Chapter 20

(Ellie POV)

It had now been a couple of weeks since she had left and Ellie sat at the dining table in number 12 Grimmauld Place. They were no closer to figuring out what Gwydion's misguide was used for, there had been no breakthroughs on the contract and now Ellie was getting frustrated. Blaise and Draco had visited the day after she left and had brought the terrible news that they hadn't been able to find anything in any of the books in Draco's library. As disappointed as she was, she had invited them to stay for the Order of the Phoenix meeting, an invitation they couldn't say no to, so, they complied. She recalled the meeting. It hadn't gone so well.

She checked the names off the list as each person came through the door and sat down; Harry, Ginny, Ron, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Fred (Again not dead here), George, Neville, Luna, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn, Hagrid, Minister Shacklebolt, Blaise, Draco…two new names appeared as they walked in the door; Hannah Abbott and Seamus Finnegan. Smiling at them all and checking her own name off the list, she sat down next to Blaise up near the head of the table.

'What the hell is Draco sodding Malfoy doing here?' Seamus called out, rising from his seat and pointing a finger at him.

'Seamus, sit down, Draco has taken the oath to the order.' Harry said and Seamus sat down. 'Right. Let's get down to it. I've called you here today because there is a new danger. The escaped death eaters. Now the auror department is doing their best in capturing these escapees, however there has been no such luck. I'm sure you have heard what their motives are, to create a pureblood wizarding world. Kingsley could you give us a rundown of what we have so far please?'

'So far, there has been a death toll of one muggle and one muggleborn, one sighting in Worthing where Dolohov was seen obtaining Gwydion's Misguide; a potential weapon against us. Another possible sighting last night near Wiltshire. Wizard welfare checks have all been completed and safety precautions have been taken across ten countries; England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Poland. We have reached out to all other countries…'

'I'm sorry to interrupt Minister sir…but did you just say Gwydion's Misguide?' Hagrid asked.

'Yes, I did Hagrid. Do you know anything about it?' Kingsley replied.

'Ah no. But some bloke came a asking for it in the Hogs Head the other day when me and Professor Slughorn here were having a drink. I just thought he was a peddler man. He didn't look like a death eater.' Hagrid said.

'Could you please tell us anymore about the man, Hagrid?' Ellie asked with some murmured agreement from around her.

'Well, he was blond. A bit like Mr. Malfoy here actually.'

'I knew it. He's a bloody spy.' Ron shouted and stood up.

'Ronald, sit down. You're causing a scene.' Mrs. Weasley said, pulling her son down into his seat.

'I should not have said that.' Hagrid mumbled in the background. 'I should not have said that.'

'No. Come on, why is everyone ignoring the fact that Malfoy is in the god damn room? He's a death eater. He let the death eaters into Hogwarts, he was ordered to kill Dumbledore. Why the bloody hell should we trust him? While we are at it, why is Zabini here too? He's a Slytherin.

'Ronald. THAT'S ENOUGH.' Ellie yelled at him.

'Yeah mate, sit down.' Fred said.

'You're making us look like idiots.' George added.

'I WILL NOT HAVE MY BROTHER INSULTED BY YOU. NOR HIS BEST FRIEND. BLAISE AND DRACO ARE COMMITTED TO OUR SIDE. THE LIGHT SIDE. NONE OF THEM WOULD EVER DO ANYTHING TO BETRAY US. BETRAY ME.' Ellie continued.

'They've brainwashed her. Where's the proof?' Ron asked.

'You want proof Weaselbee? I took the fucking oath. If I do anything that remotely sabotages you, I will suffer, most likely die. Besides I've been in Italy up until today.' Draco yelled.

'I can vouch for that.' Blaise and Ellie said at the same time.

'Ronald Weasley, listen to everyone and sit down or I will not hesitate to put you in detention for the first week of term.' Professor McGonagall commanded and so Ron sat down. 'Good. Now if you would please kindly continue Hagrid.'

'Ah yeh as I was saying, the man had blond hair and was about yay high but I can safely say that it was not Mr. Malfoy. Slughorn, do you agree?'

