Disclaimer; THIS IS FAN FICTION RATED AS 'M'.

ADULT THEMES AND SOME MILD ADULT LANGUAGE.

Copyright;

Harry Potter and all related characters are the property of JK Rowling

This story alone, is my creation.

Chapter 3: The Messengers

"Nothing travels faster than light,
with the possible exception of bad news,
which follows its own rules."
Douglas Adams

Draco was sat on the couch as Blaise walked back into the cabin. Shaking snow from his shoulders, Blaise hung his coat on the hook and laid his wand on the table as he sat down in his chair. Draco saw how concerned his friend looked, they hadn't bothered obliviating the woman since the Esplanade. This would have been the first time in months that Blaise had to carry a woman back home and tell her how she got really drunk and fell asleep. Draco felt a little sorry for his forlorn friend, who had lost a bragger. He had to wipe the girls memory of the amazing, screaming orgasm she had and fill it with nothing, not even an image of the 'Bear', bare.

Pouring himself a firewhiskey, Blaise sat back and looked around the place they had called home for the last two months. The antiquated wood spoke volumes of its faked age and the dead animal heads on either wall made it look more like a hunting lodge for rich weirdos than a home for two young wizards. The half glass roof and wall brought light cascading into the room making it look even bigger than it was. The soft cover of snow was melting, Draco watched it run down the panes.

"Do you think they're here to stay with us?" Draco slung back his firewhiskey, he had been drinking since six when he got up, the thought that Theodore Nott had been where he had just been,

'My tongue's been in the same place as Nott's fucking cock. The bitch.' He felt sick.

"Well, why else would they come here? They must have missed the big boys." Blaise winked.

"Yeah, course." Was all Draco could think to say, he was sure there must be another reason for their visit. "Pansy was talking in her sleep last night."

"Was I?" Pansy was stood on the balcony, the silk night gown, borrowed from Draco's wardrobe, hung loosely around her and fluttered round her legs as she walked down the creaking wooden stairs. "I didn't know you'd stayed awake to listen to me." She said questioningly.

"Afternoon, Pansy." Blaise raised his glass as she walked past.

Raising an eyebrow at his half filled glass of firewhiskey she sat on the couch next to Draco. "You're starting early." She turned to Draco. "What's for breakfast round here?"

"There's Cheerios and milk." Draco didn't even look at her, he couldn't. It was too disturbing, he'd like the sex but to find out she'd been shagging Nott was too much, a real turn-off. "Well, Pansy, was saying something about He Who Is Fear?" Raising an eyebrow he looked to Pansy who seemed confused by the Cheerios idea.

"Morning all." Victoria walked out of the bedroom. The thin white robe and almost see-through. She walked over to Blaise and sat in his lap. "What we talking about?" She wrapped herself around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Morning. You were up early."

"I was just asking about.." Draco began but was interrupted by Pansy who had made her way to the kitchen and was pouring a bowl of Cheerios. "Yuk, they look like Ashwilder droppings."

"They're lovely, put some milk on them." Blaise shouted, almost deafening Victoria, who looked at him as if he'd gone mad.

"You put milk on Ashwilder droppings? Blaise that's vile." She pulled a face of disgusted.

"No, Frobisher. He's on about the Cheerios." Draco swallowed another mouthful of firewhiskey. "Now, who's this He Who Is Fear?" He turned to Frobisher, he really wished he hadn't, all he could see was Blaise's arm running into her robe at her crotch and the smile on her face. "Will you two, stop it?!"

"Sorry, mate." Blaise removed his hand and received a rather horrified look from Victoria. "Anyway, I was thinking, how do you girls fancy coming to the pub?" He hadn't been listening to Draco. "There's a lovely little tavern in town."

"That's all you think about, isn't it? Pansy had walked out of the kitchen with a few slices of dry bread. "Drinking."

"No." Blaise smiled and looked down Victoria. "I think of other things."

"Bloody hell." Victroria stood up and walked out into the kitchen. "I think I'll have a bowl of Cheerios. Where's the milk?"

"Fridge." Draco turned to Pansy. "So Pansy, if I have to ask again who's this 'He Who Is Fear' is, I think I'll end up punching something. Will you answer me?" He was almost speaking through gritted teeth, he just wanted to know who it was. 'I think I've heard that before.' Draco thought about it, but eh couldn't place it, if he had heard it he'd forgotten now.

"You honestly don't know?" Pansy bit down on a slice of bread. "I thought you were there?"

Victoria popped her head round the door and called over. "Pansy, would you like a cuppa?"

