Chapter 21

Draco watched Calla's interactions with Pansy with what he knew to be badly disguised horror. The fact that Theo was practically gaping at them as well made him feel only slightly better about his own inability to be subtle.

The two witches were chatting as if they were friends. Calla was giggling. Pansy seemed to suddenly love her and to have forgotten any animosity that had existed between them for years. It was highly suspicious.

Pansy was not stupid, but she was predictable. She only operated on a few levels. Calla was much more troublesome, in that she was brilliant, and despite her Gryffindor sorting, she was often unpredictable; or, if he was being honest, dangerous.

He'd collected her from Gryffindor Tower the night before and she'd looked well, much better than she had since he'd seen her injured. It made him happy, but he was surprised. He was under the impression that she didn't get along with her roommates. However, she'd happily allowed them to accompany her out of dinner and had spent the evening with them, and then they'd helped her down from the girls dormitories and out of the portrait hole where she'd parted from them with hugs.

"Where's Teddy?" She asked.

Draco laughed. "Would you guess that he drank the spiked punch? I actually don't think he meant to, but he's fast asleep, face down on his bed. You're welcome, by the way, for helping him get there, otherwise he'd still be in the common room."

"I don't know if I should laugh or be angry with him."

"It's not his fault," he defended Theo, almost unwillingly. He didn't particularly want to fight the other wizard's battles for him, but he hated to see Calla upset.

She snickered. "I have a hard time believing he's that naive. But he's almost of age, it's not really worth my time to get mad at him."

He just nodded but didn't comment.

He led her carefully to the dungeons, at one point when her breathing became ragged he turned and offered her his back for a piggy back ride. At first she scoffed until he asked: "Must we do this again, Calla?"

She sighed, accepted his gentle rebuke, and allowed him to hitch her up onto his back.

"Hold on however you can, love, I won't drop you."

She pulled her arms against her chest and clung to his shoulders, it was still too painful to lift her arms and put them around his neck. And he was right, it was less trying on her healing body than trying to traipse through a dozen corridors and down nearly as many staircases. It didn't matter anyway, there was nobody around to see her looking so vulnerable.

They made it to Slytherin House and he put her down carefully and then led her through what had seemed to be a blank space in the wall until he'd muttered a password and it had opened for them. He looked back at her and he couldn't conceal the proud smile that adorned his face, he knew the Slytherin common room was impressive.

She let out a breath, half sigh, half gasp of pleasure. "It's different from Gryffindor, but it's lovely in it's own way."

He would take that.

He led her to his own room. "It's so unfair that you get rooms to yourselves," she griped, as she had been griping for days, ever since the subject of their dormitory situation had come up and she'd revealed that she still had to share with two other girls.

He and Theo had both been rather appalled.

It was so plebeian. So Gryffindor.

Draco had tolerated having roommates for three years, but only because it was expected, as part of his schooling, just as he'd been expected to forgo having a broomstick for his first year, it was something his ancestors had endured for centuries and he considered it a rite of passage. But he would no more tolerate another wizard in his space at this point in his life than he would a wild animal.

But he welcomed Calla into it.

She took a step into his room, and paused, looking around thoughtfully, and Draco found himself to be uncharacteristically nervous in the way that only she could make him. Even when he'd only known her as Hermone Granger.

He'd been so excited for her to see his dorm. And yet, now that she was here, he found himself rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "It's not much."

"No, it's great, Dragon. I love it. It isn't as stark as I might have imagined it being. But then again, most of the image you give off is false."

He wasn't certain if he was complimented or insulted, and decided on a little of both. Except that the happy look on her face as she took in his quarters had him feeling decidedly pleased. He nudged her further into the room. He wanted some time alone with his witch and if they lingered in the corridor some other nosey student was bound to come along and question them.

"This is really nice," she said softly, circling the room, allowing her fingertips to skim the bedding and the furnishings. "I'd wish I had my own room but I think I've just started to get to know my roommates, so maybe I'm better off sharing?"

She looked up at him, one hand clutching his duvet.

"You had a good evening then?" He asked.

"Yeah, I cleared some things up with the girls. You?"

"Party was nice… a little quiet."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I suppose that's understandable given everything."

