The only reason I started cooking was because I was hungry, not because Draco had told me to. I was cooking some fresh fish in a skillet, seasonings wafting up into my face and aromatizing the whole kitchen. I chopped up some vegetables that were nice and cold, the colours so vibrant that I stared at the orange and yellow peppers as I mixed them in with the parsley and lettuce, onions and cucumbers, other wild vegetables that I had never tried before. I felt my stomach growl with anticipation. It was actually quite relaxing to just be by myself and cook. It had begun to rain outside and heavy sheets of water poured down on the sand that I could see out the window, and it curtly became dark with wetness. I heard thunder crack overhead, and it startled me for a mere moment. After about thirty minutes, I felt that eerie chill that I identified as Draco's presence. When I turned my head, he was standing in the doorway. He was watching me, having been beckoned by the scent emanating from the kitchen. I looked away from him automatically, wishing he'd disappear. But I glanced back in the doorway to find that he was dripping wet. He appeared to have been outside. He wasn't wearing shoes, either, and the wet white shirt which clung to him caused his pale skin to show through. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, and I thought I saw a grin on his face for a few seconds. Water dripped onto the floor, and I was somewhat surprised he wasn't going insane about the hardwood; Draco seemed to have panic attacks over expensive things being ruined. He took a few steps into the kitchen, looking almost like a seraphic light in the midst of the dark that had just fallen, due to all the white he was wearing and how pale he was. I thought it odd…I could just make out his chest as he took another deep inhale of all the spices. Draco opened his eyes and waved his hand in front of himself, and all the water was gone, even the droplets that had fallen on the floor, and Draco stood there completely dry.

"I was really hoping you could cook. I wasn't going to do it myself," he said in a really chauvinistic way that made me want to take the pan and bash him over the head. I had stopped looking at him to finish throwing the last pieces of the meal together. I saw a white hand on the countertop, which startled me. I hadn't even heard him move, but that eerie chill had gotten closer. I guess Draco noticed me tense up at the coldness he carried. For some odd reason, it seemed to be worse now than it had been nearly an hour earlier when he'd grabbed my wrist. I swore he was a walking freezer! He took a few steps away from me, and produced his wand from his pocket. He pointed it at the cabinet where some beautiful china began to slowly exit and float gracefully onto the table. I realized that a few seconds before, Draco had done wandless magic, and then I wondered why he bothered using a wand at all. I was just glad he didn't ask me to set the bloody table.

"Why were you out in the rain?" I asked, completely out of sheer curiosity. Draco cast me a rather arcane glance, and I understood that to mean he wasn't going to provide me with an answer. I brought the big bowl of salad and put it on the table in the center. Draco was standing behind a chair, watching me as I brought the skillet and put the fish out in even portions on the two plates. Draco motioned to the drawers with his wand and forks and knives set themselves with perfect etiquette on the table with the plates. When I was finished shelling out the food, I stood there leaning against the counter.

"You're still wearing that dress?" Draco asked, his eyes widening as he stared at it. He closed his eyes with what looked like frustration and shook his head, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Never mind, it's totaled," he mumbled. I wanted to laugh. I was happy that something so minor was able to piss him off. I crossed my arms and pointed my chin somewhat haughtily skywards.

"Will you sit down, Angelina," said Draco, not really asking. My stomach growled again and I decided I had better just take care of myself. I approached the table and sat. Draco waited until I was seated before taking his spot at the head of the table. I didn't want to be near him; it was so cold. As I pulled my arms about myself, I knew Draco knew it too. He closed his eyes again, sitting up straight. I reached for my fork, but paused, unable to take my gaze off him. I don't know why, but I started reaching out to touch him, stopping inches away from his arm as the cold became unbearable. Draco's eyes flicked open, as if he could sense that I was about to touch him.

"Alright, I can't take it anymore. I have to ask, are you dead? You're colder than a bloody corpse, Malfoy," I said. His very presence was chilling. He glared at me as though I had deeply offended him.

"You will not address me that way again," he said sternly.

"In what way?" I retorted with sass. Draco roughly cut into the fish, still glaring at me. I pushed back from the table without even touching my food.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked, just as he was about to try my creation.

"I can't do this," I said, rubbing my arms, my teeth beginning to chatter.

"Sit down, Angelina," Draco said emptily. I hesitated, and then pushed my plate to the other end of the table, away from Draco. It was a few degrees warmer over there, and I stayed where I was. Draco never looked up at me while he ate. He didn't even compliment on my food, although I knew he liked it, as he finished his entire plate, and I didn't find it half bad myself.

"Javier will be back in the morning. I have business to attend to, and I don't want you here by yourself," he finally said, motioning a bottle of wine which came forth and poured itself. He then directed it to float across the table and serve me. I never much cared for wine, but Draco poured himself three glasses, and I just sat there watching him drink until his pale lips were stained a vivid crimson. I waved my wand and the plates cleared. I wasn't sure whether to get up or stay where I was. Draco began to pour himself another glass of wine and the thunder cracked loudly, scaring me so that I gasped. I stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

"I don't know, some other room," I said, starting towards the door. I paused and gasped again upon the coldness that engulfed me as I passed Draco, but then I noticed that it was because he was holding my wrist. I looked down to find his bright blue eyes looking up at me.

