Summary: Draco Malfoy stands trial before the Ministry for his crimes as a Death Eater. His only vote of confidence is a letter from Albus Dumbledore, who died during the Final Battle. The current headmistress, Ginny Weasley mistrusts her new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but Dumbledore must have known something.
Disclaimer: My name is not J.K. Rowling, I do not own Harry Potter, and am not either Warner Brother.
Crimes Against The Heart
Chapter 23
"We are all born for love...It is the principle of existence and its only end." -Benjamin Disraeli-
Terrible thoughts kept the headmistress awake until the early hours of the morning. All the things Elsie had scathingly told her resurfaced as she tried to fall asleep. So instead of tossing in her bed she went to sit in her study and try to concentrate on her work. Unfortunately, her mind seemed too full to think of such petty issues at the moment. Everything Elsie said was completely and utterly true, and that's why it hurt so bad. It was true that both women were petite red heads with similar features, but that did not mean Draco was trying to replace her. Elsie had even known how Draco described his love for her, and it seemed to be the same. Worse still, he admitted he would always love Elsie. There would always be a nagging feeling that he was comparing her to Elsie. There would always be another woman in his mind, his life.
Ginny did not think she could live in fear of her husband's thoughts. It would mean totally trusting him, but was it possible after all that had been seen during the war? The terrors Ginny had witnessed had forever changed her beliefs about the kindness of mankind. The last time she had put this much trust in someone she had been terribly disappointed by the outcome. Of course it had made her the better, stronger person she was today, but at a terrible cost. Ginny had lost her innocence and carefree childhood. She put very much of herself into Tom Riddle's diary and it had left her soul darker and full of hatred and fear. Ginny had also trusted Derrick Bole with her heart, yet he had shattered it into a thousand pieces like crystal. No one could repair the damage, but Draco's presence had healed old wounds. Now, things were going to change once more.
A sudden knock on her door jerked her from her tedious thoughts. It seemed a tad late to be calling on the headmistress for petty matters.
"Come in," Ginny called trying to make it appear she had been working. In walked a very old and tired-looking Severus Snape. The man hardly looked any older than thirty, but his eyes held the wisdom of a man who had already lived his life. "Hello, Severus, it seems a bit late to call on me."
"I have come to talk to you about some important matters," he said clearly a bit uneasy about the whole situation. Severus doubted whether speaking to Ginny on Draco's behalf had been such a great idea after all, but then again what are Godfathers for?
"Does this involve the Quidditch Cup?" Ginny asked as if she were clueless. If Severus wanted to discuss Draco, he was going to have to be outright and honest. This was no time to be evasive.
"No, I have come to tell our nocturnal headmistress a little bed time story that might help her sleep," Severus said scathingly. He shot her a rather nasty look, usually reserved for Harry Potter.
"I hope its 'Sleeping Beauty,'" Ginny interjected sarcastically rolling her eyes.
"I was in love once upon a time. The only problem was, I had no clue I was in love. So, I broke her heart because I thought I was going to get hurt. I put a wall up against her so she couldn't affect me, and it worked. She got tired of tying, gave up, and found someone new to love. I lost the best thing in my life to James Potter and it still hurts to this day to think of what might have been if I had taken the risk. Often we regret the risks we did not take, Ginny," he told her gently.
"So you loved Harry's mum?" she asked. Severus nodded.
"I loved Lily very much, we never told anyone of our relationship. My father was a very cruel man, who clung tightly to the old ways. If he ever discovered how much I loved her, I don't know what would have happened," Severus said with a slight shutter.
"I forgot you were an old pureblood family," Ginny said vaguely.
"I was never allowed to forget," he muttered.
"Such emphasis is put on the purity of blood, but in the end it doesn't even matter," Ginny complained. So many lives had been lost in a war over heritage, but it made very little difference to Ginny.
"In the end I swore never to love another, after trial and tribulation I returned to Hogwarts," Severus finished quietly.
"So you lost the love of your life to become a teacher?"
"No, I came to Hogwarts, like so many before me, for protection. I feared the wrath of Voldemort's old supporters," he explained.
"So it was destiny for you to come here," Ginny said quietly as if this helped. Severus was still bitter to this day every time he saw Harry James Potter, who looked so much like James, but he had Lily's eyes.
"Yes, destiny for me to be denied a family, happiness, and love. All the good things in this World," Severus said bitterly.
"No, destiny for you to become a spy and save the lives of people," Ginny replied insistently. Severus had always blamed himself for the naïve choices he had made as the friend of Lucius Malfoy. He had turned spy to atone his crimes, but he had an overpowering feeling of guilt still to this day. He had made bad choices, and done terrible things, but he wanted forgiveness and that made all the difference. "You were able to change."
"It was wrong to love her like that when she wasn't mine to love," Severus told her gently.
"Are you saying Draco is not mine to love?" Ginny asked confused. Severus had been the one to tell her how much Draco needed to be love.
"No, he is yours to love, because he has agreed it to be so. It is never wrong to love someone," he reminded her. It was odd, but it was a little saying her mother used to tell her when her brothers talked about Harry Potter. It had made so much sense to her as a young girl, but now it seemed untrue.
"No, you're wrong! I was wrong to love anyone, every time I love someone they hurt me," Ginny cried out angrily. Years of repressed feelings and emotions surfaced suddenly. For years she had been brave and strong, throughout the war and her mother's death, but now she was tired. Her body was tired of fighting, her spirit was sick with exhaustion, her mind was weary of thinking. Ginny was beyond caring.
"Ginny, I know you think you were hurt, but all they did was make you stronger. They prepared you for life, life does not leave us unmarked," Severus replied gently. He was only trying to save Draco and Ginny's future and now he was battling his employer.
"This is not some small mark," Ginny yelled still angry, brandishing her Dark Mark at Severus. This was her physical reminder of her past. It reminded her of both her incident in the Chamber of Secrets and her short unhappy marriage to Derrick Bole.
"We are both marked by the same ugly tattoo, Ginny. I have to live with it on my skin too. The only difference is yours does not represent the lives you took. I had to kill to earn this mark," he explained trying to stay calm. "I guarantee mine burns me worse than yours."
"Tom Riddle did not use you," she snapped, no one could ever understand how she felt.
"He used me to kill innocent people."
"No, I mean he didn't try to use you for your body. He tried to..." Ginny could not finish, the memories hurt too much.
"So what? Like I said before we are all changed. What you must do is rise above. I do not say this to be cruel, I am only trying to be honest," Severus told her unsympathetically. "I am not your mother, your father, or any of your brothers. I am telling you as a friend, you must rise above. You must accept those things which you can not change."
"What about you? You cry over Harry's dead mum and your abused mum and your difficult childhood, but that's okay, is it?" Ginny asked angrily.
"Ginny, I have seen you overcome obstacles far worse than some old flame of Draco's, but I have never seen you this hurt by love. I am not here with you to discuss my mistakes, for there are far too many of them. I ask for you to at least talk to Draco, after all you do love him," he pleaded in a soothing voice. Ginny's temper quickly subsided at his words, Severus was right.
"Yes, I do love Draco," she said without a doubt in her heart and that was what truly mattered.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I had to go back to school and my computer had a worm so I lost like three chapters. I started crying when I found out that I would lose everything. I would have updated like four times by now, but the fall is my busiest season. I don't like the rewrite of this chapter as much as I did the original, but the point is Ginny knows she unconditionally loves Draco, and that's all that matters. I could really use a good review, if possible, please. Love, KTBallerina.