TADA!! I'M BACK!! Like I promised, here's chapter 7! It's been one LOOONG, tiring week, but I managed to make it! I feel so proud of myself! Now, if only I could work this hard on my homework... *sweatdrops*

To those special reviewers:

GoddessGryffindor - Oh my, thank you so much! That is such a compliment, and made me so much better!!

the very evil bunny - I feel for you girl. My muse never gives me any ideas, she just loves to watch the Young and the Restless (Lee-chan: I can't help it if I want to see what happens to Mackenzie!)

AphonyAdversity - *blush* Oh stop! You're embarrasing me! What's scary is that I can actually picture you doing an anime cheerleader style cheer. I thought it was hilarious how you stumbled upon my story and then just happened to tell me about it online!

To all my other wonderful reviewers: *gives roses and chocolates and other stuff* you know the drill. You also know the key by now, so I won't get into that.

PLEASE READ THE NOTES AT THE BOTTOM. It contains VERY important stuff. But...not without reading the chapter first *big grin*

Well, I won't keep you any longer, seeing is how I'm late enough as it is. Go on.read!

~*GSEE Chapter 7

Another month passed, in some ways loudly, in others silently. Harry started to become two different people. To other people, he seemed to be getting better, eating more and becoming a tiny more active amongst the others. Draco, on the other hand, knew different. He spent many nights with Harry, talking and relishing in the company of his new found friend and long time crush. There was a lot more to the other boy than he had realized. In the beginning, all Harry had ever been to Draco was an obstacle, only there to stop him on his way to glory. Now, he knew different. There were fears, dreams, longings and hopes, though the last was becoming smaller by the day. Harry told him things that no one else knew, and many times there were tears and the comfort of friendship. Still, Draco could sense there were a lot of things Harry wasn't telling him. Whenever they strayed to a specific topic, Harry's eyes seemed to dull and close off. He became flat and almost cold, changing the topic as quickly as it was introduced. No matter how much he tried, Draco was not getting very far. Even though it had only been a month, Harry had scared Draco far to many times. The cold of November was bitter, and Harry had a tendency to stand out there, his eyes unseeing and ghostlike, for long periods of times. One night when Draco was approaching Harry, he thought he saw a glint of light, like it was being reflected off a surface. He saw an object sticking out of Harry's pocket, gold in color and just a hint of what looked like a sapphire.

It was a beautiful mid-November afternoon, the sky a dull gray and snow drifting lightly across the grounds. They were in Care for Magical Creatures, and they were studying Grundions, creatures that dove into the snow to find frozen plants to eat. Draco breathed in the smell of newly fallen snow, and removed a glove to run his fingers through the white powder. He loved snow. He always had, ever since he was a baby. During the winter he would spend hours outside with his mother, making snow angels and snow men. He once had a snowball fight with his father, one of the more surprising and best moments of his life. He closed his eyes, inhaling the crisp air, lost in thought. He smiled genuinely, thinking of that one day where his family had actually been a family without having to worry about the Death Eaters.

"Draco?" a soft voice asked from his right.

He opened an eye, his smile not fading, and saw Harry looking at him in awe. His smile grew slightly. Harry could recall only one instance where Draco had really smiled, and it was captivating. He felt an urge to smile himself, and did. He felt the warmth rush to his cold cheeks, tingeing them a darker shade of pink then they already were. Draco chuckled softly to himself at the sight. He had woken up today thinking it was just one of those days where everything would turn out wrong, but yet again, time had proven him wrong. He turned his focus back onto the class, and looked down to see his grundion, a beautiful blue female, chewing on a bunch of roots and staring curiously at him. He reached down and patted its furry head and it nibbled softly on one of his fingers. He laughed quietly, partly because it tickled, and partly because she was extremely cute. He wondered suddenly if he could keep her as a pet. He would have to ask Hagrid later, when no one was around. He turned his head and watched Harry play with his own. It was a yellow male, and was attacking Harry's hair playfully from its position on the Gryffindor's shoulder. Harry laughed and pulled a strand of unruly black hair from the creature's mouth. He then proceeded to tuck it behind his ear and tickle the grundion with his fingers, which replied with a funny squealing sound. The other students were waiting for their grundions to appear from under the snow, not really paying attention to the two boys. Well, except for Hermione. She gave Draco a weary glance, motioning her head towards Harry.

