An unnerving entry
On the outskirts of London there stood a mansion protected by numerous magical wards so that only wizards could witness the splendour of the area. Although the mansion was equipped with anything that a person could ever want or desire, it was the gardens that had the wizarding world in raptures. Gazebos, bridges, rivers and plants all shared their equal place in the gardens rarely visited. An adolescent boy of average height and build hesitantly walked inside the mansion.
The dark haired teenager's brown eyes covertly glanced around the room, with vigilance equal to his fear of being situated at the Malfoy Manor. He wore a simple chocolate coloured dress shirt with the first couple of buttons open, which matched the colour of his eyes. The tight, black dragon hide didn't fail to remind the manor's occupants of exactly why they had invited the innocent boy to the party. His hair had been cut into a fashionable cut and was gelled back, which looked far better than it usually, looked like. His black, leather shoes completed the outfit that his grandmother had required him to wear before forcing him to come to this party.
Sighing he recalled his grandmother visiting his greenhouse, his private sanctuary, with a letter within her slender fingers. His first thoughts had been that somehow his parents had been healed and were no longer in St Mungo's hospital, but the hesitant look on his guardian's face made him wonder if they had passed on. His heart had sunk, as his fingers grasped tightly onto the bench before him. It hadn't been his deepest fear, but it was close enough to it. The Slytherin purebloods, his enemies at Hogwarts, were holding a party and he had been invited as a fellow pureblood. Only purebloods had been invited apparently.
As much as he had resisted his Augusta Longbottom's wishes he had been forced to attend the party that would last for several weeks. Somehow he had a feeling that he would be the only person that sided with the light side of the war, and he could not believe that the one person he had to love him had willingly sent him to face his own personal hell. She had informed him that there was a pureblood oath that none should be harmed during one of the parties, and that they would be holding one the next holidays. That had only made him feel slightly safer; he was still going to be surrounded by people who despised him for several weeks.
As he walked down a hallway carrying a large suitcase, like it weighed nothing, a chirpy house elf apparated before his eyes. He wore dark, frayed grey clothing that were slightly too big for the creature with wrinkled, grey skin and pointed ears. The almost black eyes shone with excitement, as he bobbed up and down on the spot. Smiling kindly at the house elf he listened to the spiel. "Hi Master Neville. Masters wish me to take bags and show you to your room. Minx must show Master Neville to Masters Draco, Pansy, Millicent, Blaise, Vincent, Gregory, Ekkaia, and Altara. Master Neville follow Minx."
Neville slowly followed the dancing house elf, as he pranced up the hallway, up three levels of staircases until he was met with a floor with three rooms on it. He couldn't help but smile at the thought that at least there would be less people to threaten him on this floor. The Gryffindor just prayed that he wasn't on the same floor with Draco Malfoy. Despite the Slytherin Sex God being his most feared enemy, as well as Gryffindor's pet hate, he was also the man he was regrettably attracted to. He had pretended to be entranced by girls at Hogwarts, but his dreams were always filled with blonde hair tickling his face, pale blue eyes gazing into his own, and thin, pink, luscious lips ghosting over his own. It was like his body had been stunned and he was unable to escape the sweet torture that only an innocent, virginal mind could conjure.
Even then and there he could almost smell the sweet cologne that smelled purely of his regrettable crush. Blushing he despised his weakness in being unable to erase his thoughts and emotions that were undesirable and would always remain unrequited. No one at Hogwarts had been attracted to him for himself; they had used him as a stepping block to gain better things. It had been that summer, while his mind had little else to focus on other than dreams and the plants, that he had determined that he would no longer be trod over. He would stand up for himself and finally reveal the tentative courage the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had praised him for in his first year.
Interrupting his rampant thoughts Minx jumped and tapped him on the shoulder repeatedly. "Master Neville! Master Neville! Follow Minx now. Masters wish to see you."
What was left of his energy went towards not laughing openly at the unchecked antics of the house elf. What was most amusing though was the fact that Minx was from the uptight Malfoy family known for always being above standard. Grabbing the present for Draco Malfoy he hurried after the house elf barely managing to stay upright and move, as he twirled continuously. Chuckling softly he continued to appraise the environment around him for the danger that was surely awaiting him.
What was waiting for him shocked him more than he had expected. Draco Malfoy and his companions sat on the floor in a circle surrounded by eye-catching cushions and ornate rugs. At the sight of his last guest Draco grabbed the present from Neville's grasp, quickly placing it on the table beside the door, and grabbed Neville's hand. Blushing he allowed himself to be dragged to a spot beside the party boy and desperately tried not to notice the delicious sight before him.
