A/N: yeah yeah only own the unrecognisable characters

Well my dears this is the end, last chapter of this fanfic but I just started another one woo so fear not, its also another Ginny and Draco one which is obviously my favourite pairing but I plan on doing a Ron/Hermione one as well sometime, in fact I already have the idea for it somewhere. Anyway hope you enjoyed it! R&R plz! =) cheers xx

Lyrics at the beginning are from 'If Only Tonight We Could Sleep' by The Cure

Chapter Nineteen – All Endings Have a Beginning

If only tonight we could sleep
In a bed made of flowers
If only tonight we could fall
In a deathless spell

If only tonight we could slide
Into deep black water
And breathe
And breathe...

Then an angel would come
With burning eyes like stars
And bury us deep
In his velvet arms

Ginny looked around the room they used for training at the Five chattering aimlessly with their other friends as they waited for the bell to ring signalling the carriages were ready to take the remaining students to Hogsmeade for the emergency train home and felt the most wonderful feeling of belonging she hadn't felt since before Hogwarts.

Since the appearance of the strange girl last night the dance had been cut short but for once no one was gossiping, they didn't want to know what the girl meant and going home early was a welcome distraction. Right now Juno and Frankie were cheering on Noah and Blue who were playing a very loud game of wizard chess in the corner, Leo, Chance and Mason were playing an equally noisy game of Exploding Snap in the centre of the cushions between the sofas watched closely by Allegra. Rindy and Xander were saying a very passionate goodbye, that included a vigorous use of tongue, in the corner while Alyssa and Cass giggled over an article in Witch Weekly about Cass and Harry's relationship on the window seat.

"What are you thinking?"

Ginny didn't even jump when she heard a voice in her ear and an arm snake around her waist; instead she turned in the embracing arms to look into a pair of mercury eyes that were for once softened and a pale handsome face surrounded by a halo of white-blond hair.

'Can't you tell?'

He smirked at the voice in his head and leaned down towards her, blocking off the entire room so only the two of them could hear what he was saying. Ginny turned a violent shade of red at his thoughts and lowered her eyes to the floor.

'Ginny?'

She looked up at him when she heard the slight hint of nervousness in her head and she cocked her head to one side as she studied him from under her lashes.

'I want you to come and stay at the Manor, some time.'

Ginny bit her lip and looked sideways down at the floor, she did want to go so very much but what about her family, her brothers would never forgive her for spending Christmas with the enemy over her family. The feel of his warm hand splayed across her bare hip made her shudder with pleasure and she looked up at him once again.

'I want to, but holidays are for family and...'

She trailed off at the look on his face and sighed, why was it so hard? Why did she have to choose between them anyway, if they could only get along together...?

'Draco, what if you came to stay with us?'

Draco snorted and raised a pure blond eyebrow at her as she considered her suggestion and flushed.

'And get smothered in my sleep by your brothers? Well I suppose your family could stay at the Manor, there's more than enough room...'

Even before the words had actually left his head for hers he regretted saying it, all Christmas holidays with the Weasley clan?! But a spark of hope had flickered in Ginny's eyes and he couldn't back out now.

'Even Harry and Hermione?'

Scowling Draco looked down at the floor and nodded, feeling his heart rate jump as he felt her hand on the back of his neck pulling him towards her.

'Thank you.'

He didn't answer as she pressed her lips against his, his mind automatically switching into the kiss and cutting off all his thoughts as he drowned in her.

The pair were rudely shaken apart when the floor began to tremble violently, dust and bits of rock falling from the ceiling and the walls as the people throughout the room screamed and clung onto each other. Finally the floor steadied and Draco pulled Ginny to her feet as his friends surveyed each other for damage, Draco himself had a cut across the right side of his forehead that was steadily leaking blood into his eye.

Ginny winced as a pain shot through her side and glancing down saw a small cut just above the scar of her wound making blood seep into her tight white vest top. She lifted a surprisingly steady hand to her head where another small cut was covering her hair, left loose around her face, in blood. Pulling back her hand she saw blood mixing with her black plastic bracelets and studded straps and shuddered, wiping her hand on her baggy black combat pants and testing her footing on the cracked floor.

"What happened?"

A croaky voice rose over the dust filled air as several figures got to their feet from amongst the rubble, Alyssa and Cass limping over to Ginny and Draco with their hands clutching their heads.

"It felt like some kind of explosion."

Blue as always was taking the lead and checking everyone near by him for injuries as he grabbed an elastic band from his pocket and tied back his hair, revealing a nasty looking cut down his temple that dripped blood steadily onto his jade green shirt. Frankie held on to him as he pulled her to her feet and Ginny winced at the vicious looking cut down her friend's left thigh just below her dust streaked white skirt.

