Ron whispered the password to the communal dorms and climbed through the narrow awning, his mind still occupied on a particular blonde. Harry and Hermione looked up from their curled positions on the chunky sofas in front of the fire and greeted Ron as he made his way across the common room.

He was a prefect now, but still preferred at times to be in the common room, mostly when something was bothering him. Coming from such a large family that he leaned so strongly on his friends when times were hard, sometimes his prefect room, lovely in its own ways of seclusion, seemed cold.

He folded long legs into the armchair opposite the sofa Harry and Hermione occupied and half smiled. The warmth of the common room, with the years of happy memories floating inside its walls soothed Ron's confusion over Draco's funny turn. As if sensing his quiet moment Harry and Hermione said nothing.

After a few minutes Ron spoke. "Do you remember when Fred and George almost set alight to Creevey with their Cherry Bombs?"

Harry chuckled, and nodded enthusiastically at Ron, adding his memory to the tale. "When they were in the progress stage?" He imitated inverted commas with his fingers and laughed.

Ron grinned and nodded. "Damn that was funny… Where is Creevey anyway? Shouldn't he be glued to your side Harry?"

Harry shrugged, "Haven't seen him all day."

"He was in the library…" Hermione mumbled, "With Ginny."

"What?" squeaked Ron, his previous worry over the Draco incident gone at the mention of his sister. "With Ginny…?"

Hermione shrugged and grimaced a little guiltily. "I saw them earlier before dinner. I think he has really good intentions Ron. I think he really likes her, he hasn't taken one picture of her."

Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione. "Why does that make it any better?"

She shrugged again. "At least we know he hasn't gone mad stalker over her, like he did for Harry."

"But he's spent the entire evening with her!" cried Ron.

It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes. "She is sixteen Ron; she's not a baby anymore. She has spent the entire evening with him."

"But- he…" Ron trailed off at the look on Hermione's face.

"Oh fine, but I am watching him." Ron nodded with a certainty, folded his arms very much like a child in a strop and snuggled back into his armchair. "It's past eleven; she should be back by now, curfew an all."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Ronald Weasley…"

Ron's mouth opened in a small outrage. He shook his head at Harry.

"Oh no, you two are not bringing me into this." Harry said, uncurling himself from Hermione and shaking his hands in surrender. "No, no."

Ron shot a sad smile at Harry. "Whipped…" he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Harry snorted. "Lanky…"

"Short…" muttered Ron and dropped his gaze to pick at a thread on the armchair. When Harry did not reply he glanced up and grinned.

Harry grinned back. "You haven't got a bed in here anymore have you? Shouldn't actually be here should you? Curfew… now… is that the word?"

Ron opened his mouth in mock shock. "Curfew did you say? What's that… eh … Prefect? I think so."

Hermione laughed. "You two can argue all night for all I care, I am going to bed." She got up form the sofa, kissed Harry on the cheek, and ruffled Ron's hair before he ducked away from her hand.

"So how was the quality time with old Snape?" asked Harry once Hermione had left. He leaned forward from his place on the sofa and poked the fire. It blazed once more and Ron chuckled.

"What?" he asked.

"So muggle..." Ron replied.

Harry shook his head and laughed. "So, how was Snape time?"

Ron's own laughter died a little. "It was okay, nothing special."

Harry frowned. "No explosions?"

"No. The git gave me another month." Ron mumbled.

"What!" Harry cried. "That's not fair, what happened- what did-?"

Ron shrugged. "Malfoy..."

"I knew it!" cried Harry, "What did he do?"

"Only being his usual dick of a self." Ron replied, dropping his gaze.

Harry clenched his fist in anger on Ron's behalf. He unclenched it when he saw that Ron himself had not exploded into his fiery temper.

"Ron?"

"Yeah…?"

Harry frowned. He bent his head towards the red head then raised his eyebrow into his jet black mop of hair.

Ron laughed. He had truly puzzled Harry. Though he was quite puzzled himself over the whole incident. "He-"

"What?" Harry questioned.

"-got me into more trouble. I'll get the ferret face back. Don't worry about it. Just gives me more time eh?"

Harry raised both eyebrows in quiet shock at the red heads placid reaction to this event. "Right…"

Ron folded long legs out from underneath him and got up from his armchair. "I better be off, Divination early tomorrow eh?"

Harry leant back in full on shock at the red head now. "You what… since when did you have a conscience about divination? What happened to you? Did Snape force feed you some illegal potion?"

Ron chuckled, and then felt a twinge of guilt for not telling Harry just what Malfoy had done, or his sudden growth for a conscience.

"See you tomorrow mate." He simply said instead. Ron made his way out of the common room, leaving an utterly bewildered Harry in his wake.

As the portrait door gently closed behind him Ron let out a tight breath. Why had he just lied to Harry? Well… not told him the entire truth? What was happening to him?

He shook his head as if shaking the thoughts from his brain and set off down the corridor towards his dorm. His portrait waved a sleepy hello at him and obliging opened the door at his whispered password. Stepping through the portrait Ron closed his eyes for a moment. It was by now, well past midnight and his body was telling him so. He stumbled into the bathroom, ran a toothbrush around his gums, then fell into bed, fully clothed into a fitful sleep.

Draco cocked his head. Nope, the red head was definitely asleep. Unknowingly, in his own sleep, he had been awoken by the conversation between Ron and Harry, having fallen asleep during the previous conversation which included Hermione.

His own thoughts reflected the red heads fitful sleep. Why had Ron not told Harry what he had done? Draco shook his head in complete and utter puzzlement, much as Harry had been left with at Ron's absence of explosions at the Snape situation. He sunk lower into his mattress and frowned.

"It really does the mind no good to dwell on things Draco."

Draco shot up from the bed in shock, his wand clutched tightly in his grasp.

"Now, now Draco, is that really the way to greet me?"

Silver rims shot even wider as Draco came face to face with the body to which held the well known voice in his room. His mouth parted. "What-"

"Eloquence Draco, eloquence at all times." Lucius said, tipping his own wand to close Draco's mouth.

"How did you-" Draco stumbled with his words, for one of very few times in his life.

"Voldemort rewards those loyal to him to the death very well Draco, it would do you good to remember that." Lucius replied, casually pocketing his own wand.

Draco swallowed and regained his composure after a short battle with his facial expressions. "How did you get here?"

"Portkey Draco. Do not be so foolish."

"Yes sir." Replied Draco, years of training surfacing over his pride.

Lucius sneered at Draco, then lifted a marble hand to swipe him.

The blow did not take Draco by surprise, but nor did he move from it. His head reeled to the side and pain shot over his skin like miniature burns. His face remained solid as he swung it back to face Lucius.

"The Dark Lord has ordered your service Draco."

Inside, a small part of Draco reached out for an imaginary rope, a rope that might pull him from a deep dark ditch. He knew better than to reach for it however, for then it would be the same rope that could have given redemption, which would hold his neck in its last caress.

He nodded at Lucius. "When shall I move?"

With that Lucius withdrew a small ruby. Draco placed his hand on the ruby and closed his eyes as his navel shot from his body.