Draco didn't know what time he woke the next morning. His nerves were in bunches in his stomach. He jumped out of his bed, upsetting Asa, who complained with a half-asleep disgruntled hiss. He ran straight to his bathroom and threw up the little dinner he had managed to eat the night before. He sunk against the cool tiles of the floor and wall. Once he had calmed himself down, Draco took a shower and brushed his teeth. He changed his clothes into something that didn't show off his past money too much. He skipped breakfast and walked to the Hogsmeade station alone.

Normally they had carriages to take the students to the train, but it was so early that they weren't even waiting yet. The sun hadn't risen. It was the perfect temperature of an early summer morning. The kind where you could tell that it would be a blistering day. The kind of morning that seemed to say 'enjoy me now, because you'll be wishing for the cold later!'

He walked through the empty train. It was spooky and abandoned looking. He chose a compartment in the middle of the train. He pulled a muggle play-booktitled Inherit The Wind from his over-shirt pocket. He began to read to waste the extra time.

Draco was over halfway through the book when loud voices started drifting through the hall. He couldn't concentrate on the book anymore, so he set it on the seat. He pulled his knees against his chest and rested his chin on them. His arms were wrapped tightly around his calves and thighs.

He looked out the window without seeing anything. His thoughts were too frantic for him to see straight. He was busy imagining what could happen once he reached the Order's headquarters. They could turn him down the minute he walked in. Harry could turn around and tell him that it was all a joke. They could turn him into the Ministry. The members could be convinced that he was still a Death Eater wannabe and that Voldemort needed a spy.

Or, they could be so desperate for people that they accepted him without question. But, there were six people from their year trying to join. And Millicent had been on the side of Light for almost two years. It seemed that if the Order was to drop one of them, it would be him. Draco's nerves wouldn't let him be optimistic this morning.

The compartment door opened. Draco's thoughts stopped at the sound of quick, female talking.

"... it's already hotter than hell out there!" The door closed. Ginny, Hermione, and Neville had come in. Hermione's eyes were red. Neville looked annoyed. Ginny was the one talking.

"Hello Draco!" she said happily. Once again, too perky for this time of morning. She turned back to Hermione and continued her hasty talking. "I'm glad that we'll be out of that castle for today... But can you imagine the heat at headquarters..."

Draco tuned her out when Neville mumbled in his ear. "She's been going non-stop since I found them in the common room. She's trying to take Hermione's mind off of the fact that this is our final day at school, and that Ron should be here,"

"Seems that Hermione has tuned her out," Draco mumbled back.

"Long before we got here,"

Draco laughed. Ginny stopped talking when the door opened. Terry looked around the compartment.

"Have any of you seen Millicent?" Draco shook his head. Ginny said no. "Do you mind if I sit in here? She'll probably come by here," They told him that they didn't mind, and he took the seat on Hermione's other side.

The train had started and Harry and Millicent were still absent. Susan had come in and was busy snogging Neville. Draco was looking out the window, lost in his pessimistic thoughts. Terry was helping Ginny distract Hermione. Probably to distract himself from his missing fiancée.

They door opened and all attention was drawn to it. They could see half of Millicent standing in the door way. She was ushering someone into the compartment.

"Hurry up, get in here!" Harry ran in, and leaned against the wall. Millicent closed the door behind them.

"Thank God," Harry mumbled. He was flushed from running. He had a black eye and finger marks on his arms. Millicent looked a little flustered, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Harry! What happened?" Hermione was on her feet. Her fingers were gingerly touching his eye. He swatted her hands away. He sunk into the spot between Neville and Draco. Hermione reluctantly took her seat again. Millicent pulled a newspaper out of her pocket and handed it to Hermione. The paper was passed around the compartment, until Draco got to see it. They watched him anxiously as he looked at it.

On the very front of the paper was a picture of Draco and Harry dancing. Draco could see his lips moving to form the words of the song. Bold letters atop the page said 'The Boy-Who-Lived Finds Love!' The article itself wasn't that bad. Draco quite liked the author's opinions. She was very open- minded. He checked her name, Penelope Wood, before he closed the paper. He looked at Millicent to explain.

