A/N – this chapter really needs some beta work. If anyone would like to send comments on the chapter please feel free to PM me.
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Chapter 12 – Power
He awoke feeling content and well rested. It took him a moment to realize where he was and found himself extremely happy that the events of the previous night were not just a dream. His little nymph remained cuddled close to him and he turned to study her in sleep, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. He was debating about waking her when his thoughts were disrupted by the sound of a giggle.
Since the only person he would expect to giggle was currently asleep next to him, and the sound was distinctly behind him, he quickly came to the conclusion that they were no longer alone.
He thought about reaching for his wand, which he quickly realized was an annoyingly great distance away neatly tucked in his discarded clothing. Instead, he turned to glance out of the alcove. His view of the enchanted spring was slightly blocked by several beautiful girls, all of whom he assumed to be nymphs. They were clearly interested in nothing other than him at the moment and he became all too aware of the fact that the cloak that he'd been using as a blanket had shifted during the time he'd been asleep, revealing just a bit too much of his backside.
Trying to simultaneously shift the cloak to cover himself while attempting to reach for his wand, he must have uncovered and awoken his companion. As he pulled at the cloak, still staring at the intruders he heard a soft "Hey," as the cloak was tugged back.
"Sorry," as he readjusted the item, wrapping his arm around his lover and pulling her close. "We seem to have visitors," he whispered, motioning back behind him, once again moving the cloak, inspiring another giggle from one of the observers.
She peered over his shoulder, to find a small gathering of smiling faces looking back at them.
"Reya, Elora, please, could you?" as she motioned for them to move away. The girls waved and giggled and moved off, chattering amongst themselves.
"They are talking about me," he groused, turning his attention back to the naked nymph lying next to him. "I assume they are friends of yours," he said, as she giggled in agreement. He gave up on worrying about the interruption as he'd decided that kissing her neck had suddenly become far more important.
She giggled in response, but as he continued to kiss her, she seemed to become tense, as she pulled the cloak closer to cover herself.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, suddenly seeming shy, but she was smiling at him. She seemed so young and as thoughts of the previous evening's activity came back to his mind. He felt guilty for a moment.
"You don't regret..."
She put a finger to his lips, effectively stopping him from finishing the statement. She shook her head, no, and reached her hand to his face, softly brushing his hair from his forehead and tracing her fingers along his cheek. She studied him carefully for a moment, before leaning forward to kiss him on the lips.
They made love again and he held her close for a long while after, stroking her hair.
"I better get back. The sun's already up and I'm sure someone has noticed I've gone missing."
She reluctantly agreed.
He dressed quickly, not wanting to get caught again on display by the giggling bunch of nymphs. As he buttoned his shirt, a realization struck him.
"You spoke."
She looked surprised.
"You spoke to them. You called one Reya, and another Elora?"
"I guess I did," she seemed as surprised as he did. Both paused to show amazement at the sound of her voice.
His face lit with a smile. "That's wonderful!"
She nodded enthusiastically, the realization still sinking in. "They said that my power needed to grow as I learned. But I still don't know what it is that I did to earn that."
"The last time was the laughter after Christmas. That was the first time I heard you laugh. I could see the magic around you."
"You could?"
He nodded, "It looked like the spring, the same colors. I saw it again, last night after you fell asleep. I thought it was just the normal way this place looked at night."
She looked thoughtful, still wrapped in his cloak. "I'm not sure. I didn't notice it either time but I've never seen the magic move around me."
It was so odd to hear her voice. It was soft and sweet, just like she was and he wanted to hear it more. The mystery of why she managed to increase her skills would have to wait, though. He really did need to get back. He didn't need anyone suspecting that he was away from the school for so long.
"I'd better go..." he said. She started to hand him the cloak and he stopped her. He'd thought about asking for the cloak back but seeing her unclothed again would not expedite his departure. "No, you keep it. I have others. Something to remind you of me, yeah?"
She nodded again, still seeming shy. He knelt down next to her, caressed her cheek gently and gave her a soft kiss. "It might be a bit before I can get back but I will be thinking of you. I promise."
She nodded and watched him as he walked back over the knoll, turning to give her one more smile before returning to his own world.
