Lizzie's POV:

"What are the ingredients in the Draught of Peace?" I asked Draco a few nights after my fight with Pansy. I was sitting in between his legs on the sofa in the common room, working on my most recent potions homework. He was absentmindedly playing with my hair, twisting it together and then brushing it out with his fingers.

The fire was roaring to my left. Some cold seventh year had cast an Engorgio spell to help ward against the cold leaching through the walls of the dungeon. I could feel the heat radiating onto my legs and spreading through my body.

"Powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered unicorn horn, and powdered porcupine quills," he replied. Draco was a potions genius. I wouldn't doubt it if he became a Hogwarts Potions master.

"Thanks."

He dragged his fingers through my hair once more, brushing against my neck and making me shiver despite the warmth of the fire.

"Of course," he hummed.

The common room around us was alive with chatter. Dinner had finished about an hour ago and people were still filtering back from wherever they had been. There was a group of third years behind the sofa playing a game of makeshift poker, occasionally shouting with joy or booing in distress. The tables surrounding us were filled with other students working on their own homework.

I wrote about the Draught of Peace to my best extent.

The Draught of Peace potion reduces anxiety or agitation, as the name suggests. It is made by combining powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered unicorn horn, and powdered porcupine quills.

The morning after I had dueled Pansy, Draco had dragged me to Madam Pomfrey. She asked no questions but made sure I was fine before she sent me off. When Professor Snape approached me later that day about the state of Pansy's face, I told him it was 'long overdue self-defense'. He had almost smiled at this, which had made me grin back at him.

When I figured I had done a decent enough job on my essay, I blew on my parchment to dry the last of my ink before carefully rolling it up and placing it in my bag beside my Transfigurations and Defence Against the Dark Arts essays.

"Are you done, now?" Draco asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my left shoulder.

"Yep," I smiled, twisting around to face him and clasping my hands behind his neck.

"Good," he grinned. "Come here." He held his arms out and leaned backwards on the sofa. I happily obliged and curled up next to him. His back was against the back sofa and his chest facing me. My back was to the fire. He wrapped his arms protectively around me and pulled me close to him so our chests were touching.

I burrowed my head into his neck and breathed in his scent. It was a scent that I had come to enjoy over the years but had never gotten to experience it like this. He smelled of peppermint. Like the candy canes that hung on our Christmas tree at home. It reminded me of childhood holiday memories with my mum and Gray.

"Are you sniffing me?" Draco asked, a tone of amusement in his voice.

"You smell good," I mumble. My words had come out pretty muffled due to my face being buried in Draco.

"Oh I do, do I?" he mused with a chuckle. The deep rumble jostled my head.

"Mmm yeah," I sighed. "Like peppermint."

"Huh, peppermint," he repeated.

"Yeah like candy canes." I cuddled closer to him.

"Christmas is over, Liz," he laughed.

"Christmas is never over," I murmured. Draco laughed again and kissed my head.

"You are the best thing to happen to me," Draco whispered into my ear.

I brought my head out from his neck and looked at him. "You mean it?"

"With all my heart," he smiled shyly at me. "Lizzie, I know we just got together and all, but I am in love with you. I think I've been falling for you since the day we first met on the train." He placed a hand on my head and pet my hair.

"Really?" I whispered, a smile growing on my face.

"Yes. I don't know what it is about you. Maybe it's your hair (he wrapped his fingers in my hair), maybe it's your laugh, maybe your smile (he ran his thumb over my lips), or maybe it was those grey eyes. But whatever it is, it made me fall so damn hard."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked with a worried face. I knew how his family felt about blood status. I wondered how they would feel if they knew their son was in love with a half-blood.

"It's the best, Liz. I wouldn't trade you for the world." He bent his head down and leaned his forehead against mine.

"You're the best," I told him. He smiled the widest I've seen him smile and tenderly connected our lips. His lips folded between mine perfectly and moved with the rhythm of mine. We were two dancers moving gracefully together as one while not moving at all.

He sat up and pulled me with him, not breaking the kiss. I sat straddling his legs with my hands on either side of his head. His hands sat on my hips, firmly holding me in place.

The common room around me disappeared and all that mattered was Draco. Draco and the feeling of his silky hair in between my fingers. Draco and the smell of peppermint filling my nose. Draco and the way his lips fit with mine. Draco and the bulge that was slowly growing against my thigh.

"Someone's excited," I chuckled breaking the kiss only for a moment to catch my breath, then bringing them back together.

"I can't help it (some more kissing). You're just (kiss) so (kiss) alluring," he panted between kisses. I smiled into his mouth.

"Alluring?" I panted.

"Alluring," he confirmed. He brought one hand up to my chin and tilted my head. I felt his lips connect with my skin along my jawline and my neck. I leaned my head back to allow him more access. His lips found a spot on my neck around my collar bone that made me moan and bite my lip hard. "Found it," he smirked, continuing to suck on the spot.

My hands gripped his hair and tugged slightly. He brought his head back up and pressed his lips onto mine. This kiss was sloppier than the last, more desperate and needy.

"Get a room," someone shouted from the group of third years. I pulled away from the kiss and giggled.

"I think we've got an audience." I looked at Draco's light eyes which were still glinting with need.

"They can bugger off," he replied.

I was about to answer him when a small second year girl came up to me. Her short, blonde hair was tied back with wisps falling in her face. "Excuse me," she squeaked in a heavy Irish accent. "Are you Lizzie Samuels?"

"I am, what's your name?" I asked her politely, climbing off of Draco's lap and sitting beside him.

