I Do Not Own Harry Potter. (They should have an option that writes this automatically at the beginning of every chapter.) Just a suggestion.

Draco asked Pansy Parkinson to the Yule Ball and she was wearing her pin as if it were a Head Girl badge. She did not miss an opportunity to flaunt it under Eva's nose that she was going with Draco and Eva did not miss an opportunity to flaunt it under Pansy's nose that she did not care in the least.

It had been difficult to live with the Slytherins after her little performance in the Great Hall. She had received many nasty looks, but the hardest part was facing Draco in the corridors. He had on his usual scowl when she past him, but she could sense, more than see, the hurt that was underneath. She did not know what she should do in this kind of situation. She had never had to worry about boys before; let alone chosing one over another. She had always thought that when she was ready to get married, she would meet the right person at one of the many balls and galas held by the wizard families her mother knew.

By the end of that week she had decided she would talk with Draco alone and see what was really going on. She knew that there had to be a reason for the way he was acting; not just because of her kiss with Harry, but ever since that little get-together in her rooms. There had been an underlying possessiveness in his actions that she could not shake off and she wanted to know why he felt that way.

She cornered him when he went into the lavatory on Friday afternoon. She had been watching him all day and waiting for the opportunity to talk with him. She did not know if there were any other boys in there and she really didn't care; she just walked right in after him.

"We need to talk," she said as soon as she'd gotten in the door.

Draco whirled around, a look of shock on his face. "Eva, you're in the boys' loo!" he said.

"Yeah, I know. I saw the sign when I came in." She had been checking the stalls to make sure no one was in there with them. When she was sure it was all clear she put a Sealing Charm on the door. "We need to talk," she repeated.

"I believe that's what we're doing," he replied.

"No, I mean really talk. Can you meet me at the East Tower stairs, tonight at 10?"

"Why so late? Why can't we meet right after dinner?" he asked.

Eva looked down at her shoes. She had hoped he would just agree and she would not have to explain that she would be with Harry from eight until ten. "I have this study thing that I have to do until ten," she mumbled.

"With Potter?" asked Draco. His voice held definite hostility.

"Yes."

Draco sighed. "You know, Rave, I thought you were better than that. I thought that you had at least some pride in your blood."

"I have pride, Drake, just not conceit in something that does not matter."

"It matters, Rave, it matters a whole lot. Do you think your mother would allow you to marry anybody but a pureblood? She may spout sentimentality, but she will act like her family. There is too much to be lost in your marriage." Draco's face showed a passing sign of shock; as if he'd said something he shouldn't have.

"What do you mean by that? Why should my marriage be any different than any one else's?" Eva narrowed her eyes and concentrated. She would use her skill at Legilimency to make sure Draco was not lying to her.

"You are now the heir to two of the largest fortunes in the wizarding world: Snape and Nocturino. Your mother may not be too inclined to dictate your marriage to you, but rest assured that Severus Snape will not allow anything but a pureblood match."

Eva saw and heard the sincerity in his voice and face, but there was something else he was not telling her. "What did your father and my mother decide on?" The question that she had asked herself countless times resurfaced.

"I told you the situation on that matter when you first asked," Draco said.

"I know you said that your father would kill you if he found out that you had told me. I have no intention of telling anyone about what is said or done between us."

"That may be true, but my father has more than one way to find out the truth," Draco shuddered at the thought, but he held his ground.

"Draco," sighed Eva. "How am I supposed to understand your behavior if you don't tell me what's going on?"

"What do you want to understand about my behavior?"

"Why are you so heated up about my seeing Harry?"

"He's a Gryffindor."

"Bullshit, Malfoy! Do not insult my intelligence. I know there's something else there and I want to know what it is."

"I told you already, now excuse me." Draco moved past her and began to walk towards the door. Just as he reached the handle he heard the lock click into place. Eva uttered another Sealing Charm just in case the other had worn off.

"I can keep you here all day if I have to Draco. I want answers and I really don't care how long it takes to get them."

"Why can't you just drop it?" ground out Draco.

