My fourth fanfic in the running! This is a romance story about Draco, and it starts when he's about 22. We never found out who his wife was, right? Well, I made one up, she's a really amazing person, read on and see how she changed his life. It's rated PG, slightly PG-13, just in case. But the rating doesn't change the quality, so please read on!

Here's the link if you want to post feedback and comments, please do!

Somni'amor

At 22, Draco has been on and off with Pansy, but it seems that now they are no more. Draco's heart is of pure stone, to the people around him. But is it really? Emerging all from a dream-like midnight stroll, an unexpected lovely young girl of impossible beauty strangely enters Draco's life and brings out the best of him, and he falls into the greatest love, an unbreakable, complicated, beautiful love...

Chapter 1
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A bang in the window. Draco rushed to the kitchen, frowning and looking outside the window of the great stone manor he had inherited from his parents, who were now in a country cottage on the outskirts of the small wizarding village Grasselhop.
He looked out the window: A small owl the size of his two fists together had once again flew into the window, sliding down the panel and weeping till Draco fed him a treat.
Draco smirked. What an idiot that owl was, even if it was cute. Next time he would go shopping with Pansy he would get her a better owl, and she would not be able to refuse it.


But little did Draco know he might not go shopping with Pansy again. He unfolded the letter she had sent him, and read it in a whisper.
'Dear Draco,
I think it is time for us to part ways for good. I have decided that I have better things to do with my life now, even if you are gorgeous, and I must leave you. We were not meant to be, and I am sure that some day, maybe months or maybe years, I will find someone better than you, and you will find someone... else. I will sit alone in my home now, remembering all those beautiful moments we had together.

I will probably miss you,

Pansy

Draco scrunched the letter and tossed it into the garbage angrily. Pansy was just an idiot, she didn't deserve a wonderful man like he was. She wasn't worthy of his greatness.
He grabbed his travelling cloak and pulled it onto himself, taking his wand with him, and he shut the back door behind him.

Draco stomped up the hill protruding him, a few miles away from his manor. He kept muttering the same words under his breath, 'probably miss me... idiot... doesn't deserve...', on and on until he came upon Pansy's stone house, lying in piles of daisies and petunias, among the fresh scent of plants. But something was unusual: Draco looked around. White ribbons were dressing the house, hanging from the window and door frames, decorating the lights. Draco, curious, decided to walk a little further away from the door. Pansy was not at the window, waiting to see his beautiful self. In a matter of fact, there didn't seem to be anyone there at all.

He walked all around the house, to finally reach to back yard. But he was only entering that he stopped at the gate, gasping. So many people were gathered, sitting on chairs. Around the whole yard the fence had been turned to white, and ribbons were also decorating it, along with flowers. An arch stood at the front, furthest from the house, covered with floral embellishements. A soft music seemed to echoe from nowhere, creating a soft and calm ambiance.
'What the-' said Draco, quite loudly.
'Shhh! Sit down, the bride is coming!' said the nearest guest, an old witch with a pointed green hat.
Draco frowned. 'The bride?' he thought. Then he noticed a man, tall with brown curls, in elegant black dress robes. Draco, confused, leaned against the fence and waited. Soon enough, an attractive young woman appeared at the door of the house. Her hair was strait, covered by a white veil, and she wore a complex white dress with frills, lace and flowers. Draco suddenly realized that this was Pansy.
'Months? Years?' he muttered under his breath. 'Looks more like seconds to me.'
The witch threw him an angry look, and with reluctance he walked away, back to the front of the house. He kicked a flower pot aside, and with a loud crash it fell onto the groud and broke. Draco took out his wand, but soon put it back under his cloak after changing his mind.
'Well, there's a little surprise for Pansy and her husband' he said, smirking carelessly.
He kicked the second flower pot that stood on the right of the door, and walked away laughing, pleased with himself.

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That was a short chapter, I know, but I'll make them longer, no worries. Please post feedback, I'd love some!

Chapter 2
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Draco walked into his bedroom, pushing his white-blonde hair out of his face. He turned the lights on and grabbed his T-Shirt as he walked by the dresser. He brought it over his head and pulled it down, jumped into bed and turned the lights back off.
He sighed. What an interesting day it had been. Draco made a resume of the day in his mind, recovering everything that had happened. Broke up with Pansy... Pansy got married... He concluded it was all Pansy's fault, as usual. He rolled onto his back and looked around, yawning purposely, and several times he did so. But only moments later, he fell into a deep sleep at the sound of an unknown voice that sang a song as soft as the waves down by the beach. He had never heard it before, but he had no time to think about some weirdo signing by the water. He fell asleep quickly and his snores started echoing in his bedroom, like every other night.

Draco opened his eyes, but did not move. He had been awake for seconds only, yet the voice was still signing down by the beach. He got up, rubbing his eyes. It couldn't be- He looked at his watch. It was midnight!
'This can't be good, my eyes are gonna be purple again' he whispered to himself sarcastically, sighing and grunting angrily.
He turned the light on and grabbed his pullover, headed downstairs. He stormed accross the manor, and as he walked by every light turned on at his presence.
'I'm gonna give this girl a piece of my mind' he thought.
But he froze for a moment, and then smirked at the thought of 'girl'. He had reached the beach, yet continued to walk.
'Whoever this girl is, if she's hot she's mine. As long as she beats Pansy' he muttered to himself, not even sure of what he was saying.

'Don't say that' suddenly said a mysteriously familiar voice.
Draco turned around, surprised to see the midnight signer.
'It was you? You woke me up?' he said, getting up.
The strange girl shook her head, smiling, her lips slightly parted.
'No' she said. 'I put you to sleep.'
Draco frowned for a moment, but raised his eyebrows without thinking. He hadn't noticed the girl's appearance yet, to busy complaining to her.
She was tall, thin, and her straight, silky blue-black hair fell swiftly down to her thighs. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes stood out most. They were gorgeous, yes, dark as the night and shiny as the stars, but there was something like sorrow in them, sadness and even fear. But she hid this well in her tone, if it were her true emotions, because she looked like the happiest girl alive, and she spoke with such pleasure that it was nearly as enchanting as her melodies.
'Yes, it was me, though' she said, laughing softly.
She took a few steps towards Draco.
'Now tell me...'
'Draco' he said quickly.
'Draco, is it? Such a beautiful name... I love dragons. Such fascinating creatures' she said, looking up at Draco, her head tilting sideways, searching his face.
'You- You're a witch?' he said, surprised.
She nodded, smiling even more.
'Now tell me, Draco' she repeated. 'Why do you need a woman in your life? Can't you live without one? I mean... why do you always have to have someone to your side? I learnt to live on my own, and I'm fine with it. I will only be with a man who is worth it, who truly loves me. Think of all the other things you could be doing right now. It's a waste of time, Draco!' she said, coming up to his face and looking at his eyes, fearless.
Draco was surprised by this. Never in his life had a woman resisted in front of him like that, never had one dared accuse him and look at him in the eyes. He stared back at her, trying to overpower her, like a competition, but she did not move. There was anger in her eyes, but joy, a desire to resist. But now they were completely fearless, full of confidence only. After a moment she smiled, and started laughing. Her soft, beautiful laugh. She laughed loudly, her laugh echoing accross the ocean, going along with the sudden breeze. Draco looked at her strangely, rolling his eyes and avoiding her, as if he were trying to hide that he had ever talked to her. At last she stopped, giggling, and looked at Draco.
'Sit down' she said.
He did not move, unsure.
'I will teach you all about love' she said, a swift smiling appearing on her face. 'All about life, everything you need to know.'
And Draco, sighing, obeyed.

* * *

Draco's eyes opened. He blinked at the bright sun that was rising in front of him. Yawning, he pushed himself up and looked around. What he thought to be a dream was true, he had slept on the beach after talking to that mysterious girl...
He got up, shaking his head. Where had she gone? Who dared she leave him like that after flirting with him all night, teaching him things that couldn't be true? He rubbed his eyes and started walking, grooming his clothes, flattening his hair.
'Er... hello?' he called loudly.

There was no answer. He looked around, shaking his head. For about half an hour he walked around the beach, calling for that girl and trying a house of some kind, but he was the only one who owned one near. He decided that because his schedule wasn't very tight today, maybe squish a little bit of time to look for her, but only because he had nothing else to do that today. That's all.
Many times he passed the same spot, sighing and asking himself why he was doing this. But he was always distracted, and never answered himself. For example one time he had nearly convinced himself to turn around and go home, but he had been distracted by a beautiful bird, which he recalled to be a raven. He had tried to come closer and examine it after having his attention taken by it's sad eyes, but it had flew away into the rocky caves.
He went to the central village asked people around him if they knew her. No one did, and some just stared at him, as if stuck in a complex moment of reflection. He always started the same way:
'Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy, a pure blood' he would say, 'Do you happen to know or have seen a tall, thin girl with long bluish black hair?' raising himself into a tall, noble posture, looking as snob as possible.
At last he gave up; he had not heard anything about her. But she was just a girl, why did it matter? There were plenty more- Like Pansy, for example- Draco knew she wouldn't last a week with the man she had married. And she had the money. He knew that her husband was nothing compared to him, rich, gorgeous and amazingly arrogant. But that was it- arrogance charmed girls, didn't it? It worked with Pansy! Alright, Pansy was the only girl he had seen the results for, but still- everyone admired him.

