A/N: I can't thank you enough for your reviews. I really do appreciate them.
Chapter Eleven
Ginny didn't notice the owl at first. She was busy arguing with Romilda and Colin about the contents of a food platter that had just appeared before them.
"That's not chicken! Chicken isn't supposed to be gray!" She pointed out.
"Maybe it's marinated in mushroom slop," Colin suggested. Ginny shook her head firmly.
"It doesn't smell like crap. Mushrooms smell like crap."
"Good point," Colin mused, stroking his chin.
"Ginny, is that your owl?" Romilda cut in, pointing to the feathery creature that was wandering around the table aimlessly. Ginny's brow furrowed in confusion. She didn't recognize it, but when it saw her, it waddled towards her purposefully.
"I guess it is for me," she said with a shrug, taking the letter the owl was offering. Romilda and Colin looked on curiously as she opened it. When she unfolded it, her eyes immediately scanned for a signature. She gasped.
"Who is it from?" Romilda asked. Ginny blinked a few times, making sure that what she was seeing was real.
"It's from Harry," she replied softly.
"Doesn't he send you letters all the time?" Romilda asked in confusion.
"Not recently. I think I'll go back to my room and read this," she said distantly, picking up her book bag and leaving the Great Hall without another word. Her heart was pounding anxiously in her chest. He finally wrote to her. What was he going to say? She locked herself in her room and for the first time in awhile, she was grateful that Draco wasn't there. Taking a deep breath, she opened the letter and began to read.
Dear Ginny,
I can't say much here. I just narrowly escaped capture, and it made me want to write to you and tell you how much I still love you. Everyone is all right, except for Dobby. He died this afternoon at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. Things are only going to get more dangerous from here. So, I just wanted to write to you and tell you that I love you, and that as soon as this war is over, I plan on marrying you, Ginny Weasley. I can only hope that you'll wait for me.
Love,
Harry
Ginny's heart ached painfully. She let her head roll back and slam against the head board. Things were becoming so complicated. How could she tell Harry that she didn't want to marry him? How could she tell him that she wanted to marry Draco Malfoy instead? It would destroy him.
She glanced at the calendar, where thirteen red X's reminded her that she needed to get up at three to get Draco the following morning. She placed Harry's letter on her desk, unsure of how to tell Draco about it. Or if she even wanted to tell him about it.
-
Draco was unable to sleep. He glanced down at Ginny, curled up and angelic looking. He wanted to be able to lie down next to her and just rest for once. But his mind was racing with so many thoughts and preoccupations. Everything that he learned on his assignments was pulling him closer to figuring out the whole riddle behind Voldemort's battle plan. Draco was confident that Harry Potter wasn't the only wizard who could figure out what was going on.
He sighed as he thought back on his mission. It may or may not have compromised everything. His mother had forced him to come face to face with the Golden Trio to identify Harry as Harry. It had taken a great deal of restraint and many thoughts of Ginny to make the decision to lie.
Draco wasn't sure how to tell Ginny that he had essentially saved Harry Potter's life. Or if he even wanted to tell her about it at all. He didn't want to come off as smug or arrogant, because he hadn't done it out of either of those emotions. He did it for Ginny. Because he knew she would never forgive him if he sold out Harry to Voldemort. And then he would truly have no where left to go. Remus would undoubtedly relieve him of his duties, and he would be forced to live the life his father had planned out for him. In many ways, he didn't have much of a choice.
He gently lifted himself out of bed and began pacing around the room. Things had become so complicated. He was sure that Ginny was worth it. He knew that every time he looked into her eyes. But he just wished that it didn't have to be so hard for them.
Suddenly, his eyes locked on a piece of parchment left on the desk. Curiosity got the better of him, and he picked up the paper. His eyes narrowed as he read the letter from Harry and his heart pounded furiously with fresh anger.
Where did Potter get off assuming that Ginny actually wanted to marry him? Did he really expect that she'd be dutifully waiting for him when he got back? He glanced over at Ginny, still sleeping peacefully in bed. His heart softened as he watched her, but his fury remained. He had no idea what she was planning to do about the letter. Was she going to tell him? Would she go back to Harry?
The remainder of Draco's night was consumed by these questions.
Ginny woke up and saw him sitting at her desk. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"What are you doing up so early?" She asked sleepily.
