Never Too Late
By: Catnip
A/N: Wai! Draco has a feline friend! Not Mrs. Norris, mind you. Read on and find out! Enjoy! Or get bored… well, try to enjoy, anyway!
* * *
Chapter 3: A Gateway Opens, Marks of Destiny
That night, as Draco lay in the confines of the drawn curtains of his four- poster bed, he could feel that he was uncharacteristically unsettled by the afternoon's recent happenings. He didn't know what to think of it. Potter had acted strangely, had looked at him strangely, in a way that he had feared the most.
Had Potter realized… No. He hoped not. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. The rat wouldn't waste so much as a thought before spreading it to the entire school. Not that Draco was worried for the sake of his reputation, just that he had come so close to realizing his dream --- no --- his father's dream. Lucius had put everything he had on this dream, to have a son worth knowing, to have a son worthy to be his heir.
What Draco lacked was something that had made him unworthy to be his son, and much more to be his heir. Lucius had shaped him in a way that required him to become other than what he was, the opposite of what he was, and all they had to do now was wait for the spell's completion to finish it.
He didn't want Potter interfering. He didn't want him to compel him to change his mind about the only thing that had kept him going for all these years. He liked the way that he was now. He wasn't weak, unlike any of… them. And he knew that he would like himself better after the change.
Finding it a trifle hard to sleep, Draco sat up, his silver-blond hair somewhat disheveled after half-an-hour's tossing and turning. He ran his fingers through the silken mass on his head, smoothing out the fine silver- gold lines. Content with its neatness, Draco got up from the bed, and stretched.
He looked about, examining the eerie stillness of the room, hearing only Goyle's tremendous snoring. Silently, he walked over to his trunk at the end of his bed, and retrieved a warm robe. He then decided that he seemed to be up to some exploring at that moment as he changed from his pajamas and into his robes.
Walking towards the door, he took hold of a lamp, deciding to deliberately forget to pull out his invisibility cloak and wear it. So what if he got caught? He shrugged. It was more fun that way. He was plenty bored, anyway. And besides, he's never been caught before. What were the chances of him getting caught now?
His long walk towards the Great Hall passed on uneventfully. Not once had even run into Mrs. Norris or the relentless Filch. He yawned passed the two large doors with utter dismay, and soon found himself riding the moving staircases towards the library… or, what he thought was the library.
Soon, after gazing each way for what seemed like moments upon moments, he began to realize, "I'm lost."
Opting to continue his exploring than head back to his tiresome dorm, he took out his wand, and unlocked a rotting wooden door that lead him to…
A mirror.
He sighed heavily. "Of all the rotten things," he muttered under his breath. Out of curiosity, he silently moved over to the still form of the looking glass right in the center of the shadowed room. He stood before it, straight and proud, every bit the proud prince he had been taught to be.
Draco gazed straight into the heart of the mirror, into the glass where his reflection stood just as he did, except…
His eyes widened in shock. He looked taller, and beneath the heavy covers of his robes, he could see that his reflection was covered in lithe, hard muscles he could never have acquired. The jaws were set firmly, made more angular, allowing him to look more masculine than he really was. His eyes were sharper, clearer, still endowed with heavy lashes, but not enough to make him look feminine, just enough to make him look… irresistibly charming, and almost inhumanly handsome. It added to his natural allure, which Draco appreciated, very much.
He looked… different. And Draco told himself, "I look good…"
His thoughts were immediately interrupted, however, by a loud meow that reverberated across the stone walls of the room. He whirled around from this side to that, with a new fright that caused his heart to beat frantically within his chest. He was beginning to get another breathing problem as it continued. He feared that he might faint with the lack of sufficient air.
He whirled back towards the mirror, and his heart, once again, jumped to his throat, but this time, with disgruntled relief. He sighed, his shoulders sagging. He gazed at the tiny black form that had crept out from behind the mirror.
It was a cat. A stark black cat that stared up at him with large golden eyes. Its pupils were shaped into slits, and its eyes glowed with an eerie and iridescent light that gleamed with a show of inhumanity. Hidden by the night's shadows, it looked as if the eyes had merely been set afloat, as its fur was even blacker than the night, even blacker than the shadows, as if it was made of the darkness itself.
Draco knelt down on one knee before it. He gave it an assuring smile, and called it to him as if it had been a long-lost friend.
"Come here, boy. I'm not gonna hurt you," he told it. "Come on, boy."
When it only responded his proddings with a questioning blink, he began to wonder…Hesitantly, he got on to his hands and knees, and examined the part below its abdomen. His face dropped.
"Oh." And he called again, "Come here, girl."
