Black and White Forever:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with Harry Potter. I am not making a profit from this story or anything like that. Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling.
Summary: What happens to Draco when the Fates get involved with his life? Apparently, he's a Veela, and he needs to change the course of history. It starts during the Christmas Holiday during Goblet of Fire. He needs to find a way to become friends with the Trio before it's too late. Mentions a same sex-relationship, but doesn't actually have one written out.
This Chapter: Someone gets saved. Ron is belligerent. And, Dumbledore finds out about Draco's foster-mother.
Black and White Forever: Confusion and Confliction
Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, was pacing around his office in a haphazard manner. He would stop, pick up a bauble, put it down, and pace around some more. It would look like an erratic pattern to an outsider, but it was all very logical in his mind.
He had received some very disturbing news from Severus Snape, and he had receded to the safety of his office to think things through. The bauble he had kept picking up and putting down was a snow globe that contained a part of Helga Hufflepuff's essence. She had left behind a piece of her magic in this little paperweight. It was meant to be a device that the Headmaster could ask questions when things became too much. One of the muggleborn students said that it looks like a 'Magic 8-ball', whatever that may be.
The principle of the object was that you asked it a question while shaking the snow globe and an answer would come from the depths of the device when you stopped. It was an ingenious device that many of the Headmasters, prior to him, had used. He could not think of a proper question to ask. There was no telling what the actual problem was, and he could not waste a question on something superfluous. No one knew exactly when the magic would end so each Headmaster had limited themselves to one question during their tenure. There had been 20 Headmasters prior to him, and that meant that the ball had been asked 20 questions, so far.
If only there was some way that he could ask the question and not give up his only question. Using it on young Mr. Malfoy would be such a waste. Severus had been unable to tell him who the boy's foster-mother was. He claimed that he did not know. Dumbledore didn't know whether to completely believe him or not.
He picked up the bauble again and turned it around in his hand. It would be such a simple question to ask. But, there was no telling what the answer was. He had decided to go for it and ask when someone stepped into his room. It was a woman swathed in a white cloak with the hood up.
"How did you get in here?" He stared at her indignantly. He had told the Gargoyle to not let anyone up here.
She lowered the hood. Her face exposed, she began to speak. "I am Draco's Foster-Mother." The voice wasn't normal. It sounded like three people talking at the same time. "I thought you wanted to see me."
Dumbledore nodded. He had never met anyone who could bypass his gargoyle. "What would make you think that?"
She looked pointedly at the bauble he had been handling before. "Just for your information, that bauble has 72 uses. It has been used 21 times, and you will never use it."
"What makes you think that I won't?" He looked at her indignantly. Who was this woman to be saying what he could and could not do.
Her voice got quieter. "I am your worst nightmare. I know all that will happen, and all that has happened. I know that you will not ever find a question you deem worthy."
Dumbledore may be quick, but this was something he had never thought he would encounter. "What are you talking about? No one knows everything."
She smiled. "There are several that do. Three of whom are currently in this room."
He looked around, "There is only you and I. I do not claim to know all that will happen. You are being rather presumptuous." He then called to the castle. Its wards and records became a part of the Headmaster when he took his oaths to uphold the honour of the school, and a part of him would live on forever as part of the Castle. His body would be interred in the catacombs beneath the school, and he would become part of the foundation. However, when he called to the castle, it didn't respond to him. It remained inert. There was something about this woman that garnered more respect than he did.
She started to glow, "I see you realize that Hogwarts is on my side." She started walking around the room. "Do you want to see why?"
He nodded his head mutely.
She then flashed into a column of very bright, white light. When the light cleared to where he could see again, he saw three where there had been one. The youngest looking one smiled at him.
"I am Clotho, The Spinner. I spin the thread of life." She smiled at him and her curls bounced as she swayed slightly.
"I am Lachesis, The Caster of Lots. I measure the thread of life." She was also swaying. Her hair was long, but it was more manageable than Clotho's.
The eldest one stepped closer to him. "I am Atropos, Unbending. I cut the thread of life. My scissors decide where your life ends." She had an intense look in her eyes that belied her age. She didn't look very old, but her hair was streaked in gray.
All three began to speak at once, "Together, we form Fate. We weave the tapestry of life." They all narrowed their eyes at him. "You have spent your entire life trying to prolong your stay. You will stop this, now."
