Disarming Draco

"Is it possible for a person to Avada themselves?" I groan, digging the end of my wand into my temple, and the snickers from Fred and George at my side make me scowl. "Because this conversation is really tempting me to try."

"That I would like to see," Ron snorts, but when I shoot my head up, glaring at him with violence shining in my eyes, he slumps back in his seat, raising his hands in surrender. "Never mind, I didn't say anything."

"How the two of you are twins, I will never understand," Harry chuckles, nudging Ron's shoulder from beside him, his tired green eyes holding a bare twinkle as he turns to me, "I'm honestly surprised you didn't absorb him in the womb, Erin."

"I'm sure I tried," I wave a dismissive hand, half-smirking "But he's a stubborn one, my brother."

"Hey, how do you know I didn't try and absorb you in the womb?" Ron objects, but the immediate laughter from everyone in the room makes him scoff in dejection, his lip curling as he glances around. "I could!"

"Sure, Ronald." Hermione drawled with a sly smile, rolling her eyes at me as she settled beside Fleur and Bill at the kitchen counter, the soon-to-be-married couple more enthralled with each other than the conversation at hand. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I grin as I take in the giddy smiles from my friends, my family, that tightness in my chest easing at the sight. There has been little to smile about these last few weeks but moments like this made the burdens and struggles worth it.

"Yes, yes, Weasley is a daisy compared to his sister, we're all aware," Moody scowls, his staff thumping against the kitchen floor as he makes his way across the room. I pinch Fred and George at either side of me, trying to stop them from bursting into fits of laughter- at Ron's expense. "Now back to the issue at hand."

"Alastor is right," Remus nods, his right hand tucked into the pocket of his trousers, and the left wrapped around Tonks- grinning as he unconsciously caressed her stomach. I smiled softly at the sight, at the candle of hope in what seemed to be an eternal winter. "Though I might have steered the conversation back to the topic a tad bit more... sensitively."

Remus nods a pointed glance toward Ron, still sulking, and Moody scoffs, an abrupt, rough sound that, accompanied by an eye roll, said everything about how much he cared- which would be not at all.

"We could draw straws?" Fred quirked a brow, draping an arm over the back of my chair, dismissing the unimpressed frowns everyone in the room gave him, "Whoever pulls the shortest is the unlucky sod stuck with Malfoy tonight."

I roll my eyes, tossing my right leg over a knee and settling back into my chair, the grin on Harry's lips telling me he knew that this would take a while- no one wanted to be on Malfoy duty.

From the very moment, Remus and Moody had stalked in, a silent, severe-looking Kingsley on their tail, and stated that they needed someone to be Malfoy's 'partner' for our move back to the Burrow, it seemed like we were all willing to shove each other into the gallows.

"I say we give him a broom and wish him luck," George counters, winking fiendishly to Fred, "See if he makes it back or not."

I bite my lip to mask my amusement at the chorus of chuckles and muttered agreements ringing through the room- not a single person here had any love for Malfoy, and not a single person trusted him.

Only Tonks, Remus, Moody, and Kingsley looked unamused, but they didn't know him as well as we did, not by a long shot.

The room fizzled out into silence, deadly silence, as Kingsley stalked forward, his robes billowing back from him as he came to a stop at the centre of the room. I straightened my back at the humbling frown he wore, watching as he looked from face to face, dragging us back to Earth.

"This is no joking matter, the Dark Lord will come for us tonight, he will make an attempt on Harry's life, and we need to be prepared," Kingsley said, and it seemed to echo through the room, bouncing off the walls, "Harry is our first priority, but Mr Malfoy is a priority too."

I saw Hermione and Ron both pull a face, a mirror of each other, showcasing every thought they had at that statement- how could Kingsley compare Harry's safety to that of Malfoy's?

"I've said it once and I will say it again," Moody continued hoarsely, stepping forward to stand beside Kingsley, the both of them an indomitable presence that seemed to radiate through the room, through the house. "Mr Malfoy is an asset to the Order, he may or may not need us, but do not make the mistake of thinking we do not need him."

Need him. Need Malfoy.

I pinched my eyes shut at his words, the fact that they were inconceivably true. We needed Draco alive; we needed him as an ally, we needed his secrets and his reports, we needed his abilities. He was an asset, even if everyone in this room wished it wasn't true.

