It wasn't.

Sadly, the rescue mission didn't quite go as planned (although we managed to score ourselves some cute little badges on our way in).

Anyway, it turned out Sirius was not there after all. I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes and say 'I told you so'.

"Let's go back," I said instead, trying to pull Harry away from some shiny glass balls.

"But this has my name on it, look!" He said excitedly as he picked one up from the shelf and shoved it in my face. "This must mean it is business for me to interfere in!"

"Exactly, Potter."

Harry and I froze at the voice. It was one we'd heard before.

Slowly, we both turned to face Draco's father, only his grey eyes visible beneath a silver mask. Behind him stood about a dozen or so others. I gulped.

"Now be a good boy and hand it over."

Oh... shit.

*****

After being struck across the chest by a Death Eater's curse, I woke up in the hospital wing to the news that Sirius was dead.

"But... how?" I spluttered, trying to sit up but wincing in pain instead. "He wasn't even there!"

"Uh- he came to rescue me." A red faced Harry said, standing awkwardly at the foot of my bed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But on the plus side, Dumbledore is looking at me again."

Merlin. Why am I even friends with this doofus?

*****

That first night, when the lights had gone out and Madam Pomfrey had turned in, I crept out of my hospital bed and slipped into Ron's, laying myself down gently beside him as I glanced sadly at the deep scars across his arms where he'd been attacked by brains.

"Are you okay, 'mione?" He sleepily asked, turning his head to look at me. Our faces were so close I could feel his breath tickle my lips.

"No," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I can't believe Sirius is dead because of what we did. I feel sick with guilt."

"Don't torture yourself," Ron said in a lazy drawl. "Harry had been so sure that Sirius needed saving. We were just being good friends. If anyone is blame, it's him. Come 'ere."

And he reached his arms out to me, the both of us softly moaning in pain as he pulled me against his body. I could feel his heart racing beneath his chest and I tilted my face up, resisting the temptation to kiss the underside of his chin.

"Is this okay?" He asked, frowning down at me. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

I shook my head. Because yes, although my chest was screaming in protest at being pressed against him, to me this was more than okay. I'd dreamed of being in his arms for so long, to lay next to him as more than just his friend.

"What about your arms?" I whispered, noticing his breathing had become quite laboured. "You aren't in too much pain, are you?"

He shrugged, his lips twitching up at the corners as his eyes twinkled into mine. "You're worth it 'mione."

And right then I wanted to say it, to tell my dearest friend that I'd been saving my first kiss for him.

But as I opened my mouth to say the words, I realised it wasn't the time. Not when Harry was grieving the closest thing he had had to a relative.

So I closed it again and instead just smiled.

"Night, Ron." I whispered.

"Night, night, 'mione."

Cool lips pressed against my forehead and I closed my eyes and sighed as I experienced a wave of bliss.

I could wait, I told myself. For I knew he would be worth it.

*****

Draco Malfoy had spent the last few days hovering in the shadows of the castle, waiting to make his move.

Fucking Potter had been at it again. He felt an unpleasant tightening in his chest as he recalled the letter he had received from his mother, informing him of his father's arrest.

Draco squashed down the feeling of guilt, knowing he should have fought harder to allow Umbridge to let him accompany her to the forest. But instead he'd stayed behind and been so distracted that he'd slipped up and found himself waking up hours later after being overcome by those idiots.

He knew what had distracted his thoughts, of course.

It was her.

He didn't understand what was happening. He found himself quietly obsessing about the Mudblood at odd moments of the day. Whenever he walked into a room, his eyes would seek her out, heart skipping a beat when they found her. Her voice always made him want to move closer so that he could hear what she was saying and her laughter caused his lips to pull into a smile which he always disguised with a smirk.

But this was wrong. So wrong. She was filthy. Disgusting. Dirty. Beautiful.

Stop it! Damn it! No! She was making him soft and now his father was in prison all because he'd been distracted and let Potter get away.

He glanced back towards the door of the hospital wing, knowing she was in there, knowing she was almost killed in her bid to follow Potter to the ends of the earth.

Stupid Potter. No doubt he'd be painted as a hero for landing his father in prison.

And the truth was out now, about Voldemort.

Draco swallowed, wondering what this meant for him and his mother.

The door to the hospital wing flew open and Draco quickly slipped behind a statue, watching as Potter strode down the corridor, whistling merrily as though he hadn't just destroyed half of Draco's family.

Okay, so he didn't give a toss about Sirius. He had, after all, just been a cousin he had only ever known by name.

But still.

Knowing it was now or never, Draco stepped back out and made himself known.

"You're dead, Potter."

Potter wheeled around, raising his eyebrows.

"Funny," he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around..."

That prick had absolutely no remorse, Draco thought angrily.

"You're going to pay," Draco snarled in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father..."

"Well, I'm terrified now," Potter scoffed. "I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you - what's the matter? He's a mate of your dad, isn't he? Not scared of him, are you?"

"You think you're such a big man, Potter," Draco spat, advancing towards him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison-"

"I thought I just had."

"The Dementors have left Azkaban," Draco said quietly. "Father and the others'll be out in no time..."

"Yeah, I expect they will," Potter chortled, jangling the loose change in his pockets. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now-"

Draco had heard enough, his hand flew towards his wand, but Potter was quicker and had drawn his own wand before Draco's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes.

"Potter!"

The voice rang along the corridor. Snape had emerged from around the corner and at the sight of him Draco felt a great rush of relief.

"What are you doing, Potter?" He spoke coldly, striding over to the two of them.

"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," Harry said idly, twirling his wand in his fingers.

Snape stared at him. Draco sneered.

"Put that wand away at once," he said curtly. "Ten points from Gryff-"

"Ah - Professor Snape, I'll deal with this."

Oh, for fuck's sake. Draco rolled his eyes as Dumbledore ambled into view.

Of course, less than two minutes later, Potter had managed to score Gryffindor two hundred and fifty points for disposing of yet another teacher (and not just a teacher, but their headmistress), stealing school Thestrals to lead a mass breakout (and taking younger ones with him, some of whom ended up seriously injured), and being the cause of the untimely death of a man who had tried to rescue him.

Prick.

*****