Emma Potter; Going to War

72: Feelings?

Draco Malfoy wasn't half bad as people assumed him to be. After I had bumped into him after escaping Zach, he had taken me to the common room which was empty, and let me sob against him. 

The expression on his face was scary when I told him what happened. He didn't say anything for a while, until I calmed down. His scent was comforting; mint with a hint of apples.

 Malfoy had then said that we didn't have solid proof, and Zach's parents were big in the ministry. He was also one of Hogwart's prodigies and no one would believe me. But he promised that he would do something. 

After letting me calm down he had suggested I go to bed. But I had resisted. He was quite warm and his presence offered comfort which I needed. In the end, I had woken up on the sofa with Zoe glaring over me. 

So, enough said when I didn't have nightmares of that cupboard I had pleasant dreams including Draco Malfoy. 

Which is why I had a need to defend him.

Apart from him; the only people I told were Zoe and Hermione. Not my brother or Ron; I didn't want them to think me as. . .I don't know.

"So  Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely offering tohelp him?" 

"If you ask that once more," said Harry, "I'm going to stick thissprout —" 

"I'm only checking!" said Ron. 

We were standing alone at theBurrow's kitchen sink, peeling a mountain of sprouts for Mrs.Weasley. Snow was drifting past the window in front of us. 

"Yes, Snape was offering to help him!" said Harry. "He said he'dpromised Malfoy's mother to protect him, that he'd made an Unbreakable Oath or something —" 

"An Unbreakable Vow?" said Ron, looking stunned. "Nah, hecan't have. . . . Are you sure?""

Yes, I'm sure," said Harry. "Why, what does it mean?" 

"Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow. . . ."

 "he'd worked that much out for himself, funnily enough." I said, rolling my eyes "Whathappens if you break it, then?"

"You die," said Ron simply. "Fred and George tried to get me tomake one when I was about five. I nearly did too, I was holdinghands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He wentmental," said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. "Onlytime I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since." 

"Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock —"

 "I beg your pardon?" said Fred's voice as the twins entered thekitchen."Aaah, George, look at this. They're using knives and everything.Bless them." 

"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time," said Rongrumpily, "and then I'll be able to do it by magic!"

 "But meanwhile," said George, sitting down at the kitchen tableand putting his feet up on it, "we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a — whoops-a-daisy!"

 "You made me do that!" said Ron angrily, sucking his cutthumb. I finished with my lot of sprouts and joined the twins "You wait, when I'm seventeen —"

 "I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magicalskills," yawned Fred. I laughed.

"And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald," saidGeorge, "what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a younglady called — unless our information is faulty — Lavender Brown?" 

Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as heturned back to the sprouts. "Mind your own business." 

"What a snappy retort," said Fred. "I really don't know how youthink of them. No, what we wanted to know was . . . how did ithappen?"