Written for the Houses Competition

House: Slytherin Category: Drabble

Prompt: "No, no… keep going… I want to see where this ends up."

Word Count: 456

A/N: Canon Divergence – AU – Ron never rejoins Harry & Hermione, and Draco helps the duo escape from Malfoy Manor and helps them finish their quest to destroy Voldemort.

oOo

Hermione could hear raised voices coming through the closed door to the kitchen of Shell Cottage and she mentally sighed. Not again. She paused, cracking it open so she could hear what the boys were saying, so she could hopefully diffuse things before wands were drawn this time.

"So you're saying it's all MY fault?! What, did I ASK Voldemort to come and kill me as a baby! Send him a little request by owl post to order you to kill Dumbledore last year? Please tell me how you think any of this is MY fault!" Harry's furious tone carried easily.

"Oh excuse me, and here I thought you wanted some honesty. If all you want is for people to bend over and kiss your arse Potter, maybe you should go off and find Weasel-bee. Oh wait that's right, he ran off and left you, and I'm the one that saved your ungrateful hide!" Draco's tone was vicious, using his words and the truth of Ron's betrayal like a blade.

"Well…" Harry paused as Hermione strode into the kitchen, giving both boys a hard glare. "Uh, Hermione…we were just…"

"No, no… keep going… I want to see where this ends up." Sarcasm dripped of each word and both Harry and Draco looked more than a little chastened. "Right, I thought not. Look, I know this isn't ideal and we were all hoping to have defeated You-Know-Who by now, but the fact is we haven't. We need one another. Draco's parents are being held prisoner in their own home by his crazy Aunt, and Harry…neither of us can show our faces in public unless we want to risk getting caught by the Snatchers again. We have to work together, so can you two please stop fighting like a pair of rabid dogs? Please?" She hated the slightly desperate tone in her voice at the end, but they needed Draco's help to do this and they couldn't risk him walking out and betraying them.

Harry sighed and went over to his friend, taking her hand and squeezing it. "You're right, you're always right, Hermione," he admitted. "I'm sorry Malfoy, I was being a right foul git."

Draco's face was hard to read, but he nodded ever so slightly. "I was too, and I concede that Granger's right. We need one another, so we should just focus on the task at hand." He accepted some of the blame, in the interests of their mutual goals.

"Good." She took a deep breath. "Now, let's start working on our plan to break into Gringott's." She gave them both a brilliant smile, inwardly pleased by the slightly horrified expression on Malfoy's face. Hopefully this would distract them from their petty arguments.