Disclaimer - I don't own the Harry Potter characters.


Of Missions and Destiny - Chapter Ten


I walked into the clearing with all the books floating behind me. Professor Felton was there already as usual.

"Good evening, Professor," I greeted in Dragon.

"Very good, Virginia. You accent has perfected over the summer."

"Thank you," I replied, happily. I had been practicing my Dragon over the summer just to impress him. Just that little compliment made all the work worth while.

"So, I bet you're wondering why I asked you not to read the leather-bound book."

I nodded my head sheepishly. That had been exactly what I'd been thinking about.

"When you read the book, all will be explained." Then he snapped his fingers, and all the books disappeared except the leather-bound one.

"I want you to just memorize it. Reading it will take too much time."

"Professor, are you sure-"

"Just do as I say Miss Weasley," he snapped at me, sounding like Snape.

My professor had stopped calling me 'Miss Weasley' ages ago, I thought, confused.

"Professor, are you all right?" I asked.

A strange feeling of deja vu crept over me.

Professor Felton visibly relaxed and replied, "Yes, Miss Weasley, I'm fine. I am just a tad tired. Please excuse my rudeness."

Something was definitely different about him...

"Oh, it's all right, Professor. Everyone feels tired at one time or another," I said, trying to keep my tone bland. I looked at my professor for a while, assessing the situation.

Does he look different in some way? No-well, a little. Not his features though, his-his...being almost. It was different somehow. He holds himself strangely. Something must have happened over the summer. I looked away from him and concentrated on the book. I prepared myself for the task at hand.

Seconds later, I gasped out after finishing memorizing the textbook. I then staggered and crumbled to the ground.

"No, no, no," I whispered over and over again.

"Yes, yes, yes," Draco Malfoy mocked with a sneer.

He was crouching beside me. He used one of his hands to lift my chin, forcing me to look at him. I was too weak to resist.

"Virginia, Virginia," Malfoy tsked, "I've been trying to tell you that Inexplicabilis Tempero is evil, but have you listened? No, of course not. You must make my life harder. As I've told you before, Inexplicabilis Tempero will make you helpless against its power. Though you look very lovely when helpless," he added, looking up and down my body in an appreciative glance. I wanted to grimace, but my face didn't seem to be able to respond.

He then pursed his lips at me and blew me a mock kiss. I grew too weak to even move at all so I couldn't stop him from moving his lips to my ear. Nor could I stop him from whispering, "Your precious professor is hiding information from you, dear. Read the leather-bound book, sweetheart, and you'll know exactly what that information is."

Then he licked my ear, turned my face, and stared at me. My ear and then my shoulder started feeling like they were being poked and prodded. The last thing I remember seeing were his steel-grey eyes coming closer before I blacked out.

****

I was sweating when I woke up. This condition didn't differ from all the other times I'd awoken from a nightmare in the middle of the night this summer but for some reason, it still rattled me. Almost every night a week, I had been dreaming about Draco Malfoy.

All the dreams had the same theme but none of them were ever quite the same as the last. All had the same setting and result. In the end, I was helpless, and Malfoy was in control. He always told me to read the book. But it always stopped after that.

Something always pulled me back into reality with pain. I felt pain on my skin, but when I woke up, no marks were there. Maybe my subconscious wanted me to wake up at that part of the dream so I forced me to think I'm in pain.

Well, all I know was that I was never able to finish the dream. Right before I wake up, the Malfoy in my dreams seemed to want to say more. Even though I'm sure it's mean-spirited like the rest, I cannot help wondering what it is. It might be another message of warning about my professor or he might just want to physically harass me some more. I'll bet that whatever it is, it will be another clue to why I'm dreaming about Draco Malfoy.

Thousands of times, I've debated on whether to owl Professor Felton and tell him everything about the dreams. But I've always thought better of it and decided to tell him when I got back to school. Now, I really thing I should tell him sooner than when school starts. Every nightmare is worse than the last. Malfoy had never licked me in any of the other dreams before this one, and the lick really creeps me out even if it was only a nightmare. My instincts tell me that the nightmares will lead to danger, and I have a feeling the longer I wait to tell my professor about my dreams, the harder it will be to tell him.

I got out of my bed and walked over to my desk in the corner of the room. Then I reached for my quills and parchment. In the corner of my eye, I saw something sparkle on the desk. I quickly turned my head and leaned closer to see it more clearly. I picked it up and put it into the palm of the my hand.

I now saw that it was a glittery purple color. The thing was so small, however, I had to lean even closer up to see it. It ended up being a chain with a star hanging from it. A miniature earring, it seemed. A miniature purple earring...The pains that wake me up...

Suddenly, many things fell into place. I unintentionally whispered the name that was the center of my thoughts...

"Tessa..."

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Author's Note- OK, the next chapter is done so when I'm done typing it, I'll post it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

For chapter 8 reviewers...

Jam-jackson - *hands you the big, golden prize for being the first to review this chapter* I wish I could learn like her too. And I wish I had her teacher too... I do try to keep my plot as original as I can.

Zara - Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate the compliment.

sunkitten - Thanks. First person perspective is the only way I can write comfortably for some reason. But on top of that, I like how it sounds too...

jhlseaz - Of course the relationship will grow, this story's under romance isn't it?

Ozma - OOC is Out Of Character. Thanks for reviewing.

Blue Lady - Thanks for reviewing! Anything is interesting to me. I do try to make the plot original...

blinkinpark182 - A person of few words, huh? Fine with me. I love your name too.

Tina - Here's more for you. Thanks for the compliments.

Korinna Myorin - Thank you very much for reviewing and for your compliments!

TamPierce TrisanaMoss - Thank you for the emails. Keep sending them in reminder. Thanks again. *hands you a big, bright award for being the last to review*

For the chapter 9 reviewers...

blinkinpark182 - *hands prize to you for reviewing first* Thanks for reviewing again.

elen - Thanks so much for reviewing!

TamPierce TrisanaMoss - *gives more* Oh yeah, I like your name a lot too. T/B forever!

Nupil - I don't like authors who do that either though they do get a lot of reviews so I kind of see why they would do it. I would never try to do that however. Thanks for reviewing. I try to explain as much as I can.

Korinna Myorin - You reviewed again! Thanks so much! Here's more for you.

BlueGirl18 - Why do I take so long? Because I write slow, then I edit, then I type it up, then edit again. The process is long and still I make mistakes...Oh well, thanks for your review.

Kelsey McCartney - The next year will probably begin in the next two or three chapters. I still have to establish a few other things first. Thanks!

katie, Shandra, moremoremoremoremoremoremoremore - Thank you all for reviewing. I appreciate it greatly.

Silverwitch - I'm getting it out as quickly as I can. If I posted once a week, the chapters would be about two hundred words each... The next chapter will come within next week though.

Lithia - Here you go. Enjoy!

monkeybird - Ummm, yeah...Andrea...Don't scare the nice people, Andrea...

Arafel - *hands you a BIG award for reviewing last!* Thank you for reviewing!

Excuse the mistakes in the chapter. Buh-bye for now. Until I post again... Remember, review!