Hey readers! I know, I know... I promised to be a Monday person. And, I really liked making everyone's Monday's a little brighter, but it's easier for me to post on Sunday's now that &field (track & field but I only do the &field portion) has started for me. Anyway, thank you all so much for your reviews! I'm so happy you guys listened to my groveling and reviewed! Thank you so much for taking the time, I really hope you can all review again! Hope you enjoy!

gotalife

Chapter Ten

My shoulders are cold, is the first fully formed thought that enters my head this morning as I wake up. I don't open my eyes, I just lie there and listen. I can feel the weight of someone at the end of my bed, and then a whisper.

"You deserve so much better," the weight removes itself from the bed and its footsteps back away to the door.

"Bye Andi," it whispers when it reaches the door.

The door opens and shuts behind the weight with a dull snap of the latch.

He probably doesn't know I woke up... A cold feeling of dread and something else I can't quite place settles in my stomach. I slip out of bed and pull on my clothes right as an excited knock sounds on my door.

"Wake up! Wake up! Andi! Wake up!"

I shuffle over and open the door to see an ecstatic looking Hermione standing in the doorway, "Happy birthday Andi!" she squeals before bringing me in for a giant hug. She then turns around and pulls me down the staircase into the common room, sitting me down on the couch in front of the fire.

She picks up a small wrapped present and hands it to me, on the top she has written: In event of Andi finding before birthday: DO NOT OPEN until 26 February!

I scoff at her note then rip it open, revealing beneath it Emma by Jane Austen.

"You got me a non-academic book? Thank you Hermione!" I stand up and hug her.

Behind me, voices sound,"Happy birthday Andi!"

I turn around to see Harry standing there with Seamus, Dean, and, standing a little awkwardly behind them, Ron.

"Ron?" I ask curiously.

"Hey Andi. Happy birthday," he says it enthusiastically in an unsure-if-I'm-welcome tone.

Behind me, Hermione murmurs a quick goodbye and hurries out through the portrait hole to the great hall. I turn back to the guys and a big smile lights on my face.

"RON!" I rush forward and bring him into a giant bear hug.

He whispers in my ear, "I didn't get you anything though."

I laugh and whisper back, "Ron! I'm just glad you're back!"

I let go of him and turn to the others, Harry holds out a present and the four of us walk around to the couch and sit down.

In the end, I received another Muggle-written book from Harry, a chocolate bar from Dean, and some sweets from Seamus. Of course, my favorite was just talking to Ron again. I did really miss him.

"So, Andi, what're you going to do today?" Seamus asks from the other side of Harry.

"I don't know. I think I'm going to start with breakfast!"

It feels no different to be seventeen than it did to be sixteen... I think as I walk down to the great hall with Harry and Ron. Lavender is in the great hall when we arrive so I join arms with Ron and laugh, for no reason other than I'm happy he's back and I really want the chance to annoy Lavender.

"Won Won!" she coos when we reach the table.

"Hi Lavender," he sits down across from her and I sit down next to him. I notice Hermione staring and I smile sympathetically to her.

A while later, in the middle of laughing at a joke that Ron said- it was funny because it made no sense- I glance across the room to see Draco staring in my direction. I stop laughing and smile faintly to him, he returns the ghost smile with one of his own.

"You know. I think I'm going to go to Hogsmeade today."

Ron looks at me confused, "And, how're you planning to get permission for that?"

"Well, you may not remember this, but this weekend is Hogsmeade weekend. So, I don't need permission."

"Oh yeah," he says loudly then leans closer to me and whispers, "Lavender has me confined."

I look into his eyes, the ocean blue has a trapped look in them. As if he's trying to call for help using his eyes- which, I can guess, he was.

I lean in, "Oh Ron. You can fix this. Master of Mystery, remember?"

He just barely nods enough for me to see, obviously he can remember the name Hermione had given him earlier this year. I don't know how the name will help him, but it's always worth a try.

