Chapter Eight
---"A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is, until she's in hot water."-Elanor Roosevelt--
Lucius led me out of the room. He was confronted by Fudge's cool stare.
"I am finished with her," drawled Lucius.
"Oh, good. I'll just fetch Madam Bones, then, shall I?"
"Yes, if you would be so kind."
Fudge bustled out of the room, closing the door behind him with a snap. I leant against the wall, trying to look nonchalant and casual. Lucius smirked, keeping his eyes on the doorway. Ron and Harry were speaking in hurried whispers, while Hermione stood by and watched.
The door opened, and a woman stepped in. She wore heavy robes and thick glasses that slid down the bridge of her nose. I was sure that this was the Madam Bones Fudge had been speaking of. Madam Bones nodded to Lucius, as Fudge followed her inside.
"Well," she said, "Miss Stevens?"
I stepped forward, extending my hand to shake. "Hello. Madam Bones, I presume?"
She took my hand, shaking it firmly. "Yes, yes. Now, let us not waste time chattering. If we're to wrap this up, we must begin immediately. If you will," she waved a hand at the door leading to the interrogation room.
I headed inside, and was surprised to find that the room had changed. There were three soft chairs, a small wooden chair in the corner, and a table sat in the middle of the room. Behind the table were three chairs--one each for Madam Bones, Lucius Malfoy, and the Minister. I sat in the cushioned chair positioned in-between the other two. Ron followed, sitting on my left, while Hermione chose to sit on my right. They exchanged nervous glances, as the three adults filed into the room and took their seats. Harry was left to sit in the last remaining seat, which was located in a corner of the room.
"Now, you are Nicole Anne Stevens, is that correct?" Madam Bones asked.
"Yes, I am."
"And you currently reside at the house in Godric's Hollow, am I right?"
"When I'm not attending school, I live in Godric's Hollow, yes," I replied.
"Were you present at your home, Godric's Hollow, on September 6th?" she questioned, as Lucius glared coldly at me.
"No, I was not. I was at school, at Hogwarts."
"If I may interrupt," interjected Lucius. "The evidence all suggests that she was present at Godric's Hollow on the 6th. Surely, Madam Bones, you are aware of this. I do think I gave you a copy of my findings, did I not?"
She nodded, "Lucius, I am well aware of what the evidence suggests. I, however, would like to hear Miss Stevens' account of what happened. Unless, of course, your evidence speaks, in which case I would be very eager to hear what it has to say."
Lucius looked stunned, but he quickly hid it and resumed to glaring at the walls.
"Did anyone see you at Hogwarts on that day?"
"Yes. Several people saw me. The teachers also could verify my presence at school, but as they are busy teaching classes, Professor Dumbledore saw it fit for me to bring two of my fellow classmates who happened to remember that I was at school."
"I'll get to that in a moment," she said. "Do you remember exactly what you were doing on the sixth?"
"Well...I woke up, dressed, ate breakfast with my friends, as usual. I had a fair amount of homework, so I went to the library to work on it. It's my final year at Hogwarts, and I need all my credits. To get them, I have to work well on all of my homework. So I did homework for most of the day."
"And at around what time did you awake?"
"Eight-ish," I answered.
"What time did you head up to bed?"
"Around midnight."
Madam bones nodded, jotting down a couple of notes. "You say several people saw you at school?"
"Yes."
"And their names are?"
I thought for a moment, "Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley...I'm sure there are more, but I doubt you want the names of half the seventh years in Hogwarts."
Fudge tapped Madam Bones on the shoulder, whispering hurriedly in her ear. She shook her head, murmured something, and wrote another note.
"May I begin?" Lucius questioned.
Madam Bones waved a hand dismissively, and Lucius stood. "Miss Stevens, what size and label shoe are you wearing right now?"
I glanced at my feet. "Size seven, Hypatian Witchwear."
"What labels do you usually wear?"
"Hypatian Witchwear, Nike, TeenWitch, Highlights, Malkin's Boots...just to name a few."
"And you are aware, of course, that the muddy footprints leading inside your house were size seven, TeenWitch shoes?"
"Yes, I believe you mentioned that once already today."
Madam Bones struggled to hide a grin.
"I was sure I had. Now, there was also a fair amount of blood on the ground where, I believe, Andrew and Lydia Stevens were taken from. The blood, as I'm sure you remember, is from an unidentifiable sixteen year old girl. How old were you in September?"
"I was sixteen. My birthday is on the 31st of this month."
"So, the person who kidnapped your parents was a sixteen year old girl who was wearing size seven TeenWitch shoes. That's a pretty long list of coincidendes, I'm sure you'll agree."
"Wait," I said quickly. "You said there was a lot of mud on the shoes--didn't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, on the 6th it wasn't raining. It hadn't rained for a few days. At my house we don't have a watering system--as it rains so often. But the ground out there dries quickly. There wouldn't have been mud on anyone shoes--not unless the had deliberately wet the ground to get mud on their shoes. Which would be a stupid idea, unless, of course, they wanted to be caught. If I had done something like that, I would want to be caught. My whole issue with this is that I didn't do it, and whoever did do it obviously wanted me to be blamed for it."
Madam Bones stared at me incredulously. Turning to Lucius, she said, "She has a point, Lucius. There was no rain anytime near the 6th."
"That's--"
"Why don't we give her Veritaserum?" Madam Bones suggested. "It's not a fool-proof method of testing, but I know of no underage witch or wizards who has managed to lie after taking Veritaserum."
Lucius turned a nasty shade of puce, but agreed nonetheless. Fudge offered to go get a vial of the Veritaserum from the supply cabinet, and I was left to look inquiringly at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Hermione," I whispered, "what's Veritaserum?"
"Truth potion," she answered shortly.
