Chapter 3: Saving Grace

Ginny bit back the sudden anger that had flooded through her. The lifeless form in front of her had caused the whole wizarding world to be thrown into a worse state of war.

Doesn't matter, Ginny thought, halting her own dark thoughts. In that moment, it was like she was back at St. Mungo's. It didn't matter who it was that was lying helpless in front of her. All that mattered was that that person needed help…her help.

Working swiftly, Ginny quickly located the worst of Draco's injuries. He had a couple broken ribs, a broken wrist and leg, and a deep laceration by his right hip. All of this was accented by smaller cuts and bruises. Ginny could fix all these quickly, but there was a more pressing matter at hand:

If Ginny's magic was correct, and she was sure that it was, then Draco had severe internal bleeding. Her magic could sense his blood still pouring into his lungs, making it impossible for Ginny to force his lungs to work. If she got his lungs working properly, then they'd just as quickly suffocate and drown in his own blood again.

She quickly undid his robe, knowing she'd need direct contact with his body to perform the bit of magic that Draco badly needed. Ginny put her hands down on his form: one on his chest and one on his stomach.

She took no time to control her magic or ease her breathing. Instead, she plunged her magic deep within Draco, directly releasing it through her hands. Ginny harnessed her power, wrapping it gently around his inner wounds. She sowed her magic together, lacing it between his torn lungs.

Ginny put all her energy into healing his damaged lungs. She pushed against the natural current of Draco's blood, forcing it back into its proper places. At last, Ginny managed to clear his lungs of the last remaining drops of blood. She could feel the energy draining from her as she sealed off Draco's inner wound. Exhausted, Ginny turned her attention to the fact that he wasn't breathing. Saving his life at this point wouldn't be considered as resurrecting the dead. Only few witches and wizards could perform that task, and it required the darkest of magics. No, Draco was in a sort of in-between. He wasn't truly dead nor was he alive.

Ginny sent her magic out again, this time, quickly and forcefully. She willed the air in and out of his newly fixed lungs, all the while pushing his heart into a steady and repetitive beat.

After a half a minute she examined him: nothing.

Why isn't this working? Ginny wondered frantically.

At St. Mungo's, this is what she was best at: bringing her patients back into the world that their souls were still desperately clinging to. But there was something different with Draco. His body was in working condition, so his soul, his core, should be bale to return to his body. And yet, Ginny could feel the last of him leaving the lifeless body he had once occupied.

"He has no will to stay here," Ginny muttered sadly as the revelation hit her. It was true. His soul wasn't clinging to his body or to the world. Ginny could feel him almost running welcomingly to fixed death.

I will do everything within my power to save anyone who needs it. The words came flooding back at Ginny, reminding her of the promise she made herself what felt like ages ago.

He doesn't even want to be here, she pointed out to herself, as she felt more of him leaving the earthly world. She thought bitterly of how Draco had directly led to the downfall of Dumbledore and to the worst part of this horrid war.

Nobody would blame me if I couldn't save him.

But you can, a voice in her head argued back.

You don't know that.

You can save him, and you know it.

He's already gone! And he wants to leave!

You can save him, Ginny.

Oh, what do you know?

That you'll regret this for the rest of your life if you chose to let him die.

Ginny could tell the voice inside her head had shut-up, leaving her alone to make her decision. She knew that the voice was right, and she sighed angrily as she brought her hands to Draco's cold and clammy face. She wiped away the beads of sweat that had collected on his forehead and began to speak to him, calling him back to earth.

"Malfoy!" she shouted at the body, "Come on!" But nothing happened. Ginny knew her attempt was pathetic. Not even pausing to curse under her breath, she began again.

"Draco," she whispered soothingly, working her hands through his blonde hair, and Ginny could feel a pause in his desperate flight.

"Draco," she said again, a little more urgently, "Come back, come back to me!" She felt him slipping away again, less eagerly, but still leaving nevertheless.

"Draco!" Ginny cried desperately, her own strength diminishing on its own. "Please," she whispered, "Please stay with me!"

But there was nothing. Ginny dropped her head on the table in defeat. Silent tears fell from her eyes, and if she were in a normal state of mind, she'd be appalled by her own behavior. She was weeping over a Malfoy for goodness sake! But that fact didn't matter. He was another person, another casualty, another death.

Her tears continued to fall when she suddenly stopped. The air around had become thick and concentrated with magic. She lifted her head slowly, unbelievingly. Ginny grabbed the warming hand of Draco Malfoy, feeling her wet tears on his skin. The air grew thicker still, but something more had added to the magic congregated around Draco's body. In one quick swoop, it all charged into the lifeless form.

"Draco?" she asked after a moment, and to her disbelief his chest began to rise. Draco moaned in pain, and Ginny remembered that she hadn't healed the rest of his injuries. Pushing away her complete disbelief, she gathered the rest of her power. With the last of her strength, Ginny sent her magic into Draco's body, urging and willing it to heal his injuries.

Ginny breathed normally as she felt her own magic had done its job. Completely forgetting magic, Ginny lifted Draco's light and fragile body off her table, and stumbled to a downstairs bedroom. She dumped his body on the bed with the last of her diminishing strength. Ginny toppled down after him, her exhaustion overcoming her.

Draco groaned loudly as the dull pain in his body hit him square on. He laid silently, his mind trying to work out what had gone on. Memories of endless tunnels and corridors flashed through his mind, and pain beyond pain came rushing back to him. He grimaced as he remembered the night before completely, up until the moment when everything had faded before him when he thought he was dead.

So where was he now? Heaven—or Hell? Some kind of afterlife? Did such a place even exist? Draco kept his eyes closed as he thought of an explanation, when someone moved in his arms. He opened his eyes quickly, and the sharpness of light forced them shut again. The someone in his arms squirmed closer to him, pressing their body against his. Their body was warm and comforting, and Draco hesitated when letting go.

He pulled his arms away quickly and opened his eyes again. This time, he expected the bright light, and he shielded his eyes with his now free hand. Draco looked down to see a peaceful looking red head asleep on the bed with her back to him. She rustled slightly, and rolled around sleepily.

"What the hell?" Draco shouted, stumbling off the bed and onto the floor once he saw her face.

"Huh?" Ginny said vaguely, sitting up abruptly from her position on the bed.

"A dream," Draco muttered to himself, "this is just a dream."

"Good morning to you too," Ginny said icily, the memories of last coming back to her.

"This isn't real," Draco said to himself, looking up slightly to see if Ginny was still there.

"I'm afraid it is, Malfoy," she spat at him. He looked up at her, confusion evident on his face.

"Wha–?" he asked hesitantly, but stopped.

"First," Ginny said, searching her disheveled robes for something.

"I slept with a Weasley!" Draco muttered to himself, completely disgusted.

"You're welcome, by the way," she said icily, still searching for something.

"Welcome for what?" he scoffed. Like a Weasley could ever do something meaningful for a Malfoy.

"For saving your pathetic life!" she shouted back, her wand in hand and pointed right at him.

"What the hell are you doing, Weasley?" he asked, his voice a pitch higher than normal.

She grinned maliciously at him, "Oh you'll see!"

Draco could do nothing but back up against the wall behind him. He stared at the red head as the room got warmer and the air thicker. In one moment, Draco felt as if he was being suffocated. The air around him was too thick to breathe, and something was clinging to every particle of his body. He choked slightly, as he felt magic wrapping around him, tightening every second.

She's killing me, he thought fearfully, and that's what it felt like. For what seemed like an eternity, Ginny's magic wrapped itself around Draco. He could feel it covering and recovering every bit of him, when it finally settled in. He looked at Ginny who was smiling serenely, magic still shimmering on the surface of his body.

"What the hell did you do to me?" asked Draco angrily.

"Oh, nothing too terrible!" Ginny answered triumphantly.

Draco moved and got up, her magic tight around his skin.

"I asked," he said with rage, his face inches from hers, "what the hell you did to me!"

