b When the battles lost and won… /b

i A/N—Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been sooo busy lately. I promise all will be explained soon! 

On a completely different note: Can you guess where I'm getting my chapter titles from yet? If you can good for you, you obviously know your literature. I'm studying it in school and it's soo boring!

Standard disclaimer time! It's not mine (I wish it was…but its not). /i

Rose woke up early the next day with a smile on her face. Having someone she knew so well at Hogwarts with her was an extremely comforting thought, and suddenly she wasn't quite as nervous about starting her first day.

She climbed out of bed quietly, careful as not to wake the other girls, and rooted through her trunk. Soon she found what she was looking for-the little photo book with the dark purple leather cover and the gold-leaf imprint "Hermione and Rosie-Friends Forever"

Rose smiled at the oft-surprising hand of fate as she flipped through the album. How true that inscription had turned out to be, despite several years spent apart. Rose had to admit that Hermione looked very differently from that little 9-year-old she remembered. Her hair, though with the same fluffy bounce, was longer now and tamer than the bushy pigtails of her youth. And, for some reason, her smile looked much different… She'd have to ask Hermione about that one.

She flicked through the still photos of them playing at her parent's house at the shore, hugging on their first day of junior school, and sitting on a park bench at Oxford at one or their parent's gaudy days.

But, somehow she was still the same Hermione, and she was still the same Rose. So many memories left behind, and such a great chance to create more.

Rose was beginning to think that life at Hogwarts wasn't going to be that bad.

Hermione washed up with a definite bounce in her step. Not only did she have her own room as Head Girl, but she was excited to get down to breakfast. This i was /i her final year at Hogwarts, and she had just met up with a long-lost childhood friend!

'This is going to be a wonderful year, I can just tell!' she smiled happily to herself as she combed out her damp hair and straightened her tie. She left her top two shirt buttons undone, though.

'Can't be too stuck up, now can I?' she giggled. 'Oh yes, this is definitely going to be fun.'

She made her way to the Gryffindor common room. She was just mentally listing all the people she would have to introduce Rose to and all the lessons she would probably need help with, when Rose came almost skipping down the stairs to meet Hermione, her cropped black hair pulled into a small ponytail at the nape of her neck and her uniform crisp and clean. The girls beamed at each other and settled into the couch with pleasant small talk.

A few minutes later, Ginny stumbled into the common room from the direction of her dormitory, with her hair haphazardly piled high on her head and her uniform slightly wrinkled. Hermione giggled and whispered that Ginny was not quite a morning person.

Ginny yawned and plopped on the couch next to Hermione, who immediately introduced her to Rose and told her the strange coincidence of how she ended up at Hogwarts.

"That's so strange!" Ginny exclaimed, now fully awake. "You two were friends from forever ago, and here you both are again. Well, you know what they say-any friend of Hermione's is a friend of mine!"

Rose smiled a shy but thankful smile, but inside she was thrilled to have met such a wonderful person on her very first day. From what she could tell, Ginny was very bubbly and perhaps a bit mischievous. She herself had a bit of a wild streak in her, and she could tell the three of them were all going to be good friends.

Ginny and Hermione went on talking and filling her in on all the basic gossip of Hogwarts, most secret of which were their upcoming wedding plans.

"You're getting married! Really? That's wonderful!" Rose said excitedly.

"Thanks," Hermione smiled. "But please don't tell anyone. I don't want to have to justify myself or my soon-to-be sister-in-law to every single person who isn't as understanding as you."

"Well, as well you shouldn't," Rose concurred. "Don't worry. I won't tell. Now, seeing as how you are both taken, do you think you could at least introduce me to some nice, single guys around here?

"Well, I just happened to notice that a very handsome Slytherin was staring at you all through dinner last night," Ginny teased.

"Oh?" Rose asked, unconsciously smoothing her hair back and straightening her uniform.

"Oh yes," Ginny continued. "Draco can be… well, he can certainly be charming when he wants to be, and he is dead gorgeous…"

"We have a bit of a mixed history with him," Hermione explained. "But we all trust him now. I'll point him out at breakfast."

Just then, a very rumpled pair of boys entered the room from the direction of the Head Boy's dorm.

"Having a nice little sleepover, were you lot?" Ginny giggled, and the three girls laughed.

Ron waved off the tease. "Oh, come off it," he said, bending to kiss Hermione's cheek. "Harry wanted to check it out and ended up kipping on the floor." Turning to Rose, he asked, "Now, who is going to introduce me to our newest Gryffindor?" He took her hand, bent it up and pecked a chivalrous kiss.

