On Fire

when this is all over, there will be nothing left
so now you know
this is my call, do you hear me?
and if I fall, will you be there to catch me?

- Finch

Summons

Ginny continued to watch the fire, her thoughts a million miles away from where she was. The rest of her house was still in the common room, awaiting an explanation for the day's events. Silence had fallen amongst the students, only to be broken by the occasional murmur. Ginny had remained in her seat and waited with her fellow Gryffindors, for she was just as curious as they were about what had happened. So the afternoon wore on, and Ginny's tears slowly stopped when she realized that she was ravenous. But no one had indicated anything about dinner, and Hermione watched the portrait hole like a hawk to ensure that no one left the room. So Ginny decided to spend her time digging up every memory that she had shared with Blaise and Draco, and forcing herself to really remember them. By searing these memories in her mind, she hoped to never forget the almost idyllic peace that she had enjoyed before today.

When she committed everything to memory, she relaxed in her seat and began to sift through them as though she was looking through a scrapbook. She could still remember Blaise on the train, his playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. She remembered the way he hugged her so tightly that she could barely breathe afterwards. She smiled when she thought of the way his blue eyes illuminated with laughter when he teased her mercilessly...

And then those eyes became deep, brooding silver. Ginny tried to shift her thoughts back to Blaise, but she couldn't stop thinking about Draco. His quicksilver [1] demeanor was just as unpredictable as the shade of his eyes. Ginny found him fascinating and scintillating; he was like an elusive drug to her, something so forbidden and yet so filled with promises of satisfaction. Ginny grinned ruefully when she realized that remembering Draco was so easy. She didn't have to search deep into her mind for memories of him. She was reminded of his actions, words, gestures, and aura everywhere she went. He had inconspicuously become a part of her breath, her mind, and her soul.

Ginny groaned inwardly as she forced herself to stop ruminating about Draco. She just could not comprehend how it was possible to be so in love with someone when she had only really known him for a month and a half. Hell, he even stopped talking to her for half of that! Ginny had never thought of herself as impulsive or foolhardy, but here she sat, clearly besotted with the git. She smirked when she realized that she had been sorted into Gryffindor, after all. She was merely following in the footsteps of all of the courageously stupid House members that had come before her.

But there he was, like a nagging itch in the back of her mind, just demanding to be scratched. With a hopeless sigh, Ginny slumped back in her comfortable chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to scratch earnestly at the itch that was Draco Malfoy.

At first she wondered what it was about him that had captured her interest. Clearly it had all started on that damn train ride. There was something that he said that had sparked her curiosity. She could still hear his words when he came across her and Blaise in the train compartment.

"Since when did you give a shit about a Weasley?"

Blaise said something along the lines of "she's my friend," but Ginny wasn't too sure. The word "friend" from Blaise barely registered in her mind. What really shocked her was that Draco had thought that Blaise cared about her. Him, a Slytherin, cared about her? What was the world coming to? But Ginny quickly turned her attention back to Blaise when she realized he had asked her a question. In her befuddled mind, she only heard "Aren't we friends?" So, Ginny just nodded, still too shocked to speak.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Draco had shouted. Ginny remembered the curious once-over that he sent her way, as though sizing her up. But instead of launching into the reasons why fraternizing with a Weasley was a cardinal sin, he merely asked, "What happens when they find out?"

That was it. That was very moment that Ginny's strange crush on Draco began. Instead of pushing the envelope and insulting her even more, he had asked how Blaise and he were going to deal with the consequences of associating with her. Ginny was surprised that he had been so amenable to the idea of being friends with her. Not only had Draco accepted her as a friend, but he had made an effort to continue that friendship. Obviously, Ginny concluded, his predilection for tormenting the Weasleys was either restricted to her brothers or was simply an act - or perhaps, it was a mixture of both.

Ginny smiled to herself as she felt a flush course through her veins. There was something sinfully intoxicating in getting a glimpse of the boy behind the Malfoy mask. She began a mental list of the traits that the real Draco possessed. He cared quite a bit about his friends, that much was certain. He was quite solicitous to Ginny before she had made that awful blunder of going out with Blaise. And now poor Blaise loved her... but she nipped that tangent quickly and continued with her thoughts about Draco.

With a gasp, Ginny realized that she and Draco shared many qualities. Both of them were fiercely protective of those they loved. She and Draco hated when people doubted or mistrusted them. They were also proud of who they were and where they stood in life. Granted, Ginny didn't have as much money as Draco did, but she was proud of her family and the love that they exuded for each other. They were so similar that it was... completely shocking. Ginny had finally found someone else who understood her emotions and her past experiences with Tom, never treated her like a little pest or a sister, and cared for her just as much as her brothers did.

But Ginny pushed those thoughts away with a twinge of remorse. There was no way in bloody hell that Malfoy would consider her, a Weasley, to be a possible love interest. It was one thing to be her friend, but it was quite another to become a... lover, or anything remotely close to it. Ginny blushed again when unbidden thoughts of Draco in his Quidditch uniform that day sprang into her mind. He had looked exceptionally grubby after fighting the Dementors, with his hair tousled about on his head. His face was smudged with dirt and streaked with sweat. His uniform had also seemed worse for the wear, and she could have sworn that his left leg padding was practically falling off. All of these flaws had made him look human and undeniably sexy. And to think that she had just flung herself at him, without blushing once! He had been so disarmingly sweet...

A sharp crackle from the dying fire startled her, bringing her mind back to reality, as she looked about her and realized that the rest of her house was still in the common room. Now, they were attired in pajamas and nightdresses. Some of the seventh years had conjured up some hot cocoa for the first years, but she could see that they were still hungry and tired. She spied Harry, Ron, and Hermione whispering together in a secluded corner, completely ignoring everything around them. But they were the center of attention for the rest of the students, who were surreptitiously watching their savior and his two best friends as they plotted and planned. Ginny rolled her eyes a bit when she saw a small first year gazing adoringly at Harry. Had she really looked like that when she was a first year? With a contemptuous toss of her hair, Ginny stood up and walked towards her dormitory. She was uncomfortable after sitting in one position for many hours, and curling up in front of the fire, sipping on a cup of hot cocoa while in her pajamas was very tempting.

Just as Ginny reached the third step on the staircase leading her to her room, the portrait door flew open and nearly crashed against the wall. Ginny stumbled and almost fell from shock, but caught hold of the stair's railing just in time. She turned her gaze towards to entrance, her eyes widening as they settled on Professor McGonagall. The professor's hair was ruffled and dirty, while her glasses sat slightly askew on her pointy nose. Her face was unnaturally pale, and both of her hands were shaking visibly. One hand clutched at her muddied robes, while the other gripped her wand so tightly that her knuckles were white.

As though she was aware of the scene she created, McGonagall drew herself up to her full height and drew a shaky breath. She tried to assume her naturally stern demeanor, but ended up looking like a fearful child that was attempting to put up a brave front. After clearing her throat, she said, "I apologize for not sending you dinner. I..." she faltered, "Well, I regret to inform you that Hogsmeade has been attacked." A collective gasp greeted those words, but McGonagall continued, "It is now overrun with Death Eaters." A girl somewhere in the room squealed with fright, while Ginny shivered with fear. "You will not be allowed out of this tower until the Headmaster gives leave. Classes have been cancelled indefinitely, and when you are finally allowed to return to them, I must demand that you travel in groups no smaller than three. Dinner will be arriving shortly." Lowering her head to glare at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, she stated flatly, "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley - I would like to speak with you three privately."

The crowd of students exploded into furious whispers and fearful glances, each terrified of what this news meant. Ginny gripped the railing so tightly that she could feel the wood grinding against her bones. What would happen to Draco... and Blaise? They must have heard this news by now, and she was sure that they would be directly affected by it. Oh Merlin, she had to find them. Blaise had sounded positively suicidal when she last spoke to him. And now that he would be forced to choose sides... she just had to find him and Draco as soon as possible. But how could she leave? She was certain that they would not be allowed out of the tower that night, for the danger was just too great and far too near. They only way she could leave undetected was by using Harry's invisibility cloak.

