Made For Each Other

Chapter Two

Draco and Narcissa stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley loomed in front of them. Draco took a deep breath and the familiar, strong scent of magic hit his nose. A smile crept onto his handsome face. It was a busy time of the day, and everyone was rushing about doing his or her business. From where he was standing he could see everything: the cafés, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, school supply shops, potion shops, quill shops, Madam Malkin's, A Sister's Latest Style, and the Famous Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes joke shop and his favourite Quality Quidditch Supplies. He watched the wizards arguing over deliveries, funny little witches up for the day's shopping, and so many young wizards and witches from Hogwarts. He watched their excited chatter about their first day in Hogwarts with amusement. His thoughts were interrupted when Narcissa called to him.

"Draco! Are you coming, Hun?"

"Yes, Mum, I am coming. Mum, please, I am a big boy now and if one of those devils were to find out about that name, my future would be ruined forever. Every girl in school will be calling me by that name. I don't mind the girls calling me 'Hun,' though, but I don't want the Weasleys to," he said inattentively as he followed his mother and threw glances at the shop windows. Narcissa smiled at him and slapped him playfully on the back of his head. Light pink colour rose on his cheeks, and he nervously ran a hand through his perfect blonde hair.

"Oh look, mum, here we are," he said, trying to distract Narcissa. They were in front of Gringotts, the Wizarding bank. The popping noise of apparation came from behind them.

"Is that all you do, Narcissa? Huh! You need to spend more time with mum," Fred said, his voice holding a disappointed tone. Draco growled and Narcissa smiled at his uneasiness as she turned to the speaker, obviously recognizing who was talking. Fred, George, Harry, and Hermione were standing just behind them. Draco watched as the twins approached Narcissa to hug her. They had to bend down a considerable amount given their height. Ron was next, followed by Harry and Hermione. They had all changed over the years. Harry, Ron and Draco, more or less the same height, had all filled out thanks to their Quidditch playing. Ron's freckles were as prominent as ever, but fit in better in his face. As for Harry, his forest green eyes were a bit happier and brighter than in the past, but the hair was as messy as ever. There was something that had changed about his face, though. The last six years had left an imprint of the cruel realities of life, which had changed his whole demeanour and personality. He had endured enough pain and responsibilities to last a lifetime. He had become more sober and thoughtful, but also more relaxed.

Hermione had become more refined. Her hair was still bushy, but was tamer than it had been in a long time. She had never been an ugly girl, but now she looked better than ever before.

"Oh my God! All you have grown up so much in months! Look at you!" The motherly tone in Narcissa's voice made the group of young people turn slightly pink.

"You are amazing, Narcissa. Your son is talking to you about how to deal with girls. I am so jealous," Fred said and Draco glared at him. Narcissa smiled at the heartbreaking expression on Fred's face.

"That's enough now," said Mrs. Weasley, who had just apparated behind them. She glared at the twins before stepping forward to greet Narcissa.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley," Draco said.

"Oh! Hello dear, how are you?" Mrs. Weasley returned the greeting.

"We have to hurry. I have so much to do before the afternoon," Narcissa told Mrs. Weasley.

"Of course, dear! Let's go to the bank first. All of you stay here and wait for Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said and the two mothers disappeared behind the bank doors.

"I had thought of so many other nicknames for you, but not that one. It suits you very well, all hunny-bunny, all fluffy. Ginny would love it, don't you think, hun?" George said in the sweetest voice he could manage, and pouted his lips. All of them except Draco started laughing. Draco swore under his breath and growled like an angry cat. His pale complexion now had a tint of pink, but before he could say something, he was interrupted by a very familiar voice, one he could recognize anywhere.

"What's going on here, people? Having fun without me?"

Usually he felt excitement course through his body at just the thought of seeing Ginny. Her presence gave him energy to just be fifteen again, to tease her, and unfortunately for Ginny, he happened to know exactly when and which buttons to push. However, this time the situation was different. He knew that if she were to find out about his pet name, the next year of his life would be hell. Every boy in Hogwarts would call him "Hun" instead of just the girls.

