The Party at Malfoy Manor
"So, how do I look?" I asked Draco once I was ready. He looked at me, and his eyes looked like they were about to fall out.
"You're a knock-out. Those stupid Death Eaters better keep their hands to themselves." I gave a nervous laugh, and started pacing. "Look, just focus on me the whole time. Okay? None of them will do anything to you. They value their positions too much."
"Yeah, I know. But I've never done this before. You're the only one I've ever sang for before, and we always ended up having sex."
"Forgive me, but I'm failing to see the problem here." I smacked his shoulder.
"When it was only you, it was just your energy I was taking. But tonight, it will be so much more people, and so much more power. I don't think I'm strong enough to take it all in without losing my mind."
"Of course you are. And I'll be right here to help you. Even if we have to have sex all night long."
"The things you're willing to sacrifice." I said sarcastically. He stuck out his arm so I could hang on to him, and we made our way downstairs. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "Thank God he's here with me right now." But that still wasn't helping the slight headache I had. "My head hurts." I whispered, as we were getting closer, and I didn't want anyone to hear.
"How bad is it?" He whispered back.
"It's not terrible. But it definitely hurts."
"The party will be over in a few hours."
"I know." I would've said more, but we'd reached the bottom. Immediately, every head turned to look at me, and I felt like screaming and running in the other direction. Draco must have guessed my feelings, because his grip on my arm tightened.
"Wonderful, now everyone's here. Dinner can begin." Bellatrix said, apparently in charge.
Dinner was really awkward. The food was pretty good, though. Voldemort sat at the head of the table, and the Malfoys all sat together. I hadn't seen much of Lucius until then, but he didn't look any better than when I first got here. As usual, Bellatrix was groveling like a hungry puppy over the Dark Lord. No one but those two and a few other Death Eaters were talking, and the only other sound was forks clinking on plates. It was doing nothing for my nerves. But then Bellatrix stood up and spoke.
"If you're all finished, we should make our way into the ball room where the presentation will start." Was that all I was? The presentation? The entertainment? As everyone started to get up, Bellatrix moved toward me, and I had a last second thought. I leaned so only Draco and Narcissa could hear me.
"Draco, you have to pretend to be drawn to me, okay? Narcissa, you too." And then Bellatrix reached me and pulled me away, but not before Narcissa whispered to Draco, "And why should you have to pretend, young man?" I smiled a little.
Bella led me into the huge ball room, which made my jaw drop. It was obvious they only used this room for special occasions, so I felt momentarily flattered. The room was ginormous! The chandelier looked like it was crystal, maybe even diamond. There was a raised platform, two steps above the normal floor level, where a big, ancient looking thrown sat right in the middle. Let me guess: That's where Voldemort sat. Bellatrix waved her wand, and the chair hovered to the back of the room, where the shadows were. And sure enough, the Dark Lord sat down and waited for everyone to enter the room.
"Now listen here, girl. You'll sing one song. A nice one, not one that's going to make us all want to murder each other. No funny business, no dawdling. Get up there, sing, and then leave. Got it?" I had a vision of strangling her just then. I didn't think anyone would mind very much, except maybe Narcissa. And that's just because she'd have to pay for the funeral. So, instead, I just smiled and agreed.
"Yes, Ma'am."
I went up the two steps, and turned around to find all eyes on me once again. It was horribly overwhelming, and I would've passed out if Draco and Narcissa weren't standing there, giving me reassuring smiles. I spotted the piano and other instruments in the room, and charmed them to play a song. The intro was long, but the lyrics were fairly safe to sing.
Under your spell again
I can't say no to you
Crave my heart, and it's bleeding in your hand
I can't say no to you
Shouldn't let you torture me so sweetly
Now I can't let go of this dream
I can't breathe, but I feel…
Good enough
I feel good enough for you
Drink up sweet decadence
I can't say no to you
And I've completely lost myself, and I don't mind
I can't say no to you
Shouldn't let you conquer me completely
Now I can't let go of this dream,
Can't believe that I feel
Good enough
I feel good enough
It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good.
And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall
Pour real life down on me
'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough
Am I good enough for you to love me too?
So take care what you ask of me
'Cause I can't say no.
I came to a close feeling amazing. I felt like I could kill Voldemort with my bare hands right then. There was so much power running through my body. My blood was power, my breath was power. My fingers and toes were tingling, and when I looked down, my fingertips were glowing green. Not the cold, evil green of Voldemort or the killing curse, but a bright, lime-ish green. I could tell my eyes were the same color, and I had a vision of using this green energy to blast someone off their feet right that second. And I knew I could, too. I could feel it. It took an immense amount of restrain to not do it.
