Ok, here it is! I hope you enjoy it! By the way, I've decided to give Luna a bit of a new attitude, it's fun, she'll still be her flighty sweet self at times but I like to think Luna could be one heck of a badass when she wanted to be.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and his merry band of friends, J.K. does.
Chapter 3: The Pug & The Weasel
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The pirate captain's eyes turned to the entryway, there stood one of two people he was hoping to avoid at all costs for probably good decade or more. They didn't get along, and for good reason, that being the small girl inappropriately dressed sitting right next to him. He glared and Hermione burrowed into his back practically hiding from the man, it was or the best, she hadn't informed anyone apparently about her sudden decision to depart from home. "Love, why don't you go lie down for a nap, I'll join you shortly." There was no question or suggestion in his voice just outright command.
Snatching up a fan from the table she stood hiding her face to seem like any other harlequin girl, that were known to be in his company often when he was at shore. Softly she brushed her lips right next to his ear, "Don't be long, and do stop thinking what ever lecherous thought is in your mind. Also if this is the arranged engagement then you know there is very little if nothing we can do about it, the families are too high up. It is if not for their personalities, a well matched pair."
"Oh, love, really, I will be along shortly. You mustn't frustrate yourself so, I shall give you whatever pleasure it is you desire, and fulfill each fantasy." He could see the barely concealed disapproval of his cover up. But she quickly and quietly swept out of the room and past the eyes of her long time friend without so much as his notice.
Then again, it seemed the man was more intent on his fiance, who was tirelessly ignoring him completely. She did this on purpose, left him to deal with the two most pig-heade people he'd ever met. His stare was bland as Pansy leapt into his arms suddenly and began her wailing all over again, this was getting old fast, it always had. The girl walked around with tears in her eyes over some tragedy going on in her life anything from a chipped nail to something actually worth crying over. She was seriously the girl who cried over spilled milk. He moved her out of his lap and to her seat once again. "I just can't marry him, Drakie. It's just absolutely horrific, think of all my beauty going to waste with that wretched thing, our children would be doomed to a frightful life out of the spotlight!"
Rubbing his temple he looked to the other man for help, he knew the guy had actually had a slight soft spot on Pansy when they were children playing games of tag across the castle grounds while their parents were attending the Court. Hermione had been love struck with the crimson-haired boy for a short while too if he remembered correctly. "A little help?"
"Pansy, you must accept the fact that the contract for our marriage is solid as gold, you and I will marry and that is that. I have put up with your delays and complaining, all the tears and dramatics, but enough is enough. You will be my wife before the week is out." his eyes softened as she whimpered and tried to hold in her sobs, "Come along, little raven, you need some tea and why don't I go to market and find you some lovely silks and lace for your dress and veil?"
Draco decided to leave while he was given a reprieve from the crying woman, slipping out of the room he looked back and shook his head at the two. "Took you long enough."
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Hermione pulled him towards the stairs where she'd hidden and looked around for sign anyone had seen them, "Circe, can you conceive it? Pansy and Ronald!" She was positive that they were well matched, Pansy was spoiled and Ron loved to spoil, good Merlin she was going to be insatiable with Ron as a husband. Still, the two had outright despised each other the past few years, ever since well she didn't really want to think about it. Walking next to Draco, she noticed they were heading down a servant stair way, "You know your way around this place far too well, Malfoy." His smirk couldn't have been missed, "Don't tell me, I'm absolutely positive that I would rather not know the cause of your impeccable sense of direction here."
Tripping, he caught her almost immediately, she land with a soft thud against his chest and she looked up at him embarrassed, she really did hate wearing heels, damn to the devil is what they should be. "Take the bloody heels off, Hermione, I'm not going to keep catching you every time you trip or carry you. We both know you can't walk in those things if it was to save your life." Glaring at him now, she had always met challenges head on, and she could admit she was a might stubborn, especially with anything that meant letting him know he was right.
Standing up straight she shrugged off his hands and continued down the stairs, she could practically feel the annoyance coming off him in waves, she knew if she turned around that he'd have his eyes closed, his hand on the bridge of his nose, and a slight twitch in his left eyebrow. But she wasn't going to turn around, that would mean stopping, and if she stopped she would give him the perfect chance to relieve all that aggravation on her. Not likely he was going to get the opportunity to yell at her another time today, no if anyone was going to yell anymore it certainly would be her, not him. Caught up in her own thoughts, she didn't notice the turn Draco took after he stomped ahead of her, and ended up going in the opposite direction entirely.
