[HP translation] Hope

Overnight they talked and were a lot easier around each other, and Ginny found herself less wary of him.She still doesn't say anything about the Resistance or what she knows about what's going on in England - although Arthur has replied to her that Malfoy is perfectly innocent.Not long after their evening with the Ketterings, she was not surprised when Ginny came down to breakfast one day to find him instead of "talking to the banker" but waiting for her.

He stood up out of habit. "Good morning," he said, and he even smiled awkwardly, like he wasn't used to making that look.Ginny giggled and sat down. "What's so interesting, Weasley?"

"You. Tried to be pleasant and failed horribly."

"Malfoys only show themselves: cruel and calculating," he said haughtily, but the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Yeah, go ahead and tell yourself that," Ginny said, and she laughed.

That afternoon, he declined her offer to walk around the island with her, saying he had an important Floo call waiting.The call inadvertently reminded her that he was about to do something suspicious, and she frowned at having forgotten something so important.However, when she tried to eavesdrop at his door, a house-elf came over and asked loudly if she could help, so she had to flee before Malfoy caught her lurking at his door.

Ginny went to find the day's Mercury Herald, which she'd been reading for the past few weeks, and found it on an antique table in a side porch.She happily took it to read in her favorite room, a large living room with two large bay windows overlooking Puget Sound.

Almost an hour later he came in and he looked surprised to find her here and he immediately tugged at her arm. "Weasley, I've told you all the interesting things this morning, and you don't have to read the paper yourself." He started leading her out of the room.

"But you didn't read anything about the war," she said. "I--"

"Most Americans aren't interested in the war," he replied, "and when they are, their reportage doesn't have any useful details." Looking at her expression, he said, "Trust me, I know."

"And it's coming from the wizard who said he wasn't planning to return to England."

He snapped his mouth shut and stared at her for a moment.Then, "You won't find what you're looking for in the Mercury Herald."

"Then I'd like a subscription to The Quibbler."

"The Quibbler? That crap?" He threw back his head and laughed mockingly. "My God, Weasley, I didn't know you believed in the Snork. Why didn't you tell me the war was driving you crazy?"

"That's not the same anymore," Ginny insisted. "It's the underground communication of the Resistance. Luna and her father announce the location of Death Eaters, spy reports from ahead, safe house articles for fugitive wizards and witches, and full updates on deaths, disappearances, and residences all the time." Get on the St. Mungo's list." Ginny nearly bit her tongue off when she realized what she'd just done.In fact, her surprised expression was so exaggerated that he couldn't have missed it.She had just told a possible enemy about the Resistance.

"Oh, really?" Draco said, looking at her curiously. "I thought you liked stalking your sleeping brother."

"Daddy never told me what happened to George," said Ginny cautiously. "He thought that would make me sad."

"Here we are." Malfoy took a bunch of keys from his pocket and looked for the right one. "You said you liked to read, and I'm tired of seeing you moping around the house. That makes me nervous, and I don't like nervousness." He found the key and unlocked the door. "This is the library. Use it."

Ginny was dumbfounded when he took her into the room, which made even the Hogwarts library seem small.Rows of tall bookshelves were filled with clean old hardcover books, and sunlight streamed in from large windows on the far wall.Soft and low sofas and chairs are strewn about, and each shelf has a sliding ladder for easy access to the books on it.

"My God," Ginny exclaimed, dazzled. "This—this must be Hermione's idea of ​​heaven."

Malfoy frowned. "I didn't bring Mud-Granger here, I brought you." He grabbed her hand again and led her further into the room. "There are books of all kinds here, mostly I lug them from Wiltshire because mum can't stand them wandering around. There's black magic in those, so if you're really good at how to get your The enemy is interested in disembowelling, and I think it will do here."

Ginny snickered, but in her heart she couldn't believe he remembered what she said. "Malfoy, I think you just made a joke."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Malfoy's not kidding."

She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Our secret," he agreed, and when he turned, he was smiling—a real smile that softened the hard lines of his face.

