Everything Changes

by T.K. Yuy

Chapter 16-  Colors in  Nothing

Harry watched as Draco tossed and turned, his mind captured in a dream (or was it a nightmare?  Harry couldn't tell).  He sipped his coffee, and stole a glance up at the clock.  4 am. 

Well, Nathalie should have the Council whipped into shape by now, and if I'm right, they should be returning to the Realm any second now.

As if they had sensed his thoughts, the hands on the small clock turned to show that each of them had most assuredly returned to their own Realm.  Looking at the Marauders Map on the coffee table, he saw that Kain was walking Echo to the room Dumbledore had prepared for her.  With a sigh, he turned his attention back to his Mate.

~Draco's Dream~

"What is this place?" he asked, a hand on his stomach, the other shielding his eyes from the bright sun.  "Is this…"

The glow reached out and embraced his hand, and he heard the faint trickle of water.  Walking in the general direction of the sound, he saw a figure in the distance.  He broke into a run, parting the tall green grasses as he did so.  There was something very familiar in the air, but he couldn't place it.

"Wait!" he called as the figure started to walk away, "Please, wait!"

He burst through the grass at the edge of a small stream, it's water glittering as if it carried diamonds.  Walking away from him, was a woman, with long white-blonde hair and a pair of golden yellow wings hanging down her back.   As she turned to look at him, he took note of the earthen pots she carried, one on her head, the other by a pale pink rope.  He aslo took note of her attire.  She had a green diamond tatooed to the center of her forehead, with a large dragon tatooed to her back, it's feet on her shoulders, wings arched up her shoulder blades (its head laid on her left shoulder) while its tail wrapped around her front and to her hip.  On either thigh, she had a dragon tatooed, in the same metalic green as the one on her back, their tails wrapped around her legs, ending just below her knees. Around her navel, she had a sunburst in the brightest metalic orange he'd ever seen.  She wore a simple pink bikini top, with double straps, and a small slice on the top of her breast, while a pink loin cloth was held at her hips by three purple straps.  Her sandals were also purple, with a green gem at the arch, and purple straps going up above her knees in a criss-crossing pattern.  She had purple ties on her upper arms, and a gold spiral braclet on either wrist.  Her eyes were a pupiless silver-blue, and her face reminded him much of his mother. 

"Ah, Draconis Malfoy.  I wondered when you would journey here."

"Where exactly is 'here', if I may ask?"

"The Field of Dreams, of course.  But that's not what you want to know, is it?"
"No, not really."

"Come.  I'll show you to the Door."

"Door?"

The woman didn't say anything, just lead him through the taller grass on the other side of the stream.  He kept both hands over his stomach, the glow reaching out towards the woman more than it had ever done for Harry or himself.  That bothered him.

"It's not much farther." she said, not bothering to look back at him.

"We haven't been walking very long."
"We haven't?  Funny, I could've sworn that the sun was starting to set."


Draco looked to the sky, and indeed it was starting to set.  He also noticed that the grass was now only up to his ankles, rather than his hips.  She stopped before a large rock, with what looked like a line carved down the center.  He watched as she balanced the pot atop her head perfectly, pouring the one she carried in her hand over the rock.  The glittering water flowed down the stone, and in the ground, it coursed out in the shape of the sun tatoo she had on her stomach.  At the center of the design, was a deep brown swirl, and she poured the second pot over the rocks' other side.  As the water passed through the swirl, it glowed a brilliant white, and in a flash, they were standing in what looked like nothing.  It was just pure white.  No definition between the land and sky.  Or floor, walls, and ceiling, if that was what it was.  The woman looked quite out of place, putting color where there wasn't any.

"Does this place seem familiar?"
"Only in Power, but n- Ow!"

Draco doubled over as a great pain flared in his gut, the glow flaring and wrapping around him like arms.  The woman spread her golden wings and let out a fierce roar.  The white burst apart, leaving them in the field, at the rock, a blanket of stars over them.  The pain receded, and the glow returned to normal.  She kneeled down next to him, making him look her in the eye.

"Do not enter the Hall with your Mate, Draconis Malfoy.  It will kill you both if you do." she said, pouring what was left in one of the pots into a floating sphere of water.  "Drink this."

She passed the small globe to him, and nodded approvingly as he drank it.  As his eyes closed, and as he started to become transparent, his child's glow flickering before they both completely disapeared, she stood, eyes to the sky.

~end of Draco's Dream~

~!*!~

"I don't know how, but the child knows."  she said, watching a star fall to where the stream began, a small ring of light signaling the springs rebirth.

"HE IS HIS FATHER'S SON, SMYRA."

"But which father is it?"

"LUCIFER SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN CAST FROM THE HALL.  HE MADE ALL THE CHANGES SO MUCH MORE PRONOUNCED."

"So it wasn't your intent, to make the Changes in magical folk come with his Falling?"

"NO.  AS WELL AS THINGS HAVE TURNED OUT, HIS BEING EXILED FROM THE HALL MADE ALL THE CHANGES I HAD IN MIND STRONGER.  THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT NOW.  WE MUST WAIT AND SEE HOW THIS ENDS."