"What's the matter with you?" I asked, more so in annoyance, pulling my arm away and rubbing it to be warm again. Draco stood, the wine he was holding sloshing a bit so that some of it fell on the table.

"About earlier…I'm…" Draco's brows clenched together as if he were struggling to say something.

"I—"

"I don't really want to talk to you. In fact, I'd rather pretend none of this even happened," I said quietly and calmly. Draco cocked his head to one side, blinking at me. He seemed at such ease that I thought I could have punched him out and he wouldn't have been the least bit on guard.

"I," he said again, but I didn't wait to hear him out. I went away up to my room to take a hot bath…

When night fell, I could hear crickets, and all kinds of tropical animals making their music in the area surrounding the house. It was somewhat peaceful, until I tried to go to sleep. I found it to be very difficult, so I got up and roamed the house. I went downstairs and wandered about. There was a desk where a lamp light was on in another room, and in an armchair, I could just make out Draco's figure. I approached to see that he was asleep, his head on the desk atop his hands, the wine bottle from earlier at dinner empty on the floor beside the desk. Draco was barely breathing, and for a moment, I thought he was dead, until he inhaled sharply in his sleep. Damn I thought. I thought about trying to escape again, but something told me that Draco wasn't dumb enough to leave this place without some sort of alarm that might sound if I tried to make a getaway. I went into the kitchen and found my glass from earlier empty. Draco had drunk that, too. I started to believe he had a problem of some sort, as that bottle of wine had been no small thing. I went back up to my room, passing Draco who was still asleep at the desk. For a moment I wondered if I should wake him up, but then I changed my mind and went back to my room. I simply cast a silencing spell to the walls and windows and I no longer heard the mating calls of frogs or bugs, and went to sleep.

As expected, Draco was gone when I went down stairs and started about the house. However, I did find Javier in the kitchen, and the sweet smell of something reached my nose.

"Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy," he said, turning from the stove and bowing to me. I blushed but when Javier stood up straight, I just had to say it.

"Javi, if there's something I could ask you…"

"Anything, of course. I'm at your service," he said truthfully.

"Can you perhaps not call me Mrs. Malfoy?" I asked. Javi's brows raised in surprise, as if he couldn't believe what I'd said.

"But, you're married. I want to call you properly, to be respectful…did you and Draco have fight or something? I…I don't mean to intrude, but I found him this morning asleep down on the couch. I thought, maybe you kick him out of bed?"

I felt my cheeks blush madly.

"Oh," said Javi knowingly, although he had no idea what he didn't know, "You're angry with him. That's why he was drinking," said Javi to himself, turning to flip a pancake before it burned. I didn't bother to try and explain to Javi what really happened. I thought I should try and protect him. Something told me that Draco wouldn't have been afraid to harm Javi if he thought there was something going on between us. And it wasn't as though I didn't want there to be something going on, but I couldn't stand the thought of watching Draco murder anyone. He hadn't been afraid to threaten the lives of people I loved if I didn't play along, so what could have possibly made Javi any different? I sat at the table and Javier served me. I thanked him and he then went into the backyard out the screen door. I knew he was going to feed Draco's horses, as that's where they were being kept. The day went on and I spent it alone. Javi was busy in the garden and maintaining the horses. I stepped outside at one point, the sun just starting to set. I made my way to the enclosure where the unicorns resided. One of them began to walk towards me and I stopped on the spot. It bowed its head to me in a strange manner, as if it were speaking, gazing up at me intently.

"He admires you," came Javi's voice. I turned to find him not far away, polishing an apple.

"Did Draco really train these horses?" I asked as Javi handed me the apple to give to the horse.

"Actually, I helped him. We found them here over a year ago. They were merely colts then," Javi explained, approaching the horse who stopped bowing at me to eat the apple. Javi brushed the main carefully. I gently clasped the golden horn and ran my fingers up the length of it. I gasped when I got cut, watching the ruby liquid drip from my hand. In a second, Javier was tending to the injury.

"I'd say it's good luck," he joked. I laughed.

"…How did you and Draco meet? Are you good friends?"

Javier looked up at me from where he was kneeling and the sun shone off his auburn eyes. He squinted.

"He saved me," Javi said, gently wrapping a handkerchief around my hand.

"What?"

"It was a long time ago. Or so it seems…I lost my family to Volde—" Javier cut himself short, not wanting to speak the name.

"My family for the longest time was loyal to him, the Dark Lord. It was always about power for us. I believed in my father. He was a powerful wizard…but his dream for power consumed him, until it was all he cared about, and I realized it too late. Wanting to be stronger than the Dark Lord himself, my father challenged him. And lost. It was no accident that I met Draco. He taught me to be stronger. I almost gave up on magic entirely, until the day I met Draco. I was attending a Muggle school in Alaska. It was only nearly two years ago, but it seems like forever."

