Isn't Jadmus adorable? :) Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Quote:
"Scared?"
~Draco Malfoy

Chapter 13

July 4, 1996…

Ziva

For a summer day, the atmosphere was unnaturally chilly. The clouds hung low and grey, threateningly yet another rain storm. London was getting pounded with the rainstorms lately. The clouds seemed stagnant above the bustling city. Ziva longed for the sunshine again but knew it probably wouldn't happen anytime soon.

She was on her way to meet Draco in the middle of Millennium Bridge. They'd seen each other more and more lately, specifically because of Draco himself. He'd sent her multiple owls requesting to see her, each time at a different spot in London. Some of her more recent meetings with Draco had been at Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and St. Paul's Cathedral; all were beautiful places. Ziva just didn't know why they met there, or were meeting so often in the first place. It wasn't that she minded, it was just bizarre how suddenly Draco was wishing to see her more and more. Ziva always (somehow) managed to convince her parents to let her go but she knew they were becoming suspicious.

Something dark lingered in the air. Repeatedly, Ziva found herself looking over her shoulder but every time, nothing was to be seen. She forced herself to keep walking to her destination, to ignore the tingling sensation that she was being followed by a sinister force. But why would she be followed? She hadn't done anything illegal in either the Muggle or Wizard world.

Ziva was jostled out of thoughts by a man who wasn't paying attention to where he was going. She then realized she was at Millennium Bridge already. She went to the center of it, looking down at the running water of the Thames. It hypnotized her between the movement and sound of the water mixed with the rushing pedestrians around her. The water reflected the dark grey sky but not very well. Just well enough for Ziva to catch a glimpse of three flying black masses. She snapped her head up, looking into the gray mass. Nothing was visible, but the more Ziva thought about it, the more she convinced herself something was wrong. She leveled her head, looking up and down the bridge. Draco hadn't appeared yet but he still had about five minutes before their meeting time. Ziva hoped he'd show up soon so she could get off this bridge. The ominous rolls of thunder and flashes of lightning didn't help her increasing anxiety.

That's when the bridge trembled. That's when she felt the gust of an inexistent wind brush past her face, sending chills down her spine. The bridge suddenly lurched to one side and then the other. People started screaming and yelling as they ran off the bridge. Ziva was on their heels, wanting to get off, knowing it was going to collapse because that was the intent. She had been right. Death Eaters were nearby.

The middle part of the bridge collapsed and Ziva felt the part she was running on slope down. Her feet started to lose tread; she started slipping. Ziva finally lost her footing, stumbling onto her back and rolling to the violent water of the Thames. It was sucking in everything that came into it: metal, wire, and people alike. Someone shouted her name frantically but she couldn't respond.

She'd already gone under the black water of the Thames, water rapidly filling her nose, mouth, and lungs.

Draco

Draco never had any second thoughts as he dove into the swirling river waters to get Ziva. He'd seen her look of surprise as she plunged into the black liquid, telling him she never had a chance to hold her breath.

The water hit his face with an icy coldness. He forced himself to open his. It stung with a ferocious intensity but he willed himself to keep them open. Although the water was dark and murky, he managed to see Ziva sinking down, thrashing around but slowly losing power. He propelled himself towards her, hooking one of his arms around her and using his other one to aid his swim back to the surface. He felt Ziva struggling which wasn't helping but he still was able to get them above water.

Ziva was vehemently coughing and sputtering water. Draco pulled her close to him so she wouldn't sink beneath the waves again. A patrol boat glided up next to the two wizards, helping Ziva out of the water first and then Draco. Ziva's hair was plastered to her face, her eyeliner running down her face. For the first time, she looked petrified. It was like she had just thought her life was through.

"Ziva?" Draco queried hesitantly, standing up. She looked up at him guiltily, ashamedly, before standing as well. "Are you okay?"

