Into My Arms

Author�s Note: Hello again my lovelies! It has been a little while but I have finally had inspiration enough to write another Draco/Ginny fable for you all to read and hopefully enjoy. Many of the scenes in this story have been whizzing around my head for a fair while so I decided to string them all together. Voila! The result.

This one is a little more angsty than the last so be prepared for scenes of an unhappy and sometimes violent nature.

Enjoy.

Ginny Weasley was brooding darkly as she strode through the rows of Greenhouses. She had received a poor mark for her latest potions essay which she had worked tirelessly on and now here she was drenched in melted ice water having been the unlucky recipient of a rogue charmed snowball while on an errand for Professor Sprout. It had taken practically all of her strength to refrain from hexing the bunch of blushing first years to whom the snowball had belonged but she had settled for a few well chosen threats instead. It was with further vexation that she realised that she had left her wand back in Sprout�s office and therefore had to continue on to Greenhouse 5 without so much as a warming charm.

Feeling frustrated and angry was something that Ginny Weasley had long become accustomed to.

Coming from a large family like hers was bad enough without being the youngest and least remarkable of the brood. Her only really outstanding quality was that she was the only girl and that had only proved a burden. Being smothered by one brother was irritating enough without having five more to back him up. She loved her brothers, that was never in question, but it was very exhausting trying to live up to their legacy at Hogwarts while standing in six years worth of hand-me-downs.

She had long since stopped trying to compete and had withdrawn from her family and friends. Not that she had that many friends apart from the �Trio�. She had been quite good friends with Luna Lovegood but after she started seeing her brother it became a bit awkward. Luna had a penchant for graphic detail and details about Ron�s sex life weren�t something Ginny wanted to be party to�.ever.

So, when Ginny began acting precisely as she pleased, disappearing until late most evenings and not talking to anyone, it didn�t go down too well with Ronnikins. As her darling brother put it, �Staying out late with the �bad crowd�, getting drunk and hanging around with boys was not ladylike behaviour.�

He had, as usual, managed to get it spectacularly wrong. She preferred her own company far above any other, spending long hours in the back of the library working on her various essays or in her favourite corner of the Astronomy tower with her nose in a good book. She still played Quidditch for Gryffindor but she tried her best to be late to practices whenever her brother (who was captain) had been particularly annoying. She also had a part time job helping Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher in her spare time and on weekends. It was terribly dull work but it paid rather well, allowing her to gradually replace her worn out robes and school books. Not to mention the occasional treat, a new book or expensive perfume.

She did nothing to contradict Ron�s interpretation of her frequent disappearances, in fact she enjoyed nothing more than encouraging him in his assumptions. Many a time she paused outside the fat lady�s portrait to smudge her lipstick, ruffle her hair and take a swig from a flask of fire whiskey she had stored in a vase on top of one of the dusty bookcases. If Ron wanted to think badly of her, good luck to him. It was a lot more fun than living up to his expectation of a �good girl� little sister. Besides, he pissed her off a large amount of the time, it was only fair that he got a taste of his own medicine from time to time.

As she stomped her way through the Greenhouses she cursed softly under her breath and made a mental note to give Ron something to be really mad about later that evening to make herself feel better. Finally reaching Greenhouse 5 she opened the door and stepped gratefully into its magically warmed interior. Professor Sprout had asked her to fetch some cuttings from a tropical Tentacular plant. Ginny paused for a second, taking a moment to search her memory for their location. She seemed to remember that they were on their own at the back of the Greenhouse due to their tendency to attack other plants and occasionally people. She cursed again for forgetting her wand and contemplated going back to get it when something caught her eye.

Laying on the path, at the back of the Greenhouse was what looked remarkably like a boot. Creeping forward she saw with a start that it was a boot and that the boot was attached to a leg, the leg to a body. A body which was lying sprawled over the roots of the afore-mentioned Tentacular plant. Ginny�s hand flew to her mouth in horror, thinking for a brief, terrible moment that someone had been attacked, until she saw that the body was snoring soundly. The bloody fool had fallen asleep, curled at the base of one of the most poisonous and violent plants in the known world.

This bloody fool, was Draco Malfoy.

There are many interesting things to be said about Draco Malfoy. He had changed a lot in the past year and a half. He had to after the events of the summer after his fifth year.

It hadn�t taken long for Lucius Malfoy to escape from Azkaban with the Dementors on the side of the Dark Lord and, upon his return to Malfoy Manor he demanded that Draco become a Death Eater. Draco had resisted of course, and his father had beaten and tortured him quite severely. He was near death when his mother had aimed the Avra kedavra at his father and then tried to kill herself, irreparably damaging her brain in the process.

So he had returned to Hogwarts for his sixth year practically an orphan. No one seemed to notice his slow withdrawal or the haunted look that had taken residence in his cool silver eyes. No one that was except Ginny Weasley.

Draco Malfoy was one of the other reasons why Ginny detached herself from �The Trio�. They had been almost delighted when they heard about what had befallen the Malfoys. It had shocked her at first, how truly cruel and unfeeling they could be at times. Even Hermione, who was the most compassionate of the three of them, had expressed a cold indifference to Draco�s obvious suffering. They seemed of the opinion that he had it coming. If any of them had a right to be pleased about the demise of a Malfoy it should have been Ginny, but she felt little malice towards Draco and for that reason her heart went out to him. He was after all just a boy who had lost his parents, it didn�t matter who those parents had been.

Ginny could understand that having been through what Harry, Ron and Hermione had at Voldemort�s hands, they were bound to be a little

hardened. Ginny just didn�t want to end up desensitised to the pain of others the way they were.

So when Ginny happened across the sleeping form of Draco Malfoy in Greenhouse 5, his silvery hair ruffled and his pale lips parted, his hands clutching an open book to his chest she understood at once why he was here.

So this is where he comes to be alone. To be at peace.

As if in response to her musings, his arm began to twitch violently. Ginny felt the sudden urge to hide before he woke but even as she began to move towards the door, Draco let out a low mournful cry and curiosity got the better of her. He began to sob pitifully in his sleep, muttering something Ginny couldn�t make out, over and over. She stooped lower to catch what he was saying.

�No Father don�t! I�m sorry! Mother! No! Don�t! Please!�

She kept expecting him to wake but he didn�t, seemingly trapped in his terrible nightmare, suffering his own personal tragedy all over again. She couldn�t bare it, she had to help him. She began to shake him roughly, crying out his name in an attempt to wake him but she couldn�t rouse him. It was heartbreaking to watch his normally beautiful face contorting with pain and misery. She put her arms around him, making reassuring noises and holding him tightly to her, rocking back and forth. Eventually, the sobbing slowed and turned to furtive sniffing. She let him go, feeling suddenly awkward in such an intimate embrace, having not been invited.

Draco sat with his head in his hands for a short while, Ginny stood apart from him twiddling her thumbs, waiting for him to recover. She wondered if she should just leave and pretend she had never been there but she knew that her actions would need explaining and he would need some reassurance of her discretion. She knew what it was like to be the victim of vivid nightmares. She had had her fair share after her stint as Voldemort�s plaything and it had been bloody awful facing up to her roommates. It got to the point where Ginny had been given a private room to give the others a decent night�s sleep.

Draco eventually shook his head vigorously and stood, wiping his face on the sleeve of his robes. He turned and began to collect his few belongings together, dusting the gravel from his book and shaking the dead leaves and dirt from his robes. Ginny stood silently behind him, searching desperately for something appropriate to say. Words failed her, so she inspected her fingernails instead.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence Draco spun round to face her, Ginny stood quickly to attention as he looked her dead in the eyes, as if challenging her to mock him or make a sarcastic comment. When none came he relaxed his shoulders, let out a helpless sigh and turned to leave.

