A/N: Draco Malfoy, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Whatever you don't recognize belongs to me.
The Second Realm
Chapter Three: Through the Portal
Draco sat on his hard bed miserably. His things had been summoned to the cabin, and now there was nothing to do. It had been an hour since he had been banished to the Punishment cabin, and Draco's ire was building. His frustration was so intense that he had to walk back and forth on the dusty wooden floor, hating with every inch of his being the unfair treatment that he was given. Of course, Draco was being punished because he hit a counsellor, but Draco knew that Ilidine had been equally as terrible to him and his friends. Speaking of which, Alexander and Katie must be having a lovely romantic time, snuggled close to each other, having no one interrupt while they-
Draco stopped his thoughts abruptly, and shuddered. It would do him no good to think of what two other people could do while he was stuck here. He glanced at where Julian was sitting, and saw that he was staring at the middle of the cabin with rapt attention. Since Draco's bed was on the other side of the small cabin, he had to walk over to Julian.
"Julian, what are you doing?" Draco asked sourly, having no idea why Julian found the floor so fascinating.
"You mean you don't see her?" Julian replied incredulously.
"See who? I don't see anyone," Draco snapped. Julian looked at him for a brief moment, shocked, and turned back to watch whatever he was seeing.
"She's saying something I can't quite make out," Julian said quietly. "What…are…you…doing? I wonder to whom she is talking. Must be one of her friends."
"Will you stop it with the bloody girl!" Draco fumed. "You must be losing your mind, honestly."
"No, I can see her clearly," Julian replied. "She looks like an elf, no wait, a fairy."
"That's wonderful. You can see a fairy in your head," Draco said sarcastically. "Maybe next you'll start to see trolls."
"Be quiet," Julian hushed, then suddenly became startled. "She's screaming! Screaming, holding out her hands, and she looks scared!"
"Oh, really? Or do you just think that you see her scared?" Draco snapped. Julian did not respond, however, but leapt from his bed and grabbed at something in the center of the room. Draco rolled his eyes in exasperation, but Julian gasped.
"It's a portal to her land," Julian breathed. Draco sighed.
"There's nothing there," Draco insisted. "Absolutely nothing." Julian shook his head, and he grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled him into the middle of the cabin. Draco was about to protest, but suddenly he was not in the cabin anymore, but in a lush, green forest, complete with moss and creatures.
"Woah," Julian mumbled. "Cool."
"What? Where have you taken me?" Draco demanded.
"I don't know," Julian admitted, taken with the view of the pretty forest.
"That's the problem!" Draco shouted. "You didn't think before you acted. You immature piece of-"
"Stop it, Draco!" Julian exclaimed. "Can't you live a little? Possibly take the advantages of the situation? Oh, no, you have to complain! If you complain now, you won't have fun!"
"All right, I understand!" Draco said exasperatedly. "Now let's find this girl or fairy of yours before you go ballistic." He crossed his arms and glared his coldest at Julian. Julian was slightly offended, but he did not say anything. Instead, he became absolutely still, as if listening for something, and immediately walked off in one direction. Draco did not question Julian's instinct, but strolled after him. Draco then heard someone female scream loudly as if she were being wounded. Julian must have heard it too, for he began to run quickly towards where the sound used to be. Draco did not like this very much; after all, running would tangle his hair horribly. The two boys continued running until they came to a clearing in the forest. There they could see a dainty girl with long honey brown hair and psychedelically colored wings, and a fairly taller boy whose hair was tinted green, with his skin a dark brown. They did not see Julian and Draco at first, but continued what they were doing.
"You fell for that trick easily," the boy said, grinning impishly at the girl.
"I can't help it; I'm gullible," the girl replied. "You shouldn't have scared me like that."
"I shouldn't have, but I did," the boy remarked simply. "That's my nature." That comment seemed to have an effect on the girl, as she stood in silence. It was then that the girl spotted Julian and Draco.