'Talk to him!' she mouthed.

'I can't do that!' he mouthed back.

She gave him a questioning look, and he shook furiously his head in return. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, giving up and picking up her pink grundion that had just popped out from under the snow at her feat. Draco stuck out his tongue and returned to watching the grundion in his palms.

"Hey, you're a cute little thing, aren't you girl," he whispered to it.

She seemed to understand him and gave a squeak in response. She lifted her chin a little higher, the compliment boosting her ego. He smirked.

"Your grundion is a lot like you," a deep voice said, this time from his left.

Draco turned to see Blaise Zambini standing there, his grundion on the top of his head. They wore the same expression, an evil smirk with shining eyes. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Please Zambini, as if you knew anything about either of us," Draco scoffed.

"Oh, I think I do. Very well in fact," Blaise replied.

"Don't go jumping to conclusions so quickly. When in all 5 years that we've been here have you ever tried to get to know me?" Draco growled.

"What do you think I'm doing right now?" Blaise whispered in Draco's ear, almost like a purr.

"I'd say you were trying to piss me off. And you're doing a bloody good job too," Draco said coldly, pushing Blaise away slightly, who laughed.

"Oh come off it Draco, I'm just kidding around," Blaise said jokingly.

"I hate you," was the reply.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't"

"Yes. I. Do."

"You can't hate me."

"You want to bet?" Draco said angrily, turning and walking away to a different area.

Blaise quirked an eyebrow, but though nothing of it and turned back to the other Slytherins. Draco headed over to a solitary area near the forest and sat down, despite the few inches of snow beneath him. He observed the class and the different groups that had split. The other Slytherins had formed a large circle near the cabin and were joking. Dean and Seamus were talking with Lavender and Parvati, who were at the same time giggling at their grundions. The 'Dream Team' was standing farthest away from everyone else and were chatting happily. Draco sighed when he saw Harry laugh. God, his laughs were so rare these days. Draco longed to hear the melodious sound fill his ears, but shook himself. Now was not the time to be day dreaming. He stood up, brushed the snow from his cloak, and began to wander around, his grundion contently perched on his shoulder. The lesson seemed to drag on for an eternity, but it did give him a chance to soak in the beauty of the grounds without having to worry. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw two figures walk up the path to the front doors of the castle, both shrouded in cloaks. One of them stopped and turned onto the grounds, straight to Hagrid. They whispered for a moment, and Hagrid looked over at Draco. He signaled the Slytherin to come over, who quickly complied with mild curiosity. The figure in the cloak looked down upon Draco, who sputtered when he saw the face of his father staring back at him.

"Father? What are you doing here?!" Draco whispered incredulously.

The older Malfoy did not reply, only gave his son a silencing look that said 'We'll talk later'. Draco nodded and watched as his father continued his walk along the path. He turned back to the grounds, and saw Hermione sending him a strange look. He just shrugged casually, and returned to playing with his grundion.

~*

Harry was almost starting to enjoy dinnertime again. Well, almost. Sure, he got to talk to his friends and everything, but it was hard when you have an 11-year-old girl hanging off your arm like some kind of freakish attachment. That's right, Lucidia was still at it. He had gotten tipped off by some of her yearmates that her motto was, 'If you don't give up, you get what you want', and Harry was one thing she definitely wanted. He sighed, looking down at the fuzzy black head on his elbow. He had lost count of how many times she had asked him for the butter. Honestly, the girl was going to give herself a heart attack if she kept it up! His two friends were so wrapped up in a conversation with Dean that they failed to notice. He sighed quietly to himself and let his eyes travel to the Slytherin table. Draco sat at the far end of the table, looking a little nervous. He was glancing at the High Table, and more importantly, at Dumbledore. Eh? That was a little strange. After watching the gray-eyed boy for a while, their eyes finally made contact. Draco gave Harry a small, reassuring smile. He did that a lot, when no one was looking. Harry would have smiled back, if Lucidia hadn't tugged on his robes, asking for.you guessed it, the butter. When he turned back, he found Draco scowling at the young girl, but let it go quickly when he found Harry looking at him. Their staring contest was interrupted when someone shook Harry on the shoulder. He felt Lucidia let go of his arm instantly, and he turned his head to thank who ever it was quietly. He jumped slightly when he saw Professor McGonagall standing there.

"Mr. Potter, are you all right? I've been trying to get your attention for a while," she said in a slightly motherly tone, soft enough so only he could hear.

"I'm fine Professor, I was just...thinking. Anyway, what is it?" he reassured.

"The Headmaster requests your presence tonight in his office at 10. 'The Phoenix is landing'," she said, still softly.

Harry just nodded his head and she moved away. He understood what she had said. She meant that the Order of the Phoenix was meeting that night. He thought the name of the organization and codes they used were a bit cliché, but he was dedicated to it nonetheless. Hell, he had to be. He was 'Wonderboy'. His expression flashed with bitterness for a moment, but he quickly covered it up. Now was not the time to go giving himself away. He finished his meal in silence, thinking deeply and not noticing when Lucidia leeched onto him again. He didn't notice McGonagall approach Draco and whisper to the blonde boy, and he didn't notice the looks Draco gave him for the rest of the night.

~*

Ten o'clock rolled around quickly, and soon enough Harry was walking noiselessly down the hall. He knew Filch was watching him from the shadows. Apparently he had been clued in about the meeting and did not approach Harry. But he showed himself now and then just to proved that if Harry went astray, there would be hell to pay. Harry turned and smiled largely at the shadows, and chuckled quietly when he heard stumbling and a faint 'oph!'. Reaching the stone gargoyle, he said various passwords. The Hogwarts teachers were great at passing on information, but were sometimes skimpy on the specifics. He growled in frustration, but jumped when he heard a voice speak behind him.

"Jelly Belly."

Harry turned around, smiling slightly. He knew the voice was Draco's, and he greeted the Slytherin with a wave. Draco just smirked in return. The gargoyle jumped aside and the boys started to descend the staircase.

"They didn't tell you?" Draco asked.

"It's not my fault. I was just trying to eat dinner when McGonagall told me. It's their job to tell me how to get into the damn meeting. Of course, they always forget something," Harry replied.

"Oh? Care to give an example?" Draco said curiously.

"A couple meetings ago it was apparently my turn to bring some kind of dessert. But as always, they forgot to tell me. I nearly had to fly out of Dumbledore's office. They were so pissed off," Harry shook his head.

Draco snorted and said, "That really doesn't surprise me."

"So how are things going with your dad?" Harry asked quietly.

Draco's face grew grave, "No so good. I think they're starting to suspect him," he stopped at the door and put a hand on Harry's arm, signaling him to stay, "I'm getting worried. Father has been to several of their meetings. He's found out some things that are going to be discussed at this meeting tonight. Are you sure you're okay?"

Harry gave him a quizzical look when he heard the concern in other boy's voice.

"Draco, I'll be fine. Why would I be in anyway not okay?" Harry said.

::You just wait and see. I just hope you don't try anything stupid:: Draco thought.

Draco just shook his head, and they entered. Over in the corner, Draco saw his father talking to a fellow member. Harry went straight to Remus Lupin, giving him a big hug and striking up a conversation. Draco looked around, spotted Dumbledore, and went over.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. So glad you could make it tonight. What can I do for you?" the old man replied kindly.

"Sir, I talked to my father when my lessons ended, and he told me a few things. Do you think it's really.appropriate to say these kinds of things in front of Harry?" Draco asked uncomfortably.

"Now why would you say something like that? I would think he would be proud," Dumbledore said.

"You do know that Harry has been having a few problems, right?" Draco said nervously.

"I am aware, I assure you," Dumbledore said, a different light shining in his eyes.

::Then apparently you don't know Harry as well as you think you do, or you would be trying to help:: Draco thought wearily, but left the subject alone. He would just have to deal with things as they come.

"If I may have your attention please," Dumbledore said over the noise, which quickly died down, "I'm grateful that everyone was able to make it to tonight's meeting. We have some very important topics to cover. I would like to especially thank Lucius Malfoy, who is here to provide us with more information on Voldemort's plan of attack in the future."

