A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the misplace with the twins. Yesterday I was really tired and was seeing two stories at the same time, and I misplace the characters, sorry. I tried to edit it today, but I was traveling for eight hours without internet, and had to move for my new place. Really sorry for that one, but this is the correct, I rushed to do it as soon as I finished moving. Please forgive me.

Chapter XXIII

I stayed at the room for twenty minutes after Hermione had left. Even if we were in such a horrible time, and I could probably end cursed, in the slightest, at the end of the night, I couldn't, for the love of Merlin, shake the warm feeling off of me. And even when I managed to go down to meet everyone, the stupid smile was still pressed on my face.

Weasley looked suspiciously at me, George and Percy were puzzled with the suddenly silence. Potter frowned for a moment, but then struggled and resumed talking about the Death Eaters. Ginger was talking with a tall bloke with a bad scar on his face, that I presumed was Bill, but stopped when the room turned silent the moment I got there.

I glanced at Hermione in the other side of the room, talking with Mrs. Weasley. She looked back at me almost at the same time I put my eyes on her, and to my utterly delight blushed deeply. That made the smile be replaced by a smirk, and I almost winked at her before something couth my attention.

Ginger was glaring at me disbelieving, then she turned to Hermione, and almost immediately the shy smile that appeared on Granger's face vanished. She looked ashamed, I saw her try to speak something at Ginger, but nothing came out of her mouth. I glared back at Gin until she turned again and she could see it. I don't need someone making Hermione feel bad for something she can't be blamed.

-Malfoy? Can you please stop glaring at Ginny and pay attention here? We're trying to make things work.

I looked at Potter and frowned deeply. He just has to be the voice of reason, oh so good saint Potter. I had to bit my tongue before I could manage to say something and infuriate all the red heads there, for talking bad to their golden boy.

-I already know what to do Potter. Now you didn't tell me about my mother. She's safe?

-I put three Aurors to patrol the house all night. She's safe, don't worry.

The place was silent and everyone looked like they were lost in their own thoughts. They had that atmosphere of solemn worry, and for a moment I thought that the room was too little, and I needed air. It was almost as if we were back at the war again. Potter even looked a bit pained to be there, to say and plan all of it. I have to give it to him, the bloke sure takes too much.

-Hermione, can we talk for a moment?

Weasley's voice made my head turn so sharply that I could hear and feel something snapping in my neck. I was just about to say something to him, and get his hopes down, when I felt a hand grab my elbow. Ginger was looking at me so intensely that I couldn't say anything, and when I glanced at the door Hermione's frame was just disappearing into the living room.

-Let them talk they need to sort out some things. And I would like to have a word or two with you.

Her voice was so calm and determined that it gave me shills, the bad type of them.

-Now?

-Yeah.

-Here?

-No. Let's get some fresh air.

The way she say it was more like a demand than a proposal. And I went after her feeling almost like I was guilty for something. Not that I had to prove anything to her, but the way she looked, well it made me remember mother's stern face when I broke the windows of the second floor of the Manor, when I was ten flying on my broom. Nothing good came after that look.

We were walking outside almost blindly. It was dark, and the threes didn't help at all. The house was a good sixty feet away, and I was starting to get worried. We shouldn't be alone here, especially tonight.

-Look Ginger, can we talk another day? I don't think it's the best time for this right now.

Thankfully she stopped. I was just beginning to turn to get back in the house when she spoke.

-What are you doing?

I stopped and looked puzzled back at her. She was still facing the forest.

-Hm trying to get back in the house?

-Don't play dumb with me Malfoy.

-What are you- Oh...

This time she turned, and her face was contorted in a disapproving frown. She crossed her arms on her chest, and the complete darkness behind her made she look even more frightening.

-Yes, oh. Now start talking.

-Well I don't really have to say anything to you.

I could see her eyes almost closing in rage. She dropped her arms and walked the three feet making us apart. She was uncomfortably close, and I had to take a step back. She looked murderously, and I cursed myself in my head for agreeing to go with her.

-I know what you're trying to do here Malfoy, I've been watching you. First I thought you were just trying to infuriate Hermione, and then it was just to get on her good side, so you could get her trust, but now... now I can't make myself think it's purely for fun. All the glances, and smiles, and the caring, and you seem to be with her everywhere, and the way you look at her... that can't be just respect.

