A/N: Okay, there will be more romance in this chapter, but there will be some more plot too. I promise! Also, thankyous to all who reviewed, I really love reading your reviews!
Disclaimer: If you recognize it from the books, I don't own it!
"Oh Draco," Ginny sighed, wrapped in his arms. It was half past one, but neither wanted the night to end.
"Shh…" He whispered, before leaning down and capturing her lips in another searing kiss. She felt her whole body tingling, responding to him in a way it had never responded to anyone before. Her hands fell from his neck, making him shiver as her fingers traced their way down his bare back.
Draco pulled back, and she looked up at him, puzzled.
"Ginny," he whispered hoarsely, and her breath caught in her throat. He was gazing down at her, and she wondered if he was finally going to tell her he loved her. "Ginny, I…"
he looked over her head for a moment, then looked down at her distractedly. "I better get to bed. Sleep well," he said, and quickly left the room.
Ginny sighed. She had been so sure. She fell back against her bed and fell asleep quickly, her dreams full of Draco.
She didn't wake when he came in and kissed her lightly on the forehead, then left the room. It wasn't until she slipped her dressing gown over her pajamas and headed down to the kitchen. There was a bustle of activity as members of the Order quickly entered and exited the room.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked her mother, who was issuing orders. "What's going on?" She asked a little louder when her mother didn't hear her over the chaos.
Her mother whirled around and Ginny could see her mother was angry.
"What's wrong!" She yelled into her mother's ear, getting impatient.
"It's Draco. He's gone."
Ginny looked at her mother in shock. Draco? Gone?
"He stunned Bill and Remus and escaped, early this morning," her mother said, disapproval clear in her eyes. "I was right not to let you get involved with him. Mother's instinct," She said, and turned away to quieten the room.
Ginny blinked back her tears. He had betrayed her.
"Draco Malfoy escaped this morning, stunning Bill and myself, who were on guard duty," Lupin said tiredly to the group. He was always tired nowadays.
"Well, we made it a point to leave him out of meetings and situations where he could learn anything important about the Order, so not much harm done, right?" Molly said calmly.
"But he knows where the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix are now, we must evacuate immediately!" Ginny heard Arabella Figg shriek. It was distant though, and Ginny paid no attention to it. She was withdrawn, trying to resurrect her hatred of Draco that had fallen away in the last few months.
"That will not be necessary," McGonagall said calmly. "When Dumbledore was killed, precautions were placed to protect the Order until such time that a new secret keeper could be trained."
"What, so there is a new Secret Keeper," Molly breathed, hope showing in her anxious eyes. "Who is it?"
"Ginevra, why don't you tell them," McGonagall said to her kindly, and Ginny snapped out of her trance to find everyone looking at her in confusion.
"Well, uh… that is... I am. I am the Secret Keeper," Ginny said, bracing herself for what she knew was next.
"Ginevra Weasley!" Molly shrieked, flying into a rage. "Minerva, how could you do this to my daughter? My baby, my only daughter!" she yelled, but McGonagall sat next to Ginny quietly, and Ginny knew she was offering her support. Ginny looked around at the occupants of the table, and saw Fred and George being forcibly restrained by Bill and Charlie.
"Mum, calm down! There's no reason to get like this!" Ginny said quickly, and looked to McGonagall for help.
"I assure you Molly, when I found out that it would be Ginevra that would be taking Albus' place, I was astonished, and tried to change his mind. But I'm afraid Albus was insistent that Ginny was to be the next Secret Keeper, and I now know that she is certainly capable of the position. She is a natural Occlumens and Legilimens, quick with her wand work, and extremely talented at potion making. It took her just a month to prepare for the position, and she will do as good a job as Albus' did."
Molly had clamed down slightly, but was still visibly trembling. Arthur came and took her into his arms, and she began to sob into his shoulder.
"My Ginny is all that?" Arthur said quietly, looking at his only daughter with pride shining in his eyes.
"Yes dad. Professor McGonagall taught me Occlumency and Legilimency, and Professor Lupin and Professor Moody instructed me in some advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts. The potion making, well, I knew a lot of that already, but…" her voice trailed off as she looked at her hands which were playing with her wand.
"But what, dear?" Molly asked her, her eyes puffy and red, although she was no longer crying.
Ginny took a deep breath. "Draco was teaching me some advanced potions," she said quietly.
"Now Molly, it isn't what you think," Remus said hurriedly before Molly had time to open her mouth and protest. He knew what she thought about the young man, and was determined to set things straight before she could begin to yell at Ginny again. "Draco was teaching her some very advanced and fiddly potions, one of which is the Wolfsbane potion," he said, looking gratefully at Ginny. "We did have some left in stock, but we were running out, and Draco offered to teach Ginny how to make it, and after that he taught her some others. This was before you expressed the wish that they were to be kept apart. I'm very grateful to them both, although I am disappointed with Draco right now."
Her mum didn't start yelling as soon as Lupin closed his mouth, and Ginny returned the grateful look.
Ginny lay in bed that night, clutching her pillow. Her pillow was drenched from tears, and she hadn't stopped yet.
