A/N — Thank you all so much for your continued love for this story, it's been amazing to write and talk with everyone each week! If you love beautiful art, I've attached an image from the wonderful and talented Nikita for The Binding to the first chapter in AO3 so you can see it.

Updates every Sunday-final chapter count is 35!

November-December

Year 7

The room seemed to spin around Draco as he stared at the small silver vial between Dean's fingers. The capsule was so tiny that it had fit in his bracelet. He had never even thought to try to open the golden center tied together with leather. There had been no seam to indicate that it even could open.

"I—you—what?"

Dean placed the vial on Draco's bedside table, cringing in shame. "I'm sorry I nicked it. I didn't trust you at first. I thought it might be—I didn't know what I thought it was going to be, but I'd assumed it was incriminating evidence."

His eyes hardened as he watched Dean. "And what was it?"

Fidgeting uncomfortably under Draco's stare, Dean explained, "It was a memory vial from Hermione. The bracelet would only open for someone on the side of the light. She explained that you didn't know she was making the memory collection, but it was a backup in case the light won the war and she died."

Draco swallowed hard; his head spun, and stomach dropped at the thought. "But how—"

"—When you are questioned by the Wizengamot, they scan you for items with magical properties for safety reasons. She said she knew your bracelet would set off the trigger and they would find the vial for your trial."

"My trial." The words died in his throat.

"She had a lot of information in it, honestly probably a bit too much, but you know Hermione and her projects. She provided her memory of your meeting with Dumbledore and explained that you were following directions from the Order of the Phoenix to continue work in Voldemort's circle. She shared the details of your bond and that she was equally involved in fixing the Vanishing Cabinet as you. Then she referenced the laws about age, intent, coercion, and begged the Wizengamot to let you walk away from the war with no charges."

Before he could push down the emotions that bubbled up inside him, tears welled up in Draco's eyes. Of course Hermione would plan for the worst; of course she would try to protect him. Turning his head away from Dean, Draco blinked away the tears before they could drop.

"Honestly, we hardly believed it," Dean admitted, turning his attention back to Seamus.

"We? Who else knows?" Draco asked, the pounding of his heart distracting him as he tried to focus.

Dean sighed. "I took the vial to Seamus and Neville; Neville had access to the Headmaster's office because of Professor Sprout. He works with her in the greenhouse. Once a month he delivers potion ingredients to Snape and he snuck us in to use the Pensieve. Dumbledore's portrait explained how to use it."

Nodding numbly, Draco sat down in his chair, feeling unsteady.

"We had considered that you created this vial with tampered memories but then we brought it up to Ginny and Luna. Luna told us that she's known since fifth year and that you helped behind the scenes with the original Dumbledore's Army. She told us about the last few years and what you two have gone through to try to protect Harry and the rest of us." Dean's voice trembled. "I can't believe no one knew—we didn't know, so we couldn't thank you."

Unable to sit still, Draco stood up and began pacing the room. "What does this mean? Does everyone know?"

"Only Neville, Seamus, and I know about the bond from the Pensieve, but we told Ginny about everything else and Luna already knew. If your worry was Voldemort finding out your secret, I want you to know that you're safe with us."

Stopping mid-stride, Draco turned to Dean. "I'm what?"

"You're safe with us. You can come join us—Dumbledore's Army," Dean clarified. "I mean, you were practically in it two years ago and we just didn't know."

Seamus stirred, groaning on the bed.

"Sea, are you okay?" Dean adjusted his pillow and brushed his hair back, looking at him intently.

"I feel like I was attacked by the Giant Squid." Seamus gave a weak smile, struggling to open his eyes.

Dean let out a laugh. "The Carrows are a lot uglier and thicker than the Giant Squid."

"Ugh." Seamus squinted, taking in the room around him. "We really went to see Malfoy? I thought I dreamt it."

"Not a dream," Dean informed him. "Theo Nott was here too, he's the one who did most of your healing. The chap has quite a knack for it, actually. I just told Malf—" Dean paused, glancing to Draco."I just told Draco about the message we saw from Hermione. He's going to join the D.A."

Draco stepped forward. "I haven't decided yet."

"What's to decide?" Seamus asked, clearing his throat with a painful twist of his lips. "You picked your side years ago."

"I know, but…" Draco hesitated, searching for the words. "I suppose I always thought she'd be here for this part."

