Ch 9
It was a typical, cloudy London morning. Agyness sat on a simple, creaking wooden chair, brushing out her long, chocolate brown hair as she examined herself in the old, cracked antique mirror of her mahogany dresser. She was reliving the afternoon before, how Hermione, Harry, and Ron had regaled to her their adventures in India, how they had snagged Macnair in the middle of a crowded, muggle-filled street square, and how Hermione had plans to return to Mumbai to free some “oppressed” house elves. And, how they all had told her some things, not very pleasant things, about her mentor. Agyness refused to believe their hateful words; how could they speak so unfavorably about a man who had been, for the most part, a complete gentleman to her? Being her stubborn self, she decided to stick to her firm belief that Draco was a good man with a few flaws, like any normal human being.

Even though Agyness had been pleased to see her friends return with triumphant grins, she could not help feeling that the timing had been all wrong. She knew what Draco had been about to do, and she couldn’t have been happier; at least until the triumphant trio showed up. And then that vanquished look and walk that was Draco as he left the Ministry... It almost pained her to see what she had considered to be her one opportunity at a proper relationship leaving the Ministry in a fury, as she herself was steered away by the (she hated to acknowledge it) claws of Hermione. Taking one last swipe at her hair, she stood up, smoothing the front of her cream-colored coat as she did so. She swiped her long twig of a wand from her dresser before apparating to the Ministry’s entry level.

After making her way through the hustle and bustle of the crowd, taking care to dodge a young, pimpled wizard who tended to throw the Prophet in the faces of passersby as he tried to make a galleon, she jumped into a congested elevator, it’s many inhabitants groaning as they strained to make room for her. When she reached level two, she was quite alone, as usually was the case. The elevator doors creaked open in their normal slow fashion. Before she stepped a toe out into the corridor, Draco quickly shuffled in next to her, pressing the “Door Close” button as he did.

“Wha-?” Agyness was confused, and slightly shocked, to say the least. “Hello to you too,” Draco smirked, sensing her obvious surprise. “I’d like to finish where we left off yesterday, but rather with an order rather than a question,” His blue eyes seemed to twinkle as he spoke, “I’m taking you out.” Snapped out of her surprise, Agyness replied as she turned to press the Level Two button on the wall, “Okay, but first we have wor-”

“No we don’t,” Draco placed his hand on her arm, drawing her back, “I’m your boss, and what I say goes. We’re going out today, and nobody in the Ministry has to know.” Seeing the lights on the elevator’s numbered buttons flashing closer and closer to the top level, she spoke in a Ravenclaw-like fashion, “But won’t they see us walk out?” Draco offered his arm to her, boring his eyes into her as if forcing her to take the hint. “Ah…” She spoke, Draco’s mouth forming into a smug grin as did hers. With the swing of her arm onto his and a loud pop, they apparated out of the elevator.
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The landscape was beautiful. They were now on the sands of a deserted beach. The clear, blue waters softly lapped onto the smooth shore as the seagulls smoothly glided over the water, waiting for their next meal. In the distance down the shore, Agyness could make out a cove carved out of jagged, black rock that was surrounded with many palm trees, all of which blossomed with coconuts. The sun was shining brightly, although a cool breeze lessened the heat of its rays. They definitely weren’t in England anymore.

After taking a minute to view the scenery, she turned to Draco, a “care to explain?” look on her face. “A secluded beach in the south of France,” Draco spoke proudly. “Lovely choice,” Agyness nodded as she spoke, her eyes gazing over the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. “But why here? Couldn’t you have taken me to the Three Broomsticks?” Slightly miffed by her comment, he spoke with slight annoyance, “I thought you would have preferred a beach to a grimy pub; most women do.” “No, I do. It’s just…” Agyness trailed off, a look of realization overcoming her features. “How many women have preferred to come to a beach rather than ‘a grimy pub’? Exactly how many women have you romanced on this very beach in the hope that they would put out on the first night?”

Draco had to stop his jaw from dropping; the spunk that she had! And how did she catch on; or rather, get angry so quickly? Before his lips had even parted to make an answer, she fired back again, her tone even more exasperated, “No, let me take a guess; about 50 women? Maybe more? Let me ask you this: were all of them apprentices, or just the majority?” After a quick moment, Agyness was almost to the point of yelling, “You know what? Don’t even speak! I don’t want to look at your face!” And with that last burst of rage, she stormed off in the direction of the cove, the breeze whipping her brunette locks of hair about her hot-and-bothered face as though she were Medusa. She made extra care to kick sand behind her as she stomped across the terrain.

Draco did nothing but watch her stomp away in silence. What the bloody hell just happened? What made her become as mad as a hatter in the span of a couple of minutes? Draco thought back to what could have caused it. After a period of thought, he came up with the most likely answer: Potter and pals. “They probably told her horrid stories,” Draco crossly muttered to himself as he thought of the previous day, how Granger had swiped Agyness away just before he had asked her out. “Those gits!” He cursed as he kicked up sand with his black, leathered dress shoes, only to have the breeze blow the sand into his face. After spluttering and wiping his face with his sleeve, he began to feel a kind of guilt, which was definitely a feeling that he didn’t experience too often. It was true that he had seduced a number of women in his short twenty years of life, some of them his novices and some of them on the same beach. It was also true that seducing Agyness had been his intention ever since he had first laid eyes on her: the day that she had stumbled into him in the corridor, not knowing that he would be her mentor for the next year. Draco recalled his first impression of her: she seemed innocent, almost too innocent, and had seemed easy enough prey for him. However, his intentions changed drastically when he saw how fiery she could be: the day that she pushed a drunk Blaise away from herself instead of trembling with fear, as most women did when encountered with Blaise’s alcohol-fueled libido. That’s when he intuitively knew that she was different from the others.