Ginny was sure that Harry would use it tonight, though; he was always roaming the halls, especially when expressly warned not to. So what other way was there? Ginny stood on the stairs, silently planning her escape from the common room that night. As she stood there, she saw that sandwiches and pumpkin juice had appeared on the tables in the common room. The noisy hum in the room rose to a high-fevered pitch as the students rushed to ease their hunger. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione escaped from McGonagall long enough to grab themselves a bite and a drink before returning to their conversation with the professor.

Strangely enough, Ginny's thoughts turned away from her rumbling stomach and towards the invisibility cloak. Everyone was currently in the common room, and they were all preoccupied with stuffing their faces with food. Now was the perfect time to slip into Harry's room and nick the invisibility cloak from his trunk. Ginny slipped up the stairs as quietly as she could, careful to tread softly on the steps that she knew would creak and groan in protest. She then continued upwards towards the boys' dormitories, and found the door with the sign "Sixth Years" on its front.

After checking over her shoulder to make sure that no one was watching her, she opened the door silently and shut it with a soft click once she had entered. Ginny screwed up her nose in disgust as she was assaulted with an awful stench of male sweat, smelly feet, and moldy food. She held her nose between her right thumb and pointer finger as she tiptoed across the room towards Ron's bed. The bright orange Chudley Cannons poster on the wall above his bedside table unmistakably marked it. She sidestepped his bed and searched to the two next to it for signs of Harry. The one to the right of Ron's bed seemed to belong to Neville, for a Remembrall was glowing a bright red beside the lamp on the table. The bedside table to the left held much more promise, for on it was a prominent picture of a dark-haired man wearing glasses and a woman with laughing green eyes and vibrant red hair. Between them was a round, fat baby boy who was sucking his thumb and looking up at his mother adoringly. Ginny stopped to smile mistily at the beautiful picture, but forced herself to remember the purpose of her visit.

Harry Potter was evidently not very skilled at hiding treasured possessions, for his invisibility cloak lay rather innocently in his trunk at the foot of his bed. Ginny picked it up and swiftly shoved it inside her robes as she crept towards the entrance, careful to not disturb anything. She hurriedly let herself out of the room and ran down the stairs as quietly as she could. Before she reached the bottom of the steps, she peeked around the corner to ensure that she would pass by the common room unnoticed. Nearly everyone's backs were to the stairs; she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly passed by and reached the steps leading the way to the girls' dormitory. She raced up the stairs and barreled into her room. Slamming the door shut, she stood with her back against it as she attempted to catch her breath.

Ginny changed her clothes quickly and hid the cloak beneath her pillow before she went downstairs to the common room. Now that everyone had satisfied their hunger, the students were lounging about and chatting quietly, occasionally sipping some pumpkin juice. Ginny passed a few seventh years who were herding sleepy first years off to their beds. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she spied Harry, Ron, and Hermione whispering to each other, back in the corner that they had commandeered previously. Well, Harry and Hermione were whispering; Ron was too busy stuffing his mouth with sandwiches to really speak.

After grabbing two sandwiches and a drink, Ginny took up her regular position before the fire. As she munched absentmindedly, her thoughts returned to her conflicting feelings about Blaise and Draco. Ginny was sure that she loved Draco even more than she had ever loved Harry. But what good would it do if she revealed those feelings? She was not sure what Draco felt for her, but she was willing to bet that he didn't love her. She was sure that he held some kind of affection for her, but it was only platonic in nature.

And even if he did love her, what would they do about Blaise? Blaise had actually told her that he was in love with her. Ginny only considered him to be her best friend and took advantage of their relationship to bask in the love that he showered upon her. She flushed with shame as she finished her last bite of sandwich. She was horrible for going out with Blaise when she wasn't interested in him that way. That infernal pride of hers led her to accept Blaise as a boyfriend when she had seen Draco with Pansy.

