Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait, my only excuse I'm afraid is sheer laziness. This is a descriptive chapter, so that the fun can really begin in chapter 3!
I have added another character to my faeries, mostly for a little variation on tree faeries. Her name is Lilanthe, and I didn't create her. MAJOR PLUG MOMENT!!! I have borrowed Lilanthe from a series called The Witches of Eileanan by an Australian author called Kate Forsyth. I have kept as true as possible to Lilanthe's back story and character, and if you love her as much as I do, I hope you will all go and hunt out these books. If you do find them, let me know, I would love to know what everyone thinks of them!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters. Lilanthe belongs to Kate Forsyth.
Dedicated to my cousin Adelle, who got me off my ass and made me write this for her! A printed copy of this chapter awaits her!!!
The Forest of Faeries
Chapter 2
"The Chastity Tree"
Harry's POV
I know I shouldn't like him as much as I do. We may look the same age physically, but in reality I am nearly four hundred years older than him. I have seen things that he can only read about in history books; things that happened centuries before his birth and I will see more long after his death.
This is part of the reason that dryads don't usually stick to one partner. We are flighty by nature; most of us love to sing and dance and sleep around to our hearts content. I love the singing and dancing part, but am yet to find anyone who takes my fancy. I'm to close to the dryads around here to want to sleep with them.
Dryads who love humans don't survive. Those of us who sleep humans usually do it because they can, not because they fell in love.
Not many dryads, or naiads for that matter, have a long lasting mate. Most females probably couldn't tell you who fathered each of their children, and in our world, that works just fine, since the faery folk are pretty indiscriminate any way. Men, women, it doesn't matter. All that does matter is the pleasure to be had.
The Weasley's are a rare exception, to have so many children in one relationship. My parents were another. They just didn't live long enough to have more children. It is rare that a dryad will find their philedonos, a 'life mate' I suppose you could call it. Most never find theirs. I hope I do.
A dryad doesn't mature until its one hundred years old, and only then can it find its first mate. A young dryad lives in its mother's tree until it reaches one hundred, and then it is allowed to choose its own tree. The Weasley's all chose the same type of trees as their parents, which isn't unusual, but I chose a Hawthorn tree.
There's a certain irony about being the dryad of a Hawthorne tree. The Hawthorn tree represents chastity, which is funny when you think about the nature of dryads. Humans use the bark and leaves from my tree in wedding ceremonies and may poles… and there lies the irony. The Hawthorn tree, for chastity and fertility. What a laugh.
So far, I've lived up to my tree's symbolism. At least, half of it any way. But I don't intend to stay that way, not by a long shot. I just haven't found the right person to fulfil the second part with yet.
Which brings me back to Draco Malfoy. The first time he came to the glade I had been singing with the naiads, and he took me by surprise. I heard my three friends dive under the water, Neville calling a low warning to me as he vanished into the lake. I bolted out of the clearing and towards my tree. I heard Draco cry out to us, but I kept running for all I was worth. Strictly speaking the humans aren't supposed to know we're here. As far as they're concerned, we're mythical creatures; humans are supposed to believe in us based on minimal proof. Only the Malfoy family was supposed to really know we exist. I had no idea he was a Malfoy at the time.
When I reached my tree, I climbed deep into its branches rather than merging with the tree like I usually would. I clung to the branches, my heart still pounding as I tried to calm down. My tree quivered questioningly, wanting to know if I was all right. I stroked the leaves gently, reassuring my tree that everything was fine. By now, it seemed that everyone in the forest knew the human was here. "Harry?" a voice called to me. I peered out and saw Hermione, a Silver Birch dryad, and Lilanthe, a tree-shifter that lived not far from me.
"Yes?" I asked, sounding calmer than I felt.
"There's a human hanging around here somewhere." Lilanthe sounded concerned.
"Yes, I know." I replied wryly. "He showed up in the glade while I was visiting the naiads."
Hermione gasped. "Oh Harry!" she exclaimed.
I sighed. "Everyone's fine Hermione." I told her. "We took off before he got too close."
"Well, that's a relief." Lilanthe sighed, shaking her floor length leafy green hair (and I mean literally leafy and green) out from under her hard knobbly feet. "Albus and Minerva are still trying to find out who he is."
"So lay low for a while." Hermione told me sternly, and I nodded with a smile. She rolled her eyes at me, knowing full well that it wouldn't happen. Nevertheless, we stuck together for the next few hours, just in case the intruder meant to harm us. It was near dawn when my best friend Ron and his older twin brothers came to collect Hermione and walk her back to her tree safely. Lilanthe decided to spread her roots next to me for the night. I smiled at her, knowing that she wanted to keep an eye on me.