That night Draco went to bed, deciding to forget about the girl. He would never see her again, she had just talked to him once upon a night. He fell asleep at last, thinking of Pansy, if she yet had a family or not. He had a night of resting, a deep, dreamless sleep.

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That's another chapter! I really need feedback, please post some, I love hearing your comments and I'll get back to you if necessary! Thanks.

Chapter 3
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And a week passed after his desperate- (and pointless, of course) search for the girl. It was the seventh night, a cloudless one too. The stars twinkled in the darkness, but not nearly as bright as the full moon that glistened in the sky, illuminating the whole forest and village, and all that was beyond. Draco had not seen the girl since, but he did not care about her much anyway. Even if he kept thinking of her, but that was only because she was mysterious and- weird, he thought. Weird. That's why she's all I can think of, she's just some signing freak.
He told himself not to, but deep down he had this weird feeling he needed to see her again. Its like there was something in him that wasn't fulfilled. Perhaps it was that? Maybe he needed to see her again to- to understand, to know who she was? Or maybe he just wanted her to make Pansy jealous... The idea suddenly struck him. Was he a jerk? He tought... and though. And came to a conclusion.
'Of course' he said out loud. 'Of course I am not a jerk, I'm just... slightly arrogant, that's all' he added, pleased with himself for being such a good person.
After putting his mirror back down, after admiring himself and after getting ready for the night, he went to bed. Another good night sleep was all he needed to get that woman off his mind.

Four thirty in the morning. An enchanting melody. Draco's eyes flashed open, he sprang off his bed. He waited, listened a little more: A beautiful voice was signing a soft melody like one that a mother would sing to her child, yet that did not make you sleep. Draco got up, pulled his black robe over his shoulders and slid his feet in his sheepskin slippers, hurrying not to miss the girl.

The door slammed, and Draco's footsteps started echoing accross the apparently empty beach, which was silent apart from the slamming waves and that mysterious signing voice. He passed several places and things, different grounds to clearer waters. Grass, dirt, rocks, sand... He came to a halt, seeing the woman he had been thinking of, a few meters away from him. Her signing slowed and softened, and slowly she turned around to face Draco. She smiled at him.
'I have been waiting for you' she said suddenly.
'But you were nowhere. It's like you don't exist!' Draco said, giving her an 'obviously' look, and not moving from where he stood.
It was she who moved towards him, to finally stop inches from him. It was still dark, but Draco could make out her face because of the bright moon.
She smiled sadly and told him to sit down. She did it herself, but he hesitated.
'You'll make me all weird again' he said, crossing his arms.
She laughed, her beautiful but wild laugh.
'You're not weird, you're just a better person' she said, grinning at him and pulling him down next to her.
He sighed.
'Take your shoes off' she randomly said.
Draco frowned and looked at her feet; her toes were curling in the sand. It looked so soft- Draco was unable to resist. He shook his head in disbelief and took his slippers off. He was about to toss them aside when the girl stopped his hand, took his slippers and threw them as far as she could into the sea.
Draco gaped at her, giving her an accusing look. She ignored this.
'So' she said, smiling. 'The moon's bright tonight, isn't it?'
He did not say anything, but rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
'What?' she asked, seeing he was getting up. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. 'I don't want you to leave, why are you leaving?' she asked, frowning.
'You're just some weirdo! You wake me up at night, signing on the beach, and then you disappear during the day, don't tell me who you are, and now you throw my expensive slippers into the sea! And everytime you leave me you make me feel like some insane freakish genius, just- not me! I'm friggin Draco Malfoy, not Xenophilius Lovegood!' he spat, gesturing angrily at his every word.
She looked at him curiously, and frowned.
'Who?'
Draco gave up, and sat down next to her again, although not completely sure why. He sighed, putting his face in his knees. But he propped it back up quickly when he felt a hand upon his back, only to realize it was that strange beauty of long dark hair that was causing him to be out of bed everynight.
They sat there, silently, and she massaged his back softly. Draco turned his head to look at her. He saw her beautiful face taken over with sadness; her head was bent down, her eyes closed tightly, and tears were prickling down her cheeks from her eyes. Draco cleared his throat. She suddenly brought her head up, as if in fear, and opened her eyes, seemingly gasping for breath. She sat there, her eyes shut once again, and breathed heavily for a few moments. Draco remained silent, unsure how to react. He had never had to comfort someone, usually when his entourage cried they had deserved it. And yet he did not even know what she had a problem with.
The tall thin figure of the girl fidgeted on the beach. She had removed her arm from Draco's back. She opened her eyes wide now, and let out a gasp of horror. She seemed to have been in a trance, in a moment of light pain. She stared, frightened, at the sky. The sun had started to rise, it was dawn. The sky was taking the pastel colors of blue and pink, becoming lighter and lighter as the sun rose. She suddenly got to her feet and began quickly walking away from Draco, approaching the caves.
'Ho!' he said, getting up too.
She stopped dead and looked at him, at the sun, and than back at him. She had the same look of worry on her face, her tears drying.
'You can't just leave like that again!' he said, dropping his arms to his side, and suddenly remembering he was barefoot.
She smiled weakly.
'Tell me your name, at least!' he said, rolling his eyes at the awkwardness of the moment.
A look of confidence appeared in her eyes, and her smile grew larger.
'Vin. Just call me Vin' she said simply, waving at him nicely and walking away, disappearing behind the overproportionned rocks.
Draco only shook his head, and thought of the fact that she was still upset. Somehow, deep inside him, he regretted what he had told her earlier. But the words would not come to him. He did not remember using those words for what seemed like forever, like a long lost memory. And finally he stammered them timidly, guilt flooding in him.
'I- I'm sorry.'

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Another chapter over. Is it just me or it looks short? Well, leave feedback! Clicky clicky clicky clicky clicky!

Chapter 4
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Draco had met 'Vin' again it had been about a month ago. Vin… He had never heard that name before. It was slightly odd, but then again there was something- something interesting about it. Normally Draco would of made fun of that person, but inexplicably he was able to admit that he found himself unable to do it. There was nobody around, he told himself. What was the purpose of laughing at her without an audience? His own answers surprised him. For what seemed like the first time ever, he had taken the time to think, to try to understand his feelings. They had never been so complicated, never. It was usually hate, admire or like. Crabbe and Goyle, he remembered. He laughed. They were his old Hogwarts friends, but they were so dumb and brainless that Draco couldn’t even remember feeling a thing for them. He only remembered himself liking Pansy, admiring Severus Snape and his own father, and hating Harry Potter. Harry Potter… he preferred not think about him. Today he was quite unsure why, if it had been jealousy or true reluctance, he had disliked Potter, and so he had mostly forgotten about him and their past. But Draco had other things to worry about- These days it had particularly gotten into him to ask himself what others thought about him. Perhaps he was just going nuts, or maybe, like Vin had said, she had brought out the best him. But he could hardly believe that. How could someone, particularly an odd girl like her, change someone's personality? And so he asked her that on that night, when he found himself telling her everything that was preoccupying him. It was so hard to resist, she seemed so trustworthy… This had been her answer:
'Draco, how many times will I have to tell you?' she had said. 'I'm not changing you- I'm just bringing out the best of you. It is okay for you to let yourself out on me- I'll always be there for you, and you know that.'
These words had particularly gotten to him, realizing that he had never really considered her his friend.
'The ones you consider your friend are not your true friends if you can't trust them, call for them whenever you need someone, talk to them, confide in them. If they're not truly close to you and if you don't feel a certain bond between you and her or him, than they are not your true friends, Draco.'
She seemed to like his name a lot- she would use it whenever she could and seemed to twitch in pleasure every time she said it.