"I had trouble sleeping," he replied briskly. Ginny frowned.
"Is something wrong?"
"When were you going to tell me about this?" Draco asked, holding up the letter from Harry. Ginny's heart sank.
"Draco, come on. We got back here late last night. I honestly just forgot about it. I was planning on telling you though," she insisted. Draco glared at the paper in his hands.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" He asked.
"I don't know," Ginny said softly.
"You don't know?" Draco demanded loudly. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I don't want to hurt him, Draco!" Ginny replied defensively.
"You mean like how he hurt you? Like how he tortured you by not writing to tell you that he was still alive?" Draco asked, flinging his arms around in wild gestures.
"That's different, Draco," Ginny said sharply. "We're talking about breaking a man's heart."
"Are you trying to tell me that his callous treatment of you didn't break yours? Because if you are, then I don't believe you."
"I don't understand why you're so angry, Draco. His letter doesn't change the way I feel about you," Ginny said quietly.
"I'm angry because what I'm hearing from you is that you're going to string the both of us along until you decide who the hell you want to be with," Draco spat. Ginny's eyes widened.
"That's what you think? Draco, I belong to you!" She said firmly, her voice rising in frustration. Draco reached into her top right drawer and pulled out the stack of letters she had written to Harry.
"That's not what these say," Draco retorted. "Shall I address one and send it off to your precious Potter?" Ginny leapt to her feet in anger.
"How dare you go through my personal things!"
"Avoiding the main issue, Ginny?" Draco asked snidely. Ginny snatched the letters from his hand.
"Could you stop your witch hunt for ten seconds to realize that the last letter I wrote to Harry was back in October? The rest of these are yours," Ginny said, removing the top portion of the pile and thrusting them in Draco's face.
"And as for these," Ginny continued, crossing the room to the fireplace. "They don't matter anymore." She tossed them into the fire. "I love you, Draco. You, and only you. Forever." Draco was silent and motionless for several moments. He felt like a complete ass for blowing everything so far out of proportion.
"I'm sorry, Ginny. I don't know why I acted like that," he apologized quietly.
"It's all right. I understand. I'd be afraid of losing me too," she said with a lopsided grin. Draco smiled back and got to his feet. He pulled her into a loving embrace and kissed the top of her head.
"How do you think we should handle it?" Draco asked gently. Ginny shook her head in despair.
"I haven't the slightest idea. There's going to be no easy way of doing this. He's going to hate me," she muttered. "Everyone is going to hate me."
"I'm not going to hate you," Draco pointed out.
"You're my boyfriend. You have to not hate me," Ginny said with a laugh.
"I could never hate you, Ginny," Draco said certainly. "Even if you chose that prat over me, I wouldn't be able to hate you."
"Well, I'm not going to, so don't think about it anymore," Ginny scolded.
"What are you going to do if the next time he sees you, he proposes?" Draco asked. Ginny sighed.
"Say no. There's no other way."
--
It was a rainy afternoon at the end of March when the letter arrived. Ginny was wrapped in Draco's arms with her Charms textbook propped open on the bed. Draco had dozed off, and Ginny was turning the pages of her book as quietly as she could manage. Her efforts were for naught, because when the owl tapped on the window, Draco was roused from sleep.
"What's going on?" He asked sleepily. Ginny frowned.
"There's an owl at the window," she said in bemusement. Draco followed her gaze to the window. Sure enough, an owl was perched on the sill. Draco disentangled himself from Ginny to retrieve the letter it was carrying.
"It's not from Remus," he said, handing it to Ginny. She examined the handwriting on the envelope.
"It's from my mum," she concluded. Draco tried to read her facial expression, but she gave away nothing. He remained silent while she opened it and read quietly to herself. Finally, she glanced up at him.
"Is everything all right?" Draco asked nervously.
"Well…everyone is all right," Ginny hedged.
"What's wrong?"
"Mum doesn't want me to come back to Hogwarts after Easter holiday," Ginny said bluntly. Draco stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant.
"Why not?"
"I think she just found out about the sword incident," Ginny said. "I tried to keep it from her, but she must have found out somehow."
"So…what do we do?"
"I suppose we have to write to Remus. Tell him what's going on, and let him figure out what to do." Ginny sighed and leaned back against the headboard. "This isn't fair."
