My Last Breath

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat frozen with shock. Tears were now streaming down Haley's face and Draco was hugging her and whispering in her ear. Silence fell in the room as Haley and Draco broke apart. A guilty grin broke out on their faces. Hermione was the first to speak.

"Does anybody care to tell us what the hell is going on?"

Draco and Haley sat down while Harry started telling his story. He told of how he found Draco, and of his visit to Dumbledore. When he was finished, he looked to Draco to continue the story. Haley put a hand on Draco's arm.

"Let me tell them."

"My mother was a muggle named Margaret Brown. She worked at a small bookshop here in London and had many friends. Her biggest flaw was that she was an alcoholic. Every night she would leave work and go to the bar before heading home. One night while walking home from the bar, a man confronted her and raped her in an alley. She never saw the man again and nine months later she died giving birth to me. I was sent to America to live with my Grandmother and her cats. When I was eleven, I got accepted into the Bixler Academy of Magic. My Gran was so shocked! Before I left, she told me about my mother and father. I spent all of my free time in the library at the school searching for my father. I wanted a family like all of my friends had."

Haley paused and looked around the room. Draco was sitting extremely still on her right, and Harry was sitting on her left picking at the stray threads of the sofa. Hermione was on the floor staring distantly into nothing. She looked to Ron, and a chill went up her back. He was looking at her like he had never seen her before. When he looked away Haley noticed that his ears where pink, which always meant he was mad. She took a deep breath and continued her story.

"During my fifth year, I found a potion that would tell me the names of my parents. So, I brewed it illegally in a broom closet, added some of my blood, and read the names of my parents according to the book. Then I wrote a letter to my father asking to meet him, asking to have a family. I never got a reply. I thought that maybe my owl didn't know the way, so I wrote again. And again. And again. I knew I was being stupid, but I didn't want to give up. Finally, during the summer before my seventh year, my owl returned with a letter. It wasn't from my father, but a boy who told of stealing the letters and keeping them hidden in his room. He told me all about the man who I was claiming was my father. The letter was signed 'your brother.' I was so shocked that it took me a week to write a reply. After a few more letters, he revealed his name. Draco Malfoy. Which means that my father is none other than Lucius Malfoy."

"You're a Malfoy?" Ron asked suddenly. Haley could only nod.

"What the hell difference does it make, Weasel?" Draco snapped.

"Stop! Let her finish," Harry said, putting a hand on Ron's arm to cut off the next comment. He nodded at Haley to continue.

"After school started back up, we began to talk through the floo network. He told me all about Hogwarts, and a Hero named Harry Potter. He told me of Voldemort and his rising power. He kept telling me that a war was coming and that our father was going to force him to fight for the wrong side. Then, on graduation day, I got a letter that was extremely confusing. It made no sense and I spent the beginning of the summer trying to figure it out. I never got another letter. I panicked, and on my eighteenth birthday bought a plane ticket and flew to join the war. I fought day and night searching for Draco. I never found him. Then I got hit one night and ended up in the hospital. Ron was in the next bed. He told me of his best friend Harry who was a hero. That was the same night Harry came out of the forest with Voldemort's dead body. We talked all night long because I remember that it was morning when Ron mentioned this evil little boy he used to fight with at school. I'm not stupid. I knew he was talking about my brother. Ron told me that everyone thought Draco was dead. Soon after, Ron and I started dating and I had all these new friends. So, I gave up. I'm so sorry Draco."

A single tear fell down her cheek as she finished. Draco leaned over and whispered in her ear. The room was silent for a long time before the buzzer on the oven went off.

"Let's go eat and then we'll talk some more," Hermione said as she stood and walked into the other room.

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around the table, silently filling their plates. Harry was trying admirably to change the subject by asking Hermione about Seamus, but failing. The conversation didn't last long and soon silence filled the room. No one ate much.

After another ten minutes Hermione stood and started clearing the table. "Haley, will you help me with the dishes?"

"Sure." The women entered the kitchen and the men retreated to the living room. When they were alone, Haley broke the silence. "Why is this such a big deal? I mean I know you were enemies or whatever, but honestly. Is really that big of a deal?"

"Yes. It is a big deal. Right after the war, I was spending all my time at Hogwarts, trying to get it ready to be re-opened. You and Ron had just begun dating and he told me about how you were trying to find your past. So, one night I went to the library to check a few books like Ron asked. The Hogwarts library has a list of every witch or wizard born in the last one hundred years. The strange thing was that you weren't in any of them. It was almost like you didn't exist because I couldn't find anything," Hermione said quietly.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Would you have told us the truth about your family at that point?"

"Probably not. I wasn't stupid; I knew Ron would go mad. But that was two years ago. Why is it so important now?" Haley asked desperately.

"Look, Ron was raised to hate the Malfoy's. Their fathers have been rivals since before we were born. How would you feel if you just found out that you were in love with someone who has the same blood as someone you were taught to hate?" Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Haley had no answer to that and they finished the dishes in silence.

The small living room of Harry's flat was very cold. Hate seemed to seep from the walls, as the three men sat staring daggers at each other. Harry sat uncomfortably between Ron and Draco. No one said a word as a crack of thunder reverberated through the building. On any other night, Harry would be out on his patio, watching the storm with amazement. Tonight, however, he was afraid to leave the room. Ron looked ready to kill.

Not much time passed (though it felt like an eternity) before the girls returned from the kitchen. Ron wasted no time before rising and grunting out something about being ready to leave before storming out, leaving Haley staring bewildered after him. She glanced back at the others before following.

"Well, that should go well," Draco said sarcastically. Harry and Hermione glared back in response.

An hour and a few beers later, Hermione was ready to leave. Harry walked her to the door and promised to let her know if he heard form Ron or Haley. With her hand on the door, she turned back.

She looked directly at Draco and said, "I do not trust you so, understand that if you hurt Harry in any way, I'll come for you. But for the record, you're definitely not the same person I remember from school." She smiled then and was gone.

"Sorry about that," Harry said, once the door was closed. "She's a little protective."

"I noticed," was Draco's short reply. Both men fell onto the couch. It was a moment before anything was said.

"So, why didn't you tell me before they showed up?" Harry asked.

"Honestly Potter. There are probably millions of witches named Haley. How could I have known it was her?"

"Well, you could have said something," Harry said with a yawn. Lightning flashed through the room and Harry stepped around Draco to stand before the window. "I love storms," he said softly to himself. The two men stood silently side-by-side, watching the rain hit the window.

"Harry?" Draco said tentively.

"Mmm..."

"Why don't you use magic anymore?"

Harry looked at him strangely for a moment before responding, "I do. Just not as often as most wizards do."

"But I haven't seen your wand anywhere."

"You don't need a wand to do magic, Malfoy."

Draco opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a soft knock at the door. The two men looked at each other quizzically. Both men moved to open the door.

"Haley!?"