Author's Notes: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter, but my other fic, Along Came A Wizard, has taken up more time than expected. Thanks for your patience and your support as I continue to work my way through this story. I hope this one was worth the wait.

Chapter 10

Why Aren't You In Azkaban?

Draco held his wand out, straight and steady, and cast the unforgivable killing curse with no hesitation, watching it fly from the tip of his wand into his father's heart. No, Lucius never saw it coming and never knew what hit him. As his body began to fall, a high-pitched sizzle spread from the point of impact, roaring through the stifling cavern and shaking the meters thick walls with a tumultuous set of low humming vibrations until the ground jerked out from under him, one violent shake later.

The Slytherin felt himself falling and grabbed onto his wand with both hands in a death grip, unwilling to loose the only thing capable of saving his life. A second later, the goddamn cavern imploded and sent him flying through the air, his hands still gripping his precious wand until everything went still and quiet.

He lay there disoriented and gasping for air, extracting what oxygen he could from the dust-ridden air searing his lungs. His life was being sucked out of him one magical molecule at a time, but he had successfully held tight to his wand, the magical gift that would save his life once again.

Draco woke up confused and gasping for air as he hung onto his non-existent wand. He felt her silent struggle before looking down. His goddamn hands were locked around Ginny's slim neck, strangling the life out of her. She was no longer pummeling him with her hands and feet. She was too weak for that. Her face was flush and held a lethal bluish tint. Her eyes were fixed on his, wet with fear and pleading. Fuck!

"Ginny!"

He released her and watched her body collapse. She rolled over onto her stomach and took her first lifesaving breath, both hands clutching her exploding chest, eyes watering. She took one gasping breath after another, coughing and sputtering as her frantic lungs spasmed in deoxygenated terror.

Draco was at her side, sick and helpless, one incantation away from St. Mungos even as her struggle eased. His eyes were focused on her body as it relaxed and rolled over. She was no longer clutching her chest or wheezing. Sitting up, she pushed her tangled mane of crimson out of her face.

Before she could speak, Draco snatched her precious life form to his, crying his incoherent and heartsick apology over and over again. He was hysterical with fear and grief and unable to tolerate the thought of his insanity snuffing out her life. Rocking her back and forth, he would not loosen his hold on her or let her go.

"No, Draco...don't...it's okay. I'm okay."

He shook his head. Her soothing touch was on him, comforting him as he fell into her lap, clutching her waist, too distraught to move.

He lay in a heap, unwilling to move, as the enormity of the danger continued to filter in, leaving its murky stain on his already blighted consciousness. Ginny laid down next to Draco and pulled his frightened frame to her, cradling him in her arms. Draco closed his sick eyes and listened to the rhythmic beating of her heart and her slow, comfortable breathing over and over again, reassuring himself that her life force was indeed intact on this side of that damn veil.

How many times had he had that wretched dream lying side-by-side with her? How many times had he unknowingly put her life at risk? Goddamn it, her life wasn't a game he cared to gamble on. He couldn't even love her in an appropriate fashion. What kind of miserable, worthless excuse for a wizard was he? Hell, he had been castrated years ago and was just getting around to figuring it out. What a fucking joke.

"Lumos."

Minutes later, Draco held Ginny's throat in his hands as he examined the fresh, red bruises, damningly mirroring his hands and forming a sickening circle around the translucent skin on her neck. He held her protesting hands at bay and ignored her verbal admonishments.

"Stop fussing, Draco, honestly. It's nothing."

"Dear god," he murmured, wanting to close his eyes and shut out the horror of his actions, but he wouldn't allow himself that fantasy. Not tonight. "I nearly killed you." As his wand traced the damning circle around her throat, he whispered the same healing incantation over and over again, vanishing bruise after bruise. But there was no spell for the horror he had inflicted on his heart.

Ginny wiggled as Draco's wand sent a warm, tickling sensation over every inch of her throat, finally letting out a giggle and whacking his wand aside. "That tickles," she admonished. He glowered at her.

"Well, it's not funny, Gin. Not even close." She nodded at the pain in his voice and the anguish in his eyes and held out her throat for him again. Several minutes and one minor explosion of giggles later, all visible traces of the event were gone. Draco cast off the light, took Ginny into his sick, guilt-ridden arms, and contemplated cutting off his own hands.

"Draco?"

"Hmmm?"

"What do you keep dreaming about?" she whispered, not looking into his eyes or his face but keeping her chin on his shoulder instead. When he failed respond to her, she put a reassuring hand on the back of his platinum locks. "It's okay," she said softly. "You don't have to answer." Draco stared out into the darkness enveloping their world and sighed.

"Death. I dream about death." He didn't see her eyes go wide in the dark.

"Your death?" He let out a gentle snort.

"No, not my death. If it were my death, there wouldn't be anything more to dream about, would there?" One elegant hand slipped around the back of her head, his cheek against hers, each looking in opposite directions.

"Whose death?"

"I love you, Ginny," he whispered.

"Who do you dream about?" When she attempted to draw away from him and look into his eyes, he held her firm with his hand on the back of her head.

"I dream about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"I don't understand."

"I dream about killing your family, Ginny."

"What?"

"Your father and your mother and your brother, Bill. I killed them all."

"You what?" Ginny's eyes went wide as she struggled to understand what he was saying. She found herself unable to wrap her mind around his words. Her brain kept slipping on the slick surface, playing tricks on her.

"I killed them all."

"No," she protested in a stunned whisper, "No." Ginny felt Draco release her, and she leaned back to stare at him. He didn't look away, but his pale grey eyes went dark. "You couldn't have been the wizard in that cavern," she reasoned out loud. "Your father was killed there as well." She heard him let out a weary sigh as he stared at her denial.

"I killed him, too. And my mother six months later." He could see Ginny slowly backing away from him. No, he didn't try to stop her. What was the point? She never should have stumbled across his hell-bound soul in the first place.

"Why?" she asked, leaning over to take her wand, the one he was holding out for her. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I loved you, Ginny. I always loved you." Grabbing her Muggle coat, she hugged it to her chest.

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I," he said, placing his wand aside. He remained unarmed, on his bed, as she stumbled backwards, toward the door.

"Why aren't you in Azkaban?" He snorted at this and shook his head.

"Bad luck. Ask Potter, why don't you? He decided to stick his Gryffindor nose into my business years ago."

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading. Hope to see you at the posting of my next chapter, whenever that may be.