Chapter 24 – Forgiveness
"You have to tell him..." Angel said, sitting on Ginny's lap, as Ginny told her what was going on.
"For now, I won't..."
"Ginny, Angel is right! Please, you have to tell him... It's his baby as well!" Hermione said, placing a comforting hand on Ginny's shoulder. "It's incredible... I thought you had taken the Birth Control Potion!"
"I did take it... I'm just as surprised as you are." Ginny replied, placing a hand over her eyes. "Why do I always find my self in the middle of complicated situations?"
"Gin, you know he's miserable without you... You miss him, as well, so, why don't you forgive him?" Angel asked, sadly. "If you keep this separation, soon both of you will be extremely sick and you'll lose your baby!"
"I need some time to think... I'll be back in a few hours!" Ginny replied, leaving the Gryffindor tower, to take a walk around the lake.
She knew she had overreacted to Draco's behavior that night, but they were so happy together, and suddenly he became cold again. She hated cold Draco... but loved gentle Draco.
Through the last weeks she found herself thinking about that night, and wishing she hadn't left the bedroom. That way, maybe they would have solved their problems...
But, she had tried to talk with him, and he refused to open his heart to her. WHY?
Ginny sat on a rock, playing with the snow under her feet, as she watched the sun set behind the Forbidden Forest.
'A baby... How can I have a baby and go to classes at the same time? How can I have a baby whose father doesn't trust me?' she thought to herself, gently rubbing her flat belly. 'Would Draco like to have children? We never talked about that... Would he want a boy or a girl?'
The sun had disappeared, and she was now submersed in darkness, the only light coming from the castle's windows. Standing up, she prepared to leave.
"Ginny..." a voice whispered gently, behind her.
The voice she knew oh so well, belonged to the only man she could and would ever love... Draco Malfoy. Slowly, Ginny turned around to face him.
There he was, leaning against a huge rock, looking handsome in his black robes, but with a worried and frightened look on his face.
'Wait a minute! He's frightened? Of what?' she thought worried with him.
"Yes?" she replied coldly.
"I came to tell you the truth... Probably you'll run away from me, and this time we will be separated forever, but I understand if you leave me... I would dump my self if I were in your place!" he said in a soft voice that sent chills down her body.
"It must be something truly dark..." she replied, sitting back on her rock.
"You can't even imagine..." he whispered. "Father contacted me the night we fought... I needed a reason to leave the room, so I've started the fight!"
Her eyes went huge with shock. So, that's why he was so jumpy... But, what happened?
"What happened in that meeting? Why didn't you tell me you were going to meet him? I would have accepted, you know... It just proves one more time, that you don't trust me..." she said, playing with the hem of her robe.
"I do trust you, Ginny... But the meeting would be far too dangerous to tell you about it." He replied, kneeling in front of her, on the snow. "We fought, and he gave me an ultimatum. The Dark Lord needs someone as powerful as you by his side. My Father knows that we have a strong bond, and if I was killed, you would lose a big part of your powers, making you no danger to the Dark Lord..."
"Yes, your Father is well informed... What did he want from you?" she asked, worried, looking into his deep silver eyes.
"He told me that if I didn't want you killed, I had to receive the Dark Mark and be a Death-Eater. He thinks this way I'll be able to take you to the Dark side..." he explained, looking down at his hands, in shame.
"Draco... Tell me you didn't..." she gasped, scared.
As an answer, Draco pulled up his right sleeve, to reveal the Dark Mark tattooed in his pale skin.
"Why, Draco? We could fight him... he wouldn't kill me..." she cried, sobbing desperately.
"We can't fight him... yet... I've had a conversation with Dumbledore and he said that this Dark Mark in my arm will help us soon! Please, forgive me for betraying you like this! I understand if you hate me now... I hate my self as well!" Draco sobbed as well, burying his face on her lap, hugging her waist firmly, like a little boy when he runs to his mother's lap, asking for forgiveness after breaking a vase.
"I could never hate you, Draco..." she whispered, running her hands on his soft hair, enjoying the feel of it. "I just hate the fact that you didn't trust in me, when all of this happened... I felt like you truly hated me, you know? I'm not ashamed of you, and of what you've done. You were trying to keep me safe from harm, and that I understand!"
Draco looked up with teary eyes, and sighed in relief.
"I'm so sorry... All this time, looking at you and not being able to hold you in my arms, telling you how much I love you... It was driving me nuts!" he said, as Ginny dried the tears from his face. "What about this?"
Draco showed her the mark, once again, and waited for her answer.
"Well, if Dumbledore thinks it can help us, I'll trust his word. It's a horrible sight so see your perfect skin marked with that thing, but I love you for you, not for your body..." she said, truthfully. "I know where your loyalty is, and it's not on the Dark Side!"
Everything was forgotten. How could one stay away from the person she loved so much? The one person that could ever make her happy? The father of her child?
Smiling Ginny leaned closer and kissed him softly on his lips, loving the feel of them after all those days away from each other.
"I love you, Ginny!" he whispered against her lips.
"I love you too, Draco..."
'The baby talk can wait a little longer... I don't want him to get even more worried about me than he already is!' she thought, as they went to Draco's bedroom, through the warm corridors of the castle.
