"My love for you was bulletproof, but you're the one that shot me."

~Bulletproof Love, Pierce the Veil

Even though I was exhausted and overwhelmed with all that had happened--not to mention what Harry accused me of--I plowed through and told the others what Dumbledore had told us in charms the next day. Harry cast a spell from the Prince's book to block out unwanted noise and stares, so it looked as if we were just working on spells.

"Wow," said Ron, when Harry and I had finally finished telling the four of them everything; Ron was waving his wand very vaguely in the direction of the ceiling without paying attention to what he was doing. "Wow. You're both actually going to go with Dumbledore... and try and destroy... wow."

"Ron, you're making it snow," said Hermione patiently, grabbing his wrist and redirecting his wand away from the ceiling.

Lavender noticed and glared at Hermione from a neighboring table through very red eyes, and Hermione immediately let go of Ron's arm.

"Apparently you can't be friends with the opposite gender without wanting to marry them and have twelve dogs with them." Gennie snorted defensivley, glaring at Lavender.

"Well damn, Rory, we'll have to take the puppies back to the shelter!" Cole said in mock annoyance. Gennie rolled her eyes. "Don't worry love, I'd never get puppies with Rory. I'd get kittens."

"Of course you would," I snorted. "I swear, if it wasn't for Gennie you'd end up being a cat man with like forty cats."

"Oh trust me, there'll still be forty cats the house, whether I'm living with him or not." Gennie said fondly. She patted at her hair, which was flaked with white. "Ron, it looks like we all have dandruff now, you moron."

Ron brushed some of the fake snow off Hermione's shoulder Lavender burst into tears. Ron looked immensely guilty and turned his back on her.

"We split up," he told Harry and I out of the corner of his mouth, Hermione pretending she couldn't hear (she totally could), "Last night. When she saw me coming out of the dormitory with Hermione. Obviously she couldn't see you two, so she thought it had just been the two of us."

"What a shame, mate." Cole said, clapping Ron on the shoulder, though he didn't sound sympathetic. "I was really growing on the adventures of Won-Won and Lav-Lav."

Everybody burst into giggles, apart from Ron who gave us really unamused looks. "Well, you don't mind it's over, do you?" Harry pointed out.

"No," Ron admitted. "It was pretty bad while she was yelling, but at least I didn't have to finish it."

"Coward," said Hermione, though she looked amused. "Well, it was a bad night for romance all around. Ginny and Dean split up too, Harry."

Harry nodded, trying to look casual, but if I knew my brother he was doing the conga inside his head. "How come?" he said, though his voice broke, which he fixed by coughing loudly.

"Oh, something really silly... she said he was always trying to help her through the portrait hole, like she couldn't climb in herself... but they've been a bit rocky for ages."

I glanced over at Dean on the other side of the classroom. He looked unhappy.

We all had a free lesson after charms so we walked back to the common room together. Ron and Hermione seemed quite cheery, talking casually and laughing about something. Gennie and Cole as usual were being cute, swinging their intertwined hands as they walked down the hall.

This of course left Harry and I at the back, where Harry was having a dilemma, of course about Ginny. "So, when are you asking her out?" I asked in an excited whisper.

"She's Ron's sister." Harry said with a deep sigh.

"Yeah, and Malfoy and you hate each other, and Arthur is Cole's cousin, but that never stopped me." I huffed. "She's just ditched Dean, try and get her to warm up to you."

"But she's still Ron's sister, I'm his best mate, it'll make everything worse." Harry grumbled.

"Then talk to him, he'll understand." I said soothingly. "Like I'm almost sure George talked to Hollie before he asked Lacey out, make sure she was okay with everything."

"What if he hits me?"

"Ron has the combined strength of a noodle and a wet wipe, get over yourself." I rolled my eyes, clapping his shoulder. "You're just looking for excuses now."

We climbed through the portrait hole, and a bunch of seventh years were crowded around a single chair. I was confused, until Gennie cried, 

"Katie! You're back! Are you okay?"

It was Katie Bell, looking completely healthy and surrounded by her relieved friends. Gennie pulled her into a tight hug--they'd always been close until she'd left the team last year. She gave me a quick hug too before turning to us all.

"I'm really well!" she said happily. "They let me out of St. Mungo's on Monday, I had a couple of days at home with Mum and Dad and then came back here this morning. Leanne was just telling me about McLaggen and the last match, Harry..."

"Yeah," said Harry, "well, Ron and you are okay now, that's all that matters."