"Would you drop it?"

There was a pounding on the door. "Eva, I know you're in there!" It was Professor Snape.

"Damn it! Who the hell does he have following me?!" cried Eva. She took off the Sealing Charm and unlocked the door. "We're not done, Drake. Tonight at ten."

"What were you doing in the boys' lavatory?" asked Professor Snape. He looked in and saw Draco standing there. "Were you two alone?"

"Yes, Professor. And don't worry his honor is still intact." Eva walked to the East Tower staircase. She had Friday afternoons free and she wanted to think about what she and Draco would be discussing before he got there.

She went down to dinner and found that Pansy had commandeered her seat next to Draco. She did not mind too much, because she was able to see that Draco did not like the seating arrangement one bit and he was eating as quickly as he could to get out. Eva finished her dinner and headed to classroom eleven for her lesson with Harry. She had been impressed by how quickly he learned the material she was giving him. It probably helped that they were now training at least fifteen hours each week.

"Hey, Eva," said Harry as he walked in the door. He put a Sealing Charm on the door and then an Imperturbable Charm. It was usually Eva who did it, but he wanted to give it a try.

"Hey, Harry," she said with little enthusiasm.

"That didn't sound too good. Are you feeling alright?"

"Have you and Ron ever fought for a long time before?" she asked.

"Yeah, in our fourth year. It's a long story; why do you ask."

"The longest fight Draco and I have ever had was about two days. We never could be angry at each other too long. This has been going on for months and I don't know why," whinged Eva.

"I could give you a few reasons," said Harry sarcastically.

"I know you think he's a git, Harry, but this is more than just some tantrum he's pulling. I think I really hurt him when I accepted your invitation to the Ball."

"It was your choice, Eva." There was a note of hurt in Harry's voice.

"I'm not regretting my decision, Harry," she told him. "I just — oh, I don't know! Let's just get started for today."

She and Harry practiced on Occlumency for an hour. He was getting quite good. He could repel her every time she tried to break into his mind and he actually pushed far enough to get into hers. After that hour they practiced some wandless magic. Harry had wanted to start with the Incendio Charm that he had seen Eva do on their first night, but after that she had started him off on small things. He could now do some of the basic spells without the aid of his wand.

Just after Harry summoned Eva's robes to him from across the room she gave him her usual admonishment. "Remember to empty your mind before you go to sleep."

"Yes, yes, I know." He walked over to her knowing the lesson was over and gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow." He walked towards the door.

"Is that it?!" said Eva. "A quick hug and 'I'll see you tomorrow?' What if I die in my sleep and never see you again?" she intoned dramatically.

Harry turned and smiled. "You're cute when you're whinging," he commented.

"What are you talking about? First, I do not whinge; and, second, I am always cute."

"Can't argue with that." Harry had slowly walked towards her again and was now right in front of her. He lowered his head just slightly so she could feel his breath on her face. "So what did you have in mind for what could possibly be our last goodbye?"

Eva instinctively moved closer to him. She was always amazed at how often she thought about his kisses. They were always soft and sweet, but there was a touch of hunger that she loved. It was as if he held himself back, so he wouldn't scare her. "Maybe a goodbye kiss," she breathed.

Harry obliged her with a slow lingering kiss. He liked the look she wore whenever he kissed her. She looked like she had just woken from a deep sleep; it was amazing to him that he could have that kind of effect on her.

Eva just stood for a minute, trying to burn the feel of his lips on hers into her memory. She loved the fact that his lips always felt so right on hers. She opened her eyes and saw Harry smiling at her; she smiled back.

"I'd better go. I told Draco that I wanted to talk to him."

Harry's eyebrows knitted together. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's all right. There are some things that we need to talk about that I know he would never mention if you were in the room. I'll be fine. Just walk me to the Entrance Hall."

Harry did walk her to the Entrance Hall, but he lingered as Eva climbed the East Tower stairs. He did now know why, but he had a bad feeling about the talk they would be having.

"Harry, we need to talk." Hermione was sitting in the common room in her pajamas. There were other students still sitting up finishing their homework.

