Harry became aware of how late it was getting, and he said softly, "I enjoy it, too, but I think we should be heading off to bed soon, don't you Miss Weasley?"

Harry, noting that Ginny wasn't moving, said, "You don't seem to want to go." He took her chin in his hand and faced her towards himself. "I won't be going anywhere. I'll still be there in the morning, I promise."

He had complimented her. Audria blinked and listented intently to all he had to say before even flinching . "Thank you?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Indeed you do," she added, as an afterthought, staring at him and wondering what exactly he was thinking of.

"Honestly?" she asked him, hesitant to answer in such a manner. Audria debated whether or not to keep the truth from him or at least answer him evasively but then a contradicting thought came to mind. How do you ever expect him to open up to you if you're willing to lie to him about the simplest of matters? "Well..." she trailed off, looking down and fiddling about with her bracelets, "Dumbledore is the one who notified me about it and he's also the one who gave me the idea of spreading news of it to you." She looked up and stared at him directly, making a mental note to keep her ground.

Draco watched Audria battle with herself on how to answer him. When he heard the truth, he nearly flinched. She had been cooperating with Dumbledore. If there was one way to get the Dark Lord to kill you, it was to interact with Dumbledore. He thought carefully about how to respond, and, after several moments, he said, "I see. Why exactly did he want me to know about it? I didn't think the old nutter ever cared much for me."

Draco could hear the spite in his own voice. He had grown up depising Dumbledore and not really knowing why. He had been taught that Dumbledore was the worst thing to ever happen to Hogwarts. He hated Dumbledore out of habit, so hearing that Audria had been intertwined in deals with Dumbledore unnerved him more than seeing her upset. Of course, he couldn't let her see that he was unnerved. He kept his cool and stared at her, awaiting her answer.

Audria knew that once she continued the conversation now there was no going back. They'd have to lay everything down on the table. Although, she knew that had wasted enough time already, Audria was still reluctant to further the discussion. It wasn't quite the fear of him rejecting her plan. She had already considered that a possibility and was ready to accept it if things turned down that path. Even at that, it wasn't as if she was going to completely give up on him. The idea of the DA did seem handy but it just clashed with Draco's (and her) personality intensely.

"Well, Dumbledore...and Harry, Hermione, and Ron seem to think that having some of us in on the DA will help them achieve their goals more effectively," she rambled on, knowing that she was turning his mind off of the idea with each new word she mumbled.

"That isn't what this is all about, Draco. Not you. Not me. Not Harry. Or Dumbledore. It's about all of us together in hopes of a better future without him in power," she confidently proclaimed, watching at him closely.

As Audria finished, Draco scoffed, "How noble." This reaction came almost automatically. He regained composure, hardly able to believe that Audria had met with Potter and Weasley and that petty little Mudblood. He pushed that aside; he had figured it was them all along, after all.

He cleared his throat, trying to figure out what to say. A better future without him in power. That kept replaying in Draco's mind like a broken record player. He sighed and faced Audria once and for all. "I don't even know if I can see a world where he's not in power," he said honestly. "I don't think it's possible for that to exist. It's a huge risk, you know, associating with them," he said scornfully. Audria was braver than Draco had taken her to be.

Audria raised an eyebrow at his mention of nobility. It seemed as if she was getting mixed messages. One minute he was acting weird and the next he was back to normal. She knew that Draco struggled immensely to juggle his split personilities but she never knew it had caused him this much confusion. He seemed almost helpless and prone to the impulsive habits she claimed. Perhaps they were even the least bit similiar, after all. With this calming thought in mind, Audria tried to crack a smile before teasingly replying, "Hmm. A risk. Big and mighty Malfoy not up for a risk? What a dissapointment." She narrowed her eyes and tried to send another evil grin his way before adding, "I know that and honestly? I have my doubts as well. Especially after seeing those petty little spells being thrown about so recklessly at the meeting. However, I think that's exactly what is motivating me to join. I can stand back and ridicule them all I want about why they will fail but if I don't step up the plate and join, I have no stand to say anything on the matter at all." She sighed and then reached out to grab his hand. "Our only issue now is to find your drive. Any ideas where we can start?" she inquired, making sure not to break the eye contact that had them so closely linked.

Draco stared into her eyes, feeling her hand grasp his. His hands stayed stone cold and she knew this. The strange contact between them almost made his skin crawl, but he didn't object. "Ridicule at what expense, Audria?" he asked her in barely more than a whisper. Something between them was causing him to be extremely quiet. "He can take you or me any day of the week. He won't hesitate or ask any questions. Doesn't that scare you in the slightest bit?" he asked her, his brow furrowed. She had tried to be playful, but he knew it was too serious now for that. He stared at her, his gray eyes alive with curiousity as to what was flowing through her mind.

Although Draco was prone to hiding what effects their physical encounters had on him, Audria knew him enough by now to pick up on his mood. In the beginning, his moodiness caught her off guard. However, she soon realized that he didn't enjoy when others made the first move. Audria had concluded that it made him feel uneasy unless he was the one making the first move. In that sense, it would seem as though he was in complete control and anything shared between them was acceptable and almost expected. Although Audria had grown accustomed to this, she never let him have the benefit of the doubt. Clutching his hand tighter, she fought against his absurd habits despite the odds. He'd eventually grow used to it. Even if he didn't wish to at first.

"O'course it does, Draco! I'm not trying to come across as that. You know me better than that. I'm just as terrified as you are but I, unlike you, am not blinded into giving up my own soul only to be killed in the end. What happened to being the radicals? Our house members are supposed to be cunning, determined, and ambitious. How ambitious is it to follow another in fear by falling short of determination? I'd rather fear that happening than have to fear the prospect of death. Sorry to break it to you babe, but we're all going to die eventually. How do you want to go?" she asked him sardonically, failing to hide the irritation in her voice. This idea always bothered Audria to some extent. It was well-noted that as a Slytherin, she was supposed to be brave but not stupid and thus when given a choice, she should always choose to save her own neck above another. While this idea did ring true in most instances, she could never consider it when in reference to the Dark Lord and servitude to him. She was smart enough to get past all of the myths and ridiculous commentaries that claimed it to be true.

As Audria's hand tightened on his, Draco's hand tensed up at first reaction, but slowly loosened up, allowing her hand to grasp his. He listened to what she was saying and knew that the truth laid in her quickly spoken sentences.

"Hogwarts houses are the least of our worries now, Audria," he started before continuing on. "You're right though. We're all going to die. It does seem smarter to die a better way doesn't it?" Draco said. He was beginning to consider what she was saying.

Still, he couldn't push the fear out of his mind; it boiled there like water in a pot. Draco looked at his girlfriend. Her eyes were shining; she believed everything she was saying. He believed it too, and yet he couldn't let go of his cowardly fear. He hadn't been raised to be a coward, above all else.

"You're right..." he slowly murmured.

Audria smiled at his rhetorical question and just watched him in amazement for a while. What time is it? she thought to herself and quickly realized how tired she really was. Her eyelids were growing heavy and she knew it was only a matter of time before she would be struggling to stay awake. How long had they been at it? Audria was too tired to even think about the answer to her question and decided it was time that they both headed off to bed.

"O'course I'm right," she confidently answered, beaming at him. "But, I think we should both head off to bed like right now,” she added, getting up from the couch but still keeping a tight hold on his hand. “Am I allowed to bunk in here again,” she asked him, grinning mischievously.

Ginny smiled to herself as Harry didn't try to get her to move again. She yawned quietly into his shirt and shifted closer to him, her eyes starting to close as sleep took over her body.