Gwen played with her pasta at lunch the following day. She had been thinking heavily on the things her father told her and the things that the Dark Lord had said. She had been thinking of a strategy, a plan of action.
Draco had noticed and in a moment of misjudgment said something snidely to the point. "What, did Lord Voldemort give you something to think about?" He teased.
She stood up and walked past him without uttering an answer. She was so angry she wouldn't speak to him. She was certain the words would come out wrong and Draco would end up crumpled on the floor in a tiny ball.
Graves looked to where Gwen turned the corner out of the Great Hall and looked back at Draco. "Don't." He said. "I think you may have hit a little closer to home than you'd think. I think the Dark Lord did give her something to think about, but she won't discuss. She'll never tell anyone." He said, looking faraway into the future, hoping there would be a day when no secrets existed between them.
"I didn't mean to." Draco said, sighing.
"I'll speak to her." He offered, rising from his bench and finding Gwen gazing at herself in the mirror she had mounted on the dresser in her room. She had pulled up the chair from her desk and was straddling it, leaning her arms on the back of the chair and staring at her reflection.
"I used to have this dream." She said to Graves. "I would just look at myself in the mirror for ages. I haven't had that dream since I learned my fey name."
Graves waited, his arms crossing his chest.
She turned to face him. "Why does he do that?" She asked of Draco.
"I think he just reverts back to his old self because he doesn't feel worthy enough to be good. He can't even believe that you can see the good in him, so he tries to cover it up by being bad old Draco Malfoy, instead of the nice guy that you see when you look at him."
"He's such a bastard."
"Please forgive him. I know that's a hard thing to ask, but you forgave him before he'd ever done anything really terrible. If anyone could, you should be able to forgive him now."
She pursed her lips. She could forgive Draco. He had proved a strong ally for the Order and she wouldn't like to alienate him now. Not now that he was actually starting to trust her and become her friend. She nodded, rose and forgave her friend. He hoped, as well as she that it would be the last time she would have to forgive him.