"Milky drizzleweeds! There are strangers in the forest," the girl said, walking to the two boys. "What are you doing here?" she questioned, looking at both Julian and Draco curiously.
"We heard your scream," Julian said quickly before Draco could speak. "We wondered if you were all right."
"Oh, that. That was nothing," the girl said shyly. "I was only frightened because my friend scared me. But I'm all right," she added, looking intently at Julian. Startled by this sudden attention, Julian reddened. The green haired boy must have sensed the situation was awkward, so he immediately came over to where Draco and Julian were standing.
"So you're strangers here in Imbrix?" the boy asked. Julian and Draco did not know where they were, so they nodded politely. "Welcome. I am Colin Moc'ri and the little girl is Saffron Callide," the boy added, grinning jauntily as he waved his right arm in a triangle shape and bowed deeply. Draco contiguously knew that was a greeting, so he tried to repeat the gesture in the same manner.
"Colin! I'm not a little girl," Saffron said, annoyed at her friend's words.
"No, of course not," Colin replied. "But you're not an adult yet."
"Don't remind me," Saffron said airily.
"Er, maybe you could show us around," Julian said, not wanting to make a wrong impression. Draco knew that if they said a wrong word that offended Colin and Saffron, they could turn against them and possibly kill them. On the other hand, maybe I am being too pessimistic, Draco thought. They look too innocent and foolish to kill anyone.
"You'd like that. Imbrix is a nice place, even if it is in the middle of hard times," Saffron remarked. Draco wondered what she meant by "hard times." Was an evil wizard killing their kind as well?
"Before we can take them on a tour, we need to know their names," Colin said. "Are you from the human world?" he added curiously.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, and he is Julian Earlingston," Draco said stiffly. "We are indeed from the human world, but we're not Muggles, just wizards." Julian nodded in agreement.
"You are wizards? I am so scared," Colin replied. "Wouldst thou cast me a curse? I have yet but to live and to thrive," he added dramatically, clasping his hands over his heart. Draco rolled his eyes, but Julian laughed.
"Don't worry, we won't put a curse on you," Julian said. "At least, I wouldn't, I don't know about Draco," he added quietly. Draco scoffed, and Saffron and Colin looked a bit nervous, but they motioned Julian and Draco to follow them as they walked forward through the forest. As they were walking, Draco felt the air was full of something but he did not know exactly what it was. Perhaps he felt only humidity.
"Colin reminds me of my cousins Fred and George," Julian muttered so only Draco heard. Draco's heart gave a jolt, and he stared at Julian in shock.
"Your cousins? Surely not Fred and George Weasley," Draco replied, and groaned inwardly. If Julian and Weasley (Ron) were related…
"Yes, those are the ones," Julian said, forgetting to whisper. Saffron and Colin took no notice as they were deep in conversation.
"So then you're related to Weasley," Draco groaned aloud, mostly to himself. Julian looked puzzled.
"How on earth do you know my cousins' surname?" Julian asked. "They go to Hogw--oh," he added, nodding his head. "You go to the same school."
"Right. Of course, Weasley is friends with Potter, and they think they know it all," Draco said, but stopped as he knew he was going into dangerous territory. Julian might not like it if he, Draco, insulted his cousins.
"Potter? Harry Potter?" Julian asked incredulously, forgetting anything else Draco had said in his last sentence.
"Yes," Draco replied blandly. Julian seemed to perk up after that.
"That's great! I wish Ron would write me, because I haven't talked to him in four years," Julian rambled. "My father wants to see Aunt Molly, as he's her brother, I would like to see all my cousins, and I'm sure my sister wants to talk to Ginny again." Draco did not listen that attentively, as he hated anything to do with the Weasleys. That would mean that he hated Julian, which he did not, because Julian was his friend. Screw that logic, Draco thought.
