Chapter 41

As soon as Ron stepped into the Malfoy Library, Pansy launched herself at him, wrapping him tightly in her arms. She rained tiny kisses all over his face, making him chuckle at her.

"Gods, Ron, I thought he was going to Obliviate us both!"

"He can't. As much as he would like to, and as much as he would like us to believe he can, he can't. Even Harry Potter would have to answer to the Ministry if Ginny or I turned up dead or otherwise harmed by his hand. Our father would see to that." He paused for a moment, taking the opportunity to kiss her properly.

"Oh," she whispered as he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Has Ginny woken up yet?"

"Not yet. Draco is still gone, and Narcissa is in her room with her." She gave him a mischievous look, and he blinked.

"What is that look about?"

"You haven't asked me if I managed to grab anything from Granger's flat yet."

"Thank you for pointing out that you grabbed something," he said, laughing. "What did you get?" She detached herself from him and went to the desk, retrieving a thick book. She handed it to him.

"Amazing," he said, rifling through it. "You're amazing."

"I must admit that I'm more than a little surprised that Granger didn't put any protective or befuddling charms on such an important book," she mused aloud. Ron's hand froze over the page he was about to turn, and he closed the book gently.

"We can't take any chances. We have to check it for any wards or spells that might harm us if we read it out loud, or got to a certain page, or something." He put it down on the desk and covered it with an old Daily Prophet that was lying nearby.

"Maybe we should go check on your sister," Pansy suggested.

"Why don't we grab something to eat before we do that?" he asked, rubbing his stomach. "I haven't eaten in a bit, and if Draco's Mum is with Ginny, she'll be all right." Pansy laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, let's go to the kitchen and fortify ourselves." Ron grinned broadly at her. Hermione had never opposed his eating habits, but then again, she'd never offered to accompany him on one of his frequent kitchen raids, either. He put his arm around her shoulders and set off towards the kitchen.

Harry sat down on the edge of Hermione's bed and watched her sleeping face. She was the closest friend he'd ever had, and now she was gone. She had been reduced to a beautiful shell that had no memories of all of the good times they'd had together. He thought that even a bad memory would be cause for him to be thankful, at this point.

She was no longer the vibrant, intelligent woman he'd fallen in love with. He'd been willing to overlook Ron's defection for a while, but only for her sake. He knew that she'd truly loved Ron and had been happy with him, and it had killed him to hide the truth of his feelings from her. He'd been so honest and forthcoming about everything else in his life to her, but had never told her the one thing that meant so much to him – that he loved her more than anything else.

Now his chance was gone forever.

She didn't even recognize him when she looked at him anymore. He regretted that he hadn't told her long ago; if he had, at least he would have known if she loved him, too. He cradled his face in his hands as he cried silently. He had involved her in another one of his stupid schemes, and she'd wound up like this.

He'd done it for her! Done it to get Ron back, and to see her happy again! Damn Ron and his shifting loyalties! He thought fiercely. If Ron had stayed put, they could have eventually figured out a way to get Ginny away from Malfoy, and everything would have been fine.

Now Ron was a Death Eater, and Ginny was going to become a Malfoy. Where had he gone wrong?

Ginny's eyes fluttered open slowly, and the first thing that she was aware of was that her room was bathed in the rich golden tones of the setting sun's rays. Her arms and legs felt like lead; she found that she couldn't get them to move right, no matter what her brain communicated to them. Her throat was dry and sore. She coughed quietly, and Narcissa jumped.

"Oh, merciful Morgaine," Narcissa said, relieved. The book that had been resting on her lap tumbled to the floor as she rushed to Ginny's side. "Heavens, child! You have no idea what you've put us through!" Ginny opened her mouth to speak.

"Rake," she whispered. Narcissa frowned.

"Rake?"

"Rake," Ginny tried again. Narcissa's frown smoothed out into a smile when she realized what Ginny was trying to say.

"He's not here – they got called out for a meeting, so I told him I'd stay with you until he got back. But you should know that he stayed by your side until he was called." With quite a bit of effort, Ginny nodded. She watched as Narcissa rang for a house elf. When one appeared, she knelt down to look it in the eye.

"Miss Weasley has just woken up, and she needs a drink." The house elf disappeared before Narcissa stood again. "I expect that they'll be back any moment." She was just about to settle herself back down into her seat when Ginny's door opened with a soft creak. Draco was silent as he moved inside the room.

"It's all right, Mother. I can stay with her now." Narcissa gave him a secretive smile that he wondered at. "What?"

"Darling," she said, shaking her head. She stood and put her hand lightly on his shoulder. "She's awake." Draco's eyes widened and flew to Ginny. When he saw her open eyes, he rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. Narcissa left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Thank Circe," Draco whispered, smoothing the stray hairs away from Ginny's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak," she managed to croak out. He nodded.

