Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Author's Notes: This is where Draco Malfoy finally comes fully into the picture...please give some comments!

CrAzY-gIrL-oUt-To-WrEaK-hAvOc: of course i wanna make Harry sweet! That's the whole idea...

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The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling refreshed. She slipped out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. She removed her garments slowly and turned on a hot shower. The weather had been so cold lately that Hermione did not remember a time when she did not need a hot shower. She took her time shampooing her hair and gave her body a pampering scrub and lather on some strawberry body cream. When she was done, she wrapped herself with a towel and stepped out of the bathroom. As soon as she stepped out, she smelled bacon and eggs. Is dad here?

She quickly went inside her room and put on some clothes. She hurried down the stairs and turned to her right to the kitchen. Instead of her dad, she saw Harry.

"Oh Harry." Hermione said.

"Morning Hermione!"

"You stayed overnight? You really don't have to do that. I can take care of myself you know."

"Yes I know that. I just thought I should keep you company."

They both sat down and savoured on Harry's cooking. Hermione enjoyed it a lot and she started to miss her late mother. She felt a sudden tug in her heart and dropped her fork. Tear slides down her right cheek and she began to sob. Harry walked up and stood beside her. He rubbed her shoulder lightly and let her cry on his chest.

"I'm sorry. I miss my mum."

"It's ok Hermione. It's ok to cry."

They sat in silence as Hermione sobbed silently. Harry holds her tightly and wished that everything that was troubling her would go away. He couldn't bear to see his best friend in pain like this.

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Ginny sat down on the edge of Percy's bed and lightly pat the wet towel on Draco's face. He was a mess. His face was dirtied with the mix of blood and mud. He had been unconscious for a few hours and only Mrs Weasley and Ginny had been caring enough and take matters in their own hands by taking Draco to Percy's old bedroom. It was Ginny's shift and it had been an hour. She could not tear herself away from staring at Draco's face. After wiping his face clean, Ginny could see that there were several cuts on his cheek and his nose was slightly crooked. There was also a deep gash on his forehead.

Ginny couldn't stand the sight and decided to tell her mother about it. She thought that it was best if Draco gets treatment from the hospital. She got up from the bed and was about to leave when she saw that Draco's eyes were fluttering wildly.

"Mum! Mum!" She shouted.

"What is it my dear?" Mrs Weasley asked as she rushed into the room with Mr Weasley tagging behind her.

"What's happening to him?" Ginny asked.

As his eyes kept fluttering unnaturally, Draco Malfoy began to scream and he brought his arms to his face, covering it as if fearing that someone was getting near him.

"Get away from me!" He shouted but his eyes remained shut. Mr Weasley quickly ran to the bedside and calmed him down.

"Draco! Can you hear me? Draco! Draco!" Mr Weasley shook him lightly at first but had to make his actions aggressive when Draco started to slap him. Draco opened his eyes in shock and looked around the place.

"Where am I?" He asked frantically.

"You're at The Burrow. Now just go back to sleep. You must have had a bad dream." Mr Weasley said gently.

Ginny was surprised that Draco did not say anything else. She was even more surprised that nothing cruel came out from his mouth. Instead, he laid his head down on the pillow and went back to sleep. Mr Weasley walked back to Mrs Weasley and Ginny and asked them to follow him to the living room. They all sat down in silence for a few minutes.

"There's definitely something wrong with him. Bad dreams, injuries…" Mr Weasley sighed. "What could it be?"

"Dad we should bring him to St Mungos." Ginny said calmly.

"Ginny's right Arthur." Mrs Weasley chipped in.

"No. He might not like it. When he wakes up tomorrow morning, we'll ask him. We'll get him to talk. He couldn't just walk in here out of convenience. There has to be a reason." With that, Mr Weasley got up from his seat. Mrs Weasley and Ginny knew that it means that there will be no more discussion and he had made his final decision.

Mrs Weasley could see the worried look in Ginny's eyes. She took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "It's ok Ginny dear. Now let's go back to sleep and this means, you go back to your own room. Leave that boy alone for now."

Ginny nodded and went up to her own room with Mrs Weasley tagging behind to make sure that she did. Ginny couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned a few times and couldn't get her mind off the dream that she had been having. What connection does the dream have with Draco Malfoy?

She stared at the wall and see the shadow gradually changing with signs of the sun rising. Ginny sighed and got out of bed. She hoped that Hermione would be back soon and not forgotten that they didn't have the chance to talk about her dream. She took a quick shower and after she changed into cleaner clothes, she opened the door slightly and took a peek at Draco. He was still sleeping and luckily, he had not stirred since the last time he had that nightmare. Ginny closed the door and made her way down to the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was already awake and doing some cleaning. She helped her with some of the housework while waiting for the rest to wake up. Ron was first followed by Fred and George. They all sat in silent and stare at each other.

"So my children are not going to eat anything that I have prepared?" Mrs Weasley asked clearly annoyed.

As soon as she said that, the four of them started to dig in. Each of them obviously had no appetite and chewed slowly. Mrs Weasley sighed loudly. As if on cue, Mr Weasley came down the stairs followed by Draco. Once at the base, Draco looked directly at Ginny. Ginny saw that he looked at her directly in the eye. She quickly looked away afraid that she might blush. His eyes were hollow and tired and his face was worn.

"He's ready to talk." Mr Weasley announced. Fred and George hastily got up from their chairs to join Mr Weasley and Draco in the living room. Ron took his time. Mrs Weasley and Ginny pulled out chairs from the dining room and placed it in between the two rooms. The Burrow was a very small house and every inch of the house will usually look the same.

"Whenever you're ready Draco." Mr Weasley said and patted him on his back.

Draco nodded and kept his head down throughout the conversation.

"After my dad died, I immediately knew that they would be coming to look for me. They will come looking for me and convince me to be part of them. When the war started, I was surprised that my dad wants me nothing to do with it. So he locked my mother and me in a secret room and put a secret charm to it. My mum couldn't break the charm neither can I. I tried everything that was taught to me ever since I was thirteen. I was secretly taught dark magic in the manor by my father." Draco paused and shut his eyes.

"No one knows the difficulties my mum and I went through. After hearing news of my dad's death, I knew that I am the only person who can protect her. So we started packing but we were too late. Pettigrew…he opened the door and I don't know how he did it. My mother and I became their prisoner. I was not allowed to talk about them and they let me go back to Hogwarts for a while so that I can pretend that nothing had happened. I know that I couldn't run anywhere else because I was watched. They know where I go, everything I said and I did not want to put anyone in danger."

"As soon as I graduate, I was locked back inside the manor. I was trained to be a leader but I couldn't do it. It's all so wrong! I tried so hard to get my mother and me out of their grasp. But everytime I try, I failed and everytime I try escaping, they'll torture me to no end." Draco suddenly became angry. "And my mother…they tortured her too…right in front of me! They wanted me to be their leader and because I defy, they torment me."

"Then one night, when everyone was asleep, I woke my mother up and told her that I am going to try to escape again. She wouldn't let me go but I was determined. I told her I'll come back for her."

For a while, Ginny thought she saw a glint of sadness in Draco's grey eyes. She had known Draco for six years in her life and she knew that he wasn't the kind to show any emotion.

"I managed to break free but not for long. There were obstacles." Draco buried his face in his hands, trying to remember the details. "It was horrible. There were ten of them and only one of me. It's a miracle I'm still here. On nights where I have to take the forest as refuge, I had strange dreams, which actually lead me to here. I don't know why so please don't ask me." Draco pleaded.

For the first time, Ginny saw Draco as a vulnerable man and it worried her. Draco had given her a lasting impression as someone who was strong and powerful and that fateful day when he had let her cry in his arms, Ginny felt safe and secured.

When Draco kept quiet, everyone knew that he did not want to discuss the matter any further. They knew that he needed their help. Ron avoided everyone's glances. He wasn't convinced. It might be a trap, he thought.

Mrs Weasley had made for Draco a cup of hot chocolate and he drank it in one gulp. He looked up at everyone, even Ron, who ignored him. "I'm on your side now. I need help. I will share with you the secrets of the Death Eaters if it helps you in anyway."

"Why don't we talk later? Meanwhile, I think you should rest more." Mr Weasley advised.

"I can't afford to do that! They might kill my mother!"

"You have to calm down son. We can't just barge in on the like that! We have to have a plan. Ginny, why don't you bring him upstairs dear?" Mr Weasley said calmly.

"I can do that myself!" Draco retorted and stomp his way up to Percy's room.