Unsortable

Chapter 4

Aerie was thoroughly distracted when she went down to breakfast the next morning. She sat down next to Ginny Weasley with a brief "Morning" before tucking into her bagel, her mind trying to figure out why the headmaster would want to meet with her.

"--Dia." A voice broke through her daze. "Aeridia."

"Pardon?" She blinked up across the table at Jezebel Creedle, a fifth year Gryffindor friend of hers.

"I asked if you were alright," Creedle repeated. "You seem really out of it."

Aerie smiled. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine. I'm just starting to think about the NEWTs, that's all."

"Really?" Ginny poked into the conversation. "They're not until May. It's barely November."

"Leave it to the Head Girl to be so studious," Creedle laughed in response. "I dare say she will ace it just by walking into the room."

Aerie blushed, wishing that were true. Standing up, she grabbed another bagel to take with her. "That would be amazing, but unlikely. I will see you girls later."

And she wandered out without a backwards glance, her thoughts already turning back to the note that had immediately incinerated once she had read it last night. She made it through the day, carefully following the rules that she and Draco laid out yesterday afternoon: not sitting with each other in class, not talking to each other in class or in the halls, and she not sitting at the Slytherin table during meals. Though her mind may have been mostly elsewhere during class, she was not so out of it that she did not feel Draco staring a hole into her back at the table behind her in every class. That was almost enough to make her turn around and snap at him.

It did not help that Parkinson sat next to her during Potions. Aerie instantly knew this was the other girl's attempt at rubbing the supposed "sex time with Draco" in her face. Yet Aerie was also aware that Parkinson would not come right out and say it. The self-satisfaction was rolling off of Parkinson in waves.

"No longer in Draco's favor, I see," Parkinson sneered.

Aerie did not respond.

"I thought it was about time that Draco realized that associating with a blood traitor was like dealing with a nasty bug. But I guess if you look like one, it was easier for him to see it."

Aerie sighed. "Is that really the kind of insults you come up with, Parkinson? That's pathetic. If I throw a stick, will you leave?"

The Slytherin girl huffed, "I'm not a dog, bitch."

"Watch your mouth, Parkinson, it's unbecoming."

"I can say whatever the fuck I want, you whore."

"Five points from Slytherin for continuously insulting the Head Girl," Aerie fumed. "Now go away before I decide to take more."

Parkinson stood in outrage. "You dare to talk to me like that, you filthy disgrace for a pureblood."

"Five more points for disruption of class time, Miss Parkinson," Slughorn's voice loomed from the front of the classroom. "I suggest you find a seat elsewhere before this gets out of hand."
Parkinson grabbed her bag and flounced to the back of the classroom with a vicious glare thrown at Aerie.

With another sigh, Aerie silently scolded herself for letting her frustration get the better of her. It was not a good idea to instigate Parkinson like that, especially when the gloating was placed there by her own hand. Fueling the fire would only make things worse. A mental apology thrown in the air, she turned back to the lecture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was sitting at the table in their living room doodling on a piece of parchment when Draco came rushing in, the portrait slamming shut with a resounding thud. Aerie jumped at the noise.

"What's--" she started.

"I'm being summoned home tonight," he blurted in a rush, throwing himself in a seat and putting his head in his hands.

"Whatever for?" she demanded, all thoughts of Snape leaving her head at this announcement.

"I have no idea," he sighed, hands in hair. "I won't be back until Sunday night. With Malfoy Manor being used as the Dark Lord's headquarters, I can only imagine what they have in store for me."

Impulsively grabbing his hand, Aerie clasped it between her own to make him look up. She almost gasped at the turmoil churning there; the gray swirled in a storm of undisguised fear.

"I'm sure it's just a meeting. You haven't done anything wrong." She attempted a smile.

"I'm a Death Eater, Johnny," he sneered half-heartedly. "They are probably having me help kill whatever Mudbloods they've captured."

"You have spent all your life hating them, Draco," she replied, playing devil's advocate.

"Never enough to kill them!" he shouted, shaking off her hand and getting up. "I only ever thought of them as people with a disease. You can sit there and say all of this as cool as you please, but you have no idea what it's like! Having been raised with this kind of hate, it being all I've ever known, and now it feels like it's all been a lie. I thought my family was in the right to act this way, but now my resolve is disintegrating. I don't like all this death. My father has lost his favor with the Dark Lord and I don't even know if I will live that much longer because of my failing to kill Dumbledore in the spring. No one fails and lives in this world. It's all about survival, and I don't know how to do that here anymore."