"Oh no," he muttered under his breath, his pale face paler than normal. He looked at all of them with pleading eyes, begging them not to tell her. He turned around and found Ginny sauntering towards them. She was wearing dark brown pants, a crème coloured high neck jumper and dark brown velvet robes. Her beautiful face was a little flushed because of the cold wind. Her long, thick red hair was in a ponytail and was blowing with the wind while she tried desperately to control it. Strands of hair, which had come out of her ponytail, covered her face. Draco loved Ginny's hair, which was long enough to touch her lower back, and her big, intelligent, chocolate brown eyes, which always twinkled brightly whenever she was up to no good. He appreciated her beauty and confidence. She reminded him of him. Both had so much in common: arrogance, stubbornness, the ease with which they hid their emotions, confidence, the love for difficult and challenging work and possessiveness.

Draco and Ginny never got along because he always made her do things, which she strongly avoided doing or, for whatever reason, she didn't want to do. On the other hand, only he knew how to deal with her and only she knew how to deal with him.

"Oh my god," Hermione muttered under her breath. Hermione and the others knew very well that when Draco and Ginny were in the same place, the result was always a small war of their own. Ginny was always more controlled and evenly tempered than any other Weasley, but she still had a ferocious temper on her. Hermione always wondered how she was not as tempered as Ron, but put it down to Ginny's having spent so much time with Harry in the past.

In Draco's presence however, Ginny always lost her calm. In the face of his merciless teasing, Ginny had no choice but to either retaliate or ignore him. More often than not, she ignored him, which made him angrier and he teased her harder. Hermione had once asked Draco why he teased Ginny so much.

"I love to see her get angry," he had replied. Hermione, however, knew better, being close to him, understood, that he needed Ginny; he needed someone to care for and to teach him trust again. Someone honest and faithful. Someone like Ginny. He cared a great deal of her, but sometimes his mockery hurt Hermione that he treated her cruelly as it hurt Ginny. Then again, his affection lurked in his comments and dark sarcasm. Somewhere in his silver eyes, she detected certain tenderness. In his actions, there was a welcoming gentleness. Nevertheless, he was unable to express his feelings, without sarcasm. Hermione wished he would trust his emotions and confront his feelings rather than conceal them. But he did not. Yet in her heart she was sure, dead sure that he loved Ginny.

"Hello Malfoy," Ginny said and averted her eyes forcefully. He was dressed in dark grey, which matched his grey eyes. His normally pale face was pink. He had brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes, making him look more handsome. The small cut across his left eyebrow made him sexier. It was no wonder girls in school and everywhere else were mad about him. He was perfectly aware of the fact, too. Ginny greeted everyone as if she hadn't seen him or her in a long time.

"Hello Weasley. Didn't you see them at home this morning?" he glared at her.

"Jealous, are we?" she tartly replied.

Hermione shifted her weight to the other foot and shook her head in disappointment. Ginny ignored her and Draco as well, and waved a hand carelessly.

"By the way, Draco, congratulations. You're Head Boy now, aren't you?" Hermione said with a smile, desperately trying to change the subject.

"How do you know I am Head Boy? Maybe I'm not," he said, but his smile confirmed it. "On the other hand, I should congratulate you, so! Congratulations." Draco hugged her, and she thanked him.

"Of course you're not Head Boy. They should send you a, "BIG-HEAD Boy" badge," Harry said, and everyone laughed at the memory of Percy's head-boy badge, which was changed to read 'Big-head boy' by the twins.

"Where is Snape, Gin? Isn't he supposed to be with you?" Ron asked.

"Snape... what were you doing with him?" Draco asked raising his eyebrows, before Ginny answered Ron.

"Well! If you really want to know, I made a list of all the pretty girls in Britain, and I had a meeting with him to select the available dates for dates." Turning around to face her brothers who were making disgusted noises, she added seriously, "Boys, u had better get the girls before Professor Snape's sexy spell works on the women in the Wizarding world, and you are left alone."

