AN - If anyone is still with me, apologies for the long time between updates. I've just spent all my free time reading Debt of Time and have been absolutely captivated. At first i was a little unsure, but lordy it gets good. I suggest a google, as its easy to find.

Please review as it keeps me going. I have a lot written at the moment that need fine tuning. I have the next 5 chapters planned out, so let me know if anyone is still hanging in there.

xxklxx

Josie opened her eyes and blinked under the brightness of the light above her.

"Welcome back, Miss Potter" came the voice of the headmaster.

"Back?" she asked.

"Its been quite a while. You sustained a significant head injury" he said.

"A while? How long?" she asked, her voice sounding husky and raw.

"Eight days" Madame Pomphrey said.

"Why? How? I just fell down some stairs" she said, confusion flooding her system with panic.

"You sustained quite significant systemic injuries…" Pomphrey began, waving her wand over her body. When different coloured lights appeared, Josie suddenly began to realise how significant this was.

"Internal bleeding? Lacerated spleen? Kidney damage? All I did was fall down some stairs. I don't get it" she said.

"Miss Potter, you fell down three flights of stairs, through a window and had your fall broken by a stone wall six feet below. If miss Longbottom hadn't been there at the exact moment you fell, you would not be alive to have this conversation" Dumbledore said with limited emotion.

"Well… I must be the luckiest student in the school then, mustn't I?" she asked, noticing that the lights indicating the injuries were changing colour to indicate healing.

"Not quite" he said, glancing in the direction of Draco's bed which was beside hers behind a curtain.

"Draco… I mean, Malfoy was here" she said, looking around, trying to sit up.

"He is fine, Miss Potter. Nothing that a few potions, spells and rest won't fix" Dumbledore said, urging her to lay down.

"I… What do you…" she stammered, wondering why his eyes were gleaming at her in such a way.

"I may be an old fool, Miss Potter, but I know the goings on in my own castle" he said with a smile.

"You know?" she asked, watching as Madame Pomphrey not so subtly left the bedside.

Dumbledore placed his hand, the one that wasn't horrifically shrivelled, on top of her left hand, over the ring that she could see, the ring she was almost positive he couldn't see, and smiled down at her. She knew in that moment that he was aware of the nature of the relationship between herself and Draco.

"Who told you?"

"I am headmaster. I don't need to be told; I just know"

"We're…"

"Engaged. I am aware"

Josie looked down at her hands. Did she feel shame? Embarrassment? Should she?

"I think its time that this world demonstrated a little more faith and understanding, the way the two of you have. I am pleased, Miss Potter, that yourself and mister Malfoy have come to put your differences aside and formed this… relationship. I do worry, however, about the reactions your families will have. You will do well to consider this, when you make plans in the coming months" he said, turning to leave.

She wondered briefly what he was getting at. What he was trying to say. She was smart, but Dumbledore's riddles often had her confused.

"Professor…", she began, hesitating.

"The future is written. There is nothing that can be done to change it. All we can do is make choices that allow us to have the ones by our side who will enable us to make the most of the worst situations" he said, a sad smile crossing his face briefly before he left.

After a while, Josie sat up, thinking about his words.

"What the fuck was that supposed to mean?" she asked out loud, to no one in particular.

"I think it means that you should just go with the flow" came the voice she was longing to hear.

She threw the blankets off her body and sat up, a little too fast as her head spun, but she was desperate to see the face of her fiancé.

"Draco" she said in a whisper, as she slid past the curtain that separated the two of them.

"What the fuck happened to you?" he asked, looking her up and down. She hadn't had a look at herself yet, but it was evident, from the way he was looking at her, that she looked terrible.

"I should say the same to you" she said.

"A run in with your brother in the bathroom. Partly my fault, but he's quick to use spells he doesn't know" Draco said, wincing when he tried to shrug it off and hurt himself.

"You're hurt badly" she said.

"As are you. But you haven't been duelling anybody" he said.

"I just wanted to see you" she said.

"So, you thought that trying to kill yourself would allow that?" he asked, anger evident in his accusation.

"No. That's not… I thought I'd break an arm or bump my head at best. I wasn't trying to kill myself, I have too much to live for" she said, brushing his fringe off his forehead.

She stayed talking to him for almost an hour before the doors to the hospital wing opened.

"I'll check to make sure she's decent" the voice of Hazel came echoing through the ward.

Josie stood and made her way back to her bed as her friend came over.

"You absolute fucking idiot" Hazel said as she pulled her friend into a hug.

