Chapter 9
They say to err is human…
Ginny sat in one of the Hospital beds (yet again) as Colin rubbed some ointment on her wound. She winced as he pressed a little too hard on her head; he apologized quickly. The young girl looked down to the floor sadly, wiping the tears that kept falling down her face. She was surprised that after everything that had happened today, she still had tears left to cry. Ginny sighed as she felt the pain on her head go away as Colin slowly wrapped some gauze around her cut.
"You'll be ok." He said softly, as he kissed the top of her head. She nodded a bit, and laid down on the bed, trying to concentrate on breathing.
Her heart ached as images of Draco flashed in her head. Images of him with that…bint! Images of him being drunk, her Draco never got drunk. Images of him raising a fist to her. Something he swore he would never do, then again, he didn't know that she was under the face of Casey, so Ginny was giving him this one pardon. The young soldier watched as the hour hand on Colin's clock struck 4 am. Her brown eyes began to grow heavy with fatigue. Yet she felt that sleep was finally going to take her, the hospital door opened.
Albus Dumbledore came in, a small smile on his face as he looked at her. Ginny suddenly forgot about her tiredness and sat up in her bed. She glared at him with hate and pain as he went to talk to Colin for a moment. Colin looked at her for a moment before looking back at her old Professor. He nodded slowly and then smiled again; he patted Colin on the back, before sitting on the bed next to Ginny's.
There was a long silence as Ginny began to think of things to yell at him about. She had created a list over the last few months, the moment of truth had arrived. She would ream out the world's greatest wizard! She was never one to give respect to authority figures that did not earn it. Ginny, getting tired of that smile opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind.
"Before you start yelling at me." Albus started slowly, "I would just like to tell you how proud of you I am." The red-head shut her mouth quickly.
"Huh?"
"I do not think I would have lasted 5 months alone in this world, let alone you." he sighed. "I guess you did what you have set out to do, you are proving yourself, and very well may I add."
The red-head furrowed her brow. Well, he just ruined her whole speech on him ruining her life. She only sighed, and leaned back into her bed, resting her head on the wall behind her. She shook her head.
"I'm not proud." She started softly. "I am not proud at all. In fact, I feel rather crappy." He chuckled.
"Well, I expected you to feel a lot worse my dear, yet your term… crappy was it, seems plausible."
"You have no idea." The soldier sighed. "I don't even know what I'm doing any more."
"Yes you do." He said softly, "you just need to be strong."
"Do you know how long I've been telling myself to be strong?" she snapped. "Since the moment I left the Burrow, 5 long months of being strong, and yet I still find myself crying for no bloody reason."
"I would imagine Ginevra that you, of all people, would have many things to cry about," he smiled. "I cry every once in a while myself, so in a sense, letting go of any anger or hurt by crying is a way of being strong. You haven't failed yourself yet…"
"I'm tired of being strong." She snapped. "I am tired of trying to stay face. I'm tired of lying, I'm tired of Crying, I'm tired of having no one, and most of all, I am tired of being Casey."
"I know." came Albus, "I know that you do not mean a word you have just said." She nodded.
"Oh yes I do." She told him. "At this point, I just want to go home, I just want to be with my mum and family, I want to be with Draco."
There was silence for a few moments, as Albus began to think over her rash words. He could plainly see that Ginevra had some resentment toward him, then again who didn't. He watched as once again she began to wipe at her tears furiously. What the young woman didn't see that crying was her only outlet to her female side. Other wise, the façade of Casey wouldn't have lasted so long, had it not been for Virginia and her tears.
Albus sighed a bit and shrugged. "Well, at least you're with Draco, isn't that something?" The soldier's jaw dropped as he said this. She? With Draco?
"What?" she questioned softly. "How can you say that I'm with Draco? This…" she said, gesturing wildly about her. "Is not being with Draco! This!" she exclaimed, pointing to her head. "Is as close that I have been to Draco in a long time. He almost hit me!" she told him, tears she had fought off so hard falling down her face. "Do you know what that is like? I may have been Casey but it still doesn't change a damn thing."
"Ginevra." He started softly, "I've told you before, you were meant for this…"
"I was meant to suffer?"
"Do you think you are the only one suffering?" he countered, she shut her mouth. "You don't think that Mr. Malfoy suffers? Or Harry? Or you parents, or even Healer Creevey?" Ginny looked over to Colin, who was standing over a Cauldron. "Don't think Ginevra that just because you cry, that no one else does. Because we all do, we are all human, we all cry."
