savor it, duckies, I won't be back till friday

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When I woke up in the morning, it took me a moment to notice that Draco's foot was pressing my head into the corner of the couch. I pushed the offending limb away and rose, cracking my back so loudly I was surprised it didn't wake Draco up. Then I wandered into the kitchen, made myself a cup of tea, and ate a few grapes before going upstairs to change into clothes suitable for running. Then came back to wake up Draco.

"Draco," I said, shaking his shoulder. "Are you going to get up or should I serenade you into wakefulness?"

Draco immediately rolled off the couch and hit the ground with a thump. "I'm up."

"Go get dressed. I'm leaving in five minutes," I said with a smirk.

When Draco came down, I was struck by how normal he seemed. I was used to him looking either dignified and imposing or disheveled and cranky. Dressed in Adidas and Nike, he looked like any college athlete. It was kind of strange. I shrugged it off and led the way out of the house. I broke into a gentle warm up jog and breathed in the fresh morning air.

We ran in silence for some time and I was glad to hear no unevenness in his breathing. When I stopped to stretch, he was breathing a little more heavily, but it wasn't bad at all. He must have been in good shape before he got sick. We set off again, and this time I pushed the pace a bit more. He fell behind, but he didn't give up—which is more than I could say for some of my other running partners.

At the end of the run, I waited for him to catch up. We were near the path that would lead to my secret beach. I could take him to meet Thetis now and make certain he believed me. But no one had ever been to my beach before. . . I wasn't sure if I wanted to share it with anyone.

"You do this every day?" Draco panted.

"Most days, yes," I replied. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone put a Jelly Legs Jinx on me," Draco replied, bending over.

"Stand up," I ordered. "You'll breathe better. Did you keep your food down last night? You weren't looking so good after dinner."

"I did," Draco said triumphantly, slapping his chest. "See? All better."

"We'll see about that," I said. "Your fever might still come back."

Draco shook his head. "Honestly, Ari, I think it's gone. I feel practically back to normal. Or I will after my legs stop shaking."

"This is the first time you've been out of bed," I retorted.

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, my little moppet," Draco said, shaking a finger at me. "I've been doing crunches and push-ups and squats all day for the past couple of days."

"And you were complaining about having nothing to do," I muttered. "Well, come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To see Thetis," I said with a sigh. "You said you wanted to see the place I saw those people, right?"

"Oh." Draco sounded somewhat apprehensive. Well, so was I. I didn't know quite how Thetis would react.

When we reached the beach, Thetis was waiting for us. She was reclining on her rock with seaweed draped modestly over her body. I took Draco's hand and approached her.

"Good-morning," I greeted her. "This is Draco."

Thetis looked him over and smiled at me. "Do you regret your decision?"

I smiled back. "Not a bit."

"And you, young man," she said, turning her attention to Draco. "Do you regret what you have done?"

"I regret that some things had to happen," he said carefully, and looked her in the eye. "But I would do it all again if necessary."

Thetis's eyes misted over and her smile faltered. "You remind me of my boy. My Achilles."

I resisted the urge to let my jaw drop. And here I had been looking forward to an entirely different sort of comparison.

"What can I do for you, my children?" Thetis asked, taking our hands.

"I told Draco about what Kanake and the others took me to see," I explained. "He wants to see the place—maybe he could tell what they were looking for."

Thetis shook her head. "Whatever it was they were looking for, they have either found it or given up. They are gone. And I cannot allow a mortal man to swim with my nymphs. Especially your mortal man, my dear—he is entirely too handsome for his own good."

I sighed. There would be no living with him after this.

"Well, we'll head home, then," I said. "He's still sick, whatever he might think."

"Goodbye," Thetis said to Draco. To me, she said, "You will come by tomorrow morning and swim with us, won't you?"

I assured her that I would and led Draco back up the mountain. We didn't speak much, but there was a ghost of a smirk lurking around Draco's mouth. I rolled my eyes. He was as vain as a cat. Draco had always reminded me of a cat—and I don't mean a house cat. He moved with an almost supernaturally fluid grace that left you with no doubt that he was a very dangerous man indeed. Not to mention the annoying tendency to carry himself like a prince. He also had the same contrary nature and the ability to produce an infuriatingly smug expression—like now.

