Chapter 18. Aftermath.

The elves were frantic. They did quite a miracle containing the fire into the attic, but now they just wanted to put it out badly. Bill, Fleur, McGonagall and Molly watched open mouthed as neon purple flames danced behind the wards that the elves had hurriedly put together.

The house shaking and the loud screams had woken them up from their nightmares, and they had run upstairs, following their instincts that something bad was happening with You-know-who's artefacts. Now, as the elves finally managed to put out the fire, they were stunningly looking at the devastation in the attic. Everything had been burned out. The roof was gone and the floor looked as if it will give way soon. The entire room was an undistinguishable mass of burned stone and piles of ash.

The elves ran over to a body in the very middle of the disaster zone. The grown-ups took a second to recognize what it was, and hurriedly approached it too. They took care of testing the way with their wands first, as they didn't want to risk a fall. The elves were hastily trying to levitate the unconscious heap out of the unstable attic. Bill caught up with them midway and carried the boy the rest of the road.

The little group got downstairs quickly and entered Harry's and Draco's room. Bill put his charge on the nearest bed and everyone started to really process what they had just witnessed. They didn't even have to wonder about the artefacts that had been stored in the attic. Everyone knew they had been destroyed. They could feel it in the lack of oppression in the air.

"What the hell happened?" Bill questioned finally.

No one had an answer for him. They checked Malfoy up, surprising themselves at the fact that the boy seemed to be intact. However, he wouldn't wake up, no matter how hard they tried to call him. McGonagall scowled and huffed in irritation.

"What was he doing there? He was practically amongst the flames!"

"He probably arrived before us Minerva." Said Molly.

"Well, clearly he did. But how much earlier? And how did he manage to enter with that fire?"

Fleur looked quizzically at the boy.

"Ma'be he stagted it? 'hen he gotta stuck."

Bill scowled. Malfoy could have looked like someone trapped in a fire if he would have at least some burnings. On the other hand, a purple fire? That had been strange.

"Maybe he was trying to destroy You-know-who's artefacts and his magic got out of control." Molly concluded. A month ago, Madam Pomfrey had deemed safe for Draco to practice magic again. She had needed to check his magical core's strength and had given instructions for him to practice supervised by Moody. Since then Draco had been permitted to carry a spare wand that Kreacher had produced from somewhere. Bill sighed.

"Well, I think he pretty much succeeded."

"I must say that it was a very dangerous deed. It could destroy the entire house easily! It was so... reckless!" Said McGonagall, clearly distressed by the events.

"Calm down Minerva dear." Said Molly. "No one was hurt... well, I certainly hope that the boy is not hurt either. I'll contact Madam Pomfrey immediately. He may need medical attention!"

The woman put herself into motion, flustered that she had not thought about informing the mediwitch earlier. McGonagall followed her, still muttering under her breath about how they had enough with Gryffindor's heroics and they didn't need the Slytherins to start following the same path. Bill looked at the unconscious boy a last time, a bit wary. He didn't know why but Malfoy had been giving him the creeps since he had arrived to Grimmauld place. It was strange. He didn't have the oversensitive senses that Remus had, but he could tell that something in the blond boy was... Well, not exactly wrong... It just felt weird. Like a voice in the back of his head telling him that there was something there that shouldn't be allowed.

Fleur had perceived it too. She said that her veela half wanted to protect the boy. How odd. Bill had first theorized that maybe Malfoy was also part veela but Fleur had denied that. She had said it was just different. She was sure there was something in him, perhaps some creature blood, which she was able to sense but not identify. It was just weird. Bill shook his head and both him and his wife left the room, suddenly wary of what could happen if they linger more than necessary around the blond.

Harry and the rest were ready to return home. It was just time for dinner and the boy wanted to eat in the house and put everyone at rest. The rebels that had aided them were well organized and resourceful. They had put the Order of the Phoenix to shame in Harry's view, as they didn't need Dumbledore to know what had to be done.

Hermione's injuries had been treated, and the young witch was embarrassed to have been a burden in battle. Harry had dismissed it, saying that they had been outnumbered and had been lucky to get out of there alive. If Moody hadn't contacted Remus before hand, telling him where they had been heading, and if the werewolf hadn't arrived with reinforcements, they would surely have ended dead.

