Ch 10: The Battle
Everything happened in slow motion, as Draco saw it. Almost at the exact same time as the Dark Lord himself came busting through the door, a gaggle of people stumbled in from the Weasley’s fireplace. He recognized one of them to be Professor McGonagall. She was accompanied by a strange-looking witch with spiky orange hair, a wizard Draco thought he recognized as one of the former Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, and a few others.
Draco reached for his wand, holding Ginny behind him with his other arm. The cries of spells could be heard after a slight moment of shocked silence. Draco didn’t think Ginny had her wand on her, silly witch! Who could blame her though? It was an ungodly hour early in the morning. Draco was pleased to see that at least everyone else was prepared. He shoved Ginny behind the sofa with him.
“I’ll cover you! Go upstairs and get your wand!” he whispered. Ginny nodded and looked towards the stairs. Draco jumped up shouting various spells on his way and felt Ginny ducking behind him as he headed for the stairs. Everyone was in one-on-one battles, some of the Burrow’s walls were already blown out and a fire had flared up in the middle of the room.
“Shit!” Draco hissed. He darted up the stairs after Ginny.
He tackled Ginny as she was running back out of her room, wand at the ready. He dragged her back inside and shut the door, placing a quick locking charm on it in case an enemy had followed.
“We’ve got to get outside. There’s a fire and some walls already missing downstairs. This place will fall soon! Have you got a broom up here?” he cried as he ran for the window.
“No! Well, maybe in the attic, an old one.”
“Accio it!” he commanded, blasting open the window and looking down below them. Some of the fighting had moved outside. Off to his left, nearly out of sight, Draco could see Potter and Snape, fighting side by side against the Dark Lord. Now that was a sight to behold! Ginny had done as he asked and she ran to him with the broom. They could hear shouts and screams from downstairs. Draco hopped on the broom and pulled Ginny into his arms.
“We’re going to go straight down, ok? We can’t risk flying out into the open and anyone seeing us. Stay close to me once we’re on the ground! Got it?” Ginny nodded, chewing her lip. He could tell she was nervous but knew she was tough. He had a nervous sickness building in his own stomach.
They dropped quickly to the ground some thirty-odd feet below, the broom breaking what could have been a nasty fall. Draco assessed the scene quickly. No one was down yet, killed, not that he could see. He and Ginny ducked across the yard to join Ginny’s father.
“Draco! Ginny! Thank goodness!” Arthur cried. He had to immediately return his attention to a Death Eater approaching on his right. Draco engaged with him and the two made quick work of the offender.
“Where’s my mum?” Draco asked through the noise. The Burrow was squeaking and swaying, about to fall as the flames shot through the roof.
“She had an emergency portkey to take her safely to the Ministry where she has been held for her protection. She used it, as far as I know!” Arthur called back. “You two be careful! I’ve got to go help the Missus!” Draco and Ginny nodded and ducked behind a barrel as Arthur ran off to help Molly, who was engaged in a fitful spell battle with a Death Eater.
The witch with spiky, bright hair tumbled past them. “Oi! You two!” she cried as she regained her footing. “We’re taking them down left and right. When it’s just him left, You-Know-Who, we’re all going to join in. We don’t have all the Horcruxes yet so we can’t kill him but we can stun him, bind him, and get to safety. Watch for my signal and be ready!” She darted off again as a spell flew past her head.
xxx
Elsewhere on the property, Ron and Hermione were fending off two approaching Death Eaters and trying to get out of the Burrow before it crumbled on top of them.
"Incendio!" Hermione shouted, pointing towards the one remaining wall. “Run!” she screamed at Ron as the wall burst into flames, engulfing the Death Eaters as well. They burst through the smoke and went stumbling to the ground once they had reached a safe distance. Both were coughing from the smoke but regained their ground quickly.
They hadn’t been spotted yet. “What do we do?” Hermione whispered nervously. “Should we separate?”
“No!” Ron hissed. “Certainly not! I’m staying by you— I won’t let anything happen to you.” Ron pulled her face to his for a quick, bruising kiss and then let go, shoving Hermione behind him protectively.
Ron spotted his parents engaged in a duel with a huge wizard. A quick glance around showed him that at least four Death Eaters were down. They hadn’t any idea how many had come, though. Ron kept his wand up, scanning for anyone who needed help or a better place for he and Hermione to hide.