Ginny felt a streak of pure fear dart through her and her eyes met Draco's; was the war starting? As soon as the thought occurred to her she pushed it out of her mind and helped Leo to his feet, his arm seemed to have been broken as he was holding it at an odd angle and was dish-cloth grey in the face. Chance stumbled to his feet besides his friend and lifted a thoroughly shaken Alyssa back up off the floor where she had fallen at the mention of the word explosion.

"Is everyone ok?"

Various shouts of confirmation rang out through the room along with a lot of colourful cursing as wounds were bound with bits of ripped clothes and the group gradually centred by the door, everyone accounted for and at least able to walk.

"Where do you think the explosion was?"

The group looked around uneasily until Ginny made a timid suggestion;

"There is a way to find out."

The other Five immediately clamoured in her head trying to stop her as they saw what she was planning and she clapped her hand over her ears in pain. Once the noise had died down she retreated into the centre of the room with the entire group watching her warily, she knelt down on the miraculously untouched cushions and held her hands out in front of her, Alyssa clicking on to what she was doing and slapping a hand over her mouth.

"A Vision Charm."

Realisation fluttered around the group as a red orb appeared in the centre of Ginny's hands and began to rotate, spinning faster and faster as it grew until they could make out a vision of the Entrance Hall in its centre. There were about thirty students and at the most five teachers being roughly picked up off the floor by hundreds of hooded figures, figures Ginny recognised with a sinking heart as the same ones that had frozen the room the day of her kidnap.

Squinting her eyes in concentration she moved into the Great Hall where a dozen other students were already shackled to the walls by bright gold chains that glowed green with every movement and seemed to bite into the captor's skin if they tried to struggle. At the very top of the Great Hall where the teacher's table usually was there had been erected a huge red throne, the huge intricately carved back rising high over a head of long black hair, huge cold eyes scanning the hall with glee as a regal white hand waved and received a cup of warm blood from a hovering minion.

"My lady, all students and teachers are accounted for besides the Six and a couple of insignificant..."

The low sneering voice was cut short by a scream of agony as the harsh black eyes short fiery sparks, her hand was once more in the air but this time dragging the snivelling minion closer as she pincered his brain with burning darts of fire.

"But... my lady... they are Her friends."

The minion was dropped and he scrambled away before getting to his feet and bowing low again as she smiled and clapped her hands gleefully.

"Oh goody, more friends to torture."

She drummed her feet on the floor like an excited little girl and Ginny felt thoroughly sickened as she took a delicate sip of the blood, staining her purple lips with red.

"We have to do something..."

Ginny looked up from the spell briefly to see Alyssa looking greener by the second as she watched the scene playing out before them. The orb abruptly disappeared as Ginny got to her feet and they turned to stare at her warily, there was a fire burning in her eyes even the Change couldn't bring and her very skin was rippling with tensed muscles as she clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides.

"You're right; first we need to get everyone out."

A distinctly proud look was exchanged between Blue and Draco as they watched her pacing before the window, there were no thoughts of being found as the tower they were in was only known to those standing in it, the Golden Trio and Dumbledore and Snape.

"OK, there's fourteen of us, that should be enough..."

Her mind was working furiously as she went through plans in her head, working out who would be better rescuing and who would be better fighting.

"Enough for what?!" Allegra demanded loudly, still managing to look perfect despite the dust in her hair and smearing her cheeks and clothes.

"What, you plan to sit here and hope they die of boredom until someone comes looking or us?!"

Allegra didn't blush at the sarcasm; she merely narrowed her eyes at Ginny and lifted her chin haughtily. Ginny rolled her eyes, gave a satisfied grunt and went back to forming some sort of a plan.

"Right here's what we're going to do, those that know how to fight with a sword or their fists to one side everyone else on the other."

The group looked at each other before obediently breaking apart; Draco, Blue, Noah, Rindy and Mason on the same side as Ginny, the others standing awkwardly on the opposite side.

"OK, now the ones who can fight with swords are going to go after Kendra... shut up Allegra."

Ginny's voice was icy cold when Allegra opened her mouth to disagree or complain or something and to everyone's surprise she closed her mouth and remained silent.

"The rest of you are going to go for the other students and teachers and set them free."

Ginny glanced inquiringly at Alyssa as she timidly raised her hand as though in a lesson and she nodded at her to speak.

"Sorry but if the teacher's couldn't fight them off what makes you think we can?"

Ginny regarded her silently for a moment before shrugging;

"All you'll have to deal with are a few minions who should be easy to despatch with a few well placed hexes, then you need to release the teachers who can help the fight while you set the students free. We'll be keeping Kendra away from you."

