Chapter Three: The Beginning of the End



As Draco stepped out of the fire and into the public Floo room of his family's manor he let out an empty sigh. The photograph of his great great grandmother scowled at him as he passed, although he didn't notice.

"Ahh Draco!" Said Narcissa with a vacant smile as she looked over to him from staring up at the ceiling. He dared not look her in the eyes, or he would see that her eyes were distant. Not really there, in the body of her mother. "How was the party?"

"Fine, thank you mother." He replied. There was no real point to correcting her. If he had explained to her that it had been a funeral not a party, chances were she wouldn't understand. After all, a social gathering was simply that. A social gathering.

On the other hand, she might very well have one of her moments when she seemed together. As if her mind was not wandering off somewhere. But judging by the way her pale face was inclined to the ceiling he could not fool himself.

"Draco darling, ask me what I am doing." His mother said, her dark blue eyes darted across the ceiling.

"What are you doing mother?" He asked.

"I'm going to name a star after you. Just as soon as I find the nicest one."

"That's very kind of you mother." Draco replied serenely. He sat himself down in one of the antique chairs across from her. He watched her count the nonexistent stars in the ceiling for over an hour and finally when he rose, she spoke.

"Will your friend be joining us for dinner tonight?" Narcissa inquired.

"What friend?" Asked Draco genuinely confused.

"The little blond. The one you spent all last summer with." Said Narcissa, and plucked an imaginary star from the ceiling. "I quite liked her. Had good sense in throwing a party. I never get to throw parties anymore."

"No," Draco steadied himself. "She's not."

Part of him silently begged his mother to ask why. To take up the maternal portion of her life she had vacated at such a young age. But this was also the part of him that was silently screaming. Ranting and raving over and over in his mind non-stop.

Narcissa returned her attention to the ceiling, once again counting the stars. With one final glance Draco turned, and left the sitting room.


"Now really, zee 'ere!" The French wizard protested. "You can't just show up uninvited. Not to zee Puddlemere parties."

"I'll do as I please." Draco said with a sneer. The annoying wizard in servant black robes couldn't have been much older than Draco himself. Not only was this prat of an attempt security guard speaking with such a thick accent he could barely understand a word that came out of his mouth; now the git was actually trying to stop him from attending the Puddlemere United party.

And the fact Draco did not have an invitation had absolutely nothing to do with the situation.

"I'm warning you monsieur." The man said to his back. His voice had broken, probably with anxiety. Clearly Draco was the first to ever cause such a problem. Not that Draco was surprised, after all the Puddlemeres weren't the Wasps. If a simple teenage boy could simply waltz in through the Floo network, where dozens of celebrity Quidditch players were mucking about getting totally sloshed and all they had for security-Well that wasn't saying much now was it?

"Monsieur, you will step away from the entrance." The wizard sounded much more confidant all of a sudden. Draco turned slowly, his intuition telling him the pompus git had probably pulled out his wand.

Ah, well this did create a problem didn't it?

'That's why they don't need bruting muscles at the fireplace.' Said the annoying little voice in his mind. 'They've gone a hired a charms major.'

"Now see here," Said Draco slowly, enunciating his words carefully. "Do you know who I am?"

"What does zat matter?" Asked the wizard.

"For one, my name is Draco Malfoy. And my family-"

"Draco Malfoy? Zat zounds familiar..." The wizard repeated, and then with a glance to his enchanted list he smiled. "I apologize monsieur. I did not know zat you were on zee list."

Draco couldn't help blinking, being thrown through a loop did that to one sometimes. But he drew the line at repeating what the obnoxious prat had said.

He was on the list.

Stepping into the ballroom Draco's dark sapphire eyes searched the crowd. The first, and reserve line of the Puddlemere United Quidditch team-with their guest of course- danced, sang along (very poorly) with the band on the stage which was probably induced by the fire whiskey and other assorted alcoholic beverages.

Passing by Edward Vanderbilt, the Keeper, who was sat at a far back table Draco barely paused. The only thing slowing him down was the fact that Vanderbilt was surrounded by at least five witches. It seemed that groupies would crowd around anyone nowadays.