"Does Draco cry?" she snapped, Albus only looked at her blankly. "I didn't think so. I bet…I bet he doesn't even think about me any more." The great wizard opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny cut him off. "I see him and he looks fine, he looks as perfect as the day I met him. When he said…that if I choose war that he may as well never existed to me. Now he's off, running around with scrubber,s" she shook her head. "Well, it is obvious that even though he doesn't know I chose war, he has chosen to forget me."
"Think what you will, Ginevra." Said Dumbledore quickly. "If you chose to believe something you know in your heart is not true, then go right ahead." She looked away. "Even though I can tell you that Mr. Malfoy has feelings, and whether you know it or not, they have only been for you."
There was a long silence after those last words left the great wizard's mouth. Ginny seethed inside, she, for once, wanted to be right. Lately, everything seemed as if it were going so slow. She had only been in camp Firmus Adstringo for only 3 months together. She spent the other two traveling all around Great Britain trying to find not only herself, but also a place she could call her own. She thought it to be this camp, that was until she found that not only Draco was here, but Harry as well. Just the thought of the two of them sharing something, just didn't sit right with her. She looked at Albus' watery blue eyes and sighed.
"I'm tired." She told him softly, he raised a brow and nodded.
"I see."
"I mean…I just want to go to bed." He smiled and stood up, scratching his nose and pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"Well, I will see you later," Dumbledore said politely, Ginny sighed.
"I suppose, when ever this war is over…"
"No, I meant I would see you later, as in tomorrow." She furrowed her brow.
"Are you staying the night?" she questioned, he smiled.
"Just a few." And with another smile, the great wizard turned around and walked out of the tent. Leaving Ginny to fall asleep in pure misery.
.
.
When Albus had said he would be seeing her for a few nights, he wasn't joking. It was more like all of December and January in which Ginny would see him every morning. He would sit at the commander's table, where Harry, Draco, and Colin (since he was head of the Medical department) sat. He would smile at all the soldiers and watch them when he thought they weren't looking. He even would stare at Ginny a few times, watching her with a critical eye. Ginny would just finish what ever she was doing at the moment, and then walk away quickly. It's not that she minded him looking at her, it was as Casey, she didn't like people to look to closely. Even some one who knew it was soon to be 22-year-old Ginny Weasley under there.
It wasn't until the month of February that the reason for a shadowing Albus Dumbledore being in Camp was revealed. Ginny had been sitting in her tent studying for a test Commander Malfoy was giving on the history of Expelliarmus spell, when Seamus and Neville came running in. They looked around a bit and upon seeing her, raced towards her. She smiled at them as they stood in front of her catching their breaths. She only put her book away and gave them a questioning stare.
"Yes?" Ginny questioned slowly, Neville put a hand up signaling to give him time.
"W-we f-f-oun-dd out why Du-du-mbledore is he-he…"
"Here." Finished Seamus, she shrugged.
"Its obvious he's been watching us mate, probably trying to make sure things are running smoothly." She scoffed. "Although he should have been here when Commander Wanker almost starved me to death." Seamus shook his head.
"No, it's not that." The Irish man told him. "He isn't the only Wizard going around camps, looking over us Soldiers." The red-head furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean?"
"That the Minster of Magic is at Hogsmead camp, Alfalda Hopkirk…"
"Who is head of Improper Use of Magic." Finished Seamus for Neville, the other man rolled his eyes.
"He's at Derbyshire in Camp Fortitudo, Charlie Weasley went to Camp Vindex and many other heads of Departments have been showing up in all of the camps."
"And?" Ginny said with a sigh. "They could just be looking up on things, making sure that nothing is going wrong."
"Not exactly." Finished Seamus. "What they are doing is administering Veritaserum test." Ginny's eyes went wide.
"What?" she responded astonished, they nodded.
"I over heard Dumbledore talking to Commander Potter, apparently Minister Weasley was still a bit sore about just any body going into camps, that he demanded that all soldiers and other personal take a Veritaserum and questioned."
"T-they can't do that." Came Ginny standing up, blood rushing out of her face. "C-can they?"
"They can." Neville sighed, "I just think it is worthless."
"I hear ya mate." Replied Seamus, "I mean you have to get direct orders from either the Minister of Magic or Dumbledore for the locations of the Camps any way, so it's not as if just anyone could get in."