With her mouth full of half chewed bread Pansy nodded.

"Milk & sugar?" Glancing at Blaise she saw his eyes close and pain cross his face at the mention of the sucrose.

"Milk, no sugar, how any one can like that fucking stuff, I'll..." She turned slowly to see Blaise's face, eyes closed, pursed lips. She could see he was trying not to say anything. "Err, no thanks Frobisher." Pansy turned to Draco who was sat back, his expression was clear.. 'shut the fuck up'. "He really liked her didn't he?"

"I'm don't think so." Draco glanced at his friend as he stood up and walked out the door into the front garden. "I think he's just pissed with himself. He feel's guilty"

"Why? He didn't kill her, you're dad did it." Victoria handed a cup of steaming tea Pansy.

"Thanks Frobisher, I really didn't need to be reminded." Putting his glass down Draco followed Blaise out into the fresh snow.

Once the door had closed, the girls watched through the window as Draco trudged through the snow to his friend, who was now sat on a bench over looking the valley. They both wanted the same thing, just from different men. Pansy had realised how much she still cared for Draco, he may be an insufferable twat at times but he was the one for her, as much as anyone could be the one for her. Victoria watched Blaise, she didn't know what it was that kept his feelings locked in the past, she cared so much for him but she wasn't sure if could it ever be more than sex. That's all they'd had for longer than she cared to remember and she didn't know if either of them could break the habit of pushing the other away as soon as they started to get too close.

Draco sat on the bench next to Blaise. The cold wind picked lose snow from the ground and tossed it into spiral patterns in the air. The trees around them whistled as the wind whipped down the mountain side and flowed over the house, sweeping clouds of snow over the two friends. Blaise hadn't put his coat back on, so the cold had started to bite into his dark flesh.

"Stay there long enough, mate and we'll never find you." Smiling, he turned back the view of the town in the valley.

"I know I'm a little pale, but there's no need for that." Draco followed his gaze and looked down on the small town of Trieben, it's slate roofs and patchwork brick and wood buildings looked like something from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,' something one of the tourists had made them watch on the television and had since watch eight times since it's initial viewing. "Look, do you want to calm down? You know she's got a mouth."

"It's not her mouth that bothers me, it's what she means." Blaise looked down on the little town, the Tavern would just be opening. "Let's take the girls into town. They'd probably like the wander round." Blaise stood up.

"You still getting your allowance?" Draco knew they'd want to spend money, women always did.

"Yeah, I've put in the Gonet, why?" Blaise didn't really need to ask, but he thought it wise just to know what his friend was thinking.

"Well, I say we treat the girls to a nice day out in town, new clothes, dinner and maybe a show at The Old Yodellers?"

"Sounds incredibly corny to me, mate. But what else is there to do around here? Well, we could give them a couple of planks of wood to piss about on, I suppose." Blaise smirked and then slapped Draco on the back as they both walked off toward the house. "You do know that neither of them have probably been to a theatre before?"

Draco smiled. "They're in for a surprise." Laughing they made their way back to the house.

It was well after midnight when they returned to the cabin. Draco walking with Pansy, her arm round his waist, her new long green, fur lined coat clung tightly to her against the cold. Victoria was clung to Blaise, his warm body radiating heat into her. They had all enjoyed the show, it had been put on for the tourists. The meal had been well received but both women noticed the sly looks they were getting from the odd patron.

Draco had tried to explain what 'snowboarding' was to Pansy while Blaise told Victoria about the little pubs he had found in the back streets and how full of 'culture' they were.

"In other words, they're full of drunks and prostitutes."

Blaise really didn't have a come back to this, she was right. Now walking home through the snow, Pansy was complaining that her feet were cold and wanted to know why they couldn't aparate home? To which Draco explained that the last time they'd aparated from town someone had seen them and when the local police had come 'for a chat', they had to explain that it was magic trick, nothing special, just slight of hand by one while the other ran.

Neither woman was impressed when Blaise openly admitted to using magic in the bars. He wasn't having any of it, if they wanted to aparate from the street, they had no right to tell him he was wrong. The argument had continued for at least three miles until Draco gave up and told the other two to shut it. Which they didn't appreciate, but Blaise did.

Now they were sat in the large living area, with the fire blazing and glasses of firewhiskey all round. They were discussing the merits of the area and what was happening back in England.

"Well, that's why we're here." Victoria glanced at Pansy out of the corner of her eye, they had both been waiting for this.

"What do you mean?" Blaise drained his glass and poured another. "You came here to tell us what was going on back home?"

