The next morning, Remus and Narcissa both appeared bleary-eyed at the breakfast table. Draco and Harry and Ginny looked wary, as if they expected to have their heads bitten off at the slightest word. But nobody said anything. It was a relatively silent meal. Remus and Narcissa were pointedly ignoring each other, which was almost as bad as when the teenagers had been. Draco and Harry were stunned into politeness, and Draco even managed a "thank you" when Harry passed him the bacon.

"Um – my mum invited Harry and me for dinner tonight," Ginny began awkwardly, "May we go?"

Remus nodded, "I'll have Draco lock me into the basement tonight."

Draco looked up, "What?"

"Full moon," Harry answered. Draco looked from Harry to Remus, his face going a shade paler.

"Full moon?" he asked.

"I shall be locked in – and only you and your mother will have the key," Remus replied wearily, "You shall be perfectly safe."

Draco did not look convinced.

Narcissa did not say anything. She picked at her meal slowly and cleared the dishes away before everyone was even done. Remus watched her with a sad look on his face, but said nothing.

He could have bitten his tongue off for his cruel words to her last night. She was only trying to remember, of course – she didn't mean anything personal by it. But every time he thought of the past twenty years, his expression darkened. Hadn't he suffered? Why bother trying to open those wounds again? She wasn't in love with him anymore, and that was that. He slammed his fork down onto his plate harder than he thought. Draco and Harry both looked up at the loud clanking sound, then looked hurriedly away.

After breakfast, Remus retired to the cellar, where he would be spending the next night. Ginny emerged from her bedroom holding one of her nicer dresses, the one she planned on wearing to dinner.

"It's got a tear in it," she complained, "Narcissa, can you mend it?"

"Yes," Narcissa replied automatically.

She seemed almost in a trance, as if she was thinking very hard about something and she couldn't be bothered with ordinary matters. Draco pointedly avoided her throughout the day. He felt she needed to be alone.

Perhaps the shock of her sister's murder was too much for her.

"Your mum seems a bit off," Harry commented, for lack of anything better to say, when he walked in on Draco listlessly brushing frost from one of the windows.

"She's fine," Draco answered shortly, but there was no cruelty in his voice. He mind was working rapidly.

It would work. It had to work. It was his mother's only chance.

Hours later, Ginny and Harry waved to Narcissa as they walked down the path to the street. Ginny couldn't Apparate yet, so they would be taking the Knight Bus to the Weasleys' for dinner.

Ginny was feeling slightly disgruntled. She was finally bringing Harry home as her boyfriend, and he was looking all around him nervously, as if he'd rather be anywhere but with her. As if he couldn't concentrate.

She tugged impatiently at his hand, "What's going on?"

He didn't answer.

"Harry?"

Finally, he turned to her, "Ginny, you go on ahead. I'll catch up to you later, okay?"

She frowned, "What are you doing?"

"Trust me on this, okay? Go on to your parents and make my apologies. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Harry – "

Harry reached out his wand hand and BAM! The Knight Bus appeared. The doors swung open ominously – without Stan Shunpike, the Bus seemed odder and colder than it ever had. Ernie, the bus driver, nodded as politely as he knew how. Ginny looked sickened.

"Please take her where she directs you, Ernie," Harry called firmly, giving Ginny a hand up onto the steps.

She whirled around to look at him.

"Harry, please."

"I'll be fine," he assured her, "I'll be along before you know it."

The bus doors swung shut, and with another loud bang, the Knight Bus vanished.

With a determined look, Harry rounded and walked into the bushes, crouching in the darkness.

His suspicions were confirmed. Moments later, he heard a squeaking sound. A window opened on the top floor of the house. Draco put one leg out first, then the other. He glanced around nervously, then shimmied down the drainpipe and down to the ground. He looked around again, then started off.

"Going somewhere?" Harry asked.

Draco lunged around, wand already in his hand. He tensed up when he saw Harry.

"What business is it of yours?" he asked defensively.

Harry stood up and left the bushes.

"You're running away, aren't you?"

"Get out of it."

"You're going to leave your mother, when your aunt is coming after her to kill her?"

"That's not it at all."

"Looks that way to me."

Draco glared at him, "Shows how much you know then, doesn't it?"

Harry grabbed his arm.

"Get off me!"

"You can't just walk out on her!"

Draco leaned in until his nose was an inch from Harry's.

"Can't you get it through your thick head, Potter? She isn't the one they want. It's ME. They're coming after ME. And if I draw them out, get them away from her – then they'll leave her alone."

"It's a suicide mission!" Harry protested, "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Yeah? Well, too bad for me," Draco shot, "They're not going to get my mother, Potter. She didn't do anything. It was all my father and I. We got her into this mess – and since he's dead, and it's up to me, I'm going to get her out of it."

"She'll fight for you," Harry murmured, "She isn't going to give you up. You're all she has now."

"She has Remus Lupin," Draco muttered, turning his back on Harry, "He'll take care of her from now on."

"What?" Harry laughed, "Lupin – and your mother?"

