Whatever You Do...

Whatever You Do...

He was sent to kill them. He wasn't supposed to end up running for his own life.

[chapter 1]

"You're mad, Malfoy."

"It's the only way." Draco Malfoy's silver gaze collided with a pair of flashing green eyes.

His opponent shook his head firmly, his unruly dark hair flying. "We can't, Malfoy." He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms, and looking resolute. "That's impossible. We'll just have to think of a different plan."

"Potter, listen to me." Draco glared at the seventh-year Gryffindor seated at the table across from him. "There isn't a choice. We have to do this. If you plan on saving any of these--"

"No, Malfoy, you listen." Harry Potter stood up, his lean form unfolding from its sprawled position in the chair. He leaned forward and enunciated clearly, his voice taut, "We can't. I absolutely refuse to sacrifice these innocent people. Do you understand? Enough people have died already...I will not help Voldemort by killing more people who've never done anything to justify their deaths. There has to be another way."

"There isn't."

The two boys stared at each other, at an impasse.

Draco was the first to speak. "I know you don't want to, Potter. I can understand that. These people don't deserve to die. But we have no other choice! There is no other way." He shook his head to silence Harry's imminent protest. "I've thought about it from every single angle. They have to die if we want to have any chance at saving the rest of the wizarding world from Voldemort. It's like chess," he said, his eyes burning with emotion, "sometimes you have to make sacrifices."

Harry was silent.

"He's right, Harry." Hermione Granger's soft voice carried clearly through the tense silence enveloping the table. She looked earnestly at her best friend. "We have to do what's right."

"I just don't see how killing these people is right!" exploded Harry, shoving himself to his feet. He stared challengingly at the small group seated around the table in the isolated classroom. There was Hermione, to his right, and Ginny Weasley to his left. Across from him sat Draco and Padma Patil. The conspicuous empty seat across from Ginny belonged to her brother Ron. Who was currently not speaking to his younger sister or his two best friends.

Damn Draco, Harry thought fiercely, suddenly angry. He understood Draco's position, understood that he had converted to the Light side after that fiasco three months ago, but sometimes he still resented the Slytherin's presence. It was because of him that Ron wasn't there anymore, refusing to have anything to do with whom he deemed a "two-faced liar" and it was because of him that Harry was put in this position. He didn't want to sacrifice innocent lives, even to defeat Voldemort. He still remembered, still lived with, the pain of growing up without his parents, and he hadn't even known them. He didn't want any child out there losing parents they had loved dearly, or parents losing a child they had raised...

He wouldn't. He couldn't.

"But if it's the only way..."

Harry's head snapped up. He stared at Padma.

Her solemn brown eyes looked back at him. "We have to do it, Harry."

"I thought you of all people would understand why I can't do this, Padma." Harry sat down heavily, feeling weighed down by all of the pressure, all of the expectations. Sometimes...sometimes he wondered if he was really cut out to be a hero. After all, he was just a boy. A wearied boy who had seen too much, had experienced too much, and just wanted to forget. Was it so much to ask?

Padma stiffened at his words. "I know how you feel. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. I'd never forget Parvati," she said softly. She crossed her arms and rubbed at the goosebumps appearing on her skin. The room was cold, despite the fire Hermione had started. "Last year was horrible. But that makes me want to stop Voldemort even more. Before...before he can do even more horrible things like that."

Draco nodded at her approvingly. But before he could speak, Harry cut in desperately.

"But don't you understand? If we do what Draco proposes we do, then we'll be no better than him. We'd be killing innocent people, just like Voldemort!"

Ginny watched the emotion play across his face, stifling a sigh. She knew this was hard on him. If only there was something she could do. But, though she was a full-fledged member of this small body of students that were out to stop Voldemort, she really wondered if, other than her fierce belief in them all, she had anything else to offer. She wasn't naturally brave, like Harry, or clever, like Hermione and Parvati, and she most definitely didn't have pertinent inside knowledge like Draco.

Was she really of any use, she wondered.

"Harry," Padma said helplessly. She cast a pleading glance at Ginny.

Ginny blinked. "If we had a choice, Harry," she told him gently, "we would all be unanimously against sacrificing any innocent lives, whatever the cause. You know that." She stroked his arm. "But when it comes to saving a few lives against saving thousands, we have to make a decision. The right decision."

Harry's shoulders slumped. "I--I know...I think I knew all along..." He lifted pained eyes to hers. "I just wish..." Letting his sentence trail off, he gave her a crooked smile. "Thanks Gin."

And she felt deliciously warm. Smiling back, Ginny realized she was damn useful after all.

Draco watched them but didn't comment. It wasn't his place. Besides, as it was irrelevant to their mission, he really didn't care. He looked at Harry instead. "So we're agreed on a plan?" he asked quietly.

The other boy nodded slowly.

"Good." Draco stood up. "We'll meet here tomorrow after classes and proceed. As for now, let's get back to our dorms." The heavy, intense mood that had endured throughout the whole meeting, lightened.

Padma stood as well. She smiled wryly at the blonde striding impatiently toward the door, his wand out to remove the protective and silencing charms placed on the room. "You may be able to rest easy, Mr. Head Boy," she teased, good humor replacing the former haunted look in her eyes, "but some of us have prefect duty."

Draco smirked at her over his shoulder. "Well, that's just rotten luck for you."

"Shush." Hermione, coming up behind him, swatted his arm. "That's not nice."

"Whatever gave you the impression that I was supposed to be nice?" Draco slung a casual arm over her shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Granger. Besides, you've no right to talk. As Head Girl, you're off patrol duty tonight as well."

Hermione grinned. "Yes, but I don't rub the fact in to the less fortunate souls." She quirked a brow at Harry and Padma and Ginny, two out of three whom were casting her disgruntled looks.

