Malfoy Invasion
by Cassandra Sisenta
A/N: Here's the next chapter. ^_^ In answer to one reviewer, I'd like to inform everyone that Blaise and Adriana would NOT be ending up together. Adriana's pairing would be hinted near the end of the story (and that would take some time to be churned out) and as for Blaise, I'm still thinking if he will be paired up with the one I thought of before. Any suggestions on who Blaise should be paired up with? I'm a bit reluctant though…I just LOVE my version of Blaise!! He's such a hottie!!
More of the twins and Colin in this chapter along with another new and original character, Cimber. He's mine and mine alone! Along with Felicia Nott and her three cronies…
DISCLAIMER: Blaise: If Cassandra can have me as her own, she will. But as it is, I am not and so are *pulls out a long roll of parchment* Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Professor Lupin, Professor Snape, Luna Lovegood, Spike and Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sesshoumaru from Inuyasha, Trowa Barton and Chang Wufei from Gundam Wing, Eriol Hiiragizawa from Card Captor Sakura, The Three Starlights from Sailor Moon Stars, Yuki, Ayame, Hatsuharu, Hiro, Hatori, and Shigure Sohma from Fruits Basket, Tokiya Mikagami from Rekka no Honou, Nuriko, Chichiri, and Chiriko from Fushigi Yuugi, Ken Zhu of F4, Hyde of L'arc~en~ciel, GACKT…
Chapter X
Mood Swinging Gryffindors and Scheming, Ranting Slytherins
"Wingardiu—m Levio—sa!"
Gray eyes didn't look impressed as the cry was pretty much muffled in the buzzing practice room.
"I tell you, you're saying the spell wrong, Larizza."
Rizza frowned at Julian who was looking at her with the usual boredom in his features as she gripped her wand with frustration as it hovered over her immobile feather. She looked ready to tear her long hair off as she pouted at the feather then back at her brother who of course was able to do it after only a few tries.
She sniffed and refused to acknowledge what Julian was saying. She tossed her head and crossed her arms over her chest, ever the prideful Gryffindor.
"Listen to you, Juli. Acting like you know everything." She frowned at him, her face looking nothing but sulky. "So what else is new?"
There were study rooms in Hogwarts that were especially for spell casting and right now, the twins had decided to do some studying for Charms. The Malfoy twins still preferred to spend a lot of time together despite the fact that both had friends in their respective Houses. Rizza and Julian were awfully close even if they did seem to be annoying each other in turn most of the time and were most comfortable when they were in each other's company.
Julian smirked. "And you're still your sulking self. So what else is new?" He shot back and before Rizza could respond, a cool voice commented from behind him, slicing through the buzzing of the First Years who occupied the room at that particular time.
"Aww, is the Gryff going to cry because she can't cast a widdle spell?"
Silence fell and all eyes fell on the confrontation that was about to happen.
Obviously, it was a Slytherin. A girl with dark hair and sharp, ice-cold blue eyes and an impressive Slytherin smirk. And of course she had to have three other snakes by her side.
Slytherins always travel in packs.
Rizza knew her of course. She was Felicia Nott, one of the prominent Slytherin first years. Rizza hated her at first sight and knew that the feeling was mutual. It was bound to happen anyway, her having a Slytherin enemy. She was a Gryffindor after all.
And she was a Malfoy as well, as she sometimes tended to forget nowadays when she was with her friends in her House. So she was a bit surprised when Julian turned around and looked at his Housemate with a quite menace in his hooded gray eyes before she could even speak for herself.
"Sod off, Nott." Julain spared the three other Slytherins, two burly looking boys and a prissy girl, by Felicia's side a quick glance. "And take your cronies and the Priss Princess with you."
He murmured in a soft, almost seemingly harmless tone, but knowing Julian, it was a cloaked warning and one he was not afraid to back up with blows if needed. Even if Felicia was a Housemate and granddaughter of one of the more known accused Death Eaters and was a girl on top of everything.
