A/N: Huge thank you to Llgx for reviewing, hopefully this chapter will fulfil what you wanted to happen to some extent :)

Welcome, to all my new followers and favouriters! This chapter showcases the ever changing state of Draco's mood at the moment, I hope you can all keep up.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Reunited

Draco closed the gap between them and laced her arm in his, his mind fogging somewhat by their proximity. Then, with an almighty jerk, they were plunged into darkness, arriving moments later in North Wales.

This time they arrived on a hill in North Wales that Arianwen recognised well, she'd spent much time with Aneirin there over the years. Draco released her quickly, causing Arianwen to scoff and roll her eyes. "Don't worry, Malfoy, I'm not going to try and shag you if you touch me for more than ten seconds."

For the first time in a long time, Draco smiled. "It's cute that you think that."

Arianwen raised her eyebrows disbelievingly. "Lets not forget how quickly I replaced you," she said in a sing-song voice, enjoying the cloudy look that wiped the smirk off his face. "Now, I'd advise you put your hood up if you don't want to be murdered any time soon."

Draco complied, blowing air through his nose moodily, though not saying anything more on the subject. It didn't take them long to find the house, the place where Arianwen's baby cousin was being guarded was actually in the middle of a busy village. The house was small, but pleasant looking, Arianwen noticed, a good place for the boy to grow up, if circumstances had been different; but as it was, he was in danger, and Arianwen needed to keep one step ahead of Dafydd if they were to have any chance of winning the war.

"Do you think they're just gonna let me take him?" Arianwen said, as they made their way up towards the house. The late afternoon sun was barely illuminating the fields so there were lights on in all the windows, throwing yellow squares of light out across the street.

"I don't see why not," Draco shrugged one shoulder, casting his eyes around for shadows that didn't belong. "You left him with them; they always knew this was going to be a temporary arrangement."

"Still," Arianwen said, frowning into the growing darkness. "He's just a baby. What if they've grown attached?"

"They'll listen to you," Draco said. "They're poor, not stupid. They know the war is bad. They're not going to let one kid threaten their entire family."

Arianwen didn't reply, but doubts still bothered her. She was a duchess, sure, but she was also still very young to be appearing on their doorstep, demanding a child, and waltzing off into a war.

The young man that opened the door to her knocking was plain but friendly-looking, older than her and Draco, but not by much.

"Huw," she said.

"My Lady," Huw said, sounding surprised. "We, uh, we weren't expecting you."

"Can we come in?" Draco said, sounding peevish. Huw started and coloured, belatedly remembering his manners.

"Yes, yes of course. Sorry." He stepped back to hold the door open for them, and Arianwen could hear the sounds of people upstairs. "Make yourselves at home?" Huw said, as though it was a question. "Mum and Dad are putting the little kids to bed upstairs."

"I'm sorry, Huw," Arianwen said, putting her hand on his arm. "But we're not staying."

"Ah," he said, "you've, uh, you've come for Lloyd, then."

"I hope he hasn't given you any trouble," Arianwen said. "I promise to reward your family for your assistance, when the war is over."

"Oh, no," Huw said, "no, he's been great — there was one thing with the rabbit, but apart from that—"

"What 'thing with the rabbit'?" Draco said, sharply.

"Uh," said Huw, scratching the back of his head, "fox got at one of Gethin's pet rabbits? And Lloyd like," he gestured, vaguely, as though smoothing his hands over imaginary fur, "and the rabbit was fine again."

"Was it dead?" Arianwen said.

"I mean, it looked it," Huw said, "but it can't've been, right? Not even royal blood brings bunnies back to life," he adds, grinning awkwardly at them.

"I'm sorry," Arianwen said, again, "but it's better if we don't stay long; can you go—?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll go get him." Huw doesn't move, however, and after a beat of silence, he said, "why do you need to take him? Sorry, my Lady, I know he's your family, but he's such a little guy, and I don't see—"

"You're not taking him." A round faced woman stood at the top of the stairs, clutching Lloyd in her arms, cradling him against her chest. "He's just a baby, and he's staying right here."

"Come on, mam," said Huw. "The Lady left him with us, and now she's come to get him. He's not ours to keep."

"I'm not letting him go," said the woman. "It's too dangerous, I can keep him safe."