When I looked at everyone else, they were all mesmerized by me. Some were crying, some were drooling, and some were just looking at me like I was the reason for their existence. It added to the feeling of power, this hold I had over everyone. This was the best feeling I'd ever had before. Better than my first time having sex, maybe even my first time having sex with Malfoy. I lifted my hands so they were in front of me, so I could see them better. They weren't only glowing green, they were emitting this shimmery, green, swirly… it looked like curly wisps of mist. It was hard to explain. I was curious as to how Voldemort was reacting to this, so I looked to the back of the room. His eyes were very faintly glowing green, but he was otherwise unaffected. He stood up, and I thought he was going to be upset with me. The thought of him scolding me got me violently angry, and I had to take in a deep breath to calm myself.
"That was very impressive, my dear." I was a little surprised, so it took me a few seconds to respond.
"Thank you, my Lord." And I was shocked at how different my voice was. I mean, it was still MY voice, but it was filled with something more. It was almost as if it was vibrating.
"I was thinking that now, maybe you can show us something a little more… effective." By his eyes, I could tell what he meant. I smiled an evil smile, and thought to myself, "Suck it, Bellatrix."
"Of course I can, my Lord." Was what I said instead. I already had the perfect song in mind.
I've been looking in the mirror for so long
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side
All the little pieces falling, shatter
Shards of me, too sharp to put back together
Too small to matter
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces
If I try to touch her
And I bleed
I bleed
And I breathe,
I breathe no more.
Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child
Lie to me, convince me that I've been sick forever
And all of this will make sense when I get better
But I know the difference
Between myself, and my reflection
I just can't help but to wonder
Which of us do you love?
So I bleed
I bleed
And I breathe
I breathe no…
Bleed
I bleed
And I breathe…
I breathe…
I breathe no more
I put emphasis on the last part of the song, and was pleased with the results. Once I stopped singing, everyone started gasping for breath. They were all suffocating. Well, except for the Dark Lord, Draco, and Narcissa. But Voldemort didn't seem to notice that the last two weren't effected, which was good. He had a glint in his eyes, and looked pleased with me. I know I hated him, and prayed for the day that Harry destroyed him once and for all, but seeing his pride in me made me feel the same pride in myself. Seeing him pleased in me made me want to please him more, so I raised my hands a little, and then twisted them as if I was twisting a doorknob. All at once, blood started to pour out of everyone's ears and noses. I felt amazing, and powerful, and wicked, and…
Guilty. One look at Draco's expressing filled me with grief that I had let this take over me so easily. He looked horror-struck. Not at me, but at everyone else. I switched my gaze to Narcissa, who had a similar look on her face, plus a few tears. When I shifted my gaze once again, this time to Voldemort, his face scared me. His eyes weren't green anymore, but they still held the same expression. How could I let someone so evil be proud of me? And HOW could I let it make me want this power more? I put my hands down, and everyone was better. They could all breathe again, and started to wipe the leftover blood from their faces. I stepped down from the stage-type structure, and made my way to the doors. But when I was almost there, Voldemort's hand on my shoulder stopped me.
"You will do great things for me, my dear."
Without any sort of acknowledgement, I moved away from him and towards the doors once again. When I was finally out of that crowded room, I fell to my knees and started hyperventilating. I knew I shouldn't stay long, for the Death Eaters would surely be making their ways out of the room any minute, but I couldn't bring myself to move. I was exhausted, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and help me up. They were so comfortable and familiar; they could only belong to Draco.
"Come on, let's get away from here." He said, and he led me upstairs. But instead of my room, he steered me towards his.
It was a really nice room. He had a huge, four poster bed, King size, with emerald green canopies and everything. There were so many throw pillows on it I thought someone could get lost in there, and they were a mixture of black, dark green, and silver. The comforter was a black, silky material, and it was just screaming for me to lay down on it. But Draco led me into the bathroom. Of course he would have his own bathroom. What was he doing? I would've asked him, but my mind was still in shock from before. He picked me up and sat me on the counter top, and then turned toward the bathtub. He started running the water, and then started to unbutton his shirt, which of course was what made me able to talk again.
"Hold on a second. What are you doing?"
"We're going to take a hot bubble bath."
"Are you serious? You think getting naked and taking a bath is going to help me?"
"We're not getting naked." He waved his wand, and I felt something change under my dress. When I looked underneath, I saw that my bikini had magically appeared on me.
"Ah, I see now." And we got undressed. Of course, the dress was so tight; Draco had to help me out of it. And when I stepped into the tub and sat down, and Draco followed, also in his bathing suit, I let out a sigh. "Maybe this is what I need."
