A/N: Thanks to Dragonflytamer, Ella, Meg Elizabeth Rose, Bookworm77071, Blue-bird-11, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, owlcity89, koekie101,Amehh, muentiger, Annabelle-Paisilee Nott, beba78, SaphireMoon, AmiCurtis, Saiyansphere and Hi!
For XilovehogwartX
Chapter 51: Where to?
Draco's POV
Skye and I stared at one another as I pulled away.
I lifted my hands to her face. She was back. She was real.
She was… smiling at me? Her eyes shone with endless happiness.
Someone cleared their throat loudly behind us. I stood upright to allow the medi-witch to pass me. She started to check everything, Skye's fever, her blood pressure, her heart rate, I think she even planned to do a pregnancy test on her.
"So, has she been told yet?" Madam Pomfrey looked at me. I took it to mean if Skye knew about Dumbledore's murder.
"No." I answered, shaking my head. The woman nodded. I had to lie; I couldn't say that Skye'd been the one to go get him – that could be potentially problematic and even, worse, suicidal – especially with Harry Potter in the room.
"You'd better tell her." The woman said, sending me a certain look. She was twirling her wand right now, and Skye glowed bright orange.
"What happened?" Skye asked, feigning ignorance.
"Dumbledore's dead, Skye." Potter piped up. Skye widened her eyes. "And Snape did it."
Skye's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell back on her pillow. I almost applauded, she was a brilliant actress.
"Great going, Potter." I said, annoyed. I bend down and gently lifted her head. Hey, I was not that bad at lying myself. It unnerved me a bit to realize that Skye had learned to lie, but for now, I was too happy to care.
"Come on, love, wake up." I said, gently shaking her.
"Why'd she faint?" Potter asked, confused.
"Harry, you're an idiot. She and Snape were quite close." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. I snickered; turns out I'll like this jumped-up mudblood, as I'd once referred to her.
"How could anyone have been close to him?" Potter grimaced, disgusted.
"Potter, I was close to him, too." I said, glaring at him. "You were at our house in the summer, and Skye and Sev had a lot in common. Plus, he's my godfather." Madam Pomfrey could hear the unsaid sentence, 'he's her father', but she didn't say anything and kept checking Skye.
"Like?" Potter wanted to know.
"Potions."
"Just that?"
"Potter!"
"Calm down, boys!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked. "Look, Mr. Potter, Miss Night and Professor Snape were close – and you are not one to question that." She turned around and with a loud huff return to her office.
I'd never heard her snap at any student (safe for me) before.
Skye came to again, great actress, I say.
Potter took several deep breaths before talking again. Ron and Hermione was talking about something in hushed voices at the window – I hadn't noticed them walking off to one side.
"I'm sorry, Draco… it's just…"
"Forget it Potter." I said, trying not to sneer at him. Skye lifted her head.
"Harry, you just called Draco on his first name!" She said excitedly.
"Well, we are friends, Skye." Potter smiled at her.
"Really?"
"Yes, we are." I answered. "A few moments ago he asked me to call him 'Harry Malfoy' – and I had no wish to do that."
She giggled and yawned. She smiled sleepily at me, and wrapped her arm around my midriff.
"Yes, you can't possibly imagine my disappointment at that, Skye." Potter rolled his eyes. He looked around at his friends before turning back to us, "I'll see you guys later, all right?"
"See you, Harry." Skye said happily.
"Potter." I nodded to him.
He waved uncertainly and left, his friends trailing behind him, continuing their hushed conversation.
I looked down at Skye, who was gazing back through half-closed eyes.
"Tired?" I asked, guessing more than knowing. She nodded. "You just slept for a week, how can you be tired?"
"I wasn't actually asleep, Draco. Merope's been in charge of my mind…"
She told me the whole story. The FiendFyre, the conversation, the riddle, Sev, and me. All of it. I thought she was a genius for discovering that they were simply in her mind. (My personal favorite part was the scene with the rabbits, where Merope had screamed her head off before realizing it was simply a whole burrow of rabbits.)
I, in turn, told her about Dumbledore's funeral and the aftermath of his death. How Sev was now a hated man, and a wanted man. She surprised me by telling me that Dumbledore's death was planned. Dumbledore was dying, and without Sev's curse he would've died a grueling and painful death – now I understood.
"You realize that it would've been you if you hadn't stood up to him, don't you?" Skye asked me, using her small voice that revealed she was frightened. With 'him' she was referring to Voldemort.
With a sinking feeling I realized she was right. It would have been me. You know who would've threatened my parents until I succumbed, and it would have been me, and not Pansy, being forced to kill the old coot.
"Yes, it probably would have." I said with a sigh. "But, luckily for me, the Empress of Shape-shifters came into my life, saving me from a haunting past in the future." I moved down and kissed her cheek tenderly.
She smiled a sudden smile.
I took in her smile again; she would always be beautiful to me. Her lime eyes, now with the tiniest tint of brown – the purple of her pupils breaking through – I believe. Her now messy hair, still curled in soft waves. Her thin, pink lips were incredibly inviting right now, but I could wait.
123
I jerked awake, not entirely sure what had caused me to awaken, but something had.
"Draco?" A soft voice called. I felt under my pillow, the three-way mirror was there. I pulled it out and glanced sleepily into it.
"Hey, Storm." I said, "Why is it you catch me every time I sleep?"
I yawned, and felt my jaw almost dislocate.
Storm stared at me through the mirror.
"If my feet weren't so big, I would've been swallowed whole right now." She said with a sly smile. I laughed, I didn't know which I liked best, her sarcasm or her jokes.
"Sorry, but I am quite tired."
"Sorry to bother you, dear, but I want to know about Skye. Is she awake?"
I slapped my hand to my forehead, surprised at my own stupidity.
"Yes, I'm sorry; I forgot to let you know."
"So, she's awake?" The veela said excitedly, her eyes darting to someone beside her – someone out of my line of vision. I tried my hardest to see who it was, thinking it was Pansy, but Pansy appreciated her beauty sleep and wouldn't be up this late.
"Yes, Storm, who's with you?"
I cast a soft 'Mufflatio' around my bed.
"Well…" She hesitated, looking at her companion for help. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who it was, and coincidentally his name and surname started with the same letters as 'sneaking suspicion'.
I sighed. "Sev, I know it's you!"
He stepped into my line of vision. I greeted him with a smile – it must have surprised him, for he was temporarily silent.
"Hello, Draco."
"Skye told me everything."
"Oh, well, does that mean you two are on speaking terms again?"
"Sort of, we have to talk about… well, everything."
"I cannot believe you aren't mad at me, Draco."
"No chance, Sev. Or should I start calling you dad?"
He chuckled. Still an odd thing for me, and I've had time to deal with it!
"You should perhaps wait for Skye to say yes."
I smiled cockily.
"There's not a doubt in my mind that she'll say yes."
"Brash, are we?"
"Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, boys, but there is still the matter of this summer." Storm interrupted us, glancing at the mirror and at the man next to her.
"Yes, I was wondering about that, where are we going?" I asked, "I mean, Sirius and the rest of the Order would expect you to be at Prince Manor, and us, and if we're seen together we're…"
"Screwed?" Sev finished, Storm glared at him. He just shrugged; his use of language was apparently not for her to decide.
"I'll be moving one of these days, so you two can come up here, but for now I have to stay put, the Order is watching the house." Sev said, looking more tired than I've ever seen him. He had dark circles under his eyes and his brow was furrowed in what seemed like a permanent frown.
"Tell the others you'll be coming to stay with me," Storm began, "we can figure the rest out later."
"All right, because I'm sure Ha – Potter will ask me about that soon."
"Is Skye still in the Infirmary?" Sev asked, changing the subject. He was truly worried about her. I decided to tell him about Merope being in Skye's mind.
"Yes, and you won't believe who's been keeping her busy…"
I launched into the story Skye had told me this morning. His eyes widened at the tale, and he was simply horrified when I told him about the things he'd said to her in her dream-reality.
He was on the verge to either go after the blasted woman or killing the Dark Lord, whichever was nearer. Storm calmed him down easily, much to my amusement…
I've got a feeling someone might get married before Skye and I do.
123
"Morning, love."
"Morning, Draco."
"Sleep well?"
"All right, thanks." She smiled at me from her breakfast. Madam Pomfrey had insisted she stay another night for observation. She'd eaten the tuna-mayonnaise sandwich, I could still smell the tuna and mayonnaise, but the eggs were still on her plate, as was the bacon. She was currently biting into a pear.
"Aren't you going to eat the bacon?" I asked, knowing full well the eggs were going to grow cold.
"Nah. Not feelin' all that meaty today."
"That coming from the half-werewolf? A little hard to believe." I said, sitting down next to her. She grimaced at me before biting into another side of the pear.
"You do realize that an apple a day actually does keep the doctor away?"
"Yes, but a pear keeps him away for whole month."
I laughed.
"I talked to your dad." I said as Potter entered. For once he was alone.
"Hi." He greeted us.
"Morning." Skye and I chorused.
"Are you getting out today?" He asked her.
"I hope so. Madam Pomfrey said I could if I eat all of my breakfast, but I don't feel like bacon and I hate eggs."
Potter and I looked at each other –thinking the same thing: Finishing her breakfast. He sat on her other side.
"Well, let's help the poor lass." I said, reaching for her fork.
"Lets." Potter echoed me and picked up a piece of oily-bacon. I saw Skye shiver at the grease falling from the bacon onto the plate, drawing a perfect spiral.
