Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter.

Arianna,

Well, I really don't know how I can possibly say no. You've concocted quite the Slytherin plan there, haven't you? It's actually a compliment this time. And yes, I remember you, and you'll both be very happy to know that I haven't let the entire Weasley-Potter clan know about it.

I'll meet you outside the Slytherin common room, then? I love any opportunity to torture Albus. Don't be too upset, by the way. About Jessica, I mean. He was always too chivalrous for his own good. I'm sure he'd much rather be with you. After all, blondes have more fun, right?

See you,

James

Arianna couldn't help giggling as she read the letter. She honestly hadn't expected a yes, but she was thrilled. This was absolutely perfect. She had a good-looking, older date. Not to mention he was the older brother of her boyfriend. She just had to find a dress, and then she would be good to go. Merlin, she couldn't believe this! She almost felt a little guilty, maybe she was being too mean to Albus. No, probably not. Maybe he would finally get it. It was decided though, Arianna would have to have a good talk with him. She didn't want to hide it anymore, and if he was opposed to it so strongly, she might have to consider being with him at all.

The only thing that she wanted now was to make up with Olivia. It was awkward not talking to her best friend, but Arianna didn't want to hear it, nor did she want to apologize, though she knew her comments had been uncalled for. Maybe over Christmas break. Their families would get together at some point, and then maybe things would just blow over again. The day after tomorrow, she would have to say goodbye to Albus, and she hated the thought.

The next day, she went through her classes as normal, immediately heading to her dorm to get ready, ignoring the other chattering, squealing, and the occasional sullen girl. Her dress was a striking red that contrasted nicely against her light skin, a fairly modest neckline, that was made up for by the amount of her back exposed. She paired it with a set of heels and left her hair the way it was. It looked best straight, and she didn't want to fiddle with it too much and have a mess on her hands.

She helped a few of the girls' in her dorm finish their hair and make up, talking animatedly about boys and dresses and who was going with whom. "Who are you going with?" a girl asked Arianna suddenly.

"You'll see," Arianna answered grinning from ear to ear. She was fidgeting, pulling nervously on a strand of hair, tugging on the straps of her heels that suddenly felt too high. She wasn't nervous about James. That part would be easy. She was nervous about seeing Albus, if she was being honest.

What if he decided that he still had feelings for Jessica? What if he just got really mad at her for bringing James? She bit her lip and then sighed, looking in the mirror and wiping the light lipstick from here teeth. Merlin, what had she gotten herself into with Albus? Was it possible that she honestly loved him? Love. The word sent a thrill of excitement through her body, but she quickly pushed it down. Now wasn't the time for that.

"You look nice," Scorpius commented as he saw her in the common room. He was looking uncomfortable in black dress robes, pulling at his sleeves a little. He was looking forward to spending the evening with Rose, though.

"Are you going with anyone?" he asked his sister curiously, noticing she seemed rather anxious as well. His eyes narrowed slightly when she blushed.

"Yeah, I guess. Just as friends, though," she clarified. "Actually, he's meeting me outside the common room," she added. "So I should get going," she said quickly, practically sprinting from the room to avoid talking to him any further on the situation. He would see soon enough.

"Hello, there, Miss Malfoy," James greeted as he saw her come out of the common room, holding out his arm with a playful grin. "And to think my brother's taking Jessica," he rolled his eyes. "You look very pretty," he complimented.

"And you look very handsome," Arianna added, noting it was rather true. His dark auburn hair was brushed out neatly and the dress robes were nice. He had, simply, the handsome look of a man that seemed to evade the boys still in school. Personally, Arianna found Albus to be more attractive, but she might have been a little biased. Besides, she always linked red-head to firecrotch, and then the uncomfortable images started. Arianna took his arm and a deep breath.

"Thanks for doing this," Arianna said as they walked towards the Great Hall. "I know this is probably uncomfortable for you, but I appreciate it."

"I'm doing it for my brother. I figure he needs a bit of a wake-up call, because if he's still with you, he obviously likes you, and he just doesn't know how to talk about it."