"Mam," said Huw, more insistently, throwing a worried look at Arianwen.

"No."

"Mrs Pryce," Arianwen started, trying to be reasonable.

"He's my son," Draco said. Arianwen stared at him in total confusion, but Draco threw her a dark look, demanding that she stay silent, and Arianwen realised his plan; that the only way that Mrs Pryce was going to give up the baby would be if a parent laid claim, and that parent could hardly be her.

They were halfway back towards the cover of the trees to Apparate away when Huw caught up with them, his coat half on, panting.

"Sorry," he said.

"Did we forget something?" Draco said, archly, and Arianwen wondered how much of his foul mood was having to lay claim to the baby, or the fact that he was now having to hold him to compound his lie, looking very uncomfortable at the small, pink thing in his arms.

"No, no," Huw said. "I was just wondering if you'd mind me coming with you? I haven't seen Lord Aneirin since…it happened."

"Yes," said Draco, at the same moment Arianwen said, "No, of course not." She looked sharply at Draco, adding, "do you know anything about how to look after your son, Draco, or did I miss all your years of experience with child rearing?"

Draco scowled, and Huw looked like he was trying to hide a smile.

"Come on," Arianwen said. "You can side-by-side with me."

Aneirin was waiting for them when they arrived; he had been staying with Arianwen since his father's death, unwilling to remain in his family's house whilst his grief was still so raw, and Arianwen could see the signs of it in his face now, dark circles from lack of sleep, eyes red-rimmed and raw.

"Huw!" he said, surprised, looking to Arianwen as though he needed her permission to go to his boyfriend. She smiled encouragingly, grateful that Huw was there to give her friend comfort at such a dreadful time.

"Hi Nei," Huw said. "How're you doing?"

Aneirin gave him an exhausted look. "I was hoping I could avoid people asking me that." he said.

"Right," said Huw, sheepishly, and then, turning to Draco, said, "do you want me to take him?"

Draco handed the child over gladly, though it appeared little Lloyd wasn't so happy to be taken away from Draco's embrace for he promptly began wailing and wriggling as Huw attempted to soothe him.

"Oh dear," Arianwen said, "perhaps I ought to settle him while the two of you catch up." She took the baby back off Huw and bounced him gently on her hip, calming him quickly. She smiled as he watched her contentedly, enjoying seeing the Gwydion eyes in someone other than her uncle, but before long he had let out a series of yawns, snuggled into her breast and closed his eyes again.

When she looked back at her surroundings, she realised it was only she and Draco left in the entrance hall, Aneirin and Huw must have retreated to whichever room he'd chosen to occupy. "You should go and put him to bed," Draco advised, "I assume there's a nursery in the house somewhere?"

Arianwen nodded. "Yes, just down the corridor from my room actually." She looked at him awkwardly. "Uh, did you want to come?"

Draco snorted derisively. "Just because I told that family that I'm the father, doesn't mean I intend to have anything to do with it."

It took a lot of restraint for Arianwen to not get angry with him but after everything he'd done for her that day, she decided it would be best to control herself. "You didn't have to do that."

"Actually, I did. That woman was getting hysterical over him!"

"Well," Arianwen sighed, "thank you."

Draco smiled tightly. "I should be going now."

"Just like that?" Arianwen asked, alarmed. "There's no need to rush off."

A satisfied smirk spread across his lips. "As touching as it is that you seem incapable to detach yourself from me, I'm afraid I am needed elsewhere." He moved to place his hand on the front door but turned back to her before he had pushed it open. "You should make it your priority to find a way to alter the child's DNA to mirror your own rather than your uncle's. He already bears greater resemblance to Lord Gwydion than yourself, he should not be seen by anyone else until he has been changed."

Arianwen nodded thoughtfully, it took very old magic to alter a person's DNA, finding the right spell or potion to use would not be easy. Another thought suddenly popped into her head and she voiced it worriedly. "But you've just gone and told that family that you're Lloyd's father, surely I can't carry on telling people that?"

Draco merely shrugged. "You'll have to tell people who the father is, they won't be satisfied with only knowing you're the mother, especially as no one even saw you when you would've been pregnant."

She looked at him in bewilderment. "And you're happy for that person to be you? Aren't you supposed to hate me?"

