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.
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.
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Blood & Nails.
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Part Twenty-Two. Heart Of Shadow.
Draco shuffled along slowly still thinking of all the things that had happened lately. He was beginning to wish he hadn't woken up at all that morning, memory or no memory. This whole serial killer out to get him and his Harry was wearing thin and he wasn't too sure how long his patience was going to hold out.
The appeal of using slightly unorthodox measures was becoming very tempting. Of course it would send him straight back to Azkaban and for good reason, but he wasn't really worried about that anymore. He spent most nights dreaming of the cold feeling from the Dementors as it was so his mind rationalised that it wouldn't really be that much different. He was starting to feel like he was already in prison, all this sitting back and doing nothing. It went against his nature completely.
"You love him."
"You're off your bloody rocker."
Draco took a deep breath and forced himself to take in his surroundings instead. Even though, with his lack of memory, that conversation had only taken place a few months ago for him, he had already trained himself to not think about it. That was still rated Number One on the 'Worse Experiences' list. Not even waking up to find he was under order of execution for multiple murders had topped it.
He hated to think that maybe something between his memory breaks could actually beat it so he put all of it from his mind and returned his attention to the problem at hand. He focussed in on the idea of Mortel and kept a very careful look out, in case that strange feeling of being watched started up again.
By now he could only think of one person who would trail behind him and it was pretty much a given that the person didn't wish him well. He was no longer convinced it was his paranoia as Morgan had tried to convince him.
He walked slowly through the park searching and scanning. He had decided the Mortel thing had gone on for far too long. Take over his body, nearly get him killed on more than one occasion, hack up the young and the elderly of London and blame it on him, that's all fine. But covering Harry in blood had taken it just that little bit too far in his mind.
So, he rationalised, if Mortel only came out to hunt when Draco walked the streets, he would walk the streets, bring the fucker out and freeze him, so they could extract Mortel from whoever he was hiding in now.
It wasn't much of a plan but Draco decided that in the end it got the job done. This was not the time for messing around, the time to attack was now.
He turned his head slightly to the left as a soft sound reached his ears. His eyes flicked over, he couldn't see anything, but he knew something was going on. They jumped out so quietly and abruptly, Draco barely had time to dodge the sword and duck, as the sound of a gunshot seemed to boom in his ears. He kicked the gun away before it was fired a second time and straightened to face his attackers.
It took him less than a second to summarise that they were vampires and took another step back as the sword was swung at his throat. Only hired vamps moved in small groups so Draco worked out rather quickly he was in trouble. After some almost fatal scuffling he managed to get the sword and, working on pure instinct by this point, killed the one who had been holding it.
The severed head hadn't even hit the ground by the time Draco had done the half turn to defend himself against the remaining vampire. He almost slipped over in his hurry but stayed up and then levelled his wand at his attacker.
The vampire approximated his chances of getting to him and then scowled in defeat.
"Good evening." Draco said quietly. "So, you and your friend here decided to kill me twice over because?"
The vampire didn't answer so Draco threw the sword to go through its stomach, pinning it to the tree behind. It didn't flinch but it didn't look happy either.
"Let's cut to it shall we? Who hired you?"
Obstinate silence and Draco inwardly sighed, knowing that his odds of getting any information were in the 'microscopic to none' range. He really hated the pride most of the undead seemed to insist upon upholding. "Fine so you won't tell me. Thanks for nothing." He muttered something under his breath and the vampire would have paled if it could. It only closed its eyes though.
After the fireball had completed its task Draco walked off, not interested in the sword and continued on with his attempt to find Mortel.
Mortel smiled as the teenager struggled. He found her very entertaining. He raised one of the large nails out of his bag and was about to command it to pin her right hand to the wall when her arm slipped out of his grip and somehow came in contact with his head. He grunted in pain as she ripped some of his hair out.
Surprised, he stared at the blonde strands poking out from her fist. He raised his own hand to his head and rubbed the sore spot. Then he started to laugh, as if it was the most comical thing he had come across in a long time.
