"I'm 'round the corner from anything that's real,
I'm across the road from hope.
I'm under a bridge in a riptide that's taken
Everything I call my own.
One step closer to knowing...
One step closer to knowing...
One step closer to knowing,
Knowing, knowing..." -'One Step Closer', U2
The next morning Ginny woke up, and she realized her hand was still holding the box under her pillow. She smiled as she sat up and pulled it out again. It was even more beautiful than it had been the night before, and she just stared at it, completely captivated.
A few minutes later there was a swift knock on her door as Hermione walked in. Ginny quickly shoved the box under her pillow, just in time, but it clicked shut so loud, Hermione stopped.
"Hey Ginny!" She said, smiling slyly. She sat down on the edge of Ginny's bed. "What's under your pillow?" Ginny blushed,
"It's nothing..."
"Oh, yeah, I believe that. Hand it over." Hermione said, smirking, with her hand held out. Ginny gave her a look, and Hermione sighed. "I'll show you what Ron got me if you show me what mystery man got you." Ginny giggled, but reached under her pillow and reluctantly pulled out her necklace.
She handed the box over to Hermione who opened it and gasped.
"Ginny...oh my goodness...this is...it's gorgeous!" She squealed, giving Ginny an astonished look. "Whoever he is, he has great taste. It looks just like the one your Mum gave you!" Ginny grinned,
"Yeah, I suppose that's why he bought it."
"You better not show this to Harry or Ron, they'll think you're dating a Slytherin," Hermione said with her eyebrows raised at Ginny suggestively.
"Of course I'm not dating a Slytherin..." Ginny said, blushing. Stupid Weasley genes, she always blushed.
"Well, whoever he is, he's better with girls than Ron. I got a set of quills, and a box of sugar quills. And a rose, of course." Ginny's brow furrowed - she hadn't gotten a rose. She wanted a rose, too!
"I didn't get a rose." She said grumpily.
"Ginny, I didn't get a stunningly elegant necklace." She reminded her.
"Well, yes, but the least he could've done was get me a rose."
"Would he have been able to hide it long enough to get it to you?"
"No...I suppose not." Ginny said before catching herself. Hermione was setting her up, with every new statement. She blushed again and looked down at the box. "You really want to know, don't you..." Hermione looked at her and sighed.
"You know what? I don't think I do."
"What?" Ginny asked, astonished. "You don't?"
"I don't think I do want to know this one. You're safe, you're happy, and you'll tell us his name if he hurts you so we can kill him, right?"
"Right. On all three counts."
"Well then, fine. I can handle...not knowing." She said, in a way that made Ginny almost believe she already knew, but didn't want confirmation. Ginny smirked and shook her head before throwing her arms around Hermione's neck.
"Thank you!" She squealed.
The girls made their way down to breakfast a few minutes later, and sat with Harry and Ron.
"So, Ginny..." Harry began casually, "How was your day yesterday? I didn't see you at Hogsmeade."
"That's because I didn't go to Hogsmeade yesterday, Harry." She said sweetly, trying not to be mad at him.
"Oh really? What about your boyfriend?" Ginny glared at him and Hermione put her hands between the two to cut off any further communication.
"Alright! Alright! Enough! Both of you! Harry, stop being a prat! Ginny! Ignore him!" She yelled at them. Ron just sat back in silence, trying to focus on his food and not how amusing his girlfriend was being. "I am SICK of this constant banter between you two! Now, Harry. Ginny has a boyfriend, get over it. She's a big girl who can take care of herself - she grew up with six brothers, I think she can handle boys. Ron! Don't you dare say anything!" She yelled as she caught Ron getting ready to jump in. "She can take care of herself!" Hermione repeated. "This will be the end of pushing Ginny to tell us who he is, do you two hear me?" She commanded them, both with her words and her presence. Ginny grinned - she'd never expect that out of Hermione. Both boys looked at each other and grumbled something along the lines of 'I guess so,' before going back to their breakfast.
They said very little throughout the rest of the meal, and Hermione made small talk with Ginny. Ginny left the Great Hall all smiles, and was relatively happy for the rest of the day.
That night she met Draco in the library, and was still feeling incredibly happy. Before she sat down she kissed him, and then laid her head on his lap like she used to do so often.
"Feeling a bit better today, I see," he commented with a smirk.
"I think Hermione knows." She said with a smile. His face fell and went pale.
"What?" He said stiffly.
"I think Hermione knows it's you." She said matter-of-factly, "I think she finally put it all together. I was wondering what was taking her so long." Draco's figure tensed and Ginny looked up at him. "Don't worry."
"What are you saying?" He said nervously, his icy facade going back up, "If Granger knows soon enough so will your brother, and Potter, and then we're dead." Ginny shook her head.
"I don't actually know if she knows - I didn't tell her, and she didn't ask. She doesn't want to know. I think she's been suspicious all year, since she first caught us in the corridor arguing. I was pretty preoccupied after that. Then, when I first got into your Potions class and we had that big fight, and you came up and talked to us and I blew up at you, she wondered what was going on then, but I told her I was just upset. Then, on Friday when you healed my hand without me even asking you, and you keep yelling at my brother and Harry whenever they make me upset...Then she saw my necklace --"
"You showed her?"
"Well, no. Hermione doesn't always knock before barging into my room. She did today, but she still barged in, and she saw me shove it under my pillow, so I had to show her. Turns out Ron only got her some quills and candy." Draco scoffed,
"Shows what he knows." Ginny giggled,
"I know. But like I was saying, after all that, she looked me in the eye, asked me if I was happy, and when I said I was, that was the end of it. She said she wasn't sure she even wanted to know who you were, and at breakfast this morning she closed the matter entirely."
"Closed the matter? How'd she manage that?"
"She yelled at Harry and Ron. She has a stunning affect on them sometimes, it really is surprising. Although I won't be surprised if they bring it up again anyway..."
"They had better leave you alone," Draco growled, and she smiled.
"Thank you for the necklace...it really is wonderful."
"You're welcome."
They spent most of the rest of the night in silence, and Ginny had never had such a wonderful time. She loved that always knew just what to say - or what not to say as the case may be. Words meant very little to her, it was the feelings and motivations behind them that she cared about most, and he seemed to get that.
For the next few weeks in Potions, their banter died down. Anything more obvious than what they'd done would tip off even Harry, so they pretty much stopped talking. They didn't really need to anymore, though, they had an understanding.
Draco, being the one usually much calmer and in control of his temper, would stir the cauldron and mix in the ingredients, while Ginny would be the one to measure them all out, and do whatever else needed to be done. He took care of putting things away and getting things out, while she took care of the actual organizing and cleaning of the table. It was a very efficient way to work, and sometimes they even beat Hermione and her partner to turning in the finished product. On those days they got to sit back for a few minutes, or start on their homework.
Ron and Harry had pretty much dropped the boyfriend subject. They knew that if they didn't, Ginny would report it to Hermione, who would go berserk.
All in all, it'd been a quiet, peaceful few weeks for Ginny. March had come in like a lion, just like the saying goes, and it rained just about every day. But the weather didn't discourage the students who were just glad it wasn't snow.
One night, in mid-March, Ginny was sitting up in the library with Draco, her eyes were closed and her head against his chest. The rain was fiercely beating against the walls of the castle, and his slow heartbeat made it all just sound so wonderful. She was lost in a world or rhythm and rhyme when he tensed up, and move away from her. She opened her eyes, confused as to what was going on, before she realized his left arm looked like it was in a sling.
"Oh no..." she whispered. "What could he possibly want?" Draco looked away. Her face flashed before it hardened. "Don't you dare tell me you KNOW what he wants." His silence confirmed it. "Draco! Why didn't you TELL me?"
"Because I want you out of this. You know that, Red." He said firmly. "I've got to go, stay here."
"Draco, you know I can't do that."
"Yes you can, and you will."
"Don't say that. You know I can't." She said as she made her way to the door, "Hermione's going to be looking for me soon anyway. If that means what I think it does. I'll make you some more potion tomorrow night." He tried to come after her, but as soon as she was out of the library she tore down the hall.
