This is the latest in the musings of my mind. As I sat watching the soap opera Pura Sangre, it occurred to me that some of the ideas could be twisted around to fit my purposes and this is what resulted. Befittingly, Pura Sangre means Pure Blood which I don't need to explain associates greatly with J.K.'s world.
Disclaimer: This story is inspired by the Colombian soap opera "Pura Sangre" by Tania Cardenas, Mauricio Navas, Guillermo Restrepo and Conchita Ruiz. Also Harry Potter and any of its characters do not belong to me but to the wonderful J.K.R.
Enjoy.
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Pura Sangre
Chapter 1
Rated M (just to be safe)
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"Do you see it?"
Stormy gray eyes squinted to get a better look at what was being pointed out to him. He twisted his head sideways and still no luck.
"No, I don't see it." He frowned in the general direction of where he was supposed to be looking.
An exasperated sigh escaped the figure crouched next to him. He hated that sound. It made him feel as intelligent as an ant.
Small hands suddenly grabbed both sides of his head, turning it until he could finally spot the small cocoon dangling from the small green plant in front of them.
"Do you see it now?" she asked again, clearly about to lose her nonexistent patience.
"Yes, I see it!" He growled, annoyed at her tone. "What of it?" He huffed, refusing to show any interest since she was being so rude.
"That's a chrysalis, also known as a cocoon, and it's where butterflies come from." She lectured, glad to be the one to shed some light on this most important of subjects. "The butterfly goes through three changes before it gets to that point. It is first an egg, then a caterpillar, followed by a pupa which is protected by the chrysalis we are seeing now, and finally the adult butterfly that we see fluttering all around us." She finished with a bright smile and a sweeping gesture of her hand to their surroundings.
She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to give his approval and awe at her vast knowledge.
A snort greeted her efforts, followed quickly by loud guffaws as he fell back on his bottom at the force of his amusement.
She stood up with her arms crossed defensively across her chest as she glared at the blond boy practically sprawled at her feet.
"What's so funny!?" She whined when she couldn't take it anymore.
"You sound like a bloody book!" He sniggered at her, finally starting to calm down and wiping tears from the corner of his eyes.
"So what!? I read it in a book so of course I'm going to sound like one!" She defended herself but was unable to hide the hurt his words caused.
He sobered up as he glanced up at her, noting the way her shoulders sagged miserably at his response, her head turned away from him completely. He picked himself up from the ground slowly, wiping his hands on the back of his pants before making his way closer to her hunched form.
He watched her carefully, hoping she would turn back to him without him having to do what he knew he had to do. He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes in frustration. Girls!
"I'm sorry… alright?" He ground out through clenched teeth. In his long list of unpleasant things that he'd rather not have to do… ever… was apologizing.
Her head quirked slightly towards him, letting him know she was about to forgive him but he knew he had a little bit more groveling left to do.
"I'm… sorry that I reacted like that and…" he trailed off at a loss for what else to say.
"And…" she repeated turning fully towards him, warm brown eyes gazing hopefully up at him.
"And… I should be more grateful that you are so helpfully sharing your great wisdom with me." He smirked down at her, not being able to stop from pulling her leg a little bit more.
She pouted prettily while giving him a measuring look, trying to gauge the sincerity behind his words. She finally seemed to reach a decision as she nodded her head once to let him know she accepted his honest, albeit snarky, apology.
"You should be grateful… I'm only trying to answer the question you had the other day about the butterflies… I spent a whole afternoon looking them up on the internet just for you!" She stomped her foot on the ground for emphasis as she glared up at him.
He frowned at the unfamiliar word but quickly fought back the urge to ask her what an internet was, knowing fully well that asking her would be putting him on very thin ice. He decided to just file it away in the back of his mind like he'd done a dozen other things she'd mentioned and instead decided to focus on an earlier statement she'd made.
"I thought you said you read it in a book?" He asked, letting some of the confusion he was feeling seep through and hoping he hadn't just made a mistake in asking since he was simply assuming that an internet and a book were two different things.
"I did… I read it in an encyclopedia on the internet." She clarified, as if that explained everything.
Now he really wanted to know what an internet was but refrained from asking and instead decided to drop the subject altogether. There really wasn't much he could do to satisfy his curiosity with this.
He glanced up to the sky, noticing the reds and yellows that signified the setting of the sun. He needed to be getting back before his father realized he was gone.
She seemed to pick up on his preoccupation and glanced up as well. She smiled wistfully as she turned her eyes back down to him.
"You know… it has occurred to me that I don't even know your name." She whispered shyly.
His eyes snapped down to hers, startled at the statement. He knew this would happen eventually and had been dreading it. He had hoped they could finish their summer and never have to touch upon this subject.
He had been characteristically sneaky in avoiding talking about this, but if there was one thing he'd learned about his unlikely friend was that she was inquisitive and perceptive to a fault. Not to mention highly intelligent… anyone with half a brain could appreciate that about her.
Since the beginning of his summer holidays he had been coming down to this meadow. He would run through the tall grass and climb the trees, amusing himself with the startled squawks from the local fauna. He would travel the little known pathway to the clearing at the bottom of the small hill and the lake surrounded by the tall trees and large rocks where he would rest after a long swim.
It was on one of those days that he had come across her.
She had sat reclining against one of the trees facing the water, a book propped between her crossed legs as she gazed thoughtfully in front of her.
Curious as always he had studied her from a safe distance, debating whether or not to approach her. Truth was he was bored out of his mind.
There weren't very many things for an eight year old boy to do in a stuffy old mansion with naught but boring adults and even more boring parties to keep him company. He was more than tempted to stroll over to her and start a conversation but one glaring fact about the girl sitting in front of him kept him rooted to the spot.
She was a muggle.
He knew by her demeanor, her clothing, the odd things plugged into her ears.
Not to mention that he knew just about all of the children of consequence that made up the Wizarding World's elite youth and this girl was not one of them.
His father would string him up by his toes if he even suspected that his one and only son were considering associating with one.
But instead of making him turn around and run back home the thought of talking to one of them was too much to refuse. Even her odd clothing had him taking a step forward before he could stop himself.
He'd never been this close to one of them before. Even when out and about with his parents, his father always made sure to cut a wide berth around them even going so far as taking longer ways to his destination just so that they wouldn't come into contact with them.
In the end the decision had been taken from him when she had suddenly snapped her eyes in his direction. Some movement on his part must have alerted her to his presence and she had glanced his way with surprise, a wide smile lighting her face.
"Hello." She had said timidly, hesitation evident as she turned towards him.
He had been caught red handed by her and had nothing else to say but "hello" back.
He had walked uncertainly towards her and had sat about three feet away from her for the rest of their time together that afternoon and for about a whole week after that before he was confident enough that she wouldn't sprout a second head and tear him to pieces.
Progress was slow where he was concerned and if she found it odd, she never mentioned it. He would jump at any sudden movements and she would frown confusedly at him before shaking her head dismissively.
They would sit in silence for long periods of time, she reading and him looking at her. She would fidget self-consciously and break the silence with short spurts of conversation which eventually turned into the easy banter they shared now.
An uneasy friendship had started between them until they had run and swam together through their summer. But every time the dreaded question of who he was sprang up he would find a way to wriggle out of it. Until now.
He racked his brain for a feasible excuse, something she would believe without too much fuss, before settling on telling her the half truth he had been cooking up just for such an eventuality.
"I can't say…" was his eloquent reply. There really wasn't much else he could say to her about the subject. He was a Pureblooded Wizard. Just being in her presence could be construed as madness. Just breathing the same air as him could cost her dearly.
The nature of what he was in itself contradicted everything they had become to each other. He had never been meant to ever meet a muggle, let alone befriend one, and he was afraid.
He was afraid of what his name on her lips could mean for her. His was not a common name. If heard by mistake by the wrong sort she could be taken never to be seen again.
Even at the tender age of eight he was aware that there were things he should fear. Things that were beyond even the power of his father and that could be punished in the most painful of ways.
He did not wish any of these things on this muggle.
Although it also meant he would never know her by name either, the consequences outweighed the reward.
He also didn't want to lie to her.
It would be easy to give her some fake name and never think of it again but…. he liked her. He truly, genuinely liked her and he didn't want to mar his memories of her with this. He had already shared so much with her, gotten to know her so well, that he felt like he couldn't do it.
"What do you mean you can't say?" She was slightly puzzled. That was a weird reply to such an innocent question but upon further thought it wasn't far beyond the scope of things where this boy was concerned.
He came and went like a ghost, one moment here and the next gone. She never knew when and if he would show up and when he did it was always a process to get him to relax around her.
She knew all about boys and cooties but she had never experienced such an extreme case before which naturally led her to believe that there had to be more to what he wasn't saying.
It was just that she wanted to put a name to the face, to know what to call her friend when they were both gone. She didn't have very many friends back at home so any one that she made she cherished like the most valuable treasure.
Also, her mother and father were starting to give her weird looks whenever she mentioned 'the boy' from the lake and it didn't take a genius to deduce that they were starting to wonder if she had finally gone bonkers.
"My… my family…" he started, unsure of what to say, of how to continue.
"What about your family?" She asked when it seemed that was as far as he was going to go.
He swallowed the knot in his throat, gauging how far he was willing to go on the path to enlightening her. He looked into her eyes, taking notice of every nuance in her face… the pert nose, the flushed cheeks, the unsmiling lips and the utterly accepting gaze trained on him.
He raked a hand through his hair, something she had learned meant he was exasperated with her, and let the hand trail back to cover his face.