"That's to be expected. Do you remember much?"

"Yes," she forced out. He stroked her hand gently as he eyed her face.

"Granger's spell backfired," he said softly. "She wiped her own memory. She's in ward forty nine of St. Mungo's." Ginny's eyes widened. "Potter is in a right state. He had the protective orders rescinded."

"Hey." Draco turned when he heard Ron's soft voice. Ron and Pansy entered the room, smiling at Ginny. "Sleeping Beauty finally wakes up." Ginny rolled her eyes, and the hint of a smile played at her lips.

"How are you feeling?" Pansy asked, her face showing her concern. Draco chuckled.

"I just asked her the same question. She can barely talk right now, but she says she feels weak. Otherwise fine, I'm assuming." Ginny nodded slowly and forced a smile at her brother.

"We missed you," he murmured softly. "You really gave us a scare. You must think I'm a cat or something, with nine lives to scare out of me." She started to laugh but it turned into a cough. When it had stopped and she was settled down again, she tried to speak.

"Seven left." He grinned.

"You should probably get some rest now. I'm going to go back home and spend some time with Mum and Dad before they start wondering if I've deserted them." Pansy stood uncomfortably behind Ron, not speaking. They hadn't been apart for almost two days solid, and she didn't want to be apart from him now, either. As if he could read her thoughts, he turned to her. "You're welcome to come with me, if you'd like."

"I don't want to be a burden," she said. Draco arched an eyebrow at her.

"You're not a burden," Ron said, wrapping his arms around her. "I'd like it if you came with me." Pansy rested her head against his chest and nodded. Draco exchanged an amused look with Ginny, whose cheeks were turning pink. If he didn't know better, Draco would swear that Pansy was purring like a contented kitten.

"I'll go, then, if you're sure it's okay."

"It's fine. Mum will love seeing you again." He turned to Ginny and moved to the side of her bed to drop a light kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon." With a quick nod to Draco, Pansy and Ron left the room, their fingers meshed together.

"Have you ever been privy to such a sickeningly sweet display of affection in your entire life?" he teased, his eyes sparkling. She smiled.

"Prat," she wheezed softly. He laughed.

"There's my girl," he said, squeezing her hand gently. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to her lips. "Don't ever leave me again."

"Lay down," Ginny whispered, her voice scratching her throat raw as she spoke. He didn't hesitate before doing as she bade him. He eased himself onto the bed, trying not to shake it too much, for fear that he might jar her and cause her more pain. He stretched out beside her and draped his arm lightly across her, burying his face in her hair.

"I've missed you," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. She closed her eyes and let the sensation wash over her. "My mother is pushing us to set a date for the wedding already. I think she wants us to have a big, fancy wedding with everyone in Christendom invited, but I'd much prefer a small, intimate ceremony."

"Outside," Ginny wheezed. He blinked in surprise.

"Outside?" She nodded. "But then we'd have to wait until the weather turns warm, and I want to marry you the moment you get out of this bed." With considerable effort, she turned her head to look at him.

"Soon," she breathed. He nodded.

"Immediately, if not sooner." She gave him a wan smile, which he returned brightly. He listened as her breathing became steady, indicating that she had drifted back asleep. Only when he was sure that she was sleeping did he allow himself to fall asleep.

Some time later, Narcissa poked her head inside the door, intent on telling Draco that it was time for dinner. When she saw her son curled up on the bed alongside Ginny, she smiled sweetly. Her husband crept up behind her and peered inside.

"Don't they make a handsome couple?" Narcissa whispered.

"A fine couple, indeed," Lucius agreed quietly. "We should get a picture of them like this."

"We could have it framed and give it to them as a wedding gift," Narcissa agreed eagerly. "I'll go and get the camera." She hurried off down the corridor, and Lucius kept watch over his son until she returned. With a few clicks, she was done. She eased the door closed and threaded her arm through her husband's as they headed towards the dining room.

"This will be our first dinner alone in quite some time," Lucius mused aloud.

"You sound as though you have something other than dinner in mind, my husband," Narcissa teased, her eyes sparkling. Lucius raised his eyebrows at her.

"Would it bother you if I said I wanted to skip dinner altogether?" She gave him a look of mild surprise.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Not for food," he answered, his voice low. Her cheeks flushed as she met his eyes.

"We can always have the house elves bring us something to eat later," she agreed softly. He pressed an insistent kiss to her lips, and then led her in the direction of their bedroom.

Author's Note: Many thanks to all who have read and reviewed - your feedback inspires me to keep going. Please feel free to check out my website at cliodnawrites. 150m. com (without the spaces).