"Well, that's showing some spirit. I think I quite like you." He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I like you."
The girl was still struggling and flailing her free hand every which way so he wiped her mind and stepped back, taking off the spells on her eyes and ears. She blinked a few times and then looked around in confusion.
"Are you okay?" He asked gently.
She looked around again and nodded still clearly confused.
"You'd better get home, the streets aren't safe at night. Run along." He nudged her gently and she obediently started to walk.
She looked back and gave a thin smile. "Um, thanks." She stammered out and he waved.
"Run home, little one." He waited until she was out of hearing. "And you're welcome."
That's when it occurred to him. It finally felt like the right time to right a few wrongs that had been going on lately. It was time for him to go and really shake the foundations of Harry's supposedly happy life.
He started to whistle as he headed for the other side of town. It was such a nice night he decided to walk towards his destiny, rather than just Apparate. It would give him time to look forward to the look on the blonde's face. "It's about time Draco and I had a little chat. Yes, definitely. This silly little game has run its course."
He smiled to himself as he turned down into a shortcut. After all, he had been waiting for this for what felt like forever, no need to really drag it out. He could build enough anticipation to truly enjoy it.
Draco threw his cigarette away and leant back to look up at the stars. He had given up trying to lure Mortel out and had gone to his usual lookout for some down time. He had a lot to think about.
The one thing that was really nagging at him right now was why Mortel would suddenly hire someone to kill him instead of just doing it for himself. It seemed out of place, clashing with the psycho's style, what little there was, and it confused the hell out of Draco.
He couldn't even just put it down to the very common 'He's a lunatic, that's why' theory as it didn't feel right. It was all very strange to him.
He looked back down as a sound distracted him and he sighed. "Great, more bloody vamps." He muttered as he stood up.
But the people who came out of the shadows certainly didn't give off the undead vibe. Or the undead smell. Draco watched closely as they walked towards him and he managed to catch a glimpse of one of their faces. He was glad his wand was already out and sent a warning fireball, which just happened to sideswipe the one on the left end of the line. They stopped and raised their heads so he could see them all.
Some he knew some he didn't but it was enough to tell him who and what they were. "I was under the impression the remaining Death Eaters were on the run across mainland Europe." He lifted his head higher and gave them one of his sneers.
"We were." One spoke. "But then we heard someone was out to kill you."
"Awww, how sweet, you've come to defend me." Draco spat sarcastically. He evaluated if he stood a chance in an all out fight and decided he didn't. His hand slipped to his pocket for his portkey. "How did you find me here?"
"We were ... helped."
Draco wasn't stupid and he knew that more would be creeping up behind him and these were just the ones sent to distract him. He was very grateful that they obviously wanted to torture him for awhile first, or he would have been dead already. "Well, it's been a blast seeing you guys again, but I really must go." His hands clasped around his portkey as they realised what he was doing. The last thing he saw were the wands raising before he landed back in the park.
"Well." He looked around. "I think it's time to go home. Yes, definitely time to go." He took a few calming breaths and waited for his heart to return to normal. Just as he turned something flew past his back, cutting through his shirt and the first few layers of skin. He stared at the arrow that was now in the tree a few feet away and wished severely he knew how to Apparate.
Another whistled through the air and he worked out roughly where it came from as he jumped backwards. He fired a thunderbolt back and then ran towards it, keeping a look out for more.
A very charred vampire was what he found about fifteen metres away and he let a breath out in relief. This was starting to get very irritating. He looked up, his wand following, as he sensed that someone was watching him again. He walked slowly over to the bench he was fond of sitting at and pretended to move as if to sit.
Instead his hand flashed out and closed upon what was obviously someone under an invisibility cloak. He wrenched it off and took a step back. His eyes widened and then narrowed suspiciously. "Harry?"
"Er, um, hi." The brunette smiled weakly and then slumped a little.
"Why are you trying to kill me?"
To Be Continued.
