Let me start with why the rewrite so soon. Negotiating With Dragons started out as my baby. I started Tear It all Down never imagining it would be as popular as NWD let alone far surpass it. And then when Time After Time surpassed it in less than a day it caused me to take a hard look at what I had done here and I realized the beginning is absolute shite. I am so pleased with those of you who looked passed that but I cannot fault those who did not. I would not have. So I am going to fix that. If it is still not as popular so be it, I will still continue it because I like it and there are followers and faithful readers who do as well. But I want readers to see it as I truly envisioned it not as I actually wrote it.

Prologue

"You can't go out there Vanny, your Daddy won't like it" Dray called to the little daredevil as she swooped in and out among the waves on her child sized broom. Their parents had taken them to this French beach so their father's could negotiate a business contract merging some of their England and American business holdings.

The children neither knew nor cared about this. They had become inseparable friends from the moment they met, she as dark haired as he was fair they made a striking pair brining smiles to many witches and wizards as they tore around the beach on one adventure or another and today was no exception.

"Come on Dray! Don't be chicken! The water sprites keep trying to grab my toes, it's fuuuun!" she laughed and screamed this last bit as one almost grabbed her ankle. When she saw the worried look on her playmates face she came back to the shore.

"They will pull you in and drowned you Vanny! That is why they are grabbing you!"

She kissed him soundly and wetly on the cheek "You won't let them Dray, we promised remember? We won't ever let anything bad happen to each other."

He wiped the kiss off of his cheek blushing "That would be easier for me if you stayed here where I could watch you."

The two house elves sent to watch over them were nodding their heads in agreement. "Yes missy should stay very close to shore and not let nasty sprites grab her toesies and drag her under!"

Vanny ignored them, not because she thought house elves beneath her, but because she tended to ignore anyone and anything that did not agree with what she wanted. A trait she had inherited from her father, although he vehemently denied it.

"Come on Dray let's play a game, the sprites wear the most prettiest necklaces, whoever gets close enough to grab one the other one has to do whatever the other one says, even staying on the shore!"

Dray did not want to do any such thing, but he knew he could fly better than Vanny, even if she was more reckless and he was sure he could beat her "You promise on your heart?" Vanny crossed her heart "OK then."

Both children grabbed their brooms and swooped in and out among the waves closer and closer to the tiny water sprites daring them to reach a little closer and a little closer still. Dray had his hands on one but the slimy feel of its fingers made him draw back. He heard from behind him a triumphant shriek and turned in time to see Vanny clutching a tiny shell necklace in her hand. He sighed and headed back to shore.

"OK Dray now you do whatever I want." Dray was a little nervous; Vanny could be very creative in her forfeits. "You have to wear my pink polka dot dress and walk through the dining room."

Dray grumbled, but a bet was a bet. Their parents all laughed when they found out exactly why he was wearing the dress but forbade them from going into the water again. "I tried, Father" Dray said, but she won't listen to me." Vanny glared at him "I told you Dray only Mommies and Daddies get to tell each other what to do and you have to say the vows and I have to wear a white dress. Those are the rules. Right Mommy?" This started a whole new round of laughter from the adults. "I will say the vows right now if you will do whatever I tell you to" swore Dray.

As amused as the adults were, they did have other matters to attend to and ordered the elves to take the children out to do anything they wished provided it was not dangerous and they did not go into the water.

Dray wanted to make Vanny do whatever he said, so she went and got her prettiest white dress and the elves had them stand side by side and gave Vanny pretty little flowers to hold.

Dray asked Mipsy his elf "What are vows?" she said "They are the things you say to your bride that tells her the promises you makes to her, Young Master Malfoy and then she says the things she promises to you and then you gives her a token and she gives you a token."

"What is a token?" Vanny wanted to know.

"It is a little thing that shows that you will keep your promise forever and forever." Mipsy responded.

Vanny decided her little sprite necklace would do and Dray had a small ring with his initials on it to give her.

The elves linked their hands and held them clasped.

"Now we say our vows" said Vanny "I promise to do what you say unless you are being a meany and I promise you are my bestest friend forever and ever and I will love you always and always" she kissed him on the cheek both the kiss and the words were just like she saw her mommy do every time her Daddy left for work.

"I promise not to be a meany when I tell you what to do and I promise you are my bestest friend and I will always make you safe forever and ever." Dray kissed Vanny on her cheek and they gave each other their little tokens sealing their promises.