Well, here's the second chapter. It's slow work but coming along, so please give me plenty of feedback so I know if I'm doing okay or if I'm losing the plot a bit. I hope you like this part and that it was worth waiting for. Istalindar.

&

"You look stunning, Constantine." Gregory Goyle, once thickset moronic crony of Draco Malfoy, now handsome, charming bachelor bowed as he took her hand, bringing it to his lips. She smiled, bronze-painted lips parting over pearl-white teeth.

"Thank you." She said. "You're very kind."

"Truthful, my lady." He offered her his arm and she took it, allowing him to guide her to the drinks table. As always at Parkinson parties, the alcohol was flowing thick and fast. Constantine looked around, noting the guests attending the gathering. Most everyone that mattered was here, though there were fewer politicans than at the current-events-savvy Zabini parties. "Where did you get that dress? Marine will be asking, you see." Constantine smiled, easily imagining Gregory's younger sister Marine demanding her brother ask the origin of various dresses at the party.

"It's bespoke, I'm afraid." She said, glancing down at the dress. It was black, strapless and backless, with an empire line that crossed the pale skin of her back, the only obstruction to the strip of skin from her neck to the dimples in her lower back. It was plain black silk, with a ruched upper bodice. Constantine wore her hair up and scraped back from her face into a ponytail that held together a scarlet spill of shining curls. Her green eyes were lined with kohl, making them seem a deeper colour that glittered in the candlelight. Delicate opal earrings dangled long from her ears, brushing her bare shoulders.

"Marine will be devastated." Gregory said with a wry smile. Constantine shrugged delicately.

"If she likes it that much I will gladly give her the name of the designer." She offered. Gregory nodded.

"She'll be grateful I'm sure. Oh, have you met Daniel Masters?" Gregory tapped one of the guests on the shoulder and he turned, and Constantine found her self face to face with the dark haired man she'd noticed at the Zabini's party. "Daniel, this is Constantine DeVere." Daniel took Constantine's hand and brought it to his lips as he bowed slightly, his brown eyes never leaving her green.

"I'm honoured, my lady." He said. He had a deep voice, almost a purr.

"Likewise, Mr Masters." Constantine replied with a smile. "I believe I saw you at the Zabini party last week, although we were not introduced."

"Ah yes. You were dressed in gold, I believe." Daniel said. He still hadn't released her hand, and Constantine delicately extracted it. One always had to watch how one acted in a place like this, and prolonged contact always hinted at some deeper knowledge of each other, and that was not the impression Constantine wished to give off. As far as society was concerned, she was with Amadeo, whether romantically or otherwise.

"I was." Constantine smiled. "So tell me, Mr Masters. What is your calling in life?" Daniel smiled, straightening up. He was tall too, not much taller than Constantine in her Lanvin heels.

"I'm an architectural engineer, Miss DeVere. I find buildings express more humanity than one would expect. They hold something of the people that designed and built it." Constantine nodded, one delicate eyebrow arching.

"I must say I never devoted much thought to the subject." She admitted. Daniel smiled. He had a lovely smile.

"So Miss DeVere. What is your calling?"

"Please, call me Constantine." Constantine said. "I do some amount of social work, as well as several charity projects based in Africa and Asia."

"The ethical socialite. How quaint." Constantine ruffled under his condescending tone, but took a deep breath and added a layer of ice to her attitude.

"Call it what you like, Mr Masters." She said with a small smile. "I find it rewarding." Daniel nodded.

"I'm sure you do, Miss DeVere, or you wouldn't do it." Constantine narrowed her eyes and bit back a rude reply. It was one thing to be colder than the arctic, it was quite another to be rude. Gregory, who had been watching the conversation with interest, now found it appropriate to step in.

"You are quite a new addition to these parties, Mr Masters." He commented. Daniel nodded. "Business going well, I take it?" Daniel stared Gregory down, not rising to the veiled insult.

"Constantine." Amadeo appeared at her side and raised his eyebrows at the barely disguised hostility within the group. "You have a new friend, I see." Constantine smiled.

