"Prudence!" The Minister of Magic exclaimed in a deep bellowing voice upon seeing his only granddaughter.

He had hurried to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as fast as his magic would allow him. Not fifteen minutes ago he was getting ready to finally sit down after a long day of judgement and stress when he was rudely interrupted by a fast talking portrait. Of course...it had been less than a week and already she was getting into trouble at school.

Prudence took in an even breath. She could see the Headmaster behind her grandfather doing his best to give her apologetic eyes. Of course he found out, he always finds out...

"Granddad," she finally replied coolly, looking away from him.

Draco could see the Minster's red skin turn darker as the old man stuttered angrily. He felt awkward witnessing the Minister act so normal and also shocked at his sudden appearance.

"Why didn't you tell me!" The old man hollered still not noticing the boy sitting on Pru's bed.

"Tell you what?" Pru asked in an icy tone as she still refused to look at him.

Draco was surprised at the emotional distance between Pru and the Minister. She never spoke about him. In fact, in her presence, he often forgot her grandfather was the M.O.M. It made him wonder about their relationship...and her parents...and her whole life! Why did she spend her life traveling? Why had he never asked her any of these questions about herself? ...Probably because something crazy was usually happening when she was around...

The Minister seemed to swell, not happy with her attitude, "About this bloody curse! I wouldn't have sent you here, I would have-"

"Locked me in a tower? Hid me away?" Pru cut him off as she finally turned her storming eyes upon her grandfather.

The old lion of a man was terribly offended by her accusations, his next words came out softer, "No Prudence, but I would have kept you close to me, to keep you safe."

Pru dropped her attitude, she shouldn't be so mean to him, he is (was) all she has... It's just seeing him again reminded her of the week and a half prior when he told her she would be leaving Portugal to come to Hogwarts. At the time she wasn't excited about going to a real school and he never gave her any answers as to why she had to. The argument had been one of their worst and she was sent on her way still clueless as to what had changed his mind about her independent studies abroad...

"Granddad..." She sighed, "You can't always protect me, I can take care of myself...I have so far haven't I?"

The Minister looked at his granddaughter thoughtfully, "Yes, but-"

That's when he noticed a teenage boy on his granddaughter's hospital bed. A boy with white blonde hair and pointed features. He stopped mid sentence, his entire demeanor changing, "Who's this?" He gruffed.

Neither Pru nor Draco got the chance to answer because before they could the Minister's eyes darkened and the red splotches began reappearing on his face, "You are a Malfoy," he seethed viciously. "What do you think you're doing here with my granddaughter!?"

Prudence was horrified by Draco's loathsome glare and her grandfather's callousness.

"Gran-!" Pru tried to interfere. She knew exactly what her straight laced grandfather would say next. He was no doubt personally offended that some one with Draco's associations would dare be in his presence.

"No Prudence! Why is he here? Don't you know who he is!"

"Yes! I do-"

"Apparently you don't! This-this... boy is-"

"Draco, his name is Draco!"

But the Minister did not hear his granddaughter trying to explain, he did not care to. He turned to Draco, his gnarled finger pointed at the young man's face, "I don't want a purist deatheater anywhere near my granddaughter!"

Draco was enraged, he was trying so hard to not burst into furious screams. Damnit! He knew this would happen! This was exactly why he tried to stay away! He didn't realize he had stood to his feet, now eye to eye with the old man, "Sir I am not a deatheater, or a purist-"

"Nonsence BOY!"

The partially opened curtains were pulled back wider to reveal a stern Professor Dumbledore. "Minister..." He warned gravely, informing the Minister that he was over stepping his boundaries.

The Minister relaxed while looking a tad embarrassed by his outburst. "Professor, please take this student away so I can speak with Prudence in peace."

Dumbledore was solemn as he grasped Draco's shoulder, "Mr. Malfoy."

Pru looked at Draco helplessly. She wanted to apologize for her grandfather's narrow minded opinions. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't listen to what the old man says...because he is very wrong...but Draco wouldn't look at her. He let the Professor escort him away until she was alone with the Minister.

