Author's Note: Hey all, I just kind of pulled together a bunch of what I'm
feeling right now and put it into this story. If you don't know, a lot of
us down here in Arkansas are facing consolidation and are going to lose our
schools, and mine is one of them. Friday the 14th of May was my school's
last graduation ever, and I'm not ready to let the seniors go let alone the
whole school. There's not enough time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it, but I do own this story and any characters I choose to add to it.
Chapter 1
Ginny sat alone under the covered walkway at lunch break and watched the snow fall heavy and silent from Heaven to earth. Pulling her legs against her chest and setting her books at her side, she layed her cheek on her knees and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were swirling slowly about in her head, just as the snowflakes were in the air around her. There wasn't enough time. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were 7th years. This was her last year at Hogwarts with them. All the smiles, the laughs, the jokes, all the tears, the lectures, the fights, and all those cold, silent, winter days where no words were needed were all limited now. There just wasn't enough time left. No one was ready for them to leave. No one was ready to be without them.
Harry wasn't the same. Only weeks ago had he finally, once and for all, defeated Voldermort. Ginny closed her mind against the image of that evil, pale-faced, yellow-eyed thing that called itself a man writhing and shrieking under the power of Harry's curses. It hadn't been Harry that had killed Voldermort really. It couldn't have been. The Harry everyone knew and loved never in his life could have let such vile curses pour so easily from his lips. The true, real Harry could never have taken any life at all with such cold, unblinking eyes. Ginny shuddered. It was some other boy, one she didn't know and prayed she would never see again.
Ginny felt more than heard the person approaching. She felt his presence as he sat close beside her. Aah yes, she would miss this one too. Even after he'd tortured her through most her life at Hogwarts, she knew she'd miss him even if he hadn't come to the side of good and fought the war against Voldermort and his death eaters. Even if he hadn't drawn his wand against his own father and won. Ginny slid one small, pale hand down to lay palm up on his one bent knee, and felt him entwine his fingers in hers and bring her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. It hadn't been Harry that had killed Voldermort, but it had been Draco that had killed Lucious. Another image she shielded from her mind. One of Draco clutching his father close against him, sobbing his apologies, his forgiveness as Lucious gave his last breath to beg his son's understanding. He'd stood again though, when Lucious was dead, and continued fighting. Yes, there wasn't enough time for him either. Ginny would never have enough time to know the real Draco Malfoy.
"We're not gone yet," she heard his gentle smirk, no longer cold and harsh.
"But you will be soon," she didn't yet open her eyes. "And I'll be alone here. The last Weasley and with no Malfoy to harrass me or Potter to swoon over. No brothers to run to and with no Malfoy no reason to run to them..." she sighed and opened her eyes just enough to watch the snow drift gently down. "Everything is all thrown out of orbit. My world is floating away out into empty space."
"You're being dramatic again, Gin," Draco smiled teasingly, but his eyes betrayed him. His world was floating away too.
Ginny turned her head to look into those eyes. Once she'd called them gray, dull and lifelessly gray. And perhaps then they had been. Now, they glistened an elegant silver. One that shone with the inability to hide his feelings any longer. Yes, once he had been dead. Merely a shell walking the earth in the wake of his father. But now, now he was truly Draco Malfoy, passionate and starving to cling to every emotion he could now show to the world. At first it had been anger, blinding rage. He'd hit Ron once, but it was then that anger gave way to anguish as he collapsed into the other boy's arms. It had only been days after the final battle when her brother had held his sworn enemy and promised him that better times were coming.
She sighed again and let her eyes trail over his face. His left cheek still bore a cut across it from some blow or another. It would scar most likely, but it only seemed to add character to the light-skinned face now. What was she going to do without them? Ginny untangled her hand from his and brushed her fingers lightly over the cut.
"The bruises are gone," she said.
"Yeah," he nodded. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore. It didn't hurt much in the first place. None of the physical bruises hurt..." he trailed off looking away from her.
There was another long silence. It was alright though. Draco may have changed, but silence had become his nature somewhat. He spoke, he laughed, he smiled much more often and entirely more genuine, but there were so many times now when his eyes grew distant and he looked away. Just like Harry. Ginny imagined that maybe they saw the same things, that they were looking into the same world that no one else could see. She had to think of it that way. She couldn't imagine Harry or Draco just slipping away like they did so often now, going to that other place alone.
