In The End

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I tried so hard,

And come so far,

But in the end it doesn't even matter.

I had to fall,

To lose it all,

But in the end, it doesn't even matter.

~ In The End - Linkin Park ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ginny sat and nervously tapped her hands against her legs as she looked from side to side at the faces of her house mates. This was it, this was what she had been waiting the past seven years for. Graduation. She took a deep breath as she looked towards the front at Professor Dumbledore as he began to speak.

"I know that your school career has been dogged with tragedy - the pain of loss has never been far from our hearts. Unfortunately, the times we are now living in means that the three losses your class have watched the school suffer during your time here can no longer be considered isolated occurrences - we can no longer assume that the school is the safe haven we all wish it could be. As safe as we make you all - until the force of good wins we will forever be forced to remember those who have left us too early. On that note, and before we begin the much happier business of graduating let us take a moment to remember one of your own year who should be here celebrating with us today. Mr Colin Creevy, I'm sure will be smiling on you all today."

Ginny looked down and bit her lip as Dumbledore bowed his own head. Three students had died in the seven years she had been at Hogwarts. In fact they had all died in the last four years, since Voldermort's resurrection. Cedric Diggory, Dean Thomas from her brother's year and - she felt her lip tremble slightly - Colin. Her friend. Who should have been there with them. She reached over and took Hannah Monaghan's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. As hard as it was for Ginny to remember the pain of Colin's death it would be so much worse for Hannah who was still wearing the bracelet Colin had given her at Christmas. She felt herself smile at the memory of seeing him return to Hogwarts, soaking wet because he had been caught in the rain after traipsing around Hogsmeade late on Christmas Eve looking for an engravers to personalise his girlfriends gift.

Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning back and looking at her parents and brothers who were looking at her proudly. She forced a small smile onto her face as she turned back towards Dumbledore - she couldn't dwell on the past. Colin would have wanted them to enjoy this - it was a once in a lifetime moment and if she didn't enjoy it she would always regret it. There would be enough time in the future to remember the past. Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and gave a warm smile to the students as he began to speak.

"Well, as this is a day for celebration I feel it is my duty to congratulate you all on a successful seven years and to wish you all luck with your chosen professions. May you all stay safe, live your lives well and enjoy your freedom! Congratulations to the newest graduating class of Hogwarts!"

Ginny cheered with the rest of her year as they threw their hats up and the professors shot a variety of charms up in the air: some creating fireworks, others creating streamers, others balloons and birds. She immediately looked for her closest friends and hugged them - the absence of Colin apparent but one that she was determined she wouldn't let get to her. This was it after all. She was now a graduate. She could now practice anytime she felt like it, she was no longer a child. She broke away from her classmates and ran over to her family and jumped up and down as she reached them.

"That was beautiful, Ginny. Oh Arthur, our baby's all grown up," Molly exclaimed as she looked at Ginny mournfully.

Ginny rolled her eyes good-naturedly as her mum wiped her eyes "Mum, come on, I've been grown up for a while now."

Arthur hugged his daughter close to him. "This is a new experience for your mother, this is the last time she will be here for a graduation until she has grandchildren."

Molly began to sniff again as she looked over at her group of sons who had now walked over to join them. "And that'll be a while with all of them."

"What will be while with all of them?" Fred asked as he messed Ginny's hair like you would with a dog. Ginny swatted him away as Percy gave him a disapproving look.

"Having grandchildren," Molly said as she reached over to fix Ron's tie.

Fred laughed out loud at the suggestion, "Oh yeah, I'll tell Angelina we should get started right away. To hell with her Quidditch career...or the wedding..."

"Or the engagement?" George added with a grin.

"Well, she'd say yes anyway..."

Bill looked at Fred with a smirk. "You're awfully sure of yourself."

"Yeah, when she's not here. You should hear him when she's about. Talk about henpecked," George said as he dodged Fred's elbow.