With feelings, heart and all, he's pretty much alone now.His behavior got Ginny to wonder if, on her first day in Seattle, when he had been so determinedly mean to her, was that an exception to his conformity to himself.After all, when they were at Hogwarts, Malfoy didn't pay much attention to her, instead writing belittling songs about her brother and taunting Harry at every opportunity.But why was he so rude to her on the first day and then seemed to have a change of heart?

One night, not long after going to the library, when they were having dinner together, she asked him.They had just been talking about the differences in the American Quidditch rules, so her question must have surprised him.And he didn't blink, as usual.

"I think it's because you remind me of him," he said slowly, after taking a sip of his drink. "Your brother Ron. Seeing you also reminds me of Hogwarts, because that's the only place I've seen you."

"And...you don't like Hogwarts or Ron, so you treat me so badly?" Ginny said, pulling the threads together.

"My father wanted me to go to Durmstrang," he admitted. "Think I'll get a more general education there. Mum wants me to go to Hogwarts because she wants me to be closer. I hate it."

She piles the food around the plate. "I love Hogwarts," she said, recalling the five years she spent there. "I like it even more than I like The Burrow, because there, I'm not just 'sister.' I have friends to hang out with, people to talk to."

"I don't have any real friends," Malfoy said. "No one in Slytherin is interested in me at all."

She smiled. "There's no rule saying you have to stay in your own house, Malfoy."

"My father wouldn't allow it any other way. I can imagine the look on his face if I told him I'd become friends with a Hufflepuff." He snorted, looking down at his plate. "But when I was a kid, I was an idiot. It was too risky to be cold and cruel here when I was alone, and I couldn't afford to make enemies in isolation. So I gave up almost immediately. That kind of behavior around you."

"So you're almost polite around your American friends."

"Basically. Just for self-preservation, of course," he said sarcastically.

"Ginny! Ginny, where are you?"

Her father's sudden voice almost made Ginny jump out of her seat, and Malfoy drew his wand and stood up. "Who is it?" he called, looking around the room.

"Wait, it's my mirror." She remembered.She always carried it with her, just in case, but this was the first time Arthur had contacted her outside of their regular Thursday night talks.She searched for it in her robes, and when she pulled out the little mirror, there was Arthur's face in it, his teary eyes wide open.

"Daddy?" Ginny called. "What's the matter? How are you all? Tonks?"

"George," he said.He was shaking all over.

"What's wrong?" She trembled, her eyes filled with tears, and she had already prepared for the worst.Malfoy came to her side, looking down at the mirror in her hand.

"Oh, Kim, he's awake. George is awake." Arthur sobbed with joy.

Ginny couldn't breathe.george.george.Oh my god.She didn't remember where she was until she felt Malfoy's hand on her shoulder.She looked up and found him staring at her expressionlessly.

"You're going to want to see him," he said.

Ginny nodded.She turned to the mirror and her father. "Dad, I will go as soon as possible."

"Apparition point—"

"No, that's going to take too long. I'll fix it." Arthur's face disappeared from sight, and she stood up, looking at Malfoy pleadingly.

"Pinch will pack a suitcase for you," he said, and he snapped his fingers, and the elf appeared.He gave the order, and Pinch left again. "You fly straight to St. Mungo's."

"Floo?" Ginny said with a wink. "I don't think you can fly internationally."

"I can," he said. "I used some of my connections on the Floo network. The fireplace in the main visitor's living room can transport you to any fireplace in the world."

"Merlin," she said softly.

"Of course, you need to say the names of countries and cities, not just places." He took her hand and said as he led her out of the room. "Because of the distance, you'll be a little dizzy, maybe nauseous."

"It's a small price to pay for seeing George," said Ginny eagerly.

"Yes," said Malfoy, and Ginny noticed that under his mask of icy indifference he looked almost sad.Only the corners of his eyes and mouth have changed slightly.Does he not want to see her leave?

When they reached the huge living room fireplace, Pinch happened to deliver one of Ginny's large suitcases. "Pink is missing her mistress already," she said tearfully, handing the trunk.Before Ginny could speak, the elf wailed and disappeared.

"I'll be back," she told Malfoy.

"I don't see any reason for you not to come back." He said stiffly.

"I don't know how long it's going to be. I want to stay until they're sure he's okay."

"I'll be here waiting for you to come back."

