The first thing Draco became aware of was the pressure. Pressure pushing down on top of him and pressure inside his chest. He coughed and tasted dirt in his mouth.
The second thing he noticed was the pain. His head was absolutely pounding, his arms and legs ached, and his back was sore. He felt like he’d been run over by a heard of rampaging centaurs.
The next thing he noticed was the extreme lack of sound. Last thing he remembered was a lot of crashing and banging and a fair bit of yelling. But now he could hardly hear anything.
Finally he noticed that something soft was tickling his face. It smelled like citrus and vanilla. He opened his eyes and saw red. The red shifted and moved in a slight breeze and he caught a glimpse of a blackened, broken stone ceiling.
His left arm was pinned by whatever was on top of him and he reached up with the other one to push it off. He felt something soft and warm and realized that it was a person. Ginny!
Draco gasped, choking on dirt and Ginny’s hair, as everything came back to him. He’d followed her when she went running after a Death Eater to find her pinned to a wall by said Death Eater. He’d been a little dizzy, but he remembered cursing the guy and then Ginny running over to him.
The rest got even more fuzzy. A loud crash right above his head; he remembered that. He’d tried to hold onto Ginny, but found himself on the floor instead. He must have passed out soon after that.
He could distinctly recall her voice in his ear as she wrapped herself around him. What was it she’d said? Draco racked his brain for a minute before it came to him. “I love… you.” She’d been coughing and choking as she said it, so it wasn’t terribly clear, but that was it.
Heart pounding in his ears, Draco lifted his hand and smoothed her hair back. Her face was turned away from him and she hadn’t moved the entire time he’d been thinking. Cautiously, he pressed his fingers to her neck and was relieved to feel a pulse.
Draco slid his hand down her back, knocking away chunks of stone as he went. One of her arms was still wrapped around his head, so he gently pulled it back down to her side. After pushing away some of the rocks he was able to prop himself up slightly. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders to keep her from slipping off his chest and began to examine the damage. He cried out when he saw the size of the rock that was pinning her legs. It was huge!
Ginny groaned softly and her head lolled against his neck. Draco lowered himself back to the floor so that he could rub her back. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply, biting down on his lip.
After a minute he reached around to free his other arm. He fumbled around a bit, and discovered that it wasn’t just Ginny pinning him. One of the columns that had adorned the sides of the arched entryway to the corridor had come down and now lay across his left hand.
Draco wondered vaguely why it didn’t hurt very much, but then he realized that it was numb, so of course he wouldn’t really feel pain. The logical part of his brain, which seemed to be functioning on its own, completely independent of him and the situation, reasoned that he must have been there for a while.
He looked around for his wand and spotted it about five feet away, right where the far wall met the floor. Ginny’s was in the opposite direction, resting just next to the petrified Death Eater. Great. He’d just have to get them out of here without magic.
Bracing himself, and trying not to jostle Ginny, Draco pushed against the column and pulled on his trapped hand. His first attempt was short-lived, as flashes of pain surged through his left arm. But after about six or seven more tries, he was free.
Draco clutched his hand close and waited for the pain to subside. As he was laying there, he heard voices. Someone was yelling. Two people? They sounded familiar.
They came closer and Draco suddenly recognized them. They were calling for him. “In here!” he yelled back, his voice grinding through his dry throat. “Mother! Father! I’m in here!”
Two sets of footsteps pounded as Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy hurried towards their son’s voice. “Draco!” Narcissa exclaimed, almost before they’d come through what was left of the archway. Draco realized that the breeze that had moved Ginny’s hair earlier was coming from several exterior walls that had broken.
When Lucius saw his son lying on the ground, one hand curled at his side, the other clutching a red-headed witch to his chest, he pulled up short. “Sweet Salazar,” he said. “What happened here?”
Draco tightened his arm around Ginny’s shoulders reflexively. “The wall collapsed. We’re trapped.”
Narcissa immediately jumped forward and reached out. Draco flinched and lifted his injured hand. “Careful,” he said, coughing. “She’s unconscious and I don’t know how badly she’s hurt.”
At that moment, Ginny moaned again, louder this time. Draco stiffened, one hand going to her head, the other to her back. She tucked her chin slightly, then threw her head back and cried out, her eyes wide.
“Ginny,” Draco said softly, curling his fingers into her hair. “Ginny, it’s all right.”
Her response was to dig her fingers into his shoulder and burrow her face into his neck. “My leg!” she gasped, her voice rough and cracked.
Narcissa’s eyes darted down to the large rock that had Ginny pinned to the floor. Lucius followed her gaze. Draco didn’t need to look; he already knew.
“I can’t reach my wand,” he said. “I can’t get it off of her without it.”
Narcissa pulled out her own wand and shakily pointed it at the chunk of stone. She muttered, “Wingardium Leviosa,” and the stone lifted a couple of millimeters before settling right back where it had started.
Ginny cried out again and Draco exclaimed, “Mother! Oh, Ginny! Are you all right?” He slipped his good hand to her neck and held her closer.
She nodded tightly and let out a shaky breath. Draco glanced at each of his parents and said, “Maybe if you work together?”
Lucius glanced up at the ceiling, then over at the wall. “The Dark Lord took my wand to use against Potter and it broke,” he explained.
Draco looked to where his wand lay against the wall. “You can use mine,” he offered. “Please.” He couldn’t quite keep the note of desperate pleading out of his voice.
Finally locking eyes with his son, Lucius nodded. He retrieved the wand and stood next to his wife. Together they said the spell and, a moment later, Ginny was free.
She relaxed against him so minutely that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been watching for it. Draco sat up slowly, supporting her the entire way, and cupped her cheek in his good hand.
Ginny smiled up at him and put her small hand over his. “How’s your head?” she asked. Her eyes were carefully guarded and Draco knew she was trying to hide her pain from him.
“I’m fine,” he said with a smirk. “And I would ask how your leg feels, but I know you too well.”
Ginny wrinkled her nose at him, then turned to his parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,” she said. “Thank you for your help.” Her voice only shook the slightest bit.
The Malfoys nodded as Draco got to his feet. It was a little awkward holding Ginny with his hand in its current state, but in that they were too much alike. He just shifted her so that her weight was supported on his shoulder instead.
“Draco, you don’t need to carry me,” she said in protest. But her hand slipped up to hold onto his other shoulder anyway.
Narcissa led them out of the corridor after retrieving Ginny’s wand for her, telling them that everyone had gathered in the Great Hall after Potter had defeated Voldemort.
“It’s over?” Ginny asked. “Voldemort’s dead?”
Narcissa nodded, smiling back at her husband sadly. Lucius was following behind, silent and brooding.
Draco was only half-listening to the conversation. His attention was focused mainly on Ginny and walking without dropping her. They had to take the long way through the school because of several obstacles in the shape of crumbled statues and walls and even large holes in the floors.
Before long, he grew dizzy and stumbled, leaning against a wall for support. Ginny’s head popped up, her eyes full of concern. “Draco, I can walk,” she said, already pushing herself out of his arms.
Draco reluctantly lowered her to the floor. She gave him a reassuring smile as she balanced on her left leg. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Lucius cleared his throat and she stepped away, her leg immediately buckling beneath her.
Draco caught her before she collapsed and pulled her against him. Her face was contorted in pain, but she quickly smoothed it out and smiled at him. “I’m all right,” she said.
Ginny tried to walk away again, only to collapse once more. Draco lifted her off her feet and gave her a gentle shake. “Stop it,” he said. “Stop being so stubborn. You’re not all right.”
“But, Draco…” she began, only to have Lucius cut her off.
“Here,” he said commandingly. “You’re wasting time with this arguing. I’ll carry the girl and let’s keep moving.”
Draco tightened his hold on Ginny protectively. “You, Father?” He looked down at Ginny to find her looking up at Lucius. She didn’t look scared, or even nervous, but merely cautious.
After a second, she nodded and squeezed Draco’s shoulder. Once again, Draco reluctantly released her. Lucius took her out of his arms and motioned for Narcissa to continue. The group moved forward again, Draco wondering what had gotten into his father.
As if he’d heard his thoughts, Lucius said, “The Dark Lord was not able to follow through on his promises. I’ve decided that it might be a good time to change my loyalties. Losing has never appealed to me.”
Ginny gravely said, “You do realize, I hope, that that won’t be enough to save you from Azkaban. You were, after all, a major part of this war until a short time ago.”
Lucius nodded. “I do know that,” he replied. “But I hope that recent events will be taken into consideration.”
