Chapter Eleven: New Beginnings

Draco's eyes widened with recognition as he realized that the figure standing in the hole in the wall was their former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "Professor Lupin?" He stared, dumbfounded.

"What was that?" Hermione came from the bedroom and shrieked when she saw Lupin. "Ron! Come out! We're saved!" Ron came limping from the bedroom.

"I'm glad to see you're all okay," grinned Lupin, pocketing his wand. "We've been looking for you five for awhile, but it had never dawned on me to look in the library. Well, not until I heard pounding on the wall."

"That was me." Ginny blushed.

"Knock. Of course." Draco rolled his eyes. "It's always the most obvious solution, isn't it?"

Lupin smiled. "So, I'll get an owl to Dumbledore right away. He'll be glad to know that you're safe."

"Dumbledore?" asked Harry, "where is he?" He looked behind Lupin into the trashed hallway. "And what happened? Were we attacked? Is everyone okay?"

Lupin grinned again. "One question at a time. Currently, Dumbledore is at St. Mungo's." The five teens gasped. "Don't worry, he'll be all right. But he got hit badly."

"Got hit?" asked Ron, "so there was a battle? Was it V...Vold...Volde..."

"Yes, it was Voldemort," replied Lupin. "He and Dumbledore had a nasty and extensive duel, which resulted in them both being injured and rendered unconscious. We were able to get Dumbledore to the hospital before he sustained further injuries. The Death Eaters took Voldemort before we were able to detain him, but there's no hospital they can bring him to, and the Death Eaters aren't exactly known for their healing skills, so things are looking bright for our side."

"My father," said Draco quickly, "was he there?" Concern reflected in his eyes, which had returned to a cold shade of blue.

"Yes, it seems that what brought on the attack was a massive jail break from Azkaban. The imprisoned Death Eaters, along with the dementors, met up with the free Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, and they all launched an attack on Hogwarts, presumably going for Harry and Dumbledore under the premise that once they were taken out, conquering the rest of the world would be a breeze."

"What about fatalities?" asked Hermione, "was anyone killed?"

"I'm happy to say that no one from our side was killed, although many Aurors who arrived at the scene were badly injured and now are also at St. Mungo's. The professors managed to get all the students into the secret underground passageways before the Death Eaters got to them, so they are all safe. The Death Eaters, it seemed, were not so lucky, we know that a few of them were killed, but their bodies were took before we were able to make positive identification."

"So my father..." said Draco softly, "...he could be dead."

Remus looked down at the boy. "Well, actually, no. I know for a fact that he's alive and kicking. It was he and Bellatrix Lestrange that were in the castle the longest, they continued to run through the hallways, presumably looking for Harry since Dumbledore was gone, until just about half an hour ago, when they somehow disappeared. We were able to confirm that they are now off school grounds, but where they went and how, we're not sure."

"But they could be hiding!" said Ginny with fear in her voice, "how can you be sure?"

"Oh, I can be sure," Lupin reached into his robes and pulled out the Marauder's Map. "After the battle, when we were not sure if the castle was safe yet, I remembered this and went searching through your dorm, Harry. I hope you don't mind." Harry shook his head. "This is also how I was able to locate the general area you five were in. Ginny's pounding helped that, too. But as I said, I need to get an owl to Dumbledore. He was extremely concerned when you could not be found, and I promised that I would inform him as soon as we had any news."

"Yeah, that's fine," said Harry. "It's great that we are finally out of here, but I'm a bit upset that I missed the battle."

Lupin laughed. "How did I know that you would say something like that, Harry? But don't worry, the war is far from over, and I'm certain we'll see more action before all is said and done. Anyway, I have to get this owl out, and the five of you need to report to your houses, where the heads are taking tally of the students." He started to walk through the hole in the wall, and then stopped, observing Ron, who was favoring his left leg. "Our own hospital wing has been transformed into a full blown healing ward, with all the injuries from the battle. You should get up there, have your leg looked at."

"Right," nodded Ron. Lupin walked away and the five stood in silence, all still a bit shocked at the abrupt change to the little world they had established in the past week.

"Well," said Hermione, "this is great. I'm glad that everyone's okay. Maybe now things can bet back to normal. Let's go, Ron." She walked over to him and threw her arm around his shoulder, helping him walk. He gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks 'Mione. I don't know how I could manage without you."

Hermione laughed. "You tried for six years, remember? Well, at least we won't have to go through that again." The couple was almost out of the library when Hermione suddenly stopped. "Oh, one more thing." She dug deep into her dress and pulled out a wand. "Don't be mad. I just thought...thought that if I held onto it a bit, things might change. You know what I mean?" She tossed it to Ginny before walking away.

Ginny stared at the wand in her hands. Just seconds ago she was faced with a decision and was about to make a choice. But she didn't know what to do or say now. She had never been sure about the decision, but she had made it, and now she wondered at how if Lupin had been just a minute later the word "Draco" would have escaped her lips. She had just felt it, in her heart, that he was the better choice.

