Disclaimer: I had a really great dream last night...I owned Harry Potter

Previously:

It wasn't too often that she had a serious crush so when she did, Skye quite enjoyed helping her out. She knew that if nothing came from it, Iris wouldn't get too upset about it.

However, Skye also saw that there was something a little more to Iris's crush on Daniel then she was letting on. Skye smirked evilly to herself; it was time to observe the pair closer.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Draco asked randomly.

Skye sat up from her position on Draco's chest. The pair were lying by the lake, hidden from view by a big oak tree. It was nearing midnight so the stars were shining brightly above their heads.

"Sometimes," Skye said. "I prefer to live for the moment though. Why?"

Skye watched as a slight blush rose on her boyfriends face.

"Doesn't matter," Draco muttered, wrapping his arms around Skye.

"No, seriously though," Skye said. "Tell me."

"I said it doesn't matter," Draco insisted. "Now come lie back with me again."

"Not until you tell me," Skye grinned at the annoyed expression on the face of her boyfriend.

"Cheater," Draco grumbled.

There was a silence which was even more pronounced due to the absolute stillness of the night.

"I do," Draco said finally, blushing harder now. "Think about the future, I mean. And every time I do, you're always in it."

Skye smiled softly as Draco determinedly avoided his girlfriend's eyes.

"I see you in my future too," Skye admitted. "I've been thinking about our future together a lot more than I first let on."

"Really?" Draco asked, turning to Skye with a hopeful expression on his face.

"Really," Skye confirmed.

There was another silence, only broken by Skye laughing. "What?" Draco asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Guess this means eventually we'll have to tell people," she smirked.

Draco went pale. "Not your brother," he said quickly. "Or Black."

"You mean Orion?" Skye asked, waiting for Draco's confirming nod. "But he's my best friend! We have to tell him."

"No way," Draco refused. "I'd rather face your brother."

"Oh please," Skye scoffed. "Ri wouldn't kill you if it would make me upset. Harry, however, wouldn't let that worry him. He and Dad are very into the whole doing-things-for-my-own-good phase at the moment."

"You're joking right?" Draco asked weakly.

"Of course not," Skye smirked. "So, when you think about it, Ri is really the way to go."

"I don't think so," Draco insisted. "I can take your brother. We've been fighting each other since first year. He's old news. Orion, on the other hand," Draco paused, grimacing. "He's a year older and could turn me into Hippogriff chow."

Skye couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing, and couldn't even stop at the hurt expression on her boyfriend's face.

"I'm sorry," Skye chocked out, still laughing. "It's just Ri is just all bark and no bite."

"And he wouldn't make an exception for you?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Hmm, true," Skye agreed. "But still, he's a better shot to tell than Harry if we want you to survive."

"Wow," Draco grinned. "I feel so wanted. Here we are casually discussing who will finally kill me."

Skye giggled. "Oh, you know," she said. "It might not be either. Teddy could."

Draco's eyes widened and he swore under his breath. "Shit," he groaned. "I forgot all about Lupin!"

"Don't worry!" Skye exclaimed brightly; too brightly for Draco's liking. "I'm here to remind you! Oh and then, of course, there's Jono too; he might be a bit of an issue. Rhia, well, she's a little too unpredictable. It'll kinda depend on her social status," Skye looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll get Ginny to check it out for us. Jase and Dan might cause a bit of a problem too. Cathy, Mickey and Mike will definitely say something; though they're not going to worry you at all. So really," the red-head finished beaming. "You're chances of survival are looking pretty good!"

"Well that's great," Draco said dryly. "I'm so glad that you're confident I'll live to see my seventeenth birthday."

"Well, you know me," Skye sighed. "I'm always the optimist."
Draco laughed and shook his head at his girlfriend. "I guess that's why you love me," he whispered.

Skye smiled cheekily at him. "Must be," she said, bringing her lips to his.

After kissing him softly, Skye pulled back to look at Draco.

"Seriously though," she said. "Have you thought much of telling anyone? You know, making us public?"

Draco paused before answering. "Honestly, yes," he said. "I hate seeing boys in the corridors watching you and coming up to ask you out."

