Hello lovelies! I want to thank everyone for reviewing the last chapter, you have no idea how excited I get every time I get a review! Now, this chapter has a good amount of...implied smut at the end. Which is why I changed the rating of the story. And I'm sorry if you were hoping for a Peia/Riddle pairing in this story, I honestly thought when I first started writing it that was how it would end up, but it's not. I just don't see Peia as someone who could look past the things she has seen him do, even if it was in his future. I think that Riddle's feelings for Peia are more on the side of obsessive, and wanting to almost own her than him actually loving her anyway. I just wanted to make that clear for everyone again. And don't worry, he's in this chapter quite a bit! (and don't forget to drop me a review after you read!)

-Morrigan

I own nothing recognizable.

"Miss Black?"

Peia looked up from her Potions essay at the scrawny first year standing nervously in front of her table in the Library.

"Yes?"

"I was told to give this to you," he handed her a folded piece of parchment with a shaky hand.

"Thank you," Peia furrowed her brow and took the note.

Meet me by the lake at dusk.

She smiled at the words, she was about to ask the boy who gave him the note but when she looked up he was already gone. She supposed it must have been from Abraxas. She sighed and looked out the window, the sun would be setting soon so she gathered up her things and headed to the common room to drop them off.

The January air was cold as she walked to the lake, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. Though she had always enjoyed Scotland's winter, she thanked Merlin for her warm cloak and scarf as she walked the well-worn path in the snow.

She could see a figure standing by her oak tree; it was too dark to make out who it was but she walked a little faster toward the person. It wasn't until she was a few meters away when she realised it wasn't Abraxas.

It was Riddle.

Tightening her grip on her cloak with her left hand, she slipped her right inside to grasp her wand. She didn't trust Riddle, especially not if he was being secretive about meeting.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat and he turned around, a slight scowl on his face but when he saw Peia the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk. She tightened her grip on her wand.

"Hello," he said quietly.

"Hello Tom," she answered.

His smirk widened. "You were expecting someone else?"

Peia nodded once.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to get you here alone."

She arched a brow. "Why do you need to get me alone?"

"Just to talk."

She blinked up at him, still keeping several feet of distance between them. "Then talk."

He let out a breathy laugh. "So the last time we spoke you told me that you weren't ready for a relationship."

Peia sighed. "I'm sorry, I know I owe you an explanation but I know that it'll never be good enough."

He furrowed his brow and took a step toward her. "What do you mean?"

She sat on the ground at the base of the tree and patted the spot next to her. He didn't seem threatening at this point, just a hurt teenage boy.

"You remind me of someone I lost."

His eyes softened. "Your boyfriend?"

She nodded. "He looked a lot like you, black hair, green eyes. Every time I look at you I see him."

A flash of anger passed across his features that made Peia's blood run cold, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

"It's not your fault," she replied honestly. "It's just too much for me to deal with at the moment. And I do really like Abraxas, but he's betrothed so it doesn't matter."

He chuckled humorlessly. "I assume you'll continue to see him anyway."

She snorted. "Probably."

He searched her eyes for a moment before smiling sadly. "That's part of why I like you so much, I think." She blushed and his smile widened a bit. "Think we could be friends?"

She smiled. "I would love that, Tom."

Peia said goodbye to Riddle outside the common room entrance, he was off to do rounds so she went in alone. She found her friends in their usual place in front of the fire and went to join them, sitting next to Abraxas.

He smiled warmly at her and took her cold hands into his. "Where were you, you're freezing."

"I got a note when I was studying. I thought it was from you, but it ended up being Riddle. I met him down by the lake and we talked." He stiffened as soon as she mentioned Riddle but she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "We agreed to be friends."

Abraxas snorted. "He doesn't have friends, Peia. He controls people, all he's interested in is using people in his personal quest for power."

Her eyes widened, she had no idea so many of Voldemort's earliest followers despised him so much. "I know that. But I also believe that if someone showed him true friendship, maybe he could be good."

He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. "I wish I had your outlook on life."

When he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers it seemed to Peia like the entire rest of the world faded away, the only things she was aware of were his lips on hers and his warm hands wrapped around hers. Nothing else mattered.

Until a pillow hit them right in the sides of their faces.

"Oi! I do not want to see you snogging my sister, Malfoy!" Draco hissed from the other sofa.

Peia drew her wand before Abraxas could get a word out, sending a Bat-Bogey hex so fast Draco didn't know what hit him.

"Peia!" Draco shrieked, trying to swat the bogies away from his face. "Make it stop!"

She couldn't help but laugh with the rest of her friends, Orion and Cygnus were doubled over with laughter and pointing at Draco, Wally and the other girls were red faced and giggling. Abraxas just grinned proudly at Peia.

"Peia please!"

"Fine," she sighed and waved her wand to take the hex off.

"Next time," said Abraxas. "Think twice about throwing a pillow at our heads when we're snogging."

Three days later Peia found herself sitting in the stands at the Quidditch pitch, cheering on the Slytherin team in their match against Ravenclaw. They were up by fifty points, but it had been a close match since the start. Draco was recruited for the team shortly after their arrival at Hogwarts when Slytherin's seeker had been banned from the game after a nasty fight during the match against Gryffindor.

Abraxas, Cygnus, and Orion were the teams chasers, a fifth year named Elizabeth Parkinson played keeper, and the beaters were Winky Crocket, she was the captain and seventh year, and Neil Lament, a fourth year.

Peia was cheering herself hoarse as Abraxas scored another goal, and she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned and saw Riddle standing next to her she couldn't help the twinge of apprehension she felt in the pit of her stomach.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said uneasily.

She forced a smile. "It's okay, I'm glad you came, don't usually see you at the matches."

Riddle rolled his eyes. "Quidditch isn't really my thing."

Peia snorted and turned her eyes back to her boyfriend who had scored yet another goal, earning another ten points for their team. He flew close to the Slytherin stands as most of the students chanted his name; he grinned and winked at Peia as he passed.

A fifth year girl who was standing in front of Peia turned around and scowled up at her, so she smirked and waved her fingers at the girl. Wally laughed and nudged Peia with her elbow.

"You better be careful, I think you have a little rival down there."

Peia snorted and Riddle laughed along with Wally. "I heard about your Bat-Bogey hex the other day, I think you can handle a little girl trying to come between you."

Peia smirked and arched a brow at Riddle whose cheeks were flushing pink. Suddenly the Slytherin crowd was going wild with cheers and clapping, while the Ravenclaw fans where hissing and booing. Peia napped her attention back to the match and saw the players dressed in green jumping up and down on the field raising Draco onto their shoulders. He had caught the Snitch and Slytherin had won the match.

"Another firewhiskey?" Cygnus arched a brow and filled Peia's glass again, chuckling to himself.

Before she could raise the glass to her lips it was snatched out of her hands. She whirled around to see Draco casually sipping her drink, Orion smirking next to him.

She narrowed her eyes at the pair. "Give that back, it's mine."

"I don't think you need anymore, little sister," Draco drawled.

Peia sneered at him. "I'm older than you, Draco."

Orion snorted. "Only by three minutes, Peia. And Draco's right, you've had enough. Cyg, don't give her anymore."

She was outraged. "I'm positive that your girlfriend has had more than me, and I don't see you taking her drink from her!"

Both boys rolled their eyes and Orion took a step toward her. "She's drinking butterbeer, you're drinking firewhiskey. Huge difference."

She sneered at them and stalked away, finding Abraxas in the middle of what looked like a heated debate with Riddle and two sixth year boys that Peia didn't recognise. She sat right on Abraxas's lap.

"My brother took my drink," she hiccupped. "And Orion told Cygnus not to give me anymore." She gave him her best puppy dog eyes in the hopes that he would get another for her.

He smiled and kissed her deeply, when he pulled away she swayed on his knee. "I'll get you another." He lifted her up, set her back down in his seat, winked, and made his way toward the makeshift bar they always pulled out for celebrations.

Peia sighed and leaned back in the chair, admiring her boyfriend as he walked away.

One of the sixth year boys snorted. "Looks like you've got it bad, Black."

Peia arched a brow and looked over at the younger boys. She felt queasy as she realised who they were.

"So what if I have, Dolohov?" she sneered at him and his sidekick, Macnair. "I don't see how it's any of your business."

"'E's bound to 'nother witch. 'Spose you could be 'is mistress," Macnair drawled, sloshing firewhiskey on his trousers.

Peia wrinkled her nose at him and crossed her arms defiantly.

"I don't think," Riddle said in an undertone to his two lackeys. "That Peia's love life is any of your business, and neither is Abraxas's." Both of the younger boy's eyes widened in fear. "Don't bring it up again, do you understand me?"

They nodded hastily, getting up and disappearing into the crowd of partiers.

"Th-thank you," Peia said uneasily.

"They shouldn't speak that way to you," he said quietly, looking her in the eye. "No one should."

Peia looked into his dark green eyes until she heard a cough from somewhere to her left, snapping her out of her daze.

"Cygnus wouldn't give me anymore either," Abraxas said, pulling Peia gently out of the chair and holding her close to his chest. "What do you say we get out of here?"

Peia laughed and rested her head on his lean chest.

"It's after hours, Malfoy. I'd hate to have to give you detention for sneaking out."

Abraxas narrowed his eyes at Riddle, Peia could feel his heart rate increase in irritation. She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face, running her thumb along his cheekbone.

"It's okay," she said quietly, biting her lip. "We can go to my room, no one will bother us there."

"Peia, Peia stop," Abraxas breathed, putting his hands on top of Peia's before she could get her skirt all the way off.

She blinked at him in confusion. "Why?"

He sighed. "I want to, believe me, I really want to. But it's not really proper, you're a respectable pureblood witch, I don't want to ruin your reputation."

Peia snorted. "Where I'm from it's not that big of a deal. Not very many people wait until marriage."

Abraxas's jaw dropped open. "S-so you're not…"

"A virgin? No. No, I haven't been a virgin since I was fifteen."

He looked as though a piano had just been dropped on his head. "Seriously?"

She nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not that big of a deal in my time, even for respectable purebloods such as myself." He looked away from her, and her stomach leapt into her throat. "Are you okay with that? It's not really something I can change."

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "It's not that I'm not okay with it, it's just that I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never be with you in that way. You're so different from the other girls here, Peia. I never know what to expect with you, you're constantly taking me by surprise."

She blushed. "Is that a good thing?"

"It's a very good thing."