Author's Notes: I'd like to thank C0mdLicAt3p, Indeffinate, xo.A.m.o.r.e.t.t.e.xo and Disco Inferno1 for your review for chapter nineteen. I'm thrilled you're all enjoying the story, and I always appreciate your support and comments.
Additionally, thanks to the wonderful Karen (IMissPadfoot, User ID:133633) for beta'ing this chapter.
Chapter Twenty: Realizations.
Morrigan sighed, took a deep breath and headed back inside the house, mentally preparing herself to speak to Draco about his parents.
When she entered the sitting room, she found him slumped on the armchair in front of the fire, his platinum blond locks falling down over his eyes, but not quite hiding the look of misery and confusion on his face.
"Draco," she said softly, gently touching his forearm.
Draco turned and looked up at Morrigan, and she was shocked to see his grey eyes were rimmed with red, as if he'd been crying.
"Can we talk?" she asked hesitantly.
"I suppose we better," he sighed in reply and nodded towards the seat opposite him.
Morrigan took a few moments to think about what she was going to say to him, and then decided if she was going to get anywhere with Draco, and help him resolve this issue with his parents, she had to be honest with him. Just like when Lucius had threatened her, Morrigan knew if she wasn't truthful with Draco, and he somehow found out, that would damage the friendship they'd built up in the last few months.
"Listen, Draco," she began calmly. "I promised you mother I'd talk to you about what happened just, and that I'd meet her at the end of the week to tell her how you're doing."
Draco's gaze met Morrigan's, and she was surprised not to see reproach or anger in his eyes, but what looked like gratitude.
"I kind of expected you'd do that."
"But trust me, if it's a problem, I won't meet her," insisted Morrigan. "I don't want to upset you."
"It won't," returned Draco with a shrug. "You're doing the right thing."
"Am I though?" she questioned. "You might have told me some of what happened between you, your parents and the Dark Lord, but I don't know if it's my place to interfere. I only got involved because I was dragged into the situation by your father."
"No, you got involved because I think you're feeling the same things I am, and you care," he insisted simply.
Morrigan blushed deep red, and looked away momentarily. Inside, her mind was running in two different directions. The main part of her only wanted what was best for Draco, and to help him sort out the problem with his parents in whatever way she could. However, there was a small part of her that couldn't help but feel delighted by Draco's admittance that he cared for her, and she wondered if now was the right time to voice everything that was on her mind, and confess that her feelings were slowly starting to develop into something more than just friendship. But then, Morrigan knew that they couldn't even begin to act on any romantic feelings they might have until every other aspect of their lives were sorted. Beginning a relationship – if that was indeed what Draco wanted too - now would just complicate things so much, and put in jeopardy the friendship they'd forged. Despite how much she wanted to explore these feelings that were blossoming between herself and Draco, Morrigan knew they had to wait, at least a little longer.
Finally breaking the slightly tense silence that had passed between the two of them, she asked, "Do you believe her about the Vow?"
"I don't know," confessed Draco. "Mother isn't the type to lie, that's more Father's department. However, she's always seemed so weak to me. She let everyone push her around; my father, the Death Eaters, Voldemort. So, I can't believe she'd take a risk like that."
Morrigan couldn't help but smile inwardly as she noticed that Draco had actually said Voldemort's name for once, it spoke volumes about how much he'd changed in the past few months that she'd known him, and how he was finally beginning to accept what had happened to him.
"But it was for you, Draco," insisted Morrigan. "People do strange things in the name of love."
"Do you really think she loves me?" questioned Draco, and Morrigan was shocked to hear the usual arrogance and self-assuredness gone from his voice, and for it to have been replace by the insecure doubting of a scared child.
"Yes, I do. No one makes an Unbreakable Vow, or goes behind the back of someone like Voldemort for anything but love."
"Then why didn't she tell me? Or do more to help?" he asked.
"I don't know, Draco. Probably because she was scared of what Voldemort would do if he found out about the Vow. Maybe she hoped this Severus Snape would look after you, like she'd asked him to. Perhaps she prayed Voldemort would be vanquished and you'd all be free of him," returned Morrigan.
"But some mothers do more than just turn to a friend for help. Potter's mother died for him. Why wasn't she willing to do that for me?"
"Courage comes in a lot of different forms, Draco," replied Morrigan simply. "From the little I know of your mother, it's obvious to me she isn't use to standing up to others, so for her to go behind Voldemort's back, and seek Snape's help was very brave. And don't think for a moment that she wasn't willing to die for you. I think the fact she made an Unbreakable Vow proves she was."
Silence fell between the couple, and Draco seemed lost in his thoughts, finally, he looked up at Morrigan – his grey eyes once again rimmed with tears – and said, "Yes, maybe you're right. But what about my father? He just sat back at did nothing, while Voldemort ordered me to kill Dumbledore and invaded our home."
"Well, he couldn't do much from a cell in Azkaban, could he?" Morrigan pointed out, before adding, "And I think he only allowed Voldemort into your home for fear of what the Dark Lord would do if he refused. As bad as doing that was, I think your father was only trying to protect you and your mother. If he had gone against Voldemort's wishes, I'm pretty sure all of you would have been killed."
Again, Draco fell silent as he contemplated Morrigan's words and drifted off into his own thoughts. Finally, he looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.
"But if they loved me like they claimed they did, then why didn't they stand up to Voldemort and try to stop him?" he asked sadly.
Morrigan took a few moments to think about her reply to this question. From the few times she'd met Narcissa and Lucius - and from what Draco had told her about them - already she didn't much like them and felt they were responsible not only for the horrors Draco had been through in the war, but also for some of his less desirable qualities like spoiltness, arrogance and pure-blood ideals. However, she couldn't deny that – despite their faults – Lucius and Narcissa really did seem to genuinely love Draco.
"Like I said before, courage comes in different forms. Some people just aren't like that, they'd rather do what it takes to merely survive than 'rock the boat' so to speak," she replied with a sad sigh. "But like I also said, it doesn't mean they love you any less. You can't hold it against them that they weren't brave enough to stand up the one of the world's most powerful dark lords, they just did the best they could with what they had."
"Maybe you're right," agreed Draco, letting out a long breath. "And I think perhaps it would be best if I met my mother and spoke to her rather than you doing it. I need to sort things out with them, properly. I'm not saying I'm going to forgive them for what happened, but I can't go on with the way things are."
"You're doing the right thing, Draco," Morrigan returned smiling reassuringly at him.
"I hope so," he sighed in reply. "And, Morrigan, thank you for helping me work things out. Honestly, these past few months, I don't know what I'd have done without you. Not only have you given me a roof over my head, but you also gave me a push in the right direction about finding a job, always provided me with a listening ear and good advice, and helped me realize I need to stop running away from the past and work things out with my parents."
Morrigan blushed deep red and looked away sheepishly, "It was nothing," she insisted modestly, before silently adding to herself, 'especially not for the man I'm starting to fall in love with.'