New Slytherin Girl

by AnnyBee

Not all Slytherins are evil; then again, they're not always so nice. But isn't that how all humans are? We grow, we learn, we adapt. At times we're hated and others we're loved. Seven eventful years, all seen through a Slytherin's eyes. Sometimes it's good to look at life from a different perspective.

117. Tipsy-Turvy

Only seconds after we arrived at Malfoy Manor, my parents and I went our separate ways. I continued forward into the party, just wanting to be by myself for the moment. They went off and about, to do their greetings. Besides, Draco was most likely preoccupied with the mandatory duties of a host. He would have to greet everyone and anyone who decided to attend, regardless of whether he actually wanted them there or not. Already he must be feeling fed up so I wasn't going to bother him just yet.

Tables and other nicely decorative surfaces were scattered about the garden, holding several drinks for the guests to pick from. A few glowing orbs of light hovered above the heads of the guests, illuminating the afternoon sky. It was a nice touch to give the area a warm glow and pleasant effect. The whole scene looked very pretty. I walked to one of the drinks and picked it up before continuing further into the party.

Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before the unwanted attention and "hello"s from the other guests came. I gave my politest greetings to any of my father's associates and mother's… whatever they were. It's not like they worked together so I wasn't sure what to call them, part of me supposed they were friends. But mother had an interesting way of mixing herself in with important business in the most casual of ways. She was an interesting woman, I'd give her that.

As the small talk pressed I had to remind myself to be nice. Father insisted that I be polite and, even though I always was, I agreed with him anyway. I didn't like this kind of event, though when attending I always acted appropriately. But I never understood why it mattered that anyone speak to me. Some of his associates thought that getting on my good side meant getting on my parents' good side. Of course, I saw right through that, and so did my father. I suppose that only worked on people who were more like my mother.

I wasn't sure how much time had actually passed between all the meaningless conversations. After what felt like two hours of over a dozen people having the exact same conversation with me I had enough. As politely as I could manage I excused myself from the group. There wasn't a place in particular that I wanted to go, I just wanted to get away from them. Taking a sip of my drink I stepped away, hoping for an escape to the drawling conversations.

As I continued forward I felt something crash against my shoulder. I stumbled a few steps, attempting to stop myself from spilling my drink. Gaining my balance I stopped and turned to look at the person I had run into. Obviously it hadn't been an accident. She had deliberately slammed against me. With a sigh I gave her a tired look. Pansy gave me a glare back.

"Great, you're here" I greeted, as blandly as I could manage. Pansy gave me a self-satisfied smirk.

"Of course I'm here" she emphasized the words as if I were stupid. "This is my boyfriend's party, or did you forget."

"How could I forget, when you remind me every time I see you" I smiled sweetly at her. She curled her lip back.

"I'll have you know he invited me last week, in person" Pany gave me that overly satisfied smile again. That wasn't even what we were talking about. But my smile grew a little, knowing he had invited me before he spoke to her.

"You certainly must feel oh so special" I smiled, taking a drink. Her look faltered, knowing there was a reason for it but not knowing what it was from.

"That's because I am special" she called defensively. "Certainly more so than you."

"You most certainly are" I cooed in return. Now she gave me a frown.

"Well, sorry to have bumped into you. Must have not seen you there. With that… woodsy shade of green, it made you look like a twig someone had kicked out of the pasture" Pansy giggled to herself. So we were stopping the pretenses then.

"That's strange, this doesn't have the same shade of brown as the trees. Must be your eyes. You may want to go see a healer about those" I called sweetly. I took a moment to look down at her dress then made a face. "That would certainly explain your dress."

"What's wrong with my dress?" she asked defensively.

"It's certainly more than one color. But I'm not sure what one…" I paused and gestured to her, "all of this would fall under."

"You think you're so funny" Pansy sneered at me.

"I do" I nodded at her. She scowled in return.

"Well, just remember this is my boyfriend's party you're attending" she reminded, once again.

"And you're still all here by yourself. My condolences" I said as patronizingly as I could muster. "Truly, I don't know how you live with yourself."

Pansy took a step closer to me. With a look I called her bluff and took a step towards her. I was expecting to see her scowling face but instead was met with a broad back. Confused I took a step back to get a better grasp of what was in front of me. Crabbe stood between us, looking in her direction. Not that it made things any less confusing but at least I knew what I had been looking at. He took a small step forward closer to her and in the space left behind stepped Goyle, looking down at me.

Neither of them moved or bothered to explain what they were doing. The two remained, just standing there. Crabbe leaned down and began whispering something back and forth with Pansy. I narrowed my eyes at them, noting their suspicious behavior. Goyle turned to them once they began to quiet down. Both shared a look and nodded. Pansy, as led by Crabbe, turned away and began walking from us.

"She's not worth my time anyway" Pansy called, loudly enough to be sure I would hear. She flipped her hair, in an unnecessarily (bubbly) manner, and walked away with Crabbe trailing after her. I rolled my eyes at her before turning to give Goyle a look.

"What was that?" I asked slowly. He stumbled to come up with an excuse and it didn't help any when I narrowed my eyes at him. Goyle cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he mumbled, making me sigh.

"Draco told you to keep an eye on me, didn't he?" I guessed. Goyle looked down at me but didn't respond, which answered my question in itself. "Of course he did."

"You look very nice" he attributed.

"Thank you, Gregory" I sighed, accepting the compliment. Obviously he wanted to sidestep my comment but it still sounded sincere enough.

Turning away from him I began walking away. Goyle followed. I had assumed he would have so I didn't give an argument. For some reason the two always did whatever Draco asked them to. If he could have that sort of control over them, why couldn't he do that with Pansy? Our lives would be so much simpler if he could just have better control of her. I continued to walk across the garden up until I found some familiar faces. The two of us stopped, waiting as Blaise and Theo crossed the rest of the way to us.

"Why are you talking to Aramis when your dear Porthos is back there" Blaise smirked, nodding his head to where Draco was standing. The birthday boy was talking to some of his guests, giving his "polite" smile, the one that made me think he was about to snap. I smiled over at him before turning back to Blaise.

"What does that make Pansy, Madame Coquenard?" I asked as Blaise gave me a smile. With that I turned to give Theodore a look. "You need to stop lending him books."

"It helps him learn stuff" Theo shrugged in return.

"It makes him more obnoxious is what it does."

"Well, excuse me, Milady de Winter" Blaise put a hand against his chest, feeling the offense.

"I'll take that as a compliment" I accepted. Blaise bent over, giving me an exaggerated bow, and I gave him a curtsy in return.

"It's alright, we'll watch her" Theo mentioned to Goyle. He hesitated for a moment but after looking at them he gave a nod. Goyle excused himself and wandered off, probably going to find Crabbe. I waited a moment, watching as he left, before turning to frown at the two standing by me.

"Why is it that I need to be watched?" I asked, since they obviously knew what was happening.

"This is a very important event" Blaise noted in a condescending tone.

"I am not a child. I know how to behave myself" I crossed my arms at them.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" he copied my posture and raised an eyebrow.

"That's Hamlet" Theo corrected.

"It's also an incorrect use of that quote" I frowned at him. "I'll have you know, that line is meant to emphasize 'the lady' is making too many vows, not that she is objecting a lot. Even if you were to take the quote and put it into the current definition of the word, it would be taken in irony. The character is speaking about a play but the actress referred to as 'the lady' is actually meant to be herself so—"

"You would be a lot more attractive if you could just shut up once in awhile" Blaise interrupted me.

"Maybe you should take your own advice" I glared up at him. Blaise gave me a carefree smile in return. "What are you two doing here, anyway?"

"His mother said we should talk to you" Theo explained.

"She said I should be getting on your good side before the meeting" Blaise shrugged in return.

"Then you're doing a marvelous job of it" I gave him a fake smile before letting out a breath. "So what does she want from my father this time?"

"She wants an advance on financial backing. She'll probably say it's for some property that's closing soon but, really, she just saw a jewelry set that she wanted" Blaise shrugged down at me.

"Well is it pretty?" I asked, making him give me a smirk. "When is she set to meet him?"

"The third…" he mumbled, thinking it over.

"Is it one of the morning meetings, at nine or eleven, or the afternoon ones, at one, two, or four?"

"You have your father's schedule memorized?" Theodore asked with a frown. I smiled at him, making him roll his eyes.

"Eleven sounds about right" Blaise slowly answered. "I know it's in the morning but that woman loves her beauty sleep. Something I'm sure you're familiar with that."

"Alright, then tell her to have my father discuss it over brunch, her treat. Oh and have her suggest my mother join them" I added. Blaise raised an eyebrow at me.

"I don't think you understand. She wants money, not to spend it" he reminded me.

