By My Side

Chapter 12.

(Two months later. - 11th December 1996)

"Draco?"

"Hmmm?" Draco looked up from being bent over his Potions essay about the secondary uses of dashel-water.

"I've been thinking...." Eve told him hesitantly. They were both in the Potions dungeon on a detention that Draco had craftily organised for them both. He had enraged Snape so much he was forced into handing out detention to his favourite student. Draco wasn't too pleased that he inadvertently made Potter happy, but at least he got to be with Eve. Snape had mercilessly left them alone for the last 15 minutes, while they had been working in silence, hands joined over the thick wooden desk. Draco sat facing Eve, who now wore a serious expression.

"Oh," Draco put down his quill. "Do be careful, won't you?"

"Shut up," Eve narrowed her eyes mock-angrily at her boyfriend, who simply smiled.

"What is it?"

"Well I was just wondering about the times that you.....that you slept with Pansy."

"What about them?" Draco asked calmly.

"Well, what kind of protection did you use?" Eve blushed, feeling mightily stupid. "I mean, my Gran told me about all this stuff, it's just........"

"She takes a potion," Draco explained, "from Madam Pomfrey."

"Oh," Eve nodded. "I see," she then mumbled, bowing her head once more over her work. There was a little silence then Draco asked,

"Why?"

"Well, I'm going to need some soon, aren't I?" Eve asked, meeting his eyes again. He was smiling slightly, and as the candles around them flickered, they sent shadows across his face.

"Are you?" the blond boy smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, things are getting pretty hot over in Gryffindor with Harry," Eve laughed to diffuse the situation. It worked because soon Draco was smiling too.

"You want me to come with you? to the hospital wing?" Draco asked.

"Oh yeah, Madam Pomfrey would love that, wouldn't she? if we waltzed in their together asking for contraception. She'd be over to tell my dad quicker than you could say 'unwanted pregnancy'."

"She's not allowed, patient confidentiality."

"Even if she didn't tell dad, she'd give me some mighty lecture about teen pregnancies and wasted lives. Come on, Drac, it's not really a feasible option is it?"

"What else can we do? I guess I could ask Lucius about the facts of life, but something tells me I don't want that conversation."

"No, I wouldn't wish that on anyone," Eve smiled. There was silence for a second while Eve hatched a plan in her head and Draco went back to his work. After a moment, he looked up to see the concentration on her face and groaned.

"Oh God, what are you planning now?"

"How do you know I'm planning something?" Eve grinned.

"I can just tell," Draco explained, "I can read you like a book these days."

"Hmmm," Eve spoke out-loud to herself. "It could work."

"What could work?" Draco asked in an ominous tone.

"Well, you're good at Potions, aren't you?" Eve asked sweetly.

"Oh no, no way!" Draco shook his head.

"Oh come on, Drac, you're the best Potions student Hogwarts has seen in a long time!"

"And if I muck it up? how are we going to explain the small child to your father? or mine, for that matter!"

"You won't muck it up!" Eve said with confidence. "Besides, if we have all the right ingredients and the right recipe, how can it possibly go wrong?"

"Urgh, famous last words," Draco warned. "I'm only good with the Potions Snape or father teaches me, I'm not attempting anything new, not when its this important."

"Just think though," Eve pleaded, "how embarrassing it would be for me to walk into the hospital wing and start this conversation with Madam Pomfrey."

"Easy fixed," Draco shrugged, "I'll get the potion. She won't interrogate me, and even if she does, I'll just listen obediently, swear to be a good boy, and leave, potion in hand."

"She won't give it to you!" Eve laughed, "it's a girls thing."

"So, I'm getting it for a friend."

"I don't think she hands it out to just anyone Draco," Eve told him smartly.

"You want me to ask Pansy for some?" Draco laughed. "Oh, that would be so funny....."

"What about Snape, he'd give it to you," Eve chanced.

"He probably wouldn't be allowed. We're still not old enough technically, I'm not until April, and you're not until May, remember?"

"Huh! like that ever stopped you before!" Eve snorted.

"Yeah, but I hardly want old Sevvy knowing what I do with my free time, now do I?" the mischievous look on Draco's face was so cute, Eve could have kissed him, and was about to when they heard footsteps approaching. Their hand shot apart, and they both bent hurriedly back over their work, Draco glancing up and winking at Eve with a smile just before Professor Snape re-joined them. The wink was to let Eve know they would definitely carry the conversation on later.

"I'm glad to see you haven't pulled each other apart in my absence," Snape drawled in his deep hiss of a voice as he swept to his desk, his black robes billowing out behind him. "How is your essay coming along, Miss Lupin? no....complications, I hope?"

"No sir," Eve said through clenched teeth - she really did hate the man, and wondered why he left so many dramatic pauses in his speeches. Yeah, well, he doesn't frighten me! she thought.

The rest of the detention passed with a tense silence. Draco kept looking up to Snape's desk, willing the greasy professor to remember an errand he had to do or a pupil he had to go terrorise, just so he and Eve could carry-on their previous conversation.

Things had changed dramatically in the space of two short months. It was now nearly Christmas, and in just over a week's time, everyone would be leaving Hogwarts to return home. Eve was not, of course, her only family was here. Draco had been ordered home, however, and the prospect of spending so much time away from the girl he loved was pulling him apart inside. Infact, he had even requested to Lucius that he stay here to get some 'extra work' done, but the pleading went un-heard, so home he was going.

The only consolation in this scenario was the New Years Ball that Dumbledore had planned, this meant that all fourth years and above had to be back at Hogwarts on New Years Eve. Thankfully, Draco had worked out that this meant he and Eve spent only from the 20th to the 31st away from each other, which was great, as they were becoming increasingly inseparable.

The Quidditch season was also now in full swing. Last month Gryffindor had played the opening game of the season against Slytherin. To Draco's great annoyance, the day before the match, their star player, in fact, the only girl on the team, had fallen out, injured, and so had to be replaced by an eager yet useless second year, of whom Draco certainly did not approve. Needless to say, Slytherin lost 260-80. Harry Potter had a grin as wide as a house when he finally caught the Snitch in the 118th minute - Draco was quietly proud that his team hung on that long. The frequent practise sessions (which Draco had organised always fell conveniently when Eve was in her extra-charms lessons) looked to be paying off, and depending on what happened in the upcoming Hufflepuff vs.Ravenclaw match on the penultimate day of term, Slytherin looked in with a chance of the cup this year.

Quidditch, however, was often the last thing on Draco's mind. He looked up to find the object of his affection was now chewing her lip anxiously, staring down at her essay with a clearly concerned look on her face. She was struggling, Draco knew that. Not only with Charms, but with Potions as well, and he had often heard her voice complaints about Divination. Apparently, the Mudblood was helping her, but Draco couldn't help but feel useless. He wanted to help, and was sure he possibly could, if she would just let him, but there was never any time. These days, every second they spent together was precious, and their studies were usually.........well, extracurricular shall we say.

That wasn't to say they never spent any time talking, though. In fact, they told each other everything. As news filtered through of Death Eater activity, and Potter's nightmares became common knowledge, Eve and Draco would swap stories. In the past, Draco had always seen only two sides to be on, Light or Dark, and he knew that no matter how much he despised his position, he had been born on the side of Voldemort and his co-horts. Lately though, Draco liked to think there were more than two sides, now there were three. The was the Dark side, with Lucius, Voldemort and the other Minions, there was the side of Light with Dumbledore, Potter and all the other goody-two shoes, and then in the background, there was Eve and Draco, set apart from the crowd. He felt like the two of them were on a island more than ever before.

Also in the past two months, the couple had encountered their first big argument. Screaming, shouting, gesticulating and slapping (the latter only carried out by Eve, obviously) had ensued, and then Eve stormed out, leaving a defeated and empty Draco to sit back on the sofa in the old Muggle studies classroom with a sick feeling in his stomach.

Since their argument only lasted a day (Draco couldn't take it any longer, he was snapping at everyone and nearly got into another fight with Goyle so he feigned illness in history and met Eve out of her class.) Draco only had one night to ponder the danger of how dependant he now felt on Eve. Somewhere along the line he had surrendered his soul, and while the feeling was one of utter comfort and delight which kept a stupid smile permanently on his face, he couldn't help but feel like he was balancing on the edge of a cliff, preferably directly over a pit of ferocious crocodiles. Falling seemed inevitable, after all, rock was only so strong, right? but whenever he seemed to look at Eve, he couldn't feel the dangerous, jagged face of the cliff-edge anymore, only safe, firm ground beneath his feet.

As for Eve, well, she was more than a little scared of the places her feelings for Draco were taking her. She was spending probably as much time with her father as she did at the start of the term, but these days she hardly ever stopped to catch up with Ron or Harry. Hermione, of course, was a different story.

Her Gran always used to say that if you had a good enough girl-friend, no boy would split you up. In fact, a good girl-friend was often the saviour of a relationship, someone to bring you round, cheer you up, someone to take solace in. Eve decided, however, that the theory only worked if said girlfriend was aware of the relationship in question. In fact, many times, Eve had opened her mouth to chat to Hermione about Draco and then promptly shut it again with haste. The argument was a killer, but now she could hardly remember how it started. It was about Lucius, she recalled, and possibly the Dark Lord, but more than anything it was the making up that stuck in her mind. Wow, really, was all she could say about it, and a grin still made its way across her features when she thought about it.

Draco had met her from Herbology, or rather he hid behind a nearby tree and whistled to catch her attention. Of course, Hermione, Ron and Harry thought nothing of it when she decided to stay behind and chat to Professor Sprout, afterall, she was failing most of her studies majorly these days. Instead, Eve watched Professor Sprout disappear up to the castle for Staff Room break with everyone else, and then she signalled that the coast was clear for Draco.

He had apologised profusely, until she gagged him with her mouth and they found themselves half-naked in greenhouse number four a little while later. Phew, if plants could talk.......

But seriously, things had moved on. Eve was right when she suggested they get some kind of contraception, quickly. They had come very close on their last few meetings, close to forgetting the consequences and doing it anyway as Eve found desire tended to cloud their awareness. It was all well and good Draco acting sensible during a Potions detention, but she found that when they were alone together, naked, and all but committing the act of sex, he wasn't so level-minded. Still, the obtaining of the aforementioned potion made Eve want to commit to life-long celibacy. Again, she considered asking Hermione to accompany her on this journey, but then questions were bound to be asked, and Eve didn't have any answers to provide that wouldn't cause Hermione to scream at her and maybe make her see that what she was doing was dangerous.

When Eve looked up from her increasingly difficult Potions essay, she caught Draco smiling at her in that cute, 'God, I love you' kind of way, she smiled back with the same sentiment and decide that maybe celibacy was a crap idea afterall.........

********

"I thought he was never going to let us go," Eve muttered, pulling her bag on her back, but finding the straps twisted. Wordlessly, Draco came to her aid and sorted things out, helping so that the bookbag fitted on properly.

"Mmmm, I was about to die from the pregnant silence myself," Draco affirmed.

"Ah, pregnant, that reminds me, where were we in our little chat?" Eve grinned, safe that they were alone in the corridor and lifting herself up to plant a kiss on Draco's cheek. He smiled and slung and arm around her shoulders.

"You were trying, but failing, to get me to make your potion for you."

"Oh yes, so I was," Eve remembered. "How about it, then?"

"Still no chance in hell."

"Oh, damn."

"So either you, I or both of us are looking at a trip to Madame Pomfrey," Draco said with an efficiency that reminded Eve of Hermione.

"Urgh, I'm scared!" Eve moaned as they reached the top of the corridor, the last place they could almost assure no one would see them.

"I know, love," Draco told her soothingly, stopping and putting his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. "You don't have to get the potion at all if you're not ready, it's your decision, remember?"

"I know, and while the whole situation makes me want to hide my head in the sand, all this stopping and getting very cold showers almost every day is really getting on my nerves so.....I have to just embrace the pain and pleasure theory I suppose."

"That's my girl," Draco grinned, kissing the little dark-haired Gryffindor girl lightly on the lips. "I'll write to you later, okay?"

"Okay," Eve nodded. "Love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Draco winked, giving her hand a squeeze. He checked both ways at the corner then took the path to the dungeon Slytherin common rooms.

Eve waited a few minutes, as was their usual system, then emerged into the brightly lit hallway and began the long walk to Gryffindor Tower. As winter set in with more and more ferocity, the nights became dark earlier and the cold seemed to seep through the castle walls. The house-elves were on constant watch for fires that burned down in their grates, and were often seen cleaning or bringing in extra provisions. Harry and Ron and Hermione had spent most of the previous night down at Hagrid's, he was preparing Hogwarts for winter and Christmas, and was often seen bringing in huge trees from the forest for firewood and for decoration in the Great Hall. Indeed, it seemed all of Hogwarts was getting festive.

Tonight, Eve had planned to pop in on her father, but she was tired from draining herself on the potions essay, and as it was one of her few free nights off her extra charms lessons, she decided to catch up with everything in the common room and get an early night.

Although she saw Harry and Ron in lessons, and was getting along with them great there, she hadn't spoken to them outside lessons or mealtimes in ages, so she decided to re-affirm some ties with her free times.

The guilt Eve had first felt at her betrayal of her friends was still strong, and although it had not gone away, she had grown a little more used to the feeling. It still stung, of course, when Hermione asked her where she was going and she had to lie. Usually she used the excuse of walking or seeing her father, but still her nerves frayed everytime. Somehow, distancing herself emotionally from the others made things easier, but the one person she could never distance herself from was her father.

She suspected he was getting suspicious, but every time he showed signs of this, she made sure she informed Draco and that they were more careful and spent slightly less time together. Remus was easier to deal with in the sense he didn't ask so many questions. When Eve told him she was going to see her friends, he assumed Ron and Harry and Hermione, when of course it was really Draco.

However, when Christmas break came round, Eve knew things would be considerably easier, even though she knew there would be a constant aching in her chest from looking up at the breakfast table and seeing Draco's place empty. This year, almost everyone had signed up to go home. Only a few Gryffindors were staying, Eve and Harry were the two main ones staying from the fifth year. Ron's parents wanted him and Ginny home as Bill and Charlie were making it back specially for a family Christmas, and Hermione's parents missed her terriblely. Draco was not pleased that Eve would be stuck with Harry for so long, and while he had stressed that he trusted her impeccably, he admitted he could not say the same about Potter.

Eve thought it was all useless jealousy anyway, as her and Harry hardly spoke at all these days. The 'thing' between them that had been there at the start of term had faded away, and Eve put her previous feelings down to the re-uniting of old friends.