"Well, I'm off to Hogsmeade then!" I announce loudly to the group. Backing out from the table, I wave a quick goodbye to Hermione and walk out the doors.

On my way out, Snape sees me and calls me over.

"Miss Irbane, where are you going?"

I fight my urge to roll my eyes, "Hogsmeade, Mister Snape."

"Professor Snape," he corrects me, "You can go, happy birthday." Before he leaves, he slips an envelope into my hand.

I look down at the envelope, in his tight script, my name is written on the front. I slip it into my jacket and head down to the Hog's Head.

By the time I reach the pub, I'm so excited to read Snape's letter that I skip ordering a drink and just take a booth seat. I pull the envelope out of my pocket and rip it open.

Alexandria,

Happy seventeenth birthday. I know you're disappointed that I haven't been present in your life nearly as much as I suppose I should have been since you were three. I should have rectified the situation or continued to send you notes. I know you probably don't remember this, but I did try when you were little. But, your mother and I were at ends. She's right every time she says we would never have worked. She loved me, but I have always been in love with a childhood friend. I just couldn't give up on that. But, I love you. I really do. I wish I could have been there more when you were little, but wishing rarely does anything. I cannot go back to fix anything. I can only try to fix the future. I know that your current school friends would not be very happy to find out who I am to you, so I will leave that part to you. I am so proud of you, and I do love you. you must believe that.

SS

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupts my reading and I hurriedly fold up the note and put it back in my jacket. Looking up, I see a man with long platinum blond hair and steel gray eyes standing before me.

He quickly clears his throat again before talking, "Miss Irbane?"

"What's it to you?"

His eyes harden and, if possible, he looks more serious than he did before.

"I have been informed that you have been distracting my son."

I squint my eyes a little, "What?"

"Miss Irbane?"

"Who are you?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

Although I try to stop them, my eyes widen when I realize who he is, "I- I thought you were in-"

"Well, I am not. Are you Miss Irbane?"

"N-no," I stutter. His face flashes with disbelief.

"I need you to come with me," he doesn't necessarily give me a choice because, moments later, he grabs my arm and pulls me out the door into the street. He pulls me down the side streets to the edge of town- where no one can see. I try to pull my arm free but he's stronger than he looks.

"I have need for you to come with me," he states as he pulls out his wand.

I look over my shoulder just in time to see Draco walking along a road parallel to the one I am standing on.

"Draco!" I yell as loud as I can. He turns to face us right as Lucius Malfoy apparates.

Lucius apparates to his home, which I recognize only from descriptions I've heard from others. He walks, dragging me along behind him, right into the gate and we end up on the other side unharmed. There are hedges along the rest of the driveway leading up the the giant manor. He once again walks right up to the door and it opens before us. He then pulls me along through a large drawing room to an iron grate door, opens it and thrusts me inside slamming it shut behind me.

"There is water and food inside. We will talk later."

Completely confused, I shuffle over to one of the numerous pillars cluttered around the dark, dank room and sink to the floor against it.

Hours later, I'm not sure how many, his voice sounds once again from outside the iron grate door, "We will talk now."

Oh yeah? And what if I don't want to talk? I think to myself, careful not to let them actually escape my lips.

"What about?" I say instead.

"You know my son Draco," a statement, not a question, but I answer anyway.

"Yes."

"He has some... work he needs to complete."

"Okay. Why am I here, on my birthday, then?"

"Well, we have a friend in the school that says Draco has been a bit... distracted as of late. And, upon further... investigation we have concluded that you, Miss Irbane, are the cause of his distractions."

"So? Why am I here?"

"You are here so we can stop his distraction."

"Mhmm," oddly enough, I have no fear anywhere in me while I talk to this man. He looks like his stay in Azkaban has really done a number on him.