Ever the self-preservationist, that man. Draco shook his head as he realized, had that been him, he would have done the same. Thankfully he’d taken his stand sooner and actually joined the fight against Voldemort.
By this time they had made it to the Great Hall. Draco suddenly realized that Ginny’s family had no idea that they were seeing each other and would probably not be too happy to see her come in with his family. He started to step away, to give an impression of indifference, but Ginny reached out and grabbed his hand. She tugged him closer and smiled, one eyebrow raised; whether in question or challenge was not clear. Either way, Draco nodded.
As expected, when the unusual group came through the doorway, every eye was on them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing off to one side, their arms clutched around each other. They remained where they were, their expressions showing shock and disbelief.
True to his nature, Ron broke from the group first. He charged up to the Malfoys, his eyes red and flashing, hands clenched into fists, and demanded, “What in Merlin’s name are you sorry lot doing with my sister?”
Potter and Granger were two steps behind him. Potter looked like he was ready to shove Draco’s wand down his throat. Granger, though still with a dark look for the Malfoys, put a restraining hand on each boys’ shoulder.
Narcissa quietly said, “She was hurt. Her leg was trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen. We helped her and brought her here. We mean no harm.”
Ron’s eyes darted from one person to the next while Potter took a step forwards and stretched out his arms. “Thanks,” he said stiffly. “We’ll take her from here.”
Ginny squeezed Draco’s hand, drawing the trio’s eyes to their intertwined fingers, and shook her head. “That’s okay, guys,” she said. “I’m fine. In fact, how can I help?”
Draco whipped his head around to look at her. “But, Gin. Your leg,” he cautioned. He almost laughed at the trio’s reactions to his familiarity. Granger’s eyes widened, Weasley’s jaw hit the floor, and Potter’s face turned purple.
“I’ll get Madam Pomfrey to put a splint on it,” Ginny said. “It’ll be fine for a while. I want to help with the wounded ones.”
“I can do a splint,” Hermione offered. “Madam Pomfrey is busy with other things.”
Draco held up his hand as she stepped closer. “You, Granger?” he asked. “You’re not a mediwitch. You shouldn’t be trying that sort of thing. What if you made a mistake? What if you hurt her?”
The Weasel King’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair. “Since when do you care if something happens to my sister?”
“First of all, Weasley,” Draco drawled, “I know whose sister she is, there is no need to yell. Second…” Here he paused to bring Ginny’s hand to his chest. “I’ve cared for a little while now.”
Ron opened and closed his mouth angrily for several minutes, but Harry spoke right away. “What?” he yelled. “Ginny, you’re with him now? What about me… what about us? I thought you and I…”
Ginny looked at the floor, then back up to meet Harry’s gaze. “We broke up, Harry,” she reminded him. Hermione cast the charm to splint her leg while she spoke. “I’m sorry if you’re upset, but… I moved on. I love him.”
Harry shook his head slowly and joined Ron in stunned silence.
Lucius lowered Ginny to the ground and she tested her weight on her leg, leaning slightly into Draco’s side. The elder Malfoy kept one hand on her elbow, surprising everyone, until she was steady. She nodded and said, “Thanks, Hermione. And Mr. Malfoy.”
“Er… Gin,” Ron said, finally managing to speak. “There’s… there’s something… you need to know. You should come with us.” Harry and Hermione instantly became serious when he said this.
Ginny looked between her brother and his friends, taking in there expressions. “Okay,” she said. Then she turned to Draco. “I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and turned to follow his parents as Ginny left with Ron. The Malfoys kept their heads down as they walked past the staring groups of fighters. They settled themselves in the farthest corner of the room and tried to ignore the hostile feeling in the air.
The three exchanged several looks, but no one spoke. It soon became apparent just how distant they had become. Lucius had always been focused on serving the Dark Lord and hadn’t had any time for his family. Narcissa had spent her days doing… whatever it was she did with her time, usually away from home. Draco had been mainly just trying to keep his head above water.
They hadn’t actually sat down together in years. Draco realized that he didn’t actually know his parents; what they were like. Well, aside from Lucius having always been absolutely horrid and Narcissa being distant. They weren’t your average close-knit, or even remotely civil, family. More like a group of people who just happened to live in the same house and share a name.
Several more minutes and awkward looks later, Narcissa turned to Draco and asked, “How is your hand? You’re still favouring it a bit.”
