Yay chapter 4! This one took forever to type xP I felt like I was back in my English class for finals essays. A few concepts from this chapter are borrowed from novels by L.J. Smith – hope you enjoy!
Oh right, and I own nothing, nada, nadie D; Though I would love to borrow Draco Malfoy indefinitely. *wink**grin*
~Z
[Oh, and Nessa, don't worry, she has her own little fun basket of issues. Just wait ;) ]
Chapter 4
Walls of Glass
The handsome brunette man shut the door silently behind Draco and Narcissa, who now stood facing a vast office. To their left, the office expanded to meet a wall made entirely of glass, making the room bright and open. The walls on either side of the expanse of glass were coated by bookshelves, piled high with volumes in every language imaginable. Near the glass wall sat an imposing mahogany desk; on the desk sat a large, flat-screen computer monitor, and many papers and files in several neat stacks off to one side.
Seated at the desk with her back to the window was an absolutely stunning woman. She had a smooth, heart-shaped face, long straight hair the color of mocha down to the small of her back, and eyes the color of a cloudless day. Her expression was tranquil and relaxed, and yet her very presence held such a power and dignity that Draco had to force himself to meet her gaze.
Though she did not appear a day over thirty, that gaze held in it a timeless wisdom that actually had Draco feeling like a subordinate.
She stood gracefully and Draco noticed that she was very tall, perhaps even taller than he. She wore a long, flowing black gown with deep red threading on the collar and bodice, and small red accents throughout the rest of the ensemble. A v-shaped neckline revealed a silver medallion around her neck carved with a shape that Draco could not quite make out, but it looked circular in design.
"Good afternoon Mrs. And Mr. Malfoy", she greeted, her voice gentle and melodic, lilting with a faint accent that he could not place. She beckoned for them to take a seat on one of the lush sofas or armchairs that sat facing the massive desk.
"Please, Countess Firenze, call me Narcissa", Draco's mother replied humbly, taking a seat in an armchair. Who the hell are you and what have you done with my mother? Draco thought in shock; no one got to call her Narcissa aside from his father and the Dark Lord himself.
The tall woman's light eyes twinkled with amusement, and she responded kindly, "Then you may call me Claudia", while returning to sit at her desk so as to better face the pair.
"Now Narcissa, I was very intrigued by your urgent request for a guardian last week. And even more intrigued by the fact that you and your family are at the frontlines of the war currently plaguing the wizarding nation", Claudia began in a conversational tone. "So who would the guardian in question be bound to?"
Well she certainly gets straight to the point, but what does she mean by…
Draco's thought process was abruptly cut off however as he registered his mother's reply of "My son, Draco", Narcissa completely ignoring Draco's startled jerk.
"He has been forced into this war against his will and as a punishment for his father's mistakes. I do not ever wish to lose him, but especially not by this foolish, bloody war, and by no fault of his own. I would do anything to keep him safe", she added quietly, then continued, "For weeks now I have been conducting extensive research, night and day, to discover a way to ensure Draco's survival… it has been difficult, keeping it a secret from everyone else, but I did not dare tell another soul…"
"And that is how you came to find us" Claudia finished.
Narcissa nodded solemnly; Claudia offered her a comforting smile and continued, "Luckily, we have a newly graduated class, twenty of which whom have just completed their guardian training. The terms end in August and begin in December here", she added to Draco's raised eyebrow.
Idiot, Draco mentally kicked himself for appearing so ignorant, Of course their terms are different, we're in bloody Romania!
Claudia gave him a knowing smile at that thought, which completely unnerved him, then turned her attention back to Narcissa, "Your request has of course been approved, which as you know is why you were invited here today. I was particularly moved by your plea, considering that I have two children of my own, I know of a mother's protective instincts all too well. Really, the only matter that remains is selecting an eligible guardian for your son".
As she finished this last sentence, a large flat-screen monitor slid slowly down out of the ceiling behind the desk, partially obscuring the glass wall. Claudia glided gracefully around the desk and joined them in the armchairs so that she could face the wide screen as well.
The screen lit up and came to life, file after file flew by on the desktop, as if thrown by an invisible hand, until a single file shot up to fill the screen, labeled simply as "Guardians". The file flipped itself open at a slight nod from Claudia to reveal numerous sub-files, which in turn selected one with the current year marked on it.
