Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Erin were alone in the common room. It was really late and Seamus had just left cursing Snape and the essay he set them to do. Erin was getting up stretching out her back when there was a loud snap! Kreacher appeared and then the next moment Dobby appeared. Ron almost knocked over everything on the table. "Mistress!" Kreacher said. "Kreacher has been following the Malfoy boy as Master asked him to do!"

"Dobby too!"

Erin frowned and then slowly turned looking at Harry. "I told you—"

"I'm just making sure!"

Dobby and Kreacher were arguing about what they should tell him and Dobby was mad that Kreacher hadn't told him that he was coming to make a report. "Stop!" Erin said and they instantly stilled looking at her. "Now, Kreacher, what exactly did Harry tell you to do?"

"He told Kreacher to watch the Malfoy boy. As you recall Mistress asked me to listen to Harry Potter and do what he said."

"I may have to rescind that order after tonight." She said glaring a bit at Harry. "Now, what did you find Draco did anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, Mistress."

"Dobby did!" Dobby said eagerly. "Dobby has seen Draco Malfoy go up to the 7th floor and disappear!"

"The Room of Requirement!" Harry said. "I told you he was up to—"

Erin rounded on him. "Harry, we KNOW he's doing something for Voldemort. He told Dad he was! What is wrong with you? Can't you see how drained he is? Can't you see how enormous the pressure is on him? He's breaking under the weight of it all and all you can do is think that he's hiding something. He already gave his word that he wasn't behind the attacks and you don't believe him! He grows weaker by the day and all you do is heap it on to him! If that's the kind of person you are, Harry, then it's a good thing I found this out now." She stood up. "Kreacher, you are not to do anything else Harry orders you to do until further notice."

"Thank you, Mistress." He said bowing and disappearing.

Erin turned and headed for the dorms. "Erin, come on!" Harry said. "Please, just listen to my side."

"Harry, give her a bit to cool off." Ron said. "There's no reasoning with her when she's this upset."

They heard the door to the girls' dormitory slam shut.

Erin and Harry didn't speak for several days, not until the night of the Apparition Tests for those that were already 17 or would be in a fortnight. Erin was taking advantage of suddenly very empty study rooms near the library. Harry knew he'd find her in there. "Figure out what Draco's up to yet?" She asked him when he came through the door. She hadn't looked up from her work. Like usual she had three piles in front of her: To Do, In Progress, and Done. The Done pile was growing, but still not as big as the other two. "It's nice to see you have so much time on your hands for butting into other people's business. I would think you had work enough to do."

He sat down across from her. "Look, I'm sorry I gave Kreacher and order without talking to you about it first. It's just you don't remember everything that Malfoy's done over the years, especially to me and you—"

"I can remember very clearly him carrying me out of that tiny, freezing room and out of my own fifth since I couldn't move. He saved me, Harry, he didn't have to. He could have left me there. And if he's the person you think he is then he would have. But he didn't. That means that he's not the one hurting people. He's the one being hurt. Can't you see it? Can't you see the pain he's in? He's not sleeping, he's barely eating. He's leaning so heavily on Kaeli, because he has no one else. Mira is trying to be there for him. I'm trying, but it's hard since I'm not a Slytherin. He has to put up this front for the others…who knows who else among the Slytherins is in league with Voldemort, willing or unwilling? If Draco doesn't do what he's told to do he'll be killed and so will his mother and so will Kaeli and Dean. We need them Harry. All of them if we are going to survive this."

"I can see what you're saying, Erin. But I can't just let this go…I can't."

"Then we're all going to die sooner or later, Harry. Unless all of us are united against Voldemort, we will all die. Dad and Remus both put aside their feelings for Snape for the good of the Order. Why can't you put aside your feelings for Draco? And don't tell me the feelings aren't the same. They are exactly the same. The point is they can and did, the question is will you before it's too late."

"How do you know we need Malfoy to defeat Voldemort, I mean the only prophecy I've heard is the one where while Voldemort is alive and while I'm alive neither of us can truly live."

"There is a deeper prophecy, Harry. You are important, but you are only one piece of the puzzle. All of us have a part to play, big or small. You have an important piece of it, but it is by no means the only piece. To get to that part of the puzzle other things must happen. The Prophecy of Rowena Ravenclaw of the Woman Child…I have been named that, Harry, but I'm not conceited enough to think it's all about me. It's simply that I have so much I have to do…so many little things and big things that must be done. I guess the biggest thing is that so many things will happen to me and it's about my choices whether or not things will fall into place. In the background of all of this…that's me…you are in the foreground. You are the Chosen One…but not the only Chosen One, Harry. We all are. As Dad said we're the young ones now. It is our duty to this world to make sure our children have a world to inherit. Do you think they died for nothing? Your parents, my mother? Remus' wife and son? They all died for our future. So that we could live and fight. That's what we have to do for our own children, Harry. You know our children, you've seen them and you've spoken with them. Whatever happens, Harry, they have to have a chance. Is it really so important to find out what Draco's doing? For you, personally? Because Dad knows, Dumbledore knows, Snape knows what he's doing. And all of them are telling you to leave it alone. And I'm here telling you to leave it alone. I don't know exactly what he's doing, but I do know that what he's doing is important and he has to be allowed to do it without you looking over his shoulder. He's been through enough. Let it rest. I'm begging you, Harry. Please, let it go."

"I can't promise you anything…" he got up prepared to leave the room. "I forgot, I saw Tonks here…she wanted to talk to Dumbledore. She's upset about something, terribly upset."

Erin nodded. "Remus has been working with the werewolves underground and he broke it off with her. I'm not surprised at either's actions. Remus is afraid to love after what happened to Genie and Romulus and Tonks is in love with him. She's doing her best to keep going."

"Wait…she said something about people disappearing and rumors…she didn't mean—"

"Remus has not checked back in for over a month now. Dad is just as worried that something has happened to him."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We've all been so busy, Harry, with work and other things, I didn't want to burden you even more. I planned to tell you, but I hoped I could do it once we found out either way."

He nodded. "Yeah, okay," he could accept that. Worrying wasn't going to help.