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.
.
.
.
Blood & Nails.
.
Part Twenty-Two. Heart Of Shadow.
Draco shuffled along slowly still thinking of all the things that had happened lately. He was beginning to wish he hadn't woken up at all that morning, memory or no memory. This whole serial killer out to get him and his Harry was wearing thin and he wasn't too sure how long his patience was going to hold out.
The appeal of using slightly unorthodox measures was becoming very tempting. Of course it would send him straight back to Azkaban and for good reason, but he wasn't really worried about that anymore. He spent most nights dreaming of the cold feeling from the Dementors as it was so his mind rationalised that it wouldn't really be that much different. He was starting to feel like he was already in prison, all this sitting back and doing nothing. It went against his nature completely.
"You love him."
"You're off your bloody rocker."
Draco took a deep breath and forced himself to take in his surroundings instead. Even though, with his lack of memory, that conversation had only taken place a few months ago for him, he had already trained himself to not think about it. That was still rated Number One on the 'Worse Experiences' list. Not even waking up to find he was under order of execution for multiple murders had topped it.
He hated to think that maybe something between his memory breaks could actually beat it so he put all of it from his mind and returned his attention to the problem at hand. He focussed in on the idea of Mortel and kept a very careful look out, in case that strange feeling of being watched started up again.
By now he could only think of one person who would trail behind him and it was pretty much a given that the person didn't wish him well. He was no longer convinced it was his paranoia as Morgan had tried to convince him.
He walked slowly through the park searching and scanning. He had decided the Mortel thing had gone on for far too long. Take over his body, nearly get him killed on more than one occasion, hack up the young and the elderly of London and blame it on him, that's all fine. But covering Harry in blood had taken it just that little bit too far in his mind.
So, he rationalised, if Mortel only came out to hunt when Draco walked the streets, he would walk the streets, bring the fucker out and freeze him, so they could extract Mortel from whoever he was hiding in now.
It wasn't much of a plan but Draco decided that in the end it got the job done. This was not the time for messing around, the time to attack was now.
He turned his head slightly to the left as a soft sound reached his ears. His eyes flicked over, he couldn't see anything, but he knew something was going on. They jumped out so quietly and abruptly, Draco barely had time to dodge the sword and duck, as the sound of a gunshot seemed to boom in his ears. He kicked the gun away before it was fired a second time and straightened to face his attackers.
It took him less than a second to summarise that they were vampires and took another step back as the sword was swung at his throat. Only hired vamps moved in small groups so Draco worked out rather quickly he was in trouble. After some almost fatal scuffling he managed to get the sword and, working on pure instinct by this point, killed the one who had been holding it.
The severed head hadn't even hit the ground by the time Draco had done the half turn to defend himself against the remaining vampire. He almost slipped over in his hurry but stayed up and then levelled his wand at his attacker.
The vampire approximated his chances of getting to him and then scowled in defeat.
"Good evening." Draco said quietly. "So, you and your friend here decided to kill me twice over because?"
The vampire didn't answer so Draco threw the sword to go through its stomach, pinning it to the tree behind. It didn't flinch but it didn't look happy either.
"Let's cut to it shall we? Who hired you?"
Obstinate silence and Draco inwardly sighed, knowing that his odds of getting any information were in the 'microscopic to none' range. He really hated the pride most of the undead seemed to insist upon upholding. "Fine so you won't tell me. Thanks for nothing." He muttered something under his breath and the vampire would have paled if it could. It only closed its eyes though.
After the fireball had completed its task Draco walked off, not interested in the sword and continued on with his attempt to find Mortel.
Mortel smiled as the teenager struggled. He found her very entertaining. He raised one of the large nails out of his bag and was about to command it to pin her right hand to the wall when her arm slipped out of his grip and somehow came in contact with his head. He grunted in pain as she ripped some of his hair out.
Surprised, he stared at the blonde strands poking out from her fist. He raised his own hand to his head and rubbed the sore spot. Then he started to laugh, as if it was the most comical thing he had come across in a long time.
"Well, that's showing some spirit. I think I quite like you." He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I like you."
The girl was still struggling and flailing her free hand every which way so he wiped her mind and stepped back, taking off the spells on her eyes and ears. She blinked a few times and then looked around in confusion.
"Are you okay?" He asked gently.
She looked around again and nodded still clearly confused.
"You'd better get home, the streets aren't safe at night. Run along." He nudged her gently and she obediently started to walk.
She looked back and gave a thin smile. "Um, thanks." She stammered out and he waved.
"Run home, little one." He waited until she was out of hearing. "And you're welcome."
That's when it occurred to him. It finally felt like the right time to right a few wrongs that had been going on lately. It was time for him to go and really shake the foundations of Harry's supposedly happy life.
He started to whistle as he headed for the other side of town. It was such a nice night he decided to walk towards his destiny, rather than just Apparate. It would give him time to look forward to the look on the blonde's face. "It's about time Draco and I had a little chat. Yes, definitely. This silly little game has run its course."
He smiled to himself as he turned down into a shortcut. After all, he had been waiting for this for what felt like forever, no need to really drag it out. He could build enough anticipation to truly enjoy it.
Draco threw his cigarette away and leant back to look up at the stars. He had given up trying to lure Mortel out and had gone to his usual lookout for some down time. He had a lot to think about.
The one thing that was really nagging at him right now was why Mortel would suddenly hire someone to kill him instead of just doing it for himself. It seemed out of place, clashing with the psycho's style, what little there was, and it confused the hell out of Draco.
He couldn't even just put it down to the very common 'He's a lunatic, that's why' theory as it didn't feel right. It was all very strange to him.
He looked back down as a sound distracted him and he sighed. "Great, more bloody vamps." He muttered as he stood up.
But the people who came out of the shadows certainly didn't give off the undead vibe. Or the undead smell. Draco watched closely as they walked towards him and he managed to catch a glimpse of one of their faces. He was glad his wand was already out and sent a warning fireball, which just happened to sideswipe the one on the left end of the line. They stopped and raised their heads so he could see them all.
Some he knew some he didn't but it was enough to tell him who and what they were. "I was under the impression the remaining Death Eaters were on the run across mainland Europe." He lifted his head higher and gave them one of his sneers.
"We were." One spoke. "But then we heard someone was out to kill you."
"Awww, how sweet, you've come to defend me." Draco spat sarcastically. He evaluated if he stood a chance in an all out fight and decided he didn't. His hand slipped to his pocket for his portkey. "How did you find me here?"
"We were ... helped."
Draco wasn't stupid and he knew that more would be creeping up behind him and these were just the ones sent to distract him. He was very grateful that they obviously wanted to torture him for awhile first, or he would have been dead already. "Well, it's been a blast seeing you guys again, but I really must go." His hands clasped around his portkey as they realised what he was doing. The last thing he saw were the wands raising before he landed back in the park.
"Well." He looked around. "I think it's time to go home. Yes, definitely time to go." He took a few calming breaths and waited for his heart to return to normal. Just as he turned something flew past his back, cutting through his shirt and the first few layers of skin. He stared at the arrow that was now in the tree a few feet away and wished severely he knew how to Apparate.
Another whistled through the air and he worked out roughly where it came from as he jumped backwards. He fired a thunderbolt back and then ran towards it, keeping a look out for more.
A very charred vampire was what he found about fifteen metres away and he let a breath out in relief. This was starting to get very irritating. He looked up, his wand following, as he sensed that someone was watching him again. He walked slowly over to the bench he was fond of sitting at and pretended to move as if to sit.
Instead his hand flashed out and closed upon what was obviously someone under an invisibility cloak. He wrenched it off and took a step back. His eyes widened and then narrowed suspiciously. "Harry?"
"Er, um, hi." The brunette smiled weakly and then slumped a little.
"Why are you trying to kill me?"
To Be Continued.