"Draco--"

"Don't try and make me feel better about this, Matthews," he seethed. "You don't get it. No matter what you say. I don't understand how you can be so fucking happy in this country when it's hell to try and live in it."
Aerie stood and crossed her arms. "I make the best of a situation, Draco. How I cope with things is really not the issue here. I'm a pureblood, and that's the only reason why I've been tolerated as long as I have. You will go home tonight and do whatever it takes to appease the Dark Lord and your father so that you can come back here. You will be fine because you will do all you can to survive. Calm down."

With a half-heated glare, Draco stalked to his room. Aerie slowly followed him and stopped before she reached the door when she heard something shatter.

And maybe that's my cue to not push him, she thought. Pulling her wand out, she sketched a quick spell in the air and waved it toward him. It was a spell of Dumbledore's creation, a combination of hidden and white magic to protect. Knowing he was going to need it tonight, Aerie did not hesitate to bestow it upon Draco. She discreetly watched as he paused in his throwing tantrum when the spell hit him and she backed away hastily when he turned to the door.

"You may not believe me," she whispered, "but I know you will be alright. I promise it."

She quietly snuck out the portrait hole, knowing she would find him exactly as she left him when she came back. A quick run up the stairs, and Aerie paced three times in front of the blank wall before a door appeared.

Opening and closing it swiftly, she turned to find Headmaster Severus Snape seated agitatedly in a large armchair in front of a fire, black robes managing to billow even when sitting. He stood when he saw her, black eyes narrowing.

"Are you out of your mind?" he started without preamble.

"No more so than you, I'm sure," she sniffed as she slumped into the other chair, tucking her feet under her. "How are you holding up, Severus, sir?"

Sitting slowly again and folding his hands in his lap, he gave her an assessing stare. "I thought Dumbledore taught you better than this. Inconspicuous was the word he used. A theatric production is not inconspicuous."

"Pardon my language, sir, but even during these shitty times I believe that one should make the most of life. I'm doing my job."

"Aeridia," he sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, unkempt black hair falling in his face. "You are making this difficult for me to keep you from notice. What was that little stint with Pansy Parkinson?"

Aerie stiffened. "How in Merlin's name could you possibly know about that? I made sure to cover my tracks. It was perfect!"

Snape looked up at her dryly. "Do you honestly expect that I'm not following your doings? I know that I taught you better than that. Don't you think I would recognize my own teachings?"

Aerie blushed. "I'm sorry, Severus. You're right; I acted impetuously. But I thought it was a good idea."

"Making her think she had slept with Draco? How is that a good idea?"

"She's sleeping with Lucius."

Snape was astonished. "Not possible."

Aerie nodded wearily. "From her own lips. He has fallen on such desperate times that he's doing whatever he can think of to keep tabs on his son. I had to do something to make Parkinson happy to report positive information."

He pursed his lips in frustration. "Indeed. In hindsight, I reluctantly agree with your decision."

"Thank you."

"But I'm going to have to disband the drama production."

Aerie paused, not sure if she heard him right. "I beg your pardon?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "You may be a prized pupil of mine, Aerie, but that does not mean that I will allow you to put yourself and others at risk of punishment under the Dark Lord. I did not agree to this foolish scheme when it was presented to the students at the beginning of term, but I thought, if it was going to be unobtrusive, I would let it go. The play is getting out of hand, and I am starting to be questioned as headmaster. There is only so much that I can truly hide from the Dark Lord without the assistance of overly enthusiastic seventh years. You understand that too much frivolity will not go unpunished. Shakespeare is not a wizard play writer. You cannot perform a work by someone so clearly against the new order."

"Damn," she groaned. "I completely forgot about that."

"You have been too immersed in the Muggle culture in America. I spoke with your parents about that; they may have maintained your heritage and British tendencies, but they failed in keeping the Muggle from you."

"Muggle technology and fashion is bloody remarkable! They have better style than any pureblood in Great Britain."

He waved away her argument. "That is beside the point. Shakespeare was a Muggle; the Dark Lord will not tolerate that out of the students and he will view it as outward defiance."

