(a/n: alright, slight change of plans. There's no epilogue. I have it writtenand everything, but it doesn't fit, and the ending is just fine without it...i like it better without it, in fact. So this is the next to last chapter, and the final update will be tomorrow. I LOVE YOU GUYS! You've been wonderful to me, and I hope you like the ending.

Now, onto the poll: Do you want to see a sequel to Inner Turmoil? I'd really appreciate some feedback on this one, I'm pretty torn.)

Chapter Twenty Five, A New Day

"I'll walk right out into a brand new day.
Insane and rising in my own weird way.
I don't want to be the bad guy.
I don't want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore.

I just want to feel some sunshine,
I just want to find some place to be alone.

We can live beside the ocean,
Leave the fire behind.
Swim out past the breakers,
Watch the world die..." -Santa Monica

Ginny watched him over the next week. She couldn't help it, just as she couldn't help seeing that he was conflicted - well, it was obvious to her, but she didn't think anyone else saw it. He laughed at mealtimes, he sneered at Gryffindors, he harrassed little kids, but there was something going on inside him that she couldn't pick out. She wanted to know if it was about her - she thought it was about her, but she was afraid she was just being overly hopeful, and that he didn't think about her that much. She could be caught staring off into space more and more often - she didn't want to hear about all the people that kept dying every day. Apparently the Death Eaters were focusing on Muggles this week - it was sick. Sick and twisted.

Potions was an awkward affair. They weren't making any more potions, they were just studying for the exam, but being in the same room with Draco made Ginny want to yell and scream. She was beginning to feel utterly disillusioned and hopeless. She dreamt about the time when he'd just come up and talk to her, apologize for all the awful things he'd said and done, and tell her that he didn't want it to end. But every new situation she played out in her head ended the same way - whether she responded by telling him she loved him, or by kicking him in some...inappropriate places, - they had to break up. He was graduating in less than two weeks and after that, he was getting married. And that was it.

She shook herself out of her daze when she heard a cauldron sizzle. She ran over to her table in the hospital wing and emptied it before it exploded. She sighed, and started again. She was making the Draught of Peace, and although she'd never blown it up before, she wasn't paying attention. She kept slipping off into her daydreams, wondering about what could possibly have happened in that hellish week that changed everything, and what could possibly happen that would fix it all.

Ginny sighed as she decided to throw in the towel for the night. She cleaned up the table, and put away her supplies, and when she turned around Draco was standing there, as if he'd been there forever. She gasped and almost fell backwards, but her hand on the table steadied her.

"Draco!" She cried, "What are you doing here?" His face was emotionless, unreadable. Whatever had been tearing him up all week, it was gone now. Either that or he'd learned how to really put up his walls, and he didn't want to let her in at all. He didn't respond to her, he just waited. It made her uncomfortable, but she figured he was waiting for some sort of signal from her that it was alright that he was there.

"What are you doing here?" She repeated coldly.

"I need to talk to you." He said firmly. He eyed her, and after a moment she nodded reluctantly. He locked the door as he came over and sat down in an armchair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, looking very business-like. She didn't sit, though. She stood behind a chair across from him, waiting for him to speak. He looked up and noticed, but nodded in understanding. He took a deep breath and stood up himself, staying a few feet away.

"I wanted to apologize." Her heart broke in two. Half of it sank as the other half leapt. She wasn't sure which one won, so it just kind of felt like a tear.

"...what?" He looked her in the eye,

"I'm sorry." He said seriously, his eyes beginning to fill with emotion. Mostly pain, mixed with sorrow and fear, things that really didn't look natural on him. She eyed him cautiously,

"For what?"

"For everything." He said, coming a bit closer. "For everything I've done, or haven't done. I never meant to hurt you, Red."

"Yes you did. That's exactly what you meant." She said quietly, but bitterly, willing tears back into their ducts. He shook his head,

"I wasn't myself, things were just...Look, that doesn't matter, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I do care about you, Red, you know that." She wasn't sure whether she was going to believe him or not, whether she really wanted to.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, uncomfortable in her skin.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Why now? Why are you doing this?" She felt as though her spirit wanted to rip itself out of her body and fly away from this terrifying situation, but her feet were rooted to the spot and her mouth just wouldn't shut.

"Because I need you to know that I'm sorry. I don't want you to hate me - I can't stand it anymore."

"I can't hate you," she said quietly, looking at her shoes.

"What?"

"I can't hate you," she said a bit louder, facing him. "That's part of my problem. I can't...understand."

"I know," he said, moving closer to her, "I know you don't understand but please just trust me. I'm sorry, and I didn't mean it." His tone was soft and pleading, his eyes unmoving from hers. "I need you, Red. You're everything to me," he whispered. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Why did you leave me?" She whispered back.

