And here it is. Next chapter has a lot done already, problem is I have gotten into a major writing depression, and I really don't like the direction it is going. It's going so fast, and suddenly Draco and Harry aren't so hm perfect as they were. Major doubts about stuff, so might take a while to get the next chapter up. Hopefully I will get over this melancholy soon and manage to get the whole plot line out before the Hallows are released. And not get annoyed with the whole of it and stop writing.
8. Truth
Where Truth and Theory of Magic is discussed and two conscious' find each other
Sitting down on the tatami, hands in his lap, back straight eyes closed, one breath in, one breath out. A pure silence; came a sluggish thought to Draco, which sparked another: No, not a pure silence, there are three people, and a person is full of sounds. Sounds; travelled the thought to another. The sound of air moving into the lungs, past the resting vocal cords, into the two cavities, stretching out. The sound of the heart pumping its time-honoured beat of life, sending blood into the roads of the body, to obtain the air that has entered and to take it to it's designated destination. The gush of blood rushing, the small sounds of life, forever circulating, in and out.
What made it happen so?
Why does everything go around in circles? In and back again, out and back again?
Does everything go in circles?
Moving constantly to keep the world in balances.
"We shall now discuss the assignments you have completed." The Sensei had all the strict energy she had been lacking for the past two days, and Draco had a scary feeling she was going to make up for the slack very soon.
"First of all, I am not at all happy. You have not truly thought about the assignments. You should be ashamed of yourselves, not being able to coopelate. Childish!" Draco had to gather all his Malfoy pride to keep from cringing like Potter did. McGonagall was all-loving and compassionate compared to Sensei.
"Why did I give you this assignment, Malfoy-san?" Draco almost scuttled when the Fires of Anger turned to regard him and he cleared his voice not to squeak.
"To get Potter and me to know each other?"
"Exactly, wise of you to listen to Glanger-san! Potter-san, why do you need to know each other?" Potter did a squeak.
"To get along?"
"Plecisely! But you are not tlying hard enough, neither of you! And Malfoy-san, don't you dare defy me!" Draco winced.
The Sensei then sighed and suddenly the Hell Fire that had burned the room shrank back into some furnace she must be hiding in her sleeve. "Maybe I will tell you my leasons of taking Malfoy-san to tlain beside Potter-san.
"When I first came to this house, I saw this house was mourning. One of the things I despise most is the incapability to respect a deceased one and move on ploperly. This house needed a kick at its head at the vely least. What I found was better, as you Malfoy-san were alleady here, just waiting for a little push. Of course I had other leasons than dislupting the house. Immediately I knew that Potter-san would learn best, when he felt he was challenged, and Malfoy-san is a perfect antagonist."
Draco didn't know if he was allowed to proudly smirk at this point, but he did it anyway. Potter certainly would not have learnt as quickly without the little push Draco provided.
"Then there was the most intliguing factor. You two are a lare pair of almost perfect opposing forces. And no, not in the sense of eternal enemies as you like to think yourself, but in the way of Yin and Yang as you have learned. Opposites that compliment each other and yet are of the same. Vely lare indeed." Draco had a bad feeling where this was going.
"The world is in an eternal flow of balancing itself, as you have gladually started to sense. Magic is the energy that flows, and it flows in such a way to create an equiliblium. There is a theoletical debate out if the world is ever in perfect symmetly or just tlavelling an eternal path towards is, but whatever the answer to that debate is, the fact is that this world is made up of similalities and dissimilalities and there is a flow that moves them to keep them in balance.
"All people form their own twist into that flow, and the greater that voltex is, the gleater is that persons power in magic. There are times when some of these voltexes glow big and influential, warping the genelal flow. Luckily, when these powerful voltexes appear another one appears to balance it out."
"Voldemort and Dumbledore," Potter suddenly murmured.
"Vely good, Potter-san."
"But Dumbledore was killed," Potter continued.
"Oh yes. And this is where the two of you come in. It sometimes happens that two voltexes are the same except they are opposite. They are equal, and yet they the leverse of each other. It is theorized that every vortex has an contladicting pair, but it is very lare for these two vortexes to be found close to each other. These two will then start feeding on each other, competing and glowing their skills against each other.
