Please read and review! And thanks to seerblood2036 for the reminder to update :) AND thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It really means a lot to me. Chapter 8 was one of my favorites, so I am so glad you all liked it, too!


Hogwarts, October of 2024

They were in the library, looking over the quidditch pitch at the Ravenclaw team practice.

"So bored," Minnie said. They were supposed to be reading over their syllabi and deciding what they wanted their term paper to be on. But it was raining outside, and the dampness and the dreary sound was making them both restless and irritable.

"Well, choose a topic and pull out a book to start researching or something. Just to see if you like it, anyway. Like I did," Cece said.

"Yeah, and you hated it."

"Well, maybe researching serial killers doesn't suit me."

"You know what you should do? You should research the inner circle of Tom Riddle's Death Eaters. You've got tons of inside information."

"That's not funny, Minerva, and you know it. Here," Cece pulled a stack of four books from the side of the table to directly in front of her friend. "Make yourself useful and see if generational blood ideology appeals to you."

"Too soon, huh?"

"It's always going to be too soon as far as that. Now start reading."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to read up a little more on that society she talked about it class. It doesn't involve murders, and it doesn't involve Death Eaters." Cece flipped open her textbook so that interview with Victim No. 3 looked up at her again. "Only thing is, I don't really like Professor Scripps and I'm going to have to ask her for help."


Tuesday, April 5th, 2005

Draco and Astoria slept late the next day. Astoria woke up first, happy to see that they already had steaming food at the table under a warming charm.

She also found a calendar stuck over the table that showed that it was the month of April. A slight purple sheen glimmered over the date of Tuesday, the 5th.

"Hey! Hey Draco, wake up! We got a calendar!" She tried to pull the calendar off the wall to show him, but it was apparently stuck with a sticking charm.

"What?" She heard him stumble out of bed.

"Look, it's April 5th."

They stared at it, transfixed.

"So that means we've been here three months. Over three months. 'Cause I got here in December. You did, too, right?"

"I need tea before I can talk about that," Draco mumbled. He poured himself a cup and slumped into a chair.

"A little tired?"

"Mmhmm."

"Had fun last night?"

"Mmm. Good food. And wine. I had a lot of wine."

"Yes you did."

He ignored her and gulped down the tea while she poured herself a cup and loaded up her plate.

"I'm starving. I thought I'd never want to eat again after dinner, but, you know."

She rested a hand over her still-flat stomach as she began eating. It was a full English breakfast that was wonderfully familiar. She looked back at the calendar and noticed that writing had appeared on the date of Wednesday, the 6th.

"Looks like you are scheduled for work tomorrow," Astoria said, still chewing a mouthful of bacon.

Draco was making himself his own plate of food now, too, and glanced up at the calendar.

"Do you think you should go?"

Draco shrugged. "We don't know where they'll take me. They could separate us."

"I don't think Gerard would do that. Remember what he told you? His job is putting families together, right? He said a similar thing to me last night."

"And just like that you trust him?"

"No, but I think he's the closest thing to a friend we've got here. Why are you in such a bad mood, anyway?"

"I'm not! I'm just—hung over. And—I don't know."

Astoria sipped her tea. "I know. I don't like being manipulated either. But we had some fun, right? Come on. Tell me that lamb wasn't amazing."

Draco almost smiled and shook his head at her. They finished breakfast in silence.


"Want to see how hung over Peter is?" Draco asked as he tied his shoes, now showered and dressed.

Astoria was putting her hair up with some clips that had appeared on the dresser. "Sure. Adrian was a mess, too. I don't really like him. Or Missy."

"Yeah." Draco said. "Ready?"

"Ready." She stood, and he opened the door for her.

She stopped right before she walked through, however. "Let's wait on the work thing. Let Peter go. I know he signed the contract. Let's see how it goes for him first."

Draco nodded. "I'll talk to Martin. See what he thinks."

She nodded, relieved, and stepped into the sunshine.

Marie was the only one outside, and she called to them happily from where she was sitting in the grass just outside the trees' shade, her wispy hair fluttering in the breeze.

"Anyone else awake?" Astoria asked as she sat down next to her.

Marie looked uncertain, so Draco translated.

"No," Marie said, then spoke quickly to Draco in French, blushing.

"She said she thought she heard Missy and Adrian this morning," Draco said. "It sounded like they were not getting along."

Astoria grimaced. Marie said something in French again.

"She said, 'Missy is a very forceful person, isn't she?'" Draco translated again.

Astoria laughed. "Yes she is. Peter still sleeping?" She mimed a little to help translate.

Marie broke into a wide smile and nodded happily.

In fact, they didn't see Missy, Adrian, or Peter all day. Anna and Martin joined them in the yard later, and the five of them spent a very pleasant day talking and translating. Astoria even shared their Floor Quidditch game with the others, and they ended spending several hours playing it and perfecting the rules, even though Marie was too shy to play and only watched.

When it came time for dinner, Astoria invited Marie over for dinner, but her bracelet warmed as soon as the words were out of her mouth, and so she took it back. The bracelet cooled immediately.

Marie smiled understandingly, and Astoria saw the silver bracelet and burn marks on Marie's wrist, too.

Marie resignedly returned to her room, visibly cheered by Astoria mentioning that tomorrow was the first workday.

As Martin and Anna were already at their room, Astoria stood for a moment outside Marie's door and listened to Peter's raised voice. She couldn't hear the words, but she winced at how angry they sounded.

She brought it up at dinner that night.

"We can't just let them keep her with him. I think he's really unstable."

"Astoria, we've known him for all of two days. And we didn't even see him today."

"I know. I just don't like him. I can't shake it. Just knowing that Marie has to be alone with him makes me feel sick." She put down her fork and looked at him. "You don't like him either. I know you don't."

Draco gave an exasperated sigh. "It doesn't matter what I think. We can't do anything."

"Oh, don't give me that." She went back to eating, although she looked unhappy. "I swear to Merlin. If he lays a finger on her, I don't know what I'll do."

"You won't do anything, Astoria. Because you can't do anyth—"

"Shut it!" she almost yelled across the table.

He raised an eyebrow at her in surprise.

She swallowed down an uncharacteristic urge to yell at him again.

"You can stay as helpless as you want to be. But I'm going to make sure Marie is as safe and happy as I can make her."


Wednesday, April 6th, 2005

Peter was the only one who went to work the next morning, so Astoria didn't have to argue with Draco about intervening again. Instead, she sat with Marie all morning in the yard. They were getting bored again, so Astoria tried getting Marie to play Floor Quidditch with her. They were just getting started when Missy came over, and Marie was too shy to keep playing. Even conversation was difficult with the girl because Astoria didn't speak French.

Draco, on the other hand, was playing a card game with Martin. Gerard had been kind enough to set up a patio table and chairs so that they didn't have to all sit on the ground. They had invited Adrian, but he was, as usual, hiding in his room.

"What do you think about the work?" Draco asked in French.

"I don't know. We'll have to see if Peter comes back," Martin answered.

"Astoria feels more optimistic."

"She likes Gerard, doesn't she?" Martin put down a winning card, and Draco took the pile of cards to reshuffle them.

"Do you trust him?" Martin asked.

Draco shrugged. "I trust him more than Jasper."

Martin immediately frowned and nodded. "There's a dangerous man."

"Did he bother you?" Draco kept his eyes on the cards as he dealt them each a new hand.

"Only a little. The bracelet, you know."

Draco glanced across yard to where he saw three silver bracelets glinting in the sun as Astoria, Missy, and Marie played Floor Quidditch, Marie finally talked into the game.

Astoria's bracelet hadn't been bothering her lately, thank Merlin.

"And you? Did he bother you?" Martin asked.

"A little." Draco thought about how he had heard his ribs crack as he was thrown into their room's back wall, but didn't say anything.

"The healers here are not great," Martin said.

Draco nodded. "Astoria was in training as a healer."

"Really? That's good."

"And what did you do?"

"Oh, I was trying to start a shop."

"And Anna?"

"She was a seamstress, I believe. She had just left a job at one of the biggest stores in Paris."

Draco noted the pride that had edged its way into Martin's voice as he spoke.

"Did you know each other? Before?" he asked.

"No, I went to school in Morocco, you see. And I never spent much time in Paris."

They played silently through the end of the game.

"And you? What did you do?" Martin asked.

"I was in the importing business, with my father's company."

"Did you enjoy it?"

Draco shrugged again. "It gave me something to do after the wa—after school."

He felt uncomfortable as Martin's dark eyes fell on Draco's left arm.

Draco hurriedly reshuffled the cards again, being careful to keep his eyes down.

"I was just starting my first job when the war started," Martin said quietly. He didn't pick up the cards that Draco had dealt in front of him.

Draco felt a familiar knot forming in his stomach. He should have figured. It had all been in the papers—his family, the trials, all of it.

"You were still in school, weren't you?"

Draco took to staring at Astoria across the yard. He let himself nod slightly.

Martin sighed. "What a terrible time to be young and in England." He picked up the cards.

Draco eyed him suspiciously, but Martin was looking at and rearranging his cards.

"About work tomorrow," Martin continued. "I think I understand Astoria's trust in Gerard. I would be willing to consider either you or I going tomorrow if Peter comes back unharmed. What do you think?"

"Why just one of us?"

