When Doves Cry
Chapter 12: As Time Goes By
Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K. Rowling
You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers woo
They still say: "i love you"
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by
Moonlight and love songs - never out of date
Hearts full of passion - jealousy and hate
Woman needs man - and man must have his mate
That no one can deny
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by
-As Time Goes By, Casablanca
Draco tried to shake away the guilt he felt creep over him as, while he watched Harry sleep in the large bed, he remembered the perfectly content feeling he had experienced when that morning he had awoken with Ginny still curled up in her arms, where she had fallen asleep in tears. Ginny had spent the night with him plenty of times over the years, but not once had he ever woken up the next morning and found her still there. Being the morning person she was she was usually awake fixing breakfast, or cleaning up whatever mess they had managed to make the night before.
Draco watched as Snape shook his head.
"He's not making as much progress as I would have liked," Snape commented.
"Don't pretend like you care whether he gets better or not," the other person in the room snickered.
"Why then, Black, do you suggest I'm here?" Snape sneered back.
Sirius Black simply glared at the professor.
Draco had known, even as he made the decision to fetch Sirius Black for Harry, that it probably wasn't the smartest idea to be placing he and Snape in such close quarters. But when it came down to it, he couldn't think of anyone else to watch over Harry as Snape had requested.
"What can we do?" Draco asked his old professor, hoping there was something.
"You can use your disgusting amount of influence over Harry's wife and make her come home," Black told him bitterly.
"Don't you think I try that everyday Black?" Malfoy snapped back.
"Or you've been teaching her to be as selfish as you."
Draco felt anger rise within him as Sirius insulted Ginny, but at the same time couldn't help but think that Harry needed someone on his side. Someone who could grant him the unconditional love and support that Ginny had from so many.
Draco sighed.
"I've tried everything, she just can't convince herself to come to him. I don't know what else to do."
"Tell her if she doesn't come see her husband soon she may very well lose her chance. Tell her that he husband is dying."
Draco's head snapped up to look at Snape. The solemn look on the potion master's face made Draco's stomach churn. Rarely did Snape show any indication of experiencing such emotions. Draco nodded slowly and apparated to the manor.
'You may lose your chance.'
'Harry's dying'
'Harry's dying''Dying'
'Dying'
'Dying'
The words rang through Ginny's head over and over and the reality of the situation hit her full force. Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, was dying.
No. Not the-boy-who-lived. Harry. Harry was dying. Her Harry.
There had been a point in her life where she could barely stand to spend two minutes away from Harry, even at the risk of having him murdered by her brother.
Ginny crept up the staircase leading to the boys' dormitory and tip-toed her way towards the seventh years' door. The room, which was shared by Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean, had it heavy oak door shut.
She pressed her ear against the wood and listened for any sign of life from within. Besides a few snores that she was sure came from Ron, it seemed as though everyone is sleep.
As quietly as possible Ginny creaked open the door and padded in to the room. She suppressed a giggle at the mess she found inside.
The boys' clothes were everywhere and there was a large mountain of trash surrounding an already full wastebasket. The walls were covered with posters varying in type from boy to boy.
Seamus's bed was surrounded by posters of scantily clad women shifting from seductive pose to seductive pose, while Neville simply had a chart to magical plants decorating his wall. The wall above Ron's bed was nearly as orange as his room at the burrow from all of the Cannons propaganda he had taped to it. Harry had a Puddlemere United poster next to his bed that had been signed by the whole team, including Oliver Wood who had added a small note that read, 'Beat You-Know-Who quickly so I can get you on the team.' Ginny smiled when she saw that next to the poster was a small photo of her taped up. Above that was another picture of the two of them, undoubtedly gifts of worship from Colin. Harry probably had a stack of similar ones in a drawer somewhere.
Taking one last glance to make sure that Ron was still asleep, Ginny pulled back the curtains to the side of Harry's bed and lifted each leg up onto the bouncy mattress. Crawling on top of the sleeping boy Ginny lightly kissing him. When he didn't respond she gently rubbed his stomach and chest.
"Harry," she whispered softly. "Harry," she said again when he didn't respond.
A little grunt escaped him and he mumbled, "Bugger off Ron."
Ginny frowned and glanced at the position in which she was straddling him, raising an eyebrow as she did so.
"Harry," she said once again moving her hand arcoss his chest and down to his stomach, and lower, and lower, until…
"Holy shit!" Harry sat upright his eyes wide open. "Ginny!" he both exclaimed and asked at the same time. "Why…what are…Jesus Gin I thought you were Ron."