"Do you want my help, or not?" I paused and crossed my arms at him. He raised his hands in defense and I continued with my advice. "If she spends some, it will seem like she doesn't need it. That will make it seem as if she actually does want to use the money strictly for business."

"And your father will fall for that?" Blaise frowned, doubtfully.

"No, of course not" I waved a hand at the question. "He'll see right through it. He's already aware your mother uses a majority of that money on herself. But he's also aware that she keeps my mother entertained, and inviting her to brunch will remind him of that. That is what he considers his real investment. Besides, if she goes through the trouble he'll be more likely to give her the advance. It might not be the entire thing but it should be enough to get her the set, and maybe a dress to match."

"I will let her know" he nodded and raised a glass at me.

Blaise tilted his head back and took a big sip. Once back he seemed to focus on something behind me. Curious to know what it was I turned in the same direction. Draco was a few strides back, making his way to the three of us. I smiled at him and waved. Theo nodded as Draco smiled back, stepping up next to us.

"Hey" Draco greeted and Blaise immediately gave him a smirk.

"Ah, sir Porthos" he greeted in return, with an exaggeratedly polite tone. "Where is thine mistress, Madame Coquenard? Or doth though fancy himself a chance to tame the she-beast, de Winter."

"I don't know what you're talking about but shut up. And you, stop lending him books" Draco added to Theo with a scowl, guessing the cause correctly. Theodore gave him a smile back.

"Yes, that was my mistake. I suppose I underestimated how interesting he would find Dumas" he admitted before nodding. "If you'll excuse us, we have a message to relay."

"Later, birthday boy" Blaise winked a goodbye. He waved at us as they walked away.

"I hate him, so much" Draco glared at them.

"And I'm sure he loves you just as much" I cooed at him. He smiled at me in return.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to greet you sooner. There were more people than I had expected. I had to make the rounds, even now I see some people I've missed" Draco grumbled to himself noting the guests. When they noticed us looking he smiled politely at them and waved.

"You forgot what a pain it is for the first few hours, didn't you?" I smiled at him, making him look back at me.

"Completely" he admitted. I let out a giggle and he gave me a smile. Draco turned to look down at my dress for a moment then looked back up at me. "You look good, by the way."

"Thank you" I nodded, looking down at it too. "Honestly, I better. I spent hours being dragged around by Daphne until she decided what she deemed 'good enough'. Then I had my mother hovering over me for an hour, pestering the stylist on how she wanted my hair prepared."

"They may be annoying but at least they know how a lady should dress" he reminded me with a look to accent his words.

"Maybe they'll give you some tips" I offered, taking his arm. Draco chuckled and shook his head.

Together we pressed forward, past the guests and the remainder of the garden. Draco and I made our way into the kitchen. Covering most of the area were various drinks and treats, scattered about waiting to be taken away by the staff. But, at the moment, no one else was in the room. And now that we were safely out of earshot, Draco took the opportunity to let out a long exaggerated groan. He grabbed a small cupcake from one of the sections and promptly stuffed it in his face. He may have been a baby, but the boy had a big appetite. I let out a giggle as I watched him leave a trail of frosting at the corner of his lips.

"Shut up" Draco commanded, running a hand through his hair. Instantly he paused, closing his eyes and realizing he had just messed it up. When he opened them, he gave me an annoyed look. "This is all such a pain in the ass."

"Language" I scolded. He turned down to look at me before rolling his eyes.

Setting down my drink I grabbed a napkin from a counter nearby and pulled him closer to me. Carefully I dabbed the cloth against his face until it was completely free of frosting. Finished with that I set the napkin down and reached for his hair. Personally, I found it looked better messy, but appearances had to be kept. Draco looked down at me as I gently pushed his hair back into place. He continued to look down for a moment longer even after I was done, making me wonder if he had something he wanted. Whatever he may have been thinking he didn't get a chance to say.

Footsteps and voices began to sound as someone opened the garden doors. Considering we were in the kitchen, I assumed that was the staff. Draco made a face at them and took hold of my waist. Using it he led me further into the kitchen, giving me barely enough time to grab my drink back from the counter. I followed silently as he walked us into the kitchen pantry. Draco closed the door behind us before walking me farther inside. His home didn't have the comfort of an unmonitored grove like mine did, so over the years we had found a few convenient places to hide.

"Can't I have five minutes to myself?" Draco complained, glaring at the door. I smiled at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I go?" I asked sarcastically. Draco gave me a smile in return.

"No, I know how to ignore you well enough at this point" he called, looking back at the door, waiting to see if we had been followed.

"That's so considerate" I gave him a sympathetic look. He waited for another second before turning to look at me.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" he asked. I hit his arm and he smiled at me again.

Draco let out a grumble and walked to one of the corners of the small room. He sat down, near the fruits section. I met him in the corner and stood by him, waiting. Without needing to look up at me Draco took off his robe, setting it down on the floor. The inside of it touched the ground so that when he pulled them back up any marks left would not be seen. He kept a hand extended out to me. I placed my drink next to some berries and took it, using it to lower myself onto the garment.

"Thank you."

"You owe me a new outfit."

"And here I thought you were being a gentleman" I mumbled. Draco gave me a smirk.

I took a second to look at the walls around us. This room hadn't changed. Of course the food had to have been replaced but everything remained in the same general area. Without bothering to look I reached behind me and grabbed one of the jars on the shelf. Strawberries. Smiling at it I opened the jar, or tried to open it at least. My smile turned into a frown as I looked down at the container. With a grunt a hand stretched over to grab it from my grasp. Draco opened it, on the first try, and handed it back to me without a single word. I smiled back at him and took it before reaching in for a snack.

"So, how's the party going?" I asked, taking a bite of the strawberry.

"Tiring" he mumbled, watching as I ate it. I titled the jar to him in a silent offering but he shook his head, silently denying it. "I'm not used to having to pretend to like this many people in one day. I suppose I should give you some credit, not everyone can fake their way through everyday life the way you."

"I don't fake my way through it, I'm just polite" I defended.

"I don't understand the difference" he answered after a brief pause. I threw a strawberry at him in return. Draco gave me a look as I stuck my tongue out at him. Regardless he took the strawberry from where it had landed on his lap and continued to speak. "It's been two hours, at least, of talking to people I don't care about. This isn't exactly how I expected the party to go."

"Speaking of crushing disappointments, where's Pansy?" I asked, watching him bring the strawberry closer for inspection. Pausing from doing that he turned to smirk at me. He had to admit, that was a good segue way.

"Last time I saw her, she was talking to Millicent about their plans for after the party. I parted with her just before coming to see you" Draco explained and bit into the berry. He made a slight face at the sourness of the fruit but seemed to like it just the same.

"Why didn't you drag her into this lovely, and not at all cramped, place of wonders" I cooed, gesturing around us.

"It may be cramped but I'll bet a decent galleon that it's still a lot nicer than that vagrant's entire home" he grumbled at me. I gave him a sigh.

"Why must you bring George into this?"

"Oh, so you can start about mine, but I can't even mention yours?" he challenged.

"Speaking of you doing things which I don't appreciate, was it really necessary to have Crabbe and Goyle watch me?" I made a face at him. Partly because I wanted to change the subject but mostly I was annoyed.

"Tell me, how is it that you knew they were watching you? Was it because they had to step in to stop you and Pansy from doing something rash and, or, stupid?" he answered my question with one of his own. Instead of answering I took a drink from my glass. Draco looked satisfied enough with my response. "Only Goyle was watching you. Crabbe was taking care of Pansy."

"So you don't trust me" I surmised. He rolled his eyes at me.

"I do trust you, but I also know you far too well" Draco answered with a meaningful look. "I know better than to think you won't do something when someone is annoying you. You've been able to take a lot more recently, more so than when we were children at least, but you've always had a short fuse."

"No I don't" I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"Sure you do, but after this long I'm used to it" he shook his head and leaned closer to me.

Draco leaned his head against my shoulder. He grabbed the half-eaten strawberry, finishing the rest of it in one more bite. Again he made a face at the sour taste. It didn't seem to be agreeing with him but maybe he shouldn't be taking such big bites. Without a word he reached over to me and grabbed the drink from my hand. He took a sip of it, probably to wash the taste out of his mouth. I rolled my eyes at him.

"At least ask" I sighed as he took another drink. Hearing me, he stopped before giving me a smile.

"Hey, it's my birthday. Let me have what I want" he defended with his usual mark of flawless logic.

"You're a child" I shook my head at him.

"I'm older than you now. Maybe start having some respect" he called, lifting himself from my shoulder to look down at me.

"I suppose if you'd like I could start treating you with as much respect as I show everyone else, especially my elders" I answered with a sweet smile. He frowned back at him.

"Don't do that" he said with a look. I giggled at that and he looked down at my drink in his hands. "I do remember what it's like to have you treat me like you do everyone else. I do not want to go down that path again."

"Of course you won't. You're very special to me" I cooed the words at him.

I reached for his face, keeping the sweet smile on my face. Knowing better than to trust that and leaned away from me. I giggled at that and pulled my arms back to my sides. Instead, I grabbed one of the strawberries and bit into it. Draco watch me do so and took a drink from my glass.

"We've been together a long time, haven't we?" Draco muttered, looking at the remainder of the liquid in the glass.

"We sure have" I nodded, acknowledging the fact too. "If you don't count that little break we had going for a while there, it's nearing… ten years now. So, nearly a decade."

"Merlin… I've been able to stomach you for that long?" Draco shook his head in disbelief and took another drink.

"You love me" I teased knowingly at him. Draco gave me a small smile. He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"You keep telling yourself that" he smirked, leaning his back against a wall of bread. I rolled my eyes at him. "Either way, you can be a handful to deal with. Why do you think I had Goyle watch you? I knew you and Pansy would start in on something and make a scene. That's all fine and good at school but this is a little more important."

"Oh, so now it's my fault?" I crossed my arms at him.

"Not entirely" he admitted. "But that's not the point. The point is, don't fight with my girlfriend."

"Your 'girlfriend'" I began, using air-quotes, "was being particularly annoying tonight. And that's saying something, considering she's always annoying."

"She's just nervous" he sighed, knowing I wouldn't actually care. "This is one of the few times she's spoken to my parents as my girlfriend."

"'Girlfriend'" I corrected, using air-quotes again. Draco rolled his eyes at me. "Either way, it's not like she has much to worry about. You already said, your father likes her. That's already more than I could say. The only obstacle she might have is your mother."

"My mother thinks I shouldn't be worrying about having a girlfriend yet" he said in a tone that made me guess she had brought up that topic quite a few times. I smiled at that. Draco gave me a look but let out a breath. "Actually, she prefers I spend my time with you."

"Doesn't it speak volumes of your 'girlfriend' that your mother, a woman who has never liked nor approved of me, will so easily choose me over Pansy" I noted.

Draco reached a hand over to me, and used it to hit the back of my head. I grumbled at him and put a hand there. Reaching over myself I hit him in the stomach. That didn't seem to have nearly the same effect. He gave me a smile and, using that same hand, pulled me closer to him. I continued to give him a look but let him.

"I'm just saying, it's strange" I continued, rubbing the back of my head. It hadn't hurt nearly that much, I just liked making him feel bad about it. "Pansy actually seems like the kind of girl your mother would want you to be with. You know, the kind of girl who would watch you try to pet a dragon and still call you a genius."

"They both still think you must have hit your head a good few times, considering your recent decisions" he muttered the last bit a little more quietly. I gave him a look but he smiled. Draco reached over and placed an arm around my shoulders. "Let me finish. I was going to say that, even with your most recent head trauma, my mother believes I'm happier when I'm with you."

"That's probably just complacency" I shrugged back. "We have been together nearly a decade."

"There certainly isn't any other reason I can think of for why I would want to be with you for this long" he nodded in reply and I gave him a sarcastic laugh.

A sound made me stop, coming from the direction of the door. Both of us paused, wanting to listen. Behind the door there was a bit of shuffling. Listening a bit closer there also sounded to be some clanking and other sorts of kitchen sounds. It seemed they were refilling the displayed foods and drinks in the garden. When I looked back I noted Draco frowning at the door next to me.

"Do you want to go back?" I asked at his still unhappy expression.

"No," he sighed at me, taking his arm off me and standing up from where he was sitting, "but we should."

Draco offered me his hand and pulled me up. I dusted off my dress as he bent down to grab his robe from under me. Both of us listened a moment more before moving. When no more sound came from the other side we stepped to exit the room. Taking one last drink, Draco set the empty glass on the counter before putting his robe back on. As he did I turned to the exit but he grabbed my arm and easily pulled me back. I gave him a look before watching him pull the jar I had still been holding from my grasp. Pretending I hadn't just forgotten about it I reached in to get one more strawberry from the container and exited the room. With a light chuckle, Draco came to join me, both of us stepping out into the garden.

Once outside the two of us easily blended in with the crowd again. From one of the now restocked tables Draco grabbed a glass like the one he had drank and took a gulp of it. With a self-satisfied sort of smirk he handed me the drink. My guess was this was his way of getting even over having finished the other one inside the pantry. I gave him a look but couldn't help smile before taking it. Draco gave me a nod and turned forward again, but he immediately paused. Pansy was standing before us, arms crossed in front of her. Beside me I heard Draco let out a small groan.

"I thought you had gone to speak to Theodore. But he said he didn't know where you were. So I come looking for you and find… this" Pansy narrowed her eyes at me. I gave her a smile and waved in return. That did not help her mood. "What are you even doing here? Why are you with her?"

"Now, are you asking a legitimate question or are you just trying to lead the conversation?" I asked in feigned innocence. Both Pansy and Draco turned to give me a look.

"We were just talking, Pansy" Draco turned back to her, speaking in a soft tone.

Pansy did not look convinced. Instead, she continued to glare at me. I let out a sigh. Clearly she wasn't going to calm down with me in the picture. And Draco did have enough to deal with for one day.

"Oh, look, something that isn't rambling and shrill" I mumbled looking off to the side. Pansy gave me a look but I simply smiled back. "Excuse me while I go inspect that."

Without another word I walked away from the grumbles of the loving couple. It was the beginnings of another of their arguments it would seem. She was such a pain to deal with, I really didn't know why he bothered with her. Ignoring them I kept forward, farther into the garden. There must be something else at this event to keep me occupied.

I didn't bother going to look for Draco for the first few hours. He would surely have more people to greet, even after he got done with that nuisance he called a girlfriend. Instead I stayed occupied wandering around on my own, listening to Daphne ramble about whatever topic she decided was important, or other such things. One such topic was her choice of dresses, which she still seemed to agree was the proper shade and "silhouette" for the event.

Much like I stayed away from Draco I also avoided spending time with my parents. I knew better than to actually consider this a party, it was much more so a well-disguised business meeting. Well, it was that way for my father at least, so he would most certainly want some space. My mother, on the other hand, would just spend her time talking to anyone and everyone. She basically lived her life as the embodiment of a social butterfly.

That was why I had never been interested in going to this kind of thing. While pretending wasn't much of a problem for me, I didn't want to bother with the pleasantries and pretenses that went along with this. And of course, I would have to pretend I didn't know the actual reasons they were meeting and what was so important they had to discuss it in person.

But the one thing I always did enjoy, the best part of it all, was finally watching them all leave. In small groups they all departed, either through disapparation or the Floo Network. The garden looked much bigger as most all of the guest left, the last few saying their goodbyes. One of the benefits of being best-friends of the host, being able to stay so late the place becomes populace scarce.

"Hey" a voice called, making me jump in surprise. I turned around and found Blaise standing beside me.

"Oh, hi" I mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Blaise laughed at my reaction. I gave him a groan.

"No, I'm dying of boredom."

"Well, I know of something that could pique your interest" he called, offering me his hand. A little reluctantly I took it. Blaise pulled me lightly to him, wrapping my arm around his.

"What do you have planned?" I asked him suspiciously.

"What does it matter when you're dying already" he smirked, finding himself funny. I rolled my eyes at him. "We're giving the birthday boy his birthday present."

"Draco said no gifts" I frowned, thinking that had been the arrangement.

"Yeah, well, I found something that would make him, and the rest of us, happy" he smiled back at me.

Placing a hand on the small of my back Blaise walked me forward and away from the party. Together we headed out towards the edge of the garden. There was a small overgrown area near the far edge of grounds, one of the few hiding spots Draco and I had. It was so far out and so scarcely used that it was only occasionally trimmed, leaving it for us to use only in the warmer seasons. I assumed Draco had told Blaise about it as he led us into the clearing. But if that was the case then what was he planning?

"Let me tell you that if you're planning something stupid and reckless by bringing me here I will have no hesitation in killing you" I warned.

"Then I should mention that this was all Daphne's idea" Blaise smirked, taking his hand off me.

Blaise walked just a few steps ahead of me, leading the way. I followed without argument, knowing he wouldn't be stupid enough to actually do anything. We continued further into the empty area. It took a moment for us to get past the outer borders of the clearing but we stepped into the area. There, Draco stood waiting for us.

"What took you?" Draco asked Blaise as soon as he saw him, an annoyed look on his face. The two stopped just a few paces from each other.

"You're already here" I noted, moving to stand next to Blaise.

"I was just getting the last of my present for you" he explained and pushed me forward. I stumbled a few steps before Draco caught me. Using him as support I steadied myself and turned to glare at Blaise. He winked back.