Ginny nodded, feeling suddenly awkward around him.How was she going to say goodbye to someone she had hated, especially when she now suspected her feelings for him were just the opposite?

He cleared his throat, frowning at his hands. "I hope...I hope he's okay. It's for you. Otherwise I don't care what happens to him."

Ginny had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Malfoy—"

"Huh?" He looked up, waiting expectantly.

"Thank you," she said, not saying what she was going to say. "Because of this. Because of everything."

"Okay." He coughed and gestured to the fireplace. "I'm going to get the floo powder."

He flicked his wand at the bookcase by the window, and a small marble bowl full of Floo powder flew into his hand.He flicked his wand again and tossed a handful of Floo powder into the hearth as a warm fire ignited.The flames immediately turned green, then returned to their normal color. "You'd better be on your way," he said, and returned the Floo bowl to the shelf, but Ginny closed the distance between them and kissed him lightly on the lips.

They stood motionless for a moment, and for a moment Ginny feared that she had misunderstood all the signs and everything he said, because he was just standing there—but then his hand ran through her hair and he kissed her too. Looking at her, more tenderly than she imagined.His lips were soft, the taste of the dessert they had just eaten, the same desire she had felt a month ago, only returned with more intensity.Merlin, she wanted him, and these kisses were innocent.She couldn't help but think of the picture of them kissing passionately in bed.

He backed away, panting first, and Ginny walked to the fireplace, trying to calm her racing heart.She must go now.George needs her.Remembering her purpose, she picked up the suitcase Pinch had packed for her, walked into the fireplace and turned away.Malfoy was watching her hard, and it took her every ounce of willpower not to jump back and make out with him wildly.

"I'll wait for you," he said again.

Ginny nodded, longing to be back with him already. "St Mungo's, London, England!" she called, and she spun, faster than ever.Countless fireplaces flashed by, hundreds, thousands, until she lost count and could only close her eyes.Clutching the suitcase tightly to her chest, she heard it rub against the smaller interior of the fireplace.She can only wait.

Just when she thought she was going to throw up, she rolled out covered in soot and landed in St. Mungo's simple white waiting room.She caught the attention of everyone in the room by spitting out the soot she had swallowed, and fell to her knees as her head dizzy from the sudden stop of spinning.Malfoy was right; Ginny felt so sick, she thought she'd throw up everything she ate today.

A healer and an Auror approached her as she dropped to her knees on the floor. "Name and business," snapped the healer.Ginny looked up and found that the Auror was none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"George—" she began.

"It's all right, let me do it," Kingsley said to the therapist, who nodded and left them.Kingsley knelt down and helped Ginny stand up. "Oh, Ginny, it's good to see you, but you look awful."

Ginny took out her wand and cleaned the ashes from the floor and robes. "I'm from America," she said. "It was a tough journey."

Kingsley looked around. "I didn't hear that just now, okay?" he murmured under his breath. "Don't tell anyone where you're from. Arthur told me what you did, but keep it a secret."

"Okay," said Ginny, wanting to kick herself for being so stupid.

"George has been here since the healers told Arthur about it," Kingsley said in his normal tone again, and he led her to the magical sickness ward.Catching her gaze, he said, "They moved him because the damage wasn't permanent, was it? I've been guarding here anyway. About nine o'clock, George woke up suddenly, yelling. When they calmed him down, they gave Arthur the news. Arthur came and told him what had happened, and made him accept the news. Afterwards, he took out the mirror and told you."

"Why is George shouting?"

"Therapist Cassiopeia said she thought it was because when he woke up, he still thought he was fighting on the battlefield."

Ginny's heart surged with love and pity for her poor brother. "Think about it," she murmured, "lost four years of your life. Waking up and everything changed."

Kingsley nodded, and they approached the room.The door was closed, Ginny thought, and most of the patients should be sleeping by now.It's past midnight. "I'm going back to guard," he said.

"Thank you," she said, and she waved him away.Then, she took a deep breath and walked into the room.

It was so dark that she could barely make out the sick in bed; there were probably ten or so wizards and witches.The curtain on the innermost bed was drawn, and a warm lamp was shining inside.Ginny heard their voices only after she passed the range of the bedside listening to the spell with her earplugs closed.