-Well, if you have all of that figured out already, what's the problem?

-WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?!

Salazar helps me! The woman has gone crazy! She was almost as red as her hair, and I saw her trying to reach her wand in her left pocket.

-Calm down Ginny, put your hand back. We don't need wands to talk about it.

She took a deep breath, her hand leaving her pocked, and ran her hands through her hair so forcibly that I was almost sure some of it was yanked off.

-You don't get it Draco, I think she really likes you.

-And you're mad at me for that?

-No you stupid fool! I'm not mad at you, not precisely at you, well maybe a little, but you don't get it. The way she talks about you, and the way she smiles at you, for Gryffindor's honor I have never seem she smile like that for anyone. And that's why I'm scared. She may have fallen too deep to take her out without any consequences. I don't want her to get hurt Draco, she doesn't deserve it. She's a wonderful person, and the war took too much of her, I just want her to be happy. And I thought that my brother made her happy, she told me that, that she loved him... and now... now I just think she wants to help you so much, and she's so into changing you that she developed, or she thinks she did, feelings for you.

She sighed again, but this time her shoulders dropped and she hugged herself almost as if that would help her to get a grip on the situation. Her face changed, and she looked so scared, and exhausted, that all the anger I initially felt when she started yelling slowly subsided. We were silent, and something told me she was waiting for a response.

-You love Potter, don't you?

She looked so surprised I almost laughed, and it took me too much will power not to say a snarky comment. But I managed.

-I don't know what it has to do with the conversation, but yes. I love him.

-And I suppose you liked him for some time?

-Well, yes.

-I remember that you dated some blokes in the past. It helped? Because everyone could see that Potter was smitten with Cho Chang.

She didn't say anything, just looked questioningly at me.

-I suppose it didn't. Well what if I say I liked Hermione almost from the beginning?

She snorted and began to shake her head with a disbelieving frown.

-Don't lie to me Malfoy, you don't need to play the innocent boy.

-I'm not trying to excuse my actions, I was a complete git. But believe it or not, I really liked her all that time, to be more precise since third year. But of course I couldn't say that, I couldn't even think like that. I just realized it a few months ago. I was mad at her because she was so perfect. The smartest witch of Hogwarts, I don't really think it makes her justice to say just from our year, and the boy-who-lived friend, everyone liked her. And her parents were just muggles! It infuriated me to no end. How could she be so good with magic, if father always said muggleborns were below us?

I paused to take a breath, and Ginger stayed quiet. This time she had almost a curious look on her face.

-I was a jerk. And if I had just a little more sense of courage, I wouldn't have to almost die in the hands of Lord Voldemort to realize all that pureblood talk didn't make sense. But even after all the things I did to her, she still helped me. I'm speaking the truth when I say that I wouldn't ever have thought that she could possibly forgive me. Something changed after that, now I see it did. And even after all the time despising her and all of her friends, now I can't even manage to see her sad. It's corny, I know, but I think you have an idea about what I'm talking here. What I'm trying to say, and forgive me if I'm not clear enough, is that I don't quite know what it takes to keep a love, and you have to forgive me again because I'm still trying to figure it out, but I know how to keep a passion.

-Immobulus!

Ginny was stopped just before she could say something. And when I realized what was happening a wave of fear washed over me, and I felt so helpless that it was pathetic. Ginger's eyes were wide, and I could see she was frightened too. My hand slowly reached my back pocket and I grabbed my wand. One by one they appeared. All clad in black robes and wearing their masks. I searched them all, there were five of them, but couldn't find my father. I don't think he would need to drink polijuyce for this occasion. Before I could think farter I heard clapping.

-That was a really touching speech Draco. I knew we couldn't trust a Malfoy. But at least we have Potter's girlfriend, it should help with something.

-I'm sure we can have a little fun with her.

Yaxley released Ginny, but before I could do anything to help he shot a curse at her.

-Crucio!

Her screams were so high that it was impossible not to hear it from the house.

-I thought my father said you would wait for my signal.

-Your father don't have much of a say here boy.

-What? What do you mean?