She glared. "What are the children supposed to do with themselves to preoccupy their minds from the evil pervading this place? Most of them are too young to comprehend the depth of what's going on or that their lives are in jeopardy. I had spoken with McGonagall about it during the summer while she was headmaster and she agreed--"

"And it was the plan to have me as the headmaster to provide true protection of this place. Aerie, I know that your intentions are well meant, but you have to think more about your task rather than the entire student body." His tone was remarkably gentle.

She wrapped her arms around her knees. "I understand that, Severus. I truly do. That doesn't mean that I can't help in any way that I can."

"I'm doing this for your own good," he sighed. "Your job, the entire reason for your being here at Hogwarts, is to protect Draco. Narcissa and Dumbledore both knew that your particular skills would be best for this. I can't have you lose your focus, Aerie. If you need to focus on something else, work on protecting yourself. You are not doing that."

"It's not about me," she replied.

Snape stood again. "If you are not here, then where does that leave Draco?"

That little statement made Aerie feel like she was ten years old again. Severus had just finished teaching her the first set of protection spells when he discussed the priorities of an individual. They were at her parents' home in Albany, New York, honing her abilities before it was even legal. Dumbledore had been inside talking with her mother while Severus was floating a doll and have Aerie practice protecting it.

"Protect the doll," he had said, "but remember that the doll is not the only one at risk here."

Aerie had looked up at the man she had called Uncle Sevus for as long as she could remember though there were no blood ties between them, "The only other person here is you, Uncle Sevus. But you are the attacker right now."

He had tapped her gently between the eyes. "Are you not important as well, Aeridia?"

In her innocent, child-like way, she said with complete honesty, "Of course not. I'm the protector. It's not about me."

With a quick flick, Severus had dropped the doll and forced Aerie to sit on the ground. Kneeling in front of her, he placed his wand at her heart. "My dear, you are just as important as the person you protect. Without you, where does that leave them?"

Aerie launched back in the present, blinking rapidly to dispel the tears, as the black-clothed man before her waited without changing expression. "I'm sorry, Uncle Sevus. I'm being foolish."

Severus rewarded her with one of his rare, small smiles. "That is why we are having this little discussion. Making sure you are taking the right path. Now, head to bed before I decide to take points from the Head Girl just to prove that I can."

Aerie good-naturedly stuck her tongue out at him. "Are you going to the Death Eater meeting tonight?"

He did not reply.

"Of course you are," she answered her own question. "Please keep an eye on Draco, Severus. I've placed several charms on him, but I obviously cannot be there. Try not to let the Dark Lord have him kill anyone. That is going to set back everything that I've gained this semester."

His face darkened. "Narcissa has already requested the same thing. He will be back to you by Sunday night. Good night, Aerie. I will make the announcement on Monday."

Aerie groaned. "They are not going to like that. The performance is only a couple of weeks away."

"Good night, Aeridia."

"'Night, Uncle Sevus."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her profane muttering lasted until she got back to her room where her theory proved true; Draco was still in his room. The destruction extended out his door and ink crept across the stone floor. She peeked in hesitantly.

"Draco?"

He was flopped across his bed with an arm over his face. He gave no response.

His room was destroyed. Broken glass and feathers lay everywhere, curtains slashed and his books were piled in a torn-apart mess in one corner; his closet had exploded and was burning dully in the darkness. Aerie was disgustingly impressed. She had left him alone for only twenty minutes and he had thoroughly thrown himself into depression.

She pulled out her wand and began cleaning up, scourging the floor of the ink and returning the books and clothes to their former glory. "It's really nothing to get this upset over, you know," she stated gently, placing a strange glass contraption on a shelf.

He did not move.

"I understand it will be difficult. I can't necessary sympathize, but I can empathize. Whether it means anything to you or not, I know you will be okay."

That was the moment that Draco launched up from the bed and came over to her, pushing her roughly into the wall. "Stop," he fumed darkly, his nose almost brushing hers and his warm breath cascading over her. "I need you to stop being so fucking optimistic. I don't care what you think, because you're wrong. It's not going to be all right. The Chosen One is running for his life and The Dark Lord runs this world without opposition; and unless I do exactly as he says, my mother will be killed. I can't stand your cheerfulness."

Aerie nodded, their eyes locked. "I know that, Draco. But I don't care that you can't stand my optimism; you need it. You need to know that the entire world isn't as dark as it appears. If you keep pushing me away, then I will just latch on that much harder."

