It's Never Two-Sided

AN: Okay, this chapter is filled with... not too much, actually. But good news! Draco has a cameo in the next one! I mean, yeah, he's mentioned in this one, but next time he gets to sneer!

Anyway. I'm not quite comfortable with the way this one turned out, but I don't have the time to rewrite it. It's decent, but not quite what I was going for. Oh well.

One more thing! Reviews! I DO respond to reviews, but I respond in the review section. If you guys don't like that and would rather I respond up here or at the end of the chapter, LET ME KNOW! (especially if it gets me more reviews)

Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter Five: Five Years' Worth of Regrets

Three days later Halle, Hermione, and all the Weasleys except Ginny, who was still confined to her room except for meals and to use the loo, went to Diagon Alley. Halle overheard Draco Malfoy saying some rather... well, not quite incriminating things. He was too smart for that. But she was still highly suspicious, and found herself floundering in thoughts about the blond for the rest of the day.

Was he a Death Eater? There'd been no mark on his arm at the beginning of summer, that Halle knew from her use of the Polyjuice Potion, but what about since then? There'd been plenty of time. Or maybe he was in training—Ron had always said he was, but what if he was, seriously? Then she recalled the scars on his back, and another question popped up.

What if he doesn't want to?

What if he was being forced into taking the mark? It was certainly obvious that someone had a great deal of power over him, enough that he couldn't run away, couldn't show the scars lest he be punished in an even more painful manner. A boy as vain as Malfoy would never just let his beautiful skin be scarred.

She only told Ron and Hermione about her suspicions as to Draco being a Death Eater. They all listened to some more of his conversation, and, although they agreed that it was suspicious, Hermione was doubtful that they could do anything, and Ron was still too gleeful about his appointment as Quidditch Captain. Halle was glad she hadn't been picked; good as she was, she had enough on her mind without having to worry about how everyone's game was. She'd play, if she made the tryouts (everyone told her she would), but playing and leading were two very different things.

Either way, they were soon hurried back home, and Halle was putting away her things when she happened to glance at the calendar. Sighing, she finished packing the books into her trunk and went downstairs.

“Mrs. Weasley?” she intoned quietly when there was no one else in the kitchen for a few minutes. “I was wondering... do you think I could be left alone tomorrow? All day?”

“Why?” asked the ever-vigilant woman.

“Well, it's just that it's been two months, to the day, and—”

“Oh, you poor dear!” Mrs. Weasley dropped the dish she was working on in the sink, and turned around to embrace Halle, nearly lifting the startled girl off her feet. “Of course you can! You've been so well with it, I was wondering what was wrong!”

Halle smiled, tears coming to her eyes. “Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.”

“Not a problem, Dearie. And I think,” she said, letting go of most of Halle to hold the girl's face. “That you can call me Molly now. I'm not your mother, and I could never dream of taking that wonderful woman's place, but 'Mrs. Weasley' sounds so unapproachable.”

“Thank you, Molly.”

“You're welcome, Hal.”

~*~

The next morning Halle woke up to knocking at her door. Glancing at the clock, which said 'Time to Get Up', Halle huffed then called, “Come in!”

Ginny carefully opened the door. “I'm here to bring you breakfast, and not ask any questions about what you're doing, or how you're feeling.” She set the tray down next to Halle's bed. “So, when will you be done?”

“Tonight. I try not to let myself be too disturbed at night; it only makes things worse.”

“Alright.” Ginny nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Halle sat up, and had just turned to her breakfast when Ginny knocked and opened the door again.

“I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that Mum put a muffing charm on the room, so's long as you're not beating on the door, we won't really hear you.”

“Thanks, Gin.”

“No problem, Hal.”

~*~

About half an hour later Halle was quite grateful for the charm; she'd never been able to cry this loud before in solitude.

Her porridge had only the slightest dent in it from her first and only bite.

~*~

Ginny delivered lunch as well, but Molly came up to give her supper.

“Ginny's been good?” she asked, pushing the dinner tray beside the one from lunch.

“Yeah, real good. I hope you haven't been too hard on her for the birthday thing; I thought it was funny.”

“Well, dear, the thing is, it wasn't an entirely innocent gift.”

“You mean, because Ginny used to have a crush on me?”

“Yes. I see you figured it out.” Molly's face was unreadable.

“Actually, she told me. Earlier this summer.”

“And you're still alright with it?”

“Yeah.”

Molly nodded, then smiled. “That's good to hear. Listen, a letter came for you today. It's for all of us, actually, as we're all related to the Blacks, but it also mentioned you, especially. We're to go to the reading of his will, next Tuesday.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Halle didn't need to be told who 'he' was.

“You're welcome, Dearie. I'll be expecting you at breakfast tomorrow, alright?”

“Yeah, I'll be there. Thanks.”

Molly just smiled as she closed the door.

~*~

It was well past dark when Ginny showed up again.

“Feeling better?” she asked, sitting on the edge of Halle's bed.

“A little. I don't know. I mean, it's like I hurt, but I can't feel it anymore, because I've got other things I have to do.”

“Other things?”

“Get stronger. Defeat Voldemort. Pass my NEWTs.”

“The usual teenage stuff.”

“Don't get me started.”

Ginny laughed. “You're never usual.”

“Sometimes I wonder if things would be better if I was.”

“How so?”

“If I followed directions, if I let the people in charge do their work, if I was better at getting along with Professor Snape—”

“Halle, your usual teenager wouldn't have done that. They wouldn't have even come close; especially not with Professor Snape, not with what he was teaching.” Halle had told Ginny about the failed Occlumency lessons during their earlier late-night talks. “You're doing the best you can.”

“It's not good enough, Gin; that's been proven. I'm not good enough...”

“Then who is?” Ginny retorted hotly. “Hal, who else your age could do half the things you have? And I don't mean how you got your scar, I mean the things I've seen you do! How well you fly, how you can cast a corporeal Patronus, how you can duel, how you can lead—Halle, you're the best there is!”

“No, I'm not.”

“For your age, absolutely. Sure, Dumbledore's better than you, but that's because he's had over a century to practice! Snape too; he's had much more time than you. And he couldn't catch the snitch if it landed on him.”

“But—”

“No 'buts', Halle. No one could measure up to you.”

They stared at each other for a while, then Halle broke the silence.

“Thanks, Gin. I'm kind of tired now, though. See you at breakfast?”

“Yeah, sure,” Ginny nodded then left.

Halle sighed. She wasn't sure if she really believed the other girl; after all, what other teenager would have led their godfather to his death so readily?

Nevertheless, the next day Halle put her feelings away and went to breakfast with an only slightly fake smile on her face.