"Why are we here?" I asked both of them, since neither one had bothered explaining thus far.

"Well, you see, today we're celebrating Malfoy's birthday. Those are annual events celebrating the day someone was born" Blaise began, in his 'I'm explaining this as simple as I can for you' voice. I kept my glare and, with a smile, he kept with his explanation. "You see, Volkov, when a mommy and a daddy are both decent looking and have nothing better to do with their time, they get together—"

"I made an arrangement with my parents, similar to the one you had with yours" Draco interrupted, walking us away from Blaise. It took me a second to piece together what he had told me.

"They're letting us spend the night here?"

"Not all of us," Blaise interrupted with a smirk, "just lucky little you."

"Greengrass and Nott are staying at Zabini's" Draco continued, giving him a look. Blaise blew him a kiss in return. "You can spend the night here. But you have to stay in the usual guest room. It was part of the agreement."

"Why can't I just sleep with you?" I asked him curiously.

"I will be taking any gratuity payment in the form of galleon" Blaise called, giving him a smile. Draco gave him a very rude gesture in response.

"You just can't, alright? It was part of the agreement" Draco repeated, looking back to me.

"Yes, fine" I rolled my eyes. "Then does that mean Pansy is staying in your room, or is she getting one of the other spare rooms?"

"She's not staying."

"Oh, good. Why not?" I added, happy to have her gone but still curious to know why.

"Her parents don't think it proper for her to spend the night, now that they're dating" Blaise smiled at me.

"What does that have anything to do with it?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"Shut it, Zabini" Draco snapped, before Blaise could start. He let out a chuckle as Draco turned to me. "She and Millicent are doing something themselves instead. Crabbe and Goyle had to go home. It will just be the five of us tonight."

I shrugged back and settled myself along a nearby tree; Draco came to join me. So we were waiting for the other two then, though I didn't really know how long it would take them. A moment passed but still no one made any comments on how long we were going to stand around. I gave them the benefit of the doubt on that. Another moment passed and still nothing. Part of me wondered what was taking Theo and Daphne so long. How big could this gift be? By the third moment I had lost my patience.

"So, what is this present?" I finally asked, looking between the two of them.

"Patience, my dear Lady de Winter" Blaise called out, falling back against the ground. He swatted gently at his pants, trying to get some of the dirt that had fallen on them off. Not that it would make that much of a difference, seeing as he was sitting on dirt. "We must await the last of the musketeers."

"Your robes are getting dirty" I called, ignoring his oh so clever wordplay.

"They'll get a lot worse than that if I have anything to say about it" Blaise smirked up at me. Draco gave him a smirk back.

Light rustling came from beside us. We turned to find Daphne and Theo finally making their way to us. The two carefully stepping over any branches that might be hiding out, trying to keep what they were holding in hand. Daphne led the front. In both their grasps were a couple of cups, one for each hand and, I assumed, each of us.

"We have the glasses" Daphne called, holding both hands up to prove her point.

She continued to walk forward, giving one of them to Blaise before keeping one for herself. Daphne sat down and scooted herself next to him. Theo ignored them and came our way instead. He handed us both the glasses before moving to stand next to me.

"What's this for?" I asked. He nodded his head to Draco.

"Oh, did Malfoy not tell you about his birthday present?" Blaise asked, knowing full well he hadn't, seeing as he had been with us this entire time.

"You mean Pansy not being here wasn't the present?" I asked in disbelief. Draco shook his head at me.

"No that would have been your present" Draco reminded me. Blaise laughed and stretched, reaching for something behind him.

"This" he called, pulling the object further into view, "is his birthday present."

Blaise looked very pleased with himself and, in his hands, was a bottle of dark golden liquid. From the center a small light glowed through. It was Firewhisky. I let out a sigh and turned my attention to Draco. He looked back to me with a particular smile on his face.

"You're not drinking that" I called strictly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is this your birthday party?" Draco asked with a superior expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you skip three birthdays without inviting me?" I asked, reaching for his cup. Draco pulled it back and away from me.

"Relax, Volkov. Do you know how much trouble I had to go through to get this?" Blaise called out, serving himself a glass.

"I would say slim to none" I answered as he passed the bottle over to Daphne. "You either just took it from your mother or, better yet, she gave it to you. Neither of those sound that complicated to me."

"Just because you're right doesn't mean you have to be a bitch about it" Blaise gave me a look. I rolled my eyes back. "Look, the point is it's here so we might as well enjoy it."

Blaise took a drink from his glass. He frowned for a second before letting out a smile. Obviously, it wasn't his first taste of the drink. Daphne looked at the glow from within her drink as Draco joined them. He took the bottle from her and poured some for his own. She made a face, a little scared to drink from her glass. Blaise gave her a laugh, already finished with his first serving.

"Do you idiots really think that having a few hours of fun is worth the repercussions this will—"

"Boo" Blaise called out, interrupting me. I gave him a look and he smiled at me in return. Ignoring them I turned to where Theodore stood and let out a sigh.

"Are you going to have any?" I asked Theo, flipping my own cup onto the ground.

"No, I'm just here to supervise, you could say" he answered, still looking at them. Blaise made a kissing noise at him as Daphne scrunched up her face and touched her throat, having finally taken a sip of her drink. "These idiots need that precaution."

"Are we the idiots, or are you? Because as far as I see it, we're the ones enjoying ourselves."

"You're the idiots" both of us answer Blaise at the same time. He rolled his eyes at us and kept at it.

"Just shut up and let me enjoy my birthday" Draco smiled and took a bigger sip. Apparently it was too much, he started coughing. Daphne giggled as Blaise called him some names. Sure, they were doing this just for him.

"Fine, if you're going to insist on this degeneracy," I said and stepped forward, "wands."

"What?" Draco frowned at me.

"You heard me, wands" I repeated, putting my arm out. "You've already proven your incompetence by allowing yourselves to partake in these actions. So if you're going to continue… wands."

"Gee, mom, I didn't know you were invited to the sleepover" Blaise called out to me. Daphne giggled a bit.

"I am not like your mother and we both know it."

"You're right, she would let us enjoy ourselves" he retorted. I rolled my eyes at him.

"That's not good parenting."

"Says you" he grumbled and took a sip of his drink. Theo sighed at them.

"She's right, you know" Theodore stepped towards them. "It would give us peace of mind to know you're not going to be transfiguring Daphne's hair into worms."

"Gross! Why would you do that?" Daphne called outraged, swatting at Blaise.

"I haven't done anything" he defended, leaning away from her.

"Yet" she insisted, continuing to hit his arm repeatedly. Draco rolled his eyes at them.

"We're not children" he frowned at me. I frowned back.

"Tell you what, either you give us your wands now, or we'll hover over you all night just as real parents would" I threatened and crossed my arms at them.

"Bet Malfoy would love that" Blaise called. At that Draco and Daphne both reached out to hit him. "Ow, ow!"

"Wands" I repeated, gesturing towards me. All of them frowned. Blaise continued to scowl but handed his to Draco. He pushed himself up before turning to Daphne. Instead of handing him her wand she simply shook her head.

"Daphne" Theo called out slowly.

"I left mine at home" she answered quietly.

"Daphne" Theodore repeated, this time in a much stricter tone. Daphne pouted at him before reaching down, placing her wand in Draco's hand. With them in his grasp he walked over to me. Keeping an annoyed expression on his face he dropped them in my grasp.

"Happy?" Draco asked once the wands were safely in my hand.

"Yes, thank you" I smiled, making him roll his eyes.

Leaving them to me he made his way back. I turned back and separated the wands, taking Draco's for myself. The other two I handed over to Theo to take care of. We were in charge of different halfwits, so we should separate their belonging appropriately.

"It's okay, Malfoy. We all know your mommy loves you" Blaise smiled at him. I wasn't sure if he was adding to the joke or referring to his actual mother. Either way, he kicked his side.

"Shut up, Zabini" Draco complained before sitting back down beside him.

Theo and I spoke together as the idiot bunch continued to drink. Their voices were starting to get louder the longer they dwelled on that activity. From what could overhear they were not talking about anything particularly interesting. The more time that went by the more their words seemed to be turning into gibberish. Draco and Blaise would occasionally push each other while Daphne seemed overwhelmingly zealous, even by her standards. There was no doubt about it, they were drunk. But we let them do as is.

"Morons" I sighed as Draco cackled loudly at a joke Daphne may or may not have told. Theo smiled at me and shrugged back. "Still, it's his birthday party, as he keeps reminding everyone. We do hardly have time to celebrate at school. However dimwitted this may be, we should let him have this."

"You think?" he asked, giving me a curious look. He opened his mouth but closed it again. Theo continued to look at me for another moment, as if wanting to decide on something. "You're feeling guilty."

