One Day More

One Day More

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever."

~some famous dude, seriously

"I believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart."

~Anne Frank

"3 nails + 1 cross = 4giveness"

~Emily Schochenmaier

"The saddest words of tongue or pen are those that say, 'what might have been.'"

~err...another famous dude. (I'm sorry I don't know these!)

"For it is when we embrace the fact that we do not understand the meaning of life that we finally begin to know it."

~Ashley LeeAnn Fredrick

Draco Malfoy shuffled his feet beneath him as he made his way down Diagon Alley. People ignored his presence and rushed by him laughing and enjoying themselves. This only made Draco more depressed. Stupid fools, he thought, they don't know it could end at any moment.

In Hog's Head the bartender slouched against the counter staring curiously at his only customer. "Something on your mind, son?" he asked finally.

"I just found out that tomorrow I won't be waking up," Draco said coldly looking up. "But I'm splendid, really." After another moment of silence he spoke again, "What would you do if you had one day left to live?"

"Well, seeing as I only had one day I'd snog the girl I'm in love with senseless," he sighed laughing.

"Why don't you just do that anyway?" Draco asked.

"Because that woman has been married along time and sometimes we can love people and not have the love returned. Today is one of those days where I wish I could have told her how I felt. There are some things we want to do, but somehow we just can't find the courage to do them. That's the worst part of living, my boy; regret."

"You can do whatever the hell you want, no one can stop you," Draco scoffed drowning his shot.

"Then why are you sitting here on the last day of your life?"

This morning Draco Malfoy got a letter stating the inevitable; he had one day left to live. Tomorrow Draco was to be executed for participating in the murder of a muggle family during the war. What they didn't know was that Draco had been undercover. No one had but Dumbledore, and, now that the wise old fool was gone, there was no one to vouch for him. So, what could he do but except the price.

So what if he had helped with the downfall of Voldemort? So what if he had bought Harry Potter time to kill the bastard? It didn't matter to them. They took it seriously; anyone involved was executed.

That was the fate that lay ahead for Draco Malfoy. One day to live, and no one cared. Maybe the bartender had cared enough, because somehow his words led Draco to this doorstep. Inside Draco could hear laughter and talking. That's what you always heard outside the Burrow, especially at Christmas. He stood out on the doorstep in the cold for awhile, listening to the sounds inside.

Laughter; it was such a sweet sound that had been missing from the wizarding world for far too long. Too long had wizards and witches hid in the shadows of uncertainty and crouched in the darkness. But Harry Potter had saved them all; now freedom rang throughout the wizarding world, and it was a glorious sound.

Draco sighed and turned away from the door. He knew the one person, the only person, he wanted to see wouldn't be there. Going in there would do nothing but make this day harder. Running to her might make this day worth it. Perhaps, he thought as he made his way down the steps, it takes something like this to get you to know you can't hide from love.

Love. Long ago Draco would've scoffed at that word. Before the war he would have spat unmercifully at the feet of those who claimed they were in love. But, as the war came crashing into his world, things had changed. Lives were taken in front of him, lives torn apart. A permanent depression had settled in the creases of people and tears had been the only source of comfort. The more Draco Malfoy had seen of this the more he realized he was on the wrong side.

Dumbledore had welcomed him with open arms and forgave him for something that shouldn't have been possible to forgive; he had watched, with laughing hollow eyes, as people died. Harry Potter and the others of the ordering hadn't been so taken with Draco, but he could care less. By the end of the war they had all forgiven him. He had even been invited to the Burrow this Christmas, but he didn't belong there; he was Draco Malfoy, no matter what. And he wouldn't go crawling to them and have them save his life. He'd accept his consequences, he knew they'd come eventually. Besides, for some reason, Draco couldn't bring himself to ruin their celebrations.

Draco looked up again when he realized he had found himself at another doorstep. One he had only been in once, so long ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Malfoy," she scolded laughing. "You're drunk, and I'm not letting you Apparate home in this state. You'll just have to stay here."

"Not drunk I'm," he slurred. "A good liqueur can always hold his man."

"You're making no sense, you're drunk. And I don't care if you are an annoying prat, you're staying here." She helped guide him to the bed and set him down on it. She reached for the clasp of his cape and his hand met hers. Surprised at the feeling coursing through her she looked up into his glassy eyes.

"I'm not as think and you drunk I am," he whispered. She laughed deciphering his words, I'm not as drunk as you think I am. He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. She could nearly taste the firewhisky on his mouth, but that didn't explain the fire running through her veins.

"Malfoy," she gasped pulling away. "You're drunk, just lay down and in the morning you can leave." She pulled off his cape and pushed him back on the bed, but his hand was still tangled in her hair behind her head, and she went down with him, now lying on top of him.

"I might be drunk," he whispered against her cheek. "But I still have mind use of my full." But I still have full use of my mind. The young women swallowed hard and let herself get lost in Draco Malfoy's touch ignoring her mind's reasonable screaming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He knew she wouldn't be at the Burrow today. They probably didn't even miss her, he thought pathetically, stupid bastards. He raised his hand and then dropped it again. Stupid bartender, he thought, they're so damn well trained for this kind of idiotic advice. Coming to his senses Draco went to turn around, but the door swung open preventing him from doing so.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" she asked startled at the man on her doorstep. "Shouldn't you be at the Burrow, I heard they invited you."

"I knew you wouldn't be there."

"You couldn't have known that for sure, I might've gone." She stood in the doorway just staring at him not even offering him in from out of the cold.

"No, you wouldn't have. Not after what happened."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's my favorite color, Ron?" the girl asked furiously turning to him. "What's my favorite book, Hermione? And Harry, did you know I was almost placed in Slytherin? No," she scolded the three of them. "You don't know anything about me. You insist you're all my friends, yet your not. Don't tell me what I can and can't do, because you don't have that right."

