[more of my version of wizarding duels. i hope you like, i'm sorry it took so long. MY FINALS ARE OVER! 5 DAY WEEKEND! YAY!]
Strawberries
Garden of Lost Souls
Draco flung open the veranda doors, Serena struggling over his shoulder.
"Daddy!" she called out.
"Shut up!" he hissed at her. He looked left and right, over the millions of hedges making a maze around the vast garden. You could see white fountains and gazebos springing up in the sea of green. It had the look of abandonment, a slight faded, almost black and white look. Colored leaves littered the ground and the trees around it looked dead and sullen.
It was a haunted garden.
Draco didn't hesitate, he ran head on into the garden; getting lost in it's many twists and turns of shrubs, Serena calling helplessly over his shoulder.
***
Ginny and Harry followed the trail of burn marks down to the 1st floor of the manor. They were lead outside and onto a patio overlooking a garden that seemed to stretch for miles and miles.
"Daddy!" They heard Serena crying out from somewhere in the maze of bushes.
"Serena!"
"Harry! Mommy! Hel-" she was cut short.
"Come on!" Harry ran down the path that led into the bushes. The hedges were at least 12 feet tall, solid walls of green that were deeply rooted to the ground.
"Reducto!" Harry tried to blast the hedge apart, but it was no good, the spell only bounced off and spiraled in another direction, "Damn!" Harry swore, he looked back to Ginny to see if she had any ideas.
She was bent over, inspecting something on the ground, "Harry, look," she pointed to small burn marks leading off to the left. Harry nodded and they followed it, Harry in the lead, wand out stretched.
"Serena! Serena!"
The chased around corners, seeming to go in dizzying circles; a claustrophobic path they followed farther and farther into the maze.
Harry grew uneasy. Memories of the final task in his 4th year coming back to him; he hoped there weren't any monsters lurking around here.
They heard footsteps ahead and sped up to catch up to it. They turned left and right, following the sound. Another left and another, and then a right, following the weaving path after the foot falls. They came to a clearing with an huge stone statue of a nasty looking monster, but there was no one there. Harry looked around the statue, wand raised, ready to spring on Malfoy, but there was no one. The clearing was completely deserted and frighteningly quiet. The shadows seemed to grow longer in the dim overcast day; it gave the garden a washed look. It felt like he was in another one of those memories from Tom Riddle's diary, with monolithic green walls. Ginny's hair stuck out like a beacon on this dreary scene.
It was eerie.
Ginny sidled closer to him, "Harry, I don't like this. It's like there is more then just us and Draco in here," she whispered it, as if afraid of something overhearing them.
"I know," he whispered back, peering cautiously around, straining his ears to hear movement. He heard the whip of a cloak and twirled around, peering down the dark path, "This way," he called softly to her, and set off running again. He ran in that general direction, but didn't hear anything but his and Ginny's footsteps.
There was the sound of a twig breaking, and he suddenly turned around, looking down a path to his left, and then peering down the one to his right. Ginny turned right.
"Ginny! What are you doing?"
"I heard a brush rustle this way!"
"Didn't you hear that twig crack?"
"What? No! Look, it's this way! I just heard her!"
But he pulled her back to him, looking wildly around. When he looked at her, there was fear in his eyes, "This place is haunted," he whispered.
"That's no big deal, a couple of ghosts-"
"No," he cut in, "I mean, it's really haunted," he kept his voice low and steady, "We aren't supposed to be here-"
There was the sound of someone weeping, a sickly adrenaline rushing noise that made Harry's heart beat a mile a minute.
Then silence.
Ginny shifted closer to him, noticing how quiet it had gone and how the breeze made eerie noises in the hedges. There were small giggles coming from the left, and whispers coming from in front of them.
A sudden high pitched scream rang out in the silence, a girl crying bloody murder. Ginny jumped into Harry's arms. But as soon as it had started, it stopped.
