Over the next few days Ginny did a lot of sleeping and would only get up to have some water or make an attempt to eat. By the third day Hermione finally got the incantation to work and performed it on Ginny's wound and soon she was able to take off the sling. When Ginny was resting the rest of them just kept to themselves. Harry and Ron played a few games of wizards' chess that Draco had in his room. Hermione read book after book from the Malfoy library. When Draco first showed her the library she was like a kid in a candy shop. Draco just sat deep in thought the whole time. He read also and even played Harry and Ron a few times in chess.
It was the evening of the fourth day and they were all laying sprawled out in Draco's bedroom in front of the fire. Hermione had a book in her hand but was just flipping through it. Harry and Ron sat playing chess but were more just pushing pieces around absentmindedly. Draco was just sitting there looking into the fire.
"Hey guys?"
They all turned at the sound of Ginny's voice. Hermione got up and walked over to her.
"Hey Ginny, how are you feeling?"
"A lot better now that this wound is almost healed" she said sitting up.
"You say that now, but I gave you the last of the sleeping potion from Madame Pomfrey so later you might not be saying the same thing" Hermione gave her a small smile.
"Ha, yeah; I need to get up and try and walk. My body is killing me from lying in this bed" she said taking Hermione's hand and trying to stand up.
Hermione helped her walk over to the couch to sit down. Draco turned his attention from the fire to the redhead next to him. She was pale and looked so weak. He looked down at the floor when a feeling of guilt came over him.
"Thanks Hermione"
Silence filled the room. It was completely quiet with just the sound of the fire crackling. Ginny looked around at them all. She couldn't stand how quiet it was. Every time she was awake for a little while it was always just a heavy silence that drove her insane.
"Can somebody say or do something" she suddenly said. "If this poison is going to kill me I really don't want my last few days to be boring as hell." she joked.
They all looked at each other. They were a bit taken aback by the way she addressed such a grave and sensitive subject but Harry and Ron couldn't help the small laughs that slipped out and soon Draco and Hermione gave a small smirk also.
"Well what do you suggest we do? It's not like you're up to par when it comes to activities" Ron joked.
A smile crept across Ginny's face. "No, but I do enjoy watching good entertainment."
"So then what do you suggest?" Draco asked her.
She turned to face him. She looked into his eyes and her smile grew wider. "Well we are at Malfoy Manor, surely we can think of something"
Draco thought for a second and then an idea came to him. "Alright then, follow me" He said getting up abruptly. They all followed him, Ginny holding onto her brother for support.
They made their way down the grand staircase and Ron picked Ginny up and carried her down. They followed Draco down a long hall and came to a pair of large wooden doors. He turned both knobs and threw open both doors. "Welcome to the Malfoy Ballroom" he said with a smirk on his face.
They all stood there in awe. The ballroom was gigantic. It had a grand chandelier in the middle that sparkled so brightly it almost blinded them when Draco turned on the lights. There was a stage at the far end and hundreds of tables all around them. There was a large polished wooden dance floor in the center under the chandelier. There was a gorgeous fireplace on the far side next to the dance floor with great big Victorian looking couches that were black and silver.
"It's beautiful" Ginny said looking around the room.
"Yeah it's even better when it's not filled with Death Eaters pretending to be civilized individuals." Draco said more to himself then anything. "Come on" he waved to them to follow him over to the large fireplace. He waved his wand and made up a fire and then flicked his wand again and had some ballroom music start to play.
"I know this music is a bore but I'm not really familiar with anything else" Draco said taking a seat on one of the couches. Ginny sat down next him.
"It's perfect" she said with a smile.
He smiled back at her. He loved to see her smile, to see her happy even if just for a moment. Then he thought, did he just say loved? He meant it was NICE....yes.....NICE to see her smile. Draco didn't know what love was. He never truly felt that kind of affection from anyone so how would he know if he could possibly ever love someone else, especially a Weasley.
"Someone dance" Ginny said with excitement.
"Alright, alright I'll show you some proper ballroom dancing" Ron said dragging Hermione onto the dance floor with him.
"How do you know what proper ballroom dancing is Weasley?" Draco teased him and then laughed along with the rest of them.
"Observe" Ron simply said to them and then roughly grabbed Hermione's hand.
"Ouch, you're crushing my fingers Ron" she said loosening his grip around her hand.
