Story: An Agreeable Arrangement

Main Characters: Draco/OC Samantha Black

Pairings: Harry/OC Katherine Black, Hermione/Ron, & Ginny/Blaise

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC's Sam & Katherine

Ch. 6 Easy is Not in Our Vocabulary

Sam had always liked snow. It was pretty to look at and fun to play in. It was a sign of the holiday season and in her early years a sign of being home. Excelsior Academy for gifted witches had been located in Carmel California. As much as Sam liked the beach there was something comforting about going home for a white Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas she looked back at the "house" her a Draco were looking at. It was a mansion and a half in and was ridiculously secluded. She looked back out the window where the snow had covered the stone terrace and the surrounding landscape. She could see a large fountain down on the lawn sporting Greek statutes.

"Thanks, but this isn't it." Sam said to the realtor.

"We haven't even seen the upstairs yet." Draco said exasperated. They had been looking at houses all day and had yet to find one both he and Sam liked. She may have said this wasn't going to be a thing, but Draco was having a hard time believing that.

"There are statutes in the garden." Sam said putting her coat back on. "What's next?"

"Statutes, that is why you don't like it, because of the statutes."

"You didn't like the Penthouse we looked at because the large window pointed to the east."

"That was a perfectly reasonable complaint. The sun would wake us up every morning."

"There is this lovely invention called curtains, really very clever, they block the sun from coming into the room…"

"There were other issues as well." Draco said grumpily.

"Yeah, well there are issues with this one as well. So, what is next?"

"How about we call it a day?" the tired realtor asked. "Take some time to discuss what it is you both are looking for and I'll start compile some choices. You have my card, we can pick this up another day."

They looked at each other, "Fine." They agreed. They each shook hands with the realtor and made their way out the door to disapparate.

Before Draco could turn though, Sam grabbed his hand and he felt the squeezing sensation of side along apparition.

They landed in a small village covered in snow. It was Hogsmeade.

"What are we doing here?" Draco asked looking at Sam in confusion.

"I was hungry." She stated with a shrug. Walking towards the Three-Broomsticks.

"Madame Rosmerta, could we get two butter beers and some sandwiches please." Sam asked the minute they reached the bar.

"Why Samantha Black, long time no see." The bar woman said smiling at the former Hogwarts student. "Go find a seat and I'll bring them right over."

"Thank you."

She found a table in the back and shrugged out of her coat brushing the snowflakes off the hood before sitting down.

Draco mimicked her movements warily. He wasn't sure why but he had a bad feeling about this whole "lunch" rouse.

Sam didn't say a word she looked around the old establishment smiling at that shrunken heads her were heckling customers at the door and shaking her head at the Hogwarts students who were attempting to get Rosmerta to sell them firewhiskey.

Draco for his part watched Samantha watch everyone else. Something was off. She had a far away look on her face and if something was wrong Draco wanted to know what it was immediately rather than getting attacked for it later.

When their sandwiches came and Sam still didn't say anything Draco had had enough.

"Alright. What's the problem?" Sam looked at him like she was coming out of a daze.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Samantha Black, you have never been this quiet…ever! You talk in your bloody sleep so what is it dear that is ailing you?"

"I do not talk in my sleep." She glared at him but then sighed.

"Remember when things were less complicated?" she asked staring back at the Hogwarts students who were laughing in the corner.

"No." Draco took a sip of his butterbeer. When were things ever not complicated?

"Oh come on. Remember Hogwarts? When Quidditch and pranks, and homework were your biggest worries. When you knew who your friends were and who you wanted to die a slow painful death and whenever Parkinson made a snide remark I could jinx her into next Wednesday and it was completely acceptable. I miss when things were easy."

Draco's wheels were spinning, Did Pansy do something? Did I do something? Probably, but not in the last hour…She's unhappy, she wants easy like back at Hogwarts. Wait a second, easy?

"When in the bloody hell was Hogwarts easy?" He finally said incredulously.

"Easy? Really? Are we talking about the same Hogwarts in which the first year you arrived the Ministry was accusing our headmaster of being a crazy old fart and had him run out of the school while you and your friends formed a secret society to practice defense against the dark arts?"

"Are we talking about the same Hogwarts where I spent my sixth year terrified that if I failed the Dark Lord and didn't kill Dumbledore my family would die.

Let's not even talk about seventh year where how many days did you spend in detention? How many times did you end up in the hospital wing because of unforgivable curses from teachers. Hogwarts was never easy, our lives have never been easy and they never will be."

He stopped to take a breath shaking his head at Sam's ridiculousness. She looked like she was going to speak but he cut her off. He was going to finish his rant on a high note. He was going to win an argument for once.

"It's okay though. Because guess what Samantha Athena Black, you could never do easy. Easy is for the everyday people, easy is boring. You Samantha, you need a challenge, you need to over come conflict, because you are the strongest woman I know and the only one who could handle everything that you have been through and still come out on top.

And where we're at right now, it's not easy. It may get easier with time or it may not. But I can tell you right now that if anyone could handle this, make this look easy, make us work, it's you and it's me."

Sam put her elbow on the table and her cheek in her hand and just stared at Draco for a long moment with deep, penetrating eyes. The she smiled.

"That was inspiring Drake." She said with a grin, "honestly it sounded like a speech out of Notting Hill or something."

"What's Notting Hill?" Draco asked blankly

"It's a movie, about…it doesn't matter. You're right. I mean if anyone is going to do this… I mean you are Draco Malfoy."

Draco grinned, "And you're Samantha Black."