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

Special thanks to Phoenix, Purpledragon93, AnnyJackson19, Cotton Strings, Superscarface83, Lux Invictus, Windflight13, snowflake2410, Blue Luver5000, noone297, A regrettable decision, barby03 and blacklightningwolf.

So… let me tell you about this chapter. One it's late because I had a lot going on, but two it's late cause I had written 6 different endings for it… Six. And by endings I mean the whole last section after my "SSSSSSSSSSSSS", so we're talking pages. And I hated all of them. SO much so that it got to the point where I called my friend Aleah and told her my struggle. Now, Aleah, thought I was exaggerating on how messy this chapter was. She really thought that it was going to be a simple matter of just picking on of those endings. Boy was she in for a treat. So anyways, Aleah the magnificent spent an hour of her time reading through all this and then I don't even know how long she spent after piecing an ending together. She literally went through and made an ending using all 6 versions. That woman is a copy and paste queen. I have no idea how she got all six to blend well, but she did. THEN when she was done Ben, my beta, came in and found all the plot holes and told me how to fix those, went over all the endings and agreed, Aleah's frankenstein using all of the other endings was the best. Then he fixed all my poor grammar mistakes. Telling you guys I could not write this stuff without those two. Round of applause for Aleah and Ben, right?

Chapter 74

"Graham, you can put me down."

Graces was beginning to realize she was in deep water and on board a ship that was racing towards an iceberg. Graham had not broken his stride since he picked her up and carried her away from Neville, and he had not looked at her since either.

"Graham," she whispered, her nerves getting the better of her as he practically kicked the castle doors open. She didn't know what to say, if she should say anything at all. Dread had overtaken all of her senses and she gripped Graham harder so her trembling hands wouldn't betray her fear.

"This isn't the way to the infirmary."

"No, it's not," Graham agreed, kicking open the door to an abandoned classroom.

Graces would have screamed if she wasn't in such shock. Everything seemed to be happening with lightning speed. Before she could even contemplate where she was Graham was slamming the door with such force that the window in the corner shook with his rage. She moved back on the desk he had set her on and could barely breathe. If she had sense she would have grabbed her wand, but instead she just sat there frozen.

"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM?!"

And there it was…

"TELL ME YOU'RE NOT THAT STUPID! TELL ME YOU'RE NOT LITERALLY THROWING YOUR LIFE AWAY FOR SOMEONE SO BENEATH YOU!"

The fear that she had harbored always in the back of her mind was now coming out. Suddenly, she wished she had listened to all the reasons she had for vowing to keep her distance from Neville. Graham was shaking her so hard that her good sense was coming back.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She lied. Oh she had become so good at that in the past months.

"I should kill you now," Graham growled. "I would if it would save Draco. He doesn't deserve this! I DON'T DESERVE THIS! I am risking everything, everything for you two!"

"Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong!" she maintained, unsure if she was crying because she had been caught or because Graham's words were so right.

"Don't you dare lie to me." A threat. A promise. Oh she was in a tangled web. "Do you know what they will do to you? To Draco? TO ME?!"

"Graham, please—"

"The boy you mentioned. The boy you said you had a crush on in October. The boy you mentioned to me at the lake. It's—"

"Thomas," Graces finished, looking up at Graham pleadingly. "It's Thomas."

Whatever rage Graham was feeling died away. Graces hiccupped a sob, a real one, and continued on with her new web of lies.

"I love Thomas."

It felt so wrong to say that the tears came easily. She covered her face with her hands and let the sorrow take hold of her.

"Thomas?" Graham repeated, dumbfounded.

Graces only nodded and continued to sob. The lie felt worse than the truth.

"You're-you're in love with... Thomas? Thomas Higgs?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Graces croaked. "I almost died for him. I-I was going to drop out of school and raise a child for him. I—" Graces took a moment to collect herself. "I'm taking the mark for him." She stared up at Graham's face and knew he believed her. There was such horror and sadness in him as he looked down at her. "I love him."

Graham turned away and she sat motionless as he put everything she had said together. He looked over his shoulder at her a few times, before taking a seat.

"But-but you and Longbottom, the race, the tutoring, the... he came to your bedside when you were hurt. He—"

"He has been a great resource of mine," Graces cut off. "Don't you see that? I needed to do well in Herbology. Being cordial with Longbottom was in my best interest. Being friendly with him has allowed me many gains, not to mention using his ill-placed affection for me allowed me to help Thomas."

Graham stared at her waiting for more.

