Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or anything Harry Potter related!

Hey, everyone. Sorry it took me a couple of days to get this chapter out! I'm really busy at the moment because I'm moving back to university in two days, so I've been packing and getting ready!

It had been more than a week since Harry had ended things. It had been a rough couple of days. Since we had split up Harry hadn't said one word directly to me, though I did see him sneaking glances at me when we were in classes. It made me feel a little bit hopeful that we would be able to fix things. To be honest, even after everything that had happened between me and Harry, I was still desperately in love with him. Even though I knew I should be more angry with him, I could bring myself to hate him. The only thing that I felt when I looked at Harry was sadness. Though I didn't admit it, I was positive that I would take him back in a heartbeat if he asked.

On top of the unhappiness, I was also feeling incredible guilt. Ron and Hermione had distanced themselves from Harry. They wouldn't tell me what had happened, and I didn't push them. I just felt terrible that I had something to do with their issues with Harry. I told them a couple of times that I wouldn't be upset if they spent time with Harry, but they insisted that they weren't doing it simply for my sake, so I let it go.

All of this stress had caused me to lose many hours of sleep, and it was definitely not due to a lack of trying. I had always had trouble sleeping, but it was becoming a little bit ridiculous. If I did get any sleep at all, I would fall asleep during the early hours of the morning, only to be awoken by Hermione two or three hours later. I just lay in my bed obsessing about mine and Harry's parting words to each other, and that was definitely not helping me get over things. Luckily we were making sleeping potions in Potions class, so I nicked a few vials when Slughorn's back was turned. That took care of that problem, but there were still so many things that just seemed to be going wrong for me.

My lessons with Dumbledore had taken a dramatic turn for the worst. Since our last disastrous session, we had two more meetings. I had been working on contacting the Dryads, nothing had changed. I was still having a lot of difficulties, and the disappointed looks that Dumbledore was giving me was not helping anything! I felt even worse because Adrien was improving so quickly, and I was just failing miserably.

Dumbledore seemed to understand though. If anything, he seemed concerned about me, which I appreciated. After both of our lessons he made me stay after and talked to me about what was going on with Harry, ensuring me each time that Harry would come around eventually. I just nodded and gave him a weak smile when he said this, because I really didn't want to get my hopes up.

I think the worst part of the week had been quidditch practices. Harry had no choice to but to interact with me. He never talked to me directly though, and talked to the chasers collectively instead of saying anything to me personally. Even with that, I could tell that he was avoiding my eyes, and was talking more to the other two chasers than me.

In order to get through the day I had been throwing myself into my work. This was probably the only good thing that came out of my breakup with Harry. I had given up trying to study in the common room while Harry was at the other end chatting with his friends, so I had claimed a table in the library. Whenever I wasn't in class, meals, quidditch practice or meetings with Dumbledore, I was sitting in an isolated corner of the Charms section surrounded with numerous books and pieces of parchment.

That was where I was right now – sitting in the Charms section of the library attempting to translate a paragraph for Ancient Runes, though I was having a lot of trouble. I had a short day today, since Flitwick was sick with the flu and had cancelled my last class, and had been sitting here ever since.

Finally, I threw my parchment and quill down onto the desk. I decided that I couldn't sit here any longer. I gathered up my books and tossed out the parchment that was strewn about, before leaving the library. I didn't feel like going back to the Gryffindor tower, especially since it wasn't even curfew yet. No, I decided to go outside for a little while. I figured that sitting in my garden could help clear my mind. I descended down several flights of stairs and exited through the huge door in the Entrance Hall. I made my way down the tiny path to where my garden was hidden.

I sat down against one of the trees and rested my head against the trunk, closing my eyes. Being out in nature, I felt more alive than I had in more than a week. I ran my fingers through the grass and slipped off my shoes, letting my feet sink into the mud a little bit. My face spread into the first smile I had worn in a while. Just then I heard someone next to me clear their throat. I opened my eyes to see an amused looking Draco standing at the edge of the garden.

"Draco, hey," I said, wiping the goofy grin off my face.

"Hey, Ava. What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"Oh, just haven't gotten any fresh air in a while. How'd you find this place?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.

"It wasn't really difficult. This is the only area that has trees with green leaves on it, so I assumed you had something to do with it," he shrugged. I glanced around to see that all the leaves were now orange.

"Oh, I didn't even notice. Wow, it's already October, huh?" I said in surprise.

"Yeah, it is," he said with a small chuckle.

"Ok, ok. You don't have to laugh at me. So, do you want to sit down?" I offered, indication to me space of grass next to me.

"Sure," he said, taking a seat beside me.

"So, how are you doing, Draco?" I asked, for lack of anything better to say.

"Oh, better actually. I'm actually feeling better than I had in years," he confessed. I felt a small smile spread across my face.