"To change the subject," Draco said hastily. "We have to find out where we are, and what we have to do to get out of here. I don't think we should stay very long here," he added solemnly. Julian barely paid attention since he was busy looking at Saffron.
"Yeah, I know, even though it might be fun," Julian admitted.
"Fun," Draco scoffed. He did not know whether his time in Imbrix would be fun, but he hoped it would at least be exciting.
The four walked on until they arrived at a town that looked amazing. The houses were made out of dirt, stones, and grass, but they were covered in gorgeous flowers, and seemed to sparkle with magic. The road itself appeared to be made out of gold glitter and cushions, as it was very soft. Draco had to admit to himself that he had never seen such a beautiful town as this one.
"Look at that mansion," Julian gasped, pointing ahead of them to a white mansion that was so breath-taking Draco could not find words to describe it.
"Here's my house, you two," Saffron said suddenly, stopping at a cute little hut. "Come in and you can meet my family," she added, a mischievous grin showing on her face. The four stepped into the house, which was furnished with elaborately made furniture.
"Fantastic," Julian said softly.
"Mother! I'm home!" Saffron called, and a ravishing middle aged fairy woman came through a doorway. She was tall, with her golden hair swept up in an exquisite bun. She walked as if she had a metal rod instead of a spine. Her wings were out, and they had a wide range of colours, psychedelically mixed. Her nose seemed as though it had been chiselled at for a rather long time, and her thin lips twisted into a frown as her piercing blue eyes glared at both Julian and Draco.
"What are they doing here?" Mrs. Callide said sharply.
"I brought them, Mother," Saffron replied, making Mrs. Callide frown.
"Saffron! How many times have I warned you not to let human beings into our realm? And when I have my back turned, the first thing you do is let two humans into Imbrix!" she screamed. Saffron hung her head.
"Sorry," Saffron mumbled.
"SAYING SORRY ISN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING!" Mrs. Callide shrieked. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU CAUSED? ALL OF IMBRIX IS AT RISK!"
"I just--" Saffron began.
"I THOUGHT I WAS BEING SOMEWHAT FAIR TO YOU, LETTING YOU WANDER THE WOODS LIKE THAT! FOUR HOURS OF PHYSICAL LABOUR FOR YOU, SAFFRON!" Mrs. Callide yelled, and her arms fell to her sides, limp for a moment. She looked furious as she spewed a blue fireball towards Saffron. Saffron shrieked, as the blue fire was painful; she floated to the air involuntarily, and was whisked away upstairs. The enraged Mrs. Callide turned to Draco and Julian quickly. Draco wondered what their fate would be.
"Sit down," Mrs. Callide said coldly. "Colin, please leave." Colin flew out the door in a flash, and Draco and Julian sat down quickly on the couch to avoid her wrath. Unfortunately, it came anyway.
"Er, Mrs…I can explain," Julian started to speak, but Mrs. Callide silenced him by raising her hand.
"Don't speak for now," Mrs. Callide replied, but she did not explain. She looked at them meticulously, as if eyeing every detail. Draco felt as though he was frozen under her icy glare.
"You seem to be ignorant of the situation," she continued. "I must speak, then, of the danger you have placed on Imbrix. Protecting Imbrix is this shield of magic, which lets fairies in and out. Every time a human comes into our land, however, the shield is weakened and some of the magic of the shield drains away. Because you are different from the fairies that inhibit Imbrix, you destroy a bit of the shield when you enter our land. To be honest, I do not know why the shield loses its magic to humans, but perhaps you absorb the magic into your systems and destroy it. Now that Imbrix is temporarily weakened, our enemies the Traskins (ugly, demonic trolls) can come at any minute and attack. Do you now realise the consequences of your being here?" Mrs. Callide finished by fluttering her wings to signify the gravity of her speech.