Ginny watched him go, frantically searching for something to say. As he reached the greenhouse door she called after him. He turned to look at her, his face showing no emotion. Ginny took a deep breath and blurted,

�Your secret is safe with me, Draco.�

He stared at her for a moment, gave a curt nod, turned and walked away.

Ginny let out a deep sigh and turned to the trunk of the Tentacular that she could now see was stunned. She took out her clippers and began taking cuttings.

A.N. Sorry for the long gap between chapters. Thanks for all your reviews of chapter 1.

Enjoy.

In the weeks following the incident in the greenhouse, Ginny found herself compelled to watch Draco wherever he went. She would catch herself staring at him at mealtimes, he usually sat alone but on the rare occasion when he spoke to someone she found herself straining desperately to read his lips. She would watch from the library window as he walked by on his way to the greenhouses at the same time every Saturday morning. She wasn�t sure what she was watching for, but she was fairly sure she was watching him for signs of emotion. He was so cool and impassive, even when he was being tormented by his former friends. It was such a stark contrast to the way he had sobbed in her arms.

She was gazing over at him as usual early one breakfast time on her way to her usual place at Gryffindor table, when she walked smack into a group of Slytherin girls standing in her path. She managed to knock Pansy Parkinson to the floor where she lay sprawled in amongst the contents of Ginny�s book bag, red faced and looking decidedly violent.

�You had better start running Weasley, because so help me when I get up I�m gonna blast your arse into next week.�

Ginny stood gaping and stuttering stupidly, grasping hopelessly for a defence. Pansy scrambled to her feet as the other girls rounded on Ginny, grabbing fist full of her robes. Pansy Parkinson seemed even larger and more threatening than usual as she leered down at Ginny, reaching inside her robes for her wand. She searched through her pockets, getting redder and redder as she searched.

�Would you be looking for this Parkinson?�

Pansy spun round to face the insolent sneer that had sounded behind her. Ginny struggled against her captors hoping to get away in the confusion but it was to no avail. She looked over at Pansy again who was glaring angrily. Draco Malfoy stood boldly in front of her, tapping what seemed to be Pansy Parkinson�s wand, idly against his palm. His features were formed into a defiant and decidedly amused smirk. As Pansy stepped towards him, demanding he return her wand he took his own from his pocket and raised it so it was inches away from her nose.

Pansy halted abruptly and crossed her eyes to focus on the wand and then refocus on Draco, who smiled his most dangerous smile and said,

�One move from your goons or a wrong word from you and I blast a new hole in your face. Now, let her go.�

Pansy looked around frantically for a teacher who might step in and save her and when she saw none decided to attempt to appeal to Draco�s Slytherin side.

�But Draco,� she whined shrilly �The pathetic little Weasel knocked me over and dirtied my robes. I just want to teach her to respect her betters. Surely you can understand that.� She batted her eye lashes at him for good measure.

Draco made a disgusted face and let out a bark of derisive laughter.

�Betters? Really Parkinson? You make me nauseous. Maybe if you didn�t have such a gigantic arse you wouldn�t keep getting in people�s bloody way.�

Pansy turned a deep shade of violet and her murderous glare returned. Draco seemed encouraged by this and Ginny could see he was fighting a smile as he continued.

�Get your gargoyles to let her go.�

Pansy waved her hand back at the two girls who let go of Ginny�s arms and robes and stepped away at Draco�s demand.

Apparently satisfied that Ginny was in no more danger of being hexed, Draco lowered his wand slightly and leaned towards Pansy and hissed,

�If I hear you have been hassling her again, I will get you Pansy. You know I am a man of my word.�

Pansy scoffed, taking her turn to look disgusted.

�What happened to you Draco? You used to be someone, I never thought I�d see the day that you started fraternising with the likes of a Weasley. Your father would be so ashamed of you.�

Draco seemed to lose some of his cool at the mention of his father and, as if to curb this he tossed Pansy�s wand over his shoulder. It sailed high in the air and landed with a clatter on the other side of the hall.

Draco lowered his wand and pushed past Pansy roughly, uttering something that sounded very much like, �Fetch Doggie.�

Pansy glared over her shoulder at him, then walked away in the direction her wand had gone. Draco approached Ginny and knelt to help her collect her things. Ginny looked up at him, feeling suddenly bold herself and spoke softly.

�Thanks Draco.� His name felt strange in her mouth and her heartbeat began to speed up, the blood rushing to her face. She cursed inwardly. Draco said nothing until they both straitened up, her books and quills stored back in her bag. He gave her a piercing look which made her heart flutter again.

�No Problem�.Ginny�..I owed you one.� His mouth twitched slightly at the corners, in what Ginny would later swear was a rather sad attempt at a smile, gave her a swift nod of his head, turned and walked away.

That night Ginny lay in bed awake, she couldn�t get Draco out of her head. Rescuing her like that had been so unexpected, not to mention the fact that he had called her Ginny. And he was of course, unavoidably attractive. Every inch of him screamed refinement. His clothes, his demeanour, his general appearance seemed carefully planned to intimidate in its perfection and yet also appeared effortlessly aristocratic. He was like a flawless thoroughbred stallion.

Draco�s father had groomed him to be a perfect representation of what a rich pureblood heir should be. He had been expected to associate only with the best of his own class and would have married into another family of the same type.

His father�s death and his rejection of his father�s wish for him to become a Death Eater had obviously thrown his future into turmoil. He certainly hadn�t helped his situation by coming to the aid of a Gryffindor in a public place, It had showed a lot of integrity and this pleased her. It made it a hell of a lot easier to allow herself to harbour what she supposed must be the beginnings a crush on Draco, when he showed that he had lost some of that arrogance.

Ginny smiled to herself as she imagined what Ron would have to say to her when he got wind of what happened in the Hall that morning. So what was one more complication in life? Especially when it comes in such an inviting package.

Ginny�s errands for Professor Sprout sent her to Hogsmeade the following week. Snow was still thick on the ground and a bitterly cold wind blew through the tiny village as she made deliveries to the shops and houses. Normally she would have been sent with an escort but Ginny felt a need to be alone that evening and had managed to convince the Professor that she was taking a friend. She was coming to regret this decision as she struggled with her heavy trolley through the snow. A strapping lad to help her out would have been very welcome as it turned out. Ginny�s mind wandered to thinking of one particular strapping lad as she made her way to the final stop of the evening, a large crate of fruit for the bar at The Three Broomsticks.

She pushed her way into the bar she shook the snowflakes from her hair and robes and made her way through the crowded interior. Madam Rosmerta greeted her enthusiastically and offered Ginny to stay and have a Butterbeer before making her way back to the castle. Ginny gratefully accepted and sat at the bar and took in the occupants of Hogsmeade�s most frequented Pub. Among the usual Hogsmeade locals there was a crowd of Ravenclaw seventh years Ginny was surprised to see, playing exploding snap. Two old wizards in the corner with a wizards chessboard spread out in front of them and in a corner sitting alone and looking decidedly glum was Draco Malfoy.

Ginny spat out her butterbeer, choking slightly. Draco looked over at her and she went a little red with embarrassment.

Smooth Ginny, real smooth.

Draco looked away and began to examine the grain of the table he was sat at. When Ginny had finally stopped spluttering she took a deep shaky breath and slid off her chair. She crossed the room towards him and stood there waiting for him to notice her. After a few moments he still hadn�t turned to look at her she cleared her throat and forced a brassy smile.

�You look like you could use some company.�

Draco looked up at her blankly and after a second�s pause contorted his face into a scowl.

�Oh yeah? What about now? Do tell me when I look like I want to be left alone.�

Ginny put her hands up, slightly offended and doubly humiliated.

�Suit yourself.�

She turned to walk away and as she did so Draco called out after her.