'What? Oh yes. It was not Draco.' Slughorn said dozily.

'Ok. So, what did the man do?' Neville asked.

'Well, he got paranoid when he looked at us and ran out the door.' Slughorn replied.

'Oh yes. The man asked the bartender about the Gwy…Gy…Gywdiun's Misguide and the bartender didn't know anything and then he began looking around agitated like and then he saw us and ran out the door.' Hagrid agreed.

'It was very peculiar indeed.' Slughorn mused.

'So zwat tis dis Gwydionz Mizguide?' Fleur asked. (ATTEMPT AT HER ACCENT, SORRY).

'Phlegm.' Ginny whispered under her breath and was swatted on the shoulder by her father.

'Well, we believe it is a mirror of some sort that has some magical ability but we are unsure as to what it is yet.' Harry said.

'So, like the Mirror of Erised?' Luna asked, dreamily.

'Well, uh. We can't answer that.'

'But if the death eaters have it, then it must be dark?' Professor Sprout asked.

'Or charmed or hexed to behave that way.' Flitwick added.

'We don't actually know. We haven't been able to find anything.' Harry said.

'Draco and I searched the Malfoy Manor library today but found nothing.' Blaise explained. 'We figured well Ellie thought that we might be able to find something there. But nothing.'

'So, what should we do in the meantime Harry?' A little voice in the corner spoke and everyone's heads turned to Hannah.

'Well Hannah. We need to be on our toes. Mundungus is already in Sussex. Diggle is in Wales. The Weasleys can keep an eye on Devon. Professors keep an eye on Hogsmeade and surrounding towns or just Scotland in general, Bill and Fleur can keep an eye on Cornwall. Let's see, Hannah and Neville can keep an eye out in Godric's Hollow and Seamus and Luna in Ireland until school goes back. Then we will get some aurors to take over. Luna you moved to Ireland recently, right?'

'Oh yes. I wanted to catch a pygmy porlock…' Luna drifted off.

'Hah. They're nothing but a fable, Luna.' Seamus replied, to which he gained a glare.

'Alright moving on. Charlie. Romania please. Blaise. Italy. Malfoy. Wiltshire…'

'Uh Potter. Can I speak to you and Ellie for a moment?' Draco said and pulled the two of them to the side.

'What's up, Malfoy?' Harry asked.

'I do not want to go home right now.' Draco half-heartedly explained.

'Why?' Harry enquired. 'Having you spy on your father is the best chance we have in capturing these people.'

'Harry. Draco's life will be in danger if he goes home. His father beats him until he is near death.' Ellie explained.

'But…' Harry argued.

'No buts Potter. I can't do it.' He said.

'Ok. Italy then, Malfoy.' Harry said loud enough for everyone to hear.

'What about me, Harry?' Ron asked.

'Kingsley, you and I, along with the auror department will patrol the rest.'

'You missed Ellie.' Neville stated.

'I'm order headquarters. I am on research duties.' Ellie answered. Ellie faked a smile, seriously annoyed that she was a shut in. But it was dangerous for her to be anywhere now, she understood that much. But she had lost so much of her freedom by doing so. She felt someone's hand clasp hers under the table and she looked down to see Draco's hand over hers. Looking up into his eyes, she noticed his smirk. Although it wasn't really a smirk. It was more a reassuring smile. She returned his smile before turning back to Harry, Draco's hand never leaving hers.

'And before you all go, I need all of you to do some research. Find out what this misguide is. We need to know what it is, to be able to stop it.' Harry asked of them. 'Oh, and one last thing. Theo Nott and Daphne Greengrass have access to the headquarters. They've provided us with some prophecies relating to this event. However, Daphne has sustained various injuries in relation to giving the prophecy and will be detained for an unknown period of time.'

'What are the prophecies, Harry?' Arthur asked.

'Well…Ellie? Blaise? Care to elaborate?' Harry said. Draco's hand suddenly left hers and she tried to not feel disappointed at the loss of contact.