"I do, but what's done is done. If you continue to change the story, it will become even less believable than it already is. I'd obviously prefer it if my name weren't mentioned but if absolutely necessary I will permit you to call the child my bastard."

Lloyd shifted in Arianwen's arms, grumbling slightly in discomfort. "Go and put that bloody child to bed before he wakes up, I'll see myself out."

"Right," Arianwen agreed, "well thanks again, Draco." It was a welcome excuse to rush off, she really didn't fancy sticking round for any further awkward conversation and she fancied the idea of a sleepless night due to a restless baby even less.

Arianwen returned to her room after putting Lloyd to bed and setting up a baby monitor. She closed the door behind her with a sigh. It had been a long day. She fumbled through her pyjamas draw until she found a soft cotton nightdress and changed into it gladly, smoothing out a few wrinkles in the fabric absently. It was a good thing she had a large fireplace in her room, whose fire had been lit upon her arrival, for it was freezing outside. The flames cast a welcoming glow upon the room that Arianwen had dearly missed, there really was no place like home. Moving toward her dresser, she watched herself in the mirror as she pulled her hair down from its bun and gently tugged a brush through its lengths, the loose curls bouncing up as the bristles passed through. A small knock at her bedroom door disturbed her from her trance however, and she went to answer it hastily, surprised to be interrupted at such an hour.

Opening the door a crack she peeked out, her brows furrowing at the sight of a very unsure yet very sure looking Draco. She pulled the door open fully at fixed a questioning gaze at him. "I thought you'd left?"

"Yes, I had," Draco started, drawing himself up and fixing his face to make it seem he had returned with confidence. "I have something I wanted to tell you."

"Oh," was all Arianwen managed. "Oh right, well-uh you'd better come in then." She stood back from the door to allow him entry and then closed it behind him, pausing with her back to him for a few moments to take a few deep breaths; even after everything that had happened between them, having Draco in her bedroom made her nervous beyond belief.

"This won't take long," Draco said plainly once she'd turned to face him, "I just thought I should let you know that I'm going away." He clasped his hands behind his back, suddenly very aware of his limbs and how long and awkward they felt.

"You're going away," Arianwen repeated slowly.

"Yes." Draco nodded once for confirmation.

"Well, um, where are you going?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Uh…" he considered the question for a moment before responding, "I'm not sure my destination is particularly important but what might hold significance is that I may not be coming back."

Arianwen blinked, taken aback. She clutched more tightly at her chest, a whirlwind of emotions causing her head to spin. "I don't understand. Where are you going? And why would you not come back? Are you going into hiding? Is your family going with you?" She stopped, clearing her throat quietly in an attempt to get her voice to return to normal, else she would come across frantic.

"I'm going alone, to Bulgaria, if you must know." Draco said calmly. Somehow Arianwen's increasing panic allowed him to regain control of himself.

"To Bulgaria?" Arianwen repeated. "Alone?" She rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Slowly however, it was all clicking into place and her hands dropped from her head, a great sense of dread overwhelming her, making her whole body feel like a dead weight. "Draco," she choked, "are you not coming back out of choice or are you expecting to-" she swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry, "-to-to die?"

"Indeed." He bent his head forward in agreement, his demeanour composed regardless of the raucous anxiety within.

"Oh!" she cried. "Oh, Draco!" Not knowing what to do or what to say, she instinctively paced up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. He didn't respond but didn't reject her either, so the pair stood in an awkward one-sided embrace until it become so surreal that Arianwen pulled away.

Draco, who was still standing in close proximity to his ex-girlfriend, found himself lifting his hands and placing them on either side of her face, studying it intensely.

"You really are exceptionally beautiful, you know," he commented thoughtfully. Arianwen's cheeks flushed scarlet, she hadn't been expecting such a compliment. It was the most gentle he'd been with her in months; he was scanning her face meticulously, as though painting a picture in his mind with a very fine brush. Yet despite their intimacy and her racing pulse, Arianwen could not be distracted from the very strong sense of wariness at the oddity of the situation. Everything seemed so convenient: the way Draco had shown up at the castle at the exact moment she'd entered Snape's office just to whisk her off to get Lloyd on his command, and then return her to her house where he was calling her beautiful and yet avoiding her attempts at physical contact.

"Draco?" Arianwen asked quietly. "Why did you want me to move Lloyd from where he was hidden?"