"Can this wait until morning? I have a lot of homework to do."

"No, it can't."

Hermione stood and led him to his dormitory. He was surprised to see that Neville and Ron were sitting on his bed. He had the sudden feeling of being ganged up on.

"What's this about?"

"We are all concerned for you, Harry," began Hermione. "We want you to know that we're only worried about you and want what is best for you."

Neville stood from the bed and glared at Hermione. "Don't include me in that 'we', Hermione. I'm here to defend the voiceless accused."

Realization dawned on Harry. This was about Eva. "Hermione, what is wrong with Eva?"

"She's not right for you, Harry! She's a dark witch, I know it."

"You don't know that!" shouted Neville. He turned to Harry. "Listen, Harry. I didn't come to tell you anything bad about Eva. I've gotten to know her really well and I think that you two would be really good together. If you want to pursue her, you have my support. I just wanted you to know that." Neville grabbed his school bag and went down to the common room without another word. He'd said his piece and it was now up to Harry.

Hermione glared at Neville's back until the door closed. She then turned back to Harry.

"Hermione," he said before she had a chance to go off again. "I really appreciate your concern, I do. But I really think that you're wrong about Eva. She's not given us any reason to doubt her."

Hermione turned to Ron for support, but all she got was a blush and shrugged shoulders. "She's engaged to Malfoy!" she cried, as if that was the most logical answer.

"She's not said anything to me about that. I think that if she were, she would not have accepted my invitation to the Yule Ball. Did you ever stop to think that maybe that was just one of those informal arrangements between families that have known each other for a long time? She might not even know about it."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Harry. I'll admit that she seems nice, and under other circumstances I probably wouldn't mind being friends with her, but people are not always what they seem. Remember Moody?"

"That's nothing like this, Hermione," said Harry. He moved closer to her and took her hand in his. "I won't tell you to like her just because I do. I would, however, like for you to be at least civil to her. I know you're concerned and I thank you, but I don't think she has one dark bone in her body."

Hermione hung her head. She did not mind Eva, really. It was just that she had this feeling that the girl might get Harry into some kind of dangerous situation. Her gift as an Energy Healer was something that could be used in many ways, not just for good. "I will try to be civil, but I won't promise that we'll be doing each other's hair and shopping together."

"That's all I ask." Harry smiled and went down to the common room to join Neville at the table by the fire.

Neville looked up at Harry about an hour after he had sat down. "You know, Harry, I thought you'd never find a girlfriend."

Harry looked up and smiled. "Gee, thanks, Neville."

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought you'd never find one that was on your playing field. Eva's about as strong a witch as you are a wizard. You compliment each other well."

"Thanks, Neville." Harry sat back in the chair and sighed. "I really like Eva, but there's so much other stuff in the way."

"Like Snape?"

"Yeah, and Malfoy and Voldemort."

"I can understand Snape and Malfoy, but why Voldemort?"

"It's hard to explain, Neville. I just don't feel it's fair of me to start something that I might not be able to finish. Especially, if it involves possibly putting someone in danger."

Neville thought about what he was saying and decided that he had a good point. There was just one glaring flaw. "Did you ever stop to think that the choice of whether or not you can start something with Eva is not just yours? Maybe you should ask her opinion."

"I know what you're getting at, Neville. Hermione does the same thing. No, I don't want to ask her because I know that she will say the same thing that Hermione and Ron say all the time. They would rather help me and possibly get hurt, than to let me alone."

Neville looked across the table at Harry. His quill lay forgotten on his parchment and he had a very earnest look on his face. "I might not be the smartest person in this school, Harry, but I do know a thing or two about love. It's about sacrifice. It's about doing anything to make sure that the person you love is safe and happy. You should know that; your parents did what they had to do to make sure you were safe and happy. People who love us want to help us in any way they can; you shouldn't stop them from doing so."