The members applauded politely. Harry saw the man smile humbly at them, but return to his grave state as the members of the Order turned their attention back to Dumbledore. Harry frowned slightly as he saw the worried look on Draco's face, but forced himself to pay attention as he heard the Headmaster speak.

"Now, the reason I called this meeting is to discuss the most recent attack. Several members were tipped off that Voldemort," he ignored the few flinches, "would attack a group of students and teachers traveling to Beauxbaton coming back from an expedition. When they arrived, well, why don't I ask one of the people who attended it to recollect the story?"

He looked over to Remus, who cleared his throat. He gave Harry's arm a small squeeze, earning a confused glance from the boy in question.

"Yes, well, I must say the attack wasn't pretty. When we arrived the Death Eaters were already closing in on the unsuspecting group. There were maybe 30 students and 6 teachers, but there were 40 Death Eaters," he watched the confusion pass through a few members faces, "I know it sounds like a lot, but the students there were 7th years, and knew how to defend themselves. I know what you're thinking now, that should have been plenty to defeat a band of Death Eaters. However, when we reached the spot of the attack, we found out exactly what we were dealing with. They had dementors with them," Remus said gravely.

A collective gasp went through the room, except for Remus, Lucius, Kaz, and Draco. Harry had a look of horror on his face, and Remus looked sadly upon his best friend's son.

"By the time we were able to force the Death Eaters to retreat, many of the students were dead and so were 3 teachers. In all, 10 students survived. We managed to get them into a small town near the school. We were all exhausted, fighting the dementors was bloody awful," Remus said, his head hanging low and his voice full of emotion.

No one spoke for several moments. Harry watched as his beloved ex- teacher tried to pull himself together desperately. People shifted nervously from one foot to the other, wondering what he would say next. Finally, Lucius Malfoy's voice floated through the silence.

"Remus...you don't have to continue if you aren't up t-" but Remus silenced him by holding up a hand.

"I can do this. You all need to hear it," Remus replied stubbornly, "Though ten students survived, almost half of them were wounded. We originally traveled to the town with 4 teachers, but on the way, one of them collapsed. Apparently she had been wounded, but had not told anyone. I told the others to go ahead, and stayed with her until her last breath. I asked her what happened. She said she threw herself at a Death Eater who was deciding which person to kill next. She tried to curse them, but had never taken her wand out of her pocket. They cursed her in the side and slashed at her with a hidden knife located in their robes. When they were finished, she pulled out her wand and cursed them. The gash in her side was horrible, and the curse had hit her hard. "I asked her why she did it. She said to me, 'there are many reasons why we make the choices that we do. I have four main reasons. One, it had to be done. He's a dark wizard. Second, I had to protect the children. They were the most important thing at the moment. Third, I did it for the wizarding community. And finally, I did it for Harry Potter. He fended off the DarkLord for so long, I consider it repayment for protecting the people he cares about and the people he's never even met. When I die, remember that I did it for him. Our hero, our protector, our savior.' When she finished, she gave me a peaceful smile and drew her last breath. She died in my arms."

Harry watched the man next to him. For the first time, he saw one of the people he most admired break down and cry. He looked away, and the words he had heard sunk in. She died. She died for him. A look of pure horror crossed his face. No...no no no!

Draco watched his friend sadly as the Gryffindor tried best to hide the emotion in his face. Mustering up all the courage he could, Draco walked over quickly and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up and tried to smile, but failed. Draco nodded and gave an encouraging smile, signaling he understood.

"Harry, are you okay?" he asked gently.

Harry gave him a pained look and began, "Draco, I-"

"Excuse me? Mr. Potter?" a voice from behind cut off.

Both boys turned to see a man in his late-20s. He was wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt. His brown eyes were a bit dull, and his long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. He was smiling warmly.

"Yes?" Harry asked calmly, the pain in his face instantly gone.

"Hello. My name is Lucas. I was one of the people who fought the Death Eaters. I...um...I have a message for you," Lucas said nervously.

"Who would be sending me a message?" Harry asked, shocked and confused.

"It's from your friend. He said his name was Josh or Joe or." Lucas tried to recall.