"Now, tonight it is my duty to ensure Mr Malfoy reaches the Burrow," Moody said, and we all seemed to be more alert now, any hint of joking or humour gone. "But I will be a target on this move, and I need the reassurance that should I fall, Mr Malfoy will be covered."

My throat dried out at the thought, the thought that perhaps the people in this room right now, the people who were arriving soon, that some of us might not make it, that this would be more perilous a journey than I had anticipated.

"I have recommended to Kinglsey that the person who should join me and Mr Malfoy tonight should be Weasley," It was palpable, the confusion on everyone's face as Ron, Fred, George, Bill, and I all glanced at each other.

Moody scowled, muttering about how many of us there were, and my heart stopped when he looked straight at me.

"Erin, Weasley." He stated simply as if it were obvious.

"What?" Fred and George chimed at the same time, and it was rare to see either of them serious, to see them genuinely concerned.

"No, no bloody way," Ron interjected, the horror on his face making me pause- it was fear as if he still saw me as a ten-year-old girl, who liked skipping and tag, his younger sister, even if it was only by twelve minutes. "Forget it, you're not going near him."

"That's not for you to decide, Ron," Remus said gravely, and the look of disbelief and shock on Ron's face made me bite my tongue- he genuinely couldn't believe that they thought this was up for debate. I forced down my annoyance, knowing it was because he cared.

"I'll watch Malfoy, for fucks sake," Ron continued, dismissing Remus, and even Harry and Hermione looked at Moody with frustration. "But not Erin-"

"We're trying to keep him alive, Ron," I chuckle, raising a brow at him, "It wouldn't be five minutes before the two of you are throwing hexes at each other and every Death Eater there knows Malfoy's alive."

"Fine, then someone else-" He scowls, but the irate glint in his eyes tells me he knows I'm right, he's just too stubborn to admit it.

"Erin was Alastor's choice for a reason," Remus interjected, and I couldn't help but feel a bit nauseous, the pressure of Moody's unwavering gaze on me making me feel self-conscious. "She's an excellent Witch, she's more than capable of using her weapons and she has the willpower to match Draco."

"Malfoy's a slippery git," Fred countered, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees, "He is- was- a Death Eater, you might have faith in him, but I don't think anyone here is comfortable with gambling Erin's life."

"Erin can handle Malfoy-" Bill states, but I scowl as a flurry of several voices starts to overlap.

"I am right here, you know?" I hiss, and my unimpressed frown makes everyone pause, their mouths clamping shut as they glance back to me, sheepishly settling back into their seats. "And while I appreciate everyone's opinions on how capable or incapable I am, not one of you has asked me what I think."

There was a tense silence after I spoke, and everyone frowned, realisation sinking in that they had, indeed, forgotten to even think about what I wanted, how I felt. I wasn't upset at them, if Moody had said Ron would go with Malfoy, I would probably be just the same, if not worse.

That's just what our family did.

"What do you think, Erin?" Tonks asked softly, and the small smile on her lips, and the warmth in her eyes made me relax, made all the tense muscles and joints in my body loosen with a long, cathartic exhale.

"I think that I'd rather it be me than any of you," I say, pointedly staring at Ron, Harry, and Hermione. I wouldn't let Malfoy within ten feet of Harry, wouldn't want Hermione to endure any more abuse and vitriol from him, and if I was being honest, Malfoy would kill Ron when they inevitably got into a fight. "I can handle Malfoy; I'll make sure he doesn't end up dead- and make sure he doesn't do something that could kill one of us."

Fred and George glance toward me, and even after all these years, it was bizarre seeing double, bizarre to see them mirror each other so perfectly. But I smile when they both nod at me, leaning back in their chairs, and glaring at Ron with a look that dares him to argue.

He didn't. My twin brother, so different to me in damn near every way, just shook his head, his lips pursing as he looked away from us.

"Well, if anyone could keep Draco in line it would be Erin," Hermione smiled, and despite the worry darkening her gaze, I knew she had faith in me, the kind of faith she didn't have in Draco. "I've seen her take on far worse."

"I've got to agree with you there," Harry nodded, and though I shouldn't have needed their validation or agreement, it still felt good- because for as long as I remembered it had been the four of us, and they mattered, their opinions mattered.

