Draco opened the door of the Astronomy Tower and walked outside. The night
was a bit chilly this evening; it seemed as the Indian summer they'd
enjoyed was gone and winter was just a few days away and . He pulled his
robes a little closer around him and walked to the edge of the tower and
looked over the land.
"How many people out there have been affected by something my father has done?" he asked the chill wind. He leaned against a battlement and sighed. "Probably more than I'll ever know." he answered himself. For a half a second, he considered jumping, but squashed that immediately. "Oh no, you have to own up to this, Draco," he told himself. Exactly how he'd own up to everything and make amends filled his mind for a long while.
*******************
Draco's solitude was finally interrupted by everyone's favorite problematic redhead, Ron Weasley. "Surtain," he called as he walked through the door in a rather reckless way, "Surtain, are you here?"
"No, there's no Surtain here," a voice called from the shadows by the battlements.
"Oh shit," Ron said in a low tone. "Malfoy? Is that you over there?" *Dammit*, Ron thought. *I'm busted for sure now.*
Draco stepped from the shadows and walked back to Ron. "Yep, it's me."
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
"I was about to ask you the same question, Ron."
"Malfoy, if you rat on me I swear that I'll hit you so hard I'll knock your sleeves off." Draco made no reply and had an unreadable look on his face, so Ron continued trying to feel where the situation was headed. "I'm serious, Malfoy, you'll---wait, you called me Ron just a minute ago, didn't you?"
"Yes, Ron, I did. Now why would I go and 'rat' on you anyway?" Ron was quite stunned and hesitated before continuing.
"Well, Malfoy, as to why you'd rat on me, well, maybe because that's all you've done now for the past four years."
"Well, Ron, allow me to tell you this small truth. The Malfoy of the past four years is no more." Ron looked unconvinced, so Draco continued. "In the last few weeks, I've discovered that almost everything I thought I knew was wrong. Do you know how unsettling that can make a person feel, Ron?"
"Uh, no. Not really."
"Well, trust me, it is definitely not good. My rugs were shaken out from under me." Ron looked puzzled. "It's an old saying Ron, a proverbial type of thing. Anyway, I've learned so much in the last weeks, much about myself, and much more about other people." Draco got a bit closer to Ron and talked very solemnly now, "You're right, all of you. I'm no different than anyone else." He walked back to the edge of the battlements and gestured out across the land. "You, me, everyone out there, we're all the same."
"It only took you fifteen years to figure that out, Malfoy?" Ron questioned a bit harsher than intended.
"I guess I deserve that, and a lot more actually. It did take a long time, Ron, but the important thing is that I did learn it, wouldn't you think?"
"Well, I guess you're right." Ron furrowed his brow and thought for a second before continuing. "Malfoy, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Ron, go ahead."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"I guess it is my way of getting things started." Ron had question marks written all over his face, so Draco explained. "I've decided that I need to reconcile quite a few things I know about and that I've done over the years, and I needed to start somewhere."
"What exactly do you mean by reconcile, Malfoy?"
"It means to put things to rights, to settle old debts--"
"I know what it means, but how are you going to do it?"
"Honestly I don't know yet. I guess every case will be different."
"You'll be very busy, you know."
With a big dose of sadness, Draco replied, " I know. Terribly busy." He turned and started walking to the door. When he got to Ron, he stopped.
"Ron, I'll start here. I know this might not mean a lot, but I swear I mean it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through over the years. I'm sorry for degrading your family. Everything Ron, everything. If I could right those wrongs, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Draco looked for any type of emotion on the face of Ron, but saw none. He continued walking to the door.
"Hey, one thing before you go," Ron called as Draco was turning the knob. "Thanks, Draco." Draco smiled at Ron and walked out the door. Ron decided that Surtain would have to wait for a night, as he had many important things to tell Harry and company. He waited a minute or so to allow Draco time to get back; exactly why he wasn't sure, and then followed out the door.
***********************
After Ron left the Astronomy Tower, the circle in the floor appeared and in the middle the spectral form of Surtain took shape. "That I did not foresee. I sense that this other boy may cause problems. I must watch him closely for I've waited far too long and have come too close to lose now." Surtain allowed his form to break apart and drift in the light wind
************************
Ron was almost back when he stopped dead in the hall. Something Draco had said had rung a bell in his mind. A very faint bell. Ron couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, though. It was sort of like déjà vu, or having something on the tip of your tongue but not being able to grasp it. He did a wonderful imitation of Winni the Pooh when he crossed one arm and tapped his head with the other, but it didn't help.