I was so wrapped up in brooding on this that I didn't notice anything wrong until Draco stopped suddenly. I stopped too and looked up at him worriedly, thinking he was going to be sick. But he looked merely confused. I followed his gaze and froze. A great white bull stood about fifty yards down the path, watching us—or rather, me.

"Shit." This was not good. This was definitely, horribly, extremely not good.

"It doesn't look like it's going to charge," Draco said reassuringly. "Let's just go around it."

"No," I said decisively. "We're not going anywhere near him."

"Ari, I have my wand. If he attacks I can--"

"Draco," I said in a low voice. "That's not a real bull. That's Zeus."

Draco looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, why don't you go ask him what he wants?"

I swallowed. "Are you familiar with Greek mythology?"

"I've read parts of the Iliad and the Odyssey, why?"

"I don't suppose you know the myth of Europa? Or Io?" Draco shook his head. "He appeared to both of them in the form of a white bull—well, technically, he was a heifer for Io, but he was bovine in both cases."

"So?"

"Zeus is quite possibly the horniest deity in Greece," I said hollowly. I could feel the beginnings of real fear stirring in my chest. How do you say no to a god? "He didn't drop in on Io or Europa just to say hello."

Draco's face clouded with anger. "I see."

Zeus, apparently impatient, began lumbering up the path. I looked around desperately, wondering what to do. When I turned back to Draco, I found a sleek black panther—no, a leopard; I could see faint, shadowy spots on his head—crouching next to me, tail whipping back and forth. So that was his Animagus form. Go figure.

"Draco," I hissed, "don't. He's a god."

Draco gave me a disgusted look and turned his attention back to the bull. A low rumbling came from his throat. As the bull approached, he gradually began to change until he was fully human. I gulped. He looked older than Apollo and Hermes and the other gods, but not old. His body, though powerfully built, should have been no match for a leopard. No human body was. The only problem was that he wasn't human. And Draco obviously didn't grasp this concept, because he leaped at Zeus the moment he was in range.

"Draco, no!" I shouted, and shoved him sideways with my magic. He hit the ground on his feet and I pinned him there with a silent apology. Turning my attention to Zeus, I said, "Please forgive him, kyrie. My betrothed is very protective of me."

Zeus frowned and reached for me. "Your betrothed, eh? Well, that's as it should be. Nevertheless, I'm sure he won't mind his bride accommodating a god. He should be honored."

"Kyrie, I'm sure he would be honored, as would I," I began, stepping away. What reason could a god possibly find acceptable? "But I'm afraid it is impossible."

"Oh?" Zeus asked mildly. He had my arm in one hand now, and the other was stroking my shoulder, creeping ever so slowly toward my breast. "How so?"

"Because..." Aha! There we go...but—oh, fuck. This had better be worth it. "You see, kyrie, there can be no one else for me. I have sworn on the river Styx to have no other."

The Styx was a river that flowed through the underworld. An oath sworn on its name was unbreakable, even for the gods. Now that I said it, I had indeed sworn by the river Styx to have no man but Draco. So now he was going to marry me whether he liked it or not—and he would like it, damn it.

"How unfortunate," Zeus said, looking crestfallen. "Ah, well. Invite me to the wedding."

"Of course," I said, smiling weakly. He disappeared and I collapsed against a tree.

Draco changed back as soon as I released him. He looked kind of miffed—and by miffed, I mean furious.

"Why," he began, exceedingly calmly, "didn't you let me tear his throat out?"

"He's a god," I snapped. "You would have been dead before you even touched him."

"And so you would have let me watch him rape you?" A muscle near his eye was beginning to twitch. Oh, dear.

"In case you haven't noticed," I said icily, "he hasn't raped me and you aren't dead."

"What did you do?" he demanded. "How did you—you don't even have a wand!"

"I'm getting really sick of hearing that," I muttered. "Look, I told you. It's not the same kind of magic. And, as I told dear Mr. Bellum, you're on my turf now. Deal with it."

"Why did he leave?" Draco asked, obviously not wanting to dwell on my troubling declaration and its implications. "He actually bought that line about an oath?"

I felt an irrational surge of rage wash over me. "You idiot," I snarled, stalking over to him. "I've just chained myself to you for all of eternity to save your sorry ass. If you hadn't tried to attack him I might have been able to talk him out of it."

