Chapter One: Let the Game Begin

"Olivia, I'm sorry." Harry Potter said so mechanically and unemotionally that she actually hauled off and slapped him square in the left side of his face. Olivia Cadence LaMette had grown up with Slytherin parents that had taught her to hate the existence of Harry Potter, and up until this very moment she never had.

"I guess I deserved that." He said as he walked to the door of her office. He never looked back as he exited quietly. She knew for the last eleventh months that he would never stay with her. He was destined to marry Ginny Weasley since he was eleven years old. She had even shared her body with him in hopes that he would love her instead. No such luck. Their awkward encounters in bed probably helped further Harry's knowledge of forever loving Ginny even more. Olivia had just been the proof that there was no one else out there for him.

"Egotistical wanker he is." She mumbled to herself in the office. If you could call it an office, it was more a potions lab. She had spent the last six years of her life working in the Ministry's Potions Department, and that is how she came to meet Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Weasley beyond the minor occurrences of seeing them in the corridors of Hogwarts. She was four years the trio's junior, so up until eleven months ago, she had never crossed a single one of their minds.

She crossed to her desk and opened a drawer to pull out a bottle of Firewhiskey. It was the first time she had ever dove into the bottle, but as tears started to flow down her cheeks at the easy dismissal Harry had given her, she knew it wouldn't be her last.

"Pansy, I really don't want to talk about it." Olivia shrugged off her flat-mate. The last thing she needed right now was to chat about Harry bloody Potter and his ice cold break-up with her.

"Well I do. You've been depressed for a month now. You really need to get over Boy Wonder and move on with your life."

"My life is fine. I go to work, I come home, I eat, I sleep…I do everything a normal person does everyday. I'm not depressed."

"If you weren't depressed, then you wouldn't spend the better part of your nights keeping yourself awake crying."

So Pansy had a point, but Olivia did not care for it at the moment. So what if she had been crying over Harry Potter for a month. She deserved her time to get over her loss, and she'd be damned if Pansy Parkinson was going to take that right from her.

"Well at any moment Blaise and Draco will be here; are you absolutely certain you don't want to come with us?"

"I'm sure Pansy. Have a good time." Olivia answered. Like hell she would go out with that group, the only thing less appealing was a night out with the Golden Trio.

"Okay, well don't cry too long tonight." Pansy said as she heard a knock at the flat door. It was surely the aforementioned men. Olivia watched as Pansy opened the door and two polar opposite men stood on the other side of it. Blaise with his dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes, and then Draco with his extremely fair features, and gray eyes, they were a sight, and at one time in her second year, Olivia had been stupid enough to have a crush on both of them.

Draco had seen the depression in the young Slytherin's eyes when Pansy had opened the door and she was sitting on the sofa looking at them from afar. Her green eyes had looked close to welling up with tears, and Draco was sure they had the moment Pansy had left her alone.

"What's the matter with Olivia?" He managed to ask, shocked at his own concern.

"St. Potter broke her heart." Pansy stated flatly.

"And we all thought Golden Boy could do no harm." Blaise joked as the three of them were among the crowd at a small wizarding club in the heart of magical London. Blaise's laughter caught in his throat when the object of their discussion entered the club holding the youngest Weasley like a prize and flanked by his faithful sidekicks. "Why is it he shows up when he's mentioned?" Blaise asked to no one in particular.

"Because he is the savior of us all, and it is his duty to be everywhere all the time." Pansy snorted as she took another drink of her Pixie Dust.

Draco owed Potter for testifying in favor of him after the war, but he couldn't help, but seethe at the sight of him. How could you break one witch's heart and within the month have another on your arm at an establishment where your picture would surely show up the next day in the Prophet? Draco didn't understand his anger, but he knew he felt it.

"Malfoy." Potter had greeted him when he made it to their table. "Zabini, Pansy." He said nodding to each respectively.

