Winter break went by slowly. Greta declined Ron's offer to stay at his house and instead chose to remain at Hogwarts. She just needed some time to think. While she wasn't sure what Draco meant when he was talking to Snape, she did know that he was behind the necklace that cursed Katie.

When everyone else returned to school, Harry had informed Hermione, Ron, and Greta that Dumbledore had given him an assignment a while back to get to know Slughorn better for reasons he couldn't tell them. That must've been why Harry was eager to hang out with the awkward professor.

One night, however, Ron had been given poisoned wine by accident after being cured from a strong love potion that was meant for Harry. As they all sat in the hospital wing, everyone was curious as to what had happened.

"This indeed has a strong poison in it," Dumbledore concluded after sniffing the wine. "Where did you get this?"

"Someone gave it to me," Slughorn admitted. "They intended it as a gift for you."

"And you're not sure who gave this to you?"

"No, Sir."

Suddenly, Lavender burst through the doors. "My Won-Won needs me!"

Hermione and Greta sighed exhaustedly.

Not this again!

"What are you doing here?" Lavender demanded. "Have you suddenly found him interesting now that he's in the hospital wing?"

"He's been poisoned, you daft dimbo!" Hermione scoffed. "And, to be frank, I've always found him interesting. Maybe you're the one who's here for attention."

"I am his girlfriend!"

"And I'm his… friend."

Ron started to stir slightly and mumble.

"Quiet! He senses my presence." Lavender moved to Ron's side. "Don't worry, Won-Won. I'm here!"

"Her… mione…" Ron mumbled. "Hermione…"

Everyone else fell silent while Lavender burst into tears and ran out of the hospital wing.

"Ah, young love," Dumbledore mused. "It's always been filled with heartbreak."

Greta knew what he meant. After all, she still didn't know what had happened between her and Draco.

Harry gave Hermione a playful smirk.

"Shut up," Hermione smiled. She had her hand resting on top of Ron's hand.

I think they're going to be ok.

Time Skip

The next day had arrived and the four were eating breakfast in the Great Hall.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Hermione questioned Ron.

"Not really," Ron answered. "I remember a little bit of talking though."

"Nothing at all?"

Ron thought for a moment, parted his mouth as if he were going to say something, then laughed. "That can't be right. So, how did Lavender and I break up exactly?"

"Well, there was some talking last night and it just kind of happened," Hermione shrugged.

"She kind of seems… on edge."

They all turned around to see a pissed off Lavender jabbing her fork onto her plate.

"Yeah, she really does," Harry agreed.

Katie Bell passed by them.

"Harry, that's Katie," Hermione whispered.

Harry stood up and went to go talk to Katie. Greta's attention wavered in a different direction. She was looking for Draco. Just because he didn't want to talk to her didn't mean that she couldn't look at him, right? When she finally spotted him, he had a stressed expression on his face. Greta had never seen him look like this before. It was way different than his confident attitude, and it really showed. Greta noticed that Draco's eyes widened at the sight of Harry and he rushed out of the Great Hall as quickly as he could.

Greta stood up. "I'll be right back. There's something that I need to take care of."

As Greta followed Draco, she tried to stay out of sight, knowing that he would lash out at her. That wasn't the smartest idea, however, because she ended up losing him.

"Crap!" Greta muttered. She continued to search anyway.

When she passed by the abandoned girl's bathroom, she heard a quiet sobbing noise.

Could it be him?

She snuck inside and hung to the bathroom walls. The sobbing grew louder the closer she got, making her worry even more.

(WARNING: SELF HARM UP AHEAD!)

A small gasp escaped her lips at what she saw. Draco was sitting on the floor crying with a glass shard from a broken mirror cutting at his wrist. Blood dripped down the side of his arm and the glass shard. There appeared to be something black on his arm, but Greta couldn't make out what it was.

"Draco, what are you doing?" Greta ran to his side.

"Greta?"

"Please give me the piece of glass," Greta requested.