Her eyes caught on something sitting on the top of his desk then: his latest sketchbook. He wasn't certain if he'd left it there, subconsciously hoping she'd see it and want to look at it, or if it was truly an accident, but he didn't attempt to stop her from going over and opening it.

"Draco!" She gasped. "You still draw?" He was momentarily startled by her use of the word 'still,' but then again, even at four he had always been scribbling over spare pieces of parchment. And then she lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Of course you do, I've seen you do it, I just didn't process what it meant. "These —" she flipped through his latest sketch pad — "are beautiful."

She began to turn the pages more slowly and he knew why. He was well aware what his primary subject was: her. And when it wasn't her, it was the flower that had given her a nickname. He couldn't decide if he was ashamed or not; it did seem a little pathetic.

When the tears started rolling down her cheeks he decided that he was proud, but also horrified to have upset her; she quickly quieted him by approaching him and covering his face and neck with kisses. Then, before he could really process what was happening, she undressed to her underthings, and crawled underneath his covers.

"Please come to bed Dragon."

He paused for a moment, a little overwhelmed with having Calla here with him, in his bed, but then he quickly shed his own clothing and crawled in beside her, taking her into his arms as he did so. If he had anything to say about it she would never spend another night away from him. But as soon as he scooted in behind her it hit him: there was no Theo in the corner to act as chaperone, no professor bound to turn up at any point to boot them out of the prefects bath, nobody at all.

For the first time since they'd been very small, it was really just the two of them. He curled himself around her and buried his face in her neck. Her scent was familiar, and also heartbreakingly foreign.

He shuddered against her. "How can things be so perfect and also such a mess at the same time?" They were all talking a big game, taking things a day at a time, but the truth was, after they left Hogwarts' walls tomorrow, they really didn't know what would happen. They would have to face Calla's adoptive parents, and when it came down to it they could only hope that the Dark Lord would leave them alone. He wasn't naive enough not to realize that none of them had truly begun to process their feelings about their Fathers' actions and current circumstances.

"We'll figure this out," she assured him. He carefully hugged her closer and chose to believe her.

Draco had the best night's sleep he'd experienced, possibly ever. He had a peaceful breakfast, despite Calla being across the Hall, and he was beginning to accept that she wouldn't tolerate him lurking at her side forever. It was when they boarded the train that her behavior became downright bizarre and troublesome.

She insisted that she was fine sitting with his friends, that she would just make hers uncomfortable, that it wasn't a big deal. He hadn't questioned her because he'd wanted to keep her with him and Theo, under their protection and he wasn't going to look a gift hippogriff in the mouth.

She was formidable enough under normal circumstances, but it wasn't something he would leave to chance, and at the moment she couldn't even make her way from her own dormitory to his. So he had been happy not to have the argument especially because he'd yet to fully determine how the majority of the school population was taking the revelation of her true identity.

But twenty minutes in a compartment with Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, and he had known something was off. It was as if his witch was trying to make friends with the other girl, whom he knew her to despise. But the third time he'd tried to inject himself into their conversation, attempting to avert what he was certain to be disaster, Calla had pinched his inner thigh so viciously that he'd decided that she either knew what she was doing, or, even if she didn't she was determined enough that he wasn't going to try to interrupt her plan.

Being with Calla was a treat and a trial. He wanted to show her off. It had been something niggling at the back of his mind since he was too young to really understand it, but now that he had her, he realized that it was dangerous to flaunt her, and their relationship. A part of him wanted nothing more than to do just that, waltz her up and down the length of the train declaring his claim on her. But it had already been proven that the world was not safe for them to be so blatant, even if they'd already made their relationship clear, it wouldn't do to flaunt it. That would just be asking for trouble, and with their fathers on their way to prison, their entire future was in question.

So, when the Express arrived at Kings Cross they rose and prepared to depart, and he hovered, his fingers tracing her hips, but not completely cupping them; he glared at anyone who came too close, but didn't actually say anything.

Calla seemed largely unaffected, she was entirely calm and collected. Or, perhaps, she was a much better actress than he'd ever given her credit for. Which was entirely possible.