"Why do I have to take it?"
"I don't know. I was under the impression that Veritaserum was only used in adult cases, but perhaps I was mistaken. Anyways, it will prove your innocence once and for all, and then we can get back to school. Maybe we won't have missed too much of Charms."
Ron leaned forward, glaring at her. "How can you talk like that? The reason we're here is more important than classes. We're here to help Nicole in whatever way we can. And...well, taking Charms won't help her anymore than beating Lucius Malfoy over the head with a stick. Actually," he paused, tilting his head to the side. "Never mind. Beating Malfoy over the head with a stick would be a good idea. Anybody got a stick?"
Lucius inclined his head, obviously hoping to overhear our conversation.
"Well, Ron, you know you need more credits than you have if you're going to pass this year. Honestly, it's as if you just don't care at all. The only important thing is helping Nicole. Don't you remember--I'm your girlfriend. I matter more. But, then again, you were never very supportive of me when I needed it."
Ron was indignant, "Excuse me, Hermione, but you're not the one standing trial for kidnapping your parents. I don't think you need very much support. Unless you want me to support you while you have an attitude adjustment, and then I'd do it. Until that's the case, I'm not helping."
She shrugged, not making eye contact. I looked over my shoulder at Harry. He was staring at Lucius Malfoy with loathing, and Lucius was staring right back. When Harry saw me looking at him, he raised his eyebrows at me.
"Come here," I said. "I need to talk to you."
He stood and came to stand behind my chair. "Yeah? What's up, Nicole?"
"Well, Ron and Hermione had an East Ender's moment, and I need someone to talk to. Fudge said they're going to give me Veritaserum. Hermione said that was the truth potion. I know it'll prove my innocence, but how will it prove it?"
"You'll take it, and then they'll ask you a few questions."
"What do you think they'll ask?"
"Probably things like: 'were you at your house on the sixth?' and 'did you do it?'. I don't know for sure. We should just sit back and wait. After all, your innocent, so what does it matter? They could ask you if you hid your parents in the boys locker rooms at Hogwarts, and it wouldn't matter. Because you didn't kidnap your parents, you didn't murder them, and they certainly aren't shoved in the locker rooms at Hogwarts."
"Okay," I replied. "Thanks, Harry. You can go back to glaring at Lucius now."
He smiled at me and returned to his seat, just as Fudge entered the room. He handed the chrystal vial to Madam Bones, and she shook it.
"All right, Miss Stevens," Madam Bones said. She came to me and I opened my mouth obediently. The liquid poured inside my mouth, and I struggled to swallow it. It burned the roof of my mouth, and seared my throat as it went down. I felt a churning in my stomach, and a voice in my head said, Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies. My body slammed into the back of my chair, and I felt myself pass into unconsciousness.
Where were you on the sixth of September?
'I was at school,' I thought sleepily.
Have you been home since school began?
'No.'
Did you have someone go home for you, to kidnap or murder your parents?
'No.'
Did you kidnap your parents?
'No.'
Did you injure or murder your parents?
'No.'
Someone was shaking me. I opened my eyes, and found that Madam Bones was smiling at me. Fudge looked at me, and nodded. But Lucius was livid. His cheeks were a dark pink, and he glared at me. Harry pulled me up from my chair, embracing me.
"Well, then. I think that is it. Thank you, Miss Stevens, for being so polite and cooperative. You have very good friends--hold on to them. Now, Fudge, don't we have another trial soon?"
"Ah, too right we do," he replied. "Now, Lucius, I do think this girl deserves an apology for the mistake."
Lucius' cheeks turned even darker as he said, "I regret the mistake. The Ministry sincerely apologises for endangering your reputation."
He turned and exited. Madam Bones and Fudge took us out, and left us with Riant. He seemed happy to see me again. Apparently, they had been making bets on how long it would be before Lucius ripped me to shreds.
Well, I was betting I didn't have long to wait.
-----
I basked in the midafternoon sunlight, lounging against a tree. One either side of me sat the two people I loved most.
"Potter, like I've been telling you for the past hour, if you want to tame that hair you need a gel. I don't use gel anymore, it dried out my scalp too much. But I think if you used it, it might not do the same to you, as your hair is kind of rugged."
"You're sure about that? I didn't think to use gel...I'm not really critical of how I look, so I just assumed leaving it was fine."
"No, Potter, leaving it is not fine as you so eloquently put it. You have to do something about that matt of hair." I looked at either of them, laughing. "What?"
"You're talking about hair products, when usually you wouldn't even speak to each other. I should be the one asking 'what.'"
Harry smiled, taking my hand, "Well, what do you think about my hair?"
"It's black," I replied. "It's unmanageable. It looks like you've been standing out on the Quidditch Pitch for half an hour without a hat."
"And?"
"I like it."
"So you like his hair, but you don't like mine?" asked Draco, offended. His hair curled in pale golden loops at the nape of his neck.
"Your hair is perfect, Draco, and it always has been. Now can you possibly think of anything interesting to talk about, because if you can't I'm going."
"Er..." Both boys looked at each other.
"I'm going now," I stood. "This is just pathetic."
Draco rose too, but Harry just shrugged and waved at him to follow me if he wanted. I headed toward the Quidditch Pitch, as Draco ran to catch up. I stopped, waiting for him. He caught me up and we walked side by side.
"So, you out-thought my father, did you?"
"Yeah. He obviously hadn't thought it all the way through. I was lucky. I was really lucky."
"And you noticed that...when? You've always been lucky," he said, "you've just failed to acknowledge it."
"All right, tell me why I was lucky."
He made a disbelieving noise. "You've escaped from the Dark Lord at least twice. You have the picture-perfect family situation, minus the fact that my father kidnapped them. Oh, and you also have the perfect boyfriend."
"And you, right? I've got you, which makes me lucky. Admit it--you were about to say that."
Draco stared at the ground, "So what?"
"I pity you. You can't even hide your emotions."
"You know, that's your fault. Before you came I could," he announced, meeting my eyes. "You've burrowed into my head, so now I can't get you out. I can keep what I feel secret from everyone, except you."
I laughed harshly, "Oh, that just screams pity-me-Nicole."
"Damn it, girl," he said angrily. "It's your fault, and you're laughing at me because of it. How dare you? I have half a mind to just leave right now and--"
"Throw a tantrum?"
"I hate you," he stated in a bland voice.
"Of course you do. The only problem is, you see, that I don't hate you, and you know it. So why don't you just get over it? You're giving me a headache."
He stopped, glaring at me, and then turned around and headed back to the school. Sighing, I ran to stop him. I stepped in front of him, saying, "Okay, you win. I won't laugh at you. I'm sorry. I was just...joking."
"You just don't get it, do you? I want to hate you. I want it badly. But you're everywhere I turn. I can't stop loving you, even though I want to hate you with as much passion as I love you. Except...I just can't."
"You're sure this is me we're talking about?"
"Yes, I'm sure," he growled. "Now may I go back to trying vainly to hate you?"
"No."
"Ugh," he pushed me out of the way and continued up to the castle. He left me standing, staring after him as he stomped angrily up the steps and went inside.
---
At dinner, Lucius Malfoy was the most popular topic for discussion. The students chatted endlessly about his trying me for kidnapping. Draco left the Great Hall early. I made my excuses and followed after him. He was heading into the Prefects' Room, so I ran to catch him up. But he was gone through the door already.
Glancing around to make sure I was unseen, I pushed open the door and stepped inside. There was a long hallway that led to a large room. I walked quietly down the hall, and paused when I heard voices.
"It didn't work, Pansy. Get over it. He'll come up with another plan, like always."
"But--what if they go back and do some research on the crime scene, or whatever? They'll find out that it was my blood, and my shoes, and that I helped with the kidnapping! Oh, I should never have agreed."
"Oh, excuse me? So you're saying you'd rather die than help kidnap them? Well, personally, I'd take the kidnapping any day. But if--"
"Shut it, Draco. Tell your father the deal's off. I'm not helping him with any more of these stupid plans. She always finds some way to worm out of it."
"I won't tell him a god damn thing. You tell him if you're so determined to. I'm not going to endanger my life for yours. I wouldn't do that for anyone, you most of all."
Pansy made a rude noise. "You'd do it for her. You know it. You've fallen in love with her again. I thought you said you were over it--over her. I'm beginning to think you're terminally ill. No one will believe me when I tell them you've been snogging the--"
"Pansy," Draco spoke only her name, but it was in such a voice that she stopped immediately. "If you tell anyone that, I'll kill you. No, I'll torture you first, and then I'll strangle you to death. She's just a girl. And I haven't been snogging her. You misinterpret everything. She has no power over me."
"Except that you love her."
"Pansy."
"Draco, just admit it already. You're in love. I can see it in your eyes, I can tell it in the way you move, the way you smile when you're around her is totally different from usual. It's so obvious, even Potter knows it. He doesn't like it, but he's willing to put up with it so long as nothing happens between you two."
He slapped her, and she fell to the floor.
"Don't talk about what you don't understand, Parkinson."
I glanced around the corner, and saw her glaring at him from the floor. Her lip was bleeding slightly. He stood over her, scowling dangerously.
"The girl!" Pansy shouted. Draco spun around, catching sight of me. I ducked back into the hall and ran down the hall. He followed me, his long legs carrying him further faster. Catching me around the waist, he pulled me back down the hall. I kicked him, hard, and he groaned. Pansy grabbed my arms and yanked on my hair.
"Ouch!" I said.
"Pansy," said Draco warningly. "Don't make this worse than it is already." He pushed me onto the table in the centre of the room, and held me there by the waist. I punched him in the stomach. "Ugh," he groaned. "Pansy, get out. I'll deal with Miss Stevens on my own."
She nodded and headed out. Draco pulled me off the table and shoved me against the wall.
"I hate you," I whispered venemously. "You're evil, you're stupid, and you're mean. I hate you. You're just like your father."
He pulled me from the wall just enough to slam me back into it. "Shut up, Nicole. You don't know anything. You don't know anything about anything and you sure as hell know nothing about me."
"Whatever," I hissed. "Maybe I don't know anything about you. So what? Now let go of me." I struggled against his hold. He pressed me against the wall, bending down so close to my face that there was barely a centimetre between us.
"Tell me why you followed me in here. Why?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"But you followed me? I never--you shouldn't have come inside. You're not allowed, and you know it. I swear, you're entirely dense."
"I'm not dense, you're just stubborn and pigheaded. Let me go."
He closed the space between us and lightly kissed my lips. I gasped, pulling back into the wall, but I couldn't wriggle out of his grip. Draco pressed his advantage, moving his hand up to my face and snaking his arm around my waist. I let my eyes close and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pressed me against the wall, uttering a soft moan into my mouth.
"I'm sorry," he said softly after pulling away. "I'm sorry I said...but it's just...you know you act like you hate me sometimes. You make me feel like you just don't care, like you're constantly laughing at me. I can't stand it." He ran his thumb along my jaw, his breath soft on my face. Bringing me back to him, Draco kissed me with a furious passion and urgency. He pushed me hard into the wall, almost lifting me off my feet.
"Do you hate me?" he whispered. "I--"
"No. No, I don't hate you. I love you, really I do."
"Y-you love....me?"
