Aleksa walked close to Theodore, the two of them holding hands as they made their way through the grounds and out to the lake. She was consciously aware of his touch the whole way. Her eyes kept wandering to his face. He didn't ever give much away as far as his expressions. He was being polite yet distant.

She didn't blame him either. The two of them had been thrown for a loop today and were still trying to catch up. When they finally reached the lake he dropped her hand and sat down. A pang of disappointment rang through her body at the loss of his touch but she didn't let it show. Why was she having such a time with him? She was the epitome of calm and classy around every other guy she knew, not him though apparently.

As she sat down she briefly remembered the first time she had met him. They had both been first years, excited and scared for what was to come. The train had been a hub of activity and she herself a very small and gangly girl of 11. Aleksa remembered her long stringy and hard to tame hair falling in her face as she struggled to pulled her trunk and owl to a compartment. She hadn't known anybody at the time and was constantly being jostled by the other students trying to get by her.

Aleksa had reached her breaking point and was ready to growl at the next person who pushed her aside when the weight of her trunk had been relieved from her hand. Wheeling around she had been ready to fight whoever dared try to take her things only to come face to face with a boy who was only slightly taller then herself with the most arresting brown eyes. His hair had hung in his face and he had been a little gangly himself but his smile had been friendly. Together they had wrestled her things into a compartment that he himself had chosen to occupy.

After some initial awkwardness, Aleksa had introduced herself. From then on the two had fallen into an easy friendship. After their third year the two had drifted apart. He had found Reagan and her relationship with Charlie had only just began to blossom. She smiled as she remembered that first fated meeting on the train.

Aleksa looked down at her hands as Theo asked the million dollar question....what did she want to do? Charlie had left her without so much as a goodbye and apparently Reagan had done the same. Did she really want to fight this? On impulse she looked up at Theo.

"You remember that day on the train? The first day we met?" She watched his face. Wanting to know the answer. "Why did you help me? Everyone else pushed past and didn't look back but not you. Why?"

Theodore sat there as Aleska sat down beside him. He had the urge to take her hand again or something, he just wanted the comfort of touching her. But he stayed where he was and pushed the thoughts from his mind. Him and Reagan had just broken up (or at least he had figured that they had), even if him and Aleska were to get married he did not want her turning into a rebound. And plus he had no idea what Aleska felt. He knew that she was comfortable around him, but they had been friends for years. This was nothing new. Well kind of.

Theo shifted so that he rested his amrs on his knees. Then he waited in silence for Aleska's answer. He honestly had no idea what to expect. But then he heard her speak and he couldn't help but to breathe out a small laugh. He remembered that day on the train very well. It was his first train ride to Hogwarts. He had met just a few students but didn't really have any friends. And then there was Aleska needing help and he was the one that gave it to her. From then on they were best friends.

During his first few years at Hogwarts she was the one that he could go to for anything. But then the summer before his third year he met Reagan and all of the sudden there was a new girl in his life that was more than just a friend. He had never intended to do so but slowly the two of them drifted apart. Sure they were still friends but not near as close. Many times, especially after him and Reagan had had a fight Teddy would lie awake a night and think back to their old friendship and what might have become of it. Many times he had thought back to the first time that they had met on the train.

Now that Aleska brought this up he just couldn't surpress his laugh. "Of course I remember" He told her with a soft, tired smile. But then she asked why he did it. "You know me, I just can't resist a damsel in distress" He told her jokingly, although it was slightly a failed attempt. "I don't know. I just remember seeing this awkward first year girl that needed help and didn't seem too happy about it." Of course she hadn't been happy about it, everyone had been pushing her around like mad. "Ever since the first time I saw you, it always seemed to affect me when you were upset. I never liked it and from that day on tried to do anything to make you feel better, including taking your trunk for you" He told her. "And might I add, that I even risked getting cooties from you when I helped you" He told her with a small laugh.

What he had told her had been true though. Even when they had grown apart when Aleska was upset so was Theo. That was just how it worked. Even if they weren't as close he still had a sense of loyalty to her and always would.

Now it was his turn for a question out of impulse. He turned so that he was looking at her now, something that he hadn't done since they had gotten outside. "Do you ever wonder what things would have been like had we not grown apart?" He asked her.

Aleksa curled her leg under her and spread out her skirt. Kicking off her shoes she left her feet sink into the grass. A cool breeze blew over the landscape, bringing the fresh scent of water to the grounds. The trees were blowing lightly making shadows dance on the ground. Aleksa always loved this time of year. Being out here now in present company just made it that much better.

She couldn't help but laugh at Theo as he answered her question. "Damsel in distress? More like an extremely ticked off panther." His final comment made her giggle. "Cooties? I have never had cooties. Now Carla Smiggles had and still has cooties." She gave him a matter of fact nod. The smile was still on her face as she thought of the two of them. Right up until their third year they had been inseparable. Then Reagan had met him and everything had changed.

They had tried to make it work but Theo was constantly putting Reagan first and Aleksa had eventually gotten tired of the struggle. Reagan was a nice girl, of that there was no doubt, but she wanted her boyfriend by her side at all times. That had left no time at all for Aleksa and Theo to hang out and eventually they had drifted their separate ways.