Katie's friends began gathering their things up, they were running late for transfiguration. Harry stood closer to her, and whispered,  "... that necklace... can you remember who gave it to you now?"

"No," said Katie, shaking her head ruefully. "Everyone's been asking me, but I haven't got a clue. The last thing I remember was walking into the ladies' in the Three Broomsticks."

"So you were in the bathrooms, you remember that much?" I asked. "Maybe somebody wiped your memories."

"Well, I know I pushed open the door," said Katie, "so I suppose whoever Imperiused me was standing just behind it. After that, my memory's a blank until about two weeks ago in St. Mungo's. Listen, I'd better go, I wouldn't put it past McGonagall to give me lines even if it is my first day back..."

"Well it's great to see you back," I smiled, and then Katie said goodbye to us all and left, following her friends.

"So it must have been a girl or a woman who gave Katie the necklace," said Hermione, "to be in the ladies' bathroom."

"Or someone who looked like a girl or a woman," pointed out Cole. "Don't forget, there was a cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion at Hogwarts. Emphasis of Was.."

"I think I'm going to take another swig of Felix," said Harry, "and have a go at the Room of Requirement again."

"Well that's a waste of time," Gennie muttered. She raised her voice and said. "You don't need luck to find a person, you need luck when you're hunting horcruxes in dangerous situations!"

"She has a point, you weren't given much of the potion." I added.

"Couldn't we make some more?" Ron asked Harry.  "It'd be great to have a stock of it... have a look in the book... "

Harry pulled his copy of Advanced Potion-Making out of his bap, and looked up Felix Felicis. "Blimey, it's seriously complicated," he said, running an eye down the list of ingredients. "And it takes six months... you've got to let it stew..."

"Typical," Cole snorted.

Ginny did not seem at all upset about the breakup with Dean. Her imitations of Ron anxiously bobbing up and down in front of the goal posts as the Quaffle sped toward him were hilarious.

They were so hilarious that Harry kept getting hit by bludgers because he wasn't concentrating on the snitch. It was cute to watch though--not to mention Gennie, Cole, Hermione and I all had stakes in when Harry would finally ask her out..

However, it was now into May and Harry hadn't made a move on Ginny yet, meaning Gennie lost two galleons on her bet. Arthur and I were now comprimised in a complicated relationship.

We were off our break, but now the two of us were taking things even more slower and awkwardly than we had done before. There were blushes and awkward asking before we kissed each other, and highly embarassing goodbyes where it was clear Arthur wanted to say more to me than just 'Bye, see you later'.

We were working at it, but as Malfoy looked thinner and sadder as the days went on I was finding it harder to move away from my concern into a proper relationship with Arthur. I couldn't help worry that one day Arthur would just get sick of me and dump me for a person who could love him better than I ever could.

But I had to push all of the romantic complications away from my life, as the final Quidditch match was fast approaching betweeen us and Ravenclaw. The lead up had the usual features of team members getting jinxed and chants about how crap the players were.

Sam was possibly the only person who couldn't be less interested in the Quidditch match. I kept an eye on her in classes when she was whispering to Malfoy, and I couldn't help notice how thin she'd gotten, and how her hands shook everytime she wrote. She insisted she was fine, but how could she be when she was dying from something without a cure?

But she seemed to be making it her dying wish to sleep with every attractive girl in the school--hardly a day went by when I didn't see her sneak out of a cupboard with another house tie on and her hair ruffled.

But in the midst of all this, I still kept up my hobby of trying to find Malfoy in the room of requirement, as Sam always dodged questions when I asked her what she was planning with him. I checked the map daily, and I was certain he was in there most days. 

After leaving Arthur with a quick kiss so he could go on patrols, I couldn't help look at the map out of boredom. To my surprise, Malfoy was in the sixth floor bathrooms haunted by Myrtle. But even more surprising--Harry was heading towards him.

Shoving the map into my jeans pocket, I ran down two flights of stairs and almost knocked a suit of armour over in my haste. The door was swinging shut, and I darted in and crept behind a cubicle door so Malfoy wouldn't see me.

With the cubicle door slightly open I could see Malfoy's white blonde hair crouched over a sink. But then the exit door swang open slightly and I noticed Harry poking his head around it.

"Don't," crooned Moaning Myrtle's voice from one of the cubicles. I prayed she wouldn't find me. "Don't... tell me what's wrong ... I can help you..."

"No one can help me," said Malfoy. I noticed his whole body was shaking. "I can't do it... I can't... It won't work... and unless I do it soon ... he says he'll kill me..."