"I-I guess I'm afraid that he likes me, but is...embarrassed to be with me," Arianna admitted. Maybe talking to his brother would provide some sort of insight into his mind. James seemed pretty trustworthy too, so that was a relief.

"Why would he be embarrassed?" James asked carefully, grinning at a few of the people giving him an odd look and waving to a couple people he had known a year ago when he had graduated.

"Well, I'm a Malfoy," Arianna pointed out with the tone of one stating the obvious. "It kind of makes things difficult."

"Well, you should really talk to him," James sighed. "Because, he's my brother, and I love him, obviously, but if he's that concerned with your name, you don't need to be wasting time on him. There's a seat for every arse," he commented.

"The hell?" Arianna laughed, giving him an odd look.

"There's someone for everyone," James qualified. "So don't tie yourself down your next two years here," he suggested. "I got too serious about a girl when I was in sixth year, and we dated. We were in love," he shrugged. "I still love her," he admitted. "But I think I ran her off. I started talking about living together after school, and I almost proposed, but the day after we graduated she dumped me," he tried to laugh.

"Oh," Arianna mumbled,surprised. "I'm sor-"

"Nothing to apologize for," James cut her off. "You didn't bring me here to listen to me whine. We're here to bother Albus, which is what I'm best at," he said. "So let's go by the Gryffindor common room for a proper greeting," James suggested, grinning. Arianna didn't protest as he changed directions. "Oi, Albus!" he called when he saw his brother heading from the common room. Jessica was looking surprisingly pretty in a dark blue dress, clinging to Albus' arm.

"James?" Albus asked, surprised. He grinned before noticing exactly who was with him. His green eyes flashed dangerously as they approached, making Arianna fidget uncomfortably. "Give us just a moment, Jessica," he said, though he was still staring at Arianna as he took James' arm and pulled him away.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Albus demanded of James. "Don't you dare touch her,"he snapped.

"Hey, hey," James held up his hands in defense. "She invited me. Maybe if you weren't such a selfish prat, she wouldn't have had to," he suggested. "Now, I for one, don't like to leave my pretty date waiting around, so if you'll excuse me," he said, leaving Albus standing there without another word as he took Arianna's arm. Albus, apparently determined to behave as if nothing was happening, wrapped an arm around Jessica's waist and led her towards the Great Hall, just behind Ari and James.

He found himself immediately distracted by her dress. She looked nothing short of gorgeous, and he could only imagine what the smooth skin of her back would feel like underneath his fingertips. James would be touching her, and the thought sent Albus' blood boiling. She was his. The possessive thought was slightly unsettling. He couldn't believe she would do this to him!

Selfish prat, the words echoed in his head, trying to figure out what was being said there. Damn James straight to hell for doing this. Albus was going to have her completely. The surge of anger, jealousy, and a little betrayal was clouding his thoughts. It felt like his first encounters with Arianna all over again, where all he wanted was to have her under him.

Maybe he was being irrational. It wasn't like Arianna liked James, right? No, she was just taking a date not to feel alone. And James had been a good choice that sent gossip flying. Alright, Albus needed to calm down. It wouldn't do to be glaring at James' back the whole night. But Merlin, how was he supposed to sit there or dance with Jessica knowing that Arianna was here with James. James the notorious flirt that could have any girl he wanted. What if he tried anything on Ari? Albus didn't want to fight with his brother, but even now as James took Arianna to the dance floor, Albus wanted to vomit.

"What's wrong, Albus?" Jessica asked, and he started. He had almost forgotten she was there, caught up as he was in his thoughts.

"Nothing, Jess," he assured her, not wanting to unload his crap on her. "You look really pretty tonight," he complimented, giving her his attention for now. "Daniel was stupid not to take you," he smiled.

"Thanks, Al," Jessica grinned. She felt a hope that maybe he would find interest in her again. Albus really was a great guy.

"Would you like to dance?" Albus asked, eyes flashing back to where Arianna and James were laughing about something or other.

"You don't have to do that," Jessica told him, blushing slightly. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I know I can come across a little...pushy sometimes. First times are different for a girl."

"Don't sweat it," Albus told her. "You're a really good friend, and I'm glad we were able to get over the initial awkward break up," he admitted. "And helping you make Daniel jealous is the least I can do," he said.

"So," James began to Arianna conversationally. "You and the Zabini girl used to be attached at the hip, right?"

"We got in a fight. She said that Albus must be using me, and then one thing turned into another. We haven't spoken in over a month," she admitted.

"You got into a fight over my brother?" James asked skeptically.

"James, I really, really care for your brother," Arianna said defensively. "He's a really great guy, I just want him to get the message. I don't want to be treated like his whore, someone he meets in secret for some fun," she shrugged.

"You love him, don't you?" James asked. He gave her a half smile as she blushed.

"I think so," Arianna murmured, looking over at where Albus was dancing with Jessica, her heart constricting a little. It hurt to see. When had her feelings gotten so out of control? When had a lot of lust turned into love? Did she love him? It certainly felt like it sometimes. "I think he's angry with me," she said softly, noticing he refused to meet her gaze.

"It's me he's pissed at," James disagreed. Arianna continued looking around, eyes finally settling on Olivia who was chatting animatedly with Hugo who suddenly leaned closer and kissed her. The look on Arianna and Olivia's faces were of identical surprise. Albus, apparently, had noticed too, and he nearly groaned in frustration. Maybe he should have gone the same route with Ari.

Eventually, James and Arianna sat down at a table, Jessica and Albus joining them only a minute later. Arianna risked a glance at Albus, smiling slightly. Albus' resolve to ignore her seemed to crack, and he returned her smile.

Arianna felt a surge or relief and she casually slipped her heels off under the table. With a slight smirk on her face she nudged Albus' leg, running her foot up his leg. Stifling a chuckle, albus grabbed her ankle under the table, watching as she slipped in her seat slightly.

"You alright?" James asked.

"Yeah, just clumsy, I guess," Arianna giggled, her voice a tad higher than usual. She yanked her foot away, slipping her feet back into her shoes. Albus was starting to calm down a little. He didn't like it, but he was starting to understand a little better.

He was determined that tonight would be the night, though. He needed her, and it looked like Hugo and Olivia were getting along a little too well. The bet wasn't really the most important thing on his mind, but once again, he realized that two hundred galleons was nothing to sneeze at. He was accepting that he had feelings for Arianna beyond that of lust. And his reaction at seeing James definitely proved that Albus liked Ari a lot. Maybe even enough to take their relationship public.

The night seemed to drag on, though he was pleased to see James didn't exactly spend the entire night dancing with Arianna, and at the end, held out his hand to Jessica, who accepted it with a smile, allowing him to pull her to the dance floor.

Albus turned to grin at Ari, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Dance with me," he suggested, pulling her close, arms around her waist.

"So, you know when I said I was only a little bit jealous?" Albus questioned.

"Yes," Arianna confirmed, arms around his neck.

"Well, I lied. I was a lot jealous when I saw you with James," he admitted.

"You know there's nothing going on there, right?" Arianna demanded. "Y-You know how I feel about you," she reminded him, blushing slightly.

"You look beautiful, Arianna," he whispered to her.

"And you look very handsome," she said, indicating the tie the exact color of his eyes. "Very Slytherin of you."

"Very Gryffindor of you," Albus said, running his hand over the fabric of her dress lightly.

"Your friend and Olivia seem to be getting along fairly well," Arianna nodded in the direction of the two, looking like absolute love-struck puppies.

"Yeah," Albus agreed, sounding a bit sullen.

"Al-Albus," Arianna squeaked slightly. "I'm going to miss you over the holidays," she mumbled instead.

"I'll miss you too," Albus whispered, wishing he could lean down and kiss her.

"I want you to take me to the Room of Requirement," Arianna said suddenly, blushing at herself a little. "I know I freaked out last time, b-but I think I'm ready."

"Really?" he asked eagerly, a smile spreading across his face. Arianna nodded, albeit a little hesitantly. She was in love, and he obviously had some feelings for her. He had gotten jealous, very much so when she had shown up with James.

"Meet me there in fifteen minutes," Arianna instructed, freezing as he leaned down and kissed her quickly, lightly, and with a grin.

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Cunning and Ambition.