. Malfoy, you will not. You will stay here and listen to what Professor Snape and I have to say. Then you will go take care of your wife. I am personally seeing to Mr. Potter," Professor Dumbledore stated quietly, but with a steel edge. Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles and looked Draco directly in the eye.

Draco, seeing the hard flecks in the Headmaster's eyes, quickly backed down and agreed to the terms.

Dumbledore acknowledged Draco's acquiescence with a slight nod and turned to Professor Snape, "Please continue, Severus."

"Draco, you need to worry about Ginny and your marriage. This is going to take a long time for her to get over. You need to be there for her…even when she pushes you away. Do you understand?"

"Of course, I do," Draco automatically responded.

Professor Snape gave him a stern stare and said, "No, Mr. Malfoy, I don't think you do. You are here, when your traumatized wife is somewhere in this castle…most likely alone, but certainly NOT with you. I would highly suggest that you get yourself off that bed and find your wife…NOW!" Professor Snape lectured the young man before him.

By the time Professor Snape had said 'now,' Draco was off the bed, nodding erratically to his Head of House and running to the door of the infirmary.

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Ginny found herself, after minutes of crying and hysterically running down corridor after corridor, sitting in a dark corridor about 35 feet from the entrance to the rooms that she and Draco shared. She had her knees pulled tightly to her torso with her arms locked around them. Her forehead was lying on her knees and she was rocking back and forth. The crying had stopped a while ago. Her body just did not have any more tears. Her mind, on the other hand, would not let her forget anything that had happened that evening; from the attack to her feelings of betrayal regarding Draco. She felt as lost as she had after learning that she was going to have to marry, Draco.

She heard footsteps falling heavily and quickly against the stone and they were coming closer to her. She stopped all of her movements, tensed and held her breath that she did not release until the footsteps passed by her. She tensed slightly again when she realized that those footsteps had belonged to Draco. She sighed in relief when she heard the portrait close and quickly got to her feet. She ran to Professor McGonagall's office and demanded floo powder to return to the Burrow. Professor McGonagall refused at first, but, under Ginny's persistence, gave in and provided Ginny with a small container of floo powder. She opened her fireplace to the floo network and allowed Ginny passage. Within seconds, Ginny had disappeared in the vivid, green flames.

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In his office, Professor Dumbledore removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyes. He knew that Ginny had left for the Burrow, Draco was searching, in vain, all across the castle for his wife and that Harry, in McGonagall's private quarters, was sedated to allow him sleep.

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When she arrived at the Burrow, Ginny found her father reading in his new chair- the very chair that she and Draco had given him for the Holidays.

Arthur, startled at her arrival, looked up. When he noticed the tracks the tears had left on her face, he opened his arms up to Ginny. She immediately ran into his arms, sat on his lap and hugged him tight. Arthur, somehow sensing that talk was not what Ginny needed, pulled her closer and rocked her until she fell asleep.

This was how Molly found them, still asleep, in the morning.