"Yea, and besides it's not like any of us have anything to hide." Finished Neville, Ginny smiled.
"Uh…yea." She shrugged. "I mean, what's the worse that could be found out about one of us." She stated uneasily, the boys smiled.
"We could find out which of us is in love with the commanders." The boys chuckled.
"If you ask me, I think its Davies." Seamus said with disgusted look. "I really think he is into blokes."
"You're not the only one." Came Neville, "he really is too pretty to be a guy." The other two soldiers looked at him queerly, "what…he is!"
Seamus moved away from Neville before he looked back to Ginny. "What do you think about all this Case."
"I don't know," she said softly.
"Well, you should have been around for our old Minster of Magic, he was bloody bonkers, think he's living in Romania now." he shrugged. "Well, me and Neville are gonna muck about a bit." He told her standing up. "Wanna come?" she shook her head.
"No, I'm gonna finish my essay."
"You're actually doing it?" asked Neville, " I didn't bother, beside what is Malfoy going to do, Fail me?" the two men snickered as they made their way out side the tent. Ginny looked at them and called out.
"When is the test?" Seamus turned back to her and replied.
"First thing tomorrow." And with a wave, left the tent, and a very worried Ginny.
.
"There is nothing to worry about." Came Harry, standing before the crowd of one hundred plus men. He smiled genuinely, and nodded. "It is standard, they are doing it all over Britain, not just here. Healer Creevey." Said Harry, pointing to where Colin was standing, he held up a tube of the blue liquid. "Will be administering it, each of you will take 3 droplets each, no more no less, then you will go into a tent where either I or Commander Malfoy," he gestured to a scowling Malfoy. "Will be watching while Albus Dumbledore asks the questions. Now, before we start are there any questions or concerns?" Ginny and her mates looked at each other before Mark raised his hand. "Yea Henderson?"
"Yea, just one concern." He cleared his throat. "Say we take your little test." Harry grinned sarcastically. "And then we leave the tent, still under Veritaserum, now I am going to share my most darkest and inner most secrets with Longbottom over here?" he grimaced. "I really don't fancy that idea, I see the way he looks at me." The men laughed a bit while Draco gave a disgruntled look.
"Well, we can't exactly control that now can we?" said Harry, "Just keep your mouth shut, if that is at all possible Henderson." Mark smiled crudely, and then went quiet.
"Any one else?" the men looked at each other and then back to Harry. "Alright then, we are doing this by last name. My camp is going first, so Abercrombie, Euan." A rather small man with black-haired stepped timidly out of the group and stood in front of Harry. "C'mon, we haven't got all day." and was dragged by Harry to the commander's tent.
.
It would be 3 days till Commander Potter's group was done. And with each passing day, Ginny grew more nervous. How was she supposed to pass? HOW! She was a WOMAN IN AN ALL MEN'S CAMP! She would watch as man after man went in, and man after man came out literally shaking with fear. Each bloke spent at least 45 minutes with Harry and Dumbledore before they were allowed to leave. Sometime Dominic or Roger would go and ask one of the guys how it was, they never said anything only shook their head and walked off to their tent. Ginny figured it had to be brutal questioning for those men to come back looking as if they had seen a Dementor.
The eve before Silver Fox, or Commander Malfoy's group would go that Ginny was lying in her bed. The clock on the wall read 2:17 am as silence filled the tent. She lay there, staring into the ceiling, her heart raced with adrenaline as she knew it was coming, the end of Casey Cache. She was going to be found out in the morning and it would all be over. She would leave the camp, loser her wand, her friends, and most of all, lose Draco. Ginny then began to think of all different things she could do to prevent this. She could fake sick, fake her death, run away, or just accept the inevitable of being found out and not even fulfilling her dream. She turned on her side and curled into a ball. She had to be strong, she said angrily to her self. The woman would only last if she stayed strong.
Ginny finally began to give into the call of sleep when the door to her tent opened. She figured it was Mark and Seamus, who sneaked out to Hawk's Eye pub every once in a while to pick up a girl. She heard shuffling of feet and soft breath. Closing her eyes, she hoped that they weren't to pissed to get up tomorrow. After a few moments the noise stopped and Ginny finally let her eyes shut for the night.
"Case!" some one, said, shaking her softly, she didn't respond. "C'mon my little Gin, get your fit ass up." She opened one eye to see Colin standing over her, in a white tee-shirt. She sat up and rubbed her face.
"What?" she snapped, he smiled and lifted her arm, getting her out of bed.