"Longbottom's grandmother is on the board for child welfare. I—" Graces swallowed for effect and bit her lip "I asked him to give me his grandmother's vote. Augusta Longbottom is a very well respected witch. I knew with her vote Thomas would gain custody."

"How did you convince him to do that for you?"

"I cried," Graces said quietly. "I cried and begged and-and made it clear I would do anything. Anything at all."

Graces didn't remove her eyes from Grahams. The older boy paled and opened his mouth like a fish out of water a few times before asking if she slept with him to get that vote.

"I didn't need to," Graces whispered hollowly. "The nice thing about Neville Longbottom is he would never take advantage of anyone. He was actually quite fair. He informed me that if I could get a suitable adult to help Thomas care for the child he would use his powers as patriarch to seal his grandmother's vote."

"That is fair."

"Very," Graces nodded, brushing away a few tears. "He's very fair like that. Very kind… righteous. In another world I think Longbottom and I could be very good friends. But in this… in this world it's so different. I haven't really been able to bring myself to forget that kindness. I even sometimes find myself feeling badly for how I treated him when he asked me out."

"He has done a lot for me," Graces breathed. "So much. Helping me with herbology, not taking advantage of the life debt I offered him, getting me his grandmother's vote… aiding me when I was hurt and keeping my secrets. I can't bring myself to not be friendly with him at times. I try to act the way I should towards him, but at the same time I am so grateful. He's done a lot for me, and I only have heartache to offer him," she rasped, looking up at Graham imploringly to understand. "When he asked me out in front of everyone I realized I let it go too far. I didn't want to hurt him. I just needed to push him away, needed him to see me for what I am… for what I did. I thought he understood that I just used him, but he still isn't cruel to me and I can't bring myself to be cruel to him now."

"Octavian makes Thomas so happy. Makes me so happy," Graces smiled, real tears glistening in her eyes. "Neville Longbottom did that. And I will forever be grateful. Neville Longbottom will always hold a special place in my heart, because he gave me Octavian."

Graham was silent for a long time. Graces wondered if it all worked, if her new web of lies was strong enough to keep him from the truth.

"Do you think that because Thomas has that child he will always need you?" Graham asked gently.

"I don't know." She wasn't sure what to say. None of this was true.

"Does he know?"

"That Neville helped—"

"No," Graham shook. "Does Thomas know you are in love with him?"

There was a long pause, before Graces shook her head.

"I treat him like a child. If anything I think he feels like he is my child," she added quietly. "It's easier this way. Draco would never allow us to be together."

"For good reason."

Graces frowned. She didn't want to be with Thomas that way, but she despised being told she couldn't do something.

"He has nothing," Graham reminded. "He can't even protect himself. He has no family. If the rest of the Higgs clan was alive your family wouldn't have approved of the match. He would have been one of the weaker members of the family. He—"

"The Higgs family wasn't like that," Graces cut in. "You know Terrance had no system. Everyone was listened to equally."

"He still wasn't a patriarch or an heir. They wouldn't have accepted it unless they had to. The only thing he could have offered you was a family name that protected itself with an army of generations, and we all saw how easily that fell."

"You don't need to remind me of my situation. I know the situation."

Graham swallowed some emotion and moved from where he was sitting and took the space residing next to her.

"I love Wamil," he confessed. "I love her eyes, the way she always smiles. I love that she hums in the hall and that she shows all her emotions on her sleeve. I love that she's obsessed with color. Heaven forbid she doesn't have some kind of colorful pin on her uniform or in her hair. I love that she-that she thinks everyone is good and worth affection. I love that she thinks Hufflepuff is the best house and that she cries when spring comes because she will miss the snow. I love that I never speak to her and I know all this about her. She's an open book and I love her…" Graces must have looked stunned, because Graham flushed and looked down at his shoes. "I think she loves- loved," he corrected "me too. But I destroyed that the other day. I had to. Nothing could ever come from it. I would only get her killed. She would only get me killed, me and my family. She's probably going to die in the war. She's too Hufflepuff to stay out of it, but I can still save myself and my sisters."

Graces listened to everything he was saying about Wamil and tried to push her thoughts away from Neville. She didn't know when she took his hand, but she did notice that he didn't move it away from her. Even when the daylight left they were in darkness still holding hands. He didn't cry or say another word about Wamil, but she knew his thoughts were with her just as her thoughts were with Neville. She didn't go back to her and Neville's room that night. She stayed with Graham in that classroom until she started drifting to sleep and at that point he helped heal her badly bruised leg and they went to the common room.

