The wind blew softly around her, and the whole deck was silent.

Ginny was waiting for Draco to meet her for ... uh, ice cream at the small tropical bar on the boat. He was late...as usual. Probably making himself presentable. I swear he takes longer to get ready than I do! mused Ginny, as she spotted a figure making their way towards her. Finally! I had just about given up on him...

But the figure wasn't Draco, it was Harry. He strode forward purposefully and stopped in front of her. She hadn't talked to him since that morning, a few days ago when she had found him in Blaise's arms. She had been spending her time quite happily with Draco, and avoiding Blaise and Harry. He had tried to talk to her numerous times but Draco had always been there to discourage him. But now Draco wasn't here, and she had nowhere to go, so she decided that the confrontation was inevidable.

She saw a desperate sadness in his eyes.

Okay, he has one chance to explain, if he screws up....

"Ginny..."

Ginny placed her drink down then raised her eyes to his.

"You have twenty seconds." She said evenly.

"Ginny, before was a mistake. It wasn't what it looked like, Blaise, and me well, we never uh, did anything. I came to tell you that and, well I saw you and Malfoy, uh, together and well... You have no idea what it meant to me when you said 'My Harry' because I feel the same way. I don't want you to get with Malfoy because, because, I love you." Said Harry.

She was speechless. He, he loves me? I've never been loved before, not by someone outside the family... Although, Harry is practically family. That's probably what he means, he loves me as a sister. But then why would he care if I liked Malfoy? I'M SO CONFUSED!

Her strength faltered and her drink fell from her grasp and shattered on the ground in over a thousand pieces. She didn't break her gaze from Harry's eyes though, she was searching for an answer in their depth.

If he was serious, and he loved her, then why could she only think about his enemy, Draco Malfoy? It didn't make sense. Why now?

She opened her mouth to say something but was distracted by Draco walking up. He looked from Ginny to Harry and back again.

"Uh, am I interrupting something?" Draco asked.

"Yes." Said Harry

"No." Said Ginny.

"Uh, okay then, Ginny, do you maybe want to go for a walk, uh, away from here?"

Ginny didn't know what to do, she could go with Draco or she could stay with Harry. I am having the best time with Draco, thought Ginny, but will he be reliable when we get back to Hogwarts? And will Harry be faithful, or is he just going to use me? Maybe Ron told him to ask me out... It would just be too weird getting involved with him. But Draco is Draco. Hmm...

"Okay," started Ginny, but then she changed her mind when she saw Harry's expression. "Actually, I cant. Well, maybe just this once... No, I cant. Well... YOU ARE BOTH ASKING ME TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A SIX YEAR CRUSH AND A TWO DAY LOVE!!! THIS IS SO HARD!"

The stress was too much for Ginny, so she gave a quick squeak before bolting down the hallway and into her cabin. Draco and Harry turned to each other.

Draco was trying to think of a way to approach Ginny and ask her what was wrong.

Harry was wondering if he was the two-day-love or the six-year-crush.

Who do you think Ginny should chose?

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

The person who did eventually approach Ginny was none other than Blaise Zabini.

She crept into the room and stretched out on Draco's bed waiting for Ginny to notice that she was there. She had told Draco to share a cabin with Potter tonight because Ginny needed some female company. He had reluctantly agreed. Now lets just hope they don't kill each other.

Ginny stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

"Blaise? Where's Draco? Where's Harry?" She asked.

"I got rid of them for you. I thought that you might like a break."

You have no idea...

"Oh. Thank you."

Blaise raised her eyes to Ginny's and smiled. She was a tall girl at nearly 5'10'' but elegant in her movements and direct in her speech.

"Welcome."

Awkward pause.

"Blaise?"

"Yes?"

"Did you and Harry...Well, you know?" Ginny asked as she blushed the colour of her hair.

"Do you really wanna know what happened?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I was comforting Potter who was slightly drunk, Over the fact that the girl of his dreams had fallen for Malfoy." She paused, "And he passed out. I fell asleep and, well that's it.

Besides a kiss which you don't need to know about...

"And that's it? Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Ginny sat up a little straighter.

"Blaise?"

"Yes?"

"If you where in my position who would you choose?"

"Uh...Well I suppose I should say something like 'follow your heart', but honestly, I'd pick Draco. Come on! He is gorgeous and smart and so hot, and those are his BAD qualities. On the other hand you have Harry, who smells funny after Quidditch matches. What a hard decision. Anyway, It's your choice, but maybe you should get some sleep, you will have to face them tomorrow."

"I just might." said the immeasurably tired Ginny as she turned the light off.

"Night."

"Good night, and thank you." Said Ginny.

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Ginny stood at the dock and tried desperately to find Harry or Draco. She pushed her way through the crowd, which was struggling to get indoors. But she pushed against the people, she was struggling to get back to the boat.

Flashback

It had all started when Ginny woke up with a killer migraine. She found the boat had stopped rocking. They had arrived at the dock of Rumella. The only people who were getting off were the exchange students (Ginny, Draco, Harry and Blaise) and a few parents making visits but the dock was swarming with people of all sorts.

She ran to tell Harry that they had arrived but stopped as the events from last night came rushing back to her. There was no way that she could go running back to him now. So instead she packed the rest of her luggage and took a shower.

When she arrived out on the deck with everyone else, she put her luggage down and sat on top of it. Well, almost everyone else. She looked around the deck but could see neither Harry nor Draco.

She moved to the edge and watched as the two men tied the rope to the dock. The pathway was being lowered.

Where are they?

A few feet off the ground the men lowering the platform, let go.

Ginny felt as if she would remember that detail forever because as she watched the plank drop, it happened.

Time stopped. Or slowed. All sound was made dull. But vision enhanced. Every single person on the ship felt the explosion. No smoke, no damage, they just felt it.

Everyone froze, until one person found his or her voice. Soon many voices followed and there was a chorus of screams as everyone made a mad dash down the plank. Ginny had gotten caught up in the crowd, and was swept of the boat.

End flashback

Ginny was still fighting the crowd as she battled her way to the ship.

Please let them be alright.

Ginny guessed that the explosion had come from down below, so she went to the stairs and started climbing down to the basement.

Please just let them be alright.

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Draco had watched Ginny from a distance because he was afraid that she would still be angry from last night. He watched her as she stood in deep thought looking at the men lower the plank.

I miss her already. That is really sad.

Draco felt a sharp pain in his head as he staggered to stay upright. The explosion hit him worse than most people, and he hit the deck out cold, while people ran in a mad panic around him.

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Draco woke up only minutes later with a huge headache.

Wait, He could hear panic. But the ship was deserted. He smelt a putrid smell coming from the lowest cabin (basement).

He slowly stood up and made his way down the stairs. Whatever was going on he intended to find out, and also to search for Ginny.

He heard noises. A scream.

Draco slowly inched the door open and crept inside. He was unnoticed and watched as he saw a scene played out before him. Like he was watching a movie.

The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't on the boat anymore. He saw a large, majestic room and it was empty of furniture. The roof, floor and walls were all colored black but could barely be seen through the shards of broken mirrors covering them. Draco didn't know this but the mirrors he was looking at where the entire collection of the 13 mirrors of Power, Including the mirror of erised. The small amount of power the mirrors emitted was magnificent when reflected in the others until the whole room was filled with the deepest magic.

He then saw Harry. Harry was stretched out on the cold, hard floor, his outstretched hand only inches away from his wand. He was so close but had no strength left. He was weak.

Draco then noticed the figure standing over Harry in a long black cloak.

Voldemort.

He who must not be named's head turned slowly to face Draco.

His skin was stretched over his skull in a very disturbing manner and he had no eyes. Only holes where his eyes would be that seemed to go on forever. Draco tried not to look into them for he felt that he might drown.

He smiled and Draco briefly saw his forked tongue flick and then subside.

He turned back to Harry and raised his wand.

Draco saw his hand clench the wand so tightly and the knuckles go white. Draco knew what he had to do. He took out his wand. His was pointed at Voldemorts, Voldemorts was pointed at Harry.

Voldemort's mouth found its voice and formed the words 'Avada Kedavra' at about the same time Draco made the words 'Expeliarmus'. Their voices mingled and before the curse could be performed on Harry, Voldemort's wand flew out of his hand. The third, and last unforgivable curse was reflecting and bouncing off all the many mirrors, picking up power. Before finally heading for the hooded figure standing in the middle of the room. Voldemort was struck dead by his own curse.

If Draco had recalled the story he would have said that time stopped but it was untrue. Nothing stopped. And it was over. A huge blinding green light filled the room and no one was left standing.

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Please just let them live! Thought Ginny as she descended down the stairs. She pushed open the door to the basement to see three figures lying in a pool of water and surrounded by barrels of wine. It was a dingy little wine cellar but it reeked of dark magic. She immediately recognized two of them. Then the third. She gasped when she saw Draco twitch, and rushed to his side.

"Get help." He whispered before fainting from the energy of it all. She then stood up, and ranas fast as she could go.

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Run!

Ginny was speeding, barely conscious towards help. She had ran off the boat and through the dock and was now running through the endless tunnels of Rumella. She ran into some big wooden doors and heaved them open. If her eyes where fully open she would have noticed that she was in the 'great hall' of the school and that the tables were all surrounded by laughing children.

It was larger than Hogwarts and much more impressive by anyone's standards. The walls where pitch black but a fire was about a meter in front of them on all sides which looked very impressive. The fire was safe (warm in the cold, cold in the heat) and provided the room with an instant beauty. The tables and pillars were made of marble and the staff table was hovering almost 6 feet off the ground. Students wore black while teachers and prefects wore silver. The effect was magical. Not that Ginny noticed of course.

She stumbled as far as she could into the middle of the room before-

"THE BOOOOOAT!!!"

-Ginny used the last ounce of her strength to get the words out and was rewarded with instant silence. Then, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell to the floor in a heap.

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Twelve years later

X..x..X..x..X..x..X

Draco closed the book and glanced at the cover before placing back on the shelf.

'The Boat'

Written by Virginia Weasley

Draco sighed.

He didn't need to read the book to know the ending.

Harry was disabled (his leg amputated) for life and by the time Draco had awoken Ginny had chosen Harry over himself. Draco was at first angry – of course it is only self pity that made her choose him – but now he was just left with a big, gaping hole in himself and the loneliness that filled it.

He remembered it all so well.

Draco put on his robe and went to bed. He had a big day tomorrow. As the DADA (defense against dark arts) at Hogwarts his job was never easy.