Tears in Heaven

(Disclaimer: I own nothing.)

Tears In Heaven

Chapter Ten

After dinner, Draco surveyed himself in the mirror. He adjusted the silver snakes clasp for his midnight black cloak and swallowed. His face was gaunt and seemed to be haunted, and he owed the attribute to his strange dreams. He wondered what it was that his father needed to speak to him about that night. Possibly, it was his mother's death. This thought sent a shiver down his spine. Hopefully the conversation would not stray to that.

Perhaps, however, this clandestine meeting would be about his second test in the Ritual. Having already failed the first, he wasn't eager to start the next. Draco sighed and crept out of his dormitory making sure no one saw him escape. Soon, he was out of the school itself and on his way towards the Forbidden Forest.

The Forest had always spooked him. Whether it was because of his first venture in it during his first year or because of some of the tales about it, he wasn't sure.

"Draco," said a voice before him. The boy looked up and saw his father silhouetted in the moonlight. Lucius was a handsome man and he knew it. His walk was arrogant and confident while his attitude matched it. His silvery blond hair gave him a celestial appearance, which his son inherited and Lucius' stern and sharp features were softened in his son's.

"Father," replied Draco.

Lucius stepped more into the clearing and into a brighter light. Draco did so as well but made sure to keep a certain distance from the man. He knew, however, that distance wouldn't matter if a Lucius wanted something done. "You failed your first test," said Lucius. His voice held no amount of emotion, but only Draco or Narcissa could ever read the undertone. There was only the slightest wobble in his voice that gave away his true feelings. Draco resisted taking a step back at his father's anger. No matter what the young was feeling, he knew not to say or do anything, so he kept quiet. "I must admit I am very disappointed in you. The Dark Lord has you in high esteem but now...we cannot be sure. Even Goyle passed all three tests of his Ritual!" Draco shook with silent anger and balled his hands into fists. Lucius' eyes glimmered with frigidity. "Even Crabbe is boasting about how bloody well his son will do compared to you. It is truly a disgrace if someone would say such a thing to me."

"What did you do?" asked Draco, resisting the urge to say more.

Lucius smiled and just like the rest of his smiles, this one held no warmth. "He's fallen ill. Not to worry though, he will be up and about in about two weeks." He pierced his son's eyes with his own. "Your second test is approaching." Draco gave the slightest of nods. Lucius narrowed his eyes. "You will not fail." This was neither a hope nor a question, but rather a statement. Draco felt he knew what would happen if he did fail and suppressed a shudder. "We both know that only one test needs to be passed, but of course, if that happens, you won't be respected. A Malfoy holds respect, Draco, and fear. You will pass this second test, and the third as well."

Draco's mind wandered to something he had been thinking about a lot over the past few weeks. "Father, about Gayle -," he started, but was cut off.

"Oh, yes, Avery. Quite a child the wench is. I'm looking forward to being in charge of her Ritual," said Lucius absently.

"I know you know she's against you and the Dark Lord - why are you still using her?"

At this, Lucius smirked a smirk that Draco had become accustomed to. He himself used it many times. "Another lesson for you, Draco: It is better to hire someone driven by fear rather than loyalty in the field we're in. For traitors and spies, it is easy to get good graces in time, but fear drives someone to the extreme. For Gayle, her situation is as such. She's probably told you about Owen." Draco kept his mouth shut and Lucius' smirk broadened. "Yes, she has. Well, when Avery - her father - and the eldest boy...what was his name? Keilan. When they were killed, we took Owen and told Gayle that if she would do some dirty work for us, we'd give him back."

"And she did it, why wasn't she let off?"

"We weren't done with her yet. She was already within the bounds of Hogwarts - why not use her a bit more? She's on another assignment at the moment." He shrugged. "The boy is dead already - couldn't take the curses and beatings lavished upon him."

Draco's eyes widened slightly. "And she's still doing it?"

Lucius laughed. "She doesn't know of course!" His tone dropped to a warning one. "And you are not permitted to tell her." Draco gave a slight nod. "I believe you will enjoy the outcome of this assignment. All the others who have tried this one have not yet succeeded, but I do think she will - she is doing it to save her already dead brother, after all." He smiled a menacing smile and swished his cloak behind him. "I must leave now. Do not fail me, Draco," he said, and was soon gone.

