1.

Draco knew entirely well that he shouldn't have done it; chalking it up to accidental magic when you're sixteen isn't always a good idea. Nevertheless, when he saw that Voldemort raised his wand to him, all he saw was a future on the losing side, continuing to be battered and bruised until he was deemed fit and old enough to join the front lines. Draco shut his eyes, wishing he was somewhere safe and away from the Dark Lord, as well as the crowd of Death Eaters, including his own mother and father, around him.

He felt his body tensing, and then he heard the crack as he inadvertently Apparated out of the dangerousness of that situation. Fifth-year had ended merely hours before, and, as a welcome home gift for his father, who had managed to escape Azkaban with his Aunt Bella's help, Draco was to be Marked. The very thought sickened him, as he was dragged from his prison-like bedroom, after Dolohov, Rowle, and Rabastan Lestrange had had their fun with him, and presented to their Dark Lord. The serpentine man grinned maniacally as Nagini slithered around his bare feet, sickening Draco to the core; despite where he had been sorted, he suffered from severe ophidiophobia, and he had trembled at the sensation of the man's eyes upon him, likely snatching at the bits of happy memories left within his soul.

Opening his eyes and barely seeing the castle in front of him, Draco dropped to his knees and vomited in the long grass nearby the black iron gates. He heard the telltale sound of a door opening and, looking up blearily, saw five familiar figures standing there. He got shakily to his feet as one of them broke away, the gates of Hogwarts opening, and let out the sound of relief as he saw his godfather, Severus Snape, dashing towards him in the darkening summer night. He is lifted, his mouth spelled clean, and given a Clear-Mind Potion, which enables him to stand on his own without his vision swimming.

Also stationed on the stone stairs of the castle are Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, and the current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin, who had taken over in the wake of the blood quill incidents last term. Draco, now feeling his limbs and wits about him, permits Severus to wrap a protective arm around his shoulders and lead him through the gates; the headmaster and deputy headmistress look worried, while Professor Lupin appears full of concern, and Potter...well, he appears wary.

"He'll need to see Poppy," Professor McGonagall is saying, and Draco cannot remember a time where the woman sounded so kind towards him. "How are you feeling, Draco?"

"Scared, more than anything else," he says, his voice shaking.

"I'll let her know you're here, then," the Head of Gryffindor said kindly, before she swept away in a wave of tartan robes.

"We heard from Kingsley and Alastor that your father had been broken out of Azkaban by your aunt, alongside several other Death Eaters," the headmaster said softly as Severus continued leading Draco into the Entrance Hall, the great doors of the castle swinging shut behind them. "I take it there was to be a revel this evening?"

"Entirely likely," Severus responded, his voice bitter; ever since he had been found out as a spy in the wake of Cedric Diggory being killed during the final task of the Triwizard Tournament a full year ago, his spying days were officially over, and he had openly proclaimed for the Order of the Phoenix, the anti-Death Eaters. "Riddle always liked a celebration when those near and dear to him were released from what he believed to be unjust confinement. I take it you were to be Marked this evening, Draco?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly.

The headmaster stopped walking then, turning around to face Draco, and promptly reached for the sleeve of his expensive black button-down, yanking it upwards without so much as a by-your-leave.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" demanded Professor Lupin, and Draco, feeling akin to a ragdoll, turned towards the known werewolf, heart hammering inside him at the notion that the handsome, older man was clearly protective over him.

"His arm is clean," the headmaster declared, nodding to himself.

"Albus, you know entirely well that was uncalled for," Severus informed him, his eyes glittering in a moment of repressed rage.

"I agree," Potter said, speaking for the first time, and Draco noted it was through clenched teeth before he turned towards Draco. "Look, we never saw eye-to-eye in the past but, given the circumstances, I think we should try to get along."

Headmaster Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Excellent! I shall go and ensure there is a bed being prepared for you in the hospital wing, then, Draco," he declared, and walked in that direction in a flourish of lavender-colored robes, while Professor Lupin appeared unsure for a moment, before he hurried after the man, obviously intent upon chewing him out a bit more.