"You have to come to hospital tent." He told her, as she followed him out side, into the cold February night. She shivered a bit, and Colin stopped and wrapped an arm around her.
"Better?" he asked softly, she nodded.
"Much." He kissed her temple as they entered the hospital tent. He led her to his desk and sat her down as he gave her a blanket. The red-head sat there for a few moments as Colin began to collect things around his tent. After a few minutes she looked at Colin expectantly.
"Colin?" she asked after a few moments,
"Huh?" he responded looking at her.
"What am I doing here?" she asked as if it was obvious, he smiled.
"Just a minute Gin."
"Colin…"
"Just a minute." And after a few moments, Albus Dumbledore came out of the back. Ginny sat up straight and looked at him oddly.
"What is this?" she asked as a rather cheery Albus sat in front of her, nightcap and robes on. He smiled as he sighed.
"Well Ginevra, as you know tomorrow your group will go in for testing."
"Yes I know...but I figured…" the young woman started.
"That I am going to help you."
"Huh?" Ginny furrowed her brow.
"Well, I as well as Colin over here, know for a fact that you are not working for Voldemort or any other Dark wizard." He sighed. "If it were up to me no one would have to be taking this test, but since it isn't, and I can't make any exceptions, you will have to take this test."
"I just figured…I would…run." She told him sadly. "I can't be found out, if am, there is more at stake than just my wand." Albus nodded.
"I know, if Mr. Malfoy finds that you have been here, I don't know what he will do" he shook his head. "I really don't."
"So, what are you suggesting?"
"That we fix this." he told her, beckoning Colin, who brought two little bottles with him. "This," he started, taking one of the little bottles from her friend. "Is the potion every one else will be taking, this, " Dumbledore took the other one. "Is yours. It is the same bright blue as the others, as all the same ingredients, but one thing is different." He smiled. "And I will let Healer Creevey explain it.
Colin smiled brightly at Ginny. "It is just like Veritaserum, just a bit fixed. I made it so when there is a certain pitch to Albus' voice, it will trigger the actual Veritaserum." Ginny shook her head.
"How the bloody hell does that work." The young soldier looked at the two queerly. "It makes no sense what so ever."
"It wouldn't to the uneducated eye." He told her jokingly. "But it is more that just potion, it is charmed…" Ginny opened her mouth. "Don't argue with me, just trust me on this Ginny, I am here to help you pass this, so just know it will work." Ginny gave a huge sigh and nodded.
"Ok Colin, ok Albus, but are we sure this will work."
"Yes." They said in unison.
"I want you to succeed in this." Albus started. "If I didn't I would have let your parents come and get you 7 months ago, but I haven't, and I will not. So, just be sure to do whatever Creevey says, just trust us on this."
Ginny looked into his watery blue eyes for a few moments, before slowly nodding, feeling defeated for a bit. She felt as if this was going to be bad, very bad, and there wasn't a thing she could do to prevent it from happening. Dumbledore then smiled at her, patting her shoulder and walked out of the tent. She sat there for a few moments with Colin just staring at her. He then went over to her and took her hand, kneeling in front of her.
"You alright?"
"Yes." She said softly. He nodded.
"You want to stay here tonight?" she looked up at him and their eyes met. She scrunched up her nose.
"You want to sleep with a man?" Ginny joked, he didn't laugh however.
"I've worked passed that," he said softly. "I don't see Casey, I see Ginny." Colin lifted a hand to bush her face, she pulled a way a bit.
"Colin." She said softly. He met her eyes, and Ginny almost had to remind herself to breathe.
The emotion in them sent her heart into a frenzy she hadn't felt since the last time she was with Draco. Draco. Ginny quickly looked away and got up. He stood up after her and ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair.
"Gin…"
"Don't apologize." She said quickly.
"I wasn't going to." She looked at him and shook her head.
"I'm tired."
"Okay."
"I will see you in the morning." Colin walked slowly over to her and kissed her temple once more.
"Night." The soldier smiled slightly, and quickly walked out of the hospital tent and into her own. To bury herself under her covers and dream about Draco.
.
Ginny paced in front of the commander's tent. It was her turn next and she was dead scared. She had thought she was going the day before, but they had completely skipped over her and went straight to Davies. Yet, here she was now, obviously Dumbledore couldn't put her test off any longer. Ginny bit her lip and closed her eyes. Strength, where the bloody hell is that strength I need so much. She opened her brown eyes to see Malcolm Rambaldi walk out of the tent, paler than before he went in. She ran a hand though her ever-growing red hair and smiled. I can do this.
"Cache, Casey." Called Colin, as serious as he could. She nodded at him and entered the tent, her lips in a solid line.
He nodded to her and looked over at Draco, who was standing over Colin like a hawk. The look he gave her obviously meant that Draco wanted to make sure no one would go in with out Veritaserum. Colin picked up the vile and sucked some of it into a dropper. He then went around the table and looked at Ginny.
"Open up." He said sternly, she sighed, tilting her head back; she felt two droplets of water on her tongue. She swallowed it-as if there was something to swallow and shrugged. Colin then gave her a very small smile and walked behind his counter of potions once more. Then Commander Malfoy came around, grabbed her by her upper arm and dragged her behind the curtain.
When Malfoy eased up his grip on her arm, she snatched it away from him and rubbed it. She glared maliciously at him while he just ignored her leading her down the hall Ginny had no idea that was there. After a short walk, they stood in front of a door, with the word "Obrussa" written on it. He opened the door and went on in, Ginny following nervously on his heels.
The room the soldier had walked into was very small. The walls were void of any picture or distraction. There was no window or any kind of ventilation. She looked at the table and saw Albus Dumbledore, sitting down, leaning over some parchment. His quill was scribbling away as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. She looked at him and then up to Draco, who was giving her a very ugly glare indeed. She smiled sarcastically at him, and when he opened his mouth to bite back Albus cleared his throat.
"Lets leave the verbal beatings till after the test, hmm?" Draco sneered as Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Now that we are all behaving like adults, let's start with the test. Mr. Cache, please sit." Albus looked up at Ginny and nodded. She gave a shaky sigh and sat in front of her old Headmaster.
"I am just going to ask you a few simple questions." He said, he cleared his throat and looked through his half-moon glasses to his parchment. "What is your full name?"
What Ginny was suppose to feel when under Veritaserum, which was a sense of foreboding and the need to spit did not come. She felt just the same as she did before she entered the tent. Furrowing her brow, she cleared her throat.
"Casey Loic Cache." The red-head answered, almost not believing it herself, he smiled and nodded.
"Very good." He scribbled down something. "Now, how old are you?"
"21 years old."
"Your birthday?"
"March 16th"
"Are you a male or a female."
Ginny heard Draco cough from behind Albus, but ignored him. "Male."
Albus finished scribbling Merlin only knew what on the table before he looked at Ginny. He gave her an odd look, and nodded. Clearing his throat, he asked.
"Are you a Soldier in Camp Firmus Adstringo?"
The sensation Ginny was looking for started up. She felt the need to spit something out of her mouth, and soon. She swallowed a few times, trying to make sure that this feeling really wasn't because she had to vomit. Looking up at Albus she coughed.
"Yes." Ginny said shakily. He nodded.
"How long have you been here?"
"5 months."
"What group are you in?"
"Silver Fox."
"And who signed you in when you first came to this camp."
"Remus J. Lupin."
The elder wizard nodded solemnly, and then looked at Ginny in a most serious way. His lips formed a thin line and his eyes grew dull. Placing both his hands together on the desk, he asked.
"Have you ever met a Death eater." Inside, Ginny wanted to scream no, but the Veritaserum was too strong for her.
"Yes."
"When?"
"When I was 11."
"Are you in leagues with the Death eaters?"
She breathed in and out. "No."
"Have you ever been in leagues with the Death eaters?"
"No."
Albus then stopped and began scribbling once again. Ginny closed her eyes and breathed in heavily. She then looked up to meet Draco's eye. He gave her a silent snarl and she stuck her tongue out at him, which both thought was extremely odd.
"Have you ever met Lucious Malfoy?"
Like a snake in the grass something bit Ginny. She didn't know what it was; something was going on inside her that wanted to say more than just a yes or no. She bit her lip so hard she tasted copper, her mind was screaming to keep her lips shut, but something too great was taking hold.
"Yes, and I know his wanker son very well." Ginny's eyes went wide and slapped a hand over her mouth. Malfoy's eyes went wide and he looked at Dumbledore, who looked as if something was about to go terribly wrong.
"Do you work for any people on the Dark side?"
"No, unless you count doing 600 sit ups for this slag." She bit her lip and made a grimace at the words that were flowing out of her mouth. Albus then stood up and picked his papers up.
