Thanks so much to everyone who reviews. I know these chapters are short, but there's more coming soon.
CHAPTER 10
"Ms. Weasley? This way please."
Ginny glanced up from her place beside Draco's bed and saw Healer McKinney standing in the doorway. Behind her was Healer Notting.
"Healer Notting would like a word alone with Mr. Malfoy," she said.
Draco blew Ginny a kiss as she made her way out the door. She followed the Healer down the hall and into her small office with enchanted windows that looked out to a sunny tropical beach. The Healer motioned for Ginny to sit in a chair, then edged around the desk to face her. A sinking feeling grew in Ginny's stomach as she looked around the room as realized that it was designed to make people comfortable; particularly, people who were about to receive bad news.
"Well, Ms. Weasley," she began, "I'm sure you already had your suspicions about this curse."
Ginny didn't answer.
"We cannot find the counter curse or cure or anything else. That doesn't mean there isn't one, just that we can't find it. A friend of yours at the ministry was only able to locate six cases of this particular curse."
"Marta?" Her voice came out high pitched.
The Healer nodded and slid several folders across the desk. "It is a very ancient curse, one that if the ministry was aware of, would have been an unforgivable curse. In five of these cases, the curse was used on a family member who had betrayed his people. It is designed to destroy the person slowly."
Ginny glanced numbly down at the files before her. "How long did they live?" She could scarcely believe what she was hearing; most days Draco seemed like he was doing so much better. They spent their days exploring the hospital, visiting Percy and other witches and wizards they knew. Everyone seemed to be doing so much better. Draco had even felt well enough to make it to Dumbledore's eulogy. Since the war had ended, she spent most her time with Draco, unconcerned about finishing school or anything else. Her parents continually nagged her to return to Hogwarts, but she wasn't ready; the war had taken away some of the people she loved the most, and of the people who remained, nothing was the same. While Ron had dove head first into his Auror studies, Harry just went through the motions, still stunned by the fact that Voldemort was gone, and so was Dumbledore. The Order, which had nearly become the focal point of Ginny's life outside of Hogwarts had dissolved, people eager to get on with their lives.
"That's the odd part," the Healer told her gently. "Two of the wizards lived to be very old, one died immediately, one lived until his 73rd birthday, and the other two only lived a few months. It seems to be dependant on the will of the cursed wizard, and the power behind the curse."
"The power behind it?"
Healer McKinney nodded. "It is a very ancient curse. There are very few wizards today who would actually know this curse, and as for those who do know it, it can be assumed that he or she is not very skilled at it."
Ginny had her doubts. Mr. Malfoy had been exceedingly good at every evil thing he had done. She knew he would have killed Draco without a moments thought if he'd had any idea about the two of them. "So he might live?"
"Yes, he might. But understand this, Ms. Weasley, the longer Draco lives, the weaker he will be. The more care and help he will need."
"I don't care," she snapped defiantly. "I can do it."
Healer McKinney's face seemed to grow weary. "What I want you to do is go home and discuss this with your family. This decision will be your life and you haven't even finished school."
"I'm not going back! And it doesn't matter what they think!" Ginny exploded. "You've seen my family! They come in here every single week, and not once have they stopped to see Draco! Only if he's with me do they even speak to him!" More than she cared to admit, it hurt. Her family couldn't quite stomach the fact that Draco had turned on his own family and fought against Voldemort.
"Yes, well, I suppose there might be some hard feelings. Your brother is in here because of Draco's father."
"My brother is in here because he was an idiot and ran around behind Fudge all day! If he had listened to my father or Dumbledore or anyone with an ounce of sense he wouldn't have been there when Mr. Malfoy arrived!" She took a deep breath. "Besides, Draco is not his father, is he? And he got rid of his father, so maybe they should thank him!"
"It was his father who cursed him then?"
Ginny didn't answer; instead she stood up and stomped out of the room. Draco was alone in his small room when she returned, packing what few belongings he had in a small bag.
"I'm going home," he told her.
"Good," she nodded, sitting on the edge of his bed. "What did he tell you?"
"That I could go home."
"Anything else?"
"You're not going with me."
"What?"
"You can't."
"Why not?" she demanded.
"You need to go back to Hogwarts. You need to finish school and pick the career you want and be successful, and then find someone who can give you all the things I can't." His voice was flat and emotionless.
"No. No. I already know what I want. I'm going with you."
"And what will your parents say, Weasley? That it's okay for you to live with someone you're not married to? That it's okay for you to live with the son of the man who ruined their family?"
"Don't do this," Ginny said softly. "Don't call me Weasley, don't try to shut me out. It doesn't matter what they say anymore. It's been a long time since we were a family."
Draco sat down next to Ginny and struggled for words. He had never been very good at expressing his emotions, and being cursed by his father hadn't made the situation any better. "I can't give you the things I had always planned on giving you," he said through gritted teeth. I can't give you a home or a family. I can't even be a good husband. So I'm telling you right now, that this is it. We are through."
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