"I reject them," Skye pointed out.

"Yeah, but still," Draco shrugged. "I want to be able to approach you between classes and walk you to your next one, just to prove that I'm able to. Just to prove your mine."

"I like the sound of that," Skye said quietly. "Yours."

"Me too," Draco smirked and Skye hit him playfully on the shoulder. "I really wish we didn't have to meet in the dead of the night though," he said seriously. "Not that it isn't nice. I think it's just the fact that it's not possible for us to meet during the day that makes this seem so much more..."

"Desperate?" Skye suggested after Draco paused, seemingly unable to find the right word.

"Kinda," he said, looking at Skye. "Because it's the only time we can meet. And that sucks."

"Yeah," Skye nodded. "But it also makes it so much less complicated."

"And that's what I hate about this!" Draco exclaimed. "I used to care about what people would think when they found out that I, a Malfoy, was dating you, a Potter. Now, though," he shrugged. "I don't really care. Because I know that you're worth whatever hell people give me for choosing to love you."

Skye felt her heart somersault at those incredibly sweet words that had just come out of her boyfriend's mouth. "I love you too," she promised. "No matter what anybody says."

"Even your family?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows.

He knew how much Skye's family meant to her.

"Even my family," Skye repeated quietly. "I don't care. Loving you makes me so happy, and hopefully they'll understand it too."

The pair sat back in silence for a while, looking at the stars above them. The stars were full of hope, Skye reflected. People studied the stars to give them guidance. The stars were, historically, the first maps many people ever used. Somehow, sitting there under the stars, Skye believed that no matter what happened, somehow she and Draco would be able to find a way to be together.

Sighing contentedly, Skye snuggled into her boyfriend's warm chest. "We should tell them soon," she said finally.

"Probably," Draco agreed.

"But I can't find it in me to want to," Skye admitted.

"Either."

"I don't know how I'd do it."

"Don't ask me."

"I can't just go up to them and say it outright."

"You could."

"It wouldn't be right."

"Does it matter?"

"It shouldn't, but it does."

"I don't see why."

"Neither do I."

"So what's the big deal?"

"Maybe I could drop hints for a while, so it won't be such a big shock to them."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"I don't know!" Skye exclaimed. "And you're being very unhelpful."

"You're the one that's thinking out loud," Draco shot back. "I'm just giving a different side to your thoughts."

"Well it's not helping me much," Skye huffed, pushing away. "I'm stressing about this you know!"

"Come on babe," Draco coaxed, pulling Skye back towards him. "Everything that's meant to be will work out perfectly. If our love is as strong as we think it is, we'll get through this."

Skye shut her eyes as Draco pulled her onto his lap. "I guess," she sighed. "I'm just so stressed with all my work and Quidditch. I'm suffering from sleep deprivation," here, Draco tried to suppress his snort of disbelief with little success. "It's true! Things would be so much easier on me if I didn't have to keep sneaking out all the time! Not that I mind," she added hastily. "It's just that it all adds up. And the holidays are coming up. Mum and Dad want us all to come back home because they miss us so much or some shit. Normally going home would be fine, but I kinda want to stay here with you these holidays. I hardly ever get to see you when we go home. It's not like I can sneak out from home with the amount of wards Dad's surrounded the house with to stop that very thing."

"Hey, hey," Draco cut in, noticing the near hysterical state his girlfriend was working herself into. "Calm down, Skye honey. Something will come up shortly where this will all just tie in nicely. Then, you won't have to stress anymore. If nothing happens about this before the holidays, I promise I'll help you tell your family. Okay?"

Skye nodded slowly. "Promise?" she asked.

"Promise," Draco confirmed, ignoring the sense of dread building up inside him.

He knew that he would never be able to break a promise to Skye, but he also wasn't sure how he would be able to face Skye's family to tell them about their relationship. He vowed to start praying for something to come up which would give Skye the perfect opening to mention her relationship with him. Somewhere that he was preferably nowhere near.

Turns out, he needn't have worried.

A/N And so ends Chapter 7. I know a lot of you are curious about Harry, so keep reading (and reviewing of course) because there's definitely more about him to come! Thanks...