Disclaimer: This story was 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. I've also used Wikipedia (not a very reliable source, I know, but it is the quickest!) in a lot of my research for this chapter.
Thank you for all of the kind reviews! They pushed me to have this chapter out this week instead of the next one. You guys have no idea just how much of a procrastinator I can be!
Enjoy.
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"Is something the matter, Draco?"
"No, of course not father." Draco had to force himself not to jump at the sound of his father's voice. It was becoming increasingly difficult to sit still and not glare at the grandfather clock. It was as if the thing was mocking him by going slower and slower every minute.
Lucius studied his son out of the corner of his eye. There was something obviously wrong with the boy. He was fidgeting in a way that Lucius thought had been corrected out of him and kept glancing at the clock every few minutes. Not to mention that he was looking as pale as a ghost and had not kept to his customary schedule.
He hadn't gone anywhere today which made Lucius wonder if Draco had realized his misgivings and his plans of following him.
Lucius kept his face carefully blank, chewing his food slowly. The boy could be disturbingly perceptive and he didn't want to give any of his thoughts away. Lucius prided himself on being able to sniff out when someone was trying to pull the wool over his eyes and his son had 'up-to-no-good' written all over his face.
There was something going on and he was determined to find out what as soon as possible. If his son's actions were any indication, something big was happening probably as soon as tonight.
Draco snuck another peek at the clock and pushed his food around his plate a little more. He had completely lost his appetite. He couldn't wait to see Bianca and the look on her face when she saw the surprise he had for her.
As an heir to the Black family he had been gifted with many jewels that had been passed down through many generations of Black children and were meant to be worn on special occasions by said children. Some of these jewels had once belonged to his mother but seeing as to how she'd only had him, and his only other female cousin was on the fringes of the family due to her mother's unfortunate choice of spouse, they had fallen into his hands.
He tried to cover up the shiver that went down his spine at what his maternal grandmother would have had to say about what he would be doing with one of those precious family heirlooms in less than two hours.
Draco knew he shouldn't be giving any of these items away, they were meant for his own children after all, but he should definitely not be giving any of them away to a Muggle.
Indecision warred inside of him, yet he couldn't help feeling that this was the right thing to do. Bianca wasn't just a Muggle to him anymore. She was special.
He'd never met someone who didn't know his whole entire family history before they even said hello. He'd never known anyone whose family hadn't already calculated how much he would be worth by the time he came of age.
He'd never felt genuine friendship before.
This girl had no designs on him or his money. She could care less about his allegiances and how much he could improve her position in the world, and as such she deserved the best he could give her.
At this moment the best he could gift her with was a medallion of unknown age and value. He honestly did not want to know just how much this trinket was worth.
But it was beautiful.
As far as he could tell the small medallion was made of pure gold; it depicted a Unicorn running through a meadow on a starry night, a castle rising majestically in the distance and a crown of flowers encircling the scene. A delicate gold chain looped through a small hoop at the top of the pendant and would rest nicely around Bianca's neck.
As per his tutor's teachings he had learnt that a Unicorn was a protector and companion to all maidens and that they signified everything that was pure and innocent. He thought it was quite fitting. As soon as he'd seen it he knew it was the gift.
He snapped out of his musings at the clearing of a throat and belatedly realized that he'd been staring off into nothing for quite some time. His father was frowning at him now while his mother smiled cheerfully to herself, lost in her own thoughts.
He glanced at his father again and tried to cover his faux pas by straightening his posture and shoving a small bite of potatoes into his mouth. It wouldn't do for his father to grow suspicious of him now. He needed to keep it together for just a little bit longer and then he could sneak out to meet with Bianca with no one the wiser.
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"And don't forget to wash your face, darling."
"Yes, mother." Draco said through gritted teeth. He loved his mother and he loved the never-ending attention she showered upon him but sometimes, like now, when he was dying to get away, she grated upon his last nerve.
He was half-way to the sweeping staircase and she was still reminding him of things he already knew he had to do every single night. She had come to stand at the doorway to the main parlor, where they retired to every night after dinner, so she wouldn't have to yell.
