So I was stuck waiting for my car's brakes to be replaced as well as an oil change for THREE HOURS so enjoy the boredom that turned into this amazing chapter. Adulting may not be so bad! *she says sarcastically, but you got a chapter out of it so you're welcome* Also, as for Briar's family history, I was super interested in the whole occlumency thing that Snape tried to train Harry in so I'm doing a spin on that with Briar's abilities. I think it makes the story more interesting, but if anyone has ideas of what other abilities I should give her then absolutely scroll to the bottom and type out a review!

WARNING: SMUT AHEAD! Don't like, don't read. No flames, kiddos.

Briar's POV

Previously…

He opens his eyes and the look of pure happiness and softness in his eyes make the tears fall more. "Briar Griffin, I love you because of your eyes. The sight of your brilliant green eyes staring at me make me almost as happy as when they flash rainbow because it's so you and unique that it takes my breath away. You're caring and selfless. You're the complete opposite of who I was raised to be and I feel like you're helping me become the man my father never was to my mother; a good man. That day in the woods when I saw the muggle stand in front of the girl, I didn't understand and I immediately said in my mind that he was a fool and he should have sacrificed her to save himself." I let out a gasp at how cruel that is before trying to speak. He places a finger over my lips and pleads with me with his eyes to let him finish. "I didn't understand until I realized Umbridge had tortured you like she did to Potter. I have never wanted to murder as much as I did in that moment. If we had been in the woods, I would've fought until my last dying breath to protect you. I would never use you. That is how I know I love you and please stop crying." He removes his finger from my lips and wipes a few stray tears from my eyes while staring at me sadly for causing my tears.

Opening and closing my mouth a few times, I do the only thing I'm capable of doing. I kiss him.

I expect him to accept the kiss readily, but he pulls back and looks at me with vulnerability. Cupping my cheek in his hand, he looks at me with a look I can't distinguish. I smile at him softly and lean forward to give him a small peck on the lips which he pulls away from as well.

"I love you too, Draco," I say in a shy whisper. I realize this is the first time I'm saying those words to anyone since my parents died and the magnitude of it is not lost on me. Apparently, it isn't lost on him either because he looks at me with a smile so big that I'm afraid his cheeks are going to hurt tomorrow. Draco pulls me into a bone crushing hug and lifts me off the floor to spin me around before setting me back down. He leans forward to place his forehead against mine with that smile still set on his face.

"You said it back," he whispers with a light blush heating up his cheeks. I look at him in confusion so he continues. "I, uh…You kissing me had me worried you didn't feel the same and you were scared to say so. I've never told anyone I love them aside from my mother so I was worried I said it wrong or something." I let out a soft laugh and pull away from his face so I can look into his eyes more clearly.

"There's no right way or wrong way to say it. I was just trying to process that you said it in the first place. I thought you were trying to tell me you were just having fun with me like Harry said so your response shocked me which is why I kissed you. I was processing. Although, do I need an excuse to kiss you?" I say in a seductive whisper after a slight pause. He lets out a low groan and looks in my eyes as his hands wrap around my waist. With my body flush against his, I place my hands against his chest and look into his eyes before glancing down at his lips which are still in that huge smile.

"You definitely don't need an excuse to kiss me," he says in a low, raspy voice. He rubs his nose against mine softly and I let out a giggle before his lips cover mine in a slow kiss.

Oh Merlin, this boy has me giggling like a love-sick school girl.

His lips slowly caress mine. One thing I love about kissing Draco is how soft his lips are and how they always taste of something sweet. Trapping my lower lip in a kiss, he teases me by running his tongue along my bottom lip. I let out a groan and bury a hand in his hair and clutch the fabric of his black button down shirt with my other. I grab his bottom lip between my teeth teasingly and pull it towards me. Releasing it, I let out a small breath of air against his lip and something in both of us seems to snap when the air hits his lips. I shove his robes off his shoulders before he returns the favor in a rush. His hands wrap under my thighs to hoist me into the air leaving our robes laying discarded on the cold, stone floor. My legs wrap around and hug his hips while he hungrily claims my lips. I feel him lightly set me on the desk I was on before and, with a gasp, I pull back for air as he kisses across my cheek and to my neck. Finding a sweet spot, he starts to suck on it as I let out a whimper.

