Chapter Thirty Eight: Without Each Other
It took a bit of time to get use to the idea that Voldemort was dead; That nobody would be killed with the Dark Mark above their body. There was no need to watch your back all the time, clenching the wand inside your robes' pocket.
Still, there wasn't much time for Hogwart's students to think about all that because N.E.W.Ts and the Magical Talent Show were coming. The only problem was that the Library was half-destroyed and the common source was unreachable. Still, students somehow managed to find the needed books even in that condition. Everyone wanted to do something special, extraordinary. Advanced magic wasn't simple and one needed a lot of practice to fulfill the incantation correctly and firmly enough for the spell to work. But the children didn't give up, every classroom, abandoned before, was occupied with a student, practicing his number for the contest.
The Dream Team were walking down the hall, trying to find a place to study, but their attempts had been worthless till that hour. "The whole school is busy and Hogwarts castle is said to be enormous. Why can't we find one, unoccupied room here then?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes.
He was already tired of all this walking around aimlessly. "We haven't checked the dungeons yet," Hermione said from behind a large volume she was reading.
"We'll freeze to death there!" Ron exclaimed, hating the mere idea of spending an evening in the damned dungeons.
"You are right, Herm'. There must be a place down there. Let's go," Harry suggested.
Ron groaned, but followed. They reached the dungeons, which were gravely silent. No movement was heard. The place seemed to be lifeless. "Well, there are plenty of free rooms here," said Ron, looking around and shuddering when his words echoed from the walls.
Then faint footsteps were heard. They became louder and louder until their owner appeared in front of the trio. It happened to be one of the dungeons' inhabitants, or more precisely, Draco Malfoy. "Looking for something?" he asked with a sneer.
"We were thinking about studying in one of the dungeons' classrooms, but with your appearance I've lost the appetite," Ron snapped at him.
Draco only gave him a glare and turned to Harry. "The Daily Prophet says that nowadays families must unite. I thought you could follow that advise, Potter."
"But I don't have any family," Harry stuttered, taken aback by his choice of topic.
"Maybe you've forgotten that I made another assumption," Draco said, looking at Harry intently.
Now something began to resurface in Harry's memory and his eyes widened. "But how? When? Where?" Harry asked with an unfocused glance.
"Tonight. I know the way. The place is familiar to you."
"What the Hell are you two talking about!" Ron cut in.
He was tired from all the secrecy between Harry and his so called teacher. "I propose a little trip which involves apparating to London and a bit of advanced magic." Before Ron could respond, he asked, "How is your family, by the way?"
"Aaaa, they are fine," Ron said after finding his voice.
"They left you all alone?" Draco continued.
"Well, they are reconstructing the house and any pair of hands is helpful. I need to pass the exams, but Ginny has finished her year already, so she left to help."
Ron was surprised himself how he so easily gave such personal information to a guy he hated so much. Maybe because of Draco's glance, where, for the first time in his life, Ron saw plead and tiredness. Still, the reason of his asking was unknown to Ron.
It was simple and common – Draco didn't know where his Virgie was. She disappeared without saying anything a week ago. And he was near going mad if he didn't find out where she was or why she left in the first place. Now he received a decent answer, but she still wasn't here. Draco sighed. "So what do you think, Potter?" he asked, turning back to Harry.
"I don't know," Harry answered with hesitance, but in his eyes was already a decision to run for the Main doors.
"Now, explain precisely what other adventure you are planning," Hermione asked in a professor's tone.
"Well, we've decided to bring Sirius back, 'Mione," Harry said with a small smile.
"But that's… that's necromancy, the darkest level of the Dark Magic," Hermione whispered with fear.
"I wouldn't say that, Granger. It won't be completely necromancy because he isn't utterly dead and as for Dark Magic, we'll have some help," Draco explained.
"What kind of help?" Ron asked, his eyes turning into slits.
"It'll stay my little secret for now. So what? Are we taking a voyage to London or not? And one more thing: it will be absolutely illegal because I don't even want to ask for permission when it will be refused to be given."
"I'll do anything to bring Sirius back," Harry said firmly.
"I'll go because I don't want to leave Harry to go with you Merlin knows where," Ron said, giving Draco a glare.
Hermione sighed. "Someone must bring your bodies back, so I will go too."
"Not a very optimistic beginning, Granger," Draco threw, already crossing the Entrance Hall.
And that's how the journey began. They apparated to London from Hogwart's gates without a problem and appeared in Diagon Alley.
"Now I must pay a visit to one shop where we'll receive our help. Lift your hoods up," Draco whispered, leading them somewhere to the narrow streets of magical London.