"Good night, sweetheart!" Narcissa exclaimed to her son's back as he hurried up the stairs and thought she caught a faint 'good night, mother' before he disappeared above stairs.
She shook her head and sighed, her little boy was growing right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do about it. She stepped back into the room and closed the door softly behind her, her eyes immediately moving to the imposing figure staring grimly out a window, a brandy snifter cradled in his left hand and a cigar held between two fingers in his right.
She smiled softly and moved smoothly to his side, sliding an arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "Whatever is the matter, Lucius? You look much too pensive for such a beautiful night."
"I'm worried about the boy." He said quietly. Draco never disregarded his mother's affections and the fact that he had just ran out of the room as if the hounds of hell were on his tail, while Narcissa was still in the middle of her prattling, was very telling. Draco was doing something he wasn't supposed to, now he had no doubts about it.
"Oh, Darling… can't you just leave the poor boy alone?" She whispered back. Narcissa knew Lucius hated being questioned but when it came to Draco she always had to speak up.
If it were up to her husband, her boy would never have any fun. There were tutors for nearly every aspect of Draco's life. There were tutors for his schooling, tutors for broom and horseback riding, tutors for etiquette and piano.
She'd honestly lost count of how many things Lucius had Draco being groomed in, which was one of the reasons she had become her son's champion of sorts.
She'd even been the one to suggest moving to this mansion out in the country for their summer holiday. If they'd stayed back in Wiltshire, Lucius would've made sure Draco kept studying through the rest of the year without rest and that simply wouldn't do.
She still hadn't been able to save him fully as Lucius still expected Draco to study for a few hours every afternoon before dinner but at least it was an improvement in that he'd had all of Draco's tutors dismissed for the summer and her son was allowed to learn at his leisure.
And now that Draco had apparently found something to entertain himself with, Lucius was once again up to his usual overbearing ways by trying to find malice where there wasn't any.
"Don't argue with me. I know something is the matter and I'm going to find out what." He growled and made as if to leave her embrace but she was quicker and moved in front of him to grip him fully, holding on tightly so he couldn't get away.
"Alright, dear… have it your way… but won't you spend some time with me first?" She conceded, kissing the side of his neck softly. There was never any use arguing with him when he'd made up his mind but there were always ways to distract him, and this one just happened to be one of her favorites.
Lucius chuckled. He knew what his wife was up to, many years of marriage made him attuned to her idiosyncrasies, but he was always willing to play along. There was plenty of time to deal with the boy… later.
Meanwhile, Draco couldn't seem to get to his bedroom fast enough. As soon as he was out of eyesight of his mother, he broke into a sprint, skidding on the floor and struggling to regain his balance in his hurry to get there.
He swung his door open and cringed when it hit the wall with a loud bang. He froze in the doorway, holding his breath, waiting for all hell to break lose but also knowing that the likelihood of being heard all the way downstairs was slim to none. Nevertheless, it never hurt to be cautious so he waited a few moments before moving completely inside the room and shutting the door more quietly behind him.
He made his way determinedly to his dresser, not bothering to turn any of the lights on since there was plenty of light streaming in through the wide French windows from the full moon shining outside, and searched quickly for the necklace inside one of his drawers.
He let out a happy laugh when he found it again. He'd been forced to shove it to the bottom of his drawer when he'd been admiring it this afternoon and his mother had breezed in without knocking. She'd nearly given him a heart attack and he'd had to play it off by pretending he'd had underpants in his hands and was embarrassed to have been caught by his mother.
He'd moved slowly towards his dresser, with his hands behind his back, before awkwardly opening one of the drawers and shoving the necklace inside away from inquisitive eyes.
He'd seen a curious glint in his mother's eyes that'd made him wonder if she'd believed his story but had been relieved when she hadn't pursued the matter and had instead lured him out of his room with promises of fresh baked sweet pastries.
He dangled the delicate chain from his fingers, appreciating how the light of the moon shone off the small pendant and had a moment to regret not having appropriate wrapping for his gift. There was no other way, however. To have asked his mother for such things would've only raised suspicion.