"Oh, sorry, ok here we go" He said and then tried to waltz with Hermione.
Harry, Draco and Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the scene before them. All you heard were shoes scuffing the floor and Hermione shouting out in pain every time Ron stepped on her feet. They argued over who was leading and who wasn't. They argued at where your hands should be and about who was stepping on whose feet.
"Honestly Ron, I actually danced at the Yule Ball in fourth year while you pouted and sat down the whole time and you're going to tell me how to waltz?" Hermione snapped. "Harry, come show him how to properly waltz" she said waving for Harry to come over.
"Uh I'll pass thanks. I barely got through the first dance that night." he laughed
"Aw, come on Harry go dance" Ginny whined playfully.
"You guys are a bunch of prats, I'll show you the proper way. Get over here Granger" Draco said walking onto the dance floor.
He put his hands in place and looked Hermione in the eyes. "If we mess up, just know it's your fault" he said with a smirk.
She gave wide grin and rolled her eyes and then they started to waltz. It was probably one of the most flawless dances Ginny had ever seen. They glided perfectly around the room. No feet were stepped on, no arguing. It was clear Draco was leading as he turned and spun Hermione around and she laughed and moved with ease. Ginny watched Draco the entire time. She saw him glance her way as he gave Hermione another spin. They soon came to a stop and Draco and Hermione playfully gave a bow as Ginny and Harry clapped at their performance.
"Alright alright, I'll give you this one Malfoy" Ron laughed.
"That's alright Ron, I still love you, even with your two left feet" Hermione said planting a kiss on his cheek.
They all sat there as their laughter started to die down. Silence filled the room again. Draco could still feel the smile on face. Did he actually enjoy this time he was spending with his once sworn enemies? An even bigger smile spread across his face. "If you guys think the Ballroom is nice then I should show you my favorite part of the Manor then. Want to see it?"
"YES!" they all answered in unison.
They followed him for a while through hall after hall. Then he took them down to the dungeon areas and the change in temperature made Ginny shiver. Harry and Ron looked at each other as they thought of the last time they were held captive down here.
"Relax guys, believe me you'll thank me for this" Draco said stopping in front of two big stone doors. He grabbed a few cloaks that were hanging up beside the door and gave them out to them.
"We're going outside? It's freezing out there" Hermione said putting the cloak on.
"Trust me, it's worth it" Draco said and then opened the double doors and pushed them open.
They all walked in and were amazed at the site before them.
"YOU HAVE A FUCKIN QUIDDITH PITCH IN THIS PLACE?" Ron yelled with excitement running onto the field.
It was a huge Quidditch stadium. It was half underground and the roof opened up to the ground above.
"This is pretty amazing Draco" Harry stated looking around.
"So you guys want to play some Quidditch? We will have to bend a few rules being that we only have four players" Draco said
"Uh, make that three players, I can't even get a broom off the ground let alone play a game on one." Hermione said taking a seat with Ginny in one of the nearby stands.
"Alright, then the three of us, let's see how well you girls do without the rest of your team" Draco said to Harry and Ron.
"Alright Malfoy, your on" Harry said confidently.
"You know you seem so sure of yourself Potter, let's make it interesting and we will all play seeker. First one to catch the snitch wins. Unless Ronda here is to chicken shit to play a position he hasn't before." Draco said putting on his famous Malfoy sneer just to annoy Ron.
Harry tried keeping a straight face when he saw Ron get angry. Hermione and Ginny were giggling in the stands.
"Come on Ronda, take it out on the field" Harry said dragging Ron with him to grab a broom.
Draco looked at Hermione and Ginny and shook his head smiling to himself.
They all mounted their brooms and took off. Harry and Draco took off in the same direction while Ron seemed completely lost. They both knew to look for the snitch but they seemed to just be enjoying the fact that they could feel the air hit their face. Just the feeling of being on a broom again was something they both missed. Draco wished he could fly a bit higher but he couldn't with the wards in place. He was at the highest he could get at this point. He was looking for the little golden ball when his eyes landed on Ginny's flaming hair in the stands below. He watched her laugh and follow the snitch from her seat. He knew she would probably beat them all had she been able to participate. He thought next time she could show them all whose boss. Then he started thinking if there would be a next time. He was lost in his thoughts about Ginny when he suddenly saw a glint of gold pass her face. As he went to race after it he saw Harry spotted it first and by the time he could attempt to go after it Harry had it in his hand. Harry flew up to Draco and tossed the snitch to him.