"What hoods? We don't have our cloaks on!" Ron whispered furiously because he was sick of Malfoy commanding him all the time. Hermione shook her head and conjured three hoods on their jumpers. "What about yours?" Ron asked Draco spitefully.
"I must wear my down, firstly to show you where to go and secondly I must show that I am not ashamed of my legacy."
Nobody understood the last part, but no comments were heard. They made a few turns and found themselves in Knockturn Alley. The trio exchanged glances, but Draco looked like he knew exactly where he was going.
They stopped in front of Borgin and Burkes. It was dark outside and the name of the shop wasn't seen, but the Dream Team instantly recognized it. The same dirty, old door and the presence of dark forces, which couldn't simply be ignored. It was strong and seemed to want to penetrate into you. "You probably should stay outside," Draco said quietly.
The trio nodded simultaneously. None of them wished to go into THAT shop. Draco entered and went straight to mister Borgin. His face was a cold mask and all his appearance said: you're not worth a finger of mine. "Oh, mister Malfoy, you haven't visited us for so long," Borgin began with flattery. "Such bad times, such bad times, don't you agree, mister Malfoy?"
"Yes, they certainly are, mister Borgin," Draco answered, looking him straight in the eyes. "But we are businessmen, right? I want to take back the item that was left by my father under your guidance seven years ago. I am sure you know what I am talking about," Draco finished calmly, but sternly.
"I certainly understand you, but unfortunately, it has already been taken," Borgin said, not looking into Draco's eyes.
"How could that happen?" Draco hissed through clenched teeth.
Borgin shuddered from the cold steel in Draco's glance. "He had the ring, sir," he muttered, taking a few steps back.
Nobody in their right mind wanted to find themselves on the bad side of a Malfoy. Even if he was a grown up man against a boy. This boy was still a Malfoy and the age meant nothing, they were dangerous like a plague. But he sighed with relief when Draco turned on his heels and stormed out of the shop.
The Dream Team waited for him anxiously, but noticing his enraged expression, let him through and wordlessly followed his quick moving figure. "How dare he? How dare he take the ring, to even touch it? I'll cut his hands off myself," Draco said under his breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.
"What ring?" Harry dared to ask.
Draco stopped abruptly and turned to face them. He took a few deep breaths which helped him to calm down. Draco wished he had Ginny's hand on his back right now. "We have a little problem," he began calmly, but still with traces of anger in his voice. "Someone dared to take Lucius Malfoy's family ring. Every Malfoy receives one on his eighteenth birthday. From that moment, its owner becomes officially a Malfoy heir and also inherits the magic of the Malfoy clan. Every ring has its original features which are chosen for every particular person. It expresses the personal characteristics of the person who wears it.
From the shop I wanted to take an item which was in the box sealed by the Malfoy family ring and could only be opened with it. Now somebody has taken it first and tried to bring someone alive with it. Are you capable of another duel with the Dark Lord, Potter?"
"Yes, I am," Harry answered firmly.
"Good. Let's hope, we'll prevent this fascinating event. Now it's your turn to lead the way."
"Where exactly are we going?" Hermione asked, not liking this trip more and more with every second.
"To the Department of Mysteries," Harry replied casually.
Their way to the Department isn't worth describing because they met no exciting adventures and serious obstacles on reaching their destination. They apparated to the Ministry, which was almost empty, because everybody was still celebrating the Grand Victory, as it was called in the Prophet. The route was familiar to the Dream Team and they easily found the room with the Veil.
It had so many memories: death, terror, fear and adrenaline; that wouldn't be erased from the minds of the children who were present here on that infamous day, when the Death Eaters tried to steal the Prophecy. The day when Sirius Black fell behind the Veil and everybody assumed he was dead.
When they entered, they found another intruder who was fussing over something small on the floor. It was someone with a plump figure, dressed in a shabby cloak that was, probably, dragged through the forest, garbage, desert, marsh and back, it was so dirty and nasty smelling. "You," spat Harry with disgust.
The man swiftly turned his head to reveal a hamster-like face with two teeth above his bottom lip. "Harry Potter and his friends, what an honor," Pettigrew said with a sugar smile, trying to cover something behind his back.
"You have something that belongs to me," Draco went right to the point. "And you had no right to even touch it. Give it back or you'll feel sorry for staying alive."
He came down the stairs with every word he said and now was standing right in front of Pettigrew. His icy look said he wasn't joking. "But it doesn't just belong to you, young Malfoy. It is the property of your father and only he can take it from me," Pettigrew said slyly, but moving backwards.
