Incendio
That World Never Came: IV
FireSprite
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I'm sorry this has taken so long. This chapter was a nightmare to write, so thank you everyone for being so patient with me while I wrote this instalment. Special thanks to Emily (again, for letting me bitch to her) as well as Austin (same reasons--except he just laughed at me! *glare*) and Aisy, whom I owe a lot to, but especially for being so Draco-ish in everything she does. (And telling me my dialogue bites.) Also, don't forget about the sword (in the gem). I haven't had a place to work it in for this chapter, but remember it because it will be important. I'll take no more of your time. --FireSprite
~
"Someone told me love will all save us
But how can that be, look what love gave us
A world full of killing, and blood-spilling
That world never came"
--Hero - Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
***
Anna sighed again and looked up at the big cloak in the library. She tapped a quill against her open book and murmured, "Gin, where are you?" It was already half past eight. Anna hadn't been worried at first; Ginny was usually late anyway. She would come in five minutes late: out of breath, hair in chaos, breathing heavy excuses as she sat down. But not tonight. No, it was already twenty minutes too late that she was supposed to enter with apologies.
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Anna looked down at some random book she had pulled out from a shelf. She wasn't really here to study, but she had known she was early, so she didn't want to look stupid by sitting by herself in the library without looking like she was at least trying to work. Five more minutes, she told herself. Only five and then I'm leaving. I don't care what she had to tell me.
One of Anna's drawbacks was that she was impatient, and waiting ten minutes, let alone half an hour had to be some sort of personal record. Sighing, she rested her cheek on her hand and looked down again at the book she had pulled. She unconsciously read the first couple of lines before stopping. She looked down at it again and re-read the words.
What was this doing out here? she asked, looking at it. The book... seemed to be some sort of Dark Arts book, usually hidden away in the Restricted Section. Anna picked up the book and flipped it so she was looking at the cover.
101 Deathly Boring Fungus Tips, by Than Sleepus.
Again, Anna flipped the book so it was back to what she had been reading before. Again, she read the first few lines.
Few know about the Nex Necis Spell [It read]. While highly dangerous, its origins have been obscured by years of legends and fables. (Raina would like that, Anna thought, grimly.) It has been rumoured to been created by the Heir of Slytherin himself, Salazar Slytherin to kill Godric Gryffindor, the Heir of Gryffindor. Because the Nex Necis Spell has never been registered as a spell or incantation in the Ministry of Magic, it cannot be cast unless using power or dark magic at a level a human body could simply not handle. To use it would cause the body to destroy itself first, then cause everything in the immediate fifteen-kilometre radius to disintegrate to ashes...
Anna shivered, but flipped the pages of the books, the pages making a noise as the fanned past her searching eyes.
Odd...
At the start of the book, it was fungus tips to put even the most enthused Herbology teacher or student to sleep. Yet, thirty pages in, it suddenly switched to unknown curses or spells. Then, thirty pages before the end, it switched back, detailing the use of the Trillon root in cat food.
What was this? Anna wondered. Had someone purposely put it there so they could find it again? Or was this some sort of error? Anna wasn't sure, but she knew she didn't want to show this to Madam Pince--at least, not yet.
Suddenly, the library door opened and Anna looked up, hopeful. She was sure Ginny would find this weird as well and maybe she might help Anna decide what to do.
But no, it was only Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy's two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. Anna grimaced. She was not, without exception, a fan of the Slytherin house. To her, they were all the same. Loud, ugly, smelly, and most of all, evil to the core.
As to Anna's prejudice, Pansy was talking on rather loudly; talking about something unimportant, while Crabbe and Goyle followed her like trained dogs. Which is exactly what they are, Anna grinned to herself. She picked up the book and laid it in her lap, hoping the Slytherins wouldn't see it and snatch it away. They would if they knew it had anything remotely dark in it and Anna wanted to read more. As much as she hated to admit it, this stuff was awfully interesting. Gross, disgusting, but interesting nonetheless.
Anna watched out of the corner of her eye as Pansy and the two dogs closed the door quite loudly--earning a glare from Madam Pince--and walked towards Anna. Looking around quickly, Anna realised the only free table was right behind her.
Great, she thought. Like I need them mouthing off right next to my ear.
Anna pressed her lips in a thin line as they sat behind her, making some comment about how uncomfortable these chairs were, loud enough to earn another glare from Madam Pince. Anna pretended she was engrossed in her book so they, hopefully, wouldn't notice her and start to tease her. She hated being teased.
"So, you're to tell me," Anna heard Pansy say, in a quiet whisper, amazingly enough, "that you have no idea where Draco is?!" She sounded upset and Anna wondered if Pansy and Draco were going out. She shivered, imaging what they're children were like. Those poor things, she thought. That'd be horrible.
"Uh... Yeah, Pans. I mean, he just..." a pause, meaning perhaps a shrug from Goyle. "Sorta... Disappeared."
"You idiots!" Pansy hissed, slamming her fist on the table. "You can't let him out of your sight!"
"Why?" asked Crabbe.
"Because!" Pansy said, haughty. "Because, his father asked me to watch out for Draco, to look after him. And I certainly can't if you imbeciles don't even know where he is! I promised his father!"
"But... Honestly, Pans. It doesn't really matter, does it? You could, you know, you could just say that you'll look after him to get the old man off your back, then do whatever you want!"
"That old man, as you put it, is one of the best Death Eaters out there!" Pansy said, and Anna choked. Silence from the other table followed and Anna desperately turned the choking into a hacking cough. When she thought it sounded pretty real, she stopped, holding her breath. Draco's father, a Death Eater?! She had heard of those--men who followed You-Know-Who. They were dangerous. They killed without mercy and they knew the worst spell and Dark Magic possible. Anna couldn't believe Pansy knew one of them. Get real, Anna, she told herself, this is Slytherin. They're all Death Eaters or potential Death Eaters.