He turns and leaves up the stone steps into the drawing room again. For the rest of the night, I sit alone in the dank cellar- no visitors, no other prisoners, and no light. Early the next morning, I hear voices outside the door, arguing voices. I don't move from where I sit though- I have no desire to be caught eavesdropping on Malfoy's conversation. I probably wouldn't be interested in what they have to say anyway. Then it occurs to me that when I get out of here- always be optimistic in a situation like this- the Order may want to hear what they were saying.

I creep quietly over to the door, settling myself just outside their vision, and listen.

"But, sweetie, why do we need the girl? We don't even know if she is the one Bella saw," a woman's voice speaks softly.

"Bellatrix," a feeling of dread crawls into me when I hear her name, "says that she is the girl she saw in his memory. Bellatrix wouldn't lie about such an important subject. And, the girl wouldn't say she is Irbane without being Irbane, no one is that stupid."

And, yet, I didn't think to say that it isn't my name, I think sourly. Could've saved myself a whole lot of trouble had I thought of that.

At this point, they have stopped talking and are probably listening to the sound of footsteps coming their way.

"Draco!" the woman shrills in a mixture of happiness and fear.

"Mother," he returns politely, my stomach drops at the sound of his voice- What can he possibly be doing here?- there's a slight shuffling sound before he speaks again, "Can I speak to Father alone, please?"

There's a pause before I can hear her quietly walking off through the drawing room.

"Draco, you should be at school... working."

"I saw you in Hogsmeade."

"I go there occasionally on business."

"With Andi."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" His tone, once calm and collected, is now gradually falling apart- while Lucius' remains flawlessly composed.

"If you are talking about a girl, then yes, I may know."

"Alexandria Irbane."

"Ah, that one rings a bell."

"Where is she?" Draco's voice is serious. As if he actually cares! I find myself thinking sourly.

"She has been... taken care of."

My jaw drops: frickin' liar!

"What?" he sounds like he no longer believes a word of what he's hearing.

"She is elsewhere."

"Like where? You can't just take students!"

"You should be in school."

"Father! Please! Where is she?"

He must have indicated to the door or something because, seconds later, footsteps rush to the iron grate door. I scramble back to the pillar I had previously been sitting against just in time for Draco to appear on the other side of the door. I don't move from my spot hunched beneath the pillar as his eyes scan the room for something to latch onto. When they find me, I can feel his intense gaze landing on my face- but, I don't glance his way, I just stare at the floor.

Draco turns away from the door to his father, "You have to let her leave."

"I'm sorry, Draco. I can't do that."

"You're not sorry!"

"She cannot leave, Draco."

"Father! Please you don't understand! You have to let her go!" He sounds kind of like a hurt child. I take the chance and look through the iron grate door to where they're standing not far away from it.

"Draco. You need to focus. She is a distraction."

"She's not the distraction! This is! I never wanted this! Let her go!"

"No, Draco."

"But, but.." I can tell he's trying to find something good enough, "but... Her father is a death-eater!"

Suddenly, Lucius Malfoy looks interested.

"Oh really?"

I jerk out of my hunched position on the floor, slam up against the door, and yell through the bars, "Draco! Don't!"

"Who is it Draco?"

Draco looks from his father to me and back to his father. My fingers turn white from my grip on the bars of the door.

"Who is it Draco?" His father repeats.

"Don't! Draco plea-" just then, Lucius raises his wand lazily and flicks it in my direction, muttering under his breath the incantation to what I soon find out is a curse.

I fly backwards, onto the stone floor, hitting my head with a loud, resounding thump. Searing pain everywhere in my body. I can feel myself convulse in agony, rocking violently back and forth. My mind kind of goes blank from the pain and I can't remember where I am. I've never been hit with a cruciatus curse before. I can't help but scream. And I scream loud. Tears start flowing down my face, hot stinging tears that add to the pain. Distantly, I can hear Draco begging with his father.

I start to jerk more violently and my head feels like its going to explode. Then the world goes black. I think I'm unconscious, but, I know that there's pain. And, then it's gone and I black out completely.

Stinging tears leap down my face, the ever-present feeling of pure unadulterated pain still surging dully through my body. My eyes still pulled tightly together, I lift my arm weakly to the spot on my head where I hit the floor, it comes back with the feeling of blood. I do my best to curl up in a ball where I'm lying, but the pain becomes, once more, so intense I just lie out on my back again. A whimper escapes my lips, the tears continue to flow freely across the contours of my face.

I finally open my eyes to the dark world around me- nothing, no one is here to comfort me. i take a chance and pull myself up into a sitting position, the pain is not as intense and my eyes start to readjust to the dark, my vision is slightly blurred. I try to haul myself over to the nearest pillar- right in front of the door- but find that the movement brings along with it another surge of intense pain.

It takes me a second after the pain recedes to remember what happened prior to my first curse encounter. I wonder whether Draco told his father what Lucius wanted to know, or if he had done as I wanted and kept it to himself. In the back of my mind, I have a feeling he didn't tell- otherwise, I probably wouldn't still be down in this wonderful cellar. But, the main portion of my brain is telling me that he did tell and the Death Eaters are going over the information as I sit here getting over my pain.

I should have more faith in him, but, for some insane reason, I just... can't.

I don't know how much time has passed since Draco was here with his father, so I'm not entirely surprised to hear footsteps coming along the corridor outside the cellar. They stop outside and there is some whispering and other metal-to-metal type noises.

I'm still too sore to move much, so I don't bother to look to the door in order to see who's there, I just listen.

The whispers stop as a klink sound occurs, then a quick outburst of happiness from the whisperers before I hear the door swing open and the people shuffle inside.

"Andi!" At my name, I open my eyes and they flutter over to where the new figure stands above me. Lying on my back on the floor is probably not the position I would prefer to be found in next time.

Above me waves a curtain of brown hair extending from ocean blue eyes with a mischievous glint, a half-smile balanced nicely on her lips. And, behind that is the mid-length, spiky, red-brown bed-head hair and green-blue eyes smiling just as mischievously down at me.

The features of their faces are close enough to who I think they are for me to assume that they are, the infamous, Hunter and, love of his life, Calypso- though, I can't be sure due to my visions continued blurriness.

"Hunter?" I ask weakly, my voice is more raspy than I thought it might be.

"Yeah kiddo, it's me. We have to get out of here before anyone finds us. Get you back to school, you know?"

Calypso reaches down to help me up, and, even through the pain, I finally manage it.

"Where have you been?"

"I have to visit my dad at some point," she grins as she helps me over to the door.

"How'd you guys get in here?" I say as I try standing on my own, not so hard now that I'm already up.

"Same way we get out," they say in unison before dragging me along behind them. When we get to the top of the stairs to the drawing room, they pause to check if the coast is still clear. Then, we rush out through the grand entrance to the giant room into the huge parlor, they pause again before rushing for the door.

When we stop at the extravagant door, I hear voices in one of the rooms adjacent to the hall whispering. Calypso doesn't stop long enough for me to hear what they're talking about, she just picks the lock- she explains that it's necessary otherwise the door would make a loud intruder sound, even though we're leaving- opens the door and rushes, pulling both me and Hunter, out behind her. Only when we reach the end of the long driveway do we stop for a breath before Hunter straightens up, pulls us closer to him, and apparates into Hogsmeade.

"We can go to Rosmerta's for a drink so we can talk," he suggests. Then, without asking, pulls us along with him.

"How did you find me?" I ask once I have a warm mug of butterbeer in my grip and slip into one of the booth seats near the door. The pain that had been pushed back from a rush of adrenaline is now seeping back into my body. I take a sip and wait for one of them to talk.

Hunter leans back in his seat before opening his mouth to speak, "Uh, a sort of vision, I guess. I saw the driveway leading up to the house, then the parlor leading to the drawing room, and through the drawing room to the cellar where I saw you lying on the floor, unconscious with blood coming from beneath your head. I recognized the house as the Malfoy's. So, before we were deemed the stupidest wizards in history, we asked Dumbledore is you had been seen recently. He said not since halfway through your birthday. We assumed you were there, and whoever sent the image was telling the truth. They were."

