"Don't you have a patrol tonight?" She asked, leaning against the corner post at the end of his bed, as if she were afraid to move any closer.

"Yes." He answered, flipping the page in some text book or another, sitting back against the headboard. His eyes flicked up at her. "Are you going to stand there all night?"

"Maybe." She replied haughtily.

"You've been in my dorm before, Rem." He reminded her, as if she needed reminding at all.

"Really? I have no clue what you're talking about."

He paused and cut her a look, but didn't seem to think her sarcasm was worth a response.

"The castle was deserted last time." She offered for her excuse. Then something occurred to her. "How do you plan on getting me out of here?" When they'd come, it was during a break that only a select group of seventh years were given. The common room had been empty.

"The same way we came, I assumed." He offered.

"There are people in the common room." She argued.

"I could always just keep you here." He suggested, flashing her a look that spelled trouble. "I wouldn't mind."

"You are horrible, you know that?" She prompted. "I really don't think you were this bad before summer."

"I was slightly preoccupied before summer." He commented quietly. She pursed her lips and said nothing, watching him nearly glare down at the book he had. "I'd forgotten how bloody irritating homework is." He muttered.

"Just think," She said, almost sing-song, "I'm not helping you this year."

"You don't need to rub it in, Alvers." He shot at her. She merely grinned.

Suddenly, the door to the dorm shut with a muted clamor. "Alvers, I have a million reasons for why you shouldn't be in here." A familiar voice remarked sharply, "Get out."

She jerked her head up, her eyes snapping to Blaise's figure as he walked towards his bed. "I'm not hurting any-"

"You are in the boys' dorm of a House you aren't even in." He snapped. "Out."

"Someone is in a mood." She muttered, pushing away from the bedpost. Blaise's first patrol was later that night, she remembered. Clearly he was still bitter about the whole situation.

"And who the hell put you in charge, Zabini?" Draco returned, clearly not impressed.

"I'll make you a deal, Blaise." Rem said, turning to face the boy, leaning her back against the post and crossing her arms. "I'll leave, if you escort me through the scary Slytherins and out of the common room." She smiled at him innocently.

"You're seventeen, Remington." He told her.

"But I'm also a Gryffindor. They might gang up on me." She argued.

He merely looked at her for a moment, as if she were being impeccably childish – which she was. Then he seized the bottom of his shirt and tugged it over his head.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, nevermind." She said, "I'll leave." She headed towards the door.

"Good going, Zabini." She heard Draco say as she pushed her way into the stairwell to the boys' dorms.

"I accomplished my goal, didn't I?" Blaise returned.

She lingered at the top landing a bit longer than she needed to. Her claims weren't entirely unfounded. A lone Gryffindor walking through the Slytherin common room was an intimidating situation. When she was two steps down, the door to the seventh years' dormitory swung open.

Draco stepped out and started down the stairs ahead of her. "Blaise has clearly forgotten his pure-blood manners." He remarked. She followed him out into the common room. At first it seemed as though they might get by unnoticed, but then Rem caught sight of a cluster of girls who couldn't be past their third year, huddled close with their eyes on the pair, whispering amongst themselves, then Remington saw Pansy, whose narrow gaze rested sullenly on her, but as soon as her eyes met Rem's, the Slytherin's expression morphed into a furtive smirk. Even as other people's attentions found her and Draco, the latter didn't seem the least bit bothered, or even aware of it.

"How does that not get to you?" She asked as soon as the stone wall had slid shut behind them, leaving them in the dank darkness of the dungeons.

He cast her an almost-cryptic smile. "You get used to looks when you're a Malfoy." Her eyes sharpened slightly. "Infamy and repute run side-by-side in my family, as you know." He started walking down the corridor.

She took her strides at his side. "But it's different when-"

"You can't still be bothered by what they think of you, Rem." He said, as if she were behaving ridiculously. "You're dating me, for Merlin's sake-"

Yes, and what does that say about me? She thought to herself. "You don't-"

"Don't think I haven't heard what they say about you." He interrupted her. "Draco Malfoy's slut; better you be mine than someone else's. Besides, what the hell do they know, anyway? You've been avoiding me since we came back to this place- hell, you were even keeping me at arm's length when I visited this summer."

She was a bit taken aback by the subject change. "What are you on about?"

"What are you, Alvers? Afraid of me?" He said, shooting her a look from the corner of his eye that was equal parts frustrated and amused. "You don't want to get caught alone with me."

"Excuse me?" She prompted, "Was I not just in your dorm-"

"And you were sure to keep almost two full yards between us." He added, "You know exactly what I'm on about." She kept her mouth shut and scowled at the stone floors as they walked. She knew they were heading towards Gryffindor Tower. "I'm not usually a very patient person, Alvers."

"As if I didn't know that well enough already." She commented dryly.

"Good, then we've come to an understanding."

"You are so incredibly full of yourself, it blows my mind." She told him with a roll of her eyes.

"And yet, you love me." His lips were at her ear as he said it.

"Don't get too friendly, Malfoy. Your patrol starts in half an hour."

"A lot could happen in a half hour."

She shook her head lightly, but didn't say anything else as they ascended another flight of stairs. "Are you taking the upper floors?"

"If you'd like me to." He remarked, not entirely having lost the suggestive tone in his voice.

"With any luck, I won't have any nightmares, and no need to see you." She told him.

"Fair enough."

"Not you again." The Fat Lady quipped as they approached the landing before her portrait. Even though they were already halfway through the first week back, the lady in pink hadn't seen Draco since the year previous. She was now looking disdainfully down her nose at him. Draco merely smirked the slightest bit and pressed his lips against the corner of Rem's before turning to head back the way they'd come.

"Goodnight, jackass." She called after him.

"I feel the affection." He returned.