AN: I'm not going to lie, Aoibheann might be my favorite OC right now. Her name is pronounced "Eve + een" and she's just so full of surprises! We'll be meeting her brother soon and be getting a little closer to dear old Lucius's plans. I hope you guys like this chapter! I know things are getting pretty AU out here, but this story is running away from me. I blame my muse. She said flower crowns and mysteries so I delivered. Thank you all for your love and support! I value every one of you and your reviews 3 As always, let me know what you think!

-..-

After a quick stop at the Ministry, Harry and Draco used an approved portkey to the area in Galway that Maeve and told them Aoibheann might be. They landed in the middle of a rainstorm, much to Draco's loud protests, and swiftly made their way into town. To the muggle eye Inishmaan was a small, rocky island with little to offer beyond historical sites and ocean views. With a population of under two-hundred, it had been easy to disguise a wizard town as empty farmland. Even with the help of magic it was an exceptionally small town by wizard standards. Draco scoffed, probably even too small for a name.

His attitude swiftly changed when they finally walked into the town. Every building looked ready to be painted onto canvas; every hand built stone wall and rolling green hill were beautifully picturesque. The lights from the windows looked like stars against the stormy sky, welcoming them in from the rain. Even in the cold wind and rain the town held a welcoming atmosphere of a home away from home. A town lost in time, a refuge for travelers, poets, and artists to recapture the essence of the world around them.

Harry spoke up interrupting Draco's thoughts. "We should probably find an inn so we can get out of this rain and start tomorrow with fresh eyes." Harry whipped his glasses on his robes and squinted against the rain. It seemed to be letting up.

Draco agreed, eager for a warm meal and a good night's sleep..

The town seemed entirely empty with it being so late at night. Draco was sure that in the daylight it was quaint, but the dark streets lit by moonlight and magic lanterns made him feel guilty for the sounds their feet made on the cobblestone. A cold wind blew in from the ocean and, although he pulled his coat tighter around him, Draco took a deep breath and basked in the salty, fresh air. Hermione would love it here, he thought. It was small and peaceful, and he was sure the people would be fascinating to her. She could people watch to her heart's content, tattoo each one of the people there, and read by the ocean.

"I think that's the inn ahead," Harry said. "In the morning we can ask around for Aoibheann."

Draco nodded in a agreement, and they made their way toward the inn. Thankfully, it was well-marked and not far down the street, so they were able to get out of the storm quickly.

Synge's Gaff was the epitome of cozy. The small inn which supposedly had once housed the renowned poet John Synge himself was wedged snuggly between the two buildings next to it. Although it looked like a strong gust could blow it over, the sturdy building held its own against the harsh wind. Warm light filtered out through the glass windows, and the faint aroma of baking bread wafted out into the street. The smoking chimney above beckoned the men in from the cold to find shelter in its stone walls. The inside was even more homely. A roaring fireplace and an intimately small sitting room had Harry and Draco instantly at ease; wrapped in the warmth of the room they could've fallen asleep at the counter if the innkeeper hadn't caught their attention.

"Evenin', lads," a thick Irish accent said from under an even thicker white mustache. "In need of a room to weather the storm?" His blue eyes were surrounded by wrinkles that gave away just how often he smiled. His short stature was no less commanding than a taller man would be, and his round spectacles hid none of the age and wisdom in his eyes. If Draco hadn't known better he'd think this was Dumbledore's long lost brother.

"Yes, sir," Harry answered while setting his bag down heavily at his feet. "Two rooms if you have them."

"Of course." The innkeeper reached under his desk and handed them each a brass key, both of which looked as old as the building itself. "We charge by the night, so stay as long as you like. Breakfast is served at sunup, but you're on your own for the other meals. And the name's Charlie if you be needing anything else."

They both thanked him and made their way up the rickety stairs to the rooms above. Harry muttered a quick 'goodnight' to which Draco gave a responding grunt before they both closed their bedroom doors and fell into their beds. They were both roused the next morning by the sunlight streaming through their bedroom windows and the smell of coffee wafting up the stairwell. The promise of a warm breakfast and good weather gave them a hopeful outcome for their day.

Draco rounded the bottom of the stairs and found Harry talking to the innkeeper at one of the breakfast tables by the fireplace. He walked up in time to hear Harry ask about Aoibheann.