After his moment of thought, he began the slow march to the cove to search for Agyness. He didn’t know what ferocity she would throw at him next, but was prepared with the only weapon he had in his mental arsenal: explanation.

Another excellent chapter. She's really got the measure of him!

Thanks a lot, Hannah. And I gave you a UN, but in case you didn't read it: Thanks so much for being my (I think) only reader. I guess not many people have taken interest.

Anyways, get ready for another chapter!

-Mel

Ch 10
Draco stumbled through the dense sand, taking a while to reach the shade of the palm leaves. He leaned on a black piece of jagged rock when he arrived. He hadn’t played Quidditch for quite some time, so his endurance had definitely changed from his Hogwart’s days. As he caught his ragged breath, he looked around, peering around the rock to see if Agyness was lurking around.

Crack! “Ouch!” Draco cried, rubbing his blonde head and straightening up. A large, hairy, brown coconut rolled to the sand. Realization then hit him, and he looked up into the palm tree. Agyness sat towards the top of the tree, her legs crossed as she leaned on a branch, smirking at him and resisting the urge to laugh. “What the bloody hell was that?” Draco hollered at her, his face in a grimace of pain. “For being a deceiving git!” Her face changed from one of humor to one of anger as she plucked another coconut from a branch, raising her arm as she was about to fling it. She threw it roughly and before it made contact with his head, Draco swiftly drew his wand and deflected it. The coconut landed on a jagged rock and split in half, it’s clear milk running down the black stone as the shell fell into the sea.

“Can we be civil about this?” Draco asked her, the look on his face one of implorance. “Please?!” His voice and wand rose as Agyness picked up yet another coconut. After a moment, Agyness lowered her arm, her lips still pursed in an irritated fashion. “Okay…” Agyness replied, and with a ‘pop!’ she had apparated to a rock, sitting with her arms and legs firmly crossed. Although he was sure he already knew, Draco ventured to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong?!” Agyness’s voice rose, “You brought me here for one reason! I know all about you and your little rendezvous with all of those tramps. Did you really think I would put out?” Draco let her say what she wanted without interruption. He knew that he would have a better chance of explaining once she had let it all out. When she had ended, he asked gently, “What makes you think those things are true?” Her face still in a scowl, she replied cheekily, “I heard things from some friends, some friends who will go unnamed.” Draco didn’t reply; he simply bore into her with those remorseful, blue eyes. She couldn’t take it, and her expression softened as she began again, “Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Particularly Hermione. They… they told me what usually happened to female aurors-in-training that were assigned to you. To be honest, I didn’t want to believe their stories; but when you started talking about ‘most women’…” Her eyebrows knitted together as she spoke those last words.

Draco walked towards her hunched form, not sure if she was now guilty or angry as he spoke, “Well, there is some truth to what they told you. I… I did have a reputation before, especially with women. The only thing that rivaled the amount of women in my life was the amount of, well…” He trailed off, not quite wanting to finish. “But that all changed,” Draco was now in front of Agyness, “when I met you.” She was shocked and lifted her head to look at his face. He was definitely telling the truth, the way that he looked dead at her. Her shock was amplified as he began again, this time taking one of her hands in his, “When we first met, I have to admit that I had the same intentions as I always did with the pretty ones: seduce and destroy. But when I saw what personality you had, my view of you completely changed. I’ve never met a women as gorgeous, as intelligent, and definitely as feisty.” He laughed, taking one of his hands to rub the back of his head before bringing it back to their interlocked fingers. Agyness couldn’t help but smile; she had never experienced anything so sincere in her life, she felt elated. After gazing at her obviously joyous face, he asked, a smirk forming on his face, “Do you believe me, Agyness?”

“Of course,” Agyness immediately replied, wanting him to know that she had no doubts about what he had said to her. “I’m so sorry, it’s just… I tend to overreact sometimes. Especially over certain things…” Her sentenced trailed and she looked away from his face, her face turning pink. Agyness turned back to face him, almost embarrassed. “Now,” Draco began, his hands still firmly holding onto hers, “I just wanted to try one thing.” Her heart thundered as he leaned toward her, taking his right hand and running it through her hair before firmly placing his lips on hers.

It was a feeling that both had never felt before. It didn’t matter how few men or how many women either had been with; this was different. This was the start of something new.

I highly doubt that I'm you're only reader, you've got over 340 views! People seem to be reading my fic and not commenting, apart from a few, one of whom I beta read for. The only thing that I can possibly think that it might be is that your font is quiet small. I have to make sure I've got my glasses on to read it.

What's a UN? Should I know what that is?

UN is a user note. Go to your own profile and it should be in the middle of the page.

I'll work on my font! And I'll check out your FF too.

Ooooh! what a great chapter. I love how you ended it! brilliant!

Thanks! I feel so accomplished; that was my tenth chapter.
Well, here's another! I don't think it's really good, but I know I'll have some better stuff soon!

- Mel

PS: Is the font size better?

Ch 11
Agyness woke up in a state of delight, smiling as she stretched her arms and yawned. Instead of the usual morning slothfulness that accompanied her dreary mornings, she felt like skipping. As she swept off her white bedspread and swung her legs off of the bed and onto the hardwood floor, she stopped to ponder if it had all been a dream. But there was no mistaking that electric shock that she felt jolt through her body as he kissed her or that delicious, sweet smell that overpowered her when they were close. Was that why in potions class at Hogwarts, amortentia had always smelled so sugary to her? As for the date, it all had felt so real, so why question its authenticity?