�One condition Weasley, Drink with me.�

Ginny turned and looked at him like he was a simpleton. Motioning towards her mug of Butterbeer she said. �What does this look like to you Malfoy? Scotch mist? But you know what? I think I�ll pass. Enjoy your evening.�

Draco chuckled to himself, �That is not a drink. Come join me, unless you are worried about what your brother will say about you drinking with the enemy.�

Ginny stared at him, she could see that he was goading her and she smiled despite herself. �I thought we were back to last names. Anyway for your information I am quite old enough to make my own enemies.� She sat down opposite him, holding his gaze. �Now, what drink did you have in mind?�

Draco smiled and summoned Rosmerta over to them. From her he ordered a bottle of fire whiskey and two glasses from her. Ginny�s eyes were wide as she watched Rosmerta walk calmly away and prepare a tray for their drinks.

�Neither of us are old enough to be drinking and she knows that! How on earth�.?� She stopped as Rosmerta returned and upon serving them their drinks, turned to Draco,

�I trust you will drink responsibly the two of you. Draco, I trust you not to let me down.�

�Of course, Madam Rosmerta.�

When she was out of earshot, Ginny scooted round the table, closer to Draco and whispered to him, �Yes Madam, No Madam. Arse kisser! I didn�t realise that bad boy Malfoy was Madam Rosmerta�s bitch. �

Ginny smirked at the incredulous look on Draco�s face. He playfully punched her on the arm and passed her a glass of fire whiskey.

�What shall we drink to?� Draco said, raising his glass.

Ginny smiled again and said, �To unlikely drinking partners and never underestimating how much people can surprise you. Cheers!�

With that they both knocked back their drinks. Ginny, who by now was quite used to the taste of fire whiskey didn�t even wince at the taste. Draco made an appreciative hissing noise and nodded his head at Ginny. �I�m impressed. I didn�t really believe the rumours that you sneak out drinking with the Ravenclaw boys to go drinking, but now I�m starting to wonder!�

With a slight smile she explained about her fondness for bugging her brother and about the bottle of fire whiskey outside the common room. They talked about everything they could think of, the conversation and the fire whiskey flowed easily and before long they were both a little drunk.

�How are Gryffindor looking for the match in a few weeks then? How badly are we gonna kick your arses?�

Ginny sniggered �Hardly gonna tell yooooou, am I now? We will have to wait and see how badly you guys play really. If its anything like usual then we will crush you. Obviously.�

Draco pushed her playfully and she fell sideways onto the seat beside her, giggling.

Draco took another sip of his whiskey and paused thoughtfully as he watched her try to climb her way back upright. �You are probably right about you winning. I cant even get my team to stop shpending practice times talking about how fine Ginny Weasley�s arse is let alone get them to stop staring at it long enough to play a decent game!�

�You what now?�

Draco sighed and prodded her leg, �You and that appealing body of yours has shabotaged any hope I have of producing a pashable team this year.�

Ginny went a little red and put her head in the crook of her arm as she giggled again at the way that Draco was nodding drunkenly in the affirmative.

�Oh you had better believe it! All this rebelliousnessnssh you have going on lately have made you irresistible to Shlytherins apparently.�

Ginny stopped giggling and smiled. �Is that so?�

Silence descended between them for the first time that evening and Draco avoided her eyes by pouring two more whiskeys.

�I suppose that makesss us even then, I mean doesn�t Potter spend most of his time staring at my arse?

Ginny slapped a laughing Draco lightly across his head. �Harry isn�t Gay!�

Draco put a mock shocked look on his face, �You mean he isn�t going out with your brother?�

Ginny squealed with laughter. �You are so baaaad!� Draco slid the glass of whiskey over to her but she shook her head slowly and pushed it back at him. �I�ve had way too much already. I need to get back.� She attempted to stand but stumbled into Draco who swore loudly.

�Buggering hell woman. Watch it! I�ll walk you back. I happen to be going that way myself.�

He held Ginny firmly under her arm and put his cloak around her. She noticed that her was wearing a simple white silk shirt and her drunken self was struck once again by how gorgeous he was. As Draco said goodnight to Rosmerta, Ginny looked up at him and, before she could stop herself she said, �You�re yummy.�

�What was that?�

�Nothing.�

The pair of them stumbled back up to the castle laughing and singing and shushing all the way. By the time they reached the courtyard outside the Entrance Hall, Draco�s shirt had gone see through from the snow that was falling and Ginny could see the contour of his muscles clearly through it. He had a spectacular body himself and she was looking, lots.

He walked her all the way to the Gryffindor tower and when they reached the portrait hole she turned to him, �Thanks for this evening, It was the best fun I�ve had for a long time. You are very different to how I imagined you Draco. I like the new you.�

She could swear that he blushed at that. �No, thank you Ginny. I think your company must have made me soft.�

Their moment was somewhat spoiled by a rustling from behind the Fat Lady�s portrait. A voice from behind it called out, �Ginny, is that you out there?�

Ginny�s face dropped as she recognised that call.

�Oh fuck! It�s Ron!�

Draco grabbed her to him and before she could protest, he rolled them both behind a bookcase into the shadows. He put his hand over her mouth as Ron burst from the portrait hole, his face red, his eyes searching around for her. Ginny started to giggle again despite herself. Ron didn�t hear and went back inside and Draco let her go much to her inward dismay.

�Do you want me to stay?� His eyes were full of concern and Ginny was so affected by that she reached up, touched his face and smiled. �No I�ll be fine. He is just a great bag of wind.� She withdrew her hand but he caught it and spoke earnestly.

�Meet me next week. Same time, same place.�

Ginny frowned but her heart leapt at the request. �Ok. See you on Friday.� Draco beamed at her and released her hand. Ginny handed him his cloak and watched him as he walked away.

Yummy indeed.

She was still walking on clouds when she reached the common room. Then she met Ron and came crashing down to earth again.

�Where the Hell have you been? I�ve been worried sick. I was going to go and find Professor McGonagall and report you missing. Have you been drinking? Bloody hell Ginny! Anything could have happened to you! Was that you outside before? Who were you talking to? Are you going to tell me where you have been or do I�.�

Ginny closed her eyes and put her hands over her ears. �GOOD LORD RON DARLING! Take a breath will you? It�s none of your business where I have been or who I have been with. I�m sure you must have better things to do than wait up for me all night so please go and do them. I don�t know who you think you are to lecture anyone about danger, you got into more dangerous situations in your first year here than most of us have in our whole lives. I can look after myself thank you very much. Goodnight.�

She left her brother there gawping at her retreating form.

It had been a good evening.

Author note. - Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed the other chapters.

Enjoy

Chapter four.

From then on Draco and Ginny continued to grow closer and closer. She began meeting him after her rounds on Friday evenings, then he started helping her with her deliveries. Before long, as the weather cleared up a little they went for long walks around the lake instead of going to The Three Broomsticks. Their meetings went from just once a week to most evenings and then from most evenings to most of their spare time.

There was a lot of speculation, as people started seeing them together more and more frequently, that there was some kind of romantic connection between them (much to Harry and Ron’s disgust). It was not true that there was anything but a strong connection between them. Ginny likened it to friendship and yet it was like no friendship that either had ever experienced before. As the weeks went by and Draco showed no signs of wanting their relationship to progress into a physical one, Ginny stopped hoping for it. She had a real friend finally, the last thing she wanted to do was risk losing him.

Over the Christmas Holidays they wrote to each other almost every other day and when Christmas day came they exchanged gifts. Draco gave Ginny a Silver and Emerald snake pendant and a card which read…

So that the person outside can resemble the person inside. To my little Snake in Lion’s clothing.

Ginny got Draco a first edition of his favourite book and a bottle of the finest Fire whiskey she could find. Ginny had never known a time when she had looked forward to going back to school as much as she did that year, in fact she made special arrangements with Draco to return to Hogwarts a few days early so they could see in the New Year together as neither of them thought they would have much fun at home, apart from one another.

