A/N: ok I just finished writing the next chapter and ahhhhhhh im so excited i actually love it and i cant wait to publish it!!!!! it's my fave chapter so far ;) it might take me a little while to publish it tho because some of the wording is a bit tricky and i want it to be perfect :) but anyway here's chapter 6, enjoy!
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"Ah." Hermione leaned forwards, tenting her fingers, twisting her lips. "Well, um, he's up in his room. After Fred died... George just hasn't been right. He barely comes out of room, and has lost a lot of weight. We don't talk about it, it really upsets Mrs. Weasley. She's been trying to get him to eat forever. We're not even sure if he'll come downstairs for the wedding."
Draco turned this new information over, digesting it quickly, before making his decision. "I want to speak to him." He announced. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Draco, with all due respect, I don't think that's a good idea. He's not well, and seeing you could make him upset, make him worse."
But Draco had already stood up. "What's the harm in knocking on his door?" He asked. And that's how they ended up in front of George's room, waiting with bated breath after Draco had rapped his knuckles against the wood.
"Who is it?" George's raspy voice called from the other side of the door. "Um, it's Draco. Draco Malfoy. Can we talk?" Draco wrung his hands nervously. There was silence from the other side of the room before the door swung open suddenly and a gaunty, pale, George Weasley appeared in the doorway.
He looked Draco up and down before inviting him in, shutting the door behind them. "Draco," Hermione called to him, "are you alright?" Draco, watching George, replied, "Yes, I'm fine. George and I are just going to talk." George regarded Draco with interest.
Hermione, outside the door, nervously ran a hand through her hair. "Okay..." she said hesitantly. Both boys maintained intense eye contact until they heard Hermione's steps fade away.
And then, Draco and George talked. They talked for at least two hours. Neither one could really say what the other had conveyed in the conversation, just that they had come to a mutual understanding of respect and forgiveness. There were tears, there were confessions, but most importantly, there were promises. That's the only detail both boys clearly remembered from their conversation. Draco vowed to be a better human and keep it together, and George promised to begin to move forwards, to heal. Both boys left each other unclear in what exactly had happened, just knowing that perhaps they were more similar than they thought, and that they had found a sliver of hope in each other.
When Draco finally shut George's door behind him and began to descend the stairs, Hermione pounced. "How was it?" She asked. "Is he okay? Does he need anything?" Her hail of questions continued, until Draco raised his hands to surrender. Hermione pressed her lips together. Draco spoke quietly.
"Hermione," he said, "I'm exhausted. George has given me a lot to think about." The worry in Hermione's eyes seemed to increase. "Hermione, I'm fine, really. But I'm drained. I don't think that I will stay for dinner. I need to go home, turn over what George said. Please tell the Weasley family thanks, and Potter too. And, of course, you." He pecked her on the cheek and solemnly made his way downstairs, Hermione following behind, protesting weakly. He ignored her.
Draco did not say a word as he passed through the main room, walked out of the house, and walked through the whispery grass to the edge of the lawn. He stared at the Burrow mournfully for a moment before disappearing on the spot, Hermione watching from the door.