3rd Person's POV

Harry stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd.

"That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Harry got off his broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, he had been engulfed by the cheering crowd.

"Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!"

"Well done, Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me--"

"Good for you, Harry!" roared Seamus Finnigan.

"Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors.

"Amazing job Harry!! I'm so proud of you!" Harry turned to see a gleaming Karina.

"Thanks Karina that means alot."

He pulls her into a hug then lets her go. Just as he opens his mouth to say something else he is interrupted by a voice in his ear.

"That was quite some Patronus."

Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased.

"The dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!"

"That would be because they-- er-- weren't dementors," said Professor Lupin. "Come and see-"

He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field.

"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," said Lupin.

Harry stared. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall.

"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to Harry's side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it.

"Are you guys truly serious? This is what you were up to?" Karina storms over to her team.

Ron and Harry stand by watching and laughing as Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, and Karina all yell at the figures on the ground.

"Come on, Harry!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"

"Right," said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle.

It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets.

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However the next day had been a turn of events.

He sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter.

Harry took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read.

Dear Hermione, We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London. I won't forget all the help you gave us.

Hagrid

"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."

"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope.... Nothing will have changed."

"Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."

"Oh, Ron!"

Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away.

"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers..." she sobbed.

"Oh -- well -- he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now."

The safety measures imposed on the students since Black's second break-in made it impossible for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to go and visit Hagrid in the evenings. Their only chance of talking to him was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons.

He seemed numb with shock at the verdict.

"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em...."

"There's still the appeal!" said Ron fiercely. "Don't give up Yet, we're working on it!"

They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively.

"S'no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..."

Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.

"Look at him blubber!"

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening.

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first-- SMACK!

She had punched Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul evil loathsome little cockroach."

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.

"Get off, Ron!"

"Why can I not just have one day of no one fighting? What the heck is going on?"

"Did you not just see her punch Draco?! Do something." Goyle says frantically.

"Go away Grey. This is all your fault." Hermione says angrily trying to get out of Ron's arms.

"How is it my fault? What did I do? What is my fault actually?"

"Buckbeak is being sentenced to death," Harry mutters, "Lucius Malfoy's wish."

"What?" Karina whispers looking over at Hagrid's hut.

"Oh don't act like you didn't know. You did this!" Hermione yells.

"I didn't know! I didn't want this! I didn't want any of this. I just want everything to go back to normal."

"What's normal? You making fun of us? Hexing every house and being the bully you love to be."

"You don't put this on me... I am not a bully. This is not what I wanted."

"But it's what happened."

"Alright that's enough." Malfoy and Harry say at the same time.

Hermione pushes Ron away when he is distracted and pulls out her wand pointing it at Malfoy. Malfoy stepped backward.

"Put your wand down or so help me I'll put you in the infirmary myself."

Hermione glances to see Karina holding her wand up to her head.

"Come on Hermione... he isn't worth it." Ron says glaring at Malfoy while trying to slowly pull Karina's arm down.

Hermione sighs angrily then puts down her wand. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered.

"C'mon," Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons.

"Karina please put it down. Everything is fine now." Ron says while slightly standing in front of her wand  which is still pointed at Hermione.

"It will never be fine Ron. Don't you understand. I tried to be nice from the start, but just because I'm a Slytherin everyone had to hate me and think I was such a bad person, before even getting to know me. I will always be known as the bad evil Slytherin. We are just going to go back and forth... this war will be never ending."

"Why don't you be the first one to try and end it then? For good." Ron smiles sadly as Karina shakes her head then looks up at the sky.

She sighs then spins the wand away from Hermione and back into her back pocket. She turns to look at Ron and Harry who are looking off like they are waiting for something bad to happen.

"Tell your muggle friend to keep my name out of her mouth... and to stay away from me and my friends. If she threatens them again I will have no choice but to retaliate."

"Karina!" Harry whines as Karina turns around and bumps her shoulder in Hermione's then disappears into the school.

"I don't think this war will ever be over." Ron says looking at Hermione who is glaring at the space that Karina just left.

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"Why does everything you do and everything you say have to revolve around them? Around him? W-what do you gain? Why does your life have to revolve around him? Everything is about them and him and never me and you. You just tease, and you plot, and you y-you just always have to say something or do something to them. It's never ending."

Karina stands in front of Draco as he looks at her with a blank face.

"We haven't talked in two weeks because of them... no him. For what? Why does everything you and I do revolve around him dray? You don't have to be this way. You just be you. You know Buckbeak doesn't deserve what you've done. You're wrong one hundred percent, but you just did it anyways. Why? To get a one up on them... on him? To hurt him? I'm so confused Draco please talk to me. Why are you being like this?"

There's fire in Draco's eyes and his mind is telling him so many things. So many bad things that he doesn't want.

"Why are you not talking to me? You always talk to me. God Draco, you're slowly turning into your father."

Suddenly, Draco grabs Karina's face and makes her back up until her back hits the wall. Gripping her cheeks he gets close to her face disregarding the tears and fear in her eyes.

"I... am NOT him. I will never be him. Don't ever say that again. Do you hear me?!"

Karina nods quickly making tears stream down her. She's too in shock to say or do anything else other than nod. Draco suddenly looks at his fearful girlfriend and snaps out of his anger.

He let's go of her face to show a slight bruise and instantly pulls her into a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so sorry Karina. I-I just lost it for a second. You know I'm not him. I would never hurt you intentionally."

"You scared me."

As those words leave her mouth Draco drops to the floor on his knees and wraps his arms around Karina's waist. His face in her stomach as he sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You know I would never hit you. I-I just got angry when you said I was turning into my father. He's a monster... I'm not him. You know why I do and say what I say is because of him and the dark mark. I have to it's our name it's the way we have to be."

"No you don't have to be like that. You can be you. You can be sweet and caring. Just pretend they don't- the Gryffindors... Well Harry pretend he doesn't exist."

Karina slides down to the floor and is instantly pulled into a kiss. Their lips move together perfectly in sync. The roughness of the kiss makes Karina groan. Draco lightly grabs the back of her head moves to kiss down her neck.

"This is how it has to be love. You know that." He murmurs through each peck he gives to her neck.

"I don't like it." She whispers with her eyes closed.

Suddenly, she no longer feels kisses and opens her eyes. Draco sits caressing her face.

"I know love. But for now that's how it has to be. If you want to leave I don't blame yo-"

"Shut up Draco. I'm not going to leave you. Never. I can't. It'll hurt too much. I just wish things could be different. I wish you could show the person you truly are... not the person your father is trying to make you into."

"I never want to lose you Karina. I'm so sorry for scaring you. And I'm sorry I gave you a slight bruise but I would never hit you. I love you too much for that to happen. I wish I could too. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a Malfoy. I want to just be me... for my mom, for me, for you. Please don't leave me."

Karina leans forward and lightly kisses him then pulls away. Draco stands up then helps her off the ground. He pulls her over to his bed and lays her down then lays down behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist as their legs tangle. Kissing her on the forehead the two lay in his bed thinking about everything to come in the future and how in the world they will be okay.