'I was so sure Draco was in love with me, like I am with him. I just thought it was only a matter of time… Obviously I was mistaken. He was obviously just trying to seduce me, to get information about the Order.' A fresh wave of tears erupted, and Ginny got out of bed. 'No one outside of the Order knows I am the Secret Keeper,' she thought to herself, pulling a jumper and some track pants over her pajamas. She opened the window, and, hit with a blast of icy air, shivered, her tears freezing on her cheeks. She grabbed her cloak, and, fastening it around her and grabbing her wand and levitating herself out of the window and down to the ground. She kept her wand out, though hidden, as she began to walk.
She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was she needed to forget.
"Ah Miss Weasley. I have been waiting for you," a familiar voice hissed out of the shadows.
"Snape!" she cried, whirling around. He was too fast, however, and she was hit with a stunner. She fell to the ground as the world went black.
Ginny opened her eyes and thought for a second that it mustn't have worked, for she saw nothing new when she opened her eyes. There was no light at all, and Ginny realised with dread where she must be.
The dungeons.
Ginny's heart began to beat wildly as she realised she'd been captured. However, she wasn't quite in the same situation as last time. Firstly, she had plenty of clothes on, and therefore was not cold. Secondly, she was not the same Ginny she had been all those months ago. This new Ginny was the Secret Keeper, and she was a much more powerful witch than she had been before. After confirming that her wand had been taken off her, she began to breathe in deeply, ignoring the stench that threatened to overwhelm her senses. She was concentrating, readying herself, for she knew she would not be treated lightly this time.
Draco bowed low before his master, then stood up. "My Lord, the Secret Keeper has been captured. She awaits you in the dungeons," he said quietly, trying to hide the fact that he desperately wanted to make she was alright.
"Very well. Bring her to me," Voldemort hissed, and Draco looked at him, surprised. "Me, My Lord?" he enquired politely, half his being wanting to make sure she was alright, and the other half hoping that he could just stay away from her.
"Yes Draco. You will be greatly rewarded for this information," Voldemort said quietly.
Ginny heard the unmistakable sound of the bolts being drawn back on the door, and blinked furiously as the door was opened and light shone in.
"The Dark Lord wishes to see you," came an expressionless voice, and Ginny looked up to see Draco standing over her.
Ginny got up obediently and looked at him, tears glinting in her eyes before following him out of the room.
Draco swallowed as he saw her tears, and wished that he had not hurt her. Then he hardened his heart. Sure, his punishment for not escaping sooner had been awful, but the Dark Lord had told him he would be rewarded for betraying the Order and Ginny. Ginny. At the thought of her, all the memories came flooding back. She was walking next to him now, and he sneaked a look. She was pale, and her cinnamon eyes seemed even larger than normal. They were staring straight ahead, devoid of emotion. He turned his attention back to where he was walking, and found them to be outside the room where Voldemort resided. Draco nodded to the guards and they let them through.
"Miss Weasley, so nice to meet you," a cold voice came from ahead. Ginny looked up and saw Voldemort lounging in a chair much like a king might lounge in his throne. She swallowed her fear, and looked directly at him, hatred burning in her eyes.
"I hear you are the Secret Keeper for the Order. Tell me why they placed you in this position and not somebody older, with more experience," Voldemort said conversationally.
Ginny remained silent.
"Very well, I can see you are not going to exchange any pleasantries with me," he hissed, and turned his slitted red eyes, staring into hers.
She knew what he was doing, and smirked as she watched his frustration build as she blocked every advance made on her mind with ease. Nobody was going to violate her thoughts.
"I see. You have been taught in the art of Occlumency, am I right?" Voldemort asked, and she felt Draco breathe in sharply at the news. When she did not reply, Voldemort turned to Draco. "You did not inform me that she was trained in Occlumency," he said, and it was her turn to gasp. 'Draco knew! He betrayed me!'
"I apologise, My Lord. I did not know of this," Draco said, and bowed deeply.
"I understand, but it is noted that you did not research the subject thoroughly enough. You still have much to learn, Draco, son of Lucius."
Draco bowed again, and while Voldemort was occupied with Draco, she inched towards Draco.
"Yes My Lord. I will not fail you again," Draco said and groaned as a fist hit him in the solar plexus. Ginny grabbed for his wand and aimed it at Voldemort while effectively knocking Draco unconscious with a blow to the back of his head.
"That was very impressive, Miss Weasley. And where did you learn that, being a pureblood?"
Ginny smirked at him. "A girl needs to be able to defend herself," was all she said, and kept Draco's wand aimed at Voldemort.
Voldemort stood up, almost lazily, and pulled his wand out. "You realise, Miss Weasley, that you have no chance whatsoever of defeating me. I know spells you wouldn't even think imagined."
Ginny laughed. "I think you underestimate me. Where there is Darkness, there is also Light."
"And what do you mean by that, Miss Weasley?" Voldemort hissed.
"I mean that although I may not know your Dark Spells, I know Light Spells, spells you can only imagine exist."
Voldemort took a step towards her, eyes glinting with barely concealed rage. "Impossible! A mere child, knowing spells I do not? You are lying!"
She stared straight back at him, although she could feel her fear trying to take over. "I won't let you hurt my friends."
"You can't kill me girl," he hissed. "I am invincible!"
"Maybe I can't kill you, but Harry can. Fortunately for you, Harry is attending to some pressing matters, and can't be here now," she said, smiling. She knew to keep the Horcruxes secret; if Voldemort knew of them then he would be waiting for Harry at every turn. "I guess I'll just have to entertain you for a while before I escape. Accio Wand!" she yelled, and caught her wand as it came hurtling through the air. Draco's wand clasped in her left hand, her own in her right, she stared at Voldemort, willing him to make the first move. She knew he wouldn't kill her, not while he didn't know where the Order was, and that was her greatest advantage. She knew, however, that he wouldn't hesitate to use something that could seriously injure her, so she kept her guard.
"Sectumsempra!" Voldemort yelled, as Ginny yelled "Protego!" Voldemort's spell did not injure her, though she fell to the ground as the spell hit her shield forcibly. She heard Voldemort's unnatural laugh as she got to her feet, both wands still aimed at him.
"And here I was thinking that maybe you would prove to be a challenge," he mocked.
Ginny said nothing in response, just smiled sweetly.
"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled, his eye twitching.
"Protégera!" she yelled, and the spell bounced harmlessly away from her.
Voldemort's eyes widened as far as slitted eyes can. "What was that?" he asked her, angry.
Ginny smiled sweetly. "I told you there was more to me than meets the eye. But don't bother trying it, Light Magic doesn't work alongside Dark."
"Venenas Sufrimientra!" Voldemort yelled, and before Ginny had time to erect another barrier, the spell hit her, and she fell to the floor. She could feel the spell spreading throughout her body, and it weakened her. She stood up, more slowly than before, and saw that Draco was awake, and watching the duel. Her feelings for him came back to her in an instant, many times more powerfully than before. She felt her heart wrenching as she wrenched her eyes away from his, and let out a guttural moan.
Voldemort smiled cruelly. "That spell is a personal favourite. It amplifies all feeling and emotion, and turns it into pain. It then turns your pain into a potent poison that is already spreading throughout your body, and it will kill you before the night is out if you don't give me what I want."
Ginny stood, breathing heavily, her forehead covered in sweat as her body began to fight the poison. "I would. Rather. Die. Than tell you. Anything!" she gasped out. "Reducto, reducto, reducto!" she yelled, blasting the pillars behind Voldemort apart, and he was forced to alleviate his attention on her to destroy the pillars before they hit him. She continued to blast away at the wall, moving closer to him as she did so.
"Ginny!" Draco yelled, but wasn't heard over the falling rubble. He knew it should be hitting him by now, after all he didn't have a wand, but it seemed to fall to either side of him, and his eyes widened. Ginny was protecting him. Even after he had betrayed her to Voldemort, even though she was fighting for herself and her friends, who were his enemies, she was protecting him. He saw her drop his wand, lacking the strength to hold both of them, fell to her knees. Draco breathed in shakily, then watched with amazement as she got up and continued advancing towards Voldemort. He crawled slowly over to where his wand had been dropped, and picked it up, aiming it at Ginny's back.
He couldn't do it.
He watched as Ginny reached Voldemort and smashed her fist into the back of his head as hard as she could, before stunning him. Where no one had ever managed to stun Voldemort, she had done it, combining muggle practice with magic. He watched as she smiled, triumphant, then swayed. He ran towards her and caught her just before her head hit the ground.
She opened her eyes and he saw tears in them as she looked at him.
"I'm so sorry Ginny. I never knew that love really existed, or what it felt like before I met you, and now I'm afraid it's too late. I betrayed you, I've lead you to your death. I don't know what the counter curse is, and you're going to die because I couldn't realise what I felt."
Ginny's eyes flew open, and her heart started to beat faster. The poison started to pulse through her more quickly than before, but she didn't care. "Felt what?" she whispered, her cinnamon eyes clouded with pain searching his own.
"I…Ginny… I love you," Draco said quietly, and blinked in amazement as she sighed happily.
"I love you too, Draco," she said, then closed her eyes and went limp.
"Ginny, No!" he cried, tears falling from his eyes onto her face. He hugged her close to him. "You can't die! Not now!" he bit his lip until it bled and the blood mingled with his tears, although he didn't notice.
Holding her tightly, he couldn't believe it when he felt her heart beating steadily underneath her cloak. She was alive!
He lay her gently down on the floor, and more tears fell when he realised she was breathing easily. She was safe. He didn't know how, or why, but she was.
He picked her up again and apparated carefully to London, more specifically the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. He knew she was safe for now, although she still needed to be checked over.
He ran up the stairs of the old house, and burst inside.
"Freeze!" a voice commanded, and Draco froze.
There you go! Definitely more plot there! Hope you liked it! A nice long chappie too!
Please review, the more reviews the happier I'll be to update!
Xela