He nodded his head. He was never speechless, even when he was in the presence of a legend. "I had no idea that you were actually real. I thought you were a myth."
Atropos snorted, "We are very real, and we could care less about what others say. What matters is our job."
"Why would you want to foster Draco Malfoy? I am sure there are children who deserve it more than him..."
With that, Cloth crossed the room and slapped him. "You will listen closely. He is none of your business. I choose what I do with my life, and you have no say in what happens to him. He is our son, for all intents and purposes. I will not have you suggest such things about our child."
Lachesis walked up to Clotho and put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "What she is saying is that it's not any of your business. You will be gone by the time he comes into his inheritance, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it."
Atropos came forward and grabbed the other's hands. "We came tonight to talk to you about some things. However, I don't know if we'll be able to continue this conversation in a civilised manner."
Dumbledore was rubbing his cheek this whole time. Clotho could really pack one hell of a punch. "I meant no disrespect. It just seems that you are wasting your time on a pureblood nobody."
Clotho visibly bristled, "I told you two that he wouldn't want to hear it."
Lachesis smiled, "I'm sure that Bob wouldn't mind seeing him off on the 'Next Great Adventure'. He is ever so accommodating."
Atropos looked at the other two. "That is not nice. You both have a valid point. I could see why we would want to send him off early, but that doesn't mean that we should."
Lachesis turned her stony glare to him while speaking to Atropos, "Can I at least tell him how he's going to die?"
Atropos grinned. "I think I want to. I haven't got to threaten him yet." She turned to face Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. She reached forward and plucked a thread from the top of his head. "This is your life line. It ends in approximately 6 months. You will die because you betrayed someone important, and I will send the Keres after you. It will be impossible for you to escape them." At the end of her little impromptu speech, she replaced his lifeline where she had originally gathered it from.
Clotho grinned and removed her hand from Atropos'. "I will be looking forward to that day." She patted him on the shoulder, "Just be grateful that you know when you will die. Most people don't even get that much warning."
The three women smiled at one another and disappeared in a flash of light.
Dumbledore just sat down at his desk and shook his head. It was hard to believe that after everything he had done, that he would just die. Nothing would prevent it. It was with that realization that he finally started weeping. Sometimes, hard truths are just too much for an old man to take.
******Fate's Home********
Bob was standing at the door, looking at the blushing woman in front of him. "You probably shouldn't have done that."
Fate looked indignant, "Did you hear what he said about our son? He deserves to die. He's just too dangerous to keep alive." She huffed.
"Yes, but no one needs to know when they are going to die. Look what it did to Domitian." He looked at them pointedly. "He had the potential to be a great ruler, if only for the time that he had left. You three let that astrologer tell him." He quirked his eyebrow at them.
Clotho responded, "We had to. Mother said that it was very necessary. He didn't need to reproduce."
Bob snorted, "I don't care what Ananke told you. You still shouldn't have said that to Dumbledore. You really shouldn't have told him that he was going to die before his time."
Atropos snorted. "His thread should have broken long before now. He should have died at the attack on Harry Potter's parents. He should have died when he dropped Harry Potter off at the Dursley's. He should have died in the Basilisk Attacks. Luck coalesces around Harry Potter, and he's been abusing it. There are many other reasons behind his need to die, but he will pass away at the end of the next six months." Fate levelled her look at Bob's face. "He has been living on borrowed time for awhile. It is ultimately my decision. And, I have made it. He will be around to help Harry with this next task, but no longer."
Lachesis took the voice. "I measured his thread myself. He does not belong in this world. He is worse than Riddle. He is abusing a young boy's life force to stay alive. I'm with Atropos on this. Six months is more than long enough for him to get his affairs in order."
Fate smiled. Clotho spoke. "Besides, I'm looking forward to setting the Keres on him myself. There have been way too many opportunities for him to mess with my threads. He needs to be removed from the equation, not just for the 'greater good' he's always talking about."
Bob crossed his arms. "I don't care when you think he should die. I need to see the tapestry myself for me to know his exact time." He glimmered back to his skeleton form. "It is ultimately my decision whether I escort him to the great beyond or not. You must remember that."
Fate nodded her head solemnly. All three spoke at the same time, "We are very aware of that. I think that seeing his thread will convince you." She stepped forward and extended her hand. "The only way you can see the tapestry is through me."