"Amadeo, this is Daniel Masters. Daniel, this is Amadeo Malfoy."

"Yes, I know. Draco Malfoy's cousin."

"You know my cousin?" Amadeo asked, slipping an arm around Constantine's waist. She saw with a flicker of pleasure as a lightening quick expression of annoyance passed over Daniel's face and she leant into Amadeo.

"We've met. Briefly."

"Oh? When?" Constantine asked. Daniel frowned.

"A couple of months ago, I believe."

"So he's still travelling social circles?" Amadeo asked, his complete attention on Daniel. "I would have thought he'd go underground." Daniel shrugged.

"It was a brief meeting. We weren't even introduced, though I know him by sight of course, from the papers and suchlike."

"I see." Constantine said, a cool amused smile spreading across her lips. "So you haven't met him at all. You merely saw him." Gregory and Amadeo glanced at each other and while Amadeo's face didn't so much as twitch, Gregory gave a small smile. Another victim falls under the knife that is Constantine's tongue. Daniel seemed somewhat taken aback as well, taking a moment to collect himself. But by that point, Constantine had moved on.

"I'm going to continue circling." She announced. She smiled around at the three men. "Gentlemen."

"Constantine." They chorused back. She smiled at the synchronisation of the courtesy and moved away from the group, mingling with other guests with a bright smile. Daniel watched her move through the crowd.

"She's something, isn't she?" He commented. He looked back and saw both men facing him with ferocious glares. He smiled disarmingly. "Relax, gentlemen." He chided gently. "She needs some opportunities to practise her ice-queen schtick." Amadeo raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware you knew her." Daniel laughed.

"I don't, though I can see I'm right on the mark. She was pointed out to me at the Zabini party last week."

"Hmm." Amadeo said non-committedly. "If you'll excuse me, I might follow her lady's example and mingle."

"Likewise." Gregory added.

"Of course." Daniel smiled graciously. "It's been good to meet you." Amadeo nodded and swept off but Gregory paused a moment.

"If I might give some advice?" Gregory said. Daniel smiled.

"Of course."

"While you are of course entitled to your opinions, it may be wiser to learn the lay of the land, so to speak, before expressing them."

"To avoid foot in mouth disease, you mean." Daniel said. Gregory winced at the bluntness.

"Something like that, yes." He agreed. Daniel nodded.

"Thanks for the advice, mate." Gregory nodded, looking a little strained.

"Of course. If you'll excuse me." He smiled weakly and escaped.

One thing was clear, Daniel Masters clearly wasn't cut out for this kind of social event. Though in his defense, he was new to the whole thing.

Time would tell.

&

"Aargh. He's so annoying!" Amadeo rolled his eyes as he held the door open for Constantine as she passed him into her flat. She was, once again, complaining about Daniel Masters, the man who had become her pet peeve in the last three or four months they had been socialising with him. Amadeo kicked her emerald green train out from under the door and shut it behind her, watching as she strode into the flat, heels clicking on the marble floor. It was a wonder to him that she had never slipped and fallen on her ass.

"He's winding you up." He said soothingly, watching as she pulled the diamond rock off her right ring finger and changed back into Hermione. The dress was a little too long now, but apart from that, she still looked stunning.

"I'll wind him up." Hermione grouched, collapsing onto the couch and crossing her arms sulkily over her chest, kicking off her shoes. "I'll wind him up and watch him spin off." Amadeo raised his eyebrows at her.

"He certainly has gotten to you, hasn't he?" Amadeo commented with ill-concealed amusement. Hermione glared at him and humphed under her breath. "Could it possibly be because the moment you two see each other the only thing you want to do is get in each others pants?" Hermione narrowed her eyes and glared harder.

"Ugh. No. He's a cretin, and annoying…and for crying out loud did he not even learn anything about basic manners at any point in his life?" Amadeo was grinning openly now and Hermione humphed again.

"Advice? I say do him and get it out of your system." He smiled angelically at her and she lobbed a cushion at him.

"Advice?" She mocked. "Fuck off and die." Amadeo laughed outright at that.