"Potter, what brings you out on the town tonight?" Blaise asked. The four men worked at the Ministry together, so it would be pointless to ignore him.

"Ginny and I are celebrating our engagement. Care to join us?" He asked surveying the faces of the three Slytherins. He would have guessed that there would be pure hatred on Pansy's, dismay on Zabini's, and blank emotion on Malfoy's.

"Draco, Blaise, you are more than welcome to, but I really would rather not. It was nice to see you," she said to Hermione and Ron not acknowledging Harry or Ginny before she turned to Draco and Blaise and finished, "and you boys make sure to come over on Saturday." She made a popping noise and was gone in the blink of an eye.

"I guess she's still mad at me."

"Do you blame her? You've broken her friend." Zabini answered.

"No I don't blame her, but I can't be sorry either. It was the right thing to do for both of us, and one day Olivia will see that." Harry explained as Ginny visibly tensed at the mention of the younger Slytherin's name. She really believed she had lost Harry to the girl. Draco noted the uneasiness in the air.

"Doesn't make it any easier for her, and if you don't mind Potter, Malfoy and I would prefer to not indulge in your party." Blaise said looking at Draco and gesturing that they should follow Pansy's lead and leave.

It was Saturday, Olivia's twenty-fourth birthday, and what would have been the one year anniversary of her and Harry's relationship. She refused to leave her bed today. It had been enough when she woke up yesterday morning to a giant waving picture of Harry and Ginny in a club celebrating their engagement.

"Olivia! Get out of that room this instant or I will send two extremely powerful wizards in to get you!" Pansy shouted through the magically locked door to her bedroom. Too bad Pansy wasn't in on her plans to not leave her bed.

"No!" Olivia yelled back.

"Olivia, you can't stay in there all day." Pansy tried to reason.

"Watch me."

That was when she heard the lock click open, and standing in her doorway was Draco Malfoy.

"I believe you said you were sending in two. I refuse to budge if you're not even going to put in the effort you threatened." Olivia stated to Pansy who was standing behind him.

"I will send in the second, if this one can't seem to move you. She's all yours Draco." Pansy said shutting the door behind him.

"If she wants me out of the room so badly, then why shut the door?" Olivia wondered aloud.

"She thinks you'll feel more threatened if you're alone in here with me."

"Why would I be?" Olivia asked very aware of Draco's presence. Pansy may not be dumb after all. She was beginning to feel underdressed just looking at him.

Draco could feel the electricity in the air as well. He noticed that she had herself wrapped in black silk sheets. For a brief moment, he wondered what she slept in underneath those sheets before shaking his head of the thought. She was Olivia. The baby Slytherin that Pansy had taken under her wing after her graduation because the LaMettes were put into Azkaban and the girl had no where else to go. Of course, being a pureblood, she had money, but money doesn't keep you company. Olivia had come to Pansy's door at the request of Pansy's roommate advertisement in the Daily Prophet, and together they had lived for the last six years.

"Draco? You're staring at me." She said and it stirred him from his thoughts and reminded him of the task at hand. He had to remove the birthday girl from her bed and from the looks of it, she wouldn't make it easy. He went over to her bed and sat on the silk sheets.

"Draco, it's pointless. I refuse to move from this bed. I turned twenty-four at promptly seven thirty-two this morning and in six hours I would have been celebrating my one year anniversary, but now I'm not. I don't want to get out of my bed."

Draco was taken aback by the new information. Potter had asked her out on her birthday, only to break up with her this close to it. The Boy-Who-Lived was also the biggest arse he'd ever met based on that information.

"Pansy will have me walloped if I don't get you out of this room."

"No, she'll just send in Blaise." As if on cue, the darker man appeared in the room. "Speaking of the devil."

"Now, now, I've come to make you an offer. I think Pansy will relent if I say I'm taking you out, but instead I bring you to my hotel and let you spend the day in your hermit-like state wallowing."

Draco frowned. Why hadn't he thought of something like that? And why did it bother him that he hadn't?

