Disclaimer: I liiiive! I know, I know I've been dead for a few months, but I'm back and I'm ready to continue this story and see it through to the end with HollyHobbit101 to help me. This chapter is co written with her; be sure to check out her work on this site as well. In other news, neither of us owns Harry Potter,or the characters associated with it.


The tension that filled the expansive room was thick enough to cut with a knife between the older witch and her great grandchildren. While Jaime sat calm, collected, but angry, Oliver now started to pace through out the room; starting with the fireplace and moving between the couches and towards the windows. All while tousling his hair and trying to get his breathing and shaking under control. Once he was slightly calmer, Oliver spoke, voice nothing short of angry.

"It was him, wasn't it? That Malachite guy? He's the one who caused the fire? Who is he to us?"

Olenna watched him sad eyes, sighing deeply to herself before noticing how stone cold Jaime seemed to be. At least she was a bit more level headed than her brother.

"Yes. Your great, great grandfather. He's also the reason why I was unable to reach the two of you sooner and were sent o Hogwarts. He thought that by isolating the two of you at Hogwarts, you'd pay for the sins of your parents". she replied, solemnly. Jaime seemed to perk up at this, remembering everything else that she'd just witnessed in the flashbacks- all of the arranged marriages, almost militaristic control that he had over the family, and now this. It would no great for Malachite to organize her and Draco's relationship from the shadows. But as soon the though enter her mind, Jaime shook it away. There's no way he'd be able to fake something like this for this long; Slytherins weren't exactly known for being discreet or subtle. Much to her surprise, Oliver didn't respond to Olenna's words and just took his place back on the couch next to his sister, burying his head in his hands. This gave her a chance to speak.

"Where is he now?" she asked. To which Olenna shook her head in a negative gesture and briefly looked at the ground before going back to Jaime.

"I don't know, however, I was fortunate enough to get a hold of the two of you before he could notice right away. But do know that he's planning something big. I know you'll hate me for this, but I cant have the two of you around when he returns". she explained, in a tone of voice that left no room for argument. Something that made Oliver jump out of his seat and move towards the door in four quick strides, talking all the while.

"I don't hate you, I'm just angry!" he shouted, now leaving his sister and great grandmother alone. The fire on the fire place no went partially still, with not single flame flickering or wood crackling against the smoldering ash and embers. Neither witch said anything as the younger still tried to wrap her head around the notion of her parents being killed for no better reason than just wanting to live their lives and raise a family, while the older took in her great granddaughter's disposition. For all of Jaime's strength, skill, and stoicism, she was just a girl first and foremost. A girl thrown head first into the harsh reality of adulthood and life in general. Before long, Olenna moved to sit closer to Jaime, turning her head to face her great, great grandmother and gingerly moving a few strands of loose hair out of he face in a fleeting attempt to console her. In any other situation or tragedy, this would have worked...but not this time. Yet Olenna wasn't prepared to let another child sulk any longer.

"Listen to me: You cant judge yourself based on your parent's decisions. They raised you as best as they could and gave you everything you needed to take on the world should something happen to them. Now you get to decide what kind of person you're going to be". she said, reassuringly. Jaime heard her words, yet they did nothing for her but push her to lightly pull her head out of Olenna's grip, stand to her feet with more languid movements compared to her brother, and leave the room. But she never made it to the staircase before she practically ran to a nearby window, hoisted herself onto the ledge, and drew her knees close to her chest, now feeling a few tears tart to well up, spill rom her tear ducts and slid down her cheeks. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was letting herself grieve. Two hours later, she as still sitting at in the window sill, now overlooking the massive landscape that the villa sat on, the light of the half moon illuminating the grassy plains of her family home. IN the back of her mid, she hoped that Draco was having a better vacation than she was.


Draco stepped cautiously into the dining room. His father had summoned him here, for reasons unbeknownst to Draco, but he knew it couldn't be for anything good. Lucius was stood by the grand table in the centre of the room, another wizard he'd never seen before next to him. Both turned at the sound of Draco's footsteps and the other man's face contorted into a sneering smile.

"This must be your son, Lucius," he said, eyes flashing with interest.

"Yes. Come here, Draco; I have someone I would like you to meet." Lucius beckoned him closer and, with reluctance, Draco walked to stand in front of his father. Now he was closer he could see the strange wizard's features clearer, and Draco's eyes were immediately drawn to the edge of a dark tattoo on his left forearm. Draco suppressed a shudder and forced himself to focus on the man's face. He sported a thin goatee and he had slicked his black hair back. His slate grey eyes betrayed no hint of emotion and Draco felt cold just looking into them.

"Draco, this is-"

"My name is not of import." The stranger cut Lucius off, earning himself a look of disdain, and took a step towards Draco. "I have questions for you, Draco Malfoy. Our Lord has questions for you."

