Until the End

Chapter One

It was a cold and dreary day in the entirely wizard village known as Hogsmeade as Draco Malfoy walked through the winding roads with the love of his life, Ginny Weasley. Hand in hand, they walked away from The Three Broomsticks and toward the Shrieking Shack. Not waiting any longer, he turned her so that she was facing him, gently grabbed her face and brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss in the pouring rain. His sleek blonde hair lay flat on his wet neck, but the kiss was driving all the surrounding elements out of his mind. As he pulled away, he surveyed his most prized possession. Ginny's long, flaming red hair looked even better when it was wet, and the shirt she wore under her robes stuck to her body and outlined her superb breasts and thin waistline.

The Lake was buried in ripples as each raindrop hit its surface in turn. Draco took her hand in his and whispered a quick but very sweet "I love you, Ginny Weasley" in her ear. Being with her was like being in his sanctuary. Anything and everything that troubled him was forgotten in a light breeze when she was in his arms. Ginny tucked her hand under Draco's robes to shield the 2,000 Galleon ring on her finger from the rain. Draco avidly ran a hand through her wet hair and tenderly pressed his lips to hers once again.

"I see you're still seeing each other," a cold, harsh voice came from behind them, startling them.

"What are you doing here, father?"

"I think the question, Draco, is what are you doing here?"

"I'm taking a walk with my fiancée. Is that a crime?"

"In the Malfoy Law Book, when it's someone like that Mudblood-loving Weasley over there, yes it is."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to her as 'Mudblood.' It isn't polite," Draco snapped at his father. By his seventh year, he'd gotten the nerve to talk to his father that way.

"I really expected better of you, Draco. I honestly thought you might turn out to be in my position on our Master's side. I see now, however, that I was very wrong. You and your Mudblood will pay the price."

Without warning, Lucius drew out his wand and stunned Ginny before Draco could do a thing. Draco advanced on his father, but Lucius hit him with the Cruciatus Curse, knocking him to the sodden ground. Lucius lifted Ginny's limp form into his arms and Disapparated with a loud crack!

Draco picked himself up slowly as the pain from the Cruciatus Curse still flowed through his body. He stole a quick glance at the sky and realized that his father had taken off with Ginny. Turning toward Hogwarts castle, he raced through the Hogsmeade streets as fast as he could all the way to the castle's main marble stairway, tearing past the Great Hall, ascending to the second, then third then fourth floors, purposely avoiding the dungeons. Finally reaching his destination, he shouted the Gryffindor password that Ginny had periodically told him every time it changed.

The Fat Lady (reluctantly) let him inside and he proceeded to the Gryffindor common room. Looking as disheveled as he did, it was a strange sight for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, but the look in Draco's eyes told them something was wrong.

"Is everything all right, Draco?" Harry asked. They'd gotten into the habit of calling him 'Draco' since Ginny had started dating him.

"No, it's not. My father showed up on the grounds and took her away."

"You mean Ginny's been kidnapped?" Ron asked, sounding panicked.

"Yes! I need your help!"

"All right, calm down Draco. Do you know where they might've gone?" Hermione asked, trying to sound as in control and rational as possible.

"Malfoy Manor, I'm sure of it. My father hardly goes anywhere else. We can Floo there, I've got spare Floo Powder for emergency transportation."

"All right, then. We'll Floo from the Slytherin common room."

With that, Hermione put down her book and Harry and Ron abandoned their Wizard's Chess game. Going as fast as they could, they raced down countless flights of marble stairs until they reached the dungeons and the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Draco frantically shouted the password and they all entered, Draco in the lead. He located his Floo Powder; bellowed "Incendio!" threw the Floo Powder into the fireplace and stepped into it. Each student in turn cried "Malfoy Manor!" and disappeared into the emerald flames.

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Meanwhile, screams could be heard from the largest bedroom in the mansion the Malfoys lived in. Ginny's frail form writhed helplessly under Lucius Malfoy's heavy weight. Her hair was even messier than it had been, and her arms and legs were bruised. Her wrists were becoming more and more sore by the minute from using all the strength she had left to fight off Lucius.

"Lucius please! Stop!" Ginny yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping against all hope that someone - anyone - would possibly, faintly hear her.

"Shut up you Mudblood!"

"Help!" she continued to scream.

Lucius Malfoy didn't stop, however. Ginny didn't silence herself, and Lucius slapped her one good hit across the face, producing more salty tears on her smooth face. She tried hitting him across his face, but he simply grabbed her hand and twisted it, spraining her wrist. Her eyes were filled with fear and glistening tears, but Lucius was blind to it. He continued to move in and out of her while she continued to fight against him with all the force she could muster.

Just then, rushing sounds and hurried footsteps could be heard from three floors down. Lucius lifted himself off of the bed and off of Ginny, creeping to the door to investigate the noises. Assuming it was someone coming after Ginny (which was a correct assumption), he turned to look at the battered red-haired girl with an evil glare. Lucius approached the bed once more; only this time he simply pointed his wand directly at Ginny's chest. Her eyes grew even wider with more fear.

"So much for true love. Avada Kedavra!"

Upon reciting these words, a flash of green light illuminated the room. Seconds later, a lifeless Ginny Weasley lay sprawled across the white sheets stained with crimson, her hair askew and her legs flecked with dirt. Lucius lowered his wand in satisfaction and exited the room, preparing to escape the newly created crime scene.

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A wave of fear crashed down on Draco when he'd seen the flash of bright green light come from the master bedroom. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he entered the master bedroom to see Ginny's motionless form on the bloodstained bed. Putting two and two together in his head, he gave a considerably loud shout of "Ginny!" and darted to the bed by her side, quickly followed by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"He killed her," Draco managed to choke out through his uncontrollable sobs.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Malfoy. She could just be stunned...right Hermione?" Ron asked, sounding as if desperate for reassurance that his dead sister didn't lay before his eyes.

"Ron, we saw green light, not red."

"Hermione and Draco are both right, Ron. She's...dead," Harry said quietly.

"She can't be dead! Ginny!" and Ron joined Draco by his sister's side.

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know."

"We were too late," Draco muttered, still clutching Ginny's hand, tears still glistening on his cheeks.

"You're damn right you're too late. Should've thought twice before joining forces with a Mudblood." Lucius Malfoy had appeared in the doorway.

"How fucking could you?" Draco asked in a croaky voice.

"Don't think I'll spare a life simply because you're involved with her. You're just lucky I don't kill the rest of your stupid Mudblood-loving friends."

"Why don't you?"

"Don't question me, boy!" Lucius spat.

Not saying another word, Draco let Ginny's hand fall to her side and left the room, Harry, Ron and Hermione following him. He went to the fireplace, seized a handful of Floo Powder, threw it into the already burning flames, feebly said "Hogwarts" and disappeared in an inferno of emerald. Upon his return to the Slytherin common room, he headed for his dormitory and fell onto his bed in a fresh wave of sorrow and a new flood of tears.