Well, one of the last chapters. This one is super long, so enjoy! Thanks to:

Lucy Saints—Well, here we go. Second to last chapter! This one took especially long, so I really do hope you enjoy it! And, ask all the questions you can so I can answer them in the chapter. I'd hate to leave your questions unanswered. That would leave you in suspense. And we don't want that…..hehehe. lol. Your reviews were really fun to read, and I hope to see one more before this fic ends.

MissBlueAngel—Yeah, I don'tl ike Malfoy either, but what can I say? He's been treating Ginny nicely lol. Oh, this one maybe a bit deep, I'm not sure. It's was so much fun writing though. Oh, and how is your break going so far?

Cutiepiethesecond—Well, I mixed some of your ideas into this chapter, so I hope you like how it turned out!

This has8889 words..so enjoy!

Chapter 13—Death, confessions, and good-byes

Ginny was crying hard on Draco's bed, clutching the letter to her chest. She felt so lonely—she had given up all her friends just so she couldbe with him, and then hegoes and leaves her?

'He did it so you could have Fred back.' A voice in the back of her head told her.

'I know.' She thought sadly. 'I just wish there was another way.'

Ginny let out a scream of frustration. She grabbed his pillow and threw it hard against the wall. Feeling somewhat satisfied, she turned around, and something black caught her eye. A box was now in the spot the pillow had been, before Ginny had decided to throw it. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she opened the box. It was full of old letters that seemed to be writtento Draco. She opened the first one and scanned it.

It read—

Draco,

The Dark lord will not wait much longer. We will await your decision. However, The Dark lord is getting very impatient with you. You could prove to be an excellent source to win this war. Don't mess it up.

The letter was signed with the exact Mark that was placed in the sky two years ago at the Quidditch World Cup. Her dad said he was the Dark Mark. Ginny quickly skimmed through the letters. Most of them were just saying that he didn't have that much time left. Finally, at the end of the pile, Ginny found one that read:

We are glad that you have made your decision. You will make an excellent spy for the Dark Side. Someone will be there momentarily to take you to the ceremony, It will be held at Salazar's Quarters. We await your arrival, Death Eater.

Ginny suddenly felt sick. This wasn't right! Dracowasn't a Death Eater. Her eyes darted to the letters then to the window. She knew where he was…she could easily go and stop him. Still, she suddenly had her doubts.

'What if it's a trap? What if Ron was right? I could be ambushed when I get there.' She thought.

'You said you trusted Draco.' She argued with herself.

'I do. But it just doesn't make sense. Why would he just leave these notes around where anyone could find them?'

'Maybe hewanted me to find them. He doesn't want to go through with it.'

Ginny looked out the window. She could see the moon clearly from here.

'Draco….'

She felt torn. At the moment, there were only two choices: one, she could stay here and let him ruin his life and hope everything works out for the best and that Dumbledore could think of a plan to save Fred before Draco had to go through with it. Basically, just hope against hope that everything works out alright. Second: She could do itherself and stop him. This seemed like a better plan.

Ginny was literally trembling. 'If I went to go save him, I'd be walking right into You-Know-Who's hand….'

Flashes of her first year flashed before her eyes, seeing Tom Riddle, the snake, him telling her he cared….

She was suddenly filled with determination. 'If he was willing to become a Death Eater just to save my brother, this is the least I can do for him.'

Ginny grabbed the nearest broom. It was a Nimbus two thousand and one. Obviously it was Crabbe or Goyle's. She looked around and found a cloak laying there. It looked like the same ones the Death Eaters wore.

'It'll be a lot harder to them to spot me." She thought. She quickly put on the cloak and mounted the broom and opened the window. She flew out the window, away from Hogwarts. She took one looked back at the castle. For all she knew, this could be the last time she saw her beloved castle.


Draco sat alone on the cold floor. He was placed in a cell for the time being. He sat with his back against the wall, thinking. An hour ago his plan was so simple.

Become a Death Eater, get someone to trust him and tell him where they were keeping Fred, get him out and make it look like he escaped. What was so hard about it? Apparently, now he hadn't thought about what he was going to do after he became a Death Eater. He knew that it was a life time job, it was either kill or be killed.

He wasn't afraid to admit it, he didn't fancy killing or torturing people. That didn't satisfy him like it did his father. Though he pretended he did very well. Draco was actually becoming nervous. Macnair had left him in the cell and said he was going to get ready for the ceremony.

'I don't want to do this.' Draco thought. 'I don't want to serve him. I don't want to serve anyone. I don't want to kill, I don't want to torture anyone…..but I do want Ginny to be happy. Arg, how did I ever end up caring whether or not the Weasel was happy?'

He could kick himself for letting himself get too close to that girl. If he hadn't, he wouldn't feel this strong urge to protect her. Secretly, he was hoping she had found the letters he left under his pillow. He had hoped that she would come and help him think of another way, so he wouldn't spend the rest of his life serving the devil….

But all hope left him when his cell door opened, revealing the last person he expected to see.

"F-Father?" Draco stammered. How had his father escaped Azkaban?

Lucius Malfoy grinned coldly. "Macnair will lead you to the ceremony, I have important matters to attend to."

Lucious stepped away from his son, allowing Macnair to grab him by the arm roughly. With a flick of his wand, Draco's old Hogwarts robes were replaced with dark green silk robes.

"The Dark lord awaits." Macnair said, his cold eyes boring into Draco.

Draco involuntarily shuttered, letting go of all the hope he once held.


Severus Snape stepped into his office, cursing as he went. Potter had just stormed off—time was an essence if they were going to save the Weasley brat and they had no idea where to find Potter.

"Severus." A silky voice called, causing Severus to spin around. He hadn't heard that voice since the incident in the Department of Mysteries.

