Author's Note - I know that there was a recent review that said that I didn't spend enough time with Angel and it was talking about other characters. I would like to respond to that by saying that: I did that on purpose. I've had characters deal with things and do character development. It's terrible because I want to express the Pansy, Blaise, Draco are and their importance in Angel's life. I hope some people understand that it's more than just her, I want to grow these formally flat characters.

~Of Silver and Gold~

Chapter 41: Research

"You mean you haven't figured out the second clue already?!" Hermione hissed at Harry. "You said to me that you've said already worked out that egg clue!"

She was obviously mad, clearly seen by her wrinkled forehead and her hair frazzling more than usual. Harry sighed and knew that perhaps he should have just lied to her after all she was worried enough as it was. It was now a tentative relationship with the trio, simply because Ron had finally decided to agree with him, and the fact that since the argument at the Yule Ball, they were a bit tense. He himself had avoided them for a bit trying to spend some time with Angel. He wondered if she was going through a breakthrough herself, but he doubted it; if he couldn't find anything tonight he knew that he'd be dead the next.

"I-I have!" he squeaked. "I just can't figure out how…how it'll work."

They were supposed to be practicing the disarming charm in Charms class, but he lacked any enthusiasm or real motivation. He felt himself getting distracted over the second task, also the lack of research he had been doing. He knew it was irresponsible, hell Hermione kept repeating that over and over again or giving him certain looks.

"You're going to the library after Care of Magical creatures got it?" Hermione hissed.

Harry simply nodded and leaned back waiting for this torture to end.

Meanwhile

An old book was slammed shut and a mumble of curses began to reverberate from the young woman in the quiet room. She had been at it for a few hours, cursing as she realized that nothing was coming up. She had researched from spells, to plants, and yet nothing came up that could help Harry with the second task. When he told her about the task, she found herself fussing over him and telling him if he had figured it out already.

He had replied with a sheepish no, and now Angel found herself here, curled up in her chair in the library, skipping Divination (waste of time) to research. So far all of the solutions weren't logical and she feared that if she didn't help, Harry could be in real danger.

Hearing the library door open, she paid little attention, still having a large number of books to read. She lifted her head hearing the footsteps coming her way, after all not many people knew about where she would curl up and read. The shadow of the person was evident on her book.

"You're blocking my light" she said bluntly.

"Every so sorry" she heard.

She lifted her head and let out an excited smile as she saw Harry. Putting her book to the side, she leaned up as he bent down, and met half way for a kiss. She smiled as she pulled back and he sat himself beside her, picking up the book under her own and opened it. He wanted to show her that he was willing to work alongside her as well.

At his actions she let out a smirk and chuckled. It was clear that he wanted to show her that he was making an effort and he wasn't just leaving it for her.

"Honestly Harry, you should have read this a lot earlier, it's important you-"

She was interrupted once more with a kiss and she glared at him for distracting her, and impeding her speech. He gave her a lopsided smile, and seeing that it wasn't working on her he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I know I know, I am supposed to be more responsible. I don't need to hear the speech again; after all I heard it well enough from Hermione this morning"

Angel grinned imagining Granger pestering Harry about whatever she needed for him to do, or how irresponsible he was; Granger was such a mother goose it was disgusting. Still, she knew that it was stressing Harry out more; he knew he had done wrong; it was no use him feeling guilty.

"Sorry" she replied and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I would help you feel better with a little snog but we have no time."

That was the first amused smile that he had let out and she grinned in return. She was glad they were relaxed around one another, still the nervousness of trying to do things right always loomed over her, but she knew that from their relaxed state, they were getting comfortable around one another.

"Anything so far?" he asked.

"No…I've been reading everything I could get my hands on, but I can't figure out anything…want me to ask Uncle Severus?" she asked curiously.

At his face, she chuckled and lifted her hands up in mock surrender. Bringing up her godfather wasn't really the smartest thing, but she couldn't help but let him take the bait, especially at the expression on his face.