"Very well then," Kingsley stated firmly, and when my eyes glanced to the corner, I met Moody's stare.

He nodded- just once- but it told me everything I needed to know.

***

"This stupid house is eating all my things," I growled, tossing the pillows and blanket onto the floor, and scowling when I found the sofa empty. "I put something down, never to find the bloody thing again."

I wave a sharp hand, the items from the floor magicking effortlessly back into place. I turn, moving to my bed and running my hand over the soft cotton and silk, trying to see if it got lodged under all the fabric.

"Kreacher must be hiding my shit on purpose, the vindictive little-" I hear my door squeaking open, soft footsteps echoing in and stopping. I sigh, still not turning, as I ruffle through the duvet. "Hermione, have you seen my dagger, the one with the wolf head pommel? I'm not leaving without it-"

"I think I have what you're looking for," A low, velvety voice, far too rough and conceited to be Hermione. I sigh irately, flinging my braid over my shoulder as I turn, meeting those winter eyes and that tilted, half-smile.

Draco cocked his head at the frown on my lips and his amusement seemed to brighten as I ran my gaze down his suit-adorned figure- right to the wolf head pommel dagger he was twirling aimlessly between his long, ringed, fingers.

"I caught Kreachers seconds away from melting it in the fireplace," Draco mused, not once glancing down as he twirled and flipped and toyed carelessly with the blade, not even blinking at the fact that it could cut through tendon and bone with little to no pressure. "I thought you were pro-house elves?"

"I am pro-house elves, I'm pro the freedom of everyone and everything," I state, folding my arms across my chest and taking a few steps forward, rounding the corner of the bed. "I may have just warned Kreacher that if he insulted Hermione one more time, I'd pluck out his eyeballs and tongue and make a broth from them."

"Hm," A breath of laughter escaped him, so genuine and real that it surprised me. It was bizarre to see Draco smile or be remotely happy, but this seemed to come as close as he would get around me. "Violent little thing, aren't you?"

"Would you prefer me to be in the kitchen, baking pies, Malfoy?" I deride sarcastically, and his lip kicks up higher. I steel my spine as he begins to saunter closer, every step a lazy, languid movement, his sharp eyes never once leaving mine. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like my dagger back, please."

His eyes flicker down to my extended palm, every inch of me forcing it to stay still, to not shake with the discomfort and uncertainty of being in this room alone with him- with a dagger like that, a weapon like that, in his hands.

"You truly have been hardened by war, haven't you?" He mused, a rhetorical question and my body felt hot as he trailed his gaze curiously over me- through the plaited pieces of my fire-red hair, the sparks of irritation in my hazel eyes, and the way my plump pink lips pursed as he examined me. "These are certainly weapons worthy of you-"

"You really love the sound of your own voice, huh?" I grit out, and again that breathy, gravelled chuckle escapes him but all I can focus on is the challenging glint that sparkles like constellations in his eyes as he steps closer to me.

"One, two, three, four, hm- five, daggers," He trails his gaze across my figure, over the leather-bound material hugging perfectly to every curve and dip of my body, his movement so slowly tracing from the sheaths at my arms to my hips and to my thighs and calves. My breath caught in my lungs at the unfamiliar gleam in his gaze, the kind that spoke of more than just violence and hatred.

"My dagger, Malfoy," I spit out, every syllable hard and unforgiving and the tightness of my voice made his head lift, that stifling gaze finally moving from my body, from my figure, back to my burning eyes. "I won't ask again."

"I almost want you to use it on me," Draco muttered, and it sounded headier than it should have, like somehow this, me, with these weapons and the hatred in my heart for him was tempting him. "Maybe another night perhaps."

"I wouldn't be so hopeful if I were you, Malfoy," I scowled, watching him easily flip the dagger in his nimble fingers so that he was holding the blade, the pommel extended toward me to take. I did so quickly, and he was smart enough to let go before I ripped it free, with skin and bone and blood along with it.

"A weapon with her weapons," I didn't need to look up to know he was smirking, and instead I locked my jaw, twisting the blade to see that it had no demarcations, before slipping it into the sheath at my right thigh. "Though, that's a blade far more elegant than I'd expect from your family."

It was on the edge of my tongue, that cutting, killing blow, the one where I spat that at least I had a family, at least my family loved me, at least they wanted me. But instead, I bit my cheek, and Draco must see that horrible dark part of my soul rear its head, he smiles wider in anticipation of it.

"Not that it's any of your business, but it was a gift," I say, a faux smile lining my lips as I dismiss him, instead turning to glance around my room, ensuring that nothing was left behind.

"From whom?" He questioned, his footsteps sounding behind me as I walked around the room, avoiding his expectant stare and questions, pretending to be more concerned with making sure I had everything. "That's quite a remarkable gift, someone special then?"

"Why do you even care?" I furrow my brow, no longer able to keep control of my ire, turning to glare at him over my shoulder. He shrugs, nonchalant, bored like this was just another game to him.

"I don't really," Another vague, non-answer, "Though if there is someone special, then I don't think they'd be so thrilled about how much time we're going to spend together, eh, partner?" A devious grin, one that makes me ball my hands into fists at my side.

"Merlin, do you ever shut up?" I mutter under my breath, turning away again to walk over to my dresser, my body tense and irate as I grab my wand off the top, practically shoving it into the holster at my hip.

"Potter maybe? No, wait, he's got a thing for the other Weasley girl, doesn't he?" He didn't stop, he just continued rattling on and on, and the more my body seemed to tense, the more humour filled his voice. "What about that one annoying cunt- Cormac something, he seemed to take a liking to you-"

"Shut up, shut the fuck up," I hiss, and when I turn to him when I'm on the verge of spitting fire and breathing flames only then does he stop speaking, his lips pursing into a humoured line. "Cormac is dead, and he died because of you! Cormac and dozens of students died, and here you are laughing and joking- in what fucking world do you get to live, and they don't?!"

"Hit a nerve, have I?" Another amused, cutting remark.

"You want to know who gave this to me?" I glare, marching forward and yanking the dagger from my side- and in an instant, I've got it pressed to Draco's throat. He swallows roughly, and I feel his Adam's apple shift with the movement under the blade- but he doesn't look remotely scared. "Sirius Black gave this to me."

"Is that so?" Draco scrunched his nose, his teeth gritting together when I dug the blade just a bit deeper, knowing exactly how far I would have to go to pierce the skin and stopping just before, "He's dead too, no?"

"He gave me this dagger the day I officially joined The Order," I continued, my face an inch from Draco's, so close that I could smell the mint on his breath, could feel every warm exhale and inhale mingling with mine, "And that day I promised I'd use it to defend the Order and Harry- so make no mistake, Malfoy, I won't hesitate to defend my fallen friends by sticking this into your cold, dead, heart."

"That's sweet, Crimson," He grinned, and the insanity I saw in his eyes was palpable, my breath hitching when he leaned forward, pushing into the blade. I watched as it broke skin, my eyes following as a small bead of blood trickled down his strong, pale, throat and into his shirt. "You actually think I have a heart."

"You're sick," I breathed, my hands shaking as I yanked back from him, the red tainting the edge of the blade making me nauseous, but Draco eyed it with a small smile as if he had christened it for me.

"It takes one to know one, Crimson," He ran his ringed thumb across the small nick on his neck, cleaning the blood in one careless, half-hearted move. I watched as he glanced down at the smearing of blood on his finger, barely for a second, before he turned. "See you downstairs, Granger said we're leaving in five."

My jaw hurt from the pressure of my locked teeth, but I focused on breathing in through my nose and out my mouth as he sauntered away, and just like the night before, I felt so much unriddled, uncontrolled anger running through me.

I glanced down at the beads of blood, crimson blood, running down the metal, a few drops saturating the carpet underneath- Malfoy's blood. One second, it's there, and then the next it's gone, disappeared into nothing as if its tainting presence was never there, to begin with.

And that made it easier for me to breathe.

***

"A room full of Potters," Draco sneered, his dark eyes narrowing as another 'Harry Potter' shuffled past him, moving to exit Grimmauld Place and take their position outside, "Someone fucking wake me up from this particular nightmare."

"Dream about Harry a lot, do you, Malfoy?" I muse, cocking my head at him and Hermione snorts as she hands me the invisibility cloak, and I know it's her because any other person would have said something ridiculous and not just laughed.