Draco's long, blonde hair had been brushed back into a sophisticated ponytail emphasising the slim facial features and sparkling pale blue eyes that seemed to be full of mischievous knowledge of something that he was yet to know. He wore an unbuttoned silver shirt and tight, grey dragon hide pants that seemed to reflect the tints of both his hair and eyes. The taut chest was perfectly displayed and Neville wondered if everyone had noticed that he was unable to avert his gaze from the rippling muscles. His tall and slender physique was subconsciously displayed, although Neville couldn't help eying the long, slender fingers that one would associate with the finest musician.
Neville hesitantly sat down, as he questioned Draco. "Listen Draco why did you invite me here? Everyone knows that we don't exactly get along. What's going on?"
Of all the things that Neville had been expecting, amused laughter was the last of them. A hesitant voice entered the conversation. "I know that you asked Draco that question, but I think that I'm the best to explain it to you. Just know that you are safe here and I will swear a wizard's oath to not lie about this. Are you prepared to listen to me?"
Gazing into the pale blue eyes filled with a silent determination of the Hufflepuff Altara Burke, he couldn't see any signs of malice or dishonesty. Altara was the younger sister of Ekkaia, a renowned witch of power, strategy, knowledge, courage, and most of all an undying strength to uphold her chances for the gratification of her innermost desires. However Altara was nothing like her Slytherin sister in either looks or temperament, and this was the first time he had ever heard the quietly spoken girl speak. Somehow he knew that he could trust her, when he could trust no one else. She lacked the ability to harm anyone, and was well known for defending even the weakest by sacrificing herself with whatever it took. Her heart was both her biggest asset and her biggest weakness; yes he could trust her.
Allowing his gaze to survey her physique he couldn't help but admire the short, brown hair that shone in the slivers of sunlight peering through the windows. The pale, green dress held up by two thin straps showed a modest amount of cleavage and fair skin, and reached her knees. Her silky, smooth legs were on display, and almost stole the attention from the diamonds on her earrings and necklace. The outfit that Altara had chosen highlighted her short, slender frame filled with grace and poise. The young girl that was a year younger than the rest of the group had a beauty that she was yet to see or gain the confidence from, but a time would come and she would be a formidable part of the world.
Nodding he replied, "I may turn out to be a fool, but I can't help but trust you Altara. Swear an oath to me, and I will listen to what you have to say and believe you with all my being."
Smiling Altara gazed at her sister and Draco apologetically before withdrawing her wand, "I Altara Burke humbly swear a wizard's oath to tell Neville Longbottom nothing but the utmost truth or harvest the consequences of his choosing."
Smiling he waited for her to explain his presence at this party. Blushing the shy teenager began to speak. "You've been invited here not just because this is a pureblood's party, but you need to learn a few things about your ancestry and we want you to know the truth about us. On your birthday you will come into an inheritance of a vampire, and your grandmother and we wanted to help you through this. As you know vampires are considered to be evil in this world and even though you will only by a half-vampire you will witness this hatred. Not all Slytherins are evil, as public opinion states, but are actually fighting for equality for our races as well. We don't believe in Lord Voldemort or our family's beliefs and have refused to take the Death Mark until we have graduated, and hopefully by then we will have defeated him. While not agreeing to Lord Voldemort's standing that muggles need to be destroyed, we also do not agree with the actions of Dumbledore and the order of the Phoenix. We have formed a third group that seeks equality for all races, rather than one side overpowering the other unfairly. Although we do believe that pureblood wizards are better than the others. We want you to assist us Neville, for we need to bring down both Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort to truly bring peace to this world. Harry Potter is an innocent victim of propaganda, however he is unlikely to be swayed to our side, and we'd like you to befriend him further and learn what you can. I think Draco has a bit more to inform you, but I will leave that to him for when he is ready. It's a bit personal."
Altara sighed and turned to her sister, with worried eyes. "I did ok, didn't I Ekkaia? I hope I didn't let any of us down. What if I didn't say the right thing?"
Shaking her head affectionately Ekkaia gazed at her sister, while ruffling her hair gently. Despite being well known for being a tough person no one wanted to cross in the corridors, she had a soft spot for her sensitive sister. It was only for her sister that she would unveil what really lay under her mask, and the truth behind the façade. At heart Ekkaia was a kind, caring person, always protecting the weak against the strong. She hid this side of herself though because she did not want to be hurt and manipulated, however everyone knew that she would bear this if it meant protecting her sister. Everyone knew that to interfere with Altara was to infer Ekkaia's wrath, something even the most skilled student endeavoured to avoid.
