I really like this chapter. Why? It's just very cute to me. Tell me if you think so too. Draco seems a bit OOC, but that's okay.

Blue flames flared past my eyes like a scorching flame thrower. I gasped at the chills it sent through me. I should've been moving, running to get out of the way of the attack. But my legs were too numb to help me escape. I stared down, horrified hoping to take at least one step to get away. I idly placed my hand on my torso. Suddenly, my arms went numb, freezing in place, and now unmovable. My head pounded and my ears thrummed like people were screaming in my ear, even though the only thing that pulsed the air was the silence. My ears burned as I gazed up. "Draco…" I rasped.

Cold fingers touched my clammy skin. "Yes, love?"

I gasped out of my dream.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked with his usual smirk. I pulled my hair into a ponytail with my headband.

"Yeah, yeah, fine."

"Dreaming of me?"

"Tuh, you wish."

He chuckled and pulled me out of the sea of covers. He raised his eyebrows, his grin widening. I followed his eyes. I realized that I was wearing a teeny tiny gown that was slightly see-through in the dim light. My cheeks flushed as I grabbed my blue silk robe lying on the chair. I struggled to find something to draw Draco's attention away from my chest.

"So," I asked, "what do you have planned for today… sky diving?"

An elf sat a plate of breakfast on my dresser. Draco picked up a waffle and took a bite. "No, no… it's much too cold for that. I was thinking something more along the lines of… ice skating."

I stared at his reflection in the mirror and frowned. I took the waffle from him. I was almost positive that I'd mentioned that I had no idea how to skate. So I looked at him to mention it again. "But I can't skate."

He grinned evilly. Yeah, I definitely told him. He loves to torture me. "You'll learn. I'll be waiting near the garden." He snatched up another waffle and left.

'Great. That's just brilliant.' I plopped down on my bed to glower at the ceiling. Then the door reopened. Draco leaned against the door.

"I forgot to mention," He stepped further into the room upon noticing my dejected mood and leaned on the dresser, "You have a few new dresses for the Christmas Ball tonight."

I smiled sweetly at him inching my arms behind me. "Draco?"

"Yes, love?"

"Get the hell OUT!"

I threw a banana at his head. He slammed the door shut, laughing loudly as I heard his footsteps fade. I sighed watching the smashed banana plop down the side of my door in sad lumps.

And then he was gone again. I shook my head and opened my wardrobe. Sure enough there were at least 3 dozen new dresses hanging from the front rack. 'Yeah, a few. Right.' I pushed them out of the way to grab a pair of dark blue jeans and a pink shirt that said- 'Love comes in different shades of red'. A glance in the mirror disturbed me because I was grinning more than a second year with a school girl crush. I cleared my throat and pressed my lips into a hard line. I had given a thought to… it, but there was just no way it was happening.

"Ready. You know, if you wanted to murder me, you could have just done it in my room. I would've gone quietly." I joked as he continued to pulled me through the every-color rose bushes. I plucked a blue one off and another grew in its place.

"Stunning, isn't it?"

"Beautiful." I mumbled as I sniffed the rose.

"Not the flower," He groaned, "Look!"

A lake lay between a row of mountains and a bed of frozen tulips. The entire lake was frozen over with a deep blue shine. It was shiny smooth even though it snowed like there'd been a blizzard the previous night.

"Wow, let's go." I said sarcastically and sat on the frozen ground. "You know, if you wanted to murder me, you could have just done it in my room." I repeated.

"Tempting- but no. You'll love this." He told me. His fingers intertwined with mine. I should have felt uneasy about it, but I didn't. Spending every day with Draco so far, I was getting used to him. I'm sure he treated every girl like this in the beginning. I ignored it, stomping down anything that was remotely similar to fancying Draco Malfoy and thought of ways to murder the butterflies birthing in the bottom of my stomach. Draco began pulling out ice skates. I shook my head furiously.