But then, when they were stepping off the train she looked around to gauge her surroundings - a behaviour of which he approved - and then she spotted a young woman with short, bright pink hair and sprinted towards her shouting, "Dora!" He wasn't sure where she'd found that reserve of energy.

Thankfully the woman in question caught Calla and it was only upon seeing that she was safe that Draco looked around and realized that the two witches were surrounded by Order members: Alastor Moody was unmistakable; then there was Remus Lupin, their former defense professor; and in addition were the Weasley parents.

Draco didn't like any of this bunch on principle, but the way that nearly all of them cringed away from Calla's mere presence was so infuriating to him that he could have sworn he felt it burning through his veins. What a bunch of hypocrites.

He went to march after her but Theo grabbed his arm "She won't thank you for it, mate, and you know it."

He threw the other wizard off. "You want me to let them treat her like she's rubbish, now that they know who she is?"

"No, and I'd seriously be thinking about rethinking your betrothal if you didn't care. But as much as I hate to say this, she wouldn't thank you for interfering. And she has this covered." He pointed in the other group's direction, and Draco saw that she was dragging the pink haired witch in question in their direction.

Draco tried to put an appropriately blank expression on his face in order to greet...whomever this was. Especially given the way that Calla was absolutely beaming at them, he didn't want to make a bad impression.

"Dragon!" She called from several meters away, "look who I found!"

Draco wondered if this was some kind of puzzle he was expected to solve and looked over the young woman for any clues. He felt like an idiot.

"Lucky you.," he heard Theo snicker from his side. "Who the fuck is that?"

"No idea," Draco hissed through his teeth.

Luckily, in fact, for him, the woman in question took mercy on him when they reached him and extended her hand before Calla could do anything ridiculous like make them hug. "Hello. I'm Nymphadora Tonks, please just call me Tonks. We're actually cousins, but given the look on your face, you had no idea."

He faltered, uncertain about how he should react. Now that she'd introduced herself he knew very well who she was, even if her mother had been disowned. He was simply at a loss as to how to greet her, especially given his own uncertain status within society at the moment; now he felt like a fool and a hypocrite.

She seemed to be part of Dumbledore's Order, the group was still loitering, speaking to Potter -for Salazar's sake, but did they have no subtlety? They were just gathered on the platform, practically announcing themselves and their purpose - But Calla also seemed to trust her in a way she'd shown a distinct lack of for other members of what Draco would have termed Dumbledore's 'inner circle.' For instance, she deliberately ignored Moody's protestations against her actions when she was dragging Tonks to meet them.

"Hello," he said uncomfortably. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand.

Calla turned to Theo. "And this is my brother, my twin," she clarified, always so proud, "Theodore Nott."

"Always a pleasure to meet one of Calla's friends," responded Theo, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Draco rolled his eyes.

But Calla grinned. "Dora and I," she licked her lips and bounced a little on her feet, still grasping the arm of the older witch. "We used to have tea together… with our mothers," there was a beat of silence and Calla rushed on. "Of course Dora's a lot older than me and she was always very kind to keep me entertained."

"Oh hush, you were a sweetheart, just like your mother," Dora interrupted, and then moved to put an arm around Calla's shoulders. Calla leaned into her and sniffed as she tried to get her emotions under control. "Now, is there anything I can do to help you out? Settling into two identities can't be easy and I know you're straddling two worlds as well."

"Really?" Calla asked, her eyes welling with tears as she looked up at the other witch. And Draco was not at all surprised that Tonks just nodded, a small smile on her face. Merlin, who could deny this witch?

"Are you busy this evening?"

"Free as a bird," Tonks responded. "I was just here to see Harry and, truth be told, I was hoping to run into you too."

Somehow Calla's smile managed to widen further. "Well, we're going to Diagon Alley and then to see my parents. I would be forever grateful if you'd come and help me talk to them. They know you and you have a certain perspective that would be helpful in explaining things to them."

"Sure thing, ready to go?"

Calla nodded eagerly and took his hand. He studiously ignored the many stares the four of them garnered as they made their way off the platform and into muggle London.

Author's Note: Yep, Calla's up to something, but I'm afraid you're all going to have to be patient along with Draco ;) Thanks to Weestarmeggie for beta reading. Y'all keep staying safe, thanks for reading!