Dark Side

Reunited

Draco

After I had confided in Harry, he felt as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. Harry, I found myself always calling him Harry, not Potter, as I used to.

When I think about the person I was, (which I try not to do often), I feel, distanced from him. It feels like I'm looking at a stranger's life. I have started referring to that person as the other Draco.

I know that I'm still responsible for all the terrible things I'd done, and feel the guilt for every one of them. I hope that one day, I can possibly make up for those things, maybe even forgive myself for them, though that isn't likely.

Harry

I wake up at around 10:00 am, and go into the living room to see Draco reading, yet again. I'm about to say good morning, when a silvery cat patronus appears on the coffee table. It speaks in Professor McGonagall's voice:

"We have heard whispers of a plan among the Death Eaters to kidnap Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley to lure you out. They will be joining you and Mr. Malfoy shortly at the safehouse."

Draco had looked up at his book to stare at the patronus, and I see him clench his fists, a look of contempt flashing across his face when it had said Malfoy.

I'm excited to see Ron and Hermione again, and am thinking about all the things I will say to them, when Draco's cool voice breaks through my thoughts.

"What am I supposed to say to them?"

"Tell them what you told me, I guess."

"Ron will probably still hate me." He says matter-of-factly, "Almost as much as I hate myself." He adds with dark sarcasm, so quietly I barely hear it, as he's getting up to leave the room.

I'm shocked by the thought of Draco hating himself, and I don't know what to say, given that he probably hadn't meant for me to hear that. "I can tell them what you told me. They'll understand. I promise." I say, awkwardly trying to reassure him.

Draco turns and nods slightly, leaning against the doorframe. He looks up, and his grey eyes met mine for a moment, their intensity causing me to be temporarily taken aback. I don't know what I saw in them, something dark, though I'm not sure what.

"I hope they will." Says Draco, not sounding very hopeful at all, turning his back to me, and disappearing into a turn at the end of the hall.

I stand there for a few moments, trying to understand the look I saw in Draco's eyes. I picture the instant in my mind, and all I can see is darkness. I've been in this safehouse with him for over a week now, and he is still unreadable, I can't figure out what's going on in his head. All I know is that in the few moments when he says something real about what's going on in his head, I'm left with a lingering unsettled feeling in my stomach, the darkness surrounding him sparking a flash of fear in me with his intimidating stare.

Draco

The next day, Ron and Hermione arrive. I'm just sitting in my room, trying to read, but not able to focus on anything for long. I keep getting bored, reading the same sentence over and over without noticing.

I hear the front door opening and Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanging greetings. I consider eavesdropping, but don't want to intrude, and I gather they're most likely talking about me.

I go back to my desk, and just sit there. In the silence of the room, their voices start drifting towards me again. I'm about to find something to distract myself from their voices, when I hear Ron say, "So, where is he?"

I decide to listen in, I need to know what's going on, whether to expect a jinx to come flying at me or not.

"In his room I think." Harry replies.

"Let's get this awkward situation over with." say Ron.

"I'll go get him. Don't be too awful."

I hear Harry's footsteps approaching my room, and I open my book to make it seem like I hadn't heard them talking, but Harry's probably not stupid enough to fall for it. There's a hesitant knock on the door, and Harry enters.

"Draco? Ron and Hermione are here." He says awkwardly.

I nod and stand up, "There's no point in delaying the inevitable." I follow Harry out of the room, and down the hallway. I stop at the end of the hallway, take a deep breath, steeling myself for the awkwardness, then walk in.

"Uh... hi." I say. I suddenly become aware of everything I'm doing, shifting my stance nervously. I'm not sure what to do with my hands, I feel like they look stupid just hanging at my sides, so I just shove them into the pockets of my hoodie.

"Hi Draco." Hermione says, tentatively, attempting to sound casual, but failing miserably.

"So, I assume Harry has already talked to you. Say what you want to say, just get this over with." I sigh.

Surprisingly, it was Ron who answered first. "I can't imagine what that was like. You have an extremely adequate excuse."

Hermione looked at Ron and nodded in approval, surprised by his attempt at kindness, then extended her hand to me. I shook it, then Ron's.

"You still were an evil git." He adds, I knew it was going to come sometime.

"Beautifully put. I agree wholeheartedly."

"Come on guys, we all know Draco was a git, but we have more important things to discuss." says Hermione.

"I feel so loved." I mutter to myself, looking up at the ceiling. Ron hears me, unable to keep in a snort of laughter.

We all sit down in the living room, and Hermione speaks up first, getting straight to business. I silently thank her for this, the topic has moved off of me.

"Horcruxes," she says, "We need to destroy them in order to kill Voldemort."

I flinch slightly when she says his name, and hope no one noticed. Harry looks at me with worry in his eyes, and I knew that he had seen. I look back at Hermione, paying close attention to her, hoping Harry will think he hadn't seen anything.

"Everyone's going to try and stop us, but we have to do this. We need to know what we're going into. Are you in?" Harry asked.

"Of course." Said Hermione.

"Me too mate." Said Ron.

Harry looks at me, "And you?"

I'm stunned for a moment, wondering why the hell they would want me, of all people, coming along. I realise that I had already made up my mind, on the tower, when I had come to the safe house, I had chosen my side. I look up at them, my mind set.

"I fucking hate Voldemort. Sign me up."