The Girl Who Lived (Draco Malfoy x OC)

The Memory

March 2nd 1997

Ginny had seen her best friend cry many times before, the girl who lived was not a stranger to hard times of anguish. Harper's third year at Hogwarts was a particularly emotional time for the growing teen. Everytime she encountered the dementors they sucked the happiness from her, reducing the girl to a breakdown of tears. Then there was the execution of Buckbeak, though they saved him in the end, the girls were mournful. Then there was the death of Cedric and rebirth of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. What followed was Ginny's first experience witnessing depression. She knew Harper had admired Cedric greatly, even admitting to a small crush on the dashing Hufflepuff. She blamed herself for his death, then the resurrection of the monster who killed her parents.

The worst was when she cried after Sirius' death. Ginny worried she would never see her best friend be happy again. The sorrow lasted for months and even afterwards Ginny knew she hadn't recovered, but put on a brave face. There were a lot of nights on the floor of Ginny's bedroom when she held her friend and cried with her until they ran out of tears. When Harper cried, so did Ginny. And Ginny always understood, she always felt the heartbreak.

Which lead the youngest Weasley to today, sitting in the Prefect bathroom with her best friend, holding her as she wept.

But this heartbreak, Ginny couldn't cry too.

She didn't know what Harper saw in Malfoy. In Ginny's opinion the Slytherin was a conceited, ignorant bully; but he had obviously opened up and shown Harper something different. She didn't doubt her friend's logic, or at least tried not to. Take away the insulting attitude and prejudice, Malfoy was admittedly an attractive guy, but Harper wasn't that shallow. She must have seen something redeeming in him.

Regardless, the dickhead had broken up with her and now her best friend was crying as if her brain was being shredded from the inside.

"It's for the best," Ginny said as Harper covered her shoulder with wet tears. "You knew this was coming, Harp. His dad is a Death Eater, after all. He's right, it's safer to be apart."

A tiny lapse let her pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears and sniffing. "That doesn't make me feel any better, Ginny. Imagine the pain if Dean left you."

Ginny sulked, watching as Harper collapsed back onto her chest, crying again. She would be hysterical if Dean left her, then again she had cried like this before just after a fight. But Harper didn't love Malfoy like she loved Dean... did she? A big sob broke forth, one that held a rawness Ginny rarely heard from her.

"You love him, don't you?"

Harper didn't respond, just pulled back and wiped at her swollen eyes. She looked at Ginny with a sort of innocence that exemplified fear and confusion. Her poor friend, it was always so difficult to see someone so strong and brave broken. A boy never had this affect on her; even when Jack and her ended things, she wiped away no more than a few tears.

"The worst part is neither of us did anything wrong," she said, blinking wet eyes. "I wish time had better timing for us."

"Maybe one day it will," she said and took her hand, holding it tight. "After we defeat You-Know-Who and finish off the Death Eaters, there can be another chance for you."

"We?"

"Don't start this argument again," Ginny rolled her eyes. Harper was always so insistent on doing everything alone, she didn't want anyone else getting hurt for her.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her scar. "Finish off the Death Eater's," Harper repeated. "Like his father. That will turn out well. He'll hate me forever."