Faith is Stronger (Harry Potter Fan fiction)

Chp. 28 Plans

"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature." - Jane Austen

Third Person P.o.V.

It was now approaching May.

May, a month of beautiful spring. Fresh air full of the vibrant smell of blooming flowers. The lake alive with happily stirring fish and other creatures of magical origin. The forest full of new babies of every kind. (Thankfully Aragog was dead and gone.) The castle even cheered up the tiniest bit when no new terrible news reached them.

Draco had been working harder than ever on the cabinet. He had to do this, his family’s safety only part of the reason. His girlfriend. Yes, his girlfriend was a bigger reason. She had barely a clue what he was doing, but she was resigned to his mission and let it be. Jacky was still grieving anyway, and it was only the shock that Draco Malfoy, the boy she had been in love with for six years, was in love with her too, that kept her out of the severe depression that threatened to break under her and suck her into the dark abyss.

The rest of the Gryffindors acted as if nothing were different. They went back to treating Draco the way they always had, mostly for the sake of their own sanity and for his. He had a reputation to uphold and what would happen to that if Gryffindors were nice to him? The Dark Lord was becoming a bigger presence in the world, threatening the seams of their fragile haven.

No one knew, except for those Gryffindors originally involved, of Draco and Jacky’s relationship. It was completely hush-hush. No one could ever know. It would bring even greater peril to Jacky’s life than it already was and it would bring Draco’s to a swift end. And that of his family’s.

As each day passed, and the paranoia of Harry increased, Hermione and Ginny grew worried. It was obvious who Draco was and what sort of mission he was doing now. But they could do nothing. And the two wanted their girl best friend to be happy. They had to do something to get Draco out of the mess he had put himself into but no thoughts were forthcoming.

And it wasn’t until May that a stroke of brilliance struck the girls. Or rather, Hermione. Honestly, one could expect no different. All it needed was the right circumstances.

And the circumstances were…rather dire. Harry had finally lost it in his thirst for revenge for Sirius that he had dueled Draco in the bathroom and had used that dreaded and foul curse from the Prince’s book.

Hermione and Ginny peeked at the pale boy from where he lay insensible and in pain in the Hospital Wing. They were hiding behind the curtain, acting as guard while Jacky visited him.

She was absolutely furious with Harry and had vowed to never acknowledge him again. To her, attacking Draco had been like attacking her. Where those wounds were carved into Draco’s chest, it felt as if they were carved onto hers as well.

Harry felt completely lousy and couldn’t even meet her gaze. This was worse than when he and the others had cursed Draco on the train at the end of last year. Or the other years before that...

Ginny watches while Jacky held the ferret’s hand and smoothed the hair from his face. It was such a small gesture, but it spoke legions. Hermione also gets hit by the volumes in the way she was watching over Draco. There was no doubt about it. Jacky loves him with everything in her.

There were still days when she could do nothing more than sit and stare straight ahead, the ghost of her mother and of her brother haunting her. She couldn’t eat, drink, sleep, or even respond to anyone. She’d move zombie-like from class to class, becoming clammy and pale and then she’d go to bed and not appear for a day or two. It was then that Ginny or Hermione would sneak Harry’s cloak out and bring it to the waiting Draco outside the common room. He would go in and bring Jacky out of the terrifying numbness while the girls stood guard, pretending there was an awry spell happening or something of the sort.