Coming to that conclusion, Agyness hopped out of bed and scuttled toward her bathroom, anxious to start the workday.
…
Draco woke from his deep slumber, stretching his arms contentedly and placing his hands behind his head as a smile played on his lips. He had behaved himself so well: no sexual innuendo during conversation or inappropriate physical contact, no matter how much he desired it. Draco surprised himself with his strength. In the past, he hadn’t a care in the world whether he was being too forward with his fancies toward his dates. But like he had admitted to Agyness, there was something different about her; but what exactly was it? It could have been that lavender-like smell that emanated from her. He sniggered, remembering the day that Professor Slughorn had made amortentia for his sixth year class.

Draco stopped reminiscing and firmly tossed his bed sheets to the side. Why spend his time daydreaming about her when the real thing awaited him at work?
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“Good morning, darling,” Draco promptly opened the door of his office before Agyness could even grasp the outer handle, swiftly wrapping his arms around her waist before stealing her inside. “Good morning to you, too,” She placed her hands on either side of his face before giving him a quick, soft kiss. Almost unwillingly releasing her, Draco unwrapped his arms and turned to take a seat at the head of his desk. As Agyness took her seat at her usually, rickety wooden chair, Draco commented with a smirk, “Nice to see some color to your cheeks.” Agyness turned to face the antique mirror hanging on the wall. It was true; her cheeks carried a rosy tint, rather than their usual paleness. Turning back to Draco, she asked professionally, “So, what’s on the agenda today. Another beach outing?” “Now wouldn’t that be quaint?” Draco grinned widely as he reached his hand across the desk to grab hers, “Actually, I was-”

The door abruptly opened, slamming against the wall from the force that it had been pushed with. The smile ran away from Draco’s face as he spoke grimly, “Potter?” Agyness released Draco’s hand from hers, turning around to see Harry with a grim look on his face. “Agyness, Malfoy,” Harry’s mouth was set in a firm line as he nodded to each, although the last nod was sharper than the first, “Just checking out Agyness’s progress. We wouldn’t want word to spread that her mentor was doing a poor job of teaching, would we?” “Of course not,” Draco answered, his jaw clenched. No matter how much contempt he still held for Harry, he had to force himself to be polite. After all, Harry was the head of the department.

Sensing their tension, Agyness turned to Harry to speak, “Well, he’s doing an excellent job. He’s giving me hands-on training and everything.” “Oh, I’m sure he is,” Harry turned his gaze on Draco, his glare filled with contempt. Draco obviously was having a hard time dealing with his irritation. His hands were both balled into fists on his desk and his right hand seemed to twitch toward his wand, which was lying on the corner of the cherry wood desk.

Something flared up in Agyness, something that she couldn’t explain. “Harry,” Her eyes turned into slits and she spoke tersely, almost in a harsh, motherly fashion, “He’s doing brilliantly. I can demonstrate some of my training, if you’d like.” She picked up her wand from her lap and twirled in between her fingers threateningly. “Is she actually asking to duel?” Harry and Draco incredulously thought, both of their expressions softening as they saw what state she was in. “No, no, I believe you,” Harry put his hands up in a surrendering position. He backed towards the door and began to retreat from the office, “Like I said, just checking in.” “Then it’s settled,” Agyness’s mouth twisted into a fierce smile and after Harry was out of the room, she flicked her wand and shut the door in his face.

Agyness turned back to Draco, her face still creased in an intense manner. Draco couldn’t help but let his jaw drop. Had she just stood up to Harry, one of her dearest friends, for him? Smoothing out her skirt, placing her wand to the side of the desk, and clearing her throat, Agyness turned to face Draco as if nothing had happened. “You were saying?” She prompted.

What's all this about not liking it? I love it! and I don't like Malfoy! You've made me like Malfoy!

I think you're a bit like me, too much of a perfectionist for your own good!

The font is better, I didn't need my specs, which is good, cos I don't know where they are

hi! you have a new reader now!
I love it! cant wait for the rest!

Thanks to all! Glad you didn't need your specs, too.
Maybe I am too much of a perfectionist.
And welcome, new reader!

New chapter coming soon! Thought not today.

- Mel

Ch 12
Agyness and Draco stumbled into the corridor when the workday was done, Agyness leaning against the wall and clutching her sides, drunk with laughter. Aside from Harry’s intrusion, it had been a productive day. After locking the door with his quick wand work, Draco took Agyness’s hand in his and began to escort her down the corridor towards the elevator. Agyness couldn’t help but grin as she glanced at their interlaced fingers; she hadn’t experienced such glee like this for a while. “Something caught your fancy?” Draco asked with a smirk, noticing her expression. “Oh, nothing, nothing…” Agyness flashed him a smile as they continued to stroll.

As they turned the corner, they came upon Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were gathered in a close circle in the middle of the next corridor and were furiously muttering; they seemed to be arguing. Harry’s eyebrows were knitted together in a fierce fashion, Ron’s strong hands were balled into fists, and Hermione’s hair was even more voluminous than usual, as if the irritation had given her an electric shock. Draco grimaced when he saw them and glanced at Agyness, pulling her hand as he began to back away towards the direction that they had come from. Agyness shook her head at him, no expression to her face, and pulled him back. The circle still hadn’t noticed their presence. Once Draco had crept back to her side, Agyness boldly cleared her throat loudly and waited for a reaction. The chatter stopped and all turned to looked at the couple, their eyes widening as they noticed the joined hands of the two.