"What?" I asked confused.

"You're feeling guilty about something. That's why you're letting him do something so stupid" he concluded.

"Why would you think that?"

"First of all, you're not denying it."

"I'm not guilty" I insisted.

"Secondly, you've just denied it" Theo continued.

"That's contradicting" I argued, frowning at him. He shook his head in return.

"Normally you would have simply said no and forgotten about it. Now, not only did you deny it late but you insisted on denying it" Theo explained. "So, tell me again you're not feeling guilty."

"Sometimes I forget you're more perceptive than those morons" I pouted. He gave me a light chuckle.

"I would take it as a compliment but that's not very hard to do" Theodore looked over to see Blaise putting his glass on Draco's head as a hat. The problem with that was it still had some liquid in it. Draco hit his arm but laughed along with him. "What did you do?"

"After I went shopping with Daphne I went to visit George. I made her keep quiet about it by bribing her with clothes" I admitted and let out a shrug. Theo looked at me for another moment before speaking.

"And?" he asked. I frowned, not understanding his question. "What else happened?"

"Nothing happened" I shook my head but he didn't seem to buy it.

"So you're telling me you feel guilty, something you never do, over seeing him, something you always do…" he insisted and narrowed his eyes at me. "There's more."

"That's everything" I insisted.

"Rather, that's everything you want to say" Theo called. I began to argue once more but he shook his head. "It's your choice, why you want to keep this a secret, but it makes sense. If it does have something to do with your Gryffindor then it's not even a question of whether or not he'll get upset but rather to what degree."

Over in the idiot corner, Blaise was laughing very loudly. He was watching as Draco pulled Daphne's cheek, probably for having said something dumb. She whined and made a face at them as Draco made a face back. The entire scene reminded me of what a five-year-old would normally do if another five-year-old stole its plushie.

"Well, that does explain a little better why you bought her two dresses for the event" he added with a small nod. I gave him a curious look; I didn't remember telling him there had been two dresses. As if knowing what I was thinking he gave me a small smile. "She and I do talk, you know. Luckily she seemed to have forgotten to mention that last part to me but she did talk about the trip. Mostly it was about clothing and a few of the things we will experience at Hogwarts."

"You mean about the prefect positions?" I mentioned.

"Exactly" he nodded. "She said she believed you and I would be in the running for our year."

"She sure did."

"She also happened to mention she thinks our competition will be Pansy and Draco" Theo added, turning his attention to them once more. He let out a smile and shook his head. "The funny thing is, he's more likely to fill the position than I am."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, a little intrigued.

"For this very reason" Theo answered me, gesturing towards the bundle of idiots.

"I don't understand" I said after a moment of silence. He gave me a smile.

"Right beside us, those idiots are doing the very things prefects were appointed to prevent yet… here we are" he shrugged. "They've already gotten themselves tipsy at best and I don't hold the slightest inclination to stop them."

"I suppose that takes both of us out of the running, then."

"Not necessarily."

"I'm here too" I reminded, gesturing to myself. "And Pansy would certainly have no quarrels with getting everyone to do exactly as she said, especially if she had the title to back it up."

"Yes, I believe that," Theo smiled at me, "but there is a reason they didn't tell you about this. Why do you think that was?"

"Because Blaise thinks I'm a killjoy?"

"Because he knows that if you wanted to, you could stop his fun" he explained. "Pansy would be more likely to tell other what to do but it seems like you would be more likely to actually get them to listen. On some level, they're terrified of you."

At that I let out a sudden laugh. Having heard, Draco looked over to us and stood from where he was. He made his way to us, stopping just behind me. Draco wrapped his arms around my shoulders, leaning in towards me. Theo looked between us, lingering a little longer on Draco's slightly irritated face. With a sigh he turned walking towards the other two still sitting on the ground, knocking each other around. As he continued I returned from looking at him to looking at Draco. I waited a moment, wanting to see if he had anything to offer other than his weight on my back. Apparently he did.

"What are you saying?" Draco asked me. It took me a second to realize he was asking what we had been talking about.

"Nothing now" I smiled, as Theo was now on the other side of the opening.

Draco frowned down at me. He gave me a suspicious look, doubting my words. Turning from me he looked over to Theo, then glared back at me. The boy grumbled something to himself and tightened his grip on me. From his hands, the drink he had been holding spilt.

"Careful" I sighed at him. Draco looked down at the cup curiously, as if I had said something else. He raised the glass up, and closer to my face.

"Try it" he offered, pushing the thing closer to me. I placed a hand on it and pushed it gently away from my face.

"No" I answered simply. Draco frowned down at me.

"You need relaxing" he insisted and tried to bring the glass closer to my face again. I raised a hand again and pushed it back.

"No" I repeated. His arms opened up and let me go. Slowly, and sort of sloppily, he made his way around to face me.

"Just try it. What's so done about it?" Draco leaned down to look at me. I sighed at him.

"First of all, it's wrong about it—"

"If it's so wrong why are we having so much right?" he argued, interrupting my correction. Behind him, Daphne called out and clapped. I ignored them.

"No, you ninny, I mean 'wrong' as in the word not the moral— Secondly" I began, knowing whatever explanation I had would fall on deaf ears, "I don't want to drink. I don't need to give you any reason other than that."

"Boo" Blaise called out to us. Daphne did too, between fits of giggles. He stopped as Theodore kicked his back.

"Do you not see why that's idiotic?" I asked, looking as Blaise gave a rude gesture back to him.

"I just see someone enjoying themselves" Draco threw his hands out in emphasis. Some of the Firewhisky in his glass spilled this time. Draco looked down at the ground then back at the drink. With that, I extended a hand towards him.

"Idiot" I smiled at exhibit one. He made a face at me.

"I meant do to that" he argued, sort of.

"Did you?" I asked, obviously not believing him. Draco nodded back.

"Thought it might shut you up if I had less" he expanded on his lie. I gave him a sigh.

"Obviously" Blaise intervened in our conversation.

He stood now just beside Draco, having walked over to us. In his hand was the remainder of the Firewhisky and, inside it, there was only about fifth of the drink left. Between the three of them the rest of the bottle had been drunk, and I was sure half of that had been just Blaise. Casually and sloppily he placed an elbow on Draco's shoulder. With the other he held the bottle and pointed a finger at me.

"You need to relax. Just because you don't understand things don't make them any less real" Blaise tried to help defend, but that made about as much sense as what Draco had said. I paused to look at him for a moment before speaking.

"Blaise, what time is it?" I asked. He frowned a little, looking confused.

"It's late…" Draco tried to contribute, staring up past some trees.

"Yeah, yeah! Obviously it's—" Blaise bent his arm to check his watch and, as I had hoped, the bottle tipped along with it. The remainder of the Firewhisky spilt on the front of his shirt.

"Idiot" I gestured to him, displaying exhibit number two.

Out of surprise Blaise let go of the bottle, dropping it on the floor. He gave an angry look to the ground. Beside him, Draco let out a hysterical laugh. Blaise picked up the bottle and held it against his chest, attempting to scoop the liquor back into the container. Draco was still hysterical, resting his hands against his knees trying to stop himself from laughing. Turning his frown from the ground Blaise gave Draco a look and threw the bottle at him. Now finally over his fit, Draco gave him a look back and shoved him in return.

"Wait, but what time is it?" Daphne asked sloppily, getting up with help from Theo.

"Time to go home" Theo said softly, helping her catch her balance.

"I thought this was home" Daphne cooed, still sounding confused. She leaned against him as he patted her head. "Wait, so where are we? Are we lost?"

"Come on" he called out gently, lifting her over some rubble on the ground. She giggled in his arms as he continued to pull her forward.

"We're not coming anywhere?" Blaise argued. Theo ignored him, but that seemed to catch Daphne's attention.

"We're not?" she turned up to ask him.

"No, not until Volkov owes me a new shirt" Blaise pointed at me. I gave him a look.

"I just want to confirm that he's communicating like a four-year-old and it's not just me" I turned to look at Theodore. He smiled at me.

"No, I hear it too" he nodded. Blaise let out an abrupt sound.

"Don't try to confuse me with your speech" he frowned at me. Blaise stepped forward and looked down at me. "Pay me a new shirt or I get your shirt."

"Pay yourself you prick" Draco scowled at him.

"Pay, you pay yourself" Blaise called to him, stepping to close the rest of the distance between us. He reached out to put an arm around me. "I'll pay with her myself."

"Does any of this make sense to you?" I turned to ask Theodore as the two glared at each other.

"I believe I understand some, but I'm not a hundred percent certain" he mumbled at me. Daphne looked up at him sweetly.

"A hundred per circus? Is that how much they are? Are we going to all of them?" she asked happily.

