Hi guys! Man it has been forever. A lot has been happening, but that's not what you're here to read! Without further ado, I give you the next chapter!

I fire-called Ginny to let her know I was alright and that Harry should be on his way home soon before returning to my research at the desk. I flipped through pages trying to find what language Ophelia had translated from, it definitely wasn't English. It wasn't French, German, Spanish, or Russian. My pile was quickly fading. It wasn't until I leaned back in my chair that I noticed Draco's eyes on me. I straightened and smoothed my hair, patting down sparks that must have come to life with my frustration. With a sheepish smile I turned back to the books, "Sorry."

His answer was a quiet chuckle, "Maybe you should take a break? It's pretty late." I looked up at the clock on the wall, a little after midnight. "I would, but I'm far too awake. I feel like the answer is right here at my fingertips, I just haven't reached it," I picked up another book as I spoke, running my hands over the cover, "I wonder if she did this on purpose, or maybe it was simply easier for her." I glanced up at him, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Armand's journal is the only, of all the Malfoy's to be written in runic. All others are simply written in French and English, not translated to any sort of runic code. Maybe it has something to do with his move to Britain, as in maybe they were hiding something," his eyes were bright with curiosity.

As I flipped through more pages, pondering what they could have wanted to hide, I found a language that stuck with me. The book was old, it looked like it could crumble to dust in my hands if not for the magic holding it together. It was a translation book, trying to change Old Norse to English. As I inspected the writing, and compared it to Ophelia's journal, I noticed some small similarities. The way the spacing was on the page, the tiny flares and strokes of the ink. Even in another language, another code. It was my best hope, this had been hers too. Maybe it was her learning the English language, meaning she too had moved to Britain. Possibly after her marriage to Armand.

With a smile, I placed the book open next to my notes on the runes, propping her journal up as I scoured the pages trying to makes sense of her coding. Soon I was flipping through, able to understand the process of how she had dated the pages, though words were still hard. I must have worked for hours because the next thing I knew, there was sunlight coming in through a window nearby. I looked around to find Draco had fallen asleep in the chair with his head resting on the desk, his hand still holding his quill. The sun peeked through the curtains to reflect and shine in his bright hair.

I sat upright in my own chair and stretched, the chair creaking as I did so. Draco didn't stir, even as my chair scraped the floor, so I made my way to the kitchen. It had been a long time since I had fallen asleep in front of someone. With Ron, I never went to bed at the same time as him, usually I would be asleep long before he found his way back from the bars. And if he was home early, I always let him go to sleep before me. Those nights I often didn't sleep in our bed, for fear of waking him.

My time here seemed to put me more at ease, feeling like I didn't need to worry soothed me. With a shake of my head and a small smile, I moved on through the house.

In the kitchen, I found myself alone and my stomach growled. Might as well be useful, I can cook for myself. I managed to find everything I was looking for to make some semblance of breakfast, but before I got started I prepped the coffee. I cracked a couple eggs into a pan and warmed some toast as I worked. I listened as the eggs crackled in the pan and watched out the kitchen window as rabbits hopped through the yard to hide under a bush. Two young rabbits hopped out and around, clearly happy that their mother was home.

I flipped the eggs, then plated them with some warm toast and turned to set the plate on the kitchen table but I paused. I put some butter on the toast and carried it to where Draco was still asleep on his desk. I set it down carefully and walked to his side. Very lightly I touched his shoulder, the familiar warmth spreading through my hand, and gave him a gentle push, "Good morning, I've made you breakfast."

His eyelashes fluttered once before opening, and he looked up at me with sleepy eyes, "Mornin' already?"

I removed my hand just before he sat up, "Morning indeed. I've made coffee too, just forgot to bring it with me. I'll be back once I finish making my food if that's alright." He ran a hand through his hair to fix it and seemed to just notice the plate, "Oh thank you. You didn't have to cook but it looks delicious. I can come get the coffee." He stood, taking his plate and following me from the library.

"Sorry, I should have asked before bringing food out of the kitchen," I kept my gaze in front of me as we walked but I saw him give a small shake of his head from the corner of my eye.

"I eat in the library fairly often, you can take food wherever you want in the house. I appreciate the effort, Hermione. I just thought I would eat with you." I gave him a quick glance to see a smile on his face as we entered the kitchen. I poured the coffee into two mugs before handing him one as he took a seat and then turned back to the stove to create my own breakfast. "I feel like I didn't learn much last night, translating Armand's code has not been an easy feat. He described the light as odd, and curious. He talks about it with minimal detail at first, only really describing Ophelia. I'll probably need to go back a few sections to when he first mentions her and then keep going."

I nod as I plate my own eggs and butter my toast, "Let me know when he first mentions her. I feel like I haven't gotten far at all with her journal, but this is our best chance and I want answers." I took a seat across from him with my own coffee in hand, "I just don't understand. If this is not something new, why isn't it in any history books? Or any book at all? What if this is some curse?" I sighed and took a bite of my food.

"I doubt it's a curse, but I don't like not knowing either. Let's think here, if the only place we've found it so far is in journals, then it is probably some rare phenomenon that people do not like to share. Maybe it's something unpleasant, but maybe it's something good. Or maybe it means nothing at all and the secrets hiding in their journals are simply about how they came to own the land Malfoy Manor stands on and all the misdeeds that entailed. After we eat, I'm going to shower and then pick up where I left off."

I nodded, "I plan on doing the same." I tried to avoid meeting his eyes, just in case it really was a curse, but failed. The warmth spread through my limbs and made me feel as though I was being wrapped in a gentle hug, calming and caressing. I could feel any tension slipping from my shoulders.

He gave me a smile and rubbed the side of his face before motioning to my dishes, "I'll take those if you're done." I nodded and handed him the dishes before joining him at the sink and he handed me a towel, "Would you dry?"

I nodded again and leaned against the counter as he washed the few dishes we used, "Thank you, again, for letting me stay here. I'm not even sure I want to know the full details with what's going on with Ronald. Being here has put me at ease, and I feel so in tune with my magic." He nodded as he handed me a plate, "This property lies almost directly over a ley line, it's much easier to understand how your magic connects to you when near one which is why I had this house built."

"That makes sense then, why my magic has reacted so strongly. I'm curious, how did yours react when you first stayed here?" He looked up as he handed me the last of the dishes to dry.

"Well, it connected almost immediately and I nearly caused a storm inside the house, wind pushed unpacked boxes around even though all my windows were shut. I wasn't in a good place when I first visited, so everything was a little chaotic at first. But it was also calming, being here, listening to the creatures nearby. I was hoping it would give you a similar feel." We stayed where we were for the moment, listening to the birds outside. "After Harry and I started talking, after my break down, I needed somewhere else. If I'm honest, this is where I first started to heal."

His face became pink with the last words, but he didn't look away from me. This is why I trusted him. He opened up to me, showing me his vulnerability, hoping to give me the same healing place he had found for himself. I set the towel on the counter and took a step toward him, my arms raising slightly in question. He closed the distance and I brought my arms around him as his arms mimicked mine. I rested my chin on his shoulder as one of his hands gently rubbed up and down my back, "Thank you Draco. For sharing with me, for trusting me."

After a time we split apart, slowly releasing each other, "Also." I gave him a sheepish grin, "I might have caused a full on rainstorm in my room when I arrived." His eyes grew wide and concerned but I kept going, "I made sure nothing was damaged and cleaned everything, but the room still smells like rain. Not that I am complaining, but I just felt I should tell you."

He chuckled and swept a hand through his hair, "You had me worried there for a moment. I mean, I didn't notice it any of the times I walked by, but I'm glad. That's my favorite room in the house."

I giggled, "Well, sorry to have rained in your favorite room. Maybe we should continue our research?" He nodded and together we returned to the library.

Ophelia's journal was still difficult to translate, but with some work, I managed to finally get somewhere with it. The first few pages detailed her family, and that was only the first shock of the day. "Draco, what does Armand have to say about his first meeting with Ophelia?" He shook his head, "I'm almost done with that section. Why, what have you found?"

His gaze fell on me as I read, "My name is Ophelia Aven, I am the daughter of Cadoc and Ibbie Aven. Ever since I was little, I had extra abilities that I did not understand. My mother taught me to hide these abilities and the villagers whispered that Volva, witches lived amongst us. Turns out, that's me. Neither of my parents had any of these abilities." I paused and looked at Draco, "Does that mean, she was a muggleborn? Would that mean…?"

"The Malfoy's are not purebloods. Hold on, let me finish this passage," he continued with his translations as I watched him work. "On my journey, I met some interesting individuals, but only a few stuck into my mind. Ophelia was kind; my father never would have approved, but he wasn't around to judge. Our courtship began but then something happened. Magic hunters had come to town, and in doing so they murdered many, both magic and non-magic folk. Ophelia had all but disappeared, and I had to do the same. I was preparing to leave the area a few days later when I heard her screaming. A hunter had her in his arms. He struck her, and no one was prepared for what happened next. Lightning struck a nearby tree on a clear night and the tree fell upon the hunter who held her. As he fell, she escaped his grasp and all that were near tried to grab her. Lightning rained from the sky, striking down all that stood to harm her. When I revealed myself, she cried, thinking I would harm her. But then I showed her my wand and lit my wand aglow. I told her she could come with me, I would keep her safe."

