Into the Light, Into the Dark (3/3)
Title: Into the Light, Into the Dark (3/3)
Pairing: Draco/Ginny
Rating: R
Summary: When Ginny is rejected by Harry in the most humiliating way, she turns to an unexpected choice. But are his feelings enough to protect her from Harry, and is she strong enough to help him change?
Chapter Three
Part One
Where once was light
Now darkness calls
Where once was love
Love is no more
-Gollum's Song
---
Draco awoke with a feeling of dread. It seemed odd to him, seeing how all night he dreamed of Ginny and what plans they might do together. Even recollecting of the night's good, and the bad, parts didn't let him shake that feeling.
He went on, though, despite it. He wore his dressier school robes that day, not too formal, but they were exquisite enough to make sure everyone noticed him when he walked in a room, not he needed help to be noticed.
Unlike some people. Meaning Potter, of course.
His mood fouled considerably when he thought of that worthless bastard. How could he, who really didn't do anything at all except be saved by his mother's wards, get everything Draco had to work for? It wasn't fair, but, in a rare bout of empathy, he supposed it wasn't fair that both his parents were murdered.
Wow, he mused as he straightened his tie, Ginny's 'goodness' must be rubbing off on me.
---
Breakfast at the Gryffindor table was eerily silent. At one end of the table, Hermione and Ginny chatted, while occasionally sending bad vibes to the boys, who were in turn plotting against Malfoy and trying to figure girls out. Needless to say, their coldness towards each had adverse effects on everyone seated between them, though only those four knew exactly why.
Ginny passively pushed her food around the plate and idly nibbled the toast. Her mind was on Draco. She wanted with all her being to walk over to him and take on the table then and there. She also wantedo other things, and have things done to her, but they were too improper, hell, they were down-right naughty. Why, she contemplated as a sly grin played upon her otherwise innocent face, did Draco bring this new side of me out?
"You're thinking about him, right?" Hermione asked. After seeing the faraway look in Ginny's eyes, she huffed, "Hello? Anyone home?"
Ginny snapped out it. She found she was unknowingly gazing at Draco, who was sitting across the room and decisively not looking at her, but was stealing glances every now and then.
"Sorry Hermione. What were you saying?" Ginny looked a little embarrassed and took a sip of orange juice.
She sighed, not because she was unhappy, but because of envy. "What do you see in him, Ginny?" she asked without beating around the bush.
"I don't know, it's like some kind of attraction between us that's undeniable." She knew she spoke the truth, she felt it resonate in her bones.
"Yeah, but isn't it only physical? I mean, you can't have forgotten all the things he and his family has done to you and yours."
"It isn't only physical," she stated, realizing she just admitted to the animal urges she felt with him, "it's emotional, too." Then her tone became solemn. "And I don't hold him to his past actions or his family. You also haven't seen him with me. He's totally different."
"Is that good or bad?" Hermione asked with a giggle.
"Very good. Maybe he's changing." Ginny saw Draco was being pestered by Pansy Parkinson (his body language suggested he was highly annoyed), then he turned and caught her eye. In that brief second of recognition, which seemed time stopped to her, he smiled, and the message was clear to her. Meet me tonight.
But time in the here and now went on. Hermione giggled again and Ginny looked away from Draco. "Or maybe he's a fantastical liar," she replied without rancor. "But I will believe it when I see it. Which may be sooner than I thought."
Hermione nodded towards the Slytherins, and Ginny gasped. Walking, no, strolling towards her was Draco. Ginny looked around. Surprisingly no one else noticed, except Harry and Ron, who were watching Draco like hawks watch mice in wide, open fields. Harry switched from Draco to her, his eyes hardened with vehemence. She shook her head just as Draco reached them.
"What's wrong, Virginia? Disappointed to see me?" he asked with a smirk. Both girls were astonished by his audacity, but how else should a Malfoy be? "Hello, Granger. How are you?"
Hermione gaped for a few moments, then quickly said, "Fine...I'm, uh, fine." She swallowed a moment, waiting for him to say something, but he only looked at her politely with cool gray eyes. After regaining her wits, she asked, "How are you?"
"I'm good," he responded with a shine in his eye. "I just came over to see how you were doing, Ginny." He turned around and saw Pansy was gawking, but then quickly turned around herself in a huff. "As you saw, I was being unwantedly pursued," he shrugged. "She wants to get back together."
"And what did you tell her?" Ginny asked possessively. She wouldn't stand to lose him, just as he wouldn't lose her, without a fight.
He shrugged again. "I told her she could hope, plead, and pray all she wanted, at least it would give her a different way to wear her knees out." Ginny burst out laughing while Hermione covered her mouth with a hand. Down the table, the boys were hacked off. They couldn't hear what was being said, except they, and everyone else, could hear Ginny's laugh loud and clear. Ron clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, while Harry glared at Malfoy with all the contempt he had within himself.
"Oh, Draco, you didn't!" Ginny and Hermione exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other and began another round laughing as Draco looked on with amusement. The boys' animosity for Malfoy grew significantly.
Draco grinned, then caught sight of the looks he was garnering, especially from Ron and Harry. His grin turned to a smug smirk. "Well, looks like I'll go now." He turned to go, but instead bent and gave Ginny a kiss full on the lips.
Gasps filled the hall. Mid-kiss, Draco's eyes darted to the end of the table, and he smirked, again! Ron hit the table and started to stand, but Harry held him down. After he released her, he said, "I'll see you later, Gin." She was immobile for several moments, still holding her shocked, but delighted position, the kiss put her in. She finally managed to say, "Yeah...yeah, later."
He sauntered out of the hall to the Prefects' lounge. Two moments after he left, Pansy followed. Hermione said, "Wow. I see what you mean."
"Yeah, very good, right?" Ginny caught her breath, then had to catch it again as she saw Harry and Ron approaching them. "Oh, don't look now. It's the secret police."
"Hello, Ron, Harry," Hermione said to keep the peace. "How can we help you?"
"You can help us by telling us what just happened here," Ron retorted. He crossed his arms and said, "Well, Ginny, what was that about?"
Ginny folded her hands neatly on her lap and said, as polite as you please, "None of your business."
Harry slammed a hand on the table, making everyone jump, even Ron. "Goddamn it Ginny! Who the fuck do you think you're playing with?!" All eyes turned to Harry. He didn't care, he was used to it.
"Whoa, calm down, mate," Ron said apprehensively. No one knew where he kept such anger, but considering what transpired last year, Ron thought it might have grown out of his resentment of his parents' death. "You're scaring them." And not to mention me, he added in his thoughts.
Harry turned to Ron and took a deep breath. When he next looked at Ginny, she saw the old Harry she used to know, then a callous gleam washed over his eyes, as if he were fighting an internal struggle against an eviler side of him and he was losing fast.