"JOHN?!" Harry almost yelled.

"That's it!" Lucas said happily.

"Oh god, is he alive? Please tell me!" Harry said urgently, ignoring the confused looks from Draco.

"He's alive and well I assure you," Harry let out a sigh of relief, "He wanted me to tell you something. He said that he misses you, he wants you to write, and.um." Lucas trailed off nervously.

Harry looked at the older man, eager to hear. John was alive, he couldn't believe it! To think, he was part of the party that was attacked. Harry had nearly had a heart attack.

"Go on," Harry said.

"He says...he says he's sorry about Kaylie, and that he still lo-"

"Stop!" Harry yelled.

Lucas looked on confused as Harry's happy expression transformed into a hurtful one. Many members had stopped their conversations at the outburst and were looking on.

"What do you mean stop?" Lucas asked.

"I don't want to hear it. I know what you're going to say, and I won't listen to it. Never in all my life...THAT BASTARD!" Harry cursed loudly.

He stood up quickly, causing a stunned Draco to fall over. Tears were welling up in Harry's eyes. He swiped them away as calmly as he could, trying to ignore the fact that he was shaking. He looked around to find everyone looking at him.

"I-I'm sorry, I must retire. I feel a bit fatigued. If you'll please excuse me," with that, Harry ran out of the room and down the stairs as fast as he could.

All the members exchanged looks, some confused, others worried. Kaz was looking distressed, for she knew what Harry was so upset about. Draco, finally regaining his balance, turned to the group.

"Uh...I think I'm going to go check up on him. Continue on, no need to worry," Draco said calmly before zooming after Harry.

Many members blinked several times before returning to their earlier conversations. Kaz stared at the closed door.

::Please let him be okay, please! Find him and take care of him Draco:: Kaz pleaded silently.

~*

Draco ran out into the corridor and looked around. Harry was no where to be seen. FUCK! How the hell was he going to find Harry now? Looking around frantically, he found a piece of parchment by his feet. He picked it up, scanned it, and his eyes went wide. It was a map of the entire school! His eyes went even wider when he saw various dots. One was labeled Severus Snape, and was down in the dungeons. HE saw dots with various names in the Headmasters office. He looked over the map in panic, trying to find the dot of Harry. Yes! There it was. It was headed for.the battlements? What would he be going there fo-

::Oh my god:: was Draco's only thought as he raced down the hall.

5 minutes later Draco had climbed the last step. He had been moving at almost lightening-fast speed, not caring that his limbs were screaming out in pain. He leaned against the wall, trying to steady his breathing, while at the same time trying to find Harry. With his breathing relatively normal again, he finally saw Harry. Wind was blowing at his cloak. There was a knife in his left hand, dripping with blood. Draco stood paralyzed as Harry took a step closer to the edge. Then another.and another.and another. He stepped up onto the ledge. His hands gripped the side, and then he let one go.

Draco finally snapped out of his trance and ran forward.

"HARRY!"

~*

Six: .and that's where I'm leaving you. Sorry if they don't call it battlements, I couldn't remember what they call it...

Draco: WHAT?! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE IT THERE?!

Lee-chan: *snickers*

Six: *shrugs* I felt like leaving you with a cliffhanger. So what?

Draco: *shakes Six* So what?! SO WHAT?! LISTEN HERE MISSY, I-

Six: *covers Draco's mouth with her hand* Lee-chan, get me a sock or something to shut him up.

Lee-chan: *salutes and stuffs a sock into Draco's mouth*

Six: Thank you. I'm finally done with chapter 7!!! I should have gone on with it, but 1) I ran out of time (I kept my promise!) and 2) I felt like giving you people a little suspense. I want to thank Kyle for giving me the motivation I needed to actually finish this chapter, thanks man! Oh, and the next update will be late. For this I am certain.

Lee-chan: Care to explain why?

Six: *sticks out tongue* I was just getting there. I'm going on a school trip to Mystic CT for a couple of days. I'm leaving early on Wednesday and coming back late on Friday. Oddly enough, those are my only free days besides Saturday to write the chapter. So, it will be belated.

And a final note:

REVIEW!!!!!!! Please?