It's their Sixth year and Ron, Harry, and Hermione are convinced Draco Malfoy is planning something. They know it has to do with Voldemort and are determined to discover what he's up to. And why do his eyes never seem to leave Ron? [DxR] [HxH]

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley crowded conspiratorially at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. The scene was so run of the mill at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that their fellow Gryffindors barely glanced their way. It would all become clear in the end, after all. It always did where they were concerned.

"So you agree with me?" Harry asked, feeling vicious triumph pound at his chest.

Hermione bit the corner of her lip harshly and swiped her hair from her face, "I don't know if you're right, Harry, but my gut is telling me you're not completely wrong. I saw him when Filch brought him into Slughorn's class this morning. He had been wandering the halls and the look in his yes…it was like he was a caged animal."

"I know he's planning something, Hermione, I know it. When he's not roaming the castle, Malfoy is off somewhere planning. And he's staring at us, again," Harry glanced over his shoulder feeling his hackles rise. This had been happening for months. Malfoy's behavior was becoming consistently more erratic.

"You two are being absolute bonkers," Ron shook his head at his two best friends, hunching his shoulders so he wouldn't be overheard. "Malfoy is probably just pissing his pants now that You-Know-Who is back. His Dad is probably busy trying to get him to become a Death Eater. He's either terrified or too excited to sleep."

Harry narrowed his eyes, "Maybe he's already a Death Eater. Maybe he already has a mission from Voldemort."

Ron snorted, "Come on, Harry. You-Know-Who would never trust Malfoy. What could he possibly do for him that another more seasoned Death Eater couldn't do better?"

"Ron, don't forget that a baby snake is more dangerous than an adult one," Hermione cautioned glancing in Malfoy's direction. Harry wasn't wrong. They had been through enough in the past six years for them all to know that things were changing. With Voldemort's existence out in the open, people were changing. "It still hasn't learned how to control its venom."

iIiIiIiI

"For argument's sake," Ron said in the Gryffindor common room a week later, "let's say that we all agree. Malfoy is being a shifty bugger. He's acting weird and a lot of his hostility is being aimed at us. What are we going to do about it?"

Harry nodded in agreement, "We need to find out why."

"Yes, and we have to find out how bad it is. What's going on, why, and who will it affect?" Hermione wrote her thoughts down on a piece of parchment to keep herself organized.

"We need to know what it has to do with us," Ron paced the room and pointed at Hermione's parchment. "You should write that down. He's not even heckling us, just staring. It's not like him."

Hermione's quill scribbled quickly to capture everything, "And why you in particular?"

Ron paused, "Me?"

"Yes," Hermione glanced at Harry and frowned. "We've been watching him these last few days. He looks at us but only when we're together. When it's just Harry and I, he glances our way but loses interest. Then, the other day, when I was late for Herbology, I saw Malfoy's eyes glued to you when you were getting shears."

"And in Potions," Harry cut in. "You were partnered with Neville. Malfoy was in the back of the room, which is unusual, Mione. We should write that down too. He was always in the front before. Anyway, he was in the back and he was just watching you two work. He barely paid attention to his own potion."

"Well, he doesn't have do, does he?" Ron scrunched his nose in disgust. "He doesn't seem to care about marks at all anymore."

"You're focusing on the wrong thing, Ronald," Hermione sighed. "He looks at you more than us. It's worrying."

Ron pursed his lips, "You don't think his plan has to do with harming my family, do you? I mean, to him, we're blood traitors. We're no better than scum."

"I thought of that," Hermione said slowly, "but I don't think so. If that was the case, why wouldn't he be paying attention to Ginny too? I've been watching him for signs that he's trailing her too, but he only ever pays her any attention when she's with you."

"What do you think, Harry?" Ron asked his best friend.

Harry ran his hands through his hair, "I don't know, Ron. I can't make sense of it, but we have to try. We have to try to figure out what Malfoy is up to."

iIiIiIiI

Maybe Harry and Hermione were right, Ron thought to himself as he shuffled down a lonely hall on the way back to Gryffindor Tower from the library. Maybe he wasn't taking Malfoy seriously enough, but it didn't mean that it totally had to derail their lives. They had spent the last sixteen bloody days trailing Malfoy, losing him more often than not. The sneaky bugger could disappear from empty halls like he was made of smoke.

They did their best to take turns so as to not get too behind on their school work, but it was clearly not working. The worst part was that he was so tired and his head so full of Malfoy that all he had to show for it were two measly pieces of parchment with an essay so bad it would be a wonder if he wasn't thrown out of Hogwarts. Hopefully, Harry had done better and he could copy in a hurry tomorrow morning before breakfast ended. He hoped there would be scones tomorrow morning with piping hot tea. He was going to need it if -

Ron was brusquely startled out of his thoughts when his wand was forcefully torn from his hand. Malfoys's spell was so quiet that Ron had not heard it. He narrowed his eyes and took a threatening step towards Malfoy, pausing only when he felt Malfoy's wand push against his throat in the darkness.

"Lumos," Draco said quietly, casting a soft glow about them.

Ron licked his lips involuntarily and swallowed, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Draco's eyes slithered to Ron's lips before returning to the redhead's. Completely ignoring Ron, Draco stared at him unnervingly, scanning Ron's face and focusing momentarily on his lips once again. Ron breathed heavily under Draco's scrutiny. His flight or fight instinct made his heart pound with adrenaline.

He had absolutely no idea what was happening, but Ron refused to stand down. His eyes raked over Malfoy's face with defiance, memorizing all possible details to share with Harry and Hermione later. Malfoy really did look haggard. There were deep bags under his eyes, all the more prominent because the greenish hue clashed against Malfoy's grey eyes. Though almost invisible, Malfoy's impossibly long eyelashes fluttered in slow blinks that betrayed the depth of his exhaustion. His lips were full but dry, as if he had gone many hours without drinking water. His cheeks were thin and clung to the high bones underneath as if they were a thin film of fabric.

Malfoy's breathing was slow and even, though Ron noticed that the pulse at his neck was fluttering in fast beats. The wand at his throat steadily pushed against his skin, but Ron couldn't help but feel that it was non-threatening after a few moments. Testing for resistance, Ron brought his right hand up slowly and pushed Malfoy's wand hand down. Draco's hand thudded against the side of his leg softly.

Ron couldn't wrap his head around what was happening. This was mental. Draco bloody Malfoy was standing in front him, wand in hand, using a spell so he could watch Ron. Because that's what he was doing, Ron finally realized. Malfoy was just looking at him, studying his face as if he he was committing it to memory. And worst of all, Malfoy wasn't even insulting him. He wore a tiny, forlorn frown on his face but betrayed no other emotion.

"You have freckles on your lips," Draco said at last.

Feeling the tips of his ears warm, Ron brought his fingertips to his lips, "Uh, yeah."

Drinking in one final long look, Draco let his wand go dark and turned on his heel. Ron heard his own wand clatter to the ground and he immediately sank low to look for it. When he finally found it and cast a Lumos of his own, he was alone.

iIiIiIiI

The next morning, Ron woke up with a queasy feeling at the pit of his stomach. It was the same feeling he had felt when he had accidentally smashed Ginny's hand with a door when they were little. Only now, it was complete shit, because he hadn't done anything wrong and he had no reason to feel guilty.

"You ok, Ron?" Harry finally asked as they were brushing their teeth. Ron had been brushing the same side for a good two minutes and had the same look on his he always wore when he was concentrating too hard.

Ron startled out of his thoughts and spit out the toothpaste, "Yeah, fine."

And Harry might have believed him, if only Ron hadn't walked back into their room without brushing the other side of his teeth. Harry followed him with narrowed eyes, "Ron, you look like you're about to have an aneurysm. Spit it out."

"It's nothing," Ron said, busying himself looking for a jumper.

Harry shook his head, "I've known you for six years now. I'm pretty sure I know when something's up. So, why don't you save us both some time and just come out with it."

"It's nothing," Ron said with a frown.

"Ron…"

"Harry."

"Ron!"

"Alright! I'm going to tell you and then we can go and tell Hermione, but you have to promise you're not going to throw things, or start yelling, or run off after the git," Ron focused on putting on his sock harder than he ever had in his life.

