Quick Note: Hello all! My updating schedule has been all over the place, and so has my writing schedule! I'm not as far ahead as I would like anymore, so my time between updates is going to be a little longer so I can buy myself some extra writing days! I always love hearing what you all are thinking, it definitely inspires a spark in me to find extra moments to keep pushing forward with this! Hope you enjoy!


Moving Narcissa to a different country was, surprisingly, the easy part of this transition. Moving Draco into Grimmauld Place proved to be an entirely different animal. Remus and Sirius had strategically placed Draco at the other end of the hallway from Eleanor so that either of them had to pass in front of all three occupied rooms before reaching each other. This was expected by both Eleanor and Draco. Another expected piece of this new puzzle was Harry hiding in his room while Remus and Sirius talked with Draco and Eleanor in the kitchen about the boundaries that needed to be set.

"I just don't fully see why Draco couldn't live at the Castle." Eleanor finally groaned after Remus stressed for the fourth time about how teenagers in love were harder to control.

"The closer we are, the better we can protect." Remus explained.

"We want to know whatever funny business is going on." Sirius emphasized. Draco seemed extremely on edge to be put under a microscope by two men who loved Eleanor very much. Darius would have never done this to him, but he would never dare say that to Eleanor.

"Harry is going to be very annoyed for the rest of the summer." Eleanor pointed out, knowing that Harry's comfort was very important to the two of them.

"Well, that means that the two of them are just going to have to learn to get along." Sirius shrugged. "Because he isn't going anywhere." His dark eyes bore into Draco, and the latter resisted the urge to shudder. While Draco knew that Sirius Black never killed Peter Pettigrew, there was something eerie and ruthless about the man who spent over a decade in Azkaban. It made him worry about his father. Draco knew he shouldn't give a damn about his father but despite all of the man's flaws he did raise him.

"Do you have any questions for us, Draco?" Remus asked. He was the gentler of the two, but he also wasn't thrilled at Draco living with them due to many factors. The shortlist being his Death Eater parents, his history with Harry, and his serious relationship with his daughter.

"Am I allowed to leave?" Draco asked with a bit of malice in his voice, more than he meant. Eleanor kicked him under the table. "I mean-" he cleared his throat, "to see my friends and all that."

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks. "Remember that you need to Floo from Eleanor's home so it is less traceable, your mother is on holiday on the coast to process her grief if anyone asks, and let someone know where you are and how long you will be there." Remus finally explained his conditions. Draco nodded in response. "This isn't prison, Draco. We aren't trying to be unreasonable, but it is unsafe for you and Eleanor to be roaming about. And once people realize your mother isn't coming back, they'll be asking questions and reporting your movements back to Voldemort. Our first priority is keeping you both safe."

"I'm grateful for your help." Draco said, though it was obvious when he said it that gratitude wasn't completely behind his words. He was grateful for the safety of his mother, and he felt as though the possibility of him becoming a Death Eater was lessening, but he felt the extra precautions were unnecessary and were just going to make it harder for him and Eleanor to be alone. Spending the summer bunked up with Harry Potter wasn't high on his list of desires.

"Are we excused?" Eleanor asked.

"He is." Sirius glanced at Draco. "We want to talk to you a bit more."

"You know I'll just tell him everything later." Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I surely hope you will. I, however, don't want to tell Draco what I'm about to tell you, so I would like him to finish making himself comfortable in his room." Sirius smiled tightly, Draco got up quickly and gave Remus and Sirius a nod and Eleanor's shoulder a quick squeeze before disappearing out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his new room.

"Please tell me this is not another talk about male desire because I really, really can't do another one of those." Eleanor shot them both a look.

Remus and Sirius both reddened slightly at her words and looked to each other to see who would be the first to speak.

"Darling," Remus started, "we love you very, very much. We know you have a good heart and that you're very smart. I know that you won't do anything to make this living situation … uncomfortable for the rest of us."

"Also, I can't say for certain, but I'm fairly sure my mother's portrait knows when someone is doing things they shouldn't be behind closed doors, and she will call it out." Sirius added.