Ginny reached the common room just as Harry and Ron were hustling down the stairs.
"Ginny! What are you doing? Are you just getting back?" Ron said, a bit rushed.
"Ronald, not the time!" Hermione commanded, "Are you ready?" Ginny nodded and the four made their way to the Headmistress' office.
When they got there, Harry and Ron insisted Ginny stay behind, but her defiance (with moral support from Hermione) finally won out. Ginny Side-Along apparated to the scene with Hermione, and the four of them hid in the bushes. Ron and Harry were whispering to each other about the odd choice of location, while Ginny just took note of her surroundings.
They were at a clearing she didn't recognize, in a forest she didn't recognize. The clearing was large enough to be considered a field, but it was surrounded by whatever forest they were in. Ginny noted where larger trees were, or dense clumps of trees, so that if she needed to hide anyone like last time, she would know where to go immediately.
Soon enough, Ginny saw smoke rising to the sky, and smelled the familiar smell of a fire. It would have been nice if it had been a campfire like her brothers used to make in the backyard, but she had to remind herself that this was a war, and the fire wasn't likely to be that friendly.
Then they came. Like a horror story poorly told, their eery white faces appeared in the dark before their bodies really took shape. Their chants and march could be heard from a mile away, which made their disembodied masks even more frightening. But that's what they wanted, and Ginny had to remind herself that they fed off fear, and to be afraid was the ultimate weakness.
She stared at each mask intently, trying to find those familiar silvery eyes, but she didn't see anything. She wanted to run and rip off every mask until she found the one that he was behind, but she could barely move. She wanted so much to be back in the library...but she wasn't.
What felt like forever later, the actual fight broke out. Ginny watched in familiar horror as curses flew every which way, blowing up ground and setting trees on fire. Sometimes the curses actually hit people, and that's when she had to make her way quietly and unsuspected to the injured person. They all looked so helpless when she got there. Some bled, others just cried out in pain, still others stayed stilent. She would quickly examine their injuries, make a few mental notes, heal them and ask questions later.
She did this for a handful of different people, until she decided to retreat a bit to one of the clumps she'd noted and watch the whole picture play out before her. She nearly crawled to the edge of the clearing before she dared stand up, and once she did stand up, she crouched and ran to a small clump of trees.
She looked out, and saw Hermione, Ron and Harry all fighting, She noticed a few professors, Aurors and other people she didn't recognize, but her general rule was that if they weren't wearing a creepy mask, she healed them.
"What do we have here?" A voice behind her startled Ginny. She froze, thinking maybe they would leave if she didn't move, but there was something in her that remembered that voice...that sickeningly amused voice... "Don't think I don't see you, little girl."
Ginny didn't know what to do. She wanted to turn around, but she couldnt move. Eventually she forced her muscles to contract and her body turned around. She gazed up at the man who had attacked her over Christmas, but wouldn't let a speck of fear cross her features. She made sure the look on her face was utterly defiant as she reached slowly for her wand in her robes.
"Ah, ah, ah," the voice chided, as her wand flew away from her. He must have used the disarming spell silently. "We can't have you doing that, now can we?"
"Who the hell are you." Ginny spat, not so much as a question. The man laughed fully, openly.
"Fiesty, tonight, aren't we? I don't know who saved you last time, but they don't look to be around now."
"I don't need them. You're a coward and I want my wand back!" Ginny spat. The man's body tensed, and he growled.
"You had better watch your tone, little girl,"
"Or what?" Ginny barely heard the 'Crucio' before she felt a blinding pain. Her entire body, every cell, was on fire. She felt a pain like she never had before. She screamed in agony and it stopped.
"Like I said, you'd do best to watch your tone."
"You stupid, slimy coward." She all but whispered. She would have yelled it, screamed it, but her body ached too much. Suddenly she felt a kick to her ribs, and it felt like her body had been split open. When she cried out, she heard another yell of 'Crucio', and then she felt the same blinding pain. It didn't let up, though, this time when she began to scream. She felt like it had been going on for hours, days even...the pain was more intense than anything she'd ever felt. She felt like she had been screaming forever, crying out for help. Ginny couldn't even think she was in so much pain, and eventually her entire world went black.
