Death of a Weasley

Dear World,

I need to tell you why...Why the world is the way it is for me, and why I can't bear it any longer...

As the Second War began, Hogwarts was left unchanged by the time. The students still went to class, Quidditch practice was still held every night by one team or another, and the Slytherins and Gryffindors still remained enemies. I think shall be where I begin my tale. Our tale.

As a Slytherin, I hated Gryffindor, but as a Malfoy, I hated Harry Potter and every one of his fan club more. The fan club I speak of of course consisted of the usual suspects: Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and the Weasleys...All of the Weasleys. I swear with my blood, I still wonder how it happened this way. I hated them, in fact, then, I loathed them. All Weasleys were a disgrace to the name Pureblood. Now, I realize I was the disgrace to all Purebloods everywhere. She helped me realize this, even when it seemed nothing could help me.

It started at the very first Quidditch match of the year. Oh, how I swore I would beat Potter. I also made I vow to beat the Weasleys, all in one, perfect game. I had practiced all summer. The Snitch had no chance to escape me. I was, to say the least, ready. Marcus Flint had left a while ago, so Snape had also bestowed upon me the title Team Captain. I was as happy as I had ever been. Madame Hooch summoned us out onto the pitch and made the teams shake hands. So I did just that.

I was first in line, so was Potter. As our hands meet, I shook his, sneered and moved on. Ron followed him. With much disdain, I shook his hand. I quickly wiped my hand on my robes, ridding it of any infection. Next in line was Ginny. I smirked. I had forgotten, there would be two Weasleys to cream. I stuck my hand out, and she did the same. As they met, a tingle surged through my body. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I couldn't bring myself to let go of that hand. I looked up at her face, for some signal she was thinking the same thing, but as our eyes met...She tried to pull my hand off hers, and move to the next person in line, but I was frozen there. "Weasley," I breathed.

"Malfoy?" she asked and yanked her hand out off my grip. "What is wrong with you?"

She moved on to the next person, and so did I, but I don't remember who it was. I was frozen in time. She had grown over the summer, I could tell. She was very...beautiful. Her features were flawless, the soft curve of her cheek and her hair. Oh her hair! Thrown so carelessly into a bun, but still lovely...

I stopped. What was I thinking?! Weasley! A Weasley! I couldn't believe myself. I tried to focus on the game at hand, as Madame Hooch blew the whistle and let the balls fly off. I soared up into the sky, looking carefully around for any sign of the Snitch. But as I tried to concentrate harder she kept invading my thoughts...I found myself cheering with Gryffindor once as she made a goal.

Needless to say Slytherin lost the game.

I guess it wasn't until later I realized the term for what I was feeling was love at first sight. I laugh now at my carefree stupidity, my innocence, but at the time all I could do was gawk. I don't think I realized what I was feeling until one morning at breakfast, maybe a week or so later.

I was, as usual, making fun of Potter and cronies, and Pansy was listening very intently. I looked over at the Gryffindor table, looking for Potter, and point at him and laugh, and there she was, talking to that annoying kid with the camera, Creevy, I think. I stopped mid-sentence. Pansy snapped in front of my face a few times wondering what was wrong, then finally left. There was Ginny. Creevy whispered something in her ear, and she giggled. I was so jealous, I felt like jumping over the table and punching Creevy in the stomach, but my good sense came back to me. Creevy was doing nothing wrong...I was!

I wasn't supposed to be thinking about Weasley! Not in that way! I was suppose to loathe her, but how I wanted to run my fingers through her hair...I hit my head on the table in despair. I had to know, did she feel the same? Then a brilliant plan crossed my head. I would write her, yes! And she would undoubtedly answer, and I would know if I was going crazy! Yes, this was my plan. Ingenious...

I ran to the Slytherin common room and pulled out some parchment and a quill. I wrote for a good hour before classes, and I poured everything out, everything. After a while I looked like I had puked on the page, but I continued. Finally I looked over my letter. It would have to do. I rolled it up and ran to the owlery.

When finally I looked at my watch I realized I had about five minutes to get to Potions, and I didn't have my stuff. I never ran so fast in my life, but I was lucky that Snape was late that day. As I plopped down next to Crabbe and Goyle, they exchanged strange glances, but I ignored them. Nothing, nothing at all could interrupt my sheer bliss at coming up with such a good plan. But then I got to thinking, what if I just embarassed myself by writing her? What if she hated me the way I was supposed to hate her? It was to late, the owl was delivering it to her, where ever she was.

I lost a lot of sleep that night wondering what her response would be, and in the morning, I was to frightened to get out of bed, for fear her response was there awaiting me...

It wasn't. In fact the owl didn't even deliver it until that morning at breakfast. I sat at my usual seat, Crabbe and Goyle at my side, when the mail was delivered. I was scared that the same owl would come flying to me, but it went to her. She sat by Granger that morning, so as soon as the letter came, Granger read it over her shoulder. Oh, how I hated Granger at that moment. She raised her eyebrows, and looked at Ginny, then to me...

Ginny hands started to tremble as Potter and her brother asked to read the letter. I felt so sick at that moment, I left to go vomit in the bathroom. When I came out, I had expected that I would go to class, instead there she was...

"Is this a joke?" she asked me. She was dangerously quiet as she looked over the letter. She began to read..."'Ginny, I don't know what's wrong with me. I am not supposed to like you, but I find myself dreaming of you all the time. I love you, oh, how I do. With every fiber of my pathetic being. Do you feel the same?' What is this supposed to mean, Malfoy?"

My face went pale. How did she know I would be coming out of the bathroom?

"Well, Malfoy, answer!" she demanded.

"It means I love you, Ginny," I whispered. I felt strangely sick again, so I ran back into the bathroom to throw up. I didn't think she'd follow me, however...

"You aren't joking with me?" she asked as she entered the bathroom. There I was in a stall, puking my guts out...

"No," I said resuming, well, you know...

There was a quiet moment. I guess she was thinking over what I had said. "Hermione knows what you wrote," she finally said. This did nothing to help me, but it did make me more nervous, so yesterday's breakfast came up as well. "Oh, stop barfing already!" she exclaimed.

I did my best to stop, and when I came out of the stall my face was flushed red. "Do you like me as well?"

She paused for a second, then looked me straight in the eye. "I have been thinking about it. From the looks of this letter, it seems you have a heart. I can't say at the moment I do," my heart sank, "but I want to get to know you better."

I looked her in the eye and asked, "Would you like to meet at the Quidditch pitch tonight?"

"Yeah," she said. She turned to leave, but I called her back.

"Did Ron and Harry read the letter?"

"Of course not," she said walking away.

So that was how we started dating. We met at the Quidditch pitch every night and talked about anything and everything. I told her about my father and how I loved him but couldn't stand his hatred of different people any longer. She told me what it was like being stuck in a family where you had to learn to be yourself. She was the only girl and it wasn't an easy job.

One night, as I was walking her back to the castle, she started crying, because she said she couldn't bear being in her family. She said that she was nothing to them. Every boy had a talent, Bill for being great with dragons, Charlie for being really smart, Fred and George for being funny and great at starting their own business, and Ron, well she had trouble coming up with his talent, but she thought she was a nobody.

It's hard to trace how the conversation got to where it was, but she said that it was an odd coincedence she was in her family.

"There's a word for that," I said trying to make her feel better.

"What?" she asked.

"Serendipity," I whispered.

She smiled. "Is there a word for gradual fading of anger? Cause you always seem to make me feel better."

I thought for a moment. "Evanescence. Or at least, evanescence of anger..."

She blushed a little. "Is there a word for what I am feeling now?"

I smirked. "I don't know what you are feeling, but what I am feeling is called love..."

She turned scarlet this time. "Have you ever heard that song?"

"What?" I asked. "Is it by the Weird Sisters or something? I don't know what you are talking about."

"No, it's a Muggle song." She started to sing it, so I knew what she was talking about. "L is for the way you look at me. O is for the only one I see. V is very, very extraordinary. E is even more then anyone that you adore, and love is all that I can give to you..."

She continued to sing, not noticing what she was doing to me. I was silently crying...

"Take my heart and please don't break it, love--" I covered her mouth with my hand.

"And I spent my whole life hating Muggles, but they summed up my feelings all in one chorus."

That was the night we kissed. She looked up at me, water streaming from her big blue eyes and we kissed. A long, sweet, soft kiss that made me want to melt.

Another night, I was very depressed, afraid my father would find out about us. I became very quiet, and Ginny knew something was wrong.

"Draco?" she whispered in my ear. "What is wrong with you tonight? You don't seem yourself..."

"I was thinking...about us, and the future...Ginny, I don't know if this can work out..."

She smiled and looked up at me. "It will. Just have faith...We love each other, and that is all we need."

I became angry, because she didn't appear to see my point. "Why is it that you are even interested on me? I am a nothing! But you continue to blabber on about love! Ginny, we can't survive in the future!"

She looked at me as if she were hurt, and I realized my mistake. "Please, Draco, let me do my job..."

"Job?!" I yelled. "What job?"

"Of trying to save you..." she whispered.

"Save me from what?" I asked. I felt like she was making a mockery of me.

"Your future, your father...yourself," she said. I promised her that night, I'd never let anything hurt her. Promises are too often broken, especially by those you love...

It was inevitable. Ron found out about us. One night when we were at the pitch, he brought Hermione there, because he was going to ask her out, but as soon as he saw us, he started yelling at Ginny. She ran off inside and they followed. I was left alone and my heart began to sink. Weasley would never let me live this down...

That night I was frozen solid in my bed. I didn't move at all, much less sleep. When day finally came I didn't move. I didn't get up to leave until breakfast was over. God, I was frightened. If Weasley, by some odd chance, let me live this down, not one person in Slytherin would.