Ginny smiled at her brothers good natured banter as Charlie came up and hugged her tight. "You did good, Gin. So, how does it feel to be ready for the big bad world?"

Ginny looked at him and couldn't contain her excitement. "I cannot wait. I don't know if it's nerves or excitement at being in a different country."

"I don't think I like my baby spending as much time away from home again. You should take some time home now Ginny. The place will be empty," Molly said as she looked at her daughter.

Ginny reached over and hugged Molly as Charlie looked at his mother reassuringly. "Look on the bright side, Mum. We'll all be out your hair now. You'll have the Burrow to yourself."

Molly looked at Ginny aghast and began to sob as Arthur winced and wrapped his arms around Molly's shoulders. He looked at his kids and smiled apologetically. "Your mother is just a bit emotional."

Ron looked over at Hermione and Harry who was standing beside him and whispered. "No kidding?"

Ginny smiled as she walked over to Hermione and hugged her. "Well, that's me. All done here."

Hermione smiled. "See, no problem. I told you it would be easy. I knew you could handle being on your own here without us. Now you're done you should come train to be an Auror like me and Harry - they are going overboard on recruiting just now, what with You-Know-Who's activity."

Ginny shook her head and looked at Harry and Ron who were both shaking their heads behind Hermione's back. "Um, no...I don't think so..." Ginny managed to get out while stifling her giggles.

Ron reached over and took Hermione's hand and looked at Ginny. "Don't listen to her, Ginny. They have both turned into right annoying twats since they joined that. Nearly as bad as Percy for job obsession. You as well Harry..."

Harry shifted and looked at Ron, trying to keep from smiling as he gave his best offended look. "I resent that..." he turned to Ginny and smiled, "he's just annoyed because he couldn't stick it."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, my idea of a good time is not watching big spiders keel over in front of me. I much prefer where I am, thank you very much."

Ginny smiled as she looked at him proudly. He was much happier where he was training in the Ministry. Not an Auror exactly but still dealing with Dark Arts and, more exactly, dealing with Dark Art objects, Potions and spells as opposed to the wizards themselves. He had found his niche and loved his job because it was different everyday.

"And I'm not obsessed with my job," Harry protested.

"You can say that again - if you did half the reading you were supposed to do you would have more fun..."

Ron and Harry began to laugh at Hermione as Ron hugged her close. "That's a girl Hermione, lecture Harry for not studying enough at my sister's graduation..."

Ginny couldn't trust herself not to join in the boys good-natured teasing of Hermione so she quickly turned around and began to walk away to find her parents. "I...I think I'm going to go see if Mum has calmed down. See you soon, and don't pick on Hermione...."

She couldn't really hear Ron's reply but the tone was enough to make her laugh as she walked over to her parents. "Feeling better, Mum?"

"Much," Molly said with a smile. "Oh you all got a beautiful day today."

Ginny nodded her head. It was beautiful, exactly how she had imagined her graduation would be.

"Well, Molly, Arthur...how does it feel to be here for your last child's graduation?" Ginny span around to see Dumbledore standing behind her and she smiled.

"We're very proud," Arthur said happily as he reached over and gave Ginny's shoulder a squeeze.

"Good," Dumbledore turned to Ginny and smiled warmly, "and what about you? How does it feel to be the best Transfiguration student of the year?"

"Um, like it shouldn't be me..." Ginny began honestly, "I think I got lucky that Rashia from Ravenclaw missed as much school after Christmas."

Dumbledore nodded his head in understanding. "Well, Professor McGonagall doesn't believe so. What is your..."

"Professor!"

He was interrupted before he could continue by a call from behind him. They all span around to see a figure running towards them, broom in one hand and other hand holding their ribcage as they ran. Ginny took a step forward as Dumbledore stopped and looked as the figure stopped and pulled back his hood. Draco Malfoy.

"Pro...professor," Malfoy began to say as he looked at Dumbledore - his voice laced with determination. His grey eyes were wide as a trail of blood fell from his nose.

