Title: Phoenix Tears

Author: slytherin-nette

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters you recognize from the HP books in this story. All I own is the plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling.

Full Summary: To Draco Malfoy, his orders from the remaining Death Eaters were simple. Turn Harry Potter into a woman. Get her pregnant. Resurrect Lord Voldemort's soul into the baby's body. The plan was flawless. He just never planned on falling in love. [DM/femHP]. Post-DH Hogwarts.

Pairings: DM/femHP, Past HP/GW, RW/HG, others.

Warnings: Tormented!Draco and Bitter!Harry. Spoilers from Books. Pregnancy. VERY dark and mature themes.

A/N: Here's a fast update just because I love you guys so much! Aw…Aren't you all touched? Haha. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to sreya ray, who never fails to gives me wonderful suggestions and ideas that keeps this story moving along quite nicely. I encourage everyone else to ask me questions or give me suggestions too so that I can write the story better for you guys! Enjoy the chapter everyone!


Chapter 12 – Open Your Eyes

Harry's footsteps were soft and uncertain as she followed Andromeda that night down the long, white corridors of St. Mungo's. The DADA professor had a soft smile on her face and greeted several healers every now and then as she passed them by, stopping just as they reached Kensington's hospital room by the end of the hall. Just as she touched the doorknob, Harry automatically reached a hand out and grasped the older woman firmly by the wrist, drawing her attention immediately.

Blinking and looking at her in surprise, Andromeda gave her an uncertain, questioning smile.

"Yes, Harry…? Is everything alright?" She asked the younger girl gently, letting go of the doorknob briefly so she could turn around and watch the different emotions flitting about Harry's pale features. The Gryffindor's eyes were dazed slightly and she blinked herself out of her thoughts, sighing as she glanced back up and rewarded her DADA teacher with a polite but inquisitive glance.

"Professor—" She stopped when Andromeda chuckled and held a hand up to cut her off.

"We're beyond class hours, Harry. Call me Andromeda." She told her, causing Harry to blink again for several times in surprise. Then, giving a small smile, Harry managed a nod and continued.

"Very well then…Andromeda…Er…May I ask you something…? About Mr. Kensington, I mean." She paused and looked up hesitantly at her, watching as Andromeda seemed to stiffen at her words.

"I'd be afraid to say yes, Harry…But go on. What's your question…?"

Harry bit her lip and looked around for a couple of minutes. After making sure that none of the passing Healers were paying them any attention, she finally looked at Andromeda again and frowned.

"Why…Why didn't you tell me that Mr. Kensington was a Death Eater…?"

Andromeda flinched at the small amount of accusation in Harry's voice but sighed heavily, looking up and giving the young Gryffindor a sad smile. Beckoning Harry further down the corridor into a more secluded area, she fidgeted with her hands for a minute and thought of what to answer.

Harry waited patiently as she did this and it wasn't until three minutes later that Andromeda seemed to finally give up and sighed again, shaking her head to herself in defeat. "Because…Harry…Would you have agreed to take care of him otherwise if I did?" She countered evenly, watching as Harry's features slowly began to contort into an angry scowl at her pointed response.

"That wasn't your decision to make, Andromeda—"

"I wanted to make it for you, Harry." Andromeda countered her before she got to finish her sentence, causing Harry to snap her mouth shut and glare silently at her in growing contempt. For a long time, the two just looked at each other in cold silence, noting the tenseness of the other's stance and the way each one was trying to think of the proper things they could say without exploding.

Finally, it was Andromeda who broke the silence first and she looked intently at her, reaching over and gently placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry—" She paused and took a deep, calming breath. "Like it or not, I know you realize that I may be the only remaining guardian you have left… Teddy and I…We're the only family you have and I know that may not mean much to you but—"

Harry's jaw clenched and she glared spitefully at the older woman.

"I don't need another 'family'—"

"—I don't want you to grow up like this." Andromeda spoke on as though she hadn't heard her, her eyes softening as she gazed upon Harry's rigid features. The Gryffindor was looking at the floor now and looked desperately as though she was trying her best to keep herself together in front of her.

With a heavy heart, Andromeda forced herself to keep talking. "I don't want you to grow up with such bitter memories of the war and of people." She shook her head and raised a hand to massage her temples. "I don't want you looking back at your childhood and remembering nothing but death and misery…About how people were bloodthirsty monsters who killed other people for absolutely no reason but pure spite. That's…not how I want you to live the rest of your life. I want—"

Harry's eyes had gone completely hard at this point and she glared up at her. "How I live out the rest of my life is none of your business, Andromeda. My parents are dead. Dumbledore is dead. Sirius and Remus are dead. You're not my godmother so don't act like you are. I don't need it."

Andromeda looked a little stung at Harry's harsh words but just as the teen was about to walk away, she reached out and grabbed the younger girl by the arm again to stop her. Harry stiffened again but didn't push her away, listening coldly to Andromeda as she forced the words right out.

"H—Harry…William Kensington is a Death Eater…He was one of those in the same ranks as Lucius and Regulus during those days when Voldemort was still beginning to rise." Harry's eyes flashed at her words but Andromeda forced herself to continue, determined to explain her point to her.