Ron was the first to speak, “Hullo, Agyness.” He waved at her with one hand, the other hand scratching the back of his ginger head. He looked almost ashamed. Hermione was the next to recover: “Um, hi!” She spoke with a false smile and forced cheerfulness. Harry didn’t recover his composure one bit. He stood erect, his eyes shooting Draco a stern glare. Draco reciprocated immediately. “We wanted to have a word with you, dear,” Hermione gestured, almost fiercely, for Agyness to come and join them. After looking at Draco, then at Harry, and back at Draco, Agyness strained to put on a smile and said nonchalantly, “Of course.” The trio all seemed to slightly relax as Agyness made to walk towards them, but she stopped herself quickly. “But first,” She turned and gave Draco a swift kiss before turning back to the stunned group. “See you tomorrow,” Agyness grinned at him impishly before turning to accompany the trio back to Hermione’s office.

As the group walked away, Draco stood in stunned silence and in slight confusion. She never failed to amaze him.
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When they reached Hermione’s office, Agyness sat coolly in that familiar red-leathered chair. While the others stomped inside and Hermione began to pace, she took a look at Hermione’s bulletin board. Macnair’s photo and description had been removed from the “WANTED” list. “Yeah, congrats again on that one,” She nonchalantly complimented the fuming group as she gestured toward Macnair’s picture. Hermione stopped her pacing and menacingly turned towards her, looking as if she would slap Agyness the way she slapped Draco in their third year. Her hand made a slight movement as that thought ran through her head, but she stopped, took a deep breath, and sat in the chair behind her desk, tapping her fingers quickly on the parchment that lay there. Harry leaned against a wall of the cramped office, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his denim jeans, while Ron took a stance by the door, his large, muscular frame leaning against the wooden frame and his hands crossing over his broad, orange-shirted chest.

“Care to explain?” Agyness asked that all-too-familiar question, her body slightly tensing as she noticed their positions, especially Ron’s. Harry was the first one to speak as he harshly muttered, “What-is-wrong-with-you?” Agyness’s lips became pursed before forming an answer, “What’s wrong with me? I’m not the one who’s been a chauvinistic git.” Ron answered, although in a more assuring, cautious tone than Harry, “He’s just trying to protect you, as are we.” “Say’s the one who’s blocking the exit,” She scoffed. Even though she was being quite rude, she felt a hint of remorse as she spit venom at them, especially levelheaded Ron.

“Why didn’t you listen, Agyness? Why can’t you understand that we’re trying to protect you, to help you, to get you through this year of auror-training without a so much as a scratch, physically or mentally?” Hermione pounded her first in anger on her desk, causing a few papers to float to the cement floor. It took Agyness a moment to think of a response; she knew that they cared, but this was definitely too much. Addressing them all, she spoke in a forced, calm tone, “Listen, I know you guys want to protect me. At the start, I did listen to your advice, I really did,” Harry coughed loudly as she continued, “But he is the perfect gentleman. And I am learning plenty-”

Harry interrupted, “Oh, I’m sure you are.” Agyness stood from the chair and approached Harry, her face reading resentment. It was quite a sight, as she was at least a foot shorter than he. “Do you mind not making snide comments? Are you trying to call me a *****?!” Her shoulders rose and fell with her heavy breathing as she stood in front of him. Harry straightened from his leaning position and placed a hand on her shoulder firmly, responding, “Agyness, you’re not leaving until you can promise us-”

“What?!” She shrieked, turning away and tossing Harry’s hand from her shoulder. She quickly turned from Hermione, to Harry, and then to Ron, who had placed his hand on the doorknob as he witnessed her frantic state. “Is this some kind of intervention? What-the-bloody-hell-am-I?! I’m not a drug addict, I don’t have a problem!” At her last words, Hermione rolled her eyes. “Got something to say, Mione?” Agyness lowered her tone and spoke to her in a sarcastic manner, using her old school nickname. “Agyness,” Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and tried to speak in a consoling manner, “This thing that you have with Draco, it’s just not healthy. Draco goes through women like Ron used to go through trousers. And, to top it off, all of those poor trainee girls never end up getting through the training and lose their chances of becoming an auror.” “Suppose Draco didn’t want to face them after he contaminated them,” Ron muttered. Agyness shot him a scathing look before she turned back to Hermione, “You three don’t understand what’s happening; you’ve think I’ve gone mad. But it’s you three who actually have. Is it so bad for me to have a relationship? He’s the best man I’ve ever met, and,” Her eyes cast downward as she ashamedly spoke, “if you all can’t accept that, then-”

There was a sharp rapping on the door, and Ron turned around and slowly opened it. It was Draco. “Just wanted to know what the hell was going on. I could hear an argument from down the hallway.” He stepped inside, straightening out the cuffs of his jacket as he took a look at each somber face in the room. He saw the downtrodden look on Agyness’s face, her eyes cast to the ground. Draco strode over to her and placed an arm around her shoulder as he began to lead her out. He spoke protectively and forebodingly, “Don’t ever harass my girlfriend again.”

Draco swiftly closed the door in the trio’s grim faces as he led Agyness wordlessly through the corridor, tightening his grip around her shoulders. Agyness still looked distressed. Was she willing to give up friendship over Draco? She had no clue.

Oh excellent! I love the pace of this chapter, and he swoops in to save her, sort of, at the end!

Some very funny lines too!

Thanks! I'm kinda having a little writers block at the moment, but don't fret. Also, a note: I'm in the process of having this account (princess of*hp*) merged with an old SS account from 2003 (mdc94). If my screenname or anything changes or looks different, it's only temporary.

