"It's fucking freezing out here." Ron mumbled pulling his coat tighter around him.
"I think my nuts are literally ice cubes" George joked through chattering teeth.
"It's almost March and it's still snowing! How far north are we?" Ron asked Bill.
Bill picked up the map lying in front of him and studied it for a moment. "Let's just say more north than the Burrow was." he said throwing the map aside.
"Shit, how much longer do we need to watch them?" Ron asked taking a look down on the Death Eater camp they had been watching for the past few days.
"Not sure........I've counted about 20 of them since we first started watching.......you Ron?" Bill said.
"I got 20 also......Fred?"
"Yep the same."
"Alright let's head back to camp and then plan the next move." Bill said as they packed their stakeout gear and headed back to camp.
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"How long was I out for?"
"Just the rest of the night and this morning." Harry said handing him a container of water.
Draco sat up and rubbed his head; it was still pounding from his Father's attack that came on last night. This was the third one he had since they had left home and Bill, Charlie and George already used the Hauriendum spell on him.
"We're running out of people to use." Draco joked suddenly.
"Ha, yeah.......we are."
"Shit its fucking snowing again?" he asked getting up from the cot he had been passed out in.
"Yeah, they went to go take another look at the camp." Harry said peeking out of the tent. "Here they are now."
"Hey .....Oh good Draco your up, you good?" Bill asked and Draco nodded. "Good, let's get the others up and I think tonight we will make a move. Our counts have been consistent so I think we could get a game plan going."
They all nodded.
"I'm gonna take a quick walk" Draco said to Harry and then left the tent.
He was immediately met with a freezing breeze against his face blowing his hair about. He walked for a few minutes before sitting down on big boulder nearby. It had been almost two months since they had left home and he was missing Ginny more than he ever imagined he would. He closed his eyes and would remember that mental picture he took of her the day they left and how beautiful she had looked. He remembered the morning sun illuminating her fiery hair that gently blew over her face and her honey brown eyes that he missed staring into.
They had successfully infiltrated three other camps and this was their fourth one now. They had been watching it for about three days to see the activity going on so they could plan how to enter. The other three camps weren't too bad this one was the biggest one they had run into. The last camp they attacked Ron had ended up breaking his wrist and Neville was unconscious for almost three days. He was so thankful that they all had managed to stay alive this long. Kingsley made it clear that they couldn't apparate or use a Port Key near the Death Eater camps so a lot of time was spent traveling. The weather was awful this far north and a fresh blanket of snow was covering the ground. Draco smirked to himself knowing that the girls probably had green grass already growing around the house.
He let out a long sigh thinking about when they would finally make it back home. Every time they thought they were about to head home Kingsley would give them another location to scout. They hadn't had any contact from them, just that they were ok from Kingsley and he got news that Ginny's first visit with the MediWizard went well and they were both healthy. Then of course Kingsley updated Arthur at the Ministry that the boys were ok. Some days he felt himself falling into a depressed state with how much he missed Ginny and he sometimes found it unbearable to deal with. He thought how Ginny was about three months pregnant now and the thought of missing out on so much was killing him inside.
His mind went to his powers and how he hadn't used them in a while. He had used them lightly in battle a few weeks ago but since then he just hasn't felt them come about. He found himself having to focus harder each time he tried to conjure something up and the thought of losing his powers scared him a bit. His mind just kept going back to Ginny and the baby and if they were ok right now.
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Night time came and they made their way to the advantage point they had been watching the camp from. The camp was made up of about six tents but they had an expansion charm on them and Bill knew there was one main tent in the center where the camp leader was. He was a bit unsure of an escape plan in case they got into trouble since the camp was set up on the edge of a flat mountain side. He knew they couldn't go forward to get out as there was nothing but a sheer drop on the other side so he knew they had to take them all down in order to get out the way they came in. He turned and went over the plan of action with them all.
"Alright, Harry, Draco and Dean I want you guys to go in from the left and Charlie, Ron and I will go in from the right. Neville and George I need your eyes up here and I need you to take out as many as you can from this advantage point without breaking our cover. We are only getting out of there the same way we came in. You put an end to everyone except Flixsly, once I get his memories I'll take care of him......got it?"
They all nodded.