"You, of all people, must know it'll never happen. But you dared to take the Malfoy family ring in your ugly hands and that deed doesn't have an excuse," Draco said with a clear threat.
"Enough of this nonsense! Stupefy!" Harry exclaimed and Pettigrew fell down numbly on the floor. "Couldn't you just push him away and take it?"
"Well, I don't like violence, I wanted him to give it back himself," Draco answered with mock innocence.
"Yeh, and we are Hogwart's Founders," Ron muttered, coming downstairs with Hermione and Harry. "What's the fuss about?"
"This," Draco whispered with admiration and kneeled down to take a middle sized box carefully into his hands.
He stood up and showed it to the others like it was the greatest treasure of the world. "What is it?" Hermione asked all eyes and ears, wanting to receive another useful piece of knowledge.
"Among the Death Eaters it is called an emergency exit. Any left alive Death Eater must take it from Borgin and Burkes and come here to bring the Dark Lord back to life. It's the Malfoy family heirloom, there is no other Moonshade in the world," Draco finished with sparks in his eyes.
"How did you know about it if you haven't seen it in years?" Ron asked with a frown.
He still doubted Draco's uninvolvement with the Death Eaters. "Lucius was a very hungry person, hungry for power. You can understand that the follower, who would stay alive after Voldemort himself had died, must have been very loyal and magically powerful to survive. Also, he'd become the right hand of the Dark Lord as soon as he reincarnate him. That person would have a lot of influence in Voldemort's world. And Lucius wanted to be that man, that's why he sealed the box with the family ring so nobody except him could open it. If not he, then nobody.
He told me about this family secret just in case, so if he didn't use it on purpose, the item would remain in the family. Quite practical, if you ask me, but his dreams won't ever become true." Draco tilted down and picked up a ring from the floor. It was from the finest gold with a golden Dark Mark in the center. Draco played with it for a few seconds. "The only thing left from the infamous Lucius Macropulos de Malfoy," Draco proclaimed with mock grief and threw it into the Veil. "Now nothing is left," he said with clearly heard relief. "But our business isn't finished still," Draco said, turning to the Gryffindor trio.
That movement helped to snap them out of their trance-like-state from the shock of seeing a Dark Mark on the family ring, making their thoughts fly somewhere else. "Yeh, yeh," Harry muttered, nodding a few times.
"We need more space, move that scum somewhere," Draco ordered.
This was the only occasion Ron willingly fulfilled Draco's order. He removed Pettigrew's stunned body with savor. As it should be done with scum like him – kicking him with his legs. "Ron! What are you doing?" Hermione reproached. "Can't you be more civilized?"
"He is beyond civilization, dear," Ron responded making the final kick.
While Ron and Hermione were having a kicking conversation, Draco was sizing up the free space in front of the Veil. "Potter, what do you think about all this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really believe that your godfather is somewhat alive?"
"Of course, I do. Why do you think I came here? To chat with Pettigrew?"
"I just wanted to be sure, because your wish for him to come back is the most important component of the ritual."
"I can assure you it is enormous."
"Good. Ok, now is the moment of truth," Draco said a bit louder for everybody to hear.
The reaction to his words was Hermione, Harry and even Ron's intense stare at the box on the floor. Draco touched the lock with his ring ,which he wore on his right hand, and the box opened. It revealed a transparent construction of rings and pendulums. It looked more like a toddler's toy than a Dark artifact, which could bring back a human being from the Underworld. Draco carefully placed it on the floor. "A ring from stone?" came Ron's first astonished reaction.
"What's so unnatural about it?" Draco asked with slight frustration. "Always strong and unbreakable, perfect features for a true leader."
"And always cold," Hermione finished and Draco noticed pity in her glance.
"Quite fascinating to me. I thought rings were made only from metal," Harry sounded truly interested. "Can I have a look?"
Draco looked at Harry as if he had turned into Voldemort. The thought that Harry Potter defended had him in front of his friends was absolutely irrational to Draco's mind. Who knows what such an alliance could bring? It did bring the downfall of Voldemort, but Draco didn't think or admit that they were allies at that time.
Even if Draco was still skeptical, he stood up gracefully and showed Harry his right hand. Harry's eyebrow rose in an unspoken question and Draco explained, "I can't take it off on such trivial occasion. I did once, but that was…another ordeal."
Harry closely inspected the ring. He didn't know why he was so interested in it in the first place. Maybe he wanted to know more about Draco, came to his mind. To understand him. He didn't follow the "to know your enemy" motive, he wanted to find out who Draco Malfoy was; the real Draco Malfoy.
Miraculously the Malfoy family ring told Harry some useful information. The ring was made from a solid piece of green jade, which wasn't polished and had some sharp edges. They certainly brought some painful moments to the owner. On the top of the ring was a big onyx "M" and no more decorations or engravings. "You were Marko at that time," Harry stated, taking his glance from the ring and locking it with Draco's.
Draco smirked. "I am already sorry I taught you so well," he only answered, walking back to the Moonshade.
"So am I right?"
"You are able to decide yourself."
'Damn. He is playing with me again .But I am sure I was right about his other occasion. Hm… interesting point. '
Draco checked his watch. "We are running out of time. Granger, above us, in the sky, is a total solar eclipse. We need it to activate the Moonshade."
"You mean, you want me to bring the Sun and the Moon down here from the sky?" Hermione asked, giving him a you-are-totally-crazy look.
Draco rolled his eyes. "If I'd needed, I'd have asked you to ask Ronald to bring you both, and he would do it because you asked him. But I just need you to transfer the eclipse's energy to that point." Draco pointed with his finger somewhere above the stairs and sent a bright spark from the same finger to mark the place.
Hermione blushed. She felt so stupid. Of course he had asked her something else, but she just resisted to understand him out of an old stupid prejudice. "Potter, you must stand here," Draco marked the place the same way. "And concentrate your whole wish on the Veil, stare at it as if calling him. Understandable?"
Harry nodded. Suddenly, he became nervous. What would happen if they did not succeed? What if his wish wasn't powerful enough? How would he live with the knowledge that he had a chance and screwed it up? "Potter," Harry jumped from hearing Draco's voice right behind him. "Concentrate and no hesitance what so ever. The stronger your wish, the more chance we have."
"What will you do?"
"This and that, use some Dark Magic. You know, the easy stuff."
"And what will I do? I want to help to bring Sirius back too," Ron's voice came somewhere from the darkness of the room.
"Help Granger. Energy transfer isn't easy."
"Hermione."
"Huh?"
"Help Hermione."
"Yes, Ronald. Go and help Hermione," Draco said with a dismissing gesture.
"It wasn't that hard, was it?" said Ron with a chuckle.
Draco gave him another glare and prepared his wand. "Ok, two minutes and we'll begin. Everybody ready?"
Harry nodded. Hermione and Ron concentrated their glances on the spark above, pointing their wands at it. All participants were ready. Even the Veil became more active. It started to move back and forth, the voices from behind it became louder. "Now!" Draco shouted and two simultaneous sparks came from Hermione and Ron's wands.
Above them a small version of the solar eclipse appeared, from which white light started to fall to the floor. When it reached the Moonshade, its rings began to turn around, slowly at first, but then faster and faster until it turned into a spinning sphere. At that moment, Draco started to recite the incantation, drawing a symbol of eternity in the air with the tip of his wand.
Nothing happened for a few minutes, but then a shadow covered the space between the Veil and the Moonshade. An even darker spot appeared in the center of it. It slowly began to grow and rise. Very, very slowly. Harry was standing in the middle of the light and clearly saw the rising darkness. "Common, Sirius. We all want you to come back. Don't break our hopes," Harry prayed.
The spot started to rise quicker, already forming into a head and then a torso.. Finally, a figure appeared, but its face couldn't be identified. Draco began to move his wand faster. 'Do it. Step forward for Potter's sake!' His hand was almost numb, but he still was drawing an exact eight in front of him.
And then it happened. The figure stepped forward and then again and again, until it left the darkness behind and Harry instantly recognized his godfather Sirius, who looked pale and skinny, but it still was Sirius Black. He moved towards Harry and then collapsed on him. Everything became dark again, the Moonshade stopped spinning and the room returned to its original state. The only change was Sirius's body in Harry's arms. "Sirius, do you hear me?" Harry asked, shaking his shoulders. "Common, we tried so hard, you can't sleep away such a moment."
After a few more minutes of Harry's exhorting, Sirius's eyelids shuddered and he opened his eyes. "Harry?" was his first word in this world.
"Of course, who else?" Harry asked with a beaming smile.
"Voldemort kicked you arse and you died too?" Sirius asked, his voice a bit chocked.
"Quite the opposite. I killed Voldemort and you are alive again."
"You are joking. It is impossible."
"Look, Hermione, Ron and…" Harry looked around the room, but nobody else was there, the Moonshade had also disappeared. "We are all here. Can you walk?"
