A/n Hello, it's me again. I've finally finished my exams, so I have time to update. This looks like my longest update yet, hope you like it. Also, I made a mistake in my earlier updates. This is not at the beginning of the summer holidays this is a couple of days before it's time to go back to school.

Romance Novels and Ice Cream

Diagon Alley was a flutter with movement and I couldn't help but stare at all the people that were shopping around me. The magical communities in America were also very busy and bustling, but there was something about being in a different country. It made everything seem to be brighter, louder, more exciting somehow.

Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions was a, large shop housing robes of all colours and varieties. As soon as we entered the shop Madam Malkin spotted Draco. She made a beeline for him, even though there were other customers who were obviously waiting. "Young Master Malfoy, what a pleasure to have you here," she said in a sickly sweet voice and then turning to address me, "and Miss Halliwell too, what a pleasure."

"You know me?" I asked surprised.

"Why of course, everyone knows about you dear." I turned to Draco with a confused look.. He gave me a knowing look, as though he didn't see anything unusual about everyone knowing about me and turned to madam Malkin to explain what I required.

Draco seemed to be in his element ever since he entered Diagon Alley. A lot of people addressed him as Young master Malfoy and had even bowed to him as they walked passed. Things were definitely different over here. It was like we're in Victorian times, muggle culture certainly hasn't had the same effect on Britain as it has on America.

Madame Malkin got me up on a stool right away and began to take my measurements.

"I must say it is wonderful to finally meet you." It was? "…And I hope that you and Young Master Malfoy will be happy together." Together? Happy? This was one strange lady. I didn't have a clue what she was going on about. I gave Draco another confused look and he returned another all knowing smile.

"Thank you, Madame Malkin." Draco replied.

"Is it going to be a long engagement?" She asked as though she were eager for gossip.

"ENGAGEMENT?" I asked astounded.

Madame Malkin looked surprised at my sudden outburst.

"She's just excited Madame Malkin." Draco said. I was still trying to recover from the word engagement. Is Draco suffering from the same craziness that this women is?

"Of course, she is dear. All of the girls will be so jealous." They could have him for all I cared, I was just seventeen, I was not getting married. Was this a joke? Please tell me this was a joke.

With a frown I mouth the word "engagement" to Draco over Madame Malkin's head, who is still prattling on about how wonderful Draco and his family are. But Draco just shakes his head "I'll tell you later".

After purchasing many robes and Draco ignoring many of my queries and glares, we left Madame Malkin's shop with Draco leading the way.

"Engaged? What was all that about?" I asked as I grabbed his arm.

"My father hasn't told you?" He looked slightly amused.

"Told me?" His attitude was really beginning to grate on my nerves.

"I'm sure he would have told you tonight."

I still wasn't taking any of this in. "Told me?" I growled.

Draco just smiled one of the few smiles he had directed at me that didn't have any sneer qualities in it. He wound his arm around my waist as he began to lead me towards another shop and said quite calmly, "We're to marry."

Pushing him away from me I just looked at him. It suddenly became quite clear to me why Mr Malfoy welcomed me into his house or should I say manor with open arms. I suddenly understood everything. Mr. Malfoy had been searching for something, what the something was I didn't know but I bet my bottom galleon it was something important to him, worth a lot of money maybe. So since he couldn't find this artefact I was the compensation prize, for his SON!

America may seem to have more liberal views but still quite a considerable portion of the wizarding community still believed in and tried to maintain what they liked to call 'pure bloods lines'. They liked to believe they were better and more powerful because they had no muggle blood in their lineage. As far I knew I was a 'pure blood', although it didn't matter to me my mother was constantly reminding me of this, especially when it came to my show of interest in the 'wrong' type of boys.

The real reason I was here was not because Mr Malfoy felt any genuine concern for me or because he felt it was his duty as a godfather. No, I was here to maintain the 'pure bloodlines' of the Malfoys.

Draco seemed quite surprised by my reaction. I'm pretty sure no girl had ever pushed Draco Malfoy away.

"I don't believe this! I'm not marrying you! I've just met you. I mean you can't just say 'we're to marry'." and with this I turned around and walked as fast as I could away from him and attempted to escape from him in the bustling crowd.

Merlin, Merlin, Merlin. I am an utter idiot! I shouldn't have agreed to go with them in the first place. They can't make me marry him! Or could they? I was alone in a strange country; well maybe not alone I could hear my "fiancé" shouting my name somewhere in the crowd behind me. What was I going to do? I had a strange feeling when it came to Mr Malfoy; he seemed to be genuine, or at least did until I found out his ulterior motive, but I could just sense that he was someone that you didn't say no to, and didn't want to have as an enemy.

Looking around I realised that I had lost Draco. Thank Merlin for that, but what was I to do now? I felt like one of those stupid, air headed girls out of the romance novels, the ones who can't take care of themselves or defend themselves, the ones when everything goes wrong they just sit and cry. I don't want to be one of those girls. I am NOT one of those girls. I can take care of myself. I am NOT going to cry. I am going to take control of the situation.

It would have been a lot more convincing if I hadn't decided that eventually I would have to find Draco as the only money I had was the change from buying the robes. Draco had the rest of the money that Mr Malfoy had given him. Eventually I would have to find him but not now. First I was going to have a look around Diagon Alley. I'll show him that I can take care of myself. Hmm where to go first?

Can't go to the book shop, he'll probably expect me to be there, as that was where we were headed. I started to walk along the alley in the opposite direction from which I came. I was so busy looking at all the things in the window that I didn't notice any one was in front of me until I was knocked off my feet by them and was lying on the ground.

"Oomph, oh, sorry. Here let me help you." A hand appeared and pulled me up. I was surprised to see that the hand belonged to a tall black haired boy with piercing green eyes, framed by round glasses. He was good looking but not as good looking as Draco. I can't believe I even thought that thought. Bad thought!

"Thanks, it's okay, it was an accident." I smiled at him as I bent down to pick up the bags.

He bent down to pick up a bag and he handed the bag back to me, running his hand over his over his hear in a futile attempt to tame his dark hair, as he did.

He stretched out his hand as he said, "I'm Harry."

"Lirael, pleased to meet you." I replied, laughing as I shook his hand.

"Where are you off to?" He asked continuing the conversation.

I really wanted to say: Don't really know I'm just trying to escape from the clutches of a hot, but crazy boy who thinks he'd like to marry me, but instead I stuck with the reply that made me sound less insane. "No where in particular, I was just having a look in all the shops. I was thinking about maybe heading to get something to eat."

"Oh really? Well, I was just going to meet my friends for some ice cream. I mean if you don't want to come it's okay, you might have better things to do, but still you said that you were hungry and…"

I cut in stopping him there. It sounded like a great idea. If Draco found me surely he couldn't get mad at me in front of Harry and who ever his friends might be. "Sure, I'd like that. Which way is it?"

"Actually, it's just over there." He said as he nodded to the small ice cream parlor directly across from us.

As we arrived at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Harry's attention was immediately captured by two people whom I assumed were his friends. "Harry, Harry over here," shouted a girl with extremely bushy, brown hair.

I hung back nervously until he took my arm, "Come on, I'll introduce you."

"Hermione, Ron, this is Lirael" he said motioning to me.

"Pleased to meet you I'm Hermione Granger." The bushy haired girl said with a smile.

"Ron!" she said as she elbowed him in the side. "Show some manners!"

The red headed boy who had been staring at me since I arrived at the table held out a shaky hand and stumbled over his words as his face seemed to turn redder than his hair.

"Rr…Ron Weasley, pleased to meet you"

Taking his hand in mine I replied. "You too," and smiled at him. This seemed to make him even redder.

"Can I have my hand back please?" I asked. He suddenly realized that he had still been holding my hand. Harry seemed to find this funny and was trying to hide his smile. Hermione on the other hand just rolled her eyes as though she were used to Ron's behavior.

"Ohh…uh of course. Sorry didn't mean to it's just that you know you're... very pretty." He seemed to have just realized what he said and looked as though he wanted to die on the spot. He began to try and talk again but was drowned out by Harry's hysterical laughter.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and said, "Honestly Ronald. Do shut up."

After this conversation began to flow more easily and Ron had finally gotten over his embarrassment enough to join in with the conversation, although it had taken him until he was half way through his ice cream.

"So, Lirael, are you just over here for a visit, or do you live here?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, I just arrived and I'm planning to go to Hogwarts. I'm staying with my godfather. It's a long story but I sort of just found out that I even had a godfather," at this comment everyone seemed to look at Harry as though to check that he was okay, but he was avoiding looking at anyone. "Only a couple of days ago and since my mother isn't alive any more, he took me back to Britain to live with him and his family."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your mother," she said sincerely. "Who's your godfather? Maybe we know him, after all wizarding Britain is a small place."

"Well his son Draco Malfoy goes to Hogwarts so maybe you do. His name's..."

The atmosphere seemed to suddenly change

"Malfoy?" Ron and Harry both shouted at the same time. Everyone in the shop turned to look at us.

Hermione gave a nervous smile. "Ron, Harry, keep your voices down. It's not that bad!"

"Hermione she just said that she's living with the Malfoys."

This is the second time today that I have not had a clue about what people were talking about. "What's wrong with me staying with the Malfoys?"

"Ohh nothing, nothing, it's just that we don't exactly tend to get along with Draco." Hermione replied quickly, as though she didn't want to cause a scene.

Ron gave a disbelieving snort at this, but Harry cut in before he could say anything. "It's okay really Lirael, like Hermione said we don't get on very well with Malfoy, but of course that has nothing to do with you." Directing the last part at Ron with a glare.

After Harry's comment the conversation once again picked up, although Ron was a bit more subdued. The trio began to tell stories of the mischief that they had got up to at Hogwarts, although they never strayed onto the subject of Draco again.

As we were all laughing at another story I froze as I heard Draco's voice. "What the hell are you doing with her, Potter?"

Well I hoped you liked that installment, all 2170 words of it. Thanks to my reviewers and I hope you are all still reading the story as it is your encouragement that keeps me going. Anyway I'll try to get the next chapter up faster, but cannot promise anything. Does anyone else know of any other good draco/oc fics?

The identity of the artifact will be coming it to play quite soon, don't think that I have forgotten about it.