Breath-Drarry COMPLETE

Chapter 7

—Harry POV—

I read over the list again, almost burning it into my memory.

For a week I'd waited to make sure I wasn't forgetting anybody. It even occurred to me to go looking for the D.A's old member list. I couldn't find it, though. So instead I kept trying to remember everyone. At the moment nearly thirty names were staring back at me. At this point, I only hoped it was enough. Strangely, I found myself wishing I'd remembered the names of the D.A members I never quite knew. As if that would protect at least some of my friends. I could list the faceless names and keep people like Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna out of it. Maybe I could've even spared George.

All the names you can remember, said Hermione. She wants to look into the possibility of inducting some of them into the Order.

She's been waiting for that list for a week. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, before folding up the letter, and getting up to go send it off.

"Scorpius has sent me his first letter," Draco told me as I made it downstairs. "If you want, use his owl to send that list. Apollo can make two stops."

I nodded, waiting for Draco to finish tying his response to Scorpius on Apollo's right leg, so I could tie my list on his left.

"You remembered to put my name down as well, right?"

Everything within me halted at that moment, and I could only turn to stare at Draco. What.

"That's a funny joke," I said, trying and failing for a sort of smile to reach me. As if I would ever write his name down just like that. Without a care in the world.

Draco arched an eyebrow. "It's not a joke. I want you to add me to the list."

"As if I would do that," I responded, tripping over my words because of the sheer disbelief I had towards his request... Why would he suggest such a thing?

"Oh? And why not?" Draco's mood had gone from simple and relaxed to challenging in a split second, staring straight at me. I stared right back.

"Draco," I began, a burst of uneasy laughter escaping me, "You're insane if you-"

"If I what? Want to fight? After all, you plan to go out and prepare for just that." No, shut up. That's different.

"I'm not writing you down. No way. It's just not- it can't happen."

"Why?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing would come out. List you down just so you could die like everyone else?

"Like I would let you fight." I just messed up.

Draco was now upset. I could see it in his sneer and the way he narrowed his eyes at me, his chin tilted up slightly so he could down at me. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It's not like that," I began to clarify, puffing out my shoulders and fixing my posture, returning his challenging glare. Think of an excuse he'll buy. "But you weren't in the D.A in the first place. You-" think "-you never were one to fight anyway."

Draco's eyes widened as he stood back slightly before his face slowly turned in almost-disgust.

Bad excuse.

"Excuse me?"

I stuttered over the words churning in my brain, a mixture of you tried to rat us out and I don't want to kill you like I have everyone else tumbling around, getting mixed and mangled.