The Minister immediately jumped into a long winded lecture about He-who-must-not-be-named and the Malfoys and purists...making Pru angrier and angrier the more he ranted.

Draco stopped at the door to the infirmary before pushing through. Professor Dumbledore had allowed him to stand still for a few short moments so he could hear everything the mighty Minister of Magic had to say about him and his family.

It wasn't Dumbledore's intention to have Draco feel degraded, but empowered. The boy needed to educate himself about how the world looked at him so he knew what to do to prove everyone wrong. "Some people still-" The Headmaster tried to tell the student lightly but was cut off due to a loud resounding 'Enough'.

It was Prudence who screamed the word that echoed off the walls and halted everything and everyone. She had petrified the two figures in front of the door and her grandfather, his finger still in the air, with out even meaning to.

Draco could see the dust in the moonlight frozen as he felt waves of strong magic wash over him and the Headmaster. All they could do was look at each other until the feeling returned to their bodies.

Pru exhaled harshly, the sudden magic that exploded forth from her threw her off guard. It's been a very long time since she had frozen time, but it still surprised her none the less. She inhaled and squared her shoulders to look directly at her grandfather who had no choice but to listen, "You are acting like how a purist would act if they found their child with a muggleborn! Do you not see the similarities?" Then she sighed and looked down feeling defeated, how many times will she have to go through this with him? He was always trying to rigidly control her every move. "You can't do this anymore, I am a lot stronger then what you give me credit for..." When she looked back up her grandfather's arm was down and he was looking at her strangely, "What?" She whispered.

"You...you grew up... When did you become such a strong young lady?" He gave her a small smile and for a second she felt like a little girl again, back to when her grandfather was just her grandfather... She gave a small smile in return.

.

Draco and Dumbledore had no choice either but to listen to Pru's wise words she bestowed on her own grandfather, the Minister of Magic! When they unfroze Draco was already over his surprise that she harbored such raw magic, he shouldn't be surprised by anything she does anymore. That didn't change the sting of the Minister's words though...

"So?" Blaise asked out of the darkness when Draco finally returned to his room and sat on the edge of his bed. Blaise could easily see Draco's terse jaw and wondered if his agitated friend would even respond.

"...Her fucking grandfather showed up..."

Blaise knew that that was the one thing that Draco had been dreading...for the only man Pru had in her life to degrade him...

Draco was furious beyond reason, but mostly at himself. He knew this would happen, he knew that when the day came that the Minister found the two of them together that he would do everything he could to separate them and humiliate him in the process...which boy did he. Draco didn't even know what to say to Pru, he didn't want to say anything, except maybe I told you so.

He dropped his head to hold in his hands as he looked down at the dark green rug. She did defend him boldly though...like she always does... But she shouldn't have to always be defending him! He wasn't sure what he should do...he wanted to leave her be, for her own good... that was impossible though... Not like she would let that happen anyway...

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he remembered kissing her and how she always said exactly what she wanted...and it seemed that he was what she wanted, but would he let her have him?

"How fucking idiotic can you be? I can't get you out of this one Pansy! Merlin! The Minister of Magic's granddaughter, you might of well have attacked the Ministry!"

Pru woke up to the sound of furious whispers of some lady. Her curtains around her hospital bed were closed, so she was unable to see around her, but by the looks of the light it looked like early morning. She kept still to see if she could hear anymore, she gathered it must be Pansy's mum.

"You'll never get Draco acting like such a stupid little girl..." The lady sighed heavily, "Doesn't matter anymore, your obliviation is in an hour, I'll talk to you after..."

The loud clicking of high heels moved across the room and out the door followed by the distinct sound of crying...Pansy's crying.

So it looked like Pansy was raised to be a mean girl, it wasn't entirely all her fault.

.

Pansy stared at the white ceiling blankly, she was scared, more scared then she could ever remember being... She never looked at Pru as the Minister's granddaughter, she never even thought of the consequences until it was too late. Now she had made an attempt at murder and in turn the love of her life tried to kill her... She was getting almost a year of her life obliviated for her actions and she was scared she wouldn't be the same person afterwards. Would she remember how much she really loves Draco? And how much she truly hates Prudence? Because those were two things she didn't want to ever forget.