Ron gave up after drawing blanks and headed on into Gryffindor tower. It was late and the common room was mostly empty, save the important characters (how convenient, huh?) sitting by the fire. Harry and Colin, Seamus and Neville, Hermione and Dennis were sitting close by, with Dennis and Hermione not as close as the other couples (much to Dennis' chagrin).
"Guys! And girl," he added after seeing Hermione's look of reproach, "You'll never guess who I just ran into!"
"Santa Claus!" yelled Harry.
"The Rock!" guessed Seamus.
"Trent Reznor!" said Hermione.
[[[A/N: whenever me and my friends play trivial pursuit or another similar game, any person we have no idea about is automatically Trent Reznor, from NIN. Example: who developed the carburetor? Trent Reznor? I just had to add that, even though Hermione is much more an Oasis type than NIN. Anyway…]]]
"No, though I would like to meet Trent Reznor (no he wouldn't, I would, anyway). No, it was Draco Malfoy."
"Really?!" Hermione asked breathlessly. "What's up with him?"
"Geez, Hermione, turning into a bit of a gossip, huh?" Neville kidded her.
"No, I just *have* to know what happened tonight."
"Then that would make you a gossip, dear," Seamus told her in jest.
"Anyway, Ron, what did he say? Did he threaten you or anything?" Harry asked.
"No, he was a different Draco than I've ever seen before. He told me quite a bit, actually. More than I'd ever have expected Draco to tell *me*."
"Wait just a minute here, Ron. You're calling him *Draco* now and you've called him *Malfoy* for the last four years and change. What's up?" Harry asked Ron.
"Well, he has changed you all, honestly he has. He said he's learned a lot about himself in the last weeks he said. A whole lot."
"Like what? That he's gay?" Seamus asked.
"You know, a lot of you boys have been learning that this year…" Hermione said and gets a high-five from the spectral hand of energy (me!). "Well, you have.." she said as they looked at her oddly after she slapped five on the author. "Go on Ron."
"Like I said, he told me he's learned a lot. He said everything he thought he knew was wrong. He admitted to me that he was the same as everyone else, no different because he's a pureblood or anything."
"Wow. It only took him fifteen years to figure that out," Neville said.
"That's exactly what I told him. He said he that he is going to start reconciling with everyone he's harmed before."
"That will take a long, long time," Colin said.
"I told him that too," Ron said, getting tired of getting interrupted. "He said he would be very busy. And then he did the one thing that I would have thought would have happened only after I ate Snape's shoes, he apologized to me."
"He did what?" was asked in unison by the six teens around him.
"Seriously. He apologized to me for everything he's done and I honestly believe he meant it.
"Bull," was all Seamus replied.
"Seriously, Seamus. He meant it. They talked on for hours about this and what it might mean to everyone in Hogwarts. Midnight rolled around and they finally gave up. Colin had fallen asleep in Harry's lap and he gently rose and carried him off to bed. Seamus and Neville draped tired arms around each other and headed up the steps. Hermione looked at the sleeping Dennis and was wondering what to do with him; she didn't want to leave him sitting on the chair all night, when Ron spoke softly.
"I'll get him, Hermione. Go on to bed."
"Thanks, Ron. I don't think they'd appreciate it if I sort of walked into the second years' dorms right now, you know."
"Well, they might appreciate it more than you think, Hermione, more than you might think."
"And just exactly is that supposed to mean, Ron?"
"Well, just think about it for a while. I'll see you in the morning." Ron picked up Dennis and marveled at how light he was. He carried him in one arm and took him to the room, leaving Hermione to ponder his last comment. He grinned to himself when he heard her call from the common room.
"Ron! That is gross! Completely gross."
Ron opened the door to Dennis' dorm and walked as quietly as possible to his bed. He pulled the covers back and laid the child down. He was taking his shoes off when Dennis stirred but didn't quite wake. He got the second shoe off and was setting them by the nightstand when he saw a book pushed halfway under the bed. There were pieces of paper or something sticking out of it randomly. Ron had the sudden burst of curiosity we all get when we're alone (or the only one awake) in a friend's room and he picked the book up.