The cat blinked at him, but it slowly, if not hesitantly, walked up to him, with an inquiring look that Draco thought odd to have been placed in a cat. It almost seemed… human.
He shrugged it off as it came closer to him. Impossible, he thought. With that, he scooped up the trusting animal, and cradled it gently in his arms.
He'd always liked cats. He wondered why. But, then again, maybe he already knew. As he found nothing more that was of interest to him in that room, not even the strange reflection within that strange mirror, he began to move, with the cat still cradled lovingly within his arms, towards the wooden door.
* * *
Harry, Ron and Hermione, all huddled up inside the folds of the invisibility cloak Harry had been given years before, sauntered together across the school as they deftly tried to elude Filch's relentless cat. They had the worst luck that evening of having had triggered the sleeping feline's awareness by accidentally stepping on its tail, not once, but twice.
It was raving mad now, and it had been tailing their scent for the past few minutes. They hadn't found any place they could have hidden without it close behind their backs. It was always there, right behind them, relentless as ever.
"Damn it, Ron!" Hermione hissed. "Why'd you have to step on it!"
"I told you: it was an accident," Ron justified. "Tell her, Harry."
"I'm not quite sure it was an accident myself," Harry admitted, blushing beneath the shadows.
Ron was enraged. "What, you too!"
"You did step on it twice," Hermione reminded him.
Ron faltered. "Well… well, it's not my fault! Um… I just thought that… um…"
"You just thought what?"
"I just thought that… the second one… might… disable it? And that'd keep it from chasing us."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Good work," he grunted, with sarcasm before accidentally taking hold of Hermione's bum. He retracted, and muttered an apology.
Hermione didn't notice.
Harry shushed them, blushing even more because of Hermione's closeness.
Together, they followed the set of moving stairs, caring not where it lead them, just as long as it lead Filch's cat far away.
Ron looked around, and realized something that might have slipped his mind. "Um, Harry."
"What is it, Ron?"
"Don't these stairs look familiar to you?"
"Why of course, it does, you nitwit," Hermione cut in. "We see them in school everyday."
"I wasn't talking to you," Ron reminded her. "What do you think, Harry?"
All three climbed off together at the last staircase, taking the invisibility cloak from off their backs. Harry looked around.
"Oh, don't listen to him, Harry," Hermione admonished. "You know he's only joking."
"No," Harry whispered. "I don't think so. I think…" He looked behind him, and examined the familiar wooden door, though, by this time, it was mostly eaten by termites. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Ron! This is…"
"This is what, Harry?" Hermione inquired.
Ron nodded, and walked towards the Harry's side. Hesitantly, they pushed the door, and entered. Harry was taken aback. The mirror was there.
And so was Draco.
* * *
The sight of Potter and his gang was enough to send Draco stepping back a pace. Damn, he cursed. I can't be seen with this damned cat.
As if reading his mind, the cat silently glided out of his arms and onto the floor.
"How cute!" Hermione exclaimed, as she saw the cat land on silent feet upon the stone floor. She walked over to its shadowy form, spreading her arms out as if to embrace it, despite Ron's protest and Draco's stunned presence.
The cat only stared at her.
Hermione reached out.
The cat hissed, and delivered a swipe of its paw, barely missing the back of Hermione's startled hand.
She caught her breath, stepping back as it arched its back up in a feline crouch, baring silver-white fangs even as sharp nails jutted out of its paws. Ron took Hermione by the shoulders protectively, as the feline hissed at them once again with predatorial bestiality.
It had its eyes set on Hermione even as Ron continued to pull her back. Both had their set on it. Hermione, knowing it was her fault, gasped for a belated apology, and tripped. Both of them stumbled back, with her fall catching Ron off his guard.
The cat pounced.
Its movements gave only a second's warning for Harry to move between Hermione and the attacking cat. In his attempt to capture it, the feline delivered a precise swipe of his claws to his face. By some miracle, Harry still managed to block its attack with his arm, but in doing so, he had received three gashes to his left arm.
The cat kicked itself off his body and back to the floor. But it didn't stop there. Instead, it turned towards Draco with shocking speed.
Draco had already stepped back towards the mirror, wherein he was only two feet away from its glassy surface.
The cat, once again, hissed, and it dashed towards its next prey. This time, it was without warning.
Draco let out a strangled cry, raising his arms to cover his face.
The cat jumped…
And went through him, and disappeared into the surface of the mirror.
Harry watched, dumbstruck.
Draco turned around just as the glass exploded into a thousand pieces, shedding a brilliant ambiance of an unearthly glow.
Draco shielded his eyes.
Harry did the same.
And all they could see was… the shining light!
* * *
A/N: You're probably wondering what happened to the cat… In the next chapter, probably. And --- let me remind you again --- REVIEW!!!