"For the love of Merlin, Draco and I will not be having sex under this roof, is that clear enough for you." Eleanor snapped. Both Remus and Sirius nodded quickly.

"We wanted to talk to you about Harry." Remus started. "This transition isn't going to be easy on him. We were all living so well together and we don't want him to feel...forgotten or unloved with Draco here. We know it makes him uncomfortable and he wouldn't have agreed if it wasn't for your safety. So we just ask that you continue to spend time with him, and with us, and try to help Draco keep things civil between them."

"Is that really the big talk that you needed Draco out of the room for?" Eleanor clarified incredulously. "Of course I'm going to make sure the two don't try to kill each other and that our family dynamic stays relatively the same, but is family cohesion really on our top priority list with Voldemort literally trying to kill Draco's mother?"

Remus and Sirius shifted a little in their seats, exchanging glances, basically asking the other to go first.

"Well-" Sirius offered the floor to Remus.

"It has, uh, come to our attention...well, Sirius is the one who heard this-why don't you tell it?" Remus clapped his friends back.

Eleanor watched the two warily.

"We were informed that Draco has, erm, well, he's been with another girl at school." Sirius let out.

"Yes, he was dating someone else for a while during the time that we weren't talking. He and I have dealt with that." Eleanor nodded, hating that this was being brought up and already planning on killing Harry for telling them.

"Well it isn't the dating other girls that concerns us so much, it's the other thing." Remus continued on, looking at the table.

"What other thing?" Eleanor narrowed her eyes.

"We are concerned about the relations he had with this girl." Remus tried to elaborate. "We just want to make sure that everyone is being...safe."

"Oh for Merlin's sake, you want me to go to my boyfriend and ask if he used protection and then report back? Is that what you are asking?"

"In lesser words, yes." Sirius said. "You don't have to tell us the answer, but we would just like to spark a conversation about safety between the two of you that we are unsure if you have had."

"Hey," Eleanor snapped at them, causing both of their eyes to be on her and not on the bloody table or their laps. "Thank you for beating around the bush and making this situation as awkward as humanly possible. Let me take this opportunity to tell you that Draco and I have not had sex, not here, not at Hogwarts, not at either of our homes. I would also like to tell you that my parents had this conversation with me before and have given me all of the knowledge I might need, and I intend to use it when the time comes. So while I appreciate your consistent effort, please, I'm begging you, to stop talking about sex. Thank you." Eleanor pushed away from the table.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, equal parts ashamed and annoyed.

"To show Harry some sisterly affection for spreading my boyfriend's business around." Eleanor answered tightly.

She took the stairs two at a time and banged on Harry's door hard. He heard his muffled allowance for entry and swung the door.

"What the hell, Potter?" She demanded, crossing her arms and staring him down from where he sat on his bed.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"I get you hiding out here all day, I really do. I know it must be really hard for you to have Draco living here and I'm trying to make it easier on you both, I'm really trying. But having you tell Sirius and Remus about Bridget doesn't set an awesome tone for their relationship with him. Draco and I have worked everything out already, and I really didn't need to have Sirius and Remus try to give me another version of the sex talk again this week. You haven't had to sit through it, but let me tell you, it's very awkward."

"I didn't mean to have them talk about sex with you, Eleanor. I'm sorry, that's awful." Harry conceded with a bit of a chuckle, seeming as though he didn't really find it awful at all. "I just wanted them to know about Bridget because I know that situation really messed with you and, I don't know, I thought giving them a more clear idea of what happened this year might help them to help you."

Eleanor's anger depleted slightly, and she cracked a small smile at her friend looking out for her. "I appreciate your concern, Harry. But I really think there are some things that don't need to be shared with them."

"Okay, from here on out, it's us against them. I promise." Harry joked.

"Yeah, screw 'em." Eleanor nodded with a chuckle. "Harry, I really love being here with you all. I'm really happy living with you and Sirius and Remus. Happier than I've been in a really long time. I know you aren't Draco's biggest fan but I want things to go smoothly." Harry shot her a look of disbelief. "Well as smoothly as possible where you two are concerned."