"So, where are you two off to this summer?" He asked, swallowing the piece and reaching for the second one.
"We're going to my mum's." Skye answered him, taking the fork from me.
"Wasn't she living at Prince Manor, too?" He wanted to know. Skye loaded some scrambled eggs onto the fork.
"She was visiting." She shrugged and lifted the fork to my mouth.
"Oh, where does she live?"
"That is yet to be revealed." Skye shrugged, loading some more eggs on the fork.
"But I thought you were adopted."
"I was, by my real dad. Speaking of, you said you talked to him, Draco?"
"Yeah, I did. He said that dream you had was horrible and promised me he'd never say anything like that to you."
Skye seemed happy with this as she put the fork down – the eggs were finished, as were the bacon.
"Thanks, guys."
Potter grinned at us, almost as if he knew a secret.
"Sod off, Potter." I growled at him, he just laughed.
"Did I miss something?" Skye asked curiously.
Potter made to answer, but I glared at him until he closed his mouth.
He gasped suddenly, drawing Skye's attention away from the current discussion.
"What is it, Harry?"
"You've got mail, Skye! When Draco didn't show up for breakfast his owl came to me – I still don't know why, though…" He quickly pulled the letter out of his robes pocket and handed it to her. She tore it open and began to read it.
"She probably knew you'd come." I said. "I still need to tell Blaise and Luna that Skye's awake, so she wouldn't have gone to either of them."
"Quite a clever bird, that."
"I know." I said proudly.
Skye shrieked next to me.
"What… what is it?"
She turned to me, a wide smile on her face as she pushed the letter into my hands.
It read:
'Dear Skye
I haven't heard from you in a long time, but that's not why I'm writing. You see, Leo and I miss you terribly, and we want to know if you, and your friend, of course, will come visit us. In South Africa. It's a beautiful country, and I insist you experience it.
Please answer soon.
Love
Elzette'
"You really want to go?" I asked, a little uncertainly.
"Yes, Draco, yes!"
I hope she had reaction like this when I asked her to marry me…
Potter stared at the two of us, that odd grin still covering his face.
123
That afternoon Skye was discharged, and Luna and Blaise took a walk with us outside. Both of them had strangled her with hugs as soon as they saw her. She was radiant when she saw them, she kept smiling and laughing. It was the last carefree moments we had before the Hogwarts express would take us to London, and, as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street put it, there's no place like London, for it's a hole in the world, like a great black pit. The song speaks for itself. The barber had fond memories of London, but one memory destroyed it, thus he hated the place. Me? Well, I love London, I love my whole Britain.
"So, your parents agreed to you going to South Africa?" Luna asked, hinting subtly at Sev, or fishing out about his whereabouts. We hadn't told Luna about the death of Dumbledore being planned. Blaise had gone and get the Gryffindors, saying Death Eaters had infiltrated Hogwarts, after going to get Luna. Blaise felt guilty about not telling Luna, but somehow Skye and I had convinced him not to do it.
"Storm had. I haven't heard anything from dad yet." Skye said, her features arranged appropriately into an upset face.
"Oh."
"And your parents, Draco?"
"I haven't heard much from them." I said, taking Skye's hand as we walked. After a while we sat down under a tree. I propped myself up against the tree, and Skye laid her head down on my lap. I immediately tugged my hand into hers, holding her whilst doing this.
"That is sad."
"Yes, it is. But I'll manage."
"So, are things fine between you two, now?" Luna asked us. Skye and I looked at one another. Was everything fine? Sort of. Did we need to talk? Definitely. Did I want to do it now? No, I plan on explaining right before I propose.
This weekend we'd go to Prince Manor, we'd stay for a few days and then going to South Africa. School ended officially today, and Potter had confided in me that he and his two friends weren't coming back – they had a mission to complete, something Dumbledore had left him to do. Probably to do with destroying the Dark Lord. I had wished him luck. Skye had given her mirror to him, saying to speak her mother's name into it when he needed help.
"It's all right." Skye answered after a while. I beamed at her, she's one amazing girl. I looked up to see my best friend tenderly guide Luna's face to his and softly kiss her. Such a tender gesture, but in it he poured his heart. Blaise was bent down to her, his grey eyes closed and his dark hair covering his forehead, almost sticking. Her head was tilted up to him, her long, dirty blonde hair trailing down her back. The way his lips curved into hers were almost perfect. I wondered if that's how Skye and I looked to outsiders. Luna and Blaise differed like day and night – as did Skye and I. Luna's blonde hair in contrast to his dark hair, his dark tan to her white, almost vampiric complexion. Where Skye and I were concerned, she was dark – her hair and skin-tone, I was light blonde, with only a light tan.
Once again I had the urge to kiss her perfect, pink lips. I was on the verge of leaning down when her hand pulled my head down.
She just brushed her lips against mine, but I understood what she meant by it. She trusted me, no matter what.