But suddenly they were free. Things were so different now, she was forced to think realistically. And the truth was so obvious, as it had been when Draco was interrogating Lupin on the state of the Death Eaters. They were from two different worlds. It would never work out. The only choice now seemed clear. Harry.

"So," Ginny said softly as she walked over to Harry and took his hand, "was Hermione right? Did things change?"

Harry looked at her, a hardened expression on his face. He didn't know what to make of this whole ordeal, but now that the outside was once again opened up, he was flooded with all the emotions he had felt towards her this past year. Hatred. Anger. Betrayal. She had rejected him and then sent him out to die, and he couldn't believe that he had ever thought he could forgive her for that. It must have been the library, he told himself, being stuck in there made me say funny things.

On top of it all, it seemed as if she had been playing with him the whole time. There had been a point when he thought their relationship could be salvaged, but then he had seen her with Draco. And he wasn't about to sit around like a show horse and wait for her to choose him. "I told you once and I'll tell you again," he said harshly. "I can't forgive you for what you did. Being stuck in a library together changed nothing." He stormed off.

Ginny bit her lip as she watched him leave. She couldn't believe what was happening. All of the sudden it was like nothing at all changed, like they hadn't just spent that week together stranded in the library. It seemed that Harry was going to go right back to hating her. The air was silent for a moment, and Ginny hesitantly turned to Draco.

He laughed cruelly. "What do you want, Weasley? Seriously, what do you want from me? Don't think you're going to get it." His eyes lowered and something flashed in them, something genuine and different, like she had seen glimpses of inside the library. "No one likes being second choice," he said softly.

Then Draco straightened his back and hardened his expression. The glimpse in his eyes was gone. "I guess I'll be going too," he said emotionlessly. "I should assess the Death Eater casualties, and they'll be needing my leadership over in Slytherin." He cleared his throat and started to walk away. "Potter's right," he added, "nothing changed."

An immense feeling of loneliness overwhelmed Ginny. The words "nothing changed" echoed in her mind as she set off in the direction of the Gryffindor dormitory. There was clutter all over the floor, and she kicked the battle ruins with her feet as she walked. Nothing changed. Harry hated her again. Draco was just another face in the hallway. Nothing changed.

After a long hot shower, Ginny lay in bed. She was relieved that the whole ordeal was over, but she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Things were back to the way they had been before, except that Ron and Hermione seemed to have formed something more than friendship. But other than that, it was all the same.

Would things have been different if she had managed to say that she chose Draco before Lupin had burst in? Would Draco have accepted her, or would he be acting just as cruel as he was now once he realized his Death Eater responsibilities. "You weren't second choice," she whispered to the dark. "You weren't. I chose you. My heart chose you. I just figured that after all that happened, you wouldn't chose me. Maybe it would have never worked out, but I just wish I could somehow tell you...you were never second choice."

The darkness gave no reply or condolence and Ginny wiped the tears away from her eyes. She would have to put this past week behind her, forget what had happened. When anyone asked about it, she would have to say that they were simply stuck in a library for a week and had spent the whole time trying to get out. There were no surprising revelations, no love triangles, no confessed feelings. It was easy enough to believe now that everything had gone back to normal. It was like the whole thing had been a dream, or maybe a nightmare. Ginny closed her eyes, hoping to dream new dreams that would replace the memory of the past week.

But she couldn't get to sleep. Ginny sighed as she rolled over to her side. She couldn't get comfortable in this bed! Madame Pince's bed had been so soft, and the pillows were nothing like this one. Ginny didn't remember it being so hard!

Exhaling in frustration, she picked up the pillow and flung it across the room, only to find the reason for its uncomfortableness: there had been something underneath it. Ginny picked up the book and laughed loudly as she read the title. "101 Uses for your Wand Other that Magic- a Witch's Guide to Driving a Wizard Wild."

With a grin on her face, Ginny traced the words on the cover with her finger. "Oh the memories," she whispered sardonically before noticing a note sticking out from between the pages. She snatched it and eagerly tore it open.

Ginny: A wise man once said that being alone is no way to live. It's high time that genius took his own advice. If you're interested, meet me in the Astronomy Tower at midnight.

The note wasn't signed, but it didn't need to be. Ginny checked the time-12:03. She was three minutes late! Not allowing her mind time to think about the situation, she hopped to her feet and pulled a robe around her pajamas. Her eyes scanned the other beds in the dorm, and once she was satisfied that her roommates were fast asleep, she began tip-toeing across the room.

Her hand was on the door, about to open it up to allow her to travel to the Astronomy Tower and meet whatever her future held, when she stopped. What was she thinking? Walking over to her bed, she snatched her wand off her nightstand and stuck it in the pocket of the robe.

"You never know when it'll come in handy," Ginny thought with a grin before heading out the door.

Her heart was beating faster than she had ever thought was possible as she took the steps by two up to the top of the tower. As she reached the top and opened the door to the balcony, she saw his profile outlined against the moonless sky. He was leaning out into the night, with both hands on the edge, his head hanging down.

Ginny took a hesitant step forward, and noticed that his eyes were closed. "Draco?" she whispered. No response. "Draco?" This time it was a bit louder. He still remained motionless.