"No, I already told you. I don't know how to ice skate." I whined.

"That's why I'm going to teach you." He replied and pulled me down onto a bench. He tugged at my boots. "It's about the only muggle thing that I enjoy."

"No." He simply shook his head and continued to yank them off. "If I fall and my head splits open, it'll be your fault."

He slipped the perfectly fitted skates on. I folded my arms in a huff and looked away from him as his pulled his own skates on. I knew it was childish, but I really didn't want to make a fool out of myself in front of Draco.

I tightened the laces on my skates and Draco pulled me up. I wobbled slowly onto the ice.

"That's it. Nice and slow." He ordered.

I slid one foot in front of the other. The best thing that I thought to do was to remember when Hermione was teaching me to roller blade for our Muggle Studies project at the beginning of the last term. It was extraordinarily difficult, but Draco was surprisingly patient. He guided me, suppressed his laughter when I fell, and, somehow, made it fun for me. I was actually enjoying myself until more people began skating toward us.

Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and Pansy glided over to us like pros. Draco met them half-way. Seeing the five of them together- graceful, slightly mischievous, and all ridiculously rich- it made me feel a bit detached… almost jealous. They were all decked out in expensive sweaters and shiny new skates. They all seemed so comfortable with each other. It only made things worse when Pansy wrapped her arm around Draco's neck. She laughed a little too hard and glared a bit too much for my taste. And then Zabini gave a glare colder than Pansy. I would've thought that Blaise and I would get along. He looked back at Draco and nodded.

They all talked in muted voices, so I couldn't hear. Pansy shook her head at something Draco said. Her fingers walked up and down his neck. She went in for a kiss. He pushed her away. I turned towards the mountains and grinned with deep satisfaction. Draco finally called me over.

"Emma! Come on."

Still smiling, I stuffed my hands in my pockets. "I don't think I can make it that far."

"Try."

So, I did. I made it about 4 inches before slipped and fell, butt-first, onto the cold ice. Pansy snorted. I could see a small grin creeping onto his face as he slid to a stop two centimeters in front of me.

"Come on. Get up." Draco ordered as he pulled my hands.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked myself more than anyone else, but he answered all the same.

"No."

So I let him pull me up. He held a wide smile on his lips and beckoned me to move. It was almost as infectious as Harry's beams. The major difference though was that Harry was sincere, and Draco was just taunting. I decided to watch my feet as the blades slowly cut through the perfectly sculpted floor. My knees shook slightly which only made it more difficult.

"That's it. Just slide one foot in front of the other." He instructed gingerly. It didn't work. My back foot jammed in one place and pulled me down. Draco didn't let go of me, so he came tumbling down right on top of me.

"Ahh! Ow!" I cried. My butt was cold, and I was being crushed by the very person who put me into this dilemma.

The others laughed. I could feel my cheeks burning up. Not because of the laughs, but because I could see the very shade of Draco's grey eyes with gentle flecks of silvery blue that could match the sky on a cloudy day. I could feel his breath on my cheeks, and I could smell his cologne. I could feel the intensity in every part of him. He stared at me for what seemed like forever. I felt a small tug. The same feeling that I had in the common room. The tug that pulled me closer to him. I picked my head up. He leaned his face closer to mine.

Then he was gone. Pansy pulled him up. "Poor Drakie, darling. Why do you put up with that clumsy girl anyway? She causes all kinds of accidents. Are you hurt?" Blah, blah, blah. I actually lifted myself up on my own.

His foggy breath puffed on my cheeks. "Ready?" He asked in a whisper, having completely forgotten about Pansy.

I nodded as he put each of his hands on my waist. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and placed them lightly on his arms. He pulled me closer to him and began skating backwards. His eyes penetrated mine. My persistent blushing cheeks would not give, so I stared down at my sluggish feet.

"There you go." He whispered. He stepped into the field and lifted me out of the lake.