Harry sat on his bed looking unusually serious, "Alright, mate, you're starting to scare me."

Ron look at his best friend and the stared nonchalantly above Harry's left shoulder, "Malfoy cornered me in a corridor last night-"

"What?"

"AND he didn't hurt me. Harry, sit down, seriously. You promised not to yell," Ron frowned until Harry settled on his bed again, looking rather ruffled but more or less like he wasn't going to blow a fuse. "Anyway, I don't know what it means or what he was trying to do. Maybe he was just trying to get in my head or yours for all I know."

Harry took a breath to calm himself and asked, "Well, what did he say?"

Ron blushed a deep red and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "He just kind of stared at my face and told me I had freckles on my lips."

"Freckles…"

"On my lips, yeah," Ron mumbled.

Harry scratched the end of his nose, thinking, "I don't know what that means."

"Right! I don't know what it bloody means either!" Ron said feeling relief flooding through him. If Harry didn't know, he wasn't being completely daft.

"Right, then," Harry said standing up. "Put on your shoe. We have to go find Hermione."

iIiIiIiI

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Hermione said with an eye roll so mighty she wondered for a second if she hadn't seen the back of her own head. It could not be this simple. When she opened her eyes, Ron and Harry were staring at her with their usual look of confusion. She sighed and said, "The moron fancies you."

Their roar of incredulity was immediate and drew the attention from everyone near them at the Gryffindor table. They were yelling over each other, so that their protests made no sense. Ron was so red in the face that he was nearly monochrome and Harry was sputtering croissant everywhere. Seeing Professor McGonagall approaching, Hermione tried to quell them to no avail.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, unless you are purposely trying to burst your classmates' eardrums, I must insist you quiet down. It's far too early to deal with you two," Professor McGonagall said imperiously with a small but severe shake of her head.

"Sorry, Professor," Harry said sheepishly. "It's all Hermione's fault. You should yell at her."

Ron nodded, "Yeah, she's being, uh, gross."

Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione in surprise and raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Ms. Granger, do I even want to ask?"

Hermione sighed, "You really don't, Professor."

"Right, very well. As long as you're not off maiming yourselves, I will not get involved before I have my first cup of tea," Professor McGonagall said and started to walk away. Hesitating, she looked back at the three Gryffindors, "You aren't about to go off to maim yourselves, are you?" Their laughter and shaking heads was enough to reassure her and send her on her way to sit for breakfast with a small smile on her face.

iIiIiIiI

The days that followed consisted of Harry trailing Hermione as she, in turn, trailed Malfoy. They barely spent any time with Ron, leaving him alone in favor of luring Malfoy for Hermione's observation. She felt sure that if she saw them together, she would be able to discern is she was right. Unfortunately for them, Malfoy was as cunning as a seadevil.

Weeks passed with Malfoy evading them and they would have to wait until the late evening to hear from Ron how about their increasing interactions. Sometimes Malfoy wouldn't say anything to Ron at all in favor of watching him before disappearing with a scowl. Other times, Malfoy would insult Ron to get him worked up only to laugh as Ron became increasingly flustered. Hermione's theory was that this was Malfoy's version of flirting. She imagined this was his way of ruffling Ron's feathers.

And then, rarest of all, there were times when Draco found Ron looking utterly exhausted. His fatigue hunched his broad shoulders and made a small but marked line appear between his eyebrows. In those moments, Draco's eyes looked eternally sad.

When he shared this with his friends, Harry and Hermione exchanged increasingly concerned looks but said nothing.

iIiIiIiI

Leaving their Herbology lesson days later, Hermione narrowed her eyes in determination and quickened her step. "Harry," Hermione said in her most serious, bossy voice, "follow me and don't say a word."

Harry knew better than to argue when she had that tone in her voice. They usually ended up getting absolutely no help in Runes when Ron didn't go along with what she wanted when she talked like this, or got scolded and sent away to their room like toddlers. He had no clue where they were going, but followed her silently until they got to the open entrance of the Quidditch field. It was empty but for a tall, lonely figure staring out into the pitch.

Hermione's wand cut through the air with a swift whip, "Malfoy."

The blond Slytherin turned his head over his shoulder, already reaching for his own wand. Hermione's eyes shifted to Draco's hand and she shook her head, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. We both have our wands trained on you. Do you really want to see where this goes?"

"What do you want, Granger?" Draco said affecting a tone of boredom, turning his body slowly to gain back some of his leverage.

"I want you to listen, you daft ferret," Hermione said in a fierce, venomous voice. "And don't say a word."

Harry briefly wondered when Hermione had become like this. Her eyes flashed threateningly her hair blew wildly in the wind. She was breathtaking. And terrifying.

"Granger, do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot-"

"We know about you and Ron," Hermione said, watching all the blood drain from Draco's face with satisfaction. It was all the proof she needed. "If you ever want a chance with him, you will rethink whatever it is that you're doing, whatever it is that you're planning when you're roaming the halls in the middle of the night, and you will rethink the moronic mark you have inked on your arm. You will think long and hard about life and death, and war, and where you want to be when all of this ends. The three of us will be on one side, always. You know that and you should remember that I said that. And you should remember this. If you hurt anyone, Ron will never be with you. If you hurt someone he cares about, he will not care what happens to you. And you if you hurt one of us, he will kill you."

The silence lay heavily between the three of them. Draco was coiled so tightly that he looked ready to rear back and strike. Whatever his faults, however, Draco was not a complete fool. He knew better than to attack with both of their wants aimed at his throat. He waited silently until Hermione took a step backwards and nodded at Harry. Harry let her walk past him before he too started walking away from Draco.

Stopping, Harry turned to Draco and said casually, "And if you hurt him, Malfoy, I will kill you." He glanced down at his own hand almost as an after thought, "Without a wand."

iIiIiIiI

Keeping up with Hermione's quick pace, Harry glanced at his friend, "Do you really think that was necessary, Mione? We don't even know if Ron is gay. I don't even know if Ron knows he's gay. Besides, he hates Malfoy."

Hermione glanced at Harry in agitation, "Ugh, I don't know, I don't know, Harry, but it can't do harm. Malfoy's already stalking Ron. If he explicitly knows we're on to him, all the better. I don't trust him. He's cagey, strong, rich, and he's friends with dark wizards. I think he's dangerous and clearly exhausted. I just don't want him to forget that Ron isn't alone and that we are most certainly aware he's up to no good. If he thinks we're just going to stand aside while he goes nuclear, he has another another thing coming."

"You're kind of scary when you get like this," Harry slowed his pace to look at his friend with admiration.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "I'm certainly no damsel in distress. Look, Ron aside, if what I said does anything to change whatever Malfoy is up to then we did our part. And I'm right. I know I'm right. No one worth while is ever going to be with him if he follows his father's footsteps. He'll land himself in Azkaban if he's not careful."

"Weren't you the same Hermione that always told me I was being paranoid about Malfoy?" Harry lowered his voice as a group of Slytherin seventh years passed them.

Hermione stopped walking abruptly and looked in Harry's eyes, "I think he has the Dark Mark." Harry's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, but she continued, "Malfoy was touching the spot on his arm when we interrupted him. I saw him do it. It looked like he was massaging it. I think you were right Harry."

"Right about what?" Ron asked, smirking when they both jumped in surprise.

Hermione looked from Harry to Ron, "Malfoy has the Dark Mark."

"Bloody hell," Ron exhaled. He hadn't expected that, not really. "But we're Sixth Years. Who in their right mind would want Sixth Years as part of their army?"

"I think that's the point, Ron," Harry frowned. "Voldemort isn't in his right mind."

"Right," Ron said slowly. "Ok, well, that's all cheery and great, but I have bigger gryndilows to stun. Did you finish McGonagall's essay, because I was re-reading what I wrote and honestly, you guys, I think I just made up words."

Hermione swatted at Ron's arm with her hand, "Honestly, Ron, we're talking about something that's actually serious."

Ron looked affronted, "Are you saying that defiling the English language isn't serious? Who even are you? Maybe Malfoy is walking around in a skirt looking like Hermione, Harry, because the Hermione I know would not be this casual about me being this confrazzled."

