Fractal

Chapter One

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A certain white-haired boy awoke in the middle of the night, stifling his own scream even as it was uttered from between his pale lips. His likewise pale body was covered with sweat; it glistened in the moonlight as he sat up on his arms, looking wildly about him. He half expected to see wizards all around him; as the dream faded from his subconscious and packed itself neatly away where he couldn't find it, Draco let out a sigh of relief. He was in Hogwarts, safe as it may be. Leaning over his bedside, Draco fumbled momentarily with some matches and eventually lit one, touching it to the unused, virgin wick of a candle on the ebony night table at his side. The room danced with the fiery shadows that the light cast upon them; like dancing little demons they were, skirting along the roof and walls with a silent malice.

Being a fifth-year had it's advantages; Malfoy was allowed his own room, separate from the other Slytherins. Not that he didn't like them or anything, only Draco was an only child and being in the same room with four other people had been extremely uncomfortable for him, especially in his first year at Hogwarts. Draco lay back, feeling the cool night air waft in from the open window and play against his bare chest, causing the miniature hairs to rise slightly. White hair wafted and settled over sly, almost playful grey eyes, filtering Draco's vision with a curtain of softness. He gently brushed the hair away, running his pale fingers through the length of the white silk. What had that dream been about? Draco struggled to remember it as he watched the patterns that the light made on the wall in front of him, but nothing came. Feeling frustration seeping into his brain, Draco comforted himself by reminding himself that tomorrow was Saturday, and there were no classes. He planned what he would do all day, but nothing special came to mind. Normally he would have probably gone with Crabbe and Goyle to Hogsmeade, but he just didn't feel like it this weekend. He really didn't have an affinity for sweets like those two did - and it was easy to tell from their, er, 'robust' figures - preferring healthier food most times.

Feeling the frustration of restlessness overtake him, Draco slipped out of his bed and went to the window, sitting by the sill and staring out of the paned glass. The Hogwarts grounds were quiet at this hour, save for the small light and trail of smoke emanating from Hagrid's hut. Draco felt a sneer coming to his lips as he thought of the gamekeeper; such a battered old fool he was, and an improper Care of Magical Creatures teacher, at that. His father would have filled the school with proper teachers, if he had only been given the ability... A noise caught Draco's attention, and he found himself with his nose pressed curiously against the cold glass of the window. His gaze drifted to the forbidden forest; a movement within caught his attention. A creature, painfully white against the brown, black and green backdrop, thundered through the old, battered trees with a stealth and agility that took Malfoy aback. He recognised the creature instantly; a unicorn. Draco had always been fascinated with them, but he had never really had time to read about them, caught up in his Hogwarts studies as he was. He looked again, and noticed something shiny and silver left on the ground behind it; unicorn blood. What...? Blood....? Draco narrowed his eyes, focusing in on the shining material on the ground. Even at this distance, he could still see it's faintly glowing outline. His eyebrows furrowed; had the unicorn become hurt in some way? He couldn't have been sure, as the blood lost it's shimmering qualities after moments and the white beast had gone thundering elsewhere into the forest, where Draco's eyes could not follow.

Draco found himself still at the window when he was reawakened by the sunlight pouring through the window in the morning. The aches and pains in his fifteen-year old body were immediately known to him, and he winced painfully. Since it was Saturday it didn't matter what time he got up, so Draco resolved to take his time dressing that morning. Thinking about the events of the night previous, Draco crawled into the washroom and dressed himself, feeling refreshed but pained in some of his joints due to his awkward sleeping position.

There was a knocking at the door and Draco strolled leisurely over and opened it, still buttoning up his Slytherin robes. Pansy Parkinson - in all her ugliness - was standing there in her own robes, blushing furiously and obviously restraining herself from fleeing the scene. Draco rolled his eyes, leaning against the doorway.

"What is it, Pansy?" He said irritably. In younger years he would have put up with her, when they were of the same magical level, but now that he was fifth year he could be as angry and distempered as he wanted with her. It was known to many students that Draco was much more talented in magic than many of the students in fifth year, and most certainly more powerful than Pansy. She looked frightened whenever he spoke to her roughly, and he enjoyed watching her misery. It served her right, invading his personal space when she obviously wasn't welcome.

"H-hi Dr-I mean, Malfoy." Pansy said, hurriedly correcting herself. Draco had made it known that he didn't like to be called by his first name, especially by his friends. That was only reserved for his immediate family, something he wished desperately for Pansy to stay out of in the future. "I was w-wondering if you'd l-like to g-go w-with me to H-Hogsmeade today." Pansy said with much difficulty. After her sentence she looked down at herself in embarrassment. Draco smiled; ever since he had started treating her 'badly', she had lost her self-esteem. Like he cared about her.

"Pansy...." Draco said, folding his arms and assuming his 'I've-told-you-a-hundred-times look', "Please get out of my face, and stay out." He said roughly, closing the door in her face without a second thought. He thought he could hear her crying, but any noise was blocked out by his slamming of the door. He shrugged; one of the other 'rejected' Slytherin girls would soothe her, there was no doubt about that. Though he was very popular amongst the girls of Hogwarts, Draco had never been on a date in his life. His father had forbidden him to do such 'activities of wasteful nature' when he should be studying more about the Dark Arts, though his father's intentions in this matter were unclear. Mounds of 'required reading' sat piled on his small desk, untouched; Draco had no intention of reading anything of his father's. Books about the Unforgivable Curses and other such things were forbidden at Hogwarts, even if they were not from the library. Not that anyone checked his room or anything.

Draco sighed; just what was he going to do with his day, now that it was completely free and devoid of homework? Finally deciding on hitting the Great Hall for some food before meandering around the grounds, Draco stepped almost silently down the winding staircase into the Slytherin common room. Many of his friends looked up at him, either doing their own homework or eating leftovers from breakfast. His stomach now rumbling, Draco hurriedly made his way through the halls, occasionally passing some of his own people and a few packs of others on their way to Hogsmeade.

"Oh, watch out!!" A young feminine voice screeched. Draco turned the corner and found himself soon thereafter on the floor, a young girl with beautiful brown hair and matching eyes staring back at him. Her books were all scattered along the floor, loose sheets of paper flown about here and here. Draco blinked, his mind slow to register what just happened. That's when he opened his eyes. He found himself face-to-face with a fair beauty, her cheeks pink from the huge blush that was spreading along them and her slender neck. She quickly scrambled off Draco in a rustle of robes and the scattering of more books and paper. She hurriedly bent to pick up her things, and Draco lazily got up and dusted himself off.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry!!" The girl howled, gathering her things together and trying to carry them all at once. Draco regarded her; one glance at her patch indicated that she was of Ravenclaw, one of the 'neutral' houses that wasn't really known for much except for, well, it's neutrality.

"Watch where you're going, girl!" Draco snapped at her, brushing past her. In the process he hit her shoulder and sent a few things scattering as she haphazardly balanced everything in her arms again, but she said nothing more than uttered apologies. Draco looked back when he was a few paces away; the girl had gathered her things and rushed on down the hall in her hurried pace, leaving nothing behind on the floor to suggest that things had been strewn upon it only moments previous to then.

All throughout the day, Draco felt something nagging at the back of his mind. Faint glimpses of his dream kept coming back and forth, coming and leaving at will, but he was unable to keep hold of any frame for more than a few seconds before he forgot it. That and the unicorn sighting kept bothering him; what had injured the poor creature, and why? The day went by in a blur; his thoughts were scattered, his mind almost in three places at once. It was hard to bear, and so Draco eventually retired early to his bedroom, stretching out immediately on his bed as soon as he got there. He was restless again, more so than the previous night, and it was time to do something about it. He made the decision to enter the forbidden forest that night, when everyone else was sleeping...

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So, what did u ppl thing about the first chapter? I hope this makes sense to all you Draco fans out there. And yes, we WILL see more of that Ravenclaw girl in the future^_~. Oh, did I mention that Harry Potter doesn't belong to me? - Kels