Alyssa nodded and looked down at the floor, Ginny could tell she was absolutely terrified and she didn't blame them; Kendra was more powerful than even Voldemort could ever hope to be. But surprisingly she wasn't nervous herself, a cool icy calm had settled over her leaving her head free for planning and sensible thinking while the others panicked.

"Now, it's me she wants so I'll go in first and lead her away for the fight..."

When every person in the room, with the exception of Allegra, complained loudly and worriedly either vocally or telepathically, Ginny held up a hand for silence and they room gradually fell silent.

"She doesn't want me dead, not yet anyway, if that was all she wanted I'd have been dead long ago. No she wants me for something which is good, it will keep me alive long enough to distract her while you lot get everyone out."

Ginny vaguely realised she was beginning to sound like Harry and she grinned at them all before dispatching the rescue group over to the fireplace area so they could plan while her group headed over to the windows.

"I'm not happy about this."

Was the first thing out of Draco's mouth and Blue agreed fervently, diving straight into a speech on why she shouldn't do it in her head until she slapped him on the arm to shut him up.

"It will be fine, as long as you lot can keep her little guard things away from me while we fight we should be alright. She doesn't want to fight me with magic that would be too easy; she'll want to test me using a sword."

The group looked at her funnily and she shrugged, slumping down into the window seat to plan.

-=-=-=-=-=-

'Are we ready?'

Both groups nodded at her from their separate positions throughout the Entrance Hall as Ginny gave the order for them to take their starting positions. She once again marvelled at how lucky they were that Alyssa knew complex spells that could help in situations like these, charming everyone so they could hear each other telepathically was genius if only temporary.

Signalling with her arm Ginny crept closer to the door, her hand silently pulling her sword out of its sheath as she moved, her ears pricked listening for any movement and her Changed eyes darting into every corner for the movement of even a shadow. Nodding at her group they charged into the room, startling everyone besides Kendra who looked at them as if they were no more than ants crossing her path. Ginny watched as her friends engaged in a furious battle with the minions that rushed forward to protect their mistress, wincing every time someone was slightly hit and inwardly cheering them on.

When most of the minions had been killed or injured enough not to pose a threat anymore she entered the room, watching as Kendra's eyes flickered as she rose to her feet. A jet-black sword engraved with silver appeared in Kendra's hand and Ginny took another step towards her, her eyes never leaving the sword for more than a few seconds as she glanced at Kendra. More minions were closing in and her friends immediately leapt to her defence, keeping a tight empty circle around the pair of them as they took slow deliberate steps anti-clockwise.

In a flurry of movement Kendra darted forward and Ginny deflected her blow like lightening, making sure she kept enough distance between them to avoid a long rally as their swords flashed in the light from the ceiling and candles still hovering in the air. When she came close enough Ginny thrust her spare fist at Kendra vaguely, her left hand not being as good at anything as her right, but she felt it connect with something hard which she discovered to be Kendra's skull as she took a wobbling step back with a hand to her eye.

Somewhere along the line Ginny noticed the second group barging in with their wands held out, proving to be more useful than ever as Leo thrust his into a minions eyes who promptly collapsed onto the floor screaming in pain. More and more people were joining the fight as they were released from their bonds, the dark blue blood of the minions' splattering the walls and every person in the room as they bit, scratched and clawed at everything they could get hold of.

Ginny's inattention was rewarded by her old scar re-opening when Kendra thrust her sword into her mid-drift. Pain rocketed through her body as she bit back a shriek but she didn't fall, she kept her balance as blood seeped down her side turning her shirt to red as it soaked into the material. She staggered forward and feebly clashed her sword against Kendra's, the pain clouding her mind and dulling her reflexes as Kendra gleefully pranced around her trying to exhaust her.

Eventually she collapsed onto the floor, her legs unable to hold her and the room abruptly fell silent, every eye in the place turning to the pair in the centre as Ginny pressed a hand to her side in an attempt to slow the flow blood. Her face was deathly white at the blood loss and her body felt slow and strangely detached as if it wasn't her but somebody else she was watching.

Kendra bent over her, her breath stirring Ginny's hair as she whispered into her ear;

"You join us."

Ginny was opening her to refuse when her eyes widened and her slow brain caught up with the look in Kendra's eyes, she wasn't going to kill her after all; she was going to Turn her.