Draco was becoming more and more fond of her. Perhaps they would become friends? But he had htis odd feeling in him, like they had been friends too long ago, that they were way past that. But they weren't. He had never felt like this before, it was probably just an illness coming down or something. But he couldn't help seeing how pretty she was- with long black hair, dark enchanting eyes, a very beautiful face... Alas, she was just another girl! Pansy had been mildly pretty too, he had not lasted with her. Maybe that was just because of who she was? But Draco preferred waiting until he found 'true love', or whatever they called it. But he was very doubtful that that even existed, he just couldn't picture the feeling. He would probably wait a little bit longer and get married with some pure-blood women when the time came. And then he had asked himself- and Vin too, a few nights after they had met again. She had seemed alarmed for a moment, but had calmed down in just seconds.
'What?' she had asked, looking at him, then blushing as she looked at the water (where they met when they did). 'Oh- Yeah. Sorry. Well,' she hesitated. 'My- my grandmother was a witch' she had finally confessed, blushing even more. She knew Draoc was pure-blood, and knew how she was, and had tried to soften the situation a little bit by not telling him directly that she was muggle-born.
Draco had become paler for a second, but forced himself to react normally. He was half-shocked at himself for feeling that way for a muggleborn. Not that he liked her or anything, but he couldn't hide that he was being mildly friendly. But there was no one watching them- nobody could blame him for being seen with a- with a-
And yet the word had escaped him.
'Mudblood...' he had accidently muttered under his breath.
She had looked at him in horror with her eyes wide in shock, an alarmed look on her face, as if taken by surprise (which was probably the case). On the other side, he had clapped his hands to his mouth in a spontaneous manner, surprised by his own spoken words, which were apparently not supposed to be heard, not even taken seriously. And he told her that.
'I swear, I would never,' he said, seeing she was still in some sort of shocked state. 'never, say that to you. I didn't mean it- It just sort of... slipped out. You deserve much more- much more...'
'Respect?' she said intimidatingly, her eyes wattering.
Draco had stayed there aghast, not saying a word, sitting silently. And yet, strong like she seemed, she started crying. Draco seemed to have found her weak point, but he would never touch it again.
Inexplicably, his reflex had been to put his arm around her and squeeze her, attempting to warm her from the breeze, too. He thought he saw a smile through her hair, but seconds later she spoke again.
'Don't worry, it's normal. I know you didn't mean it-' she said, wiping her tears even if they continued to flow down her cheeks in drops.
'Yes-' he replied, raising his eyes to the lightnening sky. 'I completely understand how you feel-'
'No you don't!' she had suddenly shouted, getting up quickly, taking Draco by surprise. He backed up as she took a step towards him. 'You have no idea! You filthy little mudblood- I bet you've said that loads of times, eh?' she said, angrier than ever. He face was so twisted that she wasn't as beautiful anymore. Draco was strangely reminded of a Veela.
'No, no I didn't- I never said-'
'I'm sure you have, oh I'm sure. You know what? You know what I think?' she asked furiously, pointing her finger at him angrily. 'I think that your blood, which they say to be squeaky clean, is as filthy as mine!'
Draco was in shock, his mouth half-open, not knowing what to say to her. But he was saved when she looked at the rising sun and decided it was time for her to leave. But he was not awaiting this- she seemed to calm down and started crying again, but then she flung herself in Draco's arms as if she were his girlfriend. He was sort of reluctant to this, but let her do what she desired- for now. She looked at him with her eyes, which were suddenly tired.
'I better not- never again. No- I'm so sorry. I can't react like that, I know I can't...'
She seemed to be muttering to herself. Draco cleared his throat. She let him go completely and stared at him in the eyes, and smiled.
'I'm so sorry' she said.
'Er... it's alright.'
'I have to leave. I'll see you soon, come when you hear me!'
Draco was about to ask her something, but remembered what she meant. She meant to hear her sing, like she did at least once a week. He also remember what she had said at their previous meeting, when he had asked where she lived.
'I live down here by the beach, but far beyond your eyes and your mind and what you can imagine. Don't try. You'll never find my- my home.'
And she had left him to this, suddenly sobbing, running away from him towars the giant rocks.

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Alrighty, then! Another chapstick over! This story is coming along well. You know you can read my other ones meanwhile... Well, please (with a cherry on top!) leave feedback!

Chapter 5
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Vin was constantly on Draco's mind, like a spirit chasing him everywhere he went, haunting his dreams. Haunting? he asked himself. I didn't know. In fact, he didn't know anything about his feelings right now, he was feeling... weird, like never before. He could hardly sleep, eat, or talk to anyone, his insides completely flipped. What was happening to him? He didn't know, really. Was he sick? But one thing to him made no sense at all. Draco Malfoy, the constantly self-satisfactory man that had always been on top of everyone and everything, was now feeling down, lower than ever before, below someone- only one. Vin. Of course, Vin. The one and only girl that had ever confused Draco and made him feel something. Was that it? Was he, like she had said, becoming a better person- feeling something? Yet he was too determined to deny this to himself, too stuck on the idea that it was impossible to be any better than he was already, that it couldn't be possible to go through a sudden change of conciousness. But he knew... he couldn't hide it- There was only one person he was thinking about, only Vin was occupying his mind these days, it was hard to say the opposite. What exactly was he feeling for her? What was she doing to him, was it even her that was causing his questionning? Maybe, after all, he had grown into a mature man and was feeling what he had never believe in, what he was always told by his father that didn't exist... Yet his mother, his mother said it was true, that she felt that way for him and she always would... But who was to be believed? And Draco, under the pressure of having to be like his father and please him, he had chosen to follow his lead, to follow his path, his footsteps, and Draco had become what he had become. An arrogant jerk, and idiot, a selfish ego-maniac... The truth was blurting out at him now, every word of it hitting him hard. Never had it occured to him he had always, and always, stayed such a bad person... But one thing was sure. Draco Malfoy did not know himself at all anymore.

And on one day of which they met, which was to be proven very unexpected later but for now absolutely normal, Draco decided to ask her, out of what could be nothing but pure bravery. As they sat next to eachother staring at the water, he cleared his throat.
'Erm...'
'Yes?' she asked softly, knowing he wanted to talk to her. 'I'll help you with anything, you know you can talk to me...'
'Er... yes, of course' Draco said, raising his eyebrows. 'Listen- I was wondering... I've been feeling weird these days, and I don't know why, it's like I'm changing, I'm all- all...'
She continued to look at him, smiling even more brightly.
'You're not... changing, Draco' she said, looking away suddenly, sighing loudly. 'I've already told you, you're just... a better person! Well, no, not at all actually' and seeing the alarmed look on his face, she laughed and added: 'No, not that way! I meant... that goodness had always been inside you, Draco. It's just that you were never tought to bring out all of it, it's just been all alone, squished by all those bad things that were put into you. I'm just- taking them out, freeing the good side.'
And these words seemed to change everything. Although they came from Vin, in which case they were never really clear, suddenly everything made sense, everything was clear, his mind was empty. Yet it did not explain that weird feeling he had, the one stopping him from eating, sleeping, talking... Was she a bad witch, or even an extraordinary Legilimens that was brainwashing him or something? And the question seemed to accidentally escape his mind and speak aloud.
'Are you bewitching me?' he said stupidly, unable to stop the childish question from escaping his lips.
Yet, unlike what Draco was expecting, Vin did not laugh, only looked at him seriously.
'Listen to me Draco' she said strongly, although her voice shaking a little bit. 'Don't ever let anyone tell you that I'm bewitching you- I repeat... It it not true, never ever would I do that. You understand?' Draco nodded. 'I want this to be clear, because some people... some people might say I am bewitching you' she said, turning away and letting a tear run down her cheek.
'But... why would anyone say you're bewitching me?' Draco said, frowning.

* * *

'Sir- Sir, we've got someone here who wants to see you.'
The man in question, the mayor of a small village by the sea, got to his feet and nodded.
'Bring them in, then.'
A small witch with grey hair and old, ragged clothing walked into the formally decored room, her grey appearance lacking of care clashing oppositely to the dark wooden walls and furniture. She did not seemed timid at all, actually she looked rather in a hurry, excited but concerned all the same.
'Mr the Mayor' she squeel. 'The girl... that woman... that filthy mudblood of a witch... I've just seen her-'
'What?' barked the Mayor.
'Yes, yes, sir! She was down by the beach, being night of course, but she was out... out of her cave-'
'What do you mean?' said the man, walking furiously towards the woman, who started to tremble. 'What was she doing?'
'Oh, she was not singing tonight, sir. She hardly sings at all, these days.'
'What do you mean?' the mayor growled again.
'She was with- Oh, you see, sir... she was with another human. A boy, that is.'

* * *

Vin slowly turned to Draco, the fear in her watery eyes more obvious than ever. Draco had a feeling he was about to discover why such emotions were reflected in her face. He was starting to get impatient.
'Why?' he repeated. 'Why? Vin, just tell me-'
'Draco' she said, starting to cry. 'I need you to promise that when I'll tell you this, don't be afraid- please, Draco, please!'
'I- alright, then. I... I promise, whatever you're about to tell me...'
'Okay, then. Er... Well, it all starts when I was in love with a man of the village... Yes, I lived there. But he went mad and accused me of bewitching him, and I-'
She started to sob heavily, and Draco automatically put his arm around her.
'I was banned from the village, had my wand taken and all... Just like being expelled from Hogwarts, really! Anyway... I was forced to come to the caves and never leave them, stay here forever...'
She cried some more, but Draco had his mind on a missing detail, a piece of the puzzle that had been lost... Or not.
'You were banned only because that freak accused you of bewitching him?'
She shook her head, and even smiled weakly.
'No, actually... There was more. It's because before I was banned, I was accidentally... well, I can't say bewitched, but... I was young, Draco! I tried to be an agnimagus...'
Draco gasped. He had just understood something.

* * *

The mayor stormed around the room angrily, rubbing his forehead.
'How... how did she... She has to stay in the cave! You know what will happen if this boy... if he really-'
He stopped dead in his tracks, spinning to face the silent people at the door.
'Where was she?'
'In front of the caves, sir, in front of where she should be.'
'Alright. You know what could happen-'
They all nodded.
'Good. We need to stop her. She can't do any more harm, you know what she is... We're going to have to imprison her, I'm afraid.'