The three of them managed to pull him up and leave the Ministry, on the way filling Sirius up on the recent events. The Knight Bus took them back to Hogwarts, where they persuaded Dumbledore to let Sirius stay at Hogwarts till the end of the school year. They also informed him about Pettigrew in the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore promised to contact the authorities himself.
He stared at the cauldron with boiling water and nothing else in it. Draco was standing in front of his work table in the laboratory and did nothing. Only sitting, exploring the ceiling or staring into the empty cauldron. They were his only attempts to fill up his free time during recent days. He had been allowed to pass the N.E.W.Ts, but that also didn't bring any change into his miserable life. The life without her. He wrote his exams automatically one by one, but he wasn't interested in getting a good grade because he wouldn't hear her praise.
The last few days were the hardest. The seventh years were celebrating the end of school in full swing. The Dream Team were spending their time with Sirius, and Draco had never seen Harry so happy before. He couldn't bother Snape because he was busy organizing N.E.W.Ts exams and other personal matters. Draco didn't dare to disturb him with his selfish problems when for the first time in his life he saw a happy expression on his newfound father's face.
But Draco had nothing to be happy about. Even his favorite potions didn't bring him joy and satisfaction. Especially when his thought trailed to his partner, who was somewhere far away and not behind her research table. Then a crazy idea came to his restless mind. He picked up the cauldron and threw it on the floor. Glass vials and bottles soon followed it. Then came the turn of books and recipes. In less than half an hour the laboratory turned into complete chaos and a pile of garbage.
Every crack echoed in Draco's head. It seemed to Draco that with every vial a piece of him was breaking. He was nothing without her. Without his Virgie, his partner, his mate. His dreams increased his sufferings because they were full of her. And every time he woke up, he wanted the dream to come true, but it never happened.
All the racket couldn't pass unnoticed and eventually it brought the attention of professor Snape, who was checking the exams' tests in his chambers. "What is this all about!" he roared, appearing in the lab's doorframe and rooting Draco to the spot just as he was ready to send another cauldron to the floor.
Snape walked towards him and put a hand on Draco's shoulder. Such a gesture made Draco snap out of his mad-like state and look around. 'Merlin, what have I done?' "I am sorry, I am so sorry. I'll clear everything up, I promise. I'll do it." He fell down on his knees and began to frantically pick up books and cleaning them with simple spells, but everything was falling from his hands. "Merlin," Draco moaned, taking his head into his hands.
"What is bothering you, Draco?" Snape asked softly.
He didn't like the situation one bit. He'd never seen Draco in such depression, even after the death of his mother. And he wasn't Draco Malfoy known for his self-confidence and perfect concentration. He was a wreck. Snape decided to lift up his spirits a bit. "I have checked your Potions examination test. It is perfect as ever. One hundred and sixty percent," he said with pride.
"Whatever," Draco muttered.
Snape kneeled down to him and roughly shook Draco by his shoulders. "Look at me!" he ordered.
Draco slowly brought his head up and Snape saw unshed tears in his eyes. Snape placed him on his legs and dragged him to his chambers, where he seated Draco in an armchair and poured him off a glass of amber liquid. 'Just like her hair,' Draco thought absentmindly.
"Drink it."
Draco thought it was another potion, but when it went down his throat his opinion changed drastically. "That's Firewhisky!" he exclaimed with disbelief.
"That's better. Now tell me, what is happening with you."
"It is nothing serious. You have more important things to do then listen to my stupid problems," Draco answered, avoiding Snape's searching look.
"They are not stupid if they made you cry and I always have time for my son."
That was the deciding argument for Draco. Lucius had never found time to hear Draco out, he told him that Draco wasn't a kid and could find the solution himself. But sometimes Draco simply didn't understand some aspects of adult life; still it was left to his independent research. But now everything was different: there was a person who would listen to his worries and help him with advice, and that's why Draco started without preamble. "I can't do anything without her."
'At last something is cracking.' "May I ask you to identify this almighty female who left you incapable of anything?"
'Once a slytherin, always a slytherin.' "Maybe it is unclear to your exhausted mind, but this possibly only can refer to one female – my Potions' partner, Virginia Weasley."
"So with her departure she took your book or any other special equipment, which is irreplaceable in your work?"
Draco looked into Snape's eyes for a couple of moments, but saw nothing in there. "You know exactly what I am talking about, why do you torture it out of me?"
"I know about many things. Still, I want you to put it into words yourself. Express your feelings openly and fearlessly. To understand yourself."
"When did you become a psychologist?"
"When I became Head of the Slytherin House."