Then, the talk resumed at the next table. It was quiet again, but Anna could hear them.
"Plus, he's rich beyond belief," Anna heard Pansy hiss. "Have you ever seen his house?"
"Well... last summer Draco invited us over there. But we weren't allowed to wander round by ourselves...." one of the goons said.
"I have," Pansy said, in a superior voice. "Last Christmas for a party. I managed to escape my parents' grasps and I ended up wandering around for hours. I explored every room I could. I even found Lucius' privet study. That was so interesting... Wall to wall dark arts, swords with jewels, blades that could kill in a second, torture devices, ancient weapons, Dark Magic in glass. Vases and jewellery that suck the life out of you. Books that scream bloody murder if opened. Books that are cursed or curse. Portraits of famous dark witches and wizards. Even Salazar himself. Old ruins are displayed throughout the house. It's so good it makes you shiver. It's so... so dark," Pansy spoke, as though dark was a good word, one to be respected.
Anna, despite her intents not to listen, heard it all. And she shivered, whether from the descriptions or whether from what her imagination had decided to play out what each thing could do to a living person. That, now that, was a bit too off the edge for Anna. It was something to go looking for magical pins in a part of the castle you weren't supposed to be. It was an entirely different thing to enjoy using those things to maim, to hurt, to kill.
She couldn't imagine someone liking the Dark Magic so much to try to hurt innocent. She believed no one could ever be pushed far enough to hurt someone else. True, things could push you to say thing you may regret. But to actually hurt someone...? She shook her head, lost in thought.
Looking down upon the book that lay in her lap, she suddenly felt sick. This was the type of stuff Pansy and Crabbe and Malfoys enjoyed. Disgusted, she stood up, the back of her chair hitting Pansy's loudly as she closed the book, snapping it shut. A bunch of dust rose up and Anna fought to not cough.
"Hey," Pansy said, turning around to face Anna in her chair, "watch it, Gryff." She narrowed her eyes at Anna, her mouth turning into a snarl. "You should be more aware of your surroundings," she hissed. "And treat your elders with more respect."
"Oh, right, sorry," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "I don't treat anything as slimy as you with respect," Anna grumbled and grabbed her bag. Swinging it over her shoulder, she went to leave, when Pansy grabbed her arm.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Pansy said, standing up to look her right in the eye. Both of them were the same height, so Anna stared right back, her mouth in a hard line. "You don't know who or what you may be messing with."
"I'm sure I'm perfectly aware of what you are," Anna said back, deathly quiet.
Pansy growled low in her throat. "Run along little Gryffie, before I show you some real magic."
Anna chuckled lightly. "Are you threatening me?" she asked, feeling slightly smug. Pansy couldn't do anything here, in the middle of the library. For one, Madam Pince was here, and for two, ghosts were roaming about, moaning about having nothing to read as they had read it all. If Pansy made one move against her, Anna could scream and have Pansy in trouble faster than she could say, "Slimy Slytherin".
"Take it as you want it, Gryffindor," she said, pulling out her wand and placing it against Anna's chest.
"Can't you at least call us by our last names, Parkinson?" Anna asked, taking out her wand as well and putting it to Pansy's throat.
"You're all the same to me," Pansy growled. "Disgusting little children with no real knack of anything except getting into trouble and somehow winding up perfectly all right. Because that fool Dumbledore has his eyes blinded by your goodness and bravery. You can't even do proper magic."
"Your idea of proper magic differs from ours, Slytherin," Anna said, glaring coldly at Pansy. "You think magic is killing people, then shooting your stupid little Mark in the sky and running away. Cowards!" she spat.
Pansy eyes, if possible, narrowed even more. "We'll settle this later. Outside, at the Quidditch Pitch. Friday night; midnight. Be there," she said, grabbing her bag and leaving the library, Crabbe and Goyle following her.
Anna stared after them as the door closed in the library. Had she really just been challenged to a duel? Against a Slytherin? She groaned. With her luck, Pansy knew some real good illegal curses. Looking down at the book in her hand, she bit her lip.
She'd never survive a duel against Pansy. Pansy was notorious for hurting her opponents as much as possible when they were down. She'd been sent home many times for duelling--and that was only when the victim could speak from their hospital bed. There were so many more sufferers that kept a painful silence.
That meant she'd better learn some good spells--and soon. And this book may be her ticket to survival. Nodding her head, she walked up to the checkout desk to take it out.
It was time she became a real witch... But first, she had to meet Raina, in the dungeons.
***
Ginny ran into the Common Room, the blood pounding in her ears as she ran, the roaring noise so loud she didn't hear a thing. Not the shouts from her brother, not the calls from Colin, not anything. She made no comment or said anything as she rushed past the many students that littered the room. She ran desperately up the stairs, to slam open the door, looking around the room, wild like a cat, her eyes wide. She sighed almost audibly when she saw that it was empty. Running, she quickly flew herself down on her bed, taking off her wet clothes and flinging them onto the floor with a splat.
Now in a thin camisole and panties, Ginny hurriedly got under her covers, squeezing her eyes shut as her teeth chattered loudly. She huddled in a ball, a tear escaping one eye unwillingly. She wiped at it quickly, with the back of her hand. Don't cry, she told herself. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry... She repeated this mantra several times, trying to calm herself down.
Now that her eyes were closed, she could see images flashing in front of her eyes, images she couldn't handle to see right now. It was all hitting her at once. The whole day came back in one huge piece, robbing her of her sanity as it invaded her senses; bearing down on her, hard. Grabbing the gem for comfort, she felt her soul seal over, as though it was complete again. This gem... This gem was making her feel like she was supposed to feel! She needed this gem. She needed it horribly. Clutching it as tightly as she could, the sides digging into the tender flesh of her palm, she sighed mentally.
