Hogwarts seemed different, yet the same when I walked back inside after Christmas break. The portraits all were in their same spots, all gently nestled against the castle walls. The ghosts still passed gracefully down the halls. The food was still incredible, every morsel would make you moan in delight. But I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, there was just this feeling in the air and this chill that ran down my spine that had me walking on egg shells. 

Classes weren't due to start for a couple of days, so after eating lunch with Harry and the rest of Gryffindor house I told them I was going down to the dungeons to borrow a book from my brother. But really I needed to find Draco, and I already knew where he would be. Harry never was great a guarding his treasured map. 

The door to the room of requirement  creaked loudly as I slowly made my way inside. "Who's there?" I heard Draco call from inside. 

"It's me." I called out to him. Draco quickly appeared at the end of a row of abandoned picture frames. I immediately knew he wasn't sleeping any more than I was, the large purple bags under his eyes seemed to grow since the last time I saw him. His shoulders slouched forward, his posture giving off the amount of weight he had lost. He was still broken, only more so. 

Just seeing him standing here, knowing the same pain that was brewing behind his pale grey eyes were flowing through mine. Made me break down. Before I had been so strong for him and I. I had been the one holding us together when everything around us seemed to be breaking us down, but looking at him and knowing how stupid I had been, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. 

"I should have stayed here." I whimpered, falling to my knees in front of him. "I should have stayed here and helped you." 

Draco walked over to me slowly before falling to the floor in front of me. He cupped the side of my head before resting his forehead against my own. "I'm so sorry." His voice quivered softly to me. 

"I was so stupid. I don't know why I thought I could be happy one last time before this war really began." I wrapped my arms around Draco's lean frame and clutched at the back of his sweater as if it was my only lifeline keeping me grounded. I could tell Draco didn't really know what to say to me, heck I wouldn't know what to say either. 

"Did you see her? my mother?" I whispered, pulling my head away from him gently. Draco nodded slowly, but his eyes told me there was something more. 

"What is it? Draco I know you're keeping something from me." I was now pleading with him. 

"I saw your father too." He mumbled, looking away from me. 

"Well he does work at the ministry," I said, wondering why seeing my father was such a big deal. Our fathers have worked together all this time. 

"No, not at the ministry. He was at my house. He was sitting there, right beside you-know-who and my father. I was kicked out of the room before anything happened, but he was there. He was sitting right there while your mother was still laying in the dungeons floors below us." 

My eyes widened at the thought of my father actually joining Voldemort's side. No he wouldn't do that, he would never turn against the ministry and everything they believe in. He would never join the dark lord, especially after everything that has happened with me. 

"That's not possible." I mumbled, pulling myself off of the dusty floor. "It had to have been someone else."

"Ali, it was your father. I spent enough time with him two years ago to know him. Voldemort even called him by name. I'm not saying he's joined Voldemort's side, but there was definitely something going on there. " Draco told me. He grabbed my arm gently and started guiding me in the direction of the cabinet. 

"I really don't think I can focus on this right now Draco," I scoffed, running my hand through my hair. 

"Theres nothing to focus on. I've fixed it." 

~

Draco never told me how he got the cabinet working. But it was both a huge burden lifted off my shoulders, and an even larger one setting itself on my heart. Dumbledore would die soon. I knew  it would either be by my hand or Snape's. Draco liked to appear tough to everyone around him but really, he would never be able to do this. Hell I don't even have faith in my own ability to finish this task. 

But the closer the day came that the death eaters would be entering the school, the more jittery me and Draco became. During our Apperation lesson, I splinched myself at least five times. Madam Pomfrey got tired of having to reattach my limbs, but I did eventually pass my exam. Knowing I would get to visit my dragon finally anytime I wanted was the one positive thing that came from that. 

Harry quit asking me what was wrong. He knew. He knew what was coming, and I had a strange suspicion that he knew what my task entailed. But he would never ask me what it was. He had his own things he was doing, things I knew were none of my business so I never bothered to ask. We just held each other silently, giving each other the company and support we both needed even though we were both secretly dying on the inside. I loved Harry for that. When I needed silence, he gave it to me. When I needed him to make me laugh, he was there. 

