Guardian Angel

Note: This is the first Harry Potter fanfiction I've posted on I have a lot under so... if you wanna check them out my penname is LittleMissRachel. I'll rpobably start to post them on here soon, so if you want to wait you can. Anyway, ala reviews are appreciated!

Disclaimer: I have yet to find a way to own Harry Potter. JKR owns it all.

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I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all…

--- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

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Draco had walked into Professor Dumbledore's office not knowing that he'd come out with a promise of protection and security. He had gone in, determined to beg if he had to. He was not going to join the Death Eaters. He was afraid to, although he never let that emotion show. With much encouragement from Daphne Greengrass, he had went to the Headmaster.

"Draco…" Daphne said, garnering the blonde's attention. They sat in the cold Slytherin common room; he staring into the fire, she reading a book. He took no notice when she closed the book and stared at him.

"Yes?" He asked coolly. Daphne seemed unmoved by his cool demeanor. She was the only person to see passed his façade. She saw the real Draco, although she never let on that she did. He wouldn't have wanted to know. If he did, he would've pushed her even further away than he already had.

"You…" Daphne began then stopped. She didn't know how to phrase he thoughts. She was afraid that when she told him, he'd berate her for being so weak.

"Get on with it," Draco demanded. He narrowed his eyes at her. Daphne almost flinched at the look he was sending her way. It was a blank stare, but it chilled her to the bone. Lately he had been so distant; so cold.

"I think you need to reconsider taking the oath," She blurted out. Draco's eyes widened, and he leaned forward slowly.

"And why do you think that? Do you think I'm not strong enough? Do you think that I'm not worthy of the Dark Lord?" Draco asked venomously. Daphne looked down at her hands that she was twisting nervously together in her lap.

"That's not it, Draco, and you know it. You are more than worthy of getting the Dark Mark; you're above it. There are other ways of becoming a powerful wizard. You don't need to be a servant to a heartless being. You don't need Voldemort," Draco flinched as she said his name, "to control and lead you. You're a leader, Draco."

Draco sat there for a moment, his eyes trained on the table in front of him. He then looked up at her, but with no expressions in his eyes, "It doesn't matter what I want. It's what my father wants. I don't get the choice of taking the oath or not."

"Yes you do!" Daphne exclaimed, standing up. She walked around the table and kneeled in front of him. She took his head in her hands and made him look her in the eye, "You have a choice, Draco! You're father can not control you anymore. You can defy him and Voldemort and all of the people who want you to become a Death Eater. You don't have to become anything you don't want to."

Draco pushed her hands away, "You don't understand. If I back out, then I have no protection. I would get killed! My father would see to it that he first gets to torture then kill me."

"No! You could get protection! Like I have," Daphne finished with a whisper, taking hold of his hand. Draco's eyes flickered down to where she was touching them then back up to her. She saw the hesitation in his eyes, and a small amount of hope spread throughout her.

"What safety do you have, Daphne?" Draco asked quietly. Daphne's heart raced as he spoke her name. It was like velvet floating off his tongue every time he said it.

"Dumbledore," She said, then added quickly when he rolled his eyes, "The Order of the Phoenix. They offer the most protection anyone could get. They will let you in, Draco. They live to help you survive."

They sat there for a while just staring at one another. Daphne watched as emotion after emotion passed through his silvery eyes. Hatred. Fear. Then, finally, submission.

"We promise you safety, Draco. You will be well secured under our watch, and nothing will harm you," Professor Dumbledore had said to him before dismissing Draco. The blonde had felt a weight lift from his shoulders, and he even felt tears prickling his eyes. It had been a long time since he last cried.

And it had been even a longer time since he said, "Thank you. Thank you."

Draco was still anxious. He was afraid that his father would come after him. He was afraid that he would be forced to take the Dark Mark and the oath. He was truly frightened of the world now. He had no security, except for what Dumbledore had promised. He had no one. His "friends", he knew, would betray him for choosing to not become a Death eater like they had always planned.

But as Draco stepped out of the doorway, his eyes brimmed with tears of happiness and fear, he saw her. The blonde he had always counted on. She was sitting on a statue a few feet away from the entrance, her head in the palm of her hand. His once icy heart began to melt at the sight of her sitting there, waiting. He had been in there for hours, explaining to Dumbledore all of his fears of becoming a Death Eater.

She had waited all that time. Night had fallen an hour ago, and dinner had been served even before that. She had sat there, where he had left her, for that long period of time and just waited. He wondered what she had done; if she had left at all. An emotion he had never felt welled up inside of the seventh year Slytherin. It spread throughout his body, warming him up. No longer was he the cold boy who walked around Hogwarts, shoving people out of the way.

Daphne turned her head when she heard his footsteps and uncurled from the base of the stature like a cat waking from it's sleeping spot in the sun. Her smile melted Draco even further, hot blood pumping throughout him. He felt more alive than ever. He approached her, tears slipping down his face.

They said nothing, just stood there a foot apart from one another. She took in his rosy cheeks, the tiny smile on his lips. But most of all, she noticed the tears. Tears she hadn't seen from him in years. And to see him cry made her start to tear up. In one fluid motion she had her arms around him, hugging him tight. Draco pulled her flush against him, his arms secure around her waist.

He was still afraid. The future was a scary thing. He didn't know if Dumbledore could protect him forever. He didn't know if he would ever be accepted into the Order like Dumbledore said he would be. He didn't know how his Housemates would react to the news. He didn't know a lot of the things the future held for him. But he did know one thing, and that one thing promised him the most.

Daphne would always be there for him. She had always been there. He just hadn't realized how important she was to him until now. He didn't notice all of those times she calmed him down when he got overheated. He never cared to think about all the times she gave him those looks from across the table when he was being an egotistical jerk.

Draco squeezed her, their bodies melting together. The warmth radiating from her heated him to his very core, and he felt the last of the ice slipping away. One hand ran up her back and cupped her head. He wove his hands into her beautiful blonde hair and closed his eyes, more tears escaping. He felt her tighten her arms around her neck. The security she was offering to him at that moment comforted him more than anything ever could.

He rubbed his cheek gently against her hair, his breathing becoming steadier. He heard her sniffle and he pulled back only slightly to look directly at her. She had been crying. Draco brought his hand that was in her hair around to her face and softly brushed away her tears. Daphne smiled and laughed once. Draco smiled lightly then resumed his original position; his hair in her hair, one arm tight around her waist.

"I'm so proud of you, Draco," Daphne whispered almost inaudibly. Draco had to strain his ears to hear her. He smiled; a true, genuine smile. He felt so alive.

"I'll need more than just their protection, Daphne," He whispered back, "I'll need a guardian angel."

Daphne's chest heaved against his, and he heard her laughing softly. She moved her head only slightly so her lips were near his ear, and whispered, "I'm here, Draco. Your guardian angel has always been right here."