I heard an ugly gasping sound, and I realised he was sobbing into the sink, shoulders shuddering with each breathy sob. He looked so vulnerable and unlike the boy who smashed my heart, I froze.

But in my shock at his breakdown, I stayed frozen as he pointed his wand in Harry's direction, sending a hex at him. It missed him by inches and Harry darted into the bathroom, shooting a spell at him, which he quickly deflected. 

I didn't know what to do, I was a stupid rabbit in the headlights. Maybe if I just got help--an small explosion went off as a jix made a bin explode, water was pouring from the leaking sinks, and the explosion made my door slam open, but the boys carried on, not noticing my presence.

Harry slipped to the floor, as Malfoy lifted his wand to shout, "Cruci--"

But Harry bellowed, "SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Everything went in slow motion.

There was a gut instict inside of me that this spell was bad, it was going to have chauoutic effects if it hit his target. And as the spell lifted itself from Harry's wand, I could feel myself running in the direction of the spell.

And Malfoy saw me, his eyes in shock, screaming no! And in that split second I looked into his eyes and the boy who once loved me was reborn in the painful grey.  And as I pushed him behind me, I felt a tear on my t-shirt. 

Looking down, I pawed at the material to see a huge slash across my stomach. Red came onto my hand, glistening. And then I felt faint, and was falling backwards, but arms caught me before I could hit the ground.

"NO!" I heard Harry shout, but it was like I was drowning in scarlet water, he was very far away.

"Ow," I mumbled, pawing at the sodden matieral again. I felt as if I was very light, unravelling through blood and water.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING STANDING THERE! GET HELP!"

I heard a squeak of trainers and a door slam shut. Everything was fuzzy, and suddenly everything seemed painful and fragile at the same time. "D-Draco, it, it hurts."

"I know, darling, I know." Malfoy whispered, and I felt him move his arms around me, pressing his hands against the gaping wound, his fingers lightly brushing against mine. Lips brushed against my forehead, and I shut my eyes, feeling at peace.

"No, no, no, you can't shut your eyes!" Malfoy yelped, and I felt a red hand brush against my cheek. "You can't leave, no you can't leave with you still thinking I hate you. No, no, Rory, I need you to stay, I need you so damn much."

I coughed, and a spasm of pain rocketed through my side, whimpering. "It's ironic." I mumbled drowsily, everything fuzzy and out of focus. "After all you did to hurt me, I still basically jump in front of a bullet for you, you utter asshat."

"I know I am, I know." Malfoy said, and he sounded like he was sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Aurora, I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you."

"What the lying part, or pretending to love me part?" I mumbled, black spots covering my vision as the red water ran on through the floor tiles. "Because both hurt, not as much as this though. Being close to y-you when dying knowing you don't care."

"You're not dying, shut up." He snapped. "Where the hell is your brother?"

The door slammed open and a fuzzy image of black appeared over me. "Grim reaper, what are you doing here?" I mumbled.

The support of Malfoy's arms went away and I heard him swearing loudly as I saw the dark figure--Snape?--leam over me, muttering a spell. The red river seemed to ease, but everything was still fuzzy and all over the place.

"--She needs the hospital wing immeadiatley, the wound is sizable." Snape said, though his voice was quiet, like he was talking through a tunnel. "--Draco, carry her, she can't support herself."

I felt arms scoop under my back and I was in the air, wound still leaking and headache bouncing around in my brain. I could barely keep my eyes open as Malfoy carried me to the hospital wing, darkness and light melding into a strange grey light.

And then I was on a bed, seperated from Malfoy. In my half-awake stay, I grasped at his shirt. "D-Don't leave."

"Never again." His voice was far away and I felt as if I was drifting away. "Rory, I--"

And as the burning pain and darkness shoved me into unconciouness, I swore I heard him whisper three words.

- - - - - - 

A/N So, um this happened... I really hope you all have insurance for your emotions, because wow... That chapter was so painful and raw to write I'm just wow.

Next chapter some people will be visiting Rory in the hospital wing, and then the climax of this will finally begin.... (Don't expect next chapter for a while though, I'm going skiing on the 27th)

PS: I was reading cute story ideas on Tumblr, and I thought that if Rory ever took Draco to a supermarket he'd probably sit in the trolley while she pushed him around because he'd be so fasinated... And yeah, here's some nice fluffy thoughts to heal everyone after the turn of events in this chapter lol.