The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 5

Lessons continued throughout the rest of the week with few daring to try testing the written and unwritten boundaries. Gwen and Draco acted their parts as the freshest death eaters to join up, regardless if it had been unwillingly deep down. Their "independent study" sessions that they had with Severus were spent further building up their Legilimency barriers and perfecting their masks to the rest of the school. To the rest of the school the Head Boy and Girl were in league with the dark forces that had descended upon the once safe Hogwarts.

Most of the student body (everyone not in Slytherin) thought that the Head Girl had gone from a proud Gryffindor and transformed into a betrayer in league with Slytherin. Most felt that they should have known that eventually this would have been the case, since Gwen had been raised by and around Slytherins. There were a few in Gryffindor that felt she was not as bad as everyone was gossiping she was, but they kept it to themselves.

When the first Hogsmeade Weekend came, anyone who was authorized to go went. Gwen and Draco helped to supervise the outing, making some time after everyone else was assigned to leave to stop in the Three Broomsticks for a small meal and a one or two shots of fire whiskey. They went back to the castle and checked in with Severus before making their rounds about the castle.

After their rounds, they retired to their common room spooning each other on the large sofa, the fire crackling comfortingly nearby.

"I can't believe what the other students are saying about you." Draco said trembling with anger.

"It was to be expected at some point." She said stoically.

"But still…they've got you all wrong. Even some of the Slytherins." His anger somewhat subsiding.

"You do realize that all of their hatred means that I am playing my part right don't you?" She said somewhat sadly, her eyes closing to try to block the few tears from spilling out. "I mean, honestly, to the rest of the school, minus the Slytherins, you'll always be the Slytherin prince who acts like a complete bastard."

Draco laughed at her comment. "True…I just don't like how they talk about you behind your back."

Gwen smiled at him through the tears. This had been what kept her sane for the past few months. His care and devotion had privately become what made her get up in the morning. "I love you." She whispered to him.

He turned her face to his and began to kiss her passionately like they had not ever before. Their kisses became urgent and hurried with each trying to burn everything that they could about the other into 

their memories. She had twisted the rest of her body around to meet his advances. Their hands freely explored the body of the other as their lips crashed down onto the other's face or neck. They trembled with fervor as Gwen removed her shirt between kisses revealing her red lacy bra. Draco took his shirt off and began to trail kisses across her chest and down her stomach to the top of her jeans. He looked to Gwen who nodded as he began to take her jeans off of her legs, exposing the pale skin underneath and the matching red lacy knickers. He quickly got out of his pants, revealing his black briefs. They proceeded to caress and kiss, but before they went further, Gwen stopped and looked at him.

"Do you really want to do this here and now?" She said her black eyes searching his grey ones.

Draco considered her question for a moment. As aroused as she had made him, a small part of his brain was still online telling him no. "No," He said dejectedly as he transfigured a coaster into a large, soft, plushy black blanket onto them. Gwen lay partially atop him, tracing patterns onto his bare chest. They snuggled close together before falling asleep.

When Draco awoke the next morning, he glanced at the beautiful women atop him on the sofa. The way that her body curved in all of the right places and how her hair curled just right to cascade gracefully down her back were just some of the physical things that made her beautiful to him. The ugly tattoo that marred her back matched his on his arm. They were quite the pair weren't they? That was one thing that he supposed made them perfect for each other.

He admired the ring on her left ring finger that he had gotten her. The platinum band was made to appear as two comets intertwining around the large 2 carat diamond meant to be a planet. The two smaller comet diamonds were 1 carat each. The way that the dawn made the stones sparkle would be enticing to anyone.

They would be fine, so long as they had each other. If they could survive this next year and Potter could finally axe the Dark Lord, then they'd be safe and could start their family. He knew he needed to have at least one male heir, but if Gwen wanted to have more than one that would be fine by him. He didn't care so long as she was happy, even if they had a brood the size of the Weasley family, at least they would be able to support their large family financially.

As Gwen stirred atop him, he watched her slowly begin to awaken. The way her chest heaved as she sighed before opening her black eyes. The way that her eyes shined when she saw he was next to her was what made him wake up in the morning. He always wanted to wake up beside her, protect her and feel her presence next to his forever. He kissed her lips before saying "Good morning", to her.

Gwen had responded in kind to his kiss and smiled. "What's today?"

"Sunday."

"Ah," she said sighing. "The day right before classes start back up." She considered him for a moment.

"How about a trip to the kitchens?" He took in their practically naked figures. "After we dress in something less revealing, of course."

"Sounds wonderful." She said kissing his cheek before removing herself from his limbs. She left the blanket with him, walking over to her room, and closing the door. Gwen went into her bathroom, started the shower, and then stripped off her bra and knickers. She stepped in to the hot water, a shiver running down her spine. As she washed herself down, she considered how long it would have to be until they could truly be happy. The sooner that Harry found all of the horcruxes, the sooner that she and Draco could take the masks off and get on with their lives. After she was done in the shower, she dressed in another pair of jeans, and a purple shirt. She brushed out her hair after casting a charm to dry it and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She zipped up her pair of black boots, hiding the tops under her jeans and put on a black robe to act as a jacket.