They slowly made their way down to the campsite with their wands drawn. Draco grabbed the back of Dean's shirt quickly and pulled him back as a Death Eater walked passed them. He nodded a quick thanks and then Harry hit the man with a killing curse and they proceeded. They saw Charlie, Ron and Bill enter the tent across the way and made their way into another one nearby. There were two Death Eaters asleep that they quickly took care of and then made their way into the tent next to it. They heard spells flying across the way which they figured was Bill, Charlie and Ron running into some trouble and then soon ran into trouble themselves.
"IT'S POTTER!" A Death Eater yelled suddenly seeing them enter the tent.
Spells flew all over the place as Draco quickly took in a count of four men in the tent. He felt a hard kick to his stomach and he was hunched over suddenly as the wind was knocked out of him. He quickly got to his feet and saw a fist coming at him which he blocked with his arms and then felt the man pushing him backwards until they both fell into the tent wall. The whole thing started to collapse on top of them all and Harry quickly ran to Draco's side and helped him up. They emerged from the mass pile of canvas and then Dean threw a curse at the other Death Eater emerging from the clothed mess. They ran towards the far end of camp to take cover behind one of the other tents.
"Did Bill make it to the center tent?" Dean asked through his rapid breathing.
"Yeah they just got in." Harry said peeking out from behind the tent.
There was three more Death Eaters making their way towards them and then two of them were suddenly taken down and then Draco quickly shot the third one with a spell sending him to the ground. He turned a quick glance up to where he knew George and Neville had cast the spells from and then quickly made a run with the others to the center tent. Before they could make it to the tent there was a huge blast that hit right in front of them sending them all flying backwards. Draco felt the ground suddenly crumbling from underneath him and he scrambled to get to a stable surface. He turned to his side and saw Dean was in the same situation running along side of him to get to steady ground.
"DRACO! DEAN!" Harry screamed running towards them.
All he could see was the edge of the mountainside collapsing behind them.
Draco ran as fast as he could hearing Harry scream out to them and he felt the ground drop from under him and he took his chances and jumped forward grabbing onto whatever was left of the side of the mountain. He saw Dean had done the same and then they both started slipping and they climbed to try and get a hold of anything sturdy to pull themselves up.
Harry quickly got to them and leaned over the side and grabbed Dean's arm to try and pull him up but he saw Draco was losing his grip also and suddenly reached out and grabbed him with his other hand.
"SHIT!" he yelled as he felt his body sliding forward and soon he felt Ron grab the back of his foot to try and pull him up.
Ron wasn't much use with his broken wrist but he tightly held Harry down so he wouldn't be pulled off the side of the of the mountain. Harry couldn't hold them both, he felt them slipping quickly and he stared past them down at the jagged bed of rocks that laid hundreds of feet below.
Draco tried using his feet to get some kind of leverage but every time he did he slipped further and further from Harry's grip. Harry felt the muscles in his arms and shoulders burning as he so desperately tried holding them both but there was no way he could pull them both up.
"PULL ME UP HARRY! DON'T LET GO! PULL ME UP NOW!" Dean screamed frantically as he firmly held Harry's hand.
Harry felt Draco slipping and his mind raced, there was no way he could pull them both up with one hand; he had to let someone go. Tears instantly came to his eyes out of anger and frustration of the predicament he was in.
"HARRY I CAN'T HOLD YOU MUCH LONGER!" Ron screamed as he was pulled from Harry slipping more forward.
Draco took in the situation and he knew this was it. All he could see was that flaming red hair dancing around Ginny's face. He could hear her giggling and suddenly remembered the taste of her lips on his. He looked up at Harry who was desperately trying to come up with another way but Draco knew he had a better grip on Dean than on him. He suddenly saw Harry turn to Dean with tears and anger on his face. Harry could only think of the words Ginny asked of him the day they left and he just kept thinking of how Draco would never meet his child and he had to make a decision.
"I'M SORRY DEAN.......I'M SO SORRY!"
"HARRY NO! WAIT PLEASE NO!" Dean screamed out.
Harry suddenly let go of him and quickly grabbed Draco with his other hand. They both couldn't bare to watch him fall to his death as his screams pierced through them. Harry quickly pulled Draco up and over the side and he just screamed out in anger over what just happened. Ron just looked shocked and so did Draco as it should have been him. Harry suddenly became sick and threw up; his body shaking from the horrific scene that had just taken place.