Harry looked at Neville with something akin to awe in his expression. He'd never heard the boy talk that way. It was amazing what spending some time with Eva had done for him. She seemed to give him some of the self-confidence that he needed to succeed. She did that for a lot of people. Maybe Neville was right. Maybe Harry was stopping the people he loved from loving him in return because he was scared of what that love might do to them. Maybe, if he lived a little more like a regular sixteen-year-old guy, he would experience things that his mother and father had died to make sure he would experience.

Harry looked at his fellow Gryffindor. He and his Housemates had often wondered why Neville had been placed in Gryffindor. The debate had ended last year when he had followed Harry to the Ministry of Magic and helped Harry fight the Death Eaters. Even before that, though, Harry had known that Neville had been very courageous. He'd had to live his life with the knowledge that he would never really know his parents. He'd lost them much like Harry had lost his, at the hands of Voldemort.

He wondered absentmindedly about how differently things would have been for both of them if Voldemort had never been. He went to sleep with a heavy heart; nothing short of a miracle could bring back either of their parents.

Eva approached the stairs and despaired at not seeing Draco waiting. She climbed to the top and was surprised to see him waiting at her portrait. She should have known that curiosity, if not a need to explain himself, would drive him to her.

"I'm glad you made it," she said.

"Let's just say that I'm a glutton for punishment," replied Draco.

Eva opened the door and led him inside. She did not hang up her robes this time; she just flopped onto the sofa and waited for him to join her. He sat down on the opposite end of the sofa and with a sigh he began his routine of giving her a foot massage.

"Long day?" he asked.

"Yes, I had this bad run-in with some guy in the loo," she remarked.

"Really? What was a guy doing in the girls' loo?"

"Well, I kind of followed him into the boys' loo."

"What for?"

"I really needed to talk to my friend," Eva whispered.

Draco sighed and stopped his ministrations. "Rave, you know you can always talk to me. You don't have to resort to those measures for a conversation."

"I used to believe that, and I know that when it comes to things that you want to talk about, it is true. But . . ."

"But what?"

"You haven't been the same, Drake." Eva stood and moved closer to him on the sofa. She sat cross-legged in front of him and took his hands in hers. "I remember you, the real you, and I feel so bad when I see the Draco everyone else talks about walking around school. What has happened to you in the last year and a half, Drake? Did your father influence you that much?"

"It's not my father, at least not solely," he said.

"Can you tell me about it?" she asked.

"I don't know if I can," he whispered.

"You're not the only one who can fight dragons, Draco. Let me help you."

"You can't fight destiny, Rave." Draco sounded sad, almost resigned.

"Yes, you can. I'm proof of that. There is always a choice, Drake. Please, tell me what's wrong."

Draco did not say anything for a long time. Eva knew better than to push him, too. He would say what he wanted to when he was ready. Finally, he looked up and had a far away look in his eye.

"Do you remember that time when we were about ten, just after the Hogwarts letters?" He waited for her to nod. "That day that you came over, I was limping and I never told you why."

"I know why," whispered Eva.

Draco looked at her with surprise. "You never asked me."

"I heard my grandparents and Mum talking that night."

"Well, what they didn't know is that Lucius had used Cruciatus on me before. He used it afterwards, too. The last time he used it was Christmas holiday of last year." Draco ran a hand through his hair. "It's been almost a year already. He had told me that I was to start preparing myself for what I was going to do after Hogwarts."

"Doesn't the school give you career advice?" asked Eva.

"Yes, but Lucius was not speaking about a career. He told me that come my sixteenth birthday, I had a choice to make. Just to prove how serious that choice was he used Cruciatus."

"What choice did he expect you to make?"

"He wants me to take the Mark," Draco whispered.

Eva gasped. She had not known that Uncle Lucius was a Death Eater. It would explain a lot of things about him, but her mother had never hinted about his associations or business. "Is Aunt Nary . . ?"

"No, no, she never took the Mark, but she's not done anything to stop my father. Lucius actually thinks that she never took the Dark Mark because she did not want to ruin her skin; he bought the whole story."

The two were silent for a long time. "Why don't you just refuse to take it, Drake?"

