X

XIX

XIXIX "The Unifying Theme" XIXIX

Draco was on the floor pretending to sleep and trying to fool himself into thinking he actually had.

Slept.

At all during that long, long night.

Hermione's insanity had waned with exhaustion, and eventually Luna had taken her to bed. But the Seer had snapped and no one could disagree when Ginny said it would be best for her to have her friends nearby, just in case.

Remus had fallen asleep leaning against the wall next the bedroom door. Ginny had taken the couch. Draco and Vince grabbed the rug in front of the fireplace, and Harry had paced until his twin had told him "to sit down, at least." He'd dozed in the armchair by the window throughout the night. Draco had watched him from the floor.

It was strange how things worked. Before he got engaged, Draco had sworn off Harry Potter forever. Then, when he was finally willing to take what little Harry had to offer, Harry had cut all romantic ties. Watching him throughout this crazy night, Draco was shocked to realize how indifferent he felt just now. Maybe he was just numb in the early morning, after such an intensely emotional evening and a long sleepless night. Because only hours ago he'd been furious.

Had been furious, until Hermione…

A bigger problem comes along and suddenly all of Draco's dramas seem so trivial. What did the entire Malfoy fortune even matter if the Ministry could take a notion to be evil and wipe away your entire family?

He hadn't wanted to say it out loud. But Draco knew that the Ministry had not followed protocol when they brain-wiped the Grangers. There should have been a trial. They should have been allowed to speak in their own defense. Hermione should have had months to prepare for it. And in the past Dumbledore would have swooped in and fixed everything, much to Fudge's consternation.

But this? This was wrong. And unfortunately, this was getting to be pretty bloody normal in their political system. Tonks had said that certain people seemed to be signaled out, their lives torn apart by bureaucratic nonsense. Political hell. This case seemed to be horrifying proof.

Hermione could file a complaint, of course. But then there'd be months of paperwork, followed by months of investigation by a committee, followed by months of more paperwork, to be followed by (if it got this far) months of civil trial at which point they would probably deem that it was too late anyway for them to even bother anymore.

The real question was, why Hermione? Maybe Ron had been the true target having learned something he shouldn't know. Perhaps they were just tying up loose ends, trying to bully and terrify Hermione into silence in case Ron had let something slip to her.

It was also possible the Hermione had been the target all along. A famous Seer. A war hero. Maybe they were afraid she'd See something and so they set about trying to drive her crazy so that no one would take her seriously when she came forward with some horrible Truth. So they take her husband, destroy her parents…

He'd have to talk to Ginny about all of this later. Maybe the Grangers' brain-wipe was something else they should bring into their unofficial investigation.

"Harry?"

Draco snapped his eyes shut when Ginny shifted on the couch.

"Are you leaving?" Her voice was groggy and soft. Annoyed.

Harry didn't say anything for a long moment, and then Draco was annoyed. They were probably carrying on the conversation in their heads so they wouldn't disturb the sleepers. But Draco wanted to eavesdrop. He wanted to know if Harry was going, and where. He wanted to know if Ginny would try to convince him to stay, and if he would. He was just about to give up hearing anything when Harry finally responded, his voice thick with guilt.

"I have to go, Ginny," he said.

"Even now? Hermione needs us."

Draco peeped his eye open. Harry was shaking his head slowly. "I can't. Anyway, she doesn't need me anymore. I've been away so long."

"I need you, Harry. I want you to stay. You know what all of this means, what it means for the Ministry, what it means for those of us who aren't just following along. This is going to get really bad, Harry. I need someone I can trust."

"You have Draco," he said quietly. "He'll watch your back."

Ginny looked away, so that she was facing the blonde in question. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She looked absolutely heart-broken. Draco wanted to jump up and scream at his ex. Couldn't he see how he was tearing them all apart?!

"And your family," Harry continued. "And what about Neville? He'd do anything for you. You two were inseparable for years."

Ginny looked back to him, her mask restored. "He's still in the Americas. I don't think he wants to see me. Crabbe told me he decided not to come to the wedding after he heard Loky and I would be there."

After he heard you'd be there with Loky, Draco corrected in his head.

"That can't be right," said Harry. "Neville would do anything for you. He worships you."

"I miss him a lot," Ginny admitted. "I thought he'd always be there for me."

