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Smile Like You Mean It	By : AeraVale Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 6676 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. DM/OC, M/F

Chapter List
- 39
- 40
- 41
Chapter 40 - Free Will

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She knew where Harry would be. Two of the Trio had missed the exchange that morning and he would be in a hurry to fill them in in time to meet Draco. The Common Room was empty apart from them. Everyone else was taking the opportunity to have a nice long lie-in.

When she came through the Portrait, they stopped talking. Harry had been pacing back and forth in front of the fire, but he halted at seeing her. Hermione and Ron stared at her as if they had never seen her before. Only Ginny seemed to see the tear-tracks that stained her cheeks, hurriedly dashed away before she had entered.

“You’re a fool, Harry.” Aera said quietly, advancing until she was right in front of him. “And you have no right to make my choices for me.”

Harry frowned. “So I should leave it up to you? Look where you ended up. In the bed of a junior Death Eater.”

Aera bit down her anger and managed to make her voice somewhat calm. “How dare you!” Well, perhaps not very calm. “I understand that you may need proof to see that he isn’t what you all think he is, but do you really distrust me that much?” She glanced around at the rest of them. Hermione met her gaze regally, a queen looking down on a criminal. Ron glanced away, his face growing red. “I have done everything, everything you’ve asked. You wanted information, I got it. You asked that I prove myself to you, I took Veritaserum. And now, after all that, I discover that Draco Malfoy is not the bastard you always thought he was and you doubt me?”

Harry had the grace to look a little ashamed, though only for a moment. He visibly stiffened himself before speaking. “Whether or not Malfoy is a Death Eater, he’s more dangerous than you seem to believe. You think I would let my sister be involved with a guy like that?”

“It’s not your choice.” Aera said in a dangerously low voice.

Harry took a step forward so that she was forced to tip her head back to meet his gaze. He spoke quietly, emphasising every word. “If I have to tie you up to keep you safe, I will, whether that is safe from Voldemort or from a prick like Malfoy. You are the last of my family. Would you really expect anything less?”

Aera opened her mouth to retort, then realised she had no idea how to respond. She knew that if the roles were reversed, she would feel the same way. She did feel the same way. The difference was that, between them, Harry and Draco could succeed in keeping her out of the fight. Suddenly the vision she had seen in the Prophet’s Elixir trance surged in her mind. Harry and Draco, preventing her from coming to their aid. Death. And her own realisation that if she continued down this line of argument, that prophecy could very well end up a reality.

She stared deep into Harry’s eyes as he glanced towards the other three. If she could back down, agree to his conditions if they agreed to keep her informed, there was more chance of her knowing when and where the final fight would take place. Her chest grew tight with pain as she realised something else. Backing down would mean agreeing to Harry’s condition regarding Draco. It would be over. There would be no secret trysts until the battle. And after? Who knew.

She shut her eyes tightly, biting down on her lip to hold in her urge to shout. She had to do this convincingly.

“Fine.” It came out as a snap, but that worked just as well. “We do this your way. I won’t talk to him, I won’t go to see him. But you include me in your plans.” Harry opened his mouth and she rode over him. “No! I don’t want assurances. I am telling you what you <i>will</i> do. And if I find one hint that you are leaving me out, I swear, I will . . . go to Dumbledore.”

For a moment she thought Harry would snap right back, but after a moment he let slip an amused grin. “You bargain like a goblin.” He glanced at the great grandfather clock in the corner and all amusement faded from his face. “It’s time.”

Hermione and Ron got to their feet, steeling themselves. Ginny glanced between everyone as if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go with or remain as far as possible from it all. Harry looked straight at Aera. “We’ll tell you everything. But I don’t want you to come with.”

Aera opened her mouth to object, then shut it dejectedly. It was probably better this way. She was not sure she could stop herself from shouting at Draco if she faced him right then. Sighing, she sank down beside Ginny as Harry swept away, the other two following in his wake.

“So . . .” Ginny murmured, not quite looking at her. “Draco Malfoy, huh?”

Aera felt irritation flare up. After Harry’s comments and Draco’s rejection, she was in no mood to deal with yet <i>another</i> person who thought her judgement flawed. Folding her arms tightly across her chest she decided she would sit there and wait for the others to return, but that there was no reason to talk to Ginny. None at all.