Hermione started giggling as the boys' faces turned sour, with the exception of Draco, who was looking at Ginny with narrowed eyes.

"Huh...Sexy spell or greasy spell," Ron exclaimed snickering.

"I have no desire to date any more," Fred said morosely.

"Could that be because you already have one?" Harry asked smiling.

"By the way, we are talking about my Godfather here, and he is your teacher, too," Draco sneered at her.

"Well, Malfoy! That's very old news. Got anything new? For example, since when do you care about Snape, and since when do you have the impression that I would care that he is your Godfather? You never did." Ginny was standing right in front of him. She was not very close, but he could still smell her, the sweet scent of strawberries and some kind of flowers. She had a challenging smile, a face pink from laughter, and eyes full of mischievous twinkles. She was biting her pink lips to keep from laughing. Strands of her hair were hanging around her face. She was looking so beautiful that Draco had an almost undeniable urge to grab her and kiss her senseless. With an immense amount of strength, he controlled himself. After defeating the Dark Lord, he didn't want to die in the middle of Diagon Alley at the hands of her brothers.

"You are so Slytherin, you know that, Weasley? Sometimes I think that the sorting hat's decisions are not very reliable, at least not in your case," Draco said sceptically.

"Just think about it, Malfoy. Everything happens for a good reason. Where would you be if I were in Slytherin?"

"Ooh!" the twins teased Draco, and Harry held her back when Draco took a step towards her.

"That's enough you two. We have a whole year. Save something for there." Harry stepped between them.

"You're my sister, but I have to agree with Malfoy. You are evil." Said Ron.

"Yeah, me, too. I have some Slytherin influence in me."

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ginny agreed with Ron. All of them smiled with her.

"By the way, Professor Snape was with me, but he left me in a bookshop and is gone now. Where are Mum and Narcissa?" She slipped her hands between Harry and Ron, who smiled at her as they all started walking to the bank.

"Spoiler," Draco muttered Ginny's pet name his breath, but loud enough for all of them to hear. He was walking with Hermione, right behind Harry, Ginny, and Ron. Fred and George were behind Hermione and Draco. Hermione took a sharp breath and glared at him.

"You prat!" she hissed. Ron and Harry heard him too, and gave Draco death glares.

"I am not a spoiler!" Ginny shouted in outrage.

"Draco, you stop bothering her, and I mean it," Ron warned him casually.

"Yeah, don't you dare to call my sister by her pet name in the middle of Diagon Alley." Harry added with a teasing smile on his face.

"HARRY!" Ginny shouted in outrage. "Ok, ok I was just kidding Ginny."

Draco just shrugged his shoulders carelessly and took a deep breath. "Okay, but you didn't say anything when she was joking about my Godfather," Draco frowned.

"And by the way, look who's talking, mommy's boy!" Ginny snapped, sharply turning to him with her teeth gritted. Draco, in a swift movement, pulled on her ponytail and her already loosened band slipped from her hair, and into Draco's fingers. He knew she hated it when anyone did that.

"Never call me mommy's boy again," he spat back at her evenly. Ron and Harry looked at each other and both held her tightly. Ginny was trying to free her hands by wriggling and squirming in the boys' grip.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY HAIR!"

"Okay Gin, calm down! He is just trying to annoy you. Don't give him the satisfaction," Harry said, trying to calm her down. Both walked faster before she could attack Draco for pulling on her ponytail. Fred, George, and Draco started laughing. Hermione slapped his arm and glared at the twins.

"You know she was joking, not making fun of Snape."

"I know that," Draco told her with an innocent smile.

"You are cruel, you know that?" Hermione said.

"I know that, too."

"Oh, I don't know why we even bother with you two. It always ends the same. Why don't you just leave her alone?" Hermione asked him pleadingly.

"Oh I don't know what you are talking about, Herm! It seems to be something else to me," Fred said, elbowing George. Both shared a knowing look.