"He's a charmer, that one," Rose said to Hermione, who rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm Rose Westlock. Pleased to meet you. And you are…"

"Ronald Weasley," he smiled, gently pulling Hermione to her feet and noticing her open shirt buttons with a sly grin. He pointed behind himself and said, "And that lump over there smothering my sister is Harry Potter. Oi!"

Harry and Ginny broke apart from their good-morning kiss and blushed.

"Harry Potter, eh? Sounds familiar," said Rose with a furrowed brow.

Harry audibly sighed. "Most likely is. It's a long story; I'll tell you sometime."

"No, that's not what I meant…," Rose frowned. "It's almost like I know you from somewhere, like we've met before..."

She and Harry locked eyes and stared at each other for a few seconds, while the others looked on in complete confusion.

"That is strange…," Harry mused. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I think we have met before, but I can't think of where…"

They stared for another few seconds before Ron broke the silence.

"Uh, let's head down to breakfast, then, shall we?"

Like a spell had been broken, Rose and Harry blinked and turned back to the group.

"Yes, lets," Rose said brightly, taking Hermione's arm in hers and leading them all out the portrait hole and into the corridor. "And, you can fill me in about your 'mixed history' with this dashing Draco chap along the way."

"Oh no, absolutely not!" Ron burst, rounding on Hermione. "You cannot set up a beautiful girl like that with that slimy ferret git!"

"Ron!" Hermione chastised. "Watch your mouth! Draco has proved himself over and over, and I will not let your overprotective tendencies spread over onto Rose, no matter how flattered I'm sure she is!"

The pair continued to argue loudly, and Rose, totally embarrassed that she caused a fight between the couple, shrunk back with Harry and Ginny.

"Don't worry, they do this all the time," Harry whispered. "It's best to let them have at each other once or twice a day. I think that's why they love each other so much, honestly. Totally bonkers, they are."

Rose smiled. "I didn't realize Draco was such a sore topic."

"Well," Harry sighed, "It's a very long story. You see, for the first five years we knew Draco, he was a slimy ferret git, just like Ron said. He lived to make our lived miserable. He called Hermione rotten names, made fun of Ron's family and hexed me every chance he got. It was a mutual hate, though."

"But now you are all mates? I'm confused."

"Well it all started about April last year I think. You see, Draco's family is pureblood, and the worst kind. It's common knowledge around here that his parents are Death Eaters, and, as a sweet-sixteen present, his father, Lucius-"

Rose gasped, "Not Lucius Malfoy!" Harry nodded. "Oh, he's awful. He made the French news all the time. Rich man bent on ruling the world, that one. And he's Draco's dad? Wow."

"Well, that's not the worst of it, I'm afraid," Ginny said. "Like Harry said, Draco turned 16, and, as a gift, his dad brought him before Lord Voldemort for a surprise Death-Eater inauguration. Draco was given the dark mark against his will and, as soon as he got back to Hogwarts, he went straight to Dumbledore and asked to have it removed. Dumbledore managed to get most of the dark magic out of the mark but wasn't able to completely remove it, so he still has the brand on his forearm."

Harry cut in. "Yeah, I guess Draco pledged his allegiance to Dumbledore that night, and Professor Snape was called in to administer the strongest Veritasyrum he could brew to Draco. Turns out he was telling the truth. But, seeing as how he wasn't secretkeeper for Voldemort's hiding place, he had to trick his father, who was the secretkeeper, into telling him the location of the next meeting. Lucius gave Draco the information, and Draco gave it to Dumbledore.

"The meeting was, of course, raided by Ministry Aurors, Dumbledore, me, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and a few… well, others. We managed to capture some Death Eaters, and some were killed in the battle. Unfortunately, some of the more powerful Death eaters managed to get away, Lucius included."

Rose gasped again.

"Yeah, it was too bad, too. Draco had him cornered and, in his utter rage, started to cast i Avada Kedavra /i , but stray jinx knocked him out of the way before he could finish and Lucius managed to apparate."

"And Voldemort?" Rose asked with a squeak.

"He got away, too," Harry said angrily. "We managed to hit him with a few spells, but they only slowed him down. And, this past summer, Lucius was obviously right disappointed and completely disowned Draco, which is why he is staying with the Weasleys and we all had to learn to put up with him. He has gotten much better though-almost a completely different guy."

"That is quite a story," she said, completely breathless, with a small smile. "He sounds so brave to have faced he daemons like that head on. It must have been absolutely awful for him. Oh, I certainly can't wait to meet him now! So, if you are all friends, what's that all about then?" She motioned to the still-arguing Hermione and Ron, who both turned and quieted down when they realized they were being stared at.

"Sorry," they muttered together.