"Here we are", Claudia remarked pleasantly as the file opened to show twenty small icons to choose from.
"Now, did you want a male or a female guardian for Draco?"
"I…" began Narcissa, but Draco interjected, "Female, preferably", a bit snappier than he'd originally intended, but honestly, if he had to be "bound" to someone…
Narcissa glanced at her son from the corner of her eye with an unreadable expression, then turned her attention back to the Countess.
"We just want the most eligible guardian that you have available for Draco"
With a small, mysterious smirk, Claudia replied, "Well, it would seem that you are in luck – this year's valedictorian in the guardian program is a female", she said this last part with a teasing grin in Draco's direction, who stared impassively back at her.
The first little icon of the twenty on the screen grew in size and took up the screen, showing an individual's file.
"This is Elena", said Claudia with a small, proud smile, "She is 18, and is my daughter…"
But Draco was no longer listening, his silver eyes fixed on the screen as the student's profile photograph was pulled up. With a startled jolt of recognition, Draco realized that it was the same girl from the hotel.
In the picture she stood in front of the white fountain that they had passed on their way into the estate; in the background stood a particularly lovely black Thestral, standing as if also posing for the picture. Elena was wearing a short, blue halter-top dress that perfectly matched her gleaming sapphire eyes, and her hair hung loosely in shining mahogany waves that cascaded past her shoulders. Her arms were folded in a relaxed manner at her ribcage, and she wore a faintly mischievous smile on her rosy lips. Her eyes seemed to twinkle in a way, that Draco now noticed, that strongly resembled her mother's warmth.
"Well, what do you think?" Claudia asked, breaking the silence that had taken over the room.
"She's lovely", Narcissa answered, "but can we see proof of her qualifications?" in a businesslike manner.
"But of course" Claudia replied quickly, "We have several videos displaying her abilities and final training sessions in her file…oh, hold on!" she called to the monitor as it had moved to open said videos.
Claudia smiled, "Seems my mind gets a bit ahead of itself sometimes" she laughed openly for the first time, flashing a pair of gleaming white fangs, "See, the operation works telekine…" but broke off as Draco jerked suddenly to his feet.
"What is going on here?" he snapped viciously, unable to conceal the shock that he felt.
"She", he cried, gesturing at Claudia, "has fangs!" He dropped his arm and turned a full glare on Narcissa, who sat frozen in her chair.
"Mother, I have played your game long enough – I have a right to know what the bloody hell is happening!"
The smile vanished from Claudia's face the second she registered that Draco was truly uninformed about the situation he had been placed in.
She turned wide, pale eyes on Narcissa and gently probed, "He doesn't know yet?"
"No", Narcissa whispered, "I was afraid…I…I didn't know how much to say…my husband couldn't know…" she broke off then, distress rolling off of her in waves.
"May I then?" Claudia asked.
Narcissa nodded mutely, dropping her gaze to her lap.
Turning her attention back to Draco, who was sitting slowly and stiffly back down, Claudia began.
"I suppose you've heard the stereotypes – that Romania is home to many ancient races of magical beings – powerful witches and wizards, werewolves, shape shifters, vampires? Well…for once, the rumors actually hold some truth in them."
Draco's mind seemed to freeze and whirl at the same time. He thought back to the strict border security, the no-apparation policies, the class of students learning combat techniques while shaded from the sun, all of the unnaturally beautiful people in the city, the archaic look to all of the edifices, and the feelings of power and timelessness that he'd felt since arriving in this strange country…
He felt as though he had been looking at this obvious reality through a wall of glass…loathe to believe the truth, even when it was right before him. Now the glass had shattered.
He shuddered again as he thought of all the dreadful stories that he'd heard from his father and the other Death Eaters – tales of violent, unpredictable creatures that looked beautiful and human, but were ruled by instinct.
Keeping his chin high and maintaining his well-practiced cool composure to cover his ever growing dread, Draco evenly met Claudia's expectant gaze.
"And what do these creatures have to do with your guardians?" he asked in a cool, disinterested tone, though he could already predict the answer.
Gesturing to the photo of her daughter, Claudia stated calmly, "She is a vampire. I am. Many of us are – students at Academe Firenze, a large portion of the citizens of Voltaire de Firenze. A considerable ratio of Romania's population, when compared to the rest of the world, as well."