In their spare time Draco helped Ginny get up to date with her Potions and Ginny helped him with his Transfiguration. When they found themselves without schoolwork they would sit together and read in silence, perfectly content in each other’s company.

Ginny was reading in the library alone one afternoon, waiting for Draco to join her for a study session when a very nervous Neville Longbottom interrupted her.

“Ginny can I ask you something?”

Ginny had always had a soft spot for Neville. He was always so sweet to her and for that reason she smiled up at him and said, “Of course.”

“Are you and Malfoy….um….I mean….are you together?”

Ginny frowned and rolled her eyes. “Has my brother sent you? For the last time NO!”

Neville looked mortified at the very idea of spying on her for Ron. “No, No! I’m asking for me. I wanted to know if you would have dinner with me tonight, I just didn’t want to….you know…… step on any toes.”

Ginny flushed with embarrassment, “Oh Neville! I’m so sorry!” She paused. Could she go on a date with Neville? Would Draco be upset? There was never any understanding between them and despite her deep affection for him, she was sure that they would never be anything but friends. It seemed silly to turn down what might be a very pleasant evening when Draco probably wouldn’t care.

“I would love to. What time?”

Neville seemed deeply relieved and ecstatically pleased at the same time. “Eight O’clock ok with you?”

“That’s fine, see you then.”

As Neville walked away she confronted the strong sinking feeling in her stomach. Draco wouldn’t care? Why did that realisation make her so unhappy? As if on cue Draco appeared, strutting through the library, grinning at Ginny as he approached her. He sat down opposite her and after a few seconds of silence he gave her one off his assessing looks and said, “What wrong?”

Ginny averted her eyes and replied, “Neville just asked me out for dinner so I won’t be able to read with you tonight.” It came out in such a rush, like she was ripping off a plaster and then she eyed him carefully, searching his face for a reaction. When it came, it was what Ginny had expected.

“Longbottom eh? Righto. We are still ok for revision for that Transfiguration test I have tomorrow afternoon though right? In here tomorrow morning?”

“Of course.” Ginny took a deep breath and braced herself. “Draco? Why don’t you ever go out with anyone? God knows there are enough girls around here who fancy you so why do you spend all your time with me?”

Draco studied her face intensely, Ginny’s eyes began to water from the effort of holding his gaze. Draco shook his head suddenly and said, “I just enjoy your company that’s all. Now you mention it there is someone I have had my eye on a while. I just can’t get her to look at me like that. After all everyone still thinks I’m going out with you so no one thinks they have a chance.”

Lowering her eyes to her books she sat there and took in what he had just said.

Does he think I’m holding him back?

Ginny felt a wave of misery wash over her and fearing that Draco would pick up on it she quickly excused herself saying that she had to go and get ready for her date with Neville.

On her way back to the common room she turned what had happened that afternoon over and over in her head.

She had felt that going on a date with Neville would be wrong somehow.

She had been upset by the idea that Draco wouldn’t care that she was going on a date with someone else.

She had been even more upset when he mentioned that he liked some girl.

She was completely and utterly in love with Draco Malfoy.

And he only saw her as a friend.

By Eight O Clock Ginny had convinced herself that dinner with Neville was just the tonic she needed. He met her in the common room and walked her down to Hogsmeade and into the back room of The Three Broomsticks where Madam Rosmerta served them a lovely meal. Neville was pleasant company, engaging her in conversation about lessons and books and a whole manner of other things.

It should have been the perfect first date, but something was missing. And that something, no matter how much she tried to deny it, was Draco Malfoy. It should be his witty banter across the dinner table, his arm linked with hers and his lips on her cheek at the end of the night. By the time she had said goodnight to Neville she was more sure than ever that she couldn’t hide what she felt for Draco. She had to tell him and she had to tell him now before she went completely mad.

A.N. Thanks for all your lovely reviews for chapter 4. Sorry it wasn�t very long but I have updated quickly to make up for it.

Enjoy.

Chapter 5

She found herself running down the corridor to his room, the one he had been given on his return to Hogwarts after his father�s death. Like Ginny, it had been decided that giving Draco private rooms would be prudent in his circumstances. She knocked but when she got no answer she tried the handle she found it was already open. She stepped into his study room, a room that she had frequented many evenings, and found it empty.

A noise from his adjoining bedroom made her jump and she put her hand on a quill left on the side. Cursing, she looked down at her hand which was now smeared with ink. Her eyes were now drawn to his bedroom door, curiosity pushing her onward and she stepped into the one room she had never seen before.

It was richly furnished and decorated in green and silver. The bed was immaculately made and there was very little clutter, a vast contrast to the untidy study room she was used to. There was only a small silver picture frame on a singular bedside table. There was no sign of Draco.

Admitting defeat she decided to look in the library for him once she had washed her hands. She stepped into the bathroom and felt the familiar shiver of magic passing over her. She had walked right through a silencing spell. Bewildered, she looked around in the direction of the sound that now reached her ears.

Draco stood completely naked in the shower, his eyes closed, belting out the loudest rendition of one of the Weird Sisters tracks Ginny had ever heard. Not that she was paying much attention to what he was singing at all. Ginny�s eyes travelled over his body as her mind screamed at her to look away before he opened his eyes. He was hands down, the most fantastic specimen of manhood she had clapped eyes on.

His skin, which she has always thought was milky pale, looked slightly tanned against the white of the soap bubbles that ran from his flattened blonde hair, down to the base of his muscular back which was dusted with golden hair. She noticed with a start that he had a large tattoo of a dragon there too, a Welsh Green she thought or something similar.

She shook herself mentally, she had to get out of here quickly. She retreated hastily and quietly back into his bedroom and sat on his bed while she regained her composure. Her attention was drawn to the picture frame by his bed. Picking it up she observed the frolicking pair in the photo, all smiles and playful glee. It was a picture of Draco and Ginny that Madam Rosmerta had taken one evening during one of their Friday night drinking sessions. She didn�t even know he had a copy. She looked down at his smiling face, he was gazing happily at the Ginny in the picture, his arm around her while she grinned drunkenly at the camera.

Ginny felt thoroughly ashamed of herself. Draco trusted her, he had had an awful time of it the last year or so and she was sitting in his private space planning how best to betray the trust he had put in her. Disgusted with herself she put the picture back and left his rooms.

She headed back to Gryffindor common room, her head bowed and her shoulders slumped. She was in love with Draco, she knew it and now she had finally admitted it to herself she realised that she had done so for a very long time. Still, the recognition weighed upon her heavily.

She tried to reason it out, could she love him and continue being close to him and say nothing? She doubted it. One thing she had come to realise in the few months that she and Draco had been friends was that he could read her like an open book. He would see it in her the minute she met his eyes and she couldn�t bear to see that apologetic look from him. She remembered it all too well, having seen it coming from Harry many, many times. It would break her heart for him to feel awkward around her now.

No, she had to make the break on her own terms.

Ginny was so deep in thought that she hardly noticed that she was letting her feet walk the corridors from Draco�s rooms. Unhappily, her feet were not accustomed to the tall figure that blocked her passage and they walked her directly into it.

�Ooof. Sorry!� Ginny looked up into the accusatory stare of her older brother. �Oh Ron. Its you. I wasn�t looking where I was going. Sorry.�

Ron raised his eyebrows at her, �Where have you been Ginny? Off with your boyfriend I suppose.�

Ginny sighed wearily and rolled her eyes. This was the very last thing that she needed. �Look Ron I�m tired and I don�t have time to fight with you today so why don�t you save it until I have had enough sleep to swallow whatever brotherly advice you have for me eh?�

She made to walk by him but Ron held her tightly by the arm. Ginny scowled dangerously at him, her face reddening. Ron ignored her obvious indignation and pushed her back until she was facing him again and hissed through his gritted teeth at her.