Draco obeyed. Greta set the bloodied glass shard aside. She held Draco's face in her hands with tears threatening to spill. "Draco, why are you hurting yourself? Why?"

"You wouldn't understand." Draco face was full of guilt.

"Yes, I would! You can't keep hiding things from me. I miss you so much, Draco. I've been worrying about you all year. Please, tell me! I won't be mad at you."

Draco could hardly keep himself together as he spoke. "I-I don't want to have that disgusting mark on me anymore."

"What mark?" Greta held up the arm that Draco had cut. There was a Dark Mark on it. She glanced at Draco with a confused and scared expression on her face. "You're… you're one of them?"

"My dad forced me to," Draco sobbed. "I didn't want to. I really didn't, but he made me. I've done terrible things, Greta. I cursed Bell, poisoned Weasley, and I'm supposed to kill Dumbledore."

"Kill Dumbledore?"

"Voldemort threatened to kill me and my parents if I didn't," Draco continued. "Please, don't hate me! You're all I have left. I'm sorry for the way I've acted, but I had to push you away, or else Voldemort would kill you too. I'm so sorry."

Greta tried to wipe away Draco's tears, but he couldn't stop crying. "I don't hate you, Draco. That mark on your arm doesn't define you. I believe that you're still the Draco I fell in love with. I promise that everything is going to be ok."

Draco latched himself onto Greta and cried harder than he ever had before. He felt extremely vunerable and safe, and he wasn't quite sure of how to handle all of the pain that he had been building up. All Greta did was hold him tight, whisper comforting words, and cry with him. It made Draco feel a little better.

"I love you," Greta promised.

"I love you too," Draco repeated.

"Greta, what are you doing with him?"

Both Draco and Greta turned to face Harry, who was standing just outside the area that they were in.

"Harry, I…" Greta didn't know how to break it to him. She was all out of words to say.

"Is this why you never see us anymore? Why you always run off without explanation?" Harry accused. "Why would you ever go out with him?! He is our enemy and a Death Eater! You should know how dangerous he is. I've liked you for years, Greta, and you settle for Malfoy out of all people?"

"Draco has changed, Harry," Greta defended. "You don't know him the way I do. He loves me and you should just stop your petty rivalry."

Harry held his wand out and muttered darkly, "You have no idea what he's done."

He cast a spell. Draco pushed Greta out of the way and cast a different spell to defend himself.

"Stop! Please!" Greta cried. "You're going to get hurt!"

The duel only continued, despite Greta's pleading. Harry then shouted a spell that Greta had never heard of and it shot Draco directly in the chest. Draco fell to the ground, gasping and withering in pain. Coming from all over his body, blood was shed and it continued to spread.

"Draco!" Greta sobbed. She ran to his side and caressed Draco's face. "Draco…"

Draco only tried to fight back tears, but he couldn't. The pain in his body worsened.

Professor Snape ran in. "Miss Clayton, I'd advise that you move out of the way."

Greta obeyed and let Snape seal up Draco's wounds. He lifted Draco off of the bathroom floor and held him close to his chest.

"I'm going to take him to Madam Pomfrey," Snape told Harry and Greta. "Go back to your common room and we will sort this out later."

Greta nodded and left the bathroom in tears. Harry followed her.

"Greta, I--"

"I can't believe you, Harry!" Greta snapped. "Why are you always like this?! Ever since the Yule Ball, I just-- ugh!"

"It's not my fault you wanted to date Malfoy," Harry sassed. "You shouldn't have gotten involved with whatever mess he sorted himself into."

"That's the thing, Harry! You never listen to me. You didn't treat me like your date at the Yule Ball, you kept accusing Draco of things without evidence, and you could've killed him! He's my boyfriend, Harry, and I love him! He's changed for me. He told me that he didn't want to be a Death Eater. His father forced him to. You just don't believe in second chances, do you? Get out of my life! I don't want to see you again."

Word Count: 1537