Dragon's Fire

She was my entire reason for living. I miss her the most of all the things I've lost. I hate what I am, and have for a long time. I've had forever, after all. I am a vampire, doomed to wonder the planet alone forever. Or so I had once thought. Shall I tell you of the love that possessed me, of how I lived more when she loved me than I ever have before? Each day, I die a little more without her. I cannot die, of course, but I can fade away. I've been fading away into the darkness of my own personal hell for many years since I saw her last. Oh, the look on her face. The final time I looked upon her, she gazed at me with hate in her eyes and acid on her tongue. She had believed me a traitor, that I had betrayed her for someone else. I had done nothing wrong, but the evidence against me was overwhelming. Damn that Potter and Weasley! If they hadn't been following me, they never would have caught me. I had been practicing in the mirror; proposing to myself and deadly silence. I never knew Weasley and Potter were there. They both knew that Ginny and I were together, though we'd both tried to keep it a secret. Somehow, they'd found out and had started having me followed. When I realized what was happening, I went to them first, to demand that they leave me alone and let Ginny be happy. I looked into the reflective glass and asked myself once again to be my wife. I was overcome with joy and love that I didn't know what to say, and the silence around me said not a word. I'd hoped that Ginny would have some kind of response, but I would love her even if she told me that she needed time. I'd set the entire date to a T. We were to meet just outside the Room of Requirement at seven o' clock. I would think about what I would need to make Ginny comfortable and relaxed, and the dinner would appear, setting the stage for my night of romantic bliss. But, sadly, all was ruined. Potter and Weasley got to Ginny long before I could propose, or even that I loved her. A fresh wave of pain engulfs me as I slowly remember the rueful day that Ginny chose to believe Potty and the Weasel over her own boyfriend.

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"Ginny, will you marry me?" I said to the mirror as I straightened my tie. God, I thought, this night is going to be the most spectacular of my life. Each face I showed the mirror looked back at me with determination covering barely-suppressed nerves. What would I do if she said no? Did she love me? Calm down, I ordered myself. The night has barely begun. Everything will be fine. I wished that my face showed the inner calm that tried to surface again and again, but couldn't quite reach. I took a deep breath and began combing my hair. I never bothered with the gel anymore, it didn't help worth a damn, and Ginny liked me better without it. I breathed a sigh of contentment as Ginny's face floats into my mind. I love her more than anything, and would follow her to the ends of the earth. I had changed my ways, and good had begun to surface in my pathetic soul. She made me want to be a better man. I'd even been cordial to Potter and Weasley, who could barely manage the same toward me. I understood that; I'd been evil for four years. Then I'd met Ginny in my second year. It had only taken one look from that angel's face for me to pray that good still lived deep within me. I did all I could to prove myself to her; to prove that I, Draco Malfoy, was capable of great change. She didn't believe me at first. I still couldn't blame her; trust takes time to build. And so it began. I loved her from afar as she trotted along after the Golden Trio, blatantly ignoring me. Then, in my sixth year, I finally saw my opportunity. Potter had dumped her for fear that Voldemort would kill her to get to him. Good choice, that. I was still a member of the Dark Lord's inner fold, but only as a spy. I'd decided that I would never kill in the name of darkness long before I had met Ginny, but in meeting her, I realized that it was wrong.