"Okay, so you just knew exactly how to get into their house, without getting caught, heard, or seen?" I ask confused at how they managed it.

Calypso nods, all traces of mischief gone from her ocean blue eyes.

I don't doubt that they've had some type of experience doing that in the first war, so I don't question them further, I just take a sip of my drink.

"What I want to know," Hunter says breaking the silence, "is where, or who, the image was sent from."

"I only saw three people other than you."

"And, they were?" Calypso asks, leaning forward across the table.

"The Malfoy's. All three of them."

"Not possible. Malfoy junior was gone from school for only about two hours, according to Dumbledore. I don't see how he could have gotten there and back. He doesn't have an apparation license. Not seventeen yet," Hunter looks like he's just getting more and more confused the more he talks.

"Well, the Malfoy's aren't known to follow the law as of late, are they?" Calypso looks at Hunter with an affectionate, know-it-all, smile.

Hunter shrugs in response, "Why would he send me the location of my niece?"

Calypso shrugs.

"I don't feel like talking about it anymore," I speak up, breaking up their little lovey-dovey staring contest.

"Okay sweetie," Calypso says calmly, although I can tell that they both have more to discuss.

Once I finish my butterbeer, Hunter speaks up, "Caly, we should walk her up to the castle."

Calypso nods. I look out the window, the sky is dark, indicating the lateness of our return.

"What day is today?"

"March first."

"What? Today's Ron's birthday!" I rush out of my seat, nearly falling while doing so, and out the door. Hunter and Calypso shove their way out the door to follow me.

Behind me, I can hear them arguing, "Caly move! We have to watch her!"

"You move, I'm faster than you!"

"So! I'm stronger than you!"

"Buffer maybe!"

I hear footsteps running up the main street after me, they stop by my side.

"You shouldn't do that, Andi."

"I've been walking around these streets since I was thirteen, I'm fine."

"If you were fine in these streets, you wouldn't have been Andi-napped," Hunter says matter-of-factly.

"What?" I smirk up at him.

"You know... Kidnapped... Andi-napped," he grins down at me.

"Yes, wonderful rephrasing," Calypso says sarcastically as we approach the steps to the castle.

I walk up the steps, glancing back halfway up to see Calypso kissing Hunter on the cheek while my back is turned.

"Ew! Gross! Get a room!" I yell back at them.

"You get a room!" Hunter shouts back, grinning.

"See you soon, Andi!" Calypso shouts excitedly, waving after me.

"Bye," I wave back to them and run up the remaining flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Ron!" I yell as I enter the common room to, instead, see Hermione staring at me solemnly.

"What happened?"

"Ron was poisoned."

"What! Where is he?"

"In the hospital wing. But, no visitors allowed right now."

I sit down on the couch and wrap my arm around her as if they don't still distantly burn from the ordeal I've been through. When a friend's sad, you don't bring up the reason you've been missing, you just pretend you haven't been and comfort them.

"You don't have to stay here, Andi. I'm sure you have things to catch up on," that's Hermione for you, always worried about homework.

"Mione, are you going to be okay? I have to go find someone."

She nods, "I'm going to go to the hospital wing."

"Isn't is closed?"

"She said she wasn't going to let anyone see him for a little while. Should be fine by now."

"Okay, come on then."

When we reach the first floor, Hermione heads off down the hall to the hospital wing. I head off in the direction of, well, nowhere. It just occured to me that I have no idea where Malfoy would be. I think, normally, it's him that finds me. So, I just meander off down the hall, all the way up to the fifth floor.

As I pass the Perfects' bathroom- I realize that I'm not supposed to know where it is or how to get in, but that's the cool thing about being me- I get the strangest feeling of need to get in.