Draco glared at the spot where his father had just disappeared. He ran a hand through his hair after a moment and sighed, shaking his head. Why couldn't his life be easy?

Truly, money and looks aren't everything, he thought sardonically. He turned and walked back to Hogwarts, his mind now plagued with conflicting thoughts.

~*~

Remus got up so quickly his chair fell backwards. Before anyone knew it, he was racing towards the stage. He was by her in a moment. The entire ballroom had gone quiet and the silence was deafening. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest and a sense of de ja vu was passing over him. He let her lean against his chest in a sitting position.

"Hallie, Hallie, open your eyes and look at me," he commanded, but though he tried to keep his voice steady, it wavered. "Shit," whispered Remus. He looked up and saw Medi-Wizards approaching. The nearest one knelt down beside him.

"We can take over now, sir," said the man. Remus reluctantly let the man levitate Hallie onto a stretcher. He was invited to go with them to the hospital and he agreed without a moment's hesitation.

In the flying car, Remus looked at her. Her face was white as a sheet and her breathing was coming out labored and unevenly. First it would be frighteningly slow and then incredibly fast. At times, he found himself holding his breath every time she exhaled and was almost gasping for breath the next time she inhaled. Cautiously, he took her hand in his. He felt a cold sweat break out upon his forehead when her he found her hand was as cold as ice.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked the Medi-Witch next to him.

She looked at Hallie gravely. "It's hard to tell at this moment, Mr. Lupin, but don't worry - we've got the best Medi-Wizards at St. Mungo's."

Remus nodded, but her words didn't console him much. They soon arrived at the hospital and Hallie was brought into the emergency at once. He was told to wait in the waiting room and there, he tried sitting, but found he couldn't stay put. The man was up and pacing back and forth running his hands continually through his hair that was beginning to be streaked with gray. His handsome face hadn't lost its youth though lines that hadn't been present just a few years ago were finely drawn in his countenance.

An elderly man nearby grinned at him. "Child on the way?" he wondered with a kind smile.

Remus opened mouth to say, "No, friend dying in the emergency room while I'm out here," but the word, "Yes," popped out instead. He didn't want to disillusion a man as old as the one before him with such sad news.

It was quite a while before a doctor came in. "Mr. Lupin?" he said. There were a few others in the room, but so late a night, there weren't that many present. Remus stepped forward. The doctor led him out into the hall. "Miss Forester is in critical condition and we're keeping her on something like the Muggle life support. She -," but Remus cut him off.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked abruptly.

The doctor rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Her ailment isn't certain at the moment. It isn't anything natural, we're sure, but we're aren't sure about what it is that's making her so sick. Her heartbeat is slowing ever so slowly and her breathing as well. It's almost as if her life was being slowed to a stop."

Remus' mind swirled and the sense of de ja vu swept over him once again. He leaned against the wall for support and took many deep breaths to calm himself. A prickling sensation arose behind his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. "She's dying, then," he whispered.

The doctor looked at him solemnly when he said, "We're doing all we can." And Remus was frightened to hear the tone of defeat in the man's voice.

~*~

"No!" she screamed. "Troy, don't!"

He looked over at Marianna who was struggling vainly against her bonds, then let his gaze wander back to the rogue before him. "We will fight to the death. If I beat you, your friends will let us go freely."

Rogue looked at him, then smirked. This youth was nothing compared to him. It was a futile battle. "All right, boy. You win, you're free and if I -," but he was cut off.

"No, if I win, both she and I are free. You'll let us go," said Troy.

The other man nodded and brandished his sword. Troy got into his fighting stance. He took a last look at Marianna and smiled slightly, reassuring her. She quit trying to pull free from the robes binding her and said, "Troy, please, please don't." But then her eyes widened. "Watch out!"

Rogue attacked with a wild mid swing. Troy jumped backwards, narrowly being missed. His eyes burned. How dare this ruffian be so ungallant? Troy struck back with a crescent moon strike and snipped Rogue's tunic. The man growled in response and stabbed. Troy parried the blow and instantly rebounded another attack - then another. Rogue's expression was amused as he defended himself. It occurred to Troy that the older man believed him to be a jest - with no intention of a real fight. Now that he saw Troy's skill, however, the real fight was on.