He saw a flash of bright orange, and suddenly Tonks was rolling past. She told them of the plan and quickly ran to the aid of Lupin.
Ron spotted the white blond hair from across the yard, ducking behind a barrel. Knowing Ginny must be with him, Ron pushed Hermione towards some bushes and dragged her behind him as they made their way around the yard to Draco and Ginny.
“Ginny, you okay?” Ron asked as he brushed his hand over her head and checked briefly for injuries.
“I’m fine!” she whispered. “Hermione?”
“We’re all right,” Hermione replied, gasping for air, still coughing from the smoke.
“Did Tonks tell you?” Ginny asked. Ron nodded. “How many are left?”
“I can’t tell but we should watch for the signal.”
“What if he hurts Harry?” Ginny whispered nervously.
“He can’t hurt Harry! He won’t!” Ron cried. Draco gave him a shushing gesture.
“Snape is fighting with Potter. Surely the two of them can at least fend him off while the rest of your lot finishes dealing with the Death Eaters,” Draco snipped when Ginny elbowed him.
The four of them turned their attention to the far corner of the yard where Snape and Harry were still engaged with Voldemort. Ron took a look around. He saw Kingsley Shacklebolt lying on the ground, not moving. Other than that, everyone seemed to be okay.
“I think it’s time,” Ron whispered. As everyone else turned to look, they saw small blue sparks coming from someone’s wand and knew that was their signal. They jumped up and headed towards Harry. Tonks, Lupin, Arthur, Molly, and Professor McGonagall appeared as well.
“You can’t kill me!” Voldemort laughed. “Surely you must know that!”
“We can hurt you though!” Harry yelled. At that moment, everyone pointed their wands towards Voldemort but before they could shout the spell, a bright flash of light stung their eyes as Voldemort screamed something and there was a loud cracking noise as he Apparated away. The shock wave from whatever Voldemort had screamed sent everyone flying backwards.
xxx
Ginny was laying on her back, gasping for air, The wind had gotten knocked out of her when she flew backwards from the force of the spell Voldemort had cast. She closed her eyes and willed her breath to return. When she opened them, Draco was hovering over her.
“Are you okay?” he brushed her hair back from her face. She tried to sit up and couldn’t. “Don’t move. Let me help you.” He gently helped her sit up and wiped some dirt from her cheek.
“Harry?” she gasped. “Harry… and Snape?” She sucked in as much air as she could muster and spit it right back out. “Are they… okay?” Draco looked around and saw Ginny’s parents and Professor McGonagall attending to them.
“Yes, it appears so,” Draco began as someone rushed to his side and pushed him out of the way. “Hey!” he whined. It had been Ron who had knocked him over.
“Never mind, never mind!” Ron waved his hand back at Draco. “I’m sorry! I just wanted to make sure Ginny’s okay!”
“She isn’t really, but I was taking good care of her,” Draco said, not bothering to hide his exasperation. At that moment, Arthur Weasley ran up to them.
“We’ve got to get to the Order! Draco, once we get this sorted out, we’re going to send you and your mother somewhere safe.”
The next few hours were a blur. Draco was in a dingy house he’d never seen before but there were pictures of his relatives and a family tree in one room. ‘Must have been Sirius’s,’ he mused.
He had barely seen Ginny. She’d been having trouble breathing since Voldemort left and a medi-witch had been attending to her.
Ginny’s father had said he understood Draco’s desire to see her but that she didn’t need to be excited right now and seeing him would not help her. He didn’t really know what Mr. Weasley was getting at but he obeyed his instructions to remain in the room where he was, pacing and looking thru ratty old albums and books.
xxx
Ginny was finally able to breathe on her own, without the aid of any spells. She was exhausted from the amount of energy that had been drained from her by just trying to breathe. She drifted to sleep but many people were in and out of her room, and she heard bits and pieces of what was said.
“Was she really taking up with Draco Malfoy?” asked a male voice in a whisper.
“Aye. She was. ‘Arry was none to ‘appy ‘bout it. But yuh know how girls are at that age… they like the bad boys more’n the good ‘uns. It’s probably just a phase,” was the reply from a voice she didn’t recognize.