"If you know what's good for you…" Julian stood his ground before her, looking imposing without even threatening hexes or curses.
Felicia looked particularly livid. She had been in pretty good terms with Julian Malfoy before that moment. Her father had warned her about crossing the Malfoys, but as they stood at the moment, she doubted whether she should be scared. Draco Malfoy was the Slytherin Prince no longer and his treacherous mother was hiding away somewhere under some kind of powerful protection. Lucius Malfoy was dead and everyone knew he was the Malfoy to fear.
"Gearing to be a House Traitor now are you, Malfoy?" Felicia asked in a mocking tone characteristic of Slytherins.
The three Slytherins by her side appropriately snickered in response. Gone were their stony indignant expressions of moments ago.
Julian narrowed his eyes at her, practically shielding his twin sister from view. He smiled at her tightly, almost icily, mocking her and goading her at the same time.
"I'm only looking out for my own special interests, Nott." He responded, an eyebrow lifting as he easily shifted into a question. "Isn't that a Slytherin trait? My interests lie in keeping my sister away from you slimy prats."
The cold smile returned as he finished his little speech, him stepping one step closer to the frowning Felicia. "No one makes fun of my sister but me, Nott. Anyone else who dares to call her names or picks on her I will drive to the ground with no hesitation or fear. You better best remember that."
As Julian was all going into White Knight mode, Rizza was behind him, rolling her eyes and insisting to herself that she could very well take care of herself. She was about to go on ahead and give the two standing off Slytherins a piece of her mind when a firm hand settled into her shoulder.
"Easy now. This is not your battle, Malfoy."
She turned around to tell off the one who held her back when she found herself assaulted by bewitching, familiar violet eyes. She stiffened immediately at the sight of them.
Blaise?
Her heart beat a bit faster. She felt her face heating up. She couldn't believe it.
Blaise Zabini was touching her shoulder!
She could die happily now!
But then the eyes blinked at her and looked at her in puzzlement. Then she realized something.
Blaise is not only a few inches taller than I am…"I don't want Metallus to melt, Rizza. Snap out of it." Julian's curt voice brought her out of her own world of thoughts. Her head turned back to Julian's expression to find her twin staring at her with his eyebrow raised. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he looked at her as if she had gone insane and was dancing in front of him in a pink tutu.
"He's almost the only person in our year that I could stand. Don't make him disappear."
"I'm not as fragile as you think, Malfoy. Really." A calm, amused voice sounded from behind her and it was only then that she actually saw who it was that held her back.
He was only a bit taller than her with pale skin and jet black hair that was cut a bit longish and a bit messily in front which suited him fine. His bangs, when pulled away revealed said violet eyes, which were at the moment looking quite calm with a hint of a laughing glint somewhere. He was slender, but not lanky. In fact, an air of quite confidence seemed to radiate right out from him.
But she couldn't take her eyes away from his. They were violet and the only known pureblood family with violet eyes was the Zabini family.
"Violet eyes." Rizza murmured, looking at him and trying to understand. "But you're not a Zabini…how?"
Those violet eyes sparkled a bit as he smiled and answered her question. "My mother is a Zabini."
"You're Blaise's cousin then?"
The boy Julian formally called Metallus nodded. "Yes, Cimber Metallus. A privilege to meet you at last."
Rizza all but nodded at him, still a bit surprised at the effect of those familiar violet eyes. Was she so hopelessly in love with Blaise Zabini that this was what she was resorted to? A pile of dizzied mush when she so much as saw someone that resembled a part of him?
"Rizza Malfoy. Blaise never told me he had a cousin."
"It never popped into the conversation I guess." The boy now known as Cimber answered with an easy shrug. Seeming to have no great worries this one. "You usually had to ask before Blaise ever says anything."
Rizza nodded again, making Julian smirk in amusement at her behavior.
"Well, Rizza. Felicia Nott and her three tag-alongs are gone. Won't have to worry about them for a while."
Julian's statement promptly snapped her out of her daze and she rounded on her twin, a frown on her small face. "I could've taken her, Julian. You didn't have to step in." She told him firmly.
Julian looked at her and was able to look a bit surprised while blinking cluelessly, obviously having forgotten about his sister being able to defend herself. Which was all an act, really. In all honesty, Julian had stepped in because knowing Rizza, her confrontation with Felicia would have taken more than words. Blood would have been spilt certainly. His twin didn't have the cool head that was required when dealing with slimy Slytherins like Felicia Nott and he didn't want his sister to get hurt.
Not that he was going to tell her that.
"Fine, whatever." was his only response, along with a bored, unconcerned expression.
"So," Cimber began, having a go at starting a conversation just when the topic closed and people around them had forgotten that something had just happened. "Your birthday is in two weeks, any plans?"
And so the ball of conversation started rolling from there.
Okay, so what is the significance of this little peek into the Malfoy twins' business aside from the introduction of a new character, Blaise's cousin Cimber Metallus?
Well, this is where the plan of setting up Draco and Ginny takes off.
Finally.
"Could you tell me again what just happened?"
Colin snapped out of his glazed stupor immediately and delivered a running commentary of what happened just five minutes before the bell rang. Ginny was still looking shocked about what happened.
"You were nodding off in the middle of McGonagall's lecture about the importance of staying in control of one's mind when transfiguring an animal to an object. Ten minutes later and just five minutes before the bell rang there was a resounding 'thump' that made everyone look your way. Unfortunately, that 'thump' sound came from you and up front McGonagall's lips came together in this impossibly severe line. Then she called you by your family name for about five times and it took me nudging you awake with my wand so that you would—"
"Okay, that's enough, Colin. I remember now. Thank you. Goodness, I thought I had a concussion." Ginny murmured as she rubbed the side of her head where she had hit it on the upside of her desk. She was looking a bit put out and certainly frustrated about something. "Oh why did I stay up late to read that book again?"
"Erm, you needed it for Potions?" Colin tried to be helpful, he really did. It was the least he could do, as he was most probably fated to be nothing more than Ginny's friend. Some Gryffindor he was…
But his reminder only seemed to make Ginny look worse. She made a cute noise of exasperation in her throat as she stamped down the busy hallway towards the direction of the Dungeons for their Potions double period.
"I hate it! Why is my life so awful?! First, I find I'm low in Potions and I have strange Zabini as my tutor. Then now this happens! I HAVE FRICKIN' DETENTION TONIGHT WITH MCGONAGALL!" She declared in a high voice that could have been a squeal if she wasn't so distressed. She definitely looked like she wanted to tear all her gorgeous red hair out.
And of course Colin didn't want her to do that. It was her best attribute. It was so shiny, so soft, smelled so sweetly of cinnamon… He was quick to remind her that the world was still beautiful despite her bad day.
Colin smiled at her, hoping that he would be able to convince her as he fell in step with her. "It's not that bad, Gin—" But he was interrupted when a low, dangerous voice echoed through the hall.
"Get out of my way." At the sound of the terse voice, the crowd parted and Draco Malfoy came storming through the hallway. His robes billowed ominously behind him in perfect Evil Nemesis fashion with a matching stormy expression on his face as he passed through. People made way for him not because he commanded it, but because of the dangerous expression on his face that made him look like he could kill somebody.
Draco Malfoy may have toned down some, but he certainly could still conjure the old fear that people had of him when he had that angry look on.
He had just passed by Ginny and Colin when Ginny began to comment.
"What's up his arse?" She asked particularly no one just as the moody Slytherin stalked towards a bunch of First Year Hufflepuffs who immediately dispersed at the sight of him.
Her own rage seemed to have been forgotten as if Malfoy left with it. She looked thoughtfully down the path that the Slytherin took with a curious expression on her face.
"Ginny, as I was saying—"
"Could it be something about Ron and Harry again? Well it couldn't be…they haven't even faced off since last year…"
"Ginny I think you should forget about Mal—"
Ginny looked up at Colin with the curious expression still intact. He thought she looked particularly endearing. "What do you think had Malfoy in a rage?"