It was true, Draco realized. Even just sitting there doing nothing he held his left hand close to his side, even though it was his primary hand, and relied on his right. He hadn’t even noticed he’d been doing it.
“Oh,” he said. “Well, it doesn’t hurt. But then, I don’t actually feel it at all.”
“Probably broken,” Lucius muttered. “What were you and the Weasley girl doing in there together?” His voice held a measure of contempt.
Draco was looking everywhere except at his father. He cleared his throat and replied, “When the Death Eaters came in she and I were fighting them. One of them managed to lure her into that hallway.
“I followed them and petrified him before he could kill her. Then… I think it was a misfired spell… I don’t know… But the ceiling collapsed. She jumped on top of me. And then next thing I knew I was waking up.”
Draco paused, looking back and forth between his parents. “If you hadn’t come along, we’d probably still be there.” Then he laughed. “If the other Weasleys had found us I would have been severely hexed several times.”
Narcissa smiled weakly while Lucius smoothed his hands over his robes. “So you were against the Dark Lord, then,” Lucius said.
Draco nodded. “I’m sorry I deceived you, Father,” he said. “I was against him the entire time. The spells I passed to you were false. I went to McGonagall as soon as I got my assignment and she and the other teachers provided me with fakes.”
“Well, then you are in a better position than I,” Lucius replied. He looked at his son sadly. “I am glad you, at least, had the foresight to choose the winning side.”
Draco was about to reply that it wasn’t about winning, but about fighting the evil that was Voldemort, but Narcissa shook her head and changed the subject. She asked Draco if he’d like her to mend his hand. When he nodded she pointed her wand and muttered a spell. Draco felt a warm tingling, then a sharp pain. When it passed, his hand was no longer numb.
He flexed his fingers and smiled. “Thanks, Mum,” he said. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
Narcissa’s eyes filled with tears as she touched the spot. “You called me Mum,” she said in a watery voice. “You haven’t called me Mum since you were five years old.”
“I know,” Draco replied. “There are a lot of things I haven’t done that I probably should have.” They exchanged smiles, then lapsed into a more comfortable silence than the last.
The second thing he noticed was the pain. His head was absolutely pounding, his arms and legs ached, and his back was sore. He felt like he’d been run over by a heard of rampaging centaurs.
The next thing he noticed was the extreme lack of sound. Last thing he remembered was a lot of crashing and banging and a fair bit of yelling. But now he could hardly hear anything.
Finally he noticed that something soft was tickling his face. It smelled like citrus and vanilla. He opened his eyes and saw red. The red shifted and moved in a slight breeze and he caught a glimpse of a blackened, broken stone ceiling.
His left arm was pinned by whatever was on top of him and he reached up with the other one to push it off. He felt something soft and warm and realized that it was a person. Ginny!
Draco gasped, choking on dirt and Ginny’s hair, as everything came back to him. He’d followed her when she went running after a Death Eater to find her pinned to a wall by said Death Eater. He’d been a little dizzy, but he remembered cursing the guy and then Ginny running over to him.
The rest got even more fuzzy. A loud crash right above his head; he remembered that. He’d tried to hold onto Ginny, but found himself on the floor instead. He must have passed out soon after that.
He could distinctly recall her voice in his ear as she wrapped herself around him. What was it she’d said? Draco racked his brain for a minute before it came to him. “I love… you.” She’d been coughing and choking as she said it, so it wasn’t terribly clear, but that was it.
Heart pounding in his ears, Draco lifted his hand and smoothed her hair back. Her face was turned away from him and she hadn’t moved the entire time he’d been thinking. Cautiously, he pressed his fingers to her neck and was relieved to feel a pulse.
Draco slid his hand down her back, knocking away chunks of stone as he went. One of her arms was still wrapped around his head, so he gently pulled it back down to her side. After pushing away some of the rocks he was able to prop himself up slightly. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders to keep her from slipping off his chest and began to examine the damage. He cried out when he saw the size of the rock that was pinning her legs. It was huge!
Ginny groaned softly and her head lolled against his neck. Draco lowered himself back to the floor so that he could rub her back. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply, biting down on his lip.
After a minute he reached around to free his other arm. He fumbled around a bit, and discovered that it wasn’t just Ginny pinning him. One of the columns that had adorned the sides of the arched entryway to the corridor had come down and now lay across his left hand.