Draco sighed. It wasn't easy to express the turmoil of thoughts and feelings inside him. But he decided to start with the beginning. "Two weeks ago the Dark Lord was defeated and Heaven moved to our sinful Earth, but I found myself in Hell because my little Sun has never risen since then. I tried to make some complicated potions to go into work, but I messed them up and there was even an explosion. I decided to take a rest and prepare for exams, but it was boring because I knew everything already.
Virgie is my inspiration, someone worth waking up in the morning and waiting for until evening when she comes and her mere presence makes me feel alive. But now I am dead and utterly useless. I don't know how I passed the practical Potions' exam. Probably, like everything I do now – mechanically. My life is colorless without her. This Firewisky with its color is dearer to me now than the whole lab."
'He has it hard.' "So who exactly do you miss?"
Draco was taken aback by his question. He thought he had stated that pretty clear. "I miss my partner, my friend, my other half. I am incomplete without her."
They heard the sounds of heels walking on a stone floor. "Oh, my other half is coming." Snape used those words intentionally, but they had no effect on Draco.
After a few seconds, Halflife entered the chambers without knocking and greeted Severus with a brief kiss on the lips, then noticed Draco. "Hello, Draco. How are you doing? Got rid of the school already?" she asked, smiling cheekily.
"I had an eventful year, professor, especially concerning school. Firstly a drop-out, then a teacher, a professor teaching two subjects at once, and then back to being a student again. Quite a career if you ask me," Draco finished also with a smile on his face. Something in their behavior made his eyes shine again. "Sorry, I must go. I have a lot of work to do and mess to clean." Draco swiftly stood up and practically danced out of the room.
"What is it with him?" Halflife asked, giggling.
"He has found the solution to his personal problems," Snape answered, smiling to himself.
"Only now! But they are meant for each other!"
"Well, a seed of friendship needs time to blossom into a flower of love."
"Will you astonish me with more poetry today, Sev?"
"There is a possibility," Snape responded with mock seriousness.
During the three days following, Draco was very busy. He cleaned everything up so the laboratory was bright and shiny again. During the process he came up with an interesting way of using wandless magic and was anxious to show it to Ginny. He did this and that and even made a very complicated potion he had wanted to complete for several months, but all his previous attempts had failed.
He did everything with a stupid, goofy smile on his face because he was happy. Happy because of a conclusion he came to the other day. The very idea appeared in his head several weeks ago, but he thought it wasn't true, impossible even, but somewhere deep down he knew it was real. And finally he decided to free himself without taking care about the consequences. Still, one part of the puzzle was missing.
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
Draco turned towards the door. 'Can it be?' He listened more intently. 'Yes, the same sound I look forward to every evening. My other half is coming.' Draco unconsciously moved to the door and opened it to find himself face to face with Ginny. "You are back," he greeted her with a warm smile.
"I am," Ginny only managed to say, mesmerized by his eyes, his smile, his face, mesmerized by him.
She missed him so much that she was DYING to see him, literally. She practically dragged her parents to Hogwarts earlier for Ron's graduation early because she couldn't stay another day without him. She remembered how tall and handsome he was, how his smile warmed her from head to toe, the way his eyes shone when she came, but it was nothing compared to Draco in the flesh.
Ginny was taken out of the trance by Draco scooping her in his arms and spinning her around until they both were dizzy. "You are back," Draco repeated with relief, putting Ginny down on her feet. "Why didn't you leave a note? Or tell me?"
"I am so sorry, Draco. Really sorry. Mum decided to have a family reunion to rebuild the house and everything just happened so fast. She came and told me the luggage had been packed and we were going to the Borrow right away. I couldn't even say goodbye to you in the Hospital wing. How are you, by the way?" Ginny asked, looking him up and down.
"I am perfectly fine," Draco answered like a good son to his mother.
"You looked so bad back there," Ginny began, fear flashing in her eyes. "Like all the magic was drained from you."
"Actually it was. It happens when one uses too much magic for one spell. Speaking of magic, are you going to participate in the Magic Talent Show?"
"I don't know. I haven't even thought about it during all this."
"I have an idea." Draco tilted down and whispered something into Ginny's ear.
Her face brightened with every word. "Has anybody told you that you are a brilliant potions maker?" Ginny asked with enthusiasm.
"But, of course, you tell me about it every day," Draco repeated her words with smugness.
"We need to practice for it. A lot."
"We have plenty of time. But now I want to show you something," Draco said with conspiracy. "I called it "Piano Play". I made it up during cleaning the place up," Draco continued, conjuring a mess on the floor.
"Why was it dirty in the first place?"
"Well, a reconstruction of some sort. Look at my hands."