Dean helped Seamus sit up in the bed, pushing a pillow behind his back. "A lot has changed, mate. I don't think any of us thought we'd be here. Are you with us?"

A beat of silence washed over Draco before he found himself nodding. "I'm with you."

After Seamus and Dean left his room, Draco returned to his bed and attempted to fall asleep. Anxious thoughts crowded his mind one after another. Overnight, the number of people who knew about the bond doubled. From the start, it had always been Hermione and his mother who advocated to keep the binding a secret. Hermione's reasoning had been to limit the number of people who knew in order to protect Draco from the Dark Lord and his followers.

Even with Harry's advances in Occlumency training with Draco, it had not made sense to share the information with Harry in case his shields broke. Now that Harry was away from school, there was no reason not to trust a few more people with their secret. Snape was the only Death Eater in Hogwarts who was skilled enough to use Occlumency effectively and he already knew everything. If Hermione had trusted the students in Dumbledore's Army enough to fight with them during fifth year, then he would trust them as well.

The thought of attending a D.A. meeting filled Draco with nerves and a dash of hope. It had been years since he could drop his guard and show his true intentions outside of close friends and family. Considering all that he had done, he wasn't sure that they would even accept him.

He was officially joining Dumbledore's Army; he imagined the squeal of happiness when Hermione found out. Wherever she was, he hoped she was proud of him. A smile spread on his lips as he turned over in bed, sleep finally pulling him under.

Two Hufflepuffs Draco did not recognize were in a heated debate just next to the stairs. He waited patiently for the stairs to align with his floor.

"I don't believe you—it's just a story," the girl Hufflepuff declared with a dismissive shrug.

"I swear it on my mum! I heard her!" the boy insisted.

"Whimpering Wendy can't be real. Why haven't we seen her?"

"Uh, because she's a ghost," the boy said with such confidence that Draco had to cover his laugh with a cough.

As the stairs connected, he followed the familiar path to the seventh floor. The moment felt eerily similar to the first meeting he had with Hermione in their fourth year after the Second Task. It had been the day they learned about their bond. From the moment he had woken up to the moment he laid eyes on her that night, he had been inconsolable and tormented by the dulled feeling of the Pull. He only found relief when she emerged from the lake and the Pull returned in full force.

Now, Hermione was off hunting fragments of the Dark Lord's soul and Draco was back at their place, alone. As he considered all the ways this plan could backfire, his nerves began to build. Dean had assured him that the group would be warned ahead of the meeting of his arrival, hoping to extinguish potential anger and shock at his entrance.

The stone wall appeared empty. Knowing the limitations of the room, Draco was restless as he waited for the entrance to appear.

Finally, the door grew and opened, Dean gave him a hesitant smile. "You ever been here before?"

Draco gave a dry chuckle. "A few times, yes."

"They're ready for you."

With a terse nod, Draco followed Dean into the Come-and-Go Room. It looked like the days of their fifth year, when Hermione would create intricate battle arenas and practice stations for dueling. A group of twenty students stood in a cluster; Draco recognised most of them from classes and some from Hermione's stories over the years.

The room felt ominous as he entered, the skepticism and fear tangible. The occupants watched him with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and distrust. Regret washed over Draco; he wished that he had not entertained the invitation from Dean and Seamus.

This had been a foolish idea.

Leading him up to the front of the room, Dean gave a nod to Neville who addressed the group. "As we explained earlier, Draco Malfoy is here today because he is enlisting in Dumbledore's Army. He and Hermione have been working with Professor Dumbledore and the Order on a secret mission for years." Neville's voice took on a stern tone. "Draco is instilling great trust in us simply by being here today. I know we all have our pasts, but we are all working together towards one singular goal. If anyone has questions for him, you can ask it now."

Draco felt dissected and laid bare by their open stares.

Luna stepped forward. "Welcome, Draco. I'm glad you decided to join us."

A few students nodded agreement with Luna's words. Draco let out a small breath of relief.

Padma Patil spoke up. "We've never had a Slytherin before. How do we know we can trust him?"

"Dumbledore trusted him; do you think you know better than Dumbledore?" Dean snapped.

"It's a fair question," Ginny Weasley argued over Dean's grumbling. "Thank you for asking it, Padma. Neville, Luna, Dean, Seamus, and I have all seen memories and spoken with Dumbledore's portrait for verification of his actions. Luna has been aware of his position for nearly two years now. Need I remind you, just because someone is in Slytherin doesn't mean that they are bad."

Draco cleared his throat and the entire room turned to him. "I know that there isn't a great history with my house, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe in your cause—if I didn't want to end the war."

His words rippled through the group.

"I get that you trust him, Luna, but how do we know he wasn't faking being good when he worked with Hermione?" Parvati Patil shared a look with her twin. "I've lived with her for years and she's never mentioned him except to complain."

Parvati's question made Draco flinch; he had suspected as much but it still hurt to hear.

"He loves her," Luna declared in her ethereal voice. "He could never fake that. Show them, Draco."

The room turned to watch his reaction to her words, to see if he would deny it.

Fuck.

Closing his eyes, he counted the seconds, focusing on the heavy weight of Hermione's Galleon in his pocket to steady him.

"Well?" Parvati prompted, sounding unconvinced.

"I don't know—I just..." He stumbled over his words as he met the disbelieving gaze of the room.

Parvati rolled her eyes. "See? I told you. Declaring that Draco Malfoy loves Hermione Granger just might be the looniest thing you've ever said, Luna."

"I just don't know how to make you believe me."

Luna made her way over to him and gave him a soft smile. "You can show them."

The tears that formed pricked at his eyes and he hated himself for it. Prior to last year, he could count the number of times he had cried at school on one hand. Showing weakness in a room full of his peers who distrusted him felt like an all-time low.

The idiotic drive to be brave must be part of his inner Gryffindor that Hermione always mentioned, he thought dryly.

Hell, a true Slytherin would never have come to the meeting in the first place.

An idea sparked in his mind and he nodded to Luna.

Raising his wand, he closed his eyes again and thought back to Hermione, reaching inside to feel the thread that connected them. The freckles across her nose and cheeks, the smile that made its way to her eyes when she looked at him, the feeling of her, like he was finally home, the smell of flowers and fresh honey. Tugging on the strand in his chest, he nearly felt her, and it left him aching.

"Expecto Patronum." A wisp of silver smoke funneled out of his wand, taking shape.

A series of gasps and murmurs moved throughout the group as Draco's eyes opened, watching his otter glide around the room without its mate. Relief flooded his chest; he had not been confident that he would be able to pull together a feeling happy enough to conjure the Patronus.

Parvati's mouth gaped open at the otter. "My mum told me about that. When someone is completely in love, they can share a Patronus with their other half. It's the purest form of love. You can't manipulate your Patronus shape—it's part of your soul." She looked incredulous. "You weren't lying."

"I told you," Luna mused. "And don't get me started on their Blibbering Humdingers."

"What does this mean for us? What are we doing next?" Anthony Goldstein asked, looking around the room. "He has an in with Snape and the Carrows."

"He and Theo Nott healed Dean and me after our detentions," Seamus offered. "They're really skilled at healing, fixed my lung and ribs."

"So, he's going to join us as a healer?" Hannah Abbott sounded unsure.

Draco bit at the inside of his cheek as the room erupted in chatter as everyone began to discuss options.

"I can do more than heal," Draco announced with a shrug. "I know how they work—the Death Eaters, I mean. I can help you prepare to fight them."

The noise died down.

"What have you been doing so far?" Draco asked. "After Granger left, I haven't had any updates on progress."

A few members shared a look and the rest remained silent.

"What?" Draco frowned. "If I'm joining the D.A., surely I can be trusted with information. Otherwise, I don't know why I'm here."

"Last week, Neville, Luna, and I tried to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape's office." Ginny fiddled with her wand. "Snape caught us, and we had detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid."

Draco's eyes clenched shut in disappointment as he raised a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. "Why did you bring Neville?"

Ginny's face flushed alive with annoyance. "He's one of us. Why wouldn't we bring Neville?"

"Neville had direct access to the Headmaster's Office during his monthly deliveries from Professor Sprout. You just lost that privilege and showed your hand before you had the chance to use it to your advantage," Draco explained through gritted teeth. "Please tell me that you had a plan?"

Scowling, Ginny's ears tinted red in anger. "Of course, we had a plan. The plan was to get into the office, find the sword of Gryffindor, and get it to Harry."

Humming under his breath, Draco nodded. "Except you only had the means to accomplish one of those steps. You didn't know where the sword was, and you have no way to get it to Harry."

"Harry's going to come back!" Ginny snarled, her temper rising. "And the sword appears to any true Gryffindor!"

