Chapter 1
A Strange Appearance, a Fight, a Sword, a Curse, and some Dirty Laundry
A/N: Hey! Here's the first chapter, revised and no longer just a first draft. I've also got a title. Snoogles to Missy Lissy, boB, PadfootMew, and Lana Mavi for being my wonderful beta-readers. You guys wrote half the story! ::hugs betas:: What would I do without you *sniff*?
It was May, and, even with the air conditioner going full blast, it was hot and humid. I was reading Cassandra Claire, home alone, for what had to be the 136th time, when something happened.
Mom and Dad were due back any second, and I was thinking wistfully about how I wished Harry Potter was real when there was a soft *pop* and a boy appeared.
I recognized him, of course. How often had I daydreamed about him in class, staring out the window and wishing he were real? How often had my friends teased me for liking a guy who didn't even exist? How often had he showed up in my dreams, looking almost exactly as he did now? I mean, how many times does the guy of your dreams suddenly appear in front of you? Nevertheless, I couldn't believe my eyes.
He was tall, looked about fifteen or so, had silvery blonde hair, gray sarcastic eyes, and eyebrows that somehow always managed to look wry, even though now they were together in a frown and his eyes were confused. Black robes, sharply angular bones.
There was absolutely no mistaking it.
Draco Malfoy stood in my bedroom.
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***
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I didn't yell, or shriek. I'm not like that-- when something surprises me, I try to cover it up. Still, it was hard not to. The boy too had a stunned look on his face, although I would have described my expression more pole-axed, and not quite so stunned. We stood staring at each other, and to my astonishment, it was I who spoke first.
"Who-- who are you?" I finally managed to get out in a squeaky whisper, despite the fact that I knew already what the answer would be. That sort of thing just pops out of your mouth during times like these. My voice, which was usually deep for a girl, chose that moment to rocket upward several octaves.
"Where am I?" The boy ignored my expression. "How did I get here? This isn't Hogwarts-- where have you taken me?"
In two quick strides, the boy had crossed the room and seized the front of my shirt. I had never been manhandled like that before, except by my brother, and I felt that he-- to put it mildly-- was taking liberties, even though I could see the fear in his silvery eyes.
Before I could stop myself, I backhanded him across the face.
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***
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Draco was horribly confused. One moment he was in his dorm, getting ready for school, the next he was in some strange, unfamiliar girl's bedroom. But he had to confess, he hadn't expected her to put up much resistance when he seized her by her collar and nearly hoisted her off her feet-- not a hard task, since she was fairly short, just under five feet five inches, and he was nearly six.
So it came as a shock when she slapped him with all her strength.
Draco staggered back; the girl's knuckles were surprisingly bony. Before he could react, she was on him, digging her hands painfully into the muscles of his upper arms. She seemed to know all the right spots to press, and she had her hands where no pretty girl had ever handled him before, but he was in no mood to enjoy it, as it hurt quite a lot. Shooting pains went up and down his arm as the girl applied a considerable amount of pressure to one of the tender spots.
"Ouch!" he said as he tore free and leapt on her, effectively pinning her to the bed in the corner of the very small room. Snarling, the girl tried to bite him, or claw him with her bitten fingernails, but to no avail.
"Get off me," she panted finally, spitting and blowing her long brown hair out of her face. Her brown eyes locked with his own gray ones. "Who are you?"
"Don't ask questions, kid," Draco warned in a dangerously calm voice. He was very, very angry. Who was this girl, to drag him out of his school and then attack him? "I think it would be more appropriate to ask, who are you and where is this place?" He jerked his chin in an encompassing gesture towards the rest of the room.
He saw fear flicker across her face, the expression mirroring his own. "I am... Lizyrd," she said defensively, glaring at him so hard he had to repress an insane urge to snicker. "And this is my bedroom, in my house, in my neighborhood, in my state, in my country. And who are you?"
"I'm Dr--" he began reflexively, and stopped as the full implications of her words sunk in on him. "Your state? What do you mean, state? Where am I, exactly? Geographically, I mean."
"Get off of me and I'll tell you," she snapped, her face tight. Draco rolled off of her and onto the bed, but kept a firm grip on her arms.
"Thank you very much, kind sir," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but she continued, "Now, then. You are in Knoxville, Tennessee. In the United States."
"The United States?" gasped Draco, feeling as though he'd just received a huge electric shock. "But-- how did I get here?"