Draco was standing motionless, facing the pile, then he outstretched his hands and concentrated his glance on his fingers. A few seconds later a blue light come from his right middle finger. When it reached the pile, it started moving and all the books came from under the mess of objects and started to repair themselves. Then a yellow light came from his left thumb and two cauldrons emerged from down the pile, cleaning themselves. And so other fingers moved, sending different spells towards the garbage. They settled items of the same kind and applied cleaning or repairing spells to them.
From the side it looked like Draco was playing a piano or working with a puppet. When the floor was clean again, Draco looked to a wide eyed Ginny, waiting for her deciding word. "Amazing," she drawled.
"Thank you," Draco replied with a shy smile.
Her praise was really valuable to him. "So what have you been doing all this time?" Ginny asked sitting down on the couch.
"I, well, nothing important. N.E.W.Ts and stuff," Draco answered evasively. "And you?"
"It was Hell," she began, rolling her eyes. "We needed to build the whole house all over again. Firstly we cleaned the place from ruins of the building and furniture and then Mum and Dad started to construct anew. Of course, it isn't finished yet. Just walls and the roof, but we already call it home."
"So did you tell your parents about your acquaintance?"
"No, I didn't," Ginny said, moving her glance to the floor.
"We can tell them together, if you think it is a better variant."
"Yeh, perhaps it is."
It was still a touchy subject for both of them. They had spent the whole year together covered by secrecy in their own little world and now they needed to break the news to others. And taking into account Draco's supposed reputation it wasn't anywhere near easy.
They sat in silence foe a few moments then Draco spoke. "Virgie, can you stay with me today?" he asked with plead. "I mean, before we go to your family. We'll have another picnic or go to the Lake or walk in the castle or anything you want. Just stay with me for awhile. I am leaving soon."
'I could stay with you forever. Leaving?' "Where are you going? Why, where?"
"Well, I am going to the Academy in Switzerland," Draco answered, not very happy himself.
"For how long?" Ginny said with a fallen face.
"Three, probably five years."
"For so long! What will I do so long without you?"
"But I am still here," Draco remarked with a playful smile.
They decided to stay at the lab and chatted away the time they were given. Ginny told Draco about numerous humorous occasions on the reconstructions and Draco filled her in about the examination process and how he excelled in Potions. But eventually the topic of the conversation returned to the night of the Final Battle. "So what happened there? What caused such an explosion?"
"It is not my place to tell," Draco said, but it was visible that he knew the answer very well.
"Harry tells the same thing, so nobody knows anything. The reporters attack him all the time, but he simply says he'll tell in due time."
"Well, he has the right. Still I can tell you the reason he defeated Voldemort," Draco proposed.
"That's the question of the day!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly.
"The Dark Lord was killed by his own weapon."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked with a confused frown.
"He was killed by his second-best Death Eater. With constant training Potter can become even better than me," Draco said thoughtfully. "I see by your face that you still don't understand me. I trained him as I was taught. I called that method "on the verge of death". It is very strict and exhausting, but it is productive and very close to the real situation. Not like we sit at classes and work with wands and objects, but with real pain and suffering. It is the way every real Death Eater is trained. Not power thirsty maniacs, like all Death Eaters were," he said with contempt.
"Potter wasn't a crazy hero; he was an educated wizard, who knew how to protect himself from the Dark Magic. He knew his enemy. Frankly speaking, he was a good student. I don't think there are a lot of people who could cope with my teaching style," Draco said with a sneer. "He was surprisingly obedient, did everything I told him. His reasoning is unknown to me."
"Maybe he has forgiven you for earlier years," Ginny suggested.
Draco shrugged. "Even if he has, Ronald is very far from it. As your whole family most probably."
"Fred and George didn't tell anything about your part in the healing, but also kept our relationship in secret. Are you ready now to get acquainted with the other Weasleys?"
Draco paled a bit, but nodded. They left the laboratory and headed to the Entrance Hall, where, as Draco's Vision told, the Weasleys were gathered. The Entrance Hall was by some unknown reason pretty crowded. Everybody was actively discussing something. As soon as they appeared, somebody pointed at the pair and yelled, "There he is!"
In the next second, Ginny was seized away from him by a red head, possibly by one of her brothers and Draco was surrounded by men in deep blue cloaks with very official facial expressions. "Are you Draco Markonious de Malfoy?" one of them asked.
"Sir de Malfoy," Draco corrected, trying to comprehend the situation.
From all sides it seemed nothing but bad. "You are under arrest for committing a mass murder of forty three people, and a cold blooded murder of Lucius Macropulos de Malfoy and use of the tenth level of Dark Magic."