-Your father is dead.

I was speechless. The more I thought that I wanted my father to stay dead, it surprised me that hearing it from someone like Crabble would make me so angry.

saw him some time ago. He was fine and alive.

-Well, at that time he really was alive. I needed him for the polyjuice potion. He died three days ago. I must say that I had not planned it, but Yaxley got a little carried away when he discovered that your daddy was trying to protect you and send you a hidden message.

Now I was enraged. Father tried to alert me? After all this time, and all the things he said and did, he cared for me? He just needed a second chance, and now this bastard killed him. I had to muster all my Slyterin cunning at that time, just so I wouldn't make some crazy move and have Ginger and myself killed.

-So what about it? He deserved to die, in reality he should be dead already.

-Well it took us some work to get him out of Azkaban, but we needed someone to blame.

Ginny's screams were so loud I almost couldn't understand what they were saying. Where is Potter when you need him? A deaf person could hear her.

-Well, it was a good plan. But why risk everything just to kill Potter and his friends?

Crabbles face contorted on a painful frown and he looked livid.

-Because they killed my son. And they have to pay for that.

I managed to see something moving to my right, and I couldn't refrain after that. I laughed out loud, and all of them looked directly at me.

-I knew Vincent had to get his stupidity from someone. Potter didn't kill him, on the contrary, if your son hadn't casted something he didn't knew how to reverse he would still be alive. We almost burned to death, and if it wasn't for Potter and Weasley I would be dead, so would Goyle.

Crabble was enraged, and the moment I could see his wand was out I casted my spell.

-Avada Kedavra!

-Protego!

-Potter! Yaxley cursed Ginny, get him!

And all at once we were in the middle of a fight. All the Weasley's, Potter and Hermione emerged from the darkness, casting spells and trying not to be hit. It was too much like old times.

Potter managed to curse Yaxley and Ginny stopped screaming. Hermione got to her and tried to levitate Ginger, but one of the other three masked that I couldn't recognize casted a stupefy and she was knocked out. I stopped for a second to look at that, and Crabble used this to his advantage and I wasn't fast enough to dodge it.

-Petrificus Totalus!

I couldn't move anything, and I just heard the sound of my body hitting the floor, before feeling pain. My hands were under my body, and I was almost sure that my left wrist was twisted. It bloody hurts! But I couldn't make a sound.

I heard someone getting near my head, and a second later all of my body was in pain. It was the Cruciatus curse. All I desired at that moment was to die, just to make it stop. It was like a thousand knifes on fire cutting you from the inside out.

But just a moment before I passed out of pain, it all stopped. I could move again and the pain was gone. I sighed in relief, before remembering my wrist, but it was nothing compared to what I was feeling before.

-Malfoy? Draco, are you all right?

Of course it would be Potter.

-Fine Potter, just give me a minute. Why it's so quiet?

-They're gone. Apparated out the moment they knew we were in the advantage. The one with you was the last. He was your father?

I managed to sit up and look at him. His clothes were a mess, not to say that his hair was in a state that I doubted could be repaired.

-No, my father is gone.

-What do you mean?

-The one with me was Mr. Crabble. He managed to get my father out of Azkaban and used him to grab your attention with polyjuice. When Blaise's mother said she saw my father transforming, it was in fact Vincent's dad getting back to normal. Yaxley killed my father three days ago when they discovered he was trying to alert me. Ginny's all right?

-Well, yes she is. That's some information you have there.

-You bet.

When I tried to get up a hand came into my view, and I looked up to see Potter trying to help me.

-Well Potter, aren't we good mates? First saving me, then escorting me back safely. I must say we're even now.

I grabbed his hand and stood. The trees seemed to move for a moment, and I felt a little dizzy, but after blinking five times the movement stopped. Potter was looking at me puzzled.

-Even for what?

-You stole my wand.

Recognizing came to his face, and he smirked at me. We were almost at the house, and I could see George carrying Hermione into the house.

-I didn't stole it, I conquered it.

-Yeah whatever you say Potter. Now what happened with Hermione?

He sighed and his shoulders dropped. The smirk was replaced by a sad and worried frown that made me fear what he would say next.

-We tried to ennervate her, but she didn't wake up.