She took another step forward and tapped his shoulder. "For Merlin's sake, Ginny, I heard you the first time," he snapped, still not moving from the position.

Ginny gaped at him. "I'm sorry, I..."

Finally, Draco moved. He stood up, whirled around, and clamped his hand over her mouth. A sneer spread on his lips as he looked down at her, his face obscured in the midnight shadows. "Silence, Weaslette. You need to learn the value of silence."

He slowly withdrew his hand from her mouth and began to pace the balcony. "Silence. With silence, we don't have to worry about the fact that our families are on opposite sides of the war. Or that we're in rival houses. Or that all your friends are my arch enemies, and vice versa. Or that in every single aspect our lives are pitted against each other. Or..."

"Draco..."

"I said silence," Draco ordered. "Because in silence, we don't have to think. We can just feel, and..."

"Draco..." This time she said it a bit louder.

"Silence, woman!" he barked before continuing his lecture. "If we don't talk, and learn to listen and appreciate the silence, I don't have to worry about the fact that I'm supposed to be a cold heartless asshole who only cares for himself, and you don't have worry about the fact that everyone thinks you were made for Harry Potter, and..."

"DRACO!" He looked at her in surprise at the volume of her voice.

"Good, now that I've got your attention," she grinned. "If you think that you can give me orders in this relationship, you've got another thing coming." Draco laughed and opened his mouth, but Ginny silenced him with a wave of her hand. "Secondly, and most importantly, you need to take your own advice in more than one area."

"What are you..."

Ginny walked over to him, and this time put her hand over his mouth. "Silence, Malfoy. Take your own advice! After all, silence is ruined the moment you start to talk about it." She removed her hand and placed it at the back of his neck, pulling his face towards hers.

Draco grinned. "Talk is overrated," he said, just getting the words out before she crushed her lips on his.

The next day, the whole school gathered in the Great Hall to greet Dumbledore upon his return. There was also a feast to celebrate the end of the battle. Everyone was talking loudly and laughing, enjoying their last minutes of holiday before classes would once again resume.

At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was shaking her head at Ron as he shoved food into his mouth. "How about you try swallowing before you take your next bite!" she exclaimed, trying to sound upset but unable to disguise the laughter in her voice.

"But I finally know what I'm eating!" He exclaimed, grabbing a drumstick and taking a bite. "See? It tastes like chicken, not dirt or ear wax or anything else." He took another bite. "Bloody bag..."

"Mmmm, chicken!" It sounded appealing to Ginny, too, as she reached across to the platter of drumsticks. The same idea seemed to also cross Harry's mind, since he reached for the exact same drumstick, and grabbed instead Ginny's fingers. They both jumped and withdrew their hands immediately.

"Sorry," Ginny mumbled, looking down.

Hermione observed the situation, and nudged Harry. He sighed laboriously and brought his eyes to Ginny's face. "Gin, I didn't mean what I said. I think I've held this grudge too long, and it's time to let it go. I hope we could try and salvage our friendship."

"Our friendship," said Ginny, "that would be great!"

"Friendship?" asked Ron, his mouth still full. "I think you two should be more than friends."

Ginny blushed, horrified at what he had just said. She didn't want to make Harry upset again, but in light of last night's events, she sure couldn't see herself with him over Draco.

"No, Hermione and I already had this discussion," said Harry awkwardly, "and we think friendship is definitely the way to go with Ginny."

"Besides, I have a feeling her heart lies elsewhere," remarked Hermione with a wink and nudge of her head towards the Slytherin table.

"Huh?" asked Ron, looking from face to face.

Harry laughed. "Nevermind, you." He raised his goblet of Butterbeer towards Ginny. "To the sister I never had."

Ginny smiled and followed suit. "To my seventh brother!"

Hermione's glass went in the air, too. "To my best friends!"

Ron shrugged and did the same. "To not knowing what the bloody hell is going on!" The four goblets clinked in the center of the table, and the teens took long drinks from their respective glasses.

Ginny allowed her eyes to wander to the other side of the room, as they had done countless times during the meal. Draco was ignoring his fellow Slytherins, who were whispering in some sort of a huddle, and staring at her. She raised an eyebrow and lifted her goblet in his direction. With a subtle smile Draco lifted his own and tipped his head to her before taking a sip. "To finding love," whispered Ginny.

"To new beginnings," Draco muttered before polishing the remainder of his glass.

THE END!

A/N: OH THE CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was going to end it with both boys rejecting Ginny and have her follow in the footsteps of Ms. Figg and grow up to be a homely cat-loving spinster. But the poll demanded otherwise. There was overwhelming support for Draco: 78 of reviewers, as opposed to the 14 who were pulling for Harry. The rest of the percentage points (8) went for either no one hooking up, or strange matches including characters not even in this story, such as Lavender, Neville, and Cho. Go figure. A couple people thought Draco and Hermione should hook up, and even more people wanted Harry dead. Sorry guys, can't make everyone happy. Plus, I liked it best this way myself, go D/G! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!