Finishing Touches

CHAPTER 9

Ginny was startled out of her thoughts by Ron appearing at the top of the stairs. "We're almost there," he told her, settling into a chair at the foot of the bed.

Ginny nodded. "Is there fighting?"

"Probably. The Death Eaters will know something is going on." Ron glanced down at Draco. "The older witch, Glenna, is taking Hermione and Luna to Harry's house. Should he go?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "He might want to fight. The other witch gave him some anti-pain charms."

"Well wake him up, then, and come down. We should be there in about five minutes."

"I'm going to fight," Draco snapped groggily, when Ginny woke him up. "I'm going to prove to them that I can do this."

"You don't have to prove anything," Ginny said gently. "We already know."

Draco shook his head and stood up wobbly. "Let's go."

"This is what we're going to do," Neville instructed them as they reached the bottom level. "Me and Dean and Marta are going first. Then Ron and Ginny. Then Harry and Draco. We need to get as many Death Eaters out of the way to make sure no one gets them."

"I know the killing curse," the witch who had fed Ginny, Marta, said softly.

Ginny glanced at Draco, who was refusing to look at her, but washing down cakes as quickly as he could with pumpkin juice.

"They put a spell on the bus to make it temporarily invisible," Neville continued, "that way we'll have a few minutes to see how things are."

He was right. When the bus rumbled to a stop in front of the main gates at Hogwarts, no one looked at it. The grounds were covered in wizards and witches, some in Death Eater garb, some in their cloaks, some in the school uniforms, and some in regular Muggle clothes. Wand sparks were flying and smoke filled the air. She could see Dumbledore on the steps of the entrance, waving his wand and yelling. Any other day, she would have rejoiced to see him so close, but right now, he appeared to be an eternity away.

"Ready?" Ron asked, glancing at them.

Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. "Ready." She stood up and was about to head for the door when Draco stopped her.

"Hey."

She glanced at him warily, not wanting to hear anything more.

"I love you." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips and in front of everyone.

Ginny stood frozen, her wand in her hand. He had never said that before. "Okay." She didn't know if she could say it back, not with everyone listening. But the thought crossed her mind that something might happen, something right outside the safe walls of the Knight Bus, and she might never have a chance to say it. "I love you too." And then they went. Running, screaming, cursing, and hexing, they left the bus and made their way towards Dumbledore.

In the smoke, Ginny lost sight of everyone but Ron, who was clinging tightly to her. At first, she could make out Draco's voice behind her, using the killing curse on whoever crossed his path. When she couldn't hear it anymore, she tried to stop and go back, but Ron made her keep running.

"No!" she screamed, crying. "Stop! Let me go!"

"Come on!" Ron screamed back at her. "You're going to get us killed!"

She stumbled as she ran, blinded by the tears that stung her eyes.

Suddenly Ron stopped moving. "Look."

Ginny glanced up and saw Dumbledore raise his arms high above his head. Neville and Dean were on the steps below him.

"It is over," she heard Dumbledore's voice roar, magnified many, many times.

All around her witches and wizards froze and looked up to see what was going on. Out of the tip of Dumbledore's wand came a silver light, like liquid smoke, and then, quicker than Ginny could comprehend, it shot towards the Death Eaters, wrapping its self around them, and snuffing out all life. Immediately after the last Death Eater fell, so did Dumbledore.

Ron dropped Ginny's hand and ran forward. Ginny stood frozen to the spot, unable to comprehend what she had just seen, until Harry ran past her. "Get Draco," he yelled. "He's back there!"

Ginny made her way through the bodies, those dead and those wounded, and smoke and rubbish, terrified about what lay ahead of her.

She found Draco propped against a large stone, breathing heavily and holding his side. Ginny dropped to her knees in front of him and began to cry.

CHAPTER 10

"Ms. Weasley? This way please."

Ginny glanced up from her place beside Draco's bed and saw Healer McKinney standing in the doorway. Behind her was Healer Notting.