Later, she’d heard her mum answering the same sort of question. “Well, Ginny’s had a lot of boyfriends in the past year or two. Fickle, that one! She’s a heartbreaker. I thought with Harry, well, maybe she’d settle down but she’s still got that wild streak in her. I suppose she’ll settle down one day. She’s young yet. That’s why I wasn’t terribly concerned. She’ll have these little teenaged romances, yes, but it’s not like it was when Arthur and I met. You don’t meet your soul-mate too often as a teenager these days.”
Ginny frowned in her sleep. Was everyone still against her relationship with Draco? Did they think it was just a ‘phase?’ Perhaps it was. What if they were right? Draco was leaving soon, if he hadn’t already. She wouldn’t be able to communicate with him. She’d heard her father say so earlier. What was supposed to happen while they were separated? It could be weeks, months, hell even years before Draco and his mother returned, if they ever did! What if they went somewhere they liked and just stayed? It’s not like England was the only country where wizards lived, obviously.
Ginny racked her brain with thoughts and tired herself out so much she got a headache and had to request a potion to help her go back to sleep.
xxxxxxx
There was a tentative knock on the door. Draco roused from the spot he had fallen asleep in the old, dusty lounge chair. He looked up to see Ginny entering the room. There was no one with her.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Hi there, freckles,” he grinned. He rose from his chair and met her in the middle of the room, brushing her cheek with his hand. “How are you feeling?”
Ginny ignored his question. “My father said I could see you and then you have to go.”
“Did he tell you where I am going?”
Ginny shook her head. “Nobody is telling me much of anything. They don’t want me to know where you are for both our safety.”
Draco wrapped his arms around Ginny and pulled her close, kissing her temple. She let him for a brief minute and then pulled away from him and out of his grasp.
“What’s wrong?” he reached out towards her, concern beginning to etch it’s way through his features.
“What’s going to happen?” She searched his eyes with hers. “You’re going away to who knows where for who knows how long. I’ll be back at school in a month or so. What about you? Are they ever going to let you back into school? I doubt it would even be safe for you there!” Tears were beginning to pour down her cheeks now and he moved to wipe them away.
“No! No!” he began. “Ginny, I—“
“What? You’ll wait for me? I’ll wait for you? Draco, it shouldn’t have happened this way! Deep down, I knew you’d have to go and you knew it too!”
“To whom have you been talking? Who has filled your head with this shite?” he yelled, grabbing her shoulders more forcefully than he meant to. He let go immediately, horrified at his own actions.
“Draco,” she said as she tried to compose herself. “Draco, I care about you! Truly I do! But, how is this supposed to work? If you can tell me that, then I’ll believe you. But, we won’t even be able to communicate! It won’t be safe for either of us if we do! It’ll hurt less if we…”
“If we what?” he fumed.
“Don’t make me say it,” she sobbed, stepping forward and dropping her head to his shoulder.
“You want to… to end this?” he whispered, blinking back a tear of his own. She nodded into his shoulder and after a few moments of silence, she brought her head back up to him.
“Maybe… in another place, in another time… we could see if it works. But, right now I think it’s for the best if we just— leave it be.” She looked down at her feet and waited for his response.
Draco tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze back to his. He gently brushed his lips against hers and walked stiffly from the room. Ginny remained in the same spot, sobbing, until she could stand no more and dropped to her knees.
xxx
Her father found her there a while later. Ginny had no idea how much time had passed. “Ginny? Darling, what’s wrong?” he asked, taking a seat on the floor beside her.
“Is Draco gone?” she choked out through her sobs.
“Yes, he just left by portkey to the Ministry to meet up with his mother. They are being taken somewhere safe, don’t worry.”
Ginny shook her head and fell into her dad’s embrace. “No, I… I…” she couldn’t get the words out. “I told him we should break things off!”
A puzzled look crossed Arthur’s face as he rubbed her back gently. “But I thought you liked him?”
“Oh, I do! I really do, I just… I mean, when am I ever going to see him again? What if he and his mum are found? What if something happens to me?” she sobbed almost incoherently.
“Oh Ginny! Ginny, dear!” Arthur said as he pulled her close. “You were trying to let him go, weren’t you?” Ginny nodded at this. “I know it’s hard, but you’ll be back in school in a while and between now and then I am sure we can find ways to keep you busy.” Arthur searched the sad brown eyes in front of him, noticing a dullness that hadn’t been there the past few weeks.
“You’ll see him again, darling. And, even if things ended badly right now, time has a way of healing wounds.”