But walking into the Great Hall, that sense of dread suddenly came back. I could see Harry standing in the center of the room, talking with Katie Bell. Draco's unmistakable white hair was facing away from me. And as Harry and Katie's gaze turned in our direction, I knew Harry had figured it out. That Draco was the one who cursed Katie Bell. 

Draco knew too, and turned around quickly before briskly walking down the hallway. Harry was quick in jogging out of the Great Hall, chasing after him. I caught up to him quickly and yanked him backwards.

"Harry, don't." I whispered to him. Harry's eyes were blazing red, he was spewing anger and I wasn't sure I could detain him without magic. 

"You know what he did." Harry growled to me, ripping his arm from my grasp. He was then quick in chasing Draco into the boys lavatory. I rolled my eyes before running inside after him. 

"I know what you did, Malfoy!" Harry yelled to Draco. Draco was sobbing over a sink, before turning at Harry's voice and shooting a spell his way. I was not preparing for a fight between these two when I woke up this morning. 

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted towards Draco who was running backwards towards a bathroom stall. Their duel was getting ridiculous, and I would hate to be at the end of Filch's wrath when he sees this mess. 

"Stop!"I shouted, running into the center of the room, between both men. I held both arms out, making it so neither of them could cast a spell at the other. 

"Harry, you need to leave." I said to my boyfriend who was still fuming. 

"You're taking his side?" He growled, clearly aggravated that he couldn't move his hand. "He was the one who cursed Katie."

"That was horrible. Draco knows it was horrible. Harry you need to leave and let me handle this. I told you to trust me." I said softly, trying to reason with him. Or at least keep him from killing Draco. 

"Do you trust me?"I whispered. Harry hesitated but finally nodded slowly. 

"I dont trust him, though." 

"And I'm not asking you too. You just need to know that I will take care of this." I told him. I had no idea what Draco was even doing behind me, I'm guessing his anger was mimicking Harry's though. 

When Harry nodded, I turned my attention to Draco. 

"Are you good? You aren't going to attack when I lower my hand?" I asked. Draco shook his head. 

I breathed out a sigh before lowering both hands. I took a step back ready to walk out with both men, Harry had other ideas however. 

" Sectumsempra!" He shouted quickly, quicker than I could have even stopped him. My eyes widened seeing Draco fly backwards, blood immediately spewing from his body.

"Oh my God."I whimpered, falling beside Draco who was crying and clutching at his stomach. He was writhing in pain and I hated that Harry was the one to do this to him.

"What spell was that?" I growled at Harry, whilst clutching Draco's hand to my chest. 

"I don't know." Harry whispered, looking horrified at what he had just done. I knew he immediately regretted what he did, it was written all over his face. But right now I was too angry to care. 

"Ali, it hurts." Draco cried out, holding my hand tightly. A tear rolled down my cheek looking at how much in pain he was, and I didn't know what to do. 

"Harry you have to go get help, he's losing a lot of blood." I cried out to him. Harry nodded before sprinting out of the bathroom. 

I let go of Draco's hand before hovering both of mine over his abdomen. I had no idea if what I was about to try would work, I had never tried healing with my powers before but it couldn't hurt to try. I closed my eyes and thought desperately about healing his wounds, about his blood returning itself to his body. 

I opened my eyes several minutes later to see the floor clean around him, the blood was slowly returning itself into his wound, and it was slowly beginning to close. Draco wasn't whimpering as much as before, but I could feel my body growing weaker. I could feel the magic leaving my body and pouring itself into Draco's. I couldn't stop though, I wasn't going to let Draco die on the floor of a bathroom because Harry was too impulsive. 

I heard the bathroom door slam open, and I looked up to see Harry running inside with Snape trailing along. Both of them looked at the scene in front of them with widened eyes. Snape more so than Harry. But the second I knew Draco's wounds were closed, I pulled my hands away. But it wasn't a second later that everything went black, and my body slumped onto the floor.