Cruelly Fated

This is a one shot, and I'll warn you right now, it's sad. Who knows, it might even make you cry. (It made my mom cry!)

Hope you enjoy it, and remember to review and tell me what you think at the end.

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Cruelly Fated

The full moon hung sadly in the sky, watching with a weariness acquired from years of witnessing heartbreak, as two young lovers met in its glow. One, born to the night and coldness; one, born to the day and warmth. A pair of star crossed lovers doomed never to be together.

He moved through the night as if part of it. Slipping through shadows and gliding on the silence. His destination was close; as soon as he got to the top of the rise he'd be able to see it. Just a few more steps... And he saw it. The lake shimmered in the moonlight sparkling with hidden secrets. And silhouetted against it stood a beautiful willow, and in his eyes an even more beautiful girl.

A tiny smile flickered across his face like a candle flame in the wind, as he walked down the grassy knoll.

She stood quietly, wrapping herself in the gentle light expelled from the moon, waiting for him to come. She didn't mind waiting. She'd waited for many things in her life, and all though she only got about half of them, she still didn't mind waiting. Especially when she knew he would come. Soon.

Two hands grabbed her at the hips and pulled her back against a strong, lean body. Waiting had its rewards.

The hands tenderly stroked her stomach and sides through the material of her robes causing shivers of pleasure to run through her body. One hand moved up to her neck and pulled her hair away so a pair of soft lips could lightly kiss her right where her pulse was. She sighed, and leaned her weight back against him completely, trusting herself to him like she never had or would with anyone else.

He felt himself warming up the second he touched her. She was fire, beautiful, dangerous, and intoxicating. She melted him, melted away the mask of ice he hid behind. His hands skimmed along her body, and then he moved one up to her neck tangling it in her glorious locks of flames. Lightly he pressed a kiss against her warm skin, loving the feel of her pulse under his cool lips.

She relaxed against him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from falling down. He lifted his head from her neck and brushed his lips against her cheek, and then with his hand still tangled in her hair, gently pulled her head so he could taste her sweet lips. The kiss was short and felt like a whisper. A whisper in the silence. A whisper that seemed to drown out the rest of the world while it chimed through the night.

Pulling away, he gazed down at her sweet face. She reminded him of a fairy. Her eyes fluttered open and velvety chocolate met stormy grey. She sighed again, only this time sadly and turned around so she could hold him. Her pale arms wrapped around his waist and she rested her head on his chest, right above his heart.

"Please don't do this. Don't go."

He closed his eyes and held her tightly, one arm stroking her hair the other rubbing her back. "I have to. I don't have a choice."

She didn't say anything for a long time, then, "will I ever see you again?"

He didn't want to answer that, but didn't have a choice. He couldn't keep anything from her. "No. At least, never on the same side of a battle field again."

He felt her struggle to keep herself from crying, and it nearly killed him. He hated himself for hurting her, but if he didn't leave her, he'd cause her more pain in the end. "You can cry. There's nothing wrong with crying."

She lifted her head from his chest, a single tear falling down her petal-soft cheek, and met his own rather watery eyes. "Hypocrite," she smiled sadly.

He nodded, "Yeah."

She bit her lip and looked away, before letting her eyes come back to his. "We could run away. Somewhere where they couldn't find you; us." She said quietly, desperation evident from her tone.

"They'd find us. He's too powerful, and he wants me too much."

She shook her head stubbornly. "We could do it! If we tried, we could do it."

He kissed her on the forehead, severely tempted by her offer. So tempted for a moment he was willing to try, but the moment passed as most moments do and he knew he couldn't do that to her. "You wouldn't be able to see or contact your family. They'd have to think you were dead. And you would never get to finish school, or talk to your friends; we'd have to have absolutely no contact with anyone. Couldn't see anyone, talk to anyone, or write to anyone." He paused, "you're sixteen, I'm not going to let you throw away your life."

Tears started to fall rather heavily from her eyes, and her lip quivered. "I'd do it."

He shook his head. "You'd be miserable."

"And you won't be?!" Her voice was growing hysterical.

He kissed her again, this time on the lips. A long bittersweet kiss... like blood, both sweet and coppery, and just as vital. "Not if I know you're safe."

She wept. Harsh violent sobs wracked her body as she clung to him with all her strength, refusing to let him go. "You can't go. I love you, you can't leave me!"

He didn't say anything. Nothing he said could soothe her, only time would fix this. Slowly her sobs grew quieter. Finally she had enough control to raise her head and look him in the eye again. "Please..." she whimpered.

"I have to. When the mark was placed on my arm my fate was decided. Now he calls for me to come and fight for him... I have to go."

"But what if he's defeated? We could be-"

He lifted a finger to her lips to silence her. She was just madly grasping for straws now. "I'll go straight to Azkaban."

"NO!" she cried, shaking her head violently.

"Sweet, don't you understand? I'm going to kill people, torture people, tear apart families and ruin peoples' lives."

Her eyes screamed but she didn't seem to have the ability to speak anymore.

"Even if I was pardoned... I will be a monster. I have no future; I've accepted this fact. If the Dark Lord falls and they don't lock me up, I'll make them lock me up."

He wiped away the silver tears she cried with a long elegant finger, his eyes begging for her forgiveness and understanding. "Once I leave tonight, I'm dead. Don't think of me as living, don't pray that I'm okay... think of me as dead. I'll never be the person I am right now, again. I don't want you to love the person I'll become." His eyes glazed over, "I want you to go on with your life and fall in love and get married and have kids..."

"No," she had found her voice again. "I won't love anyone ever again. I could never love anyone but you."

He held her close, breathed in her scent one last time - ginger and spice - and then pulled away. "Be happy. Please, live everyday to it's fullest." He shuddered with pain at the thought of what he was about to actually do. "I love you. I will always love you, Virginia." He turned away and started up the hill. Walking like a prisoner to his execution.

"Wait!"

He froze, why did she have to make this so hard?

Her hand touched his shoulder sending a wave of warmth through his body and she turned him around. Standing up on her toes she kissed him, hard. Putting in every ounce of love, pain, forgiveness, and desperation that she felt. After many long moments she finally pulled away. They both felt like an eternity had passed in a second.

Her voice was a ghost when she spoke. "Don't call me that. You've never called me that before... say my name."

He smiled wearily down at her, etching her features in to his memory. "Gin. My Ginger. Gin Adora Weasley." He kissed her one last time on the lips, quickly.

"No Draco. Not Weasley, Malfoy. Gin Adora Malfoy." She locked her eyes on his startled ones, "I'm your wife in every sense of the word... except legally. I'm Gin Malfoy forever more. I will never marry another."

He smiled. Not sadly, it was genuine. Neither would ever forget this moment for as long as they lived; however short that may be. She returned it with one of her own.

"Good-bye, Mrs. Malfoy. Your husband loves you very much, he'll never forget you." He turned around before she could stop smiling; he wanted to remember her that way.

"Goodbye, Mr. Malfoy. Your wife loves you more than you can imagine, she'll never forget you." Her voice drifted through the night to him. "I love you, Draco..."

He let one icy tear fall. And then he was gone.

The moon mourned silently for her children, two star-crossed lovers. Fate was cruel to them, but perhaps in another lifetime she'd be able to look down on them with joy instead of sadness. Perhaps, time would dry the tears the girl of fire cried... and the tear the boy of ice could no longer freeze.