They were now leaning against one another as they were reading in silence. Soon one book would be thrown to the side and another took its place. He wondered if anyone would have expected to see Angel Malfoy helping him survive the next task. He wasn't even expecting her to really be working so hard for him, he wouldn't have want her to stress out, but yet there she was, curled up beside him reading the book that could possibly help him survive the case. But as she threw it on the ground and picked up another one..

'Perhaps not that book' he thought.

An hour had passed, and both were rubbing their eyes trying to get some energy. Harry was never an avid reader of books, unless it involved Quidditch of some kind, or a spell that he yearned to learn. Angel was different, she happily read, but this, this was mundane and she was tired. She had skipped breakfast to be here and still no breakthrough. Hearing the last lines of a Herbology book, her eyes brightened.

"Harry look I-" she froze.

Hearing footsteps towards their direction they quickly sat at arm's length and pretended to not know each other. It was a stupid idea, but it would have been even stupider for one of them to run away, it was obvious that the footsteps had purpose.

Once the footsteps stopped, both looked up to see Professor McGonagall. Both of them wondered why she was there, and Angel looked towards Harry knowing it was probably for him. But before either could say anything, even a greeting they were interrupted.

"Miss Malfoy, sorry to inconvenience you from…your study session, but your presence is needed." She said.

Angel looked unsure, but knowing that the woman was not known for waiting, she got up and picked up her bag before nodding. Professor McGonagall lead the way as Angel trailed behind waving at Harry before following her. Harry waved back confused why she would be needed.

Angel realized that she was heading towards the Headmaster's office. And as she was lead in, she noticed that it had the heads of each Hogwarts house, and Headmaster Dumbledore who was smiling at her with the twinkling eyes. Her expression became impassive and she immediately sat down once she was signaled.

Before she could even figure out what she was in for, all she saw was darkness.

"Headmaster, I will not have my goddaughter be a part of this!" Severus hissed out.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling and walked in front of the unconscious girl, who was barely breathing, as the spell hit her hard.

"Why not choose Granger?!" Severus tried again trying to get through Dumbledore's stubborn head.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"Come now Severus, you know that she is the chosen person of Viktor Krum, he has no real close relations here but Miss Granger."

Severus ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He couldn't allow his goddaughter to be put into this situation, if Potter didn't save her time she'd be in danger. Severus had protected her from the moment she was born; he had been the substitute midwife for Merlin sake. He'd seen her grow into the compassionate but stubborn girl and it wasn't fair for her to deal with this.

"She can't I won't allow it" He added determined.

Dumbledore was many things, but he never really liked when people were not supporting his plan. Angel was the chance of inter-house unity in Hogwarts. For them to see that it was possible for Slytherin and Gryffindor to get along. Harry Potter represented Gryffindor, with his bravery and heroics he was the perfect representative. And as for Slytherin, for generations, since the creation of Hogwarts, Malfoys have always been Slytherin, and Miss Malfoy's companionship with Harry could strengthen the bonds.

Severus was adamant; he was willing to argue against him because of his goddaughter. That was a bit of a bump in his plans. He always believed in the greater good, and this was not convenient, not at all. He frowned and sat down on his desk knowing that Severus was going to give him a speech. Honestly, ever since he was a student, he was very firm.

"Now Headmaster I don't want her to do this. Think of the consequences, her family will…they will know of their situation, of her choice of….companion. It might not be my business to who she associates with, but when you are making a decision that will affect her life and making her vulnerable, not only to the spectators, but her family as well will be destructive."

As Dumbledore turned to face Angel who was breathing regularly now, Severus knew he was winning the argument. Minerva had stared back and forth between the pair, and she finally spoke up being the voice of reason.

"Why not choose Mr. Weasley" she said. "obviously Mr. Potter has a strong bond with him and it wouldn't be a surprise that he be chosen for the task"

Dumbledore frowned.

"Minerva, do you really think that Severus has a point?" he asked frowning. "And you two?"

The other two heads nodded, and Severus forced himself not to be too glad knowing Dumbledore hated being told that he was wrong.

"Very well then, let's forget this ever happened." Dumbledore said sighing. "A shame considering the plan had so much potential."

