I have been waiting to write this chapter for days, maybe weeks, it was one of the first scenes that came to my mind. I hope it pleases you, and that in my excitement to put it to paper (as it were), that I have done it justice.

Enjoy

Merick

Chapter Twenty-One

Did I mention before that doing favors for Professors usually gets me into trouble? Probably. And that was why I felt sick just watching Professor Sinistra approach. It didn't help that most of the Slytherins, and Gryffindors were watching her as well.

I hate being the center of attention.

Professor Sinistra was quite cognizant of the stares we were both receiving, but she had the great strength of character; which I envied right then rather desperately, to ignore it all.

"Mr. Potter, I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner, might I have a word with you?" Her tone was measured, even, and betrayed none of the anxiety, which I found out soon enough, was filling her heart.

"Of course Professor." I stood immediately; one, to be respectful of her, and two, to get away from the eyes that were staring at me. I followed her down the aisle towards the massive doors to the hall. Behind me I heard a half sneer.

"Working for Slytherin again are you? Maybe you should just change houses Harry." I stopped dead in my tracks. Professor Sinistra, only a few steps ahead of me could not have failed to hear that. And she hadn't. It was the first crack in her veneer that I saw that night. She turned, slowly, mostly composed and stared fire directly at Ginny.

"I'll see you tomorrow night after dinner in the Astronomy tower for detention Miss Weasley."

I didn't want to turn around and look at Ginny. I kept my eyes on the Professor. I didn't want Ginny to see and misinterpret anything on my face. If anyone at that table didn't know she'd broken up with me yet, they knew then.

"It's all right Professor, it doesn't bother me." I tried to get her off the hook and to diffuse what could have been an ugly situation for me later.

"Just the same Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley needs to know that it is inappropriate to voice her opinions about subjects of which she has no knowledge."

"Really Professor, it's okay."

"She should appreciate your quick forgiveness Mr. Potter, never the less she needs to understand that such interference may result in harsher consequences than an evening of organizing charts and tables. Seven o'clock Miss Weasley." And she turned back to lead the way out of the hall. I followed. The Gryffindor table behind me was silent.

"Professor what is it?" She had stopped, near to the great foyer of the castle, letting a hand rest on a stone column. Her shoulders fell forward and her head sank. It looked as though the one pale hand, resting on the carved channels was the only thing supporting her. She turned around to me; a terrible haunted look in her eyes, so similar to that in Draco's. And right then I just knew something was wrong.

"What's happened to him?"

"He's in the Astronomy tower. He isn't in a good way Harry." I think it was the first time she had used my given name.

"On the parapets?"

"Yes."

"How?" I knew she hadn't opened the observatory to students yet.

"I believe he flew up."

"How much do you know about what has happened to him Professor?" I hated asking, this was a confidence I was about to betray, and I hoped Draco would forgive me.

"I know a great deal Harry. I know how he was tortured by the Dark Lord, and I know that his mother has left him."

"How do you know this?"

"Narcissa sent a letter to me, asking that I keep him safe because she could no longer do it."

I let out the breath that I had been holding in. At least it was not me who had betrayed him.

"And what has happened?"

"A post arrived for him this afternoon, I did not think I should give the letter to him, I could sense that the news would not be good, but it was from his mother. I felt he should have it."

"Do you know what was in it?"

She hung her head down and could no longer look at me; her green eyes were filling with tears. I could not believe that she was allowing me to see her like that.

"I do." Her voice warbled with unsteadiness. "Draco is going to have a sister."

"What?" I was astounded and confused, but there was no time to process it.

"His mother was pregnant when she fled. The child does not belong to her husband."

"Lucius isn't the father, but then," I had to let my words trail off; the ramifications were too terrible to explore.

"Voldemort."

"She slept with Voldemort?" I wanted to be angry, indignant; she had taken the man who was torturing her son to her bed?

"She was raped Harry, repeatedly as she confided in me when she left."

"But why keep the child?" I couldn't understand that choice.

"I cannot speak for her Harry. But her time has drawn short, and she knew she would have to tell Draco. However she hurt him by running, she still loves him."

"And now he knows?"

"And has fled to the tower."

"Can't you bring him down?"

"It isn't me he needs to talk to Harry. It's you." She took two steps towards me and pushed something into my hand. The skeleton key was warm from being clutched in her fist. "Please Harry, you are the only one who can help him."

"I don't understand Professor."

"It has been foretold in the stars Harry, Castor and Pollux," a pause, "please."

I didn't completely understand, but I knew enough, Castor and Pollux, the twins, one who gave up his total immortality to save the other. It didn't matter just then because my feet were moving, running to the tower. I left her behind and I ran for Draco, because I understood enough.

