Disclaimer: Everything here is mine! Mwahahahaha! Now J.K Rowling, just go ahead and sue me.

The Nauti Dolphin – Thank you!!! You rock too! Waking up at five in the morning and driving home for five hours? That must have been awful...well, it might have been nice for you, but me? I love my sleep and tend to hate long stuffy drives in the car. I might have liked it though, if someone by the name of Draco Malfoy happened to be sitting next to me! Lol. Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter! xxxx

Gaia-of-earth – Thank you!!! Love you for reviewing! Mwah! Please continue to like my story and review!

Mollywood – Thank YOU for making MY day by reviewing!!!! I highly appreciate the fact that you've kept by me through my update! Yay! Xx

London-brat – Thank you!!! Some addictions are good, and your one is one of them! Lol. Hope your addiction doesn't get broken so that I can look forward to hearing from you again!

Elven at Heart – I actually love you, you really have reviewed every update ever since the start! Great to hear you liked the chapter! My holiday was lovely, thank you, it was really nice to see some of my relatives again, whom I hadn't seen for ages. Can't wait for your next review! xxxxxxxxx

NitenGale – Yes, I share your thoughts about Lucius. He is one great prat isn't he? Anyway, really great to hear from one of my first reviewers again! So pleased you haven't forgotten about lil' ol' me and hope you never do! xxx

Chapter 10: Ivy Roses

"Give me your hand." Malfoy demanded as soon as I had come near enough.

"No! What do you think I am? Stupid?" I screamed.

Malfoy just shrugged. "I do think you're stupid, because now I just have to wait until you do, and you'll get hungrier as the seconds tick by."

I shot a fierce look at him as I slid my hand softly into his. He squeezed tightly and swished his wand.

With a louder crack that usual, we landed in a darkened alleyway decorated with overflowing bins and multi-coloured graffiti on the walls. A black cat prowled nearby. As soon as we landed, Malfoy let go of my hand immediately, stuck his wand deeply inside his pocket and proceeded forwards. Gosh, it had felt so good though, holding his hand. Biting my lip at my strange thought, I jogged to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"I have every right no know where I'm going!"

"I'm not going to kill you Granger, so calm down. I had so many chances in the past if I had wanted to." Malfoy turned right at the end of the alleyway and walked briskly along the main road until he reached a brightly lit four-storey building. A word in black lettering stretched across the top of the building read 'The Ivy'.

"Isn't this that posh restaurant where all the muggle celebrities go?" I asked, awestruck.

"Don't think this is a date, Granger. This is just because I'm pretty hungry myself."

I followed him timidly up the stairs, conscientious of the fact that I had never been to so posh a restaurant in my life. The entrance was made alight with candles and a waitress dressed in black came up towards us, smiling with perfect white teeth.

"We're fully booked this evening, sir."

Malfoy flashed her a winning smile. "Are you sure? Are there really no tables at all for just two of us?"

"Well..." The waitress bit her lip, and then smiled nervously. "This way please."

Malfoy grinned at me and followed the waitress down the rows of mahogany tables, each with a single rose placed at the centre. The restaurant was dark, lit only by candles near stain glass windows streamed across with ivy and in the middle of the chatter was a low stage with a single, white grand piano where a man dressed in a tuxedo played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. My eyes round with interest, I turned my head this way and that and saw to my dismay that ladies were looking beautiful in sweeping evening dresses and men in grand formal attire. I looked at Malfoy. He had come looking as he had all day, just as I had, but in entirely black with his golden hair falling forward just right into his eyes, he fitted the picture well. Whereas I, in white cargo pants with a scarf for a belt and a yellow short-sleeved t-shirt, looked like I was in need of a major makeover. Just my luck.

"Here's your menu. Would you like a drink to start off with?"

Malfoy looked at me and then smiled at the waitress. "Two glasses of Pinot Noir please."

I pulled the rose towards me. 'Oh my goodness, this rose is real!" I gushed. "Smell it! Anyway, what's Pinot Noir?"

"It's champagne. Just look at the menu will you?"

Glowering, I grabbed the menu and opened it to the first page.