* * *

'I wanted to become an animagus, but- it... it didn't turn out right, honestly. I'm cursed now, I'm human only at night.'
'So that's why...'
'Yes' she said, nodding. 'That's why you don't see me during the day.'
'But what animal do you... you know- become?' Draco asked hesitatingly, trying to process the surprise.
'A raven' Vin answered simply.
'So when I was looking for you, and I saw that- that bird... It was you?' he asked.
She nodded. Suddenly, looking into her face and deep in her eyes, Draco saw the raven reflected beautifully in her features. The dark, mysterious eyes, the long blue-black hair... She was there. Vin was a raven, the raven was a girl.
They both sat there silently, Draco's arm still around Vin, and they both stared away at the sky, which was still very dark. Even the sun seemed to be taking his time to rise.

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Sorry guys, for not updating for so long! I promise I'll do more when Christmas comes, though. Well, either way, you know the truth now! Let's see what happens next, with the villagers... hmmm. Suspenssssssse! I love it. Anyway, meanwhile post feedback for me, I really need it! Post it right here. Thanks loads!

Chapter 6
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'Erm... Draco? Can I ask you... something?' suddenly said Vin with a small voice, strangely lacking of the confidence it always had.
Draco's head spun around quickly, as if he were shocked that someone was adressing him. He blushed at this and looked at his feet.
'What? Oh, er... yeah- what?' he muttered, absently grabbing a handful of sand and throwing it as far as he could in front of him, towards the water.
'Well-' started Vin, taking a deep breath. 'I was wondering... how do you'
But the rest of her words were drowned in loud noises that sounded much like shouting. But was Vin only finishing her sentence (which she look relieved to have done) that everything fell silent again, leaving only the sounds of Draco playing with sand and the waves brushing their feet.
Draco turned to her, frowning.
'What?'
She rolled her eyes angrily and seemed to hesitate at repeating.
'No, nevermind. It's alright, I-'
'No, please! Anything, repeat! What did you want to ask?' Draco found himself saying loudly.
Vin seemed surprised too, but for a moment Draco was sure something in her eyes had seemed to brighten.
'Okay' she said, more confidently. 'Well, I was wondering... I wanted to know how exactly you feel about me' she finished quite abruptly, her face reddening as she looked away.
But Draco was only processing that odd question that the shouts and voices from earlier came back, louder and clearer, or quite simply- closer.

The silhouettes of a large group began to approach on the beach, seemingly going exactly where Draco and Vin were sitting timidly, not speaking. But they were both looking in the same direction.
The people approaching were all carrying wands, so they were all wizards. But they seemed angry, as if they were after someone. Not understanding what was happening, Draco tapped Vin on the shoulder; but she didn't respond. She was gasping, looking with a frightened expression towards the small crowd.
'Er... Vin? Vin?'
But she had gotten to her feet, ignoring Draco, backing up, but keeping her eyes on the same thing.
A formal-looking man, bulky with white hair and moustache, wearing a top hat and black flying robes, was leading the crowd, next to an older woman in dirty grey clothes who looked afraid and confident at the same time. She was the only one without a wand.
'Mother!' suddenly shrieked Vin.
Draco gaped at her; then at the old lady in flithy clothes. There was barely any resemblance between the two.
The woman stopped dead in her tracks, opening her eyes wide, but she shut them at last, blinking rapidly as if trying to stay concentrated on something.
'You are no daughter of mine, you filthy animal' she said, and then she turned away and followed the mayor again.
Vin looked shocked, her eyes filling with tears that rolled down her cheeks, around her open mouth and into her hair.
'You!' the mayor said seconds later, pointing at Draco.
'Me?' he asked.
'Yes, you! You're Mr. Malfoy, aren't you? The one who lives in the big manor up there?'
Draco, hesitating slightly, nodded. He accidentally gripped Vin's arm, but did not let go of it; he squeezed it tightly as if he were forcing her to stay next to him. He did not know why the mayor was here, or why Vin's mother was, either.
'And why, may I ask, are you in company of this... young girl?' he continued.
'Why-' But Draco suddenly got anger out of nothing, finally understanding who these people were here for, and concerning what situation. 'Why?' he repeated loudly. 'Because she's my- because she's my friend!'
'Many people gasped; these included Vin. He still didn't let her go.
'What do you want?' Draco continued, anger flooding in him. 'I'm aloud to talk to her, aren't I?'
But at the sound of muttering and whispering from the group he knew he hadn't said the right thing. He looked at Vin, who shook her head sadly and looked at her feet. The mayor spoke next:
'This girl was banned from the village, I don't know if you know that.'
'Yeah, so what! I can still talk to her!' Draco grunted at him, careless of the disrespect he was giving.
'Yeah? Well guess what. No you can't' said the mayor sarcastically with a forced smile. Draco felt like he was being spoken to as if he were a ten-year-old.
'This young lady here' continued the mayor. 'was banned from this village years ago, as a man she supposedly 'loved' claimed she had tried to bewitch him. And you know what she is- She ain't safe. This girl is dangerous for us, so we got her away from the most people possible. But no- you turned up! Now come on- she tried to bewitch you, can't you see she's pure evil?'
Draco was angrier then he had ever been. How could they- Was it possible to be this mean? Something new in him just couldn't understand how people could be so careless about others, how they could be so cruel... They were the evil ones, alright. But just when he was getting away from these horrible thoughts, the mayor added something Draco just couldn't stand.
'Besides, she's just a filthy mudblood animal, nobody wants her here. We're locking her up in Azkaban.'
Without thinking, Draco launched himself onto the man; before he knew it others had stopped him and Vin was pleading for him not to move or say anything. Two men were holding her around the waist, preventing her from going anywhere. Draco couldn't believe it- they were arresting her. For nothing. In Azkaban, gone.

Next thing he knew Draco was standing exactly where he had been seconds ago, only he didn't completely remember those seconds. There had been a group muttering, something like 'control', 'stop', 'only way'... And now he was standing in front of a man who had a strong scent of cologne and a slight russian accent.
'You' he said. 'You will not try to stop us. This girl- she is bad. She isn't good for you. You can't see her. She has been bewitching you, sir, and she does that always. You cannot believe her-'
'STOP!' Draco bellowed.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for something, to see the wizard had failed... But Draco simply said:
'Stop talking, okay? I can't take it. It's like I'm going crazy... Wait!' he suddenly said, realizing something. 'I get it! I'm going crazy because she's bewitching me! You- You're right, she- You...'
But something in him didn't believe it. Not Vin. Not such a nice girl... But it seemed to make so much sense. But again, it couldn't be. Not her. Not Vin, not Vin.
'NO!' suddenly shrieked Vin. Draco spun around to look at her. She was standing there, trying to free herself from the men's tight grips, sobbing loudly, tears running down her cheeks. Draco didn't know what to think anymore. Maybe he was going crazy.
He tried pinching himself to wake up from this horrible dream, this nightmare; but nothing. He was awake, and he was indeed finding himself in a complicated and stressful situation, all because of a girl. He simply stood there, confused, as Vin continued her desperate attempts to free herself. Her arms were directed towards Draco, wide open as if calling for help. She was nothing against them, but still didn't give up as they pulled her further and further. They were bringing her. To Azkaban. Draco looked away and shut his eyes tightly, trying to avoid the situation. Vin was screaming his name, still crying; why did she need him so much?
'DRACO! Draco!' she shouted as loud as she could. 'Draco, believe me! I'm NOT bewitching you! Remember- Remember everything I told you! It's just- it's just who you are... DRACO!'
But he couldn't help opening his eyes to see where she was, how far from him she was now. He had trouble seeing her so far, the size of a pencil from where he was. He felt as if she had never been so far away from him. But what was he to do? Who was he? Who was he? How did he feel about Vin? But unable to answer himself, too confused to think, he thought, he simply watched difficultly as Vin gave up and let herself get taken away by the men, to a place Draco had never wanted to think about again. And suddenly something in him awoke; he felt lighter than ever, finally understanding something. He knew now, he thought he knew everything in the world. What Draco felt for Vin, it wasn't just friendship. Somehow, and in great difficulty, he knew that this was what they called love.

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Bam! There you go. Big part of the story, but it's not that near being done yet. Hope you liked it! Well, whether you did or now, you know what to do. As I recently read somewhere, feedback is a writer's best friend!

What?! This is only chapter 6? Ah, darn! I thought I had it good... Very sad, indeed.

Chapter 7
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In the days and nights that followed Vin's sudden disappearance, Draco couldn't sleep at all, or eat, or even think and speak straight. He was constantly thinking of her, blaming himself for responsibility of what had happened to her. But since when had he become so... good? Well, that he thought he knew now, and had no trouble admitting it at all, actually. He was in love with Vin, madly in love with her, crazy about her. He felt so much lighter than before at such passion and strong feelings about her, like never before, he felt like a better person. Whether Vin had bewitched him or not, he didn't care. He even did rather crazy things at times. One particular morning at sunrise, he found himself standing exactly where he had met Vin for the first time, where he had heard her sing... And now it had been a week since she hadn't sang, like every memory of her was gone from the world, and now Draco felt so empty... Yet he was mildly aware of the dramatic change of attitude that had happened in those days he had spent with Vin. And the first person to find out was not exactly the one he would of wanted to meet at this time.
A loud crack echoed from behind the rocks. It wasn't the waves, the wind or an animal. Draco turned around and saw a figure moving, though not distinctively visible. He stopped abruptly to listen, and someone came out from behind the rocks. Draco gasped at the much older-looking woman standing in front of him. Her hair was longer and drier than ever, and she was no longer as good looking as she used to be. The girl was wearing a long white dress, though more like a curtain than the beautiful expensive robes Draco had always seen her wearing. She looked miserable, yet something told Draco she deserved it. In her arms, a small child that had only her hair color was rolling around, making small noises and sucking it's thumbs.
'Hello?' the mother said in an exhausted, tired voice. 'Draco, is that you?'
Draco it indeed was, but he didn't answer. He only backed away a few feet, determined to avoid any conversation with that disgustingly selfish woman.
'Come on! You know who I am!' she said. She sounded like she was angry at him, almost desperate to talk to him. 'Talk to me!'
'No' Draco said simply, his voice filled with obvious reluctance. 'Not you'
It couldn't be... Had she come for what Draco thought she had come for?

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Okay, I know this is not very long, but... I tried my best to make it mildly long... Anyway! I just really wanted that suspense moment... Who is that woman? Well, it's not that hard to guess, but some of you might not be that smart! Haha! Just kidding. Doesn't matter whether you're smart or not, just leave feedback. Thanks!


Chapter 8
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Draco stood there, aghast, staring at her in a mix of reluctance and shock. He didn't want to talk to her, but he was surprised to see her all the same.
'Pansy?' he said.
And Pansy Parkinson it was; she smiled at him, beaming. In her eyes it seemed like she had gained back all the energy she had had the last time Draco had seen her, and he felt the urge to smirk in contempt as he remembered breaking her two large flower pots with his foot.
'Draco!' Pansy said, running to him, the baby in her arms bouncing along. 'You remember me!'
'I try not to...' Draco muttered under his breath, moving aside just on time to avoid Pansy's free arm closing around him. Her smile faded.
'You... you're not going out with someone, are you?' she asked suspiciously.
'Er... Well-'
'Ohhh, not Bulstrode, that little-'
'No!' Draco said impatiently. 'Gross, not Milicent!'
'Who then?' Pansy asked, looking very curious, raising one eyebrow, approaching him slowly.
'Er... Well, no one really... Erm, actually I sort of- Aren't you married?' he asked abruptly as he remembered why he had kicked the flower pots. Pansy's smile faded again.
'Not anymore' she said sadly, moving her arms gently to play with the child's hands. She looked at Draco, batting her eyelashes.
'Okay... Why not?' he asked, ignoring any friendly gesture she made. She sighed so loudly Draco knew it was meant to mean something, but he ignored it again.
'Well... You know, after I sent you that really nice letter? I'm really sorry by the way, you know I meant everything I said in it, I'm serious I-'
'Just get on with it.'
Pansy looked as though she had just been slapped in the face, but she went on, her tone a little more cold.
'Well, I got married with Johnny Murtlap-'
'J- Johnny what?' Draco asked, snortling loudly.
Pansy rolled her eyes and threw him a very dirty look, and went on as if nothing had happened.
'So we got married, and then I had little Henry here- awww, little baby boo-' she said, tickling the baby as Draco wrinkled his nose and watched this, trying to imagine himself with Vin at his side, a baby in her arms... He shook his head in disbelief and gestured Pansy to continue.
'Hrm. So we had- I had Henry, but Johnny was being so selfish... I mean- I told him to leave for being selfish, and two days later he wasn't even single! Can you believe that?!' she said loudly, looking shocked.
'Oh, I can hardly believe it' said Draco, smiling sarcastically.
'Yeah- I know! Unbelievable! So yeah, and then he went on with some sort of... of plan, to get the house he bought me. I was furious, too! So now I live at my mum's tiny little house- it's crazy. Seriously, having to do things not using magic all the time, that's just horrible. Yeah- she makes me do that. And then being single? You don't know what that's like!'
'Well, I would of if I hadn't gone out with you' thought Draco, rolling his eyes and barely listening to Pansy's nonsense. So she had a kid, she was single, had no house, no money, no nothing. Wow, that was too bad. Well, she'd have to do it herself. Draco was just waiting till she asked him to come back, now.
'Look, Draco... I came- Now you know you're a very lucky guy for this- I came to give you a second chance.'
She looked at him, smiling, as if she had just done the nicest thing in the world. He simply shrugged and walked past her, climbing over the rocks Pansy had been behind a whole before.
'Sure, give me second chance' he said.
She beamed at Draco, ruffling the rare hair on Henry the baby, who was fast asleep in her arms.
'But that doesn't mean I'm taking it' he added, smirking.
The color drained from her face.
'You know- you're right. I should take advantage of every shot I get at love. So, I'm going for it! I'm gonna find Vin, save her, tell her I love her, marry her, anything else that'll make you jealous, and there you go!' he said, his arms crossed on his chest.
Pansy looked horrified; her face was turning red, she looked simply furious. She was holding the baby so tight that Draco was afraid it would wake up, though he didn't exactly know why he cared. She ran up to him, stomping on the sand, and she shrieked:
'Fine! Fine then! Go save... Vine, or whoever she is. I don't care! But if you ever come back to me, Draco Malfoy, I am not giving you a second chance! So DON'T COME BACK! EVER!'
She looked at him angrily, her eyes wet with fury. He smiled.
'Oh, no danger there' he said, and with a wave he turned around and headed for the path that went around the village.
But suddenly remembering something, he stopped and turned around to face Pansy, who was still standing meters away from him, fuming.
'Thank you' he said, and with a smirk of satisfaction he left Pansy Parkinson there, standing furiously on the very spot he had officially dumped her for life.

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I was SO bored today! I think it's the most I've ever updated. Whoa! *sigh* Well, I better go to bed now, sooo... I'll leave you to my fic and it's feedback thread. And don't say this chapter was short, 888 words is minimum for a one-shot. So... better be happy! (PS: Don't you forget feedback!)

Chapter 9
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The wind howled in his ears, though the bright sun that was reflected on the snow blinded him just as much. Draco had been walking for about an hour, and it had started snowing, and now he had gotten to a place where it had been snowing for a few days at least, and now he was frozen, walking stupidly in the snow. What had he been thinking? Just leaving like that? He felt like a nutter, actually. And probably looked like one, walking around in snow like that. Besides, that was the only advantage to being completely alone in the middle of nowhere: nobody could see him.
And then the miracle came. The hot smoke steaming out of the chimney, the sunshine bouncing off the windows, the wooden door shut tightly, emprisonning all the heat... Draco didn't even hesitate. He ran towards the small house, knocking as hard as he could on the door. It opened slowly, in the doorframe appearing a short woman with braided grey hair and wearing a knitted sweater over a dress. She looked strangely familiar, but when she smiled at Draco and gestured him inside, he hurried to take advantage of it.
Her house was small. There were only three rooms; one bathroom, probably a bedroom upstairs, and a kitchen and living room downstairs, where they were now. It was warm and comfortable, yet it felt... unoccupied?
'Wait here' she ordered.
Draco nodded and sat on the couch. He sighed at the comfort, but was he just enjoying this moment that the lady came back with clothes in her hands, which she threw at Draco's head.
'Wear these' she said coldly, and she went back upstairs.
Draco hurried to change. He pulled his sweater off, then his shirt, changed it, and put his sweater back on. He changed his pants too, and put on the warmer socks the woman had given him. He noticed gloves on the floor- he had surely dropped them there. He picked them up, put them on and smiled at the comfort of these warm clothes. Now he could go find Vin, wherever Azkaban was. Wherever Azkaban was... He had no idea where Azkaban was, actually. No idea at all. He looked around, clicking his tongue.
'Uh oh' he said, sinking into the depths of the couch.
Where was he going to start? He had no idea where to go, what to do, where he was going... where he was, in fact. 'I am such an idiot' he thought, running his hand over his face. Now he had no chance at all of finding Vin, of being with her, and now she was left to be with those stupid dementors, and those stupid town people...
'Oh no' he muttered, jumping to his feet as he realized something.
He spun around to face the stairs, and sure enough, the old lady was there. She had untied her hair, and it fell in messy curls onto her shoulders. Her smirky smile bared her teeth as she chuckled, leaning against the stairs' railing.
'Hey there' she said.
'You' Draco spat, slowly sliding his wand out of his back pocket, trying to avoid her noticing that.
'Yes, me' said the lady, cackling. 'I've been waiting for you, actually!' she added, looking pleased with herself. 'Followed you all the way, knew you'd come here, set myself up in this house.'
'But... how can you be so mean?' Draco said, desperate to find ways to gain time.
'Mean?' she shrieked. 'Haha! That filthy animal is no daughter of mine, I can treat her any way I want, like any other animal should be treated' she snorted, still smirking.
'SHE'S NOT AN ANIMAL!' Draco bellowed.
Vin's mother looked surprised, but her upper lip curled as she spoke again, slowly walking towards Draco.
'Is it possible' she said. 'that a rich pure-blood like you would actually be... hm... in looove with that girl?'
She let out a high-pitched laugh, drawing out her wand.
'Now' she started, pointing it at him. 'I'll make a quick job of this-'
'Oh no, you won't' said Draco, smirking himself and pointing his own wand at the old woman.
'Expelliarmus!'
Her wand flew behind her, into a basket full of things. She threw Draco a look of deepest hatred and fell onto her knees, rummaging through the basket, looking for her wand.
'I'll see you later' Draco said, waving at her as she walked out of the house. 'Oh, and- thanks for the clothes!' he added.
And he ran as fast as he could, away from the house. He had everything he needed. On her table there had been a letter from the mayor himself, telling her to apparate just outside Azkaban, on a place that had been opened up for visitors. 'Just my luck' thought Draco. There must have been a reason for him to find that message... It must have meant something, maybe that- that he really did have to find Vin, that they were meant to be.
'I am too cheesy' he told himself, laughing as he walked, the house behind him growing smaller and smaller.
'Oh you!' said a female voice, echoing from far away. 'I'll get there before you, I say! And they'll catch you good, Malfoy!'
Vin's mother laughed one last time, and her distant figure shuffled back into the house. Draco seemed to wake up from a long transe. He let his thoughts go and, remembering Vin's mother's words, hurried up. She couldn't get there before him, he needed to find Vin before they knew he was coming... Concentrating hard on the location, determination, dedication and whatever else it was he needed to remember, he shut his eyes and focused on nothing but that. As he spun on the spot, an uncomfortable feeling of compression and small space filled him. He kept concentrating, though, and soon enough his feet brutally touched the ground again.