"Looks like I won this time" He said with a smirk.
Draco just smirked at him.
"I'm glad Luna isn't here, I'd hate to have a distraction in the stands while playing Quidditch" Harry said suddenly with an even wider smirk on his face and then flew off before Draco could try and deny that he was distracted by the redhead below.
He flew back down and met up with the rest of them. Ron looked outraged that he didn't catch the snitch. He looked at Ginny; her nose was red from the cold. She was starting to cough a lot.
"We should get you back inside" Draco said putting his broom away.
Ginny nodded in agreement and Hermione helped her down from the stands.
They all went back up to Draco's room and sat in front of the fire. Ginny was wrapped up in a blanket sitting on the couch. It was starting to snow outside and Draco sat by the window watching it fall.
"I think I'm going to turn in for the night" Ron said through a yawn. "Thanks for showing us the pitch today Draco" he said walking out of the room and across the hall.
"Looks like the Quidditch pitch landed you on a first name basis with Ron" Hermione teased.
Draco smirked at her. She checked on Ginny's bandages once more before also turning in for night. Harry helped Ginny climb into bed and then went to turn in as well. Draco walked over to the couch and got comfortable and waited for sleep to take him. He laid there thinking about the girl sleeping in his bed. He was glad she had a few laughs today. He smiled to himself thinking back on the day they had and soon drifted off to sleep.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Draco? Draco?" Ginny whispered across the room.
Draco started stirring in his sleep. He thought he heard someone calling his name but sleep was pulling him back in. He then heard a loud thump and he shot straight up. He got up from the couch and saw the fire was still burning so he must not have been asleep very long. He looked over to check on Ginny and saw she was trying to climb out of bed. He ran over to her to help her.
"Hey are you ok, why are you getting out of bed?"
"I tried calling for you, I didn't want to wake up everyone by screaming to get your attention" she sniffled out.
Draco then realized she had been crying. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes puffy.
"I can't sleep right now I need to sit up for a bit" she choked out.
"OK here let me help you" he said helping her over to the couch.
He walked her over to the couch he had been sleeping on and sat her down. He noticed she was starting to cry more now. He leaned down in front of her to see her face.
"Ginny what's wrong? Are you in pain?"
She shook her head no.
"Then what's going on? Do you want me to get Hermione?"
"No.......I'm just.......I'm scared........I'm scared I'm going to die" she sobbed.
"No, stop thinking like that you're going to be fine"
"NO, I'M NOT, LOOK AT ME; I CAN'T EVEN WALK ON MY OWN. I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. I'M GOING TO DIE I KNOW IT. IT'S ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT WHEN IM LAYING IN THAT DAMN BED ALL DAY LONG. I CAN'T LIE IN THERE ANYMORE" she cried.
"Ginny, calm down look at me you're going to be fine I promise. We are going to get the antidote in time I know it."
She looked at him and shook her head again, "No, you can't promise that, you just can't. Today was so much fun. I thought about how I may never get another day like today. I thought of Fred.........." she trailed off into another fit of sobs.
Draco wasn't sure what to say at this point. Was he making her a promise he couldn't keep? Was she right about what she was saying? He didn't even want to bare the thought of losing her.
"I'M GOING TO END UP LIKE FRED; I'M GOING TO THINK I HAVE TOMORROW TO LOOK FORWARD AND THEN JUST NOT WAKE UP! I HAVEN'T EVEN SAID GOODBYE TO MY PARENTS."
"GINNY STOP IT!" Draco grabbed her arms and gave her a forceful shake to try and snap her out of it.
She just hung her head sobbing. She looked up into Draco's eyes and saw the worry he had for her in them. He looked back at her. He saw the flame from the fire dancing in her eyes and lighting up her hair giving it that vibrancy he loved so much.
Ginny gave another sniffle and wiped away a few tears."I'm sorry, it's the only thing I can think about and I'm so scared. I don't-
She was cut off suddenly when Draco's lips met hers. Her eyes went wide for a moment in disbelief and then closed. Ginny felt like fireworks were going off in her stomach. Her entire body was covered in goose bumps and the world completely stopped in this moment. She felt his hand entwine in her hair and push her closer to him and she willingly moved in. She immediately opened her mouth to give him better access to it and just as she was settling into the kiss he quickly pulled away as if her lips were acid. Draco stood up and just stared at her in disbelief, his eyes showing a look of shock at what just happened. He walked backwards from her like he was afraid of her and he ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Ginny was still staring at the spot where he stood. Her lips were still wet from where he kissed them. She was trying to understand what happened just now. Draco Malfoy kissed her and she liked it.