Draco, who was looking intently at Ginny, turned to them and arched an eyebrow, "And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

The twins shrugged, "What makes you think that we're going to tell you?" They walked past him calling after Ginny. "Hey! Wait up, Gin!"

Draco turned to Hermione, who was smiling at the boys' attempts to cheer Ginny up. Hermione turned and looked at Draco, who was looking at her as if waiting for an answer.

"Well..." he trailed off.

"Well what? I am not going to tell you either, so don't look at me," she said and marched after the twins.

Draco swore loudly.

"Bloody everyone not telling me. You know what? I don't care!" he yelled and followed her slowly. In the mean time, Mrs Weasley and Narcissa had come out of the bank, and he thanked God that nothing had happened in front of his mom. She had warned him not to bother Ginny. He smiled at the memory of a pissed off Ginny with fiery hair.

"Hello, Ginny. How wonderful to see you! How have you been?" Narcissa asked as she hugged Ginny, who had managed to make a bun out of her hair now.

"Thanks! I'm fine. How are you, Narcissa?" she asked and glared at Draco and ignored him when he returned a wink and a smirk. He was standing right behind her mother so when Ginny gave her a hug she had to face him.

"Oh, I am fine, just getting old," Narcissa, answered casually.

"You're not old. You are the smartest woman I have ever seen. No offence, Mum." Ginny patted her mother's shoulder lightly.

"None taken," Mrs. Weasley replied with a gesture of her hand.

"Oh, Ginny, dear, you are so nice. Thanks," Narcissa said as she patted Ginny's cheek with a soft hand.

"No, really, Narcissa. You look so young that if you stand with Draco, you don't look like his mother, but like an elder sister," Hermione assured her. Narcissa flashed a bright smile at her. "Thank you Hermione. "Narcissa was tall with a very feminine figure, and a beautiful face and deep sea-blue eyes. It was true that she didn't look old. She was part Veela, after all.

"If I was not going about with Angi, Narcissa," George looked at Narcissa with a thoughtful expression on his face and trailed off....

"GEORGE!" shrieked all the boys and Mrs. Weasley, but mostly Draco. The girls started giggling, and Narcissa laughed. George, who hadn't been expecting such a reaction, stepped backwards hastily, tripped over a rock, and fell down. Draco and Mrs. Weasley were sending him death glares.

"Oh, George, you are such a handsome boy. I am sure your company would be enjoyable, and I am sure Angi is a very lucky girl." Narcissa offered her hand to help him up. Since he was still on his bottom on the floor, he accepted, and stood up, his face red from her remarks.

"Umm, thanks," he said to her sheepishly.

"Mum," Draco looked at her with wide eyes and everybody started laughing.

"We have to do so much today, and we don't have much time, so march!" Narcissa pushed him forward, ignoring his protests.

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Until lunch they shopped for their school supplies, quills, parchment, and potions ingredients. The boys tried to slip away from the ladies, who were robe shopping, but Ginny dragged everyone along. Therefore, in the end they all were sitting in A Sister's Latest Style Shop to pick up robes for Hermione and Ginny. The two friends and girlfriends of Fred and George's since their sixth year, Angelina and Alicia, owned the shop. After graduate, they both started this business. Angelina gave everybody butter beers and put the "WE WILL BE BACK SOON" sign on the door. She grabbed the girls and they all vanished behind the back door of the store.

"Ginny, your robes came out very beautiful! You're such a good designer. We put them in the display window and, can you believe it, we already have twelve orders for those styles!" Alicia told Ginny enthusiastically.

"Well, It's you who made it so beautiful, so thank you too." Ginny thanked them both.

Angelina grinned toothily, "Yeah that's right, you're welcome. Besides, we were thinking of asking you to do a favour, if you have time make some designs for us. We know that school is starting, so no pressure at all."

"Oh, no! I would love to."

