A Flame Rekindled

Chapter One.

It had been three years since the defeat of Voldemort, and Ginny Weasley had just left a Muggle bar to make her way home after a long day at work. A cool autumn breeze swept through the air, sending fallen leaves scattering across the floor in front of her. The street seemed darker than usual, and empty of the usual crowds moving from one bar to the next. An owl hooted eerily in a tree nearby, and feeling a slight sense of unease, Ginny began to walk briskly towards a small street from which she could Apparate home, the music from the bar fading behind her.

Suddenly, she was grabbed and pulled into a side alley, and a hand was placed over her mouth to muffle her cry for help. She struggled against her captor, but stopped when she saw him holding a very long, very sharp knife. Instinctively, she reached to where her wand should have been in her right-hand pocket. However she realised that she had decided to place it in her bag, which was lying on the floor, discarded and far out of her reach.

"The necklace, now!" her attacker snarled, pointing the knife at her in a silent threat.

"Okay, okay, I'll do what you want," Ginny said as calmly as she could, although her voice still wavered slightly. She prayed that someone would hear them and come to her aid. She realized, however, that this was unlikely to happen as the alley was entirely in shadow and the wind rustling through the trees disguised the sound of their low voices. Silently and with shaking hands, she undid the clasp of her necklace and handed it over.

"And your watch!"

"What? This was a gift from my brother!" she cried desperately.

"Don't argue with me lady, just hand it over!"

Ginny tearfully undid the watch and was just about to hand it to the attacker when a voice cried out from the end of the alleyway. "Hey!"

Her mugger jumped at the noise, and when Ginny turned around to face the voice, he snatched the watch out of her hand and took off, running into the night. It was only after the attacker had gone that Ginny allowed her tears to fall. She saw her rescuer making his way towards her, and got a rather large surprise when she saw who it was.

"Oh my god...Draco?"

"Ginny?" When he realised that the woman he had saved was none other than Ginny Weasley, Draco had no hesitation in making his way towards her and taking her into his arms.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No, but he took my necklace and the watch Bill gave me," Ginny replied, stifling a sob. She had adored that watch and had desperately tried to keep it in the best condition; after all, it had been the last thing Bill had given to her before he had been killed in the Great War.

"I'm sorry." He allowed her some time to relieve herself of the terror and fear that had overcome her before speaking. "Where are you going?"

"I was on my way home."

"Don't you live on the other side of town?"

"Yes. But I always walk this way to Apparate, and nothing has ever happened before."

Draco pulled away from her. "Well, you're not going home alone tonight in this state; you can come back with me." He bent over and picked up her bag from the floor, and walked further down the alley, leaving Ginny protesting behind him.

"I can take care of myself Draco, I don't need you to baby-sit me."

His eyes narrowed. "Oh! You can take care of yourself! So that's why you had a knife pointed at your throat!" His tone was still low, but the words were delivered with the patented Malfoy sarcasm.

"But he's gone now so I really think I'm capable of taking myself home."

"Don't be stupid Weasley, if I leave you here God knows what could happen to you. I've a lot on my conscience already I don't need you adding any more."

"You have a conscience?! I think we should call the Prophet.... That's big news!" She walked up to him and snatched her bag back. "Look, thanks for stopping that guy, but really Draco I'll be fine. I can go home now."

Draco levelled her with a gaze that seemed to stop all her protests.

"No, you can go home tomorrow; I just want to make sure that you're safe. For all we know that man could be planning to attack you again if I leave you alone." He rummaged through his pockets and found his wand before holding out his arm. "For once will you stop arguing and come over here so I can Apparate us both?"

Cautiously Ginny stepped up towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Draco raised his wand, and with a crack, they Apparated straight into his flat.

* * *

Ginny glanced around the room that Draco had just taken them to. It was a large room, with dark green walls and laminate flooring. The apartment's front door was to her right, and to her left was the kitchen. The sofas at the far side of the room were coated in emerald green fabric, and the curtains surrounding the oversized windows fell in a wave of soft green velvet.

"Wow. It's very... you."

Draco turned and looked at her, grinning. "Really? I always thought it was too modern to be 'me.'"

"Come on, even the handles on your kitchen cupboards are green!" she replied sarcastically, a glint in her eyes. It surprised Ginny when she realized how comfortable she felt just being around him again, considering she hadn't seen him for months.