"Aye, I know her," the innkeeper said with a small smile. "Sweet lass, always comes 'round this time of year. She'll be out by the ocean today; head straight out of town and down the path. You can't miss it." His eyes gave a slight twinkle as if enjoying a private joke. "She'll find you by the island's edge."

Harry seemed to miss the look in Charlie's eyes. He gave Draco a glance that seemed to say, 'Finally we're getting somewhere.' They both downed a mug of black coffee, grabbed their rucksacks, and left eager to start their search.

Their walk through town was even more beautiful than the night before. Though it wasn't bustling, the streets were still filled with the sounds of people startling their days. The sounds of a woman singing while doing her laundry, two men bartering at the fruit stand, and shop keeps opening up their stores for the day filled the air. Try as they might, Harry and Draco couldn't help but get distracted by the activity around them. They ended up stopping at the fruit stand to buy some fresh apples, and Draco gave in to the bookseller and bought a new potions book he'd never seen. The people of the town were friendly and seemed eager to talk to new comers, asking for news of where they were from and introducing themselves every chance they had. Draco immensely enjoyed himself when I young lady gave Harry a flower causing the poor man to blush a violent shade of red and mutter to himself about Ginny. Inishmaan quickly became a place that Draco knew he would have to return to for a longer stay and hopefully with Hermione.

Before long they made it to the end of the main street which faded from cobblestone to gravel as it stretched into the fields beyond the edge of town. They walked for a bit enjoying the warmth of the sun on their face and the sound of the ocean in the distance, thankful that the storm had moved past during the night. The gravel path wound around several grassy hills and farming fields before finally stopping near the rocky beach. Draco glanced up and down the stretch of land trying to decide which way they should start walking when he was startled by a voice behind him.

"I heard you were looking for me?"

Draco turned quickly to his left where he thought the voice had come from. No one was there. He turned back to Harry in confusion and asked, "Potter, did you hear that?"

A soft giggle answered him. "I'm over here!"

Harry nearly knocked into Draco he whirled around so quickly to look behind them. "Malfoy, look." He tapped his hand against Draco's shoulder and motioned for him to turn around.

Behind them, sitting primly atop a boulder, was a little girl. Her long, white blond hair was blowing gently in the wind and looked almost Malfoy-esque in color. Her bare feet and the flower crown perched crookedly on her head gave her a wild appearance which was only added to by grass stains and dirt that were smudged on her dress. Draco couldn't help but stare at her captivating eyes, a shade of gold that nearly glowed in the morning sun. She couldn't have been more than ten years old, but he couldn't see any sign of a family around her. Perhaps a town so small could trust children to wander the island safely.

The little girl cocked her head to the side and smiled at them, her eyes full of curiosity. "It's rude to stare, y'know."

Harry blinked quickly realizing he had in fact been staring at her. "I'm sorry," he said. "You're right. It is rude, but did you say we were looking for you?"

Smiling sweetly at them, she replied, "Yes, I did. My name is Aoibheann."

The men exchanged skeptical looks. "I don't believe you're the one we're looking for," Draco said. "You're far too young."

She grinned impishly at them. "I've been around much longer than you. Did Maeve send you? She always sends me the most interesting people. One time she even sent me a man from Spain. Can you imagine? He had the funniest way of talking. But Maeve hasn't sent anyone in a long time, so I was surprised when you came." She hardly seemed to breath between sentences. "That is why you've come, isn't it? Maeve? Please tell me you brought something interesting like a story or a pretty rock!"

The men glanced at each other, thoroughly sidetracked by the girl's babbling, before Harry stuttered out, "Um, yes, she uh. Maeve, yeah, she sent us to you."

Draco rolled his eyes. "We were told you were a creature expert and could use your help identifying something."

"Oh good!" She exclaimed in excitement while leaping off her rock. "Evie the Excellent at your service." She bowed dramatically nearly toppling the flower crown from her head. "Show me what you found!"

Harry pulled off his rucksack and gently set it on the ground. "It's inside the crate," he said cautiously while removing the wooden box and setting it on the ground. "I can describe it for you so you don't have to —"

He was cut off by Evie excitedly opening the crate. Both men scrambled for their wands to protect the girl from whatever the creature might attempt but any spell they might have said died on their tongues. Evie was speaking to it.

She spoke softly and gently to the crate like one would to a shy animal, easing her fingers to the edge of the wood so the shadow could move to rest in her palm. "Hello, little darling. What are you doing so far from home?"