She expected Draco to be angry about not knowing where they had been, but he ignored it and they all spent a quiet evening by the fire. As Draco and Graham played a game of wizard's chess she could tell he was thinking the same thing she was. This would be simple. If they could fall in love then their world would be so pleasant. She imagined a world where Draco lived and he came over nightly to be with her and hang out with Graham. They would probably join forces and be business partners together. It would all be so easy… And yet when she thought about her and Graham alone together in their "marital bliss" she felt sick and lonely.

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Harry stared at the map in his hands. Draco was in the Slytherin common room, and had been the whole night, but he couldn't help but continue to watch his name on the map. He knew the snake was up to something and he knew whatever it was had to do with the Voldemort. Draco had been acting strange all year and earlier today. He had looked at the map and Draco had been nowhere to be found. He had completely vanished. This hadn't been the first time this had occurred. Before Harry had written it off as him being too tired to actually find him on the map. Another time he had just wondered, but not had the time to seriously look into it, but now… now he felt as if he needed to get to the bottom of why Draco was not showing on the map sometimes.

Harry racked his brain for how he was leaving the school. Security in the castle was at an all time high, so he couldn't possibly be leaving without anyone noticing and Hermione always said apparition wasn't a possibility. So what was Draco doing? Everything was inspected at the beginning of term so if he had a portkey it would have been evaluated. Harry tore his eyes away from the map when he heard someone enter the common room.

"Neville," Harry said surprised. "What are you doing? It's late. Wait. When did you leave?"

"Earlier. Couldn't sleep. I, uh, snuck out to see if Malfoy was still in the infirmary. She wasn't."

Harry felt as uncomfortable as Neville looked and had a good mind to just nod and dismiss Neville's concern for Malfoy number two, but something inside him told him to talk with his friend. "You still have a thing for her?"

Neville nodded and shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot.

"I hope she's okay."

"She is," Harry offered. "She's with her brother and Graham in the Slytherin common room."

"How do you know that?"

"Map," Harry grinned, holding up the map for Neville to see. "I was checking on something with Draco and, well, she's with him so..."

Neville came forward from the shadows and stared at Graces' name on the parchment.

"So, looked like you and Malfoy two were having fun earlier," Harry commented, feeling a bit awkward as Neville continued to stare at the name.

"Yeah, we were. She can be a lot of fun when she's not being so…"

"Malfoy."

"Yeah, that's a good way to put it," Neville laughed tiredly.

"I still don't get it."

"You would have to see her with her guard down."

Harry let out a small laugh, he doubted any Malfoy would have their guard down when they were aware of his presence. Harry looked over at his friend and felt a pang of guilt to see that Neville was lost in his own thoughts of Graces. He looked so sad and dejected and Harry had a feeling that his small laugh only hurt his friend.

"Sorry, I—"

"It's fine," Neville shrugged. "Like I said. I'm aware of how she is to others."

"Would you, uh, want to talk about it?" Harry offered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I highly doubt you want to hear me fawn over Graces Malfoy," Neville smirked, leaning against an arm rest. Harry honestly didn't, but in an effort to be a good friend invited Neville to go ahead. The sandy-haired boy raised a skeptical brow, before smiling and bowing his head to hide his expression.

"Should I talk about her magnificent eyes?" Neville asked, his voice taking on an overly love sick tone. "The stormy-weather eyes that I long to get lost in? Or maybe her beautiful, peony-pink lips? Or—"

Neville ducked as Harry chucked a spare throw pillow at his head. Harry feigned being sick over Neville's idea of a joke and the other Gryffindor just continued roaring with laughter.

"You're such an ass."

"I don't know what you were expecting," Neville grinned, taking a seat in the armchair across the way.

"I was hoping you could be serious with me."

Neville gave a small smile that didn't quite meet his eyes and laid back in the chair staring up at the ceiling before closing his eyes tiredly.

"Seriously, Nev, talk to me. Why Malfoy? Why her even after she rejected you so callously?"

"The heart wants what it wants."

Harry gritted his teeth and looked back down at the map in his hand.

"She seemed nice on the pitch… when we were all practicing and she was running with you. What were you two talking about?"

"You saw that?" Neville asked, opening his eyes and sitting back up.

"Yeah, I was checking on you. You know, making sure the Slytherins were behaving. She was even smiling at you."

Neville laughed at Harry's obvious surprise before rubbing his eyes and saying they were just talking and that it was of nothing in particular.