Harry couldn't help but laugh, causing Hermione's ire to shift to him. She started scolding Harry for egging Ron on - "Oy!" – and swatted at Harry's arm. They were so caught up in their squabble that none of them noticed Draco watching from a distance.

iIiIiIiI

"What do you have there?" Ron asked, his wand aimed at Malfoy's back.

Draco turned around slowly and eyed Ron carefully. After a moment, he pulled down a silk scarf covering a golden cage. Two small, rather familiar looking birds flitted inside looking charmingly happy. Looking at the stormy look on Malfoy's face, Ron couldn't help but take a protective step forward.

"What are you going to do with them?" Ron demanded.

Draco rolled his eyes, "You can't be serious."

"What are you going to do with them?" Ron repeated, tensing when he saw Malfoy pull out his own wand from his pants' pocket.

"Relax, Weasley," Draco said pointing his wand at the cage.

Ron took an involuntary step forward, "Don't!"

"Finite incantatem," the tips of Draco's lips quirked in amusement. Ron looked puzzled as he watched one of the little birds shimmer away in front of his eyes. "It's just a spell."

"You didn't answer the question," Ron insisted. It made him uneasy to see Malfoy walking around with something so defenseless. He wouldn't have trusted Malfoy with a pet even before he was a Death Eater. Now, it was everything he could do not to rip the cage from the Slytherin's hands.

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes, "I told you, Weasley. It's just a spell. It doesn't matter what I'm doing with them. They're just magic."

"I don't think so," Ron stepped in Malfoy's way as the blond boy tried to take a step. "I'm not letting you harm them."

"Oh, you can't be serious. Do you Gryffindors take lessons on chivalry up in your tower or something?" Draco huffed. "Step aside, Weasley. I'll not ask again."

Ron shook his head, "I'm not scared of you, Malfoy."

The blonde's eyebrows scrunched menacingly, "You should be."

"Give it to me," Ron ignored him in favor of putting his free hand out. "If you give me the bird, I'll let you go wherever the bloody hell it is that you were heading."

"This is ridiculous. You realize that, right? You're being utterly stupid," Malfoy said, though he was grinning. Ron wasn't sure he had since that since they had started talking. At least, he hadn't seen it up close.

Ron stuck his bottom lip out in determination and stood his ground, ready for a fight, "I don't care what you think about me, Malfoy. I'm not going to just let you go and hurt the poor thing, because you're doing a job for You-Know-Who."

"You think so little of me, do you?" Draco asked grimly.

"Less," said Ron.

Draco rolled his eyes languidly and pointed his wand at the bird. Before Ron could stop him, he uttered a spell he was certain Weasley wouldn't recognize. He hadn't actually tried this piece of magic before, only read about it. It should work in theory, though he wasn't sure how to prove if he was right or not. Shrugging at Weasley's confusion when the bird continued to chirp happily, Draco handed him the cage. The underside of his small finger briefly touched Weasley's hand as he grasped the handle. It was softer than he had imagined.

"Happy?" Draco asked pulling his hand away in a balled fist.

Ron frowned, "Better it come with me than go with you."

"As you wish, Weasley," Draco said. He signaled forward with his chin, "May I go now?"

Ron stepped aside and watched Malfoy's receding back. He looked down at the small bird for second, wondering how in the world he had ended up here. When he looked back up, Malfoy was gone. He looked at the bird and said, "Alright, let's go tell Hermione and Harry. Maybe we can figure out what he was going to do with you."

He hurried to Gryffindor Tower and spotted his two friend in the corner of the common room talking with their heads close together. Joining themhe placed the bird's cage gently between them. Harry and Hermione stared between Ron and the bird before Harry asked, "What's this then? Got yourself a new pet?"

"That," Ron pointed at the bird, "is from Draco Malfoy."

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise. "He gave you a gift?"

Ron rolled his eyes, "Don't be daft, Mione. I took it from him. I caught him in a hallway again walking with two of them in this cage. I asked him what he was doing with them and he made one disappear, said they were magicked."

"That can't be," Hermione scrunched her brows, looking at the little bird.

"It's true," Ron argued. "One disappeared and he was going to make off with this one, but I stopped him. No way I was going to let a Death Eater harm this little guy, magic or not."

"No, Ron," Hermione said, opening the cage door and gingerly taking the bird in her hands to examine it. "If he cast this, the bird would be gone by now. He's God knows where and I doubt he would be powerful enough to sustain it this long. This little guy feels real, though."

Ron shrugged, "Maybe only one of them was magicked. Well, actually, he did say a spell before he gave it to me."

"What spell?" Harry asked while stroking the bird's chest. He smiled when it gently nipped at his finger.

"I don't know. I've never heard it before," Ron admitted.

Harry looked at both of them, "Professor Slughorn told me of a spell like this. Remember, I told you? He said my mum magicked a lily into a fish for him and it was alive until-"

"Until your mom wasn't," Hermione said gently.

"Right," Harry looked at the ground.

"So the bird, it's real?" Ron asked.

"I think so," Hermione said after a moment. "At least, it is for as long as Malfoy is."

iIiIiIiI

Ron felt him rather than saw him. After months of playing this cat and mouse game, he was becoming better at sensing when Malfoy was around. He couldn't quite explain how he knew, but he was certain.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron asked out loud moving his head to try to find him.

Draco stepped from the shadows ahead of him. He walked slowly towards Ron until he was standing inches away. Draco merely stared into his eyes as he had done that night all those months ago. Slowly, so as to not alarm Ron, he brought the tips of his fingers to brush the redhead's cheek. Ron startled under his touch, too surprised to move. When his hand wasn't swatted away, Draco brushed his fingers across Ron's face slowly, in case this was the only time he would be able to do this.

"They're gong to attack your home," Draco whispered at last.

Ron tensed under his fingertips, "What? When?"

"I don't know," Draco said with a small shake of his head. "I overheard Dolohov speak about it in my father's study. I don't know how or when, but I know they will try to capture one of you if they can."

"You're certain?" Ron placed his own fingers on Malfoy's belly.

Draco looked down and then back at Ron's face. He nodded and Ron was gone, running down the hall towards Gryffindor tower. The air under his fingertips felt much colder. Hunching his shoulders, Draco turned on his heel and walked towards the Slytherin dungeons. He would rest tonight. His very bones felt tired. When he reached his bed, freckled lips and startled brown eyes played behind his eyelids.

iIiIiIiI

"What did he say precisely?" Hermione asked Ron, already stuffing her arms into her jumper.

Ron's face was pinched in concentration, "He said they're going to attack the Burrow. He heard the Death Eater's talking about it with his dad. He didn't say when or where, but he knows they want to take one of us."

"Convenient of the git to give us nothing useful to go on," Harry said savagely.

They walked briskly through the Fat Lady's portrait and began running towards Dumbledore's office once they were outside the Gryffindor Common Room. When the gargoyle deposited them at the top of the stairs, Ron banged on Dumbledore's door with a closed fist. Professor McGonagall answered the door and stepped aside in surprise before she was bowled over by the three Gryffindors. Rushing towards Dumbledore's desk, Ron provided all the information he knew in a rush.

"Minerva," Dumbledore looked at his colleague, "Please summon Severus."

With a wave of her and, Professor McGonagall cast her Patronus. They all watched as the cat hurried rom the room to hail the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Minutes passed before the dark haired man stepped into the room, his robes billowing in his wake.

"You called?" Severus glanced about the room acutely aware of the tension on everyone's faces. Glancing at Potter and his friends, he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Of course this had to do something with them.

"Severus, Mr. Weasley was warned of a plot to attack his family. Have you heard anything about this?" Professor Dumbledore stood and walked around his desk to meet Severus.

Glancing at Ron, Severus eyes squinted, "Who told you this?"

"Malfoy," Ron said.

"And you did not consider that perhaps Draco was using false information to agitate you?" Severus asked in a bored tone.

"Please, Sir," Hermione interrupted. "We don't think he's lying. Malfoy and Ron have developed an, erm, a sort of friendship."

Severus smirked, feeling as if he was being taken for a fool, "You expect me to believe this?"

