Harry, Ron and Hermione burst onto the tower just then, completely distraught. Ron had Ginny's suicide note grasped tightly in his hand. Then at the sight before them they stopped, confused.

Ginny was not dead as they had thought, but quite alive and wrapped tightly in Draco's arms. Ginny and Draco broke apart at the interruption, and the five stared at each other for a few moments, shocked.

Hermione reacted first, hugging Ginny and saying,

"Oh, my god, Ginny. I was so terrified that you had actually done it. I mean…I guess…you were going to jump off that?" She eyed the balcony warily as Harry and Ron moved to hold Ginny tightly in the middle of a group hug that, needless to say, did not include Draco.

"I did jump. This bastard had to go and stop my fall." Ginny gave Malfoy an "evil" glare.

Harry and Ron gaped in amazement at Draco, who merely shrugged. Hermione again was the first to break the silent staring contest, saying,

"Why did you do it, Ginny?" Eight eyes were suddenly focused on Ginny.

"I… I…"Ginny fell silent and stared at the ground. Then she looked at their faces one at a time, reading their expressions: Harry's empathy, Ron's heartbreak, Hermione's despair, and Draco's understanding. She knew suddenly that her grief was a burden they were fully willing to bear, and that being kept in the dark at this point would only increase the encumbrance.

She spilled her heart out, telling everything that she had worked so hard to conceal. The wall she had built up had shattered the moment her feet left the ledge, and throughout her story she could feel the presence of the Void so much more sharply than before.

It had been filled when she had stood in Draco's arms and had therefore retreated, but it now was in the forefront of her mind, reacting autonomously to everything she said and thought. It pulsed with pride when she described its effect on her life and its dominance over her, and it gave a contented sigh when she told of her encounter with Draco in the hallway.

At this moment eyes flew towards Draco, and he looked at the three he had previously counted as his worst enemies with an unreadable expression.

Ginny kept talking, covering the past two weeks in about as much time as she had broached the past six years.

When she was done telling about everything that had happened, she again looked into the expressions on her friends' faces. Their countenances had become enigmatic; particularly Draco's.

She looked into his eyes for endless moments, staring into them and seeing a different familiarity. Before she had merely recognized their icy silver color as one of the intangible elements of the Void, but she now realized suddenly that they were a Void.

Ginny wondered what was going on beneath Draco's unreadable expression.

"AAAA-HEM." Rod cleared his throat loudly. Ginny looked at him, but Draco kept his eyes fixed on her face.

"Malfoy." Ron said coldly. Draco made a noise of acknowledgement, never taking his eyes from Ginny's face.

"Thank you for saving my sister. Now may I inquire as to what sparked this uncharacteristic act of kindness?"

"Ron!" Hermione hissed.

Draco looked at Ron furiously.

"I may loathe you, Weasel, but I do have enough humanity in me to know that I can't just watch someone commit suicide. Maybe it's too much for your simple mind to understand, but I am not just a hate-driven, power-hungry Slytherin bastard as you seem to think." Ron looked away, shocked more at the almost civil tone of Draco's voice than his words, and quickly changed the subject to something safer for him. Or maybe not so safe…

"Ginny, mum is on her way over here."

"WHAT!?" Ginny shouted incredulously.

"Well, excuse me for thinking that she might want to get the message that you had killed yourself." Ron said defensively.

"Ron, that was a bit harsh" Harry said quietly in his ear.

"You still shouldn't have…" Ginny trailed off as she realized that the first thing she would have done if Ron had left a suicide note would be to owl her mum.

"Speak of the devil," Hermione said as Mrs. and Mr. Weasley apparated outside the gates.

"Here it comes" Ginny murmured.

No one but Ginny noticed that Draco had slipped out of the tower.