"In need," Draco corrected, his voice low. "It appears to any true Gryffindor in need. You were in want, not in need. If you were truly in need, you wouldn't have had to try to steal it from the office in the first place. It would've appeared to you."

Neville cut off Ginny before she could deliver what Draco imagined was a scathing retort—or perhaps her infamous Bat-Bogey Hex. "He's right, Ginny. What we are doing is obviously not working and we need help with our strategy. It doesn't hurt to hear what he has to say."

"What else have you been doing? Outside of the sword." Draco looked between the group.

"We've been breaking students out of detentions," Michael Corner, who was sporting a faded black eye and bruised cheek, added. "And recruiting new members. Also, we make sure to speak up in classes so they know their agenda is failing."

Draco felt like groaning but held it in. "That's it?"

Michael's eyes tightened. "What do you mean 'that's it'? What have you been doing? Why is this arsehole even here?"

"Bloody hell," Draco mumbled before raising his voice. "You can't just run at them wands blazing. They control everything. Hogwarts, the Ministry, the news. We are a fraction of a fraction of the entire picture. You are making absolutely no impact with your pitiful acts of rebellion."

Dean leaned over and whispered, "You're not here to make friends, are you?"

Draco glared at Dean before turning to address the group. "We have to have a plan. A real plan. There is a way we can take back Hogwarts and it's not by running at them with our intentions on our sleeve. We can undermine their authority and gain power from the shadows. Before they even have a whiff of what we are doing, we will have ruined them."

"Spoken like a slimy Slytherin," Zacharias Smith muttered.

Shrugging, Draco looked at Zacharias. "How is getting beaten half to death doing anything to further your cause? It's been months and you have next no progress. Why not try it my way?"

Murmurs of approval ran through the students.

Neville took a stand again in front of the group. "Everything we do, we do together. Raise your hand if you want to follow Mal—Draco's plan and redefine our strategy?"

One by one, hands popped up around the room.

"The ayes have it." Neville slapped Draco on the shoulder with a smile. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Absolutely no clue." Draco smiled back.

Theo glanced over his shoulder. "I still can't believe Hermione set you up with their group before leaving and didn't even tell you."

"To be fair, she didn't intend for this to happen." Draco shrugged. "It was a whole backup plan that went horribly wrong because I apparently have no self-preservation anymore and tried to play the hero."

"And now you're in Dumbledore's Army," Theo finished.

"Now we're in Dumbledore's Army," Draco corrected with a grin, slapping Theo on the back.

"Father would be so ashamed. I love it."

Giving Theo a knowing smile, Draco asked, "Speaking of—do you need anything else before you go home for Christmas break?"

"Nope. I know the plan. Just have to wait until my father has had too much Christmas whisky and I can get into the family vault before he sobers up."

"Perfect. Well, this is it." Stopping in front of the empty stone wall, Draco raised his brows at Theo. "Last chance to back out."

Dropping an arm over Draco's shoulder, Theo shook his head. "We're brothers. We're in this together. Let's go horrify our ancestors and show these Gryffindors how to overthrow a regime."

"From what Granger explained to me, when you had your lessons during fifth year you primarily focused on dueling? Defensive spells? A couple offensive?" Draco asked, looking around for confirmation. "Okay. That's a good foundation, but we are going to build on that."

Draco removed his cloak and rolled up his sleeves. "Death Eaters are selfish bastards."

The members chuckled at his words.

"But really, I have lived with them for two summers now and they are selfish bastards. They only care about themselves. They will step on anyone or anything to get a leg up and gain favour with the Dark Lord. A Death Eater works alone. In an attack, they are uncoordinated and rely on their individual dueling abilities. Neville, Ginny, Luna, you fought them in the Department of Mysteries. What was it like?"

Luna spoke first. "They chased us through the aisles then they split up to try and find Harry. When they fought us, they tried to outduel us. There was a bit of taunting, like they were trying to distract us. At one point, one Death Eater nearly took out another coming out of an aisle because they were just throwing out spells."

Draco gave an encouraging smile. "Thanks, Luna. Their individual strengths are their overall flaw. They focus too much on a single goal and not enough on their piece of the puzzle. Death Eaters want so desperately to be important and unique that they do not work together as smaller parts of a whole."

With a wave of his wand, the dueling arena transformed around them.

"I know you all love to play the hero, but let me remind you that they are adults with a lifetime of experience with magic. To think that you can take them on without preparation is naive at best. You will be nothing against them if you are alone." Draco's cold words rang through the room. "You will be everything if you are together."

A few students nodded along as he continued. "We are going to build upon the work you did with Harry, but we are going to start assembling teams and practising battle strategies and formations. If the day comes where we have to defend ourselves, we will have an advantage over them. We will have each other."

Draco's head turned to Theo who was waiting by the door with his expanded bag. "Theo is here to teach healing to any D.A. member who is not comfortable with combat. He has been preparing and brewing healing potions all year."

After the students split up, Draco spoke directly to those who were interested in combat.

"We have to evaluate your individual strengths and weaknesses in a duel to pair you with whoever will be your most effective partner. If you are preparing to fight, you will have a partner. Do not commit to this if you cannot follow through, a partner is a commitment and you do not leave them behind, no matter what."

As the meeting wrapped up, D.A. members began to fill out parchment with their information, healer or fighter, and their strengths and weaknesses. Draco collected the sheets, flipping through the pages with a feeling of pride.

Lavender Brown walked up to Draco, a fire in her eyes.

"Lavender—" Draco's greeting was cut off by a sharp open-handed slap across his face. His cheek stung as the impact forced his head to turn, the sound of skin on skin reverberated as a ringing filled his ear. "What the fuck was that?!"

He glared, holding his hand against his cheek which was pulsing with pain.

"That's for Hermione, you complete and utter arse! A partner is a commitment and you do not leave them behind." She spat back his words.

Draco's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell? She left with Harry and Ron. I didn't leave her!"

"Sixth year. Her birthday. Ring a bell?" Lavender snarled, her arms crossed over her chest.

Guilt bubbled up, threatening to overflow.

"Fuck," he muttered. The aftermath of her blow was still burning.

"Yeah. Looks like she forgave you but I'm not there yet. I had to watch the light from that poor girl's eyes die when you broke her heart. I'll work with you, but I don't like you." Lavender shoved her paper into his hands, storming out of the Come-and-Go Room.

"What was that?" Neville asked, his eyes wide as he watched Lavender exit the room.

Draco sighed, "Nothing I didn't deserve."

"Well, mate, I think you made a great start today. Ginny, Luna, and I meet here every other night to plan next steps. Would you like to join us? We can go through the papers and assign partners."

"I'd like that. Thanks, Neville."

Neville smiled. "Never thought I'd hear that phrase from your mouth. Did Hermione tell you about the coins?"

"She did," Draco replied, absentmindedly brushing his thumb against his ring.

Reaching into his pocket, Neville retrieved a Galleon and handed it to Draco. "It's a fake, heats when we add new information about the D.A. Now it's yours—Draco Malfoy, it's official, welcome to Dumbledore's Army."

Opening his journal, Draco was eager to share his day with Hermione. He began to transfer the thoughts from his head into words on the page. It was his favourite time of night.

I attended my first real D.A. meeting today

Draco watched the ink diminish as Hermione read it in her journal.

I'm so proud of you! I wish I were there to see it.

Me too. I miss you.

I always miss you. How did it go? How is everyone doing?

It went well enough. I think they're starting to warm up to me for the most part. Though I did have a wicked hard slap from Lavender tonight. I'm so sorry…

You were slapped and you're apologising to me? How did you make Lavender that upset?

As he was trying to decide the words to use, more appeared on the page.

Oh

Yeah. I'm so sorry. I can never say that enough.

I forgave you a long time ago, love. You need to forgive yourself now.

A drop of ink fell from his quill and spread onto the sheet, bleeding across the page.

I'm trying.

Closing his eyes, he felt for the tug in his chest, thinking of Hermione. This year was worse than it had ever been and being apart for so long was physically draining on him. His eyes snapped opened, a rush of warmth and comfort swept over him. It felt as if Hermione were in the room with him, tucked in his arms.

Did you feel that?

The words appeared before he could write the same ones to her.

I felt you

I was thinking of you and wishing I could be with you…I swear it felt like I was there with you.

Come back and never leave again.

He knew the words were ridiculous but he could not help himself in the moment.

Soon, love, soon. Close your eyes, I'm going to try again.

Exhaling, he shut his eyes and focused on the burst of warmth in his chest, imagining she was finally home.

An earlier curfew was instituted by the Carrows. Students were expected to be in their dorms immediately following supper, with the exception of those attending detention, who were stuck at the Carrows mercy for as long as the they wished. The curfew was designed to catch students gathering for Dumbledore's Army or any other rebellious activities.