"Not exactly Blaise." Pansy cupped her glass in both hands. "We've been sent here to..."

"You've been sent?" Draco sounded hurt, they hadn't just come to see him and Blaise at all. "Who sent you?" Draco took a mouthful of firewhiskey back, savouring the taste.

"Harry."

Both Blaise and Draco gagged on their whiskey, had they heard that right?

"Potter, sent you?" Draco looked wide eyed at Pansy, what was she doing with Harry bloody Potter? "Why?"

"He wants you both to come back to England." Victoria was looking at Blaise, she wanted to be in his bed again. It was late, she wanted to talk about this tomorrow but they already lost a day. "You have to come back and fight."

"Fight?!" Blaise almost spat his firewhiskey out. "Fight for who? Against whom? Victoria, what's going on?"

Pansy and Victoria exchanged looks, this was why they were here but now it had come, neither of them wanted to say anything. The last twenty four hours had been wonderful, and they both knew it would all stop once they arrived in England, why couldn't they forget about home and make a new home here? Pansy remembered Theodore's body, he had done that and he couldn't get away with it. Victoria knew what she was thinking was wrong. 'Why don't I just let Oliver rot? I love him, but I'm not in-love with him.'

"Harry has called together the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbeldores Army along with anyone from our years at Hogwarts to fight." Pansy sounded so scared, she didn't want to go home, not to that.

"Against who?" Draco just wanted answers.

"Oh, He Who Is Fear." The sarcasm escaped no one.

"Who the fuck is that?" Blaise was amazed a war had started and no one had said anything, not even a letter. "Where did this He Who Is Fear come from?"

"It's my father." Draco looked at them, he could see the acknowledgement on the girls faces and the utter astonishment in Blaise's eyes. Draco had remembered earlier, He Who Is Fear was what Lucius had called himself on the last night in the house in Burnham. The night he knew his father was no longer his father. "But, I thought he had died."

"No, Draco, he lived." Pansy was surprised he didn't' know this, even a little. "He's been building a small army, he wants to finish the Dark Lords work. Draco..." She looked into his eyes. "Your father's gone mad."

Standing up, Draco walked toward the fire and drained the contents from his glass. "I know. He went mad when they sent him back to Azkaban, after the battle." Looking into the fire he could hear Lucius on that last night, the maniacal, monotone voice that spread through the room like black syrup. With out turning round he addressed them. "So what are we supposed to do about it?"

Victoria stood up and turned to him. "We need you to come home, we need you to join us."

"Join you?" Draco sounded more astonished than anything. "You want me to join you against my father?" Draco wasn't sure why he had just refered to Lucius as his father, 'He lots the right when he tried to kill me.' He looked between the two woman, there was something they weren't telling him.

"Look ladies." Blaise was refilling his glass. "I'm really glad you came here on behalf of Potter-the-wonder-moron, don't get me wrong, we're grateful we're not dead, but you have to remember, he was the one who asked us to leave the country. Why would we go back now to fight a battle that's not ours to fight?"

"A sense of loyalty, perhaps?" Pansy couldn't believe she was hearing this, her friends were dying at home and these two just wanted to sit here and do nothing. "Do you realise how many people have given their lives already?"

"Why do you care?" Draco looked at her, hard, he knew there was something.

"Why doesn't the ministry just stop him?" Blaise swilled the firewhiskey around in the glass.

"It's being kept hush-hush, no one knows what's going on." She knew how daft this sounded. "That's why it's been left up to the Order and the DA. Kingsley has given us the right to do what ever we have to as long as it does not become public knowledge."

"So, he's afraid of what'll happen if every one finds out there's a mad man on the loose?" Draco still didn't see why this should involve him. "Look, give me one good reason why I should come home and join Potter and his little Army?" He looked at Pansy, this wasn't like her. "Why the fuck have you joined them?"

"For you Draco." She really didn't want to say anymore but the look from Frobisher told her she may have to.

"You joined up with Potter for ME?" Draco almost dropped his glass, what the fuck was she saying? What was she hiding? "What the fuck's going on? You're hiding something Pansy Parkinson, what is it?"

"Draco..." What should she say? How should she say it?

Draco spun around and turned on Pansy, Blaise stood up to stop him. Victoria stepped in front of Pansy.

"Mate..." Blaise said.

"He's kidnapped your Mother from St.Mungos."

Author's Notes:

Well, the plot thickens, a bit like good gravy I hope (no lumps).

R&R please people. I can't write this without your support. Let me know if you think it's as good as the first 3 chapters as In The Dunes or not, what can be better, what is good?