'Uh well, the first is a lion and snake would be bonded by blood, where buds bloom after a flood. However, a rose without thorns would be no quest as a heart without love beats not against a chest.' Blaise said.

'And the second?' Charlie asked.

'The second is it was once foretold that a lion and snake would be bonded by blood; their power is strong enough in adversity. In new visions, I see two others who should join the fight. They fight for love. They fight for justice. Together, they stand as four roses from different walks of life. Power…, Strength…, Bravery…, Intelligence…From strength to strength, these four will go, but all roses must learn there are thorns to be trimmed.' Ellie said.

'Well, obviously the two others are me and Harry.' Ron stated.

'Not necessarily, Ron.' Ginny replied. 'It could mean anyone.'

'Miss Zabini, who do you believe are the other two?' Professor McGonagall asked with a hint of knowing in her eyes.

'Well, I'm not sure who the second one is but I believe one is Draco.' She said. One gruff laugh rang out amongst the room and all heads turned towards the person.

'I'm sorry. Malfoy? Now we're getting ridiculous here. He's a death eater.' Ron laughed.

'RONALD WEASLEY. That is enough or I will make you live in the attic with the poltergeist. Sorry Ellie dear. Please continue.' Molly said.

'Bloody hell. You're not on his side, are you? Remember who he fought for in the war, remember what he did…' Harry grabbed his shoulder.

'Ron. I think it is best you leave.' He said.

'What? No bloody way, Harry. What the hell is going on here?' Ron was getting redder and more upset by the second. Harry looked to Molly and Arthur in desperation. They nodded and picked him up and carted him towards the floo, kicking and screaming.

'Oh for Merlin's sake.' Fred cried.

'Ickle Ronniekins our little brother.' George replied.

'Is a moron.' They said together.

'Nowz zat Ronald is out of ze way. Zwat are zwe going to do about ze prophecy?' Fleur asked.

'I second that.' Bill replied. 'We don't exactly know who we should be protecting here if the prophecy is about a fight.'

'Well. We know one thing with absolute certainty. Blaise and Ellie are the original two.' Harry said.

'And what do we do otherwise?' Seamus piped up.

'Go about your other orders as told. We have to let fate run it's course.' Harry replied. 'If there are any more questions, don't hesitate to ask but as of now this meeting is adjourned.' Harry walked over to Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn and began to chat. Ellie just sat and stared off into space. She wasn't sure what she was doing with herself. Why didn't she stand up to Ron the second time? Ugh, she was so off her game.

'Are you ok, Ellie?' She heard Draco's voice whisper into her ear. She shivered at the warmth of his breath. 'You seem a bit put out.'

'Yeah fine.' She faked a smile and stood to leave the room with a vacant expression.

'Uh. I'm just going to go and check on her.' She heard Blaise reassure Draco as she left the room.

(Outside)

He had found her on the top stair of the staircase, wrapping herself into a cocoon. Sitting down next to her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

'Hey. Tell me what's wrong?' He whispered.

'I don't know.' She replied. 'I thought Ron was my friend but ever since he found out that I'm a Zabini, well…he just seems to be reverting back to his childhood grudges. He can't seem to accept that people can change. You never know what is going on behind closed doors. But what gets me is that I couldn't fight him. I just had no strength.'

'I know how you feel. He was attacking my best friend. Look, if it's any consolation, no one else seems to believe what he does.' He replied.

'I suppose you're right, Blaise.' She sighed. 'But I still feel useless for not standing up against him.'

'Look. Ron is the thickest guy I know. It will take a while for him to come around. You standing up to him wouldn't have helped anything so stop beating yourself up over it. Alright?' He paused to see her smile weakly and give a tiny nod before asking his burning question. 'Why did you lie to Draco?'

'What do you mean?' She replied.

'You said you were fine when you weren't.' He explained, looking down at her with concern.

'Oh. I don't know. Just force of habit I suppose.' She replied, unsure of the reason. He nodded in acceptance of her answer and allowed her to move closer into his embrace. They watched as everyone began to leave from their top step.

