Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Chapter 7: Curiouser and Curiouser…
The next few months had gone the same way for Malfoy and Fira. Time and again, they would get permission to leave, and they wouldn't appear until nighttime. This intrigued Harry. He wanted to know where Fira and Malfoy went every time they would disappear. "But Harry," Ron said the night before Halloween, "it could be dangerous, even deadly. As long as Malfoy's involved in it…" "Well,' Harry said, "We'll never know until we see, right?" "So…you're really going to check it out?" Ron said. Harry grinned to himself. "I think…" he said to Ron, "It's time to bring out my father's old cloak again."
Fira had told him once that she didn't want to always leave just like that, but she had no choice. She also told him that she was sure she'd have to leave again on Halloween, after the night's feast. So Harry brought along his invisibility cloak, the only thing he had inherited from his parents aside from a sizeable amount of money, to the feast, concealed under his robes and waited for Fira and Malfoy to leave. Fira had gone once more, and unsurprisingly, into what she, Harry, Ron and Hermione now called her "Demented state," for she looked as if a Dementor had given her their special little Kiss. She barely ate, but she said that the food was good, which was normal for her when in that state. She had actually talked with Harry and Ron about Quidditch, something she doesn't normally do, which is also not out of the norm during the "Demented state".
Finally, after waiting for what seemed to Harry like eternity, Crossbow and Malfoy's owl flew into the Great Hall, bringing their usual pieces of paper with them. Fira didn't need to be told twice. She got up from her seat grudgingly, glanced at Malfoy then at Dumbledore, nodded then left. "I'm done," Harry said. Harry took out his Invisibility Cloak. "Are you coming, Ron?" he asked. "Uh…no thanks," Ron said, "I'll sit this one out." "Suit yourself," Harry shrugged. "Wait a minute, Harry," Hermione said, "what are you doing?" "I can't take it anymore," Harry said. "Every time she does this, Fira looks more and more paler than the last time. I'm getting worried. She won't tell me anything. Remember what she said? 'Let them find out for themselves'. So that's what I'm going to do." "But Harry," Hermione said, "it could be very private! I don't think she'd want you sneaking around, finding something out, you know? I mean, how many secrets can she hide, and for how long? She's going to come out one day, all you have to do is wait." "Yeah," Harry said, "wait until she gets sick and dies." Ignoring the rest of Hermione's sermon, Harry ducked down and put the Cloak on. After that, he stood up and followed after Fira and Malfoy.
Harry found them still walking out of the Great Hall and out to the Main Hall. They had donned heavy black cloaks that were definitely not the ones used for Hogwarts. Malfoy had pulled his hood up over his face, but Fira had chosen not to. Harry noticed her brown hair seemed to be about 9 inches longer than usual, and it had turned brownish-red. She was about as pale as the moon outside. Harry crept closer to the 2 who seemed to be walking so fast that Harry almost jogged just to keep up with them. He listened to their conversation.
"…Told you it would be soon, Black."
"I still don't see it your way, Draco."
"You will. Father says it doesn't hurt much. Just a little."
"And you trust him?"
"Yes."
"You go on and trust him then. I just want to keep as far away from Lucius as I can."
"Why is that? He's not so bad, Black, you'll see."
Here, Fira came to a stop so abrupt that Harry almost bumped into her. She turned to face Malfoy. "Not so bad, Draco?" she said, her fists clenched tight. "You have no idea…no idea at all, what Lucius can do…what he does…" "Don't I?" Malfoy said. "I may not know so much, but I think I see it when he follows the second you start to leave. Every time you disappear, so does he. What do you think that's telling me, Black? I'm not going to pretend I don't suspect anything, but if you lured him to do…whatever he does when the both of you disappear-" "EXCUSE ME!" Fira said, "I did not lure him to do anything at all! I assure you, there's no one I hate more in this lifetime than Lucius! Not even YOU! Hell, I don't hate you…Oh, what have you done to me, Draco!?" Harry thought Fira was going to run, but instead she fell onto Malfoy's chest. Malfoy wrapped his arms around her. What in the name of Godric Gryffindor is going on here? Harry thought to himself. Here's something I don't see everyday…Malfoy giving out a hug…Harry watched in utter amazement and disbelief as Malfoy tried to comfort Fira. "Tell me then," he was saying to her quietly, "tell me what he does to you…" Fira winced as Malfoy's hand brushed gently passed some part on her back that Harry couldn't see. "Sorry," Malfoy said, "didn't know there was a bruise there…" Fira looked up at him quietly. Neither tears nor any sign of crying appeared from her face. Instead she inched up and, to Harry's utmost disappointment and horror, kissed Malfoy…passionately, and on the lips. Harry thought he heard and felt his heart break at the sight of them like that. He froze in his spot, trying to contemplate and understand what was going on. One minute, Fira was furious with Malfoy, yet the next they were kissing the life out of each other. What was he missing?
After what seemed like forever and a day, Fira and Malfoy pulled back. "Sorry," Fira said quietly, "I think I got a tad bit carried away." "I don't mind," Malfoy replied curtly. Suddenly, they pulled their arms away from each other and grasped at their left arms. Harry sprang back to reality at their sudden movements. Fira and Malfoy rolled up their sleeves. Harry's eyes went wider than the Snitch at what he saw. There on their arms, like huge wounds bleeding black, was the Dark Mark. "He's calling us already," Malfoy said. Harry didn't need to guess who Malfoy was referring to. "Draco," Fira said, still grasping her arm, "I'm scared." Malfoy seemed to have regained his trademark cold composure. "Emotions, my dear Fira," he said coolly, "what did we say about those?" "We're not allowed to have them," Fira replied. "Good girl," Draco said. "Don't let them get into your system. Get used to going around without them. You won't be feeling emotions for the longest time…" With that, he gently pulled Fira's hood over her head and walked off, Fira right beside him.
Harry stood rooted to the spot. He didn't know which was worse, Fira kissing Malfoy, or Fira being a Death Eater. He then decided that he didn't know Fira as much as he thought he did yet. He then came back to his senses and followed after Fira and Malfoy.
Chapter 7: Curiouser and Curiouser…
The next few months had gone the same way for Malfoy and Fira. Time and again, they would get permission to leave, and they wouldn't appear until nighttime. This intrigued Harry. He wanted to know where Fira and Malfoy went every time they would disappear. "But Harry," Ron said the night before Halloween, "it could be dangerous, even deadly. As long as Malfoy's involved in it…" "Well,' Harry said, "We'll never know until we see, right?" "So…you're really going to check it out?" Ron said. Harry grinned to himself. "I think…" he said to Ron, "It's time to bring out my father's old cloak again."
Fira had told him once that she didn't want to always leave just like that, but she had no choice. She also told him that she was sure she'd have to leave again on Halloween, after the night's feast. So Harry brought along his invisibility cloak, the only thing he had inherited from his parents aside from a sizeable amount of money, to the feast, concealed under his robes and waited for Fira and Malfoy to leave. Fira had gone once more, and unsurprisingly, into what she, Harry, Ron and Hermione now called her "Demented state," for she looked as if a Dementor had given her their special little Kiss. She barely ate, but she said that the food was good, which was normal for her when in that state. She had actually talked with Harry and Ron about Quidditch, something she doesn't normally do, which is also not out of the norm during the "Demented state".
Finally, after waiting for what seemed to Harry like eternity, Crossbow and Malfoy's owl flew into the Great Hall, bringing their usual pieces of paper with them. Fira didn't need to be told twice. She got up from her seat grudgingly, glanced at Malfoy then at Dumbledore, nodded then left. "I'm done," Harry said. Harry took out his Invisibility Cloak. "Are you coming, Ron?" he asked. "Uh…no thanks," Ron said, "I'll sit this one out." "Suit yourself," Harry shrugged. "Wait a minute, Harry," Hermione said, "what are you doing?" "I can't take it anymore," Harry said. "Every time she does this, Fira looks more and more paler than the last time. I'm getting worried. She won't tell me anything. Remember what she said? 'Let them find out for themselves'. So that's what I'm going to do." "But Harry," Hermione said, "it could be very private! I don't think she'd want you sneaking around, finding something out, you know? I mean, how many secrets can she hide, and for how long? She's going to come out one day, all you have to do is wait." "Yeah," Harry said, "wait until she gets sick and dies." Ignoring the rest of Hermione's sermon, Harry ducked down and put the Cloak on. After that, he stood up and followed after Fira and Malfoy.
