Chapter # 16
Love Cancels Love
“There are symmetries which relate matter with anti-matter.”

“No.”

His voice was calm, strangely calm. Quietly, Draco removed his hand from her cheek; quietly, Draco placed his wand at his temple.

“Ennerva.”

It was dark magic, the curse the death eaters used to drain a human’s energy, and acquire it for their own selves. Draco realized now why the spell was illegal: he felt as if someone had ripped his chest open, was forcing out, in fiery manner, every vestige of life he possessed. He pressed his free hand against Ginny’s hand, almost felt his energy wash out of him in one sickening, dizzying wave, and enter her.

Slowly but steadily, she began to breathe, and he let his wand fall - exhausted; in pain; near to collapse. The thing clattered to the ground and rolled away, but he did not - was too worn-out to - care. Sitting up against the nearest tree-trunk, he took a breath to steady himself and then gently, almost as if she was an artifact of glass that would break if mishandled, he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her.

She opened her eyes, placed a hand on her chest and winced in pain.

“Don’t,” she whispered.

“I love you,” he replied, against her lips.

She buried her head in his chest and cried. Actually cried. The kind of tears that roll free, without any sound or wail or noise. It astounded him that she was crying –- he had seen her fire, seen her fury, but he had never seen her – or even thought she could – cry. He pulled her closer, his strong arms wrapped around her, and shook his head. He pulled her closer, his strong arms wrapped around her, and wiped away her tears. He pulled her closer, his strong arms wrapped around her – and kissed her again.

Ginny didn’t know when she hugged him back, when she kissed him back, when she fell into an exhausted sleep.



When she woke up, she was surprised to find herself on a bed. It was rough and wooden, but the sheets were a fine, white cloth that was soft to the touch and, for the first time since she had left Hogwarts, Ginny found that waking up from sleep did not mean aching all over. She sat up, realized her head had been resting on a pillow, and scrunched up her face in confusion.

Where had she last been? That forest. A shiver suddenly ran down her frame as she remembered the attack – and then Malfoy – no, Draco – he had – oh gosh, she had let him kiss her again. But he had said he loved her. He had said that, hadn’t he? She felt a wild sort of joy as she remembered his words, but then it was confusion once more as she wondered where she was.

The room she was in was medium-sized, the walls a likeness of red-brick, the floor hard, but not cold, stone. She walked over to the door, pushed it open and stepped into the hallway outside. It was rough structure, the building, but it seemed to hold its own, bear a refined sort of dignity.

Where the hallway melted into an end, began a small room with doors in each, tall wall. Bemused, Ginny tilted her head to one side, the cogs in her mind whirling at break-neck speed -- the place did not seem dangerous (though appearances had a habit of deception), but where was she?

It was at this moment that a door to her right flew open, and a tall man walked into the hallway. He came to a quick halt when he saw her and, even though a eyepatch of white covered one of his bright, black eyes - attached round his head by thick string - Ginny recognized the face, the black hair at once. Oh my, it's -

“Well, well, well, seems like little miss is awake, Mr. Malfoy.”

With a grin, Bowman Wright stepped aside to reveal the tall, graceful figure of Draco Malfoy. He wore no robe and, instead of the usual black, a loose, white shirt paired with his jeans. It suited him better than she could have imagined it might, brought out the grey of his eyes, the silver-blonde of his hair. Must. Not. Stare. Ginny reminded herself, and then she raised an eyebrow and said, quite casually makes,

“Makes you look a donkey.”

Draco grinned, a grin as unlike as his old, malevolent one as possible. “Thanks,” he said. “Aren’t you going to ask where we are?”

“I expect you to tell,” she replied loftily. It was like an ages-old knot had loosened - they could talk, for once, without restraint. He was alright, she was alright, and the relief was almost unbearable.

Draco grinned again. “I brewed the potion, transferred my memory of Bowman into its contents – you know, like people transfer memories into a pensieve – drank some of the thing, and the cauldron’s surface showed me the way to his house. Where we now are, might I mention.” He nodded towards Bowman. “The One-Eyed Hero for you.”

Ginny had read Bowman Wright had had been tall, but she had neither expected him to be a good half-foot taller than Draco, nor his hair to so resemble an unmowed lawn. The thought made the corners of her mouth twitch, but she checked the grin before it could grow – she had read, too, that the famed man was rather touchy about his hair, and the last thing she wanted was to be thrown out of so comfortable a place on the grounds that she had made jest of it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wright.”