"Good to see you too, Haze" Josie said, as Hazel pulled away and walked over to the doors, letting a large group of Gryffindor's in.

Josie sat up in her bed as Hazel, Neville, Ron and Hermione walked in. Her face dropped when she figured that Harry hadn't thought to visit, however, before she could say anything, he walked through the door, hand in hand with Ginny.

"Someone's going to have to fill me in on this…" she indicated towards Harry and Ginny… "before I think I've been unconscious for longer than 6 days" she said, shock evident on her face.

Hazel glanced over towards Draco who was trying his hardest to look out the window and not make eye contact with Harry, the person who had been the cause of both Draco and Josie's hospital stay. She gave him a wink before she pulled the curtains around his bed closed.

"These two have decided to finally get their act together" Hazel said.

"About time I say" Neville added.

"I don't like it" Ron huffed; arms folded across his chest.

"Well I'm glad. You two have been dancing around this bloody thing that has or hasn't been going on, for years" Josie said, genuinely happy for her friend and her brother.

"Well thanks Jose. I'm glad for your seal of approval" she said sweetly, smiling at Josie before glaring at her brother.

"There's just… some… lines you don't cross. Sister…" he gestured towards Ginny, "…best mate…" he gestured towards Harry. "It's a line" Ron said.

"And there's a huge line YOU shouldn't cross and that's dictating who I can and cannot date!" Ginny argued, poking Ron in the chest with a finger on the hand that wasn't attached to Harry.

"I for one don't have a problem with one of my best friends dating MY brother so, good on you both. I just… would hate to have my opinion be made irrelevant if I didn't agree" she said, concerned for Ron's sanity and anger levels.

"We voted" Hermione said.

"Voted?" Josie asked, as though the topic of Harry and Ginny dating could ever be decided on a vote.

"I offered to back off. But Ron called a vote" Harry said.

"This is too much" Josie said, holding her head.

"Are you feeling ok?" Hermione asked, causing Josie to squint in the light at the girl who she rarely actually got along with.

"I'm fine. I've been awake for a couple of hours now and my body is pretty much healed…" She began.

"Bullshit, you're black and fucking blue" Hazel snapped.

"I'm fine. I'll BE fine. A few more days of rest and Pomphrey says I'll be right to go" she said. "That's more than I can say for some other patients in here, Harry" she said, squaring her eyes at her brother.

"I don't think this is the place to talk about it" Neville said.

"Well, I for one think you completely crossed a line" Josie said, "that's all I'll say about it" she added.

"That's what I said" Hermione said in a quiet voice, as she looked to the other side of the room.

The group sat for a while before Josie's head began to pound. The wards that Madame Pomphrey had set up had activated to alert her t Josie's pain and she immediately ushered the group out the doors.

"Thank you, if I had to look at my brother making doe eyes at my best friend much longer, I think I'd puke" she said, laying down on the bed.

"Well, I think we'll have to monitor your visitors to make certain we account for the other patients in the ward" she said,

"If I could, I'd lock the doors and not let anybody in, but that would cause suspicion" she said quietly as the healer walked away.

It was another week before Josie was allowed to leave the hospital wing and another week after that before Draco was allowed to leave. Her wounds healed and the bruising faded, but Draco's wounds were still so fresh and the dark magic within them kept them from healing at any sort of speed.

When the couple first reunited in the room of requirement, Josie was stunned beyond belief at the raw wounds she saw peaking out from beneath Draco's shirt.

"I can't believe he did this to you" she said, peeling his shirt off from his shoulders.

"I deserved it. I drew my wand first" he said.

"That still doesn't make it right. He could have killed you" she said, kissing the deep dark lines that crossed his torso.

"Well, sometimes I wish he had" he said.

"Don't say that. Draco… Don't ever say that. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you" Josie said, looking into his grey eyes.

"I just… I can't see an end to this" he said, closing his eyes so she couldn't see his pain.

"I can. I really can. We're so close Draco. I think… I think that another day or so and we'll have it. I swear" she said.

"I hope you're right" he said, pulling her close to him.

It was another week till Josie and Draco were working on the cabinet with any sort of achievement.

"There" she said, slowly waving her wand over the entirety of the cabinet. "I think… That might be it" she said, looking at the book that was laid out beside her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Well, no. But I'm as sure as I can be and there's only one day to test it" she said.

"I'll do it" Draco said.

"No way, if it doesn't work, you're splinched and I can't help you" she said.

