Alright, now the romance begins to bubble up. I'm hoping to make this chapter a little longer than the last ones, but we'll see.

Do I really need to put another disclaimer in? You know the drill.

And now we're back into first person with Eris.

Later that night, I sat in the common room, on one of the many black sofas, facing a cold, empty wall. Draco came, not five minutes after I'd arrived, and sat beside me. "You look very thoughtful." He said.

I nodded slightly, "Just thinking."

"About what?"

I sighed and shook my head, "Never mind, Draco, it doesn't matter."

The blond reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver coin, "Sickle for your thoughts?"

I laughed, "Shame on you, Malfoy, for even knowing that bloody muggle term."

The boy cracked a grin at me and put the coin back into his pocket, turning himself to sit facing me.

"I'd be the richest girl in all of London if you counted my thoughts in money, dear boy."

I leaned a little closer to the boy, so that we almost touched, "Tell me something Draco?"

"Shoot."

I grinned again, "Hope you didn't mean that literally." I saw a smile inch up on his face. "Why are you sad all the time? You act like if you enjoyed life, it'd kill you."

Draco's smile vanished completely from his face, and of course the sadness was back. Sometimes I honestly wondered what made him so damn depressing all the time, and I was hoping that I was about to find out. His mouth parted, and for a moment he said nothing, but then he muttered, "You have no idea."

I slid even closer now, placing my hand on top of his. It was cold, I mean even colder than I expected it to be. It reminded me, somewhat, of my father, like whenever you touched him you felt like you were just that much closer to death. "You know Draco; depression is just anger without enthusiasm. So be angry, rather than sad, and help me bring down the old man so I can get out of these bloody robes and back home, wherever that may be."

Draco didn't pull his hand away, but rather slid it from under mine. He pulled back the sleeve of his robes and showed me his bare wrist, "It's easier for you to say when you don't have this damned mark on your wrist." He covered his wrist again, and to my surprise, reached for my hand, bringing it to one pale cheek and holding it there.

I brought my other hand forward, delicately placing it in his other hand, to warm it, and he brought it to his lips kissing it. "And that is exactly why we're here, Draco," I hissed, "to show my father how loyal of a death eater you'll be to him, and of course, to make yours proud."

Draco dropped my hands, "Don't mention him anymore." The sorrow had now returned to his eyes once more, making them darker and cloudier. Just when I thought I had gotten somewhere with him, he'd turn around and make it obvious that he didn't want to share anything with me.

I frowned, "Draco, what's with you and your stupid father, either you like him or you don't, either you want his approval, or you don't, you have to pick one!"

Draco's brows had narrowed now, "You don't understand at all, no one ever does. If you were like me, then you'd understand."

"Draco, how am I supposed to bloody get it if you won't even tell me?"

This time he said nothing, but yet again moved his hand to his sleeve and pulled it up. I'd already seen the damn dark mark, what else could he possibly show me. He didn't stop at the wrist, rather pulled the sleeve all the way up so his whole upper arm was exposed. I would have gasped in shock if I hadn't had such control over my emotions. His whole arm was covered in bruises; they varied from light to dark, some old and some new.

I glanced up at the boy's face, which was full of pain, physical and mental. "He did this to you?" I managed to his, showing a little more concern than I had originally planned to do.

He nodded slowly, "If you've ever felt the Cruciatus Curse, and know that your own father was using it on you, then maybe you'd know how I feel." He quickly rolled the sleeve of his robe over the evidence, "I've got hundreds more where that came from. Earning father's respect and honor would solve a lot of problems, but I'm not even sure I want his approval anymore. I don't think it's worth what I've gone through to just give in now."

I put my hand on Draco's back and rubbed it, "If I knew anything to say to you in this situation, I might, but unfortunately, being comforting and showing emotion isn't exactly a big trait in my family history."

He nodded curtly, and I saw the corners of his mouth turn up a bit, "Honestly it doesn't matter to me how you show it, but it's obvious that you care."

I nodded sympathetically.

I felt my heart skip a beat as he took hold of my hands again and turned to look me in the eye, "I don't care how damn unromantic this dungeon is, your still one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in my life."

I felt my cheeks burn and was sure that they'd turned several shades brighter than they originally were. I lifted a hand to his head and ran it through his straight, blonde hair.

Slowly, he leaned forward, caressing my cheek with his hand, which now felt cooling instead of giving me a feeling that reminded me of death. I titled my head, meeting his lips instantly. I felt a warming sensation spread throughout my body, guiding its way from my lips, all the way down to my toes. Draco's lips were warm, and he smelled like cold rain landing on hot pavement.

At that moment, I almost felt like I was under the effects of Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world, and yet, the sensation that I felt was certainly not artificial. I had no will to break apart from Draco, but at one point it was enough.

I stared deep into his handsome grey eyes as we broke apart, not wanting to break eye contact with him.

"Wow." A whisper escaped Draco's lips, "Honestly, I wasn't excepting that."

I made one of the girliest giggles possible as he said that, but quickly moved a hand to cover my mouth.

Draco grinned, "That was adorable." He stood, holding his hand out to let me up. "It's getting late, I suggest you head off to bed, to get an early start for tomorrow. We may only have easy classes tomorrow, but you'll need your rest."

I nodded, smiling up at him, god how I loved tall boys.

"Good Night my Greek Goddess." Draco said as he glided towards his dorms.

"Good Night, Dragon" I whispered as I watched him go."

I lay in bed that night, feeling more accomplished than ever. I was ready to do this now; I was ready to do what I was sent here to do. Not only that, but I was going to do it with a new companion at my side. "Good Night, Dragon." I whispered again as I drifted off into a deep, calming sleep.

Alright, that's it for not. If you wondering, Draco calls her a Greek Goddess because she got her name from the Greek Goddess of Discord and Destruction, Eris, sister of Ares, God of War. Ahh, yep that's it for now, next chapter's gonna get a bit more intense because I'm going to add the Golden Trio to the mix. So, enjoy and R&R please.

Thanxx,

XsoulessXgingerX