Entering the Gryffindor common room, Eve got the familiar pang of home. She was really settling in now, and everything about the place, the noisy chatter, the hub-bub of smiling faces and the smell of burning firewood, all made her feel relaxed.

"Eve!" Hermione called from her lone chair by the window.

"Hey," Eve ambled over.

"How did your detention go?"

"Oh, it was alright. The essay was pretty difficult, but I got through it."

"You think Snape will give you good marks?"

"Does he ever?" Eve laughed. "What are you reading?" she pointed to the book open on Hermione's lap.

"Oh, just some stuff about engorgement charms. I was going to perform one on Ron's head, but I think it's large enough."

Eve smiled. The friendly bitching between Ron and Hermione was still underlying all of their conversations, and often gave Eve and Harry quite a laugh in classes.

"Where are the famous two, anyway?" Eve frowned. Hermione simply nodded in distaste over to a corner alcove where Harry and Ron were sitting talking to Ginny and her friend Ruth Parker. "Jealous?" Eve asked quietly, eyeing her bushy-haired friend.

"No!" Hermione voice in indignation, then the both of them smiled knowingly at each other and Hermione sighed wearily. "Boys, eh?"

"Yeah, boys," Eve muttered, pulling up a chair and flopping down. "God, I'm exhausted. I think I'll get an early night."

"Oh, me too. I have an Ancient Runes test in the morning - mock O.W.L."

"I thought the mocks weren't until February!" Eve sat up in alarm.

"They're not," Hermione chuckled. "This is a mock-mock, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, right," Eve fell back in the chair.

"Not prepared?" Hermione asked in a sober tone.

"Nowhere near," Eve moaned, "I just seem to have so much to do lately! what with these extra charms lessons and homework every night," and trying to juggle a highly complex relationship with a soon-to-be-death-eater. Eve thought.

"There's still time, if you start preparing now," Hermione patted her knee in sympathy.

"Yeah," Eve waved her hand noncommittally, "after Christmas."

Both girls looked serious for a moment, then broke out into laughter which was interrupted by a voice behind Eve.

"Hey stranger," Harry tickled the back of Eve's neck.

"Hiya Harry," she smiled.

"How did detention with Snape go?"

"Great," Eve rolled her eyes, "can't wait to go again."

"What did he make you do? clean out his store cupboard?" Harry asked. Eve was about to reply when a delicious scene involving herself, Draco, a pile of discarded clothing and Snape's store cupboard flashed into her mind. She grinned.

"No, nothing so gruesome, just an essay," she managed to say.

"Lucky for you, he usually has something dreadful lined up," Hermione informed Eve.

"Probably because Malfoy was there, he couldn't give his favourite student any manual work, could he?" Harry shook his head with distaste.

"Hmmm, Malfoy might break a nail," Hermione said sarcastically, going back to her book. Eve sat biting her tongue.

"So what's Ron up to?" Eve asked, trying to drag the conversation away from the pulling apart of her nearest and dearest.

"He seems to be getting along pretty well with Ruth, so me and Ginny left them to it," Harry told Eve whilst keeping one eye on Hermione for her reaction.

"There's no point saying things to try and provoke me, Harry Potter," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact voice, eyes not leaving her text.

"I wasn't!" Harry lied, looking to Eve for help, but she was still smarting from the earlier comment about Draco so was conveniently looking away when he turned to her.

"He can do whatever he pleases with Ruth Parker," Hermione said airily, lifting her head and smiling what Eve could tell was a false smile, "I frankly don't care."

Before anyone could say anything else, Seamus called over and invited Harry for a game of exploding snap. Harry called back that he would join them and then smiled worriedly at Eve and Hermione before bounding off.

"You do care though, don't you?" Eve asked when Hermione returned her eyes to the book.

"No."

"Oh come on, Herm, that smile didn't reach your eyes and you've been funny with Ron since that Hogsmeade trip."

"That was months ago!" Hermione bristled.

"I know, but still you're funny with him, always snapping at him and goading him on. Hermione Granger, if you didn't give a damn, you'd have forgotten all about it," Eve finished smugly.

"Yes, well, Ruth Parker can have him, silly little hussy she is."

"Hermione!" Eve spluttered, shocked to hear such language from her friend, and then was reminded of the time Draco told her that Hermione had slapped him in the third year ('It still hurts!' he said pathetically) Eve also remembered how she had kissed it better.

"I'll come round," Hermione self-analysed quietly, "just give me time."

"Okay," Eve smiled.

The next few hours passed in relative silence while the common room slowly emptied and Hermione kept on revising. Eve was just dozing of in the chair when Ron came over at around ten o'clock.

"Did anybody see where Harry went?"

"He's with Seamus, playing a game of snap - or at least he was last time I looked up," Hermione told him briskly. Eve dragged herself up in the chair and motioned for Ron to sit down nearby.

"So what's going on with you and Ruth?" Eve asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, nothing, we were just talking," Ron said casually.

"She's pretty. Ginny's year?"

"Yeah. She's really into Quidditch - we were discussing Cannon's tactics, talking about their star player for this season, Ian Holdman. He's from Brighton, which is the same place she's from and - "

"I'm trying to revise!" glared Hermione.

"Oh, sorry I spoke!" Ron muttered, turning away. Eve blushed, she felt a bit in the way.

"I tell you what, why don't you two have a much needed chat, and I'll go to find Harry, okay?"

"Chat? we don't need to chat!" Ron said incredulously.

"I'm revising! I've got no time to chat!" Hermione chimed in.

"Well," replied Eve, "it seems to me like you have some stuff to sort out, and I think things would be a lot better for everyone if you did. So," she patted both their knees before standing up and smiling at the shocked looks on both her friend's faces, "off you go, chat away!"

With that, Eve scooted away from them, keeping her head low in case Hermione decided to fling her text book in anger. Spotting Harry by the fire with Dean, Eve went over.

"Hiya!" she said brightly.

"Oh, hiya Eve," Dean smiled.

"You didn't leave Ron and Hermione alone did you?" Harry asked in a worried tone, looking around for his friends.

"Yeah, well I figured they needed to sort things out, if they snap at each other anymore, we might not have any friends left."

"Hmm, I suppose," Harry patted the space next to him on the chair and Eve sat down.

"Err, right, I'll get off to bed," Dean grinned at the two. "Have...fun."

"What's up with him?" Eve laughed, watching him leave in haste.

"No idea," Harry said in an obvious lie.

"I had something I wanted to ask you....." Eve said, racking her brains.

"Er, yeah, I had something I wanted to ask you too," Harry smiled, "you go first, though."

"It was about Ron. Is he going to ask Hermione to this stupid ball or what? because I know for a fact that Roger Cleveland is thinking of asking her - he stopped me in the Great Hall the other day and quizzed me about her."

"Really? well, I'm currently pressuring Ron to ask her, because I know he wants to but he's too nervous. He'll probably end up asking Lavender or someone he doesn't really like."

"Yeah, make sure he does it pronto though, I think Hermione will say yes to Roger. While she would probably prefer to go with Ron, she'd still say yes to Roger. I fact, I don't think she believes Ron would ask her."

"Well, maybe you could tell her that I hinted he might, so she won't say yes to anyone else just yet. In the mean-time, I'll bug Ron."

"It's stupid really though," Eve pointed out, "how will they ever get along in a relationship if the only things that ever happen to them are orchestrated by you and me?"