"I'm sorry..." He pulled her into a hug and held her. A few tears fell, but she took a few deep breaths and felt better. When he was holding her, she felt like there was no one else, nothing else in the world. It was almost like his presence enveloped hers and protected her from everything. And not the annoying kind of protecting everyone else did...a real, whole, comforting sort of protection that really made her feel safe. She basked in the need for nothing but him and his embrace, until he began to let her go.

She looked up into his swirling gray eyes, which were now full of feeling and emotion, and he cupped her cheek in his hand. He wiped away what was left of her tears and kissed her. He poured everything into that kiss, she felt his entire soul open up to her. He kissed her deeply, passionately. She knew that he was opening himself up to her, completely this time. She knew that there were things she would never know, never understand, but he was sorry. He did care about her, and that's what she needed most right now - her best friend back.

When they broke apart, she closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered into her ear.

"I missed you so much..." she managed to get out. He stroked her hair and held her close, and she just listened to his heartbeat. He held her for a few moments before he started to move away,

"It's getting late, I have to go." She half-smiled and nodded. They had their Potions N.E.W.T. the next day and they both needed to sleep.

She trudged back to Gryffindor Tower reluctantly, she almost didn't like being there anymore. She wasn't comfortable there, she didn't feel like she fit in anymore. She couldn't just spout the rhetoric like she used to be able to, she couldn't stand behind them like she used to. She had changed, somehow, somewhere along the way. She hadn't realized it until Draco broke up with her, and she saw the last battle, but she was different now, and it was reflected in everything she did.

She looked out the window in her room before climbing into bed. She wished she could find some way to stop time, just for a little bit. Draco had finally come to his senses, and they had less than two weeks left together, she didn't know what to do about that or how to handle it. She eventually laid down and fell asleep, thinking about him.

The next day went just as Ginny had predicted: everyone was nervous, but Hermione was driving everyone nuts.

"What do you think happens if we fail?" She asked the boys at breakfast.

"I dunno," shrugged Ron, "We don't get jobs and we're forced to live as Muggles?"

"That's not funny, Ronald!" Hermione scolded shrilly. Harry snickered,

"Actually, it kind of was." Ginny smiled and shook her head - those boys would never understand Hermione.

"Hermione," Ginny interjected, "If you fail, then you just have to choose a field of study according to what you didn't fail." She said as soothingly as she could. It didn't seem to comfort Hermione, though.

"What? But...but what if there's nothing else? What if we fail all the important things?"

"Hermione," Harry joined in, "You're not going to fail. I don't think you've ever failed anything in your life. You're not going to start now."

"Yeah, you're the greatest witch our age." Ron said, "they wouldn't dare fail you. For fear of your wrath." He joked.

"Honestly, the best thing you can do now is calm down." Ginny said. "A good breakfast and calm nerves is key to doing well. If you're calm you have a much better chance of doing better." Hermione's eyes widened, but then she took a deep breath. She ate her breakfast in silence, taking deep breaths every chance she could. Ginny's gaze strayed, and her attention faltered. She didn't want to hear about who was dead today, and she didn't want to talk about their exam.

Ginny was excused from her classes that day, due to the N.E.W.T., and she was glad for it. The exam was exhausting, just as its title implied. The written portion took all morning, and the practical examination took all afternoon. She did her best, though, and thought she did well.

That night she went back to the hospital wing and brewed some more of Tonks' potion. Once she got the hang of it, it went quickly. She brewed three batches is as many hours. She collapsed onto an armchair after the third batch for a break.

She heard the door click, and she looked over to see it open and shut. She smirked as she saw the invisibility cloak come off and reveal Draco. She stood up and greeted him with a kiss, and he was almost acting like he'd never been a prat to her. She was too tired to call him on it, though, so she decided that - just this once - she'd let it slide.

He sat down in an armchair across from hers and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees again. His smile was gone from his face now, and he looked all too serious.

"We need to talk." She got completely confused. That line was almost always followed by a break-up, but they'd already done that.

"Draco, never - ever - start a conversation like that. I don't care if the news you've got is that the sky is falling. Don't start with 'we need to talk'. It's just...bad." She advised. He smirked at her and she smiled back. She couldn't ever help but smile when he smirked at her.

"So I should just come out and tell you that the sky is falling?"

"IS the sky falling?"

"No,"

"Well then no, lying isn't nice." She grinned cheekily at him, and he chuckled. She took a deep breath before getting back on topic. She hated saying this... "What do we need to talk about?" He took a deep breath, she could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"I can't stand it anymore, Red." He said seriously, looking wistfully out the window. She got confused.

"Can't stand what?"