She heard his questions echo through her mind as she remember the old days. Aleksa remembered the small fight that had been the turning point in both their lives. Aleksa had made a comment to Reagan about being high maintenance and Theo ever the gentlemen had stepped in. It then turned into an argument that had broken their friendship into nothing more then an acquaintance.

Charlie had come along not long after that. Of course, she couldn't help but feel an empty place in her heart where Theo was supposed to have been. Every time she saw him in the hall or in class she couldn't stop from remembering and wishing for things that just couldn't be. She hadn't let on to anyone how she felt, always keeping her expression from showing anything.

Finally, she looked up and found him watching her. "I never stopped thinking about the 'what-ifs.'" She took her eyes off him and looked down at her lap. "Sometimes I even wished that you had never met Reagan. I saw how happy she made you but I still couldn't stop myself from wishing. I felt guilty for it, but..." She let her words trail off. Her hands fidgeted in her lap and she looked out at the lake.

"Things just sort of lost their sun shine after we parted ways. When Charlie came along things got better but they weren't as good. It was like the sunshine left when the two of you got together. Then after the fight you took the moon with you too. Charlie brought a bunch of fireflies with him but it wasn't the same." She couldn't stop herself from looking at him then.

Theodore let his mind wonder. He thought back to their friendship. They were the two little kids that did everything together. They were as inseperable as Harry, Ron and Hermione. Well that wasn't quite true, because they had been seperated. Theo and Aleska and been the two children that all of the older students and teachers thought would end up together in the long run. Then that had all changed.

Teddy remembered the first time that he had met Reagan. She was the type of girl that every girl wanted to be and every guy wanted. And he had gotten her. He had always had a crush on her but once he found out the feelings were returned, well Theodore stepped into action. He had always been one to give something his all. Thats exactly what he did with the relationship. That even meant loosing his best friend.

No one ever knew how much it had affected Theo to loose Aleska like that. He has always been noted as a loyal person, but that only came in the past four years. After the trama that their friendship had suffered he had vowed to be loyal to any friend he had since. Teddy couldn't even count the number of days that he saw Aleska with her new friends and questioned whether he had made the right choice or not.

But the hat had settled it. The hat knew more about him that even he did. The had knew that Theodore had made the wrong decision. Either that or the ministry was just playing a cruel joke on the two of them.

Then he listened to what all she was saying. Aleska was right. Reagan had made him happy, she made him extremely happy, but that wasn't to say that he had forgoten about his former best friend. As Theo heard her words trail off he instictivly touched her lightly on the arm to comfort her. It wasn't even an action that he had thought about. He quickly realised though that feeling her touch once more had comforted him just as much as her. "Don't feel guilty" He told her. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that sometimes I wish things hadn't turned out differently. I have always cursed myself for not thinking of some way to make it work, someway that didn't involve loosing you" He told her this time never taking his eyes off of Aleska for a minute.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she listened to his words. Aleksa turned away from him and stared back down at her hands. How did this happen? How did she get to this point? She was always in control, always had a handle on her emotions and here she was crying. Well, if she was honest with herself she shouldn't really be that surprised. Everything was always different when it came to Theo.

Listening to him talk about the past brought up all of the unsettled feelings that she had harbored all these years. The sense of betrayal, of abandonment, and even some feelings of inadequacy. She couldn't stop the tears from spilling down her face. Enraged at herself and at the situation Aleksa stood up abruptly. She paced a couple of steps in front of Theo.

She tried to get a handle on herself, to get her emotions back under control but his words kept echoing in her head. She thought she had bottled up all of this and buried deep inside her heart. After all of the long nights of crying herself to sleep, she had built a wall around that bottle and swore never to let it out. But, here it was shattering inside of her. She couldn't hold it in anymore. The pain was just too much.

Grabbing her stomach, Aleksa choked on a sob and then rounded on Theo. "I couldn't understand why! Why...Why wasn't I good enough? Why wasn't our friendship enough?" Her voice was loud and she shot the questions while looking straight at him. After holding eye contact for a couple minutes she resumed her pacing tears still streaming down her face. Her make-up was no doubt making tracts but at the moment she didn't care.

"I know I'm not as pretty as she is and I'm not as smart but we had something. At least I thought we did. But she just sort of charmed you away and I was left to pick up the pieces of our friendship. I mean did I really mean that little to you? Or was she just that great?" She was babbling, talking a mile a minute and there was no stopping it. She kept pacing but wasn't really aware of it. She just kept talking. "I mean I know I wasn't the best looking thing around back then but we were friends. Best friends! And you left me for her!"

The last little bit she nearly spat at him. Throwing the accusation at him, hurling all of the hurt and misery that she had carried around for longer then she could remember. Another sob escaped. Aleksa stopped her pacing and sat back down abruptly. Still clutching her mid-section, she curled in on herself.

Theodore watched as tears came to Aleskas eyes. It always tore him to pieces when he saw that she was upset. Just as he had told her before. She had always effected him that way even when they weren't close. This though made him realize how long it had been since he had seen her cry. Of course he had seen her cry. There had been a time that he had been her confindont, the one that she always came to when she was upset. But since they had lost their friendship he had not seen he cry once. He couldn't help but wonder if she had given up crying all together because of him.