She filled with compassion and stood to hug him. She noticed how he slightly recoiled from her touch, then felt him warm up to her as he hugged back. In his ear she spoke softly, her tone cautionary. "If you prick me, I bleed, and right now I'm bleeding from a particularly unforgivable prick. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to move on with my life."
Harry stiffened and she tried reading his eyes again, but they were unclear, like a cloud inside emerald gems. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and moved to escape his arms, but he tightened his grip about her waist and whispered back harshly, "You can't get away from me, Virginia. I won't let you go." Ginny yanked herself out of his grip, a hard look mirrored in their eyes, and left without a word more. Harry watched her go as if she was his alone and he would soon reclaim her.
As Hermione stood and gathered her books, she said in a measured tone, "You boys have become obsessed with that girl's business. Leave her be, or no good will come of it," and she, too, left them standing there.
Ron turned to Harry, who hadn't moved at all as the girls left, and asked, "What did Ginny tell you?"
Harry replied, "That this means we carry out the plan today!" His robes swirled about him as he exited the hall in a manner very much becoming of a Slytherin.
Ron, without warning, felt a cold draft pass over him. He ignored it, and followed his friend, wherever he was going.
---
"Now add three, and only three, scales of the salamanders provided. Their special diet has endowed scales with a poison that will kill you if not administered in the correct proportions to the rest of the potion," Professor Snape instructed. It was another double class of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Snape begrudgingly admitted it was his favorite class to teach, if not because his best and most skilled student was present, then because of the many opportunities to dock points from the rival house of Gryffindor.
Snape glided up and down the rows, looking over students' work. He returned to the front and sighed. Their incompetence is immeasurable, he thought morosely to himself. I'm surprised that half of them are still standing. "Once the brew turns red to pink, let it stand for thirty minutes until my inspection. You will be expected to drink the mix, so if the color c does not occur and you still drink the mix, you run the risk of your untimely demise. If you decide not to complete the test today, you will receive detentions every night with me until you have it right.
Many students from both houses looked nervously at their potions. Nearly half of them were lavender, which was not a planned result, and they weighed the repercussions of drinking the potentially deadly blend with countless nights with Snape breathing down their backs.
But Draco Malfoy simply sat back and smirked. He had completed the entire procedure a full twenty minutes before the rest of the class. He truly appreciated the individual assignments Snape gave, it gave him a chance to catch up on his torturing the Weasel and Potter.
He stretched his long legs in front of him and observed them. Weasley was hunched over his cauldron, a gray smoke billowing around him like mist on a cold morning. Draco was pretty sure the fumes could have been toxic, and he softy chuckled to himself with the idea of Weasley keeling over.
Potter heard the quiet laughter and looked up. His eyes met Draco's. Then he did something out of the blue. He smirked. Harry Potter, the Golden Boy, stole Draco Malfoy's, the Heir Apparent of Slytherin, patented evil smirk. All traces of levity disappeared from Draco's face as he glared back at Harry. As if it was unanimous, war was declared.
Snape looked over the class and made an excuse to leave for a short amount of time. Either he didn't notice, or chose not to, the tension building between Draco and Harry, but he left them all with a warning and an order to continue working.
Draco saw his opportunity to strike. He stood and strode up to Harry and Ron. They practically bristled, but he ignored them. "Well, well, Potter, it seems you're having trouble with a simple Levitation potion. What's wrong? Can't keep up now that Granger no longer joins us?"
Harry stared at him with cold, unsettling eyes. "I think you're the one that's going to have a problem, Malfoy," he threatened as he stood. "So sod off if you know what's good for you, also as in, stay away from Ginny."
"I'm sorry, Potter, you must not have known; I don't know what's good for me, will you tell me?" Draco's tone dripped with feigned naivete.
Ron said hotly, "Damn right you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have gone after my sister!"
Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, the Weasel speaks! And here I thought Potter did all your talking for you," Draco sniped back, then leaned in closer. "And speaking of your sister -"
"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron shouted, causing a few students to send their cauldrons crashing to the floor. Ron advanced on Draco, making him retreat, another thing Malfoys don't do. "If I ever hear you talk of my sister again -"
"Ron," Harry said as he put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "cool it. We've plenty of time." Ron bared his teeth at Malfoy a final time before returning to his cauldron. "Watch your step Malfoy," Harry warned just as Snape reentered the room, "or the results could be bad for your health."
Draco sneered in reply as he returned to his seat. Snape had returned with Madame Pomfrey. The audible gulp the majority of the class made it clear they knew why she was there; if any of the brews were made incorrectly and quaffed, she would be their first line of defense against death.
Snape scanned the room to estimate how many students she would have to treat, and carried on with his directions. "I surmise that a good number of you I'll be seeing later, so if you aren't proceeding now, dispose of your potions now. However, those of you who can capably brew such simply ingredients, fill your flasks and come to the front of the class."
All at once, all the students went about with their tasks. Draco hadn't filled his flask yet, and couldn't find it on his desk. He leaned over to check if it fell to the floor. It had, indeed, fallen and he went ahead to fill it. In all the confusion with everyone moving around and Draco's momentary distraction from his cauldron, Harry and Ron implemented their plan. Ron had swiped a few extra salamander scales and Harry levitated them into Draco's mixture, knowing the consequences could be Malfoy's death and their expulsion.
Harry glanced sideways at Ron as the potion was now a lighter red than the pink it had been before. Harry winked, which was full of a malice usually reserved for Malfoy. Ron paled as Snape began to go down the line the students formed. The line order had him go before Harry, then Malfoy was sometime after him. Harry gulped his potion down with confidence; within a few seconds, he was floating a foot above the ground. Snape regarded his feat coldly, but gave him good marks. When Ron drank, he had to jump for a couple of minutes, then he suddenly shot up in the air, hovering for a while until Snape retrieved him with a spell. Draco scoffed and made snide remark that sparked fire in Harry's eyes, but Ron was so dizzy all he could hear was Madame Pomfrey's soothing voice.
Then it was Draco's turn. Harry and Ron glared at him, with combined looks of expectation, hatred, and trepidation. Draco noticed, assumed a smug smirk, and downed the potion.
---
Draco downed the potion. He stood for several seconds, expecting to lift gracefully off the ground, but instead his lean frame started to shake uncontrollably. His eyes flew open, pain shot through his body, and the last thing he remembered was Harry's face looming above him in the darkness, spite distorting his face...
>
---
"He's what?!" Ginny exclaimed.
She was in Arithmancy when she heard the news. Madame Pomfrey hadn't told her; the entire school was abuzz with Draco's sudden condition: he was comatose. The rumors worse still. Many said he was poisoned, that much was confirmed by Snape, and more supposed that Harry was the one responsible. No matter their current predicament of a relationship, she hoped the gossip was unfounded. "I have to go to him," she resolved. For his sake and mine.