'I missed you at home last night. We all did. Even the elves said something about it this morning.' He uttered as they saw the last to leave; the professors, enter the hallway.

'I missed being there too. But hey, we only have a month before we go back to school now.' She replied.

'Oh shit. Yeah, we do, don't we? When do you reckon, we'll get our letters?'

'Probably in the next week or so. I wonder how I'll get all my school shopping done.' She tacked on the end.

'Oh. Well Draco and I can get your stuff for you and bring it here.' Blaise offered. 'As I understand it, Harry isn't going to let you go roaming the streets anymore. I'm sorry about that. Oh I forgot…' He pulled out her leather-bound journal they had bought in Florence and handed it to her. 'You forgot this.'

'Oh. You would do that for me? Thanks so much. You didn't read it did you?' She asked.

'No. I figured if you wanted to tell me something you would. Besides, I don't think we have any secrets from each other.'

Well there is one, involving a certain blond-haired man downstairs.

'Alright. Well thank you. Have you written in yours yet?'

'Yes. Every night.' He replied.

The sound of Harry and Draco talking approached them as they emerged from the dining room. Both men's eyes gravitated towards the siblings nestled against each other on the staircase. Harry looked beside himself whereas Draco looked nonchalant.

'We'll continue this talk later, Malfoy.' Harry said with a firm nod of reply. 'Ellie. I'm so sorry about Ron. I don't know what has gotten into him. He hasn't been the same since the war. I'm actually a little concerned about it.'

'What do you mean? You think he's gone mad?' Ellie replied.

'Well?...Honestly, I don't know. Perhaps we should keep an eye on him. He seems a bit on edge.' Harry replied.

'On edge is a bit of an understatement Potter. The bloke followed me around The Leaky Cauldron the other night because he believed what the tabloids said about Ellie and I being a couple.' Draco scoffed. 'Who believes anything the Prophet prints anyway?'

'Do you think he'll do something stupid?' Blaise queried.

'Well I have no idea how mentally unstable he is. We all saw things during the war that we shouldn't have seen. There was a period of time where Ron left Ellie and I and he went out on his own. He told us a little of what happened but I don't think he told us the whole story. Judging by the way he is reacting to all this news; it can't be good.'

'You don't think he could end up in the middle of something dangerous, do you?' Ellie enquired.

'This is Ron we are talking about. He'd never do anything to betray his family. I just think he might have some wounds to work through but hasn't had the chance.' He replied.

'Did Kingsley say anything more on the death eater sightings?' Ellie asked, trying the change the subject.

'Nothing as far as the sighting from last night. Malfoy, are you sure you can't go home?' Harry asked.

For the first time in her life, she saw Draco openly look conflicted. He shifted gingerly from one foot to another and closed his eyes. She watched as he swallowed deeply but took a calming breath. She assumed his heartrate was pounding wildly, judging by his appearance. When he opened his eyes a moment later, he looked more determined than ever.

'I can't believe I'm doing this but I don't want to be a coward anymore.' He swallowed deeply again. 'I will return to Malfoy Manor.' He said finally. 'Been hanging around bloody Gryffindors for too long, I'm going soft.' Ellie smirked but stood up and walked down the stairs to him.

'There is nothing wrong with being brave, Draco.' She said. 'Being brave doesn't make you soft. It makes you stronger. Just look at Harry. There were times where he was close to death but he was brave enough to overcome them.' Blaise and Harry stood against the railing with their eyebrows raised, unsure of where this was going. She turned towards them realising what she needed to say to him, needed to be done in private. So, she took his hand as he blushed under the contact and pulled him into the nearest room which happened to be the room with all the Black family tree on the walls, closing the door behind them on the way in. She dropped his burning skin and looked him straight in the eye. 'You are braver than you think, Draco. When your aunt attacked me in the drawing room, I saw it. You could have said something. You could have stopped it. But you didn't because if you did, we would have both died and the world would be worse off. You were brave enough to say nothing. I saw the pain behind your eyes. You wanted to stop it so badly, that you were trembling.' His eyes were unwavering from her gaze. 'When Lord Voldemort chose you to murder Dumbledore and you disarmed him in the astronomy tower, you didn't go through with it.' She said.

