Where Two Paths Meet

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the Harry Potter story.

Warning: Book 1-6 spoilers

A/N: Thank you again to those of you who reviewed.

Last time when I wrote this people asked me if I had got the ideas from Eragon. Well, to put these worries to rest, I had not even read the Eragon books when I wrote this, but now that I have (and good books they are, I might add) I can assure you, that although there may be some similarities, this has got nothing to do with those books.

Chapter 7: Help Me Understand

She was racing through the cerulean skies, flying faster as her destination came into sight. A dark and twisted forest stretched underneath her but she did not slow down. An intimidating range of ice capped jagged mountains stretched like knives from the twisted maze below but these did not bother her, as she soared.

She flew into the cave at the peak of the snowy mountains. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the suffocating darkness and she moved swiftly through the cave. Excitement burned within her as she felt herself being drawn to something that was emanating immense power. Her eyes fell on a beautiful sword. Its hilt was jet black and shaped into a snarling dragon. The blade was blood red and seemed to radiate power.

She reached out her hand to take the mesmerising sword but something behind her growled and she felt her body protest in agony as an inferno of fire surrounded her.

Ginny awoke covered in cold sweat, her breathing surprisingly fast, as though she had just run a marathon. Her mind was racing over what she had just dreamt. There was no doubt about it; she had just had a vision.

Scrambling out of bed, she ran quickly to the door opposite her bed. Opening the door, she walked into the dark room, her eyes travelling over the shadowy objects blanketed by the darkness until they fell on the bed.

The curtain was slightly open, casting a pale glow on the bed. She could see Draco sleeping in the bed, his pale hair illuminating in a silvery colour from the moonlight. One of his arms dangled haphazardly over the side of the bed, as he lay on his back. She thought it was an odd position to sleep in.

She edged closer and found herself staring into his face.  He looked so different when he slept. His face was not twisted in dislike or arranged into an unemotional mask but looked peaceful, so that he had an almost vulnerable expression. His bare chest moved slowly as he breathed and he seemed utterly relaxed.

The room was silent apart from the steady breathing coming from Draco, as he slept. Ginny knew she should wake him now. She didn’t want to think of what he would say or think of her if he found out she had been watching him sleep. Ginny thought she would be mortified.

Moving even closer, Ginny noticed a frown began to form on Draco’s pale face, as he mouthed incoherent words in his sleep. Now was definitely the time to wake him.

“Malfoy.” Ginny whispered gently nudging him, hoping not to startle him too much. She wasn’t really sure how he was going to react to her waking him up, or being in his room in the first place.

Quick as a flash, Draco grabbed Ginny round the waist and pulled her roughly on the bed with him. He rolled over on top of her, pinning her body down and aimed his wand at her face. His metallic eyes stared harshly down at her, a threatening fire burning within them.

 “Weasley?” Draco exclaimed shocked, as the furious expression died out of his grey eyes when he realised who he was now holding his wand at.

Ginny gazed up into his face, her heart still pounding from the fright of him suddenly grabbing her. She had never thought anyone could move so fast and felt slightly dizzy from the rush of fear that had surged through her body when she saw his expression. He looked so dangerous.

 “I needed to talk to you.” Ginny said a little breathlessly.

“Oh.” It dawned on him he was still on top of her and he quickly moved off her. “Sorry about that.” He said a little embarrassed.

“It’s okay.” Ginny said quietly, thanking the darkness in the room that hid her blush, as she too realised the awkward position they had been in.

“Do you always attack people who wake you?” She asked, getting herself into a more comfortable position.

Draco looked at her trying to determine her expression. “I guess it’s just a habit.” He said quietly. Ginny couldn’t help but wonder just why it would be a habit and tried to see his expression but the room was too dark.

“This is ridiculous.” She said irritably. “Why are we sitting in the dark?”

“Right.” Draco said a little surprised at why he didn’t do that earlier and quickly muttered a Lumos spell to light up the room with his wand. Ginny noticed his tone of voice was a little edgy, though she wasn’t sure why.

It took a while for her eyes to get used to the light but once her vision had cleared Ginny peered at Draco who shifted restlessly under her gaze. It occurred to Ginny that he was acting rather like Ron when he had a lot on his mind. He too became edgy and disconnected from the things around him.

“So, ahh, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Draco said, still clearly uncomfortable.

“That can wait.” Ginny said dismissively. Now was the time to find some enlightenment on Draco. It seemed he would be more likely to talk to her when he was so distracted after his dream. Ginny was not going to waste this chance.

“Malfoy, I know I don’t know you and we’ve never really got along but if there is anything you wish to tell me you know you can.”

Draco looked at her and could see she was sincere. He seemed to be weighing his options in his mind.

“I heard you mumbling in your sleep. Were you having a bad dream?” Ginny asked, watching his face with an expression that said all too well she wasn’t going to let him get out of this easily.

He ran a hand through his hair in a tired manner and looked at her through those strangley steel-like eyes.

“I guess you could call it that… I was just remembering things.” Draco said hesitantly, as though he really didn’t want to be divulging his worries to a girl he hardly knew.

