This is going to be a very long chapter. I didn't want to split it into two (which I easily could have!) so I condensed a fair bit but not enough to ruin the feel of the conversations.
I thought you guys had waited so long for a romantic scene between them that it would be cruel for me to drag it out!! So anyway, romance should be in the next chapter but it may have to be the one after depending on how everything goes.
Do you know what? I've just realised that I've been spelling Pomfrey wrong all this time. I will get round to changing the old chapters eventually but sorry about that!
Ginny found herself being whisked off for who knows how long and not even being able to say sorry or goodbye to Draco.
When he considered enough time had passed for Ginny to have calmed down, Draco changed in to some of his new clothes, put on a little of his favourite aftershave and looked in the mirror. He was happy with his appearance except for his hair. It was so long now that he could tie it back. Looking like Lucius was the last thing he wanted. Plus, long hair was really only fashionable amongst the older gentlemen of the wizarding world.
He was just deliberating trying to spell his hair shorter when there was a knock on the door. Shit, what if she's come to apologise? My hair's not right yet.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"It's Tonks. Can I come in? I need to talk to you."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief. He yanked open the door and pulled Tonks in quickly. She opened her mouth to say something but he was faster. "Tonks do you know a spell to cut my hair?" Tonks looked excited and forgot for a second why she had come. "I sure do! I have an advantage you see… because I can change my hair whenever I want, I used to try loads of different haircuts and if they didn't work I'd just grow my hair back! What are you after? Can I try something new??"
Draco thought about it for a moment. "Well I don't want to look stupid. Unlike you, I can't grow my hair back without a spell; even then I don't know if it would work."
"Trust me!" Tonks cried pushing him down into the sole chair in the room.
"Hmm, Ok then. But if you mess it up you have to make it better." Draco still looked a little apprehensive.
Tonks started muttering and waving her wand about; in next to no time she had finished and asked Draco to take a look. He hated to acknowledge it but she'd actually done a great job. His hair was still a reasonable length but was shaped round his face and a little at the back. He had to admit, it made him look even more handsome than before.
Draco turned, grabbed Tonks round the waist and swung her round once in a circle. "You are so definitely my cousin. Who else could have such good taste?" He smiled.
"Wow. A compliment!!" Tonks laughed back. "The rest of your family can go screw themselves but you're ok. Yes. I think I like having you as my little cousin!"
Draco felt excellent. There was no way Ginny could turn him down now. "I've got to go see Ginny now Tonks but I'll catch up with you later."
Tonks' face fell. "Oh, Draco. That's why I came. Ginny's went with Poppy to help heal the injured. The Death Eaters attacked a whole town, it was awful. We had no warning. There was nothing we could do." Tonks looked so thoroughly miserable that Draco reached out and rubbed her back a little. He didn't feel so great himself though. He couldn't help but wonder if she had left because of him.
"When will she be back?" he asked in a morose tone. Tonks looked at him quizzically. "Is this why you wanted your hair cut? Are you sweet on her?" she got a sly grin on her face.
"Don't be silly." Draco said far too quickly.
"You are. Draco Malfoy, you fancy a Weasley! How simply wonderful." She did a little dance.
"Sssshh." Draco hissed. "Stop saying that. Someone might hear."
Tonks stopped dancing and looked at him. "Are you ashamed Draco?"
"No! It's not that." He said looking down at his shoes and hating that women could make him do something so un-Malfoy like.
"Well if you're worried about Arthur and Molly you needn't be. They think you're the best thing since - Oh, what is it Arthur says… since bread or something. Anyway, they like you, end of problem."
Draco sat down heavily on his bed and sighed. "What if she doesn't?" he said finally, glad to get the worry off his chest. "I mean, she didn't say goodbye and the last time I saw her she shouted at me." He sighed again and raked his hand through his newly cut hair. The one thing that bothered him most about all this was her past relationship… "I'm no Potter - for which I thank Merlin – but that's what Ginny wants."
"Is it?" asked Tonks. "It's what all girls think they want but in reality it's often a bit of a letdown. Look at me, I thought I wanted a perfect stereotypical hero all my life but when I met Remus he was so… exciting I guess. And a great bloke to boot. I have the best of both worlds."
Draco looked up at her hopefully. He had one last worry and he found it hard to even admit to himself that he felt this way. He'd always tried to disguise any doubts he had with bravado. Usually he could push the thoughts to a space in his head and lock them away but his feelings for Ginny were proving to be quite powerful. After a pause he decided to bare his fear to Tonks... "Do you really think I'm good enough for her?"
Tonks nodded. "Actually I do. If someone had asked me that question a month ago I would have thought they were crazy but you really have proven your worth. You know, Harry is a great guy-" she held her hand up before Draco could get angry with her. "But, I just never felt he and Ginny were right. It was always too awkward between them. Ginny was too scared to fully express herself. She needs someone she can open up to, and shout at if she wants. Harry needs someone who will stand up to him. He needs someone to be strong for him because he has to be strong the rest of the time. I mean Hermione would have been perfect if she wasn't so in love with Ron!" Tonks shook her head.
"Anyway. I have no idea how long Ginny will be gone. Last time she had to go she was away for weeks. And to put your mind at rest, she didn't say goodbye to anyone – not even her parents or Ron. Penny sent word that she would need help before she even arrived."