"I was trying to find you Draco, I wanted to talk to you about what you plan to do if you get in the Order. I thought that I may be able to help, counseling the Slytherins that are still in school and all. I was walking through the Slytherin car when I found Harry. He was also looking for you, so we started to walk together. We were about to enter the Hufflepuff car when the other Slytherins from our year cornered Harry and I. They started calling me a traitor, and insulting Harry because you two are dating... Harry stood up for me, which is how he got that black eye. I hexed Vincent and Greg, who were holding Harry, and we ran. We got kicked out of the Hufflepuff compartment we tried to hide in when we were followed into it. I opened the door to this one and, luckily, we found you guys," Terry now had Millicent sitting in his lap. He was smoothing her hair with his free hand. Harry had his head rested on Draco's shoulder and hadn't talked since the words he had mumbled when he had first come in.

"And where did you find the Prophet?" Hermione asked Millicent.

"Pansy had it. She was quoting it... and then..." she looked at Harry oddly. She didn't say anymore.

"Then Nott tried to pull me into the other room," Harry started softly, "he said that if I liked guys so much that I should enjoy what he had in store for me,"

Draco felt his anger rise. How dare they do that to Harry! It didn't matter to him that Avery didn't finish the deed; he tried and that was all that counted. Draco tried to leave, to find the offending Slytherins, but Harry wouldn't let him.

It was about time for them to leave the trainnow. They had spent the rest of the ride talking, as well as playing card games. Hermione, Terry, Ginny and Susan were lazily playing a word game. Harry had fallen asleep in Draco's lap. Draco was reading his book again. Neville and Millicent were discussing what they thought they needed to know to get into the Order. Half of Draco's attention was on their conversation.

Too soon for any of them, the train slowed to a stop. Draco woke Harry gently and told him that they were there. The group of them stretched lazily as they stood. They collected all their items and walked off the train together. As they walked to the people who were meeting them from the Order, they walked in a tight group. Draco has his arm around Harry's shoulders. Hermione was holding tightly to Ginny's hand. They knew the meaning of the phrase 'safety in numbers.'

Since Remus had moved all their belongings to the headquarters already, the only things that they had to carry were their clothes from the night before, anything they had carried with them and their pets. They had shrunk their clothes to fit into a knapsack Hermione had brought along. Hedwig was in her cage, suspended from Harry's hand. Asa was in a wicker carrier that hung from Draco's opposite hand. Crookshanks was sleeping in his basket that hung from Hermione's hand. Terry was carrying Millicent's barn owl, Hecate. Ginny had Ron's old owl Pig in a small cage.

Before them stood Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Severus, a man Draco recognized from his fourth year, Mad-Eye Moody, a tall black man that Draco didn't know who was standing next to a woman with olive colored skin and long black hair that shone red in the sun, also whom Draco didn't know.

Draco, Millicent, Terry and Susan stood silently while Hermione, Harry, Ginny and Neville were greeted by the adults. Mrs. Weasley fussed over Harry's eye. Draco gave Severus a small smile. He was surprised when it was returned. Remus walked up to him and whispered in his ear.

"I'm proud of you and Harry. It took guts to do that yesterday. Guts that Severus doesn't have," Remus winked at Draco before he went to take up his guardian position again. Draco grinned wickedly.

The humor didn't last long. The nerves that had presented themselves throughout the past two days were now in overdrive. His hands were shaking. Harry gripped his hand tightly. Draco looked into his trusting green eyes.

"You'll be fine Draco," he whispered.

The large group walked out of the barrier into the muggle train station.


A/n–Is continued in the fic"Athazagoraphobia." That phobia is the fear of forgetting things, or being forgotten.

The book "Inherit The Wind" is an actual play/book. It is by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Many thanks to all my wonderful reviewers:

Me Touya Koori Tenshi (Thank you for all of your reviews! I think you reviewed the most!), William the Bloody, Quicksilver, Little Lion, eminem4eva, Lyonessheart (I agree, the trouble with Hogwarts is that they separate them all into houses!), The Marauders Dragon (I made you cry... is that good or bad? Anyway, I like your reviews. They're long and give nice feedback. Although I'm really not picky about my reviews... As long as people take the time to drop one on their way out ), Yuki Kurai snuffles (I'm glad you think my title fits! I like that song also. I heard it on the radio and thought 'Harry and Draco!')

Please Review!

Note: Edited on 12/20/04 for grammar, spelling and punctuation. A few things may be different from the original version, but nothing drastic.

:-:silver-sunn101:-: