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Thank's JK for your characters except Eska who is mine but her name is borrowed from Robin Jarvis's the Whitby Witches (great book - read it!).

Read previous chapter to find out what's going on.

I turned back to the window, desperately hoping that my spell hadn't gone wrong and that wasn't Harry out there…

I could see people running around and pointing their wands at the gorge, and the purple light of casting spells. Suddenly there were shouts and everyone ran to one point as a body was pulled up. I strained to get a better look but couldn't see anything. They carried the body inside wrapped in a cloak. I turned away in frustration. I sat on the sofa, staring at the fire, my mouth covered with my hands. I ran over scenarios in my head until I was exhausted, and it began to grow dark, desperate for news about Harry. I was determined to stay awake till Draco came back but I got sleepier and the awful pictures in my head of him dying turned to dreams as I fell asleep.

I woke up in the pitch black for the fire had gone out. I stretched and flicked a light on. I looked at my wristwatch, it was 1am. Draco hadn't come to see me and I couldn't wait to find out anymore, I had to know if it was Harry. I went to the door and tested to see if I could get out without Draco being there. I poked a hand out cautiously, when I met with no resistance I stepped out. I wasn't sure where Draco's room was but I was fairly sure it was one next to me as he'd heard when I'd screamed.

I crept along the corridor to the door on my left and tapped on it. When I didn't hear anything I pushed it open. It revealed a long slim room, with a window at the end, that definitely wasn't a bedroom. It was full of paintings. I looked at the one nearest me in the moonlight, it was a portrait of a blonde girl, with a red hair band and the top of her blue dress just showing, it was creepy, it looked like it was watching me. It looked just like the one Harry had described to me, I realised, stunned, but it couldn't be that easy could it? I looked around the room at the rest of the portraits, they were all of the same girl, all seemed to be watching me. Suddenly, one near the window turned and spoke to me (like the portraits at Hogwarts can talk - Kate), "do you want something?" All the other portraits turned to me and I started backing towards the door. "No, stay and talk to us, we get so bored…"

I fumbled behind me for the door handle and shook my head at them. "I'm sorry but I can't stay, I need to go."

"No you don't." They whispered at me as I spun around, failing to find the handle. To my horror I realised it had gone, the door was completely flat, had there even been a handle on the inside? I hadn't checked. "What's the hurry? Stay and ask us some questions, one of us is special."

"I need to go, I have to find out if my friend's ok…If I ask you three questions will you let me leave?" I asked, desperate to get out of there and find Draco.

"Yes," they hissed.

"Ok, which one of you was painted first? Who are you a painting of? And who painted you?" I didn't want to ask outright if one of them was a horcrux in case they told someone, so I asked the first questions that came into my head.

"I was painted first," said the second portrait on the right. I looked at it more closely, it was just the same as the others, wearing a strange smile.

"We're paintings of the lady of this house, before she wore all black and we were self portraits," said another. My mind flicked back to Draco's ghost story and I was afraid. "We carry enough of her to live on but one of us contains another." Again I thought of the horcrux, did the paintings mean one of them contained a bit of Voldemort instead of the Lady?

"Who do you contain a bit of? And which one of you does?" I asked, curious despite myself.

They all grinned evilly, "We will tell you, and what's more we'll destroy that part but you must promise us something in return."

"What?" I asked.

"A piece of your soul." They whispered. "We want someone new, your picture can hang with ours."

"Um, I'll think about it, can you let me out now please."

"No, stay, talk."

"You promised."

"Swear you'll come back?"

"Yes!" The door swung open behind me and I jumped out, slamming the door behind me to the sound of their soft laughter. I breathed a sigh of relief, turned round and walked straight into someone. I screamed.

"Hey, it's just me! Where have you been? Why aren't you in your room?" It was Draco and he sounded a bit angry.

"I was looking for you! I thought you had the room next to me, but got stuck in that one."

"I do, but on the other side. That's just an empty room, except for some pictures I think. How did you get stuck?"