He watched as she stood up and then blew up on him. He stood up with her but had a pained look on his face. Everything that she was saying hit him at home. Everything that she was saying was true. "Aleska I am so sorry." he said in almost a whisper. Then once he found his voice again he told her, "the only reason I can give you is that I was stupid. Hell I've been stupid for four years." he saw now what he had given up for a relationship that apparently had met nothing.

But then when she kept on speaking theo felt like his breath was kicked out of him. He walked over to when and was and held Aleskas face in both of his hands. "look at mer Aleska. No matter what I have done to make you think otherwise I want you to believe me when I say this." he looked directly into her tear filled hurt eyes. He told her softly in his most sincere voice, "Aleska you are beautiful. You are extremely beautiful. No you and Reagan look nothing alike but you are just as beautiful if not even more." it broke his heart to think that she was not beautiful. Theo stayed where he was looking at Aleska for a moment and then he moved back. He knew that she was mad at him and that he has probably upset her even more by now.

Theodore thought that he was about to brake down right there. He had forgotten what kind of effect she had on him. Actually no, he had never felt this way. was this what Aleska had felt when he had abandoned her? He sat down on the grass again and felt that he couldn't even meet her eyes. "you hate me, I have given you every reason in the world to hate me." he said "and now you have to marry me. I hate myself for all of this. You deserve so much better" this time though he looked over to her. "I am so very sorry Aleska"

Agyness had traveled all over the castle, searching for the ever-evasive Professor Flitwick. She was aware of the professor's diminutive height, but had she possibly missed him standing behind a large statue? Or maybe he had been in the loo the whole time? Agyness snorted at the idea, managing to crack a small smile as she continued her search. She stopped for a moment in the corridor, placing her hands on her hips as she examined her surroundings. Being a Ravenclaw had taught her to become rather innovative, much more than she had been before she had been sorted.

Agyness cleared her throat and took a deep breath before speaking rather loudly, her voice echoing down the portrait-lined hallway, "Has anyone seen Professor Flitwick? There is quite an emergency, one that calls for his expertise." She gazed around at the startled, painted faces of the occupants of the various portraits, big and small. Some looked aghast, while some simply snorted at her inquiry. One or two of the painted people chose to ignore her while one began to loudly whisper to his neighbor: "I told you that all Ravenclaws were mad." Agyness turned, a rather irritated look on her face as she approached the painted man who had spoken. "You were saying?" She spoke, a small smirk curving her lips as the man shrunk back into a painted armchair.

"Well, it's true!" Another painted person echoed down the corridor, but Agyness paid no attention. There were bigger fish to fry at the moment. "Have you seen Flitwick around?" Agyness asked, a rather threatening undertone to her words as she fingered her wand, sliding it around her fingers. After gulping rather audibly, the portrait began, "W-Well, I saw him pass by last night, but he-he could be anywhere now." Agyness studied the painted, frightened face of the man, evatuating his honesty. The fear in his eyes, painted or not, was real. "Oh, that's too bad," Agyness spoke, sighing rather melodramatically, "I guess I'll continue my search elsewhere." She turned and slowly began to walk away, but stopped as soon as the painted man took a breath of relief. She turned, causing the man to jump into his armchair, his back pressed as far against the seat as he could manage. "But from now on," Agyness spoke in a sickly sweet tone, her tone laced with menace, "Don't insult that which you know nothing about. Rowena Ravenclaw would have rolled over in her grave to know that you had been placed in her house... not that you had the privilege." She smirked, her lip curling as she looked at the Gryffinor crest that had been rather prominently painted on the canvas near the man. "Bravery," She scoffed, examining the trembling painted man, "What good it did for you." She turned away, laughing softly as she exited the corridor.

Agyness stowed her wand into the pocket of her skirt, glancing rather proudly at the Ravenclaw crest emblazoned on her vest. She had done well, in Agyness's personal opinion. She planned to make her way back to the Great Hall, hoping to find Adriane to see if she had managed to find her Head of House.

Aleksa was startled at the intensity of his speech. With his hands on her face she could smell his cologne. She looked into his eyes and read the truth there. He wasn't lying to her. He actually thought she was beautiful. Heat blossomed in her heart easing some of the pain there.

Taking a deep breath, she managed to get some semblance of control back. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried like that. It had probably been back when her and Theo had first been fighting.

He moved away from her and looked a little agitated himself. As he spoke those last few sentences she began shaking her head in denial. She stepped with him facing him down. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I was angry and hurt but I never could bring myself to hate you. You were my friend and you were following your heart. I couldn't fault you for that."

She had spent hours trying to hate him but in the end couldn't find the strength. One morning she had gone out to the lake for some fresh air and had stumbled upon the two of them. She hadn't gotten close enough to hear what they had been saying but she had been close enough to see their faces. His smile and the sound of his laugh had really brought it home for her. Reagan made him happy and she couldn't hate him for following his heart and going after what he wanted.

Aleksa grabbed his hand and made sure he was looking at her. "This isn't your fault. None of what's happened was your fault. It's just something that happened. We made our decisions then and we have to make new ones now." She took a shaky breath. She had already decided what she wanted to do. It was just a matter of saying it. Taking another shaky breath she took the plunge.

