I Do Not Own Harry Potter.

Draco had not expected the letter that arrived on New Year's Day. He'd actually looked forward to never hearing from his father again. That was probably why the letter came as such a shock. He'd recognized the handwriting right away and quickly hid the letter from view. He looked around at his housemates and saw Eva sitting alone again.

She'd imposed a self-exile on herself after the Yule Ball. Draco sympathized with her, but he thought that it only harmed her.

He roused from his musings when she looked down the table at him. He saw the corner of her mouth twitch up and he winked at her. She simply bowed her head to her breakfast in response. He hadn't expected more than that. He stood from the table and left the Great Hall. He made sure that Crabbe and Goyle were not following him and turned at the corner that led to the formal gardens of the school. He'd come here a few times to relax and think. It reminded him of his mother's gardens at Malfoy Manor.

He sat on one of the benches and opened the letter. He was stunned to say the least of what it contained.

Draco,

I expect that you have been waiting for this letter. Know that I have left Azkaban and have returned to our Lord's fold. I have not returned to the Manor yet and I ask that you do not share this information with anyone, least of all your mother. I trust that I still have your loyalty. It may be some time before you see me again. I know you understand the sensitivity of my situation and will honor my request for secrecy. You must begin to think about where your loyalties lie, son. It will not be long before a decision is placed before you. Your Father, Lucius Malfoy

Bloody hell! Draco placed his head in his hands. He refused to cry; he would not let his emotions spill out. He had to keep his head together if he wanted to do anything about this. He stood and paced in the garden. He had a few choices before him. He could show the letter to Dumbledore and hope his father never found out what he'd done. He could show the letter to his mother and keep her alert for his father's eventual return. Or he could just not tell anyone about the letter and hope for the best. Any way he looked the 'decision' his father mentioned could not be ignored.

His heart fell to about his knees. He'd tried to worm his way out of making a decision for three years. If his father had had his way, Draco would have been given the Mark at birth. As it was, he'd had a hard time keeping Lucius at bay. He didn't want the Mark; nor anything that came with it.

He would never admit it, but he agreed with Eva on many things, one of which was that the Dark Arts should never be used on Muggles. It just wasn't good form. If Muggles could defend themselves in some way, then Draco could be persuaded otherwise, but to torture and kill someone who had done nothing to you was just wrong. Draco had not always thought this way. It had only been when he and Eva had had a serious discussion about justice in the wizarding world that the subject came up. He'd been in one mind with his father and had told Eva, but she'd asked him how he would feel if she cornered him when he was in the shower; naked and without a wand, how would he defend himself? He'd had no answer except to say that it would not be fair if she did that, since she had been trained in wandless magic. She had told him that most witches and wizards could do nothing without a wand, but Muggles could do nothing with a wand. The day that wizards interacted with Muggles on a level playing field would be the day that the wizarding world could come out in the open.

Draco knew that day would never come. Thanks to wizards like his father, Muggles would never be safe from being targets. He did agree with the man in one way: the wizarding world would be infinitely better with only purebloods. The purity of his blood was his most prized possession. People like Granger just tried to be what they weren't; they weren't pure. He wouldn't deny that she was smart, and maybe she was pretty, but she was not pure and that meant the only category for her was dirty. He didn't know why Eva did not see that. She should be proud to be who she was; she was the heir of the largest combined fortune in the wizarding world. Her mother's fortune alone was the largest in all of England, Ireland and Scotland.

Draco thought about Lucius' plans for him and Eva. He tried to mentally calculate how much money he and Eva would have if they married. Knowing her, she would probably ask for a prenuptual just because she could. He chuckled at the thought. He would have no problem with taking Eva as his wife. She was the most exquisite woman he had ever seen. She had this way about her that made you forget about everyone and everything around you. He chuckled as he thought about a Muggle film she had taken him to see, where the male lead was looking at the object of his affection and the world blurred around him, until all he could see was his beloved and what she was doing.