"I've told you before she's not that bad," Neville said, trying hard to stop smiling.

"Is that why you wanted her to have breakfast with us? So we could see that?"

Neville flashed him a tired look and weak smile.

"Harry, I don't ever expect you or anyone to understand why I adore that girl. Maybe it's best to say I'm a bit of a masochist. I only wished to have her company during breakfast since she is no longer tutoring me."

"Then why the stipulation to have her treat us all well?"

"It wouldn't exactly be a pleasant breakfast if she was treating everyone disdainfully."

Harry was silent for a few moments while he mulled all this over in his mind.

"Can I ask you something?" Neville began, looking exceptionally uncomfortable.

"Sure."

"You don't spy on Graces with that do you?"

"No, not really, only when she's with her brother. Why?"

Neville pinked and became exceptionally interested in his shoes.

"Can I admit I'm a bit jealous… maybe slightly possessive, though she's not mine to be possessive with."

"I'm sorry I don't quite follow."

"I don't want you watching her on there," Neville said flatly. "I don't want you knowing when she's in the bath or undressing or studying. I like her. It would bother me if I knew you were opening that map and watching her intimately."

"Merlin, Neville, it doesn't show me what she's doing. I can't see her."

"You know where she's at though and that could tell you enough."

Harry actually felt a surge of guilt at Neville's words and he became even more unsettled as Neville continued to glare at him.

"I don't watch her!" he exclaimed defensively.

"You better keep it that way too, mate."

"Looking at Graces like that would be like looking at Draco like that!" Harry pointed out.

"You're a bit obsessed with that one. You're not making me feel much better on that front," Neville said mildly, his eyes not moving away from Harry's.

"I am not obsessed," Harry said sharply, his jaw almost to the ground. "I—"

"Kidding," Neville interrupted, looking all too pleased with himself. "You know I'm kidding."

Harry's cheeks were still burning from the insinuation, but he nodded his head.

"You won't spy on her though?" Neville asked quietly.

"Neville, if I see her on this map it's cause she's with her brother. I don't search her out."

Neville seemed satisfied with this answer and leaned back against the chair he was in. He was clearly tired, but seemed content to nod off in the common room instead of upstairs in his warm bed. Harry wondered if Neville was still going to wake up early and go to the greenhouse. He had taken to going to bed early and waking up really early in order to tend to his plants in the greenhouse. Since winter break Harry had not woken up once to see Neville in the room. He usually was gone by dawn.

Harry wondered if Neville thought about Graces the way he thought about Ginny. He didn't see how he could feel for her the way he did. With Ginny it was so different. He knew her. He talked to her daily. They joked around. He stayed over at her home during breaks, but Neville didn't have that with Graces.

It was odd to see how open Neville was with his feelings as well. Here he was not able to talk about his feelings for Ginny because he was scared what Ron would think and Neville just threw care to the wind and declared that he loved her, loved her despite what his friends, family and she thought. If he hadn't shown how Gryffindor he was last year in the Ministry, he definitely would have seen it right now.

"Neville, you-you don't by chance know where Graces and Draco disappear to some evenings do you? It's as if they're not in the castle anymore… usually after dinner. I know you and Graces don't talk personally, but—"

"I don't know," Neville murmured sleepily. "Maybe they go see Octavian- that baby Thomas Higgs has on weekends. They have portkeys to the Higgs manor. They are both Octavian's godparents."

"They can leave the school?"

Neville didn't answer. He was already lost to sleep. Harry cursed and tried to wake him up, but the responses he got back were just mumbles and yawns. He clearly wasn't going to get any answers out of Neville tonight, and he had a feeling that when morning came Neville wouldn't know too much on the matter anyways.

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Graces pondered over how much trouble she was going to be in that evening when she met with Neville. She highly doubted that he was pleased with her considering she had not come home that evening, nor had she sent him a note explaining that she would not be there. Neville was pretty easy going, it was rare he asked questions about where she was and who she was with. Sometimes she wondered if he didn't ask because he didn't want to know.

Still, she hadn't owled, mostly because she wanted some distance. Graham had almost found out. Her deepest, darkest secret had for a moment been exposed because of her own carelessness. She looked over at her brother as she walked with him to the Great Hall for breakfast. Graham was right. He didn't deserve this. Graham didn't deserve this. She was risking their lives for, well, not for nothing. She wouldn't say that Neville Longbottom was nothing to her. He was a lot to her.