"Actually, I don't have patrol duty tonight either," admitted Harry. "It's Ginny and Seamus tonight." He yawned and gave the rest a half-hearted smile. "A good thing, I reckon, 'cause I'm exhausted." He waved his wand negligently at the fire and it died out, plunging the room into darkness.

"Real clever, Potter," applauded Draco's dry voice.

"Oh shut up, Malfoy."

"Lumos." Padma, Hermione, and Ginny held up their wands which were now illuminating the room.

"As always, we girls are the only ones with any common sense. Were you just going to stand there and argue in the dark?" Padma asked archly.

Harry shrugged. "Too tired to think straight," was his explanation. "'Night." He departed towards the Gryffindor tower. Draco and Hermione headed off in the direction of their private rooms, leaving Ginny and Padma staring after them.

"They make a cute couple," commented Padma thoughtfully.

Ginny shook her head slowly. "No...I'm not sure I completely trust Malfoy yet."

Padma glanced at her. "Doubts?" She pursed her lips. "Ron has them too. Guess it's a Weasley trait." And she turned on her heel and began walking down the dark corridor.

Ginny caught up with her. "Do you trust him?" she demanded breathlessly.

The seventh-year Ravenclaw looked at her. "Yes," she said calmly, "I do." And she continued in the direction of the Ravenclaw wing, ready to assume her prefect duties.

Lagging behind, Ginny watched her leave. "But--why?" she whispered. She walked slowly through the halls, her thoughts consuming her. She recalled what had happened three months ago, what had induced Draco's changing of sides. Ron had recounted the entire tale to her.

Draco had somehow broken into the Gryffindor dorms. Apparently, he had made his way to Harry's bed and, with wand poised, had muttered the Killing Curse. When he did, it had set off the numerous wards surrounding Harry. The curse hadn't been able to penetrate the layers of protective spells and charms the concerned, and very wise, Dumbledore had insisted on casting on Harry. And in the end, it had saved his life.

The entire room of Gryffindor seventh-year boys had jerked awake, Ron staring in absolute horror at the Slytherin in their midst. His horror had quickly turned to rage and by the time Dumbledore and McGonagall had arrived on the scene, he'd been attempting to pummel Draco with his bare hands. The other boy, his wand having been lost by a shouted Expelliramus by Dean Thomas, was holding his own. He hadn't had the experience of five older brothers, but he was fit and even strong after six years of intense Quidditch training.

"Stop this at once!" Dumbledore's voice had been cold and hard, unlike him in every way. The brawl had immediately ceased, six pairs of wide eyes turning to stare at him.

"I would ask for an explanation, but it would seem unnecessary." Dumbledore glanced at Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, I believe I need to speak with you. Come." But before he could lead the Slytherin out of the room, Hermione had arrived at the door, wide-eyed, frantic, still in her nightdress.

"What's going on? What's wrong? Oh Professor Dumbledore! I heard Harry's wards go off and then there was a huge racket--oh!" She'd caught sight of Draco. Her eyes narrowed. "It was you, wasn't it?! You beast, you horrid, murdering, inbred--" She had fair been trembling with fury when McGonagall had broken in.

"That will be enough, Miss Granger. Please restrain yourself." The professor had been kind though, for she knew how distressed Hermione really was about Harry. "Please come with me and I will explain." She'd led the shaking Hermione out into the hall, with Hermione hurtling one last insult at Draco about his heartlessness and questioning the legitimacy of his birth.

A far cry from the present, Ginny thought ironically, remembering how the two had ambled off toward their respective Head Girl and Head Boy rooms, comfortable with each other's presence. Dumbledore, after a long meeting with McGonagall and Snape, had won a turnabout in Draco. His sharp words and clearly defined alternatives had at last convinced the stubborn Malfoy to turn double agent.

Supposedly.

The first few months of working together had been tense. Harry had been suspicious, but his faith in Dumbledore had coaxed him to work with the new member, however reluctantly. Hermione, more wary, had always had a grudging respect for the Slytherin's brains, though she made clear she abhorred his personality. Ron, however, had been outright skeptical. He refused to believe that Draco was up to any good and after trading insults and punches for two months, Ron was out. He cut all ties with the mission except a strained friendship with Harry. That, however, had disintegrated two weeks ago when Voldemort's activities had picked up and Harry began meeting more frequently with his "team."

Ginny was surprised, though, at the way Harry and Hermione seemed to have faith in Draco now. She'd heard allusions to an event a month ago that had seemed to cinch Harry and Hermione's acceptance of Draco while causing Ron departure. She'd never found out what it was and, as for herself, was still far less inclined to believe Draco's intentions were honorable and his actions were to be trusted.

Padma, evidently, seemed to disagree with her as well. The beautiful Ravenclaw had never been close to Harry and the rest of them until early this year, when an attack over the summer had lost her Parvati, her twin sister, a Gryffindor. She had appealed to Harry, asking him to let her help him defeat Voldemort. Harry, who had been so surprised that she had managed to figure out that there was an actual organization working against the Dark Lord at Hogwarts, and not just a glamorized hero figure, had accepted her offer. He hadn't regretted it.

But Ginny didn't understand why the clever Ravenclaw seemed to trust Draco as well. Had everyone forgotten what a git Malfoy had been for the majority of their years at Hogwarts? Had they forgotten his scorn and his malice and his deliberate attempts at getting them expelled? Had they forgotten that Malfoy had tried to kill Harry?

No. Ron hadn't.

Sometimes, Ginny thought her older brother might be a lot smarter than people gave him credit for. But she still thought he should've stayed, if only to protect Harry from whatever evils Draco was planning for him.

It was why she'd stayed.