She walked in and they both turned around.Arthur's face was red, and she suspected he had been crying for hours.And George—Ginny dropped the suitcase before she could take a good look at him, and threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

"Nice to meet you, too, Kim." His voice was hoarse from years of inactivity.

"I'm so glad you're awake, George," she cried. "Papa and I are alone—"

"I know." He rubbed her back and hugged her tightly. "But am I back now? Back from the dead."

She let him go, sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at him carefully.In his sleep he had become a man—a thin, pale man with no gleam in his serious eyes.His curly hair was long, almost as long as Bill's, and his chin was stubbled.Only his hair color has not changed.It was as bright as the day he fell asleep.

"I thought—" She wiped her eyes. "We thought you'd never wake up."

"I don't think I should wake up," he said hoarsely, glancing briefly at Arthur, then back to her. "My therapist said that the spell creator who examined me said that the spell would keep me asleep for 20+ years."

"But how are you awake now? Are you going to fall asleep again?" she asked, clutching his bony arm.

"He fought," Arthur said, smiling at them.George blushed slightly. "Cassie said she'd never seen anything like it. He'd been fighting the power of the spell while he was sleeping. When we heard him sigh or when I saw his head move, that was the spell weakening. moment."

"I wish I could take credit for it, but I didn't do it consciously," George said, shrugging slightly. "As I said before, Dad, until now, I feel like I just passed out in a fight."

"That's why you woke up screaming," Ginny said.

"Yes." He nodded and picked up a thread on the bed sheet. "I—I still can't believe it, you know?"

"Understandable," Arthur said. "We know how hard that will be for you."

"Really?" George bit his quivering lip.Ginny squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him. "Do you remember when Sumner hit me? You were all alive. I was looking at Alicia Spinnet. Percy is still at odds with us. Dumbledore just died not long ago."

When Ginny remembered this, her eyes filled with tears.There was still hope then, and there was still promise for the future.Yes, they lost Dumbledore, but Bill and Fleur got married, Lupine was approaching a werewolf, and Hagrid and Glop brought in some giants.To lose everything in an instant, not in bits like Ginny and Arthur - no, Ginny thought she couldn't imagine how hard it was for George.

"I thought Harry would win," said George. "Pretty sure."

"We all are," Arthur said.

"It wasn't his fault," Ginny said defensively, blowing her nose. "Harry just can't keep up with Voldemort. Harry is fighting a grown wizard!"

"Trust us, we know," Arthur said, taking her hand.He took George's hand with his other. "It's just the three of us now," he said, looking at them gravely. "We have to be careful and protect each other. Even though we've lost others, we're still family."

George nodded gravely, his eyes brighter than the lights.

"I love you, Daddy," said Ginny, and he smiled at her before standing up and hugging her tightly.

Has checked out George's Cassie and other therapists and wants to keep him under observation for another 24 hours to make sure the spell has completely worn off. "We don't like having him fall asleep again," Cassiopeia therapist said to Ginny, taking her aside. "Especially if he falls asleep again, there's no guarantee he'll wake up again."

"Don't tell him," said Ginny, with a strange maternal concern for her brother. "We're happy that he's okay."

"He probably won't sleep at night for a long time," the therapist continued, "for obvious reasons. The other therapists and I think he'll be completely back to normal in a few months: sleep, appetite, everything."

The probationary period passed smoothly, and George was delighted when he heard that they now lived in Grimmauld Place. "I've always loved that house," he said as Arthur helped him out of bed.George will have to walk with a cane until his leg muscles are strong enough to support him. "Never know what wonderful things you'll find next. I remember one time Fred—" He suddenly paled and didn't finish his sentence.

Ginny flooed back to the house with him, followed by Arthur with her suitcase, and they entered the kitchen, which Ginny hadn't seen in months.It's still the same, nothing has changed.George sat down on the nearest bench, panting from his excursion, and Ginny went to make tea.

