The Ferret and the Weasel

Ginny Weasley pressed the palms of her hands harder against her heart as if to silence the pounding rush of blood. Squeezing her eyes shut she held her breath and waited, the footsteps drawing near. She could see her wand lying on the kitchen floor, miles away for all the use it was to her here, under Sirius‘ old bed, the end of the line. She swallowed the bile in her throat and knew her death was imminent. She felt a coward, running from the fray after she’d watched everyone she loved fall, one by one, helpless. She could still hear Harry screaming at her to run, Hermione crying out in pain before she crumpled to the floor at the foot of the Death Eater who’d slain her. She could feel her mother’s hands pushing her up the stairs, felt them fall away in a flash of green.

And now it was her turn. There was nowhere to go, no one to turn to. The Death Eaters had broken into Headquarters so suddenly, so unexpectedly they hadn’t even had a chance to fight back.

The door inched open, creaking, the sound magnified in the eerily silent house. Ginny clapped her hands over her mouth now to keep herself from screaming. She watched the expensive dragon hide boots close the distance on her life.

They stopped right next to her head. She didn’t dare to breathe.

The hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her hair, dragging her out. Ginny couldn’t hold back a terrified cry as she was pulled to the wall and slammed against it, stars breaking out across her vision.

“So, now ends the Weaslette,” a drawling and all-too-familiar voice said. One long-fingered hand reached up and peeled off his silver mask, pushing back the hood of his cloak at the same time.

“You,” she ground out.

“Did you expect anyone else, my love?” He leaned in, his hard body pressing her against the wall, his lips coming down to caress her jaw. She shuddered, hating the reaction of her body even now, knowing he had betrayed her.

“I trusted you,” she whispered. “You promised-”

“Shh,” he hushed her gently. He clasped her hands and drew them over her head and rested his forehead above hers. “It will all be over soon. Take a breath and say goodbye.”

It was then that Ginny heard the pounding of a dozen feet beating up the stairs. Her terrified eyes met his and he smiled, the one that had melted her heart from the beginning. She could see the pain in his steely grey eyes, but also a calm acceptance.

“Draco-”

She jerked when the door flew across the room and he pressed closer, clasping her hands tighter, his lips claiming hers one last time and she knew.

He was going with her.