Kendra lowered her mouth slowly to Ginny's neck, her breath hot on her fevered flesh and Ginny felt the scratch of her fangs as they nudged her skin searching for that perfect spot. She was so weak and tired she was about ready to just give in and let her take her, but not yet. Using every ounce of stress she could find Ginny reached out for the discarded sword Kendra had dropped, stained with Ginny's own blood. Her fingers scrabbling over the stone as in slow motion she felt Kendra's grip tighten on her body as she prepared herself to bite into her flesh.

She felt the sharp fangs penetrate her skin and an urgency came over her, her fingertips just touched the sword's handle and she used her remaining energy lurching forwards to grab it, slightly unsettling Kendra who was happily suckling away at Ginny's neck, frantic to Turn her to her side by taking away the last of Ginny's mortality.

Ginny, however, was having none of it; the sword was finally in her grasp and she let out a heavy grunt of pain as she thrust it up into Kendra's heart. Kendra tore herself away from Ginny with a piercing shriek of agony as she fell backwards off her prey, Ginny struggling to push herself away from her as the blood loss took its toll and she fell back weakly now whiter than death itself. Draco darted forward and dragged Ginny out of the way, once more cutting open his hand and holding it to the wound at her neck.

"Help!"

His composure was out of the window as the other Four rushed forwards, one thought in all their minds as they each slit open their palms and either pressed them against Ginny's neck or her abdomen which was still bleeding profusely.

"Is it working?!"

Ron was frantically trying to escape a stricken Harry and Hermione's clutches as he tried to get to his sister, but he froze at Alyssa's whispered words and turned to look slowly down at the group around his sister; not sure what they were doing but suddenly positive they were trying to help, even the Slytherins.

Dumbledore gently pushed the crowd out of the way as he hurried over to Ginny, her blood splashing up the bottom of his midnight blue robe scattered with constellations as he knelt down besides her, Madam Pomfrey at his heels. The pair of them conversed in terse voices for a few moments before drawing back as Ginny was helped to sit up slowly, her eyes darkened with pain.

"Ginny?" Ron whispered weakly, barely noticing Hermione had collapsed in his arms sobbing frantically with relief as Harry patted an equally sobbing Cass on the back awkwardly.

Ginny looked up at her brother and smiled faintly, her face still paler than ever against the dark of the blood covering her neck and seemingly her entire body. She got to her feet and wobbled unsteadily, a dozen pairs of hands ready to catch her if she fell but she waved them away, still clutching the sword in her hand.

Looking down on Kendra, covered in her own thick black blood, she pitied her slightly. But the pity soon faded when she saw the number of students, her friends, that were injured or dead and her face hardened. Lifting the sword above her head the entire crowd took a step back with a loud intake of breath; she brought the sword crushing down and in one swift blow Kendra's head was rolling around wildly as more of the thick black blood oozed out of the neck.

A girl screamed as the head rolled towards her and she kicked it away frantically, nearly crying until Snape grabbed it by its hair and wrapped it in a discarded cloak. Ginny looked up at Dumbledore whose face was expressionless, but she was sure she detected a slight glint of pride in his eyes as she tossed the sword onto the floor with a loud clang and took a step back, falling into Draco's arms.

"Cut the heart out, fill the hole with garlic, burn it all."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her instructions but nodded nonetheless, enlisting the other professors' help in removing the body from the Hall. Draco wrapped an arm round Ginny's waist as hers slipped around his neck and he helped her walk towards the Hospital Wing, practically carrying her as she leaned against him.

Helping her under the crisp clean sheets he watched as Madam Pomfrey gave her a Blood Replenishing Potion before scuttling off to help the others who had been injured, the Infirmary had never been so full as students with minor injuries sat on beds crammed between others or out in the corridors and those that had taken Healing lessons with Madam Pomfrey in their last year were dashing about healing cuts and treating minor injuries.

Looking around Ginny thought the school had never been so united as students from every House bustled about helping others, Gryffindors and Slytherins sitting together and bandaging each other's wounds as they chattered about the Prophecy which was now public gossip somehow.

"I suppose you can't wait to get home for Christmas." Juno said, sitting on the end of Ginny's bed nursing a broken wrist.

"Tell me about it, I'm going to walk through every room in the entire house and celebrate the fact that I'm actually there to do something so stupid." Noah joined in from his bed next to Ginny's.

"Well I plan on playing Quidditch until I fall off my broom." Blue added cheerfully from his bed on the other side of Ginny as a blushing fourth year took his temperature.

"Well I..."

The group fell silent immediately as Ginny spoke; she had reached a status further up the social queue than even Draco and Blue and was now seen as something of a hero by the entire school, even the Golden Trio.

"I plan on falling into bed, locking my door and sleeping until Christmas day when I shall open my presents with my family before flying over to the Manor and spending the remainder of my holiday sleeping there."