Bill and Charlie soon made their way over with the vile of memories and Charlie has a bad gash on the side of his leg and was limping.
"You guys ok? Where's Dean?" Bill said looking around.
Draco just shook his head and looked over to the side of the mountain. Bill dropped to his knees and ran his hands through his hair and they all just sat there taking in the death of their friend.
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She wiped the foggy mirror off and saw her reflection and gave a long sigh. She just stared for a while at her body and her eyes went to her stomach and took in the small mound that was forming. Her eyes seemed to be permanently puffy and have dark circles formed under them. She tried so hard to cope without Draco but she just felt herself falling into this black hole that she couldn't seem to get out of. She threw her wet hair up in a towel and started drying herself off. She knew she had to try and snap out of it so decided to take a shower to hopefully make her feel a bit better. Her Mother tried every day to get her to join her and Hermione on the back porch for some tea or to just do any kind of activity together. Fleur had gone home to her family for a couple of weeks since Bill had been gone and McGonagall had to return to Hogwarts to address other matters.
She finished getting dressed and emerged from the bathroom and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. As much as she didn't feel like eating anything, which was surprising given her condition, she ate anyway; knowing her and the babies must stay healthy. She felt so guilty by feeling this way and wanted nothing more to be a happily pregnant mommy but she just couldn't get past these feelings. It also wasn't helping that almost every night she had nightmares that Kingsley arrived with news of Draco's death.
"Here you are dear." her Mother said handing her a plate of food.
Ginny took a few bites and then her Mom spoke again.
"We are going into town today and I want you to come this time. No more staying in your room all day, you need to get out of the house and get some fresh air."
They had been to town a few more times since the guys left and Ginny had only gone once or twice with them, she just wanted to be left alone.
"Mom, no I'm not feeling good I rather just stay here." she said in an annoyed tone.
"Tough, your coming and that's final, so finish up and grab a jacket." she said in a stern tone leaving the kitchen.
She let out a frustrated sigh and then threw the last few pieces of food in her mouth and reluctantly headed upstairs to grab a jacket.
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They soon arrived to town and Hermione wanted to make her usual visit to the bookstore and Luna went with her. Molly turned to Ginny with a bright smile.
"I'm going to head to the craft store, why don't you come with me?"
"No thanks.....I'm just going to enjoy the weather here." she said taking a seat on a nearby bench.
Mrs. Weasley just sighed and gave a small nod; she didn't want to push Ginny and was just happy she was able to get her out of the house for the day. She gave a small smile to Narcissa and then headed to the craft shop. Narcissa took a seat next to Ginny and just watched the young girl getting lost in her own thoughts.
"I miss him to." she said softly.
Ginny just turned to look at her, she felt so selfish thinking she was the only one dealing with the boys being gone.
"I wish I would have tried patching things up with my son long ago........now that things seem to be going in the right direction between us......he's out there risking his life." she continued giving Ginny a small smirk.
Ginny just gave her a half smile, she and Narcissa never spoke and when they did it was always one word sentences and usually around others. They sat there in silence for a while longer and Ginny couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. She was thankful when Narcissa suddenly spoke again.
"Come on, I want to take you somewhere." she said in a friendly voice holding out her hand.
Ginny was taken aback by the gesture and just stared at her for a moment. She looked at her outstretched hand noticing her perfectly manicured nails and she slowly took it and Narcissa pulled her up from the bench.
"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.
"You'll see." Narcissa simply said not letting go of Ginny's hand the entire time.
They walked down the rest of the block and then turned a corner and walked a bit more. Ginny was about to ask again where they were headed to when she felt Narcissa let go of her hand and come to a stop.
"Here we are." she said with a small smile gesturing across the street to a small shop.
Ginny felt a lump in her throat form as she stared at the same little baby shop across the street that she and Draco had passed last time they were in town together. She saw a new display of baby clothes in the window with stuffed animals to accompany them. She looked at Narcissa with a bit of uncertainty; she hadn't bought anything for the babies yet. She knew her Mother was working on baby blankets but other than that she could never bring herself to even think of buying anything for the babies without Draco around.
"I......I don't know if I can go in there."
"You can........come on....you need to." she said taking Ginny's hand again and dragging her across the street to the shop.