"Stand back Dumbledore," Arthur said as he drew his wand, "the boy's a Death Eater!"

"Dad..." Ginny began as she looked at her father, intending to tell him to put his wand down and let Malfoy speak but before she could she was interrupted.

"Did...did you work...that out...yourself, Weasley?" Draco forced out as he drew his own wand and pointed it at Arthur while still bent over in pain.

"Malfoy!" Ginny said angrily as she stood in front of her father. "Put your wand down!"

Dumbledore shook his head and looked at Arthur. "It's fine, Arthur. I think Draco has something urgent to say, don't you?"

Draco nodded his head as took a deep breath.

"When is it happening, Mr Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked simply as Draco dropped the broom and straightened up. His hand still caressing his ribs.

"He...he said..." he took a deep breath and winced as Ginny stepped forward and looked at him as she pulled her wand and muttered a spell to help him breathe. He looked at her as he gasped and sank to his knees as the oxygen flooded into his lungs.

"Ginny! What did you do?" Molly asked as she pulled her daughter back.

Ginny looked down as Draco got back to his feet and nodded his head in acknowledgement of Ginny. She fought the urge to slap him - she had told him this would happen! She had told him it so many times and she had been right. Idiot.

"He said that tonight would be the perfect opportunity as there would be a number of alumni present - one in particular," Draco said as he took a deep breath and held his ribcage.

Dumbledore nodded his head and gave a small smile to Draco. "I am assuming they weren't overly impressed with your decision to give us a warning?"

Draco closed his eyes and dropped his wand as he looked down. "I fell..."

"If that's what you want us to believe..." Dumbledore nodded his head and sighed. "Another year, another graduation ruined." He turned and looked at Molly and Arthur, "Molly, could you please go and find Minerva and ask her to assemble the students and the parents into the school building?"

She nodded while Arthur looked at Draco, the distrust evident in his expression. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

Draco looked at him and smirked. "You don't. Maybe I'm just trying to get all the Aurors here so that we can take the Ministry or Diagon Alley..."

"I wouldn't bet against it."

"I wouldn't bet at all if I was in your financial position," Draco said airily as he looked at Arthur. "I told you what's happening. I am not here to make you believe me."

Ginny shook her head as Dumbledore stood between Draco and Arthur. Even when he was ill he couldn't not be an annoying prick. "Arthur, I believe Draco is telling the truth..."

"Would he be willing to take Veristratum?" Arthur asked without taking his eyes of Draco.

Draco picked up his wand and broom and began to walk away. "I don't need this from someone like him! Don't act on the warning I've given you, the cull of so many Weasley's would no doubt be a good thing anyway!"

Ginny turned to her father and Dumbledore. "What, are you just going to let him leave? If it's true he'll be killed!"

Arthur looked at her blankly as he turned to Dumbledore. "I'm going to let the Ministry know."

Dumbledore nodded his head as Arthur walked away. Ginny looked at him. "Professor?"

"This isn't a prison, Ginny. If Draco doesn't want to stay..."

"But you know he's telling the truth."

Dumbledore looked at her and smiled. "I do, but how do you know that he's telling the truth?"

She looked at Dumbledore and shrugged her shoulders. What kind of a question was that? He knew as well as she did that Malfoy wouldn't show up at the school beaten to a pulp just to lie to them. She was about to voice this when she heard a loud shout from behind her. She turned abruptly to see Ron, Harry and Hermione running with their wands out. She looked to see what they were doing when she heard a curse coming from Hermione.

"Malfoy! You have a nerve coming here!" Harry shouted as he reached Draco who was now on the ground. "You know that we are looking for Dark wizards don't you?"

"And I wonder if you have any tattoos which we can look at and imprison you for?" Ron said as he grabbed Draco's arm and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark burned black into his arm. Ginny looked at Dumbledore quickly before running over.

"Ron..." she began as she reached them.