"Well, that seems good enough, Casey, your free to go. Run along now…"
"No!" came Draco as Ginny stood up, the young girl turned to him and growled.
While shaking her head Ginny said, "Let me go you bloody cheating bastard!"
"What?" he came in astonishment, she covered her face and made a break for the door.
"Mr. Malfoy please let Mr. Cache go!" ordered Albus, but that hate that had been building up in side Draco since the night at the pub was ready to let loose.
"Would you really tell Ginny about that night?" he asked menacingly, Ginny let go of her mouth
"No you bloody idiot! Considering I…?" Ginny then cursed.
"What?" asked Draco. "C'mon Cache, say what you want to say! Go ahead!"
"Draco Malfoy!" said Dumbledore, pushing him away from Ginny. "Let this alone."
There was silence for a few moments. Draco's gray eyes went wide and his line went into a firm line. Ginny wanted to break out of there, to run for the door and not look back.
"Mr. Malfoy." Came Dumbledore slowly. "I think it's time we let Casey go, we have all we need."
"But you haven't asked all the questions." He growled in response, he nodded.
"We have enough, just let him go, there is no need for him." he told him. "Go." the Great wizard barked at her.
Draco nodded and let Ginny pass. Ginny then clamped her mouth shut, covering it with her hands and ran quickly by Draco. She ran so fast she was afraid her legs would collapse under her. She stopped at the end of the hall and caught her breath. That had been close, a bit too close. She almost let Draco know that she already knew! That would have mean that she was Ginny and all hell would have broken loose. She rubbed her face and wondered what had gone wrong. She began to tell everything she felt with those questions, not just the straight answer.
She looked outside to check if the cost was clear so she could run over to the Hospital tent. When she was sure it was, she opened the door to make a run for it when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She was harshly pushed against the wall her head hitting against it. She grimaced as Malfoy glared at her, sneer on his face. Ginny tried to push past him but the larger man didn't budge. Finally, she leaned back on the wall and looked down.
"Get away from me you wanker." She growled, since that was the only thing she was feeling at the moment. Her love shook his head slowly.
"No."
"I bloody swear, if you hit me again I am going to report you!"
"Shut up, Cache." He told her. "You think any of the leaders are going to care? You think they give a damn about you? Does anyone give a damn about you?"
"YES!" she yelled in his face. "Whether you like it or not Draco, people care about me! I know for a face that you do!" Ginny looked down quickly. A thousand curses were going through her head as Malfoy stared at her. How could she cover this up when Veritaserum was still coursing though her body. She made a break for the opening again, but still Malfoy didn't move.
"What do you really think of me, Cache?" he asked suddenly, voice hard, with a hint of testing in it. As if daring her to say something bad about him. "C'mon, tell me!"
I love you, I love you, and I love you.
Were the only words that wanted to leave her mouth. Her mind raced with things, moves, anything to get him out of the way so she could hide the rest of the day, and hopefully her life. He asked her how she felt about him. Well, Casey may hate him but Ginny Weasley was desperately in love with him. Finally, after too long of a silence, Malfoy grabbed her jaw tight with in his grasp and made her look at him.
"How many times do we have to go over this!" he shouted. "When I ask you a question, soldier, you bloody answer me!"
"MR. MALFOY!" came a booming voice from down the hallway. "Let go of your Soldier! This is the second time I've caught you hurting this person!" Dumbledore quickly began making his way toward the two.
"This is a personal matter between me and Casey, Dumbledore." Growled Malfoy, not even looking at him.
"Do you really want to do this Draco?" he questioned, the blonde only nodded. "Fine, go ahead! I won't stop you!" Draco looked at Albus. "But if you do, I swear on Merlin's grave you will regret." He sneered.
"Will I?"
Albus simply said, "Yes." Malfoy rolled his eyes and let go of Ginny's jaw. When he did, the first thing to pop out of her mouth was
"I love you." the blonde's had snapped to face her, as the young woman went red. There was a long uncomfortable silence before Ginny bolted out of the door.
.
.
It was little over 1 am when Colin was finally able to go to bed. He walked into his Hospital tent, and began discarding his robes. He tossed them all over the place as he made his way to his bedchamber at the back of the hospital. The young man sometimes wished he able to sleep with the rest of his mates (or more like Ginny) but the commanders for some reason didn't like that idea. Colin thought it for the best, ever since Ginny had come he had felt nothing but conflicted.