He looked at her through the gap between his fingers before letting it drop back down and taking a deep breath.
"My family would not approve of my association with you." There. He had said it.
He felt awful at the admission and the look on her face did not make it any better. He could tell the moment the statement registered completely in her mind. Her face became strained and her eyes narrowed slightly with hurt, her lower lip trembled.
"I'm sorry." This time it came easily to his lips, there really was nothing else he could say.
She tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, her fingers trailing to twirl around the end of one of her braids. She was at a loss for words, not something that happened to her very often.
"Why?" She finally managed to croak out; she simply had to know what unspeakable crime she had committed not to be worthy of this boy's friendship.
"I come from a very old, very traditional family and as such there are certain things… certain behaviors that are expected of me." He looked at the ground, unwilling to meet her gaze any longer.
"Very old and traditional…you mean like rich?" She finally asked after a pause.
"Ah… yes…" he really didn't want to say anymore and hoped that she would draw her own conclusions with her overactive imagination and she truly did not disappoint.
"Oh! I see!" She finally exclaimed, her face brightening up at whatever conclusion she had arrived at.
"You… do?" He asked, curious as to what she cooked up in her mind to explain things away.
"Of course! Why didn't you say so before! An old, rich and traditional family probably wouldn't want their son to get involved with commoners… I get it! You must be one of those titled lords I've read about in the magazines!" She was giddy with this knowledge and some things were starting to make sense in her mind.
Like the way he talked for instance… sometimes he sounded like he came from another time. And the clothing he wore was obviously of very high quality and extremely uncomfortable looking not to mention completely inappropriate for running through the woods.
"Yes, that's right!" He replied, his mood also improved at her reasoning. It wasn't that far from the actual truth and it helped explain away so much about some of his behaviors that he was surprised that he hadn't thought about it himself. He supposed he was the equivalent of a titled lord in the Wizarding community. His family was rich and powerful and very influential… it truly wasn't so farfetched at all.
"Though I should mention that we are far beyond the dark ages, you know? The times when you weren't allowed to address someone just because of their lineage are long past." She finished with conviction, looking to him for confirmation.
"Yes, but there are also some things that are far beyond what you and me can do… and this is one of them. I don't make the rules. I'm not allowed to associate with you and as such I don't think I should tell you my name. I don't want you slipping and telling it to someone… even if just by mistake." He said sternly. It was imperative that she understood the seriousness of the situation. He would not budge on this.
"What could one name do? It's not like we have the same friends or go to the same schools. You could tell me your name, your first name, and I would never know who you are in truth." She tried to persuade him. It really was very silly for him to refuse to tell him at least one of his names; his family would never find out… there was no way for them to.
She smiled winningly at him, willing him to change his mind with her eyes.
"No and that's final." He crossed his arms stubbornly. She wasn't going to sway him to her way of thinking this time.
"Oh fine!" she let out, throwing her arms up. She knew that stance, having experienced it quite a few times during their time together. He really wasn't going to be telling her anything tonight. "But let's at least come up with a name for you… and for me."
"For you? I don't see why…." He began, baffled at her proposition.
"Because if you're not telling me yours then I'm not telling you mine!" She interrupted with a huff at his audacity.
"Alright… how should we do this then?" he was amused at her antics and a little vexed, he had really wanted to know her name, but there wasn't much he could do about it… it was only fair.
"How about we each think of a name that represents us or our name and we use that to identify each other." She supplied helpfully, already running a handful of names through her mind. "Perhaps if we are clever enough we can decipher what our names mean and figure out what our real names are!" She finished excitedly, looking forward to what he would put forth.
"Alright… in that case, I think I already have a name in mind." He was smug about what he'd come up with because even if she came up with the right answer she wouldn't believe that she had figured out his name.
"Me too!" She thought about how clever she was being about this one… there was no way he would ever figure it out. "You first."
"Call me Thuban." He grinned, very impressed at his wittiness.
"Thuban? Isn't that the name of a star or something?" She asked smartly, she would have to read up on her astronomy it seemed.
He was taken aback at how quickly she narrowed her search. He was in trouble if this is what he had to go by. Instead of giving her a definite answer he shrugged his shoulders, hoping she wouldn't keep pressing the issue.
"That's okay if you won't answer me, I'll figure it out eventually… In the meantime, you may call me Bianca." She smirked knowingly; he was going to have to search far and wide in order to find the connection between Bianca and her real name.
She chuckled at the blank look he gave her and shrugged her shoulders in a mockery of his earlier gesture.
"Well, then… it is very nice to meet you, Bianca." He whispered, knowing he had taken one step further from his teachings, from his very way of life.
"It's really nice to meet you too, Thuban."
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What do you guys think? A cookie for those of you that can figure out the meaning behind Hermione's name. Draco's should be easy enough; I already gave you a big hint. R & R is always a wonderful thing!