�Bravo. You have out done yourself this time. A Weasley shagging a Malfoy, that�s special Ginny, real special. I haven�t had the heart to tell mum and dad yet but when I do I hope they take you out of school and lock you up at home because you clearly can�t make rational decisions for yourself.�

Ginny struggled against her brother whose grip got tighter as he spoke, bruising her painfully. Tears of pain and frustration began to fill her eyes and a sob of misery escaped her like the yelp of an injured animal. Ron took no notice of her protests and held her other arm as all the rationale in his mind evaporated. He began to shake her roughly, his voice louder now.

�HOW COULD YOU? HIS FATHER WAS A DEATH EATER! HE TRIED TO KILL YOU AND ALL THE MUGGLEBORNS IN THIS SCHOOL! HE PLAYED A PART IN SIRIUS�S MURDER AND NOW YOU ARE SHGGING HIS SON? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG�.�

�Weasley! Stop it! You are hurting her!� Draco had come down the corridor, curious to see what all the commotion was about.

Ron looked up at him blankly and then down at his sister who was sobbing limply in his hands. He let her go and Ginny slid to the floor holding her arms in pain. Ron stood above her aghast at what he had just done. He looked pale and confused as if he had just come out of a trance.

�Ginny, I�.I�m so sorry.� He knelt down and reached out his hand to her, shaking his head. Draco stepped between them and Ron looked up at him.

�I think you have done enough Weasley. Go back to your common room and cool off. I�ll look after her.� There was no malice behind his words as he spoke, understanding that it probably wasn�t the time for a macho display of insensitivity. Ron rose slowly, anger and hatred flashing in his eyes for a moment but letting out a weary sigh. With a curt nod, Ron walked away, a numb expression on his face. Stopping before he rounded the corner he turned to Draco, who was cautiously observing his retreat, he raised a finger accusingly and said,

�I know you have done something to her. I KNOW this is your fault and when I find out how I�m going to end you Malfoy. You mark my words.�

When he was sure Ron was gone he turned to Ginny and knelt next to her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her still sobbing form tightly to him.

�I�m so sorry Ginny. This is all my fault. I�m sorry he hurt you because of me.�

Ginny raised a bleary eye to look up at Draco�s face, his features betraying his deep pity and concern. She felt so safe with him. She felt warmer and calmer than she had since she was a small child when she was in his arms like this. She felt a rush of love for Draco and in the same moment felt a deep foreboding.

Struggling from his arms, she stood shakily. Draco tried to stop her but as he tried to grasp her hand she flinched. She could tell that Draco was deeply hurt even if she was refusing to look into his face. She continued to walk away from him giving no explanation or vindication, her heart breaking a little more with every step she took.

Draco stared after her, and when she showed no sign of looking back at him he shook his head, turned and walked back towards his rooms. As he approached them he noticed someone in the shadows. Drawing his wand he stalked towards them, thinking that it was Weasley or Potter come to seek revenge and hoping to gain the advantage of surprise if there was to be a fight. Instead, Draco found it was he who was surprised. Standing outside Draco�s rooms with his eyes shut, apparently in some kind of meditative trance stood Albus Dumbledore.

Draco came abruptly to a halt, his wand still raised.

�Put that away Draco. You have nothing to fear from me.�

Dumbledore opened his eyes and looked serenely at Draco.

�I would ask you to accompany me to my Office if you will. I have something to ask you.�

Draco nodded mutely and followed.

Ginny was very grateful to find that Ron had not lingered in the common room upon his return. It was late and the cosy room was empty and silent apart from the crackle of the fire. Climbing wearily to her room she blinked back the tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

Where had it all gone so wrong for her? A short while ago she had a wonderful friend that she could count on and tell anything to. A year ago she had had friends and a close and loving family to depend on. Before she came to Hogwarts she had been innocent and happy. And now? Well now she was alone, utterly miserable and more jaded than she ever thought possible.

Ginny performed a few spells to reduce the bruising on her arms and climbed into bed, curling into the foetal position and allowing the tears to flow. Ron was right, it defied all understanding as to how she had found herself in love with Draco but there it was. She had driven her brother to such extremes that he had physically hurt her, something that he would never had done had she taken the time to talk to him. If she had been mature enough to see that her childish little games with Ron were driving him further and further down a dark road then none of this would have happened. And now, because of her the man she loved and her brother were likely to face each other in a battle that would only end with them both hurt, or worse.

I am despicable. I deserve to be alone.

Author's Note. - Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 5, Please do point out any errors you see, still flying without a beta so forgive me my slip-ups.

Enjoy

Chapter Six.

Ginny woke up late the next morning, missing the first two classes of the day. On observing her swollen eyes and red nose she concluded that it was probably no bad thing. She needed the rest if she was to face the rest of what she assumed would be a very trying day.

After a shower, a very extensive and complicated restoration job on her face and a deep breath, she walked unsteadily into the crowded common room at lunchtime. She found Ron in a corner brooding, Hermione and Harry sat at the next table shooting him furtive glances as if he were a bomb set to explode.

He didn�t notice her until she was standing directly next to him. He looked up, a scowl on his face until he realised that it was Ginny and then his face melted into a woeful expression of remorse.

�Oh Ginny! I�m so sorry about last night. I should never�.I don�t know why�I�m so sorry!� Ron slumped wearily into his chair and Ginny gave him a wry smile.

�I am the one who should be sorry. That wasn�t you last night, that was who I turned you into with all my stupid games. I love you Ron. God knows you can be a pain in my neck and I love that you are worried about me but there really isn�t any need.�

Sitting down heavily next to him she proceeded to tell him in detail about her relationship with Draco, omitting the details that related to Draco�s nightmares, unwilling to break her promise. She told him frankly that she was in love with Draco, his eyebrows raised in indignation but then she reassured him that there would never be anything between them. They sat for hours, Ginny startling in her frankness and Ron even more so in his composure. It was cathartic for Ginny to share her feelings with someone and she felt almost completely at peace for the first time in what felt like forever.

�And so, you can see that none of this is Draco�s fault. He is a good person. He has changed. Please don�t do anything that might get either of you hurt or expelled. I care so deeply about both of you and I couldn�t bear it.�

Ron considered her words for a moment and when he spoke his expression was grave.

�There is a war going on out there Ginny and there wont be anyone who wont be called to show their loyalties. Its going to be a tough time, the toughest, and we going to have to see a lot of things that we would rather not. So, for now, I will leave Malfoy alone, for you. But, so help me Ginny, when she shows his true colours I will be one of the first in a very long line to blast his arse into oblivion. If he is who you say he is, if he has changed then great, we need all the help we can get. If not, I wont be holding back for anyone. Not even you.�

Ginny took his hands and smiled at him, some of the weight she had felt the night before lifted.

�Thank you Ron. You don�t know how good it feels to have finally told you everything. Ive missed you so much.�

Ron took his baby sister in his arms and held her there for a while. Ginny pulled away and wiped a tear from her cheek. Looking around the common room for the first time in hours and finding it empty. It was suppertime and most of the Gryffindors were in the Great Hall.

Ron took his leave and hurried down to supper leaving Ginny to mull over her next move.

One down, Draco to go.

She went up to her room to compose herself a little and summon a house elf to bring her some supper in her room. She ate little, her appetite gone as her stomach suddenly seemed to have been taken over by a bunch of warring snakes and butterflies.

She had come to the conclusion that honesty was the best policy. She was sick of playing games with people. She had to come clean to Draco and if their friendship was as strong as she hoped it was, they would get through it.

She was terrified.