"Sir, I will take Veritaserum if that's what it will take for you to be convinced," Ron said. He glanced about the room, "I swear to you all that I'm telling the truth."

"I have not heard of any sort of plan," Severus turned his attention to Dumbledore, "though it could have been concocted in my absence. Where did Draco say he heard this?"

"In his father's study," Ron answered. He didn't know what Malfoy was doing in his home, but they hadn't seen him in the castle in days. It was completely possible that he had been visiting his family, as unusual as it was. To be fair, nothing really seemed usual with Malfoy anymore.

"He was visiting the Manor to speak with his aunt," Severus confirmed.

Professor McGonagall walked towards Dumbledore, "Albus, we must warn the Order."

"Phineas, go," Professor Dumbledore spoke to the portrait. "Gather the Order at Grimmauld Place. Warn Molly and Arthur."

Phineas Negullus nodded and left his portrait without a word. Satisfied, Dumbledore turned to Snape and gave him a knowing look, "You see, Severus. There is hope yet."

Severus bristled at Dumbledore's words, as if he had been touched by something unpleasant, "Not now."

Ron, Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks.

"You may go back to Gryffindor Tower," Professor Dumbledore regarded them with a kind smile.

"But-"

He raised a hand to quiet them, "You have my promise that you will be notified if anything happens. In the mean time, we must go and deal with this. I'm afraid we will need to take some time this afternoon Minerva to cast some protective charms."

"Right," Professor McGonagall said. "In the mean time, I will escort these three. They have a habit of getting lost."

iIiIiIiI

Much later, Ron, Harry and Hermione were startled awake on the Common Room's couches by Dobby. It was quite late, but they were being summoned to Professor Dumbledore's office.

Malfoy had been telling the truth.

Professor McGonagall, the Headmaster, and Snape had gathered the Order and disseminated the new information. When they went to protect the Burrow, they arrived in time to see Death Eaters setting the Burrow ablaze. They had lost everything, though, no one was hurt in battle. Molly and Arthur were safe in Grimmauld Place and requested the presence of their children for the night. A somber Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron flooed to Grimmauld Place and found a teary Mrs. Weasley waiting to envelop them.

It was all material, after all. In her heart, Mrs. Weasley was just thankful no one had been harmed. With her children away and Arthur doing more and more work on behalf of the Order these days, she was typically alone at the time they had been attacked. Ginny hugged her mother tightly when they discussed it and Ron's face went pale. The twins put their hands on their mother's shoulder and looked at their father. They had never looked so serious. Times were changing, the world was changing and, though they couldn't stop it, every person in the room was committed to standing together.

They returned to Hogwarts in the early hours the next day. Harry, Hermione and Ron had stayed up the whole night talking. It was lost on none of them that they had the luxury of not mourning a death thanks to Malfoy. By no stretch of the imagination did they think he was an angel, but they couldn't deny that Malfoy had reset the course of destiny that evening.

"You're going to have to talk to him," Harry had said after they had been silent for a long time.

Ron looked at him, "And say what, thank you for going against your boss and saving my mum's life? Incredibly grateful."

"Yes," Harry nodded. "I think that's precisely what you say."

"He's still a Death Eater," Ron reminded Hermione and Harry.

"He's still a Death Eater," said Hermione, "but he's a Death Eater that cares about you, one way or another."

Ron ran an agitated hand through his hair, "This is mental. How the bloody hell did we get here?"

Harry's eyes were wide with sincerity when he answered, "Fuck if I know, mate."

iIiIiIiI

As it turned out, Ron didn't see Draco all of the next day. He was missing from all of their classes, as well as every meal. As the hours slipped away, his trepidation made Ron more and more irritable. He just wanted to get this over with. It put him on edge to owe Malfoy anything. The bloke could at least have the decency to show up, so Ron could thank him and then go back to ignoring him.

Out of ideas, he took to roaming the halls after dinner. He didn't know where Draco's hiding places were, even after all of this time. Usually, they only saw each other in dark alcoves. So, he supposed that was his strategy, to roam the halls like a moron until he stumbled into Draco at some point. Ron was on the verge of giving up when he saw Draco walking back towards the school from the Quidditch field. It was rather strange given he was dressed in his regular school uniform and didn't carry a broom, but, really, it was the least strange thing in their lives lately.

When he finally arrived near Ron, Draco walked past him as if he hadn't noticed the redhead. Ron turned on his heel and followed Draco. When it became clear he was not going to stop, Ron stepped in front of of him to path, "Why did you tell me?"

Draco started to walk away again, not making eye contact, but stopped when Ron's fingers curled around his wrist. He glanced down and then into Ron's eyes but said nothing. Ron met his gaze and felt his breathing get heavier, "You saved my mum's life."

"I did nothing," Draco said immediately.

"You did everything," Ron let his hand drop and his fingers entangle with Draco's.

Draco exhaled a breath and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. His head slumped forward towards his chest as if all his strength had been zapped out of him. His fingers curled around Ron's, because he was weak and utterly pathetic. "You are so dramatic," he said miserably.

"Thank you," Ron whispered, caressing his thumb gently across the top of Draco's hand.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that. Draco refused to look at him and stared obstinately at the floor. All the while, their hands remained firmly clasped. It afforded Ron the rare opportunity to have a long look at Draco's face. He still looked like hell, tired and thin. His eyes were practically taking up all of his face and the skin under his eyes looked bruised and painful. His hair was quite pretty, though, and it glowed under the lamps. His cheeks were delicately sharp. His nose was thin and straight, pointing proudly towards Draco's soft cupid's bow. Ron felt his stomach do a sort of flop, like it was being pulled by a string.

Suddenly, Ron felt Draco tense. His grey eyes were straining towards the other end of the hall. Ron didn't miss the panicked look on his face when he recognized Professor Snape. With one last tiny squeeze of his hand, Draco turned on his heel and disappeared. Blushing madly, Ron walked past Snape, whose narrowed eyes followed him suspiciously. He let his body slam against wall when he turned the corner and laid his head against the tile. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a long breath. Ron could still feel the weight of Draco's hand in his.

"This is mental," he said out loud again to no one, because it was. It really, really was.

iIiIiIiI

"I'm insane, right?" Ron asked Hermione.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking back from Hagrid's after a visit. Ron wondered briefly if Harry and Hermione were aware that their hands brushed against each other as they walked. It reminded him so much of the night three days before that he had broken and shared what had happened with his two best friends.

Hermione hesitated, "No, not insane, Ron. Not insane per se."

Ron laughed and shook his head, "What ringing endorsement."

"She's just being nice. You are insane," Harry grinned.

"Oh, shut up, Harry. You were the one that told me to go thank the git," Ron said and pushed his laughing friend. "This is your fault."

"Oh, so I made you go hold Malfoy's hand, did I?" Harry asked with a laugh.

Hermione smiled mischievously and reached for Harry's hand, "Do you think it was like this, Harry?"

Harry played along and threaded his fingers through Hermiones, "No, Mione. Their fingers intertwined, remember?"

"Oh, yes," she nodded solemnly. "I'm a fool to forget."

"Oh, sod off!" Ron said walking ahead of them in a huff.

Harry and Hermione laughed and sped up to keep up with him. Their impression of him and Draco wasn't funny, but it was rather amusing to notice them let go of each other's hands only after walking a few steps together. It was bloody high handed of them to make fun of him when they couldn't admit they were getting feelings for each other. At least he was being open about his confusion, unlike these two gits who had no idea how the other felt. He might have put them out of their misery, but since they found it so hilarious to make fun of him it would probably be best to let them suffer through it on their own.

"Just tread carefully," Hermione gently threaded her arms through both Harry's and Ron's. "One good deed doesn't mean he's changed."

"I know," Ron sighed.

"It also doesn't mean he hasn't," Harry said playing devil's advocate.

Ron looked at him in surprise, "Are you actually defending Malfoy? Your sworn enemy? Part time viper, part time ferret?"

Harry smiled, but a somber look overtook his eyes, "He saved your mum's life, Ron. He may not be a saint, but, honestly, I'm starting to wonder if he really is a monster."

