Thanks everyone for reviewing!

This fic seems to be taking over my life even thought I really should be writing another one and revising for exams!

But oh well- as long as people are enjoying it





I stared out of the window, watching the passing muggles with a mixture of interest and hate.

Trust Potter to have a house in the middle of a bloody Muggle neighbourhood.

I hated it.

There was no magic, no interesting oddities.

There was just a load of "electrical appliances" that I couldn't understand how to use.

Plus the fact that I was totally useless without my wand.

Ever since I was born I'd been surrounded by magic.

Even before I could use my own, either my parents or the house elves had done everything for me with magic.

And after I'd started Hogwarts I'd become accustomed to using my magic for everything - nevermind the fact that I wasn't strictly supposed to. But Malfoy Manor was surrounded by such immense wards that nobody would ever be able to tell I was using magic.

And now I was in a place where most of the inhabitants believed magic didn't exist.

I shuddered.

Talk about a shock to the system.

I felt helpless without magic, like I was missing a limb.

That feeling made it even more of a shock that Potter rarely used his wand.

I didn't know if he usually didn't use magic or if he was just doing it to make me feel a bit better.

But what I would give to have his wand in my hands.

His literal wand that is.

Not that it had occurred to me that it could be taken any other way.

Oh I so badly needed to shut myself up.

To keep my brain from digging itself any deeper I trampled down the stairs to the kitchen, where Potter seemed to spend most of his time.

And sure enough there the little hero was, chomping his way through a pile of toast.

'Do you ever do anything other than eat?' I asked as I sat on the breakfast bar.

'Uhmm.' Potter considered it. 'No.'

'Why am I not surprised?'

'I dunno why are you not surprised.' Potter kept a straight face although his eyes twinkle.

'Shut up.'

'Ok.'

Potter continued munching on his toast and I read the "cartoon strip" section of the newspaper.

It was so weird. The characters in it didn't move.

'Draco.'

Potter had reached the end of his toast.

'What Potter?'

'Why'd you do it?'

I sighed, was he ever going to leave this alone? Who cares why I'd saved him?

'This is getting old you know.'

'So is you not answering.'

'What makes you think I'm going to tell you now?'

'Nothing- I just figured there was no harm in asking.'

I glared at him.

'How about a hint?' he asked hopefully.

'Potter why is this so important to you?' I snapped. 'You're alive - yay! Let's leave it at that.'

'Don't feel like you have to sound so happy about me being alive.'

'Well you're giving me a migraine.' He was actually and I rubbed my temples.

Ever since I'd killed Voldemort I'd become prone to migraines and dizziness, a fact that was probably due to the instability of my magical energy.

'Are you alright?' He asked softly, his annoyance forgotten.

'I would be if you'd bloody shut up.' I snapped.

There was silence.

At first it was pleasant but after a while it began to piss me off.

'I didn't mean literally.'

'Oh sorry.' Potter smiled lazily at me.

My heart suddenly began to beat a bit faster.

~He looks gorgeous when he does that~

I choked.

Gorgeous?? Potter??

Wow this migraine was affecting me more than I thought.

'Are you ok?' Potter hit my back as I choked.

'Yeah- fine.' I said hastily. 'I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit though.'

~Maybe you can join me~

With a yelp (how embarrassing) I raced out of the kitchen, feeling Potter's eyes staring after me in confusion.

A loooong time afterwards, having calmed myself down from the traumatic thoughts that had been inside my head, I returned downstairs.

I heard voices coming from the living room and I froze, wondering if someone was there.

Potter sounded frustrated and I crept up to the door, trying to hear more.

'Blake I keep telling you. I have someone here- I can't leave.'

I peered round the door interestedly.

Some bloke's head was floating in the fireplace.

'Harry this is urgent - everything's in total chaos- we need you!'

'What part of "time off" don't you understand?' Potter said desperately.

'What part of "total chaos" don't *you* understand?'

There was a small pause.

'Blake.'

'Look Harry we could really do with some help, you don't really even need to come back for very long. Just come here for a couple of hours and we'll give you a copy of the info we have so far and give you a heads up of what's been going on.'

Somehow it seemed wrong for a floating head to be saying "heads up".

Potter sighed, his resolve obviously wearing away.

'Then you can go straight back home and we'll just keep in contact ok?' Floating head bloke's voice was persuasive.

'Look I'll have to talk to my friend about it- he's not very-'

'He???' Blake's voice took on an amused tone. 'Don't tell me you've finally gone and got yourself a boyfriend.'

'No!' Potter flushed and I held back a chuckle at his expression. 'No he's just.a friend.'

'Ok.' Blake sounded unconvinced. 'Well talk to your *friend* and then get back to me.'

'I will.'

'Bye Harry.'

The head disappeared.

'Since when did we become *friends*?' I asked with a smirk.

He spun around in shock. 'Wh-what?'

'Unless someone is else is staying with you.' I sat down on the sofa. 'I definitely heard you describe your guest as your friend.'

'Oh that.' Potter relaxed slightly. 'Well what else was I supposed to tell him? "Yeah I've got a mass murderer staying with me who just happened to be Voldemort's second in command and who pretty much the entire wizarding world is after"??"

'Would have made me feel better.' I smirked.

'Well sorry Draco but not all of us are here to inflate your ego.' Potter snapped moodily.

'Ooh touchy.' I raised an eyebrow.

'Yeah well if you weren't such a prat then I wouldn't have to be.'

I was a prat?

Talk about Voldemort calling a Death Eater evil.

I sat with my arms folded until I decided that a scowl just looked abnormally wrong on Potter's face.

'You know, for the record, if you left me for a couple of hours I wouldn't blow anything up.'

'What?' Potter looked at me moodily.

'Well I don't have a wand, I'm too weak to do wandless magic, there is nothing magical in this entire bloody place and there's no way I can get out of here.' I summarised. 'Therefore I think it's relatively easy to say I can't cause mass destruction or kill anybody.'

He looked tempted.for a second. 'I'm not supposed to leave you.'

'And who am I going to tell?'

'Good point.'

I was slowly wearing him down.

'Maybe just for an hour.' He relented after a thoughtful pause. 'Even you can't cause that much trouble in an hour right?'

'Sure why not?' I semi-agreed.

He glared.

'I mean- right!' I corrected myself quickly.

His face transformed into smiles. 'Right then.'

He rummaged on his mantelpiece and appeared with a handful of floo powder. 'I'll be back in a bit.'

Idly wondering what was on the TV I waved a hand half-heartedly in a farewell gesture.

'Be good.' He instructed me.

I raised my eyebrows sceptically and gave him a look that more than implied he was mad.

'Ok- be less bad then.'

'I'll try.'

And he was gone in a blaze of green light, leaving the house suddenly quiet and empty.

'Ok.' I mused. 'What to do now?'

Well duh - obvious answer - TV.

Halfway through something called Changing Rooms I heard a noise that sounded like the wails people make when they're dying.

Well used to those wails I ignored it.

However the more I tried to ignore it, the louder and more piercing it became.

Finally, unable to hear the TV no matter how much I turned the volume up, I stormed to the door and unlocked it.

Ready to shout my head off at whoever had the nerve to be dying on the doorstep I paused as I saw nothing but a cat.

'Piss off.' I told it.

It stared at me.

'Go away you stupid cat.' I tried to shoo it away but ended up hitting my fist on the invisible barrier on the door.

'Ow!' I shouted, clutching my fist.

The cat took this opportunity to stroll inside.

'Oh no you don't. Come back here!' I yelled, running after the cat who was busy climbing the stairs.

Faster than the speed of light it shot up the stairs and down the corridor, leaving me chasing helplessly after it.

It disappeared into my bedroom and, panting, I stepped through the door.

It stared at me imperiously from its position on my bed.

'You're not staying there.'

It blinked, obviously unconcerned by my threats.

I walked over to the bed and I reached to pick it up.

It hissed at me and I withdrew quickly, not wanting to take on an angry cat when I didn't have my wand.

'You damned creature.' I told it.

It ignored me and rolled over.

