It was suspicious in Lilith's eyes. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy seemed all too pleased by her presence in their home, and they were gentle, kind - contradictory to what she'd heard of them in Hogwarts. She'd been told little but she'd always pictured them as similar to Draco. Cold.

Lilith headed down the stairs only to pause halfway down. Draco, Lucius and Narcissa were gathered at their dining table. They sat in silence for a few more seconds before Lucius twisted towards Draco, saying, "You know how important this is, do you not, Draco?"

The way he pronounced his son's name sent shivers down Lilith's spine. It was void of love. Lilith hadn't expected anything more from him, given her prejudgement. Draco nodded his head without a word. It was the first time Lilith had seen her friend appear like that: he looked terrified, belittled. He almost shook in his seat. Narcissa seemed to recognise this as she patted her son's back softly.

"You mustn't lose contact with her."

Lilith froze. Her, her, her. It only made sense that they were talking about Lilith herself. There was a reason why the Malfoys were so eager about her stay, and she wasn't willing to let Draco go without finding out. 

She scrambled back up the stairs, realising that the family would soon notice her as their conversation died out. She flopped back into bed and pulled the covers over her head, Draco's sheets still warm from when she'd been in them minutes prior. It wasn't long until the boy returned. When Lilith poked her head from under the covers, she realised Draco was waiting patiently for her to reveal herself. He was holding a tray full of food.

"I saw you down there," Draco said, and Lilith felt her body quiver as it hit her that his tone was similar to the one he used talking to Harry Potter. "What were you doing?"

"I-I just came to see if you were awake," Lilith lied through her teeth. Her voice was like that of her younger years - timid, afraid. She didn't want to jeopardise her relationship with Draco, but she also didn't want to tell him that she knew of his intentions with her so soon.

"Wouldn't I have been in here if I weren't?"

"I didn't know if you moved rooms, or something..."

"I see," Draco observed, finally placing the tray he held on Lilith's lap.

Her eyes brightened, "It's for me?"

"Don't get any ideas, Lilith. The house elves made them."

"You called me Lilith," the brunette smiled as she took a great swig of pumpkin juice. Draco, to Lilith's surprise, parked himself next to her on the bed, his legs enveloped by the duvet.

"I know you heard us."

Lilith's slice of toast nearly dropped out of her mouth. "Heard what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Lovell. You're one of the brightest witches in our year."

"Okay, I heard. You win."

"It's nothing to do with me," Draco admitted as his fingers traced the edge of his bed. His face turned black and doleful as he divulged his greatest fear, "The dark wizards. Dark magic. They're all interested in you."

"Me?"

"For the second time, Lilith, don't act bloody dumb," Draco hurled at Lilith, his tongue dripping with the venom that could've only come from him; one tormented by the dark side itself, haunted by the future it held for him. "You know why they want you. Those bloody fantastic powers of yours."

"I didn't ask for this."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't go back to Hogwarts then."

"What?"

"If you don't want them to find you," Draco suggested with a shrug. "Hogwarts is the first place they'll look."

"But nobody else will be able to protect me if I don't stay there, Draco. I can't exactly ask all the teachers to pack up and leave, can I, for Merlin's sake?" Lilith countered, offended by Draco's proposition. She knew she was sure to die if she left the protection of Dumbledore and the other professors at Hogwarts.

"I suppose not."

"I'm safe around Dumbledore."

"He might be one of the most powerful wizards out there, Lilith, but he's getting bloody old."

"His powers haven't left him yet," Lilith mentioned, placing the tray with plates polished of their goods on the end of the bed. She stood and shifted towards the window where she looked out into the brightening sky. "I have faith in him, Draco. So should you. You'll never know what the future might make us face."

"You say that like we'll still know each other in the future."

"Why, Draco, I hope we will," the brunette said, the reflection of a dream in her sparkling, dark café au lait eyes. She had often pondered a cleaner future for herself. In her sleep, it would be one where she could be with her parents again - where she could turn back the clock and reverse their undoing. In reality, it would be one where she could finally seek a means of the purest repent and eventually live a life where she didn't have to fear her own shadow.

"I-I guess we can, if that's what you want," Draco blurted out at long, awaited last. His words were messy, and stumbled over themselves, almost as the blond did as he rose from his own bed and headed towards the window where Lilith had remained stood.

"Why is the dark side involved with your family?"

"They follow him."

"Him? You-Know-Who?"

"I'm surprised you know about him, having lived the sheltered life you have."

"I found some old papers about him once. I think it may have been, perhaps, in the Restricted Section - or... or it might have been Snape's office, but I can't remember for the life of me," Lilith wondered aloud, a stereotypical hand lifting to rest on her unlined chin. She smiled at her childhood memories; the sweeter part was most vivid. Lilith had rather enjoyed her time at Hogwarts.

"You spent a lot of time there, huh? With Snape and them."

"I guess I did," Lilith murmured back, a sense of what appeared like regret taking over her positive thoughts. She continued to stare forward, not risking any glances at the boy beside her in terror of breaking down to him - no, she had to continue to be strong, for one day, she knew she'd face even tougher decisions than allowing herself to be in his company.