"Pine fresh," I say to the door. It unlocks and I walk inside. I walk over to the giant tub in the middle of the room, oddly enough, it's filled to the brim with water and overflowing with bubbles. Like a small child might, I reach out and pick up some of the bubbles in my hand.

And, right at that exact moment, a person blasts up from beneath the bubbles about a yard from where I stand.

I jump backwards and scream really loud, the person in the water does just about the same thing.

"Sorry! I didn't know anyone was in here!" the person in the water is covered in bubbles, therefore making it nearly impossible for me to identify them.

"Andi?"

"Uum... No?" I back slowly away to the door.

"Andi! How did you get here?"

"What?"

"Irbane," the person in the water says impatiently.

"What?" I say with just as much confusion as I started out with.

The person wipes off the bubbles distorting their face, revealing Draco beneath. When I recognize him, I'm overcome with an intense desire to either beat him or jump into the water and hug him. I choose the latter.

I run forward, jump into the bath, and envelope him in a tight hug- completely ignoring the fact that I am now fully clothed in a bath or that he is fully unclothed in a bath. For a second he doesn't move, but then he returns the hug with more force than I am using.

"You got out," he whispers into my dry hair.

I can feel hot tears slipping down my cheeks.

"You got me out," I whisper back.

He doesn't let go as he says, "You're wet now."

"Not all the way. My hair is dry."

"Someone should fix that," he says devilishly.

"No! Draco!" I squeal.

He moves his arms to around my arms and dives into the tub, completely submerging both of us in the bubbly bath water. I beat his bare chest under the water until he pulls me up behind him.

"You look a lot like Merlin now," he laughs.

"Now I'm all wet!" I pout, then start laughing, "You look like an ancient wizard!"

He laughs and hugs me again.

"Someone could find us," I say when he lets me go.

"I don't care."

I look straight into his light blue eyes- funny how they seem to change color depending on how open he's feeling.

"Was it you?"

"That did what?"

"You used Legilimency on my uncle to tell him where I was."

He smiles but doesn't deny it.

"Did you tell him?"

"Who your father is?"

"Yeah."

"No, I didn't tell him anything after he cursed you. I sat outside the cellar door until he made me come back to school, personally escorted me here himself."

"Why did you sit there?"

"Because you were alone. And, I couldn't get to you."

"Oh."

"I nearly broke down the door to get in," he whispers so quietly I almost don't hear him. I smile.

"Have you ever been cursed before, Draco?"

"Yeah, but not for as long as you were."

"Why?" I breath the question.

"I thought you were hurt, there was blood coming from your head," he says, ignoring my question.

"I think I should leave," I say quietly.

"Why?"

"Well... Because you're... in the bath."

"So?"

"So, at some point you're going to have to get out... of the tub."

"So?"

"I have to go to the hospital wing anyway."

"Why?"

"Ron is in there."

"Why?"

"I don't know," I climb out of the tub, dripping water on the floor.

"You're wet."

"I wonder why," I say sarcastically as I head for the door.

"What if someone sees you wet?"

"I'll blame it on you," I grin angelically back at him.

"Fine," he gives up, sitting down on the bench in the tub.

"Bye Draco."

I'm almost out the door when he calls my name, "Andi!"

I turn back to him, he looks like he wants to say something important, "What?"

His face falters, "Oh... um... bye."

I turn back to the door and walk down the hall to the stairs and up to the common room. My chest feels tighter the more steps I take, but I don't turn around or stop.

"Andi?"

I look over to where my names was said: Seamus, of course.

"Seamus?"

"You're back! Where were you?"

"Nowhere. I'm fine."

"Why are you wet?"

"Malfoy. Don't worry though, I'll get him back."

He laughs, "I don't doubt it. Come on."

He says the password and we climb through the hole behind it into the common room.

"Thanks Seamus. I'll see you later," I say before heading up the stairs to my room. Once I'm in, I just walk over to my bed and fall onto the comfortable blankets and fall asleep.