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Short... chapter. Too... short. Like... always. I need... to stop. Okay, enough of my nonsense. I'm sure you all agree on the fact that my chapters are too short, eh? Hehe. Well, pleasie leave feedbackie! I love it when you do, eh? Hehe... You know what that means, right? That means I want feedback! Okay? Got that? YES!

Chapter 10
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The place he landed at was very dark; Draco wasn't even sure for a while that he'd Apparated at the right location. Screwing up his eyes and looking around, he managed to make out some kind of logic idea. He was in a circular room, a very small one, and it was pitch black because there was no light issued from anything but the very thin crack between the floor and the door. The door was tall, solid and black, but it was unlocked- there was no key in the door.
'Erm... Hello?' he tried.
But no one answered. His voice echoed off the walls, he was clearly the only one there. Supposing it was the only way to get out, Draco reached out for the heavy brass door knob and pulled the door open.
It was nothing like he had ever expected. He had always seen it in pictures, but Azkaban was nothing like anyone who'd never been would think... Just looking at it, Draco already felt depressed, far from everyone, all the happiness in him gone. Where, and how, was Vin? He honestly had to admit to himself that he would never be able to break into that place. It was crazy even to just think about it. It was a tall, grey stone tower of a very safe shape. The walls gave off a vibe of being incredibly thick and solid, as they didn't look anywhere near crumbling, although they had been standing for surely hundreds of years, and only destroyed once, when Draco had been only 15 years old, when his dad had broken out... He shook his head to avoid remembering those times. He listened for a moment at the sound of the waves rushing against the facade of Azkaban. The water was very agitated, and didn't look safe at all, grey and spooky, shadows constantly swimming by, causing the onlooker to go nuts trying to decide whether it was a hallucination or not. Several feet above, a dark, stormy, grey sky was roaring, almost so loudly the ground seemed to be shaking. It gave anyone the impression that it had been there for a very, very long time, constantly scaring the people around it and causing even worst depression. For the first time, Draco realized that he was on a small island on which stood the circular stone room, and in line with him was a not very solid-looking bridge, made of wood and moving horribly against the sea. It led to Azkaban.
But how could Draco get there without being seen? There was only one way- to be invisble! But how-?
'There isn't a way' he said out loud. 'I'LL NEVER SAVE VIN!'
He shut his eyes tightly with frustration. He couldn't save Vin, he would never see her again... He had been so stupid to think he could actually make it, for once in his life, he had thought too much about someone else besides himself. Why had he let them take her? There wasn't a reason, was there? No, he thought. How could he possibly have thought there was a way to get into Azkaban without being seen or noticed; especially to make someone escape?
He was a failure. A waste of time, of energy, of thought. Everytime someone depended on him, everytime someone needed him... It was always the same. Never had he been able to please his father, to be like him, to satisfy him- Never had his father showed any care for him, except that one day, when Draco had made yet another mistake, causing his parents to search for him desperately. And once again, he had thought he could please someone, be a good person even, he had actually believed... And everytime he tried he failed, yet he knew that, but he tried again? Why? Why was he worth trying? Why was he worth living, or at least talking to anyone? He was useless, selfish, brainless... One thing was sure. Vin didn't need him. She needed someone that she could really depend on, someone who didn't fail everytime. Not Draco.
Then, unable to hold it all, releasing nearly twenty years of misery, of everything he had lived or at least tried to live, he broke down. He kneeled down next to the water, not caring whether it touched him or not, and cried. Silently but heavily; he cried, letting the tears flow down his cheeks onto his shirt, skin, pants, shoes... Into the water, hopefully lost forever.

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Well, that's it. Another (short) chapter. The breakdown. Well, let me know what you think. And think of Draco- of poor, poor Draco...

Chapter 11
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For what seemed like at least half an hour Draco sat on the rock preceding the entrance of Azkaban, wondering how in the world he was going to get to Vin. What if she wasn't there anymore? What if she wasn't there, and after missing death by inches would he only realize that this whole thing was only a nightmare, that it had never existed? He sat on the rock, glaring at the occasional passers that shot him curious looks, absently pinching the skin on his wrist. And then it came: his chance.
'Oh, yes, Minister' chuckled a man with a strong accent. 'That is very funny indeed!'
He continued to chuckle in near silence, while the Minister for Magic's steps echoed next to his as they both set off for the bridge, only a few feet from Draco, a large leather box next to him. A large leather box... large enough for me to fit in, Draco admitted to himself. But it was dangerous, extremely dangerous... surely they didn't let anyone into Azkaban, let alone Vin's boyfriend...
'Vin's boyfriend' Draco breathed as he clearly formed the words with his mouth and in his mind, his eyes shut, his lip curling at the idea that suddenly pleased him so much.
And then, without thinking, his heart beating fast but steadily against his chest, he went for it.
'Finite' he whispered, pointing his wand at the trunk.
It revolved in the air for a moment, and then fell to the floor with a thud. Still confident, Draco bit his knuckles, crossed his fingers and waited for a reaction; but there was none. This was luck, pure luck, that the two men had not noticed the trunk falling. Actually, at that exact moment, they had been laughing very hard another joke the Minister had made, ignoring completely their entourage as they went on. Calmly, Draco cast a Dillusion Charm upon himself and hurried to the trunk.
Opening it softly, he climbed into it and lay down, taking a deep breath. He closed it again, making much more noise, but this time on purpose. He assumed the Minister had turned around, because laughing had ceased and he could hear footsteps approaching.
'My, my!' he whispered, and Draco feared for a moment that he knew what had happened. But he merrily chuckled, casting back the spell on his box, not appearing to notice that there was a human being inside his trunk. 'Bloody spells... been rather weak these days...'
For the first time in the mere seconds he had spent in the trunk, Draco took a look around. There was barely any space between the tip of his nose and the lid of the coffin-like box, but it was fine. Managing to take out his wand, he cast some light around him.
'Lumos' he breathed, and he couldn't suppress a grin; he had made it, brainy as he was, into getting to Vin. He only hoped there would be no problems.
He was lying on what seemed like a pile of sheets, and at his feet was a bag of which Draco ignored the contents, and on his right, away from the opening, several small, square boxes. It wasn't the most comfortable, but what the heck- He hadn't gone through all this hair-messing adventure to find a bed. He was rescuing Vin, and now she had a reason to have complete trust in him!
As he suddenly hit the ground, Draco put out the light emanating from his wand and took a deep breath. What was going to happen now? Was he going to be found? He was invisible, but he nearly forgot that and he would have to get out of there anyway. If the Minister tried to remove the contents of the trunk and something that felt strangely alike to a human body blocked him, what would he do? And then, risking it again for sheer luck, he grabbed one of the small boxes to his right and threw it high in the air, suddenly hoping it wouldn't bounce right back on top of him. But it landed, as Darco exhaled, right next to it onto the cold stone floor, echoing in the nearly empty room with only the laugh of the man taveling alongside the Minister, who cleared his throat again and picked it up, giving Draco about a second to throw himself out of the box. He used this short time wisely, rolling out of the box that barely trembled, and hurrying along the first staircase he saw. His Dillusion Charm couldn't last too long, anymore, it wasn't powerful enough, and he needed to hurry up.
Sliding as quickly as his pulse against the nearly frozen stone walls, he ended up in a long, dark corridor. Suddenly, his whole body shook with chills, the tip of his fingers freezing and his knees collapsing, memories rushing through his mind. His blonde hair messy and his eyes baggy, sixteen years old, crying alone in an abandoned washroom, a deep gash cutting itself down his face to his chest... Lord Voldemort pointing a wand at him, indirectly sentencing him to death as he confided in him the most dreadful mission...
Draco pushed himself up, repeatedly telling himself he had no time to remember those dark days, that those times were over, that he was happy with Vin and he was rescuing her... He slowly pulled his wand out and pointed it at a man standing near a door at the other end of the hall. Silently, it formed an invisible circle and the man collapsed, stunned, and Draco locked the door ahead, blocked the one behind him... He knew it was here, that this was the place. He could feel it. Dementors were approaching very fast; concentrating hard on Vin and the sudden turn to his life, he weakly cast a Patronus, his silver peacock gliding through the air and repulsing the Dementors. Without losing a minute, entirely aware that he was no longer invisbile, he bolted down the hall, running as fast as he could as he glanced at every gate he passed. And the he came to a halt, his heart dropping and his head spinning: she was there, sitting in a corner, her face illuminated only by the rising sun... She did not see him, but he threw himself onto the gate and started to search desperately for any kind of possible way to open it. And then she saw him, her face black with shock for a brief second, and then collapsed into dry sobs like Draco's and hurried to the gate.
'I knew... I knew you'd come...' she said softly, staring up at him with her eyes, full of relief and grief... There was something different in them this time.
He smiled, and passing his hand through the solid metal bars, reached for her face and brushed her soft skin with the tip of his fingers. Her smile faded as she put her hand upon his and leaned in, and he did too, his lips only an inch away from hers...
But they never met. As he was about to kiss her, he felt the air change around him and opened his eyes slowly. He did not move, still ready to kiss Vin, though her soft, pink lips were not near his anymore. Instead was a half-human half-raven girl, her eyes still the same, but her beautiful body entirely covered with feathers and a beak forming itself where she should have been kissed. Vin was shrinking in size, moaning softly like a crying bird, though there was distinct melody in her tone. His face getting wetter and wetter with silent tears, Draco looked up at the horizon through the slit of a window that was ahead of him. The sky was no longer the color of Vin's eyes, now a soft shade of pink. The stars weren't reflected in the ocean anymore, instead there was a rising sun the color of fire. And Vin was no longer Vin the girl, only Vin the bird, the creature, the raven, the cursed beauty.
There were shouts from behind the door, which burst open in seconds, but Draco didn't fight the men running at him. He let them take him to a cell next to Vin's, as dark and cold, not listening to them, only glad that he had gotten to see Vin, that he now knew who he was and what he wanted, that he was right where he wanted to be.