After the class was over, instead of going to dinner, she went to where she figured he'd be. Her footfalls echoed her heartbeats, fast and resounding. Thoughts over the worst flew threw through her mind at a rapid pace. Confusion and panic colored her face, but she was set to her purpose, driven by an emotion or will that seemed foreign to her. This must be what it feels like to care for one so much.
As she sped into the infirmary, her breath hitched in her throat. The room was darkened, but a lone bed in the back was illuminated. The figure was still. Draco, she thought worriedly. She rushed forward and fell to her knees at his bedside.
He looked like an angel except for the sunken quality of his face. A deathly pallor colored his visage and any vitality that was present that night in the Astronomy Tower was hidden, deep under the inducements of the poison. She gingerly touched a hand to his cheek. There was a faint warmth and she trembled with relief and sorrow. Her hand slid to his lips, which were shaded a light blue, like he'd been outside on a breezy winter day. Wanting to warm them she pressed her mouth to his and a tear slipped from her eye. A chill spark tingled her spine and she thought she felt a reaction from him. But the only change she had affected was the flush of his lips. She sighed and closed her eyes. An old prayer she had learned when she was young, a prayer her mother would say to her and her brothers at bedtime. She said it would always keep them safe as they slept and they'd always wake up happy...now she hoped the prayer would protect Draco while he slumbered, but would stir him from it soon.
Behind Ginny and Draco, beyond their circular veil of light, a figure was draped in darkness. He stepped forward soundlessly and the light washed over his form.
"Hello, Virginia."
---
Sleep tight
Moonlight
Protects you in the night
Morning's a new day
Waken and depart
From the troubles
Of days gone away
As if through a muted fog, Draco heard a female voice softly sing what seemed to him a plea. He opened his eyes slowly to see who was saying it, but he was alone. He became wary and took his surroundings. Where am I? he thought. He was in a windowless room of gray, with one lamp that swung slowly from the ceiling. He was sitting in a metal chair in the center of the room. He glanced at himself and recognized his school robes. He couldn't recall how he got wherever he was, couldn't even remember what happened that day, or even if it was the daytime or nighttime. He stood slowly to further survey his situation, and as he did so the recitation's orator became clear and it was...was Ginny. He tried his voice, tried calling out to her, but no sound came from his lips.
Just then the wall he was facing crumpled and he was blinded by sunlight. He raised his arms to shield his eyes and stepped out. The first thing, aside from the blinding light, was the smell of spring. He adjusted to the light and his eyes widened in awe. He was in the middle of a field. He turned around, but the gray room was gone. As far as he could see, he saw the field of flowers.
The prayer ceased and was replaced by a melancholy song about hope and broken promise. This song is the first and only song I've ever heard my mother sing, Draco thought with a frown. Why is Ginny singing it? Then the scene changed... the sky darkened with rolling black clouds and the field became a barren wasteland. Draco knew that wherever he was, it certainly wasn't Hogwarts. And whatever caused this sudden change didn't mean good. Soon after, the song abruptly ended, and Draco heard and saw nothing.
---
Ginny gave a start. She could feel her heartbeat thunder in her ears. "Harry, what...what are you doing here?" she asked a bit hotly. She still wasn't sure she believed the rumors or not.
"I could ask you the same thing, but I can see that for myself," he replied easily. He advanced towards her and waved slightly at the Draco's body. "You've come to pay your respects? How sweet."
Ginny recoiled imperceptibly from Harry and shook her head. "He's not dead," she said quickly.
Harry stopped walking and looked Ginny straight in the eye. To Ginny, it seemed as if he were wearing a cloak of disdain that poisoned his entire being. Without remorse he countered, "A miscalculation on my part."
Ginny flushed red with realization. "You...you did this to him!" she hissed. She stood slowly, her body tensed. She moved to place herself in front of Draco, as if to protect him from any harm Harry might continue to inflict on him in his weakened state. "You bastard! Why?"
The edges of Harry's lips curled upwards, but not into a smile, not like the ones that he would show her years ago, not like the ones that would brighten a room. If anything, it was a smile of darkness. He moved and was immediately at Ginny's side. He grabbed her arms and took in her scent. "You know why, Ginny," he breathed into her ear. She squirmed against his hold, but he was too strong for her.
"What do you want, me? You didn't, remember? So why don't you go harass someone else?" Her tone was full of disgust. Never, never had she ever wanted Draco at her side than at this moment.
Harry chuckled. "Harass? I thought I was being charming."
"You're just jealous," Ginny spat. Behind her, blocked from view, there was a slight motion on the bed.
Harry's mood darkened and his grip on her arms tightened. She squealed with pain. "Me?" he intoned, "I'm not jealous of that fucking prat!" Harry flew into a desirous rage and forcefully kissed Ginny. She swiftly brought her knee up, a maneuver she learned from her brothers, and Harry howled with pain. His green eyes blazed with hate and he flung her against a wall. He whipped his wand out pointed it at Draco. "You can't be jealous of something that doesn't exist! Avada Kedavra!"
A brilliant flash of green light filled the entire room. Harry threw his arm up to shield his eyes and heard a shout. The light disappeared and he lowered his arm. He stiffened; Ginny was standing in front of his wand point, her arms thrown out from her sides. Her brown eyes were wide, her face showed no emotion. Harry stepped back from her, looked from his wand to her. She exhaled, and crumpled to the ground.
Harry's knees gave out and he kneeled at her body. She had protected Draco with the last of her life. Harry looked at the bed and gasped in shock.
---
Draco heard muffled voices. One he knew was Ginny, the other a male. He clinched his fists at his side; he knew it was Harry. He couldn't open his eyes, but was aware of the familiar scent of Ginny and the tinge of magical undercurrents that flowed through Hogwarts. He felt as if he were disconnected from his body, trapped in his mind. He sensed from the energy in the room there was trouble. Fear, anger, passion emanated from Ginny and he received it with a shock. Her feelings tuned him back to the real world.
Then he discerned a scuffle and some shouted words. He tentatively listened. In his mind, he stiffened. He heard the Killing Curse, then lost the connection with Ginny. Emotion and thoughts flew through his body. He felt his consciousness slam back into his body; he reconnected.
---
"NO!!"
The air filled with green electricity. Realizing what he meant to do, Ginny drew herself up and faced Harry. She would do anything to protect Draco, just as he would for her...
The spell shot through her heart like a bullet through an apple underwater. She gazed ahead of her. Harry lowered his arm and saw her, but her gaze was directed farther than him. She could see the past, the present, and the future that could have been. Draco was in that future...
---
Harry stood and put his wand away. He slumped his shoulders and frowned. He moved backwards, towards the exit. He shook his head slowly. He finally found his voice and said, "I'm...I'm sorry. Oh, god, I'm sorry!" He turned away and ran out the infirmary without a glance back.