“Was he any good?”

Aera’s head twisted to face Ginny with an expression of shock. Ginny’s laughing smile told her everything she needed to know. There was no judging, not from the fiery red-head. “You can’t ask things like that, Ginny!” she said, feeling her cheeks turn crimson.

Ginny shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s the only question that really deserves an answer. Everything else is just people being idiots. Last night?”

Aera knew what Ginny was asking, even if it wasn’t spelled out. She nodded, unsure of how to put something of such magnitude as losing your virginity into words. A simple ‘yes’ didn’t seem sufficient for what had happened between the hours of the ball and this morning.

Ginny’s smile widened. “Yeah, I thought so. You have that look on your face, despite all this bullshit. You know, the boys probably wouldn’t have been so harsh if it had been any other guy. Like, any other guy. You really do know how to pick them.”

Aera smiled. Oh, I know how to pick them. Tall, strong, handsome, skilled . . .

Ginny laughed out loud, making Aera jump. “Get that smutty look off your face before the others come back. You’re going to have to work on hiding your naughty thoughts from now on.”

That brought Aera crashing back down to earth and she gave a heavy, dejected sigh. “Not really. Harry and Draco made an agreement. He would stay away from me if Harry agreed to keep me safe. And Harry would listen to what Draco had to say if he stayed away.” She said it bitterly.

She saw Ginny’s face twist into a scowl, an expression not usually seen on her pretty face. “Assholes.” She muttered. “And so you’re just going to let them do this?”

Aera smiled. She could have explained everything to Ginny and hoped that her friend would see things her way. But what was the point? Ginny knew her better. It would be easier for the red-haired girl to not have to deal with Harry’s probing questions. She’d have no need to lie if Aera didn’t tell her. And Ginny knew her much better than that.

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Draco stormed along the corridors, not bothering to hide the anger and frustration he felt. He had made his decision and he would stick by it, but seeing her face, her pain, had been like sticking a red-hot poker through his chest and straight into his heart. It was for the best. He could see the fire in her, even if Harry Bloody Potter didn’t. Given the chance, Aera would be on the front lines, throwing herself in harms way to protect those she cared about. Well, he was not about to let her.

He reached the Room of Requirement well before time, having no better place to go. It furnished itself suitably, somewhat affected by his mood, he was sure. There were no windows, but the chairs were comfy. It was certainly not luxurious, but it would do. He settled down in the chair that faced the other three. He knew he would be on trial, but it didn’t faze him. This was what he had hoped for.

He found his fingers tracing his lips, where he had kissed her goodbye. The pain he had felt, seeing the rejection in her eyes, was like nothing he had felt before. He had considered talking to Blaise, explaining everything and asking his friend to come with him. Something had stopped him. Perhaps this was fitting punishment for hurting the girl he loved.

The door of the room creaked, giving him enough warning to smooth his features into something expressionless. Harry led the way inside, pausing only a moment when he realised Draco was there before him. Granger and Weasley followed more slowly, the bushy-haired girl swallowing hard as she glanced towards him and away.

They settled into their chairs in front of him. Their expressions mirrored each other; stern, afraid, unsure. Surprisingly, it was Granger who spoke.

“We have Veritaserum. We want you to take it.”

Draco didn’t hesitate before nodding. It was one of the possibilities he had considered. After all, they had made it for Aera and surely would have had some left. It made sense for him to take it, too. It was time to roll the dice and trust in Aera’s judgement of her brother and his friends. If they were really as great as she believed, this could have a positive outcome. If not . . . Well, if not he was out of the cauldron and into the fire already.

Weasley pulled the small vial from his sweater and handed it across, making sure to pull back quickly as soon as Draco grasped it. Draco flicked the cork off and tipped it back over his mouth. Three drops fell.

Harry leaned forward, his gaze intent. “Is your father a Death Eater?”

“Yes.”

Hermione lifted her chin. Perhaps to pretend she felt no fear, perhaps in true Gryffindor disapproval. “Why do you want to help us?”

Draco smiled inwardly. She was asking the right questions. “To help Aera. I will do anything and everything to keep her safe. As Harry Potter’s sister, You-Know-Who would kill her, or use her, if he got the chance.”