Yet, her mind still whirled. She saw images fly past her eyes, going so fast she had only a second to see them before they were replaced with something else. Eventually, all the horrors she had seen brought her back to the beginning.
Hell; as she stood under the tree, trying to get away from the rain. Watching as the tree got hit with lightening and burst into flames. She shivered as she watched the flames turn the tree into ashes all over again. She turned to the house. She could feel the sombre evil of it. It was seeping out of the house, as though through the fog that surrounded her at her ankles. The chill in the air, combined with the moisture of the fog, and her mind told her she was cold.
Ginny shivered again, trying to force her teeth to stop clattering. She knew what was inside of it... And even though she didn't want to go into there again, she saw herself walking towards it. As though she was a whole other person, she watched the small figure be seemingly forced into the house against her will.
Wake up... Don't fall asleep, she told herself. You know what's in there. Wake up, wake up!
But it was not to be.
Her mouth went dry as she found herself back in hell, the man with burns all over his body lurching at her. Her imagination took her away to this place, and she imagined him touching her skin, her shoulder, the flaky red-brown skin touching her white skin. His marred, scarred skin, touching hers, searing her skin, burning it with the same pain he must have endured when he was killed, all those centuries ago. He was an ancient ghost, reaching out to her, trying to steal her soul in hopes of gaining one himself.
Stop it, she told herself. No more images. Please.
She now saw herself in front of Donn, as he laughed at her. He raised his blade, so silver, so pure. Bringing it down softly, so terrifying she couldn't move, the blade made a sound as it went slicing through her skin. It created a river of blood down her stomach, to fall on her pants. The pants smudged with dirt and mud and death. And now... now staining with her life. She placed her hands on the cut, which was just below where her broken rib lay. She could feel the warm life seeping out of her, through the cracks in her hands. No matter how hard she tried to stop the flow, it seeped through, the heavy blood like liquid life, going, going...
She looked up at Donn, tears in her eyes. I'm going to die, she thought. He only laughed again, the red horsemen coming up behind him. They bore down upon her, hauling her up, dragging her away, as she screamed silent pleas for help. No one could hear her, no would think to hear her. She was all but an invisible child. They took her to a cell, locking it, throwing the key away as flames broke out from the ground outside the cell. It was hell; it had to be. The heat intensifying, Ginny tried to wake herself up. She could see the flames getting closer, could almost smell the smoke as her eyes became glazed.
A figure suddenly appeared in the midst of the fire, black against the red and yellow of the flames. Ginny closed her eyes, clenching them, as if in pain. She heard a laugh, one so devilish it caused her eyes to open. Lucifer? Satan himself? Donn, again? But no, it was... herself. Long red silky strands, falling to the base of the back of... Non-Ginny. Brown eyes, glittering in the fire, and they shined innocently, and the body was one of sixteen-year-old Ginny.
The scenery changed, and Ginny was in the middle of a wide plain, near the edge of a forest it seemed. Birds flew over head and the wind rustled Maeve gown, throwing her hair back, and it danced among the winds, tangling and flying. The winds were sweet, like ones of summer mornings. It was too perfect to be real.
Wake up, Ginny, she told herself. She was dreaming, this was all her imagination running away with her. Was she watching herself from afar again? Was this another horrible flashback? Ginny shuddered in her sleep. No, please. Leave me alone... she wanted to scream.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. No words, no sounds, silence.
She, Non-Ginny smiled.
"Do you know who I am?" Non-Ginny asked, and Real-Ginny shuddered.
"No," she rasped, looking at herself, eyes reserved.
"I am Maeve. And it is time you saw my true form," Non-Ginny said, and she transformed, the red hair changing, to long sleek black hair, falling to the base of the woman's back. Ginny's brown toffee eyes changed to icy blue like all the glaciers in the world were captured within its orbs. She grew a few inches, and straightened her back as she did, her dress changing to that of black and red, the red minimal as the black corset covered her barely.
Wings sprouted from her back, long brown butterfly wings, to flap softly, as though stretching themselves out. She raised her head again; her icy blue eyes now lined darkly with black eye make-up--the liquid eyeliner causing her to look every bit as vicious and fierce as Ginny thought her to be. "I," Non-Ginny said again, "am Maeve. Queen of sovereignty, banned queen of the Daoine Sídhe." The banished queen let out a hiss of annoyance at the last statement.
"You!" Ginny gasped.
"Me," the goddess said, smiling.
"You sent me to Donn!" Ginny said, backing away from the goddess. "You put me through hell, and for what? To get a little kick of scaring someone almost to death?!" Ginny was almost spitting mad, and had she not been afraid of being hurt by the goddess's supernatural powers, she would have attacked. But common sense prevailed, if barely. It hovered, reminded her in her angry state that she couldn't hurt this... this monster.
"No, I sent you to get you out of the way, little one!" Maeve snapped. "With you there, I cannot reach the Prince!"
"Prince?" Ginny asked, unsure of why Maeve would call someone that. It must be Draco; he, after all, acted like one. "Draco?" she ventured, swiping at a strand that hung in front of her eyes.
Maeve nodded, watching the girl through her smoky black eye make-up. "Pity you didn't die," Maeve thought out-loud. "However..." the goddess said, whipping her hand around in a circle; a silver blade appearing in the middle of her palm. It flashed silver in the sunlight and Ginny shielded her eyes to avoid the glare from the blade.
Ginny thought she was about to be sick; Maeve was now running her finger along the blade, as though one would run a finger against a newborn's cheek. The goddess looked at it fondly.
"This blade..." she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "It has brought me many triumphs and stood by me through many defeats. I trust it to do the job like no one else," she spat these words, malice in her eyes, as though thinking of something in which it caused her eyes to flare.
"Why?" Ginny asked, backing away, trying desperately to stall for time. If she kept this woman talking, maybe, just maybe she could figure out a way to get out of her dream. Please, Ginny prayed. Please, someone wake me up or find me or something.