Ginny heard whispers - they sounded far away, but at the same time they sounded close. It sounded like she was far away from them, but in actuality she wasn't. She listened closely,
"I just can't believe she's lying there...it should be one of us...not her...not her..." Whoever the woman was talking, she'd begun to sob. Ginny wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she didn't know who she was talking about, or who she was. Her eyelids felt heavy, so she decided not to open them, she wanted to listen more.
"It's not your fault, we didn't know where she was, we should've been keeping watch..." Even listening was straining her energy. Somehow after focusing for just those few seconds, Ginny felt tired again. She wanted to ask whoever was talking what they were talking about, what was going on, but she couldn't open her mouth, let alone find her voice. She did all she could do, she twitched her hand. She didn't hear any sounds of surprise or notice, but it had taken so much out of her, she couldn't do it again, or do anything more. However she felt a hand slide into hers, hold her limp limb. She felt a warm hand engulf hers and gently hold it close. She tried to smile, but it, too, came out as a bit of a twitch.
As she became more lucid, she found she could hear more, even identify a few voices. She knew her Mum was there, along with her Dad and Madam Pomfrey. She thought she heard Bill say something once, but if he was there he was staying quiet. None of them came from her left, though - the side whoever was holding her hand was on. As she began to awake, she still found it difficult to open her eyes, so all she did was squeeze the hand of the person to her left. She heard nothing, but felt them squeeze back. She tried to smile again, and this time felt like she succeeded.
Finally, after another few minutes of gathering her strength, she forced her eyes to flutter open. She couldn't focus on anything - everything was a blur, but it seemed to announce her presence enough. She saw a few dark blurs fly towards her, and a few lights come on. She blinked as she tried to make it all come into focus, but it just wouldn't.
"Hi..." she whispered. She heard a few gasps,
"Ginny? Sweetheart?" That was her Mum, she could tell because it was a red blur with her voice - concern and all. Ginny just nodded - talking was difficult. She heard a strangled sob come from her mother's direction, and she smiled.
"I'm ok," she whispered.
"Of course you are," she heard her father say, "You're going to be ok, Ginny, everything's going to be ok..." Ginny couldn't help but smile. As overbearing and annoying as they could all be, she was glad that they were with her.
"Where am I?"
"Back at Hogwarts, sweetheart, you're in the hospital wing." Ginny nodded in understanding. She began to wake up a bit more, and realized that all she really was, was tired. Her body didn't ache anymore, she didn't hurt...she was just exhausted.
"Who's on my left?" She felt whoever it was squeeze her hand again, and she began to hold on tighter.
"What do you mean, sweetie? Do you mean your right? There's no one on your left - there's a wall there." Ginny blinked confusedly and turned her eyes as far to the left as they would go before reentering her head, and saw just that - there was about two feet until the wall, and there was no one there. She smiled in understanding, squeezing the mystery person's hand again.
"Oh."
"How are you feeling?" A new voice popped up. Count on Harry to ask the silly questions.
"Pretty awful." Ya ask a silly question, ya get a silly answer. She decided to continue, "Although it doesn't hurt much anymore, I'm just tired..."
"That's it!" She heard Madam Pomfrey cry. "Everyone out! Out, out, out, now! I don't care who you are, she needs to sleep now, and I won't have a soul in here to disturb her!" They all fought tooth and nail to stay, Hermione playing the best friend card, Ron and Bill playing the concerned older brother card, Harry playing the crush card, and her parents playing...well, the parents' card. But Madam Pomfrey wouldn't hear any of the protests. She refused to let anyone stay the night, she would be there and that was more than enough.
"Please," Ginny urged, "It's ok, I'll be up and about tomorrow...you'll see, I just need sleep." Ginny heard everyone walk out, protesting all the way, except for one person. She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back in understanding.
She didn't need to speak to him. She didn't need to see him. She just needed to know he was there, and once she did, she fell into a peaceful slumber.