"Really? Thanks." Both friends were happy. Since Charlie had no ideas about what to buy for girls, he had brought some robe material from Romania for Ginny, and she had given that to Angelina and Alicia. For a change, she had thought that it would be a good idea to design her own robes, and the result was marvellous. The robes were beautiful, comfortable, and fit extremely well. Everybody liked them. Ginny was not a very wardrobe kind of person, but she always had decent choice in clothing. She had also designed a robe for Hermione as a gift for her. Hermione was speechless. The peach robe was beautiful and the colour suited her very well. She thanked Ginny with a tight hug, and then went outside to show everyone.

"Hermione, you look beautiful!" Harry said, speaking first. He suddenly realized that everyone was in the room when Draco and Ron elbowed him from both sides and the twins snorted with laughter.

"Ouch!" Harry yelled in pain and glared both of them. "What the hell was that for?"

"Oops," said Ron, and turned to face Hermione, who was looking at him with surprise.

"Busted," said Fred.

"I mean, the robe is beautiful," Harry said and Hermione smiled at him.

"Thanks, Harry," she said.

"Yeah, yeah! Right! The robe is beautiful, beautiful on Hermione, is that what you were trying to say, Potter?" Draco teased him. Harry had gone very pink and had the urge to punch Draco in the face.

"Don't make me hit you, Malfoy," Harry warned with a twisted smile. All the boys started laughing at his lame attempt to warn Draco.

"Yes, Hermione, the robe is beautiful," said both Narcissa and Mrs. Weasley. She thanked them and told them that Ginny had designed it for her. The other three girls were standing in the doorway, watching the scene and giggling at Harry's embarrassment, which he was trying to ignore.

"Can he be more obvious? Especially Harry, it's all over his face, but he is too naïve to understand, and look at her, I think the only way Hermione will understand someone's attraction to her is if someone gave her a romantic potions speech, or a lusty transfiguration lesson."

Alicia looked at other girls, who were staring at her with open mouths.

"Ok... that is too much. Romance and Snape, sex lessons from McGonagall...eww..."

The three of them shuddered with horror, shared a look of understanding, and started laughing at the idea of Transfiguration sex lessons from their Head of house.

"You have no idea," Ginny said, sighing deeply, after recovering from her laughter. "I have a bunch of lunatics in my house, and they are clueless in the matter of love. I was surprised when Fred and George had the courage to ask you two out. On the other hand, I always wondered if Ron would ever be able to ask any girl, let alone Blaise, out without either wetting his pants or fainting," Ginny said and the girls shared a look and burst into a fresh peal of laughter.

"Speaking of Ron, what's his problem with Blaise? She is a nice girl and, if I am not wrong, Ron also likes her. Doesn't he?" Alicia asked Ginny.

"I am as curious as you are, but I will find out soon," Ginny told them determinedly.

"And what about that sexy one? Does he have any clue?" Angelina asked, jerking her head in Draco's direction, who was grinning toothily while he elbowed Ron as if they knew something that Harry didn't. The colour on Harry's cheeks was so obvious that no one had to ask what they were talking about. Unfortunately for Harry, girls and sex were always weak points for him. On the other hand, according to Ginny, if extra credits could be obtained through dating and flirting at Hogwarts, Draco would have a history of achieving the most.

"What about him?" Ginny seemed totally unconcerned. She started to gather her stuff as Hermione came inside and started to put her stuff in the bags.

"Oh, don't you try to be smart with us, Ginny," Angelina said dispassionately. "So that means you haven't forgiven him yet." She sighed, "Ginny, that pendent saved your life, and Draco did that at the time because it seemed a good idea for saving his own life as well."

"Well, the matter of forgiveness comes when someone thinks he is sorry for his actions. First, he didn't think he was wrong to put that pendent on my neck, not to mention, without asking me in, so there is no space left for saying sorry. Moreover, he never apologizes for any thing to anyone. He is always so damn annoying and full of himself."