"Draco," I whisper breathlessly. My hands fumble for the first button on his shirt before his hands join mine to hastily unbutton the rest. I pull back and look at his toned body. His chest is defined and stomach toned. I bite my lip in appreciation. I place both of my hands on his chest and slowly run them down his smooth skin to map out his body until I settle on his pants buckle. Grasping it in my hands, I pull him back to me so he can claim my lips again. I can't get enough of his lips. A hand rests behind my neck as his bruising kisses demand more. I feel his other hand clutch the bottom of my sweater. His hand travels from my neck to slowly caress down my body and he skims the side of my breast. I can feel his warmth radiating from the hand on the small of my back that has managed to sneak past the bottom edge of my sweater. His hand slides lower to slip past the hem of my pants with his fingertips. Pressing his hand into my back, he pulls my body closer to him for a moment before I can't feel his hands on me anymore. Pulling back in confusion, I see the mischievous glint in his eyes. His hands tug my sweater over my head and surveys me in my black and green lacey bra with admiration. Dropping my sweater on the floor, he shrugs his dress shirt off his shoulders.

"Beautiful," he whispers as he leans forward to place slow, leisurely kisses on my collarbone. His hands grab mine and slowly skims his hands up both of my arms until he freezes. He looks down at my left arm in horror. Shit. His eyes glaze over and I can see the anger return. I look down and glance at what I know he's staring at. Against my pale, smooth skin, I can see the words that Umbridge forced me to write into my own flesh. The redness has faded over the weeks, but there is still pink scarring around the edges of the letters as well as some raised skin.

I must not be disloyal.

Draco's eyes meet mine and soften a little at the realization of why I got upset when I mentioned my loyalties after Harry left. I make a move to scoot off the desk to grab my sweater in embarrassment, but he lets go of my hands and walks forward to lean his arms against the desk; effectively trapping me where I'm seated. I look into his eyes and wait for him to say something, but he just stares into my eyes before looking down at my arm again. I look down and cross my arms over my chest to cover myself up, but also to hide the words I had unwillingly received a few weeks ago.

"Don't hide from me," Draco says softly. Glancing up, I see him reach forward to grab my left arm. At first I resist, but he keeps softly tugging until I give in. Bringing my arm close to his body, he leans forward and kisses over each letter as if to try and heal the words. His face hardens as he leans back and looks me in the eyes. Blue meets green and I see barely contained anger.

"I know Umbridge did this. I want to know why," he growls.

"Class," I squeak out. He looks at me in confusion and waits for me to explain more. "That day when she said Cedric wasn't murdered by Voldemort, I went to the Room of Requirement as you know. After you left though, I wanted…I needed to confront her and her lies. I saw what happened to Cedric, Draco."

"How is that possible?"

"My visions. I don't just get them when I'm asleep. After second year when I had the dream about Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, I demanded answers from Dumbledore. He was so sure my vision was true and it seemed like he knew more than he was telling me when he had Fawkes go find Harry. He did," I say taking a deep breath. "My visions were apparently something I could train myself to utilize whenever I needed to in different ways. It's part of my family's mysterious past according to Dumbledore and my parents being such a rare couple. Over the years, I've continued training and Dumbledore and Snape realized I can actually use occlumency in many different ways; one of them being I can share memories with others I'm close with. Snape is convinced I can push myself into other's minds like Voldemort if I continue training. I'm actually making a lot of progress with that and that's why I've been so tired and walking around like a zombie. Anyway, I saw Harry's memories of what happened. During training for Dumbledore's Army, Harry asked me about my abilities so I asked if I could see Ced's last moments as a demonstration."