"Pansy?"

Pansy snapped out her reverie to see the person she loathed just standing there at the end of her bed...it crossed her mind to scream out Mudblood... but she resisted...

"What do you want?" Pansy hissed as she tried to wipe away her tears.

"I...I can call off your obliviation," Pru whispered. She didn't know why she came over to Pansy's bed or why she said what she did...he heart just hurt for Pansy...

"Wha...?" Pansy looked absolutely disgusted that Pru was even talking to her.

"I said I can call it off," Pru told her more firmly, her boldness wavering the more Pansy glared at her.

"Why?" Was all Pansy could say.

Why did Pru even bother to offer something so nice to someone who wanted to kill her? She blew out o frustrated breath, not sure what to tell the girl that was looking back at her with narrowed eyes...

Pansy didn't care to give her a chance to respond anyway, "Don't you dare pity me! Just leave me alone! Just go!"

Pru felt discouraged with how sad Pansy's life must be, but she turned and left anyways, "Fine."

The lonely girl with an oblivition coming soon seethed in silence. The audacity of that disgusting mudblood lover... Maybe she should have taken Pru's pity...just to be able to hold onto her hatred...

.

An hour later Pru watched an unfamiliar wizard enter the hospital wing and go straight to Pansy's bed... good bye Pansy.

The Minister of Magic and the Hogwarts Headmaster sat in the latter's office in silence. They had been discussing how to handle Prudence for the entire night. Her safety was more important than anyone even realized. Ms. Parkinson would no longer remember Prudence and still be able to continue her schooling, all the students that witnessed what happened had been dealt with accordingly and now they had to break her inconvenient curse before anyone else finds out...or worse...

"...I just...I don't know what will happen if something triggers her full powers before the age of eighteen. She can't have these trivial things interfering with her purpose..." The Minister was muttering nervously.

"She's a very mature young lady Rufus, I don't think that she will get a task that she cannot handle."

"But what is she does! What if everything is bollocks and I'm leading my granddaughter down a useless road!" That was the over protective grandfather talking, not the Minister.

Professor Dumbledore looked his old friend in the eye, "Remember her wand Rufus, it's proof we have to continue our guidance and keep doing what is asked of us."

Of course, her wand... the Minister could never forget about her wand.

Sunday morning Draco woke up and immediately remembered the absolute joy and imminent dread that came along with Prudence Scrimgeour. She is amazing and he wanted to have her...and she was better than him in every possible way and there wasn't one actual reason that they should be together that actually made sense...

Blaise heard his best mate grumble loudly and had to chuckle, "Welcome to my world."

Draco only grunted in response.

"Have you decided what you'll say to her?"

"Does it matter!" Draco shot back, "As soon as I see her my mind will go blank and I'll forget any previous conclusions I have come to."

"...Yeah..." Blaise said with a shrug, Daph does that to him too.

"Don't frown like that," Daphne told Prudence after she had shown up to the hospital wing sans Draco. Daphne had asked him, but he only muttered he shouldn't, she figured that the Minister showing up had a lot to do with his awful mood.

"It's just, I know he's mad about how my granddad acted like a right wanker last night... I just want to tell him I'm sorry..."

Daphne agreed but there was little she could say to make the situation any easier.

"Are you ready to get out of here then?"

Yes, Pru was ready to go back to her dorm and get out of the damned hospital wing. She had watched a wizard escort Pansy back into the room not too long before and it heavied her heart to see how out of sorts the poor girl looked. Pru knew that Pansy didn't remember her at all...

Daphne hated seeing Pru's face so sad because of a stupid boy. She knew that Draco would act like a tosser about the Minister, but it didn't mean the two of them didn't still belong together. Anyone who had been around the two while together could plainly see they were falling in love.

"C'mon, we'll do something fun again, like we did on Friday. Hermione says Harry and Ron were worried and they want to see you. Those Gryffidors are a different sort of fun than I'm used to, let's see what they're up to, what'dya say?"

Pru's long face did not match Daphne's excited one. "Go meet up with Gryffidors so my Slytherin hates me even more?"

"He does not hate you!"

"Tell that to my heart..."

Daphne looped her arm in Pru's as she escorted her out the double doors , "He'll come around, don't fret."

"...He did kiss me again...well that was before Rufus showed up..."

Daphne's eyes lit up none the less, "See!"

Seven o'clock in the evening on a Sunday night and the boys decided to just fuck off. They recovered a bottle of fire whiskey, sealed themselves in their favorite hidden spot and drank until Daphne and Prudence were distant fuzzy memories...or tried to at least...

Blaise poked at the fire while Draco lay spread eagle on the flat of his back babbling, like he had been doing all day. He went on and on over the long list of pros and cons that came along with Pru.

"...But on the other hand...she's bloody gorgeous..."

"Said that one already, " Blaise pointed out annoyed.

Draco perched on his elbows exasperated, "But it counts like...a couple dozen times...have you seen her?! ...Completely unfair to walk around looking like that!"

Blaise let out a snicker, "...True..."

"And on the other hand I'm the son of a mangy deatheater and she's-"

"The minister's grandaughter! Said that one already too! Like, a hundred times! And so what, none of that matters! If you want her, go get her. A girl like her won't stay single in a place like this, not with blokes like Potter creeping around..."

Draco let out a growl at the mention of Potter. He still hadn't confronted the idiot about what he said to Pru... all the truths he told her... Well, he possibly may need to thank Potter, it was actually a favor. But still, he wanted to gut Potter for other reasons...

"If Potty touches her I'll kill him."

Blaise chuckled darkly, "I don't think it's an if mate, I think it's a when...you keep acting like this..."

Draco sprang to his feet, a bit clumbsy, but incredibly angry, "Shut up Blaise! You think Daphne will blow off Weasley's advances or just blow him?"

Blaise hopped up as well, "She would never!"

Draco's eyebrow arched, as if asking really?

Harry embraced Prudence to his chest, radiating his warmth over her, "Prudence I'm so happy you're alright."

She smiled at his genuine relief, noting that his hug lingered.

"Yeah, I'm just fine, dumb Pansy just being...dumb." She wasn't sure what he was told, but she knew it wasn't the truth so she tried to stay vague.

Harry's eyes darkened, "That bint, I don't understand why she's gunning for you so bad, it's not like you're dating Malfoy."

Pru felt the tightness in her chest at Harry's comment, "No, I'm not," she whispered.

Ron had enough of their chatter and shoved a bottle into Pru's hand, "We got you a present, to forget about your awful weekend."

She gave him an appreciative grin in return, even though her weekend had been great, only bits had been awful. Still, she did her best to drink away the pain with the rowdy boys, but the good memories just kept playing in her mind the more she consumed. There was Draco's kiss down on the docks, the way he stood up for her to Pansy, how he came to her bedside and kissed her again...

It didn't matter that she was with an openly flirtatious boy wonder, Draco was all she ever thought about.

"I wonder where they are? Right now?"

Draco and Blaise were now both laying on their backs looking up at the gothic arches in the ceiling, pissed beyond measure.

Draco didn't answer...because he didn't want his mind to dangerously wander. If he started thinking about where she was and who she was with and what they were doing...then he might do something stupid...

"Draco!" Bliase hollered, "Oi! Where you going!"

Too late.

As fate would have it, the paths of an inebriated, love sick, but also very furious blonde Slytherin and an equally drunk Slytherin beauty crossed paths around 1:15am in the secret passage tunnel that lead to the Shrieking Shack.

Pru barely listened to the stories Harry was telling her about the shack, her hazy mind couldn't think much past the fact that she was missing Draco. She needed to see him so she could apologize. She had to tell him it did not matter what her grandfather said, he was good enough for her and she didn't give a damn about his past. So she wasn't really aware how her languid body clung to Harry's hard one for support.

"Malfoy?!" It was Ron's voice that rang out clear in the dark tunnel causing Pru's glossy eyes to search wildly for the boy she missed.

There he was, not ten feet away from them. It was him! He was there, and he was looking right at her!

...And he looked livid...

Well, all Draco's questions were now answered. She was in a dark tunnel with Harry fucking Potter and she was clinging to his side!