"But," I said slowly, "right now, I just love Harry more. I'm sorry that I've made your life hell, I'm sorry I've made you weak. It's just...I didn't mean to. I've got to go." Pushing him away, I ran from the Prefects' Room and up to my dormitory. Falling onto my bed, I cleared my mind as best I could, and fell asleep.
*~*~Dream~*~*
Draco sat on his bed, ruffling his hair with his hands. I stood, leaning against the door. He smiled at me; a warm, caring smile. I watched him as he rose, making his way towards me. Without knowing what I was doing, I walked towards him and met him in the centre of the room.
Taking my hands, he pulled me closer.
"You came..." he whispered hoarsely.
"Of course I did," I replied, even though I hadn't meant to speak at all. My voice sounded velvety and completely unlike mine.
"I love you so much," he said, kissing my cheeks and then my forehead. "Do you love me?"
"I love you more than I thought was ever possible," my voice said. Had I just said that? Then I realised that it was Draco's dream. Whatever his mind wanted me to do, I would do, whether or not I wanted to. Draco grinned, tilting my chin up and kissing me.
He led me to the bed, pushing me onto it and straddling my waist. I reached up, playfully trying to push him off. Draco laughed softly, holding my wrists with one hand and caressing my face and neck with the other.
"This can't be real," he breathed.
It's not, I wanted to say. But my dream-self only said, "It's real, Draco. It's so real. You're too good for it to be a dream."
He smiled, his hand travelling down my cheek, down my throat, across my shoulder, and then down my side.
"I've wanted this so much, for so long...but you've never--you've never let me get this close. Why wouldn't you let me?"
"I loved you too much. I was afraid."
"Do I make you nervous? Frightened?"
My dream-self nodded fervently, "You always have."
"So..." he leant down and kissed my throat, where my pulse was pounding a violent tatoo against my skin. He let his other hand wander down my body, finally stopping at my waist. I pulled him down, our lips meeting. "This is a dream," he moaned after coming up for breath. "This isn't real. You'd never..."
You're right, Draco. This isn't real. Get off me, I though viciously. However, Draco's subconcious was determined to satisfy his wants. "No, Draco. This is real."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
*~*~*~*
I woke up, breathing harshly. Mentally shaking myself, I pulled a robe on. He was dreaming about me. But he had woken up suddenly, and I had a creeping suspicion that he was going outside.
I ran down the stairs and threw myself out the portrait hole. My feet hit the stone floor with resounding thuds. I heard the front door close softly, and I continued my pursuit.
Once I was out in the cold night air, I took a moment to find him. He was already half way to the lake. Running to him, I was surprised when he suddenly collapsed against a tree by the lake. When I was only a short distance from him, I called, "Draco!" He looked up, before returning his gaze to the floor. His cheeks were a pale pink colour. A blush.
"Go away," he muttered. When I made no move, he repeated it.
"No. Draco, we have to talk. Tell me about this thing your father wants. The Corianthianum. What is it? Who made it? What does it do? And after that, tell me why I'm having your dreams."
"Oh, gods and goddesses, you saw?"
"Yes, I saw. I was in my body, and I had no control over what I did or said."
He groaned, "No..."
"Yes," I yanked his wrist, "now tell me what I want to know, or I'll give you a verbal beating."
"The Corianthianum? It's an Opticilym made by Salazar Slytherin when he was alive. It does lots of things. It intercepts dreams of people who are close to the wearer. It also controls or destroys people."
"Oh."
"Now about the dream--"
"No, no...tell me what they plan to do with it."
"They're going to kill Potter, I thought you knew that by now."
I nodded, saying, "I did know, it's just...I had to hear it for myself. So...what're we going to do?"
"Now it's 'we' is it?"
"Draco, you know you and I have always been a 'we,' so stop being stupid. You're going to help me...I can't tell Harry what's going on, so could you? It--" I broke off. Draco was staring at me with a look that resembled bewilderment. I frowned at him. "That's a really odd expression." He kept staring at me. "Okay, now you're just frightening me."
Draco took my hands in his, looking straight into my eyes. I could feel something stirring in my chest, and my instincts said to pull away. But another part of me didn't want to go. He was staring at me curiously.
"Draco, you--"
"Shh," he whispered, stroking my cheek. He ran his thumb across my lips, and I closed my eyes. Colours flashed in my head: red, blue, green. Draco pulled me closer and kissed me gently. "I'm sorry. I can't help you. This whole thing...it's one big mess. I can't do it, not again. I'd be endangering everything I love."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
"Like what?"
He fell silent, wrapping his arms securely around my waist. I locked my arms behind his neck and rested my head against his shoulder. He kissed my cheek, saying, "Like you. I can't be the cause for your harm."
"I'm in harm's way no matter what you try to do. Just," I looked up at him, "please, do what I ask."
"But I love you--I can't...I can't let you be hurt."
"Love is full of hurting, Draco. You can't help it if I get hurt along the way. I'm asking you to do this for me, because I love him. I love Harry, and if he's hurt, I'll be hurt worse. It's not that I don't love--"
"Don't say it. Don't make this harder for me. Tell me you hate me."
I shook my head, saying, "Why? No, never mind. I wouldn't do it even if you had a reason."
He kissed my forehead. "Say you hate me and let me go."
"What if I don't want to?"
"What if I want you to?"
"You don't," I replied.
"I asked you to do it, so obviously I do."
"I hate when you do that," I said.
"That wasn't quite it," Draco admonished. "You hate me."
"No--"
"You hate me," he said.
"But--"
"I hate you," he said finally.
"I love you."
"That's the opposite of what I wanted you to say," he groaned.
"Draco Malfoy, I love you."
"Shut up."
"Make me," I quipped.
He shoved me back, turning and walking away. For the second time that day, I was left staring after him, more confused than I had been before.