“It’s Bowman,” the tall man corrected, as he began to shuffle away. Draco gave her a look that explained they had to follow and, with a nod, Ginny stepped after him. They went through one of the doors, only to come upon a dining room that boasted of a table set with food that looked – despite bearing no resemblance to the sort she was used to consuming – quite delicious: platters of steaming meats; soft garnishes of silver foils; and wraps of dough, inlaid with chili and rich spices.

“I thought you would be hungry,” Bowman announced, waving a hand to show that they could help themselves to the eatables – which Ginny did at once, loading a plate to the brim before sitting down to dig into it, all manners forgotten.

“Though I can’t say," and now Bowman had sat down, too. "That I’m not helping you because I don’t have a special interest in you two. Kids from the future – very interesting. Almost makes me want –” his eyes acquired a rather dreamy touch that made Ginny laugh out loud – “to ask you all about it. But –” he pulled himself up, shaking the dreaminess away – “I know I shouldn’t, know time’s not something to be meddled with. Nor is history, for that matter. So –” he paused and stifled a rising yawn.

“So what?” Ginny teased.

Draco nudged her to be quiet, but Bowman only raised an eyebrow. “So,” the tall man said, biting into a huge piece of what looked like cooked dough. “So I follow the “ask no questions, hear no lies” principle.”

He paused, swallowed, and turned to look at Draco, “As I was telling you before the ma’am interrupted, man, the witch you’re looking for lives next door. Mystic sort of woman, Haudrey Humphey, but if there’s anyone who can fix a time-turner – not that they’ve been invented yet, and she knows well enough to keep her mouth shut about it, if you tell her – it’s her. Pay her a visit anytime, will you two?”

He finished his mass of cooked dough, licked his lips, and left them alone with a “Be in my room” to Draco. They sat alone, Ginny and he, after Bowman had left. The dining hall was silent, except for the occasional clink of plates as they were moved or re-filled, until Ginny found a voice to speak.

“So...”

Draco looked up inquiringly. "Yes?"

“When are we going to meet this Haudrey woman?” she asked quietly. Now that it seemed they finally had a chance to leave, she almost did not want to. The prospect of Hogwarts brought welcome memories, but attached to them were, now, frightening possibilities that she could not un-consider – she and Draco were not dating, were they? Would he leave her once they were back, return to his old self, the self that hated her? And if he did not, what would her family, her friends say? The future seemed as difficult as it was near, and Ginny did not want to think of it.

Perhaps he was thinking along the same lines, perhaps he was not. He gave a broad shrug of his shoulders, cleaned his plate, stood up. “We could go now, if you like.” Without waiting for a response, he strode towards the door. Ginny leaped after him, grabbed him and turned him around.

“Draco,” she whispered.

She tilted her face upwards, he leaned down – and pulled away.

“No,” he said quietly. “We can’t, Ginny.”

There was a lump in her throat, a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Why?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He looked away, refusing to meet her eye. “We can’t,” he repeated quietly. "It wouldn't - we can't."

She stood there, so cold it felt as if someone was emptying bucketfuls of icy water on her, and he opened the door and left the hall.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

SHE CAN'T BE DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome posts though Maxie!!!!

It might be. -shifteh-
Yes, isn't that wonderful? =pp
Thanks a bunch, bebeh. Glad to know you liked it. =]
Can, too. xP
Oh, the things a writer can make others think. :whistle:
Thanks a bunch, luff. =]

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
LMFAO!
That killed me, Maxers… killed me! :lmao:


DUDE!
Draco is SUCH a tease! I'm really starting to feel bad for Ginny now! :xd: How frustrating, a guy you like that likes you back but then wants to act like nothing's happened. Poor Ginny! :console:
Get it together, boy! C'monnn! :whip:

I must have moarrrr, Maxers, MOARRRRRR! D:

*Wakes up*
Will Jasper Cullen come, turn Ginny into a vampire, and then D/G will have a very Twilight story? :lol:

Yeeeeeaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!
I played for half an hour table football, and now my hand hurts =\

And I danced sooooooooooooo much...
I understand now why people like going to dace clubs :D
One girl commented that all I didn't have was a stick, but hey-I was the one who burnt much more calories with my wild dancing ;)

Imperio! Maxie is going to update right now. -lifts the Imperius-
:mwaha:

EDIT: There's a new chapter for god-knows-how-many-time and I didn't notice! :gasp:
-off to read-

But you're ... alive. =O
If a guy even THOUGHT of doing that to me, I would literally WHACK his head open. *pets Ginny* She's a good girl, and she's... patient.

