Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice
and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find
someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.
.
.
.
Blood & Nails.
.
Part Twenty-One. Hear The Whispers.
Draco smiled and accepted the mug of coffee with gratitude. He was sitting on the kitchen bench staring at the bedroom door reflectively.
"How is he?"
Draco gave a quick glance to Morgan as the younger man took a seat at the table. "He still won't say much. I guess it really freaked him that Mortel got in somehow. Despite you all keep saying that it's impossible, obviously it isn't."
Morgan nodded, lost in thought. "But how did he get in?"
"It doesn't leave much open. If what the Ministry say is true the only people who can get in are Aurors and myself. So logically, that means Mortel has taken the body of an Auror. Makes sense really, as we were in Azkaban when he left me."
"I just can't think that it's an Auror. We have in depth screening tests to reduce such risks."
"Yeah, well, it's happened in the past."
"I guess." Morgan looked to the window. "Steel back yet?"
"He wandered in a few hours ago, seemed a little edgy, but I guess we all are these days. Now, it's just worse." Draco spun his lighter around in his fingers for a few moments. "Morgan?"
"Mmmm?"
"Is this what I used to be like? I mean, have you seen any differences between me now or Mortel then?"
"Um, to be honest, not really. Sometimes I really have to stretch to realise that there's a lot of things you don't remember."
"I almost can sometimes. When I'm sleeping I get these images, I think they're memories. But I can never grasp them properly when I wake up."
"What are they like?"
Draco scrunched his nose up. "Some aren't the best. There's almost always blood. It's the dreams that wake me up." Draco finished his coffee and leant backwards to open the kitchen drawer. He brought out his cigarettes and an ashtray. His eyes fell on the ring he had woken up the morning to find on his finger and he picked it up.
He twirled it in his fingers for awhile as Morgan watched quietly. Draco read the inscription for the hundredth time since he had found it. 'My first, My last, My only' and let out a sigh.
"Please tell me mine wasn't that nauseatingly sentimental."
Morgan laughed softly and shook his head. "No it wasn't. Harry was rather miffed at first but accepted it anyway. I believe your's said, and I quote," He winked, "Now you'll never get rid of me." He raised his mug in a mock toast as Draco smirked.
"How the hell does that fit on it? The ring isn't that round."
"Small writing, in a spiral pattern. We all thought it was hilarious, Harry's face was priceless but he soon got over it. After all, you were the one who had suggested you get married."
Draco looked surprised at this. "I did?"
"Well, Mortel, but I guess that you would have as he did. I don't know how you, um, him, asked Harry, but I guess it was believable."
"Yeah." Draco absently slipped the ring on to the ring finger of his left hand and decided he quite liked it there.
"You loved him before Mortel took over, didn't you?" Morgan asked gently.
Draco nodded. "Yeah, though I told myself it was just a crush."
"How did you find out?" He blushed. "Er, if you don't mind me asking."
Draco smiled thinly. "Someone told me. I said he was crazy." Draco finally lit his cigarette. "He was. Crazy, that is, didn't make him any less right though."
"Someone told you?"
Draco sighed and gave a nod. "Yeah."
"You love him."
"You're off your bloody rocker. Now shut up and let's get through this silently. I'm sick of your mind games."
"I don't think so. Wouldn't our Lord find that interesting? One of his favourite recruits, in love with the enemy?"
"So tell him you're perverted ideas of me and my loyalties. It makes no difference to me as I know you're wrong."
"I'm not, you know this."
"Just shut up. If we get caught I'll make it clear whose fault it was. Let's see how interested our Lord would be with that."
"Draco?"
He blinked and looked up. "Sorry? What?"
Morgan nodded his head towards the door. "I'll get going. Maybe you should try to talk to him again?"
"Yeah."
"Works says he can take a second day off, but they really need him on the streets." Morgan got up and left his mug in the sink. "See ya."
"Yeah, bye." Draco picked up the letter he had received that morning and sighed.
"What's that?"
"I had my blood sent off to be tested. I wanted to see if maybe I should remember but Mortel put a charm on me. The remnants of the spell can last a few years in the blood stream."
"Is there?"
"No. Not a drop but it's not completely clean."
"What do you mean?"
Draco smiled and walked to the door and opened it for Morgan to go out. "I mean, I now have to go in there and asked why he's been putting a sleeping charm on me every night for the last few weeks."