The cover had *Memories* written across it in enchanted ink, making it glow and swirl in the soft light. Ron opened the book and saw that it wasn't paper, but pictures that were hanging out of it. He turned through it and saw all sorts of pictures, everything from a family vacation somewhere, pictures of the Creevey's house, Colin with no front teeth, and tons of photos of friends. Ron flipped through, liking the way he could look into Dennis' memories. Many photos of him and Aidan, the whole gang, Hagrid, everyone. Toward the back was one that caught his eye the most and held him there.
It was the picture that Dennis had snapped in the hotel room in Diagon Alley so many months ago now. Harry and Colin were snuggled up together like two birds of a feather and were at complete peace. "This was right after whatever was wrong with me started," he thought, "it has to be. I'm sure that's a room in Diagon Alley." [[[Ron has been there, correct? In book 4?]]].
Ron started to put the book back on the floor, half under the bed when his hands took a little action on their own. Without his even realizing it, he picked that pic from the book and stuck it in his pocket in a move that would have made even the best shoplifter jealous. He returned to his room a short while later and just as deftly stuck the pic in a drawer. He would remain completely ignorant of its being there or the manner in which it arrived until the end of the story.
Okay, bet you thought I'd forgotten about that pic, huh? Not totally. I forgot to include it about five chapters ago and it finally fit here. Well, how do you like the new Draco? I like him. He rocks.
I'm going to florida for the next few days (for a vacation from my Jamaican vacation and all the troubles I had when I got home) so stand by. When I return, I will jump ahead a few weeks (the next few are unimportant except for a lot of fluffyness and Draco/Slytherin troubles (I'll hint on those) - and I really want to get to the end. I've had it written in my head for weeks.) we will start back with the MQM (mandatory quiddich match), Headlines, and a talk between Draco and Hermione as the fall term begins to draw to a close.
In other news, I've put a list of my upcoming stories on my author page. Check them out. I'm getting excited about a few of them (another reason to put this one to rest) especially Halo2. You'll also find a few of my favourite stories there (the john madden one is hysterical and Unthinkable Thoughts is long but a wonderfully written Harry/Draco) check them out too. And while you're there, drop Hikari no Tenshi, Lucifers Life Saver, heehee, and BMillsWrites an email and tell them to write more.
Thanks, energy…
"How many people out there have been affected by something my father has done?" he asked the chill wind. He leaned against a battlement and sighed. "Probably more than I'll ever know." he answered himself. For a half a second, he considered jumping, but squashed that immediately. "Oh no, you have to own up to this, Draco," he told himself. Exactly how he'd own up to everything and make amends filled his mind for a long while.
*******************
Draco's solitude was finally interrupted by everyone's favorite problematic redhead, Ron Weasley. "Surtain," he called as he walked through the door in a rather reckless way, "Surtain, are you here?"
"No, there's no Surtain here," a voice called from the shadows by the battlements.
"Oh shit," Ron said in a low tone. "Malfoy? Is that you over there?" *Dammit*, Ron thought. *I'm busted for sure now.*
Draco stepped from the shadows and walked back to Ron. "Yep, it's me."
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
"I was about to ask you the same question, Ron."
"Malfoy, if you rat on me I swear that I'll hit you so hard I'll knock your sleeves off." Draco made no reply and had an unreadable look on his face, so Ron continued trying to feel where the situation was headed. "I'm serious, Malfoy, you'll---wait, you called me Ron just a minute ago, didn't you?"
"Yes, Ron, I did. Now why would I go and 'rat' on you anyway?" Ron was quite stunned and hesitated before continuing.
"Well, Malfoy, as to why you'd rat on me, well, maybe because that's all you've done now for the past four years."
"Well, Ron, allow me to tell you this small truth. The Malfoy of the past four years is no more." Ron looked unconvinced, so Draco continued. "In the last few weeks, I've discovered that almost everything I thought I knew was wrong. Do you know how unsettling that can make a person feel, Ron?"
"Uh, no. Not really."
"Well, trust me, it is definitely not good. My rugs were shaken out from under me." Ron looked puzzled. "It's an old saying Ron, a proverbial type of thing. Anyway, I've learned so much in the last weeks, much about myself, and much more about other people." Draco got a bit closer to Ron and talked very solemnly now, "You're right, all of you. I'm no different than anyone else." He walked back to the edge of the battlements and gestured out across the land. "You, me, everyone out there, we're all the same."