"That wasn't Serena." Harry whispered, he looked up the path in front of him, "Come on, we've got to find her," He pulled her along, and she resisted slightly, "Come one, unless you want me to leave you here alone?"
That got her, she immediately kept up with Harry, their shoulders brushing together, comforting each other.
They ended up in another clearing, a dull, gray gazebo sat in the middle.
"There is a legend-" Harry and Ginny looked up. There, on top of one of the hedges sat Draco Malfoy, one leg hanging down lazily and the other one tucked beneath him. He was staring up at the sky, but never the less, the talk was directed at them. "-that says when you enter this garden, one in your party will never come out." He looked sharply down at them, "One of my grandfather's lover is trapped in here. You can here her footsteps and her soft giggles when the wind blows southeast. There's also Pamea, one of my older cousins who ran in here when she heard the loss of her fiancé, you can hear her crying as she wanders the garden. And Kilyla, who hung herself in this garden when she found her boyfriend with another women. There's also Hugert, who somehow sliced off his own head when his fiancé died, and Larz who liked to cut his name into his lover's arms. Many of my relatives and others live in this garden you know. It's known as the Garden of Lost Loved Souls."
"Where's Serena?" Harry's voice shook. Hearing these things greatly disturbed him and he no doubt believed Draco because he had heard these spectral sounds himself.
He smirked and sprang up, walking casually down the hedge, away from them, unworried about the drop below. He waved vaguely off toward his left, in answer to Harry's question.
"Wingardium leviosa!" Harry swished and flicked his wand and felt himself rise up off the ground, landing not so gracefully on the ledge, which was much thinner then it had appeared from on the ground. Draco stared at him from across the gap of the path, cold, gray eyes furious. He leapt up and landed on the ledge Harry was on and thrust his wand at him. Harry narrowly blocked it, stepping backwards and tripping slightly as his foot caught the edge. Draco thrust again and Harry had to dodge out of the way and jumped jerkily onto another hedge, trying to stay upright on it. His arms flailed as he tried to steady himself.
Draco pounced again, jabbing Harry with his wand who narrowly blocked it.
"Harry!" Harry gave Ginny a stern look and she understood. She ran the path and Harry saw her make her way left towards the center of the maze.
But he was suddenly distracted because Draco was slashing, stabbing, swiping at him. Harry blocked them clumsily, not skilled in wizard's dueling. Draco however was steady and graceful, cutting the distance between him and the sudden drop as the hedge ended.
And Harry finally saw an opening in Draco's attack and swung.
He never even got close to touching Draco, for he leapt back and threw a curse at him. Harry jumped to another hedge, loosing his balance, he jumped to another one. He finally managed to stay upright and looked back to meet Draco, but he was jumping away from him to the center of the garden.
He tried to apperate, but found he couldn't; the maze was purposefully meant to get lost in. So Harry jumped after Draco, much slower then him, falling farther and farther behind.
***
Draco caught up to Ginny and leapt down in front of her. She crashed into his arms and he quickly mumbled a silencing charm and dragged her the last stretch to the center. She screamed silently, struggling in his grip, but then spotted Serena. She looked unconscious, laying on the steps of a great white gazebo, hands tied behind her back. Draco sat Ginny down beside her and conjured up magical binds, holding her to the spot.
"I'll go take care of little lover boy-" Draco suddenly lurched forward, falling over Ginny. He slumped unconscious next to her and looked up to find, to her horror, Lucius Malfoy, holding his wand threateningly.
"So, though you could fool me my little Dragon- I think not,"
He easily picked up Serena and flung her over his shoulder, and he magically lifted the binded Ginny into the air. She followed behind him as he stepped into the maze, the took a series of turns and they were suddenly in another clearing. He set her down and went about undoing the cords on both of them.
He knelt down in front of Serena, who had woken up and looked at him fearfully.
"My daughter," he rubbed her cheek in mock affection and she pulled away.