"There's no door handle inside."

"Oh. Hey, you're shivering. Come into my room and have some hot chocolate."

"Draco, who-"

"One minute and I'll answer any questions Esk, just come sit down first."

I followed him in, his room was much like mine, only in green and silver instead of blue and white. I sat on the sofa while he got the drinks. "Draco, who did they kill?"

He turned to look at me. "It was a mistake, it was my aunt Bellatrix, Goyle killed her thinking she was Potter. Father was quite upset and so's the Dark Lord, I never really liked her so I don't mind. We've all been out scouring the rest of the grounds for Potter just in case. I'd have told you earlier but I thought you might like the suspense." He smirked at me.

"You jerk! Don't you know I was worried out of my mind?! Or is tormenting me your favourite way of chatting me up?" I said angrily.

"Don't call me a jerk, you should be glad I told you at all," his eyes flared up. Then suddenly he sighed, "Sorry Esk, didn't mean it." He came over to me and hugged me, leaning in and kissing my neck,

" I'm sorry about your aunt." I added mentally that I wasn't really, she was a bit crazy and I was glad she was out of the way. I felt light headed, flooded with relief that it wasn't Harry who'd died. He must have got away fine, my spell didn't go wrong.

He shrugged, "like I said, never liked her. The Dark Lord's furious that Potter got away, he doesn’t know how he knew about that tunnel, let alone how he got to it."

"Harry's very resourceful, he'd find a way."

"Yeah, you're the only one who's glad he's gone. The Dark Lord's so angry at Snape, he was meant to be standing guard, he's being dealt with now." I shivered and he pulled me tightly against him. I put my mug down and settled against him.

"Aren't you meant to be helping with anything?"

"No, everyone's gone to bed now. It's a shame but at least Potter didn't find out anything useful. We'll all go back to work tomorrow. Speaking of which, since Potter's not quite so dumb as to try to rescue you twice, you can come downstairs with me tomorrow." He said carelessly.

"Oh good. I'm getting a little bored."

He smirked, "sure we can find something for you to do." Then he yawned, "I need to go to sleep now, you can go back to your room," he ordered.

"Ok."

He took me to my door, kissed me goodnight and left me. I went to sleep quickly, exhausted with all the worry of today.

I woke up to the sun streaming through my window, showered and dressed in a pair of black jeans and a silvery sleeveless top and a pair of black velvety shoes. I was fastening on my earrings when a house elf came to my door and informed me that Draco wanted me to come next door to have breakfast with him. I went through and found Draco up and sat at a table. "You are coming downstairs with me today. We need you for something."

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Find out soon enough," he smirked.

After breakfast we went downstairs, him pulling me roughly by the wrist. I couldn't keep up with his mercurial changes of mood. One minute he could be really nice and the next back to the Draco I knew at school - a jerk. "Ow!" I said, pulling my arm from him as he gave me a particularly sharp pull to hurry me up.

He glanced back at me. "Come on, we're late," and grabbed me again, this time propelling me in front of him. He pushed me into a room on the ground floor. In it were Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Wormtail and a man I didn't know who was holding a camera.

"Ah Eska," said Lucius, "come here." I walked over to him and he gripped my shoulder. "What do you think Albrax? Should she be bound?"

The man with the camera shrugged. "If you like, it may look more serious if we do."

"Perfect." Said Lucius and with a flick of his wand thin cords bound my arms to my sides.

"Hey!" I exclaimed and tried to struggle free. Lucius tightened his grip on my shoulder as Wormtail sidled up and stood next to us. Narcissa joined Draco in standing behind Albrax who began to take pictures of us. The flash blinded me and I struggled against Lucius, panicked, not knowing what was going on.

"These are good," said Albrax, waving a Polaroid around to dry. On it I could see the three of us, with a little me trying to get away.

"Good" said Lucius, with a slash of his wand cutting my cords and pushing me over to Draco. Narcissa put one hand on my shoulder and I flinched away but she said to me kindly, "come have a drink with me and I'll explain what's going on." Draco nodded at me and then went over to join his father who was looking over the photos.