"Go man handle Potter, Weasley. That's what you've been wanting to do for the past eight years anyway isn't it? Or do you prefer playing with your Mud-Blood girlfriend? After all, your kind would enjoy slumming it."

Ron's face flushed as he pulled his arm back and punched Draco hard. "You shut your filthy mouth about her!"

"Harry! Ron! Hermione, that's enough!" Dumbledore's voice seemed to boom from behind Ginny as everyone stopped moving.

"Mr Malfoy came here to help and as such he will not be attacked by anyone. Is that understood?"

Hermione looked at Dumbledore like he had gone mad. "Professor...he's a Death Eater. We have a duty to..."

Dumbledore looked at her sternly. "Ms Granger, I do not believe I was asking for a discussion on this? We have far more pressing things to worry about than an ex-Death Eater."

Harry snorted in laughter as he looked at Draco who was struggling to his feet. "Ex? Why, because he said he was? You heard what he said to Hermione. Ex-Death Eaters don't go around saying that."

"And future Aurors don't go around fulfilling their own personal vendettas," Dumbledore said simply as he looked at Harry. "Yet here we have a prime example."

Harry shifted uncomfortably under Dumbledore's penetrating gaze. "Mr Malfoy came here to warn us about an attack, I believe you should all go and find Arthur and we will discuss the course of action we will be taking."

Ginny looked at Draco who was now on his feet looking sadly at a piece of chain that had been broken in the fight with Ron. She looked down at her feet - it almost felt wrong to look at him when he looked like that. She opened her eyes and noticed something shining on the ground and reached down and picked it up. What was it? She picked it up to discover that it was a locket - beautiful and silver with a piece of chain still attached. She looked up and over to Malfoy who was still looking at the piece of chain desperately - it must have meant a lot to him. She took a deep breath as she took a step towards him and put the remainder of the chain and the locket into his hand and closed it over without saying a word that would alert the arguing others.

He looked at her in surprise as he wrapped the chain amongst his fingers.

"Thank you," he whispered almost inaudibly.

She took a step back in surprise. Had he just thanked her? Draco Malfoy?

"We are not arguing about this. Go see your father Ron, and I will be in shortly," she heard Dumbledore say with authority.

Ron, Harry and Hermione shook their heads and turned away from him reluctantly as Harry turned his head back to stare at Draco. "Fine, but if you hurt anyone while you're here Malfoy, I promise you I will hurt you!"

Harry's voice echoed as he walked ahead angrily. Ginny almost smiled - they had been graduated a year and the old feud between the blond and the black-haired boy was still going strong.

"Ginny, come on," Ron said simply as he turned towards her.

"Ginny is going to take Mr Malfoy up to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said as he turned to Ginny whose eyes had widened.

"That is, if you don't mind?"

"I don't think so, no sister of mine is being left alone with him!"

Ginny felt her anger rise - he was telling her what she could and couldn't do? She looked at Ron and then to Dumbledore. "I don't mind."

"Ginny!"

"Ron!" she echoed back in anger.

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "You touch her, Malfoy and I swear I will kill you. Ginny, if he touches you just kill him alright?"

"You're going to kill me and Potter's going to hurt me? It almost make's me want to touch her to see your feeble attempts at being threatening..."

Ron glowered at him and looked ready to pounce. "Ginny, leave him there - come on, you're coming with us!"

"I can bloody well look after myself!" she turned abruptly away from Ron and grabbed Draco's wand that was on the ground and took his arm and began pulling him towards the school. "Come on, Malfoy."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The journey to the castle had been a silent one not to mention a slow one.

"Are you okay?" she asked finally as he trailed behind. "You are a lot quieter than usual. I haven't had one insult off you."

He caught up with her and shrugged his shoulders. "Would you like me to insult you? On your graduation?"

Ginny sighed as she took his free arm to help support him as they climbed the stairs.. "No, but that wouldn't normally stop you."

"So, you may as well say it," he said finally as they reached the top of the stairs. She looked at him quizzically as she guided him into the hospital room. What was she supposed to say?

