"What'd they say? Anything new?"

"No, just the same shit. They have no idea but they think it's got to do with me, which we've already guessed."

I leaned over the kitchen island and took a piece of fruit from a plate that the elves surrounding us had prepared. Draco was leaning on the wall, arms crossed, deep in thought.

"I hate this." He said.

"The feeling's mutual." I responded. "I'm so angry. I'm trying to get past the feelings I have about the situation we're in and focus on figuring out how to not die." I said bluntly and I saw him tense.

"You're not dying." He said, as if he was making a blood oath to Merlin himself. The thought made me anxious. I didn't want anyone protecting me, especially against Voldemort.

I dropped the piece of fruit I was eating and it landed on the floor. The whole world froze for a moment and Draco stood up from leaning on the wall.

"It's the meeting." I walked over to him and apparated us in an instant, then I had an idea and I stopped on the way.

"A little warning would have been nice," he said as his hands were on his knees. 

"I just wanted to forewarn you. I'm going to test Merlin today, also remember that I have no idea about your task and I'll try to look strong and assembled like he asked so that he doesn't question you."

"Slow down, what are you forewarning me of?"

"Oh, I wanna see what happens if I disagree, or if I'm just like against him. Because then we can confirm how important I am. Alright let's go." We landed in Riddle Manor and joined everyone... well, just Enzo. 

"I guess he wanted to wait until everyone got here before coming in."

"That is correct, Lorenzo." All our heads turned to Voldemort who was walking in. He fashioned a table to fit us and he sat at the head of it. Then he got his cane and knocked the leg of the table twice and hard and the Mat walked in. Or a person that resembled Mat walked in. 

His face was so pale and lifeless. He walked in dragging his feet, in a too formal suit, and his hair was overgrown and flopped messily. His eyes lost it's colour, it's light and my legs buckled at the sight in front of me. I knocked the chair that I was required to sit on and Draco had caught me and was seeing if I was okay. Mat looked up from the noise and his eyes widened as he saw me. 

"I promised you son that I had a positive surprise for you today." What negative surprises were there? I'd now guessed that by the look on mat's face, and Voldemort saying surprise, he had no idea we were all coming. Mat had stopped in his tracks and we were both staring at each other... frozen. 

"Am I supposed to thank you Father?"

"Do not speak!" He yelled and we all flinched, but Mat basically jumped where he stood. Draco made me face him and was wiping my face gently, I hadn't realised but I had been crying. 

"Apologies father." Mat said and his hands were together as he practically bowed. 

"By and by, let's get to more pressing matters. Firstly I would like to speak to Draco and Draco only. You three can exit and stand outside the door. You must wait until I invite you back in." I still couldn't move, neither did Mat. Voldemort was about to yell again but he stopped himself as Enzo came over to me and started guiding me out. Mat followed behind and when we were out and the door closed I turned to Mat and stepped towards him, Enzo had stood off to the side as I did so. 

"Mat?" He shut his eyes, wincing, and he inhaled sharply. 

"Don't. I'm still stuck here, don't give me hope." He exhaled, even his voice lost its warmth. 

"Please." His eyes were still sealed closed and I took another step towards him. He didn't move or say anything so I went closer until his suit jacket would brush against me. He inhaled again, but less sharply, I'd guessed that he could sense me being so close to him. A tear fell down his cheek. I raised my hand slowly and cupped his face, wiping away the tear with my thumb, and his whole body relaxed at my touch as his eyes slowly opened. 

I took it as a signal that I could be close with him now so I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. He now wrapped his arms around me and his hands trailed through my hair. We parted and he leaned down slowly and kissed me. He even tasted different. His hands were firm on my waist and when we separated, his arm still stayed around me. 

"I'm sorry," I said.

"For what?"

"For this, I hate this."

"Davina," I got goosebumps as he said my name, "it's not your fault."

"But Voldemort is doing all this because of me. That's why you're all here."

"Then why isn't Theo here?" Enzo asked, coming closer now. I felt bad that he had to witness all of that, but I had forgotten about his presence. Then I guessed that Voldemort planned it all like this on purpose. 

"Because all three of us, you Draco and I, would die for Davina, no question," he responded. I gulped and I knew he felt me tense beside him. Mat flinched, I realised it was because Voldemort had knocked his cane signalling for us to go back inside. I curled my hand around his and we went back inside. Draco was sitting adjacent to Voldemort and Mat and I sat across Draco, on Voldemort's other side. Enzo sat beside Draco.

"Now, Draco here already has insight on my plans, obviously he doesn't know what or why I am doing what I am doing, but he knows more than you three. On the 28th of August, there will be an... encounter with the people present and me. The location is at an abandoned house," he said the address and I froze. "We will meet at approximately midday, now Davina, you may speak." He and I knew why I wanted to speak, everyone else at the table was confused as to why Voldemort allowed me to take the floor. 