Morgan's eyes widened and he went to say something but Draco just held his hand up. The younger man nodded and left without a word, as the blonde stood a little straighter. Draco determinedly walked into the bedroom where Harry was sitting up looking sulky. He tossed the letter in front of his lover and took a seat as he watched Harry's eyes scan the paper.
"You had your blood tested?" Harry's voice was bland but Draco could feel something was being concealed.
"Yes, I wanted to see if a memory charm had been placed on me. This is what I found instead. Would you like to explain?"
Harry shrugged. "Not really."
Draco just looked at him steadily until he saw the defeat.
"I just didn't want you going out at night."
"Why?"
"Well, apart from the fact that there's a serial killer out there, one that's hell bent on hunting me which puts you in danger, there's still the fact that the nights you go out and the nights of attacks are still coinciding."
"So, what? You put me to sleep and then no more killings? That was your thought pattern?"
"Basically. It sounded good at the time, except ..." He trailed off.
"Except I kept waking up somehow?"
"Yeah, I guess your dreams are messing with the spell."
"I don't think they're dreams, I think there are all just memories. Obviously, my mind just doesn't want them, or something." Draco watched as Harry looked away to the window. "Something is definitely wrong. I, um, don't think I like you messing with my mind or anything, could you please not do it?"
"Sure, as long as you don't go out."
"Oh come off it, Harry. I should be allowed to go out whenever I want."
"Yeah you should, but don't you feel just a little guilty that almost every time you go out, someone dies?" Harry's voice was still bland which was starting to get irritating.
"I'm tired of feeling guilty about what he has done. I refused to let it get to me."
"But .."
"But nothing, I'm not going to let him run my life when he's not even in my body anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, someone has to make dinner and as you're still sitting in here sulking that you were covered in blood, I guess the task will fall to me." He walked out before he could get a reply and headed back to the kitchen.
He turned the oven on and went to the fridge to get last night's leftovers, concluding he could cook something new tomorrow. He really wasn't in the mood for it right now, something about how Harry had just decided to put a sleeping charm on him without even discussing it, really bothered him.
He frowned as he realised the oven didn't seem to be working. He brought his wand out and cast a heating spell as he thought to take off the engagement ring. But before he could reach to his other hand he heard a strange sizzling noise. He flicked his head to look at the stove as an eerily familiar smell reached him. He knew he should know it but it didn't matter as his instinct kicked in forcefully and he jumped over the kitchen bench and huddled behind it. A deafening boom sounded, followed by the noise of projectiles whistling past as his brain slowly caught up with his actions.
The smell of burnt coffee, a Chain Reaction potion must have been carefully brushed over it, making it invisible against the already white appliance. Draco stood up and shook his head, trying to get his ears to respond again. Someone grabbed his shoulder and he turned to look at a terrified Harry who was mouthing something that looked like 'What happened' over and over again along with Draco's name.
The blonde just shrugged and looked at the remnants of the oven. He pointed to the phone and tried to convey that someone should be called for.
An hour later and the Auror crime scene specialists were once again bidding them a good bye, the second time in two days. Draco could hear properly again and Harry was even worse than before.
"Maybe you should go stay at the Ministry, Ko. It would be best."
"I'm not running away just because the prick thinks I shouldn't be in your life. If he wants you all to yourself, that's his fucking problem."
"I still think you should go to the Ministry. Just for now."
Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry's face, there was something very odd, he was sure of it. "I'm fine thank you, but I shall go for a walk. Perhaps you should tell everyone to get on the streets right about now."
Harry looked away. "I really wish you wouldn't go."
"Yeah, well. Right now the streets of London are safer than my own apartment, I'm going."
"Damn it, Ko. I wake up only for you to shove pictures of me covered in blood into my face, then our oven blows up and all you do ..."
"What? WHAT? No, go on, say it. What, you think I was overjoyed to come home and find you like that? I can't just sit here and not hunt the fucker down. For a few moments last night, I thought you were dead, and I REALLY DIDN'T FUCKING LIKE IT! So you can bitch and whine all you want but if Mortel only comes out to play when I go for my walks, then I'm going to fucking well drag him out."
Harry gave a strained smile and Draco sighed. "Can we talk about this later?"
"Okay."
"Lock the door and all the windows, especially lock the door to the balcony. Steel is in the studio so you don't have to wait for him. I really need to go out right now, okay?"
Harry nodded and Draco gave him a quick kiss. "I won't be long."