Oh well. Potter could deal with it when he came back.

If he ever came back that was.

I looked at the clock.

'One hour my ass.' I snorted.

He'd been gone for two and a half hours.

I guess Blake found a reason to hold him up.

Not that I cared.

I mean it wasn't like I missed him or anything.

Though it was rather boring without him there.

I sat down on the chair facing the fireplace and watched it.

Not that I was waiting for Potter, just to make that clear, I just like watching fireplaces.

I grabbed an apple and began taking small bites of it.

What felt like an age later there was a small flash and Potter appeared from the fireplace holding a large stack of papers.

'You've not destroyed anything have you?' He asked me, only half joking.

'Nope.' I told him triumphantly, sticking my tongue out at him.

'Good.'

He set the pile down at the table and sat down immediately, immersing himself in the paperwork.

I took another bite of my apple, watching him.

'Potter do you have a cat?' I asked suddenly.

'No, why?' he was reading one of the pieces of paper.

'No reason.' I lied.

I thought of the cat lying in my room.

'Potter?'

'Yeah?'

'You do now.'

He put the paper down. 'What?? I do what now?'

'You have a cat.' I informed him.

'Sorry?' Confusion shadowed his face.

'Well I accidentally opened the door today and some cat came running in and now it won't go away.'

Potter sighed wearily. 'You *accidentally* opened the door?'

'Uh.yeah.'

'Oh.' He returned to reading the papers.

'Aren't you upset?' I pressed. 'I mean you have just obtained a cat.'

'No I haven't. *You* have.'

I dropped the quill I'd been playing with. 'What? I don't want a cat!'

'Well neither do I.' Potter looked at me evenly. 'You're the one that let the cat in so you can be the one who looks after it.'

'But I don't know what to do!'

'I'm sure you'll learn. It'll teach you responsibility.'

I groaned. 'Potter.'

And speaking of the devil, the cat ran into the room.

'That it?' Potter nodded towards the cat.

I rolled my eyes. 'No Potter that's my coat.'

He shot me a small glare but stretched his hand out towards the cat. 'Here kitty kitty kitty.'

If I were that cat I'd so smack him round the head.

The cat trotted up to him and stared at him.

'Good cat.' Potter cooed, moving his hand to stroke the cat.

In a flash its claws were embedded in his hand.

Potter let out a yell of pain and clutched his hand.

Looking thoroughly satisfied, the cat stalked towards me and sat by my feet.

I snorted with laughter, maybe having a cat wouldn't be that bad after all.

'That bloody cat!' Potter yelled.

'You can't shout at it for having good taste.' I said smugly.

'No, but I can throw it out the bloody house!'

'You can't get rid of it.' I told him, smirking. 'It's teaching me responsibility.'

Potter looked ready to jump off a cliff as his own words came back and bit him on the ass.

'Well it better teach you far away from me.' He muttered threateningly.

'Fair enough.' I stroked the cat hesitantly, smiling when I found it didn't attack me.

'So what is it exactly that you do?' I changed the subject before Potter killed my cat.

Potter grimaced, looking more like the sixteen year old who would forever survive in my memories than the twenty three year old he was. 'Well since the war started I've been leading a team of specialised aurors.'

'I didn't know you were an auror.' I propped my head up, intrigued.

He grinned. 'I'm not. They wanted me to be but I told them where to shove it,' he paused, frowning, 'in a nicer politer sort of way.'

'But if you're not an auror-'

He shrugged. 'What can I say? Boy who lived- gets you everywhere in life.'

I smirked wryly. 'Told you.'

'I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.' He grinned at me, his dark hair falling messily in his eyes.

'If that makes you feel better.'

'So-' He said pointedly, 'I basically am - or is it was?- trying to bring about your downfall.'

'Yeah but what do you actually *do*?' I stressed.

'Classified information.' Potter grinned impishly. 'Can't tell you that.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Honestly Potter! Like you've ever paid attention to rules before.'

'I have paid at-' He started indignantly.

'Blatant disregard sounds more like your feelings towards rules.' I stretched slightly. 'I mean- I'm here aren't I?'