Draco looked around and saw that there was no one around. He decided to indulge himself and continue with his line of thinking. He cast another warming spell on himself and wrapped his cloak around him again. He looked up and saw that the sky was a bluish-grey color and he thought how lovely it would be if his son had eyes like that. It would be like combining his and Eva's eyes into one. He smiled at the thought of Eva having his baby. He didn't think that he was ready to be a dad yet, but there was no harm in thinking about it. Especially about how you went about having the kids. That thought caused his brain to send an uncomfortable signal to his groin. He'd better stop before his body betrayed him.

It was the only bad thing about being sixteen, you really did get excited much too quickly and there were few things you could do about it. He thought of a few ways to relieve the tension, all of which had Eva in very tempting positions. His body was giving him warnings to stop, but he seemed determined to go as far as he could. He really should have listened because he heard the crunch of snow under feet and there was an impressive bulge in his trousers.

He positioned his cloak to best hide his arousal and waited for the person to make their presence known. He waited and finally saw a midnight-blue cloak walking amongst the rose bushes. It was Eva, and she had not seen him yet. She seemed to be walking in a world all her own. Her eyes looked at the roses, but they seemed to be seeing something that was a hundred miles away. Most likely she was thinking of her home.

Draco watched her as he tried to get his libido under control. He really didn't want to walk up to her in the state he was in. She made the most beautiful vision. She walked almost as if she was floating. Her hands were skimming the tops of the blooms. Her cape was a midnight-blue that was so close to black it almost matched her hair; and it made a breath-taking contrast with the snow that was laying everywhere.

Draco sat watching her while he got his body back under the control of his mind and then walked over to her. He still needed to keep his cloak close to him, but he felt he was under sufficient control that he could have a conversation without his voice cracking. "Any particular reason that you're out here?" he asked.

Eva was only slightly startled. She'd had the feeling of being watched and she'd just hoped the person would leave her alone. She turned slightly at the voice of Draco. "Just wanted to be in the garden," she answered.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked.

Eva continued her walking amongst the roses and Draco followed her. He knew that if she wanted to say anything she would do it in her own time. "Do you like those gloves that you got for Christmas?" she asked.

Draco was a bit taken aback by the question. "Why?"

"Just answer the question," said Eva. She turned to face him.

"They're nice enough, I guess."

She nodded and continued walking. Draco followed and thought about why she would want to know about the gloves. He really did not want them. They were worn by Death Eaters and just reminded him of the decision that his father wanted him to make. He'd seen Crabbe and Goyle wear them everyday since they got them. The two were too dense to make their own decision about the Mark and so their parents had just ordered them to take it. The gloves were just a little token from their parents. Draco remembered how Eva had freaked out when she got to the table on Christmas morning.

He'd never seen her like that before. It was like watching a weird Muggle film. She'd walked in as normal as she ever did and then just looked at their hands as they ate their breakfasts. She'd freaked out and Professor Snape and the Headmaster had had to escort her out of the room. He'd wanted to ask her about the whole thing, but he'd not had the chance. This was the first time that they had been alone in a few weeks.

"What happened on Christmas morning, Rave?"

Eva's steps faltered a bit. It had been even harder after that episode to keep her grandparents' death from Draco. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, you freak out every morning watching the Slytherins eat their breakfasts. What happened?"

"I was just upset about something, Drake," she said.

Draco stopped following her. She turned and looked at him questioningly. "I thought we told each other everything," he said.

Eva snorted at him. "That's rich coming from the guy who has been keeping something from me for the last . . . What is it now? Two years?"

"Rave, if I could tell you about that, I would! I swear!"

Eva just hung her head. She wrapped her arms around her waist and began walking away. "This isn't even important anymore. I'll see you later, Drake."

Draco watched her walk away and felt frustration rise up in him like never before. "Damn you, Lucius!" he cried out. He looked at the letter in his hands. He didn't have to show it to Dumbledore or his mother. He'd just keep it in a safe place and not show anyone. Narcissa would know what to do if her husband showed up again; she'd just welcome him like a war hero and feed his ego for a bit, then he'd go back to his Dark Lord and leave her alone. He just hoped that Lucius had enough sense not to show up at Hogwarts.