When the Auror became silent, everybody's eyes centered on Draco. Lucius's name was well known and also was known that Draco was his only son. The murder of his own father wouldn't be a deed he would be praised for, even if Malfoy senior was a bloody Death Eater. And everybody knew that too.
Draco calmly looked at the accuser. He didn't ask him where he had got the information. It was clear to him that Pettigrew was spilling everything just to save his ass. Still, a cold rage started to boil inside Draco. How could they do this to him? He thought it would be the best day of his life, the day when he finally felt complete and these men smashed everything, all his life into pieces. He kept it inside him for too long. Yes, he felt crashed, hopeless even, but he still had his last word and it wouldn't be wasted,
"And what else could I do!" Draco exploded. "Arrest them? Yes just say, "Common guys, let's go to prison, there are soft beds and good food". Death Eaters are like a plague. It must be completely exterminated or everybody gets sick. You can ask me, why did I kill them? To save your asses, that's why! So your children and grandchildren could live without thinking all the time about their safety!
If you had left them alive even in prison, they would've run away to the other end of the world and brought up their children to hate and despise you. And your children would've suffered for your own mistakes. Even after my "crime" you are not safe; where are the young slytherins: first, second, third years? Where are they? Maybe they are under a special guidance who makes Death Eaters out of them. And they'll return and smash you!" Draco took a few deep breaths to calm him down.
How he wished Ginny was beside him now. "I am not threatening but warning you. I had no choice there. It was war and people were dying around me. You also have no choice; that is why you are here and I'll go with you, but promise me one thing," Draco looked into the man's eyes intently, "You'll find those children and save them. Now I have some business to finish then I'll follow you."
Draco looked around, spotted a pale looking Harry on the other end of the Hall and marched there, followed by one of the Aurors. When he reached Harry, Draco curtly nodded. Harry nodded also, but in a trance mode. "This is the answer to your question, Harry," Draco said, handing him a large bottle full of shimmering moving liquid.
Harry nodded in understanding and wordlessly accepted it. Then Draco moved to the side with red-headed people. It was the hardest part. They only met and now were abandoning each other again. Draco stepped closer to Ginny and looked into her eyes full of tears. Her tears hurt him more than the thought of spending the rest of his life in prison. It didn't matter to him that the whole Weasley clan was present and sizing him up, debating what he needed from their little Ginny. "Seems I am leaving sooner than planned," Draco said with a weak smile.
"Why? Why now?" she whispered.
"I told you, not many people can cope with my methods." Then after a pause he continued, "I want to say goodbye and wish for all your dreams to come true," Draco finished a bit formal as not knowing what to say.
'But all my dreams are empty without you!'
Draco already wanted to leave, but then saw her face, so full of hopelessness and dread. He couldn't leave her like that; she brought so much happiness into his life. 'Maybe I won't see her ever again.' Draco stepped closer and tilted his head, deciding to give her a light goodbye kiss.
But all his intentions were ruined when his lips touched hers, because Ginny responded with such desperation and passion that a goodbye peck instantly turned into a lovers' kiss. In a second their hands were on the right places, hugging tightly like there was no tomorrow. Practically, there wasn't a tomorrow for that couple, even if they weren't officially a couple yet.
When nature cut in, they broke apart, breathing heavily. "The memory of this will keep me sane," Draco said with closed eyes, his forehead pressed to hers.
"And me miserable," Ginny said in turn.
Draco smiled and whispered for only her to hear, "My body, heart and soul will always belong only to you, Virginia." Then he turned on his heels and headed to the Main Doors, a group of Aurors closely behind him.
Ginny blinked a few times. 'Those words. They sound so familiar.' And then it dawned on her, with wide eyes she rushed to the doors, struggling through the crowd. When she reached the stairs, the escort was still on the territory. "I love you too, Draco! I love you too!" she cried at top of her lungs, so he could hear her.
Draco did hear, he turned and gave her one of his warm smiles, then they disapparated. As soon as they disappeared, Ginny collapsed on the stony stairs and began to cry hysterically. Soon she felt an arm pulling her up. She looked around and saw Ron, Harry and Hermione. Ron was the one holding her.
"Ron, you must do something," Ginny pleaded, clenching his robes. "He saved your life, he cleared your mind, not Dumbledore. You must do something! Please!"
"We will, Ginny. We will," Harry reassured.
A/N: I hope you are all finally pleased with some romantic stuff you desperately wanted me to write. Maybe it is not exactly what you waited for, but the story must go on…