Something About That Girl

Something about some Girl

Harry's stomach jolted when he saw Draco. A Malfoy at Grimmauld Place? What was Snape thinking? He looked at the others. The Weasleys and Lupin looked awestruck but Elizabeth just looked worried. As he looked back at Snape and Draco, he suddenly understood why: They were both trembling and panting, with wild expressions on their faces. Snape sank down on a chair while Draco leaned up against a wall. His blonde hair fell in his eyes and he looked at them all the same way a mouse might look at a cat.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Weasley said as he stood up. Snape did not answer.

"By Merlin, what has happened?" Lupin asked fearfully, having noticed their expressions too. "Did the mission fail?" At this, Snape looked up and answered in a hoarse voice that did not seem to be his own:

"No, I got it. I got it." He had drawn his lips away from his teeth and looked furious and disgusted at the same time, like he had just watched somebody do serious mischief.

"Then what is it?" Lupin demanded.

No answer until Draco said, "I can't believe he would do that! I can't believe he is gone!"

"Who is gone?" Mrs. Weasley asked, terrified. Harry was getting annoyed, why would Snape not tell?

"I'm afraid that... Dumbledore... is dead," he said finally. There was a ringing silence. Then the noise of a chair being pushed slowly back was heard. They all watched apprehensively as Elizabeth bent over slightly and squeezed the tabletop hard. She looked furious.

"What did you say?" she asked in a cold voice. Snape hesitated and refused to look at her.

"I'm sorry miss Parker, but he is gone," he finally said.

"But he can't be dead. I didn't feel anything," Harry whispered, awestruck. This was obviously some sort of sick joke. Dumbledore couldn't die, only Voldemort could kill him and Harry knew, as he always did, that Voldemort had not touched anyone for days. Nevertheless, Snape looked like a thunderstorm now.

"That is because it wasn't the Dark Lord who killed him, Mr. Potter!" he said through gritted teeth, with some of the old resentment in his voice.

"Then who was it?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a tearful voice while clutching Ginny's shoulders.

Snape seemed to calm down and looked in Draco's direction. Draco looked away with a bitter face.

"Lucius Malfoy," Snape said quietly.

Elizabeth's shoulders started shaking. Then she pierced the silence with a sob. Harry went to her and tried to take her in his arms but she pushed him away and cried, "Leave me alone!" before running off.

Silent tears ran down Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's cheeks and Hermione was sobbing on Ron's shoulder. Harry felt an empty void expanding inside him, making it difficult to breathe. He looked at Malfoy. He was looking fearfully at them all. Harry felt a blinding, uncontrollable rage well up inside him. Draco's father had killed Dumbledore. Killed him! Before Harry knew what he was doing, he was standing right in front of Draco and had taken a firm grip around his pale neck. Draco tried desperately to push him away but it just made Harry squeeze even harder.

"Harry, NO!" Mr. Weasley and Lupin yelled in unison. They both stepped forward and dragged the struggling Harry away. Draco slid weakly down to the floor, fighting for breath. Ginny ran to him.

"GET OFF ME!" Harry yelled and tried to hit Mr. Weasley and Lupin, until he slowly came to his senses and let his arms hang weakly down his sides. He bent his head, crying silently.

"Go to your rooms," Mr. Weasley said, addressing them all.

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The house was quiet. It was past midnight and the moon shone through a gap in the curtains, making Draco's silver-blonde hair shine. He sat on his bed with his face buried in his hands. His neck still bore the marks of Harry's anger.

"Damn you, Potter," Draco whispered in the silence. On his knees were two unfolded letters. One from his parents, containing his father's will bequeathing the fortune and estate to a distant cousin and a letter that read You are no longer a Malfoy, we never wish to see you again, informing him that if he wished to get his old privileges back, he would have to become a Death Eater and "restore his honour" as a Malfoy. It was arrogantly written and Draco knew his father had no doubts that he would come back sooner or later. In Lucius' eyes, Draco was still a child. It made him angrier than he had ever felt before.