'But that was an act of cowardice.' He interrupted.

'No. It wasn't. It was an act of bravery. You stood up for what you believed in. You lowered your wand because you knew killing was wrong. You were brave enough to lower your wand even though you knew the consequences that would befall you for failing. That is bravery, Draco. You're not a coward. You've been acting in bravery all this time but unaware of it. Being brave is not about saving the world. It is about standing up against the things you are uncomfortable in doing.' She finished and she began to observe his face. A multitude of emotions crossed his face; confusion, disbelief, understanding and before she could realise what the last one was, he closed the distance between them and placed his lips gently on hers. She nearly cried out in shock but then realised how good his lips felt against hers and she melted into his embrace. Reaching her hands up to thread her fingers in his hair, she closed her eyes and revelled in the warmth of his body against hers. It was a dream that she never wanted to wake up from. She moaned softly in appreciation which made him kiss her deeper. Feeling his tongue reach out to her lips, she permitted him entry, setting her whole body on fire. He moaned in gratitude and went about kissing her so fully and intently she thought she was the only woman left on Earth. Tangling her hands in his soft, blond locks; he pulled her in tighter towards him and she could feel his longing in between her thighs. It made her feel wanted and appreciated. Much more so, than when she had been with Viktor or Ron. As much as she wanted more, she knew it was wrong to be doing this. Even if it felt so right. After another minute, she reluctantly pulled back and looked into his eyes. A look of hurt or maybe regret clouded them. She could still feel the tingle from where his lips were a moment ago. Neither of them said anything. They stood there awkwardly in each other's arms, blushing from their intimacy. Ellie then cleared her throat.

'So, that just happened.' She said, still blushing from the memory.

'I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me.' He replied sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

'Don't apologise Draco.' She answered. 'I actually quite enjoyed it.' She added under her breath but it didn't go unnoticed by him. He smirked.

'Well, I quite enjoyed it too.' He replied, with a slight smile.

'So, um. Should we let go of each other now?' She asked.

'Oh yeah. Sorry.' He let go of her and they moved apart slightly. 'So, um…what now?'

'What do you mean?' She raised an eyebrow. 'It was just a kiss.'

'Just a kiss? You've got to be kidding me Ellie.' Draco scoffed.

'Alright. It was an amazing kiss but it doesn't change anything.' Ellie replied. 'You have a marriage contract to break and we're both not looking for a relationship…' She trailed off.

'Oh, yeah of course. We're still friends though, right?' He replied and looked away.

'Of course, we're still friends.' She extended her hand for him to shake and when he did, they both felt the burn and blushed and turned away. 'I'm proud of you for putting your fear aside and going home.' She said eventually. 'It will be a huge step in finding these death eaters and returning them to where they belong. But please be careful. Blaise would die if he were to lose his best friend.'

He wouldn't be the only one.

'Thanks Ellie. It means a lot. I promise I'll…'

'Excuse me? You two walked away without even saying anything to us.' Harry barged into the room followed by Blaise.

'Try.' Draco finished and turned to the intruders.

'Seriously Ellie. So rude.' Blaise said mockingly and came over to wrap his arm around his sister's shoulders. 'What are you two crazy kids up to anyway?' He asked. Ellie and Draco looked at each other, blushed and smirked before answering. Blaise quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

'Just talking about Draco's impending marriage to Astoria.' Ellie lied.

'Oh, and are you any closer to figuring it out?' He asked.

Ellie's flashback ended, her cheeks flushed from reliving that kiss that she and Draco had shared. She definitely knew she had feelings for him now but couldn't act upon them. There was just too much going on in their lives to get involved. But now, it made her even more determined to release him from his contract. It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon and she was pouring over the contract again, stopping every so often to write little notes. Nothing she had written down so far was very helpful though which was frustrating. She had maxed out the Black library for books on magical artefacts to find Gwydion's Misguide as well but had found absolutely nothing. It was as if the existence of the artefact was stuff of legend. Draco had returned home and had been writing her updates everyday under an alias. However, most had a sombre theme. His father had continued to beat him up and he had been placed under house arrest much to his dislike. The one bright point was that their letters gave them some comfort that they weren't alone. Harry left her alone in the house most days whilst he went to work with the aurors and Ginny had returned home to do some damage control. It was nice knowing that someone else felt her pain. When they had received their Hogwarts letters, she had gained the head girl position and that made her feel overjoyed. So much so, that she had written to Draco straight away. His reply had come quickly and he admitted he had the head boy position as well, meaning they would share a dormitory this year. Blaise had taken her extensive book and supply list and had purchased every item she needed and delivered them to her. He visited often but they only spent a couple of hours together as he couldn't abandon his post for long in case something happened. Theo had stopped by once as well and told her that Daphne was recovering well, her consciousness was getting better every day. She was glad that she was being kept in the loop even though she was under house arrest.

Unfortunately, Ron had yet to apologize for his outburst at the order meeting. Fred and George had written and told her that he had been scolded for days and had been given an extensive list of chores by Molly. There had been some involvement of gnome tossing and he had been relocated to the attic with the poltergeist. He had been more reserved in his opinions lately and hardly ever spoke. When asked about apologizing however, he dead right refused. She had sighed in resignation that her friend may never forgive and forget.

Her stomach growled and she sighed. She was getting nowhere here so she had might as well go and get herself something to eat. She thought about calling Kreacher but chose against it. The house elf was extremely prejudiced still and she didn't like using them, even if she were lazy. So, she made her way down the creaky hallways of number 12 Grimmauld Place towards the kitchen. Reaching the kitchen, she was grateful that it was absent of the elf. Going to the pantry, she pulled out a pink lady apple and went and sat at the table. A sudden draft made her shiver and she pulled her wand out to light the fire. She sat back against the chair and absorbed the warmth it gave her. When she finished her apple, she decided to make a cup of tea. She boiled some water and poured it into a cup with a tea bag, taking it back over to the fire to sit and absorb the warmth some more. Taking a sip and looking around, she saw her abandoned packages that Blaise had delivered to her earlier that day. Sighing she went over and unwrapped them one by one until they all lay open in front of her. Usually school supplies made her jump with joy but that day she just felt nothing. Maybe because she was deflated from not being able to find anything. She didn't really know. She took one last look at them and then went back to her spot in front of the fire.

Twenty minutes later and her tea was finished, the whoosh of the fireplace in the dining room alerted her to someone's arrival. Hurrying to see who the intruder was, she stopped dead in her tracks as she entered the room.

'Daphne? What the hell are you doing here? What's wrong? Where's Theo?' She asked, rushing to help the struggling girl into a seat.

'Calm down, Ellie. I'm fine. Just a little winded. Nothing is wrong. Theo and Blaise went to investigate something dodgy in Milan. But I needed to see you.' She said.

'Me? Why? You're supposed to be resting.' Ellie replied.

'I'm well aware of that but since when do Slytherins listen to the rules?' Daphne replied and Ellie admitted that the girl did have a point.

'Fair point. What can I do for you Daphne?' Ellie asked.

'I know it's not very Slytherin like, but I need to apologize to you for everything. For keeping everything from you. It wasn't fair on you or Blaise. Or anyone for that matter. But there are certain rules that have to be obeyed and it was out of my control.' She explained. 'I want us to have no secrets Ellie. I want us to be friends.'

'We are friends Daphne. I'm sorry I went off at you for keeping things from me.' Ellie replied. Daphne weakly hugged her. 'Daphne. When did you regain consciousness?'

'Uh. Well. Last night.' The girl said sheepishly.

'Couldn't this have waited until you were well enough?' Ellie asked, concern evident on her face.