Harry found them still walking out of the Great Hall and out to the Main Hall. They had donned heavy black cloaks that were definitely not the ones used for Hogwarts. Malfoy had pulled his hood up over his face, but Fira had chosen not to. Harry noticed her brown hair seemed to be about 9 inches longer than usual, and it had turned brownish-red. She was about as pale as the moon outside. Harry crept closer to the 2 who seemed to be walking so fast that Harry almost jogged just to keep up with them. He listened to their conversation.
"…Told you it would be soon, Black."
"I still don't see it your way, Draco."
"You will. Father says it doesn't hurt much. Just a little."
"And you trust him?"
"Yes."
"You go on and trust him then. I just want to keep as far away from Lucius as I can."
"Why is that? He's not so bad, Black, you'll see."
Here, Fira came to a stop so abrupt that Harry almost bumped into her. She turned to face Malfoy. "Not so bad, Draco?" she said, her fists clenched tight. "You have no idea…no idea at all, what Lucius can do…what he does…" "Don't I?" Malfoy said. "I may not know so much, but I think I see it when he follows the second you start to leave. Every time you disappear, so does he. What do you think that's telling me, Black? I'm not going to pretend I don't suspect anything, but if you lured him to do…whatever he does when the both of you disappear-" "EXCUSE ME!" Fira said, "I did not lure him to do anything at all! I assure you, there's no one I hate more in this lifetime than Lucius! Not even YOU! Hell, I don't hate you…Oh, what have you done to me, Draco!?" Harry thought Fira was going to run, but instead she fell onto Malfoy's chest. Malfoy wrapped his arms around her. What in the name of Godric Gryffindor is going on here? Harry thought to himself. Here's something I don't see everyday…Malfoy giving out a hug…Harry watched in utter amazement and disbelief as Malfoy tried to comfort Fira. "Tell me then," he was saying to her quietly, "tell me what he does to you…" Fira winced as Malfoy's hand brushed gently passed some part on her back that Harry couldn't see. "Sorry," Malfoy said, "didn't know there was a bruise there…" Fira looked up at him quietly. Neither tears nor any sign of crying appeared from her face. Instead she inched up and, to Harry's utmost disappointment and horror, kissed Malfoy…passionately, and on the lips. Harry thought he heard and felt his heart break at the sight of them like that. He froze in his spot, trying to contemplate and understand what was going on. One minute, Fira was furious with Malfoy, yet the next they were kissing the life out of each other. What was he missing?
After what seemed like forever and a day, Fira and Malfoy pulled back. "Sorry," Fira said quietly, "I think I got a tad bit carried away." "I don't mind," Malfoy replied curtly. Suddenly, they pulled their arms away from each other and grasped at their left arms. Harry sprang back to reality at their sudden movements. Fira and Malfoy rolled up their sleeves. Harry's eyes went wider than the Snitch at what he saw. There on their arms, like huge wounds bleeding black, was the Dark Mark. "He's calling us already," Malfoy said. Harry didn't need to guess who Malfoy was referring to. "Draco," Fira said, still grasping her arm, "I'm scared." Malfoy seemed to have regained his trademark cold composure. "Emotions, my dear Fira," he said coolly, "what did we say about those?" "We're not allowed to have them," Fira replied. "Good girl," Draco said. "Don't let them get into your system. Get used to going around without them. You won't be feeling emotions for the longest time…" With that, he gently pulled Fira's hood over her head and walked off, Fira right beside him.
Harry stood rooted to the spot. He didn't know which was worse, Fira kissing Malfoy, or Fira being a Death Eater. He then decided that he didn't know Fira as much as he thought he did yet. He then came back to his senses and followed after Fira and Malfoy.