I trudged to Potions, practically fearing for my life, and there was Ron. "Oy, Malfoy," he called. "Come here." I slowly walked over to him. "What the hell do you think you are doing with my little sister?" he whispered looking around him.

"Nothing that is any of your business," I said. I turned to walk away, but he hit me, hard, in the small of my back withhis book bag. I turned around and soon we were on the floor rolling around fighting. I believe it was Professor McGonagal that broke us up, because I know it was her that escorted us to Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore was seated at his big desk looking out at us as soon as we came into the room. "Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley, please take a seat." We did. "Would you like some crumpets and tea?" We ate some. "Will one of you explained what happened in the hall?" Neither of us did. Dumbledore smiled and continued to talk. "My understanding is that Mr. Malfoy is dating Mr. Weasley's sister, Am I correct in my assumptions?" We nodded. "I am afraid fighting is not allowed, so you both will have 20 points taken from your houses, but Mr. Weasley, five more will be taken from you for starting the fight. And I will be contacting both your parents."

Ron nodded, but I jumped up. "No, sir, you can't tell my father! Please!"

Dumbledore stiffened. "I can and will. It will teach you both about fighting in the halls. Good day, gentlemen," he said ushering us out.

I had only once thought about my father would think about my relationship with Ginny. I didn't even want to imagine what he would do...I gulped. Surely Dumbledore would not be that cruel! He must know the way my father was! He must, he must, he must!

It wasn't until it was to late that I realized what was going on. I was to busy wallowing in self pity to comprehend Ron was screeching and we were both taken away out of the castle by...Death Eaters. We were bound and gagged and thrown in the back of a Muggle truck. I still find it odd that they would think to use a Muggle device instead of some other form of transportation, but it was effective in preventing us from knowing the location. It was hours before they opened the back door and yanked us out. We were flung in a dungeon. Harry, Hermione, and...Ginny were there as well. They wouldn't hurt Ginny, God no! What had I gotten myself into? This must have been fathers plan!

Oh, how I wanted to screech! I scooted over to Ginny, trying to apologize, but my father came in just then...

"Draco, has being tied up not taught you a lesson?" He removed my bindings and Ginny's.

"Father--" I began to explain.

"Honestly, Draco," he interrupted in a dangerously quiet voice. "There is no need for explanations. I can't hurt the others, but you two...Let me start with my son," he said to Ginny.

I breathed in deep. "Father, please, let me explain--"

"A Malfoy never explains himself, Draco." He sneered at me. "You have become a disgrace of a son. I had high hopes for you, but fell into the 'wrong crowd.' I have come to the decision, with the help of my master, that your termination would be the best..."

"Termination? Father, you wouldn't kill your own son!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had gasped and were trying to escape their bindings, but failing. Ginny was gravely silent, staring hard at my father.

"I would, Draco. It is in your best interest," he smirked. "I shall be quick." He raised his wand and placed it between us. "Very quick. Hopefully, it will be painless. I wouldn't know, I have never died before." He stopped. "Perhaps Sirius Black could help you. Wouldn't he, Potter? Wait! Potter would know, wouldn't you?" he said to Harry. He removed Harry's bindings so he could speak.

Harry stood up. "Perhaps, but I don't remember," he said through clenched teeth.

Father looked at him. "Very well." He turned back to me and started to utter the dreaded curse. "Avada Kervada--"

"NO!!!" screeched Ginny flinging herself it front of me.

"GINNY!" I screamed. She fell to the floor in a crumpled pile not moving. I ran at my father, hatred welling in me. I managed two good hits, before Harry was on him helping. I believe up until that point it was the only time Harry and I worked together, but I didn't want to work together for this purpose. Several seconds, which seemed to be hours, passed before Dumbledore came in. He quickly cursed father, and I leapt over to Ginny.

She wasn't breathing...I put her head in my lap. "Ginny," I whispered stroking her cheek with my hand. "God, Ginny, please wake up," I muttered. I bent down and placed my cheek to hers. "Ginny," I breathed in her ear. She was ice cold, and her face looked like stone, hard and cold. "Please, don't be dead. Ginny, I need you. Please, wake up." A tear rolled down my cheek and landed in the stone floor. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny..." I whispered.

I didn't even notice that the others were watching me silently, and crying as well, and it was only when Dumbledore pulled me away that I knew they were there. "I CAN'T LEAVE HER! NO, PLEASE! I CAN'T GO!" I screeched. I wrenched myself from his grip and ran back to her. "Please," I whispered.

I don't remember exactly what happened the next two days, except that I made many visits to Dumbledore's office, and I didn't once stop crying. All I know is that every time I thought of her, and still think of her I can't breathe. There is a stab of pain in my heart...That curse was meant for me, but I continue living. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I have become very good friends, but if I had had the choice, I would rather be enemies still then lose Ginny.

That is why I leave this letter. I need to explain why I can no longer live. For Ginny is Juliet the Capulet, and I am Romeo the Monatgue, and in the end of the play neither survives, including me.

I bestow my best wishes on this world, for mine is dead,

Draco Malfoy