"Say what?"

He let out a laugh as he glanced around, saw no one there and sat down on one of the beds. "Tell me you told me so. Don't tell me you weren't thinking it when I showed up here?"

She blushed slightly as she shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I did. I told you last year, and I told you again when you were back here this year what would happen. I knew you couldn't do what they do..."

He turned away from her. "And I proved you right."

She looked at him awkwardly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. It's something you should be proud of."

He let out a bitter laugh and looked out the window as he muttered. "Tell that to my parents..."

She took a step towards him - he was clearly hurting and needed someone to tell him it would be okay. She looked at the man on the bed in front of her, he had never looked as fragile as he did there. But, she reasoned as she took a step back again. He was a Malfoy. He was a Death Eater. He knew how to play people. The others wouldn't like it if she stayed with him.

"I'm...going to find Madam Pomfrey and then I'm going downstairs. Try and rest, Malfoy."

He looked at her briefly with a sad smile. "Fine. Enjoy the rest of your graduation, Ginny."

She nodded as she backed out the room quickly and walked away breathing deeply before stopping. What was she doing? Why was she leaving him? Would she leave anyone else if they were in that state? Would she care what anyone thought? She looked back in and saw him now standing with his head against the window looking out. She had just left him when he needed someone, anyone to tell him he'd done the right thing. What did that make her?

She walked back towards the door and opened it with a smile. "I figured that since you're not actually dying right now we can probably wait for Madam Pomfrey to find her own way up here."

He turned towards her. "You don't have to stay. I can look after myself."

She shrugged as she sat down at the bottom of the bed. "I know that. To be honest, I'm avoiding the others. They still treat me like a child."

He walked over to the bed and sighed as he sat down. "And they are letting you stay up here with me?"

She shook her head. "I think they realise that you are in no position to threaten anyone."

He looked at her with a disbelieving expression. "And that's it?"

"That, and I know you wouldn't hurt me," she said simply as she looked directly at him. It was true, for some reason she knew that he wouldn't, ever since sixth year she just knew. It wasn't that they liked each other or anything, he was just Malfoy. But he didn't scare her the way he scared Ron and Harry. They were different with each other for some reason.

He smiled slightly at her. "And you know that how?"

"Well, would you?" she asked as she gave him a probing look.

He let out a laugh as he turned away from her. "For a Weasley you are very confident on the impression you have had on me."

"Answer me and I'll apologise if I'm wrong," she said with a faint hint of laughter on her voice.

"Probably...no. No I wouldn't be able to hurt you," he turned away from her, "just due to the fact that it irritates your family no end to see me talking to you. You're worth putting up with for that reason alone."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, thanks a lot, Malfoy."

"You're very welcome, Weasley."

As they sat a few moments in silence she stood up and walked to the window. What was going to happen now? Would the Death Eaters just come and start blasting the school away like they had at Hogsmeade. Like they had when Colin was there...

"They will probably get the wards up in time to stop them getting in. I wouldn't worry. It probably won't be as bad as the Hogsmeade attack," Draco said quietly from the bed abruptly bringing her out of her thoughts. "There are plenty of Aurors here. They will have one look at them and leave."

Ginny took a deep breath and turned around. "I wasn't thinking that..."

He looked at her. "Of course you were. I was there, remember. You had the exact same look on your face after the Hogsmeade attacks."

"You don't know me that well Malfoy," she said quietly as she picked up a sheet of parchment, "you don't know what I was thinking."

He looked at her and nodded his head. "True. But that same argument has never stopped you from analysing my thoughts in the past, has it? Tell me what you were thinking then."

"Just...just about what I'm going to be doing for the next year..." she lied as she sat back down at the foot of his bed.

He nodded his head as he gave a winch in pain. She couldn't disguise the worry she was feeling as she looked at him. Perhaps he needed more help than she could give him? "Do you want me to go get someone?"

He shook his head as he breathed deeply. "I'm...fine."