"The bell's going to ring soon," Ginny said quietly.
"We're not going to leave you, Gin," Draco looked back at her. He did not emphasize his words, didn't try to sound any more convincing. He didn't need to. She could look in his eyes and know he meant it. "We'll come back as much as we can to see you and everyone else. We can't just leave anyway, everything's too unstable. Everyone needs Harry more than ever now to make them feel safe, convince them that it's really over."
"Is it really over, Draco?" Ginny whispered, barely audible.
Another silence, but this one didn't stretch. Draco leaned close and slid one hand under her hair to the back of her neck. He drew her near until their foreheads touched. He looked deep into her emerald eyes, searched for a moment, within himself or within her she couldn't tell, and then let his thumb trace slowly just beneath her ear.
"Yes," he promised. "Yes it is, Gin. You'll make it, don't worry. You're not any less without Harry, Ron, or Hermione. You're you and everyone knows that now, and a lot more people have always known it than you think. We're not abandoning you, but really, Gin, you don't need us that awful much. And... and really I don't know if my ego can take that or not, but it's true," he ended with a little smile.
Ginny gave a small smile and a whispery laugh as she reached out and hugged him. No, there wasn't enough time. Not enough time to tell Harry that it's ok to cry. That everyone will understand. Not enough time to hug her brother one last time and tell him that he's her hero, her protector. To thank him for every single time he tried to beat her boyfriends into bloody stains on the sidewalk. Not enough time to hide Hermione's books ever again just to get her to go to Hogsmede and really live a little. To hug her and promise her a place in the Weasley home and the wizarding world always. Not enough time to understand, to really know the blond boy beside her. Not enough time...
The bell rang and they rose silently. They both blinked back unshed tears, swallowed unneeded words, and picked up books and bags that held the only things still right in their floating worlds. Hogwarts had survived, and so they would always have somewhere to come back to. Someone would always be there waiting for them. The snow drifted around them slowly, silently, and without a care in the world. But that was because the world that the snow fell in was still rooted perfectly in its own happy orbit. Theirs was spinning away to somewhere unknown. Not enough time... Ginny glanced at the white covered forest just beyond the grounds and smiled a little. She still didn't know if there were really werewolves and vampires in there. Well, she still had another year. She mentally put that on her to do list for next year and followed Draco back ino the building. At least she had a little more time in Hogwarts, even if it was without them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it, but I do own this story and any characters I choose to add to it.
Chapter 1
Ginny sat alone under the covered walkway at lunch break and watched the snow fall heavy and silent from Heaven to earth. Pulling her legs against her chest and setting her books at her side, she layed her cheek on her knees and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were swirling slowly about in her head, just as the snowflakes were in the air around her. There wasn't enough time. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were 7th years. This was her last year at Hogwarts with them. All the smiles, the laughs, the jokes, all the tears, the lectures, the fights, and all those cold, silent, winter days where no words were needed were all limited now. There just wasn't enough time left. No one was ready for them to leave. No one was ready to be without them.
Harry wasn't the same. Only weeks ago had he finally, once and for all, defeated Voldermort. Ginny closed her mind against the image of that evil, pale-faced, yellow-eyed thing that called itself a man writhing and shrieking under the power of Harry's curses. It hadn't been Harry that had killed Voldermort really. It couldn't have been. The Harry everyone knew and loved never in his life could have let such vile curses pour so easily from his lips. The true, real Harry could never have taken any life at all with such cold, unblinking eyes. Ginny shuddered. It was some other boy, one she didn't know and prayed she would never see again.
Ginny felt more than heard the person approaching. She felt his presence as he sat close beside her. Aah yes, she would miss this one too. Even after he'd tortured her through most her life at Hogwarts, she knew she'd miss him even if he hadn't come to the side of good and fought the war against Voldermort and his death eaters. Even if he hadn't drawn his wand against his own father and won. Ginny slid one small, pale hand down to lay palm up on his one bent knee, and felt him entwine his fingers in hers and bring her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. It hadn't been Harry that had killed Voldermort, but it had been Draco that had killed Lucious. Another image she shielded from her mind. One of Draco clutching his father close against him, sobbing his apologies, his forgiveness as Lucious gave his last breath to beg his son's understanding. He'd stood again though, when Lucious was dead, and continued fighting. Yes, there wasn't enough time for him either. Ginny would never have enough time to know the real Draco Malfoy.