"It only took you fifteen years to figure that out, Malfoy?" Ron questioned a bit harsher than intended.
"I guess I deserve that, and a lot more actually. It did take a long time, Ron, but the important thing is that I did learn it, wouldn't you think?"
"Well, I guess you're right." Ron furrowed his brow and thought for a second before continuing. "Malfoy, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Ron, go ahead."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"I guess it is my way of getting things started." Ron had question marks written all over his face, so Draco explained. "I've decided that I need to reconcile quite a few things I know about and that I've done over the years, and I needed to start somewhere."
"What exactly do you mean by reconcile, Malfoy?"
"It means to put things to rights, to settle old debts--"
"I know what it means, but how are you going to do it?"
"Honestly I don't know yet. I guess every case will be different."
"You'll be very busy, you know."
With a big dose of sadness, Draco replied, " I know. Terribly busy." He turned and started walking to the door. When he got to Ron, he stopped.
"Ron, I'll start here. I know this might not mean a lot, but I swear I mean it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through over the years. I'm sorry for degrading your family. Everything Ron, everything. If I could right those wrongs, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Draco looked for any type of emotion on the face of Ron, but saw none. He continued walking to the door.
"Hey, one thing before you go," Ron called as Draco was turning the knob. "Thanks, Draco." Draco smiled at Ron and walked out the door. Ron decided that Surtain would have to wait for a night, as he had many important things to tell Harry and company. He waited a minute or so to allow Draco time to get back; exactly why he wasn't sure, and then followed out the door.
***********************
After Ron left the Astronomy Tower, the circle in the floor appeared and in the middle the spectral form of Surtain took shape. "That I did not foresee. I sense that this other boy may cause problems. I must watch him closely for I've waited far too long and have come too close to lose now." Surtain allowed his form to break apart and drift in the light wind
************************
Ron was almost back when he stopped dead in the hall. Something Draco had said had rung a bell in his mind. A very faint bell. Ron couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, though. It was sort of like déjà vu, or having something on the tip of your tongue but not being able to grasp it. He did a wonderful imitation of Winni the Pooh when he crossed one arm and tapped his head with the other, but it didn't help.
Ron gave up after drawing blanks and headed on into Gryffindor tower. It was late and the common room was mostly empty, save the important characters (how convenient, huh?) sitting by the fire. Harry and Colin, Seamus and Neville, Hermione and Dennis were sitting close by, with Dennis and Hermione not as close as the other couples (much to Dennis' chagrin).
"Guys! And girl," he added after seeing Hermione's look of reproach, "You'll never guess who I just ran into!"
"Santa Claus!" yelled Harry.
"The Rock!" guessed Seamus.
"Trent Reznor!" said Hermione.
[[[A/N: whenever me and my friends play trivial pursuit or another similar game, any person we have no idea about is automatically Trent Reznor, from NIN. Example: who developed the carburetor? Trent Reznor? I just had to add that, even though Hermione is much more an Oasis type than NIN. Anyway…]]]
"No, though I would like to meet Trent Reznor (no he wouldn't, I would, anyway). No, it was Draco Malfoy."
"Really?!" Hermione asked breathlessly. "What's up with him?"
"Geez, Hermione, turning into a bit of a gossip, huh?" Neville kidded her.
"No, I just *have* to know what happened tonight."
"Then that would make you a gossip, dear," Seamus told her in jest.
"Anyway, Ron, what did he say? Did he threaten you or anything?" Harry asked.
"No, he was a different Draco than I've ever seen before. He told me quite a bit, actually. More than I'd ever have expected Draco to tell *me*."
"Wait just a minute here, Ron. You're calling him *Draco* now and you've called him *Malfoy* for the last four years and change. What's up?" Harry asked Ron.
"Well, he has changed you all, honestly he has. He said he's learned a lot about himself in the last weeks he said. A whole lot."
"Like what? That he's gay?" Seamus asked.
"You know, a lot of you boys have been learning that this year…" Hermione said and gets a high-five from the spectral hand of energy (me!). "Well, you have.." she said as they looked at her oddly after she slapped five on the author. "Go on Ron."
"Like I said, he told me he's learned a lot. He said everything he thought he knew was wrong. He admitted to me that he was the same as everyone else, no different because he's a pureblood or anything."