And he was a lot to them, though they didn't know it. She and Draco had safety in Neville. They truly did. It was a last resort, but it was there. In a way her relationship with Neville wasn't that negligent to her family's welfare. Not to mention he was the reason Thomas had a family.

Still, she had to be more careful. She couldn't afford such a slip again. Graham believed her about Thomas and her reasons on why she couldn't be cruel to Neville, but Graham was no idiot. If she continued to slip he would see through her lies and considering that he was in the same situation and had given up his happiness she doubted he would be so understanding towards her.

"What are you thinking about?"

Graces startled at her brother's inquiry, before quickly telling him nothing. Draco furrowed his brow slightly and seem inclined to press her, but Harry Potter interrupted him.

"Malfoy!"

Draco glared as Harry rushed over to them from the other side of the Great Hall, cutting his way between a gaggle of Ravenclaws with his tousled, jet-black hair and a hideous sweater with a giant H on the front. As though the wizarding world didn't know the first letter of his given name.

"What do you want Potter?" Draco spat contemptuously, moving forward to their own table, causing the Gryffindor to follow.

"From you? Nothing," Harry informed, dislike coating his every syllable as he turned to Graces. "I should have been more specific. I wanted Graces Malfoy. Not you."

"Excuse me?" Graces gaped, knowing where this was heading and terrified at the idea. She stood by her spot at the Slytherin table, her fingers gently touching the wood where she would sit, she was so close, and yet she knew she was so very far.

"You didn't lap Neville," Harry reminded, his eyes not moving from hers, despite her attempts to escape his stare. "So you should be joining us for breakfast."

"Oh, come off it, Potter. I was injured. It doesn't count. I could have lapped Longbottom at any moment and—"

"But you didn't," Harry reminded. "You didn't lap him, meaning he won the bet."

Graces could feel herself vibrating with uneasiness. She only made that stupid bet because she wanted to have some time with Neville, and she wanted to cover her tracks. She also knew without a doubt that she could lap him.

"I'm not sitting with you," she proclaimed firmly, turning her back to take her seat beside her brother. Harry grabbed her arm and in an instant Draco's hand was gripping Potter's. Graces' heart pounded in her chest when she realized Harry and Draco were in a standoff, her brother's left hand gripping the Gryffindor's while Harry's other hand had released her and was now on her brother's wrist.

He wanted to look. It was written all over his face. He wanted to try and pull up her brother's sleeve and see what resided on his porcelain skin. The problem was he had one arm being held by Draco and the other on his wrist, while Draco had one arm holding him and the other clutching his wand.

"My sister has given you her answer," Draco whispered, his words chilling the air around them. "Leave, Potter."

"No," Harry said firmly. "A bet's a bet. Neville would have carried out his end of the deal, it's only fair she fulfills hers."

Graces let her hand drop from the table and stood staring at the boy in front of her. Trying to decipher why he was doing this. She gently touched into his mind before she was swiftly pushed out and those emerald eyes were now glaring at her.

"Don't."

Draco scowled at Harry's sudden hostility towards her, but Graces just put her hand up to her brother, silently asking for his compliance.

"You don't want me there anymore than I want to be there. So tell me, Potter, what's your angle in this?"

"No angle." Like she believed that. Potter wasn't that cool of a liar. He wore his suspicions. "It's just breakfast, Malfoy. And I give you my word. We will not make it harder for you than it has to be. We wouldn't do that to Neville who, for some reason beyond all of us, still enjoys your company."

"I would think you would want to discourage his obviously ill-placed affections for me," Graces challenged, hoping beyond hope she could get out of this situation.

"I'm curious," Harry informed, placing his hand out for her. "He refuses to discuss you, so this is the perfect opportunity for us to see what it is he sees in you other than your pretty face."

Graces raised an eyebrow at the backhanded compliment, but Harry didn't flinch or look at all embarrassed for it. He just waited. She turned to Draco for support, thinking he would of course come with her, but to her shock he just released Harry and sat back down in his chair.

"Oh no, you made the bet. You go into the lion's den alone," Draco stated firmly, taking a sip of tea.

"Draco!"

"I am not sitting with the Gryffindors. You're on your own."

She would have argued if she had not seen Harry's obvious interest in Draco joining them. He definitely had a motive, and Draco would be vulnerable. She didn't doubt that Harry would try to pull another stunt like back in October. Leave it to a Gryffindor to just try and pull up someone's sleeve.