"What...what did they do to you?"

He stood up and walked to the window. "Nothing. I don't think most of them know yet."

"But? Your parents do?" she asked quietly. She knew what kind of person Lucius Malfoy was so she could only imagine what he would do. "Your father does?"

He didn't turn around as he spoke quietly. "What have you decided then? For next year?"

She shook her head in frustration. Why could she never get a straight answer from him? "Medi-wizarding. I have a four month intensive stint at school in Munich and then I come back here after Christmas to intern Madam Pomfrey and take my animagus training."

He nodded his head as he turned back to her. "See, that didn't take much thinking about."

She stood up and took his cloak from the bed and hung it up. As she did she pulled her hand back and saw it slightly red. Blood. She turned back to him as he sat back on the bed and looked up towards the ceiling. What was going through his head? "You're hurt."

He turned to her and shook his head wearily. "I'm fine."

She walked over to him and held out her hand. "See that? Blood. Your blood. You don't have to tell me what happened but at least have the common curtesy of not lying to my face."

He turned away from her. "You should know all about common..."

"Stop it!" she slammed her hand down against the covers. "All I am interested in Malfoy, is whether you are hurt or not, which you clearly are."

He closed his eyes and reached out and unbuttoned his robes to reveal a gash across his ribcage. Not deep but wide and painful looking. "I fell off my broom."

She winced as she looked at it. "You mean when Lucius knocked you off it?"

"How many times have I told you not to mention my family?" he asked, anger lacing his words as he moved to get up.

She put her hand out to stop him. "Stay there, let me clean it in case it gets infected."

She stood up and took a deep breath as she went to the sink and filled a bowl of water. This was not how she had envisioned spending her graduation. Cleaning up Malfoy's war wounds. She grabbed the bowl and walked over to him. He shook his head as he got up. "Forget it. It'll get fixed soon."

She walked around to him and stood in front of him. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult? Just sit down, be quiet and let me help. I can't do a lot with what the others are getting ready to do. But I can help with this - even if I can't use the magic that the others would use. Let me help, OK?"

He looked at her and sat down. "Fine."

She nodded her head and walked towards him and reached over and carefully moved his robes back. She reached over and took a damp rag and began to gently wipe the crusted blood away. "This might sting a bit..."

She looked up at him expecting him to be wincing instead he just looked ahead stoically. She looked at the bloodstained rag and dipped it in the clear water turning it red. "How long have you been like this?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "A few hours..."

She winced as she cleaned some more. "I did tell you this would happen. I told you that you couldn't do it - that you were too good for them."

He gave a forced smile. "I knew you wanted to say it."

She looked up at him as she began drying off the wound. "I wanted an opportunity to say it."

"I guess you got it."

She smiled at him as she threw the towel in the basin and put gauze over the wound. "I'm glad I did. I knew you weren't as insufferable as you would like us all to think..."

He laughed lightly as he pulled his robes over and she got up. "I am that insufferable..."

She smiled as she walked to the sink again and washed her hands. She had helped. More than she would have been allowed to do downstairs.

"I suppose I should say thank you?" his voice sounded from the bed.

She span around and looked towards him. "You don't have to."

He looked at her: looking even paler than usual and shook his head. "I know I don't but...for this and for the locket...I...I'm grateful."

She walked towards the bed again. She had forgot about that. "You're welcome. Since you've saved all of our lives today it is really the least I could do I guess, even if you did still insult my brother's girlfriend," she paused for a second before continuing, "what was in the locket?"

He looked at her. "Why is that any of your business, Weasley?"

"It's not. But I might be here for a while and we don't exactly have a lot in common..."

He looked at her before reaching in and pulling out the silver piece of jewellery and opening it up and handing it to her. She fingered the delicate piece carefully and looked at the wizarding photo of a little boy laughing with a woman. She smiled involuntarily. So he really wasn't born with the scowl on his face. "Is that you? Laughing?"