A droplet of sweat ran down his forehead and dripped down to his eyes. He saw a free moment and quickly wiped it away, but wasn't quick enough. Troy felt the edge of Rogue's sword scratch his upper arm. He had enough training to know not to let go of his sword so instead, he transferred it to his other hand. Marianna's screams of fright were overcome by the bandits' cheers. Troy didn't stop after he got wounded but instead struck upwards catching his foe by surprise. There was the sound of ripping material and a line of blood on Rogue's shoulder could be seen.

Troy absently thought about warning his father about the band of bandits in the Gryffindor Kingdom. Thinking about his father, however, made his heart feel pierced. It was then that he heard Marianna's scream. "No!" He blinked away the red spots in his vision and saw that Rogue was looking down at him with slightly wide eyes. Humor was gone from his expression. Troy looked down and saw the hilt of Rogue's sword protruding from his chest. He sucked in a breath, but all he got was a gurgling sound deep within his chest. "Troy!" he heard Marianna shriek as if from a distance. The red spots were growing larger in his vision and he fought to remain conscious. He fell to his knees. Rogue took a step back from him looking stricken.

Everything around him seemed to swirl and go in and out of focus. His thoughts roamed to his Uncle Serpise and how he had sworn to free the man from his imprisonment. They roamed to Marianna - how they had not been married yet - how he wanted to be with her. If he died now, the bandits would have her - Rogue would have her. He couldn't let that happen. His mother was still trapped in the Alloy Child, who was he to leave her there?

He heard a clatter and gasps of surprise but his eyes were now closed. Through his lids, he saw bright red and knew that something was happening, but he couldn't place a finger on what it was that was going on. He felt himself being lifted and relaxed, knowing that it was out of his hands now. Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath his knees and hands. When he opened his eyes, everyone was gone but Marianna who stood before him, her eyes wide and her hands clutching at her face. Rogue's sword lay a few inches away from him, still bloodied, but no longer in him. He looked down at the whole in his shirt surrounded by blood and felt for the wound.

It was gone.

...

Draco sat up and shook his head. "Just another dream," he whispered. Light was pouring through the open windows and he saw Crabbe and Goyle looking at him curiously. He scowled at them. "What are you looking at?" he snapped. They turned and scurried out of the dormitory. He got up and got dressed. He then went down to the Grand Hall for breakfast trying to push thoughts about his dream aside.

~*~

Billy blinked his eyes open and saw someone beside him. He blinked rapidly a few times to clear his vision. "Adrianna?" he asked. His voice was barely audible. She smiled and rubbed the top of his hand with her thumb.

"Shh," she said. "Go back to sleep."

Indeed, he felt his eyes weigh down and soon he was drifting away.

The next time he woke up. He sat up and saw Joey curled up on the floor next to his bed. Soon, the memories of the past day flooded through his mind. The forbidden corridor and the Mirror of Erised. The visions he saw flashed through his mind. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.

"Bill? Billy?" he heard. He looked over and saw Joey sitting up. The other boy groaned and used the bedpost to support himself as he stood up. "Damn," he muttered. Joey saw his brother looking at him with raised brows and grinned sourly. "Never sleep on the floor - it's hell for your back." Billy smiled. Joey's smile faded to a frown of concern. "Hey, are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm - I'm all right. I have no clue about what happened though."

Joey sat at the edge of his brother's bed. "Yeah, you just suddenly keeled over. It gave us a fright. Neo thought you were kidding around and Bella looked near tears. Really, those two are total opposites - it's a wonder how their friends." Billy saw a flash of a strange emotion cross his brother's face, but as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared. "Anyway, I'm glad you're up." He grinned again though Billy noticed that it was a bit empty. He also observed the guarded look in Joey's eyes that clearly said that something was being hidden. "Adie stopped by," he said in a taunting tone.

Billy smiled again. "Yeah, I remember seeing her here."

"You should talk to her some time, Billy-boy. She was a right mess after she heard what happened. She left dinner in a rush for the hospital wing." Billy's mind flashed to an image of the girl with shoulder length wavy brown hair and blue eyes. This vision too disappeared quickly. "Madame Pomfrey said the reason of your collapse was shock," said Joey in a serious tone.

"Shock?"

"Yeah. I spoke to Harry and he says that it was probably that mirror. The Mirror of...something or other."

"The Mirror of Erised," Billy replied.

Joey nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I'm glad you're up. I've got to head to class." He grinned. "Get some sleep, you look freakish."

