"May you find...some comfort...here..." With those words in a fashion of a soothing, calm song that would make most people sleepy, Draco Malfoy sprang awake. It took his eyes a few minutes to adjust to the pitch black of his huge room at Malfoy Manor, but when they managed to focus, they hit his clock on the bedside stand. It read one-thirty. Cursing whatever woke him up, he leaned back into his pillows. They were very faint, but the last notes from the pretty song rang in his head. His tired eyes narrowed in the darkness. For the past couple of weeks, strange things had been going on in his head. First it had been the grating noise of what was known to muggles as 'traffic', then it was the sounds of horses and other animals, now it was music. Draco's eyes loosened and shut on themselves. A color outline of a girl swam on his eyelids. It was always the same girl. Pale skin, sapphire eyes, and sliver-blonde hair, just like his. He didn't know why, but he felt a strong attachement to this human being - if she even existed. The music began in his head again. Growling, he stuck his fingers in his ears and rubbed until the mysterious tune basically faded. Curling back up into a ball, he fell asleep almost immedeatly.
# # #
Celeste Malfoy awoke with a start. She wasn't exactly a deep sleeper, but this time she woke up with a terrible feeling. Sweat crawled down her body like ants, and her head felt pressured and heavy. Throwing off the carnation pink cover, Celeste ran over to the window and yanked it up. Leaning over the side, she took a few huge breaths of summer air before looking around. She no longer felt like she was going to explode, but she had the feeling like someone was calling out for help somewhere, and it made her knees knock together so hard that she fell to the ground. Praying that the feeling would stop soon, she crawled towards her jeans and pulled them on. The ground felt like it was surging below her feet. Would it ever stop? Gathering her thick hair in her fist, she fished around in her jean pocket for a ponytail holder, only to find that there wasn't anything there. She decided to go out for a while, just to get some fresh air. She climbed the trellis that was by her window and leapt to the ground. As soon as she hit, she heard a voice behind her.
Ah, I see that you hear the dragon's cry too. Celeste turned around, expecting to find Inca. Instead, in her place was a purely white stallion, looking brave and tall in the moonlight.
"Who are you?" she asked, as she did not see this Pegasteed at the stable earlier that she and Katelin had worked at. The horse nickered.
I'm Charmer. I live over in another stable. Now, stop pestering me with questions, so we can go save that dragon. Celeste blinked. "Dragon?" she asked incredulously. "A dragon is making that noise?" Another feeling of plain fear and loss swamped her, making her fall to her knees. Charmer helped her up.
Yes. That's a dragon's cry of anguish. Most humans can't comprehend the noise, so nobody hears it. I was sent for you by the other horses, so we could get some sleep. "You can hear it too?" Celeste wanted to know. "Why did they send you?" Charmer sighed.
Animals can understand eachother, and I'm the fastest Pegasteed here. Now, stop making me answer your infernal questions, so we can go! Celeste jumped onto the horses back, and held onto his mane. Charmer went faster and faster, until the world was one dark smear to her struggling eyelids. Charmer jumped, and they were flying above the world, but he was still running, seemingly on air. Celeste shrieked in delight as she saw the world get smaller and smaller beneath them as Charmer arched gracefully in the air, still on his smooth canter. They landed in a clearing near the a forest that was around a mile or two away from the Kormic's farm. Charmer stopped and motioned for Celeste to get off. Celeste looked around.
"Where's the dragon?" Charmer snorted, as if he was losing patience, and losing it fast.
I don't know! You're the one with the magic here, you find them! Celeste looked up, startled. "I don't have any magic! I wasn't chosen to go to any magical school!" Charmer stamped his hoof on the ground and laid back his ears.
Damnit child! Just because you weren't chosen to go to any magical school doesn't mean you're not magical! There are more than one type of magic, you know. And you happen to have animal magic. All you have to do is try! Celeste could see that Charmer was not named for a charming personality.
"Oh, all right already. I'll try," she didn't quite know how to start, but she shut her eyes and looked. Nothing happened for a few moments. Then, just before she started to lose patience, she felt a little tugging inside her body. It could be compared to a seamstress pulling out a singular thread from a clump of yarn. Her eyelids lit up with a bright yellowish-copper light - it was pure agony to her eyes - she tried to scream, but the sound was caught and hurled back down her throat - she collapsed to the ground - ...It all stopped. She felt weightless, floating around in her mind...it was like she was completly free. She called out with her mind.
---I'm looking for some, er, dragons? Anybody seen any?--- For a few seconds, nobody answered. Then a snowy owl fluttered above and landed in a tree. It looked at Celeste's body gravely.
I have, night-sister. I will show you, and come quick, as they are scaring all the meat away. Celeste snapped back to her consicious self, and looked up to see the white owl fly beyond some trees.
"Follow that owl!" she ordered Charmer, and they ran after the owl in the night trees. Funny as it was so dark, Celeste could see almost perfectly, as if she had gained night vision. After about another fifteen minutes of twisting and turning about, Celeste thought she was just going to fall over in the woods, they made it to a clearing. Daybreak was coming, and fingers of red streaked in the sky. In the brightning light, Celeste saw perhaps the saddest sight she had ever seen. A dead dragon lay sprawled out ungracefully in the small field, it's blood staining the ground a muddy blackish color. Even in the dim light, Celeste could see that it's scales were a shimmering emerald green color, with wings in a purplish shade, and long silvery claws were flexed in a threatining position. Celeste approached the beast carefully, and walked up to the place where most of the blood was spewing out - the chest area. Rounding it's head, she saw that there were about seventeen arrows stuck in it's heart in all directions.
"Stupid, ignorant humans," Celeste said, clenching her fists in anger. She heard Charmer nicker and point a hoof to the left of her. Turning around, she saw two dragon kits - one orange, one purplish - looking up at her. She walked up to them carefully, and put her hand down to the purple one to sniff. It snapped at her.
"You stop that!" Celeste scolded, feeling some of the yellowish-copper fire release from her body. The kits looked back up at her humbly, and the purple one butted up against her hand apologetically. Celeste tried to communicate to them, but all she got in responce were little baby dragon blurbles and burps.
They're too young, Celeste turned to face Charmer. It's like trying to talk to a newborn babe. Celeste had to agree that he was right. The two dragonet's were clamboring at her jean pants now, trying to stand. Celeste snorted.
"Oh, so now all of a sudden I'm your best friend, when five minutes ago you wanted to kill me," the orange one gave her a pitious look with golden-colored eyes. Celeste bent to pick the twosome up. This time they didn't snap, but they grabbed onto her green shirt tightly, so she could use her hands. Celeste swung onto Charmer's back.
"Home, Charmer, and make it quick," she implored the white stallion. "I don't want to be spotted by any non-magical people on the way back," Charmer took off.
It was another half-hour before they got home, so that made it around four-thirty before they finally landed. Charmer stopped beside the trellis that Celeste had climbed up earlier. Celeste looked up at the giant ladder-thing, and suddenly her bones felt like soup.
"Charmer," she yawned, "I can't climb up that, especially not with dragons clamboring at my shirt," Charmer huffed, sending specks of moisture out his nose.
Come along, then, he said to her. She feebily jumped onto his back again, muscles screaming with tired pain. He walked into a stable to the left of the house, and she slid off.
There's an empty stall to the left of Starsight. That's the horse at the end of the row. Charmer pointed to a white-specked pony at the end of the stalls. Celeste nodded, and turned back to the Pegasteed.
"Are you thirsty, or anything?" Charmer pawed at the ground, as if considering this thoughtful proposal.
I could use a drink, if you don't mind. Celeste sighed and got around to the pump on the other side of the water trough. After pumping for a few moments, the basin filled with cold water. Charmer dunked his muzzle in and started to drink. Celeste's two dragon charges flopped off her shoulders and started to drink greedily also. Celeste wasn't so much thirsty as sleepy, and her eyes began to burn painfully. She rubbed at them, which didn't help much. When the dragons finished, Celeste scooped them up, and headed towards the last stall. It was full of sweet-smelling hay. The dragons made comfortable nests for themselves, and promptly fell asleep. Celeste curled up in the hay and did the same.
# # #
Draco stared morosely at his breakfast plate. He didn't sleep well last night at all. Strange dreams, disturbing dreams had been pestering at his brain the entire night. The worst part of all of it was the fact that he couldn't remember anything about any of the dreams. He had dream fragments, but that wasn't enough to tell him anything. A white horse...a gigantic black shape, seeping blood in the darkness...Dragons...flying through the air...it was all too weird. He was also so tired, his muscles burned, and the most aggravating part of all was he didn't know why! He scowled at his eggs, like it was their fault he was feeling terrible.
"I'm going mad," he told himself flatly. "First I start hearing weird songs, and now I'm seeing things!" he put his fork down, feeling like he was going to retch at any moment. A cool hand placed itself on his forehead, making him start.
"Are you all right, young Master Malfoy? You don't look well," looking up, he saw that it was one of his servants, known as Ampala, looking down at him. To be completly honest, he didn't feel all that great. His muscles were still on fire with pain, he had a terrible headache, and he felt like he was going to fall asleep at any moment. But he squirmed out of her grip.
"I'm fine. Now stop touching me," from across the table, he could see his father smiling, amused, over his teacup. Ampala shrugged and started humming a song while dusting.
"Vacation's where I wanna be...party on the beach where the fun is free...we don' need a holiday to start to celebrate...cause I need a break, I need a vacation." She stopped gurgling the song in her throat and started to hum a little piece that resembled a Hawaiian louou song. It was a really annoying, yet catchy party tune, Draco thought as he climbed the stairs.
# # #
"Cause I need a break, I need a vacation..." Celeste pressed a hand to her forehead as she heard the final words to a song. She shook her head, and felt incredibly muddled. Strange dreams she had had. Though she could only remember snippets of each one, they were quite vivid. A boy, about a year or so younger than her, with silver-blond hair, and icy gray eyes...at breakfast...feeling ill...Song...she shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the dreams. She glanced around to get a terrible jolt to her heart...The dragons were gone! Leaping out of the nest of hay, she sprinted out of the barn to see two hooded figures running off...with two yowling baby dragons! Celeste felt rage build up in her body. Unknownst to her at the time, her body had started to glow an eriee golden-copper color. She screamed in anger, and a shockwave of golden power ran along the ground. The figures stopped, and a split second later, about fifty Pegasteeds were breaking out of their stalls, and charging. The figures screamed in terror, but held on to the baby dragons. Celeste yelled again, and this time, a swarm of birds, Robins, Cardinals, Nightengales, Swifts, Woodpeckers, and any multitude of others gathered in a multicolored swarm and started to peck and beat at the two people untill they released the two dragonets. They half-stumbled half-scampered over to Celeste, who picked them up.
"Enough!" Celeste ordered to the animals. They backed off of the two figures, that were wearing black cloaks and cowering. When they were sure that they would not be attacked, they stood up and slowly turned around. One of them had long black hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail, with a black mustache. He had bluish eyes, and was sporting a rather large cut on his forehead, probably from a Cardinal's beak. His partner had a startiling shock of red hair, cropped short to his head, with a pair of brown eyes. They looked at her and the dragons. Celeste spoke.
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?" she asked indignatly. They raised their eyebrows. The black-headed man spoke.
"I'm Zachary Elisasmet, and this is my partner, Charlie Weasley," Charlie bobbed his head in retrospect. Celeste growled.
"I didn't ask you what your names were, I asked you what you were doing stealing my dragons!" Charlie cleared his throat.
"Miss, we are with the Wizard Institute for Dragon Protection, the WIDP. You happen to have a rare pair of Arabian Sandwedgers. We've come to take them to a place where they can be properly taken care of and released back in the wild," Celeste fumed.
"I didn't say you could take them to your fancy reasearch lab!" she screamed, sending out another wave of copper power out, making the animals quiver. Charlie and Zachery stared at her with intrest, forgetting about the dragonets for a minute.
"Miss, how did you do that?" Zachery asked. Celeste, seeing that the animals were starting to get riled, tried to calm down.
"I don't know. It just happened. I can talk to animals too, if that means anything," Charlie raised his eyebrows, and was about to speak, when he was intrupted.
"What in tarnation is goin' on here?" came a riled man's voice, donning an overly southern drawl with a sleepy overcoat. Celeste looked up to find the Kormic's walking towards her, dressed in bedtime attire, as it was only eight in the morning. They're eyes widened when they saw Celeste with the dragons, and the two strange men. Charlie cleared his throat.
"Ma'am, did you know that your child has Wild-" Cindy motioned for the two men to come over to her, and they did. They spoke in such soft murmers, that Celeste couldn't hear a thing. So she just contented herself by stroking the horse's nose that was closest to her, who happened to be a handsome chestnut mare, by the name of Nobility. Celeste rubbed at her tired eyes. She knew she must look terrible, with day-old clothes, hay in her matted hair, andd bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. The orange-scaled dragon wailed pitifully: it was hungry.
"Excuse me?" she asked irratibly. Celeste didn't have a very sweet temper under the best of conditions, but now that she was starving, lacked sleep, and dirty, she was ten times more critical. "I hate to intrupt your little conversation about me over there, but my dragons are hungry!" The four adults looked over at her.
"How do you know it is hungry? How do you know it isn't sleepy, or thirsty?" asked Martin calmly. Celeste stamped her foot angrily.
"I don't know! I mean I do know, but...Arrgh! Why do you pester me with your stupid questions? It needs some cow's cream with butter in it," Katelin started.
"Why?" Celeste growled, and she briefly flickered her copper-yellow color. The animals around her rustled.
"Because it is the best subsitute for dragon milk, that's why!" Celeste didn't know how she knew this at all, but a little voice inside her told her that she was right. Charlie rubbed his chin.
"I see what you mean, Mrs. Kormic. Yes, cow's cream with rich butter is the best substitute for dragon's milk, as it is very thick. Ahh, Miss...Malfoy, was it?" Charlie and Zachary shared a glance at each other.
"What's wrong with my name?" Celeste fumed. "Does it sound funny to your poor dragon hunting ears?!" Zachary cleared his throat.
"Any relation to Lucius Malfoy?" he asked, sounding more ridged than intrested. His eyes had gained an icy clip to them, as if this 'Lucius Malfoy' person was earth scum.
"There's a Lucius Malfoy?" Celeste asked, anger subsiding for moment. "I thought I was the only one." The Kormics called the other two over and began to talk in hushed whispers. Celeste growled in her throat. She didn't like all these secrets that were being kept from her.
"Why do you whisper so?!" she screamed at the four adults. They turned to stare. The animals around here started to stir. The horses flattened their ears in charging position, and some of the birds took flight, flying around in circles. The dragons began to snap and growl, bearing fully grown white teeth.
"If you're talking about me, I have a right to know what you're talking about!" she ranted on. Zachery eyed the snapping dragons wairly, and approached.
"Celeste Malfoy, you have the honor of being the first person in about a century to be born with Wild Magic, and you're brimming with it."
"What?" asked Celeste helplessly. Charlie put an arm around her shoulder.
"We've got a lot to explain to you...."
