Chapter Three
Ginny felt herself falling, falling through darkness while an evil laugh filled her ears.
"Who are you? Why won't you help me?" she screamed but the laughter only got louder. There was nothing but black all around her and the air was so full of hatred and evil that Ginny felt herself being suffocated by it. She cried out again, begging the help of anyone that would listen. As if in answer to her pleas, a light shone down from somewhere above her and a figure flew through towards her, white wings spread wide to speed down to her falling form. The laugher turned to screams of resentment as the figure caught her out of the air and began to soar upwards again. She could not see the person's face except for a shock of platinum hair.
"Draco?" The person did not answer, only flew higher and higher out of the darkness, getting closer to the light. Something grabbed her ankle and she screamed. The person turned to get a better grip on her but the thing held on. Ginny felt her energy being drained from her body.
"Hold on Ginny, don't give in!" Ginny recognized that voice. It was Draco, she knew it was but those thoughts were swept away as the thing on her ankle nearly pulled her from Draco's grasp. She tried to kick it but she felt nothing solid.
"Please, please save me Draco!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Hold on! Don't let it get you!"
"I'm trying! It's just so hard!"
"Hold onto me Ginny, don't let go, I love you!" Ginny's eyes grew wide. She suddenly felt the strength beginning to return but the thing that held her didn't release her ankle.
"Fight back Ginny, don't let it take over, you can defeat it just hold on!" The thing pulled her from Draco's arms and Ginny fell back into the darkness.
* * * * *
"Come on Ginny. Hold on. Don't give up," Draco cooed. "Were working on a cure, please hold on. I don't want to lose you. Please, be strong."
Ginny had been given the sleeping charm over two days ago and she hadn't shown any signs of life. She had become pale and cold. She was still breathing and her heart was still beating but both were almost gone. Draco had been back and forth from her side to the potions medical lab, working on the cure. They were getting close but they still need another six days before the potion would be ready. The doctors didn't have any hope but Draco did. He talked to her through her unconsciousness, hoping that Ginny was receiving his messages.
"I love you Ginny." He kissed her forehead before he looked around the room. Ginny's family had come. Her parents were asleep on a bed near by. Her brothers sleeping in chairs and extra beds they had found. Harry and Hermione were there too along with Luna, Ron's girlfriend. All of them fast asleep and no wonder, it was three in the morning. It had been a long two days so far and they were breaking on the third. It was hard on her family but it was a lot harder on Draco. Ginny was the only person he had ever cared for other than his mother and now he was losing her to a curse his father had put her under. Draco managed a smirk, the same evil one that he had seen on the man's face a few days ago. Lucius was going to spend the rest of his days in Askaban prison and even if it didn't bring Ginny back to him, Draco knew that the man he once called father would suffer for the rest of his days. The smirk faded from Draco's face when he saw Ginny move.
"Gin?" She moved slightly and her eyes fluttered open. Her blind eyes stared at the ceiling.
"Draco?" she croaked.
"I'm here," Draco cooed and kissed her hand.
"It hurts, it hurts so much, I don't know if I can hang on."
"Shh…Don't say that, please don't say that," Draco pleaded. "You're strong, you can get though this"
"I had a dream, darkness was every where but you came though a light," Ginny whispered. "I heard you, you told me to hang on and that you loved me. The darkness grabbed me, I tried to hang on but it was winning. You didn't let go of me, you kept telling me to hang on but I fell. I'm trying to fight but it's just so hard."
"Please Ginny, don't let go. I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life." Ginny smiled a weak smile. And reached over trying to find his face. Draco took her hand and pressed it to his cheek so she could feel the tears.
"You're crying," Ginny said in a worried tone.
"I don't want to lose you, not now, not ever."
"I will always be with you Draco, even if I don't make it this time. I love you Draco." Ginny's eyes began to flutter close and her head fell to the side, asleep once again.
"Oh, Ginny. Please, don't leave me, just keep fighting, love. I'll wait right here for you when you wake up. I promise." Another tear rolled down Draco's cheek. He had never been in so much pain in his life. The person he loved the most in the world was slowly slipping through his fingers. He leaned forward and kissed Ginny's cold lips. As he pulled back he slid his free hand, that was not holding one of Ginny's, down her cheek. A hand on his shoulder startled him. He hastily wiped away his tears and faced the person behind him with a stone face, he didn't want anyone to see him looking weak.
"She be okay Draco, just believe." Arthur Weasley stood above him, his eyes showed compassion and caring as well as knowledge. It was the kind of look Dumbledor usually wore. "Our Gin's a fighter and I think she knows that there are people still here waiting for her, especially you."
"She's fighting a battle that she doesn't think she'll win, how can I believe she'll make it when she doesn't believe herself?"