He knew his father had been slightly off his rocker for the last few months. He'd been rather frightening in the months leading to the raid on the Ministry. If Draco was honest, he knew that his father was now raving mad. It scared him even more than he already was; Lucius was cruel when he was sane, now that he was mad there was no telling what he would do if Draco refused him. Coming to Hogwarts when he was supposed to be in Azkaban was definitely within his father's capabilities.

It was now the end of January and Eva was wishing winter would never end. She loved the snow. It made everything look so clean and bright.

She had made plans with Draco to meet at the willow by the lake. They had been spending a lot more time together in the last few weeks and Eva was glad to see that the freedom from his father had wrought some wonderful changes in him.

She watched the other students as she waited for him. It was nice to see Ron and Hermione together. Ron was so sweet when he was with Hermione. She guessed that he and Harry had talked about how he should behave around Hermione. Ron still acted like a little boy sometimes, but then again he was only sixteen. Her face fell a bit when she saw Harry. He had not been the same since the Yule Ball, and she wondered what could have happened to make him so distant. She turned her thoughts away from it and looked around at the rest of the yard.

Eva laughed as she watched a snowball fight between students. Some of the older ones had bewitched their snowballs to explode right before they reached their target, so many of the warriors looked plastered in white.

A strong wind blew and Eva wrapped her arms around herself. Her cloak was lined with fur, but this wind seemed to penetrate through it. She heard the crunch of snow behind her, then felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

Draco pulled her close to him and wrapped his own cloak around her as far as it would go. He waited until she stopped shivering before speaking.

"You should get a warmer cloak."

"This one's warm enough, I think. It's just the wind that's really bad today."

"Let's go inside." He held Eva's hand and began to lead her towards the castle.

"No, no, it's okay, really. Let's just walk around. I'm sure I'll be fine once I start moving around."

Draco nodded, but did not let go of her hand. They began to stroll around the edge of the lake.

"I had hoped to skate on the ice when winter came, but I guess Dumbledore has good reason to not let it freeze over."

"I always like to watch you skate," said Draco.

"I always like watching you fall," said Eva.

Draco chuckled. No one was close enough to hear their conversation, so he did not mind Eva's banter. "You never did learn to return a compliment."

"What do you want me to say? You do spend half your time getting off your arse."

"You could compliment me on my excellent snowballs," he teased.

Eva laughed. That comment could be taken more than one way and Eva was sure Draco had intended it. "I have had no experience with your snowballs, Draco."

"Well, we'll have to fix that." He leaned down, without letting go of Eva's hand and scooped up some snow. Eva twisted her hand within his and managed to pull away. Draco used his released hand to compound the snow and form it into a nice, round ball.

Eva squealed as she ran from Draco. "I was just joking!" she cried out.

"You know, I have always had excellent aim," commented Draco. He tossed the snowball straight up and caught it again. He smiled devilishly at Eva. "Go ahead and run, I'll still get you."

Eva ran to the left and then swerved in another direction, hoping to throw off Draco's aim. It was too bad that Draco anticipated her last swerve and his snowball hit her right on the side of her head.

Eva stumbled a bit and shook her head. She scooped up a handful of snow and packed it into a ball. She saw Draco walking towards her and quickly lobbed the ball right at him. She had hoped to hit him in the face, but she had to throw too quickly and she got him right in the chest. He looked so stunned that she laughed.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it," he said. He began running towards her, a wicked grin on his face.

Eva squealed again. She quickly got up from her kneeling position and began to run. She knew that Draco would catch her; she wasn't even making too much of an effort to outrun him. He soon lunged at her and grabbed her around the waist.

Eva laughed as Draco dragged her down onto the snow. She gave a half-hearted struggle to escape him, but he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her hands above her head. She continued to squirm and laugh at their little game. She did not notice the change on Draco's face. Her squirms were rather erotic and his face was now serious.

When she stopped laughing and looked into his face, she gave a quick gasp at the desire reflected in Draco's eyes. They were not the usual sharp gray; they were darker and showed a hunger she had never seen from him.