He opened his mouth to retort then closed it. 'Yeah fair enough.' He admitted sheepishly.

'So spill.'

'Well we piece together information we receive to try and work out where the Death Eaters are going to strike next - a job easier said than done.'

'I know.' I said smugly.

Potter paused suddenly in his explanation. 'Did you actually have some sort of system or was it just erratic attacks on random people.'

I sniffed. 'Potter. Of course I had a system- just not a very obvious one.'

'Figures.' He murmured. 'Like your flying.'

My eyes narrowed. 'My flying's *erratic*?'

He flushed, 'I didn't mean it like that.'

'Well you better tell me how you did mean it before I smack you in the face with this,' I struggled to find the words, 'flippy thing.'

'Spatula.' Potter corrected me automatically.

'Whatever.' I scowled. 'Now explain 'erratic' away.'

'I just meant that in Quidditch it sometimes seemed to everyone else that your beaters were just randomly hitting bludgers at anything that crossed their path. Your side never seemed to have any structure or purpose- it just was.'

'I'll have you know Potter, that my players couldn't so much as itch their nose without it being in my game plan.' I exploded. 'Every little thing was planned down to the last detail. I put hours and hours of planning into-'

'Draco.' Potter interrupted me calmly, a small smile curving his lips upwards. 'I know.'

'You do?' I asked warily.

'Yes.'

'You're not just trying to shut me up?'

'No- well. ' He considered it.

'Potter.' I said warningly.

'Of course I'm not.'

I glared- he grinned.

'Honestly, I always knew you had a strategy, a really good one at that, by rights you should have won every single game you played.'

'I did.' I said airily. 'Just not against you.'

'Oh.' Potter looked down suddenly, awkwardness playing over his face.

'I'm a bad loser Potter- I always have been. I always said that you were cheating but I think the fact you won every game you played may amount to the fact that you're a good Quidditch player- one of the best.'

'You too.' He said suddenly, looking embarrassed at my words.

'Potter you beat me everytime.' I said frankly. 'That hardly suggests that- '

'You were good.' He blurted. 'Ok maybe you couldn't beat me but I had a damn hard time beating you.'

'You did?' I asked, wishing that this wasn't so important to me.

He nodded with a wry grin. 'Yep- playing against you was the only time it was really fun - the only time I really felt that rush. Everybody else I could have beaten with both hands tied behind my back. You definitely kept me on my toes,' He shrugged slightly, 'you still do.'

~Stop caring, stop caring, stop caring. ~ I inwardly chanted. ~It's only bloody Quidditch. ~

He laughed suddenly. 'This is so stupid. It's weirder discussing Quidditch than it is discussing the fact we were both trying to kill each other three weeks ago.'

'Some of us still are.' I informed him, not quiet achieving the acid tone I was aiming for.

'Sorry I forgot.' He said sarcastically.

'You know it's funny I've never seen you during a raid.' I mused.

He snorted. 'Like you'd lower yourself to attend run-of-the-mill raids. You sent all your little Death Eater lackeys to do it for you.'

I grinned. 'What? You were expecting me to soil my hands with mudblood guts?'

'No.'

'Good.'

'I'm just saying that the only times we could have met were during the big raids. And in all honesty we had no idea when or where they were going to take place until everybody there was dead.'

'That's what I like to hear.'

Potter glared at me.

'Hang on.' I looked at him suspiciously, a thought suddenly occurring to me. 'You're not the people who kept making the targets disappear before we got there are you?'

Potter smirked. 'So what if we are?'

'You git!' I growled, fuming. 'Do you know how irritating that was??'

'Do you know how little I care?' Potter asked wickedly.

'Yeah well you majorly pissed Voldemort off. He was convinced that there was a spy among us. I had to execute half of the fourth unit to stop him whining!'

'Voldemort whines?' Potter looked floored momentarily.

'Oh big time.' I nodded to emphasise my point.

'He doesn't seem the whining type.'

'What type does he seem then?' I asked curiously.

'The "let's go all mental and kill everybody" type.' Potter edged away from the cat, who was eyeing him.