Ginny lay back on her bed, suddenly feeling drained from her reconciliation with her brother. She worked over what she would say to Draco when she saw him, played over the thousands of reactions that she might be met with, the thousands of ways that she could reassure him and plead with him for forgiveness.

Before she realised it she had fallen into a deep slumber, curled in a ball, whispering Draco�s name in her sleep.

She awoke to the sound of tapping. She blinked her eyes open and looked over at her clock.

It was a little before midnight.

She fought to comprehend the sinking feeling in her stomach. She had forgotten something.

�Draco!�

She jumped from her bed and looked around frantically for her clothes, then realised that she was still fully dressed.

Tap tap tap.

She crossed the room to the window where a rather impatient eagle owl was waiting. It gave her a sharp nip on her hand when she tried to retrieve the note that was attached to its leg, making her swear loudly. When she had wrestled the note from it, the owl flew directly from the room, not waiting for a treat or a reply to the letter it had delivered.

She stared at the envelope that she held in one shaking hand. There was no mistaking the regal hand that had curled her name across the green and silver paper.

This was a letter from Draco.

She sat down on her bed with a bump, staring at the still unopened envelope. Carefully, she ran her finger along the top of the envelope ripping it open. She took out a large piece of expensive looking parchment and began to read, her heart hammering in her chest.

Dear Ginny.

I missed you today, I hope you are ok. I thought about coming to find you when you didn�t turn up at the library this morning but I felt like it might make things even worse. I never wanted to get between you and your family but I suppose I should have realised that our being friends would do just that. I was short sighted and for that I am very sorry.

Things have changed for me since I saw you last night and I was rather hoping that I could tell you face to face but it turns out that I don�t have time. When you left me I found Dumbledore waiting for me outside my room. He called me to his office and asked me if I would consider doing some work for the Order of the Phoenix, I believe you know all about it. Apparently my link to You-Know-Who through my father has made me an invaluable asset in the war.

If he had asked me but a few hours before I would have refused outright. I want nothing to do with any of the terrible things that my father did while he was alive, I hate him and everything that he stood for. But, when I saw you and your brother last night and how upset you were because of me I wished so hard that I could have been born like Neville Longbottom, that I could start over and be worthy of your friendship rather that things having to be so difficult for one of the only people left in this world that I care about. I wished for it above anything else and I got it.

I realise that this is my only chance to show the world that I am not my father�s son, that I am worthy to call someone as wonderful as you my friend.

It does pose two rather difficult problems for me.

Firstly, I may never return. It is not a pleasant thought for me, and I flatter myself that it will be an unwelcome prospect for you also. I am not as noble as your brother nor as brave as Potter and therefore I lack the ability to look at this whole situation with anything more righteous than total fear. Fear of what they might do to me if I am caught out, but most of all, fear of never being able to see you again..

Which brings me neatly to my next problem.

I am in love with you Ginny Weasley. I am totally and utterly in love with you and the thought that I will never see you again makes me feel like I am already worse than dead.

Ive known that I love you for a long while now, I didn�t tell you before because I didn�t want to lose you. I understand that you only think of me as a friend and believe me, if it wasn�t for the fact that I might not get the chance to tell you how I really feel ever again, I would have been content with that forever.

You are the most beautiful, courageous, and wholly wonderful person I have ever met and despite your unfortunate knack of alienating people, I love you with more conviction than I have ever loved anyone in my whole life. I do not presume to think that that you could ever feel anything more than friendship for me but I don�t mind. Id rather have you in my life as a friend than not in it at all.

I leave at midnight, so I won�t get a chance to say goodbye properly. Communication between us will be impossible the minute I leave Hogwarts grounds. Just know that you are perfect and I will be thinking about you every waking and sleeping moment between now and when I return to you.

My heart and my soul, yours always.

Draco Malfoy.

Ginny blinked. Ginny blinked again and let out a long breath. She turned her head sharply to the clock on her bedside table.

00:01

A/N. Sorry it�s been a while in the making. New job etc taking up all my time. Plus �tis the season to be stressed out and skint after all. New chapter also on its way very soon. Thanks for all your lovely reviews, It makes this worth making time for.

Enjoy

and

Merry Christmas!

Chapter Seven.

She stood and walked quickly to the door and stopped with her hand on the handle. She stepped away, suddenly unsure of what to do until her mind screamed at her.

He is leaving. You may never see him again! Run Ginny, Run!

She tore down the stairs, out of the castle and into the grounds. She looked towards the lake, down to where she could see two hooded figures standing, staring into the night sky.

She pelted down the lawn towards them. She was already calling out to him as she came to a skidding halt behind them.

�Draco, I have to tell you�I love you too! I always have! Don�t go. You have nothing to prove!�

The pair of hooded figures turned and she was faced with Albus Dumbledore and�� Severus Snape.

Ginny stared uncomprehendingly at the pair of slightly shocked professors. She looked past them searchingly, expecting to see Draco somewhere in the shadows. She already knew the truth, even if she could not quite admit it to herself.

As usual, Snape was at hand to point out the painfully obvious.

�Mr Malfoy is not here Miss Weasley. Kindly return to the castle. It is late and you should know the rules by now.�

Ginny slumped to the ground, exhausted and devastated. She looked up at Dumbledore, her eyes shining with the tears that threatened to spill forth.

�Has he already gone? Tell me he hasn�t left yet. I need to speak with him. He can�t be gone.�

Dumbledore gazed back at her, his expression filled with sadness. However it was Snape again that spoke, his tone sharp and uncaring.

�I urge you to return to the castle Miss Weasley and cease with these dramatics. Do not pry where it is not your business to do so.�

�That�s enough Severus. Leave us.�

Snape grunted with resentment at Dumbledore�s blunt dismissal. Without argument he turned on his heel and left, his cloak billowing out behind him. Dumbledore reached out a hand to Ginny and pulled her to her feet.

�I�m afraid that you are correct. He has already left. I am very sorry.�

Ginny felt a part of her snap.

�How could you send him off to his almost certain death like that! How could you use him so cruelly for your cause? I may never see him again! And he will never know that I love him, that there was no reason to go because I don�t care what anyone thinks. I know how good he is, how kind�how��

Ginny broke down, her sobs echoing over the lake where the giant squid raised a tentacle into the air.

Dumbledore stood by her as she cried, an arm draped comfortingly around her shoulders and let her back to the castle.

�Miss Weasley, you must realise that I did not ask anything of Draco that he was not entirely willing to do. He is an unspeakably brave young man doing what he is about to do and if I did not think he was very capable of carrying out this most dangerous of assignments then I would never have sent him. Draco has a rare quality, he is a cunning Slytherin with the heart of a Gryffindor and that makes him uniquely qualified to help us bring Voldemort to an end. That is mostly due to how he feels for you. You should be proud of him and of how much love he feels for you �

�But he can�t do it alone!�

�He won�t be alone. He will have the fate of the entire world on his back to get him there and his love for you in his heart to bring him back. This is something he feels he has to do. If I had not approached him yesterday then it would only have been a matter of time before he felt compelled to fight in some capacity. I merely placed him where I felt he would be most useful. I understand if that seems a little callous to you Miss Weasley, but I�m sure in time you will come to understand.�

There was a thick silence between them as they entered the castle. Ginny had understood that the time would come when she would have to say goodbye to her loved ones without knowing if she would ever see them again. She just didn�t realise that it would be so soon or so painful.

She stopped abruptly as a strange new certainty crept over her.

�I want to help. What can I do?�

Dumbledore peered through his half-moon spectacles at her, his expression puzzled.

�I mean, I�m not taking my NEWTs until next year, that is if there is a Hogwarts left by then. There is a war out there and I want to do something to help. What can I do?�

Dumbledore considered for a moment. �Are you absolutely certain about this Miss Weasley?�

�I am. I�ve never been so sure of anything in my life.�

�In that case we so desperately need a new apprentice healer to work with Madam Pomfrey. It would mean spending your Easter Holidays working in our field hospital and then being assistant healer, a member of the faculty next term. We plan to bring the more severely wounded here to convalesce. It would mean that you would be relatively safe and still able to continue your studies until which time that Hogwarts can no longer assure the safety of its students or that the professors and myself are needed to stand beside Harry.�

Ginny thought long and hard about what Dumbledore had proposed but it was not a difficult decision to make. She would be learning valuable skills and in her way would be helping keep her brothers and all the other people she cared about safe.

�When do I start?�

The day after Draco�s departure, Dumbledore visited Ginny in her room. He handed her a parcel wrapped in green and silver paper which she slipped discreetly into one of her drawers, unwilling to open it until Dumbledore had left her. He stayed for a short while to discuss Ginny�s healer training and to escort her to the hospital wing for her first day working with Madame Pomfrey.

At suppertime she sat with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna and listened to their conversations, taking comfort in the normality of it. She was yet to tell her brother about Draco�s sudden departure and of her healer training. She knew that Dumbledore had owled her parents about her training and so it would only be a matter of time before Ron found out about that. She figured that with the next meeting of the Order set for the first day of the Easter holidays they would know the details of Draco�s mission soon enough.

She was glad of that at least, she didn�t think she was ready to speak of Draco yet. Each time she encountered something that reminded her of him she felt a sharp pang of loss and the tears would start. Talking about him, she was sure, would prove almost impossible.

Draco had not even been gone for a whole day, not many had even noticed his absence, but Ginny felt like he had been gone for an age.

She went to her room that night, her body exhausted, her emotions heavily battered. She wearily drew back the covers and climbed into bed taking a deep shaky breath. She had dreaded this moment all day, the moment when she was left alone with her thoughts and there was no reason to hold back anymore.

With a jolt she remembered the package that Dumbledore had given her earlier. Reaching into the drawer she retrieved it and held it loosely in her hands. Carefully she unwrapped it and held up the silver picture frame. It was like looking at the picture with a new set of eyes.

Ginny and Draco, in the Three Broomsticks, all smiles and mutual affection. Her heart flipped as she observed Draco�s eyes upon her in the picture. He was gazing at her with so much love, she was astounded she had not seen it before. They looked like a couple who were very much in love, and in some ways they were. They just didn�t realise it until it was far too late.

The tears were falling fast now as Ginny snuggled back into her bed. She propped the picture on a pillow next to her head so that she could see it and let the sobs out, vowing that it would be the last time she would mourn Draco. After all, there was every likelihood that he would return and she was going to hold onto that hope until he did.

A/N. Well, it�s Christmas after all. One more chappie before the new year for all you wonderful people who reviewed chapter 8.

Enjoy. Xxx

Chapter 8

The remainder of the term passed swiftly in a blur of learning and sleeping as Ginny did little else. Many people tried to question her about Draco�s disappearance but Ginny was evasive each time. Ron tried to get Ginny to talk about what had happened but she refused. She could see the slightly smug �I told you so� look on his face. Ron was convinced that Draco had run away to become a death eater, and in some ways he was quite right. Ginny just didn�t have the energy to explain something she didn�t fully understand. She decided to leave it to Dumbledore and the other members of the Order.

She threw herself into her healer training, unwilling to be left to her own thoughts for even a brief second. When the Easter holidays came, Ginny was surprised to find that the field hospital was in fact the head quarters of the Order, at Grimmuld Place and so she was surrounded by her family. When they were told about Draco there was an awkward silence as everyone turned to look at Ginny, who faced them all down defiantly. It was Ron who reacted first. He got up from his seat and crossed the room to Ginny and wrapped his arms around her.

�I�m sorry Ginny. Are you ok?�

Ginny wriggled out of his arms, and went to leave the room, the emotion building inside her again.

�I�m fine. Worry about Draco.�

Turning back to them she steadied her voice and blinked back any tears that were still trying to surface.

�He is one of you now. Remember that and bring him back. If not for me then in the name of all that is decent. Whatever his past, he is out there fighting on your side now.�

She felt the lump rise to her throat and choke her again so she left them and immersed herself in a particularly heavy healer textbook.

Another month passed and there was still no word of Draco. The trio were off with the order most of the time and Ginny worked hard to keep her mind busy. The pain inside her had changed to a kind of fierce determination. She spent a lot of time with her patients and smaller and smaller amounts of time sleeping. She did nightshifts most nights and then spent her days reading every textbook she could find.

One night, as she was watching over the occupants of her ward, Mundungus Fletcher entered, his face pale and his eyes wide.

�You had better come Miss Weasley. There has been bloody big fight.�

Ginny ran down the stairs and crossed through the silencing spell that had been cast around the main dining room. The sound that met her ears was like no sound she had ever heard. The moans of twenty or more seriously wounded wizards filled the room. She looked around, seeing many familiar faces. She blanched as she looked some of them over and noted their injuries. Bloody big fight was an understatement.

Spotting Tonks across the room, her head bleeding but otherwise looking fairly ok, if a little shaken, Ginny ran to her.

�Tonks! Are you ok? What the hell happened?�

Tonks looked up and her face brightened at the sight of Ginny. �Here help Shacklebolt. He�s hurt bad.�

Kneeling to Kingsley Shacklebolt she found him unconscious, a gaping wound in his chest. Quickly she stemmed the flow of blood and reached for her bag of potions. Passing Tonks a vial of blood replenishing potion she told her to give it to him on her mark. Ginny patched his wound quickly until she was satisfied that he would last the rest of the night and the told Tonks to make sure he was given the entire contents of the vial and to call her if his breathing worsened or he woke up.

Ginny passed through the room, helping and patching up people. She caught snatches of what had happened, an attack on a Death Eater stronghold, a lengthy battle ensued and then when the Death Eaters surrendered and they entered the building, some of the death eaters set of some kind of explosive and blew themselves up, taking a number of Orders with them and injuring many others. Only one Death Eater was recovered alive.

Ginny felt her gaze being drawn over to the corner where several of the others were working on bringing the aforementioned Death Eater round so he could be questioned. She tried not to think about the fact that she could not see her brother or Harry anywhere in the crowd, hoping with every bit of energy in her body that it was because they weren�t there or they weren�t badly hurt. Her attention was needed here so save those put in her care, that was her main priority.

Many hours later, when every person she could help had been patched up and those that were beyond help were made as comfortable as possible, Ginny left the dining room and went to the kitchen to see if there was anyone there that could tell her about her brother and the others who she had not already seen.

She found the kitchen crowded and to her relief Ron, Harry and Hermione, Remus and Dumbledore were there at the table looking pale and sombre. She threw her arms around Ron,

�What the hell happened? Are you all ok?�

She could see that Ron was still in shock as were Harry and Hermione. She began to make sugary tea for all of them while she scolded Remus and Dumbledore for not doing so earlier.

When she turned back to them with a tray laden with tea and chocolate biscuits she saw Ron looking at her, a smile on his lips.

�You sound like a cross between Mum and Madam Pomfrey when you fuss like that.�

Ginny rolled her eyes and tutted. �Hush now Ron. Drink your tea.�

Ron did so, pressing his smiling lips onto the rim of his cup. Ginny bumped down onto a chair and looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

So, what happened? I don�t have much time before I have to get back to the others.�

Dumbledore cleared his throat and began.

�We received news that there was a disused farmhouse just outside of London being used as a refuge for certain Death Eaters. When we arrived they were waiting for us and fighting broke out. We held them off easily, there were far fewer of them than of us. A few of our number managed to battle our way inside but as they did so, one of the Death Eaters blasted the whole front of the house. There were a good few of us injured, a few killed and some of the Death Eaters got away. One of them was captured and he is currently being questioned by Moody and Tonks. We hope we will be able to get some more information on Voldemort�s whereabouts and who the leaders of the various groups of Death Eaters are as well as where they are. Unfortunately, the leader of this particular gang either got killed in the blast or got away, we cant be sure.�

Ginny pursed her lips and reached over to Ron, gripping his hand.

