II

He noticed the look in her eyes when Renesmee brought her to meet him. She was a little thing. Tan skinned with a slender body that fitted her dress well. She dominated the dress perfectly, unlike the rest of the women in the party that let the dress wear them, this one wasn't.

He took her hand and kissed it gently. They were soft, and rather warm. Busy hands, he thought. She smiled and it was infectious because he smiled back for the first time in a while, without thinking. Her smile was way better than he'd expected. It suited her well, like his smirk suited him.

"Nice to meet you, Leah." he said, breaking the conversing bond with Renesmee as she watched them, amused.

"Pleasure." Leah said.

"I'll leave you two alone. Don't forget to greet the baby boy, though. Cheerio!" Renesmee sang and walked away. Draco laughed at her attempt of the accent.

"You're not a vampire." Draco decided. Leah shook her head and took a sip of her drink.

"You don't miss a thing. I am not."

"So you must be like Jacob."

"Oh no. Nothing like Jacob. We're the same kind, though, if that's what you mean."

"Ah, I see." Draco's eyes smiled with intrigue.

"What about you? You're not a vampire."

"Good guess. Did Nessie help you out on that one?"

"No. I did that all by myself."

"Brilliant."

From the corner of her eyes, Leah saw them coming. Her brothers, her pack, her stronghold and weakness at the same time. It was Paul and Jared. Leah glared at them as they approached, all smiles. She downed her drink quickly.

"Leah, you came!" Jared said happily and crunched her tight in his arms.

"I told you she would." Paul snickered.

"Guys, this is Draco Malfoy." Leah cleared her throat. The boys turned to Draco and threw grins as if they've never noticed him there.

"Draco Malfoy, sounds sharp." Jared said with interest. He held out a hand, and Draco shook it.

"Pleased to meet you." Draco sounded a little more formal now.

"Oh, and English!" Paul commented enthusiastically as he shook Draco's hand. Leah bit her lip, embarrassed by her brother's immaturity.

"Yes I am..." Draco said warily. He glanced at Leah with a forcefully cool smile.

"So you've met our girl, Leah." Jared began, nudging her hard in the rib.

"Renesmee introduced us." Leah moved back.

"Did she? How...nice of her." Paul surveyed Draco carefully. His eyes did not hide their suspicion. Leah threw him a piercing look when he looked at her. No one said anything for a while. Jared looked at all of them, confused and oblivious about how awkward it was getting. Draco seemingly busied himself by looking around the room.

"Jared, I heard the snack table's filled with your favorite muffins. Rosalie baked them."

"Rosalie's Muffins." Jared said with a sleek tone, nudging Paul this time. Chuckling, Paul nodded and they both left but not before throwing Draco a warning look.

Draco only smirked in return.

"Sorry about them. They're just being...dogish." Leah muttered.

"That's alright. I'm quite aware of the impression I put up around strangers." he took a sip. "Not exactly the congenial type." he looked and scanned her from head to toe with a side smile.

When dinner was served, all the guests circled the dining table in their formal outfits. They weren't as much as they looked because everyone fit in the dining room, and the food was just enough to fill their stomachs.

Leah was looking down on the little boy's cradle with a curious look that Draco laughed at.

"What is so funny?" she asked with furrowed brows.

"You look like you're debating whether to eat him or not. He's a baby, Leah. They aren't so bad."

"It's a hybrid. It's not just a baby. This tiny thing's stronger than...a lot of us." she breathed.

"A lot of you. Don't categorize me into that lot." Draco scoffed. He stood next to her with arms crossed over his chest looking down at the baby too. He was pale like his mother but had Jacob's hair and features. His eyes were a deep black staring up at them.

"He could be stronger than you." Leah commented. She didn't tear her eyes from the baby.

"But I know he isn't." Draco sighed. Leah looked at him, annoyed. His cockiness didn't seem to bother her as much as it should, but only intrigued her more. And his sexy accent, she thought, only stirred her interest in him.

"Just what is it you do, anyway?"