I pulled my hands from Mat and I stood causing the chair to fly behind me. 

"What are you planning? How do you know about that house and that date? Why me!?" I yelled and he only smiled maliciously. "That place, why would you ruin that place?" He stood up, ignoring me.

"You all are free to go." I grabbed Mat's arm and I apparated us back home. We landed in my room and he stood in front of me.

"Davina, what is that place, the date, why is it important to you?"

"It is my mothers birthday, and that was the place where I was born."

"Fuck."

"Exactly."

"What does my father have against you?" I looked at him, really looked, and I realised that he was standing in my room. He was back. I smiled and couldn't stop smiling.

"If this is all because we're dating," I joked and then laughed, he just smiled. "What?"

"Your smile."

"You're so corny." He smirked and leant down to meet his lips on mine. 

He travelled his lips on my jaw, down my neck and on my chest. He lowered himself and lifted his shirt that I was wearing and left bite marks along the lower part of my stomach. He played with the hem of my shorts and then he rose back up and looked at me.

"Davina?"

"What's wrong?"

"These are guys' shorts," he said matter-of-factly, "and they are not mine."

"Oh, they're Enzo's."

"I'm going to need more context darling." He lips made a thin line and his jaw tensed. 

"I stayed at Theo's last night and we all got drunk."

"Again, I need more," he said, impatiently. 

"Theo had crashed, and I was in jeans, so Enzo lent me a pair of shorts to sleep in."

"Sleep in? You, you slept there?"

"Yeah."

"Where, with who?"

"I have a room there so I slept in my bed." I told him what he needed to know, I didn't want to hurt him. But the way he was reacting right now was really shocking.

"Okay," he said, still tense. I cupped his face.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've always been a little possessive but that's been attractive. This is... you seem jealous, what wrong?" He exhaled, seemingly annoyed with himself. 

"My father, he um, he just tortured me with visions of my nightmares, and the thought of him... loving you was in my head, he used that against me." 

No Mat, Voldemort has read Enzo's mind and knows about what happened so his putting the idea of him and I in your head to make you mad at me so that I'm distracted for the battle... is what I wanted to say, but couldn't. For obvious reasons. 

"Oh Mat, I'm sorry, he's probably over that now anyway, we're just good friends."

"Don't be sorry, and you don't have to explain yourself, just um, I'm going to go eat something that isn't disgusting soup and I'll be back." As he went to open the door someone knocked on it and he opened it to find Enzo.

"Hey Lorenzo," Mat said sarcastically, "impeccable timing you have." Mat still stood there not moving and Enzo looked nervous. I went over and pushed them both out of the doorway. 

"Mat, go eat, Enzo we can talk out here." Mat looked at me, aggravated, but he looked somewhat relieved that we weren't in a bedroom alone. "What's up?"

"Everything okay?"

"It's fine, what's up?"

"I went back to Theo's and he wasn't there, I think he's gone or something. There was a note that said he went on a trip to France with his father but I'm pretty sure that's not right."

"It's not, he wasn't at the meeting but he has a mark so he is with everyone else who has a mark and wasn't at the meeting."

"How do you know?"

"I just guessed, it makes sense. Um, you can stay here then, just in that room actually." I guided him to the room besides Draco's and across from mine. "Just go get your stuff, and I'll wait just in case you don't come back." He had walked in and seemed to waiting for me to follow.

"I'll wait here, it's not smart for us to be in a room alone together. At least not for a little while."

"Why?"

"Mat. Just... his father's a dick and now Mat is just a little insecure about us two. I mean he did know about you revealing your love for me, and so when he got home just now and we started to do stuff and he saw me in your shorts... he got a little mad. So just, keep your distance."

"You have said that to me too many times," he smiled and I looked at him with a confused look. 

"Yeah, and usually you're sad about it. Why aren't you sad?" I asked. 

"Well, I just have hope that's all, and do you want me to be say?" He took out his wand ready to apparate.

"What? No, that's not what I - and what does that mean?" he shrugged sarcastically and then vanished. I crossed my arms and leant on the doorframe, waiting. After several minutes he was back. "Okay, you're alive, see you later."

"Bye, Claire," he smirked.

"My name is Davina," I said and his smile widened. I looked at him suspiciously before I walked down to the kitchen. I found Mat cleaning up, and he turned to me as I walked in.

"What did he want," he said, as less of a question and more of a demand. 

"Theo is gone so he was in that house alone."

"You didn't."

"Well he isn't staying in my room."

"He's still staying here."

"Mat, please, I just got you back, you actually have colour in your face, I just want to be with you." I had walked over to him, wrapping my arms around him and looking up. He kissed my forehead softly

"I'm sorry, I just, I didn't think of how you were feeling, all I thought about was missing you."