"Hilarious, Weasley," Draco sneers, and for a moment, it's like we're back at Hogwarts, throwing taunts and curses at each other throughout Dark Arts class. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"Oh no, I was going to insist that we make this ordeal last even longer than needed," I croon sarcastically, brushing past Draco with a smile and into the long entry hall, "I so love spending time with you."

Draco scoffs from behind me, but the air is lighter than it had been half an hour ago in my room, the tension less likely to snap in two. I couldn't bear looking at the small, healing cut on his neck, couldn't bear to even look into his eyes, but for the sake of this mission, I would endure whatever I needed to.

My boots tapped against the floor as we walked the length of the corridor, the open door bringing in a harsh breeze and bundles of leaves and dirt from outside. I raised a brow at Moody who stood at the entryway, and 'Harry' with him, though who it actually was, was beyond my investigative skills.

At least we knew the poly juice plan was a good one.

"Oi, Malfoy," He barked, his dark eyes glaring past me to the boy behind me, and suddenly, it became abundantly clear who it was.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," I scowl, my eyes pinched shut in exasperation as 'Harry' marches past me, stopping directly in front of Malfoy. "Don't be an idiot, Ron."

"Ron, is it?" Draco nods slowly, his lip curling as he looks down at my brother, in Harry's form, and I can't tell which disgusts him more. "Rather clever plan, I'll give you that."

"I'm warning you, Malfoy," Ron slammed a hand against Malfoy's chest, and my lungs tightened when his entire body froze, his gaze shifting down and staring at Ron's hand the way you would a piece of shit at the bottom of your shoe. "If anything happens to Erin on this trip, I'll fucking kill you myself."

"This must be a dream for you, Weasley," Draco flicked his wrist and Ron, well 'Harry' stumbled back a step, as if he'd been shoved by an invisible force. "Finally stepping out of Potter's shadow, this way you're not the Chosen One's best friend but you get to be him, must be the highlight of your life, mate."

"I'm not your fucking mate-" Ron growls, and I had never seen Harry's face twist like that, never seen his usual summer green eyes morph into something so dark, so cruel.

"Alright, that's enough," I hiss, glancing over my shoulder to where Moody stood, his face uninspired. I glower between a smirking Draco and a scowling Ron, shaking my head. "Let's end this pissing contest here, shall we? Preferably before the smell of toxic masculinity seeps into the wood and rots it."

A chortle of laughter from behind us, again, Merlin only knew who it was, but Ron did eventually back off, glaring once more at Malfoy before he stormed past us and out onto the street.

"You might not have absorbed him in the womb, Crimson," Draco mused, and my eyes widened as I glanced over my shoulder up at him, "But you certainly took all the brains and brawn."

"You heard all of that?" I demand, my cheeks flushing as I take in his raised brow as he brushes off the invisible lint from his black suit jacket, "You were eavesdropping?"

"What was it you said?" Draco muttered, as he walked past me, his chest brushing too close to mine. "It's hardly eavesdropping if you're having the conversation out in the kitchen for anyone to overhear."

I roll my eyes at him, the heat in my cheeks burning brighter as he walks away- and I tell myself it's because I was caught off guard, and not because he had been paying such thorough attention to us, to me.

"Right, Mr Malfoy, Weasley," Moody greets us at the door, and from behind his towering figure, I can see the groups of 'Harry' gathered together- the real Harry tucked beside Hagrid, on the same bike he had brought him to Privet Drive in. "You know the plan, I will take the front while the two of you are directly behind me on the Firebolt, under the cover of the invisibility cloak."

Draco's face is indiscernible as Moody speaks, like a lake freezing in the peak of winter, his face, his eyes ice over and that terrifying mask falls into place. I suppose it was his version of readying himself before a fight, the killer in him rearing its head just in case.

"Remember, should I fall or be intercepted," Moody continues, and I have to force myself not to flinch at the words, at the thought, "Weasley, it is your first priority to get Mr Malfoy to safety, Harry is well-manned, it is up to you and only you to deliver Malfoy to the Burrow undetected and in one piece."

"I'm not worried," Draco raised his chin, those eyes turning a stormy shade of grey as he looked to Moody, "She's got this handled."