“Things?” Ginny prompted, settling herself closer to him without realising it.

“My past… Things I’ve done…” He trailed off and stared at the wall, with a pained expression on his face. Ginny realised then that she really knew nothing about him at all.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but maybe I can help? My mum always used to tell me that telling someone is the first step in forgetting.” Ginny said gently, to reassure him that she didn’t mind; that she wanted to know more about him.

Draco gazed at her with an inscrutable expression. It had been so long since he had talked to anyone. The last person who had comforted him was Myrtle and she was never much help being so mopey herself.

“Are you sure you want to know?” He asked hesitantly. Ginny had a moment of indecision, as though her brain was telling her that this could change everything. Her heart, however, told her she was doing the right thing. If she wanted to be able to talk to Draco, she had to understand him first.

Ginny nodded, steeling herself against whatever painful memories he was going to bring up. Draco sighed, as though regretting on what he was about to do and lent back against the wall, looking very tired, in Ginny’s opinion.

“I’ve always looked up to my father.” He said slowly, as though trying to carefully choose his words. He glanced at her, as though wondering why he was telling her this.

Ginny didn’t say anything, she just watched him with a curious expression on her face, knowing that if she interrupted he would probably not tell her anything.

Draco swallowed and continued. “He was powerful and commanded the respect of the Wizarding World…And he was a Death Eater.” Draco said heavily.

“He taught me everything he knew and I guess I wanted to be just like him. But then, at the end of my fifth year, he was put in Azkaban.”

Ginny was startled to see his face seemed sad. Lucius Malfoy was a very evil man. He had almost had her killed in her second year and yet here was Draco talking about him as if he was his favourite person in the world.

“You would know; you were at the Department of Mysteries that night, right?” Draco suddenly said, looking at Ginny with those piercing eyes.

Ginny nodded, not really sure what to say.

“Well I swore then that I would have my revenge.” Draco seemed to pause, as though realising he was actually divulging his personal feelings to this girl.

“I can’t believe I’m telling you this…” Draco said, half laughing as he ran his fingers through his hair again.

“Please, continue.” Ginny said firmly. She was finally going to find out just why Draco acted the way he did. She couldn’t let this opportunity go because he was uncomfortable.

Draco nodded.  “Well, like I said, I wanted my revenge on Potter and the answer came to my plots almost instantly. The Dark Lord approached me and asked whether I wanted to become a Death Eater like my father. I accepted and was given my first task.”

Ginny stared at him and noticed for the first time a black tattoo on Draco’s arm. A black skull with a snake protruding from its mouth; it was unmistakably the dark mark.

“I was ordered to kill Dumbledore. You can imagine how proud I felt to be given such an important task.” Draco said slightly mockingly. “I was sure I would make my father so proud of me for following in his footsteps.”

Ginny said nothing.

“I formed my plans quickly. It was easy enough: Get the Death Eaters into the school by the vanishing cabinet and use them to distract the order. That would give me plenty of time to kill the old fool.”

Ginny was staring at Draco intently. She could see the restlessness in his body movements, as though he wanted to let it all out before he changed his mind.

“I already had everything planned and then I received my Mother’s letter. She begged me to stop what I was doing, saying that it was foolish to throw my life away. She believed it was not possible that I could kill Dumbledore, when the Dark Lord himself dare not.”

Draco sighed and gazed at Ginny. “By this time I had already realised my own feelings but it was too late. I knew in my heart that I didn’t want to kill anyone but if I didn’t the Dark Lord would kill me. I guess I just wanted to save my own skin.” He added apologetically at Ginny’s blank expression. “So I continued with the plan, all the time hoping something would happen so I wouldn’t have to do it. I sent the poisoned mead and the necklace so that I wouldn’t have to kill him myself.”

Ginny stared at him, “You almost killed Ron and Katie…”

“I know it was cowardly but what choice did I have? I had to kill Dumbledore or else I would die. And quite frankly Weasley I place my life well above anyone else’s.” Draco exclaimed, though Ginny could tell the knowledge of what he had done bothered him.

Ginny let him continue, determinedly biting her tongue so she wouldn’t say anything she might regret.

“The Death Eaters were pressuring me to hurry up with the attack and so I had no choice but to name a date. I heard that Dumbledore was leaving and so I set the trap on the astronomy tower. He came back but he was weak. I don’t know why but he didn’t do anything to help himself. I had him in my hands; I could have killed him right then and there and the deed would have been done… but I couldn’t. I couldn’t kill him. I just stood there and then Snape came in and killed him just like that.

I was too shocked to do anything. Snape grabbed me and we attempted to run from Hogwarts. It was both of our lives on the line now. Mine because I hadn’t killed Dumbledore and Snape’s because he had. We ran past the Aurors fighting the other Death Eaters and we were almost free when Potter turned up. Snape told me to keep running. I’m not sure what happened with him and Potter. Snape came back and we apparated to Malfoy Manor.”

Ginny knew all this.  Harry had told her about what had happened but she decided to let Draco unburden his story as he wished to.