"What are you raving about?" he demanded, but he seemed uncertain.

"I just swore on the river Styx to have no one but you," I spat. "An unbreakable oath. The gods themselves can't break it."

"And you see this as chaining yourself to me?" Draco said angrily. "If you see it that way, why did you agree to marry me?"

"You haven't asked me to marry you," I exploded, all the fear and tension that had been building since I first caught sight of Zeus finally being released. "You just assumed that I would."

"Clearly it was an unreasonable assumption," Draco said sarcastically. "After all, you gave me no reason to believe that you wanted to marry me."

"That's not the point," I sputtered indignantly.

"What is the point?"

"The point is that you could call it all off and I would be royally screwed," I snapped.

"What in the world makes you think I'll call anything off?" Draco cried exasperatedly.

"You've been an asshole since you got here and then you act like nothing is wrong and then you start being an asshole again--"

"What time of the month is it?" Draco asked suspiciously. "Are you--"

"I resent that," I growled, and prepared to launch into another diatribe, but he interrupted me.

"Well, since you obviously don't believe me when I say I'm going to marry you, I think I'll make a vow of my own," Draco said firmly. "I swear on--"

"Draco, wait--"

"Shut up, Ari. I swear on the river Styx that I will have no one but you for the rest of my life and after. So there."

"Oh, wonderful," said an amused voice. Hermes appeared between us. "I do love weddings."

"Who are you?" Draco asked rudely.

"Oh, tut," Hermes said with a grin. "Is that any way to speak to a god? You do believe we exist now, I presume."

Draco glared at him.

"Hold on," I said suddenly. "Hermes, did you--"

"Point Zeus in your direction?" Hermes suggested. "Why, yes, I did."

"You—you--" I couldn't think of an epithet scathing enough and let out a strangled noise of rage. "I hate you."

"I assure you I would be horribly offended if I thought you meant that," Hermes told me. "You should be thanking me for making you a married woman."

"We're not married yet," I snarled.

"You are in every way that counts," Hermes shrugged. "Whether you want a celebration and formal ceremony or not is up to you. If you do have a celebration, mind you invite me."

With that, he disappeared. I grew claws on my fingers and slashed them across a tree to vent some anger.

"I will have a ceremony," I shouted to thin air. "And a celebration. And I'm not inviting you, you sneaky, slimy, two-faced, scheming--"

"Ari," Draco interrupted tiredly. "Is it really that bad? Isn't this what you wanted?"

I deflated abruptly and sat down on a stump, resting my head in my hands. "I'm sorry. It's just that I always dreamed of what my husband would be like and how he would propose and what the wedding would be like. I wanted something simple, yes, but—hell, Draco, every girl wants some romance in her life. You've never even kissed me."

"Well, I can fix that, at least." Draco pulled me to my feet and into his arms. "I didn't feel right kissing you at Greenwood when you didn't know what was going on—it felt too much like taking advantage of you. And recently, well—quite frankly I was afraid of throwing up on you."

"You've already done that," I pointed out.

"Yes, and think of how upsetting it would have been if I'd been trying to kiss you when that happened." Draco's silver eyes sparkled down at me. I was astonished to see that he looked almost...nervous. "Now, however, I feel right as rain. In fact, I feel splendid. Bloody fantastic. Why, I--"

"Then shut up and kiss me, why don't you?" I said irritably, but it came out sounding more breathless than anything else.

"Fine."

Draco, for once, didn't argue. And—oh, my god—was it worth the wait.

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A few days later, Draco came to find me in the kitchen.

"I have to go to London."

I dropped the rabbit I was preparing for dinner and stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Just for a few days," Draco assured me hastily. "I need to know what the situation is in England. I have a bad feeling about Bellum."

"We're safe here," I protested. "He can't touch us as long as we stay in Greece."

"I don't know," Draco said, running a hand through his hair. "He won't give up that easily. I just have a really bad feeling about all this and I'll feel much better if I have an idea of what's going on."

I frowned and bit my lip. "You'll be careful, won't you?"

"Of course." He looked relieved. "I'll be back on Monday, at the latest."

"When are you leaving?"

"Now. I just thought I'd tell you."

