Harry's POV

Hermione and Ron kept trying to convince me that my sister was dead, because there was almost no way that she lived. But I knew that there was no way that Draco would let her die without putting up a serious fight. "I'm telling you, guys, she's alive. She has to be," I said.

When I saw Victoria get captured, I got hit with this huge surge of a feeling I wasn't familiar with experiencing. It was regret. My twin sister, who for some reason I had done nothing but be awful to, was about to be sent to her possible death. I'd grown up barely knowing her, and when we got to Hogwarts, I didn't take the opportunity to get to know her. Instead, I made life even worse for her. I didn't know a single thing about her. If I was asked, I wouldn't have even been able to tell you what her favorite color was.

That kind of stuff hits you hard. You realize how wrong you've been, and it's like a blow to the chest. You didn't think you were doing anything wrong, until one day you are forced to see the errors of your ways. It's not so bad when you know you can fix everything, or when you know that you at least have a chance to make things right. I mean, it still sucks, but it's not nearly as bad as when you realize you've blown your chance. This is how it was for me.

That's one of the main reasons why I was so hopeful for Victoria to be alive. I wanted to apologize for everything, make it up somehow. I couldn't do that unless she was alive, and willing to forgive me. I couldn't be sure that she would be willing to hear me out, but I couldn't even think about that until I knew she was alive.

We had a radio, so I always knew what was going on if it was important enough. There was no news about Victoria. I figured that the fact that there wasn't any news that she was dead was something, so I stayed optimistic. Hermione and Ron still had their doubts, but I always told them to shut it if they were about to say anything.

Hermione came up with an idea one day, about a week before August ended. "You have the marauders map, don't you, Harry?" she asked me. I nodded. "If Victoria's still alive, there's a chance that she will be at Hogwarts. I'm not saying that the chance is all that great, but you should still check when Hogwarts starts," she told me.

I never thought of that, but I was relieved that I would get at least some news. The prospect of knowing for sure that she was alive was very, very comforting. I couldn't wait until Semptember 2nd (I know, Hogwarts started on September 1st, but you didn't get off the train until late at night)

I didn't even realize it when it was September 2nd. I had to hear something on the radio we had mention it. It took me a minute to realize what it meant, and when I did I immediately got off my ass and grabbed the map. It was hard to find a single name in the swirl of hundreds of names around the castle. I couldn't find Victoria, and I was starting to get worried. "Look for Draco. You'll probably find her close to him, if she's still alive," Hermione suggested.

"She's alive, Hermione," I said, before I started looking. I was so sure of it. I looked around for either Draco or Victoria's name. I found Draco's first, and right next to him there was a Victoria. They were eating lunch in the great hall, it seemed. I was surprised to see all of my old friends sitting with them. Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean, all of them. But there was something even more surprising. "Victoria Malfoy?" I asked.

"She and Draco must have gotten married. Can't say I'm surprised," Hermione said shrugging it off.

It was then that the fact that I'd been waiting so long to know hit me. "My sister is alive, Hermione. Do you realize what this means? I have a chance to make things better," I said, and I was so happy, and so relieved. I wasn't the only one who was happy about Viki being alive. Hermione was nearly in tears. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I've treated her so awfully. I've been such a terrible friend. On one hand, I was hoping I wouldn't have to face her again. But now I feel the same way you do. I'm so glad that I get to have another chance," Hermione explained.

"You haven't screwed up as many times as I have. You've been supportive of her romantic relationship with Draco since the beginning. I've done nothing but be a complete jackass about it," I said, regretting my decisions. Victoria deserved so much better.

"So you're okay with her relationship with Draco now?" Hermione asked.

I shrugged. I didn't really have a choice now, did I? He was my brother in law by that point, as awful as that sounded. God, I really hated him, just because of my own personal reasons. But, he was there for Victoria, which was something I never did. "He makes her happy. I should just accept it," I decided.

"It's about fucking time," Hermione said, surprising me with her tone. She was clearly very irritated by this whole thing, and I was shocked to see her true colors. "What? You're surprised that I'm telling you that you're an idiot for not realizing it earlier? Draco is the only one who's been there for your sister! Where have you been? You've tormented her and pushed her when she was already down! For god's sake, Harry! You are twins! You're family! You guys are the only family you've got, and you treat her like she's practically the dark lord himself! So yeah, it's about time that you realize that Draco's the best thing that's ever happened to her," Hermione fumed.

"You know, Hermione, it's not like she's given me much of an option," I said.

"Oh boo hoo Harry. That is complete bullshit. Sure, Victoria's a bit introverted and she never came up to you, but that, in no way, justifies you insulting her and saying all of those awful things about her. If you actually got to take the time to know her, you would realize that she's really a great person. She only ever wanted to be loved and to feel like she was important," Hermione was quiet this time, but it was filled with rage. When I didn't respond, Hermione continued, this time completely calm and just matter of fact. "Draco's the only one who's ever given her the time. He's loved her, and he made sure that she knew how important she is."