He snorted. "Sure, that's really an option. I'm expected to take it Rave, it's what he's been training me for; it's what every pureblood parent has been training their kids for. Did you not notice that most of the kids in Slytherin have Dark wizards and witches for parents?"

"Yes, I did, but that doesn't mean you have to go that route. It's your decision to do what you want with your own future."

"We weren't all brought up in Utopia, Rave. There's a real world out there, with real dangers and problems," Draco said viciously.

"I know that, Drake. I'm sorry if I made it seem like it's the simplest thing in the world to go against what your father had taught you, but it is the most logical. Do you really want to be a Death Eater?" Eva's voice said the phrase with disgust.

"Why not? Your father is," spat Draco.

Eva was about to defend her father's position in the War, but remembered that he was a double agent and if she said anything she would very well be signing his death warrant. "He made his own choice," whispered Eva, trying to sound as sad as she could.

"And he hasn't pushed you to make the same choice?" asked Draco.

"No, he hasn't. If he did, I would refuse," she answered.

"It's easier to say than do, Rave. Your father isn't Lucius Malfoy."

"My father may not have been Lucius Malfoy, but my grandfather was Aurelius Nocturino and he trained me in a way similar to your father."

"What?"

"I know just as much about the Dark Arts as our Defense professor, maybe even more. Grandfather was seeped in it, Drake; he just never took the Mark. Mum said it was because he did not want to put me in danger."

"Trust me, if he was a dark wizard, the Dark Lord knew about him. Did you ever see people going to talk to him? Did he ever go away on business trips for a long period of time?"

"No, I was usually up in my study room. The only visitors I saw were you and the families that would come over occasionally. If he did go on business trips it was only a day or two and then he'd be back with presents for us all. I know he wasn't a Death Eater."

"He may not have had the Mark, but he was probably supporting the Dark Lord."

"You don't know that, Drake," Eva said through clenched teeth. She still had the instinct to protect the name of her grandfather, even if she was not sure of her feelings toward him anymore. It would have been easier on her if she was allowed to tell Draco about their death, but Dumbledore had forbidden her telling anyone. Eva found it difficult to suppress the urge to tell her friend about it, but knew she must.

"He never pushed you a little harder than your Mum in your studies?"

"Of course he did! He wanted me to be the best witch I could be."

"Did he push your Dark Arts training and tell you it was for the good of your future?"

Eva's mouth moved, but no sound came out. She looked down at her hands and tried to make sense of everything.

"He was training you, whether you realized it or not. He may not have been in the Dark Lord's inner circle, like Father, but he was a supporter nonetheless. He's probably at home right now thinking of the best way to put the decision before you. I'm surprised your mother hasn't said anything to you."

At that Eva's head flew up. "My mother would never allow him to put that decision before me," she hissed. Her eyes were narrowed; Draco had gone a bit too far in mentioning her mother's complicity.

"Aurelius Nocturino is not someone who would ask permission to do what he wanted. He may just be your grandfather, but he wields an inordinate amount of power over your life."

"I hold the final word on what becomes of my life, no one else."

"You keep on thinking that Rave, if you like. None of us holds any sway over our lives. We were bred, not born. We are who our parents want us to be." His voice was monotone; he had no inflection. It was as if his voice was dead, just like his hope.

"In a way you are right, Drake. I am what my mother wanted me to be. I am an independent young woman who can think for herself and is happy with who she is and not with what her family is."

"Did she want you to be a bastard, too?" The comment had just slipped out. Draco had not been keeping his tongue or emotions in check all night and he had known something like that could happen. He'd regretted it the second it came out.

"Get out," hissed Eva. She had never heard Draco make such a harsh comment when speaking to her.

"I didn't mean it, Rave, I'm sorry."

Eva just stood from the sofa and went to open the door. She did not say a word, just waited for Draco to get the hint. He stood slowly from the sofa and made his way out of the door.

"I never wanted to believe all the things that Harry said about you. You're heading in the right direction to prove him an honest man." Her voice cracked and she closed the door on his stunned face.