"I take it back," Hermione said. "You're both nutters."

iIiIiIiI

Two weeks later, Ron regained consciousness in the hospital wing. Ginny's red rimmed eyes looked at him worriedly before running to call for Madame Pomfrey. Harry and Hermione were seated next to his bed. Hermione smiled at him warmly and squeezed his hand, "Welcome back."

"What happened?" Ron asked trying to sit up.

Hermione pushed him back gently, "You took a nasty love potion and then…"

"Then you were poisoned," Harry said with a frown, "with a bottle which was supposed to go to Professor Dumbledore."

"Bloody hell," Ron said feeling exhaustion thread through him.

What felt like a long while after, Ron sent Hermione, Harry and Ginny away to dinner and slipped into a deep slumber. Hours must have passed before he was startled awake by a cloaked figure at the foot of his bed.

"I heard you died," Draco's voice was full of accusation.

Ron struggled to focus on Draco, "A little."

Draco snarled, "Why can't you keep out of the way, Weasley? Must you be everywhere you are not meant to be?"

Ron felt something like ice travel down his body, "How did you know I was here?"

"That doesn't matter," Draco said while walking closer.

"It matters to me," Ron watched cautiously as Draco sat on the side of his bed.

Draco's eyes were intense as they roamed Ron's face to reassure himself Ron was ok, "You and your friends need to stay out of the way."

"Who's way, Malfoy?" Ron narrowed his eyes, his heart pumping faster under Draco's barely veiled threat.

"Settle down, Weasley," Draco's palm settled on his chest right above his heart. "You shouldn't stress your body. It's trying to heal."

"Who was it supposed to be for?" Ron dug for proof he was right.

"It wasn't meant for you," Draco said gravely. He sounded like he had been screaming a long while, or maybe crying. Draco's fingers trailed from Ron's chest down his bare arm, tickling until his hand settled in Ron's. He pushed his fingers in the space between Ron's fingers, making the redhead close his eyes in pleasure.

Perhaps it was better to drop it, Ron thought. They both knew who was responsible for this, but Draco would never admit it. Ron was well aware Draco was a bad guy. Just for a moment, he allowed himself to feel how nice the weight of Draco's hand was in his. When he opened his eyes again, it was much later. He must have fallen asleep and Draco was long gone. It would be almost two weeks until Ron saw him again.

iIiIiIiI

When they finally did see each other, Draco had desperation in his eyes. He strode up to Ron in a well lit part of the castle in plain daylight and didn't stop walking until Ron's back was against the wall. Not knowing what to do, Ron said, "Hi."

With a groan, Draco closed his eyes and let his forehead fall on Ron's shoulder. He breathed in a long breath and let it escape. Ron hesitantly brought his fingers to clutch Draco's side. He had been worried about not seeing him, Ron realized. His pitiful survival instincts were near non-functional. When it was clear Draco wasn't going to bolt, Ron let his had slide onto Draco's lower back, pulling the blond a little closer to him. He came willingly, though his hands didn't move from his sides.

"What cologne are you wearing?" Draco asked at last in a quiet voice.

"Erm, I'm not," Ron answered, feeling himself warm with embarrassment.

Draco raised his head and finally looked at Ron directly. He rolled his eyes and bit his lip in frustration, "Unbelievable. Right, of course you're not wearing cologne."

"Umm," Ron felt incredibly awkward. "What cologne are you wearing then?"

Draco grinned, "You're an idiot."

"Yes," Ron agreed with a grin of his own.

Draco's grin slipped off his face and his eyes got a painful sort of look, "No, you're not an idiot." His hand traced the side of Ron's face reverently. "You're not an idiot," Draco repeated. Slowly, he let his forehead drop against Ron's and it felt like Ron's stomach had been pulled straight through the floor.

"Are you ok, Draco?" Ron asked, his lips almost brushing against the blonde's.

"Say my name again," Draco said.

Ron licked his lips, "Draco."

Draco pulled his head back an inch, "Ron."

They heard a group of students in the distance and Draco took a step back. With one last final glance, he left Ron alone. Again. When Dean asked if he was ok as he neared Ron, all he could do was nod dumbly and follow his classmates to Gryffindor Tower. His heart and stomach, he imagined, were probably firmly at the bottom of the lake.

iIiIiIiI

"I don't have the emotional capacity for this, Hermione," Ron told his friend around this third croissant. "Why is this happening to me?"

Hermione looked at him disgustedly and moved her book towards her to avoid his crumbs. They were in the library trying to finish their Herbology essays due the next day. At least, she was trying to finish. Ron was eating his feelings away and Harry was busy talking to Parvati. Again. She felt hot annoyance rise inside her and tried to calm herself, but Ron wasn't helping.

Ron glanced between Hermione and Harry, "They're just talking about Divinations, Mione."

"I know that," Hermione huffed and tried to concentrate on her essay. "I just don't know what could possibly take this long to discuss. Divinations is a sham."

"Honestly," Ron shook his head. "You're so thick."
"Hey!" Hermione protested.

He turned away from her and whispered yelled, "Harry! Mione said she would help us with the Herbology essay if you come over right now."

Hermione glared at Ron. When Harry promptly made his way towards them, however, she merely settled further into her seat and began repeating the pertinent part of last week's lessons. When Harry commented that he didn't understand how Hermione could keep so much information in her head, the witch flushed prettily and the tips of Harry's ears tinged red. It was all quite sweet, but it reminded Ron of his own predicament. Grabbing his quill in one hand and a croissant on the other, he stuffed more bread into his mouth. The stress was killing him.

iIiIiIiI

A few nights later, Ron found himself waiting for Draco by the lake. He wondered with a self-amused smile if the proximity might make his insides return to their rightful place. It was late evening and everyone was inside the castle having dinner. The bird Draco had given Ron was happily hunting for worms near him when he finally heard Draco's steps. Every so often, it would bring a fat worm to Ron before hopping away. Though the whole thing was quite gross, Ron couldn't help but appreciate the soft smile that appeared on Draco's face.

"She's quite taken with you," Draco commented settling himself next to Ron.

Ron grinned and looked at his bird, "It's a she?"

Draco nodded, "The spell is gendered. I'm not sure why. What are you doing out here anyway? She doesn't need to eat to survive."

"I was hoping you would find me," Ron admitted glancing at Draco out of the corner of his eye.

"Pegged me for a right stalker, haven't you," said Draco, though there was no real heat in his voice. Ron ignored him and instead shifted his weight to unceremoniously drop his head on Draco's lap. "You're getting far too comfortable with me, Weasley," Draco said as he threated his fingers through Ron's hair.

He hadn't expected this from Ron when he followed him here. At best, he hoped for another brush of fingers to warm his thoughts before he fell into uneasy sleep or perhaps a careful almost embrace.

And yet, here he was, sitting with a lap full of Ronald Weasley as if this was normal, as if Ron wanted to be there without coercion or threat. His hair was softer than Draco expected and there were more freckles dusting his nose than the last time Draco had seen him. It made him want to kiss the Gryffindor so badly his stomach hurt. It was like this every time they met. It was all he could do to stop himself from leaning down to let his face fall the short distance against Ron's.

"I'm rather done pretending we don't have this," Ron said.

Draco's fingers tugged gently at Ron's hair, "We have a this?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ron sat up slightly, enjoying the sensation of Draco's fingers falling through his hair. He had to do it now or he would never get the nerve. When he was sitting upright again, he threaded his own hand around Draco's neck and pressed his lips warmly against Draco's. It was chaste and not very long, but Ron's whole body burned. When they finally pulled apart, he looked at Draco's eyes, "And now we have this."

Draco was breathing quickly. When he crashed his lips against Ron's, his teeth pulled insistently on Ron's bottom lip. It was like getting sucked down a pipe with too little oxygen. It was like the ground disappeared from beneath his feet. It was like being stung by a hex or taking a badly needed breath. It was like a slow, pleasurable little death.

iIiIiIiI

And then it all went to hell. Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts and it became clear what Draco had been working so desperately towards. There were screams and flashes of hexes meant to kill. Then it was over as quickly as it had started and all Ron and Hermione knew was that Dumbledore had been murdered by Professor Snape, Harry had been attacked and Draco and the Death Eaters had disappeared. It was the deepest betrayal. It was agony and anger wrapped in self-contempt.