Ginny nodded and got up from the floor, sighing. “I think I’ll go have a lie down.”
“Actually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are headed out with Tonks and Remus. You might want to come say goodbye to them first.”
“Okay. Are they going—?”
“In search of Horcruxes? Yes. Your mother is sick with worry for the three of them and she is going to need you. But, she also knows they have to do this. Come on, now. Put on a happy face just for a few minutes, okay?”
“I can do that,” Ginny tried her best to smile but it left a lot to be desired, her father thought.
Downstairs, everyone was saying their goodbyes and offering words of advice to the three young students. Tonks and Lupin would be with them, but still everyone was concerned.
Ginny knew she looked a sight: stringy hair, tear-stained face. She approached Hermione first.
“Ginny? Are you okay?” Hermione asked as she hugged the younger girl.
“I’m just sad that Draco had to go and now you lot are leaving. That’s all,” she said, forcing a smile.
“I wish you could come with us,” Hermione started but Ginny shook her head.
“I know, but it’s best I don’t.” She whispered as someone else enveloped Hermione in a hug. Ginny moved on to Ron.
“Take care, Ron. I’ll miss you,” she said, hugging him tightly. “I need you! Come back to me, okay?”
“Okay. Gin, is there—“
“Everything’s fine. It’s just been a long day, you know,” Ginny replied, trying to shrug off Ron’s look of concern.
“If you say so. Keep mum in line, she’s going to be mental!” Ron whispered. Ginny nodded, laughing slightly.
She moved to Harry and nodded at him briefly before turning away. She turned back around, shocked, as Harry gently grabbed one of her arms.
“Take care, Ginny.”
“You too, Harry. I know you’ll do well.” She began to turn away again but Harry held on to her arm.
“I…” he started but paused, running a shaky hand through his messy dark hair. “I’m sorry about the way things have been between us.”
“No, you have every right to be upset with me,” she shook her head.
“Well, I guess. But like you said one time, we’ve always been friends. And, I think… you’re good for Malfoy.” Harry seemed to choke those last few words out. “He can be tolerable when he is around you. I only hope he knows how… how lucky he is.” Ginny nodded, blinking back tears and fled from the room without another look or word to anyone else.
Everything happened in slow motion, as Draco saw it. Almost at the exact same time as the Dark Lord himself came busting through the door, a gaggle of people stumbled in from the Weasley’s fireplace. He recognized one of them to be Professor McGonagall. She was accompanied by a strange-looking witch with spiky orange hair, a wizard Draco thought he recognized as one of the former Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, and a few others.
Draco reached for his wand, holding Ginny behind him with his other arm. The cries of spells could be heard after a slight moment of shocked silence. Draco didn’t think Ginny had her wand on her, silly witch! Who could blame her though? It was an ungodly hour early in the morning. Draco was pleased to see that at least everyone else was prepared. He shoved Ginny behind the sofa with him.
“I’ll cover you! Go upstairs and get your wand!” he whispered. Ginny nodded and looked towards the stairs. Draco jumped up shouting various spells on his way and felt Ginny ducking behind him as he headed for the stairs. Everyone was in one-on-one battles, some of the Burrow’s walls were already blown out and a fire had flared up in the middle of the room.
“Shit!” Draco hissed. He darted up the stairs after Ginny.
He tackled Ginny as she was running back out of her room, wand at the ready. He dragged her back inside and shut the door, placing a quick locking charm on it in case an enemy had followed.
“We’ve got to get outside. There’s a fire and some walls already missing downstairs. This place will fall soon! Have you got a broom up here?” he cried as he ran for the window.
“No! Well, maybe in the attic, an old one.”
“Accio it!” he commanded, blasting open the window and looking down below them. Some of the fighting had moved outside. Off to his left, nearly out of sight, Draco could see Potter and Snape, fighting side by side against the Dark Lord. Now that was a sight to behold! Ginny had done as he asked and she ran to him with the broom. They could hear shouts and screams from downstairs. Draco hopped on the broom and pulled Ginny into his arms.
“We’re going to go straight down, ok? We can’t risk flying out into the open and anyone seeing us. Stay close to me once we’re on the ground! Got it?” Ginny nodded, chewing her lip. He could tell she was nervous but knew she was tough. He had a nervous sickness building in his own stomach.