"Sorry," said the other girl. They sat down on the couch. Alicia glared back at her twin, and looked over to Hermione for help. Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh! Who I am kidding?" Ginny said miserably as she left her bag and sat on the floor with a thud. "It's not the pendent at all that I am angry about. In fact the pendent doesn't bother me that much. It's his behaviour that bothers me; he thinks putting this pendent on my neck makes me belong to him. He...he is so possessive... and when he orders me around.... Don't even get me start with that. Damn dominating male," Ginny said angrily. Her voice rose as she talked and she strangled the cushion in her lap as she spoke, her expression no longer one of misery, but of pure malice as she imagined crushing Draco's skull into pulp. On the other hand, the girls' sympathies seemed to turn with that cushion right now, and Hermione's were with Draco.

"Ok..." said Hermione slowly, trailing off, and took the cushion from Ginny's hands slowly, before there was a shower of stuffing in the room. "Ginny, you have to understand that he won't lie, not about what he feels. He never lies; you know that, although he does conceal things. He's always painfully honest. He will like you, but won't want you to have expectations of him," Hermione said softly as she took Ginny's hand in her own. Hermione and Draco had always had a close friendship. Hermione knew all the different colours of his moods. She knew he loved Ginny, but being a Malfoy, and a stubborn one at that, he didn't accept it, at least aloud. Harry and Ron knew as well, at least felt it, but in acknowledgment of Draco and Ginny's events last year, nobody interfered.

"He does not like me, how many times do I have to tell you that?" Ginny said, annoyed. "He just uses 'love' to annoy me, and I am definitely not in love with him. I have no idea where you got that idea from. And if our constant life-long effort of killing each other makes you feel that we are madly in love with each other, then I am disappointed in your lack of imagination. We are not made for each other, there are no birds and bees, and no fluffy bunny feelings between us; and by the way, which part of I-am-not-in-love-with-him don't you understand?" She stopped abruptly on her own rambling.

"Ok, I think, I am going crazy; am I?" she asked the girls, who shook their heads in unison.

"No."

"On the other hand, you can put it in simple words that he is a waste of time and a total bastard and I don't trust him. How does that sound?" Ginny tried to sound all-cheerful and stood up to leave. Angelina grabbed her by the hand.

"Okay, then tell me why you haven't asked him to take that pendent off of your neck. Now that the Dark Lord has gone, it's not dangerous now, is it?" Alicia almost sounded like she was accusing Ginny. Ginny was stunned for a while and paled, too shocked to speak. Hermione looked at her worriedly, and glanced the other two. It was not hard to tell what she was thinking.

"Do you really think I haven't thought about it?" Ginny said and shook her head tiredly. "You don't understand, you didn't spend time with him, you don't know him at all. He is not a very easy person to be around, to understand, he is...he is so difficult," she spoke weakly. "Deep down in my heart, I know he won't do it. I don't know how, but I know he won't do it. He always does what he wants. It's as though he has some kind of mission to make my life miserable. I don't want to give him any more opportunities, so, I never asked him."

"Ginny, correct me if I am wrong. You are saying you are not going to ask him, and he won't do it by himself, then what are you thinking. Where are you both standing?" Alicia asked curiously.

"I have no idea. I am working on it," Ginny said tiredly.

Hermione knelt down on her knees and squeezed her hand. Ginny looked at her gratefully and smiled.

"You know, Hermione, don't you?"

Hermione nodded, but said nothing.

"But..."

"There are no, buts."

Angelina tried to argue, but Hermione stopped further arguments.

"I don't like him, for the last time," Ginny said darkly, determinedly. "And I would rather go snog Filch than to be in love with Draco Malfoy."

"Eeww.... Ginny, you are disgusting," the girls made faces and shrieked.

"Your useless ranting is not helping either, so just stop biting my head off, will you please?" she said chuckling on their reaction. "Honestly, at the rate you fuss over me, you could be my mother! Besides, Hermione is not dating either, but you don't seem to be bothered by that. Why me?" Ginny asked irritably. "It's not the first time I am not dating; you know that, I am so busy and these boys...Boys are so difficult... and... and I don't have time for that. Ok?" She finished and breathed deeply.

Hermione, who knew her best, just stared at her and wondered if she knew that Malfoy only teased her because he wanted her attention.