"Thank you." I gazed up at him. His face was terrifyingly intense. I could have sworn that his face was inching toward mine.

"Could we get going, please?" Pansy whined. After a few seconds, Draco nodded and pulled off his skates. I did the same and we all headed back to the house.

Pansy pulled me away from the group. We continued to walk, lagging behind the boys. I bit down on my bottom lip to listen to her. I owed her that much since I was in fact falling for...

"Do you remember what we talked about?" She mumbled in her shrilly voice. I didn't answer, so she continued. "I told you to stay away from Draco. What are you doing, testing me?"

"Pansy- I'm not" I tried to explain.

"Ah- ah. Pansy's talking," I rolled my eyes at her third person monologue, but she continued talking, "In April, when I turn 15, Draco and I are going to be officially betrothed..."

'Betrothed?'

"You're not going to ruin this for me. Okay? Okay." She ran to catch up with the group glancing back at me. "Well, see ya tonight... Em." She snickered and walked into the house.

I seethed inwardly and stomped in behind them. Draco left with the group, leaving me with all of my jumbled thoughts. I ran up to my room and splashed some water on my face. It was still red, but it would have to do. I sighed and plopped down into a chair. Who did she think she was? Pansy shouldn't feel threatened. They would still be married in the end. Who did she think she was, even if I did like Draco?

I shook my head defiantly. I did not like Draco. I could tolerate him now, but there was absolutely no way. He was attractive, I supposed. He had a toned body, slim but well trained from Quidditch. His smirk, when he twisted his lips just the right way was hypnotizing, but that did not mean that she liked him… No, definitely not. He was still a slimy, secretive, insensitive, violent Death Eater in the making.

***Later****

"What is this?" I wondered out loud. There was a little pink box sitting on my dresser. I picked it up and the silver lace fell to the floor. I lifted the top to find a beautiful diamond necklace placed on an ivory pillow. It had to be at least 20 carrots. I sucked in an uneven breath and put it on my neck.

It went perfectly with my long silk satin dress. I straightened out my dress with my gloved hands and smiled. I admired myself in the double wide mirror for a few seconds.

"I have to admit it- I look gorgeous." I murmured to myself.

"I completely agree. The gloves make you look sort of Old Hollywood."

I looked around shocked. There was no one in the room with me.

"Over here genius." My eyes followed the voice. It was a painting of a small girl with blond curls and light grey eyes. She wore an elegant blue velvet dress. She couldn't have been more than 12. She was too small to fit in the frame that she was standing in.

"Um, thank you."

She winked. "Sure." I walked closer to the painting. She looked around as if she was making sure no one was looking. "You're Emma Paniettiere, right?" She asked in a whisper.

I nodded. "Who are you?"

Her lips stretched into a smirk. I blinked twice. It looked so familiar. "Follow me." She then jumped into another painting. My eyebrows drew together in confusion. She groaned, "Well, come on. You need to see something."

I followed her as she jumped from painting to painting. She led me up a flight of stairs and to a door on the fourth floor. I walked into the room cautiously. It was completely green and silver. It had a Slytherin crest was stitched elegantly into the headboard. This was definitely Draco's room.

"Right here." The girl stood in a tiny frame sitting on a desk.

"Why are we in Draco's-?"

"Come on. Open this drawer here."

I shook my head but obeyed. I walked over to the desk and pulled the little silver knob.

"Emma, what are you doing in here?"

I shut the door and whisked around. "Draco, I was… looking for you." I lied. He wasn't really listening anyway. He gazed at me as if he was suddenly very far away. That look filled his eyes again, and I could see them dilated and permeate with an emotion that was familiar but unrecognizable. He walked forward until we were face to face.

"You look beautiful." He said. I smiled and touched the necklace. "Only because of the gift you gave me."

"Ugh, gag me." The girl cried out.

"Um, who is she?"