"I think that we should see this through. I don't have anyone else that I would rather be with. And..maybe this might prove to be a good thing. You were always my best friend and I couldn't think of anyone else I would rather be paired with." She paused. Closing her eyes she continued. "I didn't love Charlie. I did hold love for someone once but he never showed that he loved me back. I'm not trying to pressure you into this. If you don't want to marry me then say so. I'll fight it out with you. But...If you want to."

She left the rest to him. She had pretty much said what she need to. Dropping his hand she took a couple steps back, a small retreat. Maybe if she gave him some space it wouldn't hit her so hard if he refused. Aleksa took to looking at the ground with one hand clasping her arm. Waiting. Waiting to see what he said. Waiting to see if he chose her over the other options this time. Did she dare to hope?

Draco had been sauntering the halls, idly watching as his fellow students rushed her and there searching for their Heads of Houses. He was walking towards the third floor corridor when a voice gave him pause. He waited around the corner and listened. As he recognized the voice a smile came to his face. Slowly, so as not to be heard he rounded the corner and watched the confrontation between his Pair and a portrait.

The poor guy didn't stand a chance. He kinda felt sorry for the poor sop as he watched Agyness threaten his with her wand. She certainly was a interesting thing. As she walked down the hall toward his he straightened up from his casual stance and revealed himself to her.

"Taken to threatening portraits now?" He gave her a cocky grin.

Theo watched Aleska's expression as he told her that he believed that she was beautiful. He could see that she had not thought that he had been lying. Of course he wasn't. He had never been able to lie to Aleska and she needed to hear what he truly thought of her beauty.

Theodore still couldn't bring himself to look at her. He really had ruined everything for her hadn't he. He had been Aleska's best friend and then he abandoned her. He had been awful, even if he hadn't realised it. Now she was being forced to marry him, the cause of much of her pain over the years. Theo couldn't help but fear that instead of being the one that brought her joy and happiness that he was the one bringing her misery.

But Aleska's words caught him off guard. He had no clue what to say to her. All he could think of was to appologize again. She didn't hate him. He couldn't help but getting very excited over that fact. She did not hate him. His mind kept replaying those words over and over again.

Teddy was actully shocked when Aleska took his hand. Just a moment ago she had been screaming at him. But comfort rushed all though him as he let himself hold her hand in return. He listened then to what all she was saying. Trying to take it all in.

Aleska had just told him that she wanted to marry him. He couldn't help but catch the part about not loving Charlie as well. Then she said something about once loving someone and even though he showed no sign that he knew who she was speaking of, Theo knew that she was talking of him. He was the one that showed her no love in return. She then went on to say that she would fight it if he wished. This was his chance to answer her. To get it all out there and said.

Still holding onto Aleska's hand Theodore turned to look at her now. "Aleska I keep running though scenerios in my mind of how the rest of my life will play out from now on and I keep thinking of the same one. I'm going to be honest with you. I loved Reagan, I was planning on building a life with her. Only now do I realise that she did not share all of my feelings. Only now do I realise that my feelings for her were not as strong as they should have been, because now if you ask me who I want to spend the rest of my life with, the rest of my life making happy, is you." He paused trying to think of how to continue.

"Aleska I want to fall in love with you. I want to become you best friend again and I want to fall in love with you as I have never loved anyone else. I want to marry you, I do not want to fight this. This is my second chance to do things right that I messed up years ago, and I do not want to lose you again" He finished looking to her. He didn't know what else to say or do. He had no idea how she would react to his little speech, all he could do now was sit and wait.

Agyness's small smile immediately vanished as soon as the blonde buffoon reappeared. Shouldn't he have been with Adriane? Maybe even she had gotten irritated with her brother and had shaken him off, choosing to seek out the Slytherin Head of House solo instead. Agyness studied the rather smug smirk that lay on Draco's face but held back from trying to verbally wipe it away. What good would it be to become flustered once again and embarrass herself? Gritting her teeth and taking a small breath, she began, "He had to be put in his place. I don't take insults... and I presume that you don't either." Agyness turned to look at him as they walked along, her eyebrows raised as she waited for him to reply. Even before their unfortunate pairing, Agyness had heard of the antics of Draco Malfoy and his cronies; not that she had considered him to be admirable before, but she had to at least somewhat respect the fact that he didn't lay down and let others walk all over him.

Breath caught in her lungs, she soaked up every word he said. Theo wanted to marry her. A smile slowly crawled across her face. Hope bloomed in her heart . While it wasn't exactly what she had wanted as proposals went she couldn't blame that on Theo. That she could blame on the Ministry. Of course, every girl dreamed of the whole romance and intrigue. Then of the fairy tale proposal that spoke of undying love. That would just have to be an unfulfilled fantasy. Not to mention the all important ring. Shaking off those thoughts, because they only caused to depress her Aleksa re-focused on Theodore.

"Wow." She stammered. She couldn't really think of anything else to say. Aleksa looked into his eyes and couldn't help but remember back to their days as friends. He was older now though. And a lot better looking. On impulse she rose up and kissed him. When she realized what she had done, Aleksa took a few steps back and blushed.

"Ummm...sorry. Didn't mean...I.." She giggled slightly. What was wrong with her? Shaking herself mentally she covered her flub, or at least hoped to. "So...what now?" Yeah like this wasn't the least bit awkward.