"We're not gone yet," she heard his gentle smirk, no longer cold and harsh.
"But you will be soon," she didn't yet open her eyes. "And I'll be alone here. The last Weasley and with no Malfoy to harrass me or Potter to swoon over. No brothers to run to and with no Malfoy no reason to run to them..." she sighed and opened her eyes just enough to watch the snow drift gently down. "Everything is all thrown out of orbit. My world is floating away out into empty space."
"You're being dramatic again, Gin," Draco smiled teasingly, but his eyes betrayed him. His world was floating away too.
Ginny turned her head to look into those eyes. Once she'd called them gray, dull and lifelessly gray. And perhaps then they had been. Now, they glistened an elegant silver. One that shone with the inability to hide his feelings any longer. Yes, once he had been dead. Merely a shell walking the earth in the wake of his father. But now, now he was truly Draco Malfoy, passionate and starving to cling to every emotion he could now show to the world. At first it had been anger, blinding rage. He'd hit Ron once, but it was then that anger gave way to anguish as he collapsed into the other boy's arms. It had only been days after the final battle when her brother had held his sworn enemy and promised him that better times were coming.
She sighed again and let her eyes trail over his face. His left cheek still bore a cut across it from some blow or another. It would scar most likely, but it only seemed to add character to the light-skinned face now. What was she going to do without them? Ginny untangled her hand from his and brushed her fingers lightly over the cut.
"The bruises are gone," she said.
"Yeah," he nodded. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore. It didn't hurt much in the first place. None of the physical bruises hurt..." he trailed off looking away from her.
There was another long silence. It was alright though. Draco may have changed, but silence had become his nature somewhat. He spoke, he laughed, he smiled much more often and entirely more genuine, but there were so many times now when his eyes grew distant and he looked away. Just like Harry. Ginny imagined that maybe they saw the same things, that they were looking into the same world that no one else could see. She had to think of it that way. She couldn't imagine Harry or Draco just slipping away like they did so often now, going to that other place alone.
"The bell's going to ring soon," Ginny said quietly.
"We're not going to leave you, Gin," Draco looked back at her. He did not emphasize his words, didn't try to sound any more convincing. He didn't need to. She could look in his eyes and know he meant it. "We'll come back as much as we can to see you and everyone else. We can't just leave anyway, everything's too unstable. Everyone needs Harry more than ever now to make them feel safe, convince them that it's really over."
"Is it really over, Draco?" Ginny whispered, barely audible.
Another silence, but this one didn't stretch. Draco leaned close and slid one hand under her hair to the back of her neck. He drew her near until their foreheads touched. He looked deep into her emerald eyes, searched for a moment, within himself or within her she couldn't tell, and then let his thumb trace slowly just beneath her ear.
"Yes," he promised. "Yes it is, Gin. You'll make it, don't worry. You're not any less without Harry, Ron, or Hermione. You're you and everyone knows that now, and a lot more people have always known it than you think. We're not abandoning you, but really, Gin, you don't need us that awful much. And... and really I don't know if my ego can take that or not, but it's true," he ended with a little smile.
Ginny gave a small smile and a whispery laugh as she reached out and hugged him. No, there wasn't enough time. Not enough time to tell Harry that it's ok to cry. That everyone will understand. Not enough time to hug her brother one last time and tell him that he's her hero, her protector. To thank him for every single time he tried to beat her boyfriends into bloody stains on the sidewalk. Not enough time to hide Hermione's books ever again just to get her to go to Hogsmede and really live a little. To hug her and promise her a place in the Weasley home and the wizarding world always. Not enough time to understand, to really know the blond boy beside her. Not enough time...
The bell rang and they rose silently. They both blinked back unshed tears, swallowed unneeded words, and picked up books and bags that held the only things still right in their floating worlds. Hogwarts had survived, and so they would always have somewhere to come back to. Someone would always be there waiting for them. The snow drifted around them slowly, silently, and without a care in the world. But that was because the world that the snow fell in was still rooted perfectly in its own happy orbit. Theirs was spinning away to somewhere unknown. Not enough time... Ginny glanced at the white covered forest just beyond the grounds and smiled a little. She still didn't know if there were really werewolves and vampires in there. Well, she still had another year. She mentally put that on her to do list for next year and followed Draco back ino the building. At least she had a little more time in Hogwarts, even if it was without them.