"What happened with Umbridge when you went back to see her?" His hands settle on my thighs and start to rub soothing circles into them. The warmth from his hands offsetting the damp air around us in the classroom.

"I called her a liar and that I trusted what Harry said over her. Some may say I was trying to be bold and honorable in Ced's name, but she saw it as being disloyal. She didn't even say anything other than asking if I wanted some tea so, confused, I sat down and she pulled out her quill and some parchment paper and…" I trail over and gesture at my arm. Draco nods his head and I notice his hands are gripping my thighs instead of drawing circles now.

"I can't be in her Inquisitorial Squad. I'll end up hexing the bitch," he says as a matter of fact. I shake my head, grab his hands between mine, and start to rub my thumbs on the top of his hands in a soothing manner.

"I'm not going to force you to be one of her groupies, but you being in the Inquisitorial Squad could be a good thing. You could be a lookout for me and Harry when it comes to her getting close. You could warn us when we need to be careful." I look at him with a hopeful glint in my eye. With a sigh and a slump of his shoulders, I know he agrees it's a good plan.

"I know that's the best plan to keep both of us safe, but if she EVER lays a hand on you again…"

"…I'll hex her myself and leave her for you to finish off," I finished for him. I place my hands on his shoulders. "Draco, I'm not scared of Umbridge or the Ministry. I have much bigger enemies when Voldemort finds out I exist."

Unfortunately, I couldn't even say if he finds out about me since it's inevitable. Snape made that very clear.

"Briar, I want you to come home with me for break tomorrow." I stare at him in confusion at the sudden change of topic.

"What?"

"I want you to come be with me and my mother at the Manor for break. My father is never there on breaks because he always has some business to take care of. I could keep you safe there and my mother has been asking about you," he admits while blushing. I smile and tease him softly.

"Has the Draco Malfoy been writing to his mother about me? Well, I must say I'm flattered and kind of cold," I say while letting out a laugh. Draco smiles at me and drapes his button up shirt around my shoulder. I pull my arms through the sleeves, but don't bother buttoning up the buttons.

"I'm serious, Briar. I don't know who you plan on staying with, but I highly doubt they have a place as guarded and warded as the Manor," he says imploringly. Letting out a sigh, I think it over while explaining my situation to him.

"I actually was just going to stay at Hogwarts. I technically don't have a legal guardian anymore since my parents passed. Amos, Ced's father, offered for me to stay with him, but it's a muggle town and I would need to keep practicing with Snape over break."

"He could come to the Manor to train you! He's my god father so it wouldn't look suspicious," Draco says excitedly. "Besides, my mother already agreed it would be best for you to stay there so we can keep an eye on you given the situation. She knows about what happened to your parents there because of my father bragging about it and she feels horrible he…" He trails off at the look of sadness on my face. I nod my head and pull his button up around me more securely as if to ward off the bad feelings about my parent's murder.

"So she knows what happened to them," she whispers.

"No, she just knows where it happened and that my father had a hand in it. He has been secretive about how they…passed," he says with shame in his voice. "I'm so sorry he had a hand in it, Briar. I hope you know that. I know how cruel he is from personal experience, but the fact he has caused you pain and sadness when I couldn't do anything to protect you…" He trails off as I reach my hand up to place it on his cheek in a comforting way.

"You didn't know I existed then. You didn't have an obligation to protect anyone and you certainly don't have any reason to apologize to me for your father's actions. I have to get to Snape's office for my session since I'm already very late, but yes, Draco. If Snape agrees then I will absolutely go home with you for break." He smiles and leans forward to give me a lingering kiss before I go to hand him his button up from my body. He takes one more appreciately look up and down my body before grinning at me. I wink at him and start to redress. After we're both done redressing, we walk to the door and I turn to say goodnight to him.

"Please be careful with Snape. I don't want you hurting yourself," he says in a protective tone. I smile and lean forward to give him a kiss on the cheek and then the lips.