---
Draco didn't understand. He swung his legs over the bed just as the blinding flash of green exploded over a figure in front of him. He frowned; no one can do the Killing Curse in Hogwarts, the wards against it are too strong and too many. But when it was over, and the figure, who looked like a red haired angel with green wingt hit like a ton a bricks. Alarms went off in his head and he recognized the still form of Ginny. He saw without seeing Harry kneel then saw troubled emerald meet his smoky gray. He didn't comprehend the words spoken, didn't know why he fled. He only knew the still form of Ginny on the floor.
Draco kneeled at the side of his beloved. She looked angelic. Her crimson hair spread wildly about her head, her robes fluttered on the ground. Her touched a hand to her cheek.
"No. No, you can't be dead," Draco uttered. He picked her up as if she were a bride and he the groom. He carried her by way of all the secret passages and obscure halls to his room.
He laid her gently on his bed. He rested his head on her chest in a show of grief. His shoulders shook slightly, then he sat up and stared at her. He felt a faint pulse.
---
Part Two
All the roads we have to walk are winding
All the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things I would like to say to you
But I don't know how
Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me?
And after all
You're my wonderwall
-Wonderwall
---
Draco raced around his room. He finally found his wand and was ready to go.
I hope this works. He lightly placed the tip of the wand over Ginny's heart, and muttered a spell. There was no change. He repeated it firmly. Still no change. He stood, focused his energy, and shouted the spell.
There was still no change. Draco was too late.
He slid down beside the bed, his back to her body. He buried his face in his hands. "You saved me," he said aloud. "But I couldn't save you. This is my fault. I'm so sorry." His barriers collapsed and his reservations broke down, but still, not a tear slid down from his eyes.
"Is that an apology, Malfoy?" a soft voice whispered behind him. He turned quickly and saw large russet eyes beaming down at him. Ginny Weasley was alive. Joy and relief unimaginable coursed between them. Draco stared dumbfounded. Ginny gingerly traced his jaw line, her eyes sparkling with life. "Because if it is, I'd rather have a kiss." Ginny drew Draco up from the floor to the bed. He searched her eyes and leaned into her passionate kiss.
She led the kiss. She made an adjustment and he was underneath her. Her lips found his again with a soft pressure. He permitted her entry, and she did so with a vitality their other kisses hadn't had. He was surprised, then she took off on another route. A mischievous smile appeared as she raised his shirt over his head. She stopped halfway, leaving him wondering why, then he soon knew why. With his vision hindered, it was as if she was everywhere at once. Her hands tripped over his bare chest, leaving hot trails behind. She ran a hand down his side, causing him to shiver with pleasure.
He tossed the shirt in a corner, and hesitantly asked, "Are you up to this?" he didn't want her doing anything that would hurt her, or that she would regret.
"I should be asking the same of you," she answered lightly, but with concern. "I mean, you were in a coma. What happened?" She laid by his side and looked intently up into his melodious gray eyes. Ginny's head was nestled in the crook of his arm, which he wrapped around her shoulders.
Draco thought back. "I remember...you." He tilted her chin higher and genuinely smiled at her. "Your voice...saying a prayer?"
She smiled with tears in her eyes. "You heard that?"
"Yes, and you brought me back. I could feel you." Then Draco's tone became ominous. "And I could feel what that bastard-" His eyes flashed silver with recollection and Ginny pressed a finger to his lips.
"Let's not talk of that. Let's not talk at all. And," she added with a smile, "I'd like to pick up where we left off."
Draco caught on to her meaning. He sat up and nodded his agreement. Ginny got off the bed and slowly, teasingly removed her robe. Underneath, she was wearing a scarlet chemise with a regular skirt. Draco watched in amazement at the girl he knew he loved. A predatory gleam was in Ginny's eyes as she crawled towards Draco. She growled as she pulled his belt away with her teeth, then nuzzled his neck with her nose. Draco noted that she smelled of cinnamon and rosewood. This girl is full of surprises.
Feeling a lot better, he pulled her into a kiss. She moaned as his hands made their way up her back.
"May I?" he asked as he stopped his hand at the smooth skin of her neck.
"Since when do you ask permission?" she replied gently.
He laughed quietly and said in her ear, "Since I'm in love."
She inhaled, then said, "I'm in love, too." Draco figured that if ever a dementor threatened him, he'd would always be prepared with this moment in mind.
---
Harry wandered down the halls of Hogwarts like a dementor. Though the corridors were empty of students, the audio of the day played through his head. He finally saw himself as the others, as Ginny, did. The green-eyed monster took over and released its hold only when he'd killed its obsession.
Without knowing or caring how, he found himself at the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office. Only Dumbledore could save him now. His confession would be long...He figured that after what he did, he'd deserved the Kiss of a dementor.
---
"Oh, Mione, what has he become?" Ron muttered into his hands. "I mean, we poisoned another human, even if it was Malfoy."
Hermione thoughtfully chewed on the end of her quill. Ron was right, Harry did change, and not into the greatest of people. "Honestly, Ron, are you that blind? He's in love with your sister," she scoffed.
Ron looked dumbfounded. "But...but she actually wanted to be with him in the first place." He twiddled his fingers, then quickly stood up. "Hermione! Is this because he's jealous? Oh, Hermione," he uttered. He slumped back into the chair and looked downright dejected.
Hermione tsked and went over to Ron. She kneeled at the side of his chair and patted his hand. She looked into his eyes and said, "Ron, don't worry. Malfoy will be fine and you and Harry will be fine. I'm sure Dumbledore will be lenient. No real harm was caused."
Ron nodded his head in agreement. Hermione smiled and he felt a weight lift from his chest. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here-"
Hermione put a finger to his lips. "Quiet, Weasley, and kiss me already." And he did.
---
The morning light streamed into the Slytherin commons. It was the weekend, but many of the rooms were empty, save one in particular. Amid the tangle of green silk sheets and wildly tossed clothes lay Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy. Ginny's scarlet hair mixed with Draco's blond locks, creating a blend of fire and ice.
Draco aroused first. He looked at the sleeping siren laying on his chest. He sighed lovingly as he smoothed the hair from in front of her face. She stirred and he murmured, "Good morning, luv. How are you?"
She gazed up at him and beamed. "Good now that you're here with me."
Draco smiled a bit and said, "I didn't go anywhere."
"I know, but I was afraid I'd wake up and find I had dreamed it all." She squeezed him to reaffirm that he was really there.
She felt his heart beat strongly and then a deep tremble within him. He laughed affectionately and stated, "Gin, I'll always be here." He kissed her lightly. "And I'll be good for you." She felt like she was floating in a sea of Draco.