Draco fell into step beside her. Her comment made him grin though it fell slightly as she assessed his own penchant for not taking insults. It was true he didn't like people talking about him negatively; him or his family. Though, he had learned the hard way that being too cruel about it tended to land you in some not so good situations.

His hands were still shoved in his pockets so he gave her a shrug. "Yes. I don't take insults well. But.." He paused. He fixed his gaze on something other then her as he said it. He didn't want his expression or anything in his eyes to give him away. His demons from his past were his own to deal with. He certainly didn't want to put them off on her or anyone else for that matter.

"I definitely know that there are better ways then terrorizing people. Sometimes subtlety works far better then aggression."

Agyness averted her gaze, surprised that she had gazed at Draco for that long. Was he already growing on her? No; impossible. She was a brick wall, her mind and emotions never to falter. Agyness glued her gaze to the stairs as they began to descend the Grand Staircase, making sure to skip the trick step that was notorious for tripping up first years each and every day. She nodded in agreement with his statement. "Of course it does." She answered, recalling the countless times that she had been able to strike fear in the hearts of numerous people with a few simple words or a single glance. Nowadays, it was common to have people that Agyness had never seen before shrink from her gaze; her reputation definitely preceded her. "But it can be rather enjoyable to be aggressive, if only slightly. Dictators were never able to rise to power without using threats."

As they descended the Grand Staircase Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. Well, maybe it wasn't that far of a stretch. His ideas and beliefs had run along the same lines before the war. They were quite different however. Draco shook his head.

"Is that what you want to be? A dictator? To have people run from you in fear? To not ever feel like you can fully trust someone ever again? Because that is what will come of insults and terror. No one will ever respect someone who uses fear and terror as their weapons." He gave her a considering look. Being a Ravenclaw he had thought she would know these things. Then again, maybe everyone still had things they needed to learn. Unfortunately, for him he had learned the hard way. Being forced by the Dark Lord and ruled through terror had changed his perspective greatly.

"I hope causing people to fear and despise you brings you happiness, because you keep up with that attitude and no one will ever like you for you. All they will see is a cruel witch who gets her way through fear and oppression."

He was seriously re-thinking everything. Being Paired with her all the sudden didn't seem so good. He certainly didn't want to be caught in that situation ever again. When they reached the bottom turned to her. He wasn't sure what he thought of her now. "Professor Flitwick went to his classroom," He pointed down the hall. "I'll go and get my side of the papers from Professor Slughorn."

He had been thinking of withholding that info from her. Getting a rise out of her had been fun. But their conversation had changed his mind.

Theo let out his breath, which he just now realised that he had been holding as he finished telling her that he wanted to marry her. No this was not the way that Theodore had wanted to propose to a girl. But as he thought about it more and more he realised that the ministry had chosen this for them and he had just now agreed. Even if from this point on they were engaged, Theo would propose for real eventually.

As he heard Aleska say wow Theo gave her a smile. It was nice to hear her say that, it was what he was used to hearing from her. She wasn't upset and he must have pleased her so he was content now.

Then next thing that he knew though Aleksa's lips were on his. He was quite shocked actually. It happened so quickly though that he didn't have time to react before she pulled away. But once she pulled away Teddy was able to process what had just happened.

Aleska had kissed him. He had nmot been expecting her to do that, but now that she was standing a few feet back from him he realised that just as how it had comforted him to be touching her before he actually wished that that kiss had lasted longer. But once she spoke again he pushed the thoughts from his mind. They were getting married, lets face it that would not be the last time that they kissed.

Then it hit him, wow he was actually marrying Aleska. The girl who he had grown up with, they had been best friends, and now they were getting married. Had he not ever met Reagan Theodore saw now that they would have probably been facing this same future, but it would be on their own terms and not the ministry's.

Teddy gave Aleska a smile and a little laugh as she appologized about the kiss. "Its okay" he told her. Then as she spoke again breaking the awkward silence he said to her. "Come take a walk with me" It was more of a question than a command but he held his hand out to her as he said so.

Agyness remained as silent as ever as she left, standing as still as a statue as she watched him round a corner and escape from sight. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she bit her lower lip. His words had been harsh and irked her to no end, as usual. But something was different this time around. His words had stung, and hard. Did he really think her to be a "cruel witch?" Agyness caught herself for a moment. She never cared about being called cruel, wicked, whatever label was handed to her. She had prided herself on her sarcastic wit and on her biting remarks, never making apologies for anything that she said or did. Why should Draco's words change her mind all of a sudden?

She turned, trying to shake off the odd feeling that had come over her as she brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face. Agyness began to make her way towards Flitwick's classroom once more, trying to set her mind on more pressing matters than the fact that Draco Malfoy was disgusted with her. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate on trying to get the proper papers from Flitwick, a nagging feeling remained in the back of her mind, one that refused to go away no many times she tried to swat at it.

Aleksa could feel the heat in her face. The tell tale sign that she was still blushing. When he mentioned a walk and held out his hand she took it without hesitation. It had always been this easy with him. Despite everything that had happened, she found she still trusted him. She laced her fingers through his and stepped up beside him.