"I don't think it will always be like that," Harry frowned, "Ron is just nervous, he needs a push in the right direction, I think most boys our age do. It's no fun, you know, being the boy and having to do all the asking."

"Not all boys are that nervous," Eve said casually, trying to keep the experience out of her voice. "I think if you like someone enough, you'll ask them out no matter how nervous you are."

"That's not true," Harry defended, "I asked Cho out last year, but I almost didn't because I was so nervous."

"Ah!" Eve grinned, "the famous Cho Chang. I still haven't met her, I don't think."

"No, she's pretty quiet," Harry explained.

"So are you asking her again this year?" Eve asked.

"No, I don't think so," Harry seemed to squirm. "I kind of have somebody else in mind."

"Oh yeah, who?"

"Well, that brings me around to the question I wanted to ask you - "

"Eve!" Hermione waved from across the common room. Ron was approaching them with a smile on his face. "You coming up to bed?"

"Ah, yeah!" Eve called, "hang on!" Then she turned back to Harry. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"Oh, nothing, nevermind," Harry shook his head, willing the approaching Ron away so he could get out the words he had been trying to for the past few days.

"Okay," Eve shrugged, "night-night."

"Yeah, goodnight," Harry said defeatedly.

"Night, Ron," Eve smiled, passing him and joined Hermione as they climbed the stairs to bed. When they were safely out of earshot, Harry turned to the youngest Weasley boy.

"You know when to pick your times, don't you?"

"What'd you mean, mate?" Ron asked, leafing through a magazine on the coffee table.

"I was about to ask Eve to the dance with me!" Harry sighed, exasperatedly.

"Oh! bloody hell! sorry mate, you should have sent me away or something."

"Oh yeah, that wouldn't look suspicious or anything, would it?" Harry said sarcastically. "I'll never pluck up the courage to ask her at this rate, and she'll end up going with someone else."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I didn't have the nerve to ask 'Mione either." Ron yawned.

"You'd better get a move on," Harry told him miserably, "Eve says she thinks Roger Cleveland is going to ask her."

"Him again?" Ron fumed, "he messed things up in Hogsmeade that time! I'd like to strangle him," to show him anger, Ron did an impression with the air in front of him.

"We need to get some nerve from somewhere, mate, and quick, because it'll end up like last year otherwise."

"Hmm, I suppose," Ron grumped. "I only just sorted things out with Hermione, though."

"What did you say to her?"

"Nothing much, we just talked about revision. We get on really well when we're alone, for some reason I don't seem to pick at everything she says, and she's never sarcastic or bossy."

"Does this mean you're going to get along in future? because things are weird enough around here as it is, I just want things to get back to normal."

"Yeah, sorry mate," Ron eyed his friend sympathetically. "No more petty arguments, I promise."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and we're going to pluck up the courage to ask the girls out as well, even if you have to ask Hermione for me, and I have to ask Eve for you."

"Oh, I'm sure they'd both be well impressed by that," laughed Harry.

"Yeah, you're right," moaned Ron, "this girl business is more complicated than I thought."

"You can say that again," Harry rubbed his eyes, "now are we going to bed, or what?"

*******

It was about quarter to eleven in the Slytherin common room. Almost everyone had gone up to bed, except for a few seventh years drinking an illegal stash of Butterbeer in the corner and a snogging couple on the sofas. Draco Malfoy was sat in his favourite seat by the fire - mostly it was freezing cold in the dungeons - with his charmed piece of magical parchment on his lap, writing a silly conversation to his girlfriend about why Slytherins, being evil by nature, could stand the cold better than brave, worthy Gryffindors, who got a tower to themselves. Draco was chuckling to himself, assuming no one could see, and was writing a reply about Slytherins having thick skins when a hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped.

"Pansy!" he rolled his eyes, "what do you want?"

"I want to know what you're up to," the piggy Slytherin girl frowned, eyes roaming all over the parchment and quill on Draco's knee. Of course, she couldn't see the words because of the way the parchment was charmed.

"Nothing," Draco told her coldly.

"I don't believe you," she frowned. "Why are you acting so strange lately? you're always scribbling away on some blank piece of paper and you wear a stupid smile most of the time. Hell, Draco, I've even seen you being nice," she spat the word, "to people. Now what's going on?"

"Why would you assume that my business has anything to do with you?" Draco narrowed his eyes, eager to get rid of this girl and back to conversing with Eve.

"Because, Draco, you and I used to.....have something, and lately I've been forced to satisfy myself with Goyle, so I want answers. You've gone like a cold fish with me!"

"Maybe that's because you look like a cold fish?" Draco suggested.

"I was all well and good before, wasn't I?" Pansy pushed her face right up to the blond boy's and looked him up and down. "What the hell did you do with your hair anyway?"

"I changed it, not that it has anything to do with you."

"You mother and I agreed it suited you best before, Draco," Pansy sneered.

"Oh, I'm not allowed a mind of my own now?"

"Look, Draco," Pansy soothed her voice, trying the nice approach, "if you're planning something, you can always tell me you know. I could help, I do have my resources, remember?"

"There's no plan, there's nothing going on, but if you don't get your face out of mine, you nosy little bitch, I swear I'll be planning how to dispose of your putrid body - got me?"

Pansy knew that when Draco's eyes flashed in that manner, he was being more than serious. She had seen first-hand the evils this boy could commit with a flick of his wand, leaving no trace on his conscience, but this time be was really bugging her, so she ploughed on.

"You forget I have my own sources of information Draco dearest," Pansy spat, lowering her voice to its most malicious tone, "so take my advice and watch yourself, okay?"

Just as Draco was about to answer, the was a noise behind them and both turned to find Blaise Zabini standing holding a small pile of books. Her pretty eyes were narrowed on Pansy.

"Bothering people again, Pansy?"

"Piss off," Pansy sneered.

"No, I don't think I will," Blaise replied calmly, looking the other Slytherin girl up and down. "How about you get off to bed and leave Draco alone, eh?"

"Oh yeah, and I've got to do what you tell me, have I?" Pansy shouted.

"No, you don't have to, but it's late, and we're all pretty tired, so how about it?" Blaise maintained her smooth tone, never breaking eye contact. There was silence and Pansy noticed that everyone left in the common room was now watching the exchange by the fire - even the snogging couple had sat apart. As much as Pansy liked to be the centre of attention, this situation didn't exactly bring out her finer points, so with a flick of her hair and a loud snort, she turned in the other direction and headed off up to the girls dorms. More stunned silence.

Finally, Draco turned to Blaise.

"Thanks."

"No problem," she replied with a small smile. For a second, her eyes ghosted over the parchment on Draco's lap, then she took a small look around to the still watching audience. "Just try to be more careful in future, okay?" she almost whispered. "It won't take Pansy long to find out its a girl, and then it definitely won't take her long to find out it's a Gryffindor. Just take care, okay Draco?"

With a soft flick of her eyes, Blaise then carried on her walk up to her dorm room leaving Draco totally stunned - so she knew? and she'd never said anything? he was flabbergasted. For a second, he didn't do anything, then he noticed that people were still watching him, and while he was sure they hadn't heard Blaise, it was best to keep guarded from now on, so he gave them all his best dangerous stare and shouted.

"What?"

