A/N- sorri for the delay in updating but ff wasn't working for a while. Well it's here now! Enjoy the long awaited and long chappie!
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"Did you figure out my riddle yet?" Albus asked as he appeared in the fire suddenly. Snape turned around.
"No, I have not. What do you mean by they get along just like when they were little?" Snape asked.
"Go upstairs to Draco's room," Albus ordered.
Snape walked up and entered Draco's room.
"Now what?" he asked Albus as he appeared in Draco's fireplace.
"Look at the painting," Albus said.
Snape looked up at the painting of the two little kids holding hands. They looked vaguely familiar. Then it hit him.
"They're Ginny and Draco," he said as he studied the portrait carefully.
"Yes. You see, Ginny and Draco used to live next to each other. They were next door neighbors. But after a few years, Draco moved. They were such good friends. I painted that painting one day as I watched them. The scene was just as it is in the painting. I think they both remember a boy or girl next door, but they don't know that it was them. Look at the painting Draco's painted. It's under his bed," Albus explained.
Snape pulled out the painting of a little red-headed girl.
"It's Ginny," Snape said.
"Yes," Albus replied. "He remembers the girl next door, but he doesn't know it was Ginny. If only they're families didn't have such a strong hate for each other." Then Albus left.
Snape decided to ask Draco and Ginny about it. First, he went to Draco. He found him outside playing Quidditch against Harry.
"Draco, I need to ask you something," Snape said. Draco landed and they headed inside.
"There's a painting in your room that you painted, who is it?" Snape asked.
"You were looking in my room?" Draco asked angrily.
"I am your professor, I have every right," Snape said with authority.
"It's of this girl that used to live next door to me when I was little. I don't remember her name or anything. But she was so nice. Then I moved away and I never saw her again," Draco told.
"Are you sure you never saw her again?" Snape asked.
"Yes, I'm positive. Why?"
"Stay here," Snape ordered as he went to get the two paintings and Ginny.
"Ginny, do you remember a little boy next door from when you were small?" asked Snape as they all sat down in the living room with the paintings.
"No," Ginny replied. "Wait, yeah, I do! He was real nice. We use to play together every day. But then he moved away and I never saw him again," Ginny said. Then she looked at Draco and realization struck them both.
"It was you!" they exclaimed in unison.
"You were the boy next door? But you were so nice!" Ginny stated.
"I lived next door to the Weasleys and they were actually nice? I mean, okay, I have to give you props. You are nice. But the rest of them? I actually played with them when I was little? No wonder my father moved away," Draco said.
"We are not a horrible family! Ron, the twins, and Bill are really nice! And so is my mum!" Ginny argued.
"Maybe they are. I don't know. My father's installed so many thoughts into my mind I no longer know which are true or which or false," Draco said. Then Ginny looked at the painting.
"That painting's of us!" Ginny cried.
"Albus painted it one day while you two played," Snape said.
"And the other one is of me! Who drew that one? It's really good!" Ginny said.
"I did," Draco replied.
"Oh, well, um, you're a good artist," Ginny said.
"Thanks," Draco said. "This is odd; I can't believe I was best friends with a Weasley!"
"What do you mean used to? Can't we still be?" Ginny asked. Draco looked up at her.
"Maybe," he said, teasingly.
"What? Am I not good enough to be Draco Malfoy's friend?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know, are you?" Draco asked. He got up and bolted for the door, an angry Ginny chasing after him.
"It feels so good to see them play together after all those years. It brings hope to me, Severus. I don't have many years left, but happy moments like these, they override my troubles," Albus said from the fire. Snape just looked at them running around outside. Harry was surely suspicious.
Draco and Ginny sat down by the lake after hours of chasing and running around. Ginny was on her stomach and had her elbows propped up on the grass cradling her head.
"So, am I really all that bad?" Ginny asked as she looked at him.
"I guess not. My father's taught me a lot of things that aren't true. I have trouble sorting them out and choosing the right things to believe," Draco admitted.