"Why?" Maeve repeated, twirling the tip of her blade on her own index finger, the silver cutting into the soft flesh.
"Why the wings? Why the--the transformations? Why the disguises?" Ginny asked hysterically, watching the blade as she backed farther away. Maeve made no comment of the distraction, but she followed Ginny's pace, advancing on her every time the small redhead made a step backwards.
"We," Maeve said, referring to herself and Taranis, "didn't want to scare you. If you thought you were your dear mortal, perhaps you wouldn't be so frightened as seeing great Celtic gods and goddesses."
Celtic gods and goddesses, Ginny thought. At least I know what to look for now...
"So, you pretended to be me...?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, I did. And your mortal seemed quite enamoured by me." Maeve grinned, a wicked grin. "Of course, most men are quite taken with me," she told Ginny, swishing her raven-black hair around her head. Ginny believed her. With her slim waist, curvy figure and a face that captured you with one look, Ginny could easily see how men would fall for someone like this. She was one of those women that other women moaned and bitched about, yet secretly wished they were.
Ginny looked at her, wondering... Could Draco have kissed her? She swallowed hard. The idea pulled at her gut... She didn't know why. It's not like she liked Draco. Oh no, she thought, laughing to herself. I would not let myself--
Her thoughts were cut off my Maeve continuing.
"However, it is of no matter now." Maeve smiled. "I have been waiting for this little one. I've been waiting for this for a while; and with Taranis busy with a worthy distraction, I can finally kill the last thing standing in my way."
"Your way?" Ginny asked, hysterical. The knife, she could almost feel it in her as she watched it, twisting and turning and causing pain and death. "Your way for what?!"
"We have talked too much," Maeve hissed. "It is time for you to die, do not resist and it will not hurt much!"
"No!" Ginny screamed, trying to turn and run away, but tripping on a tree root. She landed heavily, the air getting knocked out of her as she hit the ground forcefully. Pain shot through her abdomen as her broken rib responded to the harsh treatment. Crawling onto all fours, Ginny clutched one hand to her rib, trying not to cry out in pain. She could feel it... This was no dream. If it had been a dream, she wouldn't feel pain. She had actually been brought into this world sometime during her dreams. And if she didn't get out of here, she was going to die.
Biting her lip, she turned over, the sun shinning directly into her eyes. She was blinded for a moment and panic sunk in. Where was Maeve? Did she still have the knife? Was she going to die?
A shadow fell across her as she looked up, the sun blocked by Maeve. Maeve, who was holding a knife and grinning like a cat knowing it had caught its prey.
"Say goodbye, Virginia," Maeve said, before bringing the knife down upon Ginny. And Ginny screamed in pain.
***
"Adara! Adara! Wait up, please!" came a huffing voice behind Adara. Sighing, Adara turned, almost hitting Colin in the face with her over-loaded bag. "Christ, Dar, are you trying to kill me?" Colin asked, stepping away from the bag as though it was going to attack him.
"What is it, Colin?" Adara asked, in a monotone voice. She had no time, really, for this. She had to finish her Charms essay, do her Potions homework, finish up Transfiguration and work on Divination for that fool of a teacher. Just thinking of what that... that teacher had said to her made her seethe. But, no, getting mad wouldn't help her. Looking at Colin with bored eyes, she saw he seemed to be worried about something. "Can I help you?" she said, looking Colin over. He seemed to be out of breath from running after her. Adara had a quick pace; something she loved. She could get away from anyone if she wanted.
"Look," Colin looked from side to side. Seeing that the people around them were talking on and on about the own lives and too caught up in it to pay them attention, Colin continued, "I'm worried about Ginny, Dar."
"Ginny?" Adara asked, pushing her glasses up her nose. "What has she gone and done this time?"
Colin looked put out. "She didn't do anything," he replied, hotly. Adara would have smiled had she not been in a bad mood already. Really, Ginny always seemed to get up to things. She was as hot-tempered as her brother, Ron and as mischievous as her twin brothers, Fred and George. Or was it Gred and Forge? She didn't remember and it didn't matter.
"I'm sure," Adara replied, feeling like rolling her eyes. "Well, what is it?" she asked after a moments silence. "I have to go, Colin."
"Dar." Colin looked serious, frowning at her from under his mousy brown hair. "I don't know where you have to go, but when Draco Malfoy bothers a Gryffindor, a female Gryffindor, I take it seriously."
This time, Adara did laugh.
"Oh, heaven forbid, Colin," she said. "Draco Malfoy? Look, what are you worried about? Ginny getting swept off into the sunset with Mister "Look-At-Me! I'm-A-Prince-In-Shining-Armour!"? And you left in the dust?"
Colin scowled. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he muttered, playing with the fringe on his rucksack.
Adara sighed and adjusted her glasses again. "Sorry, I just... It's not been a very enjoyable day for me, okay?"
"What happened?" Colin asked, looking up, eyes full of concern. He hated when one of his friends was upset. The peacemaker as always, Colin was trusted and loved by his friends for trying to settle the commotion.
"Nothing really. Just Trelawny giving me grief again. Argh! She makes me so mad sometimes." Clucking her tongue, Adara huffed and smiled a sort of sorry smile at Colin. "It doesn't matter. Whatever. What's with Ginny?"
"Well... Like I said, Draco Malfoy has suddenly taken an interest in her."
"So? Colin, Ginny's pretty good looking. Not stunning by miles, but she has that sugar-sweet thing going on. Some men like that. Maybe Malfoy does, I don't know. Opposites attract?"
"No. Dar, it's not like that." Colin seemed to not want to talk about that. "He wanted to talk to her. Said something along the lines of 'being haunted...'. I don't know what that means, but I think it's something bad."