The other letter was from Pansy Parkinson, in which she also wrote that he was a disgrace and that she never wanted to see him ever again. He merely snorted at that.

Lucius had had a plan for his son's life. First, when he had completed his education at Hogwarts, he was to be accepted as a Death Eater. Then, find himself a proper fiancée - Pansy Parkinson had been his strong suggestion - in order to marry and take over the estate before his twenty-fifth birthday. When Snape had arrived at Malfoy Manor, Draco had been telling his father that he did not want to be a Death Eater and nor did he want to marry Pansy Parkinson. Lucius had taken this with fearful calmness, using his "servant" as an outlet for his anger. Until he saw Draco help Snape and realised Draco was being sincere, and reacted with utmost cold-hearted anger. Lucius could not imagine another way for his son than the one he had decided, and furthermore, he was acting out of fear of his master. The Dark Lord would not be understanding, Lucius knew, if he had a son who refused to obey his father and become a Death Eater.

In disobeying his father, Draco thought, as he sat alone in an unfamiliar house where he knew he was not welcome, he had not only lost his name, his family and his money, but also all the protection they gave him

"Don't cry," he thought to himself. "Don't be weak."

But he felt very much like crying. He had lost so much in the past twenty-four hours.

He thought of something the Headmaster had said to him, "At least he can look himself in the mirror and be proud of what he sees." Draco got to his feet and faced the mirror. A tall, pale boy of eighteen looked back. He did not feel any different. He felt just as insecure and angry as he used to. Then he suddenly roared and grabbed the chair and flung it against the mirror. It shattered in thousands of pieces that spread like rain over the floor. He sank down to the floor and as he looked down, he saw his reflection in thousands of little glass splinters. He felt like his own face had been blown apart. Fast footsteps were suddenly heard outside his door and the man he recognised as a former Defence against the Dark Arts teacher - the werewolf - entered. He looked alarmed at Draco and he thought he was going to yell at him about the mess he had made, but no harsh words came.

"Are you OK?" he asked sounding worried. Draco looked down and shook his head. What a stupid question, he thought to himself. Lupin sighed.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked. Draco looked up. Some of the anger was back.

"What do you think?" he growled.

"Look, about Harry, he didn't mean anything about it, he's just - "

"I DON'T CARE HOW POTTER FEELS!" Draco suddenly roared, standing up. "PEOPLE ALWAYS FEEL SORRY FOR HIM! WHAT ABOUT ME, HUH? WHAT ABOUT ME!"

He stopped shouting as he noticed Snape stood in the doorway.

"Calm down, Draco," he said quietly. Lupin looked at Snape, who nodded back. Lupin stepped back a little, obviously thinking Snape was a better person for Draco to talk too.

Draco was wiping his face, avoiding Snape's eyes. He did not want him to see his tears.

"Has your father written to you?" Snape demanded. Draco nodded reluctantly and handed him the letter. When Snape had finished it, his mouth was a thin line and his eyebrows drawn close together.

"Have you spoken to your mother? Does she feel the same?"

"What does she care as long as she's got her fur coats and dinner parties?" Draco snarled.

"Right. Then this will be your new home," Snape said.

"Great. Everybody hates me and I don't have a clue where I am."

"This is the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The house belonged to the Black Family. Dumbledore founded the Order and its mission is to fight all Dark Wizards. In other words, us," Snape said. "The hate, you'll get used to," he added in a dry voice. Lupin wrinkled his eyebrows and was about to say something, but Snape held a hand up and stopped him.

Draco made a funny noise, halfway between a snort and a laugh. He sat down on his bed.

"So what am I supposed to do?" he asked. Snape grabbed the chair Draco had used to break the mirror and sat down on it. He looked on Lupin.