"Told you so." He smiled at me, and started poking my side with his toe. I laughed, and splashed him. We played around for a little bit, splashing and tickling, completely disregarding the fact that we could be caught messing around any minute. But we never got caught. Apparently people were smart enough not to go into Draco's room unannounced. But after a while, we calmed down, and I started to ponder the events of the evening. And then of course, I started to tear up a bit.
"I can't believe I almost killed all those people."
"Honestly, I didn't think it would matter so much to you." He said, and I kicked him.
"You asshole. I don't care how evil they are, I'm not a killer."
"Exactly, Talia, you're not a killer. So you never would've killed them, anyway."
"You don't understand. I wanted to. When I saw them all, gasping for breath, it made me happy. And seeing the look of pride on Voldemort's face filled me with triumph. If I hadn't looked at you, they all would have died." He grabbed my foot and started massaging it, and I calmed down a little.
"I wouldn't have let you. Even if it took tackling you to the floor, I wouldn't have let you kill them." I smiled gratefully at him, not bothering to mention that he wouldn't have gotten within ten feet of me before I knocked him back with my green glowy hands. I sighed, wishing I had a drink in my hand. And, like always, Draco guessed my thoughts, and snapped his fingers. And from outside the bathroom door, we heard a tiny, squeaky voice.
"You called, Mr. Malfoy?" It sounded like another little house elf I knew, so I looked at Draco and mouthed, "Dobby?" But he shook his head.
"Do you think you could send me up a couple of drinks?" He asked the elf.
"A couple, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes, a couple. Two, to be exact. I'm very thirsty."
"Right away, sir."
"Thank you, Slinky." And a second later, two glasses of fire whiskey appeared on the edge of the tub.
"Slinky? That's your house elf's name?" He shrugged.
"Hey, I didn't name him that." I picked up my glass and took a small sip, letting the liquid warm my body as it traveled down to my stomach. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, wishing for the millionth time that we were back at Hogwarts where everything was so much easier. Wanting to talk about something different at the moment, I quickly searched for a topic.
"Have you ever learned the Patronus Charm?" I asked him. He looked surprised, but still answered.
"Well, yes, actually. My mum taught me a couple summers ago. You?"
"Yeah. Last year, when Harry was teaching everyone in the Room of Requirement, he taught us."
"Where did he learn that? It's not like we learned it in school."
"Lupin taught him, Third Year. When the Dementors were at school." He frowned.
"What?"
"I was a jerk to Harry that year."
"You mean, more so than all the other years?"
"Point taken. Remind me to compliment Hermione's punch next time I see her. I know I deserved it."
"Just be glad I'm not the one that punched you. I probably would've broken your nose."
"I'm sure you would have." He looked at me like he was the luckiest guy on the planet. Weirdo. "So, what's yours?"
"What?"
"What's your patronus?" He asked me.
"Oh. It's a Phoenix."
"That's so you."
"Well, that's kind of the point, isn't it?"
"I guess so. Wait, wasn't that Dumbledore's patronus?"
"Yeah, I think so…" I trailed off, remembering Dumbledore's vacant face as he fell off the Astronomy Tower that night. Sensing my change of mood, Draco continued the conversation.
"So, aren't you going to guess what my patronus is?" He said, and I smiled.
"Let me guess: It's a snake, for the Slytherin Prince."
"No, actually. It's a peacock." That was a surprise.
"Really? That's not what I expected."
"Yeah, I know it's a little weird."
"No, it sounds beautiful. I hope I get to see it someday."
"Well, since that would mean we were facing a dementor, I hope you don't." I loved this man. He cared so much, and nobody but me knew it. It wasn't fair.
"Well, I'm starting to prune, so I think this bath is coming to a close. But thank you. It helped. We should do it again sometime!" I said, in a very perky voice, getting out of the water.
"Tomorrow, same time, same place?" He said, following me.
"It's a date." And we kissed goodbye. But as I walked to his bedroom door, and I heard him sit down on the bed, my feet slowed down until I was touching the doorknob but not moving it. He got up and walked over to where he was behind me, and started rubbing my arms.
"Do you want to stay?" He asked me. I nodded, turning around.
"I just… Don't want to be alone tonight."
And then he nodded, and stated walking backwards, pulling me with him. There wasn't anything sexual about the way he was looking at me, or leading me to bed. There was just love. Love, and concern. And even though we spent the night together, as we had many times before, we didn't have sex. We just slept.
A.N. The first song is Good Enough by Evanescence, and the second is Breathe No More, also by Evanescence. I'm a big Evanescence fan.