Broken

Dreams

Ginny worked for two hours after Draco and Will left. Veronica had been checking the schedule when she noticed the error. “Gin, come here. You’re not scheduled to work until three!”

Ginny rushed over and looked at the schedule. “Oh my gosh! That means I can go home and get some sleep for another few hours!” Ginny squealed with delight. “Do you want me to stay here and help you out?” She looked at Veronica.

Veronica shook her head. “Nah, according to this, Sarah arrives in a half hour. I think I can handle it until then. Besides you look like you could use the rest.”

Ginny leaned over and hugged her friend. “I sure do!” She pulled off her apron and grabbed her purse. “See you at three!” After spending the night in bed with Will and getting Draco’s offer, Ginny felt like she had aged a hundred years since this morning. She thought a nap and some thinking would help her do that. Ginny walked home quickly and began pulling off her clothes as she walked into her bedroom. She wanted to take a long bath before sinking back into her bed. She pulled on her terry cloth robe and began turning on the taps, setting the temperature and pouring in some bubble bath. As soon as the bath was full, Ginny stepped into it and leaned her head against the edge.

Immediately she began to think about Draco’s offer. Could she really go against all her ideals and upbringing to get her powers back? No, she couldn’t. Helping the deatheaters take control would be wrong. No matter what Draco said, he would not be fair and keep her safe. She knew that you could not trust a Malfoy. It was in their blood. Helping the deatheaters come to power would certainly mean death for muggle borns and muggles. It was at that moment that she thought of Will. Helping Draco would certainly mean his death. Draco would think nothing of killing him, especially when he found out that Ginny was dating him. Images of her family and Hermione flashed through her mind. She imagined wizards like Hermione dying because she helped the deatheaters. No, she could not or would not help Draco.

She decided then and there to give back the wand to Draco as soon as she saw him again. She would not even use it. Ginny suspected that using it would bind her somehow to Draco and she did not want that. Being beholden to a deatheater would not be good. Having made that decision, a weight immediately lifted from Ginny’s shoulders. She felt relaxed enough to begin to enjoy her bath. Why had Will been so interested in her wand? What was going on with his interest in Draco? Was it simple jealousy? Or was it something else? She had been startled by Will’s admission that he was falling in love with her. She had to admit that she had begun to feel that way about him. Ginny felt so comfortable around him. There was none of the usual nervousness around him, like one usually feels when you just begin dating someone. It was like they were old friends. Ginny sunk a bit deeper into the tub and felt herself getting drowsy. With a great effort she pulled herself out of the tub and pulled on her bathrobe. She suddenly felt so sleepy. She decided to forget about changing into her pajamas. Ginny lay down on her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

It was a cloudy day. She was standing in front of a large black casket. Ginny looked around and realized that she was at a funeral. Her entire family was there. Percy and Penelope were standing together, under a dark umbrella. They were crying. Fred and George were there with tears silently streaming from their eyes. Ron and Hermione were standing close to her. Hermione was sobbing hysterically. Ron was trying to comfort her. Her parents were seated, close to the casket. Bill and Charlie were standing in the back. Ginny looked around again. Her whole family was here and so were the members of the Order of the Phoenix. The only person missing was Harry.

Suddenly a person stepped next to her. It was Draco. He was wearing all black and he was smiling. “Open the casket Weasley.” He grabbed her hand and guided it toward the casket.

Ginny wrenched it away. “No. I don’t want to see what’s in there.”

“Don’t you already know?” Draco looked at her with his icy blue eyes. “I think you do.”

Ginny shook her head. “No.” She looked around the area again and still didn’t see Harry. “Is it Harry?”

Draco laughed. “There’s only one way to find out. Open the casket.” Again he grabbed her hand and tried to force her to open it.

“No!” Ginny pulled her hand from his grasp.

“Don’t you want to know if your precious Harry is okay?”

Ginny looked at him, into his soulless eyes. “I’m afraid of what I might see there.”

“Why?”

“What if he really is dead?”

“There is only one way to tell. But I can’t force you.” Draco stepped away from the casket.

Ginny knew he was right. Everyone else seemed so upset; it had to be Harry who was in there. Harry, her first crush, was dead. At one time she had hoped to marry him. Schoolgirl fantasies were hard to die. With a trembling hand she reached towards the casket and began to lift the lid. She turned her head away and waited until it was completely open to open her eyes. She opened them and looked at the person who lay there. Not Harry, but Will. Ginny suppressed a sob and ran her fingers down his face. She would never see his beautiful blue eyes again. But why was her family so upset by Will’s death? They didn’t even know him.

Again, a figure stepped forward. They were standing next to her, so close she could have touched them if she wanted to. Had Draco come back to taunt her about Will’s death? Had Draco killed him? Will looked so peaceful lying there. Did Draco use the unforgivable curse on Will? She turned to look and accuse him of murder. Her words were stopped short as she stared into green eyes.

“Harry? Why are you here?”

Harry did not answer her question. He looked at her and said, “Sometimes you have to know what to see.”

Ginny looked down at Will and back at Harry. What did he mean? “What do you mean? What am I supposed to see?” Harry did not reply. She grabbed at his arm. “Tell me. Could I have saved Will? What could I have done?”

Again Harry repeated his statement. “You have to know what to see.” He closed the lid of the coffin.

Ginny woke up breathing shallowly. The dream had her spooked. She wondered if Will was in danger. What did Harry have to do with Will’s death? Ginny grabbed at her robe and pulled it off. She needed to get back to work. Will said he would be back soon. But Draco had told her the same thing. She wanted to see Will first and make sure he was safe. Once she knew he was okay, she would explain the whole situation to him. She would tell him about being a witch and Draco’s offer. Lastly Ginny would tell him to get as far away from London as possible. It was for his own safety.

If she needed to, she would use the wand to demonstrate her powers. All she wanted was for Will to be okay. Ginny quickly pulled back on her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale. Ginny decided to ignore how sickly she looked and get back to work. It was then that she realized how strange it was that she didn’t know where Will lived or his phone number. Perhaps he was married. Ginny didn’t care. She just wanted him to be safe and away from Draco. Ginny grabbed her bag and checked her apron to make sure the wand was still there. She might have to use it against Draco. She didn’t want to fight him, but it might come down to that.

Ginny grabbed her bag and raced out the door, back to the café. It seemed like it took ages for her to reach it. She felt like her feet were in slow motion. Finally she reached the café and looked inside the window. Will was sitting in a booth by himself. He looked so lonely at that moment to Ginny. She felt bad about directing her attention towards Draco when he had come. She should have been honest to Will when he asked. Now he was probably going to be angry she hadn’t told him. Ginny screwed up her courage and walked into the café.

Harry noticed that Ginny had entered the café. He hadn’t been expecting her for another hour. It was time to tell her who he really was. He hoped to Merlin that she would understand. After leaving the café, he had a frank conversation with Remus. He had told him what had happened and what he feared.

“Well Harry, you have to tell her who you really are.” Remus looked at Harry and fiddled with the saltshaker on the table.

“I know. I just worry that my lying will make her want to help Draco. I couldn’t take her away to Azkaban. I think I’ve fallen in love with her.” Harry sighed and avoided Remus’ eyes. He had disappointed him and he knew it. He should have told the truth from the beginning like Remus had told him.

“We have to make hard choices sometimes. That’s the nature of being an adult. If Ginny makes that choice, it was hers alone to make. No one will have pushed her to aid the deatheaters.”

Harry nodded his head and looked out the window of their small home. “I know that. But she’ll tell her family what I’ve done. I’ll lose the only real family I ever had.”

“Harry, family loves you unconditionally. They love you even if you make a mistake. The Weasleys will forgive you.” Remus looked at Harry and held his eyes. “Please tell her.”

Harry had nodded and set off for the café, hoping to catch Ginny in a minute alone and tell her the truth. He wanted to help her and keep her safe. When he had arrived Ginny was there and he decided to wait for her. Now she was here and the moment of truth had arrived. Ginny walked up to him and sat down in the booth. She still had time before her shift started.

“Will, I need to talk to you.” She wrung her hands nervously.

Harry took a deep breath. This is where she was going to tell him she was moving away or some other nonsense. This is where she was going to make excuses so she could run away with Malfoy and become a deatheater. “Okay. But I have something I need to talk to you about, too.”

“Please Will, let me go first, alright?”

Harry nodded and Ginny decided to go ahead with her story. No matter what, she would not blame Will if he were scared off by her admissions. Things would have proceeded if Draco Malfoy hadn’t been consulting a map of his own a few minutes before. Draco and his father had just finished constructing a map much like the Marauder’s Map. It showed all the wizards and witches in the area. He and his father had been concerned about being caught by aurors. They figured a map such as this would be helpful. Draco had pulled out the map and tried to find Ginny. He watched as her dot approached the café. What he hadn’t expected to see was a dot labeled Harry Potter in that same area.