The young Healer sighed as he looked at the time and realized that he had spent a better part of 5 days doing nothing but putting little drops of blue water into men's mouths. He shrugged, everyone had to pay their dues, but he had figured he had paid his enough with the work Minster Weasley puts him through. He shook his head, no time for thinking, only sleeping, he told himself. He walked into his bedroom and began taking off his muggle watch.
His room wasn't much to look at. There was a small personal bathroom, with a shower/tub, sink, and toilet; the stand bathroom. The room itself wasn't much either. It had a queen-sized bed, with a small window, and two dresser drawers. Next to his bed was a small lamp and a few pictures of his family and friends, and on his bed was Ginny Weasley.
Colin did a double take. Ginny was lying on his bed, looking at him blankly. He furrowed his brow and quickly bent in front of her. Colin ran a hand though her hair and felt her face, just to see if she was sick. Her beautiful brown eyes blinked at him a few times before she began to sit up. The red-head didn't say much, only rubbed her face and leaned onto the headboard of the bed. She shrugged.
"I needed someplace where I felt safe." The young woman said. "This was the first place I thought of." He nodded and sat next to her in bed.
"What's wrong?" he asked after a few moments, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I did something stupid." The woman chortled, "or maybe you did."
"What happened?" he asked her, taking her hand, she sighed.
"The Veritaserum you developed worked."
"Well, that doesn't sound stupid." He told her with airs; she looked at him pointedly.
"Will you let me finish?"
"By all means."
"As I was saying, I was able to lie about my name and gender. Yet, something about the way Dumbledore talked to me changed and the next set of questions felt more like I was under Veritaserum." Her brown eyes met his. "But something went wrong. I began to tell more than needed, like my emotions than just facts. Then Draco…" she trailed off. "He began to ask me questions…" a pained expression crossed her face. "And I basically told him who I was."
"What?" questioned Colin, looking as if he had just heard her death sentence. She nodded slowly.
"Almost."
"What do you mean almost?" he inquired,
"I told him…that…" she let a tear fall. "That I loved him." Ginny then let out a sob that broke Colin's heart. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and let tear after tear fall on him. He didn't know whether to be angry or sympathetic. What did it mean now that Draco knows she loved him? It was not Ginny who told Commander Ass Hole that she loved him, it was Casey who told him. So the worst that could happen was that Malfoy was going to be very upset in the morning.
"You didn't tell him you were Ginny did you?" he asked her softly, she shook her head.
"No." she told him, muffled by his shoulder.
"Then there is nothing to worry about."
"He is going to get suspicious."
"Yea, about you being gay." He tried to joke, she only cried a bit harder. "Listen, it doesn't matter that you told him you loved him. He won't take it seriously and besides he can't tell its you by you just saying you love him."
She sniffed. "You think?"
"Of course I do. He isn't looking for you in Casey, Gin." He started, pulling her away from him. "He only sees Casey. You've done such a good job in being him, he wont even think of looking for Ginny."
"But…" Colin put a finger to her lips.
"It's alright." He told her softly. "He will never know." Her brown eyes slowly went up to meet his and in that instant, Colin was done for.
Her now shaggy hair got in her face, covering her eyes a bit. Her brown eyes were red with crying, but he saw something spark in them when their eyes locked. Colin gently placed a hand on her face and began wiping away a tear. She moved away a little yet it didn't fade him one bit. Colin then stood up and went to his dresser; he grabbed his wand and walked back over to a curious looking Ginny. Whispering a few words he ran his wand over her eyebrows, when they were to their normal size, he kissed them softly. Then her nose, which made a major difference to her appearance. By now, the young girl was looking down hands clasped together. Then he fixed her lips, which were now swollen from her days crying. He put his wand on his night table and tried to catch her eye. When Ginny didn't look up, Colin took a finger and lifted her head towards him.
Her brown eyes met his blue and Colin almost dropped his jaw in awe. This was the Ginny he remembered. The moonlight that came though his one and only window hit Ginny in such a way that gave her a beautiful glow about her. The healer's heart raced with the love he had been hiding for so long now. His perfect girl was sitting in front of him, and he was almost too afraid to make a move, for it might be his last. A long time passed where the two were only staring intently at each other, both apprehensive as to what would happen next. Finally his wish came true when Ginny leaned forward, placing her lips gently on his.