Lilanthe was like that; always looking after everyone as best she could, yet never expecting anyone to take care of her. Lilanthe, as I mentioned earlier, is a tree-shifter. She is the daughter of a tree-changer woman and a human man. She was raised by both her parents until she was ten, until her mother's wandering nature kicked in. After that her father became abusive, locking his daughter in the basement, away from the earth that was part of her heritage. Eventually, Lilanthe escaped her father, and the oppressive town she lived in and came here. We've been friends ever since.
Lilanthe transforms into a Weeping Greenberry tree, and shifting every night into her tree keeps her from feeling sick and disorientated. After all, her magic is in her tree-self. I smiled as I fell asleep, knowing she was taking care of me. As I dozed off, my thoughts went to the blond boy. Lilanthe seemed to know, because the Greenberry's branches quivers, and brushed gently against my Hawthorn.
* * *
We knew he came back every night looking for us, but he didn't find us for weeks. Lilanthe was keeping an eye on him (no one finds Lilanthe if she doesn't want to be found).
I'm fairly certain Albus knew who he was weeks before he allowed Draco into the glade again. I guess he wanted to test him. Albus is a pain like that.
When I overcame my fear of him, I realised how gentle and kind Draco was. I knew instinctively that he wouldn't hurt us. He was in awe of out world, and I could see his fascination with my family, and the smaller inhabitants of the forest, like the nisses that dart around non-stop. My heart nearly stopped when he asked if he could see me again. I don't know what this feeling is, but whatever it is, I don't want it to end.
Normal POV
When Draco awoke the next morning, for a moment he wondered why he felt so happy and content. Then he remembered, Harry, Draco smiled, unable to believe that he had met someone that was as beautiful and sweet as Harry. He couldn't wait to go back and see him again that night.
His daydreaming was interrupted by Blaise Zabini entering his room. "Are you going to get up at all today?" his friend demanded. "It's past noon."
Draco groaned. "Can't you knock?" he asked snarkily.
Blaise grinned. "Nope!" he replied.
Draco sat up in bed. "Why are you up anyway?" be queried. "I thought you were out all night."
Blaise grimaced. "I was home pretty early." He admitted.
"What's this?" Draco gasped in mock surprise. "Blaise Zabini not out all night sleeping with whoever comes along?" he pretended to faint.
"Very funny." Blaise replied sourly.
"Seriously though," Draco said, "What's wrong?"
Blaise sighed. "I don't know. None of the boys in town really appealed to me. I just don't understand it."
Draco grinned to himself, but said nothing. Perhaps Blaise, who had always liked to play around, was finally ready to settle down. Not, it appeared, that he knew it yet.
Blaise changed the subject. "Where were you last night?" he asked. "It's not like you to be out so late. I stuck my head in the door to say goodnight, but you weren't here."
"I went for a walk." Draco told him smoothly. It was half the truth after all.
"Worried about the Parkinson girl?" Blaise asked kindly.
"Yes." Draco admitted. That was the truth at least. 'Now more than ever!' he thought.
"Dray, you and I both know that you have no intention of marrying the girl!" Blaise told him. "Chances are that she doesn't want to marry you either, so let her down easy and everything will be just fine. Now hurry up and get dressed, your father wants to see you."
'Everything will be just fine, will it?' Draco thought wryly. 'I hope so…'
Looking back, Draco would realise that he should've seen it coming.
"Why are we doing this again?" Draco groaned as the village stitch-witch pinned and tucked his new dress robes.
"Because your father told you to." Blaise reminded him with an impudent grin.
Draco grimaced as the stitch-witch waved her wand and the robes altered themselves.
This was the third pair that had been altered, and there were still three more pairs to go.
"Its times like this I hate being a Malfoy." He grumbled, and his friend chuckled. Obviously taking pity on him, the young stitch-witch made quick work of the last three sets of robes. "You're all done master Draco." she said cheerfully, wrapping the robes carefully. "I'll have them delivered to the manor by the end of the day."
"Thank you Sandrilene." Draco replied with a smile. She returned it and wished him luck with his fiancée.
As they walked through the village, Draco's eyes wandered idly, moving past the apothecary towards the jewellers. On impulse, Draco went over and looked into the window. Blaise followed curiously.
As Draco indifferently perused the window display, he stopped when he saw a piece that caught his eye. It was a delicate gold ring, shaped in the form of creeping rose vines, encrusted with tiny rubies for the roses and emeralds for the vines. It had a band of the thinnest gold, and was the most beautiful creation that Draco had ever seen.
Blaise watched, stunned, as Draco entered the jeweller's and purchased the ring on the spot. "Surely that can't be for the girl!" he demanded.
"No, it's not for her." Draco replied absently as the shop owner informed him of the ring's protective properties.
"Then why buy it?" Blaise asked in exasperation.
"No real reason…" Draco murmured before he changed the subject. He couldn't tell Blaise that the ring somehow reminded him of Harry.
* * *
That night at dinner, Lucius informed his son that his bride would be arriving the following week. "I expect that you will be ready for her arrival."
"Yes father." Draco replied, so gloomily that Severus chuckled and hugged the boy he considered his son. Draco smiled at his dad and hugged him back.
Lucius smiled too, but added. "Treat her with respect Draco, and everything will be fine."
"Yes father." Draco responded with the sinking feeling that the more people told him that 'everything will be fine' the more likely it was that it would blow up in his face.
* * *
Draco looked up from his book as Severus knocked and entered his room. "Hello Sev." Draco said with a smile. "What's up?"
Severus sat on the edge of Draco's bed. "Are you really okay with this?" he asked. "I love your father, but I can't understand why he insisted on seeing this marriage through, especially now that he knows of your preferences."
Draco smiled at his concerned step-father. "I'm okay with it." he said, closing his book. "Father's doing it out of respect for my mother, I think. At least, I think that's part of it. I also believe that the contract was pretty iron clad. I'm just glad that father was able to negotiate a refusal clause with her father."
Severus hugged him. "We'll support you, whatever decision you make."
Draco returned the hug, touched by the sentiment. "Thanks dad." He whispered, and Severus smiled. When they broke apart, Severus said. "I'm going to turn in. You?"
"No," Draco replied carefully. "I think I'll go for a walk."
Severus looked at him sideways. "You've been taking a lot of late night walks recently." He said slowly. "Anything we should know about?" he asked.
Draco shook his head. "Not at this point." He replied.
"Is there someone?" Severus queried.
Draco smiled faintly. "Maybe." He responded softly.
Meanwhile, Harry was also being quizzed about Draco. "What happened?" Hermione and Lilanthe demanded together.
"Nothing really." Harry said. "We talked. Got to know each other, you know."
"What's he like?" Lilanthe asked. "I missed all the excitement!"
"He's very kind," Harry replied thoughtfully. "And very sweet. I know he won't hurt us. Not on purpose, at least."
"He's nice." Hermione added. "Although I think he's going to clash with Ron more than once." Harry smiled fondly and nodded.
Lilanthe studied him carefully. "You like him! You really like him!" she said, smiling at him.
Harry blushed, but shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. "I wouldn't go that far Lils." He replied quickly.
Lilanthe was about to argue when a voice interrupted them. "Leave him be girls." Sirius told them with a smile of his own. They laughed and got to their feet, running gracefully into the trees. Harry stood to join Sirius. "He seemed like a decent kid." The older dryad said cheerfully.
"Yes." Harry agreed.
Sirius threw an arm around his godson's shoulders. "Its okay to like him Harry." He told him seriously. "Just don't forget that he is human, and there is very little to be done about that."
Harry sighed. It was impossible to forget Draco's humanity regardless of his new found feelings for the young noble. It was the only reason that Harry refused to look more closely at his feelings. It just wouldn't work between them.
Sirius watched the younger dryad out the corner of his eye. He could see the battle being waged between Harry's head, and his heart, and no matter how hard the boy fought against it, his heart was winning by a mile, Sirius realised.
"Is he coming back tonight?" the Ash dryad asked.
Harry nodded. "I think so." He answered.
Deciding the boy needed to think about something else for a while, he steered Harry towards his tree. "In that case, how about dinner at our house then?" he said. "If you think you stomach Remus's eating habits."
Harry laughed then. "Sounds good Siri. Let's go!" he replied, glad for the abrupt change in subject. He could worry about Draco Malfoy later.
"Going out again Draco?" Blaise asked him curiously.
"Yes." Draco replied. "Just going for a walk."
"Another one?" Blaise asked. "You've been doing that an awful lot lately. Where do you go?"
"Just around the gardens." Draco lied, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
Blaise narrowed his eyes at him. "No you don't." he said accusingly. "You're lying to me. I might not be able to pick the white lies, but I know when you're lying to me outright. Tell me the truth."
Draco shook his head. "I can't Blaise. I'm sorry." He said regretfully before disappearing out the door.
Blaise, annoyed by Draco's answer, waited a few moments before following his friend out. Looking around, he thought for a moment that he had lost the blond already, before he spotted Draco walking into the fringes of the forest. Blaise saw the other boy glance over his shoulder, and the dark skinned boy flattened himself against the manor wall to avoid detection. Peeking around the corner, he saw Draco vanish in to the forest.
Blaise contemplated following him, but decided against it. The forest gave him the creeps, and nothing was going to convince him otherwise!
And that, my friends, is the end of chapter 2! I know that not a lot happens in this chapter, mostly a lot of descriptive stuff, but its going to be fun from here on out, because Pansy arrives! Let the games begin!
If you like Lilanthe, please go and check out The Witches of Eileanan series by Kate Forsyth. She is a brilliant Australian author and this is one of the best series I have ever read!
Be seeing you soon!
