Is it Really Goodbye?

Is it Really Goodbye?

For: BlackWings

A soft wind blew the tops of the trees, beckoning a tiny frame out of its porch door. The girl, tiny in frame but huge in stature, sat down on her plastic chair, nursing a cup of Muggle coffee. The sun was setting, causing the clouds to swirl around soft purples and pinks, giving the illusion that the world was safe from harm.

Her crimson hair blew across her face as she lowered her cup of coffee, her hands gripping tightly to the mug. She sat alone, far away from everyone else, just as she had done when she was a little girl. It was comforting to imitate the old ways; it made her feel at ease. She was tired of pretending to be perfect, tired of pretending to be strong. She just wanted someone to hold her; someone to tell her everything was going to be okay.

But things were not going to be okay. War was about to break out; she could feel it in her bones, in her blood. Turning her back from the beautiful sunset, she slid her porch door open once more, stepping inside.

Looking around her tiny flat, she decided she would clean it up after she had come back home from her meeting. Surely nothing was going to happen tonight. Stepping over articles of dirty clothing, which covered the floor, she made her way into her bedroom.

Choosing an oddly shaped key from her pocket, she unlocked the bottom door of her bureau. Her tiny hands reached inside, pulling out a pristine white robe. If an outsider were looking in, they wouldn’t have seen anything like it before. It had no hood, but a golden trim around the outsides, making it really sparkle.

Placing the robe on over her sweatshirt and jeans, she turned to the mirror, looking at herself. So, I really am part of the DA now…she inwardly sighed, picking up various items that were strewn across her floor. Holding her battered wand lightly in her right hand, she pointed it at herself. With a soft ‘pop’, she was gone.

No one even turned their head when the little redhead appeared in the room. It was noisy, full of smoke and, above all, crowded to the brim. There was barely any walking space, let alone a place to sit down.

So, she tucked her wand into the inside pocket of her robe and began milling around. She bumped into a few people she had gone to school with, some who had graduated before she started at Hogwarts; she even spotted some children who looked only seventeen. Shaking her head, she grabbed a glass of punch, wondering what Dumbledore could be thinking, sending those children off to fight.

Not wanting to admit that she was just barely twenty-four, and really shouldn’t be fighting either; she wandered about the room until she found her youngest brother, Ron. Lightly, she tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He was currently busy talking with Harry and Hermoine, most likely their attack strategy.

Ron slowly turned around, a smile lighting his face upon seeing his sister. "Gin! We thought you might not be coming! You know, after you little tete-a-tete in sixth year with Malfoy…"

"Oh shove off, Ron!" she huffed, rather angrily, stomping away. She could feel their confused gazes on her back, but she didn’t care. She was as mad as a hippo with a hernia.

Someone began to clear their throat at the front of the room. Turning around to see who it was, she stumbled over a piece of Muggle candy, which, she believed, was a Kit Kat, but straightened herself before the person began talking. Suddenly, the room fell silent as Dumbledore smiled upon them all.

"Tonight is the night we attack!" he paused for the cheers of the entire crowd, his eye catching the redheaded girl who sunk sullenly into a chair in the back. "We have waited a long time for this to come, and it is finally here… Thanks to our faithful comrade, we know where they are. If this is not a sign sent by God, then we shall never receive one. I have set up portkeys around the room; you know what to do!"

By this point, Dumbledore’s voice was faded out by the sounds of all the members of the DA scrambling to the portkey nearest them. Ginny watched it all, as if it was a movie. Heroic young people, scrambling to their death for a cause. A cause I am a part of, she reminded herself sternly, standing up.

Someone placed his warm hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It’s going to be okay Gin, you’ll do fine. I’ll be watching out for you…" Harry smiled down at her, pushing his glasses up his nose with his free hand. She smiled back, something lifting from her.

Someone will be watching me, she chanted over and over in her head as she approached the last portkey. It was rather silly, since five of her brothers would be watching her like a hawk also, but it just made her feel better that the only one who could kill Voldemort was watching her.

It had been her nightmare since the Dark Lord had come back that this day would come. The day when she would have to see Tom Marvolo Riddle again, face her worst fears. She knew he would look for her, hunt her out. She had betrayed him; she had led his past self to its demise.

Her hand reaching out, she waited for the call to place it on the portkey. When she heard it, she stretched her hand out so it lightly grasped the pop-tab of the soda can. A hook settled itself on the back of her nose, suddenly jerking her backwards into a swirl of black and cold. Traveling by portkey was not her first choice, she never felt she was able to breathe in the state of between she was flying through.

Thrown out of the blackened cold, she stumbled on the moist earth, her sneakers slightly sinking into the mud. Pulling one sticky foot up after the other, she followed the crowd of her fellow DA’s. They all seemed to be surrounding a graveyard, so she followed suit.