Billy laughed and shoved his brother away. "Get out you git." He heard Joey's laughter as the other boy left the hospital wing.

~*~

He called her on the road
From a lonely cold hotel room
Just to hear her say
I love you one more time

Sirius read the headline of the paper and felt his heart skip a beat. His breathing stopped but he could not feel the pain of suffocation. He read the article thrice before he dropped it. He quickly transformed and raced away.

Not Hallie, it can't be Hallie...His eyes clouded over with a mist of tears. Why now...Why you?

Where could he go for answers? His mind raced and he fought to keep his thoughts in order. Then the answer came to him: Hogwarts. He could find Dumbledore. Surely the headmaster would know something.

And when he heard the sound
Of the kids laughing
In the background
He had to wipe away
A tear from his eye

A little voice came
On the phone
And said
"Daddy when you coming home"
He said the first thing
That came to his mind
I'm already there

It was most likely just something passing through that made her faint - or so he hoped. And of course, this had to happen just after he left. After all these years, Sirius hadn't seen Hallie, and when they were finally reunited, he was happy again. He did find, however, that they had grown a bit apart. The gap wasn't a large one, yet it was there all the same. He had intended to close it by spending more time with her and getting to know her again, but then he had to leave on business for Dumbledore. He wondered if he would ever be able to close the bridge between he and Hallie.

Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh I'm already there

Sirius had run himself out and took a rest in the brush of a park. He let the soggy copy of the Daily Prophet fall to the ground from his mouth and made sure no one was around to see him transform. He flattened the newspaper out and looked at the picture again with an unbearable pain building in his chest.

She got back on the phone
Said I really miss you darling
Don't worry about the kids
They'll be alright
Wish I was in your arms
Lying right there beside you
But I know that I'll be
In your dreams tonight
And I'll gently kiss your lips
Touch you with my fingertips
So turn out the light
And close your eyes

He looked at her in the picture. Her dress was perfect and with a dry, hollow laugh, he thought, Of course it's periwinkle. She was frighteningly still upon the stretcher, even in the magical photograph. He saw Remus alongside the stretcher, his face drawn into pained anxiety. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and his face became set with an expression of grim determination.

I'm already there
Don't make a sound
I'm the beat in your heart
I'm the moonlight shining down
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there
Until the end
Can you feel the love
That we share
Oh I'm already there

He transformed back into his dog form and started trotting along. His speed increased as he went on and soon he was racing forward, a burning feeling in his heart driving him fleetly in the night.

We may be a
Thousand miles apart
But I'll be with you
Wherever you are

He didn't seem to notice the lightning slash the sky nor did he notice the tears dripping down his forehead and past his eyes to mingle amidst tears of frustration at the amount of time it was taking him to get to Hallie. He didn't seem to notice his paws slipping in the mud nor did he notice the blindness the rain yielded him. All he knew was that he had to get to her - before he was too late.

I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love
That we share?
Oh I'm already there
Oh I'm already
There

Courtesy to Lonestar for

"I'm Already There"

All Sirius could see in the storm of hail and rain falling from the rip in the sky were large sapphire blue eyes smiling at him, welcoming him home. He could almost feel her arms around him - wrapped tightly about his neck, the warmth slipping through his robes and her soft hair brushing against his face. He could almost feel her warm breath on his skin leaving goose bumps in their wake. A shiver went all through him and drove him on at a faster pace. More tears fell from his midnight black eyes that almost seemed blue amid the black of the night. He could hear her voice in the wind rushing past him in forceful gusts. He could hear her calling him to her, wishing he was by her side.

"...I need you...I love you...come home..." and then, the last few words of hers were joined by his. "...I love you..."

Sirius shook some of the water from his fur-coated body, but wasn't sure it wasn't his irrepressible trembling that made him do it. I'm coming, Hallie, he thought fiercely. I'm already there.

~*~

Draco dropped his fork with a clatter. Forester Fallen read the headline. '...Fainted suddenly during her performance...ailment currently unknown...resides at St. Mungo's...' He turned to look at Gayle who was picking at her food and moving it absently around her plate. "Gayle," he said. She glanced up at him then quickly looked back down at her plate. He saw there were tears in her eyes. Draco narrowed his eyes and grabbed hold of her arm. "Come with me," he told her. He pulled her from the table and she stumbled after him.