To Be Continued.
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.
.
.
.
Blood & Nails.
.
Part Twenty-One. Hear The Whispers.
Draco smiled and accepted the mug of coffee with gratitude. He was sitting on the kitchen bench staring at the bedroom door reflectively.
"How is he?"
Draco gave a quick glance to Morgan as the younger man took a seat at the table. "He still won't say much. I guess it really freaked him that Mortel got in somehow. Despite you all keep saying that it's impossible, obviously it isn't."
Morgan nodded, lost in thought. "But how did he get in?"
"It doesn't leave much open. If what the Ministry say is true the only people who can get in are Aurors and myself. So logically, that means Mortel has taken the body of an Auror. Makes sense really, as we were in Azkaban when he left me."
"I just can't think that it's an Auror. We have in depth screening tests to reduce such risks."
"Yeah, well, it's happened in the past."
"I guess." Morgan looked to the window. "Steel back yet?"
"He wandered in a few hours ago, seemed a little edgy, but I guess we all are these days. Now, it's just worse." Draco spun his lighter around in his fingers for a few moments. "Morgan?"
"Mmmm?"
"Is this what I used to be like? I mean, have you seen any differences between me now or Mortel then?"
"Um, to be honest, not really. Sometimes I really have to stretch to realise that there's a lot of things you don't remember."
"I almost can sometimes. When I'm sleeping I get these images, I think they're memories. But I can never grasp them properly when I wake up."
"What are they like?"
Draco scrunched his nose up. "Some aren't the best. There's almost always blood. It's the dreams that wake me up." Draco finished his coffee and leant backwards to open the kitchen drawer. He brought out his cigarettes and an ashtray. His eyes fell on the ring he had woken up the morning to find on his finger and he picked it up.
He twirled it in his fingers for awhile as Morgan watched quietly. Draco read the inscription for the hundredth time since he had found it. 'My first, My last, My only' and let out a sigh.
"Please tell me mine wasn't that nauseatingly sentimental."
Morgan laughed softly and shook his head. "No it wasn't. Harry was rather miffed at first but accepted it anyway. I believe your's said, and I quote," He winked, "Now you'll never get rid of me." He raised his mug in a mock toast as Draco smirked.
"How the hell does that fit on it? The ring isn't that round."
"Small writing, in a spiral pattern. We all thought it was hilarious, Harry's face was priceless but he soon got over it. After all, you were the one who had suggested you get married."
Draco looked surprised at this. "I did?"
"Well, Mortel, but I guess that you would have as he did. I don't know how you, um, him, asked Harry, but I guess it was believable."
"Yeah." Draco absently slipped the ring on to the ring finger of his left hand and decided he quite liked it there.
"You loved him before Mortel took over, didn't you?" Morgan asked gently.
Draco nodded. "Yeah, though I told myself it was just a crush."
"How did you find out?" He blushed. "Er, if you don't mind me asking."
Draco smiled thinly. "Someone told me. I said he was crazy." Draco finally lit his cigarette. "He was. Crazy, that is, didn't make him any less right though."
"Someone told you?"
Draco sighed and gave a nod. "Yeah."
"You love him."
"You're off your bloody rocker. Now shut up and let's get through this silently. I'm sick of your mind games."
"I don't think so. Wouldn't our Lord find that interesting? One of his favourite recruits, in love with the enemy?"
"So tell him you're perverted ideas of me and my loyalties. It makes no difference to me as I know you're wrong."
"I'm not, you know this."
"Just shut up. If we get caught I'll make it clear whose fault it was. Let's see how interested our Lord would be with that."
"Draco?"
He blinked and looked up. "Sorry? What?"
Morgan nodded his head towards the door. "I'll get going. Maybe you should try to talk to him again?"
"Yeah."
"Works says he can take a second day off, but they really need him on the streets." Morgan got up and left his mug in the sink. "See ya."
"Yeah, bye." Draco picked up the letter he had received that morning and sighed.
"What's that?"
"I had my blood sent off to be tested. I wanted to see if maybe I should remember but Mortel put a charm on me. The remnants of the spell can last a few years in the blood stream."
"Is there?"
"No. Not a drop but it's not completely clean."
"What do you mean?"
Draco smiled and walked to the door and opened it for Morgan to go out. "I mean, I now have to go in there and asked why he's been putting a sleeping charm on me every night for the last few weeks."
Morgan's eyes widened and he went to say something but Draco just held his hand up. The younger man nodded and left without a word, as the blonde stood a little straighter. Draco determinedly walked into the bedroom where Harry was sitting up looking sulky. He tossed the letter in front of his lover and took a seat as he watched Harry's eyes scan the paper.
"You had your blood tested?" Harry's voice was bland but Draco could feel something was being concealed.
"Yes, I wanted to see if a memory charm had been placed on me. This is what I found instead. Would you like to explain?"
Harry shrugged. "Not really."
Draco just looked at him steadily until he saw the defeat.
"I just didn't want you going out at night."
"Why?"
"Well, apart from the fact that there's a serial killer out there, one that's hell bent on hunting me which puts you in danger, there's still the fact that the nights you go out and the nights of attacks are still coinciding."
"So, what? You put me to sleep and then no more killings? That was your thought pattern?"
"Basically. It sounded good at the time, except ..." He trailed off.
"Except I kept waking up somehow?"
"Yeah, I guess your dreams are messing with the spell."
"I don't think they're dreams, I think there are all just memories. Obviously, my mind just doesn't want them, or something." Draco watched as Harry looked away to the window. "Something is definitely wrong. I, um, don't think I like you messing with my mind or anything, could you please not do it?"
"Sure, as long as you don't go out."
"Oh come off it, Harry. I should be allowed to go out whenever I want."
"Yeah you should, but don't you feel just a little guilty that almost every time you go out, someone dies?" Harry's voice was still bland which was starting to get irritating.
"I'm tired of feeling guilty about what he has done. I refused to let it get to me."
"But .."
"But nothing, I'm not going to let him run my life when he's not even in my body anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, someone has to make dinner and as you're still sitting in here sulking that you were covered in blood, I guess the task will fall to me." He walked out before he could get a reply and headed back to the kitchen.
He turned the oven on and went to the fridge to get last night's leftovers, concluding he could cook something new tomorrow. He really wasn't in the mood for it right now, something about how Harry had just decided to put a sleeping charm on him without even discussing it, really bothered him.
He frowned as he realised the oven didn't seem to be working. He brought his wand out and cast a heating spell as he thought to take off the engagement ring. But before he could reach to his other hand he heard a strange sizzling noise. He flicked his head to look at the stove as an eerily familiar smell reached him. He knew he should know it but it didn't matter as his instinct kicked in forcefully and he jumped over the kitchen bench and huddled behind it. A deafening boom sounded, followed by the noise of projectiles whistling past as his brain slowly caught up with his actions.
The smell of burnt coffee, a Chain Reaction potion must have been carefully brushed over it, making it invisible against the already white appliance. Draco stood up and shook his head, trying to get his ears to respond again. Someone grabbed his shoulder and he turned to look at a terrified Harry who was mouthing something that looked like 'What happened' over and over again along with Draco's name.
The blonde just shrugged and looked at the remnants of the oven. He pointed to the phone and tried to convey that someone should be called for.
An hour later and the Auror crime scene specialists were once again bidding them a good bye, the second time in two days. Draco could hear properly again and Harry was even worse than before.
"Maybe you should go stay at the Ministry, Ko. It would be best."
"I'm not running away just because the prick thinks I shouldn't be in your life. If he wants you all to yourself, that's his fucking problem."
"I still think you should go to the Ministry. Just for now."
Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry's face, there was something very odd, he was sure of it. "I'm fine thank you, but I shall go for a walk. Perhaps you should tell everyone to get on the streets right about now."
Harry looked away. "I really wish you wouldn't go."
"Yeah, well. Right now the streets of London are safer than my own apartment, I'm going."
"Damn it, Ko. I wake up only for you to shove pictures of me covered in blood into my face, then our oven blows up and all you do ..."
"What? WHAT? No, go on, say it. What, you think I was overjoyed to come home and find you like that? I can't just sit here and not hunt the fucker down. For a few moments last night, I thought you were dead, and I REALLY DIDN'T FUCKING LIKE IT! So you can bitch and whine all you want but if Mortel only comes out to play when I go for my walks, then I'm going to fucking well drag him out."
Harry gave a strained smile and Draco sighed. "Can we talk about this later?"
"Okay."
"Lock the door and all the windows, especially lock the door to the balcony. Steel is in the studio so you don't have to wait for him. I really need to go out right now, okay?"
Harry nodded and Draco gave him a quick kiss. "I won't be long."
To Be Continued.