"I see..." Adara said, switching feet. "Well. I don't know." She shrugged. "I haven't really seen Ginny lately. But if you want, I could check on her now? Maybe get something out of her?"
"Could you?" Colin's eyes were one of relief. "That would mean a lot to me, Adara."
"No problem," Adara said, smiling at him. "How about I do that now?" she offered.
"I thought you said you had to go," Colin teased her, smiling now that he was sure the problem was taken care of.
"I lied." Adara smiled back and both stood there for a moment, smiling idiotically at each other. Suddenly coming to, Colin shook his head.
"Well..." His face seemed to be a tad red. "I should go. Bye!" he called, running down the hall and waving.
"Bye," Adara whispered, looking after him and suddenly feeling very alone.
***
Draco entered his room, pissed off and wet. And tired. He felt as though he had ages while gone in the nether world. Sighing, he knew this was definitely not going to be his day. Never mind that the day was almost over, it still wasn't going to be a good day, evening, night.
Shrugging off his wet cloak, he threw it on the floor, and he bent down to take off his soaked socks. What had he been thinking? Kissing a Weasley! Honestly.
"I didn't kiss her," Draco muttered to himself. He threw the socks down a chute to take them to the laundry room. They would be wash and pressed by morning, lying on the chair for him when he awoke. "Malfoys don't initiate. She must have kissed me."
Denial, a voice taunted in the back of his head.
Draco pushed it away and sat down in the chair, two legs swung over the side. Picking up his glasses from the table, Draco scowled at them. He hates glasses. He looked like Potter with them on, which is why he never wore them in public. And if anyone found out Draco wore glasses... He shook his head and threw them down on the desk. Why wouldn't his father let him get his eyes fixed? Sure, it was expensive, which is why many wizards and witches still wore glasses, but he was a Malfoy! Malfoys could afford to be vain.
"I will not pay for your eyes to be fixed, Draco," his father's voice sounded in his head. "If you want them fixed, you must pay for it yourself."
Glaring at the glasses, Draco got up and was about to go brush his teeth when a tapping sound came from the window. Turning around, he saw his father's eagle owl flapping its wings, a letter attached to its leg.
"What do you want?" he asked no one in particular, but he moved over to the window, opening it to let the eagle fly in gracefully. It let out a loud screech as it perched itself on his bed mast. Draco grumbled and untied the note from its talon. Immediately it took off, almost hitting Draco right in the face with its sharp claws. It was no doubt Lucius' pet.
With a slightly shaky hand ("What could Father want from me now?"), Draco opened the note to scan the two sentences within.
Draco,
Come to the Mansion right away. The initiation has been moved up from next month to today; something spooked him.
L.
Five o'clock! Draco glanced at the magical clock that hung by his bed, a sinking feeling in his gut. It read, "You're late."
"Fuck!" Draco swore, rushing to grab his cloak, which hung from the door. Swirling it around his shoulder, he didn't even have time to realise what this meant. It meant he was finally doing what his father had wanted him to do since the day he was born. It was time to live up to his father's dream. To join the followers. To get the one thing that he could never wash off--no matter how hard he'd scrub with a brush. And Draco knew he'd keep scrubbing until his skin was raw and bleeding.
Clipping the cloak clasps together, Draco stared at himself in the mirror. A man of seventeen stared back at him, his mouth in a frown, his eyes hard as ever. Running his hand through his hair, Draco knew that he had to leave, but he couldn't seem to tear himself away from the mirror. It wasn't that he was caught up in his physical self; no, for once he seemed to be seeing his soul standing there before him. A young, shy eleven year-old Malfoy stood back, his eyes still stinging inwardly from the rejection he had received from Potter. That had been the day he had decided that he didn't need anyone to make it in this world, he didn't need stupid Potter or his friends to make him worth something. He could do that himself, just by hurting Potter the way he had been hurt himself.
Seeing himself made Draco realise that after all these years, he still hadn't changed. But, he thought, I'm about to. Sticking out his chin and looking proud, Draco finished doing up the clasps
"Goodbye," he whispered to the mirror before grabbing some Floo powder and throwing it in the fire by his bed.
"Malfoy Manor!" he cried, stepping in the fire and disappearing in a whirl of smoke and fire.
***
"Harry, want to play chess?" Ron asked, getting out the pieces anyway.
"No, thanks Ron, I'd rather not." Harry sat by the fire, his chin resting on his hand, looking somewhat glum.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, setting down her book and coming to sit next to Ron on the couch. Ron look at her as her thigh touched his and didn't move, but she ignored it, instead looking at him, eyes round with concern.
"It's..." Harry looked around. "It's Snuffles. I'm afraid... Something has happened to him." He sighed and sat back in the chair, staring at the fire. The fire reflected on his glasses and Hermione couldn't see his eyes.
"Why do you think that?" Ron asked, putting the chess pieces in their places.
"Because..." Harry sighed. "I don’t know. I just. I feel it. Something is wrong."
"All right," Hermione nodded, pressing her lips together and thinking. "Send him a letter, Harry. And use Hedwig. I know he told you not to send you any letters, now that he's a spy for Dumbledore, and not to use Hedwig especially, but she's faster than the school ones and if you honestly think there's something wrong..." Hermione looked at Harry now, eyes determined but scared for her friend. "It's a risk you'll have to take to make sure he is safe."
Harry nodded, standing up, taking a quill from his bag. "I know he might think it foolish..." Harry said. "But I need to know."
"All come with ya, mate," Ron said. "I need to ask you something anyway. In," he looked at Hermione, who was watching him quizzically, "er, private, if you don't mind, 'Mione."
"No, no," Hermione said. "I've really got to read that book." She nodded to the book she had set down earlier.
They both nodded and Harry grabbed some parchment, before they headed up to 7th year's dorm. It was a messy place, but home and Harry smiled just seeing it. Walking over to his desk, Harry sat down and was about to write when Hedwig flew in, hooting.