Harry was proud that Remus had managed to get such wonderful allies. The majority of them had been muggleborns who had refused to give up their wands and be slaves to the purebloods, but there were also a good number of half-bloods that were against Voldemort's views. It was a relief to know that the wizarding world was still fighting for freedom.

They were very careful returning home, apparating some blocks away and then walking to the old house disillusioned.

As soon as they put foot in the house, Harry knew that something had changed. He looked around the main parlour nervously. The house felt somehow lighter, but at the same time something was tugging at the back of his head. He couldn't explain it. It was as if someone needed help.

"Dobby!" He called.

The little elf appeared immediately, giving them all a huge smile.

"Master Harry Potter! Master Harry Potter is returned!"

"Dobby, where is everyone? What has happened?"

Dobby lost his smile and wriggled his hands in apprehension, but before he could answer McGonagall's voice greeted them from up the stairs.

"Oh! Thank Merlin you're already here! I hope you had been successful."

Alastor grinned ruefully and answered.

"Alas, we encountered some trouble. But made acquaintances with a group of rebels that Lupin is friends with. What's happened here? The house feels different."

Straight to the point. Harry was grateful for that because he didn't want to wait until they tell the entire story of their mission before knowing what had happened to Grimmauld place. McGonagall pressed her lips tightly.

"Well, it's difficult to explain. Actually Alastor, Madam Pomfrey needs your help."

"Pomfrey is here?" Asked Mad Eye curiously. As his auror training had included healing and several emergency spells, he had been the best aid to the mediwitch in the house.

"Yes." Was the short answer.

It was clear that there was something that McGonagall didn't want to tell them, or didn't know how to. Harry fumed and walked a few steps to the stairs.

"Professor, tell us what's the matter, please. Is something to do with the house?"

McGonagall sighed and after a short debacle with herself decided that there was no point in not telling them.

"Well, the two artefacts that were stored in the attic were destroyed over night." She said. Everyone gaped at her incredulously.

"What?"

"That- That's great!" Said the twins.

"How did you manage it?" Asked a worried Alastor, suspecting that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"We didn't. You see, apparently Mr. Malfoy was the one to do it."

Oh. He definitely didn't like the answer. What had the brat done now?

"Draco?" Said Harry surprised. "But how?"

"We don't know Mr. Potter. There was a terrible noise and we all went upstairs to see the attic in fire. A very special fire if you ask me. It was a bright purple, almost fluorescent. The house-elves managed to contain it and we found that Mr. Malfoy had been inside the attic. We suppose that he started the fire, but he has been unconscious since then. We had been unable to wake him."

Everyone was shocked, save Alastor who was trying very hard to not just start cursing. He quickly went upstairs to check on the boy. Honestly! The brat was supposed to be a Slytherin! This was not the time for him to channel his inner Gryffindor!

As soon as Moody got past McGonagall Harry tried to follow, but the elder witch stopped him.

"Mr. Potter, your presence is not necessary for now. Let Madam Pomfrey and Alastor work."

"Why? I want to see him!"

"You can wait a few moments."

"How badly hurt is he?" Asked Hermione, who was also worried and upset by the news. Malfoy had already managed to establish a tenuous friendship with her, and he was a good study partner.

"He's not hurt. Only unconscious." Said McGonagall shortly. The teens gaped at her.

"But, you said he was trapped in the fire!" Said Harry, now really confused about the gravity of the situation. McGonagall sighed.

"Yes, he was. And we all know that he should have been severely injured. But he isn't. Pomfrey came as soon as we contacted her and was surprised to see that he is physically fine. It's just his magic that has lowered its levels and once again is in danger of depletion, that's why he's unconscious. She thinks that it's only a matter of time for his magic core to recover and he'll be fine."

"And if it doesn't recover?" Asked a worried Harry. "Madam Pomfrey had already told us that Draco's magic was being sucked out somehow. That hadn't changed when we went on our mission; it's only that it had diminished. That's what she has been telling us."

"If his magical core is depleted, then it could cause serious damage to Malfoy, professor." Said Hermione. "He's not a squib, and his magic should be reasserting itself to reach its full potential, which it is not doing. He could end up incapacitated for life!"

Harry was terribly worried.

"But, what was he doing? He knows that he can't abuse his magic! He should have asked for help!"

McGonagall was very tempted to roll her eyes in exasperation at the boy, who had conveniently forgotten his own reluctance to ask for help in the past. She also refrained from bitterly comment that a Slytherin never asked for help, and focused in calming the distraught Gryffindor.

"Mr. Potter, I'm sure that Madam Pomfrey can fix whatever damage that Mr. Malfoy could have inflicted on himself. He's not a small child and was perfectly aware of the consequences should he make a bad use of his magic. Don't forget he's a Slytherin. He wouldn't have done anything that would be utterly detrimental for himself."

Harry mollified somewhat. He reasoned that Draco was not going to do any reckless heroics any time soon. Surely he had calculated whatever he had done so he was not harmed. He scowled. Well, whatever Draco had been thinking surely had not implied getting hurt, but that was exactly what had happened anyway! He protested a bit more, until McGonagall allowed them to wait for news at the boy's door.

They didn't have to wait much. Soon Madam Pomfrey, Molly and Alastor exited the room. Neither looked happy. The twins started to bombard them with questions until their mother yelled at them to be quiet. Then, Madam Pomfrey explained that they had no idea of how Malfoy had managed a spell powerful enough to destroy You-Know-Who's artefacts. His magical core had suffered greatly and was recovering slowly. She needed him to wake up for her to confirm if there could be long-term damage. Harry and the twins asked if they could stay with the blond. Pomfrey would have preferred that the boy was left alone, so he would rest undisturbed, but Moody told the youngsters that it was no problem. The three boys were inside of the room before the mediwitch could protest. Hermione followed them at a more sedate pace. Poppy glared daggers at Mad Eye, who dismissed her saying that they couldn't cause any more damage anyway.

Draco was floating. It was a weird feeling to be floating in nothingness. He could see clarity all around him, but not a single distinguishable shape. It was so dull. He tried calling for Sally, but there was no answer. He couldn't sense her anywhere. Idly he wondered why she had gone dormant again. Harry had not been away for too long.

Slowly he started to remember the attic, his surprise at having woken up there, with no memory of how he had gotten to the place. Then, there had been the evil magic of the Dark Lord's artefacts trying to invade him. The deep conviction that they had to be destroyed... He had done something, had he not? He remembered having felt powerful. So powerful, and invincible. So... big. It must have been Sally. She had done something to destroy the artefacts, and now she was dormant, and he... Well, he didn't know what the hell was happening to him!

Draco tried not to panic and remain calm. Snape had thought him enough techniques to focus his energy and perceive his surroundings better. He had a bit of difficulty, but eventually he started to feel his own body. He concentrated first on his breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Softly. Then a deep breathe. He started to feel his extremities and move his fingers. He was laying down on his right side, hopefully on his own bed. He'll kill Sally if he woke up in some underground facility where the inhabitants of St. Mungo's were hiding. He moved a bit, taking comfort on the familiar smell of the pillow. He couldn't perceive any disinfectant. Good. He started to open his eyes to take a look around.

The first thing he saw was a mass of black hair right in front of him. He blinked and pushed himself up to sit on the bed. He stared at his room in dreadful surprise for a moment and gulped. Beside him, on his bed, was Harry, sleeping in an awkward position. There was a cat at his feet. He recognized Crookshanks, Granger's monster. It was weird to see it there; the animal was rarely seen in the house. Draco hadn't even know that the cat was in residence until the day he had found Granger admonishing him in the garden for hunting birds. Draco's eyes moved from the purring form to Harry's usual bed, where the twins were tangled into each other and the sheets. The blond huffed and then focused in a corner where a divan had been fixed. Was it Fleur Weasley sleeping there? Finally he noticed Molly on an armchair next to the divan. He was starting to feel truly mortified. What in the fucking hell had happened?

He shook his head and concentrated once more, looking for the source of his own magic. He wasn't surprised to feel that the flow between him and Harry was stronger, but he was aghast to see that he was pulling on the other's magic too. His core seemed to be feeding on everything it could manage. Even the cat's magic was flowing at a minor degree into him. Merlin and all deities! What had Sally done?