"And why should I tell you?" she asked him, not at all intimidated by his closeness. He seethed angrily, and Ginny just shrugged.

"Tell me right now or else…" Draco threatened, as he reached into his own robes, but his heart sank into his stomach when he couldn't find anything.

"Or else what?" Ginny asked with a girly grin. "I'm not afraid of you."

She watched as he still searched for something. Ginny knew he was looking for his wand, but after a few moments he stopped in defeat.

"Don't have a wand, do you?" she asked him evilly. "Well, then I guess it really doesn't matter, now does it?"

"Just tell me," Draco ordered her, and Ginny enjoyed the annoyance on his face.

Stupid git, she thought, as she smirked at him.

"I bound your magic," she stated plainly.

Draco looked at her in confusion. "You what?" he asked.

She smiled at him and flopped down on the bed they had both just awoken from. Draco shook away thoughts of waking up with her in his arms, his skin crawling at the mere memory.

"I bound your magic, you idiot," she said, still grinning. Draco just stared at her, and Ginny's grin got even bigger. Oh, how he wished he could wipe that silly grin off her face. "Well," she said, explaining it like she was talking to a two year old, "If you had a wand, then you wouldn't be able to perform one bit of magic!"

He looked at her, and his disbelief spoke up. "Yeah, right," he said as he shook his head.

"Don't believe me, do you?" she asked and tossed her wand at him. "Here. Now I'm giving you a chance to jynx, hex, or curse me in any way, shape, or form."

She stood up and spread her arms out. Draco looked at her skeptically, the fine, wooden wand in his hand.

"Alright," he smirked as he lifted the wand to her body. "You're going to regret this, Weasley."

"We'll see," she said with a smirk to match his.

Now, how should I make her pay? Draco thought to himself, a list of curses running through his head.

"I'm waiting!" Ginny said maliciously, her arms still spread out at her sides.

"Oh don't worry," Draco assured her, "I'm just thinking of the perfect way to make you pay."

"Pay for saving your life," Ginny said, faking deep contemplation. "Right, because that's the perfect way to repay me!"

"Crucio!" he shouted at her, his anger causing him to cast the Torture Curse, but nothing happened. Ginny frowned, and stomped over to him, taking her wand back. She stomped out of the room, and Draco could do nothing but follow, wondering why his curse hadn't worked. He followed her into the hall and into the front room when she rounded on him.

"Stop following me!" she shouted angrily. Draco took a step back, her anger actually frightening him. He watched as she stalked off to the kitchen and decided to follow her even though she warned him not to.

"Now what the hell is your problem?" Draco asked just as angrily, but she didn't flinch the way he had. She didn't even turn to look at him, as she rummaged around in a cupboard, looking for, what Draco suspected, was something to eat. She ignored him as she prepared breakfast for herself.

"Huh?" he asked her again. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem?" Ginny asked incredulously. "You're asking what my problem is?"

"Yeah," Draco answered snottily. "That's what I'm asking!"

"My problem is you!" she answered in disgust. "I saved your life, Malfoy. Believe it or not, but I saved your life, despite my hatred for you!"

Draco opened his mouth to intervene, but Ginny glared at him so intensely that he shut up straight away.

"Not only did you not thank me or show any sort of gratitude to me for saving your pathetic and worthless life," Ginny kept on going, her anger rising, "but then you go and try to use an Unforgivable Curse on me!"

"Excuse me," Draco said, trying to defend himself, "but you did tell me to use any jynx, hex, or curse that I could think of!"

She rounded on him again, stepping forward to challenge him. "Are you saying that I told you to use an Unforgivable Curse on me?"

"Well, you did say I could use any –"

"You are unbelievable!" Ginny cut him off. "I can't believe that you're blaming me!" She turned away from him, flopping down on the floor in frustration.

"Come on, now. I –"

She glared at him, halting his words. "Do. Not. Talk. To. Me." She ordered through clenched teeth. "Ugh! I should've just let you die!"