"Hedwig!" Harry and Ron called at the same time, recognising the scrawl on the parchment it carried. "Snuffles!" they cried again together.
"Hurry up and open it, Harry," Ron said, smiling his freckled smile. At least they knew Sirius was safe. Ron sat on his bed as Harry unattached the note from Hedwig's foot, who was perched on Harry's desk.
Harry ripped open and quickly scanned the first two lines. Then, his face broke out into a boyish grin and he looked at Ron, happy.
"He's safe," Harry said, relieved. He continued reading the letter out-loud.
"I'm safe as can be, Harry. [Sirius wrote.] Don't go fretting over me, it won't do you any good. Especially with your NEWTs coming up. (Harry scowled here.)
But I am a bit worried over your safety. If you could please visit the Headmaster in the next week, I'd be very grateful, Harry. It seems that Death Eater activity is on the rise. An alarming number of Hogwarts students and graduates are being initiated sooner than we had originally thought. It seems that perhaps Voldemort may be building an army himself.
Stay alert, Harry. Don't get into any trouble. And burn this letter.
Love,
Sirius."
"Initiated?" Ron repeated, blankly. "Hogwarts students?" He looked at Harry, concerned.
"This could mean anyone." Harry began pacing back and forth in his room, rereading bit and pieces of the sparse letter, the words forming on his lips. "We'll have to watch the other students, figure out anyone who could be suspicious."
"Especially the Slytherins," Ron said, darkly.
Harry opened his mouth to answer, when a shrill scream filled the air, breaking the silence and tension. It sounded like someone was being attacked; killed even. Pain, anguish, fear all filled the ears of every Gryffindor in the tower.
"That's Ginny!" Ron said, eyes popping out, the blood draining from his face. "Oh my Gods, that's Ginny!"
Without another word, he took off, Harry hot on his heals and they raced as fast as they could towards Ginny's room.
***
Raina shivered and held her wand closer to herself. The room was dark, so dark she couldn't see anything outside the circle of light her wand produced. It was dank, dark and proved to work wonderfully with Raina's imagination. Why had she come alone again? she wondered. She could have come with Anna; agreed to meet outside somewhere, then into the cell. She shivered again, listening, straining for any signs of Anna's arrival. Nothing. Nothing except the constant drip, drip, drip of leaky walls and pipes.
"Anna," she whispered to herself, "please hurry up." Her teeth chattered slightly and Raina hugged herself more tightly. The chill in the air was getting to her very bones. Seeping in, down to the very core of her, wrapping the coldness and the dampness around her bones, squeezing them, filling them with its dreary ice.
The thrill of finding something new and interesting was slowly ebbing away, leaving her with a strong desire of a mug of butterbeer and a warm shower. But she had to wait, for suppose if Anna came down and assumed Raina was late; Anna would wait. If only for a little bit. That girl really didn't have any patience. But still. Raina wouldn't like to leave Anna down here.
Biting her lip, she walked, not quite sure where she was going, her wand-light the only thing allowing her to see. Suddenly, her shin hit something hard and she cursed. Rubbing her shin, she crouched down, her wand-light displaying a wonderfully carved trunk.
Sequins and jewels shone off her wand-light, blinding her for a moment. Letting her wand drop to the floor, Raina got on her knees, running her hands over the chest. Outlined in silver, the jewels sparkled and shone in the darkness of this dungeon. Raina noticed that they were primarily jade and silver, and upon searching for a name, her hand ran across something engraved.
Squinting, she couldn't see the name, so she picked up her wand again, holding it close to the silver. Two words shone back at her.
Salazar Slytherin.
"Slytherin," Raina breathe, her fingertips skimming the name. "This was Slytherin's chest?" Her heart leapt into her throat. She could only imagine what was in here. Running her hands over the name again, Raina shivered. Oh, it was all deliciously ancient.
Getting down on her hands and knees, Raina placed her wand on the floor again, running her fingers around the slight crack that separated the bottom from the top. How could she get this open? she wondered, trying to pry it up with her fingernails, breaking one of them by accident. Suddenly, it banged open with such a force that Raina fell back onto the ground.
"Oof!" she said, falling on the hard stone. And just as quickly, the lid fell back down again, as if with its own accord. Raina stopped breathing for a moment. She hadn't opened that chest; there was no way she was pulling that hard to cause such an explosion of power. It was if something had opened it for her. Something had been trying to get out...
Shutting her mind off from that path before she freaked herself out, Raina wondered what it could have been. She had to know what it was. She had to open the chest, somehow. And not pulling at it either.
Frowning, she looked upon the broken nail, then to the chest again. Oh! There was a keyhole. She hadn't seen that earlier. Perhaps there was a key around here then.
Raina began searching, on all fours, in the nearest corner of the room. It was terribly damp in there, the water pooling for centuries there, giving off a distinct mouldy smell. She wrinkles her nose and smoothed her hands over the stone, trying to find anything, at all. She didn't know why, but she thought there would be one. Why would he have taken it with him if he could have just hidden it in a crack?
Suddenly, the light from her wand went out, and Raina felt a draft run by her, as if a door had been opened or someone had walked behind her. The temperature of the room dropped a few degrees and Raina began to feel uneasy.
"Hello?" she called, into the darkness, feeling completely alone. "Anna?" she tried again, hoping it was her friend playing a practical joke on her or something.
Nothing. Silence.
Raina back slightly away from where the chest was. What if she had accidentally opened some secret lair or some spirit that had been lying dormant for years?
Get a grip, Rain, she told herself. You've been reading way too many fables again.
Sighing, she got up, dusting off what dust she could feel on her trousers and walking towards where she last remembered the chest to be. Again, she hit her shin on it and, cursing, she bent to retrieve her wand. Just then, the door opened and wonderful night light, pale blue entered the room.