---"A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is, until she's in hot water."-Elanor Roosevelt--
Lucius led me out of the room. He was confronted by Fudge's cool stare.
"I am finished with her," drawled Lucius.
"Oh, good. I'll just fetch Madam Bones, then, shall I?"
"Yes, if you would be so kind."
Fudge bustled out of the room, closing the door behind him with a snap. I leant against the wall, trying to look nonchalant and casual. Lucius smirked, keeping his eyes on the doorway. Ron and Harry were speaking in hurried whispers, while Hermione stood by and watched.
The door opened, and a woman stepped in. She wore heavy robes and thick glasses that slid down the bridge of her nose. I was sure that this was the Madam Bones Fudge had been speaking of. Madam Bones nodded to Lucius, as Fudge followed her inside.
"Well," she said, "Miss Stevens?"
I stepped forward, extending my hand to shake. "Hello. Madam Bones, I presume?"
She took my hand, shaking it firmly. "Yes, yes. Now, let us not waste time chattering. If we're to wrap this up, we must begin immediately. If you will," she waved a hand at the door leading to the interrogation room.
I headed inside, and was surprised to find that the room had changed. There were three soft chairs, a small wooden chair in the corner, and a table sat in the middle of the room. Behind the table were three chairs--one each for Madam Bones, Lucius Malfoy, and the Minister. I sat in the cushioned chair positioned in-between the other two. Ron followed, sitting on my left, while Hermione chose to sit on my right. They exchanged nervous glances, as the three adults filed into the room and took their seats. Harry was left to sit in the last remaining seat, which was located in a corner of the room.
"Now, you are Nicole Anne Stevens, is that correct?" Madam Bones asked.
"Yes, I am."
"And you currently reside at the house in Godric's Hollow, am I right?"
"When I'm not attending school, I live in Godric's Hollow, yes," I replied.
"Were you present at your home, Godric's Hollow, on September 6th?" she questioned, as Lucius glared coldly at me.
"No, I was not. I was at school, at Hogwarts."
"If I may interrupt," interjected Lucius. "The evidence all suggests that she was present at Godric's Hollow on the 6th. Surely, Madam Bones, you are aware of this. I do think I gave you a copy of my findings, did I not?"
She nodded, "Lucius, I am well aware of what the evidence suggests. I, however, would like to hear Miss Stevens' account of what happened. Unless, of course, your evidence speaks, in which case I would be very eager to hear what it has to say."
Lucius looked stunned, but he quickly hid it and resumed to glaring at the walls.
"Did anyone see you at Hogwarts on that day?"
"Yes. Several people saw me. The teachers also could verify my presence at school, but as they are busy teaching classes, Professor Dumbledore saw it fit for me to bring two of my fellow classmates who happened to remember that I was at school."
"I'll get to that in a moment," she said. "Do you remember exactly what you were doing on the sixth?"
"Well...I woke up, dressed, ate breakfast with my friends, as usual. I had a fair amount of homework, so I went to the library to work on it. It's my final year at Hogwarts, and I need all my credits. To get them, I have to work well on all of my homework. So I did homework for most of the day."
"And at around what time did you awake?"
"Eight-ish," I answered.
"What time did you head up to bed?"
"Around midnight."
Madam bones nodded, jotting down a couple of notes. "You say several people saw you at school?"
"Yes."
"And their names are?"
I thought for a moment, "Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley...I'm sure there are more, but I doubt you want the names of half the seventh years in Hogwarts."
Fudge tapped Madam Bones on the shoulder, whispering hurriedly in her ear. She shook her head, murmured something, and wrote another note.
"May I begin?" Lucius questioned.
Madam Bones waved a hand dismissively, and Lucius stood. "Miss Stevens, what size and label shoe are you wearing right now?"
I glanced at my feet. "Size seven, Hypatian Witchwear."
"What labels do you usually wear?"
"Hypatian Witchwear, Nike, TeenWitch, Highlights, Malkin's Boots...just to name a few."
"And you are aware, of course, that the muddy footprints leading inside your house were size seven, TeenWitch shoes?"
"Yes, I believe you mentioned that once already today."
Madam Bones struggled to hide a grin.
"I was sure I had. Now, there was also a fair amount of blood on the ground where, I believe, Andrew and Lydia Stevens were taken from. The blood, as I'm sure you remember, is from an unidentifiable sixteen year old girl. How old were you in September?"
"I was sixteen. My birthday is on the 31st of this month."
"So, the person who kidnapped your parents was a sixteen year old girl who was wearing size seven TeenWitch shoes. That's a pretty long list of coincidendes, I'm sure you'll agree."
"Wait," I said quickly. "You said there was a lot of mud on the shoes--didn't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, on the 6th it wasn't raining. It hadn't rained for a few days. At my house we don't have a watering system--as it rains so often. But the ground out there dries quickly. There wouldn't have been mud on anyone shoes--not unless the had deliberately wet the ground to get mud on their shoes. Which would be a stupid idea, unless, of course, they wanted to be caught. If I had done something like that, I would want to be caught. My whole issue with this is that I didn't do it, and whoever did do it obviously wanted me to be blamed for it."
Madam Bones stared at me incredulously. Turning to Lucius, she said, "She has a point, Lucius. There was no rain anytime near the 6th."
"That's--"
"Why don't we give her Veritaserum?" Madam Bones suggested. "It's not a fool-proof method of testing, but I know of no underage witch or wizards who has managed to lie after taking Veritaserum."
Lucius turned a nasty shade of puce, but agreed nonetheless. Fudge offered to go get a vial of the Veritaserum from the supply cabinet, and I was left to look inquiringly at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Hermione," I whispered, "what's Veritaserum?"
"Truth potion," she answered shortly.
"Why do I have to take it?"
"I don't know. I was under the impression that Veritaserum was only used in adult cases, but perhaps I was mistaken. Anyways, it will prove your innocence once and for all, and then we can get back to school. Maybe we won't have missed too much of Charms."
Ron leaned forward, glaring at her. "How can you talk like that? The reason we're here is more important than classes. We're here to help Nicole in whatever way we can. And...well, taking Charms won't help her anymore than beating Lucius Malfoy over the head with a stick. Actually," he paused, tilting his head to the side. "Never mind. Beating Malfoy over the head with a stick would be a good idea. Anybody got a stick?"
Lucius inclined his head, obviously hoping to overhear our conversation.
"Well, Ron, you know you need more credits than you have if you're going to pass this year. Honestly, it's as if you just don't care at all. The only important thing is helping Nicole. Don't you remember--I'm your girlfriend. I matter more. But, then again, you were never very supportive of me when I needed it."
Ron was indignant, "Excuse me, Hermione, but you're not the one standing trial for kidnapping your parents. I don't think you need very much support. Unless you want me to support you while you have an attitude adjustment, and then I'd do it. Until that's the case, I'm not helping."
She shrugged, not making eye contact. I looked over my shoulder at Harry. He was staring at Lucius Malfoy with loathing, and Lucius was staring right back. When Harry saw me looking at him, he raised his eyebrows at me.
"Come here," I said. "I need to talk to you."
He stood and came to stand behind my chair. "Yeah? What's up, Nicole?"
"Well, Ron and Hermione had an East Ender's moment, and I need someone to talk to. Fudge said they're going to give me Veritaserum. Hermione said that was the truth potion. I know it'll prove my innocence, but how will it prove it?"
"You'll take it, and then they'll ask you a few questions."
"What do you think they'll ask?"
"Probably things like: 'were you at your house on the sixth?' and 'did you do it?'. I don't know for sure. We should just sit back and wait. After all, your innocent, so what does it matter? They could ask you if you hid your parents in the boys locker rooms at Hogwarts, and it wouldn't matter. Because you didn't kidnap your parents, you didn't murder them, and they certainly aren't shoved in the locker rooms at Hogwarts."
"Okay," I replied. "Thanks, Harry. You can go back to glaring at Lucius now."
He smiled at me and returned to his seat, just as Fudge entered the room. He handed the chrystal vial to Madam Bones, and she shook it.
"All right, Miss Stevens," Madam Bones said. She came to me and I opened my mouth obediently. The liquid poured inside my mouth, and I struggled to swallow it. It burned the roof of my mouth, and seared my throat as it went down. I felt a churning in my stomach, and a voice in my head said, Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies. My body slammed into the back of my chair, and I felt myself pass into unconsciousness.
Where were you on the sixth of September?
'I was at school,' I thought sleepily.
Have you been home since school began?
'No.'
Did you have someone go home for you, to kidnap or murder your parents?
'No.'
Did you kidnap your parents?
'No.'
Did you injure or murder your parents?
'No.'
Someone was shaking me. I opened my eyes, and found that Madam Bones was smiling at me. Fudge looked at me, and nodded. But Lucius was livid. His cheeks were a dark pink, and he glared at me. Harry pulled me up from my chair, embracing me.
"Well, then. I think that is it. Thank you, Miss Stevens, for being so polite and cooperative. You have very good friends--hold on to them. Now, Fudge, don't we have another trial soon?"
"Ah, too right we do," he replied. "Now, Lucius, I do think this girl deserves an apology for the mistake."
Lucius' cheeks turned even darker as he said, "I regret the mistake. The Ministry sincerely apologises for endangering your reputation."
He turned and exited. Madam Bones and Fudge took us out, and left us with Riant. He seemed happy to see me again. Apparently, they had been making bets on how long it would be before Lucius ripped me to shreds.
Well, I was betting I didn't have long to wait.
-----
I basked in the midafternoon sunlight, lounging against a tree. One either side of me sat the two people I loved most.
"Potter, like I've been telling you for the past hour, if you want to tame that hair you need a gel. I don't use gel anymore, it dried out my scalp too much. But I think if you used it, it might not do the same to you, as your hair is kind of rugged."
"You're sure about that? I didn't think to use gel...I'm not really critical of how I look, so I just assumed leaving it was fine."
"No, Potter, leaving it is not fine as you so eloquently put it. You have to do something about that matt of hair." I looked at either of them, laughing. "What?"
"You're talking about hair products, when usually you wouldn't even speak to each other. I should be the one asking 'what.'"
Harry smiled, taking my hand, "Well, what do you think about my hair?"
"It's black," I replied. "It's unmanageable. It looks like you've been standing out on the Quidditch Pitch for half an hour without a hat."
"And?"
"I like it."
"So you like his hair, but you don't like mine?" asked Draco, offended. His hair curled in pale golden loops at the nape of his neck.
"Your hair is perfect, Draco, and it always has been. Now can you possibly think of anything interesting to talk about, because if you can't I'm going."
"Er..." Both boys looked at each other.
"I'm going now," I stood. "This is just pathetic."
Draco rose too, but Harry just shrugged and waved at him to follow me if he wanted. I headed toward the Quidditch Pitch, as Draco ran to catch up. I stopped, waiting for him. He caught me up and we walked side by side.
"So, you out-thought my father, did you?"
"Yeah. He obviously hadn't thought it all the way through. I was lucky. I was really lucky."
"And you noticed that...when? You've always been lucky," he said, "you've just failed to acknowledge it."
"All right, tell me why I was lucky."
He made a disbelieving noise. "You've escaped from the Dark Lord at least twice. You have the picture-perfect family situation, minus the fact that my father kidnapped them. Oh, and you also have the perfect boyfriend."
"And you, right? I've got you, which makes me lucky. Admit it--you were about to say that."
Draco stared at the ground, "So what?"
"I pity you. You can't even hide your emotions."
"You know, that's your fault. Before you came I could," he announced, meeting my eyes. "You've burrowed into my head, so now I can't get you out. I can keep what I feel secret from everyone, except you."
I laughed harshly, "Oh, that just screams pity-me-Nicole."
"Damn it, girl," he said angrily. "It's your fault, and you're laughing at me because of it. How dare you? I have half a mind to just leave right now and--"
"Throw a tantrum?"
"I hate you," he stated in a bland voice.
"Of course you do. The only problem is, you see, that I don't hate you, and you know it. So why don't you just get over it? You're giving me a headache."
He stopped, glaring at me, and then turned around and headed back to the school. Sighing, I ran to stop him. I stepped in front of him, saying, "Okay, you win. I won't laugh at you. I'm sorry. I was just...joking."
"You just don't get it, do you? I want to hate you. I want it badly. But you're everywhere I turn. I can't stop loving you, even though I want to hate you with as much passion as I love you. Except...I just can't."
"You're sure this is me we're talking about?"
"Yes, I'm sure," he growled. "Now may I go back to trying vainly to hate you?"
"No."
"Ugh," he pushed me out of the way and continued up to the castle. He left me standing, staring after him as he stomped angrily up the steps and went inside.
---
At dinner, Lucius Malfoy was the most popular topic for discussion. The students chatted endlessly about his trying me for kidnapping. Draco left the Great Hall early. I made my excuses and followed after him. He was heading into the Prefects' Room, so I ran to catch him up. But he was gone through the door already.
Glancing around to make sure I was unseen, I pushed open the door and stepped inside. There was a long hallway that led to a large room. I walked quietly down the hall, and paused when I heard voices.
"It didn't work, Pansy. Get over it. He'll come up with another plan, like always."
"But--what if they go back and do some research on the crime scene, or whatever? They'll find out that it was my blood, and my shoes, and that I helped with the kidnapping! Oh, I should never have agreed."
"Oh, excuse me? So you're saying you'd rather die than help kidnap them? Well, personally, I'd take the kidnapping any day. But if--"
"Shut it, Draco. Tell your father the deal's off. I'm not helping him with any more of these stupid plans. She always finds some way to worm out of it."
"I won't tell him a god damn thing. You tell him if you're so determined to. I'm not going to endanger my life for yours. I wouldn't do that for anyone, you most of all."
Pansy made a rude noise. "You'd do it for her. You know it. You've fallen in love with her again. I thought you said you were over it--over her. I'm beginning to think you're terminally ill. No one will believe me when I tell them you've been snogging the--"
"Pansy," Draco spoke only her name, but it was in such a voice that she stopped immediately. "If you tell anyone that, I'll kill you. No, I'll torture you first, and then I'll strangle you to death. She's just a girl. And I haven't been snogging her. You misinterpret everything. She has no power over me."
"Except that you love her."
"Pansy."
"Draco, just admit it already. You're in love. I can see it in your eyes, I can tell it in the way you move, the way you smile when you're around her is totally different from usual. It's so obvious, even Potter knows it. He doesn't like it, but he's willing to put up with it so long as nothing happens between you two."
He slapped her, and she fell to the floor.
"Don't talk about what you don't understand, Parkinson."
I glanced around the corner, and saw her glaring at him from the floor. Her lip was bleeding slightly. He stood over her, scowling dangerously.
"The girl!" Pansy shouted. Draco spun around, catching sight of me. I ducked back into the hall and ran down the hall. He followed me, his long legs carrying him further faster. Catching me around the waist, he pulled me back down the hall. I kicked him, hard, and he groaned. Pansy grabbed my arms and yanked on my hair.
"Ouch!" I said.
"Pansy," said Draco warningly. "Don't make this worse than it is already." He pushed me onto the table in the centre of the room, and held me there by the waist. I punched him in the stomach. "Ugh," he groaned. "Pansy, get out. I'll deal with Miss Stevens on my own."
She nodded and headed out. Draco pulled me off the table and shoved me against the wall.
"I hate you," I whispered venemously. "You're evil, you're stupid, and you're mean. I hate you. You're just like your father."
He pulled me from the wall just enough to slam me back into it. "Shut up, Nicole. You don't know anything. You don't know anything about anything and you sure as hell know nothing about me."
"Whatever," I hissed. "Maybe I don't know anything about you. So what? Now let go of me." I struggled against his hold. He pressed me against the wall, bending down so close to my face that there was barely a centimetre between us.
"Tell me why you followed me in here. Why?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"But you followed me? I never--you shouldn't have come inside. You're not allowed, and you know it. I swear, you're entirely dense."
"I'm not dense, you're just stubborn and pigheaded. Let me go."
He closed the space between us and lightly kissed my lips. I gasped, pulling back into the wall, but I couldn't wriggle out of his grip. Draco pressed his advantage, moving his hand up to my face and snaking his arm around my waist. I let my eyes close and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pressed me against the wall, uttering a soft moan into my mouth.
"I'm sorry," he said softly after pulling away. "I'm sorry I said...but it's just...you know you act like you hate me sometimes. You make me feel like you just don't care, like you're constantly laughing at me. I can't stand it." He ran his thumb along my jaw, his breath soft on my face. Bringing me back to him, Draco kissed me with a furious passion and urgency. He pushed me hard into the wall, almost lifting me off my feet.
"Do you hate me?" he whispered. "I--"
"No. No, I don't hate you. I love you, really I do."
"Y-you love....me?"