'Well. It could have. But I get bored easily.' Daphne explained. 'I'm sorry but do you have anything to eat, I'm starving?' She asked. Ellie laughed and got up and went to the pantry and pulled out some bread and then went to the refrigerator and pulled out some salad and made her a sandwich. Returning to the room and setting the plate in front of the girl, she ate in a rather unladylike fashion.

'Thank you.' She said in between mouthfuls.

'You're welcome.' Ellie replied.

When the girl was done, she turned to Ellie with a serious look on her face. 'So, what's been happening since I was gone?'

'Well. You've missed a fair bit I suppose. The prophecies are about pureblood supremacy. Theo thinks the second part is about Isobel and Draco. Death eaters killed a muggle man and a muggleborn woman. They have an artefact called Gwydion's Misguide which is like a mirror wrapped in aluminium foiling. We had an order meeting. Ron isn't speaking to me. Everyone is on lookout for death eater activity. I'm under house arrest. Draco is under house arrest. Draco and I kissed…' she covered her mouth realising her mistake.

'WHAT? You and Draco kissed! When? Why? Was it any good?' She asked. Ellie blushed but figured she had to tell the girl now. The secret was out of the bag.

'After the order meeting. I gave him a lecture on how he wasn't a coward merely brave and he kind of just kissed me.' She explained.

'And?' Daphne asked.

'Merlin.' She let out and Daphne squealed.

'That good? So, are you two a thing now? What about his marriage to Astoria?' She asked.

'No. We aren't a thing. We're just friends. But we are still trying to break this contract.' Ellie explained. This was getting more awkward by the second.

'But do you have feelings for him?' Daphne quirked her eyebrow at her. Should Ellie tell her? Well, she had no reason not to trust her. The girl had proven her trustworthiness by prophesising about her after all.

'Yes. I think I do.' Ellie admitted and blushed even redder, whilst Daphne squealed again.

'Does he know? Do you want to be with him?' She asked.

'No, he doesn't know. I would like to give whatever this is a go but it can't happen Daph.'

'And why not?' She asked. 'You two are practically made for each other.'

'Hah. I don't know about that Daph. There is just too much going on in our lives and what if we can't break the contract? My heart will be broken.' She explained.

'Aw Ellie. Fair enough. I can try and help you guys break the contract if you need me to.' Daphne offered.

'Maybe. But not today. You've had too much go on lately.' Ellie stated firmly.

'Good point. Anyway, do you mind if I crash in a bedroom for a bit? I'm still not one hundred percent.' Daphne asked. Ellie nodded and assisted the girl up the stairs to a bedroom where she fell asleep near immediately. She stood and watched Daphne sleep contentedly for a moment before she tiptoed out of the room and down the hall again.

Finding her abandoned school supplies, she decided she had better put them away before Harry got home. After struggling up the stairs and dumping them into her trunk, she went back to the contract.

89. The male party has all rights to female party's possessions from the commencement of the marriage, however, female party will not under any circumstances apart from death be allowed access to valuable possessions.

90. However, in the case of children, the female party may be allowed access for their monetary purposes but only if granted so by the male party.

How archaic. Female submits to man. Draco had better watch out if he didn't get out of this, Astoria would think of some loophole around that.

91. In the case of irreconcilable argument, both parties must approach guidance counsellor or parental input for advice. However, both parties must maintain pride and be dignified, thereby meaning neither party should seek advice from friend, colleague or acquaintance.

She snorted in a very unladylike way. Guidance counselling? She could burst out laughing. She couldn't see Astoria or Draco going to guidance counselling. But she supposed due to their pureblood beliefs, 'no pureblood shall show strain in public' or whatever.

92. The female party has no right to call out the male party's abuse whether it be mental or physical. Subsequently, any children forfeit the same right.

Shit. Did Lucius and Narcissa have a similar agreement? Was that why Draco wasn't allowed to fight his father? That was horrible. Now she was feeling even more sorry for Draco's upbringing.

93. Divorce is strictly prohibited. Subject to clause 4.

She turned to clause 4.

Clause 4. In the extreme and unlikely situation where the male party physically cannot carry out rule 2, female party has all rights to divorce male party.