With a devilish grin she asked, "Then are you ready for a repeat performance of last night?"
Pairing: Draco/Ginny
Rating: R
Summary: When Ginny is rejected by Harry in the most humiliating way, she turns to an unexpected choice. But are his feelings enough to protect her from Harry, and is she strong enough to help him change?
Chapter Three
Part One
Where once was light
Now darkness calls
Where once was love
Love is no more
-Gollum's Song
---
Draco awoke with a feeling of dread. It seemed odd to him, seeing how all night he dreamed of Ginny and what plans they might do together. Even recollecting of the night's good, and the bad, parts didn't let him shake that feeling.
He went on, though, despite it. He wore his dressier school robes that day, not too formal, but they were exquisite enough to make sure everyone noticed him when he walked in a room, not he needed help to be noticed.
Unlike some people. Meaning Potter, of course.
His mood fouled considerably when he thought of that worthless bastard. How could he, who really didn't do anything at all except be saved by his mother's wards, get everything Draco had to work for? It wasn't fair, but, in a rare bout of empathy, he supposed it wasn't fair that both his parents were murdered.
Wow, he mused as he straightened his tie, Ginny's 'goodness' must be rubbing off on me.
---
Breakfast at the Gryffindor table was eerily silent. At one end of the table, Hermione and Ginny chatted, while occasionally sending bad vibes to the boys, who were in turn plotting against Malfoy and trying to figure girls out. Needless to say, their coldness towards each had adverse effects on everyone seated between them, though only those four knew exactly why.
Ginny passively pushed her food around the plate and idly nibbled the toast. Her mind was on Draco. She wanted with all her being to walk over to him and take on the table then and there. She also wantedo other things, and have things done to her, but they were too improper, hell, they were down-right naughty. Why, she contemplated as a sly grin played upon her otherwise innocent face, did Draco bring this new side of me out?
"You're thinking about him, right?" Hermione asked. After seeing the faraway look in Ginny's eyes, she huffed, "Hello? Anyone home?"
Ginny snapped out it. She found she was unknowingly gazing at Draco, who was sitting across the room and decisively not looking at her, but was stealing glances every now and then.
"Sorry Hermione. What were you saying?" Ginny looked a little embarrassed and took a sip of orange juice.
She sighed, not because she was unhappy, but because of envy. "What do you see in him, Ginny?" she asked without beating around the bush.
"I don't know, it's like some kind of attraction between us that's undeniable." She knew she spoke the truth, she felt it resonate in her bones.
"Yeah, but isn't it only physical? I mean, you can't have forgotten all the things he and his family has done to you and yours."
"It isn't only physical," she stated, realizing she just admitted to the animal urges she felt with him, "it's emotional, too." Then her tone became solemn. "And I don't hold him to his past actions or his family. You also haven't seen him with me. He's totally different."
"Is that good or bad?" Hermione asked with a giggle.
"Very good. Maybe he's changing." Ginny saw Draco was being pestered by Pansy Parkinson (his body language suggested he was highly annoyed), then he turned and caught her eye. In that brief second of recognition, which seemed time stopped to her, he smiled, and the message was clear to her. Meet me tonight.
But time in the here and now went on. Hermione giggled again and Ginny looked away from Draco. "Or maybe he's a fantastical liar," she replied without rancor. "But I will believe it when I see it. Which may be sooner than I thought."
Hermione nodded towards the Slytherins, and Ginny gasped. Walking, no, strolling towards her was Draco. Ginny looked around. Surprisingly no one else noticed, except Harry and Ron, who were watching Draco like hawks watch mice in wide, open fields. Harry switched from Draco to her, his eyes hardened with vehemence. She shook her head just as Draco reached them.
"What's wrong, Virginia? Disappointed to see me?" he asked with a smirk. Both girls were astonished by his audacity, but how else should a Malfoy be? "Hello, Granger. How are you?"
Hermione gaped for a few moments, then quickly said, "Fine...I'm, uh, fine." She swallowed a moment, waiting for him to say something, but he only looked at her politely with cool gray eyes. After regaining her wits, she asked, "How are you?"
"I'm good," he responded with a shine in his eye. "I just came over to see how you were doing, Ginny." He turned around and saw Pansy was gawking, but then quickly turned around herself in a huff. "As you saw, I was being unwantedly pursued," he shrugged. "She wants to get back together."
"And what did you tell her?" Ginny asked possessively. She wouldn't stand to lose him, just as he wouldn't lose her, without a fight.
He shrugged again. "I told her she could hope, plead, and pray all she wanted, at least it would give her a different way to wear her knees out." Ginny burst out laughing while Hermione covered her mouth with a hand. Down the table, the boys were hacked off. They couldn't hear what was being said, except they, and everyone else, could hear Ginny's laugh loud and clear. Ron clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, while Harry glared at Malfoy with all the contempt he had within himself.
"Oh, Draco, you didn't!" Ginny and Hermione exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other and began another round laughing as Draco looked on with amusement. The boys' animosity for Malfoy grew significantly.
Draco grinned, then caught sight of the looks he was garnering, especially from Ron and Harry. His grin turned to a smug smirk. "Well, looks like I'll go now." He turned to go, but instead bent and gave Ginny a kiss full on the lips.
Gasps filled the hall. Mid-kiss, Draco's eyes darted to the end of the table, and he smirked, again! Ron hit the table and started to stand, but Harry held him down. After he released her, he said, "I'll see you later, Gin." She was immobile for several moments, still holding her shocked, but delighted position, the kiss put her in. She finally managed to say, "Yeah...yeah, later."
He sauntered out of the hall to the Prefects' lounge. Two moments after he left, Pansy followed. Hermione said, "Wow. I see what you mean."
"Yeah, very good, right?" Ginny caught her breath, then had to catch it again as she saw Harry and Ron approaching them. "Oh, don't look now. It's the secret police."
"Hello, Ron, Harry," Hermione said to keep the peace. "How can we help you?"
"You can help us by telling us what just happened here," Ron retorted. He crossed his arms and said, "Well, Ginny, what was that about?"
Ginny folded her hands neatly on her lap and said, as polite as you please, "None of your business."
Harry slammed a hand on the table, making everyone jump, even Ron. "Goddamn it Ginny! Who the fuck do you think you're playing with?!" All eyes turned to Harry. He didn't care, he was used to it.
"Whoa, calm down, mate," Ron said apprehensively. No one knew where he kept such anger, but considering what transpired last year, Ron thought it might have grown out of his resentment of his parents' death. "You're scaring them." And not to mention me, he added in his thoughts.
Harry turned to Ron and took a deep breath. When he next looked at Ginny, she saw the old Harry she used to know, then a callous gleam washed over his eyes, as if he were fighting an internal struggle against an eviler side of him and he was losing fast.