Draco wondered vaguely why it didn’t hurt very much, but then he realized that it was numb, so of course he wouldn’t really feel pain. The logical part of his brain, which seemed to be functioning on its own, completely independent of him and the situation, reasoned that he must have been there for a while.
He looked around for his wand and spotted it about five feet away, right where the far wall met the floor. Ginny’s was in the opposite direction, resting just next to the petrified Death Eater. Great. He’d just have to get them out of here without magic.
Bracing himself, and trying not to jostle Ginny, Draco pushed against the column and pulled on his trapped hand. His first attempt was short-lived, as flashes of pain surged through his left arm. But after about six or seven more tries, he was free.
Draco clutched his hand close and waited for the pain to subside. As he was laying there, he heard voices. Someone was yelling. Two people? They sounded familiar.
They came closer and Draco suddenly recognized them. They were calling for him. “In here!” he yelled back, his voice grinding through his dry throat. “Mother! Father! I’m in here!”
Two sets of footsteps pounded as Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy hurried towards their son’s voice. “Draco!” Narcissa exclaimed, almost before they’d come through what was left of the archway. Draco realized that the breeze that had moved Ginny’s hair earlier was coming from several exterior walls that had broken.
When Lucius saw his son lying on the ground, one hand curled at his side, the other clutching a red-headed witch to his chest, he pulled up short. “Sweet Salazar,” he said. “What happened here?”
Draco tightened his arm around Ginny’s shoulders reflexively. “The wall collapsed. We’re trapped.”
Narcissa immediately jumped forward and reached out. Draco flinched and lifted his injured hand. “Careful,” he said, coughing. “She’s unconscious and I don’t know how badly she’s hurt.”
At that moment, Ginny moaned again, louder this time. Draco stiffened, one hand going to her head, the other to her back. She tucked her chin slightly, then threw her head back and cried out, her eyes wide.
“Ginny,” Draco said softly, curling his fingers into her hair. “Ginny, it’s all right.”
Her response was to dig her fingers into his shoulder and burrow her face into his neck. “My leg!” she gasped, her voice rough and cracked.
Narcissa’s eyes darted down to the large rock that had Ginny pinned to the floor. Lucius followed her gaze. Draco didn’t need to look; he already knew.
“I can’t reach my wand,” he said. “I can’t get it off of her without it.”
Narcissa pulled out her own wand and shakily pointed it at the chunk of stone. She muttered, “Wingardium Leviosa,” and the stone lifted a couple of millimeters before settling right back where it had started.
Ginny cried out again and Draco exclaimed, “Mother! Oh, Ginny! Are you all right?” He slipped his good hand to her neck and held her closer.
She nodded tightly and let out a shaky breath. Draco glanced at each of his parents and said, “Maybe if you work together?”
Lucius glanced up at the ceiling, then over at the wall. “The Dark Lord took my wand to use against Potter and it broke,” he explained.
Draco looked to where his wand lay against the wall. “You can use mine,” he offered. “Please.” He couldn’t quite keep the note of desperate pleading out of his voice.
Finally locking eyes with his son, Lucius nodded. He retrieved the wand and stood next to his wife. Together they said the spell and, a moment later, Ginny was free.
She relaxed against him so minutely that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been watching for it. Draco sat up slowly, supporting her the entire way, and cupped her cheek in his good hand.
Ginny smiled up at him and put her small hand over his. “How’s your head?” she asked. Her eyes were carefully guarded and Draco knew she was trying to hide her pain from him.
“I’m fine,” he said with a smirk. “And I would ask how your leg feels, but I know you too well.”
Ginny wrinkled her nose at him, then turned to his parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,” she said. “Thank you for your help.” Her voice only shook the slightest bit.
The Malfoys nodded as Draco got to his feet. It was a little awkward holding Ginny with his hand in its current state, but in that they were too much alike. He just shifted her so that her weight was supported on his shoulder instead.
“Draco, you don’t need to carry me,” she said in protest. But her hand slipped up to hold onto his other shoulder anyway.
Narcissa led them out of the corridor after retrieving Ginny’s wand for her, telling them that everyone had gathered in the Great Hall after Potter had defeated Voldemort.
“It’s over?” Ginny asked. “Voldemort’s dead?”
Narcissa nodded, smiling back at her husband sadly. Lucius was following behind, silent and brooding.