"We had no idea," Julian said weakly. "I'm really sorry, ma'am. I am." Julian looked down at his feet. Draco was stunned. They destroyed some magic shield by coming? That was strange…
"A little too late for saying that," Mrs. Callide replied. "There is one more issue I have to address. If you cannot help us by serving as soldiers, then I am afraid I have no choice but to take you to the King and have you disposed." Julian gasped and Draco groaned inwardly.
"We'll do it," Julian said stubbornly, and Draco stared at him, astonished. Well, actually, we have no choice otherwise, Draco thought grimly.
"We'll be soldiers," Draco added hesitantly. Mrs. Callide seemed satisfied with this, and because of their subservience, gave them some delicious fairy wheat bread. Draco chewed the bread thoughtfully as he pondered the dire situation they were in. He could not believe that they had said they would be soldiers, but what needed to be done had to be done. Draco hoped that his term as a soldier would not maim him for life. Several sharp shrieks made him stop chewing to look for the origin of the noise. Mrs. Callide paid no attention, so he had the sneaking suspicion that Saffron, the one who shrieked, must have been in trouble many times.
"Er, Mrs. Callide?" Julian asked timidly. The fairy gazed at him intently, waiting for him to speak. "May I take a look around your house, please?" he wondered, so frightened that he lost any rebelliousness whatsoever.
"Yes, you may," Mrs. Callide replied. "Be careful not to break anything." Julian nodded, and got up from the couch to go exploring. Draco was anxious to leave the room as well, but by the way Mrs. Callide was watching him, he decided not to risk it. "So young man," she added when Julian had left the room to go upstairs, "what is your name?"
"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy," Draco said.
"Strange name," Mrs. Callide murmured. "Strange indeed."
"What about it?" Draco asked sharply.
"It seems as though you are special," Mrs. Callide replied firmly. "I don't know how exactly you are, but then I do not have the level of Magic that the Sorcerer and Sorceress do."
"There are two of them?" Draco said skeptically. "Why?"
"They married, obviously," was the fairy's exasperated reply. "They both have magic. Do you not know that?"
"Of course I do, woman," Draco replied coldly, forgetting his manners. "I'm not stupid, like certain people I know." He was referring to Harry Potter, of course. Mrs. Callide's eyes narrowed, crinkling the skin around her eyes, and she inhaled shallow breaths.
"Do not insult my daughter," she spat; her hand rose as if to strike him, but it fell back down.
"I wasn't insulting her," Draco replied. "I was referring to my enemy, Harry Potter, who is a incorrigible piece of filth! He thinks he can go around, breaking rules and pretending to save everyone, but he cannot! He is just an insecure fool who somehow always gets his way! Everyone thinks he is good at Quidditch, but he is not! That bloody git! I swear batty old Dumbledore thinks he is so bloody wonderful, so he hardly gets into any trouble! If he were here right now, I would take his eyes right out of his sockets and make him suffer. I'd crush his bloody face in and stamp his ribs to splinters!" Having finished his speech, Draco was infuriated and he walked around the room several times, grinding his fists together and clenching his teeth. Mrs. Callide carefully hid a surprised look.
"Are you jealous of him, Draco?" she asked calmly, taking him by surprise.
"Of course not. I never want to have a stupid scar on my forehead," he sneered. "And I don't want to be in Gryffindor. It's a idiotic house with idiotic people in it." Draco's head was clouded with fury, and he simply could not stop talking.
"I see," Mrs. Callide whispered.
"You don't see! That is the problem! No one knows what I'm going through!" Draco yelled. "They don't notice that I'm all alone, with the exception of two clods of bodyguards. Moreover, to top it off, I am nearly failing out of Transfiguration. Everyone looks at me like I am disgusting and should not be touched, but they do not know that it is bloody hard to be me! I cannot take it anymore. My father does not…" Draco paused, trying to get the word out without choking.
"…Love me. I know he does not. I look up to him. My mother would be happy without me. They want me gone, I know it. I'm all alone in this stupid world," he added, lying on the couch. "I wish I was dead." Draco shut his eyes, not wanting to see the cold world in which he was living. He shuddered involuntarily, trying to swallow the block that had appeared in his throat. He turned his head away from the fairy, his throat hurting miserably. Suddenly, he felt something warm brush away his hair from his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly to find Mrs. Callide sitting next to him, looking at him fondly.
"It's all right," she said. "It will be all right." Draco sighed.
"I wish," he muttered, and stared miserably at his feet. His peace was interrupted when Julian came down the stairs and looked at him curiously.
"Why are you on the couch?" Julian asked. "Stomach ache?"
"No. I was tired," Draco snapped sarcastically. Julian shrugged and Mrs. Callide stood.
"I request that you two come with me," she insisted, capturing both boys' attentions.
"Where are we going?" Julian wondered. Mrs. Callide grabbed a shawl from a hook besides the door.
"To the king," she replied. "Normally I don't make visits bothering the king, but I am sure that this situation is necessary for him to know." Mrs. Callide's hand hovered above her head, and in an instant, her hair was sparkling and bright.
"Oh," Julian muttered, and Draco got off the couch and walked to the door. "Wait for me," Julian added, and joined them at the entrance. Then they stepped outside and hurried down the dirt road.
The king's palace was magnificent in size and in style. It had four levels, with its windows facing the street. It had cylindrical towers that had vines circling around it, and its windows were diamond shaped and seemed to sparkle with the light of the sun. What was most remarkable about the windows was that they each seemed to reflect a different colour, so that the windows were tinted. Draco had to admit that it was very stylish, but not as much as his manor. Perhaps he was being a little too hasty. The fences surrounding the palace had curlicue ends and shimmered like water. Mrs. Callide stopped right in front of the gate and waited for a minute, much to the confusion of Draco and Julian. A little box appeared out of nowhere next to the gates, looking like a Muggle walkie-talkie.
"Who's there?" the voice came out of the box clear and distinct. It was obvious that a man had asked this question.
"Delia Callide. I've come to speak to the king about an urgent matter," Mrs. Callide insisted. A harsh, bellowing laugh echoed from the box.
"That's what they all say. State your problem, miss," the voice chuckled.
"Here with me are two human beings that have come into Imbrix," Mrs. Callide said. "I wish to speak with the king." Draco could hear the man who was speaking into the box tremble.
"Hold on," the voice quivered, and there was a click. The next instant, several fairy males, heavily clad with armour and carrying large spears, ran to the gates. A male wearing a fancy helmet glared at them particularly cruelly.
"The humans go first," he bellowed. "Rule 235a." Draco and Julian shivered, but stepped forward nonetheless. Instantly the gates melted away, so the fairies could surround the two boys. They had no way to escape. A fairy in his late teens, who was grinning cheekily, escorted Mrs. Callide. After the gates closed behind them, they walked to the palace doors quickly. The leader knocked on the door, which became transparent to reveal a short maid.
"Yes?" she asked quietly.
"Business with the king," the leader said simply, making the maid open the door so they could step inside. The inside of the palace was even more stylish and beautiful than the outside, which was saying something. The fairy guards, or soldiers, Draco assumed, led them to a large room. It was lavishly decorated, with light blue banners that hung down behind the throne. The walls must have been painted a golden yellow, because they shone as the sun's rays bounced against them. The only source of light seemed to come from the ceiling, as there did not seem to be a chandelier or anything on it. Draco looked up to investigate and saw that the whole ceiling was illuminated. Some magic! There, in the middle of the room, the king sat on a diamond throne next to a beautiful woman, who was apparently his wife. The leader of the guards swaggered to the king's throne.
"Hello, Patricus," the king greeted him with a smile. "What is it?"
"Humans have come into Imbrix," Patricus said sternly. "They're with us."
