I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.

I would just like to say a quick thanks to Loonynamelass, TheUlitimateGleek, AnonymousMSQ, Macey247, Skylan D. Water, Allen Pitt, soccergurl31294, AshleyDiLorentis, mycatisevil, shadowprincess10100, Renrinrin, meandthedoctor, Mrs Daniella Salvatore, Ice. Queen345, anime-gurl-4ever, Shang Princess, xXxDark-LifexXx, EmmyDarlin, Tomboys-live-4ever, Alex274, James018, Midnighter 13, aoife525, lolbuddy, Melissa364, and FluffyDuffa.

This is my first fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't guessed by now, reviews are greatly appreciated!)

I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)

Chapter 47:

Worries

After Draco's scolding, Pansy left her alone for the most part, something for which Ariella was very grateful for.

Meanwhile, exams were coming up, and this meant that the homework load had greatly increased. And sure enough, once again, the young girl found herself overwhelmed with the amount of assignments she had to complete, even withTheo to help her out. (Though ever since the Yule Ball, she had seen less of him…he was now hanging out with Daphne Greengrass, but personally, she didn't mind one bit – she was happy for her friend, even if it did mean that she was almost back to square one.)

But even amongst all this anxiety, three things perturbed her.

First…Draco seemed to realize the work load's toll on her, and lightened up on his demands of her…he even offered his help once or twice on some particularly stressful nights. Had her words really affected him that much? She wondered. Did he actually care about her? It seemed so, at least in part.

The second thing…she hadn't heard from, or been summoned by Lucius Malfoy in months…since the beginning of the year, as a matter of fact. This worried her. Never before had she gone this long with out some communication with the elder Malfoy man.

And this led to her third worry…what was in store for her when she went back to Malfoy Manor? Mr. Malfoy had never been a man of mercy that was certain. And she would be a fool not to admit that she was even a bit scared and intimidated by him.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her long, dark hair.

"How you holding up tonight?" Theo asked her one night in late May.

"Fine, I guess. It's just all so much. What about you?" she responded.

"The same. And it's going to be even worse next year with O.W.L.s. and all that," he said, causing her to groan.

"Do I really even need to take them? It's not like I'm ever going to be able to go get a job or anything," she said, putting her head down on the table.

"True, but wouldn't it be nice to know how you're doing in your classes as a whole?" he replied, sitting down next to her.

"Anyway, you have a year before you have to worry about them. Just concentrate on this year first," he continued.

"You brought them up in the first place!" she pointed out, causing her friend to chuckle.

"Theodore?" a voice asked, interrupting the two. They both looked up to see Daphne Greengrass looking at them, suspicion in her eyes.

"Yes?" he said, politely.

"Can I – can we go for a walk?" Nott nodded, getting up.

"I'll see you later, Ariella. Hang in there," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder before leaving.

She sighed again, before returning to her work.

"Are you keeping up alright?" another voice asked her…one that was, surprisingly, not snide or cold.

"Fine, thanks," she replied as Draco took a seat across from her, his expression serious.

"We only have about a month left, not even. You do remember what's going to happen when we reach home, right?" he asked.

"Of course I remember. You'll become mister mean again, and I'll be left to deal with whatever your father dishes out to me. What else is new?" she responded bitterly.

"Right…well, I'll just – Ariella, are my father's punishments really that horrible?" he asked hurriedly.

"Draco, we've been through this. I'm forbidden to tell you anything. I'm sorry." She replied head bowed. Malfoy just nodded.

"That's what I thought," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

"Ariella, I do understand, more than you know, about the pressures to do well, and to please. I – Good luck," he finally settled for, his grey eyes piercing her brown ones. She nodded once, curious and slightly bewildered as she watched him leave.

What was coming over him? He was going soft! He should never have agreed to back off…but then – she seemed content, (well, she had, until the teachers had starting preparing for exams, but that wasn't his fault).

But this was the exact reason why his father couldn't know of his kindness to her. Because he had seen her expression when he had mentioned the summer…when he had mentioned his father. She was scared, that much he was certain of.

All he knew was that this summer, he would defiantly have to be on his guard. Because one little slip, one little mistake, and it would all be over. He would receive a lecture and Ariella would be punished.

There is was again! Why did he care so much for her? It was absurd, really. He didn't love her, that he was sure of, but recently, he had felt protective of her.

Draco groaned. This was way too complicated. Then again, the whole servant situation was complicated to begin with.

He sighed. He didn't know the extent of the 'servant spell', nor what was permitted…or what his father was really doing. But he could deduce that is was bad, judging from her reactions…but would his father really do that? Would the person he looked up to, the man he revere really be so heartless? Especially to someone who had grown up in their very house?

Sighing again, he pulled the curtains around his bed just as someone else came into the dormitory.

Life was rough. Life was complicated. And unfortunately, though neither knew it, life, especially for Ariella, was about to get a whole lot worse.

Okay, so I know it's really short, and sort of a filler, but within the next chapter or two, something really big is going to happen, I promise!

Hey all. I've put up (yet another) poll, though the action I probably won't be taking for some time. If you could just give me your opinion, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!

Hey all! I'm a member of Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. If you could please go to freerice dot com, and earn some rice for my stories, (and then tell me how much you earned) that would be fantastic! Also, if you're interested in joining the group, or want more information, feel free to contact me or "our go to people of the group", Loonynameless or echoing noise. Thanks again everyone!

Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora