A FINAL CHANCE

By: Shadowedheart89

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, nor do I claim to.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Decisions

"What's Malfoy doing here?" Harry asked, with a certain bitterness in his voice.

"Dumbledore sees fit that he will stay here. He is not aware of what this place his, or where it is, so do not tell him. He will not start any trouble, so I suggest you leave him be," Severus said with a glare at all of us minors.

"So we are going to have to deal with him all break long? What about Christmas? He's going to ruin everything!" Ron exclaimed, seeming to temporarily forget his fear of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"As if I would want to spend my time with you lot. I'd just as soon live out on the streets than with you," Draco snarled.

"Then why don't you?" Harry snapped.

"Because as I said, Dumbledore told him to stay here," Severus intervened. "Now, Molly, Wizidore, would you come with me for a moment? I have some information to pass along to you."

I looked at my parents who just motioned for me to follow Severus and a plump woman with the same flaming red hair as Ron followed. "Molly, Dumbledore asked that Draco be giving his own room and then he not allowed to be downstairs. All of his food will be brought up to him. Dumbledore will stop by tomorrow to discuss the details of his stay in full."

"How will I be able to make sure that he stays in his room and doesn't wander off in the middle of the night?" Molly asked.

Draco glared at her but remained silent and let Severus speak to him. "Draco is aware of the consequences of stepping out of line. I will also be taking extra precautions to prevent his curious side from getting the best of him."

"Well if it's Dumbledore's wishes, then I suppose. I better go set up a room for him," Molly said before wandering off.

Severus then turned his cold gaze towards me and Draco. "I am under the impression that you two have come to some kind of riff. I do not want to know the details nor do I care," he said looking pointedly at me. I just grinned at him. "I will be here quite often over break to check in on things. I don't want to hear about any of your adolescent problems. You will be civil towards each other. Just because we are no longer at school does not mean that I no longer have the authority to punish you."

I chuckled. "Are you really one to be giving lectures about acting civil?" I asked.

He seethed at me. "You will learn to show me respect you insolent girl."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not my fault you take things so seriously, Sev."

His anger multiplied by tenfold. "Do not call me Sev," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Well you don't have to worry about Draco and I arguing. We are on okay terms. You just have to worry about him and the others."

"I wouldn't go near the others with a hundred foot wand if I had the choice. Why can't I just stay at Hogwarts?" Draco complained.

"You can take that up with the Headmaster tomorrow when he arrives to talk to you. Until then, do what you are told and stay out of trouble," Severus told him sternly before turning and stalking away in the direction Molly had gone, his robes billowing out behind him.

"He really is over dramatic. Someone needs to get him to loosen up," I said loud enough that he could hear me, though he chose to just ignore me and keep walking.

Draco chuckled. "He is going to curse you into oblivion one of these days."

I grinned, "I'd like to see him try."

He smirked back at me for a moment before the situation seemed to catch up to him and his face became blank. "So it looks like we'll be spending the holiday together," he said carefully.

"Looks like it," I replied taking care to keep my voice and face devoid of all emotion.

"And Potter and his friends are here too?"

I nodded. "Talk about an awkward situation."

"So are you and Potter an item now?" he asked feigning indifference.

I felt my face heat up as I shrugged. "I'm not sure what we are. Things have been very complicated lately."

He uncharacteristically shuffled his feet. "Would you rather I wasn't here?"

I bit my lip trying to think of the best way to phrase my answer. "I would rather you were here under better circumstances. I'd rather that you and I were in better terms, and that you weren't constantly feuding with Harry and his friends, and that you weren't going to be almost like a prisoner here, confined in your own rooms."

His nose wrinkled slightly. "I hadn't thought of it being like a prisoner. It's basically living with my father."

"Why were you sent here anyways?" I asked ignoring the comment about his father.

"I don't know. When Dumbledore offered me protection, I thought that it meant that I would just be staying at the castle. Then Snape showed up and told me that I was going to be staying here. He wouldn't explain anything. He told me just to wait until I talked to Dumbledore." He looked thoroughly annoyed by the lack of information, not that I could blame him.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment before Molly and Severus came back through the door. "I didn't introduce myself properly before. I'm Ron's mother," she told me warmly.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Marlene," I told her with a smile. She seemed like a fairly nice woman.

She nodded, and turned to Draco. "Why don't I show you your room, dear, and then I'll send up some dinner for you. Severus, why don't you take Marlene back down the join the others?"

The aforementioned man just glared at me before sweeping out of the room. I just rolled my eyes and followed him. "I have one other message from Dumbledore for you. He says that everyone will remain sleeping in their appointed bed, and in no one else's," he told me as we descended the stairs.

I felt myself blush and was glad that he couldn't see me. "Thanks for the message," I mumbled.

"I'm going to pretend that that doesn't imply that you have been within my house's dorms, and you will allow me to continue on with that assumption," he added, an odd lilt to his voice.

I grinned. "If you wish. It's not as bad as you think though."

He shook his head. "Anything is as bad as I think." Suddenly he stopped before we reached the bottom of the stairs and lowered his voice to that of just above a whisper. "Like I said, I don't even want to know what happened between you and Draco, but I know that you still care about him. He has chosen a difficult path and he is very much alone and could use all the support he can get. Things aren't going to be getting any easier for him any time soon."

I stared at him in dawning horror. "He's going to become a spy," I breathed.

"Nothing is for certain. Either way, as long as Voldemort is alive, Draco is in danger if he is not at his side."

I sat down on the stairs, and just looked up at him, not wanting to think about what he was saying. It was odd the things that made the war seem real to me. My twin sister was killed because of it, yet it seemed distant from the war. It was just a bunch of crazy followers continuing to follow the orders of their fallen leader. My whole life was spent training for the war and preparing to one day have control over it, yet it didn't seem real. It was something I didn't think too deeply into. Now though, things were beginning to sink in. I was friends with Harry Potter, who was just a magnet for Voldemort. One of my mentors, professor, and friend was branded with his mark as well as my ex, who I still cared deeply for. It was all around me.

I realized then that there was no more escaping. There was no more running away to try to hide from what was going on or who I was. I knew that my parents were only trying to protect me, but in a way Uncle Damien was right. They sheltered me from a lot of the harsh realities of the world. Sure I had seen some terrible things in my life, but none of it was preparing me for the war. I was supposed to be an integral part of it, and yet I was separated from it for so long. Now I felt like I was just being thrown to the sharks without any idea of what to do or how to protect myself.

I couldn't even imagine what Harry must have gone through. He didn't even know anything about the magical world, and then he was suddenly thrust into the midst of it and had a psychopath constantly trying to kill him. My respect for Harry grew monumentally. Any normal person would have broken long ago, or would have come out much more scarred, yet he wasn't. He was a wonderful boy who could still laugh and find joy in this dark world, and who still put himself in danger to protect his loved ones and strangers alike.

"This war is really happening, isn't it?" I asked.

"What did you think? This was all some really elaborate joke for your entertainment? People are dying every day for this cause," he told me bitterly.

"I didn't think that was a joke. I guess I just never realized how close to me it was. It's always seemed oddly distant."

"Well, you and Potter are pretty much in the middle of it, so it's time to face reality if you want any chance at saving the people you care about.."

"I'll be there for him, as much as I can," I said quietly, not really sure if the "him" I was referring to was Harry or Draco. Quite possibly I meant both.

He nodded curtly. "Now pull yourself together, and forget this whole sentimental exchange. Being around you could very well be detrimental to my reputation of being a cold hearted bastard," he drawled.

I gave him a shaky grin as I stood. "And yet you keep insisting you don't care."

He looked at me critically. "Things aren't going to be easy, and it's not going to be okay. You will lose people that you care about. That's just the way the world works."

I grimaced. "There's my Severus. Always the cheery one."

He scowled and led me back to the others. When we got back into the kitchen everyone there just stared at me. After a moment or two of standing their awkwardly I turned to Harry. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked, knowing that it would be better to sort things out now than to wait until later. Especially since we were going to be living in pretty close quarters for the next couple of weeks.

He nodded a bit reluctantly and then led me to a more private room. "Everything okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "I just want to talk about what happened on the train. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay I understand," he said cutting me off. "I know that you didn't mean to kiss me. You regret, and you still have feelings for Malfoy. It's okay, let's just forget about it."

He started to walk away but I stopped him. "That's not what I was going to say!"

He looked confused. "It's not?"

"No! Why would you think it is?"

He shrugged awkwardly. "I know that you aren't as mad at Malfoy as you were before, and I saw the way you looked at him when he showed up here. I figured you must have changed your mind about him, or that the kiss was just a spur of the moment thing."

I took a deep breath. "I'm going to be honest with you Harry. Yes, I do still have feelings for Draco. He's been an important part of my life and those feelings don't just disappear. Yes, me kissing you was a spur of the moment thing, and I'm sorry how it happened. I'm sorry I just kissed you and then ran off with the intention of not seeing you for a couple of weeks, but I'm not sorry that I kissed you. I had been wanting to for awhile, but things were all complicated and I didn't want to until I was sure that I was ready to commit to you."

"Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes. You are a great guy, you've been better to me than I had any reason to expect. I didn't want to lead you on, but I just felt really comfortable with you. But I really do like you, and I hope that maybe we can kiss again," I told him blushing.

He smiled at me, and before I knew it, his lips were on mine.

____

"I can't believe you have Malfoy staying in your house," Ron told Harry with distaste after dinner. The boys, Hermione and I were all sitting around talking in the room that Ron and Harry were sharing. I was currently curled up against Harry and Ron and Hermione kept shooting awkward looks at each other as if they would like to do the same but was waiting for the other to make the first move.

I looked back and forth at the two boys, confused. "What do you mean his house?" I asked.

Ron chuckled. "Oh yeah, you don't know. This is really Harry's house."

"I thought you lived with your aunt and uncle?"

Harry shuffled around uncomfortably. "This was my God father's house. He died back in the summer and he left me the house. I'm letting Dumbledore use it for stuff."

I felt my eyes widen. "Well why didn't you stay here instead of going to your aunt and uncle's for the summer?"

"Believe me, I would have if I could. It's a long story, but Dumbledore says I have to go back every summer until I turn seventeen," he told me bitterly.

I patted him on the leg. "It's probably a blood tie spell. It's for your own good really. Voldemort would have an easier time to get at it if it wasn't in place. At least you are almost out of there for good."

He moved around, seeming uncomfortable even more uncomfortable. "Er, yeah I guess," he mumbled.

"What do you think Dumbledore's plan is with having Malfoy stay here anyways?" Hermione asked.

"It's probably for protection," I told them. They had already explained what the house was used as and what the Order was, so it was the only thing that came to mind.

"If it was just protection, he'd leave him at Hogwarts. Everyone says that it's the safest place," Harry put in.

"What does Malfoy need protection from anyways? I would have thought he was right there in line to get the dark mark," Ron added.

"He's changed sides. He doesn't support Voldemort." Ron and Hermione flinched a bit at the use of the name and I just rolled my eyes at them.

"So he switched sides just like that?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"He never really supported Voldemort. He just went along with his father, trying to get his approval. It never really worked out for him though," I told them hesitantly. I was sure that Draco would be furious with me if he found out that I was telling them about his life.

"Oh, so that is supposed to excuse him?" Harry asked, pulling away from me. "All of the things he's said and done aren't supposed to matter before just because he was seeking the approval of his father?"

I shook my head, "That's not what I'm saying. Of course it matters. But right now it is all catching up to him and he's trying to make things right and be a better person. That is worth something."

"That still doesn't explain why he's here," Hermione reminded us.

"Well maybe we'll find out tomorrow when Dumbledore comes tomorrow," Harry said.

We talked for a little while longer, bouncing from topic to topic before Harry asked. "Where is Ginny? She's been really quiet lately."

Ron looked a bit puzzled. "I'm not sure. You're right though. The last time she was this quiet, she had that huge crush on you."

I felt myself bristle at that. I hadn't spent much time around Ron's sister. She was mentioned a lot, and the trio made it sound as if they were fairly close, yet she never seemed to be around much. Whenever she was around I had the distinct feeling that she didn't like me. She wasn't hostile or rude, or anything like that. It was just a feeling that she gave off. At Ron's words, I began to wonder if my relationship with Harry had anything to do with it. I quickly pushed the thought away. Harry and I were nothing but friends until today, that couldn't possibly be the reason.

"Well maybe if you two weren't so busy ignoring her, you'd know what was going on," Hermione snapped before getting up and storming out of the room.

"What's that all about?" Ron asked, looking at Harry.

"I have no idea, mate."

____

"You are no doubt wondering why you are both here," Uncle Albus said to me and Draco the next morning. The three of us were in Draco's room so that we could have privacy.

"Duh," Draco mumbled.

"Draco, you came to me and asked me to help you escape the reigns of Voldemort. I promised you that I would do everything in my power to protect you. Unfortunately, your previous actions have left you tied to him in a way that I cannot dismantle. You have also expressed the wish to protect your family as well." My eyebrows rose at this, and I forced myself to remain still so as to not express my surprise. As far as he had always led me to believe, he hated his family. "Unfortunately, it is quite possible that if you leave his ranks, your family will be disposed of."

Draco tensed next to me. "I understand, sir," he said softly.

"I can still try my best to protect you. You will however have to go to Voldemort as if nothing has changed. You will be our spy."

Draco laughed sardonically. "If I refuse his summons, he'll kill my family, and then he'll kill me the first chance he gets. If I go to him again, he'll see it in my mind, and he'll kill my anyways. Either way I'm dead. You can't protect me."

"I can help you find a way to close your mind to him. It may seem impossible to you right now, but I assure you that is has been done. You already have some experience in Occlumency, so it will be a bit easier for you." I bit back my groan knowing that that was why I was there.

"Why?" Draco asked, sounding as if he were about to break. "Why would you do that for me? What is to stop me from turning against you and returning to Voldemort for real?"

"Of course I wouldn't do this without certain assurances from you. I suppose that you could betray me, but I don't think you will. You see Draco, I know the mission you have been given. You could have completed it several times over by now, and yet you haven't. You have known for a very long time now what Professor Snape's position was, and yet you did nothing to put him into danger. You know enough about Marlene to put her in danger as well, and you haven't done that either. I believe you have a good heart Draco, you just haven't had the chance to let that show."

"What if I don't?" Draco asked softly.

"Then you can join us merely as an act of self preservation. I assure you that Voldemort will fall, one way or another. Those that support him will fall as well. In the end, it's your decision."

Draco sat quietly for a few minutes, weighing his options. Finally, he looked at me. "I'll do it," he said firmly. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to be able to trust you and know that I'm not going to be wasting time and valuable resources."

Draco looked at me as if to ask for help. I just shrugged at him, not knowing what Uncle Albus was asking of him. "What about the Unbreakable Vow? I made one with Marlene once. I can't tell anyone about her."

Uncle Albus's eyes fell on me, and flushed. "That's very interesting. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Now, as you know, Voldemort will be summoning you any day now. He, as well as your family think that you are staying at Hogwarts. You will be here practicing Occlumency with Marlene. I assure you that she is the best teacher."

"I have no doubt," Draco commented. I could tell that he was just happy that have a reason to spending an indefinable amount of time alone with me.

"Very well, you will start shortly. First I have some other business with Marlene to tend to. Come along." Uncle Albus led me out of the room, and we went to fetch Harry. We then went to another empty room to have yet another discussion.

"How has the research gone?" he asked, once we were all sitting comfortably.

"Not very well. There doesn't seem to be any similar situations in history," I told him sadly, feeling as if I had let him down.

He just nodded. "I feared that would be the situation. I have done my own research over the years to find out what exactly is entailed in your connection with Voldemort, Harry, and I have found very little on the subject matter."

"So what does that mean?" Harry asked.

"It means that if you chose to allow us to test Marlene's theory, you would be doing so on nothing more than faith in the idea. We have no real idea what would happen."

Harry took a deep breath and turned to me. "Do you really think that it will work?"

I bit my lip. Suddenly I wasn't so sure about the idea. The only problem though, was that I wasn't sure because now, more than ever, I didn't want Harry to be hurt. I would have to be the one to go inside his mind, even deeper than I ever had before, and I would see things that neither one of us wanted to see. The idea itself, however, should work. "I do," I told him reluctantly.

"And you Professor?"

"Marlene understands the matters of the mind more clearly than I could ever dream. I have faith in her reasoning."

Harry nodded. "I'll do it then."

I looked at him in shock. "That's it? You are agreeing just like that?"

He looked confused. "There is no information around. If this can help, what can I do? Can I really say no and have this continue longer than need be? You think it will work, so why not?"

I groaned and buried my face in my hands, knowing that he was right.

"If that is all settled, it will be attempted during break."

"That soon? Break is only a couple of weeks long," Harry asked, seeming a bit nervous.

"If anything were to go wrong, I want to give you as much time as possible for you to recover before classes start again. Your education is still very important."

Harry took a deep breath. "During the next few weeks then," he said looking at me.

"Let's hope this works," I said glumly.