"What?" the king exclaimed, rose from his seat, and walked closer to Patricus. "You don't mean that, do you?" Patricus nodded slowly and the king sighed. "I thought I increased the shield's security," he remarked, glancing at Draco and Julian.
"There they are, your majesty," Patricus said.
"Bring them to me," the king ordered, and so Patricus hastily pulled Draco and Julian's arms. Draco stared straight into the king's eyes. He was not afraid of the king. Julian, on the other hand, was fidgeting and trembling slightly. "What are your names?" the king asked crisply and staring at them fiercely.
"Draco Malfoy," Draco said, pointing to himself. "This is Julian Earlingston."
"How did you come into Imbrix?" the king demanded of them.
"We followed--" Julian began, but was cut off when he saw Draco shake his head quickly.
"Who? Whom did you follow?" the king asked. "They will be punished immediately."
"No one," Draco said quickly. "We followed no one. We were walking through a forest, and found ourselves to be here." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mrs. Callide sigh with relief.
"But you met Delia, didn't you?" the king inquired sharply.
"Yes," Draco replied.
"She said we had to be soldiers," Julian added. Draco wanted to kick him for bringing up that topic again.
"Right. That is the punishment, after all," the king said, pacing back and forth. "I can't believe this is happening. I want both of you--Julian and Draco, I think-- to go with Patricus. He will take you to our Imbrician military training fortress. Patricus, take them to Jendia now." Patricus nodded, and turned around, walking to the exit. The king sat back down in his seat as a sign that their conversation was over. Draco could not do anything but follow the buff fairy out the palace. Julian did as well.
"Here you are," Patricus held out his hand. "Jendia's registration booth."
"Oh great," Draco muttered under his breath, but stepped up to the booth where a buxom, middle-aged fairy lady was sitting.
"How may I help you?" the lady said in a somewhat nasal voice.
"New recruits," Patricus pointed. "Human boys." The lady nodded as if there was a hidden message in that simple statement.
"I see," the lady sighed. "Names?"
"Draco Malfoy," Draco said.
"Julian Earlingston," Julian added. The lady pulled out a flower and pressed it to a piece of parchment with many names on it. Instantly, their names appeared on it, the lady's head came up, and nodded to Patricus. Patricus motioned the two boys to follow him, and he led them towards many small tents behind the Jendia building. He squinted his eyes, and then pointed.
"There's your tent," he said. "Number 88." Draco sighed when he saw that the tent 88 was one of the smaller tents, but he did not say anything. He walked quickly to the tent that was about to become his new home. Julian groaned as soon as Patricus was out of hearing distance.
"It's so small," he whined. "Small and ripped."
"Shut up, Julian," Draco said. "We don't have a choice." Julian sighed, but crawled into the tent.
"Well, it's nice and cosy in here," he said, his voice muffled. "Rather homey, too."
"I bet," Draco said dryly, and was about to say more when a tall, blond fairy came to his side. The tall fairy grumbled in his throat, making Draco look at him. "What do you want?" Draco asked sharply.
"It's not time for horsing around," the fairy said gruffly and stuck out his chest so that his pin labelled 'Nas T. Vole, Captain' could be seen more clearly. Draco stifled a laugh.
"So sorry, Mr. Vole," Draco said sarcastically. "What should we be doing?"
"You should be doing your afternoon routine," Vole replied, and Julian came out of the tent, dusting his knees.
"What if we don't want to, Nas?" Draco drawled. "What are you going to do, stare at us?"
"I'm going to do much worse than that," Nas replied cruelly. "I'm going to bash your bloody heads in." Julian gulped and stared at Nas. The buff fairy was not to be crossed.
"We're coming," Julian replied and stood straight. Nas nodded, and walked away with Draco and Julian following him. They came to a grassy field with several lines of men who were standing as though they had been frozen. Nas motioned them to stand at the back of the line nearest to him, which they did obediently. Draco groaned. Exercises? At this time of day? He grimaced and looked into the clear blue sky.