Ziva nodded before lurching forward and he opened his arms, welcoming her into a much needed hug. She rested her head on his shoulders and they stood there like that until the boat docked at a place where they could disembark. Soaking wet, they stepped off, surrounded instantly by medics to make sure they weren't injured. Except for being shaken up and freezing, Ziva was relatively okay. Draco was cold but fine nonetheless. Some wonderful people had bought clothes for the shivering victims of the collapsed bridge. As Draco and Ziva sat on the floor of one of the ambulance trucks, with one blanket wrapped around the both of them, an elderly woman approached them with a pair of sweatpants and tee shirts for the both of them.

"These are for you two. I hope they fit. I saw what you did for your girlfriend on that bridge, diving in and saving her. You are very brave, young man. She is lucky to have you," the woman said softly, handing him the clothes. Draco was too shocked by the 'girlfriend' part to say anything.

"I'm very lucky," Ziva noted sincerely, giving a weak but happy smile. "Thank you so much ma'am, for the clothes. We really appreciate it."

"My pleasure dear," the woman answered gently.

"Thank you," Draco said, "it means a lot. What you said."

"You seem like a good boy. And you're welcome. I meant every word of it. My flat is not far from here if you two would like to take a rest before going home. You've both been through a lot in the past hour and I so rarely have company with my family living in Germany."

"We wouldn't want to intrude," Ziva protested.

"Oh it's fine dear! Please, I'll let you two get some rest at my flat and then I'll drop you two off at your homes," the woman offered. "What are your names?"

"I'm Ziva, this is Draco."

"It's a pleasure. I'm Jane Jones, but call me Jane. Come. I'll make you lunch and tea." She motioned for them to follow. After thanking the medics, Ziva and Draco followed the old lady down the street to her quaint little flat. It was very bright and warm inside Jane's place. Draco felt out of place. He was dark and cold. Ziva fit right in though with her cheerful eyes and demeanor. The woman directed Ziva to the bathroom where she took a quick shower. When she came out, her hair was in a towel, and she was wearing the fresh, clean clothes the woman had given them earlier. Draco took one next, much shorter than Ziva's but unlike her, he didn't have hair that went down to the middle of his back. He was out in five minutes.

When he walked back into the kitchen, he found Ziva helping Jane in the kitchen, preparing chicken noodle soup.

"So you two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend?" Jane queried as he walked in.

"No, just really good friends. I don't know what I'd do without her, or who I'd be without her," Draco commented. Ziva looked at him curiously while Jane smiled.

"You two complement each other well. You're both very different, I can tell, but you're very similar, aren't you?"

"In some ways, yes, other ways, no. Would you like any help?" Draco inquired, coming up next to Ziva.

"The only thing I would like you to do is to escort Miss Ziva to the living room. You two need rest. I'll bring it to you. Go! Shoo!" she ordered, waving her hands at them. Ziva objected but Draco convinced her to listen to him. They sat patiently on the couch, waiting. Jane brought out the soup, along with a glass of milk, ten minutes later. Draco and Ziva devoured it with nicest manners possible. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took his first bite. In fact, he had a second and third bowl. Ziva stopped at her second. Jane had one.

"Now, both of you get some sleep. I'll wake you up in a few hours so I can take you home," Jane said.

"Oh no! That's okay. Once we get some rest, we'll be perfectly fine to get home on our own, but thank you! You've done so much already," Ziva claimed.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Thank you so much for the clothes and soup. I can return the clothes to you by tomorrow if you'd like."

"Keep them. I have no use for them. Blankets are on the couch so get some sleep and if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen," Jane informed sweetly before walking away. Draco watched her leave.

Once out of earshot, Ziva whispered, "I told you not all Muggles are horrible."

"No, they're not," Draco admitted, looking at her. He plopped down on one end of the couch, Ziva took the other end. She was out within minutes. Draco stayed awake for a little bit before realizing he wouldn't be asleep anytime soon. Instead he turned on the TV, having the volume down low so it wouldn't wake Ziva. However, with how hard she was sleeping, he doubted anything could wake her up at the moment.