They opened to door to the shop and Ginny stepped inside and felt her emotions getting the best of her. Just seeing the displays of cribs and other baby furniture about made her wish Draco was with her even more. She tried so hard to keep it together but was surprised when she saw Narcissa wiping a stray tear of her own away. She felt so horrible, she forgot about the daughter Narcissa almost had and she knew how hard it must have been for her to gather up enough strength to bring her here.
"What would you have named her?" Ginny asked suddenly.
Narcissa quickly looked at her with a bit of a shocked expression.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I don't know why I asked that-
"It's ok Ginny." she said with a smile and wiped away another tear.
They walked around the small shop for a few moments and Ginny stopped in front of rack filled with baby clothes. She picked up a tiny pink dress that had a little lace flowers around the hem and then quickly placed it back in the rack when the store clerk came walking over.
"Afternoon ladies, what can I help you find today?" she said in a kind voice.
"Uh, nothing we were just leav-
"Yes we would love some help." Narcissa cut Ginny off.
The store clerk looked at Ginny curiously and then gave them both a bright smile. "What can I help you find today?"
Ginny didn't say anything so Narcissa spoke instead. "This young lady here is expecting twins and we would love to see what you have."
"Oh how wonderful are they your first?"
"Uh.....yes." Ginny said nervously with a small smile.
"How lovely, looks like your starting off with a bang then." she gave a small laugh.
"Yes, definitely didn't expect the extra surprise." Narcissa giggled giving Ginny a nudge to follow the store clerk.
She led Ginny and Narcissa over to a newborn rack and pulled out a few clothing ideas that they might like.
"Thank you so much, I think we have it from here." Narcissa said.
"Of course, just holler if you need me." she said walking back behind the counter.
Ginny absentmindedly went through the rack and she stopped when a tiny little outfit caught her eye. She pulled it out and there was picture of a cartoony snake wrapped around the words "I Love Mommy's Kissssssses". Ginny had a smile spread across her face and small giggle escaped her mouth.
"You should get it." Narcissa said seeing the effect the small outfit had on Ginny.
"I don't even know what I'm having yet though."
"So what it's still cute, and the wonderful thing about magic is you can alter it if anything." she smiled at her.
"Oh......I don't....I don't know....plus I don't have any money." she said putting it back on the rack.
"I'll get it then for you." she said picking it back up. "McGonagall isn't the only with connections." she smiled at Ginny.
"Oh no please, you don't have to do that." she said trying to take the outfit from her.
"Nonsense, I want to." she said firmly.
Ginny gave a defeated sigh and followed her to the checkout counter then they made their way out of the shop. Narcissa handed her the small bag that the outfit was in.
"Thanks for that." she said taking the bag from her.
"Oh please it was nothing, when Draco gets back the real shopping can begin." she said as they walked back towards the others.
"Uh yeah....but I meant.......thanks for making me go in there."
Narcissa looked over to her with a bright smile. "No problem."
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His eyes snapped opened and he flew up out of his sleeping bag breathing heavy and drenched in sweat. After realizing it was just a nightmare he threw himself back onto his pillow and waited for his heart to stop racing. He could see the moonlight shining through the slit in the tent and onto his face and rubbed his eyes and then sat back up grabbing his glasses off the small crate next to him. Harry sat there and just stared at the cuts and bruises on his wrist and hand from where Dean latched onto him to desperately stay alive. Every time Harry closed his eyes the entire scene played out over and over and the sound of Dean's pleas rang through his head. He felt the bile rise in his throat and he quickly ran from the tent and threw himself to his knees emptying the contents of his stomach in a pile of snow nearby. He sat there in the snow desperately trying to fight back his emotions of the tragic event that happened last night.
Draco had been sitting a few feet away collecting his own thoughts when he saw Harry emerge from the tent. He really felt for him, he himself was dealing with mixed emotions on how things went down last night. He wasn't even sure if he should thank Harry for saving him because he wasn't sure if Harry regretted it or not. Then he thought if he wasn't with Ginny or if she wasn't having his baby if Harry would have still made the same decision. He was so grateful that he was alive but he had that familiar question running through his head of whether he deserved to be or not. Maybe it should have been him instead of Dean.
He got up from a nearby rock he was sitting on and walked over to Harry and just hung his head. Harry wiped his mouth then got up on wobbly legs and leaned against a nearby tree. The look on Harry's face was like a stab in the stomach for Draco, there was nothing but pain and guilt in his eyes.
