Could it Have Been Different?
Disclaimer: Would I really be posting this here if I was JKR? Honestly people!
Author's Notes: My mind seemed to be sailing steadily on this ship so I decided to make the most of it.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?"
"Hello, Ginny."
He stepped out of the shadows, his silver blonde hair sparkled under Hogwarts' torches.
She drew her wand with a hiss, "Get away from me, you, you…"
The youngest Weasley could not think of a word strong enough for the traitor in front of her.
A ghost of a smirk drifted across his face, followed by a looked of anguish in his eyes that was quickly hidden.
"Cat got your tongue? Or has Potter?"
Rage quickly built in Ginny. "You're not worthy to speak his name. Now leave!"
"Are you going to make me, Weaselette? Hogwarts isn't exactly thriving these days is it?" He surveyed the ruins of the great castle that had stood for many, many centuries.
"What with Dumbledore gone," he paused for a moment, taken aback by her mutinous expression, "and all the students not coming back, the place has just sort of fallen apart, hasn't it?"
Tears welled up in Ginny's eyes. "Don't talk about Dumbledore, it's all your fault!"
"I came to his funeral you know."
His words, spoken softly and humbly shocked her.
"Wha-What? Why?"
His next words were as much of a blow as the first and she suspected he enjoyed throwing her off guard—"I came to see you.
"I came to torture myself, to see what I could never have, to see Potter's arms around you.
"In watched him throw you away, and then walk off to be comforted by Weasel and the Mudblood."
"Me?" Ginny's head reeled. "Me?"
Malfoy sneered, "No, I'm in love with Scarhead."
"Me?"
He sighed, "Yes, Ginny, you."
"But, but…"
A crack behind them, Harry apparated, stumbling a bit. With Hogwarts in ruins as Draco had mentioned, it's wards had been stripped to nearly nothing.
"Ginny," Harry called, and another crack echoed through the corridor by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Ginny's head whipped around and a silver dragon scale drifted to the floor.
"Ginny," Harry said impatiently as she picked up the shining object and clutched it in her hand, "come on, it's not safe here."
Wordlessly, she followed him through the passages to an old room, with the fireplace still intact. He grabbed some powder from a willow patterned urn, and poured some in her hand, "Go to the Burrow, Gin, I'll be right there."
Ginny stepped into the fire and allowed the Floo Powder to slip from between her fingers into the stone fire pit. "The Burrow."
Vaguely she watched the other fireplaces pass in a blur, and then she was stumbling out into Molly's arms, Harry following close behind.
He managed to pry her out of Mrs. Weasley's grip, "Oh Ginny dear we were so worried," and into his arms.
"I'll never leave you again," he vowed bravely.
Years later, after Voldemort had been vanquished by Harry, he and Ginny were married.
Ginny was oh'ed and ah'ed over, she did look quite stunning in her ivory lace dress with the matching goblin-made tiara from Great-auntie Muriel, and everyone commented on the silver dragon scale hanging around her neck, assuming it was from her brother Charlie.
And as she was pledging her life to Harry for all eternity, Ginny Weasley thought she saw a flicker of silver-blonde hair and black robes, before a soft pop reached her ears, and the glimpse was gone.