"That sounds perfect Blaise!" Olivia squealed as she threw off the covers and threw her arms around him. Both men stood stunned. When had she turned into a woman? She had always been the awkward teenager they had around. Now as they both gawked at her in a pale green night dress that left nothing to the imagination as it hugged her skin, she seemed very much a woman.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a day of wallowing to dress for." She chortled.

"My heroes!" Pansy met them at the door. "She hasn't been that cheerful since before the Harry fiasco.

When the door reopened, Olivia was dressed in a long black skirt, a green button-down blouse, and her dark red hair was swept up into a ponytail. Pansy watched as her two best friends ogled Olivia. She had wondered when they were going to realize she was a woman and not a little girl.

At his hotel, Blaise had prepared a day of being pampered while she continued to be depressed. She had been so happy about it, that she had hugged him once more before skipping off to the room where she would have her back massage.

Blaise went to his private office in the hotel, and looked at the invitation on the desk. It was the invitation to the annual ball held to commemorate another passing year without Voldemort. In other words, it was another ball that hailed to the great Harry Potter and his faithful cronies. Unfortunately, being an employee of the Ministry, meant Blaise had to go, as did Draco and Olivia. After seeing Olivia as a woman for the first time today, he figured maybe he could take a load off of her mind and invite her to be his escort for the evening. He would run it past her after she returned from the massage and was on her way to a facial.

Feeling rejuvenated from her massage, Olivia leisurely walked to the room that Blaise had pointed out as his office, and knocked on the door. He came to the door and was stunned to see her standing in the corridor in a white terry cloth hotel robe and big white slippers. Her hair was down and framing her small face.

"Feeling at least a little better?" Blaise had asked.

"Bunches actually, thank you so much Blaise, you really are the best for thinking of this!" She said once more.

"Well don't get too complimentary yet, I had something I wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"You know the annual ball is approaching and I know you'll be forced to go just as I will, so I was hoping to spare you the pain, and ask you to be my escort for the affair."

"I really don't want to go, but I know I have to, so it would be wonderful to have you as a date." Olivia answered.

She hated her position at the Ministry as Pansy used magic in her hair for the mandatory ball. She was putting it up in curls and placing small blue flowers in them. Olivia's dress was a deep royal blue, strapless, and went down to her ankles with a slit to her thigh on the left side. She was sure that no matter what she looked like she would continue to be a kid to the rest of them. Being four years younger, she didn't expect anything else.

At exactly seven that evening, Blaise, Draco, and Theodore Nott knocked on the girls' door. Pansy opened it and took Theodore's hand as the other two boys entered the flat.

"No date Draco?" Pansy asked. She didn't know why it surprised her. Draco was notorious for going stag to events like this.

"Of course not, I like to keep my options open for the end of the evening." He said with a trademark smirk.

"You're always the heartbreaking Prince Slytherin." Olivia said as she made her entrance. All eyes were on her. Pansy held in her laugh as she watched the three of them look surprised. Theodore was the first to turn away and survey his own date. Pansy was stunning with her dark hair pulled back into a bun and a long simple black dress.

The quintet hurried to the fireplace and Flooed to the Ministry. The gala was being held in the lobby and it had been decorated accordingly. Small crystal lights were everywhere along with white flowers. They entered the room and found the table with their place cards. Theodore sat, and to his left were Pansy, then Blaise, then Olivia, and finally Draco, with five more place cards along the rest of the round table. Draco leaned forward curious as to who would be joining him and cursed softly at the name. The person sitting to his left would be Hermione Weasley, which only meant that Harry Potter was at their table. Sure enough after surveying the rest of the cards, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, and George Weasley would be at their table.

As if thinking their names made them appear, the other quintet for the table entered. Everyone stopped to cheer for St. Potter as he surveyed the room looking for his seat. Ginny had her arm linked with his in a red dress that left nothing to the imagination as it was short, tight, and cut low. On her left ring finger, a diamond that even the Malfoys would have been proud to give one of their brides.