"Draco," she breathed. His name sounded more like a question.

Draco began to move his head down towards hers. His eyes only left hers for an instant to glance at her lips. That small glance told Eva exactly what he was planning to do. Right before his lips reached their intended destination, Eva turned her head and Draco's kiss landed on her cheek.

She heard his groan of frustration and then his hands tightened around her wrists. "Draco, you're hurting me," she said. She tried to remove her wrists from his hands, but he just squeezed harder.

He moved his face from its position in the crook of her neck and stared right in her eyes. "Please, Eva."

"Draco, I'm so sorry. I just don't think I could kiss you like that."

Draco's face clouded over with anger. "But you could kiss Potter, right." He let go of her wrists and stood.

Eva lay on the ground looking at Draco. He made no move to help her up, so she slowly stood. She took her time in brushing the snow from her cloak before addressing him again.

"I don't know why you thought I would consent to kiss you, but if it is because of something I have said or done to make you believe it would be welcome, I do apologize. I never meant to give that impression."

Draco snorted and turned to face her. He saw Potter walking towards them. No doubt he had seen their little tumble in the snow and wanted to know what was going on. "Do you remember when we were fourteen and I came to your house?"

"Was it the last time or the one before?"

"The one before. Do you remember what we did?" He moved towards her slowly; like a predator stalking its prey.

"We were curious, fourteen-year-olds, Draco. It was just innocent fun."

"Well, I will not say that it was not fun, but can you honestly say that you didn't feel anything towards me then? That you don't feel anything towards me now?" He had reached Eva and was standing directly in front of her, looking down.

Eva had not noticed how much taller Draco was than herself. She looked up into his eyes and tried to find the answer that she wanted to come. In truth, she had felt something towards Draco when they were fourteen and that feeling had only been buried for the last year and a half. She had always liked Draco as something more than a friend. That was part of the reason that she had allowed their little curiosity to go as far as it had. But now she was not so sure.

Draco was so different than when they had last met. He was distant and in many ways colder than she had ever known him to be. She knew that his father's influence was profound, and it scared her to think that it might be permanent. She knew that it was difficult not to love Draco, at least the real Draco. He was truly the charming prince of every girl's dreams and it would be difficult not to love him.

Then there was Harry. Harry who had somehow wormed his way into Eva's deepest affections. She had not really noticed when she had fallen for the guy, but she knew that she had. He was almost the complete opposite of Draco. Just as much the charmer, but in a quiet way that you didn't see coming. There was so much more to him than what met the eye and Eva wanted to know everything that lay hidden in his heart and mind. She wanted to know the entire Harry Potter.

Draco saw the confusion in Eva's eyes and knew that she was struggling with her feelings. He looked over her shoulder and saw that Harry was very quickly getting closer to them and he was followed by Weasley and Granger. He did not have much time and if it came down to it, he was going to be outnumbered. He shot a quick glance around the lawn and his eyes landed on Crabbe and Goyle. He pulled his wand out discretely and shot a miniscule streak of green sparks from the tip. It was small enough that only they saw it and they quickly began to make their way towards Malfoy.

Draco's eyes and attention fell back onto Eva. "Maybe I can help you make up your mind." He leaned down and brushed his lips on hers.

Eva shivered a little at the sensation. She was confused as to what to think and she pushed Draco away from her. "Please, Draco. Could you give me some time? I don't know what I feel right now. I just know I can't do this with you right now."

Draco's face reverted to anger again. "But you can with Potter! Don't think I don't know about the two of you."

"We're just friends, Draco. Really good friends."

"Then if he's just your friend, he wouldn't mind if I do this." Draco grabbed Eva by the arms and pulled her roughly to him. He lowered his lips to her rather forcefully and kissed her hard.

"Malfoy! Back off!" Eva heard the yell from behind her.

She had not seen Harry coming towards them with Ron and Hermione following him. She looked behind Draco and saw that Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were quickly coming towards them as well. Eva had a bad feeling about this. She felt Draco's hands squeeze her upper arms and then she was flung from him. She fell in the snow beside him.

Scrambling as quickly as she could, she stood, but fell again when she caught her cloak with her boots. She saw Harry and Draco pull their wands. Her mind was so panicked, she could not focus on anything. It all happened so fast that all Eva could do was react. Crabbe and Goyle had pulled out their wands, as well as Ron and Hermione. The three Slytherin wands pointed at Harry and the three Gryffindor wands, at Draco.

They'll kill each other, Eva thought to herself. She quickly ran in between them and raised her hands in front of Draco to stop them from doing anything stupid. She knew that Harry would not attack unless provoked.

She had just stepped between the two groups when she heard the loud shout. It was amazing how they all seemed to shout the curse at the same time. "Stupefy." Six stunners were hurled at Eva; all at the same time. Three straight to the chest and three between her shoulder blades. A pained expression flitted across her face for a moment before she stiffened and fell to the ground.

Draco had seen the pain in her eyes right before she lost consciousness. He didn't say a word; he just scrambled to her side in the snow and tapped her face. "Rave, Rave wake up!" When he got no response he turned to Crabbe and Goyle. "One of you go get Madame Pomfrey and the other should find Professor Snape." They hesitated leaving Draco alone with the three Gryffindors who were now beside the fallen girl as well. "What are you standing there for? MOVE!"

The two cronies left at a run to do as they had been ordered. Harry and Draco shot each other a hate-filled glance before again looking down at Eva. They would have been blaming each other at the top of their lungs, had they not known the seriousness of the situation. Six stunners were enough to put a grown wizard in the hospital; who knew what it would do to a sixteen-year-old witch.

Professor Snape was soon soaring across the lawn, robes billowing out behind him. He had a murderous look on his face. It softened, however, when he saw his daughter lying on the ground, motionless. He felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach.

"Which curses were used here?" he asked coldly.

"Only one, sir. A stunning spell," answered Draco.

"One spell - six times, Professor," added Hermione worriedly.

Severus looked down at his daughter and cursed. He smoothed a hand across her cheek and felt that her skin was cool to the touch. He checked her pulse and felt a faint, but distinct, beating. Madame Pomfrey arrived and shooed everyone to a distance. Severus allowed her to work and just stared at his daughter.

Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be just sleeping. He noted the stark contrast of her hair fanned out across the snow. It was raven black, just like his, and long. Her skin was naturally like porcelain, but now it was becoming even more pale. Her lips, which were usually a rosy pink, were beginning to lose their tint; he did not know if it was from the cold or from the curses.

Madame Pomfrey rose from the girl's side and was conjuring a stretcher. She looked up and saw the Headmaster walking swiftly towards them. "She will need to be taken to St. Mungo's. She needs round-the-clock supervision to make sure there is no permanent damage. She seems to have a steady heartbeat, faint, but steady."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco were still standing there, all of them looking down at the pale girl as she was being lifted onto the stretcher. They followed behind the Professors as they made their way into the castle. Ron and Hermione hesitated at the door of the infirmary; Harry and Draco did no such thing. They both walked right in after the adults. Neither spoke or looked at each other until the Headmaster turned to them.

"What happened?" he asked.

Severus turned from the bed before either of them could respond. "What have you done, Potter?!" he yelled.

Harry was about to protest the unfairness of the accusation, but Dumbledore cut in before he had a chance. "Do not be hasty, Professor Snape. We should hear out the stories before we cast blame upon anyone."

"My daughter is lying immobile in the next bed and you expect me to calmly hear their fictitious stories!"

"Severus, please. We must remain levelheaded for Eva's sake. Know that she will be taken care of and no more harm will befall her. I have already sent Professor McGonagall to summon medi-witches from St. Mungo's." He turned back to the two boys who were now glaring at each other.

"Mr. Malfoy, how did this happen?"

Draco turned from glowering at Harry and adopted the most innocent look he could on his face. "Eva and I were talking and Potter came towards us. He interrupted an intimate moment and threatened us with his wand. I had to defend us both," he finished.

Dumbledore nodded and turned to the dark-haired boy. "Harry?"

"I saw Draco tackle Eva and I wanted to make sure that she was okay. When I walked closer, I saw Draco kiss her and it didn't look like she had invited it. I thought he was doing something she didn't like, so I wanted to defend her." Harry had a look of complete sincerity in his eyes.

The Headmaster looked from one boy to the other. Draco may have had a fake look of innocence on his face, but Dumbledore did not doubt his sincerity. He would have known right away if either boy had been lying.

"Very well," he said. He straightened a bit and looked over to Professor Snape. "Draco, your Head of House will decide your punishment. Harry, the same applies to you. Now, I want both of you to return to both of your common rooms. Draco, you have prefect duties to attend to and I believe you have Quidditch practice, Harry."

The two boys haltingly turned. Both looked over their shoulders for one last look at the still form that was lying on the infirmary bed. Severus Snape snapped the curtain closed as they headed out the door. For the first time in his career at Hogwarts, Harry felt bad for Draco; who knew what kind of punishment Professor Snape would have for him?

"I hope you're happy, Potter," said Draco.

They had reached the point where they would head in opposite directions to get to their respective dormitories. Harry turned to Draco a look of incredulity on his face.

"What?! I'm not the one who forced myself on Eva," he shot back.

"I did nothing of the sort. She was just not expecting the kiss. I had not made a move before that. She was just surprised," he lied.

"Yeah right, Malfoy. You've been trying to get in her pants since she got here. I can only think of two reasons for you to have pulled that."

"Pray tell, Potter."

"You wanted to get into her jeans one way or another. Even if you have to force your way; which I would not put past you." Draco snorted and Harry continued. "Or you are jealous of how much time she and I are spending together and you wanted to get at me through her."

"Unlike you, Potter, I don't have to rely on some scar and a little fame to get what I want. Eva and I have been intimate before." He liked the look of surprise that flitted across the Gryffindor's face for a second. "I bet she never told you that, huh? Yes, she and I have been seeing each other for quite some time. It's just our last separation was longer than either of us wanted it to be."

He was not totally lying. He and Eva had seen each other on a regular basis since their childhood, just not always in an intimate way. And their last separation was longer than either of them would have liked it to be. He knew that Eva had missed him as much as he had her.

"I'll believe that when I hear it from her." Harry turned and climbed the stairs two at a time.

Draco casually walked to the Slytherin dungeons. He had gotten to Potter with his comment about his and Eva's relationship. He entered the dungeons and with one simple look at the Slytherins around the common room he made it clear that he was in no mood to see any misbehavior; that pretty much meant either stay out of trouble or don't get caught. He walked into this room and threw himself onto the bed. He pulled the curtains around his four-poster and began to think about the situation.

Potter was obviously infatuated with Eva, but he had not made a move yet. Draco wondered why. Harry had never been hasty about acting without thinking things through before. Draco's father's current predicament was proof enough of that. If he had just stayed at Hogwarts and not tried to play the hero, Potter's godfather would be alive and Draco's father would be at home. Not that he minded Lucius' absence; it had been rather nice not having him at the Manor. Draco and Narcissa had never felt so free in a long time. They had actually been able to show some affection towards each other without looking over their shoulders for Lucius.

But he was digressing. Potter was the subject here. There had to be a reason why he had not made a move with Eva yet. Maybe he was just afraid that she would reject him. As she should, thought Draco. She was a pureblooded witch, after all. She would not consent to marry just any one. Besides that, she was practically married to Draco, anyway. She didn't know about their parents' arrangement, but he was sure he would soon get the all clear to tell her everything.

Someone entered the dormitory and Draco peeked around his curtains. It was Crabbe and Goyle. "Anything?" he asked.

"They've taken her to St. Mungo's. Snape went with them," said Goyle.

Draco nodded. He figured that the Professor would go. She was his daughter. He would probably stay there all day and come back just to teach classes.

Goyle cleared his throat and Draco turned to him. "Something else?"

"Potter went to the Headmaster before going out to the pitch. He wants to go visit her in the hospital, but the Headmaster won't let him off the school grounds."

Draco smiled devilishly. Potter wasn't allowed to see his beloved. This was going to be great. He would be writhing in jealousy when Draco got permission to see her.

Draco dismissed his two lackeys and put a Sealing Charm on his four-poster. For all his outward calm, he had been seriously shaken at the sight of an Eva deathly pale on the snow. He had never seen her like that before. He knew about her gift as an Energy Healer and so he knew the reason for her continual health. It had been a heavy blow to see her in such a state. To anyone who knew him, his use of her nickname in public would have been a sign of how unnerved he was.

He sat on his bed and allowed his thoughts to run unchecked. He thought about how they played as children. When they were seven, he loved to tug on her pigtails to tease her. For years she called him her knight in shining armor. He thought about their celebration they had when they had received their letters from Hogwarts and Durmstrang. He remembered that one reason his mother had insisted he go to Hogwarts was that she knew Saveage would never allow Eva to attend Durmstrang and she and Lucius had always wanted the two of them together. It seemed his parents had planned that he marry Eva for a long time.

He remembered that on that very night, Eva had shown him a letter that she sneacked out of the owl-post. It was from Beauxbatons. She had also been accepted to that school, but knew that Lucius would not allow Draco to set one foot there. Eva was afraid that her mother would send her there, and so she had hidden the letter. All their worry and planning was for naught, as the Nocturinos eventually decided to educate Eva at home. It was hard for them to maintain contact through letters alone and to see each other only during the Christmas holiday and during the summers. Draco had missed Eva terribly.

His thoughts turned to the meeting he had asked Eva about less than an hour ago. Draco had known that day, that Lucius was planning on speaking to Saveage about arranging a marriage between their two teens. Lucius had even asked Draco if he liked the prospect of marrying Eva. It was actually one of the only times the man had asked Draco his opinion. Of course, knowing that Lucius wanted a positive response, and really not having anything against the idea, he answered that he saw nothing but good in their union and that Eva was a fine pure-blooded witch. Lucius had given Draco one of the few smiles in his life and the boy carried that with him to this day.

Eva had been oblivious to what her mother and Lucius Malfoy were discussing, but she had enjoyed the flirtatious play that Draco seemed so intent on that day. He had spared nothing to see how far she would to with him. He had known for some time that she had some romantic feelings for him, but he'd never thought of endangering their friendship with something they could not take back.

He had complimented her on everything from her hair, which he truly did love, to her shoes. He'd held her hand while they walked the path in the woods by her Manor. He had even had the house elves bring them a picnic lunch in the woods. She had commented on how differently he was behaving and inquired as to what he was after. He'd given her one of the smoothest lines he had ever given.

"I don't want anything, but for you to be happy and to have pleasant memories of today." The line made Draco smile even now. He had always prided himself on having a smooth tongue. She had not questioned him further and they had enjoyed their picnic.

It was the memory of the next few hours that he loved the most. She had been telling him about how her grandfather was teaching her about certain methods of brewing different potions; he had been listening until she had shifted positions. Her new pose allowed him to see right down her blouse. It was one of the few times he'd been glad to see her in Muggle clothes. She must have asked him a question because she cleared her throat loudly and was looking at him accusingly.

"Just what are you staring at, Mr. Malfoy?" Her tone had held a hint of mischief and he smiled.

"I was just admiring your blouse," he answered.

"Really? Well, I'm glad you like it. It's made of a very nice silk. Smooth to the touch."

"Chinese silk?" asked Draco moving closer to her.

"Of course, I wear nothing else. Would you like to see if the fabric is soft enough for you?"

"I would indeed." Draco's voice was low and husky.

He'd been waiting for this chance all day. He placed one hand on the fabric that was on her side and pulled her closer to him. He liked the warm softness that was underneath the fabric.

"Soft?" asked Eva.

"Very," he answered.