Harry just started shaking his head, "It's not fair.......it's not right." he breathed out through the emotions rising in his voice.
"I know" Draco whispered.
"The things we are forced to do......to live like this away from the people we love........TO HAVE TO DECIDE ON WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES!" he yelled out through clenched teeth sliding down the tree into a heap of emotions.
Draco squatted down in front of him; he wasn't sure what to do or say because there really wasn't anything that would make the situation any better. He decided to just keep him company as he sat there lost in his own thoughts. Harry looked at him, he knew what was going through Draco's head and every time when the scene played out in his head he always made the same decision.
"I miss Luna." he said suddenly.
Draco looked at him a bit taken aback at the sudden change in subject. He gave a small smirk and then sat against the tree next to him.
"It's so weird.......being out here...... seeing how different the world is from that small little town we left the girls in." Harry said.
It was true, the further away they traveled from the small town it was evident there was mayhem all around. There were hardly any people out on any street in fear of being murdered or trying to be recruited to the Death Eaters.
"I can't wait to get back." Harry whispered.
"Yeah.....me too." he barely voiced trying to keep his own emotions at bay. "Harry?"
"Yeah"
"Thanks for saving my life."
"Seems to be a pattern lately." he lightly joked.
Draco gave a small laugh and then became serious again. "Why though?"
Harry wasn't even sure how to answer this but he just turned to the Slytherin next to him and shook his head. "I just think........that your needed a lot more right now in many ways. If I had been faced with the decision again.....I would make the same choice."
"And if Ginny wasn't pregnant?" he asked already knowing the answer.
Harry wiped his eyes from the tears that stung them and let out a frustrated sigh. "Still the same."
Draco was surprised by the answer; he was trying to take in what Harry was saying. Harry purposely let go of Dean to save his life and Draco wasn't sure how he should feel about that. He was hoping his powers would have come about during that time and maybe he could have saved both of them instead of the way things turned out.
"I guess I'll head back in, my ass is freezing." Harry said getting up.
"Yeah.....uh....I'll be there in a sec." Draco said watching Harry make his way back into the tent.
Draco got up and walked back to the rock he was sitting on before and leaned against it; he pulled out a pocket knife from his jacket. He found this life away from Ginny unbearable and he hadn't been away from her since their first encounter on the train. He was so use to having her there when he needed to be brought back to reality......to stay grounded. It scared him more than anything to have to deal with his thoughts on his own now and try and cope through everything. Now he had a guilty conscious about Dean's death and he felt even more bad when he questioned if that played out the right way. He slid his thumb over the blade and felt it pierce his skin to test the sharpness of it. He looked at the small dot of blood that formed on his thumb and wiped it off on his jacket and then placed the knife back in his pocket. He wasn't about to make such a dumb decision after Harry just saved his life. He pushed all thoughts aside and walked back to the tent to try and get some sleep.
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Ginny made her way downstairs to the kitchen for dinner and was glad her Father was able to be home this time for it. He had been working a lot lately and was getting home late every night and was looking a bit run down. Her Mother was pleased to hear of Narcissa dragging Ginny into the baby shop earlier and thanked Narcissa for the kind gesture. Ginny had already taken the tiny outfit out of the bag multiple times to look at it again and every time a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Ginny I was thinking maybe we could-"
Mrs. Weasley stopped talking when she heard a loud knock at the door and before she could answer it she saw Kingsley walk in. They all stood up in unison at the urgency in the way he approached them. He walked over to them with a grave look on his face and silence filled the room.
"Molly, Arthur.......I'm sorry to intrude on you's but I have some news."
Ginny immediately latched onto Hermione's arm next to her to brace herself for whatever the news was.
"What is it Kingsley?" Molly practically cried out.
"There's been a death."
Tears instantly came to all of their eyes at the mention of one of their own being dead.
"WHO!" Molly screamed.
"Dean Thomas"
"NO!" Mrs. Weasley cried into Arthur's arms both because her sons were ok but also for the death of the young man.