Bob grimaced, "It's in your office, isn't it?"
His expression made Fate grin. "It won't hurt you."
He started to grumble. "Every time I go in that place, I leave feeling like I'm dirty. I feel like I see things I shouldn't."
Fate patted him on the shoulder, "It's the least we can do. You shouldn't see the tapestry. Besides that, you never let us see your hourglasses." She looked at him accusingly.
"That's because they don't show up until I have to collect the person!"
She snorted. "That's not the point. What matters is that you insist on seeing the tapestry whenever I command the death of a person, personally."
He grabbed her hand. "Let's just get this over with. I don't plan on spending the next six months arguing about it."
She nodded her head, and the pair flashed away.
*********The Ball********
Draco was outside, slowly wandering around the gardens. Whoever had done the decorations had done an excellent job. The theme from the inside had been carried outdoors. The ground was shiny from the frost charm, and mistletoe and ivy were strung about. The best part about it was that it was temperature controlled. He could spend time alone and not be freezing.
He watched Snape as he moved around the garden. He was blasting rosebushes and making the couples, who were hiding under them, go back inside. Draco stuck his hands in his pockets and headed over to see what was wrong. The only other time he had seen him this upset was when he had been rejected by Madame Pomfrey.
He coughed to announce his presence. "Professor? May I inquire as to why you are taking so much frustration out on those rose bushes?"
Snape turned to snarl at whoever had interrupted him. However, his anger was stifled when he saw his godson. He shook his head. "I found out from Minerva that you will be going home each weekend in order to study with your foster-mother."
Draco nodded his head. "I'm not at liberty to say more than that."
Snape nodded. "I expected as much. You had better get back to the Ball. I wouldn't want to take you away from your date."
Draco smiled. "I was not allowed to have a date for tonight. It would interfere with my objectives."
Snape grinned. "She sounds like a woman after my heart. How is your mother?"
"She was doing fine when I left this morning." He looked Snape in the eye. "She had received some startling news, and she was getting ready to go to Diagon Alley." His voice lowered. "Please tell Father that I am sorry about the loss of house-elves."
"His house-elves?" Snape had a very amused expression on his face.
Draco smiled and tugged his hair with his right hand. "Some of them were not inclined to stay."
Snape just shook his head. He chuckled and sent a blast of air at another rosebush. A loud, high-pitched squeal was heard from within as soon as the air blast hit it.
Draco looked up when he heard the loud yelp. Neville Longbottom got out of the bush. He was attempting to block it so that no one could see inside. However, there was no way that he could hide the vibrant red-hair of Ginny Weasley. Draco snorted. Everyone in this place was getting some action, excluding him and the Professors. Well, he was sure that even some of them were sneaking off. After all, no one had seen Hagrid or Madame Maxine since the opening of the Ball.
He looked around the Garden, awkwardly. He was trying not to embarrass the poor Weaslette when he noticed Granger standing in the doorway with Krum. He snarled, and his body tensed. She obviously could do much better than that jerk. Snape put his hand on his shoulder, almost in a restraining manner.
Draco looked back at him and smiled weakly. He turned back to look at the couple when he saw the Weasel approach. The idiot actually had a smile on his face. The Weasel was holding two glasses of punch, which he extended to the couple. Draco actually growled a little.
His growl shocked him back into self-awareness. "Did I really just do that?"
Snape was still holding on tightly to his shoulder. "Well, that was a little unexpected. Is everything alright? Would you like some calming draught?"
Draco shook his head. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the couple. Granger and Krum both took a drink. A little bit of the tension he felt eased away. He relaxed slightly. Then, the couple both collapsed. He, Snape, and Neville all run over to the collapsed couple.
Draco takes one look at the pair. He asks Neville, "Did you see which way the Weasel went?"
Neville nodded. He had seen Ron bring Hermione and Krum the punch while he was letting Ginny have time to get fixed back up. "I think he headed towards Harry's table."
Draco nodded. They were both running at this point. He knew that his godfather would help Granger. "I'll go right, and you go left."
Neville nodded. He was a little out of breath at this point. The Great Hall was bigger than he would have guessed. He looked over and saw Malfoy take off to the right. He had sparks coming off of his feet every time they came into contact with the floor. He had no idea what had possessed him, but he was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of it.
