'It had to be a mirage', Malfoy thought to himself.
It wasn't possible.
After all that time and money and research spent tracking her down. It couldn't be possible. She couldn't be real.
Draco Malfoy had exited the large drab grey building he had been doing business in. He walked outside for some fresh air and gazed at the hip new club across the road. Funky colored lights flashed as the doors opened and closed. Right before Draco was about to re-enter the gray building, the back door of the club opened and caught his eye. He turned slowly and stared at the figure that had emerged from the club. A beautiful Hispanic woman with long dark hair and deeply tanned skin stepped out first. Stunning enough to be a model, petite and dark eyed, she was the first thing Draco noticed. Once outside she turned and pulled another girl through the door with her. The thin, taller red head came tumbling out the door, holding her hand tightly. They were talking and smiling when suddenly, the Hispanic woman said something that made the red head girl laugh, and she threw back a head of mahogany curls. And Draco knew.
He knew if he looked, her shoulders would be shaking as she laughed.
He knew how her laugh would sound, light and sweet, like wind chimes in the breeze.
He knew how her eyes would light up and twinkle different shades of amber and gold.
And somehow, Draco knew that she was real. That she was there standing a mere twenty feet away from him. It was although the past six years hadn't happened, he ached for her in his arms. The Hispanic women finally re-entered the club and Ginny was finally alone. Draco hadn't even noticed he was staring until she slowly pivoted around and faced him.
Looking Ginny in the face after not seeing her for six years did strange things to Draco. A mix of emotions flooded through him and he couldn't decide what he was really feeling. Suddenly Draco noticed something. Ginny was running away.
Taken by complete shock, Draco quickly apperated and dissaperated to were he had just seen Ginny take off. He had no idea where she was going. As he appeared on the corner he saw a flash of brown boots turning sharply down the road. Again Draco apperated and dissaperated to where he had seen the flash. This continued for almost ten full minutes. Draco couldn't understand what was going on, or where she was going. All he knew was that he had to follow her. He had to catch up. He couldn't let her leave again. Finally Ginny turned into a driveway. Not knowing whos house she was running into, he decided to intercept her before she got there. If she got to a fireplace, she could disappear again. He closed his eyes and re-appeared right in front of the door. Ginny ran, and skidded to a halt, mere inches away from him.
"Draco" she whispered. And then she fainted.
Draco instinctively bent down to catch her, and did so right before she hit the pavement. As soon as his hands came in contact with her skin, blood rushed through his veins so fast he thought his heart would stop. She was so warm and soft. And she smelled even better than he remembered. He sat there for a moment, just taking in the rush of having her back in his arms again, when suddenly he felt extremely guilty. Here she was, fainted in his arms, and he was thinking about touching her. He needed to get her to a hospital and fast. Holding her tightly, and thinking St Mungo's they dissapperated with a -crack-.
peered out of her house from her second story window. She had heard the young mother next door running down the block with her foolish high heeled boots. What was a lady doing running at all? As she opened her window to yell, she saw a young blond man crouched on the sidewalk holding the Ginny girl. Suddenly, they were gone. Vanished. Mrs. Bertrand rubbed her eyes, but the strange pair didn't re-appear. "Je deviens sénile" she muttered to herself. And she slammed the window shut.
Ginny's eyes fluttered open.
"Wh..what's going on?" she asked out loud sleepily. She tried blinking away the drowsiness, but she felt so tired.
Blinking lights, a flurry of lime-green robes and a consistent beeping noise brought her to her senses.
' Wait. lime-green robes?' The only place that had them was...
"Why am I in the hospital?" Ginny asked loudly, to no one in particular.
"You fainted" came the reply of a Healer. "Normally fainting doesn't require hospitalization but you where unconscious for quite some time, and your heartbeat was irregular" came the patient explanation.
"Where's my baby?" she asked panicked.
' Is my child alone at home?' she wondered in distraught.
"Don't worry, it's taken care of" came a reply from the corner.
Ginny whipped her head sideways to see the owner of the voice.
"Grace!" she exclaimed happily. "How are you? Long time no speak!"
Standing at her full 4"10 Grace was very small person. Between her long waist lengthen golden blonde hair, dimpled cheeks, and large baby blue eyes, topped off with a name like 'Grace', the nurse looked like an angel, or cherub. She was simply and undebatabley adorable.
"Wait... taken care of? Where is my baby?" Ginny asked worriedly.
"With that old lady across the street. You know the one who sounds like a polish grandma? After I saw you here I dissaperated back to your place and saw them together. Apparently she had been over babysitting or something? I don't remember. Either way I explained you fainted after work and that you staying here overnight. She agreed to stay and sent the munchkin to school with a carpool. Little squirt will barely notice you're gone, and will be taken care of until you get back."
"Grace. You are officially the most wonderful person ever. Thank you so so much." She told the tiny nurse.
"No prob" Grace chirped back.
"So what exactly happened?" Grace wondered. "You were passed out pretty badly when you were brought here. How'd you get her even? And your heart was beating irregularly... I was scared. What happened to you? Then the doctors couldn't find your records... because of your...er.. change, and I slipped out and conveniently replaced them under the right name. Then they said that something very traumatic must have happened to you to put your body through such shock."
"I saw Draco" Ginny said quietly.
"Malfoy? You saw Malfoy? He did this to you?! I am going to hunt that boy down and hurt him. What did he do to you?!" Grace fumed.
"Nothing, Grace, he didn't do anything." Ginny continued quietly. "I'm so embarrassed I over reacted. He didn't do anything. I just saw him... and it shocked me, I guess. He was in the French Riviera. Why was he there? Why would he be there? In muggle towns no less! He--"
"Ginny" Grace cut her off. "Malfoy? Are you sure? You've done this before. And.... it's never been him. I thought the nightmares where gone but apparently not. I'm sure it was just a hallucination. He isn't back. You're ok." Grace tried to sooth her.
"No!" Ginny said forcefully, even shocking herself. "He was there! I know it. It wasn't like those other times. Before I fainted, I saw his eyes. It was him. I'm telling you. How else could I have even gotten here? He must have brought me."
"Ginny.." Grace started. It was clear from her tone of voice she wasn't convinced. "You probably appareated here yourself. You might be living as a muggle but you grew up a witch. You still have the instincts of one. You would have appareted before you were unconscious. We do things like this sub-consciously all the time. It's our survival instincts."
"Maybe..." Ginny said, now doubting herself. What was all her story based on? So she had seen Malfoy. She had seen him before. Panicking she ran home and pictured him by her house. Him being there, and so close to her home and Emma had just scared her. She passed out and woke up here. Much more plausible then him finding her. But she was so sure it was him!"
"I guess so." She admit, confused that it somehow saddened her that Draco hadn't been there.
"Well, I've got to go do my rounds. Then I'm going to go try grab you something to eat. Hopefully I can snag you something good, and not some of this crap hospital food." Giving Ginny a quick hug she strolled out of the room.
Ginny glanced around her hospital room bored. Rolling over onto her side, she thought she could get in a light nap before Grace returned. A shadow fell over her bed. A voice cleared it's throat.
'More doctors?' Ginny thought impatiently. 'I fainted, not died. What is with all the tests?'.
"Ginny?" the deep voice asked. Ginny rolled over quickly. The voice had changed. It was deeper and lower pitched but had the same familiar smoothness as it said her name.
Draco stood on the other side of Ginny's room.
Ginny's amber eyes widened but she didn't say a word.
"Er...hey. Can we talk?"
*I must be going senile.
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