Draco picked the picture up. He smiled at the girl. There was a gleam in his eye, like pride. No one has ever known Draco for having pride in anyone but his family. "My sister, Danielle."

'Bingo.'

He turned the picture upside down and Danielle tumbled down. "Hey!" He laughed softly and took my hand walking down to the end of the hall.

"She loved events like this. She was the shining star, but considering that she's not here…" He touched the large double doors and they flew open.

"Announcing Miss Emma Clarissa Paniettiere." A loud voice bellowed.

The ballroom was spectacular. It was littered with gold and diamonds. Chandeliers hung down from the high ceilings. I could see all the dresses twirling across the floor. The entire room was glowing.

My fingers tightened around the marble banister. Everyone looked towards me. I saw various people whispering and gasping, and a few were even glaring. I wrapped my arm around Draco's and descended the stairs.

Pansy was quick to take Draco away from me. She fought with her big puffy green dress as she hurried over to us. "Draco, would you like to dance?"

I pulled my lips into a grin. Draco looked at me for approval, so I nodded. I wasn't going to get between Pansy and her man. It wasn't like me. He kissed my gloved hand and grinned, taking Pansy away. She gave me the ugliest glare that I'd ever seen. I exhaled slowly through my nose.

"I could swear that that was her normal face." I murmured.

"That's not very nice." My mum said from behind me. She looked extravagant in her red dress and long brown curls up in a bun.

"No, but I think it's true. The girl hates me all because of…Draco Malfoy."

She curled her lips trying to suppress a smile. "Well, he is a handsome boy, don't you think darling? You should give him a chance. You like him don't you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Who said that I-"

"I'm your mother. It's instinctive for me to know when you're over thinking things. Besides, do you really think that I'd be away as much as I am and not have someone watching over your every move? I must admit, I didn't think it would take you so long to make friends. I think your father and I leave you alone too much."

I laughed. I never thought that my parents had been keeping tabs on me. I loved my parents, but I assumed that they were just out of touch. I could honestly say that I was dead wrong. "So, what exactly am I thinking?"

She put her index finger on her jaw and smiled. "Well, I know that you like the boy, but you don't want to admit to it. That's just a simple fact of you being difficult about everything. Something that should feel right to everyone else feels wrong to you. I know that you don't want to deal with Pansy. I know that there's something else holding you back, but I don't quite know just yet," She looked at me and her smile widened, "and I know that Draco fancies you and that he's going to come over here to ask for a dance."

Surely enough, someone laid their hand, palm up on my shoulder. "Would you like to dance?" Draco asked in my ear.

I grinned and put my hand in his. He span me around in a circle and pulled me in. We waltzed across the floor. My mum raised her glass to me and wandered over to speak with Narcissa, an airy but determined look in her eyes.

"I take in that you like your gift?" He said spinning me away and pulling me closer than before.

"No," He frowned and moved us further to a door. "Only because I didn't get you anything."

His smirk came back. "Well then, I guess that means you owe me."

We stopped once we made it to two open ivory doors. He led me onto the balcony. There was a massive amount of stars circling a full moon. I'd imagined a bunch of werewolves running amok tonight. Not very romantic, but I felt sorry for everyone who wanted to have a nice Christmas but had their festivities ruined by an uncontrollable urge to become an animal. It made me appreciate how happy I was. I didn't think that I deserved it, but I was enjoying myself. I wasn't blind. I'd seen the newspapers that were solely based on the conspiracy of Harry and Dumbledore. I knew people were dying because of a certain Dark Lord. I knew that most of the people in the room were taking a part in the killings.

I took a breath and turned up to Draco. He was looking up at something. I followed his eyes. There was tiny mistletoe hovering above our heads. I looked back at him to see his smirking face.

"Merry Christmas." He murmured.

We gazed at each other. His grey eyes burned my own russet orbs. His smirk slowly faded away as he leaned his head down and pressed his lips to mine.

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Read Chapter 6! Please and Thank You!