AN: Guys, I am soooooooo sorry!!!!! I got a new laptop for my birthday, but then I had writer's block and I couldn't write, and now I give you a short, sucky chapter instead of the ridiculously long one I had planned. Pleeeeaaaassseee forgive me!!!

Disclaim Her: Yo tengo un gato en mis pantalones... ;)

Chapter 27: I was too lazy to come up with a name for this chapter.

I sat down heavily in front of Ron and Ginny, and sighed. Then I shook Draco by the shoulder.

"Wake up, idiot. You need to hear this."

He groaned, and rolled over before sitting up and glaring at me.

"What?"

"I just got some very important information, and most of it applies to you, if only indirectly."

"Fine, but you owe me some lost sleep."

"I owe you kick in the ribs for all the trouble you've caused me."

Ginny was watching the exchange between us interestedly, and I could almost see the gears turning in her head.

Draco glanced around the shack, and, seeing Ron and Ginny, recoiled in shock. "What are they doing here?"

I sighed exasperatedly. "Ron came here to help, and Ginny followed him."

He nodded slowly, as if he understood, but still edged away from them, towards me.

"Oh, for god's sake-" and I grabbed him and pulled him over to sit next to me. "You are ridiculously paranoid, you know that? Ron is here to help me. Ginny is here because she's nosy. It's as simple as that."

Ginny couldn't take it anymore. "What's going on between you two?"

Draco, having apparently recovered from his shock and paranoia, answered for me. "We've been fucking each other since august."

Complete and utter silence.

I rolled my eyes. "Way to break it to her gently, Draco."

Ginny was gaping. She looked back and forth between me and Draco several times. "You...and...Malfoy?"

I nodded shortly. "Yes."

Ginny sat back and stared. Then she smirked. "So...which one of you takes it up the arse?"

I choked.

"Ginny!"

She blinked innocently. "What?"

I shook my head, deciding to let it go.

"Anyway, what is this oh-so-important information that you had to give me?"

"Well, it's not just you, but I wanted to tell the most important information to you first. And it's easier if I tell you now, so that I won't have to explain it two more times for them," I said, gesturing at Ron and Ginny.

"...So...?"

I could have smacked myself. "Oh! Yeah, well, that vampire-Rachel, or Risika, or whatever her name really was-told me that you're my mate."

It didn't occur to me until after I had already said it that I could have possibly chosen a better way to break the news to him. He was staring, with his mouth hanging open in a very un-Malfoy-ish way. I could hear his heart racing, and fear was rolling off him in waves. Ron was not in much better shape. He was turning a very bright shade of red, which clashed horribly with his hair, and he seemed to be trying very hard to disappear into the wall behind him. Ginny was trying not to just burst out laughing at the both of them.

"Uh...well...maybe I should have said that differently..."

Draco snorted. "Damn right you should have! Give me a heart attack, why don't you?"

"I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! Anyway, there's some good news, too!"

He gave me a funny look while Ginny sighed and put her head in her hands. "That wasn't good news?"

I was a little startled. It had never occurred to me to see it as good news. "No-well-I guess-I just thought-"

"Oh, shut up, you bloody idiot." Ron interrupted. "Malfoy, he's trying to say that he thought YOU would think it was bad news, so he just acted like it was. Faulty logic, if you ask me, but that's the way his mind works."

"Says the guy who would choose his pet rat over his friends!"

Ron grew even redder, if that was possible, but before he had a chance to say anything, Draco butted back into the conversation. "So, what was this other good news?"

"Well, I'm going to live about eight hundred years. And Draco, you're going to live about four hundred, but you could live much longer, if you get a hold on some of your...issues."

I glared rather pointedly at him. Ron and Ginny were staring again.

"Eight hundred? You're sure? Wow...Dumbledore is only a hundred and three and he's looking old..."

I was about to make a retort, when something he said stopped me. "How do you know how old Dumbledore is?"

"I heard Professor McGonagall wishing him happy birthday last week."

I grinned. How...Ron, to remember little things like that and forget the big stuff. "Anyway, Ron, you're going to live a couple hundred years, supposedly."

He blinked. "Me? But...how?"

I tried to think of a way to say it. "Well..." Oh, fuck it. "It seems that being my friend has given you a much longer lifespan, along with a few anger management issues."

He stood there without moving for a moment, then spoke softly. "Anger management issues?"

Draco snickered, while I struggled for words. "Yeah...The way I see it is this- you've spent a lot of time with me, right?" He nodded. "Apparently my Daemon abilities have kind of been rubbing off on you. Including the anger problems."

"So...the reason I can't hold my temper for five minutes is because we're friends."

"Yeah, pretty much."

He nodded. "Okay."

I was shocked. "What? That's it? 'Okay'? I thought you would attack me or something."

He shrugged. "I figure I can't do anything about it now, so why bother trying to kill you? You'd just kick my ass anyway."

I laughed. "That's true. Now, I really think that you ought to leave before somebody noticed you're missing. Oh, and Ron? See if you can get Hermione to come down with you next time. I want to...talk to her."

He nodded shortly, and left. Ginny was about to go after him when I stopped her. "Ginny. Stay back."

She turned around slowly, and tried to give me a pleasant smile, but it wasn't working. "Yes, Harry?"

"I want to know what you've been doing to yourself."