Chapter 8: Balance

But that was not to be, for as they approached the doors of the Great Hall, they found the Headmaster waiting for them. His blue eyes were cool behind his half-moon spectacles, even as he lifted his eyebrows.

"Miss Weasley, I must say it is surprising to see you. You look well."

Draco felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "Professor, I –"

"I have my suspicions as to what you have done, Mister Malfoy, but this is not the place to discuss such things. You two shall join me in my office. I shall ask the house elves to deliver your lunches there."

"Yes, sir," Draco conceded, looking at his feet.

"Very well, then. The password is 'cockroach clusters'." And, with an appraising glance at Ginny, the headmaster turned and went back into the Hall.

"Well," Ginny said, clearing her throat, "I suppose we'd better do what he asks, then."

"I suppose we should."

They began walking, their swinging hands almost touching, neither of them looking at each other.

"Draco?" Ginny piped up as they approached the gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"Yes?"

"Why did you bring me back?" Though she was intently studying her shoelaces, he knew her cheeks were flushed, as they always were when she was embarrassed. A section of hair had fallen over eyes, and she was kneading her bottom lip with her teeth. It was all he could do to keep from pulling her to him and kissing her, letting her taste on his lips the pain he had felt for the past two months.

Instead, he shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. "I think we'd better go in."

"Necromancy is very dangerous, very illegal magic. As I'm sure you are aware of, Mister Malfoy." Dumbledore was staring at him with those clear, diamond-sharp blue eyes, and suddenly Draco felt very ashamed.

"I know, Professor, but -"

"No 'but's, Mister Malfoy. You could be thrown in Azkaban for this, as could your accomplice." At this, Draco's mouth gaped open in shock. How did he know? "As I said, necromancy is very dangerous magic. It is also very complicated, and I highly doubt that a sixth year student, even with your background, could do it alone. I know someone helped you, and I have suspicions of who, but none of that matters now. What mattes now is making this right."

Ginny suddenly looked very frightened. "What do you mean, 'making it right', Professor?"

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking very sternly at her. "It means, Virginia, that your being alive is a violation of nature. It has thrown the order of things out of balance, and that balance must be restored."

She understood. So, of course, did Draco, and fury welled within his chest. "You mean she has to die again? There's no way in hell I'm killing her, I worked so hard to get her back, you're mad if you think -"

"Draco," Dumbledore cut in, his voice as smooth and hard as glass, "I have no intention of asking you to murder Miss Weasley. That would be entirely too cruel. No, there are much simpler methods than that. There is a room in the Ministry of Magic that holds a gate between this world and the next. Miss Weasley would simply need to be taken there."

"My dad's never mentioned anything like that at the Ministry," Ginny muttered, her face very pale.

"No, he wouldn't have. Very few people know of that room, or the others like it."

Draco looked between them, his face going increasingly red as his knuckles turned white on the chair arms. "I don't care if she can take a hot air balloon back, the point is that she's not going! Her death was wrong to begin with, she was too young, she didn't deserve it!"

"Draco," Ginny whispered, putting her hand on his arm.

"No! You can't calm me down on this one, Ginny! He's trying to say dying was RIGHT!"

Dumbledore straightened his glasses, looking very old and very tired. "You're wrong, Mister Malfoy. I would never presume to say that a student's death is the right thing. It is tragic and unfair, and Miss Weasley's death was even more so. It was the result of flawed magic and unfathomable circumstances." Ginny stared at her hands, picking at the nailbeds, as a tear rolled down her cheek. "However, death cannot be undone without consequences. Consequences that are usually unforeseeable but unspeakably horrible. It is a risk we cannot take."

The room was silent. Draco found he could not argue, and as he realized what that meant, a heavy despair settled over him. He looked at Ginny, silently crying, and felt his heart break again. He wanted to touch her, to hold her close and ask her not to go, but he knew that would only make letting go harder in the end.

Instead, he raised his head, eyes stinging, and asked, "Can we have some time, to think about it?"

"Very well," Dumbledore said, standing. "One week. However, I must ask that Ginny remain away from the other students, especially the Gryffindors. I fear the shock would be too much for them."

Ginny's head shot up, her eyes puffy and her face streaked with still-flowing tears. "You mean I can't see Ron, or Hermione? I can't write to my family?"

The headmaster shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. It would only make it more difficult . . .in the end." He stooped next to her, placing a long, aged hand on her shoulder. "Ultimately, Ginny, this is your decision. I trust you will make the right one."

She nodded wordlessly, taking Draco's proffered hand and walking to the door. As it opened, the headmaster spoke one last time.

"I will see you in one week's time."