I followed Narcissa down the hall to a bright and sunny kitchen where she made us some tea. "So what are the photo's for?" I asked, beginning to relax now I was away from the others, "are you trying to get my Dad to do something?"

"Yes," she said sitting opposite me. "Not a lot, just to share some of his research with us. Knowing that we have you will help us to persuade him."

"What do you want to know from him?"

"That’s the Dark Lord's business. You may see your father very soon, if he responds to our invitation he can come here to see you."

"Will you let me go if he helps you?"

"No, you're still useful against Potter. Aren't you happy here?"

"It's ok, Draco's been very kind but I'm quite bored."

"We've put charms on the house so that you may not leave it, you are free to explore it, you can't go outside though." She looked up from her drink and smiled at me. "I have private rooms on the south side of the house, you can come and keep me company, I get a little lonely here too when I'm left."

"Ok, I will." I was surprised by how friendly she was being, I'd imagined her being more spiteful.

"Good," she smiled at me, "you'll begin to like this place eventually and it'll be nice for both of us to have a friend." She paused before leaning in a little. "I think Draco likes you, am I right?"

I blushed, "Yeah, I think he does." I said trying to be modest.

"Do you like him?"

I hesitated then decided to go for honesty. "Yes, at least, I do now, I hated him at school but I'm beginning to like him now." Just then the door clicked open and Draco walked in.

"Draco," said Narcissa, her smile deepening as she saw her son, "why don't you show Eska the pool?" .

"Good idea, come on Esk." I got up to follow him. As I left the room, Narcissa made a little silence sign at me, putting her finger on her lips. I grinned, glad that she wasn't going to tell Draco I liked him, I thought I could really get to like being here. The thing that worried me was that I knew that soon I'd have to go back and see the portraits, as quickly as possible before Harry had to face Voldemort. The question was, would I really be prepared to give them a piece of my soul and if I was, how would I give it to them? I hoped they didn't mean that, like making a Horcrux, I'd have to kill someone because that was a terrible choice, murder someone or not give Harry the chance to kill Voldemort.

We reached the pool. It was beautiful, all white marble and clear blue water, at one end there was a Jacuzzi. "Want to go in?" asked Draco, stepping up to me and putting his hands on my waist. I looked up at him and nodded, I guess there are some good points to staying here I decided. We went into different changing rooms, I found a whole range of swimsuits in mine but eventually chose a white bikini with silver piping, it suited my olive skin.

I walked out, Draco wasn't there yet so I slid into the pool. I stood in a shallow part, where the water was up to my neck, resting on the rail and looked across the pool. It was huge, towards the other end were some palm trees, growing over the pool and casting it in shadow. I drifted up towards the Jacuzzi and climbed into it. It was absolute bliss. I heard feet behind me and Draco got into the water next to me. "Sorry I was so long."

We messed around for a while, racing across the pool and seeing who could do the best dive. I was lazing around in the Jacuzzi again when Draco joined me. He floated up to stand in front of me and took me by the waist again. "Esk," he said in an odd voice.

"Yes?" I giggled, splashing him in the face with water.

"I -" he started and then subsided, "nothing."

I looked at him in frustration and Narcissa's words came back to me, I decided to take the matter into my own hands, if he really did like me he wouldn't object. So I stretched up and kissed him, it was the first time I'd initiated it, maybe he'd know that I liked him back. After a minute he pulled back and grinned at me, "I thought -"

A little sound behind us interupted him, a house elf was stood there. "Sir, I am told to tell you Professor Kristaller is here." I stared at it in amazement, I didn't think my Dad would come so quick.

"Thank you, we'll come now," Draco said to it and then turned to me and said more quietly, "come on Esk, he'll want to see you." We got out of the pool, dressed and set out to meet my Dad, I was excited and tried to run ahead but Draco was being slow and I didn't know the way. Eventually we reached a room on the West side of the house and Draco pushed open the door and let me in....