"I see," Ginny said as she looked back across the lake.
A few hours later, Draco felt his tattoo hurt.
"Snape!" he cried as he clutched his right forearm.
"What? The Dark Lord hasn't summoned-Oh, it's Ginny!" he cried. They both rushed upstairs to Snape's room.
Ginny lay in bed, unconscious. Her head had a huge wound that was bleeding freely. Her arm had a gash on it and her pants were torn and pulled down halfway. Her shirt was thorn in a corner and her stomach was red. Wounds and gashes were visible everywhere. Her pillow was soaked in blood.
"Oh my god," Draco said as he walked closer to her. He ran his finger over the gash on her head. "It's really deep," he concluded.
"We have to get her to St. Mungo's," Snape said. "The healers should deal with this."
They dressed Ginny up as best as they could and were about to floo out when they remembered Harry. They turned around to call him, only to find him staring right at them.
"What happened to her?" he asked as he ran over to her.
"Potter, don't ask questions now. We need to get her to St. Mungo's quickly. Do you want to come?" Snape asked. Harry nodded and they flooed.
"Hello, how may I help you?" asked the secretary.
"She's got a couple bruises and her head has a deep gash," Draco said quickly.
"Why, hello Mr. Malfoy, how are you doing?" she asked.
"I have no time for this. What room?" he asked angrily.
"Hmm…Floor 6 Room 2," the witch concluded.
"There is no Floor 6!" Draco cried.
"They have added a new floor. Good-bye," the secretary dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
Draco was quite strong, Harry noticed, for he hadn't staggered under the weight of Ginny's body.
They arrived at Floor 6 and walked into Room 2.
It was a medium-sized room lined with white beds on both sides. Five windows lined the wall in the back. Only two beds were filled with patients.
One patient had a huge bump on his head and the other had no foot. His ankle was wrapped with cloth to cease the blood and his foot lay a ways away. Harry almost threw up.
"How did they get like that?" asked Harry.
"Who knows," Draco replied. He laid Ginny down on the bed all the way in the back near the window. A few minutes later a healer walked in.
"What happened?" she asked. Draco looked at Snape.
"She's hurt. She's got a couple bruises and her head's badly gashed. I think she lost a lot of blood," Snape said.
"Hmm.." the healer said as she looked the girl over. "She's in a coma."
"What!" cried Harry and Draco in unison.
"I'm sorry but it seems that she's slipped into a coma. I'll check for you," she said as she took out her wand and muttered a spell. A little beep sounded. "Yep, she's in a coma. The weaker the beep, the worse the coma. She might stay like this for a year or less. Not to worry, she should wake up. It might just take a while. She will be monitored daily, good-day," and the healer left to attend to the footless patient.
"A coma!" cried Harry. "Ron's going to go ballistic!"
"Then it is best he doesn't know," Draco concluded.
"We have to tell him," Snape said. "We have to tell all the Weasleys."
"But then Charlie and her father will figure out!" Draco cried.
"So what?" Harry asked.
"They did this to her," Snape told.
"What! Why would they do that to her? They're her family!" Harry cried.
"Out of anger. When something horrid happens to them, they take it out on her," Draco said. He sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed Ginny's hand.
"We must be going now," Snape said. Draco and Harry followed reluctantly, unwilling to leave Ginny behind in deep sleep.
"Albus," Snape called from the fire.
"Yes, I know of Ginny's condition," Albus said as his head bobbed up and down in the fireplace. "I will tell the Weasleys immediately."
Snape, Draco, and Harry sat in silence for a quarter of an hour. Then three boys came out of the fireplace.
"Where is she?" cried Fred.
"What did you do to her?" exclaimed a very red in the face Ron.
"You better have not-"began George.
"Silence!" Snape bellowed. "You will listen to me. What has Albus told you?"
"He said that Ginny was beaten up badly and she's in a coma in St. Mungo's," Fred replied.