He did not let her move and she made no indication that she wanted to. He moved towards her and his eyes glanced down at her lips and back to her eyes. She understood his request and closed her eyes in answer. He kissed her softly at first, but deepened it when she put her arms around his neck. He had not moved his hand from her side and only began to touch her when he noticed that she was kissing him back with as much fervor as he was kissing her. He also noticed that her fingers had found their way into his hair. He replied in kind by pulling on the ribbon that held her hair back.

He pulled back from the kiss and smiled when he heard her small whimper of protest. "I've always loved your hair." He ran a hand through it from the roots all the way down to the ends, which he knew went halfway down her back.

"I thought you liked blondes," said Eva.

"I do, but there's no contrast in a blonde who's got blue eyes." He rolled over so she was completely on her back, hair cascading around her shoulders. He used one hand to play with her tresses and the other to caress her face. "I've never seen any girl as beautiful as you, Rave."

"You're just saying that because you want in my pants," she answered.

Draco's face turned somber. He had really meant it. He didn't know when his feelings for Eva had turned, but he knew that they had. "No, Rave. I mean it. I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

Eva could find no deceit in his eyes. She smiled and pulled him down to her. She allowed him to kiss her lips, her nose, her eyes, anywhere he wanted. She did not know when or how, but she'd managed to remove his shirt and he, hers. She felt him reach behind her and unhook her bra. The silk material was soon lying next to her blouse.

She had allowed him to kiss her breasts and he was so excited by the fact that he was probably the first to ever see her like this. She was so clean, so pure, so unlike the girls in Slytherin. For a minute he actually felt bad about the thoughts that were passing through his head, about the things he wanted to do to her. He had to control himself; he did not want to take her innocence here, in the middle of a forest. He forced himself to pull away.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he answered. He ran a hand through his hair, something he rarely did.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently.

Draco looked at her, quickly wanting to calm her mind. "No, Rave, you did nothing wrong. In fact, you were doing everything right. I just don't want to do this here. I want your first time to be something special."

Her response to him was what confirmed her feelings in Draco's mind. She'd smiled and pulled him down to lie down next to her. She did not put her bra back on, or cover herself up. She had just laid her head on his bare chest and held him for what seemed like hours. She'd been completely comfortable with him; she did not mind being half-naked and laying with him on the forest floor.

He'd never experienced anything like that before. Someone who just wanted to hold him, just to lie there, talking about everything and anything, enjoying each other's company. It had made him hope, for the first time in his life, that Lucius would wheedle his way into what they both wanted. Draco could no longer imagine his life without the raven-haired girl laying next to him.

His mind was brought back to the present by a tapping on the door. He looked around the coverings of his four-poster after wiping his face clear of all tearstains. It was Crabbe and Goyle, no doubt waiting for him to go down to dinner. He could not believe that it was dinnertime already. He must have nodded off while he was thinking about Eva.

He led the two boys to the Great Hall, where everyone seemed to know just what had happened to Eva. The Gryffindors were sending him angry glares, which were normal, but it was the first time they were doing it because he had hurt one of his fellow housemates. He sat down at the table and Pansy Parkinson took the seat next to him. She had been smarting about the Yule Ball, but he really did not want to put up with her today. He looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw that Harry was not eating; good, he was feeling as miserable as he was for what happened to Eva.

He looked at the plate of food in front of him and lost his appetite. It was strange how guilt could extinguish your appetite. He'd forgotten what that was like. He was getting up from the table when Dumbledore stood and Professor McGonagall tapped her glass. He sat back down and awaited the announcement.

"As you all know, one of your fellow students was injured earlier today and was taken to St. Mungo's. For all those who wish to write or send Miss Nocturino a get-well card or gift, please see your Heads of House and we will see that she receives them. She is expected to make a full recovery and we hope to have her back with us soon. Thank you." The Headmaster sat down and Draco shot out of his seat.

He walked as quickly as he could out of the Great Hall, heedless of the whispers that followed him. He walked swiftly to the common room and pulled out a small amount of floo powder that he kept in a pouch just in case. Five minutes later he walked into his dormitory and changed into his satin pajamas with a smile on his face. When Eva woke up she'd be surrounded by so many roses she'd think that she was in a garden. Let's see if Potter could top that.