Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except Graces Malfoy & Thomas Higgs, who are my own. I do not claim any ownership of the characters or settings contained within. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.

Author's notes: A very special thanks to my betas Arthurdent2 and Denarii for editing this chapter so fast! You all should love them eternally for making it so you didn't have to wait ;)

To the guest that read 1-17 in one night, not going to lie I was seriously impressed/flattered.

Olli: Chapter 21, though it won't be in the halls. ;) Geez, can you imagine? Haha If I kept it in 20 then that chapter would have been a monster haha, but it is securely written in 21 as promised.

Phoenix: haha it's fine, though I was wondering when you would turn up.

Special thanks to: Slytherin99, TrueColorsNeverFade, Phoenix, XOXOSorry-I-Dont-Do-DrugsXOXO, Guest, Olli, spannieren, and Dreamsb223 for their reviews! It's so exciting to have so many new followers too!

Chapter 18

"What do you mean you're missing practice!"

"Exactly what I said, Draco," Graces said through gritted teeth with forced patience. "I have detention, and will be missing practice tonight."

"We have a game coming up! You can't miss practice! Go talk to Snape," the Slytherin commanded. "See if he can get the Gryffindor bat to let you come in another night."

"Draco," Graces growled, "I do not want to involve Snape. I have detention. You can live without me for one practice."

Draco stood flabbergasted for a moment, completely unbelieving that his sister could just dismiss a practice like this. When he realized that she was indeed not going to do a thing to even try and make the practice tonight, Draco stamped away from her with an irritated huff.

"He's in a mood today," Pansy mused, straightening her tie before they headed out.

"Tell me about it," Graces sighed.

"Why do you have detention again?"

"Longbottom and I didn't finish transfiguring all the mice back."

"You mean Longbottom didn't transfigure enough," Pansy giggled. "Let me guess, he tried the whole time to just transfigure one button back, and you ended up doing most of the work."

Graces chuckled awkwardly at the joke and followed Pansy out to the Great Hall. The rest of the day was much like any other. She listened to her friends prattle on and on about mundane things she didn't care for. She went to her classes, performed her prefect duties, and then snuck away to her room to study before her detention. Her day was just gray. That was the best way to describe it. There was nothing that she looked forward to anymore. She just felt hollow, which was stupid, because her and Longbottom didn't even break up. They were never an item to begin with. She only slept with him a few times, and it wasn't as though she actually fancied him or anything.

You're sure upset over the loss of someone you don't fancy.

Graces shook her head of such morbid thoughts, and began to write out her paper on one of the many Goblin wars. After an hour and a half of writing about Urg the Unclean, she decided she should pack up and head over to detention. Sighing heavily, she opened her rucksack to throw in her ink well when she saw a small, silver box laying at the bottom, a box that she was sure she had not put in there. Graces didn't dare touch it, not knowing who had given it to her. She stood up from the desk so she could better look around her area; wondering if the person who had left the box was still around.

Why on earth would they still be around? Clearly, they did not want you to see them.

The blonde stood still for a few moments, standing in the library, as if on the edge of a cliff. She took a small step towards her bag when she heard her father's steady voice sound from somewhere in her head. Never open a gift, Graces, if you do not know whom the sender is.

Graces worried her lip, thinking of her father's warning. He was right. There could be countless horrid curses placed on a gift. Deciding to just be cautious, she took out her wand and levitated the box up. It looked harmless enough, but her father had also driven it in her brain that looks could often be deceiving. She checked the box over for any nasty spells. She must have muttered a million different diagnostics, but nothing came back. Tentatively, she reached out and let the tip of her fingers touch the box. She waited for something to happen: her heart to stop beating, her body to feel as though it were being tortured, anything at all really. After a few moments of nothing, though, she reached out and removed the lid from the box.

A stunning, antique-looking pendent laid inside. Graces used the tip of her wand to lift it up slowly by its long chain. She watched it dangle in the firelight made by the torches, admiring the teardrop pendant made of white goblin gold that was etched with runes. There was a small window of glass on the front that displayed a green and gold looking substance shimmering around, like diamond dust shimmering around in a pool of water. It was beautiful. With all of the jewelry she owned she still couldn't help but admire how beautiful this piece was. And it hummed with magic, old magic. She wondered what it was, and if it was safe. She looked down at the box for more clues, and noticed that at the bottom was a note.

Graces,

I realize what I am asking is a lot. Even if you choose to continue to end this, that necklace will ensure that I will never betray you.. I don't want you living the rest of your life worrying that I will one day tell someone about you. It basically allows you complete access into my head in the event of my betrayal. All of my thoughts, memories, knowledge, everything would be at your disposal. You would have complete access to my mind until the day I die. Not one of your secrets could be exposed without me exposing all of mine to you.

Graces, if you still want this to end, I will respect that, but don't end it because you feel you can't trust me. Anything you tell me in confidence would be secured by that pendent. Trust, I know, does not come easily to you, I am hoping that this will help. Please, give me one more chance.

N.L.

Graces leaned against the back of her chair and took a deep breath. Well, this was unexpected.

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

"How nice of you to join us, Miss Malfoy," Professor Mcgonagall quipped as Graces entered the room.