"H—his…H—his wife and daughter were friends of mine…H—he…S—sometime during the war, his family was caught hiding and protecting muggleborns in their basement. The Death Eaters found out… And Voldemort had them killed…" Andromeda's voice grew shaky near the end of her sentence and she took a deep breath to calm herself, unaware of the way the anger had died from Harry's eyes.

"The Death Eaters…murdered the muggleborns and his entire family in front of him that night. Th—then they burned his whole house down after…As punishment for having associated with the muggleborns…" Andromeda was obviously trying hard not to cry as she forced herself to continue.

"W—William loved his family…Especially his five-year-old daughter. I—it was his idea to hide the muggleborns in their basement…One of them reminded him so much of Angela, his daughter, you see…And he just couldn't find it in his heart to kill them. So he and his family hid them…Much to their own demise." Harry looked away just as Andromeda took in another breath of air, not wanting to the older woman to see that she now had tears in her own eyes and was trying to blink them away.

After several moments of silence, Andromeda finally released Harry's arm and leaned back against the wall in exhaustion. She closed her eyes and allowed more tears to stroll down her cheeks. As the silence became almost unbearable for her, Harry finally turned around slowly and watched her, her features beginning to soften as she watched Andromeda struggling to control her own emotions.

Once she managed to calm herself down, she finally opened her eyes again and looked up, meeting Harry's glistening green eyes steadily with a weak, empty smile. "The day they killed William's family…was Draco's first night as a Death Eater…Just after he received the mark and his initiation." Harry's eyes grew wide at this but Andromeda still continued, her voice growing even softer.

"Draco…changed after that night…I could see it in his eyes…In his actions…He became withdrawn from us…Distant…Lonely…Almost as if there were horrors in his eyes…in his sleep that he were plaguing him all the time. He's been having nightmares too…Every night…It scared Narcissa." Andromeda continued softly, her words causing Harry to think of how Draco had been in sixth year.

"Wh—what happened—?"

"He never talks about it, my nephew…" Andromeda smiled sadly, a ghost of regret in her eyes. "Almost as if he's determined to erase the memory of that night from his mind…He was crying that night, you know…? Cissa and Lucius never regretted anything else except allowing him to see that." She finally sighed and met Harry's eyes, allowing the Gryffindor to see the small tears in hers.

"Not all Death Eaters are the monsters you think they are, Harry…" She began softly, reaching out and gently taking Harry's shaking hand into hers. Harry couldn't think of anything else to say in response to that and just flicked her eyes to the floor, clenching her free hand into a small, tight fist.

Andromeda continued, her fingers tightening around Harry's. "Some…Really are just drawn in because of their fear…Their anger…Their sorrows. Some really do just want a way out and are simply trying to protect their own family's lives and well-being…Not everyone enjoys being a killer." She finally stopped after she had said this and without another word, she slowly but gently began leading Harry back towards Kensington's hospital room again – all the while keeping completely silent.

Once they got there, she let go of Harry's hand and pushed the teen gently towards the door, placing her hand comfortingly on the Gryffindor's shoulder. "These people…William Kensington… Severus Snape...and even Draco…Harry, these people have experienced just as much pain and suffering and death and loss as you have during the war…They've experienced the same sorrow…and fear…Perhaps more so on fear than you'll ever hope to understand." She told her, finally causing Harry to take in a deep, shaky breath of air as she nodded weakly and allowed a tear to roll down her cheek.

Andromeda looked at her and reached over, gently wiping the tear away. Leaning down and giving her a soft, reassuring kiss on the top of her head, she wiped her own tears away and began to walk away. Before she did, however, she turned around one last time and gave Harry one last smile.

"Talk to him, Harry. Learn from him…You may be able to heal each other from all that anger and bitterness." Andromeda allowed these words to sink in as she turned around and slowly began to walk away down the long hallway, leaving Harry staring in a daze at Kensington's dark hospital door.


Harry's cheeks were pale and she was visibly shaking as she walked towards the orphanage section of St. Mungo's much later that night, a pang of guilt plaguing her chest as she thought about the gravity of all Andromeda had told her about not only Mr. Kensington but about Draco as well.

Much of what the older woman had said had reverberated so much in her head for the rest of the night that she couldn't think properly, much more take care of Kensington in her state. She had approached one of the Healers at the front desk to excuse her from her duties that night and had taken a quiet stroll through St. Mungo's instead, her thoughts lingering on Andromeda's few words.

Draco…He was…He must have been a mess after seeing what he did that night. Harry thought to herself as she turned the corner again, her mind immediately flooding with flashbacks of their sixth year in Hogwarts and how Draco had been – detached and a complete wreck throughout the semester.

In her mind, she recalled the things she had done, said, or thought about him that year, including that one incident in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom when she had almost killed him with that Sectum Sempra curse she had fired on him. Thinking about it now, however, plagued her with guilt.

He was probably just as scared as I was back then…And alone. I was never alone…He was…It must have been so terrible for him. Harry looked up just as that thought crossed her mind and found herself face-to-face with the open door of the orphanage, blinking as she was rewarded with the colorful sight of the different children running around the room. Stopping just as she reached the door and leaning against the nearby wall to wait for Draco, she chuckled when she caught sight of him inside the room, struggling helplessly to usher the children one by one to bed as they ran around.

After about fifteen minutes of her watching him, Draco finally looked up and saw her through the doorway. He beckoned her into the room with a small smile. Nodding, Harry straightened from the wall and was just about to walk into the room when a small figure suddenly appeared in the doorway to block her path. As soon as she recognized the little girl named Hannie's big eyes staring silently and uncannily up at her again from the entrance, Harry stopped walking and stared back uncertainly at her.

"Er…Hi Hannie...That's a pretty doll—"

She was cut off rather sharply when another figure appeared by the doorway in front of Hannie and blocked her path, causing her to look down and blink at Timmy's wide, knowing grin. With a brief laugh, he rewarded her with a mischievous, toothy grin and pointed at her with his toy wand.

"Draco says you're his friend! His GIRL-friend! Is that true?"

As soon as the loudly spoken words had reached her ears, Harry began spluttering for several seconds and just before she could utter a coherent response, a red-faced Draco was behind Timmy immediately and was already scooping the giggling child up into his arms with a forced, horrified laugh.

"TIMMY! You mischievous little rascal, don't believe a single word he says, Har—Jamie! He's just had about a dozen chocolate frogs today, he's completely hyped up on sugar." Draco rushed out with an apologetic smile, his face still tinged from embarrassment but otherwise he gave her a grin.

After recovering from the initial shock, Harry finally managed to blink herself out of her daze and laughed, shaking her head as she leaned against the doorframe. "And here I thought you were beginning to tell lies to these children, Malfoy…Are you that desperate for a girlfriend?" She teased with a smirk, watching as Draco finally somehow managed to tuck a giggling Timmy into his bed.

Once the Slytherin had turned back towards her and scooped Hannie up into his arms this time, he looked at Harry and threw her a rather lazy grin. "If I was, I'd definitely be telling these children better lies about better looking girls than you, Potter." He teased back, unwittingly causing Harry to laugh again in spite of herself as she rolled her eyes and patiently waited for him to finish up.

As soon as Draco was sure that he had tucked all of the respective children into their right beds and that each one was beginning to fall asleep, he finally let out a breath of exhaustion and began heading towards her. Shrugging himself back into his school robes, he stopped just as he reached Harry waiting by the room exit and nodded, turning around to wave goodbye at the kids.

Harry held back a smile as the Slytherin was met with a barrage of 'goodbye's and 'whining' from the children as they left, the sounds only ceasing moments later when Draco chuckled and finally closed the door. Then, slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder, nodded again and led Harry through the corridors as they began making their way back to the floo area in an easy, comfortable silence.

She reluctantly followed several steps behind him – so many questions spinning around in her mind that she wanted to ask but couldn't because she didn't want to upset him. Instead, she settled on clearing her throat to catch his attention, causing the Slytherin to stop instantly and turn to face her.

"Harry…?"

Draco looked down at her and met her bright green eyes with a questioning gaze.

She hesitated for several seconds before looking up and giving him a meaningful look.

"I'm…sorry…About the other night."

He looked confused for a minute before his eyes cleared and he understood what she meant. Refusing to say anything, he just sighed and nodded silently again with an unreadable expression.

Unsure of what else to say and slightly uncomfortable at the way Draco still wasn't saying anything else, she bit her lip and continued to follow him just as they reached the floo-connected fireplace near the end of the hallway. Without saying a word, he stepped aside and allowed her to go first, following after her moments later into McGonagall's large Headmistress office at Hogwarts.

After the Headmistress had warned the two students to go directly to bed, Harry and Draco both turned and headed out of the office, making their way down the school corridors in continued silence. Just as they reached the point where Draco would be turning to head off to his Head Boy dormitory and Harry would be turning towards Gryffindor towers, she finally grimaced and faced him.

"Draco—" Draco looked up in surprise at being addressed but kept his full attention on her as she spoke. "—look…I really am sorry about all the things I said the other night. It was—" Harry's eyebrows fused together as she looked for the right word to say. "—unfair of me to blame you for such things…Especially since I don't even know you that well to begin with. I'm…I'm really sorry." She ended the last part of her apology with a weak, helpless sigh, looking back up to check his reaction.

She was surprised, however, that instead of looking at her, Draco had paled completely and was looking nervously at something approaching behind her, his gray eyes slowly growing wide with fear. Blatantly ignoring her previous apology, he raised a shaky finger and pointed it over her shoulder.

"H—Harry…Th—there's a…th—there's a scary looking creature b—behind you—"

Harry stiffened and was about to turn around with her wand pointed when she felt an affectionate nudging against her ear, followed by a soft, familiar neighing sound that she recognized instantly. Her suspicious expression immediately dissolved and she ignored Draco's terrified stance as she turned around and rewarded Mortia, her favorite Thestral, with a small, fond smile of greeting.

"Hey girl…I haven't seen you for quite some time…How have you been? Did you miss me?"

She didn't bother waiting for the Thestral to respond as she chuckled and allowed Mortia to nudge her cheek, looking back up and noticing Draco's terrified expression for the first time. Noting the way he seemed to be slowly backing away and the fact that his face had gone completely pale, Harry tried to calm him down by giving him a small, reassuring smile and offering him her hand.