"We have faith in Hermione." The older girls changed the subject, very well aware of her temper.

"What's that supposed to mean, and where did I come into all of this?" Hermione's train of thought broke upon hearing the use of her name, looking at the three girls suspiciously.

"Okay, Hermione, what's the matter with you? What's your excuse?" Alicia asked.

"What was that outside?" Angelina added.

"That was nothing. You know Harry. He is always like that, and the boys are just jerks, including your brothers, Ginny," Hermione said casually.

"There was no one else besides my brothers, Hermione," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, not all of them," Alicia said, frowning at her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ginny waved her hand.

"Ginny, we just want you to be happy. We all love you, just remember that," Angelina said and hugged her.

"I know, and believe me, I am happy," Ginny said and gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Just because you are dating Fred and George doesn't mean every girl on earth is your responsibility and you know what I think, you could be very good match maker; close this shop and start this matchmaking business." Hermione glare and stepped out. The girls started chuckling.

At the front desk they paid for their robes and said their good byes to each other. Fred and George promised their girlfriends they would meet up later, and the group stepped out of the shop.

The twins dragged Ginny into the joke shop, as she had promised them, and the three other boys went to the Quidditch store while Hermione went into the bookstore.

Weasely's Wizarding Wheezes was full of young witches and wizards. Lee Jordan was busy at the counter dealing with customers. After graduation, the twins had offered Lee the job of taking care of their shop because they were busy with the Order of the Phoenix.

Being their best friend, he had been the best option, and he had accepted. Since then, he had been taking care of the business while the twins were busy starting their new shop in Hogsmeade. He pretty much had control over the store, and had hired some help. So far, it worked out well. Lee saw them through the crowd when they entered and waved at them. They all walked over to the counter.

"Hello, mate!" Fred and George said and shook hands with Lee.

"Hello, Gin! How are you?" Lee asked Ginny pleasantly.

"I am fine, Lee. How is everything going? You seem pretty busy."

"Yeah, when school gets started, it always gets busy here," Lee smiled at her.

Ginny walked off to see the new tricks on display around the shop as Fred and George talked shop with Lee. Sometime later they left the shop and went to meet the others. In the meantime, everybody had finished their window-shopping and all of them went to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, laden with shopping bags and thoroughly exhausted. After lunch Draco and Narcissa said their good-byes to the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, and went to St. Mungo's while the Weasleys went back to the Burrow.

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Narcissa was standing in front of room 7. She found Dr. Simon Jade in the room, writing something on the charts. A nurse was taking a table out, which had a tray on it with different potion bottles and different equipment. Dr. Jade welcomed her in.

"You are just in time. I was about to leave, and I am sure Mr. Lucius will be very happy with your company," Dr. Jade said with a smile. "Err... Young Malfoy," he started, but trailed off questionably and stopped. "I am sorry, Narcissa, it's really none of my business."

"No, no, it's fine. There is nothing to hide from you," Narcissa said. "He is outside. You know he is a Malfoy, and he is growing into a young man who needs his father. He is hurt and doesn't understand what to do. He was confused, but he is coming around. He has wonderful friends to help him through. I was very worried about him. I didn't know what I would do with him, he was always very quiet, but now he talks. Not with me, but with his friends, and I am happy for him. I am sure Lucius will be very happy when he will be able to see him." She turned to her husband's bed and held his hand gently.

"I am sure Lucius will be fine soon enough, and will be able to see what a wonderful job you have done with the young man," Dr. Jade said softly and turned to leave.

"Thank you, Dr. Jade. I never had time to thank you and Severus properly for everything that you have done for my husband. If it was not for the two of you, I don't know what I would have done, and I just wish you could tell me the other person who accompanies Lucius throughout so that I can thank her, too. I understand you made a promise, so just thank her and tell her that if there's anything I can do for her, it will be my pleasure."

"You don't have to thank me. What are friends for? As for the young woman who volunteered, I will personally thank her, and I have already told you that I asked if she wanted any favours in return, and she has refused. Believe me, Narcissa," Dr. Jade reassured her.