Something about that thought jogged her memory. That day when Harry had asked her to Hogsmeade, hadn't Draco told her that he had to go with Pansy because his father would suspect something if he didn't? So that whole scene at the Three Broomsticks was merely an act. And she had fallen for it! With a groan, Ginny covered her face with her hands and hung her head in embarrassment. Maybe, just maybe, Draco had been upset that he couldn't take her to Hogsmeade himself. Perhaps that was why he was in a testy, foul mood the two days before that weekend. Instead of seeing through his act, Ginny has been blinded by her anger and hurt and turned to Blaise. She knew now that she had been a fool.

Ginny felt the tears trickling between her fingers as she continued to sit before the fire, her head bowed with remorse. Was there any way to remedy the situation? Ginny almost jumped out of her chair and rushed to the portrait hole, hoping to find them so that she could make amends. But she stopped herself when she wondered: was Draco really worth the effort? Was she willing to give up Blaise and the comfort that she felt with him for the frustrating and often cold Draco? Ginny knew that Blaise loved her, but she was still unsure about Draco's true feelings for her. What if Draco didn't love her? If she made this big step, she could easily lose both of them.

When the exhaustion from the day's events began to seep through her veins, Ginny decided to go to bed. She walked with tired limbs to her room, and managed to make it to her bed without collapsing. But before she turned down her bedcovers, she noticed a note lying on her pillow. It was a light yellow, folded piece of parchment that bore the name "Ginevra" on it. Ginny was a bit apprehensive of the note at first, but her curiosity soon got the best of her and she unfolded the note and began reading it.

"Ginevra,

"We've been summoned by our parents. Don't worry - we'll be fine. I really need to talk to you when I get back. I miss you already.

"B"

Ginny stared at the note in her hands with shock. Blaise had obviously written it, so the "we" that he referred to must have been him and Draco. But how in bloody hell had this note shown up on her pillow? And what had he meant when he said that they had been "summoned" by their parents? She snorted when she reread the line "we'll be fine." There was no way that they would be fine in a situation that involved the Death Eaters or Voldemort, considering their opinions of the Dark Lord. But at least Blaise had said that he would be coming back. Ginny had been worried that he would risk getting himself killed, but he was apparently not as imprudent as that.

She sighed as she refolded the note and tucked it away in her trunk. She was much too tired to actually attempt waiting up for them, so she decided to go to sleep. Yawning, Ginny slipped under her sheets and nuzzled the pillow affectionately as she tried to drift off to sleep. Her hands slid under her pillow to cushion her cheek, and brushed against Harry's invisibility cloak. Ginny groaned exasperatedly; would she get any peace tonight?

But she knew that she had to return Harry's cloak before he noticed that it was missing. She grumbled as she dragged herself out of her comfortable bed. Ginny had to stop herself and shake her head to clear it before she left. She proceeded to slip out of her room and into the hallways, down the stairs, and up to the boys' dormitory once again. After tiptoeing into the sixth year boys' room, she shut the door quietly after her. Ginny crept to Harry's bed and paused at the foot of it.

Harry was moaning and he was practically twitching as he slept; obviously, he was experiencing another nightmare. His movements weren't loud enough to wake anyone up, so the other boys in the room continued to sleep peacefully. She carefully pried open his trunk and stuffed his cloak inside it. Before she could shut the lid quietly, Harry abruptly sat up in bed. He clutched his scar on his head and moaned again. Ginny stood there, frozen in her tracks as she watched him fearfully. But after a few moments, Harry still hadn't registered that she was standing right before his bed. Upon closer inspection, Ginny noticed that his eyes were glazed over and his mouth slack; he was still fast asleep and stuck in his dream.

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, but ruined everything when the trunk's lid slipped from her grasp and closed with a loud bang. Her mouth gaped open in horror and tried to make a dash for the door. But that sound was enough to wake Harry from his trance. Before she was able to get within two feet of the door, Harry shot out of his bed and barreled into her. Ginny fell down with a crash, with Harry on top of her.

Ginny almost laughed at her current situation, but choked instead when she felt Harry's hands around her throat. Startled, she swiveled around to meet his green eyes, which blazed maniacally in the dim moonlight. His grip tightened as he stared back and whispered fiercely, "How could you?"