"Well…" Harry said. "Some of us still haven't grown to trust him, but I can assure you that, while he may still be a little snobbish, but he is perfectly fine. Dumbledore cast some pretty old magic on him to keep him safe, so I wouldn't worry about that either… Hello, there he is now. Oi! Draco!"

Rose turned quickly and came face-to-face with the most handsome boy-no, man-she had ever seen.

His eyes were a deep grey-blue, and his white-blonde hair was short and soft. He stood a head taller than she was, and had a confident air about him that was absolutely magnetic. A bemused smile was playing on lips, and she found she couldn't look away.

His eyes bore into hers. Neither heard Harry introducing them to each other.

His masculine scent filled her nostrils and her felt herself get a little dizzy. She reached up and placed a hand on his chest to steady herself.

He immediately covered her hand with his, his eyes never leaving hers and his smile fading into a more serious look.

She ran her eyes over him. Was this the man who faced his own father in a duel? Was this the man traded away his money and wealth to do the right thing?

She was absolutely entranced and wasn't thinking straight anymore. Without a single word, she leaned forward and closed her eyes.

Their lips met in searing kiss, one that he readily returned. His lips were sweet and he tasted of peppermint…

Suddenly, the whole world came rushing back to her and she realized she was doing.

She pushed against his chest and they broke apart, which she realized was a little difficult to do. When had wrapped his arm around her waist?

Rose whirled around and saw that not only were Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry gaping at them with open mouths, but a few students had stopped to stare as well.

She turned back to Draco, who was looking around as well, the smile back on his lips.

"I... Oh, I am so sorry, I don't know what came over me just then…," she stuttered, trying to push back her embarrassment. There was no taking it back now, and she had liked it. "I'm Rose, by the way, Rose Westlock." She held out her hand.

"No, please, it was my fault," Draco said, taking her hand in his and holding it. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"I know who you are," she said, still a little dazed.

Ron started to make a move toward Draco and, thankfully, Hermione held him back and cleared her throat loudly. "Well, now that you two have, um, met… Draco, would you like to have breakfast with us this morning?"

Draco eyes still didn't leave Rose's. "That would be lovely, Hermione. Thank you."

Ginny stepped forward and grabbed one of Rose's arms. "We'll meet you in there, boys. We just have to run to the loo," Ginny said, steering her toward the first floor bathroom.

The girls bustled through the door and Hermione turned to Rose. "Please explain to me what just happened out there."

"Oh, my god, Hermione, I honestly don't know! I just saw him and those eyes… and something came over me!"

"Well," Ginny said. "I think, at least, you made a good impression on him!"

They all laughed.

"OK, that wasn't exactly how I had thought that was going to happen, but it's fine," Hermione said, glancing in the mirror briefly and straightening her tie again. "Rose, do you really like him?"

"Because if you do, that's really great," Ginny said quickly.

Rose thought for a moment. "Well, he is gorgeous, and I would like to see him again … Yes, I think I do, actually!"

The girls all shared a little squeal and squeezed each other's hands.

"But, let's not go planning a triple wedding now, OK?" Rose giggled again. "If I am going to do this with him, I'd like to do it right."

"Deal," echoed Hermione and Ginny, and the girls set off en masse back to the Great Hall.

-

Harry had to physically hold Ron back.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Malfoy!" Ron growled. "Is that how you normally go around saying hello?"

"Calm the bloody hell down, Weasley," Draco said with a smirk. "You heard her, she kissed me-not that I minded at all." His fingers brushed his lips. "She is beautiful. Rose was her name, eh?"

Harry tried to an unbiased approach. After all, had it been Ron, he'd have patted him on the shoulder. "So, Draco…," he said as they walked over to the Gryffindor table. "She's a nice girl. Let's not go breaking any hearts, eh?"

"Oi, Potter, I have no intention of breaking her heart," Draco smirked again. "I'd actually like to get to know her, see her again. It's a wicked girl who'll kiss you without saying two words to you first."

Ron growled again, and Harry kicked him under the table.

Ron sighed. "OK, if no one's going to ask"-he shot Harry an irritated glance-"how was it?"

Draco laughed for the first time in months. "Weasley, wouldn't you like to know?"

Just then, the girls sat down at the table next to them, and Rose took the seat next to Draco. Her hand gently brushed his thigh and, without anyone else seeing, Draco quickly took it in his. They looked at each other and smiled shyly.

The tension eventually broke, and they all fell into lively conversations, the guys about Quidditch and the girls about their new schedules.

Rose had morning transfiguration with Hermione, Ron and Harry, then they all had Care of Magical Creatures outside together after lunch. Ginny groaned about being left out again, but as she was only a Sixth Year, it was not to be helped.