- Melissa

Ch 13
Draco yawned with pleasure as he stretched his arms on this sunny Friday morning. Blaise hadn’t contacted him for help because Macnair had already been captured, so he was off the hook, and Agyness had come to realize that the triumphant threesome weren’t all that they were cracked up to be. No matter how gleeful he was about this, he couldn’t help but remember that crestfallen look on her face as they left Granger’s office. He moved his hand over his forehead to sweep the blonde hair from his face, almost sweeping away the image of her tearful, dark brown eyes with it. It didn’t work one bit: her sad eyes seemed to bore into his mind

He sprung out of bed and strolled across the carpeted floor towards the bathroom, whistling a tune as he did so to try to block her gloomy face from his mind. Why concentrate on that negative face when everything else in life was going so well?
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Agyness traveled across the entry level of the Ministry to the elevators in a frenzied pace. Her first late day. She hoped that Draco wouldn’t mind. She couldn’t help but fuss with her long, brunette locks of hair as the elevator traveled downward; she had barely even enough time to brush her hair, much less to eat a meal or pick out presentable clothes. She had tossed on a cream-colored, sleeveless, ruffled blouse and some black dress pants. The pants were freshly pressed, so that wasn’t an issue. It was her wrinkled blouse that was causing her to smooth it out like a madwoman in the elevator. A sympathetic, hunched witch in the right corner of the elevator touched her old, wrinkled hand to Agyness’s arm as she spoke in a withered, motherly voice, “Don’t worry yourself, dearie. I can fix that up in a mo’.” With the tap of her short, stubby wand on the fabric, the blouse’s wrinkles were gone.

“Thank you, ma’am!” Agyness called from behind and waved as she sprinted out of the elevator and through the corridor, almost losing her balance in her black stilettos. With her smiling, haggard face, the kind witch gave her a simple nod and with the swish of her purple, glittering robes, she had turned the corner to head for the courtroom. To Agyness’s dismay, Draco’s door was already completely opened inward. A few feet away from the wooden door, she stopped her pace to catch her breath and smooth out her clothes one last time before entering.

She entered to find Harry and Draco face to face in front of the fireplace, both with menacing looks on their faces. Each gripped their wand tightly in their hand. Harry’s knuckles and nails were a ghostly white with the emotion that he was suppressing. She gasped; it was all she could do to keep from dropping her wand. “Wha-?” She asked, her face puzzled as her mouth gaped open. Both men turned to face her, Draco’s face softening slightly as Harry’s remained as cold as stone. “I was just leaving,” Harry darkly muttered, striding through the office towards the doorway where a confused Agyness still stood. “Excuse me,” He roughly stated, waiting for her to move from his path. Agyness’s face hardened to match his and stepped to the side, leaving just enough room for him to pass. As Harry strode into the corridor, she unpleasantly remarked, “You’re excused.” Harry didn’t turn but rather ignored her comment. He strode away with his brown traveling cloak billowing behind him.

Agyness reentered the office and slammed the door behind her. Her dark eyebrows rose, her large brown eyes widened, and her pink lips pursed as she looked at Draco, nonverbally asking him to elaborate on what had just happened. Draco settled into the black-leathered chair behind his desk, dipped his eagle-feather quill in an ink bottle, and began to write on a fresh piece of parchment, “Nothing of your concern, darling.” Getting the hint, Agyness made an effort to soften her features and sauntered to the chair across from him. This was apparently not the time for story telling.
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It was the end of another workday. During their time in the office, Agyness had been dying to know what had happened before she had arrived. Once Draco had locked the door with his wand, he took her hand and silently led her down the corridor. His usual grin of contentment had been replaced by one of blankness, almost of unconsciousness. Something wasn’t right. When they turned the corner to head to the elevator, they ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all of whom were exiting Harry’s palace of a head’s office. “Surprise, surprise,” Agyness dismally thought, waiting for another confrontation to begin. In a split second, Draco had wrapped one arm around her waist, ran the hand of his other arm through her hair, and scooped her into a passionate kiss. It had happened so quickly that her instinctive reaction caused her to wrap both arms around his neck and reciprocate.

When Draco released her, the others had left. Agyness was mystified, to say the least. Before she could form a sentence, Draco began to speak, a smile coming to his face, “Why don’t we do something tonight?” After a quick moment of thought, Agyness concluded that the present Draco was definitely an improvement from the stoic Draco, so she replied with a beam, “Sure, why don’t you come to my flat? I’m an excellent cook, y’know.” Draco nodded and grinned even wider, if that was possible. The old Draco of Hogwarts-past would have been appalled by the idea of a simple London flat and simple home cooking. But he had changed in the years since Voldemort’s downfall; he had begun to appreciate the simple pleasures in life and had begun to realize, for the most part, that money was not the answer to all. “Just wish Potter and pals could comprehend that,” Draco thought. After a quick chat about Agyness’s address, the date was set.

After a quick, departing kiss in the bustling entry level, Agyness began to head out. As she passed the vast network of fireplaces connected to the Floo Network, she noticed Ron and Hermione, hand in hand, entering one of them. Agyness stopped to wave and crack a smile. Ron simply turned away and Hermione, a stern look coming to her face, quickly grabbed a handful of floo powder and with a shower of powder, they had vanished. Without realizing it, Agyness’s eyes had begun to tear up. She was, or rather had been, friends with all of them. But now, all of them had become her enemies just because of her blossoming relationship. What hurt the most was the loss of the one that she had been closest to, Hermione. Agyness brought her index finger to her face to quickly wipe a tear away before she hurried off.