Draco watched as she dropped her head in her hands, muttering to herself quietly. She looked worn and weakened. It would be only too easy for him to beat her off to escape…if she didn't have her wand with her, that is. He looked down at his own body. It was probably just as shabby as hers, if not more.

"Alright," Ginny said evenly, "time to go."

Draco looked at her, as she stood up. "What do you mean, 'time to go'?"

"I mean," she spat at him, "It's time to leave."

"Wait," Draco said hesitantly as he followed her out of the empty kitchen to the front door, "Where exactly are we going?"

"To the Ministry!" she said brightly, holding the door out for him. Draco stepped back as the words came from her mouth. "What?" she asked, faking sympathy. "You don't want to join your dear father in Azkaban?"

Draco kept stepping back, and Ginny kept stepping forward.

"That's not very nice, Draco," Ginny said condescendingly. "Don't you want to see your father? Ask him how life in Azkaban is? Don't you want to join him there? Spend the rest of your life in that tiny, cramped, dirty cell?"

Draco gulped involuntarily, "You wouldn't."

"And why wouldn't I?" Ginny asked.

"B-b-because I'd just break out. You know how unreliable the Ministry is these days," he explained to her.

She glared at him, not denying the statement he made.

"That may be true, Malfoy," she said evenly, grabbing his arm with her left hand and her wand pointed straight at his chest with her right, "But I'll turn you into them anyway."

Draco pulled away from her grip, but Ginny kept her wand locked on him.

"Come on," she smirked. "Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Draco sighed in defeat. At least it's better than being thrown back to the Dark Lord he thought, finding the silver lining.

"Why are you coming?" Ginny asked suspiciously, as Draco stepped forward, ready to head off to the Ministry.

"What?" Draco asked. "Isn't that what you told me to do?"

She looked at him skeptically, "Yes, but…"

"But what?" he asked, trying to play off his helplessness. "You have a wand, I don't. I'm weak and in pain, you're not. I can't make the decisions, and you can."

Draco stepped forward, walking to the open door. He turned around to see a frozen Ginny. She didn't believe his story, not one bit.

"Why are you so eager to be turned in all of sudden?" she asked, staring him up and down.

He sighed in frustration. "I told you! I can't do anything, so I might as well give in!"

"No fight? Not even a bit of a struggle?" she asked, hoping for something to start up.

"Nope," he said, shrugging his shoulders. They sat in silence for a minute, Ginny contemplating his words, and Draco hoping she'd believe them, the fear of having to face Voldemort strong in his mind.

"What happened to you?" she asked quietly, and she saw Draco cringe slightly.

"Uh…" Draco started, searching for the words, "An accident, just an accident."

"An accident?" Ginny wondered, stepping up to him and closing the door, almost shutting it on his fingers.

"Yeah…" he said, "We were…uh…learning this new, bad ass curse…and it went wrong…I guess they left me for dead."

Ginny held in a laugh, but it came out as a snort, and Draco looked at her, abashed.

"A new, bad ass curse?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Draco replied indignantly. He didn't like the way the dumb Weasley made him feel so stupid.

She laughed slightly, but stopped when she saw Draco glaring at her.

"Oh, come on!" Ginny cried, defending herself, "That was THE lamest excuse ever!"

"It was not!" he argued back, but bit his tongue as he realized what he just admitted.

She raised her eyebrows, "Okay, maybe it wasn't the lamest excuse ever, but you just admitted that it was an excuse nonetheless."

"No I didn't," Draco said uselessly.

"Stop it!" Ginny yelled at him, true anger in her voice. "I'm not stupid, you know!"

"Really?" Draco asked, pushing Ginny a little further, "Because I thou–"

Draco never got to finish his sentence before WHAM! Ginny had slapped him across the face as hard as she could, a slight satisfaction lighting up her face as she saw the red hand print appearing on his pale skin. He backed away, his hand to his cheek, cursing out loud.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he roared at her, though Ginny just glared right back at him.

"You are utterly pathetic!" Ginny spat at him. "Did you know that? You are so effing rude to me, though I shouldn't have expected anything else, but I did save your life. Whether you wanted to live or die, you should show me a little gratitude!"