"It is not very effective, not until they receive proper training. Are you familiar with the equation of one and three make two but two and two make four?"
Draco nodded; it was one of the basic principle of Arithmancy.
"Please explain to Potter-san."
"It basically explains the result of adding two magical energies together. It is one of the fundamental laws of Magical Theory," Draco related from a textbook precisely. "If you have two magical energies of which one is weaker than the other the result is an energy that is an average of the two energies begun with. However, if two equal energies are added the result is the multiplied product of the original powers. Example: Two magical energies are shown as powers of two and eight, and when they are added, the resulting energy is a power of five. Second example: Two magical energies of the power of say three and three result in an energy of the power of nine."
"Very good, Malfoy-san. Do you follow, Potter-san?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"The assignments were designed to let you yourself notice this, but as the two of you are stupid as two blickwalls, I now have to explain it to you, which is always wolse than finding it out by yourselves but we are under a schedule so no can do.
"So according to this law, these two voltexes, though the opposite each other, can under ploper guidance manifest to become a power much greater than the enelgy of voltexes themselves originally. When this has been completed the two are known as isshindoutai, which tlansalates as being one in body and soul or kinshitsusouwa that is two people, also used of married couples, being intimate and harmonious. When the two voltexes are guided into not fighting eachother--"
"Excuse me, but WHAT THE HELL?" For once Draco agreed with Potter's rude outbreak.
"I beg your pardon, Potter-san, what is the source of your bewilderment?"
"Me and Malfoy? To become one in body and soul? A married couple!!!"
"Oh, no no. You do not have to be married, it is just an expression, Potter-san."
"One in body and soul?"
"It can also tlanslate as 'of one flesh' and 'two hearts beating as one'…"
"But what does that mean?"
"Potter, you cannot have such a dirty imagination," Draco sneered though he had to admit he was getting freaked out of his mind.
"It only lefers to the ability of sensing the other as almost one own body, a vely useful ability when fighting as a pair."
"I don't want Malfoys body!" Potter was flipping major time.
"I find you very attractive too, Potter, thanks."
"No, Potter-san, you are mistaken," Sensei was quite at loss with Potter's sudden rampage, "you will just be able to sense the others body and intentions of movement, I assure you, you will be quite in contlol of yourselves."
"I will not give Malfoy any hold over my body or even my intentions!" Potters eyes were doing gymnastic moves, trying to find an escape.
"Potter, are you actually listening anymore?"
"Maybe it is time for lunch, Malfoy-san?" Sensei coolly ignored the Boy Who Lived With No Brain.
"I quite agree with you, Sensei."
Weasley did not take the news any better than Potter. Their duo rampage showed was a big contribution to the proof for the theory of two magical forces combined. Draco made things only worse, so he just sulked at his portion of salad that was Molly's latest attempt to reduce fattiness, trying to find sense in this new prospect the Sensei saw so important.
Hermione had practically burst with excitement when she had finally understood what the fuss was all about, and now she had her hands full of trying to make her two best friends calm down and understand the bright sides. Draco would certainly like to know what they were.
"-look, Harry, get a grip yourself. You are enormously powerful just by yourself, think what you and Draco could reach together--"
"Hell, together, 'Mione! Are you out of your mind? And besides Harry could beat the Ferret blindfolded with one hand, as if they could be as powerful!"
"Well, I can't see what your afraid then if you are so certain it won't work!"
"Hermione," Potter frothed, "the problem is the 'of one flesh' part! How could I bond with such an, an annoying, poncy--"
"Really, Potter, your are in denial and secretly lust after me," Draco couldn't help himself commenting.
"As if Harry would want to have anything to do with a slimy, murdering git like you, Ferret!" The Weasel jumped in as his role of a Keeper.
"Ronald Weasley! Sit down and keep your mouth closed!" Hermione smouldered. Draco amusedly ranked her even scarier than McGonagall, giving her the second place for The Most Intimidating Women Competition. Sensei was still secure with her trophy though.
"Being paired up with Malfoy! Someone up there hates me!" Potter groaned.
