PART TWENTY-ONE

**
Evie

For the first time in Merlin knows how long, I was looking forward to double Potions. And when it finally rolled around, Malfoy was waiting by my seat.

"Why hello," I greeted him, smiling.

"Hello to you too," he whispered, a crooked half-smile resting on his lips. I sat down, putting my bag on the table and fishing out my parchment and quill.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said, sitting next to me.

"Sure."

"You should spend the summer at my house. Malfoy Manor would love to be graced with your presence," he said.

Whoa, what? An entire summer…of course I wanted to say yes, but I didn't want to rush our relationship. And what would my mother say?

"Uh…Malfoy, I dunno…" I hesitated.

"You don't want to?" He asked, his voice a mix of the beginnings of anger and dejectedness.

"No, I do—" I tried to finish my sentence, but Snape walked in, his robes billowing behind him, and Malfoy rushed to his seat as Snape started the lesson swiftly.

An entire summer…I was worried Draco was asking too much of me. Granted, I turned sixteen in a couple months, but I was still too young. I dreaded the moment I'd have to tell Malfoy.

"Miss Locke?" Professor McGonagall looked at me expectantly. "The answer?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor…" I trailed off noncommittally. I'm sure I knew the answer, but I hadn't been paying attention and she'd already moved to the next student anyway.

How in the name of all things magical was I supposed to tell Malfoy?

After classes, Malfoy caught me in the library. I was trying to work on a paper for Binns and figure out how to tell Draco I couldn't go and live with him for three months at the same time. Neither task was getting accomplished.

"Locke," he whispered from behind me, making me jump. Speak of the devil…

"Malfoy," I acknowledged him, quickly resuming my note-taking.

He drummed his long, thin, pale fingers on the table impatiently as my quill scratched clumsily across the parchment. It made a nice whooshing sound and when my hand moved between words, it sounded like ocean waves. The drumming thoroughly interrupted my rhythm.

I looked up at him. He stopped. When I went back to my paper, however, he began the drumming again. I glanced back up into his steel blue eyes. He ran a hand through his hair in response.

…and then in the year of 1763…

There was a sudden pressure on my leg that made me stop, startled.

F.O.L.L.O.W. M.E., Malfoy had spelled with his fingers on my thigh.

"Malfoy—" I began to protest quietly. I had momentum on my notes now, why make me stop?

"Please, call me Draco," he grinned, pulling me up and leading me to a wing of the library I'd never seen before, and that I'd never heard Hermione talk about. I couldn't even read the name on the wing's archway; the sign had grown so dusty and worn, the only fragment of a letter left was a faded "E."

"E for Evie," I joked. Malfoy—I mean, Draco, snorted in response. He backed up now, holding my hands and staring right into my eyes. And as soon as I was against the wall of the old, abandoned library wing, his arms made their way tight around my waist. And I found myself staring at his lips. Had I ever stared at someone's lips? Was that something normal people did? It was weird. I hoped I never stared at someone's lips again.

Oh, but they were so warm…and so different than the cold heart of the Draco Malfoy I knew at the beginning of the year. I wondered now, only now, why he was different now around me. It seemed like only yesterday when we were mortal enemies, and now he was nicer to me than almost anyone else I knew.

It broke my heart to have to tell him the news for the summer, mostly because I didn't want him to end up really hurt or upset. I didn't know what his reaction would be.

I wanted to savor the kiss just a moment longer; it was so sweet, but so hungry…it was good. Really good.

I untangled my hands from his hair and tried to catch my breath.

"Look. Draco, about the summer…"

"It's already worked out," he assured me, loosening his grip.

"That's the thing," I said, pulling ourselves apart. "I can't go."

"What? Why not?" He asked rather childishly. Oh boy, when he didn't get his way…

"Look, I think it's just a little much," I tried to explain, extremely flustered. "Don't you? I mean, I'm fifteen, with an overprotective mother to boot and besides I've heard things about your father and I think well maybe I don't know you're asking too much too soon." I was rambling, my voice rising. I was nervous—I knew I would have a panic attack if I kept this up. I had to take a deep breath and remind myself that this was a library; no outbursts would be tolerated in here…

"Evie, don't be stupid."

"No, Draco, I'm not being stupid. I'm being logical and thinking for myself." I tried to stay calm.

"Evie, stop being ridiculous then!" Draco said loudly.

"I'm not being ridiculous!" I said back, just as loud.

"Ugh, just…stop. Stop!" Draco exclaimed, exasperated, throwing his hand over his eyes. "I'll…I'll see you later," he spat, and left.

Tasha

Seven Weeks Later

Welcome back, Tasha, I thought grimly as I tried to carry all my things with crutches. My first stop was definitely the hospital wing. If I can manage the stairs…

When I finally made it, Madame Pomfrey immediately ushered me to a bed, where she mumbled something about the lack of medical skill in the North. She had my leg all bandaged up in under an hour, but said I would be limping for a bit. Once she said I could go, I hobbled as fast as I could to Slytherin. I needed to settle in; I was in desperate need of a nap.

My room hadn't changed a bit. Comforted, I lied down on my bed and stared at the curtain over my four-poster. I must have fallen asleep because I woke up with a start when Malfoy banged around getting ready for breakfast. We exchanged pleasantries and walked to the Great Hall together. He seemed tense, but I knew better than to ask.

I was greeted by my fellow Slytherins as I sat down next to Theo. When the mail owls flew in, a Daily Prophet dropped in my lap.

Krum Seen With Mysterious New Girl

My jaw dropped. I looked further down at the picture. That was Viktor, all right, with a pretty blonde girl with gleaming white teeth and perfect hair on his arm.

"He sure rebounds fast," Theo remarked. He received a punch on the arm in reply.

Soon enough, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my neck. "Tasha! You didn't tell me you were coming back!"

"Hey Evie," I said, mustering as much happiness as I could. She, however, saw the Prophet before I could hide it.

"Oh, Tash, I'm so sorry," she said, her face dropping.

"It's not your fault. I should have seen…"

She hugged me. "I'm glad you're back," she said. We both knew that she meant more than that.