She left her brother sitting alone at the table, enjoying his tea and toast while she felt she was being lead by an executioner. Harry seemed to be regretting his decision with each passing step.

"I thought I was the one supposed to be made uncomfortable," she quipped coolly, noting the way Harry's eyes kept shifting all around.

"I didn't exactly tell anyone I was going to make you live up to your end of the bet… including Neville."

Graces tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears and tried to calm her nerves. She was about to be fed to the lions. Harry had not warned them of her coming. She looked over to see what Neville was doing at the table and realized he had not appeared yet. She silently groaned as she realized he must be in their room hoping she would appear.

They were about to pass the entrance to the Great Hall when Graham came through and stopped dead at seeing her and the Chosen one walking together.

"The bet," Graces flushed, already knowing that later she was going to get an earful from both him and Draco.

"I see," Graham said slowly, his eyes holding hers for a moment longer than necessary before turning to Harry's. "Draco isn't willing to accompany you?"

"I fear he is teaching me a lesson."

Graham gave a thoughtful nod and then turned to Harry.

"May I join you?"

Harry and Graces' eyes both widened at the statement, but Graham just stood casually as though this were not at all an outrageous request.

"You don't have to, Graham, really," Graces insisted. "Thank you, but—"

Graces allowed her words to fall as Graham gave her a say-no-more glare and waited for Harry to answer him. It was all too obvious Harry did not want him to join, but he seemed to be remembering that Graham was one of the very few people in the Slytherin house that had treated him with any semblance of respect, and the Gryffindor ended up agreeing.

She should have probably been comforted by Graham's presence, but oddly enough him coming with her put her nerves even more on edge. He noticed how she acted with Neville yesterday, and, though she had given a valid reasons why she treated him the way she did, she still felt that he was watching her.

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"Morning," Neville mumbled, still bleary-eyed and half asleep. His neck hurt. Well, neck, shoulders and lower back. Sleeping in anything other than a bed was a bad idea on his part. He sourly rubbed his right shoulder and wished he could burn all the uncomfortable chairs in the castle.

It took him a few moments to realize that the greetings he received back all seemed forced. He looked around him to see what commotion was causing this melancholy at the table and saw it sitting across from him in Slytherin green.

He froze as he stared at Graces sitting across from him, her silver eyes taking in his reaction just as nervously as he was taking in hers.

"Hi!" It was all he could think of and he flushed as the whole table seemed to notice his eagerness. Graces stared across the table at him for a few moments before nodding a short greeting back. Neville sat frozen, staring at her, unable to believe she was really sitting across from him.

"How's your leg?"

"Fine."

"Really cause it, well, you were hit pretty hard. I mean you even asked Montague if he thought it was broken and he carried you off the field and—"

A slow blink. "Badly bruised."

"Oh, well, that's good," Neville nodded, nervously tapping his foot under the table as he tried to think of what else to say. "Did you at least see Pomfrey about it? You know, just to be sure?"

"There was no need. I was able to tend to it."

Neville hadn't even noticed Graham sitting right beside her. He immediately looked around at the table and saw that the all of his friends seemed to have a piqued interest in his reaction to Graces. He flushed as he realized that he had made it just all too obvious how over the moon he was. One glance at the blonde and his world had disappeared to the point where he neglected everything else. He was glad he at least had the mind to ensure the conversation he kept with her had been appropriate.

"I believe the words you are searching for are 'Good morning, Montague'," Graham said, confidently taking a swig from his goblet.

Neville's mouth tightened as he turned to Harry.

"Why are they here?"

"I would think that obvious," Graces drawled, plucking a muffin from in front of her and examining it, before flicking her eyes back over to Neville. "I'm a gift."

Neville stiffened at her words and the grin she sent over to Harry. He knew that grin. That grin meant pain, maybe not now, but definitely later.

"In fact, I'm surprised he didn't dip me in yogurt and wrap me up in a fine bow," Graces continued sweetly, her eyes not moving away from Harry's.

"Neville doesn't like yogurt," Harry shrugged, "and a bow is a bit flamboyant."

"You don't have to be here, Malfoy," Neville dismissed. "We didn't get to finish the race."

"It wasn't really a race," Harry reminded. "She just said she could lap you and she didn't."

Graham straightened. "She could have lapped him. That was obvious. Longbottom here was struggling and she was barely winded and right on his heels." Graham turned and looked down at Graces with disapproval. "Someone just enjoys gloating too much. She's like a cat that plays with the mouse before eating it and then pouts when it bites her and scurries away."