She had thought that if George had been with them when they first came to Grimmauld Place three years ago, the house would have been quite different.He'd make a lot of jokes, maybe test some joke product on them, tease Ginny, be the old man.But he had come a long journey, a marvelously long story he could tell at length--he fell asleep, and he was as weak as a baby.Ginny helped him circle the kitchen three times a day, restoring his strength, while Arthur made sure he got the most of each meal.George wasn't telling them jokes or making them laugh, he was just sitting there looking at the fireplace or reading the dusty book Ginny had brought down from the library.They summoned a bed for him and put it in the kitchen, since he wasn't strong enough to go upstairs to the bedroom.

But Ginny wasn't sure which room could be cleaned out as his bedroom.When the Order was fighting, Fred and George lived in the apartment above their joke shop; headquarters didn't have their beds.But where would he sleep now?Should she clean Bill and Fleur's room?Hestia Jones's?Maybe Tonks would let him in her room?

It seemed that George was going very slowly, because Ginny hadn't seen him come out of the kitchen.She was surprised when she came out of her room one morning to find Charlie's door open.George was inside, watching the scattered objects; Charlie's room was always a mess.Dragon armor and gloves were thrown all over the place, some with burnt holes in them.His spare broom stood in the corner, covered with cobwebs and a spider or two.The bed was unmade, there were Quidditch posters on the wall, and a stack of drawings of Horntails and Short-snouted Dragons on the bedside table.

"Never knew Charlie was a painter," said George without looking back, as Ginny walked up to him. "They're good."

"He's a lot older than us," said Ginny. "Well... he's a lot older than me in a way. I feel like I'm learning new things about him all the time."

"None of these have been touched."

Ginny sighed, resting her head on George's shoulder. "Dad and I tried, but we couldn't pack it up."

He was shaking, and she looked up to find his eyes filled with tears. "I'm in this room," he whispered. "Five days ago. Fred and I asked him if he could get some dragon claw powder for our new idea. That was his room then."

Ginny's lips quivered as she hugged him. "George," she said. "Charlie has been dead for over three years."

He collapsed, his frail body shaking uncontrollably, and if Ginny wasn't there, he'd be on the floor.She hugged him tightly and led him to the dusty bed where they sat down together, hugging each other.

"My God, Ginny," sobbed George, feeling her shoulders wet with his tears. "I don't want to cry in front of Daddy, but—I hate this. I hate this. I wish I was still asleep."

She hugged him as he cried and vented everything he held back in Arthur's presence: how he could accept that so much of his life was gone forever, that Harry had failed, that their family was gone. "I miss Fred," he said, wiping his eyes on her robes. "You know, people say, when you lose an arm, you can still feel it's there? A ghost arm? That's how I feel. He's always there for me, and I always feel like I can see him when I turn around."

"He broke down when you got hit by the spell," Ginny said, drying her eyes. "He visited you every day and when the visiting hours were over, both mum and dad had to drag him away."

"How did he die?"

Ginny frowned. "George—"

"No, I need to know." His eyes hardened, but there were still tears in them, and she couldn't believe it was really her George.Was it him and Fred, long ago, putting canary biscuits on the snack table at Bill and Fleur's wedding, and Ron giggling as he bit into them knowing nothing?

She hesitated. "Not very good."

"Tell me, or I'm going to ask Dad."

She took his hand with both of hers. "He was the last to die," she said softly, "after Harry failed and Lucius Malfoy killed Ron and Hermione. He was with Mum, and Dad had been trying to get them off the field, so we To Grimmauld Place. But just as they were about to come with us - Mulciber..." She looked away, trying to steady her voice.

"Ginny." George squeezed her hand.

"He hit Fred. I've never seen that kind of spell. It left him -- covered in blood. He was covered in blood. He... screamed." When she recalled her brother in pain She trembled at the sound of slow death, the sound of blood slowly draining from her body. "Dad went crazy. Started attacking any Death Eaters in range. Mom was sobbing. McNeill killed her too. So Dad grabbed me and we ran away."

George rubbed her back with his free hand, and Ginny began to cry the way she hadn't since that dreadful first week in Grimmauld Place, when she realized everyone had really left. .

"It won't be easy, will it?" he said softly. "It's a nightmare from which we can't wake up."

"There's always hope," she said. "How dare you abandon us, George Weasley."

He laughed hollowly. "Yes, I know. I'm too weak to take my own life." He kissed the top of her head. "I swear I just like to complain. There's not much else to do here, is there?"

