Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. (Taken off fictionalley.org, which I am in absolute awe and love their [fa.org] disclammies! .0.)

Author's Notes: Sorry, sorry, sorry… I know this is blastedly short, I'm in the middle of writer's block, and it's about six in the morning. I'm trying to write third person, and this is the best I can do. I apologize for this being a sucky chapter, but I'll try to make it up to you when I write Chapter Five. I think Ch. 5 will be all Draco. XD Yes, in depth Draco-Ness. His thoughts. Explainations… Things like that.

Oh, and I have a site called Apparition!

Apparition: http://apparition.t35.com/splash.html If you like Ron/Draco, this is a site for you to go to. XD

Perfectly Flawed's(the FIRST R/D site!) link is in there…

Well, enjoy! (By me, with Half A Mind)

"And he was standing there with half a mind,
nothing to look or gaze, but just to think.
He only had half a mind after all.
"
-Q.F.F

Fragile
Chapter Four

Moments seemed like minutes, the silence like hours. The lulled thudding of the train started to descend as it slowed. Ron grunted, still with his crossed arms.

Footsteps were heading closer towards the door. Silent swishes of robes were heard, and a calm voice asked, "Hey, Ron, anything wrong in there?" It was Harry Potter; and it seemed he was checking up on him, "Anything the matter?"

He pushed the door lightly emitting a gasp from Ron, "No-"…

What Harry saw sent an electrifying jolt through him. Draco was sitting his eyes near the window.

He had a clear look of anger, but somewhere on his face, it told he was not in the present. It seemed his eyes were wandering for something not there.

Ron, on the other hand, had a look of shock, bulging eyes, and was standing at the wall, with his arms crossed too.

Malfoy and Ron were in the same room…for how long?

Collecting himself, Harry came towards Ron. "What's Malfoy doing here?"

His response was not from Ron, but from the other side by Draco. "Talking like I'm not here? You've got guts Potter…"

Harry was yet about to engage in a glaring match, but Draco had stared through the window again. It was night, with sparkling stars, just like those when he, Draco, had found out his feelings and written them into words. There were only ten minutes before they would be getting off the train.

Silence filled the room once again. Ron's voice arose.

"Malfoy's only here because he was here. He won't be getting out anytime. He refuses to." He shrugged.

Harry took the response, but he added mentally to ask later. He knew he must have missed something, obviously.

That was all that went on; and never-ending cycle of speech and silence. Neither said anything.

The train finally came to a stop, and the ginger-brown mass of curls came into view. She pulled Harry by the arm, and gave Ron a glance. "Aren't you coming?" Ron and Harry slowly came out, but Draco, already standing, was not heeding attention to them. He was standing patiently.

The trio got off as fast as they could, and Hermione apologized, "I'm really sorry about earlier, if that's what this silence is about. Something must have happened during the ride. Before I have to muster up one of those 'lectures'…"

No one really said anything until they got into the carriage.

"Not really, Hermione," was all Ron said. "It's just that Malfoy was onto me again…sort of."

She gave a responsive nod.

"He was there in the compartment, and I wanted him to leave, and he didn't notice that I was there at first, and he was…acting weird. In fact, he cried in front of me, more or less. Depressive looking I say. Got into some huff when I found the parchment we lost, it seems he found it, and used it to jot something down. Crazy if you ask me… He refused to leave. Damn him."

He pulled something out of his robes, "Here's the parchment. It's ripped coz of Malfoy…"

Hermione took it in earnest and gave Ron a hug. Intimacy ran through Harry's mind, when he witnessed both of them.

He felt tired, and sleepy. His eyelids were irresistibly drawing shut. He felt a hush over the carriage…and there he slept till the carriage ride was over.

End Chapter Four

~A-Chan Yuy~
4/7/02 - 6:40 AM CST