Eighteen year olds have relatively simple lives; mostly. Flashes of maturity, normally overwhelmed by extended periods of narcissism. Most of my day had been spent in narcissism; a self-centered desire to do things that pleased me. Hanging out with my friends, practicing Quidditch, eating good rich food that I didn't have to prepare myself. Normally this would have been okay, we're entitled to those kind of days; me maybe more than most. (See, there's the narcissism coming through again, I'm not really entitled to more than anyone else, but sometimes it just seems like I should be.) But that evening, I felt like crap, and the knots in my stomach were back as I raced up the tower steps, and it wasn't just because I was out of shape either thank you very much, I was in pretty decent shape. It was because I had known something was wrong with Draco, because I knew that I should have done something to deal with it before, let him know that I was there for him, but I took the easy way out and now I didn't know what it had cost him.

The key was in the lock and I was flinging the door opened before I had even stopped long enough to figure out what I was going to say to him.

"Draco!"

All was silent for a few seconds.

"Go away." He was directly across from the door, perched on one of the stone cutouts in the archways, one foot dangling over to the inside edge of the wall, the other, knee bent, resting on the edge that led to the open air. His broom was leaned up against the wall at his back. He had changed back into the black shirt we had purloined from Snape's closet, well, that I had purloined from Snape's closet, and back pants, which only made the pale of his skin and the platinum of his hair more striking, especially as the sunset was beginning behind him and the orange glow of the sky was providing a further halo to his form.

"No." I stepped into the room and closed the door behind myself. He turned his face to me as if to confront me, but his spirit wasn't there. The crimson flame behind him magnified the reddened rims of his eyes where he had been fighting back tears, and the liquid that pooled there made the usually reflective blue into a murky cloud. I could see him breathing, each gasp was an exaggerated movement translated in his chest, his shoulders and his lips. It seemed a struggle to simply 'be' right at that point and I felt my own heart breaking for him.

"Talk to me Draco."

"Did Professor Sinistra tell you to come find me here?"

"She told me you were here." He sniffled at that answer.

"So it was your idea to come?"

"I was worried about you."

"Why? Why would you be at all concerned with me Harry Potter?"

"You're in a bad place Draco, let me help you."

"Did she give you those words along with the key to get in here?"

"Draco, please."

"Did she tell you about my mother? About my soon to arrive stepsister?"

"Yes." I felt awful admitting that to him.

"I really have nothing left anymore Harry. Voldemort has taken everything from me. My family, my home, my peace of mind, all gone." He looked back out to the skies. "What he didn't destroy, I did."

"Draco, that isn't true." I took a few more steps towards him cautiously.

"What part of it isn't true Harry? I had one thing here at Hogwarts, one person, one friend, and that was you. And I pushed you away, getting drunk, telling you how miserable my life has been. If that kind of story doesn't make people run then finding out my half sister is the product of the rape of my mother by one of the most evil beings to ever walk this earth, well that surely will."

"Draco, I'm still here." A few more steps, my wand concealed in my right sleeve. If he was going to fall I was going to stop him.

"I kissed you Harry! I fell apart and I kissed you, laid everything on the line and you turned away! Not that I blame you, I was an idiot."

"You aren't an idiot, I'm sorry about the way I reacted, I just didn't know, didn't understand if the kiss meant anything, or if it was a product of the alcohol, I didn't want to embarrass you Draco, or make you feel worse." I reached out my left hand and took a hold of his wrist, and I held on, maybe tighter than I should have, pulling him off the ledge and towards me. He slid awkwardly down to stand, two feet solidly on the floor, but still I held on to him.

"You must hate me." His voice was so weak my own eyes began to tear up.

"Don't assume that Draco, because it isn't true." I pulled him to me and wrapped my right arm around his back, forcing him into an embrace where I knew he would be momentarily safe. I felt his chest heave as he looped his arms slackly around my waist, and rested his head on my shoulder. "Draco, we will find a way through this, I promise you." I kissed his cheek, letting my lips linger for just a moment on his smooth skin, tasting just a hint of the tears that had so lately been there.

He raised his head and looked up at me, again his eyes were the brilliant blue I remembered, full of confusion.

"Do you pity me Harry?"

"I would be the last one who could do that Draco."

"Then what?"

I looked into those eyes, let my grip on his wrist drop finally and wrapped my left arm around his back. I could feel the ridges of the scars under the cotton fabric, and tried not to hurt him. With the gentlest of pulls I brought my face to his, and found that he had met me halfway as I touched his lips and kissed him. I felt the shiver that ran the length of his body, and held him all the tighter for it. I didn't want to be aggressive, I knew then; because the rational mind had finally kicked on, that that was the last thing he needed. I pulled my face back from his but felt his arms tighten around me, and then felt his own passions as he forced his mouth onto mine again, parted my lips, and thrust his tongue into my mouth. It was my turn to tremble.