Graces kissed the air between them, causing Graham to roll his eyes and turn his attention away from her.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Neville continued, ignoring the jealousy boiling in his gut at Graces and Graham's exchange. "I say it wasn't a valid bet, so they're free to leave."

Graces stood to leave, but Harry—with his seeker reflexes—stopped her, pulling her back down in her seat.

"No way! You wore those ridiculous robes after you lost a bet! No. Malfoy has to stay."

Neville growled at a warning and repeated for the Slytherins to leave, but Harry wouldn't budge. He refused to release Graces and even pulled Dean and Seamus into agreeing with him. Ron obviously sided with Neville, and Hermione pointedly stayed out of it all, though she did seem inclined to want Graces to leave as well.

"No! She has to sit here for half an hour and eat breakfast! She has to participate in polite conversation and treat everyone, Hermione included, with the same respect she would show any other pureblood!"

"Why don't you just hex him?" Neville bellowed, the words snapping out of him.

Graces couldn't stop herself from laughing at Neville's outburst and the whole table looked over at her strangely as they heard the sound. It wasn't malicious. The smile she had wasn't feral and even the way her hand rested on her chest as she continued giggling showed them a hint of the woman he had fallen in love with.

"Because, Longbottom, you can't just hex the chosen one in the middle of the Great Hall," Graces giggled, not noticing the looks she was receiving. "Can you imagine what kind of fate would befall me if I did so?"

"Point," Neville chuckled.

"You know you could do the gentlemanly thing in this scenario and hex Potter for me."

Neville fought the twitching in his lips. "Sorry, Malfoy, I refuse to do someone else's dirty work."

"Damn," Graces cursed, a familiar glint showing in her eye. "Can't blame a girl for trying, though."

"I suppose not," Neville smiled, shaking his head subtly as he poured himself some tea and asking Graces if she would like some as well.

Graces seemed as though for a second she was inclined to say yes, but she quickly changed her face back to a mask of stone and declined. The moment was gone.

"So, I'm to be pleasant. Am I correct?"

"Yes," Neville nodded, finding himself a tad bit excited for this. "As pleasant as you can be."

"Right, ah, Potter, care to divulge your potion secrets?"

Harry almost spit out his juice at Graces behaving so cordially to him. "Potion secrets?"

"Yes, and don't tell me there isn't one. You're doing better than Granger over there, so you must have a secret."

Neville wondered if Graces knew she had just paid Hermione a compliment. Hermione seemed to notice. Her cheeks had turned a heavy pink and she held the book she was reading closer to her chest.

"There's no secret."

"That's such rubbish!" Graces exclaimed, actually poking Harry playfully in the arm. "You're a terrible liar, Potter, and I'm relentless so you might as well just tell me."

"No secret," Harry maintained. "Just-just good old fashion studying."

"Well, if that's the case why weren't you always good in Potions?"

"Well, it helps that there is a better Potions professor now as well," Harry pointed out, not the least bit ashamed to make a jab at Snape.

"Professor Snape is a very talented potions master," Graham pointed out flatly.

"Doesn't make him a good teacher," Ron muttered under his breath, shooting a dirty look over at where Snape was seated.

"So is Slughorn giving you private lessons?" Graces inquired, clearly truly interested in this topic. "Is that what you mean by 'better potions professor'? Is that code for private tutoring?"

"I really am just studying more," Harry insisted, a small amused smile playing in the corner of his mouth. "I am very flattered you noticed my improvement though, Malfoy. Truly I am."

Graces' brought her knuckle to her mouth and pressed her lips closed for a few moments.

"You okay there?"

"I'm sorry, I had to remind myself there to continue being pleasant," Graces said, giving Harry one of her most charming of smiles. Neville actually felt a bit of pride as Harry seemed to get a little drunk off it and he made a mental note to tease him relentlessly for the brief moment.

Neville didn't even care that Graces was talking to everyone else besides him. It was wonderful seeing her interacting with his friends, talking with Lavender and Pavarti about makeup, Seamus and Dean about Quidditch and now Harry about her godson.

"He's getting so big," Graces smiled thoughtfully. "I can't believe how much he's grown. I feel like I miss ages during the week. He comes back bigger and sharper than ever."

"Oh, so you and Draco don't see your godson during the week?" Harry asked eagerly. "I thought you were able to see him during the week."

Graces eyes narrowed, but she didn't reply.