They dropped quickly to the ground some thirty-odd feet below, the broom breaking what could have been a nasty fall. Draco assessed the scene quickly. No one was down yet, killed, not that he could see. He and Ginny ducked across the yard to join Ginny’s father.
“Draco! Ginny! Thank goodness!” Arthur cried. He had to immediately return his attention to a Death Eater approaching on his right. Draco engaged with him and the two made quick work of the offender.
“Where’s my mum?” Draco asked through the noise. The Burrow was squeaking and swaying, about to fall as the flames shot through the roof.
“She had an emergency portkey to take her safely to the Ministry where she has been held for her protection. She used it, as far as I know!” Arthur called back. “You two be careful! I’ve got to go help the Missus!” Draco and Ginny nodded and ducked behind a barrel as Arthur ran off to help Molly, who was engaged in a fitful spell battle with a Death Eater.
The witch with spiky, bright hair tumbled past them. “Oi! You two!” she cried as she regained her footing. “We’re taking them down left and right. When it’s just him left, You-Know-Who, we’re all going to join in. We don’t have all the Horcruxes yet so we can’t kill him but we can stun him, bind him, and get to safety. Watch for my signal and be ready!” She darted off again as a spell flew past her head.
xxx
Elsewhere on the property, Ron and Hermione were fending off two approaching Death Eaters and trying to get out of the Burrow before it crumbled on top of them.
"Incendio!" Hermione shouted, pointing towards the one remaining wall. “Run!” she screamed at Ron as the wall burst into flames, engulfing the Death Eaters as well. They burst through the smoke and went stumbling to the ground once they had reached a safe distance. Both were coughing from the smoke but regained their ground quickly.
They hadn’t been spotted yet. “What do we do?” Hermione whispered nervously. “Should we separate?”
“No!” Ron hissed. “Certainly not! I’m staying by you— I won’t let anything happen to you.” Ron pulled her face to his for a quick, bruising kiss and then let go, shoving Hermione behind him protectively.
Ron spotted his parents engaged in a duel with a huge wizard. A quick glance around showed him that at least four Death Eaters were down. They hadn’t any idea how many had come, though. Ron kept his wand up, scanning for anyone who needed help or a better place for he and Hermione to hide.
He saw a flash of bright orange, and suddenly Tonks was rolling past. She told them of the plan and quickly ran to the aid of Lupin.
Ron spotted the white blond hair from across the yard, ducking behind a barrel. Knowing Ginny must be with him, Ron pushed Hermione towards some bushes and dragged her behind him as they made their way around the yard to Draco and Ginny.
“Ginny, you okay?” Ron asked as he brushed his hand over her head and checked briefly for injuries.
“I’m fine!” she whispered. “Hermione?”
“We’re all right,” Hermione replied, gasping for air, still coughing from the smoke.
“Did Tonks tell you?” Ginny asked. Ron nodded. “How many are left?”
“I can’t tell but we should watch for the signal.”
“What if he hurts Harry?” Ginny whispered nervously.
“He can’t hurt Harry! He won’t!” Ron cried. Draco gave him a shushing gesture.
“Snape is fighting with Potter. Surely the two of them can at least fend him off while the rest of your lot finishes dealing with the Death Eaters,” Draco snipped when Ginny elbowed him.
The four of them turned their attention to the far corner of the yard where Snape and Harry were still engaged with Voldemort. Ron took a look around. He saw Kingsley Shacklebolt lying on the ground, not moving. Other than that, everyone seemed to be okay.
“I think it’s time,” Ron whispered. As everyone else turned to look, they saw small blue sparks coming from someone’s wand and knew that was their signal. They jumped up and headed towards Harry. Tonks, Lupin, Arthur, Molly, and Professor McGonagall appeared as well.
“You can’t kill me!” Voldemort laughed. “Surely you must know that!”
“We can hurt you though!” Harry yelled. At that moment, everyone pointed their wands towards Voldemort but before they could shout the spell, a bright flash of light stung their eyes as Voldemort screamed something and there was a loud cracking noise as he Apparated away. The shock wave from whatever Voldemort had screamed sent everyone flying backwards.
xxx
Ginny was laying on her back, gasping for air, The wind had gotten knocked out of her when she flew backwards from the force of the spell Voldemort had cast. She closed her eyes and willed her breath to return. When she opened them, Draco was hovering over her.