# # #
Draco Malfoy sat on the bench, feeling horrible. The summer was just about over, and he had hoped that if he had given it time, the sounds in his head would go away. They hadn't. Actually, they had gotten worse. Now it wasn't just dreams or songs, but it was entire visions and conversations as well. He didn't know why, but he was beginning to hate the blue-eyed silver- blonde headed girl for doing this to him. He had told his father about the voices twenty minutes ago, and he had rushed him here, to a wizard doctor, to see what was wrong. What made him feel worse was the fact that the entire room was full of blithering idiots, muttering to themselves. He couldn't be going insane, he couldn't be. The door swung open, and a young woman, looking about in her twenties stood there.
"Draco Malfoy?" she called. Draco drug himself to his feet and followed the woman down some white hallways, before they came to an office. "Please sit down," Draco did as he was told. "Now," the woman went on cheerily, "what are we here for?"
"I've been hearing voices," Draco blurted out. He instantly slapped a hand over his mouth. What had possessed him to tell her that? The woman noticed and grinned wickedly.
"Sorry, kid. These walls are bewitched with an anti-lying charm, so don't try to lie to me. Now, what do the voices say?" Draco leaned back in his chair and let his mouth rattle for him.
"They sing songs, real songs, and they make animal sounds. I also have visions of places like farms, even though I've never been to one before," the woman knitted her eyebrows together.
"I see. Please continue, Mr. Malfoy," Draco sighed before letting his words fly again.
"I also frequently see a person in these dreams, and even when I'm not dreaming. I have a feeling that she's the one that's doing this to me," the woman nodded.
"Do you have any idea what she looks like?" Draco almost laughed in spite of himself. Did he have any idea?
"It's a female, she has silver-blonde hair like me, but it goes down to her mid-back," he motioned with his hands, trying to explain. "She's about a year or so older than I am, and she has blue eyes. I can't know for sure, but whenever I dream of her, she's with animals, so I think she really likes them," he finished. The woman's eyes showed no sign of what she thought. "I'm going completely nuts, aren't I?" he asked sadly. To his surprise, the woman smiled.
"No, Mr. Malfoy, I don't think so," Draco sat up so suddenly that he nearly lept out of the chair.
"You don't?!" The woman laughed at his appearent astonishment and confusion. "No. I believe that somewhere out there, you have a blue-eyed silver-blond headed girl that is your telepathic partner. She likes music and animals, and if you ever find her, I believe that she may have had visions of your life," Draco started to splutter.
"But-but-but....what about the voices?" he felt so elated that he couldn't decide between jumping up and down or bursting into tears. He did neither.
"Honey, the voices of madness say more intresting things than just singing or making animal sounds. They tell the person that they are God, or something like that. I didn't think that you were insane anyway, when I saw you sitting there," Draco ran out of the room and down the hallways, until he made it back to the waiting room, where his father was waiting. He vaulted himself at his father, nearly knocking him over.
"Father, Father guess what? I'm not going insane! Isn't that just great?!" Mr. Malfoy, who was still trying to keep his balance from his son leaning from on him, didn't answer at first.
"Yes, that's wonderful, Son," He looked at the brunette who was smirking, amused, at the scene. "So, what about the voices?" The woman walked around to a desk and pulled out some papers. Putting on some spectacles, she reached for a bottle of black ink and a generic white quill.
"Mr. Malfoy, your son has a telepathic connection with a female that looks exactly like himself," she began to write on a piece of parchment in patient, loopy script. "Does he have any unknown relatations, perhaps a cousin, an aunt, or maybe even a sister?" the doctor stopped writing, and looked at Lucius Malfoy, who's face was ridged with anger, for some reason. Draco couldn't begin to imagine why.
"No, he does not have a sister!" he cried, making Draco wince. "He is my only child, thank you very much," he grabbed Draco's wrist tightly and drug him out of the waiting room angrily. Draco was totally baffled by his father's sudden change in mood. He didn't have a sister, did he?