"I know but I do think she has the strength. She just needs a helping hand." Draco gave him a look of confusion but Arthur just smiled. "She needs you Draco and I know just the way to get you there. It'll be dangerous but it just might work."
"I don't care what the danger is, I just care about getting her back."
* * * * *
Ginny was fighting. The darkness had taken the form of a basilisk, the animal she feared most, but this time she could look this one in the eye without dying immediately. It was feeding on her fear though and no matter how hard she fought, it kept getting stronger. She had her wand and was screaming curse after curse but nothing could kill it. She was beginning to get weak but she kept fighting.
"Have to keep fighting," she said forcefully to herself. "Cannot let this thing win." From out of no where, another curse came and struck the basilisk in the eyes. It growled loudly and shook it's massive head. Another curse struck it in it's open mouth. The basilisk hacked and hissed, retreating into a cave of darkness. Ginny whirled around to see Draco standing behind her. He smiled at her and began to run. Her feet that she hadn't realized were moving also began to run. She leapt into his open arms.
"Ginny, I thought I was losing you," he whispered into her hair. Tears rolled down her cheeks like a waterfall. She pulled back and kissed Draco with everything she had. Draco returned her kissed with the same force. It was like they had been kept from each other for years when in fact it had only been a few days but to them, it felt like it had been. Draco slowly broke the kiss. He looked into her eyes and saw the tears. She scanned her eyes over his face and then locked onto his eyes with her own.
"You can see," he said, amazement in his voice. Ginny nodded and smiled.
"You look just how I imagined."
"I told you to hold onto that thought back at your flat, remember?" Ginny nodded and Draco looked around. "So this is what your mind looks like." It was a barren wasteland with a huge cave infront of where they stood. The sky was the colour of blood. Draco cringed and Ginny laughed wryly at his expression.
"I can assure you its not usually this…interesting."
"Interesting nothing, this is just plain creepy." Ginny smiled and then sighed, her smile fading soon after it had settled and was replaced with worry. "How are you holding up?"
"It's been so hard Draco. I feel like I've been fighting for centuries. How long have I been here?"
"Three days," Draco said hesitantly. All hope disappeared from Ginny's eyes.
"Only three days?" she whispered in despair.
"We are working as hard as we can back at the hospital to bring you out of here," Draco said while taking his eyes away from her for a second to look around before returning his attention to her. "You have to stay strong Ginny. The potion won't be ready for another five days. I will be with you as often as I can to help you through it."
"Five days? I don't know if I can last that long Draco, I already feel so weak."
"Do not say that Ginny," Draco said sternly, cupping her cheek with his hand while the other remained wrapped around her protectively. "You have to keep fighting."
"It's so hard," Ginny whimpered. "I don't know if I can do it."
"You can do it," Draco said in a soft voice, his eyes showing all his love for her. "I believe in you. I know you can, you just have to believe in yourself." Ginny closed her eyes and looked down.
"Hey." She looked back up to see Draco's comforting eyes staring into her own. "The Ginny I know could fall off a bed face first and laugh about it."
"This is different than falling off a bed Draco, this is a lot worse."
"You're giving up, the more you give up the more harder the obstacles will get. Your family is waiting out there, just like me. They have faith in you Ginny. Your dad told me that you're a fighter and that you have the strength to pull through. We can help Gin but you have to fight just as hard. Believe Gin and you'll come out of this. The question is, will you?" Ginny stared into Draco's eyes and saw the hope behind them. To see those eyes in the real world gave Ginny hope. He truly believed in her, now she had to believe in herself.
"I will fight as hard as I can." Draco's whole face lit up and he pressed his lips against hers. Ginny's spirit lifted. Draco had given her hope and courage that she had been slowly drained from her before his arrival. She broke the kiss to look at the face she had longed to see for almost five days now. His hair wasn't slicked back but hanging down and still the same platinum colour she remembered from school. His face was still pale and flawless. His stormy gray eyes were full of compassion and love for her. The next thing he said was like he had read her mind.
"I love you so much Ginny and if I told you that a million times every day for the rest of our lives that I know we will spend together, it wouldn't be anywhere near enough. I want to spend the rest of my days with you Ginny, I don't think I could stand losing you now." A tear came to Ginny's eye.
"I love you too Draco. I promise to fight my hardest. We will be together again." Draco wrapped her up in his arms. He began to spin her around in a circle, both of them laughing with joy. Their joy was not long lived however because the ground began to rumble under their feet.
