Watching

Did he just say that?

I love you, Athena.

It was the first time he's said that to me. It echoed in my mind, telling me again and again.

Four months ago, I would have never allowed him to pick me up as a cat. I would have attacked him as I had done thousands of times before. Now I felt comfort in his arms. Was it love? I knew it was.

"Athena, Draco, come on," my father called.

I love Draco Malfoy.

He turned to leave the tunnel.

"I lied to you," I revealed. He turned and looked at me confused. "I do know what we have. I always have. I know I love you more than anything in this world, and I know that if my father knew, he would keep me away from you for as long as he could. I know I would die if that were to happen."

He walked back over to me and kissed me.

"Marry me," he asked.

"What?" I asked stunned.

"Marry me," he repeated. "I love you and I want to be with you forever. Not just in secret like we are, but in our everyday life. You know as well as I do that your father said I am the only one he would give consent for you to marry, and I know as well as you that if we were married, he couldn't keep us apart."

"Draco," I started. He interrupted me. "I'll understand if you need to think about it, but I want you to know that I have been thinking about it. I love you, Athena, I want to spend forever with you."

"Yes," I answered. He smiled. "I'll marry you. I'll spend forever with you. You are the only one I want, Draco. You are the only one I love and I won't give you up. Forever may be a long time, but to me, it won't be long enough."

We kissed again and he pulled something out of a pocket. When he opened it, I saw an engagement ring. "Told you I've been thinking about this for a while. I wasn't lying."

I felt a pang of guilt for having just lied to him. What was this about? I didn't have a conscience. Why should I feel guilty? Only people with hearts had consciousnesses, felt guilty, fell in love. Did that mean I had a heart; that I was developing a conscience? Who knew love could change you so much.

"Athena!" my father yelled. "Draco! Let's go!"

Draco helped me climb into the shack, and then followed me. My father looked like he was seeing red while Crabbe and Goyle cowered in the background, looking like they wanted to raid the kitchen for anything edible. Don't you just love Slytherins?

We Apparated to the Scottish Highlands; where the Dark Lord's dark castle was hidden. The castle is not on any map and cannot be located on a map. If you don't have the Dark Mark on your arm, you can't even see it.

It is made of black stone, and there are snakes everywhere. They are carved onto the doors, some of the stones, they take the place of your average gargoyle or angel, they form the archways and the path to the castle door is that of a snake.

Yes, our Master is a bit obsessed, but you wont hear any of his Death Eaters say that out loud. We are too loyal, too proud to admit that there is anything wrong with our Master. Not that there is, of course. Nothing is wrong with our perfect Master.