My Father's Only Rule

Chapter Eighteen: Harry's Plead

February 1997 - Hogwarts

Asking to relieve Draco of his quidditch captain duties was my first real attempt at bringing back the normal. It was the best way I could just be a student again. It took the team a hot minute to get used to the fact that I was back and I was taking over, but once they did, it was a breeze getting back in the swing of things. My first game of the semester was against Hufflepuff. In the morning as I made my way to Slytherin table for breakfast, I ran into Harry.

"Oh, hi, Harry," I said.

"Hey," he said. "Back on the quidditch team?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm really excited."

"Great," he said. "Good luck today. I also wanted to ask you something."

"What's up?" I asked.

"If you don't mind keeping this between us," he said. "Remember Katie Bell?"

"Yeah," I said. "Is she alright?"

"They say she's woken up," he said. "But it'll be a little bit before she's back in class. I think I have an idea as to who might have hexed her."

"Who?" I asked. He hesitated to answer. He only glanced over at Draco who was waiting for me at Slytherin table. "Draco?"

"It only makes sense," Harry said. "Do you know what's going on with him?"

"No, Harry," I said. "I don't. He said he's not ready to tell me."

"Well, if you figure anything out," Harry said. "Will you tell me?" I was shocked at what Harry was asking me to do.

"Are you asking me to be a spy for you?"

"Grace, listen. Be logical for a second," Harry pleaded. "You know his family is in cohorts with Voldemort."

"Do you still think he's a death eater?" I asked, remembering the conversation we had on the train in September.

"Doesn't it make sense?"

"Harry, I cannot have this conversation right now," I told him. "I don't have any information that you don't already have."

"But if you find out," he said. "It's for the greater good, Grace. I need to know. It's the only way I can stop Voldemort." I was having trouble coming up with something to say when Jane came up behind me.

"Hey, you," she said. "Ready for the big game? Oh, hey, Harry."

"Hi, Jane," Harry said. "I'll be on my way, then."

"What was that?" Jane asked after Harry was gone.

"Nothing," I said as we walked to our table. I sat next to Draco and thought about what Harry said, trying to establish my place in this mess. I knew what was morally right. Obviously, I wanted Harry to win in the end. But I also knew Draco's family. And I knew that he was sucked into this mess without much of a choice. And I knew I loved him more than anything, so I had to be there for him as moral support. But I still didn't know what I was supposed to do. Do I figure out what's been bothering Draco and report it to Harry? Or do I simply just exist?

"Are you alright?" he asked me, causing me to snap out of my trance.

"I'm fine," I said instantly. I knew the more I acted like a normal student with nothing on my mind, he might feel a little bit closer to that ideal. "You guys ready for the game?"

"Don't ask us," Blaise said. "Are you?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, standing up. "I'll see you guys later."

I thought that enjoying a game of quidditch might help Draco relax, but as the doors flung open and we circled the pitch, I noticed something was off. Of course, I kept with tradition, breaking formation to give Jane a high five who was screaming "THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND!" in the crowd. But when I did, I noticed Draco was nowhere to be seen. I got distracted as I looked around the crowd for him, but I couldn't find him, and I didn't know what to think about it.

Should I be mad because he's not supporting me as his girlfriend? Should I be understanding because I know he's going through something? Is he even remorseful about missing this game? Do I love him more than he loves me? Does that bother me?

We still won the game, securing our spot in the final match against Gryffindor. But as the day went on and I was still unable to find Draco, the thoughts haunted me. And then I realized that if I was going to be the support that Draco needed, I simply had to know what exactly was haunting him.