Sometimes Love Just Isn't Enough

Chapter Four

When Draco got to the Great Hall, he noticed that there was still some food on the table, as he had hoped. He sat down and began to eat, not knowing that he was being watched. As he finished what was left on the plate, he heard a noise like a cough or a grunt. He looked around in a confused manner and noticed a figure in the giant chair centered at the staff table.

"Hullo Mr. Malfoy," he greeted with little surprise.

"Professor Dumbledore. I'm sorry... I didn't know anyone was here. I just -" Dumbledore cut him off.

"I knew you would eventually get hungry, so I told the elves to leave some food on the table. But, thinking that maybe someone else would come in and take your food, I stayed," he explained. "Your missing meals wouldn't have something to do with the Potter boy, would it?"

Draco was shocked. How did he know? No one else seemed to. "Uh..." was all he was able to stay in reply. Dumbledore smiled. It was actually the kind, generous smile that he had heard so much about but could never receive from the Professor before; only Harry had been able to.

"Avoiding him isn't the answer, young Malfoy. To get over your heartache you must face it." Dumbledore smiled again and Draco nodded.

"Thank you, Professor," he said, rather nervously. Dumbledore always had that affect on him - making his confidence sink. Maybe because he was always in trouble with him, Draco didn't know. But he smiled, still, as the Professor turned and walked away.

Draco sighed and finished the rest of his meal slowly. When he got up, he realized that he was, again, not alone. He looked around once more, and noticed a figure with long, frizzy hair standing in the doorway of the Great Hall. Draco sighed, again. "Granger..." he groaned.

"Hullo, Draco," Hermione greeted as she walked towards him. "Fancy meeting you here."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Surely you didn't come in here because you wanted to?" He noticed her hair was wet. "You look like you just finished washing. Where are your little body guards?" he added, noting also that she was alone.

Hermione smiled. "Well... one's out giving himself a hard time for a 'mistake' he made," she paused, noticing Draco's face scrunch in confusion. "And the other is in his room telling everyone about the mistake and, no doubt, throwing a celebration."

Draco smirked. "Guess I'm not very popular with the Gryffindors," he said, jokingly. "But why would Harry regret anything? He said he didn't love me anymore."

Hermione's smile faded. "That's something you should ask him. Knowing Harry, there is a very good reason he did what he did."

"I would love to ask him, Gra - Hermione, but he won't talk to me." I've got to break the habit of calling her Granger... though it doesn't really seem to matter now.

Hermione thought about this a moment before answering. "Owl him," she suggested. "Harry never ignores his owls." She smiled once more and patted Draco's shoulder before turning to leave. "Just don't ramble. He'll never finish reading it if you ramble." She casually walked out of the Great Hall and back to he common room, leaving Draco to talk with his conscious.

Great, he thought. Two people giving generally the same advice about my relationship and I still haven't a clue how to handle it. Come on Draco! Just how thick are you?

Draco sighed once more and got up to go to his dormitory, where he would take Hermione and Professor Dumbledore's advice, and... owl Harry.

When he got to his room, he took out a piece of parchment and a quill and scribbled a note to Harry. He tied it around his owl's leg, took the letter and package from his other leg, and gave him a treat. "Take this to Harry," he ordered. He watched as his owl flew away and then opened the letter. It was from Narcissa:

Dearest Draco,

Oh, Honey! I'm so sorry! That boy doesn't know what he's thinking! Don't worry; he'll regret it later. But in the meantime, I've included something that should make the pain go away. I just wish I could be there with you.

All my love,

Mom

Curious, Draco opened the package his mother had sent him and smiled. Homemade cookies, he thought. I'll have to find a safe place to hide these from Crabbe and Goyle, the gits. He smiled again and hid the cookies in his safe, locking it with both a key and magic. He carefully slipped the key into his pocket before laying back on his bed and eventually falling asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Harry entered the castle he noticed that the halls were deserted. Great, he thought. That means everyone is in the common room. He sighed as he began climbing the stairs leading to the Gryffindor common room.

When he opened the portrait and entered the common room a thunder of applause and cheering and back patting greeted him. He slowly, and confusedly, made his way over to where Ron was now standing and asked "What's going on?"

