A/N: It's taken me forever, I know. In all honesty it took me longer to plotline than I expected, especially without any feedback. Nevertheless this is a breather but it picks right back up in the end. Do let me know what you think. Enjoy! I own nothing but the plot, Ilia, Axel, Galatea, Harper and Jay.

Chapter Eleven: A Lovely Interlude

B&I

Blaise and Ileana had retired to the library after lunch. It was a favorite thing of theirs to do. They loved cuddling up on a couch near the fireplace in the study and read or just talk. They were simple and their love was one of profound comfort. It was a love that was not like the all-consuming fire Draco and Hermione experienced. It was warm…for all intents and purposes their hearth. They thrived off the warm, loving comfort that was brought when together; thrived on the fact that all worries basically ceased to exist and all they could feel was profound affection and calm.

So the lovely couple sat together. Blaise sat straight as an arrow and Ileana had her head on his lap and her legs extended to the end of the couch. He was reading to her and she was listening intently to the words his soothing male voice eloquently pronounced.

"'Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard atsomething. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance."*

Ileana cuddled against his flat stomach and muffled: "I'm lucky."

"You're lucky? Why do you say that?"

She sits up and looks at him. "Well, because I've had the exceptional pleasure of changing some lives, of cherishing my friends, staying true to my principles and of loving and being loved back."

He gives her a small kiss. "I do love you and you have changed my life, Ilia. You know what I am, you don't judge me for it and you've simply accepted me for who I am."

"How could I not? Beneath what you are is a great man. You're a smart, charming and devastatingly handsome man."

They embraced each other and stayed in midst embrace for a while until Ilia let go and mentioned: "It's such a lovely book. Muggles write some really nice stories."

"They do and it's great, but don't tell me the ending. You've finally made me read it so let's not ruin the ending of it for me."

"You really don't want me to tell you what happens to Em and Dex, Blaise?"

"Don't you dare! I like this story so far. I don't like having stories spoiled for me."

She giggled. "I know. I won't spoil it for you my little fire-starter."

"Very funny, Ilia."

"What? You are one."

"I knew I never should've shown you that."

"Hey, its within your nature to start fires. Or so I read, anyway."

"It is Ilia. Its part of an innate nature I have but it's not strictly speaking safe."

"Oh hush. You tell me to stop working so much, so I'm telling you to stop worrying about your devilish nature. If I'm good enough to capture your romantic interest, I'm strong enough to handle your burn…besides it's not like you do it to me. Well, ok, that one time, but I had asked it of you."

"Yes, I know. I promise to try to stop worrying. I love you so very much, Ilia. Wizard and demon sides alike."

She leans in to kiss him gently and he kisses her right back. At that moment, however, something within him snapped. His demon side exuded passion and as such, Blaise starts kissing her in a bit of a lascivious manner and begins to passionately pet her. His lips then move to her neck and he starts nibbling her. As he does this, his whole body temperature starts becoming warmer. Ileana notices.

"Blaise, you're going to burn me if you keep getting hotter."

His voice had become incredibly deep and husky as he responded: "Sorry Ilia but I must have your touch right now."

She laughed: "I'm guessing this is your darker side talking so okay, but you have to remember to be gentle. I'm only human."

He playfully growled at her and then nodded. They grasped hands and as his lioness tattoo and her flame tattoo met, so did their mouths. Things always got heated between them but much like the common and comforting love they regularly shared, this was a slow burn. Because Blaise was only half demon, when his demonic half took over, his human half made sure that it did not get out of control. Their passion was always gentle and slow but that did not make it any less filled with love. Their actions were like something that was taking place to a backdrop of triumphant strings…powerful but soft and elegant. His hand was reaching for her chest underneath her shirt when someone knocked on the door. A voice spoke.

"Not that I don't enjoy young love, but movie night is about to start."

The pair looked at each other, Blaise kissed her, his lips hot and moist on hers and said:

"I've subdued the beast…for now and I'm a patient man. We can continue this later. Come on, Ilia."

"Oh, fine. You might be patient but I'm not. You're lucky I love you so much."

"With all your soul?"-He said with a playful smirk.

"Yes. You know that, silly."

"I do and I know that you know I love you too."

"That's right."


L&N

Lucius and Narcissa were in the lounge, happily dancing to La vie en rose by Edith Piaf. It was a song they had danced to on the first night of their honeymoon in France.

The pair was guilty of many things, but over the years they had worked to pay for all the damage that they had caused. Lucius' sentence in Azkaban had been greatly reduced for reasons yet unknown; he had attended Azkaban, nevertheless and the years he was there had greatly affected him.

