Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 15 - Despair

"Welcome back… The Wizengamot has made a decision and I will communicate it right now." Dumbledore said, later that day.

Everyone in the courtroom became silent and waited for the decision to be announced.

"The uses of false witnesses, made us lose our trust in Mr. Johnson. If you cannot defend your client with truth that means that you have no possible defence. We have concluded that Mr. Cornelius Fudge acted illegally towards one of his best Aurors, having destroyed a beautiful young family… For acting the way you did, the Wizengamot agreed on your expulsion from the Ministry of Magic job. You shall be replaced right away!" Dumbledore said coldly.

Hearing this, Fudge left his seat and started yelling furiously at everyone.

"You fools! You can't dismiss me! I'm the Minister of Magic! I'm superior to the Wizengamot… You, Malfoy, you are the one to blame for all this! This time, I'll make sure you truly die…" Fudge yelled, tacking his wand out of his pocket.

Before the Aurors could react, Fudge was already whispering a curse, with his wand pointed towards Draco.

Ginny saw his intentions and the time seemed to slow down…

`I can't lose Draco again… I can't! Cassie needs both her parents, and she has lost her brother once, and I won't allow that to happen once again!' she thought, as she threw herself in front of her husband, being hit with the green curse.

"GINNY!" Draco, Padma and all the Weasleys screamed, as they watched the young woman fall on Draco's arms, unconscious.

The Aurors immediately grabbed Fudge and took him to a cell, while the Weasleys ran to Ginny's side, trying to see if she was ok, but Draco kept on holding her in his arms, trying to wake her up.

"Ginny, don't you dare to leave me… Don't you dare! I'm not as strong as you are. I wouldn't be able to survive and take care of Cassie without you…" he cried against her neck.

"Draco," Dumbledore's voice said close to his ear. "If you don't want to loose two loved ones in one day, take her right now to St. Mungos… Hurry, there's no time to waste!"

Draco looked at his former Headmaster with confusion, but obeyed. He stood with Ginny's limp body in his arms and ran to the Ministry of Magic main entrance with all their friends and family running behind him.

In a few seconds, an enormous group of people Apparated at St. Mungos.

"What's the meaning of this?" a Healer yelled furiously.

"My wife was hexed and she's unconscious… These are our family and friends!" Draco explained quickly. "Please, help her… Please!"

"Of course, but please, take all of them to the Waiting room… They are crowding the hallway!" The Healer ordered, placing Ginny on a stretcher and taking her to an Observations room.

"Oh dear Merlin, why did this have to happen?" Mrs. Weasley cried on her husband's shoulder.

"It's all my fault… All I ever do is make her suffer!" Draco whispered, sitting down with his face buried in his hands.

"Philip, you are not the fault! Fudge is a lunatic, he's he one to blame for her condition…" Julie kneeled in front of him, removing his face from his hands. "Don't cry, Philip, I don't like to see you like this!"

"How do you want me to be, Julie? My wife, the only woman I've ever loved was cursed because of me and my stupid problems!" he yelled furiously, scaring Julie. When he saw her scared face and her eyes fill with tears, he regretted his outburst and hugged his aunt gently. "I'm sorry Julie… I love her so much and I'm hurting her all the time! First it was the fake death and now this…"

"Draco, you are the only thing that makes her happy, besides Cassie!" Julie whispered in his ear, lovingly. "There are very few women who would cry for their husbands death the way Ginny did… When you came back she became the Ginny I knew three years ago! She was smiling and laughing again, because she had you back! Don't you ever doubt about the way you make her feel… You don't make her unhappy, by the contrary; you make her the happiest woman in the world! I wish I had all that happiness…"

"Are you saying you're unhappy?" Draco asked, smiling softly.

"No, all I'm saying is that your love for each other is bigger than mine will ever be, no matter how hard I try! You and Ginny are perfect for each other, and she'll be ok as soon as the Healers take good care of her." Julie smiled back, and kissed his cheek.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Draco walked over to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and hugged them tightly.

"She'll be alright, dear, I know she will!" Mrs. Weasley said, kissing Draco's forehead. "What was the meaning of what Dumbledore told you?"

"I don't know… I didn't understand it!" Draco said, looking sadly to the doors behind which Ginny was being attended to.

"Draco, mate, do you need anything?" Harry asked, placing a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Cassie… Could you go get her at Grimmauld Place? Snape is baby-sitting her." Draco asked, sadly. "I want her with me."

"Of course, I'm going there right now!" Harry smiled. "Just one more thing… Snape? Baby-sitting?"

"Yeah, Cassie calls him Sevvie and he's a sucker for her!" Draco smiled a little.

"Wow, that's something I've got to see!" Harry laughed amusedly before he Disapparated, returning moments later with Cassie in his arms.

The little girl looked around her, not recognising the place where they were, and then she saw all her family looking sad.

"Daddy, where's mommy?" Cassie asked, worried.

"She's inside that room with a Healer, darling!" Draco said, taking her from Harry's arms, and holding her strongly against his chest.

"Where are we?"

"This is Mommy's place of work…" Draco explained gently.

"It's very… green! I like green…" the little girl smiled happily.

"Yes, I know you do!" Draco smiled with half a heart.

They all sat there, playing with Cassie and trying to engage themselves in some sort of activity, so that the time would pass faster.

The silence was broken when someone Apparated.

"Draco how is she?" Padma asked worried.

"I don't know…" was all he said, trying hard not to cry in front of all those people.

"Oh, Merlin! Dumbledore concluded his speech, after you all left. Your name will be cleared, you will be "alive" again, on your file, you were accepted again to the Aurors, Ginny has her job back, you'll receive an indemnity and Fudge was sent to Azkaban." Padma said, sighing. "As soon as the trial was over, I've received hundreds of owls from people on the same situation you were… They want me to help them!"

"Really? That's great, Padma… I'm sure you'll do a great job, just like you did with Ginny and me! Thank you." Draco smiled sadly.

"Is anyone here from Virginia Malfoy's family?" a Healer asked, entering the room.

Everyone in the room shouted a loud YES, surprising the Healer.

"I see she has a big family… Very well, Ginny was cursed with the Vivere Oculto. This curse makes the victim live in a coma for the rest of his / her life." the Healer explained, sadly. "She is in coma… Who is Ginny's husband?"

"I am!" Draco said, stepping forward.

"As you know, your wife is pregnant, and the baby is in danger…" the Healer said, and received a collective gasp from everyone in the room.

"She's pregnant?" Draco asked, surprised, as a few tears fell from his eyes.

"I thought you knew… Yes, she's two months pregnant, and the coma may affect the baby. The baby could be born with several handicaps. We need to know if you want us to remove it, or not?" the Healer said, sadly.

"Wait a minute… Ginny is not going to wake up, ever?" Draco asked, desperately.

"I don't know any case in which the person came back to life…" the Healer explained. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy…"

"Leave the baby inside of her… When he's born, he'll have a big family to love him and take care of him!" Draco said, shivering violently in shock.

"Are you sure? He could have more than one handicap!" the Healer insisted.

"Yes, I'm sure! I'm willing to accept my son or daughter, no matter what's wrong with him or her!" Draco yelled, and the Healer accepted his decision.

"Very well… You may see her, now, if you want." He said, and Draco followed him with Cassie in his arms, to Ginny's hospital room.

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