"You just answered your question of where she is at the moment. We did nothing to her. You three must listen carefully. I do not have a better way of explaining this to you. Your brother Charlie and your father did this to her," Snape confessed.
"What! Charlie would never do anything like that!" George cried.
"Neither would dad!" Ron added.
"Calm down!" Snape yelled. "Were Charlie and Arthur at home a couple hours ago?"
"Um, no," Ron said.
"And this incident happened a few hours ago," Snape said.
"I am not going to believe this!" Ron cried. "I need proof!"
"Ginny told us," Draco said. All eyes were on him. Had he just called her Ginny?
"What did you just call her?" asked Fred.
"Ginny. That's her name, isn't it?" asked Draco.
"What's going on between you and my sister?" asked Ron.
"Nothing," Draco stated plainly.
"You three, listen up. It's your choice whether you're willing to accept the facts or not. I assure you that Arthur and Charlie shall pay for their doings whether you like it or not," Snape said. Ron, Fred, and George stood, silenced.
"Severus?" asked Albus from the fire. Snape looked at him. "They are involved with him."
"Who is involved with who?" asked Draco. Albus appeared in the room.
"There has just been a death eater attack near Seamus Finnegan's house. The death eaters found were Arthur, Charlie, and Peter Pettigrew. But Peter escaped before we could catch him. They are sentencing Arthur and Charlie to the dementor's kiss," Albus stated gravely.
"What!" cried Ron, George, and Fred in unison.
"Did they plead guilty?" asked Snape.
"No, they said they did it," Albus said. "I believe he took them when they were in a weak position, and went from there. He is quite strong. This is the first death eater attack since 2 years. 50 people were killed and 25 are injured. 25 of the 50 people killed were wizards and witches and 15 of the 25 injured were wizards and witches, too. I believe a battle is to be expected soon," Albus said and with that, left.
"No way," was all that Ron could say as he fell onto the sofa. "Dad?"
"Charlie?" said George.
"Dementor's kiss?" said Fred.
"I believe you three should go back to Hogwarts," Snape said. "As for Ginny, they said she should wake up soon. She will be monitored daily and you can visit her sometime. As for now, don't tell everyone. Keep it low," Snape said.
Ron, Fred, and George got up dazedly and flooed back to Hogwarts.
"They were with the death eaters? This is too much for one day," Harry said as he headed upstairs to bed.
"Bed," Snape commanded. Draco got up and they headed to the comforts of their dreams.
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Yay! It's a long chappie! Thanks everyone for being patient for this long chappie! Hope you enjoyed it!
Thankies:
1. Sara D-Yay! Happy b-day alan! Me loves you! Thanks for the review! U must update ur stories soon! Let's chat soon!
2. ILUVRONWEASLEY-Well, not really. He told Lavender it wasn't going to work out. He just kissed her once and left her alone. But he really likes Hermione. Anyways, thanks for the review! Come back soon!
3. Cathy- Lol, you'll make it! You've made it this far! How was rowing state champs? Hope u won! Wow that's so early! What's your msn? My email is dolphydance450@hotmail.com. Add me! Chat with me! Thanks for the review!
4. Smileyface1314- Hiya twinnie! Bring a few extra things? I'm not going to even ask! Thanks for the review! C ya soon!
5. ckat44- Are you sure you know nothing? Cuz ur acting awfully suspicious! Lol! Thanks for the review!
6. Lucifer Frost-He's not cheating though! He told lavender it wouldn't work out! Chinese water-torture? Okay….lol! Ginny was gone! U'll figure out soon! Thanks for the review! Huwwie? I like that!
Person I miss of the chappie:
Daisie: Did you disappear again? Have you been reading? You must update ur stori soon!
Anyways, thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! And if you're reading this then why don't you just click the go button and review? You've already read the story, so give me your input! Tell me if you like it! It just takes a few seconds! Thanks!