Narcissa, on the other hand, had changed because of loneliness and ostracism. She might not have ever worn the mark on her arm, but she was married to someone who did and she had housed the Dark Lord in her home. It was not like any of them would understand that she was doing these things because she was forced-they simply judged her as they judged her husband…and even her son.

It had been almost eighteen months since Lucius had been released and all these two condemned souls could do was bask in the delight of their love. Age, experience and the horrors of the war had made them and their bond haggard. They were simply tired all the time. Their energies were focused on few things now: trying to right the wrongs that they had committed, rediscovering the spark that had once brought them together and earning back the love and affection of their son. All were difficult tasks and the hard work that they had put into each one of them did nothing to alleviate their tired cores.

Now, as they took a break from it all, they had encountered their son in the one place they hoped never to see him. He was here and there was nothing they could do to stop him. Now all that they could do was help him in any way that they could.

"You know, despite everything that we've done, our son has turned into a fine young man."-Lucius commented.

"We weren't always terrible parents, Lucius. Draco had a good childhood. I mean, we spoiled him rotten but at the very least he knew that we had his best interest at heart. It was afterwards that we started wavering. You with all that pureblood propaganda and I for letting you do it."

"I hate that I've disappointed you, Cissy. I really do."

"You're making up for it, Luke."

"I know. It still doesn't erase what I did."

"The fact that you know that makes you a better person already. I think we should move."

"What?"

"Think about it. Except for the people in this house, everyone hates us. If we move then it would be easier to just get on with our lives. Merlin, Luke, we could just start over."

"And where do you propose we move?"

"France, of course. The last place I remember anyone in our family being happy. Don't you remember Luke? Our vacation to France when Draco was ten?"

"I do remember. It seemed like there were no troubles in our lives."

"Exactly! Let's just do it. We can support Draco in his trial and I know Ms. Swanson is going to get them all cleared of charges and then we can just pack our bags and go to France."

He twirled her around, dipped her and gave her a long, sweet kiss. He looked into her bright blue eyes and in them saw the spark that he had fallen in love with so many years ago. He didn't really want to leave his home country, but he knew that she was right. Besides, this was a way that they could spend the rest of their days in relaxation, and of course, helping their son whenever he would need it. He straightened her and said.

"All right, Cissy. Once we know for sure that Draco is safe and sound, we can go to our chateau."

She jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around the trunk of his body. She peppered kisses on his face and said: "Thank you!"

There was a knock on the doorframe of the lounge. Axel stood with poise looking at the elder couple and said: "I'm sorry to interrupt. I just thought you'd like to know that movie night is about to start."

The Malfoys looked at him with smiles and nodded their heads in unison. He gave her a peck, they held hands and left the lounge planning of their futures and hoping that their son would have a good future as well.


R&L

Luna and Ron were lying on the grass in the garden of the building and were simply looking at the clouds. Since Luna had come into his life in a more permanent fashion, Ron had learned to slow down and enjoy the things this life provided for them. It's why he had no qualms about Luna using him as a model for her painting. He quite simply thought that this was a woman whom he loved and trusted above any other and if she wanted to take her time to observe him in his most natural state then so be it.

He also had no problem with it because it had become one of the most erotic moments of his life. He didn't admit it to her, but she knew. She knew that he felt like the most attractive man in the world when she took up her charcoal and studied each one of his physical features and then drew them down to perfection on a piece of parchment.

The fact that they now knew what the other was thinking was a blessing for both of them, as they didn't enjoy speaking clearly of anything. Luna much rather preferred talking about the fantastical creatures she loved so much and Ron had become quiet and spoke excitedly of very little. The looks they gave each other, however, spoke volumes. They loved each other as they had never loved before.

As it was, whilst they looked at the clouds, their hands were intertwined and they felt as content as they possibly could. She thought about how she felt complete and of how she could just die at that moment, were it not for the issue of the trial and leaving Ronald behind. Either way, if she could she would just grab her beloved and leave England and go where they would not be found. She would if it were not the cowardly thing to do. What was right was quite simply to stay and see the whole injustice through-to wait until both Ron and Hermione were free and until everyone else with this Pledge was free to love without consequence because of the short-minded mentality of those at the Ministry.

Ron was quite worried for all that was to come and debated about the things he would need to say in the future during the trial. Stressed as he was, he was able to relax some by just being in the presence of Luna. He wondered at the same time, if they would all be safe further on after being so exposed to the public. He knew reporters would stop at nothing to get what they wanted and he feared that his loved ones would get hurt or worse that everyone he had recently met would be cast off of normal society because of exposure caused by what he continuously felt was his and Hermione's caprice.

