Author's note: I love the positive feedback I am getting for this. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story. When I was first writing this, I was not sure anyone would like it. Also, I should be doing other things, like getting ready for my class, but I wanted to get this up for you guys. So here it is, enjoy =)

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Chapter 3: The Preposition

~Draco~

Here I am, waiting in the main parlor of Goyle Manor. Millie and Greg are also in the room, all of us enjoying some tea. I check my pocket watch for the twentieth time. The time is one minute later than the last time I checked. Would it be too much to ask for time to move faster?

The man Greg hired, the "Dragon Master" is coming today. In five minutes. On Monday I decided to offer this man the position of beast tamer on my estate. From what I have gathered about him, this job will be more suited to his persona than the odd jobs he does now.

After what seems like forever, I finally here the grandfather clock strike two, the bongs reverberating down the hall from the entryway. A second later, an elf appears and states that there is a man at the edge of the grounds.

"He says Master is be paying for him here," the elf squeaked to Greg.

"Bring him in, then, Pippa," Greg orders to the elf.

In another moment, the elf is gone. I try to calm myself and organize my game plan. I decide to be as aloof and arrogant as the nobleman I am. He will be here in a matter of seconds.

~Harry~

I stand, looking at the gate on the drive. What an opulent gate. True, it is magnificent and beautiful, with sweeping swirls and flowers of rot iron, but it seems too much for a simple gate. What is it with the wealthy and not understand when enough is enough? They just do not seem to understand that sometimes the simplest things are better. This reminds me of a memory from my childhood; back when I was happy, before all hell broke loose …

I sit waiting on the rock for Draco. Today we are going to go looking for magical herbs in the forest. Of course we are not going alone, my mama is coming too. Since we do not have wands and do not know how to control our magic, an adult must be with us because it is not safe. So I'm waiting for him at our rock.

I start playing with some smaller rocks to pass the time. I accidentally turn one of the rocks purple. Then I start trying to turn the rocks different colors as I throw them around. This is how Draco finds me, juggling rainbow rocks.

"How are they colored?" he asked in amazement.

"Don't look so impressed. It was an accident," I answer. "I have no idea how I did it or if I could teach you how."

I stop juggling and put the rocks back. I then look up Draco, since because I am sitting, he towers over me. I do a double take and really look at his clothes. He is wearing what looks like dress slacks, a silk button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a vest on top.x "What are you wearing?"

"What?" He looks down at himself, confused. "These are my gardening clothes. Are we not going to go look for plants?"

I shake my head at him. "No, Draco, we are not doing anything similar to gardening in the gardens. We are going into the woods. We need to wear clothes that actually protect you."

He seems confused and a little forlorn when I say this. He looks so cute. "Come on, we can find you some clothes in my room." …

The memories from that day are so sweet. Draco was amazed at the décor of the cabin which was very different from the manor. And he did wear some of my clothes, much more appropiate clothes. We had so much fun. I miss those days. I wish I could have stayed there with Draco, instead of going to my horrible excuse for relatives. I wonder how he grew up. I still dream about him, of what could have happened if we had been together.

I am brought out of my musing by the reappearance of the elf.

"Master says to bring yous in," it said, "Take Pippa's hand please."

I take the offered hand and am apparated to the entryway. The elf says, "Down the hall, second door." Then, it disapparates away with a crack.

I walk down the hall and stop in front of the second door. Now I need the courage to knock. I have never been a people person. I take a deep breath and rap my knuckles against the oak door. I hear a muffled 'come in', so I open the door and walk into the room. It is a parlor. There are three people sitting in the room. Two are on the couch, a couple, engaged since I can only see a ring on the woman's hand. They have the look that wealthy people have: the privileged, confident air, and the subtle expensive clothing. I look to the opposite chair for the other person. Sitting in it is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. His pale blond hair reflects the light to create an angelic glow around his head, which is tipped down toward the tea in his hand. His features appear to be craved from white marble: sharp, pale, smooth, flawless. Aristocracy simply oozes from his pores; he has the air of someone born high in the social hierarchy. Then he looks up, and grey eyes meet my green ones. The man is Draco.

~Draco~

I look up at the man as he stops in the center of the room. God, he is handsome. He has a strong build, muscular but lithe. His hair is inky black and styled in a messy, bedhead look. His skin is a golden tan, proof of his outdoor activities. His eyes, god, his eyes; they are a deep, rich emerald. Looking in them, you can see millions of facets of color. However, there are walls in those eyes. I can tell he is hiding secrets underneath those dazzling irises. Something about him tickles the back of my memory, but whatever it was is gone as soon as I try to focus on it.

He smiles uncomfortably and nervously runs his hand through his hair, effectively making some strands stand up on end. "Er, hello. My name is James Lupin-Black. I was hired for a creature infestation by a Mr. Goyle?" He glances between Greg and me, trying to figure out who is who.

"That would be me," Greg says as he stands and extends his hand to the man. "I am Gregory Goyle, and this is my fiancé Millicent. Also, this is our dear friend, Draco Malfoy. We are so happy you could come here so quickly. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you. The pleasure is mine," he answers, shaking Greg's offered hand. "If I recall, it is a Doxy problem you have?"

They continue their conversation, but I tune it out. Black. The oldest and noblest house of Black. It is a pureblood family. I am a Black through my mother's blood. I thought there were not any more Blacks after my mother's generation. Both of my mother's sisters married and therefore no longer carry the Black name. The only male Black still living I remember was my second cousin Sirius. However, he could not pass on his name because he, like me, preferred partners of the male gender. Last I knew before he disappeared, he was bonded to a werewolf. I wonder what the werewolf's name was. What if this man was adopted by them? Now I am really curious about this man.

"Well," the man says, standing up, "I believe it will take me about three, maybe four hours to rid the garden of the Doxies. By your leave, I will start immediately so I may be out of your hair."

"Of course," Millie answers, "But it will be rather late by then, why don't you join us for dinner?"

"I would love to." With that, he bows his head to Greg and me and exits the room.

"What a charming man," Millie comments as the door closes behind him. She then turns to look expectantly at me. "So, are you going to offer him the position, Draco darling?"

"Yes," I muse, "Yes, I am indeed."

~Harry~

Dinner was good. Again, I can see their wealth exemplified by the fanciness of the food. So much effort put on stuff that is just going to be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Now, we are sitting in a parlor, each of the males holding a glass of firewhisky. It is getting late, and I know I need to go. Frost will no doubt be worrying her mind off.

"Well, this has been more than I expected," I announce, standing up from the chair. "Thank you for the meal, but I really must get back to my girl."

Mr. Goyle rises and stakes my hand. "We are very indebted to you for making our garden safe again. Do you need a house elf to show you out?"

"That won't be necessary." I turn towards the voice and see Draco standing up. His voice has deepened to a rich baritone since I last heard it when we were children. It sends a small shiver down my spine. He walks over continuing, "I must be going as well; I can show Mr. Lupin-Black out."

"Wonderful," Mr. Goyle replies and promptly turns back to his wife, effectively ignoring us.

"Come on," Draco whispers to me stirring me towards the door with a hand on my arm, "Let's go before they start being a disgustingly affectionate couple."

"You don't need to tell me twice." I can see the lust in her eyes as Mr. Goyle walks over to her. I do not want to see whatever they plan on doing.

We walk through the hallway, in silence. We exit out the main door, continuing out down the steps and onto the drive, in silence. The evening is beautiful: the sun is setting, the breeze is gentle, and the temperature is mild. I forgot how lovely spring is in Britain. We arrive at the gate and I move to push it open. A hand on my shoulder stops me; I turn to look and see Draco glazing intently at me.

"Before you depart, I have a proposition for you," he begins. "I know from your reputation that you are wonderful with creatures, magical and muggle. I also know that you actually care for the creatures."

I make an indignant face. Most people who employ me find creatures distasteful, so I give off the same attitude in order to be hired. I try to contradict him, but he cuts me off.

"I watched you this afternoon," he says. "You did not dispose of the Doxies; you coaxed them to move off the property. I am impressed with you skills with animals. Here is where my proposition comes into play. You see, my manor is surrounded by sprawling expanses of land, filled with both magical and muggle creatures. The position of beast tamer of the grounds is open, which I am offering to you. As my beast tamer, you would care for the creatures. Also, you would never need deal with trivial jobs such as this one again. If you accept, you would live on the grounds in a heavily warded house. You would also have access to any materials you require; all you would need to do is ask. Here are the apparation coordinates for the manor. If I do not hear back from you within the week, I will assume you are not interested. Thank you for your time."

And with that, Draco pushes the gate open and apparates away. I am left standing on the drive, holding a piece of parchment with the coordinates to a place I once lived, being offered the job my parents held.

~Draco~

I get home and immediately start on a rampage. I go to one of the parlors in the North wing. The North wing is empty; it would have been for any siblings of mine if there were any. The heir would get the whole South wing, and the spares would have to share the North wing. That is how the manor is designed. Whatever, I have no siblings, so it does not matter. Now it is just an area in the manor where I can vent my anger.

I start destroying everything in the room: the furniture, the rug, the windows. I have to get my frustrations out somewhere. I just had to get my hopes up. I just had to want him. I just had to wish that he would be gay as well. I just had to dream that he would want me too.

Of course he is taken. Of course he is living with that person. Of course that person is a woman. Of course he is straight. Of course he is devoted to her. Why can't he just be what I want him to be? Now he will not definitely not want the job because he thinks I am coming on to him. Why do I do this to myself?

I collapse in on myself, falling to my knees and sobbing. I cannot believe I let him into my being so quickly. All I want to do is cry and never leave this room, letting the cold seep into my bones. I do not want to see people again. People just seem to have a way of hurting me. It will be better for my heart, my mind, my soul, if I just live in complete solitude.

My thoughts are interrupted by a soft hoot. I turn towards the sound. There, sitting on the windowsill is an owl. It is the most beautiful owl I have ever seen, with snowy white feathers and rich amber eyes. I also see a letter attached to its leg. I motion for it to come inside, and it flies to my shoulder.

I remove the letter and open it. I quickly scan the letter, then go back to the top and read through it slower. I do not believe it. It reads:

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

After much consideration, I have decided to accept your offer for employment on your estate. I would like to start as soon as possible; you were correct in your assumption that this is more to my likely than 'pest control' jobs. However, it will take me a few days to get my affairs in order. Would Monday be an amiable day to start? Please send your answer back with Hedwig; she will bring it to me. Thank you immensely for this position.

Sincerely,

James Lupin-Black

Goodness, I guess I was just overreacting. I summon a quill, ink, and parchment. I then pen a response, agreeing that Monday was wonderful. I close it with the Malfoy seal and give it to the white owl, obliviously Hedwig. She hoots softly at me, then takes flight and soars out the window.

I have a few days, and then the gorgeous man will be here. Hopefully he will not bring his 'girl', as he called her earlier. If he does, oh well. At least I get to see his beautiful physique every day now. With that thought, I stride from the destroyed room. I have a cottage I have to ensure is habitable.