Ginny felt Hermione grab her into a hug as she sobbed and Ginny felt her own tears streaming down her face. She was in shock, she wasn't even sure if she heard him correctly, all she knew was that she thought for a moment that Draco was the one who was dead and the thought made her sick. She felt Hermione quickly pull away from her and look at her with wide eyes and an overwhelming heat filled her. She quickly ran from the kitchen and upstairs to the bathroom and looked in the mirror; she saw herself turning over and she tried desperately to control it before it got out of hand. She was so overwhelmed with emotion right now that she wasn't sure what control even was.
She ran to Draco's room and threw the door open and she ripped his dresser drawers open and went through them to find anything of his. She ripped open drawer after drawer until at the very bottom she found one of his shirts and she grabbed it tightly in her hands and just buried her face in it and cried. She cried the hardest she had since the day he left as she took in his scent from the shirt she tightly clutched in her hands. Her body was shaking with anger and sadness; she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She screamed into his shirt in pure agony as she lost all hope that Draco would return safely back to her. Her knuckles soon turned white from her tight grip on his shirt as that realization came to her.
She wasn't sure how long she sat on his bed holding his shirt and cried but she soon found everyone standing outside her door to check on her. Molly walked over and sat down on the bed next to her and Arthur sat on the other side.
"Come here dear." Mrs. Weasley said pulling Ginny against her.
"I ......m....miss him s...so much." she cried into her Mother's chest.
Hermione was still wiping her own tears away from earlier and could relate to how Ginny was feeling.
"What if someone else dies?" Ginny said in a fearful voice. "I....I can't handle the thought of it."
"Ginny they are all going to be ok......you have to believe that." came Luna's voice from the doorway.
Ginny pulled her face away from her Mother and just looked at Luna and took in the words she had said. She felt and anger fill her and she got up and strode over to Luna and slapped her hard across the face. Luna put her hand up to her cheek that was now red and welted.
"GINNY!" she heard her Father yell and grabbed her away from Luna.
"THAT IS BULLSHIT LUNA! DEAN IS DEAD........THEY AREN'T FINE.......AND NO I DON'T BELIEVE THEY WILL BE AND IF YOU DO THEN YOUR FUCKIN STUPID!" Ginny screamed at her with fresh tears spilling down her face.
"THAT'S ENOUGH GINNY!" Mrs. Weasley said gesturing for Narcissa to take Luna downstairs. She spun Ginny around to face her. "Ginny.....I know it hurts.......I know it, but you need to stay strong.....you need to try and hold on to some kind of hope..... and yes it may seem impossible to do but you just have to."
"I CAN'T.......I'M SORRY I JUST CAN'T." she cried as she collapsed into her Mother's arms.
Arthur got up and walked over to Hermione who was in a fit of sobs herself and wrapped her in a hug. "They are going to make it back." he said trying desperately to believe it himself.
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"THIS IS AT LEAST TWO MORE MONTHS OF WORK!" Ron yelled with anger.
"I know Mr. Weasley, but Flixsly's memories have me to believe these camps will be one of the most important ones you hit." Kingsley said in a firm tone.
A silence filled the tent at the realization that they would be gone longer than they thought.
"You lot of have done amazingly well and I know you've been through a lot but after you hit these last few camps we may finally have the answers we've been searching for." Kingsley continued.
"Yeah but how many more us will die before that happens?" Harry spat.
"Mr. Potter you know more than anyone the sacrifices that must be made."
Harry didn't say anything he was just angry at the situation, he knew this is how it needed to be.
"In the meantime, the investigation at the Ministry seems to have been compromised. I am suspicious of a few of my main men but I am not certain. We found one spy but it seems there are others among the Ministry and I am trying to keep up with that as well as keep you lot updated. So I think it's imperative to tell you all that I will have limited contact with you for a while, I don't want to risk your whereabouts. Bill, take this; it will light up whenever I send you a message but you won't be able to respond." Kingsley said handing Bill a small golden circular ring with a translucent center.
Bill took it and studied it for a moment before pocketing it.
"I just broke the news of Dean to your family." Kingsley suddenly added.
"How's Ginny? Did you see her?" Draco quickly asked.
Kingsley gave him a small smile. "Everyone is doing fine." he said turning to get ready for his departure.
Draco quickly walked up to him again. "What about Ginny? Is SHE fine?" he asked with worry in his eyes.
"Mr. Malfoy......she is.......managing." he chose his words carefully. He didn't want to lie to Draco but he knew he needed Draco's mind focused on the mission and not worrying about Ginny the whole time.