Draco was only half-listening to the conversation. His attention was focused mainly on Ginny and walking without dropping her. They had to take the long way through the school because of several obstacles in the shape of crumbled statues and walls and even large holes in the floors.
Before long, he grew dizzy and stumbled, leaning against a wall for support. Ginny’s head popped up, her eyes full of concern. “Draco, I can walk,” she said, already pushing herself out of his arms.
Draco reluctantly lowered her to the floor. She gave him a reassuring smile as she balanced on her left leg. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Lucius cleared his throat and she stepped away, her leg immediately buckling beneath her.
Draco caught her before she collapsed and pulled her against him. Her face was contorted in pain, but she quickly smoothed it out and smiled at him. “I’m all right,” she said.
Ginny tried to walk away again, only to collapse once more. Draco lifted her off her feet and gave her a gentle shake. “Stop it,” he said. “Stop being so stubborn. You’re not all right.”
“But, Draco…” she began, only to have Lucius cut her off.
“Here,” he said commandingly. “You’re wasting time with this arguing. I’ll carry the girl and let’s keep moving.”
Draco tightened his hold on Ginny protectively. “You, Father?” He looked down at Ginny to find her looking up at Lucius. She didn’t look scared, or even nervous, but merely cautious.
After a second, she nodded and squeezed Draco’s shoulder. Once again, Draco reluctantly released her. Lucius took her out of his arms and motioned for Narcissa to continue. The group moved forward again, Draco wondering what had gotten into his father.
As if he’d heard his thoughts, Lucius said, “The Dark Lord was not able to follow through on his promises. I’ve decided that it might be a good time to change my loyalties. Losing has never appealed to me.”
Ginny gravely said, “You do realize, I hope, that that won’t be enough to save you from Azkaban. You were, after all, a major part of this war until a short time ago.”
Lucius nodded. “I do know that,” he replied. “But I hope that recent events will be taken into consideration.”
Ever the self-preservationist, that man. Draco shook his head as he realized, had that been him, he would have done the same. Thankfully he’d taken his stand sooner and actually joined the fight against Voldemort.
By this time they had made it to the Great Hall. Draco suddenly realized that Ginny’s family had no idea that they were seeing each other and would probably not be too happy to see her come in with his family. He started to step away, to give an impression of indifference, but Ginny reached out and grabbed his hand. She tugged him closer and smiled, one eyebrow raised; whether in question or challenge was not clear. Either way, Draco nodded.
As expected, when the unusual group came through the doorway, every eye was on them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing off to one side, their arms clutched around each other. They remained where they were, their expressions showing shock and disbelief.
True to his nature, Ron broke from the group first. He charged up to the Malfoys, his eyes red and flashing, hands clenched into fists, and demanded, “What in Merlin’s name are you sorry lot doing with my sister?”
Potter and Granger were two steps behind him. Potter looked like he was ready to shove Draco’s wand down his throat. Granger, though still with a dark look for the Malfoys, put a restraining hand on each boys’ shoulder.
Narcissa quietly said, “She was hurt. Her leg was trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen. We helped her and brought her here. We mean no harm.”
Ron’s eyes darted from one person to the next while Potter took a step forwards and stretched out his arms. “Thanks,” he said stiffly. “We’ll take her from here.”
Ginny squeezed Draco’s hand, drawing the trio’s eyes to their intertwined fingers, and shook her head. “That’s okay, guys,” she said. “I’m fine. In fact, how can I help?”
Draco whipped his head around to look at her. “But, Gin. Your leg,” he cautioned. He almost laughed at the trio’s reactions to his familiarity. Granger’s eyes widened, Weasley’s jaw hit the floor, and Potter’s face turned purple.
“I’ll get Madam Pomfrey to put a splint on it,” Ginny said. “It’ll be fine for a while. I want to help with the wounded ones.”
“I can do a splint,” Hermione offered. “Madam Pomfrey is busy with other things.”
Draco held up his hand as she stepped closer. “You, Granger?” he asked. “You’re not a mediwitch. You shouldn’t be trying that sort of thing. What if you made a mistake? What if you hurt her?”
The Weasel King’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair. “Since when do you care if something happens to my sister?”
“First of all, Weasley,” Draco drawled, “I know whose sister she is, there is no need to yell. Second…” Here he paused to bring Ginny’s hand to his chest. “I’ve cared for a little while now.”
