Aurora's eyes fluttered open and then immediately fell shut again. With a groan, she pulled the sheets up over her head. She felt like death; her head was pounding. Her muscles ached, and her stomach turned.

"What happed last night?" She asked herself as she tried to recall the previous night's events. She remembered Wyatt and Draco showing up and then there was tequila…

"Oh." She groaned once more and then realized that today was Monday and she had to be in class. Aurora shot up in an upright position, burying her head in her hand.

"Oh no, oh no, no, no, no. This can't be happening." She carefully stood and made her way downstairs. She stopped when she saw Draco asleep on the couch. Aurora walked up to him and gently shook him awake.

"Draco."

"Hmmmm." He stirred.

"Draco, wake up."

Draco opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Looks like you're finally up."

"What are you doing here?"

Draco sat up and looked her right in the eye. "Someone had to look after you while you were intoxicated."

"What happened last night?" Aurora asked slowly.

Draco had absolutely no intention of telling her about her actions, as he knew she would be mortified. "Nothing too crazy."

Aurora's eyes narrowed; she knew he was lying. "Draco, tell me the truth."

"Trust me, you don't want to know. Oh, and by the way your class has been canceled. Your professor sent an owl. She said class will meet next week"

"Oh thank God! I had no idea how I was going make it. But seriously, what happened last night?"

"Um…You vomited all over the place and I had to clean you up." Draco said with a slight blush as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

Suddenly images of the previous night flashed through her head.

"What? I…you…oh my…" She covered her mouth and looked up at her nervous friend. And that's when she realized that she was not wearing the same blouse and pants she had been wearing last night. Instead she was in a pair of pajamas. If I'm wearing these now, that means he… Aurora covered her face in shame.

"Oh my…I'm so sorry!"

Draco was actually amused by her reaction. "Don't be sorry love, but I must say that is quite a wicked tattoo you have on your hip."

Aurora's lips pressed together in a tight line. "That wasn't meant for your eyes."

"Trust me, I had no intention of looking at you, but I wasn't going to leave you passed out and covered in vomit. If it makes you feel better though, I did try to respect your privacy as much as possible."

Aurora shifted uncomfortably, trying not to make eye contact. She was too embarrassed to even look him in the eye.

"Why don't I take you to breakfast…or in this case, lunch, since it is noon."

Aurora nodded, and was about to go back upstairs to change when Draco grabbed her by the wrist.

"Before you go, drink this." He handed her a small vial that was filled with clear liquid. Aurora looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"It's something that Wyatt and I developed to help with hangovers. We were messing about in the lab one day and this ended up being the product of that."

"Do you know what happened to Wyatt?" Aurora asked Draco as they both exited the building.

"I think he went home, but then again I could be wrong."

Aurora just shrugged, not thinking much of Wyatt's absence, since he always had a habit of coming and going as he pleased. She and Draco stepped out onto the street, walking briskly through the crisp January air when suddenly a loud ringing noise broke the silence. Aurora looked around, trying to find its source, when she saw Draco dig through his coat pocket and pull out what appeared to be a Muggle communication device. Aurora recognized it, it was a rectangular shaped contraption with various buttons on it.

Now what are those things called again? A Mobile phone?

She watched with interest as Draco pressed one of the many buttons on the device and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

Aurora could hear an indistinct response on the other end.

"Yes, this is he." Draco seemed concerned at whatever the other voice was saying to him. "…he was found where? How?" There was a long pause as the other voice rambled on, and Draco's face twisted in disbelief. Finally, he sighed and said, "Okay, I'll be right over to pick him up, thank you."

Draco lowered the phone from his ear and placed back in his pocket.

"What was that about?" Aurora asked. "And why are you carrying around a Muggle communication device?"

"There's really no time to explain, I have to pick up Wyatt from the hospital. I'll treat you to lunch tomorrow, I promise."

Draco took a step back from Aurora, preparing to Apparate, when she grabbed hold of his hand.

"What's wrong with Wyatt?" She asked, with deep concern for her friend.