"You really are Draco Malfoy, aren't you?" the girl asked curiously. She frowned. "I didn't think you'd be quite so easily... um, amazed."
"I-- what was your name again?"
"You should really learn to listen more carefully." Draco looked quite vexed, so with a roll of her eyes she finally replied "It's Lizyrd."
"What kind of a name is that?"
"How about the one everyone calls me?"
"Really? I was thinking, 'vicious attacker' or 'possible abductor' might be a little more accurate." The girl chose to ignore this remark, so he continued. "How do you know my name, anyway?"
The girl nodded to a book on her beside table. Keeping a close eye on her, he picked it up and flicked through it one-handed, while the other was still occupied with pinioning her arms behind her back.
"Look," said the girl patiently. She could play politics well, I bet, Draco thought, amused, but he was impressed at how fast she changed tracks. Currently, she was exasperated, but generally friendly. Moments ago she had been incredibly hostile. As in, trying to kill him. "I won't jump on you again. Not unless you attack me first, that is. Now, can we just have some mutual trust here and let go of my arms?"
Draco looked at the girl suspiciously, and put the book aside, which he had not so much as even glanced at. Obviously she was lying, she had to have brought him here. He wished he had his wand, but of course it was at Hogwarts and he was here… in what was it? Knobville…Knoxville! Yes that was it! In…um, Tennessee? However, but there were certain spells that could be done without a wand. Of course, the one he had in mind wasn't strictly…legal, but oh well...
He raised his left hand. " Veritas! "
***
Lizyrd gave a little shriek and bit her lip as the truth spell took hold of her. She felt like she was being stripped of each and every defense she had, even bodily ones, until all that lay on the bed was her heart, and its secrets, thumping quickly. It hurt too, like wires running through her blood, shooting short currents of electricity through them. From somewhere up above and to her right, she heard a voice say,
"Did you bring me here?"
A small shuddering breath ran through her. She tried not to speak, but it did not help. She had to answer. "Not to the best of my knowledge." She heard herself speak and almost smiled. She had always prided herself not to make assumptions, not to give any word that could be considered a lie, and congratulated herself on her excellent phrasing.
"How old are you?"
"Twelve. Thirteen in a few weeks."
"Really?" Draco leaned over her, looking interested. "You don't act it... or look it."
"Gee, thanks," said Lizyrd drily. The spell did not prevent her from saying things, so long as they were true. "I really didn't need to know that as soon as you came in you were looking at my figure. Isn't that just like a perverse hormone-crazed teenager?"
"Emphasis on the act, then, if it'll make you feel better. And I am NOT hormone-crazed.. or perverse for that matter." Lizyrd snorted.
"Listen to us. I have known you, what, ten minutes or so? We met by fighting each other, then you put what I'm betting is a totally illegal curse on me, and we're already bantering like old friends!"
"I have that effect on people," said Draco modestly.
"Will you just take this horrible thing off?" Now she wasn't fighting it so much, it didn't hurt, just felt weird and exposed.
"One last question. What's your name?-- your real name, mind."
"Li--"
Then his hand was over her mouth, and she heard him say, "Finite Incantatum," and the enchantment was gone. Lizyrd sat up slowly, and Draco, without thinking, reached out a hand to help her up. She took it without thinking as well. Her whole body ached as if it had been beaten.
"I'm sorry," Draco said quietly. "I shouldn't have done that."
"Don't worry about it. I probably would have done Avada Kedavra if I were you. I get sort of frantic when I'm taken out of my element."
"So do I."
They sat there, on the bed, each staring at the other, and neither could think of anything to say. That is, until the crunch of gravel announced her father's homecoming.
"Oh, crap!" Lizyrd leaped off the bed and began to reveal her extensive vocabulary of swear words. Draco was impressed-- he wondered where she had gotten them.
Lizyrd lifted her bedcovers. "Quick! Under the bed!"
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***
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"Ugh, what is that bloody awful smell?" complained Draco, until a hand reached down and forcibly shoved him under the bed. He found the source almost immediately; it was a pile of dirty laundry, with an extremely stinky dog nestled on top of it. The combined stench of the two was almost suffocating, and he lifted the sheet so he could get a breath of air. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep from hyperventilating.
"Lizyrd!" The bellow rang through the house, loud but not angry.
"Coming, Dad!" The girl-- Lizyrd, he reminded himself --scampered off to go see what her father wanted. Scampered was not really the right word, Draco thought, bounded was more like it. She moved like a cat or a deer would; light on her feet. He wondered suddenly if she played any sports.
There was a murmur of low voices in the hall, then Lizyrd came back into the room. She shut the door and dragged him out from under the bed.
"Thank God," said Draco lightly, "I can get out. I was about to asphyxiate in thick space."
"Shh!" Lizyrd put a finger to her lips and jerked her head towards the door. "It's not that thick."
"What, your head, the air or the door? Because I can testify--"
"Lizyrd?" There came a knock on the door. "It's Nick. Are you all right? I thought I heard you talking to someone. Can I come in?"
Not under the bed again, Draco prayed, but instead he was forcibly pushed into the closet. Luckily it was a walk-in one, so he had plenty of room.
"Yes?" She opened the door-- the slats of the door were arranged so Draco could see out, but no one could see in. Draco nearly fainted when he saw who walked in.
If this was Lizyrd's brother, and if he was even slightly protective of his little sister, than Draco was going to run in the opposite direction. Very, very fast. As fast as he possibly could, in fact. Six feet was tall by ordinary standards, but this guy was huge.... absolutely humongous. He had to be at least five inches taller than Draco, with a wild, curly mess of hair, green eyes, and extremely long arms and legs.
Not surprisingly, the first word that came to mind was eeep.
"Are you all right?" he asked his sister concernedly. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."
"Oh, no, just thinking out loud," Lizyrd stuttered. "I-- had a tape on too. Yeah. And I've-- uh, I need to change now, so I think you should go."
I take back the politician remark, Draco thought. She can't lie for-- but he never got to finish this thought. Her brother's next statement was too interesting. "Yeah, right, go on, just keep dreaming and talking to your evil little Malfoy character, see if I care. He doesn't even exist, so get over him."
Oi, she talks to me? He thought about this revelation and smirked. I mean, I knew I was popular, but... Draco almost laughed, but caught himself just in time.
"Yes, you should definitely go," Lizyrd said firmly, pushed him out of the room and closed the door in his face. A classic move used by siblings everywhere. She gave a muttered, "Argh. Now I have to change shirts or he'll get suspicious. Older brothers, honestly", and began to lift her shirt over her head. Draco stayed very quiet, hoping she wouldn't remember about him.
As though sensing his thoughts, she lowered her shirt. "Draco," she said, "Can you see out of that closet?"
Draco gave no reply.
"I know you can," she said threateningly, and was rewarded by eliciting a response.
"Damn," said Draco matter-of-factly.
"You evil, perverted bastard. You didn't say anything," she hissed, crossing to the wardrobe and yanking the door open. Draco was not expecting this, and consequently he was leaning against it, and so he tumbled out, and a variety of rather hard pointy objects from her closet landed on top of him.
"Kid…"
"It's Lizyrd!" she said quickly, interrupting him.
"Whatever," Draco said wearily, straightening up painfully and examining something silver on the floor. "Why in the bloody hell do you have a sword in your closet?"
A/N: Yes, I know that's an awful place to leave you, but I want to you to read the next part. Do you see that little box down there? It's caaaalllliinnnng..... ::creepy voice:: Do you know what it's for? I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I'd love you forever if you reviewed and told me what you did and didn't like, even if you didn't like most of it. To flamers, I quote:
The Moving Finger writes; and having writ,
Moves on: nor all they Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
-The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Next chapter: Why DOES Lizyrd have a sword in her closet? Will she dismember Draco with it? Will Draco survive without his members? Will Nick pound Draco into the floor, or will Lizyrd kick her brother's ass because she doesn't really care if Draco's in her bedroom or not? And will someone find out and take Draco away? (They're coming to take me away, haha! They're coming to take me away!) Sorry, touch of silliness.
And the thanks section (yes, you will get in here if you review): Miss Liss (luck at Netball), PadfootMew (hope the weather's better!), Bob spelled backwards (love your name), Orpheus (promise! Next chapter! And hurry up on your slogan, I want to make your banner!), Lana Mavi (your suggestions were great!), Harrys Crush (yes, I think you can see I'm planning on making it full sized), *star**kitty*, nunya (sorry you think it stinks, tell me why please), jo, Netsurfer77, Trinity, (Lizyrd is me, of course! Hehehehe! I know it's a weird name.), Someone, Gem, Devonny Stratton, Kelly, Sailor Courtney, and of course, me (yes, I review my own stories!)