'Well that too.' I smirked at the look of fear on Potter's face.

'So you liked being a Death Eater?' Potter asked.

'Well yeah.' I frowned. 'I've never really thought about it but I guess so. It wasn't the best paid job in the world but who needs money when you have ultimate power and can steal anything you want.'

'Oh.'

'Why? Don't you like it? Your job I mean?'

'Not really.'

I was flooded with surprise. Potter didn't like saving people??

'Then why do you do it?'

He shrugged. 'Someone has to.'

'Yeah but that somebody doesn't have to be you.' I pointed out.

'It does at the moment. As long as this whole Death Eater crap is still around I have to keep doing it. But the second that's all over I'm going to be straight at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department at the Ministry of magic applying for a job?'

'The Ministry of Magic?'

'Yeah.'

I wrinkled my nose. 'But that's so *boring*!'

'I would give anything for my life to be boring.' Potter said seriously.

'But you're action man!' I exclaimed. 'You're the boy who lived you can't be stuck in some desk job working all hours of the- why are you smiling like that?' I snapped.

He tried unsuccessfully to hide his grin. 'Action man.'

I gave him an uncomprehending look.

'Action man! It's a - oh never mind.'

'It's what you do best!' I carried on regardless.

'Yeah and I do it so well I end up a prisoner in a Death Eater base.'

I shrugged.

'But then again I'm still alive.' He continued.

I kept my mouth shut, knowing where this was heading.

'I don't know why I am but I am.'

Still not saying anything.

'I mean if you hadn't decided that you weren't that evil after all then I would probably be-'

'Not that evil?' I burst.

'Well isn't that why you did it?' He looked at me innocently.

I knew he was just trying to wind me up but I didn't care.

'You want to know why Potter?' I hissed dangerously. 'Do you want to know why you're not six feet under at this very moment- if there was even enough of you left to bury?'

He didn't reply, surprised by the venom in my tone.

'I didn't want you dead. I wanted to kill you. For 10 years that was my ambition; the thought that inspired me.'

'But Voldemort was-'

'Nothing to do with this. This is between us. You want to know why you wouldn't let this auror take me? Because we've known everyday for the last 10 years what it would come down to. You and me. It was always meant to be this way. He doesn't know anything Potter. He doesn't know what to say to drive you so crazy you can't feel anything but hate. He doesn't know what to do to hurt you more than any spell ever could. He doesn't know Potter. But I do.'

There was a pause.

A pause in which the intensity of my words hung between us.

And then he spoke.

'That's almost kind of sweet in a sick kind of way.'

The tension broke immediately.

I groaned. 'Must you turn everything into sunshine and happy bunnies? Me wanting to kill you is not *sweet*.'

'No.' He agreed. 'I guess it's not.'

'At last! We agree on something.' I fought back a smile.

I never smiled.

Smiling was a sign of contentment and a Death Eater was never content.

They always craved more. Nothing would ever satisfy their lust for power and destruction.

'If it makes you feel any better,' Potter looked at me from underneath his fringe, 'I can't think of anyone I'd like to kill me more.'

And that did it.

A smile spread across my face, dazzling in its brightness.

Potter really did have a habit of ruining everything.

He smiled back.

And it felt good.

A warmth spread through me and then the smile wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried.

'You know you should smile more often.' Potter tilted his head, a teasing look in his green eyes. 'You could break every heart between here and Australia.'

'Even yours?'

I was taken aback by the question that came out of my lips. Where had that come from.

'Yeah.' The answer was so quiet I could barely hear it. 'Even mine.'

Our eyes and I felt the warmth in me increasing in heat, staining my features with a pink blush.

Ok smiling I could probably put up with.

But blushing???

In a second my features were cold and poised once more. 'Well at least that would give me something to talk about.' I sneered coldly.

Surprise and hurt shadowed his face.

I turned and walked out of the room, hating myself for looking back over my shoulder.

Potter was standing dejectedly, sadness dancing over his features.

And I hated myself even more.







Wow that was the chapter of all chapters - how long was that???





Still pretty crap though.

Leave a review and tell me watcha think.