“Are you okay?” he brushed her hair back from her face. She tried to sit up and couldn’t. “Don’t move. Let me help you.” He gently helped her sit up and wiped some dirt from her cheek.
“Harry?” she gasped. “Harry… and Snape?” She sucked in as much air as she could muster and spit it right back out. “Are they… okay?” Draco looked around and saw Ginny’s parents and Professor McGonagall attending to them.
“Yes, it appears so,” Draco began as someone rushed to his side and pushed him out of the way. “Hey!” he whined. It had been Ron who had knocked him over.
“Never mind, never mind!” Ron waved his hand back at Draco. “I’m sorry! I just wanted to make sure Ginny’s okay!”
“She isn’t really, but I was taking good care of her,” Draco said, not bothering to hide his exasperation. At that moment, Arthur Weasley ran up to them.
“We’ve got to get to the Order! Draco, once we get this sorted out, we’re going to send you and your mother somewhere safe.”
The next few hours were a blur. Draco was in a dingy house he’d never seen before but there were pictures of his relatives and a family tree in one room. ‘Must have been Sirius’s,’ he mused.
He had barely seen Ginny. She’d been having trouble breathing since Voldemort left and a medi-witch had been attending to her.
Ginny’s father had said he understood Draco’s desire to see her but that she didn’t need to be excited right now and seeing him would not help her. He didn’t really know what Mr. Weasley was getting at but he obeyed his instructions to remain in the room where he was, pacing and looking thru ratty old albums and books.
xxx
Ginny was finally able to breathe on her own, without the aid of any spells. She was exhausted from the amount of energy that had been drained from her by just trying to breathe. She drifted to sleep but many people were in and out of her room, and she heard bits and pieces of what was said.
“Was she really taking up with Draco Malfoy?” asked a male voice in a whisper.
“Aye. She was. ‘Arry was none to ‘appy ‘bout it. But yuh know how girls are at that age… they like the bad boys more’n the good ‘uns. It’s probably just a phase,” was the reply from a voice she didn’t recognize.
Later, she’d heard her mum answering the same sort of question. “Well, Ginny’s had a lot of boyfriends in the past year or two. Fickle, that one! She’s a heartbreaker. I thought with Harry, well, maybe she’d settle down but she’s still got that wild streak in her. I suppose she’ll settle down one day. She’s young yet. That’s why I wasn’t terribly concerned. She’ll have these little teenaged romances, yes, but it’s not like it was when Arthur and I met. You don’t meet your soul-mate too often as a teenager these days.”
Ginny frowned in her sleep. Was everyone still against her relationship with Draco? Did they think it was just a ‘phase?’ Perhaps it was. What if they were right? Draco was leaving soon, if he hadn’t already. She wouldn’t be able to communicate with him. She’d heard her father say so earlier. What was supposed to happen while they were separated? It could be weeks, months, hell even years before Draco and his mother returned, if they ever did! What if they went somewhere they liked and just stayed? It’s not like England was the only country where wizards lived, obviously.
Ginny racked her brain with thoughts and tired herself out so much she got a headache and had to request a potion to help her go back to sleep.
xxxxxxx
There was a tentative knock on the door. Draco roused from the spot he had fallen asleep in the old, dusty lounge chair. He looked up to see Ginny entering the room. There was no one with her.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Hi there, freckles,” he grinned. He rose from his chair and met her in the middle of the room, brushing her cheek with his hand. “How are you feeling?”
Ginny ignored his question. “My father said I could see you and then you have to go.”
“Did he tell you where I am going?”
Ginny shook her head. “Nobody is telling me much of anything. They don’t want me to know where you are for both our safety.”
Draco wrapped his arms around Ginny and pulled her close, kissing her temple. She let him for a brief minute and then pulled away from him and out of his grasp.
“What’s wrong?” he reached out towards her, concern beginning to etch it’s way through his features.
“What’s going to happen?” She searched his eyes with hers. “You’re going away to who knows where for who knows how long. I’ll be back at school in a month or so. What about you? Are they ever going to let you back into school? I doubt it would even be safe for you there!” Tears were beginning to pour down her cheeks now and he moved to wipe them away.
“No! No!” he began. “Ginny, I—“
“What? You’ll wait for me? I’ll wait for you? Draco, it shouldn’t have happened this way! Deep down, I knew you’d have to go and you knew it too!”