Hermione came walking into the room and walked over to Ginny seeing the shocked look on her face.
"Ginny what's going on? I heard yelling, is everything ok?"
Ginny was still stuck on the moment that just occurred.
"GINNY!" Hermione shouted causing Ginny to jump.
"Oh, uh yeah........yeah.....everything is fine" she said
Draco ripped the bathroom door open suddenly and was heading out to leave the room. "Granger stay with Weasley for a while" he demanded and then slammed his bedroom door closed behind him.
Hermione jumped at the loud bang and then turned to Ginny. "What happened? What's going on?"
Ginny didn't say anything. She was too busy trying to take in what just happened.
"GINNY?" Hermione shouted again this time with worry in her voice.
"Draco kissed me" Ginny whispered suddenly touching her lips.
"WHAT?" Hermione shrieked sitting down next to her. Her worry quickly turned into excitement. "Then why is he upset?"
"I don't know. He pulled away so fast and looked at me like I was nuts"
Hermione knew why Draco pulled away. She knew he was in denial about his feelings for Ginny. She knew he cared for her but he didn't want it to be known. Hermione sighed when Ron and Harry came walking in.
"What's going on?" Ron asked rubbing his eyes.
"Oh nothing, Ginny just had a bad dream. Can you guys sit with her for a few moments? I'm going to go get her a drink." Hermione said then leaned over to whisper in Ginny's ear. "I'll go talk to him" Ginny nodded and gave her a small smile.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Draco stormed out of the Manor and into the back garden. The cold weather hit his face which he didn't mind and the ground was covered in snow. He felt his bare feet in the snow and hoped it would help to cool him down. What was he thinking? Why would he kiss her? After everything he told himself not to do and he went ahead and did it. He wanted to just run upstairs and kiss her again but he knew he couldn't. He thought back to the moment he crashed his lips against hers. He thought about how his heart did cartwheels when he felt she was more than willing to let him kiss her. Did this mean she had feelings for him to? "She's sick though, she probably didn't realize what she was doing" he thought to himself. He sat on a nearby stone bench and just let the snow fall on him. It wasn't long before he heard the snow crunching behind him and Hermione's voice reached his ears.
"Aren't you freezing out here?" she asked wrapping a cloak tighter around herself.
He didn't say anything. He just looked down at the ground.
"Ginny told me what happened" she said suddenly
He whipped his head up to look at her. He was surprised Ginny shared that moment with her. He couldn't blame her though she was probably confused. One second he was kissing her and then the next he stormed out of the room. He looked away again.
"It was stupid to do" he whispered
"Why?"
"Because Granger, it was." he said sounding annoyed.
She walked over to the bench and sat down next to him. She leaned over to try and get a better look at his face.
"You know Draco, you haven't even admitted to having feelings for Ginny yet and she has already been hurt"
He looked up at her with a shocked expression on his face. Then he grew angry. Of course he knew she had been hurt and there wasn't even anything between them.
"SCREW YOU GRANGER; YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!" he yelled.
"Relax Draco, what I'm trying to say is; you're so worried about getting too close to Ginny because you're worried she'll get hurt. Well she already has been so why are you holding back? She is a target regardless if you pursue feelings for her or not. If your father is able to invade your mind like he does then he's going to know regardless if you act on them or not. He will always know you have a soft spot for Ginny. That's the point I'm trying to make."
He just stared at her. She was right but he felt like he was putting her in more danger by acting on his feelings.
"I don't know if I can do that." he said quietly.
Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, "Think about it Draco" and then she got up and headed inside.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Draco finally made his way back upstairs and saw them all sitting by the fire in his room. They all turned to him when he entered. Ron got up and gave a huge yawn.
"Well it's like 4am so I'm going back to sleep" he said walking towards the door. Hermione and Harry were getting ready to follow suit.
Draco was thankful that the news of his kiss hadn't spread yet. He saw Ginny glaring at him from the couch. She looked pissed and a bit hurt. He couldn't deal with this right now and went to go make his way to the bathroom when she spoke suddenly.