Immediately, as if unfrozen from a time lock, everyone went back to what they were doing. Draco looked down at the parchment blankly and felt a fear grip him. Shit, Zabini knows..... Of course, Draco knew he would have to have a talk with her, very soon, and find out if she'd told anyone else, but quite frankly right now he was in shock. She didn't mention any names though, she could just be chancing her arm by saying it's a Gryffindor.

As his mind worked overtime, Draco suddenly realised he had kept Eve waiting in the middle of a conversation and began to scribble hurriedly, telling her all about what had just occurred.

Finally, it seemed, their secret was out.

*********

Pansy Parkinson would not call herself a jealous girl. She simply got what she wanted, that's all, and right now she really really wanted Draco Malfoy.

She knew she was in line for formal courting and engagement and eventually marriage with the boy - it was all her mother had groomed her for her entire life. Finally she would get to move out of her family home and into the splendour of Malfoy Manor. Say whatever you liked about the Malfoys, but they certainly knew how to spend money. Everything in the Manor was lavish, from the ornate marble staircases down to the solid gold handles on the doors.

Yes, indeed, one day Malfoy Manor would be hers.

She couldn't wait. The thing about these arranged marriages was that they could be sticky, if one partner did not find the other particularly attractive, but she did, she did find Draco very attractive. He was without doubt the best looking boy in Slytherin, probably something to do with his Veela ancestry, a close-kept family secret Pansy only knew because her mother was often careless with what slipped out and what didn't. Yes, Draco was handsome, but he was also beautiful in a way Pansy could not describe. He was edgy, she would say. You never knew if he was going to kiss you or kill you, and Pansy liked that in a lover.

That was why she had been so delighted and eager to please when he had come into her bed one night the previous year. She couldn't believe her luck! she had told as many girls (well, bragged outright to as many girls) as she could find.

Pansy wasn't stupid, ever since Draco had started to show an interest in the opposite sex, she knew that she wasn't one of the chosen girls he favoured. When he had invited Karen Bleeson, a girl in the year above them, to his dorm one night and the other boys he shared with had had to sleep on the floor by the fire, Pansy was livid. At first she had written in indignation to her mother, but the older Parkinson woman had told her that she must be patient - one day Draco would be hers without question, and until then, she must simply play quiet.

That was why she was so ecstatic when Draco had finally shown an interest in her. It felt like he was finally coming around to what was expected of him. Yes, her mother and Lucius had been most pleased when she had reported the news back that they were on very friendly terms. Pansy had then done whatever he wanted, just to keep him. She also told him profusely that it was the right thing, they were meant to be together, and things had gone on that way for months, but this year things had been different.......

Sneaking around and having private jokes - Draco's absence most nights for a few hours had not gone un-noticed by his dorm mates, and Goyle had been more than eager to supply the information, for something in return, obviously....

It was all worth it to Pansy though. If only that pesky Blaise Zabini would keep her nose out, Pansy was sure that given time, she would work out what was going on with Malfoy Jr. Oh yes, she was clever when she put her mind to it. In the meantime, she would do what she did best - keep mother informed.

Leaving the scene in the common room, Pansy stormed up to her dormitory and upon finding her quill missing, she stole another girl's and found some parchment on the floor. Thinking for a moment, she wrote :-

Dear Mother,

I hope all is well at home, and that father's lumbago is correcting itself.

However, the real reason for my writing is the topic we have been discussing in our previous letters. Draco's strange attitude seems to have become worse. This evening I caught him writing on a piece of parchment that was obviously charmed to be for his eyes only. He was laughing at something as well, even though he was quite alone. I suspect this parchment must be some form of communication with someone as he became very hostile upon questioning.

This has most upset me mother - you said that you would speak to Mr Malfoy about the situation, and that it would be righted, but Draco still has not asked me to the New Years Ball, and unless he asks soon, I will have to ask another boy in order to save face (the shame of going alone to such a function is unthinkable, as I'm sure you can imagine.) What should I do, mother? it seems that Draco is keeping secrets from many people, if as you said in your previous letter, Mr Malfoy knows nothing of any such goings-on.

I will, as always, keep a very close eye on things here, and inform you immediately.

Please help!

regards,

Pansy.

With a smug smile, Pansy folded the letter and placed it under her pillow, planning a trip to the owlery at sunrise. She was still angry, however, and looking at the quill lying discarded on the bed, she picked it up and admired the fine artwork and craftsman-ship that had gone into it. She looked around at the other girls lying sleeping in her room and realised whose the quill was - a short plump girl who was far too snobby for Pansy's liking - always going on about her mother and chasing boys she had no chance with.

Placing a hand at either end of the quill, she snapped it noisily - she'd never liked the girl anyway.

*********

The next morning, as Draco dressed, he decided it was probably best that he speak to Blaise straight away. Eve had seemed very worried last night when he told her about what had gone on, and by the time he saw her later this afternoon, he wanted some good news to tell her - he hated it when she worried.

Knotting his tie and then folding down his collar, Draco glanced into the mirror - the image staring back at him was loosing weight, and he made a mental note to have a good breakfast this morning. A small smile came to his lips when he remembered something he had heard once, about not being able to eat when you were in love - maybe that was true, he considered.

"You ready, Draco?" Crabbe asked roughly behind him.

"Yes, in a minute - go down without me."

"Urgh, alright." Vincent shrugged, thinking how he could never figure Draco out after all these years.

Searching amongst his clothes, Draco eventually found his grey school jumper with the dark green of Slytherin around the v-neck. He pulled it on and straightened it nicely - he was freezing already and missing the warmth of his bed, hopefully today all the fires would be lit in the Great Hall. Fussing with his hair in the mirror and keeping one eye on the time, he saw it was late enough for the girls to be up, and pulling on his school-issue day robes, he left his now empty dorm-room gracefully and made it down the stairs in time to see Pansy disappear through the door. He muttered a few curses at the back of her head and wished he could perform wandless magic before spotting Blaise moving about by a table, looking through a stack of books. He approached her, wary of the few people about them.

"Morning, Blaise," he said quietly.

"Oh, hiya Draco, I'm looking for my animagi textbook," she shifted a few more books over. Draco did not attempt to help.

"Look, I want a word with you."

"Oh?" Blaise spoke as though nothing was any different at any other day, and it annoyed Draco greatly.

"About last night?"

"That sounds suspicious, Draco. You'll have tongues wagging, and you know I'm not like that," Blaise looked up with a genuine smile. When Draco thought about it he realised she was right, he had never known her to go out with anyone, male or female. Blocking those thoughts, he smiled back.

"Yeah, sorry, listen, can we go somewhere private?"

"I guess," Blaise shrugged, and followed when Draco took her back up to his dorm room. He sat unceremoniously on his bed but she simply stood, looking uncharacteristically nervous, glancing around at the hangings and ornaments that graced the fifth year boys room.

"What you said last night," Draco started, oblivious to Blaise's uncomfortableness, "about me having a girlfriend, and her being a Gryffindor - what makes you think that?"

Deny everything, his father always told him.

"I put two and two together and made four, Draco," Blaise answered calmly.

"Two and two?"

"Yeah, well, you've been acting oddly, everyone has seen that. You've been spending lots of time away from the common room and generally haven't been seen around. I figured that you would be spending time with someone of the opposite sex because - well, I never saw you as the type to go for boys, and if it were just a friend you were meeting, I thought you would be more vocal about it. Same goes for the Gryffindor thing. If you were seeing a Slytherin, everyone would know, the Hufflepuffs can't keep their mouths shut longer than you can say 'secret' and you would never be ashamed of dating a Ravenclaw as they're the most intelligent house in the school. The only house I know you despise, and therefore would want to keep a relationship with a member of quiet, is Gryffindor."