Draco let out a shuddering breath, but refused to look cowed before this man. "Yes?" he asked, sounding almost bored.

"We are wondering about your frankly quite lacklustre efforts to do your duty and kill Albus Dumbledore. You have been at Hogwarts since September; what could possibly be taking you so long? A lack of opportunity, perhaps? Or are you just not feeling up to the task? Pray tell."

The taller man bared his teeth in a shark-like smile, and Draco felt his throat close up even as he attempted to form a believable answer. Unfortunately, before he could, Lucius jumped in, sensing his opportunity.

"Oh, no, nothing like that at all. Draco here is enamoured with a girl," he sneered.

"A girl?" the stranger said, curiosity tinting his voice. "Really?"

Draco sighed, feeling backed into a corner. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "Her name is Jaime Cressy, a Ravenclaw student in my year at Hogwarts. Her and her brother, Oliver, they're currently on holiday in Greece with their grandmother as their parents died. Both of them had magic, too," he added hastily. "The Cressys are a very ancient wizarding family. She's a pureblood, I swear."

"Jaime Cressy, you say?"

Draco nodded mutely.

"Then I have just the thing for you."

He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a brass ring with a Greek insignia stamped on it. "This is a Portkey," he informed Draco. "It will take you straight to you beloved Jaime; just tap it with your wand, and you're off."

Draco took it hesitantly, and frowned up at the man. "How did you come by this?" he asked suspiciously.

"I have long-standing ties with the family; it is not of import," he dismissed. "Go. Spend the night with the girl you love, and we will talk more about the real work in the morning."

Unsure, Draco glanced first at his father, then at the Death Eater, who had his eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Well? Go. We wouldn't want to see this gift go to waste now, would we?"

Draco's shoulders slumped in defeat and, seeing no other option, he pulled out his wand and lightly tapped it on the ring's insignia. The last thing he saw before he was whisked away into a whirlwind was the shark-like grin and cold eyes that Draco knew would plague him for the entirety of this visit.

Unprepared for the force with which he landed, Draco crashed heavily to his knees in the damp grass, breathing hard. As he pulled himself to his feet he studied his surroundings, taking in a large villa overlooking beautiful, floral gardens. At first glance, everything appeared completely ordinary, but when Draco looked closer he could see the entire area was alive, and positively humming with magic. He began walking through the twisting paths, keeping an eye out for any sign of Jaime.

As he got closer to the house, he noticed a figure curled up in one of the lower windows. Upon advancing further, he made out Jaime's raven hair and smiled, something tender filling him as he watched her. He continued making his way towards the house, internally debating how he was going to surprise Jaime. He could, of course, simply knock on the door and wait for her to answer, but that would perhaps be underwhelming and, besides, he couldn't guarantee that it would be Jaime who answered. Her grandmother could just as easily turn him away before he got a chance to speak to Jaime. Maybe he should tap on the window she was sitting by, but that might be too shocking. How then…

Lost in his thoughts, Draco caught his foot on a rock as he walked and ended up sprawled on the ground. He winced in pain as he slowly sat up and began to get to his feet, dusting himself off. He glanced back towards Jaime's window, then froze as he saw her staring at him open-mouthed.

Well. So much for the surprise.

He grinned awkwardly at her and raised a hand in greeting, but her stunned expression morphed into something Draco couldn't decipher and she stood abruptly, marching away from the window. Draco heard the slamming of the front door and, realizing he was still half crouching like a fool, hurriedly straightened up and turned to face the direction Jaime was coming from.

She seemed to be almost glaring as she strode toward him, making Draco shuffle nervously. He wasn't sure what reaction he'd been expecting, but this? This wasn't it. He felt his mouth go dry as she stopped a meter or so in front of him, arms folded, waiting.

"Hi?" he said uncertainly. A few more beats of silence passed and Draco felt his heart rate go up a couple more notches. "So… Am I-"

Jaime cut him off by running forward and crushing him in a tight hug, almost knocking him off his feet. Draco huffed a laugh as he caught his breath and hugged her back just as tightly, gripping the fabric of her coat.

When they separated, Jaime reached up a hand to stroke Draco's face. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Draco hesitated, then shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "Um… surprise?"

Jaime laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the house. Draco relaxed as she pulled him along, but he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty over not telling her about the strange man at Malfoy Manor. Something told him that it was for the best, though. There was something about him that didn't sit right with Draco, and he didn't want to drag Jaime into this whole mess too.

The pair sat in the same window seat Jaime had been curled up in earlier.

"How's your holiday been so far?" Jaime asked, tracing circles on Draco's arm.

Draco started and frantically tried to think of something to say. "Oh, not much really. Father's been busy with work - Ministry work – and Mother does what she can to help him. I just read mostly."