Severus picked up her body and pulled Angel closer as he walked into the secret tunnel that led from Dumbledore's office to his own and placed her on the couch. He made tea and leaned against his leather chair, waiting for her to wake up on her own.

He was halfway down his cup of tea before he heard her mumble something unintelligently. He turned to face the couch, and waited her for her react. She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes before looking at him confused. Taking in her surroundings, he saw her visibly relax.

"…what happened?" she asked softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked calmly.

Angel saw that he was pushing the teacup towards her and she took it, sipping it absentmindedly. He always had that for her and it calmed her down. She took a deep breath and sat on the chair in front of his desk.

"Why did Professor McGonagall call me out of the library? And why can't I remember anything after I sat down in the Headmaster's office?"

She furrowed her eyebrows confused and frowned deeply. What had happened? She tried to remember but all she could think of is darkness. She was going to say something else, but Severus interrupted her.

"Speaking of the library, what were you doing there with the Potter boy?"

She felt herself flushing and avoided his gaze immediately. Her tea was looking very interesting at the moment; how did he know? She didn't want to hear it, it was so uncomfortable for her.

"I see that professor's gossip" she mumbled.

Severus chuckled, and Angel frowned. Professor McGonagall had told her uncle about it, how dare she? Who knew that they spoke about their students, oh Merlin what did they know. Her face was red, she knew it, and by the look on her uncle, he found it amusing.

"Actually, whether she told me or not is irrelevant. Perhaps if you realized that from the towers you can see the fields, then you'd be a little more discrete."

If possible, she turned even redder, he noticed how uncomfortable she was, but he had to talk to her about it. He had seen them walking beside one another, but how long had this been going on.

"How long have you known?" she asked quietly.

"How long have you been infatuated with the Potter boy?" he asked her.

She looked up at him and frowned. He wasn't approving this…relationship with Harry. It hurt she admitted, but then again he hated Harry since the moment he came to Hogwarts. She would hate for him to tell her parents; that would ruin everything.

"I'm not going to stop seeing him" she blurted out.

He leaned back on his chair staring at her intently. But she wouldn't back down; she was staring at him determined to make a stand. It surprised him, how she wouldn't look away or stutter reasons why she was with Potter. "Are you really surprised when she is Amorette's daughter?' he thought. Absolutely not. He remembered the moment that Amorette once commented that perhaps her playing around with Sirius was growing tedious. Lucius and Narcissa were disappointed that the game would end. But it was the next night that Amorette had told him what was the truth.

Flashback…

She was staring down at her mug again; Severus sighed. It was clear to him that she was deeply thinking about something. For being a very loud and expressive girl, she had her moments when she sought out peace of mind and quiet. And in those moments she always went to look for him. They had an interesting friendship; he knew that others thought that they might have something, but that was never the case. Rather, they kept each other's secrets and kept them from the others.

"Will you just tell me what's bothering you? You're grumbling is annoying" he finally exclaimed.

Looking up, Amorette looked a bit off, her coffee colored eyes expressing her sadness. To anyone else, they would simply back off but not Severus. He was not one to bring comfort to anyone, it was just not his way.

"Fine" she hissed having her gaze go back to normal once realizing her manipulation wouldn't work on him. Looking around, she noticed no one was there, still she scooted closer and brought her mug closer to her. "I have a problem that keeps going around my head. And it's frustrating."

He raised his brow and signaled her to continue.

"That game...I was supposed to just...you know get him to like me then embarrass him in front of everyone" she trailed off. "But it got messy and now…"

"Now? Please tell me that you're not letting your basic emotion win you over? Seriously?"

"Well...I hate it too! It's just he's so genuinely trying Sev! Sirius is actually honest and he's trying so hard and I-I can't let that go. I'd rather be indifferent and hope it goes away but I-"

"Ugh you are just as sentimental as everyone else" He scoffed.

Her eyes hardened. "Now you can't possibly give me gripe over having feelings over someone I shouldn't." she looked surprised at his lack of change of emotion. "You are! I never once told you liking Lily was a problem and she's a muggleborn!"