She laughed too, and wiped her eyes again. "Come down to breakfast with me and Dad. He'll tell you about the Resistance."

Ginny wondered why Arthur hadn't told George about the Rebellion, but she guessed he was trying to keep George from getting involved, just as he had told Ginny not to.But George was a loyal listener, listening to Arthur tell him about a small group of witches, wizards, and even a few ganged Muggles trying to thwart the plans of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"Those Muggles," Arthur said, shaking his head with a smile. "They've come up with some really brilliant ideas before. One of them was working with electricity -- well, working with wires and spark plugs and electricity anyway -- and he discovered something called an electromagnetic pulse that can adversely affect any magic item in the area. So he made a device, put it in a building used by the Death Eaters, and then we reported to the former Aurors to catch them all."

"Catch all?" said George.

"Kill them," Arthur said gently. "We don't have the manpower to guard the prisoners anymore."

As Ginny had predicted, they finally got to the topic of where she had been for the past few months.

"Draco Malfoy?" George said kindly, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "I thought he was dead."

"We all thought so," Arthur said. "Ginny says his mother sent him to America for protection. I've checked him as best I can, and as far as I can tell, he's cut off all contact with his father and the other Death Eaters."

"But he's plotting something," she said, remembering the mysterious Floo call she'd overheard.She told them that she heard loads that needed to be guarded closely, and that he kept trying to get her out of the house. "He must be importing something very valuable," she said, "but I haven't found out what."

"You don't think he's trying to find support for Voldemort in America?" said George.

"I don't know," Arthur replied, rubbing his bald spot with his hands. "We don't even know the whole story. What he did could be perfectly legal, he just didn't want you to know what it was, Kim."

"He may be up to his old tricks, however," said George darkly. "Remember when everyone thought he was harmless, but he ended up letting Death Eaters into Hogwarts?"

Ginny bit her lip, involuntarily remembering their kiss before she left Seattle.She realized that she no longer wanted to think of Malfoy as an evil person.But is that because she thinks he's changed, or because she doesn't want to be attracted to someone who's dangerous?

"He has no Dark Mark," she said, interrupting their conversation.

"What?" Arthur blinked. "But Lucius Malfoy's son—"

"He showed me his left arm. There was nothing there. Voldemort found him useless and refused to give him the Dark Mark. That's when Narcissa hid him so he wasn't killed, and when When Lucius heard what she had done, he killed her."

George whistled low. "I take back what I said. I bet he wouldn't do anything with the Death Eaters after that kind of thing happened. If he had any conscience at all."

"He loved his mother," Ginny said, images of that night flashing before her eyes. "She's probably the only one who cares about him."

For the rest of the breakfast they talked about Malfoy and other Death Eater children who didn't have that kind of dedicated mother.They told George that Malfoy's henchmen Crabbe and Goyle were controlling Azkaban, stuffing it with innocent Muggles and blood traitors; The building where the Trickster used to be; Blaise Zabini was killed when he defeated Mad-Eye Moody a few months ago.Then they tell of Hogwarts students George knew—Lee Jordan burned alive with Charlie's colleagues; Angelina Johnson executed for being found harboring Muggles; He disappeared after the war and is probably no longer alive.

All the talk about the dire state of England brought them back to Ginny's months in Seattle. "You need to get back there, Kim," her father said. "You're safer there."

"George needs someone to take care of," she said, and George cut her off.

"I climbed all the stairs this morning," he said. "Barely using my cane. I'm getting stronger every day, Kim, and I can take care of myself."

"I—I have to go back through the International Apparation Point," she said. "I came back via Floo because Malfoy's fireplace is connected to the international network, but not here."

"Well, you've been there now," said Arthur. "You don't need Tonks to escort you."

She wrung her hands anxiously for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay for a few more days?"

"Of course." George and Arthur said in unison. "That's right." George continued with a smile, "Maybe I can also find someone who is willing to marry my ugly face."

After two weeks, she left after helping her father and brother clean out Charlie's old bedroom for George to use, but she realized too late that she shouldn't even be leaving America.All Apparition sites are closely monitored by government officials.