She filled with compassion and stood to hug him. She noticed how he slightly recoiled from her touch, then felt him warm up to her as he hugged back. In his ear she spoke softly, her tone cautionary. "If you prick me, I bleed, and right now I'm bleeding from a particularly unforgivable prick. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to move on with my life."
Harry stiffened and she tried reading his eyes again, but they were unclear, like a cloud inside emerald gems. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and moved to escape his arms, but he tightened his grip about her waist and whispered back harshly, "You can't get away from me, Virginia. I won't let you go." Ginny yanked herself out of his grip, a hard look mirrored in their eyes, and left without a word more. Harry watched her go as if she was his alone and he would soon reclaim her.
As Hermione stood and gathered her books, she said in a measured tone, "You boys have become obsessed with that girl's business. Leave her be, or no good will come of it," and she, too, left them standing there.
Ron turned to Harry, who hadn't moved at all as the girls left, and asked, "What did Ginny tell you?"
Harry replied, "That this means we carry out the plan today!" His robes swirled about him as he exited the hall in a manner very much becoming of a Slytherin.
Ron, without warning, felt a cold draft pass over him. He ignored it, and followed his friend, wherever he was going.
---
"Now add three, and only three, scales of the salamanders provided. Their special diet has endowed scales with a poison that will kill you if not administered in the correct proportions to the rest of the potion," Professor Snape instructed. It was another double class of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Snape begrudgingly admitted it was his favorite class to teach, if not because his best and most skilled student was present, then because of the many opportunities to dock points from the rival house of Gryffindor.
Snape glided up and down the rows, looking over students' work. He returned to the front and sighed. Their incompetence is immeasurable, he thought morosely to himself. I'm surprised that half of them are still standing. "Once the brew turns red to pink, let it stand for thirty minutes until my inspection. You will be expected to drink the mix, so if the color c does not occur and you still drink the mix, you run the risk of your untimely demise. If you decide not to complete the test today, you will receive detentions every night with me until you have it right.
Many students from both houses looked nervously at their potions. Nearly half of them were lavender, which was not a planned result, and they weighed the repercussions of drinking the potentially deadly blend with countless nights with Snape breathing down their backs.
But Draco Malfoy simply sat back and smirked. He had completed the entire procedure a full twenty minutes before the rest of the class. He truly appreciated the individual assignments Snape gave, it gave him a chance to catch up on his torturing the Weasel and Potter.
He stretched his long legs in front of him and observed them. Weasley was hunched over his cauldron, a gray smoke billowing around him like mist on a cold morning. Draco was pretty sure the fumes could have been toxic, and he softy chuckled to himself with the idea of Weasley keeling over.
Potter heard the quiet laughter and looked up. His eyes met Draco's. Then he did something out of the blue. He smirked. Harry Potter, the Golden Boy, stole Draco Malfoy's, the Heir Apparent of Slytherin, patented evil smirk. All traces of levity disappeared from Draco's face as he glared back at Harry. As if it was unanimous, war was declared.
Snape looked over the class and made an excuse to leave for a short amount of time. Either he didn't notice, or chose not to, the tension building between Draco and Harry, but he left them all with a warning and an order to continue working.
Draco saw his opportunity to strike. He stood and strode up to Harry and Ron. They practically bristled, but he ignored them. "Well, well, Potter, it seems you're having trouble with a simple Levitation potion. What's wrong? Can't keep up now that Granger no longer joins us?"
Harry stared at him with cold, unsettling eyes. "I think you're the one that's going to have a problem, Malfoy," he threatened as he stood. "So sod off if you know what's good for you, also as in, stay away from Ginny."
"I'm sorry, Potter, you must not have known; I don't know what's good for me, will you tell me?" Draco's tone dripped with feigned naivete.
Ron said hotly, "Damn right you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have gone after my sister!"
Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, the Weasel speaks! And here I thought Potter did all your talking for you," Draco sniped back, then leaned in closer. "And speaking of your sister -"
"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron shouted, causing a few students to send their cauldrons crashing to the floor. Ron advanced on Draco, making him retreat, another thing Malfoys don't do. "If I ever hear you talk of my sister again -"
"Ron," Harry said as he put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "cool it. We've plenty of time." Ron bared his teeth at Malfoy a final time before returning to his cauldron. "Watch your step Malfoy," Harry warned just as Snape reentered the room, "or the results could be bad for your health."
Draco sneered in reply as he returned to his seat. Snape had returned with Madame Pomfrey. The audible gulp the majority of the class made it clear they knew why she was there; if any of the brews were made incorrectly and quaffed, she would be their first line of defense against death.
Snape scanned the room to estimate how many students she would have to treat, and carried on with his directions. "I surmise that a good number of you I'll be seeing later, so if you aren't proceeding now, dispose of your potions now. However, those of you who can capably brew such simply ingredients, fill your flasks and come to the front of the class."
All at once, all the students went about with their tasks. Draco hadn't filled his flask yet, and couldn't find it on his desk. He leaned over to check if it fell to the floor. It had, indeed, fallen and he went ahead to fill it. In all the confusion with everyone moving around and Draco's momentary distraction from his cauldron, Harry and Ron implemented their plan. Ron had swiped a few extra salamander scales and Harry levitated them into Draco's mixture, knowing the consequences could be Malfoy's death and their expulsion.
Harry glanced sideways at Ron as the potion was now a lighter red than the pink it had been before. Harry winked, which was full of a malice usually reserved for Malfoy. Ron paled as Snape began to go down the line the students formed. The line order had him go before Harry, then Malfoy was sometime after him. Harry gulped his potion down with confidence; within a few seconds, he was floating a foot above the ground. Snape regarded his feat coldly, but gave him good marks. When Ron drank, he had to jump for a couple of minutes, then he suddenly shot up in the air, hovering for a while until Snape retrieved him with a spell. Draco scoffed and made snide remark that sparked fire in Harry's eyes, but Ron was so dizzy all he could hear was Madame Pomfrey's soothing voice.
Then it was Draco's turn. Harry and Ron glared at him, with combined looks of expectation, hatred, and trepidation. Draco noticed, assumed a smug smirk, and downed the potion.
---
Draco downed the potion. He stood for several seconds, expecting to lift gracefully off the ground, but instead his lean frame started to shake uncontrollably. His eyes flew open, pain shot through his body, and the last thing he remembered was Harry's face looming above him in the darkness, spite distorting his face...
>
---
"He's what?!" Ginny exclaimed.
She was in Arithmancy when she heard the news. Madame Pomfrey hadn't told her; the entire school was abuzz with Draco's sudden condition: he was comatose. The rumors worse still. Many said he was poisoned, that much was confirmed by Snape, and more supposed that Harry was the one responsible. No matter their current predicament of a relationship, she hoped the gossip was unfounded. "I have to go to him," she resolved. For his sake and mine.