- - - -
Returning to the castle in the early morning felt particularly surreal. The weather was unusually warm for January, causing a heavy fog to float over the snow covered grounds. It worked in his favor for two reasons, the first being that it minimized the risk that he would be seen returning at such an odd hour and the second was that, having left his cloak with Ginny, he would have been quite chilled once her warming spell had worn off.
He entered the castle feeling better than he had in a very long time, although his good mood was cut short much too soon. His timing for entering the castle could not have been worse. As soon as he walked through the main hall and turned toward his dormatory, he found that Amycus Carrow was, unfortunately, an early riser.
"Mr. Malfoy, you seem to be up quite early today."
"Yes, Professor," he agreed, as blandly as possible.
"I was hoping to talk with you last night, but you seemed to have missed dinner. Might I ask why?"
"Just trying to get prepared for the term, Professor."
"Yes, of course," the man agreed, using a falsely condescending tone. "Might I ask what sorts of matters needed such dire attention that you weren't in your common room either?"
So, Draco surmised that the man suspected that he'd been out and, for some annoying reason, seemed to feel that he needed to know his whereabouts. Draco found himself grateful that he'd left his cloak behind because, had he been caught wearing the garment, it would have been quite clear that he'd not returned to his room at all last night.
"I was just out for a walk last night, Professor. I returned just before curfew."
"Well, I must have missed you then," the Dark Arts professor said, clearly suspicious, but not pressing the matter. "Well, back to why I was looking for you..."
Draco gritted his teeth, trying to look as unconcerned as possible. This man was a nuisance.
"Yes, Professor?"
"It would seem that your little friends seem to be enamored with the idea that you had something to do with a bit of excitement over the holiday."
Draco tried to look bored. Carrow was obviously referring to the Weasley shop incident.
"Many of them look up to you, for some unknown reason," the professor eyed him disdainfully before continuing, "Now, between you and me, I think that that particular little display was not your style."
Obviously.
"I don't know what you mean, Professor," Draco responded dryly. Somehow, this man knew he had nothing to do with the explosion. So much for the cover that the little coincidence had provided.
"Come now, boy, you know exactly what I mean. What was your purpose in that little shop? Surely, you didn't go in to just purchase something. I'm thinking you have something going on with those Weasleys and you're not letting on."
If the bastard only knew how right his words were.
Carrow seemed to assume that he had been giving some sort of information to the Weasley twins while he'd gone into the shop. Possibly someone else had come to the same conclusion as well and that's why the shop had been targeted. Or, it was possible that the perpetrator had been Carrow himself? Draco quickly dismissed that as unlikely, as Carrow would have been too recognizable if he'd gone anywhere near the place. Draco had to assume that Carrow was fishing for information or he would have been approached on the matter sooner.
Draco said nothing. It would do him no good to either confirm or deny the idiot's suspicions.
"Now, if you are friendly with these Weasleys for some reason, I'd like to know why. Where were you last night Mr. Malfoy? I'm quite certain that you never returned to your common room."
It was time for this conversation to end.
"Professor, if I didn't know better, I would think that your infatuation with my personal habits had nothing to do with your sister, as you've been repeatedly implying. I assure you, I am only interested in women."
Carrow paused momentarily thrown by the remark and Draco used the opportunity to turn on his heel and stride off purposefully toward breakfast.
- - - -
Ginny's morning was equally unhappy, though much of it was by her own doing.
After he left, she went for a swim in the enchanted pool, trying to focus on enjoying the feel of the water as she glided through its calm energy. Her thoughts, however, were in turmoil and she swam trying to sort out her feelings about the events of the past day.
What she wanted to think about was her newfound increase in power. She badly wanted to try to understand what had happened to see if it might help in her quest, but her ability to focus on the subject was completely lost.
All she could dwell on was the fact that her body had been changed irrevocably, beyond being transformed into a nymph. She'd slept with him. She'd actually physically made love to a boy and she would never be a girl again. A part of her mind held the logic of why she'd been so willing to be with him, and she didn't completely regret it. He'd been wonderful to her, yet another part of her felt nothing but guilt.