There was a stunned silence, and Draco felt like a murder suspect who had just had his plan un-ravelled by a detective.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"So who is she?" Blaise asked, fingering the silk on a bed-hanging. "Not Granger?"

"No!" Draco shouted, "no, what d'you think I am?"

"A bigot," Blaise laughed in a friendly manner. "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me, of course, it's your business, I was simply pointing out last night that while our friend Pansy is as thick as the common brick, it won't take her much longer to make the deductions I made. Maybe with a little help from say.......Goyle."

"Goyle? what's he got to do with this?"

"Vince walked in on them having sex in here a few weeks ago - it's all anyone's been talking about Draco. Merlin, you are out of the loop, aren't you?"

"Yes, I know, father would kill me," Draco rubbed his eyes wearily. "So fill me in, what's been going on?"

"Well, from an observer's point of view, I think Pansy and Goyle are working together. Although, I suspect they have different motives - Pansy wants to break you so she can have you back, in her bed where she wants you, and Goyle is planning your downfall. He's finding out as much shit on you as he possibly can, and no doubt he will soon air this case-file to his father, or someone equally as important," there was another silence as Draco realised he hadn't been keeping as close an eye on his fellow house-mates as he usually did.

"Shit, what am I going to do?" he asked, running his hands through his hair.

"You need to work out if she's worth it, Draco, whoever she is," Blaise said, walking to the door. "Oh, and keep an eye on Derek Sigar, he's pretending to be your friend, but I think he's passing notes to Goyle."

"What? really? fuck! I never even talk to him though......" Draco trailed off, confused.

"They're all waiting to stab you in the back Draco, be careful," Blaise said airily, opening the door. "Oh, and I like what you did with your hair, by the way, very nice."

"What? oh, yeah, thanks - it was her idea," he added with a fond smile, thinking of Eve.

"She sounds nice - I hope you're happy."

With that, Blaise left Draco sitting helplessly in his dorm-room, hardly daring to go out incase he found out another plot against his life. Things were getting more complicated by the second in Slytherin, and on reflection, Draco knew the only reason he hadn't be found out already was that most of his housemates were too thick to work it out before now.

The question of Blaise was an entirely different one, though. Was she friend? or foe? it never was easy to tell in Slytherin. If he believed her, he might fall into a trap, which was exactly why he hadn't given Eve's name. He had though, all but admitted he was dating a Gryffindor. If Zabini's in leagues with my father, I'm fucked.... Draco thought. Well, really I'm fucked either way. I need to get my head out of the clouds and back on planet earth. Happiness was nice while it lasted but now I have to get back to thinking on my feet and watching my back - if the likes of Goyle are closing in on me, I must seriously be loosing my touch...

Realising that even being late for breakfast might make people suspicious, Draco stood up and squared his shoulders before following the few final stragglers to the Great Hall.

*****

While his nemesis sat with an almost pensive look on his face, Harry chewed his toast thoughtfully.

He'd had another nightmare last night, a sordid re-creation of the incident on the graveyard with Voldemort and Wormtail. Thankfully this time he had not woken everyone up screaming, instead he found himself with tears staining his face when he woke up.

Of course Dumbledore was being as helpful as he could, and Sirius kept in constant contact, but nothing stopped Harry's feeling of foreboding. He suspected that something big was being planned, something a little out of the ordinary, and all he really wanted was a peaceful Christmas.

The Death Eaters had not struck since North Wales, although Harry was in no doubts as to the fact they would strike again. The question was - when? and where? Although he suspected it should be the last thing on his mind, Harry just kept hoping that nothing happened at Christmas, nothing that involved The Order Of The Phoenix anyway. He had seen how upset Remus leaving had made Eve feel, and he didn't want their time alone at Christmas to be ruined by this.

Harry still remembered the feeling he had got when he saw that only he and Eve were staying back for Christmas. Okay, so there were going to be a few second years, and maybe a few seventh years who were studying for their N.E.W.Ts, but apart from that, he was going to get some time alone with Eve.

She had been bugging him a lot lately - she seemed far away, and as things progressed with Ron and Hermione (if only at a half-dead snails pace), Harry couldn't help but feel jealous. Things had started to go really well, but then they faltered, and Eve had distanced herself from the group. It seemed from Hermione that the friendship cemented between the girls over the summer was still thriving, but after the ill-fated Hogsmeade trip a few months ago, things had.....disbanded.

Harry hoped that over Christmas, he and Eve could learn to talk to each other about things - of course he spoke to Ron about his problems, but that was different, and what he really felt he needed was....a girlfriend, if he dared to think it. The words Eve had said to him the previous night, about wanting something so much you overcame nerves, still rang in his head. She's right, he thought, that's what I'll have to do. I'll talk to her over Christmas, get to know her a bit better and then by the time New Years comes we'll be a team, someone I can talk to who understands, someone I can get through things with.

"Don't you think, Harry?"

"What?" Harry shook himself out of his thoughts, "sorry, I was somewhere else."

"I was saying," repeated Hermione, "Eve looks under the weather, don't you think?"

"She looks fine to me," Harry smiled at Eve, who was blushing under everyone's gaze.

"I'm okay, honestly," Eve flustered, "just got something on my mind, that's all."

"Tell us, maybe we can help," Harry volunteered.

"No, it's nothing, just homework and stuff. Please, don't worry!" Eve smiled.

"If it's the mock O.W.Ls you're thinking about, then don't worry. I have a study session in the library this afternoon - you can join me if you like."

"Erm, yeah, maybe," Eve faltered, thinking of her arrangements with Draco, "all seems too much like work to me!" she ended jovially.

"Yeah, me too," Ron chimed in. "They're months away though aren't they?"

"February, Ron, hardly months, is it?" Hermione said in a snappy voice.

"Maybe I should join you then," Ron suggested. Everyone looked at him and Eve grinned, glad not only that he was making light of the situation, but that he had taken the spotlight off her.

"I'd be glad to have you," Hermione smiled after her initial shock.

"That's a date then," Ron nodded triumphantly, looking to Harry with an 'easy as pie' smile. Harry simply shook his head in amazement and looked to Eve. She shrugged then with a quick glance over to Draco, she went on with her breakfast.

Walking to first lesson, Divination, Ron and Harry chatted about the Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff match. It seemed Ravenclaw were certain to win.

"Are you going to watch?" Eve asked, "even though its not Gryffindor playing?"

"Yeah, the whole school usually goes to every Quidditch match," Ron informed her.

"I thought the last one was so packed out because it was a grudge match between Slytherin and Gryffindor," Eve shrugged. She had only ever been on a broom a few times since Parvati hexed her and she ended up in hospital. Even those few times she was forced into it by people saying if she was a witch, she needed to learn to fly. Personally, she hated it.

"Come in, my dears, sit down," Professor Trelawney urged. She was dressed in her usual jangle of shawls and beads. Eve had learnt not to take anything this woman said for real, and to use the lesson as sleep catch-up time.

"I wonder what dreadful fates she'll predict for us today," Ron mused, sitting on a pink bean-chair around a small coffee table by the window.

"Well, I'll be dying again, you and me will be pulling each other to pieces over Eve and Lavender will surely unearth some past prediction that mysteriously came true," Harry yawned. "This room always makes me sleepy."