"School," I said, randomly recalling the way I'd bumped into Draco in the first place.

"Yes, I don't know how he knew, but somehow we connected. It was like he was…the brother I never had. I would have given up on magic entirely, until he showed me that I could be part of something greater," Javi continued, standing up so that he was towering over me. His sweet looks seemed to vanish in about a nanosecond, and he was so dark suddenly, sinister, yet smiling. I took a step back, feeling scared. Javi seemed not to notice. The horse neighed.

"So you…"

"Became a Death Eater. I'm telling you, Angelina, there is nothing like it," he said. I wondered why Javi wasn't as cold as Draco was. He didn't carry the same frigid breeze.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" I asked without thinking. Javi shook his head, and then seemed a lot less harmful to me.

"It is something I haven't done yet," he said, which then led me to believe it was something he planned to do.

"I believe in the cause very much, but the killing, it is something I won't do until I have to. And that is because I know what it's like to have someone taken away from you by a greater power. I couldn't do it to anyone else. I see it this way; witches and wizards will join us or they will go extinct. I don't believe any of them want magic to die out. More than you would believe are turning and joining us. Which reminds me, why haven't you been initiated yet?" he asked me curiously, taking a step towards me.

"Javier," Draco called. Javi's head shot up and over in the direction of Draco's voice. Clearly, he hadn't even sensed that Draco was coming. Before I knew it, Draco was standing between Javi and I, asking him something in Spanish that I didn't understand. He then turned around and looked down at me, his eyes widening when he saw my hand.

"Javier," he began, asking him what happened. Javi told him.

"Is that true, Angelina, did you cut yourself on the horn?" Draco asked me, holding my waist in a tender manner. He wasn't as cold as the night before and I was curious as to why. He kissed my forehead lingeringly, taking me by further surprise. And then I thought he was doing this to make Javier stop looking at me.

"I'm fine," I said, pulling away from Draco with some effort. I glanced at Javi for a second before walking away to roam the garden. I heard Draco and Javi speaking until I was out of earshot. And then I heard someone running up behind me. It was Draco. I turned around to find Javi gone. He'd left.

"What was he doing?" Draco asked me. When I didn't stop walking, Draco got in front of me, blocking my path.

"Did he hurt you, Angelina?" Draco asked seriously, holding my hand. I looked up at him in utter shock.

"God damn it, Angelina, I'm asking you a question," Draco spat impatiently.

"No. Javi didn't do anything to me," I said, retrieving my hand slowly. Draco's brows furrowed.

"Don't call him Javi," Draco said.

"He told me that was his name," I said argumentatively. I thought I detected jealousy on Draco's face. He glanced away for a minute.

"Don't kiss me ever again," I said, turning to walk back to the house. I heard Draco's footsteps for a few seconds, and then he stopped. I looked back to see him watching me, an expression I couldn't quite decipher on his face. It looked somewhat like worry, but I wasn't entirely sure. I reached the screen door and glanced back again, but Draco was gone. When I stepped inside the house, I found that he had already materialized into the kitchen and was pouring himself a glass of wine. He filled the glass to the brim, pulling at the collar of his black robes. He looked uncomfortable, but the coldness I'd felt around him last night was no longer there. I just watched Draco take a sip, leaning against the counter and closing his eyes.

"You know I don't care about you," I said. He merely breathed.

"You're not going to make me be a Death Eater, Draco," I said.

"There's something wrong with you, isn't there?" I asked. Draco finally looked at me.

"What makes you say that? I'm perfectly happy," Draco spat defensively, but the way he'd said it made me feel otherwise.

"I've a bloody house on an island, I've all the money any man could ever want, and I have a promising job, a beautiful wife—" he stopped there, turning to place the glass on the counter again and fill it up.

"And a drinking problem," I said, watching him gulp down the glass.

"What did you say to me?" Draco asked loudly, with warning.

"…You heard me," I said, walking around the table to get to the door. Draco looked at the door and rushed to block my exit.

"You've no idea the shit I've been through last night. Yet you have the nerve to talk to me like that? I should beat you, but you're lucky I'm more tasteful than that. You should be on your knees rubbing my bloody feet," he said chauvinistically. I glared and went to slap him before I could control myself. Draco grabbed my wrist and made a frustrated noise, driving me back against the table. I closed my eyes as I heard the glass he'd been drinking from shatter on the floor. I was waiting to feel some sort of pain, but instead I just felt the coolness of Draco's hand pinning my wrist to the table. He was breathing angrily and I smelled the wine in waves. I looked up to find Draco leaning over me. His eyes were not as angry as he sounded. In fact, they looked pleading. They scanned my chest where I noticed the dress I was wearing to be letting some cleavage show. Draco sighed in a strange way. The way he was leaning over me had caused him to be between my legs somewhat. I sat up before the moment got way too awkward and Draco just stood there as I brushed past him, leaving him standing there like a dolt.