His cool grey eyes narrowed, evidently suspicious himself. "Why do you think?"

A clever response, ask a question to answer a question. "Oh I don't know," Arianwen said slowly, "anyone would think you were trying to protect me."

Draco merely raised one perfectly formed eyebrow in response.

"And if you were trying to protect me, it would follow that you'd want to protect Lloyd. You must know that I would act rashly if I found out he was in immediate danger, and you undoubtedly believe that I would slip up somehow, come to some kind of harm?"

His expression still had not cracked, he remained perfectly calm and aggravatingly silent. Determined to get some answers, she probed further. "And if all of those things are true, well, there really can only be one explanation."

Curiosity finally piqued enough to respond, he simply asked, "Oh?"

Arianwen smirked triumphantly. Taking a step towards him, she stood on the tip of her toes and let her lips brush ever so slightly against his earlobe. "You're still in love with me."

The young Malfoy laughed coldly, the mirth not reaching his eyes. "Pitiful," he mocked. "Are you really so obsessed with me that you're still finding feelings where they don't exist?" He smirked at the obvious rage brewing under her skin, enjoying how easily he could rile her up. "Or is it that you can't get any decent cock now that I'm not around?"

"Why are you still here?" She countered, her fists balling. "Why don't you just leave if you really have no feelings for me whatsoever?"

Draco rolled his eyes, sighing as though explaining something to a rather obtuse child. "Because I promised my mother that I would help you retrieve this miracle child before I went on my little trip."

Arianwen folded her arms across her chest defiantly. "That didn't answer my question. Why don't you want to answer my question, Draco? Is it because I'm right and you're too much of a coward to admit it? Too pathetic to admit to your master that you love a disgusting Welsh girl?"

"WHEN WILL YOU GET IT INTO YOUR THICK HEAD THAT I DO NOT LOVE YOU?" Draco roared, Arianwen's goading finally fuelling a suitable reaction.

Neither of them spoke for a long while after that. They simply glared at each other, each wanting to stand their ground longer than the other. Eventually however, Arianwen released her arms from their folded grip across her chest and let them fall loosely by her sides. She suddenly seemed incredibly calm and watched the blonde boy with deadly composure. "Prove it," she said finally, her green eyes fixed dead on Draco's.

"What?" He spat impatiently, his lip curling upwards as it often did when he was irritated.

Eyes never leaving his, she reached up and dropped one strap of her nightgown. His brow furrowed but he didn't move, his eyes flickering between her exposed shoulder and her furious stare.

She pushed the other strap from her shoulder and it fell easily, the gentle fabric pooling noiselessly at her feet. "Prove that you hate me."

Draco's mouth fell agape. There was a long pause where the only movement was his steel eyes digesting every inch of Arianwen's exposed body - but she was impatient. She approached him swiftly, stopping just half a foot away from him and had to crane her neck upwards to match his gaze. She took his hand, smirking as his eyes widened when she placed it between her legs, massaging his fingers into the warm wet velvet. "I want you to fuck me, Draco. I want you to fuck me as your enemy and not your lover." She stepped back, still retreating as she spoke, "but I don't think you can, can you?"

Her taunting had really worked this time; something switched in Draco and suddenly he was undressing and striding towards her in one furious movement. Grabbing the hair on the back of her head, he tilted her head upward and growled into her ear, "I loathe you, whore."

With no effort, he clasped his hands around the backs of her thighs and thrust her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist. He slammed her against the nearest wall, using one arm to hold her up and the other to massage her clitoris. He brought his lips to her neck, kissing and biting her skin roughly, then did the same to her breasts. It was a miracle that he didn't draw blood with the ferocity that he was using to suck them, scraping the nipples with his teeth, encouraged by her spluttered gasps and groans. He wasted no time in penetrating her, his dick so hard that he thought he would cum at any moment. With jagged thrusts, he forced himself deeper and deeper inside of her but she didn't break, she wouldn't moan for him. "Is that the best you can do?" She panted. "Gwyn does me so much better."