She met Draco out in their common room he was sitting on the sofa, dressed in a white button down shirt with black slacks. He put on a black robe over the getup, as he offered her his arm. She took it and they decided to take the long way to the kitchens, putting on their invisible masks as they had to whenever they left the sanctity of their rooms. As they were walking through the halls, they saw other students. Most of them were younger years that immediately got out of the way of the Head Boy and Girl. These younger students had heard from their elder housemates that the Head Boy and Girl were not good people. Draco and Gwen saw a few rule breakers one their journey to the kitchens. They took varying degrees of points off each house depending on the severity of the offense.

Once they came to the kitchens, they asked the house elves for some tea, toast, and scones. The house elves immediately complied, bowing extra bows to them, and making sure that they were satisfied. Gwen assured them that they were. The two escaped to a corner in the kitchen where there was little activity. They sat on the counter and ate their breakfast quietly while occasionally sipping on their tea. After they were done, Gwen wanted a small cup of fruit, so the house elves got her one. She smiled at them and thanked them before leaving with Draco.

As they made their way to the Headmaster's office, they proceeded to take some more points off of rule breakers they saw in the hallways. Once they reached the large eagle guarding the headmaster's office, she touched the eagle's chest like her father had shown her to. She would be the only one recognized that way to be allowed access to his office.

"I need to talk to him alone." She told her beloved. He nodded.

"I'll meet you back in the common room." He said giving her a kiss before parting with her. She walked up the familiar staircase to see her father. Before she had a chance to knock, Severus told her to come in. She entered the office, still not changed too much since the previous occupant had fallen three months earlier. Gwen went to her father and hugged him, before he kissed her forehead.

"Any idea how close Harry is to getting rid of any more of them?" She asked him.

"No. Nothing has been trickling in from any of my sources." He told her despondently. He felt awful that she would not be able to have a life of her own until after the Dark Lord was vanquished. They contemplated each other for a moment before Gwen sighed in resignation. Their actual lives would have to be put on hold until Harry finally defeated the Dark Lord.

It had been a while since Gwen had just stayed with her father for a while, so she took a seat on the sofa further back in the office below the second level. She read a book for a while just enjoying being near her father. True, he wasn't biologically hers, but he was in every other way. He had always made himself emotionally available for her. She knew that it must have been hard for him to do initially, because she had heard stories from Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore that he had never been a compassionate person.

Professor Dumbledore. She had been there that night. She had accompanied her father to the astronomy tower not wanting to lose Draco. She hurried after him up to the top of the tallest tower. She joined her father, Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Fenrir Greyback, Cole Delaney and Draco in what ended up being Dumbledore's final minutes. Dumbledore begged Severus. She knew it was Dumbledore asking him to fulfill his end of the promise that her father had made to him. Her father had to kill Dumbledore, and Dumbledore gave his full permission.

But she had not expected to see so much revulsion and hatred in his face. She felt the goose bumps forming as she remembered how the glowing green light of the Avada Kedavra had flown from her father's wand to strike Dumbledore squarely in the chest.

They had run after he had fallen. Run through the castle, her father thrusting both her and Draco ahead of himself toward the edge of Hogwart's grounds. They ran as fast as they could through the confusion and the smoke. Severus had told them to keep running. So they had run, even when he had turned around to face Harry. She didn't want to leave him, but Draco spurred her on. She looked back as she ran, only to have him follow again a minute later after having been attacked by the Hippogriff Hagrid had been keeping. Draco and Gwen met up Severus on the border of the grounds. He apparated them to Malfoy Manor. They stumbled into one of the sitting rooms, exhausted from both the emotional drain of Dumbledore's death, and of the physical drain from the run.

Draco had taken her to his room and they fell asleep nearly instantly after their heads hit the pillows, their bodies holding tight to each other, not wanting to let go.

Severus brought her out of her revelry by asking her what she was thinking about. He had seem the dazed off look in her eyes often enough to recognize when she was remembering or thinking about something.

"I was just remembering the night Dumbledore died." She said as a few tears spilled down her cheek, betraying her emotions.

"Oh. I'm sorry." He told her not quite sure what to really say, but wiping away the tears with his thumb. "Just remember that I'm trying to do what he wanted me to."

"I always do." She said quietly hugging him to her.

Author's note:

I don't own anything but Gwen.

If you want to see what the ring looks like go to www. gemshoponline . com and click on the blinking icon on the left that says "Gem Shop Original Designs", click on the picture below the word "Cosmos", and the ring for Gwen would be that one, only slightly bigger.

I am going to try to work in a scene with Draco and Gwen being mean to one of Gwen's fellow Gryffindors. Since Deathly Hallows is so non-specific about a lot of the timing and such at Hogwarts especially, I would appreciate any comments of what you might think could have happened.

Some other notes: REVIEW PLEASE!! I cannot tell you how much of a warm fuzzy it gives me to see and read the reviews.

Thanks,

DE : )