His own eyes hardened. "I don't like where you are going. Tread lightly Amor" he growled.

"Sev" she grabbed his hand. "I'm not asking you to support me, or change my mind. I'm asking you to be there and help me just...just be there for me if this all crashes and burn."

"Fine" he huffed.

Her grip didn't lessen and she tugged it making it clear she wanted him to look at her eyes. "I mean it Severus. Promise me that no matter what happens and I-I'm foolish enough to just go for it, you'll still be there for me. Be there for me like I'm always going to be there for you"

He knew that there would be no way to get out of this, but then again he wouldn't go back on his word. Leaning forward he caressed her cheek and she smiled knowing she got her answer.

"I'm always there with you" he muttered.

"This is why I love you Sev" she pressed her forehead against his and smiled knowing she had her friend with her.

End Flashback...

From the looks of it, it seemed that history was repeating itself. It wasn't the prank or some scheme she had, her face was serious. And she didn't look a bit apologetic. She was nervous though, as he noticed when she was biting her lip, but her defiant nature was there. He had a bit more respect for her.

"Why are you seeing him?" he asked solemnly.

She looked down at her cup of tea then placed it on the table, before sitting up appropriately. She wasn't going to back down, whether he disapproved or not didn't matter, and while she knew it was going to hurt, she couldn't just be a coward and back down, especially during this time.

"I love him" she said immediately.

She closed her eyes after she said it and cursed at herself. It sounded so stupid, and that hurt. She took her uncle's opinion very seriously, and she knew that the term 'love' was stupid. She felt ashamed and it angered her, she knew what she felt, and whether it was real or not, it was real to her.

Severus was quiet. She didn't say she was infatuated, or that she cared, but that she loved Potter. He had to admit that it hit him hard, especially since he knew how it was. He had fallen for Lily around her age, and the fact that she looked ashamed made him feel like he couldn't just say anything.

"You don't know what love is" he said seriously.

At least to him she didn't. While he had found those feelings come out at her age, once he got older, it was not the same, it was deeper than the way he loved at the age of thirteen. As her gaze lowered, he knew that she understood what he meant. She was a smart girl, forced to become older by how she was raised. Love was a serious word, and the fact that she used it, and was ashamed of it showed him that maybe she wasn't as sure as she thought she was, or she knew the consequences.

"You don't love him" he declared.

Angel bit her bottom lip and forced herself to not to reply. It was harsh to hear it, and it hurt her that he disapproved so much. She knew that he hated Harry, but to tell her that her feelings weren't real, was harder to bear with.

Looking up softly, Angel took the breath from Severus as the same pair of eyes that had looked at him sixteen years ago.

"Have you been in love?" she asked softly.

Severus tensed up and looked away from her, letting the silence surround them. He didn't want to tell her just how much in love he had been, and to who, but still he knew that she wanted the answer.

"Yes." He replied.

She was surprised, and she couldn't even hide it. In all honesty a part of her was shocked he was capable of loving someone, he was a person she loved, and she knew he cared about her, but feelings weren't really his forte. She lowered his gaze and knew that she had lost the base of her argument.

"I genuinely care for him" she replied softly.

Severus shook his head and rubbed his temples. It was a useless cause; he had had this conversation around fifteen years ago with someone that had the same response. Melin, her and her mother were more similar than he already had seen. The determination was clear, and again foolish.

"You know years ago I had a similar conversation with someone." He drawled out.

Angel lifted her head and looked at him curiously.

"What happened? Were they happy at the end?"

Severus sighed and looked at the picture on the mantel and looked back at her. Her eyes wide with hope, something he was surprised about. Before he could think of his answer, his mouth beat him to it.

"They suffered"

She winced, and leaned back on the chair, as if she was protecting herself, or leaning back from the surprise surge of emotions. That was definitely not the answer she wanted to hear, she felt tears rise knowing that it was probably going to be the same for them; she was always a realist when it came to human emotions, and this just planted a fear.