"Lucius?" Snape answered coldly. Lucious Malfoy's head was in his fireplace, smirking at him.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you for the last hour. Where have you been?" Lucius asked silkily.

"How did you get out of Azkaban?" Snape demanded.

Lucious laughed coldly. "There will be plenty of time to explain that. I was only wondering if you were coming to the ceremony?"

"Ceremony?" Snape repeated impatiently. "Lucius, you know just as well as I do we do not hold ceremonies unless a new Death Eater decides to join us."

"Ah, but Severus, that's exactly why we are holding this ceremony. Certainly you remember my son, Draco?"

Severus froze. "Yes, he is one of my best Potions students."

"He will be the Dark lord's guest of honor."

"What do you mean?"

"Draco wants to become a Death Eater."

"Are you sure?"

"He is being taken up to the ceremony as we speak."

"Fine." Snape snapped. "I'll be there."

With one last smirk, Lucius's head disappeared out of the fire. Snape put on his Death Eaters cloak and the mask and began pacing. How could this happen? It was only last month Draco had come into his office saying he didn't want to become a Death Eater! What had changed his mind? Then again, he had been around that Weasley girl an awful lot lately….had it been a trick to get closer to Potter?

But then, Draco trusted him very much, he wouldn't lie to him, unless instructed too? It was possible the Dark lord was growing suspicious about him.

Flashback…..

"Professor Snape?"

Snape sighed impatiently and looked up. There stood Draco Malfoy, looking pale and extremely nervous.

"What can I do for you, Draco?" he asked.

Draco walked up to him and sat down, so that the desk was the only thing between them.

"Sir, I've been getting a lot of letters lately." Draco answered.

"Oh?" Snape only sounded mildly interested.

"Their from Macnair, saying that the Dark lord wants to me to join him."

"And there seems to be a problem?"

"Sir, I don't want to be a Death Eater! Fine, sure, I hate Potter, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life trying to kill him when I could just beat him at Quidditch!"

"I see." Snape stood up. "I am afraid, Draco, that anyone who refuses, finds that they don't live that long."

Draco looked down. "I hate Potter." Bitterness was evident in his voice. "If he wasn't here I wouldn't be forced to spend the rest of my life serving someone!"

Snape didn't say anything. He simply looked at the boy in front of him.

Flash back ends………..

Snape didn't understand. Draco wasn't foolish enough to join the Death Eaters. Confused and slightly angry, Snape walked out of his office.


"We can't just let Harry go! It could be a trap!"

"Remus, we can't just leave Fred to die either!"

"Albus, there has to be another way."

"Of course there is, there's always another way, but we have less than an hour to figure out what to do! That just isn't enough time."

"What's there to decide? We have to go help Fred."

"Oh, Molly….please don't cry. We'll get him back."

"Albus!" Professor McGonagall turned to the headmaster sharply. "Albus, please tell me you have a plan!"

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance. At that moment, a figure on a broom flew by the window, catching all of their attentions.

"What was that?" Tonks ran to the window and looked out. The room was quiet until she turned around, looking nervously at Molly.

"Well?" Moody asked impatiently.

"Molly," Tonks turned to the woman in a consoling voice, "Please don't panic but….Ginny just flew by on a broomstick. It didn't look like she was going to play Quidditch, either."

Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, the doors burst open and Severus Snape strode into the room.

"Albus, Lucius Malfoy has escaped from Azkaban!" Snape snarled.

A ringing silence filled the room.

"Lucius Malfoy," Snape continued, "Has just been in my office and told me Draco Malfoy was about to become a Death Eater! Something is wrong. Less than a month ago that boy came into my office telling me he wouldn't, now all of a sudden he changed his mind?"

"Albus, what about Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley cried hysterically.

Dumbledore looked around the room thoughtfully. "Perhaps Ms. Weasley's and Mr. Malfoy's leave were somehow connected. Surely my staff has noticed how much the two have been in one another's company?"

The Weasleys looked shocked to hear this.

"Malfoy and Ginny?" George asked incredulously. "Are you joking?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I am not joking, Mr. Weasley. I have reason to believe they are somehow connected. Perhaps, they will be our only hope to save Fred Weasley."


Harry was laying on his back by the lake, looking at the sky, thinking. He felt he should go back to Dumbledore and apologize, but he couldn't face the Weasleys. After seeing how heart broken they were, he didn't have the courage to face them.

Harry sighed. Just then, a whoosing sound filled his ears. He looked up and saw a figure with red hair flying on a broom above him, away from Hogwarts.

"Ginny?" Harry asked in disbelief. He stood up. She was flying away from Hogwarts….but why?

'Bloody hell,' Harry thought, realization dawning on him,'She's been around me too much…she's going to get Fred!'

Feeling a fresh new wave of panic, Harry stood up.

"GINNY!" Harry yelled as loud as he could, desperately trying to call her back. He stood there for a good minute, yelling and waving his arms, but she never once looked back.

An image of Mrs. Weasley crying because her only daughter died flashed through Harry's mind. Wasting no time, he turned on his heel and raced back to the castle.


Draco walked along the corridor with two masked Death Eaters on either side of him. He didn't know where he was, or if he was in a building or underground. The corridor was dark and the only light they had were torched illuminating green light.

Draco glanced down at his robes, which were now silky and dark green. The Death Eaters suddenly stopped, causing him to nearly tumble into them.

Macnair, (who Draco knew was behind the mask, because he had seen him earlier) opened a large metal door.

"After you." Macnair hissed, giving him a mock bow. Tentatively, Draco stepped into the room, and instantly felt as if he would pass out.

Nearly a hundred Death Eaters were there, divided into two groups, so that there was a gap between the two groups. At the very back of the room was lord Voldemort, sitting on a throne. A huge snake was circling him, but when Voldemrot snapped his fingers, the snake slithered away at once.