Olivia had become very silent once Harry and his friends joined their table. She watched Hermione shift uncomfortably. She knew it was because Hermione was friends with both her and Ginny. However, Olivia was pretty sure the loyalty laid with Ginny, and rightly so.

Blaise and Draco could sense Olivia's uneasiness the moment it happened. Pansy stared daggers at Harry while he gazed lovingly at his wife-to-be. The table's awkward tension was unnerving to everyone except Harry. Ginny was fiddling with her napkin. George, Ron, and Hermione were talking about family to avoid meeting anyone else's eyes. Theodore tried distracting Pansy from her glares. Olivia sat perfectly still staring down at the white linen tablecloth. Draco took a drink from his glass. Blaise settled on trying to make Olivia feel better and set his hand on her leg. She looked up and smiled. Both Harry and Draco stiffened at the exchange.

"Witches and wizards, can I have your attention? Tonight marks the ten year anniversary of the defeat of Voldemort. This would not be possible if not for our own Auror, Harry Potter. As you all know he defeated him at the mere age of seventeen and thus has been one of the best Aurors the Ministry has." Percy Weasley announced, and the room shook with applause. "Enjoy your meal, and the orchestra will begin playing at eight thirty." He took his seat at the table in the front of the room. Harry would have been at that table too, if he hadn't always insisted on sitting at one of the regular tables.

The meal was no less tense, except for Harry and Draco's heightened awareness of where Blaise's hands were on Olivia. As their dinner disappeared, Blaise's arm draped lazily over Olivia's chair. She was smiling and chattering with him happily.

"Olivia, would you care to dance?" Blaise asked and was pleased when she nodded. She rose from her seat, and Harry almost jumped the table to punch Blaise. What the hell was he doing with her?

"Malfoy, can I talk to you?" Harry asked and Draco nodded.

"What the hell is she doing here with him? He has no right to be with her!" Harry demanded to know once they were out of earshot from the rest of the partygoers.

"Pretty high horse you are on Potter. You tossed her out. You don't get to call her shots!" Draco responded. He was just as mad as Harry, but had no idea why. Harry didn't want her, he just didn't want to see her with anyone else.

"Whatever, you're just some Slytherin."

"So is she, or did you forget that just like you forgot she had feelings?"

"I should hex you."

"Do it. I haven't bothered you or anyone else in ten years. I owe you for testifying in my favor, but I would love a reason to take you down a peg. How would everyone react to St. Potter starting a duel with someone for no reason?"

Harry visibly calmed as Draco's words set in. Once he realized there was nothing he could do, he stomped back to the table. Draco didn't follow. Instead, he went to where the couples were dancing, and gracefully cut into Blaise and Olivia's dance.

"What happened to keeping options open?"

"Oh, it's not the end of the night yet, and I wanted to know how you were doing."

"I'm fine. Blaise is being wonderful. I'm actually having fun, and except for the time at the table, I've completely forgot Harry." She told him and thought about his hand at her waist. Why think of Harry when his hand was touching her? She felt bad, Blaise was her date and Draco would be leaving with someone else anyway. The orchestra stopped and she looked at him.

"Draco, the song is over. You should go find someone to go home with, and I should return to my date." She said trying to be cold to block her sudden interest in him. Draco didn't know how to respond except to kiss her hand and nod. He was stunned at her smoothe and cool dismissal of him. She must really like Blaise.

Blaise returned to her side and noted that there was competition and male ego between Draco, Harry, and himself. He decided he would dazzle her, and there would be no contest. Olivia took his hand once again as he led her in another dance.

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight. I know I have been an overbearing older-brother-type, but I think I would like to be something different from that. How would you like to be my girlfriend?" He asked. She smiled, he didn't feel the same as Draco had, or even Harry, but that might mean he would work.

"I would like that." She answered, and he ended their second dance with a kiss.