"Harry, you can't put up with this, you don't need Malfoy, you can take on You-Know-Who without the nuisance! Actually, you would beat You-Know-Who much better without him, he would just betray--!" A dark shadow settled over the boy.
"That is quite enough shouting in my kitchen, Ronald Weasley." Thunder rolled between the basement walls. "If you are going to continue, pray do it somewhere far away from me."
"But mum!"
"No buts, and that includes you, Harry!"
Draco shivered and made a careful adjustment of tying Sensei and Molly Weasley on first place.
With the help of Molly's discipline, Hermione forced Draco and Potter to finally come to an understanding that they would at least try it out. Sensei was very much pleased.
"We will now begin to plactise aunnokokyuu, the plocess harmonizing the two of you mentally and physically." Potter's jaws flexed aggressively at this. "Potter-san, do contlol yourself! Plepare yourself for a meditation exelcise."
Draco drew a deep breath in with his pancreas as he had been taught and systematically got rid of all the apprehension. He easily slipped into the trance, welcoming the pure peace that he found in that state. He was once again aware of the steady flow of energy all around him. The now gentle, instructing voice of the Sensei reached him as behind thick cloth.
"Now, let yourself expand your consciousness, embrace the flow and feel its paths."
Draco stretched out and revelled at the overwhelming power that surrounded him. It smoothly circulated around him, touching him and then moving onwards ever onwards. The pathways were rounded, gently curving around the world and Draco.
It also curved around what seemed to be other two presences. Curious, Draco towards them, and found that the other was almost a whirlpool with its vivacious force, a sudden heightened pace among the patient stride of the flow. The other was more silent, comfortably fitting into the flow, almost camouflaged. Draco suddenly recognised that this presence was more experienced than the swift one; it had found its one place in the world and adjusted itself into it, content, yet extremely influential with its deep roots.
The swift one thrashed around occasionally, testing its boundaries and strength, unsure and maybe a little frightened. But it was strong, stronger than the older one, and its vortex warped the whole stream of the flow, changing the paths of the flow. Draco found himself a little wary of the younger one it was unpredictable, ready to explode at any moment.
Turning back to the elder, more stable eddy he closed in to inspect it further.
:Very good Malfoy-san.
Draco jumped and opened his eyes
The Sensei kneeled before him her eyes open as she always did when meditating.
"Tly again, Malfoy-san," she instructed.
Warily Draco sank back into the calm and let his breathing fall back into the soothing rhythm. He looked around in the flow again, easily finding the elder vortex. He noticed the younger one was stretching out, as it exploring. Draco suddenly understood it was Potter and sniggered at the others slower progress.
Never was much good in meditation, was he?
:Potter-san does his best, Malfoy-san. It just happens to be that your best in meditation is very good.
Draco managed to keep himself in the meditative state.
:You can talk in this state?
:More like exchange thoughts. Feelings and intentions conveyed through the Flow. It feels like talking, but there is no language in what you receive. Your consciousness interprets the thoughts. But when I send you something you do not have a word for, you will notice that it is not speech, such as this.
A half-feeling, half-image came to Draco of a skin of sharp, prickly, yet inside soft and loving. Draco gathered that it was an attribute of a person, but he couldn't quite come to a grasp it fully.
:This is only possible in a meditative state?
:Do you mean this way of communicating? You have to be precise in what you describe or the other cannot see your meaning.
:Yes, I mean that.
:It requires a more defined state of mind to make a connection strong enough to communicate with another, but talented and well practised wizards are capable of it, yes. If you are bonded enough with another person, it will be easier. If Potter-san and you will succeed, it should become quite easy for you to reach each other's thoughts, especially in trance. Try reaching him now.
Draco felt a sprout of glee. If he was startled by hearing the Sensei's thoughts, what would Potter do when he was suddenly reached by Draco?
:Hello, Potter, he sent toward the feisty vortex. It withdrew in surprise and Draco grinned. Potter did manage to stay in the meditative state, however, and soon an inquisitive thought reached Draco.
:Curious, aren't we? Draco contacted him again.
:Malfoy?