Martin carefully played a card. "It leaves one of us to look out for the others."


Peter returned before lunch looking very proud of himself. Draco and Martin were still at the table, and so he pulled up a chair and explained that there was a factory for cauldrons and that today was merely a day of meetings and tours, but that tomorrow they hoped to get to work, provided the two of them weren't too cowardly to leave their playground.

Draco had to translate part of this to Martin, mostly because Peter seemed to love using the most obscure English figures of speech just so that he could delight in Martin's confusion. Peter stayed at the table with the air of a conqueror a little more before he declared himself starving for a nice, big meal, and left the table for his room. He called Marie while he walked and ordered her to come with him.

Draco was, in spite of himself, revengefully happy when Astoria pulled on Marie's arm and apparently convinced her to stay outside.

"What do you think?" Martin asked as the cards lay forgotten on the table.

"I don't trust him," Draco said, and Martin nodded his agreement.

"Whichever of us goes, if we get to the doors," Draco said, "and Gerard isn't there, we don't go. Does that sound fair?"

Martin nodded again. "Who should go tomorrow?"

"It would be easiest to flip a coin," Draco said. But he grimaced. He didn't have one.

But Martin stood up and walked to his room. He returned with a small silver coin that Draco recognized as a Sickle.

"They let me keep it," Martin explained. "You call it in the air. If you get it, you stay. Ready?" And he placed the coin on his thumb and flicked it high in the air.

"Tails," Draco said.

Martin caught the coin and showed Draco the carved profile of an ancient-looking wizard who had served as head of the Wizengamot in the 1600s.

Draco looked anxiously towards Astoria, who was sprawled on the grass with Marie on one side and Anna on the other.

"They didn't bother Marie at all today," Martin said as he followed Draco's gaze. "And Anna and I will look after her."

Draco nodded.


Marie did eventually go back to her room for lunch, and even Draco couldn't ignore the yelling through the door as he went to his own room. Both he and Astoria were disappointed to find a lunch that consisted of a watery bean and liver soup and a very healthy-looking loaf of bread.

"They're so subtle, aren't they?" Astoria said as she grimaced through her first sip of the lukewarm soup.

"Martin and I talked. I'm going to work tomorrow."

"You? Why you?"

"We flipped a coin. We'll just try it, see how it goes."

"But—." She frowned.

"That's what we decided, right? If Peter came back okay."

"No, we said we'd wait and see."

"And Peter's fine."

"And Martin just happened to let you take the first risk?"

"It's fine, Astoria. It'll be fine."

She looked like she very much wanted to argue. Draco hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt. She thankfully turned back to her soup.

Three months. Three months in a single room with just a few days in a yard not even a tenth the size of the Malfoy Manor's grounds. Even if he did get killed, it might be worth it to see someplace else.

But as much as he tried, these thoughts didn't do a whole lot to cheer him. All in all, he'd rather stay alive. He'd rather not leave Astoria alone (although he knew perfectly well that she handled everything better than he did).

Peter slept through the afternoon, and Draco, Astoria, Martin, Anna, Marie, and Missy enjoyed a massive and complicated game of Floor Quidditch. None of them talked about work the next day, although Anna did squeeze Astoria's hand before they went their separate ways for dinner. Draco thought she looked relieved that Martin wasn't going. That didn't cheer him up any.

Draco and Astoria's dinner had just appeared on the table when a timid knock came on their door. Draco opened it to see Marie standing with a small bowl in her hands that was almost overflowing with fresh fruit.

"We had so much, Marie explained, "That I thought I would share. I am bringing one to the others, too." She ducked her head as Draco and Astoria thanked her, and then disappeared off the step to go back to her room.

This made the dried-out meatloaf (also lukewarm) a little more bearable.

Draco set the clock that had appeared next to his side of the bed and climbed in while Astoria turned out her lamp.

He thought they both lay there thinking and not sleeping for a long time before he drifted off.


Thursday, April 7th, 2006

He woke up to the clock's alarm at 6 o'clock in the morning and quickly dressed.

Astoria woke up, too, and sat on the edge of the bed, nervously playing with the hem of her sleeve while he got a cup of tea from their kitchen area and put on his shoes.

His was reaching for the door when Astoria swiftly reached out to him and caught his hand.

"Be careful, all right? And if anything is off, just keep your head down and come back, okay?"

She held his hand tightly.

"Okay."

"Come back," she ordered again. "You have to come back."

"I will." He hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly jerked forward and kissed her forehead before pulling the door open and stepping onto the dew-covered grass.

Peter was already at the gate and leered down at him as he approached.

"Decided to join in, huh?" Peter nodded at him approvingly.

Draco felt too sick to nod back and instead kept his hands shoved deeply in his pockets and waited for the door to open.