"What isn't fair?"
"We have to separate, and I don't know if I'll ever seen you again," Ginny said, her voice thick with emotion. Draco touched her cheek gently.
"Don't be silly. We'll see each other again. And I'll write you."
"It won't be the same," Ginny insisted sadly.
"We don't even know what Remus is going to tell us. Maybe we can work out some kind of arrangement."
"There's only one way to find out," Ginny said, moving towards her desk. "Let's write to Remus." Draco watched as she scribbled a letter to Lupin and attached it to the owl still seated in the window. Slowly she turned to look at Draco.
"Draco, I love you."
"And I love you, Ginny," Draco replied, taking her hands in his. "I promise, nothing in this world is going to change that. Not even separation." Ginny smiled weakly.
"You're not going to pull a Harry, are you?"
"I'd rather die," Draco said with a grin.
"Don't say that," Ginny pleaded. "I can't bear to think of you…" She trailed off, unable to finish her thought. Draco shook his head.
"Then don't. I'll be fine." He kissed her gently on the forehead. A sudden knock came at the door. Before Ginny could blink, Draco had transformed into a puppy. She hurried to the door and disabled the enchantments locking it.
"Hey, Romilda," she said when she caught sight of her friend.
"Hey, Ginny. How are you?"
"Oh…I'm all right. I just got a letter from my mum. She doesn't want me to come back here after Easter." Romilda's smile faltered.
"What?"
"She found out about the sword-napping. And she says it's getting much more dangerous now. Word is, things are going to reach a climax soon, and she doesn't think Hogwarts is safe anymore." Romilda sighed.
"I don't know what we'll do without you, Ginny. You've given everyone so much hope." Ginny smiled at this.
"Thanks, Romilda. There's not that much school left after Easter. You'll survive."
"Have you told Colin?" Romilda asked.
"No, I just got the letter now." Romilda shook her head.
"Colin will be devastated. You know how much he cares about you." Ginny looked up at Romilda suddenly.
"You don't think…"
"I don't know, Ginny," Romilda admitted. "It sure seems like it, though."
"He's like a brother to me, Romilda."
"I know. And so does he. But sometimes, you just can't help it," Romilda pointed out gently. Ginny nodded sadly. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend. I know it's raining, but we can just go have a drink in the Three Broomsticks if you want."
"I could use a drink actually," Ginny said with a sigh. "Do you want to come, love?" She asked her puppy. Draco shook his head and curled up in his blanket at the end of her bed.
"Your dog is so sweet," Romilda sighed. "It's like he's a person." Ginny smiled at this and went over to kiss him on the head.
"He is sweet. I don't know what I'd do without him."
"Come on, Gin. We'll miss the coach," Romilda prodded. Ginny nodded and gave Draco one last kiss before following Romilda out the door. Colin was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps. His face brightened when he saw them.
"Ready to go?" He asked cheerfully. Ginny's heart wrenched at the thought of telling Colin that she was leaving in two weeks and not coming back. She didn't know that she could do it.
She was abnormally quiet during the carriage ride to Hogsmeade. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Romilda and Colin arguing about quidditch. Suddenly, she felt someone touch her hand.
"Ginny, we're here," Romilda said. The three friends left the carriage and made their way through the rain to the Three Broomsticks. It wasn't very crowded. It seemed that no one wanted to make the trip to Hogsmeade in such weather. They ordered themselves some butterbeers and sat down in a booth.
"I can't believe we're so close to the end of the year," Colin remarked. "Just a few more months, and we're done with our sixth year."
"It's crazy," Romilda agreed.
"I wish we could say the same about the war," Ginny added.
"Has Harry told you how close he is to destroying all of the horcruxes?" Romilda asked. Ginny shook her head.
"I have no idea how close he is. We could be in this war for decades."
"Don't say that, Ginny. I'm sure he's close," Colin insisted.
"Oh! My friend, Penny, just walked in," Romilda exclaimed happily. "I'm going to say hello." She hurried off in the direction of her friend, leaving Colin and Ginny alone. She threw Ginny a pointed look over her shoulder, indicating that she should break the news while she was gone.
"I expect you'll be relieved to see Harry when it's all over, eh?" Colin commented with a knowing grin. Ginny tried to smile in return, but it came across as insincere. Colin noticed.
"What's wrong?" He asked immediately. Ginny tried to think of an excuse, but her mind had gone blank.
"Oh…nothing. I can't wait to see him," she mumbled uncertainly. Suddenly, Colin's eyes cleared of their confusion.
"There's someone else, isn't there?" He said quietly. Ginny's face paled.
"What?"
"You're in love with someone else," Colin clarified, still keeping his voice down. Ginny searched for the words to deny it, but she found nothing. And even if she had tried to lie, Colin wouldn't have believed her. He had an uncanny ability to see straight through her lies. It was a gift and a curse.
"Colin…"
"Who is it?"
"You can't tell anyone. Promise me," Ginny pleaded, grasping his hand in desperation. Colin's brow furrowed in concern.
"Who is it?"
"Colin, I can't tell you why or how. I shouldn't even be telling you who, but you're my best friend, and I trust you not to say anything to anyone."
"You know you can trust me, Ginny. I promise I won't say a word. And I won't ask any questions if you can't tell me anything more about it," Colin vowed. Ginny nodded and glanced around the pub to make sure no one was within earshot.
"It's Draco Malfoy," she confessed quietly. Colin's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"What?" He gasped. "Ginny, have you gone mad?"
"I wish I could explain, Colin, but I can't. You just have to trust me." Colin searched Ginny's eyes carefully.
"Does he love you too?"
"Yes, Colin."
"Have you told Harry?"
"I haven't told anyone. Except you," Ginny said softly. "I wish I could tell you everything so you would be able to understand."
"I do understand, Ginny," Colin said with a sigh. He smiled wanly. "Draco Malfoy is a very lucky man."
"So! What did I miss?" Romilda asked, sitting back down next to Ginny.
"Oh, nothing. Colin and I were just…talking." Romilda noted their pallid expressions and nodded.
"So you told him about staying home after Easter holiday?" Romilda asked. Ginny's eyes widened and she shook her head. Colin frowned and stared at her.
"What?"
"Oops," Romilda muttered. "Guess I'll be going now," she excused herself and headed for the toilet. Ginny sighed and buried her head in her hands.
"What was she talking about, Ginny?" Colin asked. Ginny groaned.
"I wanted to tell you, Colin," she whispered. "I just didn't know how."
"Are there any more secrets I should know about?" He asked dryly. Ginny shook her head sadly.
"Colin, please don't be mad. It's my mum. She doesn't think Hogwarts is a safe place to be anymore. She wants me to stay at home when we go home for Easter holiday." Colin's eyes filled with tears.
"You're leaving me?"
"Don't be silly, Colin. Everyone else is staying. You'll still have Romilda."
"It's not the same, Ginny. You're my best friend and I lo-" Colin started to say, but stopped himself and looked away. His cheeks flushed bright pink.
"Colin, you're my best friend too! And if I had a choice, I would come back and stick out the rest of the year with you, but Mum will never let me." Colin sighed.
"I wish it didn't have to be this way," he murmured.
"Me too, Colin. This war is ruining so much for us."
"Is it safe to come back now?" Romilda asked timidly. Ginny smiled and nodded.
"It's all right. We're okay."
"Define 'okay'," Colin mumbled unhappily.
"Oh, come on, Col!" Romilda said cheerfully. "You'll get to spend more quality time with me!" Colin and Ginny exchanged glances.
"Ginny, please don't leave me!" He pleaded jokingly. Romilda smacked his arm, and the three friends laughed together as they hadn't laughed in a long time. For a brief moment, nothing was wrong with the world.
--
Dear Draco and Ginny,
I hadn't anticipated this happening. Although, Ginny, your mother is famous for her unpredictability. The solution I have come up with is this. Tonks has just given birth to our son. We named him Ted, for her father. Your mother could not object to you assisting Tonks with the baby, Ginny. Especially since Tonks and I are constantly out of the house. We've had to hire a sitter, but this arrangement will be much more convenient. As for you, Draco, you will also stay with us. It will dissolve the need for mail correspondence, and you can report directly to me. I will speak to your mother, Ginny, and see if she will agree to it. I will come to pick the both of you up at Kings Cross station. Draco, you'll come with me. Ginny, I'd imagine your mother will want you at home for at least a few days. I hope you both are well, and I will see you in two weeks.
Remus J. Lupin