"Show you some gratitude?" Draco asked her incredulously. "When you go around slapping me and binding my magic?"

Ginny sighed in frustration. "You know what," she said, throwing her hands into the air, "Screw the Ministry. Why don't I just bring you straight to Voldemort himself?"

Draco flinched only slightly at the sound of his master's name and cringed at the idea of being turned into him…but Ginny didn't notice. He silently prayed that she wasn't serious.

"Fine," he said evenly, "That'd be completely fine."

"Because sooner or later you'll do something wrong, and then good ol' Voldemort will give you a better punishment than the Ministry ever could!" Ginny cried triumphantly, turning her attention to Draco. His face was stark white, and she saw his body was tense and rigid.

"Yeah," Draco said again, "That'd be fine."

"You do realize that you're a terrible liar, don't you?" Ginny asked, stalking up to him.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he said indignantly.

"Oh, come on, Draco," Ginny said. "We already went through this, don't you remember? You tried to lie to me, and I caught you. Remember? I'm not stupid."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Draco didn't say anything. He knew he'd been caught, and it was pointless to try to lie to the Weasley. However annoying she may be, she wasn't stupid.

"So what happened?" Ginny asked taking a seat on the couch nearby. "I mean, it all comes down to that question: What happened?"

Draco sighed and sat down next to her. He slid over to the end of the couch hurriedly when their legs touched. Then, he retold the story to her, explaining how he'd been caught and tortured, how the pathetic rescue mission went astray. Through it all, he kept looking at her face, trying to contemplate her reactions. After the story was told, they sat in silence again. Ginny was looking off into the distance, and Draco was dying to know what she was thinking about.

"So you never wanted to be a Death Eater?" she asked finally, her voice small and quiet.

"No, well yes." She looked up at him, shocked. "But only at first. It made me feel," he turned away from her but still felt her eyes studying him, "important, or something…but then things got harder. I was told to kill people—to actually take peoples' lives away from them. When the time came for it, I could never follow through. The Dark Lord had always been disappointed that I'd never been able to completely follow my first orders, but when I couldn't carry out anything else, he became furious."

He looked back at Ginny, her mouth was set in a fine line, and Draco could tell she was holding in her anger for his sake.

"I didn't want to kill him," Draco whispered, referring to Dumbledore, for that was what had upset Ginny, "and I wouldn't have."

"But you're the reason he's dead," she said evenly, no compassion or sympathy for Draco. "You're the reason so many people are going to die!"

"Come on, Weasley!" He argued. "I didn't want the job in the first place! The only reason it was given to me was because of the mistakes my father made!"

"You just don't get it," Ginny said, standing up. "I don't care whether you wanted to do what you did or not! The fact is that you did it. You got rid of the only wizard Voldemort ever feared! You helped kill the wizard that would've helped end this war! You killed every single person's hope that there would be a time when they wouldn't have to worry or fear about their loved one's being killed or their lives torn apart!"

She stood there, glaring down at Draco. She breathed in heavily, trying to control her voice.

"You ruined everything," she whispered and then stalked away.

Draco didn't follow her. She needed time to cool off, so he sat on the couch, just thinking. Had he really done all that? Of course I did, he answered himself icily. He knew getting into the job that if he was successful, it would mean a huge victory for the Dark Lord.

"What did I do?" he asked himself angrily. Draco had thought many times of the task he had completed, often wondering whether he was proud of his successfulness or whether he regretted it. He sighed and laid back on the couch in frustration, falling into a light sleep. Draco let the coolness of slumber clear his mind and take away his current troubles.

A/N: Hope you like Chapter 3! I know I do! I'm hoping to get the next chapter up reeeeeeally soon, and I'm gonna try to get some action in the story! Well, the only way to find out is if you keep reading and reviewing!

Thanks: missMANNEQUINx and Ange de l'eau! You guys always give me reviews, and it means SO much to me! Thanks so much, and please keep the reviews coming! I'd also appreciate any suggestions that any might have, so I can try to make my story the best it can be!