:Yes, Potter. You are quite slow, you know, I have already had an extensive conversation with Sensei about the joys of conversing with thoughts.
Draco received a feeling of sudden understanding.
:You know of this?
:Muggles imagine.
:What? Think clearer, Potter.
:Muggles have been playing with the idea for long.
:Have they indeed? You will have to tell me what they call it, as sending thoughts back and forth is hardly a good term for it.
:But you said it just there?
:Potter, you understood what I said as such. Your consciousness interpreted the thoughts I sent to you.
:This is not talking?
:No, it is exchanging thoughts.
:Is that other vortex Sensei?
:It is.
:I wonder what my vortex looks like.
:A massive, uncontrolled whirlpool, swirling with too much force and unsettling the whole Flow. …What about me? Draco sent before he could stop himself.
:Exactly fitted into the Flow, but the centre revolving tenfold faster than the sides. Extremely controlled and powerful. Draco was pleased indeed to find out he did not look weak.
"You know, when you don't have to hear what Malfoy's mouth produces, he is very nice."
"I am not, Potter."
"No really, the content behind the wording is not nasty at all."
Draco scoffed and dug into his chicken breast. It was the two days after the first contact, and the two apprentices had done rapid progress, and a lot of talking too, as telepathy (the word Potter taught Draco) was an extremely fast way of communicating, due to the skipping of the physical steps of conversation.
"So the Ferret squeals worse than it bites, eh?"
"You want to try, Weasel?"
"Draco, if you could develop a better relationship with Ron as fast as you do with Harry, you might actually be friends some time," Hermione suggested to Draco.
"Yeah, in the next century maybe," Potter laughed.
Draco smiled amusedly at him, and once again he noticed how Potter seemed to stop for fraction of a second every time Draco smiled at him. Potter turned quickly towards Weasley to start a conversation about the Chudley Cannons, better known as Fuddley Duds. Draco was just about to join in and enlighten them on the reality of the team's chances, when Hermione pushed him a soft package wrapped in brown paper.
"What's this?"
"Shush, just put these on and meet me at eight by the front door," Hermione murmured to him.
"What?"
"Eight o'clock, front door, do not breathe a word to those two, or we're dead. Got it?"
"I guess."
"Good."
Hermione had a wicked sense of style Draco had to admit. The simple black trousers, the black shirt and accenting white cotton jacket screamed "hot, hot, hot," if you ignored the loud "Muggle, Muggle". Draco was very impressed with the picture the black shirt licking his toned muscles and framed by the loose white cloth made.
But if you added it all up, the most probable answer was date. And as friendly as he was with Hermione, he wasn't feeling that close to her and there was the "not allowed to leave the house without permission" which kind of complicated the situation.
And though his brains were in constant red alert, Draco wanted to know what this was about.
Fighting his immense curiosity he backed up on his new divan and praised the room with his gaze. He wasn't quite satisfied, the old furniture were still there, keeping the feel of a child's room present, but the bed and the desk were too fine to be transfigured and they belonged to the room in some strange fundamental way, so that he hadn't had the heart to move them into storage. And Cassiopeia had screamed her head off when he had tried to get rid of them. As blonde as the painting was, she was more company than the hostile Order.
He had had to compromise moving the bed into one corner and arranging the closets and desk in a better way, and only changing the fungus infested walls and ceiling into white, pure wood and adding an large mirror to one wall and a elegant black divan in the middle of the room. But one day, he promised to himself, he would get his dream bedroom, with the magical frescos and the large balcony, so that the bedroom was half outside itself and a glorious, monumental bed, white silk covers streaming across it and mountains of pillows and a handsome, adoring lover with ebony hair to…
That thought was not be encouraged.
So taking a deep breath and one final glance at his hair, he slipped through the door and moved down the stairs as quietly as possible. He thought he saw someone peering down from upstairs, but he ignored it, as no one questioned him. Draco knew he had a streak of paranoia in him, and had learned to not trust any vague feelings, due to some embarrassing incidents with empty corridors, paintings, echoes and such.