"Wow. It only took him fifteen years to figure that out," Neville said.
"That's exactly what I told him. He said he that he is going to start reconciling with everyone he's harmed before."
"That will take a long, long time," Colin said.
"I told him that too," Ron said, getting tired of getting interrupted. "He said he would be very busy. And then he did the one thing that I would have thought would have happened only after I ate Snape's shoes, he apologized to me."
"He did what?" was asked in unison by the six teens around him.
"Seriously. He apologized to me for everything he's done and I honestly believe he meant it.
"Bull," was all Seamus replied.
"Seriously, Seamus. He meant it. They talked on for hours about this and what it might mean to everyone in Hogwarts. Midnight rolled around and they finally gave up. Colin had fallen asleep in Harry's lap and he gently rose and carried him off to bed. Seamus and Neville draped tired arms around each other and headed up the steps. Hermione looked at the sleeping Dennis and was wondering what to do with him; she didn't want to leave him sitting on the chair all night, when Ron spoke softly.
"I'll get him, Hermione. Go on to bed."
"Thanks, Ron. I don't think they'd appreciate it if I sort of walked into the second years' dorms right now, you know."
"Well, they might appreciate it more than you think, Hermione, more than you might think."
"And just exactly is that supposed to mean, Ron?"
"Well, just think about it for a while. I'll see you in the morning." Ron picked up Dennis and marveled at how light he was. He carried him in one arm and took him to the room, leaving Hermione to ponder his last comment. He grinned to himself when he heard her call from the common room.
"Ron! That is gross! Completely gross."
Ron opened the door to Dennis' dorm and walked as quietly as possible to his bed. He pulled the covers back and laid the child down. He was taking his shoes off when Dennis stirred but didn't quite wake. He got the second shoe off and was setting them by the nightstand when he saw a book pushed halfway under the bed. There were pieces of paper or something sticking out of it randomly. Ron had the sudden burst of curiosity we all get when we're alone (or the only one awake) in a friend's room and he picked the book up.
The cover had *Memories* written across it in enchanted ink, making it glow and swirl in the soft light. Ron opened the book and saw that it wasn't paper, but pictures that were hanging out of it. He turned through it and saw all sorts of pictures, everything from a family vacation somewhere, pictures of the Creevey's house, Colin with no front teeth, and tons of photos of friends. Ron flipped through, liking the way he could look into Dennis' memories. Many photos of him and Aidan, the whole gang, Hagrid, everyone. Toward the back was one that caught his eye the most and held him there.
It was the picture that Dennis had snapped in the hotel room in Diagon Alley so many months ago now. Harry and Colin were snuggled up together like two birds of a feather and were at complete peace. "This was right after whatever was wrong with me started," he thought, "it has to be. I'm sure that's a room in Diagon Alley." [[[Ron has been there, correct? In book 4?]]].
Ron started to put the book back on the floor, half under the bed when his hands took a little action on their own. Without his even realizing it, he picked that pic from the book and stuck it in his pocket in a move that would have made even the best shoplifter jealous. He returned to his room a short while later and just as deftly stuck the pic in a drawer. He would remain completely ignorant of its being there or the manner in which it arrived until the end of the story.
Okay, bet you thought I'd forgotten about that pic, huh? Not totally. I forgot to include it about five chapters ago and it finally fit here. Well, how do you like the new Draco? I like him. He rocks.
I'm going to florida for the next few days (for a vacation from my Jamaican vacation and all the troubles I had when I got home) so stand by. When I return, I will jump ahead a few weeks (the next few are unimportant except for a lot of fluffyness and Draco/Slytherin troubles (I'll hint on those) - and I really want to get to the end. I've had it written in my head for weeks.) we will start back with the MQM (mandatory quiddich match), Headlines, and a talk between Draco and Hermione as the fall term begins to draw to a close.
In other news, I've put a list of my upcoming stories on my author page. Check them out. I'm getting excited about a few of them (another reason to put this one to rest) especially Halo2. You'll also find a few of my favourite stories there (the john madden one is hysterical and Unthinkable Thoughts is long but a wonderfully written Harry/Draco) check them out too. And while you're there, drop Hikari no Tenshi, Lucifers Life Saver, heehee, and BMillsWrites an email and tell them to write more.
Thanks, energy…