A sudden thought made him start in fear. He quickly took his hands over his apparently flat belly, looking for signs of the life inside. There it was. Still strong and healthy. Malfoy sighed in relief. Then he looked over at Harry and debated about what to do. It was semi-dark in the room, but the curtains had been left open and Malfoy could see that morning was approaching. He looked around him again and bit his lip. He was familiar with the feeling of other's magic been pulled by his core. Sally prompted it on occasion when Harry left the house. But he had never tried to control it and was unsure of how to stop it. He concentrated again and tried to feel the different bonds that were now connecting his magic with the others'. He spent quite a while, but one by one he stopped the flow of magic from everyone except Harry and the House. The cat's had stopped by itself. He was just finishing with the twins' when a voice pulled him back to reality.

"Oh Merlin! Draco, you are awake!"

Malfoy hissed at the loud exclamation of Mrs. Weasley, and opened his eyes to see her getting up from the armchair and walking decidedly towards him.

"How long have you been up young man? You should have woken me!"

She started to fumble over him and forced him to lie down again. At his side, Harry stirred and lazily opened his eyes. Molly was trying to tuck him rather tightly in the bed.

"Are you feeling right dear?"

"Yes Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine."

"You wait here, while I call Pomfrey. Harry, go back to sleep sweetheart."

Molly got out of the room and Draco sighed in resignation. Harry's gaze was over him immediately. The blond boy pouted.

"I don't need Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine." He said morosely. He felt a hand squeezing his shoulder lightly.

"I'd like to be sure if you don't mind. You were unconscious for three days you know?"

Draco turned sharply to look at Harry. Three days! Was he joking?

"That long?"

"Yeah. Destroying dangerous artefacts commonly causes some kind of discomfort you know?" He said in an effort to joke. Malfoy paled. So, the things were indeed destroyed.

"A-Are you sure of that?"

"Absolutely. And it was quite impressive. Bill said that the fire was awesome. Purple fire! Could you believe that? I would have expected green fire from you. This time you managed to get everyone's attention. You should have seen Moody. He's totally loosing it. I think you've grown on him."

Draco gulped horrified. Mad Eye and Snape both were going to kill him! And he didn't even know what had happened! Harry smiled at him reassuringly.

"I think that you've spent too long around Gryffindors. You're starting to show recklessness yourself."

Draco made a face and tried to hide under the blankets.

"That's disgusting Potter! I'll never be so careless as to act like a Gryffindor!"

"Oh? Then what were you doing trying to destroy the hor-things all by yourself?"

"I wasn't! I-I don't know what happened! I-I..."

Draco curled and buried himself even more into the bedcovers. What was he going to do now? How was he going to explain that Sally had been the one to destroy the artefacts? If he mentioned he had been possessed by anything at the moment they'll remove him from the house for sure! How was he going to fix this?

The covers around him moved and he felt a hand on the nape of his neck. It started to trace small circles and play with his hair. He almost purred at the feeling. It was so good.

"It's ok. No one's blaming you for anything. I wish you'll tell me what's wrong, lately you've been not quite yourself."

Draco snorted. That was the understatement of the century. The comforter moved again as Harry tried to see his face.

"Draco, what's happening? These last months you have been acting... I don't know, sometimes is like you want to hide in your room and not be bothered with anything, and others... I swear that I've seen you're about to cry; you look so sad some days. What is it?"

Draco bit his lips, wanting very much to curl into Harry's arms and sob. He felt emotionally drained and was not sure at the moment why he ever accepted this deal. Harry's lips were suddenly on his forehead and Draco's heart ached, wondering if Harry's concern was real or just a side effect of the bond.

"I..."

Draco started, thinking carefully of what to say, but at that moment Madam Pomfrey entered the room with Mrs. Weasley in tow. She attempted to get Harry out of the bed and the room, but the Gryffindor boy refused to move from Draco's side. The mediwitch huffed in annoyance and started to run tests on the blond, all the time admonishing him to be more careful in the future and to leave the dangerous stunts to the adults who didn't have their magical cores compromised.

Draco pouted and nodded resentfully at the mediwitch. This was totally unfair! He had done nothing! He wasn't the one that should be scolded! Sally was going to hear him when she came around!

The only good thing was that the artefacts had been destroyed and the house was now free of their influence. The bad side was that everyone was expecting Malfoy to tell them what spell he had used, so they could destroy the last artefact when the time came. McGonagall had been pissed when they couldn't find the wand that Draco had been using. The elves had hidden it and had claimed that it had been destroyed in the fire in order to prevent anyone from discover that it had not been used at all.

When Madam Pomfrey asked him about it, Draco almost panicked. He managed to convince her that he didn't remember all too well what exactly he had done. That he had been sort of experimenting. Thankfully they left it alone for the moment, but warned the boy that Moody would want to know everything he could tell him. The Slytherin was somewhat relieved. At least with Moody he would be able to tell exactly what had really happened.

The revision ended, and although it was obvious that Madam Pomfrey was not satisfied, she let the two boys share the same bed and retired. Mrs. Weasley tried to take Crookshanks with her, but the feline growled dangerously at her when she was about to lift him, so she let him be. Fleur had woken up sometime during the check up and had already got out of the room, having no idea of why she had ended up in Malfoy's bedroom in the first place.

Harry wanted to continue the conversation with Draco, but could see that the blond boy was not up to it. So, they both tried to sleep a bit more until breakfast.

The talk with Moody didn't go very well. As expected, Draco was left alone with the old ex-auror, and got the tongue lashing of a lifetime. Alastor was upset enough to crudely remind him what was a stake there if something happened to the baby he was carrying. Draco got all emotional and cried inconsolably, explaining between sobs that his dragon had been controlling his body and that he had been mostly asleep at the moment. Mad eye didn't know how to deal with a crying Draco and had dumped him with the twins and Harry. That was a mistake, because both Weasleys harassed him for an entire hour, demanding an explanation for him upsetting the boy, while Potter tried to comfort the blond. That only served for Draco to cry even more. It was horrible.

After a couple of hours, and a bit of help from Hermione, the Slytherin finally calmed down and attempted to hide in his room. He felt that he would die of mortification as soon as he saw Moody, the twins, or Harry. Unfortunately, the Gryffindor golden-boy would not let him hide for long, and at super he went and dragged a kicking and screaming Draco to the kitchen with him.

Draco pouted during the meal. He hated this mood swings. They were perhaps the most annoying part of being pregnant. Besides, they made keeping his usual attitude quite difficult. The mood swings and his cravings had been the two things most likely to get him discovered. Hermione above all, was looking at him attentively. Draco was sure that the girl would have figured things out already if not for the fact that he was a male, and thus she would never expect a pregnancy from him.

By the end of super, the blond Slytherin felt more like himself again and was embarrassed. He was acting more and more like a girl everyday! He had already asked Moody if those changes were going to last. The man had assured him that once the pregnancy finished he would be back to normal. That had reassured him a bit, but had not solved the problem of how he was going to manage not being discovered.

The rest of the day was uneventful, but Harry never left Draco's side. He was constantly touching him and asking if he was fine. Draco finally resigned himself to his fate and let the Gryffindor worry for him.

At night Sally was back, barely. She hovered around his consciousness for long moments. Draco ignored her. He was very angry with her. The dragon receded to the deeps of his mind again, but he could feel her soothing energy enveloping him when he went to sleep.

A week passed by with strange notices of Aurors searching for clandestine activity around old pureblood manors. Some individuals that had attempted to escape had been discovered and executed. Everyone was pretty nervous and Harry despaired to find the last horcrux. The Gryffindor boy didn't know what else he could do. They couldn't find a clue of where else to look for and the area close to the house was being watched.

Besides that, everything was quiet in the house. If not for the war, life would have been comfy and happy for Harry. He only was worried about Draco. The boy had been acting strange for the last couple of months. Harry was sure that something was troubling the blond, but every time he asked, Draco assured him that he was perfectly fine. The Gryffindor boy didn't believe it. It was clear that the Slytherin was anxious over something. It irked Harry that Draco wouldn't trust him enough to tell him what was wrong. Sometimes the blond looked at him with such anguish in the eyes that he wanted to hug him and never let go. But never tell him the cause.

Harry had taken to keep track of Draco's activities. He had noticed his mood swings, but lately they had stabilized towards depression. The Gryffindor didn't like that. And he liked even less the fact that he didn't have time to give more attention to Draco. The boy clearly needed him and the stupid war wouldn't leave him a moment of respite.

The Gryffindor was quite surprised that his feelings for the blond had deepened so fast. He liked to be with him, and he didn't like the idea of them being parted. During his outings helping the Order he found himself restless and thinking constantly about Draco's well being. He was ready to accept that he had fallen hard for the Slytherin, and couldn't wait 'till the war was finished to explore his feelings with more calm. He wondered if Draco would still be agreeable to let Harry do a bit of experimentation. Perhaps then the blond would be willing to confide his troubles with him.

In the meantime Harry was stuck worrying. The priority of course was to solve the war. There were plans to infiltrate Voldemort's rule and the rebels were doing a fine job keeping the Death Eaters on their toes. It was clear that Riddle had not won yet. But they needed to find the last horcrux quickly or the situation would soon look very bad for the resistance.

The Gryffindor was thinking about it while he lounged in one of the library's sofas. Draco's head was on his lap and he was toying with the blond hair absentmindedly. Moody interrupted their relaxed moment to inform Harry that it was time for training. So, the Gryffindor boy apologized to the blond and went to their sparing room. Draco meanwhile grabbed a book and headed for the garden.

Draco was sitting on the grass, at the shadow of a lemon tree, looking idly at the repaired fountain that now adorned the centre of the garden. The book lay at his side, forgotten for the moment. He was busy ignoring Sally's attempts at reconciliation. The dragon was whining at him, saying that she was sorry, but it had been for Draco's own good. The boy was giving her the cold shoulder. He knew he couldn't stay angry with her for long, but that didn't mean that he had to make things easy for her. He had had a hard time because of her stunt. The least she could do was suffer his silence a little.

He wondered idly if Harry and the others had finished training. It had been more than an hour since he had gotten out. Remus may not be in headquarters, but Moody and McGonagall were pushing the Gryffindors to their limits. At least Mad Eye had deigned to tell them that they were "passable" fighters. They wanted the teenagers prepared for every eventuality.

Draco sighed, feeling Sally pushing against his mind to get his attention. He finally closed his eyes and started to talk with her. He didn't see the angry female figure approaching him until she yelled.

The floo in the study flared to life and out went an outraged Ginny, followed by a flustered Molly.

"Please Ginny, wait! Be reasonable!"

"No! I'm not in the wrong here mom! They are! Look at me! How can they say...?"

"Ginny, the mediwizard explained..."

"Fuck them! Fuck you all! It's clear that I'm way past the stage of abortion! None of you are going to convince me of... that nonsense!"

Molly had finally taken Ginny to see a mediwitch to one of St. Mungo's hideouts. Or rather, Augusta Longbottom had demanded that a professional checked the young witch or she was going to check the girl herself. No one messed with Mrs. Longbottom, so Ginny had been forced to go with her mother to the secret facility of St. Mungo's maternity wing.

It had been... well, actually relieving was the word Molly had had in mind, until the mediwitch had handed them the results. Ginny had gone absolutely ballistic and had demanded another opinion. After three hours of discussion, more tests and explanations from the healers, Mrs. Weasley had understood the situation clearly. Unfortunately her daughter had denied the results, saying that all of them were wrong and that she wasn't going to hear any foolish explanations.

The young witch had demanded to see Harry, and in the state of anguish that Molly was it didn't occur to her that it would be more trouble than it was worth. She had opened the floo connection without thinking and in a second the distraught girl was inside headquarters again.

Molly had barely managed to warn Ginny that the boys would probably be training, and that she was not going to be able to talk with Harry if she didn't calm down. So, the girl had been decided to wait, but that didn't make her any less furious. She got out her wand and hexed a chair. Molly was scandalized.

"Ginny Weasley! Stop right this instant! Listen..."

"No!"

"Ginny, you must understand..."