"Yes, but first we have to go home" Theo said softly to her, probably finding that lie a much faster route than giving her a logical answer. Daphne frowned a little at him.

"Why do I have to go home?" she asked, not buying into it.

"You have to go change" I interjected, pushing Blaise's hand off me. "I mean you don't want to go to two events wearing the exact same thing, do you?"

"No. No, don't make me" she shook her head, turning back up to Theo. He patted her head softly as she continued to try to convince him otherwise.

"Of course I won't. That's why I'm taking you home" he reassured her, giving me a thankful look.

Theo let out a sigh. Daphne nodded, still holding onto him. For a moment he looked at her then paused, turning back to me. Knowing what he wasn't asking I went ahead and gestured him forward. Theodore shrugged, placing her further up and in a better position against him. Daphne continued to mumble something about not having anything to wear to a circus as they disappeared in between the trees. Once gone, I turned back to the other two idiots.

"Walk forward" I spoke clearly, pointing to them the way. Blaise gave me a look and leaned closer to me. Draco stepped between us and pushed him back. With a frown Blaise pushed him back. Putting my hands against their chests I gave them each a push and stepped forward, intervening before they took their childish arguments too far. "I said walk."

"You walk" Blaise snapped at me.

"Don't tell her like that" the other one grumbled back.

Draco walked forward and with an extended arm to push him away. Blaise stumbled a few steps back as Draco leaned the rest of the way towards me placing an arm around my shoulder, letting his weight hang on me. His clothes smelled very much like the liquor he had just drank.

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you!"

"Both of you, shut up" I snapped, in a very strict tone. They quieted down but continued to frown at each other. I looked between the two for a second before turning to Draco. "Keep talking like that and I'll go wake your mother."

"No" he frowned at me. I gave him a look back as Blaise childishly snickered. Draco stepped away to frown at him but Blaise remained unphased.

"Go tell my mother" he smiled, raising his hands. Unlike Draco he didn't much mind that threat. We both knew his mother wouldn't care about him being in situations like this. I gave him a knowing look.

"Oh no, I'll do you one better" I smiled back. "You keep talking like that and I will make sure to tell my mother."

"Your mother?" Draco mumbled, confused as to how that would be bad. Blaise at least understood it was a threat, even without the little details. I gave them both a sigh.

"If my mother knows then soon enough many other people will too. Keep talking and I'll tell her exactly what you said. Your family will become a point of interest, for many reasons. Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe in the incessant aspirations of many journalists trying to find a story something will surface, something that your mother paid a good amount of money to have covered up" I concluded. Blaise gave me a different sort of frown, now understanding what I was truly saying. I gave him one more look and pointed behind him. "Walk."

Blaise grumbled at me but turned forward. I waited and watched for the other one to follow after but Draco didn't move. Pulling at his arm I tilted us both forward. He took advantage of the position and pulled me to him with a single stride. Draco wrapped the arm I had been holding around me. Leaning against me he began to walk as I had instructed, taking me along with him. I let out a sigh, but at least he was doing as I had asked.

Draco smirked lazily as he trailed just a step or two behind me. I didn't complain really, more focused on trying to make sure I got the two back in the manor without either one causing trouble because of the other. We caught up to Blaise in just a minute. He ignored us for the most part, grumbling to himself as he led the way ahead of us. The farther we walked the louder his grumbling seemed to get. Even when I pretended not to hear the constant groaning it got to the point I couldn't set it aside. We were finally at the manor, we were so close to leaving, but I had to ask.

"What?" I snapped.

"Why do you get someone to touch you?" he grumbled, still with his gibberish.

"Shut up" I sighed, knowing I shouldn't have expected much. But he was staring at Draco, not looking at me.

"You stay away" Draco snapped, holding me tighter. "Go touch yourself."

"You."

"You go."

"No, you go."

"You go!" Draco began to raise his voice.

"You touch yourself" Blaise called, his voice sounding louder against the walls of the manor.

"What?" Theo asked, stepping into the already unintelligible conversation. He gave the two a confused look.

"I don't know" I sighed as Draco rested his head against mine. Blaise stepped into the living room, having apparently forgotten about their very recent argument.

"What?" Daphne asked too, showing her face from behind Theo's back. Theo stretched a hand back and patted her head. With a smile Daphne let him go, swaying a little as she moved.

Theo and I began walking forward, the rest of them followed us to the fireplace. Draco's arms were still around me, making him just a few steps behind. Daphne walked a little further ahead, being led by Blaise now. She pushed him away but laughed, confusing me as to whether she wanted him away or not. Using one hand Theo pushed him back, grabbing Daphne from him and taking the lead. Blaise seemed unaffected and continued after them. The two of them stumbled against themselves, shushing each other loudly. Theo gave them a look but that only made them louder.

"Shut up" Draco snapped the two, letting go of my shoulders. "You're making too much noise!"

"You'll be making too much noise tonight!" Blaise called back as Daphne snickered beside him. Theo shook his head at them but continued to work on getting the fireplace ready. Daphne separated herself from him and walked over towards Draco and I. She stumbled a little towards the end and fell against my shoulder.

"Good night" Daphne called out, throwing her arms around me. She swayed us both lightly as she hugged me. After an unnecessary length of time I patted her back, reassuring she could let go of me.

"Good night, Daphne" I said back when she didn't take the hint. Instead, she leaned against me and held me tighter. I gave her a sigh.

"Maybe Nott should stay here, and the three of us could go to mine" Blaise smirked, stepping near us. Draco pushed him back roughly.

"Do it and I'll kill you" Draco growled at him.

"Try" Blaise pushed him back just as aggressively.

"Fight" Daphne threw her hands up as the two continued to shove each other. She clapped happily while I shook my head, walking to them.

"No, no fight" I scolded, stepping between them once again. Draco tilted towards me, trying to get closer to Blaise. I pushed against his chest and pointed to a nearby sofa. "Go sit down."

"You go sit down" Draco turned his glare to me.

I gave Draco a look. That seemed to be enough for him. Draco gave a low grumble but did as he was told. With a sigh I turned back to the other idiot. Blaise was giving himself a satisfied smirk, watching Draco moving to his seat. Giving him the same expression I had given Draco I pointed Blaise in the direction of the fireplace. Blaise didn't say anything, he raised his hands and walked to it. Through both of their grumbles Daphne was still giggling to herself in the background.

"You're sure you will be able to take care of him?" Theodore asked me again. Before I could answer a thud came from behind us. We turned to find Draco frowning at the sofa. He kicked the side of the seat again before falling back against it.

"I've been taking care of that idiot since we were six, we'll be fine" I assured him before giving a nod at the other two. "You have more to deal with. Will you be alright?"

Theo took a moment to turn to look at them. They had transitioned from the whispers they had been sharing to a clamor. Daphne was moaning to herself now, realizing the fight that she wanted so badly wasn't likely to happen. She began trying to lead Blaise over to Draco, pushing her body against his for leverage. It wasn't working. Blaise laughed hysterically and far too loudly as, even drunk, he was able to stand his ground. Both Theo and I gave the two a look.

"I'll manage" he let out a sigh, then turned and began walking to the noisy idiots. "Alright, you idiots. Come on, it's time to go home."

Daphne stopped her whining having heard him call them. Letting out a quick giggle, Daphne moved closer to Theo. She took hold of him and snuggled against his chest. Theo let her but continued forward, with her walking beside him. On the way he also reached out a hand to hold onto Blaise's robes, dragging him along as well. He let him go only to grab a hold of the Floo powder. Blaise frowned at him but didn't have time to complain before Theo pushed him forward and into the fireplace. Not having expected that, Blaise stumbled a bit getting up but had just enough balance to keep his glare on him. And once again, before Blaise could speak, Theo beat him to it. Giving him a smile he threw the powder at his face.

"Zabini Estate" Theo called clearly.

With those words the flames that had been teasing the bottom of the fireplace grew, covering him head to toe. In a second, Blaise disappeared. Daphne gave a small gasp before letting out a giggle. As she continued to giggle to herself Theo led her to the fireplace next. This time, I noticed, he was far more gentle than he had been with the prior. Theo continued to follow the same process of preparing to send her to Blaise's home. By now I was sure he was probably demanding that someone make him a sandwich.

For a few seconds Daphne didn't quite understand what he was trying to do as she looked around the inside of the fireplace. That or she was wondering where Blaise had gone, having forgotten how the Floo Network worked apparently. Soon she disappeared in the flames as well. Not trusting the two alone Theo wasted no time and stepped quickly into the fireplace, which I understood completely. He grabbed the last bit of the powder and turned to look at me. With a smile he said his goodbye.

"Good luck" Theodore called, then threw the powder down. The flames rose engulfing him and, in a second, he disappeared along with them.