�I�m so glad you are all ok. You might have been killed! So I take it you know who the leader of this gang is? Would it not be easy to trace his movements. He may lead you back to Voldemort.�

At these words, everyone around the table looked away and shifted uncomfortably.

�What is it?�

Dumbledore cleared his throat again and looked directly at Ginny, his face a picture of gentle sympathy.

�We have reason to believe that this gang consisted of or possibly was led by Draco Malfoy. It was he who communicated to us the location of the Death Eater�s location.�

Ginny stiffened visibly, her face turning redder and redder as all eyes fell upon her.

�You mean to tell me Draco was in the middle of that fight and might have been caught in the blast?�

Remus spoke, his voice soft.

�Ginny, he may have escaped with the others. It is far too early to tell. He is in no position to contact us now. I saw him briefly during the attack and�..�

Ginny stood suddenly, her chair scraping against the flagstones and drowning out Remus�s words.

�You mean to tell me you knew he was in there and you kept attacking them?� her voice was shrill and hysterical. �Who ordered this attack?�

Dumbledore spoke up in the affirmative and Ginny rounded on him.

�Did you know he was in there?�

Dumbledore nodded, �You must understand Miss Weasley, we had to act. There was no other way.�

Ginny stood there swaying on the spot for a moment her face draining of colour as the realisation hit her.

�He could be dead. And you killed him. He helped you and you killed him.� The room began to spin and the darkness closed in on Ginny as she fell heavily to the floor.

A/N. Happy new year!! It took me a long time to write this chapter and I am still a little unhappy with it but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless.

Please do review, it makes the whole thing so much more worthwhile. Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed so far.

Chapter 9.

When Ginny awoke a few hours later, she was in her own bed and it was dark outside. She began to sit up but her head throbbed so badly that she had to lay back down quickly to avoid losing consciousness again. The door to her room opened slowly, light erupting from the doorway sending a sharp pain through her already very painful head.

A figure entered and approached her, shutting the door behind them. It was Harry, carrying with him a tray of what looked like soup and a mug of pumpkin juice.

�Ginny,� He whispered. �Are you awake?�

Ginny let out a grunt in the affirmative and slowly tried to sit up. Harry helped her and propped her up with a number of fluffy pillows. He passed her the glass and helped her to drink from it as her hands were shaking.

�You hit your head when you fell. Not hard but hard enough to leave a bump. You have been out for hours. One of the healers gave you a sleeping draught and Ron had been sitting with you the whole time, up until about half an hour ago when Hermione made him go to bed and asked me to take over. He is really worried about you, we all are. How are you feeling now?�

A wave of pain washed over her, not from her head this time but from inside. Harry noticed her apparent distress and took her hand in his.

�You mustn�t get worked up again Ginny. The healer says you had a breakdown. Stress he said and lack of food and sleep.�

He observed her concernedly and took a deep breath before continuing. �I need to tell you something and I want you to let me get it all out before you say anything. Can you let me do that?�

Ginny nodded gingerly, the pain in her head subsiding slightly.

�You mustn�t blame Dumbledore for what happened today.� Ginny shifted angrily but Harry continued. �He told us all that Malfoy was in there but we couldn�t help fighting back. We held off as long as we could but they were holding us off too well for us to get close. He told us to only use stunning spells, and it worked for a while. He wasn�t to know that one of them would blow themselves up. It was a big shock for all of us.�

Ginny�s eyes began to fill with tears. Harry was right, this wasn�t anyone�s fault. It was a tragedy. Nothing more, nothing less. But it didn�t change the fact that Draco might be lost to her forever.

Ginny looked up at Harry, her eyes large and wet, �Is there anyway to tell if he survived?�

Harry winced and held his breath for a moment. �The thing is Ginny there wasn�t� well that�s to say you can�t�It was a huge explosion you see and there was a lot of fire.� Harry dropped off and hung his head. Ginny put a hand to her mouth.

�You mean they cant identify the bodies don�t you?�

Harry nodded solemnly. �I�m so, so sorry Gin. Even if we could, no one seems to know any distinguishing features that Draco might have.�

Ginny jumped out of her skin.

�I know one!�

Harry looked up again and frowned. �What?�

Ginny�s face was alight with eagerness. �He has a tattoo of a Dragon. On the base of his back! Would you go and check it for me Harry?�

�Of course. Right away. I�ll send Hermione in to stay with you for a while.�

Ginny began to protest but Harry was suddenly stern. �You need to be watched. Healer�s orders.�

Harry left her, a new hope burning in her heart but before Hermione arrived, Ginny was fast asleep.

Molly Weasley insisted that her only daughter took a week off to recover and also that she take it at The Burrow for, as Mrs Weasley put it, �That God awful place is enough to make anyone feel ill and I wont have my daughter there for one moment longer than she is needed.�

Ginny was reluctant to go for she knew that it would take even longer to hear from Harry. She knew that any information he had he would rather deliver in person and although he would not wish Ginny to suffer any longer than was absolutely necessary, his priority was and should be, the Order.

Her mother protested loudly at Ginny�s insistence on bringing several dusty volumes full of research with her to The Burrow and would only allow it if Ginny promised to only study for two hours a day. Of course she had to relent, her mother had been in pieces over her breakdown and she decided that one breakdown in the family was quite enough.

Any fears Ginny might have had that she would be left alone to her thoughts too often were put to bed the minute she walked through the door and viewed the chaos within. Mrs Weasley had turned her kitchen into some kind of canteen for members of the Order, which for obvious reasons had swelled in numbers significantly over the previous months.

A second fireplace had been squashed in next to the original one for cooking as the first was being used so frequently to floo that the cauldron had to be moved permanently to prevent nasty accidents. The large table had been further engorged and chairs and stools conjured from all over the house. Some of the chairs looked suspiciously as if they had been make from scratch by someone who had barely the sketchiest idea of what one should look like.

A squeak from the corner roused Ginny from her thoughts and to her amazement she saw that her mother was conversing hurriedly with several house elves, who seemed to be trying to remove their own ears. She recognised the house elf that was trying to prise a ladle out of another elves tiny fingers. It was Dobby, the Malfoy�s old house elf. She felt a pang of sadness at this unexpected reminder of Draco but brushed it aside. She would not upset herself until she had heard from Harry. Until then, she could be strong.

Her mother bustled over to her looking harassed. She pulled Ginny to her in a tight hug then stepped back, observing her critically. �Have you been eating dear?� Mrs Weasley asked, her eyes narrowed slightly. �I daresay you haven�t, poor darling. Never mind, sit down and I will fix you something. We will have you back to normal in no time.�

Ginny glanced over at the house elves who were stood together in a corner, beating themselves with various kitchen utensils. �Are they alright mum?� Mrs Weasley�s face adopted a pained expression. �Dumbledore sent me these elves from the kitchens at Hogwarts to help me with the cooking as its been far too busy for me to cope alone.� She lowered her voice and drew closer to Ginny. �I�m not sure if they are much help though to be honest, every time I try to correct them or tell them to do something a different way they start hitting themselves. It is most bothersome. Spend most of my time trying to calm them down. Poor little things.�

Ginny smiled broadly, feeling suddenly buoyant. It felt good to be out of that dingy old house and back into the vibrant, cosy atmosphere of her family home. Her mother was right, if she was going to feel at all better then this was the only place it was going to happen. She looked over at her mother who was peering out of the kitchen window. She stepped away and dried her hands on a cloth as she said,

�Harry is here.