Starters

Soup (Please ask for today's special) 6.00

Caesar Salad 10.00

Garlic Bread 7.00

Garlic Bread with Mozarella 8.00

Thai Chicken Wings 6.00

"This is even worse than the restaurant at the hospital! The average total of a meal would be 40 pounds! I can't afford this you know."

Malfoy didn't even blink as he continued to stare down at his menu. "Oh, what a shame."

He was so annoying! "I don't know what you're expecting me to do."

"I'm not expecting you to do anything. I came here because I was hungry, got that? Not you, ME! And since you had to wait for me, I just allowed you to come along. You can leave if you want."

He was getting on my nerves so much, I seriously considered doing just that, but the menu was tempting me and this was probably going to be my only chance of ever eating at a place like this.

Just then the waitress came back with our champagne. "Pinot Noir. And are you ready to order?"

"Two garlic bread with mozzarella, a caesar salad, two fillet steaks..."

"I told you I won't be able to afford this." I muttered under my breath.

"Good, because I ordered it so I can eat it all. You can just sit there and watch me if you want." Draco suggested while staring at his glass of champagne. "Anyway, this looks good."

Malfoy picked his glass up and so did I as I announced. "I'll make the toast. Hears to a happy reunion of Head Boy and Head Girl."

Draco shook his head. "No, that's boring. How about hears to us never having to do this again."

I clinked my glass against his. "Cheers."

After five courses which filled my stomach and talk of old times that filled my brain, I heaved a sigh of contentment and sat back in my chair. I had debated this fact over the past few days, but now I was sure that Malfoy had changed. We had been able to hold an almost civil conversation (amid small arguments and regular insults), which had never once before occurred in all my years of knowing him.

"I thought you couldn't afford it." Malfoy interrupted my thoughts.

"I was hungry. I'll just save on other things."

Malfoy grinned. "It's unattractive when a lady eats as much as you do."

"So? It's not as if I'm trying to look attractive to you."

"You wouldn't be attractive to me anyway even if you didn't eat so much. You'll always be the insufferable know-it-all."

I glared right back at him. "Well, you'll always be the bouncing ferret to me."

"Oh ha ha ha. Excuse me, can I have the bill please?"

When the receipt arrived in a black wallet, I snatched it from the table and anxiously took it out. "A hundred and thirty eight pounds! Service not included! Goodness gracious me, I won't be able to buy anything for a whole year!"

My fingers trembled as I slowly took out my wallet and stared at my credit card blinking innocently up at me. Too busy pondering and regretting eating so much, I didn't notice when Malfoy whipped out his own card, placed it in the bill tray and passed it to a nearby waiter.

"Where's the bill gone?"

"Don't fret. I've already paid."

"WHAT?!" I cried out, a little too loudly. My cheeks flushing, I lowered my head and mumbled my thanks.

"It's for, er, well, it's to say, er, it's to say thank you for taking care of me." He said this last part in one fast breath, not being able to look at me, but then said in a defiant manner, "It's not that much to spend anyway. I've got enough money in my bank account to buy a whole manor let alone buy one meal. And it doesn't mean I like you any more that when we were in seventh year."

"I don't like you any more than when we were in seventh year, so that's fine with me."

I looked at Draco in silence while we walked back to the dark alleyway where we would apparate back to St Mungo's. He seemed deep in thought, his eyebrows furrowed together in the light of the streetlamps. I smiled and turned back to look straight head. He wasn't that bad a character after all, if you really knew him.

I shuffled out from the bathroom wearing my slippers and holding my toothbrush and found Malfoy pulling out the mattress from underneath the bed.

"Granger, you can sleep on the bed tonight."

My eyes widened in surprise. "B-but..."

"Then I won't be disturbed by you climbing on top of me again."

"But Malfoy, you're the patient, not me. You need to be comfortable."

"I'll be more comfortable if I'm not disturbed." He slid underneath the thin blanket and rolled over so that he wasn't facing the bed.

A little surprised by his strange behavior, I shrugged and set my toothbrush on the bedside table as I pulled my hair tie away and shook my hair free. I climbed into the bed and laid my head on the pillow, drinking in the faint smell of Malfoy's cologne as I did so. I too rolled over so that I wasn't facing him and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight Granger." Malfoy mumbled suddenly.