"Draco, what are you afraid of? We will not hurt you. Soon you will be one of us, you should be honored." Voldemort said in a cold, pleasant voice. All of the Death Eaters gave cold laughs. Slowly, Draco walked toward Voldemort, glancing at a Death Eaters here or there. When Draco was in front of him, Voldemort just stared.

"Lucius," Voldemort drawled, "Did you not teach your son manners? He is in the presence of his master now."

Lucius Malfoy stumbled out of the crowd on Draco's left, and bended down on one knee in front of him.

"Forgive me." Lucious said. "My son is confused."

He roughly grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him down, so that he, too, was bended on one knee in front of Voldemort. Draco scrunched up his face and bit his tongue, so no smart remark would come out of his mouth.

"Draco Malfoy," Voldemort began. "You stand here, in front of my loyal Death Eater, and pledge your allegiance to the Dark Side. I assume you will not back out, am I right? For you must know, once you enter, you may not back out. A small price to pay to join the winning side." Voldemort chuckled at this and fingered his wand lovingly.

"Y-yes, m'lord." Draco muttered, stuttering for the first time in awhile.

"However," Volemort continued, "I will not take just anyone. You must prove yourself to me. And I promise,it won't be easy."

Voldemort stepped down from his throne and stood in front of Draco, who kept his eyes averted on the ground. Voldemort put his hand under Draco's chin and lifted it, forcing him to look into those pitiless red eyes.

"Though it will be worth it. We will rid the world of Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers. But first….yes, there is the test. Are you willing to take it?" Voldemort whispered.

'NO!' Draco's mind screamed. 'NO! I won't serve you! I won't be apart of this—I'm going to live serving and pleasing no one but myself. I'm not going to kill, not going to torture, I won't do it!'

But an image of Ginny crying flashed through his mind. Forcing himself to look into those red eyes, Draco swallowed the lump that was growing in his throat.

"Yes." Draco answered, happy to hear that his voice sounded a lot stronger than he felt. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Voldemort's lips curled into a nasty smile.

"Good." Straightening himself up, Voldemort paced for a bit. Then, raising him wand, he pointed it at Draco, whose eyes widened in surprise. What kind of test was he talking about?

"First test," Voldemort said quietly, excitement evident in his eyes, "I want to see how much you can handle pain. Stand up."

Trying his best not to shake or appear afraid, Draco stood. Voldemort pointed his wand at his heart and muttered the spell that would cause Draco more pain in those few seconds than he ever felt in his life.

"Crucio."


Ginny landed, mounted off her broom, and threw it in a nearby bush. She was cold and hugged herself, trying to get some warmth. Or maybe it just had something to do with the creepy building in front of her, but she was feeling oddly cold.

It looked like a creepy sort of mansion, like the ones you see in Muggle movies. (She had seen one the following summer with Hermione). She quietly opened the gate and entered what looked like a garden. It had quite a lot of trees, bushes, and flowers, but most looked dead and dull. It was also cloudy, giving the area a forbidding air about it.

Slowly, Ginny walked up the path that led to the mansion. It was pretty foggy, making it hard to see any thing.

"Lumos." Ginny murmured, taking out her wand.

She continued walking, looking around and noticing the crude statues that had been placed randomly.

"Who's there?" a voice called, causing Ginny's heart to stop.

She stayed frozen to the spot, hoping the person would go away. .

"I said, who's there?" asked a gruff voice.

Spotting some bushes nearby, Ginny quickly scrambled over and hid behind them, praying she wouldn't get caught. Just then, a figure became visible in the fog, one that was wearing a cloak with a mask.

Ginny could've sworn her heart stopped beating for a second.

"Show yourself!" the man shouted.

Ginny mind was reeling…she had heard that voice before….who was it?

"Lupin, is that you?" the man asked quietly.

Ginny felt a feeling of relief wash over her. She knew that voice. She may hate it, but she was glad there was someone here that Dumbledore trusted. She stepped out of the bushes.

"Professor Snape?" Ginny spoke up tentatively.

The man spun around with pointed his wand at her, and Ginny, who was surprised, took a step back.

"Professor, I'm sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean to scare you—"

"Weasley, what are you doing here?" Snape demanded, removing his mask.

Ginny felt her face flush. There was no way she was going to tell him.

"What areyou doing here?" she shot back.

He glared at her then smirked in that horrible way of his. "I presume you are here thinking you can save Mr. Malfoy?"

"No." she retorted, a little too quickly to be believable.

"Ah…" he drawled. "I never thought I'd live to see the day a Weasley fall for a Malfoy. Tell me, taking a leaf out of Potter's book, are you? Think you could actually defeat the Dark lord and save him?"

"I came to save my brother." She snapped. "But saving Draco would be a bonus."

Snape scowled at her. "You won't be doing anything." He snarled. "The Order will be coming here shortly—wait here for them. I, on the other hand, have a meeting to attend to."

He turned around but Ginny blurted, "I'm coming with you."

He turned back around sharply. "Don't talk rubbish."

"I came this far," Ginny said, forcing her voice to remain calm. "I might as well."

"You are to wait here."

"My brother and friend are in there!"

"Do not force me to give you a detention!"

Ginny stared at him in disbelief. Did he honestly think she'd care about getting a detention at this point?

"You won't stop me." She snapped. She shoved past him, ignored his shouts for her to come back, and ran straight for the door. She flung open the door and shut it behind her. She took a quick glance around the building. It looked like it had at least three floors. She spotted some stairs and ran for them, pulling up her hood so she would blend in with the Death Eaters. She ran about two more flights of stairs before she entered a stone room. Pillars were randomly decorated around the room. Death Eaters were split into two groups on either side, and at the far end of the room, stood Voldemort and Draco.