Draco let out a strange strangled cry. He hauled her to her high bed, throwing her down and turning her over so that her face was pressed onto the bed sheets. "Shut the fuck up." He snarled, entering her again and thrusting with such force and speed that Arianwen wasn't sure if she was in great pain or great pleasure. After a battery of ever more fervent thrusts from behind, her body betrayed her: she let out a series of long, high-pitched moans and clawed her hands into the bed covers, pushing back to allow him even better access to her g-spot. He couldn't control himself, an overwhelming crash of pleasure forced his cum to spill inside of her and moments later he had collapsed onto the bed, panting as though he'd just sprinted a marathon. Arianwen rolled over, looking him over as she caught her breath. Not wanting it to end so quickly, she folded her fingers around the base of his penis and began tugging and turning and squeezing. She was oddly impressed with how quickly the length hardened and looked back at Draco, who had been watching her hungrily. "Suck it," he commanded.

She obliged. Enclosing the slippery length in her mouth, she sucked it savagely, stopping only when his breath had become ragged so that she could take control and replace her mouth with her vagina without any protest. Lunging smoothly into his dick, she worked up a fast-paced rhythm, deepened by Draco arching his hips at the same time. He couldn't believe the view he was experiencing, her breasts were bouncing against her ribs, small beads of sweat gathering on her chest and forming an ethereal glow upon her skin under the firelight. He reached up and grasped one firmly, then used his other hand to push a few fingers into her mouth. She sucked it wantonly, their eyes meeting as each got off on the other one's pleasure. Then, suddenly, she bit down so hard on his fingers that she drew blood. Yelping in pain, Draco retaliated by clawing his nails down her chest, his blood mixing with some of her own before her wound swiftly healed before his eyes. His attempt to hurt her had barely even gone noticed by her and he could see her lips parting, her head bending backwards, her climax radiating through every inch of her body.

But Draco wanted to claim her pleasure for his own. He sat up suddenly, tipping her backwards and sliding her legs onto his shoulders. He held her lower back slightly off the bed and pushed down, his penis reaching new depths inside her, the action forcing the most sexual cry, almost a scream, from her lips. Her skin was buzzing underneath him, erupting with a mass of tiny electric shocks that he had never known her to have before. Arianwen was so powerful, he could feel her magic so strongly through her skin that it was almost unbearable and yet so erotic that he could only react by shouting and moaning for more. Finally, he knew he could control himself no longer, and just as her throbbing and contracting had started to ease, he succumbed to his own rampant orgasm.

When it was over, he pulled out of her and retreated to where her abandoned nightgown lay crumpled on the floor. He threw it in her direction, not able to bring himself to look at her for he knew exactly how she looked at him after sex: it was the most loving, worshipping gaze - even the strongest man would break under it.

After he'd heard the soft sound of the fabric being pulled back over her skin, he forced himself to face her, doing his best to look as hateful as possible. "Do you believe me now?" He rasped.

He saw the weight of the question crush her and she was unable to prevent the rapid onslaught of tears streaming from her eyes. He turned away in disgust – not with her but with himself. All he wanted was to close his arms around her, to tell her he loved her and that he would make everything right, that she wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again.

But of course he could not. He was too weak to protect her. Perhaps if he'd just killed Dumbledore like he was supposed to…

It was a dangerous thought. His family would have had their redemption and they wouldn't now be prisoners in their own home. Arianwen would still be by his side, bathing him in that radiant smile that she saved just for him, proud of his strength and eager to start their lives together.

He looked back at her. She was not smiling like that now. He had broken her, she looked broken. Her head was slumped in her hands, her shoulders still shaking at random intervals.

"I should go." It was all he could manage, he couldn't bear to look at her any longer or he would break down himself.

"Alright," she sniffed.

They walked silently to the huge oak doors in the entranceway of Arianwen's home, remaining silent even when one of the doors opened and Draco stepped out into the icy night for the second time that evening. "Goodbye then," Draco offered weakly.

Slowly, Arianwen lifted her head and allowed him to see her tear-stained face. Her voice was thick with unexpressed emotion when she managed to find her voice. "Goodbye Draco."

He watched her regretfully for another unbearable minute before finally turning and walking away.

"Be safe." The words were barely a whisper but he heard them perfectly, so still was the night. He paused briefly, still with his back to her, and fought an impossible battle with himself, wanting so badly to abandon everything and stay with her. "I still love you Draco," she added painfully, "no matter what." And then the door creaked closed and Arianwen, his love, was gone.