"Healer Notting would like a word alone with Mr. Malfoy," she said.

Draco blew Ginny a kiss as she made her way out the door. She followed the Healer down the hall and into her small office with enchanted windows that looked out to a sunny tropical beach. The Healer motioned for Ginny to sit in a chair, then edged around the desk to face her. A sinking feeling grew in Ginny's stomach as she looked around the room as realized that it was designed to make people comfortable; particularly, people who were about to receive bad news.

"Well, Ms. Weasley," she began, "I'm sure you already had your suspicions about this curse."

Ginny didn't answer.

"We cannot find the counter curse or cure or anything else. That doesn't mean there isn't one, just that we can't find it. A friend of yours at the ministry was only able to locate six cases of this particular curse."

"Marta?" Her voice came out high pitched.

The Healer nodded and slid several folders across the desk. "It is a very ancient curse, one that if the ministry was aware of, would have been an unforgivable curse. In five of these cases, the curse was used on a family member who had betrayed his people. It is designed to destroy the person slowly."

Ginny glanced numbly down at the files before her. "How long did they live?" She could scarcely believe what she was hearing; most days Draco seemed like he was doing so much better. They spent their days exploring the hospital, visiting Percy and other witches and wizards they knew. Everyone seemed to be doing so much better. Draco had even felt well enough to make it to Dumbledore's eulogy.

"That's the odd part," the Healer told her gently. "Two of the wizards lived to be very old, one died immediately, one lived until his 73^rd birthday, and the other two only lived a few months. It seems to be dependant on the will of the cursed wizard, and the power behind the curse."

"The power behind it?"

Healer McKinney nodded. "It is a very ancient curse. There are very few wizards today who would actually know this curse, and as for those who do know it, it can be assumed that he is not very skilled at it."

Ginny had her doubts. Mr. Malfoy had been exceedingly good at every evil thing he had done. "So he might live?"

"Yes, he might. But understand this, Ms. Weasley, the longer Draco lives, the weaker he will be. The more care and help he will need."

"I don't care," she snapped defiantly. "I can do it."

Healer McKinney's face seemed to grow weary. "What I want you to do is go home and discuss this with your family. This decision will be your life and you haven't even finished school."

"I'm not going back! And it doesn't matter what they think!" Ginny exploded. "You've seen my family! They come in here every single week, and not once have they stopped to see Draco!"

"Yes, well, I suppose there might be some hard feelings. Your brother is in here because of Draco's father."

"My brother is in here because he was an idiot and ran around behind Fudge all day! If he had listened to my father or Dumbledore or anyone with an ounce of sense he wouldn't have been there when Mr. Malfoy arrived!" She took a deep breath. "Besides, Draco got rid of his father, so maybe they should thank him!"

"It was his father who cursed him, wasn't it?"

Ginny didn't answer; instead she stood up and stomped out of the room. Draco was alone in his small room when she returned, packing what few belongings he had in a small bag.

"I'm going home," he told her.

"Good," she nodded, sitting on the edge of his bed. "What did he tell you?"

"That I could go home."

"Anything else?"

"You're not going with me."

"What?"

"You can't."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"You need to go back to Hogwarts. You need to finish school and pick the career you want, and be successful, and then find someone who can give you all the things I can't." His voice was flat and emotionless.

"No. I already know what I want. I'm going with you."

"And what will your parents say, Weasley? That it's okay for you to live with someone you're not married to? That it's okay for you to live with the son of the man who ruined their family?"

"Don't do this," Ginny said softly. "Don't call me Weasley, don't try to shut me out. It doesn't matter what they say anymore. It's been a long time since we were a family."

Draco sat down next to Ginny and struggled for words. He had never been very good at expressing his emotions, and being cursed by his father hadn't made the situation any better. "I can't give you the things I had always planned on giving you," he said through gritted teeth. I can't give you a home or a family. I can't even be a good husband. So I'm telling you right now, that this is it. We are through."