For years, the only person she'd imagined being her first was Harry. Yet, he wasn't here and hadn't been here for months. Still, she felt that she should have waited for him. He'd left her to pursue his destiny, possibly never to return to her. She'd been angry and hurt for a long time over his departure.
Far more significantly, she'd left her old life behind in the hope of helping him and the others she loved. Even if Harry returned, it was likely that she'd never encounter him again. She was lost to that other world as surely as if she'd been killed.
But her feelings were far more muddled than that. She remained deeply disturbed by the single fact that, despite having been missing and doting on the thought of Harry for such a long time, she hadn't really thought about him in weeks. Worse, she didn't have even the briefest thought of him last night or this morning while she lay with Draco. That realization left her with a far greater guilt than she ever thought imaginable.
Her actions had been purely selfish. She'd done it because she didn't want him to leave. Over the last few months he'd become her friend and companion and, most of all, her link to her old world. Her new life afforded no other contact. So, somewhere along the way, she'd come to need him like she'd never needed another person.
Worse, he'd changed. He'd grown. He turned into someone, a very handsome someone, that she had truly grown to like, even love in some strange way. He'd wanted to leave her so he wouldn't hurt her, so she took away his reason to stay away.
So, on top of feeling guilt about sleeping with someone who wasn't Harry, she also had to deal with the guilt of knowing that she prevented his worst enemy from actually committing an unselfish act. She was truly a mischief making nymph, and at the moment she felt she was pure evil.
Elora and the others returned shortly after she'd finished her swim and dressed for the day. The nymphs were happy and chatty and cheerful, eagerly awaiting to hear the details of her encounter.
Ginny found herself somewhat overwhelmed at their enthusiasm. Apparently, sleeping with a wizard was far from being considered unacceptable or immoral. They seemed to delight in the idea. Ginny was flabbergasted.
"If he were my assignment, I don't think I'd have waited so long to have him," Callista swooned. "He's quite the handsome one."
Tara, a green haired nymph chastised her laughingly, "That's probably why you didn't get the assignment!"
"Oh, you are such a spoilsport! Don't tell me you would have waited very long either!" Callista retorted.
The conversation was cheerful, though Ginny didn't contribute much. Mostly, they encouraged Ginny and congratulated her that her powers as a nymph had become more fully realized.
Elora sent them off, noticing that Ginny was becoming more pensive and withdrawn from the others.
Reya, always the calm one, touched Ginny on the shoulder as she left, "It's alright Ginny. We can talk later. I know everyone at once is a bit much but they mean no harm."
She smiled at her friend. "Thanks Reya, I do want to tell you everything. It just seems odd right now."
Her friend smiled and moved off, leaving Ginny alone with her mentor.
"Elora, what have I done?"
"You opened your heart to someone in need. Is that not clear to you?"
"No! No, it's not clear at all! I shouldn't have done that! It was wrong," she stood and paced, wringing her hands as she spoke.
"What was so wrong?"
"I was selfish, I didn't want him to leave and never come back. So I took away the reason he claimed for leaving."
"He didn't want to hurt you." Ginny paused at the remark. Elora knew exactly what had happened between her and Draco, somehow. In a way, it made it easier for her to talk to her mentor. The nymph's wisdom reminded her of Dumbledore.
"No, he didn't. It was the most selfless thing I could have imagined him saying. It was so not like him. In fact, it was nothing like him. He's supposed to be selfish, and cruel, and he wasn't... he wasn't." She sat next to Elora and sobbed.
Elora took the girl into her arms, holding her while she cried.
"So, you are sad that he is not what you wanted him to be?"
"No..." she sniffed, pulling away from Elora's embrace, "no, it's not that."
"Then what?"
"I'm supposed to love someone else. It was wrong of me to be with him."
"Yet, you've grown closer to him than you have possibly anyone. Is that not true?"
"Yes, he's become my friend, I suppose. He seems to need me."
"And you found him handsome, did you not?"
"I never said he wasn't... it was just that he was so horrible to everyone I've ever known that he wasn't someone I'd care to think of as someone I would be involved with in any way."
"Is it so difficult to love more than one person?"
"Not like this! This is different!"