Draco: Well, I'm a bad boy, aren't I? :eyebrows:
I haven't read Twilight. SERIOUSLY! :P
Awww. *hugs your head* Ish that better? <3

LOL, that was... BAD of her. But dancing is fun! Even though I'm not that good at it. =[ But really.. I LOVE to dance. It's awesome!
Hehe, at least you noticed now. ^_^

-Jumps off cliff-
o_o
Not anymoreee... :whistle:

SRSLY!!
Stupid Draco (I still love you)! That boy's meannn. :poke: & I never expected Ginny to have so much patience. That poor girl. I just hope you'll give us a happy ending, Maxers... :shifty:
You better! :whip:

& That's why I love you... :loved: You smexy thing, you....

*sniffles*
:cry:

*tries to wipe tears away*
That...the end of that last chapter was...it was just...*blows nose*
Uhm...

I just looooooove the way Malfoy was suddenly Draco in her eyes. Did that make sense? :xd:

Oooooh...and guess who's back and the hero all over again???
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...a_-_-/4844.png
:P

<3 <3

Well, how would you put it? She ain't normal, is she? Not with the stuff that she's done.

:faint: I KNEW that you would fix it! *Calls off Hermia*

:woot: Another amazing kiss! Brilliant stuff! I luff they way that you write and the yummy tension, just brilliant!

Draco's a hero!!! <33333333333333
:loved:
He's so romantic.... I just want to fangirl over him until the world ends :drool:

WHAT? Can't be together????
Bad boy Draco.
-pets ginny-

:rotfl:

:bugeyes:

DeeLee! Come back THIS INSTANT!
*drags you up cliffiee*
If you show me the whippie again, I SHAN'T! *eyes you* But if you're good, maybe I won't kill both of them will give you a happy ending. =]
:eyebrows:
It was what? :P
Yes, it does! That's called falling in love, I think. xDD
He doesn't have an eye now, though. :no:



*clings to your head*

-Bumps into rocks and tree branches and stuff on the way up-
Owie... u_x

:faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint:

You're.... MEAN!! You're a mean FF writer, Maxers!!! D: & You like to play with my little heart even worse than Draco plays with Ginny's! :cry:

Ginny: He's a TEASE, that's what he is.

*glares at him*
Don't we all? I agree. He is SMEXEH!. =DD
Ginny: Thank you. *sniff*
How would YOU put it, ma'am author, ma'am? But really.. it's what I always say - the world isn't black and white, we can't sort people into "good" and "bad" because that's just too.. narrow-minded.
You called off Hermia? Phewwwww! =DD


ThankyouTHANKYOU. *blush*









* * * JayMay: Awww. Take your time, bebeh. =]

:bugeyes:

I sowweee, DeeLee! =[

:bugeyes: x 453689546

DeeLeee! You must NOT faint. Get up RIGHT now, lady! You hear me? YOU HEAR ME? You don't want me to let Mr. Donkey out of his box, do you? *looks VERY SLIGHTLY evil* :shifty:

-Sniff; sniff-
It's okayyy... =[

o__o






.
.
.
... I don't wanna... )=
I'm depressed...
Maxers is going to kill Draco...
:cry:
-Stays fainted on the floor-
):

hmmm, something in the order that these post is a little off [:/] like your new post, was before my reply post...oddd...

anyway, I kinda agree with Ginny, as much as I want them to go back to Hogwarts to see what happens there, I don't want them too, because I don't want things to change...

...uhm...sad? Cryworthy? Typical Draco? To be expected? Pick one. :P

Oh, so that's falling in love. *writes that on a post-it*
I'll remember that...so every time I suddenly think of somebody as Draco I'm in love with that somebody. Yes? :xd:

He still is awesome. :D
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...a_-_-/4844.png

*clings back*
:loved:

aw...love it maxie...they both looks os cute together...waiting for more...

Hehe, Gin, you don't think that when you want to continue snogging him for ever :whistle:

Team Draco!!
Because smexy evil Slytherins are just much more attractive. <3333333
:loved:

Don't worry, Gin, I'll :whip: him, and then he'll be all goody-goody to you =]
And you'll be so sweet together that I'll scream "Aww, they're sooooooooo cute!" in the middle of the street :lol:

I'd say that she's a raging tempest of emotion, hence the title! She's a bit messed up though. Damaged. I broke her. She's certainly a shades of grey kind of person.

YourWelcomeYourWelcomeYourWelcomeYourWelcome!

DRACO!!! Why much you tease so much?! Get your act together... NOWWW!!!!!!!!!!! :whip:

*sigh* The image of Draco in a white tee and jeans is rather pleasant, dontcha think? :faint:

-Eats all of the Donkey siggies-

YUM! :evil: