What If (Drarry)

12. Shut Up, Mafalda

The room went so quiet that they all could here their heartbeats. Four little organs, pounding against their chest as if they were racing which one of them plays the leader part in a drum concerto.

Draco was waiting - his eyes closed - for the girls to scream, Ron to hit him or in general just any of them to kill him. But the expected effects never came.

Instead he felt a small hand on his back.

"No. I don't believe you. You'd never do this." Hermione said.

"But I did!"

"How did he die? Did you point your wand at him and sad 'Avada Kedavra'?"

"Well... No, but-"

"Then you didn't kill him."

"YES, I DID! Shut up, Granger, you don't know anything! You don't know what you're talking about, so shut your mouth and don't try to be... Don't try to act as if you didn't hate me, because I know you do!"

Draco started crying again, and neither of the others knew what to do or say. They all wanted to know what exactly happened to Harry, but seeing Draco in such a terrible state of mind, neither of them dared to push him. Especially because deep inside they all dreaded that maybe Draco really killed Harry. Killed on purpose. So all they could do was to wait. Wait for him to calm down and tell them what happened in the Death Eaters' headquarters.

And they had to wait for another long hour. But then - after Draco's sobbing eased to an occassional hiccoughing, he hoisted his puffy red eyes to look at them all in the eye one by one.

"I didn't tell you before... because I didn't think it was such a big deal, and I didn't want you to think I was weak or worst, pity me. But now... I'm sorry!"

With that Draco rolled up his sleeves and showed his forearm to the others. For a moment they just sat on the couch confused, not understanding why Draco was showing his blood covered Mark to them, when Hermione suddenly clapped her hand on her mouth.

"Merlin! You tried to... You didn't...?"

"Yes, I did. But instead of killing me, those scratches killed Harry."

Dead silence fell on the room once again, before Draco launched into telling the whole story.

***

"...and then he just disappeared. The shield absorbed him, or I don't know. We just... We can't even bury him properly!"

While he finished the story even Ron let a few teardrops spill from his eyes. But to Draco's astonishment, neither of them wanted to attack him. Neither of them insisted on dragging him to Azkaban, nor to kill him on the spot. Hermione even gave his shoulders a weak squeeze. He was confused.

"Why... why don't you want to kill me?"

"You didn't do anything bad to Harry. Why would we want to kill you?"

"But... Yes, I did! I cast that spell on him, I tortured him! And then I was the one who insisted on dragging him through that shield."

"Yes, because you wanted to bring him home. You rather risked your bloody life to rescue him, than left him there and save your own life. Actually... I'd never believed that once I would say it, but I really don't understand, why were you not put into Gryffindor?" Ron said rather thoughtfully, which really startled Draco. Weasley was actually civil to him? And Weasley was thinking? Draco really couldn't decide what startled him more.

"Malfoy." the Weasel... Ron... said, interrupting his train of thoughts. "We really don't blame you. I see that somehow, while you were trapped in the headquarters, you completly changed your loyalty. To be honest... I was wondering if... What happened? Why were you so determined to save him? And why would he trust you with his Cloak? Or his life. I know Harry. He'd never..."

Draco didn't dare to look at the redhead boy. Memories flooded into his mind. Harry kissing him in the 'Entrance Hall' under the Cloak. He clutching Harry's waist and shoulders as the boy carried him on his back so that they could run faster. Or their last kiss in the shield, hot flames embracing them-

He couldn't answer this question.

Ron and Hermione shared a knowing look. They always thought that - back in school - Harry's hatred towards Malfoy was extraordinary. And now their suspicions, that maybe those feelings weren't hatred at all, seemed to prove true. Maybe there was something between Harry and Malfoy. Whether the boys knew about it or not, they weren't sure, but it was obvious that Malfoy now cared for Harry. And he really thought that it was his fault that Harry died. Ron and Hermione however couldn't blame him. Not anymore. Not after they saw the pain his eyes and the scratches on his arm. Malfoy really was on their side. On Harry's side. Maybe he always was.

***

"I have an idea." Hermione broke the silence that had already been embraced them for several hours.

"About what?"

"About Harry. We can save him."

"...Hermione. Harry is-"

"Is dead, I know, Ronald." she said still wincing and trying to stop the threatening tears. "But there is one solution. A bit risky, but Harry's worth it, isn't he?"

"What is that 'solution', Granger?"

"A Time Turner."

"But those are all destroyed. We destroyed them back in fourth year!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Not all of them."

"Not all... Wait, are you saying... Do you have one? The one you had in third year? But you said-"

"No, I don't have one. But the Minister has. I saw it in his office once. A Time Tuner has always been in the current Minister's office, so they can go back in time to talk to their ancestors or change some minor things in politics. However there are very strict rules. All the Ministers have to take the Unbreakable Vow, so they can't use it irresponsibly."

"So we have to wait until you become Minister."

"Er. No. That's not what I said. If we wait until I become Minister, I won't be able to use it for rescuing Harry. It would be too big of a deal, the rules wouldn't allow it. The Vow wouldn't let me do it."

"Then-"

"Your wife's trying to say the least Greangerish thing I could ever imagined, Weasley."

"Is she? Then what would it be?"

"We're breaking into the Ministry."

"Oh. At least now it will be easier that two of us is actually working here." Ron said understanding dawning on him, as Hermione chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, no need to save your wife and the kids, right Reg?"

"Oh, shut up, Mafalda!"

Draco and Ginny stared questioningly at the pair laughing hard on something, calling each other names that weren't even theirs. What the hell?

"So... What's the plan?" Draco spoke up eventually, causing Ron and Hermione to freeze in laughter.

"Oh, yes, the plan. I thought that I could get the Time Tuner. Then we would all go back to the day Harry and the Aurors went to catch the Death Eaters. We should either stop them to go, or go with them, and help them in the fight."

All four of them sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about the plan.

"Okay, I'm in." said Ron.

"Yeah, I think I'm in, too."

"Mal... Draco?"