"Why did you kiss me?" she asked loudly across the room. Hermione winced at the question her friend just openly asked Draco in front of her overprotective brother and her ex-boyfriend. Harry had a look of shock on his face and Ron's was covered in anger.
"YOU KISSED MY SISTER MALFOY!" he yelled trying to walk over to him.
Hermione grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him and Harry out of the room and closed the door. She kept her hand on Ron's chest firmly to make sure he didn't go back in.
"Ron, stop it." she ordered. "They need to talk about this"
"I knew he fancied Ginny but I didn't think he would actually act on it" Harry said still looking shocked.
"How come you guys know and I don't?" Ron said sounding angry.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly Ron, the signs were all there you were just too thick to notice" she said.
They all stood outside the door in the hall listening to the argument that took place.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Draco turned to face Ginny; he looked a bit amused at her sudden rage.
"I can't deal with this right now" he said and started walking towards his bedroom door.
"NO! YOU'RE NOT JUST GOING TO IGNORE ME!" she yelled standing up now and walking over to him.
Draco looked at the floor. This is the last thing he wanted to do.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked
"I want you to tell me why" she said angrily, tears were now stinging her eyes.
"I did it as a distraction" he said simply.
"A DISTRACTION? NO I DON'T BELIEVE THAT" she cried
Draco was ready to snap. Her feelings were hurt but he didn't feel he had a choice and he had to make her hate him. He felt this was the only way.
"WELL BELIEVE IT WEASLEY! I COULDN'T STAND YOUR CONSTANT BITCHING AND WHINING AND HAD TO SHUT YOU UP SOMEHOW"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the other side of the door, Hermione and Harry had a sad look on their faces.
"Why is he doing that?" Hermione said out loud to herself.
"Doing what?" Ron asked.
"Pushing Ginny away, he's doing it to try and protect her" Hermione explained.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ginny just stared at Draco in disbelief. She was crying now.
"Why can't you just admit the truth to me?" she said.
"YOU WANT THE TRUTH WEASLEY?" he said walking over to his bedroom door and ripping it open making Harry, Ron and Hermione jump back from the surprise of the door being opened.
"I WOULDN'T WANT YOU GUYS TO MISS OUT ON THIS" he yelled and then walked back over to Ginny. "THE TRUTH IS THAT THIS WHOLE THING IS FUCKED UP. PRETENDING WE'RE ALL FRIENDS NOW? ITS BULLSHIT THE WHOLE THING IS. YOU GUYS ARE STUCK HERE BECAUSE OF ME. I'M NOT MEANT TO LIVE, MY FATE IS DECIDED, AT THE END OF ALL OF THIS I'LL BE DEAD AND THAT'S FINE, I DESERVE IT. SO PRETENDING TO BE HAPPY OR PRETENDING TO FEEL ANYTHNG FUCKIN ELSE BUT ANGER AND PAIN IS A JOKE. "
He was breathing heavy; his mind was racing and all over the place. All the emotions he had been feeling for years were filling his head. He looked like he was talking more to himself than anyone else. He looked at Ginny again and walked over to her until they were face to face. He stared into her eyes and saw her tear filled ones looking back.
He felt his emotions falling away from him, like he couldn't control it or hold it back anymore. His mind felt like all it wanted was to scream and at any moment it might explode. He grabbed his hair in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. He felt tears of his own threatening to fall but he wouldn't let them. The air around them all grew cold. The fire in the room suddenly extinguished and the windows were rattling. Everyone in the room seemed to notice this beside Draco. He was too busy trying not to completely lose it.
"WHY WOULD YOU RISK YOUR LIFE TO SAVE ME OF ALL PEOPLE? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME DIE? I DON'T CARE IF IT'S THE COWARDS WAY OUT ANYMORE AT LEAST I WOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND ANOTHER FUCKING MOMENT HERE WITH YOU" he screamed in her face. "AT LEAST I WOULDN'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH MYSELF AND KNOWING ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING I'VE BROUGHT TO SO MANY"
He turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione and saw they were all looking down. They all had a look of pity on their face for him. He grew angrier at this and the rattling windows sounded like at any moment they would shatter.