"Me too," Eve nodded, sitting down.

Eve began to wonder, as the lesson drew on, if it was really Harry who was the seer, because everything he had predicted, happened. First Professor Trelawney gave him 'that look' and told him he was near his end, then she fore-saw a mighty conflict over Eve's heart and eventually, Lavender remembered some small fact Professor Trelawney had referenced to in the vaguest way last lesson that had come true. Eve was laughing to herself at this and made a mental note to tell Harry and Ron when something happened.

The smoke that was always swirling overhead seemed to stop, falter, and Professor Trelawney seemed to go deadly still from her place by the fire. Her fingers froze in their position and her head seemed to drop back slightly. Her eyes went all funny and glazed and when she spoke, her voice was much deeper than usual.

"There will be an event which touches everyone in this room. Something precious will be taken, and only the joining again of two torn apart forces will retrieve it. Secrets will be uncovered and many will be shaken by the fall-out."

Eve looked to Harry, who was frowning in the most puzzled way. Ron had a big grin on his face, and when the teacher snapped back to her usual self, Ron let out a laugh.

"What, Mr Weasley, may I ask do you find so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ron managed to mutter through laughter.

"Yes, well, I would advise you not to distract the class then, otherwise that love partnership you are hoping for will not come about."

There were wolf-whistles and calls of 'Oh, Ron!' from Seamus and Dean, who pretended to faint. Everyone laughed and soon the previous incident was forgotten.

On the way out of the attic classroom later though, Eve caught up with Harry. Ron was off with Seamus threatening to kill the teacher if she ever embarrassed him again.

"What was all that about?" Eve asked.

"I don't know," Harry admitted, "but I think Trelawney might have just made a real prediction."

"What makes you say that?" Eve frowned, pushing through a crowd of first-years to stay with Harry.

"She did something similar back in fourth year, and Dumbledore suggested that she might make real predictions when she least expects it."

"I wonder what that one meant then," Eve mused.

"I don't know, it was pretty cryptic, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Eve pondered on her own secrets, then shivered. "Let's just hope that Trelawney's as crap as she's always been."

*******

That afternoon, Eve and Draco met up in the Herbology gardens. It was raining pretty heavily so they figured no one else would be stupid enough to be outdoors.

Draco was filling Eve in on everything Blaise had said.

"So, we need to stop seeing each other at nights, or at least, not so often."

"It's the only time we get to be together though!" Eve whined. "God, why does this has to be so complicated?"

"I know, it's shit, but Pansy is really starting to worry me. I catch her staring at me all the time, watching my every move! she even followed me to the toilets this morning!"

"What's her damn problem anyway? maybe we should poison her or something?"

"Oh yeah, that's it, turn to murder," Draco laughed, huddling up against the cold and standing further under their little piece of shelter. "You should have been sorted into Slytherin with ideas like that."

"Yeah, well if I had been, it might have been easier," Eve moaned. "How do you know Pansy didn't follow you here, anyway?"

"She has detention with McGonagall right now."

"Couldn't we get Blaise to cover for us, if she already knows?"

"No, it's impossible - she'd need to know everything and while I do trust her, I wouldn't given her that kind of information."

"Hmm, I guess," Eve agreed. "Things are getting tight, aren't they? we've been caught by Neville, found out by Blaise and suspected by the whole of Slytherin house by the sounds of it. It's only my friends who aren't suspicious."

"They haven't known you very long though, have they?" Draco reasoned, "they don't know how you act when you're lying or when you're upset."

"Hmm, I guess."

"What about your dad? how's he?"

"Well, he's okay. He has a lot on his mind right now, what with all this work Dumbledore gives him and his teaching and his monthly changes. Besides, he's the only one I've made sure a kept in check with - like you said, he'd be able to tell if I started acting funny."

There was a little silence and Draco grabbed Eve's hand.

"We need to cut down, don't we?"

"Yeah," Eve replied in almost a whisper, "just when I wanted to see more of you."

Draco gave a sad laugh.

"I wish things weren't so impossible."

"I know," Eve agreed, then they enveloped each other in a big hug.

"You mean so much to me," Draco whispered, stroking Eve's hair.

"Hey, don't get soppy!" Eve warned, "you know I cry at the slightest thing."

"Yeah," Draco smiled fondly. "Look, no matter what happens, we'll find a way to be together, right?"

"Yeah, right," Eve nodded, and when they kissed, she silently made a promise to herself about where she was going tonight. Half of her wanted to tell Draco, but she decided it would be best as a surprise, so when she gave him her final kiss and said good-bye, he had no idea of what she was thinking.

Eve made her way up through the castle and stood outside her father's classroom. This was her visit that she made everyday just before tea-time was called in the Great Hall. Remembering that but for Draco she had no reason to be out in the rain, she pulled out her wand and cast a drying spell on her short hair before knocking and hearing a faint 'Come in' from inside.

"Hiya!" she smiled, poking her head around the door.

"Hello, sweetheart."

"How's my dad?" Eve asked, making her way between the desks and up to her father's high table, where she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"He's fine, how are you?" Remus smiled.

"Oh, okay," Eve sat herself down.

"What's been going on in your life today then? I had an awful morning with some unruly second years and then my fanpigs escaped in last lesson and the seventh years had to help me look for them in the rain."

"I wish I'd have seen that," Eve laughed. "Oh, my day was dull. Hermione and Ron organised a study afternoon together - "

"Ron?" Remus laughed.

"Yeah, I know, that's what me and Harry said."

"So how did the study session go?"

"I'm not sure, they're there now so I'll see them at tea," Eve explained.

"What have you got lined up for tonight? extra Charms?"

"Yeah," Eve rolled her eyes, "I have a hot date with Flitwick. I'm the envy of everyone."

"Well you will be when you pass your Charms exam with flying colours," Remus grinned.

"I don't think so, dad, it seems to go in one ear and out the other."

"If you think you're beat before you go in there then you will be," Remus pointed out, pushing some books aside and leaning forward to study his little girl more closely. "Are you eating well, Evelyn?"

"Yes dad, fine, why?"

"You look tired and drawn. Maybe you should get more sleep."

"I do try, dad," Eve lied, cringing inside.

"Well I worry about you, so do something for me and have an extra helping at tea tonight, okay?"

"Am I loosing weight or something?" Eve asked, drawing her robes tight around her stomach.

"I don't think so, you look okay to me, just tired, that's all." There was a second while Eve watched her stomach changed as she sucked air in then left it out. "Are you worried about something?"

"No dad, why?" Eve kept her eyes to the floor.

"You have that air about you," Remus remarked, "the one where your Gran would always say your mind was fussing over something."

"Only Charms, and Divination, and Potions, that's all," Eve raised her eyes. "I never knew school was so much work!"

"Oh yes," Remus nodded, "Merlin knows what you'd get up to if you didn't have so much work."

"Huh, I suppose," Eve said, although she thought it was a little too close to the truth.

The pair talked for the rest of the half-hour before tea was served, and then went down together, Eve's mind on the task that lay ahead.

********

Lucius sat at his desk in the East wing on Malfoy Manor holding Gaynor Parkinson's letter in his hand. He had read it over four times now, and was still fuming.

It never even occurred to him to be angry at the woman who had sent it for being nosy and bossy and streams of other things. Instead all his anger was focused on his only child, Draco. It seemed that something was afoot at Hogwarts, and while Lucius hated sending Draco there in the first place, he realised it was necessary to 'keep up appearances'.