"What circumstances are you talking about?" Draco found himself asking as he, Potter and Severus continued down the corridor, albeit at a much slower pace. "You mean, my defecting from Riddle?" he wanted to know.

Potter sighed, and shook his head. "Not entirely, no," he replied. "You see, before my parents died, they had me checked for the Soulmate Gene."

Draco nodded; as a Pureblood, he was very familiar with it, and although Potter was merely a Half-Blood, he possessed one Pureblood parent, so it was entirely possible that he would be checked for such a thing at birth by St. Mungo's or another healer. "So was I," he confirmed, no animosity in his tone as they continued walking. "Did the test reveal a result?"

"It did," Potter replied, and looked nervously up at Severus.

"Harry and I are to be bonded on the occasion of his birthday a month from now," Severus explained to him as they finally reached the door to the hospital wing. "As soulmates, the two of us are permitted to legally do so, a full year before Harry reaches his majority, due to the Wartime Statute of 1715," he explained to his godson carefully.

Draco inclined his head; he was familiar with the statute, as it combined with the Muggle Jacobite Uprising, occurring that same year. "I see," he responded, looking over at Potter. "And are you happy with the outcome, then?"

Potter nodded. "Yeah. I've fancied him since fourth-year," he explained, and Draco felt Severus stiffen from beside him. "He was comforting towards me in the aftermath of the Third Task of the Triwizard. I didn't understand it at the time, but he explained it to me once I returned to school in September, and I...well, suffice it to say I was overjoyed."

Draco looked up at his godfather. "Are you happy, Uncle Severus?"

Severus inclined his head, and Draco could see the happiness swimming just underneath the surface of his dark eyes. "I am."

Draco nodded his head, and stretched out his hand towards Potter. "I apologize for all previous animosity between the two of us. I apologize for mocking your circumstances, including your justifiable fear of Dementors, as well as yours parents' death. I am making a Wizard's Vow on my magic never to do so again, and to forge an attempt at friendship between the two of us. I also swear to apologize to Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger at my earliest convenience."

Potter looked surprised, and looked down at Draco's hand for a moment, before he shook it. "All right, then," he said, nodding his head. "Since you have already stated that you will apologize to Ron and Hermione, I accept your terms, on the condition that you call me 'Harry'."

Draco nodded. "All right," he replied, "if you will call me 'Draco'."

Harry gave him a small smile. "All right," he too replied.

Severus clasped Draco's shoulder proudly, and gazed down at Harry with something akin to love as he waved his free hand, and the door to the hospital wing opened. "Poppy?" he called out, and Draco took a moment to look around.

There was only one other bed occupied, and Draco nearly gasped aloud as he took in the apparent sleeping form of his cousin, Sirius Black; Professor Lupin was standing beside him, and Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger occupied two of the chairs on the other side of the bed, while he also spotted Mr. Longbottom and Miss Lovegood standing together, and Miss Weasley sitting beside Miss Granger.

"They couldn't go back to the Burrow," Harry explained as Severus left them to go in search of Madam Pomfrey himself. "It was too dangerous, what with the incident at the Department of Mysteries yesterday."

Draco nodded. "I see."

"The rest of the Weasleys are staying here in the meantime; Hagrid asked the castle for the space to accommodate him," Harry explained further, placing a hand upon Draco's shoulder to ground him, so as he wouldn't go toppling over. "Neville's gran is here, too, plus Luna's dad. You'll probably come and stay in Gryffindor with Ron, Neville, and I, once Madam Pomfrey releases you from here. Hermione, Ginny and Luna are staying in the girls' dormitories in Gryffindor, and Mrs. Longbottom, plus Mr. Lovegood, were given rooms not too far away from the tower, along with the Weasleys."

Draco nodded a second time, regarding his sleeping cousin. "Is he going to be all right?" he asked tentatively, knowing entirely well how much Harry had lost. "I mean... Father... Lucius said that Aunt Bella fired the Killing Curse at him, and that he went through the veil..."

"I cast a Protego just in time," Harry explained, "but some of the Unspeakables had to drag him out of the veil. I don't know too much about it, but since he'd only been in there a few hours, they said he'd be all right, eventually..."

"I'm sorry," Draco said quietly.

Harry shook his head. "We're stubborn Gryffindors, the lot of us, with the exception of Luna, because she's in Ravenclaw. I think she's the most level-headed out of all of us."

"Are she and Longbottom...?"

"Soulmates? Yeah," Harry replied. "Ron and Hermione, are, too; Hermione found out that she's the first witch in a long line of Squibs, so the test worked on her. She got it, plus all her wixen vaccinations, once she entered Hogwarts. Of course, she detested Ron, at first, but they've been joined at the hip since last year, since she turned down Krum to go with him to the Yule Ball, as she didn't want to hurt him."

Draco was about to speak further, but the resident mediwitch bustled out of the back rooms of the hospital wing, Severus, the headmaster, and deputy headmistress in her wake. Draco was ordered on the bed next to Sirius's, and he complied, not wanting to be thrown out of this safe haven he had found himself in. He answered all the questions Madam Pomfrey had for him, consented to a Diagnostic Spell, and drank the potions she gave him.

"You will be rooming with Misters Potter, Weasley and Longbottom," Headmaster Dumbledore declared once Draco was thinking more clearly. "Of course, you could also room with your godfather, if you prefer..."

"He can room with us," Ron said, surprising everyone, and Neville nodded from where he stood with Luna, against the wall, beside Sirius's bed. "Professor Lupin told us how you got out of taking the Mark, mate, and that you've defected."

"Spontaneous Apparition is stuff of legends or myth, likely because it is so rare," Hermione put in, clearly impressed by Draco.

"After one begins their magical education, of course, Malfoy," Luna put in, a faraway, yet kind, expression upon her face.

"Draco's apologized," Harry put in, and Draco nodded. "He's going to apologize to you and Hermione as well, of course..."

"And to Professor Lupin, Mr. Longbottom, Miss Weasley, and Miss Lovegood," Draco put in quickly. "Since we're fighting on the same side, I don't want there to be any bad blood between us. Miss Granger," he continued, and Hermione nearly jumped out of her seat at the tone of respect, as well as address, that Draco was bestowing upon her. "I cannot apologize enough for repeatedly calling you that despicable word, which has no place in any language. I apologize for making fun of your appearance, as well as your clear academic talent and achievements, and I will endeavor to endear myself to you as a friend when the time is appropriate to do so," he finished, and Hermione nodded, accepting the apology. "Professor Lupin," he continued, and the Defense professor looked shocked at being addressed next, "words cannot express my deep regret for mocking your unfortunate circumstances. Greyback is a beast, and I can only be thankful that he never bit or scratched me, although his other appetites notwithstanding..." He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm getting off-topic. I apologize, Professor Lupin, for everything I did and said that offended you."

Professor Lupin appeared awed, before an air of professionalism settled upon him like a warm blanket, and he nodded his head. "Thank you, Draco."

Draco turned and regarded the rest of the company gathered around himself and Sirius, and opened his mouth, fully prepared to deliver the rest of the deserved apologies as the sun fully set, blanketing the outside of castle in complete darkness.

~*~

2.

Draco grew so used to being in Gryffindor Tower that he asked to be re-sorted, and was pleased when the Sorting Hat granted his request to be put in Gryffindor. As such, the sixth bed remained in the sixth-year dormitory, where he, Harry, Ron, and Neville had been sleeping. Owls from Dean and Seamus, replies from the letters Harry, Ron, and Neville had sent, seemed pleased that they were adding Draco to their ranks, and were happy for another friend in Gryffindor. Draco was pleased to have another two friends to his name as the summer holidays wore on.

They had every meal in the Great Hall, and they were, essentially, permitted to do as they liked, however, the Forbidden Forest, plus Filch's Office, were still out of bounds. Ginny and Luna were made Prefects for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw respectively for the following year, and there was quite a celebration, planned by Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Lovegood, to celebrate that fact. It was not too jarring for Draco to be told that he and Ron would need to decide who would be better suited to the role of Prefect, now that Draco was in Gryffindor, and Draco immediately told Ron to keep it.

"In all honesty, I don't know what I'd do if I was patrolling alone, and an angry Slytherin decided to attack me," he explained.

Harry, who was sitting with them eating lunch, nodded his head decidedly. "All right, that settles it, then," he declared.

After lunch, Draco followed Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna up one of the staircases, until they came to a tapestry. He watched, fascinated as Harry paced back and forth, and then the stone behind the tapestry seemed to groan due to age. Harry dashed forward and pushed back the tapestry, and Draco's eyes widened at the door which had appeared.

"I love magic," Harry declared, opening the door, and leading the rest of the teenagers into the room beyond. "This is the Room of Requirement," he explained, and Draco looked around in awe at the clear dueling venue. "Neville found it for us back before Fudge was sacked and we got rid of Umbridge."

Neville looked over at Draco. "Honestly, if it weren't for Crabbe and Goyle, I likely wouldn't have found it," he said.

Draco blinked, surprised at that fact, and found that there was no remorse at the likelihood that he, Crabbe, and Goyle likely wouldn't be friends anymore. He could feel his wand in his pocket and he was itching to hex a dummy, and gasped as seven appeared from the floor below, one for each of them. Shaking his head and dragging a hand through his hair, he whispered, "Blimey, that's a neat trick."

"Are you feeling all right, Draco?" Ginny asked.

Draco grimaced slightly at that; it had seemed that, in the wake of realizing that she could never have Harry, and her ill-fated relationship with Michael Corner coming to an end, that Ginny had now decided to express an interest in him. Wrong person, wrong person, wrong person, his mind repeatedly told him whenever she was just a bit too nice. Wait for your soulmate... They have to be out there, don't they?

"Draco?" Hermione spoke this time, and Draco immediately felt better.

"I think I want to hex a dummy," Draco confessed, and turned to look at them. "Look, don't hate me for this or anything, but I heard the Death Eaters use some pretty dark curses, hexes, and jinxes, things that, while on parchment seem wrong, could really help us win."

Harry nodded, clearly impressed. "You can tell them to Hermione, and she can do some research on them," he said diplomatically, and Draco nodded.

"Good thinking, mate," Ron put in, wrapping an arm around Hermione's shoulders, and the witch, whom Draco was surprised was the oldest of their little group, blushed.

"Maybe Professor Lupin could get in on the research?" Draco suggested. "He is our Defense professor, after all, and maybe he knows how we can use them against the Death Eaters, and practice with them, safely."

"That's a brilliant idea, Draco!" Ginny cried out, a bit too enthusiastically.

Draco forced a smile. "Yeah, I think so," he replied.

"Why don't you show us some of them, mate?" Harry asked, sensing Draco's discomfort and steering the conversation away from Ginny; he likely knew what Draco was feeling. "We can watch, and Hermione can take notes. You have some parchment, quills, and ink, don't you, Hermione?" he asked.

Draco blinked. "The room can't provide it?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Unfortunately, the only thing you can take with you are the things you bring in, and your memories," she said, but nevertheless drew out the requested items from her robes and unshrunk them. "All right, Draco. Whenever you're ready."

~*~

3.

Draco dragged a hand down his face, staring at the embers of the fire in the Gryffindor common room—his common room. He was second-guessing his decision to stay there, and wondered if it would be better to stay in Severus's rooms. However, with Harry and Severus's bonding just one week away, he knew it would be ill-advised. They would need to consummate the bond over and over again, to make it fully legal and to ensure it would take, and he certainly didn't need to hear his godfather and one of his closest friends going at it like rabbits.

That day had been going so well, too; they'd gone to the Room of Requirement after lunch, as they'd done on Monday thru Friday, this time with the additions of Fred and George, Charlie, Bill Weasley, and his steady girlfriend, Fleur Delacour. The pair of them had met at Gringotts and, since Fleur was a French citizen and their Soulmate Gene Testing was different, hadn't originally caught on to being soulmates themselves. However, once the British test was taken and it was confirmed, it had made everyone happy, save for Hermione, Ginny, and Molly Weasley, who seemed to hate the poor girl.

Also, Draco had finally mastered the Patronus Charm in corporal form. In the weeks following his first visit to the Room of Requirement, he had asked Harry to help him with it. He'd heard rumors that, should Riddle gain more power and potentially take over the Ministry of Magic, that he would send the Dementors to Hogwarts and weed out the unsavories or undesirables. Not wanting to be stuck in a situation which he couldn't handle, Draco had practiced vigorously for weeks, and had even had a handful of sessions with Professor Lupin as well, and was very pleased with the result.

At first, he'd feared that his Patronus would take the form of something embarrassing, like a ferret, mouse, or, horribly, a snake. However, everyone was in for a surprise when a mighty Cockatrice—a two-legged dragon with a rooster's head—came streaming out of the tip of Draco's wand, bathed in silvery light, screeching like a rooster, and its almighty claws stomping upon the floor of the Room of Requirement. Professor Lupin, in his infinite wisdom, had suggested that Draco do some reading on Patronus Charms as he worked with both the Defense professor and Harry, and one of the first pieces of information he'd discovered was that the form of a magical creature was exceptionally rare.

The only other person in their group to have a mythical creature as their Patronus was Neville, whose Patronus was a Manicore, a great, fearsome beast with the body of a lion, the head of a human, and an impossibly large and frightening tail with venomous spikes. Harry's Patronus had been a stag; however, since accepting his soulmate bond with Severus, both of their Patronuses had changed, taking on the form of a jaguar and a lion respectively. Ron's was a Jack Russell Terrier, Hermione's was an otter, Ginny's was a horse, Luna's was a hare, Fred and George's were a hyena and a coyote, Bill's was a gyrfalcon, and Fleur's was a European wildcat.

He'd been so shocked about the turn of events with his Patronus that he hadn't seen Ginny running for him then throwing her arms around his neck. He patted her back awkwardly, shooting glances at the rest of them for help. However, help didn't come quick enough and Ginny pulled back and pressed a kiss onto Draco's lips before anyone could rush forward and stop her from doing so.

Draco nearly gagged, bile rising in his throat as her lips met his, and pushed her away from him, fear filling him completely as he dashed from the room. He could vaguely hear shouts after him, as well as Ginny crying, but he didn't want to hear any of it. He felt betrayed, and felt as if Ginny was no better than the Death Eaters who had raped him in preparation to be Marked by Riddle the month previously. The goddamned initiation process for being a Death Eater should've been illegal, but he was hardly in a place to voice his thoughts on the matter to someone who could make a difference, especially now.

Blinded by tears and still faced with the sour taste in his mouth, Draco ran from the tower where the Room of Requirement was and, without really understanding where he was going, he found himself at the door of Professor Lupin's private rooms. He didn't know if he should knock on them or not, but the door suddenly came open. Shocked, Draco stumbled backwards, a gasp escaping him as Professor Lupin caught him, preventing him from falling.

"My wards alerted me to your approach," Professor Lupin said in that gentle voice of his, taking a moment to look him up and down with his penetrative eyes. "Merlin, Draco, is everything all right? You look distraught."

Draco shook his head at the man. "I'm so sorry to bother you..."

"Nonsense, you're no bother, Draco," the man told him. "Would you like to come in?"

Draco nodded shakily and followed him inside, still feeling the sensation of the man's strong hands upon his robes, finding that it did strange things to his insides, but nevertheless startled like a skittish colt when the door closed automatically behind him.

"I was just about to have a cup of tea," he continued, and moved to sit in an armchair by the stone fireplace, obviously not trying to scare Draco by remaining calm and collected. "Would you care to join me?"

Draco bit his lip, before nodding his head and sitting in the armchair opposite. He watched as Remus tapped the table between them with his wand, and a two-person tea service appeared there, along with a plate of roast beef sandwiches for Professor Lupin, as well as cucumber for Draco. Draco was amazed that there was a small creamer, a bowl of sugar, plus a honeypot and a dish of lemons as well as a small plate of shortbread biscuits dipped in chocolate. Draco watched, fascinated, as Remus prepared Draco's tea first—and attempted to fathom how in Merlin's name the man knew he took a generous amount of cream with two sugars—and handed over the cup to him.

"Thank you," Draco said softly, and forced himself to drink the tea to stop the shaking which was still currently plaguing him.

If Professor Lupin noticed the shaking, he didn't make it too terribly obvious as he squeezed a lemon and a dollop of honey into his own teacup. "Isn't this the time where you and the rest of the gang practice in the Room of Requirement?" he asked.

Draco blew on his tea, blinking. "You knew about that?"

"Harry mentioned it to Severus, who did so to me, so as we could be on hand if any of you needed anything, be it for knowledge or injury," Professor Lupin responded.

Draco nodded; it certainly made sense. "I see." He tentatively sipped his tea; he did not slurp, as he was still a Pureblood, and had very refined manners.

"Harry mentioned that he was doing another lesson on Patronus Charms," the man continued with a small smile. "I hear Neville is improving."

"He is," Draco confirmed. "His took on a corporal form just last week, but I feel he should be the one to reveal it outside our group, should he wish to do so."

"That is a very considerate thought, Draco," Professor Lupin said.

Draco shrugged. "Consideration is not something I was given but I deeply desire, in future, to give it to others."

Professor Lupin looked perturbed, but also appeared not to want to push. "And how are you handling the charm?" he asked.

"Happy memories, for me at least, are few and far between," Draco replied. "However, I produced one today... It was a Cockatrice," he said, still hardly believing it himself as the words fell from his lips.

"Merlin, Draco, that's exceptionally rare," Professor Lupin said, smiling. "You must be extremely proud of your dedication and hard work. I'm sure the rest of the Dueling Assembly is as well."

Draco shook his head, unintentionally cutting the Defense professor off. "I believe they would have been, had one of our members not mistaken my apparent happiness as something to do with them, and..."

Professor Lupin put aside his teacup. "Draco, tell me what happened."

Draco sighed, hands shaking again, and the older man took his teacup away as well. "For the last several weeks, one of our members has decided that they have feelings for me."

Professor Lupin blinked. "I see."

"I didn't want to hurt their feelings, and so, by ignoring it, I believed it would go away. Harry even tried changing the subject whenever this person tried to get closer to me... I thought that we were on the same page, that they understood..."

"Draco, what are you telling me here?"

Draco's eyes locked with his. "It's Ginny," he said brokenly, and Professor Lupin inhaled sharply at this onslaught of information. "She kept trying to get closer to me, partnering up with me at every opportunity she could... I tried to put some space between us and Harry... Well, I know she used to like him, too. I think he figured out what was going on and tried to keep Ginny away from me, but it looks like she didn't understand or it didn't do any good..."

"Draco, what did Ginny do?"

"After I cast my Patronus, my first corporal one, I was so happy," he breathed, remembering the sense of triumph within him. "I never thought I'd be able to do something like that... But, then, I saw her coming towards me, and when she hugged me... Well, I was uncomfortable, but I thought she would sense that, or someone else would. If they did, they didn't stop it in time, and then she kissed me, and I was back in that room with all those Death Eaters again..."

"Draco, I'm so sorry," Professor Lupin said quietly.

"I don't have one, you know. A soulmate," he said quietly. "At least, I don't think I do. There weren't any results when I had my examination done, and, at first, my parents believed that the witch hadn't been born yet. They tried to betroth me to Daphne or Astoria Greengrass, but I told them I didn't want to be engaged while at school. It was just an excuse, I know that now, because it felt absolutely disgusting when Ginny kissed me, assault aside..."

Professor Lupin blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"It felt like I was going to vomit," Draco confessed. "The bile was threatening to escape from my lips in front of everyone. I just ran out of there... I heard her crying," he continued, "and they all seemed to be shouting at me. Me, the filthy Death Eater former Slytherin who dared to hurt one of Gryffindors princesses..."