"Raina?" she heard Anna call.
"Anna, thank god you're here. I was beginning to freak myself out," Raina said, now seeing how silly she had been thinking that someone or something had been in the room. She chuckled slightly to herself and walked over to Anna.
"Did you feel that, Rain?" Anna asked, her voice quivering slightly as Raina approached.
"What?" Raina asked, looking at Anna, wondering if indeed it had all been a joke.
"When I was walking down the corridor... I felt this..." Anna searched for words. "This aura. It was really... Dark? It was evil..." Anna trailed off, looking at Raina's white face. "Did you do something? Did you see anything?" she persisted.
"No..." Raina said guiltily, raising her eyebrows. Raina looked at Anna, who looked back at Raina. "Oh, shit," Raina said softly.
***
"Ginny, wake up!" Ron said, shaking her so hard, she fell out of bed. Instantly she was awake, breathing heavily and looking scared as hell. "What the fuck happened?" Ron demanded.
"Bad dream," Ginny managed to pant in between breaths.
"That wasn't a bad dream, Ginny," Harry said, coming over and picking her up, setting her on her feet. "You were screaming in pain. We thought you were dying!"
"Just a bad dream!" Ginny insisted, pushing the hair out of her face, which she noticed was covered in sweat. She must look really horrible. Taking a deep breath, Ginny managed a shaky smile. "Guys," she said, her voice sounding strained, "I'm okay. Really." She had just now begun to notice the dull throbbing in her shoulder, but she had enough sense to not show the pain in front of them.
So the boys argued and Ginny managed to get them not to call the prefects, or McGonagall and Ginny managed to get them to forget about someone guarding her as long as they were allowed to tell her friends what had happened and to watch her when they could. She tried to get them out of her room, out of her life as quickly as possibly, finally laughing and joking with them to show that she was fine, no matter that her shoulder seemed to be on fire. She allowed them to get Adara, who seemed to be coming up to check on Ginny for whatever reason and stay with her, asking and prodding into what had happened. She told her she was fine, smiled and talked about their studies for a bit.
And Ginny grinned through the pain.
***
Ginny crept out of bed, careful that her feet made no sound. If her dorm mates found her out of bed, they'd force her back into it, covering her with her duvet and telling her to sleep. That she needed her rest to get over whatever she freaked out about earlier.
But she didn't want to. She knew why she had freaked out. It was because of that bitch, Maeve. Ginny couldn't like her, couldn't even begin to like her. She completely and utterly hated, despised the sight of that goddess.
Her shoulder throbbed painfully, reminding her of what Maeve had done. She was lucky Harry and Ron and Hermione had woken her up then. She knew what Maeve would have done had no one heard Ginny.
Ginny would have been dead. Right now.
Pausing in the hallway, bathe in pale blue moonlight, Ginny now had the first chance to look at her shoulder. Since she had woken up screaming bloody murder, no one had left her alone until they were sure she was finally asleep. Christ, she hadn't even got supper yet.
Rolling back the sleeve of her over sized T-shirt, Ginny gasped slightly. There was no mark there. She would have thought something that hurt so much and had seemed so real would have left some sort of mark. Something. Anything to prove that the throbbing she felt in her shoulder was real; that it wasn't her imagination.
Was she going mad? Was this all in her head? But no! Maeve existed. She had to! And Taranis! She wasn't just seeing things. Draco was seeing them too. They weren't mad; they couldn't be.
Ginny sighed and leaned up against the wall. She didn't know what she was going to do. The pain was getting worse with every hour, doubling in intensity. She would need some sort of painkiller before long.
But first, she needed food.
Trudging down the stairs, Ginny wished she had brought along something to keep her warm. It was nearing spring, but it was still cool at night and her boxer shorts and oversized T-shirt weren't doing much to ward off the cold. However, no one was going to see her, so she didn't have to worry about appearances.
Walking down the hall, she rubbed her shoulder. What could she do? Maybe she could ask Hermione for some sort of pain-dulling potion. She could trust Hermione, she knew. But on the off chance, what if Hermione told Ron? She couldn't risk that. Ron would baby her all bloody term.
The hall was dark, so Ginny didn't see the hand that reached out as it grabbed her shoulder. The shoulder that hurt. Ginny hissed, expecting the pain to course through her body at the touch of the hand. But it didn't. And Ginny fell almost backwards as she was jerked from behind. Turning around, she saw Draco.
There was something wrong. She could tell right away. Something had happened to him. But what, she didn't know.
He stood there, unattached, as though he wasn't there at all. As though he hadn't ever been there. He stared at her with the same eyes that she had last seen looking at her with desire. Desire for... Maeve? Ginny's gut tightened at the unexpected stab of jealousy. She wouldn't let that get to her. She couldn't.
But now those eyes held nothing. They were empty--as though they had always had that soulless look to them. She didn't know what to do, so she shifted weight, suddenly uncomfortable standing her with Draco.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice a bit more sharper than she intended.
"Nothing happened, Virginia," Draco shot back, the words becoming growls.
"Something happened. I can tell, Draco," Ginny observed, her tone dull and flat. How did one go about trying to get Draco Malfoy to tell them what was the matter when he was so obviously independent?
"Nothing is wrong, dammit! You should learn to stay out of other peoples business, Virginia," he whispered hotly. His face looked wane but fierce from the candles in the hall and they flicked slightly, as though someone had walked by. It was dark, but from the soft glow, Ginny looked up at him, eyes calculating.
"And I prove my point." She crossed her arms, and glared at him. "Listen, I'm hungry. I'm in my pyjamas. If you're not going to tell me, I'm going to go get food."
Draco said something but all Ginny heard was some mumbling. "Excuse me?" she asked, leaning in.
"I said," Draco bit out, "I'll come down with you."