She had no idea where he would take them but at that moment she really didn't care. Funny how things turned out. This morning she had gotten up fully expecting to be the future Mrs. Tomlin, now here she was walking hand in hand with her first and only love. And they were Paired, slated to be married by the years end. Mrs. Aleksa Nott.

Aleksa couldn't help the burst of happiness that coursed through her veins as she repeated that in her head. She looked up at Theodore and took in his handsome features. "You know. If someone had come up to me last night and said that I would be Paired with Theodore Nott I would have called them bonkers."

Draco walked back into the castle from the side entrance having just come from the greenhouses. Professor Slughorn liked to hang around there, searching for his next big score. The man was well prepared though. The Professor had his briefcase with him and had readily given Draco the papers that he sought. Slughorn had tried to give him some words of advice but Draco had waved them off. There wasn't much that could change his mind.

Sighing, Draco aimed toward the courtyard. Finding an empty bench he sat down and opened the small packet of papers. The parchments inside were neatly arranged but were many. After looking at the first three pages Draco could tell this wasn't going to be easy. Shutting the folder abruptly, he sat it down beside him and leaned over. Propping his elbows on his knees, Draco put his face in his hands.

He wasn't sure how he had gotten here. Paired with a Ravenclaw who liked to cause fear almost as much as Bellatrix had liked to cause pain. He wasn't going to insult the girl and say the two were of the same ilk, but Agyness did seem to enjoy her little qips and cutting remarks. Having grown up in a house were that was the norm, Draco had no intention of continuing the cycle in his own household.

No. Agyness wanted out so that was what they would do. It was probably for the better anyway. She thought him a spoiled imbecile and he thought her a cruel intellectual. The two just wouldn't mix.

Theodore felt Aleska interwine her fingers into him. He was comfortable once again to be with her. THis morning he had woken up thinking that he was going to marry Reagan, someone that he had worked so hard to have a relationship with and now he was engaged to Aleksa, the one who it came natrually to be with.

It was then that Theo realized that this was what was right. Had he not chosen to be with Reagan all of those years ago he would have been engaged to Aleska, but on his own terms. Somehow he had the feeling that if the ministry had not stepped in that eventually they would have ended up together. Had they not Theo now saw what a mistake that would have been.

All of the sudden he was so excited to be spending the rest of his life with Aleska. He was excited to get to fall in love with her. She had always made him happy, and he didn't notice how much he missed that happiness until it was back once again.

As he heard her speak Theo looked down at her. "If someone had told me that I would be engaged to you I would have not believed it. Actually I probably would have thrown a fit" He told her with a grin. "Shows just how wrong I would have been thought" He told her this time as he turned to look at her. "I have to admit though that you aren't that bad of a person to be paired with" He told her with a small laugh.

Agyness slowly opened the wooden door of the charms classroom, the creaking of the door causing Professor Flitwick to immediately turn her way as the sudden sound reached his ears. He had looked rather surprised at her appearance, but after Agyness had explained her situation he had reluctantly handed over the paperwork. Before allowing her to leave, Flitwick had explained to her once more that the process would be long, hard, and near impossible. But Agyness had tried to block out his words as she had exited the room. Walking a few paces, she sat on a wooden bench seated along the a wall of the hallway. She sat and, crossing her legs and looping her ginger hair behind her ears, set to carefully reading the large stack of papers in the cream-colored folder.

As she read the minute print, her eyes narrowed as they travelled down the page. Flipping a few pages, she bit her lip in consternation. This was one of the most complicated pieces of Ministry regulation that she had ever encountered, next to the Statute of Secrecy that she had indulged in during the previous school year. Reading guideline after guideline as to how the procedure went began to clutter her mind, the eligibility for participating in the unpairing process also a nasty piece of work. As for the moment, no loopholes seemed apparent, and this was what made Agyness a bit worried. What if she were stuck? What if the power and wealth of the Malfoys and Badwans combined couldn't salvage the situation? Agyness couldn't shake the worries from her mind.

But honestly, would it be that horrible being paired with Draco? At least she had become matched with someone of status, of wealth, and of some merit. He might not have been exactly to her taste, but at least he was better than a lower class Hufflepuff. Agyness raked a rather harried hand through her hair as she swiped it back, not exactly sure where these thoughts were coming from. She and Draco were determined to get out of the situation; hence, there was no use in contemplating their future together. Agyness could have slapped herself right then and there, actually being optimistic about her future rather than sulking as per usual. She sniffed, knowing that she had to uphold her stone-cold demeanor. Agyness had grown up to learn that emotions of any kind, optimism, love, were signs of weakness. Only the greatest of wizarding kind were impenetrable forces, not letting anyone on to their thoughts with simple smiles, laughter, or anything of the sort.

Straightening up and uncrossing her legs, she began to make her way back down to the Entrance Hall, hoping to find Adriane sooner than later.

Aleksa giggled. "I'm not that bad huh?" She gave him a teasing look. It was true that the two of them could have done a lot worse. She was just glad that she had been Paired with someone she knew. Strangers just didn't sit well with Aleksa.

Her smile turned mischievous. "Well, I guess your not so bad either. For a Ravenclaw." It was so easy being with him. It always had been. Everything was natural and simple. With Charlie she had to watch what she said and how she said it. He wasn't too fond of sarcasm and most of her attempts at teasing had fallen on deaf ears where he was concerned. At least in Theo she had found a kindred spirit. Someone who loved to laugh and have fun as much as she did.