"I don't know Ginny and frankly, I don't care." Colin quipped, a bit annoyed that Ginny had suddenly forgotten everything just because Malfoy was in a foul mood. Since when did that happen? She usually just made a rash comment and continued on ranting.
Ginny had really changed ever since he had met the Malfoy twins.
They were nearing the dungeons when who would burst out but Rizza Malfoy and as expected, she lunged toward Ginny when she saw her.
"Ginny! Hello!" Rizza called, rushing toward Ginny as if the world was going to end and the apocalypse was right behind her. Her golden blond hair flew then settled just as she had her arms around Ginny's waist.
Colin watched as Ginny managed to regain her footing when Rizza glomped her.
He had seen the spectacle so many times but he couldn't get himself to believe it. It was just so strange. Just imagine, a Malfoy willingly hugging a Weasley.
Ginny was smiling when Rizza finally looked up at her with a big, adoring smile. She pushed away some strands of golden blond hair from her little friend's face as Rizza looked at her as if she was the world.
Ginny is so beautiful…"What's got you so excited Rizza?"
"I just realized it this morning Ginny, but it's my birthday in two weeks! Can you believe it? I'm getting one year older!"
"That's wonderful! So what do you want?"
"You're giving me a gift?"
"Well, sure. It's your birthday isn't it?"
"I want hair just like yours! All so red and so shiny!"
"Hm…. I don't know…I don't think Dra—Malfoy would like it."
"Who cares what Drake thinks? It's my hair and Adriana will find it amusing! Please Ginny!"
"I believe Ginny's hair is natural, Rizza. You can't find a vibrant red like that anywhere else. And we're going to be late for Herbology if you don't hurry up."
Then there came the male Malfoy twin. He almost always seemed to be anywhere little Rizza was. Colin found it unsettling to be in his presence. Those sharp gray eyes didn't miss anything and he was sure they noticed more things than anyone else could speak of.
Colin shivered when those sharp gray eyes happened to glance at him.
It was just creepy.
It was like Draco Malfoy was looking straight through him.
And he didn't like Draco Malfoy at all.
"Hello Julian."
"Hullo."
"Who's your friend?"
"I'm Cimber Metallus, Ms. Weasley."
"Oh! Blaise's elusive cousin! He keeps telling me all about you."
"He does, does he?"
"Oh yes."
"Why do I feel so afraid by your admission?"
"Come now Rizza, we're going to be late and I'm sure Professor Snape wouldn't like it if Ginny and Mr. Creevey there would end up late."
"Oh, hi Colin! I didn't see you there."
The only response he got from the twins' Slytherin friend was a surveying glance with his hooded violet eyes. Yes, this was Blaise Zabini's cousin all right.
Colin smiled in response to Julian's astute observation, a tight one but a smile nonetheless and tugged at Ginny's arm towards the dungeons.
"We'll see you then. Come now, Ginny."
"Bye Ginny!"
"Rizza, don't yell."
"Come on you two."
"Bye Julian, Rizza! It was nice meeting you, Cimber."
As they hurried down to the Dungeons, it was Colin's turn to be in a foul mood. He didn't know why, he didn't know when it began, but he felt very annoyed suddenly.
Maybe it was because of the Slytherin aura in the air.
Cowardly Gryffindor he may be, but he didn't like Slytherins just like the most of them.
"Oooh Ginny! I only realized just this morning that I was to get older in two weeks time! I can't scarcely beliiiiiieve it! Oh Ginny! Could I have your hair for my birthday, oh pretty please with sugar and chocolate and cherries on top????"
"Keep on doing that Malfoy and you'd clear the Common Room."
"Oh Cimber you have such beauuuuutiful eyes! Could I be your GIRLFRIEND????"
"She did not say that, Julian."
"You just weren't paying attention, Metallus."
"Whatever, Malfoy."
