p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"strongChapter 25/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"em"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"em~ James Baldwin/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emDraco,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em I had hoped for good news from you, but if your last letter is any indication, things have gone from bad to worse. As disappointed as I am with you, I still harbored some hope that you at least would strive to restore our name in good faith. Getting intimate with the Granger girl was not what I had in mind. You know how much we have suffered. Our names, the Blacks and the Malfoys alike, have been tarnished by decisions our foolish ancestors made. Do not be like them Draco. I know I have never been one to uphold the pureblood flag around you, but this time, I'm afraid you have overstepped. Friendship might have been tolerated, Draco, but this intimacy is unacceptable. Even if I acknowledge her, do you really think the Wizarding community will welcome this union with open arms? You have already suffered enough, love, don't bring more bad will on your spirit. Do what you must for now, but after Hogwarts, I expect you to stick to tradition and choose someone worthy. I do not mean to be harsh love, but its time someone acted responsibly. Your father has already paid in full for his thoughtlessness. I don't want you, Draco, to meet a crueler fate. Please see reason. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emWith love,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emMother/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco closed his eyes and bit his lips to keep the frustration at bay. He should have expected this, but he had still hoped that his mother would understand. Narcissa had never been one to deny him anything. It was partially the reason why he was so spoiled. But, he sighed, this might have been one time too many. At least he knew she didn't despise the girl, despite snuffing her for her lower birth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He wasn't angry at her. Far from it, he felt guilty for ruining her Christmas and giving her another cause to worry. He hated when his mother worried, now more than ever. He supposed he would end up making her happy nevertheless, although he couldn't even begin to imagine her reaction if he told her his reasons. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Sighing, he folded the letter back in its envelope and hid it in his trunk for good measure. He never wanted Hermione to find it. His mother's gray owl was already making to leave. He stroked its soft head, tying a small package to its outstretched leg. Then he carried it to the window and watched it take off to the grey skies, taking with it his Christmas present for his mother./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"**/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Christmas at the Weasleys was a grand affair. Draco still couldn't figure how this family managed to squeeze in so many people in their humble home. But no one complained about the cramped space. There was a smile on everyone's lips. Laughter rolled through every room t all decorated with Christmas festoons. The old tree stood in the center of the living room, its top brushing the ceiling, and it was decorated in every imaginable Christmas décor possible. The girls had even hung colorful streamers around it. It was a far cry from the stoic tree back at the manor that Draco was used to. He found he liked this cheerful atmosphere better./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Crumpet?" Hermione asked, holding a tray out for him. They had been passing food on platters, seeing there was hardly any room for everyone at the table. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He took one and bit in, smiling at the sweet taste. "Aren't your parents coming?" he asked as she dug into her second./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Professor Lupin's gone to get them," she said. "They should be here any second-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And no sooner had the words escaped her then the green puff of the hearth spit out three people. Her parents blinked around in amazement as a horde of Weasley's attacked them, shouting "Merry Christmas!" Hermione, laughing, went to her parent's defense before her mother, who looked a little green, passed out from the sudden excitement./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Looks like you won't catch her alone for some time," Harry teased him and Draco had the decency to laugh./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He had come to know the Boy-Who-Lived better over the break and found he very much enjoyed his company. He wasn't at all how Draco had expected him to be. He was witty and charming and knew how to lighten the mood. He didn't jump into situations as much as before and it was mighty hard getting him angry these days. Draco supposed the war had changed him and made him a better man, not that he was complaining. He was far more comfortable around Potter than any of the Weasleys. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Professor Snape's here-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco looked up in time to see the professor step through the hearth, brushing his elegant black robes and looking as stoic as ever. It was common knowledge that Severus Snape disliked large crowds-especially large happy crowds. He caught the man's eye and mouthed a Merry Christmas, which Snape returned with a nod and a tiny smile of his own. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"As usual, the men and ladies parted ways, one group giggling away to the kitchen and the other grouping off to the living area. Draco followed Potter as he listened to Weasley rattling off the latest Quidditch scores. He was going on and on about the Cannons, a team Draco had never harped for. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They settled down on the couches, Draco some distance away, and he promptly tuned himself out, focusing instead on the intense chatter between Severus and Arthur about the goings on at the Ministry. It was easy for Draco to follow their conversation, having grown up in a politically tense environment. His father, strict as always, had made sure Draco was perfectly presentable in any sort of company before he even turned seven. In some ways, Draco was grateful for the man's harsh parenting, but in others, he wished he had had more of a heart./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""-co? Hello, you there?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter's voice jerked Draco back. "Sorry, what?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter gave him a half-amused look as he said, "We were just talking about Quidditch-I know you follow it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Um, yeah, I like to keep up. Why?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Who're you rooting for?" He picked up a slice of pie from the platter Weasley was passing around and the red-head offered the plate to Draco, who managed to decline politely. Food was the last thing on his mind right now./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Not the Cannons," he casually replied, giving Weasley a small smile. "Although they're not doing so bad this year."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I know what you mean," Weasley gravely replied, "It's all because of their new beater-Grimweld. Did you know that man used to be on the WWT?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco laughed. "No shite?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I'm serious! Just look at his arms!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""What are we talking about? What's WWT?" a very confused Potter asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Wizard's Wrestling Tournament," replied Weasley while Draco reigned himself in. He hadn't laughed that hard in ages./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hang on, so you're saying the Cannons recruited a emwrestler /emfor professional Quidditch?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""He's not that bad," Weasley defended, "And he can really swing that bat-you've seen him, Harry. Tell him!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""He's good," Potter admitted, "But you never answered our question."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Oh, what the team? Um, I like the Netherland Podwells-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The emNetherlands?"/em Ron shrieked, "But they're in the bottom ten!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco shrugged. "Yeah, but Father used to support them and…well, I've got good memories from their games."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco saw Potter's eyes narrow a fraction and he quickly turned away. He knew how perceptive Potter could be, especially at reading other people, but there were some things Draco just didn't want to share with anyone, no matter how much he had come to accept them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Harry likes the Irish, don't you?" Ron teased, sensing their tension./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""What? Oh, yeah. Their's was the first match I saw, against the Bulgarians. Krum was intense. Hey, do you still have the…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco tuned them out again, having drained his niceties for now. He felt tired. His mind wandered and he drifted back to the Quidditch games he had gone with his father. Lucius had always been a Quidditch enthusiast and he never failed to support his favorite team. Draco remembered tagging along to every single game ever since he was five. Sometimes, his mother accompanied them, but mostly it was just him and his father. Over the years, Draco had come to appreciate this boy's day out, being with just his father. They never really talked much, but his father was only ever relaxed at times like these and sometimes, if Draco was careful not to upset him, he saw glimpses of the man his father had once been: smart, quick, and sarcastic but witty. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They had stopped going to the games when Draco turned twelve. He had known it was because of the Dark Lord's rise again. Even now, a small part of him longed to go back to the time when he was just with his father, listening to him quip on about the teams. In a way, Draco supposed he did miss him because, evil though he was, Lucius Malfoy still had some space in Draco's heart. He had once shown him love after all. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Lost in thought again?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco looked up to see Potter smiling at him in a way that was both understanding and…sad. He dropped his gaze. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Just thinking…Where's Weasley?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Helping Mrs. Weasley in the attic."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They sat silent for a time. The other adults had all moved into the kitchen and he could hear their voices, mingled with the delights of the girls'. He sought Hermione's lilt, smiling as he listened to her argue with Severus about the merits of one potion or the other./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Is there, uh, something bothering you?" Potter asked and Draco replied easily, /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"But of course Potter saw through his white lie-it was one of the things he hated (admired) most about the boy. "You're thinking about your father, aren't you? He's been sentenced."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco sighed, knowing he couldn't walk away now. Damn Potter. "He'll likely get the Kiss, but he's as good as dead." Draco picked a cuticle as he spoke softly, almost shyly, "They won't let me see him, although I've tried. Mother saw him just before they put him in the isolation cells. He-he'll probably be Kissed without having the chance to say good-bye."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He could feel Potter's eyes on him, boring into him and peeling every layer. When he spoke, his voice was sincere, though wary. "Do you want me to see if Kingsley can pull some strings?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He looked up, having expected as much, but startled that Potter was so ready to help him. "Can you do that?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter gave him a thin smile. "A perk of being me, I guess. He's coming later tonight. I can ask him."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco swallowed thickly. "Yeah…Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter just waved his hand. "Are you going to tell him?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco shrugged. "He's going to die soon, Potter. Why add my troubles to his?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""But wouldn't he-you know-like to know? He's your father."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco sighed. "Yeah, but he's not like most fathers. He won't sympathize if I tell him. He's always despised weakness."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter scoffed, "No offense, but Lucius never struck me as that strong. He contradicts himself too much."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco laughed quietly. "Yeah, I guess he does…It's the way he was brought up. My grandfather wasn't very forgiving and he liked to-to discipline my father."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter's eyes went wide. "Did he ever hit you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No," Draco quickly replied and he thought he heard Potter sigh. "Father's always been better with words. But his time with his own father never left him the same. My grandmother died when he was ten and…well Mother told me that it got worse after that. He only ever got respite after grandfather's death."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He looked up at Potter, meeting is intense green stare. "My father isn't all that bad, Potter. I know he's done horrible things and he deserves to be punished, but he-he was too far gone by the time he realized what a mess he had tangled us into. He didn't have a choice-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""We always have a choice," Potter cut in, quoting Hermione's words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He smiled at the resemblance. "Yeah, you're right, but…it's not always easy, is it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"**/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The next morning, the Burrow raged with chaos as its habitant scrambled about packing bags and scattered belongings. Draco, who hadn't bothered to take everything out of his trunk, was the first one ready. He went down to the girl's room, leaving the other two to clean up their mess in peace./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""'Mione?" he knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"It flew open only to reveal Ginny Weasley with a comb in hand. "She's in the shower," she smiled, "But she'll be out. Wait on her bed if you want."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He stared for a moment before nodding and quickly crossing the room to Hermione's side. Their room was smaller than the one Draco shared with the boys, but it was far cleaner and it smelled nice. Hermione's trunk lay open at the foot of her bed, clothes scattered about and half a dozen things waiting to be packed. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You didn't go home at all for Christmas, did you?" Weasley asked, looking at his reflection in the mirror./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No. My mother's in Germany," he replied, deciding to stay polite if she was./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You haven't told her?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He shook his head, wishing she would shut up. He didn't want to think about his mother. He was spared further questions when the bathroom door opened and Hermione stepped out, dressed in a brown bathrobe, her skin pink from the heat./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Draco!" she smiled. "Packed already?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, some of us keep our things tidy so it's less work."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hey! I was emrepacking /emmind you. Mrs. Weasley gave me a bunch of Christmas sweets and I had to make room."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You can dump some in my trunk if you want. I've room."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Seeing as you hardly brought anything-what?" she turned to Ginny who was laughing quietly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"She shook her head. "Nothing it's just, you guys are bickering like a married couple. It's kind of cute."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""What is with girls and "cute"?" Draco groaned. "Pick a different adjective, won't you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I don't see what's wrong with "cute"," Hermione retorted, picking out her clothes. She thrust the trunk towards him. "Make yourself useful and pack my things while I change."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And she fluttered back into the bathroom before he could so much as huff. Draco gaped after her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""See how she uses me?" he complained in a voice loud enough to carry through the closed door. "I feel like her bloody house elf!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Ginny bit her lip from retorting as he dragged the trunk towards him, reaching down to fold her clothes nevertheless. She watched his reflection in the mirror as she packed her comb, thinking that perhaps he wasn't half bad after all. She was still a bit put off that Hermione hadn't chosen her brother, but, being a girl, she could see things from Hermione's point of view. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And watching the blonde boy carefully tucking in her friend's things, she understood. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"em"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"em~ James Baldwin/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emDraco,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em I had hoped for good news from you, but if your last letter is any indication, things have gone from bad to worse. As disappointed as I am with you, I still harbored some hope that you at least would strive to restore our name in good faith. Getting intimate with the Granger girl was not what I had in mind. You know how much we have suffered. Our names, the Blacks and the Malfoys alike, have been tarnished by decisions our foolish ancestors made. Do not be like them Draco. I know I have never been one to uphold the pureblood flag around you, but this time, I'm afraid you have overstepped. Friendship might have been tolerated, Draco, but this intimacy is unacceptable. Even if I acknowledge her, do you really think the Wizarding community will welcome this union with open arms? You have already suffered enough, love, don't bring more bad will on your spirit. Do what you must for now, but after Hogwarts, I expect you to stick to tradition and choose someone worthy. I do not mean to be harsh love, but its time someone acted responsibly. Your father has already paid in full for his thoughtlessness. I don't want you, Draco, to meet a crueler fate. Please see reason. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emWith love,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emMother/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco closed his eyes and bit his lips to keep the frustration at bay. He should have expected this, but he had still hoped that his mother would understand. Narcissa had never been one to deny him anything. It was partially the reason why he was so spoiled. But, he sighed, this might have been one time too many. At least he knew she didn't despise the girl, despite snuffing her for her lower birth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He wasn't angry at her. Far from it, he felt guilty for ruining her Christmas and giving her another cause to worry. He hated when his mother worried, now more than ever. He supposed he would end up making her happy nevertheless, although he couldn't even begin to imagine her reaction if he told her his reasons. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Sighing, he folded the letter back in its envelope and hid it in his trunk for good measure. He never wanted Hermione to find it. His mother's gray owl was already making to leave. He stroked its soft head, tying a small package to its outstretched leg. Then he carried it to the window and watched it take off to the grey skies, taking with it his Christmas present for his mother./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"**/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Christmas at the Weasleys was a grand affair. Draco still couldn't figure how this family managed to squeeze in so many people in their humble home. But no one complained about the cramped space. There was a smile on everyone's lips. Laughter rolled through every room t all decorated with Christmas festoons. The old tree stood in the center of the living room, its top brushing the ceiling, and it was decorated in every imaginable Christmas décor possible. The girls had even hung colorful streamers around it. It was a far cry from the stoic tree back at the manor that Draco was used to. He found he liked this cheerful atmosphere better./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Crumpet?" Hermione asked, holding a tray out for him. They had been passing food on platters, seeing there was hardly any room for everyone at the table. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He took one and bit in, smiling at the sweet taste. "Aren't your parents coming?" he asked as she dug into her second./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Professor Lupin's gone to get them," she said. "They should be here any second-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And no sooner had the words escaped her then the green puff of the hearth spit out three people. Her parents blinked around in amazement as a horde of Weasley's attacked them, shouting "Merry Christmas!" Hermione, laughing, went to her parent's defense before her mother, who looked a little green, passed out from the sudden excitement./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Looks like you won't catch her alone for some time," Harry teased him and Draco had the decency to laugh./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He had come to know the Boy-Who-Lived better over the break and found he very much enjoyed his company. He wasn't at all how Draco had expected him to be. He was witty and charming and knew how to lighten the mood. He didn't jump into situations as much as before and it was mighty hard getting him angry these days. Draco supposed the war had changed him and made him a better man, not that he was complaining. He was far more comfortable around Potter than any of the Weasleys. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Professor Snape's here-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco looked up in time to see the professor step through the hearth, brushing his elegant black robes and looking as stoic as ever. It was common knowledge that Severus Snape disliked large crowds-especially large happy crowds. He caught the man's eye and mouthed a Merry Christmas, which Snape returned with a nod and a tiny smile of his own. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"As usual, the men and ladies parted ways, one group giggling away to the kitchen and the other grouping off to the living area. Draco followed Potter as he listened to Weasley rattling off the latest Quidditch scores. He was going on and on about the Cannons, a team Draco had never harped for. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They settled down on the couches, Draco some distance away, and he promptly tuned himself out, focusing instead on the intense chatter between Severus and Arthur about the goings on at the Ministry. It was easy for Draco to follow their conversation, having grown up in a politically tense environment. His father, strict as always, had made sure Draco was perfectly presentable in any sort of company before he even turned seven. In some ways, Draco was grateful for the man's harsh parenting, but in others, he wished he had had more of a heart./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""-co? Hello, you there?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter's voice jerked Draco back. "Sorry, what?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter gave him a half-amused look as he said, "We were just talking about Quidditch-I know you follow it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Um, yeah, I like to keep up. Why?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Who're you rooting for?" He picked up a slice of pie from the platter Weasley was passing around and the red-head offered the plate to Draco, who managed to decline politely. Food was the last thing on his mind right now./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Not the Cannons," he casually replied, giving Weasley a small smile. "Although they're not doing so bad this year."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I know what you mean," Weasley gravely replied, "It's all because of their new beater-Grimweld. Did you know that man used to be on the WWT?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco laughed. "No shite?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I'm serious! Just look at his arms!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""What are we talking about? What's WWT?" a very confused Potter asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Wizard's Wrestling Tournament," replied Weasley while Draco reigned himself in. He hadn't laughed that hard in ages./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hang on, so you're saying the Cannons recruited a emwrestler /emfor professional Quidditch?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""He's not that bad," Weasley defended, "And he can really swing that bat-you've seen him, Harry. Tell him!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""He's good," Potter admitted, "But you never answered our question."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Oh, what the team? Um, I like the Netherland Podwells-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The emNetherlands?"/em Ron shrieked, "But they're in the bottom ten!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco shrugged. "Yeah, but Father used to support them and…well, I've got good memories from their games."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco saw Potter's eyes narrow a fraction and he quickly turned away. He knew how perceptive Potter could be, especially at reading other people, but there were some things Draco just didn't want to share with anyone, no matter how much he had come to accept them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Harry likes the Irish, don't you?" Ron teased, sensing their tension./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""What? Oh, yeah. Their's was the first match I saw, against the Bulgarians. Krum was intense. Hey, do you still have the…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco tuned them out again, having drained his niceties for now. He felt tired. His mind wandered and he drifted back to the Quidditch games he had gone with his father. Lucius had always been a Quidditch enthusiast and he never failed to support his favorite team. Draco remembered tagging along to every single game ever since he was five. Sometimes, his mother accompanied them, but mostly it was just him and his father. Over the years, Draco had come to appreciate this boy's day out, being with just his father. They never really talked much, but his father was only ever relaxed at times like these and sometimes, if Draco was careful not to upset him, he saw glimpses of the man his father had once been: smart, quick, and sarcastic but witty. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They had stopped going to the games when Draco turned twelve. He had known it was because of the Dark Lord's rise again. Even now, a small part of him longed to go back to the time when he was just with his father, listening to him quip on about the teams. In a way, Draco supposed he did miss him because, evil though he was, Lucius Malfoy still had some space in Draco's heart. He had once shown him love after all. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Lost in thought again?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco looked up to see Potter smiling at him in a way that was both understanding and…sad. He dropped his gaze. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Just thinking…Where's Weasley?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Helping Mrs. Weasley in the attic."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"They sat silent for a time. The other adults had all moved into the kitchen and he could hear their voices, mingled with the delights of the girls'. He sought Hermione's lilt, smiling as he listened to her argue with Severus about the merits of one potion or the other./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Is there, uh, something bothering you?" Potter asked and Draco replied easily, /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"But of course Potter saw through his white lie-it was one of the things he hated (admired) most about the boy. "You're thinking about your father, aren't you? He's been sentenced."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco sighed, knowing he couldn't walk away now. Damn Potter. "He'll likely get the Kiss, but he's as good as dead." Draco picked a cuticle as he spoke softly, almost shyly, "They won't let me see him, although I've tried. Mother saw him just before they put him in the isolation cells. He-he'll probably be Kissed without having the chance to say good-bye."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He could feel Potter's eyes on him, boring into him and peeling every layer. When he spoke, his voice was sincere, though wary. "Do you want me to see if Kingsley can pull some strings?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He looked up, having expected as much, but startled that Potter was so ready to help him. "Can you do that?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter gave him a thin smile. "A perk of being me, I guess. He's coming later tonight. I can ask him."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco swallowed thickly. "Yeah…Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter just waved his hand. "Are you going to tell him?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco shrugged. "He's going to die soon, Potter. Why add my troubles to his?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""But wouldn't he-you know-like to know? He's your father."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco sighed. "Yeah, but he's not like most fathers. He won't sympathize if I tell him. He's always despised weakness."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter scoffed, "No offense, but Lucius never struck me as that strong. He contradicts himself too much."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Draco laughed quietly. "Yeah, I guess he does…It's the way he was brought up. My grandfather wasn't very forgiving and he liked to-to discipline my father."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Potter's eyes went wide. "Did he ever hit you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No," Draco quickly replied and he thought he heard Potter sigh. "Father's always been better with words. But his time with his own father never left him the same. My grandmother died when he was ten and…well Mother told me that it got worse after that. He only ever got respite after grandfather's death."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He looked up at Potter, meeting is intense green stare. "My father isn't all that bad, Potter. I know he's done horrible things and he deserves to be punished, but he-he was too far gone by the time he realized what a mess he had tangled us into. He didn't have a choice-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""We always have a choice," Potter cut in, quoting Hermione's words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He smiled at the resemblance. "Yeah, you're right, but…it's not always easy, is it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"**/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The next morning, the Burrow raged with chaos as its habitant scrambled about packing bags and scattered belongings. Draco, who hadn't bothered to take everything out of his trunk, was the first one ready. He went down to the girl's room, leaving the other two to clean up their mess in peace./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""'Mione?" he knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"It flew open only to reveal Ginny Weasley with a comb in hand. "She's in the shower," she smiled, "But she'll be out. Wait on her bed if you want."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He stared for a moment before nodding and quickly crossing the room to Hermione's side. Their room was smaller than the one Draco shared with the boys, but it was far cleaner and it smelled nice. Hermione's trunk lay open at the foot of her bed, clothes scattered about and half a dozen things waiting to be packed. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You didn't go home at all for Christmas, did you?" Weasley asked, looking at his reflection in the mirror./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No. My mother's in Germany," he replied, deciding to stay polite if she was./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You haven't told her?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He shook his head, wishing she would shut up. He didn't want to think about his mother. He was spared further questions when the bathroom door opened and Hermione stepped out, dressed in a brown bathrobe, her skin pink from the heat./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Draco!" she smiled. "Packed already?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, some of us keep our things tidy so it's less work."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hey! I was emrepacking /emmind you. Mrs. Weasley gave me a bunch of Christmas sweets and I had to make room."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You can dump some in my trunk if you want. I've room."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Seeing as you hardly brought anything-what?" she turned to Ginny who was laughing quietly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"She shook her head. "Nothing it's just, you guys are bickering like a married couple. It's kind of cute."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""What is with girls and "cute"?" Draco groaned. "Pick a different adjective, won't you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I don't see what's wrong with "cute"," Hermione retorted, picking out her clothes. She thrust the trunk towards him. "Make yourself useful and pack my things while I change."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And she fluttered back into the bathroom before he could so much as huff. Draco gaped after her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""See how she uses me?" he complained in a voice loud enough to carry through the closed door. "I feel like her bloody house elf!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Ginny bit her lip from retorting as he dragged the trunk towards him, reaching down to fold her clothes nevertheless. She watched his reflection in the mirror as she packed her comb, thinking that perhaps he wasn't half bad after all. She was still a bit put off that Hermione hadn't chosen her brother, but, being a girl, she could see things from Hermione's point of view. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And watching the blonde boy carefully tucking in her friend's things, she understood. /span/p