Of course Draco had done this. A snake is still a snake even if it shed its skin.

"I'm such an idiot," Ron's eyes were rimmed red. A world without Albus Dumbledore felt like breathing ashes. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry I got close to him."

Harry's angry tears were running hotly down his face, "Draco didn't do it. It was Snape. It was Snape all along. Dumbledore spoke to Draco, told him he knew that Voldemort was threatening his family. He said Draco didn't have to do it. That there was another way and it was working. Draco put his was wand down, Ron. He didn't want to leave with them, but Bellatrix grabbed him and made him run." He all but spat his next words, "And then Sn-Snape bragged that he as the Half-Blood Prince like he hadn't just murdered Dumbledore like a dog."

Hermione's hand was rubbing soothingly down Harry's back. They had retreated in to the Room of Requirements after the Gryffindor Common Room became littered with their classmates. Their minds had been so numb with shock when they had stumbled there that there was nothing for them in the room, except a ground to sit on and an empty fireplace nearby. They had sat in the cold floor close together. Hermione could feel the comforting weight of Harry's thigh next to her own. Her brows scrunched in concentration trying to process what Harry was telling them. In her left hand, she held the locket Harry and Dumbledore had retrieved before the school fell into madness.

"We need to find him," Hermione said at last.

Ron looked at her in surprise, "Snape? Do you fancy we should go get ourselves killed too?"

"No," Hermione shook her head. Her head felt cluttered and empty all at once. "Draco, we have to find Draco."
Ron shook his head vehemently and his lips settled into a grim line, "No. No, we don't. He may not have killed Dumbledore, but he most definitely tried. I knew it was him that almost killed me, but I didn't press it because I was too busy trying to believe he wasn't evil. He let the Death Eaters in. Professor Flitwick is in the hospital wing because of him. They could have killed members of the Order not to mention students. And he did this, Hermione. He's responsible."

Hermione gave Ron a hard look, "I very much doubt you wouldn't do anything in your power to prevent Voldemort from killing your family, Ron. Regardless, our need to find Draco has nothing to do with what he did. It has to do with what he could know."

"You mean about Horcruxes?" Harry asked catching on.

Hermione nodded, "Precisely. If Draco was brought into You-Know-Who's inner circle, he may know something. Maybe he has seen one. This is a dupe. R.A.B. may have hidden the real locket, but we have no way of knowing if Voldemort has it again. We don't even know what the rest of the Horcruxes are. If we're going to destroy them, we need to find them first and Draco knows Voldemort better than any of us."

"We aren't doing anything," Harry stood and stepped away from Hermione and Ron. "No one else is getting hurt because of me. I have to defeat Voldemort, not you."

"And how are you going to do it then?" Hermione asked hotly standing. "Please share with us your one-man plan. How are you going to go out there unnoticed and defeat parts of You-Know-Who's soul? Don't be daft, Harry, you need help."

"You're not going anywhere without us," Ron stood in agreement. "If you try to sneak off, we will come after you. So, just can it, mate."

Harry opened his mouth but found no words substantive enough to protest. Finally, he simply said, "Where are we supposed to go find Draco then?"

Hermione bit her fingernail in thought, "If I were them, I would go somewhere safe. Where can be safer for him than home?"

"If he's shifted allegiance, he could very well kill us. Or if he's not feeling up to it himself, he could call his friends to do it for him," Ron said darkly.

Hermione looked at Ron with a small meter of compassion and asked, "Ron, do you really think he would want to hurt you?"

"He already has, hasn't he?" Ron responded looking away from his two best friends.

"I agree with Hermione," Harry broke the silence and grabbed on to Hermione's hand. Her eyes went wide but she nodded, "We need to go look for him. He's our only lead and I doubt we'll get another chance after today."

Ron took a deep breath, "Then what's our plan?"

iIiIiIiI

The plan was to count on the Malfoy's arrogance to lead them to their doorstep. Malfoy Manor was listed in a book Hermione owned, 30 Powerful Magical Mansions of Great Britain. Along with describing some of the ghastly murders rumored to have been committed in the mansion for protection spells, the book helpfully noted that Malfoy Manor was located in Wiltshire, England. The trio hurried to grab Harry's Invisibility Cloak from Gryffindor Tower and snuck outside the castle's protective barriers to Apparate before their absence could be noticed.

Not knowing an exact location, Hermione Apparated them to small town of Trowbridge, which she had visited as a child with her parents on a tour of Trowbridge Castle. Her plan was to follow the trail of hiding charms that typically made Muggles steer clear of magicked buildings. When they got there, however, they found no planning was necessary.

Muggles screamd in fear under the Dark Mark's ghastly green glow. Rows of homes and decimated shops burned in uncontained flames. Near them, a bloody body lay discarded that made Hermione rear back in revulsion, "Oh God."

Masked Death Eaters jeered with laughter as Muggles tried to escape Unforgivable Curses aimed carelessly as they ran. Under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, Harry, Ron and Hermione were unseen by anyone but had clear view of Alecto Carrow casting the Imperius Curse on a boy who couldn't be older than them. His body moved like a grotesque marionette. Just to the left of the squeamish puppet show, Narcissa Malfoy stood still as stone, one arm protectively shielding Draco behind her.

Ron would never forget the look on Draco's face at that moment. It was like nothing he had ever seen on Draco's face before. A mixture of disgust, fear, and guilt battled plainly over his features. He carried his wand in his slack hand, only moving it to deflect a misfired spell that almost hit his mother. No more than five feet from them, Bellatrix cackled in delight as her husband fired a spell at a fleeing woman.

"Sectumsempra," Rodulphus thundered. He looked back at Draco with a mocking grin. "Is this how Potter flayed you, Draco? Is this how you bled?"

Harry's wand fired a silent spell before Draco could respond, tearing Rodulphus' wand from his hand. Thinking themselves attacked, Death Eaters sent curses flying in their direction.

"We have to move," Hermione whispered. She urged them to run, hoping the Invisibility Cloak would remain in place.

Better accustomed than the others to notice things that shouldn't be there, Draco caught a flash of a shoe. He tore his arm from his mother's grip and followed the Trio's thundering steps before Narcissa could stop him. In the chaos, no one either noticed or cared that he slipped away.

Aware they were being followed, the Trio ran towards an alley away from the burning buildings. They tried to quiet their heavy breathing to no avail. Ten feet away, Draco called, "You shouldn't be here."
Wands pointed in his direction, Hermione bunched the Invisibility Cloak in her hand to reveal them, "We need to talk to you."

"You're supposed to be smart, Granger," Draco's wand was trained tensely in their direction. "You'll die if they see you."
"But not by you," Ron stepped forward with certainty. Draco was many things, evil probably, cunning, vicious, and confusing, but if he meant to hurt them he would have done so by now.

Draco blinked slowly and lowered his voice, "Leave, Ron."

"No," Ron put his wand down and stepped closer, not stopping when Draco raised his wand to his chest level. "No. We can still have this, Draco, but not if you're like them. And I don't think you are."

"You don't know what I am," Draco snarled.

"You're right," Ron agreed, praying that Harry and Hermione were watching his back. He couldn't look away from Draco's eyes, "I don't. But I care about the part of you that I do know, your reluctant care, your touch, how you come to me when you need comfort the most. We can still have all of that, Draco."

"But not as I am," Draco said. It was a statement not a question.

"No, not if you want to harm us, not if you want to hurt my friends," Ron was immovable.

Harry stepped next to Ron, bringing Hermione with him by the hand, "We know you didn't want to hurt Dumbledore. I saw you. You were putting your wand down. If you hand't been interrupted, you wouldn't have done it."

Draco's eyes cut to Harry, "I tried to all year. I almost killed Ron."

"But not on purpose," Hermione insisted. "Not on purpose."

Draco took a shuddering breath, "I can't leave my family."

"You don't have to," Ron said desperately, ignoring Hermione and Harry's concerned looks. "You just have to vow you won't kill anyone from our side. Vow that you won't harm anyone innocent."

"And what?" Draco asked snidely, "Just sit back and allow them to kill me when they get a chance?"

"We won't ask that," Harry interrupted. "You can defend yourself if you have to, but you can vow you won't stand in our way when we are working to defeat Voldemort. You can promise that you'll protect us if we ever cross your path in the process."

Draco smirked, "I knew you were an idiot Potter, but not even I would have thought a promise would be enough to calm your feeble mind."

Hermione thought quickly, "Ron said vow, Draco. We can make an Unbreakable Vow."

Draco stepped back in shock, raising his wand again, "And what? You get my protection and I get nothing?"

"You get me," Ron said in a rush. In response to Draco's scrunched brows, Ron continued, "I will vow to give us everything in my power after the war. If we survive, I will love you every single day of my life and do everything to make sure you and I are together. I can't give you much else, Draco. I don't have a powerful name or power, but I have me to give. And I will give it to you, if you'll agree to have me."

"You don't know what you're saying," Draco said quietly.

"Yes, I do," Ron retorted.

Silence rang for what seemed an eternity, broken only by feeble screams in the distance. They were all staring tensely at each other. No one dared say a word. Finally, Draco exhaled, "And I would only have to promise to not hurt you three."

"And to protect us if you can when we are in danger. To help us when you can, even if it just sharing information," Hermione said shrewdly.

"But not if it means my own death," Draco insisted.

"No," Harry shook his head. "Not if it means your own death."

Draco locked eyes with Ron and raised his open hand, "Take my hand."

Breathing heavily, Ron clasped his palm with Draco's and watched fearfully as golden vines stemmed from Hermione's wand to wrap around them hotly. Draco broke the silence in a steady voice, "I vow to help Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter in their path to defeat the Dark Lord. I vow to protect them and aid them to the utmost extent lest it mean my own death."

"In return," Ron stammered, "I vow to faithfully dedicate myself to Draco Malfoy, to do everything in my power to make him happy and to be his companion until ever a time comes that he does not want me any more."

They were interrupted by Narcissa's cutting voice, "Draco!"

Close behind her, Bellatrix called after her sister. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at their clasped hands and fired an angry spell in their direction. Draco's wand responded instinctively without thought, redirecting his aunt's spell as it threatened to hit Ron.

"Cissy!" Bellatrix' shrill voice cut through the night like a knife.

Draco's face whiplashed to his mother, who fell gracefully to her back. Fine lines bled all over her body. There was so much blood so quickly that Draco's cloak dampened immediately as he grabbed his mother's body. Narcissa's eyes were wide and her breathing was coming in short, shallow breaths. Her shaking hand found her son's face and traced a line of blood across his cheek gently. In the background, Ron, Hermione, and Harry tried to protect them.

Draco desperately tried make his wand work. He cast healing spell after healing spell that did nothing to stem the flow of blood. Narcissa shook her head weakly, attempting to speak. "No," Draco's whispered desperately, "save your strength, mother. I will heal you."

"Go, go my son," a thin line of blood trailed beautifully down Narcissa Malfoy's delicate chin. Her grey eyes, a mirror of her son's, looked at his face in adoration before they stopped seeing anything at all.

"NO, NO!" Draco doubled his efforts, trying everything he knew to heal her, not knowing the spell to undo this. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of his aunt being disarmed by Granger. A scream tore through him as he stood. Aiming his wand unfeelingly towards Bellatrix, Draco roared, "CRUCIO!"

Bellatrix tumbled to the ground in pain when the spell hit her stomach. Hermione grabbed Harry and Ron and urged them towards Draco, "Quickly. Move!" When the reached Draco, she Apparated them to the first safe place she could think of.

iIiIiIiI

When they tumbled into the foyer of Grimmauld Place, alarm spells began screaming their warning. Mrs. Weasley, her husband, Tonks and Remus crashed their way towards them, wands raised in defense. Looking at the four teens in shock, they couldn't tell if Draco was bleeding or if he had hurt one of them.

Draco's clothing and skin were draped in blood and he crumbled to the floor in howling pain. Hermione followed him, desperately trying to comfort him. They hadn't meant for this to happen. She had meant to be smart, to use Draco's knowledge to help them find the Horcruxes. In her foolishness, she never considered the consequences.

"My mother, my m-mother is dead," Draco clutched his head between his hands. "The vow – I couldn't help it. It rebounded and I– nothing worked. No spell worked."

Harry and Ron gathered on the ground next to Draco and Hermione despite the Order's confused looks. Draco clutched Ron's shirt instinctively, his fingernails digging painfully into Ron's skin. Desperately, Ron looked at his mother with helpless eyes. It was all she needed to snap her out of her shock.

"Right then," Molly slapped her husband's wand out of her way and stepped toward her son. "Com here, dear," she said authoritatively kneeling on the ground. Draco crawled dumbly to the space in her arms and folded his tall body around her.

Arthur had seen that same look on his wife's face every time she had nursed one of their children back to health. There was no arguing with that look. Nodding, he looked about the room, "Wands down, everyone. Ron has Draco's wand. We can interrogate the boy later."

iIiIiIiI

Mrs. Weasley and Draco retreated to an upstairs bedroom, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione to explain everything to the Order. Remus was incensed and lectured them angrily about the arrogance and idiocy with which they had delved into dangerous magic they didn't understand. Mr. Weasley paced the room, pausing in confusion and concern when they explained what Ron had vowed and again when they described how Narcissa Malfoy had died. Even Tonks was shocked silent.

Too many awful things had happened in too short a timespan. Dumbledore's death hung heavily on everyone's shoulders. No one was prepared to deal with what Harry, Ron, and Hermione had set in motion. The Order needed to understand what Dumbledore's passing meant for them, what danger they were in, and needed to plan how to proceed. The last thing anyone needed was to add a grieving boy, a Malfoy no less, to their plate.

When all their words seemed to have been exhausted, Harry, Ron, and Hermione retreated upstairs. Harry stayed with Hermione in one room, consoling her in a soft voice her as she cried silent tears, while Ron went into the adjoining room. He found his mother petting Draco's hair as if he were a small boy, while he lay on the bed with his head on her lap. Draco was wearing old clothes that might have been Ron's or the twins' at some point. His eyes were dry and empty when they locked with Ron's and closed slowly until he fell into uneasy sleep.

Mrs. Weasley laid Draco's head gently on the bed and motioned for Ron to follow her out the door. "What is that poor boy doing here?" Mrs. Weasley regarded Ron sternly.

Ron sighed and began recounting the night's events to his mother. When he told her about the Unbreakable Vow they had made, her eyes closed in disappointment at his foolishness, "Oh, Ron. What have you done, my son?"

"We need to protect him. I made a Vow to him, mum," Ron said in a small, helpless voice.

Mrs. Weasley regarded her son with tired eyes silently. Finally, she exhaled as if there was nothing more to do. "I always thought it would be Ginny that would make trouble," Mrs. Weasley said with a sad smile.

"Me too," Ron whispered. He made room in his mother's arms and settled his head to rest on her shoulder.

iIiIiIiI

Draco slept for days.

Ron refused to leave his side, except to travel to Hogwarts with Harry and Hermione for Dumbledore's funeral. Ginny was confused and worried, but Ron stayed only long enough after the funeral to tell her everything was alright before returning to Grimmauld Place.

Draco woke only to eat and use the bathroom, refusing to speak. The Order members watched him cautiously, but gave him space to process that his whole world had changed. He all but ignored Ron and only interacted with him by watching his face before he succumbed to exhaustion that nearly constantly pulled at him.

"Do you hate me?" Ron asked him when he had been awake for a few minutes.

Draco turned away from him and let himself drift into peaceful silence. He didn't have the strength or the words to respond. He wasn't sure how many days passed before he was ready to speak.

"They talked about your family a lot," Draco said to Ron in the darkness. "They said you were blood traitors. Worse than Mudbloods, because you were Mudblood lovers. That's how we started."

Ron had been woken by that all too familiar feeling of Draco watching him. He hadn't expected him to speak but felt relief flood through him at hearing Draco's voice. Draco had been sleeping so much that for the first time in months the bags under his eyes were only slightly more pigmented than the rest of his skin.

Ron made room in his bed and pushed back the covers. "Come here," he said in a groggy, just woken voice.

