A/N: Oh man. The last chapter. I hope you have liked this story. grin

Chapter Twenty: The End of the Beginning

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The pounding on the door echoed throughout Dumbledore's circular office, waking up several sleeping portraits and causing Ginny to gasp surprisingly in her chair.

Draco slowly walked to the door and opened it up, where Hermione stood.

She looked quite unlike herself. Her hair was more frazzled than ever, her face was tear-streaked, and her eyes were very red.

Almost at once, Draco let out an audible scowl, clearly dismissing the fact that she had been bawling for the last hour.

"What do you want?" Draco said, but Hermione was looking at Ginny. She pushed past Draco and hurried over to where Ginny was sitting, where she gave her a tight hug.

"Oh, Ginny, I was so worried," Hermione said quietly, and she let go. A couple of tears leaked out of her eyes and Ginny awkwardly laughed.

"I'm alright, Hermione," she said. "Really, I'm okay… why are you up here?"

Hermione suddenly became serious. She stood up and looked over at Draco, then back at Ginny.

"Dumbledore told me to accompany you and… Draco…"- Ginny could tell that Hermione felt it very strange saying his first name -"to the Great Hall. He says he has an important announcement to make."

"Whatever about?" Draco said sarcastically, his arms folded. Hermione didn't answer, but merely glared at him seriously.

"The point," she told him in a harsh tone, "is that Dumbledore wants me to accompany you to the Great Hall. Come on, Ginny," she added.

Ginny stood up from her chair with Hermione and started walking towards the door, before she spotted a rather odd figure outside the office.

Hermione saw the confused look on Ginny's face and peered over where Ginny was staring. Suddenly, she put her hands on her hips and her expression changed in the blink of an eye.

"Harry!"

Draco whipped around and took a step backward, growling like a rabid dog.

Ginny heard a loud sigh coming from the shadows and the figure walked into the light. Yes, it was Harry. Ginny was at a loss for words as Draco yelled furiously.

"You! Potter! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted as Harry leaned on the doorway.

Harry unexpectedly said in a cool voice, "I walked up here with Hermione to take you to the Great Hall."

Hermione rolled her eyes, taking Ginny by the hand and leading her onto the golden staircase that led up to Dumbledore's office. Harry and Draco followed.

"That's the absolute worst lie I've ever heard," Hermione muttered.

&&&&&&&&&&

It was strange, walking into the Great Hall, Ginny thought. It was empty, for the students had gone back to their classes after lunch, but Ginny felt as though they were all there, staring at her.

She glanced at Draco, expecting him to say some kind of snide remark, but he walked silently, once or twice giving Harry a look of disgust.

Harry himself kept looking over at Ginny, who forced herself to turn her head and instead stare at the student-less Slytherins and Ravenclaw tables.

"Dumbledore has asked that Ginny and Draco be placed in the chamber behind the staff table," Hermione suddenly said. "The one all the Champions of the Triwizard Tournament went into, remember?"

No one answered, though they all knew what she was talking about. Hermione looked sternly at Harry and said, "I guess Harry will have to go, too."

Draco snarled to himself and Ginny rolled her eyes at the both of them. Honestly, they could act so immature sometimes.

When they got to the chamber door, they opened it slowly and stepped inside, greeted by a fire cracking merrily, three or four lounge chairs, and self-portraits of witches and wizards.

Hermione stood in the doorway, her hand on the door handle. Apparently she didn't plan on staying.

"You all are to stay in here until dinner. You've all eaten, haven't you?" she said.

The three of them nodded silently as Hermione closed the door shut. There was an awkward silence until Ginny spoke.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself rather than to Draco or Harry. "Barricading us in here. It's not as if I've died."

"That's not funny," said Draco seriously, not looking at her.

Ginny, surprised at his words, didn't say anything and sat rather unsteadily into one of the chairs in the middle of the room.

Harry had also sunk into one of the lounge chairs, his head in his hands. Ginny looked up at Draco, trying to figure out what to say. She found she couldn't say anything, though. Twice she opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead she curled into a ball in her chair and tried to fall asleep, exhausted.

Two hours passed. Draco had drifted around the room and had finally sat in one of the chairs, his eyes opened, staring into the fire. Harry's were opened as well, but they were wandering around, possibly studying the portraits.

Ginny yawned and stretched, looking at Draco. He looked so surly, sitting there, rigid. She felt as though this were her fault; if she had just not gone to the Owlery and told him she couldn't make it in time…

"You're awake," Harry said, his eyes settling upon her. "Finally. You've been sleeping for hours."

Ginny didn't answer. She had been thinking of what to say to Draco… she found she couldn't say much, however; Harry was there. She had to pick her words carefully.

"Is… is Dumbledore going to tell everyone – what… what happened?" she asked Draco, but instead Harry answered with another question.

"What did happen?"

Draco instantly took his gaze away from the fire and settled his eyes on Harry, furious.

"God, Potter, can't you just leave it alone? You never fucking shut up!"

Not only did Harry look surprised, but Ginny did too. It had been so quiet, but now Draco's voice was reverberating off the walls, making it seem as though he had said it three times. He was definitely overreacting. Ginny hated when he was so harsh to Harry.

Harry stood up, looking positively livid.

"Don't tell me to shut up, Malfoy!" he said loudly. "I have the right to know! If you haven't figured it out for the last six years, Ginny just so happens to be my friend!"

Draco smirked.

"Is she?"

Harry said nothing. At first he wanted to tell them that he heard everything they said in Dumbledore's office, that Ginny admitted to not hating him anymore (even though she called him all those names… Harry didn't care anymore), that she and him were on speaking terms again… but once Malfoy said those two words… he was suddenly filled with doubt. Had Ginny revealed to Malfoy everything that Harry didn't know?