"DON'T DO THAT, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE HOLD ANY PITY FOR ME. THE THINGS I'VE DONE THE PEOPLE I HELPED BRING HARM TO. HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE POTTER KNOWING I ONCE STOOD ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE PEOPLE WHO KILLED YOUR PARENTS! AND YOU WEASLEY!" he turned back to Ginny. "KNOWING I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR LETTING DEATH EATERS INTO HOGWARTS THAT LED TO YOUR BROTHER GETTING HURT, AND FRED!"
The sound of Ginny's slap against Draco's face filled the room. The trio in the hallway lowered their heads and looked away. Ginny let out a tearful gasp and let the tears fall freely down her face. She slumped to the floor in a ball crying.
"That's what I thought" he whispered with a sad face and walked out of the room past the trio. He stopped and looked at Hermione who reluctantly looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Its better this way" he said giving one last look at Ginny and retreated down the hall.
Hermione ran into the room and wrapped Ginny up in a hug. She tried to help her stand up but Ginny was too weak from the anger she felt. She used all her energy to keep herself standing up and not fall over. She put everything she had into that slap she gave Draco. She was immediately regretting it. She knew he didn't mean those things. Or did he? She didn't know what to think. Harry walked over and picked her up and sat her on the bed. Ron brought her over some tissues and gave her a kiss on the forehead and wrapped her up in a hug.
"It's ok Gin" he said as she cried in her brothers arms. She was so grateful Ron didn't make any harsh comments or jump to any rash assumptions.
"Guys you mind if I talk to Ginny for a moment?" Hermione asked.
They nodded and then left the room. Hermione slid onto the bed and faced Ginny.
"Do you know why Draco said those things?" she asked Ginny.
She shook her head no.
"He thinks he's protecting you. Don't take any of those things he said to heart. He was trying to hurt you on purpose." she said rubbing her friends back.
Ginny looked up at her friend through her tears. "I really thought he kissed me because he wanted to." she choked out.
Hermione couldn't help the small smile that crept across her face and she shook her head. "He did Ginny, believe me he did."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Draco threw open the doors to his father's study and stood over the desk he would always find his father sitting behind. He flung everything off of it and threw whatever he could grab around the room. He completely destroyed his father's study letting out all the anger he felt towards Lucius in that moment. He fell to his knees and hunched over resting his head on the hard wood floor. His anger soon turned to tears and he let out an angry growl. He hated feeling so vulnerable and letting his emotions get the better of him. He turned over and sat against the desk with his arms on his knees. He reached for a piece of glass nearby that shattered from a figurine he threw. He twirled it in his hand for a few moments and contemplated his next actions. "You know that doesn't solve anything" he thought to himself. Did it matter though what he did? Not really, he was screwed in everything he did so it really didn't make a difference in his eyes. He absentmindedly placed the glass over his wrist.
"Draco?" Harry's voice cut through the air.
Draco just glared at him and tossed the glass to the side of him. He ran his hands through his hair and just hung his head in total defeat. Harry walked over and sat on the floor with him. They sat in silence for a while.
"I broke up with Ginny after Dumbledore's death. I thought I was protecting her that way." Harry said suddenly. "But in the end it didn't matter what I had tried to do she was still in danger. It was just inevitable. The whole world today is a target just some people more so than others."
"Yeah but that's the thing Potter, I don't want her to be more of a target than she needs to be." Draco cut in.
"Why are you giving up? You're going to let your father win? All that anger and that hate you have for him. Take it and use it as fuel to bring him to an end. You're a good man Draco, I know you are. You're just finding it hard to believe that. "
Draco laughed at this comment. "A good man, please Potter; you and I both know that's total bullshit."
"It's not, it's the truth. You think Lucius is going to spare Ginny's life if you're dead, if I'm dead? You think he will spare Ron or Hermione's life? Of course he won't so what is the difference? I tried pushing people away after I started losing people I loved but it turned out I needed them more than I thought. I wouldn't give Voldemort the satisfaction of not living my life and I sure the hell won't give Lucius it either. In the end any friendship or love I had was the reason that kept me going and gave me something to fight for."
They sat there in silence for a few moments before Draco spoke. "That's just it though; I don't have anything worth fighting for"
Harry stood up and looked down at him. He let out a long sigh. "Yes you do and when it seems like you don't then you fight for yourself." He then walked out of the study to leave Draco to ponder their conversation.