Hardened blue eyes mingled with the black halter neck dress and knee-length, black, snakeskin boots formed the image of a warrior princess fighting for her family's honour. The muscles were evident in her tiny, thin physique and her short blonde hair was cut in a fashionable bob shone, as sunlight interlocked with some of the golden tresses. Her skin was as pale as Draco's and Neville couldn't help but wonder if they were distant relatives. A silver pendant, emblazoned with a dragon, hung around her neck just above the modest amount of cleavage revealed. Long, silver spirals hung from her ears framing her face, as she smiled a reassuring smile that was far from the usual calculating smirk. "Altara you know that you did well. You could never let us down; we all depend on you. You underestimate yourself. Never forget that you are a Burke. Mistakes are rare."
Neville's eyes widened to hear the soft trills coming from a person he had always seen to be a dragon hiding in the deceptively sweet and innocent appearance of the Slytherin. Maybe Altara had not been the only one guilty of underestimation, could what Altara said be true? Could these people really want equality for everyone? Altara would not lie to him, and that meant that he would become part vampire. This combined with this group defying the other Slytherins, their families and Lord Voldemort he would be able to consider dating the object of his infatuation. Equality sounded better than one side dominating over the other, equality meant that almost every creature and human would be satisfied with the results. The Gryffindor inside of him thought that equality was the best decision, and found it ironic that it was a group of Slytherins and one Hufflepuff that had shown him that.
Gazing into Altara's eyes once more he joined Ekkaia in assuring Altara of her worth and positive traits, while rambling. "Your sister is right. You did do a good job of explaining it to me, and I don't think anyone else could have done it better. As for joining you, I accept that the cause you have undertaken is the most just, however I am not sure that I can spy on Harry and prevent feeling innate guilt for betraying his trust. However I believe that I can get over that, after all the vampire traits will bring that side out from me won't it? I don't know much about vampires, other than the fact that they are supposed to be despised and banished from society. Do you have anything else that you could tell me about it? I think that we can make a good partnership. Is there an initiation process that I have to go through? And what exactly is this group called? Do we have a name and how are we going to be a visible entity in this world, but still keep our identities secret?"
Shaking his head at the rambling boy in beside him Draco couldn't help but be attracted to the bumbling adolescent, who was wise, just, loyal and brave. His aptitude in some subjects and protecting himself from attack were questionable but the undying spirit and unquestioning faith made him a better person than many others. Of course Draco didn't mind the inherent beauty and shyness of the boy, and wondered when he should inform Neville of the fact that they were soul mates. He would have to do it soon, but he wasn't sure whether Neville would be ready. Now was as good time as any though. There was one way that would stop the poor boy from making a fool of himself, and as an incentive it involved those plush, pink lips that seemed to be begging for attention.
Leaning over he quickly placed his lips over Neville's, licking the bottom lip and begging for a quick and thorough entrance. His heart was filled with a blissful happiness, as Neville opened his mouth, and his tongue seemed to search for Draco's. It was not the typical battle of tongues, but was more taking turns to submit to the other's exploration of the foreign cavern. Neville's eyes were closed in submission to dormant feelings that were undeniable, while Draco's were open taking in every aspect of the young man he had cherished since his birthday, when he had inherited his veela traits and learned the identity of his soul mate. Reluctantly pulling away for breath Draco watched Neville's cheeks quickly adopt a soft tinge of red that made him want to take the innocent boy into his arms and never let go. "Draco what's this supposed to mean?"
Smirking Draco replied, "I'm part veela. On my birthday I had a vision of who my soul mate is and needless to say it is you. I know that we haven't exactly been friends, but I would like to change that. That's another reason why we invited you here. I wanted to tell you about this and give you some time to get used to the idea. Perhaps you may even find it in your heart to forgive me for treating you so badly over the years."
Neville's eyes rose from the floor that had absorbed so much of his attention, as he wondered what he should do. The man of his dreams was saying that he wanted to be with him, and he wondered whether he should risk everything that he had gained in his six years at Hogwarts. Somehow he knew that coming into his inheritance he would stand to lose it all anyway, so why not take a chance on love. Why not fight for what he wanted and believed rather than stand beside others and mindlessly follow the crowd. The time had come for him to be the man that he wanted to be and take life by the reins and submit to whatever fate chose.