"I'm not exactly sure on details but apparently he was found asleep outside and almost froze to death. I'll find out more once I get to the hospital."

"I want to come."

"Really? You don't have to."

"I know, but as cliché as it sounds, I really do worry about him sometimes."

Draco nodded and extended his arm so that Aurora could take it.

Draco and Aurora were both sitting patiently in the waiting room when a woman in a white lab coat appeared.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco immediately rose from his seat. "Yes?"

"Hello, I am Doctor Anyah, I called you earlier in regards to your friend Mr. Belby. If you will follow me please?"

Dr. Anyah turned to walk down the hallway, explaining the situation to Draco with Aurora trailing behind them.

"It appears that your friend was so heavily intoxicated last night that he lost consciousness in an alley of a building where he suffered from hypothermia and almost froze to death. But fortunately we were able to stabilize the situation and he's doing just fine now. He's exhausted but he's ready to go home. He should make a full recovery."

"Thank you, Doctor- but my only question is how did he get here?"

"A young man brought him in at about 6 in the morning. He's actually here if you want to meet him, he's with your friend."

The Doctor stopped walking when they reached Wyatt's room.

"You may go in." Dr. Anyah smiled and left.

Draco opened the door and entered.

"I didn't know that you'd be here to visit, mate! Tell me, how is married life treating you? Must be God- awful to be shackled down." Wyatt chattered on, not noticing his friends.

A young man with thick black hair and green eyes sat in the chair across from him. "Don't worry about what's happening in my love life, what about yours? You've been single for quite some time."

Wyatt snorted with laughter. "I enjoy being a free man."

Aurora shook her head and stepped up to Draco to whisper in his ear. "I thought the doctor said he would be exhausted?"

"Apparently not."

Draco cleared his throat to get his friend's attention.

"Draco! Aurora!" Wyatt exclaimed and threw his hands up in the air. "Look who's here!"

The young man stood and extended his arms as Aurora locked him in a tight embrace.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Come now sis, you act as if you aren't happy to see me."

Aurora pulled away and playfully punched his arm. "Of course I'm happy to see you! It was just unexpected."

Reginald smiled at his sister and then turned his attention to Draco. "Ah, Draco, very good to see you again."

Draco nodded and shook his hand. "Reginald, it's always a pleasure."

Draco didn't know why, but he felt a little uneasy seeing Aurora's older brother here. Maybe it was because he saw his sister in a state of undress as well as spend the night at her flat, which is deemed completely improper. A young bachelor of marrying age and a young woman of marrying age, together, alone? Forget it! Might as well sew the letter A on their robes. Reginald was a very by- the-books type of gentleman, and he would never condone such behavior.

"May I be so bold as to ask what transpired last night that Wyatt ended up in an alley?" Reginald asked, eyeing his sister. Aurora shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to answer her brother.

"It was my fault, I got drunk at home and decided to take a walk. And on my drunken escapade I thought it would be a good idea to pay Aurora a visit, but I failed quite miserably as you can all see." Wyatt winked at Aurora as she sighed in relief, knowing he had just saved her from a very serious scolding.

"Why did you bring Wyatt to a Muggle hospital?" Aurora asked curiously.

"I'm not familiar with the area, so this was the closest hospital I could find."

"Ah. I see."

"Well since everything is all taken care of I trust that Draco can handle things from here. Aurora, shall we?" Reginald motioned towards the door.

Aurora nodded and bid her friends goodbye.

"I must say sis, this is a nice place you have here." Reginald stated as he examined the apartment that his sister was currently inhabiting.

"I'm glad you approve, would you like some tea?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." Reginald made himself comfortable on the couch.

"So tell me brother, what brings you all the way here?" Aurora questioned.

"What? Can't a man visit his own sister?"

"No, he certainly can. But you haven't visited me since I was 16. There has to be a reason why you're here."

Reginald smirked. "Very intuitive of you. Well, if you must know, I was in California- Napa Valley, to be specific."

Aurora chuckled "Ah, so you are here for business. Do tell, what were your endeavors in Napa Valley?"