"What mother? That there's something wrong with me? I can't believe that you're ready to accept their shit!" She turned towards her mother and straightened, showing up her pregnant belly. "Look! I'm more than twenty weeks long! How can you think otherwise?"

"They are the experts, they have explained the situation Ginny, and they have the evidence..."

"Bullshit! They're wrong! And I'm not letting any of them near me! They're not getting away with this! My baby will be born, and he'll be a healthy and strong baby! You'll see!"

Molly wanted to pull at her hair in desperation. For the first time in her life she didn't know how to speak with one of her children.

"I don't understand you Ginny! Why? Why this unhealthy obsession? You were never like this! Why are you insisting so much to be with Harry? Why can't you accept that he doesn't want you in that way!"

"Harry is mine." Ginny hissed dangerously at her mother and her eyes turned fierce.

"Ginny, Harry is not a possession..."

"HE IS MINE! Since I was a little girl I always had to content myself with the leftovers! Do you have any idea of how it is mother? To have to share your room, and your toys and practically everything you have with your older brothers? I didn't have my own room until I was ten! I sometimes had to wear old clothes from my brothers and when that wasn't the case it was always second hand things. They were almost rags! I never had anything new! Our house was always a mess! Never quiet, never some resemblance of privacy! You say that Harry is not a possession, well I'm not your possession either. I'm fed up with all of you! Harry is different. He was always with me. In all the stories and books he was always the hero. I used to dream that he would come one day and will save me too. And guess what? He did it! My first year at Hogwarts, he came and fought with a Basilisk to save me! He's my hero, mine! And no one is going to take him away! I'm having this baby and Harry will see that he can't abandon me. I'm having my own family with him! One that lives in a decent house and can have a decent life! Away from you and all your conceited mediocrity!"

She turned and exited the study, leaving Molly flabbergasted. The woman soon broke into tears. She could not believe what she had heard. In all these years, she had never known that Ginny felt that way.

Ginny stomped down the hall and climbed down the stairs, aiming for the garden. She was furious beyond reason and needed fresh air. There was no one in the entire house that could understand her. Her family was all morals and stupid honour. Hypocrites! They would never achieve something worthy. The only one that had had any kind of future had been Percy, and now that he was dead there was no one left to whom she could confide her fears. She wanted a better life, a true family with the one she loved.

She got out of the house and stopped for a moment, looking around. The garden was very big, and now that it was been taken care of, it looked half way decent. The most prominent thing was the fountain. There were some trees here and there and an entire area dedicated to grow potions ingredients. Ginny soon spotted the blond figure sitting under a tree and her rage renewed. She walked decidedly towards the boy. Her wand was still in her hand, and the only thing in her mind was to make the bastard pay for trying to take Harry away from her. She was too distraught and not thinking at all. Soon she was in front of the blond Slytherin, with tears of anger streaming down her cheeks.

"You bastard! You should be the one sent away, not me! Harry should be with me!"

Malfoy opened his eyes startled and looked at the girl in surprise. Sally immediately jumped to attention and started to growl in his head.

"Wha-What are you doing here?"

"It's your fault! All of this is your fault! If you haven't come and surround Harry with your lies, he'll never have drifted away from me! You did all this!"

Draco tried to stand slowly. He didn't like the madness that he could see glittering in the girl's eyes. He looked at the wand at Ginny's hand and feared what she could do with it. It was taking all his willpower to keep Sally at bay and not just let her attack Weasley. He couldn't afford another blast of magic so soon. Ginny pointed her wand straight at the boy.

"I hate you Malfoy! I hate you! I want you out of our lives forever! I want my Harry back! R-rre..."

Draco was with his back pressed to the trunk of the tree. He noticed that Ginny's hand was shaking awfully. She was trying to form words, but her mouth wasn't cooperating. The blond looked in growing terror as she grew frustrated and her eyes narrowed in fury. Panicked, he let go of Sally just when the girl finally shouted a spell.

"Red... Redu... Sectum... Argh! Rictumsempra!"

He was too close, and the force of the spell, even when it was a harmless one, hit him right on. It took the breath out of him and his head banged in the tree bark. The world turned around him and he fell into darkness. The last thing he heard was Ginny screaming.