Draco Malfoy is very, very mad at the moment.

Everybody knows why, but nobody dares to mention it or put it out there.

It is absolutely crucial for me to tiptoe around him. Ever since the incident where he caught me in Phelegethon with Daphne, he has been in a fowl mood.

Further more, Lucius Malfoy came to the office yesterday, and they were locked up in the office for over 4 hours, sometimes screaming and yelling could be heard.

I am afraid of both of them.

Upon when the door opened, Lucius Malfoy turned to Draco, and said, "If you don't go through with it, I will have you disowned."

Then he left, while his lavish green silk cape flow behind him.

Blaise came to lunch today. He was about to knock on Draco's office door when I stopped him.

"He said no one is to disturb him." I whispered, "His father came yesterday and he is pretty mad."

"Mhmm." Blaise said, "Then, will you come and have lunch with me?"

"Of course." I said, while annoyed at myself for feeling flustered.

"Better get your jacket. It's cold outside."

New years is approaching fairly quickly.

We walked to the cafeteria, while both of us ordered lunch; I poked at my food, and lost the will to eat.

"What's wrong?" He put down his fork and asked me.

"Well." I said with difficulty, "It's been really hard lately, working for him…"

"Don't mind it. His target isn't you." He said.

I looked up, thankful that I wasn't eating, or else I would have choked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, "He has a target?"

"Of course." Blaise said, "He wants to prove to the world of what he is capable of."

"Sometimes," I said, while twirling my hot chocolate, "I forgot how ruthless he is, when I was with him or working with him, he seems so gentle."

Blaise took a drink of his tea.

I continued, "Just the other day, I saw Mr. Rosewood came to the office, and he knelt down in front of the office door for two whole days."

Blaise made no comment.

"But Malfoy was fooling around with some witch in his office, and completely ignored Mr. Rosewood." I said, "And on the third day, he used a spell and killed himself." I finished, shuddering, Mr. Rosewood's face could not be waved from my mind.

Especially when I had to sit in a desk and face the pathetic face of Rosewood while listening to the love and sex sounds coming from Malfoy's office.

"Is this why you are scared of Draco now?" Blaise asked.

"I just don't want that to be me." I said, "I don't want to be on the one end of that."

"It's not the same." Blaise said.

"How?" I asked.

"Rosewood has betrayed Draco."

I waited for him to continue.

"There was a fresh batch of… something. Something quite valuable to the company as a whole. Rosewood was the middle man. He was in charge of delivering it here without any damage. But in the end it was damaged. Not only was it damaged, some of them were also stolen. Rosewood has no one to blame but himself. Since we don't play by the rules, there are big profits involved. In this business venture, Draco lost a lot. Its better this way, better than Draco actually has to go and kill him himself."

I stared at the man in front of me, despite his elegant manners and graceful movements, I suddenly have the urge to run out and never come back.

"Are you scared of me now?" Blaise asked, wiping his hands on a silk handkerchief.

"No." I lied through my teeth.

He chuckled, and said, "As long as you don't betray us, nothing will happen to you. In fact, we are quite compassionate to our fellow purebloods. Or did you forget about the werewolf incident?"

"I didn't forget." I said, twisting my fingers around the table cloth."

"Please don't be scared." He said, leaving some gallons on the table. "The last thing I want to do was to scare you off. You are such a lovely girl. It's hard to find someone like you in this world."

I looked at the gallons, thinking what a luxurious life they must have led, to spend gallons and gallons a day without even blink an eye.

"I don't feel well." I said, holding my stomach.

"I'll have you sent home." Blaise said, waving his wand in the air, and sent for a carriage.

Unfortunately for me, Daphne was still home on my couch.

"Dear sister." She said, "You're home early."

"The office was depressing." I said.

"Ah, I see. The Rosewood incident."

"You've heard of it?"

"The whole ministry was turned up side down over it." Daphne said nonchalantly, "Those Gryffindors are trying to do something about it. But I doubt that's going to happen. Hahaha."

"Why not?" I asked, feeling resentful.

"It's not in their jurisdiction." Daphne said, "This is a matter between pureblood families. Rosewood did something to offend the Malfoys. He must pay the price."

"And the price is death?"

"More or less." Daphne examined her nails, "Why are you so shocked? I thought you have seen enough of this crap when growing up. The powerful families dominate over the weaker ones. Naturally. Pity that little girl. Hestia Rosewood. She was very pretty too. I heard she was screwed over by Malfoy."

"What?" I choked. "Was she was sleeping with Malfoy? Draco Malfoy was shagging Rosewood's daughter while Rosewood was kneeling down in front of his office waiting to die?"

"Pretty much."

I suddenly feel nauseous.

"Hestia Rosewood was my friend." I said.

"You can only rely on your family. Friendship means nothing." Daphne said, brushing my hair. "You see how Patsy and I were friends, right? Now we are not anymore."

"Why?"

"Well, because she wants Draco."

"And you want Malfoy too?"

"Heavens, no. I want you to have Draco."

If I haven't been able to puke earlier, I definitely want to puke now.

But I managed to squeeze out a few words, "well, you don't have to worry. He disgusts me."

She laughed, then said, "I heard Lucius Malfoy came to Hades today."

"You hear everything..."

"It wasnt a surprise." She tossed me a copy of the Daily Prophet.

I flipped a couple of pages, then saw a headline, "MALFOY ENGAGED TO LYCRA".

I skimmed over the article, basically it was saying that the Malfoy family is going to linked by marriage to the Lycras. This was announced by Lucius Malfoy on his birthday party. Apparently there are three daughters, and further announcement is going to be made when Draco picks his bride.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Daphne asked.

I shook my head.

"It means." She stood up and poked my head, "We must beat the Lycras.

"But I don't want to beat them. What is there to beat?"

"You don't want to hand Draco off to them do you?"

"I don't mind..."

"Listen, When I was in my second year, I encountered the three girls. They are very ambitious, calculating, and very beautiful. So you don't stand a chance if you want to fight against them. Which is why I am willing to help you..."

I want to wail.

For the rest of the day, I cooked and ate while listening to Daphne's master plan on how to getting rid of the girls what are about to steal Draco Malfoy away.

But putting everything aside, I shuddered, remembering this past week.

I doubt I will ever have the urge to marry him.