Anthend - The End
"We're here." Draco said shortly, getting off his broom.
Ginny didn't look at him, but followed him into the house. She was vaguely surprised that there weren't any hexes on the front door. "Where is he?"
"How the hell should I know, Weasley?" Draco spat. "I'm not a Death Eater. Yet. So stop treating me like I'm the one who's threatening your Precious Potter."
A ripple of shock went through her. He'd been more hurt than she'd thought. Pain went through her. She couldn't stand this. "Wait."
Draco didn't stop but kept walking.
She ran up to him and took him by the arm.
He shook her off. "Get off me. I'm going to find out where your beloved Potter is."
"No. Wait." She took his arm again and turned him around. "I have to tell you."
"Tell me what, Weasley?" he blazed at her. Gray eyes, not cool, for once, but hot and angry. "Tell me that you love Potter? Tell me that you're using me so you can find him? Because I have to tell you - I already know that. So if you'll stop with the maudlin crap, I'll just go find out where he is, get him out of here and then you can both get out of my life."
"Why are you helping us then?"
"Us, huh?" he mocked bitterly. "I'm helping you because as much as I hate Potter, I'm not quite ready for him to die."
"Draco -"
"Just shut up, Weasley." Draco strode up to the wall. Ginny watched him, shivering. The mansion was cold. Draco - she watched him, his long legs strong, his face grim. She'd never met anyone quite as strong as Draco could be - not physically, but mentally. "Opusdium!" He snapped out, tapping his wand to the wall.
A map of Malfoy Manor appeared, glowing green and red. With shock, Ginny saw a little red dot labeled Harry Potter, right next to another red dot labeled The Dark Lord.
Draco tapped the wall again and the map disappeared. "They're in the fencing room."
"Draco, wait."
"What, Weasley?"
"I do love Harry."
"Oh my God, what a revelation!" Draco said in mock-surprise. "Any other little secrets you'd like to fling in my face?"
"I love Harry -" Ginny repeated. She added haltingly, "But I'm in love with you."
Draco went very still. His whole body was tense, but he didn't turn around.
"Draco -"
"Not now, Weasley." He interrupted, but his voice wasn't harsh. "We'll get back to the soap opera after we've gotten Potter out of here."
___________________
Harry rubbed his nose lightly as the Dark Lord lifted his wand. "You going to kill me now?"
Voldemort nodded, smiled and it wasn't a nice smile. "Since you seem so eager -"
"Oh, but I am." Harry said, and suddenly he wasn't relaxed or cocky, but tense and tightly coiled. His face bore a grim determination, and his lips were drawn into a taut line of white. "I've been waiting for this for a very long time."
Voldemort smiled, pleased, as suddenly Harry's wand was in his hand. "So I see. Do you think you're prepared for this, Harry Potter? Prepared for me?"
"I've been prepared for over a year now." Harry met Voldemort's eyes squarely, those red slits of fury. "Surprised? You shouldn't be. After Cedric's death I knew it was only a matter of time."
"Dumbledore." Voldemort hissed.
It was Harry's turn to nod. "You should have known."
"We'll see how well that old fool's training can hold up against me." Voldemort pointed his wand. "Crucio!"
Harry stepped neatly out of the way and flourished his wand. "Getting soft?"
This time Voldemort lifted his hands. "Crucio!" The curse flew out, encompassing Harry.
Harry lifted his wand. "Balekius!"
The curse flew back at Voldemort, who stepped out of the way, and straight at Draco and Ginny, who had just come in the door, wands drawn.
Draco stepped out of the way and scowled. "Do you mind?"
Voldemort whirled around. Eagerness, then a chilling fury as the red eyes took in the girl by his side. "Draco Malfoy." He hissed. "What a surprise."
Draco shook his head. "Not a good one."
Brief, furious understanding flashed. "I knew Lucius brought you up too soft."
Draco regarded Voldemort with cold, hard eyes. "It’s over." He nodded at Harry. "Let’s get out of here."
"No."
Ginny gaped at Harry. "What do you mean, no? Do you want to die?"
Harry faced her. "I want it over."
"Harry —"
Harry turned back to Voldemort. "Ready?"
"To end this ridiculous charade?" Voldemort raised his wand. "To make you scream for mercy the way your fool of a father did?"
"My father never screamed for mercy from you!" Harry was shaking, Ginny could see, and her heart clenched in terror and a guilty longing for it all to be over -
" — to make this girl cower and beg like your mother —"
"You liar!" Fury, debilitating fury.