Theo smiled as he heard Aleska's laugh. It was so good to hear it again. It had been so long since he had. "No I guess not" He said shaking his head. Then when he heard her speak again he turned to look at her. She had that grin on, that grin that had always brought one of his own to his face. "For a Ravenclaw? Oh that was cold Draganov, you'll pay for that one" He told her still grinning.

Wow he had missed being this way with Aleska. He had missed the closeness that came easy to him. He liked how he felt that he didn't have to work at it, or worry that he was being annoying. For years now Theodore had worried that if they ever did mend their friendship would it be the same or would they lose everything that they had used to have. Well now he had his answer. It was so easy, it was so comfortable. It was right.

Adriane had first went straight to the dungeons; she doubted Slughorn would've made it back to the greenhouses already, no matter how much he enjoyed strolling around there. No, if he had managed to sneak out of the Pairing ceremony early, the most likely place he was in was his office just off of the Potions classroom. But once the blonde had made it there and peeked through the already ajar door, Slughorn was no where to be found. Cursing under her breath, she stalked away and up into the Great Hall once more.

The sight there was an interesting one; apparently her brother and Agyness had met up once more. From the look of things, it appeared Draco had, once more, tried and succeeded in annoying the Ravenclaw. But Adriane simply watched as both went off seperate ways, not seeming to notice the girl standing in the doorway of the stairs to the dungeons. Which was all well with her; she didn't exactly want the company of either of them anyway, not until she had the papers she needed in her hand. Only then would the nervousness she was beginning to feel disappear.

However, Slughorn was found quite a bit easier than she had anticipated, being at the greenhouses. She managed to approach him just right after Draco had disappeared, and he easily gave her the packet of papers. "Are you sure you want to do this so quickly? You know, some good could come out of it!" he tried to call to Adriane as she walked off, though she simply dismissed it with a wave. She had already pulled out the packet and was flipping through it when she arrived at the courtyard, and spotted none other than her brother, who appeared somewhat distressed.

"Trouble in paradise?" she asked as she sat, sarcasm clear in her voice. A scowl was clear on her face, though she had yet to look up from the papers in her hand.

Irial simply stared at Ginny with his eyebrows raised slightly, and an arrogant smirk reforming on his face. He let her go off on him; he'd found previously it was best to simply let an angry woman yell and scream at you before trying to respond. Though it was somewhat entertaining - she acted as if the words she spoke were supposed to be harsh. True, for any other guy it would've been a blow to his pride, but for Irial it meant nothing. Sure, for now the Weasley hated him - but he was sure with time, she would change her mind. They all did.

But Ginny left before he could enter in a word. With a wink at a random fourth year that had been watching the spectacle, he exited as well, just in time to see Agyness Badwan. He'd always found the girl far too cold for a conversation, though she was very easy to look at. Figured she was paired with Draco Malfoy - the two seemed so alike. "Oi, Badwan," he called out. "Seen Adriane anywhere?" It wouldn't be a stretch to guess the two females would be working together to get out of the whole Pairing spectacle. He expected Draco would probably be working with them as well.

Luna got a little lost in the madness of all of this sorting into partners business. And now she had lost practically every single one of her friends. And that included Neville. Where had he got to? Dreamily she walked down a few corridors in Hogwarts, a little away with the nargles in fact. Well who could blame her really it was in her blood. But hopefully all of this walking down the corridors would mean that she could find at least someone she knew. Preferably not a Slytherin, although it didn't really matter to her what others truly thought of her. Call her loony or whatever you want, she was her own person and that was who she will continue to be. Reaching into her pocket she discovered her spectrespecs. Might as well do some searching for Wrackspurts whilst we were at it hadn't we? It was what Luna and her father did best. Discover the magical creatures they believed it to be true. And to this day Luna had never discovered a Crumpled Horn Snorcack. Maybe Hogwarts might reveal one of these to her. But right now the biggest worry on her mind was finding someone else so she wasn't completely alone. Preferably Neville, she might just need to talk to him. Or maybe it was vice versa.

Agyness had been pacing for a moment or two before she had decided to sit on the edge of a statue that was near the large oaken doors of the Great Hall. After a moment, her foot began tapping on the stone floor rather impatiently. Really, was it that hard to find Professor Slughorn? Flitwick had been a much harder one to sniff out, seeing that he could have easily been missed behind a large statue. But Slughorn, really? The man was predictable: he usually lurked about his office, his classroom, the greenhouses, or the kitchens. Adriane had received more than enough time to check all of the places. Agyness closed her eyes and breathed, forcing her foot to stop impatiently wiggling about. She would come when she was ready. Either that, or Agyness would have to hunt her down.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard a familiar, arrogant voice. "Hayes," She nodded in greeting, a small smirk flitting across her lips. Although they had tried to keep it secret at times, Agyness had always been very well aware of Irial and Adriane's relationship. They actually didn't make too horrible of a couple; Agyness had no clue why they had tried to keep their relationship concealed. They must have had a reason, either concrete or silly. "And no, she seems to have evaded us both." Crossing her arms over her chest, she sighed as she gazed at the doors that led to the grounds, as if she were attempting to will Adriane to burst through at that very moment. "She went looking for Slughorn about an a half an hour ago and hasn't returned."