In turn, he merely studied her reaction, as if she was some experiment. She had argued with people because of this subject, probably Miss Parkinson, but to hear the fate of someone similar, shook her more. Silence loomed over them, and he was shocked to hear her tone of finality.

"Well then…I'll wait for that time to come, but in the meantime I'll try to enjoy the moments." She muttered. "And don't try to stop us, it won't work, and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell father."

She couldn't stand to face him, too ashamed. She instead looked around to find her satchel conveniently towards certain ingredients. She bent down, ignoring him staring at the back of her head, and grabbed her satchel, and a tiny vial that had taken her interest.

"Good night Uncle Severus"

Before dashing out of his office; she wasn't going to leave Harry, in her own way she was happy. She loved him, despite all of what Uncle Severus said. She loved him, and maybe as they got older it would change to a different form of love, she didn't care. Carpe Diem, seize the day rung through her mind and she nodded.

Walking down the hall, she noticed Harry with a worried look on his face, surrounded by no one. Walking towards him, she smiled noticing his whole face light up. She realized she liked that look on him and immediately ran forward and let herself fall into a hug. He held her tightly against him and even lifted her up a bit from the ground, making her laugh softly.

Harry opened his mouth to ask why, but soon all those thoughts disappeared as she kissed him firmly on the lips. He responded to her kiss almost immediately relishing the soft comfort that came from her. She was many things, determined, angry, stubborn, but she loved like no one he had ever met. Pulling back he lowered her down and noticed a different look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Angel shook her head and gave him another peck on the lips.

"Nothing, just…I'm just happy" she whispered.

"Why are you happy?"

"You're here with me" was her reply.

Harry let out a thousand watt smile and put his arm around her leading her towards her dorms. It was a few minutes before curfew, so the halls were empty, and while he had spent most of them searching for Hermione and Ron, it soon paid off even more as he saw how happy his girlfriend was. He liked how she leaned against him her arm around his waist as they walked together.

"I love you Harry" she whispered.

"I love you too" he replied with softness as well.

They were oblivious to a pair of grey eyes staring at them, a frown immediately on his face. This would be a failure, Severus knew it, and both their hearts would be shattered. The Malfoys never let a family member go out on their own for simple pleasures. And she would be the victim of this, if not tied by bond with the Malfoys, she was tied by name. She would suffer, and the Potter boy would suffer, and he'd have no choice but watch on as the two flames die out.

"Pity" he murmured before entering his office once more.

Unbeknownst to him, the screaming and cheering he would hear at the end of the hall would come from Harry. And if anyone were to look out of the towers and towards the hallway, they would see Harry spinning a brunette around and kissing her in glee. A second round of laughter followed his before silence with another kiss.

"Merlin you're a lifesaver" he whispered pressing his forehead against her.

"If we want this relationship to keep going you need to be alive" she teased in return.

He still pulled her tighter and looked at the Gillyweed in his hand. He had a chance, he could survive the end of this, all because of her by his side. He heard her muffled giggles and pulled back a bit. She looked happy to help him, and that tugged his heart strings.

Leaning down, he brushed his nose against hers, and she rose up to meet him. Her eyes shined brightly, just enjoying the moment that was theirs. She moved her arms up from around his waist, to around his neck and pressed herself closer to him. Both their heartbeats were beating quickly and a hum of glee ran through them.

"I love you, more than you can imagine" he said breathlessly.

Her cheeks flushed at his words. Perhaps he didn't know the implications of his statement, but she didn't care, it reassured her to the conversation that had brought fear into her mind. She simply played with his hair, as he pressed her against the hallway walls, much to her amusement.

"I love you too Harry, I love you too" she whispered.

He loved just holding her, holding someone that loved him in a different way than his mates. She was so different, but fit him like if she was made, just for him. He might have not understood all of the implications from his statement, but later he would find out that they were true.

"Hey Potter"

He looked down at her, as a wicked grin stretched on her face.

"Care for that snog now?" she purred.

Harry's cheeks reddened and he nodded, earning a laugh from her. But that soon was muffled as the first of many kisses began.