Draco climbed down from his bed and settled his long limbs stiffly next to Ron's. His head rested against the headboard and he closed his eyes, "There would be dinners held for the Dark Lord at the Manor. You and your friends would come up in conversation. I think they were trying to please the Dark Lord by bashing anyone who supported Potter. They always said the same things – that your family was a disgrace to Purebloods and magic itself, that you were cowards for choosing the weak side. But every time they talked, I couldn't get it out of my head that I was blind jealous of you."

"Of me?" Ron threaded his fingers with Draco's. They were cold, but they wrapped willing around his in response.

"Then we came back to Hogwarts and I had been assigned to kill Dumbledore," Draco continued, ignoring Ron's question. "I knew the Dark Lord wanted me to fail. He wanted an excuse to hurt my father, my mother. It was all just a game for him, but I knew I had to try. If I succeeded, as unlikely as well all knew it was, there was a chance for me to regain my family's honor. To assure a seat at the table, so to speak."

"The more I failed, the more I hated you," Draco continued. "You would walk the halls with Potter and Granger, laughing while I locked myself away more and more desperate to get to the Headmaster. Father's letters were a constant stress demanding progress reports and becoming increasingly frantic. I knew that every time I failed, he and mother were punished. And yet you were dealing with tests, and friends, and were busy playing Quidditch. Every time I looked at you, I wondered that you had ended up in your place and I in mine. We were both the same age, both from ancient Pureblood families, yet you got to live life while I was tasked with extinguishing it. You made me mad with anger."

Draco leaned his forehead against Ron's and pressed his lips against Ron's as if he needed to reassure himself that Ron was really there after all that had happened. "Then you just made me feel mad. The more I watched you, the more I started to notice things about you that I couldn't get out of my head. It was awful. Your jumper would be rumpled and would show a bit of your skin at your waist. You would laugh so hard that a dimple would show," Draco's finger touched the spot on Ron's cheek. "And you were such an easy target. Potter and Granger were always so careful around me, even when they followed me. But you, I could always find you alone, heading back to Gryffindor Tower from the kitchens more often then not. You made it so easy to watch you. And to want you. I thought I might burst into flames from desire."

Ron's cheeks were tinged pink. His mouth felt dry and he felt hot all over, but he kept positively still. He didn't want Draco to stop talking. It was like magic having Draco finally awake and speaking again.

"They wanted to do worse than destroy your house and capture one of you. They wanted to make an example out of you, to use Crucio until madness like they had done Longbottom's parents. I couldn't get the thought of you in pain out of my head," Draco's voice was laced with pain. "I couldn't just let that happen. You were living the life I wanted and I wanted to keep you as you were. And then you touched me willingly and I thought I might die my heart was beating so hard. But then-" Draco paused but forced himself to continue, "then I hurt you."

"Stop. You didn't mean to," Ron interrupted, shifting closer. It didn't matter. It was so inconsequential now.

"I almost killed you and you had already kissed me. I thought I might die myself if I couldn't have that with you again. I wanted to run to Dumbleodre and tell him everything, to stop living this half life and maybe join you or maybe just disappear. But then the Dark Lord made my aunt Bellatrix Crucio my mother, and I had to make sure my plan worked. And now my mother is dead and I am here, but I think I would give this all up if it meant I could bring her back. Even if it meant dying inside without you," tears trailed down Draco's face. "So, I'm not good like you. Don't think I'm good like you. I would still give this all up to have her back."

Ron enveloped Draco's body in his arms. He allowed Draco to grieve against him and held him tightly, "I think that just means you're a good son. I'm not so sure it means anything else."

When he looked up, Harry was standing at the open door. His friend looked beyond sad and Ron thought for a moment that there was probably no one else at Grimmauld Place as equipped as Harry to understand Draco's pain. Slowly, Harry backed out of the room and silently closed the door.

iIiIiIiI

Soft whispering and light from the window woke Draco hours later. He held perfectly still so as to not alarm Ron he was listening.

"I promise I'll make you happy. I'm so sorry it all happened like this, but I promise I will do everything I can to give us a chance. I'll come back to you as fast as I can, Draco, and I will give you all of me if you'll have me," Ron said like a prayer.

Like a snake striking, Draco maneuvered his body above Ron's, "Where are you going that you will have to come back?"

Ron's eyes were wide as saucers. He had thought Draco asleep, "Nowhere."

"Don't lie to me, Weasley," Draco snarled furiously and slammed his hands around Ron's like vices.

"There's something I have to do," Ron attempted to regulate his breathing.

Draco's eyes became slits, "And so you'll abandon me here with a bunch of wizards that just as rather would see me dead."

"They will protect you," Ron attempted to free his hands.

"You made a Vow to me. You promised me," Draco's face was red with anger so potent that a vein throbbed at his forehead.

Ron licked his lips, "I will come back to you, Draco. I swear it."

"I will not stay here without you," Draco said vehemently. "I will return to Malfoy Manor if I must."

"They'll murder you," Ron panicked. He shifted and used his body weight to pin Draco under him. "You have to stay here. You'll be safe here."

"My mother is dead, because of what you would have from me and this is what you give me? You vowed to be mine, Ron. You are mine and I will not be left behind," Draco thrashed his body to free himself. Panic clawed at his throat and squeezed at his lungs. His breath started coming in short, shallow spurts and dark spots blinked in his eyesight. Above him, Ron stilled his hands cradled Draco's face.

"Breathe, breathe, Draco. You're having an attack. Breathe," Ron sat Draco up in bed and pushed his head between his knees. "There, breathe. In and out, stay calm."

"Fuck you, Weasley," Draco spat as he attempted to drag oxygen into his lungs. As soon as he felt like he would not faint, Draco reached for the wand in Ron's pocket and pinned the redhead beneath him once again. He pointed the wand at Ron's throat, "I will not be disposed of."

They locked eyes for what seemed a lifetime until Ron exhaled loudly, "Fine. We'll speak to Harry and Hermione. We'll tell you everything and you can come with us if you still want to after you've heard it all."

"Promise me," Draco demanded.

Ron pushed his forehead off the bed and kissed Draco, "I promise."

Draco dropped the wand and his hands clung to Ron's neck. Ron sat up fully and tugged at his old t-shirt until Draco raised his arms to be unclothed. There was a frenzy of mouths on throats and fingernails clawing down Ron's naked back. Pants were pushed insistently down by needy hands. When Draco's hand wrapped around Ron, all the air in Ron's lungs disappeared.

Ron pushed the Slytherin gently back on the bed and settled himself between Draco's knees. Beneath him, Draco's cheeks and lips were darkened with pink and his eyes were cloudy with need. Ron would never forget that first sight of Draco naked beneath him. Grabbing his wand, he cast a careless silencing spell and locked the door. No one would interrupt this moment that they had been working towards for so long.

Ron kissed his way down Draco's taut belly and took him fully in his mouth. Draco's fingers tugged at his hair and his thighs pushed at the sides of his face as he writhed in pleasure. If Draco was serious about wanting him, then Ron was serious about giving Draco all of him. He coated his fingers with lubrication from his wand using a spell all young wizards learned when they became teenagers and pushed gently at Draco's opening. Draco's head went back against the pillow with a mixture of discomfort and pleasure.

He pumped his hand in and out slowly, adding additional fingers only when Draco seemed ready. When he finally positioned himself and pushed inside the Slytherin, Ron kissed Draco's lips savagely and wrapped his other hand around him. It last not nearly as much as he wanted it to. Draco's cries drove him to move faster into Draco's tight channel and to pump his hand faster until Draco came with a stifled groan. Unable and unwilling not to follow, Ron's ejaculation mixed with Draco's on his belly.

They laid together and held each other tightly in a sweaty embrace. A while after, Draco had the presence of mind to vanish the drying liquid off them. Ron was all at once the same and a completely different person to him. Draco's heart ached with the finality with which it chose him. He had given up everything for Ron, had nothing to return to, and would do everything to keep this.

iIiIiIiI

Later that day, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco cast a silencing charm and huddled in Hermione's room.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. When they nodded, he turned to Draco and said, "What do you know about Horcruxes?"

Fin

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it for you. Let me know what you thought in your reviews! Looking forward to it!