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Awwww! How sweet… I quite like this chapter, honestly… I made it so sad… Bad, bad me! But I finally posted, so please- I deserve feedback don’t I?

Chapter 12
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As he started opening his eyes, the thin ray of light that penetrated the window slit envaded Draco's eye sight. It was brighter than usual, and he felt like he'd never seen anything like it. But as he opened his eyes wide, he saw that it was only the moon, given the illusion of brightness because everything else around it was so dark. It must have been quite rare to have as much light around Azkaban during the day, he thought.

Azkaban. He suddenly remembered with a pang the morning's events. How he had gotten to Vin, gotten locked up, nearly kissed her-
'Psst' came a sound from the corner.
Wheeling around, Draco hurried to the source of the sound. He a jolt of hope he saw a hole in the wall, just big enough to fit a few fingers.
'Hello? Who is it, have you come to save us? Help! Who are you-?'
'Sshh!' said the voice. 'Draco, it's me- Vin-'
'Vin?' he whispered, his heart sinking. 'Vin, are you alright? We need to get you out of here-'
'Calm down' Vin said, laughing quietly. 'Draco' she added sadly, peering through the hole to make eye contact with Draco, 'we can't get out of here...'
'Yes, yes we can!' Draco whispered angrily, poking his fingers through the crack. The tip of his fingers met Vin's. It felt so great to finally be with her...
'No, no we can't, I'm telling you I've tried everything there is, everythingp-'
'Hey you!' called a rough voice from the entrance of the cell. Draco hurried away from the hole and sat down in the opposite corner. He looked up at the man approaching. He was very large, very tall and very scary. His brown moustache curled at the ends, and his smirk horribly enhanced the look of evil upon his gray eyes.
'Yes?' Draco asked dully.
'Watch yer tone, kid' the man said roughly. 'I just came to strengthen some stuff, cause now we have someone in it... Don't want you to break out before you see that girl get kissed!' he said, looking around and chuckling.
'What?' Draco asked, confused. 'Kissed?'
The guard looked at him, raising his eyebrows.
'Merlin's bread, did they not tell you?' He smiled, showing a mix of crooked and metallic teeth. 'Your little girlfriend is gettin' kissed today, round lunch time, I reckon'...'
'By who?' Draco repeated, frustrated.
'The Dementors.'
His heart sank. The Dementor's Kiss, on Vin... No, it wasn't going to happen, not to her, not after everything he'd done to get here...
'No!' he yelled, though he knew it wouldn't do anything.
The man chuckled again.
'Oooh, yes!' he said 'and yer not stopping us!'
'But... why?' Draco asked childishly, just as he heard faint sobs from behing to other wall.
'You should've seen her! Tackled a guy, took his wand and nearly killed the other one who tried to torture her-'
'What?'
'No joke, she shot a killing spell an' it missed him by an inch, at least...'
'No! I mean- you tried to torture her?' Draco asked, an odd feeling of reluctance building up in him.
'It was the only thing they could do, scum-'
'I'm not scum, I'm a pureblood' Draco said stupidly, unable to think properly.
'What?'
'Listen, you're not touching her-'
The man roared with laughter, clutching his chest.
'Sure, and a young lad like yourself is gonn' stop us... Kids these days. Besides, we ain't gonna be the ones touching the filthy Mudblood, we've got Dementors for that-'
'I'M NOT A KID AND DON'T EVER CALL VIN A MUDBLOOD AGAIN' Draco bellowed, but the man had already turned around chuckling and left the cell, the large metal key bouncing against his hip...
Thick tears started to roll down Draco's cheeks. He wiped them away, but they didn't cease.
'Vin?' he called, slowly making his way to the hole in the stone wall.
'Hmm' responded a quivering voice.
'Vin, I'll get you out of here, don't worry about it. I promise everything is going to be fine, you're not getting kissed by anyone but- but...'
'But?' she asked quietly.
'No one but-' he hesitated 'me' he said, as he started digging into the crack with his bare hands.
'Draco, thanks but we can't' she sobbed harder, 'we can't d-do anything else... It w-won't get any b-bigger...'
'Then I'll find something else' he grunted, half-hoping it was true.
I need magic, he thought. But how? He didn't want to get tortured, or even killed, nor did he want Vin to get into any more trouble. If that's possible, he admitted to himself. Then, accidentally, unable to hold everything that had happened in the last few hours, he leaned back and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

'No, no no no! Please no!' sobbed a pale Vin. 'Please, no!'
But the men continued to laugh, their disorted facial features moving as they enjoyed the scene before their eyes. A tall, cloaked figure was gliding towards the girl, ready to swoop over her and hold on to her soul, pull it out of her flesh to meet it's new fate...
'Stop it!' yelled Draco from the top of his lungs. 'Leave her-'
'Silencio!' shrieked an old woman, pointing her wand at him, and he fell silent at last, her face contorted with evil as she smiled, her grey hair flying in every direction as she laughed...
The Dementor stopped abruptly, only inches from Vin. She was white, frail-looking and apparently fainting, her half-open eyes blank with shock and fear. Slowly she collapsed to her knees, and the sound of her empty body echoed across the stone cell's walls as her soul reached it's limit and was brutally separated from her body, her last shriek of terror fading away as everything went dark...

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Please leave feedback.

Hey people,

Okay I know I updated just yesterday, but I just wanted to let you guys know that it does happen (often!) that I don't add a chapter for a very long time, maybe even nearly a month. I feel aweful for that, and I'm really sorry. But please don't stop reading or think I abandonned my fic!

So yep, I just wanted to warn you guys that if I don't update for an extended period of time, which I'll try not to do, I haven't abandonned it or anything! I just have other things on my mind.

Thanks! Remember to leave me feedback, it's almost as important as visiting VTM everyday.