He shoved the necklace into his pocket and made his way towards his closet, making sure not to slam this door when he opened it, and grabbing his broom. He'd snuck his broom from the broom shed this afternoon when no one was looking, mainly his father, and had stashed it behind some of his dress robes so he could use it to fly down from his second story bedroom.
He shook his head for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He just couldn't get over how many rules he was breaking for this Muggle girl. Not to mention how many taboos.
His father would leave his bottom sore if he or anyone ever found out. Draco Malfoy, the one and only pureblood son and heir of Lucius Malfoy, caught canoodling with a Muggle. He thought the shame alone would be enough to send his father to St. Mungo's.
That thought made him stop in the middle of his room. He took a deep fortifying breath and tried to harden his determination. His father would never know; no one would ever need to know… this would forever remain his secret.
He would probably never see Bianca again after this summer. The least he could do was not leave her hanging and commemorate the time they'd spent together with a small token of his appreciation for her.
And that's what he had to keep telling himself. This was perhaps the first unselfish thing he'd ever done in his life and he wasn't going to let his courage fail him now, even though every fiber of his being was telling him not to go through with it and that it wasn't worth it.
He was doing this for her.
That thought had his feet moving towards the window, hands grasping the broom in his hands tightly. He let go of his death grip momentarily to open the window with one hand then mounted his broom and kicked off the ground, pushing forward until he was hovering just outside.
He looked inside the darkened room for one last time then pointed his broom towards where he knew the meadow to be and took off silently through the brightly lit night.
He touched down just before the clearing of the lake, the tree tops serving as enough coverage that he felt confident no one, especially Bianca, would see his descent.
Draco took a moment to hide his broom and it was then he belatedly noticed he had not left his robes behind. He quickly took them off and shoved them underneath a nearby bush. They would be wrinkled and dirty when he took them out but it beat having to answer uncomfortable questions.
He ran a shaky hand through his long bangs. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He'd seen Bianca dozens of times in this same spot nearly every day and yet tonight he couldn't seem to stop from biting his lip and running his hands anxiously down his shirt and slacks.
He was dressed impeccably, as usual, but it didn't stop him from wondering if Bianca would approve. It was really stupid… but there it was.
Draco walked the rest of the way down to what he now considered 'their spot.' It was where he had seen her that first time and where he had continued to visit her every afternoon 'til now. And it was there that he found her, already reclining against the old tree and staring pensively into the night.
As he made his way closer to her, he was able to study her to his leisure. Her hair was down again; it fell in curly waves down her front and back, a hair band keeping most of it away from her face. She was also wearing a dress again; it was light blue and seemed comfortable, very unlike the monstrosities he'd seen Pansy parade in front of him.
She glanced up suddenly, their eyes meeting for the first time today, and they smiled at each other simultaneously. He held her gaze until he sat down next to her and turned his head to stare out into the lake.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying each others' company and the warm, peaceful night.
She was the one to finally break the silence.
"I've been researching your name, Thuban." She murmured, smiling wryly up at the night sky.
He snapped his eyes back to her in surprise. She hadn't guessed his name, had she? His heart beat a little faster and he felt his palms moisten. How would he explain such an unusual name to an ordinary girl? He opened his mouth to say, he didn't know what, but was saved when she continued as if she hadn't paused.
"Thuban or Alpha Draconis… a star in the constellation of Draco, also historically significant as having been the North Pole star in ancient times…" She trailed off as if talking to herself, not noticing the wide-eyed look her companion was giving her.
"Yes, that's right…" Draco finally managed to squeak out, what else could he possibly say? This girl was very smart, he had forgotten that. He guessed that he still compared her intelligence to that of Pansy's, which wasn't a very good indicator to measure other girls' intellects against, from what he'd seen.
"But I still can't figure it out, and it's driving me nuts!" Hermione huffed. She'd spent nearly all afternoon looking into the mystery of his name and had gotten no further than when she'd started.
She'd meant to research it sooner than today but hadn't quite gotten around to it since she'd been busy having fun with Thuban and then spending the rest of her time with her parents once she'd returned home. She just couldn't find the time.