Barely able to see a dark ring in the center she immediately knew that the Death Eaters had known they were coming. Her stomach twisting into knots, she collapsed into a puddle on the ground, holding herself up by her hands and knees. She was like a dog on all fours, her hair falling over her face, concealing her.

They were all going to die over a stupid tip they had gotten from a traitor. Nothing was going to be solved by this war, absolutely nothing. It was only formed for death and destruction. The death of her friends and enemies, she would mourn them both.

The sky, no longer made of soft pinks and purples, but was currently set in a drab black. Barely, she heard the screams of people darting into battle, the shouts of curses echoing around her. Someone tugged her up, dragging her behind a gravestone.

"Harry?" she asked, looking up at the person who had just set her down.

"You should have never come, why didn’t you just stay home, where it was safe?" he looked down at her, his green eyes set to a dark blaze. "You got my owl telling you to stay, I know you did!" he finished, his voice almost at a yell.

Ginny drew herself into a ball. "I couldn’t sit back and just wait as you and everyone else I loved died," she whispered.

"Well, if that’s the case, try to protect them Gin. If you love them so much, protect them. Don’t watch them die, isn’t it worse than waiting? You’ll live the rest of your life knowing that you just sat in a little ball doing nothing as each of your brothers were killed!" Harry preached, looking deep into her doe brown eyes.

Something that Harry said hit home. She stood up, taking in a deep breath, nodding at her brother’s best friend. He gave her a small smile before dashing off to help one person or another.

Ginny heard someone’s screams; a man’s scream. That’s Ron! She thought, her eyes widening. She began running, the sound of the screams guiding her. Anger and frustration was boiling in her chest, she couldn’t seem to find him. She just couldn’t, and that’s when she spotted curly orange hair wriggling along with a slender head. She had found him.

Looking up at the attacker, her heart skipped a beat. It was Voldemort. His blood red eyes immediately fell on her. Jerking his wand up, he didn’t even notice as Ron scampered away in the opposite direction.

Ginny didn’t blame her brother from running away; he never saw her standing there, though she wished he had. Ginny snapped out of her revere, feeling Voldemort’s chilling gaze settle upon her body.

"You," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at her. She gathered up her strength and made herself look at him. He chuckled with a cruel laughter. "I remember you,"

She shook violently with chills, her body freezing up. All Ginny wanted to do was run, to scream, to do something. Anything but standing there with him would be better. Only, she couldn’t. Her body had put itself on lockdown, not letting her do any of the things she wanted to.

"You led me to Potter," he sneered, lifting one bony finger to her chin, tilting it upwards. Her eyes remained glued to him, her face molded into a piercing gaze. "And then he killed me," Voldemort finished, throwing her head down.

"You will pay for your mistake!" he yelled, lifting his wand to her throat. She knew what was coming next, she knew she was going to die. Pulling out her own wand, she pointed it in his stomach. Ginny Weasley would not go down without a fight.

What Voldemort said, stunned Ginny. "Crucio!"

Excruciating pain seared throughout her body, jabbing deep into her bones. Millions of tiny hot knives twisted their way into her skin, delving their way into her organs. Hot liquid swelled up in Ginny’s body, some residing in her mouth, and burning everything it touched. Voldemort pulled his wand away, seeing that Ginny had finally dropped her own. She barely noticed as another Death Eater was scrambling towards them, jumping over curses.

"Now, it is time. Avada-" but was cut off by the Death Eater.

"Sir, we have Potter." Voldemort looked from Ginny to the Death Eater, his mind twisting with the decision he had to make.

"Take her inside and lock her up. Don’t let her out until I get back. I want to kill her, is that clear?" he snapped at his minion. The Death Eater nodded his head, grabbing hold of the barely conscious Ginny. With a loud bang, Voldemort was gone.

Gripping onto Ginny’s arms, he pulled her like a rag doll up to a morbid looking house on top of the hill. Ginny hadn’t seen it before, but she brushed the idea away. All she knew was that she had a bit of time and needed to use it wisely.

The Death Eater whispered a few incantations and the door opened with ease. She was beginning to regain her strength, so instead of being dragged, she limped along his side. The seemed to be walking for ages. Finally he stopped at the last door in the highest floor.

Opening the door and shoving her inside, he laughed, following her, locking the door behind him. Ginny collapsed onto the bed, her legs still weak from Voldemort’s attack. She never did well with that curse. It left her wobbly for at least an hour. Oh Merlin, I don’t even have fifteen minutes! Ginny thought to herself, curling into a little ball on the moth-eaten mattress.

She looked around the room, observing it’s shabby state. If the entire building collapsed, she wouldn’t be surprised. It was rickety and old and the wooden planks seemed to be worn from erosion. Her eyes fell on the Death Eater sitting on a chair across the room, his eyes looking straight into hers.

"Who are you?" she managed to ask, her voice shaking with fear. As in response, he lifted his hood from his head, removing the mask that covered his face. Blonde hair fell around his hard face, gray shining eyes sparkling with mischief. She gasped. "Draco?"