Julian flopped down on one of the green couches in front of the fire in the Slytherin Common Room with a disgruntled look on his face. He leaned back and stared daggers at the ceiling, grumbling almost incoherently about his sister's demented matchmaking plan. Beside him, Cimber was sitting sideways with his knees drawn up to support the black journal that he was writing on. His shoes were on the floor. Professor Snape did not like the couches getting messy and he promised grave retribution to whoever refused to heed his warnings.
"Oh yes, I shouldn't be saying that." Julian commented after a while in a leveled tone of voice as he continued to stare at the ceiling. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You have your eyes on Reed. Yes, I shouldn't have said anything…"
His answer was a pillow to the face and when Julian emerged from behind the pillow to aim a smirk at his friend, all he got in response was a cool glare that could have people thinking twice.
"Keep your comments to yourself if you know what's good for you, Malfoy." Cimber stated, his eyes back to his journal. His quill scribbled quickly over the fresh paper. He must be writing about Julian's comment and how unpleasant it was, to put it so delicately.
Silence reigned between them for a while before the Slytherin Malfoy twin began talking again, his tone thick with loathing for his sister.
"Count on Rizza to make the most ridiculous of schemes up and the ugliest thing about it is that she's convinced your cousin and Adriana to work with her. Really, why can't she just leave it alone and let things go as they should? Annoying little snit, why can't she just mind her own business?"
"She's a Gryffindor, what do you expect?" Cimber murmured quietly, meaning no offense to Rizza's protective brother.
Julian leveled a calm look to Cimber who wasn't looking at him. "And a Malfoy. She'll do anything to get what she wants."
Cimber smiled a bit. He nestled his quill against the pages of his journal and closed it to look at Julian. "Right you are."
"D'you think her plan would work?" Julian asked Cimber.
The other boy shrugged. "It would if the Fates will it. Remember, you're also a vital part of the plan so the success of it would also lie on you in some respects. Do you want it to work?"
Their conversation was spoken in almost indiscernible words for those who might just be listening. The Slytherin Common Room was not a safe place for speaking of their plans.
Julian sighed, sinking deeper into the couch. His arms were still crossed over his chest as his eyes fixed on the table in front of him. There was a bowl of apples on top of the table.
"I don't know."
"But you'd go through with it?" Cimber asked with a small smirk.
Julian sighed again. "Do I have a choice?"
"I guess you don't."
"Right you are."
Then as if on cue, the door to the boys' dorms swung open and a frowning Draco Malfoy strode out into the Common Room towards the exit of Slytherin House.
"Hey Drake, where are you going?" Julian asked just as his cousin passed by the couch that he and Cimber were occupying.
He was the only person in the history of Slytherin to ever address a pissed-looking Draco Malfoy that was not either stupid or Harry Potter.
Well, in Slytherin "stupid" and "Harry Potter" were almost the same actually…
"None of your business." The seventh year Slytherin answered in a clipped tone, not stopping or turning to look back to acknowledge his cousin. He was almost at the exit.
"Well wherever you're going, don't forget to get me my gift." Julian called to his cousin in a cool, flippant tone. "My birthday is in two weeks you know."
No response, just the closing of the exit to the sound of a magically reconstructing stonewall.
Silence again.
Cimber raised Julian an eyebrow. "Desperate, very desperate."
Julian aimed a glare at Cimber. "You try it if you're so smart."
"Lame!" Cimber declared, standing up and heading for the first year boys' dorms. His journal was tucked under his arm before yawning.
"As if you could do better, Metallus." Julian followed close behind.
And their bickering carried on until much later that night and was only put to an end when their dormmates threatened calling for Prefect Zabini specifically, which caused Cimber to frown and Julian to grin smugly before both retreated to their beds for the night.
Okay, quite boring yes. It was some kind of transitional chapter. Anyway, next chapter will be much more entertaining because we have Ginny and Draco back. I guess you already know why they're going to cross paths again on the next chapter e? No? Read back on these last two chapters and then you'd understand. ^_^
Until next time! ^_^