The pressure was weighing down on Harry harder than ever. The DA still served as an escape for him but it was on longer the safe. He loved seeing Chloe there, helping her if she needed it which she rarely did. But she wasn't the kind of person afraid to ask for her, afraid to look weak.

Since he'd seen her help Neville, Harry had had even a harder time getting her out of his head. The Chloe he'd first met was shy and embarrassed, except for those few moments when she'd stand up for something like in Umbridge's class and Trelawney's. There was power in her but she'd held it back, never asserted it, until that day in the dungeon corridor.

He could feel it in the air, a change in the power dynamics.

Chloe no longer walked alone in the hallway but flanked by two or three other Slytherin students, including and most often, Malfoy. Every time he saw them he wanted to go over and punch Draco in the face. He had never felt so jealous in his life.

She looked different too. Her hair was always smooth and straight, her eyes held forward, her clothes lint-free and impeccably pressed. Every where she went a powerful presence seemed to go with her. He thought about what it must have been like to go to school with Tom Riddle. Maybe there was more Voldemort in her than he liked to be believe.

They were sitting in the Great Hall. Harry could not help but glance over to the Slytherin table. He knew he was wrong about it but he still swore he saw Chloe looking at him every once in a while. Harry humiliated her in front of the school. There was absolutely no chance she didn't hate him – and all her new friends had hated him for years.

"I'm surprised she hadn't outed the DA to Umbridge," said Ron, taking a bite of food.

"Chloe hates Umbridge more than I do. She wouldn't tell her anything," replied Harry.

"Is that why she's not on the Inquisitorial Squad?" asked Ginny.

"That and don't think there are any circumstances under which Chloe would find it acceptable to snoop on people and rat them out," said Harry, pushing his food around on his plate. He did not want to admit how much he missed Chloe but it seemed to be on every word he said.

"I kind of miss her too, Harry." Hermione half-smiled. Harry was thankful for Hermione, for how understanding and perceptive she was. The world was unfair. Everything Harry cared about got taken away from him and he was tired of it but there was nothing he could do.

They had a DA meeting that night. They were in the middle of working on some new defensive spells when the heard the door open. Everyone was there – except.

"Chloe?"

"You need to get out of here. Now. Umbridge is coming."

"Why would we listen to you?" snapped Cho.

"Because it's your idiot friend who turned you in."

The DA turned to look at him, waiting for an answer. Harry's eyes connected with Chloe's and he knew she was telling the truth.

"Come on."

There was an enormous knock on the wall, cracking it. Everyone gasped.

"Great timing, Riddle," grumbled Cho.

Chloe ignored Cho and looked at me. "I just found out. I came as soon as could."

Harry paused. "That's more than you had to do."

"My name's on the parchment anyway. I'm with you guys whether you like it or not."

"We don't like it," snapped Cho.

"Seriously - what is wrong with you?" Chloe breathed, her arms crossed. Harry swallowed, even now, when everything was falling apart, he still noticed how beautiful she looked, how strong.

In seconds, Umbridge and her gang were inside the Room, surprise on the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad's face when they saw Chloe among the rest of Dumbledore's Army.

"Are you insane?" asked Draco later than night in the common room. "If your grandfather finds out."

"Just shut up, Draco. I don't really care what my grandfather knows."

"Well that's stupid."

Chloe shot to her feet. "Don't talk to me like that. You're my friend and, you know, so are a lot of them."

"You can't have it both ways, Chloe."

"Why not?" It was a question that a million answers which was why Chloe was not surprised when Draco did not answer but just stared back at her. Still, she had been part of Dumbledore's Army and even if he was acting like a jerk, she still cared deeply for Harry – she may have even loved him.

Groaning, Chloe collapsed down on the couch, running her hands over her face. She was glad that no one was in the common room but her and Draco. She'd already dealt with the fallout from people like Pansy who saw her being on the DA as some kind of treachery. But it wasn't hard to scare them into following her, though it wasn't a tactic she liked to resort to.

"It's my birthday this weekend," she said, remembering suddenly.

"I know," said Draco. "I was supposed to ask you – your grandfather he wanted you to come by on your birthday."

She was surprised to hear that. Chloe didn't take Tom for much of a birthday kind of guy. Grandma has always made a huge deal out of it but that was just who she was. There was a pang of sadness inside her. Chloe had never felt so alone, she needed family.

"I'll be there," she sighed.

Draco leaned in quickly and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad. Good night, Chloe."

"Night, Draco."

That Saturday with a deep breath, Chloe stepped into Malfoy Manor. A heavy darkness hung over the foyer like an overcast cloud. Cobwebs had formed in the uppermost corners of the ceiling and Chloe wondered why no one had yet to take a wand to the dust. They probably had more important things on their hands. Her stomach twisted at the thought.

Her steps echoed as she descended down the narrow corridor. "Hello?"she called out. No one replied. "Hello!"

"Back here," a dry voice answered from further down the hallway. Chloe picked up the pace, finally noticing a light glowing. She skidded around the corner into a dining room.