"Well I should hope not," Ginny grinned, satisfied that she had finally gotten Harry to wake up again.
"Believe me. Me too." Harry sat in silence for a moment before shaking his head. "What are you doing here Gin?"
She shrugged. "I missed you."
Harry laughed. "We can't stay up here. If your brother wakes up I'm dead."
"I know," Ginny smiled. "Lets go for a walk."
"Sometimes I feel guilty when I'm with you like this," Harry commented, causing Ginny to frown. They were lying on the grass beside the lake, watching for the squid to surface every once in a while. Both were still in their pajamas, Ginny using Harry's shoulder as a pillow.
"Why? I could understand maybe you were shagging my brains out right now, but we're just cuddling Harry. I don't think it's considered a mortal sin"
Harry chuckled. "No, no. I just mean. This makes me happy." He paused. "So happy that I tend to forget about everything else, and I shouldn't forget about things. Why should I be allowed to forget when there are men out there fighting for the order right now who can't afford to forget? Why do I get to be happy?"
"Everyone needs to forget sometimes Harry, or we'd all go mad; even wizards out fighting. Don't you think they have pictures of their girls back home? Don't you think they look at pictures and write letters to them so that they can forget just for a few moments? That's the beauty of romance. No matter what's going on in the world; war, famine, natural disaster… No matter what, there's that one person who makes everything okay, who can make you happy just by being there and that you know that you can count on that feeling forever. Love's permanent like."
"People fall out of love," Harry commented.
Ginny shook her head. "Those people were never really in love. Not like this."
Harry turned his head so he could look Ginny in the eyes.
"Like this?" he questioned and Ginny felt her cheeks begin to burn. "Is…love…is that what this is Gin?"
"Oh! I didn't mean that this…us…that we're….I mean I don't mean to say that its not…I….oh bugger," Ginny sighed, more flustered than she could remember being in a long time.
"Sorry it was a stupid question," Harry smile.
"No it wasn't," she shook her head.
"Yes it was."
"No it wasn't Harry. I…"
"Yes it was Ginny. I love you."
"No it…what?" Ginny's eyes widened.
"It was a stupid question because I love you. I know that already."
"Wow Harry," Ginny said, genuinely in shock. "I don't know what to say."
"I can think of one option," Harry mumbled.
"Oh! Oh! Oh Harry I love you too! Of course I do. When I said I didn't know what…I just wasn't thinking. I mean obviously I do. Of course I love you…I…Oh I'm just a mess tonight aren't I?"
"And to think you're the person I count on to keep some sanity in my life."
"Well aren't you screwed?"
"Yeah well. I'm taking you down with me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. No matter what the future brings Potter, you're stuck with me."
Ginny sighed. What had happened to all of her idealistic views about romance? At what point had she stopped believing love?
At some point Ginny had lost touch with the sixteen-year-old girl who had been so sure about the rules of life and love: the sixteen-year-old girl who had been quite a bit happier, in a time and war and loss, than Ginny found herself now that it was all over.
Ginny longed for the days when her and Harry's relationship had been so simple. So badly she wanted to again curl up in his arms and make all their troubles disappear, jus for a night.
'You may lose your chance'
'Lose your chance'
'Dying'
'Dying'
'Dying'
Without another though Ginny shot off of the vanity stool she had been sitting on and rushed out of the room.
Ginny kept her hand cupped firmly over her mouth and attempted to keep her breathing steady as she tried to process what she was seeing. From her spot in the doorframe she could see Harry in their bed. He was staring straight at her, but his face remained blank and unfeeling. He was pale, almost white, and he looked like he had lost a great deal of weight.
No longer capable of feeling any of her anger or resentment towards her husband, Ginny rushed toward the bed and clumsily climbed over the wooden footboard, and crawled into the bed. She burrowed under the blankets and pushed herself as close to Harry as she could get, clinging to him with all of her strength. She didn't speak a word before she fell asleep beside him.
"Do you think it will work?" Draco asked hopefully as he, Snape, and Sirius made their way towards Harry's bedroom. Snape had taken the day to make some modifications to the potions he had been using to help heal Harry.
"It should, but I'm not going to assure you of anything."
"How long is this going to take Snape?" Sirius shot out.
"It's already taken more time than I would have liked Black. Do you really think cleaning up Potter's mess for him is my idea of a good time?"
