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A Witness Revealed
Two piercing screams shattered the cold night air. Those outside of the magically hidden house were not able to hear the screams, however a few people claimed they felt a shiver of pain at that exact moment. A few occupants of #12 Grimauld Place bolted upright in their beds, startled at the painful cries.
Draco looked about the room with dawning comprehension, eyes narrowing at the realization that someone else screamed. In seconds, he'd thrown back his covers, and rushed from the room. Harry, still a bit groggy, took a minute to realize what was going on. Harry sprinted for the girls room to discover Draco standing in the doorway, staring angrily at Hermione and Ginny. Ginny was kneeling on the floor next to Hermione's bed, holding her hand. Hermione was sitting up in bed, traces of tears glistening on her cheeks.
Harry and Ginny were almost afraid to move. But, Hermione didn't back down from Draco's furious gaze. It seemed like hours before Draco finally spoke, "You," he accusingly whispered. "It's you!" Draco's voice shook with rage.
"Draco, please –" Hermione choked, trying to keep the panic from her voice while begging for a chance to explain.
"No! I don't want to talk to you, you manipulative little… mudblood!" Draco spat. He turned on his heel and thundered down the stairs.
Ginny held Harry's gaze for a moment then said in an exasperated tone, "Well? Go after him! Make sure he's alright." Harry tried to smile reassuringly at her and Hermione, but the smile looked more like a grimace. Harry followed Draco's path down the stairs.
Ginny turned to Hermione, "Men. Can't do anything right, can they?"
Hermione numbly shook her head. "He called me 'mudblood'. He hasn't done that all year," she said, in a disbelieving manner. The tears started to fall again – silent, steady tears – and Ginny hugged her friend.
"Well, now he knows, right? Now you don't have to pretend anymore. Now maybe you can talk to him about it," Ginny tried.
"Oh, Ginny," Hermione sobbed, "I don't think he'll want to talk to me. And we were just becoming friends. Did you see his face? He was so angry!"
Ginny nodded. "Anger fades in time. He'll come around, you'll see," Ginny reassured her.
Harry made his way noiselessly downstairs, hoping that no one else in the house had woken up to Draco's and Hermione's screams. Creeping down the last stair, he turned into the living area and saw Draco pacing back and forth in front of the couch. He was talking to himself.
"How could she? And she didn't tell me, after all that talk of trust," Draco felt betrayed again.
"Draco?" Harry called softly.
Draco whirled around, and glared at Harry. "I suppose you want me to talk about this. Don't even try."
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Harry answered truthfully. He figured truth was his best option with Draco this mad.
"No, I am not alright! She's been invading my dreams! My memories! How dare she!" Draco answered angrily.
"I don't think she meant to. I don't see why someone would choose to have those dreams if they could help it. Aren't they painful?" Harry said cautiously.
"Painful?" Draco's voice was incredulous. "Painful? Yes, they are painful. That's why I scream, why she screams!" A confused look crossed Draco's irate expression. "She feels the pain too. I wonder why," Draco said, mostly to himself. He glared at Harry. "You knew about this, didn't you?" Harry simply nodded.
"Who else knows?" Draco growled.
"Only Ginny, Hermione and I," Harry answered truthfully.
"Anyone else? Shall we tell the whole school while we're at it? I can't believe you kept this from me. You, the mudblood, and your little weasel of a girlfriend."
"You don't mean that. Take it back."
Draco snorted.
"Take it back. Right now." Harry's voice was threateningly calm.
"Make me!" Draco faced Harry, expecting a spell to come whizzing across the room. Instead, Harry drew back, and landed a punch right on Draco's cheek, knocking him down. Harry left to check on Hermione, leaving an angry and confused Draco lying on the living room floor, holding his face.
The next morning, Harry came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He had not slept much, but he was used to it. Ginny, however, looked very tired. He sat at the table, and took her hand into his. "How's Hermione this morning?" he whispered. Ginny shrugged, and tilted her head at her mother. Harry nodded, understanding that they would talk later, privately.
Molly puttered happily about the kitchen, either blissfully unaware of the events last night or deliberately ignoring them. Something in her demeanor, and the way she served him an extra helping of bacon, made Harry believe there wasn't much that happened in this house that she didn't know about. Ron, of course, had slept through the entire episode.
"Mum?" asked Ron, "Where's Dad? He said he'd help me with something today."
"I'm sorry, honey, your father was called in early today. There was another disaster in Devonshire." Molly didn't explain what she meant by 'disaster' and no one asked. 'Disasters' usually meant mass killings, and tensions were already very strained at Grimauld Place right now.
Ron sighed, and left the kitchen, wandering aimlessly around the house. He found Draco sitting in the living room. Draco was holding the Christmas package from his parents, turning it over in his hands, still unopened.
Ron dropped onto the couch next to him, generating a look of amazement from Draco. Draco figured Ron would avoid him like the others, especially after the things he had said last night.
"What do you have there, Draco? Another present? Why haven't you opened it?" Ron asked absent-mindedly.
Draco looked confused for a moment, and decided to pretend as if nothing had happened. "It's from my parents. I haven't opened it because I'm a bit nervous about what's in it. I'm not sure I want to open it in this house," he confessed.
"Do you think your parents know you are here?" Ron asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. He had to admit, even if it was only to himself, that he never knew what Draco was going to say next.
"No, I don't think they do. I told them I was spending the holiday at Hogwarts to spy on Dumbledore. My father thinks it is a brilliant idea," Draco said scornfully.
"I suppose he would," Ron agreed. "What do you say we open it anyway? It doesn't look so harmful, really. It looks like it's a book."
Draco took a quick look at Ron, before nodding his head and turning his attention to the package in his hands. Ripping off the silver paper, Draco could see Ron was right. It was a book. It was bound in soft, dark leather; the title and author stamped onto the cover in gold. It was old, and smelled of leather, dust and printing ink.
Ron turned his head to read the cover. "Secrets of the Darkness? What's that, a Death Eater manual?" Ron said in disbelief.
"Highly likely, Ron," replied Draco, flipping the pages. "And most likely he'll quiz me on it later. I hate him, you know? He's forcing my hand and I don't want to follow him." Draco stood, aggravated, and dropped the book back onto the couch.
Ron stood as well, putting one hand comfortingly on Draco's back, "I know, mate, but you'll find a way out of his shadow. And when you stand up to him, you'll have Harry watching your back. And you know as well as I do, how much stronger you feel knowing he's there." Ron patted his back once before leaving the room.
Draco sat again, feeling a bit deflated. He was still angry at Harry, Ginny and Hermione for not telling him about her dreams. But now I feel guilty for saying those awful things, and acting like… like a child! But, nothing excuses their behavior. And Harry? Will he really watch my back? How can I trust him again?
A/N: Wow! Nearly 80 total reviews! How wonderful! You guys really know how to lift a girls spirits!
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Razorblade Romance - I try to update as soon as physically possible (meaning as soon as I'm happy with the editing). However, I'm not as far ahead in the story as I'd like to be right now since I'm in school. So, I will try so very hard to keep updating (once a week is a good goal). Thanks much for leaving a review!
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