Draco looked at her. His piercing blue eyes icy in all its masculine glory glimmered from the firelight of the table candles. He leaned down closer to her without breaking contact, smirking. From the corner of Leah's eyes she saw him raise his hand to point at something. He nudged his head to that direction, and she looked.

"See those candles? Watch..." Draco whispered. His breath was warm against her neck, lifting the tiny hair on her arms.

The first candle lit up, then the next, and the next until the entire row of five was a glow of fire.

Leah gasped. "How did you do that?"

Draco laughed.

"You're a magician, aren't you?"

He laughed even harder.

"Look who's having the time of their lives!" Jacob came along with two glasses of wine. "Draco, I haven't seen much of you tonight. I hope you're enjoying yourself." he handed each of them a glass. His eyes flickered to Leah's and she was quick to dodge them.

"Certainly. My new friend here is quite the entertainer." Draco glanced at Leah with a smile.

"Leah? Entertaining? That's new..." Jacob lifted a teasing brow to her. Leah rolled her eyes.

"He's the entertainer here, actually. Incidentally, Jacob, what is it Draco does?"

Draco and Jacob exchanged thoughtful looks, and Draco lifted the glass to his lips.

"Draco? He's a wizard."

"A wizard?" Leah debated.

"A wizard." Draco repeated with certainty and a nod.

"How...interesting." Leah gulped.

They were out in the backyard where it was decorated and barricaded by more candles. Other guests were there too, but Draco and Leah kept themselves out of hearing. They've been talking for about three hours since that "magic trick" with the candles. And ever since Jacob confirmed Draco being a wizard, all Leah could do was ask more.

"Show me your wand then." Leah dared. Draco pulled it out from his blazer's inside pocket and held it out for her to see. Leah reached out to take it, but Draco pulled it away.

"No. It's off limits. Can't let you touch it."

"Oh come on, it's not like I'll be able to do anything with it." Leah teased.

"I don't care. It's dear to me. Therefore, no one touches it." he pocketed it away.

"Alright, I'll make you a bargain then."

"No bargains."

"I'll phase."

"Phase?" Draco questioned with a contorted expression.

"I'll show you what I am in exchange for a minute of your wand." Leah said with a smirk. Draco let out a scoff. Earlier, he tried talking her to shifting into a wolf, and it seemed nothing he said made her do it, up until now.

"Well?" Leah sang. Draco stared at her, thinking deeply. There was something desirable about this woman despite her being part dog, which he would naturally loathe.

When Draco found out about Jacob, he couldn't shake his hand a second time until his friendliness grew on him and Draco found him to be pleasing. Renesmee was easier to befriend, though, being stunning and naturally attractive as always. And when the couple became one of Draco's favorite people, he just had to come and see what all this vampire-wolf kind were all about.

But he never thought..never thought he'd find one of them as breathless as Leah. As endearing. As intriguing.

"Alright." Draco sighed. Leah broke out into a victorious laugh.

"Great! Come along now." She took his hand—wrist, mostly—and pulled him through the barrier of candles toward the forest.

"Wait. Where are we going? You're not going to kill me, are you?" Draco called out.

"I thought you said nothing could be stronger than you? Why do you sound so threatened?"

"I'm not. I just...I don't know this place." Draco cleared his throat of the fear in his tone.

"You will now." Leah sang again. She brought him to her path and pulled him deep enough to shut out the noise from the party, but kept it in view for Draco's comfort. When she let him go, he spun around and put a hand on his chest. Relieved to discover they weren't too far.

"Hold this for a second will you?" he heard Leah say behind him. He turned to find her dress lifted over his eyes.

"What's—" he started.

"I have to take it off. Otherwise, I'll ruin it when I phase. Just hold it up until I say so."

Draco reluctantly replaced her fingers where she held it up and waited. It was silent for seconds, though to Draco it seemed like minutes.

"Leah, how should I know when to look?" he asked. But no one answered. Instead, he heard the breath of something large. He pulled the dress down and let out a gasp. He stared eye to eye with a grey-patched wolf so large it stood on all fours leveling his chest.

Draco watched wide eyed and mouth agape for fear of his life.