"You’re going to wish, Harry Potter, that you had never been born -" Lord Voldemort lifted his wand a little higher. He was already triumphant, Ginny saw, with an awful, faraway certainty. "Doesn’t it feel nice, Potter, to know that your ridiculous mother died for nothing, for less than nothing — for a son who won’t even be able to avenge her —"
Harry couldn’t answer, he was shaking so badly.
Ginny felt, rather than saw, Draco shift beside her, tense, about to move.
But Harry stopped him.
He lifted the arms that were trembling so hard, Ginny felt a brief, absurd alarm that he wouldn’t be able to hold them up for much longer.
But he would not be cheated of his right.
"Are you ready, Potter?" Voldemort smiled then, a thin, cruel smile.
A sickening, blinding fury flashed over Harry’s face for a split second before it cleared, stunningly, giving way to a determined face that revealed a strength of will Ginny had not known he possessed.
As he shouted, "Incantum Felutski!" and the whole world fell apart, she knew, suddenly, that this boy was destined for great things, that somehow, this victory — if victory it was -was not even his greatest.
Seconds passed.
Slowly . . .
Voldemort fell to the floor, one knee crumbling beneath him, the other falling limply outwards, his hands stiff and outstretched, his wand falling to the ground. "Dumbledore." He spat out, in understanding that came too late.
His eyes closed.
Even in unconsciousness his face was hideously clenched and distorted.
Professor Dumbledore came in the door, his face grim and satisfied. "I see you succeeded, Mr. Potter."
"I did." Harry said in a low voice. When he looked up, Ginny was surprised to see that his face was just a boy’s again, limp with relief and a dawning acceptance. "I succeeded."
Ginny ran over and hugged him. "Harry!"
He hugged her back tightly, and Ginny realized he needed human contact, just then, needed to feel he was still alive.
That was the thing about Harry, Ginny thought. It would never be about her, or him needing just her. It was about being the only person there to turn to . . .
"Is it over?" Ginny asked softly, her arms tight around Harry, paradoxically, just as she was letting him go . . .
Harry held her tighter. "It’s over . . ."
And Ginny realized that she wasn’t sure if she’d meant Harry’s fight with Voldemort or her obsession with Harry.
______________________
Ginny found Draco, several days later, lounging in what was apparently one of his favourite places to be. It was simply fitting that it was a cold, dank corner of the dungeon.
"What are you doing down here?" Ginny asked irritably, peering at him through several layers of darkness. "Couldn’t you hang out somewhere where there’s light? And no fungus? You know, like normal wizards? I’ve been looking for you for ages."
He didn’t answer for a minute. "What are you doing down here, Weasley?"
"Well, I thought I’d come down and resolve this —thing between us." Ginny gestured awkwardly. "You know."
Things had changed in the last few days. Once the Dark Lord was gone — apparently Harry had been able to kill him using a curse Dumbledore had taught him. Ginny wasn’t clear on the exact details, but it had something to do with Voldemort and Harry sharing a blood link. The main thing was, Ginny thought, that the Dark Lord was finito.
And so were the Death Eaters. Draco's father had apparently gone into hiding, but it was almost certain that the Ministry would find him out soon. Ginny got the feeling Draco wasn't too distressed about that - he still had his mother. Besides, she'd seen him smiling when he'd gotten the telegraph that his father was one of the most sought after wizards in the world.
She’d been lonely in the last few days, but she’d also had time to grieve, for both her best friends, Colin and Hannah. Colin was in Azkaban, and even though she knew that he hadn’t been the Colin she loved, she still felt a wrenching pain whenever she thought of him.
Maybe one day she’d visit him in Azkaban.
You were always expendable.
Then again, maybe not.
Ginny grimaced. Expendable. Right. She thought fleetingly of Colin's laughing face, of his eager speeches of photography and techniques. Had it all been a façade? It couldn't have been, not all of it . . .
Some of it must have been real, Ginny decided, holding tightly to the small hard knot of hope in her. Some of it, at least.
As for whether she would visit him in Azkaban . . . that lay in her future. And with Voldemort gone, the future looked a lot better than it had in years.
Maybe one day.
And for the meantime . . .
Ginny sat down, carefully not looking at him. "So." She said.
"So." Draco repeated.