"Yes, I know," she sighed.

"I'll be in my office if you need anything," he said and promptly left the room. Draco was leaning against the wall; his hands folded in front of his chest when he saw Dr. Jade step out of the room. He pushed himself off the wall and shook hands with the doctor. Dr. Jade explained his father's condition to him. Draco listened carefully and thanked him. After Dr. Jade left, he went to the waiting room where he could see his father. His mother was sitting on the chair near his father's bed and he could see her talking to his father, but he couldn't hear. Draco hadn't stepped foot into his father's room since Lucius had been admitted there.

When he had read the news in the Daily Prophet about Voldemort murdering his father, Draco hadn't known what to do. He had felt empty - no emotions, no reactions, and definitely no tears had come out of his eyes. He had just locked himself in his room. After Voldemort had gone, he had been told that his father was alive and safe and even that day he hadn't felt anything. It had been two months now. Draco and Ginny had had a big argument, and everyone had agreed with Ginny, which had made Draco furious. He hadn't talked to her for a week, but in the end they had convinced him to visit his father. He had come to see his father, but he didn't step into his room. He had watched him through the waiting room window while his mother stayed with his father and talked to him.

It's almost three months when he first came to the hospital.

Draco had never seen Lucius like that before. He had always seen him in command; so energetic. Draco's face was expressionless. Harry and Hermione were with him. Draco had not wanted to see Lucius, but Harry and Hermione had talked him into going.

"Thank God he is okay. I am so sorry Draco and I hope he will be fine," Hermione said politely, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I am not happy but I am not sorry for his condition, either," Draco said. His tone was so icy that she flinched violently and jerked her hand off of his shoulder, as if she had just touched an electrical wire. She looked at his face.

"What?" Harry asked, surprised. "What are you talking about? He is your father and you just found out that he is alive, and you are telling me that you're not happy to see him?"

"Yes, Potter, that's what I mean. I wish the news were wrong and he were really dead."

"You don't mean it. You don't know what you are talking about." Hermione's shaky and horrified voice increased his anger.

"Don't you dare tell me what I mean." He narrowed his eyes at her. His clenched jaw and icy glares made the hair on the back of her neck stand up straight. "Don't tell me that you're really happy to see him alive. His mission was to destroy you both, all of you, damn it. He hated Muggles his whole life."

Hermione stepped back, scared, when Draco turned sharply to face them. She bumped into Harry's chest and he caught her in his arms and stepped in front of her.

"Yes, he hated us, but this has nothing to do with us, and we are not sorry that he is not dead. Whatever kind of person he is or was, he is your father. We saw you back in school; your mission was to prove yourself to your father. Why are you doing this now?" Harry asked him, waving his hands impatiently.

"I don't want to talk about it now," he said and stormed out of the room without a second glance towards his father. He locked himself in the attic for two days, and made them promise that he would come out only if they wouldn't talk to him about his father. They promised him.

He was not acquainted with real friendship. Crabbe and Goyle were not counted as friends, and in the Slytherin house, the idea of friendship was foreign. They all worked together as long as there was some advantage for all of them equally. Otherwise, they never hesitated to kill one of their own partners if it came down to that in order to protect themselves. After defeating Voldemort, the teenage group became very popular. For Harry and his friends that attention was not new. The attention was not new to Draco, either, but the reason for his popularity was totally different now. The idea that people thought him, Lucius Malfoy's son, a Slytherin, to be good, was a novel one for Draco. He was still getting used to it.

Everybody always loses and gains something in war, in the Wizarding world as well as in the Muggle world. They had seen and learned so much together. Draco had learned the importance of friendship, family, right and wrong, the painful facts of life, the pain to lose someone who's very dear to you, and most importantly to make the right choices. That is always the most difficult part, but not too difficult if your friends are there to help you out; friends who never leave your side no matter what happens to them. They all had defeated the darkest and most evil wizard in the Wizarding world together. They were heroes, all of them.