He looked at Ginny for help, who had grabbed the arms of her chair and looked as if she could cry.

"That's right, Potter," Draco spat triumphantly. "Go ahead and think what you want, but you'll never have Ginny, and deep down you know it. You lost her long ago."

Harry glared at him, pulsating with rage. He was shaking; his hands were now clenched in fists. He wanted nothing more to beat Malfoy to a pulp, but Harry knew Malfoy was right.

He had lost Ginny, and he'd never get her back.

But Harry knew something that Malfoy didn't.

"If I were you," Harry said in a threatening tone, "I'd think twice before telling everyone that you killed your own father."

Draco snapped. Leaving his wand tucked in his pocket, he grabbed Harry by the neck and pushed him against the wall. He didn't hear the portraits screaming in terror, or Ginny get up out of his chair.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she cried, heaving Draco away from Harry. Harry massaged his throat tenderly as Draco moved aside, adjusting his clothes where Ginny had pulled.

"Unless you have a death wish, Potter, you better hope you wake up in the morning with all of your body parts in the right places!" he yelled. Harry merely rolled his eyes.

"Oo, I'm so scared, Malfoy's going to switch my body parts," he said in a childish voice. "Everyone will find out anyway, Malfoy… but then again, who would care? Your Death Eater of a dad helped Voldemort come back to life! He's the reason why no one can sleep at night! He's the reason your life has been a living hell!"

Draco was just about to explode. "You know nothing, Potter!" he bellowed. "You know nothing about what happened! You know NOTHING!"

Ginny's eyes were leaking with tears, almost bloodshot. She had clung onto Draco, restraining him from beating Harry to a bloody pulp. Harry himself was surprised.

"I know more than you'd expect, Malfoy," he said rather calmly. "You think I'd sit in the Great Hall, worrying about Ginny? I wanted to know what happened. And now I do."

Draco could not control himself.

"YOU BASTARD!" he practically screamed. Both Harry and Ginny winced as the sound split their ears. "Ginny was right, you are a bloody eavesdropper, you good-for-nothing piece of –"

"What's going on in here?"

Hermione's voice suddenly interrupted Draco, echoing eerily off the walls. Draco calmed himself down and straightened up, as did Harry. Ginny wiped away the tears remaining on her crimson cheeks.

"Nothing," they all said at once. Hermione eyed them suspiciously but said nothing about this and continued.

"Everyone's finished eating," she said quietly. "You three are lucky these walls are thick; we thought that all of you were being attacked!"

No one said a word. Harry still looked slightly perturbed; his hair was even messier than it usually was, and his robes looked strangely lopsided.

"Well, come on now," Hermione said. "Dumbledore would like us all to sit at our own House tables."

&&&&&&&&&&

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione all seated themselves at the Gryffindor table uneasily, almost everyone's eyes on Ginny. She looked over at Draco at the Slytherin table, who was at once bombarded by his peers who undoubtedly wanted their questions to be answered. At that moment, however, Dumbledore stood and all was silent.

"As you all well know," he started. "Ginny Weasley was kidnapped three days ago."

More silence.

"But now, as you can see," Dumbledore went on happily, "Miss Weasley is back and healthy. I do not want anyone to question her until she is ready to answer, nor do I want anyone to ask questions to Draco Malfoy."

There were a few mutters from the people who knew nothing about Draco's rescue, but Dumbledore continued as if no one had spoken.

"Draco Malfoy saved Miss Weasley's life, and for that Mister Malfoy deserves a token of honor."

With that, Dumbledore began to clap. Following suit, the rest of the students began to clap as well, though half-heartedly. Draco Malfoy was not the sort of person you could call a hero.

The applause died down after awhile.

"Now, let us all return to our dormitories and have a goodnight's sleep. Off you go!"

The students in the Great Hall got up from their tables rather reluctantly, staring at Ginny as they walked past. She tried to ignore this as she got up herself. Purposely, she began the long way to Gryffindor Tower, the way no one else went. She did not want to talk to anyone at the moment… except for Draco.

He seemed to have read her mind.

"Ginny!" Draco gasped behind her. "Ginny!"

Ginny turned around quickly to see that Draco was running to her. Suddenly he stopped where she was and took a breath or two. "I wanted to – talk – to – you."

"About how you almost killed Harry?" said Ginny, blinking.

"Potter deserved what he got," Draco told her. "I told him that he should keep to his own business, but I guess the great prat needs a Hearing Charm –"

"Draco," Ginny interrupted him, tears welling up in her eyes. Draco immediately stopped, looking at Ginny in confusion.

"What is it?" he asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

The tears that had been welling up cascaded down Ginny's cheek; she tried not to burst out crying.

"Hold me."

Draco stood still for a moment or two before taking Ginny in his arms and holding her tight. He kissed her flaming red hair as she silently cried into his chest, her hands over her face.

"Shh," said Draco soothingly, clutching her even tighter. "It's alright, Ginny, everything will be fine."

Ginny sniffed and said, "What about… your father? What's going to happen to you?"

Draco had been thinking the same thing. What would happen to him? Surely he would be let go of all charges, wouldn't he? Wasn't it self-defense?

"I – I don't know."

There was a silence in which the world had stopped. No students walking down the corridor. No voices heard from the Great Hall. Everything seemed so unreal as he held a shaking Ginny. He didn't want to believe what had happened in a mere 24 hours.

He couldn't.

"This is the end, isn't it, Draco?" Ginny asked, looking up at him.

Draco looked into her dark brown eyes, wanting nothing more than to kiss her tears away and tell her everything was going to be okay, everything would turn out better in the end. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Somehow he didn't believe that everything was going to be okay.

"Yes, Ginny, it is the end," he told her softly. Their noses were centimeters apart…

"The end of the beginning."

-THE END-