Draco shifted restlessly again. “My mother and Snape told me everything. How Snape and my mother had formed the unbreakable vow to keep me safe. How Snape had been working for Dumbledore and that Dumbledore and Snape had agreed that keeping me alive was the most important thing. I had no idea that they were trying to help me and all that time I thought I was alone and that I had no one to turn to.”

Draco paused and seemed to be contemplating something but decided against saying what he was thinking.

“In the end my mother was forced to go into hiding and Snape took me here. I’ve been kept safe here all summer holidays but that still doesn’t erase the memories of what I saw…of what I still dream about…”

He stopped talking and his eyes seemed to get a glazed faraway look.

“I had never seen someone die before…” Draco said very softly.

Ginny stared at Draco’s darkened expression. She understood completely how he was feeling, though she had never seen someone die herself; she knew how much it had affected Harry seeing Cedric die. He too often had nightmares of that horrible night.

“People just don’t prepare you for things like that.” Draco practically whispered, which only made the horror in what he felt more real. “You just don’t expect it to be so quick, so final. They never explain to you that utter helplessness you feel as you watch the life drain from their eyes. It happens so fast, yet so absolute…”

Ginny was silent. Her face reflecting the horror he felt.

Draco looked at her and suddenly wished he had not told her anything.

“You wish I didn’t tell you this now, don’t you?” He said quietly. “I shouldn’t have burdened you with my problems.”

“No, I’m glad you told me. I think I finally understand you now, Malfoy.” Ginny said quietly, as she looked at him.

Draco stared at her confused, his brow scrunching as he always did when he was confused. “You mean you aren’t going to try hexing me after everything I just said.”

“It’s all in the past. Besides you aren’t like that anymore.” Ginny said simply.

“How do you know?” Draco asked searchingly. It seemed this was what had been truly troubling him; the thought that he hadn’t changed.

“Because if you were truly evil you would have killed Dumbledore and I don’t think your actions stemmed from cowardice or whatever you want to call it. I think there is good in you Draco Malfoy, but you don’t want to see it yourself.”

Draco could only stare at her. “I never expected a Weasley to be so forgiving of a Malfoy.”

“I’m not like every Weasley.” Ginny said smiling slightly.

Draco just nodded in agreement. “Clearly.”

They sat in silence but it was no longer the uncomfortable silence they had felt that day. Ginny felt like she could finally relate to Draco. It was as if the powerful barriers had been broken now that he had opened up to her. It felt good to know that.

“So what was it you wanted to tell me?” Draco asked, as he recalled why she was in his room in the first place.

“Oh I had a vision…”

Ginny then recounted the vision she had seen in her dream, clearly giving all the detail. She was surprised she could remember it so well but figured seer dreams were just like that.

“It’s definitely the Sword of Souls I saw.” Ginny said matter-of-factly.

“And I think I know where it is being kept.” Draco said, as though a sudden inspiration flittered through his mind

“Where?” Ginny asked curiously. She had certainly had no idea where the cave in the mountains was.

“In the caves of the . They lie beyond the .” Draco said knowledgably, sounding remarkably like Hermione.

“Ombre? Isn’t that French for shadow?” Ginny asked a little fearfully. She knew little French but she had flicked through Hermione’s French dictionary when she had been stuck waiting for her bookworm friend in the library.

Draco nodded. “They’ve been well named. It’s been said anyone who enters the never leaves because an evil shadow lurks within.”

Ginny shuddered. She knew she did not like the sound of this Ombre forest.

“Well let’s hope we don’t have to go in.”

“Well Weasley, apart from the fact that neither of us have brooms, and I would think that even the most advanced broom wouldn’t allow us to scale a mountain, I’m afraid we will have to do just that.” Draco said, stopping her delusion of somehow being able to bypass the forest.

“There’s only one way to get to the and that is to go through the maze-like forest below. Not to mention if we do actually get through the forest we will have to climb up the mountains and I heard they are very treacherous.”

Ginny sighed, “It all sounds very dangerous.”

“Cheer up Weasley. The one good thing about us being destined to help Potter is that things are sure to work out for us. It isn’t by accident that you were able to come to me. If the Hogwarts Express hadn’t of been attacked you would be at school and none the wiser as to what was going on.”

Ginny was a little surprised that he had actually said something comforting, instead of his normal blunt remarks but then she realised the truth of his statement.

“I guess you’re right.” She said smiling, her whole expression lighting up.

“Of course I’m right.” Draco said smugly. Then becoming serious he looked at her. “You’d better get some sleep. Now that we know where to go we’ll be leaving tomorrow. I think it’s best we don’t prolong our stay here.”

Ginny nodded in agreement and got off Draco’s bed, heading towards the door. She turned back and smiled at him, happy that they had finally overcome their differences.

 “Goodnight Malfoy.” She said softly.

“Goodnight Weasley.” Draco said, yawning as he curled up in his bed to try fall back asleep.

A/N: I am sorry about the amount of straight conversation in this chapter but I felt it was necessary.