A judgmental sneer crossed his lips as he strode past, but less than a second later it faded away. Standing beside Raphsodel Cummings, Skye smiled broadly and Draco felt his adrenaline pump just a little faster as he watched her.

As if answering his silent wish, his gaze followed her as she left Cummings's side and made her way across the room. Her robes glimmered in the enchanted lights like a dark jade as she glided across the floor. She was wearing his colour, which had to be a good sign.

With that bumbling git, Wood nowhere to be seen Draco smiled reassuringly to himself. He crossed over the room, as he had just watched her do moments before. When she did finally see him, her face did not react. Although her eyes did hint at surprised, she hide it well. With a punch table separating them, she lowered her glass.

"Can I have-help you?" She asked politely.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her request. A factual smile was forcing its way onto his lips whether he wanted it or not.

"Yes, perhaps you may." He replied returning the courteous tone. "I'm looking for a.... friend of mine. She's a small, short blond witch. Quite a beauty if I do say so myself."

Draco watched her eyes dart to one side, as they often did when she was embarrassed.

"She hasn't been answering my owls for over two weeks now."

"Two weeks? Really? Well then why don't you just Floo your way over there?" She made a movement to leave.

"See that's just the thing." Draco cut her off. "I don't actually know where she lives."

"How surprising." She replied unemotionally, although she faked a smile and polite wave to a witch passing by.

"And I was informed she might be attending this event." He persisted.

No reaction.

"Any matter, I've grown quite anxious-"

There her eyes went again.

"Perhaps you've seen her? Answers to the name Skye." He finished.

"Sorry." Skye replied coldly. "Can't say that I have."

And with that she pushed her way past him and back into the dancing crowd of drunken Quidditch players.

"Bloody damnation." Draco cursed under his breath. After forcing his way back into the horde on the dance floor, he had been required to dance with a scrawny, bucktoothed witch in order to avoid Wood. And then her friend, and then another. By the time Draco managed to pull himself away from them, he had deduced they must be relatives of Pansy's.

Miraculously there she was, standing by the open balcony door. Hiding himself in the crowd he pushed his way through so that he was on the opposite side of the door, facing her. He watched her smile, and then say goodbye to one of the reserve team members.

As she stepped out onto the balcony he felt the wave of warm summer's air blow around him. The scent of summer pines with the undeniable aroma of fresh flowers mingled in the air. He heard her exhale deeply, and watched her shoulders roll. After spending an entire month studying her, whether she knew of his presence or not, Draco had noticed certain repetitive mannerisms. This type of body language meant relaxed, which meant it was time again to try.

"So how many offers to 'ride some bloke's broomstick' have you gotten?" He drawled.

She turned, the expression on her face depicting her surprise. "You're the first."

"Now, now Miss Dumbledore. No lies." Draco drawled. "Where's your bodyguard?"

"He's my date." She said sharply.

Draco forced his face to remain neutral....however difficult the task might be.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"I don't know you tell me."

"Actually, now that I think about it.. That was a lie. I am surprised. In fact, I'm bloody well shocked."

"Well then, I'd appreciate it if you were shocked somewhere else." She replied curtly, and then turned her back to him.

"What's with the cold shoulder?" He asked taking a step forward he wrapped his arms around her. He let one hand trail down her bare shoulder. "It wasn't so cold in the head of underage wizarding's broom closet." He added, trying to sound curious when in all honesty, he was down right pissed. Some witches could be such teases...

He felt her hesitate. "I ask you to take your leave, Master Malfoy." Her voice was cold, and oddly distant.

"Is it Wood?"

"Why would you say that?" She scoffed quietly.

"Don't pretend like I don't know. Let me guess, you two are mates again so you can go back to following him around."

She flinched, but said nothing. As he watched her stare off into the distance, up to the starlit sky a thought struck him.

"But that's not the reason you've stopped talking to me, is it?" He asked slowly, pulling away and standing beside her.

Watching her carefully, he noticed her eyes darted to where her hands laid on the balcony railing.