"I happen to like the colour." Draco took Ginny's coat from her hands and placed it in a small cupboard to the right of the front door. "Come, I'll show you where you can sleep."

He led her past the kitchen and down a short corridor to a room that followed the theme of the house, except that a lot of the furniture was black rather than green. Ginny could see some clothes poking out of a drawer in the dresser that was slightly ajar. "It's nice to see that you've avoided the Slytherin stereotype," she smirked.

"Well you know me, I'm not one to conform," Draco replied, smirking himself. "Besides, I like black." He gestured to the bed. "You can sleep here; I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Are you sure? I don't mind transfiguring it myself," said Ginny.

"No, it's fine." Draco turned to face Ginny. "Do you want anything, some food or a drink maybe?"

"No, I'm quite tired, I think I'll just crash if that's okay?" Ginny said, placing her handbag on the dresser and conjuring some pyjamas.

"Okay." Draco smiled. "Goodnight then, I'm here if you need me."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." She watched as Draco turned to leave. "Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He shrugged in response, and grinned in the way that always made her stomach flip, before leaving her alone.

* * *

Ginny stared in confusion at the man standing before her, waving a knife menacingly. "What...how did I get back here?"

"Hey lady, just give me the damn watch! He wants it, so I have to get it and if I don't he's going to kill me!" he shouted at her.

"What? Who wants it?" Ginny said, stumbling on her words as the one person who terrified her entered her thoughts.

"Dear sweet Ginevra. Always the same. When will you learn that you can never escape from me?"

The cold, crisp voice came from behind her, and Ginny felt her body freeze to the core. She turned around to face the man walking towards her. He stepped into the light, his red eyes glinting and a smirk upon his lips as he chuckled evilly. "I would hate to have to do to you what I did to your brother."

Voldemort stepped to the side, and Ginny glimpsed the sight of a body, her brother's body, blood streaming down his face as she looked into his lifeless eyes for the millionth time since that fateful night three years ago. Tears streaming down her face, Ginny could hear nothing but the blood pounding in her ears. Nothing, that is, until she heard the others coming to get her.

POP!

Ginny trembled as the second hooded Death Eater made his way towards her, more Apparating en masse, as Ginny faced the army that would kill her. She felt one of them brush her arm. Cold air swept down her back.

Draco heard whimpering coming from his room so he decided to go see if Ginny was alright. Once in his room, and gazing at Ginny, who was thrashing wildly, her skin shining with perspiration. He tried to ignore the fact that Ginny was in her pyjamas. They were loosely fitted, but the way they slid over her curves was not helping.

"No," Ginny mumbled pleadingly, turning her head in her sleep.

Draco decided to wake her, so he sat beside her on the bed and gently touched her shoulder, "Gin, wake up."

"No!!!" she screamed, her eyes bursting open and she pushed Draco away. He grabbed her hands to stop her from pushing him.

"Ginny, it's okay, it's me."

Ginny looked at him questioningly, the remnants of her dream fading away until she realised it was Draco sitting beside her. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, I was dreaming."

"I know it seemed like a bad one. What were you dreaming of?"

"Voldemort, what else," she muttered.

Draco felt a wave of sympathy for his old friend. He knew the aftermath of the battle had been particularly hard for her, especially considering the death of her brother. He also knew that the time she was trapped in the Chamber of Secrets still haunted her. He leaned over and pulled her to him in a soft embrace. "It's okay, you're safe here," he said, kissing the top of her head softly.

Ginny smiled and relaxed in his hug. "Thanks."

They slowly parted, Ginny smiling at Draco. He stood from her bed. "Well, I'll leave you to get some sleep then, you've had a rough night," he said and started to make his way from the room.

"Wait!" He turned to face Ginny who was looking down at the covers. "Do you think... would you mind..." she stammered, "would you stay here with me? I don't really want to be alone."

"Um...sure." Draco made his way to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Ginny moved towards him and put her arm across his chest, turning onto her side. She smiled to herself as she realised that it felt like no time had passed at all since their days working for the Order.

Draco lay for a while, listening to her breathing as it got deeper and slower, until he knew she was asleep. He sighed to himself, wondering how on earth he would ever get some rest while he was in the same bed as her. Feeling her lying beside him was bringing back memories that he had long tried to forget. Minutes felt like hours as he lay staring into the blackness of the night until slowly he fell into a deep sleep.