"You're mental," he rumbled, pulling away.

"I'm human," she replied, not moving from the wall. "I will see you Sunday night."

"If I'm lucky," he muttered, grabbing his wand from the floor where he had thrown it during his attack on the room and walking to the door.

"You will be," she said, making him pause. "Be careful."

He turned his head to look at her, eyes roaming her face as if to memorize it. Aerie forced a smile, tracing the line of his jaw and the fall of his hair in his face into her mind. The black suit he had put on contrasted well with the bright light of his hair, and it was in that moment that Aerie found herself falling. Dumbledore had warned her last year that this job would change her life, and here it came; falling in a serious case of like was not a part of the job description, which made her wonder if Dumbledore knew that her first and only job as a protector would result in this. She would not call it love, not yet, but the job she was doing had just become something more than just a job.

Something in her eyes must have changed because Draco froze, staring at her in astonishment. "What--"

Aerie shifted her gaze to the floor quickly, her heart pounding. "You had better go before you're late, Draco."

She did not look up again until she heard the portrait door open and close. Sliding to the floor, she rested her head on her knees. Really? she demanded of herself. Why did I have to recognize my feelings now?

She sat there for twenty minutes before getting up and going to her room. Though she may not have been able to be with Draco physically as he faced this challenge, she could be there mentally to protect him. Pulling down the ornate, full-length mirror from her wall and placing it on the floor, she waved a hand to have four large candles settle in the four corners of the glass. Taking her shoes off and stepping onto the middle of the mirror, she traced the runes of connection in the air with her wand, followed by the runes for the mind. The light from the candles swarmed in a circle around her as she closed her eyes.

Immediately, a vision of a large marble foyer entered her brain. Lucius Malfoy was standing to the right with a hand clutching tightly to the arm attached to the body Aerie was invading. Do not react, she said into the mind of Narcissa Malfoy.

To her credit, Narcissa did not flinch when she heard Aerie's voice in her head.

Draco is coming to you now, she continued, I have given him several protection spells to keep him from harm this weekend. But you will need to reassure him. He fears for you.

Narcissa's whole being flooded with warmth and love for her son at hearing this, though her outward appearance did not change.

I will not ask what is to happen, that is not my job. Can you indicate whether or not he will be forced to kill anyone?

The woman's thoughts conveyed no, even if she could not put the thoughts into words. An image of Voldemort appeared, brandishing a wand at a handful of Muggleborn wizards from the Ministry.

I see. That's good to know. I'm sorry that he will have to witness this, but I know it can't be helped. Make sure that Lucius does not touch Draco. Keep him distracted. And get Draco back to school as quickly as allowed.

Narcissa agreed and Aerie backed out of her head, moving to the young Malfoy as he walked in the door. She filled Draco's head with encouragement and confidence without saying a word like she did with his mother, and when she was sure that he felt it, she left, slamming back into her own body.

The momentum threw her off the mirror and into her dresser, conking her head soundly into a drawer. "Ow, shit," she cursed, slowly getting up.

Now what do I do? she questioned silently. She started with putting the candles and mirror away, then moved to picking up her room. That distraction only lasted about a half an hour before she was done and tapping her fingers agitatedly.

"I can't be like this all weekend!" she groaned. Her eyes roamed her room, searching for something to work on when her eyes caught a gray and black cat slinking down the hall. "Jimmy!"

She had not seen the cat in weeks. For whatever reason, Jimmy (short for Jimera, for the feline was indeed female) would not have herself occupy the same room as Draco. With Draco gone, Aerie guessed that Jimmy felt it was all right to roam the Head suite.

"I don't really appreciate your snootiness, Jimmy," she said, following the cat to the living room. "Where have you been? Getting food down in the kitchens?"

She immediately felt stupid for trying to get answers out of her pet. I'm too high-strung. I need to go to bed. Grabbing a sleeping potion from her healing chest, Aerie put on pajamas and got into bed. Taking enough for sixteen hours worth of sleep, she passed out dreamlessly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aerie spent the weekend furiously working on homework, constantly checking the clock and counting down the hours until the possible time of Draco's return. She practiced piano for hours, finished all of her papers for class, and even got ahead on most of the reading. She became so frustrated by the slowly creeping time that she covered every clock and silenced the suite from hearing the boom of the Hogwarts clock.

