A/N : I am grateful to all of you who reviewed--you are
properly thanked at the end of this installment. I also apologise for the
wait--but I had to be patient until inspiration to hit, you know. Incendium
remains to be the spell I'm using to light a fire. Please review, and tell me
what you think. Enjoy.
PLAYING WITH FIRE
--a fanfic by Emereldine--
/ the sun
that rose / was all that was / a red and fiery light / the sun that set / was
all that was / a dim and dusky dark /
"Fire is a beautiful thing: smoky, blazing flames that
give out a light and warmth unlike any other. But for everything beautiful,
there exists a thing ugly; for everything exciting, there exists a thing
dangerous. Such is the theory of good and evil-- there cannot be good without
evil and there cannot be light without darkness. There are, in relation to this
theory, many safe, minor spells regarding fire: the Waverer, to form a
hand-sized ball of blue flames that provide efficient heat; the Skraps, to
shoot up a streak of firelight into the sky; the Incendium spell, used to light
any small fire, anywhere; the Jinx, a spell that will produce an invisible
source of heat in a room.
"There are then, of course, complex and perilous spells
and curses relating to fire: the Blats curse, one that will explode any object
but a human into burning flames; the Heitus curse, that will kindle a flame
inside a human--the flame will grow and eat at a human's insides until that
human is burned alive. There is no reversal spell for this curse, and the
Ministry of Magic has strictly forbid it since the winter of 1388.
"The last curse, and perhaps the most deadly is the
Laiceps curse--Dark Magic proclaimed in the scrolls of time to bring damnation
to he who performs it. A fire is kindled by the performer, a special
incantation whispered - and a spirit born from those newborn spitting flames,
calling upon all the powers of hell to create a demon on Earth. The performer
of the curse is damned forever, to carry that demon-spirit inside his heart and
to be led down the road of temptation towards hellfire. The performer carries a
physical urge to touch fire, to absorb fire all his life. The more he does, the
stronger control the demon-spirit has on his body. Once able to control nearly
all of the performer's body, the performer simply becomes a channel for the
demon-spirit to wreak havoc on those around him and bring some of hellfire to
Earth.
"There is no reversal for this curse for the performer,
apart from one possible chance of survival. The moment the demon-spirit takes
full control of his body, not before and not after, his heart's desire must
present him with an invaluable gift. However, the chances of such happening are
zero to none. There has been naught but one such case in all of time.
"The Laiceps spell is more than often confused with the
Laiceps curse- they were similarly named because of their similar nature. The
Laiceps spell is simple, and quite harmless--giving a person an ability to
withstand the heat of a fire..."
"Demon-spirit," scoffed Hermione, slamming the book, Spells and Curses of All Natures, shut.
The library was dim, and the faint light of an above torch danced in her brown
eyes. "Impossible."
*
The sun was setting, a fiery orange glow dipping
underneath hills of duskiness; a blanket of musky darkness crept over the
expanse of sky and she could already catch glimpses of glittering stars.
Hermione shivered in the chilly evening air, and crouched
close to the ground. Amongst mossy trees and leafy shadows, she was well hidden
from view of the castle, and she liked it that way. The hem of her scarlet
robes dragged on the ground, but she did not care about the dirt that marred
it.
A fire would warm her. She had already gathered kindle,
small pieces of wood perfect for burning, in a shifty, improper circle in front
of her. A mass of wooden sticks. But in moments--it would become the main
attention of her existence.
"Incendium," she
whispered, with a flick of her wand. In seconds, hot flames flared up before
her, eating at the wood and eating at her soul. The intense orange glare
sparked a stark contrast in the dark wood, and Hermione took a satisfied breath
at the mere sight of the firelight.
The next second she plunged her hands within it, letting
the flames creep up to her elbows- and then she was lost, whirling in a
darkness that was insane- the woods whipped around in her vision, and multiple
fires danced before her eyes.
A voice, loud enough to sweep her away from her hot
pleasure, jarred her thoughts.
"What in the bloody
hell?"
With a jerk of her body, she snatched her hands from the
fire, feeling a shudder of ice rack her body, and turned to face the
intruder--but could not make out his face. It was a boy, Hermione knew from the
depth of the voice, and she could make out a broad breadth of shoulders and
lean body melting in the shadows. He did not come forward, nor say anything
else, and she supposed he was far too shocked to see her bathing in the flames.
"Who is it?" asked Hermione sharply, gathering herself to
her feet. She had been careless - careless! - to do this so close to the
castle.
"Who the hell are you?" The boy retorted, and Hermione
thought his smooth voice somewhat familiar, though she could not pinpoint its
owner.
She steadied herself momentarily by resting her hand
against the trunk of a nearby tree, and the steady, flat surface, heated by the
warmth of the fire, soothed her. She stalked readily towards the boy--and heard
him take a wary step back. But he did not move again as she stepped in front of
him, standing stronger and taller. And still - she could not make out his face
through the shadows.
But he--he could surely see her, for Hermione heard a
sharp intake of breath and then a hiss of, "You."
Frustrated that she still did not know who he was, she, in
a flick of a motion, grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward so that she could
see his face in the emanating firelight.
Silver eyes shined like pale moonlight before her, and she
all too readily recognized the haughty features and arrogant curve of lips-
"Oh, damnation!"
was all she could utter.
*
Draco Malfoy stared dumbfounded at the girl in front of
him. She swore again, this time louder than before, turning around and stamping
her feet, her tangled curls flying wildly behind her before she faced him again
and growled,
"Why you?"
It was a while before he finally found his voice, and
swallowed on a dry throat. "Hermione? Hermione Granger? Was it just me, or did I just see you plunge your hands
into a blasted fire?"
"Oh, it was just you!" Hermione stepped up to him and
pushed her fists against his chest, using all her strength to try and shove him
away. "Go back--go back to the castle and away from me." He didn't budge an
inch, and continued to stare down at her in amazement. "Oh what are you looking
at?! Go!"
"All right, stop." He clasped both her wrists with his
hands and firmly shoved them back towards her. "But I want to know what you
were doing."
"Doing?" Her wrists hung limp and she stared up at him
with wide brown eyes. "I wasn't doing anything."
"Right." A smirk played at the corner of his mouth,
despite the situation. "Then why aren't you safely in Hogwarts, cuddled up to
Potter?"
She jerked her wrists away, but to her infuriation, he
held on tight, grasping her so roughly that she was sure it bruised her skin.
"What the hell did I just see, Granger?"
"Go away," breathed Hermione. She stared up at him, and
something flickered in her eyes - An emotion that intrigued Draco. Was it fear?
He found himself peering into her gaze, even as she whispered, "this isn't your
concern."
"It's damned well my concern when I find you throwing
yourself into a fire." An idea settled into his head, and grew until he
whispered coldly, "Dark Magic." He looked at the shivering, wide-eyed slip of a
girl in front of him, surveyed the frightened expression on her face and the
trembling of her fingers. "You- you were practicing Dark Magic."
Draco let go of her wrists, threw them back at her. She
rubbed one, watching him, while he stared at her with those gleaming silver
eyes- and then suddenly he threw his head back and laughed, mirthlessly. "Who
would think of it? Hermione Granger! Practicing Dark Magic!"
Hermione narrowed her eyes and said nothing, while he
whirled around to face the fire. He stalked in front of it, an icy smile
teasing the corners of his lips as he muttered, "there was a spell- what the
hell was it called-" He broke off, and then swung around to her. "The Laiceps
curse."
"No!" burst forth from her lips, and she met his gaze with
a glare. "You don't know what in the hell you're talking about, Malfoy." She
strode forward and slipped her wand out of her pocket, ignoring his presence as
she whispered, "Extingiso."
The flames died immediately, leaving the two in darkness
but for the sheen of the white moon above. All too suddenly the trees stood
looming in front of them and the shadows of wood-creatures danced around them;
the woods was a place of haunted souls instead of her cozy fireplace.
"Nice talking with you," she spat out before turning to
go. But a strong hand caught at her, and his fingers dug into the tender flesh
of her upper arm. Involuntarily, she cried out. He did not loosen his grip, and
instead pulled her towards him until he silkily whispered, against her ear and
her hair, "You realize, Granger, that I could get you expelled?"
With all her spirit, she lifted her foot up and then
slammed it down on his toe. He stumbled back, but did not make a sound of pain,
nor released her as she had hoped. Still, Hermione hissed, "Don't threaten me,
Malfoy."
His grip on her tightened still, and she clenched her
teeth in an effort to keep quiet. "If you make an effort to hurt me again, I
will hurt you." His voice was quiet,
chilled.
Hermione swung her free elbow back and whammed it back
into his stomach- how dare he threaten her,
again! - and this time he did let out a faint "oof!" and release her.
"Damn you, Malfoy," she hissed as she stepped forward.
"Don't try to talk to me again." She started to stumble her way through the
trees, heading back towards Hogwarts.
*
Professor McGonagall folded her hands solemnly on her desk
and looked sternly at the black-haired boy in front of her. His green eyes were
trusting, familiar and expectant, and if she inspected closely, she could catch
a glimpse of the fondness he carried for Ms. Granger. It was apparent in the
way he talked about her- she recalled the concern lacing his voice when he had
come to her with his appeal of her safety, and the softness that had shone in
his eyes.
"Ms. Granger has shown me the book she used to perform the
Laiceps spell," said the Professor, "and assured me that she will no longer
perform it. It really is quite harmless, Potter," she added kindly. "A simple
spell to withstand the heat of fire."
"Simple spell-" He fumbled with his glasses, and then
gripped the edge of the desk with both hands. "Are you sure?"
"Quite sure. Hermione was very clear about it. She tells me she has done her research on the spell, but would like to keep it private." McGonagall gave the boy a rare smile. "Don't worry, Harry. She is fine."
"I'll trust you on that," said Harry, sighing and standing
up. He swept a lock of black hair off his forehead in a miserable gesture.
"Contact me if you notice anything unusual."
"Yes, Professor." He gave her an uncertain smile, and was
gone in the next moment.
*
End.
A/N : I hope you caught the difference between the Laiceps
curse and the Laiceps spell. If not, you may find it at the beginning of the
installment.
Thanks to: Lunarbard, Melky Way, Me Myself and I, Suzanne
Potter, Tiger Lily, AngieJ, ThE cRaZy KaCcEe, Sashina Potter, thurisaz, Star
Fish, Janie, The Contemplator, Sheena, Firefly, Griff, Jessica, and Chaos for
reviewing part 1 and making my day. J
Please review this chapter also- it will be greatly
appreciated!