"What is it?" He asked earnestly.

"It was a mistake." She said quietly.

"A mistake?" He repeated.

"Yes."

Who would have known one simple, tiny word had so much power. Draco looked away, and suddenly understood why she had found the night sky so interesting. The sky did not judge you. Did not know what would happen to you when you returned home to tell your father you had failed....

'You've failed.' Said the voice in his mind. 'Your one task...And you failed.'

"No." Draco breathed into the wind.

She turned startled, to face him. "No?"

"No." He confirmed. "I won't except this. I bloody well won't."

"This can't happen Draco." Said Skye gently. His name flowed softly from her lips, no longer a foreign word to her. "You and I both know it."

"No."

"This has to end."

"No."

"We can't do this."

"We, or just you?" He asked.

"What?"

"I said, we can't do this? Or just you can't?"

"Don't be absurd."

"I'm not." She replied stubbornly. She turned to face the scenery once more. A silence fell between them, and on Draco's part it felt like an eternity.

"You are so ignorant, you know that?" She asked irritated. Draco had to keep himself from smiling, he had hit a nerve. "You're a self absorbed, spoiled rotten prat, who's simply had everything handed to him on a silver platter."

"You're one to talk." He retorted. "You hide in a manor that you own, without any parents. Attending parties, being the socialite and pretending that you're the happiest person on earth when you're not! You put on masks to fool everyone so that they think you're smashingly dandy. But you're not....

"You feel nothing inside, and that scares you. That scares you more than having your friends and family know how you really are. And that's why you're breaking this off. Because you're afraid of feeling any that might remotely be emotion."

She said nothing at first, simply staring off into the sky. Finally, she broke the silence. "You're wrong."

"I'm what?" He asked.

A smile crossed her lips, although she wouldn't look at him. She shook her head and laughed quietly to herself. "You're wrong. I know this might come as somewhat of a shock, but you're wrong."

"No." Said Draco. "No, I think I'm right. I think I'm right, and that you're afraid because someone actually understands you. Not the you that you insist on pretending to be, but the real you. The one you think no one wants to see."

Inside, Draco could hear the band strike up a fast tune. The people danced, sang loudly and fumbled around, although Skye seemed completely oblivious to them. A tear trickled down her childlike face, but she still refused to pull her gaze away from the night sky.

"Admit it." Draco said quietly. Looking back on it, he would realize that it was this moment in his life that everything had started to slip away. Instead of caring merely about his success in reaching her, Draco found himself caring about the young witch who stood beside him...

"You're afraid of feeling anything because then someone might understand what you're so confused about."

She looked to him, staring deeply into his eyes as if trying to pierce into his soul. And for the moment, he did not care if they could. He returned the gaze, fixing his eyes in hers. Her entire body seemed to quiver as she stood beside him warm summer night. Her lips trembled, and he could not help but lean down and kiss them gently, to reassure her.


At the time he had not known, nor could he have, that it had been a set up. That she was doing exactly the same as he. Infiltrating the enemy's side.

And, as the year had passed slowly he had slipped. The pretend became reality. But he hadn't been alone. She had suffered the same fate of loosing herself in the happiness of her pretend life, but now…. He was alone. Cut out of the world he had been enjoying, and thrust back into the one he now detested. How much easier things were for her....

But looking back on it, through the lies, Draco knew that the night on the terrace had been nothing but the brutal honesty. That night was when his life had changed.

I still get lost in your eyes,

And it seems that

I can't live a day without you.

Closing my eyes and

You chase my thoughts away

To a place where,

I am blinded by the light,

But it's not right...

Goodbye to you,

Goodbye to everything

I thought I knew.

You were the one I loved,

The one thing that

I tried to hold on to....

---

Ha! Tis finished! I hope you enjoyed! So much ickle sweet romance it makes me sick. The scene with Narcissa came out horrible compared to what I had planned, but when I sat down I just couldn't seem to get it right so I opted for the easiest method. Insanity. Any road, please R&R.

"Can I have-help you?" <- Is a Xander Harris line from Buffy. Gotta