Dumbledore rubbed his tired eyes. His discussion with Remus and Sirius had lasted longer than he had anticipated and had fatigued him beyond belief. The realisation that Amaya was a Fae and therefore her magic was fuelled by the elements had led to many questions, not all of which he could answer. To add to his troubles, He had now to devise a system of protection for her that would equal or better that on Harry. If Voldemort got whatever it was that made Amaya immortal, then, prophecy or not, no one would be able to stop him. Head churning with the incalculable weight of his worries, Dumbledore rose wearily and reached for the cupboard which held his pensieve. His fingers had just brushed the lock, when his office door was burst open and Lucius Malfoy strode in.

'Dumbledore.' The man stood infront of him, pale hair gleaming in the firelight from Dumbledore's hearth. 'I request permission to take Draco out of the school.' His tone making it clear that his request was a politely spoken demand.

'May I enquire why?' Dumbledore had turned to face him, eyes blazing silently. 'If my memory serves me correctly, you took Draco out not so long ago. What could possibly have arisen in so short a time that demands his presence so urgently?' Lucius' eyes glittered dangerously

'I do not have to explain my actions to you.' He spat 'However, since you have demanded a reason, his mother has fallen ill and requests to see him. Surely you would not deny her wish.' Dumbledore sighed She is probably recovering from the battle.

'Very well. Please ensure that he has returned in for when his lessons resume in three days. I wouldn't like for him to miss his studies.' Lucius ignored the veiled threat and nodding his approval, swept from the room. He left behind a weary and troubled headmaster to once more reach for the penseive.

'Draco.' Lucius snapped as he saw his son creep along a hallway which led to the hospital wing. The pale haired boy jumped and immediately thrust his hands behind his back. Lucius raised his eyebrow at the feeble and futile attempt to hide what Lucius took to be a bunch of flowers. As Draco sighed and drew his arm from where he had twisted it behind him, he revealed a beautiful bouquet of delicate pale purple blossoms, fragile blue buds and rich creamy blooms.

'Beautiful flowers. May I enquire who they are for?' Draco shifted uneasily.

'They were for me.' He lied 'A fourth year, don't know her name, gave them to me.'

'Is that so?' Draco nodded, trying not to blink under his Father's scrutiny.

'Very well. Your Mother wishes to see you. Come here.' And Lucius drew a magnificent gold watch out of his pocket before offering it to Draco. Sighing once more, Draco touched it and felt the familiar jerk around his stomach before he landed in his Father's study.

Looking round at the darkly forbidding wlnut panelled walls, Draco couldn't help but feel the beginning prickles of fear. He had been here only three times in his life, two of them to explain how he had been beaten by Harry yet again at Quidditch and by Hermione in his OWLs. The last time was to receive the harrowing information that he was to be a Death Eater. Draco wondered mildly what he had done this time.

'Sit.' His Father barked. Draco dropped immediately into a hard leather chair. Lucius passed him a glass of what could only be Firewhiskey. Taking a small sip, Draco choked. It is Firewhiskey. Shifting slightly under Lucius' scrutiny, Draco readied himself for what was coming. After five minutes, Lucius spoke.

'I have heard some interesting information Draco. After the duel, Crispin Dolohov came to see me. He told me some very interesting things.' At Lucius smile, Draco felt ice settle at the bottom of his spine.

'Oh Father. And what would that be?' A tremor shook Draco's attempt at speaking casually, his offhand manner shook by his fear.

'He tells me that you did not participate in the fight against the school. He tells me that when the Death Eaters entered the grounds, you fled. Why is that?' Draco had trouble preventing his sigh of relief.

'Because Father, there were too many who would have seen me as I joined you. Too many Gryffindors who would have certainly reported it to Dumbledore. I fled so that I could retain my position in Hogwarts and then serve the Dark Lord there.' To his immense relief, Lucius chuckled indulgently.

'Excellent. You have used your intelligence and now you retain your ambiguity. Those who did fight are now feeling the wrath of the Dark Lord for their foolishness. However, that is not all he told me.' Draco felt the thawed ice freeze again. 'Who is this girlfriend I have heard about, and why have you not mentioned her to neither your Mother nor myself?' Lucius took a deliberate mouthful before slamming his glass down on the desk 'Answer me!' Bowing to the inevitable, Draco spoke quickly, including only the information that Lucius would want.

'Her name is Amaya…'

'Amaya what?'

'Amaya Lupin-Black. She was in Gryffindor but then was resorted into Slytherin. Her parents are Remus Lupin and…' Draco faltered momentarily before gathering his courage 'Sirius Black.'

'Interesting. Her name is familiar. How did you meet?'

'She was sorted into Gryffindor, but sat at the end of the table, away from the others. Then Potter and some of his friends came and sat next to her. They argued and she came over to sit next to me. The Gryffindors threw her out, and then Dumbledore re-sorted her. We started going out. You would have heard her name from the Prophet. She was the one who had Umbridge arrested.' To his surprise, Lucius chuckled again.

'Yes, The Dark Lord is very interested in her. She seems intriguing, and her devotion to the half-breed is remarkable. I should like to meet her. You should invite her for dinner tonight.'

'Tonight, Father.' Draco gulped Lucius' eyes glittered dangerously once more.

'Yes Draco, tonight.'