After the class was over, instead of going to dinner, she went to where she figured he'd be. Her footfalls echoed her heartbeats, fast and resounding. Thoughts over the worst flew threw through her mind at a rapid pace. Confusion and panic colored her face, but she was set to her purpose, driven by an emotion or will that seemed foreign to her. This must be what it feels like to care for one so much.
As she sped into the infirmary, her breath hitched in her throat. The room was darkened, but a lone bed in the back was illuminated. The figure was still. Draco, she thought worriedly. She rushed forward and fell to her knees at his bedside.
He looked like an angel except for the sunken quality of his face. A deathly pallor colored his visage and any vitality that was present that night in the Astronomy Tower was hidden, deep under the inducements of the poison. She gingerly touched a hand to his cheek. There was a faint warmth and she trembled with relief and sorrow. Her hand slid to his lips, which were shaded a light blue, like he'd been outside on a breezy winter day. Wanting to warm them she pressed her mouth to his and a tear slipped from her eye. A chill spark tingled her spine and she thought she felt a reaction from him. But the only change she had affected was the flush of his lips. She sighed and closed her eyes. An old prayer she had learned when she was young, a prayer her mother would say to her and her brothers at bedtime. She said it would always keep them safe as they slept and they'd always wake up happy...now she hoped the prayer would protect Draco while he slumbered, but would stir him from it soon.
Behind Ginny and Draco, beyond their circular veil of light, a figure was draped in darkness. He stepped forward soundlessly and the light washed over his form.
"Hello, Virginia."
---
Sleep tight
Moonlight
Protects you in the night
Morning's a new day
Waken and depart
From the troubles
Of days gone away
As if through a muted fog, Draco heard a female voice softly sing what seemed to him a plea. He opened his eyes slowly to see who was saying it, but he was alone. He became wary and took his surroundings. Where am I? he thought. He was in a windowless room of gray, with one lamp that swung slowly from the ceiling. He was sitting in a metal chair in the center of the room. He glanced at himself and recognized his school robes. He couldn't recall how he got wherever he was, couldn't even remember what happened that day, or even if it was the daytime or nighttime. He stood slowly to further survey his situation, and as he did so the recitation's orator became clear and it was...was Ginny. He tried his voice, tried calling out to her, but no sound came from his lips.
Just then the wall he was facing crumpled and he was blinded by sunlight. He raised his arms to shield his eyes and stepped out. The first thing, aside from the blinding light, was the smell of spring. He adjusted to the light and his eyes widened in awe. He was in the middle of a field. He turned around, but the gray room was gone. As far as he could see, he saw the field of flowers.
The prayer ceased and was replaced by a melancholy song about hope and broken promise. This song is the first and only song I've ever heard my mother sing, Draco thought with a frown. Why is Ginny singing it? Then the scene changed... the sky darkened with rolling black clouds and the field became a barren wasteland. Draco knew that wherever he was, it certainly wasn't Hogwarts. And whatever caused this sudden change didn't mean good. Soon after, the song abruptly ended, and Draco heard and saw nothing.
---
Ginny gave a start. She could feel her heartbeat thunder in her ears. "Harry, what...what are you doing here?" she asked a bit hotly. She still wasn't sure she believed the rumors or not.
"I could ask you the same thing, but I can see that for myself," he replied easily. He advanced towards her and waved slightly at the Draco's body. "You've come to pay your respects? How sweet."
Ginny recoiled imperceptibly from Harry and shook her head. "He's not dead," she said quickly.
Harry stopped walking and looked Ginny straight in the eye. To Ginny, it seemed as if he were wearing a cloak of disdain that poisoned his entire being. Without remorse he countered, "A miscalculation on my part."
Ginny flushed red with realization. "You...you did this to him!" she hissed. She stood slowly, her body tensed. She moved to place herself in front of Draco, as if to protect him from any harm Harry might continue to inflict on him in his weakened state. "You bastard! Why?"
The edges of Harry's lips curled upwards, but not into a smile, not like the ones that he would show her years ago, not like the ones that would brighten a room. If anything, it was a smile of darkness. He moved and was immediately at Ginny's side. He grabbed her arms and took in her scent. "You know why, Ginny," he breathed into her ear. She squirmed against his hold, but he was too strong for her.
"What do you want, me? You didn't, remember? So why don't you go harass someone else?" Her tone was full of disgust. Never, never had she ever wanted Draco at her side than at this moment.
Harry chuckled. "Harass? I thought I was being charming."
"You're just jealous," Ginny spat. Behind her, blocked from view, there was a slight motion on the bed.
Harry's mood darkened and his grip on her arms tightened. She squealed with pain. "Me?" he intoned, "I'm not jealous of that fucking prat!" Harry flew into a desirous rage and forcefully kissed Ginny. She swiftly brought her knee up, a maneuver she learned from her brothers, and Harry howled with pain. His green eyes blazed with hate and he flung her against a wall. He whipped his wand out pointed it at Draco. "You can't be jealous of something that doesn't exist! Avada Kedavra!"
A brilliant flash of green light filled the entire room. Harry threw his arm up to shield his eyes and heard a shout. The light disappeared and he lowered his arm. He stiffened; Ginny was standing in front of his wand point, her arms thrown out from her sides. Her brown eyes were wide, her face showed no emotion. Harry stepped back from her, looked from his wand to her. She exhaled, and crumpled to the ground.
Harry's knees gave out and he kneeled at her body. She had protected Draco with the last of her life. Harry looked at the bed and gasped in shock.
---
Draco heard muffled voices. One he knew was Ginny, the other a male. He clinched his fists at his side; he knew it was Harry. He couldn't open his eyes, but was aware of the familiar scent of Ginny and the tinge of magical undercurrents that flowed through Hogwarts. He felt as if he were disconnected from his body, trapped in his mind. He sensed from the energy in the room there was trouble. Fear, anger, passion emanated from Ginny and he received it with a shock. Her feelings tuned him back to the real world.
Then he discerned a scuffle and some shouted words. He tentatively listened. In his mind, he stiffened. He heard the Killing Curse, then lost the connection with Ginny. Emotion and thoughts flew through his body. He felt his consciousness slam back into his body; he reconnected.
---
"NO!!"
The air filled with green electricity. Realizing what he meant to do, Ginny drew herself up and faced Harry. She would do anything to protect Draco, just as he would for her...
The spell shot through her heart like a bullet through an apple underwater. She gazed ahead of her. Harry lowered his arm and saw her, but her gaze was directed farther than him. She could see the past, the present, and the future that could have been. Draco was in that future...
---
Harry stood and put his wand away. He slumped his shoulders and frowned. He moved backwards, towards the exit. He shook his head slowly. He finally found his voice and said, "I'm...I'm sorry. Oh, god, I'm sorry!" He turned away and ran out the infirmary without a glance back.
