„Are you meeting your boyfriend again?" Sophie asked from the couch while Amelin pulled on her shoes behind her. "You know exactly that he isn't my boyfriend", Amelin said. Sophie bent over the backrest and looked at her friend. "But you wouldn't mind if he was your boyfriend, would you?" she wanted to know rising her eyebrow. Amelin sighed leaning against the kitchen counter. "No, but I have the feeling that he's hiding something from me." "And what?" asked Sophie. "No idea", Amelin said with a shrug. "Honestly Amy if you haven't met they way you did would you have told him the truth?" "Of course, I like him too much for that and I wouldn't want to start a relationship with a lie." Before Sophie could reply something there was a knock on the door. "That's him. See you later", Amelin said grabbing her bag. "Don't hurry you can sleep at his if you want", Sophie called after her when Amelin stepped to Draco on the hallway. "Everything alright with you?" he wanted to know and looked at her smiling. Amelin simply nodded and they went on their way. They took the subway to Piccadilly Circus from where they went into the cinema. After the movie they went into a restaurant close by to eat something. "Would you like to come to my house?" Draco asked after dinner. Surprised Amelin looked at Draco, in the half year she knew the blond one he had never invited her to his house. He had come to hers once or twice after their dates but beside a coffee on her couch there had never been more. "Why?" was the first thing she could say after she had caught herself. "Well I don't want the night to be over and I want to have you to myself for a little longer. So are you coming to my house?" Draco explained looking at her hopefully. Amelin couldn't help but agree. Draco raised his right hand calling for a taxi. Amelin didn't know how he did it, but every time he needed a taxi one stopped. She needed to ask him what his trick was. Draco opened the door and let her climb in, then he went around the vehicle, whereat he tapped the boot once and got in on the other side. Amelin only noticed how the driver asked for the address, because she suddenly became so sleepy. "Sleep if you want, it will take a while until we are there", Draco whispered before sleep overwhelmed her.
Amelin didn't know how long she had been asleep as Draco softly shook her arm. "I'm sorry", she apologized as she woke up and rubbed her eyes. "It's alright, we're almost there", Draco said and pointed out the windscreen where a great old mansion could be seen. Amelin was speechless when the Taxi stopped in front an iron gate. Without hesitation she got out and starred baffled at the house. After a while Draco stepped beside her. "It's nothing special", he said. Amelin turned to him and looked at him as if he had gone crazy. "That's a damn villa", she almost shouted. Embarrassed Draco scratched his neck, then he opened the gate and guided Amelin over the gravel walk to the house. "Is that a peacock over there?" Amelin asked when they reached the door. Draco looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, my father bought them", he explained and opened the door. As they entered the lobby the lights turned on immediately. "Motion detector fancy", Amelin said looking around. A big staircase led to the upper floor and on the left and right doors led to adjacent rooms, from the ceiling hung a big chandelier. "Does your family somehow belong to the royal family or from where does all this come?" Amelin asked and turned to Draco. "We aren't noble but my family is pretty ancient. Come", Draco said guiding her into a parlor. There was a comfortable looking couch in front of a fireplace which Draco immediately lit. "That's incredible Draco", said Amelin still fascinated from the estate. "Take a seat, I'll get us something to drink", he said smiling and disappeared through a door. Amelin looked around in the parlor before she sat on the couch. She pulled off her shoes und dug her feet under herself, she laid her elbow against the backrest of the couch and put her head in one of her hands. The light of the fireplace danced across her face and warmed her. She sat there with her eyes closed enjoying it. Draco who had meanwhile returned watched her like this for a while. He felt his heart beating in his chest, took a deep breath and went to her. "Here", he said handing her a glass of wine before he sat on the couch beside her. "Thanks. It's really great", Amelin said pointing at the parlor. "Yeah it's also my favorite place", Draco said looking around. As he looked back at Amelin he raised his glass. "To us", he said and clinked his glass with Amelin. Amelin nodded taking a sip. "Tasty what's that?" she asked licking her lips. "A special produced wine", Draco said. Amelin nodded, took another sip, then she put the glass on the coffee table. She tilted her head watching Draco. "What?" he asked unsure. Amelin smiled and bend forward. Draco's eyes widened as Amelin came closer and closer, he felt her hand in his neck and a moment later Amelin pulled back again and Draco's hair fell over his shoulder. Draco blinked several times, then he asked: "What are you doing?" "I always wanted to know how you look with open hair", Amelin said. "Alright, can I have my hair tie back now?" Draco asked reaching out his hand. Amelin shook her head pulling the hair tie over her wrist. "You should wear it open more often, it suits you", she said and started to wrap a strand of his hair around her finger. She was fascinated about how soft they were and how the light of the fireplace reflected in them. As Amelin raced her gaze she saw how Draco looked at her with a soft expression in his eyes. She laid the hand that wasn't playing with his hair on his chest and bend forward. But before her lips could touch his he grabbed her wrists. "I'm sorry I can't", he whispered letting go of her and standing up. Shocked Amelin looked at Draco and wondered if she had misread his signs. "But I thought", she started, but Draco who was pacing in front of the fireplace interrupted her as he turned around to her. "It's not like that, really. You're just to important for me that I could withhold something from you." Amelin sat up looking at Draco curiously. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "There's something you don't know about me and you should know it before we move forward", Draco said seriously. "Are you married?" Amelin asked out of fun. Draco shook his head. "Is Teddy your son, if so then…" "It's not that", Draco interrupted her. "Please listen to me Amelin, this is not easy for me." Draco took another deep breath and looked into Amelin's eyes, she had been so honest with him that he thought that she also deserved the truth. If she wouldn't take it well, he could still obliviate her and erase himself from her memories even though it would break his heart. "Amelin I'm a wizard." Amelin blinked several times then she smiled. "You mean like those in the circus or so?" she wanted to know. Draco shook his head. "No with real magic." He pushed his shirt up a little and drew a long stick out of the waistband of his trousers. He swung it once and a bouquet of flowers appeared at the tip. Draco took the flowers laying them on the coffee table between him and Amelin. "That was a real impressive trick", Amelin said looking at the flowers. "That was no trick. Toffey would you bring me a hair tie!" Draco shouted and Amelin looked at him confused because she had no idea who he was calling. There was a crack and a little creature appeared in front of Draco. "Here master Darco", the creature said handing Draco a hair tie. "Thanks Toffey you may leave again", Draco said tied his hair up while the creature nodded and disappeared with a crack. "What was that?" Amelin wanted to know looking at Draco. "That was a house elf. A magical creature." "So you're a wizard? What about the other mythical creatures. Unicorns, fairies, goblins?" Amelin wanted to know. "Most of them are real." Amelin shook her head that was a lot to take in. She looked at Draco and her heart skipped a beat. "Are there love potions too?" she asked standing up. Draco nodded looking down at her when she stood directly in front of him. "Have you used your abilities on me?" Amelin asked looking up at him with glossy eyes. "No, love potions don't create true feelings", Draco explained. Amelin smiled softly laying her hands on his cheeks. "Then it's fine", she said pulled Draco down to her and kissed him. "Amelin", Draco whispered when he pulled back. "It's a lot to take in but you're too important for me that I would let you go because of this." Draco put his forehead against hers. "You're saying this now", he whispered. "What do you mean, is there more you're not telling me?" Amelin asked. Draco pulled his head back and nodded.
Amelin had asked Draco to tell her the rest, so he pulled her back to the sofa. They sat beside each other and Draco held Amelin's hands in his. After a sigh he started telling. "Some years ago there was still war in our society. A dark wizard had the opinion that all muggles and muggles born should be killed." "Muggle?" Amelin asked. "People without magical abilities", Draco explained before continuing. "My parents supported this wizard and I was also raised with the conviction that pure bloods, pure magical wizards, are better than others. I believed this for a long time until my father got imprisoned when I was sixteen. He executed a mission for the black magician and got caught and went to our prison. To punish our family for his failure he settled in here and made me one of his followers. He demanded that I kill the headmaster at that time." Amelin drew a sharp breath and Draco stopped in his telling. "Did you?" she asked after a while. Draco shook his head and continued. "Not that I didn't try. At that I even put some of my classmates in mortal danger, but at the end I couldn't kill him. The headmaster even offered to help me, but I was so scared, because he had already tortured me and my mother and threatened to kill her. Anyway my godfather killed him then", Draco ended his telling. "What happened?" Amelin wanted to know. "One of my classmates destroyed him later and his supporters were put on trial. I wasn't charged guilty because Harry stated at my hearing that I probably had saved his life. Yet the bad image off my family still clings to me, for a lot off people in our society I'm a monster and traitor because I stood on the wrong side back then." Amelin squeezed his hands and Draco looked in her eyes, to his surprise she smiled at him and didn't seem to be disgusted. "You're not a monster", Amelin said, sitting astride his lap. Draco blinked surprised and had to collect himself first. "Didn't you listen to me? Because of my people got hurt and my godfather even paid with his life." Amelin put her hands on his cheeks lifting his face. "Did you kill him?" she asked. "No but…" "It wasn't your fault Draco" Amelin interrupted him. "It was war and in war there are different rules. You've only done those things to protect the people you love. You were still a child. I would probably have acted the same way." Amelin laid her forehead against his and Draco closed his eyes. "You think too highly of me," he whispered. "And you're thinking too much", Amelin replied kissing him softly. "Are you sure you're not a witch?" Draco asked as she let go off him. "Absolutely", Amelin said smiling. "What a shame", Draco mumbled. Amelin laughed and kissed him again.