Draco's days and nights were consumed with the efforts of the D.A. He spent hours practising and planning lessons, hosted meetings with Neville, Luna, and Ginny, and his nights were filled with visits from injured students seeking refuge.

The curfew added another level of danger to their plan, knowing that purposefully breaking curfew would be seen as an act of rebellion against the Carrows, even moreso if they were caught healing the students. Theo began scheduling his time so that he was in the Head Dorm following detention each week, prepared to heal, then he would stay until sunrise when the curfew was lifted.

Three succinct knocks followed by a two-beat pause and two more knocks came at the portrait door. Draco leapt up into action, jogging from the Common Room sofa up to the entrance. Standing in the doorway were four D.A. members in various forms of disarray, each bleeding and bruised in unique manners.

"Come in, Pansy left hours ago and shouldn't be back for a while; she's out with Alecto and has a special pass. Theo Nott and I are the only ones here." Draco ushered them inside, leading them to the makeshift healing station that he and Theo had set up in his bedroom.

Draco's bed was pushed up against the wall to create a large open space for visitors. He and Theo had transfigured and duplicated several thin cots along with a table covered in an array of potions, pastes, bandages, and salves for healing.

Theo went through the group, one by one, and inspected their wounds. Lavender Brown was crying with a visible black eye and limping, favouring her right applied bruise paste around her eye and, after a quick scan, murmured 'Brackium Emendo' to mend her fractured ankle.

Next was Luna, who gave Draco a smile, despite the head wound which sent blood cascading from her temple. "Please, don't tell Blaise." Luna's hand raised to touch the dried blood. "He does tend to worry."

Finally, Theo finished up with Terry Boot and Zacharias Smith who had matching sets of broken wrists.

After Draco's questioning look, Terry explained, "Alecto hung us by our wrists. Apparently, she and Amycus have been getting bored with traditional punishment techniques and wanted to try to be creative."

Draco sighed. "Once you finish up this week of detention, I expect you all to be on your best behaviour and not go out of your way to fight with them. You know they're just looking for an excuse to torture you."

The sound of the portrait closing caused Draco's pulse to race. Pansy was back early.

"I'll be right back. Don't leave the room until I see what's going on." Draco nodded to Theo before slipping out of the bedroom.

Pansy stood across the room, her hands on her hips as she glowered at Draco. "Are you finally ready to tell me that you're running a hospital out of our dorm?"

Stilling, Draco opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Yeah, Draco, I know about the healing stations. Do you think I'm thick? I live here too, and you thought I wouldn't notice a dozen injured students dragging their bodies into your room and coming out healed?" She shook her head in disappointment. "You do realise the amount of trouble you could get us in for aiding them?"

"I'm not going to stop." Draco finally settled on the words. "They aren't able to get help anywhere else."

Rolling her eyes, Pansy let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not telling you to stop—you have to do better. Your current setup is a joke. Circe, it's like you didn't learn anything from sneaking around all these years. You can't just have them enter our dorm at all hours like this without organizing a process."

As he looked at Pansy with incredulity, his breath stuttered.

"Did you think this through at all? What are the Carrows going to do when they notice their punishments are immediately healed? They'll know it wasn't Madam Pomfrey."

"We didn't—they wouldn't—"

"You're doing this for her, right?" Pansy interrupted, raising a perfectly sculpted brow.

"I don't know what you mean." Draco swallowed.

"I have known you since we were in nappies. You thought you could sneak around for years and no one would notice? Apparently, Granger was the brains of your relationship."

A thousand panicked thoughts flashed through Draco's brain, filling it with static. "Are you going to tell them?"

Tossing him a well-practiced glare, Pansy scoffed. "Obviously not. This entire year is a fucking nightmare. Go and help whoever is in your room but, in the morning, we need to figure out a better process for mending their wounds without endangering the entire operation."

"We?" Draco choked out the word, stunned.

Her eyes narrowed as if challenging him to disagree. "We."

"Why?" The word looped in his head as he watched Pansy's expression soften.

Pansy's lips tightened, and for a moment, Draco thought he saw her eyes glimmering with tears before she turned back towards her bedroom. "You're not the only one who fell in love with a stubborn Gryffindor."

Draco's mouth fell open with a question on his tongue, but before he could ask it, Pansy had disappeared into her room.