She tried to banish those thoughts of gloom from her mind as she hurried through the Ministry, her black stilettos clacking on the polished tile. She had a date tonight, and she didn’t want to ruin the evening with her tears.

There may be no time for breakfast, there is always time to find fabulous shoes; a girl after my own heart!

Yes, it is time! It really is time!

That wouldn't have been my first reaction, no matter who was doing the kissing!

Oh I'm sure there's more too it! but poor Agyness, she really doesn't deserve that. You don't ditch your friends, no matter how nasty thier boyfriend is.

Another great chapter! I love this story, you write such good cliffhangers, you'll have to teach me how to do, mine are a bit poor.

Aw, I feel so flattered.
You will learn about good cliffhangers, in time, grasshopper. Just wait.
Just kidding, but your story is amazing! Don't get down on yourself.
Anyways, I have a super big surprise coming in the next chapter or two. I'm practically bouncing off the walls cos I'm dying to write it.

- Mel

Ch 14
It was eight o’ clock and Agyness was still bustling around her closet-sized kitchen, checking the oven and stirring a steaming pot of soup. Due to her stress and the heat of the kitchen, her tight, elegant bun began to frazzle, strands of brunette hair coming loose, and the makeup that she wore felt like it was melting from her face. Under her stained white apron she wore a strapless, shimmering, royal blue dress and for now, she was barefoot as she scuttled around the kitchen and through her flat, making sure every mess was tidied and her miniature table was set. As she hurried to the table and began pouring soup into the two porcelain bowls, there came a loud rapping at the door. “Damn it!” She muttered as she almost spilled the soup onto her bare feet and onto the hardwood floor. She almost sprinted back to the kitchen to place the soup back on the stove, with the lid on top, and hurriedly took the French bread from the oven. Just as she had placed the tray of fresh, steaming bread onto the stove next to the soup to cool, the loud rapping came again. “Coming!” She called, hastily running towards the door and untying her soiled apron, tossing it in a closet. Before opening it, she glanced at herself in the large, gold-rimmed, antique mirror by the door and noticed how horrible she looked. With the quick swish of her wand, her hair and makeup had been made proper. Smiling and nodding at the improvement that the mirror reflected, she took a breath and opened the door.

There he stood, a bottle of champagne in one hand and a dozen red roses cradled in the crook of his other arm. “Good evening,” He gave her a winning smile as she opened the door to let him in. He was dressed in his usual formal black suit. As he handed her the bottle and the flowers, he glanced toward the ground and a smirk came to his face, “Nice shoes.” She copied his action and noticed that she had forgotten to put on her dress shoes, color coming to her face. “Don’t get cheeky,” She remarked as she began to lead him into her home, a playful smile forming her lips, “You never mess with the cook. She could have poisoned your food, for all you know.” They reached the table and Draco sat down, chuckling at her comment.

Agyness quickly slipped on her shoes, placed the roses to the side, and walked back to the kitchen, quickly accessible and visible from the dining area. “So, what have you prepared?” Draco asked, seeing her return with the fresh bread as he smelled the soup. “Something simple, but probably exotic for you and your wealthy foreign taste. Chicken noodle soup, not from the can, and homemade French bread. Dessert will be a surprise,” She spoke in an commanding fashion, letting him know that he was going to eat it whether he liked it or not. “Sounds lovely, actually,” He said, Agyness turning to face him in surprise. “I grew up eating anything that wasn’t simple: French food, like escargot,” Agyness made a retching sound as he mentioned cooked snails, “Indian food, African food, anything worldly. This’ll be a nice change of pace for me.” After passing out the bread, Agyness took her seat and began to examine the champagne. “Made in France, circa 1500?” She was once again surprised, surprised that he would bring such expensive alcohol to their date. “You can read French?” Draco was also surprised, seeing that the label was completely foreign. “Not exactly,” Agyness conceded, “But it’s not too hard to figure out. Anyways, how did you get your hands on this? Travel to France and pay millions?” “My house has a wine cellar. I didn’t buy the champagne, but my parents did and when they left I-” He stopped himself and now was thinking of something else to say. “You took it from their wine cellar and put it in yours?” She asked, not noticing how his face had crumpled. “Yeah, yeah,” He spoke roughly, seizing the bottle from the table and popping it open, pouring a fair amount into each of their long-stemmed glasses.

Still not taking the hint, Agyness took a bite of bread and after swallowing asked, “When you say they left, do you mean that they went to retire in Paris or something of the like?” There was a moment of silence when Agyness stared at Draco, who refused to make eye contact and instead began to eat his soup and drink. As she encountered this barrier, a memory appeared in Agyness’s mind. She remembered the day when they had been going through files of criminals old and new, and that there were two files in the “M” category that Draco had brushed to the side and refused to let her see. No matter how much she had asked, he refused and told her that she would get the opportunity to see them later. What Draco had not known was that when he had stepped out to use the loo, she had taken a quick look into both of the files. It had only been enough of a look to see the picture of a pale, broken-looking man with long, blonde hair and a furrowed black brow, and the picture of a thin, drained-looking woman with a sharp nose, blonde hair swept into a fraying bun, and a haughty look on her face. She had only been able to see the pictures, not the crimes or the names. “Is he related?” Agyness thought, slurping some of her soup as the silence continued. “I can see the resemblance. Maybe another aunt or uncle. Or maybe-” At that thought, soup dribbled out of her mouth and she quickly took a napkin to her face. Draco hadn’t noticed; he simply stared at his soup as he finished his piece of bread.

“So,” Agyness began cautiously, now determined to know. “Your parents, describe them to me. I’d love to know where you got your handsome looks. Do they bear any resemblance to you? Skin color, hair color, anything?” “I’d rather not say,” Draco retorted, not taking that bait as he took a prolonged sip of his champagne. Agyness’s mouth frowned, and she decided to be frank, “Look, Draco, I think I know what you’re trying to hush up, so there’s no point in doing so. By saying that your parents left, do you mean that they were… they were sent to Azkaban?” Her candid statement was followed by a heavy silence, the only sound coming from the bark of a dog in the street and the only movement coming from the lone, flickering candle in the center of the table. Draco finished off his champagne and made to grab the bottle to pour himself another glass, but Agyness snatched him by his cuffed wrist as he reached across the table. Draco, shocked, looked up to face her for the first time since the subject had been broached. There was a silence as her eyes bore into his, her brown to his blue. He couldn’t help but feel remorse as he saw the way her beautiful features worked together to plead him to answer. Draco gently lowered his arm and Agyness released him as he began to speak, “Y-Yes, they were sent there. More so seized than sent… They, they… They died there.” Agyness promptly reached across the table to take his hand in hers as his face crumpled with woe, “Oh Draco, I’m so sorry, I had no idea-” Draco snatched his hand into his lap, a sneer coming to his face as he snapped, “Don’t be. Horrible parents, they were, just horrible. Especially dear old dad,” He finished with sarcasm, snorting as he mentioned his father. Agyness was shocked and offended, to say the least. She took a swig from her glass, polishing off her champagne, and spoke haughtily as her arms crossed and she turned to face the wall rather than Draco, “Sorry for offering my sympathy.” Remorse flooded Draco as he saw what he had caused, “Agyness, I’m sorry. It’s just… I’m bad news; you don’t need a guy like me, with all of my troubles and what I – what I’ve done.”

“Oh, besides the criminal family and the sleeping around, what else could there be?” She responded, Draco having no idea whether she was being sarcastic or serious. Calming her tone and attitude, Agyness began again as she took Draco’s hand in hers across the table once more, “Draco, this is the healthiest relationship I’ve ever been in, and trust me, I’ve been in some pretty nasty ones. Whatever you’ve done, the past is the past and no longer matters. All that matters is me and-” Draco snatched his hand away again and stood, dusting off his lap as he prepared to leave. “Draco!” Agyness stood up and ran after him as he quickly strode towards the door, “Draco-”

A few feet away from the door, Draco swiftly turned and now stood directly in front of Agyness, towering over her. “Do you really want to know what I’ve done?!” He angrily spoke, scaring her with his frightening sincerity, “Don’t think you’ll fancy me too much, or rather even want to speak to me when you see…” He lowered his tone, now muttering. He was between anger and self-revulsion; Agyness wasn’t so much terrified for herself, but for him. After taking a deep, powerful breath, Draco placed his right hand on the cuff of his left sleeve and quickly pulled it up to his elbow, leaving his pale forearm bare, except for…

“The dark mark,” Draco addressed her, his face turned to face the door as if he couldn’t stand the sight of it. Agyness recognized it immediately. It was obvious that he had been branded with it, but all that remained now was a faint pink, scar-like trace of it. She could still make out the menacing snake and the revolting skull. “Just a scar, not a brand, after Voldemort’s downfall,” She thought, still examining it. Draco turned to face her in shock as she placed her hands on his forearm, gently tracing the faint scar with her index finger. “You, you-?” Draco couldn’t think, much less form a sentence with the shock of what she was doing.

“Draco,” Agyness spoke with kindness and purpose as she stared into his astonished face, “I don’t care. I know that’s not you anymore; I can just feel it. Like I said, the past is the past and-” Agyness’s sentenced trailed off as Draco swept her into his arms and softly, meaningfully kissed her. Agyness obliged and entangled her fingers into his silky, blonde hair. This kiss was different, different from the impassioned kiss earlier at the Ministry, different even from their first electrified kiss at the cove. This moment meant a great deal because it gave Draco what he had been craving for all of his life, but never truly received: understanding.

I loved it!!!!
Great chapter!!
PAMS!!!

Absolutely fantastic! I really love it! I love how she wouldn't let him get away with being evasive.

Thanks a lot, guys! I had fun writing this next chapter.

- Mel

Ch 15
Agyness woke on Saturday morning, no sunshine streaming through her white Venetian blinds today as they had done on Friday. London had returned to its typical, cloudy self. She lazily yawned and sat up, stretching her arms to the ceiling and rubbing her eyes with one hand. The night before had been a blur. As her brain started to whirr, she quickly touched her hand to her torso and with relief, found that she was still wearing the royal blue dress from the night before. She swung her legs from the bed to the cold, hardwood floor and gazed at herself in the full-length mirror across the room. What a mess she was! Her hair looked like a tornado, her bun had long fallen out, and her eye makeup had smeared. She turned to grab her wand from the bedside table and saw that a post-it sized note had been left for her. Waving her wand to open the blinds and let some light in, she picked up the note and read:

Agyness,
Thank you for an amazing time last night. An owl was sent for me early in the morning to report to the Ministry; they’re making me work this weekend. I would have liked to stay, but I need to work on a criminal case. I will see you on Monday morning.
With Love, Draco

Agyness grinned and sighed as she read the love note, her memory of the former night returning. After the bout of emotion by the door, Draco had swept her off into her bedroom. Oddly, the best part was that Draco had not even tried to undress her. They snogged for a bit, and after that her memory had gone fuzzy. The last thing she remembered through her foggy recollection was falling asleep in his arms, feeling secure, warm, and most of all, loved. Agyness stopped herself at that thought. Did they really lo-? It was hard for her to even comprehend the word. Their relationship was definitely in full bloom, but had they already progressed to that stage? Her eyes traveled back to the note, rereading the words “with love” in his elegant script over again.