"You already know what will happen, don't you?  This was all designed!"

"I KNOW NOT THE FUTURE, SMYRA, YOU KNOW THAT.  I MERELY KNOW HOW IT MUST END.  HOW THE POWERS GO ABOUT GETTING IT THERE, I HAVE NO MORE OF AN IDEA THAN YOU DO, CHILD."

"You haven't called me that in ages.  Not since the Exorcism."

"I HAVE NOT DONE MANY OF THE THINGS I USED TO…"

"Do not regret your decisions.  It does not do to dwell on the past."

"SAGE WORDS, FROM ONE WHO REGRETS EVER ALLOWING THE STONE TO BE THE KEY, AND A NECROMANCER TO BE THE SEAL."

"I was young, and stupid, or have you forgotten?"

"NO, NOT FORGOTTEN, CHILD, MERELY PUT ASIDE FOR A TIME.  IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG SINCE WE HAVE JESTED WITH ONE ANOTHER."

"Then perhaps this Change is for the best."

"WE SHALL SEE, SMYRA. WE SHALL SEE."

~!*!~

Draco woke the next morning to the feeling of lips on his, and wrapped his arms around the warm body above him.  Harry chuckled and laid down next to him, fingers tracing lazy patterns on his stomach.  The glow twirled around his fingers, and reached for Draco's hands.  Both men laced their fingers together, and the glow slowly trickled out, Power hiccuping as they fell asleep, despite the banging on their bedroom door.

~!*!~

Severia looked up from the black book in her lap as someone said her name.  Severus stood in the doorway, looking at her with shocked eyes.  She couldn't hear him as he said something, quickly walking over to sit next to her.  Her ears refused to work, and her eyes were blurry.

That's the tears she thought, wiping at them furiously.  I must still have that Undesturbible charm on.

She took her brothers wand from his inner cloak pocket, and tapped her head.  With an audible pop, both for her and for Severus, her hearing came back, and a small waft of yellow smoke came out of her ears.  He tried to smile, but the pained look on his sisters face said enough.

"It's confirmed.  Draco's seen her."
"Where?"
"In the Field of Dreams, and she took him to the Valley."

"Wonderful.  Could they tell you anything else?"
"Only that the Powers are gathering at the Hall.  They don't know much more than we do, Severus, and that scares me.  The Spirits normally always know more than we do.  The fact that he saw her worries me even more."

"We have to tell them."

"No.  I don't want the Necromancers involved.  If she's there when they go to the Door, then she's there, and we can't do much once they go inside."

Severus was quiet, and as he felt the small hiccup of Power that he'd come to associate with the child his Godson carried, he knew exactly where everything stood.

Somehow the child knows.  It knows what's going to happen, and it can't stop it, nor can it tell us anything as to how to prevent it.

"Sev?"
"Hm?"

"You look pained.  What's wrong?"
"The child is a Seer, Severia.  It knows what's happening.  It knows, and it can't tell us anything, because it's unborn!"

Severia had seen her brother angry and distraught, but this was beyond that.  This was pure pain.  Pain caused only by a loved one.  He was broken down and crying and she knew he loved Draco more than anything.  If he had to, he would give up Ormand in a heart beat.  He would give his life for Draco, if only to see him live.  As tears again started to make their way down her face, she finally understood.

Oh Sev…

~!*!~

Echo looked up at the early morning sun from her place on Dumbledore's balcony, and with a sigh, turned back inside, placing her cup on the small tray he'd had brought up.  Fawkes chirped at her sadly, and a few tears fell onto his perch.  She smiled sadly and stroked the great birds feathers as Albus brought a large book down from his personal library.

"Are you ready, Echo?"
"I have to be, Albus."

"There's no turning back, you know.  Once it's complete, if cannot be undone."

"I know.  Will you tell them both that I love them?"
"Of course.  You have made your arrangements?"

"Smyra is waiting to take me to the Valley."

"Very well."

He led her to the balcony, and helped her step up onto the rail.  Clearing his throat, he opened the book to a marked page, and read.

"Antique Puissance, en au Vallée Ensoleillé ôter ceci souci.  Acquérir péniblement ceci Enfant de Éternel Lumièr."

A bright white light flared from the pendant aroundher neck, and with a roar, a pure white Dragon flew into the morning sky.  She circled over Hogwarts once, and with a mournful cry, disappeared.

From the Astronomy Tower's roof, Kain let a single tear fall as the pendant appeared in his hands.  He knew what she felt.  He'd known love once too, and that was taken away by the Powers that Be.


Soon, love, soon. he thought, pocketing the necklace and turning to follow Teek inside.

~TBC~

Well, that was quick.  And, I know many of you are going to hate me, but this story will soon be over.  Can you believe it?  Me, actually finishing a story?  Weirdness.  But as it stands now, there are only two chapters left.  Yup, only two.  I'm currently plotting both, so that they can be easily (and quickly) written, but I can't make any promises as to when this will be updated again.  I'll try and be quick.  As always, comments and questions are much appreciated. So until the next chapter…

TK