"Draco, there's nothing to be afraid of…This is Mortia. She's—"

"Wh—what is it?" Draco hissed back sharply at her in alarm, his eyes still as wide as saucers and his hand clenched tightly around his wand as he backed away a couple more steps in obvious fear.

Belatedly realizing this seemed to be the first time Draco had ever seen a Thestral before, Harry's face sobered and she gazed quietly at him, reaching her hand out again giving him a sad smile.

"She's…She's a Thestral, Draco…Very gentle, harmless winged horses—"

Draco's face darkened into a sarcastic sneer and he glared angrily at her in mockery. "Gentle and harmless? Look at it, it looks like a skeleton! It's ugly and reminds me of a snake!" He sounded angry and he was just about to turn around and walk away when Harry called out softly to him again.

"You've been around them before, Draco…Many times, actually. Hagrid even discussed them before during Care of Magical Creatures... They're really not going to hurt you…Come on." She tried to reach a hand out to pull him closer to Mortia again but Draco flinched away and glared at her in fury.

"Are you out of your mind, Potter? This is insane! I have never seen such a disgusting looking creature before in my life and I don't know what or why you drew it to us but I don't ever want to come near it!" He ended his sentence with a sneer at her and was just about to walk off again but unfortunately, the next few words that Harry had spoken finally caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"You see them now, Draco…They can only be seen by people who've seen death."

Draco stopped walking and froze up instantly, his hands clenching into fists and his nails burying into the palms of his hand as he processed her words. He stayed like that for a long moment, his eyes darkening in bitterness and angry contempt as he stared blankly into the floor. Then, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he willed himself to turn around and looked into Harry's soft expression again, momentarily calmed by the understanding he saw reflected in her green eyes.

He stared at her for a long, agonizing moment – almost as if he was afraid of staring at anything else for fear of breaking down or running away. Then, as though he had to force himself to do so, he blinked away the tears beginning to form in his eyes and turned his attention slowly to the Thestral behind her, his eyes blurring with even more tears as he saw the winged creature clearly.

The Thestral stared back curiously at him, its dead black eyes probing into his gaze as though trying to decipher into his soul. Draco kept his gaze steady as he met its eyes, his face twisting into a pained grimace as he looked at the creature's ghastly appearance and strange, snake-like skin. Then, as though his eyes had been burned, he suddenly snapped them shut and turned away sharply, covering his eyes with his hands and furiously shaking his head in a fit of desperation and angry denial.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO! THAT'S NOT REAL! THAT UGLY THING IS NOT REAL, POTTER! I DON'T SEE ANYTHING THERE! THERE'S NOTHING THERE, YOU'RE MAKING IT ALL UP! Y—YOU…I—I'M NOT A FREAK LIKE YOU, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING THERE! I DON'T! I DON'T! I WON'T!" Draco suddenly began screaming as he collapsed onto his knees on the floor and covered his face with his hands. He was shaking violently as he turned his face away from the approaching Thestral and sank down even lower onto the floor in utter helplessness, his entire body crumbling with fear and childlike vehemence.

Worried and completely stunned by his reaction, Harry's eyes widened and she hurriedly rushed over towards the Slytherin, kneeling down onto the floor beside him and gently trying to take his hands away from covering his face. Draco flinched sharply and tried to shove her away from him again but Harry kept her grasp surprisingly firm as she forced his hands away, slowly but carefully lifting his tear-drenched face up so he could look directly at the approaching Thestral in front of them.

"Draco, there's nothing to be afraid of. See…? She's not going to hurt you! She's—"

"NO! LET ME GO! STOP IT, LET ME GO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT! THERE'S NOTHING THERE!" Draco screamed again and though Harry had managed to remove his hands from his eyes, the Malfoy Heir clenched them shut instead when she tried to turn his head towards Mortia, causing Harry's expression to cloud over completely in avid concern when she took in Draco's near hysterical state.

"Draco—"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, POTTER! I DON'T—I WON'T SEE IT! I WON'T! I WON'T!" When Harry finally sighed and gestured for Mortia to move away, Draco collapsed into her arms and buried his tear-streaked face against her, his entire body trembling as he tried to move away from the Thestral as much as possible. Unable to do anything else, Harry held him quietly against her, waiting patiently until his shaking receded and his pounding heart had calmed down before she dared say anything else.

It took several minutes but Draco finally calmed down and once he had, Harry unwound her arms around him and slowly began to stand up, leaving the Malfoy Heir staring at her in silent question. She didn't say anything, however, and walked right past him, reaching out and calling Mortia back towards her with a soft, gentle whistle. As soon as he caught sight of the Thestral once more, Draco immediately recoiled and snapped his eyes shut again, turning away from the horrifying sight.

Harry saw his reaction but still kept silent, reaching out again and gently stroking Mortia with a small smile. The Thestral neighed and nudged her cheek affectionately again, causing her to let out a soft laugh as she shook her head and began to follow the Thestral towards the open courtyard.

"So…You recognize me despite the fact that I've changed into a girl, do you? You're a smart one, huh Mortia?" Harry whispered gently to the Thestral as they stopped just by a nearby fountain, allowing the Thestral more room as it spread out its wings as though ready to take flight. Harry accepted the gesture and climbed on top of her, wrapping her arms around Mortia's thin, scaly neck.

As she did this, Harry took that time to turn around and glance back at Draco by the corridors again. She was thoroughly surprised, however, when she saw that the Slytherin had stood up from where he had been huddled on the floor and was now watching them from a good deal of meters away, his eyes opened but otherwise very wary as they flicked repeatedly from Harry to Mortia behind her.

Smiling encouragingly at him and yet not wanting to scare him away, Harry spoke out in a gentle but loud voice. "There's nothing to be scared of, Draco. She sees you. She sees you because you've seen death…And she sees your pain. She's not going to hurt you." As though to prove her point, she held a hand up and placed it gently onto the top of Mortia's head, giving the Thestral a soft pat.

Draco looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes before flicking his gaze back to the Thestral in growing curiosity. Then, shifting his attention back to her, he swallowed and answered in a soft voice.

"A—are you sure?"

Despite the fear she heard in his voice, Harry couldn't help smiling at the surprisingly child-like question and nodded, her green eyes softening as they gazed upon his frightened features. She allowed her gaze to drift back to Mortia after some time, a sad smile flitting across her serene face.

"Thestrals are one of the most gentle…most misunderstood creatures in our world… People avoid them because of what they represent…Because they fear them…And yet they're judged because of that…But in truth…" Harry's voice trailed off and her eyes darkened as she gazed at Draco again.

"I'd like to think that perhaps…They're just as lonely as we are…It must be hard for people to be afraid of you all the time…For people to deny your existence. It's…sad, really." Harry sighed again, watching as Draco seemed to be walking closer and closer towards them though with still a great deal of fear and uncertainty reflected in his wide gray eyes. Once he was close enough for her to reach out to him, Harry offered him a small smile again and held one of her hands out for him to take.

Seeing Harry do this, Mortia neighed again and approached Draco instantly, causing the Slytherin to freeze up and clench his eyes shut in fear again as the Thestral crouched itself down slightly in front of him. When she saw his reaction, Harry bent down with Mortia and spoke out to him.

"Draco…Open your eyes…Open your eyes and look at me."

Still shaking and his body frozen in fear, Draco opened his eyes and met her gaze, startling the Gryffindor slightly when she saw so much pain and fear reflected in those beautiful silver orbs. Then, offering him her hand again, she nodded and rewarded him with a beautiful, reassuring smile.

"Fly with me, Draco…Let me show you what it feels to let that fear go away." She watched as another myriad of emotions crossed his face and he stared hesitantly at her, his eyes growing wider.

"Wh—what if I fall off, Harry…? I—I don't want to touch it…I'm scared—"

Harry shook her head firmly and answered him with a fierce, reassuring look.

"Trust me, Draco…I'm not going to let you fall. I won't let you go."

Draco swallowed the dry lump in his throat again but stepped closer towards her and the Thestral, one of his shaking hands already lifting up and very slowly beginning to reach out for hers.

"Y—you promise…?"

One of the corners of Harry's lips lifted softly into another soft, fond smile at his question.

"I promise."

The minute his fingers had grasped hers, Draco held back a gasp of fear as he was immediately lifted off the ground by Mortia and tossed onto her back just behind Harry, the Slytherin's heart pounding rapidly in his chest as he immediately wrapped his arms very tightly around her waist.

"Th—this is insane—!"

Harry laughed at the cracking in his voice but nodded, wrapping one of her arms around Mortia's neck and one reaching down and intertwining firmly with one of the hands he had around her.

"Yeah…I suppose it is." She agreed, laughing again as Mortia finally spread her wings and flew off of the ground right into the air, eliciting what would have been a scream of terror from Draco had Harry not tightened her fingers around his hand in reassurance – just as she had promised she would.

"H—Harry—" Draco choked back his protests and instead wrapped his arms tighter around her waist from behind, the cold night wind blowing through his blonde hair. He adjusted himself uncomfortably as Mortia when she flew up higher and began circling around Hogwarts castle grounds.

A part of him absolutely terrified and another part of him still unwilling to believe this was real, Draco clenched his eyes shut again and wrapped his arms even tighter around Harry's waist. As Mortia flew up higher into the sky, Draco's grip tightened and he buried his cringing face into her shoulder.

Harry felt him trembling against her and laughed again, cheering lightly when Mortia dipped down from the sky and began circling herself around the lake surrounding Hogwarts castle. "Oh come on, Malfoy…You're a flyer…You play Quidditch. What are you so afraid of? Open your eyes!" She teased gently just before Mortia gave a sharp dip again, earning a disgruntled squeak from Draco.

"Flying a broom is nothing compared to this, Potter! M—Merlin, I feel like I'm going to fall off!" He croaked out and ignoring her laughter, he wrapped his arms even tighter around her waist. "D—don't you dare let go, Potter! Don't you dare!" He warned her loudly, earning another grin from Harry as she laughed and steered Mortia slightly to the left, swooping them down low enough so that they were flying just along the very surface of the lake's edge and she could see her own reflection.