It wasn't that he no longer held a complete sway over his son's actions, it was more that Draco had always been slightly......impressionable. Lucius suspected that had his son been sorted into Gryffindor, he would have turned out as much of a goody goody as his enemy Potter.

In the letter, Gaynor had made it clear that Pansy was concerned and extremely annoyed by the current developments. Draco was apparently hiding things from the pug-ugly girl, and while Lucius really wished someone slightly better looking for his son, the Parkinson's were the only Pureblood family who had a daughter the same age as Draco and were of the same high level of not only class, but Death Eater importance. Clive Parkinson had been a wonderful support to the Dark Lord in the days of full power, and Lucius even admitted to being a little jealous of the Parkinson's at one time. Draco, however, did not seem to see the same qualities in the family as he did.

It seemed from the tone of the letter that it was mainly an invitation to this stupid New Years Ball that the old fool Dumbledore had organised, that was the problem. Lucius could more than sort his son out on his own time, but while he was miles away in Hogwarts, it was slightly more difficult, so pulling out two pieces of parchment with the Malfoy family crest at the top, he began to write :-

Draco,

I am so very glad to hear you have invited Pansy Parkinson to the New Years Ball at Hogwarts, I think you will make a splendid couple. You must remember to be a gentleman and buy the lady a present, otherwise you would bring dishonour to the Malfoy family name - please do remember your duties, son.

I have also heard word that you are acting as a true Malfoy should, and that you are remembering that at all times, I have my eye on you. If you should ever forget your loyalties, you know I would be very disappointed.

Your mother sends her love,

Father.

While the letter was not completely the truth, Lucius was sure Draco would understand him. They had written this way for years, with silent threats and orders. Everything must be so official, just in case anyone found anything. 'Never get caught' was the first rule of being a Malfoy - one Lucius was starting to think Draco had forgot.

Finally, he inked his quill to reply to Gaynor Parkinson. He resolved to give Draco a strict talking to when he returned to the Manor for Christmas, and if that didn't work, then more serious methods would have to be implemented.

**********

Just before she left for her extra Charms lessons, Eve warned Hermione she may be a little late back.

"Why?"

"Well, I'm going to see Madame Pomfrey for a pick-me-up. You did say I was looking worn out."

"Yeah, good idea."

Well, Eve thought, the first part wasn't a lie.

She left Professor Flitwick at around eight o'clock and made her way quietly through the near-deserted halls. Her heart pounding, she stopped outside the hospital wing that she hadn't visited in so long, and pushed open the door.

There was hardly anyone in there, a boy asleep in the first bed, and down at the end by her study, Madame Pomfrey was nursing a bleeding first year girl, whose friend was sitting near-by, explaining how the accident was caused.

"Yes, well you should be more careful!" Eve heard the nurse say. She finished the dressing and the girl jumped down from the bed. "Think, next time, before you jump!" Poppy called after the two girls, who passed Eve and left quietly. Eve turned her eyes from the girls and found the nurse smiling at her kindly.

"Hello Eve!"

"Hi," Eve smiled nervously back.

"I take it this isn't a social call?" Poppy asked, clearing away some bandages. Eve began to feel sick inside and considered asking for a simple anti-sickness potion and just leaving, but then she thought of Draco, and the way they had started out their relationship in here, and she mustered up some courage from somewhere.

"I really need a word with you, in private," Eve managed to stutter. Seeing something was wrong, Poppy simply nodded and ushered Eve into her study, where the Gryffindor girl sat down and the nurse washed her hands.

Finishing up, Poppy Pomfrey wondered whatever it could be that was making the poor girl look so white and frightened, and sat down opposite Eve at her desk.

"Do you want something to drink, dear? you look white as a sheet."

"No thank you, Madame Pomfrey. There's something I have to say, and I really just want to say it, get it out of the way."

"Right, fire away then," Poppy smiled her best re-assuring smile to put the trembling girl at ease.

"I need..." Eve stopped, hands twisting in her lap, wishing she could just get up and leave. Her stomach was in knots as she carried on, "I need a potion from you, to.....well, to stop me getting pregnant."

Eve was sure she didn't just imagine the shocked silence.

"I see," was all the nurse could say, leaning back in her chair. She had many girls walk in here over the years and ask the same thing, but most of them did it brazenly, like they owned the place, and although she gave them the potion, because she had to because she worried the students would just do it anyway, she didn't think that girls so forthright and confident should go throwing their weight around. Part of Poppy always felt a little bit like she was condoning what they did, but then she reminded herself, at least they were sensible enough to come and ask for it, rather than getting themselves in trouble.

"If there is such a thing," Eve mumbled, uncomfortable from the silence.

"Yes, yes there is such a thing but.......well, Evelyn, I'll be honest, I never expected to see you in here asking for such a thing," then it hit the nurse, and she felt stupid - of course! the relationship she had seen form so clearly before her eyes between Eve and Draco must still be going strong. Unless, of course, there was someone else.

"Well, I didn't really expect to be coming in here asking for it," Eve frowned, a smile playing at her lips. "I mean, my dad would kill me, but....." When she looked up to the nurse, there was a kind of pleading in her eyes.

"I understand," Poppy nodded, "but I do feel I must ask you, are you sure this is the right thing?"

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," Eve assured, she was, afterall, definite. She wouldn't have come if she wasn't.

"You do realise that this isn't strictly legal?" Eve nodded. "This is a very big step," Poppy frowned, "but I can see you know that."

More silence.

"Yes, very well, please wait there."

The nurse stood up with job efficiency and shuffled out of the room into a side-cupboard Eve hadn't noticed. Hands still wringing together, Eve looked around, trying to calm herself down enough to drink the damn thing. She felt awful. She was scared of what Madame Pomfrey now thought of her and -

"Here we go," Poppy placed a small beaker down on the desktop and watched as Eve just looked at it. "There are a few things you should know first. Drinking this acts as a contraceptive for the next four months only. You will have to then come back for more, if you need it," Eve tried to imagine the frown and to block out the images the nurse must surely have in her head. "This stuff is not to be taken lightly. Sex is not a game, and one swig of this stuff doesn't mean you can go around with whoever you want," when she saw Eve looked horrified, she changed her tone. "I know you're not that kind of girl, but it's the standard disclaimer."

Eve smiled slightly and Poppy touched her hand.

"Don't worry, dear."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"No, of course not, I would loose my job."

"You don't think I'm some sort of - "

"No dear, I can promise you that I think you're a lovely girl, this doesn't change my opinion of you whatsoever," Poppy smiled kindly. "It's really no business of mine but.....well, you are ready for this I take it?"

"Yes, definitely," Eve nodded with conviction. "I'm very much in love," she added, as she figured the conversation couldn't go out of this room. It was nice to finally tell someone.

Poppy couldn't suppress a smile. Yes, she knew now that it was Draco - they had seemed so perfect together all those months ago.

"Well then," Poppy nodded to the beaker. Taking a deep breath, Eve's shaking hand reached out and grasped around the glass cup. Casting one last look at the nurse, who nodded, Eve gulped down the vile tasting liquid and placed the cup back down in the desk in front of her, empty but for the dregs at the side. She suddenly seemed to stop shaking, and glad that the whole dreaded ordeal was over, she gave Poppy Pomfrey her first whole-hearted smile of the evening.