The young woman didn't know what she was doing. In truth, something inside her was telling her to stop. Yet the huge void inside, her heart was telling her that this was alright. That for once, she should let what happens happen. That she was tired of waiting for something that was never going to happen, and take what was being offered. Colin loved her, she knew this, and she's known it since she was 17 years old. Yet she had always ignored it, thought that by being his friend he would soon forget about his feelings but it never came to that. He had always helped her with Harry and with Draco, and he never asked for anything in return. Something inside Ginny was trying to justify what she was about to do that she owed Colin this one.
The two began their kiss slowly, and then, like any forbidden moment, it began to grow passionate, almost burning. After urgent kisses and apprehensive hands, Colin began to slowly lay Ginny down on his bed. Finally, with a lot of courage, Ginny slipped her hands under Colin's shirt and slowly slid it over his head. Ginny took a few moments to look at him; it wasn't his strong chest or even great stomach that caught the woman's attention, but the scars that marred his pale skin. She touched the scars gingerly, only guessing where marks like these came from, she looked at him questioningly and his response to was to kiss her firmly. Soon, the scars that never left Colin where forgotten, as their kisses began to grow urgent.
When Colin was tired of feeling her shirt underneath his exposed chest, he removed her shirt, red-faced, to be faced with silver duct tape. Ginny looked to the window in embarrassment, while Colin only smiled. The healer reached over to his drawer and pulled out a one of his healer scalpel.
"Can I?" he asked her softly, the first words spoken since the first kiss. She nodded slowly at him and he placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead. Slowly, Colin began to cut the tape that hid the wonderful woman that was Ginny, from the world. When he reached the end he sat her up and carefully pulled it off, as to not hurt her delicate body. Colin laughed a bit at her expense, for the tape left some sticky residue on her back, and she hit him for it. After the tape was discarded on the floor Colin laid her back down and stared at her in awe. Perfect. That was the only word that ran through his mind. The young man had dreamed of this moment for so long, when he would finally be able to have Ginny. He figured it was by the grace of some God that he was here now, looking at Ginny, and she looking at him in such a way that made him feel alive.
After a few moments of him just staring at her, Ginny began to grow self-conscious, she turned her head with down cast eyes. Colin only smiled and kissed her neck that she left exposed. Slowly, the blonde began to kiss his way down the valley of her breast. She moaned softly and Colin whispered to her.
"I love you." Ginny didn't respond. Only arched her back as he kissed a particular spot. If it were any other moment, Colin would have questioned her, yet when her hands began to touch a delicate area, all thoughts were gone. All he knew was that Ginny was here, and that's all he really needed.
"Love me." She finally said as she bit his ear. "Please."
After that, nothing was held back. The two felt this immense heat rise over them as things began to happen. Clothes were discarded without care, sounds where made as if they were the only two on earth. Ginny felt release as she gave all she had into him. Colin felt his heart and soul being poured into a woman he had wanted for so long. It didn't matter that she loved another man, or that things may never be the same between the two. All they knew is that for this one moment, in a time of war and pain, that this is what they needed most. Each other.
…
A/n: Ok loves! This was an 11-page chapter! So, I so dearly hoped you enjoyed it! Hehehe…I am sorry if you seriously disagree with the Colin/Ginny. I thought it added an interesting twist! Just wait…oh…you will see!
Anyway, I just want to say THANK YOU and that I LOVE YOU to…
Red. KTBallerina. Shayomac. Arielle. DnG4ever. Siriusforeva. Magen-Malfoy. The Totally Sarcastic Sprite. Lint. Jessie. Mimi. NNC. Kris-tina4. Missers. Chocolate Chip. Lazy Me. Angel_Light. . Great. Smalfoy. Annelee. Fitzi. Cappuccino. PurplePlushiePillow. Terriah. Sazzy7. Monique. Yodarox. Calla-Foreva. MoonDevil99. Whitewolf628. JackSparrow. DragonsMistress. Nichole Malfoy. Bobbynotme. TrippyGirl20051. Hplova4eva. Amanda Mancini. Wizzabee. Ayumi-dono. Karlin88. Vipera. Icylullaby. Caramelissa.
You are all so wonderful! Thank you soo much for supporting me and my little story! Hehe! Ok loves, I'm going to run off now! I'm sorry for the wait!
Special love goes out to my beta MISSY! I LOVE YOU HONEY CAKES!
Love,
Yvette aka Evy
Next Chapter:
Explanation of "The Incident"
Draco's Pain
Rings Revealed
And
The start of a War…
It's going to be fun!