"Oh." Ginny stared at Draco, slowly blinking. "Didn't you have dinner?"
"No." He looked down at her, as if daring to ask why. "And what about you? Didn't you?"
"No." Ginny pushed some hair behind her ear, slapping her naked foot on the stone. She felt... nervous. And she shouldn't. Dammit, it was only a Malfoy, she told herself.
"And why not?" Draco said, crossing his arms. It looked like he was trying to be brave about something; Ginny didn't know what.
"None of your business!" Ginny growled. "It's personal." She paused. "I supposed I shouldn’t ask why you didn't get yours?"
"No," Draco spat, as started walking in the direction Ginny had originally been going, so Ginny had to turn around quickly and follow him.
Ginny ran to catch up to him, and when she did they fell into silence. It wasn't an awkward or companionable silence, but a heated silence.
Finally, just as they were about to reach the kitchen, Ginny realised that her shoulder hadn't hurt when Draco had touched it. Ginny reached out and grabbed his left arm, about to ask him about it when he hissed dangerously.
Violently, he grabbed his arm back, holding it to himself. He glared at her, as though telling her never to do that again.
"Don't," he hissed. "Don't you dare touch me, Virginia Weasley!"
Ginny blinked for a moment, surprised. "Excuse me?" she asked, glaring back at him. "How the bloody fuck can you say that when you were the one who kissed me last night?!"
"That was a mistake," Draco said. "A slip up. It shouldn't have happened."
Ginny let out the breath she had been holding through her nose. Looking up at him, she said deadly quiet, "You made the mistake. I reacted. I can touch you if I want." She grabbed his arm again.
"No, you can't!" Draco said, trying to pull his arm out of her grip. But she was ready and she yanked him forward, causing him to stumble on a broken stone. He fell towards her, on her and they both hit the wall behind Ginny, their breaths knocked out of them. Ginny winced at the pain in her rib again. I really need this fixed, she thought, withholding the pain there, blocking it out.
Ginny looked at him from under her lashes and Draco stilled, as he looked down upon her. She looked so... ruffled, he thought. The way her hair was messed up, her eyes dark in the night, her thin boxer shorts, showing off far too much leg than necessary. And especially the way their bodies were pressed so close together, Draco could almost feel her erratic heartbeat through his skin.
Her mouth parted slightly, as though she knew what was going to happen, and a hand clutched at his white shirt.
It's a mistake, something echoed in the back of his head. He ignored it, instead concentrating on how she was looking at him. Like he was the only thing in the world. Like the world was falling apart and she could only hold onto him. Groaning to himself, he crushed his mouth to hers, his arms going around her shoulders so he could hold her closer. She made a small whimper at the back of her throat as she opened her mouth for him, letting his take full control of her. She surrendered herself to him in one instant.
Her hands ran up, to tighten around his neck, pulling him down on her. His hands ran down her back, cupping her rear, bringing her closer to him. They crushed themselves to each other, the flimsy material of Ginny's clothes proving to be a huge problem for each. She could feel his hands wherever they travelled, hot and possessive. He could feel her curves, her skin, so close, yet cut off by a shirt.
Growling deep in his throat, he yanked at the shirt, one hand creeping under its material, travelling up her stomach. Draco broke the kiss, panting, before finding her pulse point on her neck, licking it, feeling the wild beating of it. He nibbled and licked on her neck, leaving his mark for the entire world. He wanted them to know that she was his. Ginny groaned and shivered, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back. He stopped kissing her neck to lick her bruised lips, which were already beginning to swell slightly. With one hand behind her head, he crushed her to the wall, a thigh in between her two small thighs. She could feel him, hot and wanting. He kissed her hard, letting all the frustrations of the past twenty-four hours guide him.
His hand travelled further up, up and Ginny cried out when he brushed over her nipple. She wanted him so bad. But what would happen if she gave in...? Her mind raced through the possibilities and she knew it could never happen.
Breaking his kiss, she panted, "Draco, Draco, stop."
He looked at her, his eyes dark and dilated with desire. "We can't," Ginny said, looking at him. "It's wrong."
Cursing, Draco took a steadying breath. "You're right," he said, looking at her. She looked like she had just made love. Her face was flushed, her lips bruised and battered and she looked deliciously abandoned. He wanted her more than ever this very instant.
Ginny smiled under his gaze, unable to help it. Dropping her eyes, she saw his hand, his left hand on her waist. Taking it gently in her small hands, she looked at him, as if for some sort of approval. Seeing it there, whether he would admit it or not, Ginny's fingers travelled up to the sleeve.
Slowly, as though not to frighten him for some reason, she gently rolled the sleeve back, an inch at a time. One fold, two folds, three.
And there, after the fourth fold was done, the Dark Mark of Lord Voldemort was discovered on the paleness of Draco Malfoy's arm.
***
Author's Note #2: And that's where this chapter ends. I have a couple character pictures if you want. Maeve ( http://firesprites_junk.tripod.com/maeve.jpg ) and my version of Glasses!Draco ( http://firesprites_junk.tripod.com/draco.jpg ) Thanks to Brianna for the sudden beta, I loff muchly her for that.
And, I would like to announce that Brianna (MochaButterfly) and I have started our very own group, which can be found here ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firespriteandmochabutterfly/ ). It's for all our 'fics and the story Bri and I are working on, which is Desired Life. [Can also be found on ff.net and Schnoogle.com]
And my chapter-ly plug goes right here: If you'd like to get an email when I update my stories instead of losing track of them, just go here ( http://firesprite_fanfic.tripod.com/notify.html ) and sign up! I am now going to send out cookies and ETA's for each new chapter to my list, so if you'd like a sneak peak, make sure to sign up. I will email you if you ask, but I'd rather you just joined this; it would make everything easier on me.
This chapter has now ended.
And don't forget, reviews are very nice. ;)
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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.