But since they hadn't met today and the grownups had spent the morning and most of the afternoon preparing for tonight's celebration, she'd finally had some time to herself.
She might as well not have even bothered.
Aside from his name being Draco, she'd no idea what else it could be. And let's face it, what kind of name was Draco? She'd never heard of anyone being named that… not even movie stars. Although, aside from a couple of movie stars and Shakespeare's play, she'd also never heard of anyone being named Hermione and she highly doubted that other parents were as cruel and unusual as her own had been. Moreover, as per his own description, his family was 'extremely old-fashioned and very traditional' which meant that a name like 'Draco' wouldn't be something they'd consider, she reasoned.
Hermione also doubted that it would be something so obvious. After all, her riddle would probably have him researching for quite some time so it came to reason that his would be the same. She just hadn't thought about it hard enough.
Draco let out a nervous laugh. He supposed the answer to his name was so strange that she hadn't wrapped her mind around it yet. Luckily, that meant she would never arrive at the right solution… she would never believe it anyway.
He was also impressed that she'd actually started looking, the thought hadn't really crossed his mind since he was happy to know her as Bianca… real names just brought a barrage of unwanted issues which he'd much rather ignore.
In an attempt to divert her from her current train of thought, he decided that now would be as good a time as any to present her with his gift. He fumbled briefly inside his pocket until he grasped the necklace and held it tightly in his fist.
"I-I've… got something for you…" He murmured, uncharacteristically shy. He could feel his cheeks warming under her gaze and couldn't help dropping his eyes to the ground. He was so mortified!
"You've got something for me?" She asked just as softly, her attention now focused solely on him.
He took his hand out of his pocket slowly, bringing it to hover inches from her face and letting the pendant dangle from its chain in front of her eyes.
Her eyes opened wide, a small gasp escaping her lips.
"Wow…" was all she managed to say; she was quite at a loss for words.
Her silence was making him even more nervous. He gathered some courage and lifted his face slightly so he could see her reaction from the corner of his eyes. She was staring at the thing as if mesmerized by it, her big brown eyes unable to hide her surprise and appreciation.
That naked emotion in her face had him turning fully to her and meeting her gaze.
"Do you like it?" He dared to ask, more sure of himself now since the answer to his question was already very obvious.
"Like it? I love it! Wow, Thuban! It is beautiful!" Hermione heard herself gush but couldn't seem to stop. She'd always hated silly girls and yet here she was acting like one. She just couldn't seem to help it, though!
"Happy Birthday, Bianca." He smiled at her, enjoying the happy expression that brightened her features.
"Can I see it?" She asked, extending her hand so he could place the necklace in it.
He handed it to her then watched her as she brought it close to her face and studied it in wonderment.
"This doesn't look fake, Thuban." She whispered as she scrutinized the pendant, her eyes flickering briefly to him before going back to their task.
He was very silent in turn, refusing to give her an answer in this matter. He was sill trying to forget the importance of that trinket and how many ways his father would skin him if he ever found out what he'd done with it.
"Would you help me put it on?" She asked suddenly, startling him out of his reverie.
Hermione stood up and gave him her back, offering the necklace to him over her shoulder and sweeping her hair aside to make it easier for him.
He stared up at her for a moment before getting up in one swift movement and wiping his hands on his trousers. He took the chain from her fingers and fumbled briefly with the clasp before lifting it and draping it across her neck.
"Thank you. I will cherish it forever." She said as she twirled back around to stare up at him, her hand coming to rest on the pendant.
Hermione gasped and let her hand drop and inch lower to grasp the other piece of jewelry she had forgotten she had around her neck. She held it between thumb and forefinger as she came to a decision and lifted her arms to unclasp it.
"This is a necklace I've had for as long as I can remember… and I think you should have it." She said as she held it out for him to take.
Draco stared at her hand apprehensively, unsure of how to react to this turn of events.
"I think you've misunderstood, Bianca. I didn't give you that necklace so that you felt obligated to give me something back." He frowned at her, a little bit offended at her actions.
"No, Thuban… I think you are the one who does not understand me. I'm not giving you this as repayment; I'm giving this to you as an exchange!" She exclaimed happily.