"That depends," Lupin said. "If you really don't want to follow your father and support Voldemort, you will need to spend some time here, proving it. If you have changed your mind, you will write to your father and beg him to forgive you. Then we will Obliviate you and you can return to Malfoy Manor."

Draco eyed him suspiciously.

"How I am supposed to prove it?" he asked.

"Well," said Snape, "you will be given little tests and if your loyalties lie where you say they do, you have nothing to fear. But I must tell you, Draco, that if you, of your own doing, fail these tests, you will be forced to move back to Malfoy Manor and left to your father's mercies."

Draco thought about this. Then he asked, "What kind of tests?"

"Guarding things. Sending messages. Making coffee," said Lupin and winked at Draco.

"The choice is yours to make," Snape said and stood up. "Let us know what you have decided in the morning."

The two wizards left the room.

Draco lost his patience very quickly and as soon as Lupin and Snape had disappeared, he grabbed his wand and set off to investigate the house. Not that he was interested in this house, but he was tired of being locked up and he needed to think about something other than the two letters he had received. "And," he thought, "if this is going to be my home, I might as well get to know it."

The hall where his room was situated reminded him a little of Hogwarts, with all the portraits of sinister people hanging there. They were all sleeping in their frames. He muttered "Lumos", and turned the corner. At the end of the empty hall, was a great door, probably leading to a ballroom like the one they had on Malfoy Manor. Draco listened by the door for a moment but heard nothing. He opened the door slowly and entered the room. It was a great, beautiful room, and even Draco, who was born and raised in a castle, had stop for a moment and admire it. It was completely round with large, tall windows. Moonlight shone through one of them, illuminating each window, which was engraved with the Black Family crest and was framed by long, draped black curtains. Draco looked up and saw the crest again on the ceiling. It portrayed the sun on a black background, and a spade, a diamond, a heart and a club in each corner. Three golden chandeliers, each with at least a hundred candles, hung from the ceiling. On the wall opposite him, Draco noticed a painting, the only one in the room. He crossed the room and raised his wand to see what the painting portrayed. But when he got there, he was disappointed. It was only an old rag with some letters on it. He was about to turn away from it when he suddenly saw his own name on it. Curious, he took a closer look. It was obviously a genealogical table because his own name was linked to 'Lucius Malfoy' and 'Narcissa Black'. Draco had been home-schooled from his fourth to his eleventh year, and genealogy had been something Lucius Malfoy had urged him to study. "Knowing your ancestry is knowing your rights," he had said. But Draco had never been very interested in old tables with strange names on it, until today. Because all of a sudden a thought occurred to him: if he was no longer a Malfoy, he must be a Black! Amazed by this new realisation, he examined his new family closely. Names he had a vague feeling of having heard before raced by his eyes. Phineas Nigellus, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black! For a long while, he stood in front of the table and examined every name closely. "Draco Black..." he thought to himself.

Draco used another door to exit the ballroom and found himself in another hallway. A window in the far end exposed the sky, which had turned a bright shade of orange: the sun was rising. Draco walked down the hall and then suddenly heard footsteps. He swiftly hid behind a statue and watched as Mrs. Weasley knocked on a door. She entered the room and after a few moments, came out again, followed by Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. The sight of the latter made Draco's heart beat faster. When he was sure they were gone, he took out his wand and used the disillusionment charm to become a human chameleon. He couldn't resist the temptation to explore the girls' room. He knocked on the door.

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"Don't you think we were too hard on him?" Lupin asked as he and Snape were pouring coffee in the kitchen. "He's scared and alone, perhaps we should invite him to sleep in the other boys' room."

"Are you always such a soft idiot?" Snape replied acidly while adding sugar in his cup.

Lupin did not move a muscle at Snape's words, but when he spoke, he sounded decidedly cooler. "I just feel sorry for him. But perhaps you're right. We would find him rigid in the morning, choked to death by Harry."

Snape turned away to pick up the milk bottle. He didn't take milk, but he had to hide a smile.

Lupin sighed. "Now I have you here Severus, I have something to ask you. About Elizabeth." Snape's smile vanished. "What about her?" he growled and turned around.

"You keep avoiding her. I daresay I'm not the only one who has noticed. Please tell me why?" Snape gave him a deadly look and sneered. Why did he have to put his nose in to this?

"I don't see why that should be any of your business! You are just like Dumbledore, thinking - "

But then he stopped, remembering what had happened.

"I did not come here to meddle with things that doesn't concern me, Severus. But I am Harry's and Elizabeth's guardian now and their well-being is very much my business," he said calmly. "Now, if you don't tell me, that's all right. But then you have got to stop avoiding her."

"I can't!" Snape growled, annoyed by Lupin's aggravating calmness.

"Why not?" Lupin asked, his eyes alert.

"Because... I... was the one who came that night..." Snape said in a strained voice.

"What do you mean?" Lupin asked puzzled.

"It's none of your business!" Snape sneered. He couldn't tell. Especially not Remus. But Lupin was looking at Snape, seemingly comprehending the problem.

"Dumbledore told me Death Eaters killed her father after her mother died," he said. "Were you, incidentally, one of them?" He did not at all sound reproachful, as Snape had expected.

Snape turned away. Then he nodded silently, still with his back turned to Lupin.

"It was before I began teaching at Hogwarts."

"And Elizabeth doesn't know?" Lupin asked.

"No."

And that isn't all she doesn't know, Snape thought to himself. Even though he had never liked Lupin, he respected him. But this was too private. Snape was not going to tell him. Or her.

"It is past now. What's the point in bringing it up again?" he sneered to Lupin.

"Well, it's obviously eating you up, so why don't you just tell her and get it over with?"

"Everything is so simple for you Gryffindors, isn't it?" Snape shouted furiously. Lupin took a sip of his coffee, unmoved.

"I speak as I find," he said. "Well, I'm off to bed now. Let's meet in the morning and talk to Draco, shall we?" He smiled amicably and left Snape, who was clutching his cup of coffee tightly.

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Hagrid's booming voice was laughing along with Dedalus Diggle, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones, who all seemed ridiculously small compared to him. Mundugus Fletcher, Elphias Doge, Arabella Figg and Mad-Eye Moody were discussing elementary wand safety. It seemed that Moody was outnumbered in opinions. Professor McGonagall, Tonks and Emmeline Vance were talking about the tragic destiny of Fudge, though they did not seem to mind the new Minister, Amelia Bones.

"They are all here," Harry thought to himself. Then he added grimly, "and most of them don't know yet."

Losing his Godfather two years earlier had been a terrible experience for Harry, but he had not imagined that he would have to lose someone else again so soon, just as he was beginning to feel happy again. He thought about Elizabeth and how she had rejected him. Of course she was sad too, as she had lost her grandfather, but he was hurt. He had thought she wanted to talk to him, but when he had knocked on the door, Hermione had told him that she did not want to see him.

As he looked around at the Order, he wondered who would be next. Professor McGonagall? Remus? Ron? "No," he told himself determinedly, "if anybody has to go, it will be either Voldemort or me."

Hermione and Ron were very silent too. They kept looking worriedly at Harry and then back at each other, which annoyed him immensely. Bill and Charlie were talking to the twins. Harry thought that he had never seen Fred and George look that serious before.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were talking to Snape and Lupin, all looking very grave. Mrs. Weasley kept fiddling with her apron and Mr. Weasley had his arm comforting around her.

Then the door was suddenly kicked open with great power. Every Order member gave a surprised exclamation and turned their heads to see who the intruder was (Moody with his wand raised). For a moment, Harry thought it was Dumbledore's ghost in the doorway. The man was tall, had long white hair and beard and an extremely hooked nose. But all resemblance stopped there. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously and he had a mad spark in them. He was dressed in a lavender cloak with little silver pigs embroidered on it, a violently pink pointed hat and large, very dirty boots.

Everybody stared at him, and then Mrs. Weasley rushed to him and took his cloak and hat.

"We did not expect to see you tonight, Aberforth," she said a little nervously. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. So this was Dumbledore's brother? Ron looked like he had a hard time believing that but Hermione looked thoughtfully at the man. The Order members were whispering to each other, some were smiling at him, others were looking a little frightened, muttering something about a goat.

"He is Dumbledore's brother! You'd better show him some respect!" Harry heard Emmeline Vance whisper to Mundungus Fletcher, who had made a particularly nasty remark.

"They tell me my brother is dead!" Aberforth suddenly croaked loudly and the Order fell silent. He looked around at them all as to find the guilty. Nobody said anything, obviously thinking he was mad. Mundugus looked like he had a hard time suppressing a snicker.

"Why don't you sit down and have nice cup of tea, Aberforth," Arabella Figg asked politely. She obviously thought Aberforth was senile.

"Dumbledore dying... Like that could ever happen," Dedalus Diggle whispered to Professor McGonagall.

But the professor had seen Lupin's expression and did not answer. She looked terrified. "He didn't answer my owl last night," she said, looking at Lupin, "he always answers straight away."

Lupin gave her a sad look.

"I am afraid Aberforth is telling the truth," he said gravely. "Dumbledore died last night."

A ringing silence followed.

"You must be joking!" Moody then said. He looked appalled.

"If this is a joke, Lupin, it is very sick indeed," said Hestia Jones furiously. Lupin looked even sadder. Every Order member had their face turned to him and most of them looked outraged.

"It is true. Professor Snape was there, along with Draco Malfoy and they witnessed Lucius Malfoy use the Killing Curse," he said quietly.

"No!" cried Aberforth and walked swiftly towards Lupin. "If he had planned to die, he would have told me!" He seized Lupin by the neck of his collar, lifting him off his feet. Confusion broke out. Mr. Weasley managed to calm things down and Aberforth let go off Lupin after Snape had hit him with the disarming jinx.

"I don't trust him!" Aberforth exclaimed as he pointed at Snape. "I insist that we use Veritaserum on him so we know what he saw!" Harry looked around at them all. Nobody seemed to object. This seemed to be the day they would find out if Snape really could be trusted. He looked at Hermione. She seemed to think the same.

"Is that really necessary?" Mr. Weasley asked. He looked uncomfortable.

"He is a former Death Eater!" Dedalus Diggle shrieked and a couple of others nodded.

"That is correct, Dedalus, a former Death Eater. And has he ever betrayed us in any way? Has he not always completed his tasks perfectly?" asked Lupin calmly.

"And Dumbledore trusted him," Kingsley Shacklebolt said calmly in his low voice, sounding like that settled it.

"We need to know for sure!" said Hestia Jones.

"Besides, it's nothing personal, Professor Snape, but we want to be sure you really saw what you say you saw. Better safe than sorry."

Snape did not look surprised. He had lifted his head up high but his mouth was a thin line when he said, "I have nothing to hide."

Moody pulled a bottle of Veritaserum up from the pocket of his cloak and handed it to Snape. He looked directly at Harry for a moment before he took a sip of the potion. Snape started shaking slightly, nevertheless, he looked calm.

"All right, Severus, did you see Lucius Malfoy use the Killing Curse on Albus Dumbledore?" Lupin asked quietly.

"Yes, I did," Snape said in a strained voice. Silence fell in the room, as people understood what this meant.

Lupin was about to say the counter curse to save Snape from his helplessness, but somebody suddenly cried, "Expelliarmus," behind him. Aberforth stepped forward and caught Lupin's wand.

"Did you see my brother die?" he asked intensively. Snape was shaking violently now, his eyes wide open.

"What's he doing?" Ron asked Harry.

"I don't know. He's mad!" Harry whispered back. Everyone was looking at Snape.

"N-no," Snape said and looked surprised.

"Aberforth, stop it!" Lupin said. But the tall, white bearded man did not listen.

"Are you sure that he is dead?" Aberforth asked incisively.

"N-no," Snape said and looked appalled by his own words.

"I knew it!" cried Hestia Jones. "You can't trust a Death Eater!" Chaos broke out as people began shouting at each other.

"Ask him where he was when poor Harry got his scar!" someone shouted.

"Dumbledore trusted him, for Merlin's sake!" another voice was heard.

"I never understood why Dumbledore trusted him!" a third voice shouted. Harry looked at Snape. He had never seen him look that frightened. If he was asked any question, any at all, he would have to answer. Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Resolutely he stepped forward and said, "Finite Incantatum!" Snape stopped shaking. Then Harry turned to the shouting wizards and angrily said, "Silencio!"

Everybody kept shouting at each other for a moment until they realized no sounds came out. They stopped and looked at Harry, who was looking around at them all with fierce eyes. Some of the old fury welled up inside him. "I am tired of your shouting!" he growled. "I thought wizards of the Order were supposed to cooperate despite of each other differences! Voldemort is trying to kill us and all we love, and you are fighting over the past! Yes, Snape was a Death Eater, but he's here now, isn't he? That's what is important?" The Order members gave each other slightly embarrassed looks. Hermione, looking a little insecure though determined, suddenly spoke.

"Dumbledore once said, 'It is our choices rather than out abilities that decide what we truly are.'" People seemed to relax.

"Well, now that we've all calmed down," said Lupin, "Aberforth's interrogation didn't prove anything else than that Snape never saw Dumbledore die, but he did see Lucius Malfoy use the Killing Curse. I suggest we send somebody out to find out for sure."

"I'll go," muttered Moody.

"Yeah, count me in," said Tonks.

"We'll go too," said the twins.

"All right," Lupin said. "Come back soon. And bring good news."

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The rising sun was blinding Elizabeth, as she was lying in the bath, dully watching the sponge float around on the surface. She envied it for its uncomplicated existence. All she wanted was to dissolve in the water. There was not a tear left in her body. She felt completely numb.

In the next room, Ginny and Hermione were getting dressed but neither of them felt any better than Elizabeth: Hermione's eyes were bloodshot and Ginny was putting on a third sock without noticing. A knock on the door made them jump. Mrs. Weasley entered. She looked just as tired as the girls.

"Time for the meeting, dears," she said warily. Hermione and Ginny got up.

"Are you coming?" Hermione said, knocking at the bathroom door.

"No."

When they had gone, Elizabeth ducked her head under the water. A minute later, someone knocked on the door. Elizabeth surfaced again and yelled angrily, blinded by the water, "I'm NOT coming!" Then she heard the door open and close. Frantically she wiped the water out of her eyes and looked around the room. Nothing. "It must be my imagination," she thought. After all, she had not had any sleep that night and her brain was exhausted. Nevertheless, she felt a little spooked. She reached out for the towel when it suddenly lifted itself up and flew toward her. Amazed she caught it and looked at it as if waiting for it to explain itself. She looked up and around the room again. Still nothing. She was feeling decidedly scared now. "Harry, if you're hiding under that invisibility cloak, please stop it!" she said in a shrill voice. A moment or two passed when the air two metres away began shivering and she watched awestruck as Draco Malfoy appeared.

"Hello," he said and smiled at her amazed expression. Elizabeth did not know whether to laugh or ask him to get himself out, considering she was "wearing" nothing but foam. So she just stared at him. "First Harry, and now him. Only one thing is worse than a teenage boy, and that's obviously a teenage wizard," she thought to herself.

"Aren't you going to yell at me?" Draco asked, strangely, looking a little disappointed.

"No," she said tiredly and began washing the soap out of her hair. If I act like I don't care he's here, perhaps he'll leave, she thought. She didn't even have the energy to get angry. Draco looked thoughtfully at her.

"You are Potter's girlfriend, aren't you?" he asked. Elizabeth didn't like the expression on his face.

"I am," she said calmly.

"Hmm," Draco said. "Well, he's obviously not doing his job very well."

"What do you mean? Elizabeth asked, puzzled.

"Well, you are of course devastated after losing your grandfather but he's not here to comfort you, is he?" Draco said and walked nearer.

"He's busy. I suppose I was a little hard on him last night."

"It seems like he doesn't really understand you, does he?" Draco said, seemingly not listening to Elizabeth. His eyes were full of compassion and pity. Elizabeth realized what he was trying to do: he's trying to get back at Harry for hurting him last night, by seducing me. The thought made her burn with anger inside. What did he think of her? That she was some kind of cheap girl? Somehow yelling at him was not quite enough to satisfy her so she decided to play along.

"You're right Draco, he never listens to me, he's always busy saving the world or something," she began sobbing and hid her face in her hands. She peeped up at Draco's face and saw him look satisfied.

"And he's always spending time with that Hermione Granger instead of being with you," he said, placing a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. Elizabeth winced but kept acting.

"Oh Draco, you are the only one who truly understands me," she sobbed pathetically.

"Yes, I will take care of you," Draco said and then lifted her head up by her chin and whispered, "You are so beautiful," before leaning in to kiss her. Elizabeth hesitated for a moment and then she slapped him hard across the face so he fell backwards. Then she grabbed her wand and wrapped the towel around herself quickly.

"You scum, did you really think I would fall for that?" she shouted. But before Draco, who was looking very surprised, could answer, the door opened and Harry entered.

He took one look at Malfoy and one at Elizabeth.

"Did that piece of crap hurt you?" he asked her.

"No, but you owe him an apology," Elizabeth growled. Harry gave her an angry look. "I don't care what he did to you in the past, he was not responsible for Dumbledore's death!" she shouted.

"You have no idea what kind of person he is! He... he... he called Hermione a Mudblood!" Harry shouted back.

"If I could just interrupt here - " Draco began.

"SHUT UP!" Elizabeth and Harry yelled in unison. Draco closed his mouth.

"You wouldn't even talk to me last night and now you're lecturing me about forgiveness!"

"I was shocked, for God's sake! It had nothing to do with you!" Elizabeth shouted back.

"You hurt me!"

"I know and I'm sorry!" Elizabeth hissed.

"And what is this scumbag doing in here anyway? Needed someone else to comfort you instead of me?" Harry growled viciously.

"Sure, that's why he's lying on the floor with a bleeding lip now!" Elizabeth yelled.

"It's not bleeding, it's just... sore," said Draco, while wiping a few drops of blood away.

"SHUT UP!" Elizabeth and Harry yelled again.

"He tried to get back at you by seducing me, now you've got to apologise for trying to kill him!"

"I wasn't trying to kill him, I was just shocked and sad!" Harry shouted. "And you want me to apologise to him when he tried to seduce you?"

"Now technically you have no proof I tried to seduce her," Draco said, raising his finger.

"You want me to slap you again?" Elizabeth growled to Draco. He put his hand down.

"You slapped him?" Harry asked surprised.

"Yes! I love you, you idiot!" Elizabeth growled.

"I love you too, you lunatic," Harry growled back. Then he smiled. Elizabeth tried to keep a stern face but failed. Harry walked to her and Elizabeth put her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly.

"Yuk! Two Gryffindors swapping spit," Draco said while standing up. "Let me get out."

"Wait, Malfoy," Harry said. Draco turned around and faced him, obviously expecting a fight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just - "

"Shocked and sad? I know. Now kiss that girl before she throws me out," Draco said and winked at Elizabeth before he turned to leave.

(End of chapter eight)