There were people all around her, but he was closer like a
burning star on her horizon and he was worried to death. Her body
was complaining at her for giving it full sensory overload three times
in one day but she didn't care, for the first time in years she felt
content.
Her eyes flicked open, there was Uncle Serverus, worry at the
back of those midnight eyes as usual. She managed a slight smile and
raised herself onto an elbow. There was Harry, mixed feelings from
her Drake on that one, and Dumbledore who seemed to be bodily holding
Draco back from her. Now that got her attention.
Sliding to her feet she leant against Serverus for support and
cleared her throat, when that didn't work she raised her eyebrows and
spoke.
"Excuse me, but would you be good enough to let him go, the worry
is giving me a headache"
Several people turned around at that and one of them was Albus
Dumbledore, who looked more than a little furious. She felt a brief
tremor run through her body of a fear that wasn't her own and she
almost smiled.
~Faint heart never won fair lady my Drake, I'm perfectly fine~
Then she raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore the smile bubbling
in her eyes.
"You had something to say to me, something derogatory I believe?"
She felt the surprise shiver through her uncle's body and
fought the smile that was working its way though her, she had been
intimidated by the best and had done more than a little intimidating
herself, she wasn't afraid.
"Miss Nic Draconis, what were the conditions of your stay here"
That pulled her up short, back to the interview in his office,
the phoenix watching her as she agreed to his terms, desperate for
time.
"That I wouldn't practice any of my more specialised skills while I
was here"
He nodded
"Continue"
"That I wouldn't attack any of your students without due provocation"
Again the nod, she felt a shiver run up her spine.
"And that I would stay as far from the Slytherin house members as
possible"
That old face with its burning blue eyes looked furious but
the voice remained calm.
"And do you not believe that you have broken every single one of those
rules today?"
She swallowed, her amusement was still there, but Draco was
afraid for her it was there at the back of her mind.
"I know that I broke the first one, but it was against my will and i
shall endeavour to explain. As for the second i have attacked no
student within this school, but for the third, I'm afraid breaking it
was unavoidable"
there, swallow that she thought to herself, the anger was still
there in his eyes but there was something else lacing them that just
might be humour.
"Your explanation?"
She drew in a breath letting it shudder through her body
blocking off Draco's upsurge of worry and speaking.
"My father is as you know quite disturbed at my leaving the opposition
so he cursed me, and quite thoroughly, as long as he's alive, and
i am i will be forced into a change every full moon, if I don't surrender
to the magic it will rip its way out of me."
Harry looked slightly sickened, she could understand that.
She felt the same way or she had in the first moments of knowing,
now she was more accepting but it still hurt. Draco went to move
towards her and was restrained, she could feel his own anger, years
of feudal power shifting within him.
"And this?"
He made a gesture towards Draco, she could still the slightly
bloody glow around his aura, of course the fact that his aura was
intertwined with hers could be disconcerting.
"It was a joint effort, you couldn't imagine that I could force that
level of commitment on to someone?"
For a second there was a regret in the back of Dumbledore's eyes
before he nodded. Then he gestured with his wand.
She felt the spell tear through her with the force of a
tornado, closing off her powers and shackling her hand and foot, she
couldn't move now without permission and the magic that had been a part
of her since childhood was missing. She wanted to scream and then for
a second she thought she was, then she felt the pain, and fought clear
of it all.
Her Drake needed her.
Her vision cleared she could hear his scream across the tower
top, they'd closed off her magic, the bond they had would be feeding him
every pain she'd suffered and even his knowledge of the dark arts didn't
touch the depths she'd gone too.
"Stop it, for gods sake someone have some mercy on him and shield him
off from me"
She watched Hermoines wand move and the screaming stopped. The
effort it had taken to scream for assistance was shaking through her
body but Dumbledore was watching her with a weary respect in his eyes.
"We'll keep you in the staff wing, as long as you're close by we can
keep you safe, I'd banish you if I didn't think you'd take some of
them with you"
She lifted her chin and looked over at Draco, his face was paler
than usual, and she was weeping inside for the pain reflected back in
those pewter eyes.
Then she turned and walked at Dumbledore's side into the castle.
***
At that moment when he had ripped them apart he'd thought she
was dead, that had been the scream because loosing her again was more
than he could stand. The moment of the spells completion had given him
everything but her deepest secret, she'd offered and he'd refused. That
secret hurt her, and she could keep it.
He watched as Dumbledore led her away, and felt a hand rest on
his shoulder, he looked up into Snape's eyes and saw the expressionless
dark from a different perspective, clouded with worry for a young girl
he genuinely cared for.
"She'll be alright, she's stronger than she looks"
He nodded, he knew that, just as he knew that captivity would
break her heart, she'd come here to help, run all the risks there were
and yet no one was prepared to trust her, bar the people on this
rooftop.
Turning he looked at them, Potter, Granger, and Weasley of all
people. Sighing he slipped the hand off of his shoulder and moved over
to them, looking down slightly to meet the oak leaf green of Potters
eyes.
"I know we haven't gotten on in the past Potter, but I'll need your
help to do this"
For a moment there was refusal in his eyes and then the
shimmering blank of memory before he nodded his head in decision.
"I'll help you, the other to if they want too"
He looked over Potters shoulder to Granger who had her arm
around Weaslys waist, /Quel Surprise/ they had a relationship. But
Granger, he supposed he should call her Hermoine now nodded, followed
by Ron.