"Sorry," Graces muttered, taking the desk in front of Neville, pointedly not looking at him.

"Five points from Slytherin for being five minutes late to detention. Now, I expect you and Mr. Longbottom to finish today, or you will be back in here tomorrow. I'll keep the both of you for as long as I have to. You should have been able to finish yesterday," Mcgonagall scolded. "What you two were doing is beyond me. Do you understand?"

The two students nodded solemnly as their transfigurations professor left the room. Neville watched Graces in front of him for a moment, wondering if the girl would be turning around to talk to him, but she didn't. She just worked diligently on the assignment before her. Neville felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach, but left it alone. Graces had a choice in this matter, a choice that he wanted to give her, and he was not going to push for something that she didn't want.

He had tried. He comforted himself with the knowledge that at least she had security with the necklace. He hoped it would possibly allow her to think fondly of her time with him. Instead of worrying that he was going to expose her at any moment, she could think of the good times she had with him. She could live out her days with no fear of him, and that, to Neville, was a comfort. Graces already had so many things on her plate, and Neville did not want the thought of him telling people about her or what they had done plaguing her.

The room continued in it's silence for the most part; at one point Graces started humming a slow tune. Neville paused for a moment, listening to it. The tune moved lazily through his head as her sweet voice carried it through the room to drift around in a hushed tranquility. It reminded Neville of being home with the gentle morning light streaming through the kitchen window, as homely smells filled the air. He wondered if it was a muggle tune. He knew some muggle music, but not a lot, having grown up in the wizarding world. He longed to ask her what it was, but he remained silent continuing to transfigure the mice as though he didn't hear her at all.

At the end of the hour Professor Mcgonagall came in and inspected their work. Neville couldn't see Graces face, but judging by his head of house's pinched expression, he imagined that Graces was giving her a very bored look.

"I expect that I will not have to see you two in this room again?" The Professor asked sourly, looking at both students. Neville nodded his head respectfully, while Graces just lifted her eyes up and gave the Professor an impatient stare. "You two are dismissed," the elderly Gryffindor sighed, no longer wanting to deal with the attitude of a teenage Malfoy.

Graces swept out of the room and disappeared before Neville even pocketed his wand. Neville spent a few moments regaining himself in the classroom before dragging his feet toward Gryffindor Tower. It was an awful feeling to know it was all over, to never have the opportunity to discover what could have been between Graces and himself.

Probably nothing would have come of it anyways, he thought pessimistically, pulling his curtains back and flopped onto his bed, not even bothering to look at where he was falling, or rather what he was falling on, which was definitely a mistake, considering that the moment his back hit the bed, he felt something struggle beneath him, digging something sharp into his back. Neville gasped in surprise, and jumped up, entangling in himself in his curtains, ending with him falling with a loud thud to the floor.

He fought the curtains off himself and looked up to see Graces' owl screeching at him repeatedly, swiping his talons at his face any time he tried to stand up.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Neville exclaimed, throwing his hands up defensively. "How was I supposed to know you were there?"

Loki gave another last swipe at Neville's arm, which caused a rather deep scratch, before he went back to the bed, still glaring at him. Neville cursed, and moved to get his wand to mend the scratch, but the bird made a lunging movement towards him and he took it as a sign he had better not dare attempt to do so.

"You're a nasty piece of work, aren't you?" Neville muttered, standing to his feet. As he stood, he heard the dorm door open and Harry came in.

"I heard some noise. Is everything alright?" Harry's eyes widened at Neville's arm. "Neville, what happened!"

Neville continued holding his arm, and motioned his chin grudgingly towards the bed where the owl was.

"Is that Malfoy's owl?"

"Yeah…" Neville said through gritted teeth. "Evil little thing."

"Well, look at the owners," Harry pointed out offhandedly. "What did it deliver?"

Neville looked down at his bed and saw a package with a letter. He hesitated not wanting to open it in front of Harry, but decided that it would look more suspicious if he hid it. It looked like Graces was going back to pretending nothing was happening with them, so it must be like the last letter where she merely wanted to set up a time for potions.

He opened the package first, and the title "Potions for Beginners" gleamed up at him in gold letters from the cover of the green book. Despite what Neville knew, he was still disappointed. With a heavy heart he opened the letter.

Longbottom,

I expect you to have read this by tomorrow. I will see you at seven sharp.

Regards,

G. Malfoy

"Well, what is it?" Harry asked. Neville handed him the letter and held up the book for him to see. "She's a piece of work isn't she? Giving you a first year's book and all."

"Yeah..." Neville murmured hollowly, taking back the note.

"Tough luck, Nev. You should have asked for something else for your life debt, like for her and her bother to stop being such evil snakes or something." Neville gave Harry a small smile that in no way reached his eyes. "Well, I better leave you to reading that book if she is only giving you a day to read it," Harry mumbled awkwardly, feeling like he should leave the room.

Neville nodded and watched Harry and the bird leave, before taking a seat on his bed and opening the book. But "Potions for Beginners" was not what he saw on the inside cover. Instead, he stared down at the title "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare; and right to the left of the title, on the inside cover of the book, was familiar handwriting.

"Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice."-Hamlet

Don't make me regret this, Longbottom.

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