Chapter 2
A horse-drawn carriage came to pick her up at six o'clock sharp. It was an old-world-elegant gesture that was slightly charming. Draco stepped out of it to escort her from the large building. He was dressed rather formally and Trixie was glad of the filmy dress that swished stylishly at her knees. A strand of pearls accented the graceful lines of her neck and her honeyed hair was pulled into a high knot. Draco offered her his arm and a grin. She smiled thinly through the coral lipstick and looped her arm through his. As they approached the antsy horses, the pulled him gently over to them
They were a well-matched chestnut pair, and stamped their hooves angrily as Trixie laid a hand on first one animal's forehead and then the other. They calmed at her touch and Draco tried not to gawk as she thanked the beasts with a smooth formality.
"I like horses," she said by way of excuse as she allowed him to help her in.
The ride took less than five minutes, but it was more than enough time for Trixie to become nervous. She didn't see the scenery they passed, and settled for staring blankly at her reflection on the glass, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. She was going to dinner with a man who she had met the day before. And for no reason other than to piss off his father. It was perfectly sound logic, and had her heart pounding in anticipation.
Draco's own father came to open her door. It could have been no one else, since the resemblance was uncanny. The differences were minor; Lucius's hair hung to his shoulder blades and his eyes were blue instead of grey. Other than that, he and his son were only kept from being identical by the span of years.
She gave a shy curtsy when he'd helped her down.
"You've brought home a good, wholesome girl," he said in disgust.
Trixie reacted to the sneer and the condescending tone. "Even the most tempting rose has thorns. Just because you can't see mine doesn't mean they're absent."
He conceded the point by tilting his head and instructed Draco to take her into the sitting room. Once they were out of earshot, she tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. "Draco…is your father wearing a dress?"
At her innocent question, he got that distinct look of somebody who was just knocked over the head with a blunt object. "Um…not exactly. Don't worry about it," he said, noting her embarrassed look. "We are a rather odd family." They were in a beautiful parlor and he escorted her to a chair. "Just sit right here and I'll go track down my parents."
Trixie gave a shacked gasp. "That's never –"
"Don't be afraid!"
"Stop being such a ninny. I'm not afraid." She slipped off the chair and moved closer to the gigantic snake curled up on an area rug in front of the fireplace. The great creature lifted its head. "She's so beautiful," Trixie said in an awed whisper as she met the hooded gaze. "You really are, you know." She slowly reached her hand towards the snake, stopping a few short inches from her muzzle. She flicked out her tongue, its forked tip just brushing Trixie's palm. "Yes, you see I won't hurt you. Is it permissible to touch you?" Very very slowly, Trixie laid one pink-tipped hand on the snake's wide, warm back.
"How is it that you touch her and live?" The slightly nasal voice came from an aesthetically thin, tall woman with a darker shade of blond hair than her son and husband.
"I'm just good with snakes, Mrs. Malfoy," Trixie said after scrambling to her feet. "I'm sorry for being so presumptuous, but it's not everyday you see such a beautiful animal in a home."
"Don't be sorry," she said in a tone that indicated the exact opposite. "We are just watching her for our master. Her name is Nagini."
Trixie kept herself from laughing only with effort. Had these people no concept of free will? She guessed not. But then, what did it matter. She was here to be a disappointment to Draco's father. And, if his frown was any indication, she was succeeding admirably.
"Dinner is served," Lucius announced and Narcissa flounced out of the room. Draco's smile was slightly off as she rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at their retreating backs.
"Let's go," he said; not quite a response.
The dinner conversation was stilted and aggravating. The meal would have been delicious if the cook cared anything about cooking, which he or she obviously did not. Or maybe said cook simply did not like their employer. Towards the end of the meal Draco noticed his father becoming more and more agitated and Trixie pressing a hand to her left temple.
