A/N WOW it has been so long since my last update! I'm so sorry, everyone. Work has been kicking my ass and I have been trying to be outside more. Ya know, good for the soul and all of that. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the little twists I've put in. I hope to have the next chapter up a LOT sooner than it took me to get this one up, but life happens so fingers crossed! Thank you so much to all of my readers that have been patient with my weird posting schedule as I try to find my groove with my first fan fiction. Enjoy!

Draco POV

"BLOODY HELL!"

Throwing the book in my hands across the room towards the Vanishing Cabinet, it smacks against the hard wood with a resounding WHACK.Clawing at my hair in frustration, I can feel tears of frustration pricking the corner of my eyes. Gulping heavily, I start pacing the floor back and forth muttering about the incessant task of fixing the cabinet.

Over the past few months, I haven't been able to repair the cabinet and my attempts to kill Dumbledore have failed. After using the Imperio Curse on Katie Bell to get her to deliver the cursed necklace to Dumbledore, she was almost killed. I can remember Snape's confrontation with me the day after the news spread around the school that Saint Potter thinks I was the one who cursed the necklace.

A Few Weeks Ago

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

The door slams behind Snape and I flinch at the sound of the bang echoing around the room. I turn to face Snape who is shaking with his anger.

"I…" He doesn't let me get any farther before he starts yelling again.

"Ms. Bell was almost killed! What would possess you to think giving her the necklace to give to Dumbledore was a good idea?!" I stare at him in shock.

"It was your idea!" He looks at me with a dumbfounded expression.

"I told you that if you didn't want his blood on your hands directly that you should give the necklace to someone trusted. Someone who could deliver it to him without you being a suspect," he seethes.

"Exactly! The little Gryffindor girl was under my Imperio Curse to do what I asked and the spell couldn't be traced back to me," I summarize. If anything, my explanation makes Snape scowl harder.

"Someone under an Imperio Curse is not someone trusted! Merlin, I don't know why the Dark Lord thought you could do this," he mutters. I glare at him, but stay quiet because at this point, I'm starting to wonder if I can do this. Over the past three weeks, I haven't had contact with Briar at all and I'm starting to lose hope in fixing the cabinet, let alone kill Dumbledore.

"You do know Potter basically outed you to everyone, right?" I roll my eyes.

"Potter blames me for every bad thing that happens around Hogwarts," I growl.

"Yes, but this time he was right and do you really think the Dark Lord would like to hear Potter is onto you whether it's just a hunch or not?!" I stay quiet and stare at him in fear.

Ever since that night, I have been avoiding Snape so I can try and figure out what moves I need to take next, but my last resort for trying to fix the Vanishing Cabinet just failed and now I'm back to square one. Not to mention that it has now been months and I haven't heard from Briar at all. I leave tonight for Christmas break and I don't even know if I'll be able to see her.

Turning towards the door, I pull at my hair one last time before ripping the door open to leave the Room of Requirement. Stalking down the dark halls, I realize it has been hours since I first entered the room to try and repair the Vanishing Cabinet and it's past curfew. Keeping my eyes peeled for any other prefects roaming the halls, I quietly and slowly walk around the halls to get to my destination; Briar's room. Every night since I came back to Hogwarts, I was able to get Snape to agree to me staying in her room since it would afford me more privacy to come and go as I please to complete my tasks. I don't know how he got Dumbledore to agree, but it worked.

"You're out awfully late, Drackie," I hear a nasally voice purr behind me. Standing still in my place, I turn slowly to face Parkinson with my patience on very thin ice for her. Over the past few months, she has made it her job to pop up wherever I am to try and push an arranged marriage on me. It has always ended with me angrily walking away and her acting like my rejection was something new.

For Merlin's sake, can't she get the message already and leave me alone?

"I'm not in the mood, Parkinson," I growl. She shrugs her shoulders and turns to walk away nonchalantly. I raise my eyes in shock and surprise that she is giving up that easily. As she walks away, she calls to me over her shoulder.

"I just thought you'd want to know Griffin is alive," she states.

Ice. My entire body is frozen and my eyes widen in shock, fear, and surprise. My entire body tenses and I stare at her now smirking face as she faces me.

"What?" I can barely choke the word out. She smiles deviously and starts to play with the ends of her hair. She shrugs again as if Briar being alive is discussing the weather.

"Goyle told me. He's trying to arrange a marriage to her as we speak. I just thought you should know someone lied to you about her being dead. Merry Christmas," she finishes before turning and walking away. I stand still in my place with my mind racing in many different directions.

Goyle. Briar. Marriage. Shaking my head, the assault of so many questions is put on the back burner. I haven't seen or heard from my doe in months, yet Goyle is trying to court her? I know he's aware of her being alive due to the incident in the woods, but would he really put her life in danger by setting up an arranged marriage to her?

My shoulders tense even more. Of course he would put her in danger. He just wants her as a trophy and doesn't care who gets hurt in the process, especially Briar.

Shaking my head, I make the decision that I will be going home a day early. Rushing to Briar's room, I thank Merlin that I finished packing earlier and already sent my bags to the Manor.

"Aquamarine," I whisper to the painting that now holds a doe hidden behind the tree instead of standing proudly in the middle of the meadow. Quickly closing the painting behind me, I go to the hidden Floo network Briar had installed in her closet and step inside. Grabbing some floo powder, I clear my throat to remove the fear that is creeping up my throat.

"Malfoy Manor," I say before thrusting my hand down to throw the powder onto the fireplace floor. Waiting for the green flames to settle, I barely take a second before yelling out for my mother.

"MOTHER!" Looking around wildly, I feel my confusion increase when I notice there are dresses strewn all over the couch in the living room. Shaking my head, I focus on my goal of figuring out what the Merlin is going on. I call for my mother again, louder this time and she comes rushing into the foyer with a huge smile on her face. Wrapping me in her arms, she pulls me into a bone crushing hug.

"DRACO! Oh Merlin, I've missed you so much," she states. Pulling back, she keeps her arms around my waist as she looks me up and down to appraise me. "You look great! How was your first half of the year?" Her smile slowly starts to disappear when she sees the anger on my face.

"Draco, what's wrong?"

"Goyle. He's trying to set up an arranged marriage with Briar. Parkinson just told me," I growl. My mother's face doesn't show anything except for sadness. "You knew," I say in disbelief. She looks at me sadly.

"Draco, let me…"

"NO! You knew and didn't tell me? You let me be blindsided?! What the hell has been going on mother? Where is Briar and why haven't I heard from her in months?!" My mother looks at me with slight annoyance at my cutting her off, but I can't feel bad when she was the one keeping me in the dark.

"Draco, Briar has been training with her protector! She has been very busy and I'm sorry you have been out of the loop, but it was safer for everyone if she wasn't seen wandering Hogwarts," my mother tries to rationalize with me. I roll my eyes.

"Obviously, I know that mother! She could've visited me at night like she did when she was in her coma, but she hasn't! I want to know what the bloody hell is going on and I want to know now!"

My mother goes to answer me when we're interrupted by a giggle. A giggle that used to be reserved for early morning wake up calls when I would kiss said person awake until it turned into a tickle war. A giggle that would be heard in response to said person's nose being tickled by my kiss. A giggle I thought was only reserved for me. Looking up I see Briar running into the foyer with a man running after her in jest.

"You cheated! Snape said to disarm me, not conjure puppies to lick me to death," Briar says teasingly.

"But they're puppies! They're your weakness which technically is what disarming entails so I followed Snape's instructions," the male says. The same male I never thought I'd see in my house…Flirting with my girlfriend.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?!" I roar loudly. Both of them look at me in shock.

"Draco!" Briar's voice sounds excited, but her big smile falls when she sees my face. She chuckles nervously and rubs the back of her neck. "This uh…This is my protector assigned to me by Snape," she mumbles nervously. I chuckle darkly in anger and disbelief while taking a step forward with my fists clenched to my side as I eye her "protector" up and down.

"Hey, mate," he says cheerfully.

Briar's protector is Blaise?!