He reached over and looked at her unimpressed. "No, I carry some other person's photo around with me - graduation hasn't really improved your common sense has it?"

She looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. So, is that your mother? She looks...different now."

He took the locket, closed it back up and put it into his robes. "She is different now. We're all different now."

She nodded her head. "How did you get it? The locket I mean?"

"My mother gave me it, as a parting gift as I probably won't see her again," he said simply as he looked away from her.

Ginny looked at him aghast, what was he talking about? She was his mother. "Of course you'll see her again."

He turned to her icily. "When? At the annual 'I Betrayed The Dark Lord' ball?"

She inched back. "No...but, you know...she's your mother."

"She's a Death Eater's wife. The fact that she's my mother is irrelevant."

She looked at him. That couldn't be right. That she wouldn't let him see her. "That's not true..."

"You don't know anything about it," he turned away from her bitterly, "you don't know how we work."

She nodded her head to herself. "Thank God. If that's how the Malfoy's treat their families..."

She expected a scathing reply but as none came she suddenly felt bad. It had clearly affected him more than she would have thought it would have. She never knew that the thought of never seeing his mother again would upset him so much - she had never thought he had any feelings for anyone apart from himself. "Malfoy? Why did you come here today?"

He shrugged his shoulders without looking at her. "I just...just didn't want this place to be ruined..."

She reached over and without thinking took his hand. "Thank you."

He turned around and looked at her and for the first time she saw how fragile he was. His eyes, normally so sure of himself - a clear sign of his pride and arrogance were now almost dull and pained. Like all the fight had been beaten out of him. He looked different. "I didn't do it for you," he whispered.

"But you still did it," she smiled at him as she took a deep breath, "despite what else happens after today. You should know that you've done the right thing. A good thing. A heroic thing."

It felt like it was important to say it. To let him know how important it was what he'd done, how much they would all appreciate it. She pulled her hand away as he smiled slightly. "First time for everything..."

She laughed, glad that she had at least managed to get a reaction from him. Although, she reasoned, she would prefer him to be back to normal and insulting her. At least then she would know he was okay. "Now you know what Harry felt like at school."

Bingo. She grinned as he rolled his eyes and tossed his head. "Only a Weasley would dare compare me with Potter. I thought you were smarter than the rest of them, evidently I was very much mistaken."

"Hey," she stood up, "don't knock it...you might like it."

He snorted. "Yes, I am having a fantastic experience just now, in the hospital wing, broken ribs, bleeding and in a small room with a Weasley."

She turned and opened her mouth to reply when the door busted open and a small witch appeared. "Sorry, Professor Dumbledore just told me. How are you feeling, Mr Malfoy?"

Ginny sighed as she walked towards the door. She looked over at Draco as Madam Pomfrey looked at his ribs.

"You did a good job at keeping this clean without magic, Ms Weasley. You will make an excellent medi-witch," Madam Pomfrey said with a proud smile.

"She will...even if her bedside manner needs some work," Draco said as he looked at Ginny intently.

Ginny looked at him and felt herself start to blush under his penetrating gaze. She wasn't sure that anyone had looked at her like that before and she wasn't prepared for the reaction it invoked. She shifted immediately and walked to the door. "I...I guess I'm going to go now. Um, I hope you... feel better Malfoy. I'll...maybe see you before we...leave. But if not...you know, good luck."

She turned and closed her eyes. What was wrong with her? She shook her head and chastised herself as she began to exit the door when she heard him call behind her. "Congratulations on your graduation, Weasley. Sorry about the interruption."

She leaned her head back in the door and looked at him. "If you hadn't interrupted people would have died...so I think it's a fair trade."

"Please stop saying that. You are destroying the remnants of my formidable reputation."

She grinned at him. "Trust me, I haven't even started destroying that yet, but I will. See you Malfoy"

She walked away with a smile. It was a fair trade off and she would make sure he knew it at every available opportunity. And that everyone else did as well.

~ ~fini~ ~