"Rebecca Murphy, Hermione Granger asked me to give this to you," she spoke as she held out a folded piece of parchment with my name written neatly on the front in Hermione's handwriting. I gently took it from the girl's hand.

"Thank you," I smiled while unfolding the parchment. Rebecca walked away to a corner where other second year girls sat quietly.

Room of Requirement ASAP

That was all the letter read.

"What's it say?" Draco asked beside me. I handed the parchment to him and shrugged, standing up.

"I better get going. It must be urgent," I shared.

"I'll come with you," he offered, standing.

"No, that's alright."

"If Granger's there, that means that Potter is there, and I don't want him to make any more moves on you," he denoted. I crossed my arms and leaned my weight on one leg, popping my knee out.

"I can handle myself and you know that," I answered.

"Yes, I know that. I just-" he began, but I cut him off.

"I'm going alone. I don't want you to get in a fight with Harry."

"Okay," he gave in, "just promise me you won't let Potter do anything, and if he tries, you'll tell me." He took a step towards me and hugged me to his chest. My head just barely reached his shoulder, so I had to stand on my toes to rest my chin on him.

"I promise. Now I have to go, Hermione said ASAP," I told him, letting go. "I'll be back soon." I turned and walked out of the common room. Curfew was very soon so I listened carefully for footsteps on my trek to the Room of Requirement, and wondered just what the hell Hermione wanted me for at this time.

Once I had reached the seventh floor corridor where the room was located, I began to pace.

I need to meet Hermione.

I need to meet Hermione.

I need to meet Hermione.

The iron began to twist its way onto the wall, gently creaking in the process. I placed my hand on the doorknob and pushed the heavy door open. The room inside was the same one we had been meeting in for the D.A. just slightly dimmer. Hermione, Ron, Harry, Luna, Ginny, and Neville all sat on cushions in the center.

"Did I miss the party?" I asked lightly, taking a seat on a velvet, blue cushion beside Ginny. I had never spoken to the girl before, only seen her in D.A. meetings.

"Nope, we were waiting for you to start," Ginny spoke. Her legs were folded in front of her and she was resting her elbows on her knees.

"Start what, exactly?" I asked.

"Well, as you might have noticed, Umbridge recently passed Educational Decree number 26 which limits the teachers to only being able to give information on their topic," Hermione began.

"I did." Umbridge had passed the decree a few days ago, right after the beginning of term.

"You might have also heard that she passed it because teachers were giving information unrelated to their topics. The main thing they happened to be talking about was the breakout from Azkaban," she finished, addressing the whole group now. All of the others nodded gravely, but I was confused.

"Wait! Someone broke out of Azkaban?" I asked in utter shock. Only one man had ever broken out of Azkaban Prison and that was Sirius Black. He was about as mad as they come. Killed a dozen people in one go and tried to go after Harry.

"Honestly, Lizzie, do you live under a rock?" Ron asked. All the heads in the room were directed at me. I blushed angrily.

"No, I just live in the house that everyone hates and happen to be hated within that house so I don't have many friends to tell me this sort of stuff," I rounded on him.

Before Ron and I got into a row, Hermione piped in. "Not just one person broke out. It was a mass breakout. All of them Death Eaters," she winced.

"Death Eaters?!" I asked even more in shock. Sirius Black was just one guy and his breakout was irregular, but a mass breakout of Death Eaters at Azkaban?!

"Since you guys are the most invested into the D.A., we figured we should tell you something else. It might come in handy should the time arise," Hermione continued.

Should the time arise? What was she thinking? Did she think the Death Eaters were going to waltz right into Hogwarts?

"For a long time now, since Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby to be exact," I winced at the mention of You-Know-Who's name, "Harry has had a certain connection to Voldemort that occasionally allows him to feel Voldemort's emotions when they get particularly strong and can sometimes even see flashes of what Voldemort is seeing himself. The day that the Death Eaters escaped, Harry felt a very strong sure of happiness from Voldemort's end." Hermione paused and allowed the information to sink in.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner, Harry?" Luna asked airily.

"This is huge! Does Dumbledore know? We could use this against You-Know-Who!" Ginny threw in hastily, straightening her back.

"Does You-Know-Who know?" Neville asked quietly.

"It's not exactly something you go around with written on your forehead, now is it?" Harry spoke rudely.

"You still should have told us sooner," Ginny marked angrily, leaning forward more.

"Well, I'm telling you know, aren't I?" he countered.

"You-" Ginny began.

"Whoa whoa girls calm down. We're all beautiful here," I interrupted their mini-row. Ginny turned and glared at me, but backed off of Harry. Harry didn't reply as well.

"Dumbledore knows," Ron broke the growing silence.

"But we don't know if Voldemort knows," Hermione added on. "We- Dumbledore and I- have advised and reminded Harry many times to remember that if Voldemort does find out, he could use it against Harry." Harry, who had been looking at the ground, looked up at Hermione and glared. "He's also been having dreams. Well, a dream. Just one, over and over. About a door in a hallway. We think it might be related to this all somehow. We're just not sure how." Harry's glare intensified.

"I can talk for myself, thanks," he sassed back.

"Calm down, Harry, she's just trying to help," Ginny said.

"I don't need help," he snapped, standing up and walking to the door. "It's almost curfew. You guys should get back to your common rooms." He disappeared out the door without another word.

"Well, if you guys notice anything odd, please keep us informed," Hermione muttered, following Harry out the door.

"This was fun," I mused, standing up along with everyone else in the room. Together we made our way out of the Room of Requirement and split to go our respective ways.

My shoes clicked their way across the castle, echoing off the walls. I willed them to hush up seeing as Harry was correct in saying that it was almost curfew.