The shadow wavered in her palm and let out a quiet tinkling sound like a small bell mixed with clicks and whispers. It created the most unsettling sound the men had ever heard, and yet Evie nodded along as if she could understand it.

"Well, we can't be having that can we?" She asked it, "Does he know you've left home and gone so far? He'll be very cross with you when he finds out."

If a shadow could look ashamed, this one did.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll understand," she said consolingly. "Go on home then, and I'll be there later tomorrow."

The men's protests were ignored as the shadow took to the air and swiftly vanished. Evie turned to them with a smile as if the entire exchanged hadn't been the strangest thing Harry and Draco had seen in a long while, and that was certainly saying something.

"Thank you for bringing it home. I can't imagine how it managed to get so terribly lost."

Draco shook his head disbelievingly. "What exactly was it, and why did you let it go?"

Evie frowned at him. "It was a pixie, and you had no right keeping it prisoner like that."

"A pixie?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Yes, and a very cross one at that!" She put her hands on her hips as if to scold them. "How would you feel if someone stuffed you in a box."

"But I've never seen a pixie like that," Harry said hesitantly, ignoring her attempt at lecturing them.

Evie huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, of course not. It's a moorish pixie."

As if that explained it.

"But why was it in Britain?" Draco asked.

Her frown became less angry and more concerned. "I'm not sure. They usually stay in Ireland, they like the moors and hidden places the best. I've never heard of them going that far. I can ask around though and see what I can find."

"We would appreciate that very much, thank you." Harry pulled out some spare parchment from his pack and scribbled down his Ministry office's address. "If you could send any information on pixies to this address, it would be vital to a case we're working on."

Evie took the paper and examined it curiously. "A case?"

"Yes," Harry paused to figure out how to explain their situation to a child.

"There are bad people using that pixie to communicate," Draco said. He squatted down in front of her so they could see eye-to-eye. "Anything you can tell us will help find out how to stop those bad men. It's very important work."

"Of course." She nodded gravely and tucked the paper carefully into a pocket of her dress. "My brother knows all there is to know about pixies. I'll have a whole book for you in no time!"

He smiled at her and brushed some of her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. He blinked hard but tried not to stare when he realized her hair was now tucked behind a delicately pointed ear. "I have no doubt. Thank you for your help, Evie the Excellent."

She giggled at the name. "You're welcome! But who are you?" She looked down at the ground and scuffed her toes against the dirt. "It was quite rude of me not to ask."

"That's alright, pixies are quite exciting I'm sure. My name is Draco Malfoy, and this," he braced himself for the usually overzealous response, "is Harry Potter."

Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. Out of the corner of his eye Draco could see Harry blush slightly and nearly rolled his eyes. The man should be used to his fame by now.

"Draco?" she said excitedly. "Like the star?"

He squinted at her in confusion. "Yes, I was named after it."

"Oh!" she exclaimed while clapping her hands. "I just love the stars! The selkies have been teaching me all about them this year. Muirgheal taught me which one was Draco just last night! To be named after a star," she said wistfully. "You must be special."

Draco heard Harry trying to smother his laughter behind him. "I'm nothing special, Evie. Not so special as you." He poked her on the nose causing her to giggle, and hopefully forget all this talk about special stars. "We have to go now, will you be alright on your own?"

She smiled impishly at him and rolled her eyes. "These are my islands, Draco. I'm safe as can be."

Shaking his head at such childish confidence, he smiled. "I'm sure you are. Thank you for your help." He stood to leave but was stopped when Evie grabbed his hand.

"Wait!" She pulled him back down to the ground in front of her. "I would like to give you a gift as a token for visiting me."

Draco tried to protest but she ignored him. Delicately removing the flower crown from her head, she placed it on his and smiled.

"Do you accept?"

He could feel the blush threatening to rise to his cheeks and fought the urge to grin widely at her. "I do."

"Then you may go. Well met, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. May your way be blessed and your journey swift.

—..—

Harry and Draco packed up that night and made arrangements to travel home the next morning. Both agreed it would be wise to return to Britain and regroup. Harry needed to catch up on paperwork, and Draco needed to return to Azkaban. Unfortunately, he was the only one that might be able to figure out what Lucius was planning and why a pixie had been in his cell.

Draco's packing was interrupted by the sound of the floorboards of his room creaking quietly behind him. He slowly eased his hand towards his pocket to retrieve his wand. The tips of his fingers were able to brush against it but were stopped by a blow to the back of his head.