"This life," he said quietly, shaking his head out of its reverie. He looked back down at her, "I can't do it anymore, I won't."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this whole world that I'm trapped in. I won't take it anymore. I can't...take it anymore."

"So what are you saying?" She was completely confused. He'd never admitted to not being able to do something, and 'life' was a pretty big thing to not be able to do. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. He seemed to be searching for some sort of confirmation, some sort of agreement, but Ginny was just plain confused.

"I'm leaving, Red." Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she heard that, and her limbs nearly went numb.

"You're...what?" She whispered in shock.

"I'm leaving." He said a bit more confidently. "I'm getting out of here, out of this. I won't do it anymore, I can't. I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back. I'm going to go somewhere they can't find me, and start a new life." She didn't know how she was supposed to react to this, how he thought this would play out or what her part was, but she could barely think she was so shocked.

"And what the hell am I supposed to do? Watch you?"

"Come with me." He said, making eye contact again. She would have fallen over if she weren't already sitting down. He let the words sink in, and she just let the silence take over. She stared at him, looking for something that would tell her he wasn't serious, that he didn't actually expect her to drop everything and leave with him.

"I know you've thought about it - running away. Out there, no one knows us. No one's trying to kill us. No one's going to say we can't be together. I can take care of you, Red. I want to. I don't want to be here anymore, to do this. I can't do it, Red, I can't..." he looked back down and put his head in his hands. Something bigger was going on, but Ginny only barely realized it. When she didn't respond, he continued.

"I'm leaving." He said confidently, "I'm going to go live as a Muggle, work and everything. It might sound crazy, coming from a Malfoy, but I won't deal with this crap anymore. I'm not going to sit around and let them take everything from me - my money, my pride, my life, my love. I won't let them. Ginny, please. Don't let them break you. Come with me..."

"I...I don't know what to say," she nearly whispered. "When...when are you leaving?" He took a deep breath and sighed.

"My father gets out of Azkaban in a few days, and I won't be around when he does."

"A few days?" He nodded grimly.

"Are you going to come with me?" He asked quietly after a few minutes. She looked up at him as if he were crazy.

"You're asking me to leave everything I've ever known, and live in a world I've never even experienced. And you're asking me to decide this now?" She asked. She didn't mean to sound mean, it was just...a lot to take in. She took a few deep breaths. "You're really going to do this?" He nodded. "What are you going to do for money? Where are you going to live? Work? What are you going to do if they find you?" She had so many questions.

"I don't know where I'm going, Red. I don't really care where I end up. I just need to get out. I have a bit of Muggle money that I got them to exchange for me from my Gringott's account, but not much. I'm going to get a job as a Muggle, Red, live there, work there. Everything. If they find me, they'll kill me. But if I stayed here I'd die anyway." Ginny shook her head,

"You haven't thought this through at all, have you?" She said worriedly.

"It doesn't matter. All I know is that I won't go through with..." he paused, and rephrased, "I won't marry Pansy. I won't work for them. I won't be a slave to a cause that's just going to get me and everyone I love killed. I'm leaving. I want you to come with me...you don't belong here, either. We'll never belong here, Red, because we belong together. These last few weeks without you were hellish. I can't describe how awful I felt. I need you in my life," he pleaded. He was staring at her so intently that she nearly cowered, but she sat up instead. She took a deep breath and eyed him with concern.

"I don't know..." she said timidly. She started playing with her necklace, silently screaming to it, telling it what was happening and how she felt. Going through it all - even if it was to an inanimate object, itwas helpful - it let her just go through everything one more time.

"You wear that?" Draco asked, astonished. She gave him a quizzical look, then noticed he was staring at her neck. She looked down at her necklace, but didn't see anything out of place. She looked back up at him.

"Yes?" She answered, unsure of what surprised him so much.

"What happened to your ruby?" He asked quietly. Now she understood.

"Oh, that..." She didn't really know what had made her switch necklaces. At first it had just been that she was running out the door to dinner, but then she liked the green better, and now it was her confidante. "Nothing happened to it, I just...like this one better." He smiled softly,

"Yeah?" He asked. She smiled back,

"Yeah." He stood up and picked up his cloak. She stood up with him and went over to him.

"Look, Red, you don't have to decide tonight. I know it took me this whole week to really make a decision, just...let me know when you do make a decision, ok?" Her face fell a bit and she froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She nodded reluctantly and he kissed her cheek before walking out.

She went back to Gryffindor Tower and fell into her bed. She didnt know how she was supposed to react to his ultimatum. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. He was right - she didn't fit in, she never really had. She was too headstrong to be the youngest and only girl. She wanted to be known for something that wasn't her last name, or the Chamber of Secrets. Part of her wanted to go with him...