"This is part of what I had to do Josie. This is the mission. Fix it to the best of my ability and then make sure it works" he said, pulling the door open.

Josie flung herself at him, kissing him roughly on the lips with tears streaming down her face.

"If this doesn't work Draco…" she began, words failing her.

"It will work. I know it will because I had you helping me" he said.

"I'm a 15-year-old witch Draco. I'm not…" she began.

"You're brighter than anyone I know. You've completed all the course work from every year, you know all the spells. You understand the theory. You may be aged 15, but you're unlike any 15-year-old I've ever met. I trust you. I have faith in you" he said, kissing her once before stepping into the cabinet.

Josie stood back as Draco closed the door behind him. She heard him mutter the incantation "Harmonia Nectere Passus" and held her breath as se heard a WOOSH come from inside the cabinet and then silence.

She reached for the handle and pulled open the door. There was absolutely nothing inside. Not a speck of lint or a trace of something left behind.

She paced back and forth and counted the seconds in her mind. It was a full ten minutes before there was a sound in the cabinet and the door opened.

"It worked" he said, grinning broadly. She hadn't seen him this happy in all the time she had known him intimately.

"Merlin, I thought you were dead" Josie said, helping him out of the cabinet and holding him in her arms.

"It worked Josie, it worked... Whoop woo!" He said, again and again, celebrating this incredible effort.

The two of them celebrated briefly, not realising when the door to the room had opened.

"Who's there?" came a voice.

"Shh, that sounds like…" Josie said.

"Trelawny" he said.

Josie crept around several corners and alleys and saw what appeared to be a very intoxicated divinations professor attempting to place some empty bottles on a shelf. She pointed her wand towards the professor, and whispered "relinquo", watching as the professor was thrown haphazardly out the door.

"That was brilliant" Draco said, appearing behind her.

"Well, I have been known to do great things every now and then" she said.

"Always" he said, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom that sat off to the side of the room.

When Josie arrived in the common room later that afternoon, she was met with a group huddled in the corner. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Desmond and Hazel were talking in rushed whispers in a corner, unheard by any of the other residents of the room.

"What's going on?" Josie asked, feigning a casual tone.

"Where have you been?" Des scolded her.

"What do you mean? I've been studying" she said.

"Bullshit you fucking liar, we checked the library, we looked everywhere" he spat.

"Uh, I sorry, what? I do study in places other than the library" she said.

"Funny how yours and Malfoy's were the only names left off the map" he said.

Josie looked around at the accusing faces all staring in her direction. Was she caught? Was this the time where she would have to admit to the nature of her relationship with Draco?

"I don't understand. I was studying in the room of requirement. Its peaceful there and I can play my music. I don't know what you're implying, but perhaps the map is wrong?" she said.

"The map is never wrong" Ron said.

"It was created by a bunch of 16-year-old marauders and is now 20 years old. I was in the room of requirement, that's all I know. As far as Malfoy is concerned, maybe he left the castle? How would I know? Now someone tell me what the hell is going on?" she asked, looking at Hazel for an answer.

"Harry came to us and told us that something is happening tonight. He's gone on a mission with Dumbledore and we're to be on the lookout. It seems like whatever Harry's been waiting to happen… Its happening tonight" Hermione said.

"I don't understand. What's happening? What's he worried about? Why has he left? I need to go with him, I need to find him" she said, turning to leave.

"He's gone" Hazel said, placing her hand on her friends' shoulder.

Josie's eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"I can't… I don't know what to do. What do I do, Haze?" she asked, suddenly overcome with emotions.

"You just be here, with us. Help us. Be on the lookout for anything that looks odd and keep us up to date with these…" she handed Josie a charmed coin that could pass messages between them. "When it heats up, it means there's a message embedded in the numbers" she said.

Josie took one, looked it over and placed it in her pocket. She liked the idea of these and thought it would be a good idea to make one for herself and Draco.

She had no idea how she would navigate this night, given the plan she had created with Draco.

She would go along with both plans, keep as many people safe as she possibly could and figure out the rest later.

"Just tell me what the plan is" she said, looking around the group.

Hogwarts dinner was a subdued affair for the group of Gryffindors who were on the edges of their seats. Josie tried not to look at Draco, however, every time she looked to him, she felt the guilt in the pit of her stomach about what she was going to have to do.

She knew she would eventually have to make a choice. By the end of the night, nothing and no one would be the same and she would either be in the winning group or the losing group. There would be no more in between, no more secrets, no more lies. After tonight, the wizarding world would cease to exist as it has, her entire life.