Neville had simply sat at the table through all of the confusion, being one of the last to remain seated as many students and professors had already poured out. This night had become one for the history books. He smiled softly to himself, glad that he had become paired with a friend. But Neville couldn't possibly imagine himself being romantic towards Luna, or anyone else for that matter. Neville was a typical Longbottom man, not one to usually pull out all of the stops for a lady or reveal his embarrassing emotions and secrets. Standing, he brushed off the seat of his pants before deciding to return to the Gryffindor Common Room and take a rest. The match had given him plenty to contemplate, thoughts that deserved a good night's sleep. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black trousers, Neville began to slowly ascend the Grand Staircase. He made to hop onto a stair that was departing away from him before he noticed a familiar pair of eyewear floating about in the corridor next to him. Turning, he spotted Luna wandering about as she typically did. Neville slowly made his way into the corridor, running into a suit of armor as he tried to keep quiet. The helmet clanged to the floor as a blush crept up his cheeks.

Aleksa rolled her eyes. "I am so scared my wand is even shaking." She feigned a superior air waving her hand as if to shoo away his threat. Then her look turned sly and challenging. "Bring it on Nott. I think I can handle anything you care to dish out." A smile played on the lips and she was trying hard not to giggle. She had forgotten how much fun flirting with Theo could be.

Draco didn't even have to look up to know who had settled down beside him. Despite the sound of her voice, his sister also wore a distinctive perfume. Not to mention the whole sibling connection that seemed almost a tangible thing between them. While they didn't show it often he did know that he could count on his sister for any and all things. They might not always see things the same way but there was love there. And loyalty.

Face still buried in his hands he gave voice to his frustration. "How did things get turned upside down so fast? I can't seem to be able to catch a break." Having another sigh he straightened up and looked at his little sister. She too, held an envelop full of papers. "How are you faring with all this? Being Paired with Potter and all?" He asked the question seriously. There was no one else around therefore it was safe to speak frankly.

Ginny walked and walked and walked. She couldn't seem to be able to keep still. After leaving the Great Hall she had ascended the Grand Staircase and just started walking. With no particular destination in mind she had let her feet guide her while her mind churned over her current situation. When she finally deemed to look at her surrounding she found herself in the seventh floor corridor.

Sighing, she rounded a corner hoping to go back to her common room when a wooden door appeared on the wall to her right. Curious, she walked over and opened the door. A small smile appeared on her face. The Room of Requirement had once again come to save the day. The room was small but simple. Rich wooden floors newly polished if the pine fresh scent was any indicator. The wall directly across the room was a wall of floor to ceiling windows that showed a breath taking view of the lake and the forest beyond. Right in front of the window was a large overstuffed bean bag with several blankets neatly folded sitting right next to it.

Without a second thought, Ginny entered the room and shut the door behind her. She had needed somewhere she could go to be alone. Somewhere where she could find peace and be able to sort out everything that was spinning through her mind. Crossing the room Ginny sank onto the bean bag and kicked off her shoes. Grabbing one of the blankets she covered herself and got comfortable. She had meant to simply get comfortable and start thinking but she found herself drifting off to sleep. Before long she was breathing deeply and slipped gladly into a deep dreamless sleep.

Adriane had crossed her legs at the knee, still reading through the papers. Bloody hell, could they have made it more difficult? she thought bitterly to herself. But then her brother had straightened up and spoken. She froze, staring hard at the papers without seeing them anymore. She was no longer going through them, and her hands began trembling slightly. She hadn't wanted to acknowledge she'd actually been Paired with Potter of all people. Hadn't want to think about being with anyone other than Irial. But Draco's words reminded her painfully of the facts of the situation. She was just thankful no one else was around.

After a moment of silence, the Malfoy spoke. "That hat as some serious problems," she said icily, though her voice shook slightly. "I have to question the mental capacity of whoever made the bloody thing. It cannot honestly think Potter and I would ever - !" She cut herself off, as while she spoke, her voice started trembling even worse, and she was starting to become choked. It wasn't often Adriane showed such vulnerability, and she wasn't about to let any emotion get out of hand. Even around her own brother, she'd learned to guard herself.

Quickly stuffing the papers back in their folder simply so as to have something to take her anger out on, Adriane turned to her brother. She could see the frustration clearly in his face, and was sure her own mirrored it. "What about you and Agyness? She doesn't seem so happy about it, either. But at least she's decent." She refrained from going onto a rant on how horrible Potter was; that was better saved for her own mind.

Irial frowned slightly to hear Badwan didn't know where Adriane any more than he did. But he took a seat against the wall next to her, his own eyes also pinned on the doors. He wasn't entirely sure why he was so anxious to see her - other than discussions on getting paperwork filled out, things would be as normal as always. "Shame. But if she's found Slughorn already, she's most likely off somewhere looking through those papers," he voiced, glancing at the packet Agyness also had in her hands.

"Found Flitwick already, have you?" he commented, knowing full well he was about to have to do the same. He briefly wondered if Ginny had sought out McGonagall yet, but immediately wiped the image of the fierce red head out of his mind. Best to forget her as much as possible, he figured.