* * * * *
Outside in the real world, Arthur was watching over them. Draco lay beside Ginny, his eyes closed and his hands that were holding hers lay between them. Many emotions ran through the eldest Weasley at that moment. He had seen the love in Draco's eyes, which he knew belonged to Ginny. Arthur had never helped a Malfoy before but there was something about Draco that begged him for his knowledge. He wondered what would happen to Draco if Ginny didn't make it.
He was brought out of his thoughts however when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ron, his youngest son, standing behind him.
"She's going to make it Dad," Ron whispered. "I know it."
"I think you're right son and I think we are going to owe our gratitude to young Mr. Malfoy over there." Arthur laughed when he saw the look of disgust on his son's face but his face went serious with his next words. "He loves her Ron. I know you can see that." Ron nodded and he sat beside his father on the bed opposite to Ginny and Draco.
"But why him? Why would he fall for her? He has always hated our family and gave her a fair share of his unpleasant mocking."
"I don't think that's the case though," Arthur said thoughtfully. "I think he has done what he has in order to please his father. But during the war he was on our side remember? Not Voldemort's. He has changed from the immature Hogwarts student into a man who can care and now cares for Ginny. He brought his father into Askaban two days ago. Clearly that monster of a man is not Draco's idol anymore." There was a look of surprise on Ron's face. The boy Malfoy had grown up with worshiped the ground his father walked on. He looked over at the bed where his childhood enemy lay next to his beloved sister. Ron saw the same, pale structured face with the platinum hair that always reminded him of the Malfoys whenever he saw it. Ron heaved a heavy sigh. His father was right. The rich git had changed and Ron had to except him, for Ginny's sake at least. It wouldn't be easy but everybody disserves a chance. Ron's gaze moved from Draco to his friends and family, sleeping peacefully in other beds, chairs and some even on the floor. Harry, Hermione, his girlfriend Luna, his brothers and himself had all fought in that final attack against Voldemort and Draco had been there right along side them. Ginny had been there too, just out of school. Ron remembered the day when the Dark Lord had fallen. Death Eaters had scattered, some escaped but most were caught and imprisoned. Many of their friends had died that day but many of them lived.
They had almost lost their beloved Ginny then too. They had waited at her bedside just like they did now, even Draco had passed by a few times now that Ron had thought of it. He now remembered the look of love in his eyes there too. How did he miss it the first time but saw it now? Ginny had been unconscious for about a week before her eyes fluttered open. It had been one of the happiest days of Ron's life. They now waited again for her eyes to flutter open and to stay open.
* * * * *
Ginny screamed. There before her was her biggest fear. He had been defeated two years ago but had haunted her dreams since her first year at Hogwarts. Tom Marvolo Riddle was steadily walking towards her.
"Ah Virginia, I never thought I would be seeing you again," he drawled.
"You're just an image, you're dead, you aren't here!" Ginny screamed. She wanted to throttle the man who had cause her pain for so long. She felt Draco squeeze her hand.
"And yet I stand here walking towards you and am very real indeed. In your mind, everything is real," Tom hissed. "And what do we have here? The young Malfoy. You were wrong not to join my side in the war. You could have gone places."
"Like where? Askaban prison? To my death? I think not," Draco growled. Tom chuckled, which sent chills down Ginny's spine.
"We defeated you once Riddle, we can do it again," she threatened. Tom only laughed at her, sending more chills down her spine.
"You use my father's Muggle name as if it were who I really was," he sneered. "I have told you before my dear Ginny, I am Lord Voldemort or do you not remember our little encounter all those years ago?" Ginny involuntarily shuddered. "I see you do. You used to love to talk to me Ginny, about you're family, about Potter and even about Draco over here. About how you hated him more than anything in the world."
"That was a long time ago, things have changed," Ginny snarled.
"Really, why don't you tell me hmmm? I know all your secrets Ginny. I know that you fear Draco leaving you and you're thinking about running away before he can hurt you."
"That's not true!"
"Your mind is an open book as it were to me Ginny, I can flip through the pages and read all your dirty little secrets that you keep from everyone."
"Shut up!" Ginny screamed.
"It's just like how it was when you were eleven, I know everything about you, even things you don't know about yourself."
"Stop it!" Tears began to sting her eyes. How she hated this monster of a man.
"Don't let him get to you Ginny," Draco said confidently. "The more you let him hurt you the stronger he gets."
"I'm tired of you Malfoy," Tom said, boredom lining his voice. "Go away." Draco suddenly disappeared from Ginny's side. She screamed and stared horror struck at Tom.
"It's just you and me now Ginny," he said as he licked his lips.
* * * * *
Draco's eyes shot open. He was back in the hospital.
"Ginny!" he cried. Arthur was by his side in seconds.
"What happened? What's going on in there?"
"Riddle! He's come back inside Ginny's mind! She is so scared right now and I don't now if she'll make it! I have to get back in there!"