I try not to show my surprise, to not let my jaw fall slack at Draco's words, instead I keep my eyes trained forward, using every skill in my arsenal to appear unfazed.

"I know," Moody says, one word, so simple, so sure, and it made any doubt in me vanish, because Moody believed in me, and it mattered more than I could express. I nod once at Moody, before he turns, exiting the door and trudging down the steps.

"I didn't think Alastor Moody did emotions," Draco muttered beside me, and I could see the curious intrigue as he glanced to where Moody was now, barking orders at my friends and family, that second of rawness gone.

"He cares, just as much as the rest of us," I reply, not meeting Draco's piercing stare as I walk past him, feeling the cold air as soon as my foot passes the threshold. "He just holds his cards closer to his chest."

Neither of us speak as we stalk out into the gloomy street, the streetlamps magicked to be unlit and the silence that filled the darkness, that crawled over us all like insects as we stood there was palpable.

I don't glance to Draco as I raise the Firebolt into the air, sleek black wood so reminiscent of my childhood, of moments at Hogwarts, at Quidditch, that my heart lurches in memory.

Draco's feet crunch against the gravel as he steps forward, his movements swift and graceful as he easily hooks a leg over and places himself at the end of the broom, leaving me space at the front. I lock my jaw at the sight of him, the moonlight casting over his unbearably immaculate face unlike anything I'd ever seen.

"Come on now, Crimson," Draco said, his voice soft like velvet and I tried to ignore how my heart raced as he extended his hand out to me, watching me intently. "I won't bite, not unless you ask me to."

I snort quietly at the teasing remark, ignoring the idea of having him so close to me, the idea of us being seconds away from a Death Eater attack, and I begin to move.

"I can manage," I bite out, swatting his hand away and dismissing the amused chuckle that escapes him as I swing my leg over, my body rigid as steel as I lower myself down, so close to the front I could topple off.

"Don't stab me for saying this," Draco's voice startles me, his breath hitting my ear and cheek as he mutters, clearly leaning forward to goad me, "But you might want to move back, I don't think Weaselbee will believe me if I say you fell to your death because you were too afraid to be touched by me."

"I'm not afraid," I hiss, and even the freezing night wind couldn't cool the heat burning in my cheeks, under the leather of this Merlin forsaken suit. "I've flown many times, Malfoy, I don't need you to mansplain-"

My words die out on my tongue, die out in my lungs as two hands, large, ringed, and strong, reach around me and grip firmly onto either side of my hip and before I can protest, I'm being dragged back into Malfoy's hold.

"Malfoy-" I growl, my face scorching now and my back pin straight.

"Relax, your face is starting to match your hair," Draco snickers and it takes all my self-control to not turn and shatter his nose and my knuckles with a deadly punch. "Whatever happens to you, happens to me, I didn't come all this way to die now, so get over it."

I snarl at his words, but no retort comes to mind- not when my mind is preoccupied with the thought of his body behind me. The feel of every hard, ridged inch of his chest and stomach against my back, the muscle of his large thighs clamped down on either side of mine, those rings, cold, digging into the flesh of my hip.

"Just shut up and pull out the invisibility cloak," I hiss, but my voice is hoarse, clogged with so many emotions and feelings, I feel like my entire body is wrecked from it. Draco must hear it, feel it, but he doesn't comment, merely pulling out the cloak and wrapping it around his shoulders, waiting for everyone to ready themselves.

I inhale a harsh breath as I take in all my friends, my family, around me, many on brromsticks, Hagrid and Harry in their motorcycle, Kingsley on his thestral and Moody stood before us all, his broom beside him.

The air was tense, all of us fizzling into taut silence as Moody stepped forward, readying to speak. And in a weird way, Malfoy's touch, his warmth, was a welcome feeling right now, it reminded me I wasn't alone.

"Head for the Burrow, we rendezvous there" Moody stated, and when I glanced sideways at Harry, the real Harry, he nodded to me, fear and hope shining in his green eyes. "On the count of three..."

"One."

Malfoy's hands squeezed at my waist, and when his chest pressed to my back, I didn't fight the feeling. I shivered as the invisibility cloak brushed over us, engulfing us, and suddenly we were gone.

"Two."

"Breathe, Crimson," Draco whispered against my ear, and his voice was almost kind, "We're going to be fine."

"Three."

And we were off.