"You could help me out here a little, you know." Ginny said, but there was no real anger in her voice. She paused and stared at the dark wall ahead of her. "Isn’t it time we talked?"
"I’m not stopping you, Weasley."
"I’m not the one with things to say." Ginny said gently, inexorably. "I’ve told you what I have to say. I’m in love with you. I don’t know if it’s forever, I don’t know what my parents will say, I don’t know what else I can tell you. But I have a feeling it’s for a long time, and it would be nice if my feelings were reciprocated."
"Nice?" Draco went on staring at the same dark wall she was staring at. So many things —
He gave a laugh, a laugh that sounded sort of like he wasn’t quite certain himself why he was laughing. "Nice." Ginny repeated quietly.
They were like that for a while, in the quiet darkness.
"Nice —" Draco said, almost wistfully. He smiled, a different smile from the mocking one he usually sported. "I think we’ve gone a lot beyond nice, Weasley."
Ginny said nothing.
"Yes, I’m in love with you, Weasley." Draco smiled again. "For a long, long time."
And in the darkness, while they stared at the wall, their hands crept together and they sat like that, hands held, happy to be alive and in love.
There would be time, later, for them to leave the darkness and go out together. To face a new world which was slightly scary in it’s newness. To see what the future held, to forgive and forget.
But for now they were content.
THE END
Author’s note : I know, this took an amazingly long time in coming, and I am proportionately sorry. At the same time, I’m happy its over, because even though I’ve got another Harry Potter fic to finish, I’m sorry to announce that my Hpfic writing days are over. The fascination with the books has come to an end, assisted by my move and how hard it is to access the Internet nowadays (For crying out loud, some of my OWN pieces are blocked by the bloody school computer. Although this security is comforting, it makes for hard fanfiction updating.). (Although, strangely enough, I’m increasingly drawn to X-Men the Movie Fanfiction now.) Thanks for all your lovely reviews (especially the latest ones — you made me feel so guilty I HAD to get off my lazy backside and finish it)
Thanks to EVERY one of my reviewers : I’m going to mention a few now, but I read EVERY single one of your reviews, and enjoyed them all, even the flames...(I particularly liked that subtle one : "I get a colossal headache everytime I read something I don’t like, and I’m getting one now." .. I’m not being sarcastic or anything. I really did like it.)
Special Thanks to
Jenlynn — one of my first reviewers, and most valued.
Nettie. — always one of the first to review, and therefore always one of the first to calm the worry that no one will like the fic
~*Ginny*~ Fellow Ginny Fan. (AND person who first got me hooked on fanfiction)
Hype Quality reviews...ahhh, not enough can be said hugs
Wmlaw great reviewer, great writer as well
Ayleeandra Another one who writes quality reviews!!
ZONKOFRED Also one of my favourites!!
Tessie Regular!! =) Love that
Carrie Love that in you too..=) Regular reviews are seriously underrated
FyreFaerieGinny See above =)
Stardust ditto =)
Samejima Ranmaru Thanks for the reviews =)
Firesprite Colin seemed innocent, but he was evil inside... hehehe =)
Erin Thanks
Morsus Crustum I am a serious fan of your work, especially Seventeen, and your fic on ff.net WHICH as far as I know, HASNT been updated.
Firebolt909 I really like your fics too...=)
Lily Shouk You love this story? I LOVE your review!!
Victory onWings =) Thanks for al your reviews.
Belle Malfoy Love your nick
Ying zero Thanks
Stranger With My Face Thanks. And I’m sure you know how much I love your site.
Lily Ayl Sehr gut? Sorry, I’m really bad at languages. =) Thanks for your reviews!! =)
Gred Weasley YOU made me feel so guilty I HAD to rewrite!
Dark Moon You too!! All that persistence!!
Purple Grass Goddesses There is something to be said for short guilt trips..thanks!
Jayna Thank you!! =)
Altra Thank you!! =)
Dark Knight I loved your work right from the beginning...all that delicious smut!!
EVERYONE OVER AT Magical Theory (which I haven’t visited in far too long)
And everyone else who I’ve forgotten, I’m sorry, but school computer, y’know. I loved all of your reviews and hope this last piece is worth it. =) Long live fanfiction!
And last, but certainly not least, my beta, the talented and well-critical Static, who helped me make SOMETHING of this last HP piece!!! (And every single other piece she has betaed for me!) (Keep in mind though, I will probably finish off my other fic at the dracoginny site sometime in the far away future!)
THANKS
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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.