The Weasley Love Stories

Bravery is in the Eye of the Beholder

By

Sannikex

A/N: Another part of the "Weasley Love Stories", the series about how the Weasley children found love. As the other parts, Broom(b)ride (R/Hr), Tojours (B/F) and Rainbow (H/L) it contains small vignettes from the leading couple's lives. This story is about Ginny and the timeline for the whole series is that the War lasted from 1997-2000.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all.

November 1997

No one ever told her anything. You'd think that having your whole family in the Order would make it clear that the last one could be initiated a bit earlier but no. She was still sixteen and had to wait. For Merlin's sake the war was already raging, who'd have time to check if she was of age or not?

Her family had left for the headquarters and left her at the Burrow, as it was safer here. When she was fourteen she'd come to the Order quarters but now, at sixteen, she couldn't? No, she had to stay behind and worry. Angrily she swept into the kitchen and stopped dead. Someone was already there. She whipped out her wand but the tall figure didn't even flinch. The person was dressed in a black cloak with a deep hood hiding the face of the intruder.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Slowly the person held out his arms and reached for the hood. Ginny moved closer aiming for the stranger's chest. The hood fell back and revealed pale blonde hair and sharp features.

"Weasley, where are your parents?"

"Malfoy!" No one had seen him since his flight from the school in June five months ago. She caught up with her thoughts and remembered who was standing in her kitchen. "Back away in five seconds or I'll hex you!"

"Weasley, I need to see your pare…" His voice died as he fell to the floor. Ginny found herself aiming at nothing but air and blinked a couple of times. Still with her wand at the ready she lowered herself to the floor and pulled at his cloak. Heavily he turned and lay on his back, his face even paler than usual and his eyes closed.

"Malfoy? Malfoy?" She poked him in the chest to wake him but quickly withdrew it and stared at her smudged hand. His black clothes had disguised the blood and now it trickled down her wrist. Fascinated she stared at the rivulet smearing her ivory pale skin. So he bled red like humans…When the blood reached her rolled-up sleeve she woke up.

What the heck was she supposed to do with him? He couldn't just lie there. Should she call someone? No, the floo and owls were not safe any longer. The floo connection was just open some minutes a day so Mum could check on her and she couldn't Apparate.

Ginny wasn't raised to just watch when someone was in pain so she levitated the limp form of Malfoy to the living room couch. She fetched some water and her mother's first aid kit and got to work. With a tug she ripped his robes and felt a grim satisfaction to ruin the expensive fabric. He could buy new robes.

He was wearing a white T-shirt underneath and a gasp escaped her. The whole front was drenched in blood. She did dream of becoming a Healer but nevertheless her hands shook when she carefully removed the garment. Her stomach heaved when his chest was exposed. A gash went diagonally from his collarbone to his waist. How in the name of Merlin was she supposed to handle this? It wasn't a clean cut so none of her healing spells would work. With trembling hands she prodded the skin around the wound. A wheezing sound escaped the Malfoy and his eyes flew open. He seemed to have difficulties with focusing his gaze so she bent over him.

"I…I'll try to heal your wound but I…" Maybe she shouldn't tell him how inexperienced she was? "I'll do my best." She thought she saw a sardonic lift at the corner of his mouth before he passed out again.

- - -

It was late when he finally woke up. With a sigh of relief she leaned back in the chair she'd put opposite the couch to be able to watch over him. He looked around and she saw the bewilderment in his eyes for a moment before the ice armour settled in the mercury stare. She conjured a glass of water and inched closer. Carefully she put a hand behind his neck and held his head as she held the glass to his lips. Greedily he drank and when he'd had enough she sat down again.

"Weasley, your parents? He croaked and she could see from the sweat on his brow what it cost him to manage even such a small thing.

"What do you want with them?" She did not trust that creep at all. He gestured weakly and she saw fury in his eyes. She didn't know if it was because of her refusal to tell him where her parents were or because he wasn't strong enough to speak again. She saw him struggling against unconsciousness but it was merciless and his eyes rolled back in his head.

She rose and bent over him, she checked his pulse and lifted his eyelids. It seemed like his body was so exhausted that it forced him to rest. She dipped a cloth in the cold water she'd put on the table and wiped the cold sweat off his face. It was a beautiful face with sharp angles and pointy chin. His high cheekbones had caused deep envy among the girls at Hogwarts, Ginny recalled. His brows and lashes were as dark as his hair was light and the lips were wasted on a face that only had them to sneer. His nose was straight and accented a profile that would make a sculptor cry.

Her hand froze. Was she wiping his face almost…lovingly? With a huff she tossed the cloth away. Well, he was good-looking; any girl could loose herself in daydreams over that pretty face. That, she knew, was an asset he milked to the last drop with the girls. Bastard.

Wasn't Mum going to call soon?

- - -

"Ginny!" She looked up from her book and realized that it must be her mother at the Floo.

"Coming!" With a quick glance at the unconscious boy she hurried out of the room.

"Hello, dear. Is everything alright? Of course it is, we have done the Fidelius charm…Have you been eating? Your father says you'll do fine on your own but I…Of course I trust you, Ginevra. It's just…" Her mother's rattle was so normal she almost forgot that a deadly wounded Draco Malfoy lay in the next room.

"Mum! I know! Listen to me now, and listen closely. She bent close to the hearth and whispered as if they could be overheard,

"Malfoy showed up here last night, he's wounded, really, really bad and he wants to talk to you and Dad. I did my best but that wound is so nasty and I really don't know what to do!" The bright colour in Molly's cheeks died.

"Is Lucius Malfoy there with you?"

"No, no, Draco Malfoy. He said he wanted to talk to you. I didn't tell him where you were. Should I? He seems kind of desperate." The shock let go of Malloy and she turned her usual brisk ordering voice on.

"We're coming. See to that he stays unconscious, Ginny, he could be dangerous!" Ginny didn't have time to answer that Malfoy was too weak to talk and even less attack her.

Her parents' faces were solemn when they came out of the living room. The three Order members and Ginny turned their heads in unison. Arthur nodded and Remus, Tonks and Kingsley excused themselves. Her father sat down opposite her and Molly started to bustle around to make tea.

"Ginny, now as we've talked to young Malfoy and…" Ginny kept her eyes expectantly fastened on him. This time they were not going to escape without a complete explanation; they couldn't keep her out of this. She had saved Malfoy's life after all. "We believe that it is best that he stays here under the Fidelius Charm. He is to be kept hidden. Speak to no one about his presence." Ginny waited for the continuation but her father was staring at the mantle of the kitchen hearth, just over her shoulder.

"Why? Harry says he's a Death Eater."

"Tea, dear?"

"No thanks, Mum. Dad? Why?"

"I'd like some, Molly, thanks." Ginny recognized this method. As long as she mentioned the subject she wanted to talk about her father would talk about other things until she gave up.

"Really! It's just months 'til I'm seventeen and I found Malfoy, I saved his damned life! I have the right to know what is going on here!"

"There's a time for everything, Ginevra."

- - -

She couldn't believe this, she really couldn't. Instead of knowing anything she was babysitting someone who until today had been on the list of Enemies.

"Merlin, Malfoy, you've always been nothing but problems!" There was no reply as the devil with the face of an angel slept on.

A/N2: Interesting? Worth the time? Comments in general? Tell me and review!