When Mortia gave a sharp sound and began to fly even faster, Draco's grip tightened around Harry just as the Gryffindor girl let out a cheer, laughing again as the wind blew against her face. One of her hands remained tightly intertwined with Draco's just by her waist and she tugged gently on his fingers to get his attention, turning her head to the side so she could speak gently to him in earnest.

"Open your eyes."

The three words, simple and yet whispered so softly in his ear, brought a shiver down his spine and Draco forced himself to open his eyes again. His gray orbs dilated in shock about half a second later when he rewarded with the beautiful sight of the clear lake surrounding the school — illuminated perfectly by the white rays of the moon with the reflection of Hogwarts Castle in clear view.

They were flying gracefully just several inches above the lake's surface and Draco reached down slowly to touch the water, savoring the cool touch of the droplets against his pale skin. Looking back up, he finally let out a small smile as he stared at the stars above them, his eyes softening as he admired the night sky and the whiteness of the snow covering the trees flitting past them as they flew.

Beautiful...

Draco closed his eyes again for a brief moment and took in a deep breath of the cold night air, opening them again just seconds later so he could turn and stare at Harry instead. The Gryffindor girl mirrored the smile on his face as she steered them effortlessly around the grounds, pausing briefly before she grinned and pulled them back up into the sky just as they passed Hogwarts castle again. Shaking his head, Draco couldn't help smiling by now and laughed along with her as she began to fly them in twists and loops around the area, pausing every now and then to let them catch their breaths.

Once they reached the height of one of the very highest towers in Hogwarts, she reached out and petted Mortia softly into a steady, peaceful flight – the three of them just circling lazily around the grounds and staring serenely at the beauty of their surroundings. Neither of them said anything for a long time as they did this and it wasn't until about fifteen minutes later that Draco gathered the strength to speak up. He unwound his fingers from around hers and, using the same hand, he reached up and caressed her cheek, causing the Gryffindor to blink and to turn her face behind towards him.

"D—Draco…?"

She was unable to see the strange look on Draco's face as he reached down again and clasped her hand once more, this time intertwining their fingers together in a firm but reassuring grasp.

"I'm sorry too…"

Harry was still blinking in confusion and was trying to turn her head back to look at him.

"…For what…?"

Draco heard her whispered response and sighed softly, caressing her hand with his own.

"…Everything."

He didn't know if she heard him but she turned her head to the side anyway and managed to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide but soft as they met his gaze. Green burned into silver as they stared at each other for a long moment, both never realizing the blush beginning to creep into their cheeks and the fact that their faces – their lips – were so startlingly close to the one another's.

So…Close…

Draco's gaze broke away from the entrancing emerald green depths of her eyes and he found himself staring fervently at her lips instead, his eyes swirling heatedly as she seemed to come closer and closer towards him, stopping just as their lips were brushing very fleetingly against each other's.

Merlin…She's…So…Close…

Just as Draco's mind had gone completely numb and Harry's eyes were already beginning to close at their agonizing nearness, the two teenagers were promptly broken out of their reverie when Mortia chose that exact moment to neigh and dive down sharply – forcing the two students away from each other as Draco suddenly gasped in alarm and rewound his arms tightly around Harry's waist.

"P—POTTER! H—HOW DO YOU CONTROL THIS THING? MAKE IT SLOW DOWN!"

Laughing and shaking her head at the panic in his voice, Harry eased Mortia into an easy flight once more, her free hand reaching back down and intertwining tightly with Draco's.


Taking in a deep breath of the cold night air, Harry smiled softly to herself as she leaned over the railing of the Hogwarts Bell Tower much later that night, her gaze lingering on Mortia's winged form as she flew off into the sky and began to disappear from their line of sight. The Thestral had finally deposited her and Draco down onto the tower after flying around the grounds for about another hour or so and had finally flown off, leaving the two teenagers staring after her in silent gratitude.

Once Mortia had gone and Harry found herself staring into the dark, empty sky once more, she blinked again and slowly trailed her eyes back down at the Hogwarts grounds below. Noticing her faraway expression, Draco chose to remain silent and positioned himself beside her, leaning over the railing as well and lifting his gaze up so he could stare at the stars shinning above their heads.

Neither of them said anything for those next few moments…and neither of them wanted to.

Sighing and reluctantly lifting her gaze away from the very patch of ground Harry had once watched Dumbledore fall to his death towards, she closed her eyes and turned around so that her back was resting against the railing instead. Biting her lip and still refusing to say anything, she wrapped her arms tighter around herself and held back a shudder, her mind suddenly drawn back to the painful memory she had witnessed here – on this very tower – the night Dumbledore had died.

It seemed so long ago then – and yet, it was only two years ago that it had happened. So much had happened, and never did she dream that she would be on this very tower with Draco Malfoy of all people, sharing the night with him…Reminiscing about Dumbledore's death. The very death that Draco had been there to witness as well. The very death that Draco had been the one to perpetuate.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Harry closed her eyes and tried to block it all out.

She could still envision the images of that night clearly in her head.

Dumbledore had been standing by this very ledge – tired and weak from their excavation of Voldemort's locket. He had told her to go get Snape, and once she had gone that was when Draco had appeared – his wand pointed at Dumbledore and his entire form trembling as he tried to do his task.

He had been crying that night too – and Harry suddenly realized that she only knew that now.

He had been terrified…and scared…Just as she was.

"Harry…?"

Startled and broken right out of her thoughts, Harry blinked rapidly and looked up, dazed slightly when she found herself staring right into Draco's confused, worried gaze. Realizing that she must have been staring off into empty space for the last ten minutes, she shook her head and managed a weak laugh at him to ease his concern, giving the Slytherin a small smile and weak nod.

"I—I'm fine…I was just thinking…about…stuff." She ignored his curious gaze and waved it off, reaching around herself to pull her Hogwarts robes tighter around her small frame. "Anyway…I think we'd better start heading on back soon, Draco…It's late…I wouldn't want anyone to worry." She was just about to walk off past him back towards the entrance to the castle when Draco spoke up again, his next few words causing Harry to stop in midstride and turn around to give him a bewildered look.

"So…Harry…Er…You going with anyone to the Yule Ball yet…?"

Highly confused and somewhat wary of his question, Harry stared dumbly at him for several moments. Then, thinking he was teasing her, she rolled her eyes, giving him a sarcastic, pointed glare.

"I hardly think I can, Draco…Even if I wanted to. What kind of girl do you think is going to go with ME in this state?" She scoffed with a sharp laugh but Draco just shook his head and shrugged, giving her a pointed grin. "So…? Then don't go with a girl then, you git. Go with a guy. I've noticed a couple of them staring at you every now and then from around school." He teased but his words did nothing but cause Harry to redden in embarrassment. Glaring at him, she gave him an irritated scowl.

"Ugh…No thanks, Malfoy…I don't know about you but the idea of going with another guy to the Yule Ball just…freaks me out. It would be completely unnatural…and…wrong! I think I'll just pass." She told him with a wry smile and she was about to walk past him again when Draco spoke up once more.

With a light laugh, he leaned backwards against the railing again and gave her a weak shrug.

"Why not? If he's your friend and all…I'm sure it wouldn't be all that awkward…I mean…" His cheeks reddened slightly and he bit his lip as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "It wouldn't be like a…date…or anything. It would all be just for fun…Wouldn't it?" Somehow, his voice had sounded a little too hopeful and hinting towards the end of his sentence that Harry finally caught on to what he was suggesting and her eyes narrowed. She turned around very slowly and gave him a suspicious glare.

"Malfoy…What's going on…?"

Draco immediately reddened at her sudden question but he managed a weak laugh and looked up at her, ducking his head sheepishly before giving her a small, helpless smile. "I—I guess…I'm asking…Harry…If you'd like to go to the Yule Ball with me next Friday…As…friends…of course." He added carefully with another guarded smile, watching the reactions carefully on her surprised face.

Harry's eyes had widened in shock at his question and she gaped at him, her pale cheeks beginning to tinge very slowly with a rare, endearing shade of pink.

"B—but…! Th—that's crazy, Malfoy – I – I mean, I'm a – not a – I'm not a—"

Draco cut off her stammers sharply by raising a hand and indicating for her to stop.

"Like I said…As friends…I'm…" He fused his eyebrows in thought as he tried to figure out what to say, all the while trying to ignore the horrible flush on his cheeks. "I'm…really looking forward to attending the ball this year, you see…It is our last year, after all…And well…Unfortunately, I don't think any of the girls in school would dare say yes to me now…" He added wryly, smirking at himself and rolling his eyes when Harry snorted and raised an eyebrow, obviously not denying his words.

Draco glared weakly at her at that before he continued. "So I figured…Since you're a girl now and you don't completely hate my guts…Well…At least not anymore." He quipped again, causing Harry's lips to twitch in mild laughter again as she listened to what he was saying.

"Maybe it would be…okay…if you were my partner for the ball…As friends. I mean, come on." Draco suddenly grinned and chuckled, giving the Gryffindor girl a rather mischievous wink and smirk.

"Everyone will be masked anyway…And even if the whole school DOES see us together…Well…" Draco smirked wryly to himself at the thought. "It'd be the perfect opportunity to shock them all into complete oblivion…Wouldn't you think?" He looked expectantly at her after this, watching nervously as a couple of emotions creased her face – shock, hesitation, confusion, until finally, wry amusement.

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him for a long moment, her eyebrows creased together as though she was seriously considering her options. For a minute, Draco was worried that she was going to reject him and his initially planned strategy would fail but that thought was soon cast out of his mind when Harry looked up at him again and gave him a rueful smile. She rolled her eyes and chuckled as she offered him a shrug, reaching up to run a hand through her hair.

"Hmm…Why not…? I doubt anything more could damage both our reputations now, anyway. We're both already so screwed over…I suppose adding the amusement of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy going to the Yule Ball together would be the cherry on Hogwart's already oh-so-perfect school year." She drawled wryly, earning a noticeably relieved chuckle from Draco as he grinned at her words.

Still laughing and slightly unsure as to why he couldn't stop smiling at her, Draco nodded and extended a hand out to her. "Thank you, Harry…This…Means a lot to me. So…I'll pick you up then—"

Harry cut him off sharply by shaking her head, her cheeks flushing at the idea of being picked up like a girl. "I'll meet you by the entrance of the Great Hall on Friday…" She started, waiting until Draco dropped his hand understanding before she continued. "I'll be coming home with Ron and Hermione to the Weasley's this weekend so I probably won't see you before then. Is…8pm okay?"