He laughed, "Yes, I think I'll kill Draco. The only reason he stays is for the money," he gave a sinister chuckle and stood up, "He'll make a fine addition to my garden, Draco, who tried to save his daughter from his father-"
"Draco- who's father thought he was the father of his child-"
Lucius whirled around, smirking.
"She is my daughter Lucius,"
He didn't respond, but gave him a condescending look.
"He's my father," said a small but clear voice.
They all whirled around to see Serena frowning slightly.
"What?" Lucius asked sharply, incredulously.
"I said, he's my father. But Harry's my daddy,"
They all stared at her again, and the 7-year-old rolled her eyes. They couldn't piece together the little girl's logic.
"Draco's my father, like he's your father. But Harry's my daddy," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "obviously, Draco wouldn't call him-" indicated Lucius, "-daddy. He'd call him father,"
"She's brilliant" voiced Draco suddenly.
"I beg your pardon?" Lucius turned to him, confused.
"She's bloody brilliant!" and Draco scooped her up in her arms, hugging her. Serena hugged back hesitantly and Lucius and Ginny stared. Draco was laughing, "she's brilliant!"
Draco found he was fascinated with this little girl, the way her mind worked. She had rearranged it in her mind to her understanding. Harry had been an affectionate figure, a daddy. Draco had never been there, so she called him father, formally. She obviously didn't know the difference, or that there could only be one real 'father.' He found that he didn't want to let her go.
Ginny was surprised with the change of Draco. It had been in an instant, so suddenly and at the wrong moment.
"She's mine!" Lucius lunged, cutting a rip down Draco's back. Draco staggered, dropping Serena, and she crawled away fearfully. Lucius scooped her up and took off.
"No! Serena!" he quickly transfigured a nearby pot into a broom and took off after Lucius. Ginny followed, running.
***
"AAHHH!!" Draco leapt off his broom and landed on top of Lucius. Lucius crumbled, dropping Serena who squealed.
Lucius and Draco both rolled away, each had such a gracefulness about them, like cats.
Both drew their wands.
"I'm warning you boy,"
"That's a first, never warned me before- never really cared,"
Lucius struck, bringing his wand down and Draco leapt out of the way, spinning. Draco thrust his wand at him and were soon engaged in quiet a duel. Each had such grace and struck with such accuracy, it must have been choreographed. Serena had crawled away out of the battle and now watched as her grandfather and father dueled viciously. Ginny rounded the corner, as Harry jumped down from a hedge, and saw them. They both ran to Serena wrapping her in her arms and running to another path.
"They're getting away!" and Lucius viciously stabbed at Draco.
And Lucius saw a look come over Draco, and he looked longingly back at them before turning to his father, eyes flashing, "Let them," He stabbed, and Lucius blocked.
"No! Father!" Serena cried, tears starting to slip down her face.
Draco had slightly pained look in his eyes as she said 'father.'
A burst of fire suddenly flared up from where the drop had fallen, the flame catching a near by hedge. In no time, it was climbing up it's green branches and making it's way down the hedge, spreading.
"Serena! Go!" Draco shouted over to them, blocking Lucius' attack.
"No!" Lucius tried to side step Draco, but he stepped in front of him, blocking his way. The flames that danced dangerously around them reflected in Draco's eyes. Lucius had never seen anything like it.
"You will never lay a hand on her!"
And Draco jabbed at him, catching him in the shoulder. Lucius staggered back, but was just as quickly attacking, catching Draco in the side. Draco struck with furious swipes, angrily, letting tears he had never but once in his life time fall.
It was then that Lucius realized that Draco was the father.
"Go!" he yelled at Serena, but she didn't move. Ginny had scooped her up in her arms and was pulled away by Harry.
"No! Dragon! Father!"
And that was the last she saw of him, quickly lost between the flames.
The whole garden burned.
Legend says that when you enter the Garden of Lost Loved Souls, one in your party will never come out…
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