AN: So this chapter took a very long time, but it's emotional and probably one of the saddest onces. The song is Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver, but redone by Chantal Kreviazuk, which is the versionI used. Enjoy!

The next day at school was a regular riot. With the Weasel back there had been an uprising. His parents had flooed in, and even Dumbledore had appeared slightly bemused when Weasley showed up to breakfast. The story they had come up with was that Weasel had faked his own death to protect his family and get information from the death eaters. Or some nonsense like that. Sitting there at lunch, Draco scowled across the great hall. He'd been perfectly happy to give Ginny her brother back, but at the same time it irked him to no end. The trio was back together. Whoopi.

And the worst part? Not a one of them had thanked him. Not one. Little bunch of ingrates. Draco picked up his books and things and began walking from the great hall. There was still a little bit of lunch left, and if he was lucky he might be able to cram in a nap before the day was over. Better than watching every living and non living member of the great hall fawn over the Weasel all day.

He began walking towards the dungeons feeling dejected by just about everyone, and making a silent promise to never be nice to anyone ever again. It would work out since he was only even nice to Ginny and after this week he'd never see her again.

Continuing to vent in his mind, Draco didn't hear the footsteps behind him until a hand touched his shoulder. Draco spun around, wand ready, only to knock the tall red head several feet back from him with his hands held up in a defensive gesture. Draco raised an eyebrow at the Weasel, but didn't put his wand away.

"Woo, mate. Didn't mean to startle you." Ron began, backing away ever so slightly. "Didn't know if I was going to catch you alone at any other time. Had to take my chances." He laughed nervously, and Draco was suddenly curious as to why the Weasel had followed him.

He put away his wand cautiously. "What do you want Weasel?"

Ron seemed to straighten up to his full impressive height of 5'6 before answering. Draco was still taller than him though. "I just… well I… Ginny told me everything. And I saw everything from where I was… strange place heaven. But I'm not supposed to tell you that. I just wanted to say… well I…" He seemed incredibly nervous and kept stumbling around his words.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Did you come here to say something, or are you simply trying to bore me with your incessant babble?" He said coarsely. Ron's cheeks grew slightly pinkish in anger.

"I don't know what Ginny sees in you Malfoy." He said quietly before sighing and dropping his head. "I just came… to… to thank you I suppose. For what you did. We all know you didn't have to do it."

Draco was slightly amused by the Weasel, and at the same time he felt a little gratified if not shocked that he was actually receiving some credit for his actions.

"Well. I did it for Ginny, but you're welcome." He answered curtly. Ron nodded at this, but neither of them moved. Draco smirked. "So you saw everything?" He asked a little smugly.

To his surprise, Ron smirked back. "Everything. Why do you think I haven't tried to hex you into next century yet?"

"Well, that thought had crossed my mind. So you're all right with it then?" Draco asked, unsure why he cared so much. Ron furrowed his brow in thought.

"I suppose that depends." He answered, looking at the floor.

"On what?"

"On which side you choose. If you join us… then yeah, I can live with that. But if you're against us…" He left the sentence open, and Draco knew it was a threat, however subtle it may be. "So are you with us, or are you against us?"

Draco thought for a long moment. The two of them locked gazes. Shadowy gray eyes warred with light blue ones for what was an eternity, and then Ron seemed to understand, and he lowered his gaze. Draco continued starring at him, knowing that the Weasel knew the answer.

"Well. For now, I am in your debt, soul to the devil or not." Ron said, holding out a hand. Draco looked at it for a minute, as thought the Weasel was offering some kind of friendship. Only Draco knew he couldn't accept it. But he took the hand anyways.

"This doesn't change anything you know." He warned. "After this week, I'm still your enemy."

Ron starred him down for another moment, still holding onto his hand. "We'll see." He said. He dropped Draco's hand and walked away, back towards the great hall.

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Later that day, Draco had decided to go for a walk. He was walking along the lake when this time he heard the footsteps coming up behind him. But these he recognized. Ginny jogged up beside him a moment later.