Luna seemed to have heard his thought because she answered: "Don't think like that Ronald. What you and Hermione are doing is what's right for both of you, as well as for Draco and myself. Axel and Galatea support you two immensely and are willing to come out, if you will; do not, for one second, feel guilty. If anything you should be angry at whatever malicious person that decides to look at us as if we were lepers."

She had hugged him midst her words and as she finished he kissed the top of her head and thanked Merlin to be blessed with such a wonderful witch. He rolled on top of her and placed a soft, sensual kiss upon her lips and then just stared into her eyes for what seemed like a lifetime before he kissed her once again and as they share sweet kisses, Galatea interrupted them with a small clearing of the throat. They looked up at her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but it's time to go in for the movie night."

"Sure thing, Galatea. We'll be in in a second."-Ron said.

Galatea left and Ron and Luna decided to be a bit playful and rolled around in the grass for a little while before they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and walked into the building hand in hand.


J&H

Harper and Jay were, perhaps, the oddest couple of the bunch. They thrived on the morbid and the violent because their love for each other was just that-morbid and violent. They were of a certain manner that anyone else would think them strange and wrong. I mean there was a reason, after all, that their powers were of the deadliest kind. So, on a day where she wasn't busy with clients and he wasn't busy creating potions, they would be busy doing what they were doing now-fighting.

No, they weren't yelling. They were in the room where Draco and Hermione had been coerced into fighting, only they made Draco and Hermione look like the innocent newbies they were. Another important difference would be that these two were fighting for the absolute fun of it. Both held swords in their hands. Jay had a rather large sword in his right hand and Harper had two smaller swords, one in each hand.

Their fighting styles were different but strangely complimentary. His style was very masculine heavy and hard but not as fast as it could be; nevertheless, when he struck her down, it made a dent. Her style was fast and flexible-she was able to jump, dive and duck his assaults whilst summersaulting to attack him back. It should be worth mentioning that the blades weren't sharp-; the two had charmed their weapons to be foam-like and though they would hit it would not injure either one.

She flipped through the air as his sword meant to hit her and when she landed firmly behind him she hit him twice. He then dropped his sword, spun around and roughly grabbed her shoulders and knocked her swords off her hands. He pushed her against one of the walls and gave her a rough kiss. In midst kiss Harper bit him sharply. The stinging of the bite made him retreat quickly and stare at her with daggers in his eyes only to press his lips against her and bite her in turn; he bit her so hard that he drew blood. As the blood flowed from her bottom lip, he took said lip into his mouth and sucked on it all the while hearing her moan aloud and express the pure pleasure she was feeling by the tension in her closed lids.

Harper shoved him off her and pushed him to the ground, mounting the middle of his chest and giving him another violent kiss; and as she gave him that violent kiss, she ran her sharp nails down his exposed arms leaving thick, red marks upon them. This was when he lost it; he barely tolerated being dominated by her and she knew it.

He grabbed her wrists and held them tight in one of his hands. He then flipped them over, so that he was now on top. He stared at her for a moment, enjoying the way she looked: hair disheveled, lips swollen, bitten and bleeding, her cheeks tinted red from exercise. This image was, to him, pure perfection. As he stared, she spoke for the first time in an hour.

"You know we're both mental to be like this."

"Since when have you cared that we're violently in love?"

"Never, really. I rather enjoy being mental and then having to deal with patients; it's hilarious, honestly."

"You've always had a unique sense of humor."

"Look who's talking. I'm pretty sure the killing people with laughs was your idea before we got inked."

"It was, I just didn't think anything would actually happen."

"Well, wonders never cease to amaze."

"True. So, angry sex?"

She smiled. "Love to."

Just as he was about to rip her shirt to shreds, Axel knocked on the door and firmly said: "No time for angry sex now. Movie night."

Jay sighed and rolled his eyes as he got off Harper and helped her up.

"I hate that him so much right now."-Jay said.

"I know, Mr. J."

"That's definitely mental; calling me that."

"I can't help it. Too many coincidences."

"You mean like the violence?"

"Yes, but that being said: 'a kiss with a fist is better than none'**."

"Yeah, official. We've gone loony."

And so the two of them dusted each other off, repaired their broken lips with their wands and left the room together. Off they walked to movie night; Jay with his right arm around Harper's waist, holding her tight.