Draco's emotions were in a mess. All he wanted to do was go and see Ginny and find out if all this was true and yet that was the last thing he could do. He'd have to wait it out. At least he'd have a bit more time to work out exactly what to say to her.
Ginny was exhausted, since the second they had apparated into the infirmary she had been non stop healing people. Some were muggles and some were magical. Many of them were in critical states. She had to use every morsel of knowledge she had to prevent these people from dying. It was hard to concentrate and know what to do when she was so fatigued but somehow her adrenalin managed to get her through.
Now that some of the lesser wounded people had been healed they were trying to help heal others so Ginny had a chance for a quick break. One of the muggle girls who she had healed found her leaning with her head against the cool wall.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you." The young girl started to back away.
"No, please stay." Ginny called. "It's nice to get to talk to someone for a minute. It helps ground me a little."
The girl gave Ginny a small smile, she seemed a little shy. "I just wanted to say thank you for helping me. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be allowed to remember all this - Magic, I'd always hoped…" she trailed off, her eyes wide with the wonder of finding out all the stories she had been told were actually true. Ginny smiled sadly at the girl who shook her head as if to clear it.
"Anyway, like I was saying. I would imagine that you guys will be doing something to make me forget all of this. So I just wanted to say thank you for helping us. One of the men back there was angry and saying that we should have been told about you. He thinks that you would be able to help with all of our problems, you know wars and stuff? But you're helping us now so the way I see it is if you could have helped, you would have, right?"
Ginny nodded. "We have enough problems of our own that we can't fix. Being able to do magic is helpful but it's not a cure-all I'm afraid. We aren't able to do just anything we wanted to anyway, you have to have enough power to wield a spell and know what to do. Something's just aren't possible no matter how strong you are. It's not like we can bring people back from the dead." She smiled wryly.
"But thank you for being so understanding. The reason we don't tell people is that we are afraid most would act as that man did. I can't blame him though, my father had one of your muggle books at home and he showed me – what was it called… - Superman! Now if I suddenly found out he was real I'd be angry that he hadn't been helping everyone. But I know in reality nothing is that easy."
The young girl smiled hesitantly. "There was one thing I wanted to ask though. Do you really have love potions? It's just this guy I'm really keen on and I'm scared to tell him in case he doesn't feel the same and it ruins the friendship we have. I though maybe a love potion might help. Y'know I could hide it and label it so I'd still know what it was after you guys magic me stupid again…"
Ginny shook her head. "I could but they're not worth it. They can't create real love, just a fake version of it. Wouldn't you want to know that someone loves you for you and not because you forced them to?" the girl nodded sadly.
"I think you should just tell him how you feel and hope for the best. I honestly believe that if he turns you down it wasn't meant to be. There's no point hiding away from your feelings. You will end up regretting it."
She got another nod of agreement; the young girl seemed to get some courage up. "You're right. Lying about it would only make me miserable. I'm going to tell him. If he says no then we should be good enough friends to work through any awkwardness. Thanks. You're amazing." To Ginny's surprise the small girl kissed her cheek and ran back towards the bed of a young man who had just been healed by Madam Pomfrey. She held his hand and started talking quickly to him. The young man got a strange look in his eyes and then wrapped both of his arms round the girl and pulled her towards him for a loving kiss.
Obviously that worked well. Thought Ginny. She sighed, if only things were so simple for me.
She went back to work and found a man who was in serious trouble. He had lost lots of blood from a severe gash to his leg and was covered in smaller wounds. Ginny slowed the bleeding and tried to heal up the wound with a spell but it was too large.
"Poppy?" Ginny yelled. Madam Pomfrey ran over quickly, she knew Ginny wouldn't call her without due cause.
One look at the man told her all she needed to know; she pulled Ginny a little way back so the man wouldn't hear them. "I'm sorry Ginny, we can't do anything. He's been hit with too much and his body is fading fast. Even if we'd gotten to him straight away I doubt it would have helped."
Ginny felt tears well up in her eyes but forced herself not to let them fall. She nodded her head once to Pomfrey and walked back to the bed slowly. She cast a spell so that the gentleman would feel as little pain as possible but he seemed beyond pain now anyway. "Can I get you anything?" she asked.
The man looked into her eyes and softly reached for her hand. "Don't cry little one." He murmured. "I know I'm not long for this world. But it's ok; I'm going to find my love. She died a few months ago in an attack and I never got to tell her how I felt; I've not really been me since she went. At least now I can be with her again and tell her how much I love her." He smiled and lay back gently on the bed. "You're a good girl." He told Ginny before closing his eyes and slipping away.
Ginny couldn't take it, she ran from the room with tears falling fast. She threw herself into a chair and sobs wracked her body. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder; she turned to find the young girl from earlier.
"Don't cry please? That man's gone to a better place. I believe it with all my heart." Ginny sniffed a little and somehow managed to still the flood of tears. The girl handed her a small handkerchief. "We're going now, he loves me too! We've been told we're being taken somewhere safe so I won't see you again. Or recognise you even if I did. Keep the kerchief to remember me. And thank you again"
The young man was calling to her so she gave Ginny one last smile and ran to the warm arms of her man.
Ginny decided that there were more important things to be doing than crying. She dried her eyes and got ready to help more people. As she put the handkerchief in her pocket she noticed that it was embroidered with little hearts on each corner. She knew that she had to tell Draco how she felt. I might regret it for the rest of my life if I don't.