Looking up she could see this wasn't anywhere she should be, or wanted to be. The halls were dark and sparsely lit with a torch about every few feet along, and she felt the cold brush across her skin as she continued hesitantly forward. "Draco?" she called, "Malfoy? Are you here?' she kept going forward keeping a hand on the wall, "Really, you git, you could answer me. This isn't funny, you know I hate dark places. Draco Lucian Malfoy!" She could feel herself trembling now, "Stupid pirate captain, is going to get his bloody arse beaten for this."
A breeze kicked up suddenly, the few torches around her blew out, and she stood stock still. Then footsteps could be heard, she thought she could make out a figure just ahead of her, it was tall, not too slender or too large, and the smell of sandalwood drifted up to her. The smell came from behind though, and as she went to step forward, a hand gripped her shoulder, "AHHHHH" she screamed and the hand turned her and wrapped her in strong arms, and sandalwood flooded her senses.
"Shhh, when I let go, keep walking forward behind me, just keep going until you see sunlight. Promise me you won't stay or turn back, just keep going, then take the other turn and run until you find someone you know, even if you have to go back to the boat." She froze when she felt his breathe against her ear, then a cool hand turned her face to where their lips met, "Go now." She didn't need to be told twice, once she was released she ran, straight until she could see sunlight pouring from the stairway windows. A scuffle and two voices could be heard from behind her, but she forgot all about being courageous and kept running turning where she was supposed to.
Bursting out in the outside world she stopped to lean against the doorway just for a second, a sob escaping her lips and roughly brushing tears off of her cheeks, she looked up to see so many face she didn't know. "Oh, dear, where is anyone?"
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Blaise Zabini was in paradise, beautiful women flocked around him, perfumes too strong to breathe well but still tantalizing, and their rouge smeared on his cheeks. They walked around him half-dressed or not dressed at all, he laid on a satin covered bed just watching them. Something in his gut was heavy, he had told the girls to go for a bit, they were now picking up their things and the money he owed them. His eyes slipped low as he relaxed trying to get rid of a guilty feeling, trying to forget a beauty that would remain in his mind's eye for perhaps all his life. Soft rose and marigold tendrils, eyes as beautiful as his homeland, creamy skin like that of ivory, and a laugh that tinkled like a wind chime.
Sleep claimed him, he didn't dream, no he hadn't dreamt of her in such a long time. The door burst open as he laid there and he sat up fast, staring into the glaring face of one highly upset blonde, his grin was sheepish. "Oh save it for the nargles, Zabini."
"But Luna, love, you must know you are as enchanting as ever. Potter been by to see you as of late?" Standing he drew his pants on quickly keeping his back to her. A scoff was answer enough, "Ah so his ever-living lordship hasn't been visiting his little moon goddess then, you know you're always quite welcome to release the contract and find yourself warm in my bed, little priestess." His smile was bright now, and she was ignoring it, rolling her eyes and strutting into the middle of the room. The prophetess, that's what anyone who didn't know her well thought of her, she was likened to the Oracle of Delphi by muggles, but to the wizarding community she was a descendant of the Oracle. Like any other female of that line she tended to be better at divination than well anyone.
Sitting down huffily, "This isn't a pleasure visit," her eyes glowed a bit when she turned the blue orbs back onto him, "Not at all, Hermione is on Draco's ship." she stated it but he wasn't surprised she knew, "Soon so will that pug face, this will cause trouble, but what I came to tell you, dear little High King of the Green Isle." she smiled softly then, "There is much that will test you, but know you're close to what you look for." then her face was blank, "Do you always keep company with whipperslips, dangerous company indeed, but aren't they beautiful." she smiled then and Blaise could tell she was tired, he moved over picking her up, setting his forehead against hers and sighing, brushing a soft kiss on her nose. "Blaise, do stop coming to these dreadful places, doesn't seem right at all, the Court grows impatient for you, for us all."
Setting her in the bed, he laid next to her brushing his fingers over her cheeks, she was an outcast at times, the only reason she could go about unescorted. He hated that for her, his heart was torn as he looked at her, pieces of it were left in others' hands but not in his own.
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"No," she marched right on down the hall ignoring the man who was following her, "I am not agreeing to that! I refuse to agree to that!"