Voldemort was laughing and Draco lay on the ground, panting.

Ginny made to run, but a hand clamped over her mouth, while another wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened in surprise as she was dragged behind a pillar. She began to struggle.

"If you wish to get your boyfriend and brother out of here alive, I suggest you stop struggling." Snape hissed in her ear.

When they were safely behind the pillar, he let her go, but held a tight grip on her arm. Ginny picked out from behind, desperately trying to see what was happening.


Draco was on the ground, panting. He had never felt so much pain in his life. Voldemort laughed cruelly and gazed down at the boy with his pitiless red eyes.

"Stand up, boy." He drawled. "I need to explain your next test."

Trembling uncontrollably, he stood up. He glanced around the room.

"Your next test," Voldemort continued, "is to see how well you follow orders. I want you to capture and kill Ronald Weasley."

Draco stared at him, confused. Voldemort chuckled and continued, "Are you wondering why, Draco? Why Ronald Weasley when I could just go straight to Harry Potter? Well, Potter's little friend could prove useful if Potter chooses not to show up tonight. Not that it's any lost. The Dark lord always has another plan."

Voldemort paces a little, them looked directly at Draco. "Are you ready serve me, Draco?" he asked quietly.

A large lump had formed in his throat, disabling him to speak. Slowly, he nodded. Cheers echoed from the crowd on either side on him, and Voldemort grinned cruelly, took out his wand, and advanced toward Draco.

But something in Draco snapped. It was as if all common sense was coming back to him. This wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't go through with it. He cared for Ginny….but how would making a deal with the devil help her? He suddenly forgot the reason why he was doing this, he forgot his purpose for being here. He took a step back, preparing himself to run if he had to, but it seemed the Death Eaters knew what he was up to. Crabbe and Goyle's fathers came up behind him and held his arms so he wasn't able to make a run for it. Draco began to panic. He struggled and desperately looked for a way out. More hands grabbed him, binding him.


Ginny didn't understand what was going on. The Death Eaters were all closing in around Draco, some were holding him so tight he wouldn't have been able to move, even if he wanted. Did he do something wrong? When Voldemort had told him to kill Ron, she felt her heart stop. But now, it looked as if they were going to kill him. Snape's hand was still on her arm, but she felt him stiffen as he looked on. He obviously knew what was going to happen.
"Pull up him sleeve." Voldemort ordered. It was Lucius Malfoy who pulled up the sleeve to Draco's green silk robes. Even as Draco struggled, Lucius Malfoy didn't listen. He simply pulled up the sleeve.

Voldemort placed his wand on Draco's forearm. Panic took over Draco.

'NO!' his mind screamed. 'Stop! Don't do it!'

His mouth was working properly, his mind was reeling. The tip of Voldemort's wand felt cold against his skin.

"Mordesuri." Voldemort muttered, and black light issued from his wand onto Draco's arm. Pain suddenly coursed through Draco's body like poison. The moment Voldemort muttered that spell, Draco lost his freedom. That hurt more that the Cruciatus ever could. As the pain rushed through him, Draco opened his mouth and let out a blood curdling scream.

Somewhere in the shadows though, he heard someone else scream with him. A girl….


Ginny found her screams mixed with Draco's. Ginny looked at the sight in horror. Now she knew what was happening. Voldemort placed the Dark Mark on Draco's arm. She felt tears fill her eyes. Draco Malfoy was now a Death Eater. When Voldemort muttered the spell, Draco let out a scream, and so did she. A scream of frustration, pain, hurt, and anger. She was angry with herself for ever letting him do this to herself. She kept on screaming and didn't stop until a hand covered her mouth.
Draco's screams left him gasping for air. The pain subsided slightly and Voldemort was laughing coldly. Draco looked at his arm and spotted a skull and a snake going through the mouth. He had received the Dark Mark. And now it was official. There was no turning back. He was a Death Eater.

Voldemort looked at the followers, and they instantly took a step back from Draco, who fell to his kness. Not out of respect for Voldemort, but out of despair.

"Now, my loyal followers," Voldemort spoke to the crowd, "we have a new member. One who will prove himself worthy, by taking a way the one thing Harry Potter will miss most. Or, one of them. The mudblood girl will pay later. But now, my faithful Death Eaters, there is someone among us who does not belong."

The group of Death Eaters muttered and looked around, eyeing each other warily.

"Not one of you." Voldemort snapped. "A girl. A girl by the name of.....Ginny Weasley."

Draco could've sworn that his heart stopped beating.


Ginny froze. The hand moved itself from her mouth.

"I hope you are happy." Snape said coldly. "You gave yourself away, and now he knows you're here,"

Ginny's voice wouldn't work properly.

Snape sighed, but in the dim light she noticed he looked pale.

"I-is he going to kill me?" she asked weakly.

Snape looked at the girl. "Contrary to student belief, I would not let a student die, whether in Gryffindor or not. Though it was your foolishness that got you into this mess, I will help you out."

Ginny looked at him quizzically, but gave a yelp of surprise and he grabbed her roughly by the arm and shoved her forward, causing her to stumble.

"My lord, we have an iintruder." Snape spoke loudly, causing all the attention to fall on Ginny and himself.

Voldemort smirked. "Bring her here."

Staring at Snape in horror and disbelief, she was shoved forward by him, until she was right beside Draco and standing before Voldemort. Snape kept a hand on her arm.

"Ginny Weasley…." Voldemort said quietly, "You are in your fifth year, I suppose? Yes…it's been four years since we last met." He grinned cruelly and touched her cheek, causing her to shudder.

Next to her, Draco was glaring at Voldemort.

"Don't touch me." Ginny spat with all the courage she could muster.

"No one commands me to do anything." Voldemort said dangerously. "What are you doing here? Looking for Potter, I suppose? Well, your in luck. Your precious Potter should be here any moment…unless he wants his friend to die."

He suddenly looked at Ginny as realization dawned on him. "Fred Weasley is your brother? Am I right to assume you came here to save him?" Voldemort laughed nastily. "Well…young Ginierva….I'm afraid you are too late. However, I will allow you to stay and watch Potter's last moments."

He lifted his wand and pointed it at Ginny, a curse at the tip of his tongue. Draco made a movement, as if he was going to stop him, and Ginny braced herself.

"Master!" Snape yelled, right before Voldemort said his curse. He stood in front of Ginny and bended down on one knee.

"What is it, Severus?" Voldemort asked impatiently.

"With all do respect, sir," Snape said hastily, "Perhaps it would be best if you allowed young Draco here to do it. To prove he is strong enough."

Ginny stared at Snape, terrified. Draco was looking in disbelief at his Potions master.

"Very well." Voldemort said. He pointed at Draco. "You." He barked. "You know what to do."

Shaking, Draco stumbled forward, so that he was only a few feet from Ginny, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Holding at his wand, he mouthed, 'I'm sorry,' then opened his mouth to yell--

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

Someone had aimed a Disarming spell at Draco, who quickly deflected it.

"What is the meaning of this?" Voldemort roared, and his eyes quickly scanned the room of Death Eaters. Ginny did this, too, and noticed three figures not far behind her were standing out of the crowd. One of them had their wand out.

"Do you dare interrupt me?" Voldemort asked dangerously to the three figured.

"We've always have before. We didn't think you'd mind one more time." Said a voice coolly. A voice Ginny knew all too well.

"Why don't you show youselves?" Voldemort asked them quietly.

The three figures reached up and took off their hoods, only to reveal—

Draco groaned behind Ginny, who gasped in shock.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood before them, wands out. Hermione looked terrified but was staring with a fixed expression. It looked to Ginny as if she was going through every hex, curse, and charm in her head that she had learned through her six years at Hogwarts. Ron looked white but determined and angry all the same. He was staring at Voldemort in a bewildered expression…as if he couldn't believe if this was a human standing in front of him.

Ginny realized it was Harry who had spoken. He was sending a death glare toward Voldemort and his wand was raised high, his jaw set.

"Let my sister go!" Ron shouted.

Voldemort laughed. "Surely you did not think it would be this easy?"

"We're ready for a fight." Harry spat. Bellatrix Lestrange strode forward, took out her wand, and laughed.

"So are we, baby Potter." She said in her baby voice, causing Harry to look livid.

"Tell me," Bellatrix drawled, "Who shall I killthis time? We have Fred Weasley…who is in the dungeons. Or," her wand traveled toward Hermione, who looked angry, "We could start with the mudblood. Or perhaps the youngest Weasley boy?" Her wand rested on Ron.

"Don't you touch Hermione!" Ron bellowed, as he and Harry took a step in front of her, to block her from view.

Bellatrix cackled. "You mean to tell me that piece ofdirt actually has a name?"

"Silencio!"

Ginny had her wand out now and pointed it at Bellatrix furiously, who opened her mouth and closed it, but to no avail. She could not speak.

"Harry Potter!" Voldemort roared, causing Ginny, Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron to shrink back slightly. "You and your friends will die tonight!"

Just at that moment, a hundred different voices were heard yelling out hundreds types of spells. The room looked like a box of fireworks had been set off. Different kinds of lights cluttered the room, blinding Ginny for a second.

"What's going on?!" Draco shouted somewhere next to her. Ginny spotted someone with red hair in front of her. She scrambled forward and grabbed their robes.

"Ron!" she screamed.

The person looked down at her in surprise.

"George?!" she cried in surprise.

"Ginny!" he shouted over the noise.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny yelled.

"The whole Order's here!" George shouted. "Stupefy!" He hit someone who tried to sneak up on Ginny. "We figured out you and Harry and the others ran away and found out where you were. We figured you got yourselves into some trouble and would need our help."

He suddenly grabbed Ginny from the waist and held her in a protective hold while he stupefied someone else. She also saw Lupin dueling Bellatrix not too far away.

"Ginny!" George shouted over all the chaos. Blue and green light enveloped the building. "I want you to get out of here! Forget about everything else—just get out!"

He then shoved her and returned to fighting. Ginny stumbled into someone else, sending them both toppling to the ground.

Both girls cried out.

"Hermione?!" Ginny cried.

"Ginny!" Hermione looked ready to faint. "Oh—this is horrible! It's exactly what happened in the Department of Mysteries!"

"Hermione!" Ginny shouted urgently. "How long were you hiding in those robes?"

"Not long." Hermione said hastily. "Oh—where did Ron go? And Harry?"

"I need to find Fred." Ginny cried.

Hermione looked at her, startled. "No! You can't! Leave that to everyone else. We just need to get out of here."

Hermione grabbed Ginny's arm and tried to pull her away, but Ginny held back.

"No!" she cried. "I can't leave Fred!"

With that, she got out of Hermione's grip and ran, ignoring her friend's cries.Her mind was reeling as she ran. 'Voldemort said Fred was in the dungeons..dungeons are always at the bottom of a building! Like a basement!' she thought.

She ran straight for the door. She passed by Lucius and Tonks dueling not too far away, while also spotting her mum and dad dueling side by side as she slipped outside the doors and into the cold corridors. She sprinted down the corridor and listened as the shouts and bangs of the battle behind her faded. She turned a corner, when someone hands clasped around her mouth for the third time that night. Ginny struggled and screamed, but her yells were muffled by the hand on her mouth, and struggling didn't do anything since the person had a strong hold on her. The person dragged her backwards, until she was away from the corner.

"Please stop struggling." A voice whispered in her ear. Ginny just nodded, nearly fainting out of relief. The hands let her go and she turned around to face the pale face of Draco Malfoy.

"Are you okay?" he asked hastily. She nodded numbly.

"Good." He held her hand and they once again walked swiftly down the corridor.

"I wasn't really going to curse you." He said quietly, eyes darting everywhere, his hand in his pocket, where she was sure he was gripping her wand. "I was going to get a diversion so you could make a run for it—the Dark lord would've had my head for that, mind you."

Ginny looked at him in shock. "You were willing to die just so I could escape?"

Draco just shrugged in response. They turned a corner into a dark corridor, that was only lighted by green torches, when they both stopped and looked on in horror. Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort were standing in the middle of the corridor, on either sides, both wands out and both looking livid. Harry, meanwhile, was a good distance away, at the very end of the corridor, beind held back from battling by Remus Lupin.

'How did he get out of the battle without me noticing him?' Ginny thought.

"Dumbledore, it was a mistake to come here! You should have just let the boy died! But no, thanks to your love for him, no one who entered here will come out alive!" Voldemort shouted, looking livid.

"I will not let you kill one of my students! I promise you, Tom, try as hard as you want, but you will never win." Dumbledore said calmly.

Volemort yelled out a curse but Dumbledore deflected it, and it aimed right for Ginny and Draco. Harry, however, reliazed who the curse was aimed for.

"GINNY'S OVER THERE!" Harry roared, and struggled even harder to get out of Lupin's grip.

Dumbledore, for the first time, looked surprised and shocked as he looked at Draco and Ginny.

"MOVE!" Draco shouted, grabbing her and sending them both to the floor. The spell hit right in front of them. For a split second, Ginny thought they were safe. They stood up quickly and noticed the ground beneath them begin to crumble. Ginny stared, terrified, as the ground beneath them cracked.

Ginnyscreamed and she grabbed onto Draco, who held her, too. The ground beneath them sent them falling down….down…..Last thing Ginny remembered was holding onto Draco as they both both screamed. They both fell into darkness.

'Fred…' was Ginny's last thought as she landed on something hard. She looked up to see rocks and concrete fall toward her. She felt something hard hit her legs and body, and with that, her world went black.


"Ginny! Ginny, where are you?!"

A panicky voice was heard somewhere near her. Ginny moaned and moved her head to the side.

"Ginny, if you can hear me, please say something!"

She tried to move her body, but a heavy weight could be felt on top of her. It was painful, too. She tried moving her leg, and gave out a weak cry of pain. It felt broken.

"Ginny! Ginny, I hear you! Keep talking!"

Where had she heard that voice before? "Draco…?"

She felt movement on top of her. She slowly opened her eyes and realized she was underneath a pile of rocks. A huge one was on her torso and a sharp one had fallen on her leg.

"What happened?" she asked, as loudly as she could.

"Don't you remember? The ground beneath us cracked, I fell first and managed to get away. But..you weren't so lucky. Ginny, your buried in a pile of rubble. I can't see you. Say something." Draco panted, she heard more movement. She then realized he was moving the rocks on top of her.

"If it's only one pile, it can't be that hard to find me?" Ginny replied.

"The whole entire corridor is filled in rubble." Draco said exasperatedly, She heard him move another rock somewhere to her left. "I don't fancy digging through the entire corridor if I can help it."

Ginny managed a small laugh. "So what now?" she asked hoarsely.

"What do you want?" Draco panted as he shoved another bolder out of his way. "Your lucky your legs didn't break."

"Where do we find Fred?"

"Your lucky. We landed in the dungeons. We just need to move forward a bit. They keep the prisoners at the end of the corridor."

Ginny suddenly felt sick.

Draco sighed heavily, and she heard more movement, as if he was stepping back.

"This will take too long." He panted. "Do you have your wand?"

"Yes."

"Can you blast your way out?"

Ginny could have kicked herself for not thinking o that before. She moved her hand, slowly and steadily, since the huge rocks on top of her was preventing her to move too much. She took out her wand and aimed it above her.

"Move back." She ordered. Draco said okay, but his voice sounded muffled. Ginn took a deep breath.

"Reducto!"

Immediately, the spell blasted through the rocks. Little dust fell on top of her, but the spell had done what it needed. Now covered in dust, she coughed and sat there, dazed. Draco stepped up next to her, his green silky robes now torn and covered in dust. He was sporting a bruise in his left cheek, and blood was flowing freely down his chin. She kenw she hardly looked any better. He offered him her hand.

"I can't move." She moaned, while trying to bend her legs. Pain shot through her body and she tried to do so.

"Let me help you." Draco bent down and gingerly put his arm around her waist. Gently, he helped her up, his arm still slung across her shoulder.

"I can move on my own." Ginny said stubbornly. She looked around. The whole corridor was covered in rocks and dust. "Let's go. We don't have that much time."

She noticed Draco was staring at her oddly.

"What?" she asked quizzically.

He shook his head and silently carried on. Ginny had more trouble with this. Both her legs were shaking, and once, shook so badly she stumbled, fell, and cutting her leg. The path wasn't exactly smooth. With all the rocks, they had to climb over things. Finally, they turned around a corner and spotted another corridor, one much darker and mustier than the last. Cells covered the walls, causing a depressing air to loom over them.

"We're here." Draco whispered.

Ginny made to move in front of him, but his arm shot out in front of her, causing her to stop.

"There might be guards." He whispered in her ear.

Wands held out in front of them, the two teens made their way down the corridor. Nearly all of the cells were empty, except for one. Ginny began to panic as they kept moving forward. There wasn't one sign of Fred yet. Did this mean they had killed him already?

Ginny felt her eyes fill with tears. "He's not here." She choked out.