"But," I said slowly, "right now, I just love Harry more. I'm sorry that I've made your life hell, I'm sorry I've made you weak. It's just...I didn't mean to. I've got to go." Pushing him away, I ran from the Prefects' Room and up to my dormitory. Falling onto my bed, I cleared my mind as best I could, and fell asleep.
*~*~Dream~*~*
Draco sat on his bed, ruffling his hair with his hands. I stood, leaning against the door. He smiled at me; a warm, caring smile. I watched him as he rose, making his way towards me. Without knowing what I was doing, I walked towards him and met him in the centre of the room.
Taking my hands, he pulled me closer.
"You came..." he whispered hoarsely.
"Of course I did," I replied, even though I hadn't meant to speak at all. My voice sounded velvety and completely unlike mine.
"I love you so much," he said, kissing my cheeks and then my forehead. "Do you love me?"
"I love you more than I thought was ever possible," my voice said. Had I just said that? Then I realised that it was Draco's dream. Whatever his mind wanted me to do, I would do, whether or not I wanted to. Draco grinned, tilting my chin up and kissing me.
He led me to the bed, pushing me onto it and straddling my waist. I reached up, playfully trying to push him off. Draco laughed softly, holding my wrists with one hand and caressing my face and neck with the other.
"This can't be real," he breathed.
It's not, I wanted to say. But my dream-self only said, "It's real, Draco. It's so real. You're too good for it to be a dream."
He smiled, his hand travelling down my cheek, down my throat, across my shoulder, and then down my side.
"I've wanted this so much, for so long...but you've never--you've never let me get this close. Why wouldn't you let me?"
"I loved you too much. I was afraid."
"Do I make you nervous? Frightened?"
My dream-self nodded fervently, "You always have."
"So..." he leant down and kissed my throat, where my pulse was pounding a violent tatoo against my skin. He let his other hand wander down my body, finally stopping at my waist. I pulled him down, our lips meeting. "This is a dream," he moaned after coming up for breath. "This isn't real. You'd never..."
You're right, Draco. This isn't real. Get off me, I though viciously. However, Draco's subconcious was determined to satisfy his wants. "No, Draco. This is real."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
*~*~*~*
I woke up, breathing harshly. Mentally shaking myself, I pulled a robe on. He was dreaming about me. But he had woken up suddenly, and I had a creeping suspicion that he was going outside.
I ran down the stairs and threw myself out the portrait hole. My feet hit the stone floor with resounding thuds. I heard the front door close softly, and I continued my pursuit.
Once I was out in the cold night air, I took a moment to find him. He was already half way to the lake. Running to him, I was surprised when he suddenly collapsed against a tree by the lake. When I was only a short distance from him, I called, "Draco!" He looked up, before returning his gaze to the floor. His cheeks were a pale pink colour. A blush.
"Go away," he muttered. When I made no move, he repeated it.
"No. Draco, we have to talk. Tell me about this thing your father wants. The Corianthianum. What is it? Who made it? What does it do? And after that, tell me why I'm having your dreams."
"Oh, gods and goddesses, you saw?"
"Yes, I saw. I was in my body, and I had no control over what I did or said."
He groaned, "No..."
"Yes," I yanked his wrist, "now tell me what I want to know, or I'll give you a verbal beating."
"The Corianthianum? It's an Opticilym made by Salazar Slytherin when he was alive. It does lots of things. It intercepts dreams of people who are close to the wearer. It also controls or destroys people."
"Oh."
"Now about the dream--"
"No, no...tell me what they plan to do with it."
"They're going to kill Potter, I thought you knew that by now."
I nodded, saying, "I did know, it's just...I had to hear it for myself. So...what're we going to do?"
"Now it's 'we' is it?"
"Draco, you know you and I have always been a 'we,' so stop being stupid. You're going to help me...I can't tell Harry what's going on, so could you? It--" I broke off. Draco was staring at me with a look that resembled bewilderment. I frowned at him. "That's a really odd expression." He kept staring at me. "Okay, now you're just frightening me."
Draco took my hands in his, looking straight into my eyes. I could feel something stirring in my chest, and my instincts said to pull away. But another part of me didn't want to go. He was staring at me curiously.
"Draco, you--"
"Shh," he whispered, stroking my cheek. He ran his thumb across my lips, and I closed my eyes. Colours flashed in my head: red, blue, green. Draco pulled me closer and kissed me gently. "I'm sorry. I can't help you. This whole thing...it's one big mess. I can't do it, not again. I'd be endangering everything I love."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
"Like what?"
He fell silent, wrapping his arms securely around my waist. I locked my arms behind his neck and rested my head against his shoulder. He kissed my cheek, saying, "Like you. I can't be the cause for your harm."
"I'm in harm's way no matter what you try to do. Just," I looked up at him, "please, do what I ask."
"But I love you--I can't...I can't let you be hurt."
"Love is full of hurting, Draco. You can't help it if I get hurt along the way. I'm asking you to do this for me, because I love him. I love Harry, and if he's hurt, I'll be hurt worse. It's not that I don't love--"
"Don't say it. Don't make this harder for me. Tell me you hate me."
I shook my head, saying, "Why? No, never mind. I wouldn't do it even if you had a reason."
He kissed my forehead. "Say you hate me and let me go."
"What if I don't want to?"
"What if I want you to?"
"You don't," I replied.
"I asked you to do it, so obviously I do."
"I hate when you do that," I said.
"That wasn't quite it," Draco admonished. "You hate me."
"No--"
"You hate me," he said.
"But--"
"I hate you," he said finally.
"I love you."
"That's the opposite of what I wanted you to say," he groaned.
"Draco Malfoy, I love you."
"Shut up."
"Make me," I quipped.
He shoved me back, turning and walking away. For the second time that day, I was left staring after him, more confused than I had been before.