"Ah, Hermione. Such language." She raised her eyebrows and he smiled. "Draco would be proud." Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes.

"The scumbag. Where the hell is he, anyway?" Amadeo shrugged.

"Last I checked the point to hiding was not being found. So really, if we don't know, then he's doing his job right." Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't make it any easier, though." She said. Amadeo nodded.

"Nope. But if it were easy would it be worth it?" Hermione frowned.

"What do you mean?" Amadeo shrugged, sitting on the couch across from her.

"If it were all easy, would you feel the same way about Draco as you do now?"

"What, irritated? Annoyed? Mildly pissed?"

"The latter was the alcohol, dear. Focus on the conversational topic." Amadeo said condescendingly.

"Bite me, bitch." Hermione retorted. Amadeo rolled his eyes.

"What I'm saying is that if you two were together and there was nothing between you at all ever, you may not appreciate each other quite the same way as you do now." Hermione tilted her head in reluctant acknowledgement.

"So what do you think of Daniel?" She asked. Amadeo looked thoughtful.

"He's hiding something. And I don't like it."

"He's not hiding it well if you can pick up on it like that." Hermione commented.

"Well, let's just say I have a fine-tuned bullshit detector." Amadeo said. "My point is, something about him is off. Not right. So I don't trust him." Hermione nodded.

"That sounds about right." She agreed. "There's just something about him. Something a little too…I don't even know. It's not familiar, because we've never met before this. It's just…" she shrugged and Amadeo nodded.

"I understand. And I agree." There was a pause, and Amadeo rose. "Well, I shall leave you to your ruminations, my dear." Hermione nodded and stood up as well, the green dress pooling on the floor at her feet. She gathered it up and followed Amadeo to the door. As the man opened the door to leave, Hermione spoke.

"He's asked me to go to France with him." She said. Amadeo paused then shut the door, turning back to face her.

"And you said?"

"I'd think about it." Hermione said. She sighed. "I just don't know, Amadeo."

"Do you want to go?" Amadeo asked, leaning back against the door. Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, I do. There's just something about him." She shook her head. "But at the same time, Constantine probably doesn't need to be seen gallivanting around Europe with some no-name architect."

"A visit to France hardly counts as gallivanting around Europe." Amadeo pointed out. Hermione sighed.

"He wants to go to Italy as well. And possibly Switzerland after that." Amadeo raised his eyebrows.

"He does? Well, that's interesting."

"How so?" Hermione demanded, leaning against the long side table that lined her hall. Amadeo shrugged.

"He must be very fond of you." Hermione didn't answer, focusing instead on the patterns in the silver-flecked marble floor. "Hermione, I will give you my honest opinion and some genuine advice." She looked up and met his gaze. "We've already said there's something about him that sets our bullshit detectors a'ringing. That's a good reason right there not to go, or at least to do some serious investigation into his background before you give it any serious consideration. But also, there's Constantine to consider. Right now she's flying high, which means she has far to fall. And there's too much depending on her, your personal safety and status aside. You can't afford to lose funding for the Third World Projects now, not when we've managed to break through the political barriers. The good these projects can do is immeasurable, but if you lose funding because of a social faux pas, the projects could fall through utterly. So my advice is to swallow this attraction between you two, and try to get on as best you can. And don't go gallivanting around Europe with him." Hermione nodded, eyes falling back to the floor again.

"You're completely right, of course. And I should have thought of those reasons myself." Amadeo laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. You don't always think completely clearly at time like this." Hermione smiled weakly.

"Thanks Amadeo." She said, looking up at him. Amadeo nodded and bent to kiss her cheek.

"Goodnight, Hermione. Sleep well."

"You too. Goodnight." She pushed off the table and watched as Amadeo disappeared through her door and into the lift. Then she headed back into the apartment and started getting ready for bed, feeling sinking disappoint at the fact she couldn't go to Europe with Daniel.

But Amadeo, as always, was right. There were more important things than a trip to Europe with the socially inept Daniel Masters, no matter his appeal.

&