Draco looked back, his eyes full of worry. "He's here." His tone sounded doubtful.

Right when the reached the end, Ginny felt her heart stop. She spotted something red inside the very last cell. Holding her breath, she moved forward. What she saw nearly made her squeal in delight. Fred lay in the cell, bloody, shaking, bruised, and unconscious, but surely alive. She ran full speed toward the cell and rushed inside. If she hadn't been so excited, she would have found it odd that the cell door was already open, as if someone was expecting them.

Draco, however, looked around nervously.

"Fred!" Ginny cried. She could feel tears of happiness and anxiousness roll down her cheeks.

"Fred! Wake up! Come on! We don't have much time; we need to get out of here!" She pleaded with her brother to wake up. She shook him and checked his pulse. She nearly fainted out of relief. He was still breathing.

The sounds of the battle above them could still be heard. A exceptionally loud bang caused Ginny to jump.

"Fred…." Ginny took her sleeve and wiped off some of the blood that was dripping down the side of her brother's face. She cradled her head in his lap.

"Wake up." She whispered. She felt tears fall down her cheeks and fall onto her brothers face.

"Ginny." Draco spoke up. "We need to get out of here. Someone is going to come down here and check if he's still here."

Ginny nodded and wiped her eyes. "We can't get out of here unnoticed though."

Draco silently agreed. It seemed that either move was risky.

Just then, Fred stirred a bit.

"Fred?" Ginny asked hopefully.

Something rustled in the corner. Ginny jumped and Draco whipped around. No one was there. He was now getting extremely nervous.

"We need to get out of here." He said firmly.

"You won't be going anywhere."

Ginny gasped and Draco jumped a foot into the air. A few feetbehind him,Macnair stood, looking at them coldly.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted." Macnair spat at Draco. "You betrayed us for the mudblood lover. But no worries. The Dark lord will make sure you pay."

Draco gritted his teeth. Macnair was a powerful wizard. The chances of getting themselves including an unconscious Fred out alive didn't seem very likely.

"My loyalties will never waver." Draco said firmly.

Macnair grinned an insane grin. "Then perhaps you won't mind me having a little fun?"

He now directed his wand at Ginny, who's hand flew to her own wand.

"Cruci—"

"EXPERLLIARMUS!"

Macnair's wand flew out of his hand and into Draco's. Draco was giving Macnair a death glare.

"Don't you dare touch her." He said through clenched teeth.

Macnair laughed. Out of nowhere, he tackled Draco, causing the smaller boy to fall. Draco's head slammed onto the cold stone floor, causing his world to spin for just a moment. A moment, however, was all Mancair needed. Taking advantage of him, Mancair snatched his wand out of Draco's grip, but Draco managed to take hold of his own.

Macnair spun around.

"Accio!"

Ginny, caught by surprise, was thrown and caught by Macnair, who her her tightly, an arm wrapped around her neck.

Draco angrily got up and snatched up his wand, but Macnair pointed his at Ginny's neck.

"Make any sudden movement, and I promise I'll kill her." Macnair threatened, causing Draco to stop in his tracks.

Unknown to them, Fred Weasely was slowly gaining consciousness. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked at the scene a head of him.

He grabbed Ginny's wand, which she had dropped, and rage coursed through his veins.

"DON'T EVER TOUCH MY SISTER!" Fred roared, and a red beam shot out of the wand, hitting Macnair and causing him to fall and let go of Ginny. He then aimed another one at Draco, who slammed into the wall.

"FRED NO!" Ginny cried, standing up, but her legs were shaking uncontrollably.

Fred and Macnair faced each other. Macnair, however, laughed. "Your precious Order is up there fighting, and I must say, their losing quite badly."

"YOU LIAR!" Fred roared, waving his wand threateningly.

Ginny had scrambled over to Draco and grabbed a hold of his robes, steadying herself.

"You will pay for notgiving imformationtothe Dark lord! Obviously you weren't punished badly enough. Now…you are no use to us!" Macnair shouted, aiming his wand at Fred.

In an instant, Draco knew what was going to happen. He was going to kill Fred. In an instant, Draco had made up his mind. It was a crazy thought;he could go to Azkaban for this, but at least Fred would be safe.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Ginny screamed as the green light blinded her. Two bodies fell to the ground sickeningly. Two wands dropped and fell next to their owners. Only two remained standing.

When the light went away, Ginny looked at the sight in horror. Fred Weasley lay a few feet from her. His mouth was open slightly. His cruised and blood covered face made her feel sick. She could see a trace of sadness on her brother's once smiling face.

"Fred…" she whispered.

Someone else caught her sight. Macnair lay a few feet from her as well, cearlydead. Behind her, Draco was breathing heavily.

"Did you….?" She trailed off. She didn't trust her voice to speak.

Slowly, Draco nodded. "Macnair was going to kill Fred…I thought I could stop him…." He looked away. Ginny, however, paid no attention.

She felt as if her heart was breaking in two. "FRED!" she screamed and ran toward her brother. She lay in front of him and shook him.

"Fred…." She whispered. "It's okay. You don't have to pretend. It's over. We can go home."

Still, he didn't move. Ginny shook him a bit harder. She could feel the tears sting her eyes. Panic rose up in her, and she shook him hard. She felt her chest tighten as the weight of what happened squeezed her heart painfully. Still...he wouldn't get up. He wouldn't move.

'TheKilling Cursedidn't hit him....it didn't...' Ginny thought. She wouldn't believe that her brother was dead. Tears slowly cascaded down her face. Panic has seized her...but then turned into hysteria.

"Ginny…." Draco started.

"NO!" Ginny screamed so loudly, her voice cracked. She was hysterical. She shook Fred and sobbed loudly. "NO, FRED! DON'T LEAVE ME! WAKE UP! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" For a moment, she truly believed her brother, the prankster that he was, would get up and smile.