"The act of caring for another is not different. Love takes many forms, many facets, like the colors in the pool here. Each hue is different and unique, yet all are beautiful and all create the fabric of who we are."
Ginny stared into the pool, pondering the words.
Elora continued, "As nymphs, we are separate from the wizards, yet are bound to them by the fabric of the world. They need us, often to grow beyond what they are. Someday, the world of men and wizards will become great, but their ways are still young." Ginny understood that Elora was referring to her as well.
"Nymphs live for many centuries, my dear. Over that time, we fall in love many times. It is our blessing and our curse," the nymph explained.
Ginny looked at her with tear filled eyes. The thought of living for centuries, of watching all those she loved grow old and die while she lived on was an overwhelming concept.
"Each love is precious," her mentor continued, "and to physically show our love is a way that wizards understand and accept. It is not viewed in the way of your world, because we cannot be a part of that world. We give our hearts to these wizards who seek our help and a part of them stays in our hearts always. Some move on to grow in their lives, wiser. Some escape with us, and we watch them grow old and die here. Each time, we feel the pain of parting but we nymphs need them as much as they need us."
"But, why?" Ginny asked. "Why do we connect with them? It's so confusing and losing them hurts so very much."
Elora understood Ginny's meaning. Ginny would be apart from her family. Losing loved ones to death was never easy, even for a nymph.
"We need them to keep us grounded, my young one. It would be too easy to separate from them otherwise. We need to understand, to truly care for them as part of the world. We are greater in magic, but our hearts are still the same. "
"But you don't interfere. You have all this power, but you don't interfere. I mean, I have all this power. I could help my family with a wave of my hand but I'm not allowed. We allow them to see the power, but they can't be part of it. "
"We cannot, it would be immoral. You are children, growing in knowledge that can only come with time. There are a few of you who can reach beyond the barrier, which is why you are with us, my dear. But your lessons are for you alone to learn. We can provide comfort when asked, and some wisdom, if you choose to listen, and then take it back with you. Ultimately, the knowledge is the power."
"But I have no wisdom. I don't know anything, yet you assigned him to me."
"You have lessons that you can learn together. He would not have listened otherwise. He came here seeking power, not joy."
"Now he doesn't. He knows he can't use this power. That's why he was willing to leave."
"No, he was willing to leave, even seeing the power here, rather than risk causing you pain. The same pain you seem determined to suffer now."
"And what about me? What do I do? You say I'm learning from him but I don't know what it is, other than that I seem to be attracted to him."
"You have given him a gift and your gift gave you power. "
"Oh, is that what you call it?"
"Child, would you have cared about him only a short time ago? Would you have been able to look past his flaws to see the person within?"
"No."
"By being willing to give part of yourself to him, someone you once despised, your ability to love has grown. You've reached beyond your past barriers. The love you shared has allowed you to access power through him. You are joined to him in a very special way now."
"Please don't tell me I have to sleep with every evil being out there to reach my full potential,"
Elora laughed, "No, little one. Love takes on many expressions, just as the love you know for your family led you to sacrifice to come to us. As you grow, you will understand. "
"Oh, I hope so, Elora. You wouldn't know how long that will take, would you?"
Her mentor laughed again, the gentle joy of the nymph causing the colors of the enchanted area to dance in unison. Ginny noticed this, and realized that she still had far to go.
"He does care for you, you know. Your actions were not wrong."
"I know. I care for him too." Ginny was surprised by her own admission. He had become important to her.
"Do not regret your actions, my dear. Your gift will eventually bring you much joy."
Ginny brightened slightly, though her doubts still remained. At least Elora had been willing to enlighten her that much. The nymph was wise and she seemed to know the future, but shared her knowledge sparingly, leaving Ginny somewhat frustrated. Yet, the elder's advice had seemed sound, and Ginny willed herself to trust her.
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A/N – Hello dear readers. I know I've been quick with the updates, but I'm afraid it will be at least a week or two before chapter 13 comes along. There are 2 reasons, first, I'll be traveling and not sure if I'll have internet access for a few days, and second, chapter 13 is only partially written, although later chapters are ready to go.
Again, any help with beta of this chapter is appreciated. I know it needs work.
Thanks
-G