"Okay, now I'm starting to be just a bit creeped out," Dean laughed, leaning into Neville. "Is this why you like her?" Neville nodded distractedly, still keeping an eye on Graces. "She's… well—"

"Enchanting," Neville finished.

"Yeah… I guess that's the word."

"Refined is a better word," Graces smiled, her eyes sparkling as she placed her chin in her palm. "I'm refined. Elegant and cultured in appearance, manners and taste. Don't be a fool to mistake being refined as being genuine."

Harry interrupted again, not caring that Graces was pointedly ignoring his previous question. "You and Draco are often missing from the castle, so if you're not seeing Octavian then—"

"I'm sorry," Graces interrupted. "How would you know if we are missing from the castle?"

It was now Harry's turn to become tight-lipped. The two students stared at each other, each knowing that there was deceit in the other and neither knowing how to coarse it out.

"Why do you think I leave the castle, Potter?" Graces repeated, tilting her head slightly to gain a better view of his famous green eyes.

"I just assumed," Harry lied, his own posture giving him away. Harry never sat up so straight, held someone's stare so long. Even if Neville didn't know the truth, he would know Harry was lying.

"Assumed."

"Yes, assumed."

"Why would you assume that?"

Harry opened his mouth before he had words formed for an explanation. Neville watched as Graces eyes began to rage the more Harry stumbled for an explanation.

"Are you spying on me?" Graces asked darkly. Neville wondered if she realized she moved closer to Harry, so close her nose was almost touching his. "You are! You're spying on-on Draco. You—"

"Get out of my head!"

Graces moved back as though she had been pushed and Neville realized that she in a way had been. Graham braced her against him, frowning as to why she shot back, but an exchange of looks between them told him everything he needed to know in that moment.

Graces turned away from Harry and stared across the table at him. There was no anger, no distrust, no betrayal, just a single question. A single question that he knew he wouldn't be able to answer. How could he tell her about the map?

"I, uh, heard you had portkeys," Harry muttered, keeping his eyes forward and far away from Neville.

"I see." Graces stared across the table at Neville and he prayed she would know him well enough to realize that if he mentioned the portkeys to Harry there was a good reason. She turned back to Harry. "So here it is. The real reason you dragged me over here."

"Wait, Neville told you?" Ron asked looking between Harry, Neville, and Graces, his eyes wide. "How did Neville know that?"

"I- I" Neville racked his brain for what to say, but before he found an answer Graham spoke up.

"Longbottom is the reason why Thomas Higgs won custody of the child," Montague explained evenly. "He ensured that his grandmother would side with Thomas Higgs should anyone challenge his legal right to custody over the child. I'm assuming," Montague continued slowly. "That because of his involvement either his gran or Graces herself told him about the portkeys."

"Neville," Hermione whispered. "Why would you do that? Give a child to another child?"

Neville opened his mouth to answer, but Graces didn't give him the chance. The blonde was soon on her feet towering over Harry.

"This is why you wanted me here," Graces glowered, her hands clenched in fists at her side. "You arse. You came over with talk of wanting to please your friend, like you were trying to do the noble thing and give me a chance, because Longbottom here struck a chord with you about my good nature or some nonsense like that. Not that I care," Graces said pointedly, her eyes marking everyone around the table. "I just thought that maybe—just maybe—that was it. But that wasn't it at all was it, Potter?" She said the name with such venom that Neville was surprised she didn't actually spit after saying it. "You just wanted information, wanted reason to be suspicious of my brother and I."

"Just ask, Potter. Use that bloody Gryffindor courage and bloody ask."

"Fine," Harry clipped, his green eyes blazing. "Where do you and your brother disappear to? I know you two disappear sometimes. I know."

"We disappear to the Higgs manor," Graces hissed, her body shaking.

"And what do you do there?"

"We take care of our godson," Graces stated firmly.

"I don't believe you."

"I really don't give a damn if you believe me, Potter."

"I know you two are up to something, Malfoy," Harry said, standing up to challenge the blonde. Graces turned to leave, but Harry yanked her back, ignoring Neville's order to let her go. "I know. You don't fool me for one moment. You and your brother are up to something and I am willing to bet my whole vault that your brother has already taken the mark." Graces was still trying to get away and she was yanking her arm back with such force Neville was sure she would injure her arm further. "And it doesn't end there does it, Malfoy? No, you and Draco don't do anything without one another. So you must be taking the ma—"

Neville wasn't sure when he did it. In fact he wasn't even sure when he got to the other side of the table. But what he did know was that his fist hurt and Harry was clutching his jaw in pain.

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