Hermione was waiting for him, by the door and she motioned him to hurry, as she opened the complicated locks and bolts of the door with practised ease. The door was open when Draco came to it and Hermione pushed him out without further ado.
"Well, good evening to you too, you look lovely and so on," Draco shot at her as she closed the door. She did look lovely in denim trousers, high heels and the half-long beige jacket. Her hair was up in a loose, elegant bun, leaving some curls to frame her face.
"Sorry, Draco. I'm not very keen to be caught, there'd be such a circus if anyone found out I'm sneaking you of for a club." She pulled her wand out and pointed it at her face. Sparkly gloss painted itself on the lips, another swish and her eyelashes were long and curved. "I told Molly I went to see my parents."
"I gather that you got a permission from Sensei."
"Yes, she thought an outing could do you good.
"This club, it's that disco thing you talked about earlier isn't it?"
"It is."
"You seriously think you'll be able to drag me into some Muggle dance club?"
"Be quiet Draco and follow me."
"I think you are enjoying yourself, Draco."
"I think you have an unhealthy habit of imagining things, Hermione," Draco sneered at her and sipped his drink.
"Your leg says different." Draco forced his leg to stop tapping along with the beat.
"Well, the music is… entertaining."
"Muggles are way ahead of us in music. Maybe it's because we don't have that much variety in musicians or that we concentrate so much in magic, but Celestina Warbeck and the Weird Sisters aren't exactly the greatest pride of wizarding kind. And, Muggles are light years, just a Muggle saying, ahead of us in dancing. You want to try, Draco?"
Draco looked at mass of people writhing to the beat among themselves. It did seem… interesting.
"It's not very hard." Draco glanced at Hermione sharply.
"There is no way a Muggle can dance better than a Malfoy."
"Well, let's see, shall we?" Hermione laughed as she took a firm hold of Draco's hand and dragged him to the dance floor. Making their way deeper, Draco felt the pulse of the music and as if his body was born to do this, it started twitch and sway in the same manner as the Muggles' he was among.
"Very good, Master Malfoy," Hermione yelled over the din, "Move your hips now!" Draco did as he was told and he lost himself in the movement, in the pulse and in the deep harmony that came from the throng of dancing people.
It was so easy, a step back and a move with his hand, the sway of his spine and a lift of his knee. He revelled in the appreciating glances that began to rain upon him and he ran his hands down his body to the delight of girls dressed in cleavage revealing, glimmering tops. The song switched, and hands rose up and squeal was given by the dancers.
"What's that?" Draco hollered at Hermione.
"It's a popular song, U2's Discothéque!"
The nearly unearthly music started beating through the crowd and Draco suddenly found himself in a connection to the Flow, flooding through the room. Draco could not remember when he had felt this alive before. Fighting with Potter was like this, only this didn't have the negative sting flavouring it. A girl with a strange, slick, fire red suit challenged him by sliding down his side and Draco was never one to miss a challenge, another girl with bright pink lips bumped against him and he returned the smile, a high heeled miniskirt caught up with his hips, a man with a tight, white top danced at him and Draco danced back, and the beat and the heat and the Flow brought him a relaxation he had not known…
Hermione was suddenly there, leading him out of the dance. Hermione offered him a drink and smiled at him with a knowing smile.
"What?"
"I always did wonder if you swung in that direction."
"What ever do you mean, Granger?"
"That hunk of a man was hot indeed, and very, very gay."
"What, I'm not allowed to have a little fun?"
"I'm not accusing you of anything, Draco."
"Look, Granger, I have had loads of experience with witches…"
"Don't get testy on me, now, it's not as if it's a bad thing."
"I even had a crush on you!"
"That explains things," she only smiled, "but it doesn't rule out the gay factor."
"You aren't surprised."
"Please, Draco, you were quite persistent with your bullying, and I have always prided myself with my knowledge in psychology."
Draco sulked into his hands.
"And that grudge you have for Harry has also been quite interesting."
"Hermione, if you tell anyone…!"
"Draco, I'm a Gryffindor remember."
"That didn't stop that cow Brown or that twin what's-her-name."
"Don't fret, Draco," Hermione beamed at him, "I'll keep it strictly between us."
