Ginny woke up gasping hard. She sat up in the middle of the infirmary, not being able to focus on her surroundings.
"Ginny! Ginny, you're alive! Oh, I was so scared you wouldn't make it!" Ron Weasley rushed forward and enveloped his little sister.
"Where's Draco?" was her first response. An immediate morose look fell over Ron's face. "Gin- I... I don't think I should be the one to tell you this. Dumbledore can explain it better than I can. I'm not even sure exactly why it happened, or how... I'm just... I'm sorry."
"What's wrong? Is he okay? Where is he? Ron! Tell me! I need to know where Draco is!" Ginny began to panic at Ron's vague answer. She looked around in the hospital beds, but couldn't see him anywhere. "No! No! It's not true! It can't be true! He can't be-" her voice faded off, and emptiness overtook her.
Dumbledore came in the infirmary with Harry not far behind. Harry looked down at his feet as he entered, but glanced up at her as he and the Headmaster neared her bed. "Miss Weasley, I'm glad to see you're up and healthy," Dumbledore said, eyes without their normal twinkle.
"Where's Draco?" she sobbed.
"Miss Weasley, I'm afraid that Draco is no longer with us," Dumbledore said carefully.
"Do you mean that he's left the country?" Ginny asked in a naive tone, but inside knew that it was hopeless. With one last grave look, she knew what the answer was. "How?" was all she managed to choke out.
"I'm afraid I don't know all the details, as I was aiding Mr. Potter when this all happened. However, Miss Parkinson says that in his last moments of energy, Tom Riddle threw a Killing Curse straight at you, and Mr. Malfoy pushed you out of the way, leaving himself vulnerable. Apparently, you and Mr. Malfoy blacked out, and he has yet to awake. All attempts are futile, however, seeing as even if he did wake, no magic could undo the harm that the Curse has put on him," Dumbledore finished. He looked at Ginny, and sensed time for him to leave. "Come along, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. I think she needs some time alone." With that, the three left her all alone in the guarded infirmary.
Ginny couldn't believe it. She'd killed Draco. Draco died, and she didn't remember. Why did she let him put himself in her position. Why didn't she push him out of the way? How did Tom survive? Did Tom even survive? Where was Draco now? Could he hear her? Was he even breathing? Dumbledore had said that he was still unconscious, and that all attempts to wake him would be worthless, but she was worthless without him. She lived for him. She belonged to him, and she'd do anything to get her knight back. They'd come too far for him to just leave her.
She finally got out of her bed, and ventured around the Hospital Wing. She saw many faces she knew and many she didn't. She searched up and down the various aisles, but couldn't see platinum blond anywhere. It wasn't until the very last bed in the darkest nook that she actually laid eyes on him. Immediately, she rushed to his side, and grasped his hand. To her surprise, it was still warm.
"Draco," she said softly, "Draco, can you hear me? I know that's a stupid bloody question, and I know I'm being bloody selfish, but I can't help it. I need you here. I need you, Draco. I know that you hate that, but I do, and I'm helpless without you. I know you're not dead. You're stronger than that. Besides, do you want Harry to beat you out on one more thing? Do you want to be known as the guy who was second best to Harry Potter yet again? Please, Draco, please wake-up. Wake-up for me." A tear trickled down her cheek when he didn't respond. She laid her head down next on top of his arm, and sobbed quietly. She glanced up at him, finally, and was shocked to see him staring back at her.
"I know your face," his drawl sounded, and she was sure that it was the greatest thing she'd ever heard in her life. "I know your eyes, and your voice. I just- I can't place it." His face contorted to confusion, and Ginny's sobs were lost. Draco was alive, but Draco didn't know her name. "Your hair... looks like Weasley red. What would a Weasley be doing sitting and crying by my bed?" the old Draco questioned, and her stomach dropped. "Jenny, did you say your name was?"
She just stared at him, not believing her senses. She knew that soon she'd wake up from the nightmare entangled within her Draco's arms, and he'd whisper love confessions and tell her things she'd never heard from any other man. "Draco?" she questioned.
He looked at her in disgust. "Draco?! Such Weasel filth as you are not important enough to recognize me as such!" he shouted, arm shooing her away.
"No, it can't be true! You can't have forgotten everything! Draco, you must remember something!" She wouldn't give in to his protests, and finally, she just kissed him.
I suppose such a kiss as this couldn't be referred to as just a kiss, for it was anything but that. It was earth shaking, record breaking, shooting star good. From the moment Ginny's lips touched Draco's, her instincts knew what to do. She urged open his mouth with her tongue, as he had done to her so many times. He obliged, surprisingly, and as their tongues danced, she poured her memories into him as though he was a Pensieve. First, she remembered their first civil conversation, and then how he'd rescued her from Tom their first night back. Then, she remembered storming into Dumbledore's office and defending him against the outrageous charges. Next, she thought about how jealous he'd been of Harry, Occlumency lessons, and the first time she'd realized that she loved him. She remembered their first kiss and how he'd rescued her from the evil clutches of Voldemort. Lastly, she remembered their confession to the world of just how much they cared for each other.
By the end, his arms had wound their way around her back and he was now pulling her atop him on his bed. Her fingers were lost in his flaxen hair, and he was moaning softly from her caresses. She was first to break away, and she looked down at his swollen lips. "Ginny," he whispered, "Oh Gin, how could I ever have forgotten?" He leaned up and kissed her softly. His fingers threaded through her hair which made her giggle. She just then realized that he was shirtless, leaving his shoulder exposed to where she could just see above the blanket a small lightning bolt scar. She traced it with her index finger, and he gazed curiously at her.
"What're you doing?"
"This must have been where the curse hit you," she reasoned.
"Yeah, why?" he asked, sitting up against her to see what kept her so entertained. He gaped in response when he saw what was embedded into his skin. "I-I... huh. Well, that's something."
This made her laugh harder, which made him start laughing. Soon enough, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had ventured over to investigate, and were shocked at what they found.
"Malfoy?! You're alive?" Harry questioned. "How can that be? Dumbledore said that you'd-" he broke off when he saw the scar on his shoulder.
"You know, as much as I'd hate to admit this, I suppose that this gives us something more in common other than us being in love with the same girl," Draco stated, looking at Harry with an annoyed fondness.
"Do you think you guys have ESP now, or something?" Ron questioned, too relieved to know that his baby sister was happy to realize what exactly he was saying.
"Only if Potter, here, has some weird fantasy about talking to my arm," Draco reasoned, and sat up a little taller, situating Ginny more comfortably on his lap. This was a mistake because his head began to conceive a splitting headache, and he had to lay back down immediately.
"Draco? Are you okay?" Ginny asked with evident concern.
"I'm- fine. I just need... rest," he sighed the last word out.
"Come on, Gin, let's let Malfoy get some sleep," Ron said, offering an arm to his sister.
With some reluctance, Ginny made her way to get up, but Draco held her back. "No," he said,"I'm not losing you again. Sleep with me. You don't look like you need to be moving around much, either."
Ginny had no argument when it came to sleeping beside him, so she did just as he asked. She laid down next to him as he wrapped a protective arm around her waist, and for the first time in a long time, they both fell asleep without worries.
I'm sorry it took so long...
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