Theo POV

Friday. Friday. Friday. All my thoughts centered around it. I knew what Draco had agreed to and if he was ready to face it than who was I to hold him back? It made me terrified though and the more terrified I became, the more I played. I was spending way too much time in the orchestra room- late evenings and early mornings. Thankfully, I had an enchanted piano to play with me so I could practice alone, but the bad part about practicing alone was there was no one to pull me out of the melancholy. I would sneak out of bed just before sunrise and not return until curfew. Every minute that I wasn't in class, I was playing. Draco knew better than to question it. I wasn't the only one preparing. Hermione was silent and separate, and now Draco was distant in his own way too, feeling apart from me even when were together. His silence spoke volumes.

The pieces I played became darker and more ominous as the week continued. I recognized my spiraling. I didn't have the power to stop it. All three of us were drifting, but someone answered the musical call of my distress. I should have given the old witch more credit. Merlin, I should have seen her, should have heard the distinct sound of the Headmistress' footsteps. I couldn't hear them over the ominous music, over the sound of bow on strings and the piano pounding.

"Mr. Nott!"

Fuck.

The bow slipped from my hand, dropping to the floor. She waved a wand and the piano stopped. My face was wet and my hands ached. Damn it. I looked to the window, the darkness outside was thick and inky black. The Headmistress was dressed in her night robes. What time was it? Why hadn't Draco sent for me? I knew the answer as soon as I thought the question. He was not okay. We were not okay. Thursday night. It was Thursday night. I felt instantly selfish. I should be with him. Even if he was forlorn and quiet, even if I felt helpless to him. I rose from the chair in a panic, setting the double bass in its case.

"I'm so sorry, Headmistress. I lost track of time. I-, I need to get to bed."

The chair hit me in the back of my knees and my arse landed on the seat. It knocked the air out of me. Headmistress McGonagall returned her wand to her pocket.

"No, Mr. Nott. Bed can wait. You need to explain to me why there is a student in the orchestra room at 11 o'clock on a school night even if the music he makes is exquisite."

Pride settled beside the pain in my chest. I couldn't remember the last time that someone had complimented me on my skill other than Narcissa or Draco. The orchestra professor, Professor Tolten, didn't count. The old wizard was practically deaf in one ear. Headmistress McGonagall walked closer and sat down beside me on the piano bench.

"Did you have a fight with Mr. Malfoy?" She asked. "I assumed things were well between you two. Do you wish to have a separate room? I could find somewhere to move you."

I shook my head vehemently.

"No, no. I'm happy to room with him." A blush crept onto my still wet cheeks. "We're fine."

She gave a little nod and I was thankful that she didn't press my relationship with Draco at least. We were adults. It's not like there was much that she could do about it, but it was a comfort that she didn't separate us the moment our relationship went public. We would have found a way to sneak around. I was sure she was more concerned with keeping the underage students from fornicating than us anyway.

"Then why do you look like you've been battling a boggart?"

I bristled at the question she had been skirting around. There was no way that I could answer her honestly. I wasn't sure who Hermione would confide in, if she ever did, but that was her decision to make, not mine. It wouldn't be right for me to bring up Draco's struggles either. I chose an adjacent truth.

"Just memories," I said. "There are a lot of bad ones."

"There certainly are," she agreed. A hand rested on my shoulder and squeezed. How could a frail, old women have such a strong grip? A single tear broke free against my will. The Headmistress didn't comment on it, she just let her hand drop. "I can tell you that when you get to be my age the memories hurt a little less. Death and distress become more expected. Still, there are certain memories that will never cease being painful."

She had a far off look and I felt bad about bringing those memories to the forefront of her mind, but I still felt compelled to ask her a question.

"Have you ever considered sharing those memories with someone via a pensieve or legilimency?" I asked, coming a little closer to the truth of the matter. "And at what point does sharing them just become inflicting pain on others?"

I ignored my own memories- buried them beneath sex and music and scheming. I'd faced those memories when I touched the vault and if Draco hadn't been there to pull me out of them…I couldn't imagine what the outcome would have been. I didn't feel any better about them though. Would that change if I shared them like Draco planned to do with Hermione? And what pain would his memories cause me if I saw them as well? I wouldn't ask him to, but if he wanted to, I wouldn't deny him.

"Yes, Mr. Nott, I have shared my memories magically before, and it did indeed cause my friend pain, but I think it helped us both understand each other. Having a support system helps spread the burden and makes it more manageable. If you choose to share your memories via magical means you can't control how someone else will handle it though. I must remind you, as I'm sure I have many times before in guidance, that there is always a risk with magic. I do hope that if you do such a thing you make a good choice on the person you are trusting. Magic can be delicate, bodies and minds even more so."

I trusted Draco with my life and that meant I had to trust him to make the right choice for himself. All I could do was be there for him, both of them. The control wasn't mine. Maybe once it was done, I could better understand my own feelings and make the choice for myself. I was still somewhat terrified, but my faith in Draco and Hermione was winning out. They would be able to handle it, they had to.

"Now, I think it's past time you head off to bed," she said, clasping her robe as she stood. When I finally stood too, she added, "You are a good person, Theodore, despite your past misgivings made under great distress. You and Draco have much to offer the wizarding world. I have faith in you both that you can move on from your past mistakes and thrive. It is why I made the plea to the Wizengamot to allow you to complete your probation and schooling here, and it is why I won't be reporting this incident."

I should have felt relief at that fact, but I was more caught up on the word good. I was a good person. Coming from her that meant something big.

"That being said I will still be deducting house points, 50 points sounds fair."

I nodded in agreement and left the room behind the Headmistress. She walked with me in silence to the door of my room and wished me a simple goodnight. When I opened the door, I found Draco was fast asleep on the bed. On the bedside table sat the telltale signs of a sleep potion. I stripped off my clothes, crawled beneath the sheets, and curled myself into his back. He stirred only slightly, just enough to place a hand atop where I gripped his waist. I took in a breath of him, the pure scent of Draco with a hint of fancy cologne still lingering on his skin making my whole body calm. I would protect him, in sleep and awake as I had through war and danger, by simply being there to embrace and comfort him. That protection extended to Hermione. She was broken too and we needed to protect her. I would mend the two broken halves and solder them into a whole. I just hoped that I wouldn't shatter my cracked self in the process.