Giggling softly to himself he determined that it was time to be honest or forever regret his actions and wonder what could have been. "To be honest Draco I've always had a crush on you. I forgive you because now I understand what you really fought for and I want to fight alongside you. And it's not just because of my upcoming inheritance either. I want to be with you, I want to bond with you. I am yours if you will have me, but please don't hurt me or break my heart, I only have one."
Smiling softly, one foreign to the usual leer, he gently kissed Neville's nose and replied, "So you've always liked me hmm. When were you planning to do something about it? I love you and of course I won't purposely hurt you. You're mine, and we'll talk about this later ok."
Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode the two other Slytherin girls in the room cooed and made adoring sounds at the romantic scene playing right before their eyes. Pansy and Millicent wore matching strapless, pale green dresses that reached the knees, which suited the tall and slim stature of Pansy and the slender Millicent of an average height. Pansy played with a long, straight, strand of her brown hair, as brown eyes glimmered with emotion. She was happy for her best friend, he had finally found happiness in the arms of someone he loved and who loved him in return. Millicent, Pansy's second best friend watched the display and wondered if her boyfriend Vincent Crabbe would ever show the same passion for the short black-haired girl.
Vincent Crabbe eyed his girl over and wondered what precisely she found so attractive about two guys going at it and getting together. It was something he would never understand, but then again he was part incubus, meaning that he could only be attracted by the feminine sex. His bright, fiery orange-red eyes glistened with affection towards his mate Millicent, who allowed him to romp with other girls and occasionally joined them, just as he allowed her to frolic with other men and occasionally voyeur. His long, blonde hair complemented the well-fitting, bronze suit he wore. His slender physique and tall stature allowed him to appear charismatic, especially with muscles rippling throughout his body.
Gregory Goyle watched Pansy with jealousy, as the werewolf inside of him howled with demands that Pansy would only find his actions attractive. Draco and Neville were unworthy of his mate's affection, and he would have to speak with her later. Perhaps a bit of punishment would have to be in order, especially if he wanted her to truly learn her lesson. The dark-haired man with deep-set, dull, golden eyes wore a white short and leather pants that accentuated his tall, well-defined, immense stature. A small smile had appeared on his face, as thoughts of jealousy were abated with thoughts of Pansy being forced to fully submit to him. If he had Pansy however he wanted her, he supposed that he could accept the fact that most women seemed to find gay love adorable and romantic.
Blaise the final member of the group approved of anything that could possibly happen. He, like most of the gang had already gained his inheritance and was both excited and amused by the fact that he was a water sprite. As his inheritance got stronger with time, his quietly arrogant nature was increasingly becoming more volatile. Of all the members he was the most secretive and enjoyed being alone, however he was always prepared to associate and fight for the integrity and protection of the few he chose as friends.
His pale skin, black, short hair and electrifying blue eyes caused him to look possessed when he became angry, especially when he found himself beginning to transform into a creature that he had never seen before. Something always stopped his transformation and part of him felt empty without the power, causing him to spend endless hours searching for answers. Sadly smiling he gazed at the couple and wondered when he would find the person for him. Water sprites unlike other creatures did not receive visions of their soul mate upon inheritance, but were always found by another creature. The only thing he could do was wait for a creature to find him, and turn away any wizards without creature blood in the mean time.
Minx looked around the room trying to understand why the party was not as vibrant as he had expected. If these teenagers did not want to party to his expectations he would have to do something about that. Giggling he haphazardly bounced over to the stereo sitting on top of the bookshelves underneath the window. Loud, metal music was soon causing the room to shake, as he began to show the adolescents what dancing was really about. Swaying from side to side, while bopping his head he beckoned the others to join him. He hadn't expected them to look at him like he was a squib, but soon they would think that he was the dancing God.
The other occupants of the room looked at each other in horror, as they wondered what they should do about the wayward elf. Should they laugh at him, ignore him or join him. Neville leaned over and whispered into Draco's ear, "Come on let's join him. Talk is for later; action is for the present. Don't you want to hold me tight and sway to the music."
Draco bounced up onto his feet and dragged his newfound boyfriend over towards Minx, as they quickly found the right rhythm allowing them to press into each other wantonly. Millicent and Pansy gave begging eyes to their boys for a similar experience, which was something that they were quickly to accept. Blaise looked down at his feet, as Ekkaia and Altara nodded to each other before each grabbed one of his hands and dancing in a non-assuming circle.