Darting across the snow-covered field away from the man chasing her, Lena couldn't stop her laughter from bubbling up and out of her lips, the locket bouncing against her chest heavily as she didn't even have the time to stick it down.

"Get back here you brat!"

"Run Lena, run!" Perenelle laughed brightly from across the field, wrapped in Nicolas' arms as they watched her run from Severus.

Bounding past Blaise, who looked a bit stunned, dumping a handful of snow on him as she did- she cackled maniacally as he made a sound of outrage but didn't expect to be tackled to the ground, both of them landing in the snowbank. She smiled up at him cheekily. "Oh, hello there."

With a small smile, Blaise leaned in to kiss her from where they were tangled on the ground. "You dumped snow on me."

"Yes, well, I did the same to Sev, who-"

Both of them sputtered slightly, a mound of cold snow dropped over them and they sat up, both glaring at where Severus was grinning at them. "Payback. For being inappropriately handsy and for that icicle you put down the back of my robes Lena."

Pulling each other up, she raised her hand. "Court! Avenge your Queen !"

With loud war-cries, Draco and Theodore charged past her, tackling the potions master into a similar snowbank.

When they were all well and damp from the extreme snow-fight (except Daphne and Ginny, who had claimed 'sickness' so they could sit to the side and talk with Parenelle while sipping hot chocolate), as Lena had the idea of using a spell she'd found second year to make the snow into swords, they trudged back to the castle for lunch.

Perenelle casting a few simpler drying spells so they weren't all making a big puddle, they took their places around the mostly-empty Slytherin table, most of the remaining Slytherins (and also Dumbledore- when did he get here? ) lumping together with their group until it was one big mess of teachers and students and everyone was laughing at Nicolas' long rant about how he always had music no one knew anymore stuck in his head.

Lena smiled along, but she was more focused on the way everyone was without care or worry, their faces all at ease even as a few of them were having side conversations of their own.

Is this… what it's like to have a family?

"I would imagine so." Riddle sounded just as awed as she felt and something warm rooted in her chest the longer the easy atmosphere stayed. "Now all that's missing is me sitting next to you."

If only. But you, my dear, are a bodiless memory and I a Queen of Ice- we were not meant to be this way, my dear… I fear our love is a tormented tragedy whose play is slowly coming to a close.

"How… dramatic."

She gave a soft huff of a laugh, hiding her grin in Blaise's shoulder as his arm moved to instinctively wrap around her waist.

It's a talent, dearest one.

Riddle sounded as if he was smiling and she could picture his curved lips and mirthful eyes. "Ah, yes, I should have known you'd say that."

Perhaps one day, in the lonely expanse of stars I like to think come after this troublesome existence… maybe we will sit like this, at a long table with family and friends. Maybe your arm will be around my waist and my face tucked into your chest as we whisper soft nothings to each other as if the world around us has no meaning, but today, my love, is not that day.

"Then I look forward to the time that day will come- as I am confident when I say that no matter where you go, I will follow."

Lena's eyes prickled slightly with sadness and longing, but she only blinked away the feelings, as they wouldn't help here.

Then I will trust you enough to never look back.

They both drifted into a soft silence, as nothing more could be said without ruining the heavy words, Blaise's hands in her hair and the sounds of her family around her. Trying not to think about the feeling of something missing in her chest, she pulled back to press a small kiss to her best friend's lips and then turned to pretend to listen to Perenelle and Dumbledore in their story-telling so she didn't have to notice the sadness in Blaise's eyes.

But that only lasted until the end of dinner.

"I'm hurting you." Lena wouldn't- couldn't- look at where she was holding her best friend's hand, as they walked behind the other Slytherins. "This… this thing we have. It's hurting you."

He pulled her to a stop abruptly, but not harshly, hand firm but not caging. Blaise's eyebrows were pulled down in the middle. "No. No, you're just-" but his eyes shifted away, "-you're not as invested in this as me... are you."

It wasn't a question.

Her sigh was soft, pained, and the boy flinched just slightly as if it was his fault. She kept her hand in his, tugging on his arm so that he would look at her. "Some days I'm not sure I know how to love. I know how to own, how to obsess and protect… but not love and sometimes my lines between caring and owning get blurry and I remember that normal people don't like that. They-... you, don't like being- being played in this way."

Blaise didn't answer her, a strange mix of empathetic sadness and grief on his face.

Lena looked away from him to look at the stone wall as if it were some fascinating puzzle before she met his eyes once more. "I won't let you go entirely- not when you're so important to me- but you deserve someone that can give you everything you want and more, and I can't do that… I don't know that my interest should ever be classified as 'love'. So I would not be upset in the slightest if you needed some time to sort yourself out."

"Was this… on purpose?" The boy's voice almost broke.

"No." Lena's voice was soft but certain. "You are worth more than that to me. If I had thought for a second that I was hurting you before now-… I don't think I fully understood the meaning behind the actions."

The silence fell heavy like a fog between them, Blaise seeming to turn this over in his head. "I forgive you, if only because when I hurt you, you forgave me." But his hand pulled away from hers.

She allowed it.

"What… what will you do now?"

"I think I'll keep Nicolas and Perenelle from trying to convince Severus into sleeping with them, as it would make me have to see the three of them happy- heaven forbid that happen." Smiling crookedly when he gave a surprised laugh, she shoved her hands in her pockets. Her smile faded, voice softer. "And I will wait until you are less hurt, but I will inevitably find someone else to dance with... Someone worth less than the one who taught me how to laugh. Someone that can meet my selfish greed for physical closeness with their own."

Blaise's eyes held an acceptance that she thought that he'd been working up to since before she first kissed him. "I wish you luck then." His smile was faint, but it was better than nothing. "You're a handful on the best of days."

Lena nodded. She knew this. Turning slightly, she kept her hands in her pockets so she didn't reach for his hand, tilting her head at him- and at getting a nod in return, they started down the hall as if the whole thing had never happened, the silence between them back to being comfortable.

"It's almost as if we are made from the same fabric of time, my dear. I- we- have always felt much the same way. It was quite bothersome in our time as many expected us to get married and have a litter of children- the looks of pity when we didn't were enough to drive anyone mad."

Sweetheart, you're not supposed to refer to children as 'a litter'. I am sure that is for kittens and other small animals.

"Fine. Brats. Better?"

She felt the corner of her mouth twitch up just slightly.

You're impossible, my dear.

Riddle huffed. "And you are a liar. You may not love many, but are capable of feeling the emotion- you are just afraid of what comes with it."

Rubbish.

"You love me."

The slight pouting frown of her lips as she shoved him from her mind was only because she could still hear his teasing laughter, even if he wasn't in her head.