Agyness roughly combed the fingers of her left hand through her tangled hair, trying to banish the thought for now. She rose and made her way to the bathroom, humming a tune as she went to start her weekend.
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The weekend had gone by slowly. Agyness had been cooped up in her flat, finding herself baking and cleaning as if she had a family of ten. No owls from Draco made her even more anxious to head to work on Monday. Now that it was Monday morning, Agyness wore a grin so wide and exuberant that she had trouble keeping her mouth closed for long.

After throwing a knee-length, khaki-colored trench coat over her gray, long-sleeved woolen dress and a matching gray, woolen beret on her head to prepare for the cold weather, she apparated to the entrance of the Ministry. She definitely was glad that she didn’t have to bear the rain and thunder that the rest of her working Muggle neighbors did. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing as a short, stout wizard with stark white hair apparated onto the entry level, soaking wet. With the flick of his wand, he dried and then scuttled over to the young wizard who sold newspapers, eager to buy the new issue of the Prophet.

Agyness was making her way through the thick crowd of employees to get to the elevators when a young boy with Muggle-like, shabby clothes approached her. Through her time spent as an employee, she came to find out that he was a messenger boy, a squib. “Miss?” He asked as he stopped her in her tracks, “Miss Agyness Prince?” “Yes,” She replied to the tiny boy, taking notice of his old, patched, brown cap and giving him a warm smile. Instead of verbally responding, the young boy handed her a folded letter. As he slowly began to meander off, Agyness’s eyes widened as she noticed that the letter had the Minister’s seal on it. What would the Minister want with her? She slowly tore the sticky seal and began to read the letter.



Agyness didn’t know what to make of it; her hands shook violently. As she read, countless thoughts raced through her mind. Is this why Draco had to go to the Ministry over the weekend, to tell the Minister that he wanted her sacked? Is this what Harry and Draco had been debating about the Friday earlier, whether to keep her or fire her? The letter dropped to the gleaming tile floor as she apparated away from the Ministry.
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Draco had made his way from the elevators to meet Agyness as she arrived. From across the large space, he could see Agyness reading a slip of paper intently, her back facing his direction. He quickened his pace, wanting to surprise her. When he was a few feet behind her, she had apparated and her paper had floated to the floor. “What the hell?” He thought, approaching the spot where she had stood and gazing at the paper. Before a tubby witch was to step on the parchment with her gold, glittering flats, he snatched the paper from the floor and scanned it fixedly.

His expression became more and more enraged as he read on. He was as confused as if he had been confunded and was as angry as a blast-ended skrewt. Draco, with the document still gripped tightly in his hand, pushed his way through the crowd as he headed for the Minister’s office. He stepped on some toes along the way, many, “Oi!”s and “Watch it, lad!”s coming his way. Before approaching the oaken door of the Minister’s office, he took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in, come in,” The high-pitched voice of the minister jovially called from the room. Draco stepped in to see that he was sitting at his large desk, or at his throne as many employees liked to call it, with his silken, ruby-slippered feet propped up. He patted his large, overgrown stomach tenderly as he popped a toffee into his mouth. “Good to see you again, Draco, and so soon-” The minister began, a smile on his face before Draco cut him off. “What is the meaning of this, minister?” Draco quickly strode across the room, making an effort to control his tone but his face showing his distress. The minister took the piece of parchment from him and scanned it for a second before saying, a quizzical look on his face, “What do you mean, my good man? You simply came here this very morning to request her dismissal.” “What?” Draco seemed to twitch. What the bloody hell was happening? Seeing his state, the minister spoke in what was supposed to be a fatherly tone, “Draco, are you alright? You haven’t been-” Before the minister had finished his sentence, Draco had walked out of the door. He had no idea what was going on, but he was going to find out. The first step was to find Agyness.
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Tears streamed down her face as Agyness bustled around her tiny flat, putting clothes and luggage together both with her hands and her wand simultaneously. She didn’t know what to think; her thoughts were too jumbled to make any sense. All she knew was that she had to get away, and fast. She was too embarrassed to stay in town for many reasons: Harry, Ron, and Hermione would have “I told you so!” attitudes, her parents would be disappointed with her sacking, Draco would probably have a good laugh when he found out about her sad state… Once all of her things were packed, Agyness apparated to the King’s Cross train station. It would only be even more embarrassing if Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Draco had seen that she had used the floo network or a broomstick to get away. With all of the secret information that the ministry had, they could easily see that she would have traveled from fireplace to fireplace or that she would have flown away on a broom.

When Agyness had safely blended in with the muggles and purchased a ticket for the train that left the soonest, her tears had dried. She looked through a window to see that torrential rain was tattooing its mark on the outside world. It seemed to communicate that it felt her pain. As she was gazing at the downpour, a whistle from one of the many train’s blew shrilly. It was time for her to leave. To where, she didn’t know or even care. To her, it was destination nowhere.

Oh goodness, poor girl!

and do I smell a certain potion?

You can't just leave it here! Draco finds her, right? It all works out all right?

Great character development on Draco and Agyness, love both of the them. The Trio seems a bit too rash to me sometimes... but overall, great job as well. Love the story, I want more!

And HannahLongbottom, thanks for mentioning this fic in your fic, otherwise I might never have found it!