Draco saw the hair and closed in for the kill. His blood was pumping through his veins, and he could barely contain the magic flowing off of him. He couldn't hear the gasps coming from his classmates as he tried to restrain himself. The next thing he knew, he was ripping Ron out of his seat. He picked him up and slammed him into the ground. Draco's face was centimetres from the Weasel's. "What did you give her?" he growled out.
The Weasel's eyes went big. "I didn't give anyone anything."
Draco snarled and picked him up and slammed him into the marble again. The Weasel's head making a nice sound against the floor as it bounced. "Bullshit!" Draco slipped his hands around his throat. "What the hell did you give her?"
Ron shook his head, he couldn't talk. He would never have expected to be attacked by Draco "coward" Malfoy.
Well, this is slightly unproductive. Draco managed to keep his head for another question. This time, he didn't slam the poor boy's head into the floor or choke him. "What did you give Krum?"
This time, Ron's face really blanched. "I didn't give him anything."
Draco lost any remnant of control he had left. He just had to find out what hurt her. He needed to know why Granger passed out. It was the driving need of every molecule in his body. It was more important than oxygen or glucose at this point. If the sonovabitch who did it to her didn't tell him, then he would force it out of him.
Draco reached forward, pulling The Weasel's head right up against his own. This was against anything he had ever been taught, but he needed to know. He had to know or he would just shrivel up and die. Or, he would explode and take the building with him. Either way, it wasn't a very good thought.
So, he pressed his forehead to the Weasel's and pushed. He forced his mind into Ron's. Funny, but it was hard to insult someone when you are standing in their mind. He looked around, and the place was empty. There was nothing there. He started to panic until he realized that there must be something here. Ron was able to function.
He started to walk around. When he moved, a path started lighting up in front of his feet. He followed it to a pedestal. On the pedestal was one large book. Since there were no other hints, he opened it up. To his surprise, an image started playing on the page.
Ron must have been thinking about what he gave the couple when Draco was asking the questions because on the page in front of him was a moving image of a potion's text. In it, he saw that Ron had it opened to the poisons section. Ron's finger moved down the page and stopped on "Blood of Styrix". Draco sucked his breath in. There were many different impressions that one gave when they used that potion. It was serious business. Plus, it was extremely difficult to brew. He was surprised that Ron was able to do it.
As Draco watched the image, Ron flipped open the book to another section. It was entitled, 'Love Potions: Making the One that You Want, Want You, TOO!" Draco rolled his eyes in disgust. The Wizards who were reduced to using these potions were considered the lowest of the low. Ron's finger danced along the page until he hit 'Lamia's Lust'. He stabbed his finger at it, and the pages turned until it reached the directions.
Draco growled and stepped away from the pedestal. He threw up his hands in disgust. He felt a whirling sensation, and he was back in his own body.
He snarled at the sick fuck underneath him. "How could you do that to them?" He pulled back from Ron's face and looked at him in disgust. "You deserve to be roasted on a spit and fed to wild dogs." His magic flared around them and encompassed the pair in a bubble.
Draco's expression was savage. He had given up all control. His eyes flashed molten silver, and he placed his index finger in the middle of the Weasel's forehead. He pushed all of the horror he felt at his actions and pushed his magic into Weasley. All he could bring himself to say was, "Be."
With that completed, climbed off the top of the bastard and spit on him. He was shocked that Longbottom was just now coming around on the left. "He used Lamia's Lust and Blood of the Styrix." Potter was looking at him like he was insane.
In fact, Harry Potter hadn't had the time to stand up. All he knew was that a blur came from the directions of the Garden and snatched Ron up. He didn't see what had happened.
Neville yelled as he turned to head in the opposite direction. "Harry, get Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey. Tell them to meet us at the Infirmary. Snape should be on his way there with Krum and Hermione."
Harry nodded dumbly. "What happened to Ron?"
Ron was lying on the floor, moaning loudly. Draco looked at him sharply, "Send him to the infirmary, if you want. The sonovabitch is dead to me." He turned and headed towards Hogwarts infirmary with Neville.
Harry headed out in search of the needed staff.
(**Author's Note**: Thank-you for reading. Next Chapter: Harry finds out what happens. Dumbledore leaves his office. Harry and Draco have a meeting. Hermione and Krum are in the infirmary.)