Jaime looked at him sympathetically and smiled softly. "That's a shame that your parents are so busy all the time."

Draco cleared his throat and shifted on the seat. "Yes, well. What about you?"

"I'm good. This place brings back a lot of memories of before my parents…" She sniffed, and Draco reached over with his free hand to comfort her. She leaned into the touch and smiled at him. "But yeah. It's been good."

"Good," Draco said, nodding. Silence fell between them once more, but it was a comforting silence. Draco closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, relishing being in the presence of the girl he loved.

"How long are you staying for?" Jaime asked softly.

"Just today," Draco replied, not opening his eyes.

"Then I suppose we'll have to make the most of our time, hm?" Jaime's voice had taken on a different tone, and when Draco looked at her, she was wearing a wicked grin with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Jaime, what-" Draco protested, but she was grabbing his hand and pulling up from the seat. A laugh bubbled up in his chest and, as she pulled him through the halls, he felt happier than he had done in a long time.

The two of them made it back to her bedroom in record time where she pulled Draco to sit on her bed and pulled him into a deep kiss that sent a surge of heat rippling through her body. Wanting feed this newfound fire, Jaime climbed into Draco's lap, hiking her dress up over her thighs and never breaking the kiss. Thankfully, it was loose enough to wear it didn't constrict her from straddling the boy in front of her. Feeling this, Draco maneuvered his hands so that one was firmly pressed onto her back, and the other was roaming her clothed body. Jaime didn't protest this but only broke the kiss to remove his jacket. Once it was taken shoulders, their lips reconnected while her hands began to roam his chest, tracing the patterns of his toned chest. At the feeling of his, Draco let out small, yet audible moan; something that made Jaime smirk into the kiss as she established dominance over him. By now, Draco was on the verge of removing her dress from her body, but not before her fingers started to unbutton his shirt, and in no time at all remove it from her shoulders. Again, they broke the kiss to make eye contact, as if telepathically contemplating the decision they were about to make; the act they were about to commit. Its' been said that grief makes people think irrationally, but as of now, Jaime's head has never felt clearer. After a bit more kissing, groping, heavy petting and the eventual shedding of their clothes, the two of them laid down on the bed and came together in a throe of passion that seemed to wash away their troubles and let them forget abut everything- about the fire, about their families, about anything that threatened to disturb their time together in this moment. Once it was over, Jaime and Draco laid across from each other on her bed, with Jaime only having a blanket her bare body while Draco as partially dressed.

"I'm sorry I have to go so soon," Draco said, holding tight onto Jaime's hand.

"No, it's okay," she reassured him. "Besides, it's been the best."

"Yeah, it was." Draco looked down at the ring on his finger and sighed heavily. "I should probably be going," he said.

Jaime smiled and wound her hand round the back of his neck. "Okay," she whispered, sending tingles down Draco's spine. "But before you go…" She pulled him down so that their lips met and kissed him softly.

When they finally broke apart Jaime laughed at the dazed look on Draco's face. "Go on then," she said, pushing him gently. "Don't make me force you."

Draco smiled and pulled out his wand. "I love you, Jaime," he said.

She beamed at him. "I love you too."

Draco sighed again, then tapped his wand to the ring. The last thing he saw before he was whisked away was Jaime's bright grin and beautiful eyes.

When he landed the same stranger from before was waiting for him. Draco gazed at him distrustfully before moving to walk away, but the stranger put out a hand to stop him.

"I trust you enjoyed yourself," he said, pouring himself a drink.

"That's none of your business," Draco said stiffly.

"I wish that were true, Mr. Malfoy, but alas. I need to make sure that you are now prepared to carry out your mission."

"I am," Draco protested. "I always have been."

"No, Mr. Malfoy, you have not," he said, glaring at Draco menacingly. "You have been too preoccupied with this girl to focus on the task at hand, and our Lord is not known for his patience. This is why I was forced to step in. But now that she is out of your system, I trust-"

"What did you say," Draco hissed.

The stranger bared his teeth in a shark-like grin. "I said, that now you have rid yourself of this silly little infatuation, you will be able to carry out your mission with the utmost alacrity."

Draco stared at him, horrified and enraged at the insinuation. "You believe that my relationship has been nothing but a crush, easily rid of with a night alone?"

The stranger inclined his head in assent. Draco sighed angrily and shook his head in disbelief. He stepped closer to the man and sneered up at him.

"You know nothing about me, or my feelings. I love Jaime, and I would do anything for her."

"Anything?" the stranger prompted, a hint of curiosity colouring his tone.

"Anything," Draco replied savagely. "If it came to it, I would assassinate everyone in that damned school if it kept her safe from him."

"Interesting," the stranger said amusedly. "Have it your way then. Ensure you delay no longer," he warned, then Apparated away, leaving Draco standing in the middle of the room, alone and confused.