When they all made to get up, Draco held Rose back and, with her back to his chest, leaned in and whispered that he would like to see her again soon and would she please meet him near the main doors before lunch.

She shivered and nodded. He placed small kiss on the back of her neck and got up from the table. They walked to the doors of the Great Hall and said another shy good-bye.

Jogging to catch up to Hermione, Rose thought, 'Wow! This really is definitely going to be a fun year!'

-

Rose thoroughly enjoyed her morning classes ("Much better than Beauxbatons," she whispered to Hermione during in break in Professor McGonagall's lecture), and soon it was time to meet up with Draco.

Hermione whispered, "Good Luck!" and squeezed her hand, and Rose set off for the main doors.

-

Draco was standing at the Main doors waiting for Rose, thoughts of this morning running through his head.

It's true, she had been the one to kiss him, but aside from being caught off guard, he really liked it. It had been a long time since anyone had showed outward affection for him.

He could still feel her lips on his. She had tasted minty, like she had just brushed her teeth. He hadn't needed to say anything to her either and had readily accepted her lips when she offered them to him… And those eyes… those violet eyes had completely entranced him. They were beautiful, like a purple quartz, all sparkling and full of life.

'OK, Draco, pull yourself together. She's just a girl, nothing special…,' he tried to convince himself.

But then he saw her approaching him, her dark hair pulled back, her lips pink and wet, and uniform school-girl perfect, he knew there was no hope. He was already falling for her-this girl he had barely met.

She stopped and smiled at him. "So… that was quite an introduction this morning."

"Yes, it was," he answered. "I must say, you are quite enchanting." She blushed. "Would you like to come for a walk with me out on the grounds? I'll show you around before our next class."

"Yes, I'd like that, I think-just as long as we can stop in and grab a sandwich before we go," she said with a wink. "I'm famished."

He agreed, and soon they were down by the lake, watching the giant squid sun itself in the shallows. Draco had brought her to a very secluded spot where he said he usually came to think. He spread out his cloak for her to sit on in the grass, and she insisted that he join her. Their shoulders were touching, but neither seemed to mind as they each took turns getting to know each other.

"That is a coincidence that you and Hermione were friends before Hogwarts. And, both being from muggle parentage, I can image it's extremely rare," Draco said after she had told him about herself for a bit. "Mother always fancied that Beauxbatons would be a fine school for me to attend, but father had absolutely refused. Hogwarts was the only school they could both agree wasn't terrible."

Rose didn't know quite what to say. Did he want to talk about his parents?

"Draco, I'm sorry to hear about what happened with your parents. Harry told me about it earlier, and I just think it's awful," she said finally.

"Awful for whom?" he said with a laugh. "Trust me, I am much better off nowadays. I don't have to live in that huge, empty mansion, all alone with no one but the House Elves to talk to… I don't have to attend stuffy parties with only my parents' friends… I don't have to be awful to people just because of where they come from…"

His voice trailed away and he draped a casual arm around her shoulders. Leaning in, he said quietly, "And, I don't have to pretend to fancy people just because of who their parents are…"

She turned to look at him. His hand brushed across her cheek, and he said in a low voice, "I can choose to fancy someone because she is beautiful, charming, and…"

He suddenly couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her toward him and crushed his lips to hers. She moaned a little and immediately deepened the kiss, which only made him want her more.

His body was responding to hers, and, with no knowledge of how he'd gotten there, they were laying down on his cloak, his weight pressing down on her petite form deliciously and her arms wound tightly around his back, holding him in place.

She pulled back slightly and breathed, "I can't believe we're doing this, I barely know you…," but he was already attacking her neck with little sucks and bites. She moaned again and it only spurred him to ravage her mouth again.

"Wait…," she breathed a few minutes later. "We have to… to … to get to the lesson…"

His eyes bore into hers with what he hoped was dark desire. "I couldn't possibly go now," he groaned, shifting himself again against her leg. "If you insist on going, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stay behind and… take care of some things."

She giggled a bit. "Well, Mr. Malfoy. You do drive a hard"—she rubbed her leg up and down, causing him to bit his lip—"bargain, but I do believe Hermione will kill me twice if I skip my first day's classes."

She pulled him down for one last, long kiss before moving to get up.

"So, I'll see you later then?" she said, straightening her uniform.

"Count on it."

And with that, she turned and walked back toward the castle, leaving Draco with a broad grin on his face.

A/N the last bit was kinda my idea but amber made it 500 better(is that even possible?)she wrote a lot of it expanding on my pathetic ideas!

'Ooooo what happens next?' I hear you cry (no wait that's just my alter ego…)you'll have to wait to find out.