"You have to tell him..." Angel said, sitting on Ginny's lap, as Ginny told her what was going on.
"For now, I won't..."
"Ginny, Angel is right! Please, you have to tell him... It's his baby as well!" Hermione said, placing a comforting hand on Ginny's shoulder. "It's incredible... I thought you had taken the Birth Control Potion!"
"I did take it... I'm just as surprised as you are." Ginny replied, placing a hand over her eyes. "Why do I always find my self in the middle of complicated situations?"
"Gin, you know he's miserable without you... You miss him, as well, so, why don't you forgive him?" Angel asked, sadly. "If you keep this separation, soon both of you will be extremely sick and you'll lose your baby!"
"I need some time to think... I'll be back in a few hours!" Ginny replied, leaving the Gryffindor tower, to take a walk around the lake.
She knew she had overreacted to Draco's behavior that night, but they were so happy together, and suddenly he became cold again. She hated cold Draco... but loved gentle Draco.
Through the last weeks she found herself thinking about that night, and wishing she hadn't left the bedroom. That way, maybe they would have solved their problems...
But, she had tried to talk with him, and he refused to open his heart to her. WHY?
Ginny sat on a rock, playing with the snow under her feet, as she watched the sun set behind the Forbidden Forest.
'A baby... How can I have a baby and go to classes at the same time? How can I have a baby whose father doesn't trust me?' she thought to herself, gently rubbing her flat belly. 'Would Draco like to have children? We never talked about that... Would he want a boy or a girl?'
The sun had disappeared, and she was now submersed in darkness, the only light coming from the castle's windows. Standing up, she prepared to leave.
"Ginny..." a voice whispered gently, behind her.
The voice she knew oh so well, belonged to the only man she could and would ever love... Draco Malfoy. Slowly, Ginny turned around to face him.
There he was, leaning against a huge rock, looking handsome in his black robes, but with a worried and frightened look on his face.
'Wait a minute! He's frightened? Of what?' she thought worried with him.
"Yes?" she replied coldly.
"I came to tell you the truth... Probably you'll run away from me, and this time we will be separated forever, but I understand if you leave me... I would dump my self if I were in your place!" he said in a soft voice that sent chills down her body.
"It must be something truly dark..." she replied, sitting back on her rock.
"You can't even imagine..." he whispered. "Father contacted me the night we fought... I needed a reason to leave the room, so I've started the fight!"
Her eyes went huge with shock. So, that's why he was so jumpy... But, what happened?
"What happened in that meeting? Why didn't you tell me you were going to meet him? I would have accepted, you know... It just proves one more time, that you don't trust me..." she said, playing with the hem of her robe.
"I do trust you, Ginny... But the meeting would be far too dangerous to tell you about it." He replied, kneeling in front of her, on the snow. "We fought, and he gave me an ultimatum. The Dark Lord needs someone as powerful as you by his side. My Father knows that we have a strong bond, and if I was killed, you would lose a big part of your powers, making you no danger to the Dark Lord..."
"Yes, your Father is well informed... What did he want from you?" she asked, worried, looking into his deep silver eyes.
"He told me that if I didn't want you killed, I had to receive the Dark Mark and be a Death-Eater. He thinks this way I'll be able to take you to the Dark side..." he explained, looking down at his hands, in shame.
"Draco... Tell me you didn't..." she gasped, scared.
As an answer, Draco pulled up his right sleeve, to reveal the Dark Mark tattooed in his pale skin.
"Why, Draco? We could fight him... he wouldn't kill me..." she cried, sobbing desperately.
"We can't fight him... yet... I've had a conversation with Dumbledore and he said that this Dark Mark in my arm will help us soon! Please, forgive me for betraying you like this! I understand if you hate me now... I hate my self as well!" Draco sobbed as well, burying his face on her lap, hugging her waist firmly, like a little boy when he runs to his mother's lap, asking for forgiveness after breaking a vase.
"I could never hate you, Draco..." she whispered, running her hands on his soft hair, enjoying the feel of it. "I just hate the fact that you didn't trust in me, when all of this happened... I felt like you truly hated me, you know? I'm not ashamed of you, and of what you've done. You were trying to keep me safe from harm, and that I understand!"
Draco looked up with teary eyes, and sighed in relief.
"I'm so sorry... All this time, looking at you and not being able to hold you in my arms, telling you how much I love you... It was driving me nuts!" he said, as Ginny dried the tears from his face. "What about this?"
Draco showed her the mark, once again, and waited for her answer.
"Well, if Dumbledore thinks it can help us, I'll trust his word. It's a horrible sight so see your perfect skin marked with that thing, but I love you for you, not for your body..." she said, truthfully. "I know where your loyalty is, and it's not on the Dark Side!"
Everything was forgotten. How could one stay away from the person she loved so much? The one person that could ever make her happy? The father of her child?
Smiling Ginny leaned closer and kissed him softly on his lips, loving the feel of them after all those days away from each other.
"I love you, Ginny!" he whispered against her lips.
"I love you too, Draco..."
'The baby talk can wait a little longer... I don't want him to get even more worried about me than he already is!' she thought, as they went to Draco's bedroom, through the warm corridors of the castle.