Draco whirled on him, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at her. Do you think I like to see someone else moving in on my mother? My father hasn't even been dead six months. But it's too dangerous for me to stay with her."

"You idiot."

Draco turned, angry.

Harry barreled on, "She doesn't need anyone looking after her. She wants you! She wants her son!"

"And if I stay with her, she'll be killed!" Draco shouted.

"She knows that!" Harry shot back, "You don't see her running out on you, do you?"

Draco stared at him. Then he sunk to his knees on the pavement, staring around him bleakly. Harry felt awkward, just standing there beside him.

"I feel as if I'm sinking deeper and deeper into hell," Draco muttered, "And I'm losing any chances of redeeming myself."

Harry crouched down beside him.

"She doesn't want you to redeem yourself. She wants you to stay alive."

"If I stay with her – she'll die."

"We won't let that happen."

"How can you stop it?" Draco asked him.

Harry shrugged, "I've been lucky before – I can only hope I'll be lucky again."

Draco drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Harry realized that it was getting colder outside – November. He shivered, despite his thick sweater.

"We should go back in," he mentioned.

Draco shook his head, "I don't know what to do anymore." He bit his lip and looked at Harry. "You don't know what it's like. I'm the reason why she's in hiding. If it wasn't for me, she'd be safe."

"If it wasn't for your father, you wouldn't be in this position." Harry instantly regretted his words. Draco glared at him.

"Don't you have a go at my father."

"Sorry." Harry snapped a branch between his fingers, "My point is, it's not your fault, and even if it was, your running away isn't going to change anything."

"How do you figure?"

"She'll go after you," Harry replied, "She'll look for you anyway. She loves you too much to give you up."

Draco's gray eyes widened. Harry felt like grinning. Draco looked just like his mother when he was surprised.

"I hadn't considered that," he said softly. "So no matter what I do, we're stuck."

"You're NOT stuck," Harry said forcefully, "Don't you understand? You're one of us now. We're not going to let either of you be hurt without a fight."

Draco looked at him scornfully, "You don't like me, Potter. You never have. And now you're saying I can trust you?"

"You're right. I don't like you, I never have, and maybe I never will," Harry replied, "But Lupin trusts you, and he trusts your mother, and even if he didn't, well – your aunt's not my most favorite person in the world, so I'm not exactly going to start getting buddy-buddy with her and handing innocent people over to her whenever she asks."

Draco looked sideways at him.

Harry swallowed, "Look – I was there – I saw you with Dumbledore."

Draco looked away.

"I didn't want to kill him," he muttered, "I didn't want to at all. I mean – I never really liked Dumbledore – he didn't seem to think much of me, either. But then - I mean, they were going to kill my mum and dad if I didn't do it! What was I supposed to do? It was my parents, or some old man that didn't care tuppence for me!" He exhaled, then said bitterly, "And, I know he was your friend. But my mum and dad were more important to me. Oh, you wouldn't understand."

"You're right," Harry replied, "I wouldn't. I never met my mum and dad."

Draco cringed, "That's not what I meant."

"I know."

Draco looked at him, his eyes pleading, "I didn't have a choice, Harry. I love my mum. I love – loved – my dad. I couldn't just let him kill them."

Harry closed his eyes.

For so many months – ever since Dumbledore's death – he had dreamed that he would be standing in front of Draco, while Draco, helpless, pleaded for his life. And he had always dreamed that he, Harry, would blast him to pieces. Because Draco wasn't anything but a soulless monster, wasn't he?

But he wasn't. Draco was standing before him with wide, pleading eyes, as open and honest as his mother's, despite his father's gray shade. He wasn't a monster. He was someone who had gotten involved over his head. Besides (and he knew that Ginny and Ron and Hermione would blanch if they knew he was thinking this) – had his father and mother not been as strong-willed as they had been, wouldn't he have been raised in this way as well? Wouldn't he be just another one of Voldemort's frightened minions?

Harry reached out and touched Draco on the shoulder. Draco stiffened slightly, but didn't move away.

"It's okay," Harry said softly, "I won't hurt you."

Draco turned, ever so slightly, and looked at him. Harry managed a very small smile.

They heard the door of Number 12 open. Narcissa's voice was heard, loud, clear, and terrified.

"Draco? Draco!"

"I'm here, Mum!" Draco shouted, jumping to his feet.

Narcissa's white, scared face broke into a relieved smile, "What are you two doing out here?"

Harry jumped up quickly and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "We were just talking."

"Well, come on inside," Narcissa said, "It's not safe for either of you two to be out there. It's getting dark, besides."

"I'm supposed to be at the Weasley's," Harry said, "I sent Ginny on ahead. I, um, forgot something. But I have it now."

"You're coming home tonight?" Narcissa asked.

"No. But we'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Well, be safe," she warned. She held the door open, "Come on, sweetie. Into the house."

Draco flashed Harry a look of gratitude. He walked slowly up the stairs and felt his mother's hand on his back. She ushered him inside, then gave Harry a quick smile and shut the door behind her, locking it firmly.

Harry put his hands in his pockets.

"Well, it's a start," he said aloud.

He closed his eyes and Apparated out of sight.