"Hey." She said a little breathlessly. She flashed him a smile, and he smirked at her. Not his usual smirk, but his one that was reserved for her. The one that was actually happy.

"Hey beautiful." He answered.

"Whatcha doing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.

"Just walking. Thinking." He answered, letting his gaze travel the grounds again. There was no one around as it was getting late, and a little cold.

Ginny wrapped her arms around her self in the unusual cold. "About what?"

Draco unwrapped his cloak from his own shoulders and swished it around hers and she took it without protest. "We leave tomorrow you know." He said casually, quietly. The air around them grew heavy and he knew what Ginny was thinking.

"You haven't decided to stay then." She stated, her voice emotionless. Draco realized belatedly that they had stopped walking at the top of a hill. He looked around him, at the castle in which he had spent seven years of his life, at the lake, at the countryside surrounding the grounds, and finally into the blackness of the forest. His eyes steadied on that place. It was the one pit of darkness in an area of great light. It was the thing reminding him that the darkness would always find him.

"Draco?" Ginny questioned again, turning her head to look at him. He could tell she was crying, but he wasn't particularly sure why. It had been a nice dream for a while. But they both knew it had to end.

"Ginny… We both know it would never work." He turned towards her, keeping his cool exterior in tact. She clutched the cloak tighter around her as the tears rolls down her cheeks, and Draco, damn him, remained calm at her side.

"I don't want you to leave me." She pleaded, turning to face him. They stood that way, starring into each others eyes for a long moment, Ginny too scared to move toward him and Draco too scared to move away. Finally Draco stepped toward her one more time and she fell into his arms.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go,
I'm standing here outside the door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye.

Darkness surrounded them, and Draco held Ginny as she cried until no more tears would come and she choked on her sobs. He pulled his cloak around her, protecting her from the enclosing darkness that neither the stars nor the moon could keep away.

"You can't leave me. I promise it would be okay, I promise it could work out, we could make it work. You can't leave." She pleaded again. He pulled away only slightly and took her face in his hands.

"I want you to remember…" He took some deep breaths, finding himself close to crying as well. "Remember that no matter what happens," He pulled her close again burying his head next to her ear. "No matter how far apart we are, no matter what keeps us apart, I will always love you. Nothing, not even time will ever change that. Please remember that."

He pulled away once more to look her in the eyes and she nodded, closing his mouth with her own. He felt the wetness on his cheeks and wasn't quite sure what it was, remembering from long ago what it felt like to cry. They pulled away and Ginny despite herself smiled and reached up to his cheeks.

"Draco. You're crying." She said quietly, almost happily. His hand reached up and held hers, and they pulled each other once more into a tight embrace.

And as the sun began to rise over the hills it occurred to his how long a short moment like this could be. He pulled away from Ginny, looking around him at the grounds in the new light once again.

But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn',
The Taxi's waitin', he's blown his horn.
Already I'm so lonesome I could die.

And so they parted, saying a final goodbye and went their separate ways.

As morning came and Draco packed up his room, he found a great emptiness inside him grow. Leaving this place was not the start of a new life, but the condemning of an old one.

He opened up the bottom drawer of his dresser once more and pulled out the small, red, leather bound book and sat on his bed holding it close, knowing that things would never be the same.

As he remembered the night before he wished for a moment that he had chosen differently, but reality sunk in and he knew that the choice had never been his own.

As he exited the dungeons with his trunk behind him, he felt an odd pair of eyes watching him. He turned to see Harry and Ginny waiting for him in the shadows. He dropped his trunk and went to them without question.

"This is for you." Harry thrust a coin into his hand. Draco looked at it. It was a fake Galleon. "Use it, should you ever need us. We trust you, whether it's the smart thing or not. Good luck, Draco."

Much to Draco's surprise, the hand he had held out for Harry to shake was pushed aside, and Harry pulled him into a friendly hug. For the first time in his life, he accepted Harry's friendship.

Harry pulled away and turned to Ginny briefly. "I'll be waiting for you." He said and walked away down the corridor and out of sight.