"Well, that was very thoughtful of you," I said. "Unnecessary, but thoughtful."

"Why unnecessary?" he asked, more than a little suspiciously.

"Well, because you're not leaving until after dinner." I said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was.

"I'm not?"

"You're not. I haven't been wrestling with a rabbit carcass for the past half-hour so you could admire it."

"Well, it's certainly, er, admirable, but I do need to get back to England as soon as possible—"

"Oh, alright. I'll just let my grandfather know that you won't be joining us," I said. "I'm sure he'll understand."

I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. I bent my head demurely over said rabbit carcass to hide a satisfied smirk.

"I guess waiting another couple of hours won't hurt," Draco said resignedly.

And that was that. I could get used to being married (well, sort of married), I thought. Draco left after dinner and my grandparents didn't ask where he was going or how he was getting there, just when he was going to be back. It cost them dearly, and I loved them for it. On the other hand, they kept exchanging glances and smiling. It made me constantly want to check myself in the mirror (or any available reflective surface) to make sure I didn't have something on my face.

When Draco returned, it was in the middle of the night (or very early in the morning, depending on how you want to look at it). He, apparently, had forgotten that it was the full moon and Apparated into my room. Upon finding the room empty, he then changed into his black leopard form and spent the next hour tearing around the mountains trying to find me. He was unlucky enough to stumble upon a revel of nymphs and satyrs, who tried to include him in the fun, not realizing that he was human.

All of this was somehow my fault.

After I laughed in his face the next morning and he stalked off like the offended cat he was, we had a nice breakfast with my aunt and uncle and my grandparents. I noticed, however, that he was rather tense—and not just because his virtue had nearly been compromised by a bunch of goat men. After breakfast, we headed down to the beach to talk.

"So," I said, stripping down to my bathing suit and flopping down in the sand. "What's wrong?"

Draco didn't answer and I looked up to see him staring at me, wide-eyed.

"What?"

Draco blushed. And it wasn't just a faint coloring, either. It was a full fledged, honest to god blush. A nice, rosy one, too. I resisted the urge to giggle.

"You—I—I've never seen you in a bathing suit before," he stammered.

God, I wished I had a camera. Blushing and stammering? I did absolutely nothing to conceal a smug grin and stretched luxuriously, showing off my flat stomach to the best possible advantage. Draco gulped and looked away. I smirked. There's nothing quite as empowering as being beautiful. My brief foray into the realm of seduction back in England may have been disastrous, but I was beginning to feel that I might get the hang of it eventually. But, alas, there was business to attend to.

"Draco, honestly," I said with a hint of impatience. "What did you find out in England?"

Draco finally snapped out of it. "Bellum has been assembling a task force to find us here. I tried to get names, but he's being careful. I don't know who he's got, but I don't think we want to risk being here if or when they arrive."

I felt my heart sink. "You're saying we should leave?"

"I'm sorry, Ari," he said softly, taking my hand. "Bellum isn't stupid; he won't make the same mistake twice. If he's trying again, he'll have found a way around your magic."

"But where will we go?" I asked. "Here, I have the gods' protection. Outside of Greece their power diminishes."

"I'm not entirely incapable, you know," Draco said with a slightly irritated frown. "And, anyway, I'm not concerned with our safety so much as your family's."

With a jolt, I realized that he was right and berated myself for not having thought of it. I'd been too busy enjoying the sense of normalcy to remember that there was a psycho out there who wanted to kill and/or rape me. Possibly even in that order. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt my family. I bit my lip. Thinking of Bellum made my stomach twist up and my legs turn to mush. I gripped Draco's hand a bit tighter.

"Ari," Draco said. "I was the Dark Lord's best assassin for almost five years. I realize that it's not exactly something to brag about, but I can honestly say that there's nothing those bastards can throw at me that I haven't thrown at someone else at some point. You'll be safe. I promise."

Why wasn't that as comforting as it should be? I narrowed my eyes at him. "What else is bothering you?"

"I can't just keep running," he said, running a hand through his hair. He showed me the scar where his mark used to be. "I'm not with them anymore. And if I'm not with them, I'm against them. There's no in between. I have to go help those who fight him."

"The Order of the Phoenix," I supplied, remembering the night he and Sebastian Grey (formerly known as the Pervert and before that, Uncle Mac) had told me they were wizards. Speaking of which... "Wait. Draco, won't these people be looking for you? I mean, don't they want to kill you?"

"Er..." Draco scratched his head. "As a matter of fact, they did."

"Did? What, did you kiss and make up or something?"

"Well—they think I'm dead," Draco told me almost sheepishly.

My eyes narrowed. "And what makes them think you're dead?"

"I sort of. . . led them to believe--"

"You staged your own death," I finished for him. "How?"

"I, ah, jumped into the river."

"That's it?"

"Well, no—I jumped into the river with a dead body and transfigured it to look like me. They found the body and I ran away. Invisible, of course."

"That was clever. Gross, but clever." I shook my head. "So we're going to fight with these Phoenix people."

Draco started. "Don't be daft. You will do no such thing. I intend to find a safe hiding place for you somewhere close enough that I can keep an eye on you while I fight."

I would have been extremely offended if I had any interest in fighting. Happily enough, I didn't. My only problem with this plan was that I would be away from Draco since I really couldn't imagine anyone more capable of protecting me. Call me a chickenshit if you want, but I had no interest in the fate of the wizarding world beyond what it meant to Draco. I would have had nothing to do with it at all if it weren't for the fact that one of its members was intent on making me his sex toy.

"Do you have any idea of where this hiding place might be?" I asked tentatively.

Draco looked pained. "Yes."

I waited for him to tell me. When nothing was forthcoming, I prompted, "Well?"

"Hogwarts," he grumbled, as if he didn't like the idea at all.

"Gesundheit."

"Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry," he clarified, giving me a dirty look. "It's the safest place in Britain besides Gringotts. And I can't very well leave you in my bank vault, tempting though the prospect may be. The problem will be getting them to agree."

"I can't imagine they would welcome you with open arms," I agreed. Suddenly I had an idea. "Actually, I think we might have a bargaining chip."

I told him of the gold bracelet Hermes and I had stolen and how he had told me that I was to use it for something. This led to a discussion where I had found the bracelet and what I was doing there, which didn't please Draco any. He had known that Sebastian Grey had been keeping me, but he hadn't known where—or why. I steered the conversation back in the right direction before he could work himself into a real tiff.

What if the bracelet was what the Trio had been looking for? Draco looked dubious and wanted to see the bracelet, but he when he finished examining it, he agreed that it might indeed prove useful. When I asked him when we were to leave, he said it was my call but we shouldn't wait more than a few days. I thought we should have one last dinner with my family and leave that night. I didn't think I could stand waiting around when I knew I'd have to leave.

Draco and I swam for a while. For someone who presumably did not have a lot of time for recreation, he swam very well. When I asked him about it, he told me that Malfoy Manor was on the sea. In an unspoken agreement, we did not mention Bellum or England or leaving Greece. We just swam and had a good time and I admired Draco's tattoos. I didn't mention the numerous scars on his back and on his ribs and arms.

When the time came to return to my grandparents' house, I felt as if my feet were made of lead. Draco, too, seemed to be reluctant to go back. When we arrived, however, my grandmother was waiting for us at the door with tears running down her face. I ran up the path and into her arms. She knew. I didn't know how, but she knew.

"Oh, kouklitsa mou," she sighed. "I will miss you."

"How did you know?" I asked shakily.

Yiayia gave a watery chuckle. "I saw it in your coffee cup this morning."

"You mean that's real?" I asked incredulously.

"Kahtia, of course it's real," Yiayia chided me. "You have more magic than anyone I've ever met and you don't think coffee readings are real?"

I gaped at her, utterly dumbstruck.

"Come in," Yiayia said. "We have a lot to talk about."

I exchanged a startled look with Draco and we followed her into the kitchen. She motioned for us to sit down while she made us some lunch.

"I imagine you're wondering why we haven't talked about this before," Yiayia said. "As soon as I saw the scar the Dragon's arm, I knew what you were running from."

"But how do you know, Yiayia?" I asked.

Yiayia hesitated. "I am—I was—a witch. Like your Dragon. I went to the Academy in Athens and learned all the useless, flashy magic they taught there. And then I met your grandfather and realized I didn't want to be part of that world anymore. I have my old magic and that is enough for me."

"Old magic?" I asked, confused. "Is that what I have?"