The corners of my mouth twitched in an unstoppable smile and for a strange reason, I felt warm and fuzzy inside. "Goodnight Malfoy."

With this, I slowly nodded off to sleep, knowing that tonight I would most certainly be blessed with sweet dreams.

The strong waft of breakfast soared up my nose and I squinted to the sunlight that met me brightly. Stifling a yawn, I jumped down from the bed, pulled my hair back into a rough ponytail and sat down at the table in front of me, from which the smell had awoken my senses from sleep.

I took a large bite from the toast and a gulp of milk when Malfoy strolled into view. I looked at him eagerly. "Any more news about John in this morning's Daily Prophet?"

Malfoy paled a bit and glanced down as he shook his head. "Nope. Have you guys found anything more out?"

"Not yet. Dumbledore hasn't been in contact with us, we're still waiting for some more questions to be answered. Apparently there seems to be no perceptible link between John and Lucius Malfoy, which is really strange because Lucius is the type of guy who would do something for his own benefit, isn't he?"

"Well you never know for certain with my father. He may just have a secret connection with John that no one's yet figured out." Malfoy stated, in an overly offhand manner.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Maybe Malfoy."

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what's happening today?"

"Well, obviously you have to follow me around, so as I've decided I need to do some research at home on my muggle computer, you'll need to come with me."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Great."

I gave him a strained smile. "My pleasure."

Arriving at my house, I threw my belongings onto a chair and went into the kitchen. Malfoy came in behind me and settled himself down on the couch as I quickly pulled two glasses out from the cupboard, poured lemonade into them, gulped down one of the glasses and carried the second one out to him.

"Here you go. There are more drinks in the fridge, ice cream in the freezer, crisps in the pantry, and the rubbish bin underneath the sink. What else do you need to know?" I quickly scanned my small, two-bedroom flat and gestured to each object as I pointed them out. "TV. Remote. Radio. Books. Magazines. Bathroom is second door to left. Now if you don't mind, I'll be in my room if you need me."

Malfoy lifted his eyebrows at my retreating figure, then went to have a look at the wooden bookshelf that were piled with volumes and volumes of books, both muggle and wizard. Draco's eyes rested on a certain book piled untidily on top of another. 'The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown'. Carefully sliding it out, so that the others didn't topple over, Draco brought it over to the couch and made himself comfortable with it.

'All four are dead. The precious truth is lost forever.' Draco read the last two lines on that page and then moved to the next page automatically. 'Chapter 32'. It had been a while since he had last moved from that position he was now in, and he wondered where Granger was. Resting his eyes briefly, he laid his book down open at the place he had got to, lifted his legs from the armrest of the couch and stretched. A friend he worked with at the café would have come back from holiday this morning. He wondered how he was doing.

Draco walked over to the door that had 'Hermione's Heaven' written on the front of it and knocked. "Granger, is it all right if I use your phone to ring a friend of mine?"

There was no answer and Draco opened it slightly to peek through. The room seemed to be empty, but he could hear the sound of water trickling nearby and guessed she was having a shower. He was about to close the door again when he noticed a few photos stuck to the wall by her computer and out of curiosity he went to have a look.

One photo was of when Hermione was young, posing and smiling prettily into the camera. Draco smiled. The next one was of her parents in front of the Eiffel Tower and another one with her and her parents on the Tower, predicting from the ant-like view you could see behind them. Crooshanks was in a couple of photos and there were a lot of people from Hogwarts. Practically most of Gryffindor seemed to be up on that wall, thousands of the entire Weasley family and Potter and even Victor Krum seemed to be scowling down at him in a few of them. One large photo, placed at the centre of the wall and blown up so that it was poster size, was of Granger, Potter and Weasley, on what seemed to be the last day of school. It was taken in front of The Hogwarts Express, just before they boarded it to leave Hogwarts forever, faint tears noticeable on Hermione's cheeks, but all three with the largest smiles on their faces, waving at the camera. Hermione's 'Head Girl' badge shone from her robe and Draco smiled sadly, regretting not having been there on that memorable day. He noticed he wasn't in any of the photos. No wonder she had almost forgotten him entirely during the five years so that she was in a state to nearly not recognise him at all.

