Saving a Ravenclaw

Dreams and late night talks

Draco walked down the halls, his face down as he avoided eye contact.

His left forearm burned and he groaned inwardly. His right hand clinching his wand tightly.

He watched people pass him, but turned his face when someone looked his way. His cheeks stained with tears and his eyes swollen red.

Luckily, his hair covered it for the most part.

He heard snickers and whispers that made him want to die and he practicaly was dead inside.

He felt like his heart hand been ripped out and his lugs no longer worked. Even when he did breath, it felt like fire.

He turned a corner to the slitherin commen room, quickly and quitly walking to his room.

He wanted to slam the door, but he knew that would only draw more attintion.

He shrugged off his robe and crawled into bed, clinging to his pillow as he cried silent tears.

He felt his whole world slip away and his life shattered.

He could never do what was asked of him, but if he didn't, he knew he'd be killed.

There was no mercy at one side of this decision, but the other side ment he'd have to kill the one person at Hogwarts that had truly never been mean to him.

_______________________________________

Draco woke with a start, gasping for breath and sweating.

He looked around while slowly sitting up, trying to remember where he was.

He only remembered when he saw Sky sound asleep on the other side of the bed.

He was at the Weaslys not back at Hogwarts and definitely not in the middle of a war.

With a couple deep breaths he was able to calm down and stood up, carful to be quiet.

He walked out into the hallway, headed to find the kitchen. To his luck, everyone else was still asleep.

He wasnt sure exactly what time it was and his eyes were still to sleep filled to read the clock, so he shock his head and screached for a glass to get some water.

After downing the glass and heaving a sigh, he tried to relax a little and rested his hands on the counter, closing his eyes to steady himself.

He could still feel the sweat on his face and lifted a hand to run through his hair, bringing it back out of his eyes, trying not to think about the nightmare he just woke up from.

He thought these dreams were over. At least he hadn't had one in a while.

Sighing, he figured the stress was being in the same house as Ron and Hermione. That that's what brought up these unwelcomed visons of his past.

When he heard footsteps coming towrds him, he jumped, looking behind him for the sorce of the noise.

Harry put his hands up infront of him, his eyes wide as he looked at the shocked blonde infront of him. "Sorry mate. Didn't mean to startle you."

Draco visably relaxed as he watched Harry go for a cup and get his own water, drinking it down in a more normal fashion then Draco had.

Draco shook his head. "It's okay. Just wasn't expecting anyone else to be up." He ran his hand through his hair again, trying to calm his nerves.

Harry nodded kirtley then took in a breath. "Why are you up? You look...shaken." he set his glass down and took a seat across from where Draco stood, allowing himself to be an ear Draco didnt know he needed.

With much hesitation, Draco also sat down stiff and anxious, avoiding eye contact as much as possible until Harry cleared his throat.

"I'm not gonna hex you or anything. You can trust me." Draco let out a soft chcukle thinking that the old Draco would crack back with somthing like;

"Potter you couldn't hex me even if I wanted you to"

Now though, he felt he could trust him. Skylar did.

Draco finally looked at him, bitting his lip as he thought of what to say. "Well...I just...had a nightmare...it's the same ones. They switch. Im either standing there as Hogwarts crumbles around me and everyone I know is dead...or im getting ready to kill Dumbledore...this time though...I was dreaming about the war I felt inside me when I was told I had to kill him. I remembered how I felt so helpless and scared."

Draco looked off to the side, his eyes zooning out as he thought about it again.

It made him feel numb and his throat go dry.

Harry frowned deeply and slowly nodded. "Wow. That's intence. I'm not gonna lie, I still get vivid dreams like that too...it's hard...remembering the mistakes, the deaths...but Ginny always tells me to remember the good things. The lives I saved. And it does help."

Draco hugged his arms around himself, shivering slightly as he furrowed his eyebrows. "The good?"

Harry nodded, sipping his water then continued. "She'd tell me to count the good things till I started to feel better. Some nights, I could name them easily and maybe it just had to be 5 or 6. Other nights, I had to think hard and i might need 10, but give it a try."

Draco again hesitated, but he could see Harry's logic in this in a couple ways. So he nodded and took in a breath through his noise and exhaled out slowly as he thought.

"Well, one I'd have to say is Hogwarts still stands." Harry nodded. "Okay, keep going." Draco did. "Two, I didnt kill Dumbledore...even though he died...it wasnt by my hand."

That one was hard for him to say. He heard his own voice crack, but somehow he did feel somewhat better and his heart felt just a smidge lighter.

"Three, I wasn't tried as a death eater like many of my family." Harry bite his lip a little, but knew this was Dracos good things and they were definitely different then his own, which usually consisted of saying he had Ginny and his friends and his family.

He listened as Draco continued, watching him relax and even yawn as he spoke.

"Four, I have made some new friends this year. I think most importantly though is five, I meet Skylar. She's the best good thing I could ever imagine happening to me. Sometimes I wonder how she could ever love someone like me. I wonder how I got so lucky. Then she tells me that people change and shouldn't be judged by there past."

Draco's words were soft and laced with sleepiness. Harry smiled widly. "I think you're both very lucky to have each other. Im glad I could help Draco. Ill see you in the morning."

Harry stood and headed back to his room. Draco nodded, but sat there a moment longer.

He couldn't help but laugh at himself. How ironic was this. Harry Potter giving Draco Malfoy helpful advice. And then using it.

With one last soft chcukle, Draco stood and made his way back up the stairs, heading back the way he had come.

Sleep slowly took over him and he yawned, rubbing an eye with one hand while opening the door with the other.

A smile stretched across his face as he saw Skylar still sound asleep in the same position as before. Harry was right. Both of them were lucky.

As Draco laid down, he kissed Skyla's head then laid on his back. They hadn't known each other but a few months, but hed learned so much from her.

Everyday he was learning to be a new person. Not just for her though. For himself too.

And he knew without a doubt that because of this, Skylar definitely was the best thing in his life.

He fell asleep with that thought and slept soundly.