D&H

Draco and Hermione had been following Harper's advice. They were in their room and were talking about everything and anything that came to the forefront of their minds. At that moment they were going over some of the questions that Harper had sent them. Some of the questions had to do with what one could say are the building blocks of their relationship and the rest were just for pure fun-to see if they've had any fun.

Hermione laughed as she read one of the questions out loud.

"Have you ever gone out to the cinema?"

Draco laughed as well. "No. We've never done that."

"Or to the theater, or a concert as it asks here. I don't know whether it seems ridiculous or whether we're just an insanely boring couple."

"Did you do any of those things with Ron?"

"Oh I think we went to the cinema once."

"And you two were boring, so that's really not what it is."

"Maybe the point is just to tell us that there's more to it than just being together in an empty room cuddling or being physical."

"That definitely sounds logical. So tell me, if you were stuck on a deserted island with me and didn't have your wand, what would you do?"

"Well that depends, Draco. Would you have your wand?"

"No. We'd both be wandless and completely stuck."

"Ok, then I guess I would walk around the island with you to see if we can find a source of food and something with which to make shelter."

"Very logical. I, for one, wouldn't mind your insane bossiness in this case because I'm pretty sure I would panic and have no idea what to do. Ok, ok, if we didn't find food, would you eat me?"

"Draco!"

"Hey, Harper said silly as well as serious."

"No, I wouldn't eat you. You'd probably be too sour."

"Oh ha ha, 'Mione."

"You said silly."

The two broke out in laughter and were genuinely enjoying the fact that they felt free and fun. Just the simple talking and the laughing made them feel as young as they had been back at Hogwarts when they had fallen in love with each other.

Draco, who had been sitting on an armchair near the bed, got up and grabbed Hermione off the bed. He turned the radio on and started dancing in a silly manner with her. She laughed and followed him. Sure both of them knew how to be prim and proper and dance a waltz but dancing to the beat to some rock song or other just kept with their happy mood.

Time seemed to pass by as the two did this and as they hugged each other and continued laughing giddily. And in this state was that Galatea found them. She smiled at them and said: "I can tell you two are well on the way to recovery. You seem much, much better."

The pair had stopped dancing and had been looking at her when Hermione answered Galatea: "We feel better. A bit lighter, right Draco?"

"Right."

"I'm glad to hear it. Movie night is just about to start, let's go down to the screening room."

"Sure"-they both said in tandem.


They walked to the screening room and once there were happy to discover that their friends were there as well. Everyone they had had lunch with and been so impressed by were sitting, by couple, nestled up in what seemed to be really comfortable seats. The screen in the room was just big enough so that everyone in the room could see properly and small enough that it didn't look ostentatious. Galatea showed them to their seats and waited for Axel as he set up the film with his wand.

Perhaps it was one of the more cliché things to do, thought Galatea, but The Notebook was an excellent date night movie. Even men liked this movie to some degree so it was perfect to set a good mood amongst everyone.

Axel found his way to his partner. He sat down next to her and then gingerly placed her on his lap. The movie started and all the couples were engrossed by it all the while sitting together in ways that defined their couple's style.

Axel with Galatea on his lap and cuddled up against him.

Ileana lay down with her head on Blaise's lap.

Narcissa cuddled up to Lucius's side.

Ron and Luna were one right next to the other with legs intertwined.

Jay was hugging Harper tightly to his chest.

Draco and Hermione sat holding hands.

It seemed that everyone was different and in there own particular way it worked. As the movie went on, the couples were incredibly unaware that their secret was about to be shown to all the members of the wizarding press.

As they sat, the informer that had been previously mentioned brought in Rita Skeeter and the leading reporters for all other newspapers, magazines and even a few gossips or two into the society and straight to the screening room where she, the informer, knew everyone would be located.

Right at the moment where all the oblivious couples were quite content to see Allie and Noah have a good summer, in burst in Rita and the rest of the press. In a flurry of flashing lights and a disjointed symphony of shouting voices, the rest of the couples shielded Ron, Draco, Hermione and Luna from the attacks of the vicious reporters.

"Hermione, is it true that you're pregnant with Draco's child?"

"Ron, are the rumors of your infidelity true?"

"Draco, how does it feel to having committed another crime?"

And so on and so on, the voices went. In a mode of protectiveness and duty, Lucius and Narcissa apparated the group out of the building and to their chateau in France. Unbeknownst to them, the informer had grabbed onto the pant leg of someone and went with them to France. She wanted her revenge; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.


Cliffhanger, I know. I'd love to hear who you think the informer is...or any other feedback, really.

*From the novel One Day by David Nicholls

**A Kiss with a Fist by Florence + The Machine