Ron opened and closed his mouth angrily for several minutes, but Harry spoke right away. “What?” he yelled. “Ginny, you’re with him now? What about me… what about us? I thought you and I…”
Ginny looked at the floor, then back up to meet Harry’s gaze. “We broke up, Harry,” she reminded him. Hermione cast the charm to splint her leg while she spoke. “I’m sorry if you’re upset, but… I moved on. I love him.”
Harry shook his head slowly and joined Ron in stunned silence.
Lucius lowered Ginny to the ground and she tested her weight on her leg, leaning slightly into Draco’s side. The elder Malfoy kept one hand on her elbow, surprising everyone, until she was steady. She nodded and said, “Thanks, Hermione. And Mr. Malfoy.”
“Er… Gin,” Ron said, finally managing to speak. “There’s… there’s something… you need to know. You should come with us.” Harry and Hermione instantly became serious when he said this.
Ginny looked between her brother and his friends, taking in there expressions. “Okay,” she said. Then she turned to Draco. “I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and turned to follow his parents as Ginny left with Ron. The Malfoys kept their heads down as they walked past the staring groups of fighters. They settled themselves in the farthest corner of the room and tried to ignore the hostile feeling in the air.
The three exchanged several looks, but no one spoke. It soon became apparent just how distant they had become. Lucius had always been focused on serving the Dark Lord and hadn’t had any time for his family. Narcissa had spent her days doing… whatever it was she did with her time, usually away from home. Draco had been mainly just trying to keep his head above water.
They hadn’t actually sat down together in years. Draco realized that he didn’t actually know his parents; what they were like. Well, aside from Lucius having always been absolutely horrid and Narcissa being distant. They weren’t your average close-knit, or even remotely civil, family. More like a group of people who just happened to live in the same house and share a name.
Several more minutes and awkward looks later, Narcissa turned to Draco and asked, “How is your hand? You’re still favouring it a bit.”
It was true, Draco realized. Even just sitting there doing nothing he held his left hand close to his side, even though it was his primary hand, and relied on his right. He hadn’t even noticed he’d been doing it.
“Oh,” he said. “Well, it doesn’t hurt. But then, I don’t actually feel it at all.”
“Probably broken,” Lucius muttered. “What were you and the Weasley girl doing in there together?” His voice held a measure of contempt.
Draco was looking everywhere except at his father. He cleared his throat and replied, “When the Death Eaters came in she and I were fighting them. One of them managed to lure her into that hallway.
“I followed them and petrified him before he could kill her. Then… I think it was a misfired spell… I don’t know… But the ceiling collapsed. She jumped on top of me. And then next thing I knew I was waking up.”
Draco paused, looking back and forth between his parents. “If you hadn’t come along, we’d probably still be there.” Then he laughed. “If the other Weasleys had found us I would have been severely hexed several times.”
Narcissa smiled weakly while Lucius smoothed his hands over his robes. “So you were against the Dark Lord, then,” Lucius said.
Draco nodded. “I’m sorry I deceived you, Father,” he said. “I was against him the entire time. The spells I passed to you were false. I went to McGonagall as soon as I got my assignment and she and the other teachers provided me with fakes.”
“Well, then you are in a better position than I,” Lucius replied. He looked at his son sadly. “I am glad you, at least, had the foresight to choose the winning side.”
Draco was about to reply that it wasn’t about winning, but about fighting the evil that was Voldemort, but Narcissa shook her head and changed the subject. She asked Draco if he’d like her to mend his hand. When he nodded she pointed her wand and muttered a spell. Draco felt a warm tingling, then a sharp pain. When it passed, his hand was no longer numb.
He flexed his fingers and smiled. “Thanks, Mum,” he said. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
Narcissa’s eyes filled with tears as she touched the spot. “You called me Mum,” she said in a watery voice. “You haven’t called me Mum since you were five years old.”
“I know,” Draco replied. “There are a lot of things I haven’t done that I probably should have.” They exchanged smiles, then lapsed into a more comfortable silence than the last.
Author notes: Lucius is soooo hard to write! It was easy back when he needed to be all evil, but now that he's not waving a wand and attacking people he kept wanting to turn into a nice guy. Anyway... what did you wonderful people think? Not as much drama here. Go ahead and leave your comments. Only one more chapter, my friends! Thank you to Nakita, 4everdandg, and raye for your reviews! Loves!
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