The room became dark. With no flames to share their light, it left only the dim night light outside to give us visibility. I turned away from the moonlight and to the lumpy shadow that was Draco on the sofa. Letting out a sigh I stepped towards him. Not saying a word I stopped, just a couple of steps away from him. Through my position a faint shadow fell on his face. Noticing it Draco opened his eyes and, realizing who I was, he let out a smile. Draco reached a hand to grab one of mine. Once he did, I gave his a tug.

"Get up."

"Why?" he whined but sat up. His voice sounded a little hoarse now, as if he had actually fallen asleep. Draco rubbed his eyes lazily with one hand as he looked at me. The other hand kept its hold on mine.

"It's late" I explained, not that I should have to, honestly. "You need your sleep. You're especially going to need some rest when I get done having a talk with you tomorrow. Now, come one."

"Let's stay here and talk" Draco tugged at my arm, trying to pull me closer to the sofa.

"No, Draco. We are going to bed" I reminded him, and pulled his arm in return.

But, regardless of how hard I was actually trying, Draco didn't move from his spot on the sofa. He grumbled a little but otherwise stayed right where he was. Then, in one simple tug, he managed to get me off my feet. I fell forward and against his chest. Draco shifted me around for a moment before finally settling me on his lap, his arms wrapped around me. I gave him a look but like before he continued to look unburdened. I gave him a sigh.

"No, you. You said you wanna to talk, so let's talk" he mumbled sluggishly. His grip on me tightened but the rest of him lazily rested itself against my shoulder. "You wanna talk, let's talk."

"You said that already" I sighed, wiggling a bit to see if his grip on me would loosen. It didn't. Instead, he moved us both back so we could lean against the seat.

"Who said that already?" Draco asked curiously, closing his eyes again.

"You did" I frowned, getting annoyed at how often I seemed to be having to repeat myself with him. "You said that already."

"Said what?" he frowned back, mirroring my own expression. Honestly, it was like speaking to children with these idiots. I closed my eye and let out a breath before continuing with this needlessly frustrating conversation.

"You said you wanted to go upstairs" I smiled, opening my eyes once again. He was stubborn and childish enough sober, this should most certainly be exacerbating those behaviors. "Now I told you that I wanted to stay here but, if you insist, we'll go upstairs."

"Damn right we'll go upstairs! If I want to go we're going!" he declared rather loudly. Without waiting for me to move, or even lecture him on the volume of his voice, he stood up pushing me up with him. I reached out and grabbed at his arm, stumbling a bit to catch my footing. Once I did I gave him a frown.

"Language" I scolded softly and took his hand. He held it firmly and followed me to the steps.

I figured, with the level of stupidity he was currently demonstrating, I needed to keep a physical hand on him. Draco didn't seem to mind that, though. In fact, he took it one step further. As we climbed the stairs to his room he began to slowly inch himself closer to me. By the time we reached his floor he had my waist and was leaning well against my side. He kept his weight to himself but the sentiment was there.

Letting him do as he wanted for the moment I continued to drag him along with me until we finally reached his room. Not bothering to wait for him to do it I opened the door and led us both inside. Draco took his hands off me for a second only to close the door behind us. He didn't quite slam it but the push was strong enough to sound loud in the dead of night, making me jump a little. But, not caring about what was happening around him, Draco wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned himself against my back. In return I gave him a sigh.

Walking the rest of the way into his room I stopped as we reached the bed. I untangled myself from him and gave him a push back. He must not have realized how close we were to the bed as when I pushed him he tripped on the frame and fell back against it. Draco laughed to himself and sat up, a stupid smile still plastered on his face. I leaned down to kiss his forehead and patted his head before stepping away. But before I took even two steps he took hold of my wrist. Not bothering to be gentle about it, I stumbled as Draco pulled me back. He continued to drag me back to his side until I was standing directly in front of him, right between his legs.

"Where do you think you think you're going?" he stumbled out a question, his smile beginning to fade.

"Bed" I answered as he leaned his head against my stomach. Draco wrapped his arms around my waist again, this time using it to keep me in place. I rolled my eyes and gave it another try. "You wanted me to sleep in the spare room, remember?"

"No, I never wanted you to sleep there. I wanted you to sleep here. And you have to do what I say because it's my birthday" he gave me a sloppy grin, satisfied that he made his point. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Fine, I'll stay here. But you can't complain to me when you sober up tomorrow."

"Ha," Draco gave a small shout.

He raised his hands with a smile and fell back. His legs continued to hang off the bed as he lay against it. Draco kept one of his arms up and towards me. For a moment I looked at it before letting out a sigh. I hit his hand out of the way but he took that as an opportunity to grab me. Once again Draco pulled me back, down with him and into his arms. He held me tighter against his chest.

"Aren't you going to change?" I asked him, adding in a look. He simply shook his head at me and I frowned back. "Why don't I rephrase that? Let go of me, get up, and go get ready for bed."

"You're so mean" Draco pouted but let go of his grip on me. I sat myself up before looking over to him; he was still laying down. Reaching a hand out I poked his cheek. He didn't react much to that, not that I should have expected he would. Draco simply placed a hand on the spot I had touched and looked up at me. "You're mean."

"Yes, I am, now get up" I instructed, pushing myself completely off the bed. I stood up and dusted off my dress. When I looked back up he was still laying down. "Draco."

"I don't wanna" he grumbled, tossing over to his side. I frowned at him.

Well, so far it was obvious that common sense and decency wasn't something that would work too well with him. That was particularly annoying, if one took into account the number of years I had spent trying to get him to listen to me as well as he does now. I gave a sigh and crossed my arms. He was acting like a child... But, luckily for me, I had also known him as a child. And I knew what that coddled brat would need to be told in this sort of situation. With that in mind I turned away from him. Making sure to take extra loud steps so he could hear I stopped just before the door. Before my hand even reached the knob he took notice.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to bed" I answered him calmly, looking to him. Now he looked upset.

"You said you'd stay here" he grumbled accusingly.

"Yes, well, I'm tired and you don't seem to want to go to bed. So…" I let the sentence hang. I kept calm as he gave me a deeper frown. Neither of us said anything, we continued to look at each other. It took a moment but finally…

"Fine!" he gave an exaggerated groan and pushed himself off the bed. He struggled a moment to find his footing before standing up straight. Once he did, Draco threw his hands up again. "There, princess! Happy?"

"Yes" I nodded and pointed him to the door on his right. "Now go to the bathroom and have a shower. I'm not going to be sleeping next to you if all I can smell is liquor and regret."

"Fine" he gave the same exaggerated groan as before, but he did as he was told. Draco stomped and stumbled his way into the bathroom as I turned back into his room, in the direction of his closet.

I rummaged through some of his things for a moment before settling for some nighttime wares. I pulled two pairs of pyjamas from his selection, taking the smallest set I could find to use as my own. Setting my dress robes aside, along with the wands, I began to change. They fit loose but otherwise alright, though I did have to roll the waistband of the pants at least twice to prevent the ends from dragging on the bottom. With a sigh, realizing that was as good as it was going to get, I finished putting on the top. Hugging the second pair to my chest I walked out of the closet and back to the bed. As I placed Draco's set gently on it I heard a sound come from behind me.

"Those are mine" Draco called, looking down at my pyjamas. He had stepped out of his bathroom, his hair still looking a little damp and a towel wrapped around his waist. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I don't have a spare set here" I reminded him. "I don't stay here nearly as much as you do at my home, so I'm borrowing yours."

"Take them off" he gave me a sloppy smile, making me shake my head.

"You're not funny; I'm wearing these. Now, here" I threw his pair at him. The clothes hit his face but he didn't bother to catch them. Draco watched as they fell on the floor. Honestly, I didn't know what I had been expecting. "Pick those up and get changed for bed."

"Why?" he moaned, still not looking down at the pyjamas.

"What do you mean 'why'? Are you planning on sleeping in a towel?"

"Maybe. It's my birthday."

"Stop saying that" I sighed, and started forward. "Now pick them up and get changed. I'm going to go brush my teeth."

I patted his cheek as I passed him, making my way to the bathroom. In there, clothes were tossed carelessly about the room. Really, that was the least of my worries at the moment. Flicking his pants off the sink I got started getting ready for bed. Draco kept a few spare toothbrushes, which was always nice. I brushed my teeth, hair, and washed my face. Kicking his discarded shirt out of my way I opened the door and returned to the room.

Stepping back in, I found the drunken boy laying on his bed. Draco was dressed in his pyjama pants but was missing his shirt. He laid on his back, eyes closed. For a moment I wondered if he had fallen asleep. Walking slowly to not wake him, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him. Feeling the shift in the bed, he opened his eyes. Realizing I was there he turned to me and sat up. With a sloppy smile, Draco scooted closer to me. He looked down at my shirt before putting his head on my shoulder.