"We are your friends," Ron said trying to calm her down.

"No, you're not. Why am I always pushed out of everything you do then?" she wondered.

"Because it's not safe," Harry insisted.

"You won't let me fight yet you let your two best friends risk their lives, Harry," she asked.

"I can't stop Ron and Hermione."

"Listen, point being, all I am to you is a little sister, not a friend. Let me live my life; the war's over now, I don't need protected," the young woman screeched.

"There are still some things we must protect you from," Hermione said.

"What; like Malfoy? No, I need protecting from you three, not Malfoy," she said.

"We found you in bed with him," Ron said finally losing control.

"You shouldn't have come into my house uninvited!" she pointed out. "He was drunk, it's not like it meant anything anyway."

"Oh, so you took advantage of him?" Hermione asked.

"Listen, we don't want you ending up with someone like Malfoy," Ron said.

"He's bad news," Harry put in.

"I should be allowed to make my own choices, I'm not a child!" she said offended.

"Obviously you are if you're still making such stupid mistakes," Ron spat at her.

"Eventually, Ronald Weasley, you're going to have to realize that you do not control my life. I will screw whoever I want, whenever I want. And, if it's in mum's broom closet, than so be it. I'm not going to wait around until you three realize that I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions. When you three wake up to reality owl me, in the meantime, I'll be living my own life!" The girl stormed from the room not looking back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That over a month ago," she pointed out.

"You're still mad at them."

"It was just one huge mistake. Sleeping with you while you were drunk, leaving the door unlocked so they could walk in, and yelling at them. They haven't talked to me since. Besides, I'd rather spend Christmas alone."

"Some things can't be forgiven," Malfoy said stepping closer to her.

"They're my family, Malfoy."

"Family; I've learned that sometimes family isn't so important."

"That's because your version of a family is different than my version," she said crossing her arms across her chest.

"Then why haven't you forgiven them yet?"

"They have no right judging me. They completely went ballistic when they found me with you. Shows how much independence I have," she said sarcastically. "I should be able to choose who I have relationships with without them shunning me."

He smirked. "I think it's because you know they'll never accept me if you did have a relationship with me."

"Oh, please, a bit conceited, aren't we? I'm talking about making my own choice and them giving me the room to. I'm not talking about some drunken one-night stand with you."

"Are you sure about that?" he smirked.

"Positive," she said sticking her nose up a bit in a proud way.

"Okay," he said shrugging. He closed the distance between them and placed his hand behind her head twisting it in her vibrant red curls. He brought her lips furiously to his and stopped a millimeter before they touched. "I love you, Ginny," he whispered. Draco reached out and kissed her with all he had. No use holding back now, he thought. When he pulled back he realized it had begun snowing. Now it's really Christmas, he thought. He pulled away from Ginny and made his way down the street and out of her sight. How do you like that for a Christmas present, Ginny Weasley? He smirked as he walked away into the cold.

Ginny Weasley took a sip of her coffee and unfolded the Daily Prophet. She hadn't been able to focus since Malfoy left yesterday. He had said he loved her. It had taken a while for his words to register, but now they came through loud and clear. And sometime last night, while she had been tossing and turning, it had occurred to her; she loved him too. She didn't know how, she just knew she did.

Ginny glanced at the front page and dropped her cup letting it shatter on the floor.

Daily Prophet December 26, 2004

Draco Malfoy Executed Today For Involvement in a Murder during the War

Draco Lucius Malfoy was executed today by the ministry for involvement in a Death Eater murder of a muggle family. The ministry has found Mr. Malfoy to be carrying the Dark Mark and having participated in a series of events involving You-Know-Who. Since the downfall of You-Know-Who the ministry has been working hard to prevent any dark characters from tormenting the wizarding world again.

'Draco Malfoy was the last involved that survived from that night. Now we have taken care of him, the world may be at ease,' Minister Fudge said late last night.

When we asked the minister to comment on Mr. Malfoy's involvement in the destruction of You-Know-Who he simply replied, 'Whether or not Mr. Malfoy had anything to do with that night is not of matter. We, as your ministry, want to make sure no one shall be left to tear the wizarding world apart again. Let's hope we can all move on and continue in a way that we haven't been able to for nearly thirty years.'

So, the world says goodbye to the last of the Malfoy heir, a prominent family that can never be replaced. Did Draco Malfoy deserve to die? We asked some people.

'If he would have told me he was sentenced to be executed I could've saved him,' Harry Potter said this morning when we told him of the execution.

'Malfoy was a spy for our side, that's why he was there that night. He shouldn't have died. If Dumbledore was here he'd be ashamed of all of us," Hermione Granger said with sad eyes.

'I never liked the bloke much, but he helped us a great deal in this fight. We all forgave him when he wanted to help us, I only wish the world could have,' Ronald Weasley commented.

But Draco Malfoy is gone now, whether people believe he deserved it or not. So, goodbye, Mr. Malfoy, from us here at the Daily Prophet and from the world; may you rest in peace in knowing that today people all over the wizarding community will remember you.

Ginny glanced up with tears stinging her eyes. She placed a hand carefully on her stomach. "I love you, Draco Malfoy," she whispered. "You weren't the last heir. I'll make sure the Malfoy name lives on." And, though Ginny felt her heart was breaking, she got up and went to the Burrow that day.

At the burrow Ginny was the only one who kept her eyes dry all day. She knew if she broke down she'd do something stupid because of how much she had loved him. "The Malfoy name will live on," she kept telling herself. And it did, and perhaps it always will.