"That's what you have," Yiayia confirmed. "In abundance. I've never met anyone with so much power. The old magic is of the gods and is given to those who carry the old blood and follow the old ways. Normally it's limited to a certain gift or several small gifts—mine concern growing things and a little bit of healing and other homely skills like cooking."

I'd always wondered about Yiayia's cooking. "What do you mean, the old blood?"

"Kahti, do you know who it was who fought the Trojans? The people Homer wrote about, who lived in the age of the gods?"

"Of course," I said with a frown. "The Achaeoi.But what--"

"The Achaeoi still live," Yiayia said. "Hidden in the mountains and on the islands, away from the Minmagikoi, living as they have for thousands of years. Some also possess the kind of magic your Dragon uses—mostly they are descendants of the later invaders, like the Minmagikoi. I had the new magic. I thought it was glamorous and exciting...but what use is magic used to turn coffee cups into rabbits?"

"It has its uses," Draco said mildly. "I don't suppose it matters much, but I'm confused. Who are the Achaeoi and the Minmagikoi?"

"The Achaeoi—the Achaeans—were the people who lived in Greece around the time of the Trojan War," I explained. "Perseus, Jason, Theseus, Heracles—all Achaeans. The Dorians invaded later. After the Dark Ages came the Classical Period. You know, when Athens and Sparta came to power and Athenian democracy formed. Philosophers like Aristotle and Socrates and Plato were descended from the Dorians and Ionians who invaded and mixed with the Achaeans."

"And they were the ones who brought the new kind of magic," Yiayia added, setting the food down in front of us. "Now. I know you have to go back to England to fight, but first you need to go to the Oracle."

"The Oracle of Delphi?" I asked incredulously. "Don't tell me she's still around."

"No," Yiayia said, shaking her head. "Delphi is a tourist site now—there's no way it could be hidden from the Minmagikoi."

"Which are...?" Draco interjected.

"Oh, sorry," I said. "It means 'the unmagical'. Muggles."

"Ah. So...where is Delphi and why are we going there?" Draco asked, looking like he was in way over his head.

"We're not going to Delphi," I said. "We're going to..." I looked at Yiayia hopefully.

"Little Delos," Yiayia said decisively.

"Little Delos?" I asked with a frown. "Since when are there two?"

"Little Delos is the true birthplace of Apollo," Yiayia told me. "Kept hidden from the Minmagikoi. The Aegean is full of islands that the unblessed can't see."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to make sense of it all. "How are we going to get there?"

"By boat," Yiayia said briskly. "To be more specific, my cousin's grandson's boat. You must obtain the Oracle's advice before leaving for England. It is imperative."

"That sounds comforting," I muttered. "How soon can he get here?"

"Tomorrow morning at the nymph's cove," Yiayia said. "He was in the area. I've already contacted him. Now, what exactly did MacTavees—or the imposter, I suppose—want with you?"

"I think Draco had better explain it," I said, rubbing my head. "I'm going to take a shower."

Once in the shower, I let my mind go blank. For the next fifteen—okay, it was probably closer to forty-five—minutes, my mind was blissfully empty of everything but the sensation of hot water cascading over my body. When I got out, I felt almost ready to think about everything my grandmother had just told me. What I wasn't ready to think about was what lay ahead.

I succeeded in not thinking about it—much—as Draco and I packed our things, including the stolen bracelet. Draco turned my suitcase into a necklace once more and I fastened it around my neck. I was worried about clothing for the journey—surely it would take several days, at least?--but Yiayia assured me that Kallias (her cousin's grandson and the captain of the ship) would have suitable clothes for us to wear. What she meant by 'suitable', I had no idea. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

In the evening, Christo and his parents came over for dinner. We didn't mention that we were leaving, but theia Voula exchanged a couple of sharp glances with Yiayia. I studied the face of each one of my family members, memorizing every detail. I had to actively repress the thought that I might never see them again. My gaze traveled to Draco, who was saying something in a low voice that had Christo crying with laughter. Draco would get us safely home. I was sure of it. Almost. What if something happened to him?

That night, I changed under the cover of the trees and ran to all my childhood haunts as if to say goodbye. I surprised and pleased when Draco joined me as a leopard, and spent the remainder of the night running and playing with him in the woods. When the moon set, we headed down to the cove to wait for dawn.