The news was on, covering every aspect of the collapsing bridge. He watched the videos carefully, wondering what all they'd captured. One video, although from a distance, showed him diving into the water. The news crew were all desperate to find out who he and the mysterious person he saved was but that was all the footage they had of him, of which he was relieved. He didn't want to risk having anyone that he knew or knew him watching that footage and seeing him saving Ziva. Their relationship, no matter how difficult it was, had to be kept secret, even if it meant lying to their parents. He wasn't sure if Ziva knew the depth of just how much their relationship meant, and not just to the wizarding world. While yes their relationship could, in reality, cause a chain of events that no one could expect, their relationship meant the world to him. For the first time in his life, a person didn't respect him for his money or his bloodline. For the first time, a person didn't like him for his wealth or his power. Ziva respected and liked him for being him. The 'him' he couldn't be like with anyone else. Only she knew this side of him. It was nice being able to let his guard down once in a while. Draco knew she didn't care. In fact, Draco figured she liked the fact that he was different with her.

He liked the fact that he was himself with her.

Draco looked at Ziva, who was silently breathing, sacked out on the couch. She stretched languidly, unknowingly placing her legs on his lap, completely unaware of her act. He smirked at her before leaning his head back on the couch and closing his eyes.

When he woke up, his head was resting on the curve of Ziva's torso, his right arm tucked underneath his body, his left arm draped over her stomach. A hand was resting on his shoulder.

It was Ziva's.

He lifted his head so he could look at her. Her eyes were barely open but she was awake. His movement caused her to glance at him.

"It's a good thing we're so comfortable with each other or else this position we're in would be quite awkward," Ziva joked lightly, giving a breathy laugh. Draco smiled as he sat up, stretching and yawning. "I guess we should head home. It's late. Seven I think."

"Bloody hell, that late? Your parents are going to flip," he remarked, standing up. She stood up as well and started folding the blankets.

"I'll explain it to them. Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, looking at her.

She looked at him like he was crazy. "For saving my life! I would be dead if it weren't for you! And I never thanked you earlier which I feel really bad about," Ziva admitted.

"Ziva, I am not letting you die on me. Not now. Come on, let's go say bye to Jane and then I'll escort you home. I don't trust you to go anywhere alone," he remarked humorlessly and seriously at the same time.

They finished making the couch and went to say bye to Jane who was reading a book in the kitchen. She hugged them both and told them to be careful going back home. They promised they would.

Night had already practically fallen due to the storm clouds blocking any sunlight. Jane had given Draco and Ziva an umbrella so they'd stay out of the rain. With their clothes from earlier in hand, the two set off for the train station.

The ride to Ziva's stop was silent but comfy. She rested her head on Draco's shoulder for the duration of the train rides. Once off at her stop, he walked her to a part of Ziva's driveway that hid him from view of her house. It was big and white and fancy; but it was also cozy and inviting. Yellow rose bushes lined the driveway. Now he saw why Ziva was so cheery most of the time. Her house was.

"Thank you for earlier. We need to get together again soon okay? I'll send you an owl. My parents probably won't let me out of the house any time soon after today," Ziva explained grimly.

"I understand. I'll see you soon, hopefully, okay?" He kissed her on the top of the head, not caring that she might mistake the action for an advancement. She was alive. It was an affectionate kiss, one that a friend would give a friend, which is what they were. Ziva kissed him lightly on the cheek before running to her house. Draco watched her go, making sure no more Death Eaters harmed his best friend.

He hated letting her go. She had a nasty habit of getting herself into trouble. But he knew he wouldn't always be able to be there for her so he would have to learn to deal.

Unwillingly Draco left for his own home.

Okay, longer than I expected. So are things heating up between Ziva or Draco or are they just becoming soul friends? Please review!