Professor Lupin reached outwards and wrapped his arms around Draco, and while Draco temporarily stiffened, he soon relaxed into the older man's arms. "I don't wish to alarm you, Draco, but that reaction... It means you do have a soulmate."

Draco shook his head. "But the test said—"

"That test was meant for the average witch or wizard in the Wizarding World," came Professor Lupin's patient reply. "If, for example, a witch or wizard had a creature inheritance, or was, say, bitten by a vampire or werewolf..."

Draco pulled back slightly, so as he could look up at the man. "So, you're saying that those tests aren't designed for anyone else?"

"No," the man replied, shaking his head. "Granted, I was tested at birth. I didn't get a result, so my mother and father assumed my soulmate had yet to be born. However, after Greyback attacked me and made me a werewolf, my records and results were destroyed, wiped away from the system."

Draco shook his head. "So, what you're saying is, the Wizarding World doesn't recognize unions between a witch or wizard and a creature?"

"They will recognize it, but not as a soulmate bonding," Professor Lupin replied. "There are some ways in which we are ahead of society—for example, the American Wizarding World only permits same-sex partnerships, and not full bondings."

Draco shook his head again. "That's ridiculous."

Professor Lupin nodded his head, seemingly studying Draco's features. "Yes, isn't it?" he asked softly, before shaking his head and releasing Draco.

Draco, meanwhile, had enjoyed the feeling of the older man's arms around him, and didn't wish to be let go.

"Come along, then," the man said, getting to his feet, and Draco rushed to comply.

"For what?" he asked.

Professor Lupin sighed, casting his own Patronus, and a wolf fell through the tip of his wand. "I want you to get everyone to follow you to the Gryffindor common room. Now."

Draco watched, fascinated, as the wolf bounded out of the room. "What are you going to do, then?" he asked, turning back to look at the older man.

"A chat, of sorts," Professor Lupin replied, guiding Draco out of the room.

Draco shut his eyes, no longer able to stare at the embers in front of him. Both Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall had come to his aide that day, with Professor McGonagall taking away Ginny's Prefect title and duties, and giving them to Demelza Robins, her owl, Aphrodite, flying off to the Robins family home immediately thereafter in Kent. The Deputy Headmistress had also given Ginny three months' detention with Filch, after hearing Harry's account of trying to dissuade Ginny from her behavior towards Draco. Draco, standing there, felt utterly helpless, but was amazed that Harry had been on his side.

Ron, clearly, needed some time, and had headed up to the dormitory on his own. Hermione and Neville, meanwhile, were on Draco's side, despite Ron's thoughts. Ginny was taken to stay in her parents' suite of rooms for the remainder of the summer. She was only permitted to go to the Great Hall to eat, where she would have to eat under her parents' supervision, and to the library to complete her summer assignments.

Opening his eyes, Draco saw the remnants of the Howler that Mrs. Weasley had sent to him in the wake of Ginny's punishment. Immediately thereafter, however, with Harry leading the charge, Mrs. Weasley was given a tongue-lashing from Professor McGonagall, and told that she would be turned out of Hogwarts if she kept up that behavior. When Mrs. Weasley had countered about the headmaster being the one in charge, Professor McGonagall had informed the Weasley matriarch that the headmaster was currently traveling, and wouldn't be back until the night before the welcoming feast. As such, all decisions were to be made by Professor McGonagall, as well as all final ones, and Mrs. Weasley had no leg to stand on.

Drawing his knees up towards his chest, Draco shook his head. His vision was swimming with tears, and he could no longer hold them back. However, he took out his wand, remembering how it had felt in Professor Lupin's arms. Tentatively, he whispered, "Expecto Patronum," wanting, more than anything, to have his Patronus come out and, hopefully, comfort him. However, his jaw dropped then, realizing now that the Cockatrice had been nothing but a fluke, as there was merely a wolf staring back at him, bathed in the silvery Patronus light, and he was amazed at how much it matched Remus's. "Dear Merlin, but that's so inconvenient," he said, shaking his head and burying it in his arms.