She bent down and leaned down on his chest, sobbing her heart into it. The chest didn't rise or fall, indicating he wasn't breathing.

"Fred…" she sobbed, hiccupping. "F-Fred…wake up! Please….don't do this to our family…don't do this to me. M-mum needs you….George needs you! You're his twin…his other half. Get up. You have a life to live. You have a shop to run….don't leave me. FRED!" Ginny was sobbing uncontrollably Draco thought she would suffocate herself since she was hardly breathing. She was just sobbing into her brothers chest, clutching him tight.

"WAKE UP!" she screamed. "I came all this way to save you….don't die. I need you! Our family needs you."

Still, Fred wouldn't wake. Ginny got up and hit his hard on the shoulder; he didn't budge.

"I HATE YOU!" she cried, hiccupping and sobbing hard. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? WHY WERE YOU SO STUPID? WAKE UP, FRED! THIS ISN'T A JOKE! WE NEED TO G-GET OUF OF H-HERE…."

Ginny's voice trailed off to pitiful sobs. She began hitting Fred's shoulder, but slowly began to stop. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at her brother's unmoving face. There was no smile, no twinkle in his eye…

Draco put an arm on her shoulder. "He's gone." He whispered.

Ginny felt a pain in her chest. It began to dawn on her that her efforts had failed—her brother was dead.

"HOW COULD YOU THIS?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND DIE? WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND! YOU HAD A LIFE TO LIVE, A FAMILY, A JOKE SHOP…..PLEASE, FRED....no...no no no!"

Ginny made to hit him, she raised her fist, but Draco grabbed her arm and held it. She tugged weakly, trying to get out of her grip, but finally gave up. She was screaming so loud her throat hurt, but now…she was exhausted. She didn't think she could do anymore. She rocked back and forth sobbing, holding her brother's lifeless hand.

When her sobs quieted, Draco could still hear her moaning, "Not Fred…not m-my brother…"

Her sobs became hiccups, and it hurt him to see her like this.

Just then, pain coursed through Draco's body. His forearm felt like it was on fire. He let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees.

"D-Draco!" Ginny hiccupped. "W-what's wrong?"

Draco glanced at Macnair's lifeless body, but forced himself to turn away. 'I killed someone….'

"My mark." He said through clenched teeth. He pulled up his sleeve and noticed it had turned red. "He wants us to retreat."

"You can't." Ginny said forcefully. "Your going back to Hogwarts."

Draco looked down. "I can't ever go back to Hogwarts."

Ginny knelt down next to him and put her hand on his arm. "What do you mean?" she asked tentatively.

Draco looked up and saw her eyes were still red from crying, and her eyes still had unshed tears in them. It broke his heart to think he was only going to cause more pain.

"Ginny," Draco started, "I never planned to go with you. I was going to sneak out and hoped you would't notice...but I guess i have to say good-bye. I'm a Death Eater. I just killed someone. I'm a murderer. Besides, if the Dark lord finds out who did this, he'd surely send someone after me. But if I go back, I can make up a story. Ginny, I explained in the letter I was going to become a Death Eater. And now I am. I can't ever go back. I'm sorry.But I'm a murderer. I'm just like them. I have to go back."

"So your just going to leave?" Ginny demanded angrily. "Just pack up and leave after all I gave up for you?"

"Your friends will take you back." Draco managed a small smile. "Besides, I did this for you. I did this to save Fred."

"It didn't go as well as you planned." Ginny spat.

Draco sighed and looked at her in the eye. "Please forgive me. I didn't want this, but I did it for you. I'm sorry I failed. I tried to hard."

Draco stood up, but Ginny tugged on his robes.

"Don't leave me." She whispered, in a tone of plea.

He bent down. He then did the one thing he never thought he'd do. He kissed her. It was a brief, short kiss, but it showed how much he cared. She responded, but he broke apart quickly. Draco looked at her sadly. He had to get away. Tears stung his eyes, and he was sure they would fall.

"I loev you, Ginny Weasley. Remember, I did this for you." He whispered in her ear. "I tried."

He looked at her sadly and backed away from her. Then, in an instant, he was gone. For a moment, her mind couldn't register what was happening. Her heart couldn't bear another loss….

But it finally sunk in. She looked down at Fred. "So did I."

Fred's death…Draco's leave…the pain of them both fell down on her. He left her here, by herself. Both of them did. She sobbed once more and laid her head on Fred's chest. She cried herself to sleep.

This was the position the Trio found her in a few hours later, shocked to find out that they had been too late.

To Ginny, it didn't matter. Fred and Draco were gone.


"Harry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Hermione."

"Ron?"

"My brother just died. What do you think?"

Sigh.

"I can't believe we were too late."

"How's Ginny taking it?"

"Not good. She won't tell anyone what happened. she hasn't even been out of here room. She just sits there, crying."

"Oh, Ron....she saw it happen. You saw the position she was in when they found her."

"Malfoy probably killed him."

"Ron...."

"No, Hermione, it had to have been. I saw them fall to the dungeons together."

"Harry..."

"I'll kill him." Both Ron and Harry stated, holding back tears as they looked on at the coffin of Fred Weasley.


A/N. How was it? I hope you guys liked it! All I have left to do is type up the Epilogue and then, it's all done! Sorry about killing Fred off…and having Draco leave. So, it wasn't necessarily romance, I guess. Anyways, PLEASE review! This is the second to last chapter.

And I'm sorry. I know I told you guys I would have it finished by this time, but this chapter was 22 pages long on Microsoft Word! It took quite awhile to write, and I'm sure you cant imagine. Anyways, please review! It's one of the last times you can! 

Love always,

Amour Lily