"Take them off" Draco mumbled, his damp hair starting to leave a slight damp circle on my shoulder.

"I've already told you, I'm sleeping in these for the night" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Sleep in your dress" he offered, running a hand over the fabric along my side.

"My dress?" I asked him curiously.

"You looked good in your dress" Draco nodded against my shoulder. "You look good in everything. You're very pretty. How do you do that?"

"So, then, I can wear your pyjamas?" I asked him slowly, wanting to get off the tangent. He frowned at me before turning to look at what I was wearing again.

"They're too big on you anyway" Draco complained, tugging at the bottom of my shirt.

I swatted his hand away from the end of my shirt and gave him a look. He shrugged at me and moved towards the middle of the bed. Laying back down, he kept an arm extended to me. With a sigh I moved to lay next to him. I crawled up the bed until I reached him, near the top. Draco waited until I laid down before pulling me closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my waist as the other draped over me. With some light grumbles he placed his head gently against my chest. I rolled my eyes at him and began to stroke his hair. With a smile at me, Draco snuggled closer against my chest.

"You're pretty…" he muttered again.

"Go to sleep, Deedee" I patted his head in return.

"Y'know what else I don't get?" Draco slurred, rubbing his face against my shoulder again. I decided to humor him this time.

"What?"

"I love you" he smiled at me.

"That's what you don't get?" I asked him. Draco gave me a laugh, finding that somehow funny. I waited for him to continue.

"No, no, I know why I love you" he shook his head, still lying against me. "But why do I love you more than Pansy?"

"How should I know? I don't even like her" I shrugged, moving him with me slightly.

"But I do! I like her. She's funny, and good-looking, and she doesn't nag me all the time" Draco grumbled in a more serious tone. He pulled his head up from my chest and laid it on the pillow next to me. Once settled there, he gave me a pout. "She thinks I'm great. I am great. But then, why the fuck do I love you more?"

"Language" I scolded, giving him a look.

"I am great" Draco grumbled at me and frowned. Taking hold of the hand that had been combing his hair Draco used it to move me closer to him. With the hand that was already on my waist he pulled me up, bringing our faces together, pressing his nose against mine. "Fuck you, I am."

"Stop swearing or I am walking out of this room" I warned. He gave me another pout before pulling himself back.

"Fine, then, I won't love you anymore! How does that feel?" Draco snapped before burying his face in my chest again. I let out a sigh.

"Go to bed, Draco" I repeated to him softly, starting to run a hand through his hair again.

"Maybe I don't want to go to bed. Maybe I wanna stay up!" he wiggled around as he complained, making it hard to take him seriously. "It's my birthday, I can do what I want!"

"Stop using that excuse" I shook my head at him.

"What if I don't want to? It's my birthday, I can do what I want!" Draco snapped, basically repeating the exact same phrase he had just said.

"You are acting like a child."

"You're acting like a child" he complained, now repeating what I was saying. "I'm older than you, remember?"

"I'm a month younger than you, which doesn't even count" I argued.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are we the same age then? Oh, no, we're not. I'm a year older than you!" Draco called back loudly. I frowned over to him.

"Age isn't definitive, it's progressive. It doesn't—why am I arguing with you? Go to bed" I instructed.

"Make me" he grumbled in annoyance, pulling my face down to frown at me. I gave him a sigh.

"Draco I—"

"I love you!"

"—don't have energy for this" I continued, putting aside his interruption. Draco ignored me.

"Say it back. I want you to say it back" he insisted. Again, I decided to humor him.

"I love you too" I assured him. Draco frowned in return.

"No, you don't get it" he complained, still upset.

"I don't 'get' what?" I asked him, confused with the babble.

"I love you" Draco told me angrily.

"I love you too" I repeated, but his frown only deepened.

Draco pulled, sliding me down the bed. He moved his face up from my chest to the bend of my neck. Using my skin to suffocate the sound he let out an extended groan. I sighed but let him get it out of the way. Really it wouldn't make a difference lecturing him now, and I blamed that completely on Blaise. He could deny it all that he wanted but I knew this was his brilliant idea.

Once done with his little yelling fit, Draco settled himself down. He moved his hands down to my hips, his head moving slightly higher against my neck. Draco pressed a little closer to me, using a hand to gingerly trace the waistband of my pyjama pants. As he did, I continued to run a hand through his hair. For some reason, that all seemed to calm him down just a bit.

"You're really soft" Draco mumbled after a while, happily snuggling closer to me. "I forgive you."

"Thank you" I repeated, smiling a little.

"Thank you" he nodded to himself. With that, Draco pulled me down gave me a kiss on the neck.

I jumped back from him, just enough to fall out of Draco's grip. Still in shock, I placed on my neck. He gave me a perplexed frown. I shouldn't have reacted that way but… George was the only person to have done that before. Draco continued to frown lazily at me, not understanding why I had pulled away. It was understandable; I didn't quite know why I had done that either.

"C'mere" Draco grumbled, reaching for me. I let him pull me back, settling us back as we were. "I wanna go to bed."

"Draco…" I began but drifted off, not really knowing where I was going.

"I love you" he told me ignorantly, once again smiling. "I love you more than I love you."

"Get some rest now" I said calmly and his grip tightened on me. "I'm going to have a very long talk with you when you wake up tomorrow."

"Yeah… But it was worth it" he chuckled and laid himself frown. I rolled my eyes at him. "I love you."

"Shush" I said gently, hoping that would give him a sufficient hint. There was a small moment of silence. I leaned down to check if he had fallen asleep but he was still up, looking up at me. He gave me a smile and tightened his grip on me.

"You're perfect, you deserve not him."

"Deserve?" I asked, confused at the suddenty of that statement and as to what it meant. But, having said 'him', I had an idea of who he meant. "Do you mean George?"

"Don't bring it up" Draco complained. Apparently he had forgotten he had brought this up himself.

"While that's sweet, I'm not perfect" I shook my head, though appreciating the sentiment.

"Yes, you are" Draco nodded. "You're perfection. You're perfect and he doesn't descend you."

"Deserve" I corrected.

"That one" he nodded.

"That is very sweet, Draco, but it's not true" I corrected again, but at that his expression became upset.

"Hey, it's my birthday today, right?" Draco frowned at me.

"Actually, it's not—"

"So, since it's my birthday" he continued, ignoring me, "I get final say. And because such, I say you're perfect."

"Why?" I asked jokingly, expecting him to start tripping over his own words. To my surprise, he actually gave me an answer.

"You're perfect because you're beautiful" Draco stated clearly. Well, it wasn't a good answer but he had answered my question at least.

"You're basing your entire foundation of perfection on just looks?" I asked with a bit of a smile.

"You're beautiful" he continued, once again ignoring me. "Plus you know stuff. And you're really pretty. Oh, and smart..."

"Is that so?" I asked, looking at his still contemplating face. Once again he was being sweet but, technically, that was still only two things.

"No, you're also beautiful" Draco argued, making me roll my eyes. He snuggled himself closer to me. "And you're my best. You're always when I want you. You're the only person I can tell everything to. I love you."

I looked at Draco for a moment. He was being incredibly sweet. Even so, his comment had hardly made any sense. Reaching over to him, I graced my fingers past his cheek and Draco shifted himself up to look at my face. On it was his cheerful yet sloppy grin.

"You're also very pretty" he added.

"Thank you" I smiled at him. "I think you're very pretty too."

"I am very pretty" Draco nodded to himself. I let out a giggle and he smiled at me in return. He hugged me and leaned in to kiss my cheek.

One thing I did notice was that drunk Draco was just as affectionate as sober George. Obviously alcohol changed people's personalities, I just hadn't expected it to happen to this degree. He certainly wasn't that way when he was sober. Honestly, I would have been better prepared if the rest of the idiots had told me what his little present was going to be. Now I couldn't tell what he was thinking, or if he even was even thinking. I didn't really know how far gone he was.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?" he asked, looking at me from his pillow.

"What's your middle name?" I asked, curious to know his response. Draco frowned for a moment, seeming to not know. I giggled a little and he smiled back at me. "Go to sleep, Deedee."

"Okay" he called sweetly and grabbed my waist.

Draco shifted himself back and against my chest. He smiled, pulling me tighter against him. It was one thing for him to treat me as his pillow but he was taking full advantage of this night. I let out a sigh and began to stroke his hair again. It was his birthday party at least, I'd let him have his way this once.

"I love you" he gave a soft murmur, bringing me closer to him. I smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"I love you too, Deedee. Now go to bed."

"You go to bed" Draco grumbled, settling himself once more against me before drifting off to sleep.