[HP] Three thousand days of innocence

Ron asked Ginny to follow him as he Apparated to the Ministry of Magic, but she couldn't even get out her wand.Weird concept of someone laughing out loud in front of a hotel.Are there any happy people in the world?The ones who still laugh, love, and cry for no reason?

Can't cry anymore, she said firmly to herself, there were no tears in her eyes.Whether it was within the hour or the next day, she was going to see Draco for the first time since she left and she couldn't give anything away.She had to be at his pre-trial and trial, she had to look at him and forget that she knew what it was like to kiss him, what it was like to have his hands on her skin.Completely forget.Erase it from her mind.

She leaned her head against the brick fence, sighed, and looked up at the starless night sky.The stars have been invisible in London, even on the rare nights when the sky is clear.One night more than a month ago, Draco drove her to Salisbury to see the stars.They were in a small village, enjoying a picnic on the hood of his car, and millions of stars suddenly appeared overhead.

"Looks like you can reach out and touch the sky," he said softly. "It seems to be right above our heads."

"I forgot there were so many stars," she said. "I haven't seen it in a long time."

"So... it's still a good idea to drive here?"

She smiled brightly at him. "That's a great idea. Thank you so much for coming up with it."

Just then, he reached out and took her hand, the first time he had done so.Their hands were tightly held together, and his warm and rough palm was pressed against her little hand, and her heart skipped a beat.They fit perfectly.Ginny had never felt so content, so—

He completes me.

Ginny opened her eyes wide and sat up slowly.

They waited for the Fire Daughter, for his only chance to become whole.

I am my best self when I am with him.

Daughter of Fire.

He completes me.

In her brief Auror career, she'd been professional - she caught Dolphin Roll, didn't she?And that crazy witch who tried to kill the Minister of Magic during a public speech?There were countless other cases before she and Harry broke up, before he let her work on dry cases that no one wanted to take on.Even facing off against other attractive wizards - Danny O'Connell joined her in the assassination, and they hit it off, second only to Oliver Wood.Ginny had a crush on him while working on that case.But it didn't interfere with her work; she didn't allow it.Danny probably didn't even notice.

Weasley had always hated Malfoy.always.It didn't explain in the slightest why she fell in love with Draco so quickly while working on an important case.She unexpectedly finds him when she doesn't expect anything, mental illness erases his memory of his early life, and prophecy, prophecy...

It was this that convinced her that the prophecy was true.Simon's abilities are unquestionable - not all of them can control the energy and magic in the air - but the prophecy itself...they do complete each other.She is indeed the daughter of fire.

Where did her fire go?From the first time she realized she was in love with Draco, she had been missing.

His only chance for redemption.She is his only chance.

In a crappy romance novel, when the hero and heroine seem to never live happily together, how do you say that nasty sentence?If you love him, you'll let him go.She would, she was willing to fight for him to keep him from Azkaban, and if he wanted nothing to do with her when it was all over—she would let him go.She should leave him because she has been blinded by her emotions for too long.Gwenog Jones would never let his feelings get in the way of a Quidditch match, would he?

She walked resolutely to her usual Apparating location, reappearing in an alley near the entrance to the public restroom.It was too late for her to Apparate directly to the Ministry; Ron had had special permission beforehand.She walked into a cubicle, rushed herself down, and waved to Eric as she passed the security room.There was always something scary about the empty Ministry of Magic, with its grand vaulted ceiling, and that strange but lifelike statue of Dumbledore that stood where the old one had been—the one no one wanted to talk about.

She went downstairs to the Department of Mysteries, and the elevator clanged every time it went down.The iron bars clanged open, startling her, and she found Harry standing in front of her.

"You did it. You did it, Kim!" he exclaimed happily, almost dancing with his arms around her.Ginny went with him. "Everyone, the last Death Eater! God, we need to plan to celebrate—"

"You saw him already?" Ginny asked, trying to wriggle free from his grip.

"Ron passed by with a knocked out Malfoy 15 minutes ago," Harry explained.He took her arm through the corridor, and she guessed they were going to the holding cell. "Now that he's been found, here's the fun part: we need to send a press release to the Daily Prophet and arrange a pre-trial date - the minister will want to know so he can mention it in his annual address -"

Ron came out suddenly through the archway leading to the courtroom and holding cell. "Kim, he looks a bit haggard," he said, frowning. "The last time you saw him, he wasn't sick, was he?"

Ginny's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my God," she said softly, her heart beating wildly, though she was thinking, No way, they said he wouldn't... "Ron, hurry up - go to the medical station and get Moss, Mortella juice, bandages, and blood tonics."

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Just go get it, you fool!" she cried, pushing past Ron and scrambling down the stairs until she reached the end of the stone corridor, where two guards were guarding the holding cell.She showed them the Auror badge, and they stepped aside to let her in.

Labastan Lestrange was standing at the door of his cell as she sprinted past. "Do they allow our spouses to visit now?" he giggled, squinting at her.Ginny ignored him, but looked around for Draco.Deep in the Ministry of Magic, the only light came from torches placed a few yards apart on the wall, and although the air was stagnant here, the flames still quivered violently.The corridors are lined with metal-clad wooden doors with a small barred window.Better to be locked up here than to go to Azkaban - but not much better.

She finally found him on the right, huddled in the corner of the bare cell.With a wave of her wand, she undid the complicated lock and went in to see him.

Ron was right - in the faint firelight, Draco's face was pale, which stood out against the white chef's suit he was wearing.He closed his eyes, folded his arms across his chest, and was breathing heavily.She knelt beside him, knowing it was wrong, but still lightly touched his face with the back of her hand, she was surprised to find that his face was cold.

"What did you do?" she said softly. "where?"

He opened his eyes tremblingly and leaned towards her hand. "Ginny." He sighed.

"You promised me," she said, her voice shaking with anger. "You promised me you would never do that again."

He avoided her, pursing his lips in disgust, his eyes as cold as steel. "I take back what I promised or said to you," he hissed.At the same time he lowered his right arm, she saw the shard of glass and the deep gash on his wrist.The uniform where his arm had been was stained crimson.

"You're so stupid," she said, immediately pressing on his wound and raising his arms above his head. "You're a big fool—"

"Yes, I'm a fool," he said bitterly, turning his face to the wall. "I'm a fool to you. I'm a fool to everyone. You lied to me, and John and Simon lied to me, and they said you could tell me all I wanted to know—"

"What do you want to know?" she asked.She took the shard of glass - a fragment of a glass he had broken - out of his hand and threw it aside.

"My past." He said softly.A tear rolled down his face. "My life. My name."

"Draco Malfoy," she said softly.

He was silent for a long time, and she thought he hadn't heard her.However, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at her, with tears in his eyes.A thousand emotions flashed in those beautiful eyes, as if the man knew the deepest secret in the world and was amazed at the answer.

"Draco Malfoy," he said softly. "You knew it all along, but you didn't say anything?"

"Draco, I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"

At this moment, Harry and Ron walked in with what she asked for. "Oh, shit." Ron saw the blood. "how come--"

"—didn't you find him cutting his wrists? I'd like to know too," Ginny shot back. "Give me the white moss. Soak a bandage in morat juice, put the moss on the wound, and wrap the bandage."

They followed her instructions exactly.She picked up the vial of blood tonic, coaxed Draco to open his mouth, and poured the potion into his mouth.After a few minutes, his complexion improved greatly and his breathing became even.

"I swear I didn't see it, Kim," said Ron. "He was sitting in the corner of the living room with his arms and knees on his chest and I just knocked him out."

"Did you read his rights?" Harry asked eagerly. "Damn it, Ron—"

"It doesn't matter, Harry." Ron said, pointing at Draco. "He thought his name was Ben Hamilton, and he was a Muggle. Unbelievably amnesiac, my friend."

Harry frowned at Draco. "Really?" he asked coldly. "You really think you're a Muggle?"

Ginny believed she was the only one who saw it.When Ron said Harry's name, Della clenched his jaw so that the muscles in it twitched, and there was pure anger in his eyes.He remained silent and did not answer questions.

"Okay, I'll do it then," Harry said angrily, crouching down too. "Draco Scorpius Malfoy, you have been arrested for crimes against wizards, including but not limited to the murder of one of your kind. You will stand trial before the Wizengamot, Supreme Court, and have access to the court Defend yourself in any way you deem necessary. You have the right to remain silent, as anything you say may be used in evidence against you. If you need a lawyer, we can arrange that for you. During the trial, your wand will be Confiscated, out of use, and if you are sentenced to rape for life, your wand will be broken."

"You have his wand, Harry," Ginny pointed out angrily. "Do you remember?"

"It's part of the rhetoric, I have to say it," he retorted, rolling his eyes, then looking back at Malfoy. "I bet you regret not accepting Dumbledore's help, ferret?" he laughed.

"I don't know what I've done to deserve such an odd nickname," Draco drawled. "But your imagination must be richer than that. I didn't kill anyone, and it never occurred to me or attempted to do so."

"Two witnesses, Malfoy," Harry exclaimed excitedly. "two."

"Are you really that childish?" Ginny snapped. "We're wasting precious time."

"What are you talking about?" Harry frowned. "Press release--"

"No, you idiot. It's the Malfoys. Before anything else, Draco is going to visit his mother in Wiltshire." She felt Draco's body tense and tremble beside her.

Before she could finish, Harry shook his head and stood up. "He's now in Ministry custody," he said. "He can't leave the holding cell—"

"Then let me put it in a way you can understand." Ginny also stood up. "A satisfied Lucius Malfoy is a generous Lucius Malfoy. If Narcissa can see her son, you can start planning what to do with those Galleons tomorrow night."

"She's right," said Ron slowly.

"It's against Ministry of Magic regulations," Harry insisted, but his voice was already wavering.

"When has the Malfoy family ever complied with the Ministry of Magic?" Ginny asked. "Ron and I will escort him. He will be adequately protected."

Harry hesitated for a moment, then raised his hands. "Okay," he said. "But this has been reported to the Minister, so Malfoy has to be back in his cell before daylight, understand?"

"Before daylight," Ron agreed. "Come on, the less you know the better." Harry gave Malfoy one last look, and walked away, his scarlet Auror robes swishing.

"My mother," Draco said hoarsely. "She—and my dad? I..."

"Yes, to see them, get up." Ron said impatiently. "You heard what Harry said. It's still ten hours before dawn."