Harry seemed to be turning the words over in his mind, considering before he asked anything else. When at last he spoke, his voice was flat, emotionless. No clues offered as to his thoughts. “When did you decide that you were no longer willing to fight for the Dark?”

“Before this year I thought my father a fool and You-Know-Who a psychopath. However, at that point I hoped to avoid open rebellion against what I believed to be the stronger side. When I met Aera, I realised that everything I thought worth fighting for was a load of rubbish. That was when I realised I would join her side, no matter where that led me.”

“And if she had been one of your precious Death Eaters?” Hermione snapped, clearly annoyed by his reasoning. She searched desperately for logic in every scenario.

He turned to face her openly, his voice void of emotion. “I would have chosen whatever side she was on. My heart is hers and thus I follow where she leads.”

Weasley grunted, then went quiet at a sharp look from Granger. Harry didn’t look away. He had gone very still. For a long time they stared at each other, minutes stretching.

“How do you feel about my sister?”

Draco tried to hold back. He did not want to explain this side to them, reveal how strongly he felt. But the truth potion was well-brewed and strong. His mouth opened, the words pouring forth.

“I love her; mind, body and soul. I will spend every moment of my life trying to protect her and make her happy. She has severed every allegiance I ever had, to family, wealth or friendship. Where she leads I follow. I love her. I would die for her.”

For a moment he was sure the icy chill in Granger’s usually soft brown gaze lessened before she regained herself. Weasley gaped openly, clearly never expecting to hear such confessions of love come out of a Malfoy. From Harry, there was nothing. No widening of the eyes, no sound. Draco stared back.

“If you weren’t under a Truth Serum . . . What can you tell us that will help us defeat Voldemort?” he asked quietly and Draco felt a small surge of victory. They believed him, and they were asking for help.

“My father is hinting that my initiation into the Death Eaters is soon. I will not be given much warning, maybe an hour, probably less, but I will tell you as soon as I know. That will give you the opportunity to ambush him. He will not be alone. Initiation is done with only his closest followers, however. It is far more ideal than waiting for one of his infamous gatherings.” Draco paused. “The Veritaserum is wearing off. I will take another dose, if you wish.”

Weasley reached into his pocket again without hesitation, but Potter held up a hand. “There’s not much point to that now. He’s told us what he wants. And if he wants Aera kept safe, he has to help us. Otherwise Voldemort will find her. Am I right?” He pointed the question at Draco who bowed his head in agreement.

“Blunt, as ever, but right. If the initiation is within one of the Death Eater homes I will need to take you there. Appararition admission is restricted.”

“Like Hogwarts?” Granger asked.

He nodded again. “Once there, I can help you take out the Death Eaters - ”

“No.” Harry cut in. Draco’s eyebrows rose in question and the green-eyed man shook his head. “I am willing to trust your information, but I will not chance having you by my side and letting a curse get past to my friends or me. If you have to apparate us, you will do so, then leave.”

Draco ground his teeth but there was nothing he could do but agree. This was Potter’s fight. He had to play by his rules or not at all. “Fine.” he ground out, nothing bothering to hide his irritation. “I will let you know when I receive my summons.”

They nodded and rose with him, Granger turning on her heel and stalking out, clearly eager to be away. Weasley followed her, casting a questioning glance back at Potter who waved him on. Draco shot the man across from him a look, wondering what it was that Potter wanted to say out of hearing of his friends.

Potter stared at the closing door, running a hand through his hair. When at last he turned to look at Draco, his eyes were piercing.

“My sister is all I have left. My condition stands. You want her safe? Well, so do I. She stays out of this and away from you. Am I understood?”

Draco nodded numbly. Perhaps he had been naïve, but he had almost dared hope that Potter would rescind his one condition. Even just for a day. He swallowed down a chuckle. Even for an hour. Already he missed her, remembering how it had felt to have her legs wrapped around him, her lips exploring her chest.

Potter nodded to himself and turned away, leaving without another word. Which left Draco standing alone.

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Oh please review! I know not much happened this chapter, but I promise you won’t be disappointed by the climax! You gotta let me know you want it though . . . (Evil Draco Smirk!) ;)

xxxx Aera
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