The chandelier was lit with candles but other than that the room was drab and blank. A grey dining room table ran nearly the length of the room and the walls and floor were black. Sitting in a chair at the end of the table was her grandfather in jeans and a button-up shirt. A part of her wanted to ask why he took the time to look different for her but she was thankful that he did, so she said nothing.

"Happy Birthday, Chloe," said Tom.

Chloe's gaze drifted to the table – and she laughed.

"What?" asked Tom, an eyebrow lifted.

Her hands went to her mouth. She could not believe what she saw on the table.

A bag of un-inflated balloons. Two rolls of green streamers. And a box – yes a box – of confetti cake mix.

Confetti cake mix.

"Um. It's lovely," she said, smiling a little too much. "I love it."

Tom's head fell back. "Narcissa said this is what... oh, no I was supposed to..."

"Take the streamers out of the plastic wrap? Yeah. But this is cool-" Chloe picked up the roll of streamers and examined it.

There was a long pause. "You don't have to stay," said Tom.

She considered leaving but only briefly. She had no place else to go and the truth was there was no where else she even remotely wanted to be. Smiling, this time genuinely, Chloe tore open the bag of balloons and chucked them at Tom. He caught the bag with one hand.

"Blow," she said.

His brow furrowed. "Excuse me."

"Blow up the balloons. We're going to have ourselves a party."

Chloe unrolled the streamer and used a sticking charm to get the green paper to stay attached to the walls. It didn't do much to cheer up the place but the balloons that Tom was blowing up in the corner helped as the piled on the table and spilled on to the floor. Balloons of every color. Red. Green. Yellow. Blue.

"This looks," said Tom with his eyes wide.

"I like it. Teamwork. We built it with our own hands – like mountain men."

"We are like mountain men, aren't we?" Tom laughed and there were moments when Chloe could see what her grandmother had seen in this man all those years ago. His sense of humor was also much like Grandma's, which made it easy for them to make each other laugh.

"Now, we just have a cake to make."

With a half-smile, Tom stood from his chair, stepping over the balloons and into the hallway. The kitchen was down the next flight of stairs, in the basement. Chloe had been there during Christmas – late nights eating cookie dough with Draco or mint chocolate chip ice cream with Tom.

The kitchen was the only white area in the house. It sparkled as perfectly clean as her grandma's kitchen had always been, though unlike Grandma's, there were no tulips in windows or lace napkins in the drawers. It was utilitarian to say the least.

Chloe grabbed a dozen eggs out of the refrigerator and laid them on the counter.

"Do we need flour?" asked Tom who was pulling it out of a cabinet and setting it on the counter.

"I think box takes place of the flour."

"Oh. I already pulled it down."

"That's okay," said Chloe. "We can always use it for this."

"For what?"

Her fingers pinched the soft white powder and flicked a little at Tom's face. As soon as she did it, she realized how absolutely crazy it was. Whether he looked like it or not the man standing before her was Lord Voldemort.

There was no reaction on his face. He didn't even move to wipe away the flour. He simply stuck his hand in the bag and grabbed a handful.

"What are you-" Chloe backed up. "You should re-think this."

With a sly smile, Tom tossed the huge handful of flour right at her. She stood there stunned, as the cloud settled around her.

She grabbed another handful of flour and tossed it at him. For the first time since Harry and her started fighting, she laughed and then she heard something she hadn't heard before. Her grandfather laughed.

What on earth is going on?Chloe heard a familiar drawl. Draco was standing in the doorway, mouth agape. It had to be a strange sight.. The Dark Lord and his only granddaughter having a flour fight in the kitchen of Malfoy Manor.

Tom snatched another handful of flour and threw it at Draco, covering his black shirt in snowy white. Then Tom pointed at Chloe, who decided if she was going to be accused of something she might as well commit the infraction. She grabbed an egg out of the carton and threw it at a still stunned Draco. The shell cracked on his shoulder, spilling the yolk.

Draco's frozen face flickered and he darted to the kitchen counter, grabbing the carton and tossing an egg at Chloe. It cracked on her stomach. Tom pulled open the refrigeration and removed a spray can of whipped cream. He sprayed the back of Chloe's hair. Chloe snatched the eggs from Draco and threw one at her grandfather.

It was total madness. Chaos. Laughter. Chloe hadn't had that much fun since her grandma died. She felt Draco's arm wrap around her waist and he spun her around. Eggs were thick in her hair and in Draco's. His thin hand lifted to her ear, brushing away some shell. The way he stared at her made her face flush. She knew what he was thinking, even now, even with her grandfather five feet away. But her stomach dropped as the real world came crashing back in.

Even in the moment all she could think was that she wished it were Harry. But it could never be Harry not here she couldn't have both. She wanted both. She wanted to be a Riddle and be in love with Harry Potter. Still she knew it could never be. Chloe would have to decide.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry this took so long. It was the hardest chapter for me to write for some reason, especially for the Harry section which is why it is so short. I hope to update faster. Please review. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to do that. It means a lot.