Witherwings

Chapter 13
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Draco woke up with a start. He didn't know what time it was, but he had a feeling he did not want to know. He listened at what was apparently nothing: but it soon transformed into echoing footsteps and multiple voices. He tried to get up, but couldn't. Looking down, he realized that his foot was tied with a thick rope to a heavy metal hoop on the wall. Tugging hard and trying in every possible way to untie the knot, Draco understood that he could not get himself free. Desperate to get out, he called out for Vin.
'Draco?' she answered weakly. 'Oh, Draco thank god you're awake. They tied you up-'
'I know. Vin, I'll get you out of here- don't worry about me right now.'
'No, you can't. There's no-' her voice shook and broke, but after a speechless moment she steadied up and continued. 'there's no way you can avoid this fate, it's how it's gonna be and... Look, Draco. Just grab this nail and try to... break... free' she said, and there was a light tingling sound as an old, long and slightly rusty nail passed through the crack in the wall and landed next to Draco. He grabbed it and started jabbing at the ropes.
'Thanks' he said.
''Welcome. But don't use it now-'
'Why? Vin, we need to get out of here! The Dementors- they're coming, I can feel it...'
'No, Draco. Just- use it wisely' she said, and the footsteps and voices came clearer. People were standing just outside Vin's gate, that was sure. Draco's heart sank as he got the sick feeling that it was that time of the day.
'Hey, pretty girl' said one man with a soft, childish voice spiked with a strong foreign accent. Draco peered through the crack in the wall, careful not to be seen. Vin was sitting against the wall, her head bent forward, and she seemed to be humming.
'Shhh' said one man, whom Draco recognized as the mayor. 'Listen-'
There was a moment of silence. Vin was indeed singing, so softly it could barely be heard, a soft melody. It seemed familiar...
'Aw, the little girl's singing!' said one man, who had a long brown beard braided down to his chest. He chuckled merely, and there was a clinging of chains and Vin was no longer singing.
Draco nearly screamed, but it would do him no good. The men would see him, perhaps force him to watch. Then he remembered. 'Use it wisely', she had said. Well it was time for him to be wise.
Grabbing the nail next to him, Draco used all his strength to dig into the ropes tying his foot. He groaned in pain as it slipped and cut his ankle, but he didn't give up and continued cutting. Finally there were only a few strings left. Taking a deep breath and thinking hard about what he was going to do, he slit them all.
There was a loud noise, and Draco soon realized it was the metal hoop that had hit against the wall after being let go. He hadn't thought of this, everything was going to change now. He tried desperately to come up with a solution, but it was too late.
'Hey, you hear that?' said the foreign man.
'Look! Over there! A crack in the wall, next to the Mudblood!'
Draco only had a split second to see Vin lift her head in surprise, make eye-contact with her, and then a man was pointing his wand at Draco through the hole. Another one had left Vin's cell and reached the entrance of Draco's, blocking any possible exit. Suddenly a bright light lit up the hole. The man had lit up his wand to see better; now Draco was trapped.
'Hey, there's- there's that boy! The one in the other cell! Hehe, we caught you fellas din' we?' he chuckled.
And then, without thinking too hard, Draco pulled on the wand and immediately pointed it back at the guard's surprised face, and hoping the second he had was enough, said:
'Confundo!'
The guard's eyes came out of focus and he moved no more, simply staring at Draco, who whispered:
'Everything's fine. Tell them everything's fine and- and that the guard over there will take care of me. Tell them to wait a few minutes because the Dementors need... need to rest, to get ready, and... don't tell them I stole your wand. You won't to anything I didn't tell you to do, understood?'
The man looked confused for a moment, but nodded and vanished from sight. Draco crossed his fingers, waiting for something. As he did, he pointed his wand at the gate and Imperiused the guard there. At last voices came from Vin's cell:
'What? Are you sure? I should go check-'
'No!' shouted the guard at Draco's cell. It was working. 'I have his wand and I'm taking care of him! All fine!'
'Why do you-?'

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'Shh! The Dementors, where'd they go?' said one man.
'Oh Merlin, they must of gone after thinking they had no business here- Call them back, idiots, call them back!'
Draco's stomach flipped. It was Vin's mother, she had gotten here on time. His heart sank as he thought- how could anyone enjoy watching their kid die, or suffer even worst than death? Yet now he knew that there really was something worst than death. At nearly 23 years of age, it was about time, he told himself. He had been such an idiot. Fearing death, fearing for himself to never exist again? And what would that do to him, being dead? It wouldn't hurt him, and he wouldn't suffer from sadness, because he'd be dead already! There was much worst than losing your life: watching someone else lose theirs.
'The Dementors are back' said a panting man. 'Just one second now-'
'No!'The guard at Draco's cell had burst into Vin's. Draco, having made him unlock the gate, was at the door watching, a feeble dilusionnement cha.rm cast upon himself. They all stared.
'Murkis, why wait? What's gone into you-?'
'STUPEFY!' Draco yelled as many times as he had too, pointing his wand at every man in the room, so quickly they didn't have time to pull out their own. 'STUPEFY, STUPEFY!'
'Draco!' cried Vin, and she ran to him, falling into his arms as she went. He held on to her tight, determined not to let her go...
Their bodies were wrenched apart so suddenly Draco barely noticed. Vin screamed, and opening his eyes, Draco saw what he dreaded most: an obstacle. Vin's mother was holding her daughter by the collar of her dress, her wand pointed at Vin's throat.
'Step away!' she said, her voice shaking.
Draco did not move. He even considered moving forward; the old woman seemed to see the thought flicker in his eyes.
'Didn't I tell you not to move?' she repeated menacingly. 'You leave, she dies anyway. You try to get her, you die and she lives. It's pretty much the same to her,' she added with a smirk.
Vin was shaking. Draco didn't know who's wand he was holding, he realized, as he looked briefly at the bodies lying on the floor. He brought his head back up.
'No.'
The woman's wand hand twitched as Vin let out a faint gasp. 'Draco...'
'Shh!' the woman screeched, her tangled grey hair flying.
'It's your life' she said quietly, 'or hers.'

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*gasp* Suspense! Haha, nah- I hope you liked this chapter. The next one... is the final chapter. Sorry! I'll be starting 'Vanished and Sorry' next, about Albus(Potter)'s generation, and possibly a L/J one. Thanks for reading my fics guys, it makes me exremely happy, as well as the feedback!

Somni'amor - Final Chapter

Chapter 14
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'Or yours' muttered Draco, pointing his wand at the wall behind Vin's mum. 'Confringo!'
A whole was blasted in the stone wall behind the old woman.
'Expelliarmus!' cried Draco.
Her wand flew out of her hand, falling far behind her into the empty, into nothing.
Were there other guards coming to stop him, to see what was happening and what this noise was all about?
'Colloportus... Muffliato...' he quickly added, turning to the closed gate behind him. 'There' he said, looking at Vin. She smiled weakly.
'You're gonna kill me, are you?' chuckled her mother, though there was a nearly unnoticeable shake to her voice.
'If I have to' said Draco, and Vin gasped. He looked at her.
'Vin...'
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Draco straightened up, lowering his wand a bit.
'Alright' he said. 'But trying to get away is useless; we have a wand, you don't. Got it?'
Vin's mother nodded. Her smile had faded, her eyes widened with a somewhat surprised look to them, her muscles relaxed. Had she really thought it was her last words?
Draco felt a hand brush his arm. Looking to his right, he noticed that Vin was now standing next to him, still crying, staring at her mother, who soon collapsed to the floor unexplicably. Vin immediately got down to her knees, and Draco imitated her.
'Draco, she's quite old... and unhealthy! I think she can't take this, it's too much for her... My father... She lost him years ago, before I was banned. That's when she went all odd on me and started hating everyone and everything. The Dementors and this whole thing, I think she's reliving everything, and we can't do that, she's always been really sensitive and she'll go mad if she doesn't know who she is! She already lost her senses once, now she's losing it again...'
'Don't worry' said Draco, suddenly feeling an odd rush of pity for the old woman. 'We...' he sighed. 'Look, Vin- this is all my fault. I should never have taken you here, and now your mum...'
His eyes watered. Vin placed her hand on his, and their eyes met. How could anyone still be this beautiful after spending days in Azkaban?
'How touching' suddenly said a voice.
Draco spun on the spot. Apparently the mayor had earlier escaped the complications, understanding something wasn't right, because he was now standing in the doorway, with numerous men behind him. They all had wands.
'What do you want?' asked a pale Vin, grabbing Draco's arm.
'What do we want?' snorted the mayor. 'What we want' he said, 'is to get rid of little sneaks like you two.'
Him and his whole group took a few steps forwards, pointing their wands at Draco and Vin, ignoring her weak mother.
'You're not going anywhere from here, Malfoy' one said, smiling enough to show his crooked, rotting teeth. Had it been possible, he could've been the descendant of a Dementor.
'Get away from him!' suddenly shouted Vin, grabbing Draco's wand as he came to his senses and realized that they were all about to cast spells at him. 'Furnunculus!'
Draco admired Vin's sense of humor, even in the craziest situations. Ugly boils started sprouting all over the mayor's face; he groaned in pain, dropping his wand. Several people had been warned to back him up; one of them pointed his old-looking wand at Vin:
'Avada Kedavra!'
'Noo!'
Vin's mother had lunged for the man who attempted to kill Vin- she jumped in front of her daughter, the spell hitting her right where he heart ought to have been.
Draco grabbed Vin's shaking body and Disapparated. They turned on the spot as everything went dark and a feeling of compression hit them.
'Wait for it... wait for it...' muttered Draco, who was also slightly shaken by what had just happen.
The air cleared around them and they both fell panting to the unfamiliar soft floor. Draco got up, but Vin didn't. She was curled up in the sand, sobbing, her face hidden by her hair. Draco wasn't sure what to do- he didn't exactly comfort people everyday.
'Vin...' he tried, kneeling next to her.
But instead of ignoring him or crying some more, she surprised him: still in tears, she sprung up, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was not a normal everyday kiss though- it was warped with passion and felt lighter than Draco had ever felt since things had started to get complicated. He kissed her back, putting his arms around her waist and lifting her off her feet. As they kissed in the moonlight, small objects were swooped to the shore by the waves. Looking closer, you could've sworn it looked like Draco's slippers, the ones he wore the night he learnt Vin's name.

La fin

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And that's it! The end of Somni'amor! that's why I deserve more feedback though. You know, a nice long review about why you liked my fic... Yeah, I'd like that. Haha! Nah, but please leave me some feedback! Then you can start reading my new fic about the new generation of HP kids, Vanished and Sorry, and tell me what you think in it's feedback thread. The link will be in my sig in a moment, and this one will be much longer and better. A million thank yous to all readers!

-WW-