Draco turned back to Ginny after watching him go. He looked at the fake Galleon in his hand and then back to Ginny. She smiled briefly at him before looking down once more.

"I guess I'll be seeing you." She stated. Without another thought or word, he moved close to her, took her chin in his hand and brought his lips down to hers.

So kiss me and smile for me,
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you never let me go.

They pulled apart and Ginny nodded once more. "I'll be waiting for you, Draco Malfoy. Don't you let me down." She ordered, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Then she turned from him and began to walk away. Before he could stop himself he called out to her.

"Ginny!" He was about to tell her goodbye one last time but she whirled around and stopped him.

"Don't you say goodbye. It's to final. I will see you again. Someday." She promised fiercely.

He starred at her for a very long time before finally nodding and agreeing, "Someday."

Then she turned and walked right out of his life.

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go…

He loaded his bag onto the Hogwarts express and boarded, not paying much attention to anything accept the hot coin in his hand. He joins the compartment in which Blaise, Crab, Goyle and Knott all were and took a seat next to the window.

The train took off and he watched the familiar grounds speed away before his eyes. This was his last journey on the Hogwarts express, and while for a long time he'd thought this would make him happy, it was the saddest he'd ever felt.

Across from him, Blaise was staring at him with a concerned and knowing expression.

"Are you going to miss it?" She asked at last. Draco looked at her, then back at the zooming countryside and back to her again.

"Yes. Very much."

There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I'll tell you now, they don't mean a thing…

After a long trip in which he neglected his prefect duties completely, the train pulled into the station. Draco sat there, watching as many student jumped off the train and onto the platform to be greeted by loving parents and families. The first years were trading addresses and saying goodbyes and leaving quickly, while the seventh years seemed to linger.

"Are you coming or not?" He heard Blaise ask. He turned back to look at her, and realized that everyone but the two of them had emptied the compartment, and he wondered what would happen if he just refused to leave the train and let it carry him back to Hogwarts once more.

But he stood and grabbed his things and carried them out. He got ahead of Blaise as they stepped off the train and he stopped abruptly, causing her to collide with him only slightly. He felt her eyes on him from behind but didn't care. What he was looking at was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen or would ever see again.

Ginny was standing with her many brothers and parents and friends, smiling widely and laughing with them. She was discussing something with her oldest brother when she seemed to sense him and she turned just slightly to glance at him.

Their eyes locked and the wave of understanding once more washed over him, followed by the wave of dread for what waited for him only a little ways away. She offered him a smile and turned back to her family.

Every place I go, I think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back I'll wear your wedding ring.

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

He sighed and turned back to Blaise who was watching where he had been and giving him a knowing look.

"You knew all along didn't you? I didn't have to tell you a thing." He said quietly and Blaise nodded slowly, not dropping his gaze. Her caring eyes penetrated him and he knew that for a moment, he had a friend in his darkness. He was not the only one suffering because of the choices that had been made for him.

"You're fathers waiting for you." She nodded over his shoulder and Draco nodded, not daring to look over his shoulder.

"Thanks Blaise." He whispered, and he pulled her into a loose hug which, for a girl who didn't like being touched, was very warming.

He pulled away once more, turned and headed for his father.

"Draco." His father said curtly.

"Father." Draco answered.

"Come, we're going now." He ordered, turning swiftly and heading for the portal. Draco followed just a little more slowly, knowing exactly where he was going from years of habit. He followed his father through the portal and there once again he saw the Weasley crew heading the opposite way. Ginny was walking backwards, starring at him.

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, oh, let me kiss you
And close your eyes and I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times that I won't have to say...

He starred at her as he walked and she starred back. A part of him wanted to run to her, sweep her up in his arms and keep her there forever. But a part of him knew that that would never happen. And so he walked away.

And he didn't look back.

Oh, kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

And I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go…

But I'm leaving on a jet plane

Leaving on a jet plane

Leaving on a jet plane

Leaving on a jet plane
On a jet plane…