"Have you told Malfoy that?" Harry wondered hotly.

Eleanor rolled her eyes at him. "You know, Harry, for the time being, I think Draco is really just happy to not have to fear becoming a Death Eater at every turn. This is a comfort I think you might have in common as you were very much worried about him becoming one. There might be some common ground for you two." Eleanor informed.

"There isn't any common ground between me and Malfoy." Harry stated blankly. "We won't get along, we have nothing in common."

Eleanor waited for a moment and looked Harry deep in the eyes to see if he was really serious. "Um, okay. Well, you're both Seekers, and you love Quidditch so there's at least one thing." She offered before leaving the room and continuing down the long hallway to see Draco.

Eleanor tapped on his door twice and waited for Draco's voice to float to her before opening the door. She smiled at him neatly folding his clothes in the dresser drawers and hanging things in the wardrobe. "Getting settled?" She asked lightly.

"As settled as I can with all of the changes." Draco responded, looking up from his crisp fold and shooting her a smile. Eleanor knew how on edge Draco must have been from all of the worries about his mother to living with people who were not his biggest fans. Eleanor was grateful for the sacrifice he had made to not follow in his father's footsteps and to keep both of them safe.

"Thank you," Eleanor walked over to him and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before wrapping her arms around his torso. "I know it's difficult, but this was the right thing."

"I know it was." Draco nodded. "I hope Mum will be happy in hiding. It will be a nice break for her, I think."

"I think so, too." Eleanor agreed. "It's far from any wizarding community, I think being distanced from all of it will do her some good."

"That sounds nice." Draco hummed lightly. "A break from it all."

"Next summer, once all of the craziness of the trial calms down, let's take a trip. We'll both be of age, we can go wherever we want." Eleanor smiled up at him.

"I'm there, love." He confirmed. "What was the talk about?" Eleanor frowned a little at the memory.

"Oh, they were worried that Harry was going to be uncomfortable and wanted to make sure you both were being civil." Eleanor answered. "Which I told them was going to happen, and I even reminded Harry of your mutual love of Quidditch." Draco cracked a tight smile, trying to be supportive. His issues with Harry went deeper than what a mutual interest of the same sport could heal, but he wasn't going to tell Eleanor that. "And they wanted to make sure that we were using protection when we do decide to have sex. That part was mortifying."

"They really think that we have no self control, don't they?" Draco laughed, giving a now blushing Eleanor a swift kiss on the forehead.

"Well if it were up to me…" Eleanor trailed, moving away from Draco's side and sitting on his bed. She made sure to pack him his sheets and blankets from home, though he said they weren't important. She wanted him to feel safe and comfortable and she was glad to see that he had decided to put them on his new bed.

"Who would have thought you would be the one needing the self control in this relationship." Draco laughed at her frustrated face. Merlin, it was hard for him to hold the illusion of self control; she was perfect. She blew him away every time he saw her and his love for her only grew by the day.

Eleanor huffed and a familiar, warm glow floated to her face as she thought about all of the things she would have liked to be doing with Draco. She respected his time to grow after what had transpired with Bridget, but she was starting to become afraid it was him not wanting to be with her. She glanced around the room, trying to see where Draco had made his mark on things. So far, he hadn't. There were no pictures or decorations, though there hadn't been much of that back home either. Eleanor just wanted him to feel as comfortable at Grimmauld Place as she did. Then someone caught her eye on the bedside table. It was a picture of them at Christmas the year before her parents died, they were sitting under the Cordarri Christmas tree with mugs in their hands, they were both laughing, they were happy there.

"Where did you find this picture?" Eleanor asked, smiling at the two of them caught laughing behind the frame.

"Mum found it for me, actually. She framed it too." Draco answered, sitting beside her on the bed. "I think it captures us at our best, laughing at Christmas."

Eleanor cracked a smile. "Christmas was always the best time of the year for us. We were so happy."