Finally she put down her fork, dabbed at her lips with an embroidered napkin, and looked Lucius in the eyes. "If you wanted to look into my mind, all you had to do was ask. You've been pretty subtle so far, I admit. But you were causing a good deal of pain towards the end, there. I never have liked having my mind read, you know. Something about being leeched from the inside sets my teeth on edge."
How do I know? she asked herself. I've never had anybody read my mind… She tried to think where the words had come from but encountered a blank.
"Alright then. I will ask your permission. May I poke around inside your mind?"
"No. No you may not."
"Are you scared of what I might find?"
Yes. "No. I just value my privacy"
"I've seen enough as it is," he said coldly before turning to his son. "She is a muggle."
"Yes."
"How dare you bring such filth into my house?"
He went on ranting, something about blood, preserving the race, disgracing the family.
Trixie heard none of it. Filth. Abomination. Freak. The cruel words stabbed her over and over, the voices of her father and Draco's mingling and blending into one venomous jeer. She wondered vaguely at why his father was grinning at him. And he was grinning back. She knew she was way out of her depth here, and was confused, hurt, and more than a little angry.
Then her eyes widened in horror. "I have to leave."
"You're not going anywhere,"
"You don't understand. I have to convince him that I'm alright."
"Who is he?"
"Move!" She followed up her command by shoving Lucius out of her way and flying to the front door.
She flung it open but before she could move Nagini hurtled out, crashing her huge body into that of the equally huge snake now on the Malfoys' front lawn. The snakes broke apart and circled one another. Trixie didn't scream as she stepped in between them; her heart was clogging her throat. "No." The snakes stopped moving and Bob raised himself carefully off the ground until she was looking into his eyes. "You shouldn't have come," she told him sharply.
Behind her Draco gaped and his father seethed. Narcissa didn't deign to leave the table.
"I was doing fine on my own…We are leaving. I promise we won't stay longer than another week…I've suffered worse at the hands of my father. You know that…Don't. She was only defending her family." She placed a kiss on top of Bob's head as he dropped back to earth.
The air seemed to crackle with electricity as she turned on Nagini. "You," she hissed. "You never threaten my friends. You can do what you like with me. Here," she said, shoving her forearm into the serpent's face, "bite me. Go ahead. I don't care. But if you ever harm a scale on my friend's body, I will personally slit your throat and watch your tainted blood seep into the earth."
Trixie had a brief thought that this snake was not like a normal animal. Her thoughts were organized with a malicious bent. Then all thought was eclipsed by a white-hot slice of pain as Nagini's fangs sank into Trixie's wrist. A small bone or two snapped under the immense pressure. Her knees gave out and she collapsed, her snake's body cushioned her fall. She recovered her wits quickly, tearing two strips off the edge of her dress and tying one tightly just above the elbow and the other just below. She'd always found the double tourniquet to be more effective with snake bites.
Bob's thick coils were supporting her back and she placed a hand on the deadly head. "You know what to do, don't you? Get to it, then, darling!"
Draco ran up just as Bob was wrapping his thick body around Trixie's. "Get away from that thing! We have to get you to a hospital!"
"This 'thing' is my friend and I doubt you could get me to a hospital fast eno –"Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain as Bob began to squeeze. Thick, greenish liquid began seeping from the holes as the pressure of Bob's body forced it out. "Damn that hurts! Draco, you're turning green. Could you leave before you puke?" He shook his head. "Fine. Then bring me some bandages, please. I do hate losing blood."
"Make him stop, then!" It was Lucius who'd spoken, and she noted grimly that he wasn't willing to risk coming too close to her while she was under the giant snake's protection.
Trixie glared, but it was ruined when she winced. "He has to force all the poison from the wound. He'll release when nothing but blood pours out."
"How can you be so sure?"
She shrugged; a difficult feat considering the heavy body wound around her own. "He's done this before."
A/N: Big thanks to ravenclawroyalty and Ollie May for their lovely reviews. I love you both oodles. If anybosy else is reading...I really do enjoy reviews, and I will typically read your stuff, too.
