Draco clutched at his head, gasping in pain as he dropped to his knees.

"Come on nephew, I know you can do better than that!"

Draco grimaced as his aunt's loud cackles filled the room. Getting shakily back to his feet, he looked up at her gleeful face; hatred pulsing through his veins. She was enjoying this far too fucking much.

"Now tell me, Draco," she trilled, looking at him wickedly through heavily lidded eyes, "should I be impressed or perhaps concerned by how much the Potter boy invades your thoughts?"

Draco curled his upper lip, refusing to take the bait. The truth was, his mind had been full of Potter because he was trying desperately to keep Blaire out of his thoughts. He refused to let Bellatrix see that; to witness what they had shared the night he found out about his father's arrest.

The night that, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about.

"Oooo, what's this?" Bellatrix said suddenly, her voice piqued with interest. "It appears that my nephew has been a naughty, naughty boy!"

Fuck.

"What are you talking about?" His mother spoke up sharply.

Draco closed his eyes in mortification as Bellatrix's cackles once again echoed around him. He'd slipped up.

"Let's just say, darling sister," Bellatrix grinned manically, "that you wouldn't want to know what's in your precious son's innocent little mind right now."

His mother's face pinched in fury as she stepped out of the shadows from where she had no doubt been anxiously observing. "I think that's enough now, Draco is clearly exhausted."

"Very well," his aunt sighed, twirling her wand idly in her hand, "these lessons were upon your insistence, after all, Cissy."

Relief flooded Draco as his mother swept over to him and started to usher him from the room, away from the aunt who made his skin positively crawl.

He had to endure two hours a day of this stupid Occlumency. Although Draco had no idea why his mother thought it necessary or indeed what it was exactly that she was desperate for him to conceal in his mind.

"It's a vital tool to aid you for your future protection." She simply said, refusing to explain any further.

So he put his trust in his mother and continued on with determination; not only learning how to close his mind, but also to be able to read them.

"Wait!" Bellatrix called just as he and his mother had reached the doorway. "Was that the Zabini girl I saw in your mind?"

Draco froze. He had hoped she wouldn't have been able to identify her.

"Blaire Zabini happens to be one of Draco's closest friends." His mother jumped in defensively. "It is only natural she would be in his thoughts."

Draco looked away not being able to meet her eye. He'd die if she ever found out the kind of thoughts he had been having lately about his 'closest' friend.

"There's a rumour going around that the mother has skipped the country." Bellatrix said with an air of casualness. "The Dark Lord is most unhappy; he had high hopes of recruiting her to his cause."

Draco's stomach churned uneasily.

"Did you know about this, Draco?" His mother blinked up at him, nonplussed. "Did you know that Blaire's mother is no longer in the country?"

He shook his head, suddenly feeling awful. "She said nothing in her letters."

Come to think of it, Draco thought shamefully, over the past three weeks of the summer that they had been owling one another, Blaire had never once mentioned her mother, and he'd never even thought to enquire about her home life, always too busy going on about his own precarious situation instead.

He really was a shit friend.

"You mentioned that the step father picked her up," his mother pressed, lines of concern etched upon her face, "Does he seem okay; like someone who would look after her well?"

"I only met him very briefly," Draco confessed, trying to ignore the fluttering of panic in his chest. "But Blaire has only ever spoken fondly of him." Unlike her mother.

"Hah!" Bellatrix cackled so loud that it made Draco wince. "Bernard Smith of Smith's Cauldrons? He's hardly Daddy of the year material. It's a well known fact that he spends his evenings in the company of high class whores. Although, one can hardly blame the poor man what with that wife of his - a tart who gladly puts it about for anyone except the man that provides for her and her filthy offspring."

Draco felt something akin to anger stir inside of him. He hated the way his aunt was talking; but he wasn't sure if his anger was directed at her, Blaire's utterly selfish parents; or, indeed, himself.

"Right," his mother said decisively, striding brusquely out into the hallway as Draco quickly followed. "Draco, go at once to your room and write to Blaire informing her that a car will be with her within the hour. She can spend the duration of the summer under my care."

"But Mother, what about..." Draco trailed off, nervously glancing towards the dining room where, at that very moment behind the ominously closed doors, Voldemort was partaking in whatever evil stuff he got up to these days.

"Well, the circumstances aren't ideal, I know." His mother sighed. "But it's preferable than her staying alone without any means of protection. Besides, you can both stay in the treehouse to be on the safe side. At least I'll be able to keep an eye on her there, which is more than those useless parents of hers seem to be capable of."

Draco nodded, trying to hide the apprehension on his face. His heart started hammering at the thought of staying with Blaire alone in the treehouse over the next five weeks.

Shit, he thought as he felt the familiar twitch in his trousers. This was not going to be easy.

******

I was literally left all by myself.

Bernard was never home. When he did walk in through the front door, it was always to grab a change of clothes and then he was racing back out again, pausing only to remind me not to leave the house due to the current war situation.

In all honesty, I wouldn't have been bothered if I had come across a blood thirsty Death Eater. At least it would have been someone to chat to.

Draco and I owled one another of course, but the content was always short and light. Draco kept to 'safe' topics and his letters were mainly informing me of how his mother was coping.

I refrained from telling him about my own mother doing a runner. He had enough on his plate at the Manor, and I didn't want him worrying about me or feeling guilty about not having me over to stay.

I mean, it wasn't the end of the world. It's not like I wasn't provided for. Fuck, I was in my own mansion with cupboards full of food and clothes. And I had my magazines.

Every now and then, when I was tired of reading; I would take out the monopoly game Draco had given me for Christmas. I'd smile fondly as I twirled the little Scottie dog in my fingers, thinking of the white-blond haired Slytherin and his imaginary companion exploring the grounds of Malfoy Manor together.

It was on such an occasion as I was laying out the pieces on my bed when a huge dark owl started rapping on my bedroom window.

I quickly threw 'Orion' down onto the mattress as I jumped up to let it in, instantly recognising it as a Malfoy owl.

I opened up the letter at once, my eyes widening as I read the words Draco had obviously scrawled in haste.

B, Mother is sending a car to bring you to the Manor at once. Have your things ready within the hour. I'm sorry. D x

I let the note flutter to my bed, my heart hammering in my chest.

I didn't even know how to feel. Part of me was relieved that I'd get to see Draco over the summer, after all; but at the same time, I was apprehensive. I wasn't even sure what we even were anymore; the lines having been completely blurred by our sordid hook up. All I wanted to do when I was around him now was rip my clothes off. It felt like a betrayal to Narcissa who had always treated me so kindly over the years; almost like a daughter, even.

However, there was no time to dwell on it; I hastily scooped my things together, making sure to pack the monopoly board. Something told me that Draco and I were going to need all the distractions we could get.

After leaving a hurried note to Bernard explaining where I'd gone, I locked up and slid into the Malfoy's plush black car which was waiting for me out the front.

All too soon, the car was rolling down the grand driveway of Malfoy Manor, blasting peacocks out of its way.

Chill, I told myself as I stepped out of the car and turned to see my best friend hurrying down the steps to greet me.

My utterly gorgeous, hot bodied, horny as fuck in the sack best friend.

Just chill.

******