One of Draco's biggest problems had been he was worried if he kept reading or checking out books about cabinet repair, specifically vanishing cabinets, he would give himself away. So research became my department while he did the physical and practical magic work.

I studied every book on vanishing cabinets in the library. With my ability to memorize everything I read in no time I was an encyclopedia of knowledge about vanishing cabinets.

Whether any of it would actually be useful in repairing the damned thing only Draco could tell me.

While I was studying Hermione and Ginny kept trying to convince me of Harry's sincere regret over his actions.

"Can't you just talk to him Alya?" Ginny pleaded with me. "He is really broken up."

"Look, Gin, I know Harry is sorry. And I know he is your boyfriend now. I get all of that. But he REALLY hurt Draco. MY fiancé." She cringed when I said that "You don't have to like it. I am so past the point of caring what any of you think about it. And I am not even really angry with Harry. If you think I don't know Draco has been an absolute shit to all of you, then you are very much mistaken. But I still love him. And Harry hurt him. And not the 'knocked him off his broom and put him in the infirmary' kind of hurt. That spell sectumsempra? Do you know what that means? Sectum means "cut" and Sempra means "always" he meant for Draco's wounds to bleed FOREVER! Until he DIED! Do you have any idea how awful that is? How that… I don't even have enough bad words. It is like all of the bad words for muggleborns mated with all of the bad words for muggle supporters and made a whole new class of bad words so bad even purebloods won't use them! That is how bad what he did is!"

Ginny and Hermione just stared at me with their mouths hanging open. "I… didn't know you were so angry with Harry…" Hermione started.

"It isn't about being angry. It is about being held accountable. If Draco did that to Harry, would any of you be sitting there telling someone that they should be forgiving Draco or would you be demanding he be put in jail?" They at least looked a little ashamed. "It is about the hypocrisy."

"You are right." I heard from behind me. It was Harry.

I nodded. "I am not angry with you Harry. Well… I am angry, but I don't hate you. Just don't expect things to go back the way they were any time soon."

He nodded. "Fair enough. I understand."

As I left I heard him sadly asking them to lay off of me.

I rarely left Draco's side these days. While he worked on the cabinet I did my homework in the Room of Hidden Things.

We talked when the work was purely physical. About our childhoods, about the future. We really got to know each other.

I told him about the Great Garden Gnome Rebellion of 1987.

He told me how it was his Dad who taught him how to play Quidditch and about how much fun they'd had before things got so serious at home.

I told him about building my tree house to get away from my brothers and Ginny who were always there.

He told me how he always wished he had brothers and sisters. Even just one. Which is how he and Pansy had got so close.

I told him about how I felt like a freak when I realized it wasn't normal to remember everything.

He told me how angry he had been when he knew it was his Dad and his Dad's friends who had wrecked the World Cup after all the fun they had when Draco was a little boy learning to play Quidditch.

"So… Draco… what happens if the Dark Lord takes over? I mean… does he just get rid of the muggleborns? Like send them back home or…?" I didn't know why I wanted to know this but it felt important, because… I didn't want to think he was going to kill them all or anything… Hermione didn't deserve to die just because her parents were muggles.

"I really don't know. I don't… I don't think he plans to kill them, but he sure doesn't want them learning magic with the rest of us. I know he doesn't want us to have to hide from muggles anymore. He has this dream world where we can live peacefully as the rulers of muggles and I don't know… maybe they will be some kind of servant class or something." He lay down on the rug next to me.

"Like… slaves or something?" I frowned.

"Maybe. He doesn't exactly share his plans with me. Let's concentrate on me and you right now." He reached out and took my hand.

"I know, I don't want you to die, either I…" I stopped when he leaned over me.

"No, Alya… let's concentrate on you and me right now." I finally understood what he meant when his lips descended on mine. "I don't know what is going to happen when the Dark Lord takes over, or what will even happen when we finish fixing this cabinet. But I know I am here with you right now. And that is what is important."

He was right. I stopped all thoughts about whether or not we were old enough for this, was it right, were we ready. I slipped my arms around his middle. There may not be a "later" when we would be theoretically ready and I did not want to have regrets.

Not about this. Not with him.

It was awkward, and messy, and probably not good.

It was perfect.

With a grin Draco went back to working on the cabinet. Without a shred of shyness a curled up on the carpet (which I fully intended to steal) and watched him. His sleeves were rolled up and once in a while he would stop to smile down at me.

"OK" he said finally "Let's give this a try!"

He put a green apple in the cabinet and when he opened it there was a bite taken out of it! We danced around!

"OK, now we have to find out if living things can go through it so that no one dies." Wow… that is a really weird thing to say… I am now NOT wishing the death of Death Eaters?

Shouldn't I at least be wishing the death of his creepy Aunt? It seems like that should be a fair trade.

"Right… avis!" Draco conjured birds and caged them.

"Well… that should do it." The birds avis conjured brings them, it doesn't magically create them, they are actually birds, so if they survive so should any other living creature, even presumably something as awful as a Death Eater.

It took another two weeks of work before we were able to get living birds back and forth. The last one came with a message. It was a date and time. This was happening.

"Alright" Draco said reading the note "When this happens… I need you to be nowhere near me…"

"WHAT?! How can you say that after everything we just…" he interrupted me.

"Because of everything we just did. What if…" He placed a hand on my belly making me blush "I want you safe. And I want you to keep the others safe."

I reluctantly agreed but I knew my contraceptive spell was spot on. I was not likely to have become pregnant.