"That's really great. I'm so glad that things are going better for you," I said honestly. "So, how is it living with the Slytherins now?"

"It's just as bad as ever, except I've given up pretending to agree with all of the bullshit that they're always going on about," he explained.

"That must be a relief," I said.

"You have no idea. So, what about you? How are you doing after..." his voice trailed off. It was pretty well known around the school that Harry Potter was single once again. I hesitated for a second, trying to figure out the right words.

"I'm terrible, actually," I admitted, managing to give him a weary smile.

"I'm so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault. I'll go and talk to Harry and tell him that I'm serious about this. Or if there's something else you think will make this better, please tell me and I'll do it right away," he rambled.

"Don't worry, Draco. I don't blame you for any of this. This is Harry's issue, not mine. And besides, do you think that Harry would really listen to you?" I asked.

"I suppose you're right about that. I just feel terrible that you guys are fighting because of me. I honestly didn't mean for any of this to happen," said Draco.

"I know you didn't. I promise that I'm not mad at you. Harry just needs to grow up a little bit, and get over this issue because you're both fighting on the same side now," I sighed.

"Thanks," said Draco, quietly.

"Don't mention it," I said. "So, have you started that damn Runes translation?" I said, changing the subject.

"Ugh, don't even talk to me about it! I don't know how my mother managed to convince me to take that damn class! It takes me nearly an hour to get through one line of translation!" he cried, making me laugh.

"Yeah, the one we got today is a real bitch," I agreed.

"Oh, please! What did you get on your O.W.L.s? I'm sure you got an O," he chuckled.

"Well, regardless, it's still difficult," I said, making him roll his eyes at me. I shivered slightly as I gust of wind blew over us.

"Are you cold?" he asked. Before I could answer or protest, he shrugged off his cloak and draped it around my shoulders.

"Thanks, but you don't have to," I said, awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it! It's the least I can do," he said. As I sat there, talking to Draco, I realized what a bizarre scenario this was. Here was Draco Malfoy, one of my sworn enemies, sitting with me in my garden and chatting about Puddlemere United's chances at the Quidditch World Cup. It was almost too strange, but then again, I definitely couldn't make this up if I tried.

It had started getting a little bit dark when I saw the owls. As Draco and I were talking, I noticed two brown specks approaching us. As the specks became larger I realized that they were two barn owls coming our way. I nudged Draco, who looked in the direction I was nodding and saw the owls swooping towards us.

"Who do you think those are from?" he muttered. I shrugged in response, as the owls touched down beside us. Draco undid the letters and handed me the one with my name on it, before ripping open his own. I saw the Hogwarts seal on the back and realized it must be from Dumbledore. I pulled open the envelope and read the note.

Avery,

Please come to my office when you get this.

Regards,

Albus Dumbledore

"What does yours say?" Draco asked.

"To go to Dumbledore's office. Yours?" I asked.

"Same. Let's go," he said, jumping up from the grass. He held out his hand and pulled me off the ground. We hurried back to the castle, curious about why Dumbledore was calling both of us to his office. I muttered the password when we reached the gargoyle, and lead Draco up the stairs to the office. I rapped loudly at the door.

"Come in," said Dumbledore, so I pushed open the door.

"Hey, Professor," I said, as I took a seat in front of him, followed by Draco.

"Good day to you both. I have called you here today because I have some news regarding Draco's mother," he said. I noticed Draco stiffen beside me, and I could see some of the colour in his face drain. I reached over and took his hand in a reassuring manner. He gave me a grateful nod, and squeezed my hand back.

"Today, several of the Order members were able to get Draco's mother safely out of the mansion while Lucius was at work. She is currently hiding in a hidden location that I cannot say. The main thing is that she is safe and happy," said Dumbledore with a happy smile. I smiled in relief, as I had been assuming that Dumbledore had called us here to share bad news. I looked over at Draco, who had a couple of tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know what else to say," he choked out.

"No thanks is necessary, my boy. The Order exists to protect people – we are just doing our job," said Dumbledore kindly, to which Draco nodded.

"Well, that is all I wanted to say. I suggest you both return to your respective Towers now, so that you are not caught outside after curfew," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.

"Thank you, sir," said Draco, as we left. As soon as we were past the gargoyle, he stopped walking and turned to me. He took a step closer and put his arms around me. I was surprised at first but I returned the hug, knowing that he really needed a friend right now. After a few seconds, he let go and stepped back.

"Ok, I'm going to go now. Thanks for everything," he said.

"No problem," I said, as I turned to leave.

"Oh, and Ava, if you think of anything I can do to fix the situation with Harry, please let me know," he said. I gave him a tiny smile, and continued on my way, back to Gryffindor Tower, feeling happier than I had for days now.

Hope you enjoyed it! Review and give me feedback! It's much appreciated! Thanks! :)