“To whom have you been talking? Who has filled your head with this shite?” he yelled, grabbing her shoulders more forcefully than he meant to. He let go immediately, horrified at his own actions.
“Draco,” she said as she tried to compose herself. “Draco, I care about you! Truly I do! But, how is this supposed to work? If you can tell me that, then I’ll believe you. But, we won’t even be able to communicate! It won’t be safe for either of us if we do! It’ll hurt less if we…”
“If we what?” he fumed.
“Don’t make me say it,” she sobbed, stepping forward and dropping her head to his shoulder.
“You want to… to end this?” he whispered, blinking back a tear of his own. She nodded into his shoulder and after a few moments of silence, she brought her head back up to him.
“Maybe… in another place, in another time… we could see if it works. But, right now I think it’s for the best if we just— leave it be.” She looked down at her feet and waited for his response.
Draco tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze back to his. He gently brushed his lips against hers and walked stiffly from the room. Ginny remained in the same spot, sobbing, until she could stand no more and dropped to her knees.
xxx
Her father found her there a while later. Ginny had no idea how much time had passed. “Ginny? Darling, what’s wrong?” he asked, taking a seat on the floor beside her.
“Is Draco gone?” she choked out through her sobs.
“Yes, he just left by portkey to the Ministry to meet up with his mother. They are being taken somewhere safe, don’t worry.”
Ginny shook her head and fell into her dad’s embrace. “No, I… I…” she couldn’t get the words out. “I told him we should break things off!”
A puzzled look crossed Arthur’s face as he rubbed her back gently. “But I thought you liked him?”
“Oh, I do! I really do, I just… I mean, when am I ever going to see him again? What if he and his mum are found? What if something happens to me?” she sobbed almost incoherently.
“Oh Ginny! Ginny, dear!” Arthur said as he pulled her close. “You were trying to let him go, weren’t you?” Ginny nodded at this. “I know it’s hard, but you’ll be back in school in a while and between now and then I am sure we can find ways to keep you busy.” Arthur searched the sad brown eyes in front of him, noticing a dullness that hadn’t been there the past few weeks.
“You’ll see him again, darling. And, even if things ended badly right now, time has a way of healing wounds.”
Ginny nodded and got up from the floor, sighing. “I think I’ll go have a lie down.”
“Actually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are headed out with Tonks and Remus. You might want to come say goodbye to them first.”
“Okay. Are they going—?”
“In search of Horcruxes? Yes. Your mother is sick with worry for the three of them and she is going to need you. But, she also knows they have to do this. Come on, now. Put on a happy face just for a few minutes, okay?”
“I can do that,” Ginny tried her best to smile but it left a lot to be desired, her father thought.
Downstairs, everyone was saying their goodbyes and offering words of advice to the three young students. Tonks and Lupin would be with them, but still everyone was concerned.
Ginny knew she looked a sight: stringy hair, tear-stained face. She approached Hermione first.
“Ginny? Are you okay?” Hermione asked as she hugged the younger girl.
“I’m just sad that Draco had to go and now you lot are leaving. That’s all,” she said, forcing a smile.
“I wish you could come with us,” Hermione started but Ginny shook her head.
“I know, but it’s best I don’t.” She whispered as someone else enveloped Hermione in a hug. Ginny moved on to Ron.
“Take care, Ron. I’ll miss you,” she said, hugging him tightly. “I need you! Come back to me, okay?”
“Okay. Gin, is there—“
“Everything’s fine. It’s just been a long day, you know,” Ginny replied, trying to shrug off Ron’s look of concern.
“If you say so. Keep mum in line, she’s going to be mental!” Ron whispered. Ginny nodded, laughing slightly.
She moved to Harry and nodded at him briefly before turning away. She turned back around, shocked, as Harry gently grabbed one of her arms.
“Take care, Ginny.”
“You too, Harry. I know you’ll do well.” She began to turn away again but Harry held on to her arm.
“I…” he started but paused, running a shaky hand through his messy dark hair. “I’m sorry about the way things have been between us.”
“No, you have every right to be upset with me,” she shook her head.
“Well, I guess. But like you said one time, we’ve always been friends. And, I think… you’re good for Malfoy.” Harry seemed to choke those last few words out. “He can be tolerable when he is around you. I only hope he knows how… how lucky he is.” Ginny nodded, blinking back tears and fled from the room without another look or word to anyone else.
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