"Draco, let go of me," she said, but her voice lacked its command. He just squeezed her arm tighter. His steps increased and he didn't care that almost everyone in the Hall was watching them. Gayle tried to pry his hand off her arm, but it was to no avail. They were soon out of the room and going down the corridor. "Draco, let me go!"

He stopped suddenly and forced her to look at him. His glare was intense as he pushed the Daily Prophet in her face. Her chin trembled ever so slightly as she read the headline. "Come on," he said, and this time, she didn't refuse but followed along with a defeated air.

They stepped out into the new sun of spring, the rays of light shining down upon them with a heated glow. A slight breeze crept by and stirred more troublesome feelings within the both of them. Draco stopped by the lake and looked around to make sure no one else was near. He thought he saw a shadow a bit away, but chose to ignore it. It was probably just an animal or something.

He let go of her arm. Gayle rubbed it gingerly and avoided his gaze. "This is it, then," he said to her. "This was the assignment, wasn't it?"

She looked up at him, her eyes glimmering with tears. "It wasn't," she declared, her chin held up and defiant.

His penetrating gaze did not waver from her emerald green eyes. "What part did you have in this?"

He saw her swallow noticeably. "I didn't do it," she repeated.

Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "Somehow, I doubt that," he said. "What happened to her? Is she going to die?"

She averted her gaze. "No, not - not yet," she whispered.

"Why are they doing it?" he probed on.

"Draco, I can't -," she started in a trembling voice, but he cut her off.

"Don't give me that shit, Gayle. Tell me what I want to know."

She looked up at him, glaring. "I can't! I can't tell you!" She turned to run away, but suddenly knocked into someone. He pulled his Invisibility Cloak off and took hold of her hand. "Harry!"

His eyes were large and solemn. "Gayle, what's wrong with Hallie?" he asked her.

She tried pulling her arm from his grasp but couldn't free herself. "Let go of me! I don't have to tell you anything!"

His emerald green eyes met hers. "You do, or I'll tell Dumbledore all about you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "There's nothing to tell. If he knew anything about me, he wouldn't have let me into Hogwarts."

Harry just looked at her sadly. "Gayle..." She brushed her tears away and didn't look at him. "You have to tell me what's wrong with her, she's my godmother. She's Billy and Joey's mom - she's all - all they have left." When she looked up at him again, he saw the conflicting emotions in her eyes.

"I can't - I can't tell you, Harry," she whispered. A sob escaped her lips and she buried her face in her hands. He pulled her into a light embrace.

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone it was you. It'll be our secret." He met Draco's eyes. "No one will find out."

"They're watching me - they're making sure...making sure I don't tell..."

"They can't see you now, Gayle. It's all right, you're safe here." She shook her head. He hugged her for a moment and after a while, she sniffed a bit and pulled away. She looked down at the ground and muttered something incoherently. "What?" asked Harry, leaning down to hear her better.

She looked away from him. "It's an old tracking spell," she whispered again, a sob catching in her throat. "They - they're trying to make a reoccurrence. They did it to her before to track Requillo."

"What?" asked Draco. She looked at him, then at Harry who had let go of her hand. "Requillo was the Dark Lord's second in command a long time ago, and also Hallie's dad." Harry's eyes widened. He didn't notice the black figure approaching, neither did the others. "He was charmed to forget everything about his past life, but somehow, his memories started slipping back to him. He remembered he had a daughter and decided he didn't want any part of the dark side. He left the Dark Lord and was reunited with his daughter. Voldemort doesn't take rejection easily and made it a mission to kill Requillo. He used Hallie Forester as bait. A tracking spell was placed on her." Her voice trembled slightly and she brushed away more tears. It had slowly gotten softer and was now barely above a whisper. "What this type of tracking spell does is slowly take away the life force of the victim."

"She's dying, then," said Harry in a hoarse voice. She swallowed and nodded.

"You said reoccurrence, Gayle. Is it a reoccurrence of using this spell to track down someone?" wondered Draco. She nodded again and chanced a look at him. She was surprised to find his angry demeanor gone and a slightly understanding one in its place. When she turned to look at Harry, he was looking back at her with an appraising sort of gaze, and also one of slight admiration. She felt her insides wrench. If only he knew...

"Do you know who it is they want to track down?" asked Harry.

"No," she told them earnestly. "They wouldn't tell me."

Draco didn't relent, however. "What part did you have in this?"

"Draco," said Harry, but the other boy just shot him a warning look.

"What part did you have, Gayle," persisted Draco.

She felt bile rising in her throat. "I was to pass on the potion - the form they were using for the tracking spell," she told him softly.

"That's it?" She nodded and fought to keep her sobbing in check. "Where'd you get the potion from?"

At this, she couldn't go on. She just shook her head for if she opened her mouth all the tears would come out as well as the sorrowful words. "Gayle, where did the potion come from?" asked Harry, his face darkening with dread. "Who made it?" She shook her head again.

"Was it Severus Snape? Is this his trust assignment?" asked Draco. When she looked up at him, he saw pain in her eyes. She shook her head.

"Don't make me tell you," she cried. "Please don't make me." Harry reached for her hand but she stepped back away from him and Draco. "Don't," she pleaded, "please."

Harry ran a hand through his hair and looked over at Draco and saw the other boy's eyes widen. Gayle turned to run back into the school but stopped when she saw a man standing before her. He took hold of her shoulders. "Who made the potion?" Sirius demanded.

"Sirius," said Harry stepping forward.

Sirius looked over Gayle's head at his godson and shook his head. His gaze wandered back to the redheaded girl. "Who made it?"

She looked at him defiantly and let the tears fall from her eyes. He shook her slightly. "Who made it?" he asked again. He was feeling panicked. He had to get to St. Mungo's quickly and he wasn't going to let some Death Eater child slow him down.

She pushed away from him and he quickly brandished his wand. "You're Sirius Black," looking as if a dawning was slowly coming over her. "You and - you and Hallie Forester..."

Sirius' eyes widened slightly, but not because of her statement. It seemed as if the same dawning was coming over him as well. "Who made the damned potion! I'll curse you to find out if I have to." Gayle took another step back and wiped away her tears, but more were replacing them and faster now. Harry took a step forward but Sirius waved him back. "Who made it?" demanded Sirius.

Gayle looked away and Sirius caught a flash of pain passing by on her face. When she looked back up at him, there was utter sorrow present in her expression. "I can't, I can't tell you," she said.

Sirius was surprised when Draco stepped forward. It looked as if he too was pained by something. "Gayle," said Draco. She looked at him and he stood in front of her, looking at her squarely. "They killed him," he said in an almost inaudible voice. All color immediately left her face.

"Liar," she whispered.

He closed his eyes and when he opened them, his eyes glimmered. "They killed Owen, Gayle. They weren't ever going to tell you - they were going to go on using you." She shook her head and stepped back from him. He followed her. "Gayle, it's over, don't let them control you like this. He's gone - there was nothing you could have done to prevent his death. They were going to kill him in the end and you as well anyway." Her eyes filled with more tears and the liquid spilled over, heating her cheeks. She started to tremble and felt her heart slowly crumbling to pieces inside of her.

"You're a liar - you're a damned liar, Draco," she whispered. He took her hand but she pulled away and pushed him. "I hate you! You're a liar! I don't believe it!" she screamed at him. "They - they wouldn't do that! He's not dead! He's not!" She threw a punch at him, but missed. He caught her and she struggled to free herself from his embrace. Draco just held her lightly yet firmly and soon she stopped fighting him and sobbed unashamedly into his robes.

Harry saw him swallow with effort. "Gayle, you have to tell us who made the potion. We need to find a way to cure Harry's godmother. You want to help now, don't you?" It was a surprise to Harry how gentle his rival was being. This seemed to be a whole new person rather than the menacing Slytherin prince he had known all his years at Hogwarts. His mind then roamed to the time Draco brought Billy back to the Forester Mansion and the time he warned him, Ron, and Hermione about the attack on Hogwarts. Perhaps, Harry thought, Draco really hid his true self. Either from fear or for some other reason, maybe there was really a better side of Draco Malfoy that had to be kept hidden. "Gayle," said Draco softly again. She looked up at him and whispered something only he could hear.

Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest and he thought the whole world could hear it. He was afraid that if it didn't quiet down, he wouldn't hear who made the potion.

Draco's expression froze at Gayle's words. His already pale face became paler and when he looked up, he looked at Harry with wide eyes. "Billy," he said. "It was Billy Forester."