---
Draco didn't understand. He swung his legs over the bed just as the blinding flash of green exploded over a figure in front of him. He frowned; no one can do the Killing Curse in Hogwarts, the wards against it are too strong and too many. But when it was over, and the figure, who looked like a red haired angel with green wingt hit like a ton a bricks. Alarms went off in his head and he recognized the still form of Ginny. He saw without seeing Harry kneel then saw troubled emerald meet his smoky gray. He didn't comprehend the words spoken, didn't know why he fled. He only knew the still form of Ginny on the floor.
Draco kneeled at the side of his beloved. She looked angelic. Her crimson hair spread wildly about her head, her robes fluttered on the ground. Her touched a hand to her cheek.
"No. No, you can't be dead," Draco uttered. He picked her up as if she were a bride and he the groom. He carried her by way of all the secret passages and obscure halls to his room.
He laid her gently on his bed. He rested his head on her chest in a show of grief. His shoulders shook slightly, then he sat up and stared at her. He felt a faint pulse.
---
Part Two
All the roads we have to walk are winding
All the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things I would like to say to you
But I don't know how
Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me?
And after all
You're my wonderwall
-Wonderwall
---
Draco raced around his room. He finally found his wand and was ready to go.
I hope this works. He lightly placed the tip of the wand over Ginny's heart, and muttered a spell. There was no change. He repeated it firmly. Still no change. He stood, focused his energy, and shouted the spell.
There was still no change. Draco was too late.
He slid down beside the bed, his back to her body. He buried his face in his hands. "You saved me," he said aloud. "But I couldn't save you. This is my fault. I'm so sorry." His barriers collapsed and his reservations broke down, but still, not a tear slid down from his eyes.
"Is that an apology, Malfoy?" a soft voice whispered behind him. He turned quickly and saw large russet eyes beaming down at him. Ginny Weasley was alive. Joy and relief unimaginable coursed between them. Draco stared dumbfounded. Ginny gingerly traced his jaw line, her eyes sparkling with life. "Because if it is, I'd rather have a kiss." Ginny drew Draco up from the floor to the bed. He searched her eyes and leaned into her passionate kiss.
She led the kiss. She made an adjustment and he was underneath her. Her lips found his again with a soft pressure. He permitted her entry, and she did so with a vitality their other kisses hadn't had. He was surprised, then she took off on another route. A mischievous smile appeared as she raised his shirt over his head. She stopped halfway, leaving him wondering why, then he soon knew why. With his vision hindered, it was as if she was everywhere at once. Her hands tripped over his bare chest, leaving hot trails behind. She ran a hand down his side, causing him to shiver with pleasure.
He tossed the shirt in a corner, and hesitantly asked, "Are you up to this?" he didn't want her doing anything that would hurt her, or that she would regret.
"I should be asking the same of you," she answered lightly, but with concern. "I mean, you were in a coma. What happened?" She laid by his side and looked intently up into his melodious gray eyes. Ginny's head was nestled in the crook of his arm, which he wrapped around her shoulders.
Draco thought back. "I remember...you." He tilted her chin higher and genuinely smiled at her. "Your voice...saying a prayer?"
She smiled with tears in her eyes. "You heard that?"
"Yes, and you brought me back. I could feel you." Then Draco's tone became ominous. "And I could feel what that bastard-" His eyes flashed silver with recollection and Ginny pressed a finger to his lips.
"Let's not talk of that. Let's not talk at all. And," she added with a smile, "I'd like to pick up where we left off."
Draco caught on to her meaning. He sat up and nodded his agreement. Ginny got off the bed and slowly, teasingly removed her robe. Underneath, she was wearing a scarlet chemise with a regular skirt. Draco watched in amazement at the girl he knew he loved. A predatory gleam was in Ginny's eyes as she crawled towards Draco. She growled as she pulled his belt away with her teeth, then nuzzled his neck with her nose. Draco noted that she smelled of cinnamon and rosewood. This girl is full of surprises.
Feeling a lot better, he pulled her into a kiss. She moaned as his hands made their way up her back.
"May I?" he asked as he stopped his hand at the smooth skin of her neck.
"Since when do you ask permission?" she replied gently.
He laughed quietly and said in her ear, "Since I'm in love."
She inhaled, then said, "I'm in love, too." Draco figured that if ever a dementor threatened him, he'd would always be prepared with this moment in mind.
---
Harry wandered down the halls of Hogwarts like a dementor. Though the corridors were empty of students, the audio of the day played through his head. He finally saw himself as the others, as Ginny, did. The green-eyed monster took over and released its hold only when he'd killed its obsession.
Without knowing or caring how, he found himself at the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office. Only Dumbledore could save him now. His confession would be long...He figured that after what he did, he'd deserved the Kiss of a dementor.
---
"Oh, Mione, what has he become?" Ron muttered into his hands. "I mean, we poisoned another human, even if it was Malfoy."
Hermione thoughtfully chewed on the end of her quill. Ron was right, Harry did change, and not into the greatest of people. "Honestly, Ron, are you that blind? He's in love with your sister," she scoffed.
Ron looked dumbfounded. "But...but she actually wanted to be with him in the first place." He twiddled his fingers, then quickly stood up. "Hermione! Is this because he's jealous? Oh, Hermione," he uttered. He slumped back into the chair and looked downright dejected.
Hermione tsked and went over to Ron. She kneeled at the side of his chair and patted his hand. She looked into his eyes and said, "Ron, don't worry. Malfoy will be fine and you and Harry will be fine. I'm sure Dumbledore will be lenient. No real harm was caused."
Ron nodded his head in agreement. Hermione smiled and he felt a weight lift from his chest. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here-"
Hermione put a finger to his lips. "Quiet, Weasley, and kiss me already." And he did.
---
The morning light streamed into the Slytherin commons. It was the weekend, but many of the rooms were empty, save one in particular. Amid the tangle of green silk sheets and wildly tossed clothes lay Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy. Ginny's scarlet hair mixed with Draco's blond locks, creating a blend of fire and ice.
Draco aroused first. He looked at the sleeping siren laying on his chest. He sighed lovingly as he smoothed the hair from in front of her face. She stirred and he murmured, "Good morning, luv. How are you?"
She gazed up at him and beamed. "Good now that you're here with me."
Draco smiled a bit and said, "I didn't go anywhere."
"I know, but I was afraid I'd wake up and find I had dreamed it all." She squeezed him to reaffirm that he was really there.
She felt his heart beat strongly and then a deep tremble within him. He laughed affectionately and stated, "Gin, I'll always be here." He kissed her lightly. "And I'll be good for you." She felt like she was floating in a sea of Draco.
With a devilish grin she asked, "Then are you ready for a repeat performance of last night?"