Even though the moon had set, the stars still shone brightly in the sky, reflecting off the calm water. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the waves gently rolling up the beach. I smelled the breeze and sighed as it ruffled through my hair. This was my home. I didn't want to leave. But for Draco—and for my family—I would.

"We'll come back," Draco said softly, coming up behind me and squeezing my shoulders. "Once everything is over and taken care of, we'll come back. You'll never have to leave again if you don't want to."

"You mean—to live?" I turned around and looked up at his face. "What about England?"

Draco shrugged. "The only thing that matters to me in England is the Dark Lord. Once he's dead, there's nothing." He smoothed my hair back gently. "Everything I need is right here."

My breath caught in my throat and for a moment time stopped as I looked into his eyes. It was all very romantic—at any moment I expected sappy music to start playing and fireworks to go off. To prevent an onslaught of gushing girliness, I launched myself at him, laughing, and knocked him over into the sand. He landed on his back with a small 'oof!' with me on top of him.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, but his arms came around me and held me tight. "I was trying to romance you."

"I know," I giggled, and kissed him. "It was working."

"Oh, well, that's alright, then," he said equably. He rolled over so that he was on top of me and raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. It seems I have you at my mercy."

"Should I be afraid for my virtue?" To be honest, I wouldn't mind that much...or at all, really...

"Your virtue?" Draco considered this. "You won't have to worry about that for at least another half-hour or so. For now--"

"Wait, what's happening in a half--"

My half-formed protest was interrupted by my shriek of laughter as he started tickling me unmercifully. What followed was a frenzied battle which proved fruitless on my part since he wasn't ticklish at all. Jerk. I nearly pissed myself, I was laughing so hard.

When it was over, I found myself in the same position that I had started in—lying on top of him with my head on his chest. He stroked my back and played absently with my hair while I contentedly listened to his heart beat. We didn't talk much—I, for one, was still trying to get my breath back.

I was drifting off to sleep when Draco's hand suddenly ceased its soothing journey up and down on my back.

"Ari?" I grunted and rubbed my nose against his chest. "Ari, wake up. I need to ask you something."

I raised my head and blinked sleepily at him. "Hmmm?"

"Get up," he told me, and I snorted derisively, laying my head down again. "Come on, Ari. You can't do this sort of thing lying down."

What sort of—oh. Oh. I rolled off him and stood up, making a vain attempt to brush the sand off my clothes. Draco, with his annoying and mysterious talent for repelling dirt, dust, and whatever else might cling to lesser mortals (like sand), was spotless. He knelt before me and reached into his pocket. I held my breath. Was this really happening? I guess so, I thought woozily as he took my hand.

"Ari," he said quietly. "I know haven't been together very long, but I knew I wanted you the first moment I saw you. I swear I'll take care of you—provide for you, protect you, fight for you—for as long as I live... as your husband, if you'll have me." He opened his hand to reveal a gold ring engraved with flowing runes and studded with tiny diamonds. "I should apologize; I had a sort of ulterior motive in going to London. This is a wizard's marriage ring—my mother's. It's not like a Muggle engagement ring. If you agree, it's binding. We'll be wed as soon as the ring is on your finger and the marriage consummated. So think carefully. But I do hope you say yes," he added, looking down.

I didn't need to think. I'd been thinking about him for months. "Yes." He looked up, a smile blossoming on his face. "Yes, yes, yesyesyesyes."

Draco stood up and slipped the ring onto my finger. I stared at it for a moment, my fingers entwined with his. I could feel the magic taking root—it was old magic, not the smelly kind that Draco used. I beamed up my new husband, deliriously happy. Draco, too, was wearing the biggest smile I'd ever seen on him. It was kind of startling—it wasn't that he never smiled or laughed, but it was rare to see such an unguarded expression of joy on his face. That in itself made me even happier than did the ring on my finger. I leaned into him, breathing in the scent that was purely Draco.

"Draco," I said suddenly, peeking up at him a little shyly. "Didn't you say something about consummating the marriage?"

Draco blinked and stared at me for a moment, then smiled, looking uncannily cat-like. "Why, yes, I believe I did. . ."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Gee, I WONDER what they're doing...