By: Catnip
A/N: Wai! Draco has a feline friend! Not Mrs. Norris, mind you. Read on and find out! Enjoy! Or get bored… well, try to enjoy, anyway!
* * *
Chapter 3: A Gateway Opens, Marks of Destiny
That night, as Draco lay in the confines of the drawn curtains of his four- poster bed, he could feel that he was uncharacteristically unsettled by the afternoon's recent happenings. He didn't know what to think of it. Potter had acted strangely, had looked at him strangely, in a way that he had feared the most.
Had Potter realized… No. He hoped not. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. The rat wouldn't waste so much as a thought before spreading it to the entire school. Not that Draco was worried for the sake of his reputation, just that he had come so close to realizing his dream --- no --- his father's dream. Lucius had put everything he had on this dream, to have a son worth knowing, to have a son worthy to be his heir.
What Draco lacked was something that had made him unworthy to be his son, and much more to be his heir. Lucius had shaped him in a way that required him to become other than what he was, the opposite of what he was, and all they had to do now was wait for the spell's completion to finish it.
He didn't want Potter interfering. He didn't want him to compel him to change his mind about the only thing that had kept him going for all these years. He liked the way that he was now. He wasn't weak, unlike any of… them. And he knew that he would like himself better after the change.
Finding it a trifle hard to sleep, Draco sat up, his silver-blond hair somewhat disheveled after half-an-hour's tossing and turning. He ran his fingers through the silken mass on his head, smoothing out the fine silver- gold lines. Content with its neatness, Draco got up from the bed, and stretched.
He looked about, examining the eerie stillness of the room, hearing only Goyle's tremendous snoring. Silently, he walked over to his trunk at the end of his bed, and retrieved a warm robe. He then decided that he seemed to be up to some exploring at that moment as he changed from his pajamas and into his robes.
Walking towards the door, he took hold of a lamp, deciding to deliberately forget to pull out his invisibility cloak and wear it. So what if he got caught? He shrugged. It was more fun that way. He was plenty bored, anyway. And besides, he's never been caught before. What were the chances of him getting caught now?
His long walk towards the Great Hall passed on uneventfully. Not once had even run into Mrs. Norris or the relentless Filch. He yawned passed the two large doors with utter dismay, and soon found himself riding the moving staircases towards the library… or, what he thought was the library.
Soon, after gazing each way for what seemed like moments upon moments, he began to realize, "I'm lost."
Opting to continue his exploring than head back to his tiresome dorm, he took out his wand, and unlocked a rotting wooden door that lead him to…
A mirror.
He sighed heavily. "Of all the rotten things," he muttered under his breath. Out of curiosity, he silently moved over to the still form of the looking glass right in the center of the shadowed room. He stood before it, straight and proud, every bit the proud prince he had been taught to be.
Draco gazed straight into the heart of the mirror, into the glass where his reflection stood just as he did, except…
His eyes widened in shock. He looked taller, and beneath the heavy covers of his robes, he could see that his reflection was covered in lithe, hard muscles he could never have acquired. The jaws were set firmly, made more angular, allowing him to look more masculine than he really was. His eyes were sharper, clearer, still endowed with heavy lashes, but not enough to make him look feminine, just enough to make him look… irresistibly charming, and almost inhumanly handsome. It added to his natural allure, which Draco appreciated, very much.
He looked… different. And Draco told himself, "I look good…"
His thoughts were immediately interrupted, however, by a loud meow that reverberated across the stone walls of the room. He whirled around from this side to that, with a new fright that caused his heart to beat frantically within his chest. He was beginning to get another breathing problem as it continued. He feared that he might faint with the lack of sufficient air.
He whirled back towards the mirror, and his heart, once again, jumped to his throat, but this time, with disgruntled relief. He sighed, his shoulders sagging. He gazed at the tiny black form that had crept out from behind the mirror.
It was a cat. A stark black cat that stared up at him with large golden eyes. Its pupils were shaped into slits, and its eyes glowed with an eerie and iridescent light that gleamed with a show of inhumanity. Hidden by the night's shadows, it looked as if the eyes had merely been set afloat, as its fur was even blacker than the night, even blacker than the shadows, as if it was made of the darkness itself.
Draco knelt down on one knee before it. He gave it an assuring smile, and called it to him as if it had been a long-lost friend.
"Come here, boy. I'm not gonna hurt you," he told it. "Come on, boy."
When it only responded his proddings with a questioning blink, he began to wonder…Hesitantly, he got on to his hands and knees, and examined the part below its abdomen. His face dropped.
"Oh." And he called again, "Come here, girl."
The cat blinked at him, but it slowly, if not hesitantly, walked up to him, with an inquiring look that Draco thought odd to have been placed in a cat. It almost seemed… human.
He shrugged it off as it came closer to him. Impossible, he thought. With that, he scooped up the trusting animal, and cradled it gently in his arms.
He'd always liked cats. He wondered why. But, then again, maybe he already knew. As he found nothing more that was of interest to him in that room, not even the strange reflection within that strange mirror, he began to move, with the cat still cradled lovingly within his arms, towards the wooden door.
* * *
Harry, Ron and Hermione, all huddled up inside the folds of the invisibility cloak Harry had been given years before, sauntered together across the school as they deftly tried to elude Filch's relentless cat. They had the worst luck that evening of having had triggered the sleeping feline's awareness by accidentally stepping on its tail, not once, but twice.
It was raving mad now, and it had been tailing their scent for the past few minutes. They hadn't found any place they could have hidden without it close behind their backs. It was always there, right behind them, relentless as ever.
"Damn it, Ron!" Hermione hissed. "Why'd you have to step on it!"
"I told you: it was an accident," Ron justified. "Tell her, Harry."
"I'm not quite sure it was an accident myself," Harry admitted, blushing beneath the shadows.
Ron was enraged. "What, you too!"
"You did step on it twice," Hermione reminded him.
Ron faltered. "Well… well, it's not my fault! Um… I just thought that… um…"
"You just thought what?"
"I just thought that… the second one… might… disable it? And that'd keep it from chasing us."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Good work," he grunted, with sarcasm before accidentally taking hold of Hermione's bum. He retracted, and muttered an apology.
Hermione didn't notice.
Harry shushed them, blushing even more because of Hermione's closeness.
Together, they followed the set of moving stairs, caring not where it lead them, just as long as it lead Filch's cat far away.
Ron looked around, and realized something that might have slipped his mind. "Um, Harry."
"What is it, Ron?"
"Don't these stairs look familiar to you?"
"Why of course, it does, you nitwit," Hermione cut in. "We see them in school everyday."
"I wasn't talking to you," Ron reminded her. "What do you think, Harry?"
All three climbed off together at the last staircase, taking the invisibility cloak from off their backs. Harry looked around.
"Oh, don't listen to him, Harry," Hermione admonished. "You know he's only joking."
"No," Harry whispered. "I don't think so. I think…" He looked behind him, and examined the familiar wooden door, though, by this time, it was mostly eaten by termites. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Ron! This is…"
"This is what, Harry?" Hermione inquired.
Ron nodded, and walked towards the Harry's side. Hesitantly, they pushed the door, and entered. Harry was taken aback. The mirror was there.
And so was Draco.
* * *
The sight of Potter and his gang was enough to send Draco stepping back a pace. Damn, he cursed. I can't be seen with this damned cat.
As if reading his mind, the cat silently glided out of his arms and onto the floor.
"How cute!" Hermione exclaimed, as she saw the cat land on silent feet upon the stone floor. She walked over to its shadowy form, spreading her arms out as if to embrace it, despite Ron's protest and Draco's stunned presence.
The cat only stared at her.
Hermione reached out.
The cat hissed, and delivered a swipe of its paw, barely missing the back of Hermione's startled hand.
She caught her breath, stepping back as it arched its back up in a feline crouch, baring silver-white fangs even as sharp nails jutted out of its paws. Ron took Hermione by the shoulders protectively, as the feline hissed at them once again with predatorial bestiality.
It had its eyes set on Hermione even as Ron continued to pull her back. Both had their set on it. Hermione, knowing it was her fault, gasped for a belated apology, and tripped. Both of them stumbled back, with her fall catching Ron off his guard.
The cat pounced.
Its movements gave only a second's warning for Harry to move between Hermione and the attacking cat. In his attempt to capture it, the feline delivered a precise swipe of his claws to his face. By some miracle, Harry still managed to block its attack with his arm, but in doing so, he had received three gashes to his left arm.
The cat kicked itself off his body and back to the floor. But it didn't stop there. Instead, it turned towards Draco with shocking speed.
Draco had already stepped back towards the mirror, wherein he was only two feet away from its glassy surface.
The cat, once again, hissed, and it dashed towards its next prey. This time, it was without warning.
Draco let out a strangled cry, raising his arms to cover his face.
The cat jumped…
And went through him, and disappeared into the surface of the mirror.
Harry watched, dumbstruck.
Draco turned around just as the glass exploded into a thousand pieces, shedding a brilliant ambiance of an unearthly glow.
Draco shielded his eyes.
Harry did the same.
And all they could see was… the shining light!
* * *
A/N: You're probably wondering what happened to the cat… In the next chapter, probably. And --- let me remind you again --- REVIEW!!!