"I acquired a vineyard, and various other properties. You're more than welcome to visit the resort I now own."

Aurora chuckled "Oh I fully intend to. The weather here in New York isn't as forgiving as it is in California."

"Perfect! Just send me an owl when you plan to come and I will take care of all of the arrangements."

"So how is your wife?"

"Penelope is well, thank you for asking."

"You should bring her to visit, I would really like to get to know her. I've only met her a few brief times, and it is a shame I never had the pleasure of really conversing with her."

"All in good time, sister. But enough about my relationship, what about you?"

"What about me?" Aurora asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Has anyone caught your interest?"

"No, not really."

"I don't believe you."

"It doesn't matter what you believe, I still stand by my statement."

Reginald smirked; he knew that he had struck a nerve. Although his sister looked calm and collected on the outside, he knew that she was beginning to get aggravated. The tone in her voice just hinted at the slightest bit of tension.

"Whatever you say, my dear. Deny it all you like, just know that I know that you are lying."

Locking eyes with her brother Aurora asked tentatively, "Oh? And what is it that you know?"

"I know that there is something between you and young Master Malfoy."

"Don't be delusional," She scoffed. "We're only friends."

"And how long have you been telling yourself that lie?"

"It's not a lie, it's the truth."

"Perhaps from your vantage point, but it is quite apparent that he doesn't see you as just a 'friend'."

"What do you mean?"

"He seems to be quite taken with you."

"What?"

"Oh, my dear sister, has your lexicon deteriorated so much that you can no longer understand me?" Reginald smirked, knowing that this was a sure way to get on her last nerve.

Aurora drew in a deep breath in a desperate attempt to keep her temper. "Excuse me, brother, but I'd rather not play these verbal games with you, and if you must know my lexicon is perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern."

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, "Perhaps I'll have that cup of tea after all."

Aurora nodded and disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the tea.

"This stuff is amazing!" Wyatt exclaimed as he scarfed down the chicken noodle soup that Draco had prepared for him. "And it came out of a can? How do they do it? I swear, the things that Muggles come up with is amazing!"

Draco sighed and shook his head. He hadn't planned on spending his afternoon babysitting his overgrown man-child of a friend. "It's just soup, Wyatt, nothing more."

"It's still good, though!"

"You know, for someone who almost froze to death, you have a lot of energy."

Wyatt froze with the spoon halfway to his mouth. "You know, that was uncalled for, my good sir. I nearly died!" He looked affronted. "When you have a near-death experience, would you not appreciate the little things in life as well?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt that will happen, Wyatt, as I am not nearly as stupid and accident-prone as you are."

"'Accident-prone'? 'Stupid'?" Wyatt placed his spoon in the bowl and set it down on the table. "I was not the one who provoked a potentially dangerous wild animal!"

Draco reddened. "We agreed to never discuss the…the Buckbeak Incident ever again!"

"Incident- what 'incident'?" Wyatt shrugged. "You provoked a HIPPOGRIFF, and correct me if I am wrong, my good friend, but aren't they quite huge and rather dangerous?"

Draco opened his mouth as if to respond and Wyatt held up his hand to halt him.

"No, no, don't defend yourself. You lost that right when you angered a large creature and ended up in the hospital wing. Who was it that you were inquiring for? Ah yes! Madam Malfoy, I believe? You know, the Muggles have this very popular television program and it's called 'Man V.S. Wild'." Wyatt paused, a mischievous smirk playing around the corners of his mouth. "Although in your case it, will be called 'Man V.S. Hippogriff'."

Draco stood, hand on his hip and lower lip curled. Without saying a word, he picked up Wyatt's half-finished bowl of soup and said, "Oh, Wyatt, look! You've finished your soup." He crossed into the kitchen and dumped the contents of the bowl into sink.

"I'm sorry, have I offended you?" Wyatt asked sarcastically.

"Good-bye, Wyatt." Draco grumbled and proceeded to exit the flat.

"Have a fantastic day! You should visit more often, I really do enjoy our chats." Wyatt called after him.

Draco slammed the door behind him as way of response.