Ron smiled at his friend and explained. "Well... after Hermione and I left you at the lake, we came back here and everyone wanted to know why we were so wet. So I told them about chasing you down to the lake and finding out why you had been so miserable the past few days and everyone was just so pleased and happy for you. No one has ever broken up with a Malfoy before!" Ron was grinning from ear to ear as he said this.

Harry raised and eyebrow and looked around. "Where is Hermione?" he asked.

Ron's smile faded a bit, but not completely. "Oh, she walked out when Fred and George suggested this little party. She probably went to the library, so don't worry about her." Harry nodded and began heading up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Ron looked confused a moment before yelling up at him "Where are you going? Aren't you going to stay and have something to eat?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed," he yelled back and went into his dorm and closed the door. He walked over to the end of his bed and sat down, opening his trunk. He slowly pulled out a letter written in black and red scrawling with the dark mark printed on the sealing. He sighed as he remembered the day he got the letter... the day he was forced to break-up with Draco. With shaky hands he took the letter out of the envelope and reread it. He sniffled slightly as he read the threats that Voldemort made and said he'd carry out if Harry didn't stay away from "the young Malfoy boy". He sighed again as he replaced the letter and put it back in his trunk.

Harry lay back on his bed and stared up at his ceiling. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm so sorry..." before rolling onto his side and staring at the wall. How stupid can a guy get, Harry thought. I love Draco and I let Voldemort get in the way... and now I may never get him back. Why now? I've never let Voldemort get in the way of anything before. Why did I have to let him this time? And a little voice in the back of his head replied, Because you love Draco and you don't want to see him get hurt. Harry closed his eyes and didn't open them again until he heard the door to the dormitory room being opened. He sat up slightly and looked back at Ron, who, though smiling, looked worried.

"Is there anything wrong, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry smiled at his friend and replied quietly, "No. No, Ron... nothing's wrong. I'm just tired, that's all."

Ron smiled and nodded his head before getting the hint and leaving. He'd have liked to talk to Harry more, but decided against it. Somebody would have to stay downstairs and help Hermione keep everyone from getting too excited... and also clean the common room before McGonagall thought it appropriate to check in on her house.

Ron walked gracefully and quietly back down the stairs and into the common room where Fred and George were shooting fire busters fireworks off the ceiling and walls. Ron looked around for Hermione, and finally found her sitting in a chair, watching the fireworks. He walked over and sat in the chair next to her and smiled. She turned her head toward him and smiled back.

"Did you talk to Harry?" she asked.

Ron's smile faded and he nodded. "Yeah... I talked to him... sort of."

"And?"

"I didn't tell him."

Hermione looked aghast. "Didn't tell him? Why?"

"Because he was so tired and sad... I couldn't tell him."

Hermione nodded and laid her hand on Ron's. "We have to tell him sometime," she said. "I wouldn't want him finding out from someone else." She glanced over at Ron's brothers and raised an eyebrow.

Ron looked over in the direction she was looking and nodded. "Yeah... I imagine that wouldn't go over well."

"So you're going to tell him?"

Ron smiled again, and took Hermione's hand in both of his. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Good." Hermione got out of her seat and looked around. "We should better clean all of this up. It's almost curfew." She took out her wand and froze Fred and George's fireworks to get their attention.

"Awww..." the entire room drawled.

"Mione! Why'd you do that!?!" Fred and George yelled.

Hermione pointed at the clock sitting above the fireplace. "It's almost curfew. In a few minutes McGonagall will come up here and expect the common room clean and most of us in bed or doing something productive and quiet."

"So clean up!" Ron added and smiled and Hermione.

Everyone sighed and moaned as they helped pick things up and mobilize the chairs and tables and food that had been moved. After two minutes the entire common room was back to the way it should be and everyone was heading upstairs to their dorms to dress for bed or get homework out. Hermione looked at the room satisfyingly and accioed a book to and settled in a chair next to the fireplace after having said goodnight to Ron and seeing that McGonagall was satisfied with the common room. She let out a pleased sigh and began reading her book.