"These were the first two Malfoy's in Britain. All this time, my family has believed they were pure of blood, so much that they preached it and fell in with the wrong sort. But this proves that all that we believed was wrong. What more does Ophelia say? How does she describe it?"

I picked up the journal again, "Armand was nice, charming, unlike the other men I had known. His accent was new, and sometimes he whispered words in a language I didn't understand. But the time we were able to talk, the more I grew to like his presence. Hunters came to town and my mother tried to hide me away, I didn't even get to tell him goodbye. I feared I wouldn't see him again. And what if Armand was truly a hunter? What if he despised me due to my abilities? They found my mother, murdered her while I hid in the bushes. When I ran, they caught me. I remember feeling so scared, and then he hit me. The hunter hit me and I just couldn't stop myself from releasing some of my power. Once free I felt it surge again as fear took me. Only I was left standing. Armand came from the tree line, and I cried, knowing he would hate me, knowing he would hurt me. But he offered me his hand, he showed me that I was not alone. He offered me his hand, and I gave him a little trust."

Draco looked through his notes, "Try a few months later, see what she has to say. I book marked a page somewhere." We both flipped through these journals, on a journey to discovering family secrets that had long been buried. "Hold on, here we go. We had been living together in France where I had been teaching her the language, yes I know it wasn't proper to live together. But watching her learn, watching her grow brought warmth to my chest. Together we were learning and both of use were coping. The hunters had brought both of us pain, they had taken both of our mothers from us. I couldn't help but to blame myself for them catching my mother; she was alone, my father had long since passed. They caught her when she grew sick, so I learned from an old friend.

Ophelia was the only one I trusted with my secrets now. I was working with a new ally, trying to make good so that we could move to better safety. In the magical world, France was in turmoil and we wanted to live in peace and William was going to make that happen. Ophelia brought warmth to my heart even on the coldest of nights, and simply having her near could spark that feel. But what caught both of us by surprise was the light.

It was a cool night, nothing extreme and we sat by the fireplace. I asked if she would sit by me, closer than we normally would, again, I know how improper this all must seem. But even though it may seem so, we held to traditional courtship, just minus the chaperone! I told her she didn't have to be too near if it made her uncomfortable, but she came to sit by me, and she draped the blanket she brought over both of us. And she told me that she wasn't uncomfortable because she trusted me, she believed even if we hadn't fallen under such strange circumstance, that eventually we would end up in a similar position, even if we hadn't been courting, we would still have grown quite close and been very good friends. And then she told me that she was glad to have chosen me to put her trust in. I had never felt more touched, my heart grew so warm it became more than me. A light so bright sparked over our heads and neither of us could look away from it. She didn't seem surprised, but myself, I had never seen anything like it before. We stayed like that, just sitting with each other, until we both retired to our separate rooms."

If I hadn't been listening so hard for the details, I would have laughed at how he pointed out how improper it was for them to be living together, it made me wonder what Armand was like, and what he would have thought of our current situation. "Wait, did he say Ophelia didn't seem surprised? What's the date on that? Oh! It'll take me some time to translate, but I found a similar dated entry." Draco was able to translate a few more pages, looking for more detail on the light while I worked through my page.

At some point he left and came back with a small plate of apple slices and a glass of water, "You might want something to eat." I smiled and thanked him before taking a slice while I continued my work. Ah!

"Listen to this. My favorite night was the first night our spark ignited. Velja is what my people call it, the spark, the choice. We have both chosen to trust each other. I've seen this only once between two other magic friends, and now I see it happen before my eyes with Armand. It is such an honor that he has chosen me, I am not even sure he knows what it means. This occurrence only happens when both have given full trust and care to one another. This cannot happen if only I had given him my full trust, or he to me. This will make us stronger."

And I think it will only grow as my love for him grows. I didn't read that part out loud, she could have meant her love for him in friendship, but as they ended up married, I would gather that's not the case. I suddenly felt very vulnerable, what if this spark wasn't a choice at all? Though that clearly contradicts her description of the phenomenon. These answers left me with more questions, and a quick glance to Draco showed that he too was deep in thought. Maybe he regretted trusting me, maybe I regretted trusting him. Maybe I shouldn't be here. Maybe I was thinking this over too much.

I stood quickly, leaving my notes open on the table, "I-I am going to take a shower. Then maybe we should eat before we continue." With a quick glance outside, noticing the sun setting, I definitely agreed I should eat dinner soon. He nodded, his brows still furrowed as I left the room.