He smiled, and he knew it was his usual sneer but he didn't
stop it from coming because right now he needed to plot, and plotting
was what Slytherins did best.
burning star on her horizon and he was worried to death. Her body
was complaining at her for giving it full sensory overload three times
in one day but she didn't care, for the first time in years she felt
content.
Her eyes flicked open, there was Uncle Serverus, worry at the
back of those midnight eyes as usual. She managed a slight smile and
raised herself onto an elbow. There was Harry, mixed feelings from
her Drake on that one, and Dumbledore who seemed to be bodily holding
Draco back from her. Now that got her attention.
Sliding to her feet she leant against Serverus for support and
cleared her throat, when that didn't work she raised her eyebrows and
spoke.
"Excuse me, but would you be good enough to let him go, the worry
is giving me a headache"
Several people turned around at that and one of them was Albus
Dumbledore, who looked more than a little furious. She felt a brief
tremor run through her body of a fear that wasn't her own and she
almost smiled.
~Faint heart never won fair lady my Drake, I'm perfectly fine~
Then she raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore the smile bubbling
in her eyes.
"You had something to say to me, something derogatory I believe?"
She felt the surprise shiver through her uncle's body and
fought the smile that was working its way though her, she had been
intimidated by the best and had done more than a little intimidating
herself, she wasn't afraid.
"Miss Nic Draconis, what were the conditions of your stay here"
That pulled her up short, back to the interview in his office,
the phoenix watching her as she agreed to his terms, desperate for
time.
"That I wouldn't practice any of my more specialised skills while I
was here"
He nodded
"Continue"
"That I wouldn't attack any of your students without due provocation"
Again the nod, she felt a shiver run up her spine.
"And that I would stay as far from the Slytherin house members as
possible"
That old face with its burning blue eyes looked furious but
the voice remained calm.
"And do you not believe that you have broken every single one of those
rules today?"
She swallowed, her amusement was still there, but Draco was
afraid for her it was there at the back of her mind.
"I know that I broke the first one, but it was against my will and i
shall endeavour to explain. As for the second i have attacked no
student within this school, but for the third, I'm afraid breaking it
was unavoidable"
there, swallow that she thought to herself, the anger was still
there in his eyes but there was something else lacing them that just
might be humour.
"Your explanation?"
She drew in a breath letting it shudder through her body
blocking off Draco's upsurge of worry and speaking.
"My father is as you know quite disturbed at my leaving the opposition
so he cursed me, and quite thoroughly, as long as he's alive, and
i am i will be forced into a change every full moon, if I don't surrender
to the magic it will rip its way out of me."
Harry looked slightly sickened, she could understand that.
She felt the same way or she had in the first moments of knowing,
now she was more accepting but it still hurt. Draco went to move
towards her and was restrained, she could feel his own anger, years
of feudal power shifting within him.
"And this?"
He made a gesture towards Draco, she could still the slightly
bloody glow around his aura, of course the fact that his aura was
intertwined with hers could be disconcerting.
"It was a joint effort, you couldn't imagine that I could force that
level of commitment on to someone?"
For a second there was a regret in the back of Dumbledore's eyes
before he nodded. Then he gestured with his wand.
She felt the spell tear through her with the force of a
tornado, closing off her powers and shackling her hand and foot, she
couldn't move now without permission and the magic that had been a part
of her since childhood was missing. She wanted to scream and then for
a second she thought she was, then she felt the pain, and fought clear
of it all.
Her Drake needed her.
Her vision cleared she could hear his scream across the tower
top, they'd closed off her magic, the bond they had would be feeding him
every pain she'd suffered and even his knowledge of the dark arts didn't
touch the depths she'd gone too.
"Stop it, for gods sake someone have some mercy on him and shield him
off from me"
She watched Hermoines wand move and the screaming stopped. The
effort it had taken to scream for assistance was shaking through her
body but Dumbledore was watching her with a weary respect in his eyes.
"We'll keep you in the staff wing, as long as you're close by we can
keep you safe, I'd banish you if I didn't think you'd take some of
them with you"
She lifted her chin and looked over at Draco, his face was paler
than usual, and she was weeping inside for the pain reflected back in
those pewter eyes.
Then she turned and walked at Dumbledore's side into the castle.
***
At that moment when he had ripped them apart he'd thought she
was dead, that had been the scream because loosing her again was more
than he could stand. The moment of the spells completion had given him
everything but her deepest secret, she'd offered and he'd refused. That
secret hurt her, and she could keep it.
He watched as Dumbledore led her away, and felt a hand rest on
his shoulder, he looked up into Snape's eyes and saw the expressionless
dark from a different perspective, clouded with worry for a young girl
he genuinely cared for.
"She'll be alright, she's stronger than she looks"
He nodded, he knew that, just as he knew that captivity would
break her heart, she'd come here to help, run all the risks there were
and yet no one was prepared to trust her, bar the people on this
rooftop.
Turning he looked at them, Potter, Granger, and Weasley of all
people. Sighing he slipped the hand off of his shoulder and moved over
to them, looking down slightly to meet the oak leaf green of Potters
eyes.
"I know we haven't gotten on in the past Potter, but I'll need your
help to do this"
For a moment there was refusal in his eyes and then the
shimmering blank of memory before he nodded his head in decision.
"I'll help you, the other to if they want too"
He looked over Potters shoulder to Granger who had her arm
around Weaslys waist, /Quel Surprise/ they had a relationship. But
Granger, he supposed he should call her Hermoine now nodded, followed
by Ron.
He smiled, and he knew it was his usual sneer but he didn't
stop it from coming because right now he needed to plot, and plotting
was what Slytherins did best.
