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Chapter : 26 Passing Time

          A month passed, with nothing much happening. Uncle Sev was in and out most of the time. He never stayed, he always went back to Spinner's End. He said that he felt comfortable there, even more knowing that I was at Malfoy Manor. Narcissa was very hospitable, she made me feel extremely welcome and comfy. I was surprised at first, because Lucius was, you could say, the exact opposite of Narcissa. He always held a surly expression, never smiled, and he looked a little weak from all the months spent in Azkaban.

          It seemed the Ministry of Magic had come under the power of Lord Voldemort and he freed all of his death eaters from the dreaded prison, and held all muggle-borns, half-bloods and squibs captive there. The Prophet was also under his power, and he made sure that it did not publish anything in favour of Harry, or against the Ministry of Magic.

          Anyway, when Draco was busy doing other stuff, I made it my mission to explore Malfoy Manor entirely. It was a huge place, with hundreds of rooms and corridors. Sometimes I got lost, but after turning a few corners I found myself in a familiar place. It was like a maze, but soon I knew at least a quarter of the rooms. My favourite was the library, it held stacks and stacks of amazing books and novels!

         There was also a parlor, where Narcissa spent most of her time in, like those typical women from a Jane Austen novel. She said that it was her own private room, where nobody could disturb her, and I noticed that whenever I sat down with her in the parlor, she had a serene look in her eyes.

          Once, when I couldn't sleep, I got out to explore some more, and I came across a balcony-like opening on the third floor, which had a clear view of the starry night sky and the moon, that I instantly fell in love with. Since then, I would steal some time for myself in that spot. You could say that it was my "not-so-secret-yet-secret spot". I didn't tell anyone I came up here, not even Draco, because who knows, they might try to discourage my late night walks.

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          One evening, Draco took me for a proper stroll in the gardens. I was shocked when I saw magnificent white peacocks, strutting around, their long tails dragging behind them. There were many hedges, hewn into different shapes, plenty of beautiful flowers in bloom and the best part was the lovely fountain that rose in the middle of it all.

            It was made out of black marble, and the water which gushed out of it looked enchanting. I paused by it, feeling the spray fall on my face.

'What are you doing?' Asked a confused Malfoy. I had started to take off my shoes, and slowly dipped my feet in the cool water. Then throwing a sly look at him, I jumped into the fountain, the hem of my dress getting soaked. I dipped my hands in the water and splashed it on Malfoy.

'Hey! Stop! Stop! Ava!'

'Come on Malfoy! Get in the water! Let's have some fun!'

'No! I am not going to play your childish games!'

'Well then, I guess I'll have to soak you myself then', and splashed more water on him.

'No! Stop! Ok! Fine! I'm coming', and he took off his shoes and socks and nimbly stepped into the water, shuddering a little as he did so, 'It's cold'.

'Yeah, but it feels so nice', I glided across the water being careful not to slip, but unfortunately, Draco had no such luck. He stepped on a slippery spot and immediately fell headlong into the water, drenching himself completely. I laughed hysterically, clutching my sides at the sight of Malfoy, his dripping wet hair falling on his face.

'Stop laughing and help me up, Greene!'

'Serves you right for calling this childish!' I said while giving him a hand up. 'You are SOAKED! We'll have to get you back inside before you catch a cold. But oh, the look on your face when you fell! It was priceless!' Tears of laughter rolled down my face as he huffed off. I didn't follow him immediately, I sat by the edge of the fountain for a few more minutes, feeling content. I knew I was stuck here, but it wasn't actually that bad, I liked being here, especially with Draco. I got to know a bit more about him.

          For instance, I knew he loved his mother and father, though Lucius was a little too strict with him. And Narcissa seemed the kind of mother who would do anything to protect her son. Both of us had actually kind of bonded ever since I came here. She let me help in cleaning and polishing the silverware and we talked a lot. She even told me a few funny stories of Draco's childhood.

          She told me that, when Draco was no more than eight years old, she would often find him curled up in some corner of the house, sleeping soundly. Once, she even found him lying near the hearth of the house elf's quarters. A small smile crept to my face as I pictured a little white-blonde haired boy, lying curled up near the fireplace.

          It got a little dark, so I walked back, my shoes dangling from my hands. The peacocks were not to be seen and all the lights of the driveway were lit. As I entered the living room, I saw Malfoy sitting on a couch by the fire, just staring at the flying embers. I went and sat next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

'What are you thinking about?' I asked.

'Nothing. I was just wondering, what if all this had not happened. You know, Dumbledore, being a death eater, would I have led a normal life if I hadn't taken that path?'

'Draco, you and I have no normal life. Even if you had refused to become a death eater, you still had your parents who linked you to the Dark Lord. And about Dumbledore, I'd say that it was kind of about time, he looked weak this past year, as if he were already dying. I think we just put him out of his misery'. He sat quiet for a few minutes, then he sighed deeply,

'Is there any place you have yet to see here?'

'I don't know, you tell me. Is there any place that I have to see, which may be hidden?'

'Hmm.... have you seen the owlery?' My jaw dropped open.

'Owlery? You have one here?'

'Yeah, its not as big as the one at Hogwarts, though. Just a few owls which mother uses to send letters.'

'All the time I spent exploring and I haven't come across it once.'

'Its a small hut away from the house. Come, I'll show you.'

'Yes, hold on, I'll just go get a letter I had written to send to Alfred. I was actually planning to ask you how I could send it', and I rushed upstairs and grabbed the letter from the table and went to meet Draco by the door. We walked around the house and came to the backyard, and sure enough, a small hut stood at the end with black and grey owls on their perch.

          Draco picked up a jet black screech owl and tied my letter to its leg, then let it fly off into the night sky.

'He's fast, I'm sure Alfred will get the letter by tomorrow. What have you written in it anyway?'

'Oh, nothing. It seems like I won't be going back to Spinner's End for a while, and I just wanted to let him know that, as well as a little of what had happened, you know...' I trailed off, not wanting to complete the rest of the sentence. We both stood staring out into the starry night sky.

'I am also worried about what might happen to us', he said suddenly.

'Us?' I asked, a creepy feeling entering my gut. I knew that I was going to disappoint any plans he had of us being together forever. That just couldn't happen.

'Yeah. You know sometimes I wonder, what if we had never got together? I mean, we used to get each other in trouble a lot, but we never actually talked until that potions accident, when I found out about you. What if I wasn't a death eater, would I have avoided you?'

'Draco, you are dwelling in your past and the supposed future. Stop that. Stop asking yourself "what if" and live for this moment. I am with you now. We're together now. Just bring your wandering mind back to me, please.' He smiled and planted a kiss on my forehead, 'I love you, Ava'.

'I love you too, Draco'.

'There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Come along now, dinner's ready', called out Narcissa. We made our way to the huge dining room, his hand holding mine.

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