"You are right; I'm not quite following you." He said confusedly, still refusing to take the proffered gift.
"Now I have something to remember you by but you have nothing… this way, you'll have something of mine with you! Get it?" She asked, sure that he would understand her reasoning now. "Besides, if you refuse it I'll give you back yours and never talk to you again!" She grinned to let him know she was kidding about that last part.
Draco's frown melted away into a smile and he nodded once, holding out his hand so she could drop it in it.
Now it was his turn to fall quiet as he studied this unexpected addition to his repertoire. He looked at it for a few moments but could not place the picture portrayed in the pendant. He supposed it had to be something extremely Muggle in order for him to have absolutely no reference as to what it could possibly be.
"It's Saint George during his famous capture of the dragon of Libya." She offered helpfully when she noticed the puzzled look on his face. Sometimes she really wondered about her friend. Honestly, who didn't know who St. George was?
"Capture of the dragon?" He chuckled to himself. Bianca really needed to start paying attention to all of the little clues fate seemed to be giving her.
"Yes… but I don't see what's so funny about that." She said testily.
"Nothing… absolutely nothing!" He exclaimed quickly as to avert any unnecessary quarreling tonight. "Would you do the honors?" He asked kindly, giving her the necklace back and turning around for her as she'd done for him.
He slowly turned to face her again when she was done, beaming down at his present.
"He is the patron Saint of boy scouts, soldiers and farmers." Hermione finished her explanation, leaving out the fact that her paternal grandmother had giving it to her for protection as her surname was Granger which, in both French and in English, meant farm bailiff.
"Fascinating." He replied sincerely. He'd never heard of him before and he always loved learning new things. "I shall never take it off!" He exclaimed impulsively, not realizing what he was quite saying until it was already too late.
"Really, Thuban? Do you promise?" She asked, inexplicably breathless at his declaration.
He didn't have the heart to take it back now that he'd said it and the expectant grin she was giving him made it nearly impossible to do so, hence he simply smiled and nodded his head in assent.
She squealed in delight and threw her hands around his neck in a tight hug. He stood motionless for a heartbeat before wrapping his arms uncertainly around her waist and hugging her back.
Hermione stepped back away from him almost as suddenly as she'd embraced him, her eyes twinkling merrily with delight.
"Close your eyes, Thuban." She ordered, coming to a decision that, unbeknownst to her at that moment, would change the course of her life forever.
He furrowed his brow momentarily at the odd request, finally complying when he didn't see any harm in doing so. He did trust her after all.
Draco felt her small hands coming to rest on his shoulders and could swear he could feel the vacillation in her before his eyes flew open at the soft pressure against his lips. To say that he was shocked would've been an understatement. What was he supposed to do in this sort of situation!?
He stood uncertainly for a moment, staring at her closed eyes, before letting his own fall closed and marveling at the feel of warm breath and incredibly soft lips resting upon his own.
He didn't know what to do with his hands so he simply let them hang limply by his side, his fingers clenching and unclenching anxiously.
He was so caught up in the novelty of the moment that he missed the outraged intake of breath at his back and the accompanying words of indignation; he was also too late to realize that the prickly feeling in the nape of his neck was not a result of the pleasant feeling evoked by a first kiss but by the much more sinister preamble of a raised wand and a whispered incantation.
He was shaken out of the lovely haze as Bianca was suddenly ripped away from him, a blood curdling scream wrenched from her throat as she flew across the clearing and crashed against a nearby tree, finally falling to the ground with a sickening crunch.
The smell of magic swirled around the edges of his senses as he stared in disbelief at the slumped form of his companion, his stomach twisting at the taste of bile rising to the back of his throat, one word finally falling from his nerveless lips:
"Bianca…"
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Jeez, this chapter took forever to write and I'm still unsure if I'm happy with it. Apparently watching The Sound of Music at the same time as writing a somewhat angst filled ending don't go very well together ^_^! Please do review, I've enjoyed reading your wonderful reviews and they let me know that I'm doing okay so far! They also help keep me motivated. Thank you to everyone who has done so already!