When Sunday evening rolled around, Aerie (with nothing to do) sat again at the piano with a book of Muggle music. Even as a pureblood, Aerie found the creations of Muggles completely wonderful and did not deny herself the indulgence of buying music or technology from them. This particular music book was by a composer named Frederic Chopin. The piece was called "Waltz in A-Minor: Valse Brilliante"; she had been working on this piece during the summer with her private instructor (a Muggle, no less) and had only just picked it back up again. Her sight-reading skills were adequate, but she missed having the tutoring over the piece. She was having a difficult time with one certain passage; the fluidity of the seventh run was not happening.

Jimmy had been sitting on the lid of the piano, idly watching Aerie's fingers attempt to swirl over the keys. When Aerie hit the keys in ugly frustration, the cat jumped away with a yowl of anger.

"Thanks for the support, Jimmy," she sighed, resting her elbows in the keys.

"It was sounding decent," a familiar deep voice said close behind her.

Aerie froze for a moment before slowly turning around in her seat and looking up. Draco was standing a foot behind her, hands in his pockets. Aerie's heart actually skipped a beat when their eyes locked, and saw purple circles darkening his face from exhaustion.

Then it hit her. Draco was back!

With a shriek of excitement, Aerie leapt up and threw her arms around his neck. "You're back!" Almost immediately, she pushed away with a cough. "Um, I mean, welcome back." Mentally berating herself, she went back to kneeling on the piano bench, trying to get her heart rate back to normal.

Draco could only be described as stunned. He still stood where she had attacked him, arms awkwardly outstretched on either side of him. She reached out and pushed his arms down. "You're making me feel horrible, standing like that," she said.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"It was an uncalled for hug." She blushed.

"It was an attack on my person," he retorted, crossing his arms.

Aerie huffed, offended. "It was not. Don't be so melodramatic."

"I didn't realize you were so concerned about me, Johnny."

She sucked in a breath. This was a mistake. She should not have hugged him, and now he was going to taunt her in his overly snide way.

"It's...nice."

Her head snapped up, seeing his eyes furiously focused on the opposite wall. "Really?"

He sighed then snapped, "Don't make me say it again. I've had a hellish weekend."

Aerie narrowed her eyes and really scrutinized him. He was immaculately dressed as usual, but he appeared slightly frayed; it was if his soul had dimmed. On closer inspection and a little bit of prying into his brain, she saw the dark horror of trauma. She could not tell what it was. When he moved to go sit on the couch, she bit back a cry at the black shadow specter that followed him.

One of the many gifts she had been blessed with (if you could call it a blessing), was the power to See the aura of an individual. She had it like any other gifted with the Sight, but that was all she could See. She could not See the future, just the current standing of a person. It provided her with the perfect capabilities as a protector, yet that did not make it any easier to see the darkness following someone. If she let Draco stay in this state, the blackness would swallow him and leave him an empty, bleak shell of a person.

Before she could think twice about what she was doing, Aerie was up and rushing to Draco, who was sitting with his head in his hands. She knelt before him, making him look up. When he dropped his hands, she pushed forward and for the second time, wrapped her arms around his neck. She clung to him, wanting desperately for the blackness to recede, to convey that everything was all right. His body was cold.

He sat immobile for a few minutes; Aerie did not let him go, she just settled comfortably on her knees between his legs. "Yes, I was very worried for you, Draco," she said softly, one hand falling to his back to hug him closer. "I have no idea what you went through this weekend. I can't even begin to imagine. But you have to know that there was nothing you could do to stop whatever it was that happened. You made it, and that's what matters. It's just a good thing that you made it back safely. Just because you had to attend a Death Eater meeting doesn't automatically make you a bad person; you were doing what you could to survive. I know that; you know that. You're a good person stuck in a bad situation. I'm just glad you're safe."

Her concern spiked for a moment when she felt him start to shake, then realized he had started to cry. Her heart melted to feel him fall apart in her arms and that made her hold on that much tighter. His hands came up and fisted in her shirt at her waist, holding her immovable in front of him as his sobs raked through his body. The tears dripped down her back, soaking though her shirt, but Aerie did not mind. In fact, she was happy that he was being this vulnerable with her. She shushed him softly for almost an hour before he slowly calmed down.

He kept his head resting on her shoulder as his hands dropped. Aerie sat back and pulled out her wand. "Accio kit." Her knees screamed in protest as she got up and sat on the couch next to him. He would not look her in the eye. "I'm going to give you a potion that will dispel any bad dreams you have tonight," she said, ignoring him ignoring her.

She pulled out the bottle and placed it in his hand. He did not move to grasp it.

"You need to take it and go to bed, Draco. It's late and you need the sleep. Come on." She stood and pulled him up with her.

He shuffled behind her down the hall, into his room, and then collapsed on his bed, clothes and all. Aerie went to shut his curtains and lit the tip of her wand to see by. Draco had already downed the potion by the time she turned back. As she watched, his eyes slid shut into unconsciousness.

"Sleep the sleep of the innocent, Draco," she whispered, fingering his hair out of his face. "You can go back to being callous in the morning."

She bent down and gently kissed the un-furrowed brow, silently thanking the potion for temporarily easing the worries. He really was beautiful, she mused, even when he was strained. She backed out of the room quietly and closed the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco did indeed pretend that nothing happened the next morning. In fact, he did all he could to avoid crossing paths with Aerie. He did everything he could not to think about the humiliating display he gave the girl, silently cursing himself again and again for dropping his guard so much with her. The Head Girl pretended that nothing was wrong and continued her life completely unaffected. Except at the following night rehearsal.

She hopped up on stage before everyone took their places and called for attention. Draco was sitting in the back of the auditorium like normal, feigning slumber, but quickly sat up in wariness when Aerie cleared her throat.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, especially after all of you have worked so hard this semester," she started with a sigh. "But Headmaster Snape is cancelling the production." She raised a hand to quell the outburst of angry questions. "Though he wouldn't tell me the direct reason why, I'm sure that he is doing this to protect us."

"He's a Death Eater!" someone cried indignantly.

"Yes, he is," Aerie replied with a nod. "But all of you are either pureblood or half-blood, so neither he nor the Death Eater professors have any reason to directly harm you. I can see that being outspoken in dark times like these is not only dangerous, but deadly. I was a fool to suggest having you risk your lives just to have a little fun. This is completely my fault for getting your hopes up only to dash them. For that I am truly sorry." She stepped down off the stage.

"What harm were we causing?" MacAbee asked, close to tears. "Putting on a play is no crime."

Aerie faced the stage with a sad smile. "You are right, honey; it's not a crime. The crime in the Dark Lord's eyes would be putting on a production written by a Muggle. Shakespeare, though his writing seems magical, is no more than a Muggle. And for that, all of you might be punished."

"We didn't know that," Kinnety argued.

"No you didn't," Aerie agreed. "But the Dark Lord is not a forgiving person. He might view this as a quiet rebellion and see fit to crush it. I don't want him getting that impression. For your sakes, I am letting this go. End of discussion."

Without answering any other of the upset questions from the students, Aerie walked straight out of the auditorium. Draco got up to follow her.

"Johnny!" he shouted after her. "Oi, Paulie, stop!"

She kept going up the stairs, not even bothering to acknowledge him. He quickly grabbed her arm and steered her down another corridor and into an empty classroom. He let her go and slammed the door shut. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Aerie straightened her robes and huffed in indignation, "I think I explained myself clearly in there."

"No, you didn't," he replied tersely. "I know you well enough that you wouldn't just give up like that. What does Snape have over you?"

She laughed. "Absolutely nothing, Draco. Believe me; he's actually looking out for the students. Now let's go back to our rooms."

She went to move past him, but his hand reached out and gripped her arm again. He heard a commotion outside. "Wait," he said softly to her, though his eyes were focused on the door. "Something's going on. Stay here."

"What?"

But he was gone, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" he heard her ask aloud.

What he saw made him roll his eyes. The students from the auditorium were slowly filing out, but his two stupid cronies were pushing their way through, wands out, heading to the door. Crabbe and Goyle were looking for him. One of the first years was pushed into the wall roughly, hitting her head with a shriek of pain. Crabbe whirled on her with his wand at her throat. Draco rushed up.

"Are you bored so much that you're resorting to tormenting first years, Crabbe?" he asked darkly.

Crabbe jumped away.

