Chapter Twenty-Seven:

(A/N. Sorry this took so long. Thanks everyone for your support.)

The whole length of Draco's lean muscled body was numb as he walked back to his room to change from his ripped, dirty robes. He peeled them off his body and realized his hands were shaking. He slumped onto his bed dressed only in his boxers and sat there for a long time, staring at the wall before him. No one would come in here. There was no one left to come in. Crabbe and Goyle were probably with their fathers, their inert bodies waiting to be taken to the wizard's prison. He didn't even look up when the door swung open and after a few seconds slammed shut.

"Draco?" At this he did look up and saw Ginny's head floating in the middle of the air. He noted detachedly that it looked like Potter's face when he had seen him out in Hogsmead way back in third year. So Harry Potter had an invisibility cloak.

"Bloody hell, what doesn't that kid have?" He mumbled to himself. Ginny's whole body came into view as she dropped the silvery cloak onto the floor and came to sit beside him.

"What happened?" She asked softly. He sighed and resumed his inspection of the wall.

"Lucius is gone."

"Dead?" She asked and couldn't keep the hope out of her voice. He shook his head and saw her frown out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean, then?"

"He's gone. He left. Abandoned his master." Draco snapped then hung his head. "Abandoned his family."

"Draco, he wasn't your family. He never loved you." Ginny said and he sprang to his feet.

"How dare you presume to know my family. You don't understand! You can't…" He sobbed and trailed off staring down at his hands.

"Draco." Ginny whispered sadly as she stood up too. She walked to him, twining her arms around his waist and pulling him back to the bed. He laid his head on her lap and she stroked his silvery hair.

"He was a good father." Draco said softly after a long time. Ginny looked down at him.

"Was he?" She asked quietly. Draco looked up at her and she kissed his forehead seeing the question she had asked reflected back at her. "Perhaps compared to the monsters that belonged to the Dark Lord your father was good. But he was not a good man or a good father." He closed his eyes and she kissed his temple. Soon his soft cries subsided into a deep sleep.

Draco walked through his house and into his room. It was quiet. But not like the quiet his father had instilled through fear. This was like the hush of the forest before a storm. He saw his mother sitting on a Victorian chair in the middle of a hall.

"The dolls are crying, my son." Draco walked on and entered his room. Ginny sat on the bed smiling at him. He moved toward her when she beckoned him. A sound from his bathroom made him turn away. He glanced back at the bed and choked. Ginny was sprawled on the floor, her eyes death-blind her beautiful body torn and empty of life and spirit. He moved toward her and tripped over the corpse of his mother. A scream pierced the air and it wasn't until he looked in the mirror that he realized it was him. A leathery claw stretched from the shadows to grab him and…

Draco dove from the bed with a terrified cry. He stared around the room blindly until his eyes came to rest on Ginny who was staring at him her eyes wide with fear and incomprehension.

"Draco? What's wrong?" He focused on her voice his lean chest heaving. She stood up and came toward him, setading him with her small hands.

"I have to go home," he whispered. She nodded and touched his cheek gently then smiled slowly.

"I'll come with you."

"No!" he roared and her face fell as she stared at him with hurt filled eyes. She backed away a step.

"Why?"

"Something terrible is coming, Gin. I dreamed it. It killed you. I can't let that happen," he explained still looking around wildly. She smiled again and touched his shoulder.

"It was a dream, Draco."

"No! Don't you understand! I saw it," he said and the moved to his bed. He pulled out the trunk and pulled out a small bag. He started stuffing clothes inside. He glanced back at her and saw her standing to the side looking at him in confusion with her beautiful eyes.

Her sweet, beautiful eyes death-blind…

He shuddered and resumed packing. He felt Ginny's arms wrap around them and he turned into the embrace.

"There's a feast tonight, will you stay until then?" she asked softly. He considered it and saw the images of the dream flash through his eyes.

"Yes," he whispered knowing that he was wasting time but knowing that Ginny wanted him there. Needed him there. He felt her nod against his chest and he swallowed hard pushing the horrifying images from his mind.

"Get dressed then," she said and for the first time he noticed she was wearing a dark dress robe.

"Yes," he responded and pulled out his own dress robe from the chest. He struggled with his shirt and Ginny moved forward deftly unbuttoning the shirt with her slender hands. The mangled shirt fell to the floor, her hands moved to his pants but he pushed them away.

"I can do it," he snapped irritated that she might think him feeble enough that he would be unable to undress himself. She stepped back her eyes looking pained, "I'm sorry, Gin…I just…I can do it."

"Very well. I'll wait for you just outside," she curtly and turned to the door. She had one hand on it when he stopped her.

"Thank you, Gin," he said and she smiled at him and gave him a small peck on the cheek. He turned to the mirror and saw his father's eyes staring back at him. He shuddered and turned away hoping he got home soon.