"Pansy, you can't just refuse everything I ask of you, or tell you to do!" Ronald Weasley was the most insufferable man on the face of the Earth, "Come on, Pansy, you know I''m no more happy about having to marry you than you are about having to marry me. We just need to reach certain agreements that will be justifiable between us that will make it more tolerable to spend the rest of our lives together." She slammed her study room door in his face, wonderign distantly where Hermione and Draco had gone off to, hopefully her Highness, annoying man stealing harpy that she was, wasn't violating her precious Draco at the moment in her own home. she couldn't stand for a union between those two, she had always planned on Draco Malfoy being hers, it would be the perfect little marriage she had always dreamed of.
He was banging on the door now, such a barbaric brute, "Go away, Weasley, I don't wish to be in your presence ever!" she wailed, and began throwing things in a trunk, she wasn't abou to stay here, where she ha d a betrothed that demanded she be put on some sort of restraint on her shopping habits. That wasn't boody likely going to happen and he might as well shove his agreements on someone else, she wasn't ever going to marry the ginger-headed dolt, not if there was something that she could do about it.
So he had seemed alright for just a bit, and he had gotten her tea and even ordered her some lovely fabrics. Still, it was nothing compared to what Draco could offer her and she intended on getting the best. Tea had gone horrendously he was sweet for about two minutes then began going on about things that they could agree to as terms for their marriage, it wasn't going to be love-filled she knew, ti was little more than business, but this wasn't the partner she wanted. She had always been selfish, she saw no reason not to be now. After a few curses from the other side of the door she heard him trudge off down the hall.
Quickly sending word to a guard she asked for the whereabouts of the Lady Hermione and Lord Draco. When her owl returned she was utterly shocked to find that neither could be found, how could they lose them? What if they had already returned to Draco's ship and were going to set sail soon. She had to hurry, slipping a last few essentials into a trunk, she rummaged around to find a spell book, and cast a shrinking spell on the trunk so that it would fit in her little handbag.
Walking out of her room, she ignored the curious looks of her guards as she dismissed them with a wave of a hand, "I'm just wandering about the castle, i would like to be alone to think for a while."
"Lord Weasley told us not to let you out of our sight, milady, and to report any suspicious actions straight to him." She glared at them and they immediately backed, Of course, if milady promises that she is going to be staying on castle grounds and indoors then we can assure his lordship that all is well and you can be alone." She nodded briskly not having time to deal with dunder heads like them. Another reason she couldn't be with Ronald, he was an idiot, he'd significantly lower her children's intelligence.
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Sitting at a desk, he looked out he window, watching his prize run away. He knew where she was going, he'd been half in-love with her most of their lives but after all that had happened in the last few years, he just didn't know anymore. Truly, he hadn't seen her in almost over half a year, she hadn't been attending the Court. Looking down at the letter in his hands he wondered what was going to happen now. Perhaps, he should bring this up with Malfoy, he just wasn't sure who he coudl trust besides his best mate any longer.
The room smelled of cigars, and he wondered if they had been her father's or her many suitors', those he had to deal with, preferably sooner than later. It was decorated in silvers and blacks, the desk he sat at was a dark almost black mahogany, it went against the light and airy, rich tastes of the Spanish Court that she was taking refuge in. Ever the English Wizard was her father, she suspected this to be one of the few he hadn't let Pansy and her mother to decorate themselves. it was very militant in its decor, a desk, shelves full of books, no pictures or paintings to distract the eye. A couple seats next to a fireplace with a decanter and tumbler and other things put away in a liquor bar, it was a male room and he was sure it belonged tothe master.
How far should he let her run? How long should he wait to retrieve her? It couldn't be too long, he had swore to marry her within a limited amount of time, and he meant to do so.
Taking another look at the letter, he realized just how grave things were getting in the Wizarding Royal Court. It was beyond him, just how the little princess, that little phoenix, had gotten away and where she could have gone. It was, of course, his and Harry's fault, for not being there, not being there in several months. It had been so long since he'd seen home, but he had to find his betrothed. Harry was trying to keep the whole of the world from falling apart, by keeping a war in secret.
Hermione, his beautiful Hermione, they'd noticed something was wrong about what was it six months ago. When Malfoy had taken on being a pirate and Harry and found out about Voldemort. When he'd become engaged, he'd been forced to drop everything going on between them. Not that it had been much anyways, neither of them had had much heart in it, it was like he'd been trying to court his sister. Run a hand though his hair, he was just so frustrated, nothing was going the way it should have, but it hadn't for many years. Staring at the ring on his finger, the Weasley family crest was decorated in rubies. He had a smaller one made for her, he carried it on a chain around his neck, had carried it for almost half a year now.
He heard a scream then, looking up he saw a trollop throwing a fit in the middle of the street, running towards town.
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Amata Mercy
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