"Find something better to do," he continued, flicking his head away. He knew that Crabbe knew better than to argue, and Crabbe followed orders well. He grabbed Goyle and the two disappeared. Draco looked down at the little blond first year and winked at her before going back to the classroom where he left Aerie. Knowing that the young girl would have no problem relating his minimal heroics to his partner, he smirked delightfully at Aerie as he beckoned her out.

"What are you so happy about, Draco?" she asked guardedly.

He nodded to the girl hidden by the door from Aerie's view, then walked away. He stopped just around the corner to listen in. Aerie came out of the room to see the first year standing there with a big smile on her face.

Aerie redirected her question at the girl. "So what has you so happy, Madison?"

"Malfoy is so nice, Aerie!" she exclaimed. "These two big Slytherin creeps were pushing their way through us as we were leaving the theater. One pushed me into the wall and was about to curse me when Malfoy showed up. He said, 'Resorting to tormenting first years, Crabbe? Find something better to do.' And the guy just left! Then Malfoy turned and winked at me! Can you believe it! Everyone says he's so scary, but he was so nice to me!"

Draco felt that he had heard enough and with the air of complete satisfaction, wandered back to his room to wait for the Head Girl to make good on their promise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dammit, dammit, dammit. Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell! she fumed silently, slowly dragging herself back to the Head suite. She honestly did not think that Draco would have been able to do it. Not only did he get a first year to say he was a decent person, he got her to have a crush on him as well! Now Aerie was going to have to follow through with the wager they had placed weeks ago and she was not even sure she could do it.

Attractive men intimidated her.

She had managed to not let it affect her completely by reminding herself that Draco was the job. That did not mean that her newly found affection for him was not impinging on her sense of responsibility. She did not have the confidence in herself to just go up to him and kiss him.

Sure, she would thoroughly enjoy it. She was not so convinced that he would.

She shook her head to clear it. She was acting like a stupid teenager. And though she was a teenager, her experiences should not put her within the "stupid" category. Better to get this done so that she could move on to continue her purpose.

Only romantically did attractive men intimidate her. This was not a romantic situation. If Aerie just kept thinking of it as a completion of a business transaction, then she would be fine.

Doubtful, she thought wearily, opening the portrait and walking in with fake confidence.

"You're marching in like you're going to battle," Draco chuckled from the couch.

Aerie shook her head. "No, um, just homework." She moved past him toward the hallway to her rooms.

"No, you're not," his tone froze her in her tracks. "You are going to come over here and make good on our wager, Miss Matthews."

She heard him get up and come up behind her.

"Most girls would be begging for a chance like this," he said in her ear, sweeping her hair over her shoulder and exposing her neck. Aerie forgot how to breathe. He turned her to face him and slowly backed her up until she bumped a wall. He gently lifted her chin to have her look at him. "I'm a category of man that you will have had no experience with."

"This is all new for me," she muttered before she could stop herself.

Instead of being surprised, he only appeared pleased. "Well then; you will definitely enjoy this."

And without waiting for her reaction, he gently pressed his lips to hers. Her heart stopped; her eyes wide. But as his lips slowly moved against hers, her lids fell shut and she began to respond, molding her mouth to his soft warmth. She felt his aura pulse, resounding deep in her being and her breathing spiked to a stop.

His hands went to her hips and slid up, pulling her tighter against his body. Her own hands, of their own volition, came up and gripped his shoulders, his muscles tightening delightfully. His tongue slipped between her lips, deepening the passion and making her head spin. Oh, he was very good at this; moving with an expertise that astounded her.

One of his arms came up, cushioning her head from the wall and tilting it so that it was at a better angle for access. His tongue toured her mouth, getting acquainted and proudly claiming. She tentatively did the same and was rewarded with a soft groan of contentment. She wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand in his hair and pulling him closer if that was possible. The dizzy feeling was not going away from the lack of oxygen, so Aerie reluctantly pulled back. Draco did not stop kissing her, instead opting to move down her jaw to her neck.

She gasped at the wondrous sensation, her knees suddenly failing on holding her up. Draco chuckled against her skin, the deep rumble of it echoing its way through her, and his arm tightening to support her. He trailed the tip of his tongue up her neck to her ear, where he captured it in his teeth. "For all your cocky talk, Aeridia," he whispered huskily, his breathing ragged. "You are putty in my very capable hands."