Draco mentally marked the date and time in his memory and nodded again, leaning back casually along the railing with a small smile. "That's fine, Harry…I'll be wearing a caped black suit, black hat and a black mask tied around my eyes. I hope you'll recognize me." He told her and after he had said that, Harry couldn't help chuckling to herself at the image it suddenly created in her mind.

"Who are you supposed to be, Zorro—"

Frowning, Draco raised an eyebrow at her in mild irritation. "Who's Zorro?"

Shaking her head and trying to muffle her sniggers, Harry just grinned at him. "I'll look for you then…Have a happy weekend, alright? Aren't you…Going home this week for the holidays?" She couldn't help asking that last question just before she left but she was surprised, however, when all Draco did was to stiffen and to clench his jaw as his gaze immediately dropped down to the floor.

"No…I'll just be staying here in school…Catching up on my studies." He lied, keeping his gaze on the floor lest she saw the tension on his face and figured out that he wasn't telling the truth.

Nevertheless, Harry seemed to accept his reason anyway and nodded again, turning back around and heading towards the staircase leading back down. "Alright…Well…I'll see you then, Draco. Good night…And…" She hesitated before turning back around and rewarding the Slytherin with a smile.

"Happy Christmas."

Hearing her soft voice, Draco slowly looked back up again and returned her smile with his own.

"Happy Christmas, Harry."


It's so strange to see Draco smile these days…I don't think I've ever seen him smile before.

This was the thought that kept lingering in Harry's mind as she made her way back up the Gryffindor towers that night, her body suddenly feeling the weight of the day's exhaustion. Yawning softly, she ran a hand through her hair and opened the door to the boys' dormitory, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark before she entered and began to walk carefully to her bed at the end of the room.

Though it suits him…He should smile more often…He looks really handsome.

Harry froze in the middle of rifling through her trunk for her pajamas and shook her head hastily at herself, her cheeks unwittingly flushing pink when she realized what she had been thinking.

What the hell, Potter? It's bad enough you just agreed to go with 'Malfoy' of all people to the Yule Ball – Ron will already have your neck for that. You have to think about him that way too? Just…Stop it! She berated herself as she stood back up and began making her way to the bathroom.

Using her wand to flick on the lights, she was just in the process of changing into her pajama bottoms when something rather bright red caught her attention and she froze, slowly flicking her eyes down and staring in mental shock at the glaring red patch of blood staining the fabric of her pants.

Oh Merlin…

Harry's eyes widened in horror when she realized what she was staring at and she began to stumble backwards, crashing noisily against something behind her and causing the whole rack of shampoo bottles and soaps to come crashing noisily onto the floor. She barely heard the crash – nor the irritated grumbling coming from her fellow housemates – as the blood-stained pants slipped from her hands and fell to the floor at her feet. Gulping audibly, she fell into a useless heap onto the floor.

B—bloody hell…Wh—what's happening to me…I—I'm…I'm bleeding…From…There…?

This was the state that greeted a rather sleepy Ron as he walked into the bathroom that night and stared questioningly at Harry's huddled form on the ground, the sleep immediately vanishing from his eyes when he caught the look of absolute horror and panic in Harry's expression. Raising a hand to scratch at the hair behind his head, he muffled a yawn and looked around the bathroom in question.

"H—Harry? Mate, what's wrong…? I heard a crash and I thought that—" Ron cut himself off abruptly as soon as he caught sight of the bright red bloodstains on the floor and he paled instantly, his shocked blue eyes widening in horror as he flicked them back over to Harry's trembling figure.

"B—bloody hell, Harry….Is that your blood? Wh—what happened? Why are you—"

Somehow, Harry broke out of her horror-stricken daze at the sound of Ron's familiar voice and she snapped her gaze back up at him, raising a hand and pointing it shakily at her blood-stained pants.

"R—Ron…I—I'm…I'm bleeding…F—from… F—From…" Her whispered words were barely audible and she eventually let her words trail off but Ron followed her pointed finger anyway. Then, as soon as he caught sight of her discarded pants and exactly where the bloodstain was, the horror on his face was replaced by stunned realization and he stiffened, turning around and staring back sadly at Harry.

My god…He…This is real… This is really happening…He…She really is a girl.

He did have a younger sister after all…And he knew exactly what was happening.

Sighing heavily and running a hand through his bedraggled red hair again, Ron swallowed the dry lump in his throat and walked toward her, reaching a hand down to help her back up onto her feet.

"Come on, Harry…I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey."


A/N: Poor Harry…Oh I know that is never a pleasant experience to have – not even for ME and I'M a naturally born girl. But alas…Things have to be written the way they should…And I couldn't skip that. Even if I really wanted to. *cringe* Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter everyone! I know you're all waiting for some more D/H action and it's coming very very soon, I promise.

Next Chapter: Holidays at the Burrow, Andromeda has a very meaningful talk with Draco, Mrs. Weasley has a very meaningful talk with Harry, Some Pre-Yule Ball Jitters.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW, EVERYONE! CHEERS AND LOTS OF LOVE!