"This is not Harry's fault Snape, and if you hate him so much then…"
Sirius stopped mid-sentence and all three men froze as the stepped inside of Harry's room. A pool of scarlet hair was spread out on Harry's chest where a lightly freckled woman had fallen asleep. Ginny looked peaceful for the first time in days Draco noted. The pained, uncomfortable look that had been on her each night since she had come to stay with him was gone.
Draco felt a combination of conflicting emotions wash over him as the sight caused him to feel immense relief and joy but at the same time sent feelings of jealousy and loss run through him.
As desperately as he wanted Ginny to forgive Harry, her presence at the manor had been a very welcome one.
"Perhaps it would be best for us to come back in the morning," Snape suggested. Draco couldn't tell if his old professor was disgusted at the display of affection, or somewhat relieved to see Ginny Weasley back with her husband.
Both Draco and Sirius agreed with Serverus and all three quickly went their separate ways.
Draco sighed as he walked by Ginny's empty bedroom. He'd become so accustomed to sneaking in to check on her in and the children before he went to bed himself that it was strange to find them missing. He presumed Ginny had dropped the children off with her mother, or Ron, or Granger, or…or any of the other million people she had that would take care of them in the blink of an eye.
Making his way to his bedroom Draco collapsed onto his own bed, not bothering to change out of his clothing. Closing his eyes he could still se Ginny curled up next to Harry, clinging to him as if there were no tomorrow. Just the night before Ginny had clung to him, but it hadn't been nearly the same. Lost in his memories, Draco didn't even notice when his thoughts drifted slowly into a dream…
Draco woke up feeling the warmth of another body pressed up against his. He smiled as he inhaled the familiar scent of her hair. Unwilling to leave the comfort of her embrace, he kept his eyes shut ands snuggled closer to her.
"Well good morning to you too," her sexy, husky voice laughed.
Draco didn't respond, pretending to still be asleep.
"Ohh," she said, he smile evident in her voice. "Still sleeping are we?"
Draco resisted grinning as he felt her feather light kissed on his neck. She placed her hand on either side of his waist, just above his hips as her kissed moved from his neck, down to his bare chest.
Draco couldn't help smiling now half amused by the game, and half extremely aroused by it. Just as she was about to be just where he desperately wanted her to be, he suddenly felt her hands dig into his sides, ferociously tickling him.
His eyes flew open in surprise and laughter and he looked at the woman on top of him. His surprise only increased when he saw who it was. Her dark chocolate hair was pooled at her shoulders and her glistening white smile was as enchanting as he remembered it. He smiled for a moment, but quickly changed his expression as slowly but surely, her image faded away.
Draco's eyes flew open. Jen.
He hadn't thought about her in weeks, not since things had begun to get so out of control. Not since Ginny had taken over his mind.
Draco rubbed his face and sighed, recalling the happy feeling he had felt while he was dreaming, and how it had increased ten fold when he saw whom the woman had been.
Jen had always had that affect on him. She's always been able to make him the happiest person alive, without even trying. That is until he'd gone and messed everything up. With one little word he'd changed their entire relationship, and it'd never recovered.
He didn't even know why he'd said it. What had caused him to softly utter it. It was if he'd been somewhere else, just for a moment, just long enough to make such a horrible mistake. After words he'd been beyond confused, and she'd been more hurt than he'd ever seen her. She didn't yell, or argue as she usually did. She'd simply gone to sleep, without a word.
They'd never spoken about it. She'd never asked for explanations, and he'd never tried to apologize.
Rather than attempt to make things better again, Draco became convinced that the sudden turn in their relationship was a sign that they weren't meant to be together, and his unpredicted slip was proof of a feeling he'd been trying to fight off for years. And so, as Jen swallowed her pride and tried her hardest to put things back the way they had been, Draco had pushed her away.
But maybe that had been a mistake. One word and he had allowed himself to forget years of happiness with her, and let her go.
The realization of what he had done hit him like a ton of bricks. He had to fix it.
He jumped out of bed and headed for his closet grab a cloak. He stopped halfway through putting it on as he saw the hands on his clock. It was one in the morning. He sighed. He'd have to wait until morning. Tossing his cloak onto a chair, Draco plopped back onto the bed, and drifted back to sleep.
A/N: Hope that you guys liked it. This chapter actually came out pretty easily. Look for the next one relatively soon. Like I said I want to be done! Haha. Thanks for the great reviews for chapter 11.
Love,
Bella