Sounds familiar, thought Draco. Harry thought I'd always be waiting for him.

"Have you been to see Severus at all?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.

Harry was silent for a long time before he whispered, "No."

"Have you spoken with him?"

He shook his head.

"He's your bondmate, Harry…"

"I know what he is to me," he hissed. "And I tried to get him… get him to s…" he choked on the words, "to get him to s… sever the bond so he'd be free."

Ginny gasped. "Harry, no!"

"But he wouldn't." Harry was almost sobbing. Draco was infuriated. How could he even suggest such a thing? Severus certainly wouldn't want it, and it was clear from the emotion on Harry's face he didn't want it either. What the hell was going on with him?!

"Why would you—"

"It would be better that way," said Harry brokenly. "I'm no good for anyone. If I could cut all my ties with everyone I would. You'd all be better off if I could just stay away completely."

Ginny's voice was shaking. "Harry, you listen to me. We are not better off without you. We want you home. We want you in our lives. Our lives are better when you're a part of them. We want you to stay, Harry. Stay with us."

But in the end, Harry wouldn't listen to her. And in the end, Harry wouldn't stay. Draco had seen this time and time again since the war, but it suddenly struck him as odd. Before he would just be angry. He would write it off to Harry being flaky again. And a heartless, careless, thoughtless arsehole. But now…

Maybe Draco thought it because of the exhausted detachment he felt, lying there on the floor at Durmstrang…

But Harry's behavior was odd. It was un-Harry-like. It was most definitely not normal.

And it occurred to Draco that a whole string of Ministry-related problems had something in common. Draco and Ginny being blacklisted. Ron disappearing. Hermione's parents. The unifying theme was Harry Potter, close personal friend to all those affected. And Harry himself acting like a half-crazed agoraphobic loner, when before the war he'd always been social, always been loyal to his loved ones, always been brave in the face of adversity, fierce in the face of injustice…

This wasn't right. This couldn't be right.

XIXIX

Draco was pensive for weeks while he thought on all of this. He and Ginny were still avoiding conversations on their extra investigations so they could plausibly deny the other's involvement. But the more Draco thought on the connection he had discovered, and the more Draco thought on Harry's behavior over the years, the more sure he was that he and Ginny were about to take the plunge. Very soon would they cross the point of no return, when they would be so critically bound up in this mess that if either of them were caught, they'd both be damned. Draco wasn't entirely sure he would recognize the exact moment they crossed that line, but as soon as he knew they were well and firm on the other side, he and his partner were going to have a very long talk about Harry Potter.

He knew this time was drawing close for two reasons.

First, it seemed the Ministry of Magic reached a new low every single day. Going into the field, the Aurors were just as likely to face citizens who feared them as they were to meet citizens who thought they were heroes. It seemed there were plenty of Auror groups out there that the Ministry wielded like a club against its own people. Draco had reason to suspect his Auror training classmates Smarte and Bryde were in one such group. It made no difference that his own group's fieldwork consisted solely of fighting Dark magic. The Aurors were getting a reputation of being the Ministry's pit bulls.

This was, of course, to say nothing of the office hell Draco and Ginny had to put up with. When they weren't out on the field, they were treated like children, House Elves, traitors, nincompoops, Death Eaters, filing clerks, animals, office furniture, suspects, thin air, or any combination of the aforementioned. The only reason Draco put up with any of this was the second reason.

He knew the point of no return was fast approaching because the "unofficial" investigations with Tonks and Kingsley were about to come to a head. They were planning on breaking into the Ministry while it was closed for the holidays to do a little evidence gathering. And there was simply no way he and Ginny were going to pass up the opportunity to search for information on what happened to Ron.

The suspense of their upcoming operation weighed on Draco. There were moments he wondered how he'd gotten into all of this, and why he would even bother. The aristocratic selfishness with which he'd been raised fought against putting everything on the line, and for what? How could he possibly benefit from all of this?

The answer, of course, was that the personal benefits he'd been raised to seek were no longer the benefits he really valued. Sure, he wanted wealth and power—who wouldn't? He ached to restore the Malfoy name; he hungered for the day he would return to Malfoy Manor as its rightful Lord. But it wasn't enough anymore. He needed—needed—to set the world right, where it had gone so terribly wrong.

After these last years, he felt he finally understood what Harry and Ginny were always on about.

Still, this weighed on him. He would never restore the Malfoy name, would never marry Persephone and return to Malfoy Manor… if they got caught come Christmas. Because he'd be joining one of his parents, either in Azkaban or in the afterlife.

Draco narrowed his eyes at this, scowling at the book in his lap. Persephone came up behind him, plucking the book from his grip and replacing herself within it.

"You've been so surly, lately, Draco. What can I do for you?"

Draco sighed as he wrapped his arms around his beautiful fiancée. Here was another problem. He had explained his mother's marital stipulation on his inheritance, and the young woman had happily agreed to marry him. But she had insisted on a long engagement, a big wedding. This would have been fine, preferable even, if Draco could be sure he would still be groom material after a long engagement. However, if he was killed or locked up, he would never be able to make good on his promises of wealth and property.

"Let's elope," he said.

She laughed, teased his hair. Draco had a fleeting image of Ginny laughing at him when he had proposed to her. If he wasn't already engaged to the woman on his lap he might start to get offended by all of this.

"We can get married this weekend," he continued, "And move into the Manor immediately."

Persephone tucked a stray lock behind his ear and looked at him kindly. "Does it really mean so much to you to have the Manor back that you can't wait another year?"

Draco leaned his head on her shoulder. "I'm thinking of you," he said. "You were engaged to a prince before. You can't be happy with a junior Auror who lives in a tiny London flat."

"I can be, and I am."

He shifted to look into her eyes. How could he convince her? If they didn't do this now, she might be left with nothing. He knew how much wealth meant to her. And if he might die, it was better that she get it than some distant relative he'd never met.

"Persephone," he said gently, "It's important to me that you have everything you desire. I can't provide for you properly until we get married. How could you possibly still want to wait?"

She sighed. "Draco Malfoy, how long have you known me?"

"All my life."

"And did you ever consider marrying me before we met on the street last month?"

Where was she going with this? "I…"

"No, of course you didn't," she answered. "You were betrothed to that pretty little Parkinson trollop and had every intention of marrying her. Which was such a shame. For me. I had spent many long years debating whom I would marry if I had my druthers and whom I would settle for if worse came to worst."

Draco smirked at the glint in her eye. "And I was on your list?" he asked.

"You were at the top of my list," she replied. "In face, after I realized your alliances were beginning to change during the war, you were the only one on my list."

He looked at her sharply. Persephone had never seemed aware of the war, much less the alliances of those around her. Only now did it occur to Draco that she might have feigned this ignorance in self-defense.

"When exactly did you realize my alliances were changing?" he asked, trying to clarify how aware she had been.

"When you first made your truce with Potter. I knew then you would end up on his side when all was said and done. I knew Pansy would not, so that meant your betrothal was out of my way. But even then I had some intuition that you would wind up with Potter if I couldn't stop it."

A devious smile spread across Draco's lips. "So you came to me and told me that Harry would never fit in with the Slytherins, and to keep my distance from him."

She winked at him playfully. "And I failed miserably, and you were still with him when I graduated, and I assumed you would remain with him. So I moved to Paris and found a prince. A fabulously wealthy dethroned prince with a list of personal problems the length of my arm."

She spread out the elegant appendage for effect.

"Draco, my love," she said, meeting his gaze seriously, "If I only wanted wealth, I would have married him anyway. Husbands can be avoided, and fortunes can be hidden from gambling addicts. I could have made it work, if that were what I wanted."

He narrowed his eyes again, shook his head. "No, you agreed to marry me after I told you the status of the Malfoy fortune."

"Because you didn't ask me to marry you until after you told me of it. Draco, I don't need the Malfoy fortune. The Hadens are only a minor house, but we have wealth enough for comfort. I could support us both even if you were a pauper."

"I'm hardly a pauper."

Persephone laughed. "You were never on my list for your wealth. You topped my list because of your charm, your wit, your intelligence, your power, your charisma," she shrugged, "Your devastating good looks…"

Now Draco laughed.

"I don't need your fortune. I would marry you without it."

Draco was silent for a time. Persephone traced the lines of his face with delicate fingers. She was beautiful. And sweet. And funny. And apparently a whole lot more intelligent and aware than he'd ever given her credit for. She would definitely help to restore the Malfoy name. There was no reason to wait.

"Then let's get married this weekend," he tried again.

Again, she laughed. "No, Draco. I won't."

"Why not?" he said teasingly. "You say you've always wanted to marry me. Now you have me, let's go."

She hushed him with a fingertip. "Because I don't want to be your trophy wife. I want a long engagement so that I'll have plenty of time to get you to fall firmly in love with me."

Draco had another fleeting image, this one of Harry telling him to try to love her. 'If you're going to marry her, don't do it halfway. You can be happy, Draco, really happy.'

Draco pulled her close and held her tight. He did like her. And he liked her more with each passing day they spent together. Maybe he could love her in time. But maybe he didn't have the time. He could marry her now to ensure she'd be financially set. Or he could wait, try and give her the love she really wanted from him, and risk leaving her with nothing if he got caught.

"I don't know how to do right by you," he murmured into her hair.

XIXIX

Ginny was running late. She had been in a pissy mood the night before and had apparently said something that angered the family clock. In retaliation, it had not changed Ginny's hand from "Sleeping" to "Time to get up" until it was actually "Time to leave for work."

Molly hadn't realized anything was amiss until it was almost too late. She had rushed into Ginny's room screaming, which hadn't done much to calm the tardy witch. She was right frantic by the time she made it downstairs and bolted toward the fireplace. There was a rushing sound and the youngest Weasley was brought up short. Neville Longbottom's head appeared before her.

For a moment, Ginny could only stare.

"Um, hullo, Ginny," he said tentatively, looking her over.

The redhead was suddenly very aware of her disheveled state. She must look a fright. She dropped to her knees before her friend and ran a hand through her hair, hoping it wasn't too terribly tangled.

"Hi, Neville," she said.

"You look g—" he stopped himself with a blush. "I mean, I just got your message this morning."

"I… yeah, your Gran said they'd sent you into the mountains. But it's been weeks since. I thought maybe…"

He flushed again. "We didn't have any communication up there. I would never… ignore something so important. It's terrible about Hermione's folks. I just firecalled her."

"How was she?" Ginny knew, of course. She talked to Hermione every day now. The woman was barely holding it together.

"Not good," said Neville. "I can't believe the Ministry just brain-wiped them like that. It's a pretty severe penalty, you know? I've never heard of anything so extreme."

"I know. I—"

Ginny cut off, because Molly walked into the room and shrieked, "Ginny! What are you still doing here?! You're late enough as it is!"

When Ginny looked up, Molly suddenly caught sight of Neville's head in the fireplace. She deflated immediately. "Oh. Sorry. Hello, Neville dear. Would you care for some toast?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I have to get going anyway. Ginny, I hadn't intended to make you late."

"It's okay, Neville," she replied sincerely. "It's really good to see you. I hate how you're so far away. I… I miss you. A lot."

Neville's eyes brightened suddenly, but just as suddenly he grew very distant. He forced a cheerful smile onto his face, but Ginny could tell his defenses had gone up.

"Right," he said. "As a friend. Sure, of course. Same here…uh, pal."

She swallowed hard, but her heart remained firmly lodged in her throat.

XIXIX

That afternoon, while she and Draco sat buried behind stacks of paperwork in their tiny little cubical, Ginny asked the question that had been plaguing her for some time now.

"Do you think Neville was in love with me?"

Draco peered over one of the enormous paper piles.

"What?"

"Do you think that's why he left to the Americas? Because he was in love with me and I got back with Lokstavian? Because he turned down that position for over a year and then he just took it suddenly and we talk less and less and—does he love me?"

Draco snickered. He couldn't help it. Ginny was always so in control of everything. Even through all the ups and downs of her relationship with Lokstavian, even when they broke up at Luna and Vincent's wedding, she had never seemed so nervous or unsure of herself as she did now. It was highly amusing.

"Well," he began, but was interrupted.

Tonks flung herself into their cubical. She stumbled and caught herself on the corner of Ginny's desk, sending a huge stack of paperwork flying. That she didn't pause to apologize for her clumsiness was a testament to her agitation.

"We gotta go," she said. "Big problems. Kingsley's in the briefing room. Let's go!"

They leapt up and followed Tonks on her haphazard journey through the maze of cubicles, down the hall, and into the briefing room. The office was a case study in growing pandemonium. Owls were swooping this way and that. Patronuses were appearing and disappearing again. Shouts were being raised. And it seemed every field-ready Auror group was squeezing into that room.

Along the way, Draco and Ginny squared their shoulders into forced calm. This was big, whatever it was. Theirs was not going to be a boring day.

In an attempt at maintaining their cool in the face of chaos, Draco hissed at Ginny, "You should ask Potter."

She cut him a questioning look.

"About Neville," he continued. "Ask Harry whether he thinks Neville's in love with you."

"Oh. I thought you meant I should ask him about our mission. No, I can't ask him anyway. He's been gone all day."

They entered the briefing room, taking up positions in the back. Tonks signaled to Kingsley, who stood in the front with another of the Head Aurors. They both looked grim. Kingsley unfurled a huge wizarding photograph, magicking it onto the wall so everyone could see. Gasps sounded throughout the room. Murmurs and shouts erupted.

"Gringotts is under attack!" Kingsley called out above them.

Indeed, the photograph showed a long view of the face of the famous building on Diagon Alley, cracked and burnt. The eastern quarter of the second floor had been rent asunder. Witches and wizards ran amok below while others, dressed in the horrific garb of Death Eaters, hurled spells left and right attacking the building, attacking both humans and non-humans on the street below. Goblins, armed with spears, clubs, and maces, fought back ferociously with both their physical weaponry and their own special magic. But it was clear they were no match for the horror they confronted.

"The vaults are as yet uncompromised. But the building has taken more damage than it has ever before seen. Not even Grindelwald was able to blast a hole into Gringotts, and the Goblins fended off his attack without the help of the Ministry. But they need us now. They have come willingly for our assistance, and…"

Kingsley clamped his mouth shut suddenly, his jaw twitching angrily. He took a deep breath and continued, "the Minister… negotiated… a deal… offering our assistance."

Though he tried to speak the sentence as neutral fact, he failed miserably. It was clear what Kingsley thought of the Minister's deal, whatever it was. He continued quickly.

"There are at least a dozen Death Eaters on Diagon Alley, and as many as twenty. Witness reports have conflicted. Some have said a single Death Eater was causing the most damage while the others attacked in more minor ways. Others have said that the entire group threw spells cohesively. Combined power could explain the amount of damage."

The other Head Auror stepped up. "I've laid out our offensive strike."

In a flurry, he assigned the teams to various positions about Diagon Alley, each with a different focus. One team to protect innocent bystanders. Three teams to infiltrate Gringotts, including Smarte and Bryde's team. Two teams to hold off further outside attack, including Ginny and Draco's team. One team to scatter about Diagon Alley for surveillance.

"Find out if this is a group effort, or if we have a new Dark Lord on our hands!" he barked.

And, knowing what they were diving into, the teams disapparated.

XIXIX

Things had gotten far worse by the time they got there. During the brief instant in which she adjusted after apparating, Ginny decided the photograph must have been taken before the unnecessary delay of Goblin-Minster negotiations. They should have been sent as soon as they were asked for. Blast it, they should have been sent sooner, if only to protect the people on Diagon Alley!

The entire eastern face of Gringotts had been reduced to rubble. Of the streetfront, only the doors remained standing. Goblins and people lay strewn bloodied across the street, while others battled on. Black-robed figures hurled hexes left and right. It was horrible. Ginny let out a terrific roar as she and her team joined in the fight.

"Merlin's balls!" screeched one of the Death Eaters. "It's her!"

Ginny dodged a flash of green light, sent off a Stunning Spell in return.

Just then, the earth began to quake. The Aurors, new to the scene, stumbled and paused their offensive, looking around in alarm. The Goblins and Death Eaters seemed not to notice this new development. And suddenly, another piece of Gringotts fell to the ground.

"Get him out of here! Get him out of here!" the same figure screamed. Ginny tried to Stun that one too, but her spell passed through empty air as the robed figure disapparated with a crack. Another crack sounded from up above and immediately the tremors ceased.

Ginny heard two more cracks before the Aurors were able to set up anti-apparation wards around the area. The remaining Death Eaters seemed to panic at this. The curses they sent off became more and more desperate.

A Goblin rushed past, climbing through the rubble and back into Gringotts. Ginny heard him call out, "The worst of them is gone!" He was hit in the back by a curse and toppled forward.

Ginny started to head toward him, but she saw an entire team move that way. Remembering herself, she fell back into position. Her team was to secure the outer area. There were Death Eaters embedded all around, firing curses from hiding places in the devastation of the street. She saw Draco crouched down twenty paces to her left. Tonks was just beyond him. She motioned for them to move around the side of the building. There seemed to be a lot of activity in that area.

Just then, Ginny felt some little bit of consciousness awaken in her, causing a stir of panic in her gut. Harry had just 'returned'. As her team moved out, Ginny cursed six ways from Sunday.

Sometimes when he got back from wherever he went, Harry would be hurt. The pain wasn't always bad, and he usually blocked it from her best he could until he healed himself. But the last thing she needed now was a distraction. She prayed he wouldn't be too bad off, and moved out.

XIXIX

Mala Suerte was on the couch with Ryan when Harry apparated just inside the front door. She leapt up and went to him. He had that glazed look about him again. She stood just before him, but it was like he couldn't see her. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans she'd never seen before. That wasn't entirely unusual either. He often returned home wearing "new" clothes. New clothes that were ripped and bloodied and muddied.

As bad as her luck was, Mala wouldn't trade places with Harry Potter for anything.

"Is he okay?" asked Ryan from behind her.

She shook her head. "I don't know yet. It takes a few moments sometimes before he… er, comes home all the way."

"Is there anything I can—"

Just then, Harry's eyes snapped into focus and he let out a low moan of pain. He dropped to the floor in a twitching crumple. Mala fell to her knees beside him. Panicking over the whimpering form for only a moment, she quickly got to work. She needed to assess the damage. She waved her wand to remove his clothes. As soon as she did, Ryan gagged behind her.

"Oh, Christ!" she gasped.

Most of his skin was black and blue. His torso was abnormally dented and three ribs protruded through his flesh. The damage was so far beyond anything Mala Suerte had ever seen. There was no way she could handle this.

"We have to get him to the hospital," she said steadily, though in her mind she was shrieking.

"We could apparate him into Prague…"

"No." Mala shook her head. "We've got to get him to St. Mungo's. They dealt with trauma like this in the war." She looked up to Ryan with firm, intensely determined eyes. "Can you help me with this?"

Ryan glanced down to Harry and gagged again. But he swallowed hard and nodded. Mala took Harry's wand from his hand so he wouldn't lose it when they moved him. She and Ryan gathered up his body and apparated away.

XIXIX

Draco was next to Ginny as they moved into the alley alongside the western wall of Gringotts. Tonks and Kingsley had cast a barricade to seal off the other end. Any Death Eaters inside would be trapped like rats, desperate and dangerous. Their team need only neutralize them, but it was a tight situation. And given the magnitude of the attack, it was imperative that no more of them escape.

Draco and Ginny had been friends a long time. They had trained together. They were partners. Draco noticed a tenseness about her shoulders as they moved in, but it all happened so fast. He knew something was wrong; there simply wasn't time to find out what. Had he known, he would have stepped in to engage the robed figure that charged them. He never would have left Ginny to that duel alone.

As it was, Ginny took on the first one, and Draco turned his focus on another. His foe was not very skilled. Draco had him stunned in a moment. He spared a glance at Ginny just in time to see her stiffen and cry out, though she had not been hit. But that one moment was enough to give her opponent the edge he needed.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. A stream of purple light hit her square in the chest. She flew backward and hit the wall with a crunch. Draco attacked, funneling every ounce of the rage that filled him into his spellcasting. He moved to stand over his partner, protecting her from further harm as the Aurors neutralized the remaining threat.

Afterward, he was only vaguely aware of a problem with some of the other teams—some conflict with the Goblins. He was only vaguely aware of the Minister's arrival, of the uproar that occurred when he and his delegation entered Gringotts and confronted a team of Goblins with signed paperwork. He barely noticed when six of the Goblins were Stunned and carted away from the premises.

Draco stayed with his partner and an Emergency Healer until she was stabilized. Then he followed her to St. Mungo's, where he stayed at her bedside for two days until she woke. Persephone came in, bringing him food and kindness. Draco sat with the other Weasleys, with friends and a few coworkers who came by. Early the second day Neville arrived. He looked absolutely terrified. But he only stayed until the moment she regained consciousness. As soon as she stirred, he made excuses and slipped out the door.

"Ginny?" Molly leaned over her daughter and rested a gentle hand on her forehead. "Ginny, can you hear me?"

Ginny moaned, turned her head, opened a bleary eye and moaned again. She struggled to wake for several minutes. When finally her eyes focused, she said, "Why isn't Harry in here?"

Molly gave a sympathetic sigh. "We've tried to find him, love. No one's at his house."

"He's here," Ginny groaned.

"Here at St. Mungo's?" asked Draco.

"Yeah, he's hurt. That's why I got hit. I was distracted by his injuries. I think he's mostly healed now, but he got knocked out by the curse that hit me at Gringotts."

Her eyes unfocused for a minute and then she smiled. Draco knew that look. She was talking to Harry through their bond.

"Where is he?" he murmured. Then, to hide his true intentions, he added, "I'll bring him to you."

Ginny's eyes unfocused again before she said, "First floor. He's in a private room at the very end of the hall."

"I'll be right back," said Draco calmly. He swept from the room quietly, then stormed down the corridor. He was a veritable hurricane of fury by the time he reached the first floor. He slammed into the room at the end of the hall and only paused to make sure it was Harry in the bed before he started ranting.

"What the bleeding fuck is your problem, Potter?!"

A witch who'd been sitting quietly in the corner was on her feet in an instant, wand trained at Draco's heart.

"This is a private room," she intoned dangerously. "You get out of here now."

Draco ignored her, though he moved no closer to Harry's bed. "Ginny could have been killed because of you!" he snapped. "This. Ends. Now."

"I said Get Out." Mala stepped forward, her eyes flashing.

Draco spread his arms as he stepped forward as well, coming nose to nose with the witch. His arms were wide; his wand was tucked securely against his chest. Staring straight into her eyes, he said to Harry, "Potter, tell your bodyguard that I've had my cock in your arse and I have no intention of leaving until I've said my piece."

Mala flushed bright red, but didn't waver her position until Harry said, "It's okay. Let him be."

Mala lowered her wand, but she didn't back away. Draco respected how she refused to be intimidated by him despite his best efforts.

"Would you like some privacy?" she asked Harry while still holding eye contact with Draco.

"Please," he said.

She gave him one last look to confirm his answer by his facial expression, then quitted the room without another word. Draco turned on Harry immediately.

"You want to be a bounty hunter, run all over the world and put your life in danger at every step. Well, you don't get to do that anymore, Potter. It's not just your life. It has not EVER been just your life!"

"Draco—"

"If you die, Ginny dies too, right?"

"I—"

"Right?!"

Harry nodded. He looked like hell in a hospital bed, and this after two days of healing. No wonder Ginny was distracted by his pain.

"Then you may not do this anymore," growled Draco. "You may not do anything that might put your physical body in danger ever again. You didn't get killed this time, but you distracted Ginny in the middle of a duel and she was almost killed because of it. This ends now."

"You think it's just that easy," Harry hissed. "You don't know what you're talking about."

The end table started to tremble. Draco looked at his ex long and hard. It was obvious the man was upset. Fury and guilt was written all over his face. Of course he felt the blame for what happened to Ginny, that much was clear. But why would he hold to this life he led? Why wouldn't he stop it?

"What I know is that you almost killed your twin," said Draco.

The lamp on the bedside table exploded. Draco didn't flinch. Harry swallowed hard.

"It ends now, Harry. This is no way to live."

Harry turned away from Draco's scrutiny. "You don't know what you're talking about," he whispered again.

"Then you figure it out. This ends now, Harry. You do what you have to do to get your life in order. If not for your sake, then for Ginny's. Whatever this is that you've been doing since the war… finish it."

Draco left the room, but his sentiment remained. And he was right. Whatever it was that was going on, Harry had to finish it. He had to fix it. By any means necessary.

Whatever it took.

XIXIX

XIX

X

A/N: Coming up next chapter, we got angst and answers, just like I promised. We're right at the crux of it. And Snape will be back in two chapters. And there are… mmm… maybe five or six chapters left.

Thanks for sticking around so long. Thanks to my readers, and thanks to my reviewers. Like I've said before, I reply to all signed reviews… so if you want a response, just make sure you're logged in.

Peace, tangledhair.