"Snape knows what he's doing, don't worry. Goodnight, Draco. I will see you tomorrow at the station?" He nods his head and sends me a smirk.

"I'll be the one looking devastatingly handsome," he says happily. I let out a soft chuckle and take in the sight of his mused hair that I had my hands buried in before.

He looks thoroughly disheveled and snogged. Do I really need to go to this meeting with Snape…?

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I notice he's staring at me with a knowing grin. I lean on my toes to get to his lips and place an unhurried kiss on his lips. I feel him lean into the kiss so I pull back and he lets out a pained groan.

"I'll be the one imagining what you look like under that shirt," I say seductively. I turn to walk out the door and I hear him growl out a response.

"Tease!" I laugh and start down the hallway before I feel a hand grab onto my arm. I whip around ready to defend myself, but see it's just Draco.

"Forget something, Draco?" He nods his head and leans down to give me a kiss on the lips. He lingers for a moment before pulling back and smiling.

"I love you. Goodnight, Briar," he says with a cheek splitting smile. I smile right back at him and blush a little.

"I love you too, Draco. Goodnight." With one last kiss, I turn and make my way towards Snape office. I take one last glance down the hallway before turning the corner and see Draco is standing in the middle of the hallway watching me walk away. Or rather, a part of me that walks away. His eyes flick up to my face when he sees I've stopped and he blushes at getting caught. I wink at him and make my way around the corner.

"Mr. Malfoy actually had a decent plan for once," Snape drawls. "Yes, I will agree to you going to the Manor for your protection for the duration of break, but I must warn you to keep your eyes focused on your goal. You need to keep up with your training if you want to gain control of your full abilities before Voldemort finds out about you."

"You make it sound like it's inevitable. Why?" I say with confusion laced in my tone.

"You have gotten close to Mr. Potter, have you not?" I stay silent and confirm his question with a nod. "Voldemort has a connection with Mr. Potter that allows them…access to certain information. I will not go into too much detail as you are not ready for this information." I roll my eyes at him and earn one of his rare smirks. "However, with access to Mr. Potter's memories, it is only a matter of time that he finds out about you. Not to mention your relations with Mr. Malfoy," he says staring me right into my eyes. I blush and look down with a soft smile lighting up my face. I can feel him trying to edge into my mind, but I keep my wall up and successfully keep him out. I look up to see him surveying me.

"That was rather impressive, Ms. Griffin. Let us try again." For the next few hours, Snape attempts to get into my mind and, while he is successful, he only gets through my wall three times over the course of three hours due to my exhaustion towards the end. Sweat has collected on my brow. I wipe my face on my sweater and look at Snape with a satisfied yet drained smile.

"Thank you, Professor Snape." He looks taken aback at my gratitude so I chuckle and continue. "You and Dumbledore have made it your goal to take me on as a protégé ever since second year. While I don't fully believe you don't know more than you're letting on, you have made it a priority to make sure my mind won't be subject to Voldemort's mind torture. I know I have a long way to go, but I've uncovered so much about my abilities in the past three years thanks to you two and after my parents…Just, thank you." I say emotionally. I see a flicker of something in his eyes before his mask is back up.

"No gratitude necessary, Ms. Griffin. It is my job as a professor here to…oomph," he says when I rush forward and hug him. I smile when I feel his arms loosely wrap around me in a hug.

"I know you have emotions, Severus. You should show them more often in private," I say pulling back before continuing. "Some smile lines would do your complexion some good," I exclaim with a teasing tone. He scoffs and I pretend to not notice the smile he lets out before he turns to face me again once he reaches his desk.

"I will release you a little bit early," I glance at the clock and raise my eyebrow at him when I notice it is 12:30, "so that you can pack for your trip to Malfoy Manor. I will give you tomorrow and Sunday off, but I expect you to be ready to work again on Monday!" I smile and thank him before leaving to make my way to the Slytherin Common Room. Rushing to my solo dormitory, I pack quickly using magic before finally changing into my night clothes to call it a night.

This break will definitely be interesting.