"Managing? What the hell does that mean Sir?" he snapped.
He looked at Draco and could tell he wouldn't back down until he got an answer he was satisfied with. "Draco.....Ginny is fine, she is coping as well as she can given the circumstances.....ok?"
Draco didn't say anything for a moment and then gave a small nod. Kingsley gave him another small smile and then turned to the others.
"Keep up the good work guys and be careful. I trust you all will be successful and be home in no time." he said leaving the tent.
Draco quickly ran out of the tent to catch up with him. "Uh.....Sir.....can I ask a favor?"
Kingsley turned around to face him again. "What's that Mr. Malfoy?"
"Can you make sure Ginny gets this." he said placing a small heavy object in his hand.
Kingsley looked down at the item in confusion. "A rock?"
"I know.....but she'll understand....please." he said with more emotion than he would have liked.
Kingsley nodded. "I will make sure she gets it."
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Ginny was sick of throwing her guts up every morning. She hadn't had nausea like this in a while but the past three days she had been nauseous every morning and every night. She brushed her teeth and quickly rinsed her mouth out and headed downstairs where her Mother was working hard on the finishing touches of the second baby blanket. Mrs. Weasley flashed her bright smile as she took a seat on the couch and watched her Mother crochet.
It had been about a week since Kingsley had told them the news of Dean's death and Ginny had made it a point to go and apologize to Luna for her behavior. She felt horrible about what she did to her but was thankful that Luna was understanding about it and shrugged it off and made a joke about Ginny's mood swings. Ginny gave a small smile at this and was snapped from her thoughts when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it." Ginny said getting up from the couch.
She opened the door and felt her entire body tense up when she saw Kingsley standing there. She learned to expect bad news every time he stopped by and she could feel herself immediately go to that mindset.
"Sir?" She said nervously.
"Morning Miss Weasley, may I come in?"
She just nodded and let out a shaky breath. He entered the house and approached Molly in the living room. Mrs. Weasley threw her knitting aside and jumped up from the couch with worry in her eyes.
"Kingsley, what is it?" she asked frantically.
"Calm down Molly, I do have some news but nothing grave." he said putting his hands out to calm her.
"Oh thank goodness. I'll go get the others." She said hurrying upstairs.
"Sir.......have you seen Draco? Is he ok?" Ginny asked anxiously.
He gave her a smirk and a small laugh escaped his mouth. "Yes Miss Weasley I have, and he asked me the very same thing about you."
Ginny gave a relieved laugh and wiped the nervous tears that had slipped out. "I'm sorry, seems crying is the only thing I do these days." she joked.
"That's quite alright, here." he said handing her a hanky from his pocket.
"Kingsley......nice to see you again, wish it was under different circumstances though." Arthur said walking over with the others and shaking his hand.
"Arthur I need to discuss some Ministry business with you in a moment but I also wanted to tell you that the mission has been extended. I was able to obtain some useful information from the memories they have collected and some more higher ranking camps have been located." Kingsley explained.
"What? How much longer?" Hermione said.
"About two months I'm afraid."
Nobody said anything they knew Kingsley wouldn't have them out there if they didn't need to be. Ginny couldn't even comprehend the words Kingsley was saying and she sat on the couch as new tears spilled down her face.
"I know it has been a long time, but after they hit these camps I am sending them back. By that time we should have a solid location on Lucius and perhaps even sooner, it may not even be two months, it really all depends on how much information we can obtain from the memories." he explained.
He looked over at Ginny and he had suddenly remembered the object in his pocket for her. He walked over to her and he took it out of his pocket and held it out to her. "Miss Weasley, Draco asked me to give this to you the last time we spoke."
Ginny looked up at him through her tears and then down to his hand where she saw the rock. She let out a tearful laugh and picked the rock up with shaky hands and held it close to her. She cried and laughed at the same time; she knew Draco still wasn't sure what the rock thing meant which made her laugh even more as she thought back to the night of Ron and Hermione's wedding.
"Thank you so much for this" she choked out between sobs.
She was so overwhelmed between the news of Draco being gone longer and how he was missing out on so much of her pregnancy. She clung to the rock in her hands and was amazed at how much comfort it gave her to have it, as stupid as it seemed, to her it was the piece of hope she needed.
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!!