When Draco gave no noticeable reaction she continued on, "We are quite difficult to contact, as your mother discovered recently, due to the stereotypes that exist against us. We generally either face persecution from others, or greedy souls who seek power and immortality. Here, we are not ruled by our "violent instincts"; we learn from our youth to control our bloodlust and abilities. That is why I founded Voltaire de Firenze centuries ago – to create a safe haven for vampires who wanted to transcend our dark stigmas. Actually, many similar cities in Romania exist where the immortal populations have the same ideals. We are not the monsters of your nightmares".
At the end of this speech, she gave Draco a pointed look, and he blushed faintly, ashamed.
"At our schools, students choose to complete their basic training of studying magic, much like you do, and learn how to use their powers and control their abilities. Many from there will either pursue a profession, or continue on in even higher level training. But some students choose a very specific path, one that requires precise training and dedication from an early age, to pursue. So while they attend the same school and have the same basic classes, these students will also have several specific "elective" classes to hone their skills in that direction. Guardians and our version of your Aurors, Arcadians, are two examples. Elena decided at the age of 8 that she wanted to become a Guardian, and has been in Guardian-specific training ever since. Likewise, my son Logan bean Arcadian training at the age of 5, and he graduated just two years ago."
Draco let out a sigh and ran a hand through his platinum hair, his brain throbbing with all the new information.
"And what exactly do Guardians do?"
"They are bound to you by an ancient spell, and using that bond and their abilities, they protect you from any and all danger. Usually they are requested by other immortals, wizard diplomats; those who are in severe need of protection, such as yourself." She then gestured to Draco's left forearm, where his Dark Mark lay concealed by his sleeve.
"The binding spell leaves a tattoo-like mark around the guardian's right wrist. Every mark is different and is specific to the person with whom the guardian is bound. It will allow a psychic link to exist between the two; through it, they will be able to tell if you are feeling extreme distress or anger, made noticeable by a flush of heat or prickling of skin along the mark, and they will be at your side in an instant."
Draco then turned his overwhelmed gaze to his mother. "Is this what you want mother?" he asked quietly, his annoyance gone now.
Narcissa nodded, "This is the best way to keep you safe. They have incredible abilities, and cannot be killed by any known method, even the killing curse."
"Then why do you need wands?" Draco asked Claudia, gesturing to an elegant black wand in a glass case on one of the nearby bookshelves.
"We wield our own form of magic, yes, such as telepathic and telekinetic abilities, but for younger vampires, wands aid in learning to more perfectly direct and control our use of magic. They also allow for the usage of more powerful spells and directives. Wands are meant to guide and direct the magic that is inherently within an individual – like wizards, and vampires, and many other races – the magic is already there, wands just allow us a way to access it. Very advanced members of any race will eventually be able to wield their magic without the use of a wand "she explained.
"But, as with any distinct species, their weaknesses and vulnerabilities will vary; a spell that could kill a human, would only slightly burn a werewolf, and would not harm a vampire at all if they were able to use their telepathic abilities to block it in time, otherwise they would get the slight burn as well. Immortals are a bit…hardier…than human witches and wizards".
Draco sighed deeply, feeling suddenly tired.
"Very well" he conceded, "When do I meet her?" he asked, gesturing to Elena's picture still present on the screen.
"I will send for her immediately" Claudia replied, offering him a sympathetic smile for his worn-out expression. She stared at the door silently for a moment, her gaze very focused.
A few seconds later the door creaked open to reveal a pretty young girl with long, auburn hair.
Claudia smiled warmly at her, "Mindy darling, would you please fetch Elena? I believe she is in the conservatory".
The girl, Mindy, smiled and nodded slightly, passing a curious glance over the Malfoy's before turning to exit the study.
"Now, in the meantime, we can review her training videos so that your mother may be assured of her capabilities", Claudia offered, tipping a small wink in Draco's direction.
The monitor sprang to life as the requested videos were pulled up, and the trio sat back to watch as the first clip began to play.
Well on the off-chance that your brain didn't explode from information overload, drop me a review! :D Now I'm off to try to figure out what the hell is going on in my chemistry lab workbook.
Lots of love!
~Z