She turned to rule 2 again.

2. Female and male party must produce at least one heir, one year into marriage.

Bingo. She found it. The loophole to the clause. Draco needed to be sterile for them not to be married. But what were the consequences for a Malfoy man who was sterile? Would Draco be punished for being physically incapable? Was there a way to make him sterile temporarily just to get him out of a loveless marriage? She had no idea. Maybe she should try and find another way out. She noted down the rules and the clause on her parchment and kept reading, hoping she would find another way out of this situation.

She had no idea how long she had been working because the next time she looked up, Daphne entered the room again. She yawned and stretched and came over and sat beside her.

'So. How's this going?' Daphne took the thick stack of parchment from her and placed it on the table in front of them.

'Not so great. How was your sleep?' Ellie replied, not even bothering to fight her when she took the parchment from her, she needed a break.

'Restful. Now, tell me more about this artefact that the death eaters have.' She demanded.

'Well. Gwydion's Misguide is some sort of mirror wrapped in aluminium foil that has dark magic.' She said. 'Dolohov killed two people just to obtain it from their garbage bin.' She explained. 'However, no literature bar one has given us any insight into what it's use may be.'

'Hmm. Gwydion's Misguide you said. I've heard of it before. My father actually mentioned it in passing before he disowned me. Let's see if I can remember what he said.' She paused and thought. 'No. I can't remember it, sorry but he was reading it under his breath in a book. In our library. Perhaps the book is still there.' Daphne replied. Ellie couldn't believe it. The first lead in weeks.

'Daphne. That's brilliant. We must tell Harry right away.' Ellie said excitedly and stood up, walking towards a desk to pen a letter to Harry. His new owl, Opal, a marvellous black screech owl with dark opal-like coloured streaks through her feathers sat beside her.

'Well. I can't guarantee anything but I hope it helps.' Daphne replied and stood behind her.

Henry,
I simply have the most marvellous news. Daisy and I can't wait to share it with you. Please come home as soon as you read this.
Erin

'Daisy? Merlin's beard. Is that really my alias? Couldn't you have picked something a little more…I don't know less cow like?' Daphne asked, gagging at the name and scrunching up her face. Ellie just laughed.

'Sorry, Daph. Harry picked them whilst you were in a coma. You weren't the worst one though. Ron got Weatherby. He hated it when Slughorn called him that. Harry wanted to have a joke but for some reason it stuck. Let's just say he was less than pleased.' Both girls laughed.

'What did Draco, Blaise and Theo get?' Daphne asked after they had calmed down.

'Damien, Benjamin, Trent.' Ellie replied.

'Gods. I hate how everything is being intercepted these days.' Daphne complained and went and sat down again as Ellie attached the letter to Opal's leg and sent her out.

'I agree. I'm actually surprised the code is working though. You would think they would figure out that the people writing these letters are under alias. But apparently not.' Ellie explained out loud, re-joining Daphne on the lounge.

'So, tell me about my prophecy.' Daphne said.

Ellie began to explain every little detail of the prophecy, who Theo believed the people were and who she thought they were. Then she told her about Ron and how he flipped and hadn't apologized. Daphne was a great listener. She absorbed all the information and asked the right questions and before long the familiar whoosh of the fireplace roared.

'ELLIE. Where are you?' Harry called.

'In the library.' She called back as she heard footsteps running up the stairs to where the two girls were sitting. As he entered the room, they looked over to him.

'So, you're awake. What's the good news?' He asked.

'How observant Harry. We may have a lead into the Gwydion's misguide mystery. My father read it in one of the books in the library at Greengrass Manor.' She explained.

'She believes the book may still be there.' Ellie added.

'That's brilliant. But how do we get access to it?' He asked. 'I'm sorry. But seeing as you were disowned, I'm assuming your family will have restrictions on your access to the estate.' He turned to Daphne. 'I can't get a search warrant without good reason either.' They sat for another minute before Ellie and Daphne sat up at the same time.

'DRACO!' They shouted in unison.

WELL...until next time Zozo :)