He smiled, nodding. "Why did you come tonight?" his voice grew colder, harsher even. She shrugged her shoulders. "Don’t you remember me telling you not to come? That I wouldn’t save you? Don’t you remember a damned thing I said Weasley?" he roared, his chest heaving up and down with anger.

Ginny blinked, sitting up so she was holding her knees to her chest. "Can you even imagine sitting at home while everyone you loved went out to die for you and your safety?" Ginny shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, I don’t suppose you could,"

Draco grimaced. "My father’s out there, you know; fighting so I don’t have to go to Azkaban like he did. He’s killing people like you so I don’t have to, so they can’t kill me. And you don’t think I can understand that? Fuck you and the horse you rode in on Virginia, fuck you!" Ginny bit her bottom lip, contemplating what he just said.

"It’s not the same," she finally managed to whisper.

"How? Damnit how is it not the same? You think just because he’s not on the side that you are that he can’t love. It may not be the love that you know, but it’s all the same. You’re such a self-centered bitch that you can’t see that one thing can be expressed in different ways. And you know what? I’m proud to be a Death Eater. I am! I’d rather be here than fighting with that damned hero, Potter. I’d rather kill him than join hands with him, or even see something the same as him!" Draco was breathing hard now, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I’m sorry," Ginny whispered, somehow finding the strength to stand up. She shakily walked over to him, wrapping him in a warm hug. Before she knew it, he had pushed her away so hard she was sitting on the floor.

"Don’t touch me, you piece of filth. I don’t care about you anymore, don’t you get it?" he spat down at her small figure lying on the floor. Her eyes swelled with confusion and hurt. All she wanted to do was take the pain away from him, but he wouldn’t let her. He wouldn’t let her touch him. They were too different now; they had grown too far apart.

She smiled, something dawning on her. "Then why did you yell at me for coming?"

Draco sat in his chair, speechless. He was at a loss of words; he didn’t know how to explain it. He didn’t think he cared about her, but why did he reprimand her for coming? If he didn’t care, he could have just killed her when he saw her crumpled in a ball, hiding behind a grave with Potter.

She stood up once more, the pain lifting from her body. She was able to walk over to him without shaking. Lifting her finger to his chin, she tilted his face up to hers. "Look at me and tell me you don’t care about me anymore, and I’ll believe you. I’ll leave you alone forever."

"I… I don’t-" he would have continued, only he couldn’t say it. Looking into her eyes, he brought his hand to her face. "Did you really want me to watch you die? Is this my punishment?"

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes welling up with tears. "So, that’s how it’s going to be then? You’re going to watch me die? You’re not going to do anything?"

"I devoted myself to follow Voldemort, and that’s how it’s going to be. I don’t break my promises. I will honor him and his wishes until either he or I die," his voice cracked with pain.

"Then kiss me goodbye, Draco," she ordered, sitting down on his lap, her white robe staining with the blood and dirt that was concealed on Draco’s black robe. He smiled, a tear sliding down his cheek.

His face bent down to hers, his lips lightly touching her own lips. He could feel her tiny hands wrapping around his neck, holding his head gingerly. Draco’s thumb caressed her cheek, letting him memorize the curves of her face. She pulled him closer to her, putting more pressure on his lips, urging him to deepen her last kiss.

He obeyed, opening his mouth to let his tongue slip into hers. She took it willingly, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Tickling the insides of her mouth, he managed to touch her in the right spots, making her press her body closer to him.

It was a sweet kiss, unlike one he had shared with anyone before. This was not about lust, or a need for someone against his skin; this was tender and soft. This was caring and sweet. He did not want to do anything to hurt her, he felt as if she would crumble if he touched her too hard or did something too stern. It was like coming home, kissing Ginny. She was wonderful and warm, he felt loved.

They broke apart, gasping for air. He nuzzled her nose with his, his eyes closed. Trying to savor it all, he held her tightly in his arms. He didn’t want to ever let her go, though he did when something stabbed at his upper arm.

Pulling the sleeve of his robe up, the dark mark flashed and then vanished. Pushing Ginny off his lap, he stood up, placing his mask back on, pulling the hood back over his head. It looked as if he was towering over her in a menacing way, but she knew he was really looking at her tenderly though the mask. She sat on the floor, her robe sprawled about her body, her knees curled on the ground so her feet were touching her bottom.

The door banged open, emitting another Death Eater. This one was panting, a bit hunched over, though it managed to stumble over to Draco. "Sir, we think he may be dead…"

Draco turned sharply to the Death Eater. "What?" The other Death Eater nodded, his breath becoming shorter.

"Go gather up any others who aren’t fighting and meet me at Tom’s gravestone," he ordered.

The Death Eater shook his head, angling his face towards Ginny. "And the girl?"

"She is to stay here, she can’t get out at any rate. Now GO!" with his command, the Death Eater ran back out the door.

"Looks like I may not have to watch you die after all," he smiled, dashing out the door.