Draco looked down at the computer whizzing, the screensaver blocking its contents and saw a calendar next to it. He picked it up and saw to his revelation that tomorrow was highlighted with sparkly pens that said 'My Birthday!'. Next to it, on the box with the title 'Notes', she had written: Saving up for a recording device! Three more months to go!

Draco snorted and then hearing the water stop, quietly tiptoed back into the lounge, resuming his former position on the couch.

I entered a few minutes later, brushing my wet hair. "Oh, are you reading that? I love that book! All the details are so finely weaved together, Dan Brown's really clever, isn't he? I haven't been able to get the second book of that yet though, when do you think I should get it?"

Malfoy peered at me over the top of his book. "Firstly, yes, I am reading this, as you can clearly see, secondly, yes, Dan Brown is clever, and thirdly, get it whenever you want."

I glared and headed into the kitchen, where I looked into the cupboards. "There's nothing to eat for lunch here. So how about we go to Florean Fortescue's? I'll buy this time, as I have manners."

Malfoy shrugged. "If you want. But before, could I quickly use your phone? I need to call a friend."

"Yeah, sure. It's next to the TV."

Malfoy took it and since it was a cordless, quickly hurried away from me. I ignored him and bit into an apple.

07751283406. Ring Ring. Ring Ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jake, how was your holiday?"

"Oh hi Tom! Barcelona was great! The beaches were awesome. I told you to come with us. Anyway, where are you? At the café? How about I drop in a day early, I'm not scheduled to be working again until tomorrow."

"I've got a few days off from working actually, and I'm at, um, a former classmate's house at the moment. Hey, listen..."

Suddenly his voice dropped and although I hadn't purposefully been listening in on his conversation, I could hear no more. Then, Malfoy spoke up again.

"Cool. Yeah. At five, in front of Waterstones. Kay. See ya."

Malfoy hung up and sauntered over to where I was, placing the phone back where it belonged with its charger. "Is it ok if I quickly meet with this friend at five in front of Waterstones? It's not far from The Leaky Cauldron."

"I suppose. We should better get going now then." I grabbed my bag and Malfoy and I both apparated to Diagon Alley. We entered Florean Fortescue's and Florean himself came up to greet us. I admit I'd been there too many times to say I was healthy, but still, my love of ice-cream was unbeatable.

"Good afternoon Miss Granger! How awfully nice to see you again! And you friend..." Florean stopped, peering closely at Malfoy and then his face brightened. "Goodness gracious, is this Mr Malfoy? I can't remember when I last saw you, but golly gosh you've matured! Take a seat, take a seat."

We took the prime position outside, in view of the large majority of Diagon Alley, able to watch at the amalgamation of witches and wizards out and about on the street while sunbathing in the heat of the fairly dry sun. I expertly ordered our lunch.

"Seems like you've been here quite a few times, Granger."

"I have, and I'm proud to admit it." I announced.

Malfoy rolled his eyes as he half smirked and half smiled. "You're really one of a kind."

A large owl suddenly swooped down from the sky and landed with a thud in front of Malfoy. It lay without moving, sprawled on its back, one wing sprawled out by its side, the other twisted oddly by its chest.

"What the hell...?" Malfoy exclaimed, staring in shock at the site that unfolded in front of him. He carefully disentangled the small piece of parchment from the owl's leg.

The same fate will come to John if you do not hurry to visit me

Your father

Bewildered, Malfoy took another glance at the owl. Its breathing was soft and broken and Malfoy tenderly moved the wing from its chest. All colour drained away from Draco's face immediately. Ogling at him from the owl's chest was a branded symbol. A colossal skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth.

Author's Notes – Guess what? I'm travelling to Spain with my friends on Sunday, and we're going by coach which means we have to sit on a bloody coach for 25 HOURS! Now beat that everyone! So hopefully, I'll be updating a couple more times before I go, depending on how many REVIEWS I get, and how much I write, which is also inspired by how many REVIEWS I get! Lol :P

By the way, thank you to those new people who haven't reviewed, but put me on their Author's Alerts/Favourites lists! All these encouragements really boost my happiness and writing strength for the day! : ) xx