"We're happy now, right?" Draco pressed, grabbing her hand and searching her face for reassurance. Eleanor tore her eyes from the picture and looked at Draco.

"I'm happy now, are you?" Eleanor questioned, the sight of Draco's face filling her heart with overwhelming happiness.

"Despite the world falling to shit, I'm happy." Draco answered, giving her a swift kiss.

"Well, Draco, I regret to inform you that the world is about to get a lot shittier." Eleanor chuckled, falling back on the bed, tucked under Draco's arm. She would never get over the feeling of being close to him.

"I can only expect so." Draco chuckled. "But we're good."

"Yeah," Eleanor agreed. "We're good."


Breakfast the following morning was an incredibly awkward affair. Eleanor has made a large spread for everyone to enjoy in an attempt to bring about some civil conversation, but it remained quiet.

"Harry, are you looking forward to Quidditch this year?" Eleanor asked, trying to grasp desperately for some conversational common ground.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to not be banned from playing." Harry answered, shooting a pointed look at Draco.

"Likewise." Draco muttered, returning the slight glare back to Harry. Eleanor looked at Remus, begging him for a bit of backup, but his eyes remained on the eggs that his daughter had recently scrambled.

"The Harpies are looking good this year." Eleanor added, hopefully steering the conversation away from Hogwarts Quidditch as that might have been a touchy subject given the year the both of them had to take off.

"Enough about the Harpies." Draco groaned. "I understand you like them because of feminism or whatever but seriously, they aren't that good."

"'Feminism or whatever'?" Eleanor repeated with raised brows. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, they're women. That's awesome. It's a fully woman team, but giving them as much respect as you do is kind of overkill. They just are pretty average for a team." Draco continued. "I'm not against women teams, of course not, but we shouldn't give them more credit just because they are women, right? I'm judging them equally against other teams, and when equality is involved, they just aren't that good."

"Blasphemy!" Eleanor retorted loudly.

"I mean, comparing them to the Chudley Cannons, he's right." Harry put in quietly.

"Oh, you would." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "The Cannons lack any grace on the Pitch, it's embarrassing to watch!"

"But your all-woman team is known for their grace?" Draco asked jokingly. "Hmmm, seems like a stereotype to me." Eleanor felt a glimmer of hope at seeing Harry crack a small smile despite himself. "But the Cannons are an absolute joke. Their glory days are long behind them. Puddlemere United has been consistently at the top of the league, in this century too, which is important."

Eleanor let out an annoyed groan while Harry and Sirius scoffed. "Puddlemere?" They asked in disgusted unison. "That's such a snob team." Sirius huffed in annoyance.

Draco looked at Eleanor with wide eyes, expecting her to be offended on behalf of him, but she simply shrugged. "It's kind of snobby to only like a team that's doing well." She reasoned, taking a bite of toast.

"Is it really so bad that the team I like also does well?" Draco questioned.

"It feels hollow, like do you really love them, or do you just love the secondhand pride, you know?" Eleanor explained. Draco looked at her incredulously.

"I've always loved Puddlemere." He stated.

"And they've always done well. Just think about your reasons for liking them, that's all I'm saying." Eleanor conceded with humor in her voice. Draco felt odd. Conversations like this were fairly normal between the two of them, little heats and joking tones. They laughed together like this everyday. He felt exposed to have other people see it. His friendship and later relationship had always been private, something only he enjoyed, and something he enjoyed in relative secret. He selfishly wanted to keep her all to himself, and sometimes more than that, he didn't want anyone to see the wall she tore down in him.

But now Harry Potter had seen it, a glimmer of his softer self. The hard, cold, Malfoy exterior had a crack and it was Eleanor. It always had been and Draco hoped that it always would be, because it didn't feel entirely bad to not have to think about how he was looking to others. He felt stronger when he didn't have to worry about appearing weak. It felt almost refreshing, like a load taken off.

Maybe, Draco thought, Eleanor had been onto something about him being less cold for all of those years.