Aerie's heart was about to explode; she groaned and pulled his face back to hers, crashing their mouths together. She could feel Draco coming undone at her bold (but in her mind, desperate) move. The kiss was frantic, passionate, deeply probing, and above all completely out of control on both parts. When she felt that her lungs were about to burst, Aerie pulled back again, resting their foreheads together.

Her eyes were still closed, both of their tattered breathing cascading over the other; she felt his thumb rubbing softly over her cheek. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her in wonder, silver trying to gauge her response.

"Did that satisfy the wager?" she asked hesitantly.

"And you say that you've never been kissed before?" he asked instead, pushing a stray curl off her face.

"Yes, I haven't," she replied. "That was my first time."

He brushed his nose against hers. "I'm impressed."

Aerie's spirit soared. "Really?"

"And I don't compliment very often," he replied and smiled slightly. "I think that settles our score."

Her confidence level rose exponentially. "You're not so bad yourself," she cheekily responded.

He smirked. "You're being sarcastic while we're still pressed together?" They were still connected at every important point, his excitement perfectly evident and because of her short stature, pressed right below her naval.

"I'm the one against the wall, Draco," she countered and smiled. "You are the one who decides when to back away."

"You're warm," he said.

"You're addicted to me already," she shot back with a laugh.

"I could say the same for you," he retorted. "Your hands are still in my hair."

"If someone were to walk in right now, this position is compromising enough to warrant blackmail."

"Good thing we're the only ones who know the password."

"Parkinson would kill me for being this close to you."

"Parkinson can go fuck herself," he rejoined hotly, the coarse language sending shivers down her spine (she was sure he felt it). "She kisses like a fish."

Aerie burst out laughing, slipping her forehead from his and resting it on his shoulder, the overwhelming closeness of his eyes finally being too much for her to look at. She had not truly known what she had felt about him until he kissed her, but now she was completely sure that she was in love with him. He let her calm down from her laughing fit before finally pulling away. She instantly missed his warmth. The intimacy they had just shared caused everything to get awkward.

"I'm glad you think that I don't kiss like Parkinson," she said lightly, trying for a tone of nonchalance.

Draco saw right through her. "Don't try to pretend that this didn't affect you, Johnny. I will get offended."

She glared at him. "It was my first kiss, Draco; of course it affected me. But I can't let that change the way I treat you. Especially when I don't seem to have any effect on you."

She suddenly found herself against the wall again, her arms locked above her head and his face inches from her own. "Don't assume that you don't have an effect on me. Have more confidence in yourself. Do you not feel how hard I am against you?"

Aerie was speechless.

He gazed at her intently. "You will never hear me say this again, but consider me addicted."

And he was kissing her again, thoroughly and breathlessly. The surprise of the intensity of it threw her world off its axis. She was addictive? He certainly was for her; she returned the kiss with just as much fervor.

She broke away just as quickly. "This can't be a common occurrence, Draco," she panted. "You just wanted to win on the bet and now you have. You have to work on making Parkinson convinced of your devotion to her. Kissing me won't help."

"I don't have to kiss her anymore, do I?" he asked, pulling away again and putting some distance between them.

"No." Aerie shook her head. "But we will have to alter her memory about once a week to think she's been sleeping with you."

"Of course," Draco agreed. He pinned her with his gaze. "Then you have to stop tempting me, Matthews. You are distracting."

The second the words suck in, Aerie beamed. "I'm glad to hear that, Draco. Thank you for being honest with me."

"I'm always honest," he shot back.

"You're just evasive at giving up your feelings."

"I've never really been that kind of person, Johnny."

"And that drives me crazy, because I never really know what you're feeling."

He scrutinized her carefully, "I would argue that point; you seem to be in my head all of the time. It's a little creepy."

She intentionally misunderstood and said, "You think about me all the time? That's going to give me a complex."

Surprisingly, Draco flushed.

Aerie pretended not to notice. "I need to work on homework, so I will leave you now. But just for the record, you are in my thoughts much more frequently than you should."

He smirked. "That's only natural. I am devastatingly attractive."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't push it, Draco." But her heart thumped in agreement and she stepped away from the wall, coming up to him. She lightly touched his chest and looked up at him. Taking a deep, calming breath, she said, "Thank you for using my real name."

Almost as if he could not help it, he leaned toward her before he could stop himself. "Of course."

Not giving in to the temptation of closing the last few inches between them, Aerie backed away and left to go to her room.